Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
There are a few things I'd like to start doing.
Lay the cloth. I'm looking for a nice table cloth. Something casual. I want to really set the table everytime we eat. Including breakfast.
I want us to stop what we're doing when we eat. Meal times should be shared with family and made pleasant. No distractions.
We need to move more. It's winter, but I think that on nicer days (when it's not too much below 32 degrees F) we should go for a walk. Even if it's just to Walgreens and back. On days when I can have the car, it'd probably be nice to take walks downtown.
That's all...
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
What is REALLY important? The little things.
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
Lately, I've been thinking about what is important to me. After Allah ta'ala, His Messanger, Islam, Family and Friends.
What is important?
Is it making friends? Being successful financially? Etc.?
Kind of. Not exactly.
I don't know that there is anything that is truly very important to me. The big things are important, but I literally don't care about much else.
I'm unapologetically passionate about my religion and I'm devoted to my family and friends...most of those friends having become family to me anyway. I don't care about a lot of people, including some family members...but those I am close to...well, they're a part of my life whether they like it or not. I hope they like it, hehe. I can think of one sister I've known about a year now...and honestly, I'm much closer to her than I am to either of my siblings. Alhamdulillah. MashaAllah. We just click that way.
But I DO care about what other people think of me. You wouldn't think it, when I'm walking through Walmart in my long clothes with my headscarf completely covering my assets. But I do my best to put forth a good appearance. To mesh at least a little with the crowd.
When I was a kid, I was always the strange one. My mother wasn't exactly the motherly type, so I've spent most of my life trying to learn what is socially acceptable. Things I didn't learn growing up. I've learned not to ask how much money something cost and how to give a good handshake. How to introduce aquaintances, etc. I spend time reading Emily Post and Amy Vanderbilt and GentleManners guides and I'm a member of a couple different forums that call for the return of ladylike manners.
And I've found that I don't mesh.
So lately, I've had a new goal. It goes along with manners and etiquette, but it takes it a step further. I'm trying to make other people feel comfortable in my presence. Not to be stuffy or overly formal, but to make sure that they enjoy the time they spend with me.
I've been trying this for about a year. I'll chat with a cashier while buying clothes and I'll even practice on my husband without his knowing it. I don't know whether I'm getting better, but I think I am. I went to class last night and realized that I'm afraid of people. That's my biggest hurdle. I can deal with one-on-ones, but my heart races when I'm forced to introduce myself in front of ten people...so that's something I need to deal with. I don't think I can make other people feel comfortable if I'm flipping out.
Next semester, I'll be taking more classes. This semester, it's just once a week that I actually have to be in a room of 20 people and make conversation and give intelligent answers. But I'm going to need practice. I'm not sure what it is that I'm going to do to get over my fears, but I'm certainly going to try. Maybe I need to volunteer for some kind of committee or something? Something that will force me to be in a group?
Fi aman Allah.
Lately, I've been thinking about what is important to me. After Allah ta'ala, His Messanger, Islam, Family and Friends.
What is important?
Is it making friends? Being successful financially? Etc.?
Kind of. Not exactly.
I don't know that there is anything that is truly very important to me. The big things are important, but I literally don't care about much else.
I'm unapologetically passionate about my religion and I'm devoted to my family and friends...most of those friends having become family to me anyway. I don't care about a lot of people, including some family members...but those I am close to...well, they're a part of my life whether they like it or not. I hope they like it, hehe. I can think of one sister I've known about a year now...and honestly, I'm much closer to her than I am to either of my siblings. Alhamdulillah. MashaAllah. We just click that way.
But I DO care about what other people think of me. You wouldn't think it, when I'm walking through Walmart in my long clothes with my headscarf completely covering my assets. But I do my best to put forth a good appearance. To mesh at least a little with the crowd.
When I was a kid, I was always the strange one. My mother wasn't exactly the motherly type, so I've spent most of my life trying to learn what is socially acceptable. Things I didn't learn growing up. I've learned not to ask how much money something cost and how to give a good handshake. How to introduce aquaintances, etc. I spend time reading Emily Post and Amy Vanderbilt and GentleManners guides and I'm a member of a couple different forums that call for the return of ladylike manners.
And I've found that I don't mesh.
