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Living overseas

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**German Chat**everyone welcome* - macht es euch gemütlich

979 replies

ZZZen · 23/04/2009 09:19

reden wir weiter...

OP posts:
MmeLindt · 04/05/2009 12:04

Woohoo Admylin. Great news. How exciting it is for you all. Not long now, that is not even 2 weeks away.

Bon Voyage, ZZZen, have a good trip.

We had a fab weekend. DH took the DC to a campsite about an hour away from here and I had a girlie weekend with my friends. There was much laughter and much wine consumed. I really enjoyed myself.

hupa · 04/05/2009 15:50

admylin - fantastic news. I´m really pleased for you.

Glad you had a great time Mme Lindt. There´s not much that can beat a girlie weekend in my book.

I had a great time with my brother in München. Luckily it was sunny on Friday and we spent most of the time in a beer garden. My niece is 13 was absolutely brilliant with my dc, so I had very little to do with them all weekend. Dd started sobbing as we left because she´d enjoyed herself so much.

ErnestTheBavarian · 04/05/2009 15:58

hupa, I spent much of weeekend in various beer gartens too. sad she was crying because she had to leave tho.

admylin, great news you've booked flights. not easier to buy black school shoes in Uk tho? And cheaper?

i want a tv or radio by my ironing board. is that so wrong?

hupa · 04/05/2009 16:03

Ernest- you´ve probably already been, but we were at the beer garten by the Chinese tower in the English Garden. It was absolutely packed, but it had a good spielplatz right next to it and a bit of green for the dc to play football. It meant the adults could chat in peace and the dc weren´t bored. Quite good if you have visitors and want to show them a bit of München.

ErnestTheBavarian · 04/05/2009 16:19

The chinesischer Turm is a popular one - dh works really close to there and I go to church close by too, so we're there quite often. Also in Englishe Garten is Seehaus Biergarten, by lake and with (smaller) playground.

Next time you're in Munich, I recommend the Hofbräukeller Biergarten, near Max-Weber Platz U-Bahn - really big playground & woody bit.

hupa · 04/05/2009 16:29

Thanks for the tip - we´ll definitely give it a go next time.

MmeLindt · 05/05/2009 09:05

We are normally there sans DC but you never know.

Oh, phone. Will be my mum.

Gracelo · 05/05/2009 09:33

Waldwirtscaft in Grosshessenlohe (www.waldwirtschaft.de/) is great during a summer afternoon. Later when it gets really busy I wouldn't go there with children but during the day, with a band playing in the background, it's fab. Yummie Auszogne as well.

admylin · 06/05/2009 09:39

9 days to go then we leave. What am I going to miss? Already bought our favourite toothpaste (4 tubes) to keep us going! Don't laugh but it'S DM drogeriemarkt own brand lemon toothpaste!

Still have to drive to the rubbish depot place to get rid of an old computer and a couple of bed side table/cupboards. Deregister and finich weighing suitcases. We're allowed 80kg total so I have spread it over 6 cases so far. Phew!

canella · 06/05/2009 15:22

think the threadds going through a quiet spell!! are we all exhausted after busy weekends? i feel totally worn out today - had to plop ds's in front of a dvd before and just shut my eyes for 10 mins!! i def wasnt asleep - they're making far too much noise!!!

so excited that ds2 is out his nappies!! the kiga have been amazing at keeping him dry while he's there - think i'm impressed cause they only have 2 staff per room for about 15 - 20 kids!!! they really seem like a good kiga - every day they seem to be doing loads of group activities!! but they invited me to the Elternsprachtag - think i might need dh with me!! not sure how much they can tell me about ds1 since he's only been there for 8 weeks!

ErnestTheBavarian · 06/05/2009 18:10

really pleaed for you re ds2 and that you're so happy with KG.

Just got call from docs saying they need to see ds3 urgently - need to take bloods every 6 weeks and the dopey bint receptionist cocked up the appointment, so now I have to cancel important appointment with Kindergarten leader and rejig my day.

I invited one of ds3 friends from KG last week, and offered to feed him. Mum v. grateful, as meant she didn't need to cook. Fed him well (he ate loads!). Today, she kindly reciprocated. I checked - are you planning to feed them, yes she said. So I feed ds1 & 2, then collect ds3 on way to ds2 guitar lesson. Ask kim what he's had to eat - a bear with chocolate in his tummy (???) and some gummi bears. Hmm, ok, so ds3 had no dinner.

