Tell us about it: At home with Alexandra in Norway

Dear Alexandra, tell us about yourself, who are you, where do you come from, what is your professional background?

I am now a mother of three children. When I became pregnant with our son, I didn't even know if I wanted to have children. Now, 14 years later, I can't imagine anything better. Our two girls are 3 years and 3 months old and were both born in Norway.

Professionally, I worked in IT for over 10 years in project management and also as a Scrum Master. Shortly before the birth of our first daughter, I gave up my secure office job and became self-employed. Since then, I have been working on small projects that give me joy. I have two blogs. On Levartworld.de I write about our family life in Norway and on Klarblickend.de there is information and tips on the subject of sustainability. In February, I launched the online shop Lillygo.de. There you can find exciting and sustainable little things and games for outdoor time with children. At the moment, of course, I am enjoying parental leave.

“We finally found what we were looking for in Norway and bought our dream house online without seeing it beforehand or even ever having been to the place.”

You live with your family in Norway. How did that come about?

That's a pretty long and crazy story. In short, my boyfriend and I wanted a change in our lives. We can both work more or less from anywhere, so why should we stay in Germany? On top of that, I was pregnant at the time and our apartment in the heart of Düsseldorf was simply too small. Property prices in the area are incredibly high, so we started looking for a house in the countryside abroad. We finally found what we were looking for in Norway and bought our dream house directly online, without seeing it beforehand or even ever having been to the place. Our heads rebelled, but our gut feeling ultimately won. Given the current situation, it was the best decision we could have made.

Do you miss your old home Germany?

Surprisingly, not really. The only thing I miss about Germany is the wide selection in the supermarkets and good bread. It's not the first time we've moved and for me, home is where my family is.

Are your children growing up bilingual?

Our son Erik went to school in Norway on the first day without any language skills. At first he communicated with his hands and feet and in English. After about six months he was already speaking very good Norwegian. The two little ones are also growing up bilingual, of course.

"The Norwegians are incredibly child-friendly and very balanced. I think that's great."

What are the biggest differences for you here in Norway? Culturally, as a family, with children?

The Norwegians are incredibly child-friendly and seem very balanced and relaxed to me. They are all very friendly and respectful to one another. I think that's great!

We live in the countryside near a small town and neither here nor in the city do we have to worry about anything going missing. Since we have lived in Norway, we have not used our bike locks once.

What particularly impressed me is that it is completely normal here for children to take their afternoon nap in the stroller outside the door or on the terrace. Whether it is 20 degrees in summer or -10 degrees in winter, the little ones always sleep in the stroller in the fresh air, even in kindergarten. Our two girls do the same and they love it.

What are your plans for the future? Do you have a next stop or are you staying in Norway?

After three years in one place, we now know that we will definitely be moving on soon. We have been talking a lot recently about what we want to improve and thinking about what kind of life we want for our children. We cannot yet say where we will be going. We will probably stay in Norway. I am very excited to see where we end up.

You have been a mother of three since early summer. How was the transition from two to three children?

I was very surprised at how much more difficult it is to look after two small children at the same time. The big sister loves her "sweet baby" more than anything, but loudly demands attention if I spend more than three minutes with Alma in her presence. Of course, it also takes twice as much time to get two children ready in the morning and put them to bed in the evening. I find the change pretty tough and am glad that my dad and big brother support me so well.

Did the birth go differently due to corona?

Not the birth itself. Everything went as we had imagined. However, my boyfriend was not allowed to visit me in the hospital in the days that followed. Theoretically, I could have gone home, but I preferred to spend the first few days getting to know each other alone with our little Alma. While I could hardly wait to go home with our eldest daughter, I really enjoyed the two days in the hospital with our last baby.

Do you have a childcare network in Norway or do you mainly take care of your children on your own?

The eldest goes to school, Linnea loves her kindergarten and I look after Alma in the mornings. My boyfriend works from home, so he is there when I need him. We don't have any other support network. That's the disadvantage of moving to another country and leaving your family behind.

How do you recharge your batteries in everyday family life? Can you take time for yourself?

Time for myself is very limited at the moment. What helps me a lot, however, is a daily walk with the baby in the stroller. The little one loves it as much as I do and usually falls asleep quickly, so I can listen to podcasts or music at the same time.

I also really enjoy drinking tea and chatting with my loved one on the terrace while the children are sleeping.

On weekends we often go hiking in the mountains together in the summer and cross-country skiing in the winter. The time spent outside, whether with or without children, really helps me to recharge my batteries.

Your most valuable mom-life hack?

Music, of course. Music box music for the little ones to help them fall asleep, children's songs for the older ones to have tantrums, and dancing to help me get out of a bad mood. Music helps us in all situations.

Dear Alexandra, thank you very much for the interview!

Do you want to know more about Alexandra and her life in Norway? Then check out her blog: www.levartworld.de or her Instagram channel @levartworld .