Die Kaffeestube Teil 2 - virtual Kaffeeklatsch in Germany and Austria

[cheaspicks]

Chat for those living in a German-speaking country, or anyone else who is interested.

cheaspicks Heidi in English or German was a favourite of my 2dc when they were smaller. Also the Pumuckl stories. Another really good series are the Ritter Rost ones as they have alot of singing and cute stories on cd. These ones. Good for vocab too (for you and dd!)

Great idea with the coffee mornings cake - one of the most popular cafes where we used to live was one with a play corner and a few more high chairs than a normal cafe, a little sand pit in the Biergarten was also great if you have one.

cheas I can't remember what age they started listening to them and whether your DD might still be a bit young, but my three enjoy listening to the Was ist Was Junior series; they have Was ist Was Bauernhof, for example.

Cake I got my last passport from Germany (we used to be able to get them done in Vienna, but now have to apply to Düsseldorf) and it was fairly straightforward; it took 3 or 4 weeks IIRC. I've heard that passports are all done in the UK now though, i.e. that the consulate sends the application back to the UK for the passport to be printed there, so it may take a little longer now.

admylin are coffee mornings usual here? DH is convinced there's "no such thing" in Germany, but I'm sure if we went to the Krabbegruppe (sp?) and offered our premises for coffee and cake between say 10am and 12am once a week they might be interested.

He says its just not done here the same as in the UK. His actual answer was "in Germany we just call it breakfast" (very droll )

An Australian friend of mine used to talk about opening a child-friendly cafe here as she said there was a real gap in the market (I used to meet up with a German friend for coffee once a week but we stopped going to our favourite cafe when they brought us a dustpan and brush!). Coffee mornings don't really seem to exist here; if people do meet for coffee, it's more of an afternoon thing. The Eltern-Kind-Cafe at our local parent & child centre is in the afternoon, as is the Stillcafe, despite virtually all the other activities being in the morning. I went to playgroups in the mornings where coffee was provided, but it was very often undrinkable and you had to take your own food.

Agree that a mother and baby coffee morning is a great idea. When the DC were babies, I used to find it much easier to get out with them in the mornings as a) they would often nap in the afternoons, and b) older brothers and sisters often have other activities in the afternoons (and if you did take them to a cafe, they might get bored fairly quickly/would just want to run round).

Evening everyone
English Thanks for the PM, I joined the group. Hope your Ds1s swimming went well and you get the extra lessons.

cheaspicks Thank you me too.

ploom Thank you. Hope all went well at the Rathaus.

Alice Hope the gas leak got sorted.

admylin Glad your physio wasn't as painfull today.

CakeBump Hope you get good responses from your customer questionaires.

I was just wondering if anyones DCs would be interested in a kind of penpal thing with my DD1 who is 11? I was just curious as she doesn't know anyone here and also I noticed some of you would like your DCs to speak more English so perhaps they could do it with her? Then maybe when she starts learning German she can practice on them? I was thinking more email rather than snail mail. If anyone is interested please PM me and I can give you my DDs email address. It may be a stupid idea so if I have offened anyone by asking I apologise.

Not a stupid idea at all, wanting - both DDs have penpals in the UK (DD2 more than DD1, as she loves writing) and I think it's a great way of getting them to practise their written English. I've just asked DD1, who'll be 11 in December, and she was quite excited about the possibility of having an e-mail pal so I'll PM you. I was quite surprised as she'd already said she has enough penpals and it can be a little difficult to motivate her to write to her snailmail pals (although once she gets going, she's fine), but I think the e-mail thing clinched it!

Thanks Linzer got your PM. I think email is better because they can write as much or as little as they want without feeling they have to write more than they want. Also my DD is always on her computer lol so she is more likely to email than write a letter.

wanting - penpals are a great idea but dd (also 11) is beyond rubbish at sitting down and writing emails so would be a disappointing penpal. Sorry. She needs to email her grandparents while they're away & even thats a fight every time.

cakebump - I think coffee mornings seem like a great idea. I really think offering a Krabbelgruppe a space for them to meet with some toys (as well as coffee & cake obviously!) would be a winner. What about offering an English conversation group in the evening in a section of the restaurant?

cheaspicks - have you looked in the library for CD's? Maybe you could have a root about for some she likes?

