EDUCATION
Schooling in Switzerland -- early independence and lots of the outdoors!
A few years ago, road tripping from Amsterdam to Tuscany, we visited the beautiful town of Zurich along the way. We spent one amazing day on the lake, enjoying the beautiful open-air beaches / swimming pools called 'Badi'. Afterwards, we stayed the night in the pretty apartment of the Prinsloo family, who were so kind ...
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INTERESTING ARTICLES
Let's talk morning routines (and an interesting approach)
We are well and truly back to school over here in Paris. The long nights and slow mornings of the summer holidays are over. It's back to the real life routine. I just read this article and it really struck home with me. As I have mentioned before, mornings are not our forte. We are ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
Do you let your kids walk to school?
Here in Paris not many families own a car, so driving our kids to our local school is not really an option, especially as the traffic is so very bad. We mostly walk, and kids start walking on their own to school from about 8 or 9. My eldest daughter Coco started at 8 as ...
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FOOD
School lunch ideas
When we lived in London, the children were able to eat lunch prepared and served by their school. We were lucky that the school's lunch options were mostly good and healthy, and we didn't have to think or worry about what they would be eating at lunch time. (Thinking about it now, I don't think ...
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STATIONERY
Hurray for Stamp-tastic!
A week after moving house (again) the girls also went back to school. They were super excited to be back in a routine again and to see all of their friends. Now usually this time of year I'm tearing my hair out franctically labelling all of their school clothes as well as their stationery and I ...
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INTERESTING ARTICLES
The importance of handwriting
There are a lot of things I like about my kids schooling in France -- there are also a lot of things I criticise. Compared to the children of my Anglo-Saxon friends, school seems to be so rigid over here. One of the things I found unnecessarily strict here is the importance placed on handwriting. ...
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KIDS
A new rule: no scarves at school
I live in, what is called in French, a bobo neighbourhood. Bobo stands for 'Bourjeois Bohemian', an ironic name for people living in certain parts of Paris -- namely young, middle class, hip, left-wing with a certain income. I have been recently elected parent representative on the school council and attended my very first school ...
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UNCATEGORIZED
Sweats
A new school, a new wardrobe challenge. Coco, who is now in elementary school, needs to turn up at school 2 days a week in a full sports outfit. As I mentioned a few months ago, I am a big fan of school uniforms, but we live in a country where uniforms will never exist. So ...
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ESSENTIALS AND TIPS
Back to school
It is so strange, we literally have just come back from our holidays and barely 24 hours later I am getting my girls ready to go back to school. The sandals are being put away and being replaced by sensible shoes, new autumn dresses are going to replace their shorts and little sun dresses. I ...
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BABY
There is a silver lining
I just wanted to share a thought with you that I had this morning at 7.30 am, when I was trying to get my kids ready for school... I have been very happy and have maybe been a bit too proud (pride comes before fall), as my children are really good sleepers. Not only do ...
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FOR MUMS
La Maternelle
Autumn has arrived here in France, and for us a monumental event: our 2½-year -old has officially started school at the local public Maternelle, and it has only now started to dawn on me how serious this all is. From now until she is 18, the French state is taking charge of her education! In ...
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BABY
H&M School Uniform
When my toddler started nursery school this fall (and came home covered in paint, glue, mud, food, etc.), I decided that his wardrobe needed a redress. Cashmere jumpers are just not ideal- (who has time to hand-wash anymore)?? Actually, let's face it- anything even slightly expensive is NOT a good idea. The cheaper, the better. ...
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