Poisson d'Avril: April Fool's Day Tradition in France

Poisson d'Avril - France's April Fool's Day Tradition

I love learning about different traditions celebrated in other countries. When I first heard how the French celebrate April Fool's Day I was quite confused. The day is called Poisson d'Avril and the tradition is to tape a paper fish drawing on to your friend's back without them knowing. It has the same light hearted silliness as a prank one might play on April Fool's Day in the United States, but the prank never changes. It's always a fish. So, why the name "April fish" and how did the tradition come to be?

La Tour Eiffel

No, I haven't really been on vacation... even though my blog has been quiet for a week... I've been a busy bee getting ready for our French friend's son to arrive! He arrived last night, and in his honor, I thought I'd write a post about the icon of all French icons, the Eiffel Tower.

As I toured around my house, I must admit, I found many Eiffel Tower mementos here and there. Here are just a few I thought I'd share!

At the top is the classic vintage postcard of the Eiffel Tower. I picked this up at a flea market in the south of France. It's just one of those "staples" or must-haves in the ephemera department.

Another postcard-- I love the acrobats and "circus-feel" to it.

Here's my ticket stub from riding up the Tour Eiffel several years ago.... I must say, I had the worst case of vertigo as we went up and down!!

And now for something fun... an Eiffel Tower cookie creation!! I picked up this cookbook a couple years ago after the movie Ratatouille came out. It's a fun book-- with lots of great recipes: crepes, croque monsieur, ratatouille (of course), and more...

It also has this fun cooking project, the Eiffel Tower Cookie Sundae!

I made this with my kids one day. Our towers weren't nearly as pretty as the ones in the book, but it was fun to make and then eat, of course!

Now off to tour our new house guest around California! Stay tuned for more French inspired postings soon!

A European Staycation

In honor of Bastille Day (tomorrow), as well as a French family friend coming to stay with us for a month (starting next week), I thought I'd have myself a little European Staycation this week!

First off I will highlight one of my all time favorite outdoor looks-- the globe string lights!

I can hear the music in the background as I look at these inspiring images! We've strung them on our patio too, but I need to get a couple more strings, so I can get the full criss-cross effect!

So, tonight, we'll head outdoors, sip some delicious French Rose and enjoy our first evening of our European staycation in our outdoor cafe!

A Bientot!

When in France...

My parents just left for a petite sojourn en France yesterday. Aaaahh, I'm so jealous. They'll be heading to Paris for some oolala, then down to the south of France for some Provencal peace! I've been lucky, many times after a trip to France, my mom comes home with the most beautiful dress for my daughter... She doesn't even know how lucky she is!

When finances are tight, though, and dresses may not be in the budget, another great souvenir to bring home are children's books. These are not only great for your own family, but can make really unique and special gifts for friends too!

These 2 books pictured in this post I picked up in a bookstore in the south of France. They are such cute stories. I love to read them to my kids... I bumble through the french, and then roughly translate them so my kids understand. I also picked up French baby word books too-- great way to teach some simple words to your kids and look at the illustrations.

So, if you happen to be lucky and heading on a trip this summer, make sure to pick up a couple kids books before you return... you will love them when you get home!