Sugar Daddy!

Im so nostalgic! This is still funny to me 5 years after I found it. "Sugar Daddy" a (normal sugar) brand in France. Surely the French know the expression right? Heeheehee!

Pick Pockets

I've heard the story several times already.  Someone's wallet gets stolen from the stroller - or even with the whole stroller!! Maybe 6-7 time in 2 years this has affected a friend-of-a-friend or a direct friend of mine (twice for one lucky friend).

At any rate, I'm aware of some hotspots and fortunately have not been caught off guard myself. But I know I've been lucky.  

But this poster on the tram has a little card you can take with you with all the major credit and bank card emergency numbers. 

The Swiss are so organized! But I wish I knew what they were doing to prevent crime, not just mitigating it afterwards. I guess I better keep working on my German!!

Berrrrrrrrry

It's frosty out!! No chance of milder weather until... March??  I spotted this lone frosty strawberry today - you can barely see the frost on the back of it but it was there!

Only now did I think: "Ummm! I should have picked it! It would have been a nice iced treat!"

It's Time!

I just saw at Barfußerplatz (our downtown area): The Weinachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) stalls are being set-up!! Time is whirling past! Nearly out of control!

Fuzzy Tree

I saw this tree yesterday. Its different leaves and umber coloring really made an impression on me. Autumn is so pretty!!

Update & Smoking Section?

We have been up to no good!

Since January, we've been looking for a home.  We finally found one!!

We will be moving in January to a nice little town house in the 'burbs and are really looking forward to it.  It wasn't an easy choice.  We absolutely love our convenience to down town, Hubby's work, my school, Alex's Kinderkrippe and that our apartment is great, modern, with a view etc. etc.  But it's EXPENSIVE! 

Sometimes I hope we haven't made a mistake. But as a friend reminded me recently: "Scoff! - Don't bother looking back. You did the right thing!"

We decided that buying is the better option for us (financially and with everything else); we need a yard, to be close to Alex's future school, a bit more space, a residential neighbourhood and some quietness (we are in a developing community and after a nearly a year of demolition, the construction has begun.  The area will be unrecognizable in 3 years...) I digress.    

Like I said, this little gem is in the 'burbs as that is the only way it was "affordable".  And now we find ourselves once again furniture shopping.  I say this with a smile!

Actually, this weekend, our plan was car shopping (in Germany of course) as we will probably need 2 cars now.  We'll be upgrading our current (previously loved) car to a proper "family car". I'm dreaming of a baby blue station wagon with wood paneling on the outside and then adding a little one to get around - like perhaps a second hand Twingo. (Haha! I couldn't keep that one in - we suffered in a Twingo on a France road trip a few years back). 

So by the time Alex woke from his car nap, we found ourselves at one dealership in Binzen 10 minutes before it closed - like always happens our errand-loaded Saturdays.  Needless to say, we need to go again soon.  But by pure chance we stumbled upon a gigantic furniture store that carries all the brands that we fell in love with back in our Frankfurt days i.e. Hülsta!  Drool!! And we were lucky, we had a whole hour before closing!  So Alex enjoyed himself on the kids' beds (going up the ladders, down the slides and hiding underneath), while E and I drooled over lavish bedroom sets, leather couches that are wayyyy out of our budget etc.  We enjoyed the torture.

When we wandered to the dining section I spotted a felted wool rug.  I love how felted wool looks!  I was admiring this one when E passed by and said in breezy comment "Looks like cigarette butts."  

And just like that, my moment was over.  It was pretty hilarious though! And now, I see nothing butt!

Bear Skin

Shopping on Saturday Alex made a friend.  He spotted this... Uh... "fur skin" under a desk and went and pet and hugged it gently.  I'm not sure if he felt sorry for it or what - his expression was so caring and gentle and voice so soft - as if feeling such care and love towards it! Really sweet!

I think he... loved?? it?

"What a good Bear! He's sleeping!"

Why Finnish babies mostly sleep in cardboard boxes

I absolutely love this article by Helena Lee that my Husband found online (BBC News Magazine). I copied it here for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

*****

For 75 years, Finland’s expectant mothers have been given a box by the state. It’s like a starter kit of clothes, sheets and toys that can even be used as a bed. And some say it helped Finland achieve one of the world’s lowest infant mortality rates.

It’s a tradition that dates back to the 1930s and it’s designed to give all children in Finland, no matter what background they’re from, an equal start in life.

