• Last updated 3/18/12 by mgerry022

The world is a big place. It’s an even bigger place for a child. One of the best ways to teach your child about a new country is to visit it, and although international travel is a great family experience, it can also be costly and time consuming. There are some simple and affordable ways to teach your children about the world without purchasing plane tickets. Below are our top three ways to teach your kids the world without opening your front door.   1) Talk about the world. “Growing up, we didn’t have money for international travel so we had to imagine our... read more

• Last updated 10/18/12 by AdinaL

Created by Bunmi Laditan, 2012 About Bunmi Laditan Bunmi is a mother, writer, and social media entrepreneur living in Montréal, Canada (by way of California). She has two girls ages 6 and almost 2.   Posted by: Bunmi Laditan Last revised by: Bunmi Laditan on March 14, 2012. read more

• Last updated 11/15/12 by Melanie Mayo

Mathare is collection of slum areas in Nairobi, Kenya. The population includes hundreds of thousands of children. Although pollution, poverty, disease, and crime are ever-present, hope lives there too. One way out for children is vision and empowerment.  A foundation started by former slum-dweller Julius Mwelu  is giving children the opportunity to express themselves through photos and videos. The Mwelu Foundation  teaches young people about photography, film production, journalism. It also helps them look at themselves and their community through a... read more

• Last updated 11/14/12 by Cynthia Mosher

Sponsored Post It will come as no surprise that many Americans are struggling to make ends meet in this tough economic climate. But thrifty and frugal families across the nation are finding creative ways to make every dollar count. Mothering’s savvy community is more active than ever—bursting with brilliant and simple ways to save money without sacrificing comforts. And while smart solutions like H&R Block’s new Never Settle for Less campaign are inspiring families to make the most of financial options at tax time—Mothering members are also sharing... read more

• Last updated 11/14/12 by Cynthia Mosher

A Poem by Jessica Williams Musings on Black and White When you are a white woman married to a black man, your family is black. Your father-in-law, your husband’s aunties and cousins, whom are now your aunties and cousins, and your dear husband, who is of course your love and soul alive in another; and so, you look white on the outside (because you are) and yet, you are changed on the inside. Sometimes, you’ll be in an environment with other white people, and they will somehow think they are “safe” to say whatever they “really think”... read more

• Last updated 11/14/12 by Cynthia Mosher

Maybe it was just a mistake when a preschool worker recently deemed a four-year-old’s home-packed lunch inadequate in its conforming to USDA guidelines and instead had the girl eat chicken nuggets. Perhaps we don’t all have to sneak into our children’s cafeterias to see if someone is rifling through the meals we prepare for them. But even if you think the reaction to this incident in North Carolina was blown out of proportion, it is a good opportunity to remind all of us nutrition-minded parents in public institutions to stay on top of government policy when... read more

• Last updated 10/18/12 by AdinaL

Hits hilariously close to home. About Laura Grace Weldon Laura Grace Weldon is a writer, editor, conflict resolution educator, and marginally useful farm wench. She is the author of Free Range Learning: How Homeschooling Changes Everything. She lives with her family on Bit of Earth Farm. Check out life on the farm at http://bitofearthfarm.wordpress.com/ and keep up with Laura's relentless optimism at http://lauragraceweldon.com/blog-2/   Posted by: Laura Grace Weldon Last revised by: Melanie... read more

• Last updated 11/15/12 by Cynthia Mosher

We’ve all seen it happen. Sometimes it takes place in the comments section of a blog post, other times in a message board, on Facebook or even in private emails. Online mom bullying. Fight the temptation to roll your eyes. Cyber bullying isn’t just for tweens any more. No one can deny that the Internet revolutionized motherhood. Blogs made it possible for women to walk a mile in each other’s flats, share struggles, and find community. With the spreading of ideas and opinions, dissent is inevitable and discourse, a natural byproduct of emotionally charged... read more

• Last updated 11/15/12 by Cynthia Mosher

  Image: Page Hodel   A heart-shaped anything used to seem overly sentimental, even mawkish, to me until I encountered those created by Page Hodel. Her hearts are ephemeral and made from the unexpected, things like chile peppers, paper clips, postage stamps, kumquats, metal bolts, cast-off sneakers, green onions, all sorts of colorful objects. The story behind her art is equally unexpected and poignant. Page is a disc jokey whose presence unifies and enlivens a crowd. Billboard magazine named her one of the country’s best. She also... read more

• Last updated 11/15/12 by Melanie Mayo

Well, we didn't fight ALL the time. It could start any number of ways, but it was clearly always my sister Erin’s fault. (Says the first-born child.) She might sit too close to me. She might eat a big spoonful of peanut butter and breathe it in my face, something that I could not abide. Once, I discovered she actually wrote her own memories in my diary. It would erupt, moving quickly from small-scale bickering to a full-on fight. If our mother were on the phone, those days still rotary and tied to the wall, she would move as far as the spring... read more