by Ambre French (Norway) | Jun 9, 2011 | Family, Humor, International, Motherhood, Norway, Parenting
“She’s got the look.”
My baby is growing an attitude. The once sweet, bouncy baby, who was always happy to crawl, happy to sleep, happy to eat is now coming out with an opinion of her own. When did that happen?!
It’s just crazy when you have the first understandable exchanges with your child. I guess it’s also a little intimidating that this bundle of joy you’ve been carrying around is now fully able to convey resentment, love, disagreement and interest…
As a young mother, whatever your head had courageously decided was “only” confronted to books, mother-in-laws or your conscience is now passe. There is an extra element to take into account: the child might not follow your lead!
She’s 16 months old, so how does she communicate this opinion? Of course, you’ve got the classic body language, the expected moaning and groaning…but, her ultimate weapon is her eyes: one single look tells a thousand words.
So, for you today, ladies, here is a little lexicon of the 4 most powerful looks that I have ever been thrown! I am sure you all know what I mean and will add more to the list! (more…)
by Astrid Warren (Norway) | May 17, 2011 | Culture, Eye on Culture, Family, Holiday, International, Motherhood, Norway, Parenting
Royal Palace in Norway
Today is Norway’s National Day, which we Norwegians just call, “17th May”! This will probably sound strange, but this is a day where most Norwegians dress up, some in national costumes. And then, we head into the town centers, walk around in parades with marching bands, while singing and shouting “hurra” (hurray), to be followed by the eating of hot dogs and ice cream!
This is the day we celebrate our Constitution, which was signed in 1814. The traditional way of celebrating this day is a children’s parade. The holiday is recognized throughout Norway, and I am sure that wherever there is a school, there is a celebration going on!
When I was a child, this was, next to Christmas and birthdays, the highlight of the year. Let me explain…
(more…)
Astrid is a Norwegian thirty something, married, working mum to a wee lad who is almost three and a baby born in 2012! She grew up in Norway, but moved to London, England after she met her husband. After living there during her twenties, she has since returned to Norway and settled down in her nation's capital of Oslo to raise her family.
She finds herself slowly turning into her own mother as her free time is spent reading, walking, knitting and meeting up with other mums for coffee. (Ok, she still secretly loves going to the pub, too!). However, there isn't much time for any of the above, as she now enjoys spending most of her time crawling around on the floor, while playing with her children! Check out her blog, Quintessentially Burrows. She's also on Twitter @MrsSWarren.
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by Jennifer Burden | Mar 3, 2011 | Being Thankful, Family, Kids, Life Lesson, Motherhood, Parenting, Sleep and Children
I have just experienced that feeling of “thank God there are two of us,” which is automatically followed by a rush of respect for all the single parents out there. I am not talking about being able to go out while your other half can stay home with the kids, or being able to share sick days, or being able to share childcare pickups and drop offs; although just writing this list gives me greater appreciation for my other half who is there to share the joyous, yet sometimes challenging role of parenting.
What I’m talking about are those moments where you just can’t take it anymore. Just writing about my experience makes me feel almost ashamed, but these real life parenting moments do happen – to all of us I’m sure.
It’s beyond any reasoning, when all the love, patience and understanding fly out the window; when all the books and all the best advice seem like insignificant nonsense and when you are beyond common sense, alone in the world, no light at the end of the tunnel.
Let me go back in time and share with you how a perfectly sane, relaxed and happy young mother transforms into a frustrated and completely clueless role model void of all parenting self-esteem…. (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 Astrid Warren (Norway) | Feb 8, 2011 | Child Care, Culture, Family, International, Motherhood, Norway, Parenting
My little lad is almost one year old, my maternity leave is over, and the paternity leave will be over in a month. So, after lots of “to-ing and fro-ing”, we decided to apply for a nursery.
Although many parents decide to stay at home, it is also quite common here for both parents to go back to work when the child is one. However, this article is not meant to start a discussion as to whether or not a one year old is ready to go to nursery, as that would be a whole separate article in its own right.
In Norway the government has introduced a policy called “Full Nursery/Kindergarten Coverage” – meaning that all children who wish should get a space in nursery (at a reasonable price) from the time they are one year old.
One of the reasons for this is so that parents would not have to take on child minders they don’t necessarily know and find other temporary solutions to child minding.
This sounds great doesn’t it? (more…)
Astrid is a Norwegian thirty something, married, working mum to a wee lad who is almost three and a baby born in 2012! She grew up in Norway, but moved to London, England after she met her husband. After living there during her twenties, she has since returned to Norway and settled down in her nation's capital of Oslo to raise her family.
She finds herself slowly turning into her own mother as her free time is spent reading, walking, knitting and meeting up with other mums for coffee. (Ok, she still secretly loves going to the pub, too!). However, there isn't much time for any of the above, as she now enjoys spending most of her time crawling around on the floor, while playing with her children! Check out her blog, Quintessentially Burrows. She's also on Twitter @MrsSWarren.
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by Astrid Warren (Norway) | Feb 8, 2011 | Child Care, Culture, Family, International, Motherhood, Norway, Parenting
My little lad is almost one year old, my maternity leave is over, and the paternity leave will be over in a month. So, after lots of “to-ing and fro-ing”, we decided to apply for a nursery.
Although many parents decide to stay at home, it is also quite common here for both parents to go back to work when the child is one. However, this article is not meant to start a discussion as to whether or not a one year old is ready to go to nursery, as that would be a whole separate article in its own right.
In Norway the government has introduced a policy called “Full Nursery/Kindergarten Coverage” – meaning that all children who wish should get a space in nursery (at a reasonable price) from the time they are one year old.
One of the reasons for this is so that parents would not have to take on child minders they don’t necessarily know and find other temporary solutions to child minding.
This sounds great doesn’t it? (more…)
Astrid is a Norwegian thirty something, married, working mum to a wee lad who is almost three and a baby born in 2012! She grew up in Norway, but moved to London, England after she met her husband. After living there during her twenties, she has since returned to Norway and settled down in her nation's capital of Oslo to raise her family.
She finds herself slowly turning into her own mother as her free time is spent reading, walking, knitting and meeting up with other mums for coffee. (Ok, she still secretly loves going to the pub, too!). However, there isn't much time for any of the above, as she now enjoys spending most of her time crawling around on the floor, while playing with her children! Check out her blog, Quintessentially Burrows. She's also on Twitter @MrsSWarren.
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“She’s got the look.”
