The Paris Busy Bee Blog

Raising Multilingual Children: Multilingualism and Travel

2013-06-18T13:43:00.002+02:00

Home sweet home was in Utah for 6 years as a married couple. We also had our two oldest children there. But when we go home to the United States, we go to California because that's where my family lives. We would love to go back to Utah as well, but in life there are priorities and family just happens to be number 1.

We are a family of 6 and flights from Paris to California are not cheap and we are not rich. We've set a goal to go every two years. We work hard and we scrimp and we save and in the end we would be ungrateful to not recognize all the help and blessings that we receive from up above and from family members who love us and help us so generously. And so up until now, we've been able to travel home to California every two years.

My parents get to see their grandchildren every two years. A lot happens in two years. Kids grow like weeds, lose teeth (and grow them back), mature and blossom and change so much. A pregnancy and a birth can happen in two years... We are taking Rémy with us on his very first trip to the United States, to meet his grand-parents for the very first time at 7 months old. And so naturally, I want my parents and my children to soak up every second of those four weeks we spend together. Every second.

In the past, due to our limited budget and lack of vehicle, we've realized our limitation in adding on an extra trip to also drive "home" to Utah (about a 12 hour drive). Our resources were so tight that they were entirely focused on spending time with my parents and seven siblings and their families who are almost all in California. And yet we would so love to go back to the place where we started our life together and show our children where home used to be. But up until now, it just hasn't been possible.

But this year, we are being spoiled. Whereas in previous years we would borrow a member of the family's car during our stay in California, this year we are very, very blessed to have a rental car for the entire month we will be there. And so the possibility to escape to our first home sweet home in Utah presents itself. We we would need to take 5 days to drive to and from Utah, that means two 12-hour drives, leaving us with about 3 days of a flash lightning trip where we could visit my sister-in-law and her family who now live there, visit our alma mater BYU, drive by our old homes and show Alex and Elena the hospital where they were born. Oh, nostalgia! You are so bittersweet!

Nevertheless, I've told my husband no. And him, being the sweet considerate man that he is, has told me that it's my decision and to not feel pressured. I'd really love to, but everytime he brings it up my stomach twists and turns at the thought of spending time away from my parents whom I love and miss so much. What to do? And the thought of telling my parents that we've come from thousands of miles away, from across a continent and an ocean and a country far from theirs to spend 4 tiny weeks with them and that now we are leaving with our children for 5 days? My heart feels torn in two. What would you do?

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On a much lighter note, my children and I have decided to speak only Spanish while in the United States. We figure they will get plenty of English with their cousins and even their grand-parents (who have a really hard time speaking to my children in Spanish)! And since Spanish is becoming more and more tricky to maintain here in France, we thought it would be useful to have a full four-week intense period of Spanish, knowing that their English will not be neglected! We can afford to set the French aside for this period because we know we are coming back to our life here in France and also because the children will continue to speak French with their Papa, even while in California.

So why is Spanish becoming trickier and not English, you may ask? Well, because Sam and I speak English with each other and because the children are getting older and becoming more involved with our conversations. When we are in our English period it works just great, but when we are in our Spanish period, it means the children speak French to each other and their Papa, my husband and I speak English to each other and the children and I speak Spanish with each other! That makes for a whole lot of code-switching! English feels so easy and natural and to make it our family language would make things so much easier. And yet, not a single one of us is willing to give up our Spanish! Thus, operation español in California is a first step to strengthening our Spanish, but other adjustments will have to be made in the near future.

So there you have it, my friends. I hope I haven't bored you all to death. And kudos to you, if you are actually read this far! Please do share all your wisdom with me! I'm going to need it at this slightly bumpy spot in the road of our multilingual, multicultural adventures!

Big hugs,

-The Paris Busy Bee!

This article was written for the Multilingual Carnival. This month the theme is Multilingualism and Travel and will be hosted at AllDoneMonkey.com

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Schools in France: relay races!

2013-06-17T13:53:00.000+02:00

Children in France are encouraged to stay fit through physical education in school. They also have annual sports events where they compete against other schools. I told you about a first competition here: How children are encouraged to stay fit in France, where you saw Gabriela running in a cross-country race. Today I'm sharing photos of Elena running in a relay race on a team with her classmates. They once again competed against children of the same age group from several different schools in the area.

Anticipation.

Elena in the distance.

Waiting for the baton.

Team-runner appears to make the pass-off.

Smooth transition?

And she's off!

Look at her fly!

The look of sweet success!

Are your children encouraged to stay fit in their schools? How so?

Tell me, I'd love to know!

Happy Monday!
-The Paris Busy Bee

Strawberries galore at the Ferme de Viltain

2013-06-16T22:20:00.000+02:00

8 kilos. Not counting all the strawberries we ate while there!

Picking berries at the Ferme de Viltain... one of our favorite summer family traditions.

Here, here, here, and here.

Kisses,

-The Paris Busy Bee

Father's Day

2013-06-15T22:17:00.002+02:00

Who are the special fathers in your life and how will you be celebrating them tomorrow? Tell me here, I'd love to know!

Happy Father's Day to Sam, the daddy of my darling children, to my own Papa Eduardo all the way in California (see you in 5 days! yay!) and, yes, even to my favorite beau-père Jean-Albert!

Kisses,
-The Paris Busy Bee

http://youtu.be/xT6S-YCagzQ

Qui sont les papas chéris dans votre vie et qu'est-ce que vous ferez pour les célébrer demain? Dites-moi, j'aimerais beaucoup savoir!

Bonne fête des pères à mon amour Samuel, le papa de mes enfants adorables, à mon propre Papa Edouardo en Californie (on se voit dans 5 jours! youpi!) et, oui, même à mon beau-père préféré Jean-Albert!

Bisous,
-La Petite Abeille à Paris!

