My girls and I have a new favorite, banana pancakes with no sugar, no flour and no other unhealthy things added. The inspiration came to me a few weeks ago, when a dear friend of mine served me a homemade brunch, which she prepared while cradling her adorable six month old baby. Among freshly baked buns, fresh fruit and large cups of coffee were some small and tasty pancakes, made only of bananas and egg.

I knew straight away that this concept would be a success with my pancake-loving children, and in order to make them a bit more filling and kids-friendly, I have added a few things.

This is the recipe we use when making a stack of delicious banana pancakes:

2 ripe bananas
4 eggs
1 tablespoon of oats
1 tablespoon of shredded coconut
1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla powder
or
1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon
Coconut oil or vegetable oil for frying

Using a fork, mash the banana until they are almost a smooth paste. Add all the eggs and whisk together. Add coconut and spices, and whisk it all together. The batter will be a bit thick and lumpy.
Heat a small amount of oil on a pan, and pour batter on the pan. Move the pan around until the pancake ends up round and thin, and let fry for a few minutes on each side until light brown.

Serve with fresh fruit or greek yogurt or fruit jam.

Tip: The banana pancakes also taste great when served cold, and will make a great snack for a lunchbox.

If I could decide, mornings would be a combination of blissful quietness, bright sunlight, large cups of coffee, space to let my thoughts and imagination wander off and with no more than a few words uttered.

But with two young girls and a husband who works in both Copenhagen and New York, (he wakes up to a full inbox of work related mails during the week because the Danes are 6 hours ahead), this is pretty far from my own reality. Feeding my family, getting the girls ready and dressed, packing lunch boxes and backpacks and making sure that I look halfway decent before leaving the house doesn’t leave time for much else than a quick coffee in-front of the bathroom mirror.

Though I have accepted that our mornings won’t be quiet and blissful before the day my daughters move away from home (and knowing myself and my husband, probably not even then) I’ll do whatever I can to try and minimize conflicts, stress and morning tantrums. And after thinking about it, I realized that this is probably why the messy top knot is the number 1. hairstyle in our house.

Both my girls have quite long and thick hair for their age, and though my eldest is getting good at brushing her own hair every morning, my youngest freaks out every time I try to brush out her messy and tangled locks. Getting the right hairbrush and using soft fabric hairbands has made my life a lot easier, but most times, brushing Alma’s hair out will still end up with me trying to catch a screaming child before she runs off and hides in her cupboard.

So I’ve stopped fighting with her. The days she feels like having her hair loose, she’ll let me brush it out, and the rest, I’ll just gather it all on the top of her head in a really messy top knot.

If anyone knows of any amazing tricks or kids friendly products for detangling long and thick hair, please let me know. Until then, I’ll choose my battles and accept that my youngest has a top knot on every single picture I take of her.

When I was a child, it was a common belief amongst most grown-ups, that enjoying art was for adults only. Luckily for me, my parents didn’t share this belief, and many of my childhood sunday’s or vacations were spent visiting museums and small galleries. I remember visiting The Louvre for the first time when I was 8. I was introduced to the Mona Lisa and one of Degas’s ballerinas, which I have loved ever since. I remember the first time I saw a Jackson Pollock hanging at a museum in Los Angeles and my dad introducing me to one of his favourite art movements, American pop-art.

In my mind, kids and art make the perfect combination, and I never hesitate bringing my kids to a museum. I believe that exposure to art in all ways can expand children’s awareness of the world and the society we live in, and open up their minds to a more creative way of thinking and seeing things. Visiting a museum might not be the same experience when you have to watch out that little greasy hands don’t touch the paintings, but I don’t mind, as long as it means that I get to hear Eleanor’s literal interpretations of even the most abstract paintings or Alma’s outbursts of enjoyment when she sees a piece that really speaks to her. I always make sure to visit a museum when my kids are well-rested and have had a good lunch, we never stay more than two hours and if the museum has a children’s department this is where we’ll end our visit. Some museums even have a children’s tour program, and if they do, we’ll always go for that.

Here’s a list of some of our favorite museums (and a few we have been recommended, but still haven’t had the chance to visit ourselves) :

Museum of Modern art, New York (Don’t miss out of the small but fun children’s play area)

Louisiana, Humlebæk, Denmark (this museum has a wonderful children’s department where kids can get creative themselves)

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (take a look at their amazing family program to plan your visit)

Tate Modern, London (Prepare you child by visiting Tate Kids together)

Arken, Ishøj, Denmark (Every Sunday is Family Sunday with a lot of activities and an open creative workshop)

The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (join in on a family tour or visit the Family Lab)

Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France (Remember to book online in advance, if you want to take part in one of their fun youngster activities)

Statens Museum for Kunst; Copenhagen, Denmark (The Children’s Museum of Art is open every weekend. Read more here)

Do you know of any kids-friendly museums we should add to our list?  We would love to know…

…And if you like the combo of kids and art as much as me, then check out this Instagram profile @rockthatmuseumkids, which shares great pictures of tiny art-watchers from all over the world.

We’re finally back in Denmark, and even though the first day of our summer holiday has been affected by a good amount of jet lag, we managed to visit our favourite beach spot, have a lovely picnic, play in the sandbox, eat wild strawberries that we found in our garden and make our own kids friendly ” perfume “. 

It was something I used to do every summer holiday when I was a kid, and seeing the many rose hip flowers on our trip to the beach, I decided it was time to pass it on to Eleanor. It’s really simple, and actually smells great (my 65-year-old dad was sure we could sell it).

All you have to do is to pick a lot of petals from the rose hip flowers, and soak them in water for a few hours. We added the juice from two slices of organic lemon to give it an extra edge. Eleanor spent a lot of time pouring the water from one bowl to the other, stirring the petals around and ripping the petals into a hundred little pieces…. Simply put, you just need to add water to the petals. 
Dress by Christina Rohde 

June, you were hot, humid and dressed in pretty flowers. You brought us summer, evenings full of soft light, sweet strawberries and glasses of cold rosé. I can’t believe you’re gone already.

We love you June because for my little family you were the month where …

… We have to admit that New York summers can be a bit too hot, so we got ourselves an air conditioner.

… Eleanor graduated kindergarten, and will be a first grader.

… Alma realized that swimming is great in this heat.

… We spent hours at our local splash pools.

