First day of school

Posted on September 2, 2013 by admin

Today was the big day — Liam’s first day of preschool (“Kindergarten” in German) and B’s first day of kindergarten (“Vorschule” in German)! They’ve both been so excited for the past few days, and they woke up with enthusiasm this morning, too — B exclaimed, “It’s the first day of school!” as soon as he woke up this morning, and Liam, after scowling at him groggily for a moment, asked, “Do I get to go to school too?” followed by “Yay!” when we were finally able to answer yes.

After a whirlwind of morning preparations, and a failed attempt at non-blurry pictures, we were out the door and on our way. As soon as we stepped off the bus at the correct stop, B announced, “Liam, we’re at your school!” even though we couldn’t see it yet (he repeated the announcement once we actually could see the building).

They were so excited to be there together. B wanted to walk Liam to class, but he was so anxious to get to his own class that, after a quick glimpse at Liam’s classroom door, B was ready to get to his own class and we all went to drop B off at class first. B was so happy to be there. He gave his teacher a gigantic hug and then ran off to play with just a quick hug for me before he was off.

Liam was just as enthusiastic. He greeted his teacher with a “Guten Morgen!” and shook her hand (we’ve been practicing), and then he changed his shoes and hung up his coat and backpack. He was so happy. He jumped right into playing with cars, then trains, then Legos, then balls. He played happily with the other children (although he had no idea what to do when someone took a toy he was playing with) and even announced to a little girl, after they’d been playing together for a while, “You’re a friend!”

I think he’ll do great. In addition to making a new friend, we discovered that there are at least 2 other English-speaking kids in his class (one of whom is B’s best friend’s little brother) so that should help. After playing for an hour or so, Liam told me, “I love playing at school!” I’m so glad that he does.

We only stayed for about an hour, and I stayed with him the whole time (just for today). But when it was time to go, he didn’t want to leave. He can’t wait to go back tomorrow. His teacher gave him a little gift in honor of his first day, and he carried it home himself.

And B is in Vorschule now! He was so excited to get to play with some of the toys set aside for the bigger kids — he got to play with two of the Vorschule toys today (although, when I asked, he couldn’t remember which ones they were). He was so happy to see his friends and teachers again, and to get to play outside. He looked for Liam in the garden, but we’d already left by then. They’ll get a chance to play together soon.

Tomorrow, if all goes well, Liam and I will stay and play for an hour, and then, if he’s still happy, I’ll go away for a short bit before coming back to get him. We shall see how things progress. But, for today, I have two very happy, grown up boys. It was a great first day!

The end of an era

Posted on August 30, 2013 by admin

So, this is it — my last day for a while at home with both of my boys (not counting weekends, holidays, sick days or vacation . . . and then, of course, once we’re back in the US, Liam will probably be back at home with me again while B starts elementary school). I know it’s true of life in general, but I feel like it’s even more true since I’ve become a parent — as soon as I get comfortable with a routine, it’s time to change everything and start again. And that’s what this will be like. Nearly my entire life here in Austria has been ruled by the routine of B going to school and Liam being home with me. It’s my only point of reference, it’s the only way I know how to frame my experiences here. This Monday, things change.

And, although this particular set of circumstances is brand new, I’ve been through enough changes to know that this, too, will come with unforeseen challenges and unexpected happiness. I’m sad and worried to send my “baby” off to preschool (He’s so little! He doesn’t speak the language! How can he be away from me?!?) but I know he’ll be fine. We’ll weather the challenges that come up, and help him through. He’ll grow and learn and be awesome. And B (How can he be in Vorschule already?!? He doesn’t really speak German! What is he missing by not being in the States and having a “normal” kindergarten year?!?) is set to be a star. He told us at dinner last night that with all the stuff he’s going to learn this year, he’s “going to be a German machine!” Indeed.

Life goes on, and as it does, it changes. If there is one thing I’ve learned is that joy can be found in every new situation. It’s a choice, to be happy, to set worry aside, to not go looking for strife, but to choose peace. So today, on this last day of this routine, of this particular chapter in raising my kids, I’m choosing to enjoy this moment and to face what comes next with enthusiasm. Monday is a big day, but right now, I am so grateful for THIS day, and I feel so fortunate for the 5 years I’ve spent at home with my boys. Life is so good.

