Moving to Two Kids

Welcome to the January Carnival of Natural Parenting: Parenting resolutions!

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month we're writing about how we want to parent differently — or the same — in the New Year. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

This new year, life will be changing at my house. Baby Bounce is due
to arrive January 13th but I am assuming he will be born a week late
like his big sister. That is the reason that 'estimated' usually
modifies due date anyway.

So what does this mean? I really don't know. I've been reading the
book, Siblings Without Rivalry, for some insight on how to introduce the baby to big sister S. I like the basic theme of the book where it is not my job to ensure S and her baby brother are bffs but rather set them up to be able to negotiate adult relationships. I am certainly far from bestest friends with my siblings and a lot of that has to do with our personalities but some of that has to do with our unable to resolve conflicts between each other.

I would love for my kids to be good friends but I don't have a map on
how to make that happen, hence the book. S is very excited to have a
baby brother coming and I hope that sentiment will continue after he
is born. I tend to set a lot of the tone for the house and I hope that
2010 will prove to be a successful year for me as mama.

Wish me luck!

******

Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(All the links should be active by noon on Jan. 12. Go to Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama for the most recently updated list.)

• To Yell or Not to Yell — The Adventures of Lactating Girl
• It Is All About Empathy: Nurturing a Toddler's Compassion Potential — Baby Dust Diaries
• To my babies: this year… — BluebirdMama
• Mindfully Loving My Children — Breastfeeding Moms Unite!
• January Carnival of Natural Parenting: Resolutions — Code Name: Mama
• Imperfect Mother — Consider Eden
• Resolutions — Craphead (aka Mommy)
• FC Mom's Parenting Resolutions 2010 — FC Mom
• What’s in a Resolution? — Happy Mothering
• January Carnival of Natural Parenting: Parenting resolutions — Hobo Mama
• Natural Parenting Resolutions — Little Green Blog
• This year, I will mostly... — Look Left of the Pleiades
• Parenting Resolutions — The Mahogany Way
• I Resolve to Breastfeed In Public More Often — mama2mama tips
• Moving to Two Kids — Megna the Destroyer
• Use Love — Momopoly
• My parenting resolutions — Musings of a Milk Maker
• Talkin' 'bout My Resolutions — Navelgazing
• Parenting Resolutions — One Starry Night
• Invitations, not resolutions — Raising My Boychick
• No more multitasking during kid time — The Recovering Procrastinator
• I need to slow down, smell those roses AND the poopy diapers — Tales of a Kitchen Witch Momma
• Resolutely Parenting in 2010 — This Is Worthwhile

Dress Up

S features her swimsuit, kitty ears, fairy wand, Hello Kitty mittens, cape (from Etsy.com), knee high socks (not pictured), and slippers (not pictured). I am pretty sure there is a tutu under there somewhere too.

Saving for an Espresso Machine

Before we moved to a small village without a coffeeshop, I thought long and hard about what I really need on a day to day basis. Basically it boiled down to needing an espresso machine. Not just any espresso machine, mind you, but a good one.

Around Zurich, most of the machines are Nespresso branded and run between 100-200 CHF. The problem with the Nespresso branded machines is they take cartridges of ground beans and I object to the waste generated by individual packaging. The husband's work has a combo espresso/coffee machine that uses whole beans and the machine grinds these immediately before brewing the coffee. Of course I am lusting after this machine but it is somewhat pricey. I did find a cheaper home version but it is still expensive.

So I plot of a way to come up with the cash for this machine. Hopefully I will have one before my birthday - in April.

Apfelschorle - A German and Swiss Apple Softdrink

Apfelschorle is a popular drink in Switzerland and I hear it is also popular in Germany. It apple juice mixed with lightly carbonated water. It isn't quite as carbonated or heavy as sparkling cidar but still has a little bit of a kick.

I'd rather be drinking a beer but not for another week or so. Or until the baby feels like making a grand appearance.

Due next Wednesday and too tired to post

Bounce is due somewhere between now and 2.5 weeks from now but theoretically he is due next Wednesday. Just like a good proto-baby, he is stealing all of my energy and cheer so I haven't felt like posting. Hopefully he will be born soon and I won't have to serve him with an eviction notice. Maybe I'll just bribe him with chocolate. :)

But here is a photo of the statue in front of Zurich Hauptbahnhof (HB). It looks like the statue is puking ice.

Project 365 - A Picture a Day

SophieKat posted on her blog a project of taking a picture a day for a year and posting it on your blog.

I am starting a few days late so I guess mine will be Project 360. If I can actually do it, that will be impressive. I'll start with pics the husband took of Bern. In other words, I am going to start by cheating.

Calling Swiss cell phones from Skype

The husband and kid went to Bern yesterday for a day trip to the bear zoo. They said they'd be back around dinner time but when dinner time rolled around and I didn't hear anything, I decided to call my cellphone which I shoved on the husband as he left the house in the morning.

I used my Skype credits to call the cellphone which was pretty straightforward. And expensive. Unlike the price they charge for calls to US land lines (~$.02 per minute), Skype charged an outrageous $.36 per minute.

Guess we won't be using Skype to call Swiss cellphones from now on unless it is an emergency - like I am finally in labor.

A Small Brag on the Girl

Following in her parents' footsteps, S can now add certain numbers.

There are pieces of paper floating around the house that look like this:

1 + 1 = 2
2 + 2 = 4
4 + 4 = 8
8 + 8 = 16
16 + 16 = 32
32 + 32 = 64
64 + 64 = 128

Look familiar? Now we just need to teach her binary notation.

New Years Eve in Zurich - Photos

Happy New Year!

It is January 2nd, 2010. Nope, I take that back. It is January 3rd, 2010.

Happy New Year!!!1!!11!