Frühlingserwachen - spring finally seems to have arrived in Germany and Austria...

[LinzerTorte]

... or at least I hope so.

For everyone in Germany and Austria, and anyone else who would like to chat!

Oh my goodness, that website 2and1, how can you resist! www.aquarterof.co.uk/

oh i had a look at that website - they even have soor plooms (think they're a scottish sweet!!) and cadburys chocolate!! and the delivery isnt so expensive - def cheaper than a flight back to the UK!!!

Havent seen those stickers here Linzer! thankfully the boys havent started asking for sticker books like that - then the blackmail really starts!

How funny that all the dc arent happy with where they live - maybe you could do a "kid swap" and then they'd get what they wished for!! . my dc seem happy with our house but were weirdly excited the other week by the courtesy car that the garage gave me - it was a tiny fiat with 2 doors (as opposed to the touran we have) but they loved it and were gutted we couldnt keep it!

admylin - i dont wash my car too often either - always wash it after the winter then maybe once or twice in the summer. But its the inside i hate doing - so much effort! when we lived in the UK there were Lithuanians in the Tesco car park who would clean your car, inside and out, while you did your weekly shop - was the best £15 i spent! i miss those Lithuanians!

Bananas - i've got even more respect for you today - i did part of a practice C1 exam today - holy moly that was a bit of a shock to me!! i really need to do some more studying! But by the time i've spent 3 mornings there and done the accompanying homework, i cant be bothered to study even more! but i was shocked at how hard i found it today so maybe that'll spur me into action!
Well done you for resisting the choc this morning - it doesnt bother me if there's choc in the house but crisps - way too tempting!!!

hope you all have a good weekend! tomorrow is busy for us - ds's are going to a free tennis lesson to see if they want to start doing it but at the same time is the Gymnasium open day so dh and i are dividing and conquering to go to both! So i'm doing the tennis and he's doing the Gymnasium - think thats prob best in case i miss out on something important!

Whats everyone up to?

One aspect of dd dream house has now come true! All the children in the class wrote a little text and the teacher typed them up into a booklet. So all parents will have read about it. I am going to tease dd about it because she is a real messy one.. she doesn´t open her schoolbag when she gets in in the afternoon, she explodes it - stuff flies everywhere and then she stresses out as she tries to find everything the next morning (when we are running late).

Linzer...dd2 collected the spar stickers and dd1 the billa ones. Billa is complete, spar has 4 (I think) missing.It is mostly becuase their friends gave them some for free. I had a few weeks where I was greeted by "have you been to spar/billa today?" when I went to pick them up from the Hort. I did not change my shopping habits so they were most disappointed. Speaking of which, I have just discovered Hofer (Aldi). The one nearest to us is rubbish so I never go there, but had to do some errands in the car and discovered a new, big one with some good stuff in it. What an exciting life I lead!

you sound busy 2and1. It is a bit cheeky of your next door neighbour. Hope you can send yours round when dc3 arrives.

No real Easter celebrations here. My MIL usually sends us some sweets and chocolates so we just have those. No presents either. Easter in Spain is a very religious holiday so we never really celebrated it as a child.

I give visiting children pizza. I buy the dough and then they can chop up ingredients and each makes a piece with whatever they like.

Hope you all have a good start to the weekend!

Trying to find a Frauenarzt. Got one recommendation but one of the things recommended dr offers is a "Shamanic session" . Not sure I am up for that, discovering Hofer is as adventurous as I get.

Are Austrian and German drs more alternative? Or is it just me who stumbles across them - dentist, GP and Kinderarzt have all prescribed a lot of homeopathic stuff.Not that I am against it (no like dh who is looking for a new dentist ever since I told him ours has Bach Rescue Remedy in her treatment room!), though I think I draw the line at shamanism, esp when linked to woman´s issues.

...cream eggs, pah, you can keep those. Mini eggs on the other hand...

C4ro we are not religious at all (both my parents are heavily involved in the church though and MIL is non church going but fills the kids head with talk based on the assumption all Christian views are fact), in fact I fought bitterly with my parents about being made to go to church from the age of about 12 onwards, and have not changed my mind since! I like to see Easter as a celebration of spring :) Chocolate rabbits have nothing to do with Christianity after all, though I know there is an argument that eggs are symbolic of the stone blocking the tomb or something I think the symbolism of eggs in spring vastly pre dates the Christian Easter! Having said that I don't think I gave DC1 anything for Easter when she was 1 or 2, plenty of time for that later when they expect it!

