c'est formidable!

We are back from our trip to France.
We had an amazing time, and it's hard to believe it was only a few days ago that we were wandering around the beautiful streets of Paris.
Fortunately none of the strikes, rioting & general political unrest affected us.
Though we did have several concerned emails and texts from friends and family wondering if we would make it back okay.
I think the media made it sound much worse than it really was.
But enough about that.

We went to three different areas of France that we love the most.
Starting with Champagne.
What's not to love about the birth place of the world's most effervescent and celebratory beverage?
We stayed in an adorable hotel in a small town called Troyes.
We'd been to the town on our honeymoon 10 years previous and said that if we ever came back we HAD to stay there.
It was even nicer than I had remembered.
It was so charming and the perfect way to begin our week in France.

We then kept driving south to Bourgogne.
we stayed for the weekend at a small cottage at the top of a hill in a vineyard.
What can I say?
quaint, spectacular views, private...perfect.
We really got to know the town of Beaune quite well.
We LOVED the Saturday farmers market and had a few really delicious meals there.
I was a bit disappointed as I had planned on taking a cooking class while there, but the unfortunately the timing didn't work out.
Ah well, maybe next time.

Then we headed back up north west to the Loire.
An opulent area.
So many chateau's and country estates it's mind blowing.
The french really know how to live in style.
"Let them eat cake" is an understatement.
We stayed in a family owned Chateau in the middle of the country.
It's been in the family for over seven generations.
As in pre-revolution.
very cool experience.
The owner is a woman was from France (my age) and her husband was from California.
So needless to say we had some great conversations at breakfast time.
I love the B&B experience- very unique and so informative.
we did a few tours of some old Chateaus- which was so perfect as I've been reading The Josephine B Trilogy by Sandra Gulland.
Talk about being able to get a visual for the backdrop of the story!
Bonus that we were practically the only ones visiting Maintenon that particular day.
I guess there is a big advantage to travelling off season.

We finished off our trip by heading back up to Paris for three days.
Ah...Paris....
Such a beautiful and inspiring city.
we stayed in the sixth arrondissement which was fantastic.
Our hotel was tres chic and the perfect spot to end our trip.
We walked, shopped, sat in cafes, people watched, wandered though gardens, musuems, walked some more, shopped, ate, drank some great wine, ate some more...
tres tres extraordinaire.
J'aime France!

There's more to say about the trip, my thoughts and observations but for now that's just the quick recap.
since we've been back things have been pretty hectic.
Lulu has been stuck to me like glue- which I don't mind in the least as I missed her a lot.
We had a birthday party to go to the first night we got home- happy b-day Rachel! great party btw.
Had a photo shoot at the zoo this morning with Lulu as a model in a Halloween costume- so SO cute.
stayed tuned for more details on that.
Life is busy and life is full...but most of all...

La vie est belle!

Au revoir

We are off to Paris today.
We, as in big daddy & I.
We were there on our honeymoon ten years ago and said that if we survived a decade together we would return to some of our favourite areas.
So here we are- married for 10 years and 5 months (not that I'm counting...) and about to jump on a plane en route to Charles de Gaulle.
My parents are manning the fort while we are away and looking after Lulu for us.
As excited as I am about a week with my man alone in Europe, I can't lie and say that I'm not just a weesie bit apprehensive about leaving my little peanut for nine days.
I know I know, Lulu will be totally fine with her grandma & grandpa- but it's just so far away....
gulp.
But it's good for all concerned to take breaks- especially for marriages.
And just think of how much she will appreciate us when we get back.
Not to mention how much we will appreciate her when we get back.

So Au revoir mes amis!
xo pg

thanksgiving

It was the most beautiful Thanksgiving weekend weather wise.
Is there anything more gorgeous than autumn leaves?
My absolute favourite time of year hands down.
Family, good food and incredible weather- couldn't ask for a nicer long weekend.
Hope yours was as nice as mine.
Happy Thanksgiving.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
Albert Camus

For The Love of Fashion

I grew up around "fashion."
Or at least in a retail sense of the word.
My dad worked in men's wear his entire life and has had his own clothing store for years.
One of my first jobs was to work in the family business and then eventually I moved on to wholesale and had the opportunity to represent designers and sell their labels.
Then gradually I started doing P.R. for fashion stylists while working at an agency and finally decided to become a stylist myself.
I started doing wardrobe for shoots, then eventually moved into Props and Set Design.

