Monday, December 29, 2014

What's the best advice you've ever received?

Back in the day, before my post-pregnancy belly wiggled like a bowl full of jelly, I used to party. You might have heard be talking about that before. Possibly.

And it used to be a blast! So much so that I wrote a book about it. You also might have heard me talk about that. Possibly.

Eventually, once I stopped looking for Mr. Right in all the Incredibly Wrong places, I found him. And I truly believe it was only because I stopped looking for him, at the advice of my good friend Anne Marie, that I was able to meet him.


Now five years and two kids later, I'd say we're doing pretty well! Other than a good night's sleep, I have everything I could ever want.

What's the best advice you received? Check out the full story of the best advice I ever (reluctantly) received: Stop Looking and You'll Find It.

Article on BLUNTmoms

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Who do you wish would come for Christmas dinner?

Christmas is almost here! Leo keeps singing "Petit Papa Noel," the song you sing in France right before Santa comes. Except he doesn't know the words so he just keeps repeating the same line. Eleventy billion times. So cute! *bangs head against wall*

For me Christmas is all about being with family. And a little bit about food and a tiny bit about the yoga pants I know my mom shipped me from the US. But mostly about family. Which is why I'm a little sniffly this holiday season, since my grandma is no longer with us.

I wrote this piece on BLUNTmoms in her honor, so please check it out: I Wish She Would Come For Christmas Dinner. And feel free to leave a comment about who YOU wish would come for Christmas (or Hannukah or Festivus) dinner.

Article on BLUNTmoms

Monday, December 8, 2014

Hot Dogs vs. Caviar

I originally wrote this piece for BookDaily.com but I like my posts to get the maximum workout (says the author as she plops down on the couch with her laptop) so I'm sharing with all you lovelies.

Whether an author is new or established, well-known or still trying to get the word out, every sale counts. Just because an author has a great book doesn't mean it's selling well. Just because they have a nice website/book cover/marketing campaign doesn't mean they're succeeding—it could just mean they invested a lot of money upfront or that they know how to do those things themselves. You never know if an author is eating hot dogs or caviar for dinner, so if you like an author, don't be shy in supporting them!

How to Support Your Favorite Author


Monday, December 1, 2014

It's A Boy!

"I don't care if it's a boy or a girl, as long as it's healthy." Have you heard people say that? Does it drive you as crazy as it does me?

Of COURSE I want a healthy baby, but I don't see why I can't also have a preference for gender.

It's a Boy!

However, after two difficult pregnancies, I re-evaluated my stance on that statement. Check out my article on Mamalode, "A Punch In The Gut", which explores this very topic. And check out some of the other great articles on their November theme, "Men," while you're there!

Monday, November 24, 2014

My Business is None of Your Business

Healthcare in France is... interesting. For the most part, you receive excellent, affordable care. It's a helpful and thorough system. So thorough, in fact, that they even care about the fitness of your lady bits after giving birth.

But that's not all! Even non-health care professionals care about the state of your hoo-ha. Husband's coworkers? Check. Boss's dad? Check. Being totally weirded out by these conversations? Check.

Speaking of "check," check out the full story on BLUNTmoms, "My Business is None of Your Business."

Article on BLUNTmoms

Monday, November 17, 2014

The Biggest Preemie on the Block

When we think of preemies we think of tiny babies that fit in the palm of your hand. Not hefty 7 and a half pounders like Leo.

We also think of machines and health risks and tons of time spent in the NICU. Even if you don't have first-hand experience of what it's like to have a preemie, you probably have some notion of what it's like.

Leo in the NICU, #WorldPrematurityDay

Today, to help raise awareness for World Prematurity Day, an article of mine is being featured on BLUNTmoms. Please check out "Preemies Come in Every Size" and leave a comment or share on FB or Twitter to show your support. Thanks! (And Leo says, "Merci!")

Article on BLUNTmoms

Monday, November 10, 2014

Don't Pinch My Baby's Cheeks!

What is with strangers touching my kids? I don't mean touching touching, because that's nothing to joke about. I mean people coming up and patting my son's head with their grubby mitts, pinching my daughter's chubby cheeks, or trying to hold one of their cute, irresistible hands.

Resist, I say. You're being weird.

I was checking out at the grocery store the other day, with my daughter in the baby carrier and my son pulling every pack of gum off the rack. "Leo!" I shouted, as I turned to reprimand my son. When I turned back, the cashier was holding my daughter's hand, cooing at her and telling her how cute she is. Lady, tell her something she doesn't know. Then get your germy money-touching paws off her! Also, not to be a snot but those groceries aren't going to ring themselves up. Could we do a little more grocery-ringing-up and a little less baby-hand-holding?

