Kur FAQs

OK, at this point my two devoted blog readers are like, "hey Paige, weren't you supposed to go away for three weeks to work on your parenting skills, and not spend the whole time blogging?" Technically yes, but I would say writing is helpful for processing. Also, if you are considering doing a Kur, and this information helps you, then you're welcome. With that last point in mind, I'm going to do a little FAQs:

I'm still confused, what is a Kur (specifically Mutter-Kind Kur)?

The idea of going to the mountains or sea to recover from illness or a rough patch is nothing new. I read somewhere, but can't seem to fact check now, that the mother-child Kur became more popular after WW2 to give war widows a much needed break. Most Kurs are 3 weeks long.

Our Kur went from a Tuesday to a Tuesday. It seems like kind of a weird time to start, but it worked well because the first short week was kind of crazy with paperwork and getting oriented. After meeting with a psychologist, doctor, and physical therapist some scheduling angels did some magic to give us a schedule for Day 4-11 and then Day 12 -22. As I mentioned before, my schedule was lighter because I skipped the parenting round tables and only exercised once a day because I needed the extra energy for these guys:

Seen here unsuccessfully catching clams. Wrong tools perhaps?

Our second attempt at catching clams was also unsuccessful but we did eat some yummy fish.

In a way it's like you have two weeks where you're in the groove. The final Monday is to meet with the administrators to give an update and feedback. I think the timing makes sense as I read about a study in Finland that showed that vacation enjoyment peaked on Day 8. I also tried to fact check that, but instead found this which reminded me yet again why we live in Europe.

Here's the most important thing you should know...there is childcare here. Most days it runs from 8:30-4:00. Some parents are here to spend more time with their kids, but I was here to work on me, so I used the Kita to its full extent. I did pick-up softball a few days early before the rest of the kids for some Kur scheduled one-on-one "interaction" time and also unofficial one-on-one time. I am so so thankful that the kids were healthy enough to go every day because otherwise it would have been tricky because almost everything is closed here in winter.

Where did you go exactly?

Zingst is a little town on the Baltic Sea, 3.5 hours drive from Berlin, that every German I know has been to at least once. However, none of them or anyone else is here in winter, especially a corona winter. Their claim to fame is this cool water observation thing that goes down in the water and looks cool when out of the water.

It was closed because confined spaces = not smart. But, I walked out to check it out without the kids because it was windy and those gaps in the railing are big.

The Kur was about 300 meters/yards from the beach and 1.5 km/ 1 mile from the "city center".

Ok, so your health insurance sent you on vacation?

Yes and No. Yes because childcare is provided. If you need to relax, you need childcare. Also, the childcare is top notch here, they have so many kids every three weeks but manage to keep kids happy. Also, the school age kids have homework help for 1.5 hours a day. I'll be catching Crosby up with his missed assignments when we're back in Berlin while he's quarantining in our friend Val's apartment during his winter break. (Unfortunately, we didn't get that second vaccine in time to skip the AZ and Berlin quarantine.) But no it's not vacation, in that we came here with the purpose of me getting my whits about me (see previous posts).

How is the food?

Good. We had a designated table and meal times to keep the crowds down at the buffets. The kids had to wait at the tables while the parents got food to "avoid little fingers in the liverwurst". We got a cozy little booth.

Yes, we are the only people who have at least one kid on our laps at every meal. We take our snuggles where we can get them.

Because a lot of folks are trying to get "healthier", there was always a salad bar. Because it's Germany, there were always cold cuts for breakfast and dinner. Dinner was "Abendbrot" which means basically bread with meat and cheese. Sometimes the Kitchen would add a soup or sausages but in general PB^2 were still hungry afterwards. Lunch was a hot meal - an adult omnivore version of Kita food. Also, lots of fish which was thematic and delicious. There was sometimes dessert, especially cake on Sunday lunch with to-go plates for afternoon coffee and cake. 

