Wow! The last week of May into June was incredibly busy around here and I'm just now feeling caught up and more relaxed.
On the Friday night before Labor, DH suggested that we have friends over for a picnic on Mon. I wasn't too thrilled with that idea since my sister and her family were coming on Wed. for a visit. (I had just done the weekly grocery shopping and thought I was done until the next weekend. Silly me!) But Saturday morning I gave in since I knew he really wanted to do it. In his thinking, it's just a bbq so no real work needed, just throw some burgers on the grill. No big deal, right? Saturday he made phone calls (3 families for sure) and went to the butchers. Saturday night, while he took the kids to the mosque, I stayed home and made potato salad, brownies and cookies and sliced half a jar of pickles. Sunday afternoon, I head back out to the stores with a shopping list for a bbq for 20 people. Sunday afternoon I marinated cut-up chicken breasts for sandwiches and prepped the ground beef. Sunday evening, dh invited 2 more families. It was only after the second call (after I pointed it out) that he realized just how many people that meant-30 (not including 2 babies)! I took a few deep breaths and kept going. I thought I might run short on buns but if I was careful with time, I might be able to run to the store Monday before the 2 p.m. start time. Monday morning, shucked the corn and put it on to cook first thing, made a cucumber, onion and tomato salad, cut up the tomatoes and lettuce for the sandwiches, added some chopped tomato to bagged salad (the only short cut) and shaped the burgers.
By 11-11:30, all of the food prep was done. Yippy! I figured I'd do a final clean up , set up the buffet table and have time to sit and relax a bit before everyone showed. How silly of me! Somehow that 2 1/2 hours got sucked away probably to the same place as all the lost socks go. I did manage to get a quick shower and had just started my afternoon prayers when the first two families arrived. The prayers only take about 10 minutes, so my timing wasn't THAT off.
Everyone had a great time. There was plenty of food for all with just enough left-over burgers and buns that I could set them aside for lunch with my sister and her family Wed. DH forgot to tell all the families to bring a change of clothes for the kids so that they could play on the slip-n-slide but no big deal. All of the kids are around the same ages/sizes as mine so we had extras for everyone that didn't get the heads up. (17 kids total-2 to "old" to play, 5 brought clothes) I had also bought a badminton/volleyball set which the kids set up. After lunch, the hubbies played soccer, moms chatted and the kids all played. It was a great day and I can definitely see doing it again, and that's coming from an introvert that usually stresses big time about having company. Although I did warn the moms that next time we do it, the house may not be quite so neat and tidy. I do have 4 kids after all. ;)
Tuesday I had time for a quick clean-up and another trip to the grocery store for my sister's two day visit. Went to bed at 9:30, got up at 3:30 to get last minute stuff ready. They called at 5:45 and arrived at 6, just before dh headed to work. M. and R. were up before they arrived and the girls woke up once everyone was inside. My bil and 2 of the three kids promptly hit the hay while my 16 yo niece and sister stayed up for a chat. Their plan was to have lunch with us then head to DC for late afternoon/evening sight seeing. It was nearly 3 p.m. before everyone was rested, fed and ready to hit the road. They ended up not getting back until midnight. I, of course, had stayed up to make sure they got back ok and then for idiotic reasons stay up for another hour after they were all asleep. Got up bright and early Thur., got everyone fed and fixed sandwiches for them to take with them while checking out the museums. Their plan was to be back before rush hour ~4 but since they didn't leave until after 11 they didn't make it back until after 6. They were planning to go to Williamsburg on Friday so decided that they would leave that night for the 2 hour trip to stay with a friend that lives near there. After dinner and birthday cake (nephew's B-day was the week before, my sister's and my b-days were within the next week and one of my nieces had about 6 weeks before her b-day), they packed up and finally hit the road after 10, only to call about 10 min. latter asking if we had seen nephew's cell phone anywhere. Found it, they came back and picked it up then really got back on the road. Got the kids' rooms back in order and got them to bed finally just after 11 and then I crashed big time!
This is quite long so I'll come back and post tomorrow the fun that was had Friday and Saturday as well has some recipes.
A view into the life of a homeschooling mom to 5.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Free Summer Fun
For those of you in the US, every summer Regal cinemas play free movies every Tuesday and Wednesday. All of the movies of G or PG (one of each each week) which makes it something everyone can enjoy. Here the theater is usually not full but there are plenty of moms with kids of all ages including infants (with older siblings). It's completely free, unless of course you hit the concession stand. They are not first run movies of course but most of them are popular, well-known movies like Charlotte's Web.
If you want to see if a theater near you is participating this summer, go to http://www.regmovies.com/freefamilyflicks/ffffresults.jsp , click on REG Free Family Film Festival on the left side of the page then scroll down to your state. You'll get a list of theaters participating in your state as well as what movies their playing and the dates. It seems like most theaters start around June 19 and end around August 20 but it may be different in your area and the movies that are shown do vary somewhat by location.
I am not associated with this chain in anyway. It's just that we really enjoy this program. You can check your local newspapers or your parks association as well because a lot of times there are free outdoor movies during the summer sponsored by different groups.
If you want to see if a theater near you is participating this summer, go to http://www.regmovies.com/freefamilyflicks/ffffresults.jsp , click on REG Free Family Film Festival on the left side of the page then scroll down to your state. You'll get a list of theaters participating in your state as well as what movies their playing and the dates. It seems like most theaters start around June 19 and end around August 20 but it may be different in your area and the movies that are shown do vary somewhat by location.
I am not associated with this chain in anyway. It's just that we really enjoy this program. You can check your local newspapers or your parks association as well because a lot of times there are free outdoor movies during the summer sponsored by different groups.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Slow progress
My little ones kindly shared their colds with me so I haven't been up to doing too much the last few days. I have made some slow progress on blocks for R.'s quilt, which I'll keep slowly plugging away at.
I haven't gotten much of anything else done since dh got back. The bathrooms still need to be painted and I really want to get that done before my sister and her family come up for a visit next week. If I'm really feeling better, I might even try to tackle stripping the wall paper border in the kitchen and getting the upper walls in there painted as well, but I'm not holding my breath on that one. Things will get done when they get done.
DH remembered to bring our camera back with him (but he forgot his jacket and didn't realize until he was freezing on the plane) so as soon as time and energy allow I should have pics of works in progress, my "new" glider all painted and recovered and my "new" sewing table which I picked up for $7 at a huge Boy Scout garage sale.
The weekend after next I'm hoping to go to a Quilt show. DH has already promised to watch the kids all day but the last few times I wanted to go out on my own for awhile something has come up-bad weather, sick kid, feeling too morning sick to do much. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing comes up to thwart my plans. I've never been to a quilt show before but I think it will be a fun way to spend a few hours.
I've been in that limbo stage of pregnancy where the only real indicator of being pregnant is weight gain and an expanding waist line, so you just sort of feel fat. (I have never gained less than 36 lbs. per pregnancy no matter what I eat or how much I exercise.) The morning sickness past with the first trimester and until a few days ago, I still hadn't felt the baby moving. But now the baby has started to make its presence known with little flutters every now and then.
I'm debating whether or not to find out the sex of this baby. I usually don't but we got rid of nearly all of the baby clothes when we moved so now I have to stock up again. So, do I stick to neutrals or go ahead and find out so I have can snap up gender specific bargains? I have until mid June to make up my mind when I have the next sonogram.
It's time to get off the computer and get the kids ready to go grocery shopping. We managed to use 2 doz. eggs last week!
I haven't gotten much of anything else done since dh got back. The bathrooms still need to be painted and I really want to get that done before my sister and her family come up for a visit next week. If I'm really feeling better, I might even try to tackle stripping the wall paper border in the kitchen and getting the upper walls in there painted as well, but I'm not holding my breath on that one. Things will get done when they get done.
DH remembered to bring our camera back with him (but he forgot his jacket and didn't realize until he was freezing on the plane) so as soon as time and energy allow I should have pics of works in progress, my "new" glider all painted and recovered and my "new" sewing table which I picked up for $7 at a huge Boy Scout garage sale.
The weekend after next I'm hoping to go to a Quilt show. DH has already promised to watch the kids all day but the last few times I wanted to go out on my own for awhile something has come up-bad weather, sick kid, feeling too morning sick to do much. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing comes up to thwart my plans. I've never been to a quilt show before but I think it will be a fun way to spend a few hours.
I've been in that limbo stage of pregnancy where the only real indicator of being pregnant is weight gain and an expanding waist line, so you just sort of feel fat. (I have never gained less than 36 lbs. per pregnancy no matter what I eat or how much I exercise.) The morning sickness past with the first trimester and until a few days ago, I still hadn't felt the baby moving. But now the baby has started to make its presence known with little flutters every now and then.
I'm debating whether or not to find out the sex of this baby. I usually don't but we got rid of nearly all of the baby clothes when we moved so now I have to stock up again. So, do I stick to neutrals or go ahead and find out so I have can snap up gender specific bargains? I have until mid June to make up my mind when I have the next sonogram.
It's time to get off the computer and get the kids ready to go grocery shopping. We managed to use 2 doz. eggs last week!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
To all the Beautiful Women out there
Did you know that it's Beautiful Women Month ?
Well, it is . . . . and that means you and me!
Facts On Figures : There are 3 billion women who don't look like super models and only eight who do.
Did you know Marilyn Monroe wore a size 14? She also did not have good hygiene . . . . . Can you believe that?
If Barbie were a real woman . . . . .she'd have to walk on all FOURS due to her proportions!
The average woman weighs 144 pounds, and wears between a size 12-14 (US sizing - 14-16 English).
One out of every four college-aged women has an eating disorder .
Models in magazines are AIR-BRUSHED - NOT Perfect !!
A psychological study in 1995 found that just 3 minutes looking at a fashion magazine caused 70% of women to feel DEPRESSED , GUILTY and SHAMEFUL ! RELAX . . . and learn to love who you are You are BEAUTIFUL!!!
20 years ago, models weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today, they weigh 23% less . . . . . ~ ~
The Beauty Of A Woman ~ ~ The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, The figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from her eyes, Because that is the doorway to her heart, The place where love resides. The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, The passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman With time, only grows . . . . .
An English professor directed his students to punctuate correctly the following words: "WOMAN WITHOUT HER MAN IS NOTHING" .
The men wrote: "Woman , WITHOUT HER MAN, is nothing."
The women wrote: "WOMAN! WITHOUT HER, man is nothing!"
The Images of Mother
4 YEARS OF AGE My Mummy can do anything!
8 YEARS OF AGE My Mum knows a lot! A whole lot!
12 YEARS OF AGE My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.
14 YEARS OF AGE Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either!
16 YEARS OF AGE Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.
18 YEARS OF AGE That old woman? She's way out of date!
25 YEARS OF AGE Well, she might know a little bit about it.
35 YEARS OF AGE Before we decide, let's get Mum's opinion.
45 YEARS OF AGE Wonder what Mum would have thought about it?
65 YEARS OF AGE Wish I could talk it over with Mum. . .
Please send this to all the PHENOMENAL WOMEN you know in celebration of Women's History Month.
If you do, something good will happen . . . . .YOU will boost another woman's self-esteem!
I found this on http://ozcountryquiltingmum.blogspot.com/ and just had to share it with everyone out there.
Well, it is . . . . and that means you and me!
Facts On Figures : There are 3 billion women who don't look like super models and only eight who do.
Did you know Marilyn Monroe wore a size 14? She also did not have good hygiene . . . . . Can you believe that?
If Barbie were a real woman . . . . .she'd have to walk on all FOURS due to her proportions!
The average woman weighs 144 pounds, and wears between a size 12-14 (US sizing - 14-16 English).
One out of every four college-aged women has an eating disorder .
Models in magazines are AIR-BRUSHED - NOT Perfect !!
A psychological study in 1995 found that just 3 minutes looking at a fashion magazine caused 70% of women to feel DEPRESSED , GUILTY and SHAMEFUL ! RELAX . . . and learn to love who you are You are BEAUTIFUL!!!
20 years ago, models weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today, they weigh 23% less . . . . . ~ ~
The Beauty Of A Woman ~ ~ The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, The figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from her eyes, Because that is the doorway to her heart, The place where love resides. The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, The passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman With time, only grows . . . . .
An English professor directed his students to punctuate correctly the following words: "WOMAN WITHOUT HER MAN IS NOTHING" .
The men wrote: "Woman , WITHOUT HER MAN, is nothing."
The women wrote: "WOMAN! WITHOUT HER, man is nothing!"