I never wash my car but need to clean my "old" car inside and out very soon, although I am very tempted to find a valet service to make a good job of it, I don't think I can do the inside properly in my current big pregnant state! Soon the car will be returning to the dealership and don't want them to have any excuse to charge us anything rather than just take it back - it was a 4 year hire purchase type finance arrangement and is not big enough to fit the whole family in when number 3 arrives, and I have a new bigger one already - the timing was badly planned as we temporarily have 3 cars, oops! Still better than having only one or none as we live in the sticks and I would pack my bags if I had no car

The neighbour children can technically go home now as it is past 2.30 so their grandmother must be home - she never comes to collect them though so I am expected to send them. I like the kids having friends here, think it's great, but am not keen on the assumption I will do child care frequently and at short notice - its different to be in sole charge of extra preschoolers while their parents work than just to have them 'round to play somehow! Also their mum made a point about a month ago of offering to do the KiGa run for me as it must be hard work for me now I am getting big (I didn't ask but she offered) but since she offered I have taken and fetched her kids, and had them here, at least 3 times more often than she has taken mine or had mine at hers! Her kids are a bit too at home here now and can be quite demanding too, and constantly ask for food, and complain about things (how could I not have fizzy water?) and are also less self-sufficient than mine in terms of personal care (the 5 year old still can't do zips on her coat and boots, the 3.5 year old boy is still in nappies and needs help with getting shoes and coat on etc.) and somehow because my 3.5 year old boy has been reliably both out of nappies and able to sort out his own clothing for nearly a year having to do the "care" tasks seems a lot of work, with the bump in the way and the back and hips complaining when I have to kneel down to help! I have no problems doing these things for other people's tiny tots but I can't help feeling a 3.5 (in fact very nearly 4 as he is 3 months older than my son) year old should be a bit more independent!

Sorry, moan over - I get lots of comments as I march out of KiGa with 4 children, arms full of the neighbour kids' booster seats and assorted pictures and rucksacs etc. with my bump preceding me!

Afternoon all!

Crikey, this thread really does zoom along sometimes.

I just managed to avoid the whole Easter chocolate section in the supermarket and then broke at the till and gave in to a Kinder Riegel. Mmmmm :)

Linzer It's just a 3 month, OU style certificate I'm working towards. I couldn't find anywhere within a 2 hour drive that offered any kind of translation course so went for the home study one. It's really just to get the piece of paper so I can start building up a bit of experience and then work towards a professional qualification (DiplTrans, Staatlich geprüfter Übersetzer, something like that). The course provider was recommended by the IHK so figured it's as good a place as any to start!
Had you been working in translation before you moved to Austria?

Jenny Noooooooo, eating the Lindt lambs is a perfectly suitable punishment for complaining about a lack of Leprechaun roots :o I've commited it to memory for future use.

Hupa A little friend of my niece got ?10 from the tooth fairy too! I was shocked - it was 20p back when mine were falling out.

Canella What are you studying? Do you have exams coming up? Good luck!

Bananas The mind boggles at what a 'shamanic session' at a Frauenarzt could be...
Do let us kknow if you ever find out!

2and1 It's very sweet of you to take the neighbours kids so much, especially if you are heavily pregnant. Fingers crossed she returns the favour soon.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend and that the weather cheers up enough to make any outdoor activities enjoyable!

BananaM This used to be a fairly quiet thread; I don't know what's happened over the last month or so!

I worked as a translator for a large software company near to Heidelberg for a couple of years, and then went freelance when we moved to the USA. I can't imagine going back to work for a company now, though; I used to get frustrated at how much time used to be taken up by meetings, courses, etc. and how little time I could actually spend on translation, although I did learn a lot there.

2and1 That is a lot of extra work for you, especially with you being heavily pregnant - you'd think the other mother would take that into consideration. I find it much easier when the DDs (both at primary school) have friends round as they'll just go off and play together, but it's a different matter with DS. His best friend's little sister often comes to play too; she's very sweet but spends most of the time following me round - oh, and they're hungry every five minutes too. DS is exhausting enough on his own sometimes, but three preschoolers is def. hard work!

