the biggest SNAIL I've ever seen.

As it is common knowledge,  Escargot is a popular dish in France.  



I think I have figured out why.  France has GIANT snails.   Well, at least to this Tennessee girl, they are giant.  I have seen some tiny ones, but today I saw the biggest SNAIL I've ever seen.


It was probably 3 inches long.  I could see its entire body slithering across the window.  I do not really even remember seeing an actual SNAIL itself, only one's shell. 



Today, Marie and I saw this giant snail on the kitchen window.  We watched mezmorized (mezmorized for her because she is 4, mezmorized for me because it was incredible!) but then we continued playing whatever little game we were playing.   A few hours later, we saw another GIANT snail by the back door.  I could see its eyes, body, and shell.   Marie and I watch again!   It was time for dinner, so her Mom told her not to go outside.   

ext thing we know Marie has ran into the other room, only to come back with her rainboots on and her coat zipped up.  She was ready to see that snail.  Her mom said, "Okay, but do not crush the snail."     

So we go outside and watch it slither around.  Next thing I know, I spot ANOTHER giant snail not to far away.  Just as excited as Marie, I exclaimed, "Marie, Look!  Another Snail!!!"  I then picked up the second snail and placed it next to the first.   Marie ran over so happy, and we both enjoyed the little snail family.     We had to go inside for dinner, but we were able to watch them every now and then as we ate.


At dinner, playful little Marie decides to do something not very nice to the potatoes, so her father tells her she is in time out and has to go to her room.   She begins bawling her eyes out, and we can hear her crying alll the way in her room.   Her dad goes up after a few minutes to explain to her what she did was wrong.   We thought she was crying because she was in trouble.  

"I want the snails to come inside with me."

She was bawling, because the snails were still outside. Not because she was in time out.  Not because she did something her parents didn't like.  Oh that little Marie!


So then she comes back downstairs, we look out the kitchen window and instead of TWO snails, there is only ONE!  The tears start flowing again.


Meanwhile, this whole scene is being spoken in French.  I still think Marie is crying because she is in trouble.  Until she is back downstairs crying and pointing, "Escargot! Escargot! Escargot! Escargot!"    I finally picked up on what was going on.   Her parents and her were being all serious, and I was trying so hard not to laugh, so I had to run into the other room and I start dying laughing. Then everyone else starts laughing.    



The Dad then gets a glass jar, puts some water, and leaves, and the little snail inside.  


Escargot.    I hope this is not going to be dinner tomorrow night.




Leah

en anglais

En Anglais.     Those are the words I use very often with Marie.  It means, "In English...."

Many people have been asking me,  "So how do you communicate with her?"
                                                       and "How do you go about teaching her English?"




Well, I have to admit, my first week here it was nearly impossible.   Putting the language barrier aside (which is a challenge in ITSELF)  I was brand new to this home,  I did not know where everything was, where certain toys were, where the tape and glue where kept, ect.    I did not know what her favorite snacks were, what she liked to do for fun, and number one I really did not KNOW her!   I did not know that she loves to pretend like she is a little dog and crawl around and bark, I did not know that she likes playing very rough,  I did not know that she has to have her little stuffed dog with her EVERYWHERE she goes, I did not know that she loves to dress up as a dinosaur and "scare" members of her family.    I simply did not know how to interact with her, number one, because I did not know who she was.    And she also did not know me.


Add the language barrier and me being in a foreign country, and voila, you have a bit of a mess!



A mess, that is all cleaned up now.    (Minus the never-ending one in her room---HA!)


Now when she asks for hot chocolate, I am able to recognize the french word, and fix it for her.  Instead of her getting very upset and frustrated that I do not know what she is saying.   Now I know that if she starts licking my face, its because she wants to play dogs with me.   I know that when she starts saying, "Dodo, Dodo!!"  It means she has lost her little dog she carries with her, and I need to help her find it.     I know that when she puts on a lion costume and RAWRS at me, its because she wants me to RAWR back.  NOT leave her alone.