Migraine

Posted on August 29, 2013 by admin

Migraines suck. I went through a period in my mid-20s where I had them often — sometimes once or twice a month. They were debilitating. I had nausea, extreme light and temperature sensitivity, visual “auras”, tunnel vision, numbness, tingling and sometimes trouble hearing properly. If I recognized that one was coming and could take the medicine quickly enough (and keep it down) I could sometimes minimize the effects, but usually I was in for at least a half day of uselessness — laying in bed or on the floor and just waiting for it to pass.

I’ve been incredibly lucky to have had fewer migraines in my 30s, and only a couple since Benjamin was born, over 5 years ago. I don’t think I’d had a real, proper migraine since we’ve been in Vienna. Not until yesterday.

They’re as bad as I remembered (this one had no nausea, though, for which I feel very fortunate). It started with seeing spots. At first I thought I’d looked at an overly bright light, but I couldn’t remember having done so. After a minute, when I noticed that the spots were spinning, and multiplying, I figured out what was happening. I was out of the house though, and didn’t have any medicine with me (I used to carry it with me, but they’ve become so rare that I stopped). There was nothing to do but get home, but by then, it was too late. I had a migraine, and there was nothing to be done.

I hate migraines. They make it impossible for me to do anything at all. I can’t bathe the kids or read stories, I can’t play a game or watch tv. I have trouble sleeping. There’s nothing to do but lay in the dark and wait.

It’s good for contemplation, though, and what I thought about while I laid in my dark room yesterday evening, listening to bath time, story time and bed time happen without me, was how grateful I am (and I also thought a little about how miserable I was). I am grateful that Dan is here and available and willing to take over the entire evening with the boys, grateful that 99.9% of the time I feel great and I get to do all of those things, grateful that it wasn’t hot yesterday, grateful that my health is good and that my migraines are so rare. (I also whined and complained a bit in my own head about how much I hate lying in the dark in pain, because, you know, I do REALLY hate it.)

Today, I feel mostly better (although I find I’m slightly more forgetful and less articulate for a day or so after the migraine). I’m hoping that this will be my one and only Austrian migraine. That would be fantastic.

Getting ready for school

Posted on August 27, 2013 by admin

I still have lots of stories to recount from our recent trip to England, Scotland and Ireland, but I’m taking a break from that today for something much more immediate — school starts again next week. For Liam, this will be his first time going to school, but I suspect that his experience will be very unlike Benjamin’s. (B struggled through the first weeks and even months, taking a long time to adjust to being away from me. I give Liam 3 days before he’s running off without looking over his shoulder.)

They are both so excited. B can’t wait to see his friends and teachers again, and he is so excited to be a Vorschule Kind (kindergartener). Liam can’t wait to go to school “with Benjamin” (even though they will only see each other every so often, since they’re in different classes — I’ve tried to explain that to Liam, and I hope he understands). We’ve been busy with all kinds of preparations for going back to school, and this is the kind of stuff that’s always an extra challenge to do in German.

Over the weekend, we went shoe shopping — along with what seemed to be every other parent in Vienna. The shoe store was crowded with impatient parents and busy salespeople, and kids were leaving with lots of shoes. (We saw one girl leave with shoes, house shoes, rain boots, snow boots and socks. Busy day!) We were all a bit frustrated at the wait, but the kids were excellent. Once we’d gotten their feet measured, they each tried on just one pair of shoes they wanted (B chose his in the first minute we were in the store, while Liam had to consider the selection for a few moments) and declared themselves satisfied. We also got Liam his first pair of house shoes!

Today was for hair cuts. B is a seasoned expert, but it was Liam’s first salon haircut . . . and the English-speaking stylist was out, so we did it in German. B did great, selecting his desired hairstyle, climbing into the seat and sitting peacefully for his haircut. I was nervous about Liam — worried the stylist would cut off his curls, or that he’d become unruly and have to be left partly finished, or worse, that he’d squirm or thrash and get hurt. He was awesome about it, though — he sat quietly, followed instructions, tolerated the hair clips she used (to protect his curls!) and actually almost fell asleep near the end. The only person to get scolded all day was actually me — the stylist said, “Mama, nicht schneiden!” (Mom, don’t cut!) I’ve apparently been cutting the sides of his hair a bit short, and she’d like to let it grow out a bit. (No problem — I’m more than happy to retire my scissors. I’ll be the first to admit that I was unqualified, and also probably the most relieved.)

