Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (89)

I'm writing this post from my new laptop!!  Big thankful right there for hubby to spoil the heck out of me and buying me a new laptop as my old one quite annoying, freezing up for longer periods of times after about 15 minutes of using it. Very happy with my new HP!!

More thankfuls for this week:

1. A great last week of maternity leave. I got an extra hour of sleep in the mornings after Calvin decided that the perfect time to start the day is between 5:30 and 6:00, because my wonderful hubby volunteered to get up with him every single day!!

2. Making progress with Calvin's bedtime routine. We try to teach him to fall asleep without nursing, so today, after his nighttime nursing, I held him and rocked him to sleep. He's been asleep ever since, despite coughing up a storm, poor baby!

3. A wonderful doctor who rather considers all natural and little-invasive options first before prescribing the hard stuff. Right now, so many doctors are all-too.happy to prescribe antibiotics for about everything. So far, Violet has only gotten them once after everything else has failed, and they worked perfectly. Now, Calvin is again on natural remedies for yet another of his upper respiratory infections, and we hope that they will also work this time around. Hurts me listening to the poor baby cough over the babyphone, and definitely need some nighttime sleep myself again soon!

4. Chocolate cake! Delicious, delicious chocolate cake!

5. Lily having friends. Starting elementary school, I was a pretty lonely kid for the longest time, with books being my only friends.  Even though Lily loves her books and I physically have to draw her nose out of them at times, she also has a lot of friends she spends time with, visits, argues and reconciles with. This week, she was gone 3 out of the 5 afternoons while still being on top of her school work and reading books as if her life depended on it!

6. Free library passes for the girls. Our local library hands out free library passes for everyone under 18, which is an awesome way to ensure that the kids of low-income families also have access to books, educational games, CDs, etc.  And both girls are very proud of their very own library passes (I found that my own had expired when we tried getting books for the girls, since I usually use my work's library).

7. Morning walks to kindergarten with Violet and Calvin. The mornings are still quite brisk here, so the grass is frosted and the puddles covered with a layer of ice, which is the highlight of Violet's day at that point. By pick-up time, the ice is usually gone, so no more stomping on ice puddles for her then.

8. Rediscovering the local farmer's market. I bought veggies there twice this week, and it's so nice to buy there instead of the grocery store. Meeting the people who actually grow the food and are able to answer questions about the fruits and veggies they sell, bringing paper bags of loose food home versus shrink-wrapped packages, etc.

9. Our wonderful, silly D&D group. We may not be together as we are now for all too much longer, as a couple from our round may have to leave the country in the next months, but in the meantime, we enjoy being together, killing stuff, singing songs, eating and drinking together, and everything else around the greatest game ever!

10. Time outs for adults. Today, I really needed my 10 minutes, and I was thankful I had a place to retreat, calm myself, consider, and come out again in a much, much calmer mood, ready to face the rest of the day.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!  Consider your thankfuls, as they are not for granted!

The Toy-less Holiday

After the move this year, seeing all the stuff we had, and the way the girls' interests are developing, we have decided to make this holiday a toy-less one. So what to give to three kids aged 6, 4, and 4 months that are not toys?


Here are a few options:
- gift cards.
- puzzles or board games.
- vouchers, for example for picking up your kids' rooms, cooking their favorite meal, ice cream for dinner, etc.
- BOOKS.
- taking your kiddo on a lunch date.
- a movie or audio book.
- movie theater tickets.
- clothes they've wanted in forever.
- tickets to a theme park.
- keepsakes.

We've already bought most of the gifts for the girls; the family is also supporting us in our endeavor to make this holiday toy-less (even though the aunties have a special exempt status in this project). The girls somewhat seem to be in on it as well, discussing the letter to Santa, contemplating whether certain toys were necessary or whether they already had them. So proud of the girls, whose wish lists mostly contain books and puzzles!

What are you planning on giving the kids in your life as a holiday gift?

What I'm Up To In September

Last time I was updating I had just returned from a long, involuntary hiatus and incredibly uncomfortable from a pregnancy-induced liver cholestasis. I was also only 4 days away from meeting out little boy, but I didn't know that back then. Now, our little guy is already a month old (can't believe that!!), currently sleeping on the couch next to me, being simply incredibly adorable  :-)  What else is going on here right now??

I'm currently...

... reading:  My weekly cultural/political magazine, and about to tackle Christopher Moore's "Sacré Bleu", which I simply couldn't get into before.

... trying: To be better about going to bed early; and since this effort is mostly futile, I try to get naps whenever I need them.

...  anticipating: Lily's first day of elementary school next week.

