Options after exceeding the auto-entrepreneur turnover limit?

I’m on the auto-entrepreneur scheme under Conseil Informatique (3rd yr). Whilst I was originally only working part-time, the requests to do more have increased my hours and I have struggled to keep my income under the auto-entrepreneur threshold. I am working for a single UK-company. They pay major expenses direct. At the end of last year I had to delay issuing invoices to keep below the threshold. With four kids at school there is also the perverse situation if you work too much you kill those wonderful French benefits.

I am now in a quandary whether to go full pelt into the Regime Reel - but am unsure what this will mean for me (higher social taxes - but what expenses can I set off?) or whether to regress back to working part-time and turn down work. I suppose, the issue is whether the RR is a bind or a possible bonus i.e. exactly what expenses could you put thru the RR scheme? For example, I have been holding off on getting a replacement car. Such expenses do not work under the auto-entrepreneur - but could they under the RR? Is it worth the hassle moving in the RR world? If I cross the auto-entrepreneur threshold exactly when does this happen? If for 2012 my income exceeds the limit will they then say that all of 2012 needs to be done on the RR scheme and I frantically have to find invoices/slips?

Another issue is that I might start a business this year as there is a venture on the horizon. I would envisage this being a joint venture with maybe my business holding 50%.