tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126347362024-03-23T11:57:47.171-06:00The Egyptian's WifeThe thoughts of an American Muslim and mother of four raising her children in small town USA with her Egyptian husband.UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.comBlogger359125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-84906639982962917132011-05-20T19:48:00.004-06:002011-12-28T11:48:18.454-07:00Don't talk to me about hijab<p>Let me start by saying that I am a fan of hijab. I wear hijab. I believe that hijab is mandatory, and I think any efforts to keep women from wearing it are wrong. So don't think this is a post about how hijab is not relavent anymore, because that is a seperate subject. I'm just afraid that Muslims and non-Muslims alike have inflated the importance of hijab way too much. We have made it the key to a woman's piety. A prerequisite for calling yourself a Muslim woman. And (this get where you get ready to reach under your abaya to take off your shoe and throw it at me) I just don't think hijab is all that important. Yes, that's right. I said hijab is not that important. </p><br /><p>Lets put that statement in perspective a little. Why would I say that? Well, because there are so many other things in the religion that should be taking precedence over the issue of attire. 5 big ones that I can think of, the pillars of Islam. Why when a woman makes shahada are we all over the topic of whether or not she will wear hijab and no one ever asks if she needs help with learning salat? Maybe memorising a few surahs? Did anyone ever ask a new brother whether or not he would grow a beard and cluck their tongue disapprovingly when he said he wasn't ready yet? Did anyone ever question a brother about whether or not he was still Muslim when he shaved his beard?</p><br /><p>So here's my radical idea. Stop talking about it. Throw hijab out of the conversational mix. Stop making it a part of what you talk to non-Muslims about. Of course they will ask, but don't get stuck on the subject. And PLEASE don't get all philosophical and start using metaphors. God said wear it, so I do. Simple and to the point. Because if you keep things in perspective you'll realise it's a subject that's taking away from the things we should be talking about.</p><br /><p>Maybe it's just me here... But I feel like when Muslim women is the topic of conversation hijab is the focus. That's wrong, it's not the way hijab was meant to work. It was meant to let people see us as honorable and pious women and take "maybe I could hook up with her" out of the equation. But I would go so far as saying it isn't even accomplishing that anymore. Humans send many non-verbal signals, and our young ladies who wear hijab can certainly send the message of availability with or without hijab. Of course that's no reason to say it doesn't send the message of modesty anymore... But it can be said that wearing hijab doesn't make you modest, your behavior does that. </p><br /><p>That's my message here mostly I guess. There was a time when women dressed modestly in general, no matter what their faith was. Women covered their heads, didn't show their body. That was the societal norm. So I imagine (and I could be wrong here) that hijab as it is practiced in Arab cultures was not really shocking. It probably wasn't even worth talking about because all the people around them were fairly modest too. Jump to now, where the societal norm is mini-skirts and suddenly Muslim women really stand out. Hence, hijab is the most visible thing about Islam and it gets talked about a lot. Too much in my opinion. How many people know about hijab but have no idea we believe in the same one god as the Christians and Jews for example? I'm not claiming I know how to solve this, or suggesting we all go burn our scarves in protest... But I think it's something we all need to think about and try to overcome.</p><br /><p>As usual, just food for thought here. I'm no scholar.</p><br /><p></p>UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com88tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-67068304329238753332011-01-15T15:05:00.005-07:002011-01-15T16:37:12.073-07:00Convert Truths, Blog CarnivalWhen I saw <a href="http://nicolecunningham.ch/2010/12/31/blog-carnival-%e2%80%9cconvert-truths-in-shades-of-grey%e2%80%9d/">this post </a><em></em> I knew I had to throw my hat in the ring... Not just because I have always thought of the blogger as a kindred spirit, but because it's a topic I have been interested in recently too. I have been blogging since 2005, and I'd say things have changed a lot in my life... But then when I went back to look on the archives to see when I started my blog, I found that the oldest post was <a href="http://ummlayla.blogspot.com/2005/04/where-do-we-go-from-here.html">this post about not fitting in at the masjid</a> and I just about fell over. Because here I am 6 years later about to tell you the exact same thing! I'd like to say that I decided to take the post in an entirely new direction because why rehash what's already been said, but I'd be lying to you. This issue is still very near and dear to me, so I think it merits revisiting.<br /><br />Before I was Muslim I actually did attend church, I was a Sunday school teacher as a matter of fact. And I was also a vocal performer in college... So I sang at churches frequently. It may interest you to know that the minister at the church I worked at wanted to keep me on as the childcare coordinator. But after me showing up on Easter Sunday in hijab, other church members complained and I resigned. Anyway... Just an interesting back story. What I'm trying to talk about it mosques, and my experiences with them as a convert. I bring up my experiences as a Christian because obviously that's what I have to compare it to.<br /><br />I have always had a problem with the cliquish nature of the masjid experience, and even after so many years as a Muslim I haven't been able to get past it. It feels way to much like the high school cafeteria for me to be comfortable there. So, for the most part I just avoid going to the mosque. Now before you shout haram, hear me out and give me a chance to explain why. In my opinion, if going to a religious institution does not enhance your religious experience there is no reason for you to go to it. And if going to a religious institution actually makes you question your chosen faith, run away and don't look back. One of the things I love about Islam is the fact that your connection with God requires no intermediaries. Now I am not so uneducated that I don't know the rewards for praying in congregation, but I think a certain amount of common sense can be used in these matters. How many converts you know have been driven away from the religion by people in the community? Food for thought.<br /><br />On a personal level, I have walked away from the mosque crying. I have cowered in my car wondering if I would be turned away at the door. I have been treated with disrespect. I have been ignored. I have been marginalised. And I have gotten to a point where I just expect it. So you get it. I hate the mosque, it means nothing to me. I will go out on a limb here and say I think my experience is shared by not a few other converts, but the majority of us. Going even further out on a limb... I think it's also the experience of even born Muslims raised here in the US. And I think it's about time that drives us to action.<br /><br />Our mosques are not a reflection of who we are as a diverse, educated, forward thinking community. That has to change! I know from my conversations with other Muslims that we are all thinking ahead, wondering what the community will be like in 10-15-20 years. But we leave it at wondering. We are dropping the proverbial ball here sisters and brothers. We are hating the mosque and the community and not putting forth the effort to create something that really represents us as we are. I wish I knew why that is. I suspect that it has something to do with the fact that we are afraid we will be called the k word if we ever question the way things are. And there is some truth to that.<br /><br />So I say, forget the guy in the jilbab who gets his panties in a bunch every time you talk about changing something at the mosque. We need our own mosques. I'm not sure what you would call them, reformed? Definitely not progressive (but that's another post). They would be open for everyone. People would be welcomed, there would be a special new shahada committee to help converts. There would be a youth group, and a mother's group. And no one would get asked how many raka are in the isha prayer before they entered. As a matter of fact non-Muslims would be invited regularly and be given an opportunity to see that Islam is not a members only club where you have to know the secret handshake to get in... We are a religion accepting new and different people all the time. Did I mention the charity work? I think it should have a soup kitchen and a homeless shelter. Maybe even a free clinic! Wouldn't that be great?<br /><br />Muslims... What makes me sad is not that we are a mess and we seem so disorganised and hostile to outsiders. It's that we even seem that way to ourselves. We have got to change that. There are great moderate Muslims out there, we just have to unite. If you know me you have probably heard me say this in 100 different ways 100 different times; until we accept each other, we can't ask people to accept us.UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-72809742034251827452010-10-08T13:50:00.003-06:002010-10-09T10:13:06.698-06:00Sex and IslamYou're listening now? Or maybe you are on the phone to the haram police frantically giving them this web address. A twitter convo (you know who you are) got me thinking about sex-ed and sex in the Muslim world, and just how messed up it can all get. And seeing as I have an 11 year old now, it's a topic that is on my radar right now anyway.<br /><br />So what I want to say is 2 fold: first what should we be teaching our kids and why, second what should the average Muslim's attitude about sex be vs what it is now?<br /><br />Let's start on the same page here. Let's start with the basic agreement that all aspects of our culture are saturated in sex. From the billboards you drive by on the way to school to the TV (even family programing)that you watch in the evenings, they are all full of sexual content. You don't have to go further than the Disney channels pre-teen programs to know that sex and dating are on the minds of even the youngest kids. The racy photos of Disney stars are proof that they know the dollar value of being sexy and are racing towards adulthood at break-neck speed. Lets also agree that none of this means sex is bad. Or that being sexy makes you a slut. Or that liking sex makes you a whore. Sex is like driving... If you do it before you are old enough and have your license it's bad, but after that no one faults you for it. And to extend the metaphor, you only drive your car... You follow the rules of the road and you will find that driving is useful and enjoyable, a vital part of being independent for many of us.