Saturday Sidebar: In five years, I want to…

Saturday Sidebar: In five years, I want to…

This week’s Saturday Sidebar Question comes from World Moms Blog writer Maggie Ellison.  She wanted our writers to look ahead and asked them to finish this sentence,

“In five years, I want to …..”

Read on to see how some of our World Moms responded.

Dr. Lanham of Arizona, USA writes:
“In five years I will be impacting lives by being a syndicated columnist managing my family’s careers all while owning and running my teen nonprofit Hodge Podge the Teen Cafe™.” (more…)

World Moms Blog

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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NORWAY: Grandparents

I grew up near my father’s parents, and in the summer we would all spend a lot of time together at the summer-house. (In Norway it is quite common to have a summer-house or mountain cottage, where you spend your weekends and holidays.)

My mother’s mum died before I was born, and my mother’s father lived far away. We didn’t see much of him, unfortunately.

But although we saw my father’s parents quite a lot, I felt a slight distance to them. I always felt the need to behave perfectly around them.

I remember that on Saturdays, when I would be allowed to watch a bit of children’s telly, I would walk across the little yard, knock on my grandparents door (which was usually wide open) and ask nicely if I may be allowed to watch that half hour of telly. (more…)

Astrid Warren (Norway)

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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GUEST POST: Scary Mommy Society

It was August in San Diego.  The second morning of the BlogHer Conference.  I walked into the giant room where breakfast was being served.  I looked up and was thrilled to see a familiar face in the sea of bloggers from the previous day, the lovely and super friendly Nicole at “Word of Mouth Musings.”

Nicole waved me over. There was an open spot at her table, and I asked a woman if anyone was sitting there.  Ahh, a free spot!  I moseyed on over, got my breakfast and returned.  I was making small talk with the lady to my left.  She was friendly, down to earth and, oh so, totally familiar.

We went back and forth a few times trying to figure out where we may have met before.  She thought I looked just as familiar to her. We went through the whole “Where do you live?”, “Where did you work”, and finally I asked, “Where do you blog at?”

She answered, “Scary Mommy.”

I gulped.

For the first time in my blogging career I felt like a groupie.  I wasn’t looking for Scary Mommy and by accident, I had stumbled into her. (Because if I was looking for her, I wouldn’t have had the guts to sit down right next to her!)

I had frequented her blog, for the funny and the oh so outrageous in parenting. Jill tells it like it is. She’s a great “help me get through my day” read. She’s not for the most conservative at heart — just a warning. 😉

Do Scary Mommy and I actually know each other?  Perhaps we were best friends in another world together, in another life.  Or maybe, we were just at the same Washington, DC bar one night in the early 2000s on line next to each other waiting for the ladies’ room.

Perhaps, we’ll never know.

I’m guest posting at the “Scary Mommy Society” today.  Comments will be closed here, so please go there and check it out and send me some World Moms Blog love!

 

Jennifer Burden

Founder/Editor

World Moms Blog

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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WASHINGTON, USA: Life is good

Wild blackberries in Seattle, WA

Now that the girls are asleep, I am sitting at the computer downloading pictures off my camera.  I haven’t done this in a while, so there are a lot…and I have found some pictures that have inspired this post.  The pictures put a smile on my face as I recalled memories of this summer, but summers passed as well.

This post is about blackberries (not the smartphone, the fruit!)  Blackberries grow wild in the summer in so many places in Seattle…in your backyard, on a fence in an alley, along leafy vegetated edges on the Burke Gilman Trail, and even at our neighborhood playground…which brings me to my story. (more…)

Eva Fannon (USA)

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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CALIFORNIA, USA:  Interview with Angela Y.

CALIFORNIA, USA: Interview with Angela Y.

Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?

I live in San Francisco, CA. Specifically, I live in The Presidio, a old military post that has been transformed into a state park. We live in newly renovated, former military housing. Living in the park gives us access to outdoor space, trees, wildlife (coyotes, raccoons, hawks, and more), all in the heart of a major city; it’s like living in the suburbs without the commute.

No, I am not from here. I am from Northeastern Pennsylvania. I went to high school with Tara B. All of my family still lives there or close by.

What language(s) do you speak?

I speak English only. I couldn’t even pretend to speak anything else.

When did you first become a mother?

Big girl was born in August 2007. Little girl came along in October 2009.

Are you a stay-at-home mom or do you work?

Something in-between. I consider myself a stay-at-home mom. Currently, I am working 3 days a week as a contractor doing my pre-children job at a major retailer’s corporate office. I am helping out during a friends maternity leave. I have a brand (more…)

Angela Y (USA)

Angela Y. is in her mid-thirties and attempting to raise her two daughters (big girl, R, 3 years; little girl, M, 1 year) with her husband in San Francisco, CA. After spending ten years climbing the corporate ladder, she traded it all in to be a stay-at-home mom! Her perspective of raising a child in the city is definitely different from those who have been city dwellers all their lives, as she grew up in rural Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) surrounded by her extended family. Angela Y. and her husband are on their own on the west coast of the United States — the only family help they receive is when someone comes for a visit. But, the lifestyle in San Francisco is like no other for them, so there, they stay! This exercise conscious mom is easily recognized, especially when she is riding around her husband-built bike with two seats on the back. And, when she’s not hanging out with the girls, you can find Angela Y. in the kitchen. She loves to cook for her family, especially dessert, and then eats some herself when no one is looking! Sneaky, mom!

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