Wenn es im Winter stürmt und schneit, haben wir eine Flasche Glühwein allzeit bereit - life in Germany and Austria

[LinzerTorte]

As I couldn't find a suitable poem mentioning Glühwein, I composed my own. Please don't laugh.

All welcome - anyone living in Germany, Austria or anywhere else who would like to chat.

Funny how one day this thread races along then the next day nada!!
Was out all morning babysitting a 2 year old then been busy since I got back. Now just patiently waiting for our last bit of living room furniture to be delivered. He said "ab 14.00" so who knows when it'll come. Excited though - it'll finally have enough furniture in it after nearly 3 years.

I'm here! I've been in town and met up with westvan, and got my last few presents sorted, then we both got a bargain reduced to 3? for a big box of 'luxury' crackers! Then had to pick dd up at school and her new gerbil. Very cute little ball of brown fluff!

5nore, I think our experience with the small village was partly difficult with us both being foreign and then my dh being dark skinned (he's Indian) so people were even less inclined to speak! We were accepted after the village hotel owner's dd had a baby and saw dh in his white coat on the ward - anything with a dr title and white coat gets abit of respect in their eyes!

I've been trying to keep off MN today so that I can get some tidying and packing done. I'm getting there slowly, and at least I still have tomorrow morning. We've had a fairly busy afternoon so far too; DD2 and DS both have friends here - DD2 has two playdates and ballet to fit in this afternoon in fact. She's at ballet now but her friend has decided to stay on and play with DD1. We're going to visit another friend afterwards (DD2's second playdate); I'm not sure it's such a wise idea as we won't be there until around 5.15 pm and the DC still need to do a bit of packing. She's also the kind of friend who it's impossible to get away from as she just doesn't stop cooking/preparing food, so I feel quite guilty about saying we have to leave if she's in the middle of making pasta/pancakes etc. for us all (she always insists on cooking for me too, despite me saying that I eat with DH when he gets home). I shall have to be assertive today, however!

DH came home with an Indian takeaway last night as his new job is now official and he'll be starting on 1st January (or rather on the 9th, when he goes back to work). He had a feedback meeting with the personnel company who did the assessment centre interview and went past an Indian restaurant on the way back, so got a takeaway to celebrate - we opened a (small) bottle of Sekt too. I read the company's "audit" on him (a detailed report on the role plays and interviews) and was so glad it wasn't me being interviewed; it would have been my worst nightmare!

5more It's very unusual to keep a child back a year here (some children go to the Vorschulklasse first, but that seems to be more the school's than the parents' decision), although it's more common for children to start school a year early (mainly children with September and October birthdays).

admylin You got a bargain with the crackers - ours cost ?12 or ?13 (although I got them free as it was 3 for 2 on Christmas items and presents). I used up the best part of two boxes in my English lessons; they definitely went down better than the mince pies!

Linzer isn't it funny how the school thing works differently - I think all, or close to all, the boys in Anna's class with birthdays in summer have been held back, and the eldest boy in her class was 7 in April, when he was still at Kindergarten! On dd'S birthday they sang to her in class - and to the boy sitting next to her, who was turning 7 on the same day she turned 6! People here (as in our very small local area, thinking of KiGa and school mums I know) think your pushy not to hold them back it almost seems, and talk about starting school as if it's the end of childhood! I don't know if it's a Bavarian thing, a countryside thing, or what, I didn't really realise it was localised! DD had a friend at KiGa a month older than her (a girl) whose parents just decided to hold her back as she wasn't that interested in school, no other reason at all, and in the last 6 months of KiGa they often asked me why I was sending dd! Others sort of justify it back to me - "ah aber (dd) ist top fit, geh?" suggesting she is exceptionally able to manage at school - in the year she is meant to be in!!!! I think a lot of it comes from the fact the intake months have changed over the last 4 years - apparently 4 years ago the cut off for starting school in Sept was the previous June, so dd would not have been in the regular intake, but would have been a "Kann Kind" if she had started in Sept, which really is seen as hugely pushy by everyone who I have heard discuss it, and only justified for really exceptional children. Most parents seem to think no matter how clever the child they suffer if sent early... There is one Kann Kind in the 1st class at the sister school of dd's, we have heard, but none in her class - she is the youngest by 2 months, the next youngest being a friend of hers with a July birthday, whose mother told me she thought of keeping her back, but in the end just couldn't as she is so tall! (she is very tall but also perfectly bright and mature and in no need of being held back)

Sorry I'm wiffling again, had thought the shall we/ shan't we send DC to school in thier default school year or keep them back thing was the same for all of us on the thread, clearly not at all!

