Our first day was spent resting and recovering after our long journey to India. It took us over 30 hours to finally arrive in Delhi and the time change (Delhi is 11.5 hours ahead of Minneapolis time) has been hard to adjust to. Day two was spent visiting a small Delhi-based NGO called Protsahan that provides a unique approach to education for street children in the urban slums by using the arts. Day three was spent visiting India-based NGO Pratham who also works in education for underpriviledged children in the urban slums of India. Both visits were amazing and we learned a lot about how these NGOs are working with these children to give them a future.

I will go into the specific details of each visit and what we learned in a future post. However, in the meantime I wanted to share a small selection of instagram photos I’ve taken over the past three days in India to give you a feel for our trip so far.

Sometimes getting there is half the fun. Traveling half way across the world is no easy feat and as long as you maintain a positive attitude and sense of humor than it can actually be quite an adventure.

I began my journey to India at nine am on Sunday, May 19th and four flights and 36 hours later, I finally arrived at my final destination, Delhi. As always, there were lots of bumps along the way, a few which began before I even left. The physical journey was long and arduous, yet the mental journey has literally just begun.

As much as I love to travel, leaving is always the hardest thing. The days before a big trip are always jam-packed with preparation as I run around in a mad dash trying to get everything done. I’m always stressed and always feel mixed emotions about leaving. A lot of excitement, anticipation tagged along with that not so pleasant anxiety I feel about leaving the kids. I know it is the mother in me. But leaving home for a long trip always unsettles my nerves. As soon as I’m on the plane, I’m fine. It is just that terrible goodbye and a little bit of worry.

Sunday morning was no different than before. After a stressful couple of days, I woke up with those usual pretravel jitters. By nine am the car was loaded with my suitcase and we were off to the airport. As we neared the terminal, my six-year-old daughter began to cry. “Mama, why do you have to go to India” she asked between sobs. My little girl always has a way of getting right inside my heart. I felt my stomach tighten. “Because I’m trying to save the world” I answered steadily. “But why do you have to do it?” she questioned. And for a moment I was speechless and stunned by her question, coming from a kindergartener. “Because someone has to do it” I responded.

Two and a half years ago a life-changing trip to Nepal and India opened my mind. I have traveled all my life but for some reason this trip in particular was like nowhere else I’d been. I had never seen poverty like I did in India and Nepal. I had just finished reading Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s “Half the Sky” which educated me on so many issues about women and poverty that I never understood. The book has a strong message that anyone can do something to change the world. No matter how big or small, you can make a difference. This belief prompted me to start my blog and use my voice as a way to share my experiences around the world and educate others on what is happening sometimes behind the scenes.

Last fall I began writing as a member of the Global Team of 200, a group of mom bloggers trying to change the world by using their voice to educate others on maternal and infant health, education, children, nutrition, human trafficking, water and sanitation and other important issues that relate to poverty. The more I learned about these issues, the more passionate I’ve become about trying to help make the world a better place.

I’ve learned that you cannot travel with a blind eye. You must always have a “third-eye” so you can see everything – good and bad. So many times people choose to ignore the bad because they don’t want to see it. The world will not change and become a better place for all if we continue to ignore fixable problems. As a global citizen, it is our duty to help the millions of voiceless people who are suffering silently.

As I embarck on this journey, I intend to do whatever I can to have an open-mind and take everything in. I am sure it will be yet another life-changing, eye-opening experience. I look forward to sharing my journey with you all.

Stay tuned….
We have started a tumblr blog at to follow our trip. You can also follow us along on Twitter at hashtag #SocialGoodMomsIndia.

When I’m feeling stressed or disconnected with life, there is one escape that has always brought me home. Travel. Traveling has been one of the most important aspects of my life besides parenthood and marriage. It has inspired me, challenged me and brought me to understand not only myself better but this amazing world we live in.

If I can’t travel, then the next best escape for me is nature. I adore to be outdoors, running, walking, hiking, skiing, biking, or just marveling at what a beautiful place this earth is.

Here are some of my favorite photos that bring back memories of where I escape and why I love it so.

My home state: Minnesota

And the mountains, lakes, oceans and sunsets of the places I’ve been…

This post was written in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Escape. To see more entries, click here.

