Blame it on the rain...

So we're still somewhat stir crazy in this rainy weather and things aren't really looking like they'll be getting any better anytime soon.  That has led us to the process of researching a way to get out of here for a bit!  Barcelona may be on the horizon, it's about a 6 hour trek and the weather there looks much more promising.  Now the goal is to find a reasonably priced VRBO, borrow a bigger car and get 4 kids to Spain!

The last couple of days we've been attempting to entertain the kiddos despite the rain.  Yesterday we visited KiddoLand and it was a resounding success.  We were impressed by the sheer amount of space they had filled with play structures.   To top it off, they had comfy lounge chairs and ottomans for parents and a cafe serving espresso and crepes, how can you go wrong?!   The kids ran until they dropped and we enjoyed a tiny amount of mommy time.  Claire hung with us and was exhausted just watching all the kids run around.  It's currently spring break here so the place was packed.  Unfortunately Gordon isn't quite rated to go on most of the stuff without some sort of supervision, so I was envious watching all the other parents that could truly kick back and relax.  They had a huge inflatable slide that Gordon managed to climb to the top of and get down successfully once.  There were many other attempts at getting to the top that ended in him sliding down the stairs after creating quite the traffic jam due to his slow but steady climb.  It was kind of hilarious watching all the kids get frustrated climbing behind him.

After naps we were feeling adventurous enough for another outing.  This time we headed to the mall and made a "zoo" trip out of the pet store.  Crazy to see how different things are here - they still sell puppies in the store and had other furry creatures that you don't typically see at home.  Of course, Gordon totally dug it... got to get up close to the fish and birds which dazzled him.  If only I could be so easily entertained!

Today was yet another day of sun, drizzle, pour, sun, drizzle, pour, repeat.  Just when I got all geared up to walk out the door for a little walk with the kids it started to come down again.  I guess I just haven't realized how greatly weather can impact your mood.  I realize we get rain in the Bay Area, but at least I've got all my rainy day contingencies lined up.  I've never been more thankful for living in an area that has overall some of the best weather around.   I've only been out of the midwest for 7 years, but I can't imagine going back to those cold snowy days now that I've got the munchkins.  I guess that explains the need for bigger houses and basements there!!   You need to be able to send the kids somewhere else!  

We spent some time this morning just hanging out, made a big yummy lunch and then proceeded to take nice rainy day naps.  The afternoon consisted of some crafting and a much needed dance party to get out some wiggles.  Gordon has his signature move involving spinning in circles with the occasional hand in the air.  He dances about as good as his Dad :)   We did catch Gordon and Maya playing "doctor" tonight... she took the toy stethoscope out and gave Gordon an exam.  I guess they're starting young these days!  

Anyhow, we are continuing to laugh despite the gloomy weather.  After all, we are in the South of France, right??  I'm sure one day we'll look back on this and think about all the fun we had and the good laughs... not about being stuck in someone else's house day after day watching the rain!   Did I mention it's currently 84 and sunny at home??  I'm so jealous!

Here's some pictures of our rainy days together.  I also just posted a bunch of videos to Facebook for those who are interested.  Much love from France!

One of our evening spreads... our reward for getting the kiddos through another day! 

Claire in her new "Frenchy outfit"

All smiles! 

Bouncing around at KiddoLand! 

Riding the inflatable dinosaur! 

Gordon leading the pack to the top of the slide, VERY slowly!!  Can you say TRAFFIC JAM?/

Here he comes down the slide... he's the kid that looks to be stuck in the side on the top of the slide. 

G and Maya reminiscing of the fun times coming down the slide

Claire lounging around the house in her new Frenchy tights

Tummy and back time! 

Play time at the house 

My girl looking long as ever

A boy and his choo choos! 

Having fun at Anamalis pet store

Ferrets! 

This one is for my mom and dad!  A new French gizmo??  

Rain, rain, go away... or at least go somewhere else until we leave!

So I don't have a whole ton to report as to our adventures as the weather has not been kind to us.  It's not looking good for the next week either.  I know, boo hoo... so sorry to hear you're in France and it's raining is what you're thinking.  But seriously, being stuck in a relatively small house with 4 kids for days on end can be a bit maddening, yikes!

