Vacation: Third Time is a Charm

We did it! We escaped Berlin for Fall break. As we're not flying again or crossing boarders until the littles are all vaccinated, our next adventures are going to my preferred method of travel - train/bike trips. This is how we rolled:

Missed our train = boys got milk shakes

Carmen waits patiently as we do our elevator laps. First bikes and one kid. Then trailer with stuff and two more kids.

I ride our Radwagon electric bike with Carmen and Crosby. Hugo is on the back of Paul's "analog bike" with the trailer attachment. We put all our suitcases in bike trailer that doubles as a stroller when empty. Since nobody asked, but maybe someone is curious, this is our packing list:

- Easily accessible - raingear bag with rubber boots

- Easily accessible - potty training bag with potty, wipes, towel, change of clothes, and extra plastic bags

- Easily accessible - cooler bag of food (Because it's me, I don't travel without at least one meal on hand.)

- Swim bag - with little bathrobes and deck shoes. Side note - Germans are serious about footwear that is specific for one place and not to be worn outside - one pair for the gym, slippers (Hausschuhe), and shoes for the pool. Even for small children, don't ever put them in a shopping cart or bench with their shoes on or you'll get an earful from the closest Oma.

- Two backpacks for PB^2 with electronics and wallets etc

- Two wheelie bags with packing cubes for each family member containing two changes of clothes (one in the wash, one back-up, and then wearing one) and scrubba washing bag. Side note - laundry mats or laundry facilities in East Germany are not a thing. (Insert stinky European joke here.) We found the Scrubba to be the best option to stay true to our US funk standards while packing light.

- One bag with accessories - bike parts, crib blackout tent, a few new-to-us Captain Underpants books and travel toys for the kids.

The true win would have been Dogman but they are printed in China, not cool Scholastic!, and I can't get them used in Germany.

Crayola's Color Wonder markers that only draw on special paper are amazing. Yes, you will be looking for the caps everywhere, but you won't be cleaning the walls. A big bag of colored pipe cleaners is also a crowd pleaser.

I said, this is how we "rolled" because on our train back to Berlin, the ticket checker informed us that both the Radwagon and bike trailer are not allowed on any train in Germany. Last I checked, I thought as long as our Radwagon doesn't have three wheels we'd be good, but alas the rules are no cargo bikes, and technically, our Radwagon hauls cargo...precious cargo. I think our next adventure Crosby is going to have to start riding along and I'll have to...gasp...peddle myself without an electric assist. I can't imagine how we'll pack any lighter, but we have until April to practice some logistics.

Throwback to the bike/train trip that started it all - the Harz Mountains for paternal leave in summer of 2020.

A quick note on breaks: school breaks that aren't tied to church or goverment holidays - two-week Fall, one-week Winter, and six-week summer - are all staggered by German state. Our two-week fall break this year fell in the middle of October and next fall break is over Paul's and my 10th wedding anniversary. A hotel in Greece with a good kids' club is calling.

I mean, a really good kids' club for these rascals on wheels.

For summer, each state takes turns with a different six week period -sometimes starting in June, sometimes starting in July. The exception to the summer break rotation is that Bavaria always gets August off because all of their elementary schoolers pick hops. Jokes. In the US, this break schedule sounds like school all-year around. Especially in Corona times where we try to avoid crowds, the regular breaks are a total win. 

This year's fall break we went to Satama sauna resort in a tiny city of Wendisch Rietz in the Spreewald Lake region, about an hour and a half south of Berlin by train. 

Sunset arrival

This vacation wouldn't seem to make sense for most Germans because:

- No one would stay at a sauna resort for more than a weekend, let alone six nights

- No one would take small children to a sauna (ha! found that out on arrival)

- The sauna resort holiday houses are likely more expensive than other regular holiday houses

This vacation wouldn't make sense for most US citizens because:

- Wendisch Rietz has literally nothing to do or see. 

- In fall, only three restaurants are open for dinner only. In summer, those three might be open for lunch.

- The Sauna resort (not the hotel itself) is all naked, all the time

The littlest Biggs took this last point very seriously. Actually, seen here is what we call the "potty hostage" scenario where we don't leave the house because Carmen refuses to pee. Some days I'm glad we potty trained early - for example Carmen could go in the sauna pool - and other days it feels like more trouble than it's worth.

While four out of five Biggs were ok with the naked saunas, one person required some bribery incentive to get in this lovely pool:

Truth in advertising - naked butt on the website.

We said that we would give Crosby 20 Euros / $25 if he learned to swim the length of the pool. He's not into swimming, hence why at seven, our swimming goals are modest. However, he is very into money and specifically the purchasing power for legos. So, he really gave it his all, and after daily swimming lessons he managed to swim the length of the pool. Style points were not a factor, which worked heavily in his favor. I know it's a slippery slope to incentivize kids with money for things that aren't chores, but the naked aspect upped the ante. 

