Sunday, February 24, 2008
Thank God she taught me this!
Just in case your mother was slow in the advise department, please go here for detailed instructions on the correct way to take care of a baby. Thanks to Jen for this link, it made me laugh out loud!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Six Things To Do Before You're 18
This all started one morning when a guy named Naeem sat down to secretly enjoy a bowl of his children's Reese's Puffs Cereal while they slept unsuspectingly in the next room. As millions of people do each morning, to pass the time as he enjoyed his breakfast alone, he began to read the back of the cereal box. On this particular box back, there was a list of "18 Things to Do Before you are 18". The items ranged from "meet your idol" and "bungee jump" to "reach 18 years of age!" In a nutshell, he was struck by the lack of character building activities included in the list and set about to develop his own list of "18 Things to Do Before you are 18". By the way Br. Naeem, if you happen to read this post, I am pretty sure Kelloggs will not be printing your list on any cereal boxes anytime in the near future so maybe you could see about developing your own line of character building cereals!
Anyway, his list set off a blogosphere game of tag and I have just been picked to play by my good buddy over at the Southern Muslimah. Thanks!
Rules of the Game:
1. Post these rules before presenting your list.
2. List 6 actions or achievements you think every person should accomplish before turning 18.
3. There are no conditions on what can be included on the list.
4. At the end of your blog, choose 6 people to get tagged and list their names.
5. People who are tagged write their own blog entry with their 6 suggestions.
6. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged.
7. Optional: You can include the image of the ridiculous Reese’s Puffs list in your post as a reference (I tried to do this but you couldn't read the list so I suggest everyone go to Naeem's Blog to read the original list)
6 Things to Do Before You're 18 (According to Moi)
1. Find a mentor.
A mentor, not an idol. A life-coach , a teacher, a positive example of how you want to live your life. Keep in mind that a mentor should be quite a bit older than you - wisdom comes with age and experience. A note to parents out there, I think it is a good idea for you to “introduce” your child to adults that you would like to see them emulate at an early age. Teens are more likely to choose a mentor that they already know.
2. Get involved in your community.
Volunteer to organize children’s activities at your local library, community center, mosque or church.
Organize a day to clean the local park with your friends.
Check out the Children’s Museum and see if they accept teen volunteers.
Hold a toy-drive for the local Children’s Hospital.
3. Find a cause you are passionate about and go directly to #4.
4. Organize your own charity or non-profit organization.
It doesn’t have to be quite as official as it sounds. Make up a name for your organization, write down a mission statement (who is your charity intended to benefit), and get to fundraising! It is great to learn that giving to others is the key to true happiness before you are 18.
5. Learn history from those who experienced it before it is too late.
What I would give to know which countries that my grandfathers served in during World War II. What was it really like during the Great Depression, the day JFK was shot, or the day man landed on the moon? Segregation and the Civil Rights Movement? How did my grandparents meet and fall in love? What was the most important historical event, in their opinion, that they witnessed during their lives?
6. Interact with people from different backgrounds as frequently as possible.
I mean really interact.
7. Get a job!
Make your own money, spend your own money, and save your own money. Learn how to budget your money before you move out!
Now since, I am new to the blogging world and I don't have connections with many other bloggers yet, I am going to ask my readers - yes all 5 of you - to send in your list of "6 Things to Do Before you are 18" and I will use them in a future post. Just type your list in a word file, cut and paste it to the comments section of this post, and press send. Happy Philosophizing!
Anyway, his list set off a blogosphere game of tag and I have just been picked to play by my good buddy over at the Southern Muslimah. Thanks!
Rules of the Game:
1. Post these rules before presenting your list.
2. List 6 actions or achievements you think every person should accomplish before turning 18.
3. There are no conditions on what can be included on the list.
4. At the end of your blog, choose 6 people to get tagged and list their names.
5. People who are tagged write their own blog entry with their 6 suggestions.
6. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged.