The maternity package – a gift from the government – is available to all expectant mothers.

It contains bodysuits, a sleeping bag, outdoor gear, bathing products for the baby, as well as nappies, bedding and a small mattress.

With the mattress in the bottom, the box becomes a baby’s first bed. Many children, from all social backgrounds, have their first naps within the safety of the box’s four cardboard walls.

Mothers have a choice between taking the box, or a cash grant, currently set at 140 euros, but 95% opt for the box as it’s worth much more.

The tradition dates back to 1938. To begin with, the scheme was only available to families on low incomes, but that changed in 1949.

“Not only was it offered to all mothers-to-be but new legislation meant in order to get the grant, or maternity box, they had to visit a doctor or municipal pre-natal clinic before their fourth month of pregnancy,” says Heidi Liesivesi, who works at Kela – the Social Insurance Institution of Finland.

So the box provided mothers with what they needed to look after their baby, but it also helped steer pregnant women into the arms of the doctors and nurses of Finland’s nascent welfare state.

In the 1930s Finland was a poor country and infant mortality was high – 65 out of 1,000 babies died. But the figures improved rapidly in the decades that followed.

Mika Gissler, a professor at the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki, gives several reasons for this – the maternity box and pre-natal care for all women in the 1940s, followed in the 60s by a national health insurance system and the central hospital network.

• Mattress, mattress cover, undersheet, duvet cover, blanket, sleeping bag/quilt
• Box itself doubles as a crib
• Snowsuit, hat, insulated mittens and booties
• Light hooded suit and knitted overalls
• Socks and mittens, knitted hat and balaclava
• Bodysuits, romper suits and leggings in unisex colours and patterns
• Hooded bath towel, nail scissors, hairbrush, toothbrush, bath thermometer, nappy cream, wash cloth
• Cloth nappy set and muslin squares
• Picture book and teething toy
• Bra pads, condoms

At 75 years old, the box is now an established part of the Finnish rite of passage towards motherhood, uniting generations of women.

Reija Klemetti, a 49-year-old from Helsinki, remembers going to the post office to collect a box for one of her six children.

“It was lovely and exciting to get it and somehow the first promise to the baby,” she says. “My mum, friends and relatives were all eager to see what kind of things were inside and what colours they’d chosen for that year.”

Her mother-in-law, aged 78, relied heavily on the box when she had the first of her four children in the 60s. At that point she had little idea what she would need, but it was all provided.

More recently, Klemetti’s daughter Solja, aged 23, shared the sense of excitement that her mother had once experienced, when she took possession of the “first substantial thing” prior to the baby itself. She now has two young children.

“It’s easy to know what year babies were born in, because the clothing in the box changes a little every year. It’s nice to compare and think, ‘Ah that kid was born in the same year as mine’,” says Titta Vayrynen, a 35-year-old mother with two young boys.

For some families, the contents of the box would be unaffordable if they were not free of charge, though for Vayrynen, it was more a question of saving time than money.

She was working long hours when pregnant with her first child, and was glad to be spared the effort of comparing prices and going out shopping.

“There was a recent report saying that Finnish mums are the happiest in the world, and the box was one thing that came to my mind. We are very well taken care of, even now when some public services have been cut down a little,” she says.

When she had her second boy, Ilmari, Vayrynen opted for the cash grant instead of the box and just re-used the clothes worn by her first, Aarni.

A boy can pass on clothes to a girl too, and vice versa, because the colours are deliberately gender-neutral.

The contents of the box have changed a good deal over the years, reflecting changing times.

During the 30s and 40s, it contained fabric because mothers were accustomed to making the baby’s clothes.

But during World War II, flannel and plain-weave cotton were needed by the Defence Ministry, so some of the material was replaced by paper bed sheets and swaddling cloth.

The 50s saw an increase in the number of ready-made clothes, and in the 60s and 70s these began to be made from new stretchy fabrics.

In 1968 a sleeping bag appeared, and the following year disposable nappies featured for the first time.

Not for long. At the turn of the century, the cloth nappies were back in and the disposable variety were out, having fallen out of favour on environmental grounds.

Encouraging good parenting has been part of the maternity box policy all along.

“Babies used to sleep in the same bed as their parents and it was recommended that they stop,” says Panu Pulma, professor in Finnish and Nordic History at the University of Helsinki. “Including the box as a bed meant people started to let their babies sleep separately from them.”

