2013 ist schon da! A new Kaffeeklatsch thread for the New Year - living in Germany and Austria

[LinzerTorte]

All welcome - whether you're living in Germany or Austria, have questions about life in those countries or just want to chat.

Previous thread here.

just a quickie before the boys come home - despite having originally no plans any morning this week, I've been busy every day. Ended up finally phoning an ortho doctor for an appt - got one the next day but think I know why he had appts free - he had the worst manner and the praxis looked like I'd gone back in time. But he made an appt for me to go back this morning to see the "Orthopaedie Meister"(?????) - is that maybe a podiatrist??? Anyway he agreed I needed some moulded insoles to support my arch so hopefully that will help.

hupa - am shocked at those vocabularies but agree with admylin - I'm not sure how good the teachers are at English. Ds2's teacher also teaches English but has never spoken a word of English to me. Have heard they were contemplating stopping English lessons at the Grundschule but not sure if it is happening or not.

outnumbered - glad everyone is better - enjoy the massage.

cheas - I went to the hygienist at the dentist once here- I paid 80 euros to be tortured for an hour - it was very unpleasant. Have just stuck to going to regular dentist appts since and they always do a scrape & polish then.

linzer - that seems a lot of money for a filling - my dentist here replaced my UK metal filling with a white one but I'm not sure what its made of but I didnt pay any extra for it.

nutella - you sound exhausted. If I lived any nearer I'd come and take him out for a few hours. Well done tho for getting out the house on time - it'll get easier.

Waves to everyone else .

admylin I guess it is like Nordic walking, but without the sticks. But seriously most of the 'ladies' here see it as a morning stroll which I see as a waste of time.

hupa dh treated himself me to a Jura coffee machine for my birthday 2 years ago. I went mad as its so ridiculously expensive, but now I have got rather used to that freshly ground taste. So much so that if someone offers me coffee and it's from a regular coffee maker or senseo, I usually have something else instead. The coffee they have here at the clinic can only be described as 'Plörre' which is why I am not drinking any. That, coupled with the no alcohol rule, it really will be a healthy stay I can't wait for that first cup of coffee when I get back home though!

I would have been so irritated by the wrong vocab!! The thing is, if you've learnt it wrong once, isn't it really hard to replace it with another meaning/word a few years later? When I went to school they didn't do English at primary school. Most started in year 5, I didn't until year 7 because I chose Latin as my first foreign language. I'm thinking that it might be a good idea for ds1 too, as he def would not keep his little mouth shit if the teacher made mistakes. Even now everyone dreads reading him one of our English books because he corrects absolutely everything! Also, if they don't start English until year 7, once they do they work at a much quicker pace. Reason being that all classes need to be at the same level by the end of year 10. Hopefully moving at a quicker pace will mean less boredom and therefor less difficult behaviour. We shall see

linzer I asked the lady after my aqua aerobics class and she said to wear comfy clothes. And then once in the room I will just need to take the top off. Aqua aerobics was loads of fun, though again I was in the minority there actually trying to do some proper exercise there. Later-on I will have a class which is supposed to be like Pilates, and then that's it for the day.

Just waiting for ds3 to drop off. It feels sooo good to be doing stuff

Oh nutella well done getting ready on time. I nearly took ds2 to an osteopath as he was so unsettled. I had heard a few 'miracle stories' and was never quite sure whether to believe them or not. On any case, I hope your ds settles down a bit soon. I actually made myself have some sort if routine, always had something little that had to be done, just so that I got in the habit of getting ready and out of the house at a reasonable time. I don't know, for me being out with any of mine made it much easier, plus it felt good being out and about.

