"Vivons caché, vivons heureux" except on your front sidewalk

A little background info to get you started:

1. It's been snowing a lot lately around Paris.

2. Most private properties in France are completely gated. The saying is "Vivons caché, vivons heureux;" basically meaning, "the more your live your life discreetly, the happier you will be."

So, the other day, I was getting into my car, and I ran into my neighbor, who was salting down the sidewalk in front of her house. Mind you, the sidewalk is closed off from her gated yard and house. However, in France, your are legally liable for ANYTHING that happens on the sidewalk in front or your property. If someone slips and breaks their hip, it's your fault.

So, my neighbor quietly shunned with her pointer finger (the ultimate weapon of disapproval), and told me I BETTER START SALTING AWAY...I haven't gotten around to that yet.

I mean, just pay attention when you walk on a snowy sidewalk on a small neighborhood street for crying out loud!!

Did you know that you are compensated for having kids in France ?

The more kids in France you have, the less taxes you pay. People (some of my friends included) have even been known to schedule a c-section before the new year to get a tax deduction for the current year. I swear.

Families receive a certain amount of money (depending on your income) from an association called CAF (Casse d'Allocations Familiales). You just need to sign up when you child is born. It starts at around 150 Euros per month and gets higher depending on your income and number of children.

The French also have an amazingly wonderful childcare system. They have an ‘a la carte’ childcare system, depending on your needs as a parent, and your child.

Here’s an example of what is available:

Crèche municipal : Public Daycare

TARGET: Working parents (both must be working)

AGE: 3 sections, depending on your childs age (starting, mind you, at 2 ½ months up until about 3 years old)

COST: Anywhere from free of charge to about 600 Euros per month (meals included, diapers, all of that). The cost depends on your revenue ; fair enough.

HOURS: From about 8 AM until 7 PM, however you can pick them up earlier or drop them off later (9:30 AM at the latest).

SIZE: 17 children per class on average

LOCATION: Usually no more than 5 miles at the most from your home

DOWNSIDES :

• Very difficult to get a spot. You have to apply when your prégnant ; preferably about 3 months pregnant. No, I’m not kidding.
• If your child has a very minor temperature, forget about bringing him/her into daycare. You’ll only be called back an hour later to pick him/her up.
• THEY ARE SICK ALL OF THE TIME – runny nose, ear & throat infection, flu, stomach virus ; you name it, you got it.

PERKS :

• Reliable staff (real professionals, required to have a degree in childcare).
• Your child learns to socialize from early on with other children
• The hours and the cost (vs a private nanny – but I’ll get into that one later)

Happy New Year

Happy New Year !

Hi, after a relatively long length of time, I'm back.

2010 is a year full of resolutions for me.

For starters, I will start posting messages on my blog on a regular basis.

I just added a message on childcare in France (a very cool system).

If you're interested, I'll talk about it some more this week.

Until then, have a nice blogging moment (is that what one would say?) and 'à bientôt' !

Dog poop stations in France !

Many Americans that have come to visit me in Paris complain about the dog poop all over sidewalks in Paris. To be honest, I never paid much attention to it. But whenever somebody metioned it to me I realised that in fact it's true.

This has improved big time over the past couple of years. The laws have been reinforced and there are more signs around telling owners to clean up after their dogs. And on top of this, I have noticed the rise of dog poop stations all over Paris and the the suburbs now. It's great. They are little green stations with free plastic bags and a garbage bag.

My point is, if you have been turned off by this little 'issue' on the streets in the past, you no longer have to fear wearing your nice shoes out on the streets...

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