Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
We won´t have internet after tomorrow, so I just wanted to say that it might be a while before there are any new posts here!
Fi aman Allah,
UmmBatul
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Another list
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
Things to do while waiting for your hair-dye/henna/deep treatment/hair-whatever to set it:
--chase your daughter around the apartment like crazy people
--dance to your own embarassment and your daughter´s delight
--eat fruit
--kiss away all the stuffed animal´s wawas.
--let your daughter clean the bathroom walls with a dry sponge
--drink large amounts of cola to help improve caffeine intake
--watch MASH or the A-Team
--decide how dark you want to go with the tanning lotion
--massage daughter´s constipated belly with olive oil or baby oil
--decide what´s for dinner
--clean up the mess you made in the bathroom
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
Things to do while waiting for your hair-dye/henna/deep treatment/hair-whatever to set it:
--chase your daughter around the apartment like crazy people
--dance to your own embarassment and your daughter´s delight
--eat fruit
--kiss away all the stuffed animal´s wawas.
--let your daughter clean the bathroom walls with a dry sponge
--drink large amounts of cola to help improve caffeine intake
--watch MASH or the A-Team
--decide how dark you want to go with the tanning lotion
--massage daughter´s constipated belly with olive oil or baby oil
--decide what´s for dinner
--clean up the mess you made in the bathroom
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Alhamdulillah
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I need to take one deep breath...or maybe lots of deep breaths.
I don´t feel too great. Alhamdulillah.
My daughter ransacked the living room for probably the 5th or 6th time today and I don´t know how much time I have until my husband gets back, because he is with a friend of his in the city...
Oh well...the kitchen is clean (although I have to do the dishes from dinner), the bathroom is clean, and the apartment is clean in general...it´s just that I need to pick up tons and tons of toys and books. SubhanAllah, she even through the cushions from the sofa on the floor...not to mention my prayer garment..and her prayer garment...the ad flyer for the local grocery store, all her stuffed animals, etc.
...............................
I don´t particularly mind that she nearly ripped to pieces a wedding invitation that I recieved. The bride was my best friend right up until the end of the summer before college began. She went to a college that was about 7 hours away from our city and I went to another that is about 2.5 hours away...we decided to stay in contact through post (snail mail) and at first it went really well....but then I was disturbed by the fact that she didn´t actually read the letter s that I wrote her, because she would ask the same questions over and over again in each letter I recieved from her.
I was upset, but I didn´t make too big of a deal out of it. Later, on, however, we decided that we wanted to spend our first college spring break in Germany and we went together. I didn´t have a credit card to make our reservations, so my mother made them for us. I paid my mother back less than a week later....my friend gaver her 40 bucks and told us that she would be able to pay the rest back soon. I think it´s almost 5 years later and she has never paid my mom back a dime after that first 40...subhanAllah it makes me pretty mad, because my mom has MS and is living on disability retirement...it´s not like she has a lot to go around. Still, my mom has written it off, alhamdulillah.
There were a lot of other issues, too, and eventually, I thought it was in my best interest to cut relations with this girl.
Anywho...She also sent a letter along with the invitation and now I must think carefully about whether I really want to respond. Perhaps she has grown up a bit? Perhaps she is somehow "vernünftiger" than she used to be. Allahu alim. At the very least, I don´t have to worry too much about her showing up on my front door, because we live on opposite sides of the ocean, alhamdulillah, although she did threaten to show up on my door, because she can´t get traveling out of her blood...hmm. I guess I answered my own question.
Deep down, I don´t hate this girl. She was, after all, my best friend, subhanAllah...on the other hand, I sometimes wonder why. I have always been the slightly cold, logical type. I do harbour an unending love for English poety from the Romantic Era and I do love nature and am a romantic in a lonely-cup-of-tea-on-a-snowy-winter-day kind of way, but I have a way about me in that I almost always keep a level head in any situation. Even if I am thrown by something, I would never let people notice. She´s the kind of girl that seems very romantic, but has a smile that doesn´t go to her eyes which makes me kind of nervous and unlikely to trust her. And she is the kind of girl to say things to please people without really liking them or believing the words that are coming out of her mouth...which is what lead me to notice that strange smile of hers.
Maybe I found something in her that I don´t have myself. Good or bad, the nonsense that she brought into my life at the time was a good thing and knowing her created a deep love in my heart for tiny, warm coffee shops that don´t fall under the "Starbucks" category. I love sitting in a deep comfortable chair and chatting with a friend in a cafe full of warm wood and warm smells. It´s great, mashaAllah.
But I have this strange dislike of almost anything else related to her. I don´t know exactly what it is. I don´t like her handwriting. I don´t like her hair. I don´t like the way she speaks. I don´t like the way she believes almost everything she hears. I don´t like the way that she tries to use other people. I don´t like it. Something about her disturbs me. AsdaghfiruAllah.
I think that I should probably make lots of dua that Allah subhanahuwata´ala guide her to the right path and that He open my heart. Allahu Alim. I don´t llike it that I think badly of another person. It doesn´t suit me or the kind of person I am.
I guess I wanted to rant about this. I can´t tell my husband this kind of stuff. He asked who she was and I told him about the 700 dollars she didn´t repay my mom...that´s about it. I don´t want to rant to him about all of the feelings that this invitation brought back to me...
