My natural hair journey started in Ghana but it was a decision I made based on having a unique hair identidy among my family and friends, but then, i fell in love with the simplicity that comes with having a natural hair.

Back home in Ghana, it was really easy for me to maintain my natural hair as there are many ways and hair styles for maintaining natural hair. 

Here in Finland its been a different situation for me, and my natural hair because of one, the finnish weather, two, my location in Finland and three, the scarcity of an African saloon in my city. So i have come to adapt to these changes and cultivated simple and effective way of maintaining my natural ghanaian hair.

Here are my 5 simple daily routines for growing and maintaining my natural ghanaian hair:

1. I keep my hair short: This is because having a longer natural hair means longer hours of trying to style them always and as a busy mom, time is not always my friend. And its also easier to comb through daily.

2. I always cover it with a silk scarf before bedtime: The weather in Finland is really dry and humid especially during the winter seasons, so covering it at bedtime help keep the moisture in my hair to prevent excessive drying out.

3. I moisturize my hair daily: With the help of these three amazing natural hair boosters ie water, coconut oil and olive oil, I get my hair moisturize every morning before my day begins. First, I spray a bit of water in my hair and then massage in the oils which helps soften my hair for a smooth combing action, then i style it or simply leave it unstyled with a simple hand taps to keep it even and am done. Simple.

4. I DONT use any hair shampoo: Shampoos just dry out hair and with my finnish weather I do not need any further dried out natural hair. To wash my hair (every three day period), I use ghanaian alata samina (black ash cocoa soap) then condition with my personal choice of organic hair conditioner.

5. During winters, i moisturize my hair twice daily and cover it with a 'duku'(ghanaian hair scarf) or a 'pipo'(finnish word for beanie or knited hat), whenever am going outside. Simple.

It took me a while for me to maintain my regular hair routines, it was not an easy start but having stuck to these simple natural hair routines for a year now, my hair feels and looks better now.

My daughter turns two years old today. So we made her feel so special by first making her one of her favorite breakfast meals. Then we spent the rest of the morning playing as usual just that, this occasion she had all my attention and time with no interruptions whatsoever. As I played with her I remembered how small she was a year ago, when she could only utter "blah blah". Now I watch her talk back to me which such growth and understanding, that I simply wonder where the years has gone.

For lunch we made her, her all time favorite soup, the Finnish pea soup. How she loves this soup. It works every time am happy to see her enjoy her favorite meals on her special day. After lunch,we had our normal daily routines and I put her in bed for her afternoon nap. I whispered my daily sleep tight wishes to her and left her room. Just when I sat down to relax a bit, I heard her cry out mummy mummy. I wonder what's the issue now, because we do not have any problems with her afternoon nap as they always go smoothly. 

So now, wondering why and what's the issue for her outburst especially today being her birthday. I go back to her room and find her standing in bed almost in tears. I lean in and put her back to sleep and whispered sleep tight but she suddenly starts to cry refusing to lie down. Oh dear, I thought, not today, not now, I have been catching up with her all morning through different playing and games that I needed her so sleep as smoothly as always. But no, she wouldn't stop crying and I know should i pick her up would only amount to a longer time to sleep as she loves to sleep on my shoulders sometimes. Then through the crying she says 'mummy sleep down', referring to a spot beside her bed that I sometimes sit when she wakes up in the night and I have to soothe her to go back to sleep.

Then it occurred to me, having spend the day together doing all this fun stuffs, she probably will also love to have me sleep by her side. I simply smiled and replied, 'mummy sleep down, you can sleep now' as I took my position beside the bed. And like a miracle, in less than a minute, she was asleep. My poor girl, all she wanted was for mummy to sleep with her also just like I played with her all morning, uninterrupted. Now am confident our evening will simply be memorable.

I am so proud of her and myself for coming this far with sweet memories from the past. As a mother I feel almost satisfied with my lifestyles and how they have helped to raise such an angel in my life. I wouldn't change anything, hhhhmmm okay maybe a few things(wink wink) but I definitely wouldn't change my decision of having a baby. Happy Birthday Kata Akosua Kangas. Mummy and Daddy love you so much.

My day as Ghanaian mother with my Finnish-Ghanaian daughter.

• I smile and laugh a lot with my children even when am sad.
• I take and spend time by myself to think as awoman and mother.
• I keep everything simple with my personality.
• I admit am not perfect.
• I always trust my mothering instincts.
• I do not push myself to hard when am tired.
• Finally and most importantly, i stay true and believe in myself.

As mothers, we need to accept our flaws and weaknesses in order to be able to build on our strengths. Motherhood is the only stage in life that has no specific rules or manuals to refer to. It is the only stage in life, a woman gets to really enjoy and experience the love and joy that comes with being a mother. And that for me, it is the most fulfilling moment than any moment we get to experience in life. Do not beat yourself up for not being a good mother because, one mother's weakness is another mother's strength and vice versa. No mother is perfect, we simply try to make it work.

