by Astrid Warren (Norway) | Feb 8, 2011 | Child Care, Culture, Family, International, Motherhood, Norway, Parenting
My little lad is almost one year old, my maternity leave is over, and the paternity leave will be over in a month. So, after lots of “to-ing and fro-ing”, we decided to apply for a nursery.
Although many parents decide to stay at home, it is also quite common here for both parents to go back to work when the child is one. However, this article is not meant to start a discussion as to whether or not a one year old is ready to go to nursery, as that would be a whole separate article in its own right.
In Norway the government has introduced a policy called “Full Nursery/Kindergarten Coverage” – meaning that all children who wish should get a space in nursery (at a reasonable price) from the time they are one year old.
One of the reasons for this is so that parents would not have to take on child minders they don’t necessarily know and find other temporary solutions to child minding.
This sounds great doesn’t it? (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 Jennifer Warren (UK) | Feb 7, 2011 | Communication, Culture, Family, Family Travel, Kids, Language, Motherhood, Parenting, UK, USA
When I announced to my friends and family that I would be giving up my teaching job in Oman to get married and move to England I didn’t receive the positive, supportive response I had hoped for. They responded with everything from “You can’t take Emily away! She loves her school!” to “You’ve never been to England!”
And, my personal favorite was from a British colleague who responded with a very puzzled look on her face with “Why?” when I shared my joy of becoming engaged and moving to England. She then gave me her blessing which was, “You do realize the weather is HORRIBLE over there?” (more…)
by Galit Breen (USA) | Feb 3, 2011 | Family, Humor, Kids, Language, Motherhood, Parenting, USA
Jason and I met on-line in 1999. You know, WAY back when it was still gaspworthy and new to do so. We were long distance for about a year while he finished up school in Wisconsin and I was teaching and grad-schooling in California. Did I make you gasp again with the whole older woman thing? I’m a surprise a minute, people.
Living three-hour-flights away from each other meant that we put in A LOT of phone time. I think our record was a nine-hour marathon. True story.
At the end of each and every day we would curl up in sweats and cozy blankets and just…talk. We talked about politics, religion, gourmet food, sex, movies, art. (more…)
Once upon a time Galit Breen was a TRAVELER. She met amazing people and ate delicious food. And all was well with the world. And then, she started her real life. She became a STUDENT earning a BS in Human Development and an MA in Education. She became a classroom and reading TEACHER. She met a man on the internet (when it was gasp-worthy and new) and became his WIFE. She became a MINNESOTAN shortly after that, and he still owes her one for that. But the biggest earthquake shake to her soul was becoming a MOM. The interrupted sleep. The crying. The diapers. The lack of sleep. Did she mention the lack of sleep? But there was also the attachment, the touch, the bungee cords to her heart. Sigh. So today her labels are woven together. Tightly. A wife of one! A Mama of three! And a brand new puggle owner! Of one, people. Just one new puppy, thankyouverymuch. To keep her grounded and to add to the lack of lack of sleep factor, she writes. She writes about Motherhood. Parenting. Spirituality. Feminism. Education. Books. Writing. Balance. And Chocolate. Her writing is sometimes sarcastic, sometimes heart-warming and always transparent. Galit is a columnist at TC Jewfolk and has been published in places such as Jewesses With Attitude, Kveller and Scary Mommy. She is honored to connect with you here, at World Mom’s Blog. Galit can be reached by E-mail galitbreen@gmail.com or Twitter @galitbreen. And don’t forget to check out her personal blog, These Little Waves!
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by Karyn Wills | Feb 2, 2011 | Birthing, Family, Health, International, Motherhood, New Zealand
One of the things which link mothers from around the world and between generations, is our birth stories. We all have them, and often they are really good yarns.
I’ve given birth three times. The last two births were horrible, long and ended in emergency c-sections, but the first is a story I like to tell. I often wonder if anyone else, these days, has had the same experience…
We were on holiday, the baby wasn’t due for three weeks, so we figured we had at least a week up our sleeves before we became parents. We intended to head home the following day, and to use the following week for our final preparations.
Apart from the huge lump I was carrying around, I wasn’t consciously thinking of the birth. I think I was probably blocking all thoughts of pain, and besides, it was my first baby – all adventure and new beginnings. The hard bits were theory – not yet reality.
(more…)
Karyn is a teacher, writer and solo mother to three sons. She lives in the sunny wine region of Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand in the city of Napier.
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by Jennifer Burden | Feb 1, 2011 | Family, Health, Motherhood, Parenting, USA
When it comes to memory, I have occasionally had difficulty remembering “things”. And, by things I mean my keys, my cell phone, paying a bill (ouch!), etc. However, when it comes to remembering past events, I’ve been told that I have the memory of an elephant.
I attribute it to making friends and maintaining good friendships. But, that memory is not so impressive when there has been alcohol involved. (In that case, my inner elephant fails me, but apparently I’m a lot of fun.)
Even my childhood friend, who grew up across the street from me, still lives vicariously through her own childhood through my memory bank. There has been many times when I have started a story that begins with “Remember when…” only to find that I am the only one who remembers it. It is a little lonely when that happens.
We all have a special superpower: I’m sure of it, and a good memory is mine. But recently, my world got turned upside down, and it’s embarrassing for me to admit. But, I felt that there MUST be other mothers who have been in my situation, so anyway, here goes…
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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 Ambre French (Norway) | Jan 31, 2011 | Culture, Family, Kids, Motherhood, Norway, Parenting, Working Mother
I remember walking in the street, while pregnant, looking at some young mothers pushing their prams, looking great. They were made up and wearing cool clothes: the perfect combination of the modern mum and the urban self-confident woman.
I thought to myself ,” Right, I’ll be a pretty mummy.” (It’s funny how I never stopped to consider the other mums around, wearing sweatpants and who had given up on their brush. Shouldn’t that have given me a hint?)
And then my beautiful baby came … nothing was (is) more important than her well-being. Who cares what I look like?! Arguments were pouring through my mind:
1) I’m breastfeeding, so I need to be comfortable
2) I am not going to buy more clothes, I’ll just wear my training trousers until I fit into my old clothes again
3) I am getting up at night and going to bed during the day, so no real point of getting out of my PJs…
4) I never go out. Winter in Norway? Minus 18 and 2-meter snow, say no more! (more…)
My little lad is almost one year old, my maternity leave is over, and the paternity leave will be over in a month. So, after lots of “to-ing and fro-ing”, we decided to apply for a nursery.
