by Sophie Walker (UK) | Jul 27, 2012 | Motherhood, World Motherhood
It’s raining and I am running.
To be more truthful: it’s pouring, and I am sort of jogging.
Actually let’s be honest. The rain is of epic, Biblical proportion and I am managing a staggering trot at best.
Bowed but not yet beaten by the joys of a British summer, I have laced my anorak hood so tightly that all I can see are the tops of my trainers as I shuffle along, head down. Even then they are a watery blur amid the precipitation driving into my face.
The last time I ran seriously was three months ago, when I completed the London Marathon. After some (more…)
Writer, mother, runner: Sophie works for an international news agency and has written about economics, politics, trade, war, diplomacy and finance from datelines as diverse as Paris, Washington, Hong Kong, Kabul, Baghdad and Islamabad. She now lives in London with her husband, two daughters and two step-sons.
Sophie's elder daughter Grace was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome several years ago. Grace is a bright, artistic girl who nonetheless struggles to fit into a world she often finds hard to understand. Sophie and Grace have come across great kindness but more often been shocked by how little people know and understand about autism and by how difficult it is to get Grace the help she needs.
Sophie writes about Grace’s daily challenges, and those of the grueling training regimes she sets herself to run long-distance events in order to raise awareness and funds for Britain’s National Autistic Society so that Grace and children like her can blossom. Her book "Grace Under Pressure: Going The Distance as an Asperger's Mum" was published by Little, Brown (Piatkus) in 2012. Her blog is called Grace Under Pressure.
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by travelladywithbaby | Jul 26, 2012 | Canada, Motherhood, World Interviews, World Moms Blog Writer Interview, World Motherhood
Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?
I just moved from Vancouver, Canada to a small town outside of Montreal, Canada, which has had its hilarious culture shocks – I am pretty sure I will be moving again. I am actually from all over the world. I grew up as a Diplomatic kid, and never lived anywhere longer than 3 years. The only city I moved in and out of was Ottawa, Canada, our nations capital.
What language(s) do you speak?
I speak English, Spanish and French (sort of), but I am trying to rectify that! I am also so smitten with German that I now listen to it online.
When did you first become a mother?
I like to say that I first became a Mother 3 1/2 years ago to my furry four-legged lady, she brought us good luck, because I became pregnant 2 months after bringing her home. We were told it would be unlikely that I could have a baby; it was fate. I first became a Mother 2 1/2 years ago, to an incredible little man, who has brought nothing but hilarity, entertainment and more love than I ever thought was humanly possible to my life.
Are you a stay-at-home mom or do you work outside the home? (more…)
Travel Lady with Baby has never had two feet in one city for long, growing up as a diplomatic kid, bouncing around from one country to another became the norm. Born in Canada, but never feeling Canadian, rather a Hodge Podge of cultures and traditions, Mandarin was her first language, not English, and Spanish still comes out of her mouth when trying to speak French.
Travel Lady with Baby declared to her Father that a career in the U.N was her future, but settled for a career at Foreign Affairs on an intense U.N file. After several years of non-stop travel, and having never put up a picture on the wall, she and her husband threw caution to the wind and moved to Vancouver, B.C. to work on an Olympic file.
Vancouver brought, a dog, a baby boy and a life-altering event that changed everything. It was this event that made Travel Lady with Baby and her husband realize that Vancouver had run its course, so, naturally it was time to embark on another adventure.
Packing everything into a small storage space and giving up their condo, they got on a plane for two months to travel with their son. For the first time, they breathed, got perspective, became present as parents and realized what they wanted. Landing back in Vancouver solidified a business plan and a move to a small town in Quebec.
Now running a Sustainable Consulting and Promotions Company with her husband, re-learning French (yes, you do lose it if you don't use it), waking up to a toddler that has more energy than a soccer team, juggling clients, a household, research and marketing, and squeezing in blogging about travel has been nothing but exhilarating.
It is very likely that there is another move and way more travel in the near future, but at least this time, they finally put pictures up on the walls. Check out her personal blog, Travel Lady with Baby.
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by Jennifer Burden | Jul 23, 2012 | Motherhood, Shot@Life, Social Good, World Motherhood, World Voice, Younger Children
Child of Tanzania.