Thanks for clearing up the hygienist mystery for me, everyone! I guess I should ask around and find out which dentist to go to. MIL sent me to their dentist last time, but all he did was look at my teeth and go "yup, they're fine". Considering I hadn't been to the dentist for two years before that, I was at least expecting him to scrape off the tartar - maybe he expects you to go to a hygienist for that? Anyway, the practice is off in a village somewhere with difficult parking, so I'd rather go somewhere in town which I could walk to.

hupa am also at those translations. You would think if their English is that bad that they would be extra careful at checking.

admylin I don't drink much tea, so that's not a problem for me to cut out altogether, but I really miss my coffee in the mornings, so I might buy some decaf. ploom drinks decaf tea and she made some for me at the weekend - it tasted fine to me.

nutella two-hourly feeds sounds like a growth spurt. I'll cross my fingers for you that it will be a short phase, but in the meantime look after yourself and make sure you eat well and drink plenty. Are you taking a vitamin supplement? A couple of friends were talking this week about how there have been unusually few hours of sun this winter (it was in the news) and I've noticed an improvement in my menstrual cycle this month since starting to take a vit d3 supplement on top of my normal (ttc) multivit. It might be worth considering while bf, since you will have a higher requirement than normal.

Linzer He goes down any time between 12pm and 2pm - 12pm means an earlier bedtime but a longer afternoon to get through before the magical 6pm when DH gets home, whereas 2pm means a later bedtime but a shorter afternoon, if that makes sense. He's only just gone down now so I shall try not to let him sleep longer than about an hour and see how that goes.
How strange about the tom-ay-to tom-ah-to thing. I think I'm going to need an intensive course in holding my tongue before DS starts English at school.....

outnumbered I'm glad things are going a little better now at the Kur and that you can enjoy your treatments. Hope your DS3 has a nice long nap :)

Ploom Hope the moulded arch supports help your foot. Sorry the doctor was a bit rubbish but at least the specialist was able to suggest something you think might work.

admylin That's a bit cheeky of the school telling you not to complain about the cost of the trip as you have so long to save up for it!! English people couldn't possibly all eat peanut butter all of the time otherwise when would we find the time to eat all the fish and chips and fried breakfasts we eat three meals a day every day?

Nutella Good luck with the osteopathy. I never tried it with DS but I've heard good things about it. I remember the pain of two hourly feeds so feel for you! I hope it passes soon and you get some sleep.

hupa That vocabulary is shocking! I hope the teacher realises his mistakes and doesn't mark your DD down for using the correct vocab.

cheas Ooh I think a caffeine/sugar-free buddy would actually keep me motivated. I'm doing quite well at drinking lots of water during the day and eating a proper lunch, cutting out my morning cup of tea is going to be the hardest part, I think. The hygienist here just gives my teeth a scale and polish before the dentist looks at them. She's really nice and quite quick. DH has his done for free as he only has the basic scale and polish but I pay 60? as I get the 'professional' scale and polish because of my lovely tea stains. I think the only difference is the number of teeth they clean for you. I have it done twice a year at my normal appointments and really think it's worth it, but that's just personal preference.

The cold that has been threatening to develop for the past two weeks is finally here, so hopefully it will be out of my system soon. Poor DS has been a bit snotty for the past week or so too, as well as teething, so fingers crossed he feels a bit better soon. We went for a ride on the bus (without the buggy) and to Depot to look at the clocks as a treat yesterday which seemed to cheer him up no end, bless. He is obsessed with clocks and buses at the moment!

Hello to anyone I've missed!

admylin the peanut butter comment made me laugh too. It's just like all Germans eat currywurst or Eisbein mit Sauerkraut. Actually telling those stereotypes to a class is quite though.

antique ds3 refused to go to sleep this lunchtime. I still kept him in his cot for about an hour and he listened to a cd. Eventually he started shouting 'mummy the sun is out! MU-MMY the sun is here!!' (Because when the sun comes out on his gro clock in the mornings he is allowed to call for me). There wasn't much point keeping him in bed so I have up. I hope bedtime goes ok for you tonight!

quick post as on my way to pick up dc, and then dh from work - the sun is finally shining here so we are off for a long walk .

outnumbered fingers crossed that all continues to improve...you have had a really rough start to what was meant to be a Kur. you will
clearly need them to extend your stay by another three weeks to recover from last week.

linzer I got some non amalgam fillings that were white, but don't think they were ceramic. Though I can't remember exactly I think they were around 100 euro and last about 5 years. our dentist did want to give me some gold/ceramic mix (or something....) and that would have cost around 1200 euro for 2 teeth - sounds like what you have been offered?

