Hello, Friends. We’re in Rome! I’m snapping pictures like crazy and can’t wait to share. If you’d like to follow along, Ben Blair and I are both updating frequently on Instagram (he’s blairben and I’m gabrielle_designmom). For now, I thought you’d like to see an image from our Easter Egg Hunt at the Eiffel Tower. Isn’t it a great shot? I was so pleased with it. How about you? Did the Easter Bunny make it to your house? Or are you celebrating other spring holidays? How was your weekend?

Here are a few images from our quick trip to Stonehenge and a little report. I love seeing prehistoric sites! It’s really fascinating to me to imagine a society with the skills and wherewithal to build something grand and lasting — and yet we know almost nothing about them. I always wonder if their lives were very, very different from mine — or essentially the same. Did they get grumpy when they were hungry? Did they have leisure time? What was their concept of love and happiness? Stonehenge didn’t disappoint. It’s old and big and mysterious. We learned that the current circle of stones is the third one that was built on that site — and that the site is older than the pyramids! You can’t get really close and touch the stones, but you can get close enough for decent pictures. There is roped off path that takes you around the whole site and it provides some pretty spectacular views. If you’re dying to get up close and personal with the stones, Avebury is not too far. It’s another ancient stone circle that’s much bigger than Stonehenge, but far less touristy. The tickets include a little handset-on-a-cord you can wear around your neck and hold up to your ear, which was great. But it was cold and windy! We wished we were wearing mittens and hats. Stonehenge is kind of in the middle of nowhere — just off the road and surrounded by fields of grazing sheep. The countryside couldn’t have been more charming. Our trip was short. We played with the idea of visiting Stonehenge plus some other area sites, but really, it was more of an experiment to see if we really could take a decent trip to England on a Saturday+Sunday without missing work or school. Instead of doing more site-seeing we went straight from Stonehenge to the hotel so the kids could swim and go to a movie — in English! — which felt like a treat. We thought our little trip was a success! Next time, we’d really like to visit Bath, and see more of the English countryside. How about you? Have you ever been to Stonehenge or another prehistoric site? Are you fascinated by them like me? Do you think weekend trips are worth the effort? P.S. — Our visit to prehistoric caves.

We always hear that the top three most important features in a house are location, location, and location. But truthfully, when most of us think of our dream home, we envision more than a short commute or an easy walk to school; we want the beautiful details that have filled our inspiration boards forever, right? Giulia and her husband bought a house that didn’t seem like it would be their perfect home. It isn’t the style they thought they wanted, but it is strong and solid and flooded with light, though, as well as close to everything they wanted to be near. So while they may not have chosen a home that lived in their dreams, they’ve found that they’re living in one in which they can easily build them. There’s a really good lesson here, Friends. Enjoy the tour! Q: Tell us a little about the family who fills up this house! A: This is the home to my husband, our four-and-a-half year old daughter Maelle, our three year old son Desmond, our cat Heidi, a fish called Tom, and myself. I grew up in Europe and moved to Canada nine years ago, and my husband is Canadian — from the East Coast — ocean, lobsters, and all! …

Living With Kids: Giulia DoyleRead More »

It must be moving season! Lately, I’ve had lots of emails from families moving abroad, wondering what we did for a car when we arrived. I mentioned in an early post about our move, that we intended to arrange a short-term car lease while we were here. But that didn’t happen. Here’s what did happen: Turns out, we couldn’t lease a car, or get any sort of auto financing, because we needed to have an active French bank account for at least a year before we could apply. So. We had to purchase a car instead. Ben Blair found a used VW Transporter without too many miles — and it had seats for 9 people! Perfect for a big family like ours. The VW wasn’t cheap, and we didn’t have enough cash to pay for the whole thing up front. So we asked a favor of the seller and payed for the car over 3 months. That just about wiped us out! We assumed we would be making small monthly payments and hadn’t budgeted for a big purchase like that. But then it was paid off and ours, and we felt great about the decision. Ultimately, we’ve been delighted with the car. And man oh man have we put some miles on it! It’s taken us to The Netherlands, England, Spain, Germany, Belgium, and all over France. It’s designed for 9 adults, so it feels extra roomy to our family of little kids, and it’s been the perfect car for road-tripping. We love it! We wish VW sold this in the U.S. because we would buy one in a snap! P.S. — Did you know almost all cars in France (and maybe Europe?) are stick shift? Even rentals! Our VW is too. Luckily, my first car was a stick shift, and a few cars I’ve owned since then as well, so it’s easy for me. Do you know how to drive stick?

