Bilingual Progress Update: Before Our France Trip

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Bonjour! It's been a while, hasn't it? May was a whirlwind--amidst the beauty of spring, it was my husband's busy season of coaching track, but thankfully we'll have more time together soon. This past month I've figured out some details for our first trip to France as a family. It's an extended trip stretching from July to the end of September. We figured if we're going to pay for all of us to go (we opened a savings account last year towards this goal), we might as well stay as long as possible. Without a visa, we can stay close to 90 days.

I'm really curious to know how much fluency our children will gain from their time in France! Here's where they are currently at in their French knowledge and acquisition, along with my hopes for their experience:

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French by Heart: Rebecca Ramsey's Memoir

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In July 1999, an American mama named Rebecca Ramsey moved to France with her husband, baby, seven-year-old boy, nine-year-old daughter, and their aging cat. Her family stayed in the Auvergne for four years, and I'm grateful that she later crafted her family's experiences into a humorous and endearing memoir entitled French By Heart (published in 2007). After all, there are plenty of memoirs about expat life in France, but few of them reflect the experience of an American family with young children truly attempting to assimilate into French life over the course of several years.

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From Exchange Student to Mama in France: Looking Back and Ahead

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Ten years have passed since I was an exchange student in France; seven years since my husband and I last traveled there. Now I'm planning our first visit to France as a family--an extended trip this summer through autumn. We'll start in Paris as tourists, stay with friends in the countryside, and finish in Lyon as inhabitants while my daughter begins school alongside other young francophones.

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October Nature Events for Families in Oregon (& Elsewhere)

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Bonjour, les amis! Because of September's heat here in Oregon, October often feels like the true beginning of autumn. Have you enjoyed any pumpkin treats or cider yet? We're having homemade pumpkin ravioli tonight. (We haven't tried it before, but my children like stuffing wonton wrappers.) And if you're craving a seasonal drink, this past week I blended a few spoonfuls of pumpkin puree with a cup of rice milk and a dash of nutmeg, and it was surprisingly refreshing! For more ways to enjoy the season, here are some family-friendly nature events around Portland, Oregon, this month:

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Family Vacation: Aquariums, Sand, & Sushi

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We're back from the coast, mes amis, but in a week we'll head to Central Oregon for another getaway. Lest you think I'm vaunting our vacation time (the benefit of a teacher's schedule), I admit I'd be content to stay home the rest of the summer. Home provides rhythm and reading and the resources I'd like to use for planning my daughter's homeschool curriculum. But carpe diem--time away from home is beneficial in unexpected ways.

We visited the Oregon Coast Aquarium this past weekend, partly so my son could use his free ticket from our library's summer reading program.

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