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.

Linzer, yes I recommended those books - dd has the wimpy kid books in German but the latest one in English as it wasn't out in German and she couldn't wait! I'll ask her if she found it any more difficult or not.

Ds is an exception as he's a very advanced reader, I gave him Die Unendliche Geschichte one Friday afternoon and he'd finished it by Sunday!
He also says he doesn't notice if he's reading in English or German, it's all the same to him! He's reading an old copy of Watership Down at the moment that belonged to me.

Dd read Pippi Longstockings in English and a few Roald Dahl ones (The Witches, The Magic Finger and George's Marvellous Medicine) which I can recommend for your dd1.

Meant to say, dd loves Harry Potter but she won't read the books for some reason, she can't get into them!

I kept meaning to check whether it was you who recommended the Wimpy Kids books, admylin, and to thank you for the recommendation as DD1 is devouring the series (and I know I ought to be grateful that she's reading in any language, as it took her a while before she started to enjoy reading).

I remember reading Die unendliche Geschichte when I was in my early twenties and definitely didn't find it an early read; mind you, your DS's German is probably far bettr than mine was at that stage (and very likely still to be much better!).

I bought Pippi Longstocking a while back but haven't given it to the DDs yet - must dig that out. We have quite a few Roald Dahl books as well, but so far I've just read the Enormous Crocodile and the BFG to them. DD2 has recently discovered the Sophie stories by Dick King-Smith; I'm reading Sophie's Tom to her and DS atm (I can never get DD1 to listen), which is going down well with both of them.

Afternoon all!

Wow, the thread has been action-packed lately!

Sorry to hear about all the car trouble, although the bus does sound quite exciting! Our car gave out on us on the way back from Luxembourg 2 weeks ago - on a Sunday evening of all times! It was a bit of a faff getting it all sorted and involved taxis and hire cars and ended up costing over ?600 altogether, which stung! The ADAC were really helpful though so it could have been much worse. It does now mean, however, that we have had to cancel our trip to the UK in the summer as we really can't justify the cost now that we have had to pay out for the car. I'm gutted as we are already missing a friend's wedding as I will be too pregnant to fly and the hen night involves Go Ape and cocktails so I won't be flying over for that, and this trip was going to be a sort of last weekend back home with friends before the baby arrives :o( On the plus side, the car has now passed its Inspektion so will hopefully be a bit easier to sell so we can get something bigger with 5 doors which will fit a baby seat and will have enough room in the boot for a pram.
We even had a honeymoon planned for this summer which we've had to cancel as it was a cruise around the Baltic Sea and I will be too pregant for that too! It was a present from DH's parents, but as we have had to cancel they have decided to just transfer us the money instead, which will be a massive help.
Swings and roundabouts! :)

The weather is god-awful here too, but fingers crossed it will perk up soon - it is June after all!

Platanos Sorry to hear about your father. I hope he makes a full recovery. It's good that you are able to visit him soon.

Admylin Good luck with the lawyer! Was it you who was asking about Regensburg? I have never been but I used to work with someone from there and it sounded like a beautiful city.

5more Sorry to hear about your car and your time with your mother. It sounds like a really hard one to deal with - I know mine would just start to cry if I had to have that sort of conversation with her too and that's really not a productive way to sort things out. I hope things improve soon. You and the children are the most important people, don't forget that!

Linzer I would be mad if my ILs acted like that too! Saying that, DH's niece is also the centre of the universe, as my newly coloured-in coffee table, destroyed plants and half-eaten jellybean covered flat can testify!

Hello to anyone I have missed out! I have a brain like a sieve at the moment!

Not sure what happened with the smileys there!

Can any of you help me out with what to say for the following problem:

dd has been diagnosed with dyslexia, officially she should get help in school with longer time for tests, sometimes the use of a dictionary etc and a therapy. We can't start the therapy because a Gutachten still has to be handed in from the doctor to the Jugendamt. They are taking over 8 weeks to get one Gutachten ready so no therapy can start now until after summer. I think the school should have started taking dd's dyslexia into account the moment it was diagnosed but her teacher said we have to prove we're starting the therapy first.

