Weekend Wonder - Grafenwoehr Water Tower

Today Roll's Cub Scout group met at the infamous Graf Water Tower. We have been here now almost six years and before today had never stepped foot inside the tower. It is quite impressive. This tower sits central to the military post.

In 1907 Bavarian Prince Luitpold directed the establishment of a training area at Grafenwoehr. From 1909 - 1911 craftsman from all over Bavaria were brought to Grafenwoehr to build the water tower and the original post. From 1910 - 1999 it served as the primary means of delivering drinking water from local wells on post to the kaserne and the field camps. From June 1999 to present day the town of Grafenwoehr supplies water to the main post. The water tower continue to supply water to the field camps as the Grafenwoehr city water systems does not have the pressure needed to push the water that far. The tower has served as a Boy Scout hut, the Post Fire Department radio relay, the AFN (Armed Forces Network) transmitter site, and a parade reviewing stand for the Bavarian royalty among other things. We were informed that many dollars went into reinforcing the walls to hold two conference rooms within in the tower. One is a pretty fancy and up-to-date with all necessities. Rock stated upon entering the fancy conference room "This room smells like Grandpa's car!" The room does have a lot of leather.

The Tower has ten floors (including the attic and basement) and is 137 feet high. There are 2 water tanks with a total capacity of 55,723 gallons of water. Most of the water pipes are original. It is divided into three distinct regions. The first has 68 hand-cut stone steps that climb from the front door to the fifth floor landing. We could see where the stone cutters wrote number with chalk or charcoal on the back of the stones as an assembly guide for the builders. The next section has an 80-step stone spiral staircase that reaches from the fifth floor to mid-way up the ninth floor. The last section of the tower starts with a metal staircase that leads to the attic room that is the top of the water tower. There are several windows to look out as you climb and today's view was spectacular!

When we reached the top we found that the flies nest there. It wasn't terrible but Roll found it really easy to catch them. We did keep several alive in a bag that I happened to have handy. This sounds horrible but I still have that spider in my classroom and I felt it against what I am teaching the students to let it starve to death and I am still to afraid to let it go. It would die outside anyhow. This sounds incredibly crazy as I write this but I have found that although I am still fearful of them, I do find them fascinating and the whole experience has been somewhat therapeutic.

Remembering a Fallen Soldier and his family

Today marks two years since we received news that a friend of ours lost her husband. Only a year prior we shared Thanksgiving dinner with Heidi and Sean. Heidi was pregnant with their first child. The men were sharing Daddy "war" stories and advice with Sean. J was teasing him about the trials and tribulations of being a Daddy. Everyone was enjoying each other's company. A year later they had an adorable baby boy with which to share their love. Sean was serving in Iraq. November 13th his life was tragically ended.

Heidi has been a true heroine through it all. I am constantly amazed at her bravery and loyalty. She truly loved her husband and has done so much to keep her husband's spirit alive for her son. She is an inspiration to so many to include myself. Although we didn't know Sean well, we feel honored to have been blessed with the little time we had to share.

Please say a prayer for Heidi and Colin today as we remember CPT Sean Simms. Remember also that without soldiers like Sean we wouldn't have so many of the freedoms that we so easily take for granted.

A friend sent me this poem:

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, and who allows the protestor to burn the flag.

Tub Racing!

There is a new craze taking place in our bathroom almost daily now and it is termed: Tub Racing! It is often accompanied by the theme song to Acceleracers. The boys race their cars down the slope of tub to the other side. Amazingly this activity can keep the boys entertained for hours! I made the mistake of telling them that I didn't want them to do this thinking it may scratch the tub. They stopped but then began fighting over trivial little matters that only little boys find important. Of course as soon as they were told to go back upstairs, I could once again hear the theme song and wheels racing along the tub. (I have checked the tub and thankfully I don't see any damage from this sport.)

Today J and I decided it was time to make a dent in our house by cleaning. It has been pouring rain all day so we couldn't send the boys outside and they seemed really bored so I gave both of them a rag and told them to wash the stairs. This was great fun for them and soon they were washing anything available; heaters, cushions, door frames, refrigerator, trash cans...you name it and they thought of it. I only wished I had my camera available to take a photo of the two of them scrubbing the stairs together! Needless to say we ended up making a huge dent in the cleaning and I wouldn't be upset at having visitors.

As reward we pulled out the foam crocquet set and moved furniture and played a few rounds in the living room. It was a lot of fun although Roll still struggles with losing (I think he is more like his dad than dad wishes to admit).

The morning activities must have created some bond between the boys as they were playing in their room together creating a party for Mom and Dad. Unfortunatley they were supposed to be taking a nap. We had to pay to come to the party but were also paid in return for our attendance. Now if only I can teach them to fix dinner!

The First Snow of the year

Having a class full of children who have rarely seen snow and then having it snow outside our windows made for a very interesting afternoon. Needless to say we ended up giving up on our studies and going out to enjoy some of the snow. Shortly after going outside a few began to complain of the cold :)

My own two little ones enjoyed the snow as well. It was the only way we were able to get Roll to roll out of bed! I have to admit...the first snow always brings a rush of excitement no matter your age. I hope it snows all weekend so that we can get some good sledding in! (Of course snow days are always nice...again no matter what age!:)) - J doesn't agree....bah humbug!

Halloween or not to Halloween

Yesterday was the big day for so many children. Living here in Germany my kids aren't as exposed as if we lived in the states. Sometimes I think that is great so that when I fail to carve a pumpkin it isn't such a big deal. Normally J watches while I get the pumpkins, carve them open, encourage the kids to dig in, and decorate for Halloween. This year we have had so many things going on with Roll in school and Boy Scouts that we just didn't find the time. We had every intention of buying costumes but I didn't even get around to that! We didn't even buy a pumpkin which has never happened before.

At school I don't think it is a great idea to have Halloween parties for several reasons which most do not need explaining. Mainly though...if we can't celebrate Christmas, why would I celebrate Halloween? This hasn't been an issue at other schools since normally districts frown upon you celebrating holidays. This school though goes all out and declares that the last hour of the day will be dedicated to Halloween parties. Well I normally study the harvest and such so when others are having a "Halloween" party, we have a "Fall Festival." This usually goes over pretty well and this year several parents really pitched in! Since we were learning about pumpkins, we had pumpkin soup, pumpkin chili, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, and other "harvest" foods. It was great. I did have a parent upset that we did not have a "Halloween" party. I thought it ironic! All in all though parents enjoyed themselves as well as the children.

So back to my own two little ones. Roll had a Halloween party at his daycare (this is a bit of a novelty for German children and Roll's school is out for the week since November 1st is a German holiday- All Saints Day). I didn't find out about the party until Monday night when Roll told me so we made cupcakes and found a Batman costume for him to wear. Rock really didn't seem to care about anything that Roll was doing. So as I am driving home thinking about a hot bath, movie, and early bedtime... Roll calls me with J's cell phone and asks if we are going Trick-or-treating! I had figured he would be too tired to go trick-or-treating. I brought home a special movie for us to watch together. We didn't end up going and Roll wasn't terribly upset about it but it took some convincing and then distraction. Rock woke in the night sick to his stomach so I was glad we didn't go. J and the boys didn't have school/work today and Rock was feeling better after some much needed sleep. I however had to go to work with 18 sugar hiped kids! I am bone tired!

Spiders this week in school

So this year I am teaching first grade. This week we are studying spiders. For anyone who knows me, these are my least favorite of God's creatures. I created a huge spider web much to the children's enjoyment, along with a very large spider. Then that night I found a huge common house spider in our basement of which J trapped for me to bring to school. The kids have been catching flies to feed it and I have promised to release it humanly (of course if it happens to head my direction it will have an unfortunate demise as my arachnaphobic brain doesn't rationalize that spiders are helpful.) I have to admit though it has been theraputic to sit in a room filled with spider pictures, books, and a web large enough to trap a small child. My skin only crawls occasionally when reading to the students. :)

Living with a bunch of boys!

Sometimes living with a house full of boys can be a bit exasperating. Burping at the table and other bodily functions, pointing out that Mommy's pants are a bit low by yelling "Plumber butt!", seats left up on the toilet for my middle of the night visits, among other things that we can't mention....wow do I need some girl power! This house is winning out with the male testoterone and I blame their father!
I do have to say though that it is always comic relief here as well. The boys say the funniest things. J wanted to know why they were in the kitchen playing with the toaster and Roll's reponse "Because I magic-ed it!" When I asked him what he did, here was his reply. "I made magic. I put some money in the toaster and then popped it. No money came out, that's why, I magic-ed it!" Of course my desire is to immediately go and check to see if the money is in the bottom and then to yell at them about placing metal objects (or anything else) in the toaster.
I did check, there is no money, it was an optical illusion. ha, ha

The other day J sent me an email about the things boys do. At the end it stated, Women will read this and laugh. Men will read this and then go try some of them. Well it was accurate. J wanted to try out one in particular where you mix bleach with brake fluid. He is curious to know just how much smoke you can create and how little brake fluid do you need to use? Such a man! It does make me worry about what I have to look forward to with two little growing extremely curious boys!

Okay so now I have to tell on myself...Monday night I couldn't get Rock to get out of the car and was busy unloading packs, mail, etc. J pulled up in his car and wasn't watching as I approached the car. He was jamming to his music trying to catch Rock's attention. I was going to startle him by kicking his car, problem was as I raised my foot to kick the car, my other foot slipped off the curb which is about 6 inches high. I landed on my ankle, lost all balance and pitched backward and then forward again hitting my shoulder into the garage and my lower back into the curb. Of course none of that hurt as much as my ankle. I have never had a sprain before but I knew immediately that this wasn't my normal clumsy stumble. J rushed out of the car and had to carry me into the house. Long story short, Rock got out of the car and I have sprained my ankle requiring wraps, ice, and raising my foot when possible. Of course with working full time and two boys with a winding staircase, I haven't rested it as much as I wish. Now I am worried since it isn't much better although the brace helps and those around me keep warning me that a sprain is worse than a break. I have hopes that it will improve and treat myself to nightly hot baths and massaging my aching muscles. :( J's side of the story? I was being stupid and I got hurt, quit whining!

Raingutter Regatta

Roll joined Cub Scouts this year with myself as his adult partner. I felt with so many things taking me away from the kids, it was necessary for me to do something that would bring us close. Well that was the theory. We have been extremely busy pretty much every Wed. evening and weekends with various Cub Scout related activities. The only problem we have run into is that Roll is a slow warmer when is comes to new things and he is definately not into competitive sports. The first function we had was the Belt Loop Derby where the cubbies learned the basics of volleyball, flag football, frisby, and badmitton. Roll was extremely shy not knowing anyone but did pretty well. Later when they competed against each other it was a whole different story. I felt really bad since he is the smallest kid out there. Even in his own den, he is at least a head shorter than the rest of the group. I am sure that can be intimidating. Last weekend we had the Belt Loop Bananza with several packs from around Europe to include all over Germany, Czhech, and Poland. Roll learned how to shoot and arrow in archery, how to shoot a BB gun, and he earned his Science, Language, and Geography belt loops.
So today was the Raingutter Regatta. Roll actually enrolled Dad's help this week to teach him how to make a proper boat. Dad went online to research a bit but he was really good at letting Roll sand, paint, build, and decorate his own boat. The only thing that Daddy did was the super glue. The ceremonies began with the cubbies receiving their belt loops that they have earned. Next the competition began. There were raingutters set up on tables and the cubbies hold a straw in their mouths and blow the boats sail to reach the other end. The first to touch the other end wins. Roll lost his first race by seconds. His boat crashed just at the end and his referee wasn't watching to fix the boat (Roll wasn't allowed to do this on his own.) Unfortunately Roll didn't handle his loss very well. We had a serious talk and he almost refused to race again. But he did and he won the next two. Somehow though that didn't move him into the next bracket and I believe it had something to do with his attitude. In the end they awarded three cubbies for great sportsmanship, needless to say it wasn't Roll. I do think this will be a good experience and he knows the motto by heart which is to "Do Your Best!" Life can be so unfair to a six year old. :(

Marty Casey and the Lovehammers

This past weekend J and I were laying in bed trying not to wake up when I heard "It'll be you and me, up in the trees, it's a combination for disaster!" I nudged J with a smile and asked if he could hear what I heard. He laughed and stated "Marty Casey and the Lovehammers". Who was singing at o'dark hundred? Rock! When he wakes on his own, he is quite the entertainer! Roll however is more like his mother and needs dropped in a bath of ice in order to really wake up. :)

Batman, Hitting, and Homework

We are so blessed to have our two wonderful little boys. When we are having a bad day or feeling grumpy we can remember the little things the boys say or do and we find we are smiling in no time.
The other morning J called to Rock that it was time to get up. From a distance we heard a small Rock voice call out "Rock isn't here!" J responded with "Then who is that?" the small Rock voice replied "It is Batman!" We muffled our laughs and then J said "Well Batman, please tell Rock it is time to get up!"

So Roll has been in school for awhile now and he seems to be doing pretty well. One problem we ran into was with Roll's homework. His daycare has a homework program that he is involved in. This way he can have his homework done before it gets to late but more importantly he gets help from those who speak German to avoid some confusion we may have or cause. Unfortunately Roll's teacher stated that he was to do his homework at home with Mommy. Therefore when he was supposed to do his homework at the daycare program he promptly told them that he didn't have to since his teacher told him to do it with his Mommy. This was evidently a problem with others as well so the daycare asked the teacher to remind the kids to do their work in homework club.

Last week when I picked up Rock his teacher told me that he had a pretty bad day and that he had scratched another child, pinched, and hit. We talked about it breifly and I promised her I would talk with him. Next we went to pick up Roll were I was told that he too had had a bad afternoon refusing to do his homework. What a day!

I thought the entire drive home and came up with some ideas that I wanted to implement at hom but realized that J and I needed to be on the same page. As soon as I pulled in I jumped out and asked J to go up and talk with me upstairs where the children wouldn't hear. I explained what had happened and that I had a plan. We wouldn't yell or act upset, merely firm and consistent. The plan was that I would create a calendar for both boys. When they come home after we pick them up they will put a sticker on the calendar telling us whether they felt they had a great day, sad day, or mad day. Then if I received a good report from Rock's teacher that he had not hurt anyone, or from Roll's teacher that he had completed his homework....they could earn a star. Each day they recieve a star we can play a game, watch a movie, or anything else they may wish to do special together. If they didn't, Rock would go to bed directly after dinner and Roll would go to bed after completing his homework. On the weekend we will count the stars and if they earned a week of stars we can do something even more special such as going to the pool or to the indoor playland nearby.

So far this is working and although the first day wasn't so great for Rock, each subsequent day has been a great day for him with a star! The same for Roll although he sometimes still has work to do at home. Partly because he likes to do the homework with Mommy but sometimes there is just to much or too difficult for him to complete during their homework time. Let's hope we can keep it up but I will need to remain consistent with the rewards no matter how tired I may be in the evening. We have now created calendars for the morning routine so I hope it works as well.