A Ball Of Pink Fluff

I thought I would always be a boy mom but the Universe had one last big surprise for me and granted me the most beautiful little ball of pink fluff and tulle! She literally arrived wearing a pink tutu, I swear!

Let me introduce you to the newest member of our German-American family

 Aurelia Margaret-June

 

Is she just not the most stunning thing ever?! No really, even the nurses at the hospital took her from me to go show her off to the other nurses. And others came in to get a peek of “The Most Beautiful Baby on the Floor!” #proudmommoment

 

I tell everyone I worked really hard on her considering she almost took my life those first 6 months of pregnancy. Seriously, the sickest I have ever been and for the longest period of time that I can remember. IT. WAS. AWFUL. Our parents are literally angels walking this crusty earth because the Mother-in-law came and stayed for several weeks and literally the day she left, my mom arrived and took over for forever. I could not get out of bed, I was throwing up 5 or more times a day, I rarely ate anything outside of rice, oyster crackers, and toast. Wouldn’t recommend doing that again but knowing myself, I’ll do it 4 more times! (HA! Kidding…maybe…?!?!?)

 

Anyways, her hair is out of this world and sticks straight up. It cannot be tamed and I hope that speaks to her personality once she’s able to show it a bit more. She sleeps through the night with one feeding at 4am and she’s quite literally the easiest baby ALIVE! I honestly, do not know how I even survived the twins. In all seriousness, that was the most difficult thing I had ever done in my life and I am surprised I made it out alive without too many scars.

 

So what’s in a name?

Aurelia – meaning “Golden” (Obviously, she is the golden child! She can do no wrong!)

The story behind this name is quite simple actually. Before there was ever a breath of Toblerone I watched a movie and one of the characters was named, Aurelia. I knew at that moment that this would be my daughter’s name should I ever have one. I’ve been holding on to this since 2003. Literally, right after I graduated high school. (Hint: I’m almost 35 so that should tell you how long I’ve held onto this.) For anyone who has seen the movie, Love Actually, the girl that plays opposite of Colin Firth is the “Aurelia.”

 

Margaret – In honor of Toblerone’s beloved Oma who we lost when we arrived home after seeing her over Christmas in 2015. She was such a strong woman who was extremely intelligent and I hope Aurelia takes that quality from her.

June – In honor of my sweet, sweet Grandma who we lost in 2013. She was this nurturing bundle of wit and I hope Aurelia gets her sense of humor and compassion.

You’ll be seeing the likes of this little lady often on here. I make no apologies! Now off to get in my baby snuggles before she grows again!!

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxo

An American Baby Shower For A German Baby

First Fall project completed and what a beautiful day it was!! This past weekend I threw an American style baby shower for a friend of mine. But first, a little background into how life happens when you have a German baby!

So we all know that in the US when a a girlfriend is preggers, we throw her a fantastic party a couple months before the birth. All the women in her family come, along with all the friends she’s had to avoid because she can’t go out drinking with them anymore. The party is held at someone’s house or restaurant with food galore and presents stacked high. Games are played and everyone ooohs and ahhhs over all the sweet little baby decorations. The mom-to-be is treated like a princess and she gets EVERYTHING she could possibly need for her bundle of love on the way. Cribs, carriages, diapers, toys, clothes, breast feeding equipment, blankets, etc. The list goes on.

And then there is Germany…..

Mom-to-be buys everything herself. Mom gives birth. All friends and family swarm over to the house with little gifts for the baby and visit as the new mom and baby are trying to get a hold of this new life they have together. The mom, exhausted and in desperate need of a nap makes coffee and cake for all the masses who visit.

So….let’s discuss. WHICH country does it better?…..it’s obvious. And there is no arguing about this. Even the German ladies here agreed that this is a tradition they have interest in starting! It’s really all about the one last fun hoorah for the new mom before her life changes with a new baby!

This was exactly what I wanted for my dear friend. I threw her a bash to remember! We invited family and friends for an intimate gathering. Each person brought a gift and brought along either a cake or snack food! It was perfect! I made the very popular “bowle” which is what we know as punch! The ladies love to mix champagne with it so I left it alcohol free and people could add what they wanted!

And although the food was somewhat simple…of course, the Germans do know how to make a mean cake! So yums…just sooo soooo sooooo yums!

And the snacks were great as well! I made little ricotta cheese filled tarts which were super easy thanks to this recipe I found on Pinterest.

And another woman made these fun finger foods. I had printed out little signs that said “It’s a Girl” and pictures of a baby rattle on them, which I found a free printable for here.

We played the ever popular, “Name That Baby Food.” Which were REALLY horrible by the way…ha! I just sectioned off 6 parts on a paper plate, everyone put a spoonful of baby food in the corresponding number place and went to town! The faces they made were hysterical..I mean REALLY funny.

And of course we played the game, “How Big is Mommy’s Belly.” This was fun to see too! And of course the Grandma-to-be was SPOT on.

Then after all the games, we did the PRESENTS!!!! My favorite! So, I should mention that in Germany there is a superstition about bringing a present to the mom-to-be BEFORE the baby is born. They believe that if you bring a gift before the baby is born, that the baby will be born with problems or something bad will happen. They were good sports about it and looked past this just for this “American” baby shower which was really very nice of them.

And a little guest, Leonie, helped as best as she could. She LOVED opening all the presents! At the end of this wonderful afternoon we said goodbye and said that the baby can come now. All is done and now we are just waiting!

It really was a wonderful day and I’m so glad that I could share a piece of my home and culture with them. And mostly, that they were so open minded about it and accepting. What a gift!

Any ideas what she is having?!?! 🙂

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxo

Dress Like A German – Male Edition

You didn’t think I would skip out on how to dress like a German- Male Edition, did you?!!??! The Female edition was such a hit! I just couldn’t resist 🙂 No worries, gentlemen, fret not. You’re ultimate German Style guide is here!!

Again…just to be on the safe side, let me just note for the record that this is in no way a reflection on all the people of Germany. This is in fact my opinion as I see it! My husband is a German and doesn’t dress this way so there is still hope for the German race!

With such stunning role models like these two lads from the uhh…German boy band?….Tokio Hotel, how could the German men not be the most fashionable in the world, right?

To be fair, the Men style themselves a little bit better than most of the women that I’ve seen. However, German men are quite handsome. I see way more beautiful men than women…but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that most of the women try to look like dudes with their short hair and poopy pants. But stay with me…you will see that the men also seem to want to dress like the women… Oh Germany…you confuse me!

1. Skinnier-than-Kate-Moss Jeans
Oh boy, this is exciting stuff! I just want to ask them…so…”how’s it uhh….hanging? Like seriously…HOW?!?” Ok, come on guys..is this really comfortable?! Between the women wearing saggy diaper pants and the boys wearing all baring skin leggings I’m a bit concerned. I’m all for gender equality and for those whacko people that don’t want their kids to identify with one gender so they call them Sam and dress them in brown. BUT this…this has gone way too far! This is NOT helping things in the procreation department, of that I’m sure. I mean…what does one say, “Hey…uh…nice thighs. They have a great shape.”

2. Scarves and V-necks, Bro
We all have said it or heard it at some point. The Euro men are stereotypically known for wearing V-neck shirts and scarves. Well, I’m here with the proof. It is true. They do wear such things and actually the scarves look kinda sexy, the V-necks though….ehhh….save those for the ladies with cleavage will ya? Your chest hair, or lack thereof is NOT attractive. Barf. Let me be clear about this. There is a subtle V-neck and then there is the Wait-is-that-a-hairy-nipple V-neck. I’m talking about the latter.
This picture is literally from a club 45 minutes away from us. I can.not.stop.laughing.

3. Socks with sandals
Yet another stereotype that has absolutely been proven. This has just gone viral and I’ve been trying to help fix these guys but there isn’t much I can do. They love the comfort I suppose. I almost prefer the skinny pants to this…ALMOST, I said.

4. The Mystery of the 3/4 Pants
In the name of all that is holy…WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!?!?!?!? No no no..and one more giant NO! These pictures I took myself. I actually stalked men, on the streets, to get you these pictures. I wish I was kidding but this is a trend that needs to die. Die a very tragic death. I’m sure Karl Lagerfeld twists in his underoos at the sight of these.

5. Can you hair me now?!
OK here is one thing that I actually like. The dudes definitely know how to style their hair. In fact, they actually have more hair than the girls here. Blah…hate those short haircuts, ladies! Anywho, take for example the fantastic Mario Gomez who plays for the FC Bayern soccer team. I see a lot of guys with this hairstyle. It’s swiped to the side and gelled to high heavens!

There you have it my lovelies! Sit back, take it all in, and reevaluate your closet. Oh and…you’re welcome. 🙂

Until next time, Readers!!!! xoxoxoxoxo

Dress Like A German – Female Edition

Let me start by saying this is just an observation of the small southern area Im living in. This is not true for all of Germany but I’ve been here almost 3 years and have seen a pattern with the style of women here. Hate to break it to you all but they don’t walk around in drindls and lederhosen all day, unfortuantely. Here’s a few things that I found was culturally different from the women in the States!

1. Short hair don’t care
Truthfully, NOT a fan of this short hair look here. There are SOOOOO many girls, young and old, with this short hair. Most of the time, I can’t tell who is a boy or a girl from behind, sometimes from the front. But even my Italian hairstylist hates it! She says in Italy all the girls have long beautiful hair and here she prefers the clients with long hair…meaning, she won’t ever cut my hair even if I asked! lol. What a gem for being honest!

2. Blingy Teeth
Man, how I wish I was kidding about this. I think girls in the states wear these things too but I never saw this until I moved here. A diamond on your tooth?! Who sat around and said..oh, let me just bedazzle my tooth. Every time I see a girl with one I keep wanting to tell her that she’s got something in her teeth.

3. Scarf I say!
Scarves are great, I even have a collection of them. The difference is, I wear mine in fall, winter, and mayyyybe spring if its still cold. The girls here…they have a different idea about them. They LOVE to wear them all year round. They will wear a tank top with a scarf in 90 degree heat! I’ve even seen some girls in the clubs wearing them!!! HA! The Germans also have a very serious medical regimen. If you start feeling a sore throat coming on…you immediately start wearing a scarf. You commit to that baby and you wear that thing day and night…even while sleeping! However, I cant figure out how to wrap my scarf and these girls got it down to a science!

4. Mrs. Poopy Pants
I hate to say that these are so popular here. Looks more like an adult diaper with legs. Need I say anything more?

5. Point That Somewhere else
When I was younger…say, 18 years old or so, I went through a phase where I would go get my nails done. And I’m not talking about your typical manicure. This was with the whole process that filed my nails down to tiny slivers and at the end I had beautiful long very fake looking nails and then I realized how trashy it made me look but that was also back in 2002 or so. Here it seems almost EVERYONE gets this done.

6. Looking through Glass
When you think of Europeans what do you think of? Thin, fashionable (in some countries), scarves, v-neck t-shirts on men, cool shoes, and chic glasses in strange shaped frames. Am I close? Well, the glasses thing in Germany is for real. So many people wear glasses and I think most of them prefer to wear these over contacts. For example, many women wear glasses in the clubs (where I would choose to wear contacts usually), and many even wear them on their wedding day (which is an absolute
NEVER in my book). We think of glasses as “four eyes” and almost something negative but here it seems they think its fashionable and a part of their face. I don’t wear glasses at all so what do I know!

8. Now I’m Blinged Out
From blinging out your teeth to your nails…fret not my pet, there are more things to be blinged!!! Hair for instance!! I see this a lot when it’s a special event ie. wedding, anniversary, birthday celebration. Lots of ladies go to get their hair did and come out with an extra sparkle. These are the Bling strands. It’s available in the US, I’ve just never seen anyone do such things. Sparkle and Shine, Mädels, sparkle and shine!

Have you seen people in your country wearing any of these? Would you consider trying some of these Southern German fashions out?!

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxo

The Horrible No Good Search For “THE” Dress

As most of you know, When I was home in the US I was trying to pack in as much wedding planning as I possibly could. What a stupid idea that was. I ended up stressing myself out more than anything else! And who’s bright idea was it to have this American wedding anyways?!?! Oh…thats right….mine. Dummy dum dum.

Fresh off the plane, 5 hour drive from the city up to my parents house and in bed. A short 7 hours later I was in a car with my four best friends and my beautiful flower girl driving 1.5 hours to try on what I thought would be my dream dress. This was the only place within 250 miles that I could actually try it on and good thing I did because whoa…What a mistake that was!

Here is what I took the long trip for:

The reason it didn’t end up being my dress was because where the ruffles start, they stick straight outwards, like a floating tube. They don’t lay down or taper down like it should so that was an instant, NO. Plus the color was just too pink. I knew I wanted a pink dress but blush pink…barely there, barely can see. This was not that!

(Note: I blocked out my face because I looked horrendous. Jet lagged and annoyed, etc.)

First and foremost, this experience was supposed to be something great. Something out of the fairytale books. I had dreamed of this moment for ages. Coming out of the dressing room with a gorgeous gown on and all oooooohing and aaaahhhhiinngg at the sight. But that just did NOT happen. And it wasnt because of my troop that was with me, it was because the entire experience at this place called Juliana’s in Rochester was HORRENDOUS! My first time trying on a wedding dress and it was so horrifying, like out of a nightmare. Let me give you a little insight into how this all went.

It was a rainy day and after 1.5 hours of driving we arrive at this small little “boutique” where we were greeted with a woman promptly asking, “Can I help you?” like we were slobs off the street. So, I promptly reminded her that we had an appointment to try on dresses. She gave us snotty look and said she wasn’t sure where she would fit us all. Umm…ok. Then, we had to take off our shoes and go upstairs to a attic type place. This same rude lady told one of my maids that her daughter (one year old who was crying because mommy had to set her down for a second) shouldn’t be crying still at that age. Ummm…..ok. Then we go upstairs, and this lady starts pulling dresses that I never wanted to look at. UGLY, UGLY dresses. Like why do you even have that crap in your store?! Then finally, the woman who would be assisting us for the day arrived and she was kind but seemed to be in a rush. She couldn’t believe that the other woman pulled such ugly dresses and especially not even the one I had originally asked for.

I started to try on dresses, and all of them were like a size 4! Ok, what is happening here? How am I supposed to imagine myself in a dress when I’m squeezed in there like tuna in a can! What is that?! The sales lady really pushed the fact that I looked beautiful in every dress but I just wasn’t having that “Aha” moment. I was getting frustrated because I kept waiting to feel that “this is the one!” but I wasn’t feeling anything. The lady who originally greeted us came back around and asked me in German how long I’m here for and why I’m here. (She was apparently German…that explains the whole rudeness thing.) Then she told me, “I’m from Kaiserslautern” and I said…”oh interesting..” and she so elegantly replied, “I TOLD YOU THAT! IN THE EMAIL!” Umm…ok.

So, there must have been a limit to what I was supposed to try on because I was able to try on 3 dresses. Then I asked the sales lady to see if she had anything in a certain color and she said she would go check. Well, she went off into space to look at jewelry with the German lady. She never went to look for dresses, so we sat there just waiting around and finally we went and pulled our own dresses. The sales lady came back to our room and told me I needed to hurry up and make a decision because she had another customer coming in the next 15 minutes. WELL, LADY….if you actually did your job I would have been out of here by now but apparently jewelry is more important than the customer. I tried on one last dress and actually liked it. It was the material that drew me in and that would be the material I would search for after the fact too. But as soon as I came out in the dress, the sales lady said…”Oh thats TERRIBLE on you! Im just being honest but that’s just terrible.” And everyone else loved it, even me. Imagine that.

Needless to say, I left there feeling annoyed and disheartened. Something no one wants to feel. Not only was the service the worst I had ever imagined, the prices were too high! They even wanted me to buy one of the dresses I tried on. That actual dress, with the beads falling off, and strings everywhere, dirty even! So, to all of you, if you’re in the upstate NY area…do NOT buy your dress from Juliana’s in Rochester. I didn’t travel 4,000 miles to sit in hell for an hour. Terrible, Horrible, No Good Day.

More on finding my REAL dream dress later 🙂

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxo

German Music – Schlager Singers

When I moved to Germany I didn’t really think that they had their own music. Of course they have music that is sung in German but do they have their own special distinctive sound? Well, I’m happy to tell you…there is such a thing! This is called, Schlager (Shh-Lag-Err) Music. I’ve asked a few people to explain to me what this is and the best way I can explain it is, “German Party Music.” It’s basically Barney on crack. Seriously.

The Schlager music is usually upbeat happy music talking about Love, Puppies, and Rainbows. True Story. To me, however, it seems like 70’s music with overwhelming smiles. Lots of keyboard effects maybe that makes it more like the 80’s even! But I’ll let you be the judge for yourself. Here are a few Schalger Singers that are pretty popular here. These songs are not normally played on the radio but they are known by the Germans since these songs are played at festivals and things. Now of course they have yodeling as well…one of my favorites is the song, “We are a Yodel Family.” Check it out..but then back to the Schlager stuff!

Back in the 60’s there was a tv show made around a boy who could sing these type of songs very well. Let’s start with Heintje.

Then we have the very popular Andrea Berg. She’s been around quite a while and has found herself as a guest judge on Deutschlands Superstar (basically German Idol.)

Here is the newest addition to the Schlager Singer world. She is in her 20’s and her beauty pulls at the heartstrings of all the men around these parts! Introducing, Helene Fischer

And my all time favorite…CHEESY CHEESY Fantasy. I’ll leave this for you to think about.

And of course the winner of Deutschland’s Superstar with her winning Schlager Song. Beatrice Egli

What do you think of it? How would you explain this type of music?

Until next time, Readers!!!! xoxoxoxo

Throwback Thursday – Shaken Not Stirred

Every girl wants to be a James Bond girl at least once in her life! Right?! She’s strong and gorgeous and gets to fall in love with a hot Brit with an even hotter accent! Plus, it helps that he drives an Aston Martin 🙂

Back in 2008 I went to South Beach Miami to celebrate New Years 2009 with friends. The friends I was with happened to own an Aston Martin and my girlfriend shot this pic of me quickly before we went out. Its one of my favorite pics! I had on my big poofy pink dress and I was about to have one of the greatest New Years I would ever have! But more than that, I got my James Bond Girl picture! 🙂 Ahhh Memories….I love Throwback Thursdays!!!

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxo

June Vacation In ‘Merica!

There were several reasons why we decided to take our vacation in June rather than the mandatory 3 weeks vacation in August. One of them being the cheaper flights. Since most companies shut down for August, everyone goes on vacation. The airlines aren’t idiots so they charge a good 500-600 Euro more. We got our flights so cheap (considerably) that it was without a doubt, the best time to fly home! We only had 2 weeks so we made sure to make it count!

We had a beautiful send off in Switzerland from the Alps:

We got to play with our sweet nephew:

We visited lots with friends:

We played with Harley Jones Noodle Buttbutt’s cousins:

And most importantly, we got to be with family:

With my mom and my sister

My parents at their lake!

We got to spend quite a bit of time on the lake where my parents will build their house. My mom and step dad bought some water front property and we can’t wait to spend many summers there and Christmases with everyone. It’s a dream! 🙂 AND….it just happens to be where Toblerone and I are getting married (again!)

We also took a little get away from wedding planning while we were in NY to head to our favorite place, Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Of course June is still a bit cold but more on this later in the week. As well as some insight into my wedding dress shopping!

We miss the US every.day. And its not just my homesick ass, the Toblerone misses it to. The “relaxed nature” of the Americans is the biggest thing we miss when we’re back here in Germany.

Til we meet again, ‘Merica. We miss you.

Until next time, Readers!!!! xoxoxoxoxo

What’s In A Name

After almost 2 years here I think one of my top 5 issues is remembering peoples names. Sometimes they are just so different and for whatever reason, my brain just refuses to allow me to contain this info! So, I’m sitting here reading the back of the newspaper which lists all of the people who just got married, passed away, or had babies. No love stories and all that hullabaloo included…just names.

Here are a few that I can not pronounce to save my life. Thank you to the hubs for helping me on this!

Name (Pronunciation)

Women
1.Dunja (Dune-ya)
2.Elfriede (Ell-free-day)
3.Ingeborg (Ing-geh-borg)
4.Hildegard (Hill-dee-gard)
5.Edeltrud (Ay-dell-trood)
6.Inge (Ing-gay)
7.Simone (See-moan)

Men
1.Tilo (Tea-low)
2.Theophil (Tea-O-Phil)
3.Helmut (Hell-moot)
4.Egon (Eee-Gone)
5.Thorsten (Tore-sten)
6.Eugen (Oy-gen)

Thoughts?! Are these names you have a hard time pronouncing too? Maybe even to remember?!

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxoxoxo

My Visit With German Students

I just returned only minutes ago from a classroom where I got to sit and hang out with a bunch of German Kids for 50 minutes. Even though I should be cleaning for my big Halloween party tonight I had to stop for a moment and write about this experience because I’m just so excited about it. These kids were fantastic!!! I think I’m finally settled on what I want to be in life..It only took me 10 years but teaching would be ideal.

So my friend here is an English teacher and she asked me to come in and talk with the kids since they are learning about NY and NYC. Perfect! I was a little worried if they would understand me or if they would think I’m strange but they were so great. They laughed at all the right things, they listened as I told them about my experience with 9/11, just an all around great atmosphere. And here’s the fun part…they were all totally into my sweet spider rings and candy corn that I made them try. (Yes, made them!) It’s America’s #1 Candy! 🙂

(Great face….I know….lol)

So here are a few pics of me with the kids, I told the kids I would post them today already. I had so much fun and would love to come back around Christmas time and hang out with them again! 🙂  They spoke EXCELLENT English, I mean, seriously. I’m still trying to learn English but they were so great and had 5 questions each ready to throw at me! They all really made my day! 🙂

My new buddies!

Crazy Faces!

Pic with our sweet rings!

Special thanks to my Mom back home for sending me all the goodies I needed for this day to be a success! 🙂

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxox