Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (97)

Yesterday, we said good-bye to our friends for a few years; it was a great week with a lot of activities, fun conversation, touristing around the area, and just having a wonderful time. I already miss them like crazy and can't wait to see them again!  This last week had so many things to be thankful for, most of all the memories we got to make, and which we all will always treasure.

My Ten Thankfuls for this week:

1. Having a flexible boss who let me switch days so I could have an extra day off this week to spend with our friends.

2. The girls being awesome giving up a good part of their privacy and rooming together for a week without complaining.

3. Our patio being finished.

4. The incredible chocolates our friends got for us. We have this chocolate confisérie in town that makes just the most delicious hand-crafted chocolates, definitely a treat!

5. Getting to show the town where "WE" started to our friends, the beautiful city of Bamberg.

6. Knowing a certain someone who shared an absolutely delicious tomato cream soup recipe. It truly warms the spirit!

7. Violet's kindergarten fest. Every class had a little performance, and Violet did great during hers. Afterwards, there was food, games, and the tree planting ceremony for all our town's babies born in 2014  :-)

8. A painful yet good conversation with a long-time family friend. It felt good to hear her viewpoint on certain things during my childhood and reassures us that we are doing fine raising our children.

9. Experiencing growing ever closer to hubbie. Sometimes, in the midst of everyday life and sleep deprivation, we almost forget that there's an "us" as well; the periods of refocussing on each other are always so special!

10. Our friends arriving back home safe and sound, and absolutely jet-lagged  :-)  We're sad they've left, but so thankful for all the memories we've got to make during the last week!


What are you thankful for this week?

Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (96)

Somehow, it becomes a habit of mine being late for the link-up. I have an excuse this time, that may or may not be valid and acceptable by the Guard Virgins  (you decide): visitors from across the Big Pond (yay!!) that kept me busy and running around doing touristy stuff most of the weekend.

My other thankfuls this last week:

1. My washer and dryer being on a separate electric circuit than the rest of the downstairs area. Had a bunch of sheets in the dryer when the power went off and it took me a great while to figure out that it was caused by the power tools the landscapers had plugged in outside.

2. Somehow getting most of my to-dos done before the visitors arrived.

3. Calvin finally being well enough to get his shots. He was NOT pleased and went on to complain about the rude treatment to his Auntie.

4. Having a wonderful pediatrician with an equally wonderful staff! The ladies know Calvin by name even without looking at his file, and make sure that he's treated with extra care each time.

5. Home-made cinnamon rolls. Delicious and gone within a day..

6. Having coffee and a chat with a friend before swim class. She kindly agreed to give us a ride while hubby was still out to pick up our visitors from the airport.

7. Violet making so much progress in her development. She's been doing so much better writing her name recently, and but for the "v", she doesn't need help at all any more.

8. Having our friends arrive late, but safe and sound from the beautiful state of Washington.

9. Beautiful weather to do tons of exploring outside, and some underground.

10. All the children being so well behaved on all the outings we're doing. No-one's complaining that their feet are hurting or that they are bored. I'm so, so proud of them!

Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (95)

I'm the queen of procrastination. So instead of writing about taxes and taxation right now, I'm being thankful for so, so many things last week, since indeed it was a wonderful week!

1. Spring having arrived. Once again. While we were still scratching ice off the windshield earlier this week, I actually got carried away when the temperatures rose to balmy 70 degrees on Friday and bought a swim diaper for Calvin.

(c) Life, Unexpectedly

2. Our driveway being DONE!  I bet Clark will call for pictures again, and I was definitely thinking about him as I watched the workers laying the bricks. There will be pictures, I promise, but I have to admit, there aren't any yet.

3. Getting to celebrate 9 years of marriage to my wonderful, wonderful husband. I wonder how many people placed a bet we would not even see our first anniversary, given the shotgun wedding we had not quite 5 months after meeting each other. But we both simply knew in our hearts that we belonged together. Happy Anniversary, my love! I a looking forward to many, many more years together!

4. The girls loving to spend time outside. Even though the backyard is little more than a mud pit (actually, it is exactly that, although dried up at the moment), they spend hours there every day playing with the neighbors' kids and returning as dirty as they can be, and equally happy.

5. Calvin's 8-month birthday today. I can't believe that it's been 8 months since we brought this beautiful little boy home. He's been the source of joy and severe sleep deprivation, but if we know anything in the haze that's our brain right now, then it's how much we love this amazing little guy and his equally amazing sisters!

6. The person who turned in my wallet that I had forgotten in the shopping cart (thanks, mommy-brain) at the store on Friday. All the cash was still where it was, and everything else as well.

7. Violet having a bunch of wonderful friends, who helped making her 5th birthday party very, very special!

(c) Life, Unexpectedly

8. Our house not being trashed after said party. I really have to say, those 5 and 6-year olds were really well-behaved, picked up after themselves, ate as if they were starving, and tried to maintain an inside-voice. The birthday with the 7-year old was much, much more stressful!