So lately, I've had a new goal. It goes along with manners and etiquette, but it takes it a step further. I'm trying to make other people feel comfortable in my presence. Not to be stuffy or overly formal, but to make sure that they enjoy the time they spend with me.
I've been trying this for about a year. I'll chat with a cashier while buying clothes and I'll even practice on my husband without his knowing it. I don't know whether I'm getting better, but I think I am. I went to class last night and realized that I'm afraid of people. That's my biggest hurdle. I can deal with one-on-ones, but my heart races when I'm forced to introduce myself in front of ten people...so that's something I need to deal with. I don't think I can make other people feel comfortable if I'm flipping out.
Next semester, I'll be taking more classes. This semester, it's just once a week that I actually have to be in a room of 20 people and make conversation and give intelligent answers. But I'm going to need practice. I'm not sure what it is that I'm going to do to get over my fears, but I'm certainly going to try. Maybe I need to volunteer for some kind of committee or something? Something that will force me to be in a group?
Fi aman Allah.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Mama's a student again
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I've started school again...I'm on my way to becoming a Medical Assistant...or at least having a technical certificate in that field.
The only thing I've discovered is that accounting disgusts me. It holds absolutely no interest for me and therefore it's going to be more difficult to get good grades in that class. The other classes are fine and I'm sure that I'll be okay, inshaAllah.
Soooooo I'm going to be pretty busy from now on. The online courses aren't any easier than taking classes...in fact they're probably more difficult, because I have to find a way to concentrate with the little muslimahs running around and playing and making mischief. In the last three days, I've spent about 10 hours studying--and only for one class.
Hopefully I'll be able to settle into a routine and organize my life a little more than it is currently. I think that my other courses are going to be quite a bit easier, but I'm still going to need a lot of effort and concentration.
Fi aman Allah!
I've started school again...I'm on my way to becoming a Medical Assistant...or at least having a technical certificate in that field.
The only thing I've discovered is that accounting disgusts me. It holds absolutely no interest for me and therefore it's going to be more difficult to get good grades in that class. The other classes are fine and I'm sure that I'll be okay, inshaAllah.
Soooooo I'm going to be pretty busy from now on. The online courses aren't any easier than taking classes...in fact they're probably more difficult, because I have to find a way to concentrate with the little muslimahs running around and playing and making mischief. In the last three days, I've spent about 10 hours studying--and only for one class.
Hopefully I'll be able to settle into a routine and organize my life a little more than it is currently. I think that my other courses are going to be quite a bit easier, but I'm still going to need a lot of effort and concentration.
Fi aman Allah!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Moving in with Dad again...
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I wrote a llllloooooonnnnnnnngggggggggg time ago about having to clean up my dad's place. Well...I did. At least most of it. I scrubbed and cleaned and sorted and tossed, etc. And I got most of the rooms done.
Last summer, I also finished cleaning up his extra bedroom.
The thing is........now that it's been a couple years it's almost as dirty/messy as ever. My dad just can't seem to get his act together...I feel like he's becoming a pack-rat.
The problem with this is that the kids and I want to move in with him next October. Soooooooo.........there's a lot of work to be done. Again.
Starting in March, big things are happening, inshaAllah.
I didn't get to tear down the walls and put up new ones, so that needs to be done. At least for two of the upstairs bedrooms. The kitchen needs a new ceiling....and the bathroom needs a new tub.
Those are the biggest problems. I won't go in too much about the garage roof or the outdated kitchen with the tar pit in the middle of the floor where my dad tried taking out the tiles years ago... As long as the big problems get taken care of, I'm sure I can get to the rest of it all in good time.
The thing is that I'm going to start working again. And I'm going back to school. InshaAllah I'll have enough time! I'm afraid I'm going to have to do everything on Saturdays when my dad is at work--because I think he's a little like me and can't stand to sit around while other people work.
Sooooooooo. Before we can move in, these things need to be accomplished:
--tear out walls upstairs and put up new drywall/sheetrock
--put in new tub or new tub surround
Things that would help:
--Put in a new ceiling in the kitchen
--Get electricity to my closet (my dad rewired last fall and hasn't quite finished everything). It's a big closet and it needs light. Maybe an outlet, too...
