Letters to Christians, from Muhammad (saw)

A very enlightening read here, enjoy!

thanks to Darvish.

Love Thursday & "don't leave me mummy"

for love thursday, my cousin’s beautiful daughter.

My cousin, who had her baby 5 weeks before I had my third son, is getting prepared to return to work, and to leave her precious little girl for about 8 hours a day.

In December, my 1 year of maternity leave will be over, and, should I choose to, I can return to the relative sanity of the office, I can return to adult conversations, I can return to stimulating discussions, I can return to challenging deadlines, meetings, coffee breaks, and a regular pay-cheque.

But, even as I write this, I am saddened to even ponder returning to the glory of being employed, and leaving behind my 3 little monsters. And on a day like today, a day when I had all 3 of them constantly wanting something from me, sucking every ounce of energy out of me, forcing me to sometimes seek solace in the closet even, I still cannot imagine leaving them.

Although I had gone back to work twice already, this time feels different, this time I look at them and feel in my heart that they need me to be around. It is as if they know competing with each other is hard enough, and it would be impossible for them to get my attention if, in addition, I had a ‘real’ job again.

In about 2 weeks I need to give my employer notice of my intensions. Remain employed – working outstide the home, or become a ‘home-maker’?

Celebrating Eid!

Eid Mubarak!! Happy Eid!!

Wikipedia actually had a pretty good description of Eid so…

“Eid- ul-Fitr is an Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. Fitr means “to break the fast” and therefore symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period. On the day of the celebration, a typical Muslim family gets up very early and attends special prayers held only for the occasion in mosques, in large open areas, stadiums or arenas.

For Muslims, Eid ul-Fitr is a joyful celebration of the achievement of enhanced piety. It is a day of forgiveness, moral victory and peace, of congregation, fellowship, brotherhood and unity. Muslims are not only celebrating the end of fasting, but thanking God for the help and strength that they believe he gave them throughout the previous month to help them practice self-control.”

I also wanted to share some of the articles that have inspired me throughout this blessed month.

From the very talented and inspirational Maliha, the magic we weave, and Eid Spring Cleaning.

From the lovely and beautiful Suroor, There is no Muslim God.

From the very eloquent Saffiya, What non-Muslims taught me about Ramadan.

There were so much more… too many to list and thanks to all of you for your amazing stories and inspirational writing.

Happy Eid Everyone!

How to share suhoor with kids under 5

Note: This should really be avoided at all costs, but if you must…

First things first, in Ramadhan, Muslims fast from dawn until sunset, the meal eaten at dawn before the fast is called Suhoor.

Now, on with the instructions…

If the 2 younger kids are awake at 5am and ready to play, sure, take them down. And if the eldest one has been crying all night because of an ear infection (we think), and insists that he needs to go down too, sure, take him down too. The more the merrier!

While preparing the meal to eat, you should really also think about getting bottles of milk ready for the kids. (My baby has decided that he is fonder of a bottle than a breast, so now I have to remember to wash and sterilize bottles for him!)

Now, if you don’t usually care for kids, then you should be warned that sleep-deprived kids are the crankiest creatures you will ever meet, and if you do have kids, well, you know. So, try to eat as fast as you can, and try to ignore any crying, fussing, arguing, harassing, hitting, biting, or otherwise, just concentrate on eating, for like 5 minutes, just eat, and then, drink, don’t forget to drink, especially if you’re breastfeeding, or, you know, trying to breastfeed.

So, while hubby gets dressed and leaves for the mosque, try not to get annoyed, obviously not because he is going to pray, but, because as you are holding the baby, drinking your water, AND trying to fill the bottles with milk, all at the same time, he walks out without even asking if you are ok, or saying sorry that he had to leave you alone.

When you are alone, focus on getting the milk to the kids, and yes even the 4 year old (he has had 3 dentist appointments already and he is perfectly cavity-free, so get over it!), if a bottle can give comfort to them, so be it. Quickly make sure that each child has enough room on the couch and there is as little kicking as possible happening, then let them drink, so you can feed the baby his bottle in relative peace.

When hubby gets back home, ensure that all the kids look happy and settled, ensure that the baby is back sleeping in his crib, and sit at the computer, you know, so he would think that you got it easy. I mean, come on, it is pretty easy, ya?

Love Thursday & do opposites attract?

My first son is exactly like my husband, exactly, in looks, in personality, in everything. My second son is exactly like me, exactly, and completely different from my husband.

Although, as you know, parents love all kids equally, my husband seems a little obsessed with the 2 year old (second son). He is certainly daddy’s little boy, he gets jealous when daddy shows affection to anyone else, and in my husband’s eyes, he can do no wrong!

Do you think it’s true that opposites really attract? In my household at least, that seems to be true. I mean, except for the fact that my husband and I both chose to do electrical engineering at the same university, we could not be more different!

more love thursday…