Chocolate pudding = always good. It is even better when I did nothing to prepare it or clean-up after.

How are the accommodations? 

Because we have a "big" family, we got a sweet set-up with one bunk room, one parent room, and TWO bathrooms. During non-corona times there are shared kitchens and some common spaces, but alas we were mostly in our rooms or outside when not doing Kur activities. The cleaning ladies are on point, its cleaner than many "nice" hotels we've stayed in. The Kur director said they got a big grant to upgrade the buildings but corona has made that tricky.

The packing list suggested bringing pillows, but our car did not allow. Wow, if someone says maybe you should bring a pillow - bring a pillow. These bags of cotton balls took what could be a 4 star (maybe generous) to a 3. But hey, not a vacation right? 

Who can come with you?

This Kur allowed you to bring an adult to accompany you. I would say the make-up was 1/5 parents with their twins, 1/5 one parent with twins, 1/5 two parents with kids, 1/5 one parent with an only child, and 1/5 one parent with one child (the other children stayed at home with a partner). It was really nice to have Paul here at the beginning but thankfully we also had people we could hang with once he left.

Hugo's highlight: Pizza party adventure with his Kur Kita friend Paul (who I think looks like my Paul as a kid)

What were the corona rules?

We had to get a PCR test 48 hours before arrival and quarantine overnight until we got the results in the morning. We had to take a rapid test before leaving our house to drive here, and then another rapid test once we arrived. Ten days in we all had appointments at the "nurses station" for corona tests. Every morning we would get our temperature tested and get our new mask, and throw away our old, for the day. The masks were the standard medical mask which aren't as safe as a KN95 but you can also breath while exercising.

When can you do it again?

You can apply for a Kur every four years. If you have two German speaking parents you could just accompany the other person and do it every two. But, if you don't speak German, this would be of much less value, even though they have brochures here about the facility in other languages. 

How do I sign-up?

I first went to my doctor who then sent me to a Kur consultant. The consultant gave me some paperwork to fill out (shocker) that described why we wanted to go on a Kur. I then gave this paperwork to our GP (because he didn't really know us that well so it was helpful context). We met with the GP to get blood work and then he gave us a "prescription". We then submitted the completed application and prescription to our Kur consultant who sent it to our insurance. 

A few weeks later we got a letter in the mail from our health insurance saying my application was approved by Paul's was denied. (Which worked out just fine in the end.) I poked around on the internet looking at Kur locations but in the end we just jumped on this one when our Kur consultant called us. The whole process took three months because we had a lot going on and I'm a very slow essay writer in German.

How do I know if a Kur is right for me?

How could it not be right for you? I think on every application you could just write "Surviving Corona" and everyone knows we all need a break.

Audiobook DJ

Confession: I didn't like reading as a kid. 

I spent a lot of time doing this. 

Thankfully, as an adult I discovered a love of audio books. I usually listen while doing mundane tasks like laundry or dishes when the kids are in bed and Paul is working. In my previous life, I powered through a lot of books on I5 between Eugene and Seattle. Similar to my clothes m.o. where I first check the second hand option before buying new.  I first check the PDX library to download to my phone. If a book is not available, I buy it on audible.

I'm often sending audio book suggestions to friends who find themselves in different situations where audio books would be a comfort - pregnancy bedrest, long commutes, etc. Recently I've caught up with two friends with long commutes, and so I give you, a very incomplete list of great audiobooks.

When you're going to be in the car awhile

The Boys in the Boat - I was just telling my friend Neysa how I do not understand how this isn't a movie yet. The story of the 1936 olympic gold winning university of Washington crew boat. You'll love the NW description and the 1936 Olympic background is very interesting.

Unbroken - This one starts with the 1936 Olympics but the story of redemption and radical forgiveness towards the end is what I find most inspiring. The middle part, which I believe most of the Angelina Jolie movie is about, is brutal. 

When you need a good laugh

Bossypants - I always loved Tina Fey and this short book made me love her even more.

