I love being a mama

My baby's cute baby talk :)

My second son and currently the baby of the house is almost 4 yo mashallah. He is such a bright, happy, tough child. He makes us laugh with his cute, silly antics. With his poopy talk :) His vocabulary has improved a lot since he's started the Montessori school 3 months back alhamdulillah.

1. When I was on the phone and telling my aunty that the kids are playing with nerf guns but we don't call them guns, we call them drills. Homi says, " But we call them guns." In the background

2. Every time a movie or TV show ends he'll say, " Be End."

3. At night when his brother is in bed, he'll come over and say where's my poopy ? Where's my farty ? Lol. he'll get laughs out of his brother and they'll cuddle and play while in bed.

4. While telling about his school one day :
Homi : Audrey said a bad word."
Mama : What did she say ?
Homi : She said poop butt
His older brother cracks up
Mama : What did the teacher say ?
Homi : She told Audrey to sit in the chair

5. Homi : Mama, I need some candy.
Mama : You need to eat an apple first, then I'll give you some candy.
Homi : Ok, mama.
After a few minutes,
Homi : Mama, I finished the apple.
Mama : Where's the apple ?
Homi ( with his mouth open) : look, its in my tummy.
Mama : well, where's the rest of it ?
Homi : Its all gone look.
Then, mama discovers the half eaten apple behind the door.

The Ramadan Tafseer Series by Sh.Abdul Nasir Jangda

In the first part of the tafseer series, Sh.Abdul Nasir discusses in depth the first four ayahs of Surah Maryam,

He also encourages you to memorize the ayahs as he moves along with the tafseer discussion so inshallah by the time Ramadan ends, you would have memorized the entire Surah Maryam.

The first quarter of the surah talks about the human need to want children and also discusses the parent-child relationship.It emphasises on human emotion or a kind of weaknes to want a child.It gives the examples of Prophet Zakariyyah AWS, Maryam AWS,Esa AWS, Ibrahim AWS and his father.

The last quarter of the surah  refutes the claim made by some people that Allah SWT has a child or a son.Allah SWT is above all needs and weaknesses and has no want or need for a child.

The surah begins with disjointed letters like the other 29 surahs do in the Quran.There are many interpretations to the meaning of these letters.But most scholars agree that only Allah SWT knows the meaning of the disjointed letters.

However, there are two interpretations mentioned here.

1.No matter how much you know, there's always something you do not know.Allah SWT knows everything.

2.The disjointed letters are used to catch the attention of the listeners.

The second ayah addresses Prophet Mohammed SAWS.This is the reminder of the mercy of your Lord upon His slave zakariyyah AWS. Notice here Allah SWT doesn't say His name, He says your lord. Why?
The surah talks about the blessing of Allah SWT upon Yahya AWS.
What is this blessing > A son in his very advanced age.This surah then talks about Maryam AWS and her son Isa AWS.It goes on to talk about the difficult relationship Ibrahim AWS had with his father.The overall tone of the surah is one of need, sense of desperation.It has a powerful emotional undertone.
So the attribute of Allah that is mentioned here is Rabb. Rabb - creates, sustains, maintains, nourishes, feeds, protects.

Allah SWT introduces Zakariyyah AWS as his slave. Zakariya lived upto the task of being a slave.He lived past 80 and according some narrations, he was over a hundred years old.He did not lose hope of having a child.He lived truly as a slave of Allah SWT.

Why is prophet mohammed SAWS addressed in the conversation ?

The surah was revealed at the end of the 4th year or the beginning of the 5th year of prophet hood. It was revealed shortly after the message of Islam had gone public.The oppression had started.Muslims had migrates to Abyssinia and to Habsha. All odds were stacked against the prophet mohammed saws.So Allah SWT sent this surah down to him to remind him of Allah's mercy on His slave zakariyyah.

Healthy Breakfast Ideas

http://thesproutingseed.com/egg-muffins-with-hatch-green-chilies/

http://www.allergyfreealaska.com/2013/04/09/delicious-paleo-carrot-cake-muffins/

http://laurenslately.blogspot.com/2012/01/omelet-muffins.html

http://healthylivinghowto.com/1/post/2011/09/no-its-not-taco-pizza.html

Paleo Round up

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/59118514268/paleo-lunchbox-roundup

http://laurenslately.blogspot.com/2012/01/omelet-muffins.html?m=1

http://paleo.com.au/2012/01/vitamin-a-soup/

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Lunchbox_3_School_Soups/

http://www.sailusfood.com/2014/07/22/savory-muffins-breakfast-recipe-kids/

http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/hearty-oatcake-muffins-a-satisfying-snack-for-busy-families/