Over the next week, preparations will continue — we need to get house shoes for B, pack up ALL of the stuff for the first day (extra clothes, sunscreen, hats, diapers for Liam), choose outfits for the big day, and continue to prep Liam for the experience (both with regular information like how the day will go, plus a crash course in basic survival German). We’ve got a lot to do.

I’m excited because they’re excited, and because I truly believe that this is a great experience for both of them. B gets to be back with his friends, this time as one of the biggest fish in the pond, and learning more than ever. Liam gets to embark on a whole new adventure of friends, school, German, and playing outside . . . but all of it without me. I’m a little excited to have some free time for myself each day — not having to schedule my showers for only the hours when Dan is home, and being able to run errands unencumbered — but mostly, I don’t know what it will be like to be without either of my boys for part of the day. I’ve never done this since I’ve been a mom. It’s a strange sensation, and I’m hoping that a little more free time will be good for me (and thus, good for all of us).

It’s strange, too, to think about how different this week would be if we were living in the States right now. B would have gotten on the big, yellow school bus yesterday to start full day kindergarten (in English) while Liam stayed home with me. Having B at school for only half a day, with the same friends and teachers he already knows, feels right. Liam getting to go to school and experience this part of life in Austria, learning German and making friends, feels right, too. Right now, I think what we’re doing here is best for us. But for me, although getting some early “time off” will be nice (I didn’t expect to have free time until Liam starts kindergarten, in 2016), I doubt it will be as nice as spending the day with my little ones. I’m going to miss my guys.

Stone circle

Posted on August 26, 2013 by admin

On neither of our trips to England so far have we made it down to Stonehenge (although it’s on the list, probably for the next trip). I really want to go — I’m certain it’s very interesting, most likely even more impressive and intriguing in person than in the images I’ve seen, and I imagine it will be goosebump-inducing, on account of its mystique, at the very least. Besides, it’s “just one of those places” that you want to see when you go to England. (At least, I do.)

We found out that there was a stone circle — Castlerigg Stone Circle — in the Lake District, though, very close to where we were staying, and it seemed like an excellent place to check out on a rainy morning with some free time. Although it lacks the renown of Stonehenge, it was fascinating, very old (one of the oldest stone circles in Britain and all of Europe, constructed around 3200 BC) and also quite beautiful, with misty views of the mountains and valleys of Cumbria in every direction.

We loved it. It felt like an appropriate part of our British trip, and, from a practical perspective, it was a great place for the kids to run around a bit outside. They liked it mainly because rocks are fun to climb on (although it may have been uncouth to do so — we did it anyway) and there were lots of great puddles to splash in. The circle had a great ambiance and stunning views, and we were lucky to visit between your buses, so it wasn’t very crowded. For whatever purpose the ancient inhabitants of the area constructed the circle, they certainly chose an excellent spot. We went just on a whim, and I’m so glad we did.

The National Trust

Posted on August 23, 2013 by admin

Along with our amazement of and appreciation for the public footpaths in Britain, we’ve gotten to experience a few parts of the National Trust — a program that preserves all sorts of historic, scenic or natural places all across the England, Wales and Ireland(Scotland has a separate National Trust, which we also visited and enjoyed), and opens them to the public. It’s fascinating and wonderful, and we’ve included several parts of the National Trust as pieces of our adventures in the UK.

I first learned about the National Trust through my mom, but experiencing parts of it firsthand makes me appreciate its importance even more. What’s interesting and different about the National Trust as opposed to regular National Parks (which also exist) is that a wide variety of kinds of places can be placed into the National Trust, not just the stunningly beautiful natural places you might expect (like the Giant’s Causeway), but even small places (gardens), functioning places (farms and pubs), things (such as historical artifacts) and whole villages (we’ve visited at least two of these — Buttermere, and tiny Watendlath which is FAR off the beaten path). It felt like every time we went to explore somewhere new, we’d end up crossing paths with the National Trust.

Although I’m not 100% clear on how it all works, I do understand that it’s a pretty profound way to preserve and share so much of Britain’s essence. The places that belong to the National Trust can’t be sold or developed, and they’re preserved, maintained and opened for everyone to share. We’ve gotten to explore a tiny piece of these national treasures, and I think it’s so wonderful that they’re looked after in this way — we’ve certainly enjoyed them.

