by Alison | Apr 25, 2011 | Bilingual, Culture, Family, International, Kids, Language, Motherhood, Multicultural, Parenting
Who knew time would pass by so quickly when you have a child? I still remember how excited we were when my little one started holding his head up. Later, he rolled onto his front from his back.
Pretty soon, he was pulling up to sitting. Then, actually sitting. And before we knew it, he was pulling himself to standing. Cruising came next. Crawling, walking.
And of course, talking. A milestone, that will take years to develop. One, that will challenge and excite all new parents. I’m excited about this particular step, as it means he’s actually communicating with us in a two-way dialog, as opposed to, well, just me talking to him.
We are a pretty unique family, I think. I’m Malaysian-Chinese, my husband is Australian-Libyan and our son is Libyan-Chinese, born in Australia, and right now, we live in Malaysia.
In this day and age, merging of cultures and races appears to be the norm, rather than the exception. This of course, makes for exciting times. Our son will grow up in a multicultural, multilingual environment, which I hope, will result in a well-rounded individual. (more…)
Alison is a former PR professional turned stay-at-home mother to two boys. Growing up in a small city of Ipoh, Malaysia, Alison left home at 17 to pursue her studies in the big city of Kuala Lumpur. At 19, she headed to University of Leeds in England and graduated with a degree in Communications. Returning home to Malaysia in 1999, she began a 10-year career in public relations, event planning, and marketing, working for various PR agencies and one of the world's biggest sports brands. After a decade of launch parties and product launches, concerts and award shows, international press junkets and world travel, Alison traded all that in for a life as a first time mother in 2009, and has not looked back since. Aside from writing for her blog, Writing, Wishing, Alison is the Founder and chief social media strategist for Little Love Media.
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by Courtney Cappallo (USA) | Apr 19, 2011 | Family, International, Motherhood, Natural Disaster, Parenting, USA
What would you grab if you were one of the families in Japan and needed to flee your surroundings within thirty minutes?
I’ve recently heard of the “Go-bag,” which is basically a component of your disaster kit. Disaster kit? Yes… and due to current events, it is something I recommend everyone has.
My family recently received our Go-bag in the mail. We bought the Kelty Red Cloud from Amazon. It is large enough that my two-year-old daughter fits in it comfortably. We have been in the process of purchasing items and setting things aside to go in our Go-bag.
I have limited disaster relief training. When I was in junior high school, I remember having a tornado drill. The students had to crouch down in front of the lockers for maybe five minutes. I had fire safety training as the Director of Marketing for Simon Property Malls. And, I taught a fire safety lesson to both of my girls last year. We even have our own family meeting place at a neighbors in case of a fire.
My husband printed off a preparation sheet for me to read so that I am familiar with what items are essential for us to travel with. Many of the items are so clever, definitely things I know I’d skip packing if I were in a panic to leave my house in such a short period of time. (more…)
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 Tara Bergman (USA) | Apr 18, 2011 | Humor, Motherhood, Parenting, Tara B., USA
My first son, who is now 5 years old, inherited my gift of gab. He used sign language as soon as physically possible, said his 1st real word (“duck”) around 12 months old, had a ton of partial words by 15 months old, and by 18 months old, could pretty much say anything he wished.
Those who’ve met him will confirm that he is a talker. A BIG talker. One of his nightly wind-down rituals is “chat time,” which he created. Instead of watching TV or playing a game, he prefers to spend some time each night having a discussion of the topic of his choice with one of his parents over a snack. These topics tend to revolve around science, engineering or vehicles, with an emphasis on learning every itty bitty little detail possible on the selected subject. (more…)
Tara is a native Pennsylvanian who moved to the Seattle area in 1998 (sight unseen) with her husband to start their grand life adventure together. Despite the difficult fact that their family is a plane ride away, the couple fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and have put down roots. They have 2 super charged little boys and recently moved out of the Seattle suburbs further east into the country, trading in a Starbucks on every corner for coyotes in the backyard. Tara loves the outdoors (hiking, biking, camping). And, when her family isn't out in nature, they are hunkered down at home with friends, sharing a meal, playing games, and generally having fun. She loves being a stay-at-home mom and sharing her experiences on World Moms Network!