Wallahi I still love this girl´s sister and her mother...it´s just her. Something about her rubs me the wrong way...and yet, I think that I would still be willling to sit down with her for a cup of coffee if she were in town, hehe.
Anywho...that´s about it. I should probably attend to Jayjay and the mess she made...I might put a load in the washer, too...interesting, huh, hehe?
Fi aman Allah,
UmmBatul
I need to take one deep breath...or maybe lots of deep breaths.
I don´t feel too great. Alhamdulillah.
My daughter ransacked the living room for probably the 5th or 6th time today and I don´t know how much time I have until my husband gets back, because he is with a friend of his in the city...
Oh well...the kitchen is clean (although I have to do the dishes from dinner), the bathroom is clean, and the apartment is clean in general...it´s just that I need to pick up tons and tons of toys and books. SubhanAllah, she even through the cushions from the sofa on the floor...not to mention my prayer garment..and her prayer garment...the ad flyer for the local grocery store, all her stuffed animals, etc.
...............................
I don´t particularly mind that she nearly ripped to pieces a wedding invitation that I recieved. The bride was my best friend right up until the end of the summer before college began. She went to a college that was about 7 hours away from our city and I went to another that is about 2.5 hours away...we decided to stay in contact through post (snail mail) and at first it went really well....but then I was disturbed by the fact that she didn´t actually read the letter s that I wrote her, because she would ask the same questions over and over again in each letter I recieved from her.
I was upset, but I didn´t make too big of a deal out of it. Later, on, however, we decided that we wanted to spend our first college spring break in Germany and we went together. I didn´t have a credit card to make our reservations, so my mother made them for us. I paid my mother back less than a week later....my friend gaver her 40 bucks and told us that she would be able to pay the rest back soon. I think it´s almost 5 years later and she has never paid my mom back a dime after that first 40...subhanAllah it makes me pretty mad, because my mom has MS and is living on disability retirement...it´s not like she has a lot to go around. Still, my mom has written it off, alhamdulillah.
There were a lot of other issues, too, and eventually, I thought it was in my best interest to cut relations with this girl.
Anywho...She also sent a letter along with the invitation and now I must think carefully about whether I really want to respond. Perhaps she has grown up a bit? Perhaps she is somehow "vernünftiger" than she used to be. Allahu alim. At the very least, I don´t have to worry too much about her showing up on my front door, because we live on opposite sides of the ocean, alhamdulillah, although she did threaten to show up on my door, because she can´t get traveling out of her blood...hmm. I guess I answered my own question.
Deep down, I don´t hate this girl. She was, after all, my best friend, subhanAllah...on the other hand, I sometimes wonder why. I have always been the slightly cold, logical type. I do harbour an unending love for English poety from the Romantic Era and I do love nature and am a romantic in a lonely-cup-of-tea-on-a-snowy-winter-day kind of way, but I have a way about me in that I almost always keep a level head in any situation. Even if I am thrown by something, I would never let people notice. She´s the kind of girl that seems very romantic, but has a smile that doesn´t go to her eyes which makes me kind of nervous and unlikely to trust her. And she is the kind of girl to say things to please people without really liking them or believing the words that are coming out of her mouth...which is what lead me to notice that strange smile of hers.
Maybe I found something in her that I don´t have myself. Good or bad, the nonsense that she brought into my life at the time was a good thing and knowing her created a deep love in my heart for tiny, warm coffee shops that don´t fall under the "Starbucks" category. I love sitting in a deep comfortable chair and chatting with a friend in a cafe full of warm wood and warm smells. It´s great, mashaAllah.
But I have this strange dislike of almost anything else related to her. I don´t know exactly what it is. I don´t like her handwriting. I don´t like her hair. I don´t like the way she speaks. I don´t like the way she believes almost everything she hears. I don´t like the way that she tries to use other people. I don´t like it. Something about her disturbs me. AsdaghfiruAllah.
I think that I should probably make lots of dua that Allah subhanahuwata´ala guide her to the right path and that He open my heart. Allahu Alim. I don´t llike it that I think badly of another person. It doesn´t suit me or the kind of person I am.
I guess I wanted to rant about this. I can´t tell my husband this kind of stuff. He asked who she was and I told him about the 700 dollars she didn´t repay my mom...that´s about it. I don´t want to rant to him about all of the feelings that this invitation brought back to me...
Wallahi I still love this girl´s sister and her mother...it´s just her. Something about her rubs me the wrong way...and yet, I think that I would still be willling to sit down with her for a cup of coffee if she were in town, hehe.
Anywho...that´s about it. I should probably attend to Jayjay and the mess she made...I might put a load in the washer, too...interesting, huh, hehe?
Fi aman Allah,
UmmBatul
Saturday, December 16, 2006
A day in the life of.....
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I had a very normal, typical day today...well, I did get a package from my mom, so there is an exception.
It started out a little late, made oatmeal with milk and honey for breakfast; played with Jayjay; prayed my prayers; read some Qur´an; cleaned a little; did the abc zoo game with Jayjay at fisher price; talked to my husband on the phone and almost got into an argument with him, because I don´t agree with a job he has taken on; played with Jayjay some more; made dinner for Jayjay and I; my husband came home and I made dinner for him; I layed down for 30 minutes and then got back up again; my husband went to lay down and maybe sleep; and here I am now.
I think that maybe I will go take a shower (and take Jayjay with me, because she is still awake, but starting to get sleepy)...inshaAllah a shower will push her over the edge and make her want to sleep.
