Month: July 2012

German School Supplies

sofijaburton, , , , Leave a comment

Friends,

it is almost August and school is on my mind big time. Everywhere you shop you are bombarded with school supplies. Personally I am going to wait until the day when you can buy tax free, but during my recent visit to Germany they had school supplies available at a deep discount. So I went to town and bought some items I can’t get here. Take a look:


German kids keep all their writing utensils neatly organized in these. Everything has its place: the ruler, the markers, pencil sharpener, etc. You can buy markers individually as you run out of them.

Kids write their schedule on the white paper.

After second grade children write with these ink pens exclusively. Getting used to these takes some practice but is sure makes your handwriting look better.

The water colors from Pelikan are my favorite. The colors are so vibrant and they come with a white paste that lets you mix your own colors in the white spaces on top. Of course you can replace single colors. 🙂 And you wonder why Germans are so exact and organized….

How about you, are you exited about the new school year or is it coming way too fast? When do you do all your supply shopping?

-Sofija

German School Supplies

Frankfurt Gardens

sofijaburton, , Leave a comment

Hi there,

most people in Frankfurt live in small apartments.  A lot of people have potted plants on their balcony but if they really want a place of their own to relax they rent a nearby plot from a garden association. These are tiny gardens, much like a typical back yard, but it was fun to see how everyone did their garden differently. It shows how people express themselves in their space.

Here are some pictures I took while walking around Sachsenhausen, the part of Frankfurt where I grew up.

The gnome is holding a flag of the local soccer team.

While most of the gardens I saw where wild and overgrown, my sister’s garden was nicely manicured.

My son and nephew playing in my sister’s garden.

Every garden has a little house where people have little kitchens and even a bed for staying overnight.

I really enjoyed these lush, green gardens, especially because we live in the desert and our yard consists mostly of rocks and shrubs.

Have a lovely weekend,

Sofija

Frankfurt Gardens

Family Pictures

sofijaburton, , Leave a comment

Hello,

while it is still summer and you are off on adventures it is not too soon to think about family photos for your Christmas cards. This is a good time to get your picture taken because everyone looks sun tanned and relaxed. Above are some ideas I found  for different settings. Very few of us can actually make it to the beach. Reality is, most of us are likely to stay in the city or in our back yards. But as you see, even there you can get fun shots.

Here are some pointers to make a picture look fun and well put together:

  • Pick 2-4 colors for your clothing and stick with those. Patterns are trickier to match, but it can be done (third picture).
  • Pick a fun prop.
  • Not everyone has to look at the camera. It looks more natural if one person is the center of attention.
  • Movement is fun.
  • You can add interest by limiting how much of a person you can see (top picture).

How about you, what are your pointers for family pictures? Do you like planning or do you do it on the fly?

Sofija

Picture sources top to bottom:

preppystateofmind.tumblr.com

bglhonline.com

loveliesinmylife.com

digital-photography-school.com

Family Pictures

Frankfurt Flea Market

sofijaburton, Leave a comment

Hi there,

I grew up in Frankfurt, and one of my favorite things to do was going to the flea market on Saturday mornings. Guess, what I did during my recent trip to Frankfurt? Right, one Saturday I took my toddler in her stroller and re-lived old memories. It’s a claustrophobic experience, not for people who need a lot of personal space. But let me assure you, it does not even compare to the best garage sale experience you ever had. The market stretches out over a mile along the river Main. And it is packed full with everything: people sell their junk, toys, books, clothes, and furniture. But on top of that you find dealers from different countries selling knick knacks, comics, vintage dishes, vintage clothes, and jewelry. What makes it fun is that people in Europe still  have really old stuff. Stuff you would never see around here outside of an antique store.

Here are some of the pictures I took.

I was really exited about finding this Russian stand. My girls love Russian dolls. I was able to buy each one.

Here are some pictures of the skyline of Frankfurt.

If money and suitcase space would have not been an issue I would still be there shopping. But I found what I came for: my Russian dolls and some German Asterix comics for the kids. Score.

If you like a mix of old and vintage and modern check out Bloomingville from Denmark. You can’t buy from them online but you can enjoy their online catalog and get inspired.

Have a great day,

Sofija

Frankfurt Flea Market

Book Series Continued

sofijaburton, , 1 Comment

Hello,

As I promised yesterday, here are more reading suggestions. The first two are by my son Finn, and the last is by me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Inkheart Trilogy (Cornelia Funke): Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath

A trilogy in which some people have the ability to read writing into reality, the Ink books tell the tale of a young girl, her family and friends, as they experience adventure and battle in both this world and the Ink world, where life and death can be controlled with a few words. I recommend this fascinating, suspenseful trilogy for ages 11 to 12 and up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Inheritance Cycle (Christopher Paolini): Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, Inheritance

The Inheritance Cycle follows the adventures of Eragon, a boy that finds a dragon egg and becomes a Dragon Rider, making him part of an Order that has been nearly dead for many decades. As he travels and battles his way through Alagaësia, Eragon discovers secrets about his past and comes across many strange creatures, some benevolent, some malevolent. With plenty of action and magic, this series  is one of my personal favorites and I recommend it for ages twelve and up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dragon Rider (Cornelia Funke)

If you enjoy fantasy stories about dragon riders, here is one suited for younger readers. Cornelia Funke is one of my favorite children’s authors, maybe because she is German. 🙂 Maybe because she is just really creative. I read the German version to Finn a while ago. A young, homeless boy, named Ben sets out on a quest to take dragon to find a mythical dragon paradise, where dragons can be safe from human destruction. I recommend this for ages 9 and up.

 

Hope this keeps you busy reading through the summer.

Have a great weekend!

Sofija

Book Series Continued

Playmobil Park

sofijaburton, , Leave a comment

Hello,

How is your week going? I’m still settling back into normal life after my  trip to Germany. I wanted to share another fun outing we did. My sister and I rented a German version of an SUV (the smallest one I had ever seen, half the size of ours), and we drove to Bavaria for the day to visit Playmobil Park. This park was so well laid out. Benches for the parents everywhere. A coffee bar conveniently located where parents were sitting and watching their kids play.

 

The water here was only knee deep, and the rafts did not tip. This was the funnest station for my 8 year old(to the left) and his cousin.

 

If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend going there. Especially if your kids are between 5 and 11 years old. Do bring a swim suit, a towel, and a change of clothes, since they have water play stations right next to sand boxes.

See you back here tomorrow with another book series suggestion from my 14 year old.

Sofija

Playmobil Park

Castle Ronneburg

sofijaburton, , , Leave a comment

Friends,

I’m back from my vacation to Germany. I went to visit my family; but for my 8 year old, who learned about medieval history last year, I called it  “end of the year class trip”.  I wanted him to see a real castle, built in 1213. So my sister took us outside of Frankfurt to castle Roneburg. I grew up with these castles all around me, but it was a whole new experience seeing it as an adult.

Here is my son Shane (to the right) with his German cousin sitting on a cannon. They had so much fun running around; we came early enough to have the place to ourselves.

Here he is being publicly shamed.

One of the great halls used for feasts.

As a wanna be writer this writing desk is so appealing. It might just compel you to put your laptop aside and write a hand written letter once again…

Had we come a few days later there would have been reenactments, bow and arrow shootings, medieval music, and much much more.

So, if you find yourself in the neighborhood, you must go and see it. I surely will schedule my next visit around their festivals, and I would bring my 14 old son who could identify all the weapons displayed there.

 

 

Castle Ronneburg