by Jennifer Burden | Sep 3, 2011 | Motherhood, WMB Saturday Layover, World Moms Blog
“Have you ever tried too hard?”
If we’re ever in public, and I try to give you advice…RUN!! I mean well. I really do, but sometimes that just gets me into trouble. So, here’s my story…
I was out of town and killing some time in the Princeton Library in New Jersey, USA. I teach my children French at home, so I happen to be stalking the French book aisle in the children’s section. I was only going to be in town for a few more days, so I couldn’t justify the expense of the monthly membership.
As I was picking our next round of books, the librarian brought over a woman who was looking for French books for her 3-year old son. Score! I could help!! I’ve been through this!! (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 | Sep 2, 2011 | Canada, Friday Question, India, Tara B., The Alchemist, Third Eye Mom, USA, World Moms Blog
- Image via Wikipedia
This week’s Friday Question comes from World Moms Blog writer Tara B. in Washington State…
She asked our writers,
“When, if ever, will you give you child a cell phone of their own?”
Check out what some of our World Moms had to say…
Kirsten Doyle of Ontario, Canada writes:
“It’s funny that this comes up as the question! Just a few days ago, I discovered that one of my son’s friends has her own cell phone. The kid is SIX, and this just seems wrong and bizarre to me.
My kids are still at the age where they are under adult supervision at all times. With someone watching them all the time, there is no need for them to have a cell phone. When the time comes for them to spend any time unsupervised, I will reevaluate this.” (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 Maggie Ellison | Sep 1, 2011 | Being Thankful, Education, Family, Friendship, Humanity, Motherhood, USA, Working Mother, World Interviews, World Moms Blog Writer Interview
Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?
I am originally from Georgia, but was raised in New Jersey since the age of 2. I went to college in North Carolina and lived there for 13 years. About 2 years ago, we moved to South Carolina.
What languages do you speak?
English and some Spanish
When did you first become a mother?
I was 28, in graduate school and had been married for 5 years. It was a welcomed surprise and I had my baby boy a month after I graduated.
Are you a stay-at-home mom or do you work?
Actually, I do both. (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 Salma (Canada) | Aug 30, 2011 | Canada, Child Care, Culture, Education, Family, Language, Loss of Child, Salma, Working Mother, World Interviews, World Moms Blog Writer Interview, Writing
Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?
We live in Canada right now but Egypt is a second home for us as well. I was born in Jamaica.
What language(s) do you speak?
I’m a passive bilingual. I speak English & some French…I’ve been learning Arabic since “forever”.
When did you first become a mother?
My oldest daughter is 13 years old…I have been a mommy for a very long time. (more…)
An Imperfect Stepford Wife is what Salma describes herself as because she simply cannot get it right. She loves decorating, travelling, parenting,learning, writing, reading and cooking, She also delights in all things mischievous, simply because it drives her hubby crazy.
Salma has 2 daughters and a baby boy. The death of her first son in 2009 was very difficult, however, after the birth of her Rainbow baby in 2010 (one day after her birthday) she has made a commitment to laugh more and channel the innocence of youth through her children. She has blogged about her loss, her pregnancy with Rainbow, and Islamic life.
After relocating to Alberta with her husband in 2011 she has found new challenges and rewards- like buying their first house, and finding a rewarding career.
Her roots are tied to Jamaica, while her hubby is from Yemen. Their routes, however, have led them to Egypt and Canada, which is most interesting because their lives are filled with cultural and language barriers. Even though she earned a degree in Criminology, Salma's true passion is Social Work. She truly appreciates the beauty of the human race. She writes critical essays on topics such as feminism and the law, cultural relativity and the role of women in Islam and "the veil".
Salma works full-time, however, she believes that unless the imagination of a child is nourished, it will go to waste. She follows the philosophy of un-schooling and always finds time to teach and explore with her children. From this stance, she pushes her children to be passionate about every aspect of life, and to strive to be life-long learners and teachers. You can read about her at Chasing Rainbow.
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by World Moms Blog | Aug 28, 2011 | Canada, East Timor, Eva Fannon, New Zealand, Parenting, Shaula Bellour, USA, World Moms Blog Itinerary
We start off the week in New Zealand with Karyn Van Der Zwet of Kloppenmum. (Yay — she’s back!) Karyn talks about attachment parenting and discusses the direction in which societal roles are changing for mothers. A very interesting read!