... buying: Clothes for Calvin, last items off Lily's school supply list, a lamp and curtains for Violet's room.

... lusting for: everything fall.

... enjoying: this incredibly sweet baby smell.

... cursing: All the paper work we had to file after Calvin was born; but we're about done for now, I hope  :-)

... listening to: John Lennon, Simon & Garfunkel.

... watching: Doctor Who.

... devouring: pumpkin bread.

... waking up: Whenever Calvin does.

... feeling: very, very lucky to have such a wonderful family and to be able to spend tons of time with all of them now.




Have a great weekend, everyone!

Sappy Movies And Porn

Funny thing I saw on TV last night:

Mom (around 60) and daughter (late 30s) are watching a certain sappy vampire movie.

Daughter: For goodness sake, couldn't they at least TRY to be somewhat authentic??
Mom: But this IS authentic!!!
Daughter: Authentic?? THIS?????? Mom, PORN is more authentic!!!!


I'm totally with the daughter, even though I've neither read nor watched any of this crap; what I've got stuffed down my throat unvoluntarily was more than enough! 

Oh, and that:

Source

Holiday Recap

I know, I'm late. And I have to admit, I haven't even made a camera dump yet, so sorry, pictures still to come. But after all, I guess it's time to recap this wonderful last week (and yes, I totally took a complete computer break over the holidays).

Tuesday, 24th
We slept in, had a quiet breakfast, and an overall quiet day. In the afternoon, our neighbors came over and we had the first gift-giving. The girls loved their games and we played until dinner time. After dinner, the girls noticed that when Santa picked up their wish lists on Sunday, he had left something in their stockings that were hanging near the window: My Little Pony activity / sticker books!! They were happily playing until it was time for a bath and bed-time. Afterward, Richard and I exchanged our first gifts. I got a book of short stories collected by Neil Gaiman, one of our favorite authors, and Richard the new bassoon neck strap he asked for. Afterward we piled up the gifts under the tree and spent the evening watching the Nutcracker and going to bed early.

Wednesday, 25th
The rule was mandatory cuddling until the first light, and as soon there was just the tiniest hint of dawn (about 7ish) we got up. I couldn't get the camera out fast enough as the girls were already tearing through their boxes, gift wrapping was flying through the air, and there was lots of gasps and cheering. After the girls had opened all their gifts, Richard and I opened ours. He was truly surprised by the guitar I got him to play with Lily, who had also gotten her very own Lily-sized guitar. I got another Neil Gaiman book (seriously working on re-building our library!!) and a beautiful pair of diamond earrings; I obviously was a nice girl! After breakfast, Lily and I spent 3 hours setting up her Lego Friends pony ranch while hubby set up the Disney Princess castle for Violet and patiently helped her dress and re-dress her princesses. We watched Animaniacs, made bracelets, ate cookies, and had a great vegetarian risotto for dinner. After the girls had gone to bed that night, hubby and I spent some quality time together reading and had an early bed-time ourselves.

Thursday, 26th
My parents came for a visit and I made a traditional German holiday dinner of roast goose, bread and potato dumplings, pickled red cabbage and gravies. It was delicious. The girls got jammies and our parents announced that they had transferred some money to our account to buy bedroom sets for the girls and probably pay for our patio or some other project on the house. We were overwhelmed. Later, after we were stuffed from dinner we took a walk to the house to show my parents the latest progress. After the walk we enjoyed coffee, fruit punch, and holiday cookies. We really had a great day together! At night, the girls had their bath and went to bed while Richard and I enjoyed a movie and reading time.


We really had wonderful holidays with lots of quiet family time, good food, happy children, and lots of sleep.  Pictures will follow, soon, I promise!!

Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (26)

You see, Jak, I've caught up with Lizzi and everyone else!! Since FTSF is on break today due to Thanksgiving, I endulge in the Ten Things of Thankful a day early and, ince our Thanksgiving celebration is 2 days later, there will be a gem from hubby's feather for you all on Saturday.

This week, I'm especially thankful for:

1. The hubby, this incredibly funny, random, caring, and loving guy...

2. Lily not getting sick after her down-day last Sunday.

3. Violet bringing home little stenciled stars and handed each of us one. She was so proud..

4. Lily's tooth, which had been loose since August, has finally given up. Someone's getting a visit from the tooth fairy tonight!!

5. Purging, and making space by putting the summer toys away, just to find the holiday decoration. Yay  :-)

6. Coming home from work to find the girls having put away all the decorating and cook books for me. SO beyond sweet of them!!

