And Germany's Silly Season Begins.....

One of the difficult things about living in a foreign country for an extended period of time is learning how to handle their customs. Many European countries celebrate carnival for the week in the run up to Ash Wednesday, dressing up and scaring off evil spirits. 

For the first seven years that I lived in Germany I simply ignored their carnival season. But since having children, I have had to get used to the fact that I have to get involved, if only for their sake. 

The first few years it was all a bit of a chore - face painting a toddler, dressing him up in fancy dress, dressing me up in fancy dress, bringing him to a parade and faking having a good time just isn't my thing. 

The past four years though have found me looking forward to Fasching, the name used here for canival. I've found a role I am happy with - the role of amateur entertainment officer. 

Each of the past four years has seen me involved in the entertainment at kindergarten as part of their festivities. I've dressed up as a spider and as a traditional Bavarian lady, I've made hand puppets for the Punch and Judy show and I've even been a walking, talking sack of spuds.  

Added to that there has been the creating of costumes for the boys - one each for kindergarten / school, one each for wearing to the parade, one each for the sports club Fasching party. It takes a lot of planning. 

This year I outdid myself entirely and made a Gruffalo cake for today's Gruffalo-themed dress up day at kindergarten. Tonight will see me decorating the sports hall for tomorrow's Punch and Judy show and prompting my fellow entertainers if they forget their lines. 

By this time tomorrow I imagine I will be shattered and it will only be day 2 of the six day carnival. But for the sake of my little knight, my very own R2D2 and my little dinosaur, I'm happy to take on some extra work*.

*Extra work that involves a lot of things I love to do, baking, crafting, sewing and lots of excuses to get out of the house, meet up with other mammies and sometimes share a bottle of prosecco as we plan the festivities. 

Celebrating Breastfeeding with 5 Top Tips

"I'm like Jesus, amn't I Mammy?" my eldest son once said to me.  He must have been about four at the time. Puzzled as to what he could mean, I asked him where he got the idea. "I'm the firstborn son" he announced proudly. I had to try my best not to laugh. 

This year he is taking part in the local nativity play (not as Jesus). The play has been rewritten to appeal to the children of today. A couple of girls are checking their e-mail on Christmas Eve and get a message that Jesus has been born. They click on the link to see the photos of the baby and his parents and follow the events of the night on social media.

As we read the script for the play the "I'm like Jesus" quote popped back into my mind. Now, I'm taking an educated guess on this, but I would say that one thing that Jesus and my Number One certainly have in common is that they were breastfed. I mean no disrespect here, but what else could you do, in a stable, surrounded by animals, with no way to sterilise anything? Breastfeeding would have been Mary's only option. Now that I think of it, the sheep would have come in quite handy. For warmth of course but also as an abundant supply of healing wool and lanolin for Mary's nipples. 

As a fellow mother, I am very grateful that my firstborn was born into more pleasant surroundings and that I had a choice when it came to how to feed my baby. During my pregnancy, I knew I wanted to try to breastfeed. I hoped that things would go well and they did. I fed Number one for nine months, Number Two for ten and Number Three for thirteen months. We had our ups and downs throughout and as a result, I have learned a lot.

Here are my top five breastfeeding tips. I hope they help you as much as they did me:

1. Get informed - if the real estate mantra is location, location, location then the breastfeeding equivalent has to be information, information, information. One of the best bits of advice I got in my first pregnancy was from my mother. "Inform yourself about everything" she said, so I did. At the time I didn't have any friends with babies to talk to about it. So I read up on breastfeeding, I talked to my ante-natal midwife, I spoke to my aunts (one a midwife, the other a former breastfeeding consultant) and found out as much as I could about what to expect. I know that actually breastfeeding and reading about it are two different things, but having a reasonable idea of what to expect is a great start.  
2. Buy the basics - while you are still pregnant, invest in some breastfeeding basics. I recommend you buy
 - at least one breastfeeding bra. For the right size, talk to an assistant in a maternity shop.
 - nipple shields. Not everyone needs them but they are not expensive and they do take some of the pain out of the first week. Pack them into your hospital bag.
 - a breastfeeding cushion. These U-shaped cushions are a lifesaver, especially with your first child. They support your arms and your back and help you sit in a more relaxed position while feeding.
 - a hand pump. These are also not too pricey and may come in useful if you are overflowing with milk and your baby won't drink it all. If you get through the first three weeks, you may decide to upgrade to an electric pump. To be honest though, I breastfed three children and only needed to use the pump with the first. With my younger two boys, I only breastfed and never pumped. 
 - ointment for sore nipples. Another pretty cheap item but a total lifesaver in the first few weeks at least. Just buy it and pack it into your hospital bag. If you don't need it, great. But you don't want to leave yourself in a porition where you need it and don't have it. Believe me. 
3. Eat and drink a lot and often. I cannot stress this enough. When my first son was 5 or 6 days old I was suddenly having trouble feeding after the first few days going really well. The midwife visited and tore strips off my husband for not feeding me properly! She told him I needed a hot dinner twice a day as well as morning and afternoon snacks, a good breakfast and lots of water, juice and herbal tea. From then on I stuck to that regime and was never short of milk again.
4. Rest - Again, I cannot stress this enough. You may think that you can get your old life back and be out and about when your baby is four days old. I know that I thought so. I went to do the groceries with my husband and my newborn, thinking to myself "I've only had a baby, I'm not ill". I came home an hour later with back pain and and headache and thought I'd caught a cold. I hadn't. I was in the early stages of an inflammation that could have proceeded to become mastitis. Luckily my midwife called around and sorted me out. Cold compresses, feeding the baby every last drop of milk despite the pain and LOTS OF REST, preferably bed rest, were the tips she gave me. Don't think you can do everything. It is not good for you. Rest as much as you possibly can. Listen to me on this one. Please.
5. Set yourself up with a comfortable breastfeeding spot - My faveoutite place to feed my three newborns was in a straight-backed armchair in the living room with a low footstool under my feet, the coffee table and a shelf were both in easy reach, so I could put my drink down. I left a book there so I could read if the baby took a long time to feed and / or fell asleep after the feed. I was comfortable. Baby was comfortable. It worked for us. I may well work for you too. 

The code word for the Celebrating Breastfeeding Christmas Extravaganza is reindeer. 

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Time To Toughen Up

If there is one thing I have learnt as a parent it is that, once your child starts to speak, you need to toughen up. Children have no fear when it comes to telling it like it is, so if you are easily insulted, you're going to have a hard time of it.

I have been blessed with very nice, polite children (mostly) but in the past three days alone I've had to put up with the following comments.

Number One, when I mentioned that my hair needs colouring: "No, your hair is not grey" Aw, how sweet. "It is white, Mammy". Yes, well, thank you for pointing that out love. 

Number Two, on a separate occasion: "Mammy, you are like Anna" Aw, he thinks I'm a princess. "Your hair is white too". Oh, right, that's what you meant. Nice.  

Number Two: "Mammy, you are not one bit like Mary Poppins. You are whole [completely] like her". I was puzzled at this till I realised we were out for a walk with the buggy and I had a hat on and an umbrella up.

Number Two: "You have a very wobbly bum, don't you?" Hmm, do I indeed? How kind of you to say.

Needless to say I am quite content with Number Three only being able to say "Mammy", "shoes", "kissies" and nothing else for now. 

Clearing Out, Wasting Less, Using Common Sense

For months and months the idea to use my blogs to promote reducing food waste was brewing in my mind. Finally, back in October, I started a monthly linked called Clear Out And Eat (#ClearOutAndEat).

The thinking behind the title is that we should clear out our fridges and presses and see what we have before buying in more and more food. There is almost always something that can be made with the food we have. From soups to stews, smoothies and scones, with a bit of thought and creativity we can use up what we have and bin less food. 

People have become so accustomed to having choice and to doing whatever they feel like that the idea of waste not, want not has been pretty much forgotten. In a report a few years I read that the Germans throw away over 20% of their food purchases due to poor planning*. I mean, THE GERMANS! If their planning is poor, how bad is everyone else's?

