by Jill Barth | Mar 21, 2012 | Being Thankful, Childhood, Kids, Life Lesson, USA, Writing
This week has been lovely in most parts of America. Here in Illinois, it’s been better-than-spring warm weather and sun. It’s only March (generally a chilled and cloudy month) so everyone has been moving about outdoors, soaking in this blessing.
My daughter and went to one of our favorite spots, Lincoln Memorial Gardens. We live in Springfield, Illinois which is the adult home of President Abraham Lincoln. He and his family lived here for over 28 years before his presidency, and he returned to Springfield to be buried in a somber, grand tomb in the Oak Ridge Cemetery. Lincoln Memorial Gardens is a vast natural space cultivated to maintain the wild feel of the natural Illinois landscape as it was when Abe lived here over 150 years ago. (more…)
Jill Barth lives in Illinois with her husband and three kids. She reminds you to breathe. She is a freelance writer and consultant. Also, she is the green content Team Leader and columnist at elephantjournal.com and reads fiction for Delmarva Review.
Jill's writing can be found on her blog, Small Things Honored.
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by Martine de Luna (Philippines) | Mar 15, 2012 | Philippines, Working Mother, World Interviews, World Moms Blog, World Moms Blog Writer Interview, Writing
Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?
I’m from the sunny Philippines! I reside in the capital, Manila, with my husband and son. I was born here and I’m Filipino, though I spent my childhood abroad, as we were expatriated in 1985. I actually met my would-be-husband while in school in Singapore, during the mid-1990s.
What language(s) do you speak?
Despite growing up in Hong Kong and Singapore until I was in my mid-teens, I don’t know how to speak Chinese! (Then again, I went to British schools.) English is my first language. I learned to speak Filipino (Tagalog) when we moved back here; I was 15 then.
When did you first become a mother?
I gave birth to my son, Vito, in 2009. Friends, however, said I was “mommy material” because I liked kids so much (I used to teach in a progressive school), and because I (more…)
Martine is a work-at-home Mom and passionate blogger. A former expat kid, she has a soft spot for international efforts, like WMB. While she's not blogging, she's busy making words awesome for her clients, who avail of her marketing writing, website writing, and blog consulting services. Martine now resides in busy, sunny Manila, the Philippines, with her husband, Ton, and toddler son, Vito Sebastian. You can find her blogging at DaintyMom.com.
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by Mamasgotwanderlust (China) | Mar 1, 2012 | China, Family Travel, International, Motherhood, Working Mother, World Interviews, World Moms Blog Writer Interview, World Motherhood, Writing
Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?
In 2011, my two year-old daughter and I left my husband behind in Moscow (temporarily!) and moved to Beijing, China. Answering the “where are you from” question is a bit difficult… I was born in Johanessburg, South Africa and moved to Canada when I was really young. Since then, I have lived in Toronto, Vancouver, Indiana USA, and finally had settled down in Ottawa before moving to Moscow in 2010.
What language(s) do you speak?
English, French, Mandarin, Tibetan. Does toddler-speak count as a language?
When did you first become a mother?
Technically, I became a mother in January 2010 when my daughter was born. But actually, I feel like I first became a mother the day I saw that plus sign on the home pregnancy test.
Are you a stay-at-home mom or do you work?
I work full-time, and often feel like I work full-time as a mom too! But I do so wish I could be a (more…)
You could say that Taryn has travel in her blood: a South African-born Canadian, Taryn has lived in Toronto, Vancouver, and Indiana, and has travelled extensively to Iceland, Israel, Italy, India, and a few places that don't begin with the letter I. After a brief stint as a
travel guide writer, where she realized that her dream job was actually a lot of work for not much pay, she gave in to the lure of a steady job (and pay cheque) and settled in Canada's beautiful capital, Ottawa.
In 2010, she embarked on her biggest adventure when her daughter Charlotte was born. A few months later, her hubby J. accepted a work assignment in Russia, and the family moved to Moscow. In 2011, Taryn accepted a work assignment of her own in Beijing, China where she currently lives. While excited about the opportunity to live in the world's biggest up-and-coming country (and to practice herMandarin skills), moving to China has meant leaving J. behind in Russia while he finishes up his work assignment before moving to Beijing this summer.
