Lots to catch up on! What a great ski trip! As we headed for Anzere, Switzerland we made an overnight stop in Genouilly, France to visit Chris's uncle and aunt. They have a beautiful home in the wine region. We had a great dinner, fantastic wine and interesting conversations. The littles behaved nicely and we really enjoyed our stay.

Kids enjoying their french dinner

Genouilly

Chris's aunt and uncle

We had a great ski vacation in the Swiss Alps.  Alex and Olivia went with their school to Saas Fee, Switzerland while the rest of us went to Anzere, Switzerland.  All had a fantastic time.  Luciana skied the first day and Emilia took lessons and left a better skier than myself.  We put Luciana in daycare the second day as it was difficult for both Chris and I to ski with her.  The girls went sledding each evening and enjoyed the snow as we did not get any in France this winter.  We spent one evening in the pool followed by a fondue  and raclette dinner.  Typical Swiss meal- as cheese fondue originated in Switzerland and raclette is a Swiss dish in which you heat the cheese and scrape off (racler) the melted part.  It was so delicious that we replicated the meal at home for Olivia and Alex. 

Alex and Olivia had a great time.  I felt they came home a bit older, wiser and taller!  It was Alex’s first extensive trip away from home.  He never called or emailed us so I assumed no problems!  Without his mom’s constant reminder, he only took one shower for the entire week!  He was the class clown and quite the gentleman as he was always holding the girls poles for them.  Olivia kept in touch via text.  She made some new friends and created some wonderful memories.   

The kids brought home gifts for us and their siblings.  Alex brought me a pack of fake gum cigarettes as I told him I liked them as a child.  He of course bought 5 more packs and enjoyed pretending to be cool as he puffed the sugar away.

Trying to look french

It scares me that Emilia looks like she knows what she is doing!

Back to reality – the following week. I of course had my 100th dentist appointment. I have spent more money and time at the dentists office in 1 month than I have in 10 years! Alex also went to the orthodontist. He now has an expander for the next 6- 8 months to widen his jaw from a cross bite. The night before he had it put in, I surprised him with a dinner of just chewy candy and gum for dessert, as he won’t have it for quite some time!

Luciana in her Austrian outfit

Emilia with a croissant tip "tongue"

Chris and I took one day to see the photography exhibit: Brassai, For the Love of Paris. It was being displayed at the Marie de Paris (Hotel De Ville) for free. His photos date back to the Belle Epoque period and showed Paris in a timeless, romantic way.

We went to our first ballet in Paris. We were most excited just to experience the Palais Garnier. It is absolutely beatufiul. It was built in 1875 and was used as the setting for Phantom of the Opera. We saw two 50 minute performances- Fall River Legend and Mademoiselle Julie. In both endings, the woman dies violently so Olivia was not all that impressed. I enjoyed the performances quite a bit while Chris was more appreciative of the atmosphere.

I took another school tour- it was a Tour of the passages couverts. In the18th and 19th century the areas around the Grands Boulevards created many glass-roofed shopping galleries known as les passages couverts (covered passages). They allowed you to take a shortcut, step out of the rain, shop, dine or even take a bath in one of its public bath houses. At one point there were 150 passages, now there are only 25 open today.  They are quite beautiful and a must see if you visit Paris. 

The mosaic floor was designed by the same man who designed the mosaic in the opera house.

I continue my french lessons but still having a hard time getting the words out of my mouth. It is frustrating because I am always messing up on whether a noun is masculine or feminine. I have a 50 % chance and have a 25% success rate. As soon as I mess up here, the french no longer continue to speak french to me, the correct me and then continue in english. The other day I had a funny experience. I went to the dry cleaners and you have to pay in advance. I was short one euro and had only a large bill and the woman would not give me change. She was angry with me and told me to go find a euro and come back. I was embarassed as I couldn't get my words out and went to the car and found some change. I came back, paid and as I was exiting - I yelled out a loud "bonjour" her to her. I should have said " au revoir".  My mistake broke the old angry woman down as she laughed and finally smiled at me!  The weather here has been fantastic! 60-70 and sunny for 2 weeks! We have had some wonderful picnic and outdoor strolls.  I am tempted to pack away winter gear but don't want to press my luck!  I also added a video of Luciana.  We have watched Frozen and listened to the soundtrack so many times that it really has become a daily part of our lives this month!

