by Wall Street Mama (USA) | Sep 11, 2011 | 9/11, Life Lesson, Motherhood
It is hard to believe that ten years have passed since our nation was changed forever by an act of terror that claimed the lives of 2976 people. Innocent people, who woke up that day to go to work, attend a meeting, fly on a plane or bravely risk their lives to help the injured and the trapped. Their lives were cut short, and their family and friends will forever be affected by that tragic day in American history.
Most of the world experienced 9/11 through a television. For those of us that were in New York City that day, we had a front row seat to one of the most awful things imaginable.
(more…)
Wall Street Mama was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago and moved to NJ when she was a teenager. She fell in love with New York City and set her mind to one thing after college – working on Wall Street. She has spent the last 16 years working on the trading floor at three major banks. As an Institutional Salesperson, she is responsible for helping large corporations and money funds invest their short term cash in the fixed income part of the market. She lives in the suburbs of central NJ with her husband of 11 years, their amazing 21 month old boy and their first baby – a very spoiled Maltese. She has baby #2 on the way and is expecting a little girl in June 2012. She is a full time working mother and struggles with “having it all” while wondering if that is even possible.
Wall Street Mama was married at the age of 25 but waited to have children because she felt she was too focused on her career which required a lot of traveling and entertaining. When she was finally ready, she thought she could plan the exact month she was ready to have a child, like everything else she planned in her life. She was shocked and frustrated when things did not go according to her plan. Fast forward four years later, after a miscarriage and several rounds of failed fertility injections, her little miracle was conceived naturally. She never thought in a million years, that she and her husband would be in their late 30’s by the time they had their first child.
Since the financial crisis of 2008, she has endured some of the most difficult years of her life. The stress of trying to conceive was combined with some of life’s biggest challenges. She and her husband, who is a trader, both lost their jobs on Wall Street the exact same month. Her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and she ended up passing away while she was 6 months pregnant. At times it didn’t seem like things would ever get better, but she has learned that life is cyclical and what comes down must again go up.
Leaving her baby boy with a wonderful nanny each day is difficult, but at times it is easier than she would have expected. She still enjoys the seemingly addictive draw of working on Wall Street. The past few years have been dramatically different from the “good days” but she is focused on trying to achieve what she once had before. She is currently working on launching her own blog, Wall Street Mama, in an attempt to guide others who are focused on continuing their career, yet struggle with leaving their little ones at home. She is weathering the ups and downs of the market and motherhood, one day at a time.
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by Mama B (Saudi Arabia) | Sep 8, 2011 | Death and Dying, Inspirational, Life Lesson, Motherhood, Saudi Arabia
How do you talk about death to children? It is one thing to talk about it in the abstract, but a whole other thing when you have to tell them someone they know and love died.
I remember my first true experience with death. I was maybe around 9 years old. I was at school one day sitting in the middle row of desks. I turned and saw that one of my closest friends had turned red and was shaking in her seat.
She fell to the ground, some of the children around her got up to see if she was ok, and I just stood there. (more…)
Mama B’s a young mother of four beautiful children who leave her speechless in both, good ways and bad. She has been married for 9 years and has lived in London twice in her life. The first time was before marriage (for 4 years) and then again after marriage and kid number 2 (for almost 2 years). She is settled now in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (or as settled as one can be while renovating a house).
Mama B loves writing and has been doing it since she could pick up a crayon. Then, for reasons beyond her comprehension, she did not study to become a writer, but instead took graphic design courses. Mama B writes about the challenges of raising children in this world, as it is, who are happy, confident, self reliant and productive without driving them (or herself) insane in the process.
Mama B also sheds some light on the life of Saudi, Muslim children but does not claim to be the voice of all mothers or children in Saudi. Just her little "tribe." She has a huge, beautiful, loving family of brothers and sisters that make her feel like she wants to give her kids a huge, loving family of brothers and sisters, but then is snapped out of it by one of her three monkeys screaming “Ya Maamaa” (Ya being the arabic word for ‘hey’). You can find Mama B writing at her blog, Ya Maamaa . She's also on Twitter @YaMaamaa.
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by Dr. Jeanelle Marshawn Lanham (USA) | Aug 25, 2011 | Family Travel, Inspirational, Life Lesson, Motherhood
The Anticipation of Change is worse than change itself!
Today, I am on a plane headed to New York with my two baby boys. Ok, young men. 🙂 It’s a journey we have been dreaming about, as well as confessing and praying about for years, and it’s finally here.
This is a big change for us. It has been The Three Amigos for over 16 years, and now that changes. This is going to be different and exciting all at the same time.
My oldest is moving over 3000 miles from home to New York City Dance Academy, and my youngest is starting a new modeling career, and I have things in the works, too. But even with the excitement, it’s still CHANGE, and we know change can be a little scary. (more…)
Dr. Jeanelle Marshawn Lanham is an Indiana native now living in Arizona, USA. She’s the Founder of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Teen Center – Hodge Podge the Teen Cafè™ (http://www.HdgPdg.com), CEO of Iron WoMan Inc™ (http://www.IronWoManInc.com), a writer, is known to teens all over the world as the S.W.A.G Doc™ (http://www.TheSWAGDoc.com), a wife and most importantly a mom to two awesome boys. She joined the Army when she was a senior in high school because she did exceptionally well on the testing and was involved in the Gulf War. She served 8 years and is now a disabled Vet but that doesn’t get her down, nor stop her. Dr. Jeanelle Marshawn Lanham loves to write and help teenagers feel better about themselves. She knows ASL and signs with her deaf friends when she can. She’s always busy writing and building her Brand and found it great when she was given the opportunity to write for World’s Mom Blog. She has many goals on her bucket list and once her business has grown to her satisfaction, her goal is to own her own bull(s) (yes, real bulls!) and have them participate in the PBR (Professional Bull Riding). Traveling is a love of hers and one day she will visit Italy! You can find Dr. Jeanelle Marshawn Lanham on FaceBook at http://www.FaceBook.com/theSWAGDoc or Twitter @JeanelleLanham – Her heart is true to Rehabilitating Teens, Coaching Moms & Encouraging others.