Now, how am I going to get this little girl to learn some English.  Well, I figure its like anyother type of teaching.  Repetition, practice,  but most importantly teaching her words in the moment, and then bringing them back up in "other" similiar moments.   I suppose it is hard to explain.  Here is an example.


Before she knew any English...


Let's say she was trying to open up her ice cream.  She woud just hand it to me or get frustrated and I would take the ice cream from her and open it, then hand it back.    Sometimes, however I do not know if she wants my help or not.  I noticed that sometimes when she is trying, and I interceed she gets very frustrated.  I think this is a good thing, because that means she enjoys experimenting and learning things on her own, and I never want to interrupt that learning for her.    So instead of teaching her entire different phrases like,  "Will you open the ice cream for me"  or "Will you button my sweater."   I have taught her a simple phrase.  

"I need help please."

Her saying this allows me to know she WANTS me to help her.  It is also very simple and she can use it with almost anything.  She used to just get so frustrated at me not understanding what to do, and somtimes I still don't, but with her saying "Help me" that is my clue to decode the mystery of helping her with what she needs.  


It is very cute the ways she says it.  It sounds more like "  I  eeeeed  Elp  peas "


I would (and still do) repeat this phrase everytime she was trying to do something alone and would look at me for what to do.  I would say,  "I need help please."  Then I would not do ANYTHING until she repeated after me,  "I need help please."  Then I help her.  After multiple times of this, involving different circumstances,  I think she understands what "help" means.    She has even begun shortening it saying,  "Help me please, Leah."      So cute.  





A french word she says a lot is the word "Look" in English.  I picked up on what it  meant after about a week or so.  Once I knew what she was saying, I started saying the French word for "look" but I would say, "Marie, in Anglais,  Look."   Then after she would say the French word, I would always repeat what she does but instead saying "Look!"    She is still in the process of learning this, but now sometimes she will say,

"Look Leah!"




Sometimes Marie wants me to come with her, sometimes she does not.  Like I said, she enjoys exploring and doing this on her own a lot.  Many times she wants me to come, however,  so this was hard to determine.     If I wanted her to come somewhere with me I would say "Come On!"    I do not think she knew what that meant.  I said it many times when I was around her Mom, say right before we ate dinner, hoping she would catch on to what "come on" means.    After using this phrase for a while,  if I noticed she wanted ME to come somewhere I would say, "Come on Leah" and I would not come until she repeated that.  I think because she hears my name in the phrase, she knew that meant she was to repeat it.   So she says "Come on Leah!"  and then, I come on'!  Now she knows that before I will get on the trampoline with her she has to first say,

"Come on, Leah!"





Other ways I teach her.....

It is often my job to get her dressed.  So every single time I am putting on her socks I will saying something like "I need your foot!" point to it, and then I proceed to put her socks on.      Or if I happen to  know what the French word for something is I will say, "Escargot, in Anglais, SNAIL!"  And I wait until she says, "Snail!"    I will then try to ask her later, "Marie, Escargot in Anglias...."  Sometimes she says "Je ne sais pas"  which is French for "I don't know"  So then I know that is my cue to keep repeating and showing her, escargot\snail.   If she goes and asks her mom for the tape, I will point to the tape and say, "Marie, in Anglais,  TAPE" and I wait and point until she repeats it.


"tape."





I definitely get that "teacher" feeling the next time I hear her using something I taught her.










Today, Marie went sledding.

Yes, it is on the cold side for this time of year in southern France.  Not cold enough to snow, however.  Marie and I are playing outside, but it is cold so we are wearing jackets and she is wearing a coat and a scarf.  She finds her sled.  Then proceeds to put all her little stuffed animals (as well as herself inside the sled) and hands me the little rope attatched.  I guess that meant to pull her.  I wait for her to say "Come on Leah"  Then I begin to pull her.  Around the house, around the house again, jump her while sitting in the sled on the tramopline, and then around the house again!  She is having so much fun.  (I am getting a little exhausted-haha)  So finally she wanted to go back inside, which of course means to her, bring the sled inside with her because it is so much fun!   It is also covered in mud.   I told her we had to ask her Mom.   Mom says no of course, and points to the dirt.  Marie gets very sad.    Suddenly, she is fine!  I am relieved.  She beings to drag the sled to the side ofthe house, and it definitely looked like she meant business.  I thought, "Oh she probably has another fun idea to do with the sled!"  