<br /><br />So, knowing that... When should we teach kids about sex? How? What exactly should we talk about? Well, I say let the kids lead. And they know all about how cool and fun sex can be from the world around them already by maybe 12 at the latest. So, I think you have to start talking to kids about the reproductive system and all the changes that will be happening in your body by about age 10. I would go even younger if you have reason to suspect that they may go through puberty early. There are plenty of great books out there that you could use, and it's important to know what you are talking about when you get into this discussion. Then, not all at once you can start talking to them about the other aspects of sex. Use the openings where you see them, maybe a scene in a movie is a good chance to say how even though watching sex isn't appropriate, when you are married these are things you will enjoy with your partner. I have been open with my kids about the birth process, and I think that falls into that category. It's a good chance to tell your kids who are old enough how pregnancy happens and what giving birth is really like. I seriously doubt that anyone ever fell into sin because they couldn't stop thinking about what their father told them about how babies are made. Really. And he same goes for birth control and STDs. We know from abstinence only education that kids aren't put off by not talking about sex. They just learn how to technically stay a virgin. Which is just more reason that we should be frank if you ask me. Yes, there is something called oral-sex and it feels great... But you can't do it until you are married. Yes, you can give a guy a hand-job in the school parking lot... But that is not OK. These conservative people have taught us that there is danger in omission. So I'm not for it.<br /><br />I guess my main view is that I don't want my son's education to come from the porn industry. It's not a realistic view of a male female relationship, and I certainly don't want my son to think his wife will be like an actress in one of those movies. So it's my job to moderate all the wild fantasy in movies and locker rooms with a dose of the reality. But, I want them to know that there is exploration to be done too. Just not before they are married. And I don't think this conversation can wait until the engagement party, not in the world we live in.<br /><br />As for the Muslim world and our view of sex... Unfortunately, I think it's pretty screwed up. Men are up all night watching porn on the dish and then they go to wives who are still being conditioned to think of sex as dirty and everyone suffers. Now I think sex is an issue in any marriage, something you have to work on. It takes a frankness and lack of shame to tell even your spouse what you want, what turns you on. And having this attitude that sex is dirty and shameful makes it hard to talk about those things even in the context of marriage. Men and women have a fundamentally different view of it to start with. We look at as a chance for deepening intimacy and men look at it as a recreational sport. But we can meet in the middle. IF and only IF we get rid of the idea that Islam discouraging sex outside of marriage and Islam discouraging sex are the same thing. They are not. Men are told to go to their wives as they wish, and advised not to just ride their wives like bulls but instead to play with them. So when did sex become dirty? And how are we daring to throw women who have been sheltered from anything sexual into marriages with men who have been viewing porn (and I think that pretty much all men) since puberty? Well, I think that in trying to discourage sex outside of marriage many parts of the Muslim community opted to just plain discourage sex. It was complicated to separate the two, to make rules... Or was it? I come back to the car analogy. No one would let a 12 year old drive. No one would let even a 30 old drive if they didn't have a license, but we don't discourage driving or prevent people from learning about it for fear that they will do it without a license. Where this analogy fails is that sex is private, no one knows but you if you are violating the license. So of course we are more likely to do it. That's where the consequences and the information comes in. <br /><br />Teaching people about sex can really help them enjoy it when they do get married. Not teaching them doesn't really prevent the experimenting biology drives us to do, it just makes us ashamed of our sexuality. So in my mind the way forward for the Muslim world is to teach our children about sex. In the time of the prophet people would have known about it because they lived in close quarters and people in the past were just more frank and open about it. Definitely children would have seen birth and animals mating... So they knew more. Now we live in a more closed society that is bombarding you with only half the story about sex, the good part, and ignoring the complex reality of it. Balance people, balance in all things... So the more we have thrown at us, the more we have to balance it. You can't ignore it, not with any good result, and throwing out sex-ed is ignoring it. The key to having a good sex life and preventing pre-marital sex are the same to me. INFORMATION.<br /><br />I might come back to refine this post later... But I just wanted to give you all something hot out of the mental oven so to speak. Some food for thought. OK, you can call the haram police now if you'd like. I think I'm ready to defend myself.UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-70337237150524501612010-09-23T23:00:00.002-06:002010-09-23T23:24:05.665-06:00Growing into IslamI have been trying to define Islam for myself since I converted, almost 13 years ago. Sometimes I feel like Islam is an over-sized sweater I am hoping to wear once I grow into it. And like many converts, finding my niche has eluded me. This comes out as anger at the ummah, anger at the born Muslims, anger at the robots that have inhabited the brains of many fellow converts forcing them to parrot culture and Islam as if they were the same thing. I know this sounds trite, and maybe you think I'm just stating the obvious here... But being a convert is a struggle for me. Not because I am not smart enough to learn the deen, not because I don't speak Arabic, not because I have doubts about the truth of Islam... But because it just is. <br /><br />Somehow I think that part of it is rooted in the fact that being "religious" at all seems sort of hoaky to me, forced. I have always been a believer, but I have never been an ecstatic born-again type believer. To me there is a personal element to faith that makes proclaiming oneself anything feel a little strange. Now I know we should be proud to be Muslim, and we should be sharing it with others... But somehow sharing feels more like defending in my case. It's different when we are around lots of Muslims, but most of the time I am pretty isolated. However, even among born-Muslims I have some feeling that I am defending my belief, in that case not the faith itself but my true adherence to/ belief in it. Which is a different problem, But it carries the same burden.<br /><br />It is a rarity for me to go somewhere and feel like, "Yes, these people get me!". Other Americans are pretty sure I'm crazy and probably brain-washed by my Muslim husband, and converts often don't seem to come at the religion from the same place as I do. I became Muslim before I ever knew my husband you see, before I really knew many Muslims at all. And that makes me a little different. I see things without the lens of a culture really because when I came to Islam I came to ISLAM, not the Egyptian Islam, or the Saudi Islam, or the Pakistani Islam. Pause and consider this for a minute. If you are from a large community where people tend to divide off into groups based on ethnicity, it will start to make sense to you. In these groups you can see that people are comfortable because they all agree on a certain version of Islam. Now, I'm not saying this is right or wrong... Maybe their ideas are correct, but right or wrong they all share the same basic ideas. <br /><br />Converts don't have the luxury of assuming anything. If you are married you can fall back on your husbands culture, otherwise you are on your own. So the question that we have to ask ourselves is, "How can I be Muslim and American?" and "How much of what I considered my personality, my habits, myself, have to change now that I am Muslim?". Unfortunately all the love you get at your shahada... All the sisters saying masha'Allah with tears in their eyes, won't help you with that. You are on your own. Completely. Utterly. And being on your own is lonely.<br /><br />Now before you think this is a poor me life is hard post, I want to say that this can also be a real blessing. Because you are not culturally biased and you have not grown up thinking something is Islam when it isn't, you don't suffer from re-examining your entire upbringing. You don't have to go though family members telling you you are insane when you correct something you have been doing your entire life. I can't imagine how some first generation hijabis feel, for example. You can just safely split your life into two categories, "before I was Muslim", and "after I became Muslim". But how does this help you define Islam for yourself you ask? Well, it doesn't but I just want you to see I'm not all gloom and doom. <br /><br />When I first converted this categorizing things seemed to go to an extreme. I rejected things I loved because people told me that was Islam. Somehow harder seemed to be more devout, so I welcomed the challenge. I gave up music, I stopped wearing make-up and western clothes. I even started trying to eat the foods I saw other Muslims eating. Now, don't laugh... Many of us converts go through this phase, and I was unmarried and had no Muslim family. Now, there are so many things about me that have changed. I have opened myself up to accepting the things I like and want and really pursuing the question of whether or not these things are permissible for me.<br /><br />I want to clarify here, that I don't think you should go "shiekh shopping" or seek people until you find the fatwa you want. I just think if you really miss music, be honest and seek the answers about why it was forbidden, and under what circumstances. If you love animals and miss your dog Fido that you had as a child... Seriously pursue an answer to the whole reasoning behind dogs being unclean, and what that means in regards to owning one. Is everything you are denying yourself based on authentic information? You owe it to yourself to find out. <br /><br />So what have I decided about who I am as a Muslim after 13 years? Well, I think I'm more liberal now than I was before. I have decided that moderate Islam is actually more Islamic many times. Islam is easy, right? Because as narrated by Ibn Mas’ud: The Prophet said, “Ruined are those who insist on hardship in matters of the Faith.” He repeated this three times. (Muslim) Also, I try not to judge other people concerning where they are in their journey because as narrated ‘Aishah: Allah’s Messenger said, “Allah is Kind and He loves kindness, and confers upon kindness which He does not confer upon severity, and does not confer upon any thing besides it (kindness).” (Muslim) I guess what I'm saying is for me, I am at peace with the fact that I am Muslim by religion, and American by birth. I still like to watch movies, go to the spa... And all the things I did before. I also haven't changed the way I feel about many things that might seem un-Islamic. But that's part of who I am. I had an identity that I brought with me to the religion, and it didn't change. I'm me, only now I'm Muslim. <br /><br />So I hope that other converts can come to that place. That they can see whoever they are and whatever they are doing is FINE. As long as you are striving to please Allah, forget the people around you! The struggle with yourself is the greatest jihad. Don't feel like you aren't a good Muslim because you aren't like the Muslims around you; because sometimes, the exact opposite might be true.UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-92116434575879335052010-09-03T14:01:00.002-06:002010-09-03T16:15:18.522-06:00Quick, grab the AED! Call 911!