In the meantime, Taryn juggles career-dom, living in a foreign culture, and being a temporary single-mom to a spunky toddler. Taryn is also the blogger behind Mama's Got Wanderlust, where she writes about her adventures in travelling, parenting, and living abroad.
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by Mama Mzungu (Kenya) | Feb 23, 2012 | International, Kenya, Living Abroad, Motherhood, World Interviews, World Moms Blog Writer Interview, World Motherhood, Writing
Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?
We currently live in Kisumu, located in Western Kenya, Barak Obama’s ancestral homeland. (See here for more on the city). I’m originally from the Chicago-area but have lived in Philadelphia, Boston and Washington D.C. My husband grew up in Southern Africa, as his parents moved around doing development work.
In an eerie coincidence we moved to Kenya when our son was 2, the same age my husband was when his family moved to Kenya. His father had landed a job as a Country Director, same title my husband now has.
What language(s) do you speak?
English, bad French and Swahili that my 3-year-old son sometimes has to correct.
When did you first become a mother?
I first became a mother relatively later in life but quite early in my marriage (2009 if you’re looking for specifics). Because I was a little older we thought we’d get a jump-start on trying, and were a bit surprised (more…)
Originally from Chicago, Kim has dabbled in world travel through her 20s and is finally realizing her dream of living and working in Western Kenya with her husband and two small boys, Caleb and Emmet. She writes about tension of looking at what the family left in the US and feeling like they live a relatively simple life, and then looking at their neighbors and feeling embarrassed by their riches. She writes about clumsily navigating the inevitable cultural differences and learning every day that we share more than we don’t. Come visit her at Mama Mzungu.
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by Ruth | Feb 10, 2012 | Life Balance, Me-Time, Motherhood, Parenting, Ruth Wong, South Korea, World Motherhood, Writing
I stared at the email I received a week ago. Today’s the last day to make my decision but I might have missed the deadline. I wasn’t too sure – should the cut off time be based on US time while I’m here on the other side of the world? I could have checked, but…
Anyway, that didn’t matter. The fact was, at that very last-minute, I was still feeling unsure about my decision.
So, as I often do in such situations, I said a silent prayer.
Then I clicked on the link and waited… A new window opened.
I looked at the screen; peace descended upon me. The screen is still there. I knew right then what I needed to do.
*******
Three days ago, I renewed my membership with the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI).
You see, I’m trained as an image consultant but it’s something that I never really told many people about. When I first decided to get trained, I thought I would set up an image business. Then I got pregnant and decided to shelf the plan until after I gave birth. Never did I anticipate how busy being a mom would be, especially a first-time mom, and juggling my (more…)
Ruth lives in Singapore, a tiny island 137 kilometres north of the equator. After graduating from university, she worked as a medical social worker for a few years before making a switch to HR and worked in various industries such as retail, banking and manufacturing. In spite of the invaluable skills and experiences she had gained during those years, she never felt truly happy or satisfied. It was only when she embarked on a journey to rediscover her strengths and passion that this part of her life was transformed. Today, Ruth is living her dreams as a writer. Ironically, she loves what she does so much that at one point, she even thought that becoming a mom would hinder her career. Thanks to her husband’s gentle persuasions, she now realises what joy she would have missed out had she not changed her mind. She is now a happy WAHM. Ruth launched MomME Circle, a resource site to support and inspire moms to create a life and business they love. She has a personal blog Mommy Café where she writes about her son's growing up and shares her interests such as food and photography.
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by World Moms Blog | Feb 9, 2012 | Domesticity, International, Living Abroad, Multicultural, Nigeria, Writing
Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?
I live with my husband and three children in Lagos, Nigeria. I’m a first-time Ex-Pat. We moved here from suburban New Jersey in November 2011.
What language(s) do you speak?
I speak passable French and Hindi. I can still read some Ancient Greek after studying it in high school, which is more useless than you can possibly imagine. I am determined to learn pidjin English while we live in Nigeria.
When did you first become a mother? (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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