Nikolaus

Yet another German celebration that is so much more fun with kids.

This morning we got the kids up early to find their shoes filled with gifts - books and chocolate from us, toys and chocolate from Oma and Opa.  They both loved it.

At Kindergarten it had been a big deal to leave out a shoe under the Christmas tree yesterday and they were filled with some healthy snacks - satsuma, peanuts and a little bit of chocolate.  

Even Joshua had a satsuma and chocolate in his slipper.

At work, Nikolaus had left chocolates and a candle on the desks and a chocolate in the pigeon holes.

It is such a sweet tradition and I love it. In the evening, some children go door to door to sing for sweets - kind of a cross between Halloween and Christmas caroling.

This year I am a bit late getting to grips with Christmas.  I haven't started my shopping, made my cards or put up my decorations so I'm hoping to get a bit more into the spirit at the weekend and I am planning to get ahead of the game next year (but I seem to remember saying that last year too).

Make it Monday: Lanterns

This year we are going to two lantern festivals and the kids are making their own lanterns for the first time in Kindergarten.

The first festival is with my friends from the post-natal class I took after having Joshua and I decided to surprise the kids with new lanterns.  I ordered these kits from Amazon and over three evenings last week, I managed to put them together. 

They are sturdier than lanterns we've made before, although some bits fall off and I'll need to superglue them before the big night.  There's going to be punch, sausages and singing.  We are in charge of the campfire bread.  Look out for the recipe!

Münster

 Last week, while Dad was here, we visited Münster.  It's been a long time since I've visited a new city and it's definitely a different experience with children!  We decided to drive there which takes just under two hours.  We were ready to stretch our legs when we arrived.

 We had lunch and then headed further into the centre to visit the cathedral.  I found the surroundings of the cathedral a bit strange - not pedestrianised and busy as in many other cities but the cathedral itself was lovely.

 We had a look around inside.  The alter looked beautiful as it was all set up for the harvest festival.  There are some special features in the cathedral - an astronomical clock and a St.Christopher statue.  Unfortunately, children and quiet spaces don't mix well so I didn't see these features but Nico manage to find them for me.

 There is a second large church, pictured at the top of this post, which is famous for the three cages in which the corpses of criminals were displayed (as a warning to others) many years ago.

 We also visited the town hall.  For the children, the main highlights were chasing pigeons and being kitted out with new clothes in Primark.

 We sat outside for a drink before driving home.  We were very lucky with the weather.

 I can see why Münster is twinned with York.  Apart from the cathedral, which strongly resembles York Minster, the cities are around the same age, both have universities and lots of cyclists.  It is a really beautiful city and I would love to go again.

Woods

Last week while my Dad was here, we had plans to get out and about with the kids.  Unfortunately the weather wasn't great so we decided not to go too far but get the rain clothes on, pack some hot tea and snacks and discover a local play area.

The kids both had adventures in the woods with their respective daycare groups at the beginning of Summer last year and loved it, but we had yet to go there as a family.  We took the trailer with us and had a little walk through the woods to this huge sand dune.  The whole place is ten minutes drive from us and the kids are the perfect age for us to go there more often now.

We were there for a couple of hours and it wasn't as busy as I had expected on a bank holiday.  The kids ran around, climbed, discovered dens and made up their own games. I actually found it quite relaxing.  We'll definitely be going there again.

For me, it is the perfect inspiration to get outside more before the weather gets too cold and discover some local areas.

Wedding Anniversaries

Here in Germany tradition and family are celebrated in a big way. At the weekend we were at a silver wedding anniversary party for Nico's aunt and uncle. The family had met in the week before to prepare a garland and that was hung over their front door on Sunday morning. Their daughters had prepared a big party and invited family and friends. The weather was glorious and it was lovely to help them celebrate such a special occasion.

The year after I met Nico we attended his grandparents' golden wedding anniversary with a blessing at the church and a reception afterwards. At our own wedding, we met a couple celebrating their golden anniversary at the same church which was special.