Monday, October 27, 2014

Total Eclipse of Good Judgment

In school, I was teacher's pet. I'm pretty sure everyone hated me, not for my gorgeous good looks (hello, braces for three years) but because my hand was ALWAYS. IN. THE. AIR. Pick me! Pick me!

Want me to learn differential equations? Got it. Passé composé in French class? Oui, oui, but of course! In-depth analysis of Greek mythology? Child's play.

But there are two things I'll never learn:
1. How to turn on our TV
2. How to stop at the right number of drinks to avoid a hangover

I thought once I had kids I would magically never be hungover again. Um, no. I certainly don't drink as often but when I do, all bets are off.

And now the hangover is eleventy billion times worse because, kids. No matter how crappy you feel, they still need to eat, pee, and bang on every pot and pan in the house.

The last time I went out on the town I promised myself I'd behave. I promised I'd avoid a hangover. I promised I'd learned my lesson from all the previous times.

Article on BLUNTmoms

Do you think I kept my promise? Read my article, Total Eclipse of Good Judgment, on BLUNTmoms to find out!

Monday, October 20, 2014

Why French Women Don’t Shave

You know the myth that French women don’t shave their armpits? Turns out it’s true, for three reasons:

Why French Women Don't Shave Their Armpits
  1. They do laser hair removal instead
  2. They don’t know the word for armpits
  3. OK, fine, the rest of them actually do shave their armpits
In my case, I opted for laser hair removal at a chic medical office off the Champs Elysées. What ensued was a painful, embarrassing, confusing rendez-vous involving armpits and “underlegs.” I’m still not sure I know what "underlegs" are.

Want to find out just how embarrassing? Want to learn what an “underleg” is? Check out my guest post on When Crazy Meets Exhaustion: "Oversharing: Parisian Laser Hair Removal".

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Velvet Morning Press

What do you do when you want to be part of an anthology but don't want to be at someone else's mercy? You create your own.

What do you do when you think a happy medium should exist between traditional publishers and self-publishing? You launch your own.

Say hello to Velvet Morning Press.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Start Me Up

When I got put on bed rest I thought it was a one-way ticket to blubber town. Marooned on the couch all day, I was only allowed to leave my plush island to go to the bathroom. So of course I cheated and drank loads of water in order to have a legitimate excuse to pee 100 times a day. Take THAT, doctors! Wait, what's that you say? Water is good for me? Bwah.

Anywho, I surprisingly didn't gain much weight during my pregnancy. So when my svelte form waddled to the hospital to deliver Little Miss Stella, I was sure I'd walk out of there the supermodel I was always meant to be.

Yeah right. I somehow managed to GAIN weight after my little princess was born. It might have had something to do with all the French vanilla ice cream I ate (here, it's just called vanilla).

But about a month before I returned to work and squeezed into my pre-baby office attire, I cranked it into high gear. Out came the Wii and the Zumba belt. All I can say is, thank god we don't have downstairs neighbors in our apartment because I sounded like a drunken rhinoceros as I stomped danced around my living room.

Article on Mamalode
Coordinated, I am not. Cheered on by my baby, I am. Talk like Yoda, I do.

To get the full story of my Return to Zumba, check out my article on Mamalode. And feel free to leave a comment. I'll even give you a sample: "You'll always look like a supermodel to me! Keep on rockin' it, you crazy rhinoceros, you."

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Seven Letters From Paris

Despite having married Monsieur Perfect, I don't often gush about the romantic side of Paris. It would cut into my complaining time too much. But sometimes it's nice to unwind - with a glass or three of wine, of course - over a romantic story.

Enter Samantha Vérant's Seven Letters from Paris. It's not your typical love story. Yeah, she met a Frenchie that set her pulse racing, but she left him in the dust and didn't resume their relationship until 20 years later. Talk about a heartbreaker! And talk about a story I couldn't wait to hear the rest of.

Seven Letters From Paris Blog Tour

Samantha is here with me today to answer a few questions about her life and her memoir.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Back to Work: The Numbers

9 weeks of medical leave +

16 weeks of maternity leave +

4 weeks of paid vacation +

4 weeks of unpaid vacation =

29 weeks of "I got paid to sit on my butt and eat ice cream" and 4 weeks of "I need to get rid of this ice cream butt before I go back to work."

