
SHOW NOTES: 
Hi, I’m Mary Grace Otis, and this is a quick intro episode on my background and why I started The Global Mom Show. Consider this an “About Me” page for the podcast world. You can skip it, and head straight to Episode #001, or take a quick listen and hear about how I studied abroad in Germany, lived in India, moved back to the US, struggled with culture shock, had three kids in 5.5 years, and desire to be a parent who integrates global learning in the lives of my kids. (That’s pretty much it in a nutshell).
There’s of course a lot that I DIDN’T get to say in this little intro, like the fact that I hope this show will be a catalyst for further discussion about global issues, and that I think as we listen to one another and seek to understand each other, we can indeed make the world a better place (as cliche as that sounds!).
Take a minute to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, Stitcher, Blackberry, or Google Play. Also, leave a 5-star review in Amazon, and that will help the podcast be seen by more and more people.
I’m depending on you guys to give ideas for interviews and to share this podcast with your friends. My hope is that we will grow to be a network of interconnected moms around the world who are eager to live life with a global perspective.

Thanks for listening!
What types of interviews and information would you like to hear in the future?
The post TGMS #000: What is The Global Mom Show? An Intro. appeared first on The Global Mom Show.

TGMS #000: What is The Global Mom Show? An Intro.

THE GLOBAL MOM SHOW connects moms around the world who are seeking to live with a global vision right where they are. Whether in their home countries or abroad, moms from around the world share their experiences as expats, immigrants, aid workers, diplomats, or homebodies. Anyone can be a Global Mom, all it takes is a love for the world and a desire to share that with your kids. We talk cultural differences, travel, educating global kids, teaching languages, bilingualism, learning, and basically anything you want. Sign up for the newsletter and find show notes at www.theglobalmom.com!

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Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Kids & Family


Today on the show, I talk with Christa Jimenez about the commitment she’s made to raise her children to be bilingual. She is living in the US, but she is doing a lot of things to keep her two girls connected with their heritage, since her husband is from Costa Rica. Christa is the founder of the blog Pura Vida Moms. She’s a former Spanish teacher, and she’s also the host of an online vlog called BilingualWe. She and I talk about some of the common methods of teaching children another language and how even learning a few phrases can transform a child’s brain.
Links mentioned on the show:
Spanglish Baby
Three methods of language learning:

Minority Language at Home
One-parent, One-language
Situational, contextual

Great quotes from the show:

“Mothering is its own language.”
“Bilingualism is a spectrum. It can look like different things.”
“As soon as kids start hearing a second language…their brain is re-wired in a different way.”
“As far as bilingualism…nothing is too little.”
I hope you gleaned some ideas from this that will inspire you to at least attempt to get some second language exposure in the life of your child. If you want to listen to another episode about language learning and raising bilingual kids, check out episode 26, Bringing Up a Bilingual Child with Rita Rosenback.
Find Christa:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter |BilingualWe
Find Mary Grace:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
We would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below, or find us on social media.
FEATURED RESOURCE: This is for you moms who may be living away from your home country or who have lived overseas in the past and are seeking ways to build community and gain knowledge about some of the issues affecting families who are expats, missionaries, diplomats, service workers and so on. The resource is the Families in Global Transition Conference, which is happening this week in the Netherlands. You can go on the website and follow them on Twitter. Follow the hashtag #FIGT17NL to hear about everything that is going on at the conference this week. You can also look up all the presenters and speakers and get an idea of some of the issues they are talking about. The theme is Building on the Basics: Creating Your Tribe on the Move, and the keynote speaker is Naomi Hattaway, who runs the I am a Triangle platform, and she is going to be on the show in a couple of weeks.
SPONSOR: The Global Mom Show is supported by fans and listeners who want to keep the conversation going. If you would like to support the show, one of the easiest ways is by doing your regular shopping on Amazon using The Global Mom Show’s link. Just go to www.theglobalmom.com/amazon whenever you shop, and you won’t be charged anything extra, but the show will get a tiny commission for every purchase. If you want to find out more ways to support the show, go here and you’ll find a variety of simple ways you can support they show—without it costing you anything.
SPECIAL THIS WEEK: Have you seen Tea Collection’s cute, fun, well-made, globally-inspired clothes? We have a few of these items in my boys’ closet, and they always wear well and look great. They are offering a special sale from March 21-March 25th!  Use code KOALALOVE receive 15% off any 3 items, 20% off any 4 items, or 25% off any 5 or more items when purchased together. Offer available online only and valid through 3/26/17 at 11:59 PM PT.  Purchase here: Tea Collection

