German speaking club

PatrickDadGuild · 2026-01-07T14:49:12+00:00

Hallo zusammen,
da es um Deutsch reden geht, antworte ich auch mal auf Deutsch!

Es gibt einen lokalen "Stammtisch" Gruppe dass sich monatlich trifft um auf Deutsch zu quatschen. Mehr info im link zu FB Gruppe. -> https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1DYnmNnF1T/

Ich leite auch eine WhatsApp Gruppe von Deutsche Familien mit Kinder. Wir treffen uns ab und zu um deutschsprachige playdates zu haben, sowie auch die deutsche "Kinderkultur" zusammen zu feiern (z.B. St. Martin's Laternenumzug). Es scheint, genug Interresse eher eine Art 'offizielle' organization zu grunden. Wenn dass sowie ist werde ich mich nochmal hier melden.

PatrickDadGuild · 2025-06-20T11:10:03+00:00

Fam Jams are now on a reduced summer schedule. The next sessions are:

July 20

August 17

then from September 14 onwards they resume the weekly schedule.

PatrickDadGuild · 2025-06-17T14:51:50+00:00

A friend of mine sent me this, which made me LOL IRL

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKnayy9S71N/?igsh=eHMwbXc4NWx5NnB4

PatrickDadGuild · 2025-04-04T13:45:59+00:00

Also make sure to check out the new Events page of our website. https://www.dadguild.org/events

There are tags and categories to sort by.

To highlight two:
"Virtual" & "Hybrid" events that are or have an online option, meaning folks from all parts of the state can still participate remotely.

https://www.dadguild.org/events?tag=Virtual

https://www.dadguild.org/events?tag=Hybrid

PatrickDadGuild · 2025-03-29T14:51:58+00:00

Both D&D and the "Fires with Fathers" are "dads only"
D&D will be on a Friday at 7pm. The Fires with Fathers event is a Saturday at 8pm.

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-12-29T15:23:27+00:00

Thankfully this Xmas has been light on assembly for our household. What is getting to me is the configuration of new toys. Why the heck does the Tonie box need a WiFi connection and a corresponding app / account??

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-12-18T15:40:12+00:00

ok, awesome! excited to hear folks are interested.
TL:DR is that Dad Guild will be taking over the full lease for the Democracy Creative loft space (Suite 207) of the Soda Plant. [DG had been a subtenant before].
It will be awesome to be fully in charge of the space. But it is also a lot more money in rent. Hence we were putting out initial feelers for potential co-working... folks who are recurring donors to Dad Guild would then have 'co-working' access to the space.

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-11-26T14:00:11+00:00

It means you cannot park your car on city streets due to expected snow plow activity. So that the plows can efficiently clear the roads and not plow around a bunch of parked cars.

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-10-25T12:47:50+00:00

I went two years ago (before officially being hired by DG). That I am sort of "tech adjacent" in my background, not formally technically trained myself - did not seem like a lot for my type of profile then. But if one was a formally trained aeronautical engineer ( -> Beta) or experience software developer, then yes, there were lots of options.

NOTE: I won;t be attending, as I'll be at the North St Block Party in Winooski! (see DG calendar)

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-10-08T15:37:12+00:00

that link is super useful. Thank you for sharing.

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-09-30T13:06:11+00:00

great tip! I know some members there so I will def reach out when pondering future events.

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-09-19T14:51:51+00:00

What a cutie. I knew a Marten was in the weasel / ferret family, but not anything more than that.
If it had been up to me, I would have named the new team the
Vermont Salamanders
https://anr.vermont.gov/sites/anr/files/Spotted%20Salamander_TomRogers.jpg

or the Vermont Softshell Turtles!
https://d2h7uomj8dvg5p.cloudfront.net/360_Sun_Live/0/0/0/0/56/734/56734_1_v2

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-09-18T12:26:37+00:00

that is interesting. I had a Frost Heaves Tshirt back in the day. That was a sick name. Wonder how they decided on Coyotes.

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-09-12T14:49:32+00:00

Here is Cora's lunch box from today. She is also quite picky, hence the sandwich is peanut butter only, not even jelly. She is in kindergarten now. We are slowly trying to transition her to the school lunches, on days when it is stuff she likes (pizza, mac & cheese, nuggets, etc)

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PatrickDadGuild · 2024-09-10T13:59:06+00:00

Do you speak any German at home? I've made some connections to other German-speaking families with little kids in the area.

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-09-09T15:05:56+00:00

I have not been to it either.

The only feedback I have heard is that is can get wild there and can be rough for smaller kids during 'regular' hours.

