As Long As You're Happy...

So, call me crazy, but I think this phrase is over used. When did happiness become our driving force, and not what is right and wrong; what will benefit us and others? Why do we focus our lives on an emotion that is so fleeting? As the saying goes, it is like trying to nail Jell-O on a tree.

I am saddened by those I watch around me making major life decisions over such fleeting emotions. I can't help but wonder if they really are happy, or if it a game of chasing your shadow and never being able to catch it. A dear friend of mine has no religion she associates herself with and her life focus is to be happy, and this is what she teaches her children as well. Sure, it sounds great, but is she happy? For the most part, it doesn't seem so. Study after study show that the happiest people are the ones who have a purpose and goal in their life. Many of those focus their purpose on their religion and doing right by their Creator.

While on the subject, it seems worthwhile to mention love marriages, or marrying someone because you love them. Now, don't get me wrong, I think married people should love each other, but if the number one reason two people get married is because they love each other, I think this sets the stage for a rocky marriage.

What is important then? Well, goals and aspirations for how they envision their life to be. They should have a common world view and outlook on how they want to live their lives. In my perspective, they should come together to focus their lives on their Creator and to work towards pleasing Him... a partnership in the "Great Work" of their lives.

The common process that people get married right now is to date for months before they bring up any important subjects like how to raise children, how many kids they want, where do they see themselves retiring, what role do they see their parents playing in their family, etc. By the time two people finally get to the questions that really matter, they are typically sleeping with each other, emotionally involved, and in too far for the break from an question answered wrong to not have an emotional toll. Why did we get away from focusing on the important questions, and just "have fun" and figure out if they are the right person along the way? Hasn't anyone stepped back, looked at the scenario, and figured out more harm than good comes out of casual dating?

But it's so much fun.

And that's the answer; why work towards what makes sense if that isn't the funnest thing in your list of options. You only live once, right? Who cares if you make the right decisions as long as you have fun and are "happy"...

Final thought: Happiness is a result, not a goal.

Yay! It's Here!!

All the yarn is here is make three pairs of fingerless gloves, and a pair of mittens for DD1 for Eid!! The yarn for the gloves is 70% alpaca, 20% silk, and 10% cashmere...Luxury!! The yarn for the mittens (pictured on the cover of the pattern book) is super soft, which makes me glad I ordered an extra ball of the main color, in hopes I can get another pair out of this yarn. I'm so excited to get started!!

I want...

I want to buy yarn. This yarn, specifically:

It has glitter!!!



.... That is all...

Facebook Free

I've largely been off Facebook for over a week now... maybe closer to two weeks? Hm, anyway, it feels good to not be wasting so much time on there! Really, the browsing can be endless, and I don't find that with any other site so far. I read blogs, check out patterns on Ravelry, check out couponing sites, but mainly my purpose was to focus on the things I really need to do!

I find it is easier to get lesson plans done when my distractions are shorter. I can read a blog about saving money, or reducing our carbon footprint, and when I'm done, I'm done! There aren't pictures and all sorts of things to draw me to another blog and suck me in for hours on end. I can search for patterns on Ravelry for quite a while, but again, it doesn't last as long as I would typically wander on Facebook for. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I am weak enough to lose so much time in a mindless activity, but I need to get real! I have way too much to do right now, and having worthless distractions is the last thing I need!

I have to admit, I did go on there a couple times just to see what I was missing; it was nothing. I did find out that a previous coworker started working again, alhamdulilah. Beyond that, I didn't enrich my life in any way. I still have my Google+ account, and a twitter feed I check; both of which don't take much of my at all. Google+ is like FB lite for me, hehe! There's barely anyone on Google+, but I don't feel like a rogue leaving the social networking circles completely. Twitter... well, I follow a few people that post some really inspiring stuff, so it is my pick-me-up throughout the day.

When will I go back to Facebook? I don't know. I think never would be a wise choice, but I have this odd feeling pulling me back. I think us Muslimah moms in my area do connect on there, so I miss them. In reality, we would rarely ever get to see each other in real life because of kids, family, and distance. I know I won't be going back though before my Qibla class is over. I just can't take any time out of my super hectic schedule (like I'm doing right now by writing this blog! yay!).

Oh, and I should say thanks to Lauren for giving me the idea by her own actions! Thanks!!

Is it over yet?

