So It's January

Julia serving tea.

 So January. Yeah, it's that time of year again. All the excitement of Christmas is over, it's cold and rainy, and there's really nothing to look forward to- no holidays! So, the countdown to nicer spring weather has begun. 

In the meantime, we find entertainment where we can. Playing with her new tea set has been a favorite lately. We also took a trip to IKEA to get a shelf for the living room to put all her new books and toys. The living room was a bit in chaos before! Making it out of IKEA with only one short meltdown in under an hour made us feel like cheap ice cream was in order. 50¢ ice cream cones!

 I will say this for France, their traditions for Epiphany at the beginning of January are a great idea. Just as you're feeling the slump after Christmas and New Year's, they throw in one more little holiday to perk up the beginning of January.

One aspect of Epiphany is celebrating the visit of the three wise men to the new born Jesus. Boulengeries start displaying their "Galette de rois" after January 1st. The actual day to celebrate is January 6th, but it can be eaten any time around the beginning of January. The galette is an almond flavored pastry cake with a "féve" or small figurine, hidden inside. The youngest child hides under the table to say who gets which piece, and whoever finds the féve can decide who is king. Crown included. (more details on this website).

 We had Van choose the pieces, his mom let him get the féve, and then all the kids got crowns. :) Julia enjoyed both the galette and the crown.

So now we're waiting out the rain and cold weather until it's warm and sunny again. At least we can do it in style with this umbrella! :)