My thoughts on the Series "Omar"

So a TV series about the life of Caliph Omar Ibn Al Khattab, which has been considered one of the largest TV productions in the region is being aired now in Ramadan. This series has a cast of 30,000 actors and a technical team from 10 different countries.


A committee of seven leading Islamic scholars reviewed the facts presented in the series to ensure their religious and historical facts accuracy and the authenticity of this project. It has raised a lot of controversy on whether its "halal or haram" and whether we should even watch the show. I have been reading and seeing many heated debates on tv, twitter and facebook. Facebook groups calling for boycotting MBC and so on. 


Again what i say here is merely my opinion and you can agree or disagree but im just blogging out loud. I am not attacking anyone nor am i giving out any fatwas. I am just speaking my mind.. 


We have been watching all sorts of tv shows on tv .Most are pointless and are just a waste of time others showing women walking around half naked. I feel slowly show after show women are dressing less, there is a lot of sexual implications, nudity, other scenes that i am sometimes shocked to see on TV. There is a noticable increase in violence, profanity, disrespect for traditonal values, unethical & morally unacceptable ideas, along with sexual connotation in movies as well. 


Nowadays, what is considered a "G" Rated movie is FAR from "General"! Shows showing woman talking openly about being bisexual or lesbians or having sex changes and almost every tv show has gay couple now.. cause you know.. its cool and OKAY to be GAY :S


Just today i was watching american idol on MBC4 which i believe is a SAUDI channel and one of the contestants talent was POLE DANCING.. and well she did her performance and showed us her butt and well.. it was ALL AIRED ON TV IN RAMADAN? 


Ok before i stray away from the main subject..All this commotion and sa7wa deeneyah (islamic consciousness) and people who dont even pray or hardly know or apply any islamic beliefs in their life are now calling for this tv series to NOT be aired. Why is there no reaction to all the real islamic threats on TV? The daily shows poisoning our everyday life and our minds and the minds of our children? I feel these shows are much more harmful and if Muslims around the world want to speak up they should start by the REAL problems in the world. 


Don't underestimate the effect of what we see on tv. I personally feel the difference when i watch too much tv. At first you are shocked and maybe sometimes even revolted by what you see and slowly, its no longer shocking and you dont even react to what you see. 


An average person watches around 4 hours of television DAILY & that number increases on holidays and ofcourse it probably doubles or triples in RAMADAN with all the variety of musalsalat on 24hours a day! 


People rarely read nowadays and have replaced books with tv shows or movies.. this also means that TV is their MAIN source of information and what people are continuously viewing will definitely have an effect on them.


Now that they decide to make a show that is actually meaningful and informative, that can actually teach you a thing or two about  the birth of Islam and how Sayidna Omar Ibn Al Khattab played a very important role in the history of islam and in spreading ISLAM. It receives all this criticism even though it is very likely to reach MANY who would never bother to pick up a book to read about his legacy in ISLAM.


I understand the reason why many are against this show to be aired although visual depictions are not explicitly banned in the Qur’an, Sunni scholars have generally agreed that personifications of religious figures are banned. But there are other scholars that disagree and support this show, including the prominent Egyptian Scholar Shiekh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi and Shiekh Salman Al Odah. I respect their strong stands to what they believe in but i don't like how some attack and refuse to agree to disagree. 

The beauty of Islam is that when there is an issue that is not mentioned in Quran and Hadith the Islamic Scholars release fatwas and there are usually opposing fatwas both with strong justifications. Which is when you decide what you feel is the right fatwa in your heart and this is Ra7ma men Rabna. (Mercy From Allah)

Those against the show believe that the portrayal of Omar ibn Al khatab in the show is far from their reality and is just wrong and unacceptable. That these actors are full of sins and some have acted in scenes that make them unfit to play these roles. To that i say, they ARE afterall actors at the end of the Day, they did not claim to BE the10 Caliphs and you will never find a person in our time that can represent any of the companions.


