My favorite gender reveal party ideas!

Hi friends!! It’s been a while since I wrote my last blog. I am taking online classes, and with an exploring one-year old and housework, my down time is rare. However, I had to make time to write this post because it’s about one of my favorite things! For those of you who don’t know, I am expecting baby number two in April 2017. I’m super excited (and nervous) for my daughter to gain a sibling and for my expanding family. Today, Nov. 4, was my anatomy scan, and tonight I will find out the gender of my baby. I have planned an intimate gender reveal party for our immediate families and the anticipation is killing me! Nobody will know the gender until the party—including me and my husband.

I absolutely love gender reveal parties. I find it so exciting to watch a couple realize whether they are expecting a boy or a girl. The suspense gets me every time—even if it’s a party for a couple I don’t know. My heart races just before the big reveal and I look forward to assuming bragging rights if I correctly guessed the gender. I have spent endless hours watching clips from the Instagram account @genderrevealvideos and enjoying the reactions of parents when they discover the pink or blue. So, I decided to write a blog post about my favorite gender reveal ideas in hopes that you might like them and use them for your own parties.

Some of my favorite ways to reveal a baby’s gender can get pretty messy and are probably best to be performed outdoors. So here are some cool ideas to do outside:

Silly string:

 If the weather wasn’t so cold, I think this would be the route I would have went to reveal the gender of baby no. 2. Basically you would have to plan ahead for this one, and confide in someone you really trust if you don’t want to know yourself. If you had your ultrasound scan done ahead of time, you can give the results to a friend or family member and have them go out and buy a bunch of silly string cans in the color that will easily indicate your baby’s gender (usually this is pink or blue). Have your “confidant” cover up all of the cans with some sort of wrapping paper that hides what color the silly string is and make sure you have enough for all of your guests. When you are ready for the big reveal, you and your significant other can stand next to each other and on the count of three:

Photo retrieved from: pinterest

Baseball/football/hockey/golf:

For all you sporting fans out there, this is a pretty creative idea to allow others to find out the gender of your baby. For this idea, again, you would have to trust in a confidant to purchase the correct color exploding ball.  Or, you can buy both colors and just give the results to your person and have him or her select the corresponding color. Here’s some that you can find on Etsy: exploding baseball. The way these work is one of you could pitch the ball and the other would bat, one of you would kick a football, slap the hockey puck or swing and hit the golf ball, depending on whatever sport you choose. If all works out well, the ball will explode in a bright pink or blue, letting everyone know whether it’s a boy or a girl!

Photo retrieved from: Pinterest

Smoke bombs:

My cousin did this for her gender reveal party, and I thought it was so cool. She is expecting twins, and so she had ordered a set of four smoke bombs online –two pink and two blue. Her sister went with her to her 20 week ultrasound and was given the gender results in private. When it was party time and all the guests had arrived, someone lit the first smoke bomb for ‘baby A’ and shortly after the second for ‘baby B’. Here’s a link to purchase these smoke bombs: Colored smoke

If the time you discover your baby’s gender falls in the colder months and you would prefer something that wasn’t so messy for an indoor party, here are some more of my cleaner suggestions:

Jack in the box:

So I saw this recently and thought it would be so fun. The only problem is it’s hard to find a gender reveal jack in the box, so some creativity is needed for this project. You can find a regular jack in the box online, but it would be up to you to figure out how to customize it in such a way that would reveal the gender of your baby. If you can find one big enough to put some small flowing balloons in there, that would also be ideal. But, the whole concept is having to wait until the jack pops out of the box using the musical lever to discover the blue or pink while everyone waits in anticipation. Here’s a Youtube link that I found that involved a jack in the box: Jack in the box gender reveal video

Cake surprise:

The cake surprise is a common one, but it is still fun and fail proof. When I had my first gender reveal, I tried to keep in mind something that was going to be easy to unveil. I initially wanted to open a large box of blue or pink balloons, but after seeing countless videos of balloons that didn’t fly out and couples who struggled opening the box, I opted out. Though I didn't do the cake surprise, I would recommend it. The cake is easy, clean and just as suspenseful as all the others ideas.

