Meal plan monday

It's that time again. I am gonna be honest with you folks, over these next few weeks its gonna be a lot of quick and easy and convenience foods.  At 8 and a half months I just do not have the energy and motivation to cook standard recipes. :)

Mon: Bratkartoffeln and spinach taschen

Tue - Thursday will be abend brot.

Friday- Baked potatoes with chili and cheese

Saturday- Breakfast: omelets
                Lunch: Sandwiches
                Dinner: Pasta with a side salad and baguette (carry over)

Sunday: Breakfast: Rolls
              Lunch: Soup and Baguette
              Dinner- Sloppy Joes with french fries and peas (carry over)
              Dessert- I am thinking those apple pockets were pretty darn good


I will add the shopping list up in a few days. And hubby has been warned not to chuck the receipt this time lol.

Already on hand:
Potatoes
Chili- I got a can at lidl left over from mexican week
Shredded cheese
Frozen rolls
Frozen cold cuts and cheese
eggs
Soup
peas
tomato paste
hamburger buns
french fries
Past and sauce
Lettuce
Bell pepper
Baugette

Sundays in my city 37 weeks

Today marks 37 weeks, meaning that the baby is officially considered full term and could make a healthy appearance at any time. I am feeling well but sluggish, otherwise in good spirits My mom flies in the weekend after next and that is super exciting. Next weekend a friend will be coming down to take my maternity pics.

Otherwise, I plan to use the next few weeks (assuming he stay in place that long) to precook some freezer meals, finish prepping the baby items, prewrite some blog posts to coast through the time my mom is here and baby is first home. Though I will post new Sundays in my cities and meal plans each week in addition to the prewritten posts, if anyone is interested in writing a guest post I would love it please email me :)

Yesterday we went and checked out the Christmas market a bit. Today has been a pretty quiet day at home working on the house.

Those grey pants and black sweatshirt are new I got a package from my mom :) I think I might live in these pants the next few weeks.

Make sure you stop by and check everyone else out at www.unknownmami.com

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

And you thought I forgot ....

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

So here is what I am Thankful for this year:

1. The fact that I am about to be a mommy.  

It is an amazing experience that I cnnot even begin to describe. It changes you so much as a person. I am amazed at how far I have come this far and I cannot wait to see what the future holds. I am so excited to meet him.

2. My mom will be flying in 14 days.  

I have not seen her since I left home in 2008. You never really realize the sacrifices you are about to make until you live them. My family has never even met my husband. It means so much to have her here and the fact it is during the holidays makes it even more special.

3.  I am at 90 followers almost 100. 

I started this blog as a travel blog I never in a million years thought anyone would give a hoot what I had to say, you know except the people who feel morally inclined to read it like my Dad. It means the world to me that you all bring my voice to life. 

4. I have been so blessed by the acts of kindness of people who know me as nothing more then a screen name as well some amazing friends I have made.

I can never begin to thank everyone for their generosity. It means so much and I hope and pray that I can pay it forward someday.  

5. I can finally speak enough busted German to get by. I kid I kid. 

No I don't it really is far from perfect, but I have come a long way from my Rosetta Stone 'Was ist das? Das ist eine Katze' days. Learning German has given me my life back. 

6. I have a husband who loves me unconditionally no matter how crazy I may be.

7. Things have really turned around for us, from Toni getting a permanent job contract to being blessed with wonderful treasures for our home from friends. 

8. My landlord has been leaving me in piece. 

Well for the most part, he still gardens everyday for 75% of the year, but I think we have an understanding now. And he has been much better about repairs.  

9.  I am finally getting a hang of this homemaking stuff. 

10. Now if I could just put my new sewing machine to use and get the hang of that. 

Living life to the fullest is not about the things we want or desire, it is not about having the biggest and the best, it is about valuing what is most important, treasuring what we gain, and being grateful for what we do have.

How have you been blessed this year? 

Disposable diapers in Germany

This is a cost comparison of the various disposable diapers in Germany. Keep in mind this is reflective of the area in which I reside and while the majority of companies have universal prices there is no guarantee that is the store price near you. Also it is obviously not all inclusive, these are the stores in my area that I have access to, but hopefully will help show the various options out there.

If you would like to collect the info for another store or brand not shown here, I am happy to add it shoot me an email with the Name, size name, kilo range, quantity per pack, and package price, as well as the store where those prices were collected :)

These are all standard non sale prices. For simplicities sake I rounded to the nearest cent, so some bigger packs may be fractions of cents cheaper, that will not be reflected only whole cents :)

 -Name Brand Diapers-

Pampers:

Prices noted from Rossmann and windel.de, prices are examples may fluctuate per store.

