More Daycare-isms

School is swinging down, and the things my kids say is as good as ever!

Enjoy!

While folding laundry, I notice the tell tale signs that Adam was playing with some scissors.
Me: Adam, what happened to these pants?
Adam: OhmeGod (it's his new word...don't know where he got it from) something happened to them in the washing machine!
Me: No, I don't think it was the washing machine...
Adam: Oh, I 'member now - a dinosaur ate it.
Me: A dinosaur, really!?
Adam: well, maybe it was Isaac.  He likes to cut.
Me: I don't think Isaac would cut up your pajama pants...
Adam: *sigh* Okay, okay, I did it.

---

While washing up the kids for our afternoon snack:
Me: What should we have for a snack today?
Daycare boy:  Idunno.
Me: I know, let's have some carrots and dip!
Daycare boy: Do I look like a bunny?

---

After making the afternoon snack above (carrots, broccoli, cheese and crackers):
Me: Okay guys, snack is ready.
Daycare boy: *looks over plate* Don't you have any meatballs around here?

---

Daycare girl: Hey Adam, let's make (daycare boy) possessed and then he can join us!"
Adam: Yeah! That will be fun!"

Eeeek! They know my weakness!

So, after a rough morning with the daycare kids (not even gonna go there), and then a nap time filled with chaos and homework, I had a relatively nice afternoon.

I decided about 2 minutes after I woke up that I would not be cooking supper tonight. It was gonna be a leftovers or cereal kinda night...and I knew that I'd have to mow the lawn after almost a full week of rain...which was gonna be hard work.

I don't like hard work.

I did it anyhow.  I think my lawn is easily 1/2 an acre.  Well, probably not.  I may be exaggerating just a bit.  But, when wrangling 3 kids, 1 power cord and pushing that machine through thick, tall grass - it feels like that much.

My kids helped out.  They pulled the cord so that it was always out of my way.  They moved the lawn furniture and put away toys.  The three of them sat together with their halos at just the right angles.

They waited until I was almost done. I was hot, sweaty, tired and frustrated with the number of trees and bushes that I have to wind around in the back yard.  I turned off the machine, sat down and wiped the sweat from my brow.

That's when Adam pipes up, "Mom...can we order a pizza?"
Me: "no"
Then Isaac tries, "We'll pay for 1/2." (this almost worked last time)
Me: "no, guys, not tonight"
Then Iman chimes in, "Well....can we get slurpees?"

oooh...she hit me where it hurts.  On a hot day, after mowing a lawn - most people would grab a beer.  Not being a drinker, Slurpees are my drink of choice.  Oh, how I want a slurpee!!  I want to walk to the store and get one, but the ramifications are just something I'm not willing to live with!  3 kids hyped up on more sugar than they've had in the last week - and then trying to get them to bed so that I can get the rest of my homework done....just not something that I can do.

But oh...how I want a Slurpee.

Funkilicious Clothing - A Review of Islamic Design House

It's no surprise that I'm Muslim - it's also no surprise that I have a style and attitude that is all my own (if you haven't learned that yet, you haven't been a blog follower for long!) I've never been one to follow the fads, (just ask my friend, The Princess, who cringes when she sees me all glammed up only to be wearing my beloved red chucks!)  So, Islamic clothing has always been a sore spot for me.  It's just so....drab.

Photo from Islamic Design House

Then, Amenakin of YouTube fame did a review of Islamic Design House.  Oh my, I was in love!  These things have style and funk and still cover all the basics requirements of my faith.  I looked at the site on and off for months.  Eventually, one of the jlbabs went on sale, our Canadian dollar was at an all time high, and I thought, "give it a shot."  I ordered this one (in navy) and then sat worrying that I'd regret it.

When the package came in the mail, I was trepidatious.  I was worried it would be stiff or uncomfortable.  I was worried it would wrinkle when I sat and I'd be spending hours ironing (God knows, I hate ironing!)  I was worried the seams would fray or buttons would fall off or the material would be cheap and thin - but all my fears were for nothing. When I pulled it out, I happily found that the cotton was so lovely.   In fact, I was so impressed that I ordered another one - yes, you'll notice a trend, I've only ordered from the discounted, old season stock - I'm cheap, I can't help it!!

All of IDH's garments are made from 100% cotton.  This is great for many reasons, but for me the biggest benefit is the breathability of it.  I can easily wear this in the hot summer months without swealtering, yet when it was cooler here, I was still warm (granted, to go outside in Canada in the winter, you MUST wear a jacket!!)

