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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by Kirsten Doyle (Canada) | Oct 28, 2011 | Canada, Computers, Kids, Motherhood, Technology
“Mommy, can I have a cell phone?”
These words were uttered by my five-year-old son James after school one day. He asked the question casually, as if he was asking for a glass of milk. No big deal.
My face involuntarily morphed into an “Are you crazy?” expression, and in a super-sonic voice that only dogs and small children can hear, I said, “No!”
“But Emma has one,” said James, as if that explained everything.
Emma is one of James’ friends at school. Emma is five.
The following day when I dropped James off, I spoke to his teacher.
“Does Emma really have a cell phone?” I asked.
“Yes,” said the teacher with a weary sigh. “It had the whole class in an uproar. We’ve had to make her leave it in the office during school hours.”
Wow. Five-year-olds with cell phones. When I was five, the only phone in my house was the ugly green rotary dial phone (more…)

Kirsten Doyle was born in South Africa. After completing university, she drifted for a while and finally washed up in Canada in 2000. She is Mom to two boys who have reached the stage of eating everything in sight (but still remaining skinny).
Kirsten was a computer programmer for a while before migrating into I.T. project management. Eventually she tossed in the corporate life entirely in order to be a self-employed writer and editor. She is now living her best life writing about mental health and addictions, and posting videos to two YouTube channels.
When Kirsten is not wrestling with her kids or writing up a storm, she can be seen on Toronto's streets putting many miles onto her running shoes. Every year, she runs a half-marathon to benefit children with autism, inspired by her older son who lives life on the autism spectrum.
Final piece of information: Kirsten is lucky enough to be married to the funniest guy in the world.
Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Be sure to check out her YouTube channels at My Gen X Life and Word Salad With Coffee!
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by Salma (Canada) | Oct 27, 2011 | Babies, Canada, Family, Kids, Motherhood, Parent Care, Parenting, Pregnancy, Salma, Social Good, Working Mother, World Moms Blog, World Voice
In 2001, the federal Parental Benefits Program in Canada increased the length of sharable paid parental leave benefits from 10 to 35 weeks, combined with 15 weeks of maternity leave.
My children were born in 1997 and 1999; I did not plan to have anymore children. I figured words like “parental leave” and “maternity benefits” were not a part of my future, or so, I thought.
In the September edition of Canadian Business magazine Jasmine Budak wrote an interesting article about the ”dark side” of maternity leave, here, in Canada. In it, Budak highlights some of the difficulties that (more…)

An Imperfect Stepford Wife is what Salma describes herself as because she simply cannot get it right. She loves decorating, travelling, parenting,learning, writing, reading and cooking, She also delights in all things mischievous, simply because it drives her hubby crazy.
Salma has 2 daughters and a baby boy. The death of her first son in 2009 was very difficult, however, after the birth of her Rainbow baby in 2010 (one day after her birthday) she has made a commitment to laugh more and channel the innocence of youth through her children. She has blogged about her loss, her pregnancy with Rainbow, and Islamic life.
After relocating to Alberta with her husband in 2011 she has found new challenges and rewards- like buying their first house, and finding a rewarding career.
Her roots are tied to Jamaica, while her hubby is from Yemen. Their routes, however, have led them to Egypt and Canada, which is most interesting because their lives are filled with cultural and language barriers. Even though she earned a degree in Criminology, Salma's true passion is Social Work. She truly appreciates the beauty of the human race. She writes critical essays on topics such as feminism and the law, cultural relativity and the role of women in Islam and "the veil".
Salma works full-time, however, she believes that unless the imagination of a child is nourished, it will go to waste. She follows the philosophy of un-schooling and always finds time to teach and explore with her children. From this stance, she pushes her children to be passionate about every aspect of life, and to strive to be life-long learners and teachers. You can read about her at Chasing Rainbow.
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by Multitaskingmumma (Canada) | Oct 24, 2011 | Babies, Being Thankful, Canada, Family, Motherhood, Parenting
Her tiny legs wavered under her, unsure, unsteady.
Still chubby with baby rolls, she crouched frozen and uncertain, not ready to trust her balance and our encouraging claps.
I felt my heart flutter as I remember the newborn baby she once was. Her smell, her sweet snuggles, her soft cheeks.
It seemed like only yesterday. (more…)
by World Moms Blog | Oct 23, 2011 | Canada, France, Indonesia, Scoops of Joy, UK, USA, World Moms Blog Itinerary

Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Indonesia! We are in for a busy week!
We start off this week on Canada, with Multitasking Mumma. Babyhood – and motherhood – is full of milestones, and Multitasking Mumma talks about one of the most precious, most eagerly awaited – a baby’s first steps.
On Tuesday, we head south of the border to Arizona! Jeanelle Marshawn recently spent time in New York helping her son get settled as he embarks on an exciting new phase of his life. Jeanelle tells us about how being in New York turned out to be as much for her benefit as it was for her son’s.
On Wednesday, we fly across the ocean to visit with Tatter Scoops in Indonesia. She talks about how the expressions of love she experienced as a child were different to those that she and her family now share with her own child.
On Thursday prepare to be spooked! We are off to the United Kingdom, where new writer Sophie talks about Halloween! She tells us about what Halloween means to her family and her special needs child.
We end this week where we started it: in Canada! Kirsten Doyle, who remembers the unveiling of her school’s very first computer in eleventh grade, talks about the role of technology in her children’s lives.
We will also be hearing from two new writers in their interviews this week! On Tuesday, we will meet our Human Rights Warrior, Jennifer Prestholdt from Minnesota, and on Thursday we will hear from A Lady In France!
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 Salma (Canada) | Sep 21, 2011 | Adoption, Canada, Inspirational, Life Lesson, Motherhood, Salma
How do you gain your children’s trust …how do you keep that trust?
Years ago, while working in a busy hostel, I met a young woman who was addicted to crack cocaine. Amira was 2 years old, and Iman was 4. I was a young mom, who knew little about everything, but wanted to save the world.
I was very afraid for her son, A, who was 6 months old at the time, a little sweetheart with two little teeth that flashed when he smiled up at me for the first time from his stroller.
In my chosen field (of work), words like crack, HIV, suicide, poverty, and prostitution were repeated so many times, that it became something that we took for granted. What wasn’t mentioned and discussed was that there were “mothers” who were in this situation. Mothers who were going through all of these things with their children watching on. (more…)

An Imperfect Stepford Wife is what Salma describes herself as because she simply cannot get it right. She loves decorating, travelling, parenting,learning, writing, reading and cooking, She also delights in all things mischievous, simply because it drives her hubby crazy.
Salma has 2 daughters and a baby boy. The death of her first son in 2009 was very difficult, however, after the birth of her Rainbow baby in 2010 (one day after her birthday) she has made a commitment to laugh more and channel the innocence of youth through her children. She has blogged about her loss, her pregnancy with Rainbow, and Islamic life.
After relocating to Alberta with her husband in 2011 she has found new challenges and rewards- like buying their first house, and finding a rewarding career.
Her roots are tied to Jamaica, while her hubby is from Yemen. Their routes, however, have led them to Egypt and Canada, which is most interesting because their lives are filled with cultural and language barriers. Even though she earned a degree in Criminology, Salma's true passion is Social Work. She truly appreciates the beauty of the human race. She writes critical essays on topics such as feminism and the law, cultural relativity and the role of women in Islam and "the veil".
Salma works full-time, however, she believes that unless the imagination of a child is nourished, it will go to waste. She follows the philosophy of un-schooling and always finds time to teach and explore with her children. From this stance, she pushes her children to be passionate about every aspect of life, and to strive to be life-long learners and teachers. You can read about her at Chasing Rainbow.
More Posts - Website