New Baby-
Micro      Preemie        1.5- 3kg  24 pack      6,98€      ,29 per diaper
Size 1      Newborn      2-5kg      27 pack      5,29€      ,20 per diaper
Size 2      Mini             3-6kg      48 pack      8.95€      ,19 per diaper

Baby Dry-
Size 2      Mini             3-6kg      58 pack      8.95€      ,15 per diaper                                             
Size 3      Midi             4-9kg      48 pack      8,95€      ,19 per diaper
                                                    104 pack    17,98€    ,17 per diaper
                                                    144 pack    24,18€    ,17 per diaper
                                                    192 pack    30.98€    ,16 per diaper
Size 4      Maxi             7-18kg    40 pack      8,95€      ,22 per diaper
                                                     88 pack      17.98€    ,20 per diaper
                                                     120 pack    24,18€    ,20 per diaper
                                                     160 pack    30.98€    ,19 per diaper
Size 4+    Maxi Plus     9-20kg    36 pack      8,95€      ,25 per diaper
                                                     80 pack      17,79€    ,22 per diaper
                                                     108 pack     24,18€   ,22 per diaper
Size 5      Junior           11-25kg    33 pack     8,95€      ,27 per diaper
                                                      74 pack     17,98€    ,24 per diaper
                                                      99 pack     24,18€    ,24 per diaper
                                                      132 pack   30,98€    ,23 per diaper                                       
Size 5+    Junior +        13-27kg    30 pack     8.95€     ,30 per diaper
                                                       68 pack     17.98€   ,26 per diaper
Size 6      XL                 7-18kg     27 pack     8,95€      ,33 per diaper

Stay Dry-
Size 4+    Maxi Plus     9-20kg     37 pack     6,99€      ,19 per diaper

Active Fit-
Size 3      Midi              4-9kg      42 pack      8,95€      ,21 per diaper
                                                     84 pack      17,98€    ,21per diaper
                                                     126 pack    25,78€    ,20 per diaper
                                                     168 pack    32,97€    ,20 per diaper
Size 4      Maxi             7-18kg     34 pack     8,95€      ,26 per diaper
                                                      68 pack    17.79 €    ,26 per diaper
                                                      102 pack   25,78€    ,25 per diaper
                                                      136 pack   32,98 €   ,24 per diaper
Size 4+    Maxi Plus     9-20kg     33 pack     8,95€      ,27 per diaper
                                                      66 pack     17,98€    ,27 per diaper
                                                      99 pack     25,78€    ,26 per diaper
Size 5      Junior           11-25kg    31 pack     8,95€      ,29 per diaper
                                                      62 pack     17.98€    ,29 per diaper
                                                      93 pack     25,78€    ,28 per diaper
                                                      124 pack   32,98€    ,27 per diaper
Size 5+    Junior +        13-27kg    58 pack     17.98€     ,31 per diaper
                                                       87 pack     25,78€     ,30 per diaper

Simple Dry-
Size 3      Midi              4-9kg      48 pack      6,98€      ,15 per diaper
                                                     96 pack      13,68€     ,14 per diaper
Size 4      Maxi            7-18kg     40 pack       6,99€     ,17 per diaper
                                                     80 pack      13,68€    ,17 per diaper
Size 4+    Maxi Plus     9-20kg    37 pack        6,98€     ,19 per diaper
                                                     74 pack        13,68€   ,18 per diaper
Size 5      Junior          11-25kg    34 pack       6,99€      ,21 per diaper
                                                     68 pack       13,68€    ,20 per diaper
Size 6      XL               16-30kg   18 pack       4,95€      ,83 per diaper

Easy up (pull ups)-
Size 4      Maxi            7-18kg     30 pack        8,88€      ,30 per diaper
                                                     60 pack        17,58€    ,29 per diaper
                                                     90 pack        25,58€    ,28 per diaper
Size 5      Junior          12-18kg      28 pack      8,95€      ,32 per diaper
                                                       56 pack      17,58€     ,31 per diaper
                                                       84 pack      25,58€     ,30 per diaper
Size 6      XL               16+kg         26 pack      8,95€      ,34 per diaper

Underjams night pull ups (schlafhöschen)-
Girls:
Size Sm/Md           17-29kg / 4-8 years   10 pack      8,95€     ,86 per diaper
Size L                     26-39kg                     9 pack        8.88€     ,99 per diaper

Boys:
Size Sm/Md      17-29kg / 4-8 years      10 pack      8,88€     ,89 per diaper
Size L                26-39kg                        9 pack        8,88€     ,99 per diaper

Huggies:
Dry nights (pull ups)-
Girls:
4-7 Years                       10 pack          8,48€          ,85 per diaper
8-15 Years                      9 pack           8,48€          ,94 per diaper

