swim class

Naief's last class is tomorrow. He really enjoyed them and I'm excited about next year.

No surprise he likes the water so much... especially since he's a little Aquarian.

oh... if you don't know... he's the little one at the end w/ the diaper suit and the one in the middle of the 2nd pic. :) his daddy is also in the pic.

swim classes

Last week I decided to take a look at a place called Chaoss, after finally finding out where they're located - since no number is given when I call information. The place is big and much more organized than I had heard, so, needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Btw.. this is a another place for children to play, interact w/ other children and such.

While there, I met one of the swimming instructors and found out that they're still having classes... so I signed Naief up. Today was our first class - now, there's only 3 wks left, but what the heck, and Naief loved it. There were probably 6 other kids in the class and several fathers, and since Hashim would be the one in the pool w/ Naief, he was pleased, and I was happy coz now... he'll go again. :) And, we found out that there's a Thursday morning class w/ 3 wks left, so I'll go to that class w/ him. They also have gymnastics classes that run by term, and the next term starts in January... that'll be fun.

The class lasted about 45 mins., and while Hashim was in the pool, I talked to the nice British woman beside me. Her daughter was there w/ her son, Jack. What a cutie! The woman told me that her daughter's son loves this place and the organized classes are a lot of fun. That's nice to know. I like the fact that this place is more organized play while Buzzi Beez is open/free play. Two great ways to interact w/ other children, and parents.

Naief didn't want to go in at first, but once he was in the water, he did really well. The instructor is great and is so good w/ the little ones. She's an Australian woman married to a Bahraini. :) They sang songs while going around in circles, splashing w/ their arms/hands, kicking their feet, going up in the air and coming back down and sometimes going under the water... even jumping off of this big, floaty thing.... crawling through it and going under a bridge. Naief even learned to put his toy outside the pool, climb out to get it, sit back down on the edge and then they'd sing a song and daddy would lift him and go back down into the water. It was nice.

There were a lot of families waiting for the various swim classes. It felt nice to be around so many expats. I didn't hear any Americans... even though... I felt comfortable and it felt good. And you know something I noticed... British/English women are natural. They weren't all skinney minnies and they weren't all dressed up... just natural... and I like that.

Oh yeah... so many of these little kids had the white, blond hair... like I did when I was young and it made me think about our genes. I would have thought that Hashim's genes would have been more dominant and they are, but when it comes to hair, he got mine. I remember learning all this stuff back in my first year of psych.... but I can't remember anything. That's the bad thing (or was for me at that time) about working full-time w/ overtime and going to school close to full-time. I took too many hours and didn't dedicate myself, like I did when I got older.... and I crammed too much... hence my inability to remember. Makes me want to pull out my books and look it up!

anyhoo... these are my little streams of thought today. :)

hop, hop, hop

Naief is learning to hop... I call it hop because it's such small little jumps, that it reminds me of a bunny rabbit. :) He's learning to pull his knees up, an ability to do so has never really entered my mind when watching other kids, and it's so dang adorable! You wouldn't think something so tiny would be so exciting, but it is and gosh darn it... he's learning to jump! He hops across the kitchen, he hops around on the bed, he hops while he's walking... hop hop hop :)

I've obviously taken for granted, all these years, learning to do such a thing... but excitingly enough, he'll soon be able to jump on those bouncy things that they have everywhere, which he longs to do...

He loves that he can do it. Calling to me and daddy whenever we aren't watching... and it's always a favorite thing to do when getting ready to change for bed. And, I'll tell ya, he's also a little daredevil. He loves to jump and then plunge himself face first into the bed, over mommy or into pillows. Nothing seems to stop him... gets me on pins and needles a lot of times, but I try to watch, clap, laugh w/ delight instead of keeping myself in a state of worry over him getting hurt. Little kids are so resilient.. I know I was when I was little, but I sure had bumps and bruises to prove it, plus, I remember LOTS of close calls... so... no wonder I worry.

He's also starting to repeat lots of words we say in English and Arabic.... jabbering constantly about this or that... Hashim says that once he starts w/ full sentences... he'll never stop. I'm just waiting for the 'why's'. I'm readying myself... should be full of wonder, excitement, laughing and probably some stress, but maybe not. I actually enjoy talking to him and answering questions... so am wondering how this will go.

Today was funny in that Hashim swept and mopped the kitchen floor, then after about 20 or 30 mins, he looked down and said, "I just mopped the floor..." I had to laugh, for now he, maybe, on a teeny, tiny level, understands what I've been saying. I feel like a little tornado follows me around, leaving a path of toys, plastics, wooden utensils, food, water... everywhere it turns... and I'm constantly on it's heels, picking everything up. phew. But at last... he sees! Or at least a little! :)

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Made some absolutely delicious Brussels (button) sprouts last night... they were so good. Fried some turkey bacon, saved the drippings.. altho there aren't any w/ turkey bacon, so i added addt'l oil during so that it'd make something.. then added vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, dijon mustard, onions and the Brussels sprouts... cooked until sprouts were tender and liquid had thickened and cooked down... gosh.. it was good. Wasn't sure if Hashim or Naief would like it. Hashim loved it... Naief wasn't as sure... altho, he did eat some of it.

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Happy to say that the meditation has been working in that it puts me to sleep at night, every night so far. This is the first thing to ever work... other than pills or herbal tea (altho w/ pills, you often have the hangover the next morn... I hate that and w/ teas, they did nothing... even valerian didn't work)... so I'm very happy, to say the least. And it's good, sound sleep :)

I've started walking again. Took Naief to the park and while daddy kicked around the ball w/ him and played, I walked. The endorphins... these little babies are so wonderful. These alone make it all worth it! ;)

weather, food and fun

Nice that things are finally cooling off in our parts. Temps during the day have probably been in the low 90s and, at night, it feels like it could be in the low 80s, but not sure. a nice breeze has come on some days, and it's actually fun to go to the park, and run around w/out getting a headache from the heat. I'm dying to get bikes w/ the little seat in the back for Naief... so hopefully in the next few months, that'll be a nice gift for our family.

