a train ride
After consuming approximately 5 baguettes (me), 4 croissants (Ali), way too many Starbucks lattes (Ali), and 2 more McDonald’s lattes (Ali – he has no shame), we rolled ourselves back on to the Eurostar for a 2.5 hour train ride back to London.
As soon as the train took off (and not one second after the planned departure of 13:13 – the timeliness of the Eurostar allows me to overlook the dirtiness of their trains) a mom, traveling with her 3 kids said, “Who has the playing cards? Let’s play cards.”
And so began our journey.
At the Eiffel…
Me @ 13:15 – “Wow Ali, she’s playing cards with her kids. I wonder how she had the patience to do that? And how cute are their accents?”
Me @ 13:45 – “They are still going at it. Impressive. That’s a dedicated mother.”
Me @ 14:00 – “They could keep their voices down you know, some of us are actually trying to work.”
Me @ 14:15 – “It’s like nails on a chalkboard Ali. Nails on a chalkboard.”
Me @ 14:30 – “If that kid yells ‘You’re a cheat! You’re a cheat!’ one more time? I’m going to lose it.”
Me @ 14:35 – “Make it stop Ali. Please make it stop.”
Ali @ 14:36 – “I’m moving to the dining car. Can you watch the luggage?”
Scones @ Le Pain Quotidien (London), Crab Salad at Laduree (Paris), Panna Cotta at Del Papa (Paris), Salmon at Sofra (London)
While Ali likely enjoyed another latte in the peaceful dining car, sans my running commentary, the family continued to play cards at the top of their lungs.
Ultimately, they played cards for – are you ready for it? – 2.25 hours. And the mom participated the entire time.
At Sofra, one of my favorite restaurants in London
The takeaway here? Maybe I’ll never, ever be able to play games with Maya for 2.25 hours (or for 5 minutes – let’s be honest here), but at least I don’t annoy strangers on a train.
And that counts for something.
neglectful
I was “forced” to get on another plane this week…and it’s all Maya’s fault.
It all started with me trying to sign Maya up for another week of camp online, only to read that there were no more weeks of camp to sign up for. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
So I called the camp director to confirm.
Dinner at Prezzo, London, A 25k pound children’s car at Selfridge’s (no joke), and Tea at The Wolseley in London.
Camp Director: “There is no error on our website. Camp ends August 30th.”
Me: “But that leaves 9 days until school starts. How am I supposed to entertain a high-energy 8-year-old for 9 whole days?”
I was almost shaking with fear. You may think I’m being dramatic, but picture this:
- A kid, who normally must be occupied every second, with nothing to do and nowhere to go.
- Two working parents.
- A new city where we have no family and few friends.
- My controlling self who cannot find it in herself to trust and thus hire a babysitter to watch Maya. (Despite the fact they’re likely more qualified than me to do so.)
The Eiffel, The Arc, The Din’s (Apostrophe here? Or no apostrophe?).
I’m sure you’ll agree that I was caught between a rock and a hard place.
So we did the only thing we could do: we ran off to London so Maya’s grandparents could watch her while Ali and I worked remotely.
And then, because we aren’t neglectful and selfish enough, Ali and I decided to leave Maya with her grandparents for a few days, so we could visit Paris.
We want to feel terrible, truly we do. And we will.
Right after I finish my Pain au Chocolat and Ali has another latte.
a tantrum
There was some confusion this week with regards to the division of labor in our home.
Here are how things typically work:
After reviewing the above, I’m sure you’ll agree that:
- I really don’t ask too much of my husband.
- I was justified in losing my @#$% this week, in an over-the-top (even for me) dramatic show due to the Internet being down. And then the printer not printing. For days. And days. And then another day.
Banana Pudding @ Magnolia Bakery, Shrimp Salad @ La Bergamote, Chocolate Cookie Dough Pudding @ Bouchon, Eggs @ Maison Kayser
My temper tantrum finally got Ali moving.
He rushed to Best Buy to return our router and purchase a new router, he spent several hours on calls to our sub-par provider Time Warner (bad words were used by him this time, not me), he ran out to Best Buy again to purchase two more attractive boxes labeled “NetGear” that now dot our bedroom and kitchen, and then when he claimed everything was fixed?
He suddenly had to leave for a week-long “business trip” to Boston, at which point he tried to sneak off with the Mi-Fi.
I think Ali has gone completely insane. Truly.
While I'm not going to win Mother/Wife of the Year Award anytime soon, I haven't killed anyone yet or shot myself in the head. And that, my friends, is how I calculate success these days. 
FANCY THAT FANCY THIS 