EID MUBARAK!

EID IS HERE :) happy eid everyone! kol 3am wa into bkhier! Lots of people in U.A.E. are disappointed because they anticipated a longer holiday for EID.. i guess we will try to make the best of the few days off
You know when i think of this occasion i feel a bit sad because i feel growing up we see all the amazing decorations for christmas. The fun costumes of Halloween. The endless Easter  and NEW YEAR activities. And when it comes to EID.. we hardly have as much EID attractions..

I dont want our children to grow up thinking EID is just a boring occasion where they have to sit through long family visits while the adults talk and the kids sit quietly on a couch counting their "3eedeyeh".

We should have more FUN on EID! Especially for kids.. So many EIDS have passed where i havent even felt it was EID! We need to decorate our houses. Make more activities that are only done on EID which makes us and our kids look forward to this day!

When i say activities i dont just mean getting new clothes and 3eedeyat or gifts. We need to have bigger events with more people. The problem we have these days is that everyone is so busy with thier own life that they kind of lose touch with family and friends. We hardly even bother to send or call each other on EID. We just share a EID message on Facebook. Lets make this Blessed Occasion the most we can and lets try to think of creative ways to make our kids love EID! Share your ideas or suggestions :)

My Potty Training Journey of PooPie HELL

Oh... the post i have been wanting to post for a long time.. the post i thought i would never be able to post about.. yes as i already shared on Facebook and as i happily share with the world and even when people ask me how is lulu i answer she is "POTTY TRAINED"! oh the joy of finally being able to say that! The Suffering i went through ! akhh akh where should i start.. Now that i have finally succeeded i want to help those mothers who are going through this process or are about to start going through this very hard mission with some tips i used.

First thing you should do is... IGNORE IGNORE IGNORE unwanted advice and those people who make you feel like you are a bad mother because your son. Those people who sometimes even dont have kids and just look at your daughter and say "lisaa ma nadafteeeha"? *surprised look.. as IF potty training is something you do overnight. Every kid is read at thier own time and a mother will know when her kid is ready. There is no use to rush this process because if they are not ready you will only end up cleaning unnecessary accidents from the floor when you could have just waiting till your son/ daughter GOT IT!

I started introducing the potty to lulu before she could even speak.  would just let her sit there hoping she would pp.. and when she does i would do a happy dance and 3urus making her feel that she did something WOW! It would rarely happen.. but i was not strict about potty i just introduced it to her..

From the constant stress and people telling me things like "oh i potty trained my son when he was 18 months"i felt i was doing something wrong.. i started getting stressed and lulu would tell me after she peed not before.. and she would never tell me there is no2.. she would just hide somewhere.. i was losing hope.. i never hit her.. but i would tell her i was upset and that she is a BIG GIRL and that pampers are for babies.. Many told me to just REMOVE the diapers and she will pee on the floor and poop on the floor and then she will GET IT.. well the truth is.. SHE WILL PEE and POOP on the floor and if she is not READY she WILL NOT GET IT.. and you will end up cleaning UNNECESSARY feces off the floor and you will be emotionally and physically drained.. After removing the diapers and failing.. i went back to pullups and decided to IGNORE everyone.. and Do what I FELT was right.. and well slowly i realized she started to tell me when she has to pee.. and she started doing NO2 in the bathroom.. and the best strategy i felt worked with her was giving her STICKERS everytime she went! and when she didnt tell me she would know she isnt supposed to and says " NO STICKAS "

I waited till she i felt her pullups were dry and that she was READY! and yes i was RIGHT ! i felt she understood... so i bravely removed the pampers and was surprised that she ACTUALLY did GET IT FINALLY! so lulu was potty trained at the age of 2years 5 months.. if you feel that is TOO LATE.. well i dont really care because it is when i felt she was ready and i am so glad this journey is over.. im sure there will be an accident here and there but she will learn.You will need a lot of patience.. A lot of cleaning detergents.. & lots of love.. instead of yelling or beating your children or burning thier little cute butts with MATCHES! you should just love them & make them feel that you are proud of them when they go peepee and believe me with your love and support and patience.. with time they WILL GET IT!







Any enjoy going out with your kids before they are potty trained because after they are you will always be tense and worried if she will have to pp when you are not close to a bathroom.. and as soon as she says " mama fe pp" u will run like a crazy lady in the mall to reach on time before she lets go :P

Another tip for potty training.. is make her sit as soon as she wakes up for morning pp.. and then take her every 2 hours.. and even after she is potty trained she will not always tell you.. so when you feels its been a while since the last time just take her anyway and wait for the pp to sharef :P

More Tips I remembered :


• Get your son / daughter potty books and show her in pics and videos that pampers are for babies
• Get her a baby doll and make her put the pampers on the doll
When you buy her underwear buy underwear with her favorite characters and make her feel that wearing underwear makes her a BIG GIRL
• When there is a baby around make sure she notices that the baby is wearing diapers.
• Sometimes they want to go but we are not patient enough. At first they need a sit a little bit on the potty so dont just put them and expect and instant pp. i remember the many times i used to just take her out of the bathroom and she would GO.. id get frustrated that we WERE JUST in the BATHROOM.
• My daughter is afraid of sitting on the regular toilet without the potty seat and would refuse to go to the bathroom when we are out of the house. And i used to carry around the potty seat which was too big! Till  i found this FOLDABLE potty seat that has princesses on it and well ever since she likes going to the bathroom even we are outside.
• There is a video on youtube for ELMO singing his potty song... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqLMcyUFrSA lulu and i loved it :) its fun to watch and actually helps
• If there are other kids around that are her age or around her age who go to the potty and are potty trained. tell her that they DO and let her see them go in the bathroom. She will want to be a BIG GIRL like them :)
• When your baby is ready remove the diaper.. but dont put it back on because it will confuse your kid. i removed it even at night. Some people leave it on at night for a while . I personally removed it totally so that she does not get confused :)

GOOD LUCK MOMMIES!