Anyway, I've asked the teacher to phone me and am now in a flap about what I'm going to say. Should I just say what I've written here do you think?
I think it's unfair that since Easter they have known about it but aren't offering to help, but I don't want to say it's unfair iyswim!

Sorry to hear that you're another one with car troubles Later and that you've had to cancel your trip back home and your honeymoon. At least it sounds like there are a few silver linings, but it must be disappointing all the same.

Re DH's niece - not only is she a PFB, she's also a PFB grandchild (living in the same house as her grandparents). I feel like I'm turning into my parents, but she could really do with some discipline! My MIL is constantly complaining about how difficult she is and I'm so tempted to say that she probably wouldn't be half as bad if someone told her that wasn't an acceptable way to behave. I'm often shocked at the way in which she speaks to her grandparents, but they just don't stand up to her. I remember MIL complaining about her being "in der Puberität" around six years ago (she's almost 17) and she seems equally moody even now. She's great with the children, but doesn't really speak to me (well, she hasn't for about the past ten years)´.

admylin I think if you just say what you wrote in your post (apart from you thinking that they should have started taking your DD's dyslexia into account straight away, just in case it makes the teacher defensive), that should be fine. It would be fair enough if you were able to get the Gutachten straight away, but having to wait eight weeks is ridiculous; you should emphasise just how long you've had to wait for it.

Thanks linzer, I hate talking on the phone, why oh why didn't I ask for an appointment?

Later, sorry about all the cancelations too and the car troubles and hope you find a decent replacement soon. I'm going to go with that reason for not going to UK this summer too - we'll have to buy a new car so we can only holiday in Germany near by.

Admylin I also think that if you just say what you said in your post (except the unfair bit :) ) then you should be fine. You might even find that the teacher has a few useful suggestions too. I hope it goes well and you get the help you need for DD.

Linzer I originally thought your DH's niece must have been about 7 - I was quite shocked to read that she's almost 17 and still acting like that! 10 years is a long time to not really talk to someone, even if she is a little difficult! I guess some people do have long and difficult adolescences, but being that spoilt and PFB and PFB grandchild sounds like it explains it.
We find that DH's niece is allowed to run around and jump all over the place and generally be a bit bratty here, but we are fairly sure she isn't allowed to act like that in other people's houses. She's only 5, so I think a little hyperactivity is to be expected - especially as she adores DH, he is the best thing since sliced bread as far as she is concerned, which is kind of sweet- but at the same time, I think her parents just see coming to visit us as time off from dealing with her. Maybe I'll see things differently when ours is born, but it does nark me off a little when I see our things flying through the air, or pot plants being kicked off windowsills. And relax :)

Sorry, I seem to be really ranty today!

When I say 'when ours is born' - I mean 'when ours is running around causing havoc and I just want to drink my coffee in peace!'

Thanks later, I'll hopefully manage to speak some decent German when she phones. She must still be in school though as she hasn't phones yet. Oh well, I've got all the ironing done while I've been waiting.

Yes, definately enjoy as many coffees and moments with yur feet up before baby comes along! And get as much sleep as you can now!

Hope the phone call goes OK, admylin. I hate talking to anyone at the school or KiGa on the phone (all the town's schools and KiGas seem to share one line, with different extensions) as there's an echo on the line and I can hear everything I say repeated back about half a second later - it's most offputting!

Later That would really annoy me too, esp. if she's not allowed to behave like that anywhere else. At five, she's really old enough to know that there are certain things she shouldn't do in other people's homes (or even her own home). I think what would annoy me the most would be if her parents weren't making any effort to control her.

That's what annoys me about the situation about the situation with DH's niece; his family just seems to try and placate her the whole time rather than tell her to stop being so silly. When we all went out for a meal recently, she was getting very worked up about how long we were having to wait for the desserts; rather than telling her to be patient, MIL started hassling the waitress and telling her that the children needed their desserts now because DS wasn't feeling well! (He had a bad cough, caused by his dust allergy which is always worse at my ILs.) You'd have thought that if he was feeling ill, dessert would have been the last thing on his mind. The others (our three plus DH's nephew) weren't that bothered, but it seems like whenever DH's niece says "jump", my ILs ask "how far?".

