by Shaula Bellour (Indonesia) | Aug 31, 2011 | East Timor, Family Travel, Holiday, International, Motherhood, Shaula Bellour, Transportation, Travel, Twins
We recently made our way back to Dili from Seattle—logging nearly 20 flying hours and two full travel days. It was exhausting, but somehow easier now that the little ones are almost four.
They understand that flying is part of a journey and are usually pretty excited about the destination. They love checking out the airport scene, observing other travellers and befriending just about everyone they meet, from airport security guards to stern-faced business travelers.
Of course, 20 hours is still a very long time to be confined to a small space—with or without kids. But, it’s not as grueling as it once was. (more…)
Shaula Bellour grew up in Redmond, Washington. She now lives in Jakarta, Indonesia with her British husband and 9-year old boy/girl twins. She has degrees in International Relations and Gender and Development and works as a consultant for the UN and non-governmental organizations.
Shaula has lived and worked in the US, France, England, Kenya, Eritrea, Kosovo, Lebanon and Timor-Leste. She began writing for World Moms Network in 2010. She plans to eventually find her way back to the Pacific Northwest one day, but until then she’s enjoying living in the big wide world with her family.
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by Salma (Canada) | Aug 30, 2011 | Canada, Child Care, Children, 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 Eva Fannon (USA) | Aug 30, 2011 | Bilingual, Child Care, Childhood, Children, Eva Fannon, Family, Family Travel, Husband, Kids, Motherhood, Music, Parenting, Transportation
I am sitting at a gate in Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) waiting for my flight back to Seattle. You may be wondering…”How does she have time to sit and write with two girls while she is at the airport?”
If my girls were with me, I definitely would NOT be writing.
I would be mulling this post over in my head while I watched them burn off steam running over and under seats before getting on the six hour flight back home. The beauty of this story is that I got the weekend off from mommy duty to travel east 3,000 miles to go to a wedding in New York City! I know, I mean, I really do know – LUCKY ME!! (more…)
Eva Fannon is a working mom who lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her hubby and two girls. She was born and raised on the east coast and followed her husband out west when he got a job offer that he couldn't refuse. Eva has always been a planner, so it took her a while to accept that no matter how much you plan and prepare, being a mom means a new and different state of "normal".
Despite the craziness on most weekday mornings (getting a family of four out the door in time for work and school is no easy task!), she wouldn't trade being a mother for anything in the world. She and her husband are working on introducing the girls to the things they love - travel, the great outdoors, and enjoying time with family and friends. Eva can be found on Twitter @evafannon.
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by Karyn Wills | Aug 29, 2011 | Children, Economy, International, Karyn Van Der Zwet, Motherhood, New Zealand, Parenting
When Germaine Greer wrote The Female Eunuch, at the height of The Feminist Revolution, she suggested that motherhood should not be considered a substitute to a career. By the time she wrote The Whole Woman in 1999, she had done a complete 180 degree turn and called for proper state-funding for Stay at Home Mums.
She realised full-time mothering is as valuable to many women as being in paid work. She also realised there were benefits to society as a whole.
Children who feel well attached to their mothers do better at life. They make better decisions; they chose more mature friends and partners, and their relationships are more likely to last; they have a work ethic which is balanced with a sense of play; they are physically healthier and they have a stronger sense of community. And becoming properly attached takes intense commitment from one main carer for a long time. (more…)
Karyn is a teacher, writer and solo mother to three sons. She lives in the sunny wine region of Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand in the city of Napier.
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by World Moms Blog | Aug 28, 2011 | Canada, East Timor, Eva Fannon, Karyn Van Der Zwet, New Zealand, Parenting, Robin Farr, 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!
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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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We recently made our way back to Dili from Seattle—logging nearly 20 flying hours and two full travel days. It was exhausting, but somehow easier now that the little ones are almost four.