The super busy schedule I've taken on is getting old pretty fast. I am learning that a fast paced lifestyle was fun in my early 20's, and now that I'm nearing 30, I'm over it. I like that I'm "boring"... hey, at least I'm entertained. As the saying goes "only boring people get bored", and I don't get bored. So, I'm still working on the gloves, which I love doing. I can't wait until my Qibla class is over just because I want something to be out of the weekly routine. The same weekend the class is over, our Dawah Training Team is hosting a Dawah Boot Camp weekend seminar. Since it is in the "training" area, that means it falls in my camp. I'm looking forward to it, but super nervous that I'm going to drop the ball. I think October 24th will be a celebration of life getting back to a manageable pace.... inshaAllah! Funny - the next day is dh's New Student Orientation... a whole new spice to our ever changing lives. Alhamdulilah, I love everything we are involved in. I just pray we can have a moment to catch our breath to enjoy it.

As if I Didn't Have Enough...

I enjoy feeling like I have stuff to do that I find worth while, but sometimes I put too much stuff on my plate. Right now I am enjoying everything that I need to get done and look forward to it, but I think it will get old pretty quick. Alhamdulilah, the class I signed up for is only 6 weeks long, so I should be freed up pretty quickly.

So, added to being a homeschooling mom, a landlord, coordinator for the Dawah Training team at Building Blocks, a wife, and mom to a 10 month old, I've added on an online class through Qibla Online Academy (I think a lot of online schools are junk, but alhamdulilah, I really like Qibla), teaching at a weekend Islamic studies school, serious couponing, and knitting gloves people have ordered!

Here are the gloves... I love them!



My older daughter is big into fencing, and just signed up for the National Saber Team at her fencing gym. This means that she is now going to be competing nationally! This is super exciting, but also pretty expensive... on top of her getting braces soon, this sparked the need for more couponing. Well, and the couponing was also partially motivated by watching Extreme Couponing and getting inspired. :) Right now, I'm saving about 50% at each trip, and I just printed out organizational dividers so I can organize my coupons by category and inshaAllah take more advantage of sale items. Of course, this takes time too, added to every thing else!

I'm using the to do list feature in my calendar application, in hopes this will keep me in line! Each week I have homework for my class, plus preparing for the upcoming classes I will teach at the weekend school. What intimidates me the most is the Prophets class because I will be teaching one class starting at the beginning (Adam (as)), and the other class is starting at Musa (Moses (as)). I'm praying that the prep work for the Prophets class isn't as much as I'm thinking it will be. I'm using Ibn Kathir's book Stories of the Prophets and Anwar al-Awlaki's lecture series as my sources (to those who have only heard of al-Awlaki in the semi-recent news... he has done amazing work at bringing these subjects to life in the past, even if he moved towards a less tolerant viewpoint recently, which I'm a bit skeptical of.... anyway...). This is not quick reading or listening, but inshaAllah it will prove very beneficial for me to learn this as I go along. Of course, I know the basic stories, but the details escape me.

The knitting orders I'm not as much worried about completing because I can do that while doing other things, or while waiting (braces may open up a lot of waiting time for me!). I'm excited, and thinking I will open up my Etsy shop to get people's feedback, and even start selling stuff for a profit! We'll see.... I should again remember not to get out of hand with all the things I want to complete.

So, as much as I think the things I want to do (blog, read the Bible, etc.) will be out of the picture for a while, I wonder if I will find myself here, like now, escaping from my to do list, almost in an act of defiance. :)

Ramadan Disappointment

We are on day 6 of Ramadan, mashaAllah. This year is starting out pretty hard. The hard part is not the longer fasting days... that has actually been relatively easy; it is trying to appreciate the blessings and opportunities of Ramadan while having a baby around. Nursing has made it so I can only fast every other day or every two days. Last year I couldn't fast at all because I had gestational diabetes, but I could still surround my day with prayer, reading, dhikr (remembrance of Allah), lectures, etc. This year my day revolves around DD2's needs: diapers, naps, nursing, eating, playing, baths, etc. Alhamdulilah, I love taking care of my family; this is just the first year I haven't been able to fully focus on Ramadan so it is feeling empty and sad. I feel like I should be doing more, but my nafs (soul/desires) feels like it has a strong grip on me. Wanting to give in to what's fun and entertaining wins over the will to read and learn more about this beautiful way of life. I want to use this month where Shaytan is locked up to improve myself as a Muslim and to get to the next step of existence in this world... but I feel like the status quo is all I can maintain.