DD and DS1 had different friends from their usual regular visitors this afternoon (dd elected to invite a BOY shock horror! He's a very nice boy, in her class, lives in our village, we've known him since I rolled up at toddlers speaking almost no German when DD was 20 months old and he was 2.5) dd's friend was lovely and a nice change in terms of their play, to the usual girls, but blimey was DS's friend hard work! He is a month older than ds but seems more of a baby but was also one of the demanding types "Ich habe huger fur choco!" erm no you don't, you want chocolate, if you're hungry have a banana... and he and ds also fought (not physically) several times - have got out of the habit of playdates that require my full on attention, had to take them sledging to distract them, and even then DS's visiting DC didn't want to share - dd and her friend came too so we had 2 sledges between 4... Sigh. The little boy was here once before and was lovely, no trouble - guess the first visit they are on their best behaviour, then the inner demon comes out!

5more That's interesting to know - I don't really know very much about the German school system, apart from the fact that it seems similar to the Austrian one in a lot of ways. They do talk about school as if it's the end of childhood here as well, though!

I realised after I posted yesterday that the reason most parents don't keep their children back a year is that it's actually compulsory for children to start school the September after they turn 6. There was a boy in DD2's KiGa classes whose parents kept him back (without him going to the Vorschule) so it 's obviously possible occasionally, but it's very rare.

It also explains why a German friend of mine has asked me several times whether we thought it was the right decision for DD2 to start school in September (a couple of years ago) as she'd only turned 6 in July - but we didn't have any choice in the matter. I was quite as I thought she knew she had a July birthday.

Sympathy on the visitor - some boys can be quite exhausting, can't they? (Some girls too, but I've found boys harder work on the whole.) The friend we visited yesterday told me she'd had a phone call from the KiGa yesterday to say that her son had had a fight with another boy, and that this other boy had kicked him in the mouth so hard that it made his lip bleed. They're the two boys who come to me for English lessons, so it was quite reassuring to hear that they're no angels at KiGa either.

Off to the hairdresser's now. I tried to check what I wanted to say with DH beforehand but he's less than useless; he admitted as much, but said it sounded OK! I want to have it as short as possible at the back and his suggestion was something like so kurz, dass es sich mit dem Haaransatz schließt (or was it abschießt?). At any rate, it sounded to me like something you'd read in a technical document so I told him I wasn't going to say that as they'd probably laugh at me.

Linzer, good luck at the hairdresser's - hope they get what you want!

5more, my dd was a kann kind and we put her into school as one of the youngest in her class too (bored at Kindi) but I still find it strange to see so many different aged dc in one class. In UK we really stay with our age group right through but here each new school year can have dc with 2 to almost 3 years difference. Later it just carries on with sitzenbleiber so ds has some older boys in his class who had to repeat a year. Dd has 3 girls in her class who are going to be 14 on their next bday - dd just turned 12 in October. Obviously, those girls are not at all interested in in the same things as dd, already into boys, concerts, make-up and fashion while dd and her same age friends still just enjoy arts and crafts, playing out on their bikes/waveboards and wouldn't touch a boy with a barge pole!

Canella, sympathies with the visitor. There's always one isn't there? Guess you can't pick their friends! Ds had one like that when he was at Kindi, he'd come to play and it'd start off OK but always ended in them getting in trouble, breaking something, getting all wild and loud and dd upset and then towards the end of the visit - fighting with each other. I was always watching my clock for his mum coming to collect him!

Last day of school here, thank goodness. Both dc are ready for a few days off.

