A wonderful picnic, row boat ride complete with swans flying overhead, and hike around the outside of the property through the most verdant and dreamy country side.... and still I have yet to go inside the chateau.

I have been to Versailles at least four times and can never tear myself from the grounds to wait in line to see the interior!

But look at these pictures and tell me if you can blame me!

Location:Versailles

project googly eye bombing

At the urging of some of my Book About Me lab participants - we have been eye bombing the Paris Metro.

This is a super fun, kid-friendly public art project! If you try it, share your images - they are hilarious!

the extraordinary ordinary

Boat rides, book stores, baguettes, balloons from kind old people, feeding pigeons, and getting lost to find new secret places are some of the best things about here.

Pilgrimage

Bonjour Paris

We made it. An uneventful plane and shuttle ride and nearly 24 hours of being awake and we are here!

The kids wanted to re-enact the Paris arrival scene in Funny Face - but only succeeded in making sure to say "bonjour Paree!!" as we exited the plane.

The weather is amazing, flowers are everywhere, we are eating our fill of horse meat (not really) and the kids slept a full 12 hours (unheard of) and woke up to Tom and Jerry in French.

This is my fifth stay of a month or longer and as always, we find the French people to be very kind and helpful. The stereotype has never proven true to be. Whether it is help with luggage, directions, or how to use our new European chipped credit card, help is always available.

A late walk to the Eiffel Tower and a macaron from Le Notre made our first day really special.

If you have any suggestions of something off the beaten track to do in Paris, leave a comment! We are hitting some big sites for the kids, but really love slow travel.

A bientot...

{make} your own currency

Hello - I have been in full on adventure planning mode lately!

We had so much fun with a recent activity, I wanted to share. This would be a great project to tuck away for a day when you need something quick and engrossing.

One of my son's birthday gifts last week was a treasure box with a leather journal, compass necklace, wax letter sealing set, colored rocks and jewels and a money making set. The whole thing was a hit, but I think the money making kit was the best.

A variety of wooden disks from the craft store, some sharpie markers and watercolor paint were all we needed to create funds for a new quest.

We had so much fun coming up with designs, numbers, and even a new name for his

currency (they are all "chings"). He invited his siblings to make chings too - so now he has a wide variety and their adventuring play just got a little more interesting!

{mama prompt} :: oral histories

an occasional series of quick journal and creative prompts just for mamas

interview your mom or grandma about child rearing in their times.

and here is something to make you smile today...