9. A playground we can see from our house, and two children who are now about old enough to go to the playground by themselves - at least for an hour or so while I do some cleaning around the house.

10. Having just generally awesome neighbors. We have a pretty good mix of older and younger people, and all of them just enjoy having a community of neighbors to chat with, to support each other, kids to play with for our kids. We are really lucky and happy to live here, even though we still miss our old neighbors who have become quite close friends.


What are you thankful for this week?

Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (94)

I'm late and the link-up is closed. Life happened (and I'm happy it did), so I simply could not find the time to write my thankfuls for last week on time, but still I feel the need to write them anyway. Tonight, after a few very, very busy days, I finally have the time to sit down and ponder over last week, the good things, the not so good things, what I've learned, and that after all is said and done, I'm thankful for everything!

Last weeks thankfuls:

1. Having an awesome neighbor who gives me a lift to work every day. I asked her if I could hitch a ride with her for the month of March, as I missed to re-apply for my bus pass on time and buying individual tickets both ways would have been immensely expensive. Since Wednesday, I have an active monthly bus pass again, but my kind neighbor still offered to give me a ride to work (we work at the same building) so I can sleep an extra 30 minutes every morning!

2. Getting an email from the wonderful Ivy that my gift to thank her for the beautiful necklace and charms she had made for me has finally arrived. And she likes it, which makes it even better!!

3. Spring break. Lily has two weeks off from school over the spring holidays, which means no afternoon class on Monday, and all other appointments and activities for both girls are also canceled due to the holidays. We as a family definitely enjoy the free time that's opening up!

4. Get-togethers with friends. I spent two afternoons this week meeting friends of mine. It felt so good catching up!

5. Open conversations with hubby. I am so, so thankful that we can talk openly and on eye-level about our feelings, our fears, our emotions.

6. Watching Calvin around other kids his age. Last time I met my friend and her now 9-month old daughter, Calvin was only a few weeks old, and both babies were lying on their blanket without any interest in each other or the toys (of course). Now, they were playing so nicely, even though it took Calvin quite some time warming up to the two girls who were at the play group. Is he going to be a shy one??

7. My boss being flexible and allowing me to switch some days around so I could both work an extra day last week to attend a department meeting and take an extra day off when our friend from the U.S. is coming for a visit later this month!

8. Lily learning the benefits of being always honest. We've had some issues about telling the truth recently, and it was extremely frustrating. In the past, I always knew that I could trust Lily unconditionally; if she said something, I knew that it was true; but due to her lying to me (and being caught lying) a few times in the last months, sadly this deep trust is gone. But it seems that talking to her about how it is important to always tell the truth and that she would never get into as much troubles for admitting to having done something than if she's lying to me about it. The trust is definitely coming back, and I am so, so glad about it.

9. A washing machine. Seeing the piles of laundry a family of 5 produces and the state of said laundry after certain two girls return from their play in the backyard caked with mud (and absolutely happy, which makes me absolutely happy), I'm so glad that I don't have to handwash!!

10. Most importantly: Getting to celebrate Violet's 5th birthday. She has grown to be such a wonderful, caring, sensitive person over these years, thinking about others first and making sure that everyone is taken care of. In the face of her challenges, she's always brave and positive and never complains a single time. It is such an honor to be your Mami, my sweet, beautiful, lovely girl! We all love you beyond words!

What are your thankfuls for last week?

Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (93)

Today was a crappy day, weatherwise. But still, we could see the first tulips bloom. Can't wait for more sunshine again and the spring to arrive for good!

This week's thankfuls:

1. My poor, poor musical upbringing. My mom's firm control over the stereo plus my late birth ensured that I missed out on so many awesome performers and great music that I get to explore now!

2. Selling my entire box of clothes Calvin has already outgrown. Our neighbor's daughter is having a boy in May, and the grandma-to-be was just so enthralled by all the little outfits. It's absolutely bittersweet for me, but it's also good to see all those things go to a good new home and adorn a brand-new baby boy soon!

3. My new relationship with my sister. Before the big blow-up a few years ago, whenever we met we had a constant sub-conscious competition going on; after spending an afternoon together, I felt incredibly drained and tired. Now, this has all changed. I am actually looking forward to meeting with her, all competition is gone, and I truly enjoy spending time with her again.

4. Another Sunday with our proven formula 1 afternoon / 2 families / 3 courses. It's always so much fun sharing a delicious meal and wonderful conversation with our great friends!

5. Breakfast and a shopping trip with my great friend. I felt stressed with my list of things I had to accomplish, but she managed to calm me down and we did everything that was really important.

6. Violet having tons of fun at her swim class, is losing her fear in the water and actually managed to make a few strokes all by herself on Friday.

7. Some nice afternoons this week. I could pick up Lily from her afternoon ethics class, take the kids to a few trips to the playground, enjoy the sun shining on my desk at work.

8. Getting to look into Calvin's smiling face in the morning.

9. Taking a step back and making the gift of sleep to myself. On all the evenings before my office days, I managed to get to bed before 10pm and get a somewhat decent night's sleep. Nothing feels better than being rested!

