All is well...

Today, it's exactly 120 years ago the Eiffel Tower was opened to the public!

All is well... here... and there. We just got a letter in the mail from our little girl. A short, happy note! With a lot of exclamation marks and smileys and hearts - the barometer for happiness. We did have news from our kids every day, though. The school signed up for a voice mail service. Every night a group of about 4 or 5 kids recorded a message for the parents, with a short description of the day. Very cute, to hear all those happy voices, the giggling, the "je vous embrasse très fort"... Last night we heard M. - finally! little H. had started crying a couple of nights before because her sister hadn't been on there yet. She sounded cheerful and happy. It made us happy too. One more night and they're back. A big night for them, though, as tonight will be party night - the much anticipated "boum"!!

Though I missed my biggest little girl tremendously, I had a very nice and peaceful week with my other little one. H. has been extremely calm and sweet this week. No tantrums, no yelling... She didn't have to keep up with her sister or compete to get all the attention she wants. After school we stayed at the park (if it didn't rain...) so she could play with her friends. We prepared dinner together a couple of times - she sitting on the counter chattering and me cutting vegetables, that is. And on Wednesday afternoon we went to the Louvre. I didn't plan anything special for Wednesday afternoon (forgot to plan a playdate - shame on me). So a bit desperate about what we could do, I asked her if she fancied going to the museum. To my surprise she said yes! Since they are learning about Egypt right now, the choice was easily made: the permanent exhibit on ancient Egypt. Mummies and sarcophagi! Right before we left she asked if she could take her sister's camera. She wanted to take pictures for the class. Man, she was so cute with that little camera! You should have seen her: framing, stepping back and forward to position well, doing it over when not satisfied. She turned a smile on quite a few faces that afternoon! She determined the pace and we were through in about an hour. I still need to download and print out the 66 pictures she made... (could it be she caught mommy's bug?) I think we definitely need to get her a small camera for her next birthday.

That and roller skates- "with the wheels in one row" ...

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Cheers!

P.

Just the three of us...

This week it will be just the three of us at the dinner table, only one lunch box to prepare, only one drop-off at school and only one pick-up from school, only one kid to take to gym class, only one girl to tell to get dressed and get ready in the morning, only one kid to remind to pick-up toys and clothes, only one bedtime story at night,...

M. left this morning with her friends and teacher on "classe verte". She'll be gone for an entire week - for the first time ever. She's never been gone for more than one or two nights in a row. For the first time ever also, little H. will be "enfant unique". M. was pretty relaxed about the whole thing, until last night that is, when - just for a split second - she gave in to her little worries and fear, about not being with us, about being away from home for so long. She shed a few tears: "Parfois, je me sens tellement petit dans ce grand monde...", is what she said.

I took her to the station early this morning (we/ I(?) decided I would go and K. would stay with H. so at least little H. would have a decent night of sleep). Although a friend had urged me to come with her in the taxi she'd ordered, I decided to take the metro, so I could spend these last couple of minutes with my little girl. A decision I almost regretted when they announced technical problems on our particular line as soon as we arrived at the metro station. But we made it. M. was quiet, so was I, though I tried to break the silence with a little bit of silliness. That soon changed when she saw her best friend arrive at the station and they ran into each others arms. Then I knew she would be all right.
No tears, just a brave little girl waving goodbye...
I, I bit my lip...



Back home, I found little H. in the couch and she started crying as soon as she saw me (she also has a bad cold, which made her look even more miserable): "M. me manques déjà...". Although there's a three year age gap between the two of them and they do quarrel from time to time, they're really, really close. Last week, after reading this cute little story "La provision de bisous de ZOU" about a little zebra leaving home for the very first time - coincidentally this month's book of the book program we subscribed her to - H. insisted on making a little surprise box for her big sister with little (phonetic) notes and lots of kisses in it. We tucked it in M.'s suitcase, so she would find it upon arrival. It was our little secret...



So, my dear little M., we'll miss you, and maybe you'll miss us too. But on Saturday, you'll be back, with lots of stuff to tell or little secrets you'll prefer not to share.

Have a wonderful week, my dearest little M. ...

Have a wonderful week, my little girl!

Back!!

We're back! Back from a wonderful trip to the Alps! We went skiing with the kids for the first time ever and it was fun, so much fun! This definitely was the most relaxing vacation for us in years. The kids finally got to see snow. Real snow, not the kind of snow we had a couple of times here in Paris this winter (beautiful!!) and which vanished within hours. Though we were late in the season - and that is a real gamble even at high altitude - there was still enough snow to ski. And since it was the end of the season, it wasn't too crowded either which is nice when you're an absolute beginner.

