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.

cheas I'd know what a fasting blood test is, but don't think I've ever heard it used in RL. Mind you, that's not saying much as I've lived outside the UK for 14 years now and the only person I talk to about that kind of thing is my mum (my dad always seems to be going for blood tests where he can't eat and drink beforehand).

I generally find the Austrians (can't remember whether the Germans were the same) much more concise than the British would be. I was buying a top-up for DD1's mobile at Lidl the other day and the cashier asked me "extra?". I didn't have a clue what she meant - I thought it was some kind of name for the voucher - until she spelled it out: "soll ich das extra verrechnen?" I was only buying one thing, but she hadn't realised all the food behind the separating thingy (technical term) belonged to the woman behind me in the queue. I can't imagine a cashier in the UK, in similar circumstances, just saying "separately?" (Well, that's my excuse for being confused.)

Ploom That recipe looks good; will have to try it as I think I have all the ingredients. I don't have a problem with cups - I have a set of plastic ones - but can never remember exactly how much a stick of butter weighs, so it's good that it tells you the equivalent in tablespoons. I remember a packet of butter is divided into four sticks but can never remember how much the packet weighs to start with, so that isn't much help... and then you still have to convert from oz into g.

So, I've got my glass of water so I'm allowed on while my lentils cook!

ploom how did your dh's birthday go? Did you celebrate at home? Recipe sounds nice.
Good idea with the water only rule in the house. Ds is good, he only drinks water (or his morning coffee) but dd is terrible and will only drink juice mixed with fizzy water or pure juice if she can get away with it. I'm struggling to get her to have breakfast nowadays too and she'll leave the house with no drink or food in her stomach. I've tried everything from offering to do pancakes to special (expensive) breakfast biscuits.

cheas how frustrating that you won't have time to try your bras on! Hope the rehersals go OK.

Linzer yes I agree, sounds as if the shop assistants save on words, I have often heard 'Tüte' in kik or smaller shops to ask me if I would like a bag!

admylin sorry to hear about the diagnosis. hope the sand helps. will better weather also help? or is that a myth?

jenny hope the assessment goes well. what is it that is worrying you about his reactions? I sometimes wonder if dd2 should be assessed - I am just not sure if her behaviour is on the scale of "normal" or whether some help would help her iyswim.

cheas like the idea of you mning from the pit. shame you can't try on your bras there too! what is it you play again?

linzer hope you are not feeling too bad. did the assistant bark at you too? good to hear your dc could go to school - hope they can fight the bugs off.

ploom that recipe looks good - could easily veganise it. where do you get vanilla from? I don't think I have not seen it here anywhere, just vanilla sugar.

nutella those are special presents. enjoy your time with your mother.

hilentilis ds still keeping you busy

and hope your kur is going wel outnumbered

when I was about 15 I read it was very good to have a glass of water first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. I have got used to that now, and find it really strange not to. We also have a milk and water rule for dc, juice is a special treat.

Must go as dds have just come home and I have to give them a list to go shopping for dd2's gesunde Jause tomorrow. I was going to make it a vegan one (the gesunde jause is meant to expose the children to different foods) but I have not had time to think it through. And dds have to do the shopping on their own as ds is in bed asleep...he is better though, and I hope the sun and good weather will help his immune system recover.

platanos Very impressed at you getting your DDs to go shopping for you. The fact that we don't have a supermarket within walking distance would be a major hindrance for us, but I still can't imagine being able to send them to get more than one or two things. A vegan gesunde Jause would be an interesting challenge; do you have a list of specific foods to buy? Ours was very dairy-based (milk, yogurt, butter, cheese plus fruit and veg), although didn't include meat. Do you still have to provide a gesunde Jause at Volksschule? I certainly don't miss having to take one in (actually, two per year - and four when I had two DC at KiGa) now that DS has moved up to school.

No barking involved - the cashier was perfectly polite, just very concise with her words!

