There comes a point when you’re coming through a tough, tough time, and even though things aren’t exactly easily manageable (forget great, or even really good) yet — you decide that it’s time. It’s time to start dating life again. Because if you don’t start trying, you’ll never get out of your pajamas, make yourself presentable, get out of the house and become social again. As Ramadan came to a close last week and we neared the Eid-ul-fitr holiday, I... Read more
In 2010, I worked as the website content coordinator for Islamic Relief USA and had a close-up view of the work this great charity organization does for people in need domestically and around the world. Please read this infographic, click through to Islamic Relief USA, and learn how you can donate and help the Muslims suffering in Myanmar, Burma. Read more
“What do you want for Eid, Mamma?” My daughter posed this question to me this morning as I drove her to her art camp. For once, we were alone in the car, with Lil D having gone to summer school an hour earlier and Hamza having been dropped at his summer camp by his father. Amal and I were enjoying a good mom-daughter conversation, and I was taking the opportunity to tell her how proud I was of her endeavors... Read more
I made a mistake of uttering out loud what I was thinking in my head the other day. And, while I don’t feel especially guilty about what I was feeling at the time, I think the comment has unintentionally left its mark – for better or for worse, amongst my loved ones. A few nights back we got a call from Toronto that a beloved elderly family member, who’s health has been in decline for a while, had taken a... Read more
What do you get for the boy who wants nothing? Lil D is turning 12 this weekend. With this joyous occasion, we yet again face the dilemma that comes up every year – how do you make the day special for a boy who doesn’t realize it’s his birthday, who doesn’t have any particular thing that he likes, who will probably get upset if any sort of celebration pushes him out of his realm of comfort? In the grand scheme... Read more
Social networking is a fast-moving creature, and loads of good can come of it. Consider this status update I read yesterday from comedian and “30 Mosques in 30 Days” project co-founder Aman Ali: “This blew my mind when I did the math. The average American spends $6,129 a year on food. Well, Muslims fast for one month, so basically going without lunch for a month means we save $170.25 a year. There are roughly 4 million Muslims in the United... Read more
Home-based iftaar (fast-breaking) parties are pretty much out where we live, in lieu of large community-based potluck iftaars. But last year my husband and I decided to revive the tradition, because we wanted to bring our friends and family to our home to break their fast, and because we wanted to bring that feeling of Ummah (Muslim community) home to Lil D, since he has been unable to attend the community iftaar events the past few years. (Too, big, too... Read more
Big day tomorrow. We’re off to the Washington, D.C. metro area for a follow up appointment with a specialist for Lil D. As we have traversed this panic-fueled, emotionally-laden path since last January to try and figure out why so many things had taken a turn for the worse with our 11-year-old son, why self-injurious behaviors and some OCD behaviors had taken over his life, why school and home life became so awful for him, our investigations led us from... Read more
My mother always told me that one of our biggest fallacies is that when ten good things and one bad thing happens, we will fixate on the bad, worry about the bad, lose faith over the bad, get depressed over the bad, despair over the bad – and not remember the good. She is a smart woman. We’ve had a nice week or so with Lil D, sandwiched between two very, very awful incidences. And though I’m inviting trouble by... Read more
Lots of Ramadan preps going on amongst my Muslim peeps. Like many Muslim parents, I’ve been trying to figure out ways to make the month exciting and meaningful for my kids. Though Allah knows best, I’m pretty certain Lil D will never fast. Keeping his schedule going (his bedtime will be coinciding with iftaar time this year), and perhaps getting him to join us for a few iftaars this year (before he goes to bed) are my practical hopes. My daughter, Amal, is really... Read more
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