Saturday Layover for August 13th, 2011…

“I don’t want to be a mom.” 

When I first heard those words ring out of my 4-year old’s mouth, I was crushed.  I immediately thought that this was my fault.  Am I too hard on her?  Am I too strict?  Am I too neurotic? Does my job look boring to her? Is it because I stay home?

I thought about myself as a little girl, taking care of my dollies.  Yes, I wanted to be a mother, no doubt, as a little girl.  My daughter plays with toy dinosaurs all the time.  Was that the problem? Should I be providing an environment of more baby doll stuff?  Where had I gone wrong? (more…)

Jennifer Burden

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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Monday Delayed Layover for August 8, 2011…


“BlogHer High”

What are the chances of wireless internet going down in a hotel that is hosting a huge blogging event?  Ugh!!  So, the Saturday Layover has been delayed…to the Monday Layover this week!

But, who am I kidding?  It was a much needed break, as my brain was aching and beginning to shutdown from all the information – many intense conference sessions and non-stop networking (I like to call it friend making) with interesting people.

The overwhelming majority of people I met were genuinely interested in making new blogging friends, save for a few outliers.  But, guess what?  I got to meet World Moms Blog writers, Mama Robin J from Canada and Galit Breen from Minnesota, USA.  I stalked them like the papparazzi.  (I hoped they didn’t mind.)  It was GREAT to meet some of our writers in person!! Whooohoo!!! (more…)

Jennifer Burden

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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Saturday Layover for July 30th, 2011…

This coming week, I’m excited to be representing World Moms Blog at the Blogher ’11 conference in San Diego, California.  As I’m busy preparing for the adventure, this week I’m going to keep it short, but hopefully, slightly entertaining.

The writers’ interviews that we’ve been posting as additional posts on Tuesdays and Thursdays have been really helping us get to know our new writing community better. We’re even finding many more things out about our seasoned WMB writers that we didn’t know!

It occurred to me that some of you might be thinking, “Who the heck is running this ship?” And, also, maybe the thought never even crossed your mind. ha ha. So, anyway, this week, as your World Moms Blog founder and editor, I’m answering one question from our normal interview.  And, here’s how it goes… (more…)

Jennifer Burden

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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Saturday Layover for July 23, 2011…

I dropped my baby.

There, I said it.  I feel awful about it.  I mean, sit on the floor, head in my hands, sobbing awful about it.  

I had her in my left arm with her head over my shoulder, and we were making our way to the kitchen.  While in my older daughter’s room, I reached up with my right hand to pull the cord to turn off the ceiling fan…and then…blast!…she took off like a runner from a runner’s post.

She kicked me away and then backdived to my left all in one swoop. The perfect escape.  The moment seemed to last an eternity.

I caught her with my left hand. Relief.  But no. All 4 and 1/2 months and 16 lbs of gravity dropped on my arm like a medicine ball onto a sheet of “the other leading brand” of plastic wrap, falling closer, closer to the carpeted ground. (more…)

Jennifer Burden

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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WMB (Name Pending!) Saturday Column

When I first started World Moms Blog, I don’t think I could have possibly comprehended what it was going to be like.  Each week we read different experiences in the form of blog posts from around the world on so many different topics.  The mothers who write for the blog are challenging me to think and leading me to places and topics that I haven’t thought about before.

This week, I felt Carol’s sadness of raising a child miles and miles away from her family, Margie’s pain at the loss of her newborn baby, Kally’s laughs about TV moms through the ages, and I got distracted by Polish Mom Photographer’s delicious looking chocolate cake. I also got to read about many of the World Moms’ pregnancy cravings in the Friday Question.

I care about this blog so much. I want to learn and grow with our writers and the community that has developed around our posts.  My motherhood experience has definitely been enhanced by World Moms Blog in ways and emotions that I could have never imagined.

As an editor, my biggest challenge is, well….editing.  If a writer writes about her life experience, my personal reaction is that we read it as just that.  It may offend, it may not, but we have the unique opportunity to look through a lens and see how other people live as though we are in their in-group.  When do we ever get the chance to do that? (more…)

Jennifer Burden

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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Help Name This WMB Saturday Column!

It’s almost 10:30pm.  The kids are asleep.  My husband is out playing cards.  And, I should be in bed because the baby will be up in the night to feed, I’m sooo running on empty in the sleep department, and I’ve been trying to get myself to a Saturday morning 8am yoga class for two months now. (I haven’t made it there yet!)

But, I’m up blogging.

If you’re reading this, perhaps, you can relate.  What is it about us “mommy bloggers”?  We just can’t get enough, can we?

I’ve had the idea for World Moms Blog’s “review/letter from the editor” column for our empty Saturday slot in my head for weeks now.  (I need help with the name for it, please help!) It’s time to put it into type…

Here’s how I describe it: (more…)

Jennifer Burden

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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