ILLINOIS, USA: Interview with Jill Barth

ILLINOIS, USA: Interview with Jill Barth

Where do you live and are you from there?

Welcome to Illinois. Welcome to the weather, it’s fickle and untrustworthy.

A rush of change (Hey, it was 90 degrees with sky-so-blue! Where did this rain come from?) can be purifying and meaningful and I guess that’s the start of the story I share today.  My family and I are on the settled side of a move from suburban Chicago (you’ve heard of the White Sox, the big lake and the big tower) to a small town in Central Illinois.  My path is a circle, I suppose, because I am from this area originally, but my husband is from Chicago.  (more…)

ILLINOIS, USA: Little Things From Great Heights

My family has just settled back home after a 2,300 mile road trip from Illinois to Colorado, and back. Our primary destination was Rocky Mountain National Park, a most spectacular place composed of mountain elevations ranging from 8,000 to over 14,000 feet.  To place perspective on this height, our home in Illinois is at 600 feet. 

American citizens are blessed with a national park system. It is a collection of some of the most spectacular and varied natural places in the world, protected for all to experience, free from progress and destruction. It’s an understatement to call this a treasure, especially after you’ve experienced the indefinable thrill and beauty of such a stunning natural place. (more…)

ILLINOIS, USA:  What’s Work Got to Do with It?

ILLINOIS, USA: What’s Work Got to Do with It?

The Caretaker’s Dilemma: Where am I needed most?

The world (particularly here in the USA)  is full of “working moms,” and yet we regard ourselves and others with emotion, anxiety and something bordering on distrust.

If you’re a working mom (or if you are married to one) you know what I mean. You’re chatting with another mom at the park, and while your kids (and her kids) climb up the slides, the conversation turns personal. She tells you that she’s watched her kids climb the slide for the last six hours and in turn, you tell her that you saw patients (or graded papers, or drove to a client, or filled orders) for the last six hours.

And though at this moment both sets of kids feel the same sense of security married to freedom, both of you feel like maybe the activities that comprise your everyday conflict with your children’s needs.

Which brings us back to why we work in the first place, really…Not to give our kids more stuff, but to give them more of what they need: experiences, education, food and shelter. And, when the time comes to buy stuff (which, for most of us with kids happens quite a bit, actually) we like to have the means to make a choice about what we bring into our home. (more…)

Travel Itinerary for the Week of August 27th!

Travel Itinerary for the Week of August 27th!

On Monday we will be in lovely Cape Town, South Africa, with Mamma Simona. Simona has the kind of positive relationship with her children that makes her the envy of other parents of teens. She tells us what her secret is.

On Tuesday we head to Washington to hear from Tara B., who discusses the role of gender-based marketing in our children’s lives. Would you buy your boy something that would typically be used by a girl, and vice versa? Tara tells us her views and how she handles it with her own child.

Next up also on Tuesday is a post from Elizabeth Atalay about a women from Rhode Island who began her own non-profit and is helping to provide food to people who need it most in Africa.  An inspiring story!

On Wednesday, we’re off to Egypt, where Nihad talks about a dilemma she faced in the raising of her children. How would she balance discipline with love? Was she going to be critical of every mistake her children made, or was she going to focus on encouraging them to value themselves?

On Thursday, we’re back in the United States with Illinois mom Jill Barth. This mom talks about the dilemma faced by many moms who work outside of the home, and whether we are sending our kids the rights messages about the way the world is supposed to be.

We end this multinational week in France, with a post from Lady Jennie, and her topic is vacationing with children.

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

Our giveaway this week is a gorgeous scarf from Indonesia, donated by our contributor, Maureen from Tatterscoops! To be entered to win, comment on the blog from Sunday, August 26th through Saturday, September 1st EST! (Check our sidebar this week for a photo!)

— World Moms Blog

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

This World Moms Blog Travel Itinerary is written by Kirsten Doyle @ Running For Autism

ILLINOIS, USA: Free From Expectations and Recollections

My son recently celebrated his ninth birthday. Like most parents I delighted in giving him a special day and honoring him for the kid he is, the man he’ll become, and (with a feeling just-this-side of sadness) the little guy he once was.

He was once a little guy, it’s true. During the days preceding his birthday thoughts bubbled up from my memory, imprints from the little-guy-days, with a visceral intensity.

There they were: my first contractions, the evening ride downtown to the hospital, the delicate blue knit cap the nurse pulled onto his tiny head. The first feeding, then the first steps, the story of The Three Little Pigs announced in his little-guy-voice. The whole experience displayed in my mind’s eye and my tender heart.

It was my son’s whole experience but from my perspective, filtered through everything we’d shared together and also through the realities that had shaped me as a mom. (more…)