The Au Pair Project

Porto, Portugal and Port Wine

2011-07-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard by now, the Portuguese know their wine. Producing it, aging it, consuming it and enjoying it. So, you wouldn't be surprised if I told you that I can't recall too much about the weekend that the boy and I recently spent in Portugal, visiting his parents. Except that I can...Because another thing that the Portuguese know how to do? Serve humongous portions of food. Serve and

Why Antiperspirant is Important

2011-05-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

A supposedly fun thing that I'll never do again? Take a 11 hour flight sitting next to a ceaseless PDA couple. I get it. Really--You're young, you're non-conformist, you want me to know that lesbian is the new black. No problem. But on an extremely long flight with extremely little personal space, the least you could do is wash your dreadlocks and put on a little antiperspirant. 22 hours,

Change of Plans

2011-03-20T22:37:00.000-07:00

What was originally planned as a two-week vacation back home to California with a return ticket to France, has now turned into an indefinite stay. The reason: assorted. My feelings (along with the contents of my suitcase): various and scattered. Here’s the thing: Being an Au Pair? Not so much the ideal job, but yes, being in France was pretty ideal. More so, with my third au pair experience, I

Surprises

2011-02-11T09:55:00.000-08:00

Being an Au Pair is full of surprises; surprises that aren't nearly as boring as you might imagine. Like being told by a 6 year old on a Wednesday morning to stay in bed. As if this wasn't delightful enough, 13 minutes later, I got this: Plain yogurt with granola, green tea, bread and butter, and a glass of apple juice just the way I like it: 3 parts water, 1 part apple juice. These girls

The Soldes

2011-01-27T07:15:00.000-08:00

My dad (my real dad, not the host-dad), lover of black cashmere, modern men's fashion, and all things bargain, paid $1.20 a minute to call me internationally from California. "Lauren, the soldes (aka sales) are going on in Lyon right now!" The clouds parted, the skies opened up to the heavens and the angels started to sing. But reality shook me as I immediately remembered:1. I’m an Au

Happy 2011

2011-01-10T02:13:00.000-08:00

If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. So I didn't. For two (plus) months. I turned my back on the "project" and retreated into the background. But I'm baaaack. Yes, after a month of health issues, infections, a root canal, what I assume was the common cold, constant nausea, a much needed European family holiday vacation, and a partridge in a pear tree, I'm back!

A BNP Affair

2010-11-17T00:47:00.001-08:00

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How To Misplace a Child in 5 Easy Steps (without even knowing it)

2010-11-08T06:25:00.000-08:00

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The Pre-Au Pair Guide

2010-11-06T01:10:00.000-07:00

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The Versatile Blog Award

2010-11-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

There's an award for everything these days. It's true. I've yet to receive one for my awesomeness in being an Au Pair but, BUT there's still time! Anyway, the wonderful blog: An International Affair was kind enough to give me this blog award In order to accept this award, I must do the following: 1. Thank and link back to the person who gave me this award 2. Tell everyone 7 things about

The Sweet Life

2010-10-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

Uh...Yeah right. If I told you why I couldn't sleep; if I told you why even a Trazadone didn't do the trick; if I told you why no amount of Sleepy Time Tea or Melatonin could help; if I told you why I was up until 4 am, which gave me two hours of restless sleep and led to a very challenging, very grouchy day after, you would agree with my frustration. You would sympathize. You might even invite

Adam and Eve

2010-09-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

The kids are now into their fourth week of school and I couldn't be happier. They are exceptional kids, I promise! But have you tried entertaining a 6 and 7 year old for thirteen hours a day, all while trying to keep their older sister from provoking arguments?! Let's just say that we've taken a lot of walks around the city and I've taken a lot of deep breaths. In any event, we know the Centre

Joyeux Anniversaire a Moi

2010-09-22T13:10:00.001-07:00

Disclaimer: Dad, you may want to bypass this one. Disclaimer: Dad, you may want to bypass this one. Some people have cake. Some people do parties, celebrations, take vacations, open presents-- you know, The Works-- and I am usually one of them. Last year, there was my Red and White (Wine) Theme Party. The year before that, there was the L-Theme Party. The Rock Star Theme Party, the 80's Theme

Clichés

2010-09-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

I believe in now or never; plain and simple; What's done is done. I believe in walking the walk if you're going to talk the talk. I believe that money can't buy happiness (unless of course happiness you’re in the Nine West shoe section of Macy's). I believe there's always a silver lining; that there's light at the end of the tunnel and well, I believe home is truly where the heart is. My name

Eat, Pray, Love..and then some

2010-09-04T03:39:00.000-07:00

“Do you think colored toilet paper will color your ass?”Internet, meet Rachel. College educated (yes, I promise), 5ft (5’1 on her better days) and full of spunk and sass. She frequents good restaurants, is soon to be married (to a chef) and can be found spending her Sunday mornings in a sweaty, overcrowded dance class, strutting and pirouetting to every Britney and Lady Gaga infused jazz

Croatia!

