Sommer, Strand und Sonne - life in Germany and Austria

[LinzerTorte]

A thread for all those living in Germany or Austria, and for anyone else who would like to chat.

Later, don't worry I was exactly the same before I had ds. It only really hit me when the first regular contractions strated. I remember dh was in the bath tub and I went in and said that's it then, we're really having a baby now!

I've never lived in the Sates, have only visited Texas but it would be nice if dh could get a permenant job so we could really settle somewhere. Honestly we should have just bought a nice big caravan years ago the amount of times we've moved house!

Linzer, have you sorted everything out? when do you set off? Have a lovely time.

Canalla, I also saw your kitchen on FB, very nice, love the fridge, I bet you're shopping now getting stuff to fill it up! Is there a bottle shelf? I always wanted one of those full of white wine!

I've just been for our usual weekend shop. Parents' meeting was very good last night, only lasted 20 minutes! That's the kind I like but I have unfortunately had too many that go on for over an hour.

DH has agreed we can set off at 2 pm so 2.5 hours to go now! Whether I'll be ready by then is another matter... A new client has just e-mailed me about a job so I've spent quite a while dealing with that, and now need to leave to pick up the DDs plus DD2's friend. Haven't even thought about lunch or food for the journey yet (we'll probably stop somewhere on the way, but will still need snacks). Feeling slightly stressed!

Have a fab time Linzer!!! Hope you got to the airport ok!

Admylin - I have a British friend who lives in/near Ann Arbor. She really loves life there and is really settled. Hope you hear something concrete soon.

later - i'm a huge advocate of hypnobirthing - i used it to great success with dc2 & 3 (didnt know about it for dc1). With both labours I felt so totally in control altho I didnt use the music during the delivery. The techniques were just in my subconscious somewhere I presume. Only used G&A and tens and even tho Dc2 was 10lbs 13oz they were just great labours. Hope you get the same success!

Having fun today moving into the new kitchen and trying to decide where stuff should go. But DH is beyond laidback all the time so i've had to put a bomb up his arse to get him moving stuff today. Cant bear to be one more day in the basement.

Doubt we'll get much sleep tonight - dd has 3 friends here for a sleepover in a tent in the garden!!!! Dread when they're finally going to fall asleep. And we've got a belated day out planned tomo to celebrate ds2's birthday so hope she's not too tired.

Hope you have all had lovely Friday evenings. Sorry I haven't caught up properly. Just wanted to say admylin that Kickassangel who occasionally posts on the Living in America thread lives very near Ann Arbor and really rates it. She wouldn't come back to the UK now.

Bought some Linzer cookie cutters earlier and thought of you! Hope you are having a lovely time at the christening.

Morning all!! hope you all had a good weekend. Weather was lovely here but I worry that was the last warm summer days . Managed to double book myself yesterday (by mistake) and ended up only being able to stay an hour at a friends birthday tea - she looked really peed off when I said we had to go. . But there were another 20 people there so I wasnt exactly the star guest and she's one of those people who get huffy at the slightest thing so I think I just need to forget about it.

linzer - how was the christening?

Got a big list of jobs to sort out including labelling all ds1's school stuff. Only 1 more week of school holdays!! whoo hoo! Better crack on!

(will try to upload the ktchen photos - didnt work from my ipod!)

Morning all,

I'll be needing lots of strong coffee today, as we didn't get back until after 2 am this morning and I had to get up at 6.30 am for the first day of school (which thankfully didn't start until 8.45 am today). It was definitely worth it, though; the christening went well, my new goddaughter is very sweet and it was lovely to see my friend and her family again. Just feel a bit sad that we don't see them more often, but they're a 9-10 hour drive from us; we did talk about meeting up halfway sometime (Bavaria?), though. The DC really enjoyed Chester, walking on the Roman walls, visiting the amphitheatre, etc.; it was just a shame that we only had a day there (could have done with a bit more time for shopping as well!).