10. Being for once on top of planning Violet's birthday party. The party supplies and the gifts are ordered, the guest list drawn up, the invitations about to be printed. No last-minute, panic-induced organization this time around!

What are you thankful for in the last week!!

Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (91)

I'm writing this a day later than usual because last night was spent baking a pie (Pi(e) Day, remember!!) and some chocolate cake for today, as a colleague of mine was coming over to hang out for the day. Let me tell you, we had tons of fun it was worth standing in the kitchen until 11 pm Saturday night!

Some of the thankfuls of this past week:

1. Spring arriving! Last week, we've seen the first field of purple crocus, last week I spotted the first pale yellow and green spots on a tree at my bus stop, and Lily bringing home those beautiful pale violet blossoms on her way home from school. It's so beautiful watching nature awake once more.

2. Watching our sleeping baby this morning, drifting in and out of sleep myself. Calvin woke up early, just as dawn came on, fiddled a little with the wicker on the cradle next to my bed, and then fell back to sleep. He looked so very peaceful...

3. Having neighbor kids once again. As the weather is getting better, Lily and Violet are meeting up with the kids from next door in the mud pit that's our (still) joined backyard, play with their dolls, kick a ball, and just have fun together!

4. Despite being sick (the sinuses, as usual), I'm thankful for not joining in the Influenza 2015 club. The bug seems to be especially nasty this year, and the shot (which we don't get anyway) pretty ineffective.

5. Getting to be part of a blog tour on a topic that's close to my heart: music. It is a language that includes everyone, no matter the age, no matter the nationality, no matter their day-to-day language. And getting to learn more things about the wonderful Lisa as well!

6. The silliness out D&D nights are becoming. Richard had a Faxe more than usual, and the rest of the table was feeding off him. The math was difficult, the role playing hilarious, and the fights successful for us. Looking forward to the next session already!

7. Lily enjoying school and learning so much. Every day, after lunch, she goes up to her room doing her homework, without anyone of us having to prompt her to do so. I couldn't imagine how it would be if we had to stand over her shoulder every single day, and quite honestly don't want to!

8. Once again, the German healthcare system. It seems as if Lily had to start orthodontist treatment soon, and I'm beyond thankful for not having to shell out the €5000 or €6000 our of pocket!

9. The prospect of soon not carrying all the dirt from outside into our home. if everything goes as planned and the weather is nice, work on our front and back yards should start by the end of April!

10. Kind people. I'm not quite spilling the beans yet, but there is a very special someone who's doing something so incredibly nice for me, and I'm so, so excited about it!!  More to come, soon!!


I hope you, too, have tons of things to be thankful for this week!

Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (90)

My first week of my new schedule is over, and I think that it actually works quite well for me!  I enjoy the time at work, doing my job and focussing my mind on something other than family matters again for some time while still having tons of time to take care of our family.

Thus, there are tons of things to be thankful for!!

1. A good first week (as in: 3 days) back at work. My colleagues decorated my desk with chocolates, cookies, and the obligatory jar of Nutella, one of my colleagues got me a Starbucks City Mug from Izmir, and Calvin got an outfit as well.It's good to be back, even though I miss the little guy and being home full time a little. Even the welcome from colleagues I do not work with in the same team was overwhelming. I had no idea that I was missed that much!

2. Having 15 hours each week back to wear nice, spit-free, good.smelling clothes, heels, and proper make-up instead of throwing on my mommy-jeans, a sweat shirt, and sneakers before walking Violet to kindergarten.

3. Still having two days each week where I get to throw on my mommy-jeans, a sweat shirt, and sneakers and walk to kindergarten with Violet and Calvin in the stroller.

4. Life experiences, as in: the bad ones. We spent nearly three years with a teacher who strongly disliked Lily, who didn't get her, and decided that a girl who couldn't talk properly at age 3 (let's conveniently forget that said girl is bi-lingual and has spent most of her life in another country, immersed in another language), was raised mostly by her dad (because how could men possibly properly raise any children??), and had a notoriously absent mother (as in: Monday through Friday, 7:30 am - 4:30 pm) could impossibly be normal. We pushed through it, always had Lily's back and made sure that she knows what a wonderful girl she is. Unfortunately, one of Lily's best friends is in a similar situation at the moment, with their teacher examining all her moves under a magnifying glass. I happened to call Lily's friend's mom on Friday to see if we would car-pool to swim class with our younger daughters. When I called, hell had just broken lose at Lily's friend's house, about her "impossible behavior" the teacher had written a note about. I talked to the mom, who was seriously doubting herself; I got to share this very painful experience, and it helped her gaining the confidence again that it's not her daughter (who's an energetic, impulsive, but wonderful girl) but the teacher. After swim class, the mom hugged me and thanked me for sharing our story and telling her what she knew in her heart but needed to hear so badly from someone else.