2010-08-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

You know you’re in good hands when your pizza comes accompanied with a bottle of ketchup and hot sauce. Welcome. To. Croatia. A place that sits on the Eastern side of the Adriatic Sea, across from Italy. A place with more shoe stores per capita in the city of Split, than any other city in the world. A place of hedonism and history. A place where I decided, somewhat

London Bound

2010-07-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

After every trip with EasyJet Airlines, I always step off, promising myself never to take another flight with them. Flying with EasyJet is anything but easy. If you manage to get a flight that isn't cancelled (which happens often) and you're patient enough to wait through hours of delays (which happens always), then you'll find yourself onboard, mid-air, hoping that this much turbulence is normal

Away Message

2010-07-07T02:30:00.000-07:00

I jumped. I jumped and guess what happened. I landed on two feet; or more accurately, I landed on a flight from EasyJet, but more on that later. You can delete my previous French address from your iPhone, Blackberry and address books because no longer am I living with the American family. They went their way and I went mine (And not to boast, but my way still includes Europe, Nutella, and good

Why MC Hammer Pants Aren't Making a Comeback

2010-06-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

I once read that the ability to be happy is nothing other than the ability to come to terms with how things change. Though I still haven’t dissected the “how”, I have accepted that time provokes change. It’s inevitable, I get it.Remember those magical days when the sun was shining, the birds were singing, I had pep in my step, and my French life as an Au Pair was going oh so swimmingly? Well, let

La Fête des Pères

2010-06-21T01:25:00.000-07:00

“Lolo, where does your dad live?”“He lives in a land far, far, away called California.” I replied.“Are you going to see him this weekend for Father’s Day?”“I wish I could, but much to my surprise, being your nanny hasn’t yet afforded me the opportunity to invest in my own private jet to fly to California.”“But don’t you think that all he really wants for Father’s Day is a big hug and kiss from

Girls Night

2010-06-11T14:43:00.000-07:00

“Qu’est ce que c’est Girls Night?”“What do you mean, ‘What’s Girls Night?’ Wait, do they not do that in France? It’s--ya know--girls night! No?.” Hmm, How do I explain this to you in French? “It’s when a group of girl friends go out. Restaurant, bar, club, whatever. Just the girls. No guys… It means that I’m not free tonight.”It means that Alicia Keys is touring Lyon; that we plan to pass the

This Little Piggy...

2010-06-03T03:17:00.000-07:00

This little piggy went to the market. That little piggy stayed home. One little piggy had roast beef while the other little piggy had none.Here’s your hint: I don’t eat beef… And to ruin the riddle of Guess Which Little Piggy Is Which, the one that went to the market is the same little piggy who tends to three children that are not her own (and after being an Au Pair, having 3 kids is so out of

ADHD

2010-05-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel incredibly overwhelmed by the demands of the day? Wednesdays warrant a Levatol. Ditto Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and most times on the weekends when I’m with the kids (which in short, is whenever I’m in the house), because during these times, I can feel my stress increasing and blood pressure rising. By the end of the week, I’m beat.Like I previously mentioned,

Casis, Provence

2010-05-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

After you take a day trip to Provence, sometimes pictures summarize it better: Gratitude:Swimming in the oceanI get my taxes done tonight with Bob... Let's hope he keeps the stories to a minimum ;)The cat and the chicken haven't dragged any dead birds in front of my window since Saturday.Julia and I just finished making "Kitchen Sink Cookies" and I'll just go ahead and say it, They're damn good,

Cote D'Azur

2010-05-20T04:13:00.000-07:00

Once upon a four-day holiday weekend in France, five girls decided to celebrate the “anniversary” of Christ’s ascension into heaven by piling into a rental car and heading South…because nothing says “heaven” like the Cote d’Azur and a weekend away from kids (especially the latter). With our oh-so-plentiful Au Pair salaries, we found accommodations through Couch Surfing, meaning that we found a

My "Dear John" to Tom

2010-05-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Tom,I’m sorry that I had to do this through a letter but the time has come. This isn’t working—you and I. And I’m tired of pretending that we can continue this relationship. It’s not you, it’s me… well, actually no, I’m sure it’s probably you.I remember when we met that day in April. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and there you were. You provided a je-ne-sais-quoi that I hadn’

Fête des Mères

2010-05-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

Twenty years ago, you could find me rummaging through her closet full of shoes, not letting a single pointed-toe stiletto get past my adolescent foot. There was an immediate attraction to all pairs measuring above a 3-inch heel and an aversion to the white pairs, flats and of course, Sperry Top-Siders. I’d then progress to her makeup drawer, applying every Clinique eye shadow and Sugarplum shade

Hi, Have You Met....

