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YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT – how the French relate to food.

Ha! I’ve been waiting for this post! I’m not a foodie, but I am a big fan of trying new things and eating good food. I learned it from my dad. He was an adventurous eater and traveler, and he taught me that you need to try everything at least once before you decide which way to go. Personally, I’m more of a try-ALMOST-everything-at-least-once kind of girl, and that’s what I pass on to my kids. With my three children…

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French public schools – Part 1

Good question… But first…wondering how schools are set up in France? Well, this is what I learned so far: Formal education in France is divided into three main stages: primary education, secondary education, and higher education. Within this you have preschools, or pre-maternelles and maternelles, which are not obligatory, and the mandatory école (elementary), collèges (middle), and lycée (high). Usually, children start mandatory education when they turn 6. The école (elementary) is divided into five grades, counting backwards: 11th, 10th,…

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Le livre est sur la table.

How about packing your bags and moving your three kids to France, for seven months, in the middle of the school year? What if they didn’t speak French at all, and your French is still rusty? Well… we did just that. A TEMPORARY career opportunity presented itself to our family, and we took it. And so, the Brazilians who moved to the US and had kids, now moved, with said kids, to France. Et VOILA. So far, we’ve had hilarious,…

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A new red bike

Have you ever obsessed over a new toy? A toy you couldn’t go without, or a game you had to play over and over again until, one day, you moved on to the next? I have. I was ALL about My Little Pony. Not the current Japanese-style version with lean ponies struggling with pre-teen drama and angst. No. I’m a product of the 80s, and I LOVED the rounder, sweeter, fight-this-impossible-evil original My Little Pony. That was MY thing. As…

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My TOP 5 Multicultural Picture Books!

I am constantly searching for good children’s books on multicultural experiences, diversity, and tolerance. From my personal experiences raising three kids who are bilingual AND bicultural, I often feel that they need not only physical contact with other kids in similar situations, but also strong characters and role models that share a unique personal background. So…without further ado, these are my top faves when it comes to (current) PICTURE BOOKS (I’ll do one on chapter books later). Enjoy! Marney Monster’s…

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All artwork & text belong to L.O.Martins & may NOT be used w/o prior written consent.