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.
As a young teacher I once invited members of a pétanque club to teach my students how to play their sport (a bowling game similar to bocce). One of the two members who came was an elderly Swiss man who gave me an envelope containing two poems he'd typed. We never met again before his death, but I cherish his gift. When I think of the importance of intentional living, I remember this poem written by René Seghetini:
Read MoreI'm a voracious reader, though as a mama of little ones, my reading moments occur in brief snippets at late hours. Because of these time limits, here are the books that I want to prioritize this year:
Read MoreI am not a professional model nor a hippie, but I manage to go makeup-free and stick to a bare-bones personal care routine without becoming a eyesore. I stopped wearing makeup shortly after my daughter was born--I didn't want her eating my lipstick (as my little sister had), but mostly I wanted her to grow up believing that her natural beauty could shine just as well without makeup. And minus makeup, I soon discovered that I no longer needed facial cleanser or moisturizer. (I do feel that it's a kindness to others to be easy on the eyes, so I still use tinted lip balm and mascara more often than not.)
With that simplified personal care routine, I've had time enough to learn how to make make the few personal care products I still use:
Whether you'd like to be a more frugal foodie or if you'd simply prefer fewer trips to the grocery store, there's a solution that you'll love: find a local farm to support, and in return you can take home a weekly share of the harvest. My family joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program four years ago, and now we associate summer with delightful weekly visits to our farm. (It feels a bit like having a zoo membership, due to the animals we get to observe and feed!)
I'm so grateful that my children will grow up with memories of a family farm and an awareness of where their vegetables are grown (besides those from our small backyard garden). And how long would it have taken otherwise for my four-year old daughter to have discovered that she loves artichokes?
Read MoreWhen I think about my family's bilingual progress over the past few years, I realize that I've gotten too comfortable with our path. I've been consistent in speaking only French with my children, and we read many books and magazines in the target language, but that's all of our minority language input. Living in America, this adds up to children who understand French but reply only in English. So my language goals for this year are largely focused on encouraging my children to speak French rather than simply comprehending it. Here's how I hope to do this:
Read MoreThe weekend is here! We had a busy day at the Children's Museum today (pictured above), but I'm thinking of taking my children to see the Rose City Classic Dog Show here in Portland tomorrow. (I've never owned a dog, nor do we have enough room for one, but my children would love the show!) If we go, I'll try to post a photo or two on my Instagram account. In the meantime, enjoy these links I've collected for you!
Read MoreLiving 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.
Read MoreThe best stay-at-home mama moments are often the hours spent with my children outside. Today my daughter begged to find an indoor play area, but ultimately we went to a tiny park where my children left the play structure to climb a nearby ridge. The ridge led into an undeveloped housing project of paved streets and empty lots. I followed my children up the hillside and we squatted to inspect mushrooms, then smiled at a terrier and his owner. Our amble led us to another small park where eight young boys played informal football with no adults in sight. I was glad to see them outside.
In his book Last Child in the Woods (which I reviewed here), author Richard Louv highlights how seldom children play in nature anymore, and how structured playgrounds do not provide the same kind of learning and stimulation as a natural environment.
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