http://www.ifyourbodycouldtalkblog.com/banana-raspberry-muffins/

http://realfitrealfoodmom.com/2014/08/03/blueberry-buckwheat-muffins/

http://www.thisoriginalorganiclife.com/2013/03/18/gluten-free-sugarless-carrot-banana-muffins/

http://realfoodrealdeals.com/2014/06/25/chia-seed-blueberry-muffins/

http://realfoodrealdeals.com/2012/09/14/homemade-gluten-free-flour-mix/

http://ragdollkitchen.wordpress.com/2013/08/25/its-important-to-be-healthy/

http://www.thisoriginalorganiclife.com/2013/03/18/gluten-free-sugarless-carrot-banana-muffins/

When my oldest was 2-3 yo

1. H : Noony, stop go. OK

2. H : Noony, my bf. Ok Noony, Bhai is my Bf and dad's your Bf.

3. Mom : H can I have 40/50 kissies ?
H : Its ok. You can have 40/50 kissies.

4. H : I like Gulab zaman.

5. H : I want to eat bhindi roti, not bread.
Mom : Bread's like roti.
H : No, bread's not like roti, its like toast.

6. H : I don't like Aadi. He's so yucky, Throw him in the trash can.

7. H : Bhai, is spitting farting all the time.

8. H : I wanna go in helicopter to nana baba's house.

9. H : I need my policeman.
Mom : Where's he ?
H : In the store, maybe he's crying.

10. Playing with a snail :
H : Bye snail, go to mama daddy. Tomorrow you will be my bf.

11. Kissing his baby brother :
H : Bhai, I'm not hurting you. I'm only kissing you.

12. When talking to my mom :
H : Is that your mother noony ?

13. H : Hello, lemonade. I'm talking to lemonade.

14. Mom : H you wanna go to Aadi Ananya's house ?
H : No, Adi Anany wanna go to H's house.

15. Mom : H, its so hot in here.
H : No, its not hot its just warm.

16. H : I wanna go to namaz.
Mom : Its ok. You can go tomorrow.
H : No, dad said I have to.

17. When he broke my charger
H : Noony, I'm sorry I break your phone. I'll go to store and buy you new elector.

18. H : Mom, what's the prodlem ?

19. To his neighbours, Adi and Ananya
H : Let's play mucal chairs

20. Mom : H what's on your hands ?
H : There's no anything on my hands.

21. Before bed time
Mom : H go to bed or I'll hit you.
H : All the time you want to hit me

22. Seeing blankets on the bed
H : that's a lot of blanket oh man.

23. To his baby brother :
H : Kitties so cute

24. At night before falling asleep :
H : I want sun to wake up. I want to go to school.

25. On hearing construction on going outside :
H : Moony, that's instruction going on

26. H : Noony, Yuvan doesn't go to my school anymore. He goes to another school. I'm sad.

27. H : Mom , we can't say poolia poo poo. We need to say coolia coo coo.

28. After burping :
H : Noony, who made that noise ? My body ?

29. At the library
H : I want spider man books. Noony I want scary books.
Mom : Go ask that lady over there.
H : she's the library teacher.

30. Watching outside
H : What's that car ? Oh, its the pizza man but he's giving pizza to that girl, not to us.

21. Awaiting nanababa's visit
H : Sunday Monday Today is nana baba day Today is nana baba day. Only Nana baba's my bf.
Mom : What about me and dad ?
H : No only 1 persons can be bf, not two persons

22. Mom : H, I'll call you beta ji.
H : Ok did you call me beta ji ? I'll call you H ji. No, sorry noony ji, no lalla ji.

23. When he noticed his brother walking
H : H started walking mashallah

24. On the way to traffic
H : Oh, the traffic is diculous.
Mom : what ?
H : Its diculous.

25. H : What is that smell ? A fart? Stinky fart ? But a fart is a musical stinky fart.

26. H : Shut up.
Mom : What did you say ?
H : I didn't say shut up. I said shut

27. When mom went upstairs to see what H is upto :
H : Dad's teaching me about houses. I'm going to be busy now.

28. H : I'm going to school tomorrow. I'll be busy.

29. During storm :
Mom : What were you doing ?
H : I was watching the trees, but they didn't fall

30. When Mom is looking for restaurants online :
H : All the time Noony wants to look for restaurants

31. After coming home from praying :
Mom : Did you pray ?
H : I prayed nicely and I did not fart

32. Mom : Where are you both ?
H : I'm hiding cos me and bhai dropped something on the carpet. And I'm scared. It was an accident by me and bhai.

