This and That

Loving these JCrew maxi dresses, would be perfect for summer evening parties.  Was wondering Jenna, do you think you will ship to Australia any time soon?

Irene from BloesemKids has recently started a beautiful collection of children's pendants suitable for both boys and girls, the one above is my favourite.

A new online magazine and I just love it, I wish I had been quick enough to snaffle up the print version to keep.

A piece of art, this slate cheese board.

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I just love the earthy whimsical feel of this room, found in a Californian/Mexican restaurant in Paris.  I'm putting Taqueria Candelaria on my list of must check out when I'm next in Paris.

A really pretty shopper that zips into a pouch you toss in your handbag.

One of my all time favourite totes, lots of room and handy divisions for all my bits and bobs, I used it as a baby bag.

I would love to look at this honey pot every day on my breakfast table.

I'm hoping to watch this movie this weekend, I have a bit of a crush on Ms Tautou.

I just love this house, could happily call it mine.  Then check out their weekender, which you can rent.

Have a wonderful day.

First Stop: Paris

Here they are finally a little taste of our week in Paris.  A warning, I've been to Paris many times so I didn't take photos of the famous landmarks, actually every day I went into town I actually deliberately chose not to take my camera, those big DSLRs get in the way of shopping bags. So what did we do?

Stayed at our friends' home in the 'burbs (Croissy-Sur-Seine).  We are fortunate to have friends who are living there for a few years.  They have 3 kids so my boys were happy to have things like toys, trampolines and friends to play with during our stay. 

On the day of our arrival the Sunday markets were on at the village centre, so off we went to sample some of the goods.

 A spot of sailing the miniature boats at Luxembourg Gardens ...

And hours of fun at the best playground in the world (again at Luxembourg Gardens)

A BBQ with some Aussie expats on Bastille Day.  Yes that is the Eiffel Tower in the background, the BBQ was at one of the apartments at the Australian Embassy which has some great views of the Tower and the Trocadero, a great spot to watch the amazing fireworks.

A typical street during my many shopping trips. The sales in Paris in July, are amazing.

On the last day we rented a car and braved the crazy drivers on the autoroute, we hired a German car so that I felt somewhat safe. I find European drivers crazy and then of course they are driving on the other side of the road.

We headed to the Auvergne region in central France for the next stage of our holiday in France.

Travel Tips

So after many weeks (actually months of missing in action here in blog world) I'm finally able to share some moments of our 6 week trip to Europe.  First, a few tips I would like to pass on to any first-time long haul travellers with young children:

1. 
   
   Do not let your 3 and 5 year old watch every single kid movie on their personal TV screen over and over again or play all the games you've packed repeatedly.  An overstimulated child will not sleep despite how tired they are (it was a 25 hour flight to Paris not including the 3 hour stopovers).  Your fellow travellers do not appreciate being woken by kicking (I kid you not) and screaming children.
2. 
   
   Don't forget to order the kids meal 48 hours before you check-in (we made this mistake both to and from Europe!!). Despite the snacks we packed, they hardly ate on the flight.
3. 
   
   If travelling in Europe in late July and all of August with a 3 and 5 year old, forget site seeing, you'll spend pretty much every day at the beach or in a pool. Actually forget site seeing altogether, their not even interested in castles.
4. 
   
   Stay in a house rather than a hotel. This was the best decision we made, the boys settled quickly and it provided a sense of familiarity for them which made the trip that much easier.

Ah, the joys of family life!!

Despite a few hiccups, we had a great time.  So on to the good times. I hope you enjoy just a few of my holiday snaps in the following posts.

Touching Base

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Hello there, I just wanted to stop by quickly and let you know I'm home. Thank you for all your emails and comments enquiring asking if all is well and it is.  Life is just really busy right now, the boys are home on their Spring holidays, we have overseas guests, the weather is just too wonderful to be sitting in front of a computer and I have a few more things on my plate at the moment.

I will soon post some holiday snaps, so I hope you will be patient.

Oh, last night on a current affairs programme, this American mum was interviewed, I don't know how contreversial I am being posting about her, but I think what she has to say just makes so much sense, what do you think?

