"Life is too important to be taken seriously."

-Oscar Wilde

Monday, October 27, 2008

No crying over spilt milk, please.


The Caspi-Man wanted "pink milk" as a "bedtime drink".

(It's a Charlie & Lola thing.)

A bit of ice-cream & red food colouring and he was sorted.

But then he wanted Olli to have pink milk too.

He knows that regular milk is not good for Olli. I stood firm - I WOULD NOT be colouring cat milk for Olli. (Once certain lines are crossed - heaven knows where we'll end up.)

So the Caspi-Man decided that he'd share his...

When I told the Caspi-Man that he had to help clean up the mess - this wasn't really what I had in mind:





Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Brilliant things about Germany No. 222

The Kindergarten.

Where your child DOES behave. And if it stays over lunch - it WILL use cutlery and chew with its mouth shut.

These things, alas, do not happen in the home... not even if you use threats, bribes, and/or positive role modeling. Attempts to create the same "peer" atmosphere by inviting 3-4 of the said child's friends over for a meal - also doesn't work. (You'll just have 4 times the farm-yard behaviour your own child likes to exhibit at the table.)

How on earth do the Kindergarten teachers manage it?

A not so random thing I'm wondering...

Why is that I can drink black coffee first thing in the morning with no (discernable) side effects - but regular tea with milk on an empty stomach gives me the most horrific stomach spasms?

Monday, October 13, 2008

11pm Monday Night...

It's raining, it's pouring,
The Caspi-Man is snoring,
Olli the cat,
Is frollicking round the flat,
Unaware his bits are being snipped in the morning!

Cupcakes...

Last Friday was Miss H's birthday. So we made some cup-cakes to take to her party... the Caspi-Man laid claim to the elephant.



And, just because it seems in theme- here is a picture of some strawberry tarts we made during strawberry season (back in May):

Was gonna make some quip about a knave of tarts - but that would be pointless as everyone can see - these tarts are not being taken by a knave - they're being defended by a knight.



food styling by Caspi-Man using his own props.
bad photography - as always - by me.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Do not attempt...

to colour match a replacement against your own (nearly empty, Australian bought) lipstick in a German department store.

You WILL be apprehended on leaving the premises by gruff, humourless store detectives and escorted (without words) to a grey and sombre room.

Police involvement can be averted if your preferred existing lipstick shade is proven to (sadly?) not exist in Deutschland...

Beware:

when trampling through Autumnal Forests of the Con Dog.

He comes traipsing up - all brown eyes, wagging tail, and full of doggy good will ... and you think he's being friendly and adorable.

But, really, it's all a ploy- he's just after your specially selected stick, (the one you were delighted to find and were using to assist walking up the slippery slopes, uncover conkers and chestnuts from below fallen leaves, and ward off attacks from small & large 'highway' men that lurk behind trees and randomly pounce as you walk past...)

With your stick now in his jaws - all pretense of friendliness will cease - and he will dart off into the distance - and his human companion's mumbled apologies will be meaningless when you fail to find another stick of appropriate length and weight to aide you in your continued journey...



Thursday, October 2, 2008

Beyond Brittanica.

Ya gotta adore the internet! (I love a good understatement, don't you?) The reasons are, without doubt, incalculable. And as a parenting tool - it is a resource beyond compare .

And I'm not referring here to the countless sites devoted to advice, support, and creative ideas for effective discipline, (although I've heard rumours those places can be rather informative), but rather the aspect of how it has freed modern parents from age old cliches like:

"You'll just have to take my word for it",
"Go ask your mother," or
"Look it up in the encyclopedia."

(Not that the last of these was ever heard in my childhood home - we never owned a set - but I can attest to the others... the first in particular. Used a lot that one was...)

No, rather than resorting to the pulling of rank, or admissions of ignorance - parents of the new millennia can say:

"Hang on a sec... I'll show you!"