Public footpaths

Posted on August 22, 2013 by admin

All across England, Scotland and Ireland, we encountered signs marking public footpaths. These are (relatively) maintained walking paths that the public has a right to use. It’s remarkable to me because, out in the country, they’re everywhere — not just along the edge of the road, or through parks or other public spaces, but very often through and across private land.

Following several of these public footpaths in England (we did less exploring on foot in Ireland and Scotland) we went across meadows, around lakes, into forests and through (occupied) sheep pastures. (All of the pictures I’ve included in this post were taken while we were on a public footpath.) Many of these areas are enclosed by fences and you have to pass through a gate (or a stile) in order to enter the field. As a horse owner, and someone who spent a lot of time during my growing up years on a sheep farm, I’m astonished that this actually works. (But, I guess it must, because I imagine that otherwise, something would change.) I would have nightmares about my animals getting out, or someone getting trampled and suing (although things are different outside of the States when it comes to litigation). Most of the gates we encountered were either kissing gates (basically a livestock comparison to an airlock door) or weighted to fall closed on their own, which is good, because people are generally bad at remembering to close gates (especially when the animals in question aren’t theirs).

Even so, I think it’s a wonderful system, and I’m amazed, yet thrilled, that it exists. Vast parts of the English countryside are open to the public, allowing so much of the beautiful land to be explored. We weren’t limited to public parks and sidewalks, we really were able to explore. It was fantastic.

“Drive on the left!”

Posted on August 21, 2013 by admin

Whenever we rent a car, it’s never so easy (or inexpensive) as JUST renting the car. We need two car seats and a GPS as well. (We own car seats for both boys, but dragging them around the world is impractical, and the navigation provided by our phones is only free in Austria.) It adds up to a lot of expense — the cost of the GPS and car seats is usually as much as (or more than) renting the car itself.

It’s entirely worth it. Although I do miss our wonderful car seats from home, they’re heavy and bulky and I’d worry about them being cargo when we fly. And the GPS is essential — not so much to get us where we’re going (we could look up directions from anywhere we could get wi-fi) but because it enables to deviate from our planned route, always knowing we’ll find our way back. Sometimes we do that out of need (stopping for a potty break or looking for lunch) but, even more often, we do it by choice. We can take the “scenic route”, explore an interesting looking turn off of the main road, or just drive, always knowing we’ll be able to get back to wherever we were headed. We do it all the time — it’s one of our favorite things to do when we travel (that’s how a 2.5 hour drive became an 8 hour one in Scotland, and how a 2 hour drive became an 8.5 hour one in Ireland). It’s how we have some of our favorite experiences and get to see some amazing places. So we feel the GPS is always worth it (though with what we’ve spent renting them, we probably should have just bought one at this point).

We had fun with ours on our most recent trip to the UK and Ireland, setting the English language accent as appropriate to where we were (English, Scottish or Irish). And we also laughed each time we turned it on, because EVERY TIME we started it up, it gave off an alarm sound and reminded us to “Drive on the left!” (including the exclamation point). That still didn’t stop me from ALSO reminding Dan myself that he should drive on the left, not only each time we started out, but also almost every time he made a turn from one road to the next. Dan did an amazing job, though — he drove on the correct side the entire time! (And I’m incredibly grateful to have gotten to experience far-flung parts of England, Ireland and Scotland without having to drive at all. I would have been a stressed out mess on those tiny roads AND driving on the “wrong” side.) It is amazing how ingrained the habit of driving on the right is — I kept wanting to get in the car on the wrong side, and crossing the street, I had to constantly remind myself to look both ways VERY thoroughly, because if I didn’t think about it, I would forget which direction the traffic was likely to be coming from.

It’s funny, though, because I don’t recall our GPS shouting and dinging at us to “Drive on the left!” the last time we were in the UK — and even though the two GPSes we rented during this trip were different models, they BOTH had the warning. (I wonder when they added that feature — and I wonder if it makes UK drivers crazy, or if there’s an option somewhere to turn it off?)

(As a note, we had Tom Tom GPS units on both pieces of our trip, and in both cases we had good experiences. Again.)

No rain, no rainbows

Posted on August 20, 2013 by admin

On both of our trips to the British Isles, we’ve had incredible luck with the weather. (We actually seem to have fantastic luck with the weather wherever we go.) England and Ireland are known for being gray and rainy. And although we’ve had more dry days than wet ones when we’ve been there, I’ve never been disappointed by a rainy day in the UK or in Ireland. After all, the only way the countryside can be so wonderfully lush and green is for a lot of rain to fall. Not only that, but we kind of WANT to have appropriately British weather when we’re visiting Britain — otherwise, it feels like we’re kind of missing out on some of the experience.