We've been taking Naief to this park down the way from us many nights during the week, where he runs around, watches the soccer game while trying to go onto the court during play many days :) , and where he can play w/ many different children at this one area in the park. Every day you'll get families or mothers w/ little kids... usually close to Naief's age or a bit older, and he soooo enjoys it. There's one little girl that's been there twice now w/in the last week, and Naief is smitten. She's precious. So cute. She's Egyptian... how I know this is one, she looks Egyptian and two, her momma puts a little kohl around her eyes and maybe a tad bit of blush (not sure on that one)... and yeah, you'd think she looks gaudy or ask why her mother might put make-up on the little girl... but w/ some Egyptians, it's a cultural thing dating back to the Pharaohs. And, I'll have to say, it really suits this little girl. It's not all pageant-like or anything... it's very subtle, but the eyes are somewhat dramatic, in a little girl sorta way.. if there is one.

But... it's really, really sweet to watch Naief w/ her. They stand looking at each other, almost seem to be talking, walk around the area w/ each other, kick balls around... follow each other here and there. There's also a little boy that's been coming, altho we haven't seen him the last two times we've gone.. but he liked this little kid a lot. One little girl pushed him away as he got close to her. He stood there, looking at her... makes me wonder what he was thinking. I'm glad she didn't do anything further aggressively. Her older brother seemed to keep her in check though, so that was good.

Tonight I made this yummy banana bread again. I can't wait to have a taste. If anyone would like it, I found it on cooks.com. It's a high fiber banana bread.. I think it's the only one they have. I add to it w/ white raisins and nuts... and I don't use the egg substitute or butter substitute... and it is just yummy.. obviously less healthy than the original recipe and higher in fat.. but I don't care. I also made baked chicken in the bag... why is it that turkey and chicken taste so much better cooked like that!!?? I also made a good recipe that my sister, Jahooni, gave to me w/ zucchini sauteed in balsamic vinegar... Naief loves this. I made my mom's baked macaroni & cheese casserole, which I usually only make during the holidays, but since Naief has been rather picky about what he eats lately, thought it might go over w/ him.. and he loved it. :) I scored some major mommy points tonight... and am starting to realize that he likes my down home cooking, American style, much better than most other things. Figure I'll stick w/ this a while, since hubby likes it too, and see if it makes a difference in his eating habits... altho, it's nice to change things up every now and again.

anyway... been posting a lot of music lately, which sorta fits my mood as of late.

I meditated last night. Thought I'd try a method from that Laws of Attraction book, and... it worked. Not only did it relax me, but it put me to sleep. I'm going to try it again tonight and see what happens. Hopefully it'll bring the same type of deep relaxation that it gave to me last night.

farm fun, british humor, and pet monkeys

Friday was fun in that we took Naief to a farm day at Bizzi Beez. The place was packed when we got there w/ kids running around everywhere, tons of parents, tons of animals and hot, humid weather.

We took Naief over to where the animals were at first. He wouldn't move from my arms, so instead of forcing it upon him, I sat down on the grass w/ him to see if he might want to pet one of the many animals they had there. There were baby sheep, baby goats, a baby calf, a little, fat, furry puppy, ducks, baby chicks, Shetland ponies that all the kids seemed to love riding, some type of other goat w/ curled horns that didn't seem to be pleased to be there, and a monkey.

I hate ppl having monkeys for pets. I don't know if I've ranted about this in the past or not, but I turned-in an establishment for selling them over to a few outside organizations. The first time was a year or so ago, then again about 6 mths ago. I think it's a cruel business. Monkeys aren't meant to be pets, and this little one wasn't pleased to be there. Several times, as I watched this guy handle the little thing, it would try to get away by jumping up to his head, biting his arm or screaming out, then he'd hit it or scold it like it was a person. The poor little thing. Then, after a while, it'd give up and lay face down on the grass w/out moving. I asked the guy how he kept the monkey. He looked a bit shocked and didn't answer me, then I repeated it and asked, "in a small cage or big enclosure"... he said, "don't worry, he's kept in a good place". At first I believed him, but after seeing him hit the little thing and talk to it the way he did, I knew he was lying. I've also seen a place not far from where I live, called The Pet Farm or some such, and how they keep them. It's horrible. The two times I went there, the monkeys never had food, water and the enclosure was terribly small. They made no sounds... just sat and did nothing. It's really sad to see the life inside an animal killed by humans caging them!!!

I was a bit disturbed that Bizzi Beez brought a monkey for children to play w/, seeing that the guy told one child, "don't touch him or he will bite you". Oh fun... just what any parent would want... a monkey biting their child. Truly, I just don't get it. Monkeys aren't meant to be kept in small cages... they're wild animals and are meant to be free.... but since Bahrain doesn't have any laws to protect them, there's nothing that can be done. I, for one, am ready for that to change. If anyone wants to stand w/ me, please let me know.