How did the sleepover go, Canella? It does sound a bit like your friend is one of those people who will take offence at the slightest thing if there were 20 other people there and you stayed an hour anyway. It would be different if you were the only guest and had only stayed five minutes, but I can't imagine getting annoyed under those circumstances.

Linzer glad that you had a great time at the christening. Can´t you creep back to bed for a couple of hours this morning?

Canella - Have you managed to pack everything away in the new kitchen? Is you ds looking forward to school? I think my ds has settled in well, but I didn´t realise he was such a perfectionist and is spending ages doing his homework because he keeps rubbing it out and starting again. Hopefully it´s just a phase and he´ll speed up soon.

We had a lovely weekend in Frankfurt visiting relatives of dh. It was especially good because we stayed in a hotel whilst the children slept in a Gartenhütte with 7 other children. We then had to head back here for a sponsored run at the school. Needless to say both dc were completely knackered this morning and dd could hardly walk down the stairs because her muscles were aching so much. We were amazed at how many laps they both ran and it´s going to cost us a fortune in sponsor money.

Sadly not hupa, as the DDs are already back home (school was supposed to finish at approx. 10.15 am and I'd just set out to collect them, or rather meet them halfway, only to find them virtually at the front door as they'd been let out at 10 am). I'm not actually feeling too bad at the moment (coffee is helping!), but I'll definitely have to have an early night tonight.

Your weekend sounded great, esp. sleeping somewhere different from the DC! I'm just appreciating sleeping in a separate room from them again atm, as I've slept in the same room as at least two of them for the last couple of nights. I wasn't too impressed with the Premier Inn's family room only sleeping a max. of four (and one "bed" was just a mattress on the floor), so we had to book two rooms, which really bumped up the price. I'd have liked something slightly less basic and cramped (and with breakfast included) for 130 pounds.

Hupa, how many laps did your dc manage? Dd had a sponsored run on Friday and some of the parents had said don't you dare run more than 4 laps or it'll be too expensive. Dd and her friends managed 9 so it did turn out quite expensive but raised alot of money for the cause (sponsored school in Africa).

Linzer, hope you hold out with lots of coffee. I suppose afternoon naps are outif all 3 dc are home? Hope they enjoy being back at school and the stress doesn't start too soon. We've had more cancelled lessons, day trips and sports days than lessons so far already!

Canella, have you had time to get used to your new kitchen? I always notice that when I move house and always have a new kitchen it takes me ages to get used to the most important stuff like where is the coffee, where to put the breakfast stuff etc!

It's Autumn here, all the trees are orange and I saw the council workers out with their annoying loud blowers blowing the leaves into a pile. It was hot yesterday though, we went to the Ideen Expo with dd while ds was at his first table tennis match against another club. He got a 3rd place and a little silver cup!

Jenny, I really like the idea of Ann Arbor - hope dh gets a chance. Although I worry about health insurance type things in the US but everyone seems to manage so it would just take getting used to I suppose.

Yes, health insurance was one of the few negative aspects for us - although employers often seem to provide more reasonable and more generous schemes than the one we had (DH was a visiting scholar so not employed by the university). It was an expensive business for us as we paid a couple of thousand dollars insurance for all three of us and it still didn't seem to cover half our expenses (I was also quite shocked by the price of medicine - I remember having to pay about $60 for a bottle of anti-reflux medicine for DD1 and I don't think it even helped all that much). I'm sure Jenny will know more about the ins and outs of it all, though.

No afternoon naps here, unfortunately (although they'd probably go to sleep if I took them for a long drive in the car!), but TV is keeping them occupied at the moment - must get them to switch it off in a minute. You can definitely tell that DD2 hasn't had enough sleep as she's getting even more worked up about things than she does normally (and she's brought her pillow downstairs and is lying on the sofa sucking her thumb). I really need to go shopping as we haven't got much food in the house, but I think I'll leave it until tomorrow as I can't face taking them all out this afternoon.

