Assalam Alaikum GrowMama Sisters, I recently reconnected with some dear family friends via email. We both had to relocate for work related reasons from a large and vibrant Muslim community. I shared our exchange with some fellow GMG moms and they thought it would be beneficial to share with our online community. Our friends write: Good hearing from you, how are you and the family? And how do you like it where you are? Have you guys adapted yet? We’re still struggling... Read more
Yesterday, my son was born. Today he’s making me an apple cinnamon omelet. I spent 12 years encouraging his independence, and now I want to scream, “I’ll do it for you, just stay my baby.” We used to cry together, each of us on one side of the nursery school door. Now he waltzes out to his friends without a backwards glance, a casual bye mom. We used to make up songs jumping in the trampoline, but now he’s got... Read more
About three years ago I was taking a class at the Hartford Seminary titled, “Answering the Big Questions: An Approach Towards Philosophical Theology.” It was taught by the former dean of the Seminary, Dr. Ian Markham. It was a thought provoking class especially since it was taught from a belief in God perspective (as opposed to the philosophy courses I took as an undergraduate). Towards the end of the semester we spoke about eschatology, or how our faith traditions view... Read more
I have known all along that my relationship with Allah was not as strong as it could be. We know that according to the hadith of the prophet Muhammad (S) the highest level of faith is to live life as though you can see Allah, and if you can’t see Him, then to know that He sees you. So is He an actor in my life, or just an observer, or occasionally not in my consciousness at all? I thought... Read more
Growmama Picks is a collection of fun, interesting, and/or inspiring links that we share with you at the end of every month. Enjoy! 1. An amazing project by one of Growmama’s organizers. We can think of dozens of reasons why we should start this in our own neighborhoods. Tomorrow. 2.Many moms have trouble finding things for their toddler or not-yet-in-school child to do at home. The educational and bonding activities in this book are brilliant in their simplicity and ease–no... Read more
Yesterday, I took my girls to shop for fruit and vegetables, and at the end got touched, not by an angel, but by a human. I had paid for all my groceries, and had parked my cart by the bars right outside the market, and as usual asked the girls to stand by the cart while I take the bags to the car in two or three trips, since the bars don’t allow us to take the carts to the... Read more
<img src="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/growmama/files/2012/01/curious-child1-201×300.jpg" alt="" title="curious-child1" width="201" height="300" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3727" /Ever been asked by a child why you wear that thing on your head? Seen a mother squirm and hush her child up? Wondered how much you could say without stepping on that mother’s toes? How do you react in these situations? Here are three awesome mamas responses to being asked about hijab by children of other faiths, while navigating the sticky field of faith discussion. H writes: I have actually... Read more
So the other day I was shopping at Michael’s to work on a project for my 9 month old when I came across a table that had gingerbread house kits on sale for 2.99! Great deal I thought! My daughter will love this. I brought it home and immediately Ameera was ecstatic and wanted to build it. The first night she and her father worked on actually constructing the frame of the house, which they worked on diligently. The second... Read more
Often times people like me whose children are fortunate enough to have their grandparents in their lives mouth off about how much candy and junk food they eat as a result. Grandma’s purse is usually the go-to place for a handy, and typically sugar-laden, food-colored treat. As much as I dislike the boundless candy consumption that sometimes results, I can’t deny my daughter’s grandparents the right to be grandparents. I can, however, implement the healthy lifestyle that I value for... Read more
A dear friend and I were sitting around the kitchen table as our two children were slowly getting to know one another. These two toddlers, both not even two yet, have already shown certain preferences when it comes to their food. Squeals of joy abounded when the pomegranate seeds emerged as my daughter shouted, “Maan!” and hastily made her way to the center of the table, leaving her half eaten clementine behind. I wondered, and still continue to do so,... Read more
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