I'm learning more and more why Jannah (Heaven) is at the feet of our mothers! We sacrifice so much for our kids, just to make sure their basic needs are met, and then sacrifice more to please them and help them towards their own goals. Before having my youngest, I was taking online classes, attending multiple halaqas a week, taking an Arabic class, reading at home and listening to lectures, etc. I thought I would be able to keep doing at least half of all those things, but little by little, I keep dropping one thing after another because it just doesn't fit into my life right now. InshaAllah I can appreciate this season in my life and not become completely stagnint in my practice of my faith. I think we should always be trying to improve ourselves.

In other news, we are finally completely moved in to our new place: our first investment property! We bought a duplex and we are living in one side and renting the other. InshaAllah this will set us up financially in the future so things can be more comfortable! Unpacking is requiring a lot of my attention, which seems burdensome against my want for more dedicated time for worship this Ramadan, but I know that the work I do to make this house a home will be beneficial for me in this life and the next, inshaAllah.

Death by Parenting a Child in Puberty

Okay, seriously? What in the world am I supposed to do with a hormonal girl for the next 8+ years?! Every single moment could be the one where I ruin her life forever because I say something that is taken wrong, or I make a mistake and she is scarred for the rest of her life, resulting in a lifetime of therapy. Seriously, just about every day has a bout of tears for one reason or another. Yesterday, it was because we used the word "ajar" and she didn't know what it meant, so she felt stupid. Is that going to be the moment she remembers? Where her mom and step dad talked over her head, thus not including her in the conversation and dismissing her very being? AHHH!

While many would say homeschooling would make this time in life harder, I find it makes it easier. I get to see her more often and thus, I can see the good and the bad. Plus, I don't have to deal with the playground politics that come from being in public school. We just started packing today and this made me come across my diaries from 3rd grade on. Wow... just wow. First, why the heck was I so obsessed with having a boyfriend? Second, I don't remember being depressed all the time. I do remember I would write when I was depressed, so that would answer why it seems that I was always depressed, but man... it took me years to get a healthy outlook on life. I can't wait that long for DD!! I will totally lose it by then!

I'm just not really good with people whining for extended periods of time. Either fix it or shut it. It is one thing if something bad happened and you need to vent or whatever, but quite another if your usual demeanor is "I'm a victim, guess what happened this time?" Puberty tends to victimize those going through it, so it is a large test for me to be patient through it.

Ya Allah, I need to step in someone else's shoes about now... someone more patient than I!

Busybusybusy

Oh my word, this is crunch time!

I've had to shelf reading the Bible until we get all this house stuff over and done with. *sad* I'm so excited to be buying this duplex because it is our first investment property, and really setting us up to be more financially stable in the future. Plus, it can be a place to live for our kids when they are newlyweds or our parents when they need a place. Alhamdulilah, I am seeing this idea come to fruition.

But, with buying a duplex comes more work. We expected it, but this is a lot to get done this month! We are installing central air in the renter's side of the duplex and getting quotes from up to 5 contractors, then deciding if we are going to get central air in our side yet or not. So today I have an appointment with an electrical contractor and and HVAC contractor. Then tomorrow I have an appointment with Sears because they want to extend discounts to us since we haven't yet decided to go with them (never choose someone right away, I guess. It seems there is always a deal to be made), and then after that the carpets are getting cleaned on the renter's side. I'm planning on running the oven on the self cleaning cycle while they are there. All of this, and we aren't even closing for a couple weeks!!

Oh, and did I mention we haven't even started packing. Eek!

Oh, AND I'm trying to make it so we don't take off too many days during the summer with homeschooling so we can enjoy more of the spring and fall.

ANNNDDDD, I'm making Eid gifts for the mother-people in my life (MIL, step mom, mother). I finished my step mom's lap blanket. I love the pattern so much, I'm making the same blanket for all three, but in different colors. Check it out



Two more to go before the end of August! I think I might end up pushing my mom's blanket to Eid al-Adha so I don't get all stressed during Ramadan to finish a blanket. Oh, that reminds me... I need to do Eid shopping for everyone too.

I'm so glad we are hiring movers. That's the one thing we don't have to do ourselves! Plus, we are planning on buying a van after we close on the house. The luxury of a family of four upgrading from a Cavalier to probably an Odyssey is going to be grand!