Wish I could introduce a millk and water rule! DD1 only drinks water, but the other two are big fans of Himbeersaft/Hollersaft gespritzt (although sometimes DD2 has it with tap water). I blame KiGa and my ILs for encouraging a sweet tooth in the first place (although my PIL tend to have drinks like Fanta, Sprite and Cappy).

admylin Yes, "Sackerl?" is the normal way of asking if you want a bag here. I think I'd probably faint if I was asked in a full sentence (although, like I said above, everyone is very polite).
What did you make with your lentils? I love red lentils and should cook with them more often.

Linzer I just made a big pan of dhal with red and yellow lentils, onion, garlic, tomato, chopped red chilli and turmeric and cumin for tonight and to freeze as dh has dhal as a side dish every day and would never consider having just rice and dhal like I do. He's got an aubergine and tomato curry to go with it and making it his 3rd vegetarian (vegan even) night this week he'll be moaning for some meat tomorrow!

platanos what is on your Jause menu? Hope the girls manage to get it all.
It's a really good idea to drink a glass of water first thing in the morning. I'll have a go at it as I'm usually quite thirsty when I get up.

Poor dd is sitting over her laptop with her friend on skpe trying to figure out how to finish the music homework. They have the film and it's on her laptop but no sound! On her phone there is sound but she can't edit it so no idea what went wrong. They also have to find some music to go with their advert. It's all taking too much time up for my liking and I told her she should just accept a lower grade and stop but she won't.
Ds is revising for history with his chat on and a game running on his laptop but I can't really complain as he's only bringing top grades home at the moment.

Survived the gesunde Jause...ds loves making them with me, so have signed up for another one....

It's funny how dc vary. My dds are quite happy to go to the shop (it is about 4 houses away and they know them there) and mostly come back with what is on the list . But dd1 hates being left at home alone - she just panics at the thought, and does it only when she is ill and I have to take ds to kita.

We do have a lits of things to buy for the gesunde Jause. Which kind of defeats the purpose of getting the children to try new foods, but parents are allowed to vary it, and fruit is seasonal too. They have to eat it with their fingers so no yoghurt. And there is a water only rule at school, so no milk. It's mostly fruit, vegetables, spreads to put on the bread that the teacher buys. The only dairy on the list is butter. I think it would be quite easy to veganise it but wanted to check with the teacher whether okay to do so and whether she thinks children would eat something like hummous. dd2's teacher is the only one who does a weekly gesunde Jause...though she did say that as the children got older they would be making it themselves...

admylin it must be such a relief to have a child that brings home top marks. At least there is one thing less to worry about. Oh poor dd and her homework - can she not ask for help? very unfair if she can't...

is anybody else in a yoyo craze? or rather your dc? My dds are obsessed...saving up their reward money for some special ones from germany...I guess it is better than computers, and something that both boys and girls seem to be into at their school. I can't stand the "but that is for girls/boys" divide. In fact I am quite impressed that dd2 can go swimming with the school in her normal boy's swimming trunks- and nobody has said anything about it. After the fuss they made when she cut her hair short, I was bracing myself for ít.

cheas, calcium can be found in kale, tofu, soya milk, broccoli, edamame, and quite a few other things. See here for a visual: pinterest.com/pin/124130533451716450/ and some other useful links: pinterest.com/pin/124130533451606450/ and pinterest.com/pin/124130533451614443/.
I take a multivitamin now, though its just the one that is meant to prime your body for conception as we are TTC. I don't actually think I really need supplements, but I take it as a backup measure.

DS is keeping me very busy, but PIL are here for a visit, so I am MNing! :) They brought loads of foodie goodies from the UK too, so I am going to be busy this weekend, eating! :)

I am trying to increase my water consumption, but I have never been very good at it.

Ploom, it is like summer here!!! DS and I were at the park in just our tshirts yesterday, did get lots of looks from the locals though! All their children were in coats and hats!

Hello everyone else!

