skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Life in another country is often very similar to life in the United States. Or at least it is after one gets over culture shock and learns the language and how things work. I am very fortunate here in Germany to find many things or even the same things as in the US. I still buy Bounty paper towels and Charmin toilet paper and the kids still get peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (just with less sweet pb and no grape jelly). I can even buy some luxury items (like cake mixes and Pop Tarts) if I am willing to pay the astronomical prices! We bake and cook a lot of things from scratch and they usually are as good or better than what we would have had in Texas.
But, as I was preparing to bake a cake for a collegue, I ran into the problem that makes cooking and baking here in Germany a challenge. I first looked for a recipe for strawberry cake. (Sure was missing the cake mixes from the states!) I found a recipe that went a little like this:
One white cake mix (why do they do this?)
1 Package frozen strawberries (how much is that exactly? and can you switch that to metric?)
3/4 package powdered sugar (it has been over 3 years since I bought a package of anything and so I can't remember how much comes in a package.)
1/4 of said package strawberries hold back for icing (aghhhh!)
3 oz. strawberry jello (2 problems with this: one, no strawberry jello, two, jello packages here are different sizes and don't come with sugar, that must be added)
Well,my cake turned out okay even though I guestimated the amount of strawberries and used strawberry pudding mix instead of the jello. One must be flexible when baking here and open to failing when trying new recipes! I won't even go into the difficulty that arises when trying to make anything that calls for Cool Whip or cream cheese! And I haven't found anything comparable to Rotel and creamed corn, so a few recipes must be sacrificed.
Jonah turned 11 on the 20th and I now have a preteen. In Germany they call them Teenies! As a sunday school teacher and childcare worker through the years, this is the age for boys that I dread. The ages from 11-14 for boys, when they go through that awkward stage, puberty and just get goofy and annoying,I just find scary. I haven't started worrying about the teen years, which everyone is so keen on reminding me are TERRIBLE! I look forward to seeing my children go through young adulthood and mature into what I hope are polite, respectful, God-fearing adults.
So, Jonah is a trip. He is beginning to sound very much like Jason and me. That is the scary part. He is half Jason and half me in personality and he and I really clash sometimes. He loves to argue,just to argue. He has many desires/wishes that are quite outlandish and impossible and I just don't get it.It really upsets him when I tell him that he ought to focus on and create achievable goals and desires. He and Ashlyn are constantly arguing and fighting. Saturdays are not much fun when the kids are home the entire day. Ashlyn is another story but I will save her for another day. Jonah is a very talented kid, not just smart but clever too. Too clever for his own good. He loves to draw and draws the cartoon and illustrates the school newspaper. He also made me a birdfeeder for Christmas. He wants to be a film director after college. I haven't been able to find anything yet though to get him involved in directing for the summer or school year, but I hope I can find something. Maybe I can find an art class he might like.
Jonah, I love him and am proud of him and hope I can get through these next few years and maintain my sanity.
Just wanted to relate a short story from yesterday's events. We have now had our time change (too) and so it stays lighter till close to 8:30 now. We also now allow Jonah (almost 11) and Ashlyn (9) to stay up past their brothers 7:45-8:00 pm bedtime. Jonah stays up till 9 and Ashlyn 8:30. I started a Bible study for them on Monday nights to go a little deeper with them than what they are getting at church (nothing, really) and house church (simplified for the younger boys). All that was bonus, ha!
Last evening, after dinner, Jason had to go to a revival service (of sorts) and so I had the kids alone (again!). I let them finish a movie they had started the night before till about 7 and then sent them to get pjs on. We would then clean rooms and put away the clean laundry. I was trying to take care of a few emails in the movie time, but noticed after I sent them downstairs, it was way too quiet. I heard children's voices outside, but knew that they weren't my kids' because they were downstairs changing! I peeked out of my 3rd story window, and didn't see anything. BUT it was too quiet. So I head downstairs to check on their progress and ended up finding them ALL outside in the back garden drawing with chalk! No one had shoes on, all were just wearing socks. And, Caedon had gotten ready for bed, because he was in only his undershirt and underwear!! And, it was pretty cool outside, probably in the 50s at the most. Needless to say, I was a little angry. Everyone was sent to change, brush their teeth and get in bed with a spanking to go with it! No one put up a fuss though, they knew they were caught.
I just got back from a training trip and 2 days later Jason is "gone" on a similar trip. I use " " because he is actually in the city but not at home or where we will see him much. BUT, this evening as I am eating dinner with the group that came in for this trip, I receive a call from the babysitter. I have a fear that I might get a call but I thought it might be that my parents had called. I am scared to hear the phone ring, that my parents are calling to say that my grandfather has died. He suffered a stroke on Tuesday and so we are waiting to make sure that he doesn't have any more hemorrahging or brain swelling. Well, thankfully it is not a call from my parents but the babysitter asking me if I could come home because Caedon had thrown up. I was afraid this might happen, so it didn't surprise me, just saddened me. Yesterday, Caedon's tablemate at Kindergarten threw up on his plate during afternoon snack. Unfortunately, Caedon was a recipient of a little of it and apparently the germs that caused it. So, my wonderful husband is going to come home and stay the night with me to keep vigil. To complicate matters, I have plans for tomorrow night for a craft night. It is going to be my language partner, her mother, and a friend. I want to do it but with all four kids by myself and one not well, I don't know if I should try to do it but with 3 coming I don't want to cancel. Why do things have to be so complicated sometimes. And, Jonah is upset that he doesn't get to stay up and watch cartoons on a school night like Caedon. Agh, children! Sorry this is so random and rambling but have a little time on my hands as Caedon falls asleep.
I haven't had much time to write here recently. Things are rather busy, even though I feel like I sometimes do nothing at all! I just got back from a week long training time in Switzerland. We learned some of the things that our husbands are taking 3 weeks to learn. Amazing that they can shorten the material so much when the one away is the one that runs the house!! Despite the brevity of the time, I felt like I have a better understanding of "our" role here in Dresden. This week Jason is hosting the 2nd week of the training here in Dresden for Jason's group. So, although he is technically not away from home, he will not be here with us. And so it goes...