So there you have it, my abbreviated resume in a nut shell.
You would think I absolutely LOVE fashion and follow all the latest trends.

Not exactly.

Oh sure I see what looks good on other people and love to dress them (especially kids) but me?
Not so much.
I find clothing shopping to be a huge pain and a waste of time.
I find it so far from pleasurable that I would rather wax my...errr..floors...rather than go shopping.

"When it comes to fashion, many women get lost along the way somewhere in their thirties, caught up in the pressures of family or work. Reaching your forties often causes a dilemma in terms of dressing – in trying not to appear too old, or as if you are trying too hard to look young."

Ah yeah..

Plus I'm just not digging the styles these days.
It's all so Eighties, and it just takes me back to a place I've been before.
Been there (ahem...stirrup pants) done that.
Which in turn makes me feel. Old.

I mean, I love to shop at Anthopologie for example, but all those girls that work there look adorable in that boho- hippie chic look and can totally get away with mini skirts, those shoe-boot things, feathered headbands and a military jacket all mixed into one outfit.
Me, I would look just ridiculous going to pick Lulu up at school dressed like that.
As tempting as it might be...
Though I have to admit, the other day the store manager asked if I would consider a part time job there, as they are looking for sales staff.
Flattering, yes- but still, I just have a hard time with all this mixing and matching styles.
What ever happened to that nice year 2000 all black Prada look?
So simple, so effortless.
Speaking of all black.
Same goes for my other stand by- Club Monaco.
Just not working for me this season.
The styles are so frilly and shear.
I mean it's soon going to be freezing outside, I don't think a chiffon blouse is going to do the trick.
Not exactly practical.
The Gap & Banana have gotten pretty boring if I'm being honest.
Not everything, but nothing is really jumping of the racks this season.
And Holt's well- knowing the mark-up on clothing I have a hard time justifying spending so much on clothes.
Winners- don't even get me started.
Lets just put it this way, I always leave there not only empty handed- but annoyed.
All the independent shops in my neighbourhood are totally not me, plus all the women that work in them are super bitchy.
Or at least that's been my experience.
H&M and Zara- again, never have a ton of success, at least for me.
Lulu on the other hand always walks away with a killer wardrobe.

Which leaves few other options. at least ones that I have time to go to.
Time is of the essence these days and clothing shopping isn't really at the top of my priority list.
But a girl has to look and feel her best, and for me clothing usually fits that bill.
All is not lost though.
Thank g-d for J.Crew.
Not super trendy, practical but still cute.
Annoying that there isn't a store in Canada yet, but on-line shopping is actually a pretty decent way to go.
I can shop at midnight in my P.J's with a glass of wine in one hand and my credit card in the other.
No line ups, no crowds, no small poorly lit dressing rooms or crusty sales girls.
None of the styles are over the top high fashion, but I think they suit my lifestyle at the moment and I don't end up feeling like a 39 (almost 40) something trying to look 20.
Or worse a 39 (almost 40) something looking like 60.
Not there is anything wrong with 60- I'm just saying...
Not quite ready for Talbot's quite yet.

zero numbers

Well it's been quite a while since I posted about restaurants.
I'm sad that I'm no longer doing important "research" for the now defunct blog that I used to write for.
Though the old reviews are still up and running.
Anyhow the greatest part about writing that column was that it kind of encouraged us to try new restaurants all the time.
Oh sure, I love my stand-by's, but it's always fun to go to different neighbourhoods to try new things.

A couple of years back we went to Seven Numbers on the Danforth (though I think I forgot to post about it) and from what I can recall, we had a pretty decent meal.
It's super casual, with an eclectic mix of kitchy art, wax laden old wine bottles and mismatched chairs.
When you're eating out with the kid(s) at the end of a long week, a casual atmosphere is always welcome.
I also love menus that break things down into four courses: antipasti (salads, seafood), primi (pastas), secondi (meats, fish), and corntini-(side veg).
I find it's the perfect way to sample a bunch of things and also happens to be a super family friendly way to eat.
So it sounds like a great place to go for dinner right?

Wrong.