All in all, it was a fun day. Naief, after about 20 or so mins., warmed up and started to play and run around. We went inside for a bit so he could show daddy where he and mommy play when we go, and then we headed back outside. Needless to say, he slept well that night. :)

Part of the afternoon fun was hosted by DJ Krazy Kevin. He was going around from room to room, talking to ppl and doing stuff for his tv show.... and while we were outside by the sand boxes, he came over and asked to interview me. I said no immediately, but he wouldn't let up and since Hashim refused, I reluctantly said, "ok". It only lasted for 2 or so mins., but I froze... got very serious and couldn't relax... for nothing! I felt like an idiot, needless to say. He told me after that you Americans don't have a sense of humor... hmmm... and here, all along, I thought it was the other way around.. that the Brits didn't have a sense of humor! ;) Obviously, I was mistaken... now I understand why I don't get British humor... I'm just not funny. :) Altho, I will say, I do love a few British comedians, but I have no idea who they are. One dresses up like a woman most times and the other is Conley or something... I can't remember. Hashim said that it's our shoot and ask questions later mentality. hmmmm.... maybe.

Oh yeah... while I was talking to him or after the interview, I asked if he was Scottish or British.. he quickly replied, "I'm English". hmmmm... did I mess up? Are you not supposed to ask a Brit if they're British??? Is that not proper or what?!! ;) Chief Rock Chef, I'm waiting for you to let me know. :)

anyway... that was our fun weekend. Hubby is taking holiday this week, I just made some high fiber banana bread (which I've never made before) and plan to make some Thai food for Iftar. I'm not making my own sauce... bought something while out today, so we'll see if it's any good. It's a red curry sauce w/ coconut milk... so I expect it to be a little spicy, but hopefully not too much so since Hashim doesn't do spicy. :)

Have a good week friends... just a few more days and Eid will be here. :))))) Needless to say, I'm excited. Oh yeah, bought Naief some cute clothes for Eid this year. It's the first time, and I had so much fun doing it. He's outgrown most of his shoes, so I got him two new pair this weekend, two pairs of jeans and his first little button down shirt!!

He's changing so much. He's learned how to fake burp, so anytime he takes a drink of something, he'll do his burping thing. It's truly the funniest thing! He got some new house slippers yesterday as well and loves them.... so much so that he slept in them... refusing to take them off!!

bye!

The Laws of Attraction

Well, I've been reading this book for the last few days and, at first, I'll say that I liked it - even thinking that it could be that 'one' book, but it's taken a big turn .... and my faith has wavered because of it.

It's about this husband and wife team who embark on a... let's call it a quest to get many of life's questions answered. In doing so, the husband tries the ouija board w/ it actually working many times along the beginning of his journey, and he even got some of the questions on his list answered while doing so (even made me want to try the board again.. having had a bad experience w/ it earlier in life - even my mom and aunt having many bad experiences w/ it). He and his wife then get into meditation after being told that it'll help them get in contact with their spiritual guide(s).

Only after a short time span, the wife soon discovers that she's in contact w/ something or someone that starts telling her things. She starts telling her husband and he starts talking to this someone while his wife is in this meditative state. Not only does he start talking, but he starts asking questions. They're so thrilled about the information they're gaining from this entity that is called 'Abraham' (which is actually a group of different entities/ppl) that they decide to start telling their friends about it who then start coming over to the house to have conversations w/ all of these different entities. They soon take it public, and then... come to find out last night while reading, they decide (someone... can't quite figure out who exactly decided ... the husband or Abraham. The book made it sound like it was Abraham's decision or sole purpose ) to write a book. And after looking up the title of this book on google, I realize that they've conducted seminars, cruises... all sorts of things really to let ppl know the answers to these all important questions (which I've only just begun).

So... my first thoughts went to scam. This whole 'book' writing thing has really put questions in my mind, and the fact that the wife has become like the Whoopi Goldberg character in the movie Ghost. I'm really having a tough time with this. Maybe it was the way I was raised. Not that I don't believe it possible to talk to the other side, but I still don't know how I feel about a spirit or whatever coming into your body and talking....

and then for her to go out and make money on this... I'm also wondering about this.

I haven't decided if I want to continue w/ it. I know lots of books and, even movies, I think, have been done on this very thing.. even taking it in other directions w/ books like The Secret... but does that really mean anything?

I feel sorta silly because I told my friend that I really loved the book.... and maybe, if I keep reading, I'll allow myself to open up to such things/possibilities... allow myself to have faith that such things are possible and this could actually be 'that' book.... but my insides are saying, "nahhhhh"....

who knows... I'll read a bit more and see where it leads me. Have any of you read this book? Olivia, I know you said your dad either read it or some of his friends did and liked it.... I thought about this, but I still find it odd or, rather.... to 'out there'. Obviously I'm more close minded than I wanted to realize.

old movie reviews

Back when Hashim and I were living in Denton (sometime in 2002), I started writing my own little movie reviews to some of my favorite movies on a website we created... and since moving to Bahrain, having many computer changes and such, I thought these were lost in time and space... but, wow... outta the blue, Hashim found them for me!!! So... thought I'd post a couple of them just for fun....

The first is from a movie that I love called The Joy Luck Club and then I'll post the one from another movie called Kung Pow - Enter the Fist. They're totally different from each other. One if a drama/love story and the other is a comedy... is you enjoy that type of humor, then you'll call it a comedy. Some may call in nonsense. :) Anyway... remember... I wrote these things many moons ago, so if it's a bit campy... well... hopefully they're not. :)


First, let me say that I love this movie. I've seen it probably 15 times, no kidding... if not more. I watch it every time I see it on cable and plan to buy the DVD. I'm very fond of Asian/Far East stories/movie/literature and this movie is so very good. I really don't know where to begin, but I'll say that I think it's a girl movie/chick flick, so not everyone will enjoy it!

The movie starts out by introducing you to four different families, with the main focus being spent, in the beginning, on the mothers and grown daughters -- you're at a going-away party for one of the daughters and it's here that each woman starts to think about her life, her past, and about her daughter and the relationship she has with her daughter... the struggles that each have gone through while growing up and the struggles from the present day. One by one, each woman flashes back to her past and you are taken away on magnificent journeys of mind, body and spirit. It's truly beautiful.

