Tips for the perfect cookies:
1- Have all ingredients at room temperature for more glamorous perfect cookies, unless otherwise specified in your recipe.
2- Read the recipe perfect before starting and get all your ingredients ready in front of you before starting
3- Using fresh ingredients is very helpful, sometimes we use old flour, or baking powder or things that are about to expire. These affect the quality of baked products.
4- Measure the ingredients carefully, don’t think that by putting 2 eggs instead of 1 you are having a richer recipe. On the contrary, this can damage the whole recipe. This is a common mistake that I used to do in cakes.
5- Soften the butter by leaving it in room temperature for few hours before baking. It is better than melting it in the microwave and also better than doing it over the oven. Using soft melted butter by room temperature gives the best texture.
6- Freeze the dough for some time before you bake it. It helps the dough keep in shape and it makes working easier with soft cookie dough. They say that it improves the flavor but I never tried that so not sure of this point.
7- It is very important to preheat the oven 10 to 15 minutes before you begin baking cookies. This is usually consistent unless a recipe specifically calls for you to start with a cold oven.
8- All cookies need to be of uniform size and thickness so they all get cooked perfectly at the same time exactly.
9- Leave room between cookies, thumb rule is 2 inches because when they are cooked, they melt and expand so you don’t want them to stick to each other. If the recipe is for bigger cookies, adjust the space accordingly but 2 inch space is the space for normal sized ones.
10- Be sure not to overcook them because it takes a few seconds between a very well cooked crispy cookie of perfect texture and those which are slightly burnt and a bit hard to bite. First time I baked cookies they were as hard as a brick because I left 5 minutes more than the recipe. They say set the timer 3-4 minutes less than the time specified in the recipe.
Freezing tips:
a- If you want to freeze them for an occasion or a trip, you should freeze baked cookies in airtight freezer containers, freezer bags, or aluminum foil.
b- If you want to freeze the dough itself, this is pretty easy just beware because the dough absorb any odd odors present in the freezer so it has to be perfectly sealed and wrapped.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
Don’t forget to have fun
More often than not we tend to only talk about the burdens of having kids and look at the kids as mere responsibility. While it is true that they are a huge responsibility (no doubt about that) and yes they pose some pressure on their parents but we tend to forget to celebrate the fun part of having kids. Which I believe is a reason why we scare mom-to-be from the motherhood experience. When I gave birth I used to feed the kids, change their diapers, shower them and put them to sleep so my mom always told me “don’t act like a robot, a mother is not supposed to only feed and shower her kids, you are meant to spend time with them, be close to them, talk to them, sing to them and so on” she says.
It is true I guess I only started to enjoy having my twins only recently. I spend more time with them, I try to talk, laugh, sing and play. It is so nice how they get happy from the simplest silliest acts you do. It only shows how you mean the world to them. They really appreciate being with you and spending time with you. Ideas like the reading alphabet books, singing the nursery rhymes, bed time stories and coloring are ones of many examples of how to spend time with your kids (Am talking about my kids’ age; two year old). Of course each age has its own ways of engagement and interaction. The point remains to be to try to spend time with them in a way that suits their age.
A couple of weeks ago I introduced the coloring crayons to my babies and they are loving it. They are still two years so they just take it and play round with it or just draw lines on blank paper. Today I sat with them on their table and kept drawing them things they asked for like a boy, a house, a car, a tree, a flower, a fish, a star and so on. Then I colored it with them, it made me feel I am in a very different world, for a moment I felt that I am disconnected from the pressuring life we are living in. I also felt great joy seeing them excited and happy with the coloring experience that I chose few papers that I will share with them when they grow old to cherish the memory of it. I guess we spent more than an hour like this and I am definitely going to repeat it soon but I felt it was so rewarding to the three of us, that’s why I felt like sharing it.
For every mother who is only keen on doing the mom tasks, I encourage you to think out of the box in order to spend more fun time with your kids. Make them a simple toy with your own hands, build them a house with Lego, hold their dolls and try to make an act with them. Very simple silly things will translate into big happy moments and unforgettable memories.
More often than not we tend to only talk about the burdens of having kids and look at the kids as mere responsibility. While it is true that they are a huge responsibility (no doubt about that) and yes they pose some pressure on their parents but we tend to forget to celebrate the fun part of having kids. Which I believe is a reason why we scare mom-to-be from the motherhood experience. When I gave birth I used to feed the kids, change their diapers, shower them and put them to sleep so my mom always told me “don’t act like a robot, a mother is not supposed to only feed and shower her kids, you are meant to spend time with them, be close to them, talk to them, sing to them and so on” she says.