7. Overleeping a few times and still not missing the bus.

8. Wonderfully frosted landscapes in the early morning.

9. Getting to say good-bye to a friend in person, and allowing the girls to say good-bye to their little friend.

10. A great late Thanksgiving dinner with great friends. We're really, really lucky!


Wishing you all a great weekend, and thank you so much, Lizzi, for hosting!!

Wordless Wednesday

Everyone's posting those nifty gift guides right now. Here's my tip if you think about arming up:

Source

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!!

Speechless And Sad

I know it's the season to be thankful, the season to rejoice, the season to ground oneself. And don't get me wrong, I am thankful, I am looking forward to this season, and I'm fully prepared to hole myself in with the family for a few days and ground myself.

But it is really, really difficult for me to be thankful, or happy, or enjoy myself and my family when I read something like that.

Joy over at I Can Say Mama has written a post about it, and I couldn't agree more with her. What the book written by Michael and Debi Pearl suggests in terms of disciplining children is simply too sick for me to wrap my head around. And I cannot fathom how parents, who should love their children, can bring themselves to listen to these people, who claim to be Christians and obviously run a very profitable charity.

Because of the "parenting" book these people have written, at least three children have died under horrible circumstances, dying from exposure and malnutrition or massive soft tissue damage from "harmless" beatings with platic tubing, which Mr. Pearl suggests in his book to be harmless but painful while not leaving marks on the child that could alarm the authorities.

This shows that they knew it was wrong. If it had been fine, why would authorities get alarmed? And why did those parents don't throw the book in the trash as soon as they read that passage. Were they so overwhelmed by the responsibility of being a parent that they grasped any straw there was or were they plain and simple sadists? How would any parent want that their children obey because they are terrified of them? I want our girls to love me, to hug me, to run over me when I come home because they're happy I'm back, not run into their rooms and hide as soon as they hear my foot steps. But exactly that is what's going to happen. Those poor children will be traumatized for the rest of their lives. They will probably not be able to trust anyone, as from earliest childhood on they learned that they couldn't. And this makes me so incredibly sad I have no words for it.

Surely, these people have not ever opened the New Testament, as it mentions how precious a gift children are. How can these people suggest to beat babies as young as 6 months? It is impossible to discipline or train babies that age. And no child of any age should be "trained". Children aren't dogs but human beings who learn by watching and imitating their parents and other people around them. I can already see so much of myself in our daughters, it is scary sometimes. They are the best mirrors in the world to how me who I am, and beaue of them, I try my best every single day to be a better person.

What I hope for during this season that people and companies wake up, raise awareness and stop these truly evil people from distributing their work of horror to any more people. In my opinion, the Pearl should be held accountable for all those children's deaths as accomplice. There is nothing to bring those poor children back to life, but it can save the lives of many others. Visit the page I linked to above, sign the petition, share the article, and raise awareness. Let's all make this world a little bit safer for the most vulnerable, but probably also most important members of our society.

Week In Review - Ten Things of Thankful 25th Edition

Happy 25th TToT-Anniversary!! The watchful reader (I count on you, Jak) will have noticed that I have jumped from number 18 (the 18th TToT I've participated in) straight to 25, because - let's be serious - 19 is not quite as memorable as a big, fat 25!!  Thank you so much to the mother of TToT, the wonderful Lizzi. This link-up has definitely helped me to focus more on all the things in my life I have reason to be thankful for. Therefore, to honor this milestone in TToT-history, 25 things to be incredibly thankful for:

1. The first of my colleages at work being back. Finally, I'm not all by myself on my block again.

2. Lily taking so good care of her little sister. Watched Lily helping Violet get dressed this week, and another morning, both of them had lots of good cuddles in my bed after I had gotten up.

3. The library at my work. So many great books and DVDs, all free without late fees.

4. The cafe at my work. Nothing beats a good chai latte in the afternoon with my colleagues.

5. Getting to organize an afternoon of fun for Violet and her friend, who's going to move soon.

6. Great advice from wonderful ladies when I didn't know better.

7. Salmon for dinner earlier this week. Hubby always know how to surprise me  ;-)

8. Getting the first proofs holiday pictures. They areso beautiful!

9. Spending a couple of hours browsing the home improvements store with the hubby while the girls played at the kiddy-land.

10. Being so in-sync with the hubby when it comes to picking out stuff for the house. It took us about 10 minutes to decide on the paint for the entire house.

11.  Baking with the girls.

12. Being nearly done with my holiday shopping. I hate frantically running through stores the week before the holidays.

13. The house. It's been a hard, frustrating journey so far, but it has taught me so much in terms of patience, letting things go, and how well hubby and I work together.

