Barbara's Letter

Greetings to you, potential future Betts-Lacroix family member

I am Barbara to serve you...


I am French, I lived in the warm Betts-Lacroix family's home on Sugarloaf Drive from November 2009 to August 2010; and it was an incredibly interesting and unique experience!

First thing to understand, I think the Betts-Lacroix were really a family I could fit in because
I related to their values and way of life, which can seem quite unusual to most people, since
they homeschool, they belong to various communities, try to learn and practice non violent
communication, are interested in many diverse things, don't watch TV... all of those aspects
drew me to them, and if you think you are also interested then maybe you could be a great
match for them, and they for you! However, even if we have different customs, or education,
the Betts-Lacroix are always eager to learn new things, and are very open minded. Any new,
interesting experience you can bring to their home will be welcome and they will be grateful
for it.

As Ramona tells it, Lisa usually gave a planning every Sunday for the next week, and she
would see it through with you to check if you have any special personal plans or events you
would like to fit in. Lisa is a stay at home mom; but don't get it wrong she always has plenty
to do, she is involved in many communities and needs help with whatever you would feel
comfortable doing, as cooking, cleaning and of course playing and learning with the kids,
Kaizen and Soleil, first of all. Those two lovely persons are your priority.

Kaizen is a very sweet, sharp-humored, clever boy(-teen), he is interested by many things, he
loves playing building, logical games, overall strategy games of course. He loves reading at
any time and any place! He tries to sneak some more time in front of the computer sometimes,
he practices magic. And now he is often involved in performing, he's got a wonderful high
pitched voice (at least at the time I was there it might have changed with the new years
added), and he plays the piano. Kaizen is affected a lot by the things going on around him,
he is very protective towards his sister and his family, and sometimes, too many feelings or
thoughts can overwhelm him, and he needs a little reassuring and alone time.

Soleil is radiating life, she loves many things too, she enjoys a lot of physically challenging
games, she likes to climb, run, dance with you, go to the park, go to aikido, swimming pool
or do gymnastics. She is also quite creative, she will be happy to paint, do chalk drawing in
the alley, cut, paste, decorate, paint her face... and she loves reading stories cuddling together.
She also was very happy and involved in the building of an electric car with Joe. She is a
very sensitive girl too; she needs to be reassured a lot, cuddled, show her your love simply.
And yes, she is quite a drama kid, she makes many funny faces, we also had great times
inventing stories in which we had roles like spies, playing « the good guys », or ninjas having
superpowers, and she appreciated very much when I would tell her stories I invented on the
way back home.

Regarding food, the family tries to eat sane and healthy food, but of course you can eat less
healthy food away from the children so as not to tempt them. Kaizen loves chicken soup,
as Ramona said, and also grilled cheese on bread (he loves ham and butter baguette!), or
scrambled eggs, and tapioca...oh and mango sticky rice, but of course those last two are
sweet...

Soleil eats a bit of everything, she likes gnocchi with bleu cheese, she loves sweet things, such
as fruits, candies, hot chocolate....

At the beginning it was not easy for me to understand how to relate with the children. It was
hard, i had some trouble with being accepted by Soleil, but fortunately Lisa and Joe were
very supportive and comforted me. We have to understand that each year almost, the children are meeting a new person living with them, to whom they get very close to, until it's time for
them to separate. It is very hard, and I could imagine for Soleil who is so young, maybe Kai
can have more distance about it; it will also be very hard for you to leave them at the end of
your wonderful stay. So we have to be empathic about their behaviour each time a new au
pair comes in.

Lisa is truly an example in my life. She has and will inspire me still for a long time. She is a
nurturing, empathic, reflexive, efficiently leading person. She will welcome you in with both
arms wide open, she shares her experiences with you, she listens and tries to find the best way
for everyone to be happy. She is an amazing person, very sensitive.

Joe is such a funny and clever person! I always laughed with him, he is thinking with different
patterns that you would see in many other people. He has lived through much, and shares
some of his amazing bits of life with you if you ask the right questions!...and if he is willing
to!

Lisa and Joe are always trying to make everything work for everybody. They both have had
different rich experiences before being parents, and it's up to you to ask them and discover
more about what made them who they are now...

At the time I was in California, they were living in another house they rented. It was real nice,
big and old. We travelled together and also did a family camp which I really loved. Joe's mom
and Lisa's family visited us. My mom also was welcome in their house.

As Michaela said, you are never bored in their house, many people come and go, classes take
place in the living room, you always drive somewhere, their home is a very active one! You
really feel integrated to the family; they will ask you if you would like to go with them to
friends' houses, or shows, etc...

As it has been said, our experiences are great because we had a great match, if you don't think
you will be happy with their values, it would benefit you to keep looking for another one
more suited to your expectations; on the contrary, if you feel drawn to this wonderful family,
ask for more, and they will speak their truth!

Have a great journey! Make the best choices possible for you,

Espérant que vous ayez une merveilleuse expérience,

Barbara