They are merely actors and doing their best to play their roles and reading out the script they are given. Yes there will be a lot mistakes done im sure and i heard one of the actresses was wearing braces :S


And that is expected because no one is perfect and no one can ever play a perfect role but that makes us want to learn more about the real OMAR and also encourages us watch the many other series on TV now talking about his life, like Amr Khaleds show " عمر صانع الحضارة"
" Omar Sane3o Al 7adara" or Qisat Al Farouk by Nabil Al Awadi  قصة الفاروق للشيخ نبيل العوضي
I think that just by the fact that this show was even made, without even watching it all this talk about it has not harmed but actually made more people ask about who this show is about and why all the media is focused on it. Many of those people now have learned who Omar is and will actually make the effort to educate themselves to learn more about him.


Some fear that by airing this show it will open a door to other shows, that in the future MBC might air a show on the life of the prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and that this is just a start of a series of shows using the name of Islam to get money by getting the highest number of viewers. The producers of this series have stated that the main purpose of producing such an important dramatic work is to correct the misunderstood parts of Islamic history.   


I believe that nowadays not many people read and when they read not many read books about thier Islamic Heritage or History. They read books by authors like "Paulo Coelho" or books like "why men marry bitches" that is IF they read. Im sure there are other people who read books about islam but i feel the majority will NOT.


We are at a time where people would rather wait till a good book is made into a movie. Visual Media is much more powerful and effective and will reach out to much more people.


For ex, we know drunk driving or texting and driving is dangerous and can cause major accidents on the road, yet no matter how many times we hear it or read it, when we see a video of a car crash or watch a touching video showing a mom crashing into a tree while her baby flys out of the car. That is MUCH more powerful. it sticks to you! 


How many movies were made about people that we never heard about that made us actually get to KNOW them and admire them?! How many times did you watch a movie about someone and it made you google them and want to know more about them?! Movies like " Ghandi" and " OMar al Mukhtar" MANY! 


And yes i know there is no comparison to those people to OMAR as he was afterall one of the prophets companions, and unlike any other but we need to know in the end he was not a prophet but a human being, extraordinary but not divine.


If the series showed the Prophet (pbuh) it would be a different story as there is no debate on whether that would be acceptable or not. 


So even if the characters were not represented 100 %  and we should know in the end of the day they are ACTORS ! 


Arent you actually intrigued to READ and KNOW more about this important person. And wont many who never heard of him actually know who he was after this?!  

The people opposing the show fear that this show will affect the image in our minds and in our children's minds of Omar ibn al Khatab. So before you judge others for watching it, know that whether you admit or not there is a lot of GOOD coming from this show. The real fear in times like this is not just how he will be remembered but more like IF he will be remembered if we don't take the right measures to spread his legacy.

I find its easier for any message or information to stick to my mind when its visual. Maybe its because im a visual communicator and i don't have much time to read nowadays, but thats just me. And i personally will be watching this show and believe a lot of GOOD and useful information will come out of it.

Lets not fight if we disagree. If you disagree with me and others who support the show. just simply Do NOT watch it and accept that people might disagree with your point of view. 

Your fear is how he will be remembered after this show, my fear is IF he will be remembered by many without this show. And whether or not the actors play their roles accurately the script is approved by Muslim Scholars and we will definitely learn from it. Please Dont forget we are in the "lady gaga" generation :S

Here is a fwd i received on BBM messenger that i would like to share with you as well because i felt it pretty much said what im trying to say : 

لماذا سأشاهد مسلسل "الفاروق عمر" رغم دعوات المقاطعة؟

في الوقت الذي انتشرت فيه دعوات لمقاطعة مسلسل "الفاروق عمر" الذي يجسدالسيرة الذاتية لسيدنا عمر بن الخطاب -أمير المؤمنين وثاني الخلفاءالراشدين- قرّرت الحرص على مشاهدة هذا المسلسل دونا عن غيره من مسلسلاتشهر رمضان؛ للأسباب 

الآتية

-  في الوقت الذي ظهر فيه علماء أفاضل عارضوا العمل حرصا على الدين؛فهناك علماء أفاضل أيضا أجازوا عرض العمل ومشاهدته حرصا على الدين، ورغبةفي التعريف برموزه العظيمة؛ مثل: الشيخ يوسف القرضاوي -رئيس اتحاد علماءالمسلمين- والشيخ سليمان العودة، والكل يؤخذ منه ويرد، والاختلاف بينالعلماء والفقهاء رحمة 

في النهاية.

