SOUTH CAROLINA, USA: Breaking Down and Building Up

We all, I think, have our hard times when we think, “that’s it!  I’m done!  I cannot take it anymore!”  Life throws us curve balls that we don’t expect and some are much tougher than others.

As I have written about before, we have moved around a bit in the last 5 years: 4 times to be exact and 3 of which we thought were going to be permanent.  No, we are not in the military.  My husband just seems to be in the wrong field at the wrong time.  He works in research and when the economy is down, there is less money available to support research.  His last 2 jobs were lost because of funding cuts.  It’s been tough.

When my husband got his last job about 8 months ago,  we had to move again, but we were filled with hope.  He was going to make a comfortable salary, it was in a place we both liked, and we were close to family.  Things were going well for months and although it has taken some time to adjust to living in an entirely new area again, I have felt so content and happy.

Since having my kids, all I have wanted was to be able to stay home with them, have a good school for them to attend and that I could be a part of, live in a nice place and take care of our needs.

(more…)

Maggie Ellison

Maggie is so grateful to be raising her 2 children with her husband in the low country of South Carolina. Life at the beach is what she’s always known, although living in SC is new to this NJ native! The beauty of the live oaks and the palmettos takes her breath away on a daily basis and being able to go to the beach all year is a dream for her. Art and music have also always been a part of Maggie’s life, and she is happy that her family has the same love and appreciation for it that she does.
Maggie and her family are also very active. Her husband coaches both kids in soccer, and they like to spend their time outdoors kayaking, biking, swimming, camping, etc. They try to seize every moment they can together, and they feel that it’s not just the family time that is important. They want their kids to know a life of activity and respect for the outdoors, expose them to new things and teach them about the world! Maggie and her family are no strangers to overcoming life's challenges. They've had to uproot their family several times when jobs have been lost in the economic crisis.
They also lovingly face the challenges of having a child diagnosed with special needs. Through all this, Maggie has learned to celebrate the good times and never take them for granted. Her family is everything to her, and she is incredibly grateful for every day she has with them and for every moment she has shared with them. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t tell them she loves them and how lucky she is to be her kids’ mommy. How sweet!

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SOUTH CAROLINA, USA: Breaking Down and Building Up

We all, I think, have our hard times when we think, “that’s it!  I’m done!  I cannot take it anymore!”  Life throws us curve balls that we don’t expect and some are much tougher than others.

As I have written about before, we have moved around a bit in the last 5 years: 4 times to be exact and 3 of which we thought were going to be permanent.  No, we are not in the military.  My husband just seems to be in the wrong field at the wrong time.  He works in research and when the economy is down, there is less money available to support research.  His last 2 jobs were lost because of funding cuts.  It’s been tough.

When my husband got his last job about 8 months ago,  we had to move again, but we were filled with hope.  He was going to make a comfortable salary, it was in a place we both liked, and we were close to family.  Things were going well for months and although it has taken some time to adjust to living in an entirely new area again, I have felt so content and happy.

Since having my kids, all I have wanted was to be able to stay home with them, have a good school for them to attend and that I could be a part of, live in a nice place and take care of our needs.

(more…)

Maggie Ellison

Maggie is so grateful to be raising her 2 children with her husband in the low country of South Carolina. Life at the beach is what she’s always known, although living in SC is new to this NJ native! The beauty of the live oaks and the palmettos takes her breath away on a daily basis and being able to go to the beach all year is a dream for her. Art and music have also always been a part of Maggie’s life, and she is happy that her family has the same love and appreciation for it that she does.
Maggie and her family are also very active. Her husband coaches both kids in soccer, and they like to spend their time outdoors kayaking, biking, swimming, camping, etc. They try to seize every moment they can together, and they feel that it’s not just the family time that is important. They want their kids to know a life of activity and respect for the outdoors, expose them to new things and teach them about the world! Maggie and her family are no strangers to overcoming life's challenges. They've had to uproot their family several times when jobs have been lost in the economic crisis.
They also lovingly face the challenges of having a child diagnosed with special needs. Through all this, Maggie has learned to celebrate the good times and never take them for granted. Her family is everything to her, and she is incredibly grateful for every day she has with them and for every moment she has shared with them. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t tell them she loves them and how lucky she is to be her kids’ mommy. How sweet!

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Travel Itinerary for the Week of April 30th!

We are all over the map again this week, with a different country for each day!

On Monday, we will start the week in South Carolina with Maggie Ellison, who has had to pick her roots and move more times than she can remember. When her stability was threatened yet again, she reached her breaking point. She takes us on her courageous journey to recovery from a dreadful ordeal.

Also, on Monday, we have a guest post up by founder, Jennifer Burden, over in the UK at BritMums!

Come with us to the Philippines on Tuesday, where Martine de Luna finds herself under pressure to have another baby! Come read as she tells us whether she is planning to resist the pressure or bow to it, and her own plans for her family are.

We are proud of the multicultural group of writers on World Moms Blog. As diverse as we are, there are some things that don’t change, no matter where in the world you happen to be parenting your kids. One of them is the “terrible twos”. Mama B in Saudi Arabia is dealing with this now, while she tries to juggle three other children. Come read about her adventures! (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: “Momma, why does that person [fill in the blank] like THAT?”

This week’s Saturday Sidebar Question comes from World Moms Blog writer Multitasking Mumma.  She asked our writers,

“How do you explain disabilities and mental illness to your children?”

Check out what some of our World Moms had to say…

Meredith of Nigeria writes:
“I tell my children (ages 4 and 6) that God makes everyone differently with their own special gifts. They see lots of disabilities on the streets of Lagos. I tell them that not everyone can be made the same because the world would be SO boring. In that respect, they accept the people they see. So far, that has worked out pretty well. :)” (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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INDONESIA: Visiting the Doctor

A few weeks ago we had a rough day at the doctor’s office. Our twin four-year-olds needed a routine medical check up to apply for school next year so we set up an appointment at the nearby international health clinic. To ensure that I’d leave with filled-in forms – and given my son’s tendency toward noncompliance in medical settings – I spent a few days preparing them for the big event.

We talked a lot about what would happen at the appointment and why it was important. I also banked on a bribery strategy and took the kids to the toy store the day before to pick out craft activities that we would do together after a successful check up.

The exam began and both kids were doing great and cheering each other on: “you’re doing a good job!” said one to the other. Then it was time for the required Mantoux TB skin test – an injection of Tuberculin beneath the skin on the inside of the left forearm.

My daughter cheerfully agreed to go first. Her smile quickly gave way to a frozen look of shock and then (more…)

Shaula Bellour (Indonesia)

Shaula Bellour grew up in Redmond, Washington. She now lives in Jakarta, Indonesia with her British husband and 9-year old boy/girl twins. She has degrees in International Relations and Gender and Development and works as a consultant for the UN and non-governmental organizations. Shaula has lived and worked in the US, France, England, Kenya, Eritrea, Kosovo, Lebanon and Timor-Leste. She began writing for World Moms Network in 2010. She plans to eventually find her way back to the Pacific Northwest one day, but until then she’s enjoying living in the big wide world with her family.

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