Bavarian Taste Buds

So often I'm surprised by how completely Bavarian the taste buds of my children are. I really offer them lots of different things – which they never eat, but whenever there's Weisswurst (Bavarian veal sausage), Schweinebraten (roast pork), Bratwurst (fried sausage), pretty much EVERY kind of sausage available, they go full out. I'm still no vegetarian, but this is too much for me. They actually know my name at the butchers...



This is Henri finishing up his THIRD Weisswurst. Honestly, I can't eat three.



Washing it down with some beer.

Karl by the way only had one Weisswurst, because he ate at a friends house. They had: Leberkäs (livery meat loaf)! When I told him that I didn't like Leberkäs and that it was highly unlikely that it would ever be prepared in my kitchen, he was totally trying to convince me that I should eat it more often so that I could love it just like he does.

Lack of Concentration

Two weeks ago the kindergarten teacher told us that she thinks Karl has a lack of concentration. Somehow I think I'm going to ignore her thoughts.

Construction Warriors

I just noticed that lately I haven't been active on this blog – luckily there's Andrian, but since he's at Elton John's Oscars Party right now, I have to go back to posting! The lack of daycare, combined with quite a few design projects and a ramshackle house to renovate was just a bit too much. Of course the daycare problem had technically been resolved back in January, but Henri couldn't start the new one till February and since it is a legit place, they take their time (three weeks) to let the toddlers settle in. Which for me just meant more night shifts in front of the computer. Last week things changed though and Henri told me to leave when I showed up to get him. Or that he wanted to stay.



So now there's only the work and the house to take care of! We went to check on the latter today to make sure everything is in order.



Karl took care of some business in the garden and protected the door steps from dangerous invaders.



We left Henri in the car to finish his nap (yeah, it's that kind of neighborhood). When he got up he was in his usual cranky post-nap mood, but watching cars from our future dining room window helped.



Lonesome warrior meditating over the hardwood floor. Should it stay or should it go?

Time Flies

It is quite astonishing how fast a week off work flies by when in the company of two very charming young boys. Even if they're in daycare/kindergarten a good portion of the day. So what if I only got half of the planned errands done, only got one of the various lingering stories done? This week was a blast. And it ended with quite some fun, like building a snowman which resembled a rather tipsy alien...



...hangin' out at our neighbors' party and taking half of the party to the botanical garden to see some turtles, cacti and the way too long lines in front of the butterfly exhibit...



... and of course always a great feeling of achievement - getting giggles out of Henri (actually not as much of an effort as it used to be, but still very rewarding).

Week Off

Enjoying a week off. Once more a great chance to experience Fred's daily grind, i.e. how the level of things that can get done falls parallel to the fun that can be had when hanging out with two rascals. Not in smooth curves though. Rather steep diagonals.

Fasching

The wait! The excitement! The run for the tickets! So Saturday the big day finally arrived. Kindergarten Faschingsparty at the community centre (nope, has nothing to do with fascism despite the similar phonetics, the etymological root of the Bavarian word for carnival is actually Fastenschank, meaning the last drinks to be had before the fast, which obviously starts the day after Mardi Gras). There were lengthy discussions and screamfests about the costume. We rooted for Spiderman (prefab costume in closet, no work at all), Karl wanted to be a king (he supposedly promised some girl he would be, we left out the strange connotations and misogynistic undertones and explained to him that we are neither in the posession of a crown nor a crimson coat), so we settled on pirate (medium work, most important item "pirate saber" already weapon of choice for a while around here). Serendipity had it that the outcome of his best friend Ludwig's screamfests had a similar outcome.



Henri was easy. He just wanted to put something on his head. We made it just in time for the magicians' show. Which was a bit odd bordering on the bizarre. Hardy is supposedly a well-known children's magician famous for the educational value of his act. He struck me as a bit over-cafeeinated and his manners and style of jokes had the air of an aging drag queen bored by her own routine. Still the kids loved it, even though a few magic tricks, most punchlines and the thread of comprehension got kinda lost. Well, he did pull a rabbit out of his hat (see small image). And you really can't blame the guy, he's been at it since the 70s. When he had his first line of of personalized magicians' kits produced:



After the show the level of craziness rose parallel to the intake of sugar and carbonated drinks. Karl and Ludwig did their costumes justice and ganged up on a few other kids. I had to blue-helmet them out of threatening princesses with pointy weapons. And they did get chased down by a bunch of older ninjas with even bigger swords, which ended in tears (Karl) and scolding (me, some other parents' kids).



Today the Fasching mood continued. Henri tried out.... well, you guess what his costume is supposed to be.



Not sure what Karl's inspiration was. Maybe I can spend my later years on his posh estate on some tropical beachfront where there's no extradition treaty (well, as they say, when it comes to your boys, think Biggs).

At the Circus

This portrait of Henri might not have to do anything with the circus, although it might be an act. It's the classic "I'm cute and I know it"-stunt, a privilege of small boys, benignly used to get things done. Like get parents to deliver desired foods and toys and affection.



This act might of course also be the underlying reason, why Opa Paul braved snowstorms and Siberian temperatures to hunt down tickets to the circus. Which were very much appreciated. Karl was all old circus pro, hangin' out on Opa's lap, munching popcorn and watching the combined artistry of Eastern Europe and Asia, as if it were just another well-known episode of Barbapapa. Henri on the other hand got a real kick out of his first truly concious circus outing, shouting "bravo" and clapping in rhythm, whenever the circus band got the audience to follow their lead. He was highly impressed by all those animals and adults milling around the arena. Both had quite some showtime stamina, considering that the program lasted for almost three hours. It was just cynical dad who though that his childhood circus has somewhat reached the state of underwhelming. Most acts could be seen in any pedestrian zone. Minus the Eastern European disco outfits. Could it be that the almighty Cirque de Soleil has cleared the global market for circus acts of the top shelf talent?

Circus was followed by a leisurely hour at home and a rather rowdy reading session. Now Opa Paul is in high demand on Henri's toy phone. Always great to see how those intergenerational bonds just click.

Sunday Morning Reading Frenzy

Somebody thought he could read his Sunday newspaper instead.

Gidddy As A Renewable Resource

One thing they don't tell you about having kids (besides all the crazy and chaotic and unnerving, which comedian of the hours Louis CK has nailed so brillantly) is the sheer abundance of good moods those little fellows can produce. So despite a Siberian cold spell and a general crisis malaise that have Europe in the grips these days, there seems to be always enough reason for Henri and Karl to fall into infectious giddiness. Just being woken up by the alarm immediately followed by euphoric shouts of "Mama! Papa! Bear! Water! Outta here!" by Henri - who has obviously been standing there for a while staring at the alarm with a why-don't-you-get-off-so-we-can-start-this-day-gaze kinda - sets the right tone. Possible lows in the day are regularily cured by images like the one below lighting up the smartphone. Giddy sure is a renewable energy source around here.