the little travelers * travel blog

Berlin zoo

I know people have very mixed reactions to zoos and I know plenty of people who will not even visit them as a protest to captive animals.  I get that.  But I love to visit zoos in other countries because to me it tells me a lot about their culture.  Locals here had told us that they do not like this zoo due to small habitats and poor conditions so our hopes were not too high.   I nearly cried at a zoo in Japan once and Iran's treatment of caged animals was not more impressive than their reputation for human rights, let's just say.  But if the conditions at this zoo were 'bad' then, well, the rest of the world might as well close down their zoos and call it a day.

primate playground island.  

I liked their use of ditches with water rather than high fencing.  It let us get really close to the animals and see them better than we ever have before at any other zoo.  This again would be impossible in our sue happy culture!  There is nothing from stopping a teen on a dare to jump the ditch and get to the animals or a small child not being watched by their parent to fall into the ditch.  This is the aspect of being in places like here and Japan that I enjoy the most.  The government expects their citizens to take personal responsibility.  In Japan they go so far as to make the family of someone who commits suicide on the train tracks to pay for the damage, clean up and loss of income due to postponed trains.  In the States the family would likely try to sue the train for not stopping.

We really got to get a good look at the animals!  Toenails, eyelids, nostrils were all in good plain sight.

Now the animal I didn't need such a close look at was wild piggy here!  You know, since I'd already seen one about one foot away from my face.  Yup, the one in the middle with the tusks is exactly what the one in the forest looked like.  He is the substance of my nightmares.  I know everything is supposed to be beautiful in its own way- but quite frankly I just ain't seeing it here.  That is one ugly animal.

Is it me, or does this bird look like some sort of crazy professor that knows way too much?  I felt like it was Einstein stuck in a bird's body.  When he looked at me I thought I was in one of those weird Disney movies where the animal was going to start talking.  He actually made me nervous.

Not surprisingly there was a playground here and this is where the bulk of the day was spent once again.

The netted sections below are trampolines- nice springy ones like at the circus.  I love that.  There were 3 of those in this structure.  I had a friend at home who could not even get home owners insurance by having a trampoline in the backyard.  And here they are to be used by the general public.

This crazy contraption was great.  Most merry-go-rounds have been removed from public parks in the US due to lawsuits and being considered 'dangerous.'  Mindy commented on parks the other day:

 I'm a professional nanny and I've longed wondered if the increased number of children that we see in the states affected by sensory integration disorders is in some way caused/contributed to by the many ways that we now constrict movement in children and don't allow them to fully experience all that is around them. Seeing the pictures of the different park equipment that allowed all kinds of movement (that definitely would NOT be allowed here) made me look at the statistics of children with sensory issues in Germany. It is astounding to to see what a HUGE difference there is there compared to here.

I couldn't agree more. MIndy, I would love it if you could direct us at specific stats. When I was teaching preschool the number of parents coming to me and informing that their child had some form of sensory integration challenges was at nearly 50%!  I know these things move in trends and this is a hot one now but I agree that limiting movement is a huge contributor.  We knew people who got a pass to Disneyland for their child from their OT mainly for the teacups and the spinning, which was said to really help with treatment.  Since there are no more merry-go-rounds in parks the only spinning that could be found was at Disneyland.  What I have found in my travels to be so interesting is that all over the world people have some sort of spinning devise at parks for children.  It's like everyone knew this was somehow beneficial to the developing brain and naturally put them in.  Most countries still have them.  Japan, Indonesia, Iran, all over Europe all still have theirs.  In Japan all first graders learn to ride a unicycle because the Japanese (rightly) believe that good balance is good for the brain.  This is all now being proven through brain research, but is kind of silly in the same way many things in Western society are now.  Through the ages people have naturally known certain things are beneficial and now science can prove what our grandparents knew through common sense.  

If you ran around the outside it would make it spin.  And yes, kids were flying off of this thing right and left.  Some cried.  Some got a mouth full of dirt when they landed.  Some whacked their heads when they sat up underneath the disc, but all lived.  None of the injuries were serious and the teachers handled them with calm and nonchalance.  They helped clean them up and sent them back off again. 

The structures here require balance, skill, strength and thinking to navigate them.  In contrast to ours at home that require none of those and we wonder why our youth are lacking in the above qualities.

There was a sweet little petting area with lots of new babies to see.  For a big city zoo I'm giving this one a thumbs up.  A good time was had by all and all the kids were bummed when that closed at 6 pm.

 

the best things in life are free!

Like most cliches, this one became a cliche because it's true.  Being surrounded by so much beauty here these days I'm struck by the fact that it is free.  Even if I were the richest person on the planet the flowers would not be more beautiful than they are now.  I couldn't appreciate them more if I were dripping in monetary wealth.

It would not be more delicious to roll down a hill if we were rich than it is now.

