A beautiful mind and some to does…

My maternity leave is over and I’ve been back full-time the past week. Funny how much technical stuff I remember, it’s just buried deep…I just need to give the brain a chance to catch up.

It’s been wonderful to have some grown-up interaction that doesn’t involve babies. But I do miss my days with BabyL. With me starting working again I keep making to do lists for DaddyO…these’s always something that need doing and remembering.

First up…
- apply for a spot in SweetieS kindergarten for BabyL (starting this fall)
- research driving lesson options (I work during the day…when will I have time for my driving lessons?)
- wean BabyL off breastfeeding (I’m not rushing this, all this happens on BabyL schedule)

-What are things you have to do as you round up your maternity leave?

Back to work

This week I went back to work after 9 months of maternity leave.

Time has flown by and BabyL is sliding/crawling around on the floor as DaddyO starts his round of paternity leave. This time around our maternity/paternity leave is divided like this:

MommyS – 6 months paid maternity leave (approx. 3 months mother quota and 3 months from the shared quota) , 3 months unpaid leave/vacation
DaddyO – 6 months paid paternity leave ( approx. 3 months from the shared quota and 3 months father quota)

And there you go, a year will have passed and BabyL starts kindergarten.

In case there is any doubt as to the paper mill that needed filling out.
Here is our process:
Mother applies for maternity leave, about two months before babys due date.
Mother quota and shared quota can ble applied in the same form
Using this form: Søknad om foreldrepenger, mødrekvote eller fedrekvote ved fødsel (Note it’s in Norwegian)
As I had a period of vacation and unpain leave, DaddyO had to apply for an extention.
Using this form: Utsettelse eller gradert uttak av foreldrepenger (fleksibelt uttak) (also in Norwegian)
Father applies for paternity leave, atleast 6 weeks before the first day of paternity leave.
Using the same form as mother used to apply for maternity leave (just another check box in the form): Søknad om foreldrepenger, mødrekvote eller fedrekvote ved fødsel (Note it’s in Norwegian)

New for this time around was the option to send some of the forms digitally – unfortunatly not all forms are have this option available yet. To use this option you will however need to have BankID, Buypass or Commfides available. Using this option allows you to follow the application process online. Though my experince with this online status left me with more questions than answers, and I wound up calling my local NAV to have my questions answered.

In two weeks time is Chinese New Year again, so in need of some cleaning and planning. So mark your calendars, Thursday, February 19. This time we enter the year of the Goat.

Does NAV have to be this difficult?

Just read an article about the endeavors a journalist experienced when applying for payments during maternity leave. You can read the article here.

I have just had my latest maternity leave approved by NAV. This time around DaddyO is having several weeks more leave than we had last time. And this time no graduated paternity leave. To stretch our leave until the baby starts kindergarten fall 2015 we have put in a few months of unpaid leave from work.

Of course the “rules” for paternity leave have change some from the last time we applied for paternity leave with BabyS in 2012. Here is my post from last time around in the NAV system.

To sum up the changes:
- 14 weeks are reserved for the father
- 2 more weeks paternity leave (49/59 weeks paternity leave, depending on 100% or 80% coverage)

So this time around, our paper mill looks like this:
1. MommyS applies for paternity leave – mother quota plus 10 weeks of the joint period
Using this form: “Application for parental benefits or a paternal quota for a birth”
NB: remember to attatch due date confirmation from doctor, dated after 26 weeks of the pregnancy
AND inform employer to send “Income and tax information for employees”
2. MommyS requests employer for unpaid leave and vacation time
3. DaddyO applies for postponement of paternity leave
Using this form: “Postponement or graduated parental benefits”
4. DaddyO applies for paternity leave – father quota plus the remainder of the joint period
Using this form: “Application for parental benefits or a paternal quota for a birth”
NB: inform employer to send “Income and tax information for employees”

I’m lucky and have an employer that reminded be of point 3. If I wasn’t reminded of this form I wouldn’t know to apply for a postponement. Guess that is what our HR department is there for, knowing the rules and regulations of NAV. Thank you Catherina E!

I realize that all the stories I’ve read about difficulties with the NAV system has always been in situations where applying for paternity leave have not been straight forward. And there is always a lack of information or the presence of misinformation…

- how has your encounter with NAV been?

