What the Blog?

The other day I had it. I threw up my hands in frustration. Why didn't we just get real tv already? Why does Chromecast give me such a headache? (clarification: it's usually not the Chromecast, but either our network or more often, our macbooks) Why can't I just turn on the news for a minute? Thus, the list below. I'm already enjoying a livestream of Sky News and the option to flip over to a marathon of That '70s Show. Ah, the familiar background noise of tv...  We use a (paid) VPN service to access delayed tv, and there are a lot of livestreams available as well; here's the list so far:  Live Channels: ABC Live Click2Houston  (Channel 2 Houston News) MSNBC Live Al Jazeera Live Sky News   (off VPN) CNN   NDTV India Reuters TV   Deutsche Welle English France 24 English Bloomberg   Washington Post Live Comedy Central  Fox CBS News BBC USTVNow  - the free version is good, the paid / HD version is re...

Ah, the Palatinate Forest... it doesn't quite roll off the tongue like Bordeaux, France, but it was a truly hidden gem just 90 minutes from Mainz. Therefore it made for the perfect weekend getaway with kids! Day 1: We stayed at the lovely Villa Maria in Hinterweidenthal. For about 100 euros / night, we had a huge room, giant bathroom, and breakfast. The hotel also had a big garden outside and indoor sitting area (with wine and beer that could be purchased). It was so relaxing and I couldn't help but think what it must have been like living here when it was originally built. Across the street (a bit noisy, even at night) there was a daytime market with yummy fresh fruit, and just 900 metres away is the Teufelstisch ! We spent at least 3 hours at the playground here the first day, and 2 more the next. The walk all the way to the top is not as hard as it looks, and there is an amazing, giant slide that anyone above the age of 6 can take down. Naturally, we ditched the kids ...

Before moving here, I was never so aware of the variation that one could have in cleaning products. There are so many options, and it's also a bit tricky to figure out which of the eco-friendly options (should you prefer them) work better among the rest. Here's a starter guide to help out... For really powerful cleaning that's not eco-friendly, but does the job: Bref (any type) and Bleichmittel (bleach) are my go-tos. Persil is great for laundry detergent. DM brands are excellent value as well. For eco-friendly cleaning: Ecover's quality is excellent. Frosch is also very good, and picking up quite the following outside of Europe - most of their products are even made in Germany / Austria! Don't forget to load up on "waschlappen" for scrubbing... For room-by-room cleaning: Kitchen: Ceramic cooktop scraper: you can buy a small tool (I found one at Tchibo ) to scrape food off the cooktop, then scrub it clean. Don't use steel wool, I learned t...

One of my new favorite cities... Bordeaux was a beautiful destination to do a bit of city-wandering, playground-visiting, and good-food-eating. If I could go back and rent a car, and explore a bit more outside the city, I could have easily filled up a week. Day 1:  We stayed a bit outside the city at the Mercure Le Lac , since we were tag-alongs to a scientific conference, but right on the tram line - 20 minutes straight to the best place in town, the Miroir d'Eau . On a sunny day, nothing beats people-watching with an ice cream here, or if you have kids, letting them splash and run around. We spent hours here, every day. When the kids got tired, we wandered around the city and let them chill.  We got ice cream here  and wandered over to window shop at Rue Ste Catherine.. then called it an early night to head back up to the hotel.  Day 2 :  We wandered about the Basilica of St Michael and I browsed the flea market for some gorgeous antiques and knickk...

We recently returned from a very relaxed 5 day trip to Porto, Portugal. Although flight times were a bit on the odd-hours side, we chose Ryanair - 50% cheaper than any other airline to fly, even with car park and seat reservations! We used the extra savings to rent a car & car seats (I'm quickly becoming a fan of Enterprise. They consistently have the lowest prices, and this time even installed the car seats for us!). For 700 euros, we had flights and a car for a family of 4, not bad. The car came in handy as we stayed a little outside of town at a gorgeous apartment by the marina. There was plenty of parking and a Lidl within short driving distance - plus the hosts left us a few bites & port, a fun surprise! You can easily Uber around as well - it's by far the cheapest and fastest method of transport, even compared to driving in and paying for parking. Porto really felt like a great value for excellent food, tourist activities, and parking in town. If we'd ha...