Recently, the Ger-Man was trying to dress the Caspi-Man, who was, on that day, refusing to wear anything BUT his pint sized Socceroos jersey. (And I must tell you, yellow is soooo not his colour. A shame really - as the Ger-Man proclaimed quite early on that if he excels at fussball he'd be playing for Australia, and if swimming was his sport he'd be doing it for Deutschland. I was initially confused by this - until he clarified his position with "more chance of getting in the national team". Just wonder who he'll be representing then if he excels at brick laying?)

The jersey happened to be soaking in the laundry - covered in colourful evidence of a previous day's eating, drinking, playing, and perhaps even accident of a "it's no big deal, it can happen to anyone," (but why the hell is it happening to you this often?) nature.

"How about this one?" asked the Ger-Man, holding up a black t-shirt adorned with a white feather on its chest that had been sent from NZ. "It's also a football shirt!"

The Caspi-Man was skeptical to say the least. But the Ger-Man was determined. He regaled the Caspi-Man with tales of rugby (who knew he knew of such things?), the glory of the All Blacks, and with impressions of the Haka. Attempts at the Haka even. I was dispatched (to the internet, of course) to obtain the true text. (And might I tell you - there are few things that are quite as amusing on a Saturday morning as a full blooded German Ger-Man attempting to teach his bewildered, half dressed 3 year old son the Haka.)

It was the internet, though, that I ultimately credit with winning the t-shirt a high profile place on the Caspi-Man's preferred-wearing rotation. And, specifically - this brilliant 'You-Tube' clip of
The All Blacks vs Tonga


(One of the few teams that can do something other than look bemused in the face of the Haka.)

Parents of previous generations could never have dreamt of this option!

Then again, parents of previous generations probably didn't have to try to explain to other shocked parents in the local Duesseldorf park, why their half German, half Australian son has just run up to the faces of their alarmed off-spring, with arms up, eyes bulging, toungue out, while shouting random words that sound a bit like profanities...

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Evidence of cultural differences No. 353.

The Birthday...

Today the Caspi-Man is staying home from Kindergarten. He will be tomorrow too. Although the Caspi-Man feels fine - the doctor says that he's contagious and should be quarantined for at least 3 days. Given that Friday is a public holiday (Re-unification day) this effectively means the Caspi-Man is not back at Kindergarten til next Monday. The Caspi-Man is sorely disappointed - as today it is his favourite teacher's birthday and she was bringing in treats for morning tea.

Birthdays are celebrated somewhat differently here in Germany - as an Australian friend of mine learnt in her first year here. Keen to assimilate - and potentially extend her social network - she decided to invite a bunch of (10, or so) "workmates" to a nearby restaurant the following day to help celebrate her first birthday in Deutschland. She was anticipating the Aussie deal, you know - where everyone comes along, springs for their own meal and usually throws in a bit extra so that the guests collectively contribute enough to cover the birthday girl/boy's evening. She was thrilled when everyone accepted her invitation (so much popularity in such a short time!) that is, until she got home that night and told her (German) hubby.

"You do know," her told her, "That you'll be footing the bill for everyone."

Er.... no... She didn't know.

Yep, here in Deutschland, if it's your birthday - it's your shout. (But guests are obligated to bring pressies, and sing "Zum Geburtstag viel Glueck" and often also the english "Happy Birthday" song - but sans the Hip hip horays.) There is no culture of BYO (either in restaurants or privately) and so, for fiscal reasons, many birthdays go widely uncelebrated.

There is also a superstitious taboo about celebrating early. If your birthday falls on a Monday - there's no option to celebrate it on the preceding weekend. It's considered to be an extremely bad omen. And, what if some horrid misfortune (ie. death) befalls you BEFORE your actual birthday, and you've celebrated something that hasn't actually happened?
("Well," my mother said on hearing this, "At least you've had a good party before signing out.")

In the Caspi-Man's kindergarten - the parents are expected to provide morning tea for the entire group on their child's birthday (or on the following Monday if it has fallen on the weekend). I was quite touched that the teachers also observe this custom. (Although I don't really believe that Frau Lehrerin's mama & papa will be there - doing the catering...)
expat Germany
Expat Women—Helping Women Living Overseas