I did get more or less exactly what I wanted, surprisingly enough - and the hairdresser was very friendly so we had a nice chat about Christmas in the UK (although she had never heard of Wales). She was even saying du to me while we were chatting but switched back to Sie at the end, so I think it must have been just a slip of the tongue! Went to buy some bread rolls afterwards to take back to my parents as they really like Austrian bread - I just hope they're not stale by tomorrow evening.

Last day of school for the DDs here too, although there's still one more day to go for everyone else. There was talk at our school last year of whether the 22nd and 23rd December should be schulautonome Tage but most of the parents said no, they need that time to get organised for Christmas.

There are girls in DD1's class who are already interested in boys, clothes and make-up (I think two of them are a year older) but I can't imagine DD1 being into anything like that even in a year's time; I think she'll be well into secondary school by the time it happens. DD2 OTOH is a different matter...

glad you got the haircut you wanted linzer - I just cant brave it even tho the haircut I gave myself isnt the best. Jealous of you and your dh having indian takeawy - I really need a trip back to the UK to get some decent indian food. Have a fantastic time in Wales - will there be more takeaway food while you're there??

Admylin - my dd is a wee bit younger than yours but sounds exactly the same with regard to boys etc. She got a box of heart sweets from her Secret Santa yesterday and was traumatised there might be from a boy that likes her. I did tell her that it was probably just what someone's mum had bought her but it hasnt stopped her going on about it. I also didnt like boys at that age tho - soon changed when i got to 15 tho.......
Also jealous of you getting crackers - I couldnt be bothered to go to TKmaxx to get them since its in a city centre I dont go to but Christmas isnt right without crackers.

5more - I totally agree with the whole drama that goes on about when dc should start school here. Ds1 was a kann kind but we hadnt lived here very long and we were advised to let him wait till the following year which we did. I was totally happy with our decision but felt I had to justify it to lots of more pushy parents. On the other hand ds2 will be one of the youngest so I hear the opposite now - "oh do you not think he should wait a year?? He's so little". Cant win. the should they/shouldnt they conversations seem to dominate from January right thro until they are registered. But I think its a good thing that there is some possbility for flexibility in the system as opposed to the UK where it doesnt matter how much your struggling then you just have to go on with through school with your year.

The sideboard finally came yesterday at 6pm!! Was a long afternoon stuck in with the dc. But its really nice and the delivery men who brought it were like a comedy double act so it was a nice end to the day. Just need to buy some decorative stuff to put on top of it and a nice new table lamp - cue much indecision in the light shop next week.

Was pleasently shocked this morning at how much cheaper the diesel was - it was 1.48 euros on saturday and was down to 1.31 this morning. I know its still not cheap (esp compared to Austria!) but thats the cheapest its been in months. Didnt desperately need to fill up but did anyway. (I really am obsessed with fuel prices - feel free to tell me to shut up!)

oh forgot to ask for advice - I bought a strange looking vegetable this morning - think its called a romanesco?? Shaped a bit like a cauliflower but green and spikier?? any ideas how to cook it? I just bought it on a whim!

Is that the one that's like a cross between a cauli and broccoli, Canella? I think you can just cook it like broccoli, but must admit I've never cooked it myself.

Good news on the sideboard - well, that it finally arrived and that you like it; obv. not so good that it was such a long wait.

Probably no takeaways when we're back at my parents' as my mum will already have every single meal cooked and in the freezer, but tbh her meals are so nice that even eating in will be a treat. It will be great not to have to think about cooking for a whole week!

Have already spent far too long procrastinating since I've been back from the hairdresser's, so really must go and make sure everything is ready before the DC get home (even though DH won't be back until an hour or so later). Which reminds me... must think of something to have for lunch.

Canella, I just cook it like cauli or broccoli. I love it, the dc don't, but that's most veg except for okra and aubergine!

I've got to the stage that I sometimes put 10? worth of petrol in the car to just keep me going until I see a bargain petrol station so I can imagine how pleased you were to see that cheap diesel!

Have a great time back in the Heimat linzer, hope the journey is good. Did you use your dh's description in the end to get your hair cut? Good that it worked out, you're very brave - I'm also one who needs to go but can't be done with the hassle of explaining so my hair is getting longer and longer and always just tied back.