Yes, don't come to America without really good health insurance. Ours is good, but we still have co-pays ($25 every time you visit a doctor) and out of pocket expenses. For example the doctor wants to charge $100, but the insurance company think they should only pay $60, you often get stuck with the remaining $40. If you are insured, care is very good though. Did you PM Kickassangel about Ann Arbor? You will find her on the Living in America thread, though it's not nearly as chatty as this thread is!

It's scorching here tonight so I may have to shut the laptop down and catch up with you properly tomorrow. Night all!

That all sounds very familiar Jenny, although I think our copay was more like $50. Agree that the actual health care is excellent, though.

I was hoping to get organised now that the DC are finally back at school (the house badly needs tidying and decluttering) but some work arrived yesterday, which is going to keep me busy for the rest of the week. Have just dropped the girls off at school with dozens of exercise books, folders, Werkkoffer, etc etc (along with all the other parents doing the same, so the roads around the school were chock-a-block). In all the confusion, forgot to tell the DDs that they should walk home together (this is the only week that they're both finishing at the same time every day), but as they did so yesterday I'm hoping they'll realise that they should today as well!

linzer - hope you had an early night and caught up on some sleep. It always feels like the day drags when you're exhausted. But at least you had a good time at the christening so it kind of makes it worth it. Are your DC back into a more normal day today?

tadjenny - hope you managed to sleep despite the heat. The US health insurance system sounds complicated and it must make it a worry if you or someone in your family becomes ill. I can understand why people are worried in the UK that privatising the NHS would end up with a US type system. Not ideal.

admylin - well done to your ds for winning something at his competition. Any word from Ann Arbour?

hupa - glad your ds has settled in at school. My ds isnt overly excited about school - he's dead laidback about these kinds of things. We'll see what next week brings. But i've got the added stress of dd starting gymnasium on the same day. Will be a busy morning next tues.

The kitchen is still fabulous!! Its been fun finding places for everything but I am a bit muddled as to where things are still. Its just great to be able to sit and eat in the kitchen but the table isnt in the way like it used to be. Was worth all the stress.

Having trouble again with the kiga bus - there is a retired man drives the kids home at lunchtime - its a grand total of a 5 min drive and he managed to nearly kill (i mean really nearly) my DS2 yesterday. Someone was felling trees at the side of the road and there were 2 cars waiting behind the lorry that was 2/3 blocking the road. But the kiga bus driver was running late and didnt know why the cars were waiting so decided to overtake them and the falling tree missed the bus by 1 metre . I know all this as a friend was in one of the other standing cars and was screaming at him even tho he couldnt hear her. He didnt tell me any of this when he dropped ds2 off which makes me more angry but thankfully ds2 hadnt noticed any of it. But the friend had phoned the kiga boss and I found out this morning that he's been suspended. Its not the first time something has happened so I was ready to cancel ds2 going in the bus but now he's not driving then i'm unsure what to do. I was so shocked yesterday - I was crying when I was telling dh about it all.

Well hopefully today is less eventful.

admylin - the dc were running a circuit in the town which was about 200m and ds managed 14 laps and dd 18 which was about double what we expected.
Sorry I can´t help with information about American healthcare, my only experience is American tv shows, so House, E.R etc.

Linzer - Have you got something interesting to translate this time?

I´m off out now for breakfast with a few friends. I must admit I love going out for breakfast - it makes such a change from a single bowl of cereal that i make do with at home.

Enjoy the breakfast out hupa I used to enjoy going for breakfast in Berlin with a friend when we'd dropped the dc off at school.
Those sponsored runs are really a good way of fund raising aren't they? Dd went collecting sponsor money yesterday after school. She's got quite abit together.

canella that bus driver is crazy. I'm not surprised you were upset. If it's only a 5 minute drive can you not just take ds kindergarden yourself?
We won't know about Ann Arbor until October anyway, but if dh gets an offer I'll definately PM Kickass jenny thanks for the tip.

Linzer hope you get your shopping done and have recovered fully from the late night. I went shopping yesterday and don't seem to have got much in the way of meals so will have to improvise again today. I made the dc burgers and wedges yesterday but they weren't impressed so they're getting tofu stir fry today, atleast I know they'll eat that!