In addition to making everything vibrantly green, the persistent rain showers in England also seem to create excellent rainbows. We saw several rainbows during our most recent trip (all of them in England, although I have to imagine that Ireland can spawn some impressive rainbows as well — not only because it’s an equally drizzly country, but also because of the ubiquitous folklore and imagery that ties Ireland and rainbows together) but one was particularly outstanding. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was a double rainbow, and the bottom arch was visible across it’s entire length — from the ground, up into the sky and back to the ground again. We were so struck by how vivid and complete it was that we pulled the car over and got out to see. For the first time in my life, I could actually SEE the rainbow’s end (it was at the base of a tree in a cow field not very far from where we were). I’ve always been a bit perplexed by the whole “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” thing, because I’d never before been able to see where a rainbow ended. They have always dissolved far above the ground, leaving a vague sense of their destination. But this one was clear. It was amazing, and it lasted for quite a while (we stopped, stared, exclaimed, gazed at it and took lots of pictures before getting in our car and heading to dinner, and it was still there). As the rain shower which created it marched off down the valley, the rainbow shifted slowly up the hillside, but only lost a bit of its clarity.

We were so impressed that we were still talking about it the next morning at breakfast, and mentioned it to our host, who smiled and gave us a look that clearly said, “Yeah, you’re not from around here.” I guess the perfect rainbows just come along with the verdant hills and the need to carry a raincoat everywhere. Just another amazing thing from that part of the world.

Pilot and copilot

Posted on August 19, 2013 by admin

I can’t say for certain, but I’m pretty sure that we travel a lot more than average with our kids. My boys have each already logged more airborne miles than I had by the time I was 30. But for some reason, we’d never done the whole “visit the cockpit” thing — I’m not sure why. It might be that we haven’t flown airlines that are likely to invite a child to stop by, or that we often have felt stretched pretty thin while flying, or that we were always supposed to be the ones that suggested it, and it never occurred to us. (Is it something that even happens anymore in the US these days?)

A few months ago, a friend posted pictures of her grandson sitting in the copilot’s seat of an airliner, and it seemed kind of odd to me that it was something that my boys hadn’t yet experienced, so I made a mental note. But I didn’t know how it would work. Who should we ask? When? The first day of our most recent trip involved too much stress and literal running to even think about it (besides, one plane actually waited at the gate for us while we raced through the airport and had our Legitamations cards scowled at by German passport control, so they’d already done plenty for us).

But on the second day of our trip, early in the morning, we were the first to board, the cockpit door was open and the flight attendant was immediately friendly to the kids, so we asked. She said we couldn’t do it before takeoff, but she asked the pilot and he told us to come back after landing. B was so excited. He started telling me about how he couldn’t wait to see the front of the plane, and how he needed to learn how to fly it because he’s going to be a pilot one day (the first time I’d heard that particular aspiration) followed by Liam’s enthusiastic, “Yeah!”

After a quick trip to Edinburgh, we stopped by after landing. The pilot (who looked closer to Benjamin’s age than mine) was happy to have both boys visit. The kids were so happy. B was a little overwhelmed by all of the buttons and levers, but Liam wiggled his way right in and started pushing buttons and flipping switches. I was afraid they were going to do something catastrophic, but the pilot assured me that everything was off and that as long as the parking brake stayed on, we were good. After a moment, both kids had made themselves at home and were completely thrilled by the experience. They loved it.

We had such a good time that the next time we flew, B asked — all by himself! — if they could go in again, and again, they got to go — they even got to bring their dinosaurs along. This time, the pilots seemed a bit wary of Liam’s desire to mess mostly with the big red buttons (the ones that seemed like maybe not the best choice for operation by a 2 year old), but they were still great about showing the kids around, and even demonstrated what all the warning lights looked like. (We tried again after our next flight, but they said no — and I was impressed at how well the boys took it. They seemed to completely understand.)

Both boys already love flying, and I have the distinct impression that this is something they’re going to make a habit of. I expect that flight attendants around the world will now be subjected to the sweet, polite, super cute requests of Benjamin and Liam.

A Mommy Abroad

Our big adventure, as a family of three.