5. Hubby bringing home a CD with a recording of the New Year's concert at the end of January. Your best guess who else, besides the orchestra, can be heard on the recording!  :-)

6. Organizing, and Calvin giving me the time to do so. There is this point during the organization progress where everything looks much worse than in the beginning, and we've been in this stage for the last few weeks, because Calvin was much too needy for me to do anything.

7. Violet enjoying her swim class. She has the same instructor Lily had almost 3 years ago, and she also loves him. My little scaredy-birdy even dared to jump into the deep end of the pool to be caught by the instuctor. So proud of our little girl!!

8. A wonderful opportunity facilitated by the wonderful Lisa at The Meaning Of Me. It happens that we found to have quite a bit in common, especially our love for music and our very own musician!  Keep an eye out for someting coming next week!!!

9. The realization that in just over a month, we will have a very special visitor coming all the way from the U.S.

10. Having breakfast with a very dear friend this week. A couple of months ago she's moved to her new house a lot closer to us now, and I finally managed to go and visit her. Her house already feels so much like a home, and we had such a relaxing morning with nice food, and a happy Calvin playing with her Golden Retriever/Rottweiler mix, who's ginormeous but possibly the best family dog ever.


I sure had a wonderful week. I hope you had the same and find tons of things in your week to be thankful for!

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!

Being Strong

What does it take to be a strong woman? I've been meditating and pondering on this question for about 6 weeks now, and I think my initial opinion has changed quite a bit.

First, I considered a strong woman as someone who is independent, educated, successful in the career she loves, and follows her dreams unconditionally. 

I was forming the posts on my head, when I started to wonder: why do I define being a "strong" woman so narrowly? There are so many different women, with different backgrounds, different dreams, different abilities, and different situations. Why would a stay-at-home-mom not be a strong woman, just because she wants to be home or the situation won't let her work for the time being? What role does education play in being strong? Many women all over the world raise their families or lead their lives with no or next to no education, and they are still the strongest women out there.

So what IS a strong woman?  It is a woman who takes over responsibility for her lives and the lives of those who are dependent on her. She is a partner to her husband of wife, not a subordinate. She accepts her situation and makes the best of it, works hard towards changing what she doesn't like and to preserves the good things in her lives. She loves unconditional, fights fiercely, forgives often but only sometimes forgets. She learns from her mistakes, and learns to laugh about them in hindsight. She focuses on the good, not the bad. And she never stops dreaming.


This post was written as part of the Strong & Influencial Sisterhood project.

Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (88)

It's a "Schnapszahl"-TToT this week (look this up, German is so much fun!!), and it's not my first post of the week, thanks to a number of wonderful women thinking up the amazing project of 1000 Voices speaking for Compassion. Such an outpour of emotion is truly something that will be remembered for a while!

Besides the #1000 Voices on Friday, here are this week's ten thankfuls:

1. Being home for Lily's winter break. Once the spring break will roll around, I'll be back at work for 15 hours per week, still have plenty of time to spend with the kids, but it will be different. I am really thankful for the time I got to spend with my family these last 8 months, which was a unique opportunity and has opened doors we didn't even know existed for our family.

2. A game of musical "Go Fish" with Lily on Monday morning, while Calvin was napping and Violet was in kindergarten. After starting just normal, we started singing at each other more and more, until we were only singing to each other, to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it...". So much fun!!

3. Spending some quality time with Violet, doing hair. She's definitely my little princess, and loves to get her hair combed and styled. Even though I love when she cuts her hair to this adorable bob she used to have, I also can't wait for her hair to be long enough to try out even more styles!

4. Looking at our baby, sleeping peacefully, when I go to bed at night. I enjoy those short moments every night, in between me going to bed and Richard finishing brushing his teeth. In no time, our little boy will be all grown up. I can't believe he's 6 months old already, halfway to toddlerhood, rolling all over the place; therefore these moments are so very much treasured in my heart.

5. A glimpse of spring. Even though I would prefer some more winter-wonderland, taking the kids out to the playground to enjoy the balmy air was fun. The girls were plaing with other kids and Calvin was sitting in the swing all by himself for the first time.

6. D&D Friday night. It's been so silly, when the bard came up with singing a song of endless praise to the minotaurs, with the warlock as harmony and the barbarian and fighter as background dancers. Obviously, it freaked out the minotaur and his gnolls enough to just let us pass the road. One of the easiest fights ever  :-)

7. Another one of my friends moving to our town. She's going to have her third baby in September and I am looking forward so much spending more time with her and her family!

8. Dark, dark chocolate and hot chocolate with a cream hat.

9. An outing with all three kids to IKEA. We got some odds and ends and we enjoyed a yummie lunch together. I was doing outings like that every once in a while with the girls before Calvin was born, and I didn't think I could take this tradition back up so quickly!

10. Backrubs from my Lily. She's such a doll, sneaking up behind me and rubbing my back, because she thinks that I deserve it. I don't think so, but she's such a sweetheart!