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-_y8pOW75xDJjLf2q0IBBM7JdOdfFGj3jKm2GHW0n3oIS7cmiSMNboHdozxJn5lmW_v4TywbOImK1ABTDucgPPhIXrbxdSiTHE-ymuzb8au-UrVlrFmwgPhgmdyMTHCHyAhA/s1600/screaming%2520woman.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 286px; height: 316px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-_y8pOW75xDJjLf2q0IBBM7JdOdfFGj3jKm2GHW0n3oIS7cmiSMNboHdozxJn5lmW_v4TywbOImK1ABTDucgPPhIXrbxdSiTHE-ymuzb8au-UrVlrFmwgPhgmdyMTHCHyAhA/s320/screaming%2520woman.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512814305365965826" /></a><br /><br />OK, so maybe that's a little dramatic... I have let this blog go for so long that I fear it may be terminal. Hopefully it can be revived with the proper first aid. If you know me, you know I've got a million things going on, but I have been missing blogging... So here I am. I have so many ideas for posts floating around in my head you wouldn't believe. Or maybe you would because you see I'm kinda long winded and I like to talk. Whatever the case, I'm back on the blog, hoping to post more frequently if anyone out there is still reading!UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-113185335926200642010-03-09T23:03:00.004-07:002010-03-10T00:05:29.814-07:00Now that sounds familiar...I am at a seminar for early childhood teachers right now, Lifeways. It's Waldorf based if you haven't heard me say that 100x's already. Today we covered diversity, and a little analysis of how children come into their own ethnic identity through adolescence really struck a cord for me. "But why UmmLayla??? You're a white girl?" you say? Because I think that converts go through the same stages to some degree when they accept Islam. OK, maybe I'm crazy here... But I think you will see the similarity. It's like by accepting Islam puts you back to that struggle with identity that we all go through as a teen... What do you think? See if you agree:<br /><br />Stage 1: Conformity <br />Description: <br />Preference for the values and norms of the dominant culture<br />Strong desire to assimilate into the dominate culture<br />Negative self-deprecating attitudes toward themselves and their racial group<br />Attitudes toward the dominant group are positive<br />Denial<br /><em>-How that applies to the convert: This is the stage when you first convert (so Islam will be the dominant culture here) and you are trying to fit in desperately. You do whatever you see the "Muslims" do because you think it must be right and good. This is the stage where you shop at the Arab markets even if you don't really know what to do with what you buy there. This is also the stage where you develop a negative attitude about the "kafir" and complain about your "kafir" relatives frequently. You also the reject input from more moderate Muslims assuming they are just being influenced by living in the land of the "kafir".</em><br /><br /><br />Stage 2: Dissonance <br />Description: <br />Individual begins to question pro-dominate culture attitude and behaviors<br />Individuals alternate between self- and group-appreciation and deprecating attitudes and behaviors<br />Confusion<br /><em>-For converts this is a stage where you just might lose the whole converting thing. You have started to see that Muslims and Islam may very well be different things. But you still want to be a "good Muslim" by the standard of the community and are unsure about rebelling against the things you are starting to see as flaws in the fabric of Muslim culture.</em><br /><br /><br />Stage 3: Resistance and Immersion <br />Description: <br />Individuals embrace their own racial/ethnic group completely<br />Blind endorsement of one's group and all the values/attitudes attributed to the group<br />Individuals accept racism and oppression as a reality<br />Rejection of the values and norms associated with the dominant group<br />Empathic understanding and an overpowering ethnocentric bias<br /><em>-This is where you wake up one day and say to yourself... "Hey, I know I'm Muslim, but I happen to be (insert racial identity here) too!" You then commence eating copious amounts of the foods you grew up with for iftar unless you just feel like middle eastern food that night. Now, I'm not suggesting that this means you reject Islam... This is where you start to reject the culture surrounding it. You can now look at Islam vs Muslims, and probably by now you've decided that non-Muslims are not evil... Hey, you were one yourself. And oh yeah, it's totally OK to admit you miss x-mas and all the other things you grew up doing. But hey, it's all part of the personal struggle that is your deen, right? This is the stage where you may go to the extreme of deciding that all born Muslims have never really explored their deen and all they know is "Muslim culture".</em><br /><br /><br />Stage 4: Introspection <br />Description: <br />Individuals develop a security in their racial identity that allows questioning of rigid Resistance attitudes<br />Re-direct anger/negativity toward dominant culture to exploration of individual and group identity issues<br />Conflict between allegiance to one's own ethnic group and issues of personal autonomy<br />Individuals acknowledge there is variation amongst all groups of people<br /><em>-Getting to this one is a little harder, but I assert that many converts make it there because we are all working on ourselves (that's probably why we converted in the first place). This is where you leave your whole history and "Muslim culture" behind and try to forge a new you... The Muslim you. The person that is an amalgam of all the good parts you can glean from both worlds. There are bad days, because you see you aren't really a member of either group and you now need to form your own identity as an individual. You now see that hanging with other converts is no more a solution than avoiding born-Muslims, you find individuals you like in both groups.</em><br /><br /><br />Stage 5: Synergetic Articulation and Awareness <br />Description: <br />Characterized by a sense of self fulfillment with regard to racial identity, confident and secure<br />Desire to eliminate all forms of oppression<br />High level of positive regard toward self and toward one's group<br />Respect and appreciation for other racial/cultural groups<br />Openness to constructive elements of the dominant culture<br /><em>-This is the final stage... But it doesn't mean you can't go back to an earlier stage again later. Maybe you have a great experience and reach this for a short time... Maybe you are super-cool and you feel like this all the time. This is where you finally peel back all the layers of your original cultural identity and glean things you find useful from the "cultural Muslims". Now you can focus on the religion without getting caught in all the cultural aspects, internal and external.<br /> </em>UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-24820201008053678332010-01-01T00:12:00.005-07:002010-01-01T01:19:32.337-07:00New ideas around our house...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI3K7qJT7n5Sqf-rZwZA3Q4hh3K0QVMhzzb8IHyp11cOztue-19EglDHnjPYon1aUDA3cE9bjXg1pi0ZA_Nj4xQALaZRIeKpywPQohUZNNV689EvCI1SjsrUTJYz-z-VNumBX7/s1600-h/12-09+074.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI3K7qJT7n5Sqf-rZwZA3Q4hh3K0QVMhzzb8IHyp11cOztue-19EglDHnjPYon1aUDA3cE9bjXg1pi0ZA_Nj4xQALaZRIeKpywPQohUZNNV689EvCI1SjsrUTJYz-z-VNumBX7/s320/12-09+074.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421666373460261186" /></a><br />I have been reading my notebook from the Waldorf seminar I went to (Lifeways) and I have been inspired to make some changes around my home. One of the articles that really struck me was about wearing aprons. Now, I know, it sounds silly... But I have been wearing the apron I made that you see pictured above, and I think my attitude changes. You have a uniform, and like any uniform it helps you get your head in the game. I have long heard programs about getting organised and extolling the virtues of getting up and getting dressed every day. Don't hang around in your PJs and expect to get things done. In my mind the apron takes it to another level. Now you are dressed and ready for a very specific job, nurturing your family. So in my epic struggle to be a better mom, wife and homemaker... I will count the apron as a small step in the right direction.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzEbU3-K-TvlwZiB1iNHCPehYzPNLwQnZ-Stja5QuBm0kYme0ehgIAa8hV2nA9cs355I5x1Uf_EyGfsKYICRZHYOeBbBO41gyAUvVus3qhemDmfuO319G4E36eDGd2M4GKmcD/s1600-h/12-09+073.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzEbU3-K-TvlwZiB1iNHCPehYzPNLwQnZ-Stja5QuBm0kYme0ehgIAa8hV2nA9cs355I5x1Uf_EyGfsKYICRZHYOeBbBO41gyAUvVus3qhemDmfuO319G4E36eDGd2M4GKmcD/s320/12-09+073.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421666382375920466" /></a> <br />The other thing I have been trying to do is get more whole foods into my children's diet. DH has his tastes... So it's hard to do in my family because he won't eat it. Once again at the Lifeways training I had the opportunity to learn about a great way to get more whole grains and veggies into your lunch menu. Enter the new permanent resident in my kitchen, the rice cooker. I have been using it to cook different grains and then I saute some veggies and mix them in... Lunch is served. The good thing about it is that it's quick. In maybe 20 minutes prep time I have a nice lunch ready. This week... Rice with onion, zucchini and tomato. Millet with onion, sweet potato and spinach. Quinoa with onion, cucumber and tomato. All by cooking the grain with 1 cup grain to 2 1/2 cups water and then sauteing the veggies and tossing them in once the grain has finished cooking. It's a revelation! Whole grains without the fuss... And I haven't ever been big on lunch meats or chicken nuggets, so this is perfect for lunch. I'm planning on sending the kids to school with it next week!