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Mardis Gras Around the World

February 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Whether it’s colorful beads, King Cake, or overindulgence – there are signs of Mardi Gras everywhere. Although in the US, Mardi Gras is synonymous with New Orleans, countries all over the world celebrate this pre-Lenten festival, only by a different name. Other notable Mardi Gras or Carnival celebrations include:

Happy Mardi Gras Everyone!

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15 Minutes with Charles Dickens

February 6, 2012 By 4 Comments

Eight years ago I traveled to London and visited Charles Dickens’ house – 48 Doughty Street, now a museum – for the first time. Dickens’ is one of my very favorite British authors so getting to see the house where he wrote was quite an event for me. My husband and I had already been in Europe 2 weeks and we made London our last stop on the tour, and Dickens’ house was our last historic stop on our very last day. I remember thinking we had plenty of time to see additional sites before heading to the Dickens’ house – or so I thought. Little did I know we would spend over an hour trying to find the ordinary looking house that seemed to blend in unassumingly on a normal looking, Camden area street. When we finally arrived, right at 5pm, the museum hostess said that the house was closing for the day. I explained that I had always wanted to see the inside of the house and that I would only spend 5 minutes if she could spare it.

The young woman, who could see the near desperation in my eyes, was gracious enough to let my husband and I in, when everyone else was shuffled out. 5 minutes – only 5 minutes? Well, we ended up spending about 15 minutes walking through the multi-tiered house where Dickens had lived 1837 to 1839. Although I can’t remember every detail of the house (I don’t think we were allowed to take photos and I was just happy to be there) it was very much like the Victorian images Dickens’ wrote about in his books – simple but elegant furnishings appropriate for that time period. Quite lovely and definitely what I imagined. It was easy to imagine him writing his famous works, including Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby in this house.

After our 15 minutes of browsing the many small rooms (many that were made to look like people – maybe even Dickens – was still living there) we thanked our hostess once more and made out way out the bright green front door. My husband snapped one final photo of me outside the house. And to this day, I look at it and feel a slight melancholy in my heart.

In honor of Charles Dickens 200th birthday on February 7, reread your favorite Dickens novel. Can you guess what mine is?

Ciao!

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French Mothers Are Different

January 19, 2012 By 2 Comments

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I’m sure most of you are familiar with the books French Women Don’t Get Fat and French Women Don’t Sleep Alone. If those two books (and the premises behind them) are not enough to make you envious of French women, maybe the next one will. In the new book, French Children Don’t Throw Food, author Pamela Druckerman highlights the differences between French and American mothers which go beyond throwing food….

5 Ways French Mothers Are Different Than American Mothers

  1. French mothers don’t let children run their “parent” lives. In other words, just because they have children does not mean French mothers can’t have lives of their own.
  2. French mothers pause before helping or soothing their young children, allowing their children to learn to soothe themselves on their own.
  3. French mothers don’t distinguish between adult food and kid food – children eat what their parents eat – end of story.
  4. French mothers don’t fill up their children with snacks all day long. Kids eat at meal times or may partake in le gouter on occasion.
  5. French mothers treat their children as small adults. Although French mothers don’t see their children as equals, they do allow children more autonomy to learn about the world (including learning important lessons) as they keep a safe distance.

What else do you consider “French” in regard to parenting style?

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Happy Birthday Duchess Kate

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Happy Birthday Kate!

Today, the Duchess of Cambridge (formerly Kate Middleton) turns 30. Although she is technically not a princess, being a Duchess has its benefits, including snagging a handsome man who is in line for the throne of England.

Although we can’t all be a part of the Royal Family, we can still do things that make us feel like princesses every day, and most of them do not involve fancy ball gowns or tiaras!

What do you do to feel like a princess?

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Recharge Your New Year With 10 Minutes a Day

January 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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There is no doubt that the holidays are a hectic time of year; yet for many of us, this hectic lifestyle doesn’t stop when  the holidays are over. We rush, rush, rush through November and December – buying and wrapping gifts, attending parties, entertaining out-of-town guests, and more –  that, by the time January hits, all we need is a break. Unfortunately, many of us, including yours truly, won’t get this break.

But what if you did take a break – at least for a few minutes a day? What would you do and how would it make you feel? That is exactly what the British tea maker Twinings is asking all women to do – to Take 10 Minutes a day to relax, recharge, and reenergize themselves; or in other words, 10 minutes of a little “me time”.

I have to admit, 10 minutes does not seem like a lot of time to do anything these days; however, when you have two small children, a full-time career, a husband, and a house full of projects, 10 minutes of quiet time can do wonders for your mind, mood, mothering, and your marriage.

Twinings even offers several suggestions on how women can spend their 10 minutes a day, many of which involve tea and none that involve Facebook or Twitter.

So the next time you’re thinking about all the things you have to do, take 10 minutes to do something you want to do.

My 10 minutes is starting now. What will you do with your 10? Ready, steady, go!

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