Cozy Day at the Lake Cottage

Lazy autumn break day on cottage

Here’s a glimpse of a lazy day at our lake cottage, with no particular plans — just a normal day during autumn break. Our cottage is located on the shore of Lake Päijänne in southern Finland. Päijänne is a large, long lake, about 120 km in length. If you want to read more of Lake Päijänne and see how we travel by boat, check out this post!

I woke up before the kids. Nowadays I can’t sleep for long, so I often just get up and start the day instead of lying in bed, trying to get back to sleep.

I put the water on to boil for coffee and went out to the dock in my nightshirt, as I do every morning. I enjoy watching the lake and following the progress of autumn on the far shore. Most of all, I love these frosty autumn mornings when mist rises from the lake.

I went back inside and got the coffee ready. Then the children woke up, one by one. At home, they start playing right away in the mornings, but at the cottage they usually immerse themselves in reading. I think the difference is because there aren’t many toys at the cottage.

After breakfast, we got dressed and went outside. As I stepped out, I almost slipped on the icy terrace — but luckily I didn’t fall.

We took a moment to admire the morning, and then it was time for chores. We threw some logs into the log cage. The children climbed inside the cage – for them, it was more play, than work. But the log cage emptied quickly.

The children continued playing outside. I enjoyed the sun, which peeked through the sky from time to time. If you’ve ever wondered how much coffee I drink, it’s because Finns are the world’s top coffee drinkers per capita — so it’s totally normal here in Finland.

I’m trying to replace some of my daily coffees with matcha. I really like its taste, but unfortunately it needs to be stirred while drinking so it doesn’t settle at the bottom of the cup — and makes it look like I’m just drinking warm milk like in this picture.

After a refreshing time outdoors, we lit the fire and grilled chicken for homemade burgers. This time we didn’t eat outside – I decided it was much easier to assemble the burgers indoors rather than carry everything separately to the grill shelter. After all, it was lazy day — it needed to be simple.

After lunch, it was nap time for the two youngest. The 5yo just rested while reading, but the youngest still needs her sleep. The 8yo played quietly with Legos. I made coffee and sat in the comfy chair to read.

At the moment, I’m very interested in peatlands and forests — their history and how they have been seen in Finnish history as an inexhaustible source of materials, but later people realized the reality.

When 3yo woke up, we headed to forest. Children played together: first something about hunting, and then some forest trolls. We also tried to find oak — we wanted to make acorn coffee — but there wasn’t a single one. 5yo really wants to taste acorn coffee and so do I. I heard about it from Tony Mette Aamodt, and it sounds worth trying!

After we returned, the 8yo fired up the fireplace. He had just learned how, and he could sit there patiently arranging the logs and kindling, watching the fire catch for a long time. This is the kind of screen time I’d like kids to have more of!

Next, he made the pancake batter. Pancakes are always a highlight. We hardly ever eat pancakes at home, so they’re a special treat at the cottage. I enjoy this new phase when the children are actually helpful. I didn’t have to do anything except dictate what to put into the batter and in what order. He even cooked the pancakes entirely by himself.

And these pancakes really were the best I’ve ever eaten! He’s definitely making them from now on.

Old board games and puzzles are the best things to do at the cottage. This game is from my partner’s childhood: Ronja Ryövärintytär (Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter). The game board is a forest, and you draw forest cards. You need a swimming card or a sneaking card to get past obstacles. A missing game piece doesn’t matter – a small rock works just as well! Board games are fun, but the amount of focus it takes to actually finish one match with three children is enormous.

Toward the end, the 5yo gave up because she couldn’t sit still any longer. The 3yo followed her lead, but after realizing she was already close to the finish line, she wanted to come back. By that time, though, we had already played a couple of rounds without her.

Then it was time for bedtime story. We read A Moomin book which is full of clever plays on words. I wanna end this post with my favorite line from this book:

Onpa tavallinen tavattoman mielenkiintoista!

How extraordinarily interesting the ordinary is!