No, I didn't - I just said something like "hinten kurz" and then she asked me exactly how I wanted it, tapered towards the front or towards the back, and I did lots of gesturing and said "eher so". Still, it did the trick and she thought I was Austrian (as I've perfected the Austrian mentality of why use a sentence when a word will do?), so I was happy. She also told me it was extrem gestuft (when I'd asked for it to be leicht gestuft last time!), so I asked for sehr leicht gestuft this time and got what I wanted.

I have absolutely no idea how much diesel costs here, which shows how often I go to the petrol station. DH used to despair of me when I had my own car as I would be driving round on virtually an empty tank, but now that we just have the one car he fills it up at weekends when he's driving it.

I'm glad it's not just me that doesn't understand when children are supposed to start school here. Two of the brightest kids in my English classes are still at kiga, despite me expecting them to have started school in September

At least dd's birthday is in May, so there won't be too much uncertainty about when she should start, but she will have to move up a group at kiga at some point to be in the Vorschulgruppe at the right time.

I wrapped all dd's presents this morning and am planning to brave the supermarket this afternoon. I've invited PIL for Christmas lunch, so have to make a bit of an effort (although I'm doing salmon and not turkey). Luckily we have some crackers from a few years ago that we have forgotten to take with us in previous years, so I don't have to worry about getting any. I'm finally getting excited about Christmas now, especially about dd seeing her stocking .

I´m glad to hear everyone´s Christmas preparations are well under way - haircuts, present wrapping etc.

Hope you have a lovely time, Linzer, back in the UK.

Dd´s birthday party starts in an hour. We wanted to have it a couple of weeks ago on her birthday, but there were so many Christmas parties at school and various clubs that today was the first available chance. I´m sure most parents will apprecaiate a bit of free time for last minute shopping or present wrapping. Dd has invited 10 girls and 1 boy and I´m really looking forward to 7 o´clock and a [wine) when it is all over. It´s a shame all the snow has gone because it would have been great to go sledging.

Afraid I have not had a chance to catch up on the thread but just wanted to say:

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and that is is as peaceful as it can be with DC and extended family around!

Safe travels to all those spending Christmas elsewhere.

We are staying put, just the 5 of us. And no big cooking marathon. Children know that we get the presents, though they still talk of the Christkind and Father Christmas .

We are all off to meet DH and have our last stroll through the Christmas market and drink our last Glühwein of 2011!

Sorry, have been absent recently as I can't keep up with the thread being 9 hours behind you without taking hours to read it some days. With A just being at school for around 2 and a half hours I found I wasn't getting anything else done besides MNing! The break has been a revelation, though I do miss you all.

Just wanted to wish you all a very merry and safe Christmas and a nice, relaxing break with your families. Best wishes also for a fantastic 2012.

Happy Christmas everyone

Hope everyone has a fab Christmas whether you're at home or wherever.
I wish I was having Platanos's Christmas - loved the ones we had just the 5 of us but instead we're in full preparation mode for my IL's coming today till the 26th! But I read about IL bingo on here before where you tick it off in your head when they say one of their stock phrases! I'm definitely betting on "oh dc get too many presents these days".
Happy Christmas eve!

Merry Christmas everyone

Hope you survived the in-laws Canella !

We had 24th with just the 5 of us - got the tree in and decorated it with the kids mid morning (DS1 especially more excited excited about that than presents) sandwich lunch, kids sent upstairs to tidy their rooms ready for new presents (I went with them) Christkind magically brought the presents about 2pm, afternoon playing with toys, English Christmas dinner about 5pm... Kids in bed asleep by 8pm (late for us - I have early bird kids).

25th was at the in-laws, another round of presents from that side of the family and German/ Croatian style Christmas dinner. Was all OK and not too stressful, mainly as we "only" stayed 5 hours or so... Kids fell asleep in the car home and transferred to bed!