<br /><br />So there you go... We have had a fun winter break, and I have gotten some things done around the house that I have been meaning to get to for a long time, which feels great. I have purged the kids rooms. I am down to a much simpler environment for them. I kept a kitchen and a wooden dollhouse plus two cloth dolls for the 3 year old. And the boys have legos and some army toys. My older girl has a couple of stuffed animals and her art supplies. And collectively they share a dress up chest. I have told myself no more mediocre toys that just become clutter from now on. If it doesn't foster creative play, why would I buy it? It's a work in progress. I want to make their beds nicer, and maybe rearrange their desks... But it's getting there! <br /><br />We have been making things too. Felt balls and tie dyed shirts. Both were fun projects. Although I hate working with gloves, so my hands are still green from the dye!LOL There is a great tutorial on making felt balls (although I do it a little differently) at www.crunchyparent.com. And for tie dye I recommend checking out www.dharmatrading.com for anything and everything you need.<br /><br />I hope the new year is good for everyone... Talk to you all again soon!UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-18878323078140683502009-12-24T14:03:00.001-07:002009-12-24T14:04:38.390-07:00<embed wmode="opaque" src="http://static.ning.com/socialnetworkmain/widgets/index/swf/badge.swf?v=200912171415" FlashVars="backgroundColor=0xFFFFFF&textColor=0xA864A9&config=http%3A%2F%2Fummlaylasbookshelf.ning.com%2Fmain%2Fbadge%2FshowPlayerConfig%3Fxg_source%3Dbadge%26size%3Dlarge%26username%3D204yhqp7l8u0z" width="206" height="242" bgColor="#FFFFFF" scale="noscale" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"> </embed><br /><small><a href="http://ummlaylasbookshelf.ning.com">Visit <em>UmmLayla's Bookshelf</em></a></small><br /><br /><br />Please join my book group if you like to read. It's basically an online book club, check it out!UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-48082138533484920272009-11-30T12:02:00.003-07:002009-11-30T12:18:06.807-07:00My nano wrap up post<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_upBwS6IeS_LeJ15ljQVA-JpgisGCQtP7gm2N_-xQf0rJZtwwlfTc-Uyal2lSowhXHdOWgXTwowCrX7ZDHKN2MJta0mwdWnep9mDXyktTR_FrZfL7L4jFvD3tgh-c1zDN5Th/s1600/nano_09_winner_120x240.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_upBwS6IeS_LeJ15ljQVA-JpgisGCQtP7gm2N_-xQf0rJZtwwlfTc-Uyal2lSowhXHdOWgXTwowCrX7ZDHKN2MJta0mwdWnep9mDXyktTR_FrZfL7L4jFvD3tgh-c1zDN5Th/s320/nano_09_winner_120x240.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409974478736319202" /></a><br /><br />So nanowrimo is officially over, and I am still writing as of noon on the 30th, but have already validated. I am planning on finishing and re-doing the word count once I get to the actual end of the novel... Which I'm thinking needs another 3k or so words. I have learned many things in this month... Such as: the more you write the easier it is... I can actually find something to write 2000 words about every day... and the most shocking of all, DH is very supportive of my writing. You have to know DH and his snarky nature to know that he would tell me if he thought I was just a silly woman writing a silly book. He actually likes the story and has been great about pushing me to go write when I am behind on my word-count, masha'Allah. Whoda thunk it?<br /><br />So here is my official synopsis and excerpt from the nano page on my novel:<br /><br /><strong>Goodbye Yellow Brick Road</strong><br /><strong>Synopsis:</strong> <br /><br />An American Muslim working as a teacher in an Islamic school and raising her three children is confounded when her husband's trip home to Cairo pushes her head-first into a plural marriage. Her engineer husband is as surprised as she is by this development, but a strong connection with his new neighbor in Cairo makes him take this path. The second wife is of an age where she has given up on getting married and in spite of reservations about becoming a second wife she accepts and enters into this new family.<br /><br />They soon enter into a strange domestic dance that involves rivalry, pain, betrayal and eventually friendship.<br /><br /><strong>Excerpt:</strong><br /><br />My body must weigh 1000 pounds. I can’t get up, I can’t speak. The cat jumps onto the couch and lays on my yarn, I just leave her. I want to cry, I want to scream, I want to rip his balls off. But wait, wait. Is Kareema confused? Is she reading into this situation? Of course. She would never make that call unless she was sure. Unless he had talked to her about it specifically. Of course he talked to her about it specifically. Shit.<br /><br />“Kids, just get ready for bed and go to your rooms when the movie is over, OK?” I say, and I rush upstairs to my room. Once I get there I’m not even sure if I should be angry or upset. I start crying, those horrible hiccuping sobs that catch in your throat and make your chest hurt. I feel like I am going to explode. What an asshole. The first time we are apart for more than a week and he does this? I knew he believed in polygyny, but actually marrying again? I guess he's lucky he’s across the ocean right now because if he was in the room I’d hit him square in the face.<br /><br />I try to breathe deeply. I try to control the sobbing. The feeling that I’m too heavy is still there. And when I close my eyes it's like I’m on a tilt-a-whirl. Puking is a real possibility. So is setting his belongings on fire. Maybe changing the locks and sending him divorce papers via Fed-Ex. You see Muslim women don’t delude themselves about sister-wife, one big happy in the celestial kingdom… Polygyny is a man’s right and a woman’s test. In my estimation it’s also a mans test because there is such an emphasis on fairness with your wives, but that‘s another subject. And leave it to an engineer to be confident that he can do the math on fairness in marriage.<br /><br />Now what am I supposed to do? Call him and get it over with, wait for him to call me, never speak to him again. All these seem like arguable options at this point. I take a few Tums from the dresser and chew them angrily. I need to take the day off tomorrow, does “just found out my husband is marrying again” fall under the family and medical leave act? I sure hope so.UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-54975330533737303682009-11-22T07:55:00.002-07:002009-11-22T08:15:48.064-07:00And I thought I had no traditions!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFF5pYLTZrOJ2xaeP4i9nDshDed5DQtayg_0SAUzXtv8ywC8tI2pS0dW7W9lOgj7TmMc9sJ3arPq6jllYAgToOy9fn-tZVHq-IwELxh05EWvJlZInQPOnaj0XL6h8M0242hFyy/s1600/50shousewife.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFF5pYLTZrOJ2xaeP4i9nDshDed5DQtayg_0SAUzXtv8ywC8tI2pS0dW7W9lOgj7TmMc9sJ3arPq6jllYAgToOy9fn-tZVHq-IwELxh05EWvJlZInQPOnaj0XL6h8M0242hFyy/s320/50shousewife.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406946955825598898" /></a><br />With Eid coming up it has occurred to me that I can stop complaining because I DO have Eid traditions even though I think I don't. Here they are in all thier glory:<br /><br />1) The Eid "argument with my SIL about Eid activities" where I discuss the merits of "Amazing Jake's" as an appropriate Eid activity. You see, I came from a warm family time and holiday dinners background and an indoor amusement park just doesn't scream holidays to me... Not to mention it's EXPENSIVE when you have 4 kids.<br /><br />2) The traditional "Denver or Laramie debate" where we decide whether or not to drive three hours to Colorado and when.<br /><br />3) The ever enjoyable "rush to do all the laundry and clean the house" which is an international tradition enjoyed by all Muslimahs before Eid.<br /><br />4) The traditional "What will the kids wear for Eid?" which usually means DH promising we will go to Ft Collins to shop until it is too late to do an internet order and I have to figure something out with what I already have as far as clothes.<br /><br />5) My Eid "plan to cook more than humanly possible under the circumstances" where I make a menu that would require three of me to make and then shop for it, resulting in an overrun fridge and only part of my menu getting cooked.<br /><br />6) The "get off your ass and get dressed for the Eid prayer" where I try to prod my DH who works nights and is usually just drifting off at that time to get dressed, shower and attend the Eid prayer with the family. I usually lose this battle and just end up making myself late.<br /><br />So you see, I do have traditions! And I'm sure that just brushes the surface of the traditions I actually have! Ahhh, fun times my dears, fun times!UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-71242965340971281822009-10-28T16:43:00.002-06:002009-10-30T13:22:35.333-06:00I am sooooo EXCITED!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NzdxPA_P5c6mio_rky4mRV37ojUVjM5qzh21uOJfzBEpn30O8spoEa-YV3WaCW9CpH-IRbr92z5C89ZVrBV8Nu3ua-eeNa6nccWuvrU1i6rUui0nCPF5BpQ3F8tfquaBZz7o/s1600-h/922453a09da0e6cf77616110_L.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397785497940428786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 206px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NzdxPA_P5c6mio_rky4mRV37ojUVjM5qzh21uOJfzBEpn30O8spoEa-YV3WaCW9CpH-IRbr92z5C89ZVrBV8Nu3ua-eeNa6nccWuvrU1i6rUui0nCPF5BpQ3F8tfquaBZz7o/s320/922453a09da0e6cf77616110_L.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />How psyched am I to know that for a week I will get to go to a Waldorf childcare seminar with the author of the above book, which I read when Layla was a baby! It's part of a program called Lifeways... And if you are interested in Waldorf for young children you should check them out. <a href="http://www.lifewaysnorthamerica.org/">http://www.lifewaysnorthamerica.org/</a> I got the curriculum for the Lifeways course I am enrolling in and I am just so excited to learn more and hear ideas from people doing what I hope to do with my program! I can't wait! The big debate right now is how staying in Boulder during the program is going to look. I don't know if I will be there and DH will stay here with the kids or if we will all go and DH will hang out with the kids during the seminar. Anyway, however it works out I am so happy to have found this at such a perfect time, alhamdulilah. I feel like I've been blessed with this preschool idea... Every time I start to struggle something comes along that eases the burden. I feel like this will give me some real perspective on accomplishing my goals with my program.UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-41844606949352811562009-10-26T14:08:00.002-06:002009-10-26T14:30:13.995-06:00Writing and other stuff...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8N6-RRyvxMglEVkraKJ_wfjn4NMbWYI-riK2b2SXpSGfjcvZkX6EH-9fd0eCET6ARpt1m8vRN8ylL_Y-fOe22iajkNiyvYWej1QEX5ZvYnXzhwC3gVQYZHy60zoy_5EKM-e_X/s1600-h/nano_09_blk_participant_120x240_png.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8N6-RRyvxMglEVkraKJ_wfjn4NMbWYI-riK2b2SXpSGfjcvZkX6EH-9fd0eCET6ARpt1m8vRN8ylL_Y-fOe22iajkNiyvYWej1QEX5ZvYnXzhwC3gVQYZHy60zoy_5EKM-e_X/s320/nano_09_blk_participant_120x240_png.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397003630677477474" /></a><br />If you follow me on Twitter or friend me on facebook you already know that my current obsession is Nanowrimo. I have started outlining my plot and am chomping at the bit to get writing. <br /><br />The daycare is coming along and in prep for going back to work I am trying to get the house under control. I said trying, not succeeding. One of my brainstorms was to have the kids each have only one dish (a big shallow bowl) and they are to was it and eat out of it all day. I got the dishes and wrote names on the sides and showed the kids to wash them. Only to find my sink clogged with cereal since the 6yo forgot the throw your food in the trash can part. So much for saving time in the kitchen!LOL Seriously, I think once they get used to it it will be helpful.