How Did i Get HerE?

How did i get here? i dont mean the literal  "HOW" that you learn in biology class or  what one of your friends in grade 4 told you then you stopped talking to her for weeks. haha

 i mean when did i finish college! when did i turn 30 (almost 31 kaman) *GASP?

when did i become a mother?
oh..when did i become a mother of 2!!
oh wow my lulu is starting to walk, and talk oh wow she is in school already!
my other baby is about to start to walk?! when did this all happen???
did i really like wael kfoury at one point in my life?
did i really listen to boyzone and sign thier songs with tears in my eyes?
I used to not wear hijab? i totally forgot how that feels like ( al hamdulilah)

i look back and i hardly recognize myself. i have changed so much. in so many ways.
i ask myself many questions along the way.. like..

why was i never prepared for any of this? i feel time is running so fast and ill i do is find myself looking back at memories and thinking, how did all that happen.. it all feels like yesterday!

I still have vivid memories of school days and how we used to love the lunch break, how i used to like to hang out with my best friends talking about the stupidiest topics like they were world changing matters.

I still remember how it felt when my mom and dad gave me the " ra7 adba7ek look" after i did something wrong.

or when your parents tell you to go to bed and you stay up all night chatting with your sister and laughing till your abs feel like you had a workout. then you hear " YALA NAMOO"

Suddenly im the PARENT, that tells my daughter to go to bed. and i pass by her room and i hear her giggling and playing and i say in a serious voice " YALA NAAMI"

its like a vicous cycle.. and there was a point in my life i never imagined myself as a grown up. I never thought i could be a mother. I still feel being a mother is a daily challenge i go through everyday.

You get married have kids. (hopefully in that order)... then you raise them the best way you know how... and you will make many mistakes along the way... so at first you are shocked at what motherhood really is.. sleepless nights..and many other surprises..a 24 hour job... and even when you get help and decide to take a break from the kids.. there is the mental GUILT of leaving them.. or the CONSTANT WORRY..
you get thoughts like
"What if she woke up and didnt find me?"
"What if her temp got up in the night?" All sorts of thoughts go through your head that you realize you are not really taking a break or enjoying anything else because your mind is with your kids 24/7 and it will be with your kids till the day you die. Your kids are a piece of you.. a piece of you that is more valuable to you than yourself.

At First you worry about SID( Sudden Infant Death) at night and if they throw the covers on thier face and stop breathing so you wake up like a psycho every 5 mins to check if your baby is ok.. most babies suffer from colic for the first 3 months. and that is something i didnt know about..

Then they are a little older and you start solid food you worry about them choking on things
then they walk and you worry about them falling and THEY WILL FALL! :( bump thier heads and eat all sorts of crap they find on the ground

Then there is the potty training and you will love that..literally SHITTY phase of your life.

Then they go to school and you have to deal with all sorts of naughtiness. Mostly kids giving each other lovely virus gifts. So your kid will be sick all the time.. and if you have more than one baby all your kids will get sick.

After they finish KG they start getting homework and they start requiring more attention and might even talk back or throw worse tantrums. The tantrums get bigger with your kids is something i have learnt.

Then they are teenagers and want thier privacy and dont want to talk to you cause  " YOUR GENERATION" will not understand thiers. and they ignore your for thier friends.

Then they are older and you have to deal with boy/girl issues and worry about what sort of ppl your kids are hanging out with.. you want to guide them and be thier friend but always come off as the authority figure and cant find a way to let them open up to you as a friend without reacting like thier MOTHER.


Then you are now hardly seeing your children cause they are too caught up in thier social life and when they talk to you its either for money or something they need. They say hurtful things. and you might say things " ye2ta3 il yom il khalftkom feeh" haha sooooo thennnnnnn.....

They grow up and get married and you are left ALone with your spouse and you will think to yourself again ..

HOW DID I GET HERE?? 

EID MUBARAK !

EID MUBARAK EVERYONE !!! I have been meaning to blog for a long time but so much has been going on i havent really had the time to blog! but ITS EID! I HAVE TO POST SOMETHING!

First let me warn you the sheep are not happy this EID. they are very angry.. as you can see from this APP they created :) :P

 i really hope you all had a lovely EID and that you did something FUN for the kids ! We had a lovely EID party with a EID CARNIVAL theme! Wouldnt have done it without my friends who pretty much organized the whole event and made sure everything was PERFECT!

The best part about this EID party was that throughout the party we had lots of fun ! There were the EID letters cut out from FOAM. I drew some EID and Fun illustrations on them for the kids to color in.

There was also a jumping castle for the kids :) i dont have a pic yet. 

I designed the EID CARNIVAL poster as well

There was loads of CANDY! a HUGE CANDY STAND full of goodies and treast for the kids :)

Yeah a group of 25 sugar rushed kids is what EID is all about :P

There was also a photo booth set up with lots of fun props ( hats, wigs ties and loads of fun props) where all the people that attended can take a pic home with them as a souvenir of the PARTY

oh noo im one of those ppl who POUT for pics too! hahaha .. 

At the end of the party each Kid got to take home a flower pot with a bag full of little butterfly shapes and fun decorations and a glue stick. Something to decorate at home. 