HAve you all got your dc their winter coats yet? I know alot of Germans buy all the winter gear now at the beginning of September because when I usually go last minute at the end of October everything decent is sold out. So where should I look? Any tips? A friend of ds had a really good warm coat from H&M last year but when I go in there I never see them. Just ordered one of those double jackets for dd but having to send it back as it's too wide on her.

Am definitely feeling more awake this morning, although I didn't manage to get to bed much earlier than usual as DH was helping me with the translation. It's about ultrasonic testing, so quite technical (and not particularly interesting, to answer your question hupa!) - more DH's field than mine.

The DDs are at school for three hours this morning and then four for the rest of the week, so we're gradually getting back to normal. I think I've recovered enough to be able to take them out shopping this afternoon - they had to have boiled eggs for lunch yesterday and beans on toast for tea but were quite happy with that as they're not particularly adventurous eaters. I'm impressed with your two eating tofu stir fry, admylin; I love tofu, but the DC aren't so keen on it.

Canella That bus incident sounds really scary; I wouldn't be happy with the driver driving my children either. I would second admylin's suggestion about taking the DC yourself if it's only five minutes and you don't have any other commitments, unless he's replaced by another driver who seems more responsible.

hupa Hope you enjoy your breakfast out; I love going out for breakfast too. I also remember going out for huge breakfasts in Berlin when I was a student and sitting on the bus on the way home too full to move!

admylin I've had a few winter coats from H&M passed on to us but can never seem to find anything when I look in there. We've also had coats from C&A in the past and Zara seem to do nice children's clothes as well (DS had a coat passed on to him from there last year). A friend of DD2's has a lovely winter coat from Benetton, which I normally find quite expensive but I think it was bought in the sale.

Linzer, my 2 dc only eat tofu if it's marinated and then fried in cubes until it's almost crispy! Then I re-stir fry it with green beans and sweetcorn and soya sauce.

I'll have to force myself to go into the city centre at the weekend maybe and look around H&M again. Last time I went it was still all summer sale and not much of the winter collection on show. The jacket that I'm sending back is from Icepeak which is (I think) from Finland and the dc have had double jackets from them before but bought in UK and the quality was good but it just didn't fit. 49? is about the cheapest double jacket I've seen up to too. I see alot of Jack Wolfskin jackets bit I'm not paying over 100? for a coat for a dc who will need a bigger size next year.

I did drive them myself for the first 6 months we lived here but changed to using the bus because all the village kids used it and thought it would help us to integrate better. It definitely worked from that point of view and until this driver came I was perfectly happy with the drivers even tho they were CV's. But the kiga are having problems now because they have to pay people and are therefore losing money. But some parents rely on the bus so they need as many kids as possible to use it to stop it making a loss. So I feel some pressure to keep using it but I also wont put my ds in danger and if they bring that driver back I'll immediately stop using the bus. Its the head of the kiga who is driving it this week so feel more reassured. Oh and its a 5 min drive but on country roads so its too far to walk.

hupa - enjoy your breakfast out. I love going out for breakfast too. Might do that with the older dc tomo but only if dd gets out of bed a bit earlier - she's still sleeping.

admylin - i havent even thought of winter stuff yet. Its still 22 degrees here in the day. I know DS1 needs new snow clothes but he's still got a birthday coming up so maybe the IL's might buy him it then. I was in C&A last week with dd and saw loads of nice teenage clothes. But wasnt looking for jackets so i'm no help.

Are we heading towards an autumn thread soon? I dont feel autumny yet but admylin has orange leaves? What do you all think?

It still feels quite summery here so I hadn't thought about an autumn thread yet, but I suppose it's time for one as it's now September. Am not feeling very inspired title-wise, though - maybe coffee will help.

Hmm, definately autumn again today but maybe we should hang on to the summer thread until really everyone has gone back to school! Make the most of your last few days canella!

Ds has atlast finished his homework, dd is out collecting her last sponsor money. She'll be back at 7pm as she's with a friend at the football club where her little brother has training.