Things that I hope to accomplish in the (possibly) four years I'm to live with him:
--Take down ugly 70's wallpaper and replace with neutral paints
--Paint all of the moulding white white
--Paint all the doors either white or black
--Paint the ugly back stair wall panelling a creamy color
--Put in bookcases on the back landing
--Remodel bathroom--Home Depot
--Remodel kitchen--Ikea
--Etch glass on the front door and foyer window
--Replace door hardware on ALL the doors
--Refinish the wood floors downstairs and upstairs
That's quite a lot...there are other smaller things I'd like to do. For instance, the foyer closet is pretty big and there are two doors to it. One door in the foyer and the other in the dining room. I'd like to make the closet smaller and put a walk-through in. I'd pretty much just take the doors off of their hinges, take out the door hardware and put up new moulding fo finish it and make it look like that's the way it was meant to be.
With the big things, my brother is willing to help. InshaAllah it'll be fine. I'm sure he can also scavenge up some friends for times when two people just aren't enough for the job. My husband will help with the walls and with the things that he can before he leaves.
The house, as is, is pretty bad. But it's a 1903 house with a lot of potential. The rooms are large and there are a lot of them. Living room, family room, dining room, kitchen, pantry, three bedrooms, one bath and two staircases. The ceilings are high and the moulding is attractive, but not gaudy. The windows in the house are huge and since the front of the house faces North, the side of the house (which is longer than the front/back) catches both the morning and evening sunlight, mashaAllah.
I'm hoping that the benefits from me living with my dad don't all fall on my side. I really wish that I can be of some use to my dad. Honestly, I think that he just doesn't know where to begin. He lived with my mother for so long that he doesn't know anything else. InshaAllah I can take care of some of that. I think that my housework will be appreciated, inshaAllah.
I wrote a llllloooooonnnnnnnngggggggggg time ago about having to clean up my dad's place. Well...I did. At least most of it. I scrubbed and cleaned and sorted and tossed, etc. And I got most of the rooms done.
Last summer, I also finished cleaning up his extra bedroom.
The thing is........now that it's been a couple years it's almost as dirty/messy as ever. My dad just can't seem to get his act together...I feel like he's becoming a pack-rat.
The problem with this is that the kids and I want to move in with him next October. Soooooooo.........there's a lot of work to be done. Again.
Starting in March, big things are happening, inshaAllah.
I didn't get to tear down the walls and put up new ones, so that needs to be done. At least for two of the upstairs bedrooms. The kitchen needs a new ceiling....and the bathroom needs a new tub.
Those are the biggest problems. I won't go in too much about the garage roof or the outdated kitchen with the tar pit in the middle of the floor where my dad tried taking out the tiles years ago... As long as the big problems get taken care of, I'm sure I can get to the rest of it all in good time.
The thing is that I'm going to start working again. And I'm going back to school. InshaAllah I'll have enough time! I'm afraid I'm going to have to do everything on Saturdays when my dad is at work--because I think he's a little like me and can't stand to sit around while other people work.
Sooooooooo. Before we can move in, these things need to be accomplished:
--tear out walls upstairs and put up new drywall/sheetrock
--put in new tub or new tub surround
Things that would help:
--Put in a new ceiling in the kitchen
--Get electricity to my closet (my dad rewired last fall and hasn't quite finished everything). It's a big closet and it needs light. Maybe an outlet, too...
Things that I hope to accomplish in the (possibly) four years I'm to live with him:
--Take down ugly 70's wallpaper and replace with neutral paints
--Paint all of the moulding white white
--Paint all the doors either white or black
--Paint the ugly back stair wall panelling a creamy color
--Put in bookcases on the back landing
--Remodel bathroom--Home Depot
--Remodel kitchen--Ikea
--Etch glass on the front door and foyer window
--Replace door hardware on ALL the doors
--Refinish the wood floors downstairs and upstairs
That's quite a lot...there are other smaller things I'd like to do. For instance, the foyer closet is pretty big and there are two doors to it. One door in the foyer and the other in the dining room. I'd like to make the closet smaller and put a walk-through in. I'd pretty much just take the doors off of their hinges, take out the door hardware and put up new moulding fo finish it and make it look like that's the way it was meant to be.
