by Jennifer Warren (UK) | Nov 9, 2010 | Being Thankful, Family, Family Travel, International, Motherhood, Parenting, UK
On August 7, 2008, my life changed forever. It was when I said, “I do” to the most amazing man in the world. Unbeknownst to me, I also joined the British Navy that day. I didn’t go into a recruiting office, sign a piece of paper, and start boot camp. As a civilian, however, I had no idea how significantly my life would change. I had no clue that to marry someone in the military meant you were, wholeheartedly, like it or not, part of the military as well. As a single mom who juggled a career and a family, this new life seemed like a walk in the park.
I’m writing about this new role of mine as a military wife because Remembrance Day approaches here in Britain on November 11th. as well as, Veterans Day in the United States. These very important days draw near, and we prepare, on both sides of the Atlantic, to show support for our troops in different ways. Here, in England, we pin red poppy flowers to our clothing to proudly show our support. We also generously donate money to causes such as the British Legion, the American Legion, the Wounded Warrior Project and various other organizations. Special apps are created on Facebook and plastered all over our walls.
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by Courtney Cappallo (USA) | Nov 8, 2010 | Being Thankful, Education, Family, Motherhood, Parenting, USA
Last year I embarked on the journey of a lifetime, well, my lifetime anyway! I took on the responsibility to educate my (then) 4-year-old daughter for preschool. For me, the decision was a no-brainer. When my daughter turned two years of age, I remember many of the mothers in my inner circle debating the preschool question. When and where are you going to send your child to preschool? Back then I was hesitant to tell them the truth, that I planned on not enrolling my child in preschool but to, in fact, homeschool her.
I could feel the social pressure kicking in even when my child was two! I was resolute in my decision to wait to start schooling my child until she turned four. I wanted her first years to revolve around exploring the world and playing, yes, just playing! Of course, she learned the ABC’s and numbers, but there was no strict structure involved.
When my daughter turned four years old I started homeschooling her for preschool two days a week. I had (and still do have) unconditional support from my spouse. We knew that I would be homeschooling our children before we were even parents. I decided to homeschool only two days a week versus some of the other preschool programs that school three or even five days a week. I felt completely comfortable with committing to a two-day a week schedule.
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Courtney Cappallo is a mom of two girls, ages 7 and 4-years-old. She is living her dream life by residing on Cape Cod and being able to stay at home with her two little beauties. Courtney is currently homeschooling both of her daughters for 2nd grade and preschool, respectively.
Courtney uses a mix of Classical Education and Montessori. She is a strong believer in teaching to the five senses. Courtney’s homeschooling efforts are unique, as she uses the latest technology of the Smartboard. She is also taking on the task of learning Spanish as a second language, as well as, teaching her two children and husband Spanish.
Prior to becoming a homeschooling teacher, Courtney was the Director of Marketing for Simon Property Group, which is the largest U.S. real estate company. Courtney was Simon’s Director of Marketing for the Burlington Mall, Arsenal Mall and Cape Cod Mall. Courtney is a graduate of Villanova University and is proud of her small town roots from growing up in Oxford, Pennsylvania, which only has two traffic lights! She can be found making homeschooling lessons and more at Table of Four !
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by World Moms Blog | Nov 5, 2010 | Eva Fannon, Family, Family Travel, Friday Question, International, Parenting, Travel
We are having an exciting launch week, here, at World Moms Blog! On that note, we’d like to introduce you to our first “Friday Question”, where we ask a question to get to know our World Moms Blog writers better, and we look forward to hearing more about you, the readers, in our comments section!
We’ve started off the conversation this week by polling our World Moms Blog writers, and asked them, “What was the best vacation experience you had with your kids?” Here is what they had to say…
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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 Kally Mocho (USA) | Nov 4, 2010 | Family, Motherhood, Parenting, USA
There are certain childcare responsibilities that my husband just doesn’t do. Some things he refuses to do, like cutting the children’s nails. So I have taken on that responsibility and have only cut flesh once! (Still feel terrible about that.) There are other things that he just has never done, like cutting hair. It’s not that he refuses to cut the children’s hair. It’s just something he’s never done. It’s kind of like mowing the lawn for me. It’s not that I refuse to do it. I’ve just never done it before, so why start now?
