Today was a day of inspiration. We rose at 4am and flew from Addis Ababa to Bahir Dar. We then spent many hours traversing bumpy rural roads on a bus. Our first two stops were the Madera Woreda Health Office and Anbesame Health Center, which both benefit from USAID funding and have subsequently made great strides in providing maternal and child health, family planning, and nutrition services in rural areas. Our third stop was to the Sene Mariam Women's Beekeeping Group, a program that is funded by USAID's Feed the Future initiative and that was developed to provide training and create jobs for disadvantaged women. I was inspired not only by how impacting USAID's programs are, but by the courage of the women we met at all three stops.Today was a day of inspiration. We rose at 4am and flew from Addis Ababa to Bahir Dar. We then spent many hours traversing bumpy rural roads on a bus. Our first two stops were the Madera Woreda Health Office and Anbesame Health Center, which both benefit from USAID funding and have subsequently made great strides in providing maternal and child health, family planning, and nutrition services in rural areas. Our third stop was to the Sene Mariam Women's Beekeeping Group, a program that is funded by USAID's Feed the Future initiative and that was developed to provide training and create jobs for disadvantaged women. I was inspired not only by how impacting USAID's programs are, but by the courage of the women we met at all three stops.
This morning the ONE Moms journey took us to the Mojo secondary and primary schools in Mojo, Ethiopia. Both schools operate at ~1:45 teacher/student ratio and benefit from the UK Department for International Development (DFID)'s initiatives around basic services (e.g., sanitation) and education improvement (e.g., text books, teacher development). The on-site improvements (e.g., computers, books, lower student/teacher ratios -- the secondary school used to operate at a 1:67 ratio) and quantitative results (e.g., in the past 5 years, the rate for passing university entrance exams has climbed from 60 to 89%) are remarkable and I wanted to share some audio and video.
I have been a complete jumble of emotions since arriving in Addis Ababa on the ONE Moms mission trip. Yesterday, I was a bit of a wreck after bonding with a child at Mary Joy. But today, despite the painful histories and continued hardships to which I was exposed, I experienced a day of hope. I saw progress and great strides being made to improve the lives of Ethiopian women and their children. I saw it in the form of fashionABLE and the Hamlin Fistula Hospital.
The beginning of my journey to Ethiopia was not ideal. I slept through my 3:30 am alarm and was woken to the sound of my phone ringing -- the cab company calling to find out why I missed my 4:15 am reservation. Luckily, they doubled back and I made it to my flight out of Boston (barely). Then we had a 5 hour delay in Dulles (I am forever grateful to my friend Liz for her fine companionship and generosity during the delay) and the 13 hour flight to Addis Ababa. But anyway, I am finally here in Ethiopia!
A month from today I head to Ethiopia as part of ONE Moms. I went to get my first round of vaccinations this week and while I was waiting, I inhaled the Ethiopia culture report shared by the travel clinic. And today I wanted to take a cue from Asha (the candor of her post hit a nerve for me) and share some facts about Ethiopia and ONE. I shared many of these facts with Laurel (who accompanied me to the clinic) and she was fascinated by it all. This trip will clearly be a game changer for me, not only for personal reasons but because it has already made me realize that I need to share more of the world with Laurel.
Laurel typically enjoys quite a bit of generosity from her relatives during the holidays, so in the Christmas aftermath, it's particularly impressive when one thing captures her attention. And, well, ours too. This year, that thing is Katamino. Including an adjustable-sized playing board (increasing the size of the playing space increases the difficulty), different wooden shapes (pentaminos), and an impressively varied instruction manual, this game inspires seemingly endless spatial puzzles for one or more players.
Pursuant to yesterday's St. Thomas: In the Air post, I now want to share our experiences on the ground. As I mentioned yesterday, I embarked on this journey with both 7-year-old Laurel and 9-month-old Violet in tow to really put the family friendliness of the island to a test. I also paid to bring my mother along, both to fulfill my life list goal of taking her on a vacation and also to have an extra set of eyes for the kids. Below I cover transport, activities, accommodations, and food, and also address questions my readers asked, regarding traveling with kids.
