Le Cirque du Middlest

School in France is different. And not just in the ways I've mentioned before like the Wednesday thing, the 2-hour lunch break and the fastidious attention paid to handwriting. For the past six weeks the Middlest's class has gone to circus school for six hours a week--every Tuesday and Thursday. They take the village bus back and forth and learn how to tumble, balance and swing on the trapeze.
The circus school thing is very popular here and if you think about it it makes sense. Somersaulting clowns are just a short unicycle ride to the boxed in land of mimes. And let's not forget Cirque du Soleil..that is French you know.

Although circuses in general freak me out, I'm not one for excessive contortions or harrowing acts of human strangeness, this is kinda cool. I went with his class last week as a chaperone and was sucked into the circus fun. Not only are they learning gymnastics but they are learning to work in tandem. For example, one of the exercises was to hold hands, pressing foreheads together and then tumble sideways with your partner. This was pretty funny. And harrowing.

sideways tandem rolling

They did a trusting exercise too but this wasn't falling backwards. Instead, they took turns being the carrot and the bunny; the carrot laying straight and still while the bunny hopped crisscross back and forth pretending to nibble. The carrot had to trust that the hopping bunny cleared them and didn't land smack on top of their prostrate carrot bodies. They did a crocodile/elephant thing that was akin to a yoga downward dog with an army trenches crawl underneath...back and forth, back and forth. Some of the teams were a bit physically mismatched which led to more circusy fun. Think more bear/gazelle than crocodile/elephant.

Middlest as le lapin

Turns out my Middlest is quite the circus act. He loves the balancing, rolling and feats of dangerous swinging high up in the air. Great. Surprised?

his favorite part of circus school

I think he'll be sad when it's over and now I'll have to add l'ecole du cirque to my list of Wednesday activities. Maybe there's a bit of American spirit to this French circus school after all.

looks fun,  huh?

Stylish Blogger Award Fall Edition

Dear Sara, you stylish girl in your cute brown boy booties, how I love you....

but now I've got to come up with seven of my own stylish ideas for this fall/autumn season. I've been thinking about it a bit but it's kinda hard seeing as we are having Texas fall temperatures and I'm still wearing my sandals and tank tops. But, here it goes...oh, I'm so stylish!


1) I have discovered the wonderfully fun and addictive Pinterest and if you've never checked it out I have to warn you, it can suck you into a time warp, send you into unchartered interweb territory, thrill you with the amount of loveliness out there and make you dream like you're a little girl again. I made the mistake of putting it on my phone and Ipad and now I can get lost anywhere I like; waiting for the school bell to ring, sitting in the doctor's office, on the sofa while tuning out Mon Mari's incessant American football, when I'm supposed to be doing something else more important like cooking dinner. Psst...it's right over there. The little red button.

2) It is thanks to Pinterest that I can tell you about this next website that is super fun. It's called Polyvore and what do is create your own 'looks'. Or outfits as I like to call them. You search, click and move the things you like onto a blank page, rearrange, delete; swap a thick belt for a thinner one say, or go for those chandelier earrings you wouldn't normally wear. It's like those wooden and magnetic dress up dolls but virtual and way more cool because you get to play with expensive handbags and shoes.

3) I read an article in Red magazine's October issue singing the happy joys of wearing thick tights. When you live in a cold, damp climate like in the UK and Ireland you are used to wearing thick wooly leg wear. Being from a place where we only get to break out our J Crew rollneck sweaters for one weekend a year and a winter coat can last until the end of time because it rarely sees the light of day, thick tights aren't what I'm used to. When I lived in Ireland I wanted to wear dresses and skirts with tights but I always felt so dressed up. Therefore, an autumn goal is to embrace woolen tights and to wear them like they're just another pair of jeans or leggings, casually and with wild abandon. Check out Red's online site and shop, it really couldn't be more fun.

4) I'm rekindling my Seasonal Sundays, stylishly sharing delicious recipes and photos from my kitchen. And I'll wear tights while I do it.

5) Today at La Poste I ran into Mme. Avion. She's a younger version of the famously stylish and beautiful Inès de la Fressange and so I always look to her for little tips here and there. This morning she told me that she was off to the esthéticienne. Ah, oui? So that's how it works. I asked her where and with a stylish flip of her curly bob she replied, 'Yves Rocher, have you never been?' Another French beauty secret revealed. I am booking my appointment for the Anti-Age facial tout de suite.

and then I will look like this

6) My boys are currently obsessed with collecting sticks and shells and stones. They pick them up and bring them home in grubby hands and little pockets for me to discover all over the house and when I do the laundry. I decided not to fight it and made a small montage of shells and stones on the mantle beside my new orange clock that I bought on the Provence Death March with K. These are the ones that made it....the rest I usually throw out the window.

herbs, shells, stones & clock

7) And finally, here's what I got from Sara for my birthday.

My summer look...

And for autumn...

Now to those of you who I'd like to bestow the Stylish Blogger Award. Please give us seven of your stylish tips for the Fall/Autumn season. Drumroll please.....

Cat at Fil de la Vie
Liene at Femme au Foyer 
Delana at DuJour 
Ashley at Tres Ashley

Mammographie/Mammogram--No Biggie

You know how I told you that I had to have my first mammogram? Well, I did it last week.

But not before I got news from Texas Bestie A that made all my fears and anxieties about having it done seem silly.
I don't think she'll mind if I tell you that she has gotten The Bad Result. She's 41 and very healthy, active and fit. Just like you and me. And now she's tackling the problem with signature nerve, determination and energy. She's read all about it, knows her options and has characteristically analyzed every scenario. She has always belied her tiny frame with the power she holds within it and this is no different.

Without a routine mammogram the spot would not have been found. It isn't visible. It couldn't be felt during a monthly going over in the shower. But thanks to the big plastic boob squisher it's on the outs.
I made jokes about feeling old and the insult of it all but they were just that. I am actually thankful for the preventative medicine and procedures we have available to us now. I'm writing this so you'll take advantage of it, not be afraid, encourage someone you love to get it done.

I recently read a great post by MommyPants and her point was to tell women that it's not as bad as all that.
Why have we heard so many negatives regarding the mammogram? That it hurts. It really doesn't. That it's humiliating. It really isn't. That it's scary. It's not.

I'll give you a step-by-step run down of what happens.

All it is is this:
1) You go into the clinic or onto the mobile mammogram truck
2) You take off your shirt and bra--you lucky things over in the US of A get a gown to put over yourself unlike here in France where I was left to stand bare-chested from the waist up, belted shorts and sandals on the bottom, imagine! Or don't.

3) The lady takes your breast into her hands and places it onto a large plastic tray

4) You hold three different positions per breast while another plastic plate flattens your business for less than 30 seconds
5) You're done

Seriously, if you've had a baby you've already aced much more than this.

I also had an ultrasound--like when you are pregnant with the cold goo and the little price checker--done to be extra sure things were good. And thankfully, they were.


We take care of everyone else's health. We get our kids' shots, feed them well, force our husbands to get their yearly checkups. And if you're like me your boobs might have even put in their time on the grocery roster. They've earned it. Get out there and get your mammogram, it's not as bad as all that.