Fine print: Excludes all 3rd party (non-Tea Collection) items, Everyday Playsets, and Global Shop items. Cannot be combined with other promotions. No adjustments on previous purchases. Not redeemable for cash. Limited to stock on hand. Discount taken will be pre-tax and before shipping. Discount applied at time of purchase will be taken off each item returned. Cannot be used towards the purchase of gift cards. 
Would you like to hear more from me in your inbox? If you sign up to get regular emails from me, I’ll send you my guide: 10 Ways To Make Your Home More Global–No Matter Where You Live.  Just text GLOBALMOM to 444999. Or sign up here. 
Thanks for listening today, Have a great week, and remember, you can live a global life wherever you are, and teach your kids to do the same.
 
 
The post The Many Ways to Be Bilingual, with Christa Jimenez (TGMS 32) appeared first on The Global Mom Show.

The Many Ways to Be Bilingual, with Christa Jimenez (TGMS 32)


Several months ago, I came across an article by Sonia Smith-Kang on The Mash-Up Americans website titled: How to Talk to Your Mixed Race Kids About Race. Sonia’s steps were straightforward and accessible, and I knew I wanted to have her on the show to talk about her background and how she’s raising her own mixed-heritage children. Sonia is the creator of Mixed Up Clothing, a fantastic clothing line full of patterns and styles from all over the world. She is also a writer and blogger and a contributor for Babble, Huffington Post, and Mash Up Americans. Sonia and her designs have been showcased on NBC’s Today Show, The Real, Latina Magazine, Huff Post Live, CBS Los Angeles, popular magazines Celebrity Baby Scoop and Babykins Magazine, and at cultural events across Southern California. She is the co-founder of Mixed Heritage Day at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, and she is married, has four children, and lives in Los Angeles, California. Sonia herself comes from a mixed heritage, and she wants all mixed race children to know that they don’t have to explain themselves to anyone–they are whole, complete, 100% people who can identify with all of their heritage at once. Listen in as she shares her tips and conversation topics for talking about what can be a taboo subject.
Links from the show: 
Dr. Maria Root: Bill of Rights for Mixed Heritage
 
Bill of Rights for People of Mixed Heritage
I HAVE THE RIGHT…
Not to justify my existence in this world.
Not to keep the races separate within me.
Not to justify my ethnic legitimacy.
Not to be responsible for people’s discomfort with my physical or ethnic ambiguity.
I HAVE THE RIGHT…
To identify myself differently than strangers expect me to identify.
To identify myself differently than how my parents identify me.
To identify myself differently than my brothers and sisters.
To identify myself differently in different situations.
I HAVE THE RIGHT…
To create a vocabulary to communicate about being multiracial or multiethnic.
To change my identity over my lifetime–and more than once.
To have loyalties and identification with more than one group of people.
To freely choose whom I befriend and love.
Quotes from the show: 
Each person of mixed heritage should be reading this and have it posted. It gives you the right to be who you are and not have to justify your existence.”
To say you are colorblind is not okay anymore. What folks want you to do, is they want you to see them…it’s what you do while you are seeing them that’s the issue.”
Find Sonia: 
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Find Mary Grace:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
We would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below, or find us on social media.
SPONSOR: The Global Mom Show is supported by fans and listeners who want to keep the conversation going. If you would like to support the show, one of the easiest ways is by doing your regular shopping on Amazon using The Global Mom Show’s link. Just go to www.theglobalmom.com/amazon whenever you shop, and you won’t be charged anything extra, but the show will get a tiny commission for every purchase. If you want to find out more ways to support the show, go here and you’ll find a variety of simple ways you can support they show—without it costing you anything.
GET MY FREE GUIDE: 10 Ways To Make Your Home More Global–No Matter Where You Live. 
 