7. Optional: You can include the image of the ridiculous Reese’s Puffs list in your post as a reference (I tried to do this but you couldn't read the list so I suggest everyone go to Naeem's Blog to read the original list)
6 Things to Do Before You're 18 (According to Moi)
1. Find a mentor.
A mentor, not an idol. A life-coach , a teacher, a positive example of how you want to live your life. Keep in mind that a mentor should be quite a bit older than you - wisdom comes with age and experience. A note to parents out there, I think it is a good idea for you to “introduce” your child to adults that you would like to see them emulate at an early age. Teens are more likely to choose a mentor that they already know.
2. Get involved in your community.
Volunteer to organize children’s activities at your local library, community center, mosque or church.
Organize a day to clean the local park with your friends.
Check out the Children’s Museum and see if they accept teen volunteers.
Hold a toy-drive for the local Children’s Hospital.
3. Find a cause you are passionate about and go directly to #4.
4. Organize your own charity or non-profit organization.
It doesn’t have to be quite as official as it sounds. Make up a name for your organization, write down a mission statement (who is your charity intended to benefit), and get to fundraising! It is great to learn that giving to others is the key to true happiness before you are 18.
5. Learn history from those who experienced it before it is too late.
What I would give to know which countries that my grandfathers served in during World War II. What was it really like during the Great Depression, the day JFK was shot, or the day man landed on the moon? Segregation and the Civil Rights Movement? How did my grandparents meet and fall in love? What was the most important historical event, in their opinion, that they witnessed during their lives?
6. Interact with people from different backgrounds as frequently as possible.
I mean really interact.
7. Get a job!
Make your own money, spend your own money, and save your own money. Learn how to budget your money before you move out!
Now since, I am new to the blogging world and I don't have connections with many other bloggers yet, I am going to ask my readers - yes all 5 of you - to send in your list of "6 Things to Do Before you are 18" and I will use them in a future post. Just type your list in a word file, cut and paste it to the comments section of this post, and press send. Happy Philosophizing!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Lesson #4 Don't Expect More Than You Ask For
This story has more than one lesson included but I chose Don't Expect More Than You Ask For as the title because I think it is a universal lesson that we all need to be reminded of every once in a while.
I am lucky to have a mother who caught hold of the concept of "Take Your Daughters To Work Day" long before it was fashionable. Mom happened to work at the same elementary school that I attended up until the 6th grade and every opportunity I could find, I was in her classroom (actually it was a trailer, or if I must be politically correct, a portable classroom). Obviously, she never let me skip an actual class to be with her, but I was there everyday after school, in the summer, and any other time she was working and I didn't have class.
I will never forget the way mom and Mrs. Hood, her colleague, made me feel that I was always helping out by being there. Never, not even once, did I feel like a kid in that classroom. I felt important, proud, and accomplished. Early on, they would let me fix the library area of the classroom or organize the SRA reading kits. As I grew older, I graduated to helping out with decorating the bulleting boards. The older I became, they allowed my responsibilities to grow with me.
When I went away to college, I would return home on Friday afternoons and head straight for the "trailer" to see my mom and Mrs. Hood. These Fridays held a great lesson for me. Many afternoons I would sit with the two of them as they helped a child struggling to read. Patiently and methodically, they would insist that the child sound out each letter of the word until they could decode the phonetic puzzle before them. One afternoon, I was helping a little boy write a caption under a picture that he had drawn - actually, I was telling him what to write. My mom looked over at me and I instantly understood the silent message that she was sending. A few minutes later, she came over and sat down beside the boy and they completed the caption together. After he had gone, my mom explained to me that one of the most important lessons when teaching a child to read is that children will only accomplish as much as you allow them.
If you expect that they can't do something - you will be right. If you expect that they can - they will.
I learned a lot in that classroom. I learned that everyone is not as fortunate as me. I learned that not all parents care that their children are educated. I learned that not all parents believe in their children and sometimes parents just give up. I learned that my mother was not one of those parents.
Treat your children with love and respect. Give them responsibilities and allow them to make mistakes. Motivate and reward them. Believe in them. But, don't expect more than you ask for......
I am lucky to have a mother who caught hold of the concept of "Take Your Daughters To Work Day" long before it was fashionable. Mom happened to work at the same elementary school that I attended up until the 6th grade and every opportunity I could find, I was in her classroom (actually it was a trailer, or if I must be politically correct, a portable classroom). Obviously, she never let me skip an actual class to be with her, but I was there everyday after school, in the summer, and any other time she was working and I didn't have class.