I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (87)

I have a valid excuse for having been absent all week - yet again. It's been a busy week, and I can't believe how lucky I am having the hubby I have who supports and loves me even if I'm a stressed-out, sleep-deprived, nagging zombie who doesn't do laundry and - according to him - kicks him out of the bed at night.

More thankfuls for this week:

1. Completing a big project without hubby filing for divorce while I'm buried over my head in the topic of options trade.

2. Lily bringing home a wonderful first report card. I am so proud of our girl!

3. Two of my favorite things (coffee and red wine) combined: South African Coffee Pinotage. Who ever was the genius who put this wonderful wine into smoked oak barrels: THANK YOU!!

4. Calvin sleeping better. Even though my nights were late nights, at least I got some good sleep 5 out of 7 nights (let's not talk about the other two!)

5. A wonderful lunch with my friend. Hint: if you can, get yourself an Indian friend. All of her cooking is just so out of this world delicious!

6. My new diaper bag. I would have never spent that much money on a diaper bag, but was lucky enough to be chosen as a product tester. I love everything about this bag!!

7. Cuddles in the couch with the kids. As most of us feel under the weather due to lack of sleep and/or being sick, snuggling up under a bunch of blankets in the couch, watching Tom and Jerry cartoons just cannot be beat!

8. The fact that hubby and I are on one page about boycotting Valentine's Day. We don't need to spend money to show each other our love. It's the small things every single day, from a small box of chocolates under my pillow to a book I find in the book store for him. From him letting me sleep another hour after a bad night to me making him coffee.  To us, every day is Valentine's!

9. A great afternoon with my sister, her family, our parents and some of her friends celebrating my niece's birthday.

10. All the encouraging comments regarding my somewhat leave of absence. I will get back in the flow eventually, I promise!

Have a wonderful new week, everyone!!

Missing On The Blogosphere

I don't know if my absence has been noted, but I've been spending much less time on here at the moment than usual. Because I'm plain and simply exhausted. By the time Calvin is going to sleep, I'm barely able to form a proper thought. My back and neck hurt, there's laundry to fold, papers to sort, cupcakes to bake, costumes to saw, and then there's still this guy called hubby.  I simply need more time in my day, and especially my night!

So, what am I currently up to when I'm not whining:

I'm currently...

... reading:  Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

... trying: To move in a way that is not painful. Trying to get back into shape plus the first sessions with my physiotherapist turn me into a big old pile of Ouch.

...  anticipating: Bedtime.

... buying: Last groceries and accessories for Lily's birthday party on Saturday.

... lusting for: Hot spiced wine, a hot shower and a warm, cozy bed.

... listening to: HIM, the classic radio station in the car, the girls' CDs.

... watching: Rizzoli & Isles (I know, guilty pleasure).


... devouring: Pretzle sticks, dried plums, hot cereal.

... waking up: Whenever Calvin does.

... feeling: Tired, exhausted, drained, but still thankful to have the life I have that makes me tired, exhausted, and drained.


Hoping for a proper night's sleep, and tons of cuddles with the little stinky boy!

Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (85)

A lot of things are going through my head right now. Today is the first day of my last month of full maternity leave. These past seven months have past so quickly, and most things I had planned didn't happen due to life happening at full force. On the one hand, I am happy to return to work, but then again I am sad to miss time with my aby, even though I only work 15 hours per week for the next few months. And of course, on this eve of Imbolc, I am remembering the first of Feburary of 2008, which I spent quite miserable in my second day of labor, which ends with the birth of our wonderful oldest daughter on the day of the Celtic goddess Bridget (I've recently learned that piece of information from a friend of mine, and knowing Lily, it is indeed a lucky coincidence!). This past week was busy with preparations over preparations of carnival, which happened Saturday afternoon and left two little girls excited and happy (and even somewhat sleeping in on Sunday).

Despite the stress, there were many things this week to be thankful for:

1.My mom coming over and staying overnight to watch the girls while Calvin and I went to see hubby's concert. it was wonderful, and he aced all his solos. So absolutely proud of my wonderful and talented husband!!

2. Having dinner out with a colleague of mine from Portugal and, of course, Calvin on Tuesday evening. It was so much fun, the food (Arabic) was delicious, Calvin absolutely adorable, and the conversation wonderful.

3. Getting a somewhat decent night of sleep once or twice this week, and on the others not having to go to work and sneak in naps instead.

4. Awesome parents in Lily's class. Kids tend to be best friends today and can't stand each other the next. Lily had some issues with a friend of hers; luckily, we met her and her Mom on the way home from school the other day, and we had the girls talk. No involvement from the adults, just the girls telling each other what they didn't like about their friendship at the moment, and then finding solutions together. The encounter ended with two happy girls hugging each other!  Mission accomplished!

5. Lily not getting seriously injured. She fell during outside recess in school and she came home with a huge bruise on her cheek and half of her face being swollen, poor girl. It's better now, even though the bruise is still visible.