Anyhow, we're doing what we mamas do best, grinning and bearing it.  We figure if our "Cheer up Charlie" attitudes go away then we'll start to worry.  So what have we done since my last report... hmm..  Well, Sunday we went downtown by the river where they have a weekly flea market.  Mandy and her girls are super into them.  I decided to grab the kids and tag along, even though I'm not much of a flea market kind of gal.  Garage sales, yes, but flea markets are just not my cup of cafe if you know what I'm saying.  I figured, hey, maybe in France I'll like it more.  As it turns out, I'm just as uninterested in flea markets in Europe as I am in the US :)   Good news, the park was right across the street... bad news, it started raining shortly after we got there.   But all ended well, Mandy and the girls got some quality "flea" time in and Gordon got some quality time in with the slides and see saw before the rain came.  The perfect end to the morning was the little cafe that Mandy found on her way to meet up with us where she snagged a couple of chocolate croissants.  There's nothing a little French pastry can't make better!

Mandy and I got a couple of babysitters for 3 of the 4 kids on Monday and busted out of the house for a few hours.  Ah, it was, how do you say, "magnifique!"  Unfortunately I still had to bring Claire along... while she will consider taking a bottle, it's kind of a pain for me to pump enough to leave for her and since she's such a great sport it was just easier to bring her and wear her.  We headed to Rue St Catherine, which is about 10 minutes from us by car and is the largest shopping area in Europe.  It's about .75 miles of straight shopping along that street and tons of shops and restaurants on the various side streets as well.   We had a delicious thai lunch and then split up for a bit to shop.  I managed to come up with a couple of cute gifts for people and got in a lot of good people watching.  Overall I didn't think any of the stores were too spectacular, it seems as though they are so into American clothes and brands that it's really not that different to shop here, except it's just much more expensive.  A pair of Guess jeans is about 200 Euro, so about $280 US - yikes!!  

I continue to get strange looks when I stop places to nurse Claire.  I'm not sure if people are surprised to see a nursing mother in public or if my hooter hider (nursing cover, yes that is actually the brand name of it) is something they don't see much of here.  Either way I could care less, but it's interesting.  I had this idea that Europe was so much more pro breastfeeding, but I've since found out that while many European countries are, France is not one of them.  My attitude, as it has always been, is if you don't like it, don't look.. but my baby is going to eat when she's hungry.  The other part of the odd looks could be because it's not at a standard French "feeding time".  I'm part of the way through the book Bringing up Bebe and have learned that the French mostly adhere to a standard feeding schedule for kids starting at a couple of months old.  Breakfast at 8ish, lunch at noonish, snack about 4 and dinner around 8PM.  No snacking in between.  what?!?!  I'm considering attempting to shift the kids, but we'll see how well that goes when all of their friends are chomping on goldfish and cheerios around the clock.  The book is good so far so I highly recommend the read.  I actually asked an English speaking woman today about it and she said that yes, she too adheres to the feeding schedule.  She was from Missouri but has been in France for 11 years.   Anyway - long tangent.   So the day away from kids was grand.  It didn't rain (hooray!) and we got some much needed relaxation time.

Yesterday we decided to stay local and since the rain wasn't supposed to arrive until the afternoon, we walked about 3/4 of a mile to a cute little street with shops and cafes.  We stumbled upon an adorable second hand kids shop, which all of my friends will know is my kind of place.  Managed to pick up some great inexpensive outfits for Claire... she'll be looking very Euro by the end of this trip!  It's funny to see how many of their clothes that have phrases on them all tend to be in English.  Interesting considering kids here don't begin to learn English until around the 6th grade.   After the second hand shop we made our way home and napped, then came the rain.. so it was movie night from then on.  Mandy made a huge batch of veggie soup, yum!  It was nice to help balance out all of the questionable food choices I've been making lately (hello carbs!).

Today we were yet again dealing with another rainy day, so we did a very American thing and packed everyone up and headed to the good old Golden Arches.  Hey, the food is relatively inexpensive and the play place is a great haven for kids with lots of energy.  Actually, McDonalds here is much nicer, more clean and seems to be quite the destination for these French folk.  Many people just come in, get a McCafe and sit there with a laptop or paper... and not the geriatric crowd we're used to seeing.  I'm talking young, sharp looking business people.  So we got there before the play place opened and figured we'd pump the kids full of some food to keep them occupied.. got an order of fries and discovered a reason worth moving to France.  They serve packets of nutella at breakfast time.  Um, hello.... nutella in a squeeze packet.  Wow.  As you can imagine, Gordon was as dazzled as I was by it.  He was eager to dip his fries in it and just suck it straight from the package.  That's my boy.   The kids spent a good 1.5 hours tearing it up with many other French munchkins looking for an outlet in the rain.   That's where we me the lady from Missouri who commiserated with us about the bad weather, the crazy drivers, and the city being tough to manage with kids in strollers.  Always nice to meet a friendly person who shares a language with you!

