the days are . . . shiny

I apologize in advance because this will be choppy.

We’ve taken it outside  since this weekend. Is there anything as wonderful as happy children on a warm March day?

We’re cleaning up the inside. Warm weather also means shredding though the Winter pileup and making room to breathe. Hello, new vacuum. (It’s a Miele Titan!) Hello, less stuff.

We’re cleaning up our act. Noah is now getting more one on one and less one on TV. Today that translated to 100 pages of reading to him. We started with Little House in the Big Woods (20 pages), moved to The Borrowers (20 pages), read some Eloise, then a whole lotta Maisy. Yesterday was 50 pages out of Snot Stew, lots more Maisy and anything else that fell under Noah’s eye. Added benefit: G is now crazy for reading. We spend 15-20 minutes looking at Peek-a-Boo, First Words and a truck book with sliding doors pre-nap daily.

Is there a downside to all this? As usual, my writing is the first thing to go. I have confidence it will come back. Nathan and I are working toward a weekend schedule that affords me a 3 hour time block. My photography also suffers, but as we approach long walks outdoors, that can’t be expected to suffer long. I am getting to read to myself a bit here and there. I just finished One Amazing Thing by Divakaruni (thanks MIL!) and loved it. Highly recommended. I’m currently in the middle of Oliver Twist. Can you believe I’ve never read Dickens before? I have a rather hopeful pile of library books in addition to the nonfiction stacked around the house that I leaf through when I get to stand still.

But . . . we are also cleaning up our bodies. Nathan started P90X 2 months ago. I joined him for the second month and intend to continue through the third. Last night, I snapped at Noah for something. Nathan was like, “Why are you getting mad? He’s always difficult . . .” I was going to say, “Because it hurts!” Then  I straightened up and realized my back didn’t hurt AT ALL. When did that happen? More exercise means more energy which means more time in a day to do whatever it is I want to do. Yay!

So there it is in all it’s jarring, choppy glory–an update. We are alive. We are well. We are happy as we try new things and challenge ourselves. For all of this, thank God.

March 9th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (1)

The title is how I’m feeling right now. Kind of like I got hit over the head with a huge pillow that had a ball of lead hidden inside.

We spent the weekend with our family in the Indianapolis area. My uncle and his family were in town. It was great to catch up, especially since we see them every 8 years or so. My cousins were grown, one a handsome young man looking at colleges. The other two are bright women with families of their own.

It’s nice to renew ties and catch up. At this moment, it’s even nicer to be home. Our grocery shopping is finished. Whole wheat pizza dough is being mixed in the bread machine. I’m really looking forward to a week of on-schedule home-cooked meals. I’m also enjoying that our TV “doesn’t work”. As in, I turned off the power strip. I intend that this week be a low key chance to detox.

While G has already snapped back into the home routine, it takes N several days to transition. He’s just an amped up kind of kid, evidenced by the meltdown that began as soon as we walked in the door yesterday evening. It didn’t end until he was asleep (he skipped out of his bed and landed in ours as soon as Nathan and I headed downstairs). It usually takes him the full week to adjust after an overnight at my mom’s house. 3 days after some time with my in-laws (they’re much quieter with WAY less stuff to stimulate him) depending on how much TV he’s watched. I expect that after an extended schedule-to-the-wind day like Saturday, we’ll see some residual stress this weekend. Sometimes he surprises us though. And zero TV for a few days is a great way to help him reset.

The meals I’m looking forward to:

Whole Wheat Pizza with Garlic Butter and Spinach

Samke bi Fourn with Sweet Potatoes

Tofu Stir Fry with Brown Rice

Biryani Spiced Beef over Bulgur (flies in the face of everything you know, right?) and Veggies

Lebanese Chicken with Brown Rice and Veggies

Moroccan Lentil Soup with Whole Wheat Bread (mm starch)

Veggie Burgers/ Turkey BLTs for the boys (BLTs will end up as bacon and hot cereal lol)

Rye Pretzels!!!

I’ve noticed that each week since we’ve switched to whole grains and high veg, I’m getting further through it before we need that restaurant meal. This week I planned 7 days without realizing, and my grocery bill was still around $115 for the week! The less we eat out, the less we want to, and the easier it is to cook at home.

It will be quiet here this week. My writing is done on stolen time. If I do  any other posts, they’ll happen on my other blog.

Happy end of February! Oh, and happy birthday to Grammie the Great (23rd), Big Sis (25th) and Dad-in-Law (28th).

February 22nd, 2010 | Category: transitions | Comments (1)

But you can view some shots from Noah’s 4th birthday party here. Sorry I don’t have time to post them individually!

February 19th, 2010 | Category: photos | Comments (1)

I’ve recently expanded my circle of friends. For the most part, the friends I make and see regularly are non-Muslim. There are two reasons for this. The first is that the Muslims in my community with children near Noah’s age have daughters. Not all, but most. The second is that the Muslims have their kids in school, and this leaves our schedules reversed. Bummer. I’m working on a way to reestablish my connections. I love all our friends, but it’s nice to be able to open the doors of your religious identity without running into dogmatic conflict. I really dislike dogmatic conflict.

That’s why I wait to introduce myself as Muslim until I’ve already established with a potential new friend that 1) I am not crazy and 2) they are someone I think I’ll actually want to be friends with. Some people don’t find out about my faith until we’ve known each other for months. Some don’t find out for days. Others, hours. If it’s only been hours, there’s a good chance I think you’re a person who will be frightened by my belief system and I want to take that step back before it gets to that awkward point where you feel compelled to keep talking to me in order to be polite. If it’s been months, I like you, but not enough to open my heart. Most likely, I don’t trust that you won’t try to convert me. Don’t be offended. I get that a lot.

Why come out, anyway? Well, it’s a Christian country. Religious “freedom” aside, many people don’t take kindly to other cultures and especially other religions. I know. I lived in a religious vacuum for six years. I was surrounded by people who tried to save me daily. I’m pretty sure there were community pow-wows regarding “what to do” about my family. Yarr.

As a general rule, I wait until the second meeting. I did that last week. I came out as Muslim toward the end of a playdate. The woman I told completely took me by surprise by exclaiming, “I love the call to prayer!” She then proceeded to tell me how beautiful she thinks it is and that she downloads it online just to listen to on her own. Dude. That’s awesome. I was able to let go of worry about my religious identity. In fact, I’m not even sure I made it clear that I’m Muslim. The context of the conversation was more about taking Noah to see my husband at the Friday prayer.

So, when do you come out? I’m really curious if others have a similar experience. You know, those of you who don’t wear hijab, or even if you do, how you approach your beliefs when they may well cut off that tenuous tie.

February 17th, 2010 | Category: Islam, fears | Comments (7)