I see her attempting to unroll the water hose.  Then she goes towards the faucett and starts trying to turn it on.  If she couldn't take the dirty sled into the house-- she was going to clean it!


I will leave the rest of the story up to your imagination.

As for me, it is goodnight.


Thanks for reading my blog and enjoying  hearing about my adventures here in FRANCE!









Leah

a little update

Never a dull moment with Marie.

She likes to do things by herself, but many times she cannot!  She is only four!

There are fresh, giant cherries ( the kinds with the seeds ) but she is not allowed to eat them unless I cut them up for her.  This morning I am drinking my coffee, she

grabs a cherry, tries to dip it in my coffee, and then offer the coffee dipped cherry to the family cat.  She noticed that I was not letting her do this, so she decides she wants her own "'coffee" AKA hot chocolate.

  I begin making it for her, but then of course she wanted to pour and stir in the chocolate powder herself.  So I gently hand her the spoon, next thing I know she has poured in 3 heaping spoonfuls, there is powder all over the carpet and blanket, and she is on her hands and knees licking the chocolate powder off the rug.  O la la.   Then she starts complaining about her throat hurting---not understanding that you cannot just eat the chocolate powder alone like that!    






Lions and Princesses

In my last blog, I spoke about my four year old interpreter, Charolette.  Marie attended Charolette's birthday party this week!  It was princess themed.  All the little girls were to come dressed as princesses! Marie loves her "Lion" costume that was passed down from her older brothers. She wears it often around the house. The morning of the princess party, Marie decides she does not want to go to the party in her dress, but rather the lion costume.   So she does.  Typical Marie!




my routine
It typically varies from day to day. I always babysit/play with Marie from 5-8 every night when she gets home from school. Sometimes this includings setting the  table and or giving her a bath! Then around 8 ish we eat dinner. After dinner I help clean up the kitchen, as Marie goes off to bed. Normally she does not end up going to sleep until around 10.  The nightly routine takes much longer in France. It is not just a quick bedtime story then lights out...but rather a few stories and some bonding time with the parents.  My good friend, Christina is currently an au pair in Florence, Italy and she said it is exactly the same there. A very late dinner every night and then a long bedtime routine! Perhaps it's a southern Europe thing.    Her nap time at school lasts a long time, however. She definitely gets plenty of sleep!

During the day, I do about one hour of housework.  After that I usually go out and walk in the town! I enjoy looking at all the little shops, reading in the park, ect. I still have not discovered everything Valbonne has!   When it gets a little warmer, and when the film festival is over, I think I will begin going to Cannes more often. That is where the beach is!

On Wednesdays kids do not go to school. So Wednesday's and Saturdays ar my busiest days. I play with her from about 10-2,then we have lunch, she naps, then I watch her again in the evening!

Tuesdays I go to Marie's school.

So you see, I am working very hard while I am here! :)

Tonight, Christine and Christophe are going to a friend's house for dinner.  In the US, that means get there around 6, leave around  8, and bring your kids.  In France it means NO kids, arrive around eight thirty, and be home around 2 am.   

I cannot help but to be so excited to start my NEW job at Taylor Elementary when I return home!  I will have one month, and then school starts!  I spend a lot of my free time in France reading music teacher blogs and getting ideas for my own classroom and students.    What an exciting time in my life this is.    I have never been out of Cleveland, TN for longer than 2 weeks.   I am learning so much and growing a lot.   In my free time when I go to the city, I am not "glued"' to my phone because I do not have wifi, 3G and cannot text.  I am really  'by myself'.  I have time to reflect, think, and pray.  It's easy to get distracted in the busy activities of every day life.  