I always thought it was americans who ate peanut butter all the time . I associate peanut butter with the US, not with the Uk. Dunno why...guess it was because the first time I had it when I was little (1970s Spain) was at the house of someone who had access to the shop at the US airbase near Madrid.

antique I gave up caffeine recently and found it quite easy. Having said that I was only drinking 2 cups of weak tea a day. In fact I just got a delivery of decaf tea today . I struggle to cut out sugar completely...I have gone for sugar-free mornings!

hope you get your foot sorted soon ploom has been going on for quite a while now, hasn't it?

ah, thanks for the thoughts on swimming...I decided to give it another go until summer. and regretted it on Saturday . Nah, it is stressful but the dc do enjoy it when we are there, and I felt the reasons why I wanted to give up were the "wrong" ones. I love swimming and it has given me a lot of pleasure over the years. Plus in vienna there are lots of activities near or in water (does one sail in water or on water? my english prepositions are getting as bad as my german ones!) so I will feel more relaxed if they can swim. Plus, while ds has his swimming class, the dds can play in the water and I can have a proper swim. If I can be bothered....

hi to everyone else!

admylin I've been thinking about Branston all day... Might have to order sme when little bro comes for his visit in a couple of weeks :)

ploom feel free to pop in anytime! Obviously first for a cup of tea or something so I can check you're not going to steal my baby - although things would be much quieter round here

cheas I bulk ordered vitamins ages ago and am taking breast feeding ones when I remember they make my nails grow really strong :o but are probably also the reason my iron levels were so good throughout pregnancy.
I use healthspan for most vitamins, their postage seems reasonable. Can't remember where I ordered my pregnancy/ BF vits...

Antique I hope your old gets better quick!

outnumbered I hope your Kur keeps going well. It sounds like a really interesting programme they have worked out for you.

We went to visit a friend we met at the hospital, she had her daughter the day before DS. It was really lovely, she had even baked a yummy cake! Of course her DD sleeps through but is very regularly sick... On everything... So I guess it's a compromise. They were very cute lying on a mat near each other and making little noises. But DS seems to get really upset when he hears another baby crying :( but cute. Then they both wanted feeding, DS kept crying while feeding (the child is bonkers) until the friend's DD had settled down and was feeding quietly.
Today he's been feeding mostly every two hours; but has been fast asleep for the last two hours - since I came home- so that has been three hours since the last feed. We normally feed at about 9pm and then he goes to bed when he finishes; he woke up at 8:50, in time for a change into his bedtime clothes before starting to feed.

I bought some yellow tulips for my friend and left the baby outside the shop (took my handbag with me obviously) the woman asked if I wanted to bring the baby in with me so that he didn't get stolen it was a tiny shop and I knew I would only be there a minute plus I could see him through the window... Am I being complacent or lax... Should I worry about someone stealing my baby??? I wouldn't leave him long and yes of course it could happen...

platanos I do eat peanut butter but I don't like English tea... But since I like marmite, fish & chips and Branston pickle (not all at once) I know I'm British

Nutella yes I was talking about the Listermeile shop. What did you get in there (nosey)? The branston and marmite just arrived! I'll order there again if they're always this quick, that's like a 24hr service!
How cute that your ds cried when he heard the other baby crying!

platanos peanut butter is more an american thing but dd's teacher must have got her info mixed up! Dd wasn't brave enough at the time to stand up and explain what marmite is or start on about fish and chips!

Antique I recently saw an advert for a special offer in Netto I think for a cuckoo clock and said we really should buy one in case we do move to the US or any other country really, but we missed it! It would have been a great pressie for your ds. Is he into building sites too? I spent many hours watching building sites and cranes when ds was about 2!

Dd had a friend round yesterday to try and do a project which they half failed at.
Does anyone else find this abit much - the music teacher set a task to design an advert and then film it and add appropriate music to the background (lesson subject is music in advertising).