Summer's coming + my Friday sweet links

2013-06-14T13:20:00.001+02:00

Hello friends! Guess what? In exactly one week, I will be on my way to the airport to fly to the United States! California, here we come! I'm so excited I can hardly see straight and in my absence, this blog will be taking a bit of a beauty rest, but not totally because I've lined up a handful of guest posts that you won't want to miss!

And so of course, I'm busy as a bee, trying to get everything ready. And did I mention I also have suitcases for 4 little people to pack? Plus my own!! I'm a terrible packer! I leave everything until the last minute and them I am so stressed I can hardly see straight! So tell me friends, what are your best packing tips? How do you organize yourself? How do you make sure you don't forget a single thing? Do tell! I really would love to know! And now...

Here's my Friday sweet links:

Homemade mozarella? The succulent photos will make your mouth seriously salivate! By Operation Cocooning: La Mozarella! A caprese salad for your summer day outdoor meals?
For all my expat friends, excellent advice on ho to manage finances abroad! Definitely will be referring back to Design Mom's 5 Tips: Finances When Moving Abroad!
Is the sun shining chez vous? Are you craving lemonade like I do? Homemade is best, wouldn't you agree? Voilà 9 secrets to amazing homemade lemonade! But beware, the amazing photos by the amazing Lindsey will actually make you amazingly thirsty!
Oh!!!! Have you seen this? The dîner en blanc à la Tour d'Eiffel! Photos by Hana of Journey into "La Ville Lumière"!
And did you see the very first copy of Perch Magazine? Easy reading, gorgeous photography and layout, chic fashion, yummy food, informative, fun and all about Paris bloggers and entrepreneurs! Well, can you imagine my surprise when I got to page 123?!!! You haven't read it yet? Here it is below! Or just follow this link: Perch Mag Summer 2013 issue.

Bon weekend!

-The Paris Busy Bee!

Bonjour mes amis! Dans exactement une semaine je serai sur la route pour aller à l'aéroport, pour prendre notre vol aux USA! California, here we come! J'ai tellement hâte que j'ai la tête qui tourne! Pendant mon absence ce blog se reposera un peu, mais pas totalement! J'ai préparé la publication de plusieurs billets par d'autres blogueuses. A ne pas râter!

Et donc, je m'agite comme une petite abeille, pour que tout soit prêt! Des valises pour quatre petites personnes plus mes affaires?! Eh oui, mais je déteste faire les valises. Je laisse tout à la dernière minute et puis je suis tellement stressée que j'ai la tête qui tourne! Alors dites-moi. Comment faites-vous? Quelles sont vos astuces pour faire le plus simple et ne rien oublier? J'ai besoin de savoir! Et maintenant...

Voilà mes liens intéressants de la semaine:

Mozarella faite maison? Ces photos succulentes vous mettront l'eau à la bouche! Par Christel d'Operation Cocooning: La Mozarella! Tomates à la mozarella pour vos repas d'été sur la terrace?
Pour les expatriés, de bons conseils pour gérer ses finances depuis l'étranger se trouvent par ici... 5 Tips: Finances When Moving Abroad!
Le soleil brille chez vous? Une envie d'une bionne citronnade bien fraîche? Voilà 9 secrets to amazing homemade lemonade! Mais attention, rien que les photos vous donneront soif!
Oh la là!!!! L'avez-vous vu? Le dîner en blanc à la Tour d'Eiffel! Photos par Hana de Journey into "La Ville Lumière"!
Photos superbes, design très classe, les dernières tendances, restos préférés, informatif, fun et tout autour des blogs et entrepreneurs à Paris! Et la petite surprise pour moi? Vous la trouverez à la page 123!! Le magazine en-ligne se trouve ci-dessus ou en suivant ce lien: Perch Mag Summer 2013 issue.

Bon weekend!

-The Paris Busy Bee!

Theme park nostalgia: Disneyland Paris (a sponsored post)

2013-06-13T12:30:00.000+02:00

Theme park nostalgia?

La nostalgie pour les parcs d'amusement?

I grew up in sunny Southern California and so naturally, I was raised on Disney. Read: we spent most summers, several times each summer at our theme park of choice: Disneyland! Oh, there were other theme parks, but Disneyland was the happiest place on earth!

J'ai grandi en Californie et comme conséquence j'ai grandi un peu à la Disney! Traduction? Nous allions tous les étés, plusieurs fois même à notre parc d'amusement préféré: Disneyland! Il y avait d'autres parc, bien-sûr, mais Disneyland était l'endroit le plus magique sur la face de la terre!

Below is a Polaroid shot of one of our many trips to Disneyland. I'm the smiling girl in red with three of my siblings. Standing above me is my mom and next to her? My grandma Maria and my aunt Martina who were visiting from Mexico!

Voici un cliché Polaroid d'un de nos nombreux passages chez Disney. Je suis la petite fille souriante en rouge avec ma fratrie. Tout près de moi, c'est ma maman et à côté d'elle? Ce sont ma grand-mère Maria et ma tante Martina qui nous visitaient du Mexique!

Fast forward 30 something years and my theme park of choice is still Disneyland, but I don't live in sunny California anymore - I live in a suburb of Paris. Thank heavens there is a Disneyland in Paris! Still the happiest place on earth! ;)

Avance rapide plus de 30 ans et mon parc d'amusement reste Disneyland, mais je n'habite plus en Californie - j'habite dans une banlieue de Paris. Mais ouf! Il y a un Disneyland à Paris! Encore l'endroit le plus magique sur toute la face de la terre!

How about you? Do you have a favorite theme park? Do you take your kids there often? Or do you go there just for you? Will you be going to one of Disney's theme parks this summer?

Et vous? Avez-vous un parc d'amusement préféré? Vous y emmenez vos enfants souvent? Ou vous y allez pour vous amuser vous-même? Ferez-vous une passage dans un parc de Disney cet été?

