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France (at last)



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 28th 03, 10:58 PM
multimom4
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default France (at last)

Finally, The Report on our trip to France, June 21 thru July 28.

Sean was already in France for business, and took as much luggage as I could
pack ahead of time (a lot) to save me the carrying. On the night before, I
had everything ready so I actually got to bed before 10, which was a smart
move. Up at 2:15 am, woke kids at 3, for smooth 3:40 bus pickup. First
flight at 6:30.
Flights went well, considering. Last-minute purchases of Gameboy and 2 CD
walkmen were the best
investments of my life. Elliot played Gameboy solidly for the 5 hours +/-
from Seattle to Philadelphia. Holly napped. On the Philly-Paris portion,
things unwound a little. First Holly fell off the seat onto her head while
I was strapping her car seat in. Not happy in my arms or in her seat, and
suddenly it was take-off, so she screamed for an HOUR. We were not
popular. Then Connor was absent-mindedly kicking the seat in front of him,
so the old guy woke me from my (only) nap to tell me about it -- then he
went for a 20 minute walk. I was *soooo* mad -- I mean, I know the kid was
driving him nuts, but couldn't he have complained on the way *back* to his
seat? I made C. sit crisscross applesauce for the rest of the flight.

Paris was great -- our only hitch was that apparently the entire French
capital contains precisely three highchairs, only one of which has a strap,
so Holly tried to ruin every meal by bobbing up and down and pulling stuff
on the floor -- or falling on her head onto tiles, on one occasion. It
actually seemed to be a relief to *her* too, the one time we found a real
highchair and she had to sit still.

EHC *loved* Paris. The Eiffel Tower was a 5-minute wonder, more popular
from the ground than from the top, but they thought the (outside) of the
Louvre was really cool, the funfair in the Tuileries gardens was a wonderful
surprise, and they particularly *loved* the churches. Musta spent 2
hours in Notre Dame looking at the "Jesus stories". Another hour + in the
Sainte Chapelle and as for the Conciergerie (medieval Government offices
used as prison during the Revolution), they thought the "pretend people"
(models of Marie Antoinette etc) were too cool. Suitably impressed by the
little cell in which the condemned had their hair cut and their clothes torn
down over their shoulders before heading off to the tumbrils, too. Heh heh.

Another really cool thing about Paris is the new "Batobus". You buy a
ticket ($10 for an adult, $5 for a child -- Holly was free, I think) and you
can then ride up and down the Seine on a boat *all* day, getting on and off
at "bus stops" as often as you want. It really beats pounding the pavement
with 4 kids or fighting on and off the Metro with a stroller. Of course, it
adds up for a big family, but we just did it one day and it helped us pack
in a lot more sightseeing than we could possibly have managed otherwise.

At the coast, we missed both the March - June heatwave and the August one,
so the weather was much hotter at home than we got at the beach ---- but
since we had no a/c and the gorgeous sandy beach was our near-deserted
private territory (no kiosks to buy drinks or anything), it's just as well
it wasn't boiling. Easily warm enough for playing all but a couple of rainy
days, on one of which we went to the Bayeux Tapestry (and the Cathedral of
course!!). The house (for 4.5 weeks) was, as promised, right opposite the
beach. Unrestricted Atlantic views, magnificent sunsets and thunderstorms
(!), and on clear days we could easily see the houses and telegraph poles on
Jersey and even a cluster of tiny house-sized inhabited islands just off J.
whose name now escapes me -- the residents must be mad. Open your front
door and you pretty much fall into the sea. Our house was very nice -- no
nasty surprises and everything worked as advertised. I guess the only
problem was that the locals fish from that beach using their farm tractors
to drag their fishing boats into the sea .... very picturesque, but all that
machinery leaves occasional mini oil slicks on the beach. Not a big problem
once I learned that vegetable oil removes it pretty easily, but still an
irritation.