… We experienced this years’ first heavy summer thunder showers.

… We fell in love with the rose garden at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

… Eleanor went through 2 weeks of crazy theme days at school ( including pink hair, funny socks, ice cream day and going to school dressed in a night gown ).

… We visited Governor’s Island for the first time ( but definitely not for the last ).

… We welcomed our first summer holiday as New Yorkers.

… Some of our favorite people from Denmark stopped by New York and paid us a visit.

… the kids had bare & grazed summer knees from running and falling.

… We saw a day of rainbow coloured celebrations because in the end, love wins.

… We expanded our household with the most amazing basil plant, that treats us to tasty green herb leaves every day.

… We bought our first piece of Scandinavian design for our New York-home. A Trip-Trap chair for Alma, we missed our old one too much.

… I realized that Eleanor can now read text messages, notes, letters and books. Nothing is secret any more!

When we lived in Copenhagen, my eldest daughter took weekly ballet lessons. She really liked to dress up in her pink tutu and her small ballet shoes (and I have to admit, I loved to see her all dressed up) and go dancing with the other girls. When we arrived in New York, the best ballet classes for her age were already full, so I decided to find her another activity that she might enjoy going to on a weekly basis. I love doing yoga, and since my gym offers great baby, toddler and family yoga classes, I decided to try and bring both girls to kids yoga. It has been four months since they started and they have been hooked on it since the first lesson.

Even though Eleanor feels really challenged when a new position gets a bit too tricky or a a stretch doesn’t feel comfortable, I can see how great it makes her feel about herself and it teaches her to focus and relax.

As for my 2-year-old and her toddler yoga classes, it’s not as challenging.We pretend to be animals while doing a variety of classic yoga poses and the children are allowed to play around and join in should they want to. Alma has her favorite poses that she will always do and she loves to do her version of the classic lotus pose, sit very still, close her eyes and say some loud ohm-sounds.

Besides from yoga being a fun activity, it also has a lot of benefits for kids:

It helps balance and coordination.

It develops focus and concentration.

It enhances physical flexibility.

It boosts confidence and self-esteem.

It strengths the connection between body and mind.

Kids yoga is becoming very popular in the US at the moment. Studies have shown a connection between kids yoga and improvements in asthma, stress, irritable bowel syndrome, ADHD and autism. None of the things mentioned above are the reason why my children are taking yoga classes, but I like that a fun activity can be more than just fun. As long as they both continue to love it, we will definitely keep going. Even though we might add a ballet class to their list of activities come fall.

If you want to do some kids yoga with you child at home, then check out the app My First Yoga. Eleanor loves to use it.

Mamaste (as my 2-year-old says)

//

Mens vi boede i København, gik min ældste datter til ballet sammen med to små veninder. Hun elskede at tage den fine tutu og de små balletsko på (og jeg må indrømme, at jeg også syntes det var ret sødt) og danse rundt sammen med alle de andre pastelfarvede piger.

Men da vi ankom til New York i slutningen af oktober, var alle de gode balletklasser optaget, og jeg besluttede mig derfor for, at finde hende en anden fysisk fritidsinteresse. Jeg holder selv meget af at dyrke yoga, og da min yogaskole udbyder gode baby- toddler-  og børneklasser besluttede jeg mig for, at lade begge piger prøve det. Det er nu fire måneder siden, og de er begge absolut hooked.

Selvom Eleanor til tider føler sig meget udfordret når en ny position driller eller et stræk ikke føles rart, kan jeg se hvor godt det får hende til at føle, når hun selv kan se, hvor meget hun hele tiden forbedre sig og hvor meget det lærer hende at fokusere, slappe af, og blive ved med at forsøge selvom noget ikke lykkedes i første forsøg.

Min yngste på to er ligeledes meget glad for sine toddler-klasser. Her handler det om at lege det ind. Hver position formes ud fra et dyr, og børnene får lov at være med så meget eller lidt som de selv vil. Alma har helt sikkert sine favorit positioner som hun altid udfører, og så elsker hun at lave sine egen udgave a lotus stillingen, sidde helt stille og sige meget høje OHHHHHHMM lyde.

Udover at yoga er sjovt, har det nogle positive fordele for børnene, hvilket især ses tydeligt hos Eleanor.

Yoga hjælper med at udvikle en god balance og koordinationsevne.

Yoga udvikler barnets evne til fokus og koncentration.

Yoga forbedrer kroppens flexibilitet.

Yoga booster barnets selvtillid og selvværd.

Yoga forbedrer forbindelsen mellem kroppen og hjernen.

Jeg elsker at noget som kan være sjovt, også kan være så lærerigt og udviklende.

Hvis du vil prøve at dyrke lidt yoga med dit barn derhjemme, så tjek app’en My First Yoga. Eleanor elsker at bruge den til sine egne små yogasessions hjemme på stuegulvet, og den bliver helt sikkert et hit, når vi om lidt rejser til Danmark på en meget lang sommerferie.

Mamaste (som min 2-årige siger)

 

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Endnu en måned er gået, med hede dage, smeltede is, turer til legepladsen, asfaltknæ og svedige nætter. For min lille familie, maj var også måneden hvor…

… Vi fejrede en 6 års fødselsdag (læs mere om den her)

… Vi kunne sige farvel til en pink gips.

… vi ventede nervøst i 2 uger, indtil Alma lige med begyndte at gå igen helt af sig selv.

… vi så Eleanor optræde i sin første skolemusical.

… Alma lærte at køre selv på en en ter-hjulet cykel.

… Vi brugte flere af vores vågne timer udenfor end inde.

… vi besluttede, at vi bliver i New York. I hvert fald i endnu et år.

… min mand og jeg så den sidste sæson af Mad Men (og hvilken afslutning).

… Alma begyndte at gå til kunstklasser.

… Jeg forsøgte mig med at tage billeder med et rigtigt kamera for første gang i årevis.

… jeg færdiggjorde Eleanors hjemmelavede dukke (Se den her)

… Eleanor og jeg forelskede os i Sufjan Stevens nye album Carrie and Lowell.

… Vi klappede en hygge-gris.

… Vi besøgte Brooklyn Botaniske have, og nød en dage blandt de mange blomstrende japanske kirsebær træer.

… solen farvede vores næser røde.

… vi bestilte billetter til 1 1/2 måneds sommerferie i Danmark.

