Infant Pottying: Why It's A Sweet Way to Parent (and Have Fewer Diapers to Change)

February 21, 2015 by Michele Cherie in American Culture, Reflections on Parenting

A few weeks ago I shared some forgotten truths about newborns and I mentioned that newborns can use the potty. Western cultures like ours are largely ignorant about this, but in this Information Age, such knowledge is spreading again. If you aren't familiar with Infant Pottying, Elimination Communication (E.C.), or Natural Infant Hygiene, I'm glad to share what I've learned as we've raised our babies this way. It takes an open mind to read this without skepticism, but you can do it!

Fascinating Non-Fiction Reads of 2014

January 29, 2015 by Michele Cherie in American Culture, Education, Learning Resources

Now that I'm a homeschooling mama of three, I'm amazed that I manage to read as many books as I do, but a few hours spent reading each week--mostly at night--add up to a lot of joy and learning! Last year I shared my planned reading list for 2014, but not all of the books turned out to be titles I'd recommend. In contrast, this January I'm sharing non-fiction books with you that I've read over the past year and found fascinating. These aren't parenting- or French-related books, but they'll make you a more informed parent and enlarge your understanding of life:

3 Forgotten Truths About Newborns

January 20, 2015 by Michele Cherie in American Culture, Reflections on Parenting

Our family is ten days into this parenting journey with our third child, so I thought I'd share three truths about newborns that I am being reminded of this week. I didn't know these truths when I started my parenting journey, and our modern society has mostly forgotten them:

Simple Christmas Crafts & Activities for Little Learners

December 11, 2014 by Michele Cherie in American Culture, Home Management, Reflections on Parenting

C'est la saison de Noël! This December I've enjoyed the gift of time with my children to do some simple crafts and activities: beeswax candle rolling, making gingerbread houses, and biking the Christmas lights at Portland International Raceway. If these experiences are new to you like they were for us, you'll appreciate a few details about how they worked and what we learned.

Gratitude for Generations

November 27, 2014 by Michele Cherie in American Culture

Bonjour, les amis! I've been at a foreign language teaching conference in Texas (ACTFL), where I was thrilled to learn about the current state of French education in the U.S. I also appreciated the opportunity to glean ideas for classroom and home teaching--I'll share the best of what I learned next week.

In the meantime, happy Thanksgiving! I cherish this holiday. It is personally relevant because my great, great grandma (who lived in Massachusetts until her death at 104) shared that our family geneology descends from John Tilley Howland--the fellow who fell off The Mayflower during a mid-voyage storm but was rescued by rope. How's that for a tenuous family thread?! He went on to be the second-longest living survivor of The Mayflower, and the home where he and his wife Elizabeth lived is the only original pilgrim home remaining in Plymouth today.

No, No, No--Not in August!

August 06, 2014 by Michele Cherie in American Culture, Cultural Reflections, French Culture

"No, no, no--not in August!" This phrase is a French joke between my husband and me. It stems from a conversation we had with a French friend when we were visiting France to attend a wedding several years ago. Our friend stated that French teachers would never return to work in August. They'd choose to go on strike rather than work in August, which is essentially national vacation month in France. (The French receive a minimum of four weeks of paid leave annually, and the majority of the French take a month for vacation in either July or August--usually the latter.)

Why Bringing Up Bébé Caught Americans' Attention

July 25, 2014 by Michele Cherie in American Culture, Cultural Reflections, French Culture, Learning Resources, Parenting Books, Reflections on Parenting

Do you remember the buzz surrounding Pamela Druckerman's 2012 book Bringing Up Bébé? The subtitle was One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting. The book still ranks among the top twenty parenting sold books on Amazon, currently #2 in the motherhood subcategory. After the book's release, Time magazine included Druckerman on its list of the 100 most influential people of 2012. (Upon hearing this news, her husband dryly quipped, "You're not even the most influential person in our apartment building.")

Unexpected Weaning: Ending My Toddler Son's Breastfeeding

July 10, 2014 by Michele Cherie in American Culture, Reflections on Parenting

Remember when I went to the Alt Summit Conference last month? I was away from my children for three days and nights, and I knew it might be an opportunity to wean my two-and-a-half-year-old son. I've never intentionally weaned a child before--I'm a strong believer in child-led nursing and my daughter slowly weaned herself at four-and-a-half. But this time was different: I've been breastfeeding children for five years straight, I'm pregnant, and I was ready for a few months' break from breastfeeding before our third child is born. I also knew my son was old enough that he could be weaned without much guilt on my part.