Blog Anniversary - American Mom in Bordeaux Blog is 2 Years Old!!

Place de La Bourse - Bordeaux

Happy Blog-Anniversary - Two Years!!

Wow - Has it been 2 years already?  2 Years since I started this blog?  The saying goes - Time certain goes by fast when you are having fun!

I was just looking back at a few of my early posts - I really did start this blog to share our new experiences with family & friends back in the States.  A simple way to share my thoughts, ideas and our new adventures.  Additionally, a way to share some of my photography with people. 

As simple and basic- as keeping a journal of sorts. American Mom in Bordeaux has truly grown into something so much more - something bigger than I ever imagined.  At this point the blog as has just gone over 100,000 views.  A number that I truly have a hard time absorbing.  A number that means people have been viewing my various posts and pages over 100,000 times.  I am really touched and honored by everyone who is reading and sharing this blog.  To think at one year ago, as I wrote my one year blog anniversary post - we were at 25,000 views and I was impressed at that number then.  

Weekly, I now receive inquiries about moving abroad, questions about France and the Bordeaux area in general.  These always brighten my day! I have to say I really enjoy these interactions.  It's so fun to connect with other people who have a sense of adventure like myself. Sometimes, I even get to meet some of these people in person. I guess when you are really passionate about where you live and your life - it's just natural to share.  I really do love everyone's questions and inquires!

Bridge in Le Bugue-Dordogne

As most of you know - the blog has it's own facebook page, Twitter account, Google + page, and Pinterest boards.  Not to mention fun photos on Instagram several times a week.  Sometimes it gets hard to balance that fine line between private life and sharing our experiences.  I know it's a hot topic out there - how much do you share? what do you share?  What impressions are you giving?  Yes, so many of these social media platforms give snippets of life and not always the normal, everyday.  Yes, we are a normal family - sibling squabbles, preteen and teenage dramas and days where the whole house seems out of sorts.  I have laundry to do (constantly!), a house to clean and a family to feed, kids to shuttle around to various activities - I share this as I really am just like so many other mothers out there raising their children in this modern world.  I just consider myself lucky right now that we are living in France and I have fallen in love with this area!  

Chateau Pichon-Longuevue - Paulliac

The blog has continued to grow and expand & for that I truly am very grateful.  There has never really been a full plan of where I'm going with with this blog - intuition and what feel right from my heart often leads me.  I connect with other bloggers who are similar to myself - I guest post when asked, if it seems to fit my profile and I'm trying to just be a source here in Bordeaux for English-speaking families.  

La Rochelle

Last year I had several opportunities to guest blog at a couple different sites - These links are to my posts that then take you to the other sites:

Twice at Expat Child - Preparing Kids for an Overseas Move & Post-Holiday Back to School Routine

Once at Busy as a Bee in Paris -Love the Place you Live - Arcachon

I was also interviewed by Expatsblog.com  - it Can be read HERE

As a family, we made one of our biggest decision about being expats: We decided to stay in France indefinitely - Check out that post - it's one of my most read and most commented on posts all year (with at this point over 3,300 views) :  HERE

Dune du Pyla - Arcachon

American Mom in Bordeaux was also voted by Circle of Moms website - as one of the Top 25 European Mom blogs for 2013. - HERE & one of the top 100 -Exchange & Experience blogs 2014 - by the IX14 (International Exchange and Experience blogs) -this is a competition sponsored by bab.la & Lexiphiles. This competition has been running for the past 6 years.  - HERE

This is me - Jennifer- photo taken by my oldest daughter

Through this blog, I have also connected with other bloggers who are raising bilingual and multilingual children all over the world - raising world citizens who have a multicultural perspective. It's a great network to be a part of and I learned so much from so many other bloggers and also increase my world knowledge and insights.

Through this group, I participated in a great experience of sharing our neighborhoods - HERE.  This was a great opportunity to not only share our town, but to also see how other families live around the world. If you haven't done so already - read my post and then click through and learn about other neighborhoods around the world! It's truly fascinating!

The girls in La Rochelle

My posts in-general cover what life is like living here in France from the American perspective, highlighting family travel experiences, daily life and learning about the French culture.  Through my facebook page, I also share links to expat life in general, information on some French traditions and even some recipes.  This broad set of topics seem to be connecting for people and I look forward to continuing to focus on these areas.  I would also love any suggestions or themes for posts from readers.