A little lighter

Today was the last day of my maternity leave…*sigh*…gonna miss spending my days with BabyS. Have the last weeks gradually returned to work. Today it dawned on me, no more maternity leave. Well I had planned a nice long stroller ride with BabyS in the wonderful weather that has come to Oslo the last few weeks, until I woke up to a gloomy grey day. So stroller ride cancelled and a relaxing day at home instead. No complaints from BabyS and we spent the day warm and cozy, playing in almost all the rooms in our home that is CasaR

I’ve been looking at new hairdos for a few days now and have been contemplating bangs. A change in my everyday life, why not a change in my hair? Today I took the plunge and cut it!

before…	after…

My new bangs are longer than in the picture….just out of the shower they wanted to stand straight up, only got them to cooperate a little before I snapped the picture. As always, after a haircut I still need time to adjust to the change  

- have you considered bang with your next hair cut?
- what has been your favorite moments in your maternity leave?

Kindergarten time

Today is the deadline for applying for a kindergarten spot for BabyS this fall. We put in the application a few weeks ago, with the option to make changes until the deadline today.

We sent our application in digitally thru the official website http://www.barnehager.oslo.kommune.no/oslobarnehagen/soke_og_bytte_barnehage/

There are MANY kindergartens in the city district we live in, so narrowing it down to max five - you can only apply to a maximum for five spots- takes some work. Not knowing what to look for, we sat down and did some research. Not finding much help online, I turned to friends with kids in kindergarten for advise.

Some of the advice we got were:
- does the kindergarten have pedagogical educated employees?
- ratio: children per caretaker
- is the kindergarten divided into “departments”?
- opening hours?
- geographical proximity (location, location, location)
- meals?
- how do they handle absence due to sickness amongst the employees?

Our process before applying for a kindergarten were as follows;
- With the above“criteria” at hand I made a spreadsheet and inputted the kindergartens we were considering.
- I read up on the kindergartens homepages – those who had.
- I contacted the kindergartens and asked if we could come by for a visit.

One of the most surprising things I learned during this process is that very few parents take the time to make a visit to kindergarten they consider placing their child in. Would you trust your child in the care of a complete stranger? Most parents are on maternity leave when the kindergarten application is due, why not take your baby for a stroll to the kindergartens your are considering?

After we had made a visit I also made a note in my spreadsheet about my gut feeling. Based on all the information in our spreadsheet we sent in our prioritized kindergarten application.

Now we just keep our fingers crossed that BabyS gets a spot in the kindergarten we had at the top of our list.

- how did you choose the kindergarten for your kids?
- did you get a spot in the kindergarten you had at the top of your list?

Gradually returning to work

These days I’m slowly realizing that my maternity leave is soon over. Last week I had the first of my two-days-a-week workweek. Which is the start of my gradual return to work. While I’m at work DaddyO will be at home with BabyS. Over the course of a few months I will be slowly increasing my work days as DaddyO increases his off-days.

It’s great to get more out amongst “normal” people…but while at work I miss BabyS.

While I was on maternity leave my office space has been occupied by a consultant that has been working on a project for my employer. Today I realized it’s time to claim my space back!

- New computer, check!
Tomorrow I do the upgrade of my desktops and put up some of “my stuff”. Maybe a picture of BabyS on my desk?

my new Lenovo X1 Ultrabook, sweet!

Going all woolly…

These days the temperature here at “the top of Oslo” has dropped below zero degrees Celsius. And here in Norway we have a saying: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing”. Being a mother with maternity leave I have a lot of time off to walk with BabyS in her stroller – in the increasingly colder weather. Well the other day a friend of mine recommended Pierre Robert Wool Collections tops.

I got a hold of a few tops the other day. And now I can say I    THEM! They are made of a wool and silk blend, and super thin…therefore not bulky beneath whatever I decide to wear.

What I love about these tops…
the design is plain and simple…no granny-feeling here.
They are available in beautiful colors…(I think I have all the available colors already-shhh don’t tell DaddyO)…I’ve seen these colors in the stores: black, nature (an off-white nuance), brown, grey, aqua (a marine blue version) and color I think is called port (a dark purple-red-ish color).
They are also available in sleeveless and with long sleeve…whatever rocks your boat.

the sleeveless version	with long sleeves

pictures borrowed from the Pierre Robert website

One of the great qualities of wool is its’ ability to transport away moisture, thereby keeping you warm.
Wool also has a self-cleaning ability, so if you just air out after use you can use the clothes more than a day before washing. Perfect for a new mum like me…finding time to do the laundry isn’t always easy with a baby around. Or is that just me procrastinating???