While I am still not "homesick"  there are many times where I wish a certain person could be here with me.  I wish that my Dad could have seen the view of Cannes with me as we walked up the Castle,  I wish that my Mom could spend the afternoons with me walking through the boutiques in Valbonne,  I wish that my brother could have experienced the Film Festival with me,  I wish that Sarah was here to go to the beautiful sea with me,  and I wish that Spencer could take all the lovely walks I take around the French country side with me. 

bon journee

leah

frere jacques

Today I volunteered at Marie's school all day. She is in preschool, and it is from 8:30-4:30.  I was only planning on staying until lunch, but they asked me if I could stay all day long because one of the assistants was gone today. 

I had nothing else to do- so I stayed!  It was a wonderful day!

Marie attends a private Catholic school. There are 26 kids in her class.   The parents all park their cars, and walk their children into their classroom. I like this, because it allows the parents and teachers able to stay in contact with one another.

The walk down towards Marie's classroom from the car is like walking through a garden.  Her "campus" is so beautiful!   There are many different buildings, with traditional French architecture, 2 little chapels, gardens, and homes where the volunteers live.

The volunteers.

What do I mean by "the volunteers."  The best way I know how to describe is to imagine cafeteria ladies, who live at your school, are consecrated to God, do not marry,  spend the afternoon in the garden in silence before God, and are very kind.   Ah, yes. The volunteers.

During nap time, I took a walk around the campus.  I did not know where I was walking, but I knew there was a teachers lounge somewhere with coffee so I was hoping to stumble upon that. (Ahh, the language barrier!)   I ended up walking into the volunteers garden!  I ran into them.  I told them I did not speak French, but one spoke a little English and she gave me a little tour of the area and of one of the Chapels.   Later Christine told me about what they do.  They were also the ones I saw cleaning up during the kids lunch time.  Hence the cafeteria lady reference.      

I have mentioned before that Marie is very attached to her Mother and is sometimes not so fond of me being around!  But today, she was proud of me.   As we were leaving the house, she said.. IN ENGLISH "COME ON, LEAH!"    She was showing me off to all her friend's when we got to the school.  I believe she was saying to them,  "I present you Leah, she is from America!"   How sweet.   All day long the children were clinging to me!  It was cute, because when they would be fighting over who was gone to hold my hand, Marie was very protective over me.  It was like she was saying, "She's Mine!" in her little head.    

There were 3 children in the class of 26 who spoke English.  One was Australian, and 2 were from England.  And boy did they follow me around all day!  They were absolutely adorable so I did not mind!  Their teachers all speak French only so it must have been so nice for them to be able to communicate with me.      One of the kids who spoke English also is fluent in French.  A four year old.  Her name is Charlotte and she was a big help to me today.  Her mom is French and her  dad is English.   Yes, I am admitting I had a four year old translator today!

Today was probably the hardest day as far as language barrier goes.  My host family all speaks fluent English.   This was not the case at the school!  The 2 teachers did not speak English!   And the kids would keep talking to me in French, and I would just look at them and tell them in French (I don't speak French) but they are so young I do not think they understood.    They would just keep repeating what they were trying to tell me over, and over, and 5 minutes later, and over again.       Just imagine all these little bright eyed, French children, trying to tell you something with excitement in their cute little voices and just having to stare back at them!  At least it was cute!

Les toilettes. 

AKA potty break!

VERY different from America.   In America, teachers cannot really even help children button their pants, fix their belt, ect.  In France, all of the children line up, and pull their pants down and use the restroom with NO DOOR and all the other kids just sit, watch, and wait for their turn.   

Lunch time.

AKA fine dining!

The kids have a 5 course meal.  They sat in nice chairs.  Our meal started off with a lovely salad, bread, then came the pork, then a rice type dish, then cream cheese, then some fresh fruit, then a little desert.  There are 6 kids at a table.  There are many adults walking around, serving, picking up PLATES, (not trays), cutting food, ect.    During the entire lunch I was helping serve the kids at my table food.   They all made a huge mess!  The older kids in the school also walked around and helped the younger ones, then on the way back to class an older kid is paired with a younger one and they hold their hand while they walk back.