I only eat the entire point of ice cream in one sitting so I won't be tempted to eat ice cream later.


It also equals 33 weeks of "Holy smokes, I forget where I work."

Wish me luck on my first day back in the office! Assuming I don't get lost roaming the streets of Paris on the way there...

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Happy Anniversary to Monsieur Lesage

WARNING! Sappy stuff ahead. If you're wondering where your usually sarcastic blogger is, her head is in the clouds because it's her three year wedding anniversary to the Most Amazing Man in the World.

I had it pretty good. When quittin' time rolled around, I headed home to the man of my dreams and collapsed into his arms.


Barf! Who writes stuff like that? Oh yeah, me. When I'm in loooooooooooooove. That was after I met Mika. Before I met him, well... I can't say I miss the dating scene in Paris. I do kind of miss all the partying, which is virtually impossible with two kids. And even if I could manage it, the inevitable hangover isn't worth it.

So, I guess what this cheeseball is trying to say is "Happy Anniversary to my lovely husband, who puts up with my crap, laughs at my jokes, and is a wonderful father to our two sweet little poop-machines, Leo and Stella."

Oh hello there, Louvre. I didn't notice you at first because there are two GORGEOUS people in front of you.

Want more sap? And sass? And partying and dating and weddings and Paris life? Check out Confessions of a Paris Party Girl!

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Increase Blog Traffic With A Series

Two of my favorite things - blogging and food - come together on one of my favorite blogs, Anyonita Nibbles.

I first discovered Anyonita's blog from one of her bee-yoo-ti-ful pins on Pinterest from her Blogging Crash Course. I devoured the entire course and it was delicious. She dishes out (these puns won't quit!) incredibly useful advice each week and it's all FREE. After you've fed your brain with blogging tips, you can drool over the tasty recipes on the rest of her site.

Increase Traffic with a Blog Series

This week, the lovely Anyonita is featuring a guest post by yours truly about "How to Increase Traffic with a Blog Series." Loyal readers of my blog (bless you!) probably already read my Paris A to Z Guide and Tiny Apartment Series (if not, what are you waiting for?!?), but if you'd like to know the strategy behind it, then check out my guest post. And I dare you to not get distracted by these Double Nutella Brownies.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Can Your Sequel Stand Alone?

One of the biggest pieces of advice for indie writers is to keep writing. Duh, have you read my blog? I write all the time.

Oh, you mean writing writing. Like books and stuff. Got it.


I'm sure my loyal readers (all two of them) rushed out to buy my sequel right away and have re-read it until the tattered pages fell out of their binding. For the rest of the world, I've had to do a little marketing.

In doing so, I realized a few things I did right with my sequel (*pats self on back*) and one thing I messed up (*looks around to see if anyone saw*).

The nice folks at Indies Unlimited graciously let me share my words of wisdom and cringedom (it's a word, probably) on their site. Check it out and leave a comment saying how awesome I am. Or, you know, whatever comes to mind.

Read the full article at Indies Unlimited

Monday, September 8, 2014

You Can't Ever Get Too Much of Paris

Is it possible to get too much of Paris? Is too much of a good thing a bad thing? And, most importantly, is anyone in the mood for a glass of wine? I could really go for one right about now...

You can't ever get too much of Paris

After nearly a decade in this amazing city, I can say, as someone who's been there and stepped in her fair share of dog poo, you can never get too much of Paris. Sure, French bureaucracy is a nightmare but there is so much to see and do in Paris that I think it's all worth it.

Not to mention the pain au chocolats, baguettes, madeleines, quiches, and croissants. Hrm. Maybe, at least when it comes to my waistline, it IS possible to get too much of Paris.

Want the full story behind this quote? Check out my book: Confessions of a Paris Party Girl.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Photography Fail: Passport Photos

To apply for Stella's American citizenship (more on that soon!) one of the items we needed was an American-sized passport photo. This is no easy feat with a 4-week-old baby who can't sit up on her own and doesn't keep her eyes open for long.

It was no easier when we did it with Leo at three weeks, which I write about in hilarious (if I do say so myself) detail in Confessions of a Paris Potty Trainer.

Passport Photos: Leo
See the puppet strings holding Leo up? Thank you, Photoshop.
"Her eyes must be open," the photographer said, "so that she's recognizable."

