by Astrid Warren (Norway) | Nov 18, 2011 | Being Thankful, Infertility, Motherhood, Norway, Parenting, Working Mother, World Motherhood, Writing
I was reminded recently that it was about a year ago when Jen asked if I fancied writing some articles about motherhood. I had never seen or read a blog before, and never thought that I would be able to write one but I tried, and I got hooked!
I just read the first article I ever wrote – and though I recognise everything I wrote, it still feels like a different me and a different time.
I had only been back to work for a couple of months after maternity leave and I was just getting used to this new ‘reality’ – and here I am, a year later, and this is reality now. Both my husband and I are working full-time and the wee lad is in nursery and he seems to enjoy it as he gets to run around as much as he likes. My husband takes him to nursery in the morning, and I pick him up in the afternoon, and we seem to have found some sort of a routine that works, for now at least.
A year feels like a very long time ago, and a lot of things have happened this past year. The wee lad’s first Christmas, and first birthday, first step, first word – a lot of ‘firsts!” Quite a bit of traveling as well to see (more…)
Astrid is a Norwegian thirty something, married, working mum to a wee lad who is almost three and a baby born in 2012! She grew up in Norway, but moved to London, England after she met her husband. After living there during her twenties, she has since returned to Norway and settled down in her nation's capital of Oslo to raise her family.
She finds herself slowly turning into her own mother as her free time is spent reading, walking, knitting and meeting up with other mums for coffee. (Ok, she still secretly loves going to the pub, too!). However, there isn't much time for any of the above, as she now enjoys spending most of her time crawling around on the floor, while playing with her children! Check out her blog, Quintessentially Burrows. She's also on Twitter @MrsSWarren.
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by Kristen | Nov 16, 2011 | Family Travel, Living Abroad, Switzerland
So far, in this crazy adventure of life abroad there haven’t been too many times that we, as a family, have had to be apart. For the most part we are overseas, but we are overseas together as a family.
A few months ago my grandfather passed away and up came the dilemma of who should make the long trip back to the US for his memorial service. After searching flights that were FAR too expensive and envisioning 2 jet lagged little ones attempting big family events, we decided it would be wisest for me to make the trip alone.
Super dad agreed to take sick leave and have “adventure camp” with the boys while I was away. They were set. But what about me???I absolutely hate being away from my husband and kids.
Give me a girl’s night out or a short weekend away and I am loving the breath of fresh air, but crossing the ocean and times zones makes me a nervous wreck.
In the week leading up to the trip I could tell that our 4 yr old Jackson was becoming more anxious about my leaving, so I tried to get creative about what I would do to help him mark the time and enjoy his time anxiety free. What I came up with wasn’t anything amazing or novel, but it was something that brought (more…)
Kristen is a stay-at-home to two little boys, Jackson (4 yrs) and Owen (nearly 2 yrs). She was born in New York, but eventually made her way down to Texas. She and her husband, Seth, met in Dallas and were married in December 2005. Nine months into their marriage Seth received a call that he had landed his dream job, one catch, it involved world wide assignment. The adventure took them from Texas to Washington, D.C., on to Bogotá, Colombia and then back to Washington, D.C before bringing them to Bern, Switzerland! Kristen and her family have currently lived in Bern for more than 1 year, where her husband works for the US Department of State. Four moves and 2 children in nearly 6 years of marriage have made for quite the adventure in motherhood! Kristen finds motherhood to be one of the most humbling and character building things she has ever experienced. The responsibility of raising boys with integrity and respect at times feels daunting, but she couldn’t imagine doing anything else!
Kristen is a Speech Language Pathologist but has taken time away from working to focus on her family. Although she enjoys the travel and adventure involved in her husband’s career, she often finds herself feeling far from home and working to make the most of time abroad!
On her blog, Seasons Worth Savoring, Kristen writes about daily life with two little boys, including her experiences as she navigates a foreign culture and walks by faith. In her free time, or rather in her busy time with two boys attached to her legs, Kristen enjoys cooking, photography, antique and thrift store shopping, working on crafts, and blogging.
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by Sophie Walker (UK) | Nov 15, 2011 | Motherhood, Sophie Walker, UK, World Interviews, World Moms Blog Writer Interview
Q: Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?
A: I live in London, with my husband, two daughters and two step-sons and I think, for a change, I’ll be here for a while. Working as a journalist for an international news agency has meant travelling a lot: I lived for several years in Paris and in Washington DC and flew to cover stories in places like Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. My family need stability for now. But I may get itchy feet again at some point in the future…
Q: What language(s) do you speak? (more…)
Writer, mother, runner: Sophie works for an international news agency and has written about economics, politics, trade, war, diplomacy and finance from datelines as diverse as Paris, Washington, Hong Kong, Kabul, Baghdad and Islamabad. She now lives in London with her husband, two daughters and two step-sons.
Sophie's elder daughter Grace was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome several years ago. Grace is a bright, artistic girl who nonetheless struggles to fit into a world she often finds hard to understand. Sophie and Grace have come across great kindness but more often been shocked by how little people know and understand about autism and by how difficult it is to get Grace the help she needs.
Sophie writes about Grace’s daily challenges, and those of the grueling training regimes she sets herself to run long-distance events in order to raise awareness and funds for Britain’s National Autistic Society so that Grace and children like her can blossom. Her book "Grace Under Pressure: Going The Distance as an Asperger's Mum" was published by Little, Brown (Piatkus) in 2012. Her blog is called Grace Under Pressure.
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by World Moms Blog | Nov 13, 2011 | Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, USA, World Moms Blog Itinerary
This week we start off in Massachusetts with Kyla P’an. Kyla’s post, written in response to Tara B.’s post last week, talks about how Kyla’s relationship with religion has shifted over the course of her life.
