Streupflicht und Schneeschaufel

[finknottle]

Thanks Gabster for the inspiration for the thread!

Add your resolutions here & I can slip alongside and pretend I'll make some too.
Still too fragile - my sleep patterns go haywire when I'm home, stay up till 1 or 2am, then awake at 5am (6 here, usual flipping school time) then I come back & keep crashing on the sofa at 10pm and wake up at 4 bright & breezy.

We have snow, very pretty and h is off till Weds so am pushing him out for Streupflicht, bartered it for a fry-up with real English bacon, hmmmmmm.
Forecast is for -12C to -14C tonight - and when the children go back to school on Thursday. Yikes.

Hi and welcome westvan!

Really sorry to hear about your gran, admylin. Is there no way you could go over, even if it's just for a couple of days? I'm dreading that time too when my parents' health starts to deteriate and I'm too far to be able to just drop everything and visit. 98 is a grand old age - I bet she has some interesting tales to tell.

ML, I'm glad to hear things are getting better for you and dh. Weekend in Lyon sounds great

Hi Westvan - welcome.

Definitely think name change is in order Schmutzfink!

Thanks for the input on the new Gabsterdorf guys. Food for thought I think.

ML - ROFWL at dog and dad chinnanigans. Glad to hear project marriage is proceeding. Hope it went well.

Ad - sorry you have been poorly. Lots of well wishes - although not happy about the comment about two young DCs .

Sorry to hear about your Granny too - and know exactly how you feel. My Dad's family seem to be dropping like flies at the moment and feeling very guilty am not making appearances at funerals/worried about my dad (he's not taking it well).

Still soon be home. Must admit feeling chipper today, even though so busy at the mo. It's Monday and that means lots of new properties on the agent websites so I'm off to try and find the new Gabster abode.

Chin chin

Hi Westvan (waves from Munich)

Admylin, so sorry to hear about your gran, it really made being away so much harder. Hope she and you are feeling better today.

Fink, the name change is great, go on, do it, it'll make me smile each time I read it

OK; Question for you lot. Sigh, as if our UK moves didn't have enough educational conundrums:-

DS3 in Kindergarten. Start of year Erzieherin told me as Nov born, we could decide if he starts school September 2009 (1 year KG) or Spet 2010 (2 years KG). We opted for 2 years, so this year is mainly play, next year is Vorschulklass.

This morning she comes to me and says they've changed the law & that he has got to start school in september 2009. He's already missed half of the Vorschulklass, those kids are already mates. It means he'd have to change KG class now, change to school in September, then change schools again to UK following easter. Plus, he's so teeny, he's the size of a 3 year old. I'm sure he'll get bullied in school about it.

There is a plus point to the move. In the UK, I think September 2010 he'll be in Year 2, so he'll be starting UK school towards the end on Year 1 with never having any formal education.

So, I have to speak to head and take poor sod to doctor who will declare him 'Schulreif' (or not). Undecided if I should accept the move or challenge it and have him declared 'Unreif'.

WHat do you German knwoldgeables people think?

Or have I wasted everyone's time & should I be putting this in the German school thread (is there still one..?)

Pissed off they can change their minds so late though. Change in Law or not, they should just make it compulsory for those not yet affected.

it's here ernest it's hard to decide isn't it. I'll tell you what happend tu us over there!

No news from home so I guess no news is good news. My mum is meant to be coming over next week but I told her to cancel if gran isn't well. So we'll see.

Yes, Gabster, it's true. Enjoy every minute of sleep you get now because when number 2 arrives you will have to manage on naps every now and then!

Westvan, I got your mail, thanks! Will write back soon and your blog is amazing! I'm off to have a sleep again befor ethe dc get back from school. Can't keep my eyes open and I went to bed at 8:30 last night too.

where is this great blog of yours vanwest?! (if you wish to divulge)

Can anyone explain to me, just honestly curious, why German does commas and decimal points differently to us? I mean, why is it we would write 1,111.00 Euros and they would write 1.111,00 Euros?

Anyone? WOndering how this came about.

No idea but it's confusing isn't it? I have to be so careful when I write things for the dc. They have a maths book from UK and one from India too with the British system and even the long divisions are written slightly differently which my dc hate as it confuses them and they won't use the books anymore. I recently found a great website explaining angles and stuff but as it was in English it didn't help ds that much. Anyway I find our way more logical.

no idea, but makes e banking complicated. I think Switzerland is different again, got used to wiss way, now finding sending money a challenge. Think I'm getting old.
At least their date is 'correct'.

yes I always have to stop and think with American dates too - 8/3 being 3.8 and so on. I should get used to it with all the exposure I get to it but I seem unable to grasp them automatically.

But the time isn't !

Had ds close to tears once in UK because no one believed him that half three is really half two, they all just laughed and said, no it can't be it's stupid, you must have got it wrong. He now has proof in his English book so he's going to take it with him next time!

They had my dd in tears at school when they tried telling her that after 12:00 comes 13:00. She totally broke down because she'd learnt then comes 1 pm.

Aww, aren't they sensitive! Mine are too and ds is bordering on depressed at the moment. Think I need to go to the doctor with him but not sure if I would get help (German doctors are another thread worth on their own!)

My Frauenarzt was shite, but Kinderarzt excellent. Am off to hospital now actaually with ds1, as he broke his finger(s) on Sunday. Am glad to be here now, rather than UK hospital - they were great & very speedy with him on Sunday.