Even though I think Stella's the prettiest baby in the world, I have to admit that at 4 weeks she still just looked like a baby. Is there really that much difference? And if so, is the difference really in the eyes? Furthermore, the passport is valid until she's five (not that I'm complaining - I certainly don't want to deal with renewing it any sooner than that). Don't you think there's more difference between a 1-month-old and a 5-year-old than a one-month-old with their eyes open and one with their eyes closed?

"Prop her head up, then shout her name to get her to open her eyes," the photographer suggested.

Passport Photo Shoot: Propping up the baby
Maybe if I wasn't doing The Robot I could help position my daughter better for the photo.
No dice. Sweat dripped from every pore as we tried every possible trick under the intense studio lights.

Passport Photo Shoot: I'm the photographer
I really should get paid for this.
In the end, the photographer held Stella and had me take the photos. "Snap the photo every time she opens her eyes," he shouted across the studio.

Passport Photos: Stella
You're cutting into my beauty sleep, guys. Can we speed this up?
We finally got the shot. Not too bad, huh?

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Visa Renewal: A Timeline

Hello, my name is Vicki and I survived another yearly visa renewal. Barely.

Visa Renewal: A Timeline

November 14, 2013: Call to make visa appointment (3 months before expiration, as instructed). Given an appointment date of April 11, 2014 and told I should have made appointment 5 months in advance. What good does it do to tell me NOW?

January 31, 2014: Go into pre-term labor and get put on bed rest until baby is born. Due May 20th so either I'm going to miss my visa renewal appointment or my baby's going to be a preemie. Can't win.

February 3, 2014: Call to reschedule appointment, hedging my bets that the baby won't be born yet and wanting to get a new appointment date as soon as possible.

"Honey, we can't change it. Just call us the day after you miss your appointment and we'll reschedule."
"Even though I'm 99% sure I'm going to miss the appointment?"
*dialtone*

February 14, 2014: Current visa expires. Secret fact: As long as you have a piece of paper showing your renewal appointment date, then your current visa is still valid. The French have a built-in back-up plan, quelle surprise.

April 14, 2014: Call to reschedule missed appointment. Get new appointment for June 5.

May 4, 2014: Give birth to a healthy baby girl. Bed rest paid off! But now I have to deal with all HER paperwork, too.

June 5, 2014: Go to appointment. Now that I'm changing my visa status to be based on my marriage status as opposed to my long-stay tourist visa (which I had for 5 years/suffered through 4 renewals) or my work visa (which I had for 3 years/suffered through 2 renewals), I get to go to the Special Room For People We Don't Hate, which has much better lighting and slightly less grumpy employees. Visa gets approved. Now just need to wait for processing.

August 6, 2014: Pick up visa. Walk out of the Prefecture with a smile on my face. Done for another year! Look down at card and see the blasted thing expires February 14, 2015.

September 14, 2014: I need to call to make my renewal appointment.

So that means for one glorious month out of the whole year I don't have to think about this stupid visa. Pop open the champagne.

I go into even more detail about this in my book, Confessions of a Paris Potty Trainer. If you haven't beaten your head against a wall reading this blog post, then you will after you read that chapter!

Who wants to commiserate? Have any bureaucratic horror stories of your own?

Monday, August 18, 2014

School Photos: France vs. US

You know how the French have a reputation for being chic, always managing to look just a little more put-together than Americans?

While you'll see snappily-dressed Americans and can occasionally spot a dumpy French person, I do find the stereotype to be true overall. A simple shirt and jeans is dressed up with a casually-strewn scarf that I would never be able to pull off.

Even the kids wear designer duds; a 2-year-old at the creche was wearing DKNY jeans the other day.

So I thought it'd be fun to show you some school photos as proof:

School Photos: Leo at the creche
"Hey, ladies," my French-American son says, as he leans back on the couch.
The long-stem roses and champagne on ice are off-camera, and Marvin Gaye is setting the mood from the kiddie CD player.

School Photos: Mika, Adeline, and the Jaunty French Beret
My husband, his sister, and a jaunty French beret.
No need to put a date on this photo, the sweaters are a dead giveaway. Even in France, the 80's were hard on the eyes.

School Photos: Stephen and the Electric Socket
My brother after sticking his finger in an electric socket.
School Photos: Vicki in 4th Grade
I didn't own a brush in 1989.
I loved this dress more than one should, not that you can tell by my smirky expression.

School Photos: Vicki in 6th Grade
These sleeves don't quit. Seriously, you'll have to fire them.
It's hard to say what I like best about this photo. The irony that I'm virtually swimming in my "DIVE: Bahamas" t-shirt? Shorts that should really be called "longs", considering they start at the belly button and end at the knee? The pose that says, "What? I always stand like this."

