Lantern preparations

Laterne, Laterne
Sonne, Mond und Sterne

Brenne auf, mein Licht
 auf, mein Licht 
Aber nur meine liebe Laterne nicht.

It is safe to say summer is well and truly over, as the wet and cold weather looks like it is here to stay. This does, however, mean we have some of my favourite calendar events to look forward to in the coming months.... Halloween, Christmas and Laternenfest/Bonfire night. 

Recently, we spent a fun arts and crafts afternoon at the kindergarten, creating lanterns for the upcoming Laternenfest due to be held in November.  It was a lovely afternoon.

It is really nice to now see all the lanterns hanging from the ceiling in the kindergarten awaiting the big day. 

The lanterns were really easy to make, here is a useful Pinterest link for ideas on how to make them at home: Pinterest Laterne 

Lanterns can be lit up with either candles for bigger children, or battery operated ones for little ones, you can purchase these from local supermarkets. 

It is worth checking out what Laternenfest celebrations are near you if you have never been before....

A fun day out....

One of the benefits of the boys going to a local kindergarten is experiencing new places that otherwise we would not have known existed.

The boys' old kindergarten was great at providing school trips (accompanied by parents), which gave us more ideas of things to do with the boys. One of the best trips we did was the Llama and Alpaca Farm, situated out by the TierPark in Bielefeld. 

We spent a delightful afternoon here with the kindergarten, during which the kids had a picnic and fed and touched the animals. The owners had arranged some arts and crafts activities for the children at the end of the afternoon. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and the children took the opportunity to burn off some energy at the little play park that was on-site. 

****Warning, pack bug spray for this trip!!!   The flys were everywhere and spent most of the afternoon eating us!

Duinrell

At the end of August, we packed the car and headed off for a weekend away to Duinrell in Holland.  We had never heard of this campsite but were drawn by the promise of the waterpark and amusement rides. When our friends (who were holidaying with us) had sent us the details, we thought it looked perfect.

When we got there, a mere three hours later (for us a very short car journey!), we were staggered by the size of the park. We checked in and headed off to the cutely named 'duingalows'.  As we were only there for a long weekend we had to go for the more expensive park run homes. However, for anyone going for a week or more, there is an abundance of companies who offer cheaper alternatives. The famous Eurocamp offers places here, as do Alfresco, through which we had a lovely holiday last year in France. 

Once unpacked, we wandered towards the on-site restaurant; the boys marveled at the many children who whizzed past on their go-carts. 

There were plenty of, reasonably priced, facilities available - including a well-stocked supermarket.   Having arrived late, it was dinner and an early night for us; not so much for our neighbours who were partying all night, which sounded like so much fun our eldest was desperate to join in.  The noise would be my only complaint about the park, especially as noise was meant to be kept to a minimum after 11pm.

Next morning we were up early - one of the perils of holidaying with small children - and we went to explore.  Well, after our boys had three bowls of cereal each; holidaying is apparently hungry work when you are three.  First stop was the water park, with 11 large slides for the bigger children (hello hubby!), two of which our little boys could go on too so long as they were accompanied; three small slides for toddlers; a lazy river and wave machine.  You would be hard pushed to get get bored.  We all loved the adventure. There are a few slides that I feel are of particular note. First off there was the vertical drop slide, where you step into a capsule and the floor gives way beneath you. Thankfully this one was closed as I was pretty worried the hubby would want to try it out. Second was the 'cycloon', a vertical slide that shoots you out into a bowl where you spin around a few times at top speed and drop out the bottom. This was very popular!  Finally, there was a clear slide, called Blitz, that had a sharp drop for over 30 meters. My friend's ten-year-old son looked a little stunned after he rode that slide!

Later that day we went to explore the theme park.  As you walk through the gates you are met with the sound of excited screams; laughing and fun seemed to hang in the atmosphere. The park was massive, again with a great selection of rides, a couple of huge play parks and, of course, plenty of shops to spend your hard earned cash!  It was great fun, although Bob D complained it was too noisy (NB for those that read my Lake Constance blog you may have started to notice a pattern emerging 🙉).

The next day we did it all again; with so much to do it was always entertaining. If we had stayed longer we would have definitely cycled in to the local town where there was a lovely beach on which to build sandcastle and soak up some rays. 

Another successful holiday, shared with lovely friends. We will definitely be returning again.

End of Kindergarten

I have been meaning to write this blog post for a while but life has been a little hectic lately.  I have started a new job and the boys have changed kindergarten.

In June, our boys 'graduated' from the small Kita that had become a second home to them for the past year. To say we were saddened by this is an understatement, I had dreaded this move for months and I knew the boys were going to miss their 'nanny' (the kindergarten teacher, not her real name but that which the boys had decided was suitable enough for this special lady in their life). 

The day eventually arrived when we had the boys leaving party. The kindergarten had hired a marquee, situated in the local farm, which was open for visitors during the day, and had a fabulous cafe.  There were Bobby cars to drive, horses to ride and a lovely lunch. The teachers arranged a fun treasure hunt for the children, all of whom received lovely t-shirts, which had been decorated by the teachers, as prizes.  At the end of the party, the teachers all stood up and gave a heart-warming speech about how much the children meant to them and how they loved them like their own. There was not a dry eye there and all the teachers were clearly emotional. It struck me how hard it must be to say goodbye to these children every year, when they have grown to love them so dearly. 

As we were leaving we had a very emotional goodbye with Nanny, and I just about held it together. The boys were a little unsure of what was going on, as the concept of them not going back to Nanny's house was hard for them to comprehend. Why would they not go back got to this lovely place full of people who always welcomed them so warmly?