Its been a busy couple weeks.  My brother and sister in law came to visit.  The day before their arrival their was a taxi strike.  Strikes happen quite frequently in Paris and can often shut down the transportation systems.  The taxi drivers were on strike to protest the Uber system.   The Uber system is an on line application where you can locate a driver and have them at your feet within seconds. The taxi drivers were on strike because their policy is they say they have at least 15 minutes to pick you up. Funny how better service is being protested against.....  The day after the strike, we had 2 taxi cars in front of us and at the stop light they opened their trunks and pulled out cartons of eggs.  Chris, Alex and I were perplexed as to what was happening and then they just started throwing them at other taxis.  We assumed they were going after fellow drivers who may have been picking up passengers.  Nonetheless, we got a kick out of the whole scene.

Johnny and Stacey pretty much were on their own in Paris.  They ventured out on the train and came back with lots of fun stories.  Staci speaks French and Johnny is not afraid to try to speak so the two of them were quite the pair exploring.  When they returned home, the kids enjoyed hanging out with them and watching the Olympics.

Emilia and Luciana gave them a makeover

I had booked a wine tasting course for me, Chris, Johnny and Stacey.  It was 2 hours of champagne, white and red wine.  I learned a lot but really enjoyed the atmosphere and the company.  We followed it up with a stop at the restaurant, L' Escargot Montorgueil.  We have yet to try escargots so why not??? We tried garlic, curry, and Roquefort escargot. It was a great french meal.  It was only 8:00 but after so much wine it felt late so when our server asked if we wanted cafe- I said, no a chamomile tea please. He was young and he smiled and looked at his watch with the expression that I was quite the party animal.

Wine tasting at O Chateau

L'Escargot Montorgueil

We went to Chantilly.  It is less than an hour from Paris.  The main attraction is the chateau and the great stables.  It was featured in the James Bond movie, A View to a Kill.  Ronaldo, the Brazilian soccer player was married here as well for 700,000 euros.  It is a beautiful place to see and much more inviting than Versailles.  We spent some time in the chateau before heading to a creperie for lunch.  We then finished the day at the Great Stables.  We got to see an equestrian display and tour the horse museum.

Chateau de Chantilly

We look all bundled but turned out to be nearly 50 and sunny

Luciana attacking Alex

I was able to spend one day touring with Johnny and Stacey.  I took them to Montmarte.  I always enjoy the walk around Montmarte.  Lots to see and stories to tell.

Stacey holding his hand to "get the magic"

Chris and I celebrated our 13 year anniversary by going to the Opera Bastille to see Madam Butterfly. It was my first real opera experience.  I have to say the three hours went by quickly!  It was a great performance.

Enjoying champagne at intermission

Alex and Olivia left yesterday for Saas-Fee, Switzerland.  They went with 22 classmates on a school organized event for 7 days of skiing.  Olivia had three 5th grade girls while Alex had one third grade boy along on the trip.  I am a bit nervous as Alex has never spent more than 2 nights away from home. I texted them to contact me as soon as possible and Olivia responds with .... it costs money to text mom so please don't send anything stupid and waste my phone dollars....  now who is the adult?   She also informed me that the small rectangular squares I thought was soap that I packed her turned out to be chocolate!  She was  worried about her cleanliness while I can only imagine that Alex was quite happy about it.   She also said she was placed in the advanced ski class...I am quite impressed!  Can't wait to hear about the trip!

At Gare de Lyon- taking the TGV to Switzerland

 Chris and I took the little girls to La Cite des Enfants.   It is a children's museum where the kids have hands on interactive, educational fun.  It is organized as such that only a certain amount of children are allowed in at a time and for only 90 minutes.  I liked this in that it was not crowded and the kids had a chance to experiment with everything.  The museum is in the Parc de la Villette.  It is the largest park in Paris but most of it is concrete.  Unfortunately many of the attractions were closed this time of year but we will go back in the spring with all the kids .

La Cite des Enfants

La Cite des Enfants

Parc de la Villette- Chris is pushing several kids around while the littles in pink are in the center

It is so much easier with two kids. Less fighting and less organizing.  We took the littles ice skating.  Luciana had double blades on her skates so she was on her own.  Emilia found a friend within 5 minutes.  She just goes up to a girl her height- asks her name and age ( all in french)- finds out she is as friendly as she is and they skated for an hour together holding hands.  We then went to the Marché aux Puces St-Ouen de Clignancourt.  It is the most famous market in Paris- around 15 separate markets along the same streets- about 3000 open stalls filled with antiques, trinkets, vintage clothing and more. A great place to browse and shop for the unordinary.  Chris and I plan on returning sans children and make a few purchases!

