UNITED KINGDOM: Window on Another World

There’s one day every year to which Grace counts down with unparalleled shiny-eyed fervour. It’s not Christmas, or her birthday, or the start of the summer holidays, though of course all of these are also proceeded by repeated questioning, date-checking and suppressed thrills.

Her anticipation of this year’s event started precisely one day after last year’s event. On that day Grace drifted dreamily past me, trailing her fingers along the furniture, her mind turning on internal images of the night before. I asked her if she was alright: she barely heard me.

When I went upstairs later to monitor her progress towards bed, I found her at the sink in the bathroom, gazing into the mirror at herself, her tortoiseshell eyes lit with the amber light of her imaginings. As I entered the room she turned to me and said, as though continuing a conversation started much earlier: “… so then, Mummy, next year I can be – .” (more…)

Sophie Walker (UK)

Writer, mother, runner: Sophie works for an international news agency and has written about economics, politics, trade, war, diplomacy and finance from datelines as diverse as Paris, Washington, Hong Kong, Kabul, Baghdad and Islamabad. She now lives in London with her husband, two daughters and two step-sons. Sophie's elder daughter Grace was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome several years ago. Grace is a bright, artistic girl who nonetheless struggles to fit into a world she often finds hard to understand. Sophie and Grace have come across great kindness but more often been shocked by how little people know and understand about autism and by how difficult it is to get Grace the help she needs. Sophie writes about Grace’s daily challenges, and those of the grueling training regimes she sets herself to run long-distance events in order to raise awareness and funds for Britain’s National Autistic Society so that Grace and children like her can blossom. Her book "Grace Under Pressure: Going The Distance as an Asperger's Mum" was published by Little, Brown (Piatkus) in 2012. Her blog is called Grace Under Pressure.

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Travel Itinerary for the Week of October 24th!

Canada, the United States,  the United Kingdom and Indonesia! We are in for a busy week!

We start off this week on Canada, with Multitasking Mumma. Babyhood – and motherhood – is full of milestones, and Multitasking Mumma talks about one of the most precious, most eagerly awaited – a baby’s first steps.

On Tuesday, we head south of the border to Arizona! Jeanelle Marshawn recently spent time in New York helping her son get settled as he embarks on an exciting new phase of his life. Jeanelle tells us about how being in New York turned out to be as much for her benefit as it was for her son’s.

On Wednesday, we fly across the ocean to visit with Tatter Scoops in Indonesia. She talks about how the expressions of love she experienced as a child were different to those that she and her family now share with her own child.

On Thursday prepare to be spooked! We are off to the United Kingdom, where new writer Sophie talks about Halloween! She tells us about what Halloween means to her family and her special needs child.

We end this week where we started it: in Canada! Kirsten Doyle, who remembers the unveiling of her school’s very first computer in eleventh grade, talks about the role of technology in her children’s lives.

We will also be hearing from two new writers in their interviews this week! On Tuesday, we will meet our Human Rights Warrior, Jennifer Prestholdt from Minnesota, and on Thursday we will hear from A Lady In France!

On Saturday, check out the Saturday Sidebar with Eva Fannon, where the World Moms give their thoughts on an important topic, and chime in with your answers to the week’s question!

— World Moms Blog

Our World Moms Blog logo was designed by the creative Erica Joyner Designs in Virginia, USA.

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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UK: Nappy or Diaper, It’s All English, Right?

When I announced to my friends and family that I would be giving up my teaching job in Oman to get married and move to England I didn’t receive the positive, supportive response I had hoped for. They responded with everything from “You can’t take Emily away! She loves her school!” to “You’ve never been to England!”

And, my personal favorite was from a British colleague who responded with a very puzzled look on her face with “Why?” when I shared my joy of becoming engaged and moving to England. She then gave me her blessing which was, “You do realize the weather is HORRIBLE over there?” (more…)

Travel Itinerary for the Week of February 7th!

We have two international writers again this week, including one new writer, so get prepared for lots of traveling!

On Monday, we start off in Cornwall, England, to hear from Mom of two and military wife Jen Warren.

On Tuesday, we fly to Arkansas to hear from Margie Bryant, energetic Mom of energetic boys, who is pursuing a Bachelors degree.

On Wednesday, we are going back across the ocean, all the way to India, to meet for the first time with The Alchemist, who found her way to us through Margie.

And on Thursday, we’re back in the United States, heading to Washington to hang out with Eva Fannon, working Mom who has a passion for travel and the great outdoors.

We will close off the week with our Friday question, which you are encouraged to respond to!

Some news flashes for you this week:

First, the bio for new writer The Alchemist has been added to our Writers page.

Secondly, with founder and editor-in-chief Veronica rushing headlong towards the birth of her second child, several of the writers will be sharing the task of keeping World Moms Blog running for a few months. To see who is doing what, check out the Editing Team page.

And finally, in an exciting milestone, we at World Moms Blog have just celebrated our three-month Blogiversary! Congratulations to all of the writers, thank you to all of the readers, and kudos to Veronica for putting the whole thing together!

— World Moms Blog

Our World Moms Blog logo was designed by the creative Erica Joyner Designs in Virginia, USA.

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: Mum is Home Alone

My husband and 10 month old baby boy are going away for a whole week without me, and I have very mixed feeling about the whole thing. They are spending the week with my husband’s parents, and as they live in the UK (and we live in Norway) we both feel it is very important that they get to spend as much time as possible with the grandson.

As my husband has paternity leave at the moment, it is really the perfect opportunity, and I am sure my husband does not mind being pampered a bit by his mother either. (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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Christmas Interrupted

I appreciate Christmas this year, I REALLY do, even if it’s more of the secular parts. Decorating the house and gathering with friends and family — I really look forward to these.  But, I couldn’t say the same for the past two Christmases, and there is more to why this year the holiday will be extra-special for me…

You see, the past two years at Christmas I was grieving, grieving the loss of numerous early pregnancies, and I was a little lost in the empty feeling inside of me.  It was really difficult to avoid the topic of baby when you’re celebrating a holiday that revolves around, well…the birth of a baby. (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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