What is the Mamas Café Society?
If you have ever started your own business, made your own website, bought your own domain, or had a baby—you know how hard it is to pick a name! So where did I come up with Mamas Café Society?
I thought long and hard about what to call my website when buying my domain. For a blog about motherhood, which is very much a passion project, I needed a name that reflected myself and my values, and what I wanted to share with my readers.
This is more of a personal post that you’re used to seeing, and I hope you’ll learn something about me today. Mamas Café Society was conceptualized in fall 2019 and born (finally!) in summer 2020. Looking back, it literally took 9 months to birth this blog.
I always like to start off with an invitation to grab coffee with me. I always, always write my blog posts with a cup of coffee, and if coffee’s your thing, too, I would love for you to have a cup while you read.
Mamas.
The topic is, of course, motherhood. I write here about my experiences as a mama to my daughter, C. But motherhood looks different to everyone—but instead of being divisive, therein lies its strength.
For the past 2 years, I have been confronted many times with the idea that there is no one “right” way to parent my child. Your culture or your society will inevitably carve your approach to motherhood, for better or worse.
My goal is to include everything I have learned on how to parent from other mamas, as well as from books and my own research.
As an American living in France, I have the exposure to both American and French parenting techniques. As an expat, I have yet another wonderful gift: the advice of my friends from all over the world who have also come to settle in France.
I have been learning a lot since C was born about RIE parenting and conscious parenting, so concepts from these approaches feature heavily in my content, too.
I want to share as much as I can with you about motherhood that may not be the “norm.”
(For grammar nerds: I know there should be an apostrophe in here. It just doesn’t work with a domain name, and in a fit of poetic license, I decided to keep it that way everywhere else.)
Café.
Of course, you already know that I love coffee!
My secret is: I actually don’t love coffee—I just love the caffeine.
I want this blog to serve as a sort of coffee break for all you mamas out there. You deserve an all-expenses-paid vacation in the Bahamas, but I can’t give you that.
What I can give you is a 5-minute coffee break wherein you learn some cool stuff on here about how I’m figuring out how to parent my bicultural daughter.
By the way, café in French means not only a coffee shop, but also actual coffee. I could have called my blog Mamas Coffee Society but a) that would have sounded weird and b) having café in the name is a little nod to my French way of life.
Café in the sense of coffee shop also suggests that we are all coming to the same place, this blog, to meet and share our ideas! Which brings me to…
Society.
I try to focus on how I can help other parents. When I became a mama in 2018, I felt overwhelmed, lost, frazzled… and alone.
I want to do my part on behalf of all mamas by creating a sense of community with this blog. If you felt like I did—isolated and insecure—please speak up. I am always here to listen. No Mama Left Behind!
Also, society. As in, a café society:
Café society was the description of the “Beautiful People” and “Bright Young Things” who gathered in fashionable cafés and restaurants in New York, Paris and London beginning in the late 19th century. Maury Henry Biddle Paul is credited with coining the phrase “café society” in 1915.
Members attended each other’s private dinners and balls, and took holidays in exotic locations or at elegant resorts. In the United States, café society came to the fore with the end of Prohibition in December 1933 and the rise of photojournalism to describe the set of people who tended to do their entertaining semi-publicly—in restaurants and night clubs—and who would include among them movie stars and sports celebrities.
Wikipedia
LOL! Not even close to my life, but a mama can dream, can’t she?
What will you find on the Mamas Café Society blog?
My goal is to organize and deliver to you everything that I know so far about being a mama. It’s a vast universe, so here is what I’m honing in on:
French parenting
Have you ever wondered how French babies are raised? Me too. I’m letting you in on the secrets as I uncover them. I write about issues like nutrition for kids according to French standards, and how French parents are able to help their kids sleep through the night from a young age.
Bilingual parenting
I’m an American raising my daughter in France. She holds both passports and will have no trouble picking up the local language. But it’s of utmost importance to me that she learns English, if only to be able to speak with her American family members. Since English is the non-dominant language here, it’s my responsibility to teach her. I’ll share with you my game plan: how I’m raising my daughter in two languages and my progress!
Conscious parenting
When I became a mama, I wrongly assumed that parenting would be intuitive. But I struggled. Something that really helped me was learning more about conscious parenting, often called mindful parenting. It’s about responding to your child, rather than reacting. Since my daughter is still young, for now I am focusing on how to consciously parent your baby or toddler.
Lifestyle
I needed more of a catch-all category for methods that aren’t necessarily strictly American or strictly French. The fun part is that we mamas get to mix and match! I cover pregnancy and birth, breastfeeding (my labor of love for a year and a half, no pun intended!), and diapering methods (or lack thereof).
WAHMs
In late 2019, I began my work-at-home journey as a proofreader. I know that many millennial mamas are searching to create a life for themselves that aligns with their values, and their work life is no exception.
While it can be challenging to get all the elements in congruence, I know it’s possible for each and every mama out there. You’ll find tips here on organization and productivity, and as always, please feel free to reach out to me if you need a little support!
It’s not a regular mommy blog—it’s a cool mommy blog.
I’m not here to tell you that my way is best. I’m just a simple mama, tryna make my way in the universe.
So much for a little introduction to the Mamas Café Society blog. If you find something that resonates with you, let me know—I would love to hear from you! And MERCI beaucoup for reading!
Jessica
About the Author
Jessica is an American expat living the dream in Normandy. She is wife to a French hubby and mama to a Franco-American daughter, born in 2018, and one whippet. Passionate about all stages of writing, this Francophile created her blog in 2020 to help others navigate motherhood with a focus on conscious parenting and bilingual parenting. Bonne lecture !
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