Or the thrill of improving a cartwheel.

Trying to outrun a train,

dig a hole to China,

or have a little conversation with a sister.

All this talk of recession and lack, flues from pigs... - and yet the natural world is as abundant as ever.  

Abundant in color, texture, fragrance and sheer volume.  

The trees are not cutting back on their blossoms in preparation for what's to come, the branches are not leaving some limbs without leaves to stock up. 

 The flowers are not holding back their fragrance anticipating the worst.  

Swans are not building smaller nests just in case.

The natural world is as abundant and innovative as ever.  

These flowers are not deciding to bloom at half their size.  These will not only bloom next year the bulbs will multiply.

Spiders are still spinning as diligently as ever.

Right now the air here is full of life and potential.  Wherever we go blossoms are flying through the air.  Trees are dropping their seeds and dandelions are blowing in the wind.  When I stop and think about how each one of these little seeds could turn into a plant, flower or even a mighty old tree one day - it is staggering to think of the potential floating around here.  

The natural world is so wildly skewed towards abundance.  One tree puts off enough seeds in one season to create and entire forest.  But think about the life span of that tree and how many seeds it puts out.  

Think of a papaya or tomato and how many seeds are inside just one fruit.  It's absurd that anyone goes hungry in this world when the world itself is skewed towards wild abundance- no where near 'survival' or even replenishment.  The seeds from a single tomato could easily provide enough tomatoes for an entire family the following season.  The seeds from one tomato plant over the course of one season could provide enough for an entire community the following season.  

Maybe if we all run out of things that are distractions to us we will once again be able to pay a bit more attention to the natural world around us and enjoy it in all its glory.  We will again be focused on the things that are priceless.  Friendship, beauty, connection.

When there is so much overwhelming evidence all around us that all is well, why oh why is it so easy for us to focus on that which is not.  Perhaps if we just shift our attention on what is not only 'working' but really excelling and thriving on this planet we could watch and learn a thing or two.

And thank you April for fw this very interesting article from Newsweek on Nature and its effects on our psychological well-being.

big city living

I'm not a fan of big cities or living in them, but that being said, Berlin has to be more 'rural' and full of natural spots than any other smaller suburban places I've ever lived.  The Germans really value their green spaces and you don't have to go too far to get to a forest, a park or a green belt.  Last weekend we went to Britzer Garden for their Tulipan display.  This place is 90 acres!  When you climb up onto one of their hills you can see it surrounded by high rises.  This is in the city.

This is something I love here  and think every place in the world ought to adopt- public lounge chairs!  Those huge, industrial lounge chairs were the most comfy things ever.  I parked myself in one those for quite some time and nearly fell asleep.  The whole park had chairs and lounge chairs spread out all over the place.  We came here on Friday and spent 6 hours.  We were back Saturday morning at 9am for another 8 hours.  On Saturday we brought a picnic and books and planned to just hang out but there was still so much to see we hardly had any down time at all.  We did not even get to about 1/3 of the park.

The picture here shows the girls right when we arrived to this little spot.  About one minute after this photo was taken the girls all took off their pants so they could go deeper.  People near water in underwear is nothing to scoff at here- particularly in children.  There is no place in the US where a 9 year old could publicly play in her undies without a major uproar- perhaps even ending up with an arrest of the parents.  I was laying there feeling so happy to be here and so free and feeling like going back to the US would be a bit like going back to a prison of sorts when a group of Muslim girls entered the scene.

Berlin, being a major metropolis has a wide variety of ethnicities and nationalities living here.  They were of course fully covered and I was thinking back to myself just a few months ago needing to be fully covered to be outside in Iran.  When I thought of the US from Iran it felt like the freest place on earth and I looked forward to my return and now here I am sort of dreading it.  Everything is relative!!  But what I really do not understand about America is how we got to be so darn prudish!  I mean it was taken over by people seeking freedom!  It was founded upon the ideals of freedom- freedom of thought, expression and religion.  The people who left Europe and immigrated were those seeking greater freedom- so how did we ever get so darn uptight??  I was telling some Germans the other day about how parents had been arrested for taking naked pictures of their own children in the bath at home and how breast feeding in public is illegal in some states as well as G-string bikinis on many public beaches- not to mention going nude or topless!  Why are we so afraid of nudity??

So here are the clothing of some children who got wet in the creek- and you can just imagine the scene a few feet to the left, right?  Anyone having flashes of Pippi and clothes eating  cows?   Oh, and on the subject- we recently saw a bit of Pippi here and that scene had all the kids swimming in their undies and Anika was topless.  That was all edited out of the versions they showed on American TV.  crazy.

This place had it all!

There were little play areas spread out all over the place and again - some of the most innovative play structures I've ever seen.

Bumper swings.  Yup, when everyone swings just right they bump in the middle.