Bonjour de Paris

But we are here. It is almost 8am Paris time, it is raining which has cooled the air, it has been extremely hot the last few weeks so it has brought some good relief.

We arrived yesterday morning at 9am, absolutely exhausted.  My boys are real troopers, I expected the worst for the flight and after 25 hours of flying with 3 hour layovers they weren't too bad.  They stayed awake until 9pm last night and L slept until 6this morning and J is still asleep as I write.

We're staying with friends who live in a suburb of Paris called Croissy (about 30 minutes from the centre).  For those who live in Sydney, it is like the Double Bay or Vaucluse of Paris. Nice spot to stay. We had thought about stying in Montparnase, at another friend's place, but Croissy offers 3 kids to entertain the boys and a large backyard which is the best option for the boys to get over jetlag.  It seems to be working.

F and I went to the local Sunday markets yesterday with our friends and while took photos, I still can't load them on to the iPad, so I can't share what we saw. If you have seen all those photos of French markets with the produce beautifully laid out, then you get an idea of what  thy looked like.

F and I will shortly head into the Marais for brunch with an old friend of his and then we'll do a little bit of shopping and site seeing. Hopefully the rain which has become stronger, will stop in time for our wander.

Until the next post, hopefully with some photos.

Have a happy day.

Image via Elsa May

All is Quiet

We're packed, all appointments have been attended, all plans have been finalised. F is out with the boys kicking a ball and I'm taking the time to enjoy a cup of tea and do some final blog reading.

We head off tomorrow mid-morning so this will be my last post for a bit. We're away for 6 weeks, 2 weeks in France and the rest in Portugal and I do intend to post a few of our adventures. Not sure how I will post the photos as the camera attachment for the iPad is in shortage worldwide!! I'll find a way to post photos of our holiday.

Welcome to my new readers, you have found me at an exciting time for my family, I hope you and my regulars enjoy the journey along with my boys and I.

I wish you all well until my next post somewhere in Europe.

Have a happy day.

Image: The' Dansant

Packing

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"Two more sleeps Mama" L said as he jumped into bed this morning with F and I.  We're packing today and these are the looks I'm going for:

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Have a happy day.

Three

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I have been tagged, by Brooke of Pure and Noble.  I have to provide three answers to a series of questions (yes a week of revealing a bit about myself). Here we go again...

Three Names I Go By

Engracia

Mama

Grass

Three Places I Have Been

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New Zealand, one of the most beautiful places on earth

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Italy, so romantic

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New York City, enough said

Three Favourite Drinks

Champagne, my drink of choice

Tea to start my day and beyond

Water, plenty of it

Three Jobs I Have Had

Solicitor (lawyer) for most of my working life

Book publisher for about 6 years (loved it)

Mama, toughest but best job by far

Three TV Shows I Watch

The news

Grand Designs, one day I want to design and build my own home on a country beach

Brothers & Sisters, pure escapist fluff I love it

Three Places I Would Like to Visit

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Brazil, would be nice to pop in meet some of my cousins

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South Africa, I've been seduced by the World Cup coverage

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Kakadu National Park, I'm really keen to discover this place with the boys in a few years

Three Favourite Retro TV Shows

The Brady Bunch

That Girl

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Three Places I Have Lived

Potts Point, Sydney

Paddington, Sydney

Darling Point, Sydney

Three Favourite Dishes

Scrambled eggs on toast

Piri piri chicken

Vincisgrassi from Buzo Restaurant, a lasagna with porcinni mushrooms, prosciutto and truffle, so good I always take home an extra serving (try this recipe by Nigel Slater or if you own it, The Silver Spoon version)

Three Things I am Looking Forward To

The trip to France and Portugal with hubby and the boys

Having a romantic dinner with F in Paris (we've been to Paris many times but this is our first trip together)

Watching my boys grow into wonderful, caring and decent adults

I am supposed to tag three people, but I'm just going to tag one, Jane from My Pear Tree House (no obligation Jane, but over to you).

Have a happy day.