Was joined over there at various times by my Mom, my two sisters and their
spouse/kids, 4 girlfriends from college and their various offspring
(including the 7 boys of my French-residing friend whose house was about 50
minutes away, so we visited each other weekly) ... which all went very
well, I think :-}.

There's a lot of invasion history in Normandy (many houses and shops still
fly the British, American and Canadian flags over their doors and the local
town halls. Plus the flower beds outside the town halls, and in the traffic
circles, acknowledge the liberation, too, with badges of the units and
titles like: "AIRBORNE" etc). So I gave EHC the basic historical background
and then Daddy took EHCH to the Beaches one day while I lounged around the
house with my sister eating an evil lunch, watching Wimbledon on the tv
(English reception from the Channel Islands) and reading our books in cozy
SILENCE. They got home after a 10 hr trip and Sean confessed he might have
forgotten to tell them what D-Day actually was. So I'm sort of still
wondering whether they understood *anything* about the pillboxes and gun
emplacements they saw that day.

I learned two easy new recipes from friends (chicken curry and zucchini
fettucine) to add to my pathetic repertoire -- I'm a great cook but I am
also terminally lazy on that front. So all in all we had a great time --
I've never been so tanned in my life and EHHs' blond hair is bleached
almost-white.

Am trying to work out what country to try next, and when. If Sean has to go
to the Farnborough air show (UK) next year, we might even risk driving on
the other side of the road :-) Otherwise, we'll probably wait at least
another year til Holly is more travel-ready.

--
Janet
Elliot, Hanna, Connor (10/21/96)
and Holly (4/4/01)



  #2  
Old August 29th 03, 04:14 AM
Megan Byrne
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default France (at last)

Oh my, all I can say is God bless ya! We just went camping for 5 days in
PA from NJ and barely survived. I can't imagine flying across the world
with 4 kids. Good job!!

Megan
Mommy to miracle twins...
Aidan & Alexis
Born 9-28-02


  #3  
Old September 2nd 03, 11:14 AM
Kender
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Mexican Lasagna, was France (at last)

"multimom4" wrote in message
news:ZVu3b.287146$YN5.197252@sccrnsc01...
snip
I learned two easy new recipes from friends (chicken curry and zucchini
fettucine) to add to my pathetic repertoire -- I'm a great cook but I am
also terminally lazy on that front.


You might like this recipe Janet. It is a great, easy to make ahead of time
(such as in the afternoon) and my kids love it. I use whole wheat tortillas
because I don't like the corn tortillas.

Mexican Lasagna

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 large onion, halved and cut into thin wedges
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 cups (16 ounces) fat free ricotta cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) reduced fat sour cream
1 jar (4 ounces) chopped green chile peppers
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups salsa
8 corn tortillas (6" diameter), cut in half
1.25 cups (5 ounces) shredded low-fat Monterey Jack Cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 13" x 9" baking dish with cooking spray.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat.
Add the chicken and cook, turning several times, for 5 minutes, or until no
longer pink. Remove to a medium bowl. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel.
Coat with cooking spray. Place over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic.
Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes, or until lightly
browned. Add to the chicken in the bowl.

In another medium bowl, combine the ricotta, sour cream, chile peppers,
cilantro, cumin and salt.

Spread 1 cup of the salsa across the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Arrange half of the tortillas evenly over the salsa. Spread half of the
ricotta mixture over the tortillas. top with half the chicken mixture. Top
with 1 cup of the remaining salsa and 1/2 cup of the Monterey Jack. Repeat
the layering sequence with the remaining tortillas, ricotta mixture, and
chicken mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of the salsa and the 3/4
cup cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through. Loosely cover with foil if the
cheese browns too quickly.

Makes 8 servings
Per serving: 281 calories, 30g protein, 20g carbohydrates, 9g fat, 61 mg
cholesterol, 3g fiber, 601 mg sodium


--
Erin
Morgan and Megan 2/15/97
Evan 5/14/00


  #4  
Old September 2nd 03, 02:16 PM
Megan Byrne
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Mexican Lasagna, was France (at last)

I have a similar recipe that is sooo yummy!