:)

Faja3 il Pregnancy

So as many of you know.. i am pregnant and with pregnancy comes a BIG APPETITE! I can't really explain this to people who are not pregnant or to those don't appreciate good food. Its just suddenly all i wanna do IS EAT and even when i am eating i am thinking of what i will eat in the next meal! I sometimes get up from bed when im lazy just because i am motivated but what i will wake up to EAT! i better watch out because my last pregnancy i gained around 30 KG if not MORE! *CROWD GASP

And its not like you can eat and get FULL! There is like this hole in ur stomache and you can NEVER feel FULL for more than like 3o minutes :S 

Its hard to differentiate between hunger and PURE FAJA3! really.. its not like a regular craving you can ignore.. these craving are so strong and powerful i admit i have driven to malls that are not exactly close to my house just to get that specific craving.. *drools *pats on belly

I still don't look very pregnant and well even in my last pregnancy my belly was never really firm but more like 3ajeeen. *pokes at blubbery belly that jiggles 

i look like someone who just delivered.. or maybe someone who just has a big karsh

i was in canada for 3 weeks and due to the good food and everyday tim hortons drink i gained 5 kgs in 3 weeks! YA FARE7tiiii

now im trying to control my cravings.. but il akl latheeth.. i can write you poetry on the spot about the food that i crave.. let me try now...

ya salam ya salam 3al chocolate crepe 

what makes it better is that tim hortons ice capp sip

oh pasta oh pasta where art thou

tell me not of your calories, feed me now

oh dear chocolata, i am sorry i loved u less in my first trimestUr

i love you deeply now so i Allah yustur

Dear Tabeekh,mlookheye wa jaj wa roz 

i am weak infront of you, bidi aakol tanjara wa 2a2ool tozzz

As for you my dear ice white mocha,

2u7ibukeee doonaa shakaa

And for some reason i like sha66a

but i admit i have always been a ba66a

Seee told u i can write something on the spot.. will try to blog more often.. and soon i will share my airport drama story :) 

YES i AM PREJJJnant & its a JJIRLL

Wow its been so long since i blogged and well a lot has happened since my last post.. First big news is YES i am pregnant and beneath that karsh is an actual BABY growing inside of me.. i must admit i am also slowly inflating in areas where there is no fetus :S And i do feel like everyday my appetite grows with the baby.. so ALLAh yustur i dont gain 33 KG lke my first pregnancy!!

But that is not new news. im already entering my 5th month and in no time inshala i will be screaming my head of praying for amo epidural dr to arrive. The NEW news is that today i found out its a GIRL :) i thought it was a boy because well all my symptoms were different in this pregnancy.. i craved different foods.. i hardly puked as much as i did with little lulu.. i  didnt gain that much weight (YET) just half a kg till now * CROWD APPLAUSE *

So... unlike many who might believe that a boy is somehow superior to a girl. I am sorry neither i or my huzbandi have this mentality al hamdulilah and all we pray for is a healthy baby. I do admit that a part of me wanted a boy so that i had both genders incase if 2 kids was too much and i decided 2 is enough for me that i wont feel like i missed out on a gender :P but al hamdulilahhhh al hamdulilah and inshla inshala i pray that my bobo who inshala i will name "Alia" after my best friend  and hopefully she will be healthy as CUTE as my "plintheth yuyu" and ma tghalebneeeshhhhhh

I am not at that stage of pregnancy when people look at me and hesitate whether they should say " MABROOK" CONGRATULATIONS ON your pregnancy or pass me a DIET.. i am tempted to stick a sticky note on my belly that says " THIS IS NOT JUST A KARSH"

Unlike those cute petite pregnant ladies who look skinny and like they have a small zaytooneh ( olive) growing in thier belly.. a perfect circle.. no extra fat.. just baby bump and as soon as they deliver mashala they are like even skinnier..

 i admit i have always been on the chubby side.. i never was skinny.. not even as a baby... i was born 4.5 kgs *ykhzii il 3ayn 3alay  kalabeez wa tabakaaat 3ajeeb.. i was like layers of fat!

 i was so chubby as a kid my uncle used to say he cant carry me because he already had a disc in his back. :S yet somehow i accepted the fact that i was "DABDOOBA TEKHEENA" and it was my favorite song growing up.. i would jump with every " Nutee na6aaa ya dabooobaa " HEEEEEY HEY HEEHHHHHHHHHH"

but i was cute chubby not that chubby u see and think OMG OMG haram take that child to SHAQs show for fat kids or biggest loser! anyway.. what is my point?? yes 7aseh 7ali bagara.. and i crave so many things i never used to crave like FOOL MEDAMES and shurbet 3adas... i would CHOOSE TABEEKH OVER CHOCOLATE * CROWD GASPS*


Oh sorry im late but RAMADAN KAREEM everyone wa kol saneh wa into salmeeen... or as lulu would say " AMADAN BAKIN" or " AMADANT KATIN" ... i will not say what she says for " KOL SANEH WA INTO SALMEEN" cause it just SOUNDS WRONG

*dino smacks forehead

time for me to get some sleep! will try to post more updates :)

i (heart) SLEEPING

SLEEP! What a wonderful thing! Its the only thing EVERYONE in the world has in common. No Matter what nationality you are.. you SLEEP! No matter what RELIGION! you SLEEP! Whether you are EVIL or GOOD or PSCHO or a SERIAL KILLER ! We ALL SLEEP and if we dont we go crazy and cant FUNCTION!!  i wonder how murderers and Evil people actually DO SLEEP after the balawee they do butttttt.. never theless we all NEED some Shut eye to function and to be beautiful.