The Rosie Project - The character descriptions in this book from the point of view of a narrator on the autism spectrum are just amazing. It's also narrated by an Aussie, which is a plus. (I don't know why I can't get a sample link to Audible. Sorry!)

Where'd you go, Bernadette - I heard about this book from a friend who's husband read her parts of it while she was in labor. It is that good. There is some Seattle bashing, but I found it funny.

Born a Crime - Not knowing much about Trevor Noah other than he's funny, this book was fascinating. It was nice to hear him tell his own story and provide fascinating historical perspective on his South African childhood. 

When you need a civics lesson

Giant of the Senate - Al Franken has a great story to tell even if his senate experience ended negatively. The background, especially when he breaks down things like our health care system, is interesting and engaging. 

Homegoing - At first glance, I think some people would find this topic too heavy to want to read. But her writing is absolute genius. I learned things about slavery and being black in America in this book that I should have learned in public school.

When you want romance (AKA keeping it classy)

100 Summers - If you're going to be trashy, you might as well do it right. Beatriz Williams reminds me of what you think of a Stanford grad - she can do all the things, and she does them well. 

The Wedding Party - I saw this book on my friend Maggie's insta. She reads more than any person I know.  I thought - "Yes, I should be reading more BIPOC authors and I also just want to zone out." This one is spicy.

When you want to travel but that's not an option at the moment

The Geography of Bliss - A self-proclaimed grump travels the world in search of "happiness". This is a must read if Iceland, Qatar, Bhutan, or Moldova are on your travel list. This book has a special place in my heart as I listened to it while painting our PDX baby room.

Cutting for Stone - This book is heavy and complex with the backdrop of a medical mission in Ethiopia. I loved it even more in retrospect because the author wrote the intro to my favorite book (below)...

When you're ready to go deep (AKA the suggestions that most people don't read but I suggest them anyway)

When Breath Becomes Air - This book is so honest and crushing. I fell in love with this book before I even knew he was friends with my favorite Dad friend (hi again Dudu!). The narrator is the same as Cutting for Stone which was also soothing.

The Bright Hour - honestly, I had a little trouble getting into this book because it's a similar theme to When Breath Becomes Air and I liked that book so much. But the Bright Hour is also beautiful.

Being Mortal - My mom's oncologist recommended this book when she got the final terminal diagnosis. This was exactly the kind of book that she would hate (accepting the limitations of life) and the kind of book I love (practical and realistic).

Know my Name - Chanel Miller is such a boss. Please someone read this so we can talk about it. These were my thoughts.

Radical Love - This heartfelt memoir of Zachary Levi's mental health journey is a must read for anyone walking along someone with mental health struggles. Buckle up because you're in for a roller coaster ride of emotions. Full report here.

When you need some parenting inspiration 

My Beloved World - I include this book in" parenting inspiration"  because Sonia Sotomayor's mom did something amazing with the cards she was dealt. This beautiful autobiography is narrated by the talented Rita Moreno.

Anything by Wendy Mogel - I loved Blessings of a Skinned Knee and her book Voice Lessons for Parents was also great. I look forward to reading the Blessings of a B- in the teen years.

Boys Adrift - one of my favorite parts of this book is when he talks about how the German system is better for boys - more doing and experiences and less sitting in a classroom.

When you need to entertain your kids on a road trip

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - I love C.S. Lewis' Christian writings and to see Crosby get into  C.S. Lewis' writing for kids was such a gift of our road trip around Oregon and Washington this summer.

When you're ready to go to church

The Red Tent - ok confession, I actually just read this book a looong time ago. But the pastor of our church in Berlin listened to the audio and also found it fascinating. Sometimes it's hard to keep all the Old Testament folks straight, but you'll remember Jacob, Laban, Rachel, and Leah after this book. 

What is the Bible? - I've read some of Rob Bell's other books and thought he had some good things to say, but thought in recent years he was getting a little too pop culture. But, when my friend Liz recommended this one, she was right - it's good stuff. Funny and engaging. 

