21 Dec 2024
Parenting
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Finance Parenting Pregnancy & Baby Work & Money

Maternity & Paternity Leave in Sweden

Sweden has one of the most generous parental leave (föräldraledighet) systems in the world. Parents are given 480 days of leave per child, and 390 of these days are paid at a rate of 80% of your salary up to a capped limited of 1006 SEK a day. If you are coming from the USA, […]

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Expat Support Featured Parenting Pregnancy & Baby Services

Why a Doula is a Must for Birthing Abroad

Having moved from the UK to The Netherlands at the age of 22 with no job, nowhere to live, and a partner who’d never even visited the place, I figured that moving to Sweden thirteen years later would be easy. Sure, I didn’t speak much of the language, but I could understand some, and yes, […]

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Community Parenting

Hoping and coping with cancer – the story of Helene Rennervik

It is a true revelation every time I get the chance to meet people and listen to their life stories. Everyone has been struggling in life, some more, some less. Life doesn’t spare anyone, not even the children. What’s the meaning of it? Who knows the answer? What’s sure is that there are only two ways […]

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Community Essentials Family Health Parenting

A jaggy issue – vaccines in Sweden

I seem to be talking a lot about chicken pox and vaccines at the moment. I guess it’s the age at which S is. It always comes up in conversation with other parents and S’s class seems to have had at least 3 bouts of chicken pox this winter. Fortunately (or, unfortunately depending on how […]

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Community Education Essentials Expat Support Family Lifestyle Parenting Preschool

Inskolning Diary – day 3

Finally, day 3 … I was exhausted, I knew she was exhausted. But, we didn’t get a phone call (big plus)… …I’ve just dropped S off at förskola to spend the first day on her own. I didn’t even get a wave goodbye! She ran straight into the room waving to everyone. So much for that […]

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Community Education Essentials Expat Support Family Family Activities Parenting Preschool

Inskolning Diary – day 2

Day 2 of our inskolning experience meant that M was stepping up to the plate. Bit of a shocker… …it’s day 1 except everyone apart from me knows exactly what is going on. That is how it felt as we didn’t even know where to put S’s shoes and jacket as we arrived. But luckily […]

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Education Essentials Expat Support Family Parenting Preschool

Inskolning Diary – day 1

It’s coming up for that time of year again! The new round of inskolning starts at förskolas all over Stockholm. If you don’t know what that is, well, you are in for a treat! Before S started her inskolning experience, M and I decided to keep a diary of the 3 days we spent at […]

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Children's Items Clothing Expat Support Family Parenting

Winter Gear in Sweden for Kids

I have never, ever, ever felt this cold… I thought I was a seasoned pro-skier but still I have NEVER felt cold like I have in the last couple of weeks in Stockholm. So, as you can imagine, my ritual ‘is she too hot, is she too cold’ dance has become twice as agitated as it […]

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Expat Support Family Family Activities Health Parenting Pregnancy & Baby

Fab VAB

It’s FEBRUARY!! Or, as parents in Sweden like to call it, VABruary… This month has honestly put me off having more children. Like an annual contraceptive. I can’t stand it, I’m moving to Antigua next February. Today is day ten of illness in our home and I’m freaking out that this is it, we’re in a spiral of sickness for the rest […]

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Expat Support Family Family Activities Lifestyle Moving to Sweden Parenting Pregnancy & Baby

The expat identity

According to social sciences identity is the conception, qualities, beliefs, and expressions that make a person e.g. self-identity   Identity has never been something that has kept me awake at night. I don’t mean the really awful film with John Cusack and Ray Liotta. I mean the social construct that is meant to make a person e.g. […]

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