I must be a displaced Parisian
My husband and I are just returning from several days in Paris to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. We had the opportunity to fly space-A to anywhere thanks to my in-laws, but our hope was to make it to Paris. We had not booked a hotel room because we weren’t certain of our travel plans. I had spent some time searching for Paris apartments to rent from agencies highlighted in Fodor’s Paris book, although most agencies said they were booked because of the upcoming Air Show. We were fortunate to get on both flights with little difficulty. Although my husband flies to Paris periodically for business, this was my first trip and the experience met every expectation that I had. No doubt we will be returning, hopefully with the kids in hand next time.
Everything about Paris is yummy. Parisians are gorgeous, stylish, mannerly and a little snobbish but the good kind of snobbish, not the bad (and they have every right to be proud). The city architecture is breath-taking with a rich history. If I ever build a home again, it will mimic the French design.
Here’s an abbreviated version of our week:
-Arrived in Paris Tuesday morning with no where to stay. My husband’s business hotel was completely full, so we started emailing apartment agencies from a local cafe that had free Wi-Fi. To our surprise, one of the agencies said they had a recent cancellation so we met the agent in the afternoon to check in. After walking many blocks, we arrived at the apartment located on Rue St. Dominique. The St. Dominique area is lovely and full of locals, so we were immediately ingrained into true Parisian life. The Eiffel Tower could be seen from our street. Our agent, Pierre-Louise, was courteous and accommodating providing us with bits of helpful information. The maid cleaned while we unpacked and washed the airplane muck off. Then off we went towards the Champs de Mars area. Jet lag would have to wait. We toured the Eiffel Tower, the grounds and the Siene river area and found a local cafe to dine at in the evening. After much walking, we collapsed into our bed and slept for about 13 hours.
-We walked everywhere as most people do in Paris and our bodies hurt at times, but we wanted to see as much as possible. We hit all of the usual first-timer sites as you will see from the pictures below. One of the many highlights for me was seeing tiny furniture at Versailles. The chairs are tiny, the gaming tables are tiny, the beds are tiny. And, of course, Napoleon was not known for his tall stature. So, this observation made me wonder if I’m of French origin. I’m petite in stature, and I love quality things. I’d rather have one pair of Chanel shoes than 10 pairs of lesser quality. Yes, I must be a displaced Parisian because I could move my family there tomorrow and (hopefully) blend right in after some wardrobe adjustments. So, you can assume that my wheels are turning on how to ingrain the children into the French culture for the upcoming years. Just yummy..
Now, back to American homeschooling reality–We likely have 3 more full weeks of academics, then who knows after that. Two things pressing on my mind as a result of this recent trip for my own children: the importance of being globally-inclined and the importance of technology and all that goes with that. I was reading an article in the “Herald Tribune” while riding in the car to CDG. The article mentioned how the NSA is actively recruiting hackers from Silicon Valley. So, while my children enjoy summer activities such as camps and free time outdoors, my gut tells me to educate them on these important issues that are affecting their future at a rapid pace.
Merci and au revoir!
Sniper
We’ve had a mixture of happenings today that kept me amused.
My oldest son told me that he wants to be a sniper, so tonight he and his siblings were on Google earth and maps trying to spy on North Korea from the satellite view-help me. Just what every mother wants to hear her son say.
Father’s Day is approaching, and it seems to be becoming a tradition that we clean my husband’s car. It’s a disgusting process as my husband rarely cleans his car, and his vehicle is usually the soccer taxi so you can imagine what it looks and sometimes smells like. My oldest son said he wanted to wear a decontamination suit during the cleaning and vacuuming process. The kids enjoyed sneaking behind their dad’s back to work on what seemed to be a lab experiment. We may have discovered some new species growing on the floor of his car.
Math, math, math today again. We had crazy weather this morning, so the kids were glued to the weather channel in between lessons. The event helped spur conversation about our first lego league theme. Got a decent work-out in this afternoon, and tonight I’ve been catching up on worldly news.
I don’t even know how I got on the subject of organic beauty products, but I spent an hour or so researching different organic lines. Admittedly, I’ve not been good in this area when I go to buy products, and I’m hoping to be more proactive on the subject, even making up my own concoctions at home.
Check out a website called “Organic Authority”.
Its now 1:00 a.m.. I should sleep, but I need to do a little more research on summer travels and academics. Good night, best beloved (finished “Just So Stories” tonight-kids howled with laughter at the armadillo story!)
Mopping at midnight
I’m wrapping up the weekend and preparing for what I want to teach this week. It seems I never have enough time to finish everything. Time is such a commodity, and I wish I didn’t need to sleep. So, it’s midnight, and here I am mopping my wood floors. Still have my swimsuit cover-up on from lunchtime along with my dirty house shoes. I used to use a cleaning service when I was working full-time, but I just clean my house now since I’m home all day while enlisting the children’s help. I miss that cleaning service sometimes!
I emailed Harvard’s Graduate School of Education tonight. My cousin, who teaches for UNIS in Hanoi, emailed me about a program called “Visible Thinking” produced by Harvard. Looks interesting, but it appears to be set up for formal schools, not homeschoolers. So, I emailed Harvard asking if they offer any such program for homeschoolers. Of course, they will likely call me “crazy” and ignore my email, but I can live with that. You know my philosophy. What’s the worse that can happen? They tell me “no”. They might even tell me “yes”.
Off to prepare for the future!
Hubby arrived home after a week long trip overseas
It was a long week for me without him being home. Lots to juggle with no breaks, but we survived. The laundry is not finished. My wood floors are dirty. There is sports equipment strewn everywhere. The mail is in a huge stack. So glad I have a spouse who gets what I go through!
Pictured above-Hanging at the Grove at Ole Miss close to 20 years ago! How about a hotty totty?