September 15, 2006

i let the kids convince me to watch "the incredibles"!
the whole family was sitting in front of the screen and was at awe how incredibly stretchy the mom is, what might of a force the dad was showing.
of course the boys were taken a breath with the speed of "dash", and naomi was jolly about the babies joyfulness. violet's "forcefield" became the most interesting discussion theme during dessert with our neighbors!
rarely do we sit and stare at the screen together, but this time we all did and even enjoyed it. altough it got quite loud and was at times i would say violent, we did stick to until the end.
the kids were just glued to their pillows, could not close their mouth again, and overall it was fun. i'm sure about one thing, we will be talking about the supernatural powers for weeks to come.
http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/incredibles/

June 13, 2006

i have never been watching a soccer match in full length all my life. but today i did! together with my two boys, our brasilian friend and his baby boy...
what is happening to me?
i guess one more push on not becomming too american!
trying to get my kids interested in soccer instead of some american "sports" like football, baseball..... is this my still totally european mindset? is this my inner longing to keep european or what the heck is going on with me! i realize i do feel very strong about my kids beeing involved in sports, but it has to be a real sport. to home school it turnes out, is helpful in not running with the crowd and them wanting to do T-ball what ever this is (i never investigated this one bit more, it sounded too much like a starter into baseball).
i don't want to put anyone off, this is just an honest observation of myself, i guess...

June 11, 2006

wie ich doch immer wieder ueberrascht werde wenn joel mir was gefundenes zeigt...
a fun link to a power site!
http://www.kottke.org/06/06/powers-of-ten

June 3, 2006

rain rain we love you...
this are probably elias most often sung words int his kind of weather which we experienced quite a bit this spring. he loves the rain, the more it poures the better. as the water from the roof of our neighboring house is draining onto our "grassland". it is more as i like dough it is fun for the kids, especialy elias. the spout is broken and not there anymore, this makes a wonderful waterfall! right after breakfast he put his mudpants and rain jacket on, run outside and was not heard for the next two hours. all the buckets, watering cans, as well as some containers out of the recicling box are now lined up filled to the brink with rain water. "mom make sure nobody dumps the water out!" were his words as he tumbled into the house, all wet and very happy....

May 15, 2006

it finaly happened...
bekka called to let me know elias left her house, so i knew he will run into our house within the next few minutes. i hung the phone up and went outside to put the carbage and recicling containers out on the curb. looking down the street to see if elias has come around the corner yet. i could not beliefe my eyes, a police cruiser just stopped and a cop hopped out to stop elias and chat with him! i stayed on the side walk and observed what the next thing to come will be.... i held my breath, this was the long expected moment, taking place right in front of my own eyes!
we are in the united states of america and it is not normal that an almost 7 year old child is walking around the corner allone, to visit a friend, or come home after a play date!
i started breathing againe, elias keeps on walking, making his way home. the police cruiser slowly following on his heals, this is too much. a personal escort!
i feared for this to happen since i he was walking over to iris house in the fall. i was very certain nobody would snatch my boy, but the police!
(i guess i'm still too european and just do what my gut feeling tells me to. to teach my kid to enjoy the freedome given.)

May 7, 2006


wake up the earth, one of jp's important festivals. it is colourfull, childfriendly, diverse in any possible direction, and ton's of fun!
amos and i did wake up too, and enjoyed a ride on the cardbord slide, yeah!!!

April 24, 2006

fahrradfahren in der ostschweiz ist ein fruehlingstraum. mit unseren zwei familien waren wir den ganzen tag unterwegs und genossen das radeln vom hosenruck runter an die thur und dann nach buhwil und wieder den berg rauf auf den nollen. wir das heisst unsere ganze familie mit naomi im anhaenger und die fitzis mit dem tim im anhaenger. der amos konnte keine fuenf sekunden ohne worte sein, alles musste komentiert, mit seiner fantasie verunden und verbal erlebt werden. elias wurde durch eine zu starke bremsaktion auf einem steilen, steinigen weg vom fahrrad katapultiert und trug ein zerschundenes knie und eine kleine verletzung an der hand davon. rebecca genoss das aufladen ihres fahrrades als es dann mal so richtig bergauf ging.

als wir uns zum mittagessen hinsetzten, an einem lauschigen plaetzchen an einem zuflussbaechlein zur thur, stellten wir fest, das das essen vorallem gesund sei. kein brot, keine wurst, keine schokolade, dafuer gurken, oliven, eier, karotten, kiwi, bananen und aepfel! doch die gelegenheit wurde genutzt sich total dem bachstauen hinzugeben. beat und joel's fuesse standen fuer mehr als eine stunde im kalten wasser um eine wunderbare staumauer zu bauen. die kinder fanden dies auch sehr toll und konnten tatkraeftig mit anpacken das dass projekt auch wirklich gelingen wird. esthi und ich genossen in erster linie die sonne, die ruhe und zeigten uns nuetze im nasse hose ausziehen, tim's beine unter steinen zu begraben und ein auge auf die immer und ueberall hinrennende naomi zu haben.
der joel konnte natuerlich nicht mit uns fahren sondern musste eine heldentat einlegen. er radelte zweimal auf den nollen. das erste mal von bischofszell um den bus nach buhwil zu hoeln um die "kleinen" zu verladen. und danach ein zweitesmal von buhwil, wow wusste schon immer das mehr in dir steckt als wir alle denken. lukas meisterte die fahrt fast heldenhaft, nur die kuerzeste strecke von der unteren leutenegg nach hause wurde er weich und wollte auch noch mitfahren. so konnten wir die letzten 15 minuten noch einfach geniessen und zufahren, danke fater fuer diesen tag. halleluja!
danke anneliese, und buben das wir eure fahrraeder benutzen durften.