Thus the saying " BEAUTY SLEEP". which reminds me of my first months as a MAZAR and how BEAUTY was not the word you would use to describe me... GODZILLA maybe I hardly got any sleep.. so when you are sleep deprived and your body feels like it has just been hit by a train, believe me, you dont look lovely. I was also a emotional and agressive  had some hallucinations and ofcourse was depressed all because i NEEDED SLEEP!

Now that my little mini me lulu finally sleeps through that night and i really REALLY REALLY APPRECIATE SLEEP!!! Just to be able to hug your pillow and get under the blanket and not worry about having to wake up in the next hour to be milked.. is just.. BeeU2ifULLLLLL! *dino kisses fingers and does this moves she saw on some chicken Tikka commericial. ok why chicken tikka? maybe im hungry? hmm

So speaking of sleep.. who here talks in their sleep? walks? sings? i have done all of those. and To those who were lucky enough to sleep next to me. ok that sounded bad.. ya3ni i meant my girlfriends and family and bas husbandeeeee... they have shared stories... like... me saying things like

" Mama momkin t2ooli la ra2fat il hajaan yjeebli 3abayatiii min il dry clean"


" raa7 3alaaaaay baaaas il madarasssssa liesh ma sa7etoooniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii"


"FEEE DAaboooooor fil KILOWT MA TEKWEEE MA TEKWEEE" haahahah

Usually this happens when i stay up late and im tired and i ALWAYS dream about the last thing i SAW. usually its whast on TV. so.. my latest very funny story is that My lovely huzbandee wanted to watch a horror movie at night. and well i was already freaked out by some dream i had. but i was like ok ok.. the movie was not THAT scary but welll.. apparently it affected me...

i woke up in the middle of the night... stared at his face and touched his cheek as if i am wiping off some gewy liquid and woke him up saying " AHMED LIESH WISHAK AKHDARRRRR"



So many more stories.. like once i slept over at my friends house and she says i kept kissing her arm :S i think it was around the time i met ahmed and was in that lovey dovey phase of il dinya hugs and lovin. haha same girl said she woke up with me sleeping on her (_/_) .. i have done that to many before. i just dont know how that happens.. Apparently LULU has inherited my head on Butt sleeping behavior cause whenever she joins us in the bed.. her head usually is on my "POPO" as some very "classy" lady once said hahaha

ok maybe its time for me to sleep... SEE WHY I DONT BLOG that OFTEN? cause all i type is FADAye77 :P

POTTY TRAINING DISASTERS!

So Let me start by saying... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! i did not know potty training would be this emotoinally draining! Some may have noticed i have not been very active on my blog or even facebook or twitter. WHY? i have been POTTY TRAINING! and well after so long all i can say is it is NOT working! I already get comments when people look at lulu ,who actually looks bigger than her age, they would say something like " yeeeeee lisaa pampers??""lisa ma nadafteeha?" which basically means " OMG your daughter still wears diapers you are such a lazy mom! 

Well i took tips from mothers and believe it or not 2 mothers who SHOCKED ME recommend using a MATCH. how? they would light the match and then BURN THIER KIDS (_/_) if they pooped or peed on the floor!! I CANT BELIEVE ANY MOM WOULD DO THAT and actually RECOMMENDS IT!?? its child abuse! they SWEAR it works! but i am sure it also causes major psychological DAMAGE for the poor kid!

Then there are those mothers who show off and start saying " OH your daughter is not potty trained i potty trained my daughter at 12 months or 18 months". And for some reason it makes me feel like i am doing something wrong and that they are better mothers. But the truth is, every kid is different. Some walk before others, some talk before others, some teeth at 3 months other teeth at 10 months. 

All is within the Norm. So its not like in the future if i apply for a job i will " Potty trained my child at 12 months" as point that makes me more qualified. It reminds of the whole breast feeding lectures i heard if i ever gave lulu formula. YES i know breastfeeding is the BEST for your baby. And Breast is Best ofcourse ! and i did for one year but every once in a while i would give lulu formula and i dont think its " POISON" as some would say. I was hardly breastfeed and so many of working parents were not able to breastfeed for long & some actually dont get enough milk.  wa hayn zay il GROOOD ya  ma7lana SO please do not judge any mother for not being able to breast feed her child. i am not arguing here if its better or promoting formula i am just saying LAY OFF the poor new MOMS! i think i never mentioned "breast " this much in one paragraph! Speaking of BREAST! omg omg omg

I came across this LADY in the middle of the FOODCOURT BREASTFEEDING *twitches* and not in a way where she is hiding or trying to hide her (.) she was like just sitting there and i dont think her baby was even feeding. she was just considering her (.)(.) meals on heels! she was just like sitting there exposing herself to the world. Maybe she thought the food court was the best place since was feeding :S

Anyway back to main subject.

POTTY TRAINING...

So what i feel is that lulu is not ready.. i tried removing her pampers and ended up cleaning poopies and pp from everwhere. MORE MORE cleaning. More Laundry. More STRESS! AS if i needed that! i think i will wait a few more months till she is more aware. Some start at 3 years and potty train thier kids in 3 days only cause they are old enough to GET IT! 

I QUIT! And if anyone has anything to say like " i did it in 3 days" please take lulu for 3 days and i will PAY YOUU!!!