Lentil Lovely and sunny here too - all the children (ours and neighbours') were playing out in the garden in T-shirts and shorts earlier. I was quite surprised that the neighbours' DC were allowed to, as I've heard them being told before that they would catch a cold because they were underdressed.

platanos No yo-yo craze here; DS is very into Pokémon atm, but that's about it. at the school objecting to your DD's hair; surely that's discriminatory? There's a girl in DD2's class who also has very short hair (shorter than some of the boys), but it's never been an issue.

admylin Did your DD get her music homework done in the end? It sounds like an utter nightmare.

I'm still feeling a bit miserable with this cold; I seem to have caught the you-think-you're-getting-better-but-then-you-get-worse-again thing that's going round. At least DH will be back tonight, although he's not really around enough during the week to help out and no doubt I'll have recovered by the weekend. I've had to do all the school runs this week too, as the other mum has pneumonia (and is a single parent, so I really can't complain too much); I can't wait until DS is sensible enough to walk on his own.

Linzer roll om weekend then you can maybe have a long sleep and get rid of your cold.

platanos I remember a yo-yo craze when ds was at primary, he had a few different ones and they klit up when you played with them, is that what you mean?
You're right, I'm glad that ds is lucky and can get through school on minimum work and still get good grades, it is one less worry but on the other hand I have double the worry with dd with her dyslexia and selective mutism. Oh and her moods although the throwing hairbrush and stomping bad hair days are getting better, she's growing up fast!

Lentil how long are oyur PIL staying? I like the pinterest vegan board, great ideas.

Well, dd told the music teacher that they had done all the work but it wasn't possible to edit the film. The teacher said she should try again so she's stuck with it for another week. I have no idea how to edit it or why the sound won't work. On her mobile you can hear what they are saying but on her laptop - no sound (although for other things like youtube her sound does work).

I told her we could get a student of dh's to help as he's great at computer stuff but she's abit embarrassed and doesn't want to show him it.

It's a film of one of 3 girls trying to put on her make-up and finding that her mascara is no good, then dd and another girl enter the room and suggest a different mascara. Then they all try it and there are close ups of their eyes with mascara on and last shot is all 3 of them looking happy! They have to edit, string all the scenes together and get the sound to work again and then add music to the background and all without any teaching or help from school!

admylin Surely the teacher should give them some help rather than just another week to work on the film? It sounds like far too much to ask of school children that age - of any age really, if they haven't learned anything about editing or adding music to film in their music lessons. It doesn't even sound as if the assignment has all that much to do with music.

We're in a very similar situation with DD1 and DD2; DD1 requires so much extra help that it's a huge relief that we can just leave DD2 to her own devices and she'll still get top marks. DH was spending hours with DD1 on her school work when she was DD2's age, but I can't remember the last time he even looked at DD2's school books. It's DD2 who has the moods here, however; she had a huge tantrum yesterday morning because DS was dressed before her (I have to wake her so that she can be up before everyone else).

I'm feeling much better today and finally had the energy to get the hoover out - the living room was in quite a state! I can even contemplate drinking coffee again, which is definitely a sign that I'm on the mend.

It's the school system here, it's so unfair. They expect every dc to have access to internet and to have all the equipment for filming. They often have to do power point presentations where a friend of dd's comes to our house as she doesn't have the software on her family PC. I looked it up and it's not as if it's cheap to buy and her parents don't earn much money.

One girl gets all her technical stuff done for her by her dad and it's SOOO obvious too but the teachers don't seem to think that's negative and she gets top marks, thanks to her dad.

Alone the fact that they have to download some music for this film is a pain. When they have chosen which tune/song they want to put on it they have to buy it or download it somehow from youtube. I've never done that before (is it even legal?). I did offer my CD collection to pick a song from but Abba and Bee Gees isn't their cup of tea!

PIL are here for three nights. Goes very fast.

Ah thanks, admylin re the Pinterest board. It's very useful for me as a point of reference. Did you see my sleb vegan board? I am not a slebby culture fan, but it was interesting to see how many famous vegans there are! Absolutely loads!

Sorry to hear so many schooling woes. :(

Actually, it's four nights! But they go early Sunday morning.