The Images of Mother
4 YEARS OF AGE My Mummy can do anything!
8 YEARS OF AGE My Mum knows a lot! A whole lot!
12 YEARS OF AGE My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.
14 YEARS OF AGE Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either!
16 YEARS OF AGE Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.
18 YEARS OF AGE That old woman? She's way out of date!
25 YEARS OF AGE Well, she might know a little bit about it.
35 YEARS OF AGE Before we decide, let's get Mum's opinion.
45 YEARS OF AGE Wonder what Mum would have thought about it?
65 YEARS OF AGE Wish I could talk it over with Mum. . .
Please send this to all the PHENOMENAL WOMEN you know in celebration of Women's History Month.
If you do, something good will happen . . . . .YOU will boost another woman's self-esteem!
I found this on http://ozcountryquiltingmum.blogspot.com/ and just had to share it with everyone out there.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
How do kids do these things?
The day before yesterday, S. managed to break the outside door handle on the car! It still boggles my mind how she could possibly execute such a feat. I still haven't had a chance to call the dealer and see how long it will take to get fixed and how much it will cost. I don't think it will take that long but given the fact that it seems like an unusual situation we'll probably have to wait for a new handle to be ordered.
Life's never boring with kids!
Sorry if I bored anyone to tears with my "busy days" post.
Today I've been working a bit on piecing R.'s 1st birthday quilt. You read that right. He's already past his 2nd birthday and I still haven't finished even piecing the quilt yet. Ah, well. It'll get done when it gets done. Being the 2 year old that he is, he's doing an excellent job of making every room in the house look like a mini tornado hit today. He's been up since 5:30 this morning and man has he been busy.
DH comes home Sunday and I still have so much I want to get done before he comes back. I thought I would get a lot more done by now but I've been so tired that I usually fall asleep not long after I get the kids to bed and at least one of them is up soon after I am. Since R. doesn't nap and he sleeps the least of everyone, I haven't been able to get to the bathroom painting or finish the ironing yet. I hate ironing and much prefer letting it build up and do a lot at once rather than a little at a time. Well, I let it sit a little too long this time. I had 21 shirts and several pairs of pants to do. If I'm really luck R. will decide to take a nice long nap since he was up so early and maybe, just maybe I'll get it all finished. Then I can start on the bathrooms tonight.
I was watching Good Morning America this morning and they had on a segment on decorating. Big deal right. Anyone can decorate if they've got lots of $. Well this time they did something interesting. They had a "vanity table" drape in pink fabric. Then they showed that the "table" was an old banged up desk that they picked up cheap. I've seen something similar at the local school district's auction site. I just realized something like that might work pretty well for a sewing table. It's amazing what a little TLC can do for a tired piece of furniture. Once I repainted the glider that I bought, it looked a thousand times better for less than $3 in paint. Now I just have to get the cushions recovered. Hopefully when dh gets back I'll post a picture.
I had decided already that whenever possible I'd rather try and get furniture used rather than buying it new, especially solid pieces like bookshelves or cabinets. I feel like it is a more environmentally friendly option. And most of what people get rid of really only needs a little cosmetic pick-me-up.
Time to go clean up the "tiny tornado" damage.
Life's never boring with kids!
Sorry if I bored anyone to tears with my "busy days" post.
Today I've been working a bit on piecing R.'s 1st birthday quilt. You read that right. He's already past his 2nd birthday and I still haven't finished even piecing the quilt yet. Ah, well. It'll get done when it gets done. Being the 2 year old that he is, he's doing an excellent job of making every room in the house look like a mini tornado hit today. He's been up since 5:30 this morning and man has he been busy.
DH comes home Sunday and I still have so much I want to get done before he comes back. I thought I would get a lot more done by now but I've been so tired that I usually fall asleep not long after I get the kids to bed and at least one of them is up soon after I am. Since R. doesn't nap and he sleeps the least of everyone, I haven't been able to get to the bathroom painting or finish the ironing yet. I hate ironing and much prefer letting it build up and do a lot at once rather than a little at a time. Well, I let it sit a little too long this time. I had 21 shirts and several pairs of pants to do. If I'm really luck R. will decide to take a nice long nap since he was up so early and maybe, just maybe I'll get it all finished. Then I can start on the bathrooms tonight.
I was watching Good Morning America this morning and they had on a segment on decorating. Big deal right. Anyone can decorate if they've got lots of $. Well this time they did something interesting. They had a "vanity table" drape in pink fabric. Then they showed that the "table" was an old banged up desk that they picked up cheap. I've seen something similar at the local school district's auction site. I just realized something like that might work pretty well for a sewing table. It's amazing what a little TLC can do for a tired piece of furniture. Once I repainted the glider that I bought, it looked a thousand times better for less than $3 in paint. Now I just have to get the cushions recovered. Hopefully when dh gets back I'll post a picture.
I had decided already that whenever possible I'd rather try and get furniture used rather than buying it new, especially solid pieces like bookshelves or cabinets. I feel like it is a more environmentally friendly option. And most of what people get rid of really only needs a little cosmetic pick-me-up.
Time to go clean up the "tiny tornado" damage.
Question for any who sew clothing out there
I want to make my girls swimsuits this year that are more modest than what you can find outside. I found a website that sells patterns for such suits and it includes the dimensions for each size. Well, I just measured the girls this morning and their measurements would land them in at least a few different sizes. Now this might not be a big deal if I were sewing only tops or only bottoms but their chest sizes are much more narrow than the chest size that matches their waists. What do I do? Would it work to narrow the seams around the chest on the bigger size? I haven't sewn much in the way of clothing so I'm really not sure how hard it would be to get a good fit on a swimsuit.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Busy days
We've had some really busy days lately. DH is off visiting his family and I'm trying to get all kinds of stuff done while he's gone plus other stuff that has just happened to pop up or coincide with his trip. If things keep going as is, from last Sunday until this coming Mon. we will have spent exactly 1 day at home without going anywhere. We've been or will be out and about for a minimum of 3 hours up to 7 all of those days. Now for some people that's the norm but I'm generally a house mouse and prefer to stay close to home. Plus I've got lots of projects I want to work on at home that are begging for my attention as well as necessities like house cleaning and lawn mowing. (Although a very good friend as offered to come this weekend and mow our lawn.) On top of all of this, we just did our annual required proof of progress testing for the kids. I intended to break it up over 2 days but the kids want to go to a local farm/park tomorrow and didn't want to get up early to finish their tests so they completed them after dinner. I'm proud to say that both kids sped through the tests in record time. Safiya only missed 1 out of 100 questions and Mustafa only missed 3 out of 120. Not bad for my very relaxed, eclectic homeschoolers. Zahra was so jealous while they were testing tonight that she insisted I make up a math "homework page" for her to do while they finished. She finished 16 addition and subtraction problems in no time and Safiya graded it for her. (all correct) She was so proud of herself. Now all I have to do is send the tests in for "official" grading and the send a copy of the scores to the superindendent's office. I told the kids, as a reward, they wouldn't have any work to do for 2 weeks.
What have we been doing that's kept us out and about?
-We hit garage sales on Sat. which had the kids all excited since they got to spend up to $2 each however they liked and I scored a gliding rocker with ottoman for $10. It needed a fresh coat of paint and a new cover and the nuts need to be tightened on the ottoman but after buying the spray paint and fabric, it still will cost me less than $35. Not bad since new ones are well over $100. Now I'm on the lookout for a bookshelf for the tv/computer room. We'll hunt for that this Saturday. Their friends came over and played for a few hours in the afternoon and then we went to the masjid/mosque in the evening.
-Big chunks of Sunday are always spent at the masjid where the kids take Quranic Arabic classes followed by running to Wal-mart for various necessities.
-Monday we stayed home but spent more than 4 hours outside while I painted the glider, a mirror frame and the linen closet shelves (easier than covering them in contact paper and cheaper since the paint was left by the previous owners).
-Tuesdays we go to a sewing class where we've been working on quilting for the last several sessions. That's followed by the weekly grocery shopping.
-Today ended up being quite busy with testing in the morning followed by a check visit for Reza, an hour waiting to do a glucose test at my OB's office (You have to drink a soda like drink then wait an hour for your blood to be drawn.) Normally you only do this once in a pregnancy but this OB's office has a policy that if you had a previous baby above 9 lbs. you get to get tested twice so I'll have to do this again around 28 weeks since Reza was 9lbs., 10oz. After that we went to the fabric store where we picked up some swimsuit fabric for the girls. They all want to do swim classes again this year but I don't like most of the suits I've seen for kids. I found one website that sells a pattern for modest swimsuits which I'll attempt to make for them. (www.modest-swimwear.net) Then we hit Baskin-Robbins. They had a special promotion tonight where a scoop was only 31 cents from 5-10 and the proceeds went to help the families of fallen firefighters. We couldn't pass up a deal like that. We ended our trip out with a trip to the gas station where prices rose 8 cents since Sunday.
-Tomorrow it's a trip with other homeschoolers to a local mini-farm that is run by volunteers. This will be followed by a picnic and plenty of playground time. I'm hoping to get the front yard mowed at least in the morning before we go. Mustafa really wants to do it but I'm not sure I'm ready for him to do something that potentially dangerous at 8 years old without heavy supervision which I can't really give him since I have to also keep an eye on Reza at the same time. When we get back, I have some sewing I'd like to get done.
-Friday is one of our favorite events-a semi-annual used book sale at our local library. Tons of great books, most for less than $2. It's always packed but lots of fun.
-Saturday will be more garage sale shopping followed by another promised picnic and a trip to the islamic butchers to stock up on meat. They also have great prices on vegetables, often half what the local supermarkets charge and the quality is usually tons better. Their friends may come over to play for a couple of hours and then it's off to the masjid for a few hours.
-Sunday will be just like last Sunday except I have to throw in a trip to Lowe's for some white trim paint for the bathrooms and some flowers for the yard. I'm hoping to get both the main bathrooms painted next week while DH is gone and if time permits maybe even the kitchen too.
So, as you can see, we're a little busy around here right now. All the activity keeps the kids occupied and not missing DH as much, but man am I going to be tired by the time he comes back. ;) I forgot and sent the cd of pictures with him to give to his family, so once again, there are no pics for the blog. I'm really hoping he doesn't forget to bring our camera back with him.
It's time for me to get this posted, take care of some laundry, either do some ironing or sew up another tote bag for our book sale finds and then head off to bed. Considering it's about midnight, I think I'm going to be in serious need of a nap come tomorrow afternoon. Too bad none of the kids will take naps.
I'll try and post again next week when things might be a bit slower.
What have we been doing that's kept us out and about?
-We hit garage sales on Sat. which had the kids all excited since they got to spend up to $2 each however they liked and I scored a gliding rocker with ottoman for $10. It needed a fresh coat of paint and a new cover and the nuts need to be tightened on the ottoman but after buying the spray paint and fabric, it still will cost me less than $35. Not bad since new ones are well over $100. Now I'm on the lookout for a bookshelf for the tv/computer room. We'll hunt for that this Saturday. Their friends came over and played for a few hours in the afternoon and then we went to the masjid/mosque in the evening.
-Big chunks of Sunday are always spent at the masjid where the kids take Quranic Arabic classes followed by running to Wal-mart for various necessities.
-Monday we stayed home but spent more than 4 hours outside while I painted the glider, a mirror frame and the linen closet shelves (easier than covering them in contact paper and cheaper since the paint was left by the previous owners).
-Tuesdays we go to a sewing class where we've been working on quilting for the last several sessions. That's followed by the weekly grocery shopping.
-Today ended up being quite busy with testing in the morning followed by a check visit for Reza, an hour waiting to do a glucose test at my OB's office (You have to drink a soda like drink then wait an hour for your blood to be drawn.) Normally you only do this once in a pregnancy but this OB's office has a policy that if you had a previous baby above 9 lbs. you get to get tested twice so I'll have to do this again around 28 weeks since Reza was 9lbs., 10oz. After that we went to the fabric store where we picked up some swimsuit fabric for the girls. They all want to do swim classes again this year but I don't like most of the suits I've seen for kids. I found one website that sells a pattern for modest swimsuits which I'll attempt to make for them. (www.modest-swimwear.net) Then we hit Baskin-Robbins. They had a special promotion tonight where a scoop was only 31 cents from 5-10 and the proceeds went to help the families of fallen firefighters. We couldn't pass up a deal like that. We ended our trip out with a trip to the gas station where prices rose 8 cents since Sunday.
-Tomorrow it's a trip with other homeschoolers to a local mini-farm that is run by volunteers. This will be followed by a picnic and plenty of playground time. I'm hoping to get the front yard mowed at least in the morning before we go. Mustafa really wants to do it but I'm not sure I'm ready for him to do something that potentially dangerous at 8 years old without heavy supervision which I can't really give him since I have to also keep an eye on Reza at the same time. When we get back, I have some sewing I'd like to get done.