I will never forget the way mom and Mrs. Hood, her colleague, made me feel that I was always helping out by being there. Never, not even once, did I feel like a kid in that classroom. I felt important, proud, and accomplished. Early on, they would let me fix the library area of the classroom or organize the SRA reading kits. As I grew older, I graduated to helping out with decorating the bulleting boards. The older I became, they allowed my responsibilities to grow with me.
When I went away to college, I would return home on Friday afternoons and head straight for the "trailer" to see my mom and Mrs. Hood. These Fridays held a great lesson for me. Many afternoons I would sit with the two of them as they helped a child struggling to read. Patiently and methodically, they would insist that the child sound out each letter of the word until they could decode the phonetic puzzle before them. One afternoon, I was helping a little boy write a caption under a picture that he had drawn - actually, I was telling him what to write. My mom looked over at me and I instantly understood the silent message that she was sending. A few minutes later, she came over and sat down beside the boy and they completed the caption together. After he had gone, my mom explained to me that one of the most important lessons when teaching a child to read is that children will only accomplish as much as you allow them.
If you expect that they can't do something - you will be right. If you expect that they can - they will.
I learned a lot in that classroom. I learned that everyone is not as fortunate as me. I learned that not all parents care that their children are educated. I learned that not all parents believe in their children and sometimes parents just give up. I learned that my mother was not one of those parents.
Treat your children with love and respect. Give them responsibilities and allow them to make mistakes. Motivate and reward them. Believe in them. But, don't expect more than you ask for......
Monday, February 11, 2008
Hello Jericho!
I was just checking my sitemeter, as I do at least one hundered times a day, and I was surprised to see that my last visitor was lurking from Palestinian Territory, Occupied, Jericho. For those of you unfamiliar with sitemeter, it lets me see the specific location of visitors and their ISP information. Usually it says something like, United States, Birmingham, Alabama and there is a cute little US flag icon. Rather conspicously, there was no flag icon beside this entry. Why? Palestine has an official flag . However, I must congratulate sitemeter for actually recognizing Palestine at all. Look on any world map and you will be hard pressed to find it listed anywhere. Bravo, Sitemeter
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Saturday, February 9, 2008
What Book are You?
I saw this book quiz on my friend Jennifer's website and I thought it would be really cool to see which book I am. Here are my results.....................
You're One Hundred Years of Solitude!
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Lonely and struggling, you've been around for a very long time.
Conflict has filled most of your life and torn apart nearly everyone you know.
Yet there is something majestic and even epic about your presence in the world.
You love life all the more for having seen its decimation. After all, it takes a village.
Ok, now honestly, I have read One Hundred Years of Solitude and I loved it. I would probably classify it as one of my favorite books. But, I must say that I am pretty sure that the quiz masters really got it wrong this time! First, I am anything but lonely and thank God, I am not struggling with much more than raising a couple of teenagers, a preteen, and the "baby"! Conflict has filled some of my life, true, but one of the things I learned from my mother is to be a conflict avoider at all costs and I am pretty sure that I am not responsible for tearing apart nearly everyone that I know. At least I hope not. Oh yeah, and I haven't been around for that long!
This is just a terrible, terrible quiz and I hate it! I am open to any other suggestions as to what book I may actually be. Suggestions anyone? Maybe Little House on the Prairie, Anne of Green Gables, even Webster's Dictionary!
Oh, I almost forgot. If you would like to find out what book YOU are, click here. Happy quizzing!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Lesson #3: People are always more important than things.
The funny thing is that I never really knew my mother taught me this. I never even knew that this was a lesson that had to be taught. It was just how I was raised. Part of the day-to-day operations of my mother's house. I always imagined that knowing, understanding, and implementing behaviors that put human beings ahead of "stuff" was inborn. Innate. Kind of like just knowing how to breathe. That natural instinct that we have telling us not to take a hot poker and jab ourselves in the eye just for the fun of it. Guess what, I was wrong!
Important Note: People who have yet to learn this lesson tend to be bitter, angry and alone.