We did some all-family trips to the sauna, not pictured for obvious reasons, but the last few days I would just take Crosby swimming without the littles because it was too hard to keep the two littlest quiet. Also, it's hard to teach swimming with a barnacle named Carmen attached. It turns out steam rooms aren't as popular as dry saunas so our basic routine was swim around for 30 minutes, warm-up in the empty steam sauna, and then try and shower and get dressed as quickly and quietly as possible.

Other trip highlights included: 

Morning bread basket delivery. Hugo is very food motivated. When I pick him up from Kita he gives me a complete summary of what he ate that day and if it was yummy.

Carmen meeting a cat on the train. Because of covid - we aren't really ever at people's houses with cats. #deprivedchildhood #daddycatallergy

Trust walks ie hat malfunction walks to dinner. That then lead to: 

Sibling bonding. Look how much fun Carmen is having. This walk to and from dinner she refused to sit in the stroller and only wanted to be carried. Crosby offered to help.

Unquestionably fun but questionably human and animal safety East German amusement parks. The rules for eating indoors at restaurants are that children who are regularly tested in schools can dine indoors without a test with-in the last 24 hours. That of course was a little fuzzy during fall break, as kids weren't in school to get regularly tested. When I asked the lady at the amusement park bistro if we could eat inside without Crosby being vaccinated she said "Sure you can eat inside, I'm not even vaccinated." We ate outside. #pleasejustjab #ruralgermanyisruralusa

And, the real reason we came, a change of scenery.

It turns out our current round of childhood illness is Hand Foot and Mouth disease for Carmen and Hugo. So, expect a week two of fall break update once they can return to Kita.

Throwback: Beelitz Bonanza

Last Fall Break we had a Corona-cation or Staycation. The details of this break will be coming soon (or maybe later as I've currently got two out of three kids sick at home). In any case, last fall break we mostly hung around our neighborhood, but we got out one glorious day to Beelitz Sanatorium ie former Tuberculosis hospital. We heard about this place from one of Paul's co-workers, Cassandra, who's husband actually did the full tour and blogged about it here. 

This was another one of those Berlin adventures where we hear about something cool, and then our expectations are exceeded. We knew about these beautiful places to walk above the trees and then, what, built-in climbing tube things for kids:

And bouncy net things. Oh, those days where Carmen was strapped on...

I'm also thinking about this adventure because it was one of the many fun adventures we had with our Berlin church family - Mwika and Chenai. 

Chenai just left for Canada to start a master's program.

And Mwika just returned to Zambia after completing her master's program in Potsdam:

It was an honor to be at Mwika's graduation and wave to her family zooming in.

Both girls' know where to go when they miss the crazy:

Book Report: Know My Name

Per is my now usual - I bring you another book report/recommendation on a book I haven't finished.

I can't property describe this book. I've tried to explain to Paul and to other friends but don't know where to start. While lying in bed tonight, I had an idea of why I can not get this book out of my head. It's a concept I'll call the "Horrible Slot Machine".

The basic idea is that I can easily recall three situations at the same stage of my life as the author's, that could have added up to her story.

Situation 1: The post-graduation Ivy frat party

Towards the end of one week during my post-college internship in DC my cousin, Beckley, called to invite me to visit him in Philadelphia for family weekend at UPenn. His parents would be unable to join, and with his fraternity having an 80s party, it would be a fun Saturday to visit.

As I do, I showed-up wearing a New Kids on the Block t-shirt and bright purple Roos to learn that our first order of business would be dinner with his friends and their parents at the Ritz Carlton. #underdressed #borrowedcocktaildress 

After a nice dinner we headed back to his fraternity for the party. I don't remember a lot from the night other than the band was fun and I felt like a total dork. I was still 22, so I was in the age range of party goers, but I still felt totally out of place. I can't imagine I had more than a beer or two before I snuck back to Beckley's room to fall asleep.

I attempted to find a photo of my time in Philly, but it turns out I only have ten photos total of my Autumn on the East Coast. This NYC photo seemed fitting as Laurel went to Stanford where much of the book takes place.  

Situation 2: The accidental over consumption

Not surprising to anyone who knows me, I've never been a drinker. My basic personal objection is I find it annoying when people can only talk about their "real feelings" when they are drunk. The fact that I love dancing is the only thing that's kept me from having the complete appearance of someone who doesn't know how to have fun. With that introduction, there have been two times I have had too much too drink, both because of mis-calculations. 

Rum + Coke + Broke + NYE = Bringing Plastic Bottle in purse to bar 

Not big enough dinner + Purse Cocktail + Next Morning = Decide to buy a one way ticket to Mexico (ok that last life decision worked out ok)

Sushi + Sake + Bar Hoping + Altitude = The only time I've barfed not from illness.

Situation 3: The Worst Airplane Ride Ever

In the fall of 2009 I bought the JetBlue Unlimited Travel Pass. For something like $600 I could travel anywhere JetBlue flew (including international destinations if I paid the tax). I'd like to think my photography has improved since then, but let's be honest I just married up.