I NEED THE SUPERNANNY! is there an arab supernanny anywhere?

ok what a smelly post this is :P i wil try to blog more often :) 

M.O.M. ( Mumkin Owkheth Makafa2ah???

i have not been able to blog for the past weeks i recently moved to a new house and everyday i am running errands cleaning being a MOTHER and i end up feeling that there is NO TIME :S

i was asked by our lovely kanooozzztiii to blog about motherhood.. and ofcourse its pretty much the topic i have been blogging about since my little lulu arrived so where do i start??

i still remember in the beginning of my pregnancy when i just was in shock of the idea of being a MOTHER. i was convinced my growing belly was a happy meal only it moved from time to time. when i look back i think i feel like i have been on a nonstop roller coaster. some days i just feel like WHERE ARE THE BREAKS?! only break i get is a KITKAT and even that i dont eat the way they do in the AD i usually just shove in my mouth wa (bazlu6) while i MULTITASK a million things around the house.

it seems i do everything in a hurry i forgot how its like to sit and relax. even when im am out with ppl and we are having lunch or dinner i usually just eat my sandwich in one GULP and then i realize they are all still slowly unwrapping thier sandwich as they talk a little and take little bites.. usually people remind me that the food will not RUN AWAY! but its too late.. i am a fast eater, fast everything.. only things im slow in is... GETTING THINGS.. i am SLOW.. like HOMER simpson slow.. haha its takes time for things to CLICK in my head.. i cant fully blame that on motherhood but motherhood had made my scatter brains / focusing problems more SEVERE... ARGH :S 

Bigger house =more CLEANING , bigger toddler= more RUNNING, More Running= BIgger MESS = MORE MORE and more cleaning &laundry and dont get me started on the laundry. i have issues with JARABEEEN! (socks) i always wash one sock and forget the other then i end up with socks that have lost thier other half :S  and ofcourse i have to cook and then get stuck with a piles of dishes. then i remember i need something from the supermarket. and well i have to take lulu. who decides to make a big poopie always at the worst times. so i end up buying groceries ( from a supermarket that is not very close so its a drive, car seat, stroller folding unfolding wa all that) since i am there and having to deal with carrying the groceries and lulu who slept on the way back. its like a never ending cycle. and a mothers work is NEVER done.

i sometimes feel like the HULK with superpowers. i cant get sick i dont allow myself to feel tired and even when i am exhausted i MUST keep on going like an energizer battery ( tadoom wa tadoom wa tadoom) * dino marching banging on drums like rabbits in commercial and suddenly is in slow motion

because who will do all the things i do? who will feed lulu? change her? clean the house? do the laundry,take her to her drs appointment, give her a bath, play with her, take her out, cook, throw out the garbage, vaccumme, clean the floors, clean the bathrooms, kitchen. lulus mess all over the place??

who will do that??? *crowd points at DINO

YES ME ME ME..... and that my lovely readers is WHY I WANT A MAID SOON SOON SOON inshala ALLAh yefrej-ha... cause im emotionally and physically worn out.

so that is why i have not blogged in a while because even blogging has become a part of my relaxation TIME..

*sigh*

sorry kinzi if this was not as funny as anticipated i feel even my sense of humor is ta3baaneh ( tired) :S

cartoon for this post coming up soon.. when i have the time.. and get my lovely laptop fixed because it sounds like a helicopter now... soo this post is long might take you a few weeks to read.. which buys me more TIME till the next post :P

MUBARAK GLUE!!!

                                                                                                                                                                        i have not blogged in a few days.. not only because i was jetlagged but also because i just felt anything you blog or tweet about seems silly and irrelevant with what is going on in egypt! its unbelievable!its one thing to be killed by a yahoodi but to be killed by someone from your own country?? i must admit that i am not the type of person who sits there and watches al JAZEERA or discussing politics and most of the time i have no CLUE what is going around in the world. i would hear something on the news and run to my husband hoping i would impress him with this Political INFO only to find out from his facial reaction that my valuable info is OLD NEWS :s but i can answer you any question about babies, diapers, pregnancy tabeekh and anything that was written in the book ' WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU ARE EXPECTING haha sooo well here is my latest cartoon inspired by husni (not so mubarak) who refuses to LEAVE ! the biggest laz2a in egypt !!  wanted to write a poem but i dont want to get arrested dino runs... this is irrelevant but my backspace and enter key wont work anymore so that is why كل الكلمات داخله في بعض... so in conclusion i say our hearts go out to our sisters and brothers in UM il DUNYA and we thank you for protecting UMMEna  ya3ni OUR MAZAR in english ;p and we  pray that you are safe and we are proud of you all for making a stand and showing the world that once united yoru voices WILL BE HEARD and that EVERYONE CAN make a difference. Every Arab leader will think twice now before making any decision. the only complain has come from the next generation as they know jan 25th will be a date they will have to remember for history class :P

i *heart* Dubai

 

Sorry havent posted in a while i am not in DUBAI! FINALLY! *lelelelelleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
zaghrootaaaaaaaaa ! after 2 years of not not settling down inshala inshala this is IT! We finally are going to settle in Dubai the best place to be! I love Dubai. been here most of my life i feel like its home although i know for a fact that as soon as my visa expires one day ill have to leave :(---

Anyway so let me tell you about my lovely trip from America to Dubai! it was a long flight and well you know what is worse that turbulence? its toilet turbulence. when u decide to get up to go to the bathroom as soon as you get it suddenly u hear the *TIN TIN* sound for SEATBELT ON and the plane starts to shake a little from turbulence and you think to yourself.. what a dilemma i will be in if they ask me to run our NOW!which reminds of a saying that made a lot of sense

il 2ikhtashoo Maaatoooo--> if ur shy you wil die :P haha

haha sounds so wrong in english

Anyhooooo so other than the guy infront of me miracously farting for a straight 14 hour flight! i was about to ask him! SHO MAAKEL BIL THABT?!?!? eishi miyet sarlo 5 sneen?!(what have you eaten exactly??? somethin that has been dead for 5 years!?) so ..it was a smooth somewhat smelly flight. lulu slept through most of it. but now we are all suffering from major jetlag! wide awake at the oddest times! soon we will fix our sleeping patterns.

But i didnt realize how much i missed Dubai till i arrived! yes i will miss America but it Aint no Dubai :) now for the dubai poem

                         Dubai Dubai ana fe 7ub inta waaayed jiddan very much  kteer

                       i had missed raju from supermarket AL Kabeer

                  i love you ya Dubai with all the nafarat il feeki

a7ebek ya dubai aktar min ma lulu bit7eb Barney wa mickey

  

Thank u SarSoor for the 3azeemeh

  

So before you say.. ya333 at the sight of the word SARSOOR.. for those who dont know what sarsoor means in arabic it is a  "cockroach". So let me tell you a story about a cockroach that may make you look at them all differently. The sarsoor that gave its life on my birthday. little brave heart.