I’ve been getting requests for an update on my children’s experience learning French, so I thought I’d write up a little report. For a timing reference, March 1st marked one full year in French schools, and at home, we speak almost exclusively in English. Here’s an update kid by kid. In school situations, Betty seems pretty much fluent. If she’s out of school and speaking with a neighbor, sometimes she needs more context to understand (but at her age, that’s true in English as well). She gets complimented on her accent (or the lack of it) all the time. Here’s a little video of Betty telling part of the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Oscar is doing great as well. When we ask him to speak French at home, he sort of huffs and puffs about it, and is very resistant. But when friends come over, he doesn’t have to think twice and communicates with them only in French. He also thinks when I attempt to speak French in my thick American accent, that it’s hilarious!! He about dies laughing every time. Olive is also excelling. She gets compliments on her accent as often as Betty and if we’re not listening, she speaks freely with any friends or neighbors she encounters. She never hesitates to answer the phone in French, and you may remember, she went a week-long ski trip with her class and spoke only French. Maude gets compliments on her ability to construct a sentence correctly. She works hard! Maude is more hesitant to speak because she wants to get it right. And she’s doing great. Her grades are where they would be if she was in an American school, and she does all her homework in French. Ralph’s French is impressive. Last week, his Language Arts teacher wrote on his paper: Your French is getting better every day. He often has top scores in his classes — even courses like history and physics which involve pretty challenging French. When the Hunger Games Movie came out last week, Maude and Ralph watched it in French (with no English subtitles). Previously, they’ve only wanted to see English movies, so that seemed like a major milestone. As for Flora June, she’s almost 2, and we’re delighted with every sound that comes out of her mouth. She is a charmer!   Overall, they’re doing marvelously with their language and both Ben Blair and I are constantly impressed with how hard they work. Learning a language is tough! It makes your brain tired. For reals! It’s surprising out physically challenging it feels. For all of our children, it’s true that they understand more than they can speak — I’m not sure when/if  that evens out. My thoughts on kids + a new language, in case you’re curious: It seems like, if you want to give children the gift of a second language, and make it easy for them, bringing them to a foreign country and putting them in school at age 5 and 6 is a wonderful way to do it. After a year or so, they’ll be pretty darn fluent without even trying! Ideally, you could then enroll them in a language immersion program when you move back to your home country so they can keep up their language skills. But the downside is, at those ages, they’ll probably have almost no memories of their time in a foreign country. Keeping that in mind, if your goal is to give your children a broader world view or more cultural experiences, moving to a new country at age 10+ seems ideal. But picking up a new language will definitely be harder the older your children are. P.S. — If you’d like to read them, earlier kid reports are here and here.

These are the invitations we made for Maude’s spa themed party. They would work equally well for a beauty-parlor themed party too! The bobby pins make a cute 3-D addition — and they’re a sweet little gift for the party attendees. The invitations were super easy to make and I was pleased with how they turned out. I’ve included instructions below if you’d like to see. …

Spa Themed Party InvitationsRead More »

Last fall, I mentioned Ben Blair had grown his first beard. (He’s still wearing it now and I still LOVE it!) But I didn’t tell you why it was his first beard. Once or twice over the years, I had asked him if he was interested in growing one, but he said that after a few days of beard growth, he was so itchy he just had to shave it. So what changed last fall? We finally asked for some good guidance on beard care. We inquired of our favorite French pharmacist, who happens to be bearded also, and got the skinny on itch prevention. For those of you with men in your life dealing with itchy chins, here’s what Ben Blair learned about itch prevention and beard care. 1)  As it’s growing out, comb your beard often with a fine tooth comb. This will help keep dead skin cells moving on their way. 2)  Use conditioner on the beard, even when it’s just barely growing out. Leave on the conditioner for a couple of minutes before you rinse it off. 3) If your bearded skin develops some redness or bumps, use a soothing lotion. Our pharmacist gave us samples of this and it worked great. And that’s it! Ben Blair is now long past the itchiness. These days he’s figuring out his preferred beard length, favorite trimming tools, and wondering if he’ll ever shave it off. How about you? Do you have a bearded man in your life? Do they have to do much to maintain it? How long is too long in your opinion? P.S. — I love how red the beard is in the second picture. When I married Ben Blair his whole head was that red!

