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!

Good luck with the job interview.

The morning is flying away from me as usual. Ds1 doesn't want to go to pre-school at the moment but is fine when he gets there. I want to express some milk in case my German course starts up again next week, need to write my thank you cards and have to pick the dcs up in an hour and a half! Help!

Hope you are having smooth bedtime routines!

That's good news Canella. I'm starting to get a bit worried now about how much a brace might cost - can't believe how expensive your DD's brace is, bananas! I need to make an orthodontist's appointment for DD1 to see whether she needs a brace; she had 21 teeth so had to have one taken out, but one or two are still a bit crooked. I've just asked her whether she'd like a brace and she said yes, but one that you just wear at night and not brekkets - it took me a few seconds to realise what she meant!

bananas I used to have problems getting hairdressers to cut my hair as short as I wanted it - it's quite curly so they would always tell me it would "bounce up" (it didn't really). Since I've been blow drying it straight (well, it ends up being wavy after an hour or two), hairdressers have been much more obliging about cutting it shorter.
Good luck for tomorrow btw!

admylin We usually take DS to the hairdresser's every couple of months, but his hair gets quite wavy when it's long - I can't imagine it being flickable! Luckily he's still at an age where he couldn't care less about what his hair looks like.

have uploaded 2 pictures of dd to my profile - dont normally have any photos on there of the dc so will take them back off in a few days. Just wanted to show the difference the brace has made - its astounding really!!

The difference is amazing Canella, and what a lovely photo of your DD. I'm sure all this talk of braces was the reason why I had a dream about going to the dentist's last night!

DD1 was really restless last night so I ended up taking her back to her own bed as she kept waking me up. DD2 was quite upset when I told her that DH will be back this evening so she'll have to go back to her own bed tonight, but I must admit I'm looking forward to things getting back to normal and to being able to read in bed again!

Agree, looks so different and well worth all the effort. My 2 had braces for a while in Berlin and it took up alot of time going to the orthodentist and going back to get braces adjusted etc. Must make an appointment as we're all due dentist check ups again soon.

Bet you'll be pleased to get your bed back Linzer. Next time you should try saying one dd on e night and the other the next night and any other nights you get the bed to yourself!

This clock changing business is really hard going this time. Dc are tired too and it's really hard to get up and stay fit all day. Can't remember it being so bad. We were all so good at getting up and now it's gone back to being a torture. None of us are morning people so that doesn't help. Went for 5 minutes in the sun on the balcony yesterday and it turned into 40 minutes asleep!

Must try that next time, admylin - as long as DH is away for longer than one night!

A friend of mine who lives in Germany has just asked DH and me to be godparents to her DD - the only problem is that the christening is in England and it's the day before school starts (in September), so I don't think we'll be able to make it over. We'd still be able to be godparents but I'm quite disappointed that we won't be able to go to the christening. It might be manageable if they lived in the south east, but they're in the north west and I don't think there are any direct flights to Vienna from outside London. If only they could have had the christening a day/week/month earlier or had it in Germany - it's most unreasonable of them not to organise it around us.

Oh what a shame Linzer. Have you told them already? I also missed my niece's christening (I'm godmother too) so my gran stood in for me.

Yes, I've told them that we'd love to be godparents but that we're unlikely to be able to make it over (unless DH has any bright ideas, although I can't imagine him wanting us to be travelling the day before school starts). It was the same situation the other way round a few years ago, though, as they're godparents to DD2 but couldn't come to the christening as my friend was nine months pregnant at the time.

afternoon!!
aw linzer - thats such a shame about the christening. We've been invited to a wedding in Scotland of a really good friend the weekend before school starts and I've also had to say we couldnt go. Its DS1's first day at the Grundschule and dd's first day at ?gymnasium so there was no chance. I felt sad enough about that but it must feel sadder since you're the godparents but sometimes there is just no way round it. But still nice of them to ask you and also nice that you can still be godparents even tho you'll not be there.

admylin - i also feel exhausted this week - could quite happily have a nap! but you're nap on the balcony sounds lovely! is it a suntrap?