Photo retrieved from: Pinterest

Cupcakes (or any other dessert):

This is the gender reveal idea that I’m going to do for baby number 2. I have prepared an order of 20 cupcakes (one for each guest), and only of the cupcakes will be filled with the color of my baby’s gender. I will not know the gender, but I have a friend who will know the results and has offered to call in my order. The plan is to have our families bite into the cupcake at one time to discover who has the lucky cupcake! You can do this also with cake pops or anything that you can come up with creatively to surprise your guests.

Photo retrieved from: Pinterest

It’s also fun to get decorative with pink and blue balloons, flowers, and dessert spread. I also like to keep track of everyone’s guesses prior to the big reveal, so that I can have them for memory. What are some of your gender reveal idea favorites? Did you have a gender reveal party? If so, what did you do? Let me know in the comment section, and don’t forget to subscribe! :) 

Product I love: Dr. Brown's Bottles FTW!

                        For this product-I-love feature, I’d like to talk about the Dr. Brown’s bottles for babies. Prior to giving birth, I was told to use Dr. Brown’s bottles as recommended by other moms. After trying other bottles as well, I found that the Dr. Brown’s bottle was my favorite. Here’s why:

                        When my daughter was barely a month old; she was pretty gassy. She wasn’t exactly colicky, but gassy. And, what is great about these bottles is it eliminates a lot of extra air that may go through so the bottle so your baby is only sucking in milk. When your baby is sucking in too much air, he or she will seemingly be uncomfortable because it causes gassy stomach pains. Other bottles that I used, for example, the Medela bottles that you can pump breast milk right into, allowed way too much air and I was able to see the air bubbles as my daughter was drinking.

                        Another cool thing about the Dr. Brown’s bottles is that you are able to change the flow of the nipple as your baby grows. I'm sure other bottle brands do this too, but for Dr. Brown's there are three different levels: level 1 being the slowest flow, and level 3 being the fastest. Instead of changing the whole bottle, all you have to do is buy the new nipple, which you can find at places like Target for under $5. They also come in multiple different sizes, so however much your child’s milk intake is, you can buy the bottle according to how many ounces it holds.

                        However, here’s the downside: while the Dr. Brown’s bottles are good at eliminating air intake, they tend to be a lot of maintenance when cleaning. They have so many different parts to them, so you always have to take the entire bottle and break the pieces up and clean them one by one. I had to purchase small bottle cleaners in order to get in the little holes of the Dr. Brown bottle parts.  It can get pretty annoying, especially when your baby is eating every 2-3 hours the first few months of life. I had to exclusive breastfeed through the pump, so I was washing bottles all day, every day. Another downside about the Dr. Brown’s bottles, is it does take quite a while for the baby to finish it. I’m assuming due to the restriction of air bubbles, the flow is much slower…so those night time feedings can seem to drag on and on.

                        Did you use Dr. Brown’s bottles for your baby? How did you like it? If not, what types of bottles did you use, and what was your experience?

A quick, easy and delicious quinoa salad!

 Anyone who knows me knows that I love salad. There’s a running joke in my family where I’m known as “more of a salad girl”, because I once said that I would prefer a salad over an ice cream Sundae. And, I truly mean that—not because it’s a healthier choice, but truly because I really love salads. Macaroni salad, potato salad, Greek salad, ranch salad, fattoush, tabbouli—if it’s a salad, add it to my list of favorite things. My most recent salad favorite is a quinoa salad!

 Last year, during my student teaching internship (yes, everything happened during my internship), I was still nursing and had to pack a nutritious lunch every day. One day my sister stopped by and dropped off this Tupperware filled with what she called quinoa salad. I’m not that big on quinoa, I feel it has a bland taste. However, with added lemon, salt and olive oil; it became something I could work with. I began experimenting with this salad and added some veggies and extra seasoning, and now it is probably one of my favorite lunches! It’s super easy to make and if you make a larger amount at the start of your work week; it should last you a good three to four days. I thought I’d share this simple recipe with you, and I hope you find it as delicious as I do!

Ingredients:

1 C Quinoa

1 or 1 ½ small lemon (for freshly squeezed lemon juice)

2 tsp of Tuscan house Italian dressing

½ tsp of salt

½ tsp of sumac

1 tsp of zaatar

About (maybe even less) ¼ C of olive oil

1 tomato (chopped)

1 small red onion (chopped)

Some crumbled feta cheese

curled parsley (chopped)

Directions:

1. Cook the quinoa as directed (usually it’s 2 cups of water per 1 cup quinoa) and let cool in a large bowl.

2. Add feta, tomato, parsley, red onion to the cooked quinoa.

3. Add salt, sumac, zaatar.

4. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, and Italian dressing in a small bowl and mix well.

