No Mac 'n Cheese here!

To start this blog I must tell you what I just made myself for dinner (while listening to Eric Clapton: Unplugged...thanks Dad!): cous cous (my new fav), artichoke hearts (okay those were in a jar), and a small 'salad' of sliced tomatoes and cucumbers in a light pool of Balsamic Vinigarette. It's fairly tasty, and I'm following a new rule, the 25% rule...where I leave 25% of my food and don't eat it, and then I workout or do some activity 25% more than usual...all in the effort to lose a few pounds and get in better shape (a tip I read from the Self magazine my sister sent me in the mail). Anyways, yesterday I cooked potatoes, carrots and onion for the kids and then made puree (aka blended, baby food)...yes, this is something they eat...per Virginie's directions. Several times a week the kids eat pureed veggies, not their favorite but they actually eat it and this is their way of getting veggies every day. So I cooked veggies, fish, and then baked a cake. And I must say, I did a really great job with timing everything, and washing dishes in between. Everything was done and the kids fed within an hour...with a clean kitchen in the end! So anyways...it's fun to MAKE real food and take the time to eat it...sure, sometimes we eat simple and not-so-healthy things, but in general I am appreciating the vegetables and FRESH FRUIT SALADS and taking time to make a good meal. I would really like to return to the States next year in better shape...with better eating habits, etc. So, I think I'm starting to learn a few things about how to do that. Thankfully I've had some free time the last few nights to exercise as well. I got off earlier then expected tonight and did a 45 minute workout or so...and really worked up a sweat! I did some pilates and ab workouts for 20 minutes, then jogged for about 20 minutes around the neighborhood. It felt good to get my heart rate up. It will time some time to get back into shape to run longer and go for at least an hour. This summer was more so lazy and relaxing then lots of working out...so I hope to get in a habit of at least 4 days of workouts. The Seine River runs through Bougival, so I need to explore down there...and run along the Seine!

The last 2 days have been good. I had full days with the children, which means I started at 8am, and went until 7 (except tonight I got off before 6). We played games, did yoga, I introduced the kids to "Eloise" and they really like her!, they also are loving Gwen Stefani (fun to show them some parts of American culture), I ironed for quite awhile while the kids played in the "salle de joue" (play room), and I made some posters for the kids. They are a way to motivate the children to speak more English...each time they say a complete phrase in English they get a star, and after 15 stars they'll get a surprise. A complete phrase would be: "Can I have some bread, please?" or "What time is it, Laura?", etc. So far Ines has 5 stars, Tiph 3 and Matt 1. They have to voluntarily speak in English, they won't get a star when I simply ASK them to repeat something in English, like "please" or "thank you", etc. Virginie told me last night she thinks the posters are a great addition and that Ines will definitely do it for the mere competition factor. Oh yeah, Carolyn the kids are coloring in the books every morning, and Ines asks me to color with her so some of the pictures will turn our really pretty! Because I'm the best one at staying in the lines..lol...and Old McDonald is Matt's favorite song in English so the book works well for him!

Tonight the girls had their first pony lesson! Wow...their outfits were SOOO ADORABLE! Totally not Idaho-style pony lesson clothes...lol, no cowboy boots and jeans here! They were dressed just like you'd expect Princess Diana to dress when she rode a horse...anyways, we drove to the equestrian club and there were at least 30 poneys all around: so cute! It is Tiphaine's first year taking them, so she learns how to 'prepare' the poney, and then 30 minutes of riding. Ines has a full hour of riding. So I will take the kids every Friday after school for about 2.5 hours to the poney club. I can help them if they need help preparing the horse, otherwise I'll hang out with Matthieu and watch the girls. Tonight actually Virginie showed up in the middle of Tiph's lesson, so we chatted for a few minutes and then she told me I could take the car home and be off for the night! That was cool, and it was the first time driving home alone from a location a bit more complicated....and I got home without problems! Didn't get lost at all...it was great. I drove from Versailles to La Celle St. Cloud to Bougival...about 10 minutes. So now I have officially started my 4 DAY WEEKEND! I almost went into Paris because I was so excited, but refrained to save money...instead did my workout, made a small dinner, showered and now am blogging and it's only 8pm. Tomorrow I will start all my adventures. And thankfully, my FREE TRAIN/METRO/BUS pass gets activated tomorrow, the 1st of September! So the timing works out great. From this point forward all my transportation is free and I just swipe a card each time to get on. Anyways...tomorrow I plan to see Le Marais & the Latin Quarter, the inside of Hugo's house, le Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise (with Jim Morrison's grave and many other famous people), and Cafe Charbon....a cafe I read about in one of my books. It's going to be a relaxing, take my time and walk around...day. Depending on how I feel I might stay out into the night and go to a bar I heard about in the 6th arrondisement...not sure yet.

Everything is going well here...I'm adjusting well and only have a few 'down' moments during the week when my motivation is maybe down to entertain the kids or when I really want to talk to a friend...but all in all I'm used to the life here and being away from everyone. It will really be fun to have a visitor though and show you guys my life here. I hope to buy a calling card here at La Gare St. Lazare, but I am still trying to find out where Mary Clare (the last au pair) bought it. It's a really great calling card (as the ones from the U.S. don't work well from here)...I just don't know which shop this card is in and am waiting to hear from M.C. When I get a good card I'll call my friends from the house phone...otherwise I'm not really calling out on my cell phones, since they are so expensive. I'm also still keeping in touch with my American pop culture side...watching "The Hills" and "The Real World" on MTV.com. Haha. I'm waiting for "Grey's" to start and I hope to be able to watch "Nip/Tuck" online too. I also am reading magazines everyone is sending me, and checking stuff online a few times each week. Sure, I like adjusting to the European culture and way of life, but I'm not about to give up the little things that keep me connected to American entertainment!

This weekend I plan to do ZERO shopping, other than a few birthday gifts for people. And those will be small...I'm just planning on spending some money on food, a drink, and any admission fees. Sunday the museums are free bc it's the first Sunday of the month, so I will save money that day...probably hitting up the Louvre and D'Orsay....

okay I'm rambling on and need to get on with my evening: a.k.a. reading my book, sipping a glass of wine, cleaning up the studio a bit and getting a good night sleep! Bon soiree!