<br /><br />I am also researching Waldorf schools and was happy to find someone running a preschool in Boulder that I can visit sometime, insha'Allah. I also think I will enroll in a national program for Waldorf educators that I found. It takes about a year, and I think it would be worth it. <br /><br />We are down to the final things in the daycare, and my yard is my current project. We have a cedar play-set and I am looking into using landscaping elements to make a "natural" playground. Hype and craziness aside... It's a cool idea. I like the way you can use hills and tree stumps to make play areas, and I think the simple natural look is what I need with the Waldorf inspired curriculum. I am looking into having rabbit hutches in the yard too. I would love to have chickens, but apparently birds in general carry disease and are to be nowhere in the vicinity. I hope to work around that, but for now bunnies are fine.<br /><br />Other than that???? Well the usual. I have thoughts, I'd love to talk about Mubarak and setting up his son for the presidency (if you can call it that still)... I am fighting a 3 million dollar daycare being built by a local millionaire with state money (like he couldn't pay for it himself)... And of course I am struggling to keep my sanity with 4 kids (5 if you include my DH).<br /><br />So I hope to see some of you out there doing nanowrimo. If you are my name is ummlayla, make me your writing buddy!UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-36831853727944927692009-10-12T16:11:00.004-06:002009-10-13T23:47:16.137-06:00I still love my blog...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAezz4tOzUY1Bjsj2gtcv8L0RleDpRJNPb1FIWBAVtNDbempQlSiVdJKXePyCJg1WCzhZcM0oYzKaaElUFzsJzIMQYC6DPSTO50AlOy8GGeCQQroWwpVYEbcxMkXEBvUlyo0Y/s1600-h/pug9.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAezz4tOzUY1Bjsj2gtcv8L0RleDpRJNPb1FIWBAVtNDbempQlSiVdJKXePyCJg1WCzhZcM0oYzKaaElUFzsJzIMQYC6DPSTO50AlOy8GGeCQQroWwpVYEbcxMkXEBvUlyo0Y/s320/pug9.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392327495004532546" /></a><br />I have been neglecting the whole blogging scene due to lack of time. I try to read the blogs I love and comment... But sometimes I just don't have time! WAHHH! So I am neglecting my poor little blog it seems. <br /><br />What's going on with me and mine lately... All 6 of us apparently have Type A influenza, which means most likely the dreaded H1N1 virus. It hasn't been that bad really, masha'Allah. It does mean that the kids are taking a week off school and we are all under voluntary house arrest. I did some online shopping, we made chicken soup and beef broth and ate it with rice and boiled potatoes almost every day!LOL <br /><br />Also, the construction for the daycare is really progressing now. Insha'Allah we are only a month away from opening. Of course you just never know and we aren't committed to a date yet. <br /><br />I am still working on the podcast. I have been trying to get a good take which doesn't seem to be happening. I am sleepy if I get up and try to do it before anyone wakes up and then if I try to do it in the afternoon or evening someone always bugs me. I will get it up eventually!LOL<br /><br />I have been twittering away. I think I'm addicted!LOL I like it because interesting things come up in a compact format. Just sound bites that lead to more thought on the subject. I follow some authors and I love how ordinary their tweets are... It makes me feel like they aren't so high above really, anyone can write.<br /><br />Speaking of which, I hope someone out there will join me in <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">National Novel Writing Month</a> this November. I did the novel in the month thing once before and had fun with it. I think doing it in November will be even better, insha'Allah. Drop me a comment if you are at all interested, maybe if you are hedging I can talk you into it!LOL The whole idea of doing it in November is the working together. <br /><br />On the creative front... I have many many UFO's (unfinished objects for those of you who don't speak craftinese) that I keep promising to work on. One of the cool things about having four kids is that sometimes if the intended recipient outgrows something before it's finished I can give it to the next kiddo. Oh, come on crafters out there don't act like you never had a sweater on the needles in a size four when your kid was a size six, I know your secrets!LOL I also plan to make some skirts for my 3yo, she likes these girly girl things and I saw a little tutu inspired skirt on the Hanna Andersson site that just begged me to copy it. Also, I want to make some sweaters that are messed up into little wool leggings and skirts, insha'Allah. toddler clothes are quick and fun, and they can't complain about not liking something *insert evil laugh here*.<br /><br />So if anyone is still with me, I miss you all *sniff, sniff*. I will blog more as we settle into a routine with all the school and swimming and violin and what-not. And of course once things settle with the daycare. Oh, and if anyone knows the blogger American Muslim Writer please keep her in your dua... Her last post suggested that she is going through a tough time and she hasn't posted since. I'm worried about her.<br /><br />Salams!UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-54986910396791818232009-09-16T21:44:00.006-06:002009-09-17T23:20:45.155-06:00Internet Narcs, here's something new for you...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRDPo1GDMstvFW05IZnoEj3ot7IcuZ49ZxVlfg9LTpVs3EdnWd2F9Mgp9ZWl59kCbvigrTfdRqQCsbzfY24URZRvnzOLwpd18d2Ojc4RuAuW2LYj_yY7KVSBGIj1eGrruieuO/s1600-h/troll_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 291px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRDPo1GDMstvFW05IZnoEj3ot7IcuZ49ZxVlfg9LTpVs3EdnWd2F9Mgp9ZWl59kCbvigrTfdRqQCsbzfY24URZRvnzOLwpd18d2Ojc4RuAuW2LYj_yY7KVSBGIj1eGrruieuO/s320/troll_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382672749716059138" /></a><br />Anyone who is a veteran internet user has been found by some relative, acquaintance, co-worker, whatever that feels they now have the "dirt" on you. Of course this type of person is not usually motivated by good. They are looking for the things to say about you to your spouse, the community, your employer... And they will stretch and fabricate to suit their purpose. To me they are like a real life internet troll. They have the same goal, to stat a conflict and get attention.<br /><br />I imagine that it is partly because of this that blogs go private, stay general, and basically avoid inflammatory personal stories most of the time. I'm sure that there are other issues (nasty commenters and internet stalkers) but I think this one hits home for me more than the others. There are a few brave soles that share in spite of this, and whenever I read them I am thinking of what they must go through. You see, nasty commenters are just haters, and they are attacking Islam or whatever aspect of my writing as an idea. Even when they get personal, it's not personal because they don't know me. <br /><br />The more devious internet troll that I call an internet narc does know me, and is into my business not in the comments section but in real life. This is not just annoying, it's fitna. I for one don't understand it. What can you gain from this? I guess only the sick satisfaction of making sure someone else has problems in their life too. <br /><br />And in spite of this I am throwing a new bone to the internet trolls out there, a podcast. I have been messing with it, downloading software, setting up hosting... It's called "The Muslimah Next Door". Maybe you've read my ramblings about a book for converts??? A kinda practical guide to Islam? The podcast is a branch from that tree, and of course you might imagine that I love to talk so I'm a natural for podcasting. Hmmm, that sounds arrogant... I just mean I can fill 30 minutes no problem and hopefully a few of them are intelligent and useful!LOL Insha'Allah I will get it all figured out by the end of the week. Look for it on the sidebar. And all you internet narcs, go ahead and dissect if you would like. Repeat things out of context, twist meanings... I'm having so much fun doing it that I just don't care! **insert evil laugh here**UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-61919892154873017262009-08-25T18:33:00.004-06:002009-08-25T23:32:35.392-06:00Ramadan blessings...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwlIi5gE4iBIh_rFUDvHzWeAMc7UFkFrVcEWEHyE1v2bQHBrOq8jVyZthFRhjTSl-5Q1jX8x2ULYvVsbJZWbNsCWNti1kOA0Pu2UOcot1eYDS8ip6xc_nYeBtYgXFVP4RDswV/s1600-h/card9.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwlIi5gE4iBIh_rFUDvHzWeAMc7UFkFrVcEWEHyE1v2bQHBrOq8jVyZthFRhjTSl-5Q1jX8x2ULYvVsbJZWbNsCWNti1kOA0Pu2UOcot1eYDS8ip6xc_nYeBtYgXFVP4RDswV/s320/card9.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374138923593217090" /></a><br />Ramadan is full of mixed feelings for me, and I have been trying to write a post about that for a few days now. It just doesn't seem to be coming together. Maybe I'm just clouded by low blood sugar or something. If you are wondering about the picture... That is what I am focusing on this Ramadan. Trusting Allah. Trusting that all the things I am experiencing are part of my fate, Trusting that I have to do what is right and everything else will come, trusting that if He handed me a challenge I can meet it. Anyway, Ramadan and me...<br /><br />The good part, is pretty simple. I feel closer to the religion, I am reminded all day of the importance of Allah in my life, and my husband and I share meals together on a regular basis (something our schedules don't always allow us to do). <br /><br />Then there is the down side... I feel more isolated than usual because I know people everywhere are sharing iftar invitations and going to the mosque. And these are things that we just don't do. So there will come a time in the month when I will feel really sad about that. I will remember how much I enjoy cooking for a party, how much I would love to go to the masjid and pray a peaceful taraweh.<br /><br />Realistically, I know I'm not the only person in this situation. I know the hadith about being strangers, the one about holding onto the deen being like holding onto a hot coal. And I still feel a little sad sometimes. I am an extrovert. People around me do matter. Things around me do matter. Although I'm not weak, and I will hold my beliefs even if they are different than those around me... But I do feed off of the rare person who sees things as I do. And right now, those people are a phone call or an online chat rather than a physical presence. And that's hard.