From One Mama to Another-Meet Natalie

Natalie & her two daughters, Gisele & Charlotte

Meet Natalie Rooney, a mama, children's wear designer and former New Yorker now living in the South of France with her two daughters Gisele & Charlotte.  She's also the creator & designer behind the whimsical children's line Océane Manon, lounge wear for girls and babies with an old world charm.  

Océane Manon's cotton apron, $52 & cotton dress, $65, both at oceanemanon.com

Why we love her?

She inspires us!  She's a well traveled mama not afraid of taking chances.  About a year and a half ago she took a leap of faith moving her daughters 5 years and 10 years at the time from the Untied States to the South of France. "When it comes to dreams, I feel we must try to follow them in order to wake them into reality." 

Gisele's Time Out children's book, $25 at oceanemanon.com

On the Move: 

A long time believer that she would never leave Manhattan Natalie found inspiration after a trip to Florida and realized that " Living in Manhattan seemed to hold a lot of gravity and it felt like it was holding us within it's skyscrapers.  Once we moved out, living in the warm weather, near the beach, in a house rather than an apartment was a lot easier with a toddler.  We enjoyed breathing in the fresh air, noticing flowers, the stars at night, nature in general."

Then, a few years after the birth of her second daughter, Charlotte, Natalie decided to follow a life long dream to move to the south of France with her children while they were young enough to easily acquire a new language.  She goes on to explain, "Sometimes it feels like windows of opportunities come open, moments perhaps, and I worried we might let the chance go by and never do it.  So I made a push, I did lots of research for schools and different towns until I felt I found the right one, Uzès. I took a leap of faith and decided to try it for 3 months.  You see, 3 months was affordable enough without having to risk everything in case we didn't like it."  

Natalie's home in Uzès

Greatest joy since moving to France: 

"The biggest joy has by far has been hearing my kids speak French, not only with their friends shouting playfully during recess, but even little arguments between them in the back of the car! And being able to travel so easily.  We've already visited so many countries .

Gisele in Avignon

                                                           

Climbing ruins instead of monkey bars

Why we love Océane Manon? 

We simply love the sheer white cotton that make up many of Océane Manon's clothing.  We find it to be both dreamlike & charming. Each garment is hand stitched in India using techniques passed down from artisans who made clothing for the Rajas.  The fabric is called Khadi, and was made known to the world by Ghandi.  It is extremely light, but also strong.

Océane Manon's embroidered cotton lounge dress, $122, at oceanemanon.com 

Life in America vs. Life in France: 

• On Parenting: In France there is a strong sense of a united culture. It is a much older country and has a lot more history.  This creates a more unified culture with perhaps less differences than we are used to in the States.  France respects its traditions, the order of life, when to eat, how to eat, what to do in certain social situations, how to respond to common behaviors from children.  There is a lot less room for error within the framework - limits are already set.  A lot less guesswork.  You raise your kids not too differently from the way you were raised.  I find less imagination, less freedom, less open mindedness, less tolerance, fewer educational options, and a lot less thinking outside the box.  In America, particularly in New York, there are many varying ways to raise children.  We take it for granted that our neighbor has different rules about table manners or jumping on furniture, politeness, and so on.  I like the freedom to make my own rules as a parent, and to follow my maternal instinct.  All that being said, i do find French moms chic and sophisticated, and their children probably do have better manners than American kids.  And for sure the French kids outdo Americans in their wardrobe!
• On Food: The French have a lot of respect for food, there are certain ways and times to eat certain things. And no doubt about it, French kids eat all kinds of foods American kids would never even look at.  It seems to be adult food is given as early as possible.  Mixed up, with all the flavors, and certainly not with veggies on the side, separated from the pasta for example.  It would not surprise me to see a French 3 year old eating escargots.  I do have to admit I have seen New York kids eating sushi.  
• On Work:  "The town I'm in, Uzès is extremely creative.  The attitude towards work and money is much more casual than in New York.  That's actually an understatement.  They close down everything for 2 hours at lunch and are also less service or success oriented.  The customer is not always right here.  It is less motivating in terms of financial success, but helps to balance joie de vivre with work life."

Traveling with children: 

• Get a passport right away for everyone in the family and book a trip immediately.  One step at a time and you will eventually get to where you are going. 
•  Be more flexible with the baby's schedule and let them sleep on the go whenever they want.
•  Pack less clothing because traveling is not a fashion show. Plus, most places may have anything we might forget.
• Let the kids choose something fun to play with at the airport shop.
• Try to choose non-stop flights.
• Each kid gets her own carry-on and is responsible for pulling it around and not forgetting it somewhere.
•  Don't be afraid to let them sit on their own on the plane.  They are less needy and cranky seated next to strangers and do surprisingly well.
•  Let them eat junk food on the plane.  I used to pack fruit and carrots and stress about that.  When we travel I let them eat whatever they want till we arrive in the hotel.  The next day they know we have to eat salad, drink water, and clean up our insides a bit.  It is such a big relief to let go of anything I can when traveling.  
•  Skip activities with long lines.  Don't expect things to go smoothly or over schedule the day.  Sometimes a good activity is just getting a gelato in Italy and watching people go by while the kids chase pigeons.  They will remember that more than the museum visit.  You all probably will.

What's Next:
Our plans for the future are to move onwards and have a new european experience.  Starting in September, Océane Manon will be based out of England.  Nothing should change much regarding the business except for some adjustment in shipping.  You see, my two children are very different from one another, as with most siblings.  They will follow very diverging paths.  I've begun to question education so much that I wonder why certain information is chosen as the "right" information to teach kids, and why they each need to learn that same information.  I want to trust my childrens' interests and natural inclinations enough that it is reflected in what they learn, as well as how they learn it.  This nurturing of out of the box thinking is something I feel is not valued much in France, or at least is not something I found in any schools.  So, we are moving to a town in Devon, England.  It's also in the countryside, rural, but with progressive, forward thinking towns where we can find this kind of flexible education, organic markets, and open minds.  I'm looking forward to seeing the kids blossom when their schooling will allow for this kind of new growth.  It will also be fun to have a new adventure and meet new people.

Océane Manon's cotton jumper, $tk & Indian cotton towel, $53 at oceanemanon.com

Thank you Natalie!  Bebe Birds loves ya!  To get your little one these beautiful cotton pieces, perfect for summer visit Océane Manon.