In France many newspapers said it is more expansive to do your shopping online than offline for the back to school. So it is time for French people to run everywhere to find the right backpack, no wheels for my kids with the stairs it’s too dangerous said the teachers.
All the stores don’t have everything you need, and in August most of the stores are closed until the 24th.
So if you want to buy the special crayons or the princess pencil case go to Disney store on Champs Elysees or anywhere in the world, the price are 25% off on all the "back to school" articles so run now in the crowd or try to buy online it is still more easy.
In France we have our famous Macarons and in US I discovered the Cupcake.
In Boston for the birthday party of her twins, a friend of mine bought some carrots cupcakes. I was amazed but it is like our Petit Four sucrés but more funny.
As a French girl when I watched American movies and saw these cupcakes I always thought their are not real but I discovered they are real and it is tasty!
So for the american people who visit Paris and want to buy these little cupcakes I know the place where to buy them. I discovered her through Message. She is doing a great job. The cupcakes are colorful in different shape. The kids love them because it is more easy to eat and can ask for a different one each time.
As a French women when I meet American people some of them tell me that they went for the first time in Paris for their honeymoon but how many did they celebrate their wedding in Paris? With my english mother meeting in Paris, Message, I discovered a site Parisian events that organize wedding with an American style in Paris.
For me it sounds really great. On her blog the owner gives good tips to attend a wedding with kids so either it’s your wedding or the one of someone else, you are prepared to make your dream comes true.
Travelling with kids for some parents it is just impossible for me it is okay even after 12 hours flight. But bringing kids to a good restaurant is just unthinkable. When a friend invited me lately in a French restaurant in Boston I just cannot recommend any.
So decided to be able to choose among the big choice we have in Boston. The answer was in the Boston magazine that I bought until I discovered that they have a great website that help you to choose exactly what you like wherever you live in Boston, Beyond Boston, or Cambridge…
So the only French restaurant I went in Boston is Pigalle, rated Best of winner Boston, and I really had a great time, the food is good for my French taste and the design, the light, the waiters are nice so I recommend it as The Boston Magazine saying "Rich, savory fare paired with exceptional service sets this cozy hideaway apart. Chef Marc Orfaly uses traditional techniques (mostly French) but there is a true sense of fun in his food.(…) this is an upscale spot, Orfaly isn’t too haughty to delight us with a dessert of fresh-baked cookies."
Another French restaurant that many friends recommend me is Le Petit Robert, they say that is good food and the Boston Magazine highlights "Affordable French fare without sacrificing style" .
Regarding Paris you can go in a bistrot or some brasseries during the summer with kids, in this way you will be in a terrass, but don’t go with a double stroller if you don’t want to hear bad things about kids… My favorite spot is Paul you can find one anywhere in France and it is nice food with kids, you won’t cry if the plate falls down. You will find all the good French dessert, Eclair au chocolat, macarons, tarte aux citrons… Bon Appétit!
One of the great things I discovered in US is the mother groups.
When I had my first baby and moved in California, my little girl was 2 years and half and just started talking in French. I didn’t want to mix up her head with two different languages so I joined a French mother group. It was really great because you have french people but also american mothers that speak a very good french, so every week my kids could join this group and I could meet new people. I highly recommend to google "french mother group" in the city of your choice or to look in Yahoo! groups.
In Silicon Valley you also have another american mother group named Las Madres. Like other mother groups you have a meeting once or twice a week, in your area with your kids age.
In Paris I joined an english mother group, Message. Message is really cool, because once my kids had started to speak french and english I wanted they still be connected with this community. To celebrate Thanksgiving, Halloween, or the Valentin’s day, it is not as warm as in US but it sounds like good memories. You have weekly meetings with children of the same ages, you have a forum, twice a year you can sell all your old kids stuff…but indeed it brings you more than that!
In Boston I joined the Gardenmom group. To be honest I never attended a meeting but I use it to be in contact of what’s going on in this city, to find a good hairdresser, to know where to buy specific things for my kids and myself…
So if you don’t belong already to a mother group, don’t hesitate, your kids will really have fun and you can meet your new best friend!
Bad weather again in Boston! Even when it rains, there is still more things we can do with kids and a double stroller than I could do in Paris. When you go in Paris without kids it is a pleasure to move, there is always a bus stop or a subway at the end of the street but when you start having 2 kids everything get complicated except for the Line 14 that goes from Saint-Lazare to Bercy. Indeed it is a great but old network so it would cost a lot of money to add an elevator everywhere.
Here in Boston it is just a pleasure to go anywhere by bus, subway, you can most of the time find an elevator.
Plus here you can find skybridge that brings you in malls, to your shopping center. So let’s enjoy the elevators and the sliding doors.
Of course once you have done your shopping with kids you can do:
-Some cooking, it is one of my favorite activities because everyone is happy even the dad after his working day can eat a yummy meal
-Some crafts, with my friend Andrea and her kids they all enjoy doing their own cards. With papers and stickers and glue, you are set for a great afternoon.
Keep enjoying this bad weather in Boston, the kids won’t get sunburns and you don’t have to run after them to put a sun hat!
Paris, School | admin | 
August 25, 2009 4:38 PM | 
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