5. Pour dressing over the quinoa salad and mix well.

You can add more salt, olive oil or lemon as desired. This salad is colorful, healthy and can be served for a picnic, a park day, a pool party or lunch time at work!

Let me know what your thoughts in the comment section! Enjoy!

Create your own character themed party!!

I don’t recall ever feeling sad and excited at the same time. I mean, I was sad/excited to move out of my parents house to be moving in with my best friend on our wedding day, but the feelings weren’t so heightened as I prepared to celebrate my daughter’s first birthday.

                As mentioned in previous posts … my daughter loves to watch the show Maya The Bee. So, I thought it would be fitting to have a Maya the Bee themed party for her first birthday. I decided to have a more intimate gathering with just my husband’s immediate family and mine. Like many Arab families, if I were to invite extended family members on both sides … I would’ve needed a much bigger venue than my backyard! But, I figured I’d save the big birthday celebration for when she's a little older. 

                Despite the small guest list, the party took up a lot of time to plan and prepare! Unlike a lot of popular kids’ shows like Mickey Mouse Club House or Family Guy … Maya the Bee party supplies were IMPOSSIBLE to find. I discovered that Maya the Bee is actually popular in other countries outside the U.S. The supplies that I did find were both expensive and would have taken weeks to ship. Still, I didn’t want to give up on the theme so I decided to get crafty and create my own décor.

                It was easy to find the yellow, black and white colors for the simple party things like plates, napkins, balloons, streamers etc. However, I did not want to have only the three colors complete my theme. I began searching Maya the Bee characters on Google Images, and I then printed about seven of the characters in color. I initially thought it would be a good idea to simply poke a hole in the cut out images I had printed and let the characters hang from a string throughout my canopy. Then, I remembered a trick I learned during student teaching that would keep the hanging characters sturdy and not so flimsy looking.

Here’s what I did:

1. After saving the images from my Google search I printed each one in full page view.

2. I then edited the each of the images in paint and rotated them to flip horizontally like so:

3. I printed the rotated images so that I had two images of each character. 

4. I cut out around each image

5. I took a piece of poster board paper--or you can use a manila folder like the one pictured above-- (or anything sturdier than computer paper) and traced the outline of my printed, cutout image onto the poster board paper.

6. I cut along the trace on my poster board and glued the two images on each side so that when you turn it over you will see the same picture.

7. I bought some thin white ribbon and poked a hole through the top of the image with a hole puncher and allowed it to hang from the ceiling of my canopy like so:

This helped create my Maya the Bee theme because I was able to incorporate the characters from the show in a fun, creative way. I also created a special piece for my sweet table in which I used the same steps shown above, except for I added a little stand. For the stand I used a small piece of styrofoam that I found a Michael’s and cut a little slither to place the characters foot in and added some extra poster board paper that leaned against the “back” of the character for extra standing support.

For my sweet table, I tried to keep the colors black, yellow and white. A little pinterest search helped inspire my fruit kabobs that consisted of black grapes and pineapples. I also created little pudding parfaits that included layers of crushed nilla wafers, instant vanilla pudding, and cool whip. 

Another yummy treat I made were these delicious smores balls that were a total hit! I found the recipe here: Smore's balls Recipe

The guest tables were set up with plastic table covers that gave the illusion of a lace pattern from Party City. Party City also had these white containers for a $1 that I put white and yellow flowers in to use as center pieces.We also created a snapchat filter, but unfortunately the font was a bit too small and I should have chosen a more visible color. 

 Each guest also received a party favor, which was a mason jar filled with honey (get it?) and a tag that read “Can’t BEElieve she’s already 1”.

The jars and tags can be found here and here. My lovely bee-hive cake was made by @FarhatSweets1 and was filled with this delicious pistachio custard flavor:

Another thing that might be of interest to you is the banner I bought! I thought it would serve as a sweet memory from this website called BuildASign.com. It was affordable and the image I used was crystal clear! It is super user friendly and if you sign up via e-mail you will receive coupons up to 25 percent off. I bought a sign that was 3x5 and it was the perfect size.