It is true I guess I only started to enjoy having my twins only recently. I spend more time with them, I try to talk, laugh, sing and play. It is so nice how they get happy from the simplest silliest acts you do. It only shows how you mean the world to them. They really appreciate being with you and spending time with you. Ideas like the reading alphabet books, singing the nursery rhymes, bed time stories and coloring are ones of many examples of how to spend time with your kids (Am talking about my kids’ age; two year old). Of course each age has its own ways of engagement and interaction. The point remains to be to try to spend time with them in a way that suits their age.
A couple of weeks ago I introduced the coloring crayons to my babies and they are loving it. They are still two years so they just take it and play round with it or just draw lines on blank paper. Today I sat with them on their table and kept drawing them things they asked for like a boy, a house, a car, a tree, a flower, a fish, a star and so on. Then I colored it with them, it made me feel I am in a very different world, for a moment I felt that I am disconnected from the pressuring life we are living in. I also felt great joy seeing them excited and happy with the coloring experience that I chose few papers that I will share with them when they grow old to cherish the memory of it. I guess we spent more than an hour like this and I am definitely going to repeat it soon but I felt it was so rewarding to the three of us, that’s why I felt like sharing it.
For every mother who is only keen on doing the mom tasks, I encourage you to think out of the box in order to spend more fun time with your kids. Make them a simple toy with your own hands, build them a house with Lego, hold their dolls and try to make an act with them. Very simple silly things will translate into big happy moments and unforgettable memories.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
The nanny video is killing me
Yesterday I saw a horrible 2 minute video about a nanny with a one year old baby alone. The mother left her a hidden camera to see how she treats z baby. Guess what? She slaps a one year old on his face every time he cries. I still feel so bad. I cud barely sleep. I cried & wished I cud slap z nanny just z way she did to that poor baby. I want to tell u all, nothing deserves leaving a young baby with a nanny. Don’t go after money & leave a baby who can’t talk to b treated like that. He will be destroyed & he will never be able to tell u.
It’s very important to be beside your kids first few years. If you really have to go work, leave him with a mother or a mother in law. They will never hurt him like this.
I still feel shaky as of me writing this post. I feel horrible about it. I held myself for months to watch that video but yesterday I couldn’t. I wish I never saw it because it just assured me of how sick, filthy, fake, cruel, harsh, crazy, evil nannies could be. I had two experiences with Egyptian nannies where I was staying at home with them but both were bad ones. One was a liar & the other one had a psychological disturbance. I stayed two month with each & guess what. I was in doubt of what they do z moment I go to the bathroom. I never left them at home with the kids for a minute but I am telling u again don’t ever believe them. They don’t love your kids as theirs. It’s merely a lie. They don’t love you also; they feel jealous of every single breath you take.
I left my work & decided to put my career aside not because I don’t need it, nobody does. I did it because nothing is worth leaving my kids behind. Nothing is worth not sharing these few years with them. I get bored sometimes & get depressed that am home alone (especially that am currently not in my home town so my mother is not around). But I know I am doing the right thing.
Seeing a video like that or hearing horrible stories from other mothers assure me every day that I am right & I will take this responsibility as long as I can. No matter how tired & exhausted I get, I will cherish that I took care of my own gifts & saved them from a bad treatment. Hope ur not leaving your kid now with s nanny alone as of u reading this post!!
Yesterday I saw a horrible 2 minute video about a nanny with a one year old baby alone. The mother left her a hidden camera to see how she treats z baby. Guess what? She slaps a one year old on his face every time he cries. I still feel so bad. I cud barely sleep. I cried & wished I cud slap z nanny just z way she did to that poor baby. I want to tell u all, nothing deserves leaving a young baby with a nanny. Don’t go after money & leave a baby who can’t talk to b treated like that. He will be destroyed & he will never be able to tell u.
It’s very important to be beside your kids first few years. If you really have to go work, leave him with a mother or a mother in law. They will never hurt him like this.