<br /><br />I'm not just crying into my latte here. I'm hoping that if you are like me and you are reading this... Don't let it get to you. Do something fun, something memorable for your kids... Even if you are all alone in your celebration. You have to build your own memories, start your own traditions. You are shooting without a script. It's hard, but you chose this path. And you wouldn't be on it if you didn't believe it was the better way. Most of all, remember that you are not alone. Somewhere out there is someone like me, doing the exact same thing as you... And in my heart I am with you. And I will remember that all of you are with me even if we live hundreds of miles apart. <br /><br />So I am making dua for all of you. Kiss your kids for me. Buy your spouse something special to wear to the Eid prayer. Feed that elderly neighbor a share of your iftar (even though they are not Muslim). Hang some lights around your house. And remember you are not alone. <br /><br />Happy Ramadan friends, I hope this is a time of prayer and reflection for all of you wherever you are in the world.UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-68057365688667705742009-08-06T14:59:00.004-06:002009-08-06T15:54:32.833-06:00I heart this easy bread thing...I bought the book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day maybe 4 months ago... And I have been really enjoying it. One thing that has been a challenge is finding a large container that I can use to mix and store the dough in. I found this at Sam's yesterday:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDZyyn8_AZSGjlTKUjMOm1cIM0rFn6o1TAxBW4sTAxc9h9igAZIeOquqOpsOvzSWRAghHrtvUyPxjeUrYOT4aAWUFXoqE43i5Q0UVqXfMK80czPsBdS5v5a5beWIJSlEVhY3R/s1600-h/august2009+007.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDZyyn8_AZSGjlTKUjMOm1cIM0rFn6o1TAxBW4sTAxc9h9igAZIeOquqOpsOvzSWRAghHrtvUyPxjeUrYOT4aAWUFXoqE43i5Q0UVqXfMK80czPsBdS5v5a5beWIJSlEVhY3R/s320/august2009+007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366959445172853410" /></a><br /><br />It's 6 quarts and if you can't see there are three of them. That means that I can have a loaf pan dough, a sweet dough and a basic dough and just refill as needed. I like mixing in the same container I store in and before that was impossible because I was storing in a casserole type tupperware. I am also moving a little half fridge that DH had at work to the basement so I can store the bread dough without eating up all my fridge space. Here is one with the dough just mixed in it (plenty of room to rise):<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49p7HXgngnKOsoldDtQsIsUeO9LsTYVYXPQZGJ-ay1_pIfHwcHACCVm7T8QpHfcpH7fo87aFAFSrxrDRY-oBSGI1nQ03KceROqoU8leKQ4yh7jxjHNuB-gvUjwtEpmPDW6_uN/s1600-h/august2009+008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49p7HXgngnKOsoldDtQsIsUeO9LsTYVYXPQZGJ-ay1_pIfHwcHACCVm7T8QpHfcpH7fo87aFAFSrxrDRY-oBSGI1nQ03KceROqoU8leKQ4yh7jxjHNuB-gvUjwtEpmPDW6_uN/s320/august2009+008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366962665462601794" /></a><br /><br />If you have not tried this method and you definitely should. I don't know why I was making it so much harder than it had to be all this time. You really can make bread in only five minutes a day. It's so nice!!! There is nothing like fresh baked bread, it just smells so wonderful and tastes so good!!! Next to nice fresh laundry smell there is nothing more comforting to me than fresh bread throughout the house. <br /><br />Does this mean that my bread-making has reached the level of obsessive? **wink** MMMM, no one is complaining yet!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEat8RPFl9TXY4Pl3TnhtaX05HDeigikCGfqV0RNx73729mf8-WIhz5-IbE-KOHCcLoKJTh6iwACChjn-oiCpoD2-jijqgHQJyvtrnRDtAQKvt0aFAhs_OxMnbnzQmFJz2LhSV/s1600-h/001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEat8RPFl9TXY4Pl3TnhtaX05HDeigikCGfqV0RNx73729mf8-WIhz5-IbE-KOHCcLoKJTh6iwACChjn-oiCpoD2-jijqgHQJyvtrnRDtAQKvt0aFAhs_OxMnbnzQmFJz2LhSV/s320/001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366972195664516754" /></a>UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-10683091870784354602009-07-20T13:30:00.005-06:002009-07-20T15:12:08.106-06:00Taking a bite out of history<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjossNcsKoHq4QAw4DfAutWIBOxpi2JRy5Y2mbMPuygIvw5YmAtnN3690K8T0r4F-r_Cr0xCtWw6uTnjPa17Avk6vpI2E9KOto7mmDZuntKzTn2dNG9083YVtknebORIoZwN3SU/s1600-h/wood-cook-stove4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjossNcsKoHq4QAw4DfAutWIBOxpi2JRy5Y2mbMPuygIvw5YmAtnN3690K8T0r4F-r_Cr0xCtWw6uTnjPa17Avk6vpI2E9KOto7mmDZuntKzTn2dNG9083YVtknebORIoZwN3SU/s320/wood-cook-stove4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360630166359435666" /></a><br /><br />One of the stranger things that I like to do is cook things in a traditional manner. What I mean is historical recipes that might use techniques and ingredients we would now find tiresome and antiquated. This extends to other areas such as clothing, making household items and so on. I find it to be interesting and more importantly it's a way to really get in touch with history. I personally am more interested in the way things were for the average person than I am in big events. It gives you a sense of how things have changed and an appreciation for how people of that period felt about the big events... In short it gives you perspective.<br /><br />So, when I read my kids Little House on the Prairie I got this book:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5W5NX3f0LWloEslNFN1iKVxGhJ6ovnjCDlFyS5JxKZfj7hGNNHGT7pBx95RB71P9fIBD9FVt5irrPpGBDe6h-zOBFSMej_dltJMEZNclk_RyqYB9z94qVBjTCi6a2hzi6EW0I/s1600-h/51G4SBT5KBL__SS500_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5W5NX3f0LWloEslNFN1iKVxGhJ6ovnjCDlFyS5JxKZfj7hGNNHGT7pBx95RB71P9fIBD9FVt5irrPpGBDe6h-zOBFSMej_dltJMEZNclk_RyqYB9z94qVBjTCi6a2hzi6EW0I/s320/51G4SBT5KBL__SS500_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360632611260501346" /></a><br />And when I could I cooked what we were reading about. Some things I ended up liking and I do them seasonally now. Crab-apple jelly for instance. But we don't always like them. Well, to be honest our processed food taste means we often will find these simpler foods strange and we won't like them. But, it is fun to try them anyway and really get a sense of what life was like for the people making them. <br /><br />I also like quilting using the more traditional patterns and methods. I have even pieced by hand, and it turned out pretty nice. And you may know that I like knitting, and crochet... I have even tried my hand at tatting (making lace), but I never caught on!LOL<br /><br />So, I'm sure someday I will find my way to a volunteer job at a living history museum... Maybe I'll be one of those crazy volunteers you see on PBS or TLC when they challenge people to live like people in a given period of history. I would love it!!!LOL But for now I'm off to make a recipe from the book I got at the Living History Farm in Iowa... Maybe brown bread in a coffee can???UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-54045793486332912132009-07-12T21:28:00.011-06:002009-07-12T22:23:05.189-06:002009 Ramadan Craft (gift box)I like to do a craft every year and post a tutorial for Ramadan. Last year I missed it, this year I wanted to be early so you can do one if you like the idea, insha'Allah. So here it is:<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357782011740451506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ab1Dplg_t00B6xYQXpZefgpLfDrNwjrxJGY4Afn7PAGIlXl9-Ske5Sh31ZwosmIbpMp7qYg_h-Uf2uQQJQnGMlHAsY3axLS2H-t7sUX1MBlLyxZs_npZFiyzXWCMvLgXHx4D/s320/100_0315.jpg" /> <p align="center">You will need:<br /></p><p align="center">Glue, paintbrush, paper mache or cardboard box, duct tape (craft colored type) and tissue paper.<br /><br /></p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9jSpdySVWhdVPhjVawPvRYhJqfjzCFhY_pKUEeXZ27eiIHZZq_fy8v2SVdx1XLUfU2ueOwuqjDnLEWsbqxIoy6Af5AKXQ9eTXuxaBKLF_mYzGPwr5WXjRDdmOHuDRfpED_F1/s1600-h/100_0316.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357782019772657298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9jSpdySVWhdVPhjVawPvRYhJqfjzCFhY_pKUEeXZ27eiIHZZq_fy8v2SVdx1XLUfU2ueOwuqjDnLEWsbqxIoy6Af5AKXQ9eTXuxaBKLF_mYzGPwr5WXjRDdmOHuDRfpED_F1/s320/100_0316.jpg" /></a>First, mix your glue with an equal amount of hot water to thin it out.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTT0cpQkwUBAWdlvBHwoU7poKSZcGgPxNrE3VoShI4ofqh4WEyEo222oSS0mASqNWKLgXYJ8o45E9TBjDDziEoBbwqcCmS-uk6zHGih-ryNB6Wge9BXhSZ6jybX2WIhr66XHi/s1600-h/100_0317.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357787404716335858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTT0cpQkwUBAWdlvBHwoU7poKSZcGgPxNrE3VoShI4ofqh4WEyEo222oSS0mASqNWKLgXYJ8o45E9TBjDDziEoBbwqcCmS-uk6zHGih-ryNB6Wge9BXhSZ6jybX2WIhr66XHi/s320/100_0317.jpg" /></a> Then have some fun tearing the tissue paper into little squares (maybe 1 inch???).<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5MaZs5DsmmLI2kKCzI8cV9CI9uk7zDCRN-_URDcJ7OmHb5G6XfYe4mhTzWYx53k8P2QUyVgAaWTddos85Nh2b11A__-d9R1lko5D7V2FUE_onLyltHLPJcm5BrDw-STc1rdOF/s1600-h/100_0318.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357782031722353298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5MaZs5DsmmLI2kKCzI8cV9CI9uk7zDCRN-_URDcJ7OmHb5G6XfYe4mhTzWYx53k8P2QUyVgAaWTddos85Nh2b11A__-d9R1lko5D7V2FUE_onLyltHLPJcm5BrDw-STc1rdOF/s320/100_0318.jpg" /></a> <p></p>Then brush the glue onto the surface of your box.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31sBWYiy45xQqMKx7YFaMxdShbSMGXXXpzAv1eC1Zy58HiwSu_8TLCyO5kc9uPg16OwTk0uOSTefJbjw2pZ6WglJRt6DCAJLE3Xql4A8Y4I1wqG8MCO7o5mKM03Q9PZ_eudX2/s1600-h/100_0319.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357782049571300722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31sBWYiy45xQqMKx7YFaMxdShbSMGXXXpzAv1eC1Zy58HiwSu_8TLCyO5kc9uPg16OwTk0uOSTefJbjw2pZ6WglJRt6DCAJLE3Xql4A8Y4I1wqG8MCO7o5mKM03Q9PZ_eudX2/s320/100_0319.jpg" /></a> </div><p align="center">Now lay the tissue paper into the glue. Once you do the whole thing, give it a coat of the glue over the entire surface. You may want to do that part for the younger ones because the tissue paper can get too wet and move if you brush hard. Let it dry for a few hours after this step.<br /><br /></p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWio13fyUkhitWb0USeGbk1ODDJzu_XxI6S9mxZvbdjJKRNsdmt5bqPXJLEb0lsqSFNM8og8vBX0a7ml-tzFrACPR-obNPOKf-jUzN4CZXTA1QhMnIwa0E2iVT5yS09x2WUeSv/s1600-h/100_0321.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357783416370591282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWio13fyUkhitWb0USeGbk1ODDJzu_XxI6S9mxZvbdjJKRNsdmt5bqPXJLEb0lsqSFNM8og8vBX0a7ml-tzFrACPR-obNPOKf-jUzN4CZXTA1QhMnIwa0E2iVT5yS09x2WUeSv/s320/100_0321.jpg" /></a> Take your box and draw a template. Then use the size to create a design for the top of your box.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHb9h-4lYuVGQrtm_JvSzadAyXmqPzTFEKh87OkKixA9aqgiX1XJZRaIuN6tI_9cWdyw1RfYPRiNzBvudpzPdaT4aZHrG_oPc10Fwk4-oMJ4qtXEoTzREIzknoFF1aaOgXDCH/s1600-h/100_0323.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357783423908710338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHb9h-4lYuVGQrtm_JvSzadAyXmqPzTFEKh87OkKixA9aqgiX1XJZRaIuN6tI_9cWdyw1RfYPRiNzBvudpzPdaT4aZHrG_oPc10Fwk4-oMJ4qtXEoTzREIzknoFF1aaOgXDCH/s320/100_0323.jpg" /></a> Here you can see mine, a crescent and a star.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdRJQaPgZ1qsOwEHn5dl0kTMQZKwBV5YRvCzrxxkv0-hqZ7KtMB-jyDCJPkUqAc_RS9_0w7p_LO-YpFrN7QHj1fGpbtLdjtebm9t3ozs6HNDh2WmAvjNZ7XvfPoae-MkWULfS/s1600-h/100_0324.