These were rubbery, slippery, bouncy, trampoline like things.  If you jumped from one level to the next with someone else standing in the right spot you could really launch them straight up into the air.

This was rigged up to go in all directions.  They also used it sitting with half of the girls sitting in one direction and half the other- and both could pump in opposite directions.  Little kids were straddling the rope and going side to side.  I think this is brilliant.

Need I say anything about this!  Hours were spent here.

Note the boy in the background walking a tightrope. We've noticed these a lot here too.  In the forest people brought their own and tied it between two trees and were practicing.   And this huge thing- a lawsuit waiting to happen.  Way too tall and metal for our laws these days.

And there was a whole water section, too.  The cafe to the left overlooks the play area and of course serves beer and wine.

Boulders (real, not fiberglass)  and water- not a combo we're likely to encounter in our litigious society.

Almost all public parks here have these industrial strength ping-pong tables.  People bring their own paddles and balls, which come in excellent little cases.

While playing here a group of - hm, I'm not sure what we call these people now- mentally challenged?  They were mentally retarded -even if we're not supposed to say 'retarded' these days I think you all know what I'm talking about.  They were adults ranging in age from their 20's up to 50's and they were here on the playground.  I have an aunt on my dad's side that is retarded here in Germany and of course has been the state's responsibility her whole life.  She is now in her 60's and is very well cared for.  But what struck me most by this group being here is that mentally these people are children even though their bodies are adults.  In the States these groups are usually taken to shopping malls when they go out in public- because we all know how much children love shopping, right?  What gives?  Here, they were 'allowed' to play among the children at the playground.  There was a woman in her 30's who went positively ballistic when she saw the toddler slide.  She started shouting and laughing and clapping and running in circles saying, 'There's a slide!  There's a slide!'  Then ran full speed ahead in her stooped, lopsided posture, drooling on the way and slid down the slide among the toddlers.  No parents were freaked out or moved their kids away.  Then a man in his 40's followed- and how they howled in delight!  The adults that were around all sort of smiled and I think felt just like I did- a bit envious of the joy something so small could bring and the inhibition to express it so fully.

The strollers here are unreal.  Babies really travel in style.  Here these two nappers are covered with mosquito netting for a peaceful sleep.  

Hand made blankets and lammies in the carriage are the norm and in no way 'alternative' here- definitely a mainstream phenomenon.

The rentals available at the entrance.  They also have these wagons at IKEA to use for customers to haul their stuff and kids!  Then there are scooters, bikes and those little bikes with no pedals.  Oh, and admission was 6 Euro for one adult and two kids.  The same it costs for a one way bus ticket to the grocer.  By far the best money I've spent since arriving.

There is an area with sheep where all the girls learned what electric wire is!

And had great fun watching the boys who thought it was 'kool' that one could get shocked through the other's body.  boys.

And it even had a witches garden full of herbs for potions.  I'm telling you, this place had it all!  I'm really starting to appreciate the decline in childbirthing rates here.  The people who do have children have them because they really want them.  All these hours spent here and all these families and children and I did not here one single scolding over a 15 hour period.  Families actually seem to enjoy each other's company!  Imagine that.  Of course families like this exist in the US- it's just that when we go in public places of large gatherings of families at home it is certainly not unusual to overhear some really nasty talk going on between parent and child.  When we were visiting my brother in Indiana and were at a local lake I recall distracting my little ones from a father cursing at and slapping his 10 year old across the face.  In California we live about 30 minutes from Disneyland and usually go once a year- and an hour into it I'm fully exhausted and steering my kids right and left to avoid witnessing some major verbal lashing.  At a waterpark last summer a mother was screaming at her child for being a 'stupid dumb-ass' for letting a retainer fall into the water.  In contrast, this place was quite, peaceful and full of life, laughter and fun.  We were exhausted at the end of each day in the best possible way- from tons of exercise and having a great time.  I'm a convert!  I need to call my mom and see if I can still get dual citizenship.  She is still German after over 30 years in the US.  My dad became a citizen about 40 years ago, but Mama will die a German she claims.  No interest in turning over that Green Card for a passport.  I can't say I blame her.

After 15 hours over two days the only thing I heard from the girls when leaving was, "When are we coming back?"  I could live here.  In this park, I mean.  Pitch a tent and stay forever.  Well, if spring lasted forever, that is!  This place was voted one of the top 10 parks in Germany- I'm thinking I really need to go check out the other 9!

the purity of white

Purity of thought, purity of intent, purity of heart... all things I'm constantly striving towards.  There is just something about white that makes me feel a little purer just by looking at it.  I love that the Japanese wear white at funerals.  It is the color of pure Spirit and death, where one returns to Spirit.  All flowers are also white.  It just feels better and more enlightened than celebrating that return with black.  Here are some images from yesterday that just make me feel like a better person just by looking at them.  It's kind of like cheating to me!  True heaven on earth.