… Vi tog til stranden og dyppede vores fødder i havet for første gang i år.

Farewell May!

Some of you have asked to hear more about the rag doll I made for Eleanor’s birthday (I have mentioned it before in this post). It seems like rag dolls are extremely popular at the moment, and several smaller companies and crafters make adorable versions, which would have been an easier solution. But since I’ve always wanted to make a personal present from me to my daughter and I actually love to sew, I decided to do a DIY rag doll instead.

The doll is made of a white organic cotton fabric and dyed in black tea to give it just the right skin tone. I chose to stuff it with a locally produced wool stuffing. The face is inspired by some of Eleanor’s drawings and the hair is made of wool (another option could have been yarn, which I might go for next time).

The wardrobe and the accessories I really enjoyed designing and making. All outfits are inspired by some of my favorite designers, and made from old clothes of Eleanor’s and mine. I wanted the doll to be a kind of secret friend to Eleanor, someone, who she can pretend will help her out of troubles and comfort her, when she’s upset. So I decided to make the rag doll (who Eleanor later named Super Ella) into a secret super hero doll with a super hero bunny rabbit sidekick and Eleanor loves that she isn’t just another ordinary doll.

I have made a lot of mistakes along the way, and have a small list of things I’ll do differently for my next doll projects. But even though she isn’t perfect, I still love this one. She’s the first doll I’ve ever made, and everything i made with Eleanor in my mind. Since I really loved making this one, and my younger daughter has ordered one “with pink hair” I’ve already started making the next few dolls. And hopefully we know of another few little girls out there, who would like their own little secret super hero friend cause I don’t think I can stop after just making two.

//

Nogle af jer har bedt om at se mere til den håndlavede dukke, som Eleanor fik i fødselsdagsgave (jeg har før omtalt den her). DIY rag dolls eller kludedukker, som man vel kalder dem i Danmark, er meget populære i USA for øjeblikket, og der er flere mindre firmaer og kreative damer, der laver nogle virkeligt skønne versioner. Man da jeg længe har haft lyst til at lave en personlig gave til Eleanor, og jeg faktisk elsker at sy, besluttede jeg mig for at DIY.

Dukken (som Eleanor senere har døbt Super Ella) er lavet ud af en kraftig organisk hvid bomuld, og er farvet i sort the for at få en fin og levende hud tone. Hun er fyldt ud med organisk uld, og ansigtet er inspireret af nogle af Eleanors tegninger af piger.

Noget af det sjovest var at lave Super Ellas garderobe og accessories. Tøjet er syet ud af gammelt aflagt tøj af Eleanors og mit, og Eleanor har moret sig meget over at kunne genkende stof fra gamle bukser og kjoler. Jeg har hele tiden haft en idé om, at dukke skulle være en slag hemmelig ven for Eleanor. Én, som kan give lidt imaginært hjælp og trøst når man har brug for det. Derfor besluttede jeg mig for,  at lave hende til en hemmelig super hero dukke og give hende en hemmelig super hero kanin som sit side kick, hvilket har vist sig at være en meget populær idé hos begge børn.

Jeg har lavet en masse fejl undervejs og har en hel liste af ting, som jeg gerne vil gøre anderledes i mit næste dukkeprojekt. Jeg nød virkelig at lave Super Ella, og lillesøster har heldigvis bestilt en “med pink hår”, så der er allerede gang i et par nye dukker. Og så håber vi bare, at vi kender et par små piger derude et sted, der også godt kunne tænke sig at modtage sin helt egen hemmelige super hero ven.

In celebration of  mothers day and motherhood in general, here you have 10 of my favourite iconic mother / daughter pictures.

1. Jacqueline Kennedy and daughter.

2. Kate Moss and her daughter Lila Grace, shot by Mario Testino, 2011.

3. Jane Birkin and Lou Doillon, shot by Kate Barry.

4. Demi Moore and her daughter, shot by Ellen Von Unwerth, 1996.

5. Goldie Hawn and her daughter Kate.

6. Gwyneth Paltrow and her mother Blythe Banner.

7. Florence Owens Thompson (32-year-old mother of 7) shot by Dorothea Lange after Florence had sold her tent to provide food for her children. Oklahoma 1936.

8. Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Anne, shot by Lord Snowdon, 10 October 1957.

9. Beyonce and her daughter Blue Ivy.

10. Shirley MacLaine and her daughter Sachi Parker, shot by Allan Grant, 1959.

Happy mothers day.

All pictures through Pinterest.

Exactly half a year ago, we spent the first night in our new Brooklyn home. Before leaving Copenhagen I remember feeling anxious and excited. We spent several months thinking, talking and visiting what could become our new home. And then one day, we decided to stop talking and dreaming and make it a reality.

Six months in, I’d like to share a few thoughts about my new found reality of moving to New York as a family.

– Our life has slowed down; I get to spend much more time with my kids. The morning rush and stress of getting kids ready for school and nursery is non existent. Our pace of life has changed.

– We’re focussing on creating great memories and enjoying time together and much less on materialistic object. We have realized, that we can live without our designer furniture, huge wardrobe and creature comforts.

– We are more curious than before. We’re open to new ways to live life, enjoy our surroundings, simple pleasures like a great cup of coffee, a pretty flower amongst other things that we meet along the way.

– People are extremely polite and well mannered and my daughters have been influenced by this.

– We are more creative. In the US, homemade, home-grown and handmade outranks mass production. This makes me happy.

– We eat more kale.

– We have a bathtub. Back in Denmark we had a tiny shower. When you have kids, a bathtub changes bath time, it’s much more fun for kids and parents.

– My kids are experiencing incredible diversity and brand new culture, which I believe will make them more open minded and free thinking individuals.

– People are friendly. I like chit chat. I know the name of one store owners pet hamster.

– We miss our family and friends and our Christiania bike (but we are member’s of the same gym as Ethan Hawke)

Next week my eldest daughter turns six. And while the realization of having such a big girl probably isn’t going to hit me until the night before, I have started preparing a bit for the party and picking out a few birthday presents. i have decided that this year it’s not going to be about quantity but about quality and personality.

