the February bucket list that is…Let me explain, I don’t believe in new year resolutions….I don’t stick to them rather.
I can name at least one hundred things I would love to do/achieve/manage in my life but that is TOO BIG….I like to keep things simple and short term….realistic or perhaps what I’m trying to say is, that I’m more of an ‘instant gratification’ kind of person….(where the hell is this post going? I was just gonna share my February bucket list and here I am self analyzing myself and feeling quite sorry for myself….).

Anyways here is my Feb bucket list ….Actually bucket list is the wrong name for it…oh well I’m not changing the title now…it should be called … ‘I WANT TO ACHIEVE ….’

• In the kitchen department ,I want to be more adventurous and try out dishes I love but never have made myself.  In no particular order: ricotta and spinach cannelloni, Peking duck, leg of lamb sunday roast, brazo gitano (Spanish version of a custard roulade), creme brulee and pesto.
• Learn a new craft. I have not decided which yet but is between crocheting and quilting. Whichever I go for is going to be with the making of a bedcover in mind.
• In the body , mind and soul department I want to join the step aerobics class at our local sports centre. I used to enjoy the class so much a few years back and I’m going to give it a go once again. Never been one for corporal punishment and I don’t intend to do it now in the name of ‘getting fit’.Step aerobics is not too brutal on the body. It’s quite a lot of fun and you sweat a bit too. So, lets  see if I can still keep up with the other ladies and have a laugh at the same time.

And that folks is all the new things I want to achieve in the coming month. Do you have a bucket list? Is it a long term one? Or do you give yourself a time limit? Please do share.

Salaams y hasta la vista ,

Ines

I’m skipping the bit about writing lame excuses to justify my absence…lets just say I’m here now because I want to/I need to and because last night I ,suddenly, just like that, remembered that my ‘about’ page is not ME anymore.

I’m still married to 1 and as he is still a gem and good for  me I’m keeping him…

Still daughter to 2 and I pray that God keeps them both strong…dad is getting on, not sure how old he is but somewehere in the region of 85 and not the tall,strong fit man I grew up with but still so much wisdom and experiences to pass down to me and my girls… Mum is the rock in our family. She does and does and does, gives and gives and gives…wanting nothing in return, just her family around her.

So the changes needed in the ‘about’ page are …I’m not mother of three anymore and… i’m not thirty something anymore …I’M 40!!!! well 40 and a half and I’m loving it… I am now mother of four fantastic girls and I’M LOVING IT…

So I had better go and figure out how to edit the ‘about’ page cause writing is not the only department I’ve gone rusty on ….I can tell you now that is going to take my a while to figure out how to get things done in here…

But before I go I leave you with my much loved bullet points…

• baby is now 7 and a half months
• dd16 is waiting for replies from 6th forms, can you believe it? my baby is going to do A-levels!!!
• dd11 is sitting her secondary school entry exam today!
• dd13 is a typical teenager and trying really hard to find herself
• I’m trying really hard to get rid of all the baby fat…weight watchers is helping and I’ve lost 1 st so far…way to go but …I’ll keep you updated
• Holidays coming up in 3 weeks…oh how I love those half terms…lazy , slow days, not watching the clock, some crafting, catching up with friends over a cuppa and some home made cakes, pj days, experimenting in the kitchen….bring it on!
• I’m counting the days till planting…I have to stop myself from going into homebase to buy the seeds….

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

P.S  I’m pretty sure I’ll be back soon so do pop in again in a few days…I love getting comments xxx

I don’t even own an android phone…the only reason I went for a blackberry is its simplicity, who needs to touch a screen when you can type away using the keyboard duh.

But one thing I do know is that I was pleasantly surprised to catch the above mentioned teenager on her phone, making the most of one of her apps. Ever since ramadan began ten days ago she has been engrossed using it and I , for once, am not one bit bothered that she is on the phone quite a lot.

What about  you , my readers? Are you into phones and apps? What app could you not live without? Or do you like me think that they are mainly a waste of time…

Salaams y Hasta la vista,

Ines

P.S  my daughter has just informed me that blackberry has apps too. How am I suppose to know?!!!! She should know, she is the savvy after all. See for yourselves here

is never too early to take part...

I know that Ramadan is much more than not eating and drinking, more than cooking yummy dishes and decorating the house and…. but I also know that children don’t understand the spiritual, more meaningful aspects of it, until they reach certain level of maturity.

When I look back at my own childhood and the religious celebrations my family took part in, all I remember and cherish is the atmosphere , the togetherness, the women around the stove, the setting the table with the best crockery and special linen, the sharing and the  laughter, the neighbours coming in to exchange puddings…

What I’m trying to say is that the time will come  when my youngest ones will understand the real meaning of ramadan but in the meantime I’m trying my hardest to provide them with fond memories of this especial month…I’m doing my very best to make it especial… Insh’Allah one day they will look back and remember plenty of good times that they had in many ramadans.

And how do you make your ramadan especial for the little ones? How do you mark this month? Please share.

