We are wrapping up 2014 with our picks for December. Enjoy! We loved this juz’ Amma chart for encouraging kids to meet the goal of memorizing the smallest chapters of the Quran. This beautiful photo essay broadened our view of maternity leave around the world. These are super awesome ways to infuse mathematics education in natural and organic ways! Our siblings occupy a special place in this world. They share half our genes, and this article makes the argument that they maybe... Read more
Whimper, whimper. I look up from the onions sautéing on the stove to see Ibrahim, my fourteen-month-old baby, holding a sandwich bag in one hand and a large T-fal frying pan in the other. With intense concentration, he attempts to force the pan into the small bag—an impossible task. Once, twice, three times. He keeps trying. Finally, he turns to me with pleading brown eyes that ask me to help him. Stifling back laughter, a thought strikes me: Ibrahim thinks... Read more
As I sit down to write my thoughts and reflections, I pause to think, where should this story begin and how should it be told. It is an accumulation of 9 years of emotions and confusion, actions and experiences, reflection and clarity, and acceptance with perspective. It’s a simple story of this chapter of my life as a married woman expecting that the next chapter would be as a mother with children. I waited month after month and year after... Read more
I recently experienced cranial surgery. During this difficult time, I learned a lot about letting go and asking for help. While I always put my trust in God, this time it did not stop the anxious, pre-surgery thoughts from racing through my mind. Thoughts of “possible human error” got the best of me at night. Fears of not returning to my family often squeezed my chest just after I tucked the kids into bed. Usually with a good prayer and... Read more
These great reminders for ways to help new moms are spot on. The school year is in full swing, but are you feeling overwhelmed with all the additional time commitments that come along with it? Read here from some tips to achieve a better balance between your (and your children’s) expectations and abilities. Try taking a personality test with your spouse and then sharing the results together. It could be a great conversation starter and might even give you insight... Read more
It is not an overstatement or a generalization to say that all cultures put mothers on pedestals. Motherhood is, by all standards, sacred. In Islam, we use the hadith “paradise lies at the feet of mothers” not only to remind people to obey and serve their mothers, but also to motivate women to become mothers and to encourage us to remain patient and stick it out. Motherhood is supposedly natural and instinctive, yet many challenges that come with the job,... Read more
My son turned five this year. For at least six months leading up to his birthday he was counting down. Many of his sentences started with, “When I’m five…” Five was going to be magical. He was going to be able to run “super” fast, he was going to stay dry through the night, and he was going to eat zucchini. (Still waiting on that last one). What is it about turning five? He... Read more
It seems like an innocent question, “Oh, is this your first?” But inside of me I am not sure how to respond. Do I say, “No, no, it’s my second?” or do I say, “Actually, this is my sixth.” And then watch as they look quizzically for the remainder. Sometimes if I feel a certain kinship with the questioner, I’ll go into it, but then more often than not, I don’t like to hear them say, “Oh, I went through... Read more
My mother likes to tell me how, when I was seven years old and in first grade, I would proudly bring my little prayer rug to the public school classroom, and pray Dhuhr during the class activities period. My teacher was bemused, and my classmates were nonplussed by what they saw as something completely natural to my personal identity. It was just the way things were, molded and shaped by the manner in which I saw my parents treating prayer... Read more
Eid ul-Fitr commemorates the end of our blessed month of Ramadan. May we be granted the reward of Ramadan, and may God accept all our worship and charity. On the day of Eid al-Fitr, Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (peace be upon him) delivered a sermon in which he said: “O people! Verily this day of yours is the day when the righteous are awarded and the wretched are losers. It is a day which is similar to the one on which you shall... Read more
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