Emilia and her friend

Luciana warming up

Luciana trying to convince us to get her the 1700 euro horse

a sample of the marche aux puces

All the kids are all doing well.  I finally got the flu shots for them.  In France, your doctor has to write a prescription, than you go to the pharmacy to buy the shots then you return back to the doctor to administer them.  Quite the work!  Luciana has a new habit of applying lipstick (pink chapstick) every night before bed.  Her words are "Pretty girls wear lipstick at night".  Sometimes she is in bed for 10 minutes and gets up to find her purse and reapply.  The other night she was asleep for 20 minutes and I hear Emilia say- "Mom, Luciana is up".  I come to find her getting dressed, telling me it was morning time already.  Took me 10 minutes to convince her it was night and to get her in her pajamas again. Olivia celebrated Roman days at school.  As an extra credit assignment, the student to submit the most extra work would be crowned Emperor for the day and could assign slaves.  Of course, Olivia- the competitive one, worked hard for weeks and was crowned along with another girl- emperors for the day.  Olivia had a great day being fed grapes!  Kids also celebrated Valentines Day.  Alex wanted to buy his "crush" jewelry.  We settled on an extra lollipop.  He is quite the charmer and has a swarm of girls giggling at him daily.  Emilia has become my translator.  Any time I am stumped for a french word, she responds immediately and if she doesn't know, she says it in english with a french accent.  She says she is starting to think in French now.

Chris made the kids watch that 80's movie Over the Top and followed it up with arm wrestling matches

Well, we are off on a ski trip of our own tomorrow.  We are stopping to see Chris's uncle then heading to Anzere, Switzerland to ski the Swiss alps with the little ones.  March will be busy as we have two birthdays to celebrate!

My mom returned from a 3 week cruise and called me to tell me I have not written anything in a long time.  She likes to read my updates first and then call to discuss the details. So I guess I better update her!  I had my first bikram yoga experience.  What a nightmare! I enjoy hot yoga as Chris and I had been doing it for months.  This is one of the things I miss most so I thought we would give it a try.  There is an english class offered at 11:00 each day so we opted for that.  I have heard about bikram and that it just a series of poses and is more strict than what we had been doing.   Well- we get into this room that is 105 degrees and they managed to stuff 40 people in a space that really should be 20.  In comes a big burly shirtless hairy man and who does he go next to??? Me.  I knew it was not a good start.  And honestly, I was expecting more fit people.  It was quite the opposite.  No one was in decent shape and everyone wore as little clothing as possible.  It was not the scene I had envisioned.  The instructor was a monster- always yelling and belittling people.  I thought yoga was supposed to peaceful.  I could barely last the 1.5 hour class as the my burly neighbor was dripping sweat on my mat and releasing a foul odor.  Usually when I leave yoga, I feel stronger, leaner, rejuvenated.  Not that day, I left nauseous, and with a stiff neck.   My friends at school were all eager to join me on the next visit...but that wont be happening!  Then to top it off, Chris and I jumped on line 1 Metro.  It has double doors and beeps when closing.  For some reason, I was still out of it and the doors closed on my arm.  What pain!!!  Chris had to pry the doors open to let me free.  It has been over 2 weeks and it still hurts- I think I may have torn my bicep.  

Alex had a performance at school for his french class.  It was Les Trois Petits Cochons ( the three little pigs).  Alex played the part of the wolf and of course he hammed it up quite a bit.  His teacher tells me he is quite theatrical and comedic.  He enjoys making others laugh.  At the end of the play when the wolf falls into the boiling pot- he was supposed to get out, scream and run away.  But Alex "got stuck" int the pot and everyone enjoyed his performance.  I have a bit of the clip below.

We also decided to try some children's theater that was at the Opera Bastille.  We bought tickets for the two older girls and got all dressed up to see Chat Perche Operal Rural.   We had no idea what to expect.  It was a dance, musical theatrical performance.  It is nothing like I have ever experienced.  It was meant for children and it was quite bizarre and very eccentric.  Even if we understood most of it- I think we still would have walked away perplexed.  

Enjoying the performance

Chat Perche Opera Rural

Alex had a huge 40 team hockey tournament in Bercy.  Games were only 9 minutes each so things went by quickly and then slowly as we had to wait for his next match.  He did quite well- his first hat trick!  It so cute to watch Alex celebrate his victories with his teammates.  No one understands him but all smiles everywhere!