2010-05-04T15:56:00.000-07:00

A fortnight ago, my new host family returned from their vacation in the US and it was the start of my new Au Pair life. Being the worrier that I can sometimes be, okay fine, the worrier that I usually am, I’ll admit that based on the previous Au Pair experience, I was mildly apprehensive about how things would go in the new setting; if I would still open up a fridge to tubs of crème-fraiche and

Hammam

2010-04-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

It wasn’t your typical Thursday afternoon. Well, I guess that depends who you ask so let me rephrase: It wasn’t a typical Thursday afternoon for me. In a dark, hot and steamy room, I sat there relaxing back. I was two undergarments away from being naked, my hair was a mess, my body was saturated with beads of sweat, and I was practically out of breath… but, but, I was at the apogee of relaxation.

Confessions

2010-04-20T03:01:00.000-07:00

I don’t wash my hair everyday; I’ve re-gifted presents before; I hate hate hate macaroni and cheese; I don’t floss as often as I tell my dentist I do; I have insecurities; I tend to shelf my feelings and I don’t like to admit that I cry. I’m scared of psychosis (mainly “contracting” it), commitment, old age, and processed cheese (which brings us back to my macaroni and cheese issue). And lastly,

Moving Day

2010-04-11T11:07:00.001-07:00

Everyone always complains that moving is bitch. The packing, the cleaning, the odd-end items that you aren’t sure which categorized box to pack them in, the unpacking, the cleaning the forgetting of which box you put those damn hair-ties into. Yes, it’s all very daunting and justifies those famous eight words: “This is the last time I’m ever moving.” But here’s the thing about moving, which is

Easter Beginnings

2010-04-05T03:19:00.000-07:00

I’m a little fuzzy on the religious meaning of Easter. Plus, with a mom that’s a recent Jewish convert, a dad who still holds some comfort in Catholicism, a brother who’s Agnostic, a grandmother who prays to that we won’t forget her See’s candy, aunts, uncles, and cousins who reside somewhere between Christianity, Catholicism, Baptist, and one that I assume to be Atheist (?), it’s passable to say

Not To Be Fooled

2010-04-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. I quit. I resigned. I surrendered. I gave notice and gave up. I threw in the towel. Bowed out and checked out. I terminated my contract, my mental anguish, and accessibility to a year’s supply of Pasta Carbonara. And it only took me 3 weeks of lost luggage, one broken Macbook, a post-office misplaced care package from my mom, a returned care-package from my dad, one broken $200

RIP Sister

2010-03-25T07:29:00.000-07:00

I’ve never been a good liar. I don’t have the boobs for it. In fact, I’m the perfect subject for a “how-to” article: “How To Detect If Someone Is Lying.” I’m really terrible at it; honestly, I am. Unless it’s a little white lie, I become afflicted, immediately infested with guilt, and fall victim to the classic signs: avoiding eye contact, over-detailing the story, over compensating, over-talking

The Dilemma, Part 2: When It's Actually Quite a Blessing Without Disguise

2010-03-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

I’ve taken up reading the French newspaper; mostly because I can finally make out some comprehension of what I’m reading… Well, part of it, at least. Other times, it stands in as a prop to disguise me as a local (that is, until I have to speak and the American accent is revealed). Anyway, in the French paper, there’s a small column on the back page with horoscopes, which are divided into three

The Dilemma, Part 1: When There's An Elephant In The Room

2010-03-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

Let’s 'idiom-ize' here and cut to the chase; lay the cards out on the table; get to the point; make no bones about it; call a spade a spade; get down to brass tacks, and not beat around the bush: It ain’t getting any better here. Please excuse my French but, Mon boulot me faisait chier[1] (See footnote) Here’s the thing: I’m used to doing a good job. I’m used to people recognizing that I do a

Le Beau-père

2010-03-14T07:03:00.000-07:00

You know the occasional universe-telepathy-type experiences where the thought of someone pops into your head and then a few days later, you hear from them, or about them? That happened to me again, yesterday.In exploring Lyon, I came across a great souvenir shop in one of the alleys of “Old” Lyon. You know, the kind with gifts that you might actually not be ashamed to send people?! I should buy