Germans even celebrate a parsley wedding anniversary at twelve and a half years but I haven't attended one yet.

The first 'big' one is wood at five years, which we happen to have in July, so I am excited to see what happens!

Carneval

Here in Germany it is carneval week.  It has a religious background related to lent and to be honest, I don't know why it is more of a European thing and not really celebrated in the UK.

Carneval is very big in Cologne but it is celebrated all over the country.  For us it has become more of a thing since we have become parents.  Every nursery, Kindergarten and primary school celebrates somehow.

It's a bit more reserved and open in the nursery - they are celebrating all week and the kids can dress up if they want.  The room is decorated and they had a special mid-week buffet.

In the Kindergarten tomorrow is the big day.  The kids are all dressing up in costumes (Isabella has chosen to go as Princess Elsa from Frozen - probably one of many) and having a big breakfast buffet.  There will no doubt be games and songs and who knows what. 

One thing I love about living in another country is celebrating these traditions.  I do miss our UK festivities like Bonfire Night but there is a lot to celebrate here too.

40 things- learn to plait Isabella's hair

While on holiday last week, I finally attempted a French plait in Isabella's hair.

If there's one thing German women seem so much better at, it's plaiting hair. I've no chance of doing my own but I really wanted to learn for Isabella and her hair is finally long enough.

I know the above picture isn't perfect but in my opinion, it's a pretty good first attempt! As long as she's willing, I'll keep trying and who knows, maybe I will manage my own one day!

Walsrode Bird Park

This week we had a lovely, family day out a bird park in Walsrode. The weather was fantastic.

We were there nice and early when the park opened and stayed until the early evening because it was so nice and the kids were great.

First we headed to the penguin enclosure for feeding time and Isabella was delighted to throw a fish in!

 We then wandered round the biggest bird park in Europe and visited everything from hummingbirds to the osterich. There were owls, eagles, hawks, parrots,... anything you could imagine, and a few you couldn't.

 There were also two shows, an indoor one with some tricks and comedy as well as information on illegal animal trade. The second was outdoors and a real spectacle with vultures and a bald eagle swooping over our heads. Amazing.

 When we'd seen enough birds we took the kids to the play area. There were lots of huge slides and nets for older kids. The highlight was a cross between a bouncy castle and a trampoline which we let both children loose on. They loved it!

 We took snacks and drinks with us. The kids were free and thanks to Nico's forward planning we got 10% off our tickets. It was great value and we'll definitely be going again.

Fun Wedding

 This weekend we drove four hours to Arnstadt in Thuringen to celebrate our lovely friends' wedding. If I'm honest, I was dreading it - four hour drive, hotel with two little kids, a full on wedding day with said kids. I couldn't have been more wrong.

 These two put a lot of pressure on themselves to provide their guests with a fun day of activities.

After a beautiful ceremony, in which they were married by the same registrar who married the groom's parents, there was a group photo and a delicious lunch.

 After lunch we broke into two groups for a guided tour of the town. One group had a Russian translator for the bride's family and friends.

Arnstadt is actually the hometown of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach. He worked as an organist in the above church. There are also links to Martin Luther. The tour was really interesting.

After a chance to change we drove up a mountain for a treasure hunt. We were split into groups and we were with another young family with an easy route.

When we found our treasure, we let Isabella 'dig' it up; she was over the moon. It was fun and the weather was glorious all day.

After another quick change, we drove to the reception for some traditional fun, food and dancing.

It was a wonderful day for a wonderful couple.

German bedding

I first realised that German bedding was different when staying with Nico's family. It's typical here for double beds to have two duvets (somewhere between the English single and double in size) and two big square pillows.

At first I hated the idea - not very romantic, one step away from seperate beds. Well, we recently made the switch and I wouldn't go back. No more tugs-of-war in the night and a much wider choice of bedding at local stores!