Admylin. Very you saying you think your ds is depressed. My ds1 is so sad here, not nec. cos it's Germany per se, but the set up just isn't working. It's a big reason we're moving now. I can understand how hard it must be for you, esp as you yourself are homesick. I really hope you can move to somewhere you can all fell really happy, and soon. Reallly, I do.

Oh, and did I miss something.... Has Gab got some 'news' I missed?

Wish me luck at hospital - poor ds in a lot of pain.

Hope he feels better soon Ernest. Did he slip on the ice by any chance? Here in both my dc's schools there have been accidents and dc being picked up early every day with nose bleeds, broken arms and all sorts. Now they've put a sign up that the dc can't play out at break time. Ds fell too and ha sa bruise down the side if his face.

It's awful when one or more of your dc aren't happy. I don't know what to do at the moment. Mmelindt, has your dd cheered up and settled? I think it's the constant stress getting to ds, he feels it in me and gets it thrown at him by h - complete tactless idiot at times going on about getting 1's and if he doesn't he'll have a rubbish job later etc.

maybe ds is worried about his great grandmother too admylin. How is she by the way, any news? Can you not phone her at the hospital, usually they will take a phone through for yo`?

Have I missed something about gabs? Is she preggers ernest .

Wondering if Ernest has second sight now... Eek at breaking his FINGERS. How did that happen?

I think she's still thinking about it ! But when I compared my tiredness with when I had 2 reelly small dc it set her off worrying as to what awaits her!

I was trying to sleep just now and some idiot HAusmeister started scraping ice along the foot path and it kept me awake. Splitting headache as well.

No ds was like this before gran was so ill. He set off in September very positive and joined in if we went out etc but since November it's slowly been getting worse and worse.

SOrry people feeling down again. Come on everyone, where's that British spirit?

AND just like to state for record NO AM NOT (yet) PREGGERS! Right, now back to my search for a new home and my v.demanding single child who seems to be attacking the leather sofa with my nail file .

How's the search going, theGabster?

What temperature is it where you all are? It was -12 here early yesterday morning. Now it is above zero for the first time in a week and feels positively balmy! It's lovely and sunny though so I don't mind the cold so much.

hi all, back from hospital. ds has cool blue plaster up to elbow (was just boring old white). we went to park on Sunday, all the lakes were frozen, and there were great big lumps of ice. For some reason, best known only to 8 year old boys, ds2 tried to pick up an enormous lump of ice ( about 50 cmx 30cm), couldn't, as it was so heavy, and dropped it on ds1's fingers. Cue lots of blood, screaming etc. Dh was rolling his eyes unsympathetically, I insisted on taking him to hospital to have it checked. (I was secretly triumphant we had broken bones, dh & ds1 shocked).

Now in 1 hour got to go to Augenarzt to get new prescription for ds 3 who broke his glasses on Saturday.....

What are my kids like?

Gab, honestly wasn't starting a rumour - just read a post about you being worried about tiredness when pg, so wondering if I'd missed an announcement.

don't you try wriggling out of it now ernest, we know you spend your evenings over a crystal ball

broken fingers .. ouch .. sounds painful. Amazing what things dc (and dh it seems ) take in their stride, isn't it?

Why are you feeling down gabs? Tired because of d1 or worrying about getting everything sorted with the move?

Hello,

Is anyone an expat in the Netherlands??

In the process of being offered a job there, but the sticking point is childcare for my daughter? Can anyone on this thread help?

Thanks
Shelly

Sorry shelly, can't help with Netherlands. HAve you asked in a new thread?

Phew, Ernest it's never ending isn't it. I remember in berlin I was constantly doing the rounds of Kieferorthopäde, dentist, doctor and that wa sjust with 2 dc. Worst part is getting to doctors with sick, high temperature dc and no way of getting a home visit. I always remember the doctor coming to me when i was a small dc and in bed with fever or such like.

Admylin
Sorry to hear about your Gran, it is so upsetting being away from home when something goes wrong. Hope she improves.

Ernest
I would be inclined to go with the putting him to school this year. I think that it might be hard for him but then the move to England would be such a relief. Although, saying that, I am sure he would catch up quick on the year missed if the Vorschuljahr was done well. Is it a proper Vorschul, like in Switzerland? I am really impressed with DS's school, it is very good. Much better than DD's kindergarten Vorschule. He is 4yo.

Don't think that I helped at all there, sorry!

Shelley
Sorry, no idea of childcare in NL

LOL at the Gabster pregnancy rumours, you heard it here first!

admylin - no rush at all, just had a couple of problems with my e mail and thought it might not have gotten through.

Well, after finally getting rid of the cold (two colds, actually, in rapid succession) I'd had since late November, I started feeling weird again on the weekend and my doc diagnosed me with strep throat today and put me on antibiotics. Will it never end?

LOL at everyone talking about my phantom pregnancy!

I'm not too down just tired more than anything. DS not sleeping so well so am trying to survive on 5hrs a night at the moment which is not good, and there is just so much to do. I am definitely of the "no point in moaning, just crack on and get something done" type of person so onward I go.

Anyway, think we may have found a house. Small vilage but has a pub, small shop and primary school, and 1mile from slightly larger village with a few more shops and a station! Has definite posibilities. Going to get brother to go and check it out for me. About 1hr drive from parents - so close enough for emergencies but hopefully far enough that they won't turn up without ringing first! (IYKWIM)