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Jars!

My kid hates jars. Baby food jars that is. I’ve always cooked her food from scratch and was insistent about this (some may say stubborn!) from the first day of weaning. I merrily steamed pears, apples and broccoli, portioned them into seal-able ice cube trays and spooned them into her little chubby face with glee. Next came mild chili con carne, creamy curries and smushed up salmon with rice. It…

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Battle of the budget nappies!

Battle of the budget nappies!

Front view: Aldi “Cherubin” (right), Lidl “Toujours” (left). Today I will be comparing the two main budget brands of nappies that we use; Aldi’s “Cherubin” and Lidl’s “Toujours”. Incidentally, the DIY enthusiast believed the latter to be made by women’s sanitary towel brand Always. “They are basically the same thing aren’t they?”. Ha. We use either brand and it solely depends on the rest of the…

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Our afternoon at Kid's Island, Antibes! (Marineland)

English Mama in France

I say our afternoon, but it was only 3 hours, really. I must say, I had my reservations about this one. I am not a fan of Marineland whatsoever, and they run Kid’s Island, Aquasplash and Adventure Golf as spin-offs on the same big complex in Antibes. Today, I forgot my disdain of the place for the monkey’s sake, so we bundled up the travelling circus and off we went. First off, I will say that…

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That Newborn Baby Smell?

I was having a little sort out of the Monkey's cupboard this morning. Amongst the partnerless socks and saggy-bottomed leggings, I found one of the more unusual gifts that we received upon her birth. Now, don't get me wrong, I am very grateful that so many people thought of us when she was born. We received some beautiful and unique gifts. This one just threw me a little...

Baby PERFUME!

It came in a gift set with a beautiful, soft little bunny toy, which is actually now one of her favourites. I just couldn't understand the concept of perfuming a baby. Even now that she's heading towards toddlerhood and emanating some noxious odours more akin to a teenage boy, I can't imagine spraying her with fragrance. I thought I would be in the majority of parents with this view, but possibly not. A quick google search brought up offerings from Burberry, Bulgari, IKKS, L'Occitane and even a cologne from Johnson's!

Apparently it is quite popular within many European cultures to put scents on babies! Who knew? Personally, I couldn't get enough of the monkey's natural smell when she was newborn (still can't). I'd carry her around everywhere with me, having a little sniff of her powdery bald head along the way. Anyone who happened to be in my path would have the baby thrust upon them for a whiff. "Smell! It's more addictive than crack!". Why would anyone want to cover up that with an artificial scent, presumably designed to have the same effect? It's like covering a filet steak with ketchup, no?

Anyhow, although I refuse to put the perfume on monkey, it is a pretty nice scent. Powdery and light-like a baby. I am determined not to waste it, so perhaps I will use it myself. I am still breastfeeding and don't like to use heavy perfumes on myself, so maybe this is one that can fill the corset-shaped void in my soul where Jean Paul Gaultier "Classique" once lived?

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The Duracell Baby!

Good morning? I was sure that my first "proper" post would be something to do with living in France, as the name of the blog might suggest. Today though, seemed the perfect day to discuss our most pressing parenting issue- sleep deprivation. Not far from 11 months in now and our little critter still doesn't sleep. Yesterday was a perfect example. The monkey napped for a grand total of 40 minutes during the day. "Yes!" I thought (because I am stupid, and desperate and fall for this one every time), "She WILL sleep tonight! She will be sooo tired!". HA! Sure enough, the little angel was still galloping around like the Duracell bunny on speed at 11PM. We were in bed by 12AM. She woke up at 4AM. 6AM. 7.45AM. This is about normal for her. She will have the odd night where an 8-hour stretch is achieved and I will proudly exclaim; "Ah, she has turned a corner now! We must continue to do everything exactly as we did it yesterday, because that is clearly the magic formula!". Of course, it never is. We had a beautiful little routine going for about 2 months around Christmas. Bath and bed by 7PM. I felt rather smug and other parents would tell me how lucky I was. She never slept through, but there was at least an opportunity to go to bed early and recharge before the next service bell rang. Any how, the routine was slowly corroded for various reasons and now we must all suffer. Serious attempts have been made to re-establish a routine, but we never quite found the right combination. The monkey also got wise. She is now well aware that a few swift, bellowing screams will bring myself or the DIY enthusiast running to her aid. She always shows her gratitude by giving us a big toothy grin and immediately desisting in her attempts to wake the street. So, that's something, right? Despite our experience so far, I live in hope. There will come a day where I can throw away the industrial concealer! I will pass a mirror and not look like I have dressed in the dark! I will re-acquire the skills of speaking a coherent sentence and performing simple mental arithmetic! One day, it WILL happen. Knowing my luck, that day will probably be the day I find out number 2 is on the way! Ha! Au revoir for now!

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Good evening, Bonsoir!

So... Now I'm here, I don't know what to say! I've been meaning to do this for ages and now I've done it my brain has turned to soup. I swear, I had some spiffing ideas for this blog. Honest. Lists in my mind of product comparisons, pros and cons of living in a foreign country with a baby, general witty and thoughtful observations of daily life with a 10 month old, a newly converted DIY enthusiast and the world's neediest cat... Perhaps I will just offer a brief introduction for now? I am a 27 year old, degree educated stay at home mum. I live in the South of France with the DIY enthusiast and our little monkey. And the cat. I am an avid (perhaps slightly obsessive) consumer of blogs, but despite my desperate scouring of the inter-web, I am yet to find one that I can fully relate to. I have therefore decided to create my own, tailored to my own whims and fancies! With any luck someone, somewhere may happen upon my ramblings and decide that this is a blog for them. If you are that lucky so and so, please feel free to leave comments, questions and suggestions. Over and out!