And the elasticity is the blend makes these tops perfect for a breastfeeding mum like me.

Only down side I can come up with, is the price. Wool clothing isn’t particularly cheap here in Norway, and Pierre Robert isn’t an exception. But they are widely available, as they are available in most convenience stores. Some stores also have regularly sales on Pierre Robert clothes, so checking around can save you some money.

These days I don’t go anywhere without one of these underneath… Have you tried Pierre Robert Wool Collection? What do you think about the clothes available?

Time flies…

Can’t believe that I’m already one week into my maternity leave. Time sure flies…and the baby isn’t even here yet. Haven’t even had time to blog (!).

Thought that I would have better time when my maternity leave started. Since my midwife has been worried about me having preeklampsi I’ve had a few more check ups and follow ups than normal…just the last week I had THREE doctors appointments!

The past week has gone to some preparations for the coming baby…and just getting the house out of “renovation mode”.

Just to mention a few projects that have been going on the past week:

• assembled the baby stroller
• bought a wooden gazebo (still need to assemble though-see my earlier post)
• getting the front patio washed and ready for a new season in the Sun (crossing our fingers that the Sun grants us some presence this summer)
• finished putting down wooden flooring in the hallway on the 2^nd floor and the wooden moldings are put in place
• (finally) finished the last washing load of baby clothes and folded them nicely into the dresser in the nursery

Now if I can only find some time and inspiration to do some scrapping…

Parental benefit on birth...the form paper mill

After several weeks of red tape I think I am finally finished with the chaos that is NAV forms.

Given this is my first pregnancy there was a lot of confusion for me. So I thought I would sum up what I learned from the process. Hopefully this will help clear up some issues for others that are in the same situation…in Norway of course (as this applies to Norwegian citizens only)

In Norway a few benefits are a given in relation to giving birth (given that you  have been occupationally active and have had a pensionable income for at least six of the last ten months before the benefit period commences);
- You can receive 100 percent of your parental benefits for a period of 47 weeks or 80 percent of your parental benefits for a period of 57 weeks. These weeks are divided as follows.

• last three weeks before the due date and the first six weeks after the child is born are reserved for the mother.
• 12 weeks are reserved for the father
• The remaining benefit weeks can be shared between the parents (the joint period)

So receive parental benefits there are a “few” forms that have to be filled with NAV (The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration)

1. “Application for parental benefits or a paternal quota for a birth” for the mother.

• remember due date confirmation from doctor, dated after 26 weeks of the pregnancy

(2.) “Application for parental benefits or a paternal quota for a birth” for the father

• has to been filled with NAV within the last day of the joint period, in other words before the father quota begins

Then there’s the curve balls…

Since both me and my husband are employed at places where the parental benefits are paid by our employer there are MORE forms. PS: that our employer pays out out benefits IS a good thing…

3.  “Income and tax information for employees” for the mother

4. “Income and tax information for employees” for the father

• the form is filed by the employer, but we ARE responsible for them being filed.

To ease the transition from maternity leave back to work for me, and from work to maternity leave for hubby - we decided to go for a graduated parental benefit solution after the joint period. This means practically combing work with maternity leave, thus prolonging the maternity leave period.

We are planning on 5 weeks I work two days a week and my husband works three days a weeks, and then vice versa for another 5 weeks. Then it’s back to work full time for me.

Again this means ANOTHER form…

(5.)“Postponement or graduated parental benefits” for the mother

(6.) “Postponement or graduated parental benefits” for the father

• this is an agreement between you as an employee and your employer, so involve your employer as soon as this is an option.
• this form can’t be processed until the baby has been born. So this form can be filed after the maternity leave has begun.
• your employer might need information from you before your file this form with NAV.

*The forms with numbers in brackets are forms don’t need to be filed until the maternity leave for the mother begins.

Not all the forms have been filed yet on my part. But at least now I know what forms are needed for our maternity leave to go smoothly…

Phew….that’s it for me this time. Now that the paper mill has begun rolling, that’s one worry less for me to think about…

Forms mentioned above are available @www.nav.no

All I can say for those of you who are at the beginning of this paper mill:

Good luck!!!