Travel Itinerary for the Week of February 13th!

On Monday, we start off the week in Japan with Melanie Oda (hamakkomommy) who tells us a tale about how the beautiful paper theater is kept alive for future generations.  An interesting cultural read! Here’s an excerpt:

“Before the children he spreads out four boxes, each containing a different story. These are all old stories. Some are about mythical creatures, others about one (or several) of the myriad Shinto gods that many mistake for folklore. There is even a story about a Buddhist saint. He asks for a show of hands, and allows the children to choose the story.”

On Tuesday, did you know that poetry used to account for half of the fourth grade reading in school in the US 70 years ago, but now only accounts for a very small 3 percent? (more…)

World Moms Blog

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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Saturday Sidebar: What is Valentine’s Day called in your country?

For today’s Saturday Sidebar Question, Eva Fannon asks,

“On February 14th, Valentine’s Day is observed in the U.S. as well as other countries. What is Valentine’s Day called in your country? Do you celebrate it by doing anything special?”

Chime in and let us know!

Mamma Simona of South Africa writes:
“In South Africa Valentine’s Day is celebrated the same way as in the U.S.  My wedding anniversary is the 9th of February so hubby and I usually only celebrate one or the other!  🙂 Unfortunately, this year, my aunt is having a mastectomy on the 14 of February due to breast cancer.  We’ll probably be at the hospital this Valentine’s Day so I’m hoping to do something special for my 21st Wedding Anniversary on the 9th.  My kids are 19 and 16 years old respectively and haven’t yet told me what their plans for the Valentine’s Day are.” (more…)

World Moms Blog

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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SINGAPORE: Being a Role Model by Pursuing My Dreams

I stared at the email I received a week ago. Today’s the last day to make my decision but I might have missed the deadline. I wasn’t too sure – should the cut off time be based on US time while I’m here on the other side of the world? I could have checked, but…

Anyway, that didn’t matter. The fact was, at that very last-minute, I was still feeling unsure about my decision.

So, as I often do in such situations, I said a silent prayer.

Then I clicked on the link and waited… A new window opened.

I looked at the screen;  peace descended upon me. The screen is still there. I knew right then what I needed to do.

*******

Three days ago, I renewed my membership with the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI).

You see, I’m trained as an image consultant but it’s something that I never really told many people about. When I first decided to get trained, I thought I would set up an image business. Then I got pregnant and decided to shelf the plan until after I gave birth. Never did I anticipate how busy being a mom would be, especially a first-time mom, and juggling my (more…)

Ruth

Ruth lives in Singapore, a tiny island 137 kilometres north of the equator. After graduating from university, she worked as a medical social worker for a few years before making a switch to HR and worked in various industries such as retail, banking and manufacturing. In spite of the invaluable skills and experiences she had gained during those years, she never felt truly happy or satisfied. It was only when she embarked on a journey to rediscover her strengths and passion that this part of her life was transformed. Today, Ruth is living her dreams as a writer. Ironically, she loves what she does so much that at one point, she even thought that becoming a mom would hinder her career. Thanks to her husband’s gentle persuasions, she now realises what joy she would have missed out had she not changed her mind. She is now a happy WAHM. Ruth launched MomME Circle, a resource site to support and inspire moms to create a life and business they love. She has a personal blog Mommy Café where she writes about her son's growing up and shares her interests such as food and photography.

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NIGERIA: Interview with Asha

NIGERIA: Interview with Asha

Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?

I live with my husband and three children in Lagos, Nigeria. I’m a first-time Ex-Pat. We moved here from suburban New Jersey in November 2011.

What language(s) do you speak?

I speak passable French and Hindi. I can still read some Ancient Greek after studying it in high school, which is more useless than you can possibly imagine. I am determined to learn pidjin English while we live in Nigeria.

When did you first become a mother? (more…)

World Moms Blog

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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ARKANSAS, USA: At Long Last…A Family

My children, both boys, are 16 and 10 years old and for their entire lives, I have been a single mother. (I don’t count my first disastrous marriage that lasted all of six months.) There was a point in my early 30’s where I believed that single motherhood was just as good as it was going to get for me. And I was fine with that.

Seriously, it was easier to be single and my children had extended family that stepped in for their absent father. Sure, money was always tight and there was never enough to make ends meet. However, we were just fine, the 3 of us had each other and that was enough. Our little family was complete.

I was lying to myself. There was nothing fine about my children only having the love of one parent. No matter how much their Nanny or Papa stepped in, it was not the same as having a father figure in their lives.

My children are biracial so I dealt with a double-edged sword; not only could I not teach them to be men, but I certainly could not teach them to be strong black men. They deserved much more than I was able to give them, and I will live with regret for some of my decisions for the rest of my life. (more…)

Margie Webb (USA)

Margie Webb is a forty-something, divorced mom of three biracial sons: Isaiah (25), Caleb (20), and Elijah (6/8/1997 - 7/2/1997) and two bonus sons: Malcolm (5/10/1992 - 10/9/2015) and Marcus (25). She lives in Lafayette, Louisiana by way of Little Rock, Arkansas, and enjoys traveling, attending the theater, cooking calling the Hogs during Arkansas Razorback football season, spending time with family and friends, and is a crazy cat lady. In addition to obtaining her Bachelors and Masters degree, she also has a Graduate Certificate in Online Writing Instruction and a National HR Certification through SHRM. She excels in her career as a Human Resources Management professional. Additionally, she has represented World Moms Network as a Digital Reporter at various conferences, including the United Nations Social Good Summit. Her life has been one big adventure in twists, turns ,extreme lows, and highs. After recently embracing her new lease on life and her identity in the LGBTQ community, she is excited about what is yet to come. She can be found on Twitter@TheHunnyB

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