Boys:
4-7 Years                       10 pack          8,48€          ,85 per diaper
8-15 Years                      9 pack           8,48€          ,94 per diaper

Little swimmers (swim diapers)-
Size XS          3-6 kg          13 pack          8,48€          ,65 per diaper
Size S             7-12kg         12 pack          8,48€          ,71 per diaper
Size M           11-15kg        11 pack          8,48€          ,77 per diaper
Size L            14 + kg         10 pack          8,48€          ,85 per diaper

Fixies:
Classic-

Size 1      Newborn      2-5kg      30 pack      4,98€      ,17 per diaper
Size 2      Mini             3-6kg      28 pack      4,98€      ,18 per diaper                                             
Size 3      Midi             4-9kg      24 pack      4,98€      ,21 per diaper                                                  
Size 4      Maxi             7-18kg    22 pack      4,98€      ,23 per diaper                                             
Size 4+    Maxi Plus     9-20kg    20 pack      4,98€      ,25 per diaper                                            
Size 5      Junior           11-25kg   18 pack      4,98€      ,28 per diaper
                                                      40 pack     8,98€      ,22 per diaper                                   
Size 5+    Junior +        13-27kg    34 pack     8.98€     ,26 per diaper

Pants (pull ups)-
Size 4      Maxi            9-20kg     30 pack        8,98€      ,30 per diaper                                               
Size 5      Junior          11-25kg    28 pack        8,98€      ,32 per diaper                                                  
Size 6      XL               16+kg       26 pack        8,98€      ,35 per diaper
      

-Environmentally Friendly Diapers-

Moltex:
Öko Höschenwindel (ecologically friendly diapers)-
Size 2      Mini             3-6kg      46 pack      9,98€      ,22 per diaper                                             
Size 3      Midi             4-9kg      42 pack      9,98€      ,24 per diaper
                                                    84 pack      19,68€    ,23per diaper                                                
Size 4      Maxi             7-18kg   40 pack       9,98€      ,25 per diaper
                                                    80 pack       9,98€      ,24 per diaper                                                        Size 5      Junior           11-25kg  34 pack       9,98€      ,29 per diaper
                                                    68 pack       19,28€    ,28 per diaper                                   
Size 6      XL                16-30kg  28 pack       9.98€     ,36 per diaper
                                                   
Vlieswindeln (Disposable diaper inserts)        50 pack       4,98€       ,10 per insert


Wiona:
Biowindel (Organic diapers)-
Size 1      Newborn      2-4kg      20 pack      6,98€      ,35 per diaper 
Size 2      Mini             3-6kg      48 pack      14,98€    ,31 per diaper                                             
Size 3      Midi             4-9kg      48 pack      15,98€    ,33 per diaper                                                  
Size 4      Maxi             7-16kg    44 pack      16,98€    ,37 per diaper                                             
Size 5      Junior           12-25kg   40 pack      16,98€    ,42 per diaper
                                      

 -House Brand Diapers-

Rossmann- Baby Dream:

Standard diapers (windel)-
Size 1      Newborn      2-5kg      28 pack      4.59€      ,16 per diaper
Size 2      Mini             3-6kg      42 pack      4.99€      ,12 per diaper
Size 3      Midi             4-9kg      46 pack      5,49€      ,12 per diaper
                                                    92 pack     10,75€     ,12 per diaper
Size 4      Maxi            7-18kg     40 pack     5,49€      ,14 per diaper
                                                     80 pack    10,75€     ,13 per diaper
                                                     120 pack   14,99€    ,12 per diaper
Size 4+    Maxi Plus    9-20kg     36 pack     5.49€      ,15 per diaper
                                                     72 pack    10,75€     ,15 per diaper
Size 5      Junior          12-25kg    34 pack     5,49€      ,16 per diaper
                                                     68 pack     10,75€    ,16 per diaper
                                                     102 pack   14,99€    ,15 per diaper
Size 5+    Junior +       13-27kg    33 pack     5,49€     ,17 per diaper
Size 6      XL               16-30kg    32 pack      5,49€     ,17 per diaper
                                                     
Swimming diaper (Schwimmwinde)- 
Size S      4-9kg        12 pack     3.99€     ,33 per diaper
Size M     7-13kg      11 pack     3.99€     ,36 per diaper
Size L      12-20 kg    10 pack    3.99€     ,40 per diaper

Öko Premium windeln (ecological friendly)-
Size 3      Midi             4-9kg         48 pack     7,49€      ,16 per diaper
Size 4      Maxi            7-18kg        44 pack     7,49€      ,17 per diaper

Pull ups (windelslips)-
Size 4      Maxi            7-15kg        22 pack     4,95€      ,23 per diaper
Size 5      Junior          12-22kg      20 pack      4,95€      ,25 per diaper
Size 6      XL               16-30kg      18 pack      4,95€      ,27 per diaper