33. H : Mom, I'll be very happy if you don't give chocolate to bhai. You will be my Bf forever and ever.

After a while :
H : Bhai will be sad, its ok. Let's give him chocolate. He's out kitty babas.

34. When his dad pretended to hit bhai :
H : Dada is hitting bhai. Let's not talk to dad. Let's leave him alone.

35. When he was so angry :
H : Noony, I think Ms. Anne is a liar. She said Lana is a good girl.

36. H : Mom we are getting late to get to the plane to bring some nana babas.

37. Noony stop go ok
 38. Noony my best friend
39. Homi my best friend and dad my best friend

Gratitude

I read something today that is eye opening for me. A post on fb regarding how gratitude is related to Iman...how shaytan tricks people into losing faith by becoming ungrateful to Allah swt. Gradually the person starts questioning Allah's decree for him and loses contentment. From my personal experience, I can see how I've developed a mental pattern of ungratefulness over the years. When I'm stressed out, physically tired, overworked I end up being ungreateful for all the big and small things in life. Another one is when I'm on social media and looking at fb shares or instagram pics of people on vacation and what not, I start losing appreciation for all that I have.

I've also noticed how when I start losing focus in my prayers, do not keep up with Allah's remembrance in the morning and evening and stop reciting Quran daily, I loss the spiritual connection and complain about the minute things in life. It's a vicious cycle. Being ungrateful results in decreases of Iman. On the other hand, decreased Islamic practice in our day to day life results in lowering of Iman and in turn makes us ungrateful.

Now the solution that I'm going to try is simple and practical
1. Maintain a gratitude journal. Write three things you are grateful for having in your life. Every couple of weeks go back and read the last pages to see how your gratitude journal accumulates over time.
2. Think about the things in life that you wanted in the past or when you were younger and prayed to Allah swt for. And reflect on all those Duas that Allah swt has accepted and made your dreams come
True.
3. Play a thank you game with kids so you learn to appreciate simple
Things in life that kids do and also teach kids to be grateful to Allah swt. Ask your child to share three things every night taht he is thankful for and thibk about how little it takes to make kids happy and express gratitude for.
4. Last but not the least, pray to Allah swt so help you become
A happier person, stop complaining, stop comparing your life to others and appreciate all the blessings that Allah swt has showered upon you.

Inshalalh I pray we all find these steps effective and become happier, productive versions of ourselves.

My oldest son's cute baby talk

My 5yo has funny stories to share with his Mama and a very funny way of describing the little things/activities around him. I hope to save these to share with him and his kids when we have all grown older :)

1. While watching Ninja go :
" I am a golden Ninja".
"Wait, I'm a brown Ninja "
Lately, he's become aware of the fact that he's not white like the rest of his classmates and so we told him we migrated from India and are different in appearance.

2. While his baby brother was crying to play with the vacuum cleaner
" Hum, if you touch the vacuum you'll get sucked into the vacuum and then the vacuum will get spoiled and then we will have to take you to the doctor and he will remove all trash from you."

3.he had learnt to write his own name :)
Mom : Dad's helping with registration at the masjid BBQ event tonight.
H : What's registration ?
Mom : Its when people come to the BBQ and dad will take their names down.
H: Oh, I don't need registration then. I know how to write my name now.

4. Mom : If you want to grow up to be a tennis champion, you need to eat like one.
H : I'm going to eat like a champion.

5. When we are watching Bob the Builder
H: I'm Bob the builder. No, I'm Bob the bhaijan.

6. While playing Simon says
Mom : Simon says do sit ups
H : I can't mom I'm not comfowable to do that

7. While learning about community at school
H : Mom we are a community and a team, we need to help each other be kind and caring
If you need lemonade then do you say give me lemonade ? No, you say can I please have lemonade!
If you don't want, do you say no ? No, you say no thank you.

8. After coming home from his regular Montessori school :
Mom : Did you do any writing at school ?
H : Yes, only numbers and letters. There's no alif baa taa at the Montessori school.

9. Getting eid goody bags ready to take to masjid to share with other kids :
H : Mom, lets get the boody bags.

20. Teaching his little brother:
H : Hum, listen to me, I'm the teacher. What did I tell you ? I'm the teacher listen to me.

21, When his little brother went upstairs to his dad's home office :
H : Don't touch Dad's stuff or he'll hit you. That's the rule.

22. At night before we go to sleep,
H : Mom, lets play the thank you game. You start.

23. When mom asks for something :
H : Yes, ma'am mama. I call Ms. Anne yes Ma'am Ms. Anne.

24. To his little brother:
H: Bhai, play with peep peep.

24. To his friend's baby brother who wouldn't let them play:
H: Sameer go to mom. Mom has candy

25. On a random afternoon :
H : Mom spiders are poisonous if you eat them.

26. Offered to feed his brother :
H : Mom, I'll feed banana to bhai. One more bhai, one more bite.

27. When his brother wasn't listening to him and hitting him:
H : Bhai is like shaytan

28. When our car had a minor accident and alhamdulillah we all made it fine :
H : Mom, I'm glad no one got hurt. Allah saved us

29. When he was mad with mom
Mom : Ok you're not in my team.
H : Ok, then whose team am I gonna be in ? Ok I'm going to nana baba's house. Do whatever you want. I'm not going to help you close the door, nothing.

30. When talking on the phone to nana baba:
Nana baba : I have to go now. Talk to nani mamma.
H (Laughing hard) : Nanimamma, who's nanimamma ?
Nana baba : oh ok. I mean Naanu, sorry, not nanimamma.

31. Doing it mom's way :
H : Mom, I have a surprise to show you. But first you have to close your eyes and say bismillah. Say surah Fatihah then I'll show you.

32. When mom spanked him :
H : Mom, if you hit me again, I'll never be on your team again.

33. When he got money from dad's wallet :
H : Mom, look I got $20 from dad's wallet. Let's pay for plane tickets to go to nana babas house in Michigan.

34. When mom was mad :
Mom : I don't want to talk to you H.
H : But mom, I need to love you. I need to love somebody. Who do I have to love > Tell me

35. During Ramadan
Mom : H you need to slow down. Be gentle, calm down.
H: Mom I can't slow down. Remember I'm fasting

36. When he used to call mom Noony:
H : Noony, you're lying. Tell me the truth

37. Messing with mom :
Mom : You have such a nice name H.
H : No mom, you have to call me Mongolese, Duckies all day
He invented those names out of the blue.

38. When mom called his baby brother hummu :
H : Mom, can you call me hummu ?

39. To his baby brother :
H : Chiikki Likki Baabas

40. H : Tooti Tooti papa pa

41. H : I wanna go in helicopter to nana baba.

42. Let's do laagiloo rooriroo

43. I need my policeman. Where is he ? Oh, he's in the store. Maybe he's crying.

44. Me : What's in your hands ?
      H : There's no anything on my hands.

44. Dad : H go to bed or I'll hit you.
      H : Dad, all the time you want to hit me.

45. While in bed
       H : that's a lot of blanket oh man

46. On our way to the library,
      H : oh traffic, its diculous 
      Me : What's that ? diculous ? Where'd you hear that ?
      H : Dad always says that in traffic

47. H : What is that smell ? a fart ? stinky fart ? But a fart is musical stinky fart.
      Me : Like what ?
      H : Like POINNGGGG

48 : H : Shuttt
       Me : Hmmm... don't say shut up. Its not a nice thing to say.
       H : But I did not say shut up I just said shut

49. In dad's office watching dad do his real estate stuff,
H : Dad's teaching me about houses. I'm going to be busy now.

50. During a storm, Me : What were you doing ?
      H : I was watching trees but they didn't fall.

51. Me looking for zabihah halal restaurants on the zabihah app,
H : All the time Noony wants to look for restaurants

52. After finishing his salah,
H : I prayed nicely and I did not fart

53. Me : What are you doing ?
H : I'm hiding cos me and Homi dropped something on the carpet and I'm scared. It was an accident by me and Homi.

54. To his baby brother H : babas

55. When dad was upset with his baby brother
       H : Dada hitting Homi, let's not talk to dad, let's leave him alone

56. After school one day, H : Noony, I think Ms. Anne is a liar. She said Lana is a good girl.

57. Mom we are getting late to get to the plane to bring some nana babas. Let's bring lots of nana babas.

58. While working on his world map puzzle,
H : Noony, what's that state ? Its Michigan. Look can you see that guy in that house ? I think its nana baba.

59. When I baked brownies, mom I think you bake really well. You're a good cooker.

60. When Homi was jumping all over us during bedtime, Ya allah please don't let Homi cry for cande for the rest of his life. Make him a good boy for the rest of his life.