Quick question if I may re children's clothing sizes: I need to order dd a ski jacket type thing for our trip to Austria in two weeks. I'm looking at a 3in1 Vaude jacket which has great reviews, but it costs 90? or more (depending on size/colour) so I want to get it big enough for next winter at least. Dd is currently about size 98 (growing into rather than out of iyswim). I can get the jacket in size 104 or 116 - one reviewer on Jako-o said the 116 came up fairly small (equivalent to 110-116) whereas the 104 was a true 104 and not a 98-104. How much do kids grow in a year? The bigger size will swamp her atm, won't it?

Admylin the lack of pre teaching and help from the teacher with that assignment is crazy - it could have been an interesting module if actually taught, rather than just chucked at them!

Glad you're feeling better Linzer

Gorgeous weather here since Tuesdqay - up to 16 degrees today! There is only snow in shaded corners and the big piles that take a week or more to melt now... We have been outside lots and it is far better, kids and I are outside now, as are lots of the kids friends. However one of the mums at Kindergarten pick up threw away a casual remark that it's going to snow again next week - looked it up just now and sure enough it is forecast to be below -2 all next week with 0 hours of sun and high risk of snow. Oh joy. I may just lose my mind. What Cheas said up thread about it being the least sunny winter in years and years certainly feels depressingly true here... :( I hate winter here - first snow is fun, but 2 or 3 weeks of snow is enough , 4 solid months with only the odd brief thaw and almost no sun shine is so deeply dismal :(

Cheas I'd think she'd be alright in 104 coat, though it would be on the big side, I find that only matters in trousers. DS2 is a size 92 but his "second" winter coat, for when the other is wet/ muddy is a 98 and it is on the big side but he's fine in it, hopefully it will fit next winter too, but my kids seem to stay the same size hten have big spurts, so you can't always be sure how much they will grow in a year - I am always amazed at people who buy clothes half a year in advance as I'm sure I'd guess the size wrong with mine!

mrtumbles I'm sure you're right about the 104 being wearable now on the big side, I was just wondering whether it might be too small by this time next year, as ideally I would like it to still fit then. On Amazon it said the 116 was age 5-5.5, though. Dd will be 4.9 next March and is small for her age. Otoh, her current winter coat is a 98-104 (Vertbaudet) and I doubt it will still fit next winter. Aargh!

MrTumbles Snow forecast here next week too - to say I'm fed up with it would be an understatement! It's a complete pain... in the 10 years I've lived here, I don't remember the snow ever going on for so long (although we've had very long winters before).

cheas I don't think our three have ever grown much more than a size in a year, apart from when they were very little, and winter coats have always fitted them for two years as long as they haven't been on the small side the first year. Having said that, DD1 and DS are relatively short (DD2 is average) for their age, so obviously don't grow quite as quickly as some children. Unlike MrTumbles, I have no problem buying things for them in a bigger size (and often do if I see something in the sales) as I know it will fit them at some point.

In your case, I would definitely go for the 104. If it's any help (probably not, as it's a different item), DS is a size 104-110 and I bought him a 116-122 bathrobe for him from Jako-o, thinking it would be slightly too big but that I'd turn the sleeves up until he grew into it. It absolutely swamped him and looked ridiculous! I ended up giving it to DD2 in the end and buying him the 98/104 size, which was a much better fit.

admylin I've downloaded music from YouTube before (I mp3ified it, if that's a word), but the quality wasn't great - and I'm not too sure if it's legal either. How well children do at their homework really shouldn't depend on their parents' IT abilities and/or whether they have the latest software!

cheas I generally disregard ages when it comes to buying clothes as it would just worry me otherwise - DD1 is 134, which is 8-9 (she's 11) and DD2 is 122, which is 6-7 (she's 8). The only thing that would concern me is that your DD is growing out of (or will have grown out of) a 98-104 coat, although don't Vertbaudet normally come up small? And from my limited experience, Jako-o clothes come up fairly big.

