Samedi, 13 Juillet 2013: Last Girl's Night in Aix

I spent the night at Krystle's last night because I wanted to make room for Didier's older son Julien and all of his buddies that would be crashing at the house. One of their old classmates was getting married in Aix. Krystle and I came home for lunch today. The wedding wasn't until later in the evening so I was able to meet all of Julien's friends from college. They entire lot of them spoke English so it made getting to know each other a bit easier. We all went to centre ville after lunch. Julien and the gang for the wedding verses Krystle and I for some shopping. 

Later that night, Krystle and I decided we wanted to go out and dance. We hadn't partied in a long while due to the creepers that hoard us, but it was just overdue. I figured I'd also go out and find someone to help me get over my break-up woes quicker. French guys love American girls so it was just way too easy. Too bad I wasn't interested in a single one! There was one guy that grabbed my hand and interlocked his fingers with mine at the Manoir. I took a long, lingering look at him, decided he was super cute, and walked away. I was just not feeling it! I was so disappointed in myself but you can't force your heart to let go. Blah...

Vendredi, 12 Juillet 2013: Wine, Vineyards, and Wineries: The Inside Info from a Frenchie

Vacation's over! Didier came to pick us up today. All of our bags were packed from the previous day so all we had to do was eat breakfast, lunch, and then head out. Didier took the triplets and I on some back roads so I was able to a lot of different aspects of France. For most French, the country is just that--country. Most people who live in France don't think of Paris or Aix, they think of the countryside. 

On the entire drive back to Aix, I asked Didier to play life coach. I posed questions from every topic possible...From stocks and bonds to making my own wine like he did. We discussed French wine for about two hours which took up half of the trip. It was the most interesting topic! 

Didier used to own Domaine des Masques at the foot of Mont St. Victoire. He sold that property when the taxes sky-rocketed. Didier was not your average vigneron. Most wine-makers are farm boys raised to that fate. Because Didier didn't have the agricultural background, he took classes and learned as much as he could. Not only was he the top of the class, but he was also twice as old as the rest. N'importe. What matters is that he learned, and he learned well. 

In France, there is really no such thing as one single varietal in a bottle of wine. In America, you can choose your Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Rioja, Malbec, etc...In France, nearly every wine is a mixture of different grapes and avid wine drinkers here don't know the difference between their Cab and their Syrah. They know what they like and they have sommeliers to guide them. I like that!

An interesting fact that came up in the discussion. French vines are NEVER watered. It is completely against French law to manipulate your crops in any way and that includes the all important H²O! I find this incredible!!! I've seen a ton of vineyards in Virginia alone and they all had sprinkler systems. Didier says that the French believe that grapes should be grown naturally and that any place that isn't able to do that, shouldn't. Fascinating, right??? Big difference from the states. In America, if we can't have something, we'll make it happen...Mass-produced poultry, wine, lab-synthesized crops, etc. I like that the French do things the old-fashioned way. I'm sure it would make the results much more rewarding. In France, if the vines don't produce good fruit one year, then you just let it be. You don't make wine!

I really hope that I'm able to come back to France one day and buy my own vineyard. At least I've got my host dad to guide me!!!

Jeudi, 11 Juillet 2013: Tour de L'Ain

The kids and I got a special treat today at the vacation home. The Tour de L'Ain was passing through our little village. Like the Tour de France, the Tour de L'Ain is another well-known bike race. Instead of being routed all throughout France, this race is set in the 1st French regional department called L'Ain. I didn't know it at the time, but I met a lot of famous cyclists. I guess this race is ranked #2 in the bike world.

Since our village is small, there weren't very many spectators. Most people watched from the start-off point. The kids and I were able to score a ton of free stuff since there was no one fighting for it. I can't believe I was able to see two world famous cyclist events in one year! This living in France deal is kind of cool ;-)

Mercredi, 10 Juillet 2013: Butterflies, Ponies, and Béchamel

Today was a pretty neat day for me. I went out to the pool like I do every morning and cleaned all of the bugs off of the water surface. This morning though, I found a sweet little butterfly and rescued it. After its wings dried off, it flew away but then came back and rested on me. It continued to follow me around the property for the next few hours until I went inside. Maybe it was my flowery scent that it was in pursuit of.

In the early evening Monsieur Fallas arrived with two new friends for the horses that were already in the prairie, a horse and a mule. The horses don't belong to the vacation property but to a farmer just down the road. The horses are brought here every summer to eat all of the herb. Free food for the ponies, free yard maintenance for us.

Léa and I are always out in the prairie with the horses. It's how we spend our evenings here. I don't know if they sense something in me but they always come nuzzle against me, even when I don't call for them. I believe entirely that animals have another sense we don't know about. I will always love and respect animals due to that.