At a certain point, baby bottles and dummies were removed to promote breastfeeding.

“One of the main goals of the whole system was to get women to breastfeed more,” Pulma says. And, he adds, “It’s happened.”

He also thinks including a picture book has had a positive effect, encouraging children to handle books, and, one day, to read.

And in addition to all this, Pulma says, the box is a symbol. A symbol of the idea of equality, and of the importance of children.

The story of the maternity pack

• 1938: Finnish Maternity Grants Act introduced – two-thirds of women giving birth that year eligible for cash grant, maternity pack or mixture of the two
• Pack could be used as a cot as poorest homes didn’t always have a clean place for baby to sleep
• 1940s: Despite wartime shortages, scheme continued as many Finns lost homes in bombings and evacuations
• 1942-6: Paper replaced fabric for items such as swaddling wraps and mother’s bedsheet
• 1949: Income testing removed, pack offered to all mothers in Finland – if they had prenatal health checks
• 1957: Fabrics and sewing materials completely replaced with ready-made garments
• 1969: Disposable nappies added to the pack
• 1970s: With more women in work, easy-to-wash stretch cotton and colourful patterns replace white non-stretch garments
• 2006: Cloth nappies reintroduced, bottle left out to encourage breastfeeding

Disgusted

So I pride myself in keeping things clean. BUT I can also be realistic: now, I don't always clean every nook and cranny. There simply isn't enough time. But within 3 months I usually have all surfaces cleaned in those unreachable places. 

And don't be silly, everything is cleaned weekly or more often - except those things that take 3 months to cycle through (tops of boxes on shelves, book tops, and tops of high wardrobes, in cupboards etc.) and apparently behind my microwave.

Now I've looked under and behind my microwave on a semi-regularly basis and never saw anything to concern myself with (dust and some crumbs - no big deal compared with daily mess and cupboard front guck and Mr.Toddler to chase after. But today, I found 2 maggots sitting on top of my microwave. On top. Yes, maggots. So after freaking out in disgust and trying to reason it...  I sprayed them with cleaning product, you know, make them suffer for ever daring to exist on my watch - and wiped them away.  I wrote them off as an "unsolved mystery".

Yes, it hurts to write any admission of disgustingness in MY home...

So just now, I was going to get some water (oh yeah, I'm thirsty) before vacuuming (yes, really!) and I saw another damned maggot on top of the microwave!

So I pulled the microwave away from the wall to have a look to see if I missed something or if it was possible to have maggots coming out of the back of the microwave (???? Really! It's mysterious!!)

Well, no, they weren't oozing out the back of the microwave or anything horror-movie like that but there were a few maggots on the counter back there too! How they got to the top of the microwave... I wonder!?! Don't ask me. So I looked in the cupboard above - nothing. In the plug in the wall??? Nothing!!!

I sprayed the crap out of those maggots till they curled-up in agony and then cleaned up the mess. 

Is it possible that the fruit flies we had from our bananas a while back were desperate to lay eggs somewhere and did it behind the microwave?????  Gross. They're stupid and gross.

The mystery remains. Yes, I'm embarrassed.

Zap Happy

We HATE mozzies!

Here is our latest "weapon of mass destruction". In addition to our vigalence, mozzie allure (& kill) night-time fragrance (a plug-in), we have acquired this snazzy (dirt cheap) "WMD". The Zapper! To kill all night-time shady invaders of the buzzing kind. 

It comes complete with HILARIOUS instructions. I think something was lost in translation. It's really worth the read!

"No harm to human being and beast" - Beast?
"Kills other little bigger bug" Ok...?
"Integrate kill bug with healthy and entertainment"  - Um? Yes!!

"Brandish the swatter" - Do what?

"Continue to shock for 300 seconds" - Slow, yet effective!

"If can't use arrest the fly please kindly read the guide carefully and improve the skill"
AKA: you suck and as if re-reading will help!!

Woe is me

Without the advent of airconditioning to many countries in Western Europe, we face nature.

Our apartment, as much as we love it is behind the times.  It faces east on one side (so nice!) and south-west on the other (gor-geoussss)!! We get direct sun from 2PM onward till sunset, did I mention the gorgeous sunsets (?) at 10pm around the summer solstice.

In combination with the spartan use of A/C, we are suffering with the behemoth mosquitos (yeah, they're normal sized...)  