14. A job that allows us to live comfortably on one income so we can spend a lot of time with the girls.

15. Clean water, access to medical treatment, a roof over our heads, clothes, food.

16. A supportive family I can rely on.

17. Friends, whether they are in Germany, in the U.S., or anywhere else, whether we have a long history together or just met a few months ago, whether we know in person or on the www only. All of them mean the world to me!

18. Books, writing, letters, language.

19. Love, laughter, kindnes.

20. A wonderful dinner tonight. My first Carbonara was a full success.

21. Art.

22. Our daughters' smiles.

23. Living in a country where I can live openly as an Atheist.

24. Another German Thanksgiving celebration next week.


25. And last, but not least: Lizzi for coming up with this link-up and providing the platform to come together every week to reflect on all the things, big and small, to be thankful for.


Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

A to Z Book Survey

I'm notoriously uninspired these days. I don't know why, I just feel that I have nothing to say right now. That I am so caught up in my daily life, back in the mill. So since I have nothing to say but love to read, I'm stealing this survey I've seen over at Jenni's blog Flying on a Rainbow (you should really pay this Brit a visit!).

(Source)

Author you've read the most books from...
Christopher Moore. So funny!!

Best sequel ever:
You Suck (by said Christopher Moore. Chapter 4 is noteworthy!)

Currently reading:
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Drink of choice while reading:
Ohhh, hot cocoa, tea, or red wine

E-reader or physical book?
Physical book, hands down!

Fictional character you actually would have dated in high school?
Hard one.. The Sandman (from Neil Gaiman's epic graphic novel) probably, he's just so intense

Glad you gave this book a chance:
Effi Briest. It was required reading back in high school, when I, of course, did not read it...  I read it a few years ago and actually enjoyed it...

Hidden gem book:
Definitely and hands down my favorite book of all times: Smilla's Sense for Snow by Peter Hoeg

Important moment in your reading life:
Having to re-start a book because my usualy "scanning" reading style did not do this book justice. About halfway through the book I was so lost I just had to re-start and really read. Now guess which book that was...

Just finished:
A book on the early life of the Langobard queen Rosamunde.

Kinds of books you won't read:
Twilight. No, never, not if it was the last piece of writing in the world. No.

Longest book you've ever read:
Probably one of the books from the "Song of Ice and Fire" series, or this 1000+ page tome I got from my dad's book shelf when I was 14...

Major book hangover because of:
The Exocist. Oh my goodness, I was so scared I couldn't sleep, and the morning after wasn't fun..

Number of bookcases you own:
Only 2 right now, but we used to have a little private library back before hubby had to sell several hundreds of books before our big move back to Germany.. And I'm a library addict, so I'm not buying many books.

One book you have read multiple times:
Smilla's Sense of Snow. About every winter since I've been 14.

Preferred place to read:
On the bus or in bed.
Quote from a book that inspires you

Reading regret:
Few. Probably the

Three of your all-time favorite books:
Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larssen
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Unapologetic fan girl of:
Liriel Baenre of the Tangled Web series

Very excited for this release more than all the others:
The next book of the "Song of Ice and Fire" series.

Worst bookish habit:
Missing my bus stop because I'm all lost in my book  ;-)

X marks the spot: the 27th book on my shelf:
The Last Lion by Winston Churchill

Your latest book purchase:
That's a hard one, because I almost never actually buy books. Probably a regional crime novel for my dad  ;-)

Zzz-snatcher book (latest book that kept you up way late):
Ohhh, that was probably The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo


Hoping for some inspiration tomorrow. Now off to bed!

Lily-isms To Live By

I have an incredibly wise-girl sitting at home. She regularly cracks us all up, and I have to admit - shame on me - that I should have been much better at writing them done, maybe make a compilation for her when she turns 18 - which will never EVER happen!!!  Here a couple of goodies:

We are a bilingual family, hubby speaks English to them, I speak German. Following conversation was therefore in German.
Lily: Mami, can you read "Curious George" to me?
Me: Go ask Daddy, it's an English book.
Lily: Mami, can you even speak English?
Me: Yes, of course. But can YOU speak English?
Lily: No, because I want to speak RIGHT!!
*Ooops*


Just before Easter, the kindergarten covered the Christian Easter story:
Lily (very matter-of-factish): Mami, Jesus is a zombie!
Me: Why do you think so?
Lily: Well, the teachers said he died on the cross and then came back, that's what zombies do!
*A true nerd in the making*

Early in the morning, I'm getting ready for work as Lily walks into the bathroom.
Lily: Mami, I just farted, and the fart told me: "Lily, go poop!"
*EPIC*

After one of her swim classes, walking up to her instuctor, who happened to be a young, good-looking guy:
Lily: Anton, you're pretty!
*Leaves a speechless swim instructor*

One night, while bruhing out her hair:
Lily: Mami, can I have another one of your hair clippies tomorrow?
Me: No, you broke the one I gave you this morning!
Lily (voice dripping with sarcasm): Mami, you'll survive it!
*Did I just hear myself speaking??*

On cheating in a game:
Lily: I'm not cheating, I just win better!
*Are you getting philosophic on me at age 3???*

Good night, everyone! And have a good start into a new week!