P.S. Below are a few random photos from our various trips to Disneyland Paris when our children were a bit younger, and well, us too! ;) Just follow the below link.

P.S. Ci-dessous vous trouverez quelques photos de nos voyages chez Eurodisney quand nos enfants étaient plus jeunes, et bien, nous aussi! ;) Suivez le lien ci-dessous.

A few tips about first aid in France

2013-06-11T12:58:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I was defrosting a small jar of baby food for Rémy. I pulled the jar out of the microwave and with Rémy still in my arms, I inserted a spoon to give the contents a stir. I touched a hot spot with the spoon and a large drop of purée popped out of the jar and onto Rémy's pajama. He instantly cried a high pitch squeal and dismayed I realized his little leg was burnt. My initial reaction was to bring down the temperature of the burn with cool water. I removed his pajama. The area was red and the surface skin damaged. I sat him in the sink and poured fresh water over the burn for more than 5 minutes. I felt awful, but thankfully, the pain had subsided and he sang cheerfuly as I continued to pour cool water over the wound. I must have kissed his little head a thousand times as I held him close to me, wanting to erase what had just happened. I didn't know what to do next, so I called a friend who helped reassure and guide me.

Here's a few things I learned about first aid in France:

Prevention is the best medicine! This is true whether in France or the U.S. or China! It would have been best to put Rémy down for a few minutes while I heated his food. Even if he had cried, it would have prevented him from getting burned.
Be prepared. The first-aid training I went through to become a licensed day-care provider is invaluable, but you forget so quickly. The Red Cross offers training all over France. To find the next training available close to home, click here: Catalogue national de formation au PSC1. PSC1 is basic level prevention and first aid. (I just enrolled myself for a class right after we get back from the United States!)
Emergency numbers. You can dial 15 (the SAMU) for any medical emergency. They won't necessarily send an ambulance, but the on-site doctor will ask you questions to assess your situation, and either give you medical advice or send an ambulance if you need urgent medical care.
Pharmacies. Pharmacists in France are well-trained professionals who can offer expert advice and will direct you to a medical professional if the injury is serious. After talking to my friend, I went straight to the pharmacy. The pharmacist confirmed that my initial reaction was correct and she gave me other appropriate medical counsel. I was able to buy the products I needed, which I will now keep on hand for future emergencies And this brings me once again to point number 2: be prepared!

And you? What do you do when you have a medical emergency? Do you panic? Or do you know exactly what to do and take action right away? What would you add to my list?

Stay safe!

-The Paris Busy Bee

Hier, j'étais en train de décongeler un petit pot pour Rémy. J'ai sorti le petit pot du micro-ondes et avec Rémy encore dans mes bras, j'ai mis une cuillère dedans pour mélanger le contenu. J'ai touché un endroit chaud et un gros tas de purée a giclé du pot et attéri sur le pyjama de Rémy. De suite il a crié d'une voix aiguë et, atterée, je me suis aperçue que sa petite jambe avait une brulure. Ma réaction initiale était de baisser la température de la brulure avec de l'eau fraîche. J'ai enlevé son pyjama. L'endroit était rouge et l'épiderme abîmé. Je l'ai posé dans l'évier où j'ai fait couler de l'eau fraîche sur la brulure pendant plus de 5 minutes. Je me sentais mal, mais heureusement, la douleur avait diminué et il chantonnait d'une voix enjouée. J'ai dû faire mille bisous sur sa petite tête et je le tenais près de moi, tout en voulant effacer ce qui venait d'arriver. Je ne savais pas ce qu'il fallait faire par la suite, donc j'ai téléphoné à une copine qui a pû me rassurer et me guider.

Voici quelques points importants que j'ai appris au sujet des premiers gestes de secours en France:

Un peu de prévention est certainement le meilleur remède. Ceci est vrai que vous soyez en France, aux Etats-Unis ou en Chine! Il aurait été mieux de poser Rémy pendant que je chauffais son repas. Même s'il avait pleuré, on aurait pû éviter cet accident.
Être préparé. La formation de premiers gestes de secours que j'ai suivi pour obtenir mon agrément d'assistante maternelle est un outil sans prix, mais on oublie vite! Il est bien de répéter ses formations tout au long de la vie. La Croix Rouge offre des formations partout en France. Pour voir la prochaine formation près de chez vous, suivez ce lien: Catalogue national de formation au PSC1. PSC1 = prévention et secours civiques niveau 1. (Je me suis déjà inscrite pour un cours après notre retour des Etats-Unis!)
Le SAMU. Vous pouvez marquer le 15 (le SAMU) pour toute urgence médical. Ils n'envoient pas forcément une ambulance, mais le médecin sur place vous posera des questions pour évaluer votre situation, et soit vous donner des conseils médicaux ou envoyer une ambulance si vous avez besoin d'aide médicale urgente.
Pharmacies. Les pharmaciens en France sont des professionnels qui peuvent vous donner des conseils adaptés et vous dirigeront vers un médecin si la blessure est grave. Après avoir parlé à ma copine, qui m'a conseillé de faire ceci, je suis allée directement à la pharmacie. La pharmacienne a confirmé que mon premier geste était le bon, elle m'a donné d'autres conseils. J'ai pu acheter les produits nécessaires, que je garderais bien en stock pour une prochaine urgence. Et ceci me ramène à mon point numéro 2: être préparé!

Et vous? Que faites-vous quand il y a une urgence médicale chez vous? Est-ce que vous paniquez? Ou savez-vous déjà ce qu'il faut faire et vous agissez même sans réfléchir? Rajouteriez-vous autre chose à ma liste?

Soyez prudents!

-The Paris Busy Bee!

Schools in France: Chorale

2013-06-10T14:26:00.000+02:00

We know we are reaching the end of the school year when the children have their choir presentations!

On sait que l'on arrive à la fin de l'année scolaire lorsque les présentations des chorales débutent!

The children work all year long with Marianne to learn songs and poetry to present to their parents.

