Dog hair 1, Casie 0

I slept in until 8:30 this morning. The kids were at school and Emma was at work...i had the house to myself for most of the day. I ate a breakfast of hot cocoa, yogurt, and a banana. It feels so good to eat normal again (I don't HAVE to eat toast if i don't want).

I fed the dogs and held a puppy or two. I really like their dogs...pattledale terriers I believe. They're the perfect size and just adorable. I might stop by on my way from Prague to Paris and pick up a puppy to take home. ;)

I started cleaning the house. The floors were by far the yuckiest. They don't have carpet so I swept and mopped the main floor and upstairs. It. Took. Forever. Never have black dogs. Never have four black dogs. Hair is everywhere. It didn't matter how many times I swept...there was always more black hair. It was a hopeless battle and alas, I gave up. Dog hair 1. Casie 0.

I cleaned the bathroom. I cleaned the stairs and banister. I washed the windows. But the house still looked filthy. :( Dirty cottage 1, Casie 0.

While we're keeping score...Dishwasher 0, Casie/Emma/Dad 1

I washed the towels. I'm pretty proud of myself for not flooding the house since the washer and dryer controls are in German. I just guessed. I'm a good guesser. German 0, Casie 1.

I used their computer to book my hostels for the next couple of weeks. With the exception of Venice, I got some great deals!! Venice is costing me 100 euros for two nights!! Fail. But it's Venice, I mean really. It's fiiiine!!

I played with the dogs for a while. I learned that Maya, the German shepherd, gets playful when you get down to her level. I also learned that my whole head can fit in her mouth. Cool trick Maya! Not.

I did poop duty. They do poop duty in Germany too, unfortunately. I did the old plastic bag-glove reverse technique. I'm a poop duty master. I don't know if that's worth bragging about but hey...Poop duty for the win!!

Emma got home at quarter to 3, and we chatted about dogs, as usual. I hadn't even got dressed at this point...do you think she was judging me?? Ha. Who curs. She fed the dog "tripe" aka cow innards. Yum. They feed their dogs everything since they have to recycle food scraps anyway. Yesterday, I gave the dogs leftover mashed potatoes and vegetables from like three days earlier. They also don't refrigerate anything. They left the leftover spaghetti out overnight and sent it to school with Jonah for his lunch. That grosses me out. I won't be eating any leftovers while I'm here. Is that...like...conceited?? I'm not trying to be that way. I'm just protecting my own innards.

Jonah and I played wii fit for a while. I'm super rusty, but I'm better than him. So what if he's only four. I'm competitive. Don't worry about it.

We had hot dogs for dinner. My favorite. Speaking of cow innards..:/ they snack on wieners of all kinds. We bought like three kinds of snack sausages at the store yesterday.

Emma had an English class to teach from 18:00-19:30 tonight, so I babysat the shmecks. We watched a movie. I don't know what it was called. It was the only way I could control all four boys. About halfway through, Darwin had a serious accident and was totally soaked. In the shower he went! I got him cleaned up from the "wee" and the "not just wee" and then got the two youngest in their pajamas. I cleaned the house again. And again. And probably again. Kids never stop making messes. Ever. Sorry to all mums out there. We then played football in the house with a soft ball, of course. Cameron and Darwin 13, Arlie and Casie and Jonah 14. They were pretty impressed that I knew how to play and wasn't half bad. I feel like the ultimate babysitter sometimes.

When Emma got home she got the kids to bed and we stayed up watching tv. Trashy tv: Junk food moms. I learned all about "stones." One stone=14 pounds. So this lady on the show weighs 37 stones (or 518 pounds).

It was a lovely day of dogs, children, chores, and poo. I'm enjoying my stay here now that I better understand my place and duties. I'm going to Bamberg tomorrow. I wasn't planning on it, but Emma kinda pressured me into it. I think she doesn't want me to be bored, but i was actually not bored at all today. I'm on "holiday" (I'm such a Brit now!!) so sitting around is kind of awesome. Oh well...Bamberg should be lovely.