I had so much fun planning and celebrating this party, and I wanted to share with you some of these ideas so that maybe you can use them as inspiration for your upcoming event. 

What was the theme you used to celebrate your kids' birthday parties? Let me know in the comment section, and don't forget to subscribe to my blog :). 

By the way- I was totally kidding about the Family Guy mention. Definitely not a kid’s show.

My transition into motherhood! Happy Birthday, Madina!

                If I could describe my transition into motherhood in anyway, I would compare it to the Hunger Games, but more so Parenting Games. Except, no one dies (hopefully), and just about everyone can win, but the struggle to stay afloat is real. Directly after giving birth, it was as if some PFO (Parenthood Flying Object) abducted me, transported me to this new world and left me here. The new world looks the same as the old but feels very different. There are veterans and rookies, and the veterans are at the top of the parenthood hierarchy. The veterans, though they mean well, often aim to give advice to rookies, but some advice is unwarranted. However, no matter how many veterans offer a helping hand (for the most part), eventually parents are left to fend for themselves.

                In the first three months I was in a realm where stretches of sleep were a luxury, afforded only to a few lucky parents who by chance had an infant who slept through the night. In this new world, I am not just known as Mariam, rather, I am the mother of Madina. In this new world, it is a tiny, fragile, innocent human being who controls my thoughts, my fears and my every move.

                Like a deer in headlights, I am afraid, confused, and constantly worried about whether I am doing the right thing. I fear the judgment of other parents who have done this before and wonder if I could live up to the expectations of being a good parent. Although I’m slowly starting to realize that being a good parent is somewhat subjective; I still research, read blogs, speak with doctors, and yet find myself trapped in gray areas because my kid will not respond to the techniques that experts suggest.

                Though it may seem that this new world is grim, I assure you it’s anything but. It’s brighter, greener, and more fulfilling that I could have ever imagined. Staying awake is worth it when you get to look into your little ones eyes during the night’s quietest hours. Being scared is okay if it means making sure your baby feels safe. The imaginary rope that has you feeling tied down loosens up when your baby smiles and your heart feels like it’s about to explode into all things that represent happiness. And, as I watch my baby, this little piece of me, grow up in this big world I feel like it makes me a better person. I am able to reflect on my own life, and my own childhood, and recognize the importance of being kind to others. Because with every act of kindness, I realize that my interaction is with someone else’s daughter or son. And, I think about how appreciative I would feel if acts of kindness were passed on to my little girl.

                On her first birthday, I am incredibly emotional. I’m re watching old videos, reminiscing on old pictures and I’m just in awe at how quickly she has grown. I pray that everyone who wants to be a parent gets to be part of this new world. It’s shining, shimmering splendor (I’m sorry). Happy Birthday to my angel, my first born. Happy Birthday, Madina! Mommy and Daddy love you.

*Product Feature* A quick way to keeping your home looking polished during a busy week.

              I decided that I’m going to start featuring some of my favorite products on my blog. Anything that doesn’t require much labor and makes life a little easier for me is automatically a plus. I’ve heard that there is a robot that mops your floors, but I haven’t tried it yet so I can’t write a post about it. However, there is another product that I’d like to share with you that makes it easy to mop your floors when you have a busy week or just need to maintain your housekeeping chores. It’s the Shark Mop.

              

               This really came in handy when I was pregnant. I wasn’t able to maneuver my body and get on all fours to mop my floors (arab style) while I had my stomach out several inches in front of me. So, the shark mop really helped save me some back aches and hard work. 

How it works:

1. You fill the mop with nothing but water. No chemicals or any type of cleaning solution.

2. You wet the mopping cloth and ring out the water until it’s damp.

3. Place the mopping cloth securely on the shark mop, with the scrubbing side down first.

4. Plug it in and turn it on and wait for it to steam, then mop away!

                You may think that if you’re not using any chemicals or solution that your floors aren’t getting very clean…but they are. The shark mop releases steam from a hot enough temperature that is able to sanitize your floors. I don’t recommend the shark mop for deep cleaning, but it is good to use when there hasn’t been much traffic in your house and you don’t feel it’s necessary to intensely mop your floors with chemicals or special wood cleaners. It’s quick, easy and you can use it on hard wood and tile.

