Today I'm really excited to share my in-depth interview with Jamie Cat Callan, author of the new book, Parisian Charm School.



Here is the description of Parisian Charm School:

We all know that French women don't get fat. But their famous je ne sais quoi comes from more than just body type--something anyone can master: the old-fashioned art cultivating our inner beauty, confidence, and unique personal style, at any age.

From savoring the everyday beauty around you to engaging in captivating conversations, playing dress-up, hosting impromptu dinner parties under the stars, and of course mastering the art of French flirting, the lively and inspiring lessons in this “syllabus” will help you rediscover your beautiful, fierce, romantic, engaging best self—to attract the best of everything into your life.

Ready to embark on the adventure of your life? Parisian Charm School is in session….

Fans of Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic will enjoy Jamie's unique take on what gives French women that je ne sais quoi. She and I offer different perspectives and, combined, I think we cover all bases! :)



At over a half an hour, this is an extra long video for my channel. Jamie and I had so much fun chatting, the minutes just wiled away! We discuss everything from how to choose the right colors in clothing, to surprising differences between French and American culture. We also touch on some touchy/ controversial subjects including French lifestyle stereotypes.



a Rafflecopter giveaway


Jamie is so generous to be giving away 5 signed copies of Parisian Charm School to readers of The Daily Connoisseur. This giveaway is open worldwide. The giveaway will run for two weeks. I will announce the winners on the above widget, as well as notify you by email. Thank you, Jamie for such a generous giveaway!

I hope you enjoy today's video.

News
My eCourse on the ten-item wardrobe has rave reviews. It's been called both life-changing and inspiring. With over an hour of never-before-seen video instruction, notes and quizzes, you will feel prepared to create your own ten-item wardrobe. For those of you who already do the ten-item wardrobe, this course will keep you on track and provide further inspiration. The course is self-paced and includes a lively comment section with other ten-item wardrobe enthusiasts. Enjoy!



We will be continuing the Mapp & Lucia Book Club in the spring! We will discuss the next two novels in the series, Lucia in London and Mapp & Lucia. Here are the links to Lucia in London on Audible and Mapp & Lucia on Audible




On Instagram

This book is so chock full of wisdom, I went back through it to take notes! #lessonsfrommadamechic #books #readinglist #checkitout #sogood

A post shared by Sarah (@sublime_mint) on Dec 2, 2017 at 8:31am PST

Comment of the Week
Yesterday I gave my annual Epiphany Sunday Tea Party for my daughters and daughters-in-law. There are six in total. Our theme was the "Ten Item Wardrobe" and we watched your Ted Talk. Before watching the Ted Talk, we had fun doing a little quiz to see if our skin tones were warm or cool, and then we talked about what colors worked best with our skin tones. As a party favor, I gave each of the girls a copy of "Lessons from Madame Chic". It was a great afternoon of promoting the Daily Connoisseur lifestyle!

Happy New Year!
Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth, that is so neat! What a fun idea to do a Madame Chic tea party. It sounds like you all had a fabulous time. Happy New Year to you too!


I truly hope you enjoy today's interview. Please chime in below in the comments section with your take on the topics we've discussed. Your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on The Daily Connoisseur!

For more on Jamie, find her at www.JamieCatCallan.com

To record our Skype call with side-by-side screens, I used Call Recorder for Skype


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So I can’t believe I haven’t written about this yet but a French family has recently moved in next door to me in my Santa Monica town home! Our neighbors have rented out their home for one year and in moved a family from France.

You can imagine my delight upon learning this news as I have been able to observe how true French people live Comme les Français in Santa Monica! I shall call this family Famille Sportif as they are the most active family I have ever witnessed in my entire life. And by saying that, I am not exaggerating.

Famille Sportif is composed of a mother, father and two young sons. They are constantly lugging surf boards and skate boards, boogie boards and bikes out of their house (I see and hear everything) They seem to really like Santa Monica- its close proximity to the beach, the beautiful weather, the plethora of outdoor activities to take part in…

Observing Famille Sportif is great fun but the downside to it all is their sportiness makes me feel incredibly lazy. I can’t remember the last time I went to the beach! (Actually, I can. It was on my birthday in July and before that I hadn’t been in over a year). And yet every weekend I see the entire family of four coming back, suntanned and sanded- looking completely content.

I suppose it is a very French thing to take advantage of one’s environment and all of the pleasures it has to offer. There is an expression in French- profiter de la vie- which means simply to enjoy life or to ‘profit’ from it. I do realize that I live in a beautiful city- an active person’s dream, really. Famille Sportif has gently reminded me of this in their own very French way.

I think I’m going to start riding my bike more…

While living in Paris I quickly befriended the French family of my friend B in my study abroad program. B's French mother (I will call her Madame Bohemienne) was free spirited- the type of Parisian woman with wild, curly hair, bright yellow walls and a penchant for throwing raucous dinner parties. She was so different to my French mother (I'll call her Madame Chic). Madame Chic and her husband came from a long line of aristocrats, had a posh pad in the coveted 16th arrondissement and a vacation home in Brittany. Their walls were cream. They were reserved. Madame Chic (in stark contrast to Madame Bohemienne's artistic locks) had a French bob with nary a misplaced hair. The two women could not be more different- but each wonderfully unique and full of lessons- ones which I was only too eager to learn. But, I digress. This post is on exercise.