Speaking of want not, yesterday I spotted on Twitter that Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has a new series on the BBC called Hugh's War on Waste. It started last Monday, apparently, with a look at the staggering quantity of food that is wasted in the UK each year (1/3 of the food!**) and continues tonight at 9pm GMT. Look up #wastenot on Twitter for information from the series.

It sickens me that so much food is wasted. So what if we haven't got the food we want in the house? Is that reason enough to let dairy products pass their use by date and or let fruit and vegetables shrivel up and rot? No!. 

So I urge you to be a bit more careful when shopping and cooking.  Use a bit of common sense. Buy what you know you'll use. Cook with what you have and only cook the amount you'll eat. If there are leftovers, freeze them for another day or reinvent them as another dish for the followng day.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

French supermarket Intermarche is doing its part for food waste reduction by selling the vegetables that usually wouldn't have met the criteria that the large supermarket chains set for growers***. They have made a point of promoting these so-called ugly vegetables. The idea is brilliant, although I must admit that I hate the term ugly vegetables. In fruit and vegetables, looks shouldn't be important, rather the nutritional value.

* Source www.handelsblatt.com

** Source www.bbc.co.uk

*** Source www.intermarche.com

 

The Baby & Toddler Years: The Soundtrack

Sometimes, as I observe my children's behaviour, I find myself wondering what song would accompany the situation if we were in a film. As they have progressed from newborn to baby to toddler, I have seen them milk drunk and high on mama love, randomly squealing and shouting, going crazy with excitement, throwing tantrums over nothing and amusing me with their mimics. 

If toddlerhood was a film, maybe the soundtrack would go a little something like this. 

Scene: The milk-drunk newborn, gazing lovingly at his mother 
Track 1: Elvis Costello - She
"She may be the reason I survive
The why and wherefore I'm alive
The one I'll care for through the rough in many years
Me, I'll take her laughter and her tears
And make them all my souvenirs
For where she goes I've got to be
The meaning of my life is she"

Scene: The Colicky Phase
Track 2: Björk - It's Oh So Quiet
"Shh shh
It's nice and quiet
Shh shh
But soon again
Shh shh
Starts another big riot"


Scene: The teething baby, who will not be calmed
Track 3: Dusty Springfield - I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
"I just don't know what to do with myself,
Don't know quite what to do with myself, ..."

Scene: The dancing, miming, babbling toddler
Track 4: Robbie Williams  - Let Me Entertain You
"So come on
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
So come on, let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Come on come one come on come on"

Scene: The tantrums begin 
Track 5: Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name Of
"F*@k you I won't do what you tell me, f*@k you I won't do what you tell me, f*@k you I won't do what you tell me, f*@k you I won't do what you tell me,...."

 

Our Planned-To-Be-Romantic Night at Lough Rynn Castle (featuring Number Three)

There is a touch of Downton Abbey about the place. Pulling up in front of the huge, stunning country house and stepping out onto the gravel, you feel like you have travelled back in time. It was to be the perfect setting for our romantic break, Lough Rynn Castle, Country Leitrim, Ireland. 

I did well, booking a special offer months in advance and paying €99 for an overnight stay that would normally have cost €219. I booked my parents as babysitters for the boys and planned to finish breastfeeding Number Three so that we could have a well-earned night away, just me and The Bavarian.

While it is commonly accepted that the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, it seems that *sometimes* that can happen to highly organised mothers' plans too. Number Three got a few teeth, started to walk and got just a little bit clingy (OK, so he had a meltdown if I left the room at all) around the time we were going on holiday. Leaving him overnight was not an option. And so it was that he had a luxury five star hotel break at the age of not quite 11 months, something his mother had had to wait around 35 years longer for. 

Soaking up the decadence of the place

  One of the two perks of the special offer I had booked was that there was early check in from 11am. We had planned to make the most of having only one third of our brood with us and arrive in time to check in early. I however am chronically late and we arrived at noon, only to be told that our room was not ready. On hearing this I was a bit irritated but glad we hadn't rushed to be there earlier. 