                Sometimes I’ll use the shark mop in my daughter’s room, or in my office, where there isn’t much action. And, I’ll use it throughout my whole house if I’m having a busy week. It was really easy to push around while I was pregnant and you’re able to see the steam, so you know it is working to sanitize the floors.

                There are different variations of the shark mop. I have the 2-in-1 Electronic Steam pocket mop, you can find it here . After doing some research, I was able to find one just like mine, at a much cheaper cost from Costco .

                However, despite all of the pros, there is one issue that I have with the shark mop that I should warn you about: The cord isn’t long enough to go from room to room (if you have large rooms). So, that’s a little frustrating, and I think this product would have been much better if it was rechargeable. Otherwise, it’s nice to have around the house for a quick touch up to keep your home looking polished and clean.

                If you know of any cool cleaning products that can help make a busy person’s life easier … let me know in the comment section. Or, if you have the shark mop, what are your experiences?

Babies and TV Time ... What's your take?

                I hope you all had a wonderful Ramadan, and you are getting ready to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr (if you haven't already)! It’s been a while since I wrote a post because I have been really busy this past month studying for my teaching certification exam and planning my daughter’s first birthday party! Thankfully, with the help of many prayers and countless hours of studying, I was able to pass my exam!

                My daughter’s first birthday is actually July 19, but we decided to celebrate a little early because many of our family members are going to be out of town on the 19^th. I had so much fun decorating and preparing for her first birthday party as it was the theme of her favorite show, “Maya the Bee”. I look forward to sharing all of the details with you, but I figured I’d first like to write a post about babies and TV time-- a somewhat controversial subject. 

                How much is too much? Should TV time even be allowed for your child? If so, what types of shows are appropriate? These are all questions that I asked myself before I became a mom. If I’m honest, I was leaning more towards the “zero TV” stance. I feared that, if anything, TV could impair cognitive abilities as babies grow. Also, there are a lot of articles out there that recommend that TV should be avoided for babies under the age of 2. But, my takeaway is if you allow TV for a short period of time without the intention of having only shows teach your child, my opinion is that it's okay in moderation.

It’s no doubt that most parents try to be super mom or super dad, and we want our children excel at everything they do. That includes things that are beyond our control, like, teething for example. Once we see our baby drooling when he or she is 3 months (because it’s possible), we all expect to see a tooth popping in and pride ourselves in having children who raced to pop out teeth so soon.

Although, through my experience and seeing other parents with children around the same age as my baby, I concluded that every child experiences milestones at different times and at his or her own pace. I definitely didn’t want to be that mom, you know, the one who just lets her child watch television all day every day instead of giving her baby time and attention.

However, I decided that if I was to allow TV, I had to be selective. I discovered a lot of shows and videos available online and through cable that Madina might benefit from. I began allowing a half hour of TV a day. She seemed to be pretty amused by all of the colors and animation. Even I enjoyed the catchy ABC, and 123 tunes, and I told my husband I would even jam to them had they been on a CD (CD’s are still in, right?).

            Not too long ago I introduced to her a show called “Maya the Bee” that you can find on the network titled “Sprout”. When “Maya the Bee” comes on my daughter’s face lights up, she kicks her feet and she smiles from ear to ear. This is a reaction I captured of when "Maya the Bee" begins:

  

 Maya the Bee is about a responsible little bee who teaches kids a lesson through every episode as she helps protect other bees in the meadow. Though my daughter does not yet understand this, she loves watching it and enjoys the colors and little characters. Each episode is about 20 minutes, and she watches one or two a day at most. Baby Einstein and Little Einstein are also other networks that are intended for educational purposes.  They have episodes that talk about shapes, colors, numbers and alphabets that might register if you continually help reiterate the information. 

            If not "Maya the Bee", I recently discovered this network on Youtube called Ta Ha TV, which has a lot of cute Arabic and Islamic cartoons for kids. I have to admit that my Arabic is pretty weak, but I do want Madina to be familiar with Arabic, so I try to include the language in her TV time. I don't believe she will become fluent through these shows, but I like the content and it's something I want her to get used to.