Soon the focus changes and this is when you see it from the daughters point-of-view. They flash back to their childhoods, adolescence, and then adulthood and present day. You see them struggling with issues dealing with their mothers, families and with men, and then something happens -- just when you think there is no hope, all comes clear. As each daughter thinks about her life and loves, she starts to change from within and something magical happens. They begin to respect who they are, their needs, desires, ambitions, and life. Their attitudes change and soon their relationships with their mothers change -- but with this change comes much sadness as well as incredible happiness.

I loved how important the relationships were in this movie -- especially family ties and the strong bonds within the family unit. This is so important and has such an impact on each of us, and this movie shows that in such a terrific way. I cried a lot in this movie because it touched me in many different ways. It will forever be one of my all-time favorites and a MUST SEE for those of you that love a heart tug every now and then.

What a crazy movie! This movie is sorta like an "old" chinese martial arts movie - Bruce Lee style. It has some funny over-dubbed voices, just like in the old Chinese movies but this is better because they've included some great accents to compliment the characters including one country-fied sounding guy and many that sound spanish. The fact that they digitally inserted themselves into an old movie is too good and some of the scenes make you laugh for quite a while. Also... some good endorsements for Taco Bell, Hooters and Bowflex - you'll have to watch to see what I mean. :)

The main character is called Chosen One and has a special relationship with his tongue (it has eyes and a mouth of its own). There are some pretty funny fight scenes with cool special affects including the Chosen One and a milk cow - done Matrix style. The One-Boobed Chick is funny and it sounds like her voice is actually female (most are not), and the girl, Ling Ling (male voice), is too crazy with her cat noises and don't miss her quick skin flashes!!!! This movie is sorta along the lines of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" with flying and running in trees .... nothing should be taken too seriously though.

The one-liners are to die for -- so so funny. "For now on, I will go by the name of Betty"... "Jack the Ripper" ... "I got some yellow liquid for you and it's non-dairy" ... "That's a lot of nuts" ... "Betty" ... Just watch and you will not be disappointed. But let me tell you, it's a no brainer movie, but that's the gem of it. Also, if you can, try to catch the outtakes/bloopers at the end of the movie, they're very good! We've watched it about 4 times now, and we still can't get enough of it. So enjoy!!!

ok... so... I have a few more that I'll post later. Hope it doesn't bore you guys to tears!! :)

tofu recipe and a few other things

ok... for anyone that wants it, here's the tofu lasagna recipe.

2 pkgs organic tofu
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or another, if you like)
approx 10 ripe tomatoes (maybe more or less.. depending on how much sauce you want to make)
6 or 7 large button top mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper (or more, if you want), finely chopped
tomato paste
1/2 pkg bolognese spice packet
5 garlic cubes (or more.. depending on your taste) - minced
salt & pepper


the tofu i got was about 3x5 in size and it was medium firm. i was making a large casserole dish of it, or i would have gotten only one pkg. so, if you're making for just two, i'd buy only one pkg of tofu and scale down on all the other ingredients.

cut all your tomatoes in half and grate them into a sauce pan. i discard the skin. add the tomato paste... but i'll tell ya, the last time i made sauce, i instead used tomato sauce (a small can of it) and liked it better. didn't irritate my stomach as much. add 1/2 your spice packet, the garlic, cut bell pepper and mushrooms. bring to a boil and then simmer for a good 30 mins or more.

while the sauce is cooking, brown your tofu on both sides until golden brown. the chef on tv didn't have a problem browning her tofu, but mine didn't want to brown, and the 2nd time i made it, i tried regular tofu, which fell apart while i was browning... so i do recommend organic.

after the sauce has cooked, add a nice layer to the bottom of your casserole dish, then put the tofu on top of that. cover w/ the remaining cooked sauce, then top w/ the cheddar cheese - a good amount of it. i also tried adding another cheese and it was good... it was white, but can't remember which.

cook on 180 celcius for about 50 mins. i cooked mine until the cheese was browning and all the ingredients had mixed and it was all bubbly. let cool and eat :)

i hope you guys like it. it's a simple recipe and rather tasty.

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hashim took some great pics of naief today and i'll add a few later. he's changing so fast. more like a little boy now than a toddler. he doesn't kiss me any more on the lips, no matter how much i ask. sometimes i'll sneak one in, but to ask, he'll turn his cheek for me to kiss him there. i guess w/ all the arab style greetings here (on each cheek), that's why... not sure though.

last night he actually let me hold him like a baby and give him a bottle before he went to sleep, and he decided to climb onto my stomach and fall asleep there. he did the same today at his nap time... and, you know, i loved it. pretty soon he'll be a big boy... :( he runs now, and the little booger is fast! if he gets ahold of something that i don't want, it takes forever for me to catch him. he has also started to say, "no" to me, but only sometimes, thank goodness. he mainly will shake his head no or do his index finger back and forth, like i do to him. he usually figures how to unlock my mobile, can and has called ppl (even once calling his daddy when i didn't even know it and was saying, "da da" into the telephone, and tonight started playing music on it and i'm not even sure how he did it. pretty sad that my son knows how to work my phone better than i do!!

the one thing that bothers me is that when i go to change his diaper, he cries, closing his legs tightly together and refuses to let me take his diaper off. once i get it off, then he does the same when i try to put a new one on. for all of you w/ boys... is this par for the course? this doesn't happen every time, but more than i'd like. i wondered if he was having pain or such, or even going to the bathroom at that time, but now that it's happened several times, i've ruled that out. any ideas?? suggestions?? comments??

