The Speedy & Spirited Family

In the newly renovated kitchen a few kilometers outside Torsby, there’s plenty of hustle and bustle. Dad Fredrik is frying minced meat while Mom Maria chops cabbage. In the living room, the children Hilma, 9, and Arvid, 12, are watching TV while waiting for dinner. It’s Monday evening, and the family has just returned home after the day’s work and all their extracurricular activities.

– Dinner is often a bit later once all the work and training sessions are done. We have quite a lot of activities in this family, Fredrik explains.

Planning Is Key

Hilma plays football, floorball, and practices rhythmic gymnastics, while Arvid also plays football and floorball. Fredrik and Maria work out at the local gym, 60° Nord, and Maria is also the coach of Arvid’s floorball team two evenings a week, something that takes up quite a bit of time.

For the family, planning is key. In the hallway, a large board displays all the week’s activities and times that need to be remembered, and Maria and Fredrik also share a synced digital calendar where both training sessions and work schedules are entered.

– I work as a real estate agent and have just started my own agency together with a colleague, says Maria. It takes a bit of extra time in the beginning, and the job often involves both evening and weekend work. I just came from a house viewing, she continues.

Early Morning Training Before Dawn

Fredrik works in Ekshärad and trains as early as six in the morning to make it to work by eight. That way, he gets home in time to pick up the children. Maria has a bit more flexibility in the mornings, so she handles the school drop-off. Commuting to Ekshärad every day, about 35 kilometers one way, is not something they see as a problem. Maria drives even more; her work covers the entire municipality of Torsby, and some days she spends more than 200 kilometers in the car.

– We’re so used to driving. We both grew up in Sysslebäck, so being in the car has always been part of our everyday lives, says Fredrik. You can also see it in how we in Torsby handle distances. We always travel to away games, no matter how far it is, but when the city teams are supposed to come here, it’s often cancelled – apparently it’s too far for them, especially if it’s raining or snowing, he laughs.

The Love for Torsby and Nature

Living in northern Värmland has always felt natural for Fredrik and Maria. After growing up in Sysslebäck, they both studied elsewhere. First came upper secondary school – the ski high school in Torsby for Maria and the sport fishing high school in Forshaga for Fredrik. After that, they continued their studies in Karlstad.

– We both studied at Karlstad University, not at the same time, but we lived together there for a while. It was good, but we still felt that Torsby suited us better. We were close to buying a house in Sysslebäck, which would also have suited us, but in the end it was Torsby. Now we feel we have easy access to a lot of things here, says Maria.

When the family moved into their current house, they chose to renovate it right away so they could later spend their time on things other than building projects.

Fishing, Hunting and Adventure

In addition to all the sports activities, Fredrik and Arvid try to go fishing as often as they can. They have a small boat on a trailer and choose a new lake each time.

– I bought the boat when we had children, but I’ve never had a permanent berth. It’s more convenient that way, we get to experience new lakes all the time. We’ve probably fished in most of the lakes in Torsby and Hagfors, says Fredrik.

Hunting is also a major shared interest. Every year, Maria and Fredrik take part in the moose hunt, both in Jämtland and in Röjdåfors in northern Torsby.

– For us, it’s perfect to have forests and lakes so close by. We want the children to grow up surrounded by nature and all the opportunities it offers, says Fredrik. It’s important for everyday life to work well, and we feel that it does, but we also enjoy travelling abroad to experience other places and cultures. We’ve been to Thailand and the Maldives, and soon we’re heading to the Seychelles. About every other year, we treat ourselves to a trip abroad to explore the world. Even then, we stay active and try to go diving and take part in different sports.

At home, the family has created their own tradition, which they call “Food of the World.” Each time, they choose a new country and cook dishes from there for a week.

– That way, we get to experience other places even while staying at home, says Fredrik.

Community and a Sense of Security in Torsby

For Maria and Fredrik, who both grew up in Torsby Municipality, lived elsewhere for a period, and then moved back, that fundamental sense of security with family and friends was already in place.

– If you want to become part of the community, I think work and sports are a great way in, says Maria. If you have children, school is also a good way to meet other parents. We started training at 60° Nord in a small group that later travelled abroad together. That was several years ago now, and we still work out and spend time with them. We’ve become a very close-knit group of friends.

For Maria and Fredrik, life in Torsby feels just right. With nature around the corner, family close by, and a full schedule of sports, community, and adventure, they have found their balance.