Understanding a German-speaking toddler

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Being home with Sammy for the first two years of his life, I just assumed that he would be more proficient in English than German, at least until he started daycare.

Turns out I was kind of wrong.

I guess it’s because it’s the local language, so although he tends to hear me speaking English most of the day, German is the thing that’s on in the background all the time. He also spends plenty of time with his grandparents, who obviously speak German to him, and I’m also in the habit of speaking German when they’re around so they understand me.

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Sammy’s birthday… yeah so that made me sad

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I didn’t expect Sam’s birthday to make me sad.

In hindsight, I should have. My birthday and friends’ birthdays always make me sad. But it never occurred to me that Sam’s would. I guess I thought I didn’t care that much. He was only turning two. He’s barely aware what a birthday is. He was more overwhelmed by the presents, the food, the attention… and yet…

Tears came to my eyes. I had to excuse myself and walk away.

Because it was what was missing.

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You know you’re in Austria and not Australia when… this label is on your beer/cider

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That’s right. This delicious alcoholic drink is fine to drink as long as you’re over 16. Because in Austria, the laws on alcohol consumption are different. From the age of 16, you are allowed to purchase and drink certain types of alcoholic beverages. Namely, beer, cider and wine. Any hard liquor or schnapps is off limits until you’re 18 though.

Yes, alcohol is a drug and consumption for teenagers should be limited. Maybe it’s an irresponsible law. Or maybe it just legalises what goes on anyway, since I think you’d be hard pressed in any country to find a teen who hasn’t drunk alcohol before they’ve hit the legal limit!

In any case, this is Austria!

Why I always buckle up on the plane

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Aeroplane aisle seat

There have been a few incidences of bad turbulence in the media lately, and it got me thinking about turbulence. It’s one of those things you try not to think about when cruising at 35,000ft. Much like those weird beeps and noises that sometimes happen during take-off and landing, you curl your fingers tighter around your arm rest (or your vodka tonic) and tell yourself it’s normal. Nothing is going to happen. I mean, it’s not like we’re going to drop out of the sky.

Except sometimes you do.

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Weird things Austrians… eat… Meat Salad

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wurst salad

Look, I know it’s not weird to have meat in salad. Ceasar salad, for example… yum! Thai beef salad… delicious! But still… there’s something about the Austrian ‘Wurst Salad’ that doesn’t sit the same with me. Maybe because it’s so meat heavy? Or the fact that the meat in it feels like cut up bits of dodgy deli meat. Which it kind of is… but also kind of isn’t… because I’ve found that Austrian sausage is generally a little bit more substantial than dodgy deli meat.

So here’s how you make it. You take your sausage and cut it into thin strips… mix it with onion, pickles, capsicum and of course… cheese! Add a tangy vinegar dressing and there you have it… meat salad.

Do I like it? Hmm… it’s ok. It’s certainly not offensive. So, if you get a chance to try it, definitely give it a go!

Dad’s Diet

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jeans

If you read my last post, you’ll know that even 18 months post-partum, I was still holding onto that annoying baby weight. So, before I threw in the towel and bought a brand new wardrobe, I figured I’d give my body a chance… a chance to remember the weight it had always been, and slim down if that’s what it wanted.

But I didn’t want to do something too restrictive, because I enjoy Aperol and chips. That’s when I remembered my Dad telling me about an eating plan he tried. Which is why I call this Dad’s Diet. It’s kind of the 5:2 diet, but with flair from my Dad. And the great thing is, it’s simple.

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I’m losing it… or am I?

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Safety Beach, Australia

I’ve always been a fit, reasonably healthy person. And I’ve got good genes and habits to thank for a lot of it. I’ve never really needed to diet apart from the few times I’ve undertaken the Keto diet. So going into pregnancy it never really occurred to me that it would be difficult to shift kilos after it all ended. And despite the fact that I’m an older mum, it didn’t stop everybody from saying that of course I would bounce right back.

Women who have had babies know better. They know that carrying and birthing a child can mean changes to your body that never return to the way they were. Your rib cage and hips, for example, increase and often just stay that way (because… like… it’s pretty hard to move bones). In fact, your feet can go up a size, so it just shows what an impact pregnancy has on the body.

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German Lessons – part 2 – oh screw this!

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german confused

I’ve already mentioned that as part of my maternity leave I am also studying German. And in the beginning, everything was going well. The course takes me through all levels from A1-C1, and since I’d previously completed up to B1, and lived here for ten years, I figured it would a simple matter of focusing on the two upper levels and breezing through. I would be a pro in a year, I thought stupidly, like all the other times I thought improving my German would be easy.

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A mummy friend

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mummy friend

If there is one piece of advice I could give other expecting mothers, it would be this: FIND YOURSELF A MUMMY FRIEND!

It’s lovely to have a supportive husband, supportive family, and supportive friends, especially those who already have children and can relate to your challenges.

But there is absolutely nothing like someone who is going through the exact same thing as you at the exact same time.

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Australia with an 18-month old – part 3 – Australia

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beach australia

In the thick of it, it honestly felt like everything that could have gone wrong did. If I’d known how hard it was going to be going into it I probably wouldn’t have done it.

But it had been almost two years since I’d visited Oz. I’d had a kid in the meantime. And last winter almost killed me (or at least threw me into a deep hole of depression that a holiday to Australia probably could have fixed).

So, we went for it. We endured the flight, the jet lag, the covid, the weather, the constant moving around with a toddler, the terrible sleeping from said toddler. And then we faced getting back on the aeroplane and doing it all again.

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