Thanks for the nice comments about dd - was amazed myself how much she's changed in 2 years when i was uploading the photos. Well worth all those trips to the dentist/orthdodontist! She's now only got 2 milk teeth left so plenty of space for the adult ones to come nicely thro at the back! Hope all this effort saves her having train track braces in years to come! [hopeful emotion!!]

So my PIL have been in Africa since New Years Eve and we've only had email contact with them the whole time but my MIL phoned my mobile this morning to let me know they were just leaving for the airport and they were heading home (none of us were entirely sure when they were coming back!!). I was so happily excited - nearly had tears in my eyes! we've all really missed them - esp the dc - it was just too long. And thats what she said on the phone too. We used to go longer than that without seeing them when we lived in the UK but since we've lived here we see them every other week and sometimes speak every day so its been a strange few months.

But give me a few weeks and I'm sure she'll be driving me mad again!!

Managed to get an appt (finally!) bribed dd by taking her out all morning and then giving her a bag of sweets and a large cup of juice...receptionist didn't speak English, but managed with my dictionary to communicate via dictionary definitions with each other... on Fri so that's the next thing to get thru...I hope my nerves hold out.
I cannot believe how utterly anxious I am lately. I've gone all weird; I hardly recognise myself!

hope it all goes ok bebe.

That's great news about your ILs coming back, Canella - it must have been hard for the DC if they were used to seeing them every couple of weeks. Do they live far from you?

Good luck for Friday bebe - I would think the doctor is far more likely than the receptionist to speak English.

Quick question for those of you with school-age children (or anyone else who might know) - DD1 has to write her homework in Lateinschrift; does that mean joined-up writing (which has always been called Schreibschrift up to now)?

Is dd sure she wrote/heard it properly? Maybe they said Schreibschrift? Lateinschrift is just in our alphabet isn't it - or is a style of joined up writing? Can you ask one of her class mates?

I've been doing maths with dd all afternoon and she's had 2 class mates on the phone aslking various questions about homework! Maths is my biggest problem (even more than German!) but dd seems to have grasped it better than me. Some of it is down to vocab but even then when she explains it to me my brain sort of aches...!

Bebe, great news about the doctor appointment. Hope it goes well. Have you got all the cards atlast from the insurance?

I understand the utterly anxious going all weird thing. It sort of knocks you back when you suddenly find you can't make yourself understand and people are being stroppy with you and you can't even respond or stick up for yourself. Best thing is to practise a few phrases and saying them in a stern voice! I used to have a phrase something along the lines of ..I'm so sorry that I don't understand the language enough yet but if you could speak slower and repeat without getting so fed up it would help otherwise I would like to speak to your manager! After that they usually got friendlier!

I should really have asked our neighbour about the Lateinschrift - went over to see her earlier to ask if DD1 can go there after school so I don't need to rush my coffee with bananas, but completely forgot - or DD1's friend's mum who we saw at the playground earlier, but she's done it in joined-up writing now. After a bit of googling I've concluded that it is indeed the same as Schreibschrift - the text search suggested that it's just our alphabet, as you said admylin, but searching for images was a bit more helpful (e.g. here).

I have problems with maths too - not the actual maths as such, more the way they do things, which is often quite different to what I learned at school. It does seem to get very advanced quite quickly, though - DH's niece got stuck on something recently and even DH was struggling to help her with it (it was something like probability but not something I'd ever heard of - will have to ask him what it was).

Linzer German DH also baffled by Lateinschrift. His immediate answer was that it's our normal Roman alphabet and hadn't heard of it meaning handwriting. Maybe it was a slip of the teacher's tongue.

bebe In case the dr doesn't speak English, Mutterkuchen means placenta. I nearly fell off the chair laughing when I heard that the first time.

Going back to the balance bikes, did all your dc take to them quickly? I'm worried if I get one for dd too early then she will be put off by it being difficult. I was thinking about getting one for her birthday in May, then wondering about sooner as we're having such good weather (well, mostly). She's quite short for her age and has short legs, but wears size 80-86 clothes (reviews on Amazon said smallest bikes were suitable from 80 cm).

canella - what a beautiful daughter you have! Impressive difference with the braces. I am grateful you posted that, it will all be worth it in the end.