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one other quicky.... the weather is changing!!!! it's finally cooled off and there's a nice cool breeze blowing tonight... even last night, for that matter. i can hear the windchimes outside and .... it's nice. i'm so happy that the cool weather is coming. you'd think that since i was born in the hot summer, i'd love that weather... but you know, i don't. i hate freezing weather as well... but so love the nice fall type weather we're about to get.

now.. if the skies would clear.. that would be another story! ;)

Zain sucks!

Well... we haven't had internet at home for the past 4 nights... if not longer... off and on. We call and they tell us the same things.. "they're having problems w/ the lines".

So... I'm trying to get my emails checked, catching up on my fav gossip sites, sending emails, and then I'll catch up on my favorite blogs. Oh yeah, I was in the midst of posting a comment about the tofu lasagna to Chief Rock Chef when we lost internet connection... so I'll post that as well, and then also post the recipe, in case you guys still want it.

Anyway... just a little over 2 wks, if that, left of Ramadan!!! YEAH!!!! :))))

Hope all of you are well....

the new City Centre

Wow, wow, wow!!!! What a place!

Checked out the new mall late this afternoon. There's only some hundred stores open right now, but ... even still, made me feel like I was walking in some other country. I'm so tickled w/ all the stores. One of my old favs is coming..... Saks Fifth Avenue! Not that I have the money to really shop there nowadays... but just to walk through... possibly see something adorable I might want and in my price range... well, the mere thought sends me floating in air! ;) Hashim and I were just talking about this store and he could hardly believe when he saw it today!!

And one of his favorite stores of all time - Virgin Records - is HERE!!!!!!!! Two stories, I might add! We made a stop there tonight. They have so many great movies!!! Can't wait for all the music to come!

I'm so excited that American stores are coming. We're even getting a Krispy Kreme!!! lordamighty.... what is this small island comin' to??!!!!

The new theatre looks incredible. Could only see the marble at the entrance and some areas where ppl will enter, and just from that, it might be a cause to return my butt to the movies! :)

I'm just thrilled. In a time that I'm really missing my family... my mom espcially... this brings a little piece of America to me... be it, all the stores aren't open yet, but just from knowing that there'll be so many new places to wonder through, if the mood hits me, makes me smile.

Did I mention that they're going to have the largest indoor water park for this part of the world? Or for the time being, at least. This should be interesting. Can't imagine going to the mall for a day of swimming... so I'm wondering what it'll be like.

mmmmm... we made a last stop being leaving at the ice cream place that does everything on cold marble, and mmmmm.... it was so yummy! I didn't get what I asked for since the guy behind the counter had his undies turned inside out by an Arab mother who was most upset at the fact that the girl behind the counter ignored her 6 kids when they wanted ice cream and let EVERYONE know about it... but it was still yummy. I feel like Winnie the Pooh !!!! mmmm, honey! :) I got dark choc ice cream w/ twix (i wanted that toffee candy - the name eludes me at the moment) and strawberries. it was good, but Hashim's was delicious! He got both dark choc ice cream and cream cake i.c. with strawberries at the candy I wanted :( He saved the last 3 bites for me though :)))) which made up for that yucky twix that I got and didn't complain about, I might add :)!!!! I felt sorry for the guy and for the mother. She reminded me of how my mother gets when she's mad. It always embarrasses me, but boy... she gets what she wants and so did this mother. All of a sudden everyone stepped away from the counter to let her children go first. She was havin' one hell of a momma rush and topped w/ not eating all day... wouldn't tangle w/ the mix... :)

Naief had fun too... running around and insisting of sitting whenever he saw fit. We ignored him which soon remedied the situation. I also told him that if he did it again, momma was gonna put him in the stroller. and ... it worked!! :) We took him to play today at Marina Mall (my thinking they were closed during the morning coz of Ramadan - but nope.. they close at 1)... and he loved it. It's been wks since he's been anywhere and he actually remembered and squealed when he saw where we were going. He play a tiny bit of air hockey, if you can believe it, w/ daddy, but likes to take the puck and put it in the hole so, obviously, daddy always wins. Can't wait til he figures out what's up w/ this game. I love air hockey, Hashim does too, so it'll be fun to play w/ him!! :)

Hashim loves playing Xbox and such, and the other day when Naief woke up from his nap, he took the controller (if that's what they're called) and moved the tank by himself... even got it thru the next checkpoint!! Hashim laughed w/ hysteria... it was sorta scary! ;) He was clapping and telling Naief go keep going... OMG... I can't imagine when he actually starts playing. :) It was really cute though.... if I have to say so myself. I was firing for him but he'd do this laser thing every so often. lol

pigging out

Tonight I ate too much... this is the thing I have the most difficulty with at Ramadan. And for someone who doesn't eat a lot, this isn't a good thing. I feel like a stuffed pig.

We went over to my MIL & FILs tonight and there was soooo much food. One of my SILs made 3 or 4 different dishes, and my MIL made everything under the sun, it seemed. It was all delicious... but man oh man, I'm not used to eating so much. My MIL made foul tonight..... I LOVE FOUL!!!!!!! It was soooo gooood and she makes the best, bar none! On top of that, I had a samboosa, 2 helpings of rocket salad, harees, some kind of yogurt w/ hard bread, 1/2 piece of Bahraini bread and a piece of some kind of sweet chicken.... and then I had two helpings of halwa (a very sweet treat that one usually has w/ arabic coffee, and pictured above), which is what made me sick, I think. That and 4 cups of Arabic coffee would make anyone sick... so one might wonder why I ate so much... well, me too. Probably because I went into it too hungry, and I love halwa. Haven't had the stuff in over a year... so I figured, "what the hell." ;) Now.. my tummy is paying me back. Thinking about it... it's not the sweet part of halwa that makes me sick... I think it's all the ghee they use when making it! Me and oily foods don't get along. It's just so yummy... I can't resist!