I have to say it was one of the worst meals I've had in a while.
The bread was stale, the olive oil and balsamic vinegar bottles were dirty and sticky.
Never a good sign of things to come.
the Involtini Di Manzo- Grilled thinly sliced striploin wrapped around prosciutto, green onions and mozzarella was in a word- gross.
It was onion overload.
The Beef Cheeks were...um how to put this...disgusting.
Oh sure they were tender, but also mostly fat and served in such strange tasting wine sauce.
The Grilled Red Pepper and Arugula Salad was over dressed (soggy) and even the side grilled mushrooms tasted off.
How can you screw up grilled mushrooms?
Even Lulu had to send back her under cooked orecchiette.
So in a nut shell every single item that we ordered was terrible.
Oh wait a minute, not everything- the lasagna was decent.
Oh and the service was good too.
Too bad because I like small family restaurants and it was so good in the past.
Not sure what happened.

We passed on dessert- surprise surprise....
Opted for the warm home made brownies that I baked earlier in the day instead.
In fact we should have just stayed in for dinner.

But all is not lost in the land of Toronto dining experiences, we managed to try out some fantastic restaurants over the summer.
Stay tuned for some more reviews.
Or better yet, any good recommendations?

happy new year

Even though big daddy is away, I still love to celebrate one of my favourite Jewish holidays.
When you really think about it, this time of year really does feel like the start of something new.
A new season, new schools & teachers, new routines (oh how I LOVE routines) and just an over all sense of renewal.
But most importantly, a time for new shoes...kidding...

Wishing everyone a very happy, healthy & sweet new year.

Summer Recap

As the summer is drawing to a close (though not according to the weather, 34 degrees today!) I find myself both a little bit melancholy and a little bit excited for the change of season.
This was a really fun summer without a doubt.
Experiencing summer break with a five year old has to be hands down one of life's greatest pleasures.
Everything is so new, so fun, so carefree.
I think for the most part we covered a lot of ground this year.
Tons of swimming, camps, day trips and soaking up all the fantastic summer weather as much as possible.
Food always tastes better when eaten outside am I right?
We managed to catch up with friends whom we hadn't seen in way too long.
We still missed a few- you know who you are and hopefully we'll see you sooner than later.
We really embraced the boat this year and had an amazing time spending the majority of the summer weekends on the lake.
Not that there were too many, but we made the most of rainy days and went to museums, art galleries and even some summer theatre.
Lulu has grown so much in the past 2 months- literally (2.5 inches!) and emotionally.
Sounds crazy, but lately when she goes to bed there's a little part of me that wants it to be morning so we can wake up and start a new summer day together.
I said little right?

Things I learned about my daughter this summer:
She doesn't like wearing shorts or anything with a zipper.
It's dresses, dresses and more dresses. No daisy dukes for my kid.
Wish I knew that when buying all those cute shorts at Old Navy at the beginning of the summer.
Speaking of Daisy Dukes...She likes Katie Perry.
Not quite sure what to say about this one except for- she didn't hear it here at casa petitegourmand.
Maybe it was at Camp? or at a friend's house? maybe a store? Or EVERYWHERE !!!
She's not the best at lip synchronisation and pretty much messes up the lyrics to every song.
The apple doesn't fall to far in this department.. ahem..
She LOVES to dance.
See above re: the apple tree.
She loves Mochi's, tofuti cutie pies, blue freezies and roasted marshmallow & chocolate mint gelato.
On a more healthy note, she finally likes strawberries, blueberries, melon, peaches, cherries, and watermelon- sans seeds.
She loves to coordinate coloured "diamond" sticker earrings to her outfits.
It's all about accessorizing these days.
She has a phobia about public washrooms and elevators.
I already mentioned the apple tree right?
She loves butterflies and can name the different types better than I can.
"look momma, it's a Giant Swallowtail, oh no wait, I think that's a Common Buckeye."
She is a complete water girl and has no fear whatsoever of lakes or swimming until her fingers are all waterlogged and wrinkly.
Could easily spend five hours straight colouring and drawing.
Literally. Maybe even eight hours come to think of it.
She is a bit of a leader and likes to share her creative games and ideas with others.
Is exceptionally sweet, funny, smart and completely beautiful.
I can say that because I'm her momma.
But it's %100 true.

