GLOBAL TWITTER PARTIES!
Ever wonder how mothers around the world do things?
Our international contributors will be signing into Twitter to discuss:
“Differences in Motherhood
Around the World”
Thursday, May 10, 2012
7-8am EST (US/NYC)
AND
7-8pm EST (US/NYC)
Go to tweetchat.com hash tag: #worldmomsblog
Not sure what time that is where you live? Go to the World Clock to be on time!
We all, I think, have our hard times when we think, “that’s it! I’m done! I cannot take it anymore!” Life throws us curve balls that we don’t expect and some are much tougher than others.
As I have written about before, we have moved around a bit in the last 5 years: 4 times to be exact and 3 of which we thought were going to be permanent. No, we are not in the military. My husband just seems to be in the wrong field at the wrong time. He works in research and when the economy is down, there is less money available to support research. His last 2 jobs were lost because of funding cuts. It’s been tough.
When my husband got his last job about 8 months ago, we had to move again, but we were filled with hope. He was going to make a comfortable salary, it was in a place we both liked, and we were close to family. Things were going well for months and although it has taken some time to adjust to living in an entirely new area again, I have felt so content and happy.
Since having my kids, all I have wanted was to be able to stay home with them, have a good school for them to attend and that I could be a part of, live in a nice place and take care of our needs.
The winner of a World Moms Blog t-shirt from our previous caption contest is reader, Elizabeth’s Boys, who commented,
“AHHH!!!! You’re getting my best dress from Target all wet!”
It’s time for another caption contest with JC Little, the Animated Woman, of Montreal, Canada! She has created this next animation especially for World Moms Blog! Winner receives a World Moms Blog t-shirt!
Now, it’s up to you to tell us what this mama or baby is saying! It can be funny, cultural, in another language (please translate, too!), or make a statement. Leave your caption in the comments section of this post, and our editors will pick their favorite caption! Read more…
Photo of writer holding and meeting her son for the first time in the orphanage in Saigon, Vietnam.
On a hot, steamy day in August of 2008, my husband and I stepped off of an airplane in Saigon, Vietnam. Mere moments after touching down in this faraway land, we found ourselves standing outside of an orphanage in the sweltering summer heat, waiting to meet someone we had only seen in pictures.
And that’s when it happened; my life changed in two very important ways. An eleven-month old child was placed into my arms, and in an instant I was simultaneously transformed into a first-time mother as well as an advocate for the voiceless children of the world.
Looking back, it is hard to believe that such a profound change in how I defined myself could have happened in a single, solitary moment. Months later I would realize how that one moment would end up overthrowing and redirecting the entire trajectory of my life.
After returning home, I started thinking about all the children we had seen in Vietnam, especially the ones residing in the orphanage. Once you see their faces, you cannot forget them. Those of us in the international adoption community know this truth all too well: life in an orphanage is hard, and it can be devastating physically, emotionally and mentally.
As I witnessed my son struggle through his own post-institutional trauma, it seemed that I carried the images of his orphanage mates with me constantly. I would stare at my son and be overtaken with a sense of responsibility to help take care of those we left behind. I had no idea where to start. I began researching about the plight of children, families and orphans in Vietnam. Read more…
A few weeks ago, my son had a friend over for a sleepover. This friend is just a few months younger, but they are in the same pre-K classroom and have developed quite a wonderful friendship.
I let the boys stay up late watching movies and playing superhero games because, why not? When I finished up the project I was working on, I told the boys it was time to brush their teeth and get ready for bed.
The friend went straight into the bathroom and started brushing his teeth. My son came to me so I could brush his teeth.
And suddenly I noticed that I might be babying my child, without even realizing it. Read more…
A few weeks ago, the Saturday Sidebar question here on World Moms Blog was about how we chose the name for our children. As I shared, we named our little one after his great-grandfather on my husband’s side, and one of his uncles on my side. Two great men, two great names; it was an easy decision for us.
My husband’s grandfather passed away days before Christmas. As we reflected on the man he was and the life he led, we were so happy that we’d chosen his name for our son. We did it not only to honor a man we respected very much, but also as a gift to our child. We see it as an honor to share a name with someone who embodied many of the qualities we hope to instill in our son. Read more…