Anywho............I am really disturbed by this job that my husband has taken. I think that it is wrong from an Islamic standpoint even though it´s nothing big. My husband doesn´t agree with me and says that I´m crazy. I am not happy about it. Not at all.
..................................
Jayjay´s package was nice, alhamdulillah. My mom sent a knit poncho, mittens and a hat...and a really pretty dress and three pairs of tights, mashaAllah. All of it is adorable, mashaAllah. InshaAllah Jayjay will get a chance to wear the dress for Eid wa Allahu Alim.
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
I had a very normal, typical day today...well, I did get a package from my mom, so there is an exception.
It started out a little late, made oatmeal with milk and honey for breakfast; played with Jayjay; prayed my prayers; read some Qur´an; cleaned a little; did the abc zoo game with Jayjay at fisher price; talked to my husband on the phone and almost got into an argument with him, because I don´t agree with a job he has taken on; played with Jayjay some more; made dinner for Jayjay and I; my husband came home and I made dinner for him; I layed down for 30 minutes and then got back up again; my husband went to lay down and maybe sleep; and here I am now.
I think that maybe I will go take a shower (and take Jayjay with me, because she is still awake, but starting to get sleepy)...inshaAllah a shower will push her over the edge and make her want to sleep.
Anywho............I am really disturbed by this job that my husband has taken. I think that it is wrong from an Islamic standpoint even though it´s nothing big. My husband doesn´t agree with me and says that I´m crazy. I am not happy about it. Not at all.
..................................
Jayjay´s package was nice, alhamdulillah. My mom sent a knit poncho, mittens and a hat...and a really pretty dress and three pairs of tights, mashaAllah. All of it is adorable, mashaAllah. InshaAllah Jayjay will get a chance to wear the dress for Eid wa Allahu Alim.
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
Saturday, December 09, 2006
I have created a monster...
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
Well...Allah ta´ala created the monster...I´m just in charge of raising her, hehe.
My now 16 month old daughter has learned how to drag chairs around and climb up on them so that she can grab things that would usually be too high for her...
Why do I feel like I am really in for trouble now?
She has also started having minor temper tantrums...she whines....ugh. I hate whining... I try to ignore it, so that she learns that whining won´t get her what she wants, but it´s really really annoying.
She also says "wa wa" now, mashaAllah, meaning ouch. She actually uses it in multiple situations...when she´s scared, when she actually does hurt herself, and when she´s whining.
...............................................................................
Alhamdulillah, I am starting to feel a little better. The sinus cold is starting to subside, alhamdulillah... I still feel really tired, but alhamdulillah, it´s gotten a little better...maybe because I am consciously drinking more caffeine during the day and am eating a little more salt. Allahu Alim.
I have to go to two doctors on Monday, though, inshaAllah. A dermatologist for an allergy test and my family doctor, because she now has the results from the ENT doctor... InshaAllah, the dermatologist will be able to tell me what caused my horrible allergic reaction in Syria. It was really awful and I would love to know what caused it so that I can avoid it in the future, inshaAllah.
Other than that, I was told that I will probably be prescribed drops for low blood pressure that I will have to take for a while, but inshaAllah I won´t have to take them forever. InshaAllah they will work, because the dizziness is getting to be a problem for me.
http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/medicine/blood-pressure.htm
Well...it´s nice to know that I probably won´t have heart problems later on, huh?
Oh well...inshaAllah khair.
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
Well...Allah ta´ala created the monster...I´m just in charge of raising her, hehe.
My now 16 month old daughter has learned how to drag chairs around and climb up on them so that she can grab things that would usually be too high for her...
Why do I feel like I am really in for trouble now?
She has also started having minor temper tantrums...she whines....ugh. I hate whining... I try to ignore it, so that she learns that whining won´t get her what she wants, but it´s really really annoying.
She also says "wa wa" now, mashaAllah, meaning ouch. She actually uses it in multiple situations...when she´s scared, when she actually does hurt herself, and when she´s whining.
...............................................................................
Alhamdulillah, I am starting to feel a little better. The sinus cold is starting to subside, alhamdulillah... I still feel really tired, but alhamdulillah, it´s gotten a little better...maybe because I am consciously drinking more caffeine during the day and am eating a little more salt. Allahu Alim.
I have to go to two doctors on Monday, though, inshaAllah. A dermatologist for an allergy test and my family doctor, because she now has the results from the ENT doctor... InshaAllah, the dermatologist will be able to tell me what caused my horrible allergic reaction in Syria. It was really awful and I would love to know what caused it so that I can avoid it in the future, inshaAllah.
Other than that, I was told that I will probably be prescribed drops for low blood pressure that I will have to take for a while, but inshaAllah I won´t have to take them forever. InshaAllah they will work, because the dizziness is getting to be a problem for me.
From wikipedia:
"Effects of low blood pressure
Main article: Hypotension
Blood pressure that is too low is known as hypotension. The similarity in pronunciation with hypertension can cause confusion.
Low blood pressure may be a sign of severe disease and requires urgent medical attention.
When blood pressure and blood flow decrease beyond a certain point, the perfusion of the brain becomes critically decreased (i.e., the blood supply is not sufficient), causing lightheadedness, dizziness, weakness and fainting.