- لأن هذا المسلسل دعوة لمواجهة مسلسلات إيران ذات المرجعية الشيعية

التي تخالف في مذهبها ومعلوماتها مذهب أهل السنة والجماعة الذي يتبعهمعظم مسلمي الوطن العربي وأنا منهم، بجانب أنه أشرف على كتابته وراجعتفاصيله فطاحل العلماء من أهل السنة والجماعة

 سواء الشيخ يوسف القرضاويأو الشيخ سليمان العودة؛ وهو ما يعني أن معلوماته الدينية ستكون سليمةوغير مشكوك فيها، وتوافق المذهب الذي أتبعه

- لأن بعض الذين يدعون للتعرف على سيرة عظماء رموز الإسلام من الصحابة وآل البيت من خلال الكتب والمراجع، غفلوا عن أن لكل عصر مفرداته وأدواته،ونحن الآن شئنا أم أبينا في عصر السماوات المفتوحة، وزمن الدراما التيتجذب ملايين المشاهدين، وأعترف أن معلومة الكتاب أكثر غزارة؛ لكن عليهمأن يعترفوا أيضا بأن معلومة الدراما أكثر ثباتا في الذهن، وأن قدرةالمشاهد على استرجاع مسلسلا بأكمله تفوق قدرته على حفظ صفحة من كتاب

-ثم إن الأمة الآن صارت لا تقرأ بقدر ما تشاهد، مع وجود نسبة هائلة منالأمية.. فلماذا لا نتقرب إلى من لا يقرأون بالوسيلة التي تجذبهم بدلا منأن نمنع التمثيل والتجسيد، وفي المقابل لن يقرأ أحدهم ويبحث في المراجعوالكتب، ويكون قد خسر المعلومة بشكل نهائي؟!!

- لأن هذا العمل ليس فيه مساس لكرامة سيدنا عمر بل على العكس أنهافرصة لنشعر 

بالقرب أكثر من أمير المؤمنين

- وأخيرا وليس آخرا.. بعد أن يقاطع البعض مسلسلا مهما يجسد سيرة الفاروقعمر.. هل ترشحون لهم مشاهدة مسلسل "مولد وصاحبه غايب" لهيفاء وهبي؟ أم"مع سبق  الإصرار" لغادة عبدالرازق؟ أم "كيد النسا" لفيفي عبده؟

My First Days of Ramadan

So im in Kuwait for a week spending it with family and i must say Ramadan just feels different when you are having iftar with family. And it was the first time i got to KUWAIT AIRPORT and not SUFFOCATE from ppl SMOKING! YEAAY! Lovin waking up for su7oor having su7oor and feeling the Ramadan Spririt. i miss going to the masjid. I, unlike many other moms, refuse to be the mom in the masjid with her babies screaming their heads off making it hard for everyone else to pray. I remember trying to pray really hard in the masjid and this lady next to me had a baby lying infront of her.. and the baby seemed to be like a week old or 2 tops.. and the baby was like freaking out. face red from crying and almost out of breath! and his mom was just praying and totally ignoring the poor baby.. Alllahuuuu Akbar .. calmly.. bekol burood.. as if the baby had nothing to do with her?! HALLOOO?!!

  WALEK SHEELI IL WALAD YA MARAH!!

PICK UP UR KID WOMAN!!

i think almost everyone who was praying lost thier concentration and instead of having aspiritual happy thoughts we were all swearing at her in our minds!

Anyhoo.. its good to go while you can and pray jama3a.. sooo the recurring question people are asking each other these days.. other than " EMTA il ADAAAN??" -- >when do we break our FAST?!

it is.. SHU TABKHEEEN! suddenly all we want to talk about is FOOD! and im sure if you check ur FB page you will find all sorts of DELICIOUS FOOD pics uploaded! 

I know Ramadan is not about eating. but come on.. when you fast its fun to look forward to what you will be eating for iftar.. al hamdulilah.. knowing that at least we have the option to choose what we will eat.. that we are blessed with food.. unlike those who fast and really dont have much to eat for iftar.. 

