Post-Halloweeen Sales

Take advantage of them! Costumes are now 50-75% off. We don't do Halloween or trick-or-treating, but every year, I buy costumes after Halloween for the kids to play dress up with at home. This year, I bought butterfly wings and a little Red Riding Hood costume for Iman and a cowboy and firefighter costume for Omar. I also bought some extra cowboy and pirate hats. I keep all their dress up stuff in a large laundry basket and it goes into Iman's closet when they're done playing.

Penmanship Practice

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

This is a sentence that uses every letter of the alphabet. Children might enjoy writing this more when practicing handwriting since the standard handwriting worksheets may become monotonous if used frequently. In addition to penmansip practice, it is a good introduction to writing complete sentences, using a capital letter at the beginning, and a period at the end.

I have Iman write this sentence a couple of times on a sheet of paper every 3 or 4 months. I date each sheet and compare them. I check that she's spacing her words, that letters are written correctly, that letters are in correct proportion to one another, and if she's improving!

Become a Man-Yes!, Wear Hijab-No

Today I came across an article about Cher's daughter, Chastity, who recently began taking male hormones in order to become a man. She underwent a surgery to remove her breasts, is now growing facial hair, has a deep voice, is developing muscles, renamed herself "Chaz," and is now considered a man-and all of this has apparently brought much comfort and enjoyment to "his" life. But I'm not really interested in judging "Chaz." What I do want to talk about here is this quote which Chaz gave to Entertainment Tonight:

[I'm] trying to use my life experience to educate people. I feel more like myself more than I ever felt. I feel happier and more confident. I used to live most of my life in my head because I was so uncomfortable in my body. The most important thing about this for me is that my outsides are finally starting to match my insides. I feel like I'm living in my body for the first time and it feels really good.

When I read this, I thought, why can a woman who changes her sex say this and be applauded-but a Muslim woman who wears hijab and says the same thing is condemned? Hijab is a symbol of the modesty and servitude to God we feel on the inside. It is an external representation of the values and qualities we hold in our hearts. We all know that hijab means nothing without the character of hijab. For me, personally, I used to feel that I was incomplete before I wore hijab. I remember feeling torn until the day I committed to hijab-I had all these strong beliefs about modesty and about women's role in society, and yet I wasn't wearing hijab-and that was painful for me. So, when I matched my "outsides" with my "insides" I finally felt whole-but I was generally, unaccepted by the very society I lived in-the one that is supposed to value individuality and diversity. I'm tired of the double standard.

News Flash-TV Does NOT Make Kids Geniuses

Would you believe Disney is recalling it's Baby Einstein DVD's because---believe it or not---plopping infants down in front of the TV does NOT turn them into geniuses, after all! Shocker!!!! Too little, too late, I say!

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends ZERO TV for children under the age of 2, and yet, Disney somehow managed to convince parents that these videos, which are designed for children 0-24 months old, are not only good for them, but can turn them into prodigies (whether they made that claim explicitly or not, the message was definitely there). How did parents fall for this? How did parents get so sucked into this culture of achievement? How did parents get so blinded by classical music and spinning toys that they actually believed TV can be healthy?

What about you? Do you let your child watch TV? How much? Do you notice a difference in your child's behavior when they do? Do you own one of these Baby Einstein videos?

http://www.businesspundit.com/after-controversy-dinsey-issues-baby-einstein-recall/

PMS, Teens Making Out, and Lattes...

For about one week out of every, single month I become a moody, irritable, angry monster- woman-all because of the dreaded PMS I get like clockwork one week before my period. I know it's starting when I suddenly snap at one of the kids, or my husband, or when I cry over something absolutely ridiculous, like the fact that we ran out of milk (no exaggeration). When I start feeling like this, I'll look at my calendar and sure enough, I'm due for my period in about a week. PMS destroys my mind.

I can not control it. I cry the entire time. I'm unmotivated and tired. My problems suddenly magnify. I have ZERO patience. I don't know what to do about this anymore. Anyone know of any natural treatments for PMS?

When I was younger, I never got the symptoms associated with PMS. Definitely not as a teenager and in my 20's, they weren't very strong. In fact, I used to think the irritability/moodiness factor was in people's heads. I've noticed that it's gotten significantly worse the older I've gotten, as well as with every child. And I only have 2. Ya Allah...

I took my kids to the park today and we thought it was empty when we got there only to discover a few minutes later 2 teenagers making out ON THE PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT, at the top of the swirly slide. I want to know what's the fascination with playgrounds that teenagers love to hang out there? I mean seriously, get a life. Thankfully, when we arrived they stopped their lust fest long enough to notice we were there, and then had enough sense to LEAVE. Alhamdullillah.

On a more positive note, we were in the grocery store the other day when they were handing out free samples of pumpkin lattes. My kids tried them and loved them, so we took the recipe card they were handing out, bought some canned pumpkin puree while we were there (what great marketing), and made these at home the next day. It was a delicious drink-perfect for this time of year when the weather is getting colder and the warmth is just perfectly soothing. Maybe this is my remedy for PMS.

