Purposeful family living - with a French twist
Bonjour! I'm Michele Cherie: francophile, teacher, writer, runner, wife, and mama to five children. I'm a non-native French speaker from the West Coast, USA. My husband and I recently relocated our family to Alsace, France. IntentionalMama shares our bilingual journey and resources for a culturally-rich family life.
The Japanese Garden. The Classical Chinese Garden. Portland Art Museum. The Children's Museum. The libraries in my area offer a free cultural pass to each of these places with no advance reservation required. The passes are available for one day checkout and admit several family members. You might have similar cultural passes available where you live. Here's the scoop:
Read MoreDid you realize yesterday was the first day of autumn? Before writing this post, I spent fifteen minutes pulling summer clothes from my children's closet and drawers. I do this for two reasons:
First, my four-year-old would choose to wear sundresses year-round, so tucking these away in the cold months makes for fewer clothing disputes. (My one-year-old shows a similar fondness for swim trunks.)
Read MoreHello. Goodbye. Please. Thanks. Yes. No.
These six simple words are often the first words in foreign language textbooks, and among the first you'll want to know when traveling abroad. In our native language, they're the ones we remind our young children to say ("Yes, please!") because they show so much about the speaker's intent and heart towards others.
Acknowledging others. Showing courtesy and respect. Communicating needs and desires clearly. Sharing ideas and perspectives. This is the purpose of language.
Someone recently asked how I got my daughter to ask me to keep speaking French (rather than English). I think it's because our relationship has always been conducted in French and she identifies me with that language. Plus, my husband's high school students and athletes tell her it's "so cool" that she speaks French, so she gets positive reinforcement from them on a regular basis.
But context also is part of the story, since I only switch to English when I am exhausted or angry--a minute or two when parental criticism or lazy commands come rushing out of my mouth. Apparently, the constraint of a non-native language is a curb that I should appreciate more. If I don't speak with kindness and forethought, my daughter doesn't want to hear it said.
Those six simple words are a reminder of what we all want to hear as we learn to communicate with others.
I completely agree with Anna Quindlen when she shares her wish that her children grow into adults who collect books. My family lives in a house that's small by American standards, so it's been easy to fill it with quality books. With the library titles, our French and English children's books, and my husband's and my book collection, every room holds its share of literature. Here are some of the ways that we organize all these books so that they stay accessible and visually appealing:
Read MoreIn my opinion, there are far too many parenting books: Amazon lists over 43,000 available. I've read a scant two or three dozen of them; about five of those have truly impacted the way that I parent my children. Over the next few weeks I'll profile each of those five books. Read on for more details about today's book and the giveaway.
Read MoreRemember how Netflix revolutionized the movie rental process? With a similar business model, Les Petits Livres has made French childrens' book rental an affordable option for Americans. French for "the little books," Les Petits Livres launched five years ago with the purpose of offering French childrens' book rental by mail. For a monthly fee, subscribers receive several books per month, then return them via prepaid packaging. There are no due dates and no late fees. Subscribers can tailor book preferences to their child's gender, age range, and interests, and can even create an online wish list.
Read MoreAs an American who was raised monolingual, speaking French to my children requires an ongoing mental effort. Admittedly, I taught French to middle and high school students for several years, but when my first child was born, I still had doubts about my ability to speak French consistently. I am a fluent French speaker (you can find more about how I learned French here), but since it is not my native language, there are plenty of gaps in my knowledge.
Read MoreTwelve years have passed since the attacks of September 11th, 2001. At the time, my now-husband and I were students working towards our Master's in Teaching degree. When we began teaching the following year, September 11th was a day of mourning marked by a moment of classroom silence, then discussion. Today's high school students no longer remember September 11th firsthand--they were too young. (It's eye-opening to see how quickly collective memory begins to disappear.) But the questions of that autumn day can still be taught: Why our nation was targeted. Why America is not loved by everyone outside her borders. And equally important, how people responded--and how we ought to respond to those who wound and scar us.
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