I was taken back to my childhood, to the days where my south-west-facing bedroom and high-to-the-ceiling bunk bed had me sweltering through my "sleep". I'd often use a wet cloth on my forehead to keep cool(er). I'd wake with a puddle on my pillow. Not sure if it was because of me or the cloth...
None the less, my dear father had the forethought to install screens into our ancient windows to give us some peace from the war-call-sound that Mosquitos wage in the wee hours.

We are not so lucky here!  We have no screens!

Around 11PM when the outside temperature is finally lower than the inside temps (even if by a smidgen) we crack open the windows at last. I won't delve into our neighbors' dirty habit of smoking and talking on the phone at all hours of the night on her balcony next to our open bedroom window - I'll just say - we had lots of chats and some midnight yelling (in Canadian rudeness of course - i.e. a desperate "pleeeease stop" at 3AM ...).

But back to the nature woes: Damn mozzies. I hate them. But I have one small glimmer of hope: my Husband is juicier than me! And he hunts mozzies like a mad man! It's quite the sight! For the first time in my life I have slight relief as long as I stay close to him. Fancy a heat-of-summer snuggle sweetie?

On the extreme crap side, our son has strong allergic reactions to mozzie bites like I do. Last time it was so bad, the swelling led to a serious infection which landed us in the in the ICU of the children's hospital. He was treated and we stayed for 24 hours of observation. That's another story - I won't get into more. Suffice to say, we H A T E mosquitos.

On the bright side, we might have found a solution in addition to the alluring air-provision plug-in solution we already use. 

Stay tuned!

Some History

They are demolishing the old exhibition aka rave or homeless haven which was originally the German railway station at the Swiss-German border. For some time now (1906?) the border and the site of the railway station were moved.  Now the German railway station know as Badischer Bahnhof is located in Switzerland about 1/2 a kilometer from the original place.  When it moved, the main building of the old train station was transformed into the Swiss International School (SIS) the back of which you see in the photo below and the rest became part of the Exhibition (which now, has also moved about a kilometer away).  In fact, our home is on old train land!  Ironic considering my home in Toronto was on old CN land! :)

I've heard they will replace the old train station with a seniors home.... I know there is a considerable aging demographic but the land area seems too big for that much specific housing. I digress...

So now that the old train station walls are exposed (the now, exterior most wall of the SIS), I saw this - humm hard to see in the photo but it's above the pink graffiti: "Schweizerzoll".  Swiss Customs! 

It must have been there forever (ca.110 years?!)!!

"Schweizerzoll"

Construction or Wedding?

Site offices and wedding tents will never be the same for me again!

I really don't know what they are thinking on this construction site. First there was the giagantic wooden stair, 2 flights high that led to absolutely no where and now this... a site office??

I wonder if they serve cocktails with nibbles...

A wedding tent? Really?

Rain coming down...

Well, it warmed up nicely today. But then the rain returned again. With a vengeance.

Away with the sun, away with chalk drawings, away with all the fun. Will summer ever come?!

Content?

This is a traditional and very popular German coloring book series with a... creative accompanying story. By Wilhelm Busch.

This particular story was about the two naughty characters secretly cutting open bags of grain. A farmer carries his bags away not noticing immediately that the grain is pouring out, then seeking revenge when he discovered the mischief.

The revenge is gruesome. He stuffs the two in a grain bag and takes them to Herr Müller (Mr.Miller) at the Mill and has them ground into bird feed.

Shortly after, two birds gobble them up and walk away stuffed.

Yikes! Coloring right?!?

Mummmm!

Mummm! What a nice tomato! Looks like someone already took half!

Silly Noodles

Just shopping at our local Heiber's Frisch Markt (in Weil am Rhein, DE) when I spotted these cute, silly noodle creatures.

Poopy Hippo

We were visiting the zoo recently and for the first time noticed the sign for the Hippopotamus.

Really? Is this the best they could come up with???!?

Raclette

Yum! We made the investment!  We will be calling you for Raclette parties in 2013!! Fun, yum, yum!

Invasion?

No, it's not an alien invasion it's the custom around Christmas time to bake these sweet egg loaf people called "Grättimen". They are delicious and festive! They come in a number of assorted sizes, have raisin eyes and sometimes have accessories (pipe). There are males and females and I've even seen them made of pretzel bread!
Yummy yummy!