Les enfants travaillent pendant toute l'année à apprendre des chansons et des poésies pour présenter aux parents.

We cram into a tiny theatre where we are forced to sit on the floor or stand in the back.

And then we clumsily waver between consideration for other parents and obnoxious rudeness as we hold our cameras in the air to try to get the best shot of our own child.

On s'entasse dans un tout petit théatre où l'on est obligé de s'asseoir par terre ou de rester debout tout au fond.

Et puis on trébuche maladroitement entre considération pour les autres parents et l'énervement odieux lorsqu'on tient les caméras en l'air pour capturer des jolis clichés de son propre enfant.

{Gabi is both terrified and thrilled to participate in these events!}

{Gabi est à la fois terrifiée et ravie de pouvoir participer à ces événements!}

By the end we are all sweaty and my knees are in pain from kneeling on the hard floor.

Vers la fin nous sommes tous trempés de transpiration et mes genoux me font mal grâce à au sol dur!

But to see this winner smile once she rejoins her best friends?

I would do it all over again!

Mais pour ce sourire de vainqueur lorsqu'elle rejoint ses meilleures copines?

Je recommencerais volontiers!

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How about you? Do your children enjoy participating in their school presentations? Do you enjoy attending them? Are there things you also gripe about as a parent?

Et vous? Vos enfants aiment participer à leurs présentations à l'école? Vous aimez assister? Y a-t'il des choses qui vous énervent en tant que parent?

Bisous,

-The Paris Busy Bee!

Family home evening chez nous

2013-06-09T23:12:00.000+02:00

Our children really love family home evenings and are disappointed when we don't have them (which has been the case more often than not lately), but today was one of those days where we got organized and everyone pitched in. One small triumph in the life of the Babin family! Anyhow, I thought I'd let you know how these evenings work for us...

Sundays work the best for us and so that's when we normally do it. After church we come home, eat lunch, rest and in the evening we prepare and hold our family home evening. Normally, there is a lesson, a game and a treat, but my three older children love to do the lesson, so we often end up with several lessons as was the case tonight!

I try really hard to let the kids be kids, but sometimes it's hard when I feel like they're not paying attention or being respectful of whoever is speaking! However, we have good discussions, a lot of giggling and Rémy keeps us entertained and on our toes with his high pitched squeals.

Our family home evenings are also naturally filled with an interesting mix of English, French and Spanish! We started our Spanish week yesterday, so I gave my lesson in Spanish to the kids and asked their Papa questions in English who would respond in French for his kiddos! The children each shared their lessons in French, although Gabi read her story in English (her Papa was floored at how well she reads in English being that she just learned how to read in French this past year!). Chez nous, it's the Tower of Babel, although luckily we all understand each other! Well, mostly!

We start and end with a family prayer and the end of family home evening usually leads us into filling our tummies in some way!

I had made chocolate chip cookies for our treat, but since it was late and dinner wasn't ready, so everyone chipped in to help get dinner ready: a platter of crudités! And our chocolate chip cookies for dessert, of course!

Family home evenings are hardly typical in our family, but they work for us! Our kids really enjoy it and I feel like it's productive, quality time we spend together that helps us communicate as a family and strengthen each other.

How about you? Do you have family home evenings or a special family time for talking together and teaching other good values? Do you have a special format that you follow or do you just go with the flow? Do you enjoy these moments together? Do your children?

Nos enfants adorent les soirées familiales et sont déçus lorsque nous ne pouvons pas les tenir (ce qui a été le cas un peu plus souvent ces derniers temps, malheureusement), mais aujourd'hui c'était un de ces jours où nous nous sommes organisés et tout le monde a mis sa main à la pâte. Une petite triomphe chez la famille Babin! Enfin, je voulais vous parler de comment ces soirées se déroulent chez nous...

Le dimanche marche le mieux pour nous. Après les réunions à l'église, nous rentrons, mangeons, nous reposons et dans la soirée nous nous préparons à tenir notre soirée familiale. Normalement il y a une leçon, un jeu et une gourmandise, mais mes enfants adorent faire la leçon, donc souvent nous avons plusieurs leçons comme c'était le cas ce soir!

Je fait de mon mieux de laisser les enfants être des enfants, mais il est parfois difficile si je sent qu'ils n'écoutent pas ou qu'ils ne sont pas respecteux de la personne qui a la parole! Mais nous avons des partages intéressants, beaucoup de rigolades et Rémy ne nous laisse pas l'oublier car il s'exprime à haute voix très aiguë!

Nos soirées familiales sont naturellement remplies d'un mélange intéressant d'anglais, français et espagnol! Nous avons commencé notre quinzaine espagnole hier, donc j'ai fait ma leçon en espagnol aux enfants et je posait des questions à leur Papa en anglais qui répondait en français pour les enfants! Les enfants on fait leurs leçons en français, quoique Gabi ait lu son compte en anglais (son Papa était bouche bée à l'entendre lire aussi bien en anglais car elle vient tout juste d'apprendre à lire en français!). Chez nous c'est la Tour de Babel sauf que nous arrivons à nous comprendre! Enfin, presque tout le temps!

Nous commençons et terminons avec une prière en famille et la fin de la soirée familiale nous mènent toujours à manger de bonnes choses!

J'avais fait des cookies au pépites de chocolat, mais puisqu'il était tard et qu'il fallait manger, tout le monde a encore mis la main à la pâte pour préparer le repas: un grand plateau de crudités! Question de garder de la place pour les cookies et ne pas trop culpabiliser!

Les soirées familiales sont tout sauf normal chez nous, mais ça semble marcher pour notre famille! Nos enfants se régalent, et j'ai le sentiment que ce sont des moments particuliers et de qualité, qui nous édifient et nous aident à mieux communiquer en famille.

