I am in love with this quote, which I found in a dear friend’s signature: “This is the true joy in life – being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” -George Bernard Shaw In the... Read more
Press the red button; wait impatiently for the robotic voice; hear the piercing buzzing noise allowing you in; watch the large wooden doors bang open disturbingly loud; walk down the glossy hall; pass the grim-faced nurses; turn left; there, beyond the glass sliding doors, lay our once 6’1, 200 pound, larger than life Baba- with his booming voice, contagious laugh, and decades of smile lines carved deeply into his beloved face- reduced to a skeleton barely taller than I am... Read more
When I was twelve years old, we moved from a village in the country into a house in town. We lived right on the main street, which was called, surprise, surprise, Main Street! I was very happy to finally have a room of my own, and I was going to be allowed to walk to school. What bliss for a young girl! But the best thing of all was that the public library was just a few blocks from our... Read more
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA Dear Mama, I don’t know where to begin so I’ll start out with two simple words- thank you. Thank you for everything you have done from day one, as a wife and a mother. But specifically, thank you for your commitment to us during Ramadan. I recall the early mornings you would wake us up for suhur. You would be sure to work very quietly in the kitchen so that you don’t... Read more
Sumi is almost four months old now. She is cute and cuddly with smiling half moon eyes. I try to take in the moment, knowing that these days are precious and she is already growing up so fast. My father told me that the one thing he regretted was the fact that he didn’t get to enjoy us while we were children. He was too worried about work, buying a house, providing us with an education. Alhamdulillah, we came out... Read more
Yesterday, I took my kids to Giza to ride horses. My daughter learned in the States and loves to ride. My son, on the other hand, loves cars and machines. I promised him that I would try to find some type of motorized means of transportation so we could, well he :), could kick it. Sadly, I was not able to find any and decided to let him ride on a camel with another brother. Suddenly, he turned to me... Read more
I still read parenting and schooling books whenever I can. But I've begun to read them more like a frustrated grad student than an interested mother. I read the first three chapters, and then the conclusion to make sure there wasn’t a good part I missed. While I come across an occasional gem, many parenting books are a mirage and I walk away with a few pennies instead of a jackpot. Instead of discovering something new or different, it is... Read more
In a recent vacation with my husband and son, we decided we wanted to “see it all” so we customized our tickets to go through one route, but return from another. Visiting several countries, we used a mix of planes, rental cars, and the old fashion crossing borders by foot. At the border crossing of one particular country, a Middle Eastern country (I’ll leave it at that), I was not too surprised when I noticed that there was a bit... Read more
Today I paid my seven year old son one dollar to teach his almost 5 year old sister how to read. Do I feel guilty? Hmm… I don’t usually believe in monetary rewards at this age, but somehow this action fit the situation. My son was looking for ways to earn money to buy a new lego set and my daughter prefers to do everything, I mean everything with her older brother. So when he asked her “Do you want... Read more
Today, for the first time, I felt like pretending I didn't know my kids. I truly felt like just standing there, looking at the exhibits in the Air and Space Museum in D.C., and pretending I didn't know those two little two-year-old girls, running around the hallways and up and down the stairs, yelling like little wild American Indians. I wanted to walk away and let my husband deal with them. I was tired. I was at my tether's... Read more
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