Ruthless Elimination of Hurry - The full report is here. I'm still working on this hurry business.

Anything by Kate Bowler, the late Rachel Held Evans, or Donald Miller. Amazing thinkers.

When you're sleepy

Ecclesiastes by Street Lights - Ok, did you really just say the Bible is what you use to put you to sleep? It's very soothing, ok? Street lights has been called Hamilton for the Bible. 

With that, I'm going to take a blog break and do some actual physical reading of one of my (not yet to audio) authors - Laurel Mathewson. 

Book Report: The Explosive Child

There won't be any spoilers in this post because I think the book is worth a read for really anyone who works with kids or maybe even manages teenagers at the Dairy Queen in Veneta, Oregon. The author makes clear points and the vignettes woven through were interesting enough to motivate me to finish the book before writing a book report.

The good news is since we've been here, my little "softball" has been more cooperative than usual. The nickname softball is because I could have gotten a kid who is a lot harder. I feel like God was like, "hey, you can't handle a lot so I'll throw you a softball. This kid is going to remind you everyday that you can't do this alone. Also, you will be humbled." The psychologist here said that the cooperation is likely because I am more relaxed here at the Kur. As the book adeptly states, it takes two to tango in terms of things not going well. Chill mommy = better for all parties involved.

With that in mind, for my part, the big reminder/revelation is: "Kids do well if they can (not if they want to)." When I'm in the thick of a struggle and my worst self, I used to think, "This kid wants to make everyone's life awful." Even not in the thick, I always thought, "oh it wants attention, is trying to manipulate me, etc." Now I think it is being challenging because it is lacking the skills of problem solving, flexibility, frustration tolerance, and/or problem solving. The book goes on to suggest ways to teach kids to learn these skills in a way that is both helpful and approachable. 

Some of the skill building is a little tricky at this age, so I'm working on more conversation and one-on-one time together in the meantime. This was breakfast one day:

Softball: "I don't want to go to Kur childcare."

Me: "But I need to go to classes to be a better mommy."

Softball: "You need to go to drawing classes."

Me: "What is more important being a better mommy, or drawing better?"

Softball: "You need to do both gooder."

Later that day we participated in a class called story and share which yielded this collaborative art project:

Collaborative = My scribe directed my drawing and intervened only when necessary. Yes, these are my drawing skills. Softball has a point.

Kur Manifesto

In the last blog, I mentioned wanting time to think during the Kur. Specifically, I was wondering if I would have any "Aha" moments. Our beloved Kita teacher, Miss Melanie, went on a Kur and it laid the foundation for her finding another position at a Kita closer to her home. It was a sad day for our Kita, but a great win that her everyday life is hopefully more manageable. 

The big question PB^2 is always thinking about is "when will we move home?" (The follow-up question being "where is home?") This last time we went "home" we felt the pull so much that we thought we'd move back this summer and even sold our house in Portland (closing today!). But, not even a couple weeks back in Berlin, we were lulled into the comforts of European life, specifically very subsidized childcare. Which brings me to my current thinking which of course can change - like that time we decided to only have two kids and then after moving to Germany decided to go back to the original plan of three. Or that time Trump got elected giving us a not-so-gentle nudge to accelerate our plans for living abroad. Or that time Corona virus changed, ahem, continues to disrupt our lives. The list goes on. In any case, this Kur helped me realize that it likely makes sense for us to stay in Berlin until Carmen is school age. Why? Because when the kids aren't in school/Kita, it's a lot of work for me. 

