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.
Intentional 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 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 MoreMy dad is an amazing storyteller. As a child, I loved the stories of his childhood experiences among seven siblings, but his fictional tales were just as engaging. (They featured a naïve kid named Billy who made poor choices and faced amusing yet believable consequences; my dad often retold the stories twice in a row, with Billy making different decisions and arriving at better outcomes.)
My own storytelling skills are weak. With a Bachelor's Degree in English, I've read plenty of choice stories, but literacy differs from orality. Storytelling is an art that is improved with practice--and practice is what I need. I'm going to make frequent storytelling a focus in the next few months. Here are some tips I'm learning:
Read MoreI've heard this twice lately: to children, there is no such concept as quality time; instead, all they discern is time spent together or apart. Our family has been vacationing in central Oregon the past few days, and it's been renewing--not so much for the change of scenery, though the high desert beauty is arresting, but for the time spent en famille.
Read MoreA reader recently wrote to ask me for information about local social groups and support groups for parents. It's a great question, because in our culture, the early years of parenting can be so isolating that finding a way to connect with others becomes crucial to maintaining a joyful perspective. To figure out what will truly re-energize you, here are a few questions to ask yourself first:
Read MoreMy daughter turns five this week, and a few friends have asked me for gift ideas. Though I remind them that gifts aren't necessary, I also share one or two of the items she's asked for over the past few months: a baby doll with a pacifier, Hello Kitty stick-on earrings, swim goggles, a two-wheeled scooter. I feel a little sheepish sharing these wishes--part of me is concerned that it makes her appear demanding, and another part of me fears that she might actually receive most or all of the items she wants. Surely that wouldn't be good for her character, right?
Read MoreMy heart is heavy, mes amis, because I yelled at my little ones today--full volume anger about their inability to get along harmoniously while I made dinner. It was an extra-long parenting day since my husband couldn't make it home until bedtime. My children and I had passed the afternoon with violin lessons followed by free play in the pouring rain, but the kitchen was a mess and my fatigue reared up with such harsh words. I apologized and embraced my children, trying to restore those bonds of love, but even though children are able to forgive and move on so much more quickly than adults, we adults know the damage is deeper than they realize.
Read MoreLiving in the U.S., I've always associated Mardi Gras with the beaded necklaces and parade trinkets linked to the New Orleans celebration. Now that I am raising my children in French, however, I've learned that the pre-Lent carnival season in France is largely an occasion for children to celebrate, somewhat like Halloween in the U.S. Here's what I mean:
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