Sunday Social - From The Lake

 

I'm on vacation right now, but thanks to scheduling, I'm still here.. somewhat.. So, let's see what Ashley has in store for us this week:

1. What are 3 items you can't live without on a daily basis (water, food, shelter, and clothes don't count)?

a) mascara. I'm a natural blonde, so my lashes are fairly light as well. Hate how I look without mascara.

b) shower gel. I definitely need my shower once a day!

c) my watch. I still have not entered the world of smart phones, and forget about my cell phone most of the time. So I am still one of these people who rely on their watch to tell the time.

2. What is your all time favorite book? Why?

My all-time favorite book is "Smilla's Sense of Snow". Read here why. Another favorite is the "Song of Ice and Fire" series. Can't wait to find out how everything ends, even though it seems more and more as if the hubby is not all too wrong with his tip..

3. What is something you'd like to accomplish before the end of 2013?

Run a 10k. And I'm going to do it!

4. If you could go back and relive any year of your life which year would it be?

Actually, none. I don't remember a year that was so perfect that I would prefer it to the excitement of finding out what's next, watching the girls grow and enjoying my family!

5. What do you wish people knew about you without you having to tell them?

But I would have to tell then.. Probably that I am a smart, emancipated woman, married and mother of two. I hate being treated like a piece of meat on the street. It doesn't happen often, but it still makes me incredibly mad, uncomfortable, and insecure.

I guess that I am hanging out at the lake as you are reading this. Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Moving Sucks!!

Here, I said it! I don't want to move! Ok, I do, but I don't.. I know, it doesn't make sense, but that's exactly how it is. Period.

Has anyone ever tried to pack 4 years of married life, more of 2 with children, and at least 20 years of bachelor life in about 16 boxes, 3 suitcases, and a bunch of carry-ons?? Yes, the oldest things I've found were a card I received for my 6th birthday and a box with my baby teeth. On Richard's side there are a bunch of games and books he inherited from his cousin Tim. Along that road, we've said painful good-byes to a lot of things very close to our hearts (yes, said birthday card had to go, along with most of Richard's beloved library). I passed on the little outfit Violet wore when we brought her home to a girl from my office, who's expecting a little girl in September, which was painful as well, but necessary. Tomorrow, we will have a moving sale to try to get rid of a few more things to empty out our apartment. In a little less the two weeks, we'll pack all of our furniture in a moving truck and will take it to their new owners, mostly friends we know will cherish them. And I can tell you, it's painful!

I don't even want to think about saying good-bye to all of our friends (some of whom have become our family here). This will be harder than anything I've ever done, and something I truly don't want to do. I want to pack them all and bring them to Germany with us; unfortunately, that doesn't work... At times I think about the moment we will have to say our farewells, and can't really fathom how it will be; there's a good chance I'll be hysteric, but probably not. We've accomplished a lot towards our move, but still procrastinating about the rest. We're currently trying to sell our cars and have been wanting to go to the car rental store to select a car for our trip up to Vancouver.This was actually on our to-do list for last week, but as I've mentioned, we're procrastinating. Richard's goal is to have everything but the furniture and other necessities out of the house by Friday.

So here we are, deciding on which earthly belongings are important enough to keep and which to get rid of. Things we owned while still single, and all those little treasures we've bought together after we got married. During our two moves since we've gotten married this was never an issue, since the Army paid for having everything neatly packed and shipped to our destination. But since we've ditched the Army (don't regret that for a minute), it will all be up to us now. The shed is empty, the first raid through the closet complete (there will be a second), Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and the local library are happy, and we're by quite some pounds lighter. Above mentioned 16 boxes are mostly packed, the last 4 waiting to be shipped shortly before we leave. Our new start in Germany will truly be a new start, and I'm really looking forward to it, even though I'm also deeply saddened (it's the weirdest feeling, believe me!). I think my enthusiasm will really kick in about half-way through the flight to Frankfurt, after somewhat getting over the depression of leaving our friends behind. To make it easier, we're already making plans of visiting each other, and we will follow through! I'm already looking forward to coming back with the girls over and over again as they grow. We're truly up to an adventure, which will hopefully the last of its kind for our family!