No, it's definitely the Columbus Day themed background. Who knew it was a photo-snapping holiday? "I want to remember Columbus Day 1991 forever. I know just the outfit. Fingers crossed it's Surprise School Photo Day!"

So, who came out on top? The French or the Americans? Hint: It's the Columbus Day photo for the win!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Say "Fromage", Bebe: Newborn Photos

Ever wonder how to get those awesome newborn photos you see on Pinterest? Well, you can hire someone to come to your house during your baby's first few weeks, because if there's one thing new parents have loads of, it's time and money.

Newborn Photo Tips: Tips for an easy newborn photo shoot

Or, more realistically, you can take them yourself! We missed out on that with Leo since he was in the NICU his first 11 days of life and by the time we got him home, a pro photo shoot was the last thing on our minds. In fact, "get more sleep" and "oh my god will my baby please stop crying" were just about the only things on my mind.

So we had newborn photos that looked like this:

Newborn Photos: Leo in the NICU
Our first snuggle

He will always be the cutest boy in the world to me, tubes and all. These photos represent the reality of our experience and those are the memories I want to have.

With Stella, I was hoping for those snazzy newborn photos. As I was stuck on bed rest until she was born, I had plenty of time to learn how to take quality newborn photos without ending up as a Pinterest fail. I found this awesome newborn photo tutorial and planned my shoot.

Newborn Photo Shoot Set Up

First, the set-up. At the end of my 8th month of pregnancy I was finally allowed to move around a bit. I devised this backdrop made of two dining room chairs, my son's play table, a neutral-colored blanket, and a Boppy underneath. It faced the window and I planned to take the photos in the early morning light, with the light behind me.

Newborn Photos: Set-up for a home photo shoot
Fancy, no?

I tried different poses with a stuffed animal, checked the backdrop, and made sure my camera was on the right settings. It was important to prepare because once you have a living, breathing, crying baby to work with, you only have a few minutes available for the actual shoot.

Newborn Photos: Practice poses with a stuffed animal
Almost as cute as my baby!

Newborn Photo Shoot

On the day of the shoot, I waited until Stella was fed and calm and dressed her in a neutral outfit. I snapped literally 100 photos so that at least one would turn out. Here's one of the best (unedited):

Newborn Photos: Unedited photo from photo shoot
Dreaming of eating and sleeping, her two favorites

Then of course her big brother wanted in on the action:

Newborn Photos: Her big brother wanted in on the photo fun
"Wanna grab a bottle when this is over?"

Photo Finishing

Now that I'd taken the photos, time for editing (I used PicMonkey). Here's what I did:
1. Cropped so that Stella was large and in charge
2. Enhanced the exposure using the auto-adjust feature
3. Focal soften, with a circle the size of her head, making the rest of the photo blurry

Here's the result:

Newborn photos: The finished photo


And now my pretty baby hangs above the couch with the rest of the family:

Newborn Photos: Final photo hanging on our wall

I ordered the canvas from Photobox.fr since I live in France, but you can find equally awesome customizable canvases from Shutterfly. I get compliments on these prints all the time but the best part is how much my kids love them. Leo constantly points at them and names each person, and even baby Stella seems in awe of the pretty babies on the wall. My kids are clearly narcissists. I wonder where they get that from.

So there you have it. If you want an inexpensive way to take nice photos of your bundle of joy without having to leave the house, it's more doable than you think. If you try it, let me know!

Monday, August 11, 2014

The Itsy Bitsy Bar Fight

For some crazy reason, we decided to go on a family vacation to Belgium with a 2-year-old and a 3-month-old and the grandparents. Oh yeah, I know the reason - the grandparents paid. So I should be grateful (and I am) but holy smokeballs it was the furthest thing from relaxing.

Trip to Belgium: Leo the troublemaker
This guy looks innocent but he's only worn out from causing so much trouble on the drive up.
Us city-dwellers don't often drive so we didn't even think about our toddler opening the door on the highway. So when he OPENED THE DOOR ON THE HIGHWAY we were like "Holy crap, he just opened the door on the highway!"

I managed to close said door from the front seat, then held the handle as I frantically flipped through the 5,000 page manual (still shorter than a Game of Thrones novel, natch) to figure out a) why the locks didn't work and b) how to set up the child safety locks.

Apparently the locks only work from the outside. Useful in preventing car jackings along dangerous Flemish highways. Except... newsflash: the only dangerous thing on Flemish highways is us and our car door.