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by World Moms Blog | Apr 17, 2011 | Eva Fannon, India, International, Kids, Parenting, Tara B., USA, World Moms Blog Itinerary
Join us in the Pacific Northwest of the USA on Monday with writer, Tara B. from Seattle on Monday!
Tara’s son has “the gift of gab”, and she often hears herself through her son’s words. Be sure to check out her top 5 “kid comebacks” in her post this week, “The Comeback Kid.”
Tuesday, we fly east to Cape Cod, Massachusetts to hear from Courtney Cappallo! She asks, have you packed a “Go-bag” for your family to have handy in a disaster situation?
In light of recent world natural disasters, Courtney takes us through what she has packed for her family in her “Go-bag” in her post, “The Bare Necessities.”
Wednesday, we head south to Arkansas, USA, where Margie Bryant takes time from her busy parenting and student schedule to tell us about life in the deep south!
Get your passports out on Thursday and fly with us to Chennai, India, where we meet up with writer, Fire Crystals! **This is truly a “Wow!” post.** She writes about fertility treatment in India in the 1920s and her great-grandmother’s undying persistence to conceive a child, Fire Crystal’s own grandfather. An inspiring read for all mothers, and also one to forward to that good friend going through fertility treatment.
And, be sure to chime in with our writers on Friday for this week’s Friday Question presented by Eva Fannon at the end of the week.
In news, we have added Malaysia to the blog — welcome Alison! We’re soon to be writing from 11 countries! Thank you to our readers and writers who have been helping us spread the word about World Moms Blog!
We also hit a 200+ fan milestone on Facebook. We love our fans! Do you want to help us inspire and unite more mothers around the globe? If so…
Share your favorite WMB posts on your Facebook Page and tell your friends all about us!
Our writers would be thrilled if you did! Thank you!
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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 Shaula Bellour (Indonesia) | Apr 14, 2011 | East Timor, Family Travel, International, Kids, Motherhood, Parenting, Shaula Bellour, Transportation, Twins
Sometimes driving here drives me a little bit crazy.
To be fair, driving in Dili can’t really be compared with most other urban areas in this part of the world. Though it is a capital city, it’s more of a sleepy town than a sprawling metropolis. Traffic rarely moves faster than 35 mph, so it doesn’t feel particularly dangerous or difficult to navigate.
The curious one-way system can make things tricky at times (and the fact that most streets don’t have names), but even the busiest main roads are just two lanes.
However, driving can still be frustrating. According to the US State Department: “Driving in Dili is especially hazardous, with large trucks and military vehicles sharing the streets with vendors, pedestrians, and livestock.” Yep. (more…)
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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by Ambre French (Norway) | Apr 12, 2011 | Family, International, Kids, Life Lesson, Motherhood, Norway, Parenting
I am a mother of one little girl of 15 months. I am in the early stages of motherhood, and among the trillion questions my new life brings, there is one that is starting to be present on a daily basis. Here it is:
Whether I “like” it or not, I am one day (please not today) going to be a role model. How does one define a role model, and how does one accept that who you are is good enough?
During this first year I concentrated on how the baby is, how my marriage was doing, and I did my best to survive the transition from two to three in the house. I wasn’t really concerned about what I did and how I did it, as long as I managed one day after the next.
But suddenly, this little ball of love is starting to walk, to express herself, to see and interpret what I am doing. Does this mean I already have to be aware of what I am doing in front of her? I sort of knew this day would come, but I DON’T KNOW IF I AM READY!
I have very basic and obvious determinations regarding bringing up my child. I want her to be polite, well-behaved, healthy, respectful of others, be a good citizen, be a good friend… All in all, be a good person.
Now, I am wondering if I have to be this person first… (more…)
Who knew time would pass by so quickly when you have a child? I still remember how excited we were when my little one started holding his head up. Later, he rolled onto his front from his back. 