And last but not least.. if you don't get to do a party bake some cupcakes with with your kids. make them a eid tradition. So easy to make all you need a a ready made cake mix box and you can even buy the icing ready made as well. Some marshmallows and thats it! might not look exactly like the photo but still it will be fun to make with the kids! :)

You know the best thing about this EID party was that now that the weather in dubai is a little better and not too hot to be outsidem the party was held outdoor and people who passed by to go the coffee shop near us would all stop and look and want to join. Some even joined and really wanted to be a part of our event. That moment meant a lot to me. All my life i have been looking at christmas parties, halloween parties, Easter egg hunts thinking oh they seem like so much fun why is EID always so BORING?!?!? FINALLY FINALLY we made EID FUN! and not only to US to non-muslims, non arabs and to everyone! That is what we all should do. ITs a TEAMWORK and it wont happen overnight.

LET the whole world know HOW FUN EID CAN BE :)

I hope by sharing our EID ideas you have been motivated to make your EID fun. And Believe it or not 

All these ideas are not costly if you know where to go to get the materials you need. 

:) EID MUBARAK to you and your loved ones! 

LETS MAKE EID truly سعيد

(happy)

MY BABY IS GOING TO SCHOOL!

Today was a special DAY! Today was Lulu's FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! i cant believe my baby is now a BIG GIRL! We packed her Hello Kitty bag together with new colors and pencils and i was so excited i think i hardly slept! i was also worried i would oversleep! No more morning naps. No more lets go on a vacation whenever we feel like it! We have a girl in SCHOOL!

I dont think she understands what school is yet and today it was pretty much a day for orientation making lulu familiar with her classroom! The truth is.. I think its going to be harder on ME! Im so used to have her home in the morning. I know she gets bored and sometimes drives me INSANE! But i love having her home! I am not used to being away from her. Leaving her in a room full of people who are strange to her! Not checking up on her every 5 mins to know what she is doing! AAH.. I think its harder on a MOM !

She used to sleep in our bed for a long time. And when i finally taught her to sleep on her own i admit the first few nights were very HARD.. on me.. i missed her little hands squishing the kalabeez on my arms. I miss how her feet would suddenly be in my face! habeebti law law!

I remember she used to cry everytime i left the house when she was a little younger. Now i leave her with the nanny and she just says " ateeeni bosa, ateeni big hug" ( give me a kiss give me a big hug) and waves. She is okay. she doesnt cry anymore when i leave her with the nanny! And i admit a part of me was SO HAPPY that there are no more TANTRUMS every time i leave but another part of me was like of "OUCH". Does it mean you don't need me anymore? Do you love your nanny more than MAMA?!

* dino beats up nanny  cause she is jealous ahahah :P Just kidding 

I just cant believe how fast they grow. my little baby is going to school now.. 

awwww.. i gotta go sleep to GET UP EARLY! 

Happiness IS a Choice!

Happiness.. a feeling we all want to feel... yet many of us sometimes feel very unhappy. and it makes me wonder is it all in our Minds? if i decide to be happy? will i succeed? There are days the littlest things get to me and make me feel depressed and ruin my mood! and on other days no matter whats going on i dont let anything affect my jolly goofy mood!! Its not usually something major that makes me feel depressed its those little things but it always depends on my state of mind whether those things affect me or not.

so.. 

I asked myself. What makes me HAPPY?! When am i the happiest?! When was the last time i felt truly happy?Other than when i'm eating chocolatE!

i asked myself all sorts of questions that made me think deeply about the true meaning of happiness. 

Is it being Content? As Human Being i Feel we always ask for more.

Is it Being Fit? Im sure there are Fit people who are depressed 

Is it Being Popular? the more popular you are the more drama you will deal with

its like a viscous circle .. so many factors can lead to happiness but those same ones can also lead to intense depression. 

We start looking for answers, talking to therapists about our feelings. Some even take medication to be happier.

In the end of the day its all about what happiness is to you. 

To some people happiness is about materialistic things.. about money.. being rich.. all about the "Bling Bling" so no matter how much money they have they always want more... and are always finding somethin to complain about.

Once i saw this poor man who fixes shoes for a living sittin in the street.. seemed soo poor that he doesnt even have a place to stay... but i rememeber he sat there with the biggest smile on his face ! i felt like the silliest person on earth becuase i compared my troubles and worries to his.. i was speechless... he found his happiness in his faith in God...he seemed satisfied with his life and that is how he found his happiness...

On the other hand.. some people are simply psychotic! im not talking abt psychos like me .. i mean REAL psychos! People who watch the movie "fight club" and base thier lives on it.. who like the idea of physical pain! Whether its inflicted on themselves or on others! Those who find happiness by school shootings or others decide to be serial killers. In those cases its caused by intense psychological problems!i suggest THERAPY NOW
Lets not go into that... *Worries she will get those ppl mad and they will come after her..

Some ppl find happiness in food.. eating incessantly till they are obese and suffer from cholestrol and many other obesity consequences... Others find happiness getting drunk or high..