The post Talking to Your Mixed Race Kids About Race, with Sonia Smith-Kang (TGMS 31) appeared first on The Global Mom Show.

Talking to Your Mixed Race Kids About Race, with Sonia Smith-Kang (TGMS 31)


Anjelica Malone and I just kept talking, and we thought we would share the rest of our conversation with you. We touch on the refugee ban, books we want to read, how we’ve developed an understanding of our global identity, and things we are loving right now.
Here’s the show notes:
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Poke
Sorta Awesome- Refugee episode
Hidden Figures
Homegoing by Yaa Gayasi
Americanah
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria
Born a Crime
Fresh Air with Trevor Noah
Misunderstood: the impact of growing up overseas in the 21st century
The Screwtape Letters
Texture app
Dwell
Clean Eating
A Farm
Domino
Essence
National Geographic
Time
Chineasy
 
The post BONUS Episode: Mom Chat with Anjelica Malone appeared first on The Global Mom Show.

BONUS Episode: Mom Chat with Anjelica Malone


Have you ever met someone and immediately connected? That’s how it was with me and Anjelica Malone. She started listening to the podcast after the first couple of episodes last summer, and soon she was sending me voicemails (using the tool on the right side of this page) to tell me about what she liked about the show, what she learned, and who she was. We ended up communicating back and forth, and I came to learn that she has her own blog, website, shoppe, and global motherhood story. Since then, we’ve started chatting on Voxer and we’ve been tossing around ideas for ways to collaborate. In this episode, I got to ask Anjelica some questions about her background as a third culture kid, military kid, global nomad, and mom.
Anjelica currently lives on Guam, but is moving back to the US in a few weeks. She’s a mom of two little girls, and she and I talk a lot about developing our own version of motherhood, one that allows us to be ourselves and not get sucked in to the waves of culture all around us. Anjelica is also a lactation consultant with a new book coming out soon. (Read about it here.)
In this week’s episode we talk about Anjelica’s background, her philosophy on motherhood, how she met her husband, how materialism affects us, how we understand our place as third culture kids and adults, how she sources items for her shoppe, and so much more. We talked so much we had to continue the conversation in a couple of bonus episodes!
Here’s a picture of one of the tote bags that Anjelica designed and now has made in Guatemala.

Here’s where you can find Anjelica: Blog | Instagram |
Anjelica’s Instagram account is filled with beautiful photos of her island life, as well as inspiration about motherhood and life.

Find Mary Grace:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
We would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below, or find us on social media.
FEATURED RESOURCE: My featured resource this week is for all you mamas planning adventures with your little ones. If you need trip planning ideas, packing tips, or any of the nitty gritty details about taking a long overseas trip with kids, Stephanie Langford is your girl. A homeschooling mom of five, a serial entrepreneur, blogger, and round-the-world traveler, Stephanie is an expert at how to get your family moving around the globe. Check out her website www.entrefamily.com or her Instagram account for lots of photos and tips!
SPONSOR:
This episode is sponsored by Around the World Stories.

The Global Mom Show is sponsored by Around the World Stories. These audio stories capture the adventures of kids from around the world and will introduce your kids to different countries and cultures, as they travel with the characters to new parts of the world. Each story is about 25-30 minutes long, and right now the authors are traveling around Europe with their children gathering information to write more stories. They take place in Denmark, Ireland, The Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Spain. You can get a story a week for $9.95 a month, or get a membership for a year’s worth of weekly stories for $99. Download the stories and take them in the car or play them at home or from your phone. This is a great and easy way to introduce your children to other cultures. Head to theglobalmom.com/stories to give them a try.
Would you like to hear more from me in your inbox? If you sign up to get regular emails from me, I’ll send you my guide: 10 Ways To Make Your Home More Global–No Matter Where You Live.  Just text GLOBALMOM to 444999. Or sign up here. 
Thanks for listening today, Have a great week, and remember, you can live a global life wherever you are, and teach your kids to do the same.
The post Living Your Own Version of Motherhood, with Anjelica Malone (TGMS30) appeared first on The Global Mom Show.

