Life at the Hilton

So, Tuesday of last week was probably the worst day yet, spent with the most adjusting. Sleeping schedules still very much non-exitent, cold and rainy days, and again all things transition, have made it a little difficult for us. The rest of the week got better, but we still have our ups and downs. I would have to say that the sheer fact that we are able to walk the streets of Paris, order room service and have our meals made for us, and not do any of the cleaning has been not so bad of a trade-off. We have been playing "Restaurant," here in the hotel and practicing working on how you sit and behave in a real restaurant. I definitely think it has helped some, but we still have a long way to go before they are ready for any fine dining. We'll stick to the chain restaurants, bistros, and crepe places for now. The kids have been really enjoying the cheese crepes, and Kylee is pretty much game to try most things.

Saturday was GREAT! Daniel didn't have to go to work, and we spent the day being tourists! We drove past Notre Dame...can I just say AMAZING! I love just looking out the window while we are driving. There is just so much to take in. I love driving past the stores and window shopping. That's probably the most fun I've had shopping with the whole family, and we didn't even have to spend a dime which makes it the most fun shopping experience for Daniel as well.

One of our stops for Saturday was the Luxembourg gardens. We spent all morning there and didn't even really get through half the park. The kids loved it! In the middle of the gardens is a fountain/pond where you can rent wooden sail boats with a stick for pushing the boat. You place the boat in the pond,give it a good push with your stick, and watch it sail around. Once it reaches antother side of the pond,you give it another push. The kids were very entertained. I would also like to add that Daniel and I had fun watching and playing with the sail boats as well.

After the sail boats, we found a carousel for the kids to ride. In doing research, I read that each carousel here is made specifically for the park, so not one carousel is alike. Carson loved riding his horse, and Kylee chose to sit in a carriage.

Sunday was a better day at church. Carson wasn't nearly as roudy as the previous Sunday. Although, I did have to take him out and practice how to be reverent with him. I also got to be the primary pianist for the day, and the chorister is Americfan. She is from Washington d.c., and has been in Paris for a little over 20 years. She came over to Paris with 5 children ages 9 and under. So I plan on getting together with her to pick her brain for any helpful tips. Any informations would be greatly appreciated.

I was sad to see Sunday end because that meant Daniel had to go back to work, and I was left to entertain the children by myself. Hotel life is taxing on a young family. If you are ever stuck in a hotel with young children, here is a list of some things to do.

Tub swimming - get their bathing suits on, fill the tub with a lot of water and let them swim
Hot and cold game- one child hides an item, the other finds it by using hot and cold to help them locate the items
Easter egg hunt- hide the eggs and let them find it
Window watching- we've counted lots of motorcycles, and the kids love watching allof the city activity
Johnny-jumper for the baby- this has entertained all my children and has kept Owen contained
Dress up - let your kids put on mommy and daddy's clothes and shoes
Pack pillowcases with different toy items- we have a transportation one with cars and trains, a dollhouse one, and a mr. Potato head one for the kids. They get them out one at a time and play with them
Play dough kits- we have the icecream parlor one, and dr. drill and fill. The kids have loved playing with this.
Explore- go from floor to floor exploring the hotel. Kylee and Carson have several favorite pictures they have seen on the walls.
Card games- we have UNO and rhyming concentration.
Coloring books and notepads
Books to read
Running laps on the bottom floor of the hotel- on rainy days we have found it to be helpful to go to the bottom floor where not many, if any people are and run laps, and play zoo animals. They have to run laps like a certain animal.
Creative play- this has probably been one of my favorite things to have them do. They go into the other room and just play make believe together. Sometimes they are dogs, sometimes they play mommy and daddy and baby with Owen, and some times they play good kid and bad kid. Carson usually wants to play the bad kid. It is quite entertaining, and I get a little time for myself.

Well this is kind of what our life at the Hilton looks like.

Au revior

Sara