We’ll Always Have Paris… An Apology to My Kids

Someday, when the time is right and mommy has fully recovered from our first trip, we will take our kids back to Paris. After all, how else are they going to improve their Francais? An aside – major mommy guilt on this issue – I have really slacked off on their foreign language instruction, after being so diligent about it for the first few years of their little lives and speaking to both of them almost exclusively in French. After Eva outgrew diapers, I dropped a phrase from our daily discourse – “On change ta couche.” Now, I have been reduced to one final French phrase: “Pas dans le nez! Ce n’est pas propre.” And I’m not sure the second half is correct, as I made it up on the fly and just stuck with it. Anyhow, all is not lost. Eva still points to the vintage picture of Paris in the kitchen on an almost daily basis and complains that we didn’t go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. And, while reading This is Paris to her a few nights ago, Lola asked lots of questions and showed real interest in the city. She even asked who built the Eiffel Tower, and when I told her it was Gustave Eiffel, she looked wide-eyed, and then said: “Wow! He must be…. dead!” So I will persevere. Here, a little bit of French inspiration to get me going.

Early Lingo is a language program you can begin when your child is only 6 months old.

1. Early Lingo Foreign Language Learning System

I already have Muzzy, Little Pim, Rosetta Stone, etc, and I have learned one infallible rule of language learning: in order for a system to work, you actually have to use it. Regularly. And not just when you feel like it. Who knew? But this program looks fresh, new and intriguing, and it says you can start at 6 months. It might help me recommit to some French language instruction. (Where is an immersion school or an Alliance Francaise when you need one, anyway?)

Love this sweet paper Paris by artist and designer Joel Henriques.

2. Paper City Paris

My fellow Francophile, Erin, found this on Pinterest, and I am obsessed. First of all, this take serious time. And talent. This extremely talented Papa, Joel, created these printable paper templates of Paris – the monuments, chic people, even a Citroen – so that you can create a truly immersive experience for your petits. It makes me happy to know that there are people out there this creative and talented.

3. Kate Moss Photo Shoot at The Ritz, Paris

Before the fabled grande dame of French hotels closes for renovation, it allowed Moss and the Vogue team inside for one last, spectacular shoot. Incroyable!

Tomorrow, I am thrilled to be featuring an interview with Karen Le Billon, the author of French Kids Eat Everything. I am bursting with questions about how to convert my own picky eaters into petites gourmandes…