When I finally found the child lock info, I memorized it before Mika pulled over to a dangerously narrow shoulder. I put the child lock in place and tested one, two, three times, then we were on our way.

Leo continued to pull the handle the rest of the trip.

We eventually arrived in the cute little town of Jabbeke, where we were staying. Well, actually, we stayed at a campsite just past the town. But I'm no camper so we stayed in the ritzy district of the campground, in a 3-bedroom mobile home with running water, a kitchen, and crappy wifi.

Trip to Belgium: Mobile home at our campsite
Home Sweet Mobile Home
And spiders. A whole lot of spiders. I only spotted three inside the mobile home but I lost count at eleventy billion just outside. You'd throw open the curtains in the morning, singing "What a beautiful morning!" and stop short when you saw a spider peering at you through the glass.

Trip to Belgium: Spiders at our campsite
To help you visualize the scene, I've marked where all the spiders were. I might have missed one.
"Oh, don't mind me!" the spider would say. "I'm just sitting here with EIGHT legs in my creepy ass web that I spun last night while you were sleeping. You're not actually afraid of me, are you, wimp? What if I move this leg right here a little bit? Like this? *wiggle, wiggle* Does that do it? MWAHAHAHAHA!"

We checked out the beach towns of Knokke, De Haan, and Oostende. Knokke is known for their storks. Thankfully we didn't see any because I don't need any more kids - I have my hands full enough with my two poop machines, thankyouverymuch.

Trip to Belgium: Family photo on the beach
Me, Mika, Poop Machine #1, and the top of Poop Machine #2's head
It was just my kind of beach vacation - slightly overcast and a tad too chilly to actually swim. Which means no swimsuits and minimal sunscreen (as in, only putting sunscreen on twice per day instead of 47 times). Par-TAY!

Trip to Belgium: Beach library
How cool is this - they have a free library on the beach!
I want to live in this library. Not only is it in a prime location but it's about twice the size of my apartment.

Trip to Belgium: Leo loved "La Mer"
Leo, the French romantic, bidding adieu to "la mer".

Trip to Belgium: Selfies at the bar
My daughter and I love selfies.
We snapped this purdy portrait on the bar patio, which was not only my favorite spot on vacation but the site of a bar fight. Because nothing says classy like getting in a bar fight at a campground.

The best part? The fight was between two ladies! Or I guess I should say "women" because there was nothing ladylike about them.

After the fight got broken up, the smaller, scrappier of the two headed to the bathroom, which was just past where we were sitting. She saw Stella and just had to stop and tell her how cute she was. At least I'm pretty sure that's what she said. I'm rusty on my drunken Flemish, but it went a little something like "Flurgety burgety floogen flop" while she pinched Stella's cheeks. Unless she said "I know a chipmunk who looks just like you!"

Trip to Belgium: Day trip to Gent
The gorgeous city of Gent.
Next stop: Gent. You might notice the old buildings and their beautiful reflection in the water. Or if you're my son, you'll notice the trash truck. He is OBSESSED with trash trucks. His eyes lit up when he saw this one, in an expression that said "They have trash trucks HERE too? Best vacation ever!"

Trip to Belgium: Castle in Gent
Note to self: don't let hubby take a picture of me in front of the castle from the ground - makes me look as tall as the fortress and three times as wide. I'm really only twice as wide.
By the end of the week, the wifi was still crappy but I'd finally gotten in the groove of feeding, bathing, and putting my children to sleep in a place other than our own house. Just in time to head back home.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

The Very Hungry Zombie vs. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

I love zombies like zombies love brains. (Side note: that sentence is almost a palindrome!) Knowing this, my loving husband bought me The Very Hungry Zombie: A Parody as a Valentine's Day gift. Major points to him, especially since it means he reads my blog (he went off-list but still stuck with the theme, bless him).


The book is as great as I expected it to be, but not quite as great as the original it parodies, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Check out my Zombie vs. Caterpillar face-off over at The Steadfast Reader. Then stick around on her blog to read more of her book reviews, musings, and hilarious guest posts.

(And if you still need a zombie fix after all that, check out these posts.)

Update: Jon Apple, illustrator for The Very Hungry Zombie, and Mike Teitelbaum, author, left a comment on my review on The Steadfast Reader with THE WORLD'S BEST ILLUSTRATION OF A FRENCH ZOMBIE. Sorry for shouting, I'm just so excited! I'm printing it and framing it and putting it on my desk. Check it out: