Arriving in Paris (and What Not To Do on Arrival)

July 08, 2015 by Michele Cherie in Travel, American Culture, Reflections on Parenting, French Culture, Cultural Reflections

Bonjour les amis! We're in Paris! This is my first trip back to France in eight years, and It's great to be able to share this city with my husband and children. (He and I were last in France when I was two months pregnant with our first child.) I hope to write more frequently about our experiences here, so Intentional Mama will be more of a travel blog for a while, d'accord? Here's how we're adjusting, and what we've learned the hard way:

Living Without Dairy Products: A Healthier Diet

February 24, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Home Management, Cultural Reflections

I've always loved dairy products--I grew up eating cold cereal with cow's milk for breakfast and after-school snack, and if you had asked me in my preteen years to describe my ideal diet, my answer would have included a lot of Kraft macaroni and cheese. (I was an American child of the 80s, when processed foods were proliferating). But in my early twenties I started noticing that certain yogurts gave me gas, and after I got food poisoning in Hungary, I started experiencing brief but recurrent stomach pain. It took a miserable (but free) nasogastroscopie in France for me to understand that my stomach was fine, but it could no longer digest the dairy products I was putting into it.

Nonetheless, it wasn't until I read Alisa Marie Fleming's nutritional guide and cookbook, Go Dairy Free, that I realized that replacing dairy products with plant-based foods was probably one of the best nutritional actions I could take--and it was much easier than I had realized.

Ironic Comedy: Speaking a Foreign Language in America

February 21, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Reflections on Parenting, Teaching French, French Language Learning

As a non-native French speaker in America, I find that using French with my children provokes amusing responses from others. Never mind that I'm a certified French teacher--when family members first heard me speak to my children, they stared at me like I'd walked into the room dressed as Marie Antoinette with her signature wig. Some of my in-laws hadn't even realized I knew French, apparently.

Living Intentionally in an Indulgent Culture: Notes From A Blue Bike

January 30, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Contentment, Cultural Reflections, Home Management, Learning Resources, Reflections on Parenting

Have you ever returned from a trip with a desire to live differently? International travel in particular is a catalyst for life change. It provides a view of life rearranged, of priorities and resources altogether different from those at home.

I was blessed to be able to study and travel abroad frequently in my twenties. In Sri Lanka, I observed women sewing shirts priced higher than their annual salary. In Jordan, a family prepared me a meal so savory and generous that my stomach will never be so full again. In France, I grew accustomed to a life in balance, where Sundays for most families consisted of a noontime meal, a nap, leisure time outdoors, and a quality movie on national television.

Living Without A Microwave Oven: Why?

January 17, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Home Management

Living in America means that I have a very comfortable life. However, my family and I also live a fairly unconventional life for Americans, considering some of our lifestyle choices. So today I'm launching a series of blog posts highlighting some of the items that we don't own or use, and why we've chosen to live that way.

In 2006, I read a Pew Research study stating that 68% of Americans considered a microwave oven an essential item, compared with just 32% of Americans ten years earlier. Apparently my mindset matched the cultural shift, because at that time I couldn't imagine getting by without a microwave.

Ten American Activities to Share with an Exchange Student

November 01, 2013 by Michele Cherie in Cultural Reflections, International Exchange, American Culture

Whether you are currently hosting an exchange student or are simply curious about what activities are highly American in nature, this list is worth reading.