-Friday is one of our favorite events-a semi-annual used book sale at our local library. Tons of great books, most for less than $2. It's always packed but lots of fun.
-Saturday will be more garage sale shopping followed by another promised picnic and a trip to the islamic butchers to stock up on meat. They also have great prices on vegetables, often half what the local supermarkets charge and the quality is usually tons better. Their friends may come over to play for a couple of hours and then it's off to the masjid for a few hours.
-Sunday will be just like last Sunday except I have to throw in a trip to Lowe's for some white trim paint for the bathrooms and some flowers for the yard. I'm hoping to get both the main bathrooms painted next week while DH is gone and if time permits maybe even the kitchen too.
So, as you can see, we're a little busy around here right now. All the activity keeps the kids occupied and not missing DH as much, but man am I going to be tired by the time he comes back. ;) I forgot and sent the cd of pictures with him to give to his family, so once again, there are no pics for the blog. I'm really hoping he doesn't forget to bring our camera back with him.
It's time for me to get this posted, take care of some laundry, either do some ironing or sew up another tote bag for our book sale finds and then head off to bed. Considering it's about midnight, I think I'm going to be in serious need of a nap come tomorrow afternoon. Too bad none of the kids will take naps.
I'll try and post again next week when things might be a bit slower.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
No more boring posts
Yes, ladies (and possibly gentlemen) I have finally gotten the pictures on cd! So I thought I'd share a few pics of the new house. I won't show you the front of the house but here are some pics that show-Safiya and Zahra's pink and purple bedroom (alternated walls, when time permits the girls and I will paint free hand hearts in pink and purple on the walls) sorry it's sideways, the much used wood stove, the very large deck and backyard, in reverse order.
A bit of irony from a talking head
First, I'd like to say my thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by the VA Tech shootings. I have a feeling the shootings came as a shock to the family of the shooters as it did to everyone else, especially with everything they've said lately about the privacy issues and not informing the family about any of what is going on. I've seen other kids who are/were similar to what the descriptions of this guy have been. I can't help but think if only someone had reached out to him early on-freshman or sophomore year. One or two good friends can make a big difference. One of the guys I knew tried everything to fit in in high school, even becoming the quarterback, but ppl just won't let him get past his previous "geeky" image. I was somewhat friends with him but then moved away. I was told by other friends that he had attempted suicide the year after I moved. No really close friends and no one to talk to can cause teens and college students to internalize so much of what they are going through and think that they are the only ones. Some snap and act out against themselves and unfortunately in cases like Va Tech, they direct their anger at others in a twisted attempt to feel more in control of their social standing. I'm in no way justifying his actions, there is no justification for them, but like most others I can't help wondering, "what if". It's just that sometimes befriending an "outsider" can make a real difference for that person.
During all of the early news coverage of this incident, I was struck by how insistant people were that the school should have let everyone know sooner about the first incident. I think this is really a reflection of how saturated we've become with information and feel an entitlement to know everything "right now!" No one could have predicted that one early morning shooting would lead to the slaughter that took place 2 hours later. It's not fair to insist that they should have known.
And we've become so skewed in our preceptions of how long it takes to evaluate information that we can't stand to wait longer than a 30 second sound bite. At least, one parent has complained that it took until late in the evening to be told about her son's death. I know it must have been excruciating for her to sit and wait but there were 32 people to identify, at least some, probably many without any id on them (Understandably, personal belongs where scattered all over the building.) If he was on of the victims in a hallway it would be difficult to even figure out which class he was supposed to be in, which I'm guessing is how they figured out who some of the victims were. After he was identified then the school would have to pull of the family contact information which would have to be passed on to the local officials and then would in turn have to contact authorities in the family's city. Life is not an hour long crime drama.
All of that is so not what I intended to blog about when I started this post. Here's what I struck me as ironic while listening to the talking heads on Tuesday. One "expert" on campus crime rates was talking about all of the violent crimes and deaths that take place every year on college campuses and he said "We need to socialize our students." Why is this ironic? Those outside the homeschooling community might not find it that ironic but this is one of the main reoccuring assertions about the benefits of public school over homeschooling. "What about socialization?" This questions assumes that kids can only be socialized in a public school setting, while this guy was insisting on the need to socialize predominately public school students. Now I have to agree with him. As a society, over a fair short period of time, we've managed to devalue the role of families, reduce the value of women to sexual object (Look at the label of nearly any female recording artist and compare it to the cover of a male artist. Who's nude or nearly nude? Look at the clothing of male and female runway models. How many men do you see on the beach in a speedo? How many women/girls are in itty bitty bikinis? Women who dress conservatively are lampooned by make-over artists as not being sexy enough. And this thinking filters all they way down to clothing for toddlers. Sexy= female beauty and power.) and we've completely confused the role men should play in relationships and in society at large. How macho is too macho? How sensitive is too much? One group will complain if a man holds a door open and another will complain if he doesn't? I've been as guilty of this as anyone else. Add to this the increasing isolation of individuals and an increasing focus on self and predominate drive for personal satisfaction over any thoughts of the greater good within a family or society. It's no wonder that things have becoming so confused that few people know how to behave socially anymore.
Fortunately, as a homeschooler, I can counter some of these messages. I can "socialize" my children to treat themselves and others with respect and kindness regardless of their age or social background. Now, if only public schools and society could figure out how to answer the question "What about socialization?"
During all of the early news coverage of this incident, I was struck by how insistant people were that the school should have let everyone know sooner about the first incident. I think this is really a reflection of how saturated we've become with information and feel an entitlement to know everything "right now!" No one could have predicted that one early morning shooting would lead to the slaughter that took place 2 hours later. It's not fair to insist that they should have known.
And we've become so skewed in our preceptions of how long it takes to evaluate information that we can't stand to wait longer than a 30 second sound bite. At least, one parent has complained that it took until late in the evening to be told about her son's death. I know it must have been excruciating for her to sit and wait but there were 32 people to identify, at least some, probably many without any id on them (Understandably, personal belongs where scattered all over the building.) If he was on of the victims in a hallway it would be difficult to even figure out which class he was supposed to be in, which I'm guessing is how they figured out who some of the victims were. After he was identified then the school would have to pull of the family contact information which would have to be passed on to the local officials and then would in turn have to contact authorities in the family's city. Life is not an hour long crime drama.
All of that is so not what I intended to blog about when I started this post. Here's what I struck me as ironic while listening to the talking heads on Tuesday. One "expert" on campus crime rates was talking about all of the violent crimes and deaths that take place every year on college campuses and he said "We need to socialize our students." Why is this ironic? Those outside the homeschooling community might not find it that ironic but this is one of the main reoccuring assertions about the benefits of public school over homeschooling. "What about socialization?" This questions assumes that kids can only be socialized in a public school setting, while this guy was insisting on the need to socialize predominately public school students. Now I have to agree with him. As a society, over a fair short period of time, we've managed to devalue the role of families, reduce the value of women to sexual object (Look at the label of nearly any female recording artist and compare it to the cover of a male artist. Who's nude or nearly nude? Look at the clothing of male and female runway models. How many men do you see on the beach in a speedo? How many women/girls are in itty bitty bikinis? Women who dress conservatively are lampooned by make-over artists as not being sexy enough. And this thinking filters all they way down to clothing for toddlers. Sexy= female beauty and power.) and we've completely confused the role men should play in relationships and in society at large. How macho is too macho? How sensitive is too much? One group will complain if a man holds a door open and another will complain if he doesn't? I've been as guilty of this as anyone else. Add to this the increasing isolation of individuals and an increasing focus on self and predominate drive for personal satisfaction over any thoughts of the greater good within a family or society. It's no wonder that things have becoming so confused that few people know how to behave socially anymore.
Fortunately, as a homeschooler, I can counter some of these messages. I can "socialize" my children to treat themselves and others with respect and kindness regardless of their age or social background. Now, if only public schools and society could figure out how to answer the question "What about socialization?"
Friday, March 30, 2007
Hello to all who pop in
I'm sure you've noticed the little map on the sidebar with red dots on it. I decided to put it on here a couple of months ago because I was beginning to believe that only one or two people were reading my blog and I was considering just shutting down. Boy was I surprised to see little dots popping up all over. Since I don't get many comments, without that map I'd never know you dropped by.
So, "Hello" to whoever you are from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, England, Denmark, the Slovak Republic, the US and wherever else you might hail from. Thanks for dropping in.
So, "Hello" to whoever you are from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, England, Denmark, the Slovak Republic, the US and wherever else you might hail from. Thanks for dropping in.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Looking for new authors?
I found this interesting link at a blog called Throwing Marshmallows. You type in an author's name and the site generates a group of other authors that are similar to the first. The closer the name appears to the original, the more their styles have in common.
www.literature-map.com
Enjoy.
www.literature-map.com
Enjoy.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Yippy! I'm Back!
It figures! Now that I created a new gmail account this morning straight from the Goggle site bypassing Blogger, Blogger didn't make me give a gmail account address! Whatever!
Ok, for all of those who have been following my not so entertaining life. We are completely moved in now. We absolutely love our new house. There's something for everyone. Plenty of yard for kids to play, long driveway for bike riding, covered deck with locking gate so that if the kids are outside playing I can let Reza play on the deck while I wash dishes or fix food in the kitchen. A wood stove has become a new toy for dh, keeping us nice and toasty when the temps dropped. The neighborhood is so quiet, sometimes I wonder if we even have neighbors.
We've started putting up bookshelves (much needed in this biblophile-rich family) and we scored 2 picnic tables with 2 benches each for a total of $200 at Ikea. One set will be used outside but the other is going to be our dining table. It may not be some people's ideal dining table but the benches are big enough to accomodate all of us plus room for a few more people and I couldn't come close to matching that price anywhere else.
Patty had asked in a comment to my last post whether or not being tired had any special reason. Well, as a matter of fact it does. I'm expecting our fifth baby, due mid-October. But the cooler news is that my best friend from college is expecting for the first time and it's TWINS! She and her husband have been trying for some time to conceive and I couldn't be happier for her. Not only that but her twin sister is pregnant as well! How cool is that! So now I'm sending all my pregnancy vibes to my best friend in TX who is also struggling with infertility. I have renewed hope that good things will happen for her as well!
Sadly still no pictures. I've taken them. I just keep forgetting to take them to be developed! I hope to get it done this week now that things are settling down.
Ok, for all of those who have been following my not so entertaining life. We are completely moved in now. We absolutely love our new house. There's something for everyone. Plenty of yard for kids to play, long driveway for bike riding, covered deck with locking gate so that if the kids are outside playing I can let Reza play on the deck while I wash dishes or fix food in the kitchen. A wood stove has become a new toy for dh, keeping us nice and toasty when the temps dropped. The neighborhood is so quiet, sometimes I wonder if we even have neighbors.
We've started putting up bookshelves (much needed in this biblophile-rich family) and we scored 2 picnic tables with 2 benches each for a total of $200 at Ikea. One set will be used outside but the other is going to be our dining table. It may not be some people's ideal dining table but the benches are big enough to accomodate all of us plus room for a few more people and I couldn't come close to matching that price anywhere else.
Patty had asked in a comment to my last post whether or not being tired had any special reason. Well, as a matter of fact it does. I'm expecting our fifth baby, due mid-October. But the cooler news is that my best friend from college is expecting for the first time and it's TWINS! She and her husband have been trying for some time to conceive and I couldn't be happier for her. Not only that but her twin sister is pregnant as well! How cool is that! So now I'm sending all my pregnancy vibes to my best friend in TX who is also struggling with infertility. I have renewed hope that good things will happen for her as well!
Sadly still no pictures. I've taken them. I just keep forgetting to take them to be developed! I hope to get it done this week now that things are settling down.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Sheets of white
Well, as with much of the east, we've got plenty of white outside our windows. No, not snow. It's ice. Our area got about 4 inches of sleet rather than double that in snow on Tuesday and Wednesday. The kids and I had fun playing in the snow/sleet mix on Tuesday as the sleet was falling. Fortunately, the temps weren't too bad so it was quite enjoyable. Then Wednesday, DH stayed home and he and the kids shoveled a path through the ice (three rows wide enough for the tires) out of our garage for our two cars and then he took the kids out to sled some more. The kids had a blast because the ice had made the hill super slippery and much faster than the day before. Now, we have bitter cold temps and layers of ice. A kid just stomped across the ice in the common area behind our house and it sounded like someone was hammering. (He also slipped and fell on his backside.) Mustafa noticed one of our neighbors using a hammer this morning to try and break through the ice around his car. The car hadn't been moved since the snow started to fall and they hadn't even tried to shovel anything before now. I really feel for the guy. The schools here have all been shut down since early Tuesday afternoon because so many of the sidewalks are still iced over.