I'm sure Anne Shirley would agree that this could be "The White Way of Delight."

I love this little house around the corner from ours.

i wish...

Daisy chain making was going on in these parts today.

The neighbor saw the making going on and told the girls that if they put the daisy chain under their pillows and make a wish before going to bed it would come true in the morning.

Some wishes I hear around here regularly are things like,

"I wish the wall were made out of candy."

"I wish I could take a bath in agave instead of water."  

"I wish I was a witch and could put a spell on my room so I wouldn't have to clean it."  

"I wish my arms were longer so I could reach into the next room without getting out of my chair."

Which reminds me of a book we love around here.  It covers wishing traditions from 14 different countries, including Japan, Ireland and Iran!  So you know we love it.  

In the name of frivolous wishing here is my list.

I wish they had hazelnut yogurt back in the states like they do here.  (yum.)

I wish I could eat hazelnut Italian ice-cream for every meal and my thighs would not mind.

I wish I had a hazelnut tree in my yard.

I wish a had my little mini blender here so I could try making nettle pesto with hazelnuts.  (saw a recipe for radish tops with hazelnut pesto- but thought I'd like to try with nettles.)

I wish Spring would last forever and I could make the cherry and apple blossoms not blow away.

I wish lilacs, peonies and lilies of the valley would grow in Cali.

I wish my armpits would naturally smell like lilacs on a hot summer day.

I wish I could knit as well as my mom.

I wish I could sing in tune.

I wish my laundry would fold itself.

and I wish I had silky, bone straight hair that didn't friz in humid weather.

There.  Sometimes it feels so good to lighten up a bit and indulge the silly.  What are you wishing for?

temperaments- a day in the life

One of the most frequently emailed questions I get is about the temperaments.  I've written about it quite a few times before but today's lunch at the park seemed like a perfect opportunity to do a little blow by blow tutorial or sorts.  I've decided to take all definitions of the temperaments straight from Wikipedia(in blue) today to keep this as objective as possible since I'll be looking at my own children and those of my brother while playing at the park.  I was using my telephoto lens and was under a tree just observing what was happening with no agenda in mind.  I didn't think of using these photos for this post until after I looked at them and noticed how well they show cased each temperament.  I was thinking of writing about trying to perfect our ranch dressing recipe. So I did not shoot these with stereotyping them into these roles.  They did that on their own just fine!  haha.  I find this so much more fascinating than ranch dressing though!

First let's take a look at the walk to the park.  The big girl holding the small child's hand is our choleric.  She typically walks way ahead of the rest but because she's holding the hand of the slower child she's not quite as far ahead as usual.  The next tallest on the left in front in our melancholic.  Note she is looking down at the ground while walking.  The one in the groovy knee socks is phlegmatic and in the back and the little one is also pretty phlegmatic and pretty much needs to nearly be pulled forward to actually go anywhere.  Then there is the sanguine off to the side catching butterflies, picking dandelions- anything off the path.  

Now let's introduce the individual temperaments.  First we have our choleric.  Wiki says, "season of summer (dry and hot), and the element of fire. A person who is choleric is a doer and a leader. They have a lot of ambition, energy, and passion, and try to instill it in others. They can dominate people of other temperaments, especially phlegmatic types. Many great charismatic military and political figures were cholerics. On the negative side, they are easily angered or bad-tempered."

This is Tigger from the Pooh characters.  Full of life and big on emotion but can run hot and cold with quite a bit of pouting going on.  Waldorf teachers typically recommend fighting fire with fire in the case of a choleric.  They need to know their limits loud and clear but will push them.  Sometimes it can work to throw water on the fire - ignoring a tantrum usually works best- but feeding it by saying, 'What's wrong?"  will only make the fire burn stronger and eventually it will burn out of control.

Next is our melancholic (Eyore):

 "A person who is a thoughtful ponderer has a melancholicdisposition. Often very kind and considerate, melancholics can be highly creative – as in poetry and art - but also can become overly pre-occupied with the tragedy and cruelty in the world, thus becoming depressed. The temperament is associated with the season of fall/autumn (dry and cold) and the element earth. A melancholic is also often a perfectionist, being very particular about what they want and how they want it in some cases. This often results in being unsatisfied with one's own artistic or creative works and always pointing out to themselves what could and should be improved.

You can see here she is not off on her own pouting, just in her own world and thoughts.  

You can see it in her posture and many melancholics tend to have a slight frame- tall and thin.