So here is the story.. it was my bday 2 days ago and huzbandee treated me to a lovely molten chocolate cake. * dino drools. and as we were sitting in the restuarant in this very fancy hotel. i see a little cockroach crawling on the seat behind lulu. i freaked out and said "SARSOOOR"

Ahmed killed the Sarsoor. and whether or not you like saraseer you will like what happened next. we showed the dead sarsoor to the waitress & well we expected the dessert to be on the house.. only to find out that they didnt only take of the DESSERT from the BILL but also 2 main courses. let me remind you it was a fancy restaurant!

So i must thank the sarsoor for this unintentional 3azeeemeh & sacrifice. and let him know his death was not for nothing. it was for a good cause :P

so here is a poem of gratitude i dedicate to my new found friends

when i see you first thing i said was " eww "

i would freak out when i see you

But now i see you in a different light

i have decided to now treat you right

I will have a little box of saraseer 

for restuarants il ghalyeh kteer 

and now when i see you i will say " AWW" and grin

just please dont EVER crawl on my skin

Dino is the Birthday Girl! WOOT WOOT!

  

 oh.. wow so much to blog about... but the most important thing about today is... its my BDAY maybe it is not is no longer my bday on the other side of the world but here in America It is still my BDAY and that means i can have as much chocolata as physically possible. But well truth is the day is almost over and i didnt reach that Goal :S Damn it :S hehe

So let me tell you about the annual dinner i attended last night. the one i mentioned in my previous post. the one i was worried about getting HUGGED in.  Lets just say it was FULL of HUGS, Kisses and SURPRISES. i was fortunate enough that some ppl found my scarf a bit intimidating and did not attempt to hug or kiss me. My husbands boss ( the one who attempted to hug me last year and was embarrassed when i jumped back involuntarily) learn his lesson from last year. i know i shouldn't have jumped back it was like my system just automatically reacts to a MALE coming too close. Its like there is a Zone with imaginary lazer and as soon someone is in that ZONE my internal  alarm just freaks out haha :S * dinos hears a voice in her head yell " ASTAGHFIRULAAAAAAAH" *said in slow motion.. look at the brigh side at least my involuntary reaction is not a SLAP!

Anyway... sooo this dinner party had a theme...its like you are on a boat cruising around the world and from each country enter dancers doing the country dance.. first country was BRAZIL and whati did not know is that this party would also have BELLY DANCERS.. well not really belly dancers but well they were dressed like belly dancers and were shaking shaking like Polaroid picture yeah yeah! 

*dino was drinking water.. *enter belly dancers * dino spits out water with shock.. * covers ahmeds eyes. *takes photos so she can draw them for the blog

Next country was Egypt.. so they got us humus and Mideastern food .. then my husband asks " how come they got Brazilian dancers and not BELLY dancers from EGYPT?

Dino " nefsak tshoof ra2asaat??? ( were you hoping to see egyptian belly dancers too??"

*dino munches on bread angrily and hopes he was JOKING

he better be..  i have a few egyptian moves up my sleeve

* dino hides sa6oor from ahmed haha

Anyway.. i left the party after the food arrived. just like we usually do at weddings haha and my husband was HUGGED many times.. kissed a few times...

*crowd says BOOOOOO

i dodged one HUG *dino takes a bow

*crowd appluads dino

in 30 mins i will officially be 29!!! and it will be the last year in my twenties... *ya fare7ti

so overall the party as interesting and well i cant say it was bad as i got to see some russian dancers move like they were from circe de soleil ! the man would jump up and do splits in the air and HOLD ON TO HIS FEET ! ALL ath the SAME JUMP! 

p.s. that is not khass ( lettuce ) on ther belly dancers head although it looks like it. it was meant to look like feathers. but i am sure a lot of jordania men would certainly call those ladies " EISH YA KHASSEH"

next post will be about my bday sarsooor and i will call it " thank u sarsooor "

Life is Good Award

So surprisingly the famous Roba Assi of And Far Away, a very very lovely fellow bloggerette, presented me with an award. i was not sure she even read my blog till this day! *very touched :)

The Life is Good Award is actually a scanned Hallmark greeting card that comes with some questions to answer.. and well i havent done this is a LONG time sooo im sure i will khabes fil 7aki Here goes takhbeesa.... (translation  i will blabber on and say things i should not :S as usual )

1. If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing this? If you aren’t anonymous, do you wish you started out anonymously, so that you could be anonymous now?

i started out as an anonymous blogger. and well with time i become more and more open about my life and more family and friends found out about my blog. Sometimes when i want to vent i wish i was anonymous because lots of people offended easily and misinterpret thte things i write about which limits what i write :S




2. Describe an incident that shows your inner stubborn side

i wont argue that i am stubborn. and well i know there are many incidents DAILY. So because i had trouble pointing one out i asked my husband. What can you tell me about me that shows that i am stubborn... he answered : KOL ishee  :S (everything) so i asked him to be more specific ... he mentioned how i never listen.. and no matter how many times he repeats something i just dont do it.. so i say. that is not stubborn that is Forgetful.. ( i am that too btw).. he said no that is the meaning of STUBBORN... so i said NO... he then pointed at me and said " THIS NOW IS YOU BEING STUBBORN" loool

ok i cant help it.. but i believe i am always right even when i WRONG :P haha


3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror?


