by Courtney Cappallo (USA) | Feb 16, 2011 | China, Culture, International, Kids, Motherhood, Multicultural, Parenting, USA
My first job after graduating college was being a member of the prestigious Management Development program for the MBNA Corporation. I was one of twenty-three newly graduated college students going through the program.
During our first week of work, we took one of those professional personality tests. The test categorizes your personality in one of four categories: a panther, owl, dolphin or peacock.
A panther is known for being a goal setter and go getter. They are all business. An owl is concerned with only the facts. They are very pragmatic and analytical. A dolphin is a bridge builder. The dolphin is family oriented. It is hard to separate the dolphin from family or friends. They are extremely dedicated. The peacock person is a networker and is very social. They are bubbly and love to be around people. (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 Shaula Bellour (Indonesia) | Feb 15, 2011 | East Timor, Family, Health, International, Kids, Motherhood, Parenting, Shaula Bellour, Travel
Among the many things we worry about as parents, I never thought that crocodiles would be high on the list. And then I moved to East Timor.
With any big life decision or transition there are risks and trade-offs. We knew that our family would be faced with a new set of health concerns by choosing to move to a faraway tropical island. But, we also believed that the trade offs would be worth it and the challenges manageable.
And so, we kicked into preparation mode – stocking up on regular and just-in-case medicines, soliciting advice from other experienced families, consulting medical types and health guides. We were immunized against Japanese Encephalitis, Typhoid and Rabies (at a family cost of $5,000! Thankfully reimbursed, but still). We cleared out a local store’s supply of bug spray and loaded up on sunscreen and other protective gear. We were as ready as we could be. (more…)
Shaula Bellour grew up in Redmond, Washington. She now lives in Jakarta, Indonesia with her British husband and 9-year old boy/girl twins. She has degrees in International Relations and Gender and Development and works as a consultant for the UN and non-governmental organizations.
Shaula has lived and worked in the US, France, England, Kenya, Eritrea, Kosovo, Lebanon and Timor-Leste. She began writing for World Moms Network in 2010. She plans to eventually find her way back to the Pacific Northwest one day, but until then she’s enjoying living in the big wide world with her family.
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by Maggie Ellison | Feb 14, 2011 | Being Thankful, Communication, Culture, Family, Holiday, Kids, Motherhood, USA
In my twenties, I found my love. Our first Valentine’s Day together, I gave him an ink sketch that I had done and he gave me a bottle of wine. It was a month into our relationship, so this exchange was pretty much expected.
As I got to know him more, I learned that he did not like Valentine’s Day. He thought it was a holiday made by Hallmark and it was all about money. I had never heard of this interpretation before, but I heard him out.
Unfortunately for him, I am much more based in my emotions, so he knew it would hurt me if he boycotted this day. It is not about the price tag, but the sentiment. We found a way to make us both happy and my favorite gifts have been hand-picked flowers, a card made by the kids and a poem written for me. What I like about us, is how we found a way to meet in the middle and understand each other. I get my romantic day, and he doesn’t feel like he is forced to go commercial. (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 Eva Fannon (USA) | Feb 10, 2011 | Culture, Education, Eva Fannon, Kids, Motherhood, Multicultural, Music, Parenting, Preschool, USA
A few days ago my four-year old daughter informed me that one of her pre-school teachers is Native American. I asked her how she knew about this, to which she responded that her teacher told the class. Her teachers use a developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) framework (see more on this at http://www.naeyc.org/dap/faq) for teaching.
The topic of everyone being different and coming from different cultural backgrounds emerged after the class read The Crayon Box That Talked by Shane DeRolf. Each family was asked to work on a family tree with their child and brought it in to share with their classmates.
(Check out the Global Grover Initiative for ideas on this – there are facilitator and caregiver guides).
My daughter kept bringing up the topic of Native Americans. She told me, “Pocahontas is Native American you know.” I started to think of what I could do to help her learn more about Native Americans… (more…)
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 Purnima Ramakrishnan | Feb 9, 2011 | Being Thankful, Child Care, Family, Health, Holiday, India, International, Kids, Life Lesson, Motherhood, Parenting, Technology, The Alchemist
There was a time in my parenting life when I thought everything was perfect: my dear darling son (henceforth DDS) was perfect; I was perfect; our whole life was a living proof of joie de vivre. And then, disaster struck.
Well, I should not say that really. It was during the holidays and DDS was diagnosed with astigmatism. We got him his eye glasses on Dec 24th and from the day of his diagnosis until now has been a very difficult time in my life as a mother.
When faced with the fact that he will be wearing glasses permanently, I initially was crushed, devastated; I felt lost, confused and upset. I felt guilty with myself and angry at the whole world. (more…)
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…)
