With gratitude, I welcome you to my new blog!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

With gratitude, I welcome you to my new blog! This year has been a particularly difficult one for my Finnish-American community here in Southern California. Companies have laid off many people and we have seen lots of friends leave to different states and countries to find work. Yet, throughout all of this, the Finnish "sisu" (determination and resilience) prevails and a sense of renewal and enthusiasm is overtaking the fears. It is time for new opportunities and challenges and I am getting excited! It is time to start something new! There is so much to be thankful for.

My name is Terhi and I grew up in the Arctic Circle in Finland. Since then my life's journey has taken me around the globe a few times and now I've landed in the sunny shores of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. The best part of having lived in many places is that I've had exposure to many cultures and awesome people with varied backgrounds. I value open-mindedness and global awareness and hope to share information in the spirit of tolerance and acceptance.

A funny thing that has happened to me is that I crave for four seasons so much that I've become a pretty good pretender.  Right now I am pretending that it is fall, even though there aren't hardly any colorful leaves in the trees and the temperatures still rise almost up to 86F/+30C in the middle of the day. I wish there would be frosty snowflakes in the corners of the windows, but since there aren't I will instead use my creativity and make some. You'll be able to get some ideas for seasonal fun on this blog!

I am a mom of two little pumpkins, who inspire me to live my life to the fullest. Their enthusiasm towards life is the source of my inspiration. In this blog I will share the millions of ideas that fill my head every day. You, my readers, get to decide whether those ideas are indeed Terhific = terrific or terrible. You can look forward to reading more about:

• Terhific Ramblings: Ideas about parenting, raising children with mindfulness and global awareness in mind.
• Terhi-tivities: Child friendly activities that will enrich the children's experiences towards arts, school assignments, technology, etc.
• Terhific Recommendations: Book and toy reviews, that are our family's absolute favorites. You might find the list useful while doing your holiday shopping. I will also include recommendations of local attractions and places that provide calm and educational experiences for families with children.

With all that said, I welcome you to chime in on the fun! Please do come and spread the good with me! As the time ticks towards Thanksgiving, I hope that you all turn off all electronic devices and spend quality time with your families and loved ones! There is time in life when being online is important and when it is not. Thanksgiving falls into the latter part. Dedicate yourself to the people who matter in your life and turn off the computer.

Until after Thanksgiving...

With much love,
Terhi