Ok, this is the point when I should insert a bunch of caveats and ask everyone (including myself) not to judge each other.  Without listing all the awesomeness, suffice to say I recognize my life is cake comparatively. When I say parenting is hard work, what I mean is a lot of my parenting experience thus far is analogous to early potty training. Early is 2022 early = before 2 years old, not 1950 early = 18 months. As a reference and without naming any names - I'll just use go German here and pretend that kids are the 'das' article (not feminine of masculine) for anonymity - , we had one kid who basically potty trained itself, one kid who more or less followed a plan, and one kid who made me question my will to live. People have all sorts of feelings on the subject, but at the end of the day, in two out of three cases, the process was longer, harder, and more labor intensive because we did it early. But, the kids gained confidence, the world has fewer diapers in the landfill, and I got a break from all of the cloth diaper washing. 

So in summary, my style of parenting will often be more labor intensive and time consuming but at the end of the day, hopefully, the kids will be more self reliant and flexible. I can't make that next claim to say that Paul's and my life will be better because we all know that kids will make their own decisions no matter how intentional the parenting. That's a good segue to the other advantage to staying in Germany longer is I could potentially do another degree here for free. After more than ten years out of the game, I'll likely need to just change gears to finding something that could work part-time so I'm not too much in the kids' business when they are older. 

At the risk of setting the bar too high, I also realized that I have more parenting I should be doing. As a point in clarification, in this case is with an eye towards family harmony, not towards adding some extra curricular activity. I still fall into the trap of rushing around. This became especially apparent when I took the two little littles to a drugstore to pick a couple things here in this small town of Zingst. In Berlin, it's always a sh%t show but it's kind of ok because Berlin is chaotic already. In off season Zingst, it became clear to me just how loud the kids are. I was at a point a couple weeks ago where I was thinking maybe the solution was really not taking them anywhere - being one of those parents who shops while the kids are at school instead of with them. But, I also think that kids need to learn how to be bored and do mundane things. Per usual, the solution requires more work for me but hopefully is worth it. Proposed shopping solution:

1. Never go anywhere without ample time. Carmen might want to dress herself, add 20 minutes.
2. The kids need an intro to any situation where I have expectations. Example: We are going to Rossmann. We are going to pick-up dish soap, poofies, and pens. I want one of you to grab the little cart and one of you hold my hand. We stay close together, and we use quiet voices. 

Will my renewed commitment to giving more context of expectations return better results? Who knows? But I have to at least try. Before you think I'm leaning in too much, I'm still not worrying about a lot of things. For example, I'm not fighting my kids to put on or take off jackets depending on the temperature or location. I'll save my energy and let natural consequences take it from there. 

A final Aha moment is that I miss dancing. I've been doing a bunch of back and posture classes here at the Kur which mostly remind me that any movement is good. Also, Carmen is likely missing dance, as she keeps randomly yelling for Alexa when we're out and about. Let's see if some easy kid/parent dance opportunity comes our way.

I intentionally posted this without pictures to hide the bomb shell revelations. Let's see who reads it. ;)

Mutter-Kind Kur Modos

The positive side to all of the paperwork before coming here is that I had a lot of time to really hone my goals for my three weeks here. 

Exhibit A: Screen shot of all the documents I filled out in six days notice. Just keeping the blog spicy.

The officially stated goals were:

1. Gain better anger management skills
2. Improve connection with my little explosive child
3. Less tension in my body

My schedule for the first two days was two introductory group orientations and then one-on-one meetings with a physical therapist, psychologist, and doctor to figure out a plan for the next week. I showed up to a lot of these meetings unprepared (whoops) because I missed that there was more paperwork I needed to do before each meeting. Seriously. After living in Germany for four years, I probably should have known better. Nevertheless, the running around helped me hone my plan of attack:

1. Maximum two things a day (one exercise, one mental)
2. Maximize PB^2 Time
3. Read parenting book, Bible, and Laurel's book

The Kur does have the possibility to do always do more - discussion groups, art therapy, deep muscle relaxation courses, etc. I gave one parenting movie and deep breathing course a go on last Monday, but they confirmed what I really want is less running around and more time to think. Also, while my German language skills improved through the initial process of submitting the application (screen shot of those applications not included, you're welcome), group conversations are still hard (and masks don't help). 