As for me, I'm enjoying the excuse to stay inside because I've been feeling quite tired lately. I prefer to enjoy winter scenes from inside a nice cozy house. I'll definitely be happy when Spring arrives.
The new camera is not cooperating and won't allow me to take any still shots so I've decided that as soon as the new carpet is in, I'll fill up a roll of good old fashion film with house and kid pics and have them put on CD so that I can share. My blogs gotten very boring looking without pictures.
As for me, I'm enjoying the excuse to stay inside because I've been feeling quite tired lately. I prefer to enjoy winter scenes from inside a nice cozy house. I'll definitely be happy when Spring arrives.
The new camera is not cooperating and won't allow me to take any still shots so I've decided that as soon as the new carpet is in, I'll fill up a roll of good old fashion film with house and kid pics and have them put on CD so that I can share. My blogs gotten very boring looking without pictures.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Our house
We've been really busy here this last week. We closed on our house and got right to work picking paint colors, cleaning up, prepping and painting 2 rooms over the weekend. We still need to paint the master bedroom, kitchen and bathrooms, but the master br is first priority since that needs to be done before we put new carpet in. I also started teaching a small group of homeschoolers and their moms how to quilt last week which I will continue today. Needless to say I've been kept on my toes for awhile and there's still plenty to do until we move in. To add to the fun, we had our landlord go ahead and put the for rent sign back up on this house so I get the added fun of having to keep the house show ready just in case. (Although with the temperatures we're having right now, I doubt there are many people out house hunting.) I can't wait until we get everything finished. I've felt very much in transit for the last several months and it will be nice to feel settled again.
I haven't gotten much of my own stuff done lately. It'll all just have to wait until things settle down a bit more. The kids are doing well with the school work and both Mustafa and Safiya have finished most of their lessons for their respective grades since about July. Their working so quickly that I had to spend a good bit of time over the last couple of weeks researching and ordering new books for them. I ended up spending quite a bit more than I'm used to but most of the books can be used for all of the kids so I'm looking at them as a long term investment and it's a whole lot cheaper than private school! It's probably even cheaper than public school when you add in all of the little misc. stuff that comes up over a school year like fund raisers, gym clothes and supplies for projects.
Sorry I still don't have any pictures I can post. We got a new video camera when my dad was here and dh says it has photo capability but I just haven't had a chance to figure it out yet. Hopefully soon.
I haven't gotten much of my own stuff done lately. It'll all just have to wait until things settle down a bit more. The kids are doing well with the school work and both Mustafa and Safiya have finished most of their lessons for their respective grades since about July. Their working so quickly that I had to spend a good bit of time over the last couple of weeks researching and ordering new books for them. I ended up spending quite a bit more than I'm used to but most of the books can be used for all of the kids so I'm looking at them as a long term investment and it's a whole lot cheaper than private school! It's probably even cheaper than public school when you add in all of the little misc. stuff that comes up over a school year like fund raisers, gym clothes and supplies for projects.
Sorry I still don't have any pictures I can post. We got a new video camera when my dad was here and dh says it has photo capability but I just haven't had a chance to figure it out yet. Hopefully soon.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Snowing
Well, after spending much of the winter so far with way above average temps, like the rest of the country, winter has finally arrived.
It's snowing for the first time this winter and the kids couldn't be happier. Safiya is giving me updates on the progress every 10 min. or so. You'd think the kid had never seen snow before! From the window it looks like it will be a powdery snow, not much good for snow balls but the kids will still enjoy. We're only expecting about an inch, which is a good amount. Enough to keep both parents and kids happy.
I had a wonderful visit with my dad and learned lots about our family history on this side. We have an amazing mix of ancestors including a great, great-grandmother who was Iroquois and had 24 children with her French-Canadian trapper husband to a suffragette who was raised by Jewish adoptive parents because her own parents were murdered (most likely because they were a mixed race couple). There are German and British ancestors as well from his side.
Just think of all the stories those that came before us could tell.
Enjoy your day.
New movie recommendation: A South Korean movie called "The Way Home". It's a very simple movie with a nice message.
It's snowing for the first time this winter and the kids couldn't be happier. Safiya is giving me updates on the progress every 10 min. or so. You'd think the kid had never seen snow before! From the window it looks like it will be a powdery snow, not much good for snow balls but the kids will still enjoy. We're only expecting about an inch, which is a good amount. Enough to keep both parents and kids happy.
I had a wonderful visit with my dad and learned lots about our family history on this side. We have an amazing mix of ancestors including a great, great-grandmother who was Iroquois and had 24 children with her French-Canadian trapper husband to a suffragette who was raised by Jewish adoptive parents because her own parents were murdered (most likely because they were a mixed race couple). There are German and British ancestors as well from his side.
Just think of all the stories those that came before us could tell.
Enjoy your day.
New movie recommendation: A South Korean movie called "The Way Home". It's a very simple movie with a nice message.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Odds and Ends
I've been busy with my dad lately so I haven't had a chance to post much but I figured I'd sneak a few minutes in.
First, I wish I had my camera because Cathy sent me a lovely "Valentine-ish" block ornament. Thank you Cathy. I'll post a picture whenever I eventually get my camera back.
Second, someone had asked in the comments section of the last post what co-sleeping is. Co-sleeping is when your baby sleeps in the same bed as you. There is also the option of having a small railed bed that is open on one side that butts up against your bed where the baby sleeps. As long as mom and dad are not very overweight, smokers, drinkers or drug users and you don't pile the blankets and pillows on the bed, this arrangement is prefectly safe for sleeping arrangement. With the baby in bed with you, you become very sensitive to the rhythms of their breathing and sleeping and some research suggests that it may also reduce the risk of SIDS since the mother's breathing helps the baby regulate its breathing. As a point of reference, this is a practice that women have done around the globe for thousands of years. The practice of segregating an infant in a separate bed and usually a different room is fairly new historically speaking.
Sorry that my last post was so long. It probably should be two separate posts. I just didn't realize I had rambled so much. Although, given the nature of the post, I really do feel that sharing these money savers may help others and I'll likely post more tips from time to time.
Once my dad leaves tomorrow I'll try and get around to everyone's blogs again. I've poked my head in from time to time but haven't had a chance to comment yet.
First, I wish I had my camera because Cathy sent me a lovely "Valentine-ish" block ornament. Thank you Cathy. I'll post a picture whenever I eventually get my camera back.
Second, someone had asked in the comments section of the last post what co-sleeping is. Co-sleeping is when your baby sleeps in the same bed as you. There is also the option of having a small railed bed that is open on one side that butts up against your bed where the baby sleeps. As long as mom and dad are not very overweight, smokers, drinkers or drug users and you don't pile the blankets and pillows on the bed, this arrangement is prefectly safe for sleeping arrangement. With the baby in bed with you, you become very sensitive to the rhythms of their breathing and sleeping and some research suggests that it may also reduce the risk of SIDS since the mother's breathing helps the baby regulate its breathing. As a point of reference, this is a practice that women have done around the globe for thousands of years. The practice of segregating an infant in a separate bed and usually a different room is fairly new historically speaking.
Sorry that my last post was so long. It probably should be two separate posts. I just didn't realize I had rambled so much. Although, given the nature of the post, I really do feel that sharing these money savers may help others and I'll likely post more tips from time to time.
Once my dad leaves tomorrow I'll try and get around to everyone's blogs again. I've poked my head in from time to time but haven't had a chance to comment yet.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Money saving tips
A lot of blogs have posted tips on saving money and this is something that I've been meaning to do for awhile now.
I tend to be really frugal on alot of things.
I've never paid for cable or satelite TV. Local free programming and videos/dvds are just fine, thank you.
I don't like to pay more than $10 for a pair of pants for me or any article of clothing for that matter.
When I'm out shopping or running around, I resist buying from vending machines or fast food. Why should I pay $1 for 20-oz soda when I can get 12 -12-oz cans for $2.50 or less? More than $3 for a slice of pizza? No way! 75 cents for a candy bar? Not when I can get 10-12 oz. bags of candy on clearance post holidays for $1.25 or less. (Scored Reese's peanut butter cups for 80 cents a bag last week.)
I own 3 pairs of shoes. One pair of sneakers I bought on sale 2 years ago, one pair of mules that were given to me and one pair of loafers that I got free when I had to buy the kids new shoes 2 years ago. I wore out one pair of shoes while we were in Iran, but I had had them for 4 years.
I think you get the drift.
I splurge on Netflix for about $18/mo. but I average 3-4 rentals/week so each disk is only about $1.50 to rent. I don't go to the movies and I usually don't buy any dvds for myself or dh so I figure it's a reasonable entertainment expediture for the month.
Here are some of my suggestions for saving money, in no particular order. (Some of these I posted as comments on Echo from Green Hills.
Shop clearance clothes racks and try different store locations. One Target here has great deals on clearance clothing. I've gotten dress shirts for less than $4, adult t-shirts for $2 and kids' t-shirts for $1.25. The Target closest to me now has lousy clothing clearance but great prices on linen clearance. I went to Macy's last week and bought 3 pairs of pants on clearance for just over $25. Regular price would have been over $100. If you've got kids, it almost never hurts to buy ahead for next year. I've found clothes from Target and Macy's last better than from anywhere else.
I never bought a changing table. A couple of good changing pads work well anywhere. (You'll need at least 2 if your kids are anything like mine since accidents or extra messy diapers will happen.) I bought a crib for my 1st and kept it through the 3rd but rarely used it after we got used to co-sleeping except for times I needed to keep them safely away from older siblings while I took care of something in another room. A playpen probably would have worked just as well and likely would have been cheaper.
More expensive is not a guarantee of better quality for children's products. Our carseats have been among the cheaper brands but had very good safety ratings. Consumer reports just gave failing grades for safety to 2 of the higher priced carseats on the market.
Detachable infant carseats also make a good seat for early solid food feedings.
Two great sources for used books are library book sales and yard sales. Kids' books are often as little as 10-25 cents. Adult books are usually less than $2. Even better-get and USE a library card. We go to the library about every 2-3 weeks and check out up to 40 books (and a few videos) at a time. We would never be able to buy this many books nor have anywhere to put them. And let's be honest, most books you won't read more than once. I still buy a good number of used books but mostly for reference material, crafts, or from authors that I really enjoy.
If you insist on new books, check out Amazon.com's used listings. Often there will be wholesalers or bookstores selling new copies at a steep discount.
Save plastic food containers like yogurt cups or whipped topping tubs. These are endlessly useful. They can be used for snack cups, water cups for painting, stacking "blocks". The lids make good paint trays as well as excellent frisbees. Keep a small stash on hand and you'll be amazed what your kids will come up with.
Old t-shirts make great bibs or painting smocks.
A cheap shower curtain liner is perfect for putting under a high chair to catch messes. Just cut a few inches out on each side and a foot or so out from the front. At about $1 or 2, this is much cheaper than what you'll find in baby stores but just as durable and effective as long as you don't cut it too small. A vinyl table cloth would work as well and can sometimes be found for the same price.
Here's another trick to coupon use. Combine the coupon with sales. If you have a coupon for $1 off 2 boxes of cereal, if you can, wait for a week when the store has it on sale, say $2/box. $1.50 a box sure beats $3-5.
For picky breakfast eaters, try muffins. Depending on what you add to them, they are very economical and with a bit of practice take less than 10 min. to prep and 20 to bake. We make them with dried fruit, fresh fruit, whole wheat, pumpkin, chocolate chip (1 Tbsp. of mini chips for the batch. This makes a fun add-in to pancakes as well.). Use your imagination and what's on hand. Add dry stuff like whole wheat flour, cocoa or wheat germ with the flour and for everything else just add it in at the end.
Basic mix: Combine 1 2/3 c. flour, 2/3 c. sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and a dash of salt. Add 1 egg, 1/4 oil and 1 c. milk. Stir just until combined (will be lumpy). Pour into muffin tins. Bake at 350 F for 17-20 min.
Don't buy ready made gift baskets. I've put together several gift baskets with more and better items for far less than what comes pre-packaged. Generally, it only takes an extra 10 mins. or so of shopping and an ability to look at things in a new light. A wastepaper basket or laundry basket filled with snacks is great for someone heading off to college. Line a small basket with a napkin, add a pretty tea cup, some tea, coffee or hot cocoa and a small package of cookies and you have a great gift for a lady. Hit the dollar store for gift basket items as well. A wicker laundry basket lined with a receiving blanket and filled with washcloths, soap, shampoo and lotion make a nice baby shower gift.