I still feel shaky as of me writing this post. I feel horrible about it. I held myself for months to watch that video but yesterday I couldn’t. I wish I never saw it because it just assured me of how sick, filthy, fake, cruel, harsh, crazy, evil nannies could be. I had two experiences with Egyptian nannies where I was staying at home with them but both were bad ones. One was a liar & the other one had a psychological disturbance. I stayed two month with each & guess what. I was in doubt of what they do z moment I go to the bathroom. I never left them at home with the kids for a minute but I am telling u again don’t ever believe them. They don’t love your kids as theirs. It’s merely a lie. They don’t love you also; they feel jealous of every single breath you take.
I left my work & decided to put my career aside not because I don’t need it, nobody does. I did it because nothing is worth leaving my kids behind. Nothing is worth not sharing these few years with them. I get bored sometimes & get depressed that am home alone (especially that am currently not in my home town so my mother is not around). But I know I am doing the right thing.
Seeing a video like that or hearing horrible stories from other mothers assure me every day that I am right & I will take this responsibility as long as I can. No matter how tired & exhausted I get, I will cherish that I took care of my own gifts & saved them from a bad treatment. Hope ur not leaving your kid now with s nanny alone as of u reading this post!!
Saturday, April 26, 2014
De-clutter your life
While for many people this is a punishment; for me arranging things is beyond my passion. I enjoy it so much to the extent that I want to create this profession in life, where I go de-clutter people’s rooms and drawers and get paid by hour. I can safely say it is one of my hobbies when I get bogged down; it makes me happy and more relaxed. Ever since I was young, my happiest day was when I tell my mother “today I will arrange these drawers or these shelves”. She used to act like "you don’t need to" but I know she loves it also. Although she is super clean, de-cluttering the house was for her overwhelming.
Today I decided to tell you some tips on how you can de-clutter your house. You can arrange it the way you want. Maybe you do it room by room, maybe you do all drawers in one day and all the shelves in another, all the bathrooms in one day. No matter how you divide the house, everyone does it the way she wants. Just keep in mind that you need two boxes where ever you are; one box for trash and one box for giveaways or donations.
1- Take the decision: Usually if everything is in place, you can take this decision once in every couple of years. But if you can’t keep things in place then you might to do regular de-cluttering activities.
2- Prepare two boxes one for garbage and one for donations: This way when you approach any place to de-clutter you will have the things you will keep which will go back to the drawer or shelf, the things you will throw away and the things that are in a good shape but not needed.
3- Start filtering out everything one by one: Get rid of the habit of collecting stuff. If there are cosmetics, ensure you throw away the expired ones. If these are pens try them, you will find many of them are not suitable for use already. If these are accessories, I can assure you that you are not using maybe half of them.
4- Clean the shelves and drawers: These drawers and shelves more often than not collect dust due to the presence of many small scattered items in them. So in order to ensure the de-cluttering process is done properly, you need to totally empty them, clean those in the suitable way then re arrange the items you decided to keep.
5- Put something that help you better with the arrangement: These can include drawer separators, plastic baskets, plastic boxes, jars, empty cups or even colored buckets. The purpose is to arrange the stuff / items in a way that makes it easier to quickly find anything even if you are in a hurry. The way you separate things not only makes it look neater but also manageable. Lastly whenever you want to clean this drawer or shelf any time soon, you will only need to move out a couple of plastic containers, clean and take them back rather than having items scattered all over.
6- Maintain that for as long as you can: Never let things pile up again. This is easier than you think. Leave one piece of paper on the eating table and you will find the table turned into an office by the end of that week.
7- Clean regularly
While for many people this is a punishment; for me arranging things is beyond my passion. I enjoy it so much to the extent that I want to create this profession in life, where I go de-clutter people’s rooms and drawers and get paid by hour. I can safely say it is one of my hobbies when I get bogged down; it makes me happy and more relaxed. Ever since I was young, my happiest day was when I tell my mother “today I will arrange these drawers or these shelves”. She used to act like "you don’t need to" but I know she loves it also. Although she is super clean, de-cluttering the house was for her overwhelming.
Today I decided to tell you some tips on how you can de-clutter your house. You can arrange it the way you want. Maybe you do it room by room, maybe you do all drawers in one day and all the shelves in another, all the bathrooms in one day. No matter how you divide the house, everyone does it the way she wants. Just keep in mind that you need two boxes where ever you are; one box for trash and one box for giveaways or donations.
1- Take the decision: Usually if everything is in place, you can take this decision once in every couple of years. But if you can’t keep things in place then you might to do regular de-cluttering activities.
2- Prepare two boxes one for garbage and one for donations: This way when you approach any place to de-clutter you will have the things you will keep which will go back to the drawer or shelf, the things you will throw away and the things that are in a good shape but not needed.