Nathan Ripperger says things to his kids, and then turns his words into posters. They’re so spot-on they make me giggle! Have you ever said something to your kids and then realized how ridiculous it sounds? Please share! I love hearing stuff like that. Thanks to Design Taxi for introducing me to Nathan’s work.

I like to think of Melissa as my own personal Etsy curator. Almost daily, she gives me a reason to fall in love with accessible art. She has this gift of finding the most perfect gems in a vast sea of treasures, and seems to know exactly what my walls need, exactly what I should be carrying, and exactly what I should be wearing. It’s no surprise to me that such a thoughtful collector of beauty would have an equally thoughtful, art-laden home. Enjoy this one, Friends! Q: Tell us about the family who lives here! A: Our happy little family consists of me, my husband Joel, our two beautiful daughters, Elena (10) and Tallulah (6), our two pups, Maddie and Luna, and one tiny turtle named…wait for it…Turtle. My hubby and I were both trained as actors; he went to Brown and NYU grad acting, and I went to Juilliard. He is a working actor and though I still do voice-over work — maybe you remember this commercial featuring me and Elena and my voice almost ten years ago? — I am mostly a full time mom & blogger. …

Living With Kids: Melissa de la FuenteRead More »

Friends, it’s working. Love the Place You Live is working! Meaning: this column is encouraging me to do some really satisfying local exploring. Which is exactly what I hoped for! This week, I’m sharing some photos from a nearby brocante/tea salon (brocante = antique shop) called L’Indiscret. I have been meaning to check out this particular brocante since the very first week we moved here. It’s been over a year and I still hadn’t stopped in. Then, last week, when I was thinking about what I should write about for today’s post, I remembered the brocante! So Ben Blair and I dropped in on Saturday. I was so glad we did! It’s a lovely a place — a cute antique shop up front, with a warehouse full of furniture in the back. The shopkeeper on Saturday was the daughter of the owners. She lives in Paris but comes home on the weekends to help at the brocante. The shop is currently only open on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but the owners dream about retiring from their day jobs and running the shop full-time. I love stories like that! …

Love the Place You Live: L’Indiscret Brocante & Tea SalonRead More »

In January, I gave you a report on some of the items I’ve tried on Gwyneth Paltrow’s French Pharmacy List. Are you ready for installment number 2? First up, let’s talk about: Biafine I love how this feels on my face! It’s actually intended for minor burns and rashes, but those in the know use it as a beauty product too. In fact, look what I read here: Sylvie Tellier, a former Miss France who now runs the Miss France competition, uses Biafine as a face mask. “I love it,” she says. “It makes my skin glow and is really hydrating.” It’s a bargain for a big tube — about $10. Note: The tube I purchased looks different than the one on Gwyneth’s list, but I was told it was the exact same formula; only the packaging had been updated. …

French Pharmacy Picks – Part 2Read More »

Warmer weather is really on it’s way! That means short sleeves and bare wrists. So I asked Amy of This Heart of Mine to create something gorgeous to adorn our arms while we soak up the sunshine. The little clay charms she came up with are stunning! I promise, when you see the tutorial, you are going to want to make some. — Gabrielle …

DIY: Clay CharmsRead More »

I can’t tell you ModFruGal’s real name, but I know you won’t mind missing that detail one bit as soon as I tell you something else pretty wondrous about her home. She has a tree-house. Even more magical, it glows at night! From indoor to outdoor, from paint colors to art-plastered walls, there’s honestly something for everyone in this tour. I so hope you enjoy it! Q: Tell us about the family who lives in this home. A: We are a shy little family of four who moved into this city and house three years ago. My husband and I have two boys, aged seven and 12, and a six-month old Vizsla puppy named Otto. My past involved years in advertising and graphic design, and now I peddle furniture that I refurbish. We have a joke that I am running a furniture rescue in our basement since I bring home some ugly ducklings, but the thrill of turning a piece around is a wonderful creative outlet that allows me to work with my hands. While my husband is in sales, I think his education in engineering has given him the ability and confidence to teach himself anything he sets his mind to. He’s extremely handy and capable in all aspects of renovating this home. Most of the things we have ever hired out were not because he couldn’t do it, but he just didn’t have the time! …