We recently returned from the French Riviera. With four kids under 4 in tow, it was far from your typical visit - more ice cream, nap, and train breaks... less lounging on the beach with fruity drinks in hand. Still, it was a great time and we managed 2 day trips + 2 days in Nice over a 4-day holiday. And here, your three day itinerary: Day 1: On arrival, we were advised to uberX to the hotel. For a mere 16€, we were deposited at our hotel door far more swiftly than a bus, train, or (from what I hear) taxi would have offered. After a small mixup (I booked the  Ibis Nice Centre Gare  but believed I had / wanted to book the  Ibis Styles Nice Centre Gare ), we managed to find a room in the hotel we originally wanted, at an amazing rate (117€ / night with breakfast included, for a huge suite with a sofa bed, balcony, room divider, and large bathroom). Talk about lucky... I couldn't have beaten the rate with vrbo or airbnb, and we could not have been more pleased with the ...

Road trip time! Hamburg is about 5 hours (plus kids = 7ish) north of where we live, and we had never seen the region... summer holiday seemed the perfect time. We drove up on a Monday, returning on Thursday, with 2 days in the city and one at a fruit farm in Jork. This region, apparently, produces the most fruit in western Europe! I bet it's gorgeous in spring. Day 1: We tried out wimdu for an apartment just north of the city. The price was right, the location was great, and the owners were incredibly nice. It was a bit tight for four of us (mostly because the kids wanted to stay up late with us / not sleep), but worked fine for the short visit. We had made afternoon reservations for Miniatur Wunderland , so we took our time getting to the city. We drove in, parking at Contipark (max 12 euros/ day, better than other lots that max out at 20 euros/day or so), which are all over central Hamburg. The plan was to walk through the warehouse district and make our way to Landungsb...

Ah, vacation. We headed off to Rome a week before the European Easter break began, to lovely weather and manageable crowds. I had done a bit of research before our arrival, but we mostly played the trip by ear. With three kids across four adults, we had no other choice... but what we did in 7 days could probably be accomplished in 4 quite easily. So here's your itinerary: Day 1:  Upon arrival at Fiumencino airport, we took a pre-booked shuttle (with car seats!) directly to the city - we'd been advised it was much easier, faster, and simpler than the train, and I'm so glad we did. We stayed near the Vatican, at a lovely apartment that was way below the cost of a hotel and had everything we needed for the week. Within five minutes, you could be at St Peter's Basilica or any mode of public transportation to get you into the more central / touristy part of the city. We spent the first day stocking up on wine, cheese, and necessities for the apartment... then planning...

The last time I posted, I still had one kid. Wow, how life has changed. In the nearly five months since, we haven't vacationed much - in fact, we barely leave the house on the weekends - and the days all seem to blend together. Luckily, we live in a small community with a lot of friends within walking distance. So we don't have to go far to escape isolation. And though this winter has brought us a record of gray, rainy, dreary days, we have managed to find indoor adventures and learned how to dress appropriately for getting wet and muddy when we just needed to get outside. I never realized how lonely it can be to be a parent. We spend so time with small people, who won't remember the moments that we share in a few years. I think often how our older boy won't remember his life as an only child at all. But we had so many special times with just him, moments that are for me and S to treasure and remember - good, bad, and exhausting. I also never realized how all-cons...

We recently spent a long weekend at a "urlaub im bauernhof" - a holiday on a farm - near Lake Konstanz in southern Germany. On a friend's recommendation, whose husband had grown up vacationing on farms, we looked up one near the sea and booked a last minute family getaway. Though we booked very late during peak season (late August / early September), we found a cosy farm with just enough of a rustic feel (and no in-room wifi) to give us that "get away from it all" feeling. I can't wait to book another one of these holidays, and hopefully will make the next one with friends who also have small kids - I couldn't think of a better place to organize a simple and fun group holiday. To find a place, we simply went to Google, and looked for Bauernhof Urlaub Bodensee. There are a number of options all over Germany, including a ton in the Black Forest (where the hiking trails must be lovely for families with older kids). Some of the farms will offer full brea...

We recently returned from a lovely, but hot, trip to Barcelona. Note to self, next time plan to visit in spring, fall, or even winter. Lucky for us, air conditioning is pretty universal. We rented  apartments  through VRBO in the Eixample neighborhood, which turned out to be super close to the airport shuttle bus as well! On arrival, we took a taxi (15 euros for a group of 5), but we took the  airport bus  on the way back. At 5 euros / person, it was a little pricier, but quick and easy. We settled into the apartments, which had most of the basics we would need for a few days - tabs for the dishwasher, a few trash bags, and even a bottle of cava! After stocking the apartment with food, we headed out for a wander, and found some delicious  burgers . Back inside for the evening, it was a low-key day to unpack and plan out the next few days. Day 1: We started with a mid-morning walk to  La Boqueria  after breakfast in the apartment, loaded up with ...