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

I’m not pregnant any more Our daughter Sarah was born on the 6th of June at 7:27 am to be precise. She is almost two months old and one gorgeous baby even if I say so myself , mash’Allah. Motherhood at the age of 40 is turning out to be much better than I anticipated. All the stuff I read about older mothers being more relaxed and patient might be true after all or just pure coincidence in my case. Whatever the case Sarah is one good easy baby mash’Allah.

Our garden is doing ok considering my dh was in charge this year…So far we have enjoyed juicy and sweet corn. We should be harvesting some tomatoes in another week insh’Allah, just in time for our iftar meals.

Can you believe it’s already Ramadan?!! Time flies indeed… I have been so busy with baby lately that I forgot to draw a list of things I would like to achieve this ramadan. To be honest I doubt I’ll find the time or the energy for extra reading/memorizing the Qur’an but I will try my best. May Allah accept all our fasts, answer our du’as and bring us closer to Him. Ameen.

Not much of a post but it’s a start… Ramadan mubarak to all my muslim brothers and sisters around the world.

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

Not much has happened anyways. Or nothing worth writing about. I’m still pregnant alhamdulilah. Almost  there insh’Allah. 35 weeks according to my medical notes but I swear it feels more like 45 weeks….I don’t need to share this but I’m going to I feel fat, ugly and pregnant. What else did you expect! I know, I know, fourth time round I should know better but it always takes me by surprise how hard it is. I’m not complaining just sharing my experience. Oh and I’m more scared than I have ever been about you know what…The big L is literally doing my head in.

And changing the subject before I start freaking out again….The gardening season has started once again in our household. This year things are slightly different. Dh has decided to take a very active role in the whole growing our own vegetables and fruits process. And boy am I glad!!! So far he has built a raised veg patch, made a few trips to the garden centre to get compost, top soil , manure and other bits and bobs. Mash’Allah , he has been a great help so far.

The girls and I did all the indoor sowing which cover all windowsills in the house but not for much longer. Last sunday the tomatoes were the first to go into the new veg patch thanks to dh’s and dd 15′s help. I do all the directing and driving them mad bit and they follow instructions quite happy to oblige. Bless them…

This coming weekend insh’Allah will be the turn of the sweetcorn and soon after, the peppers will follow. I must take some pics tomorrow to share with you soon…

Oh and on Saturday we had our first bbq of the season too. I will not tell you much about it because I think my dd15 has done a great job as recounting what it was like…. let’s hope my dh does not come across it too…http://princesayasmine.wordpress.com/

My easter holidays started last Thursday and to be honest I’m not doing much. A lot of napping , reading, sitting in the sun, more napping, more reading…some cooking…….Yeah I hear you …’make the most of it while you can, once baby is here…’

Only three more working days before maternity leave kicks off, can’t wait. I’m planning to go back to work in September insh’Allah. I know that it does not sound like much time off to enjoy baby  but believe you me , more than enough for me. I’m not the ‘stay at home mum’ type. I’ve tried and as much as I envy (in a healthy way mash’Allah ) all yummy mummies out there and admire all organic wholesome homemakers, I’m rubbish at it and my children are better off if I go out a few hours a day and come back in the evenings tired, frustrated, hair pulling and miserable but somehow fulfilled. I know it does not make sense but trust me, it’s my crazy take on life.

Only Allah knows when I will post again but I must admit it felt good to do it…and If I do come back soon I will do my best to add some pics to this post and show off my attempts at gardening lol

Salaams y hasta pronto,

Ines

The other day we were watching a programme on the top 50 toys of all times and monopoly came second. Naturally the girls started asking questions about it…what was it?!!! Had I ever played it?!!!! Well and one thing led to another and before you know it we were all in the shops looking for one and soon after back home around a table ….what else could a mother ask for? All her family round a table, all happy , all sharing….

How wrong could I be? That I am competitive I have no doubt but I’m quite ashamed to admit that when it comes to business (I know is only a game but still) there is no family…..say no more….

Poor dd12 could not take ‘shrewd mum’ , it soon got to her…dd10 didn’t know whether to laugh or cry….and dd15 found it very amusing which irritated dd12 even more…

The whole ‘episode’ made me think about what must be like out there in the real business world…scary…I also remembered what was mentioned on the telly about the origins of the game Monopoly …very interesting indeed…the quaker woman’s intention was to show the world how damaging world monopolys can be…lol…

So , dear readers, what do you suggest I do/play/watch with my family which won’t cause any breakups? Not easy  when all they ever want is to be left alone with their own electronic toys…oh and today we’ve welcomed the latest addition to the electronic family…dd12 has now got an ereader with wi fi and some other gadgets that I’m sure she will master before the end of the day….