Alex "18"

I am continuing with my weekly french lessons and think I am progressing.  We have also started a french conversation group with 4 friends at school to get us going.  We all seem to understand, its just getting the words out quickly that we all find difficult.  

Luciana had her first french birthday party for a classmate.  I did not know what to expect as it was at her home with only a start time of 3:30.  The mother is from Bulgaria and father from Italy but both were raised in France.  As we arrived, Luciana went right in and I fortunately found a gentleman who gladly spoke English with me.  After he left, I went to the moms and listened but contributed very little.  I assumed since the children were 3 and 4 - that the party would be 1.5 hours.  But it wasn't.  In fact, more people kept arriving at all times.  By 5:00, the house was full and we had to leave to pick up Alex from basketball.  I am not sure if I was rude to leave but they were surprised that I made such a quick exit.  

I found Luciana making herself a peanut butter sandwich

We went an annual school cocktail party called Bonnee Annee in Paris one evening.  It was nice to get dressed up and spend the evening in Paris at the beautiful Cercle de l’Union Interalliée.  We followed it up at a restaurant called Le Chiberta with another couple.  It was our first Michelin dining experience.   Despite being a Guy Savoy restaurant, I have to say I was not that impressed.  I have had better dining experiences- both food and atmosphere.  

Olivia had her first gymnastics meet.  It is very different than what she is accustomed to.  It is not as intense and stressful as the girls are divided into groups of four and compete as a team.  No individual medals - just a team trophy.  The girls got 2nd place and had a combined score high enough to qualify for the regional competitions.  Olivia did outstanding as she stuck her back walkover on the beam and did a great floor routine that she choreographed herself.  Her scores were given to her coach only that she shared with Olivia...she was a the top of the meet! 

practicing her back walk over

I went to the dentist to have some fillings fixed and a crown repaired.  I have been in pain for a week now as I managed to bite the inside of my cheek a dozen times.  I was hoping I could lose a couple pounds as it is not easy to eat, but then I discovered pain au chocolat is nice and soft and I can eat it on one side of my mouth.  I go back in another week to have the permanent fixtures put in- but if these wounds don't heal soon, I may be the crankiest mom around!  I had another ASP tour.  This time we went to the Musee d'Art Moderne.  This museum is owned by the city of Paris, where as the Centre Pompidou is owned  by France.  I like modern art, its the contemporary pieces I am not so interested in.  It had many interesting pieces and was a small manageable museum.  This museum has some very recent history itself. On May 20, 2010, 5 paintings were stolen overnight. The paintings taken were Le pigeon aux petits pois by Pablo Picasso, La Pastorale by Henri Matisse, L'Olivier Près de l'Estaque by Georges Braque, La Femme à l'Éventail,   by Amedeo Modigliani and Nature Morte aux Chandeliers by Fernand Léger.  They were valued at $123 million and is said to be the "heist of the century".   The French auctioneer response was "These five paintings are unsellable, so thieves, sirs, you are imbeciles, now return them.".  They still have not been found!

La Fee Electricite by Raoul Dufy

One of Picasso's early pieces

Henri Matisse sketch

Luciana had been doing great as she is on an inhaler.  The doctor warned us though that if she caught a bad cold- the cycle could repeat itself....well she got another one!  Up all night coughing.  I cant wait for this season to be over.  Although no snow here- it is damp with frequent rains and temps in the high 40s, low 50s.   Chris got stuck in the snowstorms in Chicago and was delayed coming home 2 times.....he has been in the states for 3 out past 4 weeks.  My brother is in town next week and we have lots of more things to see and do in Paris!

I have a bit to catch up on as I have not written anything since our return from Morocco. I had another ASP tour- we did a tour of Versailles. Having been a few times, I was not expecting to learn anything new- but of course I did. It was also exciting because former NBA player David Robinson was in front of us the whole time. I nonchalantly took a photo and texted it to Chris to get his name as I knew he was a ballplayer because of his massive height.  Chris tried to get me to get his autograph- but was too embarrassed to ask.

 Kids had dental appointments. It is so difficult with dentists as each time I or the kids go- everyone needs to follow up with something. I have ortho appointments for 3 of them so will see if metal is in the kids future.  Kids have started new activities after school as well. Alex and Olivia are now playing tennis once a week and Alex started basketball.