Et vous? Tenez-vous des soirées familiales ou avez-vous un moment particulier pour parler ensemble et vous enseigner mutuellement de bonnes valeurs? Suivez-vous un format spécial ou plutôt le cours naturel des choses? Aimez-vous ces moments ensemble? Et vos enfants?

Les Petits Chaussons (a sponsored post)

2013-06-07T14:09:00.000+02:00

Today I'd like to introduce you the Paris Busy Bee's newest sponsor: Les Petits Chaussons. I'm a huge fan of soft leather slipper shoes for babies and I instantly fell in love with all the cute designs at Les Petits Chaussons. But they've also got soft leather shoes for children up to the age of 5. I'll feature those another day...or you can go take a peek on your own!

Aujourd'hui, je vous présente le tout nouveau sponsor de mon blog: Les Petits Chaussons. Je suis fan de chaussons en cuir souple pour les tout petits et j'ai eu un coup de coeur lorsque j'ai vu tous les jolis designs qui se trouvent chez Les Petits Chaussons. Mais ils ont aussi des chaussures en cuir souple pour les enfants jusqu'à l'âge de 5 ans. Je vous les montrerai un autre jour...ou vous pouvez allez faire un petit tour vous-même!

The below designs are from the Easy Peasy collection. The insoles are soft and allow little feet to develop naturally and to get stronger as if walking barefoot, while providing a good anti-slip sole.

Les modèles ci-dessous sont de la collection Easy Peasy. Les semelles de ces chaussons sont souples et permettent aux pieds des petits de se développer naturellement et de se muscler comme s’ils marchaient pieds nus, tout en apportant une très bonne adhérence au sol.

I'm really loving those blue little sandals for my little Rémy!
Je pense que j'aimerais bien les petites sandalettes bleues por mon petit Rémy!

Bon weekend!
-The Paris Busy Bee

I smell summer! & My Friday sweet links!

2013-06-07T13:00:00.000+02:00

This was yesterday. We've had gorgeous weather the past few days and it's just starting to smell a little bit like summer!

J'ai pris la photo hier. On a eu un temps magnifique depuis quelque jours...ça sent l'été!

My Friday sweet links (liens intéressants de la semaine):

Emma Poz. A very talented comic strip artist who has made a very français comic strip blog. Une jeune artiste douée qui nous régale avec son blog BD à ne pas manquer!
The Mormon Women Project. A continuously expanding digital library of interviews with Latter-day Saint women from around the world. Trois femmes françaises interviewées ici et ici.
For those of you who don't know about our multilingual story, you can read Annabelle's interview of me at the piripiri lexicon. Pour ceux qui ne connaissent pas notre histoire multi-lingue, vous pouvez lire cet entretien que j'ai fait il y a quelques mois ici.
Do you remember I told you about my new favorite song here? Well you won't want to miss this spoof on such a happy little song! Ma chanson préférée du moment prend des tons moqueurs ici. Oh là là!
Perch Mag. Their very first issue will be out on June 10th! Are you on their e-mail list? La première édition sort le 10 juin! Etes-vous inscrite sur ce site très chic de blogs et d'entrepreneurs en France?
And finally, a little inspiration: Create!

Enjoy the sunshine!

-The Paris Busy Bee

The flight of the Parisian bumblebees

2013-06-05T22:36:00.001+02:00

Can you hear the musical frenzy of The Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky?

Entendez-vous les notes frénétiques du Vol du bourdon par Nikolai Rimsky?

That frenzied music is exactly how I felt trying to capture the perfect picture of my Parisian bumblebees...

Ces notes frénétiques décrivent parfaitement mes tentatives de capturer la photo parfaite de mes bourdons parisiens...

...frantically flying from blossom to blossom,

...qui volaient frénétiquement d'une fleur à l'autre,

...greedily sucking sweet nectar from my raspberry bushes!

...butinant goûlument le nectar des dieux de mes framboisiers!

Nearly 100 shots and never once did a single one of those bumblebees hold still!

Près de 100 clichés et pas un seul bourdon qui se pose pour la photo!

http://youtu.be/6QV1RGMLUKE

Bisous!

-The Paris Busy Bee

P.S. I think it's no coincidence I call myself the Paris Busy Bee!

P.S. Ce n'est pas par coïncidence si je m'appelle la Paris Busy Bee!

Cameos of France by Natacha: Artisans en Anse

2013-06-04T12:51:00.000+02:00

Artisan!

The beauty of a human being using his or her hands and intellectual expertise...

To mold raw materials into household items or an original masterpiece...

An art that resonnates tones of a world of yesteryear.

Raw materials carefully chiseled and manipulated by timeless hands...

They appear worn by hard work and the demands of a ticking clock...

And yet,

Still full of strength and beauty!

Artisan!

La beauté d'un être humain qui interprète son expertise par la manipulation de matériaux dans leur état brut...

Pour les transformer en objets domestiques ou en chef d'oeuvres originaux...

C'est un art qui résonne des timbres d'antan.

Les matériaux bruts soigneusement ciselés, manipulés par une paire de mains intemporelles...

Elles semblent être usées par un travail acharné et les exigences du temps qui passe...

Et cependant,

Encore pleines de force et beauté!

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These are Natacha's cameo of a tiny moment in time:

artisans at work at the Château des Tours in Anse.

Voici le cameo de Natacha d'un instant dans le temps:

des artisans en plein travail au Château des Tours en Anse.

All photos by Natacha Bennasar. To see her other cameos, click here: Cameos of France by Natacha.

-The Paris Busy Bee

Homemade: Summer salad bar

2013-06-03T16:23:00.000+02:00

What better way to welcome in the month of June and the incumbent summer months than with a fresh crisp salad bar! This is one of our family favorites: crisp salad and a multitude of colorful bowls filled with whatever toppings we happen to have on hand that day and then everyone builds their own!

This was my salad! Doesn't it look yummy?