Now... I'm at home... sick. But, it's getting better. A little Alka-Seltzer and water should do the trick. My MIL always suggests drinking margadush... but it never helps. I can barely stand the taste of it, but she swears by it. ;)

Tonight Naief saw his oldest cousin, whom he hasn't seen since the beginning of the year... if that's right. His cousin's in the 7th grade now and has a lot of patience for the little ones. Naief followed him around like a puppy on a leash. Showing off, calling out to him, standing close to where he was sitting.... it was so sweet. He's liked T since he was a baby. Always wanting his attention. It's really sweet to watch him interact with those he adores. There's some type of sparkle in his eyes.

It's weird, coz tonight when his cousin came in... I realized how fast, once again, time flies. I remember when I first met him.... back in 2001. He was 6 and adorable. Now, lemme tell ya, ladies... he has the eyelashes that any woman would die for... long and lush. Beautiful eyes, actually. Handsome young man. He's a lot taller now, has lost a lot of weight... and seemed more self-confident. I teased after asking what grade he was in now and told him that tomorrow he'd be going to college and soon he'd be getting married. :) He laughed... but a little bit of me was serious... in that I can't get over how fast time goes by. It's a bit scary, actually. But... since I'm really trying hard not to look at the glass half full (and for anyone who knows me... knows how hard that is!!! ;) ) .... I'll just leave it at that.

I've started taking these little hormone pills at the advice of my dr. It's to regulate things... and boy is it regulating. I've been in the crabbiest of moods lately. So... hubby has 3 more glorious months until I'm back to my loving and tender ways! ;) lol

And btw... since I'm on the topic of crabbiness, dear Sister Jahooni... MAIL MY BIRTHDAY BOX!!!!! Do I have to wait for mom to get back to Cali before it's mailed???!!!! Or would you rather I come there and jerk a knot?!

Peace, out! (gosh, it feels good to have my spunkiness back.. maybe I should take these hormone pills all the time!! :) )

B I R T H D A Y S

wow... another year, another wrinkle, a walking, talking, little boy, a new part-time job...

so many new things... as well as a new year for this old soul inside of me. yes, today's my birthday, and you wouldn't think it, but i actually forgot this morning. it wasn't the first thought that crossed my mind (which is a first, lemme tell ya)... i didn't feel like pulling the sheets over my head or dread getting up and out of bed to face that 'birthday' day, and i didn't moan from the thought of it when hubby got up and sang, "happy birthday to you", while i was still snuggling next to the little one.

really, this is a first and i wonder why. why no complaining on my part? no bad mood because i'm another year older, no ..................... , no .................. , nothing. where has it all gone? why did i forget that it was my birthday? hmmmm.....

my friend, bint battuta's birthday is tomorrow, and then my friend, puppy, has one on the 7th of this month, and then another blog friend, rain, has one coming up... but i can't remember the date (i'm so bad w/ dates!!)... and i'm sure there are some others if i just think hard enough, but why put my precious brain and the few brain cells i have left thru such daunting tasks!!? ;) so i wont! :)

our wedding anniversary is also coming up.... strange since i NEVER remember it!! this year i did... that's a first! so many good things in such a short time frame. :)

anyway... instead of going on and on and on.... i'll just end it here and say, "Happy Birthday friends!!! May your day be filled with happiness, peace and love, and may the year bring you fabulous surprises around every corner of your world."

USA vs. Brazil.... and other stuff

Saw the volleyball finals this afternoon and, boy, was it good!! The women were neck in neck for most of the game... altho, Brazil did pull ahead in the first quarter, the US won the 2nd and then Brazil won at the end.... they were so happy. I just love to see teams (individuals) so happy when they win a gold medal. Seems like such a long time ago that I'd see players crying when their national anthem was playing. I don't think I've seen such in a good while. This year... not once have I seen it. Shoot... I cry and I'm not even playing!! :)

Pretty soon the Olympics will be coming to an end. It's been a good year. China has really competed well... winning several gold medals and showing true sportsmanship - even in the face of controversy - w/ reports that a few of their gymnasts are 14, when the age of an Olympian has to be 16. Even w/ this said, I'm really happy they had a chance to shine and that so many countries were able to win gold medals for the first time ever.

I really enjoyed watching the power lifting. Saw a friend's countrymen doing well and felt really happy when China won at least two gold medals in this competition. I also really enjoyed watching track and field... boy, that Jamaican guy can run!! Did anyone see him running the 200M?!! Wow!!! As the announcer on Dubai Sports says, "Ya Salam" (wow)!! I heard that many times today while the volleyball game was going on! ;) I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Russian woman winning at the pole volt. She broke her own world record, matter of fact. That was exciting stuff... lemme tell ya!! The one thing I did regret was not being able to see more gymnastics. Seemed like I might have been the only one in this part of the world really interested because Dubai Sports wasn't interested in showing too much of it... but oh well.

I also missed some of the best swimming competitions as well. Was talking to my sister on the telephone one morning - my time - and she was right in the middle of watching one competition, which was taped, and I had missed all of it. It was when Phelps was winning big time, so I was a bit down about that. I did catch a lot of diving, which I love... and, again, China was kicking butt w/ that.

Soon it'll be over and my world will be back to normal :'( ... Olympicless... so sad.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I will add, on a personal note, that I have reconnected w/ my older sister after two (edit: I'd say it's been more like 4, after seriously thinking about it) years, and I'm really happy about this. My younger sister was instrumental in helping this along, and if it hadn't been for her, don't think it would have happened so soon if at all because I am one stubborn thing when it comes to matters of the heart.