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357783881681050642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdRJQaPgZ1qsOwEHn5dl0kTMQZKwBV5YRvCzrxxkv0-hqZ7KtMB-jyDCJPkUqAc_RS9_0w7p_LO-YpFrN7QHj1fGpbtLdjtebm9t3ozs6HNDh2WmAvjNZ7XvfPoae-MkWULfS/s320/100_0324.jpg" /></a> Now take that design and cut it out of your gold foil (or whatever contrasting color you like). Then use your thin glue to paste it onto the lid and give it a little top coat when you are finished.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0rOpsxHGD0arCC5ZujiR0eskD6yUg7VB7u39Y5VQFPmuWan5trGrzk4VxPmjfM7olnWLnNJ9MfRI2TfOLSJcTfTJmugBsSTEjqKpbDEqjv-R5ckI8qjQcGytKdQozRbuP2S2/s1600-h/100_0325.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357783432415616882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0rOpsxHGD0arCC5ZujiR0eskD6yUg7VB7u39Y5VQFPmuWan5trGrzk4VxPmjfM7olnWLnNJ9MfRI2TfOLSJcTfTJmugBsSTEjqKpbDEqjv-R5ckI8qjQcGytKdQozRbuP2S2/s320/100_0325.jpg" /></a> Next, take the duct tape and cover the edge as shown.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4wXhUc-cMPIam5hy2ZmAwL40w-I6UuPRYMh5y7fLaabgVtDGyJ-9fvERItHEm2zrfHhlav0-wFnIz51FUgnf9XyEcd-w97drDd257xrCAQKmWP87PIs3rd8xL1ab9ZhKM8Sx/s1600-h/100_0326.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357783438833658690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4wXhUc-cMPIam5hy2ZmAwL40w-I6UuPRYMh5y7fLaabgVtDGyJ-9fvERItHEm2zrfHhlav0-wFnIz51FUgnf9XyEcd-w97drDd257xrCAQKmWP87PIs3rd8xL1ab9ZhKM8Sx/s320/100_0326.jpg" /></a> Fold the edges of the tape to cover the rim of the box. I did this to protect the decorative finish from the opening and closing of the lid.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRzi0nWt_eC3JcVmeuDY7uczpShNDsZtSHrkxuI7bx61IXHJflJ4Du8f2KyIePtOVr7EiH34a7QIlZvqaDswe3_aDQUN_IXUQ8sarZMuQIM7OkfqevpoHsqA_xgc6q14d7x6F/s1600-h/100_0327.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357783889370050322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRzi0nWt_eC3JcVmeuDY7uczpShNDsZtSHrkxuI7bx61IXHJflJ4Du8f2KyIePtOVr7EiH34a7QIlZvqaDswe3_aDQUN_IXUQ8sarZMuQIM7OkfqevpoHsqA_xgc6q14d7x6F/s320/100_0327.jpg" /></a> Repeat the process with the rim of the lid.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8khzlGwxkItxrI88CqHNyJXDbl6LVvYyaLLyyn8oaWHK_N8I2JjeInpIvLfTWOCw8vK0-8fAIBINr0_8soIn3euV-QlbhmB4FCufr4msC1UScDVrT22zpokC2hq8hFtzpjg08/s1600-h/100_0335.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357783912688258210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8khzlGwxkItxrI88CqHNyJXDbl6LVvYyaLLyyn8oaWHK_N8I2JjeInpIvLfTWOCw8vK0-8fAIBINr0_8soIn3euV-QlbhmB4FCufr4msC1UScDVrT22zpokC2hq8hFtzpjg08/s320/100_0335.jpg" /></a> On the inside lid paste a printed message explaining the box and its contents to the recipient. Mine says:</p><p align="center">"Right now Muslims all over the world are celebrating the month of Ramadan. You may know that it is a time of fasting from sunrise to sunset and a special chance for us to grow in our faith. What you may not know is that it is also a time for sharing food and company with our family and friends. Our family would like to share a small gift with you and we hope that you will enjoy it. These cookies are called kahk, and are a special treat shared by Egyptian families during the month of Ramadan.</p><p align="center">Peace and blessings to you and your loved ones."</p><p align="center"><br /><br /></p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_YZxiwiGWui8sU8d9HBFLZAFBxgzqS3N8Pimwo4G69pIrq_cjUOIvqwIposT2VKBGUhkkT2IsNrb-3oSR7Y3QopcXlS8rn-QaEqPoWE_LmDEXxqP2WsZkTkikdMFj238h5BC/s1600-h/100_0331.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357792968613866610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_YZxiwiGWui8sU8d9HBFLZAFBxgzqS3N8Pimwo4G69pIrq_cjUOIvqwIposT2VKBGUhkkT2IsNrb-3oSR7Y3QopcXlS8rn-QaEqPoWE_LmDEXxqP2WsZkTkikdMFj238h5BC/s320/100_0331.jpg" /></a>This is the finished box, and as you may have guessed by the inside of the lid we plan to use it as a container for cookies to be given to friends. Be sure to line the box with something if you fill it with food, oil from the food could damage it.</p><p align="center">UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-36839175162725111492009-07-05T10:19:00.002-06:002009-07-06T17:38:24.191-06:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigkWVWjdxR3by7JIHa9oX8ytszd2MFL1rh6KdY6wWm634mTc98ecrHvF92-LWv41xEbD-axm3zIR2EVPU_H4Ob-42P4g2ZzPFTJrgqcz8ATADpAwxySwxwCwMGj3m0oB09GSc/s1600-h/Welcome_To_Dearborn.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigkWVWjdxR3by7JIHa9oX8ytszd2MFL1rh6KdY6wWm634mTc98ecrHvF92-LWv41xEbD-axm3zIR2EVPU_H4Ob-42P4g2ZzPFTJrgqcz8ATADpAwxySwxwCwMGj3m0oB09GSc/s320/Welcome_To_Dearborn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355018581022466850" /></a><br />We are on the road right now. On an RV trip to be specific (which is another post entirely)and we made our way from WY to Niagra Falls and are now going back and hitting some things we wanted to see. I personally have always wanted to see what a city filled with Muslims would be like... So we made our way towards Dearborn, MI. We shopped, we ate and I marveled at the microchasm (no spell check right now so please forgive the spelling) of Islam in America.<br /><br />We have had trouble with the generator, discovered that RV parks cost more than bidding for hotels on Priceline and were shocked at the behavior of mass amounts of Arabs (they all park on the freeway to watch fireworks ya'll!!!)... And we had a good time.<br /><br />Niagra Falls was nice, but bring your passport because the Canadian side is the best.<br /><br />Check out The Henry Ford Museum if you are ever in Dearborn... I liked it, and even if DH says I like all museums (which is true) I swear this one was nice.<br /><br />We also checked out the living history farm near Des Moine, Iowa. The kids milked a cow, which of course happened around some live illustrations of farming in early America... But who's gonna remember that with all the cow milking???<br /><br />Anyway, that's where I am... We are headed home and will arrive Wednesday??? Insha'allah.UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-45127477627026973972009-06-08T09:31:00.004-06:002009-06-08T10:28:18.071-06:00Blog Carnival post on White Privilege... Very Late.<a href="http://sheerfluency.wordpress.com/2009/05/22/the-carnival-is-here-white-privilege-and-the-ummah/">This blog carnival</a> is one that I promised myself I would write for... Of course I am late so I hope the sister who is organising will accept my apology and my entry. It's a good topic, and being lily-white Muslimah I have thoughts on it!LOL<br /><br /><br /><strong>Craving the Spotlight</strong><br /><br />As a White Muslim you are a BIG DEAL. You are a superstar at Muslim gatherings. And unless you are painfully shy you will eventually start to love it, NEED it. No, really. Everyone will ask you how you converted and tell you how wonderful you are. You learn masha'Allah and think maybe it means something like "Look, there goes the only American smart enough to convert to Islam." The entire community is ready to marry you off if you happen to be single. <br /><br />Then the reality of your new life starts to set in. When you peel back the thin veneer of this "welcome" you will find that you are an outsider. You will see all too clearly that the praise only keeps coming as long as you aren't challenging anyone. The minute you dare to contradict you will find out that born Muslims automatically assume you to be uneducated in matters of religion. And where a lesson or hint may be appreciated in the first months after you convert... The assumptions start to sting once you have been Muslim for a few years. They come from unexpected places. Even your spouse may pull the born Muslim card on you. So we are knocked off the pedestal the community put us on swiftly and unceremoniously. And we fall hard.<br /><br />Here we were thinking that we were trading one community for another. We tolerated the looks that the old ladies at the grocery shot us because we knew the Muslims understood us. The Muslims were proud of us. The Muslims thought we were smart. Well, maybe they did anyway. It's an unpleasant surprise to find out that everyone still thinks of you as a child even when you have been Muslim for years. There is also the matter of feeling like you have to fight the culture that people THINK is Islam all the time. And usually both these things are in play when you feel like the community just doesn't get you. The attention you learned to love, turns sour overnight. You realise that no one ever seeks more from you than your conversion story and you start to get tired of telling it.<br /><br />I have left more gatherings with tears than I care to remember. I NEVER feel like I fit in. The ideals of Islam and the truth about the Muslims of today are just so far apart. I don't think people dislike me, but I do think they are full of negative assumptions about me. I challenge these people who think they know so much to ask themselves how much direct knowledge from learned people do they have? You can't just assume that because you have been following your cultures "Muslim" version of life for years you know all there is to know about the religion. Worse yet, you might be surprised at how much of what you think you know has NOTHING to do with Islam.<br /><br />So, here we white converts are in between a cultural rock and a religious hard place. We aren't American anymore because once you out yourself as Muslim by dress, actions or talk you don't really fit in with the other people from your cultural background anymore. At the same time, we will never be Egyptian, Arab, Pakistani, whatever... So we will never fit into the groups that the Muslim community divides itself into either. By choosing Islam we have chosen life as an outsider. <br /><br />So, yes... We have the admiration of the Muslim community. People will offer us jobs and spouses thinking we are just so great and wonderful. But they will never really accept us. So maybe we are privileged... And maybe not. I guess that depends on how you define it.UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-53070779428783368302009-06-03T22:09:00.002-06:002009-06-03T22:12:41.070-06:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVlP_HtShQeWCiUWs5Klbt3aBVENitUsJuFXMqy1T654YXk4dw5HcClShyphenhyphenPlCn94mfm-CcQ1k6QKMf1LBvjWBd3RAYUpWdRpF13l5QNYwHLLSZ6StsxWdSzrYvZC4OLpXbDTt/s1600-h/IMG00070.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVlP_HtShQeWCiUWs5Klbt3aBVENitUsJuFXMqy1T654YXk4dw5HcClShyphenhyphenPlCn94mfm-CcQ1k6QKMf1LBvjWBd3RAYUpWdRpF13l5QNYwHLLSZ6StsxWdSzrYvZC4OLpXbDTt/s320/IMG00070.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343319806425883362" /></a><br />This is where I grew up. So if you wonder why I just feel like a square peg in a round hole here in Wyoming... It's a far cry from Cairo, but I'm not going to claim that I understand for a second why my husband has adapted better than me!LOLUmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-14350324136909034412009-05-25T10:07:00.012-06:002009-05-25T11:05:35.472-06:00Children's LiteratureChildren's books are a great love of mine. And since <a href="http://muslimhippie.blogspot.com/">Muslim Hippie</a> did a post on her favorites, I thought I would share mine.<br /><br />First, and foremost...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzfUzFbS7CGOL5Z-qf0M9GXXied4qjpPNiKYYpKccJYdOExf_EIz1ALpmrOE5Afz1EB2pu_7ho_dyOA7zS_mYUiGiKJAQua6RvpmPtS0YA8zjrFmTqNSHAtv9rVVmFTKiIltO/s1600-h/wthta.