For a long time, I have wanted to make Eleanor a birthday present that she can keep for years and maybe even pass onto her own child one day. But for the last few years I haven’t been able to find the time to realize my project. This year I finally did. It is going to be a personal present with a lot of love put into it, and hopefully she’ll like it just as much as I do. It’s a handmade rag doll with a small wardrobe of dresses, tops, skirts and accessories. The clothes are all kept in a timeless style inspired by some of my favorite designers like Raf Simons, Magareth Howell and Dries Van Noten (ok, that part she’s probably not going to care that much about, but it makes me enjoy making it even more).

Apart from the doll (I’ll show you more next week) I’m trying to find some presents which reflect Eleanor’s personalty and our life as a family. And I’m sure that some of these beautiful things will bring a lot of joy to my little girl, even though they might not be found on her hand written wish list.

1. House pillow / Camomile London  2. squirrel soft mask / Sara Lowes Studio  3. Flower press / Acorn shop 4. Necklace / Little Titlee  5. Swimsuit / Christina Rohde  6. Garden Kit / Acme 7. Play tent / Such Great Hights 8. Tool box / Acorn shop 9. Dress / Atsuyo et Akiko 10. kids apron / Odette Williams 

  Back when we lived in Copenhagen, the kids and I started a tradition of baking holiday themed cookies whenever we could find an excuse for it and Easter calls for an egg and bunny shaped version. We made the cookies together, but since we made them for a surprise Easter kids party, this time I did the decoration.

When I’m baking with kids I like to get all ingredients ready and measured out, so they can just pour it all in the bowl and stir. Watch out for small sneaky fingers though,  sometimes ingredients can disappear in the most mysterious way. (in this case all our dries raspberries happened to disappear before we ever got to use them) 

Here is my recipe. It is very simple, and you can easily add spices, chocolate, nuts, dried fruit or berries or fruit juice to make your own version.

11.4 oz flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 oz soft butter

8 oz sugar

1 large egg

30 freeze dried raspberries

1 tablespoon of acorn syrup

Icing:

Icing mix

food color

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Use your hands to bring it all together and put it in the fridge for 5 – 10 minutes. Roll out the dough and make it into whatever shape you wish. Bake the cookies in the oven 360 F for about 6 minutes. Make sure they don’t get to dark. Let them cool down and decorate with your favorite icing. Let the icing dry (it can take a while if you end up using a thick layer). Serve, eat and enjoy.

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Mens vi stadig boede i Danmark startede mine døtre og jeg en hyggelig tradition med, at lave tema småkager til hver eneste hellidag eller ferie. Og selvfølgelig kalder påske på kager formede som kaniner og påskeæg og pyntede i fine farver. I denne omgang bagte vi kagerne sammen, men da de skulle bruges til en lille overraskelses påskefest, stod jeg for at dekorere og pynte.

Når jeg bager med mine børn, kan jeg godt lide, at starte med at måle alting ud, og så tage alle ingredienser med hen til spisebordet. Så kan børnene sidde på knæ på deres stole og dermed bedre komme til at hælde og røre. Pas dog på med listige fingere, og skåle fyldt med lækre ingredienser. Vores skål med de tørrede hindbær måtte fyldes op mere end en gang.

Her er opskriften. Den er simpel, og kan let tilføjes hakket chokolade, nødder, tørrede frugt eller bær efter smag.

325 g hvedemel

1 tsk. bagepulver

115 g blødt smør

225 g sukker

1 stort æg

30 frysedetørrede hindbær

Glasur:

250 gram sigtet flormelis

frugtfarve

Evt 2 spsk pasturiseret æggehvide

Miks alle ingredienser i en skål med dine (eller dine børns) hænder. Er dejen meget klisteret, så lad den stå i køleskabet  i 5 – 10 minutter. Rul dejen flad og stik den ud med forme eller et glas. Bag kagerne i ca 6 minutter ved 180 grader varmluft. Pas på de ikke tager for meget farve. Lad kagerne køle ned, dekorer dem med glasur. Det gøres lettest med små plastikflasker med en lille tud eller lignende og lad så glasuren tørre. Server, spis, nyd og hyg.

Ever since I was a young child, March has been one of my favorite months. Maybe it’s because March is the month of my birthday and the first glimpse of spring. Today I am looking back at another month gone by and for us March 2015 was the month where…

… we experienced both snowstorms and  warm spring sun which resulted in freezing fingers and sunburnt noses.

… I could add another year to my age.

… both my kids found joy in doing yoga, and Alma learned to say Mamaste (with an M instead of an N)

… Eleanor got her first report book at school. And it was nothing less than perfect.

… Alma learned to count to 20.

… I took up knitting again after a 20 year break.

… we began our Easter preparations.

… we had our first picnic of the year.

… we found out that Alma has allergies.

… Eleanor and I went to the cinema to see Cinderella.

… Alma decided that she only needs to nap every second day.

… we visited a snowy white Coney Island.

… Alma was given the most beautiful pair of moccasins from Hubble and Duke. 

… and we spent hours upon hours reading books, playing with dolls and drawing cookie monsters.

//

Lige siden jeg var barn, har marts været en af mine yndlingsmåneder. Måske fordi den indeholdte min fødselsdag, måske fordi den bød på de første forårsdage. Idag siger vi farvel og kigger tilbage og for os blev marts 2015 måneden hvor …

… Vi oplevede både snestorm og de første forårsdage, hvilket resulterede i forfrosne fingre og solbrændte næser.

… jeg kunne tilføje endnu et år til aldersregnskabet.

… begge mine børn blev vilde med at dyrke yoga, og Alma lærte at sige Mamaste (med M i stedet for N)

… Eleanor fik sin første karakterbog i skolen og stolte forældre fik tårer i øjnene over fantastiske udtalelser.

… Alma lærte at tælle til 20.

… Jeg begyndte at strikke igen efter en pause på blot 20 år.

… Vi begyndte at forberede os til påske.

… Vi havde årets første picnic.

… Vi fandt ud af, at Alma er allergiker.

… Eleanor og jeg tog i biografen for at se Askepot.

… Alma besluttede at hun ikke længere behøvede at sove lur hver dag.

… Vi besøgte et snehvidt Coney Island.

… Alma fik de smukkeste mokkasiner fra Hubble and Duke.

… og vi brugte timer på at læse bøger, lege med dukker og tegne venlige monstre.

When you move to a new country, you’re not only leaving family and friends behind. You’re also saying goodbye to traditions and culture. You suddenly find yourself in a limbo of how traditions used to be kept alive and have you now choose to do it yourself.

