Today started just like most other Wednesday mornings, up too early…making the to-do list in my head, woke the minions and then checked my phone. 2 hour delay!!! The whoops and yahoos commenced, victory dancing and hugs. Hot chocolate was made and I settled down to catch up on my business reading. Now I’m on my second cup of coffee, and considering what I should write. The post that had been brewing? Or commenting on the article I read this... Read more
When Khaled and I were dating, the subject of children inevitably came up. We discussed how many and what names we would like, and what religion we would raise them. From the very beginning, I was set on them being raised with his religion. Did I have a clear idea of what that religion encompassed? No. Did I know any more than the 5 pillars? – in all honesty, I only knew 1 or 2. What I did know, is... Read more
This is a copy of my response to a post on the AskMoxie blog about Celebrating Holidays Cross-Religion “I am the mother of 3 fabulous Muslim children. I was raised in a Lutheran home, we attended church intermittently, but were always there for the holidays. During College, I attended a Presbyterian Church. I am a Christian Mother of Muslim Children who celebrate Christmas and Easter. We celebrate Christmas because it is the birth of the Prophet Jesus, and because my... Read more
Greetings, salutations, and Eid Mubarak! I hope that you all have had a wonderful Eid. This year, because Eid falls on a Tuesday so close to Thanksgiving, we had the day off before and now we are back to school the day after. Leaving one day for fun-filled celebration is just exhausting! Last week, our Islamic School had its Hajj Day production. Basically, they set up all of the checkpoints of the Hajj journey(a moc-Kabbah, Safa and Marwa, tent city, Arafat,... Read more
Hello Friends. Oh how I have missed you! Life (as the 1000 piece puzzle it is) exploded sometime around Eid Ul Fitr and slowly, the pieces are starting to fit back together. Nothing tragic, I assure you, but definitely a few big changes for my little village here. The last week of Ramadan brought several orders for Eid Gift hijabs, and then orders for Hajj outfits started to trickle in, filling up my already jam-packed schedule with sewing and fabric shopping. Since then, I’ve had... Read more
I know I wished you all Happy Eid yesterday, but Khaled had to work today, and I made it with the posse to the Eid prayer! On Time! Woo Hoo!!! We made the prayer, then we went and perused the dollar store toys that they have for the children at the Mosque. Everyone chose something, and then we ate some Kibbe, French Fries and Cheese Bread with Sunkist (contraband) and Pepsi. Took photos, chatted with friends and wished everyone Happy Eid. Then we... Read more
I woke this morning to an overpowering feeling of calm. It’s similar to that feeling you get just before the storm rolls in and the thunder gets violent, or that feeling you get after a long day jam-packed with frenzied activities. Except, I had just woke up. The birds were still chirping, my husband was pulling his car out of the driveway and the clock read an hour that I knew was necessary for me to jump out of the bed. But... Read more
These are the new Hijabs I made for the ladies to use at school for daily Salat. They chose the fabric themselves, and not surprisingly, they are almost the same color. I’m a little apprehensive about showing my babies faces online, but they are my models on Etsy, so I thought this angle was safe. We are hosting Iftar this weekend for a family that has never been over to our house before. I’m soo nervous. Any Tips? Read more
Over the weekend, we decided to go to the Taraweeh Prayers at the girls’ school. It was my first time going, so I googled it to see what I could expect. I found that Taraweeh means rest prayer. Taraweeh is the series of prayers after the Ishaa prayer during Ramadan. There are a set of 11 rakahs performed, in which 1/30 of The Quran is recited each night so that at the end of Ramadan, the whole Quran has been recited. Taraweeh had been discussed... Read more
The question seems innocuous at first. A way to make polite conversation, an opener to get to know someone better. Every Ramadan since 1998, I have been asked this same question by people who know me, and people who are complete strangers. Women, children and men. I even found myself asking a friend this question, out of care for her in her new marriage to her Muslim husband. Wanting to find a way of supporting her and maybe finding another... Read more
My Islamic Life
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