Would second the advice about the coffee - enjoy being able to drink a whole cup of tea/coffee in peace while you still have the chance! Babies seem to have a sixth sense and wake up as soon as you put the kettle on; I've lost count of the number of unfinished cups I've drunk (or rather not drunk).

LaterAlligator you need a lidded thermal cup for your coffee/ tea when the baby arrives... :) This also saves your favourite china mug from being shattered by your 3 year old when he knocks it off the coffee table...
Your DH's niece's behaviour is not something you will think is OK when your own is running around given that she is 5 - what you describe is never acceptable in terms of her parents letting it happen, but is perhaps excusable in a child up to the age of 2.5, 3 max, but if my 3.5 year old son behaved like that he would be removed from the situation, he knows better, and if my 5 year old daughter behaved like that she would be in a whole world of trouble, she is far too old to draw on tables, kick pot plants off windowsills etc. etc. ! That is quite shocking behaviour unless your DH's niece has some kind of ADHD or similar condition?!

Ooops baby stiring, thought he was asleep... Off to the Friebad in an hour to take advantage of the first decent weather in a few days, so need to get ready too - am I the only one who likes taking LOs to the Freibad? We are taking an additional friend of DD's too to justify the bus!

Ooh thanks for the cup tip 5more!
I thought the same about DH's niece's behaviour, but to be honest they visit so rarely that it's not worth arguing about. I was quite surprised I managed to hold my tongue actually, as that is one skill that appears to have deserted me during this pregnancy - I seem to have become extremely mouthy when something doesn't suit me!
Enjoy the Freibad!

Linzer I am thinking of buying a microwave for exactly that reason! It will ostensibly be for baby stuff (keeping that as vague as possible :) ) when actually it will be for reheating my cups of tea!

The weather here is still rotten! I have to nip into town for a Dr's appointment this afternoon (potentially extremely overactive uterus - who knew such a thing existed) and to pick up a few birthday cards and I'm contemplating whipping out my wellies...

5moreminutes, my 2 are old enough to go to the freibad alone thank goodness but when they were small we used to go swimming alot. In high summer when it was really hot (over 30°) we went to an indoor pool though. Can your dc swim yet?

Even though we went often my 2 didn't learn to swim until we moved to Berlin when they were 6 and 7. They just enjoyed splashing about with their armbands on before that.

Well, the teacher didn't call yesterday so she might call today. I've been shopping in the rain already this morning and have a parents meeting tonight, we have all been called in by ds's teacher so she can tell us how badly bahaved she finds the class and if some parents don't turn up, they will be called in one by one for a private meeting! Ds swears he hasn't been involved in any cheek or rudeness, he better hadn't have been.

5more All the mothers I knew in the USA used to walk round with their thermal cups of coffee, while all their babies had little pots of Cheerios (the finger food over there) - you just don't see it here. I think walking and drinking coffee simultaneously would be anathema to most Austrians!

It's already quite hot here today and I'm hoping that it cools down a bit by this afternoon, otherwise the DC will pester me about going to the Strandbad. I must admit I'm not that keen on going, as the entire town - sometimes all of Niederösterreich, it seems - flocks there when it's hot and keeping an eye on three children (who inevitably want to be in three different places at once) can be a bit of a nightmare when it's so busy. DD1 is a fairly confident swimmer but I don't like to let DD2 out of my sight in the water for too long. Plus the water (other than in the Thermalbecken) is always too cold for me and bumping into virtually everyone I know while wearing a bikini isn't my idea of fun either! Oh, and then there's the expense - once DS has turned 5 next month, it will cost ?27 for all five of us to go at the weekend. (The ?13 it would cost us to go today seems like a bargain in comparison). I could go on.

Later Hope your appointment goes OK; I'd never heard of an overactive uterus either.

admylin It sounds like the teacher must be having real problems if she's calling all the parents in for a meeting; it must make it difficult for everyone.