All that binge eating, drinking and drugs is just a temporary solution that gives the ILLUSION of happiness.. you happy as long as ur EATING that yummy fatty burger .soon that happiness will be replaced with guilt and regret and intense depression ...

 could lead to worse things like anorexia or bulimia... u end up munching on chips and chocolates.. binge eating ... then.. there is the after effect.. you feel that this is not what u want.. you want to lose weight but feel helpless.. again u resort to food for comfort...munching away your depression....only leads to more fat and even more depression!

People who are addicted to herione or any type of drug also have that same cycle somehow... they feel a certain type of rush.. a state of mind that is more like as they would put it....
" outta this world duude" type of happiness when they take drugs or when they get drunk.. but ofcourse they is always the

AFTER-EFFECT.....

this is temporary happiness.... right??

So... another thing that is commonmost ppl relate happiness to LOVE.. and having a LOVE life.. or MARRIAGE.. having kids and a family... like if your life is without love .. how can u be happy?!

 That i think is becuase of the mind pollution we see in movies and tv everyday.. even in cartoon there is always a prince and even in "Lady and the Tramp" you see this romantic macaronah scene!

 Everything seems to be abt love.. a movie starts with a normal girl.. no love life.. sittin at home with her pet cat..someone the viewer can relate to!! ofcourse the movie ends with her being with her hot neighbor/co-worker/the CRUSH somehow...simply we are brain washed! :S come on .. ok it does happen but that doesnt mean anything.. u can still be single and happy!! 

And even if you get married and your love takes a different form that no longer includes walks on the beach holding hands or lovely dovey stuff. its okay! you can still be happily married because love comes in many forms.

running to the pharmacy in the middle of the night to get you medicine 

Buying the type of bread you like to eat or a jar of nutella :P

taking your car to service, taking care of you and all the things you cant do on your own

Being there for each other. and so on..

Others find happiness in doin things they like doing like art,poetry,singing,skiing.. anything they love doing... Others in their job they feel they are making a difference in the world... i think each and every person has different criteria in their mind .. when this criteria is met they reach thier happiness... look at your list.. REVISE it and realize that those things you relate to happiness are NOT what will make u happy..
 happiness is in YOUR OWN HANDS ! 
instead of saying " ill never be happy unless i have kids" "or till i get married" " till im rich"
say al hamdulilah to what you have and know whatever you don't get in life you will get in the hereafter and that its all Gods Will.

you CAN be happy if u want to! just make that decision!!! ( i should have studied psychology)!

i personally feel we often depress ourselves by having goals in our head that we hoped for and are disappointed we didnt achieve them yet.. things we wanted that we didnt get.. dreams we had that never came true

people you met and thought would make the "PERFECT" husband or "WIFE" who said things like

" UR MY SISTER/BROTHER" or "IM GAY" hehe

life is full of disappointments.. and we dont always get what we want... and we dont always WANT what we get.. BUT its all in our head and in our hands

i personally have learnt to appreciate what i have.. and i beleive strongly everthing happens for a reason.. the bad and the good..sometimes its hard to see it.. but eventually u know that its all for the best.. i have decided to be on HAPPY mode and not to let anything get to me... its all in my mind.... its all in da membrane....

we shouldnt base our happiness on things that can easily go away or fade away in time.. the first step to being happy is loving yourself for who you are..appreciate the little things in life..

Give yourself a hug now *dino huggin self

husband walks in.. gives her a weird look and leaves the room

even if ur a couple of pounds overweight/underweight... even if ur not what you wanted to be.. guess what?!

ITS OK!!!!

Its not the end the world! 

Remember money gets spent, a man/woman can break your heart, good food makes you fat,drugs can kill you if not cholestrol does!!

Everything fades... everything but GOD... i find my true happiness in my faith in Allah... and i feel if you believe God is watching over you and that your part of a bigger plan God has planned for you ... then.. ull find INNER peace... and that to me is TRUE HAPPINESS .. i wouldnt mind a huge bowl of chocolate too heehee

التوكل على الله والثقة بالله

وكفى بالله وكيلا

i shall end your torture now.. و احاول اللخص الموضوع

but i have to admit chocolate does add to my happiness!!! yummy!

CONCLUSION

Happiness is a CONSCIOUS decision we make . Everyday YOU choose to be happy today or you choose to be miserable. Your action/reaction is determined by how you choose to perceive a situation or experience.

True happiness is a choice that YOU have to make. It is a state of being only you can create and to change your degree of happiness, change your expectations or ideas you have in your head that you have tied with the thought of being happy.

Be thankful for what you have, instead of comparing yourself to others and thinking  about what you lack.

 Be satisfied with what you have and say الحمدالله because im sure there are many looking at you and thinking they would love to have something that God has blessed you with.

When something bad happens don't blame it on everyone else. Happiness is about accepting responsibility for your actions and dealing with what comes your way. Its about accepting that even bad things happen for a reason.

First step to being happy is 

SMILE and wipe that kashra off ur face and you will find that your smile is contagious
How can you not smile knowing that YOU are in GODS HANDS?!