My experience and thoughts as a mother.

I never really planned to become a mother but i always respected and appreciated other mothers. This was mostly because of my relationship with my mother. She was a true Ghanaian mother in every aspect of motherhood that made me loved her more and appreciated her so much. I also had friends who got pregnant as teenagers and i remember advising my friends against getting rid of their pregnancies probably because some how i always wanted to be a mother also. Not as a teenage mother idlely but i knew i wanted to have babies who will love me endlessly like i do with my mother.

So, eventually it happened, unplanned, just about the time i was set for the next stage in my life educationally. It was mixed emotions for me, whether to move on or stay back and take care of my baby. My passion for motherhood won and i decided to keep the baby and dropped out of school and my normal social lifestyles. As ususal in Ghana, this was not an easy decision because of the view of societies against young single mothers.

I had family issues concerning my pregnancy, peer pressure and personal emotional conflicts. But deep inside me, with my baby kicking and moving, it was feeling much more worthy than what people thought. The joy of carrying another human being inside of me, whom i can love and care for forever was simply a blessing no one could take away from me. It was not an easy ride, but that is the power of motherhood. It gave me the strength to be strong and happy for myself amd my baby.

The day i delivered and finally held my baby was the most happiest and amazing moments in my life. I finally could hold, kiss, smell, hug and talk to my own baby. An innocent baby who's means of survival solely depended on me. That was the moment i felt a total transformation. Now i can call myself a mother, a proud Ghanaian mother, who did not let the opinions of others and the society break me, but made me stronger in this wonderful journey of motherhood.

My motherhood experience in Ghana. No mother is perfect, we simply try to make it work.

As a mother in Finland with one child, parenting my child with my ghanaian values has been the most challenging and self discovering journey so far.

In Ghana where the community takes part in the parenting of children e.g. when a child misbehaves in puplic, any concerned adult in the community can tell that child to stop misbehaving. But this is very different in the Finnish communities here. One has to be very careful how to approach and also how to point out to a child if he or she is misbehaving in puplic. The children's rights to make their own choices is very high and very important in the finnish culture, as thus i find it challenging in allowing my child to always have her way without my ghanaian mothering instincts not conflicting with her choices.

I do not think the children in Finland are not diciplined. Just that their way and methods of diciplines are so different from the kinds of diciplines i grew up with back home in Ghana. Every mother wants the best for their children therefore we do our best to guide them and straighten their choices towards the paths we deem best for them. Trying to raise my child with my ghanaian culture in Finland and still taking into thought the finnish culture and lifetyles is a challenge i am yet to overcome.

I can proudly say its been very educational for me as a ghanaian mother about parenting with two sides to consider. I have learnt to be a lot patient in my parenting skills and learn to listen to the actual needs and wants of my child before i jump in to say yes or no. The parenting ideas between Ghana and Finland are not so different except the way each country approaches parenting respectively. I beg to differ.

My experiences and thoughts as a Ghanaian mother in Finland. No mother is perfect, we simply try to make it work.

This is one of the most common types of motherhood in Ghana. It is so common that, societies have a local name for such mothers. Single mothers are usually refered to as 'born one' or 'born two' depending on the number of children the mother has. Mostly, the negative intention behind the calling of single mothers such names is because she has child without a husband therefore, she is not worthy of society's approval or respect.

The ghanaian culture values marriage so high that, if a woman happens to have a child outside wedlock, she is almost not included in decision making matters. This kind of treatment leaves many young single mothers feeling pressured thus they tend to lie about or deny their motherhood status so they can 'fit' in. And in extreme cases they abort the pregnancy illegally before they are branded such names.

I aslo fell a victim to such unhealthy 'practices' but i did not allow such things get to me. I was a working student when i got pregnant, so fell out of school to be a single working mother. It was my choice not to just get married because of the pregnancy(which is a common situation in Ghana, where the women marry the men responsible for the pregnancy whether they are in love or not, because they do not want the society to call them names). I was definitely not going to get married because of unplanned pregnancy or allow the judgemental nature of my society deny me the joys of being a mother(single or not).

Being a single mother made me realize a lot about myself and motherhood. I did not let the name callings and societal judgments break me but rather made me stronger. I promised myself and my baby that, we were going to prove them(society) wrong. Even after dropping out of school to work so as to take good care of myself and my baby, i took to reading books of interest as a way of still getting myself educated. I would stay up late into the night reading and researching and it paid off in my jobs.

It is not easy to be a mother, much more a single mother in a society like my homeland(Ghana) where the high rate of poverty has almost stolen the integrity of the people(i beg to differ) thus making us so judgmental. Single mothers, especially the young women need to be empowered and surpported so they can make healthy and wise decisions for themselves and their innocent children.

By doing this, we can help create a better enviroment for the lives of mothers and their children to improve and also for single mothers to be able to create healthy and happy lifestyles for themselves. No mother is perfect we simply try to make it work.