I'm still amazed how this blog continues to evolve and grow. The number of views alone in this past year - shows triple the number who read it in year one.   It's one of those things that I really had no idea what direction it would take when I started and even now, I'm still not sure exactly where we are headed - What I do know is that I love sharing our experiences, our trials and tribulations of being an American family in Bordeaux, France.  I hope that some of what I share helps others to understand more of how life in France is different and yet -the same - and it inspires others to enjoy, travel and live life to it's fullest!

Our favorite Chateau in our town.

Grapes ready to harvest - Medoc

Looking forward to seeing where this next year takes American Mom in Bordeaux!!

One Year Blog Anniversary - Vive la France!

Has it been a year already?

 Wow, I can’t believe I have been blogging for a year now – sitting here at my dining room table thinking about how American Mom in Bordeaux has evolved. I remember when we first arrived here – it was so overwhelming, new language, new ways, and new culture. We spent the first few weeks with limited furnishings, as we waited for our furniture & things to arrive.  I think not feeling too settled added to that overwhelmed feeling.  Everything seemed surreal – oddly familiar, but so different at the same time.  I remember looking at other parents & kids expecting to hear English – but of course hearing French.   I think it was after the Christmas holidays that I started to come out of that initial fog of adjustment.  With Facebook & emails, I remember staying connected with family and friends in the States. This was a definite plus to feeling more at ease – exploring new things, but staying connected to what was familiar and my roots.  I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed reading a blog out of my former town, called Mamatoga – her everyday shares, information about the events and goings on in Saratoga were friendly, comforting & inspiring.  Reading her shares, definitely gave me ideas about how I could find my voice. My first post was actually done at the end of our Winter break last year – but Winter break fell earlier (the last 2 weeks in February).  So I am a bit past the one year mark, but I’m posting this as we start back into our routine after this year’s Winter break.

February 2012 - Dali Museum - Spain - Winter Break

As I look back on this year of blogging I have to admit – what started as a way to document and share our family’s experience of moving to France and adjusting to the French culture was mainly for family and friends back home and it has now grown into so much more than I ever imagined.  As I write each post about our new life, new experiences, frustrations and daily challenges, I feel energized and connected at the same time.  Through blogging, I have connected with other bloggers both in France, and other European countries and even in the US.  I have even connected with fellow alumnae of my college (Mount Holyoke College) who also blog and live abroad.  It’s such a fascinating and personal way to share about so many things – to see other view points, other perspectives and at the same time feel connected.  As, women, as spouses, as families we often all go through similar experiences but also have different perspectives – it is so nice to be enriched by others.

Blogger's luncheon in Montpellier

 I felt so privileged to have been invited to a blogger’s luncheon in Montpellier, France – so nice to meet other bloggers face to face and feel so connected already!  Just meeting with others who do the same thing I do – and talking with them – was so energizing.  We also met up with another blogging family in Paris and spent a wonderful afternoon venturing around.  Again, 2 things, I couldn’t have imagined myself doing before I started blogging.  My local paper back home in Saratoga Springs, NY has picked up my blog and listed it with their travel blogs in their community blogs section.  I was just interviewed on Overseas Radio Network (Expat radio station) by Doni Belau of Girl’s Guide to Paris and had a blast sharing our experiences here in Bordeaux. 

My posts vary from trips, sights, food, and everyday life to other topics that I encounter as we live each day as parents and as a family here in France.  This has been so much fun to share – a snippet of our life but also memories to hang on to.  I love taking my camera around and snapping away.  I have always loved photography and having an excuse bring my camera is wonderful!  My phone has become my second “camera” to have in a flash or just to be able to discretely snap a quick pic. 

I have come to realize that what I share helps others for different reasons: to either plan a trip to this side of the Atlantic, come to learn more about the French culture, or just enjoy seeing another part of the world through our eyes.  I have had people email me and ask questions about the Bordeaux area and living in France in general.  All things I am more than happy and excited to answer.  Life here is not perfect by any means, but I don’t think anywhere is. We are currently still without internet, land-line phone service and television at our home, but life is all about what you make it to be – and we have worked it out.  (Hopefully, next week – cross your fingers here, we will be fully restored!)

I never imagined that my blog would open up so many different opportunities for me (and even for my family).  I have been contacted by such fascinating people and truly love hearing from everyone.  It really astonishes me that my blog & its posts have been viewed over 25,000 times in just one year.  Thank you to everyone who is reading and who follows.  With the social media of Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram – American Mom in Bordeaux has found its own place in this virtual world and for that I am truly grateful and look forward to continuing to share.