Ingredients for one cup-
-1 cup whole milk
-3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
-2 tablespoons sugar
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/2/ teaspoon cinnamon
-dash of nutmeg
Stir all together over medium heat until warm. Do not boil.

Between Two Worlds

Going back home-back to Egypt-is an issue that comes up frequently between AR and me. We grapple with it. At the very least, we both feel that we should start spending more time there for the children. It's important to us that our children speak, read, and write Arabic fluently, and it's equally important to us that their extended families don't become strangers to them.

But as many times as I've been to Egypt, I just can't-fully-get used to it-and I always end up missing and yearning for the good ole' US of A while I'm there. Keep in mind, I was raised in this country; the US really is home to me. That doesn't mean that I hate Egypt. Sometimes I'll smell a certain aroma here and it will take me straight back to Cairo, and suddenly, my heart will feel sappy. It's just that there's so much I LOVE here. Like lines at the store, trees, 4 seasons, my dryer, libraries, sidewalks, rain, roads I can actually drive on-not to mention speed limits, stop signs, traffic lights, crosswalks...I love that I can find good quality at bargain prices, the no-haggle shopping, ramps and elevators (thank you, ADA)...and now that I'm a mom, there are even more pluses, like-homeschooling, public parks, free reading times at the library, workshops for kids, all types of sports and extra curricular activities-and all of that is so accessible and easy to do.

Of course, I can't talk about the pros without talking about the cons. This country is far from perfect. The immorality, sexual promiscuity, the drug and alcohol problem, the obsession with material progress at the cost of family and maybe even one's own self, racism/prejudice/discrimination (pick one), the objectification of women almost EVERYWHERE...and not to mention-what's coming up right around the corner-the CRAZY, frenzied, desperate, shoppers in the stores during the holiday season (for once, I'd say Hollywood doesn't exaggerate on that one).

Anyway, back to Egypt. There are many things I love about Egypt, as I said. I love the food, the hospitality, the togetherness of families, the fact that family is the center of life (vs work in America). I even love the crowds and the noise-the feeling of being in a city that never sleeps. (Okay, I can only take that last one so much, but I do love it to an extent.) I love that I'm not a minority in Egypt and that I can find the clothes I wear easily. I love the history in Egypt and that Eid is a national holiday! On the flip side, there's the pollution, dust, traffic, litter, poor to crappy quality products, poverty, lack of religious freedom, political/government oppression, general chaos, and the ever-prevailing constant judgment from anyone and everyone on any and every topic. Still-probably because the U.S. is what I know best-I feel that I can manage my life much better here, even in spite of the disadvantages.

I hope I would someday be able to balance my resiliency with my gratitude-wherever I am, but for now, I'm taking it one step at a time. If I'm going to be spending more time in Egypt, I need to approach this with caution, so I don't burn out half way through, insha'Allah! I know so many of you have entire blogs dedicated to this issue-living between two worlds-whether it's through a marriage, physical location or both! What are your-and everyone else's-thoughts on this? How do you manage? What's important to know and remember? What are the perks of living between two worlds? Advice, thoughts, sharing of experiences-welcome!

Homeschooling FAQ-Part II

Q: What do you do with the little one while your homeschooling?

A: First of all, I do as much as I can with Iman before he wakes up in the morning. This works for us because Iman is a rooster and Omar is an owl. I also take full advantage of his nap times. During his sleeping times, I always do the lessons that use hands-on/messy materials or manipulatives. When he is awake, I try to involve him. So, for example, if Iman is doing a cut and paste activity, I make a 2nd copy for him and he enjoys cutting and pasting-of course, he's just cutting and pasting however he wants, not actually completing the activity for accuracy. I also have plenty of toddler activities for him on hand like puzzles, jars and lids, whiteboard coloring, blocks, and some specific toys that I take out for when I really need to work one-on-one with Iman. When he had just turned 2, it was difficult, but by now, he's really gotten used to our lifestyle and is much easier to involve and/or occupy. I'm also "homeschooling" him a little bit-teaching him colors, letters and concepts (like "big" or "round").

Q: Do you have a classroom inside your home?

A: No, we work on the kitchen table for our lessons, and the homeschooling materials are stored in different spots all over the house. The homeschooling families who bring their kids back to the schools most frustrated with homeschooling are usually the ones who tried to approach homeschooling with a "school-at-home" model.

Q: How are you able to spend the entire day with your kids? I'd lose my mind.

A: It's our lifestyle; we're all used to this. I don't miss something I've never known.

Q: But won't kids listen better to a teacher?

A: Sure, if we teach them they don't have to listen to us or that they can't learn from a parent. Homeschooling parents don't give their kids an option, and that's the message the children receive from an early age.