.SOMETIMES RAW.

Hello!

It was nice outside today. Not warm, but sunny and blue sky but we still decided to test and try something awesome today. My friend Kirsten told me about the Kids Playland – an indoor playground in Frohlach and since then this place was on my to-do list. We decided to go and play inside and drove to Frohnlach. The reviews I read about indoor playgrounds were actually not that good. “Sticky, smelly playgrounds with horrible food and dangerous for the kids”. However, Kids Playland in Frohlach is fantastic! We loved it so much. The best part was that my husband and I were able to go on all the slides and climb up on everything together with our son. Everything is very well constructed, protected with cushions and safe. It is just never boring because there is so much to do at a large 1.200 square meter area. The kids can play, meet friends, bring friends, eat, and even celebrate their birthday there. There are just so many surprises. “No Stress – A lot of Fun”! 

Useful information before you go there

Your child has to be between 2-12 years old. 

The facility offers very clean bathrooms and a changing room for babies

A great variety of food, snacks and beverages (salad, fries, spaghetti, cakes, waffles, Schnitzel, Chicken nuggets, ice cream, BEER and so much more!). You are not allowed to bring your own food or consume it inside the playground area. Babyfood is allowed of course. The prices are family friendly more than affordable and the food tastes great. We had cappuccino and our son a portion of fries that was very tasteful. [I had most of it – mmmmmmm!] Actually, he wasn’t that hungry even though he ran around for hours. We just made sure he drank enough water! 

They offer a separate baby area with ball pool, slide, discovery blocks, tunnels to crawl through and so much more. 

For older kids there is a spiral slide (awesome, and yes, I went on it!), a racing track for tricycles,  bobby cars, soft shooters and a lot more. 

At the actual play area you have to wear socks! No shoes allowed. At the eating area and entrance shoes are okay. 

Play area – depicted in green is a shoe-free zone! On the right side in the back you see the eating area. 

Be prepared to have a lot of fun yourself and jump, climb and hop around – everything that kids like to do. 

If you decide to have your kids birthday party at Kids Playland you are able to bring your own cake. Everything else will be provided for you. Even table decoration. Check their prices for birthday arrangements on their website. Link is below.  If you bring more than 5 kids over the age of two, two accompanying adults have free admission! 

Entrance fee: Cash ONLY! Children 2 years old: 6 Euros! Adults: 3 Euros. Children under 2 years are free! You don’t pay by the hour – you can stay as long as you want! Awesomeness! 

Opening hours: Monday- Friday 2 pm-7 pm; Saturday and Sunday 11 am 7 pm. Holidays (Bavaria): Monday to Sunday 11 am – 7 pm. Closed only: 24-26.12 and 31.12! 

Monday is Grandparents-Day! Grandparents have free admission on Mondays if they bring at least one child that is over the age of two! 

Kids Playland offers a bonus booklet where you are able to collect stamps for every visit. After five steps you receive an ice cream for free. After eleven visits you receive one free admission!

Vouchers are available. 

You have to accompany your child and cannot drop it off and leave! Like at IKEA hah! [Well, we all know that you can drop your kids off there and never pick them up again, right? This is how the Halmö chairs are made! Just kidding but have you ever been at IKEA and wondered why when they called out the parents to pick up the child they have to do this several times? Maybe because nobody ever came back to pick up their kids?] 😀  

The slides are amazing. And of course we all went on both several times! Isn’t this a great place? It was nice to see so many couples together with their kids and mothers enjoying a cup of coffee and a nice chat with friends while their kids played. A great idea, and a well thought-through concept. I highly recommend this place. Not only on a rainy day! My son had a blast and fell asleep exhausted in the evening within five minutes. 

Visit their Website here and like their Facebook page here! 

Have you been to Kids Playland already? Do you want to go again and did  you like it? Can we go together? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments! 

Thank you for reading my blog. 

Hello! 

I would like to share a book review of a very special, lovely book that I stumbled upon at Sehes Haus while I did a Reiki Seminar. Between short breaks I read a couple of pages and  fell in love with it. I have neither heard of Preethi Nair before nor read any of her books. The Indian culture is also not too familiar to me. If eating at an awesome Indian Restaurant in New York twice counts, then I at least know a bit about their food. Let’s dive into the book, and thank you Martina for letting me take it home. 

