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!

Good luck tallpoppies! Hope it all goes well and let us know your news when you have a chance.

Good luck tallpoppies - hope it all goes smoothly!! No point telling you not to be nervous - think we'd all feel the same!

Havent had a birth on our German thread for a while (have we??) so its too exciting!!

best of luck tallpoppies...fingers crossed all goes well.

Best wishes tall poppies! How exciting.

Good luck tallpoppies - and sleep as much as you can today!

HAd a call from ds yesterday afternoon - split second I worried that something was wrong, then he said mum do you know where my swimming trunks are?! They were packed, but wrapped inside a rolled up towel. Sigh, he's going to end up like most males isn't he - dh once bought new towels when I was on holiday with the dc as he couldn't find clean ones in our house!

Good luck Tallpoppies! Very excited for you. x

Internet intermittent...dh is going nuts with it.

So much to do today.

Ernest how's the garden planning? Have you done any research on plants? I did tons of research and narrowed down what plants I wanted according to color schemes and seasonal changes then went to the garden centers only to find out 90% of what I wanted wasn't available.

Off again. Need to do tons, cleaning, and writing, and laundry as well as the daily walk/store run. P.s. looking for a wagon/cart to pull instead of the pushchair which is not ideal for carting groceries and child...was thinking along this lines but this is WAY expensive

Hope everyone is well and has a good day!

Hi everyone! Looks like you've all been busy.

I had one of those headaches that started last Thursday and ended yesterday and I feel like and elephant ran me over. Our oldest celebrated his 18 birthday on Monday and he was sick in bed all day Sunday but managed to get up the next day to eat some cake. He went to school yesterday, claiming he was feeling better but this morning he woke up with a high fever so it's bed for him for the rest of the week, I think.

Ad - sounds like ds is having a good time. I know mine always did and it's a lovely area.I think the food at the Schülerlandheim is usually pretty good.
I haven't been to Goslar but dh has and he says it's great - last time we were in the Harz we hiked up the Brocken, 16 km in total and quite exhausting.

Did you ever get to New Yorker with ds? I took ds14 last week and spent EUR 95(!) on four hooded sweatshirts, three t-shirts and two pairs of boxer shorts. That should last him for a while. Couldn't find any jeans though and his are all getting too short. And both boys need man-size shoes!

Bebe - Sounds like you are getting used to things. I hope the baby decides to go by your schedule, but if he/she comes early, don't worry, when I was having my two there were lots of women there who didn't speak German and got along just fine.

Tall Poppies - Wow, how exciting! I bet you can't wait to greet your new little one.

Canella - your extra English plans sound interesting. Hopefully the teacher will go for it!

Linzer - How did you enjoy The King's Speech? Did you see it in English? I'll have to check if they're playing the original here. I rarely go to the movies any more - I also fall asleep like Ad does!

Well, the parent-teacher conference fell through because ds14's teacher was sick for a week and tonight is an Elternabend and we're wondering if she's going to be there. She apparently has an ear infection and may have to have an operation that would keep her off sick for who knows how long. I don't know how she can possibly give the kids their marks when she's never there. And the classes are just cancelled, no substitute. I'm sure there will be a fuss at the meeting tonight.

Turning into a lovely day here. I should go outside and get some fresh air for a change.

Hi to anyone I've missed! Just can't keep up.

Oh wait, it's Ernest who is doing the English thing. Sorry!

Hi westvan, what a shame that your ds1 started his adult life so ill. Hope he recovers soon. So did he just stay home for his 18th?

We didn't make it to shop yet with ds, he's doing OK for winter sweatshirts and jeans as I managed to get some great (cheap) deals from a UK sport shop. I'll be going with both dc for the summer wardrobes though sooner or later. 95? is a good deal for so much stuff isn't it.

I've started with your headache today - hope it doesn't last but it's lovely outside, I've been out on the balcony doing my plants and pottering abit.