Lantern Festival

One of my favourite things about being a mum is joining in with celebrations like this one. Maybe because I miss Bonfire Night so much, Lantern Festival is one of my favourite traditions - a celebration of light to cheer up the long, dark nights.

Last year was our first one. Isabella was new at nursery, I was helping inside with the PTA. This year was very different. A whole year older, she managed to walk the whole route herself. She carried her lantern proudly and held hands with her friends.

After the walk, we sang around a little fire and some of the staff acted out the St Martin's scene. The children were treated to pretzels and fruit punch and ran around together.

It was a bit drizzly and our camera battery had run out but you can see this year's lantern above. I'm really looking forward to advent and Christmas next!

Autumn!

So Autumn is here and somehow it's October on Saturday!! There are lots of things I'm looking forward to this year. The first highlight was Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes that kept me going through the last few weeks, delicious.

If the weather ever stabilises, I'm looking forward to wrapping up a bit more, with extra layers and blankets. We had our first fire this week and thanks to Nico, we're well stocked up on wood for the winter too.

Having a winter baby on the way and finally being on maternity leave, the nesting instinct is perfectly timed for getting the house in order, stocking up, crafting and generally preparing.

Germans really know how to do Autumn. We've got lots to look forward to with Isabella at nursery too, including her second lantern festival.

First up though, two weeks off for some much needed rest and family time.

A-ram-sam-sam

For weeks Isabella has been singing a cute little song with actions at home and we've been trying to work out what it is.

It has actions that remind me of 'wind the bobbin up' but there's no German equivalent.

Nico finally realised that it's the song in this video and she goes crazy when we sing it together.

Competition Time

This week at work has mainly been spent helping my Spanish pupils prepare their competition entries for the regional rounds of the team language competition.

I've got two groups entering and although it hasn't been smooth sailing and there are still problems, I am really proud of both groups.

The boys did a video giving the school's history in Spanish (this year is the school's centenary) and the girls did a drawing video with a story about refugees in Spanish.

On my side I learned that I need to start much earlier in the school year with this project and I need to brush up my IT skills.

Nevertheless, we have achieved one of our department goals of taking part in more events and competitions.

Carneval

Yesterday was carneval here in Germany. Isabella had waffles at nursery and they had a fancy dress day.

As she is in the blue group, they were supposed to wear something blue. The blue princess costumes were too big and I didn't have chance to make anything so we improvised...

We saw a blue bear hat and dressed her in blue with blue dungerees. She loved it - though she wasn't sure why she was allowed to keep the hat on all day.

We had a photo shoot in the hallway in the morning and she was a real little poser. So cute! I love making these special memories with her.

Kohltour

After five and a half years in Germany I finally experienced my first Kohltour. It's a winter tradition in Germany and certainly brightens up January.

We met at our neighbours' for coffee, cake and the sharing out of pretzels. Everyone was well wrapped up. The pretzel and a shot glass are worn on a string around your neck. The queen from last year had prepared a trolley with schnapps, snacka, mulled wine and games.

We walked from their house on a mystery tour to a restaurant. At each junction, the schnapps was passed around and on two of the stops we played team games. It was great to chat with our neighbours and get to know them better after a year of short chats over the fence.

We passed several other groups on tours and at the restaurant there were about twenty groups enjoying their kale and sausage dinner. There was music and dancing and the new kings and queens were chosen.

Afterwards, we walked back in the snow which was nice. Really looking forward to next year too!

Parents' Meetings

Yet another benefit of Isabella being at nursery is the opportunity to meet new people and socialise more.

Both Nico and I moved to Bremen (and now Weyhe) for work, leaving most of our contacts behind and workplaces here in Germany, while friendly, aren't as social as in England.

Aside from getting to know our neighbours better tomorrow, mixing with parents has been one of our few opportunities to meet new people.