I've really missed talking to her over the last couple of years... finding myself longing to call her many a day, but didn't, and only wishing that we were close like before.... but now, things are ok again. I made the initial call to her. I think it was around 3:00 a.m. her time... and when she answered the phone, I couldn't even talk. My voice cracked and that was it. I knew if I tried to carry on a conversation, all to be heard would be tears/sobs of joy... but when you're in the midst of such, they don't sound so joyful, now do they?!!

My mother is there visiting w/ her right now and flies back to Florida to spend the rest of her summer w/ her sister, my auntie. Gosh, it's been forever since seeing my auntie... something like .... gosh, I don't know, probably 20 years!!! No kidding. The last time I saw her, I was a teenager. She moved to Florida w/ her husband and that's the last I saw of her. She has since visited my sister in California and I was able to talk to her on Skype, which was good, but ain't it weird how no matter how long it's been, there's still something that connects family. I can truly say that I hardly know her now, but am starting to get to know her again through emailing and pictures... and I'm really happy for it.

Ramadan is almost upon us. This year I will be cooking at home and treating my own family to good home cooking and homemade desserts. I'm excited for many reasons... the main one, our family can start our own tradition w/ respect to Ramadan and it really tickles me that it has the possibility of becoming truly special and, two, I don't have to put up w/ any outside 'stuff'.... if you know what I mean?!! :)

Bravo! China

China should be proud!!! What an incredible opening ceremony. The part where the Olympic rings come up from the ground and float in the air - amazing, all the drummers - WOW, bringing the old and new together to create one was magnificent, all the shots of the crowd, the athletes coming in at the end and China's team - their smiles, their enthusiasm, the speech from the President of the Olympic Committee - superb, the incredible feeling I got when, not only Bahrain, but many of the Arab countries came onto the field - I felt such pride and joy for these teams (which is a first :) ), and then to see the American team come onto the field and President Bush - I felt such happiness... gets me every time.

I'm not sure what it is, but every 4 yrs, I completely abandon all else to sit and watch every possible piece of the Olympics... I just love the summer games. And to think, Bahrain has a 16 yr old competing ... in swimming. I'm thrilled. What an accomplishment... this young man should be proud.

The one thing that was disappointing is that Bahrain didn't have anyone there representing. What's up w/ that? Did no one go to back the team? Or did they not show the ppl in the stands?

I got tears in my eyes when Iraq came in... having been told by the commentator that they made it just in time.... how proud they must be.

I can't wait to start watching. Some of my favorites are gymnastics, long distance running, track and field, swimming, diving.... hmmmm... and sometimes I love to watch the rowing competitions. aaahhhh... I'm just thrilled that it's on Dubai Sports and in English!!! :)

18 mths here and gone

18 mths has come and gone.... ok, by one day, but yesterday seemed to last a loooooonnng time, especially by early this morning when I hadn't seen but an hour or so of sleep.

Naief went to the dr. yesterday to get checked for his cough and what I thought to be a sore throat, and wound up getting his 18 mth injection. I've been dreading these last couple of injections... with a real fear inside of me of autism. This fear has been constant for a while, so I'm thankful they're over and hope that the next few months are smooth sailing, even though the dr. told me I had no reason to worry since the 1 yr vaccine was the 'real' worry, in terms of autism. Nice that he didn't mention that at the time! and blew me off when I addressed my worries the first time.... you know, are there any good pediatricians in this country?? I swear.. when I read my baby books, I feel like there's something really missing when we visit the dr., but anyway...

So... he gets checked out... ears, throat, nose, chest and back, and all is ok, altho I am told to give him Actifed until the runny nose and coughing clears up, then ... the big injection is given. I told Naief beforehand, which worked the last time. He didn't shed a tear w/ his last injection, but not so lucky this time around. He cried and cried hard... but stopped soon after ... as soon as his eyes found something else more interesting, which was a blessing.

He seemed well enough... running and playing at home, but went to bed early since he hadn't had a real nap yesterday, but I guess around 9 or so last night, he awoke crying like I've never heard him cry before. It scared me, matter of fact. Don't think I've ever heard him cry with such deep sounding pain.... so I got inside beside him and tried to comfort him as best as possible, only to realize he had a fever and let out blood curdling cries if I touched his right leg - which just so happened to be the leg where he got the shot.

I felt the site - really hot - so I asked hubby to go and get a cold pack, then picked Naief up and put him on me. I guess after about 20 mins or crying, he started to settle down.... until I put the cold pack on his leg, and then, once again, he cried so heavy that I worried whether or not everything was ok. We gave him some pain/fever reducer and I kept assuring him that it would stop hurting shortly. Off and on he cried ... I guess for another 40 or so mins., until he fell asleep.

He slept only a bit and wound up being up most of the night w/ pain and a medium fever... as well as momma. It was really sweet actually coz throughout the night, I'd hear, "momma", and I'd answer him, only for him to be quiet - but moving his one good leg and arms about - and then I'd hear another, "momma"... I guess to make sure I was awake with him. :) Hashim said it reminded him of me when I really can't sleep coz I'll often wake him to tell 'em I can't sleep... not really sure of what I want or need since his waking wouldn't make my ability NOT to sleep any better.....

And low and behold, my little boy does the same thing :) !!

This morning was very restless w/ his body having muscle spasms from lack of sleep... so he'd go to sleep, sleep for about 30 mins and wake up crying... go back to sleep, sleep for another 20 or so mins., wake up and repeat again. I found myself getting into the same rhythm... since he was sleeping on me and still not able to move his leg.