Priorities?

Man, today sparked some very big *SIGH* moments. Nothing terrible, but just times where I need to take a deep breath and compose myself. Sometimes I wonder why someone with as many faults as I would have kids. There's this immense pressure that if you say the wrong thing, you will scar this young person's life forever... and I tend to say the wrong thing under pressure.

So I spent a couple hours cleaning and organizing a pile on a side table and some other things... I made it my priority to get thing in a "home" yet the apartment doesn't look any cleaner than it did before! Ah! I used to have a pretty neat and tidy apartment, before I acquired so much stuff.

So where should the time go? To my volunteer responsibilities? Homeschool organization? Cleaning? Catching up on the online class I'm terribly behind on? Make the phones calls I have piling up? (Ortho, a return of a product, update other volunteers, follow up with customer care calls for Pampered Chef...)

*sigh* The life of a SAHM. I wouldn't trade it for the working life, or not having kids (though getting away for an hour every once in a while would be great), but the fact that I don't earn a paycheck means my time has been spread across a lot of little things! What to do first? I guess each day is different. Maybe tomorrow I'll spend time on things other people would notice and appreciate too.

Review of Time4Learning.com

DD1 and I completed our 30 day trial of time4learning.com. Overall, we really enjoy the website and I think it is a great tool! Some things we enjoyed most:

- The interactive lessons. They kept DD interested, and I never had to force her to work on time4learning.com because she found it fun and interesting.
- Science was interesting and covered a wide range of subject matter. We have typically been pretty spotty about executing science experiments, and DD has grown a dislike of science. For DD to say she thinks the science lessons are great is a big plus!!
- The parent involvement can be very minimal, so I can just direct DD to do a lesson in a particular course, and off she goes!

Dislikes:

- Some of the lessons seemed a bit to kid-like for a 5th grader. DD didn't seemed put off by it, but I thought it could have slightly less cartoon-like animation.
- Grammar lessons were very few, and not easy to find right away.

We plan on using this over the summer, but once the "school year" starts, we will be using a homeschool coop for Science class, and we have the resources available for the other courses we will be working on. One of the reasons I wanted to homeschool is to be more involved in the learning process with my daughter, so the convenience of having most of her lessons done independently conflicts with the wish for more time together while she is learning. We are doing some work over the summer, but it is going to be more informal, so just saying "spend some time on time4learning" is sufficient, and I know she is going to be doing something productive!

It would be nice if there was a "lite" option where we could just get 20 hours a month or something for a lower price. It would also be really beneficial if the courses lined up with each other a bit more, so you could work more like in a Unit Study (another thing we are trying to achieve in homeschooling) and have the things you are learning in one course relate to other courses.

Overall, I would recommend any parent to try Time4Learning.com and see if it fits a need or want in their family. It definitely fits some goals we are working towards during the summer and I'm excited to have DD explore on there on her own!

Just another day

Both DD and I are counting down the days until we can be done with the virtual schooling program and start homeschooling primarily! We just have a few more weeks left, and then we can move on, alhamdulilah! Over the summer we will still do math, literature, and language arts (mostly grammar). We will dabble in history as time permits, and I'll have her explore through time4learning.com for some fun science lessons. DD really wants to do Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language, but time and money are going to be tight this summer, so we are waiting until Fall (at least) to start that.

We are anxiously awaiting a call from the bank on the house. InshaAllah the plumbing will be fixed this week and then they will turn on the utilities and we can FINALLY get the inspection done! We have been waiting for this for about a month now!

DD got a Kindle recently, which has really helped her want to read more. She already likes to read, so it is nice to reward her like this. She is also getting her fencing equipment today!! She has been fencing for about a year now, and always using shared equipment. The place she has been going for her fencing lessons lately requires that you get your own equipment after you have been training with them for 3 months, so the time has come! She is super excited, and it is electric equipment, which means she can do competitions if she wants too!

I'm taking the day off from reading the Bible. I need to get my notes together before they are too cumbersome (and instead I'm writing this, just because). Plus, I think I need a day to just take it in, and rejuvenate a bit. InshaAllah I'll put my post together today for what I've read in the Bible so far and you can check it out on my other blog.

Time4learning.com

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid curriculum review. Time4Learning can be used as an online homeschooling program or afterschool tutorial. Be sure to come back and read about my experience.