So that's been our last few days.   We're continuously checking weather.com hoping for a change, but it's looking like we're in for another week or more of rain.  Looks like there will be more McDonalds in our future!   We're eager to check out a place called KiddoLand that seems to be like a Discovery Zone (for those who remember when they were around) or a Safari run for our San Mateo peeps..  Once the weather starts agreeing with us more we're hoping to venture out to the ocean - we're only 45 minutes from it.  We've even talked about getting crazy and renting a house for a couple of days.   And hey, Spain is only 2 hours away... ahh, the options are endless... oh wait, not really with 4 kids.  But we'll get it figured out :)

Au revoir!

C, G, & C

Gman and mama see saw time

loving the slide

mama and Claire weighing down the other side of the see saw

happy baby! 

My open mind and palette will still not even consider this.. raw beef, I'll pass, thanks!

The beginning of Rue St Catherine... let the shopping begin

For those familiar with Gordon's "bun bun", we discovered a shop here that sells all Kaloo brand toys.. apparently his favorite lovey is French and we didn't know it.  We were destined for this journey. 

Another morning of playing inside trying to make the best of a rainy day.  shockingly they aren't fighting over a toy... ahh, the joy of 2 kids under 3 trying to get along.  Deep breaths, mamas. 

Out for a stroll to the second hand  shop

Gordon wanted front row seating for the showing of Cars

Helping little sister by picking up the toys she chucks off her tray.. what a guy

G can't really enjoy a french treat without getting it everywhere

A new take on wine country... Saint-Emilion

After a decent boost of confidence yesterday when we took all the munchkins to our local park and managed to get home with a very minor amount of meltdowns, we decided it was time to embark on a bit more grand adventure.  Today we piled in the car and headed to Saint-Emilion, the French version of Napa Valley.. OK, fine - it did all start here, but I'm still a bit more partial to my Bay Area wineries.   Unlike Napa, this fabulous little countryside offered a ton of beautiful architecture dating back to, um.. well, a long time ago.  Who has time to do the actual fact finding when you've got 4 kids with you?  We just considered ourselves lucky to be there.  

It was about a 45 minute drive and it was crazy how quickly we went from being in the heart of a city to being straight in the country.  Kind of makes sense when you think about how these areas started though.   Rather than pretend we had the ability to get kids in and out of the car to visit different chateaus for tastings, we just came to terms with our situation and headed for their little downtown area.  It was a lot of fun just to walk around, check out the old buildings and roads, and let the kids go crazy.  They all got their workouts walking up and down the steep cobble stone roads.  Not a drop of wine was poured for either of us, but that's what our evenings at home are for.  I've purchased a few bottles from this region (at the grocery store) as well as other local wines and I have to say, so far I haven't tasted anything that I like better than a good old California red.  Actually, I'd say in most cases I prefer CA wine.   All of a sudden I'm feeling like a California wine snob... me and my $7 bottles will take on the 7euro bottles of French wine any day.  For those who haven't seen the movie Bottle Shock, I highly recommend it.. It proves my CA wine is superior point.  I watched it a couple of years ago and all of a sudden I feel like I actually know a thing or two about wine history.  

All in all, a good day was had by all.  We came home and everyone took nice, long, solid naps..  A little dose of good weather and outside time is just what we all needed.  Now off to plan tomorrows adventure !

Claire is ready to get her tourism on

Very steep bumpy road! 

Great view! 

My happy little sidekick.  Nobody I'd rather wear around Europe :) 

Being a little terror everywhere he goes.  Lucky for him he's cute

Exploring the shops

Neat old church.  The bells were ringing when we were there, super cool to hear. 

A little hidden shopping area

Somebody was wiped when we got home! 

And here's some pics from the previous days park adventures 

Rocking and rolling on the cars at the park

Busting out some new climbing skills! 

Reaching a new level of cool playing on the big kids play structure... minor heart attack for mom

Bouncing around with his temporary big sister

Cuteness just hanging out in the carrier... most portable baby ever! 

King of the clubhouse

I'm ready for my close up!