Another Week in Paris....

(kids on the way to school in the morning)


Hi everyone. I know it's been awhile since my last post, but it was just another busy week without a lot of energy to blog. The winter weather is starting to kick in here, at least the temperature anyway. It is QUITE cold here...but thanks to Mom I was able to go buy a warm pea coat from H&M (aka not too expensive!). I was back in action with my stretching and aerobics classes...definitely feeling my muscles this week again! It felt good to work up a sweat and be busy in St. Germaine. My French class is going well too.....although we are getting into more in-depth grammar, and some of the tenses are really difficult for me...or maybe it's just my motivation lacking. I just know that for me, I could NEVER explain grammar to anyone like my professor and some of the girls in the class. I appreciate it now I guess....it's so simple to teach the 4 year olds here English because I don't delve into the grammatical stuff. Anyways...





Matt is doing a lot better with his carseat and behavior in the car. Ines and I had a good bonding time one evening when I picked her up from music without the other 2 kids...she sat in the front seat next to me and looked sooo tiny, it was funny. We talked about what she wants for Christmas (a puppy), and I told her I'd have someone send her a gift from the States. She liked that idea. I guess it's just when all 3 children are together, or with their friends, that they are more hyper and likely to misbehave. But they're amazing on a one-on-one basis!





Virginie had another (and last) dinner party at the house for the parents of Tiphaine's class. It went well and I helped clean and prepare...and Virginie, Jerome and I had a good time visiting and chatting while we waited for the guests to arrive. I was secretly hoping they would invite me to join everyone after the kids went to sleep.....but, no such thing occured. Oh well...I met an American mother at the kids' school. She is from California but has lived in France a long time and is married to a French man. She is really nice and we visited a long time and now say hi to each other often at school. She is giving my phone # to another American au pair she knows from Alaska. I feel more comfortable at the kids' school, as more mothers know me and talk to me...some even speak English, and I hear English accents. The kids are starting to tell their parents that they know who I am, that I'm the girl that teaches them English and sings "Hello, how are you?" to them...haha.





Some fun news is that next weekend I have a 3 day weekend! Virginie suggested it'd be a good time to travel, so after the motivation from Italy, I have decided to go to Strasbourg, France. I just bought my train tickets and reserved hotels! It is parallel to Paris, on the far east side of the country, and takes 2 hours and 20 minutes on the TGV. It took me all week to decide where to go, and after travelling with Stacey, I knew how to do some research on places to go. I debated between Avignon, Grenoble, London....and it came down to London, Nice or Strasbourg. The first 2 are more expensive just a BIT, and I kind of want to wait until it's warmer weather to see the south of France...and Strasbourg has pretty sites, and history, and it's not a far train ride, etc. So I booked a different hotel for the 2 nights (hostel/hotel), and leave Saturday the 24th and return Monday the 26th! I'm excited.





We have Thanksgiving dinner here Thursday night (of course), so that is going to be fun as well. I think we have enough recipes to make a good meal...it will be nice, but I know it won't feel quite the same having dinner at 7:30 or 8pm, after a day of work...it just won't be the same as a traditional Thanksgiving day in the States...but at least we are trying!





Okay...I think it's time for a mini Saturday afternoon nap...bonne journee!