leise rieselt der Schnee - for all those lovely people in Germany and Austria or whoever wants to join us!

[Canella]

a new wintery thread in honour of Hupa's first snow of the season!

Oh we've been thinking of moving to Aberystwyth. :) Countryside train station for commuting and closer to ils.
It's been rather dire here the last couple of weeks with the rain. It's making us all a little bit more tense I think not being able to get outside and play.

I've been very very lucky in that dh's been home since the sickness began so he's been doing all the cooking (which throws me -literally) and has been near saintly in his taking over with dd (21m) since I've been ill. I cannot change poopy nappies without the need to run to the toilet mid cleaning...which let's be honest is not an ideal situation. So he's been changing all the poopy nappies too which let's be honest makes him a near god in my eyes. Oh the little things

We've found a place! It's in a town (Kirchheim bei Munchen -actually in the southern blob of that town which is named something else from what we can gather) outside of Munich and half way to Erding where dh is working, but it's within walking distance to the train station, and it looks like (from google maps) within walking distance to the local shops. It's a little expensive and small (2 rooms), but at least we've got something to go to when we get there. :) and it looks like it's on the edge of a green area which I'm hoping Moo and I will be able to play in (do they have public lands you can play on there like here?)

That's great news, bebe. It sounds like an ideal location and I can imagine that most places in the area are on the expensive side.

Are you still thinking about moving to Aber when you return to the UK? I love going back there, but just wish it was a bit easier to get to. At least the fact that the train now goes through to Birmingham International makes things a bit easier. It would be even better if there were flights from Bham to Vienna, though!

We're back and forth about moving to Aber as it is still a long away from places even though it does have the train... to be honest we're not really in the position to move as the house is not enough in positive equity to be able to have a down payment on the next place. But it's getting closer and closer to the time where I feel we should settle in a nice town with nice schools and find our 'family' home. Moo is only going to be 2 though so we have a few years, I just feel a little anxious to get down 'roots.' Dh is a little bit more afraid of it all and hates being away from us during the weeks (which would probably end up happening all the more is we were in Aber as most jobs are in the London area) So we're very undecided.
I do however keep looking every so often for houses online encase our 'perfect' home pops up. :)

We seriously considered moving to Aber four or five years ago, but decided against it in the end as it would have been too much of a risk financially - there are no jobs there in DH's field so it would have meant him working freelance. DH was also put off by the fact that it's so far from everywhere; it's virtually impossible for me to visit friends anywhere else in the country unless I stay overnight somewhere.

I know what you mean about being anxious to put down roots; I'd never spent more than two or three years in the same place (or even the same country) between leaving home and buying this house 15 years later. At least you have a few years before your DD starts school; I'm glad we made the most of that time pre-DC and before DD1 started school.

"I'm glad we made the most of that time pre-DC and before DD1 started school."
-that's the reason we're doing this Munich adventure. Most of family and all the friends think it's nuts esp. with a baby on the way. But dh and both agree we need to get in the fun/moving about while we have the chance. Afterall, you and your kids are only young once.
Once schooling starts your flexibility can decrease. Though we've discussed homeschooling dd until 7 or 8 so we have more opportunities-but it's not something we're firm abt as there's positives and negatives to that too.

Hey bebe
That's quite mad - I'm welsh too, when we move back to the uk from munich next year it will be to our house in cowbridge! I lived in cardiff for a while too and my now dh lived in rhiwbina. We should meet up out here at some point!

I have the same problem as you in that when we come back next year it will be without dh, he will still have to always work away in the week - whether that is in europe or london - there just aren't any jobs in wales for him.
Aber is lovely but it is quite cut off unless you have lots of friends and family there - beautiful place though!

Glad you have found a place bebe - not sure where kircheim is, will have to look it up.

I can't see who asked me about my due date on this page but forgot to answer before - I'm having a c-section in starnberg hospital on 2nd march so on countdown now!! Been trying to make space for all the stuff today and dh told me off for moving the chest of drawers on my own. I can't help it though, once I have a bee in my bonnet about something I have to get on with it. Think the nesting instinct is kicking in!