Think about the errands you have to run before you go. If I have multiple places to go, then I try to think about making a circle rather than zigzagging around. A little pre-planning can save you gas and time stuck in traffic.
If you know someone in college or on their way, encourage them to get their books used rather than from the college books store. College texts are expensive but there are alot of really good sources for used books. Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble (bn.com), Half.com just to name a few. All they have to do is go to the bookstore and write down the title and ISBN for all of the required books then hit the internet. For English classes in particular, they should also consider borrowing from the library. Most books will only be used for a few weeks at most in an English course anyway. Don't rely on the school library though, someone else on campus probably has the same idea. Try the community library instead.
These are just some of the things I've done or still do to save money and they all really do pay off. What's the saying? "Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves."
I tend to be really frugal on alot of things.
I've never paid for cable or satelite TV. Local free programming and videos/dvds are just fine, thank you.
I don't like to pay more than $10 for a pair of pants for me or any article of clothing for that matter.
When I'm out shopping or running around, I resist buying from vending machines or fast food. Why should I pay $1 for 20-oz soda when I can get 12 -12-oz cans for $2.50 or less? More than $3 for a slice of pizza? No way! 75 cents for a candy bar? Not when I can get 10-12 oz. bags of candy on clearance post holidays for $1.25 or less. (Scored Reese's peanut butter cups for 80 cents a bag last week.)
I own 3 pairs of shoes. One pair of sneakers I bought on sale 2 years ago, one pair of mules that were given to me and one pair of loafers that I got free when I had to buy the kids new shoes 2 years ago. I wore out one pair of shoes while we were in Iran, but I had had them for 4 years.
I think you get the drift.
I splurge on Netflix for about $18/mo. but I average 3-4 rentals/week so each disk is only about $1.50 to rent. I don't go to the movies and I usually don't buy any dvds for myself or dh so I figure it's a reasonable entertainment expediture for the month.
Here are some of my suggestions for saving money, in no particular order. (Some of these I posted as comments on Echo from Green Hills.
Shop clearance clothes racks and try different store locations. One Target here has great deals on clearance clothing. I've gotten dress shirts for less than $4, adult t-shirts for $2 and kids' t-shirts for $1.25. The Target closest to me now has lousy clothing clearance but great prices on linen clearance. I went to Macy's last week and bought 3 pairs of pants on clearance for just over $25. Regular price would have been over $100. If you've got kids, it almost never hurts to buy ahead for next year. I've found clothes from Target and Macy's last better than from anywhere else.
I never bought a changing table. A couple of good changing pads work well anywhere. (You'll need at least 2 if your kids are anything like mine since accidents or extra messy diapers will happen.) I bought a crib for my 1st and kept it through the 3rd but rarely used it after we got used to co-sleeping except for times I needed to keep them safely away from older siblings while I took care of something in another room. A playpen probably would have worked just as well and likely would have been cheaper.
More expensive is not a guarantee of better quality for children's products. Our carseats have been among the cheaper brands but had very good safety ratings. Consumer reports just gave failing grades for safety to 2 of the higher priced carseats on the market.
Detachable infant carseats also make a good seat for early solid food feedings.
Two great sources for used books are library book sales and yard sales. Kids' books are often as little as 10-25 cents. Adult books are usually less than $2. Even better-get and USE a library card. We go to the library about every 2-3 weeks and check out up to 40 books (and a few videos) at a time. We would never be able to buy this many books nor have anywhere to put them. And let's be honest, most books you won't read more than once. I still buy a good number of used books but mostly for reference material, crafts, or from authors that I really enjoy.
If you insist on new books, check out Amazon.com's used listings. Often there will be wholesalers or bookstores selling new copies at a steep discount.
Save plastic food containers like yogurt cups or whipped topping tubs. These are endlessly useful. They can be used for snack cups, water cups for painting, stacking "blocks". The lids make good paint trays as well as excellent frisbees. Keep a small stash on hand and you'll be amazed what your kids will come up with.
Old t-shirts make great bibs or painting smocks.
A cheap shower curtain liner is perfect for putting under a high chair to catch messes. Just cut a few inches out on each side and a foot or so out from the front. At about $1 or 2, this is much cheaper than what you'll find in baby stores but just as durable and effective as long as you don't cut it too small. A vinyl table cloth would work as well and can sometimes be found for the same price.
Here's another trick to coupon use. Combine the coupon with sales. If you have a coupon for $1 off 2 boxes of cereal, if you can, wait for a week when the store has it on sale, say $2/box. $1.50 a box sure beats $3-5.
For picky breakfast eaters, try muffins. Depending on what you add to them, they are very economical and with a bit of practice take less than 10 min. to prep and 20 to bake. We make them with dried fruit, fresh fruit, whole wheat, pumpkin, chocolate chip (1 Tbsp. of mini chips for the batch. This makes a fun add-in to pancakes as well.). Use your imagination and what's on hand. Add dry stuff like whole wheat flour, cocoa or wheat germ with the flour and for everything else just add it in at the end.
Basic mix: Combine 1 2/3 c. flour, 2/3 c. sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and a dash of salt. Add 1 egg, 1/4 oil and 1 c. milk. Stir just until combined (will be lumpy). Pour into muffin tins. Bake at 350 F for 17-20 min.
Don't buy ready made gift baskets. I've put together several gift baskets with more and better items for far less than what comes pre-packaged. Generally, it only takes an extra 10 mins. or so of shopping and an ability to look at things in a new light. A wastepaper basket or laundry basket filled with snacks is great for someone heading off to college. Line a small basket with a napkin, add a pretty tea cup, some tea, coffee or hot cocoa and a small package of cookies and you have a great gift for a lady. Hit the dollar store for gift basket items as well. A wicker laundry basket lined with a receiving blanket and filled with washcloths, soap, shampoo and lotion make a nice baby shower gift.
Think about the errands you have to run before you go. If I have multiple places to go, then I try to think about making a circle rather than zigzagging around. A little pre-planning can save you gas and time stuck in traffic.
If you know someone in college or on their way, encourage them to get their books used rather than from the college books store. College texts are expensive but there are alot of really good sources for used books. Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble (bn.com), Half.com just to name a few. All they have to do is go to the bookstore and write down the title and ISBN for all of the required books then hit the internet. For English classes in particular, they should also consider borrowing from the library. Most books will only be used for a few weeks at most in an English course anyway. Don't rely on the school library though, someone else on campus probably has the same idea. Try the community library instead.
These are just some of the things I've done or still do to save money and they all really do pay off. What's the saying? "Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves."
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Must See-Go rent Hotel Rwanda!
I've just finished watching this movie and I really have to say I think everyone should see this.
Just as some background: This is a movie about a group of people caught in the violence at the beginning of the genocide in Rwanda.
This movie is so important because it puts a face to the numbers and it is brutally honest about western views towards Africans. Extend that and it highlights just how little concern for people around the world who are not like us. Genocide and ethnic cleansing are as common place now as they have ever been. Isn't that such a sad statement about us as humans!
Genetically we are not so very different. Behaviorly we are not so very different. Even physically we are not so very different. Most people on Earth are born with 2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 arms, 2 legs. We all eat, sleep, and poop. We all have the capacity to love and be loved as much as we have the capacity to hate and seek revenge. The differences are essentially superficial yet we give them so much value.
Nearly 1 million people were killed in Rwanda. Nearly half a million have been killed in Sudan so far. By some estimates say more than 655,000 Iraqis have died in the past few years with the numbers rising as more than 1000 attacks occur daily around the country. As of last year more than 160,000 people have died in Chechnya. Anywhere from 100,000-260,000 people died in Bosnia. (Statistics on many more countries around the world both past and present can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_toll#Genocide_and_democide .)
So many dead, but what do a bunch of numbers really mean. Watch Hotel Rwanda and read this article at National Geographic http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0601/feature2/index.html and you will begin to see some of the human faces behind the numbers.
Honestly, I have no idea how to help or stop such violence around the world. All I can do is try to remind myself and my family that we are all so very much alike. And that God made us individuals with slight superficial differences so that we could celebrate our diversity and take pleasure in them. Imagine a garden filled with only one kind of flower in one color only. Now imagine that same garden filled with the variety and uniqueness of a 100 different kinds of flowers in a rainbow of colors. Where would you rather to spend a day?
Please pass these recommendations on to everyone you know so that maybe, just maybe we can all learn to be a bit more accepting of and more open to the variety that God has blessed us with.
Just as some background: This is a movie about a group of people caught in the violence at the beginning of the genocide in Rwanda.
This movie is so important because it puts a face to the numbers and it is brutally honest about western views towards Africans. Extend that and it highlights just how little concern for people around the world who are not like us. Genocide and ethnic cleansing are as common place now as they have ever been. Isn't that such a sad statement about us as humans!
Genetically we are not so very different. Behaviorly we are not so very different. Even physically we are not so very different. Most people on Earth are born with 2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 arms, 2 legs. We all eat, sleep, and poop. We all have the capacity to love and be loved as much as we have the capacity to hate and seek revenge. The differences are essentially superficial yet we give them so much value.
Nearly 1 million people were killed in Rwanda. Nearly half a million have been killed in Sudan so far. By some estimates say more than 655,000 Iraqis have died in the past few years with the numbers rising as more than 1000 attacks occur daily around the country. As of last year more than 160,000 people have died in Chechnya. Anywhere from 100,000-260,000 people died in Bosnia. (Statistics on many more countries around the world both past and present can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_toll#Genocide_and_democide .)
So many dead, but what do a bunch of numbers really mean. Watch Hotel Rwanda and read this article at National Geographic http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0601/feature2/index.html and you will begin to see some of the human faces behind the numbers.
Honestly, I have no idea how to help or stop such violence around the world. All I can do is try to remind myself and my family that we are all so very much alike. And that God made us individuals with slight superficial differences so that we could celebrate our diversity and take pleasure in them. Imagine a garden filled with only one kind of flower in one color only. Now imagine that same garden filled with the variety and uniqueness of a 100 different kinds of flowers in a rainbow of colors. Where would you rather to spend a day?
Please pass these recommendations on to everyone you know so that maybe, just maybe we can all learn to be a bit more accepting of and more open to the variety that God has blessed us with.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Computer woes
Sorry I haven't posted or commented lately. It seems my computer caught a virus or worm and over about a week's time, slowed to a halt. DH had to go through and redo everything. I've only just had time to get back on-line.
The news for this week. I can't remember if I've posted this yet but our contract was accepted and if all goes well, we'll close the end of Jan. We're giving ourselves all of Feb. to paint and get new carpet installed. We'll do the painting ourselves, which should be pretty interesting with 4 kids. 3 of them I'm sure can help to the best of their abilities while I'm sure number 4 will be happy to provide the chaos factor. :)
My Dad is coming to visit in a few weeks. This is great news since he hasn't seen the kids since Mustafa was 2. We can't wait for him to get here.
Other than that all is calm.
For those of you who celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a Merry one.
The news for this week. I can't remember if I've posted this yet but our contract was accepted and if all goes well, we'll close the end of Jan. We're giving ourselves all of Feb. to paint and get new carpet installed. We'll do the painting ourselves, which should be pretty interesting with 4 kids. 3 of them I'm sure can help to the best of their abilities while I'm sure number 4 will be happy to provide the chaos factor. :)
My Dad is coming to visit in a few weeks. This is great news since he hasn't seen the kids since Mustafa was 2. We can't wait for him to get here.
Other than that all is calm.
For those of you who celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a Merry one.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Happenings
So much has been going on in the last couple of weeks.
I went to my first, ever quilters meeting and really enjoyed myself. Even though we won't be in this area much longer (2-3 more months), I plan on joining the group. It's a very nice group of ladies, who made me feel very welcome.
The kids' and I joined a homeschoolers sewing group this week where they learned (and I relearned) how to knit. Next week, I'll begin teaching the girls and moms how to quilt.
We are in final negotiations for a house. It's the nice one on one acre I mentioned previously. Not very close to dh's work but we think the house is worth the extra commute time, especially as it puts us closer to friends and the masjid/mosque we attend.
Quilting is going slowly as I have little time and three projects going at once but they'll all get finished one of these days. ;)
Still no pictures yet. DH's uncle isn't due back from visiting his daughter and brothers in Iran for a couple of more weeks. He hasn't seen them in 3 or 4 years, during which time his mother died, so he's spending a bit of extra time there.
Last weekend we went to the National Aquarium which the kids always love. Each year the Aquarium sets aside one weekend where admission for everyone is just $1. Since we first found out about this event we've tried to make it an annual event. The discount is major since with parking the trip would have cost us $100 this year. I appreciate that they have major expenses in their operation but that's just way more than I can see spending for just 2 or 3 hours of fish sights. But it is tons of fun to go.
I just found out this morning that my dad is going to come for a visit in about a month, God willing. This is wonderful news since he hasn't seen any of the kids since Mustafa's 2nd birthday. Mustafa's now 8. Dad had moved to CA and is now in Arizona so it wasn't exactly easy to go see him. Combine the distance with the cost and logistics of travelling with small children along with the fact that I was finishing my B.A. for the 2 1/2 years prior to going to Iran and you might understand how we never managed a trip out to see him. Keep you fingers crossed for us that nothing goes wrong to keep this trip from happening.
Time to go get busy with all of the other stuff that has to get done today. I hope to get in a bit of quilting time today. I owe Patty a Pay It Forward project. ;)
I went to my first, ever quilters meeting and really enjoyed myself. Even though we won't be in this area much longer (2-3 more months), I plan on joining the group. It's a very nice group of ladies, who made me feel very welcome.
The kids' and I joined a homeschoolers sewing group this week where they learned (and I relearned) how to knit. Next week, I'll begin teaching the girls and moms how to quilt.
We are in final negotiations for a house. It's the nice one on one acre I mentioned previously. Not very close to dh's work but we think the house is worth the extra commute time, especially as it puts us closer to friends and the masjid/mosque we attend.
Quilting is going slowly as I have little time and three projects going at once but they'll all get finished one of these days. ;)
Still no pictures yet. DH's uncle isn't due back from visiting his daughter and brothers in Iran for a couple of more weeks. He hasn't seen them in 3 or 4 years, during which time his mother died, so he's spending a bit of extra time there.
Last weekend we went to the National Aquarium which the kids always love. Each year the Aquarium sets aside one weekend where admission for everyone is just $1. Since we first found out about this event we've tried to make it an annual event. The discount is major since with parking the trip would have cost us $100 this year. I appreciate that they have major expenses in their operation but that's just way more than I can see spending for just 2 or 3 hours of fish sights. But it is tons of fun to go.
I just found out this morning that my dad is going to come for a visit in about a month, God willing. This is wonderful news since he hasn't seen any of the kids since Mustafa's 2nd birthday. Mustafa's now 8. Dad had moved to CA and is now in Arizona so it wasn't exactly easy to go see him. Combine the distance with the cost and logistics of travelling with small children along with the fact that I was finishing my B.A. for the 2 1/2 years prior to going to Iran and you might understand how we never managed a trip out to see him. Keep you fingers crossed for us that nothing goes wrong to keep this trip from happening.
Time to go get busy with all of the other stuff that has to get done today. I hope to get in a bit of quilting time today. I owe Patty a Pay It Forward project. ;)
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Update
Things have been busy here lately. We lost out on the red house we are looking at. (A bid was excepted the day we decided to submit a final bid at the sellers counter offer.) So, we've spent at least one day each week driving around to look at other properties or neighborhoods and lots of time online looking. We have a few we are considering. One is nice and a decent size but far out and potentially problematic for DH getting to work. Another is very large and close to a train line dh could take but the house itself didn't appeal to us as much (It seemed to dark and cluttered.) and it's more expensive. A third option is an older house that needs cosmetic work and some updating but it's a bit closer to dh's work near where we used to live.
Fortunately, since this is a buyers market and low season as well, we should have a little time to really consider each of these options as well as any others we come across. I'm drawn to the first house which was very nice, well cared for and had just about a perfect backyard but I'm afraid the commute would be too hard on dh. Even with the closer in house he would be commuting roughly 1 1/2 hours each way. This house would likely add anywhere from 15-30 min. to the commute time. He works from home 2 days a week, so he would only be commuting 3 days/wk but I think that might prove to be too much. Commuting is one of the major challenges of living in this area. DH's commute time is pretty typical since this area covers so many suburbs. DH has even known co-workers who drive from Pennsylvania down to D.C.!
I have started on the leaf quilt. I did the chain piecing of the hsts last night and this morning now I just have to cut and press. Which is what I should be doing now since Reza's asleep and I hate to iron when he's awake. Oh, well. I have a headache and ironing is not exactly my favorite thing to do anyway so I think my progress is pretty much done for the day.
Besides blogging, I also came on-line to submit an application for scoring essays from home. I think this will help me keep my English skills up and give us a cushion if we have to go to the upper end of the mortgage spectrum. If not, then maybe we'll plan a few educational trips with the extra $$. Mustafa wants to go to Egypt, DH wants to go to Malaysia and I have a whole list of places I'd like to visit. It's a good thing we homeschool. This way we have a lot more flexibility for when and where we go. I don't know when I'd find out about the job so keep you fingers crossed for me.
That's about it for now. Time to go make lunch and defrost some meat for kebab tonight.
Fortunately, since this is a buyers market and low season as well, we should have a little time to really consider each of these options as well as any others we come across. I'm drawn to the first house which was very nice, well cared for and had just about a perfect backyard but I'm afraid the commute would be too hard on dh. Even with the closer in house he would be commuting roughly 1 1/2 hours each way. This house would likely add anywhere from 15-30 min. to the commute time. He works from home 2 days a week, so he would only be commuting 3 days/wk but I think that might prove to be too much. Commuting is one of the major challenges of living in this area. DH's commute time is pretty typical since this area covers so many suburbs. DH has even known co-workers who drive from Pennsylvania down to D.C.!
I have started on the leaf quilt. I did the chain piecing of the hsts last night and this morning now I just have to cut and press. Which is what I should be doing now since Reza's asleep and I hate to iron when he's awake. Oh, well. I have a headache and ironing is not exactly my favorite thing to do anyway so I think my progress is pretty much done for the day.
Besides blogging, I also came on-line to submit an application for scoring essays from home. I think this will help me keep my English skills up and give us a cushion if we have to go to the upper end of the mortgage spectrum. If not, then maybe we'll plan a few educational trips with the extra $$. Mustafa wants to go to Egypt, DH wants to go to Malaysia and I have a whole list of places I'd like to visit. It's a good thing we homeschool. This way we have a lot more flexibility for when and where we go. I don't know when I'd find out about the job so keep you fingers crossed for me.
That's about it for now. Time to go make lunch and defrost some meat for kebab tonight.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Random Stuff Meme
A MEME (for those of you who have "nothing" to blog about.)
STUFF: I got this off of Mama Koch's Oklacookiemaker Quilts site but it's floating around everywhere. So, since I don't have much to report, here goes.
1. Flip to page 18, paragraph 4 in the book closest to you right now, what does it say? It's Homeschooling More Than One Child by Carren Joye. This page is a list page on how to cover different subjects. "Drama. If your city has a community theatre, volunteer backstage. If tickets are cost-prohibitive, check on free or low-cost dress rehearsals." (These tips are good for anyone. When I was in college, I volunteered to usher so that I could see "Oklahoma" free.)
2. If you stretch out your left arm - as far as possible, what are you touching? The bedroom wall and window next to it.
3. What's the last program you watched on tv? Good Morning America
4. Without looking, guess what time it is. 12:15 Actual time 12:17.
5. Except the computer, what can you hear right now? Overall buttons scraping the inside of the dryer as they spin around, "The Road to El Dorado" video the kids are watching downstairs and the ticking of two clocks.
6. When was the last time you were outside and what did you do? Around 5 p.m. yesterday to get the mail.
7. What are you wearing? blue cotton pants and a yellow t-shirt
8. Did you dream last night? I was so tired I don't really remember any dreams from last night but probably something that would fit right in with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" since that was what I was watching right before I finally dragged myself to bed at 3 a.m.
9. When was the last time you laughed? Last night while watching "Buffy"
10. What's on the walls, in the room you're in right now? Nothing, just plain white walls since this is a rental
11. Have you seen anything strange lately? Not really, life's been pretty boring.
12. What do you think about this meme? It's fun. I like finding out random things about people.
13. What's the last film you saw?On TV or at the cinema? "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio" on DVD from Netflix. Very good movie and not a bad film translation from the book.
14. If you became a multimillionaire, what would you do with the money? There are several charities that I'd give at least half of the money to; particularly those helping women and children. I would set up college funds for each of my kids and nieces and nephews. A big slurge would be buying a house where I could have an indoor pool or an outdoor pool that can be enclosed for privacy. A personal splurge would be taking college classes just because I'm interested in the material. (I'll probably do this one without the millions once the kids get a little older.)
15. Tell us something about yourself that most people don't know. I'm constantly worried about not measuring up to other people's expectations. I'm also very much a people watcher. I love sitting back and watching others go about their lives. I suppose that's why I like blogs.
16. If you could change ONE THING in this world, without regarding politics or bad guilt - what would it be? Economic differences or at least over-indulgent self-centered spending. There's no excuse for million dollar weddings or the over abundance of million dollar houses where there are so many people on this planet that live on next to nothing or people going into debt to try and imitate the lifestyles they see on tv.
17. Do you like dancing? I love to dance. I even took a swing class years ago with my dad.
18. Last crafty endeavour? I spent time last night cutting background squares for the fall leaves quilt so that I can get started sewing today.
19. What do you want your children’s names to be, girl/boy? Well we already have 4 names used-Mustafa, Safiya, Zahra and Reza. If by chance we were to have more the options include Majid, Morteza, and Yousef for boys and Alinah and Naseem for girls. I also like the names Laila(one possible meaning is old wine), Parvaneh (butterfly in Farsi), Farishteh (fairy in Farsi) but probably wouldn't use them because of their meanings.
20. What amused you recently? My kids are always good for a laugh.
Feel free to consider yourself tagged if you are so inclined.
STUFF: I got this off of Mama Koch's Oklacookiemaker Quilts site but it's floating around everywhere. So, since I don't have much to report, here goes.
1. Flip to page 18, paragraph 4 in the book closest to you right now, what does it say? It's Homeschooling More Than One Child by Carren Joye. This page is a list page on how to cover different subjects. "Drama. If your city has a community theatre, volunteer backstage. If tickets are cost-prohibitive, check on free or low-cost dress rehearsals." (These tips are good for anyone. When I was in college, I volunteered to usher so that I could see "Oklahoma" free.)
2. If you stretch out your left arm - as far as possible, what are you touching? The bedroom wall and window next to it.
3. What's the last program you watched on tv? Good Morning America
4. Without looking, guess what time it is. 12:15 Actual time 12:17.
5. Except the computer, what can you hear right now? Overall buttons scraping the inside of the dryer as they spin around, "The Road to El Dorado" video the kids are watching downstairs and the ticking of two clocks.
6. When was the last time you were outside and what did you do? Around 5 p.m. yesterday to get the mail.
7. What are you wearing? blue cotton pants and a yellow t-shirt
8. Did you dream last night? I was so tired I don't really remember any dreams from last night but probably something that would fit right in with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" since that was what I was watching right before I finally dragged myself to bed at 3 a.m.
9. When was the last time you laughed? Last night while watching "Buffy"
10. What's on the walls, in the room you're in right now? Nothing, just plain white walls since this is a rental
11. Have you seen anything strange lately? Not really, life's been pretty boring.
12. What do you think about this meme? It's fun. I like finding out random things about people.
13. What's the last film you saw?On TV or at the cinema? "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio" on DVD from Netflix. Very good movie and not a bad film translation from the book.
14. If you became a multimillionaire, what would you do with the money? There are several charities that I'd give at least half of the money to; particularly those helping women and children. I would set up college funds for each of my kids and nieces and nephews. A big slurge would be buying a house where I could have an indoor pool or an outdoor pool that can be enclosed for privacy. A personal splurge would be taking college classes just because I'm interested in the material. (I'll probably do this one without the millions once the kids get a little older.)
15. Tell us something about yourself that most people don't know. I'm constantly worried about not measuring up to other people's expectations. I'm also very much a people watcher. I love sitting back and watching others go about their lives. I suppose that's why I like blogs.
16. If you could change ONE THING in this world, without regarding politics or bad guilt - what would it be? Economic differences or at least over-indulgent self-centered spending. There's no excuse for million dollar weddings or the over abundance of million dollar houses where there are so many people on this planet that live on next to nothing or people going into debt to try and imitate the lifestyles they see on tv.
17. Do you like dancing? I love to dance. I even took a swing class years ago with my dad.
18. Last crafty endeavour? I spent time last night cutting background squares for the fall leaves quilt so that I can get started sewing today.
19. What do you want your children’s names to be, girl/boy? Well we already have 4 names used-Mustafa, Safiya, Zahra and Reza. If by chance we were to have more the options include Majid, Morteza, and Yousef for boys and Alinah and Naseem for girls. I also like the names Laila(one possible meaning is old wine), Parvaneh (butterfly in Farsi), Farishteh (fairy in Farsi) but probably wouldn't use them because of their meanings.
20. What amused you recently? My kids are always good for a laugh.
Feel free to consider yourself tagged if you are so inclined.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Slow progress
I made my first wonky house. I'm not terribly pleased with the results but I'll use it as a learning experience to try again. Sad to say but I'm STILL cutting out the fabric for my leaf quilt. It's going slowly since I can only really cut when Reza is asleep and he only naps for a little while once a day and I usually need that time to do stuff around the house. But, it will get done one of these days. ;) I'm using a lot of different prints for the leaves and keeping the wider scraps which I think will make a really cool border.
Cathi at Crazed Quilter passed along the idea of a pay it forward kind of swap which is bouncing around the web so I thought I'd join in. The first 5 people to contact me either through comments or by e-mail will receive a little hand-made mini wall hanging, pot holder, trivet, whatever you want it to be. Your end of the deal is that you pass along something you've made to 5 others. Since I know not everyone that reads this quilts, I think it works to say as long as you make it, pass it on. Any takers?
On the housing front, we had found another house closer to dh's work but smaller in size but with a decent backyard which we bid lower on and were turned down. So we sent a low bid to the owners of the red house I previously mentioned, deciding that the worst they could do is say "no". Well, instead of rejecting our offer outright they gave us a counter offer which we've just countered again. So, fingers crossed, we might actually be able to get this house and not starve trying to make the payments. ;)
I just noticed that my last two post titles say "slow". It's that whole winter hibernation mode kicking in I guess.
Cathi at Crazed Quilter passed along the idea of a pay it forward kind of swap which is bouncing around the web so I thought I'd join in. The first 5 people to contact me either through comments or by e-mail will receive a little hand-made mini wall hanging, pot holder, trivet, whatever you want it to be. Your end of the deal is that you pass along something you've made to 5 others. Since I know not everyone that reads this quilts, I think it works to say as long as you make it, pass it on. Any takers?
On the housing front, we had found another house closer to dh's work but smaller in size but with a decent backyard which we bid lower on and were turned down. So we sent a low bid to the owners of the red house I previously mentioned, deciding that the worst they could do is say "no". Well, instead of rejecting our offer outright they gave us a counter offer which we've just countered again. So, fingers crossed, we might actually be able to get this house and not starve trying to make the payments. ;)
I just noticed that my last two post titles say "slow". It's that whole winter hibernation mode kicking in I guess.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Slowing down
After the last month or so of activity, it seems life is now at the point that we can slow down a bit. Of course, this is all relative. Slowing down in a house with 4 kids looks a lot different than slowing down in a house of empty nesters or singles.
I've done most of the essential shopping for the house minus most furniture, which we're waiting to get until we buy a house. It's astonishing just how much little stuff there is that we don't really give much thought to but are, if not completely necessary, then exceedingly helpful for daily life. Then there are all of the little luxuries that we allow ourselves. They don't seem like much but they can sure add up. And I don't even consider myself a big spender, but when you restock a house in month there's quite a bit of sticker shock. Not to mention buying more clothes for the kids since they had outgrown so much. I was getting a bit sick of shopping but now I can just sit back and relax for awhile.
What does slowing down look like for me? Well, right now it entails lots of house hunting. I search the web for possibilities, then we all go out together and scope the neighborhoods and if there's anything we'd like to take a closer look at, we call our agent to go take a peek. So far, we've only taken a closer look at 2 properties and one we are seriously considering but despite being on the market for more than a year and having dropped in price by $150k, it's still overpriced and out of our mortgage comfort zone unless they'd be willing to take about $100-150k less. (You can check it out here if you're so inclined.) So, it's back on-line to look for other options. I'm so thankful that this is a much more relax process than it would have been even 10 or 15 years ago thanks to the internet. We get to scope out lots of different areas and price ranges without wasting a lot of gas or time.
I'm also homeschooling the kids. As usual, we keeping that fairly relaxed with a few workbook pages to do each day and then whatever they want to work on after that. Thanks to 2 library book sales, we've now got about 2 1/2-3 boxes of books for the kids to explore, all for less than $60. Between those and our biweekly library trips, the kids have plenty to keep their minds busy. Now it's time to start helping Zahra learn to read. She was really excited a couple of months ago to work on it but I just didn't have time then to work with her because of the move. I hope she hasn't lost interest. It's still a bit early for her. She turns 5 next week so there's no big rush.
And finally, with all of my spare time, I pulled fabric to make Judy's October Hour a day Leaf quilt top and a few wonky houses to start the wonky house growth chart for the kids. DH's aunt's hubby is now in Iran visiting his dd, brothers and various other relatives after not seeing them for at least three years and hopefully, he'll be able to bring our errant camera back to us. When and if that happens, I'll be able to decorate the blog again with pretty pictures. Until then you'll just have to take my word for it that, the kids are growing and as goofy as ever and I am in fact getting back to work on my quilting. ;)
Time to get back to work.
I've done most of the essential shopping for the house minus most furniture, which we're waiting to get until we buy a house. It's astonishing just how much little stuff there is that we don't really give much thought to but are, if not completely necessary, then exceedingly helpful for daily life. Then there are all of the little luxuries that we allow ourselves. They don't seem like much but they can sure add up. And I don't even consider myself a big spender, but when you restock a house in month there's quite a bit of sticker shock. Not to mention buying more clothes for the kids since they had outgrown so much. I was getting a bit sick of shopping but now I can just sit back and relax for awhile.
What does slowing down look like for me? Well, right now it entails lots of house hunting. I search the web for possibilities, then we all go out together and scope the neighborhoods and if there's anything we'd like to take a closer look at, we call our agent to go take a peek. So far, we've only taken a closer look at 2 properties and one we are seriously considering but despite being on the market for more than a year and having dropped in price by $150k, it's still overpriced and out of our mortgage comfort zone unless they'd be willing to take about $100-150k less. (You can check it out here if you're so inclined.) So, it's back on-line to look for other options. I'm so thankful that this is a much more relax process than it would have been even 10 or 15 years ago thanks to the internet. We get to scope out lots of different areas and price ranges without wasting a lot of gas or time.
I'm also homeschooling the kids. As usual, we keeping that fairly relaxed with a few workbook pages to do each day and then whatever they want to work on after that. Thanks to 2 library book sales, we've now got about 2 1/2-3 boxes of books for the kids to explore, all for less than $60. Between those and our biweekly library trips, the kids have plenty to keep their minds busy. Now it's time to start helping Zahra learn to read. She was really excited a couple of months ago to work on it but I just didn't have time then to work with her because of the move. I hope she hasn't lost interest. It's still a bit early for her. She turns 5 next week so there's no big rush.
And finally, with all of my spare time, I pulled fabric to make Judy's October Hour a day Leaf quilt top and a few wonky houses to start the wonky house growth chart for the kids. DH's aunt's hubby is now in Iran visiting his dd, brothers and various other relatives after not seeing them for at least three years and hopefully, he'll be able to bring our errant camera back to us. When and if that happens, I'll be able to decorate the blog again with pretty pictures. Until then you'll just have to take my word for it that, the kids are growing and as goofy as ever and I am in fact getting back to work on my quilting. ;)
Time to get back to work.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Unbelievable!
The world is going nuts! There was a brief little news piece in the newspaper this week about toy stores in Britain having to pull a product from their shelves. And what is that product? A "how-to" pole dancing set for kids!! (In case you've never hear of pole dancing, that's what strippers do.) How insane is this?!?! According to the article, the set comes with extendable pole, how-to DVD and lingerie costume. And if it's being sold in Britain, you know someone in the US is selling them as well. I find this just such a sad statement about what girls are being taught these days regarding what value they have and what they have to offer society.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Score!
I went to a hospital rummage sale and scored some great deals this morning. I got 100 spools of thread, a little basket and two packages of iron-on cross stitch transfers for $1.50. Most of the thread was wooden spools and some hadn't even been used. (I was only going to buy a few but when the lovely worker offered to give me the whole lot for less than one spool of thread would cost me now, how could I pass that up?) I also got some great deals on things for the kids like music boxes for each of the girls for only 50 cents a piece. I saw lots of lovely vintage linens many hand-made and thought of all those out there in blogger land that collect such lovely items. But I was under orders not to buy a lot of "STUFF" since we'll just have to move it all again in the near future. :) I had lots of fun and the setting couldn't have been nicer. It was held on the grounds of an equestrian center surrounded by beautiful fall folliage. It was so much fun, maybe I'll go back tomorrow. ;)
Thursday, October 12, 2006
I'm Back!
Well, we arrived safe and sound, relatively unscathed from our journey. We managed to forget our camera at DH's friend's house during our layover in Tehran but DBIL travelled to Tehran with us and had picked it up moments before DH called him from Amsterdam to let him know we left it. It is now safe in the hands of his mom and sisters and waiting for the next world-traveling relative to make their way back to the states to bring it back to us. Consequently, I won't be able to post any photos for awhile. We brought our computer back with us but something happened to it during the trip and it wouldn't work so dh has had to spend a good bit of time with it to get us back up and running. Everything on the hard drives may be gone including photos but we'll just have to wait and see.
The only other excitement of the trip is that Reza HATED the planes. The child has flown without any problems 3 times before but started crying as soon as we boarded the plane to Tehran and cried frequently on each of the three flights. The master nurser all but quit for the duration of our travels except while we were in Tehran and absolutely hated being strapped into a carseat and screamed the entire trip from the airport to our new townhouse. It's a good thing we didn't have to go far. ;) But, I'm glad to report that as soon as he was released from the carseat and allowed to run around inside the house, he was as happy as can be and wasted no time learning to climb the many stairs here. (And he's back to nursing constantly.)
We're settling in nicely and I'll write more when I get a chance. In the meantime, I found a great book recently called "The Quilt That Walked to Golden" by Sandra Dallas. Thanks for all of the well wishes. I'll post more later but Reza's in active toddler mode right now.
The only other excitement of the trip is that Reza HATED the planes. The child has flown without any problems 3 times before but started crying as soon as we boarded the plane to Tehran and cried frequently on each of the three flights. The master nurser all but quit for the duration of our travels except while we were in Tehran and absolutely hated being strapped into a carseat and screamed the entire trip from the airport to our new townhouse. It's a good thing we didn't have to go far. ;) But, I'm glad to report that as soon as he was released from the carseat and allowed to run around inside the house, he was as happy as can be and wasted no time learning to climb the many stairs here. (And he's back to nursing constantly.)
We're settling in nicely and I'll write more when I get a chance. In the meantime, I found a great book recently called "The Quilt That Walked to Golden" by Sandra Dallas. Thanks for all of the well wishes. I'll post more later but Reza's in active toddler mode right now.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Happy Dance!
That's right! I'm doin' a little happy dance here. Yesterday was full of good news. We found out that, thanks to some friends in the states, we now have a nice townhouse to rent near a big park and close to shopping and we have a van waiting for us. Not only that, but DH's brother came back from India for a suprise visit to spend a few more days with him before we head back. The kids all wanted to see him again but we didn't think he'd be back since he was just here in April. And I got a wee bit of shopping done last night and am hoping to finish it this morning. Wish me luck. This will be my last post before we head back since I still have a bit more packing to do as well as lots of purging. I've gotten rid of about 8 lbs. of stash since I'm working under my present rule of "If a lb. of stuff goes in, then a lb. of stuff must come out." It works for helping me decide what I really want to keep.
I'll post again as soon as I can once we're back in VA.
I'll post again as soon as I can once we're back in VA.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Update
Well, we’re down to only about a week before we head back to the states and of course, life is quite busy. This week’s main task is trying to sell as much stuff as we can before giving away the rest. I didn’t factor in any money for selling our stuff in our budget so anything we make will be a nice little bonus and if we don’t sell it, big deal! It will go to help those who have far less resources than we do.
We finally got our final shipment of books from the US just in time for me to sort through and pull out the homeschooling books we’ll need this year before sending them right back to the post office to go back the other way. In case you’re wondering, it took three months for the books to get here and we decided to go back about two months ago. C’est le vie!