The toppings du jour? Hard-boiled eggs, crunchy sweet red bell peppers, juicy tomatoes, cubes of ham and mimolette cheese, croutons, cruncy fried onion bits and homemade ranch dressing!

But we've also been known to add to our salad bars: avocados, grilled chicken, cucumbers, mushrooms, carrots, other kinds of cheeses, bacon bits and whatever else is in season and we're in the mood for. Each member of the family chooses what he likes to build his own salad. The children are happy, momma's happy, everybody's happy! By the way, when the children help prepare the toppings, they are magically 10 times more likely to eat even vegetables they normally wouldn't touch!

This is how Sam and our children surprised me on French Mother's Day one week ago with this salad bar they all pitched in to help prepare! They told me to lay down and rest and to not come into the kitchen no matter what! It was the perfect surprise orchestrated by my amazing husband and I couldn't have felt happier or more appreciated in those perfect moments! I'm a blessed momma to have these four prized jewels in my life!

P.S. Do you want to know the perfect dessert to go with a summer salad? You'll have to visit my friend Christel at Operation Cocooning to see some mouthwatering photos and read her delicious recipe for a perfect sponge cake lovingly slathered with juicy tart berries! Just follow the link!

The best chocolat chaud de Paris and my Friday sweet links

2013-05-31T12:38:00.000+02:00

This cup of hot chocolate is probably the best antidote against the cold, gray Paris weather this morning. (Yes, the weather is still terrible, even as we approach the month of June!) It also happens to be the best chocolat chaud you can get in Paris, according to some (see link below.) So grab your own cup of hot chocolate and sit down to enjoy my Friday sweet links!

My Friday sweet links:

Two weeks ago I enjoyed the best chocolat chaud de Paris at La Petite maison dans la cour. French speakers can read a review here: My Little Paris: Le meilleur chocolat chaud de Paris. Warning: it is thick and rich and oh so lovely and best enjoyed with a friend or two! (I do, however, hear a lot of talk about Angelina's. Any opinions? I'm going to have to go myself to decide which I love best!)
Attention all France-based bloggers! Have you heard of Perch Magazine? I've a feeling you'll want to be involved! Perch Magazine is a fantastic new online magazine that is also creating a catalog of France based bloggers, en français or in English. The first edition will launch June 10th! Go have a peek and take their online survey today!
Do you love soft leather shoes for your babies? Well, the Paris Busy Bee has a new sponsor! Les Petits Chaussons makes the most adorable little shoes for little toes and feet. I'll introduce you next week! But in the meantime, feel free to go take a peek!
For all my France residing readers, and especially those living near Bordeaux, Ô Clair de Lune is exposing this weekend (June 1 & 2) here: Journées du fait main à Bordeaux. But Ô Clair de Lune also ships internationally! You can check her online store early next week when she restocks after the expo. If she hasn't sold out of everything! ;)
For those of you who could spend hours on end drooling over gorgeous photos of Paris, Hana's your girl. You can find her blog over here: Journey into "La Ville-Lumière". Be prepared to experience some serious heart palpitations! She may or may not give her own review of Angelina's hot chocolate!
And finally, are you raising multilingual children (or thinking about it) and have you been to a blogging carnival before? You'll find one of my articles featured here: Raising Multilingual Children Blogging Carnival May 2013 at the piri-piri lexicon.

Bon weekend!

-The Paris Busy Bee

P.S. I still need a few more guest posts for when I'm gone on vacation. If you're interested, please drop me a note!

The countdown has begun!

2013-05-30T10:55:00.000+02:00

Gabi made us this darling chain link to help us count down the days because there are exactly 21 days until we leave to California to see my family!

Anticipation.

Excitement.

Enthusiasm.

Emotions.

The air is thick with impatience to travel and rejoicing in soon seeing cousins!
The excitement is tangible!
I get daily accounts of ...
"I dreamt we were already there, Mom!"

And me?

I want to look so pretty for my family.

My hair is cut, dyed and highlighted and will probably need a touch-up just before we leave.

I've been working out semi-regularly for the past two months,

but now it's a marathon of 21 straight days of sweating with the WiiFit and my jump rope!

Gotta lose my mommy pouch and all that baby weight I'm still carrying!

Midnight snacks, au revoir! Sugary sweets, arrivederci!

And how about you?

Where will you be this summer?

What big plans do you have?

Bisous!

-The Paris Busy Bee

P.S. I've been contacting some of you to guest post for me while I'm gone on vacation. If you're interested, drop me a note!

Bathroom remodel Pinterest inspiration

2013-05-28T12:40:00.002+02:00

Our upstairs bathroom was gutted out about a week ago and now we need to get to work! But we were lacking deco inspiration!!!! After scouring Pinterest, I think you'll see I now have a pretty crystal clear idea of what I want our tiny bathroom to look like (see my bathroom remodel pinterest board). Now I just need to persuade my husband that white and robin egg blue are meant to be to create an illusion of space and airiness in this tiny space where there will be a toilet, sink and shower! Something tells me this won't be easy!

This is what our bathroom currently looks like!

How would you remodel it?

P.S. Toilet - back wall on the left. Radiator - back wall on the right. Sink with cabinet - right wall which is partially hidden. Small shower cabin - in corner against right wall (entirely hidden from view in this photo). All elements will be positioned the same way, but the deco must be finished before the plumber can install the brand new elements!

Wish us luck!

Bisou!

-The Paris Busy Bee

Ô Clair de Lune this weekend (a sponsored post)

2013-05-27T22:00:00.001+02:00

Monia Boubaker (Ô Clair de Lune) is a talented young artist who has traveled the world and now incorporates themes, colors and scraps of fabric and paper from her time spent abroad into her artwork. Whimsical, fresh, original and all her current pices will be on display this weekend in Bordeaux! For details, please scroll down!

Monia Boubaker (Ô Clair de Lune) est une jeune artiste douée qui a voyagé le mondie entier. Elle incorpore aujourd'hui à toutes ces oeuvres d'art, des thèmes, des couleurs, des bouts de tissus et de papier ramenés de ses voyages.