Photo from Islamic Design House

The sizing is great too - As a tall(ish) person, I've always found that clothing is never long enough for me.  Buying pants is a nightmare that I don't even want to think about (you know, you sit down and your pants are halfway up your shin?  I hate that!!)  Anyhow, the IDH jilbabs come in a variety of lengths (5 different options from 52-60 inches) I chose the longest, but likely could have gone with the 58, the 60 however allows me to wear heels (if I should ever choose to - I don't usually, but it's nice to know I can if I want!).  They also have different fits; slim, regular and loose. I love these options because it means that you can open the package and wear it - not take it to a tailor to be "fixed."

Finally, my main reason for loving them so much; the design concepts are fantastic!  They have an edginess that still manages to be graceful.  It's just not something that you can describe. Their sporty, casual and simple looks can appeal to a variety of tastes - and there's a new collection launched every season (so you're not stuck looking at the same ones all year long!)

I know that these are really meant for a "Muslim" wardrobe, but I think that non-Muslims could just as easily look fantastic in these as the Muslim women do!

Why do I keep thinking I'm Martha?

The other day this weird sort of "1950's housewife" bug bit me.  I went on a big old baking spree.

I made BREAD people...by hand.

This made me think that I was like the Muslim Martha.  I made bread, I could do anything.  I expanded my Muslim Martha experience and made .... (wait for it) ... home-made chicken noodle soup...& buns.

Woot.

This is what I tried to make

Then I saw an old friend from high school was making some cookie monster cupcakes.  I looked at the picture and thought, how hard could it be?  (here's a great blog about these cupcakes, also the place I got that awesome picture from)

So, I went shopping.  I bought little white chocolate blob things for the eyes (already had the chocolate chips for the pupils) -- I bought some blue food coloring, some icing (yes, pre-made) and some mini chocolate chips (they were actually snack pack ones)

Today I went to work making them.

I mixed up my packaged cake mix and plopped it into cupcake tins.  While they cooked, I made the eyes...then I mixed together the blue icing into the pre-made tin of cake frosting.  Here came problem #1.  In order to get the deep blue of Cookie Monster, I had to put in a lot of food coloring -- this, in turn, watered down the icing.

When the cupcakes were cooked and cooled, I iced.  I'm not all that fancy and didn't bother with the Icing bag thing. I  just splattered in on and thought "it's supposed to look messy."  Here's the problem though -- the icing was too thin to stay "messy" and it smoothed itself out.  It didn't do it immediately, though...it was a sneak attack thing.  It waited until the eyes and mouth were in...and then everything began to slowly slide off the cupcake.

I ended up with this.

Even the cupcake is sad

Yes folks, it's like something straight from Hyperbole and a Half  - I really like this blog, so I thought I could maybe get away with saying that I had made some "Hyperbole" cupcakes...then I remembered blabbing about my plans on facebook first.

Yikes.  I'm no Martha.  At least they taste good (but fair warning, they'll make your teeth turn blue)

Tantrums

I've never had a child who's thrown tantrums.  Oh...they've thrown the occasional fit now and then, but never one of those screaming, throwing yourself of the floor tantrums where other people look at you and say "oh my God, what a horrible parent!!"


So, seeing that I lacked something in my life, God gave me Adam.

A few weeks ago, we went to buy bikes.

(Yes, I said a few weeks ago -- it's taken me this long to get my mental functionality recovered...I've just been in a fetal position rocking slowly in the corner this last while)  

Anyhow - the kids have all outgrown their old bikes and were in need of new...so we said "Hey, let's go to Toys R Us and look at some bikes!"  However, we didn't go to Toys R Us, instead, we stopped at another store along the way to look at the bikes there.  Apparently, this meant that the world was coming to an end to Adam.  He started crying the moment we pulled into the parking lot.  He's cried before, and so we thought he'd get over it by the time we got into the store.

We were wrong.

He cried all the way through the store.  Then he saw the bikes and stopped crying.  After checking out the bikes we realized that there was a sports store in the mall, and we could look there since we were already at the mall.  This made Adam cry again.  This time, he started to intersperse screams of "NO!" while kicking and screaming.  It sounded like we were torturing him. (note, I have never tortured, nor  head anyone being tortured, I'm using a figure of speech called an "a simile" - please stop sending me emails asking me, "did you really do that??")

So, he cried all the way to the sports store, saw a bike that he could actually try riding and was fine.  Then we left to go to Toys R Us.  We thought he'd be happy about that.

We were wrong.

He cried through the sports store.  He cried through the mall.  He cried through the other store we stopped at.  He cried through the parking lot.  He cried in the car.  He cried at Toys R Us.

He cried for 4 hours. He cried, he screamed, he kicked, he thrashed - he could have had a starring role in the next Exorcist movie.

And people wonder why I don't plan on having more.