Best of Travel and Leisure- not really...

I knew when traveling here with three children that I would have to give up some things. 

One of them, so far, has been the food. We had one experience in a real french restaurant, which I described in an earlier post. My biggest goal wasn’t having the boys try new food, but merely to survive through the meal without getting shushed a second time. I haven't been able to enjoy a truly French meal yet. We’ve been keeping it pretty simple since arriving a few days ago. Most of our meals have been in our apartment, so I am mostly cooking things familiar to them. 

Samuel enjoys our typical French breakfast chez nous-- fruit, juice and baguette with chocolate.

Our French class is a family class, and it’s only the four of us. There is no interaction with others. It’s been a little boring for me and Samuel, but we’re getting a lot of practice using our French. Yesterday the little boys did great, but today, they hardly spoke at all. I was getting anxious that they were not enjoying it. When we face-timed Taylor after lunch, they boys reported that French class was awesome and they were having a great time. Go figure! 

Here are the littles, playing a card game with our teacher-- do they look bored?
Of course they do, but they said it was awesome.

I also know that I will not be able to see everything great about this place. When people here learn that we have no car, they say, oh too bad, there is this to see, there is that to see. But we are here to be in French class, play in the yard and go to bed on time. When Taylor gets here, we’ll be tourists, but until then, we are trying to be French!

Cooper at the chèvre farm today.

Field trip! Our school went to a goat cheese farm. The boys loved the goats, but refused to try the cheese. I did and it was delicious! I took some of the aged chèvre home, but it is screaming for red wine and I have none. Yep-- I'm in wine country and I have no wine. I haven't had the heart to drag my kids into one of the wine shops yet, but now I must or I can't eat my cheese! Another thing I've been doing differently on this trip. If it were me and Taylor, we would have gotten the wine before we unpacked!

It’s hard for me to slow things down; I am trying not to succumb to my own desire to keep things moving, expose them to new things, show them the sites, go, go, go. I am trying to keep it simple for them. No worries though, the kids seem to be getting settled and I'll be able to do a little more with them, as long as I keep my eye on the prize! We're here for three months and I am sure I'll get to do a lot of the things I want to do. 

While getting a group pic at the chevre farm...

...a goat tried to eat my coat!