C4ro We usually just celebrate Austrian mother's day, mainly because I never remember when it is in the UK (I've done a lot of apologising to my mum in the past, although she's always fine about it!). DH is quite good about remembering and getting the DC to all sign a card though. Re the nagging - it depends how forgetful he is and whether the message is likely to stick after five reminders. He should at least buy the card, though; I don't think you should be expected to do that!

bananas Yes, I think doctors here do tend to be a bit more alternative than in the UK; we've also been prescribed homeopathic remedies by our paediatrician. I would definitely recommend my gynaecologist, who's great (she offers acupuncture but not shamanism!), but I think it would be a little far for you to travel!

DD1 was very pleased to be given some Spar stickers by her dyslexia teacher this afternoon. She only needs 7 Billa stickers but a lot of Spar ones (maybe we could swap once they've run out of friends to swap with if they don't manage to collect them all?). I didn't actually change my shopping habits all that much as I still do about half my shopping at Lidl and then the other half at Billa/Spar or occasionally Merkur - Hofer is good too, but not as convenient for us (I usually only go there if they have good offers on).

Canella Hope the open day and tennis lesson go well tomorrow. We're planning on going to an open day next month at a Don Bosco (very Catholic) Gymnasium. It has a really good reputation; the only problem is that it's about an hour away by bus - too far really, but it'll be interesting to see what it's like.

bananmad - i only go to a Deutsch course 3 mornings a week - working towards C1 but after todays lesson i think i'll be going to these lessons forever! on a proper downer about it now! Sounds like a good plan to do your translator course - translation seems to be work that can fit in around children so will be good when the baby comes!

2and1 - i think you're neighbour is taking advantage of your good nature! wonder why she cant see that its quite a lot when your so pregnant to have your own dc running around never mind other peoples! I had a friend a bit like this in the UK - she didnt drive but i did so she was always texting to ask me to take her dd to school or to pick her up (when i was picking mine up). then it spread to - oh can you keep her for a few hours after school too! i feel for you cause once you start doing it, its hard to get out of. Its sometimes easier not to start it in the first place.

Each of my dc has a friend here today - bloody chaos but i'm just sat on the internet - i've fed them! they dont need anymore at the mo!

c4ro - i tried the 2x mothers day when we moved here 2 years ago but got nowhere!! so we just do the german one .

bananas - what is a shamanic (?sp) session? i'm puzzled - might have to google! i agree about more medical staff offering alternative therapy - my dh (being a non alternative doctor) is also very scathing about it! i'm a bit more open minded but still want the proper drugs when i need them!

All very quiet here, have also fed my dc and guest and 2 are in one room working quietly and ds is in his room having his hour of internet on his laptop before he goes off to table tennis club.

I think you won't have to feel guilty once baby is here 2and1 as you can hopefully get your neighbour to return all the favours!

Just watched a programme about Cuba while I was ironing and I really want to try and learn Spanish, it sounds so lovely. Should start a list of things to aim for! BananaMed that sounds interesting - is it a nation wide course on offer? I have often tried to find some distance learning to keep my mind going but OU for example is really expensive from Germany. I haven't managed to find any German equivelants.

Canella don't give up. German is really difficult but it's great that you're still going to lessons. I gave up when I couldn't get over the dativ/akkusativ/nominativ problem but if I'd carried on I might be there now!

Linzer, does your dd tell you what sort of things they do every Friday? Is it training for certain word groups or rules for spellings or different learning strategies? Sounds like a good idea to visit as many schools as you can so your dd can get an idea of what's coming.

C4ro, now you've reminded me about mini eggs, they're my absoloute favourite too!

bananas - I think it´s only fair that you take up the offer of the shamanic session. Then you can report back to us all and let us know what we´ve been missing out on.

canella - don´t get too disheartend. I had spells like that when I was learning, but if you think back to how much German you knew a year ago, I´m sure you´ve made brilliant progress.

admylin - I went to Cuba with dh before we had the dc. We hired a car and spent a couple of weeks driving all over the island. It was a great trip, so I´d definitely recommend it. Mind you don´t agree to go horse riding after a few too many mojitos if you´ve never been on a horse before. Needless to say I´ve learnt my lesson.

admylin DD1 doesn't tell me much about what she gets up to at the lessons; I usually find out more from her teacher afterwards and from looking at what homework she has to do. Today she just told me that she had to write a story and then they played UNO! She also has to practise things like putting letters into the right order to form words and writing verbs in the correct tenses, and I sometimes ask the teacher to focus on areas that she's struggling with at school.

