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!)
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