[TOMT][KIDS BOOK][read early 2000s]

Hi! I live in the US and for years I've been searching on my own for a book I read when I was younger. I can't remember what it was called but I remember that the main character was a little girl who had a pet/faux sibling thing that I think they called the "Thing from Norway"? I remember her saying her dad found it in a hold while he was on a trip in Norway. Her parents travel so she spends a lot of time at home, but there are also housekeepers and other people who do odd jobs that come around. Her house gets broken into and she uses the housekeeping to her advantage to defeat the intruder? I read it a long time ago and these are the scraps I've been able to hold on to. Any help is appreciated.