In any case, on my very last flight from SoCal to PDX I sat next to this man who would not stop touching me - holding my hand, putting his hand on my thigh, and trying to talk to me. I was, and am, a strong, assertive woman but I could not find the words to tell this guy to knock it off or ask a flight attendant for help. I was shocked by how powerless I could feel.

In conclusion, I know everyone comes to my blog for Hugo shenanigans:

Who knows what he's trying to reach.

Post-bath climb to eat sprigs of Rosemary. #littlegoat

Soggy nap

 but sometimes, you get a little piece of the Momma's mind too.

Mommy Sabotage

I've learned a few things in my years of torturing...I mean making our baked goods more healthful.

1. Don't mess with substituting dry for wet ingredients. ie sugar for honey. 

2. Find a food blogger you love and just work from his/her recipes. My go to is Cookie and Kate. 

3. Buy a kitchen scale. 

4. Have the best neighbor ever who gives you tips and random ingredients for inspiration.

Throw-back to Val's cookie sandwich bar for my birthday.

Rrecently I've been making versions of these muffins from Cookie and Kate about every other week. The original recipe calls for a cup of mashed bananas. I have found that a cup of apple sauce, pureed carrots, pureed beets, and even a mix of nut butters and half nibbled toddler banana remnants yield excellent results. At the risk of jinxing it, these muffins are foolproof...even for me. 

One Cup of Whatever You Need to Use-up Muffins

• Author: Cookie and Kate
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 11 muffins 1x
• Category: Baked goods
• Method: By hand
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 76 grams of melted butter
• ½ cup maple syrup or honey or even sweetened jam you need to use up
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of whatever puree you need to use up
• ¼ cup milk of choice or water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon. I usually through in some cardamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
• 150 grams flour 
• 60 grams of protein powder, almond meal, or cacao to make them chocolate muffins 
• 35 grams of oatmeal (I skip this when I don't want them to "feel" healthy ie chocolate muffins)
• mix-ins of nuts and/or chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon turbinado (raw) sugar or other granulated sugar or nuts or more chocolate chips for on top

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius). If necessary, grease all 12 cups of your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray. (In my case this means stealing Carmen's stackies when she isn't looking.)
2. In a large bowl, beat the melted butter and maple syrup together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well. Mix in the mashed fruit and milk, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon.
3. Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined. If you’d like to add any additional mix-ins**, like nuts, chocolate or dried fruit, fold them in now.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a small amount of oats (about 1 tablespoon in total), followed by a light sprinkling of sugar (about 1 teaspoon in total). Bake muffins for 22 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
5. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan. These muffins will keep at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They keep well in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months (just defrost individual muffins as needed).

Taste testers are standing by.

  

The Journey to Church

When we moved to Berlin as a family in 2017, we shopped around for churches, until we landed right back where my Berlin church adventure started 15 years ago - the United Methodist Church in Charlottenburg. Back in the day when our apartment building looked like this:

 Google street view from 2008. 

We initially hoped to find a church closer to our home in Prenzlauerberg, because our bike commute looks like this every Sunday.

Our usual goal is to hit some kind of park or interesting landmark on the way to church to make it more of an adventure. But, more often than not, we get out of our pajamas at the last minute before grabbing food at the food carts by our house before frantically pedaling across town.  This was last Sundays' perfect weather adventure.  

Surprise live music!

Surprise bumping into Crosby's school friend Martin.

Surprise naked motor cycle riding. jokes!

Once we get to church, the kids join for a kids' mini sermon and song:

I swear Hugo isn't plugging his ears. 

Then the kids head out of "big church" to kids' church. Ok, let's be honest - kids' church is just hanging out. The Sunday after Hugo's birthday we had yet another celebration (also part of the Birthday magic line-up):

Piñata = party

This last Sunday, we went to the park near church AND Miriam (official Sunday school mom) made popcorn.

Hugo living his best life.

Ok, now this is the life; eating popcorn while being pushed on a swing by a big girl (official Sunday school helper). It lasted for a couple minutes before Hugo got a face full of sand or should I say a head-full of sand. Hugo has been hitting Paul's hair product pretty hard. Palmade + Sand = I digress...

After an hour, the kids and I meet back up with the parents and adults chatting outside of church. We  try and make a quick getaway (also usually unsuccessful) before grabbing something quick - pizza or döner - for the ride home. Last Sunday was the Berlin marathon, and look what we found on the way home:

They even had a Texas hotdog. What is a Texas hotdog? Apparently it's with sauerkraut and fried onions.  The best Texas hotdog I've had outside of Texas. ;) The true miracle was we didn't get food poisoning because these dogs were lukewarm. #God'sprotection?

Victory tower + Sunset + Hot dog

Pro-tip: no catchup for hot dog amateurs. 

Our rides home usually end up with Carmen or Hugo looking like this:

On that note, this mama needs to pick-up these little rascals from Kita.