6. The kids' carnival party being over. Somehow, I dread this day all year long. I hate basically everything about carnival, most of all the very special (?) music and the noise.  Done for another year..

7. Ending the carnival day with having two of my colleagues from Protugal (see no. 2) and Morocco over for dinner. The food was delicious and the conversation even better. Hoping for a repeat next year!

8. A shopping trip with my mom. It was frustrating as usual, because she has big troubles finding clothes that fit her properly, but absolutely fun!

9. Those unexpected moments with Calvin. I was so stressed this evening getting last details done to prepare for Lily's birthday tomorrow, and then he fusses again in bed. When I went to check on him, he was happily smiling at me is little sunshine smile, holding my finger and chewing on it as he was falling back to sleep. As his eyes were falling shut, he opened them a few times to give me some more of his smiles. I certainly live for moments like those!

10. Quiet mornings drinking hot chocolate with the girls while Calvin plays happily on his play blanket. Already lookign forward to the time when he's drinkin ghot chocolate with us!

What are you thankful for this week?

Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (84)

First of all, I'm going to apologize for probably not commenting much this week. In between hubby's concert schedule, having to meet due dates, baking extravaganza, running around to buy stuff for the girls' dance performances, getting the costumes for the carnival party assembled, and or course organizing Lily's birthday party, I was planning not even to participate in the TToT, but this link-up has become such a staple in my week, focusing on all the good things that have happened in our lives in the last week, big and small, that I just needed to find a few minutes to review this week anyways.

My ten most thankfuls this week:

1. Sleep. Calvin has obviously give up (or at least interrupted) his study on the effects of sleep deprivation on us and let me tell you, only waking up twice a night and then getting up with a farting baby early in the morning has been heavenly!

2. Grown-up toys (nooooo, not THOSE!!). I got a window vacuum a couple of months ago and have tried it out today. It works so awesome, the windows were streak-free and dry within seconds!

3. Lily doing so well in school. She has brought home a few test so far, and she has done so well in each of them. I couldn't be prouder of Lily and her excitement for school, learning, and most of all reading!

4. Violet being the sweet, big sister she is and donating her favorite MLP blankie to her little brother, who considered it the perfect blanket for him to stay warm - but not too warm - all night.

5. Exchanging little gifts with hubby. When he came home from his marathon-rehearsal, he brought me a couple of books he had picked up on the way home. and I found some interesting teas for him while out shopping with the girls.

6. Our kids being wonderful, wonderful beings, no matter how bad we may be banging heads (figuratively speaking) on occasion. Let me explain: there's this former teacher of mine, whose home is more like a war-zone than anything else. Her daughter barricades herself in her room while the 2-year old twin boys terrorize the house and the parents duck out of the way. Those boys were hitting another adult who was visiting, hitting each other, tried to hit Calvin, attempted to push each other down a flight of stairs, climbed all over bar stools and kitchen counters/islands while screaming non-stop, and ended our visit by hitting Violet over the head with a pair of boots. Without the least bit of schadenfreude, should I ever have doubts about my qualities as a parent again, I'll think about this visit!  (and I know from accounts that this was not just a "bad day", that was normal life!!)

7. Reading while nursing.

8. Still sleep-deprived brain auto-correcting Lizzi's Scrabble-letters (SDEIQJI) plus the double "B" in the Word "Scrabble" next to it into "Sideboob". Totally random, but too funny!

9. Finally getting a post typed out that has been cooking in my brain for a while. I know it's a controversial topic, but so, so important to get the information out!

10. Mid-morning naps with Calvin. When he fell asleep on my arm around 9:30 after getting me out of bed at 6am, I accepted this as a sign to head back to bed with him, to watch him sleep peacefully for a minute or so, and then fall asleep myself.


I hope you all have a wonderful week!!

Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (83)

Poor Calvin is teething - big time. On Tuesday, the laddie was not only drooling like a leaking Hoover Dam but also crying in pain. There's nothing worse than my baby being in pain and not being able to help him.  Luckily, he's doing better now, sometimes figuring out new ways to keep me up at night.

My (tired) Ten Thankfuls for this week:

1. Coffee!!!  (actually, this week this one should count for at least 1 - 7!!)

2. A combination of homeopathic remedies and motrin to help Calvin get comfortable again and get some sleep (along with ready access to a pharmacy and medication in general).

3. Hubby being a gem and taking Violet to kindergarten after an especially rough night, making me fresh coffee and buying breakfast on the way back from kindergarten. Yup, he's mine!!!!

4. Breakfast with a friend.

5. Hubby surprising me with a game of Scrabble and tea one night. When we were newly-weds we'd spend parts of our Sunday afternoon at a café playing Scrabble, but he's been refusing to play with me for quite a while, because my locking up the board with well-placed 3-letter words was just too frustrating after a while.  I'm doing better now!

6. Back-rubs from my Lily. She's such a sweet girl!

7. Violet doing well in her speech therapy. Well enough actually that her therapist suggested a break until April to see how she develops on her own. I see another afternoon opening up  :-)

8. Meeting up with a friend and her children. Her baby is only 20 days younger than Calvin and it was so funny seeing the boys interact with each other.