Bebe, how much were you thinking of spending on a wagon? Might be worth checking the ebay local ads to se eif you can get a used one from nearby?

bebe, how would you manage with a wagon and the baby? I'm not sure I get it.

Yes, those eBay Kleinanzeigen are a good idea. What about one of those kiddy boards that attach to the buggy so Moo could stand on it and you could put the shopping where she would normally sit?

Ad - Yes, he stayed home from school on Monday and only got up in the afternoon when Oma came over. Not much going on at school right now so he didn't miss much. Not at all like him to get a fever so I'm watching him closely. It was almost normal yesterday but up to 38.5 again today and was 39.2 on Sunday so something's up. Dh's birthday is on Friday and ds14's the Friday after that. We're supposed to go out for lunch with the in-laws this Sunday to celebrate everyone's special day. I hope we don't all come down with something before that!

westvan I really enjoyed The King's Speech - I would definitely recommend going to see it if you have the chance. And despite the fact that it didn't start until 9 pm, I had no problems staying awake! We saw it in English as there are a couple of cinemas in Linz that show films in their original version; we would probably have had to go to Vienna otherwise, but don't have a babysitter. Hope your DS is better soon btw.

admylin Hope your headache doesn't last and that you can enjoy the spring weather. It looked like spring was finally arriving here earlier, but it's got much colder again now; at least we haven't have any snow so far today.

Ernest I seem to remember Canella going through something similar wrt school English lessons a few months ago, although I think it was at primary school. She recommended some books and I bought one for DD1, but it would definitely be below secondary school level (the one I have, anyway).

DH has - not surprisingly - decided not to apply for the job in London, but we both agreed it would be far too much of a risk, especially as we're quite settled and happy here really.

is canella about? I've tried doing a search but she's got a gazillion posts so I'll never find the needle in the haystack. Mind you, if the booksa re too young there's no point anyway.

dh wants to see the king's speech

bebe, how old is your older dc? I don't see how you'd manage with a toddler, a baby and one of those carts. Surely either a double buggy with big basket or a single with big basket and maybe buggy board would be beter? Those carts ache your arm to drag behind you too if they're heavy and are bad for your back, a pushchair in front would be easier. WHere will you put the baby if you have a cart?

I still got my old P&T (a 10 year old one) and still use that, dd is in front seat, and bottom seat is for all my shopping. I dread her giving up the pushchair, it's so convenient to be able to dump all the shopping, coats etc on it. Or what about a double bike trailer that converts to a pushchair. Then booth kids can sit in it, or one kid sit and other side for shopping, then you could use it for walking or cycling?

I had a double pushchair when my 2 were little and it was great, really missed it when they didn't need it any more. When dd was born ds was 16months old so we used it for ages. My arms used to hurt from carrying shopping! That's when I gave in and got myself one of those shopping trolley things to pull.

Westvan, sounds like my sort of celebration for a birthday! I get worried when I see how over the top some people go for so called 'big' birthdays. In UK I can only go by what I see from my nieces but they are getting bigger and bigger celebrations. When my niece became a teenager it had to be a big meal out with all her friends, some of them had discos booked just for them and gettimg a limousine is becoming the norm. It's crazy. Ds is quite happy to just stay with us and go for a nice meal and dd is happy with her 3 best friends and chocolate fondue!

I think it was one or two threads back Ernest - the books are Collins Practice in the Basic Skills, anyway. We have the first one in the English series, which is for ages 7 to 11 - I would imagine that later books are more advanced (they go up to book 5, I think) but I don't know whether they're for an older age group.

hi all, house all clean and ready for visitors later on.

LOL at your son and his swimming trunks Admylin! Don´t give up yet, not too late to turn him into a "new man". Buying new towels is the sort of thing my dh would do...I guess I have an "old man" model. Hope your headache goes away soon.