3- Start filtering out everything one by one: Get rid of the habit of collecting stuff. If there are cosmetics, ensure you throw away the expired ones. If these are pens try them, you will find many of them are not suitable for use already. If these are accessories, I can assure you that you are not using maybe half of them.
4- Clean the shelves and drawers: These drawers and shelves more often than not collect dust due to the presence of many small scattered items in them. So in order to ensure the de-cluttering process is done properly, you need to totally empty them, clean those in the suitable way then re arrange the items you decided to keep.
5- Put something that help you better with the arrangement: These can include drawer separators, plastic baskets, plastic boxes, jars, empty cups or even colored buckets. The purpose is to arrange the stuff / items in a way that makes it easier to quickly find anything even if you are in a hurry. The way you separate things not only makes it look neater but also manageable. Lastly whenever you want to clean this drawer or shelf any time soon, you will only need to move out a couple of plastic containers, clean and take them back rather than having items scattered all over.
6- Maintain that for as long as you can: Never let things pile up again. This is easier than you think. Leave one piece of paper on the eating table and you will find the table turned into an office by the end of that week.
7- Clean regularly
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
De-clutter 101
Having a neat tidy house is very important. Yet we are in a culture that loves to collect things. If we look at each drawer and shelf in our houses we will be amazed because more often than not we are just keeping things for the sake of it. Usually the anatomy of any drawer or shelf will go like this:
- We have things that we haven't used for years yet we think maybe we will need it after we throw it so we keep it
- Or things that are not working but we tend to convince ourselves that it can be fixed and hence be useful so we keep that too
- Clothes that are outdated or got smaller thinking that maybe if we lose weight we can use it or maybe it is fashionable one more time although we never tend to look at the old clothes that are back in fashion but rather go buy new ones so again things kept with no potential use
- Pens that are no longer working simply because we don't take the effort to check them. These are only taking the space while they should be in the trash
- The list can go on but this is just an example of the top of mind things i have as of me writing this post.
Thumb rule is to keep things that you only use or things that you believe are beautifully outstanding. Other than that it is either trash or something that can be of better use if given to someone else.
Keeping your house de-cluttered has so many benefits like
1- It helps you feel more relaxed (This is a true psychological benefit)
2- It makes organizing everything much easier
3- It helps cleaning because when things are organized they have less tendency to collect dust
4- It saves time as you know where is everything located
5- It helps the poor since you can make them happier with things that for them is a necessity
6- It can even help the environment if we are in a more recycling savvy cultures
I will be posting something very soon about simple steps of how to de-clutter your house <3 Organizing things is my passion so I hope you will find the post useful.
Having a neat tidy house is very important. Yet we are in a culture that loves to collect things. If we look at each drawer and shelf in our houses we will be amazed because more often than not we are just keeping things for the sake of it. Usually the anatomy of any drawer or shelf will go like this:
- We have things that we haven't used for years yet we think maybe we will need it after we throw it so we keep it
- Or things that are not working but we tend to convince ourselves that it can be fixed and hence be useful so we keep that too
- Clothes that are outdated or got smaller thinking that maybe if we lose weight we can use it or maybe it is fashionable one more time although we never tend to look at the old clothes that are back in fashion but rather go buy new ones so again things kept with no potential use
- Pens that are no longer working simply because we don't take the effort to check them. These are only taking the space while they should be in the trash
- The list can go on but this is just an example of the top of mind things i have as of me writing this post.
Thumb rule is to keep things that you only use or things that you believe are beautifully outstanding. Other than that it is either trash or something that can be of better use if given to someone else.
Keeping your house de-cluttered has so many benefits like
1- It helps you feel more relaxed (This is a true psychological benefit)
2- It makes organizing everything much easier
3- It helps cleaning because when things are organized they have less tendency to collect dust
4- It saves time as you know where is everything located
5- It helps the poor since you can make them happier with things that for them is a necessity
6- It can even help the environment if we are in a more recycling savvy cultures
I will be posting something very soon about simple steps of how to de-clutter your house <3 Organizing things is my passion so I hope you will find the post useful.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Some tips if you decide to work from home
1- Allocate few hours a day for your work. Try to make some of those while kids are asleep. Don’t do all the work while they are around because you will end up being frustrated for not being able to concentrate. Also you might get angry with them and they don’t have a clue that you need to focus on something other than them.