April 12, 2006

the train ride with my kids was fun, lots to see and our energetic 2 year old naomi wanted to run wild!
switzerland has an amazing network of public transportation. which i discover in a very new way, how it feels to use public transportation as a means of going about dayly life with 3 kids in tow. hopping on the bus changing onto the train and using a network of city buses to do shopping, visiting, and beeing so quickly at my needed destination.
altough today it was a bit more dificult with naomi, she very much wanted to wander around and visit the other people on the train. looking at them coming back to me with a quite loud voice, telling me everything which comes to her mind about that specific person. she was climbing the seats, run to the bath room(which by the way is available on every passanger car, and surprisingly clean)3 times within an hour. amos as all the times has to eat and of course it must be his chocolate bunny. he can not eat just by himself, no all of us have to take a bite from it and this about 3 times, as it would be unfair if just he would get all of the bunny. now all of us messy, covered in milk chocolate. luckely i was thougthful a couple of weeks ago and put a couple napkins in his backpack, they came in handy, to clean our hands and mouths.
you can imagine, after a 75 minute train ride twice today (not to mention that we had to change trains 3 times each ride)i was ready to hand the three kids over to my mom and let them take a bath together in the barell behind the house.

April 5, 2006

ein abendessen mit den freunden meiner eltern. es ist unglaublich wie humorvoll und tief persoenlich diese sechs leute miteinander waren. das geburtstagsfest von vreni, soll gefeiert werden. eine viertelstunde vor dem essen kommt der anruf von vreni dass ihr mann noch schafe verladen muss, da der pfarrer im stall steht und zwei der schafe gekauft hat. hans, der eigentlich bereits gegen die uhr kaempfte um rechtzeitig mit dem melken fertig zu werden, ist mit dem wagen im schnee stecken geblieben, fazit: sie werden erst etwa in einer halben stunde eintreffen.
die trudi und der otto werden informiert, dass sie bitte nicht stressen sollen und einfach gemuetlich rueberkommen sollen. nach einer stunde sind vreni und hans nach wie vor nicht erschienen, so wird beschlossen das man nun halt ohne diese zwei mit dem essen beginnen, worauf es nur noch weitere 15 minuten dauerte bis diese sich dann mit einem riesen hunger auch an den festlich gedeckten tisch setzten.
so hat der abend begonnen. ja wirklich nur der einstieg in einen langen abend, wir lachten viel, ich habe schon sehr sehr lange nicht mehr so fest lachen muessen. meine bauchmuskulatur ist schon seit monaten nicht mehr so strapaziert worden....
kenne ich doch diese freunde meiner eltern recht gut seit ueber 30-ig jahren, so ist es umso schoener mit zu erleben wie sie gemeinsam feste feiern und alt werden. ueber sich und das alt sein lachen koennen, doch oft eben auch nicht wissen ob es ihnen nun wirklich ums lachen zu mute ist, oder eben viel eher die ganze situation ein chaos von starken und schwachen charakteren ist.
danke euch sechsen, besonders auch ma und pa fuer diesen abend, ich moechte auch solche freunde haben im alter, gemeinsam den weg gehen und grad auch dann wenn es eben oft nicht einfach ist. wenn man sich gegenseitig auf den wecker geht, sich persoenlich angegriffen fuehlt von seinen besten freunden dies aber reflektieren kann und dadurch klarheit ueber die situation erhaelt. ihr seid mir ein grosses vorbild wie gemeinschaftliches leben aussiehen sollte. -danke-

April 4, 2006

Beinwell (Wallwurz), Symphytum officinale
seeing elias limp made me feel very helpless. just out of the blue, not knowing what is going on, what is the cause of his pain. trying to figure out why this happened and what are the possible things i can do to help him. beeing far away from home, from the place we are familiar with, from my husbands opinion...
i'm glad we were able to "fix" his hip mussle. rubing elias's femur mussle 4 times a day with the "wallwurz"-creme and trying to get him to rest. realizing once more, God is good.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphytum

March 28, 2006


wir baden im zuber!
das ist toll, ein echter genuss. im freien hinter dem haus, wenns regnet plantschen wir im warmen wasser. "ich will tomorrow dae ganzi tag badä" ruft erklaert mir elias vor dem einschlafen.

March 25, 2006

It is not
half so important
to know
as
to feel.

Rachel Carson
the kitchenfloor is washed, fresh scones and bread in the box, the drier running in the basement, the kids in bed and joel whisteling away in the living room. that's how i love saturday evenings. i even got to publish my first photo on this blog. somehow i'm surprised what i was able to fit into the last three four hours.

my son strategizing how to beat dad.
he made his own chess figures and board, out of plywood and learned to handle the scroll saw. the board is painted and laminated. we all have fun using the set.

March 22, 2006

the second morning in spring... where is the sun? where the spring flowers? i'm craving warmth and colour!
naomi is pushing me out of my cozy comfortable bed... any way, lets get up and celebrate a new rising of the sun.
getting the coffee going, steeping my tee and setting the table. after a plate is broken into pieces we can finaly sit down and start our breakfast. wow it can be peaceful in our kitchen. i guess we need all the kids mouth stuffed with yummie bread ...
cleaning up, brushing all the teeth and starting out with elias's math. on the side is a coffee cake in the making, amos and naomi enjoying their time with our house guests.
coffee for joel as well as a bowl of cereal, he is already working hard up stairs, i love to serve him a bit of our kitchen flavors.
cake in the oven, amos out of the house, naomi licking the batter spoon and bowl, elias doing his language arts, time is flying and i still don't know what to serve for lunch.... but i'm at peace about this one.