Category: Parenting
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Cheap* mom art project OR Kid’s travel art in six steps
The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, a boat ride on Scotland’s Loch Ness, Mozart’s house in Vienna and Mont Saint Michel. What do they all have in common? A ticket stub. A ticket stub begging to be beautifully arranged in an archival quality, acid free, plastic-page-covered scrapbook the family will cherish for generations. What a great…
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A TCK gives birth
By the grace of God and with the expert coaching of my husband, I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy boy in September. He was eight days “late,” but they come when they come. The labor was, of course, excruciatingly painful. But it had a beginning and an end – and a completely worthwhile reward.…
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Labor and delivery trauma
I have been traumatized by the state of our hospital here and have decided to NEVER take any member of my family there. . . I won’t bore you with the list of things you have to bring for your hospital stay. Basically, just pack everything. All they provide is a bed. Period. These…
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A mom’s take on Syria
You’re going to hate it when I say it, and you may even stop reading, but it must be said, because if you are a follower of Jesus this must be done. You must pray for them. You don’t know their names, but it’s enough to know they are parents, husbands and wives. They need followers…
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Baby due in two weeks. . . and I forgot what I NEED
I lived in Africa off and on for years before I had children. Then I returned with my husband and 9-month-old for a visit in 2010. My eyes were opened to things I wouldn’t have noticed before. Having kids does that – gives you new perspective. We visited Mozambican friends in their tiny, one-room abode.…
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Model alien in the front yard
We all know we travel or live abroad to expose ourselves to new foods, cultures, people and ways of life. I wouldn’t generally say I travel to expose myself to new insect experiences. But sometimes those experiences can’t be avoided and it’s all I can do to turn them into a positive educational experience for…
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American Road Trip (Part III): the National Park Tour that wasn’t
When we found out we were moving crosscountry, we intended to stop and stay in at least six U.S. National Parks. Travelers come from across the the globe to visit and enjoy some of the greatest (in every sense of the word) national parks in the world. We do not take them, or our tax…
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The luxury of safety
We piled into the minivan (or “mini”, as we affectionately call it, dreaming it’s actually a mini Cooper). I couldn’t tell my Burmese friend no. No, I can’t take you to the hospital because your daughter is too large for that infant carseat and I can’t install it properly. When I showed up at their…