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 Portland Children's Museum opened their long-awaited Outdoor Adventure exhibit on Earth Day last week, and my children and I had a great time checking it out! Honestly, it's fantastically designed for all ages, with a sand pit, fountains, a small manmade creek, a climbing tree, trails, picnic areas, and more. If you plan to check it out, here are some thoughts to consider before you go:
Read MoreAmerica: The land where What to Expect When You're Expecting has sold more than 34 million copies as the self-proclaimed "pregnancy Bible" since its publication in the mid-eighties. Nevermind that it inflates hypochondriac concerns in a patronizing tone. Nevermind that until 2008, its diet recommendations emphasized carbs and listed bran muffins as an indulgence. Enter Alicia Silverstone, whose book The Kind Mama was just released April 15th. In her "Simple Guide to Supercharged Fertility, a Radiant Pregnancy, a Sweeter Birth, and A Healthier, More Beautiful Beginning," Silverstone advocates for purposeful pregnancy and parenting choices such as a plant-rich diet, natural birth, co-sleeping, and breastfeeding. But in response, online book critics has been anything but kind.
Read MoreMy daughter is a witty five year old who adores books, so I think she's on the cusp of learning to read. But beyond our daily habit of reading together and occasionally reviewing alphabet sounds (in French and English), I haven't pushed her to learn to read (and my two-year-old son has several years before he reaches this milestone). Yet unless our family moves closer to one of the French immersion schools in Oregon, we'll most likely be homeschooling this fall. Read on for more about how we'll approach learning to read in French and the resources we'll use.
Read MoreAs my children grow towards school-age, we're reading a larger variety of short stories in French and English, and I'm delighting in the subtle differences along the way. Fiction stories are culture capsules--they rarely reveal culture overtly, but the more one reads, the more one sees how the stories reflect cultural tendencies. At the risk of wading into stereotypes, I'll share the key differences I've noticed:
Read MoreIntentional Mama is a blog that focuses on parenting, French language learning, and raising bilingual children; it exists to inspire, encourage, and inform. At times I include references to God in my writing here, but I recognize that you may be coming from different points of view. Nonetheless, in honor of Easter this weekend, here are three explanations as to why I'm raising my children to believe in God:
Read MoreThis week between Palm Sunday and Easter, Holy Week, brings back my memories of Easter (Pâques) in France. During my first exchange in France ten years ago, I lived on the campus of a Protestant theology school in Aix-en-Provence. (That's unusual for a homestay situation, but my host parents were employed there.) On Easter morning, a French friend drove me to an outdoor Easter sunrise service in a nearby village; the sunrise was glorious and I appreciated the opportunity to celebrate the resurrection of Christ with a small group of wonderful French families.
Afterwards, my host maman, host soeur and I had lunch at a friend's home where we enjoyed a meal featuring a succulent roast lamb--the first time I'd ever tasted lamb. (I'd been vegetarian for a few months before I lived in France, but chose to expand my eating preferences to educate my taste buds and to make meal preparation easier on my host family. I've eaten meat ever since.) It was far better than the mutton (aged sheep) I'd eaten in England!
Read MoreIn January I posted my family language goals for this year, explaining how I hoped to get my children to speak more often in French, their minority language. Here are some ways that I've had success in getting them to tell more stories in that minority language:
Read MoreIt's rare to find a book that enhances your knowledge of world cultures while embracing you as a cherished family friend and confidante, yet Melissa Dalton-Bradford does exactly this in her memoir, Global Mom: Eight Countries, Sixteen Addresses, Five Languages, One Family. More than a collection of tales of family globetrotting, Global Mom recounts with humor and honesty her family's journey through life-altering circumstances, and the result is a book that brims with touching truths and memorable moments.
Ever gracious, Melissa agreed to answer some questions I had for her after reading her book. (She responded from Geneva while preparing for their upcoming move to Frankfurt.) It's an honor to share her responses with you here.
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