So if the arrangement gets repeated, how do I politely ask if she's planning to feed him, and if it will actually be proper food. I am too quite liberal with sweets myself, but even I was at chocolate tummied bears and gummi bears in 1 play date.

Ooh ooh ooh, am over excited, as I appear to have found english speaking women in my Wohnort and this american lady is hosting a play meet at her house - only 5 miniutes walk tomorrow! My social life might be on the up after a year of not-so-splendid isolation!

Good look with Elterngespräch at KG Canella. When I had mine, the teacher took me into a room, and popped out to retrieve a box of tissues. I made a joke about was it bad news, and was I likely to cry, and totally Po faced, she answered that many parents did cry! WTF is she about to tell me, I thought, but it was totally fine and interesting. Still got ??? about that box of tissues. And like you say, after 8 weeks, not too much to say.

canella · 06/05/2009 18:51

whats up with your ds3 ernest? hope he's ok!

its a tricky one about the playdate - think she wont be offended if you ask in a light way "whats the plans again - is he getting his dinner at your house? just need to check how much food i need to make - you know how much these boys eat!!" i think german families seem to always have sweets on the go - i'm fairly liberal with them as well though! my excuse is that ds1 comes out in a rash on his face when he eats chocolate so he's better having sweets!! bad excuse i know!!

glad for you your social life is on the up - i've posted on here before about how desperate i am for friends! and it would be good for you to have some english speaking friends! i've got a friend who lives in Putzbrunn - i'm sure thats no where near you but i thought i'd tell you on the off chance! i do know tho that munich is a v v big place!

dh thinks he can get some time off to come with me to the kiga - never seen him cry in 11 years so he'll not need the tissues!! ha ha!!

early night for me tonight - need to shift this tiredness!

ErnestTheBavarian · 06/05/2009 19:03

I need an early night, but house is a TIP.

ds3 is not growing. He is teeny, basically since he truned 2 he slipped further & further down the %charts. Now he's off them completely. He's 5.5 and is about the size of a skinny 3 year old. In December he started daily injections of growth hormone, and they have to closely monitor his bloods. Now with no warning on Thursday night he has to fast, and on Friday morning this emergency doc appointment to take bloods and measuer him.

Please everybody cross your fingers for him. Last time I went there was no sogn of improvement, ie don't think the treatment is working, and as it's quite stressful giving him daily injections andway, and as I would dearly love for my son to grow, please everyone cross everything for some good news on friday morning.

Putzbrunn is I think about 10 15 minutes away

Hope you get a good night's sleep.

admylin · 07/05/2009 07:40

Morning. Did all you early nighters get a good nights sleep? Is dd sleeping through longer Ernest? I've been waking up so early recently, it's light and I am sort of counting the days.

Speaking of the place being a tip. I always suspected my dd was one of those uncontrolable messy people and I think it is confirmed. I have almost packed all our stuff, but she still manages to have her room look a tip just with the few things she has left out. Sigh, I just have to accept she'll be like that I suppose.

ErnestTheBavarian · 07/05/2009 08:05

I was up till midnight doing my german homework, so my early night didn't quite work out. On the plus tho, my little babykins has now slept through every night for about a week

Admylin - your dd sounds like me You're going to have to beat it out of her train her otherwise she'll grow up like me - constantly in a mess, losing things, getting down cos it's messy, or shamed if someone pops round unexpectedly. And what's worse, she might grow up to have a dh and 3 dss who are even messier arrrgggghhhhhh.

Won't you miss shutters in UK? Why is it that poeple in UK have no shutters, but at the same time light plae curtains that let all of the light in? I can't bear it and always go armed with black out lining.

SOme things "on the continent" are definately better - shutters and bread are close to the top of my list

canella · 07/05/2009 10:01

morning!! i got kind of an early night and feel more wide awake this morn - had slept badly the night before dreaming that my friend had come back and wasnt really dead - its the ball in her memory this weekend that i cant go to so i've been thinking of her more than usual! but had 2 glasses of franken wine last night and slept better!

ernest - that sounds so difficult about your ds3 - it must be even harder because your dealing with a foreign healthcare system - i would find all those medications hard to deal with in english never mind in german! hope he gets on ok this morn - had fingers crossed for you!

i'm also a huge fan of shutters - i had a complicated system to blackout the windows in england cause no blind seemed to block the light completely!! so shutters are heaven to me - i'm sure that helps the dc sleep longer in the morn - glad your dd is sleeping better - how old is she? my ds2 is 2.8 and i could count on one hand the amount of times he's slept the whole night! but he's only awake for a few mins but its still disturbing! no wonder i'm knacked in the day sometimes!

glad the sun is shining today - those kids need some running about time after the miserable day it was yesterday!

i bought a book from amazon to teach ds1 to read - he's only 4.6 but he'd be learning this at school in the UK so i thought i'd try it out here - its 100 lessons to teach your child to read - only started yest - he's a long way to go!

admylin · 07/05/2009 10:28

Alot of people say they love the bread in Germany (most people really!) but we don't like it except for the crispy Brötchen for breakfast now and then. We prefer ciabatta, baguette or just plain old English sliced loaf abwechselnd in brown or white!