The lovely girl at reception quickly assigned us another room without us having to ask and Seamus, the excellent valet, showed us up. The room was small but cosy and beautifully decorated (see photo above). The only problem was there there was no room for a cot, as Seamus pointed out while we were oohing and aahing at the decor. We were then given the room originally planned for us (see photo below). While still a beautiful room, it was tired-looking compared to the first one. The cot got set up, our luggage transferred over and we were treated magnificently. 

Number Three surveying the grounds

I'd been looking forward to a nice relaxing bath but sadly there was only a shower. Instead we settled into the room and enjoyed a cup of coffee and planned our afternoon.

The second perk of the offer we had booked was afternoon tea and I was really looking forward to it. Surely a hotel as glamorous and tatefully decorated as this would have an excellent afternoon tea?Sadly not. Another disappointment for me. The tea itself came in a large pot and tasted fine. The food, however, was not as good as I would make for myself, let alone for guests. The Bavarian maintains that the sandwiches were fine, but in a five start hotel I expect better than fine. Yes, they were edible. But they were only sliced pan with egg mayonnaise, cucumber and salmon, ungarnished and with poorly cut off crusts. The sweeter elements were no better. The cakes may have been homemade, but they tasted shop bought and defrosted. For the scones there was cream but no jam. In fact one of the scones was a brown scone, the kind you usually get with soup. To my mind a brown scone has no place on an afternoon tea tray. 

To improve our mood, we set out for a walk around the grounds, and I am very glad we did. The woodlands, lake and walled garden lifted our spirits. The views, both of the house in one direction and out across the lake in the other, were splendid and the weather played along for most of our walk.

We spent a couple of hours wandering around the lake shore and exploring. We even chatted to some fishermen who were just returning from a few hours lake fishing. The Bavarian, an excellent fisherman himself, got to ask lots of questions about the local fishing.

Perch and pike caught in the lake that day

The walled garden was my favourite part of the grounds, being romantic and practical in one. At one corner there stands a turret, complete with an ornate iron balcony overlooking the lake, conjuring images of Romeo & Juliet, Rapunzel and other young lovers. 

The walled garden houses a beautiful glasshouse in which, among other fruits, figs and peaches grow. I was fascinated. I would never have imagined that the often drab weather of the Irish north west could produce fruit used to warmer climates.

Along the walls of the garden there are espalier apple trees, decorative and practical at the same time. I could have spent hours wandering the gardens, but the weather was beginning to turn and we needed to head back inside and get ready for dinner.

Since we had a not quite 11 month old baby with us, we chose to eat from the bar menu rather than disturb the guests in the main dining room. I know that had we been there without children I would not have been impressed with having my fancy meal interrupted by someone else's babbling baby. 

Before making our decision we did check with the hotel staff that the food for both the bar menu and the restaurant menu comes from the same kitchen and would be of similar quality. The Bavarian was intent on having a steak, having had the best steak of his life at Kilronan Castle, Lough Rynn's sister hotel, a few years ago.

The reception rooms opening off the bar are all open for bar food in the evening. We fell in love with the gigantic fireplace in the drawing room and chose a table there for our meal. The waiting staff couldn't have been friendlier as they brought us the menu, the wine list and a high chair for Number Three. 

For our starters we ordered seafood chowder for The Bavarian and deep fried brie for me. Both arrived quite speedily and looked great, at a first glance. My brie was tasty, nothing spectacular, but a simple dish well done. The chowder, however, was less than impressive. A skin had formed on it, presumbly while it was kept warm, it didn't taste remotely of fish and it contained chunks of that awful, pink, processed crab stick. Thinking it had just been an unfortunate choice, we didn't send it back.

Then, almost too quickly, the main course arrived.  My fish and chips (I know, not the ideal choice for a five star restaurant, bu I do love it and can't get it in Germany) was fine, except that the mushy peas weren't proper mushy peas, just peas, squashed. The Bavarian, again, had pulled the short straw. His steak, of which he had such high hopes and had ordered rare, came out like a shoe sole, thin, brown and tough. The vegetables were cold and the butter as hard as a rock. There was no chance of it melting by touching anything on the plate. As soon as we caught the waiter's eye, we sent it back. The waiter was extremely friendly and competent. He had no issue with sending the steak back and having another cooked.

