LSD--a girl's day off

Today I have an adventure. I needed some time out of the house and on my own so I took the rusty car we have here and, with directions from google maps, made my way to a part of the city I’ve always wanted to have time to shop in. But I’m totally crazy nervous because driving in France is no easy feat. It doesn’t matter if I have all the directions written down with street names and stuff, something is going to be wrong or different and I’ll have no idea how to get home. Plus we have no cel phone and the car has been known to break down in the middle of nowhere! (Did I ever tell of the time Devin, who we always nickname MacGyver, broke down in the middle of nowhere with our 9month old breastfeeding daughter and fixed the car with a rubber band?? Right I don’t have those skills.)

So how’s that for a sure adventure? Sure enough I do get lost at least twice but somehow I retrace my steps and try going the other way at the last round point and even though I’m cursing to myself the whole way that there is no way I’ll remember how many turns to make to get back, and I’m scared, I end up exactly at my intended destination right on the left as if I totally knew what I was doing. I have no time to spare to think about how I did it, I just get out and make use of this precious time without the kids and walk into a store I hadn’t seen before—Wall paper and paint. ‘ and it’s like a dream come true-the entire store is full of different displays of roles of wall paper hanging from the ceiling to show off the 100+ options. I’m a kid in a candy shop. I’ve been so interested in French wall paper and have no idea where to find it or how costly I can afford. I find the perfect pattern and there’s a huge bonus. It’s about 3 bucks a role! And most wallpaper is 30 or 40!! I’m amazed and grab it in case it works in my bathroom.  I’m pretty sure our neighbor who has a lot of opinions about my style will shake his head, but I get it anyway. It turns out he gives his approval along with the rest of the family. I’m excited because we’re trying to turn a pretty boring and ugly small half bath/laundry/utility room into a cute welcoming powder room. Here it is... does it remind you of your house in the 70's??

But that’s not all. Normally with the kids or even with the husband, I have time for 1 store. But this rare time I am on my own. So I go to FIVE stores in the same area. Too lazy to get back in the rusty car, I even run across a huge round point frogger style to get to a store specializing in French linens (heaven to me!) and another one with global imports. I am still in heaven-pushing the thought of trying to find my way home well out of my mind. I observe the trends that seem to mirror what I’m seeing at home at Restoration Hardware with French furniture clothed in neutral linens. Lots of rustic finish, peeling paint, etc. I’m trying to figure out what I need to do in our living room/salon to finalize it once and for all. Later in my daily google searching I find an awesome decorator blog post that tells me that the style I am seeing everywhere that Restoration Hardware had jumped on is called “Belgian Design” and “Rough Luxe”. I had no idea. And now I see it everywhere. And now that it has a name like that, I want it. Devin will tease me to no end and I’ll tell everyone who comes to our house that it is decorated “Rough Luxe”.  Love the ring of it. Totally amuses me.

These pictures show "rough luxe" with industrial coffee tables, rough walls/floors, natural fabrics, etc. For the LUXE part, some photos mix in crystal chandeliers. Then designers are supposed to make something functional with something OLD like the old worm eaten (buzz word) door slash photo holder in the second picture... Can you imagine the stuff Devin will make me when I hop on this latest trend?

Finally the biggest highlight of this day away from duties and kids is when I manage to hear on the French radio that my VERY favorite (English singing) singer is coming in concert. The one who my generation says plays “the soundtrack of our lives”… The one from our 13 year old school dances, etc. The one and only George Michael. J will i get to see him?....... 

LSD--week 2--settling into French life routine

Week 2-daily life

I’ve done the shopping for our household two weeks now. It is fun to look at the rows in the grocery store and discover 'gems' amongst all the foreign products. Also to use the favorites we’ve discovered on previous trips. First I go to the market in our village (every Thursday morning with a butcher, fishmonger, cheese guy, 4 produce stands, bread, and my favorite the gal who sells cool European clothes girl with whom I’ve become friendly. And then I hit the traditional grocery store for the rest. It is hard to find organic but I've found one farmer at the market and a few products at the grocery store.

The first week we made our favorite French menus—endive wrapped in ham, a quick quiche using their good pre-made crust and crème fraiche and little pieces of ham they well already cut up, lots of bread and cheese and other dairy products… the second week you’re running through your list of recipes cuz you don’t want to repeat the first week already… so we choose a pork tenderloin with grilled peaches and balsamic vinegar reduction and a side of these perfect frozen potatoes you can get that are so good. I buy eggs, butter and bars of dark chocolate to have on hand for baking cakes. (Sebatien wants to make a batman cake-not sure how I’m going to manage that) And lots of coffee and wine is required for the daily guests that stop by to whom we are obliged to offer one of these to drink, depening on the time of the visit...

OK So from my reading about French rules, I know I’m committing a huge faux pas. But my Berkeley habits are deep. I get up not planning to walk the kids to school but then get asked to come. So what does every Berkeley mom do? Throw on a hat and the nearest jacket and join the family! Only this look is not so French-dirty hair covered by even dirtier hat, oversized husband windbreaker that does NOT match the bright green flip flops… Poor Daly kids-do the kids start teasing in preschool?... I glance at the kids and they are no better. Papa has dressed Anais in striped tights as if they are pants-you can see the seams-and an unmatching t-shirt. With this look and her short hair, people keep calling her a boy. And Sebastien has on wrinkled (another faux pas!) clothes… Wonder what they think of us?... Seriously, my culture education books taught me that French women ALWAYS dress before they leave the house. Make up, hair, matching outfits. It’s just a given and you don’t do anything otherwise because it’s thoughtless to not look nice for the public.