We’ve done a bit of sight seeing and hope to do at least a little more before we leave but that depends on how long it takes to get everything else pulled together. I think I’ll have to wait until after we return before I post any pictures since I’m still busy with packing and because we sold our computer table, the computer is not as easily accessible during the day as it was before. Gotta keep Reza away. We haven’t done any exit shopping yet, and I have no idea when we’ll be able to fit that in but I’ve already promised to get some things so it’ll get done soon I hope.
I’ll likely be without a computer starting within the next few days and lasting who knows how long. So, in the mean time I leave you with some wonderful blogs to check out in case you haven’t yet. Except for Patty’s blog, I’ve only recently discovered these blogs that are rich in knowledge, insight and a fresh perspective on life. You may not agree with everything that is written on each site but, please, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. There’s plenty to be gained by looking around.
Patty http://www.morningramble.blogspot.com/
Amy at http://amidchaos.blogspot.com
http://www.homeliving.blogspot.com/
Mrs. Plain and Simple at http://echofromthegreenhills.blogspot.com/
Lisa http://www.crazycowcountryfarm.com/blog.html
Peggy http://www.hiddenhavenhomestead.blogspot.com/
Moms for Modesty
There is an internet petition that I can really agree with. It is called Moms and Dads for Modesty. The goal is to get retailers and children’s clothing manufactures to offer clothing for little girls that is not suggestive or rude but modest and actually looks like little girls’ clothes and not just sized down teenage girls’ clothes. If you don’t have daughters or your daughters are grown you might not realize how very hard it is to find decent, well priced clothes for girls. Girls’ clothes are now full of attitude and sexual innuendos. What’s up with printing messages across the butt of a child’s pair of jeans? Before coming to Iran, I tried finding pants that were not skin tight and/or designed to accentuate the rear end for both my girls. You would think that since they were just 3 and 5 that it wouldn’t be a problem, right? WRONG! I went through some many different pairs of pants for each girl from several different stores and ended up buying the boys’ pants! How sad is that?
Another problem with what’s called fashion in the US is that those styles get copied all over the world. When we went to Dubai I had just as much difficultly finding girls’ pants. Worse still, we were in a pediatric dentist’s office a couple of weeks ago and one 7 or 8 year old girl came out wearing a shirt that was completely bare across the middle in front except for a few strips of fabric holding the two halves together. I never, ever would have thought I’d see something like that here!
http://www.everydaymommy.net/everyday-mommy/2006/9/5/moms-for-modesty.html
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Swiss Family Robinson vs. Jenny Montross
I've recently finished reading The Swiss Family Robinson and if you haven't read it already, I highly recommend it. It's a fairly fun and easy read but it has a lot of value to it as well. But be forewarned, this post will be a bit of a spoiler to the book.
When we came here, just about everything was already set up for us. My MIL and SIL had found us a rental house, had it completely cleaned and furnished it and add some decorative touches as well as ordering a new car from the factory, all before we got here. (Think they were excited or what?!?) All we had to do is get a few things like fridge (There was one here which we had bought last time we came for a visit but it was small for our present needs.), washer, oven and a few odds and ends here and there. In comparison, we arrived here very much like the Swiss Family Robinson arrived on their little island paradise. Their wrecked ship contained everything they could possibly need materials and livestock wise. Heck, they even had decorative items for the many homes they built.
By contrast, Jenny Montross was the lone survivor of her ship wreck to land on the island and managed to survive on her own for three years without much more to work with than a change of men’s clothes and some knives. Now, she had survival skills!
Our return to the US will not be quite as dramatic as Jenny’s story but we’ll be going back without a place to live or a car or much of anything else unless it fits in our 10 suitcases (and probably a few boxes of books shipped back the other way :D ). Friends will pick us up from the airport, we’ll probably stay in a hotel for a bit until we find an apartment or more likely a townhouse to rent short term while looking for a house and renting a van while looking for one to buy. DH has his job still so no worries there but we’ll pretty much be starting over from scratch. On the plus, we’re better off than many people who have been struck by tragedy such as losing everything in a fire or natural disaster so, I can’t really complain. I just find the contrast interesting. Also on the plus side, I get to make lots of fun purchases to set up housekeeping again and I’m wiser now to know what I really need and don’t need and what I like and don’t like.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
The girls
I've posted a few pics of the boys lately so here is one of the girls, showing off their loose teeth. Yes, even my little 4 year old has a loose tooth!
Clearer picture
Some months ago, I compared my experiences in
The difference it seems to me is not so much what's available but who sells it. There are very few places here that could be compared to the big box retailers in the US. Most places here are single stores run by individuals or families; which means that the products offered depend on the preferences of the owners and their customers or what they decide to stock up on at any given time. So, if you’re looking for something specific you may have to go more than one or two places to find it. Often having the stores run by individuals or families results in them being more customer-oriented.
A great example of this happened a few weeks ago. Here, the government subsidizes milk production but limits the number of liters sold to each store. Milk is delivered daily except on Fridays so if you don’t pick up milk by Thursday afternoon, you’re usually out of luck until Saturday. Now, you can stock up a bit but the milk here isn’t as heavily homogenized as in the
Homeschoolers' quiz
This is just a cute little quiz that’s fun for homeschoolers but also gives non-homeschoolers an idea of the diversity in the homeschooling community based on the multiple choice answers available.
And in case you’re wondering, eclectic is exactly how we homeschool. A little of this, a little of that but all pretty relaxed.
http://quizilla.com/users/guiltfree/quizzes/What%20Type%20of%20Homeschooler%20Are%20You
Mr. Potato Head You have your ideal of how things should look, but you’re flexible enough to allow for change. You are not bothered by changing methods, mid-course if necessary. You use an eclectic combination of curriculum sources.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Hafiz's tomb
One of the tourist sites here is Shiraz is the tomb of one of Iran's world famous poets, Hafiz. The marble tomb is under that circular canopy. On the underside of the canopy is tile work similar to that seen throughout Iran. Quite beautiful and very intricate. An interesting part of the "tourist" experience is the 2 or 3 men that hang around outside the entrance with little birds that pull out small colored sheets of paper from little tins. They're a bit like fortune cookies. On the papers are a snippet of Hafiz's poetryand sometimes a verse from the Quran. Between the two they give some vague indication of what your future may hold.
We're looking to be back in the states around the end of Sep. but may wait a week or so more as it would mean about $500 in saving on airline tickets during "low season." The downfall of this possiblity is that we would be traveling during Ramadan. Since we would be traveling, we wouldn't be fasting but would have to make up the day later. I was hoping for a couple of days to get settled before the beginning of Ramadan but we'll be doing everything at once this year.
For those that don't know-Ramadan is the month of fasting. From sunrise to sunset during 1 lunar month, muslims don't eat or drink anything, they are supposed to watch what they say and see (no lies or gossiping, not watching or listening to anything bad). The point behind Ramadan is to help you set aside worldly concerns and renew your spiritual side while reminding you first hand the hardships that far too many people on this planet endure everyday because of poverty or famine. The lunar calendar is 11 days shorter than the Roman calendar so Ramadan moves up a bit each year. When I first started fasting 11 years ago, Ramadan was in Feb.; this year it begins at the end of Sep. Young children, people who are sick or travelling and women who are pregnant or nursing are not required to fast. The beginning and ending of the month of Ramadan are determined by the sighting of the new moon. The end of Ramadan is marked by a celebration called Eid al-Fitr. On Eid, everyone gathers at the mosque for special prayers. (It looks alot like a church service during Christmas or Easter, where there are many new faces that are rarely ever seen during the rest of the year.) The kids all get gifts and most people wear new clothes and just generally celebrate. In bigger communities, there are usually festivals set up at convention centers or other large locations where there is a bazaar, games and rides for kids and plenty of food.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
My sneaky little boy
Being the clever little boy that he is, Reza spotted an unattended box of bakery goodies, put it off the table and dug in! At least these are better than some of the things he's sampled from around the house. ;)
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Real Estate
I've been spending much of my free time and nearly all of my internet time lately looking for a house to buy and a place to rent (for between when we get there and when we can actually close on a house) that's why I've been quiet lately. The housing market in Northern VA is expensive! For a 3 BR single family house the prices START at $450,000 and that is for houses built nearly 40 years ago on less than a quarter acre! We're considering moving further out but that would mean at least a 2 hour commute for dh each day, one way! Fortunately, he can work from home up to 2 days a week but still. I know that would be really hard on him. Not sure that a newer, somewhat bigger house on a bit of land is worth it for him to have to do that. (Although there are alot of people that he works with that have insane commutes. One guy drives all the way from Pennsylvania!)I haven't finished June's blue mini or started on July's purple. It looks like both will have to wait. The heat (similar to what much of the US is experiences according to everyone's blogs) and the impending move have sucked away my drive to get much sewing done. Couple that with getting Mustafa working through some 2nd grade work so that next year's homeschooling will be easier and I just don't have much extra time. He repeated 1st grade here because we were worried it would be hard on him to jump into 2nd grade with his limited Farsi so now he gets to do 2 years in one. No big deal though since he was well above grade level in everything except language arts so we're really not doing that much catch up work.
So, instead of any interesting quilt pictures I thought I'd show pictures from the property that we bought here a month or so ago. The first is the property itself, then views to the right and in front of it. That's Mustafa trying to duck out of the picture. He hates to have his picture taken, hates to talk on the phone or write a letter but sit down with him and he'll explain all about solar systems, dinosaurs, air planes, or just about anything to do with science. And his Farsi is getting good enough to explain in either language. Ok, enough bragging.I'll try to post again soon as I'm hoping to hit more of the "tourist" sites before we leave and I'll try to get some pics to share. (Now, if only the heat would let up.)
Note: The morning we took these pictures, I thought we were getting up and out SO early, before 6:15 but wouldn't ya know as we were driving over to meet dh's parents we saw tons of people already out enjoying picnic breakfasts, many obviously having already been there for quite a while!
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Mother's Day
Today was Mother's Day here. I got these lovely flowers and a shirt.
Sarah wrote about her daughter's recent black eye so I thought I'd share a pic of Reza's shiner. This is a picture take a few hours after it happened. So far in my parenting life I've only been truly concerned when something has happened to one of the kids a handful of times and this ranks right up there at the top. Reza tripped on the edge of the carpet and hit his eye on the edge of our marble window sill. In less than 30 seconds the area around his left eyebrow swelled to the size of a walnut! Amazingly, he only cried for a couple of minutes. We got stuck in traffic trying to take him to a doctor, gave up when we couldn't find the office and instead took him to an eye hospital close to our house. We were in traffic for an hour when we could have been to the hospital in just about 10 min! DH had suggested the hospital first but it was his sister who insisted we take him to the opthamalogist instead. Fortunately, the doc at the hospital said it really wasn't that serious despite how it looked. It swelled almost shut during the night but was almost completely back to normal by the evening, except of course for the lovely colors. The really bizarre part of it all is that this was the third kid to get a black eye in less than a month! (None of our kids have ever had a black eye before.) Zahra was first; she fell on the stairs when she was goofing around because she was excited about going out to ride bikes. Less than a week later, Mustafa and Zahra were bugging each other in the backseat while waiting for DH to come back from the bakery and Mustafa pushed Zahra just hard enough that she hit Safiya in the face with her head. Fortunately, neither one of them was seriously hurt, just a little bit more colorful for a few days. :)Note: I've been trying to post this for almost a week but blogger wasn't behaving. Reza is now back to normal.
Flying Fish
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that Mustafa wanted to make fish to decorate the house. Well, Safiya got into the act as well and here is the result of their collaboration.Sorry I haven't posted in a while but Bloggers not playing nice.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Changes
Well, it seems there's never a dull moment around here.
It looks like we will be heading back to the states in the next 2-3 months. It's funny how life keeps you guessing. I figured we would be here for a good bit longer. The court hearing for the apartment resulted in another court date in a couple of weeks which will probably lead to another court date, so that's unresolved. My fil is not doing well mentally, and is now experiencing more frequent bouts of confusion. Despite various efforts, I never did get any more students. (I've actually lost one. Not a great loss since mom never managed to pick her up on time so I was often stuck "babysitting" for 30 min. or more.)
Despite all of this, I felt pretty sure that this was where we were supposed to be, at least for the sake of the kids. DH has actually been the one going back and forth about whether or not to stay. His indecision caused me to question my feelings as well. We decided that since we couldn't come to any conclusions on our own, it was time to ask what God's will for us is and that lead us to the decision to return. I'm a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of moving and starting over again. We'll be heading back to northern VA where we were before and where are friends are but we're still on the fence about buying v. renting and where exactly. I suppose the housing market will decide that for us.
Wish us luck!
The picture has nothing o do with the post. It's the view of the rooftops across the street from our hotel room in Dubai.
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