I'm excited to get started!!

Homeschooling

So, we finally decided to do real homeschooling instead of going through a virtual school. We are really excited to get started!! I have the math books already, we are going to test out an online program for grammar and other things, go through a local homeschool coop for Science... it is going to be grand!!



Some things we are just flying by the seat of our pants, for now. It kind of feels like jumping off a cliff into the ocean... you know how to swim so you should do just fine, but WHAT IF there is a shark just waiting there to make you lunch? I do plan on having a framework for everything, but I figure starting over the summer will give us a head start, and allow us to make some mistakes without falling behind. Oh, and we are planning to buy a house, so that will throw some sticks over the track. Fun times.

I think what we are both most excited for is being able to take advantage of fun classes around the cities! There is an exhibit at the Science Museum right now on Ancient Egypt, so I'm compiling stuff for a unit on that. Eeee! Finally I'll be back in DD1's school day instead of just checking in in the morning and afternoon. InshaAllah that will bring us closer too.

I'm excited to share what we have planned... any maybe I can blog regularly and become a bajillionare from sitting on my bum and writing blogs!! Yeah right....

Stay at Home Working Mom?

Reading In Praise of Stay at Home Moms has got me thinking about some things. One is the draw for myself to continue making a wage of some sort, even if it is small. Is there more value to my "wifeliness" if I have paycheck of my own? Do I become a better mother when I can buy my kids more things? Why do we put so much concentration on who brings home monetary value and who doesn't? We act as if the only contribution is financial and all others are just bonuses.

I've tried doing things that can work around being a SAHM. I've done Pampered Chef, Shaklee, odd and end jobs for a friend that has a business, babysitting, etc. What I've found with each of these is yes, I very much enjoy having money of my own. Islamically, I do not need to share any income I make, and I am quite frugal with the income my husband brings in, so it feels nice to loosen up a bit. BUT, each time I'm doing something that makes me some money, all I can think of is how I just want to be home with my kids and husband, or be able to concentrate on them and not feel "on the clock."

I worked for years as a mother of one, juggling housework, homework (for both her and I), my job, friendships, relationships, etc. I feel that I have worked very hard to bring myself to this lifestyle that I now have; married SAHM! All for a couple dollars, I am pushing that aside?


With these jobs that I have done to make money, none of them are incredibly personally rewarding. The most rewarding "jobs" I have been involved in have been volunteer work! I go to these things because it feels great to be a part of something worthwhile, whether I get paid or not.

So, I am freeing myself of the guilt I've been harboring about not having my own paycheck. I will allow my husband to carry the complete financial load on his shoulders, as I know he is completely capable of doing. My job? To make sure everything else is in line. I like the title Director of Domestic Affairs, thankyouverymuch.

Quick knit

There is something utterly satisfying about starting and finishing a knitted item in one day.

Dh and my older daughter LOVE Lord of the Rings and they wanted to watch one of the movies yesterday... The extended version. I was going to wait until I finished the book Green Deen before starting a new knitting project, but reading with a movie playing doesn't work, so out came the needles. Not too bad for a one day knit, huh?

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More In Praise of SAHMs

Some more thoughts regarding this book, In Praise of Stay at Home Moms...

"It seems a tremendous revelation to many women that they can expand their horizon more as a SAHM than as a worker bee on someone else's schedule, using only certain required abilities"

You know, I just realized within the last couple months that I just now, that I stopped working, have hobbies! As a single, working mom, I remember people asking me what I did as a hobby, or for fun. I would typically tell them that I enjoyed reading but remember thinking, "Hobby? Who has time for a hobby?" My life was filled with responsibilities and obligations. I had no time for things that didn't have an express purpose. Even "fun" was scheduled into the week and was included because I knew as a human being that I needed it, so thus I must make time for this thing called fun.

Now, I enjoy knitting and learning new recipes. I want to learn how to sew, but that must wait until my infant is old enough to play on her own for a while and need to nurse less. In any case, knitting can be done in my lap, which works quite well in my current situation. Who knew I could be so domestic?!

 Now what Dr. Laura has to say about our communication and handling harder times:

"Venting every feeling isn't mature. Learning to deal with uncomfortable and unpleasant feelings is an important aspect of maturity. The pop-psych notion that you have to divulge every unpleasantness or you will have gangrene of the soul and spirit is ultimate nonsense. Learning to endure, transform by perspective or action, and be grateful is the fast lane to a good life."