Its all in our HEAD!

speaking of head mine is about to explode from this happy talk!!

urs too im sure

wa Allah yes3dkom yamma 

Our Kids..Our Responsibility..Ya Lahwee

Everyday as a mom i feel i learn new things. I come to many realizations and maybe also many fears. I feel having children that copy your every move and look at you as their role model is both wonderful and scary. Its amazing to feel loved and admired and knowing that in their eyes you are PERFECT. Its scary because you KNOW you are far from perfect. You know you will make and have made a lot of mistakes already. I dont want them to grow up blaming me for not teaching them something or for not being the MOM i should have been.

I was tickling lina and making her laugh and talking to her and then 2 mins later lulu came and did the same thing. She even sounded like me. I didn't even realize i spoke in that tone. I also do this silly thing when i sneeze.. I sneeze. like this

ATCHOOOO -- HOO HO HO HOO <-- continue the sneeze into a song
 guess who does that now?
yes.. LAW LAW

 I feel lulus actions make me suddenly aware of my own. It made me reconsider everything i do. My way of life. My choice of food. Am i the best example ?
* someone in the crowd ma sada2 i asked this question
 yells :
  6ab3an LA2! ( ofcourse not) 
im like a walking disaster. 

I barely eat any veggies and fruits yet i try to feed them to lulu. That just one of my MANY mistakes. Things like this make me feel bad. I am setting a bad example. Its not what you tell your kids to do. its WHAT YOU DO that really counts!

How can we be mad at our kids for doing something that they learnt from us?

Its like now when lulu hears the adan. she runs and puts her prayer clothes on and stands up to pray. Its adorable and im glad i succeeded in setting at least one good example.

I am suddenly freaking out and worried that im a terrible mom. I look at  some moms who don't allow thier kids to have sweets or sugar. Moms who have strict rules in the house. I look at those kids who sit there quitely with all the best manners and realize OMG. WILL my kids ever be this POLITE ? WAS I EVER THAT POLITE?

I am guilty of laughing when my daughter farts. i try not to laugh as it should not be a laughing matter but I CANT HELP IT! but is so funny especially if its unexpected lol

and i laugh cause she yells " FASS" and now after she did that infront of many ppl i taught her to say " EXCUSE ME" 

now she says.. EXCUSE MEEEE EXCUSE 3amalt FASS :S 

So i know now when she starts school she will be sitting there in class and one day she will FART and ANNOUNCE it.. and they will think OMG where are this girls MANNERS?! and who do they point thier finger at?? 

UM UM FASS.. ME..

We now try to use the word " Bubbles" instead of " FASS" which i agree sound very vulgar and nawari.. hhaha oh and that i got from a friend of mine who uses it with her kids..

Still lulu does say " FE PP or FE KAKA.. and that should be..

*dina changes tone to ladylike voice " Fe NUNU"

khaleeni nkhales bubbles first then we move to NUNU

So in conclusion.. Its scary knowing that your kids are a reflection of you. When you see a kid spitting at another kid you think.. omg "ahlo ma rabooh" his parents didn't raise him well. Your kid will reflect you and they will imitate everything you do whether you are aware of it or not. I personally have decided to try to be the best version of me possible. Even it means adding a few more veggies in my diet. Even if it means reading more educational books. I want to be a good example because so far i have 2 chocoholic comedians in the house and that cant be good :P

Please check out this AD.. it shows you what im talking about. So true.. So sad.. 

So if you are a parent WATCH YOURSELF cause there is always a little person WATCHING YOU!

*does im watching you move from meet the folkers

My latest Animation (الجمعيه) Rap Song

okay.. so my friend came over the other day.. i call her JJ and she calls me JJ. Why? its because we used to always take the same bus back home from university and hardly spoke. Till one day we sat next to each other and LOOLED the whole way back home making jokes with 7arf il JJJJJJEEEEM

JAM3iyah Tijjareya.. AJJRAB.. JURBAN. i remember singing a song

Kan fe JJJJJArAADEH JJJAMEELEH

LABSEH JJURBAN MJA3LEK

Raa7at 3al JJJJAM3iyah al TiJJJAREYEH

wekfet 3and il JJAAJ TBa7lek

something like that.. anyway.. so she came over and faJJJ2a we found ourselves recording 

silly songs..

IRTEJAAALI.. on the spot haha

and this i believe was one of our best productions.. and since i plan on practicing my animation skills i thought what better to animate than this NAWARI song

Hijaabees Can Rap Too haha

ignore the crappy quality and sound.. hopefull with time ill get the hang of it and ill be sharing better animations :P

JEEEEJti I LOVE i feel i am looking forward to our future tasJJJJEeelat HAAAHAH

10 Things Any New Mother or Mother to Be SHOULD KNOW

  

There are many things i wish someone told me as soon as i got pregnant. About motherhood and the things to expect as soon as you are pregnant and are about to become a mother. I will share some of the things i learnt. Some the hard way. So here we Go :

1 . Pregnancy Symptoms.. I believe when you pregnant ANYTHING can be related to your pregnancy! Im not talking about expected NAUSIA or dizziness. Those we know about. Im talking about sudden nose bleeds. Im talking about Skin Rashes. Just Don't FREAK OUT and know that once you are pregnant ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. I suggest you buy your husband a gas mask. ( for no reason at all).. * runs * hand shooing away trail

2. When you are Pregnant most of the pregnant woman i know experience .. FAJA3.. how can i translate that word.. you feel like your tummy is a bottomless pit.. and this pit my dears has nothing to do with Brad PItt.. you feel you can EAT AND EAT and you still seem to eat like you were STARVING... i still remember the look on my husbands face when i say " im hungry" and he says... " you just ate 5 mins ago" * dino glares at him * husband passes over plate of food

You could crave anything from bars of soap to food you never knew you could possibly EAT!
And in my case a TRUE CHOCOHOLIC i lost my LOVE FOR CHOCOLATE!

