There are two weeks left until the election. 2 weeks It will be wracked with heightened emotions and gut wrenching feelings. If the democrat wins, it is a monumental occasion, not only have democrats maintained the White House, but for the first time, girls all over the United States will see that they truly can reach for the highest office in the land. It will be a win. A win for the US, a win for people of all races,... Read more
Good Morning! It is Monday morning and I got to sleep in today because it’s a teacher’s work day. That means, no one to wake up, no lunches to make and no busses to catch. I just finished a sweet novel I’ve been reading the last 2 weeks and I thought I’d check in on how everything was doing here on my new home site. Today, I had a comment! After I responded, I thought maybe I should let everyone... Read more
If you are a long time reader, you will know that I write sporadically. It just happens when something hits me the right (or wrong) way. Sometimes it happens when my life is particularly Islamically heavy in nature, like during Ramadan. Tuesday was a normal, every other day in my home. Crazy busy, chores, work, cooking, cleaning, homework, afterschool activities, meetings and the like. You know. Just barely room to breathe. I sat down to eat dinner with my girls... Read more
Hello! I feel like we are meeting for the first time. So, in the interest of getting to know you I’d love to hear all about you. I’ll start. Me: Kristina From Ohio. Midwest thru and through. Age: 40s Relationship: Married 18 years Children: Mr. Fox, Pea and Kate. If you want to know more, look at the Cast of Characters. Religion: Christian-ish, its complicated. Work: I’m a jeweler and entrepreneur. I’m passionate about making life prettier and easier. Politics:... Read more
Do you volunteer? Do you send in snacks? Do you buy from the school fundraiser? Do you offer help? I’m not talking about giving money to panhandlers, but truly giving of yourself. Your time. Sometimes your money. I’ve noticed that the concept of giving is different for people of different economic status, different religions, and different cultural backgrounds. When I joined the Muslim community, I noticed that people didn’t volunteer much. I would hear people say that if they weren’t... Read more
These days, my mind and heart are conflicted. I’m learning and growing as a white woman, who has been raised in a small-ish midwestern town, in a predominantly white environment. I never considered myself racist, but to be honest, I wasn’t cognizant of my privilege until I married Khaled. Even though he is fair, white people see him as ‘other.’ I struggle with this category. We joke about it, but it is always there. People ask him constantly where he... Read more
As Ramadan approached this year, I was asked back to be a contributor to Interfaith Ramadan. I was given several topics to address, but this was the question that I chose: Raising children in an interfaith household – compromises, difficulties, advantages etc I sat down to write my submission, but this was the piece that came out. It didn’t seem very Ramadan, so I set it aside and forged ahead with something that was more topic appropriate. You can find... Read more
This year, The Little Mosque Down the Street™ organized an event that took place four days a week for the smallest Muslims, called Ramadan Kids Club. They worked in cooperation with another Mosque, and for two hours each day, the kids listened to a story, sang some songs and did an activity. I was invited to provide the activity one day. Here are the pictures. Enjoy! I was invited to provide the activity one day. Here are the pictures. Enjoy!... Read more
When I agreed to marry Khaled and raise our future children Muslim, I didn’t understand all of the minute, tiny details of difference that would surface between my upbringing and his. Aside from the big glaring differences, his – being brought up in a different country, his parents married from a young age and staying together, the apartment in which he grew up, the extended family unit of support he always knew would be there, and his strong religious identity.... Read more
A few weeks ago, we had an abundance of fruit that needed to be used, and I was all smoothie’d out. Kate and I searched through our trusty Blue Book* trying to find out what we could make with the bananas and mangos we had on hand. She came upon a recipe I had printed out for Jell-o Jigglers. I know they are probably second nature to some of you, but I don’t have a great memory for recipes. The... Read more
My Islamic Life
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