Playdates after school

So the school schedule is interesting. It’s a full time job just to manage. We have to get Sebastien to school between 8:50 and 9:00. Then at 12 we pick him up to bring him home for lunch. Some kids stay and have lunch cooked for them at school. Then if we choose, we can bring him back to school at 1:50 (doors close at 2 sharp, no exceptions!) where the kids nap together in a little room. At 4 they have a snack and play and then we go BACK to school again to pick him up at 5. We do this back and forth, about a 12 minute walk with our 2 neighbors every day! It’s become a ritual that we meet each other along the way and then play from 5-6:30 or so in the cul de sac in front of our house. This is really cute where all the kids ride bikes and kick the spiderman ball and whatever else. One day Sebastien and I decide to make a bat man cake (in preparation for his birthday in March-he’s been asking about it ever since her heard about a batman cake from his friend Jasper in Berkeley) and we  invite all the kids for cake. One mother goes out to buy a present because she thinks it’s Sebastien’s birthday-why else would you serve a cake in the middle of the day? And I call her to correct her when I hear about that-mortified!!) Another day, Devin decides to make a game he saw somewhere and sews our old socks into hacky sacks and builds a wooden structure with a hole in it and the kids get into that game. This engrosses the kids on this day. Overall, it’s such a fun tradition and everyone looks forward to our daily meetings with our neighbors. This is what we were hoping for when we chose this lively village. A place to build friendships that we could return to each year and try to give the kids 2 cultures.

LSD--Our First Few Days in France

I miss Devin and Sebastien terribly  but I am kind of proud to be on my own the first few days since Devin always handles everything and I'm trying to prove to myself I can keep us alive in a foreign country too… I even start handling school business, thinking I”ll really surprise Devin. I go to visit Sebastien’s school to see what we should expect and then I will tell him and prepare him. He has been going to school in English but here the kids and teacher will speak only in French. He needs to be able to tell the teacher he has to go to the bathroom or he wants something, I think to myself. And he has to be able to say hi to the kids in French. How is he going to make friends, I worry. I have to teach him to say “Hi my name is Sebastien, what’s your name?” (my little MO back in the day) The school door is locked so I go to an open window where I hear ladies gossipping-it must be their breakroom. They let me in and tell me to wait for the principal, on a chair they put outside her door. i try to keep Anais from disorganizing all the books because French children are always so well behaved. When she comes out I recognize her as we had met the year prior. She is like 20 and speaks with a heavy local accent. I ask my questions and she takes me to Sebastien’s classroom where I meet the teacher and his assistant. They are both very nice and answer my questions about what Sebastien will be doing. I ask what he should call them and he is supposed to say Michel or Maitre (teacher). This I explain to Sebastien and by the weekend he can answer enthusiastically what his teachers’ name is. He grows to love this teacher and lights up when we mention his name!

Monday arrives and we are up early to get him off to school. Still jetlagged he is difficult to rouse. But we make it and rush out the door. Unsure what the formal French put their kids in for school, we insist Sebastien wears a shirt with buttons. (It turns out they wear t shirts and shorts) He proudly wears his ‘packpack’ and we’re off. Granted in our rush we’ve forgotten to wash the milk off his face or have him go potty but we’re off!!

At school we wait for them to open the doors with all the other parents outside. I recognize a kid from his school the year before and point him out to Sebastien. Our neighbor also arrives and the boys are happy to see each other. I’m relieved because of my big fear he’ll have no friends. (How one learns about oneself when raising children…) You wait in line to go into the school when it opens and a woman is there to watch people enter and exit. Then you wait in line at your kids’ classroom so that each kid enters class one at a time and greets the teacher’s assistant and hands his notebook through which the teacher communicates with the students. I love this part of France-the one with the annoying rules for everything. It is orderly and the kids and adults always know what to expect.

Lara Post--Flying to France with Anais

I am travelling to France by myself with Anais. I am expecting it to be pretty hard to handle her alone plus the jet lag and indeed it is. First she skips her nap because we’re in line during her nap time. Then she hates to be cooped up on the plane and wants to go, then we’re sitting next to a gal who obviously hates kids and gives me the evil eye and calls the flight attendants over regularly to complain about me. Ugh one of THOSE people. The good side—they’ve given me business class! And I just happen to sit next to a totally sweet couple from Sonoma county on the OTHER side, who obviously have had kids and help me out a lot. Including holding my bags for me when my stroller is lost and I have to carry the baby all the way to baggage claim. Oh and to top it all off, at the end he hands me his card because it just so happens he hires teachers in my husband's area. Isn’t that a great example of the Yin/Yang of life on either side of one seat on a plane… After the 24+ hours en route, what a relief it is to finally lay down our heads in our nice smelling house in the South of France. I can’t wait for morning to check out the house and feel the warm weather and see our friendly neighborhood.

Devin--déja une semaine

Lara and Anaïs arrived a few days ahead of us. Sébastien and I had to retrieve the car in our former village- Aubigny.
Apparently, the weather has been wet this summer to everyone's dismay. Though we are now enjoying a true Indian Summer. It's been so warm in the evenings that we keep most of the windows open and sleep on our sheets.
Sébastien had rested enough by Monday  that he was able to enjoy his first day of school. To our surprise, he jumped on his bike and peddled solo past the other kids who were still on training wheels. Dad and Laura's gift last March of a peddle-less bike allowed him to forego training wheels all together.
Maître Michel  and his assistant, Chantal greeted Sébastien on his first day. He is in a class of ten. Ideal!
All is going well so far. Day by day, he is repeating more of the French that he uses/hears in class.
Anaïs will begin two days of day care in the mornings next week. We'll see how that goes.
More soon as well as pix