5 Aspects of Covid-19 I Didn't Know Until I Experienced it Myself

March 24, 2021 by Michele Cherie in Education, Health

One year into the Coronavirus lockdowns here in Oregon, I caught the Coronavirus myself. This month, March 2021, is an interesting time to have had Covid-19 since our state is at one of its lowest rates of infection and some businesses are starting to relax their regulations. I suspect I caught the Coronavirus at the grocery store since I hardly go anywhere else and I spent over an hour there amidst many shoppers on a Saturday afternoon five days before I got a fever. (For the curious, I was wearing a mask as required, but that probably isn’t the panacea that we’d like to think it is when we consider that mask mandates have not kept developed countries from high rates of infection.)

Favorite Reads of 2020

January 27, 2021 by Michele Cherie in Education, Learning Resources, French Resources

We're a month into 2021, but here in Oregon we’re still living amid the societal confinements that arrived last year, including schools that remain closed by our governor’s order since last March, ongoing Antifa-led violence in downtown Portland, and my friends’ small businesses struggling or shuttered. It’s quite likely the situation is similar where you are, though I hope it’s better. Frankly, I think the past year has paved the way for a concerning new normal, and it's not necessarily the future that I would wish for the world. I'm thinking particularly of the continuing travel restrictions, possible vaccine mandates, the French ban on homeschooling (now slated for 2022), and continued political fracturing. Nonetheless, I’m so grateful for the greatest blessing my family received at the end of 2020 when our fifth child (our fourth boy!) was born. I haven't been able to read as much with a newborn in my arms, bien sûr, but I'm happy to reminisce and recommend my favorite books that I read in 2020. Les voilà:

Keeping French in Our Homeschool: Our Bilingual Studies in 2020

October 23, 2020 by Michele Cherie in Education, French Resources

We had planned to be in France this fall, but due to COVID restrictions keeping us from entry there, we are continuing another year of homeschooling here in Oregon. While we miss our friends in France and we are sad about the lost opportunity to attend school there this fall, we are very much enjoying our continued homeschool journey. Much of our enjoyment is connected to our participation in an independent, weekly homeschool co-op that we joined last year. While that day's portion of our learning is all in English, I see how my children thrive on the social connections there. It feels ironic to me this year that the few dozen students in our co-op are among the minority of students nationwide who are allowed to meet and learn together on a regular basis this fall.

On our days at home this school year, here are some of the ways we are keeping French a primary part of our home learning:

Support for Parents Who Suddenly Find Themselves Homeschooling Their Children

March 20, 2020 by Michele Cherie in Education, Learning Resources, Reflections on Parenting

What a strange, unprecedented moment we find ourselves in, peering into the foggy darkness of unknowns cast by the spread of COVID-19. Currently here in Oregon (as with more than half of U.S. states), schools are closed through the end of April and possibly through the end of the year. As a result, my husband (a teacher) and our wonderful exchange student are home enjoying the family time with the children and me. (Yesterday our exchange student was interviewed by USA Today about what it's like to be an exchange student in the U.S. right now; you can read the article and find our family photo in the article here, but more importantly, I'm also sharing my tips and resources for you newly homeschooling parents since I've learned a lot over the years as a seasoned homeschooling mom.

Bonne Année! A Brief Update & Top Posts from 2019

January 04, 2020 by Michele Cherie in Contentment, Education

Bonne année! I hope you're feeling hopeful about 2020 and the beginning of a new decade. I mentioned to my oldest child that she'll be twenty years old and likely halfway through college when the next decade arrives. "Where?” She asked. I responded that perhaps she’ll be at my alma mater, Westmont College, in Santa Barbara (California). She replied that she doesn't want to live that far away. My husband and I found this amusing since she professes that she wants to live in France someday. Apparently France is more familiar to her than California, the state neighboring us here in Oregon.

For our family, the past year has been busier than ever, to the point that I took a six-month break from writing— long enough, perhaps, for many of you to forget that you signed up to receive blog updates by email. Merci de votre patience. There is always much I want to share with you—family experiences we loved in France (that you can experience as well), our bilingual family progress, our experience having an au pair for a year (such a blessing!), many book recommendations, and encouragement for intentional family living.

Educational French Resources for Learning (including every school subject!)

June 25, 2019 by Michele Cherie in Education, French Resources, Learning Resources, Teaching French

One of the key reasons I began this blog, Intentional Mama, back in 2013 was to share French resources with families and teachers here in the United States and anywhere else that French materials might be difficult to find. Today, learning French remains incredibly important to my family and me—we've been homeschooling in French, or mainly in French, for roughly five years now. Here is my current list of my favorite educational French resources organized by school subject! (Nearly all of these resources are available here in the U.S.; others can be ordered online.) Profitez-bien!

Mourning Notre Dame de Paris: A Brief Liturgical Perspective

April 16, 2019 by Michele Cherie in Cultural Reflections, French Culture

Holy Week, la semaine sainte, began Sunday; yesterday evening Notre Dame de Paris lost her roof and spire to flames. The footage of her spire toppling left me hollow, ready to retch. I wonder that this has occurred in our lifetime, to gaze at the height of the landmark cathedral that has endured since the Middle Ages and watch her soaring roofline burned to ash.

The flames were doused as night fell; we appreciate the hundreds of pompiers who worked to stop the destruction. Ave Maria was sung in the twilight by some who looked on, though few knew the words. Even the morning after, it is evident that the spirit of mourning will linger long after the smoke and ashes drift away. Notre Dame's spire was a lenten candle snuffed out. Most of the world recognizes that an enduring symbol and cultural heritage has been stricken; we ultimately grieve the fracture of an enduring testament to faith.

New French Children's Magazines & Subscriptions from Milan Jeunesse

March 13, 2019 by Michele Cherie in Education, French Resources, Family fun

My children love retrieving our family's mail from the letter box. Their happiness at fetching the mail is connected to the joy they experience when sending or receiving letters from friends, but it's also largely due to their monthly French children's magazine issues. Years ago I balked at the price of a magazine subscription from France, but within a few months I concluded that the literacy benefit is worth the cost. There's nothing quite like a quality children's magazine, packed with age-appropriate activities, stories, and fresh vocabulary, for encouraging a young reader. A subscription to such a magazine is especially rewarding for parents when it fosters bi-literacy. French publisher Milan Jeunesse released three new magazine lines for children within the past year or so, so I'm happy to feature these new magazines here on Intentional Mama today. Below these features, I share our tried-and-true favorites from previous years and how we subscribe to them here in the U.S.