However, people who function well while maintaining low blood pressures have lower rates of cardiovascular disease events than people with normal blood pressures."
http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/medicine/blood-pressure.htm
Well...it´s nice to know that I probably won´t have heart problems later on, huh?
Oh well...inshaAllah khair.
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
Friday, December 08, 2006
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
Just because I know you are all desperate to be spending even MORE time at your computers and online...........
There are a whole bunch of sites out there with games that you can play online with your children, mashaAllah, that will inshaAllah actually teach them something.
They are especially great for me, because we don´t want to be buying a lot of things that we will just have to either leave behind or which will take up space in our luggage when we move (we plan on only bringing what´s necessary and selling the rest, inshaAllah...)
Here are a few that I think are cute...
Just because I know you are all desperate to be spending even MORE time at your computers and online...........
There are a whole bunch of sites out there with games that you can play online with your children, mashaAllah, that will inshaAllah actually teach them something.
They are especially great for me, because we don´t want to be buying a lot of things that we will just have to either leave behind or which will take up space in our luggage when we move (we plan on only bringing what´s necessary and selling the rest, inshaAllah...)
Here are a few that I think are cute...
(okay, the rabbit is kind of creepy, but it might be fun for kids, inshaAllah, hehehe)
http://goodnightstories.com/hear.htm
My daughter doesn´t take much of an interest in a whole lot of the stuff, but she finds the stuff like the coloring pages where you tap any key and the colors show up automatically pretty cool, mashaAllah and find the bear is fun with her, too, but she loses interest after a couple minutes.
My daughter doesn´t take much of an interest in a whole lot of the stuff, but she finds the stuff like the coloring pages where you tap any key and the colors show up automatically pretty cool, mashaAllah and find the bear is fun with her, too, but she loses interest after a couple minutes.
(The photo above is from Ikea...but I thought it fit the topic...kind of)
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
Thursday, December 07, 2006
May Allah ta´ala make you satisfied in this life and in the next
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
Alhamdulillah, I am a woman. I love to have things orderly....I probably mentioned that before.
I am trying to decide whether my desire to have a nice home makes me materialistic? Is wanting to have a nice life in this world a bad thing, even though I know that it is only a passing thing? Allahu Alim.
I mean...is it okay to want to have nice things? After prayers, fasts, dhikr, dua, Qur´an, and keeping the home clean, is it okay to want to make sure that things aren´t only clean, but also attractive? Is it wrong to want to surround myself with things that make me smile? Snow white mouldings and cabinets? Smooth painted wood surfaces? Hardwood floors? Pretty fabrics in toile and stripes?
I want to make sure that my daughter grows up in a beautiful home. That doesn´t mean that things have to be expensive or even new...but they should look new (that´s why we have steel wool for the pots and pans, right?!?!?)...and they should be spotless and clean.
I don´t like it when paint starts to chip...that´s a sign that something needs to be repainted, inshaAllah and alhamdulillah sandpaper and paint are cheap, mashaAllah. I don´t like it when the bottoms of my pots start to blacken--that´s a sign for more steel wool and an overnight soak in the sink with bleach. I don´t like it when my things start to look old. We have all kinds of cleaners and wonderful things that you can buy at any drugstore that can help to preserve what we have...from the cabinets in the kitchen to the wash...alhamdulillah. Even if you do things the old-fashioned way (vinegar...bleach...baking powder...etc.) you can still keep things looking great.
I have probably become this way, because of my mother...yep, Freud´s theories sometimes do work, hehehe.
She doesn´t clean...sometimes I think she doesn´t even know how. The dishes could pile up for over a week. The stove was almost never cleaned and by the time that she moved out during my parents´ divorce, it was impossible (I mean that...) to clean off the char. The carpets hadn´t been cleaned thoroughly in years and although we pulled most of them up, there are still a few left that need to be tossed. There were clothes left over from the 70´s in her closet...not that that´s a bad thing, but they were laying dirty on the floor in there...or packed into garbage bags that never made it to the Salvation Army or Goodwill... Nothing was ever cleaned...until I got to high school and started teaching myself how to do it myself...and then it was sad, because even with my dad to help me, we couldn´t keep up with her mess...she was home the whole day to mess up all of our efforts, subhanAllah...and she wasn´t even trying...that´s just the way she is.
Her new apartment isn´t much better. She´s still a packrat, but I forgive her these days, because she is getting sicker and sicker...there are some things she just can´t help anymore. May Allah subhanahuwata´ala guide her and all my family to the right path. Ameen.
I don´t know if that is an excuse for my obsession with everything looking new and "bright and shiny". Allahu alim. I just hope that in case I am really materialistic that Allah subhanahuwata´ala forgives me. Only He knows what is really in my heart...better than myself even.
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
A new day...
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
This is where I wish I were:
Isn´t it beautiful? It seems so serene, mashaAllah...and it reminds me a little bit of home--there are certainly a lot of places that look like this back home....mmm...peace.
My husband went to the immigration office today to renew my visa and give it one last go for a work visa for me...
Well....they didn´t exactly like my husband much...especially when he told them that his own passport was at the American consulate....well no...that was nothing compared to when my husband corrected the mean office lady´s grammer (her native tongue)...my husband informed me that she almost threw him out after that and yelled at him "You can LEAVE now!"
