by Melanie Oda (Japan) | Dec 21, 2011 | Holiday, Japan, Motherhood, World Motherhood
Christmas in Japan is pretty much an unadulterated Gimmee Fest. Santa is everywhere, baby Jesus? って誰？Who’s that? I like to call it Christmas, Inc.
A good comparison would probably be the American version of Valentine’s Day. I mean, sure, there’s a religious tradition in there somewhere, but it’s been so warped that now it’s really just a chance for kids to exchange cards and yours truly to eat too much chocolate. (Valentine’s Day in Japan is totally backwards, but I’ll save that for February.)
Here most people celebrate Christmas on the evening of the 24th. They eat fried chicken and “Christmas Cake,” which is usually a strawberry and whipped cream topped vanilla sponge. Interestingly enough, Kentucky Fried Chicken (known in Japan simply as Kentucky) is strongly associated with Christmas. (more…)
If you ask Melanie Oda where she is from, she will answer "Georgia." (Unless you ask her in Japanese. Then she will say "America.") It sounds nice, and it's a one-word answer, which is what most people expect. The truth is more complex. She moved around several small towns in the south growing up. Such is life when your father is a Southern Baptist preacher of the hellfire and brimstone variety.
She came to Japan in 2000 as an assistant language teacher, and has never managed to leave. She currently resides in Yokohama, on the outskirts of Tokyo (but please don't tell anyone she described it that way! Citizens of Yokohama have a lot of pride). No one is more surprised to find her here, married to a Japanese man and with two bilingual children (aged four and seven), than herself. And possibly her mother.
You can read more about her misadventures in Asia on her blog, HamakkoMommy.
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by Diana | Dec 20, 2011 | Inspirational, Life Lesson, World Motherhood, Writing
As parents, it’s so easy for us to become so busy, so consumed with daily life and schedules that we simply overlook the fact that motherhood alone doesn’t define who we are.
I love being a mom – and for the first year of my daughter Bella’s life I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Nor, did I want to. However much I loved teaching, it was nothing compared to being a mother.
But as she has become more independent and I found a routine in our days and weeks, I’ve realized that the longing to do something for me, to fulfill my creative side, never went away. (more…)
Diana blogs on raising a toddler daughter, the loss of her twin boys, and their families' adoption in progress on the aptly named Hormonal Imbalances, as well as Babble, Oreck, World Moms Blog, and Attachment Parenting International. She's been syndicated on BlogHer and The Huffington Post. Smaller glimpses into her day are on Twitter and Facebook, and on <a href="http://pinterest.com/lifeasasahm"
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by Angela Y (USA) | Dec 19, 2011 | Holiday, Motherhood, USA, World Motherhood
Putting up the Christmas tree is more than just a holiday task for our family, it is a trip down memory lane. Collecting ornaments over the years remind us of family we love, major events in our lives, places we have been.
My husband and I put up our first tree together a few months after we started dating – that was 13 years ago. We had no ornaments! So being crafty (I am not artistic, but I am crafty), I decided we should “make” ornaments. So we opened some beers, bought some glitter, glue, and paint, and went to work. During our project, we got silly and put glitter on one of the empty beer cans – the glittery can still hangs on our tree every year.
Years later, as we hang the ornaments, I like to talk about how each ornament became part of our collection. It is like a game show – I say: “Remember this one?…” but only I seem to know the answer.
We have a memorable collection that gets a little bigger each year. Here are some of my favorites: (more…)
Angela Y. is in her mid-thirties and attempting to raise her two daughters (big girl, R, 3 years; little girl, M, 1 year) with her husband in San Francisco, CA. After spending ten years climbing the corporate ladder, she traded it all in to be a stay-at-home mom! Her perspective of raising a child in the city is definitely different from those who have been city dwellers all their lives, as she grew up in rural Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) surrounded by her extended family.
Angela Y. and her husband are on their own on the west coast of the United States — the only family help they receive is when someone comes for a visit. But, the lifestyle in San Francisco is like no other for them, so there, they stay! This exercise conscious mom is easily recognized, especially when she is riding around her husband-built bike with two seats on the back. And, when she’s not hanging out with the girls, you can find Angela Y. in the kitchen. She loves to cook for her family, especially dessert, and then eats some herself when no one is looking! Sneaky, mom!
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by World Moms Blog | Dec 18, 2011 | Indonesia, International, Japan, Scoops of Joy, USA, World Moms Blog Itinerary
We are starting off this week by getting into the Christmas spirit with Angela Y. of California. She talks about that wonderful tradition many of us have of putting up the Christmas tree. Where do your decorations come from? This mom tells us where she gets hers!
On Tuesday, we’re off to Texas to hear from Diana @ Hormonal Imbalances. She talks about how as parents, we devote our lives to our little ones, and she tells us about a New Years Resolution that she is making.
Grab your passports, we’re flying to Japan! Hamakkomommy tells us all about how Christmas is celebrated in Japan. Come read about how they observe this day in a different culture.
On Thursday, we will be in another international destination, as Tatter Scoops in Indonesia tells us about what it’s like to care for her dad, who has had some medical issues. As parents, we are so tuned into the idea of taking care of our children. What happens when the tables are turned, and it’s the children’s turn to take care of the parents?
On Friday, we are – everywhere! We will be hop, skip and jumping all over the world today as our World Moms Blog writers spread a little cheer for the holiday season!
On Saturday, check out the Saturday Sidebar with Eva Fannon, where the World Moms give their thoughts on an important topic, and chime in with your answers to the week’s question!
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World Moms Blog is an award winning website which writes from over 30 countries on the topics of motherhood, culture, human rights and social good. Over 70 international contributors share their stories from around the globe, bonded by the common thread of motherhood and wanting a better world for their children.
World Moms Blog was listed by Forbes Woman as one of the "Best 100 Websites for Women 2012 & 2013" and also called a "must read" by the NY Times Motherlode in 2013. Our Senior Editor in India, Purnima Ramakrishnan, was awarded the BlogHer International Activist Award in 2013.
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by World Moms Blog | Dec 17, 2011 | Cooking, Japan, Kids, Motherhood, Tara B., Third Eye Mom, World Motherhood
This week’s Saturday Sidebar Question comes from World Moms Blog writer Jennifer Prestholdt. She asked our writers,
“What do you typically feed your kid(s) for lunch?”
Check out what some of our World Moms had to say…
Mama B. of Saudi Arabia writes:
“We recently decided to go all healthy with their school lunches and meals in general. Go whole wheat all the way. For the kids it was a bit of a rude awakening, and we found out trying new things in their lunch before trying them at home left the kids hungry and their lunch untouched (like cheese and apple on whole wheat toast). (more…)
World Moms Blog is an award winning website which writes from over 30 countries on the topics of motherhood, culture, human rights and social good. Over 70 international contributors share their stories from around the globe, bonded by the common thread of motherhood and wanting a better world for their children.
World Moms Blog was listed by Forbes Woman as one of the "Best 100 Websites for Women 2012 & 2013" and also called a "must read" by the NY Times Motherlode in 2013. Our Senior Editor in India, Purnima Ramakrishnan, was awarded the BlogHer International Activist Award in 2013.
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Christmas in Japan is pretty much an unadulterated Gimmee Fest. Santa is everywhere, baby Jesus? って誰？Who’s that? I like to call it Christmas, Inc.