We are planning to get rid of buggy this summer (dc3 will be 4) and dds and dh are all panicking at the thought of having to carry coats,drinks and food, esp when we go out for our long walks. I, on the other hand, am quite looking forward to swinging my arms and not pushing 30 kilos up hills.

westvan- I too love the birthday celebrations you mention. I don´t get the big celebrations either. I hope you all stay healthy. Rubbish system that means there are no substitutes if the teacher is ill. That is dreadful. I hope there is a fuss tonight.

bebe.. I hope you get your EHIC soon. You have quite a few weeks between the end of the contract and your due date so fingers crossed all should be well. Could you find a local babysitter who can get to know your dd in case you need her? I did not have family nearby when dc were born and relied on nursery staff (who knew the children) to come to babysit when I went into labour.

Linzer- glad you enjoyed the film and weekend. how is ds? did you get to the bottom of his coughing? Good decision about the job, I think. All I hear about UK academia is so negative at the moment...at best pay freezes, at worst 30% pay cuts and job losses.

Ernest - good luck with the garden planning. I am not a gardener but the only tip I can pass on is something I overheard one colleague telling another one: "if you want a low maintanence garden, avoid grass". Hope your ds will really get his teenage years over. I am not enjoying parenting my 3 at the moment...it is all fights, tantrums and hitting each other. I was reading the parenting pages and all the posts (at least earlier this week)from tired parents were about smaller children and posters replying it would get better as it got older. I was thinking the opposite - I find this stage harder. Or did I just forget the previous struggles? Or is my patience worn down after years of it? Whatever it may be...pass the rescue remedy! Dh and I are going out to dinner with guests later on and dd (8) has already announced that she is going "to make a fuss". She´s done it before, it involves screaming the house down when we leave and is horrible. At that point I shall ditch the rescue remedy and head for the wine, I think.

wow, how do you deal with that (dd informing you in advance she'll kick off, then actually does )?

Have a good night

Sorry I was not clear, I don't want it for Moo2, but rather right now for dealing with the daily walk and going to the store and trying to bring groceries back.
For Moo2 we have a sling for the early months, a regular pushchair if it's not going to be too long walk with Moo1 and we have a double Chariot bike trailer/pushchair for the longer walks with a sling adaptation in it for a little baby.
Right now I need something that I can use for Moo1 so that we can do the rounds of the parks and she can play, and bring a few toys along in the wagon but then when she gets tired I can put her in the wagon and go to the shop and get the groceries I need. Right now I'm severely limited with the pushchair (Zapp) because you cannot hang things off it and I end up a very tired pack mule trying to bring back at least 3liters of liquid as well as the other groceries we need while pushing the chair. I'm finding my sciatica is acting up because of the loads I'm carrying I cannot get ahead in the shopping at this rate.
Plus I figure the wagon will be a fun 'toy' she can use to pull and push her toys around in.
I had one of those wagons when I was a kid and loved playing with it. I used to pull my 3 younger sisters around (so I know they get a bit awkward/heavy) they're great fun, if not a little dangerous on hills

oh have a lovely night bananas! hope the dd kicking off doesn't dampen the fun.

DS is much better now thanks, bananas - he only really seems to be badly affected at my ILs now, but the inhaler definitely helps. We're pretty sure it's his dust allergy that's causing the problems, but the paediatrician has said he can retest for allergies and do another lung function test. We have another appointment with the lung specialist tomorrow, but I must admit I don't have much confidence in her.

We got rid of our pushchair last summer, just before DS turned 4 - we actually left it in Italy after our holiday (with the hotel owner's permission!). I thought I'd miss it more than I did (for putting shopping, coats in etc.), but I actually found it quite liberating.

Hope you enjoy your meal out and that your DD doesn't act up. (Can you recommend any restaurants in Vienna btw? DH and I are thinking about going out on Friday if we can arrange for all three DC to stay overnight with friends!)

bebe Sorry to hear about the sciatica; I had it in my first pregnancy and it was horrible.