I am guilty of overeating at iftar.. no matter how many times i tell myself.. i will not PIG OUT .. i will not eat like a bagara.. (cow).. i find myseld saying those same words only while i am eating.. and saying.. ok TOMORROW i will not PIG OUT.. then there is a lovely 3azeemeh.. and a table full of lovely food.. U JUST CANT CANT RESIST! 

so you end up eating and of you are invited over for iftar even after you feel you are full and STOP.. someone throws a huge piece of meat or koosa in your plate and says the famous arab saying 

" WALLAH LA TAKLI MA AKALTEESH"

" I SWEAR YOU WILL EAT U DIDNT EAT ANYTHING"

you say.. bbb.. buutt im.. "LA2 KOLEE KOLEE FESH REJEEM "

"EAT EAT NO DIETS HERE"

and well.. i wont make her fast  3 days for swearing.. so i force my self to eat what is in my plate.. 

oh plus i dont want it to FOLLOW ME and EAT ME on judgement day.. 

Did Anyones Mom ever tell him that the food they dont finish on thier plate will follow them on judgement day?! 

Well my mom used to tell me that.. which made me try to eat all my plate. and i would have nightmares of drowning in a HUGE POOL of MLOOOKHIYEH! Or Huge pieces of RICE the size of Huge buildings running after me with angry looks on thier faces yelling 

" LIESH MA AKALTEEENA YA DINAAAAA"

Soo.. long story short.. i love Ramadan.. i love food..  and i would love to have more self control when i am sitting at a table full of yummy food... 

There is an arabic sayin " 3asafeer ba6ni betsawsew" when someone is hungry

"the birds in my tummy are chirping"

And believe me by the end of the day.. they are no longer birds.. they turn into DOGS or  MONSTERS and there is no chirping.. bas

3aaaaw 3aaaw *GROWLS :P

p.s. note to all readers. i recommend you wear something comfortable before you have iftar.. something stretchy.. or pants with mughay6a ( elastic band) .. u never know how big your belly will inflate.. 

* dino faints after meal.. 

in Ramadan it is one meal.. only its constant from maghrib till su7oor :P  

Ramdan Kareem

 Ramadan is almost here.. sorry im reposting old cartoons but i havent had the time to illustrate a new ramadan cartoon... i will as soon as i can.. soo...wow.. can you believe how fast time is flying!? i want to wish you all Ramadan Mubarak wa inshala ykoon mubarak 3aliekom wa 3ala your families and may it renew our faith and clean our hearts. May it bring people together with more than just an sms msg or bbm or fb fwd with a lantern and ramadan kareem on it.

I love it when someone actually bothers to pick up the phone to call. Even if its once a year on Ramadan or on EID. Maybe even an sms or email that was actually written for ME not just a random copy paste fwd that you are tagged in with like 10000 others.

Let me remind you all.. TAGGING.. is made for photos you ARE actually in..*sigh*
Prepare yourself for some major tags. Ramadan then EID :P

My Goal this Ramadan is to try to make the best of it.. i can always watch musalsalat throughout the year.. Ramadan comes once a year and who knows how many more Ramadans they will live to see.

So with this Holly month almost here i really hope this years Ramadan is better than the last. I wan to read more Quran, pray more taraweeh. I feel with 2 kids its very hard to focus on your spirituality and faith and slowly without even realizing you find yourself slowly getting caught up in the worlds temptations and look back at how you were and wonder

HOW did i get here?!
Why am i not waking up for fajr?!
Why am is there no khushoo3 in my prayers?
Why dont i make time to read athkar?!
ًWhy do i hardly wear my Abaya unless if im in a hurry?

So many Whys.. and the answer is.. its those little sins we do.. that we think are not so BIG.. making fun of someone.. gossiping.. wearing something that you know is not Exactly flowy" فضفاض".. going to places where you know ppl will be drinking and convincing yourself its okay cause you are not drinking..
so many daily sins that we make some consciously other without knowing.. that add black dots into our hearts.. till one day we wake up and our hearts are heavy with sin.. too heavy to be moved by our prayers.. too black to make us strong enough to fight all our temptations..


So.. My Goal is Al Rujoo3 ila Rab il 3alameen.. to strengthen my faith.. I always used to wonder about verses in the quran mentioning البنون  ( our children) are "FITNAH"

I wondered how could your Children be fitna?! Money i understand! but kids?! 
And now.. with chidlren of my own.. i know the answer.. its waking up for all the nightfeedings and not for all your fajr payers. its missing a prayer because your children need you or because you were too busy with your kids.. 

I do know that raising your kids is a form of 3ibadah if you have the right "نية" for them.