9. Home-made brownies. Yum.

10. Long, long, long afternoon naps with a cuddly baby. I know, this one is a regular on here right now, but last week, those afternoon naps were certainly life-savers!

What are you thankful for this week??

Cleaning House

As part of my journey to more happiness in our lives, I've decided to clean house, choosing quality over quantity. On many levels.

Today, I've started with maybe the easiest part: my Facebook account.

I've noticed in the past weeks that there was a particular person on my friends list, who kept posting offensive material. Material that attacked immigrants in Germany - even though I'm sure that the author did not intend to attack immigrants like my husband and daughters. Not the white, middle-class, non-Muslim sort of immigrants. However, whenever immigrants are attacked, whether it is intended to include immigrants like my husband and daughters or not, it hurts. Especially if the slurs and rants are directed at immigrants like the refugees from Syria and Iraq, who would much rather be back in their villages, in their own homes and businesses than in the refugee facilities here in Germany.

So far, I have tried to reason with her, and eventually thinking about simply hiding her posts, being afraid that she'd think me to be narrow-minded and intolerant. But then I realized that I actually do not care what she thinks of me. And I unfriended her. As I was scrolling through my list of friends, I realized that my list of "close friends I share my life with" has ballooned to include acquaintances, colleagues that I don't even like, and people I have grown apart from. And the cleaning-out started.  I also started to categorize my "friends" sharing my life only with those that I still consider close friends/family.  And I feel better. I feel comfortable to share all the things I want to share instead of censoring myself, worrying to offend anyone, etc.

Cleaning House - Facebook  (check)

Keep looking for more cleaning house posts!!

The Word Of 2015

Around New Year's, they have been popping up everywhere: the words that were to be the motto of the author for the coming year. I actually did not plan on hopping on the band waggon until one night I was meditating on what makes a good childhood.

Blame it on Pinterest or my inherent perfectionism, probably both, but I found myself wound up in trying to create a "perfect childhood" for our children (and for the records: failing miserably!!) that I forgot that it's not a perfect childhood that will define them later as adults, but a HAPPY childhood.

When I remember my childhood, I think of my mom spending the days before the holidays cleaning. I remember one instance where I asked if she would play a game with us, but she responded that she had to clean the house and we should just play with each other (it needs to be added that our home was always spotless and the "deep cleaning" before the holidays was by no means needed).

But then, I also remember birthdays that were by no means Pinterest-worthy. There were no theme, no perfectly-decorated princess cakes, no hand-crafted give-away bags, no hired clown or organized trasure hunt, but all my cousins, aunts uncles, and a couple of friends having good old-fashioned fun.

This made me think about how kids actually need and want their childhood to be. How they want their parents and their homes to be. If it's necessary to maintain a spotless home at all times or if it is more important to THEM to turn a planned cleaning session into an afternoon of playing games with them.  If it's really important how perfect (or not) their cake looks before they eat it, or if it's more important with whom they share their cake.

Therefore, I have picked one word that I want to define this coming year for our family:

Source

Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (82)

Unfortunately, I don't remember much about last week. Sleep deprivation sucks big time, and someone should tell the little terrorist in my bed that depriving a person of sleep is actually a form of torture.

Still, the ten things I'm incredibly thankful for this week:

1. Having the little terrorist who keeps me awake!

2. My parents for happily taking in their oldest daughter plus offspring for two nights while hubby was at the orchestra retreat.

3. Hubby for having the opportunity to escape the daily routine for a few days every year to spend with his orchestra buddy and rehearse until his mouth hurts. We miss him, but I'm happy for him taking this time for himself.

4. Living in a country where - while my rights are limited and oppressed by the government to a point - I can live freely as an Atheist. I can speak freely and our kids sleep in peace. The attacks on free speech in Paris made me the more thankful for this right.

5. School and kindergarten being back on and the girls back in their routine.

6. Welcoming the muddiest little princess you can imagine at our doorstep this Thursday, smiling her biggest princess smile. I didn't even have to ask if she had fun  :-)

7. Lily doing so well in school, and having fun going.

8. Getting to talk a little bit to the mom of the new girl in Violet's kindergarten class today. She happens to live really close to us, and is new to this town, so I'm probably having her over for a cup of coffee or tea soon!

9. Coffee to get me started in the morning and tea to help me quiet down at night. Both shared with the hubby.

10. Having reclaimed our living room, kicked out the tree, put away the holiday deco for another season. Each year I'm excited to get everything out, but almost equally excited to pack everything away to reclaim our "normal" life.


What are you thankful for this week?

Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (81)

I can't believe that it's 2015. Where did 2014 go?  The whole year just flew by, with all the excitements and changes it brought in our lives. Even though the changes were clearly positive, I am hoping for a more quiet 2015!