My husband is English which means that I’m the only one to preserve the danish traditions in our family. And I’m a big fan of traditions, but not in the traditional way. Most of the traditions I grew up with, and still upheld when we lived in Denmark, were created by my parents and my grand parents. Now it is finally time I make my own version of the old traditions that will fit my family and our way of living. And I’m quiet sure it is going to end up in a great mix of danish and american. So far we have embraced a few new american traditions like halloween and Thanks Giving, that we didn’t celebrate while we lived in Denmark. While living in New York, we celebrated christmas danish style and today the kids and I started our easter preparations.

The easter letter is a very old and cute european tradition where you cut out a beautiful letter, write a poem on the letter and send it to a person dear to you, without writing who it is from. If the person can’t guess it is from you, they will have to give you an easter egg an vice versa. We also painted eggs with water colors, decorated spring branches and eat a pink marsh mellow easter bunny rabbit.  We will be doing an easter egg hunt next friday, when Eleanor will have a friend from Denmark visiting her for a sleep over and at the same day I will need to have some homemade bunny rabbit cookies ready as a surprise for the girls. And maybe, for the first time, we will try and make hot cross buns and have the easter bunny come with a easter basket  for the kids.

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Når du flytter til et nyt land, er det ikke kun familie og venner som du lader tilbage. Det er også både kultur og tradition, som du pludselig ser dig selv tage afsked med. Lige med et befinder du dig i en limbo af traditioner som de plejede at blive holdt i hævd, og hvordan det nu gøres i dine nye omgivelser.

Min mand er Englænder, og jeg er derfor den eneste der kan bestemme, hvilke danske traditioner vi skal holde fast i og hvordan det skal gøres. Selv er jeg kæmpe fan af traditioner, men ikke på den traditionelle facon. For mig bliver traditioner først rigtigt betydningsfulde, når de skabes omkring min egen lille familie, og tilpasses vores måde at leve på. De fleste af de traditioner jeg er vokset op med, er blevet skabt af mine forældre og bedsteforældre, men efter vi er flyttet til den anden side af jorden, er der nu blevet plads til at vi laver vores egne. Lige nu er der nye traditioner, der begynder at tage form. Traditioner som opstår udfra min lille familie og som indtil videre er et fint miks af amerikansk, dansk og engelsk. Vi har fejret halloween og thanks giving på amerikansk manér, med trick or treat og thanks giving optog, og vi holdt en næsten almindelig dansk juleaften i vores Brooklyn-hjem. Og i dag startede vi så på påskeforberedelserne. Vi klippede gækkebreve, malede påskeæg og spiste lyserøde marsh mellow bunnies. Påskeferien starter i New York først i næste uge, og hedder her forårsferie i stedet, men for vores vedkommende kommer den helt sikkert både til at indeholde æggejagt og påskefrokost og kanin cookies. Og så skal vi også afprøve lidt amerikanske traditioner som hot cross buns og et besøg af påskeharen, der bringer en påske kurv til børnene.

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”

Ever since I was a young girl, one of the things I loved the most, was to read a good book. My love for the great novel brought me to my university studies, made me aquatinted with lives lived hundred of years ago and gave me the ability to visit places I had never set foot before.

I still try to make time to read books, discover new writers and get caught up in old classics. But no doubt that most of the reading I do these days are children’s books. And I really don’t mind. It means a lot to me, that both my girls learn to appreciate the joy of reading books, and experience how a great story can send you out on an imaginary journey. I read for my daughters everyday, several times a day both in English and in Danish, and our children’s book collection extends by far both our Barbie and our Lego collection. My only requirement is, that we go for well written and well illustrated books, and so through the last five years of being a mother I have made my own shortlist of my daughters and mine favorite children’s books,  with Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are on a first position (my husband even says it is the best book he has ever read).

Here you have a list of my 10 favorite children’s books:

Where the wild things are by Maurice Sendak

The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson

Little bear by Else Homelund Minarik

Fantastic Mister Fox, Roald Dahl

Guess how much I love you, Sam McBratney

My fathers dragon, Ruth Stiles Gannett

Goodnight moon, Margaret Wise

The brothers lion heart by Astrid Lindgren

Wonder, R.J. Palacio

//

“En læser lever tusinde liv førend han dør. Ham der aldrig læser, lever kun et enkelt.”

Lige siden jeg var en helt ung, har en af mine absolut yndlingsbeskæftigelser været, at læse en god bog. Min kærlig for den gode historie har bragt mig til mine universitet studier, har ladet mig stifte bekendskab med liv levet for mange hundred år siden, og givet mig muligheden for at besøge steder, hvor jeg aldrig fysisk har sat en fod.

Jeg forsøger stadig, at finde tid til at læse bøger, at opdage nye forfattere og at blive fanget af en god klassiker. Men jeg må samtidig indrømme, at det jeg har læst allermest af de sidste 5 år, er børnebøger. Og det er faktisk ikke noget, som jeg har noget imod. Det betyder enormt meget for mig, at mine døtre lærer at kende glæden ved at læse en bog,  og oplever, hvordan den gode historie kan sende dig ud på en imaginær rejse. Jeg læser for mine børn på både danske og engelsk hver dag og gerne flere gange om dagen, og vores samling af børnebøger overgår stort både vores Barbie og vores legosamling. Mit eneste krav er, at vi læser velskrevne og fint illustrerede bøger, der fortæller gode historier. Den megen læsning for min børn, har gjort, at jeg, igennem de sidste fem år som mor, har lavet min egen lille liste af mine yndlingsbørnebøger. Ikke alle har jeg læst for dem endnu, mens vores alle sammens yndling, Where the Wild Things Are, er på programmet i hvert fald én gang om dagen. Hver dag.

Her er i hvert fald min liste af yndlinge børnebøger:

Where the wild things are ( Vilde Vilddyr ) / Maurice Sendak

Løven, heksen og garderobeskabet / C.S. Lewis

The Gruffalo ( Grøffeldyret ) / Julia Donaldson

Little bear ( Lille Bjørn ) / Else Homelund Minarik

Fantastic Mister Fox ( Den fantastiske Hr. Ræv ) / Roald Dahl

Guess how much I love you ( Hvor højt tror du jeg elsker dig? ) / Sam McBratney

My father’s dragon ( Min fars drage) / Ruth Stiles Gannett

Goodnight moon, Margaret Wise Brown

Brødrene Løvehjerte / Astrid Lindgren

Wonder ( Wonder) / R.J. Palacio

A week and a half ago New York was covered in snow and so freezing cold, that just leaving the house seemed like an impossible task. Now spring has finally sprung, and even though the snowy days were beautiful, nothing beats a sunny March day in New York.