This week's schedule got a big change when we found out Paul's dad's knee replacement is having major issues and he was back in the hospital. Because I have help here, and Crosby is already out of school, we decided to send Crosby and Paul to Arizona for the week. We hatched the plan Friday, Cros and Paul were on a train to Berlin on Saturday, and then Sunday they flew to Phoenix. With the time change I don't really have an update on how Paul's dad is doing, but our prayers for traveling mercies for Paul and Crosby thus far have been answered.

6:35 am flight to London. Just one connection in Europe = all passengers have negative covid tests or are vaccinated before travel.

While we're sad to see Paul and Crosby go, we're making the most of our now "traditional" Kur experience - just Mom and not all the kids. Our new goals: 

1. Survival

Jokes. I'm still taking it easy and trying not to plan too much, with the exception of adding more post-Kita arts and crafts. As I've mentioned before, I am the kind of mom who gets down and plays on the ground with my kids. I teach them practical stuff and we chat, but crafting is not my forte. However, just like your marriage counselor will tell couples to go on a date and rekindle the passion, I think the time of having fun together without the stress of dinner or cleaning is good for our relationship. 

Crosby is so good at crafts he can do it by feel. 

Speaking of Crosby, this happened eight years ago: 

We did a little family celebration at a different Karl's Strawberry Farm before dropping Crosby and Paul at the train station on Saturday:

I believe this Karl's is the original/biggest. Ice skating was a hit as were the ice sculptures (too dark for pictures). 

Carmen, Hugo, and I celebrated Cros' birthday by eating his cake for him:

I promise I told the Kur he wouldn't be here. I did save the present for him though.

The next week will likely be filled with more of this:

And hopefully, this:

In their own beds...past 5:30 am...pretty please.

Kur

In fall of 2019, I had a conversation with a friend that went like this:

Nicole: "Sorry we won't see you for awhile, I am taking the kids with me on a three-week Kur."

Me: Consulting my dictionary - Leo is the best - Kur = Cure. "Cure?"

Nicole: "It's usually a three-week program, paid for by health insurance, to help parents who have burn-out, stress, or need extra support. The kids will be in school and kita at the Kur while I will be getting fresh air and taking lavender baths."

Me: "Are you ok?"

Nicole: "Yes, it's preventative."

Me: "Are you sure you're ok?"

I thought to myself, "Wow, that's great. But three weeks away from Paul would not be restorative." 

Fast forward to now, and this is how fast I was driving to our Kur.

187 km/hour = 116 mph

You don't have to be too deep in my inner circle to know a couple things have changed since 2021. This mama is no longer in the, "Kur as prevention" but more like "Kur as intervention" camp. Thankfully with the help of a Kur consultant, we were able to find a place that would allow to Paul come along to help. We even got a discount for having three or more kids. It would be 1200 Euros/$1370 for Paul if we had 1-2 kids, but 600 Euros/$685 because we have three. Some places we looked even let you bring another adult for free if you had more than four kids.

Paul took a lot of photos of the kids in the back of the car because we thought they were adorable. But all our friends in the US are probably like, "yeah, that's what our life looks like everyday."

Carmen slept the entire 3.25 hours to Zingst on the Baltic Sea north of Berlin.

Crosby enjoyed showing Hugo how to use his water-wow (coloring book that uses water instead of markers).

The sticker-by-numbers sticker book. (Thanks for the recommendation Anna.)

Crosby was the last man standing. Our last road trip in the states we listened to The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. We couldn't get the next book in the series at the library or in English on audible so we're getting into this Spy Series.

Our clinic had this spot open up six days before check-in. As such, it wasn't possible for Paul to completely clear his work schedule. But, he was able to rearrange his meetings to join for meals and our time-slots to use the pool. He also already had some scheduled time off as he was supposed to be at a reunion with his college friends this weekend. Sniff. I asked him to make the plan for our free Saturday and he found this gem.

