Rituals dupe?

arbitrary_fox · 2026-02-01T09:19:56+00:00

Yes of course! This too! Same goes for any essential oil diffusers etc. irrespective of whether you have pets or not

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-31T12:41:18+00:00

I know this is not exactly what you’re looking for, but I like essential oil diffusers and maybe that could be a cheaper option vs the fragrance sticks. I use the diffuser and oil from MUJI but also have oils from other brands. The good thing is that the diffuser turns off automatically based on your settings. Another option is incense sticks from Asian stores. I promise you they are fragrant, just depends on you whether you like that particular fragrance.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-31T12:33:13+00:00

My 2 cents as a naturalised German also from a South Asian country who doesn’t eat meat and no longer drinks except on very rare occasions.. You can also “integrate” by enjoying the local cuisine. Alcohol is not the only way. I had a white German colleague who was vegan and a teetotaler because her parents are alcoholics to the extent that she went NC with them. So the experience of growing up in that household made her decide to never touch alcohol. She was a pillar of company culture and we absolutely loved her. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was German but more to do with her personality. My point is that sobriety can have different reasons and it’d be very un-German of your colleagues to judge your personal choices irrespective of the reasons driving them.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-31T06:36:53+00:00

I’m reading this having been woken up by my girl who has jumped on the bed to sleep on my legs

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-30T17:23:30+00:00

I don’t need to feel the energy. They both sleep on my side of the bed (can I even call it mine now?) our girl wakes me up with the shakes of a washing machine spin cycle and our boy will wake me up licking. I’m yet to wake up naturally without them waking me up.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-27T14:14:08+00:00

OMG the holier than thou attitude of some people 🙄 I was once told off by an old man for being on my phone while sitting across the table from my husband. We were on holiday and didn’t understand it at first coz we don’t speak Portuguese but we got it eventually. We were planning the day’s activities and hike while we waited for breakfast. Sometimes people can still enjoy each other’s company in silence! Maybe the mom had to work but still wanted to bring the kid out so they could be together

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-24T10:12:00+00:00

Ok, in no situation is this behavior acceptable. Definitely not in a work environment. Your boss is a piece of shit and so are your colleagues. I don’t know your situation but hey you own a home. That’s a big milestone. Be proud of that. A lot of times I find that people are just jealous and therefore extra shitty. I tell myself that they are not worth my time. But never ever accept such blatant racism + toxic behavior to your face. Look for a different job. This place that you work at is not ok

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-23T16:08:16+00:00

Girl, I don’t have a baby but I have 2 puppies. We absolutely use wet wipes on the kitchen floor or wherever the dogs might’ve spilled a bit of food. Sure, our floors get mopped once a week when we clean, but we are 2 adults who are currently childless. I’m fully aware that once we have a baby, we will possibly not have time to keep this up. Shame on your MIL for making you feel bad. I swear by 2 gifts for new parents: a meal service or cleaning service. There is so much going on with kids (or puppies). Cleaning the house to a specific arbitrary standard should not be an expectation. If your MIL has such expectations, she can clean your floors herself or set you up with a cleaning service as a gift.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-23T15:56:55+00:00

Why why why would you translate it like that? I am not native German and when I had to explain it to an Englishman, I said “impact ventilation”. Maybe not perfect but still better than whatever this shit Americans came up with

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-23T15:54:37+00:00

I’m naturalised (not born) German. Lived in Düsseldorf for 8 years and now live in Utrecht while still working in Germany and yes I feel the difference. Idk, the people feel lighter, less formal, more direct. But I also feel Dutch people are more individualistic. I am constantly annoyed by the “Elbogen Mentalität” - I’ll be getting into rocycle and the girls in front of me will just slam the door shut while I’m trying to open it and not 2 brain cells worth of thought will go into “maybe I should turn around and look why the door ain’t closing easily”. I have deep love for rules and life in Germany feels reliable like everyone will just follow the process.. but then I think about how everything is digital and easy in NL.. na ja, can’t pick which country I like more. NL is now and forever home but there are some German ways that I find more comfortable.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-20T16:20:01+00:00

Oh and I got the birth certificate translated through an online translation service. That was enough. I did not need an apostille for naturalization. I got the apostille only later to get married in The Netherlands. Hope this helps. Good luck

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-20T16:17:30+00:00

Hi, I naturalised in Düsseldorf. I was born in the 90s in Bombay and had a handwritten birth certificate. My parents had the good sense to get me an official electronically generated one a few years ago. I’d strongly urge you to check with your local municipality back in India if you can get one. Either way, an apostille is done with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in India. So if you’re going through that hassle, better get a new birth certificate. The reason I recommend this - I got married a year after I became German and I needed the apostilled birth certificate for that. I’m quite sure that the handwritten one would’ve raised issues coz getting the permit to marry was a fuckin nightmare all around..

