One week

I cannot believe we left Lincoln just one week ago. It feels like weeks and weeks. Months! Okay, maybe not months. But ages. I've maintained to the kids that "we can do anything for ten months!" in a sort of "keep your chin up!" mantra over the past few months of planning, but if every week feels like a month, they're going to be ready to quit on me by Halloween.

We are still settling in to the flat. Most of the suitcases are unpacked and stowed away. Thankfully there are cabinets all the way to the very high ceilings in the hallway spaces, which provide room to stow even the largest suitcases out of sight. I had feared they might end up in a stack in the corner of one room if there were no closets, something I've come to understand is a real risk throughout Europe. That said, there are no actual closets in the bedrooms, of the sort we Americans expect. Well, that's not entirely true. There's a little walk in closet off the master bedroom. Hooray! But the other rooms have none. There are, however, several wardrobe type cabinets and the hall cabinets, so we'll make do. The kids will have to leave their rooms to get their clothes. No big deal.

Nathaniel did an initial IKEA run on the day of our arrival, as a wonderfully kind colleague, Nickolay, had brought his car into the city for that purpose (and to bring us some cots, sheets, and chairs to loan). We had about 90 minutes to scrap together a list of essentials missing from the apartment - a bed for us, plates, glasses, trash cans, curtains, etc - and Nathaniel did his best to purchase those needs. God bless him for taking it on in a strange country, with a strange currency, even at a familiar store. I was stressed for him.

Since that day, we've been accumulating a list of other things that we need, but didn't immediately consider. Like blankets. (It's taking everything I have not to insert emojis into these posts, now that I'm used to leaning on them in FB messenger, instagram posts, and even emails lately, but I've always held myself to a no-smilies-rule in blog posts, so I'm trying to stick to that. Hopefully you can feel my laugh-cry emoji vibe even without my inserting the image.) Nickolay provided sheets (and I had brought some), as well as a couple throw blankets. There were a few other throws around the flat. So everyone has some thin blanket that's getting us by for the moment. I do not anticipate them getting us through the long, dark Swedish winter, though, even with the radiators (yes, old school radiators) cranked up. In fact, I'm super curious to see how this old building will do, insulation wise. My hopes are not high given all the old cracking wooden window and door frames that lend the place its charm.

Rachel and I were at a department store yesterday, Åhlens, in search of the rain suits I got Meg and Peter, and I took a minute to look at their blankets and towels (I brought one bath towel per person, but with kids needing towels for PE and sometimes swimming, I need to up my count to keep my laundry reasonably), but they were pricey. I need to just suck it up and make another IKEA run, but my vision of an IKEA on every corner has not proved to be accurate. There are a few in town, but not right in the city center. That said, there's a free bus from the city center to an IKEA and back all day long, so it should be easy to manage... I just have to find a time when all the kids are at school long enough for Rachel and me to get there and back. I wouldn't have expected that to be such a challenge, but, well, you've seen the spreadsheet.

The rain suits, by the way, were none too soon. We woke this morning to a very soggy day. Meg and Peter are breaking in their new jackets, pants, and rainboots! It looks like it's drying up now, so hopefully my walks (plural, obviously) to school will be dry. I told the kids this morning, it will be the inclement weather days like today that push me to make them walk to/from school without me, I'm sure. Probably soon.