The question here is DO u look in the mirror?! well if i finally get a glimpse of myself in my busy mommy day i would " ANGAZ" ( i will be startled) haha and i would  possibly notice something in my teeth or in my hair from lulus last meal. And i would say something like " is that a moustache?? hahah
 just kidding *dino hides upper lip :P  so pretty much what i see is a big mess

4. What is your favourite summer cold drink? 

 ICED White Mocha with extra Mochaaa ya salamm or a Chocolate Milkshake from Baskin Robbins

5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?
  Shower, work on my cartoons or blog :)

6. Is there something that you still want to accomplish in your life?
Just one thing?? well its many things but what i really want to do is start my own succesful business or write and illustrate childrens book.

7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the shy person, or always ditching?
  when i was younger i was the typical school nerd. so shy and my voice was hardly heard. the teachers problems was always askin my SPEAK UP! then i dunno what happend after GR 8 the transformation began turning into the class clown. then eventually the problem was " KEEP my VOICE DOWN , dont ditch classes and STOP TALKING! :S haha


8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what would you see

Hmm o manyy but nothing compares to the feeling of the first moment i held lulu in my arms after delivery and i felt she was REAL and that my belly bump/karsh was actually a HUMAN BEING! Sub7annalahh :)


9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog, or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people and events?

well i find it hard not to express my trueself. even if i tried.. so i guess its easy.

10. If you had the choice to sit down and read a book or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?


hmmm i would love to read a book because it has been so long ! but well truth is nowadays i would choose to talk on the phone because i have lost touch with so many people and with lulu around i can never concentrate on a book. so when ur on the phone u can multitask.. change diaper, cook, fold the laundry.. ofcourse by the time ur done ur neck is stuck sideways because u have tilted your head for long holding ur phone between ur shoulder and cheek :P haha


So who do i choose to give this award to.... lets seee... hmmmm ofcourse .. i choose .. its optional ofcourse to accept :)also please check Kinzi's Post she also answered these questions ;)

ABED & Sheeshany & KJ mabrook 3aleikooooo :) u have been chosen <--- said like the Toystory green alien :P

No Hugs Please

So.. i have been in the States pretty much the past year and well i know for sure that a lot of people here dont even know much about islam. some actually think i am SiKH :S

Anyway so there are lot of cultural differences and misunderstandings that happen. Like for example.. here when you get to know someone and meet them the second time its normal to HUG you! not a big squeeze hug but more like a PAT on the back QUICK -NAP on your shoulder type of thing.. its considered Normal.. its pretty much like us saying SALAMo Alikom

So... how can you explain to them that Muslims Do NOT HUG ? wait that came out wrong.. we do HUG but woman dont hug men and men dont hug woman.. i hug trees but that is irrelevant.

so well those who are muslim and hug woman and go out and dont really follow the teachings of islam well then well its thier personal choice but as for ME... and my HUSBAND i must add * dino glares at Ahmed in a threatening manner.. WE only HUG EACH OTHER... oh and lulu ofcourse and family and friends from the SAME SEX *dino writes note and sticks note on Ahmeds forehead.. the note says the following

" Dear Ladies.. my husband is very sweet and sometimes shy and does not know how to react when woman hug him so let ME say it for him.. he DOES NOT HUG other FEMALES * note had to be separated to many notes because it was too long so now Ahmeds face is full of post-it notes..

notes continued " He Does not mean to Offend you its just a religious thing.. OKAY? And Btw... its cold you might want to wear a jacket or pants maybe? "


A little shocker for some of you many Muslims DO NOT shake hands even with MEN/WOMAN. I mean at one stage of my life i was trying not to shake hands with MEN as much possible and now im dealing with HUGS?lol

Truth is sometimes it happens so fast before you get a chance to say "Sorry i dont HUG MEN "the Hug is already over and u just stand there thinking.. OMG OMG OMG i was just hugged by a MAN !!

oh same applies to KISSING on the CHEEK forehead.. hand.. kolo same same PLease no KIssses.. i know you mean well but LOVE ME &MY HUSBAND from a DISTANCE . Whats wrong with WAVING?? Waving is NICE .. its amazing same wave can be used for HII AND BYEE! WOW!

Ok reason i am freaking out a little bit... is ... my husband is leaving a program he was in for 2 years... and at the end of each year there is a huge dinner dance We will attend. And this is the BIG FAREWELL! the one i have FEARED! i knew this day will come! and it happens to be on my BDAY! the 23rd ( WRITE IT DOWN PEOPLE) haha :P

And well i know what comes with FAREWELLS lots of HUGS AND MWA MWA MWA * dino does karate moves.

So.. here are my plans on how to NOT BE HUGGED or Let any1 hug my ba3loool..


Plan A

Also works with handshakes... as soon as you see someone heading your way hold on to something.. like carry a pile of books.. carry LULU.. just keep ur hands occupied and then give a look of " ohh sorry i cant hug you i am holding lulu"


Plan B

Whenever someone attempts to hug you do a reverse moonwalk dance and then just wave and they will get the point.. this worked.. i actually did this.. minus the moonwalk haha it was the most awkward moment everrrr it was actually my husbands BOSS who is such a sweet guy and wanted to say Hi!!

i freaked out and just kind of jumped backward and made him feel like he was some weirdo haha poor guy i think he felt horrible!

Plan C

Stand on stage take the MIC give everyone a lecture abt ISLAM haha and maybe then theyh will suspect im a terrorit being the only hijabeee in the ballroom! *security carries dino off stage


I dont think think there is any nice way of telling someone I CANT HUG YOU but as i told my husband if HE GETS HUGGED i will find his BOSS and give him the HUG he wanted hahahahah

and for each HUG he gets i GET 2.. OKAY OKAY... i know my husband is reading this because he usually reads the blogs that he knows are about HIM. he saw me working on the cartoon!

believe it or not he does not read my BLOG DAILY!! *CROWD GASPS

*dino does the im watching you move to Ahmed hahahahhaha

Conclusion is..