I know some dc are so used to sleeping in the dark too aren't they? My 2 don't bother if it's light or dark and I don't like black outs on my windows. I did adopt the German habit of sleeping with my window open even in winter but then h came along and his tropical blood couldn't bear it. He can sleep under a big quilt, head and all even in summer. I would suffocate but it doesn't bother him.

Ernest I remember you telling us about your ds and his size. A friend has a dd in the same position and she was firstly refused by the Kasse to pay the injections but she appealed and won so she is also injecting at home. It costs a fortune, very expensive so a relief when the Kasse agrees to pay. Did you have to appeal or are you on a trial study thing?

ErnestTheBavarian · 07/05/2009 10:40

oo, canella, I think I've got that exact book, is it A4 size and beige with wierd print? If so, I can recommend it - I used it on ds 1 & 2 and only got up to about lesson 40 when they were off reading books by themselves and didn't want to carry on with the book. They are both now excellent readers, a good few years more than their chronological age iyswim. I'm now using it with ds3. We're up to about lesson 30, and it's also going well with him. Good luck with that.

Sorry about your friend. Really gutting you can't get to the ball. No wonder it's playing on your mind. I hate sad/bad realistic dreams. It can really affect you and leave you feeling down, even when you wake up and know it wasn't real.

canella · 07/05/2009 11:24

thats the book ernest - he's only on the 2nd lesson so we've got a while to go! i'm no teacher - dd learned to read with the books they got from school in the UK so i was worried ds1 would be left behind!! but i like that this is really directive - i'm sure i'd get shot down in flames on an education thread if i said that but i need all the help i can get! he's due to start the 1st class in 16 months so i think he needs to read by then!

thanks for the support about my friend - just a down day about her yesterday (also a bit of PMT) - never a good combination!

abroadandmisunderstood · 07/05/2009 11:36

I have not been here for ages. Hope you are all well. What is the name of the learning to read book? DS1 is do keen to read and I don't want to miss that opportunity. He is 4.3 now.

Anyone doing anything for Muttertag? I have placed a bet with myself that DH will forget. It is on the calendar and I mentioned it last week too. I think he said we should head to one of the Munich biergartens on Sunday so the boys get out DS2 is nearly walking alone now.

ErnestTheBavarian · 07/05/2009 11:47

the book is called teach your child to read in 100 lessosn. very prescriptive, which is great tbh and it works really well. my boys are fab readers, and didn't learn at all at school I had to teach them english & I highly recommend it.

no idea if dh will remember muttertag. I booked a baby sitter for saturday. not waiting around to see if he remembers, no point in being a martyr. I won't mention it. I will declare I will be having a lie in on Sunday. I will make him suffer if he does forge.

btw - erm when's fathers day? It is soon...

hupa · 07/05/2009 17:59

We´re going out for brunch on Sunday with friends. This was organised before we´d realised it´s Muttertag. I´m really pleased as it means I actually get to do something - normally we don´t bother.

Ernest - fingers crossed for your ds tomorrow.

hupa · 07/05/2009 18:03

Fathers day is on Christi Himmelfahrt I think, but not sure when that is this year. We don´t do anything for that either, so can´t really complain about lack of effort for mothers day.

canella · 07/05/2009 19:41

my dh well knows its Muttertag but as like the last 2 years he's on call!!!!!!!!! at least this year he'll be home by lunchtime unlike last year where he was working 9am - 10.30pm!!!!! we postponed it for a week last year cause i was so peed off!!but no lie in for me this sunday!! and since he doesnt cook i'll have to push to go out or it'll be like every other day!! my dd has got a good line - she says every day is father's day in this house! and she's not wrong!

ZZZen · 11/05/2009 09:18

wish I'd had a helpful book to guide me when I taught dd to read English, did just did it as I saw fit at the time

happy mother's day nachträglich everyone. How are you all?!

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