Yeah...so the husband is a nervous wreck and would love to punch someone (good thing he´s not a very violent guy these days...he did take a little wack at the wall, though)...and we are a bit worried about getting the last few papers into the consulate so that we can get his visa: Quick!!!
We would prefer not to get THROWN out of this God-forsaken country.
I am pretty worried about it, too, but inshaAllah khair. My dad has to get some papers together for us and my husband already has all of the things he needs, so alhamdulillah. What more can I ask for?
I am pretty happy, otherwise. I think that we can give our daughter a better life back home, inshaAllah, and that is one of my top priorities. And we will at least have some family there, albeit non-muslims...but Allahu alim...it´s a great chance for dawah, inshaAllah!
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
This is where I wish I were:
Isn´t it beautiful? It seems so serene, mashaAllah...and it reminds me a little bit of home--there are certainly a lot of places that look like this back home....mmm...peace.
My husband went to the immigration office today to renew my visa and give it one last go for a work visa for me...
Well....they didn´t exactly like my husband much...especially when he told them that his own passport was at the American consulate....well no...that was nothing compared to when my husband corrected the mean office lady´s grammer (her native tongue)...my husband informed me that she almost threw him out after that and yelled at him "You can LEAVE now!"
Yeah...so the husband is a nervous wreck and would love to punch someone (good thing he´s not a very violent guy these days...he did take a little wack at the wall, though)...and we are a bit worried about getting the last few papers into the consulate so that we can get his visa: Quick!!!
We would prefer not to get THROWN out of this God-forsaken country.
I am pretty worried about it, too, but inshaAllah khair. My dad has to get some papers together for us and my husband already has all of the things he needs, so alhamdulillah. What more can I ask for?
I am pretty happy, otherwise. I think that we can give our daughter a better life back home, inshaAllah, and that is one of my top priorities. And we will at least have some family there, albeit non-muslims...but Allahu alim...it´s a great chance for dawah, inshaAllah!
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
Getting ready to launch
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
The good news in my life right now is that my dad has absolutely no problem with us staying by him. In fact, he seemed really happy about it, mashaAllah.
He also had no problem with the idea that I clean up and toss whatever I feel like it and get things organized. InshaAllah I think he will like having a woman in the house again...folded laundry...ooohhh....luxury, hehehehehe.
There is one condition:
My mother will NOT visit me. EVER. If I want to see her, I have to go to her place.
I don´t have a problem with this. I never much like cleaning up her mess anyway (not that I won´t be compulsively cleaning her place anyway when I visit, but I would probably freak out about her leaving behind a mess in my own dwelling).
My dad also said that he would pick up a new carseat for Jayjay on the way to the airport to pick us up, inshaAllah. Nice guy, huh? MashaAllah, that´s one less thing that we will have to take along with us and one less thing that we will need to buy, alhamdulillah!
Oki doki...that´s it for today...
Fi aman Allah,
UmmBatul
Monday, December 04, 2006
The news
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
There seem to be so many articles in the news lately about cases of child abuse and negligence and everything in between...
A man put a baby in the freezer, because it had a fever? And then he blamed it on the fact that he had no real parenting skills? Duh. Didn´t need to tell me that.
A woman put her baby in the microwave and ended up killing the poor thing. I think it was a month old.
In Germany, a baby was found in a freezer last week and in the last month there have been at least three child deaths due to parent negligence and abuse (this is me watching the news in Germany: "How can that *corpulent* woman STARVE HER CHILD TO DEATH!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! They obviously had more than enough food in the fridge for her and her boyfriend!".
There is something wrong with that. I mean, really. I can get pretty mad at my daughter. She is teething the last of her first four molars and cries more in the night now than she has in probably more than a year. All that crying and the effort that it takes to get her to finally fall asleep...it can get me really riled...and there have even been times in the past when I had to leave the room in order to stop myself from slapping her...but I haven´t slapped her. Because it´s not okay.
I have learned something, though.
My daughter is perfect.
She cries all the time these days. She takes all of the onions and potatoes out of their bins and leaves their peels all over the apartment. She dumps her apple juice on the couch. She slaps me in the head sometimes...oh and those head butts...she rips up any piece of paper she can get her hands on...put a writing utensil in her hand and she scribbles on everything including the walls. She never lets me sit at the computer on a chair--unless she´s up there with me...she dumps her toys all over the floor a dozen times in one day...not to mention the weeks I have lived through diarhea, fever, and teething.
But she has never done anything malicious--ever. She is not even 16 months old...she doesn´t even understand right and wrong...that will probably come some time after she *really* understands that no means no! and she is just not there yet, hehe.
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
There seem to be so many articles in the news lately about cases of child abuse and negligence and everything in between...
A man put a baby in the freezer, because it had a fever? And then he blamed it on the fact that he had no real parenting skills? Duh. Didn´t need to tell me that.
A woman put her baby in the microwave and ended up killing the poor thing. I think it was a month old.
In Germany, a baby was found in a freezer last week and in the last month there have been at least three child deaths due to parent negligence and abuse (this is me watching the news in Germany: "How can that *corpulent* woman STARVE HER CHILD TO DEATH!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! They obviously had more than enough food in the fridge for her and her boyfriend!".
There is something wrong with that. I mean, really. I can get pretty mad at my daughter. She is teething the last of her first four molars and cries more in the night now than she has in probably more than a year. All that crying and the effort that it takes to get her to finally fall asleep...it can get me really riled...and there have even been times in the past when I had to leave the room in order to stop myself from slapping her...but I haven´t slapped her. Because it´s not okay.