2- Have a special table / desk for your work where you create a mini office environment. Not only will it encourage you to work, but also will be very convenient when you actually sit and try to get in the mood of doing something other than nappy change. On this table I have placed my laptop, an artificial plant, a cup holding all my pens, another for my highlighters, and a couple of notebooks.
3- Try to arrange and plan your house duties; be as efficient as possible with your house chores as this will give you more time for the kids and your work. Efficiency is of utmost importance given the fast paced life we are leading.
4- Never let your kids feel you’re with them physically not emotionally. Sometimes they call me and I notice that I don’t give the needed attention because I am concentrating on what I am writing. So they would keep calling, only when I go to them and look and talk and maybe appraise what they did, will they leave me and consider their mission accomplished.
5- Don’t let people feedback get you down. Sometimes you will get comments like “how can you do it”, “hope this is not affecting your kids”, “Don’t overdo it” and the list goes on. It is normal and expected but don’t let that make you feel guilty or upset. Don’t let comments like these bog you down or make feel selfish. You are a super mom for doing both things. You chose to leave you career behind, be a stay at home mom and do what it takes to be successful on both sides.
1- Allocate few hours a day for your work. Try to make some of those while kids are asleep. Don’t do all the work while they are around because you will end up being frustrated for not being able to concentrate. Also you might get angry with them and they don’t have a clue that you need to focus on something other than them.
2- Have a special table / desk for your work where you create a mini office environment. Not only will it encourage you to work, but also will be very convenient when you actually sit and try to get in the mood of doing something other than nappy change. On this table I have placed my laptop, an artificial plant, a cup holding all my pens, another for my highlighters, and a couple of notebooks.
3- Try to arrange and plan your house duties; be as efficient as possible with your house chores as this will give you more time for the kids and your work. Efficiency is of utmost importance given the fast paced life we are leading.
4- Never let your kids feel you’re with them physically not emotionally. Sometimes they call me and I notice that I don’t give the needed attention because I am concentrating on what I am writing. So they would keep calling, only when I go to them and look and talk and maybe appraise what they did, will they leave me and consider their mission accomplished.
5- Don’t let people feedback get you down. Sometimes you will get comments like “how can you do it”, “hope this is not affecting your kids”, “Don’t overdo it” and the list goes on. It is normal and expected but don’t let that make you feel guilty or upset. Don’t let comments like these bog you down or make feel selfish. You are a super mom for doing both things. You chose to leave you career behind, be a stay at home mom and do what it takes to be successful on both sides.
6- Juggle among tasks; I find it challenging but thrilling that in the midst of writing something I can go feed my kids. Maybe later while I am sitting reading something, I can go do the laundry. You are constantly doing a lot of unrelated tasks. The key to enjoy it and not be overwhelmed is to prioritize and have a to-do list daily.
7- Keep the kids happily busy when they are awake. Sometime when I have an important work task to finish, I give them a new toy or open them a new cartoon on TV so that don’t even notice I am busy. It is nice and it helps that you don’t feel guilty about your work.
8- Keep your home organized for when it is neat and clean it will greatly affect the wellbeing of your kids and accordingly your life, productivity and work progress.
7- Keep the kids happily busy when they are awake. Sometime when I have an important work task to finish, I give them a new toy or open them a new cartoon on TV so that don’t even notice I am busy. It is nice and it helps that you don’t feel guilty about your work.
8- Keep your home organized for when it is neat and clean it will greatly affect the wellbeing of your kids and accordingly your life, productivity and work progress.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Working from home?
Working from home can sound a bit overwhelming for some mothers but trust me it is not. I have been working from home since I gave birth to my twins; 2 years ago. For me it is very thrilling as it breaks my daily routine and makes me feel I am doing something for myself. It gives me the sense of accomplishment as well as helps me be more productive with the kids. It doesn’t feel right when all you do is related to the house and the babies. Sometimes you feel like a nanny although these are your own kids; you still need a break. Other times you feel like you are a housekeeper despite it being your own house.
But you will never think like that when you work from home. It helps make the entire maternity experience worthwhile. Yet it depends on the kind of work you choose; for me choosing to take my writing career seriously was the ideal option. Maybe the income is not that great, but it is more of a physiological fulfillment than a financial one. “It is better than nothing”, I say to myself. It is a nice pocket money that I have for myself. Not only am I having the luxury to be beside my kids and watch them but also I have the opportunity to build myself and utilize this time in doing something for my own career / future.