However, i believe if one gets so involved with their children that they cause them to deviate from their duties towards Allah, they become a fitnah

So let me end this post by asking not only for Gods Forgiveness but for the forgivness for those i have wronged knowingly or without realizing. If there is anyone i hurt intentionally 

or unintentionally, Anyone i have قصرت في حقه

سامحوني

 wa Allah ysame7 il jamee3..

Ramadan Kareem To All..

نسأل الله أن يعفو عنا

Dubai Heat! Faga3t min il SHOWB!!

I am loving experimenting with photohshop brushes and drawing in this new style! i will be posting my work as i get better inshala!! So.. if you are in Dubai.. you will realize its not only hot.. its.. hot and humid and 7areeeeeeegah! i swear im not joking when i say its a sauna.. i think i once entered a sauna that wasn'nt workin very well that was actually COOLER than Dubai right now!

You leave the house.. just from the door to the car you feel like you need to take a shower! I strongly urge some scientist or genius out there to think about inventing clothes with internal Air Conditioning! 

we would point at each other and say oh look he has a "petra" Ac shirt.. oh loook at her in her "LG" AC pants.. ya salam.. 

Ofcourse now with the heat.. the girls seem to wear less clothes.. habeebaati.. i know its hot... but do we really need to see your butt crack? Will you be wearing this in Ramadan? *face palm

I wanna move to Antarctica..or some place where wearing buttshorts would mean your butt would freeze and fall off .. :p that would teach them :P

neway.. enough talk about "popos" as one auntie said once.. we were sitting in the living room and she said..  " il yom shuft wa7de mashye wa mbayen *whispers.. il "popo" taba3ha"  translation : i saw a lady walking with all her "popo" showing !

and im like.. hmmm... popo?? wiesho hatha popo? puuppy? 

translation " i wonder what a popo is ??

then it was clear she mean.. (_/_).. oh how vulgar i felt when i realized hahaha

soooooo.... enough about popo.. let me write a fast poem.. about the heat in Dubai...

Dubai... why are you soo HOT?!

Ana 7afga3 min il showb..its too much.. KTEER! A LOT!

I leave the house in this humidity

I feel like im swimming in a cup of hot tea!

I leave the house feeling fresh

As soon as im out i have melting flesh!

Please please stay Cool & Maybe start to Snow

before every lady in town is showing her "POPO"

:p

Sentimental thoughts

My first artwork made using the wacom tablet and photoshop brushes.. experimenting a little with the brushes and different fonts. It was more like a way of channeling my feelings and thoughts  into art. The man her is my dad, from a recent photo i took of him. I love how he is staring into space and i wonder what he is thinking. What he wants to say but can't.. I thought of all the things i wanted to hear from him.. the stories i would love to hear again.. the times i took him for granted thinking he would always be okay.. it has been more than 5 years since he had the stroke that left him inable to walk or speak. Its like he is locked inside his body.. He is a great man and everyone who knew him would say that about him.. Why is it that we realize how amazing a person is after they get sick or die? Why is it when they are okay and can appreciate our words do we take their presence in our lives for granted.

Recently i heard about a professor in our university who passed away. He never taught me but her was also the person you go to to get into classes. Almost every student in AUS owes thier graduation to him as he would always help us get into classes we need to get into to graduate, even after we tried several times with no hope left. He was always very helpful with a smile on his face, and no matter how tired he must have been he always welcomed students to his door and never hesitated in helping others when he could.

i personally will always remember the day i ran into his office crying my head off thinking i will never get into the class i needed to get into for graduating on time, and he welcomed me with a smile and made a few jokes and with one click and one call he solved my problem. Many others share the same story or even other stories about what a great man he was. Thousands of students attended his funeral and he has been mentioned in several newspapers. The news of death was all over twitter & facebook. Its so sad that when he was alive, he never knew how many people loved him, and were grateful to him. 

Why do we wait till its too late? Why don't we show the people we love and care about how we feel when they are able to appreciate it ? It feels good to know you are loved. 

So now.. please.. if you love someone.. or care about someone.. or someone did something that really changed your life and helped you out.. and you never told or showed them.. 