Bebe, just had an idea about the shopping: there isn't much in the way of internet grocery shopping here but alot of places called Getränkemarkt will deliver crates of beer, crates of bottled water and juice etc.

I used this service 11 years ago when dd was born as I couldn't carry it all - even from the car, the long pathway up to our building then up 2 stairs so I got a delivery once every 2 weeks. Would be worth checking out and save you some energy. I bet your dh would also find the idea good - mine loved having his crate of beer in the house! If I had to carry it he would never have got any.

It's an interesting idea admylin - though it'd just be juice and if they did milk (dh is teetotaller and with me being preggy I'm off the wine and whiskey besides a very small random amount)
Dd was going through a lot of juice when we got here (at least a liter a day by herself!!), but I've weaned her by watering it down again (she was gaining a LOT of weight -and while I know toddlers can be chubby, it was really not healthy for her to be having so much sugar), at home she'd be having smoothies which I think fill/satisfy her better so she doesn't drink quite as much (sugar). Still, even with the weaning, between us all we go thru abt 1.5 liters of juice and about the same in milk...thus the 3 containers everyday. On Saturday we buy 2 of everything which helps put us a little a head, but not by much. (tho I suppose we could try buying more and storing the juice out of the fridge).
We'll figure something out.
I also need to think about meals I can make which don't involve a lot of cooking as the smells/heat still are making me ill. :( I've (and thus Moo has too) been eating far too many pizzas because I can put them in, turn off the oven when they're nearly done (so the oven cools down a bit) and then I can take them out (usually slightly over done). Dh made a korma from scratch last night (after I had gone to bed) which I could heat up for supper again tonight...but it's a bit cruel on him to have to cook after I go to bed as then we have even less time together... Hopefully this passes soon (tho with Moo it was week 20 before I was vaguely better and 22 weeks before I could pretty much eat whatever and 25 weeks before I stopped worrying -but that's only 10 more weeks- and in the scheme of life 10 weeks is just a drop)

I hope this weekend all the sickness ends in everyone's families! This warm cool cold warm weather always reeks havoc!

Hello everyone!

Good luck Tallpoppies! Hope all goes well.

Westvan, Admylin - hope your headaches have cleared up and you aren't feeling too hideous.

Bananas - your daughter warns you in advance about a tantrum? Now that's organisation!

We've finally started to tell people about the pregnancy! I called my mum this week and she screamed, then cried and has been on cloud nine ever since. A good reaction, I feel :)
Then we're off to the in-laws for Karneval this weekend so will break the news then - am prepared for lots of hugging and squealing!

Hope everyone is well and looking forward to the weekend - it was lovely and sunny today so I sat in the park in my coat and scarf and treated myself to an ice-cream. For the calcium, obviously...

i'm still here!! and tickled that i have a gazillion posts!! think most of them are on here (or my MN habit is worst than i thought!!)

Have PM'd you ernest with the book recommendation - Linzer had the right one but she had the first one whereas dd is on book 4 and its pretty hard going!

But i'm no use with helping you with the garden - i rely on my IL's to sort mine out!

Bananas - hope you got out for your night out without too much drama!

westvan - was wondering why you were talking about my english plans!! was confused! hope your headache has gone but what a shame that your ds was ill on his 18th birthday . Hope he's better soon!

bebe - think admylin's idea of getting drinks delivered is a great one!

admylin - hope your ds is having a good time!! how funny that he phoned about the trunks! typical man! dd is going to a Schullandheim in a few weeks! not stressing about her being away but she suffers with migraines when she's overtired. nearly every time she's had a sleepover at a friend, she's had a migraine a day or 2 later. And she's had 2 this week - mostly i think cause its been such a long term - they only have half term next week. So i'm worried about her going to bed late then being busy all day and then having a migraine. and sometimes she vomits with them. but she knows this herself so hope she can persuade her friends to get to sleep at a reasonable time!

ds2 gave up his buggy when he was 2.6!!!!! think i missed it more than he did!