1 lb. chopped meat

1 lg. can tomato puree
1 sm. can tomato paste
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
sugar to taste

4 cups cheddar
4 cups mozzarella

no boil lasagna noodles

Brown your chop meat, drain fat
Add all your tomatoes and sugar to taste
Bring to a boil and then simmer for as long as you like.

Layer meat mixture with cheeses and noodles.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for one hour, then uncovered for 1/2 hour.

Megan
Mommy to miracle twins...
Aidan & Alexis
Born 9-28-02


  #5  
Old September 2nd 03, 03:06 PM
thefackrells
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Lasagna Noodle tip!


no boil lasagna noodles

Just a helpful tip, because I know that a lot of folks don't know it

yet.....when making lasagna, you don't have to boil nor buy special "no
boil" noodles!! You can use just your basic lasagna noodles, DRY....just add
some extra water to your sauce ("they" say 1/4-1/2C) and make sure the
noodles are covered by the sauce! And then cook as normal! I've done this
and cooked it immediately and I've also made it ahead of time and froze
it.....great every time!!

oh oh oh...have y'all tried adding Cream Cheese to your lasagna????!!!!!! I
KNOW it sounds odd......but I found it in a recipe one time, tried it, and
OMG!!!! I won't make it again w/o!!! its awesome!!
Gwen


  #6  
Old September 2nd 03, 08:34 PM
GSX Neil
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default France (at last)

A little advice, in case you didn't know, if you speak French in France they
will be much more likely to get things for you, even if it's bad French.
The French are a bit prone to English/American bashing and some will even go
out of their way to be unhelpful - hence the 3 high-chairs! Could be my
bald head, sixty tattoos, boots and England soccer shirt?? Only kidding.

Glad you liked Paris and the other areas though, London is better (although
I'm biased). The Farnborough Air Show is one of the best and well worth
seeing so you must try.

What's difficult about driving on the correct side of the road though? Mind
you, a lot of English drivers would struggle regardless of which side they
drive

NEIL.

ps: I don't wear boots

"multimom4" wrote in message
news:ZVu3b.287146$YN5.197252@sccrnsc01...
Finally, The Report on our trip to France, June 21 thru July 28.

Sean was already in France for business, and took as much luggage as I

could
pack ahead of time (a lot) to save me the carrying. On the night before,

I
had everything ready so I actually got to bed before 10, which was a smart
move. Up at 2:15 am, woke kids at 3, for smooth 3:40 bus pickup. First
flight at 6:30.
Flights went well, considering. Last-minute purchases of Gameboy and 2 CD
walkmen were the best
investments of my life. Elliot played Gameboy solidly for the 5 hours +/-
from Seattle to Philadelphia. Holly napped. On the Philly-Paris portion,
things unwound a little. First Holly fell off the seat onto her head

while
I was strapping her car seat in. Not happy in my arms or in her seat, and
suddenly it was take-off, so she screamed for an HOUR. We were not
popular. Then Connor was absent-mindedly kicking the seat in front of

him,
so the old guy woke me from my (only) nap to tell me about it -- then he
went for a 20 minute walk. I was *soooo* mad -- I mean, I know the kid

was
driving him nuts, but couldn't he have complained on the way *back* to his
seat? I made C. sit crisscross applesauce for the rest of the flight.

Paris was great -- our only hitch was that apparently the entire French
capital contains precisely three highchairs, only one of which has a

strap,
so Holly tried to ruin every meal by bobbing up and down and pulling stuff
on the floor -- or falling on her head onto tiles, on one occasion. It
actually seemed to be a relief to *her* too, the one time we found a real
highchair and she had to sit still.