Living With Kids: ModFruGalRead More »

Are you ready for a longish post? I get lots of questions about family photos, so today, I thought I’d share the process of getting ready for our Vintage Car Photo Shoot, with some tips for your own family photos. I also included a little guide to what we wore at the end. And I peppered the text with 21 photos from the shoot that I haven’t shared yet, including a whole bunch of behind the scenes shots. I hope it will be helpful! Tip #1: You don’t HAVE to do an elaborate photo shoot. It definitely takes time and effort. If it’s not your thing, don’t worry about it! (One of my favorite photos in the world is this one, and it was taken with no planning whatsoever.) At our house, a big photo shoot is the sort of event everyone gets into. We work together to figure out wardrobe options, make lists of items we’d like to shop for (like a red bowtie!), and scout out locations. …

Prepping for a Family Photoshoot: 5 Tips!Read More »

The other day, I was asked by a magazine about family-friendly travel, and the first thing I thought of was a very UN-family-friendly adventure we had in October. Jordan called us one Saturday morning and told us about Nuit Blanche. (It translates to White Night.) Once a year, Paris hosts an art event that goes all night long. Throughout the city there are art installations. Some are big. Others are massive! The fun starts as soon as the sun sets and all the exhibits are free. We jumped in the VW and headed to Paris because it sounded too good to miss. When the sun set, we took all the kids out, with a plan to see a few exhibits, enjoy the city all lit up, and have the kids in bed by 9:00pm. This did not happen. …

Nuit BlancheRead More »

I was asked what it’s like to be a new mother. What is it like? It’s awesome! And also: really difficult! I remember a day shortly after my oldest child Ralph was born, I was feeling so good that day, so accomplished. I started thinking about WHY I was feeling so good and realized it was because I had managed to shower. When it hit me that my big accomplishment for the day was showering, I could not have been more shocked! I realized I needed to change the way I approached the day — that my pre-baby methods weren’t going to work any more. One of the things that really helped me adjust to my new parenting life, and find some sort of work-life-balance, was figuring how to use smaller blocks of time. I might have an hour’s worth of laundry to wash and fold and put away, but I didn’t have a full hour to dedicate to it. Instead, I had to grab 15 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes during the baby’s nap, 5 after dinner and another 10 minutes when the baby was in bed. It’s not ideal, but for me, it has become second nature. Taking advantage of small bits of time is actually one of my favorite parenting tricks. I’ve found that even a bit as small as 3 minutes can offer enough time to make me feel like I accomplished something practical and useful that day. Five things I love to do when I find myself with 3 spare minutes: 1) Make an appointment. I always have an appointment that needs to be made — for the doctor or dentist, or for a haircut. And it doesn’t have to be an appointment. ANY practical (short) phone call is perfect. Today, I made a phonecall to order more firewood. 2) Read a book to June. Pat the Bunny only takes about 60 seconds. I can read it 3 times and June feels loved and attended to. 3) Put in a load of laundry. 4) Sit still and put myself in a better mood by doing something centering like deep breathing or a little prayer. 5) Check on my family’s blogs. : ) How about you? Do you work with small increments of time? What would you do if you had 3 spare minutes? I’d love to know! P.S. — I bought the watch at top for Ben Blair at Muji. I love that the face is so simple!

Alt Summit was over a month ago, but I’m still fielding questions about what I wore to the conference, so I thought I’d share a little wardrobe tour. But before I start I should tell you that these pictures were taken on a downer sort of day, and the simple act of putting on a real outfit (and lipstick!)  turned things around in a jiffy. I need to remember that for future bummed-out days! Outfit 1: I wore this on Thursday during the sessions and panels. It’s a really easy outfit to wear. Comfortable, and made in easy-to-clean fabrics. In fact, I wore it to the market this morning, and I’m wearing it right now as I type. Except I’ve switched out the heels for black flats. Heels are great for a conference, but not as fun on cobblestone streets. Turtleneck from Uniqlo, skirt from H&M ($10!!), tights from the grocery store, booties from Zara, necklace from I can’t remember — I’ve had it for ages. …

What to Wear to Alt SummitRead More »

