by Maggie Ellison | Nov 27, 2010 | Being Thankful, Family, Health, Kids, Motherhood, Parenting, Special Needs, USA
This post is part III of III posts. The former posts are “Too Loud: Part I” and “Too Loud: Part II” by Maggie Ellison…
Now that we had a diagnosis, I felt that I had some back-up to explain to people that my son was not just misbehaving. I also had more tools to help him, and I had the reasoning to explain why these things helped him. I still dealt with looks and comments from other people who didn’t understand or know us, but clearly could not take their eyes off us when my son was having a sensory meltdown.
Some of the hardest moments have been when I was asked what his capacity was, or when he covers his ears because of the loud noise and people look at him like he’s walking around with antennae on his head. I do my best not to let them get to me, but it stings. (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 Courtney Cappallo (USA) | Nov 26, 2010 | Being Thankful, Family, Motherhood, Parenting, USA
Pumpkin, sugar, peanut, dumplin’ – I’ve even heard parents refer to their babies as “woobie.” Many parents have special nicknames they assign their children. My oldest daughter has grown out of her baby nickname, which was “Siddy.” Her real name is Sydney. We have a nickname for my youngest daughter, but it isn’t as cutesy as the names I’ve listed above. It’s “Destructor”. Yup, and believe you me she lives up to the name!
My sweet little Destructor is two-years-old. I never liked the label “terrible twos.” I know it is a hard age (believe me, I do), but I don’t like to think that any age or stage, for that matter, is terrible. Other synonyms for the word terrible are: frightful, appalling, dire, horrifying, horrendous and horrid. I mean c’mon! A little strong don’t ya think? (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 World Moms Blog | Nov 25, 2010 | Being Thankful, Culture, Eva Fannon, Family, Motherhood, Parenting
This week Amy Hillis of Ohio, USA asks our World Moms Blog writers:
We celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving in the USA today. Do those of us outside the USA celebrate a similar Thanksgiving Day? And, for everyone who does celebrate, is this holiday a time of reflection on the things you are thankful for, or is it purely historical?
Here is how our writers answered… (more…)
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 Jennifer Burden | Nov 22, 2010 | Being Thankful, Family, Life Lesson, Motherhood, Parenting, USA
When I was a child, I despised the fact that my parents often said to me, “Veronica, don’t get your hopes up.” They said this to me a lot, and it made me angry. I felt that they didn’t want me to be happy, or didn’t want me to get whatever I was wishing so hard for. But, now that I am a parent, I’m beginning to understand why they felt the need to say this phrase in particular.
As parents, they couldn’t bear to see me so disappointed when I wished so high for something that they couldn’t provide, was impractical or that I couldn’t achieve. They loved me too much. But, I never heeded the call. I continued to live my life with my hopes up, and I created much disappointment to myself and created worry for my parents.
Growing up in New Jersey, USA, we were considered a low-income household back then. But, I had large hopes and dreams. The younger I was, these hopes were made up more of material items, and the older I became, they were more along the lines of opportunities or experiences.
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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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by Eva Fannon (USA) | Nov 10, 2010 | Being Thankful, Culture, Eva Fannon, Family, Motherhood, Parenting, USA
A few days ago I sat down at my computer (after the girls were asleep, the next day’s lunches were packed and the kitchen was cleaned up…but that may be another post) to catch up on personal e-mail and Facebook. As I was scrolling through my friends’ updates, I came across one from a friend who wrote, “Awww, my husband just bought me my push gift! I love you honey!!” I had to re-read the post and then asked myself…a WHAT gift?
I opened up a new window to do an internet search. The first listing that the search engine came up with, by Parenting Magazine, gave it away – “10 Amazing Push Gifts: Presents for New Moms”. The subheading read, “Start dropping hints about these amazing presents for new mommies.”
My first reaction? What rock have I been living under that I have never heard of a push gift? My second reaction? Really? A push gift? I’ve heard so many stories from women who have had trouble getting pregnant, or don’t get to carry their pregnancies to term — getting your newborn child isn’t enough of a gift?
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Eva Fannon is a working mom who lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her hubby and two girls. She was born and raised on the east coast and followed her husband out west when he got a job offer that he couldn't refuse. Eva has always been a planner, so it took her a while to accept that no matter how much you plan and prepare, being a mom means a new and different state of "normal".
Despite the craziness on most weekday mornings (getting a family of four out the door in time for work and school is no easy task!), she wouldn't trade being a mother for anything in the world. She and her husband are working on introducing the girls to the things they love - travel, the great outdoors, and enjoying time with family and friends. Eva can be found on Twitter @evafannon.
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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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This post is part III of III posts. The former posts are “Too Loud: Part I” and “Too Loud: Part II” by Maggie Ellison…