I have learned something, though.
My daughter is perfect.
She cries all the time these days. She takes all of the onions and potatoes out of their bins and leaves their peels all over the apartment. She dumps her apple juice on the couch. She slaps me in the head sometimes...oh and those head butts...she rips up any piece of paper she can get her hands on...put a writing utensil in her hand and she scribbles on everything including the walls. She never lets me sit at the computer on a chair--unless she´s up there with me...she dumps her toys all over the floor a dozen times in one day...not to mention the weeks I have lived through diarhea, fever, and teething.
But she has never done anything malicious--ever. She is not even 16 months old...she doesn´t even understand right and wrong...that will probably come some time after she *really* understands that no means no! and she is just not there yet, hehe.
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
Pretty things
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
Who thinks that food should not only taste good, but be attractive, too?
Who thinks that it is not enough that the house is clean...but that it is welcoming and beautiful, too?
I do.
I am a woman. I love beautiful things. I love making even simple things look beautiful. I love putting beautiful clean linens on the bed. I love serving lemonade out of a beautiful glass pitcher.
I love these things.
I love all of the little things that make life somehow more pleasant and enjoyable.
I guess I have been spending too much time at the Pottery Barn website lately...
Here is what I found:
I really like that bed....I am searching high and low for more rea
sonable beds in the same style, but this one looks so much more solid than anything else out there that I have found online...
And look how clean the lines are! And even the dresser is high up off of the floor so the vacuum can fit under there! Pottery Barn is great, mashaAllah.....
If dreams come true....Allahu alim......this is what I am saving for!
And look at the other things that they have for serveware!
Can you believe this stuff??? The smooth clean lines? How lovely are these things?!?
I especially love this glass vase...the foot makes it appear like it came directly out of a painting, mashaAllah.....I can just imagine making a lovely lavender lemonade in the summer and serving it up out of a pitcher like this, inshaAllah!
Alhamdulillah I am young, hehe. I have many years up to save and eventually live the way that I would like to, inshaAllah. By the time I die, inshaAllah I will have just enough of the "frills" in life that make me want to smile when I wake up in the morning.
--sheets that smell of lavender, rose and sandlewood (I have that now)
--smooth cotton sheets
--warm slippers
--breakfast served on pretty plates complete with a pot of hot Earl Grey tea..mmm
--shelves to organize all of my linens and kitchen things, etc.
--lots of good smells and pretty sights and memories
My theory is that if I don´t love it, then it shouldn´t be in my house...
I want my child (and inshaAllah future children) to grow up in a peaceful home with a peaceful mother who is happy! These are a lot of material things above, but I suppose in my defense, I have lived without for most of my life and I know that these are things that make me smile (other than my husband and daughter, of course, hehe). I want my daughter to have many of the things that I didn´t have growing up--including the security of a home that is not only stable, but beautiful. A place that she can feel comfortable. A place where people are welcome to come in for a cup of coffee or tea and *feel* welcome. Where there is an overwhelming feeling of comfort.....
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
Who thinks that food should not only taste good, but be attractive, too?
Who thinks that it is not enough that the house is clean...but that it is welcoming and beautiful, too?
I do.
I am a woman. I love beautiful things. I love making even simple things look beautiful. I love putting beautiful clean linens on the bed. I love serving lemonade out of a beautiful glass pitcher.
I love these things.
I love all of the little things that make life somehow more pleasant and enjoyable.
I guess I have been spending too much time at the Pottery Barn website lately...
Here is what I found:
I really like that bed....I am searching high and low for more rea
sonable beds in the same style, but this one looks so much more solid than anything else out there that I have found online...And look how clean the lines are! And even the dresser is high up off of the floor so the vacuum can fit under there! Pottery Barn is great, mashaAllah.....
If dreams come true....Allahu alim......this is what I am saving for!
And look at the other things that they have for serveware!
Can you believe this stuff??? The smooth clean lines? How lovely are these things?!?
I especially love this glass vase...the foot makes it appear like it came directly out of a painting, mashaAllah.....I can just imagine making a lovely lavender lemonade in the summer and serving it up out of a pitcher like this, inshaAllah!
Alhamdulillah I am young, hehe. I have many years up to save and eventually live the way that I would like to, inshaAllah. By the time I die, inshaAllah I will have just enough of the "frills" in life that make me want to smile when I wake up in the morning.
--sheets that smell of lavender, rose and sandlewood (I have that now)
--smooth cotton sheets
--warm slippers
--breakfast served on pretty plates complete with a pot of hot Earl Grey tea..mmm
--shelves to organize all of my linens and kitchen things, etc.
--lots of good smells and pretty sights and memories
My theory is that if I don´t love it, then it shouldn´t be in my house...
I want my child (and inshaAllah future children) to grow up in a peaceful home with a peaceful mother who is happy! These are a lot of material things above, but I suppose in my defense, I have lived without for most of my life and I know that these are things that make me smile (other than my husband and daughter, of course, hehe). I want my daughter to have many of the things that I didn´t have growing up--including the security of a home that is not only stable, but beautiful. A place that she can feel comfortable. A place where people are welcome to come in for a cup of coffee or tea and *feel* welcome. Where there is an overwhelming feeling of comfort.....
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
Sunday, December 03, 2006
All the things she can do...
