French women love their perfume.  They are constantly passing me on the streets leaving behind a wake of perfume.  They tend to love florals which I love as well.  The heavier scents leave me gasping for air since the French aren't stingy when it comes to dousing themselves with their favorite scents.  

So many to choose from, where do I begin?  Sophie has a love for perfumes and lotions.  My Max does as well.  He loves it when I smell good and he loves to wear Daddy's cologne. 

I have noticed that the French men, for the most part,  don't smell as heavenly as the women.  They prefer "au natural", which, I am sorry to say, I don't.  

Yesterday while walking to the library, I couldn't help but notice the flower shops filled with Lily's of the Valley in little pots.  I also noticed women carrying tiny sprigs of this fragrant little flower.  "Why did these plants push forward to the front of the line in the florists line up of flowers?", I thought.

I knew that the following day was Frances Labor Day or "La Fete du Travail" so I googled both.  (Don't you just love google?)  I learned that Lily's of the Valley were given to King Louis IX on May 1, 1561 as a sign of good luck.  He liked the idea so much that he gave them to the ladies of his court the following year.  By the 1900's, men began giving these sweet smelling flowers to women as a sign of affection. 

Today these flowers are a traditional flower to give to close friends and family on May Day/Labor Day.  Individuals are selling them on street corners today all around Paris. 

I told Dan about this tradition and guess who came home with a sprig of Lily of the Valley for me???  He is the sweetest husband that ever was! 

There are many "hoops" to jump through to become a permanent resident in France.  Our temporary visa's have expired as of a couple of days ago.  When we inquired about this, the authorities shrugged it off that the government is a bit overwhelmed right now and they will be processed soon..  Inside I thought, "okay, but we are traveling in and out of the country....what is going to happen when an official gets a look at my passport?"  Hmmm. 

Today I had to go to the "Perfecture de Police" to jump through another hoop and obtain my "temporary residency" card.  Thank goodness Dan's company has hired a company to keep track of all of these things we need to do, forms to complete, etc.  A representative who speaks French met me inside the beautiful building which faces Notre Dame.  The inside was lovely but like any government agency; we picked a number and  waited and waited (even though we had an appointment).  Once our number was called, we entered a breathtaking room with a killer view and a large arched window freshly painted in a crisp white outlining the windowpanes.  It was unbelievably beautiful.  All of my paperwork sat before a women who asked me to fill out more forms.  The representative helped me when I had a question.  A few minutes later and I had my "temporary residency card" in hand.  

My next hoop will be my medical exam, if I have no cootie's, they will then issue a permanent residency card.  All of these hoops for such a short stay......it is still worth playing this crazy game.        

We have already had our share of "medical emergencies" that I won't go into because God is good and he is directing us to wonderful, caring, capable Doctors.  We have seen three seperate Doctors in the last three months and I thought it might be interesting for ya'll to hear of the differences between French and American Doctors and medical practice.

First and foremost, it is quite difficult finding specialists that speak English. 

Second, once you do have your appointment, which is generally 3 to 5 weeks "down the road", you might have trouble locating said Doctor.  Offices are not in large medical buildings with proper signage directing you to their office building.  No, they are housed in apartment buildings.  They generally forget to tell you the code to enter the building so you must wait until someone exits and sneak in real "quick like".  You will then stand behind another locked door, searching the apartment residents for the name of your Doctor, you will push the button and they will buzz you in (without telling you what floor the Doctor is on).  Next, be prepared to climb up each flight of stairs searching for the Doctors name on the apartment doors.  Once you find it, the door will be locked and you will need to buzz once again to be let in.  


The Doctor will meet you at the door.  You will not see a front desk, or a nurse in uniform.  The walls are not painted with murals of animals and fairies; there are no aquariums to keep your little darling amused.  The Doctor will direct you to a living room with a couple of couches and books and you will wait.  You will not have to wait nearly as long as in the states. 

Once the Doctor is ready for you he/she will ask you to come into their office.  Their "office" is a desk in a large room with an examining table on the opposite side.  Be prepared to sit down with your child and have the Doctor inquire of your reason for visiting; they will ask many questions, they will speak to the child directly, (not in a cutesy voice but very seriously).   They will tell your child to take off their clothes off, and continue to question the parent.

Once the Doctor feels they have all the information necessary, the child will be directed to a small table to be examined.  The Doctor will not feel the childs belly and say "I can feel waffles, did you have them for breakfast?" or look in their ears and tell them "they can see spiderman".  Everything is quite serious.  They will perform what seems like odd exercises with the child; old school Doctoring. 

Once the battery of tests is performed, they will give you their honest assessment and opinion.  They will direct you to specialists to be certain that their diagnosis is correct.

Upon leaving, there are no stickers and lollipops dispensed.  Just a "au revoir" and a smile. 

All in all, I have been extremely pleased with the care that has been given to us.  The care is different in appearance but all the same and in some cases better than what I have found in the United States. 

Please rest assured that we are all very healthy and it looks like we will all remain that way.   Although the Doctors have been lovely, let's pray we won't have to spend anymore time locating their offices and spending hours with them. 

Dan and I have been reading a ton of books about Parisian culture.  I think I need to stop because I am becoming fearful of this new adventure.  The differences between the French and Americans are vast.  One such difference is how the French view children.

They believe that children should be seen and not heard.  "It is not uncommon to see a child at the age of two or three sitting quietly for a couple of hours while the parents enjoy dinner and conversation with friends", says "the book".  I think  Americans are at the other end of the spectrum;  doting on their children to a fault, giving them tons of choices, accepting bad behaviour  by making comments like "Oh, little Tommy is tired" etc.  (I can't tell you how many times I've used that line).    

I have always thought Max and Sophie had fairly good manners.  Now, I feel like the "manners police".  I am constantly on them "did you say thank you", "look that person in the eye when they talk to you", "sit up straight", "don't play with your food".   I am going to give myself a nervous breakdown trying to mold them over the next two months into "American children who behave in Paris".   Who am I kidding??  

I am noticing so many things about my children and the children around me.....we  spoil them.   I know my parents generation are laughing right now saying "yes,  you do".  Their parents all came from "the old country" where, for the most part, children were seen and not heard.  Personally, I hate that term.  Can't we find a middle ground?  I think that my children could use some fine tuning but I also want them to express themselves  and have a voice.   

The goal for me is to "chill out" and stop worrying about what others think of MY parenting and MY children.   I will put my "blinders" on and do the best I can........or I will make friends with another Mom who has a couple of terrors running around so I won't look so bad.  Yeah, that sounds better.