Last night I went for drinks with the parents from Isabella's nursery group. There were just four of us but for me that made it easier to follow. It was also a nice mix, two mums, two dads, a range of ages and backgrounds talking for three hours about all sorts.

It was nice because we see each other most days but never have a chance to talk. It's also nice to hear about the little ones who Isabella spends every day with.

It was also good and interesting to hear how the nursery has changed from some of the parents with older kids.

We met in the theater pub in Weyhe which was nice and quiet to be able to talk. We're planning our next drink there in April and hopefully the nicer weather will bring more people out.

Children's First Aid

Last night I took part in a children's first aid course. It was through the baby club at Werder Bremen Football Club.  Their events have been quite mixed so far but this was definitely the best.

It always surprises me how different things are here in comparison to the UK and usually, things here are much more logical.

For example, in Germany you have to pass a first aid course in order to get a driving license.  Also, in stark contrast to the UK, the only thing you can be sued for in terms of First Aid here, is if you do nothing to help.  I remember being told as a teacher in the UK, NOT to help injured pupils as parents have been known to sue teachers who have done the right thing and helped their child.  As a parent, I know which system I prefer.

Anyway, as to the course itself, while I have taken first aid courses at school (compulsory every three years for teachers), this was the first one I've ever taken aimed at young children and babies and there were lots of new tips and pieces of advice.

We covered the big things like CPR and the recovery position.  We covered preventing accidents and injuries as well as the treatment of a range of problems, from burns to bandaging cuts.

We received a free bandage pack for our bags and I bought a small guide.  It's so important to refresh and add to first aid knowledge when you have little ones running round, but in can be useful in any situation.

We were a little sad to hear that only 20% of people who receive CPR survive but as the trainer pointed out, those 20% are very grateful and make it worth it.  It also makes it all the more amazing that a friend of my family has performed CPR on and saved the lives of not one, but two people.

It's something I hope I never have to use, but I'm glad I'll be able to.

Lantern Festival

Last night was Isabella's first lantern festival at nursery. It was mine too, and it was good fun.

We met in front of the nursery as it was falling dark and took some lovely snaps.

We'd been in to nursery the week before to make the lantern and Nico finished it at home. Isabella loved it. She spent the whole journey trying to blow out the electric candle.

We were at the back of the walk and as they are so little, it just went around the car park but it was great. Isabella walked a bit and was carried a bit. She especially liked the music to which she did a little dance walk.

Afterwards there was singing round the fire and the carers gave the kids pretzels. Meanwhile, I helped the parents' association selling mulled wine and providing punch for the kids. Isabella loved hers.

It was a lovely evening and I am looking forward to next year even more when she can appreciate in even more.

German Weddings

In the first week of the holidays, some of our friends got married in Nico's home town. For me, it was my first German wedding with the exception of our own where we tried to mix things as much as possible.

When we got there, they were taking photos in the church. There's none of the 'groom can't see the bride before the wedding' here. On one hand, I think it takes some of the excitement away but it also seemed to be less stressful.

After the photos the couple went away. All of the guests lined the path to the church, women on one side, men on the other. The men were all given a buttonhole and guests with cars were given a decoration for their car. This was nice as everyone got to see the couple.

The service itself was similar to any church service.

Afterwards, guests travelled to the reception in convoy. It's normal to beep the horns all the way.

There is a traditional soup at the reception. Then this wedding had a buffet. It's normal to have lots of entertainment at the reception. Family preared various things at our wedding and that was the same here. Apart from the speeches, one group of friends did a special song and dance. The siblings of the bride and groom arranged for guests to make video messages which were shown at the wedding. They also distributed decorated pegs for guests to find random groups of five for a random photo booth shot.

We arrived home at six in the morning. Weddings here are usually later - the service was at three - and the celebrations go on all night until the candle dance. This is another sweet tradition where the happy couple closes the day with a slow dance.

It was really nice to see a traditional German wedding and to celebrate with our friends.