What Ana Does

Little Nightstand - Going to Paris! Moving Survey Guessing Game  This week we did the "moving survey," meaning I walked around the house with a guy from the relocation company pointing at items that are getting moved and what's staying. With the notes he took, a survey will be created including an estimate on size/weight of the moving container we'll need. And from there, we can start talking about timing. Given we don't know the size of the apartment or if it will be furnished, this was all a big guessing game. The good news is, we can change the survey at any time. I went with the "take everything" approach, so it will be easy to slash items off the list once the big details are settled. It was exciting to imagine our stuff in a different space ... in a different country. And I do love imagining what our lives will be like there and what we'll need. What is essential? Also, I had several questions about the logistics that I got answered. ...

I get a lot of questions about how the kids are taking this Paris news. Because, yes, it's a life-long dream of mine to live in Paris. And this is an amazing career opportunity for Dave. But the kids? What are they getting out of this? First, you should know that we've been talking about this potential move for years. There are Eiffel Towers and posters of Paris all over the house. Our family trip to Paris two years ago was full of sly "what if we lived here" comments and conversations. So, yeah, this wasn't out of the blue by any means. Sure, when we broke the news one morning when we were all in bed they may have freaked out a little. Alice was sad to leave her friends. Leah worried about dealing with a new school. But they were both excited about living in an apartment in a city where they can "eat croissants and gelato every day." Leah was won over by all the European travel. She's keen to see Venice ("there are rivers where streets ...

I have loathed the dining room chandelier -- if that's really what it can be called -- since we first looked at this house. I remember pointing at it and saying "that's got to go." (See an early dining room post here .) But, on the List of Things That Had to Go (and it was pretty long) this chandelier kept getting prioritized lower because it was functional. And I did a pretty good job camouflaging it with those pretty silver stars ! Ooh! My Dining Room With Stars! But, because we couldn't find replacement parts, we're down to one, flimsy lightbulb. So not only was it ugly, it wasn't working. That's a one-way ticket to replacement-ville! I know what you're thinking ... why bother replacing it, we're leaving for Paris in a few short months? But, guys! It was so annoying not to have a bright light in a room I like to use. Also, we're not entirely sure what we're doing with the house while we're away but having functional ligh...

The All-Important Electronics Setup I'm leaving this mostly to Dave to figure out ... but this week we made our first big purchase: The Slingbox . Do you know about these? You can watch whatever you have access at home anywhere you have decent wifi just by hooking up this box to your cable. It's pretty cool. To be honest, I'm not concerned about watching my shows in Paris. But I think having TV continuity will help with homesickness (especially for the girls). If you've ever traveled internationally and found the only English-speaking program was a Crocodile Dundee movie marathon (like we did last week), it is a little frustrating when all you want to do is put up your aching feet and watch the new Modern Family. Also, there's this "expat guy named Jack" that everyone knows about who can fiddle with your wifi ISP so that Netflix thinks you're in San Francisco and you can watch shows that haven't released to France yet. He's a near-mythica...

Handrail Bracket We have a ballerina who lives in our house. So we thought it would be fun to install a simple ballet barre in her bedroom. This may have been the easiest DIY project ever. And not expensive at all. Here's the breakdown: $5 for each handrail bracket, I got two in white $5 for the 4' pine closet rod, which I cut to size $10 for the mirror  $0 for the purple spray paint I had leftover from another project The first step was the toughest ... and that was clear a space in the kid's bedroom. I won't lie, her room usually looks like a toy hurricane just blew in, so I took this opportunity to sort and trash about 45% off what you see here. And I relocated her desk to the other side of the room.  BEFORE: The Mess! Brief sidenote: We discussed installing the bar in the basement but "there are too many spiders" down there. Arghh! Next, we painted the pine rod a dark purple, which looks nice with her lavender walls. Once dried, I in...

Taking a hint from my husband who travels quite a bit for work, I invested in some packing cubes and used them for the first time on our last Paris trip. And WOW they made all the difference! I'm kind of a packing overthinker* (as this group of posts will illustrate). And I berate myself on every trip because I forget important/essential things or pack the worst shoes ever. All the time. I also get nuts when I'm digging through my suitcase in a cramped hotel room looking for items "I'm SURE I packed... come on !" I'm sure it's not just me. Packing is an art, not a science. And you just can't be prepared for every situation, no matter how hard I try. But I've found these cubes give structure to the chaos in my suitcase. They make packing easier because I can categorize different items -- undies and socks, pjs, gym wear, shoes, etc. And repacking is a cinch. I got mine on Amazon for $20! But you can find them pretty much anywhere. The C...