Misc diaper related products:
Disposable changing pads (wickelunterlage)       10 pack      3,49€       ,35 per pad

look up insert info (adding in the morning)

Real:
Tip- (Am I a house brand, only seen at real???)
Size 3      Midi             4-10kg    40  pack     4,99€       ,12 per diaper
Size 4      Maxi             9-15kg    40 pack      4,99€      ,12 per diaper  
Size 5      Junior          13-18kg    34 pack      4,99€     ,15 per diaper   


Real Quality Active dry fit-   
Size 1      Newborn      2-5kg      68 pack      7,99€      ,12 per diaper
Size 2      Mini             3-6kg      62 pack      7,99€      ,13 per diaper                                            
Size 3      Midi             4-10kg    58 pack      7,99€      ,14 per diaper      
Size 4      Maxi             9-15kg    50 pack      7,99€     ,16 per diaper 
Size 5      Junior          13-18kg    44 pack      7,99€     ,18 per diaper

Edeka:
Elkos-
Size 4      Maxi            7-18kg        50 pack     6,99€      ,14 per diaper
Size 5      Junior          11-25kg       44 pack     6,99€      ,16 per diaper

Misc: 
Unterlage          10 pack          3,45          ,35 per pad


Lidl:
Toujours-
Size 3      Midi             4-9kg       56 pack      6,49€     ,12 per diaper      
Size 4      Maxi             7-18kg    50 pack      6,99€     ,14 per diaper 
Size 5      Junior          11-25kg    44 pack      6,99€     ,16 per diaper

Schlecker- Baby Smile :
Original-
Size 2      Mini             3-6kg      52 pack      6,79€      ,13 per diaper                                             
Size 3      Midi             4-9kg      46 pack      6,79€      ,15 per diaper
                                                    92 pack      12,99€    ,14 per diaper      
Size 4      Maxi             7-18kg    42 pack      6,79€     ,16per diaper 
                                                     84 pack     12.99€    ,15 per diaper
Size 4+    Maxi Plus    9-20kg     38 pack      6,79€     ,18 per diaper 
Size 5      Junior          12-25kg    34 pack      6,79€     ,20 per diaper 
                                                     68 pack      12,99€   ,19 per diaper
Size 6      XL               16-30kg    30 pack      6,79€     ,23 per diaper

Pants-
Size 4      Maxi             8-15kg    20 pack      6,79€     ,34 per diaper
Size 6      XL               16-30kg   18 pack      6,79€     ,38 per diaper

Misc:
Unterlage by AS          50 pack          2,79€          ,28 per pad

-Online Resources-

Buying diapers:
Rossmann Versand (online shop carrying the baby dream line and name brands)
Real Online Shop (Carries tip, real quality, and name brands)
Schlecker Online (carries baby smile and name brands)
Windeln.de (name brands)
Amazon Germany (Name brand diapers)
Ebay Germany (Many people and shops sell factory sealed diapers as well a B quality, but I suggest you always buy sealed)

Additional resources:
Sparbaby (Frugal baby blog has a weekly diaper sale comparison)

Make sure you check out my freebies for pregnant and new moms post to sign up for a variety of freebies including loads of diaper coupons even for house brands

And a random tip. I have been told by many people that often times hospitals and midwives will sell discounted diapers, never hurts to ask.


Do you know of any links that belong here? Shoot me an email or leave a comment I would love to add them.



Check back I hope to check out the following stores to see if they carry house brands and how they stack up.... Netto, rewe, aldi, kaufland/handelshof, DM.

A few stores I do not have near me so if anyone want to collect the info I am happy to add them such as Mueller and Pennymarkt or if you know any other house or name brands please do let me know.

And feel free to let me know any inaccuracies or missing sizes :D

Also coming soon.....
House brand baby care products
..... so check back

So what diapers work best for your family? Are you in love with any particular house brand?

Rena's baby pool

Update: Use the measurements you are accustomed to, pounds or kilograms :)

After a very disheartening experience on one of my commonly used forums, I decided to place my baby pool here where I have absolute power (Insert the big brother voice from ET here).

No really though, I never understand the negativity and hostility of some people in this world but we will save that for another post and another day. This is supposed to bring back the fun :)

This is teenie as of Sunday at 36 weeks, as you see his is not so teenie anymore.

Rumors are a swirling that that there are suspicions of an early appearance yet others swear first babies are always late. So lets see which ones of you have the magic foresight :P

So here are the facts as we know them:
Baby boy name Luca
Due December 19, 2010
First baby

Now it is your turn:
Date of birth....
Time of birth....
Length of labor....
Natural or epidural....
Weight....
Length....

So lets get this party started.