Planning Time

AKA  Relaxing in a garden..

During the break time,  I finally found the coffee and sat in cushioned chairs in a garden with roses, daiseys, greenery, and even the Virgin Mary.  It was perfect weather, and perfect sights.  I even got a tan.   What other way is there to spend your break time...

Recess.

AKA CHAOS!

This is not your typical recess.   The other teachers barely "monitored" the kids.  They were out there, but not really watching too closely.  The entire recess area was gated, however.  It was not really like a park, but more of like a giant concrete area with some scooters, balls, and a slide.    During recess all the kids were pulling me in all different directions.    I found myself surrounded by 8 little girls and they were all playing with my hair and trying to talk to me.  Finally they understood that I only speak English and the next thing I know one of them yells the F word!  I guess that is the only word they know in English.  I was taken off guard for sure!

I spent a lot of the day cutting out supplies for their big Mother's Day craft.  I am a terrible cutter though, so we will see how this turns out.  I do not think one single thing I cut had a straight line involved.  Oh well.

LA MUSIQUE 

Marie's Teacher knows that I am a music teacher.  The last thirty minutes of the day, right after recess number 3, she pulls out a small bucket of music things.  Tambourines, rhythms sticks, one recorder, and a little glockenspiel.  Then she tells me, "Okay you have any ideas..."  And Voila.  I am supposed to teach a lesson, because then she brings all the kids inside, they sit on the floor, and she tells them to listen to me.

Listen to me.  I can't speak French!  So we have little Charolette translate what I say.  

My lesson.  I just picked out the melody to Au Clair De la Lune and Frere Jacques on the little glockenspiel.  The kids all listened as I played, and they then  began to sing along, since these are French staples.  I wanted to start with tunes that they were familiar with.  In preschool, they are not going to be able to pick up on new melodies that quickly,   I just wanted them to enjoy music together with me today.   After they listened and sang a few times, we passed out little rhythm sticks to everyone.  Suddenly--CHAOS.

OF COURSE preschoolers are going to bang on their rhythm stick the second it is put in their hand.  The teacher kept yelling, "Stop, Stop!"  A few would stop and then it started again.    This process just kept repeating itself and it was going nowhere.  Finally I jumped in and demonstrated what I wanted the kids to do.   Whenever it is NOT time to play, you rest the sticks on your left and right shoulder.    Its really genius.  The kids immediately started demonstrating me and suddenly it was quiet.  And I did not even have to speak French!  Then I counted off one, two, three, began singing the songs and demonstrated keeping a steady beat with the sticks.  Next I added my glock playing to the singing.    Marie's teacher was so impressed!  She told me to keep going.   I think she liked the structure.  Next,  I decided it would be a good idea to allow the kids to be creative.  (Throwing in some of my Orff training!)  I watched for creative ways we could demonstrate a steady beat using our sticks.   When I saw an idea I would point to the child, they would show the class, then we all sang, and I played.  We repeated this a few times.  All the kids were so attentive and excited!  Next, we sang and kept a steady beat VERY QUIETLY.  We did the whole process again but this time at a very soft dynamic level.     The class really worked on a lot of music standards today, and the teacher said they all loved it and she wants me to come back any time!  Next time I come, she will have a piano for me.  

I supposed it was not bad for having an impromptu music lesson with 3 and 4 year olds who do not speak my language !

The photos are from an ipad, not great quality. But I had to take pictures!

"I have some very bad news..."

Those are the words I heard from Christine this Sunday morning.

I am thinking perhaps she is going to say, "It is supposed to rain again today!" or  somelike along those sorts...  but I was wrong.

poux.

Pronounced in French as "poo."

Pronounced in English as, lice.

I have noticed Marie scratching her head often, but I did not think anything of it.  She has lice.  Lice so bad that we can see them crawling around.  That probably means that I have lice.  That everyone in the family has lice. 

I have to stay calm.  