After spending some time with the horses, Léa and I went back down to the house for dinner. Tonight, we had tomato and basil tortellini in a Béchamel sauce topped with gruyère. I admitted to Bonne Maman that I had never made a Béchamel without intensely following directions. I'm kind of a stickler when it comes to cooking and like to follow recipes exactly as they're written. She enthusiastically popped up to show me how it's done--from the heart. In classic French cuisine, there are three basic sauces: Hollandaise, Roux, and Béchamel. The latter is made with flour, milk, and water. It's the simplest of the sauces and accompanies a multitude of dishes. I love the mild flavor :-) Fortunately, I'll never have to look up another recipe for it ever again!

Mardi, 9 Juillet 2013: Just the 5 of Us

Didier, Antoine, and Nicolas left this morning. Didier was due in Lyon for work and the boys are spending the rest of their summer holiday in Normandy with their mother and step-dad. I was still weary from the conversation with Bonne Maman yesterday so I basically tried to avoid her all day. Didier wasn't there to protect me of course, and I don't want the triplets to do any back-talking to their grandmother for my sake. 

I spent the early morning by the pool, swimming by myself. When I descended for some breakfast, Bonne Maman asked me to clean the 2nd story of the house while she cleaned the first and third. I was more than happy to do it. Cleaning is relaxing to me so long as I get to take my time. There are 7 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms on the second floor so I would be occupied for a long, long time and wouldn't have to purposefully avoid anyone. After my morning toast and coffee, I grabbed my phone, plugged in my headphones, and blasted some good ol' metal as I vacuumed, dusted, and polished. A few hours later, the entire floor was spic and span. Hopefully it'll stay that way for awhile! The home is sporadically occupied throughout the year so it's not normally so tidy. I'm happy to help :-)

Bonne Maman is always super content when I'm the one doing the cleaning. She knows that I'll never half-ass the job and that I treat the houses we're in as if they were mine. She went to town as I was finishing up and came back with some delicious pastries filled with apple sauce. Too bad I have no appetite when it's so hot. I'll definitely have to learn how to make those for the winter!

I knew that once all of the other adults left that Bonne Maman would have me and the kids do some yard work. I don't necessarily care because I'd rather not sit around all day, but I knew that the triplets would moan and groan. All Bonne Maman asked the four of us to do was pick up the stray branches and sticks in the garden and water the plants. Not so tough, right? But all three of the kids were huffing and puffing the entire time. It took all of ten minutes...I think I'm gonna start working my own children at a young age like my parents did. That way they'll appreciate their free time a bit more and not sit in front of the TV like these 3. It's a shame. We're out in the country with amazing scenery, tons of trails, and with a humongous medieval house to explore...and all they want to do is watch reality TV...Where's the spirit nowadays?

Lundi, 8 Juillet 2013: Conversations Some People Should Just Be Left Out Of

The kids and I spent all day at the pool today. I'm taking advantage of the time we have together because I know that I'm leaving in 18 days and will not see any of them for a long, long time. Gregoire is in Aix with Céline so I just had the triplets and Antoine and Nicolas. Baptiste hates the pool so he spent nearly all of vacation in front of the TV.

As you all already know, this family feeds me really well. All of our meals are always accompanied by fresh salads and some sort of freshly butchered meat.

Lunch: Steak, cheese tortellini, and salad

Dinner: Grilled pork and salad

If you've read my earlier blog posts, you know that Didier and I normally have pretty intense conversations after dinner. Tonight, we got on the topic of why I purposefully hide my emotions, whether they're good or bad. After a long conversation about various people taking my smile as a green light to hit on me, he got the idea. It's just out of habit that my face is stone-cold at times even if I'm super happy. On top of that, working at a bar can really just change a girl. Here's one example, so you guys can get the picture. I was working at an italian restaurant as a hostess my senior year of high school. As most of you know, the hostess is the kind, courteous person that greets you at the door. On one certain day, this 40 something year old man came in with his mother to order a piece of cake to go. As they were waiting for their order, I made small-talk with them. Please understand, I'm not going to ignore them as they're sitting in front of me. I made them feel comfortable. It's in the job description! Because I chatted the man up and cracked a smile, he came back to our restaurant every week, several times a week, just to see me, drop off some gifts and sometimes letters. If I wasn't working, he wouldn't stay for dinner. I was, of course, baffled by this because I was basically still a kid. I didn't really understand how I merited any of that attention so I asked him one day. He said "it was because of the way you smiled at me." And yep, from then on, I started hiding my teeth. Even after practicing a neutral face for so long, I still get guys that tell me that they thought I was interested in them because I smile back. Puh-lease!!! Can I please just be myself??? No??? Fine then. People need to understand that after so many people taking your smile the wrong way no matter what it's in reaction in, you eventually just learn to make your face react a different way. That's if you care enough anyway. And I do! It's not that I'm not happy. It's just out of habit that I don't grin from ear to ear anymore, even when I'm ecstatic.