Here are the ten things I'm most thankful for in this past week:

1. Good old family board game afternoons.

2. Naps that just sneaked up on my while cuddling on the couch with Calvin.

3. A fun outing with the kids and my best friend to the planetarium.

4. Having my best friend. We are a lot alike and know each other so well it leads to funny situations like getting each other the same little present for the holidays.

5. Mornings of Lily reading to her little siblings.

6. A wonderful family doctor / PCP. He takes a holistic approach to health, using alternative options before prescribing the chemical club. I went to see him this week for my back pain, and besides the obvious tense muscles, I oviously have a spinal deformity. Instead of simply giving me pain meds, he's referred me to a physical therapist to work on the issues in a long-term scope.

7. Home-made cinnamon rolls. I walked by IKEA the other day and smelled their cinnamon rolls there. I couldn't get the smell out of my head and therefore used the cube of yeast I had in the fridge to make my own. Simply delicious!

8. Having another close friend move closer to us into her own home. Hubby helped moving today, and I'm thankful that the weather held just long enough for him to return safe and sound. Can't wait to visit my friend at her new home!

9. The extra 30 minutes of sleep I requested after a pretty restless night with Calvin and Violet in my bed turning into 1.5 hours. I felt so, so refreshed afterwards!

10. A great New Year's celebration with friends. Tons of delicious food, fun company, and a baby who's looking up to the sky in amazement watching the firework, ignoring the noise as if it wasn't there!

10-1/2. A package from Alaska arriving  :-)

What are you thankful for during this first week of 2015???

Week/Year In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful x 2 (80)

Yes, I know, I'm quite late (48 minutes to spare here in Germany, to be exact), and on top of it, the headline is longer than usual, hinting at a few more thankfuls than usual.  First of all, I enjoyed the break from the computer over the holidays (if I didn't work, that is), but was so excited for all the last thankfuls if this wonderful year 2014. I can't believe it's been a year again. With all the excitement we had in our family this time last year (we found out for sure that Calvin was on his way on the 24th last year), it was very special "recapping" everything while having out little guy celebrate with us (or, more realistically, be very overwhelmed with the situation).

Today, I would like to share two separate lists of thankfuls. One focussing on the more general aspects of our lives, which are by no means taken for granted, even though they are not always regarded with the importance they actually have:

1. The people in my life. First and foremost my wonderful family, which even grew by one beautiful little boy this year. Secondly, my friends. I am so thankful for every single one of them.

2. Our home. Yes, we moved this year to our very own home. But that is not necessarily what I am thankful for (even though I absolutely am). I am incredibly thankful that our family has shelter, with all the amenities like power, running water, central heating, etc. that most people just take for granted without realizing that a large portion of this planet's population live without it, even people in our (developed) countries.

3. Food on our tables. With refugees dying of dehydration and people in Africa living through one drought after the next, food and water are definitely nothing to take for granted!

4. Health. One thing that we can only buy with money in a limited fashion. I am thankful for having access to healthcare when needed, but I am also thankful that our family is generally quite healthy.

5. Peace. This year, way too many people in this world did not get to enjoy peace. The (near) war in the Gaza strip, the uprising of the IS in Iraq and Syria that forced thousands to leave their homes and seek refuge in another country. I am thankful that our children can sleep in peace, unaffected by war and violence.

6. A job. More exactly: a job that sustains our family. Or in our case more than just sustains the family. I am painfully aware that a 40-hour a week job does oftentimes not allow a family to make ends meet any more nowadays.

7. Time. I didn't think I would enjoy being home as much as I do. I think the biggest part is that hubby is home, too, doing school. This maternity/parental leave is a unique opportunity for our family to spend so much quality time together.

8. Freedom. Even though I am writing a lot about our freedom as Atheists is frequently cut, at least we can speak openly about being an Atheist. We can choose not to attend any religious service without having to fear repercussions. I can speak my mind without having to fear prosecution.

9. Safety from natural disasters. I am incredibly thankful to be living in an area where the worst thing that generally happens is a much stronger-than-normal storm blow some shingles from our roofs or a huge rainstorm fills a few basements. After surviving a tornado in Kansas that completely destroyed a whole subdivision, I will never take this for granted again!

10. Love. Many people do not experience this. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by so much love every single day, and I am incredibly thankful for it!



On to the ten thankfuls for the week!

1. Snow!!!! Oh my goodness, snow!!!  And throwing snowballs at the girls!

2. A wonderful Yule celebration being spent with many friends visiting, too much good food eaten, and seeing the girls be so happy with the loot they got from Santa.

3. Slowly getting a handle on the chaos that ensued after the loot was discovered and opened.

4. Did I ever mention the dryer?

5. Calvin being a good sleeper!!!

6. Afternoon naps with the baby!

7. Little outings on the sled.

8. Hubby being the best and giving me my first few sets of D&D dice for a gift. I've only been playing for 6 years or so...

9. Traditions. Like spending New Years Eve once again with out friends!

10. A warm bed that I'm going to fall into in a minute.


I wish every one of you a few more fun days in 2014!