Ever since Sarah shared her love for St. John's Maho Bay, I've been thinking about traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands. So I felt immensely fortunate when the USVI Department of Tourism recently invited me to explore one or more of the islands for a press tour. If I were going alone or with Jon, I definitely would have wanted to compare St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix; however, given that my editorial interest was family friendly travel, I brought Laurel (which the USVI DOT kindly accommodated financially, in addition to my expenses), and given that I'm still nursing I brought Violet too (no expenses). I also decided to fulfill a life list item and pay my Mom's way so she could enjoy a vacation. I have a lot of handy travel information to share (including answering travel Q&A from readers), so I'll be reporting across two (possibly three) posts. The first focuses on air travel.
I admittedly tend to shy away from plastic toys, but we recently caved and bought the Perplexus Maze Game, which Laurel couldn't stop talking about after learning about it from classmates. And I have to admit that this game is ridiculously fun. The 3D sphere comprises one long, convoluted maze track including three different entry points -- so, for example, you don't have to start at the beginning if you've already mastered section 1 of the maze. Following the maze requires careful rotation and keeping your eye on the ball.
Today, Carole Arsenault of Boston Baby Nurses shares 6 car safety tips for parents and caregivers in honor of September's National Child Passenger Safety Month:
In March 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics published its latest car seat recommendations, which specify that children under the age of two years remain rear-facing in their car seats unless the child's height and weight exceed the car seat manufacturer's rear-facing specifications. According to Dennis Durbin, MD, FAAP (lead author of the new policy), "a rear-facing child safety seat does a better job of supporting the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash, because it distributes the force of the collision over the entire body."
Though it's been in operation since 1954, Story Land was not on my radar until a few years ago (probably because growing up, our immediate family of 9 didn't do vacations). And then it wasn't until a few weeks ago that we visited with Laurel. But we finally made it, and I'm thrilled to report that Story Land is a really sweet spot for families to enjoy together. Here are some thoughts about our trip, and why I recommend it for families in striking distance of the property:
I'm not sure if all families experience this, but in the past I have found family vacation planning a little challenging even with just two grownups and one (very vocal) child verbalizing preferences. Which is probably why we haven't done much in the way of just-us (vs. trips to see friends or family) family vacations. However, Red Jacket Resorts recently invited me to check out their properties and after mulling over the options, I decided that the universe was sending me a message to give family vacation planning another try -- that it may in fact be possible to find a destination that would satisfy all of our interests. Here's what I found at Red Jacket:
Since Violet's arrival, I've been wondering whether we need to upgrade from our little four door sedan to something like a small-footprint wagon or SUV to accommodate our expanded family (not to mention an extra booster for Laurel's playdate buddies). We haven't taken any steps on car shopping so far, instead opting for super minimal packing when it's time for car travel. During our getaway this past weekend, I jotted down some minimalist travel tips that I thought would be useful as you pack for summer travel. I hope these are helpful, and if you have other favorite minimalist travel tips, please feel free to share them in the comments below!
Today, Carole Arsenault of Boston Baby Nurses shares tips for traveling with baby:
Whether your baby is newly born, a few months old, or nearing a year, the better prepared you are for any trip you're taking, the happier everyone will be. So rule #1 is to plan ahead. You really want to keep your baby's needs in mind as you decide where to go, where to stay, and how you're going to get there. After that's decided, you'll want to plan additional details, such as what to pack, ideally no later than two weeks before your trip. Make lists and check things off as you go. Here are a few areas you'll want to focus on:
Today's Dear Boston Mamas question comes from Liz via e-mail:
Dear Boston Mamas, I want to take my daughter somewhere warm and fun (beach/pool) in February and was thinking about a cruise or Miami or somewhere without breaking the bank. I'm having trouble finding places that promote things to do with your kids. Everywhere seems to think I'll want to put her in kids camp all day long. I want to do things with her. Any advice/suggestions?