As Didier and I were coming along in our conversation, Bonne Maman came and sat down at the table with us. Didier quickly explained to her what we were discussing and she completely cut him off and said in french "Melinda, I'll tell you what the problem is. It's not men. It's you. It's how you dress. You know you're pretty and yet you wear low-cut shirts...but you don't think a man is going to take notice of you? I think you know all too well how to seduce a man. So please, don't complain and say that it's because of them that you have learned to hide your emotions." Didier and I just sat there with our jaws dropped to the floor. It wasn't anywhere close to the discussion that we were having earlier. I told Bonne Maman that I dress differently with the family because I trust them. She completely brushed me off but then Didier stood up for me and said that she didn't see me from November to May when I was always in the same pair of jeans, cardigans, and scarves--even when I went out. She just chuckled in disbelief. You all have to understand that Bonne Maman is old school and that back in her day, everything was the woman's fault. Also, it wouldn't matter if I was covered from head to toe, I'm sure that she would make an excuse that I got attention of the wrong kind because I made my mascara too sexy or something. After so many conversations with Bonne Maman, you just realize that you'll never be right and that she'll always know more about you and your motives than you yourself! It's incredible. I just leave the conversation. Everyone else always stands up for me anyway not that it does any good. So, in short, me being afraid of showing enthusiasm turned into seeking attention. Oh well, at least I'm an attention whore with pretty, pretty toenails...

Dimanche, 7 Juillet 2013: Bees-niss

Even though we're on vacation, I naturally get up around 9 every morning. Call it habit. Luckily, Didier was going into town and asked me if I wanted to go to get away from the property for awhile. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love my host family but the kids can get to be a bit much and time away from all of the hyperactivity can be good for your mental well-being. 

When we got back from doing groceries, we spent some time cleaning the pool. After two days, lots of brushing, and several clarification tablets, the pool is swim-able! Guess where we spent the rest of the day?

After maman left to go back to Aix. The mayor came by the house to address a little problem we were having. Bees! This clan of bees had built a hive in one of the main doorways and they did not want to budge! The mayor of this little village also happens to be a bee-keeper so he was more than happy to help! 

In order to move the bees to a new home, we had to find the queen. Since there were too many to distinguish between, we decided the queen was in one of two spots where there were hoards of bees. We assumed the queen was in the little carrier and opted to leave it there overnight to see if all of the bees would enter. I got up-close and personal with this little army. Check it out!

The mayor moving the new hive down to the ocean of bees

Our new stripey pals

Bee larvae. Ew!!!

Bee pollen. Ooh!!!

Our new tea sweetener

My new BFF

Honey...Yum, yum!!!

Samedi, 6 Juillet 2013: Family Photoshoot

We left for the country house yesterday after the doctor's appointment. When I woke up this morning, I woke up in the alps on 15th century furniture. I always love being at the vacation home. The vast expanse of history just really sucks me in!

The triplets will soon be leaving with their dad for 3 weeks and Antoine and Nicolas will be spending the rest of their summer up in Normandy. Since this is the last time I'll be with all 6 of the kids I care for, the parents and I decided to do a mini-photoshoot. Here are some of my favorites.

Vendredi, 5 Juillet 2013: Mom Duty

Maman was very specific with her instructions via text this morning: Wake Baptiste up early so he can pack a bag for vacation, ask Léa to water the garden, make Camille put in her retainer, fix the kids breakfast, pack Gregoire a weekend back with all of the necessities (bottle, stuffed animal, diapers), grab all of the vaccinations in the fridge and take the triplets and Greg to Dr. Rousselot at 11h30. I tried waking the kids up at 9h00. That didn't work out so well. They all woke up about 40 minutes before the doctor's appointment to me screaming at them to hustle! I got all of my stuff done including packing for myself while I was waiting for everyone to get up. Somehow, everyone got everything they needed done in the 40 minutes allotted. We showed up to the doctor's office on time and we were even presentable!

The triplets and Gregoire had to see the doctor today for physical exams, eye exams, and vaccinations today. Maman wasn't able to leave work until 12h30 so it was just me with the kids until then. When we walked in, the receptionist gave me the parent questionnaire. Somehow, I was able to answer all of the questions correctly. I guess I know this family better than I thought. Camille was the first one in to see the doctor, followed by Léa, then Baptiste, and finally Greg. I had to deal with the girls not being comfortable undressing, Baptiste being ADD as always, and Gregoire refusing the exams.

I held each kid's hand as they were getting their vaccinations. It was weird because I normally don't fuss over stuff like that, but this time, it worried me that they were scared. Nothing scares me so I never really understand, but I love these kids, and their fear made me concerned about their mental well-being. It's awkward not being indifferent, because...it's. just. not. ME. I was raised to believe that fears are necessary and that if you're scared, it's for a good reason but that the experience will only make you stronger. My parents always taught me that fears pass but that the experiences that result will make you grow.