Steak 2 arrived a few moments later. Poorly seared and entirely raw. Wierdly so. Not a drop of blood or juice came out, as if it was just defrosted. All in all a horrible piece of meat. The Bavarian gave up and took the baby for a stroll aound the beautiful room. A moment later our waiter walked past and, noticing the absent guest and the barely touched meal, headed straight for The Bavarian to apologise for the disasterous dinner. He was clearly embarassed by the kitchen's quality that night and assured us that the steak would not be added to the bill. The Bavarian had lost his appetite and didn't feel like risking anything else off the bar menu. Our lovely waiter brought us a drink on the house and I tried to cheer the Bavarian up a little by sharing my chips with him.

The following morning, we were pleasantly surprised with the breakfast buffet. There was a large range of food, from fruits to cereals to cheeses, cold meats and breads. There was also a menu for warm dishes such as pancakes or a fry. What was slightly confusing was that you could order porridge from the hot menu or just help yourself to it form the buffet. The only difference seemed to be that the ordered one came with a drop of whiskey. I only wanted a small portion, but with cream and brown sugar, so I decided to help myself to it at the buffet. The cream was missing so I asked a waitress. She disappeared. I waited. Then I asked the breakfast manager. She said she'd get it. I waited and waited but neither of them re-appeared. Poor service for a five star hotel, to my mind. 

At check out everything ran really smoothly. The staff were brilliant, there was no issue about the dinner bill and the special offer voucher I was using was accepted without any issues too. Ideally I'd love to go again.  The surrounding are gorgeous, the staff is excellent, the atmophere so relaxing. I'd even pay full price if I could be sure of nothing going wrong. I doubt The Bavarian will join me though. One bitten, twice shy.

Days Like This

There are days when you think to yourself "Was that today? It feels like ages ago!". Today was one of those days in a good way. When I think back to this morning, it seems like it should be about two days ago, I have packed so much into today. Yet it wasn't a busy day. It was an easy day. Relaxed. If every day was like this, life would be a doddle.

08:00 My volunteer hour at the local primary school went really well. A couple of the children had made great progress in reading and in behaviour since last week and it was brilliant to see that they were happy to see me again. 

09:00 Just as I left the school I got a text from a friend to ask if I want to call over for coffee, straight away. So I popped home, picked up Number Three from The Bavarian, packaged up a pretty parcel of walnuts from the garden with twine and rosehips and hit the road again.

10:00 Number Three and my friend's little fella played brilliantly together while T and I caught up over coffee in her playroom.

12:00 Picked up Number Two from Kindergarten. Put on a wash. Mixed up a yeast dough for wheat and rye bread. Swept the kitchen floor.

13:00 Made an big omlette and ate lunch with The Bavarian, Number Two and Number Three. Swept the kitchen floor.

14:00 Painted the first coat of a blackboard on the kitchen wall. Taught Number Two how to write the letter "a". Texted a neighbour to arrange to call in and say hi later in the afternoon.

15:00 Emptied and filled the dishwasher. Swept the kitchen floor. Got the children ready for going for a cycle. Went to the bank. Cycled to my neighbour with The Bavarian, Number Three and Number Two. 

16:00 Parted company with Number Two and The Bavarian to have coffee and cake with my lovely neighbour and let Number Three play with her little daughter.

17:00 Cycled home to find The Bavarian, Number Two, Number Three and a couple of his school friends gathering up walnuts in the garden. Took a stew out of the freezer for dinner. Hung up the wash.

18:00 Bathed the kids, filthy from helping in the garden while The Bavarian heated the stew and cooked potatoes. Dried the kids and got them into their PJs. Had dinner with the family and made plans for tomorrow. 

19:00 Cooked a batch of green tomato relish with Number Two and Number One while The Bavarian put Number Three to bed.  

