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.

Running on Empty

June 06, 2016 by Michele Cherie in Contentment, Reflections on Parenting

Last March I completed my first half-marathon. It was simple, thankfully—a fresh morning race alongside the Columbia River with ample wildlife and enough other runners to keep it interesting. The next day I pinpointed a few other upcoming races to keep me motivated to stay fit, but to my great disappointment, I haven’t run since that half-marathon. Not once.

It’s not because I don’t enjoy running. Distance running has always been an enjoyable challenge for me, and even more so now that I can listen to podcasts and audiobooks along the way. Learning AND getting time alone? My INTJ brain type thrives on this!

But . . .

Weathering the Tides of Family Life: Seasons Of Separation & Single Parenting

March 25, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Home Management, Reflections on Parenting, Contentment

I'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.