• Paris Lockdown - 30 More Chic Days

    A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 2 – Fun Glamour

     April 21, 2020 “Choose Glamour” is the Day 2 in 30 More Chic Days by Fiona Ferris. I reviewed this chapter when I first read the book here. Back then, I liked the “concept” of glamour…. I just wasn’t sure how it could be applied in my “suburban soccer mom” type existence.  Then I reread Day 2 for yesterday’s post. The mental picture of my “inner Paris Girl” (a mix of Roselind Russel’s character, Auntie Mame, from the film Auntie Mame and Juliette Binoche’s character, Viane Rocher, from the film, Chocolat) popped fully formed into my mind. Okay, now we’re talking Glamour with a capital “G”! But how can Auntie…

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    A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 1 – Pay Attention To Your Inner Chic Vision, Cherie!

     April 20, 2020 Day 1 in Fiona Ferris’s book, 30 More Chic Days, is titled “Embrace Your Inner French Girl and Her Dream Life.” Fiona encourages us to have a vision of our best self and our best, dreamiest life. Her point is that when we have a clear and authentic vision of our best selves, we naturally evolve into that beautiful and genuine self. And we can have fun while doing it! She makes the very perceptive point that we are evolving every day anyway – let’s grow in a direction that inspires our imagination and passion. My vision of my inner Paris girl is only slightly different from…

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    A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 1 – Let Our Imagination Take The Lead

    April 19, 2020 I skipped Days 1, 2 & 3 from Fiona’s Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days, when I started blogging each day of Paris’s CoVid-19 lockdown. (I started writing on Day 4 of Paris’s lockdown so wanted to start on Day 4 of Fiona’s book.) When I went back and reread those days in the book, however, I found too much valuable insight in each day to just cavalierly skip them. Let’s take a look at those first three days of 30 Chic Days before we close the book. . Day 1 is titled “Have a Paris State of Mind” in Fiona Ferris’s book 30 Chic Days. Fiona lays…

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    A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 2 – Food Is Life

    April 18, 2020 I skipped Days 1, 2 & 3 from Fiona’s Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days, when I started blogging each day of Paris’s CoVid-19 lockdown. (I started writing on Day 4 of Paris’s lockdown so wanted to start on Day 4 of Fiona’s book.) When I went back and reread those days in the book, however, I found too much valuable insight in each day to just cavalierly skip them. Let’s take a look at those first three days of 30 Chic Days before we close the book. Fiona Ferris calls Day 2 “Eat Real Food” in her book 30 Chic Days. In this chapter, she writes about…

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    A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 3 – We Are What We Talk About

    April 17, 2020 I skipped Days 1, 2 & 3 from Fiona’s Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days, when I started blogging each day of Paris’s CoVid-19 lockdown. (I started writing on Day 4 of Paris’s lockdown so wanted to start on Day 4 of Fiona’s book.) When I went back and reread those days in the book, however, I found too much valuable insight in each day to just cavalierly skip them. Let’s take a look at those first three days of 30 Chic Days before we close the book. In Fiona Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days, Day 3 is titled “Bathe Yourself in Mystique”. In this chapter, Fiona is…

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    A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 30 – A Feast of the Senses

    “Immerse Yourself In Sensuous Beauty” is Day 30 in Fiona Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days. In this final day of the book, Fiona asks us to mentally step out of our preoccupations and step into the physical world. By paying attention to our senses, we become more appreciative of the world around us and feel happier and more connected to our lives. We accomplish this by focusing on our individual senses.  Fiona gives examples of different ways we can enjoy our different senses in our everyday life. She lists beautiful ways we can provoke a sensory moment through sight, sound, feel, smell, and taste. She introduces two more senses: intuition…

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    A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 29 – A Step A Day…

    Fiona Ferris calls Day 29 in her book 30 Chic Days, “Walk Your Errands.”  She encourages us to put as much gentle activity in our day as possible. There are all sorts of wonderful benefits that come to us when we incorporate walking into our daily schedule. We all know the benefits such as growing stronger, staying limber and youthful, and using calories in an effortless way. Mireille Guilliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat and French Women Don’t Get Facelifts, agreed with Fiona.  Mireille, like Fiona, both enjoyed and advocated a mindset that embraced walking as a way to connect with the world and a primary way to…

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    A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 28 – More Chocolate, Please.

    In Fiona Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days, Fiona calls Day 28, “Think of Your Home As If It Were A Boutique Hotel.” She gives a collection of really good ideas to get us up and moving to keep our space in a lovely condition.  Fiona’s idea is that when our personal space is tidy and clean, we feel happier, more relaxed and can engage with life in a more positive way. I do agree with her. A lot, in fact. You wouldn’t be able to deduce that, however, from the state of my apartment today. Yes, my lovely, chic Paris apartment (that I share with my husband and our two…

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    A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 27 – Create!

    Fiona Ferris, in her book, 30 Chic Days, labels Day 27 “Embrace Creativity and Enjoy the Benefits.” In this chapter, Fiona writes about the fun and freedom that she experiences when she loses herself in her creative crafting hobbies. She finds that she feels better – both calmer and more resilient – when she keeps her creative time a high priority in her schedule. Fiona asks us to think back to when we were about 10 or 12 years old – what did we love to do? Whatever it was, the key parts of it are probably the things that we still enjoy doing today. When I was around 10-11…

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    A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 26 – Making Magic in Ordinary

    “Make Every Day Magical” is the title for Day 26 in Fiona Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days. Fiona encourages us to notice this day and this moment. There is some part of today that is special right now. She writes that sometimes we can become so “big occasion” focused that we miss out on the many magical moments that are happening all around us. Fiona writes that paying attention to the little good things in her day as well as having small and medium-sized occasions to look forward to increases her overall enjoyment of life. Fiona’s experience is echoed by Gretchen Rubin in her book, The Happiness Project. Gretchen writes…

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