All four of us signed up for classes at the ESF - l'Ecole du Ski Français, which literally translated means the school of French skiing, as opposed to any other kind of skiing, whatever that might be... Everyone did really great. Except for me that is, as I chickened out on the third day, something I regret now and which I'm not exactly proud of. Too scared of "le gaz" - the edge, isn't that a great expression?! Too scared to let go. I have a lot to catch up next time we go (and I will!) as everybody else in our family is moving up to the next level: M. got her "Flocon", H. her "Ourson" and K. got promoted to the next level too. These awards are not to be taken too lightly! We're talking about the ESF after all and as it goes with everything here in France you need to comply and prove you fulfill all requirements, or else...















As I quit my class, I had plenty of time to watch the kids while taking their classes. No regrets about that! It was great to see my girls coming down the slope, gracefully, full of confidence, with their bodies so flexible, all natural as if it were nothing... But it was also interesting to see their personalities reflected in their skiing style: M. very much in control, relaxed, soft and smooth - H. cutting short "les virages", mischievous, speedy, adding a little fantasy here and there. I wish I had taken a decent camera and not my point and shoot camera...
The first couple of days were actualy a little tough on us with H. She got extremely frustrated because we didn't let her go up the hill on the "tire-fesses" (a ski-tow) like we let her sister. All that changed as soon as K. grew more confident on his skis and took her between his legs on the "tire-fesses", something a lot of parents did with the younger ones. As days went by, she was able to go all the way up on her own. One time she really freaked me out by going all the way up on a slightly steeper piste, though she promised me she would get off halfway like she'd done during class. You should have seen the grin on her little face when she came skiing down!! It nearly gave me a heart attack, but yes, she was perfectly capable of doing it. Once started, she wouldn't stop - up and down that slope, a whole afternoon. That night she fell asleep on the couch, exhausted as she was...
At the end of the week, K. took M. with him to do a longer and more challenging (but still "green") piste. The one I didn't dare to come off and where I quit class. No problem for M., though!

Conclusion after one week in the Alps: we all got the hang of it (yes, me too!!) and we'll be going back! And next time "je ne vais pas louper le cours..."

A little bit of ski-related vocabulary:

tire-fesses: ski-tow, you put between your legs and which pulls you all the way up - you typically need to stand up straight, everything else, like sitting or leaning causing you to fall off...
la pente: the up-slope
l'aval: the down-slope
le gaz: the edge and everything beyond
piste: ski-slope, classified according to colors vert, blue, rouge et noir, with vert being very easy and noir extremely tough
chasse-neige: plow, one of the most important techniques as it allows you to stop and to make turns
chapeau pointu: same as chasse-neige, but used to explain the technique to young children
patiner: skate, technique used to get a little more speed

Another break... and a new blog!!

I won't be posting for a while - that is until spring break is over. We have one more week to go and I have some - hopefully - fun activities planned with the girls. More about that later, I'm sure. That and new tutorials - some things are brewing...

In the meantime, however, I'd like to introduce my new "other" blog:
// Between the lines // - Photographpy.
The title says it all. On this other blog, I'll just post photographs I made. The concept is very minimalistic. No or hardly any text - I want the pictures to speak for themselves, one photograph or one series of photographs per page, against a dark background. Have a look and don't hesitate to let me know what you think about it! Your comments, as always, are much appreciated!!

The new blog, however, doesn't mean the end of this one here. I'd like to reserve
// Between the lines // for showing my more crafty side, to post tutorials, or just to report about our lives here in Paris. I'll keep illustrating my posts with photographs, just like before. Nothing really will change over here.

I'm wishing you all a wonderful week and hope to find you back here or there soon!

Cheers,

P.

A gift...

... from me to you. A downloadable calendar for February!
I need to admit this wasn't entirely my idea. I had been thinking of making one for a while now, and then I stumbled upon this post at Chocolate and Zucchini - a great blog, with great recipes, and great pictures! You should check it out - yes, Mom, I have the feeling you'll just love it! I'd love to try making my own vanilla extract - among all the other yummy things there! A good resource to boost my culinary performances a bit, as I haven't been doing great in the kitchen lately... You should ask my kids about it!



Now, a little more about the calendar. I've made two versions: a desktop version (shown at the very top of this post) as well as a printable version (right above here) which provides space to write in. Both will be available from the sidebar, as off tonight or tomorrow morning, under the label "February 2009 calendar". Let me know what you think of it! It's a try-out. If you like it I'll make one available every month. I'd better start making pictures, then... When I look outside now and see the snow that's coming down, I can't actually believe I took this picture with the clear blue sky yesterday!

I hope you'll have a wonderful weekend, snow or no snow!

Wilted green

I did it again. I killed it. The plant, I mean. I don't have green fingers. That's the least thing one could say. I do like plants, though, and flowers. The different shades of green...

Listing all the plants that died under my care (!??) and lawns that turned patchy and the color of rust, would be too painful.
Now, we have only one plant left. I moved it a little closer to the dinner table, so after dinner I can empty the kids' water glasses in its dirt. It didn't grow much since we got it, but it didn't die either.
The only plants that ever worked well with me were the succulents I kept on a small table near our entrance door, back in California. But then, what can go wrong with succulents?
I wonder how they're doing...