Linzer - in dds school they call the joined up writing Lateinschrift. This Lateinschrift business drives me mad because there are many different versions of it so when dd2 asked me to look it up on the internet (because she ha d forgetten what a particular letter looks like), it took us ages to find the right version. Very confusing. Sorry this info is too late but at least you know all will be fine at school. See you later!

bebe - great you got a drs appointment. It´s hard being in a country where you don´t understand what is going on around you. I had that in Finland. In a way it is even worse when you know that you will not be here for long, because it is hard to invest the time into learning the language. Plus you are pregnant and 24/7 with dd. Hope all goes well with the dr.

silken - any chance of dd trying the bike? Even if you then buy one online because it is cheaper. We bought one for dd, in theory it was the right size for her but in practice she was not able to steer it, hold it upright etc, and had to wait a few months until she developed.

ad - 40 min snooze in the sun sounds great. Hope you have made part of your daily routine!

Must run, have a nice day all!

That's good to know bananas - I asked DH when he got home last night but he didn't have a clue what Lateinschrift was either. (He initially thought it would be Druckschrift but then agreed it could well be Schreibschrift when I showed him the link).
Good luck for your interview and see you later!

silken My ILs bought DS a balance bike when he was 1 but it was actually DD2 who started using it - she took to it straight away but she was already 3. The problem may have been that it was just too big for him; those little Puky balance bikes are quite a bit smaller than the one we had, and you see two year olds (and younger) whizzing round on them without any problems.

To my surprise, DH didn't immediately rule out going to the christening and asked whether I'd looked at flights. Have discovered we could probably fly from Liverpool to Salzburg with easyjet, although the new schedule isn't released until April so I don't know for sure yet. He agreed it wouldn't matter too much if the DC were a bit tired on the Monday as they'll only be at school for an hour or so, but doesn't want them to miss the first day (I don't really, either).

Silken I agree about trying the balance bike in a shop but buying online if DD is little for her age - the first one DH bought DD on line for her 2nd birthday was much too big, but the Puky one that he got to replace it was much littler - the shape of the bike frame makes a massive difference, don't go by wheel size alone! The littlest puky one available is tiny though and a good low shape with a foot board and no high frame parts in the way - DD was and still is also little for her age (by local standards here in the Bavarian countryside, though she is 50th centile at her U check ups) and she was very comfortable on it from her 2nd birthday - DS being tall for his age took it over before he even turned 1.5! Kids do walk with the bikes and seem not to be using them "properly" for the first half hour they try them but just leave DD to it with some open space and you'll have your heart in your mouth as she whizzes about with feet up in no time! Mine both took to them really quickly - they are both quite "physical" kids (no idea where that came from) but in our little area at least a balance bike is absolutely the standard 2nd birthday present, even though a lot of them say suitable from 2.5 as long as you get a tiny one I cannot imagine her being put off or having a problem with it.

bebe good luck with your docs apt, well done for biting the bullet and making it!

Eeek at all the orthodontist talk - DD has not even had a wobbly tooth yet so it is not anything I have thought of yet - both kids have straight teeth atm so I hope they stay that way when they get adult teeth, the world of orthodontic apts and bills sounds hard work! I will try to have a look at Canella's profile pics - am fairly new to mums net and didn't even know there was a facility for pics!

OK I am honestly going to prepare tonight's evening class now - did Tue and Thur this week as I had to reschedule last week's class to tonight to allow me to go to a parents eve for Vorschule parents about starting school - next week KiGa have a parents eve for Vorschule kids about the holiday/ trip they are due to go on, also on a Tuesday, but I can't re-schedule another class and have asked for a 1:1 apt at a dif time instead - why do all the parents eves have to suddenly be on the one evening I work?!

I've only skim read but I have a lot to comment on (supposed to be working):

Balance bikes -getting one for Moo for her b-day this Sunday when she'll be 2... Dh is a big mtn biker and really thinks they're the way to go for lo as it teaches bike control and you don't need stabilizers/training wheels later which means better choice of bike later.
He's been looking A LOT at the balance bikes available and likes the PUKY bikes, but the little one is not strong enough for our 'sturdy' built dd (he's worried about the fork construction -the bit where the front handle bar tube comes down to the wheel attachment -tho for a smaller/lighter child he said it's not be a problem). The larger/stronger PUKY are just a little too big for our 94 cm dd --Plus he's concerned because it's overall heavier and worried abt me having to carry it and stroppy dd while preggy .
He wants to get her a expensive Specialized Hotwalk grown-up looking bike like daddy's because he thinks she'll hero worship himlike it more
We've still to come to a proper decision.
Really agree it is a must to try the bikes out to get right size/weight or it'll be/could be useless for a while.

