In this episode, I share my thoughts about being a mum off two teenagers and how difficult it can be to let go of them in order for them to gain their independence. I talk about "trouver sa place" which translates as finding your place in life.
In this episode ,I tell you all about my latest trip to Colombia with Bill. We had not planned to go there originally but on our search for a destination, Cartagena caught our attention. Being there was amazing! We loved it! From the people, the culture, the food and the music, everything was amazing.
In this episode, I talk about our trip to Punta Cana with the kids. It was for our family moon and what can I say? It was absolutely wonderful: from the beach, the weather to the excursion and the hotel. And most importantly, our kids. Spending time was just a delight and we realized how precious those times are. We already knew it but it was even more special this time around.
In this episode, I talk about the new addition to our already chaotic family but what an addition! Snoopy is our new puppy and we are so grateful for him. He became part of our family thanks to one of my students, Caroline, who entered a competition with a breeder of Aussidoodle to win a puppy for her daughter. When speaking to me about it, I realized that it would be great to make that plunge and get a dog for our four children and for me too. Snoopy is adorable despite chewing on everything around him. We lost a few pair of shoes and cushions but it,s worth it!
In this episode, I talk about our wedding day. I explain why it was a long process to get everything ready (sourcing caterer, venue, wasters, decor, dresses, suits, wedding cake). I also mention how the kids helped with cleaning all the cutlery that we used for the wedding dinner. I also thank Cassy and Lee for providing a wonderful Italian meal along with a special thanks to the team of waiters who were just so attentive. For the music, we had a great DJ, Daniel and my student, Kent and his girlfriend Emily, who played some acoustic music. It was just our idea of perfect! Finally, what was amazing and touching is to see how everybody was happy for us. We couldn't have wished for a better day! Can we do it again?
In this episode, I talk about our summer 2024 where many things happen at the same time so juggling was a skill we developed: moving places, getting married and adopting a puppy. The moral of the story: nothing is perfect but when you follow your heart, it makes it right.
In this episode, I talk about how important my family and friends are to me and how despite being far away from them, I think of them every day.
I also explain how excited I am to see them in August for our big event and how I will help them organise their trip to Quebec by setting up a WhatsApp to share places to visit and things to do while they are vacationing.
In this episode, I talk about the moments of happiness I have had since my last episode:
- our game nights with Laila and Ricardo, Ian and June and our Italian caterers and friends now, Cassy and Lee.
- my beef bourguignon
- our renovations with the help of Jesus
- Mother's day
- and finally, my new students: Marie-Amandine, Daira and Sara
In this episode, I talk about the brunch we were invited to on Sunday at our Polish friends, Kris and Aga. As usual, they welcomed us with open arms. They prepared a traditional Polish Easter lunch: a soup to start with, sausages and boiled eggs and many desserts including a cheesecake, a chocolate tart and a Panetonne. We discussed our traditions around Easter and also shared recommendations for good books and movies to watch. Friends and good times. Nothing better than that. Happy Easter!
In this episode, I talk about Valentine's day and the legends behind it. I also talk about the French expressions related to love and how the world celebrates it. Enjoy and Happy Valentine's to everybody!
In this episode, I talk about career week at my son's school. It is a week where parents are invited to talk about their profession. Etienne asked me to participate in it and I was glad to do it. The students and the teacher, Miss Antonia, were so welcoming. They asked great questions. Later this year, I explain how I will help Etienne's teacher organise the graduation party for his class to celebrate the end of their primary school years. Today is also my son's birthday so I wish him a great 12th birthday!
In this episode, I wish everybody a happy new year! I resume what we did as a family for Christmas and our New Year holidays. I also explain why we have been busy lately with our upcoming wedding and how much our kids participated in the planning. I also explained how 2024 started off with new students and new challenges. Happy listening!
In this episode, I talk about Will, my step son who just celebrated his 12th birthday. I talk about the person he is and all the ordeals he had to go through in the last three years due to his drug resistant epilepsy. I speak about his new school and his Paralympic club that he attends every Saturday. I praise him for being so brave and kind, and for teaching us every day two important things: positivity and humility.
In this episode, I explain why this week was so good. Great temperatures! Wonderful colours of the leaves! Fall is finally here. Let's cheer to the wonderful colours around us but also to the great seasonal products we will have for a Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends.
In this episode, I share my thoughts about the transition from primary school to secondary schools for Etienne. I also talk about the admission tests to get into a private school in Quebec when your child is in 6th grade. I also ask people to give me some advice to make my kids' lunch boxes more varied as I tend to run out of ideas when it comes to preparing lunches.
In this episode, I talk about my latest trip to France and the reasons why this time, it was a very special holiday. I mention the places I have visited this summer and the people who came with me on this trip.
Among the places I mention, here are a few that might catch your attention if you plan a visit in Limousin:
- château de Marzac
- gouffre de Proumeyssac
- Brantôme
Happy Summer everybody!
In this episode, I talk about the differences between French humour and British humour. I mention the humorists that I love watching on different platforms and the reasons why I like them so much.
Here is a list of my favorite comedians:
Florence Foresti
Michael McIntyre
Loic Suberville
Paul Taylor
As we celebrate Canada Day this weekend, let's take time to laugh harder than usual.
In this episode, I speak about a new idea that I have had for our family! Saturday is our game night! We get together with our neighbours who are originally from Brazil and we play games with the kids. It takes place at either their place or ours and we eat finger food.
Here is the list of games we usually play:
1. Geo guesser
2. Heads up
3. Time's up
4. Boggle
It is something that we, as parents, have very much cherished in the last few months and so have the kids. So if you have any games you want to share with me, that would be awesome!
In this episode, I talk about the joy of reading. Since finishing my biggest contract to date with the government, I have taken a week off where I rediscovered the joy of reading. During that time, I caught up on the book Surrender retracing Bono's life (the U2 lead singer). I also started reading the book from the NPR journalist, Mary Louise Kelly: It goes so fast. It was offered to me by the kids and Bill on Mother's Day. It is such a great book! It shows how important it is not to always feel guilty as parents and that juggling family life with work doesn't come without any mistakes made along the way. The most important is to show up when we can. We can't always be perfect as humans (both at work and at home). We just need to try our hardest.
In this episode, I revisit the highlights of the last few months: my trip to Banff with Bill, my weekend in Ottawa with the kids and the launch of my website. I would like to include some links here for the places I visited in Banff as I thought they were awesome and could be useful for anyone wanting to visit Banff. I also would like to share with you the website of Julien, my website designer, who I think he is so talented and professional. He is awesome too!
BANFF
http://www.littlewildcoffee.ca/
https://www.thegrizzlypaw.com/our-food/micro-brewery-pub-and-restaurant-in-canmore/
JULIEN