I’m off Sunday on my next adventure: India! Stay tuned…

“Building global connections both online and offline is the cornerstone of Mom Bloggers for Social Good” says founder Jennifer James who heads up one of the world’s largest social good sites for moms who blog.

On Sunday, I am honored to be traveling to India along with Jennifer James, founder of Mom Bloggers for Social Good, to meet face to face with some of our partners as well as meet fellow Social Good Moms who live in India. Our time in India will be spent learning about the issues we cover: Maternal and newborn health, food and water poverty, sanitation issues, and education for women and girls.

It’s going to be an amazing time, full of lots of insight into the advocacy work we do as well as the culture, people and situation in India. I have visited India briefly in 2010 when I was en route to Nepal and found India to be one of the most dynamic places I’ve ever been. It will be truly fascinating to see India once again through a different set of eyes and mindset.  I will have my “third-eye” waiting and ready to capture and soak in as much knowledge as I can.

During our stay, I’ll be sharing my journey via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and of course on my blog.  I hope you follow along on this journey! It is bound to be eye-opening!

I would like to thank Sevenly for being a trip sponsor. They are an amazing organization. Check our their website here to learn more about the fabulous things they do.

It is a huge honor for me to be invited to go on this social good trip as I’m certain I will learn so much more about the work I’m so passionately advocating for.  I am so excited to share what I learn with you. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I don’t think we can see the world without learning about the issues each place we visit face. It is up to us to not only be a good tourist, but to be a good citizen and help change the world we live in to make it a better place for all. Thanks for your support!

To Follow Our Journey From May 20 – 24, 2013.  Hashtag: #SocialGoodMomsIndia

To learn more about Mom Blogger’s for Social Good, check out this interview recently published in Forbes about Jennifer’s work. “Mom Bloggers Build a Network for Activism and Change.” 

Stay tuned…

A walk up to Montmartre through its winding cobblestone streets with expansive views of Paris is the best way to explore this area. However, you can also head straight up via a set of steep stairs or a funnicular to the creamy white Sacré Cœur and Montmartre as well. Once on top, you have a spectacular view of Paris in all her glory.  You can take a walk inside the gorgeous Basilique du Sacré Cœur (constructed in 1919), and then walk around the Place du Tetre which has local artists and goods for sale. There are numerous restaurants, outdoor cafes and shops to keep you entertained as well as many little streets to get lost in.  You could spend hours exploring Montmartre and being seduced by her charm. Unfortunately for us, it was raining thus we had to eat inside and my photos didn’t turn out as well as expected.

Just when we reached the bottom of Montmartre, the skies began to clear up illuminating Montmartre in all her loveliness.

Stay tuned…a few more posts on Paris and then we are heading south to Provence!

Commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 as a symbol of triumph and victory of his army, the Arc de Triomphe is perhaps one of Paris’ most important monuments.  Many armies have walked beneath the arch after claiming victory. Inside the arch are hundreds of names of the generals who fought and died in Napoleon’s wars. There is also The Tomb of the Unknown Solider which is illuminated by an eternal fire.  All this at the center of an enormous Parisien-style roundabout in which twelve grand boulevards come together creates a magnificent place albeit a traffic jam as well. But it is definitely worth a visit as its 284 stairs up to the top of the arch afford a spectacular view of Paris’ at her best.

If you go: The best way to see the Arc de Triomphe is to start at the Louvre and walk through the gorgeous Jardin des Tuileries enjoying her many fountains and flowers. At the end of the garden, you will enter the sensational Place de la Concorde at the start of the Avenue des Champs Élysées. Walk down the Champs Élysées, taking it all in and end at the Arc de Triomphe. From there, you are only a short distance from the Eiffel Tower as well as the launching off point for the bateau mouche, where you can purchase tickets to take a boat tour down the Seine passing by all the major monuments.

For interesting facts on the Arc de Triomphe, click here. 

This post is part of my series on my recent trip to Paris. To read the last post “A Walk through the Right Bank of Paris” click here. 

The Women Build project I participated in was in North Minneapolis which was struck nearly two years ago by a tornado which caused extensive damage and financial strife to this low-income community with many uninsured and under-insured homeowners. About 4,000 homes were damaged from the tornado and 200 left uninhabitable. Thankfully, Habitat for Humanity was able to provide a lot of disaster recovery support and the work to improve the neighborhood continues today.