* CROWD GASPS

 * nods shamefully and sadly.. but that is no longer the case * munches on chocolata

3. You will feel the need to pee in the last moths 24/7 . you will feel someone is sitting on your bladder.. wait ... someone IS sitting on your BLADDER. but what i never knew is... this is kind of disgusting.. * ehem ehem * you could possibly reach a stage where when you SNEEZE or COUGH.. you might.. ermmm errmm.. okay u get it? JUST Always keep some extra clothes in your purse hahahaha

4. LABOR.. how do you know you are in labor? YOU WILL KNOW.. labor is no JOKE.. the pain of labor is not the kind of pain where you can stand there and wonder.. ohhh is this labor? YOU CAN BARELY STAND! Labor unlike in the movies last for longer than a short scene of a lady screaming in the hospital.  In first delivery  my labor lasted 16 hours.. My second it was 7 hours.. Again this varies from woman to woman.. and well good news is after the first baby they say بسلك الطريق .. meaning second baby labor is always easier.  Oh and btw EPIDURALS DONT ALWAYS WORK.. but i will take my chances everytime :P

5. As soon as you deliver.. you will look down and find.. A 6 month PREGNANT BELLY and wonder if there is still another baby left in there.. Dont freak out or be depressed although with all your crazy hormones you will very likely start crying hyterically. Know that it took 9 months to get this lovely baby bump and will take at least 6 months to go back to its natural state. To those moms who claim they lost all the weight in the first week post delivery.. *rolls eyes.. * offers them cupcakes and sweets.. oh have some you skinny people ..

Crazy Post delivery mom SIDE is UNLEASHED

* dino jump on and ATTACKS SKINNY LADY yelling : 

" DO YOU EAT WOMAN DO !!YOU!! EAT! "

* body guards pull dina off skinny traumatized woman 

6. Your Baby is finally here.. OMG.. HOW am i GOING TO HOLD THIS TINY BABY!? Are you SURE you want to GIVE THIS BABY TO ME?! I drop my phone all the time.. this is DANGEROUS!.. that is what i thought.. Truth is.. it might seem IMPOSSIBLE at first but with time.. you get the hang of it just never get carried away and  do what this crazy lady did...

7. Babies WILL  CRY. that is what they do. Dont freak out if sometimes you try everything and they are still crying. The first 3 months most babies cry because they could possibly be a colic baby. And this goes away usually by the 3rd month. And if your baby cries instead of crying and freaking out know that its okay for babies to cry. Its their way of comminication. They cant talk yet so they cry. I feel your tolerance to hearing your baby cry goes up with the second baby because you know sometimes they just cry because they are bored or want to be carried and its not always for a nappy change or milk.
Sometimes its just cause they are sleepy. So just dont freak out and RELAX..

8. Diapers.. will leak one day.. no matter how well you close them .. accidents happen and for some reason i believe babies tend to do these accidents in the worst times. When they is no changing room or the changing room is really far. Or when you forget to get a change of clothes. So just expect to be pooped on. oh puked on and for a long time you will smell like SOUR MILK :P

9. Sleeping.. you will not be sleeping without waking up for night feeds for the first 2 years.. Unless if you are luck and blessed with a baby that sleeps for a straight 12 hours.. Bye bye sleep.

10. Breastfeeding.. i breastfed my first daughter lulu for a whole year and yes breast is best as they say and i support breastfeeding 100 percent. But if you CAN'T for any reason. Either you dont have enough milk or have to go back to work or you know what.. even if you choose not to breasfeed..

*old lady knitting in the background ignoring this whole talk suddenly looks up and GASPS

yes khalto.. it doesn't make you a BAD mother and FORMULA is not POISON.. and no mother would   make this choice to harm her baby. Yes breast milk is better but Formula is Okay and i tried the pros an cons of both. My second baby lina refused to be breastfed as in the hospital they gave her the bottle and once she was introduced to the bottle she would not breastfeed. It was either leaving all my daily errands and connected myself to a breast pump all day like a cow or giving formula..

i breastfed for as much as i could but i could not in the end and formula has its benifits. Its easier for you as mom when you have to give a baby a feed in public. you dont have to run to the nearest bathroom or corner. you just MAKE HER A BOTTLE. Its more convenient at times and is less stressful on the mother. Plue when you are not breastfeeding you can drink coffee and eat anything you want without worrying about it coming out in the milk.