Here she is bringing 'the choleric' veggies dipped in ranch so the choleric does not need to get off the swing and risk someone else taking it.  They are both playing their roles perfectly.  It's situations like these that I'm grateful for knowledge of the temperaments.  Sometimes I'll be at a park with friends who are more traditionally psychology based and see these interactions as manipulative and one dominating the other.  Yes, I would agree that potential is here- yet, knowing their temperaments and seeing how they play out and then addressing it through story and other ways that are less direct feels so much better to me than getting involved in this situation by yelling over to them, "Get it yourself!"  or to my own child, "Don't get it for her.  Make her get it herself."  which is what I've seen many parents do.  Remember these girls are both 9 so they are in the middle years so they are now primarily in their emotions and heart space so using story as a way to address these issues is perfect.  Also through things like form drawing - when we do form drawings together I usually have the choleric do spirals starting from the outside going in and the melancholic doing the opposite- in to out.  It's seems a funny way to address this situation but I find it works quite well.

Next. behold our little sanguine (Piglet)- the only one is this house of 8 right now!

Wiki says, "Sanguine indicates the personality of an individual with the temperament of blood, Night, the season of spring (wet and hot), and the classical element of air. A person who is sanguine is generally light-hearted, funloving, a people person, loves to entertain, spontaneous, and confident. However they can be arrogant, cocky, and indulgent. He/She can be day-dreamy and off-task to the point of not accomplishing anything and can be impulsive, possibly acting on whims in an unpredictable fashion. (I will note here that the sanguine temperament is the overriding temperament of all children but there are usually individual temperaments as well.  When you've got a sanguine child it's kind of a double whammy!)

This chipper little thing is who wakes up the whole house every morning with a big happy, "good morning!!"  while everyone else groans.  She talks all through breakfast while everyone else stares at their plate and eats.  She actually never really stops talking at any given point during the day.  She's like a little energizer bunny.  Sanguines typically skip rather than walk and are very light on their feet- often walk on tip-toes and behave almost like a flitting butterfly landing here and there and everywhere.  This one wanders off and says hello to everyone she passes.  It is a good idea to hold hands with a sanguine when in busy public places or near a street.  Even when they know better their body seems to have a mind of its own and just takes them all over the place.  I find sanguines need a very strong rhythm in their daily lives more than the others.  Cholerics too.  

She and other sanguines I know are extremely sensitive to sugar and can easily spin out of control resulting in whiney fits and crying.  I'm not a big fan of puzzles for young ones (she's 4) because I think their time is better spent playing creatively but she is one that I find puzzles actually help to ground and bring a bit of earth into this very airy gal.  I found a great puzzle the other day with 70 pieces in it and it really works to sit down with her one and one and work the puzzle together when she's headed for outer space.

Then there are our two phlegmatics (Pooh):

Wiki says, A phlegmatic person is calm and unemotional.  Corresponds to the season of winter (wet and cold), and connotes the element of water.

While phlegmatics are generally self-content and kind, their shy personality can often inhibit enthusiasm in others and make themselves lazy and resistant to change. They are very consistent, relaxed, rational, curious, and observant, making them good administrators and diplomats. Like the sanguine personality, the phlegmatic has many friends. However the phlegmatic is more reliable and compassionate; these characteristics typically make the phlegmatic a more dependable friend.  

They really love their food and can tend to overeat and become overly sedentary (classic couch potato).  They are typically home bodies that enjoy cooking and domestic type activities.  And like Pooh really love sweets!  I sometimes find cookies or even fruit hidden under her pillow to snack on at night.  These are the kids that would rather fall off the swing by swinging with one hand and a cookie in the other rather than let it go.  They are usually excellent sleepers- my 7 year old still at 12 hours per night.  

They also really like to gather and collect things.  You'll often find the little one with her shirt being used as a carrying case full of toys moving them from one area to the next.  They like arranging their collections - lining up trains, stones and the like you'll often see.

So there's my wrap up of the temperaments.  Again, I think understanding them can be an invaluable tool to use for parents to better understand our children rather than to label them or typecast them.  The goal for adults is to become balanced in all four.  When we watch and know our children's strengths as well as their weaknesses and find ways to support them I think they stand the best chance in later life.  Yelling "hurry up" to a phlegmatic is not helpful or making them feel like there is something wrong with them "Why are you so slow?  Why are you always last?"  is not helpful.  But understanding that they are deep in thought and not in such a hurry to move from point A to point B is helpful info for me.  And it also makes parenting more specific to each child.  You can't expect a choleric and a sanguine child to get from point A to point B in the same fashion.  So all that, "Why can't you be like your sister?" is thrown out of the window.  

I leave you with a little verse from A journey through time in verse and rhyme:

Lightly the sanguine one jumps over the stone

Quick and with grace

If he trips he cares not

With a laugh he is on his way

 

Grimly the choleric kicks at the stone

Hurling it out of his way.

As he exalts in his strength

See how his eye flashes fire.

 

Now the phlegmatic appears

And pensively slows down his step

“If this stone will not move from my path

Then I must go around it, that’s all.”