They managed to come up with an idea, filmed it with dd's camera and got it onto dd's laptop but then they couldn't figure out how to edit it or add any music. They have never been taught that sort of stuff at school it's just expected that they have the equipment and the knowledge to do that. Some of them will have had help from parents and others will have managed somehow but I somehow think it's unfair. Dd has window7 and a fairly decent laptop but it still didn't work out.

admylin That homework sounds really advanced - and like the kind of thing that candidates have to do on the Apprentice! I wouldn't have had a clue how to add music or edit a film either; it almost sounds more like an IT assignment than a music one.

Nutella Taking your baby into the shop so he doesn't get stolen does sound a bit OTT when you can still see him through the window. I had a loaf of bread stolen from my pushchair once, but having one of the DC stolen has never been a major concern, I must admit! The Austrians generally seem to be far more lax about leaving small children alone at home/in cars than the British would be.

platanos My white filling cost 50 pounds years and years agos, so it sounds like it's the same as what you had (I have discovered through googling that Kunststoff is actually composite rather than plastic - a "plastic filling" doesn't sound great, does it? - although I'm sure my dentist just called it a "white filling"). I don't even know whether a composite filling would be an option - it would look better than amalgam, I suppose, but I'm a bit put off by it making my tooth so sensitive last time.

Yes, I would definitely associate peanut butter with the USA too. I remember it being recommended as a good source of protein when we lived there (along with ice cream as a good source of calcium).

Antique Hope you and DS are feeling better soon. When I was an au pair I spent many an afternoon taking the two year old on S-Bahn, U-Bahn and bus rides, which he used to love. It's amazing how obsessed boys can get with vehicles!

cheas I'm sure I've been feeling better since I've been taking Vitamin D, although it could just be the placebo effect of course.

outnumbered Yes, once you learn the wrong vocab or pronunciation it's very difficult to unlearn it. I find it a bit depressing how many 6 and 7 year olds already say bläck and cät in their English lessons, for example, whereas the preschoolers I taught picked up the correct pronunciation more or less straight away.

Ploom Hope your appointment this morning went OK and that the insoles help - did you find out exactly what an Orthopädiemeister is?

hupa Am at the teacher's vocab! Let us know how the test went - it will be interesting to find out whether he realises he's made a mistake (well, several!).

Wow a lot of posts - have just read but of course forgotten who said what...

Hupa wow at the blatantly incorrect vocab! Also at the correction of correct British to American pronunciation Linzer I set would have thought that if non specialist teachers are teaching basic English they would have centrally issued pre-made lesson plans and resources issued (or even just a comprehensive text book) and just have to deliver standard issue material, but that would evidently be too logical/ expensive... or something! I honestly can't imagine being able to keep my mouth shut and will want to go in and speak in English to anyone teaching English, until recently I would have been 100% certain DD would point out errors, but I am afraid school has been knocking her natural outgoing confidence out of her a bit recently :( :(

Nutella Glad you had a good visit to your friend, getting out and socialising really makes things much pleasanter when you have a baby I think :) (BTW is pleasanter a word? DH denies it is and mocks me for using it and claiming to be an English teacher, he says only "more pleasant" is correct, but I think this is an instance where both are OK...) I wouldn't leave a baby outside a shop however small, if they are in a buggy I've always picked them out of it and carried them into small shops with me, it's never crossed my mind to leave them outside - but trying to think what my concern might be I am probably more worried that they will cry than be stolen... I would find it counter intuitive to leave them outside, though I sometimes leave DS2 in the (locked) car in the same circumstances if he is very soundly asleep (I always leave the radio on for him in case he wakes up and feels abandoned ) Hope the osteopath helps you. Ds 2 still wakes every 2 hours and he's almost 2...

Ploom Hope the insert helps, that's what I have, though it was just proscribed by the Hausartz then I went to a specialist shop to have it made, and they scanned my foot with a fancy machine which produced what looked like a contour map.

Outnumbered glad your boys are better and hope you get to enjoy the remaining 2 weeks of your Kur.