Anyway, must get back to preparing tomorrow's English lesson (the last-but-one this academic year) and then to aligning some translations - both of which seem a far more attractive option than housework (which also badly needs doing).

Wow that's expensive Linzer. Do they do some sort of school holiday pass where it's cheaper for the dc? I think they do something like that here - must look into it as we'll probably be here most of the time.

A friend reccomended this site to me for dd to practise spellings and thought you might like it linzer - the work sheets are free to download and there are loads to choose from : www.arbeitsblaetter.org/page1.php?kat=SL

No, you can just get a season ticket - which would cost ?350 for all of us (or ?250 for me and the DC)! Quite a few of our friends have one so don't have to think twice about popping in for an hour or so in the evening, but I really don't think it would be worth it for us.

That site looks really useful; thanks, admylin. DH is bound to want DD1 to do quite a bit of work over the summer holidays, so it's always useful to have worksheets. We were talking about the summer holidays with friends the other day and everyone agreed that they're too long, but can't see it changing as the teachers' lobby is too strong.

That's expensive, not really a bargain. Here in Hannover I've heard that alot of people have season tickets for the zoo! It costs around 300 I think but how often would you want to go round a zoo? I don't get it.

It's a shame the arbeitsblätter are black and white, my printer is going to need new ink and it costs a fortune. Wonder if getting a few printed from my usb stick in a copy shop would be worth it.

It's so cold here today. Trying not to compalin too much as I don't like the realyl hot weather.

?300 for a season ticket to the zoo?! It sounds like you'd need to spend every weekend there. I'm sure the season tickets to the zoo in Vienna only cost 30 or 40 euros, although it would probably be over ?100 for all of us. I seem to remember it would be worth it if we went to the zoo more than twice a year, whereas we'd have to go to the Strandbad 20 times a year or more.

Ink is so expensive, isn't it? DD1's teacher said she'd buy me a cartridge as I print out so many handouts for the class, and I may well take her up on it next year. I spent a good hour on tomorrow's handout as I ended up drawing a family tree on it, but hopefully I'll be able to reuse it for DD2 and DS. I got very fed up after the Sommerfest last week as not one of the parents has mentioned the English lessons to me, and neither of the teachers has really said anything about them either, and told DH I wasn't going to bother with DS's class. I have so many flashcards, worksheets and lesson plans now, though; it seems a shame to waste them.

Linzer you could set up a private English school!

I keep meaning to get some work sheets and grammar exercises sorted out for younger children as I only have advanced level stuff. Not that keen on tecahing to be honest, it's hard enough getting my own 2 to do their homework!

Dd was fed up as she will be getting a 4 for Geography on her report. She doesn't get it, her file is really good and tidy with inhaltsverzeichnis etc, she got a 2 in the test and she says she has been joining in as much as she can. She was very fed up yesterday.

I probably could! It might help if I actually enjoyed teaching a bit more, of course. I do get asked about Nachhilfe etc. sometimes and I wouldn't mind that so much, but a) it's a struggle to fit everything into the afternoons as it is, and b) what am I supposed to do with my own children in the meantime?

That does sound very unfair about your DD, admylin. I find the system here quite demotivating (is that even a word?) in many ways. (Maybe I mean demoralising.) We were so relieved that DD2 got a 2 in her Sachunterrichtstest as that means that hopefully she'll get a 2 for SU in her Zeugnis - and this is the one that counts for Gymnasium, etc. (provisionally, at least). Mind you, I think that even DH is getting fed up of the amount of extra work he has to do with her and he seems to be tending more towards the Neue Mittelschule atm.

Off to pick up DD2 now - where did the morning go?

I think our dd's will always have to do that little bit more linzer, although with training they should be able to cope better with the spelling and reading. I keep asking dd if she really wants to stay in Gymnasium or rather go to Realschule but she definately wants to stay and keep working hard.

Is there an easy rule for using dass or das? Both dc keep asking me to check their work and I never know if it's dass or das. Anyone remember learning that?