Heinsberg-- flying solo

Our guesthouse is in the town of Heinsberg. Earlier this week a friend and I walked down town for lunch. However with three kids in tow, two of whom were sick and all of whom alternated between fits of whining, kvetching, and general complaining, what I saw of Heinsberg that day remains a bit of a blur. Until my stroller stash gets here, walking outings with both kids are less than ideal. I have to carry B, which is no big deal, really, 'cause he's still such a lightweight. My garagantuan preschooler, on the other hand, presents a problem. C still would rather ride than walk -- and the 20 minute walk downtown is too much for him anyway-- but the only stroller I have with me simply isn't designed to hold my 50lb monster, especially over curbs and cobblestones.

However, D came home after lunch yesterday and after feeding both kiddos and getting them tucked into bed for their naps, I went back to Heinsberg, this time flying solo.

'Twas the first solo time I'd had since we landed and had a lovely time in and out of the children boutique, the toy store, the stationary store, and a second hand shop or two. I found the German version of the dollar store (which really and truly looks very much like the American version of a dollar store), stopped to try on some shoes, and lingered to sip some Gluvein at one of the booths in the market.On one hand I do wish C was with me because he would have like the pseudo-puppetshow thing I happened accross in the market, but we can take him back one day, just for that.

The wee bit of solo exploring makes me feel a bit more human and not quite the bumbling, incompetent American.

This morning, I ventured out with both kiddos. We grabbed a snack at the local bakery and then came back to a playground right around the corner from our guesthouse. C has a very interesting playground ethic. When he's at the playground with other kids he *always always always* convinces the other kids to get on the equipment first; that way it's their bottoms that dry of the morning dew. Today there were no other kids and C gets to the top of the slide, pauses at the platform, sees the water, and looks at me and asks, "where's W?". (W is our 2.5 year old friend in town). Disappointed he was when he realized he'd have to dry the slide himself today!