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzfUzFbS7CGOL5Z-qf0M9GXXied4qjpPNiKYYpKccJYdOExf_EIz1ALpmrOE5Afz1EB2pu_7ho_dyOA7zS_mYUiGiKJAQua6RvpmPtS0YA8zjrFmTqNSHAtv9rVVmFTKiIltO/s320/wthta.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339801393974033106" /></a><br /><br />I also love...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfOAikuutG8ipcbebaZ81ggRB3W3wygWS68WJH1o0WdXm4CRIxyHZ8ggsQenFtSwdjddi0RToeF_W3U2faTDt779SA9wc0Ngw6bASd9PQaXvgj5Cagb1wShruZYHTl_DlPTKC/s1600-h/rainbowfishbook.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 314px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfOAikuutG8ipcbebaZ81ggRB3W3wygWS68WJH1o0WdXm4CRIxyHZ8ggsQenFtSwdjddi0RToeF_W3U2faTDt779SA9wc0Ngw6bASd9PQaXvgj5Cagb1wShruZYHTl_DlPTKC/s320/rainbowfishbook.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339802338126868722" /></a><br /><br />And...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDNVBpz5G9guabl0WA6bsVwNeWDDS7jWtbx_7DdIpdRIJAohjGRgk7ElXpSnuGao8pq1mE6LfV5UnbppwX8XFK2xR0eD8c_I7dFPR0zQpHDazocr9PL9iqNR-mx8I84pKV6sI/s1600-h/61RZ0B88ZHL__SL500_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 263px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDNVBpz5G9guabl0WA6bsVwNeWDDS7jWtbx_7DdIpdRIJAohjGRgk7ElXpSnuGao8pq1mE6LfV5UnbppwX8XFK2xR0eD8c_I7dFPR0zQpHDazocr9PL9iqNR-mx8I84pKV6sI/s320/61RZ0B88ZHL__SL500_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339803472050994002" /></a><br /><br />Of course you can't talk children's books without mentioning...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgec5Q105NEBv7OtSgAVNiUa7m_jcjKVKlmPvZO-rlkMkVrMP4QiEjryV6LSDzH6eMmKyj6GeFdtffhBVNzcVW0KFG8ThNQl2W2Kj9uF1Vk_VHfa9fYPBfASeF0daHIBqNGw8-s/s1600-h/cith.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgec5Q105NEBv7OtSgAVNiUa7m_jcjKVKlmPvZO-rlkMkVrMP4QiEjryV6LSDzH6eMmKyj6GeFdtffhBVNzcVW0KFG8ThNQl2W2Kj9uF1Vk_VHfa9fYPBfASeF0daHIBqNGw8-s/s320/cith.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339804085839515138" /></a><br /><br />And a new favorite around our house...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkb6-WKIP9hIQzdcMOI0eKp9wQtzZW0qwtCNQQ8SmanHZWL8ubAtotjTCfoaoBaV2Mt6Olpj2m9KjIDxuYnG-ltZuJrGxEnEjcAuaT-OEs-7k5a1hMBP3pHl4edCJKRbIzSgW/s1600-h/tpwap.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkb6-WKIP9hIQzdcMOI0eKp9wQtzZW0qwtCNQQ8SmanHZWL8ubAtotjTCfoaoBaV2Mt6Olpj2m9KjIDxuYnG-ltZuJrGxEnEjcAuaT-OEs-7k5a1hMBP3pHl4edCJKRbIzSgW/s320/tpwap.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339804924149547282" /></a><br /><br />And the whole series that started with...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5ZnY4JXSiWcrUqVkFURPofsIvbUWCLUsfiW38MCdNGWNNfSTl7PyWFGzpa7soA1VEv9Pwcbdj5hIoxrmlt_K6pNwUr_wXUy5Wjy8RssTUHVPyr4KBRVsnkDPTe3ZY3NctOgh/s1600-h/if_you_give_a_pig_a_pancake.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 287px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5ZnY4JXSiWcrUqVkFURPofsIvbUWCLUsfiW38MCdNGWNNfSTl7PyWFGzpa7soA1VEv9Pwcbdj5hIoxrmlt_K6pNwUr_wXUy5Wjy8RssTUHVPyr4KBRVsnkDPTe3ZY3NctOgh/s320/if_you_give_a_pig_a_pancake.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339805655232957554" /></a><br /><br />And I hope all children get to read a little of his work...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAjQ7oWvLrDog5P6lUT3lWystvTdONIIxqGOWu3FWEr5kvxJZbSTFvzI_qwJtDKsVcvl_PzOn5Bw6CLFzbsvwOL5_dm5CrCBcwtwMAZMeRwTAdDZZl0GThgIJEXszUvzDCnyM/s1600-h/RMF_Where%2520the%2520Sidewalk%2520Ends.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAjQ7oWvLrDog5P6lUT3lWystvTdONIIxqGOWu3FWEr5kvxJZbSTFvzI_qwJtDKsVcvl_PzOn5Bw6CLFzbsvwOL5_dm5CrCBcwtwMAZMeRwTAdDZZl0GThgIJEXszUvzDCnyM/s320/RMF_Where%2520the%2520Sidewalk%2520Ends.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339806190435237874" /></a><br /><br />And I have enjoyed reading his work to my kids...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7asLFWbS3AJkYG5W_U6CVTT3Kd355mKIlPlhEyopjLg4qv4F6YLcIZUemJmcrXJcNTnG5FhmUpN-NubHqCNl-wHiKseA2pY_U1tAhsrn89b75f4LRPDgS01Nf7OwHAjHoVV0m/s1600-h/Charlie%2520&%2520the%2520Chocolate%2520Factory.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7asLFWbS3AJkYG5W_U6CVTT3Kd355mKIlPlhEyopjLg4qv4F6YLcIZUemJmcrXJcNTnG5FhmUpN-NubHqCNl-wHiKseA2pY_U1tAhsrn89b75f4LRPDgS01Nf7OwHAjHoVV0m/s320/Charlie%2520&%2520the%2520Chocolate%2520Factory.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339807628515527794" /></a><br /><br />And even adults can laugh at...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vzzCDcGVJuwby6NBWVUJXGb-ARfLmeqYNZtR7KlOpLM86qHlR1o3xdXzXLfwAKrgzV2mS7_1rlnOtZgE2lFeQudStTqWy4IrEbLCUKdJAdGvurr8s9hFSqekOuYo86aobIc0/s1600-h/%257BFC5AC7F6-743E-4C0E-9AB3-91ACD7182BC4%257DImg100.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vzzCDcGVJuwby6NBWVUJXGb-ARfLmeqYNZtR7KlOpLM86qHlR1o3xdXzXLfwAKrgzV2mS7_1rlnOtZgE2lFeQudStTqWy4IrEbLCUKdJAdGvurr8s9hFSqekOuYo86aobIc0/s320/%257BFC5AC7F6-743E-4C0E-9AB3-91ACD7182BC4%257DImg100.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339808413288276402" /></a><br /><br />Of course I could go on and on... I love books, and I love children's books. Just wanted to share, maybe you would all share yours too!!! Let me know if you do.UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-20525930778606201172009-05-21T12:19:00.004-06:002009-05-21T13:05:21.479-06:00Calgon, take me away...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid84QlJeyfyryRkA1xifygt8qKjaLb6fjW23WJ-ufjDwI83-iVHSLc54_Vekot3bAr396f0Qbt0KkJflNA1cS6llyUhjSWaCz7HTEj8eK20guYE-xRfqP-_w_kfoBLzy58r6uL/s1600-h/2929473-Petal-bubble-bath-0.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid84QlJeyfyryRkA1xifygt8qKjaLb6fjW23WJ-ufjDwI83-iVHSLc54_Vekot3bAr396f0Qbt0KkJflNA1cS6llyUhjSWaCz7HTEj8eK20guYE-xRfqP-_w_kfoBLzy58r6uL/s320/2929473-Petal-bubble-bath-0.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338343858363000210" /></a><br />There are things that I miss about being single. Being able to take a bath undisturbed is DEFINATLY one of them. And I'm going to confess that since becoming Muslim I miss having a glass of wine while in said bath. What I wouldn't do for the bath pictured above and a nice glass of white wine. Now, don't go all crazy on me... I don't drink, and I know it's forbidden... But I do see the temptation of a three margarita play date every now and then!LOL Ohhhh, don't listen to me... I've had a long day already and it's only noon. :PUmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-17974366456311857732009-05-19T11:36:00.004-06:002009-05-19T12:40:30.479-06:00Summer homeschooling challenge #1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qBQ2Ovra7dEvkuSXhw_IPAVlMTTcItsKjZapv00CWPVbtujbGzPP2T35I65887qZxFRLNUhkPMFDhx25zfyl2bD33F36oPV7liz7n7y3OvGKQVAbZyPGH6C6nOVKKOsOQUuA/s1600-h/IMG00059.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qBQ2Ovra7dEvkuSXhw_IPAVlMTTcItsKjZapv00CWPVbtujbGzPP2T35I65887qZxFRLNUhkPMFDhx25zfyl2bD33F36oPV7liz7n7y3OvGKQVAbZyPGH6C6nOVKKOsOQUuA/s320/IMG00059.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337604520742034130" /></a><br />I am going to do a summer program at home for the kids this year. I have been planning it and the first hurdle is: Taking the above pictured mess (now a storage room) and making it into a classroom. It's going to be nice, insha'Allah... And that room needs to be cleared out anyway... But it's also going to be a pain in the butt!LOL My plan is to have school desks and a computer. I will also set up book shelves. Right now I am working on that room and searching for a math curriculum. I am also compiling a summer reading list and digging out the HSing books that have been in storage since we moved. I have enrolled in a few activities and need to print some wall calendars to start a master schedule. I'm excited, and I want to start on June 8th so I have some serious work to do.UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12634736.post-23075677983778195762009-05-14T16:01:00.003-06:002009-05-14T17:15:38.947-06:00I'm still here!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdzN4n8siPO1f5UWrkvGYULm4-7dJ1id0cuz3OrX_cD60Ogv5gmAJqam6kh_DDLKVFqCQ9y8aOtmB4WZcOUYkkFL8dyMVq4PbcSx4i5Cml2JjiqA5nnhvTgvUvJOaTK4LnrCw/s1600-h/sunset_over_the_nile.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdzN4n8siPO1f5UWrkvGYULm4-7dJ1id0cuz3OrX_cD60Ogv5gmAJqam6kh_DDLKVFqCQ9y8aOtmB4WZcOUYkkFL8dyMVq4PbcSx4i5Cml2JjiqA5nnhvTgvUvJOaTK4LnrCw/s320/sunset_over_the_nile.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335822194179546370" /></a><br />I haven't updated in awhile, so I will share with you a few things that I have been meaning to posts about.<br /><br />I am totally dreaming of going to <a href="http://www.deenintensive.com/rihla.htm">this event from Zaytuna Institute</a>. **big sigh** Anyone want to watch the kids for a week and loan me $1,600??? OK OK!!! Don't get mad, I was just asking!LOL<br /><br />My very sweet SIL from Egypt saved my behind from wardrobe hell by bringing me several wonderful summer shirts/ ensembles from Egypt. Some were ready right away, and a couple need hemming/alterations. Anyway, I have a great head start on my summer clothing. Alhamdulilah.<br /><br />I am going tomorrow afternoon to get a massage for the first time ever in my life. I have migraine headaches and in the interest of saving my liver from my overuse of migraine meds I am trying to find alternative ways to deal with my headaches. I will probably go to a chiropractor as well when I find one I like here in town. I'm hoping that the idea of having a strange person all up in my space won't undo any relaxing effect said massage might have.<br /><br />I got a new kitchen tool the other day, an onion dicer (I hate chopping onions)... And the clutz that I am I had it on the counter and was leaning forward over it trying to push the onion through the chopper, when it slipped and the end I was pushing on went down and the front went up launching the stupid thing into my forehead. So no, that's not a prayer mark... That's a BRUISE because I am too dippy to use a simple kitchen tool safely. Yeah, it's true. <br /><br />I got some great fabric on sale in Denver and I am planning to make myself some clothes. I also got a very groovy canvas tent pattern that I am going to make up for my kids and the daycare, insha'Allah. I think it will be very cool, I will post pics, insha'Allah.<br /><br />I am looking into self-publishing a book that I mentioned some time ago... A kinda practical how to deal book for female converts, the girlfriends guide to Islam is the working title. I will be looking for other converts to talk about their experiences, so leave me your e-mail if you are interested. I AM struggling with the content a little because I was thinking about having some scholars answer questions, and even if I can find someone to do that... I think I am going way outta my league by having too much specific religious content. I want it to be a real life thing, not a collection of fiqh for women; I'm not qualified for that obviously. <br /><br />Other than that... The house is still a mess because we went to Denver for a week, but I have high hopes for getting it done this weekend. And I need to take on the project of making curtains for the living room, but I know that I will do something fun like the tent instead... I'm not the most practical mom after all.UmmLaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288769161885258898noreply@blogger.com4