May at home, upcoming travels and visitors

I can't believe we are approaching the end of May already and will be celebrating Andrew's one and a half birthday in just a few short weeks. Despite some previously discussed family travel plans for May (i.e. Paris, Corsica and camping), poor weather and a desire to spend time at home together resulted in a nice, relaxing and enjoyable month in Antibes. And aside from a one-day trip to Germany, Robert has no confirmed business travel in the foreseeable future. In France, there are 3 holidays in May: the 1st, 8th and 12th. So, with 3 long weekends for Robert, we had some quality down time together, doing not much more than lots of play time in the backyard, walks into old town for lunch and picnics on the beach. We did however take one train trip into Ventimiglia, a small coastal village in Italy, that is now my designated Mother's Day treat. (we did the same thing last year for Mother's Day) I must say that I am very glad the weather this May wasn't the same as last May when we spent a month here to start our relocation or I'm not sure I ever would have wanted to come. Whereas last May was sunny and low 80s almost every day, this month has been 60s and rain, rain, rain. Andrew goes nuts being stuck inside all day now and by the end of the day after reading every book he owns, playing with every toy in his toy chest, etc. I feel like I'm ready to pull my hair out. Today, we woke up to more rain, and I thought I'd try to get a little cleaning done with hopes that it may soon clear up and we could go outside later on. So I made the mistake of pulling out the vacuum...well, he's no longer afraid of the thing, and was quite adamant that he would do it himself. So after 15 minutes of Andrew vaccuuming the same spot on the floor, I took hold of one end and started gliding it along the floor. Big mistake. Biggest hissy fit of his life. So, we put an end to that game, we put on back-pack Teddy Bear (the greatest invention in the world for which Daddy gets credit for purchasing) and we went for a walk in the pouring rain. It was great until Andrew decided that HE wanted to hold the umbrella. After explaining that it was Mommy's umbrella and that it had very pointy edges around which he could poke his eyes out, he plopped himself right down in a puddle and had another hissy fit. This was not good, as he just messed up another outfit and with 5 more straight days of rain in the forecast, I'm not sure when I'll be able to do laundry again and hence, he may have to start borrowing some of Mommy's clean clothes! Ugh!!! Fortunately, he is more often than not in very happy spirits and today's little episodes were a result of a very early wake-up this morning (and he is now peacefully snoozing in his crib catching up on his z's for a hopefully long afternoon nap).
We have lots to look forward to in the upcoming future. Our 12 day cruise on the Carnival Freedom is just 20 days away and Robert and I are so pumped. I was just doing some research on the various shore excursions and am most excited for our days in Istanbul and Athens. Actually, I am MOST excited about not having to cook or clean for 12 days, but the shore excursions are a close second!
Then we fly home on July 16th and will be spending the summer between Oakville, Mississauga, Toronto, Parry Sound and Ft. Lauderdale. Not at all looking forward to the flight itself, but very excited to spend quality time with the fam and friends.
We are also looking forward to the upcoming guests of the Chamberlin Resort, Riviera location. Collette will be here from July 2nd to the 7th; Aunty Susie and Bill will be here on September 10th and Grandma and Grandpa Smith will arrive immediately thereafter. It will be great fun to show them the beauty of the French Riviera, and especially to share time together in our new home.

Favourite things...and Finances in France

We had an important FIRST on Friday. And let me tell you, it was the cutest thing I've ever seen...Andrew had his FIRST ice cream cone!!! People who know me well are aware that one of my favourite foods in the entire world (along with black beans and rice, popcorn, steak and sushi) is ice cream. We went for a walk Friday afternoon into old town and our stop at the playground was short-lived due to Andrew's current obsession with opening and closing the playground door (in which his fingers could easily be pinched) so we left and walked hand in hand along the cobblestone streets. When we passed the ice cream vendor, mommy couldn't resist, even though it was getting close to supper time. I ordered one scoop of Ferrero Rocher flavour and was on my merry way, ice cream in one hand, baby in the other. Within seconds, he was begging for a taste but when I offered it to him, he shook his head in refusal. Then he begged for a taste again. This game went on for a couple minutes, until finally, he decided to give it a try. His face was priceless as he was not expecting it to be so cold. But then he wanted another lick. Shortly afterwards, he was ready to devour the entire cone. He was in heaven. If I so much as flinched as if I was going to take it away from him, he started to freak. It reminded me of the time I took Nicholas for ice cream at Sloan's in downtown West Palm Beach and the look on his face as he devoured his ice cream cone is forever etched in my mind.
Another two of my favorite things are American Idol and Neil Diamond. So you can't even imagine how ecstatic I was about the prospect of Neil Diamond ON American Idol! Anyway, I've already converted Andrew into an Idol fan (we watch and dance to the weekly episodes several times over - Andrew likes David Cooke the best) and he claps as soon as each song ends. Well, now, he is also a Neil Diamond fan too as he loved groovin' to the beat of the good ole songs such as Forever in Blue Jeans, America, Sweet Caroline, Hello, and September Morn.

Finances in France is something we've gradually learned along the way, a little bit at a time. Robert's paycheck has so many deductions that I'm not sure even a rocket scientist couldn't figure it out. However, interestingly enough, of those million and one line items, not one of them is a deduction for income tax! Income tax in France is something that is calculated at the end of the year, and you send in a check for how much you owe. There is no "estimations" of withholdings that are trued up at year end. Therefore, it is up to you, the individual taxpayer, to make sure you save aside enough money to pay your tax bill. My friend was explaining this to me and was literally thrilled that her tax bill this year was so low (i.e. it was less than 15,000 EUROS!!!) because of the deduction for the baby they got in 2007. Hard to imagine someone being happy to only have to pay 14 thousand and something to Uncle Sam. There is no option to file joint, married, head of household, etc. If you're single, you file single, if you are married, you file married. Period.
Another astonishing difference for a North American accountant like myself is the fact that employees are paid monthly at the end of the month. Wow, to only have to worry about payroll once a month would be such a blessing. But on the flipside, you darn well better make sure you don't blow it all right away, or you will have a whole month without groceries!
Banking is so very different too. Robert and I each have a savings account, but there is a maximum of 6000 euros allowed in a savings account! Unlike payroll, taxes on interest earned are automatically withdrawn from the account! Bank charges are inevitable and quite high, relatively speaking. Nothing is mailed to your residence, you must go to your local branch where you have a personal representative, and pick up items such as new checkbooks, bank cards, etc. (after you have received a notice in the mail that it is ready to be picked up!)