15% off and free shipping this black friday @ Pussy Foots

I don't know about you but I love etsy. Who doesn't right. Well a very good friend of mine has an etsy shop and she is running a special this black Friday that I wanted to share with you.

Her shop is called Pussy Foots and offers a variety of hand painted goods from handmade Christmas cards to a variety of painted wearables ranging from hats to bags. 

Baised out of St. Petersburg, Florida she describes herself and her interest in art:

Although my first love is teaching, making wearable art has also long been a favorite of mine. Calligraphy came first, then making greeting cards. Watercolor painting keeps the calligraphy freer. A hop, skip and jump later, painting on clothing seemed a natural thing to do. Now paint seems to jump onto many surfaces. 

The sale is running from now through Saturday morning.

With the code BLACKFRIDAY24HRSALE you will receive 15% off your total order and to top it off she is offering free shipping nationwide (US ONLY) through the end of the year.

Meal plan monday

It is that time again. I like to post what I actually end up spending, but my prenatal class is on Monday nights and now they added the prenatal acupuncture as of today so no chance to go shopping. So that will come in a second post this week and I will link it back to this one :)

So you already know Mon- Thursday: Abendbrot (I still have a post about this in the works check back)

Friday: Spaghetti with salad and baguette

Saturday:
Breakfast -Bratkartoffeln (didn't happen last weekend)
lunch- Soup w/ Baguette
dinner- Bacon cheese burgers with Baked potatoes

Sunday:
Breakfast - Eierkuchen (again carry over last weekend we did rolls instead)
Lunch - Sandwiches
Dinner- Gulasch with noodles and veggie
Dessert- TBD

I plan to shop at Netto again this week, they have the best deals especially on meats.

I forgot to mention, I discovered our Edeka no longer carries Macaroni & Cheese, I think a small piece of my soul died in that moment of discovery. :(

Afterthought: I realize some people may wonder about the lack of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is not a celebrated holiday here it is a normal work day. I had not planned to cook as it is too much work at 8 and a half months pregnant. I did however make plans with another expat who is due just 2 days after m, to get together in December and cook a Thanksgiving meal (scaled down of course) together. Of course that will depend if either teenies decide to make any early appearances :P If so we may be having a very delayed Thanksgiving lol.

And make sure you stop by www.orgjunkie.com for hundreds of other meal ideas each week.

 Update: Mr. Lost in translation left my receipt in the grocery wagon and try as I might, I cannot reconstruct all prices my apologies. Our total food costs were about 50 euro this week.  In addition we spent a little extra on household items on sale like the aluminum padding for behind the heater and a bathroom mat :)

I told him if he throws it away again hes grounded :P

When the time comes

I hope to have a post shell that Toni will be able to just fill in the details. The length of stay in the hospitals after birth in Germans is very different then the US in one day and out the other. For a normal birth without complications the length of stay various between 3-5 days by cesarean up to 12.

I had hoped to be able to come online with UMTS but Toni said the hospital will not have a signal. So we will work out another way to update everyone. I also plan to update my facebook status as well.

That said, there will not be a bunch of calls to people back home, family aside, due to the International calling rates. Cell phones charge ,75 cents a minute, and I am sure the hospital phone (as cell phones are not allowed) is far more and that is in Euros so about a buck a minute.  They charge even for local phones, it is not a included commodity.

So only people in Germany and of course my dad back home will get the call nothing personal. I look forward to talking to people after I get back home.

If you are one of my friends in Germany and want to visit me in the hospital you need to get in contact asap to get on the call list. :)

As of next Sunday the 37 week mark, he is considered full term and can come any day :D

Sundays in my City 36 weeks

Teenie is not so teenie anymore. Only 4 weeks or 28 days left to go. I know the chances he will be born on that day is pretty slim, but its still exciting none the less. And to top it off my mom is flying in 19 days. I am so excited. Now if she would just get her bags packed I would stop worrying :P

Today was pretty uneventful except that we did a whole bunch of housework. Our TV is now broken so the landlord will have to come in to fix the cable and it had needed to be done anyway pre baby and house guest and it was a huge relief. I still have decluttering to do, but nothing major, so the overwhelming aspects are gone, just need to keep it up. Next weekend we will clean out the car and Toni will do some spot painting and small repairs.

So here it is the 36 week belly.

Make sure you stop by unknownmami.com and check out everyone elses lovely adventures.

It's been such a long journey its hard to believe it so close to an end.

Hipp welcome packet

I am going to link this to the freebies for mommas post :)

 Today I got my first freebie it was a welcome packet from Hipp Mein Baby Club

This one was actually pregnancy themed. It had a small bottle of Hipp Mama Sanft Massage-öl (Massage oil) 20ml

There is a welcome letter with a form for me to fill out once the baby arrives with his details,  from which they assemble a persönliches Begrußungspaket (welcome kit).


There is also a little card for a catalouge called Babybutt. Cute name. But I of course will have to check out their prices. Can they compare with mytoys???


Then there is a small flier that shows all of the baby products in their baby care line.


Coupons for  1 euro off a sample pack or 5 euro off a normal pack of Hipp Natal Nahrungsergänzung. That is a mouthful aint it. I think this is another type of prenatal vitamen. I may check it out I do not plan to switch now, but since I will be taking them in the Stillzeit (breastfeeding time) I may try another brand as I am paying 22 euro a month for femibion. But I have to check it out and see if it is comparable.


And last but not least was a small booklet called Schön Schwanger all about proper care during pregnancy and some cool tips like massage. It is of course based around their products, but there are many general tips as well.


I look foward to see what they send in the baby welcome packet :)


Check out my full list of freebies for moms in Germany here

Meal plan (Wednesday)

Better late then never right. I am not even going to lie, my meal plans are all over the place. My habits my systems are mad at the moment, so do not rely on consistency here lol.

Mon- Jambalaya. A friend gave me a rice mix and I added nuremburgers and a can of kidney beans. It was really good and I would like to try making it from scratch since I cannot get the mixes here.

Tue- Mcdonalds. I wanted a 1955 burger and they were sold out, I will not lie I enjoyed the Big mac equally as much.

Wensday- Abendbrot

Thursday- Abendbrot

Friday- Linsen (lentil) soup over spatzle (fresh egg noodles)with mixed veggies and a baguette

Saturday- Breakfast: Bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes) with onion, egg, and cubed bacon
                Lunch: Sandwiches with veggies strips
                Dinner: Asian pepper pork with rice

Sunday- Breakfast: Eierkuchen (similar to a pancake)
               Lunch: Sandwiches and fruit
               Dinner: I am using a knorr style seasoning packet for a ground beef dish with mushrooms over
                pasta, with peas and rolls
               Cake: Apple taschen (apple pockets)

My total grocery costs were 41 euro. (Some items were already on hand)
Plus 13 Mcdonalds

Total: 54 Euro. Thats an average of 2,57 per meal (But keep in mind I have many items I keep stocked on sale in the pantry that keep our food costs down). Plus a few of these will last more then 1 week.

Groceries bought at Netto:
Produce:
Bell pepper (3 colored pack on sale for .66 cents x2)
Potatoes (5 kilo on sale for 1,49)
Cucumber (.89)
Lemons (.59)
Clementine oranges (1.19)

Dairy:
Milk (.50 x2)
Eggs (1.29)
Cheese (Butterkase 1.89) ( Kase Aufschnitt 1.19)
Spatzle (.89)
Yogurt 500g (1,19)
Noodle salad (.79)
Gruetze (1.25)

Meats:
Cubed pork (2.79)
small ham chunks (1.69) This is enough for 2 meals
tee wurst (on sale for .88)
Motadella slices (.69)
Puten salami ( on sale for .97)
Knackwurst (on sale for 1.49)
Smoked salmon (2,99)
Cheese filled sausages precooked (2,79)

Frozen:
Veggie mix (.49)
Appfeltaschen (1,49)

Breads:
Garlic Baugette (.39)
Weizenmischbrot (.99)
Toast bread (.45)

Canned:
Linsen soup (.69)
kidney beans (.29)

Snacks:
Chip mix (1.99)
snack mix (.99)
cookies  (.99)
chocolates (.79 x2)

Misc items:
shaving cream (1.15)
Oatmeal (.35)
Maxi pads (noname .55) For nachsorge

Note: I had the following items on hand-
Jamabalaya mix
can of kidney beans
Package of Nuremburger Sausages
Onions
Beef Bullion
Sugar
Cornstarch
Ground ginger
Soy sauce
Rice
Some eggs
flour
Ground beef
Beef seasoning packet
Noodles
Canned peas
rolls
Normal seasonings: Salt, pepper, and commonly used spices

35 weeks

Alright a few days late but here you go.

35 weeks, as of today only 33 days to go. My mom will be flying here in 24 days :D

Left behind

I know I forgot the Sunday in my city week 35 update. No worries pictures are a coming.

I was actually inspired by another expat blogger over at I'll fly away after she posted about the kitties she left behind.

I think that is one of the hardest things about moving is leaving our small friends behind. I know that some people can bring pets and many do, but for man it is not an option. To this day I often wonder if I made the right choices because sometimes I miss them so much. So I thought I would share some of my memories with you.

The little white siamese one is Napolean. About a year before I left he went to live with a friend. She later had to give him away and I have no info on what ever happened to him. I miss him a lot he was such a little sweetheart.

But the little black one bettie, who I called poopie was my best friend. I had her with me until the day I left. She went to live with my friend Amy and she is still with her today. They bring each other so much joy and that brings great comfort. But I would be lying if I did not say that there were many a days that I wished I had brought her with me.

I saw her and fell in love. A friends cat had kittens and I had to bribe them to give me that baby kitty. She was so small she used to curl up inside my shoes.

She was so much fun she followed me everywhere. Came when I called her. She was an amazing companion and an wonderful friend. I am happy that I still get to see her in pictures and I know that she is loved by someone I love.

I have had cats since I was little. It has been a regular part of my life and they bring me so much joy. It is something that I have always felt lacking since I have been here. I keep hoping that one of these days Toni will come home with a kitten to surprise me. I am sure baby Luca would love her just as much as I do :)

Free stuff for expecting and new moms in Germay

Now before you get all grateful I have to admit this was put together by a friend of mine and is reposed with her permissions. So I will pass any gratitude her way.

Make note some places allow you to sign up while pregnant others must be done post birth :)

First up here are the baby clubs that offer a welcome packet full of freebies and coupons:

Real: A welcome box of goodies including a toy and socks as well as a coupon book as well as yearly birthday gifts

DM: A welcome packet that includes toy some sample sized toiletries and a book of coupons valued at over 200 euro. Cannot register until after the babies birth.

Update: DM is now offering a separate pregnancy club. You sign up and receive a coupon to pick up a gift box in store :) Sign up here

According to Sparbaby the welcome kit includes:  An info booklet about the DM housebrand, 150ml mamma massage cream, 5 euro gift card and a coupon book worth at least 15 euro

Rossmann: A welcome packet that includes a toy, sample sized toiletries and a book of coupons valued at over 300 euro. In addition to age appropriate advice and tips, year 1 and 2 birthday gifts, regular coupon offers by post and a magazine subscription for parents.
They do allow registration while pregnant.

Check out my pregnancy welcome kit here.

Mueller: A 5 euro voucher  and a coupon book as well as some small trinkets

Schlecker: Welcome packet, 3 euro gift certificate, coupons, and a chance to win a vacation.
They allow registration during pregnancy.

Check out my Begrüssungspaket here

You can also sign up at many of the major baby companies in order to receive a variety of samples and coupons.


Pampers: A free personalized T shirt for baby, free diapers, and 50 euros on coupons, as well as coupons sent out on a regular basis and a subscription to pampers village magazine

Hipp: A welcome packet with free baby food and various samples, a 20 euro gift certificate to start a baby savings account, over 100 euro in coupons, a membership card that gives you discounts in many family activities, exclusive contests to enter, a 50 euro HP gift card, and a personalized name sticker for your car

I got a pregnancy kit from them as well, check it out here

Alete/Nestle: A welcome packet with a variety of samples as well as over 30 euro in coupons

Milupa: Food samples and coupons

Penaten. Samples of baby care products

Bebivita: Food samples and coupons

Also when you sign up with the hebamme for the geburtsvorbereitung course you are often given a gift set (inserting a picture this afternoon)

In addition, many hospitals offer a baby packet but some do not. Some have cray cool ones others just give you some samples and call it a dy, hopefully we end up at one of the cool ones :P

Hope that helps to get you started :)

Meal Plan monday

Not as exciting as they once were as we are only eating hot on the weekends at this point. Which is easier on both me and the pocketbooks so hey kill 2 birds with one stone.

So Mon- Thursday is abend brot. For those of you who are not familiar with the concept I will be doing a post on that.

Friday: Eggs and Potatoes in mustard sauce (German recipie)
Saturday:  Maccaroncini noodles with tomaten-sahne- sauce and rolls
Sunday: Bratwurst in bratsauce with potato salad and rohtkohl

So what's for dinner at your house?

Sundays in my city - 34 weeks

34 weeks can you believe it has been so long. I am filled with such a variety of emotions everything from extreme excitement to utter terror. I can't wait to meet him but I am scared to death to let go to the bond we shared these past 8 months. 

Today was nothing to exciting. We worked on the house, put up some Christmas decorations. The baby areas are coming together nice and I will add pics soon. I do not have any decorations or a nursery, but I think it is nice :)

I am excited that we finally figured out how to get a wide variety of more English TV and I have been enjoying Hoarders and 17 kids and counting.

I was super excited to win a auction on ebay today for one of those storage systems with the plastic bins, they run 60-120 euro here and I got one for 20. You can see what it looks like here. Yay. I will use that in my diapering area for all the pflege items. I still have some needs stoarge wide, but it is coming together.

My mom arrive in just under 5 weeks and I am so excited. It will be my first time seeing her since I left home in 2008, and or first Christmas together in years. I even have a stocking for her :D

Things are going well .