Re the eggs point - there doesn't seem to be any shortage of eggs in tengelmann or rewe, maybe they use different suppliers?

What are your experiences of germany/austria? Do you like it out here?

How strange to find other people from Wales in Germany... but actually I'm an import from America. Dh is half Welsh half English and grew up in Hereford area, but went to Uni in Cardiff. It was by chance he had a job in Cardiff when we were married, and continued to have it until just before Moo was born. Most of his family are in the Valleys now, but many holiday in Aber and with the mtns so close (and dh a mtn biker) it seemed a good choice. However, my guess is either we'll end up moving more into the city (we're in a rather boring suburb right now) or we'll move some where along the M4 but nearish mtns. I cannot see us living in Aber because we'd be so far away from jobs that even the weekends would be difficult/a hassle for dh to come home. (But I/we can dream).
I will be completely honest in saying that I go nuts without dh (and he without me). We're quite co-dependent which can be a blessing sometimes, but also makes the time away very unbearable. He's pretty much the only one who can keep me on an even keel and help me beat off my blues. I can function without him of course, but I have a harder time being 'sane.' So this Munich adventure after 20m without each other is really a lovely thing for us. :)

Where are you from in the USA, bebe? We spent two years in Pennsylvania before we moved to Austria and loved it there. DD1 was born there too, so is an American citizen (but her US passport has expired and it doesn't seem worth the hassle and expense of getting her another one atm when we have no plans to go over there).

I'm also half English and half Welsh, and wish I spoke Welsh better. (Oh, and I know the Hereford area quite well as my grandparents used to live there.) My dad did start off speaking Welsh to DD1 but let it lapse, partly because he felt there wasn't much point if we only see each other a couple of times a year. He still tries to teach the DC a bit of Welsh though, and gave them a Welsh for Beginners course when we were over at Christmas (which we were listening to this evening in fact).

tallpoppies I love living in Austria and feel almost at home here now as I do in the UK. I don't think we could afford the standard of living we enjoy here if we moved back to Britain, either. The only thing I really miss about the UK now is my family and friends there; everything else (food, TV programmes, radio, magazines, books, and so on) I can manage to import/download, etc.!

Well born in Wisconsin (Little House on the Prairie) then moved to Pennsylvania when I was a babe and stayed there 7yrs just outside the mtns there (loved it so much). Moved to NY (Albany) loved it lots and lots there too as we lived near a large woods and then moved back to Wisconsin when I was 9.
Moved to Wales in 2005 immediately after marrying dh. And was shocked to find how the mtns here reminded me so much of the mtns in Penn. (I always said that's where I was going to move back to) I love Wales. So beautiful. (wish it wouldn't rain quite so much though )

Where abts in Penn where you? We lived in Reigelsville a tiny little town south of Easton.

We were in State College (and had to keep telling everyone over here that yes, that is the name of the town), as the company that DH was working for at the time sent him to work at Penn State for two years. I really liked it - it was a small, friendly and very safe feeling town (I couldn't believe that a lot of people didn't lock their doors when they went out) with quite an international community thanks to the university. The fact that it was in the middle of nowhere reminded me of Aber, although it did at least have its own airport!

Oh yeah Mid-state near all the parks :) Lovely area, we used to go on day trips out near that way.

It took me a long time to get into the habit of locking doors...car doors too. When you're used to things being one way it hard to truly imagine people being another. (Poo for the need lose innocence)

Hope everyone is having /has had a good morning. My Moo got up this morning and after her nappy change wandered off to choose her own clothes from her drawers. :) She's growing up so fast (and so very independently)!

I always used to forget to close our front door when I had to get DS into the pushchair as my mind would be more focused on that, but luckily our house is quite a way back from the road so it wasn't obvious. I rarely lock it as you can't open it from the outside without a key once it's shut, so my problem now is locking myself out!

DD2 used to be a nightmare when it came to choosing her own clothes, as she had her absolute favourites and was not happy when they were in the wash. Luckily she's calmed down now (in that respect, at least) and I usually get the DC to pick out their clothes the night before - they always used to be too tired to choose their own clothes in the mornings but awake enough to object to whatever I'd chosen for them!

DD1 is off school today as she had a headache and temperature yesterday (luckily they didn't develop until after we'd got back from Bratislava!) and was complaining of a stomach ache when she woke up. After spending a couple of hours on the sofa crocheting (!) she now seems to have perked up, and is intent on showing me (and telling me about) every single sticker in her new Billa animal sticker album.

Oh those evil inventions - doors that you can't open from the outside without a key once they're shut! I'd rather have a good old fahioned door any day! I used to often have to hang a tea towel around the handles to stop the door closing when I had to go out to collect the dc from kindi and couldn't find my keys! Luckily that was in our student family village flat and no one had anything worth stealing so doors were and windows were often just left open!

I had to go back to bed this morning when I'd got everyone out of the house as dh snored his way through most of the night and I couldn't sleep. I am just coming round now and have been walking around the place trying to decide where to start, kitchen probably but I might just have a coffee first.

The apartment we wanted apparently has been rented 'in person' by someone. :( so once again no place to go..after all our hard searching totally gutted.

Oh no bebe, how disappointing. Hope you find somewhere else soon.

Hope the coffee helped, admylin!

Off to take DD2 to her piano lesson now while DD1 catches up on all the work she missed at school today plus homework. I was hoping she'd get it all done before DS is home at 3, but it's looking increasingly unlikely.

It's frustrating when the homework takes ages isn't it. Dd tends to spend far too much time doing work that should only take 15 minutes but she drifts off and day dreams.

I was speaking to dd's friend's mum on Friday. Her dd gets straight 1s with no effort but she said (not sure if I believe her 100%) that her dd always day dreamed but now she works hard to be finished on time to go to her after school activities. She has something every day like gymnastics, choir, music or swimming clubs. She said my dd needs to try that maybe to encourage her to work quicker.

Not sure if that's the solution really. I even asked the mum - how did she feel having to drive her 2 dds around every single night and she looked at me as if my question was totally silly!

Bebe, that must be so frustrating. Couldn't the employers help out? I remember how stresful it can be as we moved from south Germany to Berlin and we didn't manage to find a flat on time.

I remember when DD1 started school, it would take her an hour or more to do homework that it was taking the others in her class only 15 minutes - if she had to write a line of letters, she would need several minutes break between each letter... She's much better now but still very easily distractable.

She does work better if she has an incentive to finish more quickly, but finding an incentive is a problem! Afternoon activities don't work for us; she was doing three last year, in fact four for half the year while she was going to first communion lessons, and often complained that it was too much. We've cut her activities down to two this year (piano and dyslexia lessons), although she'll also have IT classes at school starting next semester, and tbh that's more than enough. School itself and all the homework she gets are quite tiring for her, so she really needs some downtime in the afternoons - if she did an activity every afternoon, even if it was only for part of the afternoon, she'd be exhausted.

We've spent the day going through apartment listings again. We've sent out loads of emails and hopefully something comes up. All of these new ones are actually in Munich and are more expensive again (of course) and will also mean train fair is going to be needed too ...

I'm reading all your bits about schooling and kids closely as I've not had any experience with such things.
I do remember dreading certain types of homework loads and taking an eternity to do it...I also was a perfectionist and would spend ages doing the simplest thing but in the most detailed way possible and getting frustrated with myself because I could not be exact. I've learned to let most of this go (most of the time).

Oh bebe, fingers crossed that something works out. How frustrating. Have you had any luck with serviced apartments or holiday lets? It would save you the hassle of getting all that furniture! Good that dh is around to help with nappies at this stage.

