The State and Good Happenings

AHHHHHH! My older one was in kita yesterday, the first day in two weeks, so I had Mama Break Time. What this meant was: I could acknowledge the presence of my younger daughter, I got to start the laundry excavation process, I went grocery shopping and actually contemplated what I was buying (if I need it, how much it costs, if it fits into meal plans, etc.), I ate lunch, I checked my email, and I even brushed my hair. It was amazing.

A little background info here on why I have been keeping my daughter home so much. The city of Berlin is broke. The decided to do away with the Vorschule program in public schools (kindergarten). That means the kitas (preschools) are supposed to do this job now for the five year olds. Well, call me Uptight Mama, but I really think (unlike a lot of people around here these days) that kids in this age should/can/are interested in beginning to read. So, I am kind of doing some heavy supplementation, homeschooling, whatever you would call it. Teaching a child how to read is pretty fascinating stuff. I look forward to seeing how it goes. Any tips on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

While researching "teaching children how to read," I also read a lot about homeschooling. I have also heard that homeschooling isn't allowed in Germany. It is very hard for people to slip through the cracks around here. The state also sent a dentist to the kita to check all the children's teeth. You could opt out if you wanted...but still.

Which reminds me of the visit I got from the Jugend Amt after my second child was born. That was total insanity man. First, I had gotten this letter from them saying they come around to houses of new parents to have a little check and that my appointment was on such and such a day at this time. There again was the option to cancel. Well, everyone knows that a new breastfeeding mama doesn't have two brain cells to rub together much less actually remember things like appointments or the option to cancel them. So that day and time came. My husband had taken the older one to kita, and I was enjoying Mama Sleeping In Time which happens basically never. Me and the new baby were nestled, slumbering, all super cozy...and then the door bell rings. I answered with the intercom, "Hallo?" It was Frau So and So from the Jugend Amt. Oh my God! I had totally forgotten to cancel that frickin' appointment. And not only that, the hallway was filled with the recycling I was gonna take out that day (meaning it was FILLED with TRASH) My hair looked like that of a rare, exotic bird. My t-shirt was covered in breast milk stains. My baby had a poopy morning diaper. The dirty dishes from the night before were PILED in the sink. This scene was not looking good folks. So I went to the door, said hello and shook hands confidently as though my hair were always styled this way, and explained that I had received her letter, and had intended to cancel the appointment, but had forgotten. She basically said, well, I'm here now, so let's have a look. So, I took a deep breath and let her into my TRASHED house and all these thoughts of how they were gonna take away my baby were running through my head. We went into the living room and sat down. We chatted a little while (she basically asked me a thousand questions about why I'm in Germany, am I married, what does my husband do, what do I do, where my fifth cousins live, etc.). Then she had a look at the baby and asked me about twenty more questions. Then she asked if I had enrolled in my rückbildungs class yet, as though that were a requirement (for those of you that don't know, this is basically a post-pregnancy aerobics class that most people take to get their bodies back into shape...the fact that it is basically standard is a bit creepy, but when in Rome...) . She also asked if I had enrolled my baby into a Pekip course, again as though it were a requirement, but THAT IS WHERE I FLIPPIN' DREW THE LINE. I said maybe I will, maybe I won't. The lady blabbed her dang face off for another 20 minutes and finally left me in peace in my filthy pigsty. Anyways, moral of the story: Cancel that appointment if you get one of those letters!

So those cracks. No slippin' through, ladies and gentlemen. They are all up in everyone's business, I tell you. Good: Your children will have their teeth checked even if you are a pothead fokker. Bad: Remaining anonymous and having the freedom to hide if you want doesn't exist, neither does homeschooling if you feel the schools are inadequate or don't suit your child's needs.


So, onto food. Last night we went to a pretty decent Mexican restaurant with some friends. It is called something like Coronita right by the Schlessisches (sssshhhleesishsish) Tor UBahn. I had the enchiladas with meat. They were rockin' and very authentic. We were a little puzzled by the red beets in my friends vegetarian burrito, however. Afterwards, we went to this awesome ice cream stand around the corner near Görlitzer Park. Now this place is worth leaving your kiez for. They had statues, and fancy tropical plants, and music, and even matching outfits and hats. It was a pretty happenin' Friday night, ice cream scene. All in all, nice evening. We have, by the way, mastered the art of dining out with two kids. Start early, leave early. Home by 8:00, everyone's happy. Easy.

Another good experience yesterday: I went to the post office, and the lady behind the counter made a real, bonafide joke that made me laugh my ass off. It was so awesome I could have jumped the counter and kissed her. For the sake of this post's length, however, I'll spare you the joke. The important part is that she made one. Amazing.

And my last and final great thing that happened yesterday, was that I collected enough hearts at the Kaisers supermarket to get TWO FREE BOWLS! Wahoo! You see, they give you these little heart stickers when you buy something (the more you spend, the more hearts you get of course). Then, you fill up these little sheets with them (this took me awhile to figure out...I thought they were for my daughter's sticker book for the longest time = Mama Moron), and when you get 40 you get a free müseli bowl. If you get more, you can get different things too, but I was after those little white bowls from the start.

Okay, enough is enough already. Goodnight.