Alex had his first french friend birthday party. He plays hockey with Alex and the two have become close as each tries to speak in each others native language. I do not know the birthday party customs here so Chris and Alex went to but a gift. I asked Alex how it went and he said they opened the gifts. He received a helicopter, 10 books and a huge Nerf gun. Yes- the Americans gave him the Nerf gun. I can only imagine what his parents were thinking as this boy was jumping up and down screaming with joy while opening Alex's gift.

Chris and I are continuing our date night as we went to a fondue restaurant called Pain, Vin, Fromage. It was such a good time that we decided to buy our own fondue set.  Will be testing it out next week. We also went shopping as they have huge sales here from Jan 08- Feb 11. Things are marked down as much as 70%. People are everywhere with multiple shopping bags.  Its the time to come to Paris if you are in it for the shopping.

I took Luciana to see an American doctor. She just cant shake this cough and I really need to be able to communicate and explore her options. Unfortunately- he disagreed with every medication she had been given. He claims that the US have done studies on these meds over 5 years ago and found them not to work in pediatrics. The french docs say steroids are good for children while my American doc said...no way!  It got me thinking about the health care system- why isn't quality of care measured and shared globally?  Why can't there be a best practice and hold doctors accountable?

I started my private french lessons.  We met at a cafe and I was forced to speak only french.  I tried to explain that I know very few verbs and do not know how to conjugate most of the time.  It is not easy to learn a new language as an adult.  The hardest part is being able to accept the fact that you are going to say things that do not make sense.   I have classes for 2 hours twice a week.  The first week my brain was tired and she suggested we go shopping at the end of class.  She wanted me to talk to the salespeople and I couldn't get anything out.  How humiliating- I felt like a child as I looked at my teacher for guidance.  I need to go in with the mentality that I have nothing to lose- and a lot to gain!

My girls are already thinking about boys.  Someone in Olivia's class asked her to be his girlfriend.  I asked Olivia whether she liked him and her response was - " he doesn't pick his nose and that is saying a lot for 5th grade boys".  I am glad her standards are so high. Even Emilia has me a bit worried as she now says she wants to be a cheerleader when she grows up.   She says she wants to marry a strong man and if she is a cheerleader then chances are high she will meet a football or hockey player.   And then there is Alex.  He has had a crush on the same girl for months and just found out she has a crush on him too.  He was so excited and started jumping up and down.  I asked him what he was going to do about it and he decided to leave her a note with chocolates in here locker.  He couldn't sleep the night before- already a romantic!

I can't believe we have been here for 6 months already! I still miss some of my American things....almond butter, refried beans and forever om yoga being at the top of my list -but I have adapted to the french style. A few observations on the french...

- Way too many tags on clothes! There are literally between 5 and 8 tags on everything. I don't understand it. Even on children's underwear- I need to cut them off and the little edges still bother Emilia.

- I really do like the whole french kissing- by that I mean the pecks on each cheek. How can people hold grudges when you have to kiss them twice when saying hello and goodbye. This is something I will miss in the states.

- How can women walk in high heels on uneven bumpy cobblestones? Not only can they walk quickly but with perfect posture and going uphill.  I found myself slightly out of breath behind an elegantly dressed woman in her eighties who was just moving along with no problem.

-  I learned that the french tend to have much of their clothing tailored- thus explaining their sleek style. I am so used to buying things off the rack and just letting it fit as is- I think I will try getting things hemmed and tucked where needed- I may be able to look just as chic!

- Both men and women in Paris tend to be quite thin. In fact, Chris who is a 34 waist has a difficult time finding pants. 32 seems to be the max at most places! Chris is in great shape too- its just that I have realized that both the men and women do not have any derrières! Nothing at all to cushion themselves- its no wonder they never seem to be sitting down!  Although- I now have a disclaimer to this. I went with the kids to a suburb about 30 minutes away this past weekend and we had lunch at a chain called Buffalo Bills.  I couldn't believe that half the clientele was not the Parisian thin I am used to.  I felt  like I was back in the US as we were seated next to some pleasantly plump children.

Well this week has been tough as Chris has been in the states for 8 days...2 more to go....Lots going on again  this month as we prepare for Alex's biggest hockey tournament, Olivia's first gym meet and our first experience with french ballet....plus my brother and sister in law are arriving in a few weeks!  Never a dull moment!  Well that's not really true.....