Forest strip with rascals = Kind of like Vegas strip with college friends?

Sadly this epic slide wasn't open. But, cold weather = no crowds. So I'll take it. These tree top walks are the jam. Speaking of which, we had to stop at another one of our favorite spots along the way for Crosby to get a Corona test before we could go to any public places - restaurants, nature walks, etc.

Corona test for Crosby - check. Hugo in his happy place at Karl's Strawberry Farm - check

The major win of the day were these slushies AKA "A little piece of Tropical Islands". The plan for Crosby's upcoming birthday was for him to head to a water park with Grandpa and Abuela while I was in Sacramento for Connor and Ashley's wedding but alas, Omicron foiled those plans. PB^2 with the help of Grandparents are trying to find ways to make Crosby's birthday still feel special. A little taste of Tropical Islands helps. Paul got the worst brain freeze of his life - again, just trying to bring a little Vegas to Germany.

I've finally finished all the mountains of paperwork and I have my schedule for next week to work on my mama skills. I'll have some exercise classes, some observation sessions with one little Biggs, a massage, as well as some free time to really work through this book and gather strength for the big and small challenges ahead. I'll circle back with a recap in February. 

Family Movie Favorites (updated)

Feb 3, 2022

So, I had to take this blog down because on the very last (20th) document of the Kur paperwork it said if you had been in quarantine within the last 14 days then you couldn't come. We were arriving on day 12 with a negative PCR test which meant ZERO risk to anyone else. The good news was that because I realized the Kur's rules are crazy strict I decided to keep the kids out the school for the Monday while waiting for the PCR test before our Tuesday check-in at the Kur. This proved to be a win because sure enough, that very Friday, the teacher and a bunch of kids in Crosby's class tested positive. Because Cros hadn't been there in a week, he was totally clear. Phew.

The PCR protocol described below is how it was around New Years. Now there are so many cases in Berlin (including one last week in the kids' Kita) that I think the PCR test is no longer necessary to confirm a case. I'll let you know when we (likely) get Omicron. Honestly, hopefully sooner rather than later while I'm calm from the Kur and then we can safely make Spring break plans. Just jump down below for the links if you're looking for the movie recs. 

Jan 2, 2022

Alternative working title: Quarantining in the New Year

We had close contact with a friend on Tuesday and Wednesday who tested PCR positive for Covid on Thursday. We'd already decided not to have any contact with any unvaccinated people during the break (ie other children). Our friend seemed like a safe bet as she already had Covid in May, before she could get a vaccine, and then got her two jabs in September. 

I'm not going to lie though, my first reaction was excitement at the prospect of potentially getting this omicron business over with. The pros:

 - Having immunity so we could fly or cross boarders without concern over a quarantine.  

- Not having the guilt of shutting down the Kita or School as we got it during the break (also missing fewer days of school). 

- Not having to have Crosby tested every time we go to dinner or take public transportation.

The current guidelines from the ministry of health is that after close contact with someone with confirmed Covid that unvaccinated people (ie our kids) need to quarantine for five days, PCR test on day five, or rapid test out on day seven. I'd been reading about omicron incubation peaks sooner, and figured the testing center wouldn't be busy on New Years' Day, so we rode over right when it opened on Day 3/4 after contact.

In Germany, anyone with a Red "Increased Risk" Corona Warm App can be PCR tested for free at the state run testing centers:

The kids don't apply, but were eligible for free PCR testing if they had a positive rapid test. So, we got the kids swabbed, walked around for 15 minutes, and found the results that Carmen and Crosby tested positive. A very nice clinician also let us PCR test Hugo figuring that he just wasn't testing positive yet.

Fast forward 30 hours later when all of our PCR tests came back negative. AND, Crosby woke up with a fever and Paul also wasn't feeling hot but their rapid tests are negative. So, we've heard from people that sometimes the PCR tests didn't go deep enough in our throats (but man, it was one step away from the gag reflex). But the whole thing is very weird. We'll do a rapid test on Wednesday, and if it's negative then the kids can go to school (if it's still open).