Ne way.. what im saying is i was a formula fed baby and so were many others i know.. and i think we turned out fine.. or did we * twitches * rocks self in dark corner :P

I just hate those judgements that come along with not breast feeding.. its like OMG you CRUEL CRUEL MOTHER! HOW COULD YOU! HOWWW!!!!? 

GET OVER IT.. Still i believe breastfeeding is beneficial for both baby and the mother and helps mom loose weight. With each feeding,  a hormore called oxytocin is released which causes the smooth muscle cells in the uterus to contract, enabling the uterus to shrink to its pre-pregnancy size. Also i felt with breastfeeding there was a special skin to skin bond with your baby that no words can describe. Just if you cant.. dont let those people make you feel guilty you are still a great mom and can still bond with your baby.

10. You brain will be so full of baby thoughts and baby talks dont be surprised if you wake up holding a pillow and freaking out thinking you slept with your baby in your arms.You will one day attempt to give your husband a pacifier because you are so used to doing that and then realize OMG what am i doing. I swear i once really poked at my husbands behind in the mall to check if he needed a diaper change and then i was like OMG OMG?! WHAT AM I DOING! and we were in PUBLIC! 
The good side of the story here is that he was my husband and not some random dude at the mall

 * Dino is arrested for sexual harrassment in Dubai Mall

Basically your brain will be engulfed by baby talk, baby changing and all that baby stuff with the lack of sleep will make you do many CRAZY THINGS. 

You will HALLUCINATE at some point for sure

Thats is for now if you found any of these tips helpful let me know and i will write a list of 10 things a mother of a TODDLER should know :) 

GOOD LUCK NEW MOMMIES  YOU CAN DO IT :) 

                              

What Do I WANT? شو بدي؟

What do you want? a question i am asked at least once daily. When i'm in a restaurant about to order food. When i'm home and my husband asks me " what do you want to do today?" 

Everyday i hear this question  over and over and even when its for the simplest things like whether or not i want pickles in my shawerma, whether i want the mcchicken sandwich to be spicy or regular. Even in the simplest situations i always am hesitant i feel i DONT know what i WANT! I am so INDECISIVE it drives me mad and other ppl as well. and i feel it has gotten worse lately.

 I am so used to being okay with everything and going with the flow that i have reached a point where i DONT KNOW WHAT I WANT! Having a CHOICE is tough! 

Making simple and big decisions is TOUGH! 

Its like for ex. when we go to bed my husband asks me which of the 2 covers i want! and i'm like.. hmm this one.. then he takes the other one and i feel .. no no i want that one. and well this goes on for a while till he reaches a point where he is like.. TAKE BOTH COVERS
wa حلي عني hahaha 

ok he didnt say that out loud but i felt it. I think i like both covers equally but whenever he wants a cover it becomes more cozy and warmer to me. I hate making a decision and regretting it or wishing i made the other choice. Unfortunately in life we dont usually get both covers. You need to make a decision and no one will decide for you. You need to decide for yourself. You need to MAKE UP YOUR MIND ya SIT DINNNAAAAA!

Its not just this indecisive nature. i always find myself leaving things unfinished. I get excited about something. I start an idea for a business and as soon as i want to take the idea to the next level, as soon as things start getting real, i face the first obstacle. I QUIT.  I lost track of the many endless ideas i had and never did. Problem is i feel i can do so much. I hate this feeling of feeling that you need to be discovered or that your trapped in yourself. 

Things i have done.. I have done wedding, party favors. and well i never really took it to the next level cause i feel it will take a lot of time and i dont have time.

I have designed wedding cards but well lots of ppl dont go to designers for wedding cards but rather just have a ready made design. Aslan most of people who come to freelance designers these days expect you to work for free like your time spent is worthless which also gets depressing.

I have done artwork and digital designs but never actually sat there and produced a series of artwork. Love making funny greeting cards just never took that to the next level either.

I love writing and blogging and would love to write a book or kids book but i never actually did take this to the next step.

i love illustration and thought of selling my illustrations to shutterstock or a simalar website. again i never tried that either. i feel i always need a push. 

i love making people laugh whether its through my animation or stand up comedy but well my animating skills are still at the beginner stage.

kolo love love love Lovni برص hahaa

My latest صرعة  is being a stand up comedian making my own stand up sketches on youtube inspired by kharabeesh N2o Comedy who sara7a are not all very funny. I feel i can do so much better. Rajae qawas is hilarious and if you havent seen FEMALE you really have to.

 After thinking it through i realized it  would mean that i will definitely face a lots of harsh criticism that i dont think i can take
 انا قلبي رهيْف.

 And lets say i get famous. would it mean i go on comedy show tours? what about my kids? وين أوديهم؟  plus for sure as a hijabee i will face extra criticism for sure. 

its a challenge im not sure i will take.. maybe ill change my mind.. you know me.. indecisive haha

Maybe ill do short funny animations instead and work on my animation skills but t. بدريششش

I know a lot of people who are now ماشاءالله very successful and have fulfilled thier dreams and have done something they loved. Sometimes you find people who you never expected to be successful, like those who never attended class or were always sleeping who suddenly have started thier own business. Im actually happy for them and inspired and i find myself thinking.
 HOW did they do it ?
Why didn't I do something BIG when i know i have the ability and talents to do a lot?