I really have no idea!! My nearly 5.5 year old is no guide as he's in 128 now... DD managed to skip 116 altogether, she wore 110 comfortably for about 18 months, then grew a lot at all at once and I re-sorted her wardrobe and bought a load of size 122... Hence my "no way of knowing or reliably buying ahead" theory! Age 5 stuff from the UK sometimes says 116cm in it, if that's any help...

I could buy jeans and T shirts ahead as they are fairly seasonless, but I couldn't buy a heavy winter coat/ snowsuit ahead an be sure it would fit at the right time - its been a problem with DS2 not being able to inherit DS1's snow gear as DS1 is a Sept born child and Ds2 April, so at the start of this winter we had either size 80-86cm or size 98-104cm snow gear in the Keller, and DS2 was more 86-92, so I bought him new 92 stuff - now at the end of winter he can wear the stuff that fitted DS1 at the start of the winter he was 2, but its a bit on the big side.

admylin, just seen this article on a site I like, FYI: www.naturalnews.com/039401_arthritis_red_meat_dairy.html

cheas have you got one now? I think I would go for 104 but it is so hard to predict how fast they will grow. dd1 has grown lots this autumn and things we got her at the end of sept, to see her through till summer, no longer fit. grrrr...I have learnt a lessson. I try to buy neutral colours and styles so at least two dc get to wear the clothes.

admylin that is really unfair. I don't get why an extra week of struggling on one's own makes any pedagogical sense...what is the teacher normally like? I like the idea behind your dd's little film! I do realise you have double the worry with dd, and good to hear the tantrums are getting better. Fingers crossed.

mrtumbles I agree on the snow...enough. I love it but not the slushy kind or the grey skies that we have had.

linzer good to hear you are feelling better. And put that hoover away . The short hair fuss was so silly...dd had shoulder length hair and cut it really really short at the beginning of one summer (cut with the machine at a 2 setting I think), and would only wear boys clothes. The school did not object as such, but a sonderpedagogin called in and a couple of phone calls and meetings with the teacher about it. Now everybody is used to it like that, and she has been growing it out for some months. Heaven help me if she decides to wear a skirt one day .

The dds are into "trick yo-yos" like these yoyofactory-europe.com/.

lentils those links are good, thanks. and hope you are enjoying the food and the PILs!

I am feeling rotten. Finally caught one of ds's bugs. I think I am going back to bed, dh is at work so I shall be letting the dc fend for themselves today! Last night I nearly blew my top because I was so tired, sore all over and still having to make dinner without any help. I must get to grips with batch cooking. I try to cook for 2 nights but it does not always work.

Thanks for the sizing advice, everyone. Linzer that's very useful to know that your ds is wearing 104-110 now, as dd won't grow to his size by next year unless something very strange happens. Vertbaudet does come up small, I think - dd's coat actually says 102cm inside and it's a pretty perfect fit right now. Otoh her schneehose is size 92 (not V.) and has been good for two winters and is just starting to look small. I hope anyway that dd will get lots of wear out of this jacket as reviewers have said it's good in spring and autumn without the fleece inner.

I tried the bras on yesterday (was giggling a lot at the thought of trying them in the pit, platanos, we'd been warned by the conductor not to do anything distracting!) The 28 band seemed to be the right fit, but only one style fitted me in a 28dd, another was too small even in 28e. I've placed a second order, hoping I'll have got the sizes right this time and then I can return all the non-fitting stuff together next week.

DH has disappeared . I got up an hour ago and dd said he'd gone to get bread rolls. He's on call, so I assume he got called in to the hospital. Hope he gets back soon, I'm getting hungry.

Hello, hope you're all having nice weekends despite the grey weather. The temperature has really dropped here since midweek. Poor grandma came back from holiday in Vietnam and has really enjoyed seeing her little grandson but it would have been nice if it had been a little bit sunnier.

It's been one of those weeks where things just refuse to run smoothly. But I can't complain too much because grandma cleaned the windows while I dusted & she has also vacuumed the flat is clean again!
Grandma also likes a cuddle in the morning while I get to shower or do whatever I please in peace.