Weekend List!

Sarah's List:

Check out these Swedes who got married and changed their last names to something entirely new. Who does that?! I don't know, Mohammedsson does have a nice ring to it.  

Maust + Sensabaugh = Sensamaust

 (see how that works?)

The best books on the Democratic Republic of Congo. Before the Birth of the Moon looks ridiculously fascinating. But as always, I recommend starting with this primer for kids:

But it here.

5 words you may not have known are hateful. 

28 funny notes written by kids. 

Amazing Travel Complaints. I'm fairly certain I've linked to this before, but it's so good I'm putting it in again. 

Don't like the color of the sand? File a complaint. (Zanzibar 2010.)

Happy Birthday iPhone. Here are 7 Things You Killed. 

And for those of you who sent notes of concern for Falafel after we left him behind in this post. He's just fine. See: 

Proof he's okay. And only a little offended.

Jill's List:

Laughing gas is making a comeback in U.S. delivery rooms.  Friends who have recently had babies in Nairobi totally used nitrous oxide or "gas and air" during labor and gave it pretty good reviews. Any thoughts?

I recently looked up the eligibility requirements for blood donation in the U.S. - wishing I could participate in this blood drive to honor a beautiful mother and her baby - and found that though I can donate again after I've been out of a malaria zone for three years, my combined three months in the U.K. between the fateful years of 1980 and 1996 knock me out of the running.  Thanks a lot, mad cow disease. You, however, should consider making a donation! In the meantime, I'm going to be doing a little digging into what the blood donation/supply situation is like here in Kinshasa.

In Virginia, use code 9320 for "Team Jackie & Ramzey" when you donate!
If you are donating elsewhere in the world - make sure you take a picture and send it here.
No family should have to wonder if there will be "enough" blood.

This pregnant ballerina.

Having a funny time trying to locate winter clothing for Johan to wear when he lands in January's Boston & New York on Tuesday.  We are getting a hilarious hodge-podge of donations from the strange people in Kinshasa who keep coats and mittens in their closets. (This is where I link to the polar vortex, right?)

This should keep him totally warm in Boston, right?

I'm working on a piece for World Moms Blog right now about how I can't figure out how to write about Africa anymore. I haven't made much progress.  So, I'm reading about how not to write about Africa.  And re-reading my favorite essay, "How to Write About Africa".

Happy about the tiny perfume samples I ordered from Le Labo.  Especially Fleur D'Oranger. Though, the little tube of Eau Duelle from Diptyque I received for free with an over-indulgent candle order will always be my favorite.

It was sad to see my parents fly back to the U.S.  It's been good.  We sent them home with 100 pounds of books (early packing), rapid malaria tests, Coartem, (since malaria isn't exactly common in the States, the diagnosis and treatment can be a bit tricky outside of the malaria zone) and some really weird gifts - all wrapped in Barack Obama bags.

Read more about the cartoon eradication of malaria in the U.S. here.

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Friday List!

Sarah's List:

Remember our link a few weeks ago about the exorbitant cost of childbirth in the States? Well, here's another way to put it in perspective: Kate Middleton (or those paying for her birth) probably spent less on childbirth than the average American woman.

Graph from here.

And while we're discussing Kate Middleton, can we just take a moment to thank her for not hiding her postpartum belly. That's one giant step for motherkind. Love that girl. Cup of Jo expressed this wonderfully.

Here are some more beautifully honest birth photos.

Image from Jenna Shouldice here.

Remember the CTFD Method of parenting that swept the interwebs last week? Here's another take: 'Calm down': The Best Advice for Parents, or the Worst? Either way, I love it that it's the daddys running this conversation.

Calm the "F" down. That's what we're calling it over here at Mama Congo. Image censored from here.

And as we wind down our summer Stateside, we leave with one question: What the heck is going on with Cornhole and why on earth is every single social interaction revolved around it? Here are a few answers from Cornhole Galaxy, the DC Cornhole League, and from an actual journal.

Jill's List:

Did you know that in our little hometown (yes, Sarah and I come from the same Valley town), there is a Cornhole Bag store?  Oh yes.  I saw it with my own eyes yesterday.

Image from Sam's Cornhole Bags.

Can't stop thinking about this Atul Gawande piece in the most recent New Yorker.  

We yearn for frictionless, technological solutions. But people talking to people is still the way that norms and standards change.

Some of my (30+ year old) friends are convinced that this is the summer for their first tattoos. They are thinking lines, geometry, and this guy.  (I have a tattoo.  It says "kick" and is right under my right rib.  Get it?)

Image from here.

Enjoying this blog.  

From here.

Had amazing, huge, crab cakes this week in Baltimore - from this place.  On the downside, Elias said, "Hey these roads are super bumpy just like the ones in Kinshasa!"  

Thanks for the treat, Aunt Mary (on the left)!

Feeling tired.  One more week.  Wait.  Less than one week to fit a year's worth of oatmeal into our allotted checked baggage.  Panic ensues.  

Tired.

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