Today I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is “escape”. But I’m doing the challenge on my photography website so hop on over and take a look.
I bet you won’t find this combination of books, sand, dragonflies, fairylands and car tires anywhere else! Here’s just a preview…
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Escape to a magical fairyland
Today I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is culture. Having been born and raised in France and now living in the US, I can truly say our home is bilingual and bicultural.
Son #1: “Mama, you don’t know Paul Bunyan because you’re not an American!”
That’s what my six-year old told me this week when he mentioned Paul Bunyan and the first thing that came out of my mouth was, Who? With that statement, my son had a simple explanation for my ignorance. Technically, I am an American by now, but there are still lots of facts I don’t know about America. Like Paul Bunyan. Thank you, Google and Wikipedia for enlightening me!
I can tell you everything you’ve heard about “culture clash” is true. The first time you’re immersed in a different culture, everything amazes you. Then you start comparing and pointing out things you don’t like in the new, unknown culture. Once you’ve taken the time to learn more about the culture, you can be more objective and point out things you like and don’t like in both cultures.
Here are a few examples. French people can be grouchy, rude, and very loud. I once heard someone say, a French is like an Italian in a bad mood. That about sums it up. Now, I’ll never understand Americans’ obsession with guns and anything “big”: big cars, big homes, big boobs, big food plates, big bellies, you name it. All of these sound like stereotypes, but you soon learn that many (but not all) stereotypes happen to be based on reality. Stereotypes are just exaggerated versions of these facts. Funny how things work.
I want to think our home is a sanctuary where both cultures can live in harmony and it shows in every room. The place where it probably shows the most is in the kitchen. One of our most favorite breakfast food is croissants and pains au chocolat.
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Culture – pain au chocolat
But I also like to make pancakes, in this case, chocolate chip pancakes. Doesn’t everything taste better with chocolate?
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Culture – chocolate chip pancakes
Sometimes I like making quiche for a meal, here with asparagus and broccoli.
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Culture – veggie quiche
But brownies are to be one of my favorite desserts.
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Culture – American brownies
Reading is very important at my house and we read in both French and English. Our bookcases reflect both cultures. Here are a few of my books in French. I have many more in English.
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Culture – Books in French
The kids also have tons of books in French, which tend to mix with the books in English on the bookcase without any problem or tension.
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Culture – Children’s books in French and English
Finally the way we decorate our house is also very bicultural. I like to see French artists like Monet and Renoir on my wall.
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Culture – Monet painting
As for the kids, they definitely show a taste for Americana. You can’t be more American than Batman and Star Wars toys!
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Culture – Batman and Star Wars toys and decorations
How much culture is reflected at your house? If you live in an all American house (or English, or whenever you come from), do you have cultural items that represent where everyone comes from?
Posted in Behavior, Child Raising, Children, France, Kids, Parenting, Photos, Reading, Wordpress weekly photo challenge
Tagged American culture, American food, Batman toys, bicultural home, bilingual home, brownie, child raising, Children, chocolate chip pancakes, French art, French books, French children's books, French culture, French food, French quiche, kids, pain au chocolat, Parenting, Paul Bunyan, Star Wars toys, Wordpress weekly photo challenge, WordPress weekly photo challenge: Culture
Disney Pixar movie Up
Today I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is up. But you’ll have to hop on over my nature photography website to see my photos.
Did you see the Pixar movie Up? It was excellent but damn it, it made me cry. You cruel Pixar people!
Up is one of those adverbs non-English native speakers like me have a hard time learning. That’s because when you add it to a verb, it changes its meaning completely.
Up is synonym for childhood in so many ways:
Up is a favorite word for many toddlers. Up, Mama, up!
Up is a favorite word for parents of toddlers. Wake up! Look up! Wait up! Stand up! Listen up!
It’s fun to watch your kids grow up. That’s when you starting picking them up at school.
As a parent, you hope your kids look up to you.
Parenting has its ups and downs.
And of course, at the least of the day, it’s time to clean up, so you don’t stay up too late.
So, what’s up with you?
I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is change. The biggest change that happened this week is when I swapped my kids’ clothes for a larger size. My youngest is getting his brother’s clothes and my eldest is getting brand new pants and tops. That’s the type of change they embrace. Here’s my pile of now too-small clothes.
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Change
Our lives have changed a lot over the past year. My kids have had to make tremendous efforts to cope with life’s interruptions and interferences, and to adapt to new situations. But change can also have positive effects: it keeps us on our feet at all times. And it keeps our mindsets flexible and adaptable. Overall, change is good.
And here are a few songs about change I really like. Keane’s song Everybody’s Changing expresses how we can sometimes feel lost when things and people around us are changing while we feel stuck.
My favorite song about change is Eric Clapton’s Change The World. Enjoy!
Today, I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is color. But here’s the trick: I’m sharing the bursts of colors on my photography website, so hop on over if you’d like to add some yellow, orange, pink and purple to your day.
I noticed I didn’t have much green in that post, so here’s some green here, courtesy of my six-year old son, who’s a big fan of super heroes, including Green Lantern. The villain he’s fighting is Mister Freeze, in case you’re wondering.
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Color – green lantern
And here’s my five-year old’s very first self-portrait, all in orange. I think he did a great job!
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Color – orange self-portrait
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