What the Blog?

When I told my mom I was moving to Germany, one of the first things she said was to keep an eye out for Gabor shoes. Although I have no idea how she knew about the brand, it was further proof that she knows a lot more than I do about shopping. Thus began my education into the world of German-made shoes. There are a lot of well-made shoes here, under a number of different brands, and I've finally made sense of what styles suit mine - and price areas. There are also a million shoe shops, but also zalando and mirapodo  for online shoppers like myself, both with an inclination to send discount codes regularly. One of the best lessons I've learned about shoes here - is side zippers! I still don't see this elsewhere, but a lot of shoes have laces and side zippers - it makes getting shoes on and off worlds easier! It also looks pretty stylish. It can be hard to sort out which brands are worth the prices, so enjoy my guide below -- Caprice - slogan, "walking on air...

Tchibo. They're everywhere. When I got here, I was so confused by the store-within-a-store, that also had its own standalone stores. Why did their inventory change so often? Where was their stuff made? How come they sell coffee AND sports bras? While I can't answer a lot of these questions after 5 years here, I can say Tchibo is a quirky little brand that has rotating items, usually around a theme (and often seasonal). I am finally starting to get a sense of when to expect what at Tchibo (spring cleaning, winter onesies for everyone in the family, workout gear for the new year... you get the idea). It can be a great source of useful, and fun / not useful items for the house AND they even sell furniture on the website. Overall, I've been happy with my Tchibo purchases. Women's clothes can be hit or miss, but their ladies' pjs as well as almost anything for kids are always a hit. I appreciate their wide usage of organic cotton and fair pricing. Some of my best f...

I often joke with S that I wouldn't know how to be a parent in the US. There's so much I've learned that's specific to where we live.. it will be hard to (someday) re-learn things that I've come to take for granted. One of the biggest is access to kinder basars. I know a lot of churches host consignment sales, but I have yet to see something like the kinder basar system over here. It would take a blue moon for me to pay full price for shoes like these. For 4 euros, gently used, however, sign me up! Every Feb-March and Sept-Oct, each neighborhood in Mainz hosts a kinder basar for either spring / summer or fall / winter clothing for kids. Toys, shoes, carseats, strollers, bikes, etc... are also included. They are well organized events in which parents can either set up a table and sell their own goods, or drop off a crate of stuff and have the organizers divvy it up, attempt to sell it, and return what doesn't sell the next day. A portion of the earnings sup...

While we are almost at the end of our diapering journey (for now, anyway), I have remained committed to using cloth the whole way. Except when we travel, our kiddos have always had little cloth bums. Not only are they way cuter than disposables, we've had almost no issues with diaper rash and while I know every baby is different... I credit the cloth. We did, however, have a lot of leakage issues - maintaining the elastic is not for the non-committed! We've worked through it all, and I'm so glad we stuck with it. It took me a while to find my way cloth diapering here, since I couldn't easily find the brands I was familiar with. I turned to Facebook groups, our babysitter, and a little shop in Ireland that shipped to Germany and even provided moral support. I relied heavily on bumgenius (a mix of all-in-ones and pockets), with a few blueberry simplex and flips (wish I had more of these). I stocked up on these when in the States through Kelly's Closet , where  I ...

A friend recently moved to Belgium and suggested we meet a little over halfway to his place, at the Euro Space Center in Libin, Belgium. I couldn't tell what to expect from their website, but the good news was kids under 6 were free, and an audio tour was included in the basic entry price. Also, at about 2 hours from Mainz, it met our 'stop for gas and food' requirements. After 2 enjoyable hours touring the Center, I highly suggest a visit! The audioguide was very engaging. The story focused mostly on the Western history of space travel, with bits of culture and historical context woven in. Somehow, miraculously, the whole tour captured & kept the attention of 3/4 of the kids (ages 2-4)! There was a nice mix of video, audio, and tactical components, and enough space for little people to run around. We found a very light crowd at the time we went - late afternoon. A couple of school groups had formal tours arranged and got to try some of the interactive simulatio...

It's taken a while to figure out the public transit in Mainz, and how to make the most of a ticket, so here is what I've learned... Our transit system has an app - called MVG Mainz - but I find the RMV app (beyond the Mainz/ Wiesbaden region) far more comprehensive and easy to use. I've also recently started using the RMV Smart app - in beta since Oct '17, and a great way to purchase tickets online with demand-based pricing. With it, users can pay 5 euros for a month (does not automatically renew), for the right to a 50% discount on all of tickets that month. Although right now you can only buy one-way tickets, the prices are based on demand - so you can save a bit traveling during off-peak hours, or just from city centre- city centre. Tickets bought through the app are valid for an hour and a half. Now for the paper ticket stuff. In Mainz, as in every city, there are a million different options for ticketing . It can be tricky to figure out the right one - I us...