None of the triplets cried during their vaccinations though I could tell they wanted to. I'm always telling them though, 'If you're not bleeding and if nothing's broken, then it's pointless to cry.' They've really tried to toughen up since I've been their nanny. I think it'll serve them well in the future, their experiences with me.

Each of the kids were taken in individually into the doctor's office so not a single kid was able to see what would happen before they went through it. When it came time to give Greg his eye exam, he refused to put on the non-prescription glasses with one lens blocked out. Instead of forcing him to put on the glasses, we played a game where I covered each eye and he would guess the figures on the board. It worked like a charm!

It's strange. I've never really thought about what life would be like with my own not-yet-existant kids, but I think I would make a half-decent mom! I can already cook, clean, and organize. I just need to be more patient...

Jeudi, 4 Juillet 2013: Le Tour de France

Today is my day! The Tour is the ONE reason why I decided back in November that I would stay in France until the end of July! And today on America's day of Independence, the Tour de France is passing through my city! I'm not a cyclist but seeing the Tour de France with my own eyes has always been on my bucket list! And I just happen to be living in France for the 100th Tour event!

Though the kids had originally decided to stay home and avoid all of the excitement, they ended up coming with me. Antoine left with Didier and Google to make it to the vacation house a day early, Baptiste was still at his friend's house, and I dropped Gregoire off at the creche in the morning so I only had Camille, Léa, and Nicolas to keep track of in centre ville. The four of us got breakfast at an organic restaurant and did some shopping before the crowds started building. We showed up pretty early.

Around 11h30, the grand caravan came around and tossed free stuff out to the crowds--much like American parades. The bounty was grand as my kids were vicious! They fought children and adults alike for the prizes!

About an hour after the caravan, the race started. I planted myself right in front of the Rotunde--Aix's most prominent landmark. As everyone was waiting for the race to start, I met a lot of cool people. English-speakers always find each other, whether accidentally or purposefully. It's so amazing how an event like this can bring together so many different cultures. As for the race itself, it went by too fast! I was only able to get 3 pictures and they aren't even good! But at least now I can say that I experienced Le Tour de France first hand!

The cyclists are coming!

The only picture I have of them in front of me! Even with the blast setting. It was that fast!!!

...And then they're gone! Those are the guys keeping up the tail end.

 Front and center!

Me with the girls and my Tour de France gear ;-)

Mercredi, 3 Juillet 2013: PART II: Accomplished

Yesterday was Léa and Baptiste's last day at Jean d'Arc while today is Camille's last day at Sacre Coeur. Since school's out for the summer, I'm due to be more busy with the kids. Today, a friend of Baptiste picked him up for an overnight while I had to take Léa to an all-day summer-fest. To find Léa's pool party, I had to use Google Maps and my best judgement to find this house in a part of Aix I've never even visited. Surprisingly after very few mistakes I found the home! Not only were we on time, but we took roads I didn't even know existed in a part of town where nothing was marked. I have no clue how I did it but I felt extremely accomplished! 

After I dropped Léa off, I went back to town to volunteer at Camille's kermesse. It's an end of year carnival they have at grade schools. I was supposed to manage one of the stands but since no one gave me any instructions or welcomed my help, I left and went home to Gregoire who was still plagued with the chicken pox. I was warned by my French professors and French adult friends not to expect a welcome committee at the kids' schools, so I wasn't surprised. They're not friendly with outsiders, especially non-parents. It's kind of like a closed clique, but I don't care either way. We found out later on that the event planner wrote Céline an e-mail saying that they only accept parent volunteers. Though I was a bit hurt at first, it was honestly a blessing in disguise because believe it or not, I prefer to spend my day doing things I like doing. Ha haha. 

As 16h30 rolled around, Gregoire, Nicolas, and I went back to Sacre Coeur to pick Camille up on her last day of school. I drove the four of us to the other side of town to pick Léa up on the way home. As we waited for Léa to get her things together, the kids and I were able to visit the house for a bit and enjoy the pool and food. The house was absolutely beautiful with a view of the famous Mont St. Victoire on one side and lavender fields on the other. The grand home had a lot of rooms for extracurricular activities so it was perfect for kids and big kids alike ;-) 

When we all got back to the house, I decided to keep my productive day going and wash my car for the first time since Céline and Didier gave me the keys. I was so motivated that I washed Céline's old Fiat for fun. This is a car she had back when she was my age so it's pretty precious...and ancient, ha haha.

Everyone's officially on vacation as of 18h00 tonight so it was a full house! This is the last time that I'll have all of the kids together in one place. This last week with my kids will be so bittersweet. As an homage to our first meeting, the entire family and I arm wrestled after dinner. Videos to be added later!