Around 11, he awoke wanting to watch TV... so I turn on the tube, put on some cartoons as he laid quietly.... I guess around 12:30 or 1, I get him up to try and work out his leg. It was so sweet... he hobbled around w/out putting any real pressure on his leg... reminded me of an old man. :)

He's now better, altho he's still running a fever that peaks every 4 hrs or so, is coughing, sneezing and still having some bad leg pain... but all in all, he's doing a lot better than early this morning... thankfully.

I truly hate these injections... seems like every time he gets them, they either make him sick or make his leg hurt, bruise him or some such. Poor little guy.... hopefully in a few days, it'll all be a distant memory.

the new 'buzz' do

The first pic was taken right after his cut. These are the little cars the kids sit in while having their hair cut.

The second was on our way home. He has something all over his mouth... and, no, we don't walk around like this (miss thang), he had just finished eating something... and it was just too cute to pass up! :)

He's becoming so independent. Just amazes me to see him changing every day. He's talking a little. Says "habeby (dear, love) and hathe (means 'this' - not pronouncing the 'h' too well ) in Arabic, and says things like "I want this/that/these, down, ball, bird", and is trying to say/repeat words I say (English)... it's really sweet and I love listening to his little voice. He jabbers all day about this and that. I have some of it recorded, so maybe I'll post a little of it. Not sure you all would find it as adorable as I do... but you just might :)

anyhoo... wanted to let you guys see his new do. ;)

a day at the beach

Me and Naief ventured out yesterday w/ a friend of mine, her little girl (who happens to be a few months older than Naief), and her friend and her daughter. How I let myself get talked into going to the beach is beyone me... but it happened. Now I'm reminded once again why I hate the sea water and beaches here!!

I found myself dreading going that morning... it was just sooo hot and the thought of getting baked by the sun didn't really appeal to me - I'm no sun goddess. Never have been. The sun makes me sick and gives me a severe headache (I have a massive one today... lingering from yesterday afternoon). Even as a teenager when my mom would lay out for hours... I'd lather myself up, get a pillow and plop myself down next to her - only to get up after about 20 mins or so complaining of the heat. Once I even passed out after coming inside... and here I was born in August! You'd think me and hot weather would be pals...

Naief has my skin... he gets bright red cheeks from heat and would probably burn if out too long, so I made sure to put heavy sunblock on him yesterday and give it a whirl (being in the sun)... since he loves the water and this place was said to have an actual sand beach - the kind of sand that actually goes down into the water. Well... it did, but the water was .... not nice. It wasn't terrible - didn't smell, but after standing in knee deep water for about 5 mins., I felt something bumping (or so I thought) up against my foot, and after the 5th time of feeling it, I immediately thought that there couldn't be anything floating in the water to create that feeling... upon looking down, I realized I was being bitten by tiny little fish!! It totally creeped me out... there's just something about little fish trying to eat at you that doesn't sit too well w/ me.

Naief loved being in the water... but I must tell you guys that I had a terrifying moment when we first went in. I let go of his hand for a second and looked up to say something to a friend and when I looked down, he was face down in the water!!!!!! My heart skipped a beat. I jerked him up... put him on my shoulder and got out. He didn't cry... I think he was too scared to cry. I didn't feel him fall... he made not a sound. I can't believe I'm sitting here typing this... even telling anyone... I feel like a lousy mother for not holding onto him so tightly that nothing like that could even happen - but it did. BUT... it will never happen again if I have anything to do w/ it.

You hear about children drowning in the bathtub all the time... now I see why. He could have drowned so easily.... if I hadn't been paying attention... my heart hurts just thinking about it. I wont be taking him to the beach again for a while. I think he's too young.... I think the beach is better suited for older children who can swim or at least know how to right themselves if they fall face first into the water.

All three children fell face first yesterday.... I think the sand was difficult to walk in and wearing crocs made it probably impossible to navigate - especially for a little one. I keep asking myself what I was thinking to even take him. It was too hot, the water wasn't really fit to swim in, I hate sea water (the salt kills my eyes), and to have my baby scared just isn't worth it. He had a good time after, but I'm a bit concerned about the sea water he probably swallowed or inhaled... I can only imagine the parasites living in that somewhat stagnant water...

Last night he tossed and turned for a while. I wondered if he was having nightmares about it... I know I couldn't sleep just from thinking about it and letting myself linger too long on the thought of 'what if'....

This was a lesson learned....

starting to walk

Our little boy is growing up! :) He has started to walk. He's been getting his legs for the last couple of days, and tonight at the corniche he walked for a good bit all by himself! It was the sweetest thing to watch. At one point, he started swinging his arms back and forth as if to say, "ok, what's next!" :)

Here's a pic of him in the car and one of him standing while we were out tonight. He was watching some guys play cricket while we were in the car. I've noticed that he really takes to watching anything that has a ball. He LOVES balls and seems mesmerized whenever he sees them when were out.

I'm loving how he's changing. He now gets excited about the little rides at the park, loves to look at helicopters in the sky and makes such serious faces when he hears them. He says a few words now - "this", "that" and "burr" for bird. Sometimes I think I hear him repeating words I say, but I'm not sure.

He has such emotion and has even started to tell me when something hurts him and points to where it is. Everything is a little emergency with him and if he does something, he calls to me so that he can show me what happened or what he did. It's the sweetest thing. and wouldn't ya know it... this little one loves to help momma clean! He'll grab any cloth or piece of clothing around him and start wiping down the floor, chair, cabinet... :)

He's also starting to get very independent and boisterous. I got a little bit of footage w/ my camera of him walking the other morning... i'll try to put it on tomorrow.

His auntie bought the little crocs he has on today while we were out. He loves them. One of my gf's told me that he'd love crocs, but I thought for sure he was too young for them. I guess not.