When I read this, I just had to chuckle a little bit. I remember within the last 10 years, I was telling people exactly what I think all the time, thinking that filtering was not acceptable and they should hear everything I'm thinking. The fact is, not all of our thoughts are meaningful to the outside world. The sooner we learn this, the sooner we can grow up and learn to handle tough situations without bringing the world down with us. 

Overall, I enjoyed the book as a pick-me-up in a time of transition for me. (Yes, I'm taking a long time to transition to being a SAHM!) Her arguments were emotionally charged, which doesn't have the ability typically to change my mind in any matter, but it felt nice to have some validation on what I'm doing.

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Reading: In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms

Borders is closing their store near me, so a friend and I decided to check out what they had left. We were hoping for books and materials we could use for our kids and their schooling. We found little of what we were looking for, but found some gems nonetheless.

As soon as I got home I started reading In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms by Dr. Laura Schlessinger. The last couple weeks have been trying for me. I went from a respectable career in IT to being a homemaker and homeschooling mom. It is a tough transition, especially in this society where little to no respect is given to the women who chooses to stay home.

One area in this book, of what I've read so far, hit dead on.

Another newbie SAHM wrote that I was the only one in the world who supported her and helped her believe she was doing the right thing. At first, she felt like less of a person, leaving her professional life to be "just" a mom. After listening to me day after day reinforce the importance of a mom to a child, she realized that in fact she had been brainwashed to believe that motherhood was beneath the dignity of an intelligent, independent woman. She would watch people's eyes glaze over when she told them she was a SAHM, and she felt like she had to rush in with a "but, before I left I was...," as if to prove her intelligence to them.

I still feel proud to tell people that I used to work in IT, and I hate to admit that I still feel the need to tell people that I used to have a "real" career; one that required education and skill.  Only after I tell people that can I earn their respect, because we all know that being a mom is not worth respect at all. After all, isn't the mother who always messes up her child into the psychiatrist's office? And no, I don't stay home because my paycheck would only pay for daycare. My paycheck would cover much more than daycare thankyouverymuch. I lived as a single mom on my paycheck for 7 years... I think I could help substantially to our family, but we are choosing for me to be home with our kids and build a bond that will inshaAllah stay throughout all of our lives.

Our society looks at SAHM's, or I should say Homemakers, as hovering women who don't know how to let go of an ounce of control. As if it is so horrible that we want to be there for our children each day. Yes, I put my oldest in day care and worked. I needed to, and felt I that I should, at the time. I want to tell people that doesn't give me a redeeming quality that I'm not a pshyco hovering mother. That just means I needed to work and go to school. Period.

With all this said, it still is a struggle to adjust. The repetitive nature of my "job" now gets tedious when there is no feedback and praise, no review every year to measure my progress, and no raise as a reward for a job well done. Given the field I was in, my knowledge is waning and becoming out of date. As each year passes, I need more and more refresher classes to get back into the game if I would need to go back to work.

I love my life and I am so proud of my family and the relationship I have with them. I know that my relationship with my older daughter has become so much more close since I stopped working and that alone makes it worth it. I just need to remember these things when I'm feeling like I need to tell people about my working days in order to bring my status in their eyes a degree higher

GE pays no taxes?

Report: General Electric Paid No Federal Taxes Last Year

I'm a bit disturbed that this is legal. I would think our country's budget would be in better shape if it wasn't. True, they need to be able to run their business, but if they saved the money they used to pay people to figure out how to not pay the taxes, maybe paying the taxes wouldn't be a big deal!

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Knitting!

I have found the love for knitting! I never knew I would enjoy the craft so much, and even thoough it makes me feel old, I don't want to put it down! I'm almost done with a child size sweater now, which is my 4th project - ever! I started with the scarf, then the hat... pretty typical stuff. I then tried my hand at making a cup cozy, which I gave to a friend, and now the sweater (which will also go to a friend).

I have my next three projects queued also! Two more cup cozys and a headband. I figure they are small things to try new techniques like cabling and lace. I'm excited! I'm making myself take a break from knitting though after this sweater so I can read Green Deen, a book I checked out from the library.

Need to Get Back on Track!