                 You Drink, You Hug, You Drink I Shrug

You Kiss, You expose too much skin, i wear hijab you can still see my CHIN :)

                         I might not Eat Pork ,  but i still use a Fork

                         You have your life i have mine, just please stop offering me WINE :P

My Wisdom Teeth Removal Experience( Last Summer)

 

So.. Last Summer i was in jordan. And what do you do when you are in jordan other than eat Mansaf/ Msakhan/ enjoy a few 3azayem ? Yes you also buy a bateekha from the street just because you can. oh and ofcourse you also watch "ye3ed saba7ak" which surprisingly is still showing everyday. You pass by sweifieyeh to buy all the latest DVD copy movies & music mix CDs each bas " LEERA" ( 1JD)

The most important thing you have to Do especially if you live in Dubai issss Go to the DENTIST!

Have you checked how expensive going to a Dentist is in Dubai? Im not cheap or anything but seirously i could pay for a ticket to jordan get all my teeth done and still pay less than i would in Dubai! So any hoooo... i go to my family dentist who i love and is a great dentist and she asks me to check how my wisdom teeth are coming out. And to my surprise in the Xray apparently they were coming out wrong. so she asks want to take them out? 

Without thinking i say " OKAY" not knowing its an actual operation. thinking ok.. how hard can it be?!?! So she asks " what about tomorrow?" i say " okay great"

sooo.. next day i go...the surgeon arrives! it then hit me that its an OPERATION and not just a simple procedure!  and well after being injected with a lot of anesthetic he started cutting through my gums and OMG i wanted to GAAG ! he would hold my like and try to pull out the tooth like he is pulling out a nail from the pavement! u know when someone pulls so hard that his arms starts to shake. at a certain poitn i felt my head would just disconnect from my body! And well because i wanted to get it over with i let him remove 2 wisdom TEETH and not just ONE! 

In the middle of the process he said something i will never forget.. he said " ba3d il GERD Allah ma SAkha6oh"!! unable to speak with cotton balls and a bloody mouth i wanted to say 

HUHHH??? sho gerd ma gerd?! 

Till after i asked what he mean and well he said that the worst that could happen la wa7ad ino Alllah yskha6oh gerd.. ya3ni he was actually trying to COMFORT me telling me the WORST Is OVER!!

all i could thnk of was that is he saying sar shekli zay il gerd????

And then he would say " wallah inek ba6aleh?" at this point my dentist was about to faint from the whole procedure! 

Dear 3amo who took out my wisdom teeth and 3amo who did my LAZEC operation and EPIDURAL dr . when i DO NOT MOVE during operations it is not because i am BRAVE! its is because i am so FREAKED OUT i am FROZEN WITH FEAR! like yeah i will move and RISK messing up the procdures?! 

truth is after the operation... i was worse than a gerd.. my face was not only swollen it was so swollen it was FREAKY ! it was UNREAL! really! i am NOT EXAGERRATING! ppl who have had thier wisdom teeth removed would look at me and think OMG EIS HADA!!! it looked like somone photoshoped my face to stretch my cheeks ! when people saw me they would GASP! or just STARE with Shock then laugh ! 

And that my dears is my wisdom teeth removal experience that i never shared here. and should have because it was a a MAJOR event!

translation = gerd= monkey in jordanian.. and i still dont understand his lovely metaphor!

Dino (hearts) khirfan

 

For a long time i was obsessed with bagar

Till i met you one day behind the shagar

You were a bit stinky but aren't we all at times?

At least you are the star of many nursery rhymes

You said something i will never forget

You said "baaaaa2" and it sounded like a threat

I knew you found about what i ate on EID

but please forgive me but it was yummy indeed!

I promise on eating less bagar and khirfan

 Maybe more chicken and betenggan

i fear that someday ill meet a cute chicken

i need a new hobby maybe ill start pumpkin pickin:P

translation : khirfan = sheep, bagar - cows, betengaan- shagar-trees, egg plant,

Old Post About Shabashib!

I was looking back at my blog and reading old posts and i came across this post ! and well here i am reposting it again because i love the cartoon :P !


background music.. * from an old cowboy movie when the two cowboys are about to shoot...

tan na na na na naaa naaaa naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa<--- cowboy song

If you are an arab... and you are reading this you might relate to what im about to say... imagine you as a kid sitting in a room and you did something wrong... your dad sees you and although he is far away... he has no problem aiming his shoe at you LOOOL ... heheh ok maybe im sharing too much info... but i remember in school when all the kids would gather around in the break and share thier "PIZZA" "Za3tar" CHips and "ZAKI" drinks we would all share these sort of stories... so I KNOw im not alone! so just Confess that at some point in your life there was a shibshib throw at you

So the question is why.... WHY... do ARAB DAD'S USE SHOES as WEAPONS? hahahha its like when someone says lets go to "BATTA" or "SHOE CITY" i hesitate... *dino twitches as she imagines NEW shoes flying in the air.


i will never look at shoes the same way again... thank u baba habeebi lol

so glad those days are over!! sadly i kind of miss the adventures.. it was like being in the MATRIX.... everything would go into slow motion.. SHOE IN THE AIR...*dinos back bends like its made out of rubber as she dodges the shoes

ok mom is reading this... ops.. my dad never threw anything at me but fly kisses when i went to school everyday :P

*Dino$ RUns B4 someone refreshes her SHIB SHIB memories



 ( after reading this post all i can think of is i wish baba was well again and he can throw as many shabasheb and shoes he wants at me all day as long as he is okay! Allah yeshfeek ya baba il kondara minak 3assallllllll ) romanseyeh ana lil ghayeh

Packing Packing Packing!

 

So we are leaving the states SOON! its been 3 months ALREADY?! I have already packed almost everything then i remembered i still have 1 more week in atlanta! so what will i wear?! ofcourse.. i decide to wear the outfit found in the bottom end of the bag making the whole packing process unecessary because by taking it out i just messed up all the clothes :S And well as if packing was not hard enough before now i have to pack and as soon as i look away lulu takes out all the clothes i put it and so on.. so pretty much it took me a whole day to pack 2 bags! ana ba7ot lulu bitsheel! (i put something in lulu takes something out) and somehow your bag wont fit all ur clothes and you try to keep it shut by sitting on it and well eventually it does CLOSE! but what about the weight limit?!