Canella I tend to escape to MN when the house is in chaos too! Have just FBed you about iPlayer btw, which I'm still struggling to get up and running.

I'm trying to get DD1 to revise for a test on the Romans that she's got next week, but there's just so much to learn (13 pages of A4) and she's not in the mood to concentrate on anything this afternoon either. She said she wanted to revise with DH and not with me, but I've managed to get her to start reading through her SU-Heft - DD2 and DS will be back from Turnen any minute, so she should really be making the most of the peace and quiet.

Is it possible to get iplayer here then? I'd always thought they could tell where you are and block it - at least that has been my experience of 4od.

silken you are not meant to be able to use iplayer outside the UK for licensing reasons, but there is a way to get around it (DH worked it out, being a computer bod, I have no idea how)) maybe somebody else can advice - perhaps better by email...

bananas I second (third, fourth) the suggestion that you try the Shamanic session just so you can report back on this thread :)

C4ro I have to remember UK mothers day because I'd never hear the end of it from my mother if I didn't, but don't "celebrate" it myself or expect DH to be aware of it - KiGa run a fathers and children craft session on Saturday the day before German mother's day so I got something home-made - a strange wooden flower which I mistakenly thought was a garden thing and it got ruined in the rain :( last year... DD is aware of and likes such things herself now and made me a card (really cute one as she likes to write a bit but isn'T at school yet so it is all done "her way" and she wrote "Hop yoo kan hv a nis rulax tday" (Hope you can have a nice relax today) in it :) ... but I don't expect a card bought by DH on the kids behalf, but then have never been into such things - I think it's nice to get home made things if the kids do it of their own accord but never got anything in the baby years.

Canella sounds like you are doing well with the German despite feeling a bit disheartened - last course I dropped out of was B2 - I can witter away comprehensibly but ungrammatically and find the listening comprehensions ridiculously easy but the next second we are doing grammar and I am totally out of my depth and have no clue. I only had classes two mornings a week, but they took up the full time the kids were at KiGa on those days, and then there is the homework - I was very slack about homework after a few weeks and then about attending if I had something else I wanted/ needed to do that morning after the first 6 weeks or so and eventually gave up completely . I clearly have no self control and make a dreadful student these days! I have never been "good at" languages and never did German at school, so I really should study, but I kid myself that the fact I use German throughout the day each time I leave the house is better than nothing...

Hope the tennis lesson and gymnasium open days go well - I am at the very beginning of the "parent of school age child" route as there is a meeting on Tuesday eve for parents of children due to start Grundschule in Sept - I have had to re-arrange the evening course I usually teach on that day so I can go and DH can babysit (should really be the other way around as DH is the native German speaker, but he doesn't want to go as he says it will be all mums and he hates things like that - he would rather neither of us go than go himself, so I guess it will be me! ). DD is a late SEpt birthday and so likely to be the very youngest child in her year - she is the youngest Vorshule Kind at her KiGa by 2 months, and also the shortest! I have been a bit conflicted about whether she should be going at all, but KiGa assure me she is more than ready and will be bored if she stays another year at KiGa, and all her friends are starting school in Sept too, so keeping her back would seem illogical really... In the UK she would have been the oldest or one of the oldest and half way through reception by now, so it is weird that she will be the tiny youngest when she starts school at nearly 6!

Jenny I somehow missed the leprechaun / Lindt incident when I read before . Does anyone know if German Kobold are the same as leprechaun (a bit of a tangent there sorry)?

Kids are safely in bed after a bit of a fraught afternoon - think they know the next door kids too well as they fight a lot! DD was also a bit bored of next door's little girl as she has been here at some point every day this week, and and wanted to call for her another friend down the road - cue next door's little girl crying as she likes to play 1:1 argh! Having friends around does usually make DD much easier as they go up to her room or out to the playground and she stops wanting my attention as much, but this only seems to work with friends who come over once or twice a week or less, any more often and the relationship becomes a bit too much like a sibling one I am finding!

I placed an order for creame eggs and choc buttons from the Quarter of Site earlier - shouldn't have reminded myself of it . Pity they don't do mini eggs on there though both DH and I love them - guess the kids would too if they ever got to try them!

silken You're not supposed to be able to use iPlayer outside the UK but there are technical-type things you can do so that the BBC can't tell that your computer is abroad. I know some people have got it to work, but I'm not one of them (yet!).