Fantaisiste, frais, original et toutes ces oeuvres seront exposées ce weekend aux journées du fait-main à Bordeaux! Pour plus de détails voir l'affiche ci-dessous.

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Here are some of Monia's latest masterpieces.

Note: Many of her creations will be temporarily removed from her online store the duration of the exhibit. If you wish to order your favorite piece, do it now, because it might not make it back!

Voici quelques-unes de ses dernières créations.

Mais attention! Beaucoup de ses tableaux seront exposés aux Journées du fait main. Si vous souhaitez commander votre coup de coeur, faites-le dès maintenant parce qu'il risque de ne pas revenir de l'expo-vente!

A jar of secrets...

A jar of sweet dreams...

A tropical bird twirping tweet tweet on some remote island far away...

And ocean time...

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This weekend you'll find Monia's artwork displayed in Bordeaux during an entire weekend of home-made creations dedicated to demos, workshops, expositions and sales.

At the Bar de la Marine

Address: 28 bis, rue Achard in the Bassins à Flot quarter

The B tram Achard stop

Bordeaux

From 11am to 7pm, June 1st and 2nd, 2013

Ô Clair de Lune is a paid sponsor of the Paris Busy Bee blog.

Ô Clair de Lune est un sponsor payant du blog Busy as a Bee in Paris.

I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart!

2013-05-27T12:38:00.000+02:00

We just can't help thinking how lucky we are to have each other and every single one of our darling kiddos! Like the individual pieces of a puzzle that fit together so perfectly, we feel like we belong to one another!

http://youtu.be/zvCBSSwgtg4

So it's ironic that this is kind of our family's favorite song right now, especially mine. Sam bought it for me this weekend. :) Hey! Ho!

And how about you? Do you have a favorite song right now? And do you sometimes enjoy the same kind of music as your children or is their a deep musical divide! I'd love to know!

Bisou!

-The Paris Busy Bee

Sweet days (in the Vallée de Chevreuse) + my Friday sweet links

2013-05-24T11:41:00.000+02:00

Sweet days... Everyone tells me to enjoy these moments because they'll pass so quickly. I believe it and I try a little harder to soak all the goodness in. Between hectic weekdays, there's sometimes a sweet pause. I stand still and I breathe in deeply, wanting to take in every particle of this existence that is mine. My life is a gift and I feel so blessed. Of course, I'm almost always tired, often worried about this or that, and I'm still carrying more baby weight than I wish to admit. But I have everything I need to be happy and my heart tells me to enjoy these days, because someday I'll look back on them with wistful longing...

And so that's just what I did last Wednesday while waiting for Alex to finish his swimming class. Sweet moments in the Vallée de Chevreuse.

My Friday sweet links are a just few things that have inspired me this week!

On owning a dog, for my Francophone readers: Sacrée boule de poils
8 Secrets To a Perfect Burger. If you love grilling burgers, you do not want to miss this post!
For my Mexican cuisine aficionados, a recipe for Aguas Frescas, how Chou makes a French style torta and the cutest Guacamole recipe I've ever seen!
Mother's Day is celebrated on the 26th here in France. Last minute ideas for my France residing readers here, here and here!
I want to make these as aprons for my girls (and myself!): reversible spring pinafores.

Bisou,

-The Paris Busy Bee

Raising multilingual children: baby talk & 10 unexpected surprises

2013-05-22T13:29:00.000+02:00

So what are some of the unexpected surprises that have come your way on your multilingual adventure? I've put together a list of ten unexpected suprises in no particular order. You'll have to tell me if you can relate. ;)

My children actually love being trilingual. I'd like to chalk it up to my unfailing enthusiasm, but could it be that Spanish and English are not really "minority languages" here in France, but rather revered? (Especially English.) My children feel pretty special about this in addition to all the wonderful advantages of speaking multiple languages.
What's a language? My daughter Gabriela (6) still has a hard time knowing what I mean when I ask her if she can say something in a particular language. "What is French?" she'll ask and even if I clarify by saying "en français" she still doesn't get it. Or at least she pretends not to. She does the same for English and Spanish.
Baby talk. My children always speak to each other in French. That is a hard and fast rule. But that's not what's surprising. What's surprising is that when Rémy came along, they started occasionally breaking this rule to speak to him in English and Spanish! Could it be because most of their interaction with him is through me and they seek to mimic the way I speak to him?
Trilingual does not equal perfectly fluent. Just because my children speak all three languages at home, doesn't mean they perfectly understand other native speakers or are able to immediately mingle in a group of children who speak the language in question.
More baby talk. For the first time in my life, I want to speak French to my baby Rémy and in spite of my best efforts to stay in the target language, sweet baby talk in French spontaneously sneaks out of my mouth every now and then! Ooooh, mon bébé d'amour! Je t'aime!
Auto-correct. Alex who is 12 has auto-corrected many language mistakes he used to make when he was younger and corrects his sisters with mini grammar lessons! "You know Elena, I used to say the same thing, but..." I love it!
The same mistakes over and over and over. My children repeatedly make the same inter-language transfer mistakes. For example, Alex says "benediccion" in Spanish (like in French) instead of "bendicion" and Gabriela says "I don't can't" instead of "I can't". And this no matter how many times we correct them. I guess we just need to wait for the auto-correct function (#6) to kick in, n'est-ce pas?
Accents. My children have odd little accents (in a cute way) that don't really ressemble anything (especially my girls), but I wouldn't have it any other way!
My children correct my French pronunciation. They also laugh when I use French argon because it doesn't "fit" my mom personality! I don't even realize it's argon until they're laughing at me!
Grammar, grammar, grammar. Even though I am teaching my children English and Spanish, I can't help myself and correct their French grammar as well! All those years of studying French pay big dividends!

