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.

French Schools Follow-Up: Summarizing My Children's Immersion Experiences

September 16, 2015 by Michele Cherie in French Culture, Travel, Education, French Language Learning

This week marks the third week my children have attended school here in France, with my preschooler attending public school and my elementary-age child attending a private school. I'm extremely grateful that they've had this opportunity, and yet we're all glad that we will return to homeschooling (back in the U.S.) by next month. The flexibility and individualization allowed by homeschooling is wonderful, but we still feel that our time here in Lyon is wrapping up too quickly!

Unexpected Weaning: Ending My Toddler Son's Breastfeeding

July 10, 2014 by Michele Cherie in American Culture, Reflections on Parenting

Remember when I went to the Alt Summit Conference last month? I was away from my children for three days and nights, and I knew it might be an opportunity to wean my two-and-a-half-year-old son. I've never intentionally weaned a child before--I'm a strong believer in child-led nursing and my daughter slowly weaned herself at four-and-a-half. But this time was different: I've been breastfeeding children for five years straight, I'm pregnant, and I was ready for a few months' break from breastfeeding before our third child is born. I also knew my son was old enough that he could be weaned without much guilt on my part.