by Nicole Melancon (USA) | May 16, 2011 | International, Motherhood, Third Eye Mom, USA, World Interviews, World Moms Blog Writer Interview
Join us today for an interview with one of our new World Moms Blog writers, Nicole Melancon, the “thirdeyemom”!
When did you first become a mother?
Hmmm….this is a funny question of course. My husband and I met young in college and had a very long courtship (according to my parents who pretty much gave up on us ever getting married). We dated six years before we got married, moved from Chicago to Minneapolis immediately after our honeymoon, and then delayed starting a family for five more years!
My excuse [on waiting to start a family] was always, “Let’s just do ONE more trip!”
As avid travelers, we didn’t want to stop because we knew children would be the end of our international adventures. (more…)
Third Eye Mom is a stay-at-home mom living in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her two children Max (6) and Sophia (4). Her children keep her continually busy and she is constantly amazed by the imagination, energy and joy of life that they possess! A world wanderer at heart, she has also been fortunate to have visited over 30 countries by either traveling, working, studying or volunteering and she continues to keep on the traveling path.
A graduate of French and International Relations from the University of Wisconsin Madison, where she met her husband Paul, she has always been a Midwest gal living in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Chicago. This adventurous mom loves to be outside doing anything athletic (hiking, running, biking, skiing, snowshoeing or simply enjoying nature), to travel and volunteer abroad, to write, and to spend time with her beloved family and friends.
Her latest venture involves her dream to raise enough money on her own to build and open a brand-new school in rural Nepal, and to teach her children to live compassionately, open-minded lives that understand different cultures and the importance of giving back to those in need. Third Eye Mom believes strongly in the value of making a difference in the world, no matter how small it may be. If there is a will, there is a way, and that anything is possible (as long as you set your heart and mind to it!).
Visit her on her blog, Thirdeyemom, where she writes about her travels and experiences in other lands!
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by World Moms Blog | May 15, 2011 | International, Italy, Norway, Polish Mom Photographer, Third Eye Mom, USA, World Moms Blog Itinerary
We have an exciting week in store, with three new writers introducing themselves to us!
On Monday we are in Minnesota with Third Eye Mom, a stay-at-home Mom of two who has a love for the outdoors, exploring the big wide world, and living a life of adventure.
On Tuesday, we fly across the pond to Norway, where Asta Burrows gives us some insights into her culture as Norway celebrates its National Day.
On Wednesday, we’re in sunny California with new writer Mom Photographer, who was born and raised in Poland and is now pursuing her goal to become a professional photographer.
On Thursday we’re back in Europe, this time in Italy with Mom In Rome. Mom in Rome spent time in the United States, and is now back in Italy with her husband, her two dogs, and most exciting of all, her baby to be!
On Friday Eva Fannon leads us in the Friday Question. Weigh in with your own answers!
Be sure to check out the
Writers profiles to get to know all three new writers who are featured this week!
— 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 Maggie Ellison | May 11, 2011 | Child Care, Family, International, Kids, Motherhood, USA
I am angry and frustrated, so I came here, to the blog, to vent. Not everyone will agree with me on this, but I need to get this out.
I am being paid to watch another child as a side job. For the past 9 months I have been through many milestones with the little boy from crawling, pulling up, first steps, walking, teething, introducing solids, getting rid of the bottle, sicknesses, nap schedules and his day-to-day care 5 days a week.
He is almost 15 months old, and with summer coming, I planned on taking him along with my two older kids ( 4 years and 6 years) to the pool.
It gets very hot and humid where we live near the ocean in South Carolina, so in the summer, you are either in the air conditioning or the water.
Tonight, this child’s father told me that his wife is uncomfortable with water and doesn’t want me taking their child to the pool unless my husband is also there.
Please hear me out before you side completely with his parents… (more…)
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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by Jennifer Burden | May 9, 2011 | Family, Humanity, Inspirational, International, Life Lesson, Motherhood, Parenting, USA
For over 250,000 generations humans have been on this earth. In every generation there has been a mother who has given birth and, often times, a mother who has looked after a child, whether adopted or her own birth child.
The mothers who have come in the time before us are members of our sisterhood. Most have endured, just as we do, sleepless nights, numerous feedings, sore nipples, childbirth, the list goes on.
And, those mothers before us have also struggled with discipline, keeping a child safe, passing on traditions, acculturation, watching their children become parents, just as we do today. It is our nature as humans.
To the mothers of today: It doesn’t matter if you personally have had a good mother or a not so good mother. This force, this building block, this world tree of all the mothers that have come before us has catapulted us and gave us life.
It has made it possible for us to be the humans we are today, mothers who are taking care of our children. Today.
We are a part of something GREATER. (more…)
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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by Kally Mocho (USA) | May 4, 2011 | Economy, Family, International, Life Lesson, Motherhood, USA
In July of 2005, my husband and I purchased our first home. The idea to purchase a home came to us four months earlier when we became pregnant with our daughter and were living in a one-bedroom apartment at the time. I wanted to move before the baby arrived because our apartment was small, and I thought we would need more space.
Although it wasn’t necessary to purchase a house (after all, we could have rented a two-bedroom apartment for about $1300/month), we saw the home prices around us rising and rising, year after year, and we felt as though we would never be able to afford a home if we didn’t get into the market at that moment. Well, obviously, we were wrong. Hindsight is 20-20, right?
Before we began looking for a home, my husband and I sat down and crunched the numbers. We concluded that we would be able to afford a home that cost about $250,000. We began going to open houses and were incredibly disappointed. The homes we could afford were in terrible shape and needed tons of work, and the ones we liked were WAY out of our price range.
It seemed a little strange and unfair to us that two college-educated working adults could not afford a decent home in a blue-collar town. My husband had his doubts about purchasing a home at that time. He didn’t think the home prices accurately represented the home values. Instead of listening to his concerns, I came up with an idea that I thought was brilliant. (more…)
by Tara Bergman (USA) | May 3, 2011 | Being Thankful, Friendship, International, Life Lesson, Motherhood, Parenting, Tara B., USA
Today, I was reminded about the importance of friendship in my life. Friends keep us afloat in this world. They see us through the various phases of our lives, cheering our successes and lifting us from the pavement when we crash and burn.
I am incredibly lucky to have an amazing network of friends from all phases of my life whom I admire and love. I also have a husband who is a dear friend to me, and I cherish him. But today, I am reflecting on one particular relationship that is almost beyond description for me (but this is a blog, so I must find the words). I am thinking of my friend, Jen.
I have known Jen since elementary school, and we have stayed close throughout our lives. The thing about really life-long friends is that they get to be part of your make up. Now, Jen and I are not carbon copies of each other. Far from it. She lives in the city, is covered in beautiful tattoos, and is pursuing yet another amazing professional degree. I am an ink-free, stay at home mom of two boys who lives out in the sticks. But, through the many evolutions of our individual lives, the thread between us has only grown stronger. (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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Join us today for an interview with one of our new World Moms Blog writers, Nicole Melancon, the “thirdeyemom”!
