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surviving sexual abuse

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When I turned nine my whole life suddenly fell apart. This is what helped me in surviving sexual abuse after experiencing such trauma… I was a happy go lucky child. I had two brothers and five sisters and there was never a dull moment. We enjoyed playing , doing crafts, baking, doing housework, and helping each other. We did everything as a team and we enjoyed it. For my mother we were more than a handful, having seven children to care for was hard work.  My father took care of our education and was always there to help us with homework and see that weRead More…

in memory of jack

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Alison shares with us the heartbreaking experience of losing her beloved baby Jack…a true example of a mother’s unmeasurable love. From a young age I wanted to be a mother. In 1998 my venture to try and have a baby started… By 2004 I was exhausted! I had tried everything. You name it, I had done it. It started with fertility pills then shifted to fertility injections, hormone treatment, DNCs, fallopian tube cleaning, more DNCs, artificial insemination then on to the harder stuff like IVF. My first experience of IVF was in New York. IVF failed and I was shattered. I just couldn’t bear theRead More…

Marion Mifsud Mora unviable pregnancy

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While on holiday in Malta, Marion’s waters broke at 17 weeks of pregnancy. As infection set in and the danger of her dying became very real, Maltese doctors left everything ‘in God’s hands’ and refused to terminate her pregnancy. This is the story of a woman who survived against all odds, and who cannot understand why in Malta it is more important to give birth to a dead foetus than to save the mother with the right medical care. “It was on the bus to Valletta – with my young daughter, ironically named Valetta – that I first realised something was wrong. Seventeen weeks pregnant,Read More…

back to school post covid

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With less than five weeks until Malta’s schools are scheduled to re-open, parents and students have no idea what’s going to happen and whether they’re going back to school during COVID19. The Government proposes three scenarios, but has not yet confirmed which will be operationalised. Education Minister Owen Bonnici has however said that the protocols will be similar to those followed at Skolasajf. “During lockdown, my daughter did well academically. But emotionally and socially, she suffered greatly.” Following the recent resurgence in cases, it is a delicate time to make such an important decision. Many parents are fearful for their children’s safety at school, butRead More…

tested positive for covid-19

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I was asymptomatic, had no shortness of breath, no sore throat, nothing…I never imagined I would be testing covid19 positive! When we hear COVID-19 we immediately think of all the photos of intubated sick people we see on the media… but when the symptoms are mild, unfortunately, we might keep going on with our lives, because let’s face it, who has never had a headache, popped paracetamol and soldiered on to work? It’s what we do… we have to keep going! We feel fine! We don’t feel like those poor sick people on TV gasping for air! Just a small heads up ladies. Not writingRead More…

lovetheskinurin

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In: Fashion and Beauty, More

At 51, I can safely say I finally know what it means when one says “love the skin youre in”. I no longer really care if my hair is frizzy, if my legs are not perfectly waxed or if I have a zit bang in the middle of my chin. Feeling confident and happy with oneself no matter what we look like is a great liberating feeling. Love the skin youre in! It was not always so. I remember feeling very self-conscious and not liking many parts of my body, my gummy smile, my hairy body, my frizzy hair, being too tall, having ugly toesRead More…

never felt like a real woman

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A recent post I read on facebook about being raised in fear really hit me because it is so true. I am a woman in my early 40s and having been raised catholic I have a lot of built up anger for the church in the way it instilled in us the fear of God and hell. From the memories of sermons always ending with glorifying suffering for the final prize of heaven… to demonizing women for all evil. Even jokes about Eve, or the subtle messages that women have to be submissive, endure pain and basically exist to bear and rear children, keep the houseRead More…

choux

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In: More, Recipes

Simply put choux is a dough that is twice cooked. A paste known as a panade is made out of water, butter, milk and flour which is cooked over the stove. After the mixture is cooled eggs are added until the infamous dropping consistency is reached. The mixture can then be piped and is finally baked, or fried, to form light, airy, crispy shells, which serve as a vehicles to various fillings. The high water content in choux, from the milk, water and eggs turns into steam when baking; this forces the pastry shell outwards and gives it volume. The gluten in the flour andRead More…

raising good men

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In: Home and Family, More

I was very disturbed by the avalanche of stories posted on Women for Women as part of the #metooMalta movement. As I read story after heart-wrenching story, I started thinking “where are all the good men? Are we still raising good men?” Make no mistake, sexual abuse happens by all genders and to all genders. Hence, teaching our kids about respect, consent, trust, and consideration for others is of utmost importance, regardless of their gender and age. However, studies indicate that there are links between toxic masculinity, violent behaviour, and the need to feel powerful. What is toxic masculinity? This term generally refers to harmfulRead More…

ethics

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In: Education, More

A new subject called Ethics started being rolled out in Maltese primary, middle and secondary schools in 2014 and is currently being phased in. It aims to teach moral values through a secular, non-denominational approach, which means that all students, irrespective of their beliefs, can choose to study Ethics.  Although Ethics is based on the teaching of values, it aims to do so without falling in the trap of indoctrination, because it encourages children and adolescents to think critically about their values. It acknowledges the fact that ethical and moral values can be very controversial, and often depend on personal beliefs and opinions, shaped byRead More…