GO GIVE THEM A HUG! unless if you are a girl and he is a boy then ... balash hug :P 

lets show the love people.. before its too late

 ok this was a serious post.. let me try to make it less depressive with a poem on za spot

When you care about someone who doesnt know

Give them a call.. start with " ALooo"

Never underestimate the power of your words

you might make them 6eer min il far7a like a flock of birds

So please please dont you wait

wherever you are fil 7arah or fil bayt

express your feelings before its too late

and you look back and say " ya rayt"

Allah yishfeek ya Baba

Allah yer7amak Dr Ibraheem Sadeq

i would like to add a comment my friend manar posted on this image.. she expressed my thoughts better than i did. its soo true

makes you think about how your words effect the ppl in your life and how you should choose your words wisely esp to the ppl dearest to you... its important that they know how you truly feel. moved.

Ya Nhaaar Abyad!

hahahah.. ok... quick post.. i got a weird call.. am i surprised no! so here is how it goes.


Me : Alo
*Muffled sounds and what sounded like a long distance call 
Lady : Alooo Aywa
Me : Meeen?
Lady : Olfatttttt ?! ezayek ya olfat!
Me: hmm rakam ghala6
Lady : Eh ma32ooolah??? YA NHAR ABYAD

*line cuts off

wa ana FAGA3t de7ek hahahahhahaahhahahahah

Olfat meen wil nas naymeen ya habibcheeeee

Things like this only happen to ME!!

So... i was invited to a wedding last night.. my cousins wedding.. and well since you are directly related to the 3aroosa and ppl will be sayin " ohh hay bent khalet il 3aroosa" u know u should look nice and well i did wear a lovely dress.. and high heels that i am still, a day later suffering from .. so on the way to the wedding .. my husbandi il katkoot missed a turn.. so we go to the right turn after the hotel.. the hotel looked pretty close and there was a lot of traffic that by turning to go to the hotels entrance it would take about 10-15 mins so thinking it was just a few minutes away my huzbandi.. Allah yes3edo mazkaa.. decided..we should walk to the hotel and park where we were.. at this point when i heard..

WALK.. i just had a heart attack.. wearing heels is not easy.. especially if u have been wearing flats and sandals for so long.. its like walking on knives.. but ofcourse after many no bideesh's and a few hmphhhhhsss .. i agreed to walk.. since it was "close".. and well.. it was not.. there was stairs and a bridge to cross plus a few wrong entrances we took.. did i mentioned the HUMIDITY was BILYOOOON!!? Allah ysam7ak ya jowzi.. but haram he didnt think the hotel was that far

but lesson of this story... always listen to your wife, especially if she is wearing heels :P

sooooo..... finally... we reach the hotel.. at this point im already limping.. my makeup looks more like marlyn manson.. i say hello to some friends and enjoy the feeling of being in the air conditioning.. i decide to go see the bride.. on my way down the escalator... i hear.. a tear and i feel a tug at my dress

*looks down at dress with horror

   OMG OMG il fus6aaaaaaaan 3alaaaaaaaaggggggggggggg 

and at this point there were ppl behind me.. and i was stuck there.. i was there for a while. glad i didnt miss the zaffa as i expected to be there when the bride and groom arrived.. 

a group of men technicians unscrewed some screws and the dress was Free.. but now it has holes in it and black shu7baaaaar... ya fare7ti.. 

reminds me of the time my HEEL got stuck in the sewage lid.. 

if u know me i probably shared this story a couple of times.. my husband has to listen to my stories over and over again because i totally forget that i told him the story 100 times before.. ya far7eto

here is the old post i mentioned

 "i recently had my shoe heel stuck on the metal cover of a sewage in some fancy place in dubai... surprisngly my shoe didnt fall off.. nor did my heel..

yet the very heavy metal cover got stuck to my shoe... 

i felt a heavy weight tagging along... then i looked down to find it there smiling right back at me... i was soo embarrassed. tried to handle the situation.. then some american guy helped me out...kneeled infront of me and took out the heel.. it would of been a great story if he just proposed right then and we would have shared the story with our kids.. love at first sewage hole kurkukur.. neway truth is i wanted to die of embarassment!!! 

oh this is fun.. i have things like that happenin to me everday.. my friend thought i exaggerate or make things up..

up until they spend time with me.. they know the truth.. 

THINGS LIKE THIS ONLY HAPPEN TO ME.."