I have been completely waivering in my organic and healthy shopping habits. As a mom to a new baby, I have been taking the easy way with getting groceries delivered. While the delivery service does have a good organic selection, it is all too easy to go the cheaper route and get the generic stuff.

I still stay away from MSG and HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) for the most part. Especially since I'm nursing, I want to keep those at a minimum. Shopping at the grocery store with a new(ish) baby is just draining! How do people do this!

This summer we will be starting to go to the farm for our CSA share again. We are really looking forward to visiting the farm and I am excited to make baby food from the produce we get there!

What do you eat organic? Do you think it is valuable? A scam?

10 Questions

I read this on another's blog (yes, I read your blog sometimes still... you may know who you are :] ). I'm bored, so here we go!

1. If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing this? If you aren’t anonymous, do you wish you started out anonymously, so that you could be anonymous now?
My blog is semi-anonymous. I don't give big details to who I am in real life, but I'm not ultra secretive either. I'm fine with it that way. I hate trying to keep in the dark completely; it feels like I did something wrong.


2. Describe an incident that shows your inner stubborn side?
Hmmm, that's a hard one. I would say I was far more stubborn when I was younger. I think when my husband and I would not budge on moving our wedding back because people thought the 3 week engagement was hasty and we were being stubborn. Why should we wait? We knew each other long enough, and we had a small wedding that only took a week to plan! :)


3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror?
A mom, a Muslim, a wife. Each day it is in a different order. Sometimes I notice my gray hair a lot and it dawns on me that I'm not in my youth anymore.


4. What is your favourite summer cold drink?
Ice. Cold. Water.


5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?
Knit, which is a new hobby of mine. I used to love to read, but I haven't been going to pick up a book lately. I think the last few books I read for leisure were too basic and couldn't keep my attention so I need to go for books that have new information for me. I don't really like to read fiction; I feel like it is a waste of time. I also enjoy exercising; mainly yoga and pilates, but I do cardio because it is more effective (affective? whatever.). But honestly, I typically go on Facebook because I figure I don't have much time to get into anything deeper.


6. Is there something that you still want to accomplish in your life?
Mmm, yeah, I suppose. I do want at least one more child, inshaAllah. I want to raise them as devout Muslims that are not "of the world." If I died today though, I don't feel like I missed out on anything.


7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the shy person, or always ditching?
I was the overachiever that skipped class... go figure.

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what would you see?
I'm not moved easily. What comes to mind first though is the birth of my second daughter. It was an all natural water birth, so the sensation of labor and delivery, and then the moment you meet your child and all the pain stops. It was beautiful. I wish I would have done it that way with my older daughter.


9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog, or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people and events?
I'm not fake in any way, but there is a lot I don't share just in case some people read this blog, know who I am, and talk crap about me behind my back... or in front of my face, but not to me. No thanks, Facebook was enough.



10. If you had the choice to sit down and read a book or talk on the phone, which would you do and why ?
Depends. Sometimes I want to sit quietly alone, and other times I want to connect with others. It is 50/50

Sad News All Around

It comes as a surprise to me that even in the communities where people are religious (or acting as if they are), that there is turmoil and problems in their marriages. I guess I grew up in a very different crowd and always had this picture that the religious people didn't have any of these big problems like addiction, adultery, fornication, etc. The longer I associate myself with those that do profess a belief in God, I find that these problem exist here as well.

Of course, I do still think, and observe, that these problems are more prevalent in the agnostic/atheist communities, or at least the people that do not have a fear of God and Judgment Day. I still feel blessed to be around those that will help me stay on the path to Allah, inshaAllah, and those that will encourage me to that which will benefit.

I'm just surprised to witness all the problems people are experiencing. Maybe I'm naive?

11 Goals for 2011

A friend of mine did this and sparked me to make my own. Better late than never, right?

So, here are my goals for 2011... not necessarily in order of importance:

1. Improve prayer
2. One full month of homeschooling using the eclectic approach
3. Work out regularly and get back to pre-preggo weight, inshaAllah (maybe even get below that weight... we shall see)
4. Learn to knit and complete a successful project
5. Read more books
6. Buy house, inshaAllah
7. Be better at following up on things
8. Be timely
9. Keep the home cleaner than last year (should be easy since last year I was preggo and had the baby!)
10. Forgive
11. Be consistent!!! (My biggest downfall)

So, inshaAllah I will come back to this from time to time to remember what I should focus on.

What are your goals?