EHC *loved* Paris. The Eiffel Tower was a 5-minute wonder, more popular
from the ground than from the top, but they thought the (outside) of the
Louvre was really cool, the funfair in the Tuileries gardens was a

wonderful
surprise, and they particularly *loved* the churches. Musta spent 2
hours in Notre Dame looking at the "Jesus stories". Another hour + in the
Sainte Chapelle and as for the Conciergerie (medieval Government offices
used as prison during the Revolution), they thought the "pretend people"
(models of Marie Antoinette etc) were too cool. Suitably impressed by the
little cell in which the condemned had their hair cut and their clothes

torn
down over their shoulders before heading off to the tumbrils, too. Heh

heh.

Another really cool thing about Paris is the new "Batobus". You buy a
ticket ($10 for an adult, $5 for a child -- Holly was free, I think) and

you
can then ride up and down the Seine on a boat *all* day, getting on and

off
at "bus stops" as often as you want. It really beats pounding the

pavement
with 4 kids or fighting on and off the Metro with a stroller. Of course,

it
adds up for a big family, but we just did it one day and it helped us pack
in a lot more sightseeing than we could possibly have managed otherwise.

At the coast, we missed both the March - June heatwave and the August one,
so the weather was much hotter at home than we got at the beach ---- but
since we had no a/c and the gorgeous sandy beach was our near-deserted
private territory (no kiosks to buy drinks or anything), it's just as well
it wasn't boiling. Easily warm enough for playing all but a couple of

rainy
days, on one of which we went to the Bayeux Tapestry (and the Cathedral of
course!!). The house (for 4.5 weeks) was, as promised, right opposite the
beach. Unrestricted Atlantic views, magnificent sunsets and thunderstorms
(!), and on clear days we could easily see the houses and telegraph poles

on
Jersey and even a cluster of tiny house-sized inhabited islands just off

J.
whose name now escapes me -- the residents must be mad. Open your front
door and you pretty much fall into the sea. Our house was very nice -- no
nasty surprises and everything worked as advertised. I guess the only
problem was that the locals fish from that beach using their farm tractors
to drag their fishing boats into the sea .... very picturesque, but all

that
machinery leaves occasional mini oil slicks on the beach. Not a big

problem
once I learned that vegetable oil removes it pretty easily, but still an
irritation.

Was joined over there at various times by my Mom, my two sisters and their
spouse/kids, 4 girlfriends from college and their various offspring
(including the 7 boys of my French-residing friend whose house was about

50
minutes away, so we visited each other weekly) ... which all went very
well, I think :-}.

There's a lot of invasion history in Normandy (many houses and shops still
fly the British, American and Canadian flags over their doors and the

local
town halls. Plus the flower beds outside the town halls, and in the

traffic
circles, acknowledge the liberation, too, with badges of the units and
titles like: "AIRBORNE" etc). So I gave EHC the basic historical

background
and then Daddy took EHCH to the Beaches one day while I lounged around the
house with my sister eating an evil lunch, watching Wimbledon on the tv
(English reception from the Channel Islands) and reading our books in cozy
SILENCE. They got home after a 10 hr trip and Sean confessed he might

have
forgotten to tell them what D-Day actually was. So I'm sort of still
wondering whether they understood *anything* about the pillboxes and gun
emplacements they saw that day.

I learned two easy new recipes from friends (chicken curry and zucchini
fettucine) to add to my pathetic repertoire -- I'm a great cook but I am
also terminally lazy on that front. So all in all we had a great time --
I've never been so tanned in my life and EHHs' blond hair is bleached
almost-white.

Am trying to work out what country to try next, and when. If Sean has to

go
to the Farnborough air show (UK) next year, we might even risk driving on
the other side of the road :-) Otherwise, we'll probably wait at least
another year til Holly is more travel-ready.

--
Janet
Elliot, Hanna, Connor (10/21/96)
and Holly (4/4/01)





  #7  
Old September 3rd 03, 12:55 AM
Julie Seely
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default France (at last)

Thanks, Janet!

Sounds like a great trip.

Julie
  #8  
Old September 3rd 03, 07:45 PM
Andrea
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default France (at last)

For some reason the original post is not showing up. :{ Can someone please
post it for me.

Thanks,
Andrea
twin girls-Madison & Jordan
3 yrs. old
 




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