With the big things, my brother is willing to help. InshaAllah it'll be fine. I'm sure he can also scavenge up some friends for times when two people just aren't enough for the job. My husband will help with the walls and with the things that he can before he leaves.
The house, as is, is pretty bad. But it's a 1903 house with a lot of potential. The rooms are large and there are a lot of them. Living room, family room, dining room, kitchen, pantry, three bedrooms, one bath and two staircases. The ceilings are high and the moulding is attractive, but not gaudy. The windows in the house are huge and since the front of the house faces North, the side of the house (which is longer than the front/back) catches both the morning and evening sunlight, mashaAllah.
I'm hoping that the benefits from me living with my dad don't all fall on my side. I really wish that I can be of some use to my dad. Honestly, I think that he just doesn't know where to begin. He lived with my mother for so long that he doesn't know anything else. InshaAllah I can take care of some of that. I think that my housework will be appreciated, inshaAllah.
Everyday is a Crisis.
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
A lot of people know about Flylady. She's pretty popular...but for some reason the only thing I really do is the crisis cleaning. I don't like to do my cleaning in little spurts during the day. I prefer to get it all done at once and then relax!
So like I said, I do the crisis cleaning...just a little modified.
The only thing I really do differently is that I only take 10 minutes in the bathroom and I do 5 minutes in each bedroom putting away clothes and toys and making beds, etc.
I find that 15 minutes in the kitchen and 15 minutes in the living room allows me time for everything, because I don't do everything every day. If I vacuumed inside of the sofa and chairs one day, the next I'll probably be wiping down lamps and tables instead...
Before we go to bed, we do one more quick pick-up and my apartment stays looking half-way decent, mashaAllah. It's not pristine or sterile (like my husband wants), but I don't usually have a problem with drop-in guests.
Fi aman Allah!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Working Mama Muslimah
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I'm on my way to getting a job. My husband goes abroad in September to finish his degree...and I'll be at home with the girls. Well, not quite. I'm going to go live with my dad. InshaAllah it'll be okay.
Anyway...I'm going back to school. I'm going to try to get a technical certificate as a MA, inshaAllah. It'll take about three semesters, inshaAllah...but I'm going to start looking for jobs in April. InshaAllah I'll have something by May wa Allahu Alim!
I only want to work part-time. Preferably as a receptionist or administrative assistant. That way I'll still have time at home for the girls (and my husband will be able to take care of them while I'm at work) and time to study...
Anyway...I've been wearing Abaya for about four years now. The only time I don't wear it is when I'm working. So..................I've started a search for appropriate clothing. Long skirts, long-sleeved shirts/blouses, sheath dresses that I can wear over pants and blouses, etc....things that can be bought a little bigger as to conceal the body...long cardigans to cover up anything that might be a little too tight. You get the picture.
So far, here are a few of my favorites...
Metro Style has got some suits and blazers that look nice and don't cost a fortune:
Newport News is another website with pretty affordable, professional looking clothing that can made to suit a Muslimah's wardrobe:
EastEssence also has some nice sets...albeit my goal is to still look classy while being modest......not frumpy. Fi aman Allah!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Raving
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I've been using the cold cream and witch hazel for long enough to start raving about it. I usually have some blemishes before and during a certain time of the month...but by my face, I can't tell that it's coming anymore. Really, I have quite blemish prone skin and I only have two blemishes on my face at the moment--which are easily covered by foundation (not even concealer!).
So here I am, proclaiming it! The cold cream and witch hazel is wonderful! My face is clean, I have very few (if any) blackheads anymore, my skin is supple, not dry. That and my make-up looks great on my face...it seems like my skin ton has evened out somehow! MashaAllah! I can't say enough about it!
Fi aman Allah!
I've been using the cold cream and witch hazel for long enough to start raving about it. I usually have some blemishes before and during a certain time of the month...but by my face, I can't tell that it's coming anymore. Really, I have quite blemish prone skin and I only have two blemishes on my face at the moment--which are easily covered by foundation (not even concealer!).
So here I am, proclaiming it! The cold cream and witch hazel is wonderful! My face is clean, I have very few (if any) blackheads anymore, my skin is supple, not dry. That and my make-up looks great on my face...it seems like my skin ton has evened out somehow! MashaAllah! I can't say enough about it!
Fi aman Allah!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
