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.