I have nothing useful to add about fillings I'm afraid as none of us has ever had one... Think good teeth are the only thing I can put down to "good genes" inherited from my parents, I am falling apart in every other way... :/

Taking DD to the Kinderartz shortly - ostensibly about a verruca she appears to have acquired but I actually gave the reason for her apt as discussing her concentration at school. Now I am filled with angst about whether I am going to give her a complex by discussing the concentration issue in front of her, and whether she really needs any help, as her report was good and she seems to have been doing well at school since we reached a kind of mini crisis point last week, it is so hard to work out what the right thing to do is!

admylin yes that homework sounds crazy to be done all at once with limited pre teaching - it is the sort of thing that might have formed an assignment when I taught GSCE media studies, but then we would have had a series of lessons on advertising, followed by a double creating story boards in class and a homework to finish the story board, then a lesson spent discussing the filming of the advert and probably a week available to do the filming if it was to be done for homework, then a lesson in the computer suite learning how to add music and another week available to record and add music, then another lesson spent editing the finished advert in the school computer suite, then a lesson and homework to write a presentation explaining the logic behind the advert, before presenting and showing the advert in class (probably over 2 double lessons to show all the ads) as a piece of assessed work. So the process would be an entire half term scheme of work leading to one piece of assessed course work, for year 10 or 11 Media studies students in the UK.

Tumbles that sounds like exactly what dd has been told to do but with 2 weeks from start to finish! Today some of them presented their work and she said the best one was for a deoderant called 'Survive' where a zombie attacked a boy who was getting dressed in his room so he sprayed it with 'Survive' and went out where 2 more zombies were waiting - spray, zombies fall over, all to the sound of classical horror background music! Oh well, that was a group of 4 boys who are computer geeks so they did seem to have done it themselves.
Dd has until next week to finish their advert now!

I've been to the Kinderärtzin before with dd when she was having a bad time at school in Berlin but before she would do anything I had to do the rounds of eye doctor, neurologist and ear doctor to be sure there wasn't any other type of problem (took weeks to get all the appointments) by which time the problems and headaches had stopped so the Kinderärtzin couldn't do anything.
Have you tried giving your dd omega-3? It really helped ds in year 1 years ago.

Well dd came home and said the English test was really easy. The English teacher is also her maths teacher and he´s an excellent maths teacher, although completely disorganised, but English is obviously not his strong point. I know I really should have said something, but I´m too much of a wimp.

Tumbles It´s a real shame your dd is getting her confidence knocked by the school situation. Would it be possible to send dd back to the waiting room while you had a private word with the doctor about her concentration?

admylin that homework sounds like a nightmare. I would have no idea how to help either of mine if they came home with such a task.

outnumbered How was the massage? Dh once booked me a head and shoulder massage as a treat. It started off well, but then she starting rubbing huge amounts of oil through my hair and we were meant to be going out for a meal afterwards and I just felt completely stressed. I had to rush back and wash my hair before we could go out.

Linzer Have you decided what you´re going to do about your tooth?

Nutella I think I would have done the same as you in that situation. I have a friend here who used to leave her baby out in the front garden asleep for an hour or more while she was inside and I found that a bit shocking.

Has anyone got anything interesting planned for the weekend?

hupa I totally understand what you mean. I've had maybe four massages and realise that I have to make sure I have plenty of time to "enjoy" the massage and do nothing afterwards.

I think Leaving him outside was inspired by pictures of babies lined up outside cafes in Copenhagen. But he was all cosy & wrapped up warm so if I'd taken him out of his little carrycot it would have become cold; & he probably would have started screaming again.
I'm starting to wonder if he is a sensitive baby... Is it normal for a baby to make such a sad face, cry and even shed little tears when they hear another baby cry?
He also starts to cry as soon as I leave the room and will get so worked up he sort of chokes, I'm surprised he isn't making himself sick more often!

Today he spent almost an hour screaming, I'd selfishly gone for a shower while he was napping and he would not be comforted afterwards. Gave up, put him in his carrycot, took him down to the buggy, by which time the screaming had stopped. I swear we stepped outside & he fell asleep!

