The most exciting milestone for couples is learning that they are expecting! It begins an exciting nine-month journey that awaits the arrival of a life changing precious newborn. Pregnancy is a beautiful time. Through the mercy of Allah (swt), the growing of a baby inside the womb is life’s greatest miracles. “ …Then we made this drop into a clot, then We made the clot into a lump, then We made the lump into bones, then We clothed the bones... Read more
A dilemma many working mothers face: do I go back to work or do I stay home with my little one(s)? I remember having this internal dialogue for months during my maternity leave. The mere thought of leaving my child to the care of someone else for eight hours a day shook me to my core and left me feeling miserable for days on end. As my maternity leave came to an end, I couldn’t fathom not having the flexibility... Read more
My life and career as an educator has ensured that my list of “The Truly Shocking” has—for better or worse—dwindled with time. As a former elementary school principal and current high school vice principal, I’ve dealt with the full gamut of child-related issues. Just name it: crying children screaming for their mommies, fist fights breaking out in the cafeteria over ‘yo mama’ jokes, students struggling with mental health issues—I’ve seen it all. So you’ll forgive for once thinking that, as... Read more
A voracious reader as a child, I handpick most of the books my school-age children read. This informal book-review habit is part-recreation, part-precaution, and part-service for other families. A librarian once asked if I would be interested in a job at the local library, because “you know how to find the best books!” Here is our GrowMama Chapter Book Reading List for Elementary Readers. I developed this list over months of reading aloud, scanning library shelves, reading Amazon’s reviews, and... Read more
photo credit: wikipedia I feel like I mostly hear the name of our mother Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, being invoked by two camps: single sisters initiating a conversation for marriage with a dude (“Hey, i’m doing this Khadijah-style”) and dude’s singing off key about the wife that they want to have. She deserves more than that. So, why don’t we redefine what Khadijah-style is. There is so much more to add. Khadijah-style to me is: Being a... Read more
Twelve years ago, I had the pleasure of experiencing the quintessential Egyptian Ramadan, a night in prayer behind Sheikh Mohamed Jebril in Egypt’s oldest mosque, the Mosque of Amr ibn al-‘As, on the holiest night of the year. It was a night of peace, prayer and beauty followed by unplanned meetings with friends we hadn’t seen in so long, coming to experience the same Egyptian Ramadan night. Two nights ago, on the night of the 27th of Ramadan 2015, in... Read more
My kids are still babies, the oldest is 6 (going on 16), but my nieces and nephews are newly minted teenagers. I have to say that, mashAllah, the good upbringing that their parents used to raise them is starting to blossom through their manners, priorities, and actions. In a group family message, they shared their resolutions for this Ramadan: Pray 8 rakat duha, daily Complete the Quran Watch the tongue and stay positive Do not touch anyone with anything that... Read more
We wish you a most blessed Ramadan! May we greet this precious visitor and worthy challenge with the utmost humility, understanding, and enthusiasm. We have rounded up past GrowMama posts that may be beneficial to you as we embark on these holy days: A Ramadan Prayer Celebrate Ramadan in the Prophet’s Way You Can Make the Most of Ramadan Ramadan Suhoor Ideas Family Projects that Capture the Ramadan Spirit A Letter to Ramadan The Ramadan Sale 10 Ways to Green Your... Read more
I have always been scared. Growing up, my peers would never have guessed. Valedictorian of my high school and undergraduate classes, cross country and crew team medalist, and voted Most Likely to Succeed, I certainly did not seem scared. But I was terrified. I remember after my first day in the grade six Gifted Program, I sat on the stairs, crying, and told my mom that I did not belong in the program because I couldn’t understand algebra. Fast forward... Read more
Wives tell us husbands to do so many things that we really don’t believe in or even understand. For a variety of reasons which us husbands are and are not willing to admit, we end up doing most of those things for our women. I can’t answer for all the husbands out there, but my own introspection about the trust my wife and I share lead me to an incident that happened about 3 years into my marriage. I was... Read more
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