Raising multilingual children is an adventure. Every stage of life can bring unexpected turns, especially when multiple children are involved! Each child is born with an individual and unique personality and how he or she will react to his multilingual environment remains unknown until each experience is lived. But the whole of all these unique personalities, parents involved, creates a group dynamic that becomes the family's multilingual trademark.

In our case, we are a multi-cultural trilingual family living in France. Our children get French from their Papa, school, friends, their extended family, etc. The weight of the multilingual endeavors in this family, lies entirely upon the shoulders of the Maman. Two weeks in English, two weeks in Spanish. If ever I let down my guard, their additional languages would eventually die. But I'm a proud multilingual momma with a warrior attitude about preserving their ability to additionally communicate in English and Spanish.

How about you? What are some of the unexpected surprises you've encountered while raising multilingual children? Can you relate to anything in my list? What would you add?

This article was written for the Raising Multilingual Children Blogging Carnival hosted by the piri-piri lexicon this month: May 2013.

Aid for Oklahoma

2013-05-22T08:22:00.001+02:00

LDS Charities have a Humanitarian Aid Fund that helps millions of people in the world who suffer from natural disasters, like the people of Moore, Oklahoma currently suffering from the recent tornado. So if you're looking for a way to help monetarily, this is one way.

Donate online to the Humanitarian Aid Fund

Humanitarian Aid Fund

Millions of people in the world suffer from natural disasters every year. When disasters occur, LDS Charities sends food, clothing, medical supplies, and other emergency relief assistance to bless the lives of those with urgent needs.

Last year, LDS Charities responded to 111 requests in 50 countries. They included response to earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan, relief to 55,000 refugees in Libya, and emergency aid to mudslide victims in El Salvador.

One hundred percent of every dollar donated is used to help those in need without regard to race, religion, or ethnic origin.

Note: Dark areas on the map represent those countries receiving aid. To allow for maximum flexibility in responding to emergencies, donations to LDS Charities (Humanitarian Services) are not earmarked for specific projects but are distributed where the need is greatest.

To learn about the humanitarian aid being given at this time to the victims of the tornados, follow this link:
Church Working With Oklahoma Officials to Provide Support in Wake of Tornadoes

With love,
Maria

An afternoon in Paris with my old college roommates

2013-05-21T12:00:00.000+02:00

We were roomies at the Foreign Language Student Residence at Brigham Young University in the French house! Students of French and lovers of Paris! So it was only appropriate our reunion take place in Paris!

Now Christy I've seen several times here in France. Her doctoral thesis has brought her over this way several times over the past few years and we always manage to get together.

Here, here and here.

But Carrie, I hadn't seen since we parted ways not long before I married Sam over 12 years ago! It was so fun to see her again. She looks fantastic! And we had so much catching up to do and just spent the day gabbing away!

The day started out with decent weather, meaning some sunshine, some clouds, but no rain! ;)
And the Eiffel Tower was splendid and exciting, just like she always is!

I love the lacework on the Eiffel Tower!

We found a spot not far from the Eiffel Tower where we shared goodies that Carrie and Christy picked up at the marché earlier that morning. Cherry tomatoes, fresh charcuterie, tome de chèvre, warm baguette and fabulous conversation....

Natives? Nah!
Your guess is as good as mine, but they were too funny-looking to not sneak-snap a picture of them.

We then followed one of these free guided tours.

Téléchargez le programme : Parcours de l’eau à Paris 2013 - Mars à août 2013

And learned that Christy had the best listening comprehension in French out of all three of us. :) (Ahem! Never mind that I've lived in France for over 7 years now...)

Our tour guide was this adorable, little opinionated man who divulged the secrets and mysteries of the architecture in the 15th arrondissement.

This is our tour group standing on the Pont Rouelle, learning the mysteries of the Isle of the Swans, but we also enjoyed...

...a beautiful monument erected in memory of the Jews who were persecuted and killed in the early 20th century...

...chic Parisian buildings in the 15th arrondissement...

...the Pont Rouelle with more beautiful architecture in the background...

...and quaint houseboats floating lazily on the Seine...

And then...

Raindrops were falling on our head...

...but our spirits were not dampened.

...and three American girls admired the small replica of the Empire State Building from under the protection of their umbrellas.

We walked
and we strolled
and we laughed
and we talked.

And the hours passed quickly without us ever noticing...

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And so what better way to end a perfect afternoon?

Sipping a Paris-renowned chocolat chaud at

La Petite Maison dans la Cour...

Warm and rich and oh so lovely.

Just like spending time with dear old friends.

How about you? Do you keep in touch with your college day roomies? Your high school buddies?

Bisous,
-The Paris Busy Bee

P.S. These two are still wandering the streets of Paris, having a blast. Can't say I'm not a wee bit jealous, but alas! My domestic duties were calling!

Sweet Sunday

2013-05-19T18:59:00.000+02:00

May your Sunday be filled with sweetness and peace!

For sweet and bright inspiration click here and here.

Very truly yours,

-The Paris Busy Bee

The Paris Busy Bee is going to Paris ;)

2013-05-17T14:27:00.002+02:00

I may be the Paris Busy Bee who lives just a hop and a skip away from the City of Lights, but the truth is the days I actually make it there are few and far between. The last time was in March when we made a quick drive into Paris for passports at the American Embassy in Paris. It was a lightning trip and anxious to use my new camera I took the photo below from a moving car. Sam was driving... ;)

But tomorrow is just such a day. I get to be just a girl in Paris. Two of my college day roomies are in town and so I'm temporarily tucking away my domestic duties to be free like the wind for one whole afternoon.

This is what we did last time we got together: Paris with Christy. Can't wait to see how things will work out tomorrow! To see our family day trips into Paris, click here: When we visit Paris....

I'll report back next week. ;)

(hopefully with a few great photos...)

Bon weekend!

-The Paris Busy Bee