Christening- someone stood in for me for my niece when I was in France...I was sad to miss it. Hopefully you can work out either going, but agree it seems a little difficult being SO close to school!

Finland- that was our other work option- loved it when visited everyone spoke English!! -but we were in Helsinki (and wouldn't have been for the job so not sure how/what would have changed)

Thanks for the support abt dr - will remember the Mutterkuchen

xxx -really will be good now and not come on for a bit

Hi bebe, hope you're feeling abit better. Is the weather picking up yet? Lovely here, and my balcony is a perfect afternoon sun trap!

We missed the laufrad stage as when we had ds 12 years ago there were only a few around and most dc had Dreirad and then scooters and bikes. Ds got his dreirad age 1 and I pushed him around on it (it had a pole to fit onto the back) and then when he was 2 dh turned up with an electric car thing and a microscope! Talk about reliving your childhood or more like what you didn't have as a dc! Dh grew up in India and they didn't have toys, or maybe 1 bike to share between 8 brothers and sisters so he went over the top with the dc when they were smaller!

Bebe my DS is definitely "sturdy" - he weighs 20kg now at just turned 3.5 - exactly the same as his big sister who is exactly 2 years older and about 8cm taller (her extra height is all leg)! It''s all muscle and broad frame though honest as he never stops moving unless he is asleep! Anyway I wanted to say he has never had a problem with Puky balance bikes - we only moved him on from the teeny one because he went sooooo fast on it that DH was worried about the teeny wheels not being safe, and because he was looking tall on it with his knees bent at the highest saddle setting! Your DH sounds like a bike expert so I am sure he knows what he is talking about but just wanted to say the Puky bikes are very solid! Have you tried one out with DD yet? Happy birthday to her for Sunday!

admylin how funny is the microscope for a 2nd birthday present!!!

I know, that's the mad scientist in him!

I sometimes think that the things DH is ostensibly buying for the DC are actually for himself. The Lego wind turbine is a prime example.

hope bananas and linzer are having a good coffee!! wonder if they're discussing what they think the other MNetters are really like?

admylin - i love the way you describe your dh - he really does sound like a mad scientist!! hilarious that he bought a microscope for your ds's second birthday!! and that Linzer's dh bought a wind turbine! My dh bought a full scalextrix (?sp) track for ds1 the christmas he was 4!! it was labelled for children over 8!!! you can guess who played with it the most!

silken - ds2 was on his Laufrad from when he was between 2 and 3 and it didnt take him long to be whizzing about on it. Think it would be a good present for your dd when she's 2 but i've no clue about the sizes of them. We did borrow a tiny Puky bike for ds2 when he first went on a proper bike and it was about the same size as his Laufrad - think the wheels were 14 or maybe even 12 if that was possible. they seemed tiny!

bebe - happy birthday to your dd for sunday

2and1 - hope you've been working hard this morning and not so distracted by MN! its easy to lose an hour reading random threads!! i've been on MN for years (altho not a reg poster anywhere apart from here) and that was the first time i'd put photos up. To look at people's profiles you just hover over their username and if they have a profile then you can click on it. The photos thing stresses me since this is a public forum so will take them back off in a bit. But thank you for the compliments about my dd.

bananas - how did the interview and exam go? hope todays interview goes ok as well!

Well my nachhilfe student has an English test tomorrow - feel like its a test of my tutoring!! he's definitely better but we'll see tomorrow!

Heard the weather report in the car before - we're in for a mini heatwave at the weekend - 24 degrees both days!! might have to get the dc out their vests if its that warm!! but will wait and see - its only 11 degrees and overcast today!

My IL's are back in germany! They're still not in their own home yet - seems like a really long trip from cape town but they are nearly there. linzer - they live 90 mins away in the car but they're both retired (altho they do some tour guide work) so they've got some time on their hands to spend with the dc! Think they'll head here at the weekend - think the dc cant wait!