Recently Mainz got an Edeka "Scheck-In" grocery store, and it has changed my world . Ever since I started traveling, I've loved exploring local grocery stores. Ideally with someone who knows what's what, but on my own is just fine, too. Now that I know my way around the stores here, it's fun to show visitors some of the little detailed things I've learned about shopping here. So, back to that new store. It's a lot like a Whole Foods, with way more international specialties, and reasonable prices. Sometimes they even have grocery baggers (!) (I know. Sometimes?!!). Obviously I no longer want to shop anywhere else, but if I have to, I distribute my grocery dollars in the following way... Aldi - Taking over the U.S. market, Aldi is a great source for inexpensive (organic) produce, delicious plain greek yogurt, the perfect milk for making cheese (paneer), filled pasta, fresh parmesan cheese, nuts, dark chocolate, frozen veggies, and fun things to look at...

It's been a gray winter 'round these parts. Between the dreary skies and endless rain, it's been tough to get out of bed in the mornings. It's so dark! The upside, I suppose, is any moment the sun comes out, we run outside like we haven't seen it in years. So that's fun. Now that the kids are old enough for joint activities, we've discovered a few fun interactive things to do. My favorite - and something I don't remember being around when I was a kid - are ironing beads. I bought the space set by Hama (in the US, it's easier to find the Perler beads brand) along with a glow in the dark set to go with it. The space set came with beads in all the colors you would need to make the mobile pictured on the box, with easy to follow patterns. The beads did not come sorted, but it wasn't a huge hassle to find the ones I wanted (the kids, however, quickly lost interest in this bit).  We got two sets - the  Hama Glow in the Dark Ironing Beads  and a spa...

It's a month AFTER advent ended, but it's never too late to review an advents calendar. Right? Anyway. After a boatload of Facebook ads, I ponied up for the Foodist "Active" (supposedly healthy snack-based) Adventskalender. I couldn't find much about what to expect from Googling, but I ordered in advance for a 10% discount, and waited to see what each little box held. The packaging was really slick. Festive green to match your holiday decor, great graphics, and compact. At 40 euros, it was totally reasonable - especially since ready made advent calendars for each person can add up. The kiddos enjoyed opening a box every day, tossing it to me to read the 'phrase of the day' (these were very cute), and trying the goods inside. The snacks were a bit mixed in tastiness level, but definitely original finds. Many came from the UK, and had unique ingredients & origin stories. As a person who really likes trying new things, I was all about having a dai...

When I moved here, I was tempted to keep buying all of my clothes stateside. I would wait until my annual trip back home, and spend a day at the mall - trying to cover all seasons in one go. I tried ordering online, but the shipping and customs costs completely turned me off that track, too. Over time, I've found my favorite shopping sites and figured out how sales work. It's all about the timing and yes, the loyalty cards. Some things are really not that different. As I've gotten older, I've simplified shopping to classic pieces, solid colors, and sustainable production. I thought it would be helpful to share what I've learned. Sales tend to be bigger in January and July, but store newsletters seem to offer deals all the time. I also like the tried-and-true trick of keeping items in a shopping cart while logged in until the store magically sends a coupon code over to your email. You can find extra discounts on payback.de, or cashback (a la ebates) on shoop.de. ...

A couple of years ago, I read an article about how moms  should stay in the pictures  we take of our kids. My gray hairs have multiplied, but I try to stick to this -- I remember fondly looking through old pictures of me as a kid - and loved seeing what my parents looked like back then, too. So I have a new plea for parents when you send out annual holiday cards. For those like me - intensely private on social media, rarely sharing photos of people online - it's often the only way I get to see what old friends are up to, what they look like, and how much their kids look like them or their spouse. But more and more often, holiday cards feature only the kids, maybe along with pets. I remember the moment this happened when my parents received Christmas cards from their friends. I was about 7 or 8 and all of a sudden, I only saw my buddies in the holiday cards strung across our living room. Now that we're grown, we want to share photos of our kids in similar ways. Living awa...

We recently trekked across the ocean for a family reunion on both sides - in lovely (but freezing) Nashville, TN. Over 10 days, we explored the city, bonded with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, and even managed a very cold game of freeze tag outside. Following, some tips on your trip to Nashville! Day 1:  We stayed in 2 airbnbs over the trip, and I could highly recommend both. One, full disclosure, belongs to a friend - and both are in charming city neighborhoods. The first was walking distance to activities in 12 South ; the second  close to a number of shops and eateries in East Nashville. Start your day with breakfast at Box - Bongo + Bakery. The bright cafe has healthy treats, good coffee, and even a play corner (oddly placed right at one of the cafe entrances, where the playmat doubled as a doormat) for little ones. I enjoyed the pumpkin spice latte and a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin. The homestyle breakfast was tasty, too. Given the play area setu...

We just returned from a 3 day trip to Strasbourg, France. One of my favorite cities, it's a short 2-hour drive from Mainz and there is a ton to see. Day 1:  We stayed at the budget-friendly, well-located, and cozy Hotel Roses . Though they don't have parking, the lot across the street was reasonable (20 euros max per day, but very narrow parking spots and driveways - proceed with caution!). Our first room was not renovated but still well appointed; we moved to a triple room the next night which had ample space for our family of 4 (2 under 4). Overall I was really happy with the hotel - location, staff, amenities, price were all perfect for a weekend getaway. We spent the first day wandering the pedestrian area by the Notre Dame where we also saw the Astronomical clock (though we missed it go on at noon) and eating some very delicious ice cream (useful note - no takeaway ice cream allowed at the tables - so we had to find a place to sit near the church!). After a fantas...

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...