Where was your first great kiss? Was it behind the bleachers during a high school football game with a guy you were crazy about from history class? Was it with your first boyfriend? Your first girlfriend? Was it after your wedding night? Was it on the altar? Were you following cultural or religious protocol?
Regardless of where and how your first great kiss occurred, you will likely always remember it. Perhaps, you’re glad you had it. Perhaps today, you can imagine going through life without it, or you cringe when you think about the person it was with, but back then, whoa. Back then it meant the W-O-R-L-D.
These important firsts: first steps, first smiles, first words, first friends, first days of school, first kisses — they were all so important to us as they occurred. Every child in the world deserves a chance at them.
And, as a mother, I’d like to tell you about an even deeper kind of first kiss. (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 World Moms Blog | Jul 22, 2012 | 2012, International, Motherhood, World Moms Blog Itinerary, World Motherhood
On Monday we’re part of a blog carnival, and who doesn’t like a good carnival? Jennifer Burden, our founder from New Jersey, will be writing a post for international childhood vaccine advocates Shot@Life.
On Tuesday, we head to UAE to hear from Manna Hatta Mamma. This mom lives in a melting pot of cultural diversity, where everyone seems to make statements about other groups on the basis of what their cultural background is. She ponders the question of how to erase the divisions between groups.
On Wednesday, we will hear from Carol @ If By Yes from Canada, where politeness is a way of life. Or is it? Perhaps the difference between the US and Canadian sides of the border is not a question of manners, but of forms of expression.
(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 World Moms Blog | Jul 21, 2012 | Bilingual, Culture, Family, Friendship, Gardening, Motherhood, Older Children, Parenting, Saturday Sidebar, Working Mother, World Motherhood, Younger Children
WMB Writer Kyla P’an and her kindred spirit in parenting, Rachel Osen.
There are so many different parenting styles in the world, which makes World Moms Blog writer, Tara B. ask,
“Do you have a kindred spirit in parenting? Aside from the bond of motherhood and the fact that all moms want the best for their kid…is there someone you know who operates just like you on the basic nuts and bolts of day to day parenting? If so, how did you find him/her?”
Check out what some of our World Moms had to say…
Kyla P’an of Massachusetts, USA writes:
“Yes, my friend in Montana, Rachel Osen. I don’t know if it’s because our kids are the same genders and exactly the same ages, or if it’s because our pre-children adulthood was so parallel, but she’s one of the few people I can be so open with about the trials and tribulations of parenting. I feel like we protect or guard our true selves all the time, much like Ruth Wong discussed in Motherhood is NOT a Competition, but I never feel that way with Rachel.” (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 Ana Gaby | Jul 20, 2012 | Family, Indonesia, Motherhood, Parenting, World Interviews, World Moms Blog Writer Interview, World Motherhood
Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?
I live in the Big Durian, formally known as Jakarta Indonesia. I am not from here although I’ve been living in South East Asia for the past three years. I was born and raised in Mexico. After doing some of my studies in Europe, I moved to the US where I met my now husband and embarked on the ride of a lifetime as we country-hop every two to three years for his job. I have trouble defining where home is but my soul and my beloved family is in Mexico and my heart in the USA.
What language(s) do you speak?
I grew up speaking Spanish and going to school in English. Sometimes I go back and forth with the two as I speak to my boys although I’m striving to speak strictly in Spanish to them. I studied part of my college education in France so I am fluent in French even when it comes down to technical wording and lingo regarding the French labor law. I studied Mandarin for a few years and became somewhat fluent but I forgot most of it when I learned a bit of Thai due to their similar structure. I speak some German and Italian and I’m working hard on learning Bahasa Indonesia. (more…)
Ana Gaby is a Mexican by birth and soul, American by heart and passport and Indonesian by Residence Permit. After living, studying and working overseas, she met the love of her life and endeavored in the adventure of a lifetime: country-hopping every three years for her husband’s job. When she's not chasing her two little boys around she volunteers at several associations doing charity work in Indonesia and documents their adventures and misadventures in South East Asia at Stumble Abroad.
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