The first time I visited Madame Bohemienne I noticed she lived on the 6th floor of her building. And there was no elevator. No elevator?! Six floors is a lot of stairs. The first time I climbed those steps I arrived sweaty and confused. Every time I visited her thereafter, I would prepare myself for the mammoth climb. Half way up I would curse the ancient building and its lack of elevators. I felt like I was perpetually in the scene from Barefoot in the Park when Robert Redford was shocked by the amount of stairs leading to his new apartment. They would never end! I would, inevitably wind up at her door, completely out of breath and in need of a tall drink of water (or perhaps a drink of the stiffer variety). And when I was invited to one of her many dinner parties? Forget it. The heels came off and I braced those steps- cocktail dress and all.

Madame Bohemienne was amused by my lack of stamina for those stairs. She would refer to me (and my people) as lazy Americans- too accustomed to being dropped off precisely where we wanted to land. She would float up all six floors without batting an eyelash or even breaking out into a pant (!) and claimed (rather maddeningly) that the walk was good for the derriere. She would say since she didn't work out at a gym she got her exercise in moving through the city and by walking up her stairs. This, for me, was food for thought.

Now, back in America, I am still a member of Equinox, but I don't use that as an excuse to avoid certain staircases every now and then. When met with taking the stairs or the elevator, I take the stairs and I think my derriere thanks me every time.

One of the biggest and most important aspects of French culture is food. The French revere food. They love it, savor it and treat it with the respect it rightfully deserves. I love food too. I like cooking it and eating it. But lately I have found that I don't have as much respect for it, comme les Francais. Allow me to explain.

While living in France, I quickly learned that with each meal came a ritual- a sacred right. The table would be set, napkins out (cloth, bien sûr), wine or still water poured and either music or conversation (or both) were the only background distractions. The scene would be set and food would be the star. I relished in these meals. The food was simple, yet glorious and it made even the most insignificant of meals (a quick breakfast before heading off to class) feel glamorous.

Cut to a few years later back in America, chez moi. Breakfast might be eaten in front of the computer while checking email or reading blogs. Lunch is consumed in a quick trip home after taking out my dog, often times standing up or watching television. Dinner would find me and my husband (who is very hard to get to sit still for long periods of time, btw) eating quickly with Fox Football Phone In in the background, each one of us almost in a race to finish, place the dishes in the dishwasher and be done with it all. Oh how sad indeed.

I have noticed that I have let things go in the eating department and I can't think for the life of me why. I spend a lot of time preparing meals (tonight I made roast chicken, potato gratin and sweet corn) you'd think that I would want to honor the food I've prepared by actually paying attention to it! So, I have decided to devote this entire week to savoring my meals. Eating each one sitting down- focusing fully on the taste of the food, allowing eating to become a sensual experience. Yes I am talking breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'm very excited to report back to you on how it all goes and what- if anything- I gain from the experience.

Won't you stay tuned?

Liz Skelly watercolor image courtesy of: http://www.cexii.com/liz_skelly.htm

Exercise is a tricky topic for me. I'm not the type to go to the gym everyday for two hours. I prefer to spread my movement throughout the day- like the French do! When I lived in France in 2001 I became the ultimate lifestyle detective. I noticed that French women preferred to walk to the market or work- or up 9 flights of stairs in lieu of hitting the gym. And I never saw a French woman in sneakers. Quelle Horreur! I took what inspiration I could from them and ran.

Here is what a typical day for me is like- exercise wise:

When I first wake up, I do yoga for a minimum of 10 minutes. This is more for my peace of mind than anything else. I love stretching and breathing deeply. This really starts me off on the right foot. This is usually followed by 5 - 10 minutes of meditation- which is more exercise for my brain in how to quiet down! Then later in the day I usually take my dog, Gatsby for a 40 minute power walk. Good for me, good for the dog! Lastly, my husband and I live in a three story town house so usually late at night, right before I go to bed, if it strikes my fancy, I usually walk up and down all three flights of stairs 10- 15 times. You get the idea.

This was all great but I became concerned that I wasn't toning my upper body and using weights. Well, as you can imagine, all of these mini exercises that I fit into my day leave room for little else, so I've developed a plan. On weeknights my husband and I watch between one and two hours of TV- a girl's got to keep up with her shows! So I now do reps while watching our favorite shows or during commercials (if I'm not watching our dvr). I'm starting out small- 20 reps of each arm move with 5lb weights. I am loving the results and don't feel guilty just collapsing on the couch!

We'll see how long this goes. I do tend to get bored doing the same thing all the time. I would be interested to find other ways to incorporate exercise into my day...

Spiritual Practice- Incorporate movement and exercise into as many parts of your day as you can. It will help you stay present and remind you to breathe!