However, onwards and upwards we go.  The boys are now on to their second month at the new kindergarten. They love hanging out with the older children and the activities are much more exciting as the age group is higher. Luckily, Bob L's best friend from the old Kita is in his new class; he is thrilled.  Bob D was not so lucky as his best friend missed the cut off.  I hope they are pleased to see each other next year when he is old enough to graduate to the new school. 

The boys still ask, although less so now than before, to go back to Nanny's house, I have explained that they only look after babies and they are big boys now. They seem to accept this. 

Life goes on and we are all thankful for the lovely memories, some of which were captured in the lovely, personalised book we received about their time there.  

Blogs I love....

As much as I enjoy writing  I also have a few blog obsessions, here are my top three that I love to keep an eye on:

The Unmumsy Mum Weblink

A must read for mummies out there, this gritty account of motherhood definitely brightens up my day. 

My Bielefeld Weblink

This is a great blog for any Brit living in the local area, the blog covers a lot of ground; restaurants, local activities and meet ups to name a few and also has helpful advice thrown in for good measure. 

M.Blazoned Weblink

This lady wrote two of my favourite blog posts of all time; The Default Parent and Vacation or Trip? A Helpful Guide for Parents. A worthwhile read for anyone with children. 

* links for all three blogs are also available to the right (on normal mode)

Medieval Festival

This weekend, we attended the Medieval festival at the Sparrenburg Castle, known affectionately by the locals as Sparrenburgfest.  The majestic Sparrenburg, stands tall on a hill top, overlooking Bielefeld.  Steeped in history and with bustling crowds, the medieval festival is fun for all the family.

As you enter the grounds you are greeted by huge, excited crowds, all looking forward to this, rather unique, day out. The many food and drinks stalls line the pathways with the smells transporting you to times gone by.  Here you can sample marinated Schweinbugers, washed down with a glass of delicous honey Mead.

There are plenty of games to keep children of all ages entertained, archery and falconry to name just a few. The boys tried their hardest to climb up a rope ladder to ring a bell at the top, sounds (and looked) easy, until you realise the rope wasn't steady!!  Thankfully they had a little help, as you can see.  As a reward for their hard and determind effort, they received fairy dust which they were thrilled with - at 3 fairy dust in magic !

There were many things here for all ages, for those so inclined you could spend an hour in the hot tub, dance the night away at the main stage, or find out your future with the clairvoyant on hand. 

We all thoroughly enjoyed our, very special, day out which was shared with some lovely friends.  It was a real shame that the organisers had to cancel the event on Saturday due to the heavy thunderstorms (it looked like Armageddon in our back garden on Sunday morning); however, Sunday was a fabulous day which more than made up for it. 

Lake Constance

This year we decided to take advantage of living in Germany and go on vacation locally. We had originally considered going to Bavaria; however, I found a fabulous campsite, Ferienpark Orsingen, near Lake Constance, which fitted all the criteria we were hoping for; family friendly, good outdoor pools, interesting day trips (for 3 year olds!) and not too expensive.

We were very lucky to choose a week where Germany was hit by a heatwave, the weather was truly fantastic for the whole week. On our first night, when we were settled in and the children were asleep, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset from our holiday home balcony, glass of wine in hand.

We were pleasantly surprised by how stunning Lake Constance and the town of Konstanz was (considered the German Rivera).  It really feels like you are somewhere special with the gorgeous, sprawling lake, with tree lined paths and parks surrounding the lake. 

The city of Konstanz was beautiful, with boat hire available to join the ducks mid-lake and see the city from a different viewpoint.

Our boys love boats - well they love anything that moves, cars, trains, planes, boats, motorbikes - you get the idea!  So we decided to hire a boat.  Rather than go for the extravagant yacht or expensive speed boat, we went for a leisurely pedalo (leisurely for the boys and me, not so much my husband who had to drive).

While on the boat, the boys were thrilled to see the boats and ducks up close, Bob D kept telling us how excited he was.  With the blue lake surrounding us, large boats passing you by and the quacking ducks providing a soundtrack to our journey, it was a really special experience.

We all thoroughly enjoyed our boat trip and loved sampling the delights of the ice cream afterwards. 

Lake Constance borders Switzerland and Austria which means that both were easily accessible for day trips. 

On our second day we went over to Switzerland to see the Rheinfall and Schloss Laufen. This waterfall is the largest plain waterfall in Europe and it didn't disappoint. The waterfall was easily accessible by car as well as public transport. If you are feeling brave you can even take a boat trip to the bottom of the waterfall, something we thought better of with two toddlers in tow.

After walking through a pretty entrance, we came to the many, many stairs that take you on a walk down the side of the breathtaking waterfall, leading to spectacular views and unforgetable experience (and yes there is a lift back up to the top for those that don't fancy climbing back up afterwards). 

We would highly recommend this day out to anyone, although Bob D did complain that the waterfall was 'too loud', we cant blame him the sound of the rushing water was very intense.

A few days later we ventured to a little town called Meersburg; this was slightly more touristy than what we had come across before in the area, with little shops selling souvenirs lining up along the lake, alongside lots of eateries and drinking establishments. We stopped for ice cream (as that was a must most days due to the heat!) and found this expensive in comparison to other places we had visited. We didn't mind though as the views were, once again, stunning. However, this would put me off staying there for the whole holiday should we return in the future. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday - our first as a family of four - and would highly recommend this often overlooked, by Brits anyway, paradise.