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by Susie Newday (Israel) | Aug 24, 2011 | Israel, Life Lesson, Parenting, Pregnancy, Susie Newday, Writing
Susie’s son’s swearing in ceremony for the Israeli Army.
Twenty-one years ago, at the age of twenty, I was pregnant with my first child.
At that point, I already knew that I would be moving to Israel within a few years. Emigrating to another country is daunting, but I wasn’t worried about the language or the cultural differences.
My biggest worry and the one that left me with quite a few sleepless nights and wanting to chicken out, was the fact that there is mandatory draft in Israel.
Since we are orthodox, girls can do national service instead of army service, but for boys there is no way out.
They do three years of army service. I was worried and concerned because army service in Israel definitely comes with the possibility of combat.
Needless to say, I spent quite a bit of time silently hoping my baby would be a girl. All that kept going on in my mind was why have a baby to send him off to war and the possibility of harm coming to him. (more…)
Susie Newday is a happily-married American-born Israeli mother of five. She is an oncology nurse, blogger and avid amateur photographer.
Most importantly, Susie is a happily married mother of five amazing kids from age 8-24 and soon to be a mother in law. (Which also makes her a chef, maid, tutor, chauffeur, launderer...) Susie's blog, New Day, New Lesson, is her attempt to help others and herself view the lessons life hands all of us in a positive light. She will also be the first to admit that blogging is great free therapy as well. Susie's hope for the world? Increasing kindness, tolerance and love.
You can also follow her Facebook page New Day, New Lesson where she posts her unique photos with quotes as well as gift ideas.
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by Wall Street Mama (USA) | Aug 23, 2011 | Being Thankful, Cancer, Family, Guest Post, Inspirational, Life Lesson, Motherhood, Pregnancy, USA
I will never forget the moment I walked through my mom’s door to see her sitting on the couch looking so scared, so frail and so child-like.
We looked at each other, tears streaming down both of our faces and we embraced. She was shaking as she uttered one sentence that crosses my mind almost daily:
“Jeni, I will never get to meet your babies.”
It was like an arrow went through my heart at that exact moment. (more…)
Wall Street Mama was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago and moved to NJ when she was a teenager. She fell in love with New York City and set her mind to one thing after college – working on Wall Street. She has spent the last 16 years working on the trading floor at three major banks. As an Institutional Salesperson, she is responsible for helping large corporations and money funds invest their short term cash in the fixed income part of the market. She lives in the suburbs of central NJ with her husband of 11 years, their amazing 21 month old boy and their first baby – a very spoiled Maltese. She has baby #2 on the way and is expecting a little girl in June 2012. She is a full time working mother and struggles with “having it all” while wondering if that is even possible.
Wall Street Mama was married at the age of 25 but waited to have children because she felt she was too focused on her career which required a lot of traveling and entertaining. When she was finally ready, she thought she could plan the exact month she was ready to have a child, like everything else she planned in her life. She was shocked and frustrated when things did not go according to her plan. Fast forward four years later, after a miscarriage and several rounds of failed fertility injections, her little miracle was conceived naturally. She never thought in a million years, that she and her husband would be in their late 30’s by the time they had their first child.
Since the financial crisis of 2008, she has endured some of the most difficult years of her life. The stress of trying to conceive was combined with some of life’s biggest challenges. She and her husband, who is a trader, both lost their jobs on Wall Street the exact same month. Her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and she ended up passing away while she was 6 months pregnant. At times it didn’t seem like things would ever get better, but she has learned that life is cyclical and what comes down must again go up.
Leaving her baby boy with a wonderful nanny each day is difficult, but at times it is easier than she would have expected. She still enjoys the seemingly addictive draw of working on Wall Street. The past few years have been dramatically different from the “good days” but she is focused on trying to achieve what she once had before. She is currently working on launching her own blog, Wall Street Mama, in an attempt to guide others who are focused on continuing their career, yet struggle with leaving their little ones at home. She is weathering the ups and downs of the market and motherhood, one day at a time.
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by Nicole Melancon (USA) | Aug 22, 2011 | Life Lesson, Motherhood, Parenting, Third Eye Mom, USA
The letter arrived in the mail on Saturday. There it sat, long, white and unopened. My heart skipped a beat. No, it wasn’t the anticipated college acceptance or rejection letter. Nor was it a job offer or denial. It was the letter that would represent my young son’s future: His teacher assignment for first grade.
I opened it up quickly with mixed feelings. Who would it be? Would it be who I wanted? Would his newly made friends from Kindergarten be in his class? Or, would he be all alone, faced once again to meet new friends?
As I read the letter, these thoughts raced through my mind, but a deeper, more powerful reaction took over my mind. (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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It is hard to believe that ten years have passed since our nation was changed forever by an act of terror that claimed the lives of 2976 people. Innocent people, who woke up that day to go to work, attend a meeting, fly on a plane or bravely risk their lives to help the injured and the trapped. Their lives were cut short, and their family and friends will forever be affected by that tragic day in American history.