Living Your Own Version of Motherhood, with Anjelica Malone (TGMS30)


If you live in the United States, you know that this past year has brought to the surface lots of racial tensions. We’ve seen racism on the news and in our classrooms. And many of us have had to re-evaluate how we are thinking about and talking about race and discrimination. Now, if you don’t live in the US, you might be wondering why we are talking about race on The Global Mom Show. And that is because every country in the world has some sort of history with race—through slavery, colonialism, and now globalization, and immigration, all countries deal with racism or colorism in some way, so investigating it can help us better understand one another both in our own country and around the world. You’ve also asked for this discussion, so those are a few of the reasons that we are having it today.
Today, I’m talking with Lucretia Berry, co-creator (with her husband Nathan) of Brownicity.com, which provides resources and discussion opportunities for families wanting to learn more and talk naturally about race. Lucretia is a wife, a mom of three girls, a speaker and teacher, and she has a PHD in curriculum and instruction from Iowa State University. She is passionate about helping people overcome boundaries through spiritual and social consciousness. She is the author of  What Lies Between Us: Fostering First Steps Toward Racial Healing.  Brownicity promotes ONEness among people who have historically been divided by the lie, ideology, and legacy of race.
Lucretia and I talk about here story of understanding race, how she ended up marrying a white man when she never thought she would, and how she and her husband talk with their children about race and discrimination.
I really love Lucretia’s emphasis that we are all created in God’s image and that man created race. If man created race, then we can undo it. That gives me a lot of hope in the midst of some of the crises that are happening right now.
If you are interested in learning more about this topic, really delving into the vocabulary and some of the resources that can be helpful in talking about race with our children, I’d love to offer a workshop for you about this. We would have it online so anyone could attend, and it would be a great way to dive deeper and get some real instruction. One of the things we mentioned in our conversation is that people of color talk to their children a lot earlier about race and racism than white people do. I even said that sometimes ages 6 or 7 can feel too young to talk about some of the atrocities of slavery and injustice. But, especially if you are a white parent, and you have been taught the colorblind mentality, then maybe talking about race to your kids or even among your friends or relatives still feels like a taboo subject. But, it really doesn’t have to be. So, if you would like to learn more, sign up here to show your interest. If we get enough interest, we will put together a workshop and let you know when it is available.
If you have questions about this episode, head over to The Global Moms Network Facebook Group to ask them this week, and I’ll be there along with some other moms who can chat with you about when and how to talk to your kids about race. Lucretia may even be around to answer some of your questions as well!
Find Lucretia:
Brownicity | Facebook | Instagram
Find Mary Grace:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
We would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below, or find us on social media and let us know how you are talking with your kids about race.
SPONSOR:
This episode is sponsored by Around the World Stories.

The Global Mom Show is sponsored by Around the World Stories. These audio stories capture the adventures of kids from around the world and will introduce your kids to different countries and cultures, as they travel with the characters to new parts of the world. Each story is about 25-30 minutes long, and right now the authors are traveling around Europe with their children gathering information to write more stories. They take place in Denmark, Ireland, The Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Spain. You can get a story a week for $9.95 a month, or get a membership for a year’s worth of weekly stories for $99. Download the stories and take them in the car or play them at home or from your phone. This is a great and easy way to introduce your children to other cultures. Head to theglobalmom.com/stories to give them a try.
Have you joined my email list? If you do, I’ll send you my guide: 10 Ways To Make Your Home More Global–No Matter Where You Live.  Just text GLOBALMOM to 444999. Or sign up here. 
Thanks for listening today, Have a great week, and remember, you can live a global life wherever you are, and teach your kids to do the same.
The post Talking to Your Kids About Race, with Lucretia Berry (TGMS#29) appeared first on The Global Mom Show.

TGMS #000: What is The Global Mom Show? An Intro.

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