So got the passport - well got him a 13€ Kinderreisepass which the woman said was sufficient to travel to most places apart from the USA ( and we're not planning to go there anytime soon!). Glad its all sorted tho - well until ds1 needs one in 2 years .

Gosh this thread has been busy over the last couple of days. It's reminded me I need to get ds1's passport renewed as he is almost 5, but that costs a fortune via the embassy in DC!

How about a craft/knitting circle cake? Maybe a book group that meets once a month (could be discussing English books?) Our local coffee shop has an acoustic cafe/open mike night. They also have a children's musician to come once a week and sing children's songs. It's crowded when she is there.

Lots of birthday parties going on at the moment. Dd was trying to persuade ds1 to have a gymnastics party (inspired by the Olympics) but he doesn't have that many friends of his own. I think we are going to go bowling instead. It is very sweet of you to hand deliver the invitations Englishwoman! Hope they all go well.

We are lucky that we get a lot of English stuff on PBS here, particularly as lots of the productions are co-funded by various American channels. I didn't think they were going to put Call the Midwife on so I bought the DVD when I was back in England. Now it's coming on in September! We don't get everything of course and the Olympics coverage was woeful.

Anyway, got to start packing for our trip to Astoria at the weekend. The Goonies was filmed there so I'm a sad geek and want to do the tour! Have a great weekend!

Talking about some language stuff today with my friend and I thought of how similar sometimes certain sayings or proverbs are in English and German.

Do you use the ones you like saying in English also in German. I felt very home , when I've discovered some of the similarities. can't think of many as it is very late already, but maybe I leant a few things here:

Absence makes the heart grow fonder-Willst du was gelten, dann mach dich selten

Einem geschenkten Gaul guckt man nicht ins Maul- Don't look a gifted horse in the mouth???

Gibt man ihm/ihr den kleinen Finger, will er/sie gleich die ganze Hand- I've heard it in English, but forgot how it goes

Das ist wie nach einer Nadel im Heuhaufen suchen- i think it is also something like looking for the needle in a haystack...also not sure

And another cute one, I always though of it as cute

Im siebten Himmel sein oder auf Wolke sieben-being on cloud nine

We also use the phrase seventh heaven Worldcitizen,
Is the one you aren't sure of something like "give him a inch and he'll take a mile"?

Admylin DS's bowling party will cost ?79 - that's a package 'Kindergeburstag' deal for 2 hours bowling for up to 8 children and includes a soft drink each and 2 large pizzas with 3 toppings to share :) (we will only have 6 children but you pay ?55 for 4 or ?79 for 8, it's still OK I think- when I do parties at home I end up spending at least that because gradually over the months leading up I spend too much on themed table settings, balloons, prizes, props for games, too much food and drink that they only consume 1/3 of etc).

DD's climbing party will be ?70 plus ?4 per child (so unfortunately about another ?40 on top), includes a soft drink each, no food, but a trainer for the full 2 hours who basically runs the party/ experience. A 2 hour "Schnupperklettern" session as part of a group, with a trainer, would be ?28 for one child if not part of a party, so I guess it's also OK when you think you are paying for 2 hour's of somebody's time - better than paying that for a clown or something!

Glad your physio wasn't so painful yesterday!

cheaspicks My nearly 5 year old loves the Kika "Kinder Tanz Party!" CD and a CD from the ELC called "Kids can Dance" but you will have to search Amazon as I think it's no longer sold directly by ELC) if you want music rather than stories, and you can get Charlie and Lola story CDs which aren't scary at all :)

Cake I agree the coffee mornings are a great idea to get people in the restaurant at off peak times - I'd go if there were anything like that near here. A Family zentrum a few towns over does actually offer something a bit similar but it is only for breast feeding mothers in a 2 hour time slot once a week which was never a convenient time - and now I'm not BFing. BF groups and parent and toddler groups might be interested though, and you could also just pick a morning when you have very low footfall usually and designate that as 'Eltern-Kind Frühstück' and have make that time extra child friendly, maybe with a special little laminated small child (and parent eating with one hand whilst holding baby) appropriate menu (which could just offer a selection of things you do anyway) without actually banning other passing customers.