Linzer not sure if I'm or seriously recommending peanut butter or ice cream for anything other than a good dose of yummy calories is bonkers!

nutella I remember my dc falling asleep as soon as, or shortly after, we went outside in the buggy, or even in a sling. It is fine for them, but not so great if you also wanted a nap...I think it is normal for babies to cry when they hear others crying. It's a sign that they have empathy and will not turn into criminals .

hupa will you see the english test? I wonder what would happen if your dd wrote the correct translation? I am not really a massage person - had one in my life - and was getting impatient. I have lots of dm points saved up and the cashier said I could have a 3 hour pampering session for free. I think my nerves would be shattered at the end of that.

admylin that homework sounds like fun, but only if they are given some support, and some time. Must be rather daunting otherwise. Hope she gets it done.

tumbles what did the dr say? your poor dd seems to be having a tough time. How do you have to treat the verruca? dd2 has one, we went to the hautarzt and she says I have to scrape it every day with a scalpel until it bleeds. ouch. I can't bring myself to do that, so just scrape some skin off and then put the tincture on it.

outnumbered- hope you are all healthy and happy.

Linzer glad you have not got a bit of plastic (bag) as a filling... can just hear the comments about the british dentists. I am also at peanut butter and ice cream recommendations. I admit, we often have peanut butter in the house, but I only buy the one from Alnatura, with no sugar.

cheas random question I have been meaning to ask you: you mentioned Uggs a while back. what does Katy say to those? I see some dreadful over and under pronation on some people wearing them. Is that good? Looks sore.

dh and I had a day off yesterday, with no children. We finally made it to one of the main museums here and strolled around the city. And tonight we are off to the theatre. Finally. It is 100 m from our front door and we have never been there. I wonder if I will understand the play....

Hope you all have a good weekend!

platanos Hope you enjoy the theatre - what are you going to see? We're also off to the theatre today, but I have no concerns about understanding it as it's Dick Whittington. In English.

Nutella Oh, I remember those days of having to have a shower in 30 seconds flat, accompanied by a screaming baby. Some babies just seem to cry more than others; DS in particular was not happy about being left to entertain himself for more than about 10 seconds.

hupa No, still can't decide - and probably won't do so until I've spoken to the dentist again, which will no doubt lead to a spur of the moment decision. The more I read, the more indecisive I become.

MrTumbles How did the appointment go yesterday? I feel a bit guilty about discussing DD1's issues in front of her (with doctors, etc.) but we try to praise her as much as possible at the same time.

Must go... we've decided to have lunch in Vienna before the theatre and are catching the train in (quite an adventure).

linzer how was the theatre? and lunch? hope you had a good time. We are going to see "Ich war nie da" . The theatre is meant to be experimental, according to my colleague they put on "arg" plays, "like ones where they have sex on stage". I will certainly understand that then but hope it offers a bit more than something to shock the public for the sake of shocking...

Just to let you all know: no sex on stage - phew. An entertaining 1.5 hours which made me laugh lots. And I understood it!!

Ds has had a cold for the last 2 weeks and has developed a fever today . Off to the dr tomorrow. I am feeling a bit stressed as have used up my parental leave and have 2 days holidays left but will have to work it out by working longer hours for the rest of the month. Colleagues at work (and a mum from kita) said I should say I am ill, but I would feel bad lying like that.

Hope you have sunshine where you are...beautiful sunny day here

platanos good to hear that you enjoyed the theatre. I haven't been to German theatre; but I did get a free ticket to see an operatic version of Othello... Of course it was sung in Italian with German subtitles... Me and my friend (who invited me because she had free tickets) were a bit lost :o
Thanks for the reassurance that DS won't be a criminal :o

Linzer I feel terrible leaving him to cry :( but I need a shower to help wake me up and I dry my hair as quick as possible, because its a bit too cold to leave it to dry... Ah well hopefully he will be a bit more relaxed as he gets older.

admylin I bought some treacle and dark brown sugar (since they had it, and. I really fancy some sticky gingerbread) I did fancy a creme egg... Until I saw the price! -which probably isn't a bad thing.

DS is finally over his need to feed every two hours. Last night he slept from about 22:30-03:30 it was pretty much his longest sleep ever and it was great! Hope it continues :) although after that he wanted to feed again at 6 and at 9 . After I changed him at 6 he was all smiles which was ridiculously cute.