 

Silently stands by the stone

Brooding, the melancholy one,

Grumbling and plunged in despair

At his eternal bad luck.

A great book is Children and their Temperaments for more info on the subject.

Kaffee

Like the English with their tea, the Germans have their Kaffee.  Not a time to necessarily drink coffee but to have tea or coffee or juice for the kids and pastry in the afternoon.  My mom tells stories of when she first arrived to the States and would invite Americans over for Kaffee and they would say, "That's weird to have dessert before dinner."  The concept is often missing entirely from American culture.  Yet when we look around the world at so many different cultures we find this afternoon time of refreshment.  Even the Japanese with their reputation for overworking still have tea in the afternoon.  All public schools and work offices have a 'tea woman' on staff just for serving tea to the employees.  In Japan they will often have tea mid-morning as well.  The Japanese don't usually stop working for this time and it is served right at the desk but it is permissible to take about a minute to pause and say, "Oh, this tea is delicious."  Monday mornings were always the best because if anyone has traveled anywhere over the weekend it is customary to bring 'omiyage' (or the little local confection of where you went) back to the office.  So tea is served with a small confection on most days.

But here in Germany it is all about the pastry.  Here are a few snippets from our Kaffee yesterday.

We received a call the day before asking if we had time to come for Kaffee the next day.  That's it.  There's no need to an excuse for a party or fuss about it.  I find the most refreshing part of all of this is in the lack of stress about the refined sugar and flour.  None of the people here this day were fat and none were stressing about having this during the afternoon.  No comments about, "Oh, I really shouldn't, but it does look good."  No, "Oh, I'm not doing sugar right now."  No, "Oh, we're glutton free." and all the other stuff that I hear oh, so regularly at kiddy functions at home.  I mean I get all those issues and have a major allergy child myself but it is sooo lovely to have a break from all of that and just enjoy life, the garden and the delicousness of sugar, flour and butter!  yum.

The table is set for all the kids with real plates and glasses even outside.  This is all very "Waldorf" yes, but really most things that are "Waldorf" aren't specifically "Waldorf" they're just German.  This is not a Waldorf family and they have plenty of plastic toys inside and the children go to a Jewish school.  Yet, if we saw this setting in the States it would very likely be a family that was into Waldorf because it is a very rare American family that uses dishes and glasses with children- particularly outdoors!  All the children would likely have water bottles or sippy cups and they probably would not be sitting down or even using a plate.

These two are so fun to watch- the one of the left a 4 yr old English speaker and the one on the right a 5 year old German speaker.  They are very similar in temperament and get along fabulously- each always telling the other what to do and neither understanding the other.  That could be the key to their getting along!  They can't even fight.

I love how this photo is flanked by pregnant women!

Babies and big kids all together.  This little one was sooo cute.  Also, the warmth thing is definitely German as well.  Temps yesterday were mid 70's and this little one has on tights under her jeans, a long sleeved onsie, a shirt and a sweater, socks and a hat.  That's normal and you'd find it pretty much on any young child here.  I know this is one area where Waldorf teachers struggle immensely with Americans.  On a whole we do not dress our children anywhere near as warmly as they do here.  I really think it makes for a much more settled baby though.  I am a huge advocate of bundling the babes.  In preschool I would often have this talk with parents that would bring their toddlers in the morning in sun dresses and sandals when it was in the lower 60's in the am.  I would have sweaters on hand and put a sweater on them but still bare feet and bare legs typically makes for whiney children prone to causing upset when playing with others.  I have found through years of experience that warm children really do tend to be more settled and calmer.

That being said, here is mine in a tank! haha.  She started the day with a turtleneck underneath and a sweater on top though.  Then the peeling began.

These days in the States we have this concept of a 'play date' that revolves around the children and I actually find that quite unhealthy.  I think it's out of whack- not balanced.  I believe it is out of our own yearning for social connection so bringing the kids together to play is a lovely idea- but wouldn't it feel better if it were just a time to get together as a family (whatever form that takes) that is meant for everyone, wouldn't it?  In many play dates I find the parents hovering over the children, even watching them play.  I know I've been invited to many that I didn't particularly enjoy.  Usually each mother brings their own snacks that often are not even shared due to dietary restrictions, but rarely is there a lovely tea served where everyone sits down to enjoy it and then the kids just get up and go play when they're finished, the adults stick around the table talking.  I wonder how we got so far away from a more relaxed atmosphere of enjoying life.  This is one of the many oxymorons I see about us Americans.  We appear so relaxed in so many ways- our dress, attitude and all of that- yet, we seem to have a rather difficult time actually relaxing.  I was more relaxed at this Kaffee yesterday, with this group of Germans- who typically appear a bit more regimented and rigid than most Americans- than I do in the company of many Americans at home.  The children all seemed so contently relaxed knowing their parents are close by but not needing them.  There was no micromanaging by the parents and everyone actually enjoyed themselves.  I have definitely left play dates far more exhausted than when I arrived.  But this was actually like a vacation.  We all left feeling refreshed and relaxed.  It could of course be the setting!  Gorgeous as all get out, right???  All this yard and totally fenced in.  But I think it had far more to do with the attitude of the parents and attention off of the children than the setting.  I know at home when I go to a large park with a good friend that has a similar parenting style than me (hands off) I feel the same way.  But when we've been invited by someone from a dance class or from school and it is initiated by the kids, I am often so beat at the end of 2 hours I feel like I need to lock myself in a closet for an hour just to recover. This was essentially one of those meetings.  We met due to the kids at the park and were invited over.  So this is not a case of the parents being friends and wanting to hang out.  It was pretty much a 'play date.'  But better in every way. 