Here you have my 10 reasons why I just love life a little bit more, when spring arrives.

1. My to-go coffee actually stays warm for more than just 3 minutes.
2. I can spend an hour at the playground without freezing of my thighs even when I don’t wear woolly stockings under my pants.
3. I do no longer have to convince my two year old, that a snowsuit and a woolly jumper is much prettier than the pink corduroy dress she just inherited from her sister.
4. It is not certain death if my child should fall asleep in her push chair. An hour in the sun with a pen, an empty notebook and a sleeping child can turn out to be the best moment of the day ( and even lead to new friendships ).
5. My mood changes.
6. My body changes.
7. My creativity changes. In our home, wintertime is spend reading books, baking bread, building houses and trains out of lego and watching cartoons. Springtime is for painting, cutting, exploring and investigating.
8. Our curiosity rises. My youngest daughter is not into exploring nature during winter. She hates the wind, getting cold feet and wearing her gloves. And so taking long walks and exploring our neighborhood, finding leaves and flowers and sticks in the park and having a spontaneous picnic is all left for springtime.
9. Longer and lighter days seem to make the critical late afternoon hour just before dinner is served just a little less chaotic.
10. Kindness grows in your community. People on the street smiles at you, and you smile back.

//

For blot halvanden uge siden, var New York dækket i en halv meters sne, og så kold, at det gjorde ondt i knoglerne at være udenfor i mere, end blot et par minutter. Nu er foråret endelig kommet til byen. Og selvom de sneklædte dage var smukke, er der ikke noget der slår en solskinsforårsdag i New York.

Her er mine 10 grunde til, hvorfor livet pludselig bliver lidt rarere at leve, når foråret pludselig kommer:

1. Min to-go kaffe holder sig varm i mere end blot 3 minutter.
2. Jeg kan opholde mig på legepladsen i en hel time uden at få frosne lår. Det er en af de værste ting, jeg ved.
3.  Jeg behøver ikke længere at overbevise min yngste datter om, at en flyverdragt, uldne trøjer og tykke bukser, er finere end den lyserøde fløjlskjole, hun lige har arvet af sin storesøster.
4. Det er ikke verdens undergang, hvis min datter falder i søvn i sin klapvogn. En time i solen med en blyant, en tome notesbog og et sovende barn kan ende med at være dagens lille lykkepunkt (og måske endda føre til nye venskaber )
5. Mit humør ændrer sig. Til det bedre.
6. Min kropsfornemmelse ændrer sig.
7. Vores kreativitet ændre sig. I vores hjem er vinterdage brugt på at læse bøger, tegne tegninger, bygge huse og byer med Lego og se tegnefilm. Foråret derimod er til at male, bygge, opdage, udforske og samle.
8. Vores nysgerrighed stiger. Min yngste datter er absolut ikke et med naturen om vinteren. Men når temperaturen stiger og vinden lægger sig er de begge til lange gåturer, samle blade og blomster og tage afsted på en spontan picnic.
9. Længere og lysere dage synes at ligge en dæmper på ulvetimens værste brøl og give mere energi til leg.
10. Venligheden stiger i vores lokalsamfund. Vi får smil og smiler tilbage.

From the moment when you first become a parent, sleep becomes a sensitive topic. Your sleep is determined by your child’s sleep, and so suddenly any kind of bedtime essentials that might help your child sleep just an hour more before waking up and disturbing your sweet dreams, suddenly seem like the best investment.

In our house we couldn’t survive one night without a pacifier, a snugly quilt, comfortable sleepwear ( both my kids kick of their quilt during night ) and a soft and cuddly teddybear. And still many night can be a bit of a struggle. My first born daughter started sleeping 12 hours without waking up when she was less than two month old. My youngest, who is now two years old, still doesn’t sleep through the night. By now, I have gotten used to waking up once or twice every night. But I still don’t hold back on trying to find that little helper or bedtime essential that will make her and me sleep through the whole night.

1. If you love me / Studio Mela 2. Ghosts / Fabelab 3. Flora & Henri 4. Even superheroes need a break 5. Jumpsuit / Grey Label 6. Music Mobile / Ferm Living 7. Teddybear / Jellycat 8. Organic baby blanket / Ellie Fun Day  9. Wool blanket / Lucky Boy Sunday 10. Baby sleeping bag / Nobidinoz 11. Night gown / Popup Shop 12. Leggings and T-shirt / MarMar Copenhagen 13. Ghost rattle / Fabelab 14. Pacifier / Natursutten 15. Baby linens / Soft Gallery

//

Fra det øjeblik, hvor du for først gang bliver nogens mor eller far, går søvn fra at være en selvfølge til pludseligt at være et meget følsomt emne. Din søvn bestemmes fuldstændig af, hvordan dit barn sover, og lige med et synes diverse putteremedier som en god investering, der måske i sidste ende kan købe dig en time eller to mere inden du vækkes af dine dejlige drømme.

I vores hjem ville vi ikke kunne klare en nat uden en sut, to babydyner, der bruges mere som putteklude end egentlig dyne, varmt nattøj, da begge mine børn sparker deres dynes af, og en hel hær af bløde bamser og andre dyr. Og stadig kan mange nætter være lidt af en kamp. Min førstfødte sov igennem i 12 timers strækninger fra hun var halvanden måned. Min yngste, der nu er to og et halvt, vågner stadig så godt som alle nætter. Jeg er ved at at vænne mig til, at vågne en gang eller to hver eneste nat, men jeg drømmer stadig om 8 timers uafbrudt søvn, og bliver ved med at holde øjnene åbne i håb om at finde den lille hjælper, bamse eller sutteklud, der kan få den lille pige til at sove hele natten lang.