Having trouble getting our 4 gerbils looked after in October for the holiday. Looks as if most of dd's friends are going away for a few days atleast too and another isn't allowed to look after them as her mum is scared of mice! Looks like we might have to take them to the Tierheim to be looked after for a fee.

27° here this afternoon so it still feels quite summery. I did find some autumnal poetry I liked while I was searching for inspiration (and desperate for a break from ultrasonic testing) earlier, though:

Der Nebel steigt, es fällt das Laub;
schenk ein den Wein, den holden!
(think I like that for the mention of wine more than anything)

The DDs brought all their books home from school today to write their names on the covers, so that means I'll have to drive them to school yet again tomorrow as their bags are ridiculously heavy. It only took about five minutes so why they couldn't do it at school, I'm not sure. At least they both have English text books this year so hopefully I'll be able to use those, which will save a lot of preparation time.

Pets are a problem when you go away, aren't they? We're basically limited to fish and tortoises by DS's allergies, but we managed to kill both DD1's fish last time we went away and tortoises can't be left for much longer than a weekend apparently, so we've given up on the idea of having a pet for the time being.

Yes the schenk ein den Wein sounds lovely!

Does the school provide the books in Austria? We have borrowed ours for a ridiculous price (considering there is a Schulpflicht here). We've also been told to prepare for the next Klassenfahrt for ds, in Year 9 and it will cost around 300?. They'll be wanting almost 200? just before Christmas for dd's next trip too.

Did you replace the fish then or do you not have any pets at the moment? Dd wouldn't consider having fish as her main reason for having a pet was to hold, stroke and cuddle it. The gerbils are abit small to cuddle but she lets them burrow inside her sweatshirt - in one arm and out at the neck or other arm!

Yes, the school provides all the books - we do have to pay a small contribution, but I think it's only something like ?5. It all adds up though, what with Werkbeiträge, magazines, (local) trips, etc. etc., and I'm sure we must pay several hundred euros a year. Where will your DC be going on their school trips? The furthest the DDs have been so far is the zoo in Vienna. No doubt we'll find out all the details of the expenses coming up at DD1's parents' evening tomorrow. I've volunteered to go so that I can discuss the English lessons, but I hope it doesn't go on for too long.

No, we didn't replace the fish; we didn't have a proper aquarium for one thing, which is probably the main reason they died, and DD1 seems to have lost interest now. I think a pet would be really good for her, but like you said she really needs something she can hold and stroke - tortoises wouldn't exactly be very cuddly either!

Wow, school is getting expensive, isn't it? Had to buy a load of supplies for dd which are communal here, including things like 12 glue sticks. I guess we know how much academic work they'll be doing all year then! Is the zoo in Schoenbruenn?

Love the new kitchen, very classy! Hope the bus driver thing gets sorted out. That sounds very scary. The school bus rules here are excellent and one of things I really admire about the US. Not that we live on a bus route!

Hope you had a lovely breakfast out. Brunch was really popular when I last lived in Germany.

Ds1 has a high temperature this morning so have all 3 at home this morning. Feeling quite tired now and dh is off to Arizona this afternoon. I don't see it getting any better!

Good luck with that translation Linzer. It sounds interesting if nothing else.

Better go and pay the dcs some attention!

Yes, it's Schönbrunn - both girls went on trips there last year, although on separate days. DD1 has a trip to Carnuntum (Roman place) coming up this year, which is slightly further afield although still only an hour or so away. She seemed to enjoy seeing all the Roman remains in Chester too - it brings it to life a bit more.

Re school supplies, I forgot to mention the ?130-odd we've just spent on stationery and exercise books for this school year. I thought we had everything now, but DD2 announced after school today that she needs an exercise book for RE. We went to Libro, but took one look at the queue snaking back towards the other end of the shop and went straight back out again!

Sorry to hear about your DS, Jenny - the DC (or I) always seem to get ill whenever DH is away. He's off to Turkey next week so I'm bracing myself! Are you getting more sleep at night now that your DS2 is a little older?