I could drink you up, Versailles

It doesn't get better than this, folks.

Visiting the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette and the Petit Trianon this weekend is probably one of my favorite things we have done in the area thus far. Seriously, I felt transformed having left the gritty streets of Paris, strolling the thousands of acres at Versailles. There were no lines, very few people, fresh air, beautiful gardens, beautiful buildings, the kids could zoom around on their bikes without me freaking out they are going to go into the road, I think I said "I want to stay here" about 20 times during our visit. You can actually rent a golf cart to get around the grounds, how fun! Poor Theo was so tired after all that biking and walking he passed out cold on the couch at 6:30pm!

That bike is the greatest thing we ever got you, Theo.

Ready, set, go!

In other news, I learned a very important French word this weekend. Couvert means place setting in French. Whenever I go pick up something to eat a emporter, they always ask est-ce que vous blah blah blah blah? To which I always respond, oui! And everytime I realize when I get home they are asking if I want plastic cutlery for my meal. Now I have a sh*tload of it and I can't bear to throw it out. It just feels wasteful. I guess that makes me a hoarder. It's worse, I will take it with me from a plane, anywhere. "I'll need it someday for a picnic," I convince myself. Now time to find ideas to repurpose it, for an art project or something.

Halloween Recap

Ready or not, here we come!

Halloween is one of those events I didn't think I'd really miss until we were here. The thought of not trick-or-treating in our Vermont neighborhood with all the other little kids and parents made me very nostalgic. I started planning early this year for costumes because I knew I would be making them, which I prefer to store bought anyways.

There better be candy people. I didn't dress like this for nuthin'.

All four of us went to the Message Halloween parade at the Jardin des Tuileries. The weather was great and the bonbons were plentiful. It was fun to see all the costumes and roam through the Tuileries in our full American costume glory.

Et moi? Et moi?

Theo was a French mime. I wasn't and still am not sure if it was funny "ha ha" or making fun of the French but it got some laughs. Luke got to choose his costume this year, sigh, a race car driver. In my opinion Halloween is an opportunity for parents to dress kids up in cute, funny, ridiculous get-ups for their own personal amusement. I'm going to push for one more year with Theo's costume, but after that I'm sure he will want to be a race car driver.

The Great Mug Mystery

I don't like to make fun of peoples' accents in general, at least in a mean derogatory kind of way. I'm a big hypocrite because my French is so-so and anyone willing to talk to me in English is usually gratefully welcome.

We were on the train from Paris to Toulouse. Anyone who has been on the train knows that your conversation is for everyone else to hear. Especially when you are yelling and pacing the aisles. French grandma with her two grandsons were sitting a few aisles away when she gets on her cell and starts talking about her MUUUGs, like Uggs but lots of oomph on the "u." Back and forth and several phone calls about the status of her MUUUGS, "where are my muugs? why don't you know where my muugs are? I don't understand why I don't have my muugs." She was growing increasingly agitated, this went on for a good half hour. She got off at the first stop. We will never know if French grandma actually got her mugs or what she does with mugs. Who doesn't enjoy a good mug?

Every now and then one of us will say, "muuuugs!" and we have a little chuckle. It even has us contemplating our future pet dog "mugs." By future I mean five years from now. We like to plan ahead. Not really.

Toddler time = Mommy free time

Our youngest son Theo started L'Halte Garderie at the end of September and Mama is impressed. The facility is clean, lots of new (wooden to boot!) toys, an outdoor playground, and most importantly les educatrices are caring and professional. They have been able to accomodate extra mornings when the days he is supposed to go fall on a holiday. After the week of l'adaptation Theo is happy to go and play. They have said that he likes to fight with the other little boys, but that's just Theo. I swear he is going to be a linebacker one day. One interesting/odd thing, they are not allowed to call him by his nickname, Theo. They must call him by his full name Theoden. Anyhoo, this has been a great experience so far.

Starting school in Paris

Our oldest son Luke started school in February at the local Ecole Maternelle. As a mom and a natural born worrier, there were many things that I wasn't sure about. He came home the first few weeks not having understood much and not having any playmates. However he looked forward to going everyday and seemed happy in general. It only took a month or so before he started picking up the language and soon after making some friends.

On Monday he started a new school! We missed la rentree due to a wedding over the Labor Day weekend in the states. One down, one to go. Theo starts L'Halte Guarderie at the end of the month two mornings a week. More on that later.

I was a bit surprised by the full page of school supplies. He's five years old people. He needs brand name glue and tissues de bonne qualite. Hoping these folks aren't too high maintenance, they just know what works best. I did send him off with Casino brand tissues just to see if they would say anything. Yes, kind of lame I think this is funny.

On a plane tomorrow!

We are heading back to the states for August! Luke, Theo, and I are visiting family and going to the BEACH. I am just a little excited. I'm not even concerned about the fact I will be flying solo with these balls of energy across the Atlantic. We have been in Paris for ten months now and although we are feeling settled, there's no place like home. We've got soaps and sweets and foie gras for our friends and family. Too bad the macaroons don't stay fresh long enough for the trip.

Da Park

Living in an apartment we really depend on going to parks for our outdoor time. Coming from rural Vermont this has been one of the biggest adjustments. Today we went to the park at the Champ de Mars. It is always fun to go see the Eiffel Tower and more fun to people watch! The playset is all in the shade which is nice on a sunny and warm day like today. Our local hang, Place des Etats-Unis is also a great park, although it is smaller and can be really crowded during the school year. Plus we go there all the time, variety is a beautiful thing!