THey really DO 

Karsh wala Baby?

So it has been a while.. so i have many updates.. the main thing i didnt post about here yet is that now i am the mother of 2 Lulu's. Actually one lulu and one lonlon. My delivery was induced and i was in labour for around 7 hours and well that my dear readers is actually an easy delivery compared to lulus 16 hour labour. Ofcourse there was no question in taking the EPIDURAL but after he gave it to me i had one very imprtant question... WHY IS IT NOT WORKING?!?! 

Many nurses and my huzbandi tried to convince me that its working and that i just have to wait a few minutes! till from the look of my (very scary and angry) face they KNEW something was wrong. Dr came in and gave it to me again and it DID work.. 7 minutes later i delivered so i pretty much felt all the pain but hamdulilah i didnt have permanent side effects from the wrong epi insertion.

Baby lina was was born and those of who who think life with one kid is hard... imagine life with two.. oh i forgot to tell you guys.. remember how i was like promoting maids and got a maid.. guess what? i dont have a maid anymore.. sent her back home.. a very bad experience which i will share in another post.. long story she pretended that was shiekha fel islam, when in reality she was not... bel marrahhhhh

Now lulu is throwing tantrums almost everyday and i think its because of her jealousy and because she is no longer the only baby in the house. Its hard. but thank god i get parttime help now and i dont know how people survive with no help.. 

now back the cartoon.. its no joke.. after delivery you are left with a belly that looks like you are 4-5 months pregnant.. and poor lulu is confused and keeps asking me if its a baby.. and i have to say.. no habeebti.. no baby here.. simply.. karooosh mama hada 

Habby New Year!!

First of all.. id like to say.. HABBY HABBY NEW YEAR :) I really hope this new year brings you happiness and is better than the year 2011 which was i must admit pretty dramatic. I haven't had the chance to blog as a lot has been going on lately! Due ANYDAY now and getting ready for the new BABY ! And getting used to our new family addition ( the maid) who arrived a few weeks ago... FINALLY ! After long hesitation and changing my mind plenty of times now that she is here i wonder WHY ON EARTH DID I HESITATE! Well ok the idea of having a total stranger live with you is scary but the idea of having someone HELP is GREAT! All i needed was a break... AND It has ARRIVED :) 

From my experience till now there is always a positive and negative side. But the positive hamdulilah makes me overlook the negative. One thing i did not know.. no matter how tiny or petite she seems to be they can eat more than ME,Huzbande and law law ALL TOGETHER! Omg the amount of food she intakes is somewhat SCARY! but as long as she is good with lulu i guess i can overlook that.. but not when she EATS MY CHOCOLATA * Dino TURNS INTO THE HULK! 

My maid used to work in saudi arabia and kuwait so the Arabic she speaks is actually Indonesi accent Kuwaiti or Saudi. Lulu has started saying things like :

Tabi Nowm, when she wants to sleep

Hada 7agg Baba pointing at her dads shoes , trying to say that they are for her baba

Fukeee Baab, Fukee Shoes.. apparently Fukkeee is open in Saudi or Kuwaiti.. 

so my reaction that my daughter calls her "I PAD " " I POOOD" now :S 

is....

what the fukeeeeee :S hehe

So... there is always that constant worried feeling or stress i admit.. but at least i feel better in general rather than being exhausted and too tired to even have quality time with my lulu.. and now with bobo number two almost here i NEED all the help i can GET!

Speaking of Baby 2.... who remains UNAMED * dino glares at  Mr Moody her huzbany who apparently is very moody . Up until the 8th month her name was ALIA .. a lovely name... sung by fairooz .. then he realized he didnt like it and would rather name our daughter....

*drums roll

OLIVIA

*CROWD GASP

he was serious.. and well hamdulilah after my facebook poll won and ofcourse my rafd il taaaam we have agreed to overlook this name.. but unfortunately no more ALIA... 

and i realized i cannot name my daughter a name, if i met someone in my life that was annoying and had that name. Just ONE annoyng person is enough for me to OVERLOOK a nice name! i guess i am annoyed by many people haha :S

Soo... now.. we are still not sure... 

i will try to keep you posted on my delivery :) 

For some reason, looking back at my life and the stories i experience.. im sure i will have some interesting story to share!! 

id3ooooooli :) happy 2012

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 :)