 Check out these Youtube links to some of Madina’s favorite Ta Ha videos: About Giving Charity (Arabic) About Mom It's raining! Noora the Bird 

              Whether it’s Maya the Bee, Baby Einstein or Ta Ha TV, I don't think it makes you a bad parent if you allow some TV time at a young age. It also doesn't hurt that TV time also allows me some extra time during the day to catch up with other things around the house, especially on days when naps are short. Another tip if you need to get things done and you don't want your child to watch, say, more than a half hour a day, is try to put your child in front of a window and let him or her watch what's going on outside. My daughter loves when I put her in front of the window, and she sits and observes for up to 45 minutes! 

Here are some articles that I read that helped me make my decision on TV: 
Pro TV
No TV
TV Facts and Suggestions
TV guidelines for Toddlers

What are your thoughts? How much TV does your child watch? Do you allow TV time at all? If so, what is your child’s favorite show (s)?

To all of my Muslim friends: I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Eid Holiday!

-Mariam 

O Kaaba, O Kaaba, how steadfast is the Qibla.

            Ramadan Kareem everyone! The holy month of Ramadan is upon us, and it is the time for family gatherings, heightened spirituality, and self reflection. For a little more detail about this holy month check out an article I wrote a couple years back for the Dearborn Patch:Five Things Everyone Should Know About Ramadan.

One of my favorite things to see for every holiday is how people decorate their homes in celebration. I am happy to see a lot more homes decorated for Ramadan in Dearborn! I have been seeing larger than life “Ramadan Mubarak” banners across front porches, twinkling lights, and the famous moon and star symbol hanging on windows. Now that I have a daughter, I really wanted to make it a point this year to decorate my own home for Ramadan. I want Madina to know that the month of Ramadan is of utmost importance in our household. And, I want the Eid to feel just like Christmas morning would to a young Christian child.

Speaking of Christmas, even as a Muslim, it’s hard not to soak up the aura that Christmas time exudes. When I think of Christmas, I picture the colorful lit homes, the dazzling Christmas trees with all their hanging ornaments, and the fresh, white snow as it brightens the dark night with its sparkling glow. It’s no wonder a lot of Muslims partake in the Christmas festivities—some even put up Christmas trees in their homes.

Likewise, because the Christmas tree is so popular … many Muslims will put it up during Ramadan or Eid and refer to it as “Eid/Ramadan tree”. However, I decided to steer away from the Christmas tree when thinking about a decorative symbol for Ramadan. Not that I don’t condone the tree, I just wanted something that was different; an eye-catching symbol to decorate my home.

After a conversation with a friend about possible decor options, we discussed the perfect idea (among many, actually). If you ask anyone who has ever been to hajj (the obligatory pilgrimage to Mecca) to describe the Kaaba, the answers can all be summed up into one word: Breathtaking. I have yet to go to hajj, (god willing I will get to go soon) but the Kaaba is such a prominent and beautiful structure in Islam … so why not use a Kaaba as a representative symbol? So after a few hours of feeling crafty I created my own little Kaaba to decorate for Ramadan. Here are some pictures: 

How I did it:

I actually don’t want to tell you how I did this, only because I made it a lot harder than it had to be. I’m just going to give you a much simpler direction: Find a cardboard box big enough to fit presents inside. Be sure to take into consideration the size of your family and how many gifts you will need. If you can find a box with a lid, that’s even better. I’m sure they are out there somewhere because I’ve seen people do gender reveal parties with big boxes that balloons fly out of.

Go to a crafts store (Michaels, Joann Fabric, etc.) and find black wrapping paper and glue it on to all the sides of the box. You can use Elmer’s glue for this. I also bought this yellow shimmering poster board that I thought would do well for the Kaaba’s detail. If you go to a fabric store, they have a lot of pretty gold rolls that you can use … or if you’re artsy you can even use paint! Anyway, I cut the poster board into four thick strips and wrapped them around the black box using tape to stick. I then cut even smaller pieces of the gold cardboard to go underneath the first wrap. If you Google search how the Kaaba looks, it has Arabic writing around it. So, I Googled (should be a legitimized verb) the word “Allah” and printed and cut out the calligraphy (four; one on each side) that you see in the above picture.

Using the Christmas stocking concept, I bought two small gift bags and labeled them with our names to use to accumulate sadaqa (charity). And, finally, I bought a little chalk board with a stand so that I can write a different Quranic verse every few days. You can get really creative with this. Mine is pretty simple, but I wanted to share the idea with you because I think it’s a nice alternative to the tree if you were looking for one. I plan on buying some white lights to go around my Kaaba as well! 