Answer is that.. They did not just sit there and talk talk talk about what they WANT to do. they thought of something they wanted to do. and they DID IT. They did not quit as the first obstacle they faced. The one thing they surely had is DETERMINATION & CONFIDENCE. They were willing to take RISKS and they knew that if they failed once or many times eventually they will succeed because they BELIEVE. 

Reminds me of the inspirational story of 3amo KFC whose name is actually 

Colonel Harland David Sanders he actually faced 1000 rejections and the 1001 person who finally not only did not reject him but instead agreed to be his parthner in this Kentucky Fried Chicken business was Pete Harman. 

That my deary dears blogging peers is the route of my problem. FEAR. Fear oF Failure.

I dont have DETERMINATION. I see daily inspirations people like my fellow blogger Ola Eliwat

who just published her book "قبل السفر" which will be the first arabic novel i read انشاالله
 ( when i get my hands on a copy that is)

She is a great writer and expresses herself so eloquently in her writings. Can't help but feeling a sense of familiarity when you read her wrtings. She is one of the few writers and bloggers whose writings intrigue you and capture you and no matter how long they might seem you find yourself reading on and on till you realize you just read her whole blog or book and want to read some more.

One day when she is famous i hope she remembers Dino the Chocoholic blogger who loves Bagar.

Another inspiration of the week is my friend and relative who made this really cool educations app for teaching kids for IPHONE IPAD i downloaded it for lulu and she loved it and im sure your kids will love it too download it for FREE here  very nice idea. I have also alway wanted to make an app for kids.. someone yells " انتي كل شي بدك قرفتينا"

To those who have started thier own business, wrote thier own book, made thier own app or started thier own show pursued their dreams. Good for you, you are truely inspirational. For those people who are like me know that by true determination you TOO can achieve your goals.

* dino nods taking in her own advice

Truth is after talking to my wise huzbandi and telling him how confused i was about what dream i want to pursue. He asked me why i feel the need to be famous or on youtube to feel that i have achieved something in life. He reminded me of my beautiful girls lulu and lina and how being a MOM is one of the greatest achievements of my life.

He also made me realize that i havent actually sat down with my lulu to read to her and teach her in a long time. She is messing up her letters and that made me feel really bad.
 I am focusing on how i can be productive to the world when i didnt even
start in my own home with my own kids.

Tomorrow i'm going to sit and read to lulu. Teach her and revise the alphabet and numbers again. In the end of the day whether or not i start my own business or write my own book, I have to bring up my daughters the best way i know how because they are my life and they are what makes me happy.

Instead of complaining and wondering about what i could have done for now i will say

الحمدلله على كل شي

وانشاءالله خير

و الله يعينك يا جوزي قد ما بغررررر

blablablalablabla hahah okay now that all that is out of my system im going to bed.

GOOD NIGHT :) and GOOD LUCK.

did i mention i also sing and write poetry?

*someone throws shoe at dina

*dina ducks

EID MUBARAK كل عام و انتم بخير

 

So Ramadan is Over?! just saying that gives me goose bumps cause i didnt even get used to saying Raman is HERE?! now its over?! and i feel it just passed in a blink of an eye. I know i should have done so many things and taken advantage of this holy month and yet again i seem to have missed out.

So i said i will make the best out of EID! Let me start by wishing you all a EID MUBARAK and May Allah accept all your prayers and bless you and your family and loved ones. 

I grew up not really excited about EID. yes i got new clothes but usually our parents would take us to visit family and sometimes ( most times) it would be visiting a group of older people who talked about things like  أسهم نازلة و طالعة or shared recipes for making food or complained about this kids.. and well now i would probably enjoy all this conversation ( maybe not the one about stock shares and finances) but in general i probably would have joined in all these topics but as a kid. those conversations seemed like the most boring conversations in the world. and i could NOT wait to LEAVE! 

To me EID was fun cause i got my EIDiyeh but we never decorated or had a EID activity that made me look forward to EID. I always looked forward to HALLOWEEN in school cause we could wear fun costumes and go trick or treating. I Always looked forward to easter cause we would go for our egg hunts and paint eggs in school. I felt no connection to EID. Which is why i decided i don't want that to be the case with my kids. I want them to LOVE EID. Look Forward to IT!  I want them to know that it can be AS FUN as EASTER, HALLOWEEN and any other occassion. Believe it or not there are many muslims who have christmas trees in thier home each year and not once have decorated for EID. 

We decorated our house and with a group of friends we arranged a party for our kids. Where we bought small lanterns for the kids to decorate and loaded a bucket with sweets. The kids attacked the bucket of sweets and in a matter of seconds all their candy bags were full and the bucket was EMPTY!

It was fun to watch! They danced and had a great time and from now on InshAllah every EID we will have a party for the kids so that they know EID is for THEM and not just for just US to do our family visits. Dont forget to have little party bags of sweets and 3edeyeh in them for the kids to take when they go home!

Eid Should bring the joy of all the other celebrations we think are so much more fun!

You get to dress up, get sweets, get money, get gifts, decorate your house, go to play with your friends! 