I have to agree about after school activities...in my DCs case i think they would add the the stress rather than be an incentive. I guess it depends on the child, but I have read about how important it is for children to have down time and family time. Not to talk about the cost and the taxi driver´s quality of life :)

I hope the last few weeks go well, tallpoppies. Do you like it in Germany? I do enjoy life here and think it is better for the family than in the UK. I just have to find some sort of job though, and then Vienna would be perfect!

DD1 seems more settled this week. Phew. I now feel better able to deal with it. Always something new with these growing bundle of joys! Was your dd okay swimming admylin? Were you?

off to sort out that pile of clothes...it´s huge!

bebe - really hope you find something soon. It must be so stressful not actually knowing where you´re going to live. Do you own your house in wales? If so, are you going to rent it out while you´re away?

tallpoppies - I wasn´t sure about Germany when I first moved here, but now I wouldn´t move back - at least not while the children are still at school. I live in a very small town and would quite happily swap that for a big city, but due to dh´s job that isn´t going to happen.

I think dd does too many after school, but apart from ballet on Monday where I have to drive everything else is within walking distance (as are ds´s activities), so I don´t have to play taxi driver too much.

Canella - how are you getting on with your hand? Have you managed to organise any extra help?

oh bebe thats rubbish that the flat has gone - its a proper stress! hope you get something back from the ones you emailed yesterday!

Tallpoppies - didnt realise you were so close to giving birth! hope you get some rest these last few weeks (altho it sounds like you've got a house full of kids so i doubt it!!)

bananas - glad your dd is going to school better this week - wonder whats changed in her head about it? have you applied for any more jobs?

admylin - there were eggs in lidl this morn - havent noticed them being taken off the shelf.

I'm another one who doesnt schedule too much stuff for the dc - we live in the sticks so have to drive quite a way to get to things so am quick to sign up the dc to things in the village if anything starts! I also think they need some play time - esp dd who's in the 4th class this year and under a fair bit of pressure. She only does dancing and piano (both in the village) and thats def enough for her! the boys only got to turnen but am on the hunt for some swimming lessons for them in the next town!

Hand is still painful when i use it - spreading anything on bread is the morst painful thing weirdly and i have to do that a lot! thankfully the kids are only to happy to help out with that job! Havent organised any help - am managing to get most of the day-day jobs done and dh is a clean freak so he does whatever i dont do! need to phone the hand clinic this morning to make a follow up appointment - hate speaking on the phone in German! Was contemplating driving all the way to the hospital just to do it in person but its quite far so just need to get off MN and do it!

well that was a nightmare - i phoned the hand clinic - sorry have no appointments till april! so then phoned the fracture clinic type place at the hospital i went to to get my plaster - sorry no appointments till the middle of feb!
so then had to phone a different hospital - in the end they gave me an appointment for monday!!!!! feel so stressed that i had to repeat myself 3 times! but its sorted now! maybe this time next week i'll be without my plaster!! hope the pain has gone or i bet they wont take it off!

Dear me Canella, poor you. :( Hopefully tho your appointment on Monday will be productive one way or another.

So many of the corporate places who will/would rent for 6months don't want to rent with kids :(

We've contacted another agent though to help look. He said things are getting snapped up quickly right now. We made it clear that if he called us and sent a few pictures and nothing was amiss (it was within walking distance to shops and train) we'd pretty much take it site unseen. (after all what can we do?!) We told him all of our needs and the wants (like a park or yard to play in) and he said he'd be back to us hopefully this afternoon.

Don't know if it's the hormones or just general worry, but I'm becoming a frazzled mess.

Not been going well. All the places we contacted on our own, no kids, not less than 12m rent, or already taken.
Agent has come back saying that 90% of the places he called won't accept kids. He found us 2 places... one bedroom 35m2 but a garden 1100 and nearish correct train line OR 2 bedroom place but 3rd floor but walking distance to park 1300 and not on right train line (and obviously not in the right direction)
so now we're in a conundrum... little and cheaper, or stretch and bigger