Anywho, that epic explanation was the intro into one of our favorite family activities when we can't leave the house. My definition of family movie means that both adults and kids will be entertained. By that definition, you won't find any of the classic Disney movies from the 80s as the jokes intended for adults appear to be more of a recent trend. Also not on my list - the classic preschooler favorites - Paw Patrol and Frozen. Without further ado:

1. Soul  - We watched this one last Christmas time with our neighbor Val. It will make you cry, it will make you think, and it will make you laugh. 

2. The Lego Movies - The Lego Movie, Lego Batman, and Ninjago are comedic gold.

3. Up - You'll cry in the first five minutes and then you'll laugh the rest of the movie.

4. Baby Boss - This had to make the list because "Boss Baby" was Hugo's nickname when he was still on the inside. We named him Hugo in part because of Hugo Boss.

5. Storks - This movie might also make you cry a bit, but mostly laugh.

6. Sing - The music is so great. We are always checking to see when Sing 2 will be released to video. 

7 Coco - This is such a sweet movie, especially for kids who've lost a grandparent. Also, the movie has some of my favorite things - Mexican culture, Gabriel Gael Bernal, and a sound track so good that a bunch of the songs made my Spotify labor play list for Carmen.

8. The Book of Life - This movie was maybe a little overshadowed by Coco as it came out around the same time and also is about the day of the dead. But, we thought it was still fun.

9. The Madagascar Movies - We just watched the Penguins of Madagascar last night - did not disappoint. I think there were even more funny moments that we missed because Carmen kept on pointing at the screen and saying "look".

10. Cars - I found Cars 2 especially funny when I watched it with my nephew Oliver 10+ years ago. I haven't seen the third, but Paul and Crosby saw it in the theater and liked it.

11. Hotel Transylvania Movies - I went to see the third Transylvania movie in the theater here in Berlin because it was 100 F/40 C and I (wrongly) assumed that theaters are air conditioned in Germany. But, the DJ battle made it all worth it. We haven't seen the forth...yet. 

12. Luca - Spunky characters and all your favorite Italian stereotypes.

13. Trolls - I loved trolls as a kid so I needed to see this movie. It was such a fun movie and then while watching the credits we saw the story was by one of Paul's college friends.

Christmas Movies:

I. The Star - the story of the first Christmas through the animals who were there. Not a lot of jokes, but the music is good and of course a great story. 

II. Klaus- a clever movie with lots of jokes for adults and a happy ending.  

Artsy Movies - just like foreign films for adults - you need to be ready for them:

Un. Song of the Sea - This movie will make you cry and want to visit Ireland. 

Deux. Ponyo - A silly magical japanimation. 

Our next movie:

Encanto - We were supposed to watch this with a friend on Wednesday but cancelled because we needed to isolate. But, hopefully a movie night will be in our future.

As we have a couple of sensitive little boys, there have been a couple movies that likely worked for most families but didn't for ours:

Toy Story 4 - We had to literally leave the theater. The other Toy Stories were ok, but as they start in the 90s, they don't have as many jokes for adults. 

Zootopia - There were too many scary surprises/ dark themes in this movie for our crew. The humor was otherwise on point, however.

Our other quarantine actives include but are not limited to:

Making Pizza with homemade dough from our neighbor Nele. Nele, who was in quarantine three times last month with her kids, knows all the survival tips and rules. 

New Years Eve Dance Party with Artsy Photos by Daddy. Glow sticks courtesy of Nele.

"Exercise"

Using up random ingredients from our pantry. The boys didn't love mango sauce from mango chicken the night before so I called it the pumpkin and milk in this recipe.

Post fever bath.

Team Sleeping. Carmen just transitioned back into the boys' room into a big girl bed aka taking off one side of the crib. Last night I peeked in to see the boys and found she joined the fun. Speaking of which, my bed is calling...