Late ! Late ! Late !

I know, it's a long overdue post. But I really wanted to post those three pictures from New Year's night. Why ? Well first of all because I like the idea that my blog it's somehow my journal. Then because I really love those picture. But most of all because that night has been beautiful and fun. My older children are most of the time now truly great friends, with whom I can laugh and talk and share all aspects of life ( and yes, sometime they're an handful too ) while my little one is pure joy and curiosity and sweet love ( and yes sometime he's an handful too ). And I love all of them. And I'm very fond also of you my dear readers ;) 

So... Happy 2016 !!!!!!!

Here I am

So here I am. I must confess that we came back two weeks ago, but I started using my computer again only two days ago. For me is always rather traumatic coming back. Unfortunately it seems that I can't really fit in the finnish society, like there's no room for me, but you know nothing triggers these feelings more than visiting your country. The funny thing is that I always felt I didn't belong to Italy. I never felt really 'italian' or better I never cared anything. But after four years here in the north I can say that at least I am a southern soul, made for places and people full of strong feelings, temperatures and contradictions. So when I come back I try to postpone my routines as much as possible, maybe as a way to deny that here I am, again, for another terribly long year. Of course at some point it becomes too silly to avoid everything that brings me fully back and finally I start my ''here'' life again. And this year there is an additional bad news, my camera died during the trip back :( . I dreamed this camera for years, I bought it 8 years ago, and during the trip I let it fall from my closet while we were traveling in the caravan. I'm sad beyond words since I don't have the money to fix it or buy a new one. Luckily the pictures taken are still readable, so today I will show you few ( well not really few ... ) pictures from the trip, but from now on only cell-phone-low-quality-pics. and yes I keep telling myself that it's only an object and that memories are stored in the heart, but still ...
So let's start :)

  

Swans in the sea in the south of Sweden

Sharing is caring :)

Highway fun in Germany

  

First day in Tuscany ! Lovely cafeteria in the woods.

Fist time on the slide !

 Wild boars hanging out in town !

In Rome visiting my mother. my aches only looking at those pics. Fun in the amusement park, a simple meal in a little restaurant ... fun fun fun like we can only dream of here ...

San Candido, on the Alpes ( Dolomites )

On the boarder, leaving Italy.

Birthday party on the road for my husband

 

 Playmobil Fun Park in Germany.

Hopefully you enjoyed the pics.

 In the next days updates from the garden, from my crocheting and cooking.

How was your summer ?

In Italy !!!

I will keep this post quite short, as I'm using the phone and I find it rather uncomfortable. We've been in Tuscany for almost one week and tomorrow we'll be off to Rome. Very hot but after the finnish non-summer I'm almost enjoying it. Here's few pictures ...

Home is where you park it.

Traveling, or better, being on the road is one of the favourite activities (or way of living ) of my family. The first time we traveled abroad with the children has been 13 years ago. We came to Finland for the first time (by plane ) with a three years old, two one year old twins and pregnant with our fourth baby. It sure has been an hectic vacation, but fun and exciting indeed. The following year we became more brave. One four years old, two two years old and a newborn. And we didn't only stay in hotel in the city centre, but we rented an old VW and headed to the countryside and then a friend borrowed us his apartement in town.
Two years later we traveled for the first time by car, from Italy to Finland, and lived in Helsinki for few months. Long story short, our travels became such an important part of our life that on 2010 we bought our first caravan and lived on the road for 3 months straight, visiting almost all Europe.

 First day in our first caravan

 And the following year with a bigger caravan ( the one that we still have ) we traveled again for four months, up to NordCap.

Our actual caravan

On 2011 we moved here in Finland, and traveling  happens at least once a year to go  to Italy and back to Finland. And here we are, on sunday evening we will be leaving for a new adventure.
Two ferries, from Finland to Sweden and from Sweden to Germany, and then the neverending road unfolding in front of us.
As a (mainly) unschooling mama, traveling has been one of the biggest sources of learning for my children and the best curriculum. While traveling they learned to read  ( by themselves ), to count, to read numbers. They learned about the geography, the flags, the currencies of many countries. The form of governement and the products and typical foods. They had hints of the history of Europe, ancient and contemporary.Traveling ignited they will to learn english. And they learned to know and appreciate people. Different people, same heart. Home is where your heart is. Learning is where life is.

Here my own words about our first experiences of 'roadschooling' from my old blog 

The apple tree :

 '' Last year in april ( on year 2010 ) we left our more then comfortable suburban home for the unknown. Actually we were leaving for Finland, and we couldn't imagine how longer and interesting that joureny would have been. So while taking care of boxes, traveling plans and rental homes we started unschooling. I left the kids free to manage their days, just proposing them interesting activities in the garden or letting them help us with the move. Once in Finland, in may, I felt it was too late for formal schooling so we kept just crafting, exploring and unschooling all the way.
Then our life took another turn. Long story short, we came back to Italy in July and we bought a very old motorhome ( out faithful Elnagh Magnum 560 ) and decided to travel from Rome to the south of Spain and then once there we went all the way back through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Finland. We got aquainted with the idea of roadschoolig, as we call it. It is not really unschooling, it's more like soaking in the place we're visiting, knowing people, talking and listening people, telling our story and learning other people's stories, and watching around, the nature, the monuments, the animals ... whatever, and trying to learn about them, not because we have to, and not even because we want to, but because we're part of it, like getting to know your own body, made of all the wonders of the world....Call it relax. Call it faith. I know they will learn what's right for them.
So when we decided to leave again in june we were ready to jump again in the exciting waters of unschooling. We traveled from Rome up to North Cape and back, visiting Germany, Finland,Norway,Sweden,Danemark. The kids kept learning, and asking, and knowing people, listening stories, getting to know different lives, and kept using their skills, reading, writing, studying, talking in english just naturally.''

Of course I know it's not a choice suitable or possible for everyone. But in my opinion so often parent are afraid to engage in traveling with young ones, and this is a mistake. I remember how difficult and hard it was to travel with 4 tiny beings, and how fun and easy is now, travel with four travel companions and a little one fully concentrate in learning. How wonderful it is, as a parent, to see my children confidently walking in the ferry, grocery shopping in sweden, looking for their favourite treat in Norway, and looking forward to some good pasta in our beloved Italy.
Well, very long post to tell you all goodbye for a while. I will try to be active on Instagram and to make few updates here in the blog. We will be back at the beginning of august with so many stories to tell.

 Have a wonderful month of july !