1. If you love me / Studio Mela 2. Spøgelser / Fabelab 3. Flora & Henri 4. Even superheroes need a break 5. Dragt / Grey Label 6. Musik mobile / Ferm Living 7. Bamse / Jellycat 8. Organic baby blanket / Ellie Fun Day  9. Uldtæppe/ Lucky Boy Sunday 10. Baby sovepose / Nobidinoz 11. Natkjole / Popup Shop 12. Leggings og T-shirt / MarMar Copenhagen 13. Spøgelsesrangle / Fabelab 14. Sut / Natursutten 15. Baby sengetøj / Soft Gallery

(scroll ned for dansk oversættelse)

When we moved to New York four month ago, my five-year old daughter Eleanor, had just learned to write her own name. She knew the names of most letters in the alphabet, could count to 20 and add 2 and 2 together and that was more or less it. In Denmark you don’t start school before the year you turn six.

On our second day in New York, she started school. I have always trusted the Danish school system and it was with mixed emotions that I said goodbye to my daughter, who seemed way too young to me, to start school. Today, four month later, she can read a short book and write a letter. And I have changed my mind. She absolutely loves to learn stuff, and the new challenges keep her occupied and engaged in a way that a life in a danish daycare couldn’t. For her, starting school as a five-year old, has been perfect.

Her younger sister has now started to show interest in the alphabet. She eats all her meals from the Danish designed Vintage ABC Letters dinner wear collection that I brought with me when we moved, and sometimes she will look at the letters and try to guess their names.

//

Da vi flyttede til New York for fire måneder siden, havde min ældste datter Eleanor næste lige lært at skrive sit eget navn. Hun kunne sige alfabetet, tælle til tyve og lægge 2 og 2 sammen. Og det var så vist det. Vi er aldrig gået op i at forsøge at lære hende sådanne ting, men da hun nærmede sig de fem begyndte hun selv at interessere sig for at læse og skrive.

I København gik Eleanor i en udflytter børnehave, og hun brugte derfor det meste af sin tid på at grave regnorme op, lave suppe over åben ild og male flotte malerier med masser af glimmer. I mine øjne den perfekte barndom for en fem årig. Da vi flyttede til New York, var det kapitel af hendes liv pludselig forbi. Dagen efter vi landed i vores nye by, startede Eleanor på en lille og meget velfungerende skole i Brooklyn. I New York starter man skole enten som fire eller fem årig, og starter man først som fem årig er det direkte i gang med det egentlig skolearbejde.

For mig, der altid har troet fuldt og fast på det danske skolesystem, var det en kæmpe udfordring. I mine øjne var hun slet ikke klar på en hverdag der skulle indeholde andet end leg. Men det skulle hurtigt vise sig, at jeg nærmest ikke kunne tage mere fejl. Eleanor elsker at gå i skole, og er nu langt mere engageret i hendes hverdag og hendes venner end jeg nogensinde før har set hende være. De nye udfordringer har på alle måder været det rigtige for hende, og i hendes øjne er der intet surt ved at gå i skole. Alt leges ind i hovederne på børnene, man bruger ros som eneste rettesnor i deres arbejde (fejl bliver først påpeget i en langt højere alder) og når lærerne skal have børnene til at høre efter, siges det med en kort sang. Jeg har tit spurgt Eleanor om det virkeligt fungere. Om der ikke er nogle af børnene, der ikke tror på autoriteten i en sang, men svaret er altid nej. Efter fire måneder i sin amerikanske skole kan min fem årige datter klare selv at læse en kort bog og skrive en lille tekst. Jeg siger ikke at en tidlig skolestart er det rigtige for alle børn, men for hende har det været absolut perfekt.

Og det har allerede smittet af på lillesøster, der af sig selv er begyndt at øve alfabetet. Hver aften, når hun sidder og spiser fra sin abc-tallerken gætter hun på bogstavernes navne, og Eleanor morer sig over, at Alma ikke ved at et b hedder b eller hvordan man staver til yes.

We are having some people over for dinner tonight. I still haven’t decided what food to make, but I know the main dish is going to be something from my favorite cookbook, Sunday Suppers Recipes + Gatherings.

Sunday Suppers was started in Brooklyn 6 years ago by photographer and food lover Karen Mordechai. The concept is to bring people together for a shared meal and the act of communal cooking. Every sunday you can join Sunday Suppers for a sit-down dinner that takes place in their beautiful bright space and celebrates a chosen theme like salt, citrus or roots. I still haven’t had the chance to participate in one of the gatherings, but it is definitely on my list. Another thing that is on my wish list, is one of their amazing cooking classes.

While I’m getting hungry from looking at all the food in the book and trying to decide whats for dinner, Eleanor is engaging in a small DIY project. It includes a cart board box, white paint and a lot of coloured paper and I’ll show you the result as soon as it is done. But she will probably end up joining me and my food studies. The Sunday Suppers Recipes + Gatherings book has a chapter called Birthday For Little Ones, and every time I take out the book, she will go through the chapter looking at the pictures and dreaming about her upcoming birthday.

The dessert will be a traditional danish warm apple pie served with vanilla ice cream. We normally make it in our cottage in Denmark in the fall when are apple trees are full of apples. But is works just as well in the New York wintertime.

Here is the recipe:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

10 tablespoons (150 gram) butter

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons sour cream

4 – 5 apples peeled and sliced

3 tablespoons chopped almonds

Mix flour, baking soda, 3/4 of the sugar, soft butter, egg yolk and sour cream really well. If the dough gets to sticky, put it in the fridge for 15 minutes. Roll out 2/3 of the dough and gently place the dough onto a pie plate. Arrange the apples slices in the dough-lines pie plate. Mix the rest of the sugar, almonds and cinnamon and spread it out onto of the apples. Roll out the remaining dough and use it to make a lattice pie crust. Bake it in the oven at 400 F for about 20 minutes.

Let it cool down and serve with vanilla ice cream or creme fraiche.

Read more about Sunday Suppers here.

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Vi får gæster til middag i aften, og jeg har stadig ikke bestemt mig for, hvilken hovedret jeg vil servere for dem. Jeg ved dog at det skal være noget fra min yndlingskogebog, Sunday Suppers Recipes + Gatherings.

Sunday Suppers blev grundlagt i Brooklyn for 6 år siden af fotograf og mad elsker Karen Mordechai. Karen ønskede at bringe folk sammen omkring det at lave, indtage og opleve et vel tilberedt måltid mad. Hver søndag kan man deltage i deres komsammener i de smukke, lyse Brooklyn-lokaler og indtage en menu der er skabt udfra et specifikt tema som salt, citrus eller rødder. Jeg har endnu ikke haft mulighed for at deltage i en Sunday Supper, men det er helt sikkert på min liste. Og det samme er deres cooking classes, hvor man i fællesskab tilbereder og indtager en inspirerende menu.