I know that when my children’s hair is in their eyes, it bothers me more than it bothers them. So, I have to do something about it for my own sanity. I’ve always relied on the help of others to cut my children’s hair. My mother gave my daughter all of her haircuts until she was four. Then, I felt that she was old enough to handle sitting still in a chair at the hair salon without the threat of injury to herself or others.
But, my son’s not there yet. He’s 20 months old and has a strong and willful personality, definitely not shy. He lets you know what he does not like, and getting his hair cut is one of those things. So, he’s only had one haircut in 20 months which was graciously provided by my patient and loving mother. Until today… (more…)
by Angela Y (USA) | Nov 3, 2010 | Family, Motherhood, Parenting, USA
Now that my big girl, R, is 3, I have enrolled her in swim class. I waited until she turned 3 for a few reasons. I was told that children learn fear around that age; and, even if they were not afraid of the water before then, they may then become fearful. But, my main reason is because I don’t have to get in the pool with her. Instead, I can simply watch dryly from the deck with my little girl, M, who is 1-year-old, at my side. This prevents me from having to pay a sitter or find a convenient time when my husband is home to watch her.
My friends often talk about being “behind” on their children’s swimming skills. Here, in San Francisco, it is popular to enroll your child at a swim school like La Petite Baleen before babies can even crawl. You will often hear moms comparing ribbon colors. Some take it a step further and get private lessons because they felt their child was not excelling.
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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 Jennifer Burden | Nov 2, 2010 | Being Thankful, Culture, Family, Motherhood, Multicultural, Parenting, USA
My grandmother is in her 90s and lives only 35 minutes away from me by car in New Jersey, USA. I don’t call her enough, and I don’t take my daughter over to see her enough. It makes me feel guilty, but here’s why. My day is filled with constant pressures of taking care of my daughter, “Mommy, I have to go potty”, “Mommy, I’m hungry”, “Mommy, I’m thirsty”, “Mommy, can you play frogs with me?”, “Mommy, can you make a play date with Ava?”, “Mommy, I don’t feel so well”, etc.
Then, I have a husband who works ridiculously long days, which means that I pick up more of what’s supposed to be our shared household chores. On top of that, I’m just trying to get through the day with my eyes open because I’m 4 months pregnant and struggling with fatigue. And, I write when I get the chance to keep myself sane.
So, why the heck do I want to pick up the phone at the end of MY day to hear my grandmother complain about her arthritis and why I never call her on top of it all?? Sometimes I just can’t take anymore on my plate, and I’m too overwhelmed. As everyone seems to say these days, “It is what it is”, right? But then, I got to thinking about my grandmother’s life, and I had an epiphany…
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Jennifer Burden is the Founder and CEO of World Moms Network, an award winning website on global motherhood, culture, human rights and social good. World Moms Network writes from over 30 countries, has over 70 contributors and was listed by Forbes as one of the “Best 100 Websites for Women”, named a “must read” by The New York Times, and was recommended by The Times of India.
She was also invited to Uganda to view UNICEF’s family health programs with Shot@Life and was previously named a “Global Influencer Fellow” and “Social Media Fellow” by the UN Foundation. Jennifer was invited to the White House twice, including as a nominated "Changemaker" for the State of the World Women Summit. She also participated in the One Campaign’s first AYA Summit on the topic of women and girl empowerment and organized and spoke on an international panel at the World Bank in Washington, DC on the importance of a universal education for all girls. Her writing has been featured by Baby Center, Huffington Post, ONE.org, the UN Foundation’s Shot@Life, and The Gates Foundation’s “Impatient Optimists.” She is currently a candidate in Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs in the Executive Masters of Public Affairs program, where she hopes to further her study of global policies affecting women and girls.
Jennifer can be found on Twitter @JenniferBurden.
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On August 7, 2008, my life changed forever. It was when I said, “I do” to the most amazing man in the world. Unbeknownst to me, I also joined the British Navy that day. I didn’t go into a recruiting office, sign a piece of paper, and start boot camp. As a civilian, however, I had no idea how significantly my life would change. I had no clue that to marry someone in the military meant you were, wholeheartedly, like it or not, part of the military as well. As a single mom who juggled a career and a family, this new life seemed like a walk in the park.