Make sure you stop by and check out the other ladies over at unknownmami.com

The truth about poop- Series Intro

Title sure got your attention didn't it. After many many moths of fighting to get accurate and applicable information about cloth diapering, I decided to share my info on this blog. Now as I started to write my accumulated info I realized I better break it up or I may have a book sized entry. Hehe.

So this will be a once a week series addressing various aspects of cloth diapering. I will post once every Friday. Now I cannot say how long it will run , we will just wing it. I will of course keep up with my other subject matter so have no fear you can skip these if they are of no interest for you. but I need to get back in the swing of blogging any who. I have been slacking and that makes me sad.

Feel free to email me any questions on the subject at Lostintranslation_08@yahoo.com

So lets jump right in:

Cloth diapers, you mean those pieces of cloth that people put on babies bottoms and get covered in poo? Or you mean those fancy pre-assembled ones that cost like 30 bucks a pop right? Oh those start up fees, it costs hundreds if not a thousand just to start right?

Right?

Wrong. That is where I was about 6 months ago. Cloth diapering was not for me. It meant poop and scrapping and gross stained diapers and it was hard and dirty and expensive. Well at least in my mind it was. That was until I actually took the time to really take a look at cloth and the advantages it could have for my family. But you know what that was not the final bit of info that pushed me of the fence. It was the reality that cloth diapering need not be so expensive and even me a mom with a buget and frugal lifestyle could find a way to do it.

This is not a series about why cloth diapers are better. Why people who choose not to use them are bad. Nor am I saying this is an all inclusive turorial of all cloth options. This is just my journey into cloth diapering and what worked for me, and hopefully you can gain something out of it.




I hope you will join me :)

Help help help, prebaby meal planning

Alright ladies, I am in need of your thoughts and inputs. You know I read all these lovely blogs about the ladies who cooked a months worth of meals before the baby came and oh what a different it made. And I would love to do the same, there is just one problem....

This is what I am working with. Now do not get me wrong. I am so blessed to have that additional beer cooler sized one. I was given that by my friend Diane when she moved back to the States and it is a lifesaver. Eventually we will get a kombi and I hope someday a standing freezer but this is what I got for now. I left the food inside so you can have a visual idea of what I have.

I am trying to figure out how best to utilize this space post baby. So here was my ideas and I want your feedback and ideas please please please.

So lets start with the mini cooler. That top areas is deeper so I was thinking of pre-making 9 full meals. Now keep in mind on Mon-Thursday we eat abend brot, which is like a cold cut buffet. I do like to buy meats in advance and freeze to save money, but I am willing to take a break on that and just buy as we need for a few weeks. So 9 meals would be 3 weeks worth of hot meals. I am thinking a few casseroles and maybe some items like burritos that could be sandwiched in the sides and tertrised in. Do you think that would fit in that top section? Of course assuming the thing is empty.


Then I figure in the lower bit I will keep some frozen siode4 dishes like veggies, and you know even some cold cuts and cheeses would likely fit there as well. I am not envisioning the big bags of veggies, thjose are cheaper buit the small square ones would fit better here.

What do you think? Doable?

Ok that said, what recipies do you have that freeze easy?

Now for the second freezer that thin flat one from my fridge. Not sure what to do here. Now I could stock it with convenience foods, say fish filets, pizzas maybe a bag of french fries (though those take up quiet a bit of room and could easily be picked up at the store cheap at anytime.

Any Ideas? I do not really want to waste the space on things like raw meat that requires full preperation and items like french fries and bread seem a waste because they are so cheap here even when not on sale. So I am thinking maybe pack that full of frozen foods that just need warmed. As well as meats and cheese colödcuts as they come on sale,. which is nromally where I save money.

Is 3 weeks food reasonable. That would still require trips to the store for last minute items breads or frozen odds and ends that don't fit as well as produce and fruits, the things that do not stay fresh as long here. But I think Daddy could handle a small list, or who knows maybe I will want to get out and walk to the store.

Would this make a big difference in my post birth time?

I also failed to mention I am giving birth in the holiday season so I will have to make a Christmas dinner (not a fancy one just something special), as well as 2 hot meals when the in laws come to visit for new years. So maybe I could make something in advance and freeze it, I dunno. For so many people I think it might waste a lot of space. Maybe I will just do easy meals like spaghetti and meat sauce that I can make in a short amount of time rather then eating my freezer space.Well X mas will be just mom hubby and me so I could do like a baked penne in a dish and freeze that would make life easier I think then just make a salad and add bread.

Or maybe I shoudl make my 10 meals, then tetris it in and see what room is left. If I freeze now would it be good in January? How do I properly wrap things like a csserole to freeze and stack? Hell what shoudl I make that freezes easily??


Help my head is in circles. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!