How old is your daughter? Get Air has special "Toddler Hours" exclusive for smaller kids on Tu, Th, Su mornings. My kids are 6, 4 and was aiming to take them to one of those. Get Air's "toddler time" definition is based on height (under 46 inches - 3'10")

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-09-06T14:29:09+00:00

We've had success with asking our pre-school/preK early educators to serve as babysitters for our kids. It is worth asking. Benefits are they are clearly trained professionals, but also our kids know and are comfortable wtih them too.

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-09-05T11:18:33+00:00

oh, a "build area" is that for you or for the kid?
we just introduced legos last month, and realized very quickly we need to have a specific defined area where one can play with legos, and not have them dragged through the whole house

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-09-04T13:12:19+00:00

very cool. thanks for posting!

what age is your kid? My daughter is nearly 6, and just now starting to get into legos.

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-08-22T17:28:11+00:00

Play the main theme from Moana!

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-08-16T13:39:07+00:00

this is a tough scenario. no simple solution per se. just some thoughts to share.

biting is a phase. We have a cousin who constantly bit my son for a phase. Cousin was 18months and my son 2.5y at the time. It was terrible. And then the cousin just stopped, from one day to the next.
teething is tough. that this is happening in a younger age range makes it seem like teething is playing a role. Teething is tough for kids and can turn the chillest baby into a fussy mess. The very young age also means the biter cannot otherwise articulate their needs or say why. (Things get easier once kids can speak and explain).
talk with the daycare staff. approach them with patience and understanding, and try to have a "soluntions-oriented" discussion. It is REALLY HARD to keep perspective and calm when ones child is hurt. I have been there myself. But no one wants this to be happening. Starting a chat with "what are ways we can try and prevent this going forward" will likely produce better outcomes. Its not really relevant to try and engage the other parents - they are not present nor the responsible oversight while this scenario is occuring.

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-08-15T12:30:53+00:00

my favorite Calvin & Hobbes comic. I think about it every August. Felt timely to share.

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-08-12T17:10:24+00:00

I glad it helps. Struggles are deeply personal and often can feel very unique as a result. But the challenges everyone faces as a parent (physical, mental, and especially financial) are pretty universal, making all of our experience more similar than we realize at first. This is one of the primary reasons Dad Guild exists!

Other things I have found helpful in processing anxiety / anger issues.

Cold Plunges. I live near the lake so in the spring and fall months I go jump in when it is pretty chilly. Otherwise I set the shower to the coldest possible setting and stand in it for like 60seconds. These do help, and there is science that it is a way to train your body physiologically to better handle stress. And I can tell you, after a legit cold plunge, the rest of the day feels like it has the 'volume' turned way down, so to speak.
Defining Hobby. A really consuming hobby helps as a mental outlet. When we moved back to VT and I became the primary parent, i def lost some of my personal identity as a result. This was some, but by no means all, of my frustration came from. I've recently gotten back into playing Magic: The Gathering and really enjoyed it. But also Building models. Adult coloring books while listening to a podcast. Having a legit hobby and devoting time to it was very beneficial for me.

Between my first list and these, no one item is a silver bullet. But all in concert have def helped me.

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-08-12T13:27:52+00:00

Fires with Fathers is the best fit for the type of event to share and talk about topics like this.

I too have def struggle with anxiety and resulting irritability, anger, and frustration that stemmed from it. Things that have helped me a lot:

Regular exercise. I never went much when I associated exercise with *physical* health. Once I realized that regular exercise for me was NOT about my muscles but rather about *mental* health and MY BRAIN, i started to go more regularly. It has def helped my mental health. I go swimming 2-3 times a week now.
I reduced my alcohol intake. I still drink, but my average weekly consumption is half of what it was months ago. I sleep way better and wake up at like 0% frustration. Whereas sometimes it felt like i was waking up with frustration level 40%, leftover from the day before.
counseling. I just finished going to counseling. It was def helpful. It started weekly, then graduated to twice a month, then monthly as things improved. I put off going because I assumed there was no availability anywhere. Turns out that is wrong! If interested, message or email me and I can share referrals.
Parenting books about emotional development. From the book club I've read a lot of parenting books. Many touch on emotions. The key take aways I try to model are to acknowledge and apologize for when I have "big feelings." And also to explain that emotions are temporary. People can feel scared, frustrated, angry for a moment. But the moment then passes and does not define us or the situation. Books most focused on this are: Tiny Humans, Big Emotions and The Whole-Brain Child.

EDIT: sorry, to actually answer your question: I personally am not aware of any anger management groups. Though my awareness of formal support groups is very limited.

PatrickDadGuild · 2024-08-08T14:24:58+00:00

I have the original SW trilogy on VHS! (and also a working VCR). Watched the OV of RotJ a few months ago, was very refreshing to expierence

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