About the author

Preethi Nair (1971) is of Indian heritage (Kerala, India) and moved to Britain when she was a child. She gave up her professional as a management consultant to follow her dream of becoming a writer. Her first novel, Gypsy Masala, was rejected several times but this did not stop her. She simply created her own publishing company and PR agency and published her book this way. “100 Shades of White” has been made into a television series in the UK. 

“My mother said that to lie is the coward’s way and that truth is whole, like black or white. But what if there are a hundred shades for truth?”

The language was very catching from the beginning and the story is told from two point of views – mother Nalini and daughter Maya. Nalini experiences a poor childhood in India and later fell in love with a man who she follows to England to start a new life. She leaves everything behind in India because she is truly happy and in love. Nalini does not speak English but she has no fear. She soon becomes pregnant with Maya and things changed pretty quickly from good to bad. Maya’s father works longer and longer hours and finally disappears. Both, mother and daughter find out that the truth is never black or white. Sometimes there are several shades to be taken into consideration. I loved the description of food and cooking and all the spices Nalini and her mother used. The contrast between an adults point of view and a child’s version is great and made me read on. 

While reading the book I learned why the author chose this particular title and that one should never judge anyone because you never know what this person is going through right now.  The mother/daughter relationship between Nalini and Maya is very well described and heartwarming. Also well laid out is Maya’s relationship to her brother and sister, her father and most importantly to herself. 

Overall, I thought that the characters are really well-developed and the story depicts the difference between their life in India and England clearly.  If you are into stories about love, forgiveness and discovering something new you will love to read 100 Shades of White. It also touches a bit on belief and that it is important to let go and discover something new.  This book is also a guide to peace, happiness, inspiration and wisdom. 

Visit Preethi Nair’s website or watch this short interview below. Get a copy of the book in English here or in German here. I really like the book cover for the German version! Enjoy! 

Have you read anything by Preethi Nair yet? I would love to hear from you. 

Thank you for reading my blog. 

Hello! 

This morning I came back from the store to buy some random articles to eat and while waiting at the register I browsed through some fashion magazines. Reading all about trends, style and collections is somewhat inspiring and fun but for me mostly frustrating. Where does one even start? Do these things look good on me? They always look good on these skinny models, right? But what about the average, normal looking woman with curves?

But enough of this for now – this is a separate article. I want to focus more on clothing today and talk about mine and that it is important to start with the basics. I am not a huge fan of clothes-shopping and saying this out loud makes me catch some weird looks from other women sometimes. Hah, I am just different. I love my personal style and have a pretty clear picture of what I want before I do go shopping. To figure out a personal style makes shopping easier.

I just love the basics and stick to t-shirts, tank tops, jeans, sweaters, blouses and some dress pants. When it comes to shoes my husband says that I always wear the wrong type but the ones I do own are wearable for more than just one season. Timeless shoes! (Converse, anybody?) These things are standard in my closet and can be combined in several different ways. I keep them nicely folded to see what I have and what I can combine with each outfit. A clear structure in the closet is important. 

For me it is important to stick to neutral colors because it is easier to mix and match. To have some pieces that were a bit heavier on my wallet but last for a long time is okay for me. I do ask myself also if I really need this piece of clothing before purchasing. Quality not quantity! Recently I observed that women squeeze themselves in very tight jeans that just don’t fit. Or sweaters and t-shirts that are simply too small. Why? No clue. If you keep the Quality over Quantity method in mind you most likely won’t buy a cheap pair of pants that does not fit well. I went through my closet and got rid of clothes that don’t fit me anymore. Not everything, but I sorted out some stuff that I  kept “just in case I lose a lot of weight”.

We all look different which is a good thing. Just because something looks good on someone else does not mean I look good in it. In your face, fashion magazines!

I think it is important to take care of the clothing I already have. You like accessories? I remember the times when I used to have wrist bands, necklaces, earrings but since I had my son, these things bother more than anything else. When I do go out I will wear nice things but daily, not so much. However, I think less is more!  

I just want to be myself, feel good about my personal style and trust and follow my instincts. And even more,  feel comfortable and have a good picture in my head that style and fashion as seen in magazines is not important. Instead it should make you more content and confident in your own skin. 

What is your style? What clothing makes you happy? What are your styling secrets? I would love to hear from you.

Thank you for reading my blog.