Mens jeg sidder og bliver sulten af at kigge på de smukke billeder i bogen, har min ældste datter Eleanor kastet sig ud i et lille gør-det-selv projekt. Det indbefatter, en papkasse, hvid maling og en helt masse farvet karton. Resultatet får I at se om et par dage. Hun er dog også ret vild med at kigge i Sunday Suppers Recipes + Gatherings. Bogen har nemlig et helt kapitel om Birthday For Little Ones og de fine billeder af børn, kager og balloner er ofte genstand for drømme om hendes kommende 6 års dag.

Desserten bliver en traditionel dansk æbletærte serveret lun. Mine børn og jeg plejer at bage den samme hvert efterår i vores sommerhus på Nordsjælland, når vores æbletræer er fyldt med modne æbler. Men den fungerer lige så godt i en iskold New York vinter.

Her er vores opskrift:

250 gram hvedemel

150 gram sukker

150 gram blødt smør

1 æggeblomme

2 spsk creme fraiche

1 tsk bagepulver

4 stk / 300 gram skrællede æbler, skåret i både

40 gram hakkede mandler

1 1/2 spsk kanel

Bland mel, bagepulver, 125 gram sukker, blødt smør, æggeblomme og creme fraiche og ælt det hele godt sammen. Er dejen meget blød kan den sættes i køleskabet i 10 minutter. Rul 2/3 af dejen ud, og læg den forsigtigt i en tærteform. Fordel æblerne i et pænt mønster. Bland det resterende sukker, kanel og mandler, og drys det over æblerne. Rul resten af dejen ud, skær den i strimler og læg dem som et gitter over æblerne. Bag tærten ved 175 grader varmluft eller 200 grader ikke varmluft i 15-20 minutter. Server den med kold vaniljeis eller creme fraiche.

Læs mere om Sunday Suppers her.

Though I always had the intention I never got around to fill out baby scrapbooks, do the milestone photos or make long lists to remember the most important dates of my daughters first years.  But I’m a big fan of capturing dear and personal memories.

The other day I stumbled upon a great concept called Time Capsules and now I’m playing with the thought of creating a box full of memories for Eleanor and Alma. The concept is that you buy a box, or a time capsule,  in which you store things that has had great meaning for your child. The capsule includes tags, stickers, questionnaire, papers, tape and a journal that will make it easier for you to preserve your chosen memories. I still haven’t decided if I will buy a couple of time capsules or I will make my own version. But I love the idea.

Here is my list of stuff that would definitely go into Eleanor and Alma’s boxes.

A dried flower from the garden at our countryside cottage

Their favorite teddies

A mini version of The Statue of Liberty for Eleanor

Almas favorite dress

A necklace of mine that Eleanor has always loved

The first tooth they loose

Pictures of their family

Their first pair of shoes

A lock of their hair

Their favorite mini plastic animal (a donkey for Alma and a dog for Eleanor)

A letter from me

Their favorite book

My favorite poetry collection that I want them to read when they grow up

Read more and the Time Capsule and buy it here.

//

Selvom jeg altid har haft en intention om at udfylde en baby scrapbog til mine døtre, er det af en eller anden grund en af de ting, der alligevel altid er endt nederst på min liste. Men jeg har altid holdt af at samle på minder. I form af billeder, små ting, noter og udklip. Jeg har mine egne i en sort mat skotøjsæske, som jeg passer godt på.

Den anden dag stødte jeg på et super fint koncept ved navn Time Capsule, og nu går jeg så og leger med ideen om, at lave en boks fuld af barndomsminder til Eleanor & Alma. Konceptet er, at du køber en boks, eller en Time Capsule som firmaet kalder den, fylder den med små stå ting og noter, der bærer på gode minder, og giver den til dit barn. Der er tags, klistermærker, tape, spørgeskemaer, og en dagbog inkluderet i Time Capsule-pakken, som altsammen gør det lettere for dig, at videregive tanken med de små ting du ligger i boksen. Jeg har endnu ikke besluttet om jeg rent faktisk vil købe et par Time Capsules eller om jeg er mere til at lave min egen version i stedet. Men jeg elsker selve ideen.

Her er min liste med ting, som jeg helt sikkert vil lægge i Eleanor og Almas kasser.

En tørret blomst fra vores sommerhushave

Deres yndlingsbamser

En miniudgave af Frihedsgudinden til Eleanor

Almas yndlingskjole

En af mine halskæder, som Eleanor altid har elsket

Den første tand de taber

Billeder af deres familie

Deres første par sko

En lok af deres hår

Deres yndlings miniplastikdyr (Et æsel til Alma og en hund til Eleanor)

Et brev fra mig

Deres yndlingsbog som vi læser igen og igen

Min yndlingsdigtsamling, som jeg gerne vil have, at de skal læse, når de bliver voksne

Du kan læse mere om Time Capsules og købe dem her.

My husband has been away for work the last 14 days working and will return late tonight. And since it is a school night my daughters can’t stay up and wait for their dad.
So instead we decided to celebrate his return this afternoon, and since he is actually English we chose to forget that we are in New York and went for cinnamon crumpets, hot tea, sweet biscuits and homemade party hats for kids, adults and animals. My eldest daughter did the party planning (I was on the decoration and food committee) and she decided to end the afternoon with crazy dancing and an improvised theater.

//

Mit mand har været bortrejst pga. arbejde i næsten 14 dage og kommer hjem sent i aften. Og da det er skoledag i morgen, går det ikke at lade mine døtre blive oppe og vente på at deres savnede far endelig kommer hjem. Så for at få tiden til at gå, besluttede vi os for, at holde en lille daddy er snart hjemme-fest idag. Og siden min mand faktisk er engelsk besluttede vi os for, at glemme, at vi egentlig er i New York, og lod menuen stå på kanel crumpets, varm the, søde kiks og hjemmelavede festhatte til både mennesker og dyr. Det var min ældste datter der stod for festplanlægningen (jeg fik lov til at stå i spidsen for udsmyknings- og madkomiteerne) sluttede festen af med vild dans og impro teater.