I am not happy this morning though as I am pretty sure the older 2 kids woke the baby so that I would have to get up - they were by his cot calling his name in stage whispers at 5am, they claim he was awake already and they were just playing with him, but I had only just put him down after night waking number 4 or 5 at 4.30am, so I am not 100% sure. I have started to get grumpy already at 6.15am as they ask to eat chocolate and unpack board games with tiny parts, meaning I have to watch baby like a hawk...

Ah well... At least with DH off work I can go back to bed for a couple of hours when he gets up...

Hope you all had a lovely time. 5more, nice to get 2 Christmas dinners! We'll be on simple food today for sure - ate so much yesterday and loads of chocolate which I never usually bother with!

Did all the presents go down well? My 2 were happy and have also got plenty of money to spend so are busy trying to decide what to buy. Shame all the shops are closed (unlike UK, everyone hitting town for sales there today).

Well, everyone is still in bed asleep in my house so I'll go and have a light breakfast and cup of tea in peace by myself.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas. We've just finished three days of present opening here - we always split the Christmas presents between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (but usually open more on the 25th), and it was DD1's 10th birthday today.

We're off to Shrewsbury tomorrow to meet up with friends who are over from Germany for Christmas. Am hoping the two-hour train journey will be incident-free, but I'm not holding my breath. The train journey from the airport last Friday went amazingly smoothly - until the last five minutes, when the train came to an unexpected stop. It turned out the line was flooded and we ended up having to go back to the previous station, where we had to wait ages in the cold and wind for a replacement bus. We finally arrived over an hour later than scheduled; there are definitely some aspects of life in Britain that I don't miss! The odd incident would be OK, but it seems to happen on virtually every journey.

admylin Lucky you, getting some peace and quiet in the mornings. The DC still seem to be on Austrian time and the latest they've got up is 6 am, although at least they don't insist on us getting up with them.

5more Hope you managed to get a few more hours' sleep.

Canella IL bingo sounds like an excellent way to get through the visit! Even DH has got fed up of my MIL telling us that the DC are "schön heraußen" (i.e. past the most difficult stage), which she's been saying since DS was about six months!

Jenny Lovely to see you again. Well done on having the willpower to take a break from MN; it does eat into your time, doesn't it?

platanos Sounds like a lovely relaxing Christmas - hope you enjoyed the market and your last Glühwein!

hupa Hope the party went well. We had DD1's party just before Christmas last year but aren't having it until the 4th January this (or rather, next) year; I wish it was already out of the way!

ladder I hope Christmas lunch went well. My MIL always brings lunch (ready to put in the oven) when they come to visit us!

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas!

We spent a few days here with my brother and had a huge Christmas dinner - I was happy as I could whip out my reindeer tablecloth - then a few days with the in-laws (kept myself very entertained with in-law bingo, Canella :) ) then back here again and my brother left yesterday. It was all a bit easier than I expected as DS is happier to be cuddled by other people now he is a little bigger and doesn't feed as often or for as long now he is bottle-fed. He is completely in love with DH's niece and saved his biggest smiles for when she was playing with him - which at 6 years old she was over the moon about, which was nice.

ladder How was the lunch? I might do salmon next year - it sounds like a nice idea. (Wondering if I can still get away with a massive dish of stuffing if I do salmon...)

hupa I hope the birthday party went well and you could relax with your glass of wine afterwards.

platanos Did you enjoy your last Glühwein of 2011?

Jenny Hello again!

Canella How did it go with the in-laws? Hope it wasn't too stressful.

5more Did you get back to bed for those extra few hours?

Linzer Are you enjoying being back in the UK? I have to wait until the summer for my next visit but am looking forward to it already. How long are you over for?

I am also very pleased to report that I am now (finally) a milk-free zone!
(Unfortunately my boobs disappeared with the milk, but it meant I could nip out and get a few new bras, just cheap ones from Primark, but still :) )

Happy New Year!! Hope you get all you wish for in 2012.
I'm a bit merry but its just made me overly sentimental - was crying singing Auld Lang Syne! Think bed might be the safest place for me! Hope you all had a great time

Wishing you all a happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a lovely time.
We´re off to München tomorrow for a few days to visit my brother - I´m really looking forward to it.