Did you decorate your home for Ramadan? If so, how did you do it? Let me know in the comment section! I look forward to hearing your ideas!

How I left my baby behind to vacation!

                Fortunately for me, my daughter is the first grandchild on both sides of our families. I say fortunately because my mom and my mother-in-law fight (in the nicest way possible) to watch her. It’s truly a blessing to be able to have this luxury, especially because I plan to start my career soon and I know my baby is in good hands. This is what made my decision to jet-set alone a little easier.

                A few months ago, my friends and I were entertaining the idea of taking an all girls trip to Florida (yes, I went again). I decided to make a list of reasons of why I should and should not go. Some of the reasons that were in favor of me going were:

1. Now is the best time to go since my daughter is still the only grandchild.

2. I would most likely be working in the fall.

3. In the last year and a half I have been pregnant and taking classes full time, gave birth over the summer, completed a student teaching internship, and then finally finished my master’s project and eventually earned my degree.

And,

4. I Haven’t had a good night sleep since I was 8 months pregnant.  

             Needless to say, I needed a break. While all of these reasons were justified in me taking this vacation, the one reason I had to stay behind seemed to the most prominent: Missing Madina. However, I knew that this opportunity was not going to come by again anytime soon and so after serious contemplation and encouragement from my husband and friends, I decided to book my trip.

            Shortly after, I prepared everything for Madina for the time that I was away. I wanted to make things as easy on my mom and my mother-in-law as possible, since they were doing me such a great favor. Well, if you ask them, I was probably doing them the favor by keeping her with them. Anyway, I began with her food. If you refer to my previous post titled, “Meal Prep for Baby”, you will see how I puree and prep my daughter’s food. In this instance, I organized all of the food by day and stored them in zip lock bags. I wrapped 3 food “bowls” in plastic wrap and labeled them “breakfast” “lunch” or “dinner” like so:

               I then packed Madina’s clothes in separate bags and labeled them using post-it notes to indicate the corresponding days (Monday through Friday) like so:

                In each bag was a hair accessory, a hat, an outfit, shoes,socks, extra cardigan and leggings just in case it got a little chilly and an extra little bag labeled “Night time Pj’s”.

            I also wrote down a checklist for my husband to refer to both in the morning and at night before and after he took her to my mom/mother-in-law’s. He said he followed it promptly…but I don’t believe him.

                Lastly, I printed out a feeding/nap time schedule for my mom and my mother-in-law to use as a guide. Now, I am fully aware that my mom and mother-in-law have had children before and they are perfectly capable of figuring out when a baby needs to nap and eat, I only wrote this down just as a reference. I informed them that it was tentative, and I’m glad I wrote it because they both found it helpful.

               The night before my departure, I was overwhelmed with the feelings of guilt and selfishness as I questioned: Is she going to miss me? What if she doesn’t realize I’m gone? Am I going to be able to handle this? I really shouldn’t be going, do I really need this? Isn’t four nights too long?

              After shedding a few tears (yes, I’m a little dramatic), my husband assured me that there is nothing to worry about, and that everything would be taken care of. I set my worrisome feelings to the side and tried to look forward to the trip.

              When my friends picked me up the next morning, I finally started to feel excited when the thought of sleeping through the night became a reality. I wasn’t as excited about the beautiful beach, our ocean view balcony, or getting to try some delicious new restaurants… I just wanted to sleep.

              And, so I slept. The first night I woke up out of habit it seemed, but after that I was able to sleep through the night, and take naps, and lounge by the water. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was. Although every toddler in sight reminded me of my baby, I was glad I took the time to myself. I came back feeling refreshed, strong, and ready to jump back into the beautiful role of being a mom.

              Sometimes it’s important to allow yourself time to just relax, catch up on sleep, and make your husband realize how much you actually do. We are all so wrapped up in trying to be super mom to our babies, but I don’t believe a few days away makes you anything less. After my trip, I feel a moms get-away is definitely recommended, especially if you have reliable care for your child. So go ahead… Treat yo' self.

             Have you vacationed without your child/children? If so, what was your experience? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section! Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog on the right hand side of your screen.

-Mariam