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I have been thinking...I am a little worried about how little Jayjay speaks...I mean, I know some start later rather than sooner, but Allahu alim...
Other than Baba and Mama, she can say (more or less):
Bear
Door
Dau (light in Arabic)
Baby
Jayjay
Mem (for food)
Nunu
Kaka
Bye-bye
No
She is really advanced physically, though, mashaAllah. She can walk backwards and has done so for well over a month now. She twirls in circles. She can crawl up onto just about anything. She can eat with a fork and is getting better with spoons, mashaAllah. She sings. She "reads." She runs. She is trying to learn how to jump. She crawls under things if she can´t go over them. She kisses. Etc.
InshaAllah it is nothing and I am just a typical anxious mama wondering when she´ll start saying more...Ya Allah, inshaAllah it will be soon! Ameen!
Anywho.......I, as always, have a battle plan.
Unfortunately, I am the kind of person who puts on the tv for background noise when my husband isn´t home...it makes me feel secure somehow...even if I am not in the room...I have noticed that Jayjay is actually starting to *watch* tv these days, though....so....out with the tv, in with nasheeds.
I am playing more games with her. I have a great nursery rhyme book. It has games and short little stories, too, mashaAllah and Jayjay seems to really like it. InshaAllah it will help her learn a few words...and a few things like "30 days hath September" which I never learned...but that´s another story.
I talk with her tons..and a whole lot more since she started talking to me, hehe.
I recite Qur´an for her anyway...I figure if Mozart is good, Qur´an has to work wonders, inshaAllah!
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
Progress?
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
It looks more and more like we will be moving back to the states (well, actually, for my husband and daughter it will be their first time there...)
And it looks more and more like will have to move in with my dad for at least long enough to find a place of our own wa Allahu alim...
There are a few reasons I like that idea:
1. I love my dad.
2. We won´t have to pay for heating costs.
3. We won´t have to pay for much of anything else, either.
4. We will have a room to ourself (i.e. I can start to kick Jayjay out of my bed inshaAllah)
5. I can help my dad with the housework--his house is BIG--and he´s a MAN...you get the idea.
There are a few reasons I don´t like that idea:
1. The house is dirty-dirty-dirty. There are rugs everywhere that need to be thrown out; there are things that have not been cleaned in a good 15-20 years; there are lots and lots of things that need to be repaired or replaced...including entire walls...ugh; in pretty much every room, the ceilings, walls and maybe even floors need to be painted; all of the floors downstairs have to be refinished; etc. I suppose if I get the basic stuff done, though, I won´t complain about the other crud, inshaAllah...
2. My husband has never met my father...I don´t know if they will even like each other...alhamdulillah they are both good guys. InshaAllah it won´t be a problem!
3. I am an adult with my own family. It seems wierd that I would live with "Daddy."
...........
I guess the dirty thing is what has me staying up nights worrying about it.
There are things that would definately have to be done within the first few nights there, because my husband is hyperallergic and my daughter is really small...
Things like cleaning every room from top to bottom, and in the same breath, pulling up the dirty old carpets and tossing them out. Who knows what has GROWN under those carpets all the years that my mother used to live there...I mean, she didn´t bat an eye if juice spills didn´t get cleaned up or anything else that fell on the floor. The woman once left a stain of blood on my dad´s chair from her period...and he had to clean it up...
I am not saying that my dad is dirty. But he lives in a big three bedroom house all by himself. He usually only uses the bathroom, kitchen, his bedroom and the computer room...that´s it. The toilet and tub are clean...the kitchen table and counters are clean...his bed is made with clean linens...he thinks life is great! It´s just that he hasn´t gotten around to getting all of the junk that my mother accumulated all those years out of his life...
Honestly, I am a little upset and a little disappointed in all of the things that he HASN`T gotten around to doing. A while ago, he was so excited about being able to get things done for the first time in his life. He had a little hope. Now he spends most of his time outside of the hope (probably avoiding it just like he used to) and doesn´t really have the time to put a lot of care into things...
That..and he´s a guy. It´s not that he doesn´t really care, but I don´t think he KNOWS how to clean things as well as a person who has lived alone for a longer amount of time...or most women...face it..we´re just cleaner creatures than most men. Sorry Dad.
So....here are things that I need...and I may force my father to stop at Target or KMart or ShopKo or Walmart or Ikea or anywhere ON THE WAY HOME FROM THE AIRPORT!
-hangers
-canister vacuum...bagless is great
-fabric softener
-scented clorox
-a damp mop system
-dish towels
-microfiber cloths
-white primer paint
-white satin paint
-two vinyl shower curtains
-duct tape
I already have a box cutter and all kinds of other stuff, too, mashaAllah to help me get the carpets up, etc. My dad has all kinds of tools, so inshaAllah if something comes up I can research online how to fix it, inshaAllah...
........................
Here is my battle plan for the first night that I am at home:
-Put my old bedlinens or whatever is on my old bed in the washer and when that´s done...in the dryer.
-Clean out my brother´s old room, including the closet...that will be Jayjay´s room.
-Move my old bedset into her room and give it a good dusting.
-Damp mop the floor once more and make the bed.
-Put her clothes into the dressers and closet.
-Attack the bathroom.
-There is a problem with the wall in the tub...use the shower curtains to protect it.
-Clean the tub and toilet and sink.