Jetleg and Other Reentry Challenges Jetlag on this side of a trip to Europe is always the worst. So this week I've been fighting afternoon sluggishness and trying to get back into the swing of housework and kid management -- single kid management since Dave stayed behind for meetings. After eight days of deep-thinking about our daily life in Paris, it's a bit of whiplash to be thrown back into this day-to-day reality. I also took a gym class, which helps shake off jetlag but brings on some seriously sore muscles. Just one week away and I'm unable to walk normally for days. Speaking the Language  Despite starting our French language lessons last month and I was feeling even LESS prepared to communicate while in Paris. For me, it's going to come down to confidence to put my new words into practice. But there are some phrases I'm lacking -- like "Have a good day!" or "Just browsing, thanks!" and I'm always tripped up remembering to say ...

With our relocation business concluded, it was time for the vacation part of this trip to begin. Well, at least for me. Dave was due in the office for a day of meetings, so I took the vacation. I slept in for a super-long time. But eventually food and coffee got me out of bed. I meant to hit a cafe on the way to Luxembourg Garden, but one sniff the Starbucks lobby and I changed my mind. And here is where I broke an unwritten rule of Paris ... I got a take-away coffee and walked with it. And horror upon horror ... it was a Starbucks! In Paris it's straight up not done. A cafe is a big deal here. You sit and enjoy morning coffee either at home or at a cafe with a friend, or both. Walking and drinking coffee is not seen, not like in NYC where it's almost a sport. When you order coffee here, you get a real mug and a place to sit. You're not going anywhere. It pegged me as a foreigner for sure. But I wasn't fined or thrown in jail. And I still got asked direction...

Is it really Thursday!? A super-long week here in Paris. But, mission accomplished! We squared away the school and even started the application process. Wahoo! This helps us really dig into our apartment hunt since we want to be located within walking distance to the school. Now that search is officially ON like Donkey Kong! Today we wanted to walk around our new neighborhood and get a feel for what's there. No surprise, it was filled with a lot of shops, restaurants, and markets. Just about anything we'll need, all right there. So, we're feeling like we made the right school/neighborhood decision. Check out the pictures from the neighborhood open-air market. Just, you know, where I'll buy eggs, cheese and fish. No big deal. ;) Macarons, Of Course!  Fresh Veg ... With Dirt Still On Fresh Pasta Has Leah and Alice's Name All Over It  More Veggies. I Wish I Took a Picture of the Raspberries and Homemade Yogurt. There was another school in...

Today, we spent the day looking at four flats in the 16th arrondissement in Paris. I'm all European now that I call apartment "flats" ... there you go. There are a bunch of differences, of course, with the apartments here. First, the kitchens are in their own rooms with a door. The "open concept" is not a thing here. Also, the bathrooms are usually separated out. In one apartment, we found a shower room with a vanity connected to one of the bedrooms. Then a toilet room across the hall. And a full bathroom with toilet, shower and vanity the next door down. And, of course, built-in closets are not common. Free-standing wardrobes are what's used and, in some places, they take up a lot of space. We liked what we were seeing, but we're just getting started. Location is going to be important, so we're finalizing school before we make any commitments to a place. The important thing is now we know what a typical apartment looks like, and what we really n...

A Classroom! Today was spent looking at schools for the girls. So a busy day talking to admin folks about curriculum and extracurriculars and peeking into classrooms. And a lot for us to think about. As Dave said, it's like choosing a college all over again. Our girls will likely be placed in a new curriculum, along with a whole new school environment. The class sizes are much smaller, and there's a focus on individual students and how they learn best. I can also tell you the "cool stuff in the classrooms" quota was off the charts. Our suburban public school does not have a 3-D printer! Or high-tech music rooms. And the libraries were marvelous. Tomorrow we've got another school to tour and we'll see some apartments in our desired districts. Finally apartments! As I try to paint a visual picture of what Paris living will be like, stepping into apartments and getting the feel for the size is a piece I'm sorely lacking. Lastly, as we were dri...

Dave had a work meeting at a chateau just north of Paris called Chateau de Mery . The GPS directions looked a little confusing, and at just under an hour, long. So I decided, though it would be awkward, I would tag along for the drive and for, well the Chateau that looks like Darcy's Pemberley. Seriously. The drive up was just as you would expect, commuting in a city. And with trying to understand the GPS directions and read French road signs, was challenging. But we made it. I started to research nearby attractions and found Maison de Van Gogh , as this area was very popular with Impressionists. But, oh my, it was the house he DIED in and that sounded too maudlin for a Monday. So I passed. Instead, I will sit awkwardly in the lobby, typing away on my laptop and try to look important/busy. Meanwhile, a few yards outside of my work spot: The Chateau From the Front Yes, It's Got a Courtyard Just a Quaint, Original Marble Hallway So We're Meeting In He...