On Tuesday, we head south of the border to hear from Eva Fannon of Washington, USA. She tells us about a 24 hour trip to New York — it must have been nice to have some alone time!
Then, board a long haul flight with us to East Timor on Wednesday! Shaula Bellour is our mom of twins who has told us before that she has to look out for things like crocodiles in everyday life!
Thursday, we’re in Canada! Here, Robin of “Farewell, Stranger” is our mom who writes inspiring stories about her experiences with Post Partum Depression. Did you know she was asked to speak at a blogging conference in 2012? Check out her blog for more upcoming details!
This week in interviews we have new writer, Salma, in Canada and Maggie Ellison in South Carolina, USA. Come read more about our World Moms Blog Writers!
Our founder, Jennifer Burden, was nominated for a Babble Award. Help support World Moms Blog by voting for her — the prize is $5,000 that we can use to help mothers and children!! How cool would it be to fund the very causes important to mothers that we discuss, here, on the blog? There’s nothing to sign up for, you just have to click the grey “Like” box.
Please vote here! In news, we will be announcing several more writers from the USA these coming weeks! And, in an effort to try to keep World Moms Blog more geographically balanced, we have already started a waiting list for future USA writers only. We are thrilled with all the requests!
— World Moms Blog
Our World Moms Blog logo was designed by the creative Erica Joyner Designs in Virginia, USA.
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 | Aug 27, 2011 | Saturday Layover
I want to use this space this week to tell everyone that we NEED YOUR VOTE! Help World Moms Blog win $5,000 for charity!!
Wouldn’t it be great if we could donate to the very causes that affect mothers and children around the world that we write about?
Help us win! Here’s what you do…click on the link below (it won’t cost you anything and you don’t have to sign up for anything). You just have to click on “Like” in the grey box next to my picture.
Please vote for us!
http://mom.babble.com/mom/mominations/mominees/inspirational/jennifer-burden
You see, I have been “mominated” at Babble.com for this charitable award on behalf of my work at World Moms Blog, so help me win this for the World Moms!
And, thank you to Alison Lee in Malaysia for the nomination. Help us spread the word! (We would love that. 🙂 )
I’m keeping this column short this week for two reasons. One is the impending hurricane coming up the Atlantic ocean. I’ve been preparing for hurricane Irene, here, in New Jersey, USA, by stocking up on necessities and securing everything outside my house with my husband. I hope everyone affected by this storm will be safe!
And two, is that after all of our hard lifting and packing up today, my husband and I went to the Maroon 5/Train concert. (This mama has to rock sometimes!)
So, tune in tomorrow for the Travel Itinerary to see where we’re taking you this week!
And, THANK YOU for voting!! It is very much appreciated!
Our week in review:
On Monday we started off the week with The Third Eye Mom, Nicole Melancon, who shared her internal struggle with seeing her son off to the first grade. Many of us could relate!
We were in tears on Tuesday with Jennifer D’Ambrosio who told us about how she lost her mother to cancer and how she regretted not having children sooner to meet her mom. Just the picture alone will have you feeling Jen’s emotions. What a moving story!
Wednesday, Susie Newday in Israel told us what it was like to carry a baby and know it would be a soldier if it was a boy. (She secretly admitted that at the time, she was hoping for a girl!) But, now she tell us about coming to terms with having a son in the Army and another son who will go in after him. It was interesting to see life through her eyes!
Dr. Jeanelle Lanham has made that trip that she told us all about — you know, the one where she came to New York City for her son to attend his dream acting school? She told us about her fears, and how she is overcoming them to make this happen!
In writer interviews we heard from Tara B. of Washington, USA and new writer, Maman Aya, of New York, USA!
And when is the right time to stop undressing in front of your children? Or, should you stop? World Moms chimed in on this private topic in this week’s Friday Question!
Take care everyone, and don’t forget to vote!
Jennifer Burden
Founder/Editor
World Moms Blog
Photo credit to Alan Cleaver. This photo has a creative commons attribution license.
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.
More Posts - Website
Follow Me:
“Have you ever tried too hard?”