2and1 Hope you can relax now after what sounded like a tiring afternoon. I also find it strange to think that DS would already have started school in September in the UK but still has another two years to go at kindergarten here. Tbh I think that whether a child is ready for school depends far more on his/her personality/character etc. than actual age. DD1 has always struggled, despite being one of the oldest in her class, whereas DD2 is one of the youngest but would definitely have been bored if she'd stayed at kindergarten another year (she learned to read and write at about the same time as DD1 started school).

Linzer hopefully you are right about school - I actually think DD with thrive in the first class (I have seen their work and other mums say how hard it is, but am pretty sure DD could do the work year one are doing now already - she is not exceptionally bright but bright enough, and more importantly KiGa tell me she is one of the best of the Vorschule group at sitting still, concentrating, and thinking before she answers in group time and contributing well and confidently in group discussions - all things they seem to rate higher than pure academic ability here! She can read and write a little in English but won't read a whole book, even one of the ORT ones I got her, she loves to write stories and invitations and letters though and writes things every day, and almost always writes me notes or cards while she is at KiGa, her KiGa teachers are of course disproportionately impressed as she writes in English - she and DS are the only bilingual children in the KiGa ).

DS has been up and down whimpering in the corridor since I put him to bed at 7pm - he went straight to sleep initially and was half asleep and couldn't seem to speak to say what was wrong. He wasn't hot so I kept putting him back to bed, but he was spectacularly sick half an hour ago, so I guess that solves the mystery :( He has of course perked up now and is down here on the sofa with his duvet, teddy bear and sick bowl watching 'Cars' on DVD... hope it's a one off but more likely it'll be the bug I had last weekend, poor boy :(

I went off on a tangent about DD above, sorry, tired preg brain...

I actually meant to say my worry is for further down the line, both when they select for Gymnasium/ Real Schule etc. in 4th class and she is up to 18 months younger than some of her class mates (a lot are kept back by their parents rather than due to having failed to meet entrance criteria in this area) and also again a bit later for social reasons, when her class mates are turning 16 and 18 before her, getting scooters and cars, going drinking etc and she is much younger... Again not sure these are reasons to keep her back, but having had a motorcycle pre kids I have always said I would get a daughter of mine motorcycle lessons and her own bike before I would let her go on the back of some teenage boy's bike - if she is 18 months younger saying "don't ride pillion but I'll get you your own bike if you can pass your test" won't be an available option! These may be rather silly worries to be having when she is only 5 though...

2and1 I'm sure your DD will be fine, both starting school and further down the line. She sounds very similar to DD2, who is also bright although not exceptional; she also used to love writing little notes, letters, etc. before she started school (and still does), whereas DD1 (and most children here, it seems) could only write her name. Children here are expected to be able to do very little when they start school (DD2 was one of only two in her class who could already read) but they then go at a fairly fast pace; DD2 really used to struggle with reading and I remember her reading homework taking hours, whereas DD2 (and your DD, from the sound of it) had a head start.

Yes, sitting still and being able to concentrate (another of DD1's difficulties) seem to be far more important here. One thing I was a little worried about with DD2 is that she's very quiet and shy, and I think that could be much more of a drawback for her here than it would be in the UK. It hasn't actually been a problem so far, although she's already worried about having to stand up and recite a poem on her own next week (they have to learn a four-verse poem off by heart over the weekend).

As for later on, I wouldn't worry too much as she'll have done exactly the same academic work as her older peers - simply the fact that they're older shouldn't put them at a huge advantage (esp. if your DD is bright anyway). There's a girl in DD1's class (3rd year) with a September birthday who started a year early, and also four who were kept back a year (one does have learning difficulties, though) and she's certainly at the same level than them, if not better.

I don't have quite as much experience of the teenage years, but would worry about that nearer the time. FWIW DH's niece will be 17 in August and doesn't seem at all interested in alcohol or motorbikes (when she goes out with her friends, it tends to be to the cinema etc.).

So what's everyone up to today? We're going out to a Modellbauausstellung this afternoon, which didn't sound particularly exciting when DH first told me about it, but it has a Lego exhibition and a Playmobil pirate ship, Westernwelt and Roman settlement (perhaps that will inspire DD1 to revise for next week's test!), which should go down well with the DC.

morning!!! really need to crack on and get ready but there's no hot water and dh needs a lie in (he's worked the last 12 days in a row) and only he know how to fix it!

linzer - your day sounds fun!! can i come?. I messaged you last night - hope it works after that!