Spoiler Alert: Flu Shots Don't Work If Your Job Makes You Sick

2010-03-12T16:03:00.000-08:00

They say your body is smart enough to send you warning signs; you just have to pay attention to the signals; listen to the cues; practice Mindfulness. Well, try this one on for size: The last time I had the flu, and I mean the whole achy-everything hurts-sore throat-fever-can’t get out of bed-no appetite- so mentally out of it that you start to think Megan Fox is a good actress-flu, was two

Travel Partners

2010-03-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

If you want to test the alchemy and strength of a relationship, friendship, or even just get to know the real version of someone (and yourself, for that matter), put down the Cosmo quiz and pick up a travel brochure. Then, take a vacation...anywhere. Explore the unknown, test the waters without the conventional routine of home and its safety, or running to your respective bases when things don't

Winter Holiday, Week 2: Corsica

2010-03-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

Whoever said that “getting there is half the fun,” obviously never took a flight to Corsica onboard Easy Jet airlines.In my New Year’s resolution, I mentioned that there were a few specific places that I wanted to add pins to, on my “been there” world map (Portugal, Prague, Barcelona, Southern Italy, Greece, you get the point), but the rest of my travels, I would leave up to impulsivity. And

The Au Pair Winter Holiday, Week 1

2010-03-01T00:47:00.000-08:00

In France, the middle of February is well known. An abundance of roses start to surface in florist shops, carefully crafted chocolate assortments are sold, suddenly you’ll see posters with red hearts and the word “love” plastered everywhere, restaurants in town formulate price-fixed couple’s menus, and the French being known for their amour, well, they leave town. While the French may be serious

How To Make Oatmeal Raspberry-Jam Bars With a 6 Year-Old

2010-02-03T07:01:00.000-08:00

Wednesdays in France, children don't have school. Lucky teachers, unlucky parents. On this particular day, Cecile had rehearsal all day at the music conservatory. I really miss not having her around but I somehow managed. With her mom accompanying her, Clement and I were on our own. Between his morning music lesson and his evening gymnastics lesson, I had 6 hours to kill with a 6 year-old so, we

6 Simple Steps?

2010-01-19T12:46:00.000-08:00

People ask me how I'm doing. I respond, "I'm adjusting."I make small-talk about the weather differences of France versus California, and how I just can't get acclimated to the cold and snow. But really, there's a whole lot I can't get acclimated to here. Inside, I'm thinking, if only that were the half of the truth. I'm just going to say what the independent, 25 year-old, who craved a challenge

Day 13

2010-01-17T13:52:00.000-08:00

I always considered “13” a lucky number. It’s the age when one becomes a teenager and knows everything. It’s the big bat mitzvah. It is deemed lucky in Italian culture, and Friday the 13th has never provided any complaints for me. That was not the case on my day 13 of being here. 7:00 a.m.- Wake up. Make my daily green tea and take my daily chewable.7:30 a.m.- Wake up the kids. Clement

2 Days in Paris

2010-01-12T15:22:00.000-08:00

Such a great movie. Check out the trailer here. It's follows the relationship of a Jack, a classic neurotic with his hypochondriac traits, and his girlfriend, Marion, the sexually liberal Parisian, as they spend two days in her hometown, Paris. I'm on my way back from a journey—two days in Paris with my dad. I'm exhausted as I sit on yet another late-night. delayed train back to Lyon.

The Au Pair Reference Guide

2010-01-08T04:40:00.000-08:00

In the few short days that the kids have been in my possession, I've learned a few important and key lessons very quickly.1. Moms have large purses for 2 reasons: 1.) Snacks. 2.) To hold the items that have been confiscated that one sibling used to hit the other one with. ie: gloves.2. Get in the car, start it, and say "Bye kids!" That will get them running.3. Don't bother repeating yourself when

Adjustment- Day 5

2010-01-06T15:19:00.000-08:00

5 days in and i'm finally starting to feel like this is less than miserable. Dramatic? Maybe. True? Yes. It has been 5 days flooded with information; At __;__ o'clock, you drop the kids off here. At __;__ o'clock, you pick the kids up. At __;__ o'clock, you take Cecile here but not Clement. At __;__ o'clock, you pick up Cecile and drop off Clement. At __;__ o'clock, you drop off Cecile and

Happy 2010

2010-01-02T01:16:00.000-08:00

Similarly, 2009 and 2010 were both brought in while on a plane. However, 2009 was en route to Sacramento, in need of the safety and security of “home”, while 2010 was on a flight to France, embarking on adventure. That alone, mirrors the vast adjustment that was 2009.They say, just as a trapeze artist cannot swing from one bar to another without letting go of the other, that one must release