And just to make myself feel a little bit better or little less bad…yesterday the two little ones baked a chocolate cake , mash’Allah

Salaams and peace,

Ines

I’ll explain….Dh and dd12 and dd10 are off to Algeria on Sunday just two days after I break up for the Christmas Holidays winter break. DD14 , practically 15, and I will not be travelling to Algeria till the Friday 24th, Insh’Allah. So, yeah you figured it out alright…that leaves me with 5 whole days of doing nothing after I drop dd14 to school in the mornings. Oh the possibilities

First thing on our list, starting as soon as we leave them at the airport to fight their way through the Air Algerie staff and all the rest…You know what I mean, the bit when my dh and all other algerian males moan and shout about the excess weight charge….’how come brother? you want me to pay extra when I only have 20 kilos over the limit? Come on brother , it’s not fair…’  I’m cringing just thinking about it….Alhamdulilah I will not be there to witness it this time.

But I digress, the first thing we are going to do is go somewhere nice for lunch. I suggest wagamama , she wants yosushi. We’ll see who wins. I might let her have it her way cause what she does not know yet is that I’m gonna initiate and pursue the conversation she is trying very hard to avoid. We need to talk about BABY!!!! and the fact that it exist whether she wants to acknowledge it or not.  We also need to address the issue of her eating disorder and other bits that are starting to really get on the way of our relationship…..Wish me luck!!!  TEENAGERS!!!!

After that, if she is still talking to me I’ll treat her to some shopping for the trip she does not want to make to Algeria. TEENAGERS!!!!!   And to be honest do I want to take her to a place where their idea of vegetarian is to cook with meat and take it out at the last minute to put it to one side….Do I want to take her to a place where everybody wants to marry her off to every Musa, Ibrahim and Hamza that happens to visit us that week?  ………

Oh the stress of it all…..Algeria here I come with a self medicated strict ‘bed rest’ and lots and lots of nice food cooked by someone else…

Well now that I’ve read back it does not look like a holiday really….Well , at least I’ll have sofa days , little cooking days, catching up with friends days and evenings full of teenage blah blah….

Oh the stress of it all…I need cheering up, let me look for some nice pictures in the archive ….So, as promised , some pics of my garden last summer and other random bits.

Oh no….I’m at the wrong laptop….next time insh’Allah…

And 24 hours later and a switch of laptop later , here are the pics, random but pics ….

flowers in our garden

organic of course...can't you tell, so unperfect unlike shopbought ones...

feeding wild horses in the 'New Forest' last summer....

Salaams and peace,

Ines

Have I told you that I’m pregnant with my fourth child? Mash’Allah. Have I mentioned that I’ll be 40 in June? Insh’ALLAH….

So yeah…Slowing down is a must. Like my honest friends keep telling me, I’m not a spring chicken any more and boy, do I feel it!!!!

Last Thursday I had a wake up call. I was doing my usual running around multitasking, trying to do who knows how many things at the same time as well as teaching a full class of 6 years old when my body sent me a signal. I felt a contraction like pain across my belly. Of course I thought nothing of it at the beginning but before long another sharp pain run across the whole of my belly and another one and another one. …

Before long I was timing ‘the contractions’ . The pain was getting unbearable and  had I been 38 weeks pregnant I would have driven myself home to pick up the hospital bag and off to hospital to deliver. However, I’m only 17 weeks pregnant and the pain felt more and more like labour pains. So time to go to hospital.

After being told off like a 100 times for not having attended any hospital appointments yet , they scanned me and alhamdulilah after initial internal checks they ruled out labour. As my uterus was not dilating they did not think that labour had started and the next step was a scan to see what else could be going on.

Alhamdulilah everything was ok with baby; right size, good heartbeat, well developed…. And the pains? , you may ask.Well the scan also showed that I was hemorrhaging internally around the sac. Apparently quite a normal condition which most of the time resolves itself providing mums get enough rest…. I was sent home the following  morning with painkillers and a strong recommendation of bed rest for at least 48 hours.

So , to cut a very long story short….I have decided that is time to look after number one, ME!!  :)… I can not begin to tell you how worried I was all night Thursday ….how I begged Allah to let me carry this baby full term and to allow me to deliver a healthy baby at the end of the pregnancy.

Steps have been taken to begin the process of slowing down…I have gone into work this morning and notified them of my intention of going part time as from this January , Insh’Allah. I will work three days a week and rest two plus weekends. Also, I will go on maternity leave earlier than initially planned. Insh’ALLAH they will get back to me before the end of the week.

Please sisters remember me and my family in your du’as. Jazakhallah.

Who said pregnancy at the age of 40 was easy….Alhamdulilah.

I’m pretty tempted to link up to one of those sites which tell you what a week 17 of pregnancy baby can do and cannot do….but I will leave it for another day LOL….

Salaams and peace,

Ines

I’m going to look in amazon for this inspiring man’s books. I have read somewhere that they are very good.

So , what is your talent? Are you like me still looking for it?…..I sometimes think that I was born to teach, I honestly enjoy it a lot but every now and again the sheer responsibility of the job overwhelms me and it is not fun anymore. Maybe I am more of an educator….not so much a teacher of a structured curriculum….when I do my own thing in class we all seem to enjoy it more but the dreaded tests and assessments at the end of the term bring me back to reality and that is when I become ‘the teacher’….

This video has given me a lot of food for thought, that’s for sure….

Salaams and peace for now,

Ines