Plantanos eek at being advised to scrape a verruca with a scalpel til it bleeds! The assistant froze DD's with dry ice, but told DD to say if it hurt and when she did she stopped. I have to make her soak her foot in warm soapy water for 5 mins to soften it before I paint the tincture on (I like that word, sounds very Dickensian) and then there is also a special medicated plaster (which was a private prescription I had to pay for) that I have to cut a tiny piece off to use each time, which goes over the top, and a normal plaster over that... Hope it gets rid of it! Glad you enjoyed the theatre.

Nutella I agree with Linzer that all/ most babies cry when they hear another baby crying. Also very normal to feel very guilty about having even the fastest of showers until your baby is a toddler - once he is then instead of crying while you shower he will use the opportunity to open the shower screen every 15 seconds, to ask you what you are doing, flooding the floor and getting drenched, or to trash other rooms while you aren't watching . We could hear a baby crying from another room at the docs the other day when DS2 had his U7 and he didn't cry (as he's nearly 3) but was getting increasingly worked up and was convinced the baby was hurt and needed "A Mummy" and kept telling me to come on and help him find the baby. He didn't settle til we saw the baby in the corridor and its mum told DS2 that the baby was only crying because it didn't like being put into its snow suit :) Glad you got a nice long stretch of sleep, long may that continue :)

Linzer how was lunch and the theatre? Sounds very civilized! :)

The paediatrician doesn't think DD has ADD/ ADHD - but then I don't either, I have taught kids who genuinely do and her behaviour is not at all similar, and I never specifically raised it! He asked her some questions and me some questions and says he thinks she's just a dreamer :o But he has given me a referral to a testing centre where they have a range of specialists, with a view to finding out if she does need any kind of help, which is a good outcome IMO as what I really want to know is whether she does in fact need any help, and if so what would be the best fit to help her with the rest of her time at school. If they say she is absolutely fine then that is also a very good thing to know! I have to ring up tomorrow for an apt, and there may be quite a wait apparently, but at least I have done something rather than just left it or signed her up for something that might knock her confidence or make her feel insecure without being of any actual help!

Nice day here too, though we still have snow it is actually sunny and (relatively speaking) warm for the second day in a row. Winter has felt so long and dreary this year, there's been snow on the ground for most of the last 4 months, but not glinting white snow and blue skies, just lots of grey overcast sky and snow frozen to a hard crust a lot of the time and its felt somehow dark a lot of the time. I've have been outside with DS2 but he has yet another cold and was getting miserable, so he's having some hot chocolate and watching Show Me Show Me :) and the big kids are in the playground now with a couple of their friends, I can see them all on the see-saw from the window when I turn my head :)

Typo there, DS2 is nearly 2 not nearly 3!

Morning all!

mrtumbles that sounds like a pretty good result for DD. Hopefully it will throw up nothing but at least then you know either way if there is anything you can do to help support your DD. your DS2 sounds very sweet.

Well after the feeding frenzy he is worn out! He was a bit grumpy and sleepy yesterday but we pulled off a relaxed spontaneous visit to the PIL, and we think we made a whole village happy.
DP wanted to catch them by surprise and take the wind out of their sails a bit. So he rang them Sunday lunchtime (when we were ready to leave to either see them or go for a walk) and invited ourselves over. DP said they were out but heading home and his dad sounded really happy.
We haven't taken DS out much in the car - we haven't needed to - and he squeaked a bit at first, but fell asleep. When we arrived we unpacked the buggy, packed him in it all nice and warm and went off for a walk with FIL while MIL baked a (packet mix) cake, because they were also expecting BIL and SIL so that meant they needed enough cake to feed 10
We had a nice walk, bumped into FIL's sister (the slightly mad but lovely aunt) and she was so pleased to see DS, she was even more pleased that she was allowed to stroke his little face and we bumped into about another 6 or so people who are all friends of the PIL. I think FIL was sad that MIL had to stay home.

Funny thing was when DS woke up at the PIL he did not look pleased. When he woke up at home he was all smiles again. Then he giggled and smiled his way through me and DP having dinner. The little nut!