5 French Potty Facts

1. There are very public, permanent open air urinals at some train stations & possibly in other places
2. So far, toilet paper is really thin & feels like sandpaper. However, we bought some rolls that are soft & they claim you only need 1 square! Guess what, it's true...
3. Toilet paper comes in basic white, but also in pink & purple!
4. I previously mentioned having to pay to use the facilities in some places. They have someone disinfecting & spraying the stall after each use. 
5. A lot of restaurants, grocery stores, parks and public spaces in general do not have bathrooms.
6. (BONUS: The picture above is a public service announcement sign that says 35 euro fine for poop on the street)

5 Fascinating French Food Facts

1. At McDonald’s you can request to have your food brought to your table and if you order mustard for your chicken nuggets you get regular mustard (not honey mustard). 
2. Beautiful, delicious pastries are really cheap. You can buy a beautiful pastry for $2. And I’m talking delicious!!! The famous macaroons from Ladurée are an exception.  You can expect to spend well over $40 on 2 pots of tea & 4 delectable macaroons. A true luxury! 
3. There is a real abundance of cheese. Lots of fragrant, creamy cheese for just a few euros. 
4. At most places, coffee will run you $7-9 euros.  
5. We have gone to the grocery store several times & have never seen any other small children aside from our own.  Eggs aren't refrigerated. Refrigerated milk is unpasteurized and  pasteurized milk isn't refrigerated... but we don't have conclusive evidence about this yet.

Madeline Goes to Paris!

Bonjour!

We arrived in beautiful Paris, but not without difficulty. Even though we planned ahead, much of the packing and logistics happened in the last few minutes.

We rented are house back home and where we packed up all of our belongings. Those of you who have moved recently know how stressful this is. Those of you who have small children know that the stress is amplified.

Once the house was all packed up, I started planning what to pack for an entire year.  My goal was 2 suitcases and 1 carry on for the four of us.  Somehow, I ended up with 4 suitcases. Oops!

Throughout the entire process I had been really stressed and anxious, but had remained relatively calm. I LOVE to travel, but I always get overly excited which translates to anxious and sometimes physically ill.

This time, the stress was so overwhelming that I ended up hanging out in the airport bathroom for 2.5 hours vomiting and nauseous. I would have stayed there longer if the time to board the plane hadn't come. I was beyond scared to get on a 10 hour flight with an extremely upset stomach.

I kept thinking of the worst case scenarios and worked myself up to a bit of a panic. Luckily, we had ended up with 2 business class tickets and 1 first class ticket. The original plan was to divide and conquer: one of us would have a kid in first class and the other would keep a kid in business class.

Given my state, I ended up in first class the entire flight. I had never flown first class international and was amazed by the service. It was way better than business class. My flight attendant was extremely kind and helpful. The never ending tea supply helped calm my stomach and nerves, and the comfortable bed allowed me to rest and feel a lot better.

One of the things I was most thankful for was the first class bathroom! Yes, the bathroom! I was expecting the standard tiny, gross, claustrophobic closet, but instead found a very roomy bathroom. I couldn't believe my luck when I saw the sitting area within the bathroom.

When we finally landed in Charles de Gaulle, I was sure the worst had passed and I could start living my Parisian dream. Not so... stay tuned.

5 Unexpected French Facts

1. What do the French do at 3 A.M.? Go to a Cafe, of course.
2. The Ratatouille ride at Disneyland Paris is amazing!
3. The French are extremely nice! The trick is to try to speak more French than just "Bonjour, parlez vous anglais?"
4. Bread pudding move over... bread flan is amazing!
5. Having tea & macaroons at Ladurée is an absolute must! The house tea blend is incredible and the whole experience is very luxurious.

New Year, New Face

Skin care products can either make or break your entire face. Wrinkles, spots, dullness as well as other conditions come with aging, but I would like to minimize and postpone these side effects as long as possible. I believe that taking care of your skin is like an investment in your face–there are short-term benefits now, but the long-term benefits pay off even more as you age. 

My latest find, GlamGlow, is a brand that I'm really enjoying. I find it to be really efficient in delivering on their promise. I first tried a sample of the mud mask from Sephora and saw such immediate results that I went to purchase the blue one called ThirstyMud ($69 from GlamGlow) when my skin became dry and dull in the winter. There are some products that you have to use a long time before you see any benefit, other products make you break out the first time you try them, but ThirtyMud made my skin feel soft and supple after one use with no day-after breakout.



This week I stopped by Sephora in search of a lipstick and instead walked out with a GlamGlow SuperCleanse ($39 from GlamGlow). Even my husband likes this one because it starts out as a mud and then turns into a foam after you add some water. It's like a combination mask and cleanser in one. For years I have been using a Chanel cleanser that costs $45, so this one is not a lot cheaper. But they both last a long time, so the price per use is pretty reasonable. You only need a small amount. 

The SuperCleanse has an herbal/eucalyptus smell and the peppermint makes it feel really refreshing on your skin. I don't feel chemically stripped like after using other cleansers in the past. I also noticed my skin had a nice glow. I will update you later as I continue to use it, but I'm sure it will become a new favorite.

The Healthy Deodorant

There's a lot talk about harmful ingredients in body products these days, so I decided to switch my deodorant to a more natural alternative. In the past I've tried the crystal salt rocks and they've been a complete failure. You have to get the rock wet and it is just weird.

I almost gave up trying when I heard about Lavanila Laboratories. They call themselves "The Healthy Deodorant," and is 100% natural with no aluminum and no parabens.  It contains essential oils, anti-oxidants and "beta glucagon technology."

I'm not sure what all those things are, but I sent my husband to Sephora to buy it for me. He smelled all the different scents and said they all smelled good.

I'm very happy with this product because it's not only more natural, but it smells great and works just like regular deodorant! All of the scents combine vanilla with some other scent. I chose the vanilla passion fruit thinking it would smell like a tropical drink (I know it's weird wanting to have my underarms smell like that), but it just smells fresh without any hint of vanilla sweetness.

All in all, I love that it doesn't leave a residue on your underarms or clothing. The deodorant works, and if you are interested in a natural alternative like I am, definitely give this one a try.

A Taste of Luxury

Do you like receiving packages in the mail? I love it! A couple years ago my husband paid for a Birchbox subscription for me because he knows how much I love receiving packages in the mail. For $10/month, you get 4-5 high-end beauty samples ranging from makeup, body products, lotion, perfume, hair accessories, nail polish, skincare and a lifestyle extra (candy, breath mints, tea, snacks).

To start your subscription you go to birchbox.com and request an invite. Once you are invited, you fill out a brief questionnaire about yourself and what kind of items you would like to receive. I don't always like the items that arrive in my box, but often discover new products and brands that I would have never tried or bought on my own.

Here is what I received this month:

• Stila Lip Glaze - 1.5 ml
• Supergoop!® City Sunscreen Serum
• Mighty Leaf Tea - Tea Pouches
• Agave Healing Oil Treatment - 2 oz.
• Gilchrist & Soames London Collection Body Lotion
• Ghirardelli Intense Dark Cherry Tango

I really like the lip glaze a lot and am looking forward to trying the sunscreen--great size for my purse. I will also enjoy the teas and my husband or son will have the chocolate.  I'm not sure about the agave oil treatment, but it might turn out to be a great product. The lotion smells fine--I wish it smelled better--and will see how it leaves my skin.

Overall, I'm happy with this box.  Usually they are great to good, but sometimes I only end up liking 1 or 2 things. For $10 it's not too much of a gamble considering you might fall in love with a few things and at the very least, you'll get the excitement of opening your box each month!