Maximizing the coziness with orange peel candle

If you ever visit Denmark you will most likely come across a Danish word “hygge”. Hygge is among the most used word in Denmark, yet it can be difficult to explain to other languages. I’ll give it a try as how I as a foreigner understand the word "hygge". Danes in general are very informal people. They’re not the kind of people who like to show off with their fancy homes, serious sounding jobs or by throwing luxurious parties. The most important thing in everything is that this thing called “hygge” is present”. Hygge means cosiness, relaxed and chilled atmosphere where everybody’s having a good time. Even though hygge is most of all a state of mind, danes often try to create hygge for example with dim, cosy lighting. And because of this danes love to light candles especially during the dark winter months.

The last three or four days I’ve been trapped indoors with the kids because of the other famous Danish thing called crappy weather and the only thing you can really do is to try to get comfy and well... hygge! Because of that I wanted to experiment with this thing called orange peel candle/lamp.

Despite the fact that orange peel is compostable I still find it interesting to find new ways to use it after its main purpose as protecting the fruit. This candle option could also be very useful in an emergency situation when you don’t have candle lights at hand. I also wonder if orange peel candle could be healthier solution to the traditional candles which according to the recent studies pollute heavily the indoors air. I'm just guessing here, I have no idea really!

I did almost everything as shown in the video below with few exceptions. Instead of olive oil, I used a cheaper canola oil. I’m sure any oil will do but just keep in mind that the candle smells the oils you use.Opposite to what you might think, it does not smell a hint of oranges! But if you want a nicer smell I'm sure you can use a few drops of sentenced oils. Another thing to keep in mind is that these candles tip easily. Instead of trying to balance them on the table I used them as a floating candles in a glass bowl filled with water. It’s more fire secure and it looked really pretty. Definitely lots of hygge potential here! 

Poopiebags and crappy playgrounds

My family lives in this tiny village of eight houses in the countryside about 20 kilometers from the city of Roskilde, yes, that one where the famous Roskilde festival is held every summer. Our house lies in the middle of large fields which is pretty usual sight in Denmark. We’re though lucky enough to also have a forest nearby which reminds me of Finland, the only thing I’m missing is a lake. Then there is our “city”, a bigger village with two grocery stores, a library and a second hand store (my very favourite) and a bunch of other things about 3 km away from our house. I have taken it into my morning routine to make a powerwalk in the “city” with my children sitting in a 2-seated bike trailer that I use as a stroller (which by the way has become one of my best friends after I gave birth and I just call it friendly the Croozer).

When doing my powerwalks in our “city” I’ve come to notice two things that are so depressing sights that they’re almost funny. First;  the shitbags. There are some genious local dogowners who take the effort of buying plastic bags dedicated for dog feces, remembering to take them with them when they’re walking their dogs, even doing the nasty job of filling the bags when the dogs do their thing and then… throwing the plastic bag of shit on the street!!! Like what the hell, do you want to store that thing to the future generations or what’s the point of not taking them to a dumpster? I would much rather see those feces without the plastic bag knowing than in couple of weeks it will be decomposed, than seeing the same shitbags rolling around the street and getting stuck in my Croozer wheels.

Fresh poopiebag

Another one that I estimated to be couple of months old but still looking almost as good as new!

Then other depressing thing are the so called  playgrounds in the “city”. This one is actually more sad thing than funny at least for me as a parent. Since my 2-year-old daughter is not in the daycare or vuggestue as the danes call it, like some 95% of the Danish children in her age are, she would really have use for a place to play and maybe even meet some other kids. With a serious search I have been able to find two playgrounds that are located in walking distance from our house (about 4 km radius) where I would dare to take my children. In the rest of them there either isn’t much to play with or they are old, rusty and hazardous and only a suicidal person would get the idea of actually using them. 

Wuhuu!

That face drawn in the piss smelling playhouse describes it all

I figured this was a slide too - for those kiddos who can first climb up a wall of 60 degree angle

Weee!

Yet people’s private yards are filled with new, fancy playhouses, swings, trampolines, even skateboarding ramps! I’m often thinking that we could build at least ten most exciting playgrounds out of the playthings people gather in their gardens that now stand there dedicated only for their own children’s use. And wouldn’t it also be nice that kids had other kids to play with instead of sitting alone in their playhouses? And that their parents could actually use the spared area for gardening or other activities. Not to mention how much more ecological it would be if each family wouldn't have their own private playground on their backyard?

Maybe this means that I have to start doing my powerwalks in the forest :) Luckily my daughter's still in that age where a stone and a stick are enough of entertainment.

The After-holidays-hangover

So I made a few new years resolutions:

First: Get started with this blog again. I keep on coming with excuses for not writing here. If I'm not doing it now then when?

Second: Start to live more healthy. I got my second child in last October and now it’s time to get rid of my wobbly belly by starting to run and basing my diet on something else than chocolate. Both own these resolution have also bigger meaning because they are there to keep me sane especially during these hard winter months when I'm trapped alone in the danish countryside with two small children while the man of the house is mostly at work. So writing will make me feel like I have someone to explain my thoughts. And running and living healthy just make me happy.

Actually I have a third resolution too. Fight against the throwawayism. By this I mean the shopping oriented culture where more and more shortlived products pass through my family’s life and home. It comes with the mentality where we no longer value the materials that go into products or the labor that built them. Neither do we really care where the products end up after we have finished using them as long as it’s out of sight, out of mind. The culture that is constantly trying to lure it’s way to my home “because it’s so easy, fun and convenient and especially desiged and targeted for families with children”.

Let me tell you first why I'm interested in this right now. Because of my every year worsening after-holidays-hangover. And this hangover has nothing to do with drinking or eating too much, it’s the stuff, the garbage bags filling with wrapping papers, packages and Christmas decoration, and kids crying for more and better gifts. Every year Christmas leaves me with the same empty feeling after all that proving your love with stuff and consumption. And as if Christmas wasn’t enough, then comes the new year which we welcome with another consumption peak of disposables. “Here’s a garbage and trash thrown in the sky for five seconds joy, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!”.

I’ve been battling with my anxiety every year but now that I have children it’s worse since I can’t pretend like there is no Christmas. Could I celebrate Christmas on my own way without so much emphasize on the material? Sure, but how to do it when everything around them says “the more material, the more fun”.  Even disturbingly many Christmas programs has the same message where the children’s holidays were ruined and souls left with everlasting scars if they wouldn’t get Christmas presents! And I know it will get even harder as the kids grow up and they’ll learn to compare the amounts and sizes of their gifts and money spent on them. Even though I’m talking about Christmas here I’m also talking about the mentality children learn for the rest of their life. Children learn that you can show your love with stuff. They learn that they can show worthiness with stuff. They learn to patch emptiness with stuff. They build their identity on stuff. They learn that you are the stuff you have.

So hereby with this new year’s resolution I declare to try to get my children to appreciate immaterial in their everyday life before it’s too late and I will try my best to avoid selling my soul to consumerism. I will also try to come up with new ways to reuse things and to avoid disposables. And yes, I’m doing this despite the obvious risk of becoming the embarrassing party pooper who lectures about the environmental effects of a plastic drinking cup and the evil monster who steals children’s gifts and party decoration :)

Happy new year and patience to all those in my near family circles! Here's an inspiring video to start year 2014 :)