Today is Sunday, and all pharmacies and stores are closed.  Tomorrow is another national French holiday, and all the pharmacies and stores will be closed again.  Luckily, Christine found ONE little bottle of the lice shampoo.  We are hoping it is enough for the whole family.  Of course with lice comes with washing everything in the house.    In France, laundry machines are so small and takes twice as long to wash.  I  spent 5 hours washing three towels the other day.    It might take us a long time to de-lice this house.

 Oh well, lice never killed anyone!    Needless to say, we won't be going to mass today.

Do you have time for coffee?

Every Friday in Valbonne, there is a huge market! It is full of all kinds of retailers. There you can find cheeses, clothes, jewelry, sweets, toys, bags, everything.  Today I got to go for the first time and it was incredible.


I was so overwhelmed with all the different tent and amazing things to look at. I found myself at a little boutique type shop and was browsing around.  I noticed there was a big mirror in the middle of this shop, but I did not think there would be a "dressing" room in an outside market!  I was fascinated by all the lovely clothes, and the shop owner told me, " I have a dressing room! It is air conditioned." I was so confused by this, but decided it would be a good idea to try on.  I proceeded to tell him I was ready for the fitting room.


He leads me to an outside dressing roo,, but it had no covering over the top.  So, I could change in there, but the people in the houses above me could clearly see me! Also I am tall anyway, and this "dressing room" was pretty much in the middle of an outside cafe.   There was no mirror in this little tent...the mirror was the one I saw earlier in the middle of the all the clothes for sell! SO if I wanted to try on and see myself, I had to change in a tent, walk out in the clothes I am trying on in front of all these people eating in a cafe, walk all the way around and go look at myself in the mirror.

Oh well---I decided to embrace the moment! I came out in the first dress I tried on. Everyone was staring at me. All the little French ladies at the shop were smiling and me and telling me it looked good.  I tried on three more items!

Finally I decided to make my purchase. The store owner had been very helpful and friendly. He thought I was from England but I told him I was from America.  I told him I would probably come back next Friday because I like his store the most. The he gave me a discount on my purchase! I did not know why but I was happy.

Then...he proceeded to ask me if I had time for coffee after.  (I told him no!)  Maybe that is why he gave me the discount.  I will never know.


It was the perfect way to spend a Friday morning in France! I wonder what treasures I will find there next week.

I gave him some money after he got YELLED at by the French Policeman.

Cakes!

Art

the "dressing" room

The shop!

 

only 25 Euros to become ganster

                                                                    so lovely

Red Carpet

My first real adventure.  

Today I went to Cannes. I had to figure out the bus system to get there, but I made it.   

The bus drop off and pick up areas are under construction.  I just wrote A VERY long, detailed, blog about my adventures with that, but of course, it just accidentally got deleted. 

Long story short.  Do not trust peoples opinion of where the bus stop is.  Odds are if I do not know, they don't either. I knew where to get ON the bus in Valbonne, that is easy.  But getting BACK on in Cannes is a different story.  Well, it wouldn't have been so difficult if it was not for all the construction and lack of signs.  Let's just say even the French people were lost and confused today.  Add me into that mix, and voila.    

finally found it though, and made it back home.  Exhausted. Blistered. Soaked. and covered in Chocolate.  

that was all explained in my blog that just got deleted.   

Cannes Film Festival

Every year, Cannes, France hosts a giant film festival.  It is a BIG red carpet event.    If you are not familiar with it you should look it up!  It brings in many many tourists to Cannes.

I absolutely loved exploring that city all alone today.  I had to use some French, had a chocolate crepe and cappuccino for brunch...what else can you get on a rainy morning in France!

As it was raining all morning long,  It is a miracle I did not get Spencer's camera wet.  Thanks again for letting me use it!

I am exhausted.  I had to babysit right when I got home from Cannes.  I will let my pictures do the rest of the talking.

To Grandfathers House We Go!

On Sunday, Christine, Marie, and I traveled to her father's house.  It is in a small village about 2 hours away from our home in Valbonne.  I enjoyed the drive out there, it was beautiful--and Christine and I had some very nice conversation!  Marie slept the whole, like she usually does !