I see this phenomenon of parents having adult conversations and children playing happily nearby in nearly every other culture but American.  It is a rare event that I can have a conversation with a parent without the kids constantly interrupting, the parents micromanaging the children, directing the play, getting involved with the conflicts, etc. etc.  I rarely can have a phone call home for more than a minute with the person on the other line not talking to their children for more of the time than with me.  It is so lovely to step into whole other cultures where parents are not run by their children in a frantic way.  I don't see how we can expect to raise respectful children when we allow them to interrupt constantly.  I do not interrupt my children or demand that they clean up in the middle of their games and do something for me and I expect them to be courteous to me as well.  So often I see parents who attempt at being 'respectful' to their children allow themselves to be treated quite awfully in return.  I don't get that at all.  You know since we teach by example.  I see so many parents understanding half of this equation.  "Ok, they'll learn from me how to treat others because they see me treating others with respect." they think.  But they forget that they are also teaching the child how to be treated.  If we allow our children to boss us around, interrupt us and make demands on us while we're in the middle of something else- we are also teaching them that it is ok for them to be treated like that by others.  Common courtesy is not an American norm, where it is in many other cultures.

dandy lions

Oh dandelion all yellow and gold, oh what do you do all day? 

I wait and I wait in the tall green grass till the children come to play. 

Oh, dandelion all yellow and gold, oh what do you do all night? I wait and I wait in the tall green grass till my hair turns long and white. 

And what do you do when your hair's all white and the children come to play? 
They take me up in their dimpled hands and they blow my hair away!

I love Maria Sangiolo's version of this song on this album.  This was one of the girls all time favorite cds when they were little.  They still love the songs and were singing the dandelion song as we picked.  All the songs on here are fantastic and we used True Friends on our Japan DVD.  Really love these!

Our fritters.  We used the recipe from the Wildcraft website.  We started with gathering our flowers, or herbs I should say.  They grow here like I've never seen before!  In virtual fields.  Our center divider of the street we live on is full.

I have a theory about why this little patch of 'weeds' does so well and it has to do with dogs!  But I didn't mention it to the girls and we did wash them when we got home.

Washed and drying.

We added some fresh thyme to our batter for a bit of extra flavor.

The bottom of the flower really retains it's leafiness.

The recipe said they taste like fried zucchini so we thought it'd be good in ranch dressing.  

They were a hit and a success!  They tasted to me  a lot like the heart of an artichoke.  They had a slightly bitter aftertaste but all kids agree they'd like to make them again.  I think they'd be a great first day of spring or May Day treat.  All girls agree they'd like to add just the petal to pancake batter the next time we make pancakes.

trains & witches

We went to one of the world's largest train sets yesterday.  I think this is something like 'the 8th wonder of the world.'  I have been to sooo many '8th wonders' in so many countries I lost track years ago.  According to the website this is 'the world's biggest.'  But then the one in Hamburg claims the same- and probably countless others as well.  In any case, it was big and the girls were totally into it.  They happen to have an Opa who is obsessed with trains.  Growing up in our house Christmas was as much about my dad revealing the newest version of his train set than the presents under the tree.  We had a set as big as the entire garage.  It was on huge chains so it could be lowered when needed and raised back up to the ceiling for regular garage usage.  So I couldn't really pass up visiting the world's alleged biggest, now could I?

Our trip begins at our local train station that practically looks fake.

This place was in a huge mall- not my favorite place to go.  It is a huge modern ugly building but at least they let in the surrounding view!

Just a quick note on the rucksack- My spending and shopping addiction continues here- I can't help myself!  But if I bought it at an Oxfam thrift store it's really like giving to charity, right?  So I ought to say my tithing continues?  I am so in love with this thing I can hardly stand it.  