One of my favorite qualities in a friend is the ability to find happiness. No matter how much rain falls, she waits happily for the rainbow. No matter how much trash piles up around her, she spots the treasure. No matter how much chaos fills her life, she always seems to keep calm. I imagine Sarah would make the perfect friend. When she asked if my readers might like to see what it’s honestly like living with kids during a major home renovation, I immediately said yes. And when she sent a photograph of her husband working on her home’s electrical while holding their daughter, I gulped. Twice! But she has reminded me of a few important parenting ideals, as well as a few unforgettable redecorating with kids warnings, all while making me smile throughout her entire interview. I’d like you to meet my new friend, Sarah. Enjoy the tour! Q: Your sweet family, as seen on your blog header, is adorable! A: Our family consists of 4.5 members; we only count the dog, Mollie, as a half-member since we’ve had kids! My husband Jay works for a specialized cable manufacturing company. Not TV cable, but cables that go on military aircraft. He is a regional sales manager, which means he travels a lot…making our renovations even more exciting! I’m Sarah, a stay-at-home mom, the owner of an online children’s clothing store called Lula in London, blogger, and wife extraordinaire! I am not a photographer, but I sure wish I was! The little people in our lives are Lula and Diesel. Lula is almost three and full of personality. Diesel is almost one and just about the sweetest, happiest little guy you’ll ever meet. They’re both the most flexible, adaptable kids, which makes our constant changes so much easier. …

Living With Kids: Sarah SandidgeRead More »

Friends! This topic has been on my mind since we moved to France and experienced some major shifts in our eating. I’m dying to hear what your thoughts are. I’ve had lots of conversations about healthy eating with dear friends — and dear relatives too. But the thing is, it seems like in every conversation, there is a point I realize we’re talking about completely different things. In fact, I’ve made a little list, and for every item on the list, I can think of someone in my life who focuses on that type of eating. Some focus on a combination: Vegan food. Raw food. Organic food. Plant focused meals (not strictly vegetarian). No snacking. Locally produced food. Sugar-free food. Minimally processed food. Michael Pollan food. (eat food, not too much, mostly plants) Robert Lustig food. (sugar is toxic) Gary Taubes food. (don’t eat sugar, but eat lots of protein) Fat-free food. Gluten-free food. Lactose-free food. My own definition of healthy eating is definitely a moving target, so I’m not really interested in what’s right or best (I suppose it depends on the person). I’m just curious. I’d love to know: Right this minute, what is “healthy-eating” to you? Has your definition changed in say, the last 3 years? Have you read anything lately that has you excited about healthy eating? Please share!

---

Image by Ez, from this post about Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup. 

Okay you guys! You ready for my first Love the Place You Live report? Don’t laugh, but my explorations this weekend had a glitch: my camera was out of batteries. Hah! So instead, I decided to write about a local outing we made a couple of months ago to a place called Mont Ormel. One unexpected side effect of moving to Normandy, is that we suddenly became very interested in World War II. There are signs of it everywhere, and there are plenty of local residents who were teenagers at the time and remember it well. So we’ve done our best to read up about it — at least, all the parts that have to do with this region. Which brings me to Mont Ormel. Have you ever heard of it? I hadn’t. But if you’re a World War II buff, you probably have. A really decisive battle happened at Mont Ormel. Sometimes it’s called the Battle of Normandy, or the battle of the Argentan-Falaise Gap. It was the final battle before the Allied troops freed Paris. Kind of big deal! But it’s something only the locals really seem to know about, because the D-Day Beaches are the main destination for tourists who are interested in World War II. (And the D-Day Beaches are amazing too!) Pretty much any drive through Normandy involves gorgeous views. In fact, one of the family jokes is that Ben Blair will say in a commanding voice: Behold: Normandy! whenever a particularly beautiful vista appears — and sometimes he says it like 15 different times on the same drive. It’s just really, really pretty here. But the views from Mont Ormel might be my favorite. It was so hard to imagine a battle happening in such a serene place. It broke my heart thinking about it! If you ever get a chance to visit, there is a small visitor center with a well done movie — and it’s offered in both French and English. But even if the visitor center was closed, this is a great destination for a Sunday drive. Beautiful views and paths for taking a nice long walk. I’ve got more images after the jump — and I’ve added a link-up widget at the bottom of the post. Feel free to add the url of your own Love the Place You Live report. I can’t wait to see what you found! …

Love the Place You Live: Mont OrmelRead More »