2and1 - my ds1 is also starting school in sept but he could have gone last year - he's got a mid Oct birthday but was just not ready last year so he'll be the opposite to your dd - he'll be one of the oldest. It sounds like your dd is definitely ready for school - i think the being able to sit still and concentrate and the willingness to learn are so important. Ds1 had none of those things last year so it was an easy decision for us to make to keep him back till this year. But i understand your worries for later in her school life - because ds1 is a boy and one with no great interest in academic things, we really thought sending him to school when he would be the youngest wouldnt be good for his future when it came to Hauptschule/Realschule/Gymnasium time.

On the other hand - my dd who is in the 4th class now is also one of the younger ones (end of July birthday. But she sounds similar to your dd - a little bright spark who wants to learn and despite being young will probably go to the Gymnasium in sept.

Think i'm just trying to say its not all about age - like Linzer said its more about their abilities and you know your own child the best.

I've got to go thro this all again next year - ds2 with an end of august birthday will be supposed to go to school sept 2012!! still not sure about him!

oh and meant to say - i saw a link on here for oxford reading tree books on the internet ORT books. Saves a fortune in having to buy more reading books!

You'd be more than welcome Canella - can you get here by about 1 pm? I still can't get it to work btw, but I'll get DH to have another look tonight as he's more of a technical bod than I am. Sorry to keep hassling your DH!

The Oxford Reading Tree books are great; DS loves the Read at Home books and can read the simpler ones. I was quite tempted to buy the complete collection from the Book People as they've got all 30 for 15 pounds here, but I'd like to find another 10 pounds' worth of books to get free delivery (plus they only deliver to the UK IIRC).

Back to typing out questions for DD1's test on the Romans...

Linzer try this websitefor your dd - it's an online interactive question test and they have Römer. I checked Gymnasium, Klasse 5 because below that there wasn't anything about Romans but this site has helped dd alot for geography, history and other subjects too!

Have a nice weekend everyone. I have to go and wash my car again today - yesterday the Waschanlage must have been defect as when I got home later the whole car was covered in stripes of wax. Looks a mess.

That's a great site admylin - thanks!

Morning!

Hope you're all having good weekends!

DS had a sickness bug on Friday night (sick about 8 times in the night :( ) and was tired and babyish from it yesterday, but seems better today and only woke once in the night - we have no big plans though. It was DD's "Half birthday" yesterday so we made a cornflake cake at her request - it is DS's half birthday today and he has asked to make a Lightning McQueen cake - erm... not so easy!

Canella we will have the school start with a Sept birthday to think about all over again but with a boy in 2 years as DS is 24 months and 1 day younger than DD - he is way behind where she was at the same age in terms of drawing, pen control - he can't write his name, which she could at 3.5, but actually he can type it is I am not sure whether it is just that his fine motor skills are not as developed yet (which I read is common in boys) or whether he is also less interested - think the 2 things are related though. Thankfully baby 3 will be a late April baby so hopefully no thinking required about school start date!

Linzer good luck to your DD in her test and hope you enjoyed your day out yesterday

Bebe hope all the advice didn't scare you off and you are still OK?

Morning all,

We had a great time at the Modellbauausstellung yesterday; the Lego and Playmobil sections were great. There was a huge Playmobil palace that the DC (and I!) were fascinated by, small Lego towns and lots of other exhibits. Most of the time I get very fed up with all the Lego and Playmobil that the DC leave lying around everywhere, so it was nice to see it from a different perspective and actually enjoy it for once!

It's now finally stopped raining and the sun has come out today for a change, but we'll probably still go to Bratislava later on. DH wants DD1 to revise for her test first, though. Thanks again for the link admylin; DD1 much preferred doing the quizzes on the computer to my printed-out questions!

2and1 I hope your DS is better today and that the rest of you don't catch it.
I think you're right about boys often being behind with their fine motor skills when they start school. Both DS and DD2 have July birthdays, and linguistically DS is just as bright - if not more so - than DD2 (but again certainly not a genius); KiGa have said that he has a very large vocabulary. In writing terms though, he is way behind DD2 at the same age (4) - he can just about manage to write his name and that's it.

Canella Your DH is a star. We now - finally - have iPlayer up and running, and now just need a cable so that we don't have to watch everything on my netbook!