Friday’s project was part of Habitat for Humanity’s “A Brush with Kindness” program that assists low-income families in repairing and renovating their homes so they can continue to live in safe, decent homes. A Brush with Kindness projects include painting, landscaping, weatherization and minor repair services. Most of the work is done on the exterior of the house however interior work takes over during the winter months (these services include drywall, plaster repair, flooring and painting).

A Brush with Kindness is a program that helps preserve homeownership by partnering with homeowners struggling to restore and maintain a safe and decent place to live. When basic expenses exceed income month after month, home maintenance is the usual casualty. Years of deferred maintenance can cause a downward spiral of home deterioration and unsafe living conditions. – Habitat for Humanity

I arrived on site around 8:30 am for a thorough briefing and prepping on what we were going to do. I was incredibly impressed by the level of training Habitat for Humanity provided us. They went through each tool and told us how to use it properly and safely, walked us through the steps of the project at hand, told us some history and background on Habitat for Humanity and also told us the story on the homeowner, a 79-year-old single woman who has lived in the house for over 49 years! Unfortunately she isn’t very mobile yet peaked outside the windows from time to time to give us a smile.

Above: Some of the tools and supplies we’d be using. Our job was to scrap away the old, lead-based paint, wash and scrub the stucco, and repaint the home. Today was day three of the project and it was expected to be completed the next day.

Below is Maia, an Americorp volunteer who has worked with Habitat for Humanity for the last nine months, giving us a demonstration on how to work the ladder.  All in all, we had about 10 volunteers that day, all women. I must say it was so amazing to be working together with a group of women volunteering in a traditionally male role. There were a lot of laughs and sharing about everyone’s past experiences with Habitat for Humanity. I met one woman who has been volunteering with Habitat for years and recently did Habitat for Humanity’s work project in Haiti. I enjoyed talking with her and learning what inspired her to dedicate so much of her time to such manual volunteer work. She said the trips she has made with Habitat for Humanity were life-changing and to work alongside the new homeowner is quite a connection and feeling of empowerment. 

Although I didn’t get to stay the entire day, I still was able to get a sense of the importance that Habitat for Humanity provides to people. I can’t imagine not having a safe, happy place to live. A place to call my own. Having a home is a basic human dignity and even if I only got to scrub a few sides of Orelly’s house, I knew that together we had made a difference in her life and that is all that matters.

Habitat for Humanity offers volunteer opportunities for any skill set. To learn more about what you can do to help others as a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, click here. Work projects are offered all over the world. 

Just a quick update. It has come to my attention that my posts are being emailed twice! I am working with WordPress to resolve this issue. I haven’t done anything on my end so I’m not sure what is going on. But I sincerely apologize for the annoying duplicate emails and hopefully will get this resolved ASAP.

Thanks for your patience!

thirdeyemom

The mothers I met and saw in Guatemala…

Mothers in Nepal… Mothers in Honduras….

Mothers in Morocco….

Me and my children last Mother’s Day in Minneapolis.

My mother, sister and I in April in Marseille. 

I have also written a post earlier in the week on behalf of Save the Children in honor of Mother’s Day. If you haven’t had a chance to read it, please take a look here.

This post was also inspired by two weekly themes, one by Jakesprinter and the other by This Man’s Journey.

For all you mother’s out there, Happy Mother’s Day! May your day be filled with love and joy.

Here are some photos from the morning of our walk starting in the Marais and walking through the Jardin des Tuileries past the world-famous Louvre and up the Champs Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe.  This was the same walk I took many years ago as an impressionable 13-year-old girl on the first time I’d ever seen Paris. I will never forget singing the lyrics of Aux Champs-Élysées…a song I learned in French class, and making a promise to myself that I would someday live in this amazing city. That promise was kept and fulfilled eight years after I laid eyes on Paris. 

A walk through Paris….starting near the Louvre

Aux Champs-Élysées
Aux Champs-Élysées
Au soleil, sous la pluie
À midi ou à minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez
Aux Champs-Élysées

-Lyrics by Joe Dassin

Stay tuned….Arc de Triomphe is next followed by my favorite part of Paris, touristy or not, I love Montmartre. The South of France will have to wait as I still have many Paris photos left to share.