*dinos husband asks dino " you do know you only have 30kg per bag?"

Dino looks up  : *GULP*

So anyway i just feel travelling in general makes people stressful and you start worrying if you forgot something and usually i DO forget many things. Oh no i can't even think of the trip on the plane! i wonder who will i be sitting next to this time! its like every trip i sit and pray that the seats next to me are empty but ofcourse usually i end up sitting next to someone who is either SICk and coughs pretty much all the way and gives me a lovely virus take-away gift. or i end up next to a mother with a baby that wont stay quiet and wakes up my lulee and i just get frustrated and want to give her baby advil or something! Or i end up sitting next to someone that smells like either sweat, intense food spices, other lovely odors or all of the above.

Anyway... lets just hope this trip lulu doesnt decide to poop 5 times and maybe decides to sleep for 16 hours? I hope she doesnt cry or make a mess. i hope this trip goes smoothly and we get back to DUBAI! I MISS YOU DUBAI! i will miss amreeka sheeka beeka but Dubai Dar il 7ay 

Inshala we settle soon!! no more Ibn Batoota life unless if its visiting ibn batoota mall in dubai!

2 Shawerma & 1 Cosmetic Surgery

 
Its funny how common plastic surgery is today,

I am not against it but i have to say,
Sometime its successful and you might look better,
other times all i can say is "YAAA SAAAATTER"

Faces and bodies stretched and injected with balawee
Stuck with one facial expression for life! ya lahwee
Bits Added Others removed or moved to another area
after a while it turns into cosmetic hysteria!

If your aim is to get the lu3beh "barbie" feel
let me remind you she is not real
She is made out of plastic
So please be realistic!

If you have an extreme need for a cosmetic surgery its different
So if im offending anyone that is not what i meant
I am just saying from what i see on TV & some actors
too much surrgeries can lead to many disturbing factors

So what i am saying is that im not against it totally

And maybe one day ill tuck in my after pregnancy belly :P

But its just weird to see how common it is!

Woman after woman getting a new size .... 

 

I am sure one day i will be ordering something to eat

And a sign will say " buy 2 shawermas get one free surgery! our treat!

its like 1 out of every 5 people i meet

has had some sort of cosmetic tazbee6

Mind Not MAde about getting a Maid

After adding " getting a Maid" to my wishlist of 2011 I got a few comments from people who are totally against the idea. And well i also refused to get a maid before as i want to be the one raising my kids and i dont want to bring a stranger into my home and take away my freedom and let her in on our private lives. its impossible to stop someone who lives with you from knowing details about your personal private life. And ofcourse the idea of trusting someone with your kids even for a few minutes alone. Its a scary world out there and i have heard a lot of scary stories about maids and i believe it is risky and you can never know a person well enough to trust them. I dont even trust some family members to be left alone with my daughter.

i know that if you leave ur kids with a maid thier arabic will be more like pilipeeno arabic or indonesian arabic. "ana fe 7ubii inta mama" translation " i love u"

I remember the part time maid that used to come clean my house always shared unwanted gossip she would say " haada mama fe bayt awal sawee fighting ma3 baabaa 3asan howa fe shurub kteeer"

translation " the lady in the house i was cleaning before had a fight with her husband and he was drinking"

I dunno.. i still am not sure if i will get a maid one day but its risky and truth is sometimes you are so desperate that you are willing to take your chances. Mommies out there what are your experiences and thoughts on this subject?

p.s. in this cartoon i am not beating up the maid i am protecting her from the drama :P and yes i usually am this tall next to any maid. actually not only maids lots of people.

My New Years Resolutions

 

First of all let me wish you all a happy new year! Its 2011 already! i just got the hang of writing 2010 !i look back at 2009 and all i can think of is my lulu. she was born and pretty much i feel all the years after will always revolve around her. Now that its a new year I think of all the things i wanted to do and how every year i have hopes the by the next year i will reach my previous years goals! And well... truth is that "TO DO LIST" just seems to be getting longer and longer and by the end of each year i look at that list and i think the same list can be called "DEPRESS YOURSELF" list. i look at all the things i DID NOT do. The things i did not achieve. but well. there is always hope for next year right? 

So here are 10 my new years resolutions :

1. I want to focus on a goal and work on achieving it instead of thinking of so many ideas and starting with them and never taking them to the next level. Maybe i will finally focus on designing and publishing my own book.

2. Learn how to animate better animations and publishing them on youtube.

3. I will workout at least 2-3 times a week. even if its from home. because i feel like the pillsbury dough boy! Mujarad 3ajeen no muscles! *waves arm in the arm and sees the jiggly kalabeez flag *faints

4. I will potty train LULU. Take away the PACIFIER & also start letting her sleep in her in her own room. PRAY FOR ME.

5. I will have more realistic goals and dreams! yes i have to accept that i might never save a whale or be a superhero :S

6. I will not talk about what does not concern me no matter how tempting it is.

7. I will never try to change lulus diaper while she is standing up! Also when i do put her diaper on make sure its closed really tightly incase if it falls off when she is running in public :S! wait wait.. POTTY TRAIN LULU ! NO MORE DIAPERS.. *dino nods in fear

8. I will try to teach lulu more useful words other than "kahkah" " tatooz" (_/_) 

9. I will get a maid inshala this year and then i will give her a big bear hug when she arrives.

10. I will to think before i talk, blog, facebook or tweet. :Poh and i will always check the laundry basket for any electornic devices before putting the clothes in the luandry. wouldnt want to wash my husbands phone again :S that also applies to the dryer :S

and here is the new years theme video! i will never get sick of this guy hahahha that is the attitude we should all have this new year!