My thoughts and experience as a single mother in Ghana.

I wish myself and all mothers a great mothers day. Its not an easy task to be mother, the joys and sorrows of motherhood we encounter daily are beyond words. Yet we do not allow them to stop us from showing our love and care.

Lets enjoy this day to the fullest because personally, i think its the only day for us to truely make excuses and still be pampered.

Its a few days to Mothers Day and as usual every tv commercial, marketing companies and shops take this opportunity to come up with great gift ideas to give mothers. Should mothers be celebrated like some trendy stuff that passes away just like it started? A day or week of potraying love to mothers and thats it? Sometimes the world forgets what a mother actually goes through daily besides the love we give to our children and families. What about the everyday labour of love mothers experience both physically and mentally? Why should we be celebrated like some kind of festival that takes place once a year? 

Personally i simply feel thankful to have a day or week dedicated to mothers but i would rather have it best done as part of our daily lifestyle choices.  In a healthy lifestyle where the world i.e. family and friends, celebrate mothers in our individual lives. A life where mothers receive love and unfeigned support from children, family, friends and society every single day. A life where mothers feel appreciated with our choices. A life where mothers can also be the voice in decision makings. A life where mothers do not feel judged and looked down on because of our lifestyle choices. A life where mothers do what we can, with what we have, wherever we are.

Mothers are never really alone in our daily lives even in our thoughts. We always think twice about our decisions, onces for herself and once for our children and family. I think this world will be lost without women, who decide to become mothers and help raise children, who grows up into responsible pillers in running the affairs of this great planet, Earth. Mothers need a lot more than a day or week in a calender year to be appreciated. I beg to differ.

My thoughts as a mother about Mothers Day. No mother is perfect we simply try to make it work.

Its 5am on a cold harmatan day, the night has been along one again. I hear water running from our tap in the compound outside. Hear someone sweeping outside then i hear a cry. Oh no, not again i thought. Many things run through my head, things to do in the morning, afternoon and evening. Another cry sounds. Oh thats my baby's cry i thought. Almost instantly i get up to check on him but he is still sleeping soundly.

It was a baby's cry ringing in my head from the long night. I burried my head in the pillow and said a short prayer, pulling myself tiredly out of bed to start the fire for our morning breakfast. After 15 minutes of smoking my tiny kicthen the fire was burning and breafkfast was on. Back in my room, i mentally go over my to-do lists while cleaning up the room and setting up the area for bathing my baby.

Its 7am, i heard a crying sound in the distance and thought to myself, someone's baby is crying. Then i hear a pounding noise and someone calling my name. Waking up in a daze, i realised that i have fallen asleep whilst cleaning, on the floor and my baby is awake crying. Like a soldier at war i got up in a flash, picked up my crying baby and opened my door to calling of my name to find my younger brother with a machete in his hand trying to break my door lock. 

Having gone through the long night with my baby crying mostly, i had fallen into a deep restful sleep. So deep that i did not realise the crying baby was mine, who according to my brother had been crying for about half an hour. For me, this was one of my wake up calls as mother such that, as a mother we have to sacrifice more than our sleep sometimes. Cry baby, sorry for not giving you all the attention you needed but the love in your eyes tells me how much you love me and i forgive myself for making you cry. No mother is perfect we simply try to make it work.

My experience as a mother in Ghana.  

Moving to Finland was one of the most hardest decisions i had to make as a young single mother. It was a decision of my leaving my son behind in Ghana and embracing new life styles and dreams. I did not plan to be a mother in a foreign land but i must say am glad and proud to be a mother again in a different enviroment. An enviroment so different from my home country and challenges that really helped me in discovering my true self as a woman and a mother.

As mother in Finland, i have learnt a lot and adapted a lot to the everyday challenges we face as mothers especially as migrants. Leaving and working outside your home country is a big challenge for most people but trust me to be a mother also is the most challenging. Running the home, following daily routines and also making time for yourself as a mother can be very exhausting both physically and emotionally because i experienece these situations everyday as a migrant mother.

Mostly because, i have to incorporate my motherhood knowledge from back home into my new journey of motherhood in Finland which is so different in culture, weather, language, lifetsyles and even food choices. So to survive as a migrant mother, i have joined mother groups and made great friends with the finnish mothers to share ideas, receive and give support to ourselves. Am so thankful to these groups because they help me a lot in learning about motherhood in Finland.

To be a mother is very difficult and to be a mother away from your home country in a foreign land is twice the difficulty. I will really encourage migrant mothers, anywhere we may find ourselves living now, to join the mother groups in our local towns. This will help us gain much knowledge about their motherhood lifestyles and infuse it into our knowledges from home. These mother groups are almost available in most countries in Europe and they really help you to adapt and also make you feel proud and successful as migrant mothers.

My life and thoughts as a migrant mother. No mother is perfect, we simply try to make it work.