family quality time - The Elephant Mum

events, finland, life, reviews, travel, travel in finland

A Dream Come True: a Sea Adventure with our Favourite Princesses

January 31, 2019

Right before Christmas, R expressed the wish of going on a trip with me, just the two of us. I was excited to spend time some time alone with her ...

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blog series, daddy's got this, parenting

Daddy’s Got This #8 | What I’ve learned in a year as a stay-at-home dad

January 11, 2019

My husband’s active role in raising our kids is crucial in our family. During both parental leaves, I urged to go back to work and he took the ...

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child development, finland, reading challenge

The Reading Challenge 2018, part V (final)

December 30, 2018

We are avid users of library services. We visit the local library weekly, have materials delivered (for free!), enjoy the children-friendly ...

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finland, life

Christmas time in Finland: snow, warm glögi, and family time

December 23, 2018

We are enjoying a wonderful white Christmas this year in Finland! Despite expectations, usually the first snow – well, the one that sticks ...

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self-care

Benefits of horseback riding for special needs children | a guest post by Nicky of Horses and Foals

October 30, 2018

It is well-known how animals can have a special healing power, especially on traumatised people. I had a chance to personally observe some ...

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parenting, self-care

The Secret to a Healthy Lifestyle – Make it a Family Affair | guest post by Johanna Cider

September 1, 2018

Keeping your family healthy is sometimes easier said than done, especially in a world full of easily obtainable sugary snacks and the tendency to ...

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finland, mindfulness, travel in finland

A full immersion into nature: Repovesi National Park | #visitkouvola

August 22, 2018

We had an amazing summer here in Finland, one that even locals mark as “the best as long as they can remember”. Sun started shining ...

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reading challenge, reviews

The Reading Challenge 2018, part III

August 8, 2018

We are avid users of library services. We visit the local library weekly, have materials delivered (for free!), enjoy the children-friendly ...

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finland, food, travel in finland

Our family trip to Kotka-Hamina: visiting the Maritime Centre Vellamo

July 11, 2018

The tale of our weekend visiting Kotka and Hamina continues. If you missed the first post, you can find it here. On day 2, we went on to visit ...

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Paola

I was born and raised in Italy, now I live in the winter wonderland that is Finland. I worked as a mathematics researcher, an IT project manager and consultant, and now I work as product owner. I love nature, reading books, playing boardgames, cooking and eating good food. I enjoy learning languages: I speak Italian, English, Finnish, Hindi, and I understand some Spanish. I am grateful to have three wonderful kids who call me "mamma". One came from my belly, the other two from fateful encounters.