Years ago, an elderly relative had an annoying tendancy to blame every single scratch on her furniture, crayon mark on her wall, or missing spoon, on MY children. Nevermind that there were about 5 other kids in the family the same age as my children. Nevermind that we always visited the house at the same time as said children. It was ALWAYS us! Not only did she show my children every defect she found, but she would always announce to other family members that my children were responsible for the damage. What was worse, when she spewed her accusations at them it was always in a viscious and demeaning manner. Needless to say, we have marked her off our visitation calendar as have many other people in the years since then. I once heard someone say, "If I am going to be miserable, I am going to make everyone around me miserable, too". She must have been one miserable lady! What a sad and lonely life.
When I invite someone into my home, it is usually with full knowledge that they will be bringing 5 kids, a cat, and their pet turtle with them on their visit. Or, maybe my guest herself is known for being a bit clumsy and breaking a glass now and then. So what? For me, the simple solution would be to probably not use the fine china for lunch. But, if she did break the good stuff, I would never belittle her, make her feel guilty, or unwelcome. Friends are way too important to lose over a silly glass or even over the family heirloom. Who wants to live in a museum or a glass shop anyway? A home should be comfortable, for everyone who enters. Anyone you welcome into your home , or anyone who lives there, should feel that they are valued more than something you picked up at a second hand shop 6 years ago.
A relevant story that comes to mind is one of my grandmother. In 1973, she bought a new set of living room furniture that came with a huge painting that hung on the wall behind the sofa. A few years later, while granny was sleeping, my little sister and I thought that we could probably improve the painting by adding a few special touches using bright purple fingernail polish. Well we ended up adding a whole lot of special touches and the picture was pretty much ruined! To make a long story short, that same picture moved with my grandmother to 3 other homes and always hung behind her sofa until her death in 2001. She never did try to fix it, not that it would have done any good. As adults, when we asked her why she still hung that awful picture up, she would always reply that it reminded her of two little angels from days gone by.
The way I see it is that either you would rather spend your time basking in the warmth of family and friends or alone warming yourself by the radiator on a cold, dark afternoon. The choice is obvious. Or is it?
Important Note: People who have yet to learn this lesson tend to be bitter, angry and alone.
Years ago, an elderly relative had an annoying tendancy to blame every single scratch on her furniture, crayon mark on her wall, or missing spoon, on MY children. Nevermind that there were about 5 other kids in the family the same age as my children. Nevermind that we always visited the house at the same time as said children. It was ALWAYS us! Not only did she show my children every defect she found, but she would always announce to other family members that my children were responsible for the damage. What was worse, when she spewed her accusations at them it was always in a viscious and demeaning manner. Needless to say, we have marked her off our visitation calendar as have many other people in the years since then. I once heard someone say, "If I am going to be miserable, I am going to make everyone around me miserable, too". She must have been one miserable lady! What a sad and lonely life.
When I invite someone into my home, it is usually with full knowledge that they will be bringing 5 kids, a cat, and their pet turtle with them on their visit. Or, maybe my guest herself is known for being a bit clumsy and breaking a glass now and then. So what? For me, the simple solution would be to probably not use the fine china for lunch. But, if she did break the good stuff, I would never belittle her, make her feel guilty, or unwelcome. Friends are way too important to lose over a silly glass or even over the family heirloom. Who wants to live in a museum or a glass shop anyway? A home should be comfortable, for everyone who enters. Anyone you welcome into your home , or anyone who lives there, should feel that they are valued more than something you picked up at a second hand shop 6 years ago.
A relevant story that comes to mind is one of my grandmother. In 1973, she bought a new set of living room furniture that came with a huge painting that hung on the wall behind the sofa. A few years later, while granny was sleeping, my little sister and I thought that we could probably improve the painting by adding a few special touches using bright purple fingernail polish. Well we ended up adding a whole lot of special touches and the picture was pretty much ruined! To make a long story short, that same picture moved with my grandmother to 3 other homes and always hung behind her sofa until her death in 2001. She never did try to fix it, not that it would have done any good. As adults, when we asked her why she still hung that awful picture up, she would always reply that it reminded her of two little angels from days gone by.
The way I see it is that either you would rather spend your time basking in the warmth of family and friends or alone warming yourself by the radiator on a cold, dark afternoon. The choice is obvious. Or is it?
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