Hello Jenny bowling party is a good idea :)

World "Like looking for a needle in a haystack" is an English saying, yes, (and it's a gift horse not a gifted (and talented) horse that you don't look in the mouth Could the offering a little finger German saying be more "Give him an inch and he'll take a mile" in English? I'm not sure I've heard of it with fingers and hands.

World I like the finger and hand one in German (have used it on my dc before!) rather than the inch and mile one as they wouldn't have a clue what an inch or mile was! The French use the same saying with finger and hand by the way.

I remember a funny one, in a restaurant the owner was in stress one day and her 3 dc aged from 2 to 6 were hanginga round her legs while she was telling the aupair (my friend) something as we were planing to go out into town with the dc. Suddenly the mother shouted something like seid ruhig jetzt, ihr geht mir auf den keks - there was instant silence then the 2 year old says ich will auch ein keks! It was so funny at the time, everyone was laughing except the aupair (French) who had to have it explained to her.

cake I'm not sure how popular organised coffee mornings are but advertising yourself as a child-friendly cafe with no obligation to join a group or sign up might be a start if the Krabbelgruppen don't show an interest. Ploom's idea of offering an English conversation group in the evening is also a great idea.

English booking a package is probably where I went wrong then! We just turned up and the boys got 1 hour, no drink etc. The climbing party also sounds like a bargain really. Dd would love that so I might se eif we have a climbing place in Hannover.

Jenny have a nice trip to Astoria!
wanting I'll pm you too - dd has 2 penpals at the moment and is looking for more.

Off to the bank today (when the dc get out of bed), got new accounts sorted and they are going to use their bank cards for the first time, pay money in and learn how to use the other machines.

jenny - I loved call the midwife. Glad its coming back for another season but I doubt Miranda Hart will be in it and I thought she was great as that character.

english and admylin - I agree that kids parties are expensive but also agree that its sonetimes better paying it upfront to go somewhere rather than the hidden costs of doing it at home. I took ds2 last week and 6 other dc to soft play all afternoon & paid €58 (plus petrol for the 50 mins each way drive). Sure I probably spent more than that for dd's party at home with her non alcoholic cocktails & treasure hunt on top of the normal food and drinks.

admylin - how often have you to go for physio? Does it feel any better today?

The boys and I have got absolutely no plans today - not a good idea when the weather is a bit rubbish. (dd is meeting up with her friend in the village later - whoo hoo no taxiing today ). Maybe I should get them to help me sort out their school stationary - anything that stops them asking to play wii all the time or watch star wars!

ploom I have 2 sessions a week. My arm was hurting this morning so I had to get up at 6am and take an ibuprofen tablet. It's sort of throbbing now.

Hope the boys find something to busy themselves with. Nice that your dd has someone in the village to meet up with. Are there a few shops and cafes in the village at least?

Ploom thats ok.

jenny have a good trip. Enjoy seeing where Goonies was filmed.

admylin got your PM thank you. Thats a good idea getting you DCs to learn about using the bank machines.

Absolutely nothing for dc in the village admylin - there's only a pub full of old men smoking . Can imagine it will be a nightmare when they get to being teenagers.

Emandlu English admylin

thanks, so now I know, it's with the inch and mile, okay I got it

Good to know it's the gift horse and not gifted, well it might be gifted after all ha ha ha . My daughter sometimes giggles when I make these little mistakes.

admylin the Keks story is cute, I could imagine a little one then asking for one.

Oh is Call the midwife coming back for another season?! That's good news. I guess I have to wait and see when our library will have it on the shelf.

They have both Downton Abbey series' and I really liked it the first one so far. And will watch the 2nd season and the Christmas episode, and I've heard there will be a third one coming out this September, I suppose.