Things I learned about myself this summer.
Taking personal time is beneficial to everyone in our family, not just me.
I am not a perfect mother, nor do I have to be. Mistakes are part of the journey.
I really love to workout and want to set new physical fitness goals for myself in the future.
I love female camaraderie and had an amazing summer connecting with my girlfriends and making new ones that I have lots in common with.
Decided I don't have to be friends or hang out with every parent at Lulu's school or our neighbours just because.
I'm very content with our family dynamic.
The number 3 has always been my lucky number after all.
I really need 8 hours of sleep at night- and thankfully that's been my summer reality.
I don't enjoy T.V. as much as I used to.
I mean how many episodes of L.A. Ink and The Next Food Network Star can a girl watch?
Then again, talk to me in January...
I still don't like swimming in lakes and most likely never will without slightly hyperventilating.
I still enjoy the creative process and am very content being behind the scenes and helping out with big daddy's biz and not working full time.
I love summer. Yes, even the part about having to don a bathing suit.
This was the first time ever that I really didn't give a rat's ass how white or spider veiny my legs look.
I'm healthy, happy and have a beautiful loving family- who cares what I look like sitting by the pool?
Speaking of which..
I love sitting by a pool.
Such a bonus that Lulu is swimming well enough now that I no longer have to be in the pool the entire time she is.
Within arms (or foam noodles) reach, yes, but not IN the pool.
Awesome.

So as much fun as we had this year and as sad as I am that yet another season is coming to an end, I am looking forward to the fall and the wonderful world of routine again.
I'm happy that our first year of kindergarten is behind us and we can start school without all the nervousness and uncertainty we had at this time last year.
Until then...I think it's time to run through the sprinkler and eat a nice cold blue freezie with my girl.

rock lobster

Don't you just love rainy days?
Whoever invented glitter glue, magic markers, paint and paper puppets must have done so on a rainy summer day.
As much as I love spending every possible waking moment outside in the summer's fleeting months, I do have to admit, sometimes it's nice when it rains all day long and you're stuck inside with nothing to do.
well except maybe 6 loads of laundry...
But in addition to that fun-ness, Lulu and I got all Martha Stewart-ish and whipped up these puppets.
(there's also a lion, frog, pig, dog and a blue bird)
Cute huh?
If I'm being completely honest, I don't sit down and do stuff like this with Lulu often enough anymore.
Oh sure, I help her with her spelling and when she asks what colour crayon to use on her latest master piece, I'll give her my two cents (which is almost always- "I don't know sweetie, which one do you think would look best?")
But as I stopped for a moment this Sunday (thanks again mother nature for that rainy day) I realized how fast my little girl is growing up and how I need to stop what I'm doing more often and just do things like this with her.
The laundry can wait.
Paper puppets can't.
Which reminds me, I haven't had lobster all summer.
mmmm lobster....

pickled

We went to the St. Jacob's Farmers Market a couple of weeks ago and picked up some delicious fruit & veggies.
Oh and some incredible Mennonite smoked salami.
So I decided to make some pickles.
With the cucumbers not the salami.
I can't wait to crack open a jar in two months time.
In the mean time I'm trying to find a good template for some labels and have come up empty handed.
In the past I've just done them by hand- but I thought it might be faster to find something on line.
any suggestions would be great appreciated.
Next week I'm hoping on making my peach and vanilla bean jam- which if I do say so myself- is delicious.
I love this time of year with such an abundance of amazing produce.
It will be nice come February to have a little reminder of our sweet and delicious summer of 2010.

I like to move it move it

The last time I was at the African Lion Safari I was around 7 or 8 years old and I vaguely remember a very cheeky monkey jumping on top of our car and ripping the windshield wiper off.
Then he proceeded to pee on our front windshield.
I swear that happened.
honest.
Okay maybe not. But every time I tell big daddy that story he completely cracks up.
Which in turn, totally cracks me up.
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) nothing that dramatic happened while we were in our car at the African Lion Safari last week.
Instead we saw a few very bored Lions.


A few Cheetahs cleaning themselves under the shade of a tree.
Can you imagine those hairballs?!



A family of Giraffe.
The baby was especially cute.



Some Zebras.
Much shorter and stockier than a horse, and such incredible coats of fur.
It amazes me that mother nature can create something so beautiful.
Though I have to admit, I kept imagining them sounding like Chris Rock if they could talk..



One very frisky Ostrich.
Lulu freaked out a bit when one walked up to the car and started pecking at the window.



So she decided she would drive after that.
I just wish she hadn't hit that Rhinoceros.
Our insurance is going to be insane from here on in...



kidding of course...