Aww money cant buy love or...........

Yesterday was a beautiful day so I thought it would be a great day to start teaching my son how to ride bike. I shared my plans with the 3 and my oldest told my son, "you need to have balance to ride a bike" so he goes *all excited* "Balance! Yeah! Thats what I need balance.....Mom can we buy some balance today?"

Awwwww made my day! SOOOOO adorable!

Planet of the Arabs

WHY is it so easy to have bad opinions of Arabs? WHY does everyone get nervous when they hear that I am married to one? Why was there and is there no big fights about starting a war or the deaths of many Arab Muslims? Well, its been programmed in us since we were little. I remember being in elementary and someone was coming to talk to us, you know, I dont even remember WHAT the talk was about all I remember is them saying something along the lines of "in some African\Arab places they dont use toilet paper, instead they wipe with their left hand and eat with their right". When I first came in contact with Muslims and learned of their habits....yes what the man said was true, what he forgot to mention is that they wash with water, after every time they go to the toilet (#1 or 2) Muslims wash themselves with water and usually they do wipe, but its to dry not to clean as they already are. Hand washing follows of course! Who can forget "Not without my Daughter?" Still dont believe me?

Watch this:

*note, this is an extremely violent video, (viewer discretion is advised :) )*



Oh, and if anyone is interested there is a very interesting documentary called "Without my daughter" which is the father\husband of this story telling his side, which comes off as much more realistic (in my humble opinion)

Coming soon to a blog near you....

Everytime I find myself with time to write something, I forget what it is I want to write. Last night I made a big list full of some topics, so inshaAllah soon you should see some action!

The irony of it

I have been thinking of my German roots lately. I remember my Grandma telling me her father came to America when he was in the 6th grade. His mother was so strict with them speaking English without an accent. They left Germany searching for more religious freedom (being Catholic) in America. Now like over 100 years later in Germany I sometimes wish I could step through time and have my Great-grandpa give me a tour of his one time home. I wonder what he would think of his childrens childrens children and THEIR children coming back to the country of his birth, and speaking his mother language. I wonder if I have family here? Maybe that old woman who says good morning everyday to me?? I wonder if I am walking the same ground as my ancestors? I wonder if its possible to find any family here? What would they think of me, of us? Would they accept the American Muslim married to an Arab as a part of their family? Could they show me old pictures or letters from them? So many questions but so little answers. I wonder what he would have thought of me living as a Muslim here, although I am sure since he left for religious freedom maybe he would be happy to see I am free to live here and practice a religion that is so vilified. He was gone before the Nazis and separation and re-uniting of Germany. Did he miss home?

So so so many questions so much I want to know.

She summed it up

A fellow sister in Islam blogged about something and I want to link it here, please read it:

http://texaninuae.blogspot.com/2010/02/gasp.html#links

What I miss....

What I miss:


Family
Swimming
The sights and smells of Minnesota
Big family get-togethers
Friends
Hot tamales
Cheap maple syrup and peanut butter
Friendly strangers
English
English books
Stores open 24\7
Shopko (I dont even remember how to spell it!)
Buying all products in 1 store

Some of my favorite newish poetry (i.e. not classic)

Sensitivity

So....I have not forgotten you my blog and blog readers (not that you were soo worried). I just dont have very much time lately.....or anytime actually. Anyway, the last week the kids and I have all been a little sick, today I decided that the kids and I would watch a movie. First of all, we dont have a tv and the kids only watch then things when I play for them something on the computer, usually this is Calliou or Clifford or Islamic kids cartoons (Adams world, etc). Anyway we watched Homeward Bound, a movie I watched many times with my sister and brother also. This is a movie about 2 dogs and a cat who go through an adventure through the wilderness to try to get home, the scariest scene is maybe a cat that goes down a waterfall or a dog that gets hit in the nose. However, my kids are not at all used to tv, Rania broke out in tears about 3 times and I had to calm her down and promise her that they will be ok and make it home, she was really upset and worried about it. I really realized how tv desensitizes kids. I am so glad we dont have a tv. I have to laugh because actually I am also pretty sensitive to tv now. If I watch something really with a strong story, I will dream about it for long time and carry the story in my head also.

Anyway that was maybe random, oh well, its MY blog! HAHA!