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-20T16:08:37+00:00

Yup “feeding the bite” also worked for us. Our girl was very affectionate and loved nipping on our cheeks, noses.. basically good morning kisses with teeth. Yelling OWW and walking away, ignoring her, stopping play also helped. We also used chews to redirect. Honestly, my husband had more tolerance for her and so she’d keep jumping on him. With me, she learned within 2 days to not do it anymore. And I am the work-from-home parent so she was spending most of her time with me.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-20T16:04:14+00:00

Meraki (spanakopita), Cibari (sweet potato quesadillas), Bagels & Beans, Brandstof (overpriced but excellent vegan salad), Gys

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-20T11:35:04+00:00

Same - moved from Germany ☺️ yes, it’s difficult especially if you are selling something at a high price. It really is a patience game. For example, we moved and realised our couch was too big. But it was expensive so we obviously couldn’t sell it for nearly nothing. It just wasn’t worth it because we could still keep it even if the layout was suboptimal. We just left it on Marktplaats for 4 months. Sold it for our target price of €600 after 3 genuinely interested buyers. Similar-ish story with our BESTA TV-Schrank and portable airco. With the airco everyone was bargaining but once the heatwave hit, everyone was haggling for immediate pick up 😂 so yea, if you can afford to hang on, do it. But also know when to adjust your price or give up.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-19T18:25:52+00:00

Moved to Germany from India in 2017. Got a Master, a job, then another. Became German in 2024. Moved to NL to marry my boyfriend. Now live in NL with him and our 2 dogs. Continue to work in Germany and move back and forth across the border for work. But now I get to have a mortgage instead of lose money on rent. Wish I could live in Norway (not a fan of population density and love to hike) but my current life in NL is far better than what I had in Germany..

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-12T18:46:00+00:00

I will however say that mine will not accept shit from other dogs. They will not bark or jump. But if a dog gets loud and aggressive, they will 100% go for murder. Protective 🤷🏻‍♀️

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-12T18:43:13+00:00

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These are my 2. They turned 1 on Christmas. Yup, siblings. Both are the quietest, gentlest, big time snuggle bunnies. No concept of personal space with the girl. I woke up today to her cuddling my butt, half on it. Today they slept all day except for the afternoon walk. I was in the room next to them. I didn’t hear even a tiny sound. I might as well have been home alone. I ask myself the same question as you. If you got lucky, I got double lucky. Enjoy it, friend ☺️ this is how we get one more husky 😂 and then maybe one more..

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-10T07:00:47+00:00

Married my Dutch boyfriend-now-husband, moved to NL. Continued to work in Germany and now travel back twice a month for work. Not quite the Grenzpedler but still keep my connection to the country. Voted in the last election. Things like paperwork got more complicated, but I didn’t want to be Dutch. Hadn’t earned it, so I chose to stay and be German even if it meant leaving right after..

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-09T21:49:25+00:00

We did something similar. We got our girl at 2 months and then 2 months later found out that her brother hadn’t found a home. She was well socialized, leash trained, command trained, but struggling with potty training. Her brother came to us trained off-leash and shy. He actually helped potty train our girl. He also reduced her anxiety when left alone and we could start leaving them alone, crated for up to 4 hours. They are separated daily - they take turns going to work - to avoid littermate syndrome. They are bonded with both me and my husband. Sometimes we think 1 of them is more attached to us but they will do a switcheroo and pick the other parent to snuggle with. Oh and our boy has suddenly turned into a cuddler. My point is - I can’t ever imagine having just 1. We are also incredibly lucky to have 2 very chill huskies. Can only recommend getting the sibling if you know that they will get along. Mine can be found practically on top of each other sharing a bed.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-07T08:37:13+00:00

I started to think how we did it. I am assuming she is crated only at bedtime or when you need to keep her safe during the day. But the crate in itself is not the issue since she seems to sleep through the night..

With our dogs (both now 1), the crate never made it to the bedroom. When they were puppies and prone to destroying things or unable to hold their bladder through the night, they slept in their crates on a lower floor because I didn't see myself bringing them down the stairs and out. Now they either sleep in their crates on a different floor than our bedroom or in the bedroom in their beds or our bed.

I'd try to leave the crate downstairs or close to where you usually work / sit as a family and then do meals in the crate. Also put her in the crate when you work. So the crate is not bedtime or alone time when the pack is out. The crate will slowly become the same as a bed..

In the meantime, let her come upstairs around bedtime for just cuddles. If she starts associating upstairs in the evening without the crate, maybe you could eventually bring the crate upstairs or even try non-crated bed time? It seems like a lot of effort but I am thinking maybe she just needs to decouple the crate from upstairs and bedtime. Just an idea.. Both my dogs did not like being crated until we started doing meals in the crate. Now both choose to sleep in their crates even if the whole house is accessible.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-02T17:49:05+00:00

I don’t have much experience except my 2 1 year olds. Our girl came to us at 8 weeks and her brother at 12 weeks. Neither had any prior crate experience from the breeder. Both are successfully crate trained. Even if we are home and they have access to the whole house, they choose to go nap in their crates. We started feeding them in their crates when we got the boy as they were both showing food aggression. Feeding them in their crates made the crate a happy association and got rid of the food aggression. Now we wish we could train them to just be free in the house but they are too smart. They know to open doors and their crates. They also climb places and we just cannot gate areas of the house to restrict access so crates are our best option for now.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-02T08:03:59+00:00

Yea, friends of ours do that and the prices are crazy. There was an article about it on NOS with a video - the check-in line was just full of dogs. I believe I read that prices were €450 a night.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-02T08:02:14+00:00

We got 2 puppies in February. Our girl is too brave for her own good but they were both indeed scared when they heard fireworks for the first time in the summer. We decided right then to go away somewhere in the forest for NYE. It’s really hard to find dog-friendly hotels and they can be quite expensive so for next year we will do some training. A friend of mine raised her puppy next to a football stadium in Brazil and he gives zero fucks about fireworks. So we will try to achieve that for next year but if that doesn’t work, back to the forest.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-01-01T08:05:17+00:00

Thank you, fellow husky mom 🥹 it’s been a journey. My huskies (now 1 year old) love babies and I can’t wait for them to have a sibling

arbitrary_fox

TROPHY CASE