The Village was established around the year 1000.  Wow.  Her Father's house has been passed on from generation to generation.  Her mom was actually BORN in that house.  Talk about REAL vintage.  I loved it.

When the church bells rang, we walked there!  The whole mass was in French, of course, but I did not care!  How beautiful was that church!   During communion, I got blessed by the priest and he anoited my head with oil.  REALLY COOL!   Since this village is so small, hardly anyone spoke English.  I was definitely immursed in French Culture.  Many people at the church tried to speak French to me, and instead of saying in French "I dont speak French"  I often just freeze up, because I am not used to people coming up to me speaking a foriegn language, that I just give this sheepish smile. I need to work on that.  

After church, we walked to Christine's Father's Moms house!  Yes---I got to meet the great grandmother of this lovely family.  I even "bised" her.  Look it up.    This was another one of those houses inherited by each family member.    In the back yard of the Grandmother's house, there was a view of a Castle built around 1000.  Could you imagine waking up every morning, drinking your coffee on the back porch and having a view of a castle...........

Then we went to a restauarant!   Sarah--you would love it here.  All the people bring their little dogs everywhere,  at the restaraunt I was sitting right beside a dog.  Crazy!

In France, lunch is the biggest meal of the day!  I am certainly not used to that. I am used to a sandwich and an apple, and now I am supposed to get salmon salad a dessert and bread all before 2 pm!  Can't do it---yet.  I just got a salad, but it was so delicious.  The waiter couldn't believe someone from America liked the taste of goat cheese.  I am just extra classy, I suppose.


Sunday was Mother's Day in America, but not in France.  It is mothers day in a few weeks here.  Iti was the anniversary of Christine's mothers death yesterday, and we all went to visit her grave.  It was very sad.  It made me think a lot about my mother (especially since it was Mother's day) and how thankful I am for her.  Love you, Mom.

Marie

I am still not sure how to correctly pronounce her name.  It isn't really "Marie" in the senese that we know it, and it isn't really "Mary" either.  It is Marie with a French accent is all I know how to describe it.  The French pronounce their R's very differently.  It is a beautiful name, though!

Before coming to France to be an au pair, I anticipated many things.  Not liking the food, being homesick, not being able to sleep, ect.   None of those things have occured.  One thing I did NOT anticipate though, was how my relationship with Marie would be.  Of course I thought a little about the language barrier, but I did not think it would be too big of a challenge.  In a sense its not...but I did not consider a few other factors.  I am used to children loving me right away--this was not the case!

MY first day here Marie loved me!  Then after a while Christine and I think she got "threatened" that I would take the place of her mother.  Christine even said she did not think about the fact that she has had babysitters before, but never ones who LIVED here.  Whenever I would play with her, and her mom wasn't in sight, she would scream --"Mama!"    We believed that after a few days, she would see that her Mom isn't going anywhere, she would be okay.  And we were right!   Yesterday evening we really connected, and I am so happy.  I think I just needed to watch her a few days and realize how she plays, what makes her smile, ect.  She is such a creative little girl, which I LOVE, so anyway I can help enhance her creativity or playfullness is good.    For example, we spent an hour almost playing pretend on the trampoline.  She CRUSHED A SNAIL with her foot and it splatterd everywhere !! She keep screaming "Escargot! Escargot!!"  I could not help but laugh!

To give you an example of how hyper she is---I have a huge burn on my foot from the trampoline---I had to save her from running off the edge.  And they even have a safety net--figure that one out!

I gave her her bath by myself last night.  I left soaked and with my makeup running everywhere.  She likes to splash and pretend she is a dolphin--Especially after visitng Marineland!  It was my first time to give her a bath alone, so I did not want to be too harsh and I let her splash.   I am not sure if this was a good idea or not--but she was just SO cute.

I already love this little girl!    She even gave me some kisses yesterday!    

She is starting ALREADY to say some phrases in English to me!  It is astounding!