-Toss old and unused and ugly linens out (or put them in a box to give away) and put clean, fresh attractive linens and towels back into the linen closet.
-Toss out old toiletries and junk in the linen closet. Arrange the nice stuff that we want to keep.
-Clean out the medicine cabinets.
-Mop the floor...and clean the corners with a sponge where needed...
After that, I can sleep and get on with the upstairs hallway, kitchen, pantry and carpets on the second day, inshaAllah.
Once the house is actually clean, though, I would like to paint the ceilings and mouldings white and maybe even paint the floors upstairs white, inshaAllah...and later on, a nice stencil design around the corners of the rooms and hallways would be nice, but Allahu alim whether we will even be there that long...stil, if I am in the states, I can at least help my dad out some with making his house a home, inshaAllah!
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
It looks more and more like we will be moving back to the states (well, actually, for my husband and daughter it will be their first time there...)
And it looks more and more like will have to move in with my dad for at least long enough to find a place of our own wa Allahu alim...
There are a few reasons I like that idea:
1. I love my dad.
2. We won´t have to pay for heating costs.
3. We won´t have to pay for much of anything else, either.
4. We will have a room to ourself (i.e. I can start to kick Jayjay out of my bed inshaAllah)
5. I can help my dad with the housework--his house is BIG--and he´s a MAN...you get the idea.
There are a few reasons I don´t like that idea:
1. The house is dirty-dirty-dirty. There are rugs everywhere that need to be thrown out; there are things that have not been cleaned in a good 15-20 years; there are lots and lots of things that need to be repaired or replaced...including entire walls...ugh; in pretty much every room, the ceilings, walls and maybe even floors need to be painted; all of the floors downstairs have to be refinished; etc. I suppose if I get the basic stuff done, though, I won´t complain about the other crud, inshaAllah...
2. My husband has never met my father...I don´t know if they will even like each other...alhamdulillah they are both good guys. InshaAllah it won´t be a problem!
3. I am an adult with my own family. It seems wierd that I would live with "Daddy."
...........
I guess the dirty thing is what has me staying up nights worrying about it.
There are things that would definately have to be done within the first few nights there, because my husband is hyperallergic and my daughter is really small...
Things like cleaning every room from top to bottom, and in the same breath, pulling up the dirty old carpets and tossing them out. Who knows what has GROWN under those carpets all the years that my mother used to live there...I mean, she didn´t bat an eye if juice spills didn´t get cleaned up or anything else that fell on the floor. The woman once left a stain of blood on my dad´s chair from her period...and he had to clean it up...
I am not saying that my dad is dirty. But he lives in a big three bedroom house all by himself. He usually only uses the bathroom, kitchen, his bedroom and the computer room...that´s it. The toilet and tub are clean...the kitchen table and counters are clean...his bed is made with clean linens...he thinks life is great! It´s just that he hasn´t gotten around to getting all of the junk that my mother accumulated all those years out of his life...
Honestly, I am a little upset and a little disappointed in all of the things that he HASN`T gotten around to doing. A while ago, he was so excited about being able to get things done for the first time in his life. He had a little hope. Now he spends most of his time outside of the hope (probably avoiding it just like he used to) and doesn´t really have the time to put a lot of care into things...
That..and he´s a guy. It´s not that he doesn´t really care, but I don´t think he KNOWS how to clean things as well as a person who has lived alone for a longer amount of time...or most women...face it..we´re just cleaner creatures than most men. Sorry Dad.
So....here are things that I need...and I may force my father to stop at Target or KMart or ShopKo or Walmart or Ikea or anywhere ON THE WAY HOME FROM THE AIRPORT!
-hangers
-canister vacuum...bagless is great
-fabric softener
-scented clorox
-a damp mop system
-dish towels
-microfiber cloths
-white primer paint
-white satin paint
-two vinyl shower curtains
-duct tape
I already have a box cutter and all kinds of other stuff, too, mashaAllah to help me get the carpets up, etc. My dad has all kinds of tools, so inshaAllah if something comes up I can research online how to fix it, inshaAllah...
........................
Here is my battle plan for the first night that I am at home:
-Put my old bedlinens or whatever is on my old bed in the washer and when that´s done...in the dryer.
-Clean out my brother´s old room, including the closet...that will be Jayjay´s room.
-Move my old bedset into her room and give it a good dusting.
-Damp mop the floor once more and make the bed.
-Put her clothes into the dressers and closet.
-Attack the bathroom.
-There is a problem with the wall in the tub...use the shower curtains to protect it.
-Clean the tub and toilet and sink.
-Toss old and unused and ugly linens out (or put them in a box to give away) and put clean, fresh attractive linens and towels back into the linen closet.
-Toss out old toiletries and junk in the linen closet. Arrange the nice stuff that we want to keep.
-Clean out the medicine cabinets.
-Mop the floor...and clean the corners with a sponge where needed...
After that, I can sleep and get on with the upstairs hallway, kitchen, pantry and carpets on the second day, inshaAllah.
Once the house is actually clean, though, I would like to paint the ceilings and mouldings white and maybe even paint the floors upstairs white, inshaAllah...and later on, a nice stencil design around the corners of the rooms and hallways would be nice, but Allahu alim whether we will even be there that long...stil, if I am in the states, I can at least help my dad out some with making his house a home, inshaAllah!
Fi aman Allah,
Katherine
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