Purposeful family living - with a French twist
Bonjour! I'm Michele Cherie: francophile, teacher, writer, wife, and mama to five children. I'm a non-native French speaker in Oregon raising my children in French. IntentionalMama shares our bilingual journey and resources for a culturally-rich family life.
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.
Read MoreBonjour, 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.
Read MoreIn America, yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday and Groundhog Day; In France, Belgium, and Switzerland, yesterday was La Chandeleur and people there ate crêpes for dinner and dessert. (In Mexico, they ate tamales.) La Chandeleur is a holiday that celebrates light and the dedication of the infant Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2 in the Bible) and it takes place forty days after Christmas--February 2nd. Crêpes' round shape and golden color are a reminder that spring sunshine is near.
If you've never made a crêpe, I'll show you how. We enjoy crêpes for breakfast at least once every two weeks! And they would be a lovely way to celebrate Valentine's Day.
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