You also get to spend quality time with your family which is something we tend to somtimes miss out on in our everyday life. Everyone is too busy, too tired too distracted to focus on family time. ofcourse they get to OPEN thier EID gifts on EID morning as well!

Oh i also designed this EID poster and stickers the kids placed on their lanterns. And i actually made EID CUPCAKES! Nutela cupcakes! what is EID without CHOCoLAte?! :) Here are some photos :) 

Lets all try to make EID as fun as possible for our kids. Let them know ISLAM is FUN too :) Lets Make EID and Occassion that Even NonMuslims want to celebrate with us!

Make a difference by starting with your family and before you know it you would have made a difference in the whole world and a whole new generation. Lets start new and fun EID traditions that we look forward to every year :)

Sadamat Al 7ayat ( Shik Shak Shock)

So what is so shocking about life?! Answer is Everything and Nothing.. How is that?

*dino wears falsafeh thinking cap

*plays a tape of the sound of the ocean in the background

Life is shocking but you see so many shocks in life that you reach a point where NOTHING shocks you.. you feel you have seen it all.. i remember when the first woman in one of Amr Diabs video clips showed a little bit of her tummy and everyone was SHOCKED! ino KEEEF?! ma btest7i! KEEF KAN on TV?!!  that was a long time ago.. now if she shoes JUST her belly we say HAMDULILAH she covered her Gluteus maximus  and other dangerous Qanabel ( bombs )haha

Kids driving cars, smoking weed killing their fellow students in school, pregnant MEN & ofcourse shock of the month for me is some Indians giving thier toddlers and babies snakes to play with because they cant afford TOYS! (shock of the month)





We are in a time where anything can be turned into a video like this haha ( aint no body got time for dat)



People getting shot after they passed tawjihi in AMMAN.. cause HOW can you PASS without some idiot whos concept of CELEBRATION Is shooting Random SHOTS IN THE AIR?!

 Can't they just use those party pops that we use in parties?!

*POP* lovely colored pieces of paper scatter in the air

opposed to 

*POP* Allah yer7amo kaan il awal 3al saffoh!! 

( GOD Have mercy on his soul he was the first in his class)

We are now living in the new " Jaaaheleyah" where people no longer know right from wrong and thier source of information is probably thier schoolmate or friend or maybe haifa wehbi. In a time where hardly anyone has the will or feels the need to learn or know more about their own religion. They don't check thier facts and just are ready to bite your head off if you disagree with their point of view.

Its like you dont like what i say then you are now " KoKha"

ya CD and kokha okay but at least i admit that i myself am guilty of not knowing a lot of things that i should know about Islamic History for instance. I pretty much forgot everything i studied in school and university because then i only had the ability to store the informtion in my head till i wrote down in the EXAM and as soon as i wrote it down its like it FLEW AWAY.. I need to read more.. educate myself from the jahl il ana fe.. but even though im in no place to judge anyone.. i just know for a FACT that there is a LOT.. A WHOLE LOT of WRONG going on in the world.. 

it doesnt take a smart ASs-PRIN :S to know.. that ISLAM is not about people from the same nationality and religion killing each other.. Innocent people dying around the world for one simple reason

IGNORANCE!

It doesnt mean if your SISTER was listening to a song by ABD AL HALEEM that she must be in love  and in a relationship and you have to SHOOT HER fe QADEYET SHARAF ( honor killing)
 ( true story) what if she was listening to SHAKIRA?!

Something is very wrong when you hear about GAY MUSLIMS? 

huh?!? whats next MUSLIM PROSTITUTES? Believe it or not i once heard of a
*drums roll

GAY IMAAAM (shiekh) *face palm and rejel saweyan

Why do they have they have to use the name of ISLAM?? Just say you are GAY.. Do you have to make a Statement that you are MUSLIM so that some idiot in the world thinks.. OH SO BEING GAY is OKAY in ISLAM? woo hoo...

*man jumps into dress and does a catwalk infront of the mirror while he vigourously chews on a gum like a girly girl 

 There are PSYCHOS in the world doing pretty much anything that crossed your mind or didn't cross your mind. What im trying to say here.. is that we have reached a time and age where so many shocking things are going on around us that we are desensitized bel 3arabi... tamsa7na..

  We have to open our minds in a non shakoosh (hammer )

 against someones head way. 

anybody remember abu shakoosh? haha jsut got a flashback.. this guy in jordan used to run around
pharmacies with a hammer killing people! for a while i used to freak out whenever i 
saw any man walking with his hands in his pocket and big karsh ( belly) id
think is that really a belly of pure fat or is there a hammer hidden under that
jacket somewhere?!

Back to the subject..

When i say we have to be OPENMINDED i dont mean the meaning 

we live today. Nowadays its like " yaaay habeebti you STILL didnt move 

in with your boyfriend??! Come on khaleeeki OPENMINED?

what i say to that is.. 
WALEK LALAAAISH 3andek BOYFRIEND ASLAN ..

and probably her parents know about him and they ofcourse are 

"OPENMINDED"

Ne hooo.. time for me to goo..just something to sink abawit ya gama3a.