Playmobil Land

For those of you who don't know I am a HUGE fan of Playmobil. So naturally I was thrilled when I found a Playmobil land only a few hours from us. It was great place to explore, with activities for all of us.

One of the first adventures was on a boat, I opted to be the photographer. Martin and the 4 kids maneuvered this high speed water raft with the utmost procession. And no one fell in, which I found to be amazing. In the background is a huge pirate ship that is a Playmobil toy.

Another play area was with loads and loads of sand. The object was to find "gems". We were not so successful at this station, but had fun none the less. There were jiant Playmobil men, a small mine to go in and toys to dig and sift with. For a small fee you could perchase a treasure chest, but I thought my hand worked just the same.

The weather was a bit on the chilly side so we did enjoy the indoor play area filled with every set of Playmobil imaginable. AND multiple sets. I could have stayed in this area for the whole day. It was so fun seeing all the different sets and toys and how all the kids set up everything.

The Good Bad and Ugly

I'm happy that it's May. This means spring is here and there are leaves on the trees again. It means flip flops, short sleeved shirts, and ice tea. And maybe I can finally put away the winter coats. It's been 7 months that we have been living here and I thought I'd reflect on that.

• The Good: The kids can speak German, and I am also learning, very slowly, but learning. Couldn't be happier with putting them in school here, I hope that they look back on this time with fond memories. It's amazing to see Europe. It's not like we have travelled that much, but it is so beautiful and amazing to see. We love the village we live in and the slower pace of life. The kids can walk down to the corner store alone, or the park and I don't worry about them. Our house is awesome, and I have my sewing room. It's pretty great, especially considering our old house.


• The Bad: Our family is so far away. I obviously knew this would be an issue, but it's still hard. We miss them at birthday's holidays and just seeing them on a regular basis. Miss the option to fly down for a quick weekend. Plus it's so hard to plan tips here because of every ones different schedule and the price of a flight. Having to convert dollars into Euro, it's hard to explain all the whys on this one, but if you live here you know what I'm taking about.


• The Ugly: The trash is annoying. I do like to recycle, but sometimes I just want to throw something away without thinking so much about it. The language. We are learning, but it's hard. Can't read a menu. Can't ask for directions. Can't talk to someone as they are passing by. Can't ask someone who fell if they are ok. WOW that's not so fun. And car sickness. I don't think there is a straight road in all of Germany. At lease we haven't found them. Which means car sick kids and barf bags ready.

Wordless Wednesday

Take Your Child to Work Day

The little boys played ARMY with dad last week, and had a good time. Mostly just hanging out, and playing with the equipment. It was for the morning so not everyone was able to go. Silus "worked" and Martin said Toben did a lot of crying when it was time to leave, so I think he had a good time too.

NIVIA

Nivia is this lotion that is extremely thick, and can be a little oily. I put it on my hands after I've been cleaning or if they are feeling a bit dry. It works great. It makes your hands so soft and lasts for hours.

So the other day while enjoying a few creative moments in my sewing room I hear giggling and Toben comes in. White hands and and white on one side of his head. Nivia all over. Not so easy to clean up that's for sure. On a side note Toben is softer than ever.

Wordless Wednesday

Naomi is 10

What will it be like to be 10? I THINK JUST THE SAME, EXCEPT MAYBE I WILL GET MORE RESPONSIBILITY. What do you mean by that? STAY UP LATER, AND I MIGHT BE ABLE TO GO TO MY FRIENDS MORE OFTEN.

How about a favorite color? GREEN AND ROBIN EGG BLUE food? PEPPERONI PIZZA AND SOMETIMES THE SHELLS OH AND CAULIFLOWER SPAGHETTI What is something you don't like? TOMATOES. THAT'S THE ONLY THING I DON'T EAT. RIGHT? I can think of a few more. LIKE WHAT? Sandwiches. YEA TRUE. Eggs. WELL I CAN EAT THOSE. You didn't eat them the last time I made them. TRUE. SOMETIMES I LIKE THEM SOMETIMES I DON'T.

Favorite thing to do? READ. READ. READ. Best part of day? I LOOK FORWARD TO ANY ACTIVITY WE DO. LIKE SWIMMING, OR IF WE GO SIGHT SEEING. What do you like most about Germany? I THINK THAT I LIKE LEARNING THE LANGUAGE. AND I LIKE ALL THE LITTLE SHOPS. What do you like about school? I THINK I LIKE ART THE BEST. EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT GERMAN. I ALSO LIKE TEACHING ENGLISH. Do you help with English every time? YEA, OR IF THEY HAVE A QUESTION.

If you could DO anything what would it be I THINK IF I COULD DO ANYTHING I THINK I WOULD PET EVERY ANIMAL IN THE WORLD OR HAVE EVERY ANIMAL IN MY HOUSE. I WOULD HAVE TO LIVE IN A MANSION.

Hardest thing you've ever done? I'VE REALLY NOT DONE ANYTHING HARD. MAYBE RUNNING AWAY FROM EYAN. BECAUSE THAT NEVER STOPS. OR DEPARTING FROM MY FRIENDS, BUT THAT WASN'T THAT HARD.

What will you be when you grow up? (GROAN) WELL YOU HAVE TO GO TO COLLEGE FOR 4 YEARS TO BE A LIBRARIAN OR A TEACHER. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO BE AN ARTIST. what kind of artist? I WOULD DO IT ALL. PAINT, DRAW, A VERY FLEXIBLE ARTIST. I COULD BUILD DRAW AND PAINT.

Where will you live? I WOULD LIVE IN ROTHENBURG. IT'S BEAUTIFUL THERE. LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL THINGS TO DRAW. BUT, IF I WANTED TO HAVE A LIBRARY I WOULD GO TO HAWAII. OR I COULD HAVE A PORTABLE LIBRARY AND LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD AND HAVE A LIBRARY. Will you be married and have kids? YEA How old will you be? 20 OR OLDER. OR WHEN I FIND THE PERFECT MATCH AND THE PUZZLE FITS.

ok thanks Naomi! That's it! THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU HAVE?!?