EnglishWoman at gifted and talented horses.

world Yes, Downton is great. I wasn't sure I was going to like it as all the hype put me off, but even DH really enjoyed it (and costume dramas aren't normally his thing).

Ploom We've been sorting out school stationery today as it's the perfect weather for it (cold and rainy). Have had to make a special trip to the stationery shop though; I thought we had everything, but of course it all needs labelling and once again all our permanent markers have mysteriously vanished.

admylin Hope the arm is better soon.

jenny Have a great trip! (Am I the only one who has never heard of the Goonies?)

wanting Yes, DD1 is also always on the computer so getting her to write an e-mail is likely to be far easier than getting her to write a letter!

It should have been DS's last day at KiGa today but, as I suspected, he didn't want to go so we just went in to say goodbye and took his teacher some flowers. I've never bothered with flowers before (although have always contributed to the joint present given by all the Vorschulkinder) but his teacher was so good with him and he got on so well with her that I thought it would be a nice gesture.

Right, time for coffee I think. We have three children arriving any minute - one of the families I was writing about yesterday - so I shall enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts (the little girls are very sweet, but have the tendency to follow me round everywhere).

Thanks for the ideas, everyone. Ploom, I didn't think of the library . We have English books coming out of our ears and I don't particularly like reading to dd in German (more due to the books themselves, rather than any bilingual parenting intention). Anyway, I will try the library for some German stuff, and have already ordered several English cds on Amazon (including Charlie & Lola - great minds and all that, EnglishWoman ).

Cake I think an English/international Stammtisch is an excellent idea, as is a Stillcafe (especially if you can find a midwife/lactation expert to lead it for you). I guess if you want to do a Krabbelgruppe, then you need to get 3 or 4 of those thick gym mats - Airex? - toys, and maybe some floor cushions, which might be an outlay that doesn't seem cost-effective atm. Don't forget to tell the local paper - in our experience they are usually very happy to print a short article if you hand them the prepared text - free advertising!

It's definitely worth thinking of things aimed at kids during autumn/winter. How about a Bastelnachmittag or a musical instrument-making workshop (sounds like your DH might have the right contacts)?

Right, everyone, next question . We have to go to a Schuleinführungsparty tomorrow and so I need a present idea for a 6yo boy - ploom, Linzer ???

Cake ime German parents very early with lunch and naps, so could make friendly morning from 9-9.30 until 11-11.30 and not impact lunch rush. If being generally child friendly, then good changing facilities (offering free wet wipes might make you no. 1 choice for local mums), plenty of Ikea Antilop highchairs, sign saying you are happy to warm up jars of mush, putting paper and (sharpened) pencil crayons in front of any child over 2 when you bring the menus, having fusilli or similar as alternative to spaghetti, drinks in plastic beakers (no lid) for under 5s...

cheas Lego usually goes down well with boys that age, or possibly a book as he's starting school. I've just asked my focus group of two 6 year old boys, but I'm afraid they were no help; Boy A: "weiß ich nicht, keine Ahnung", Boy B: "cuddly toys". (Language aside, you can probably guess which one DS was.) All the boys of DS's age who we know are obsessed with Star Wars, but that's not something I'd buy unless I knew the boy was particularly into it.

cheaspicks that sounds really good, especially if it is in a way, which wouldn't turn others with no children off, as they otherwise might not feel so comfortable to go there at certain times.
And the timing sounds about right, as then the mothers have enough time to get home and prepare lunch or pick up older child from school etc.

Oh and my daughter and many children I knew then, really liked rice and liked to have salad as in cucumbers and tomatoes or if you'd have apples, bananas or other fruit of the season.
That would have been a lunch for my daughter already and she would have taken a nap right then and there, and if I could change diapers there, then I would have stayed and eaten something myself and still have the feel of going out myself and meeting others (but without group pressure).

cheas Or how about a science/explorer kit or a game; our three like those small games (about the size of a hardback book) that cost about ?8 and some are quite educational; Was ist Was do some, I think. We have a Schülerlabor set (Experimente der 1. + 2. Klasse) that looks quite good (haven't used it yet, though), although it's a fairly large box so might be more than you're wanting to spend.