On Tuesday, we head to New York to hear from Maman Aya, who has been trying to take a break! As all of us moms know, this is virtually impossible! Maman Aya tells us about a family vacation that has kept her almost as busy as she is at home!
On Wednesday, grab your passport for a trip to Switzerland! We will hear from new writer Kristin Kolb, who recently had to dig up her own passport for a trip across the ocean sans kids. She talks about how she helped her family cope with her absence.
On Thursday, we travel to another part of the world as we visit with Karyn at Kloppenmum in New Zealand. She broaches the subject of independence in our children, and the conflict we sometimes feel when our babies start doing things themselves.
And on Friday, we head off to Norway to hear from Asta Burrows. Asta looks back over her first year with World Moms Blog and reflects on the milestones that have happened in her life since writing her very first post.
We have two new writer interviews this week! On Tuesday we hear from Ms. V of South Korea, and on Thursday we hear from Melanie Oda from Japan.
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!
— World Moms Blog
Our World Moms Blog logo was designed by the creative Erica Joyner Designs in Virginia, USA.
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 Kristen | Nov 8, 2011 | Family Travel, Motherhood, Parenting, Switzerland, Travel, World Interviews, World Moms Blog Writer Interview, Writing
Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?
I currently live in Bern, Switzerland. I am originally from the United States. I was born in New York, hopped around to Ohio, Thailand, Malaysia, Michigan and then landed in Texas where I now say I’m “from”. As my family settled down in Texas I married a man, who is on a mission to see the world. Our adventures have taken us to Washington, D.C., Bogotá, Colombia and now on to Bern, Switzerland.
What language(s) do you speak?
I speak English. And also “survival Spanish”…you know the kind with really bad grammar that gets you through the grocery store and across town in a taxi but won’t earn you the respect of linguists! I must admit, though, that while living in Bogota my survival Spanish got us faster service sometimes than my (more…)
Kristen is a stay-at-home to two little boys, Jackson (4 yrs) and Owen (nearly 2 yrs). She was born in New York, but eventually made her way down to Texas. She and her husband, Seth, met in Dallas and were married in December 2005. Nine months into their marriage Seth received a call that he had landed his dream job, one catch, it involved world wide assignment. The adventure took them from Texas to Washington, D.C., on to Bogotá, Colombia and then back to Washington, D.C before bringing them to Bern, Switzerland! Kristen and her family have currently lived in Bern for more than 1 year, where her husband works for the US Department of State. Four moves and 2 children in nearly 6 years of marriage have made for quite the adventure in motherhood! Kristen finds motherhood to be one of the most humbling and character building things she has ever experienced. The responsibility of raising boys with integrity and respect at times feels daunting, but she couldn’t imagine doing anything else!
Kristen is a Speech Language Pathologist but has taken time away from working to focus on her family. Although she enjoys the travel and adventure involved in her husband’s career, she often finds herself feeling far from home and working to make the most of time abroad!
On her blog, Seasons Worth Savoring, Kristen writes about daily life with two little boys, including her experiences as she navigates a foreign culture and walks by faith. In her free time, or rather in her busy time with two boys attached to her legs, Kristen enjoys cooking, photography, antique and thrift store shopping, working on crafts, and blogging.
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by World Moms Blog | Nov 6, 2011 | Canada, Oceania, Ruth Wong, Singapore, Switzerland, Tara B., USA, World Moms Blog Itinerary
Did you enjoy reading about different cultures of parenting in our Link-up last week? Thanks to everyone who participated! Now, let’s get ready for another exciting week!
On Monday, we will be in Arkansas, welcoming back Margie Bryant, who had to take a break for a while. Margie tells us about her mother, who has overcome many hardships in her life and sounds like a pretty amazing person!
On Tuesday we head out to California to hear from Angela Y. In a post that reminds us why moms really are super-heroes, she gives an account of a day in the life of a mom – all before 9:00 a.m.!
On Wednesday, we will be in Washington talking about religion! Tara B. talks about the role religion plays in her life, and what influence she sees it having on her children as they grow up.
On Thursday, grab your passport, because we’re off to Australia! Fiona at Inspiration To Dream ponders the question of whether we sometimes over-parent our kids? Are we equipping them to fight their battles and deal with some of life’s less pleasant aspects? Or are we wrapping them in cotton wool to their detriment?
And on Friday, we will be traveling to Canada to hear from Kirsten Doyle, who writes a special post for Remembrance Day (Veterans Day in the United States). Kirsten takes the role of veterans in our society very seriously, and talks about the importance of preserving history for our children.
We have lots of extras this week! On Monday, World Moms Blog founder Jennifer Burden will post a link to a post on By Word Of Mouth Musings, and on Wednesday evening she will share with us a social good post for the Million Moms Challenge.
In writer interviews this week, we will hear from Kristen Kolb of Switzerland on Tuesday, and Ruth Wong from Singapore on Thursday.
This week, we will have a special edition of the Saturday Sidebar dedicated to World Pneumonia Day.
In other news this week, scheduling editor Kirsten Doyle’s blog has been nominated as one of the Top 25 Canadian Mom Blogs! To help her win a place in the top 25, you can vote for her once every 24 hours until November 17th.
— World Moms Blog
Our World Moms Blog logo was designed by the creative Erica Joyner Designs in Virginia, USA.
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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I was reminded recently that it was about a year ago when Jen asked if I fancied writing some articles about motherhood. I had never seen or read a blog before, and never thought that I would be able to write one but I tried, and I got hooked!