A store window on the way to the train set.  Hmm... interesting  I really don't get this shirt at all since this is a Levi's store, which I believe is still an American company.  I mean I get that our dollar is dead and uncle Sam is a relic, but does Levi's sell this shirt in the US as well I'm wondering?  Would it be an outrage to sell it in the US but popular here because much of the world is cheering as we are in economic failure right now?  I mean, I get political satire in t-shirts, but I don't get a major clothing corporation that is ultimately about sales and share holders and all of that putting out a shirt like this. Maybe the majority of shareholders are foreign?  It seems like in the US that everything even remotely offensive is not 'endorsed' and therefor drops out of the market immediately.  So a shirt like this would only be found from a small independent company that specialized in offensive material.  But this is a completely mainstream store in a mall.  It confuses me! Maybe some of you can shed some light on this or have some insight I'm completely missing here??

Here's the view of one side of it.  All photos taken by the girls- I was busy filming.

This cracked me up.  Look closely at the woman sunbathing on her back- yup, authentically topless.

There goes the witch!  On my way home I was thinking about Hansel and Gretel.  A popular interpretation of the tale is about the kids leaving home (their spiritual home) and going out into the world and getting distracted by all of the temptations out there (cookies and candies).  Of course these temptations house dark forces (the witch) which then try to take over.  Those forces must be stopped consciously (by shoving in the oven and closing the door) so they may once again return to their home wiser for their experiences yet connected again back with Spirit/God/Universal Truth.  

So I was thinking about my life right now and one of my temptations that has taken hold of me.  I am living with my brother and family so it's very different than living alone with my children where I am 'in charge' of all of our living circumstances and rhythms.  Here, we are in their home so their lifestyle sort of dominates.  That being said, I still have choices to make that I haven't been exactly pleased with.  Under normal circumstances I work at night after my girls are in bed.  That's when I edit video and do all of that.  But here the computer I use for work is the computer that is needed for watching American DVDs.  My brother and wife's habit is to watch American TV on DVD at night when the kids are in bed.  I don't typically watch TV at home and when I do it is usually the Food Network or The Travel Channel.  The last time I watched a TV drama was Northern Exposure in college.  

But nearly every night since arriving here I have spent my nights watching some show called Mr. Monk.  He is a homicide detective with OCD.  There is nothing about a show like this that would typically tempt me.  I'm very particular about what I allow in to my consciousness and what I give my attention to.  I do not watch movies about murder or violence and haven't for over 20 years.  Until now!  I sit and watch this show because I can't work.  But what about reading???  I'm always desperate for more time to read when at home.  I brought books with me I've been wanting to finish.  And yet this temptation looms.  It's entertaining.  We eat chocolate while we watch TV.  How can this be me??  What about snacking on goji berries while reading something uplifting?  That's me. 

A few nights of something like this would be fine as a complete break from my own life to participate in the lives of another family.  But we are on the 6th season!!  Let me repeat- we have completed 5 seasons so far!  I didn't even know TV shows came on seasons for purchase.  At this point it is a full blown nightly habit.  I know it will disappear once I'm home again but indulging in something like this does not come without opening to door to 'dark' forces.  That darkness to me is about using murder as a form of entertainment.  I have found my thoughts drifting during the day back to some of those episodes how some of those actors were 'killed.'  It is in my awareness and consciousness.  I don't like it there yet keep eating those cookies.  Will my own good sense stop me from doing something I know is not beneficial or will I need to be grabbed by the witch with something dramatic to get my attention to stop my behavior before I change it.  It is something seemingly small and insignificant, but I think particularly as a parent who believes in living that which I'd like to impart in my children a nightly habit of murder-driven entertainment is not who I want to be.  It does not uplift me.  It simply entertains me.  The writing is witty and his neurotic behavior turned to comedy.  But the problem here is none of those things are really funny.  I think back to my yoga teacher telling me I have a weak will.  This is when strong will forces are particularly important.  If anyone has some to spare, can you please airmail them to me immediately?  PLEASE.

What are some of your cookies on the witches house?  What are some of your vices?  I always think by publicly airing our laundry and letting others know what our real life demons are -it empowers us to change them rather than hiding them and pretending they don't exist.  So, please do share!

in bloom

What a difference a month makes.  Nuts.  Same view, different world.

Everything is in bloom now and the weather has been perfect for over a week- right in the 70's where I like it.

When in Japan, cherry blossoms look so "Japanese."  And in this context they look so German.  It's funny how that is.

Talk about blooming lawn!  I have never seen a lawn like this anywhere!   And just look at all those dandelions!  Big, fat, juicy ones.  So, next on our eating adventure will be dandelion fritters.

I have never seen this color combination in pansies before.

And this technicolor tulip is really something!  Not exactly subtle in her dress, is she?

This is the side yard of our apartment building, which houses a total of 8 families.  Each person is allowed a part of the garden and the woman who lives on this side is a flower lover.

The renewal of living things around us is so energizing.  It is impossible to be in a foul mood surrounded by so much life in such a short amount of time.