20:00 Put the boys to bed then did a spot of online shopping before applying the second layer of blackboard paint. 

21:00 Made a cup of tea and sat down with the TV and the laptop and wondered what kind of a day tomorrow will be.

P.S. The Bavarian being on paternity leave at the moment may possibly have contributed to the day. 

Craft Myths, Busted

People sometimes tell me that I am talented*, art and crafts-wise, and ask where I get the time to do the crafts I do. I usually shug, say something along the lines of "Eh thanks, mmm I dunno".

Recently I took a bit of time to ask myself where I get the time. So, I'm going to let you, and those people, if they are reading, how things work round here, craft-wise and bust a few craft myths while I am at it.

Myth: Craft projects take a lot of time

For very many crafts, you do not need a lot of time. For those projects that do need a lot of time, you do not generally need all that time in one block. Blocks of 5 or 10 minutes or even a half hour can often be squeezed in between other activities. Just keep your materials near at hand.

Myth: Craft projects need a lot of space

You do not need a lot of space for most projects. A kitchen table can be commandeered between meals or in the evening to use as a work space. Your work in progress can be stored on top of a wardrobe, in the guest bedroom or inside a cupboard. 

In the photo below you can see my current crochet project, accompanied by an unfinished Easter project (check back here in Spring for the tutorial), housed in a small basket that lives under the coffee table. It gets taken out when I sit down to watch television, usually once a week. When I am finished, I fold it back up and pop it back into the basket. It is easy to manage, keeps the children from attacking it and is always in the right place at the right time.

Myth: You have to be creative

Natural creativity is great, but good copying skills will suffice. I believe we are all creative somewhere inside. It can just be hard to tap into it. 

If you feel that you are not creative but you want to get crafty with the kids, then borrow some craft books from the library with projects that suit your level of skill or enthusiasm. Browse them, pick a project and have a go. Don't look on Pinterest and get depressed. 

Myth: Craft materials cost a lot of money

Yes, craft materials can cost a lot of money but it very much depends on what you are making and the level of professionalism you are aiming for. Here you really do need to cut your cloth according to your means.
When buying materials for a particular project, bear in mind that you can use the leftovers in other projects. I have some tubes of acrylic paint that I bought several years ago. They seem to be bottomless, I have used them so often but they are still not empty, nor have they dried out. My scraps of fabric get used up in patchwork or sewing machine embroidery projects.

A lot of what you can use for craft projects, especially for crafting with children, can be collected from around the house or bought in a €1 shop or in Aldi, like paper straws, glue, packs of coloured paper or childrens' scissors. 
Natural materials collected from the garden, woods or parks make great crafting material, are free and educational for the children too.

Assign a collection box somewhere in the house and whenever you see something that could be useful, put it in there. I often keep the following:

 - buttons from clothes that are being dumped

 - old shirts that have frayed cuffs and collars. There is a good amount of fabric in them.

 - ribbons and strings from chocolate boxes, gifts, or those loops of ribbon inside clothes that keep them from sliding off the hangers.

 - cardboard toilet roll inserts

 - pieces of plain card like the type that come with folded shirts or in packs of tights

A drawer in our kitchen, for spontaneous crafting sessions

Myth: You need to be skilled with lots of tools and methods

I am living proof that you do not need a whole lot of skill to realise pretty projects. You can learn as you go. You can watch video tutorials and you can ask your local DIY shop, hardware shop or craft shop for advice if you have a project in mind. 

Myth: It takes too long to master one craft

Yes, it can take a long time to master a particular craft. But the beauty of creative crafting for amateurs like us is that you do not need to master any particular crafts. 

But you do need to want to give it a go. I am not saying that you have to be incredibly passionate about, say, knitting. But if you have no interest at all in the end product, it is not going to go well. And just because you can't knit, doesn't mean you shouldn't try crochet. Just because you can't dressmake, doesn't mean you can't sew a cushion. Start small and work your way up or start big and hope for the best. But start.

*While it is lovely to hear that one is talented, those giving the praise must have no idea of the amazingly talented people there are out there. I do my best with the time I have and hope things turn out to be presentable.