It is said that “working mums are happier than stay-at-home moms”. I know that not everyone can, but if you are one of those who decided to work (at home or outside), you need to know that you will be feeling better than you expect even if you stress yourself a bit more. With just some organization and planning, everything can fall in place and you can make the most out of both your work and motherhood…
Stay tuned for some tips of how to work from home efficiently which I will share over the next couple of days.
Working from home can sound a bit overwhelming for some mothers but trust me it is not. I have been working from home since I gave birth to my twins; 2 years ago. For me it is very thrilling as it breaks my daily routine and makes me feel I am doing something for myself. It gives me the sense of accomplishment as well as helps me be more productive with the kids. It doesn’t feel right when all you do is related to the house and the babies. Sometimes you feel like a nanny although these are your own kids; you still need a break. Other times you feel like you are a housekeeper despite it being your own house.
But you will never think like that when you work from home. It helps make the entire maternity experience worthwhile. Yet it depends on the kind of work you choose; for me choosing to take my writing career seriously was the ideal option. Maybe the income is not that great, but it is more of a physiological fulfillment than a financial one. “It is better than nothing”, I say to myself. It is a nice pocket money that I have for myself. Not only am I having the luxury to be beside my kids and watch them but also I have the opportunity to build myself and utilize this time in doing something for my own career / future.
It is said that “working mums are happier than stay-at-home moms”. I know that not everyone can, but if you are one of those who decided to work (at home or outside), you need to know that you will be feeling better than you expect even if you stress yourself a bit more. With just some organization and planning, everything can fall in place and you can make the most out of both your work and motherhood…
Stay tuned for some tips of how to work from home efficiently which I will share over the next couple of days.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Easier said than done
Before I became a mother, I always used to judge mothers who leave their kids crying and screaming in the mall. “How can a mother leave her kid crying like that totally neglecting what he is doing”, “Doesn’t she know how much annoying this is to the surrounding people” this is just an example of things I used to say when I saw that scene. But guess what? I totally regret doing so earlier, I am now in those mothers’ shoes and I am the one who gets all the looks and the probably the comments. But what I didn’t know back then was that those mothers do all what it takes to make their kids quiet but kids sometimes insists on being naughty and stubborn. She might have been screaming from the inside because she can barely enjoy her long awaited outing but he is not giving her the chance to enjoy it. She is probably neglecting the screams because she wants the baby to behave and stop but he is still giving it a last chance.
I hope all the people who give me the looks would come to this realization soon because the looks kills me and the whispers I see tear me into pieces. When you give me the look or whisper about how I am dealing with my kids, you have no idea of the pressure I am taking raising a twin alone. You haven’t noticed that I am a mother of twins who is not walking across the mall not having one or two nannies to serve me but rather taking all the responsibility alone with my husband’s help. You haven’t put yourself in my shoes to think maybe I am more annoyed that you are, because I am witnessing this all week and even when I decided to go out to refresh and have fun, my kid is not allowing me to. You haven’t seen in my eyes that I have tried and still trying everything to make the crying act come to an end but it is not in my hands as you may think.
It is very easy to judge others when you are not in their situation but once you are in someone else’s shoes, the story is totally different. Just in case you are a guy or a lady who is not yet married or a woman who didn’t have kids yet, please be kind when you see such a scene. Don’t judge the mother but rather wish her luck or pray for her that God grants her the strength. At the end of the day you can easily go away and avoid the noise but she might continue the entire outing suffering. So put yourself in her shoes; have some sympathy and if you can’t then beware “it is easier said than done”.
Before I became a mother, I always used to judge mothers who leave their kids crying and screaming in the mall. “How can a mother leave her kid crying like that totally neglecting what he is doing”, “Doesn’t she know how much annoying this is to the surrounding people” this is just an example of things I used to say when I saw that scene. But guess what? I totally regret doing so earlier, I am now in those mothers’ shoes and I am the one who gets all the looks and the probably the comments. But what I didn’t know back then was that those mothers do all what it takes to make their kids quiet but kids sometimes insists on being naughty and stubborn. She might have been screaming from the inside because she can barely enjoy her long awaited outing but he is not giving her the chance to enjoy it. She is probably neglecting the screams because she wants the baby to behave and stop but he is still giving it a last chance.
I hope all the people who give me the looks would come to this realization soon because the looks kills me and the whispers I see tear me into pieces. When you give me the look or whisper about how I am dealing with my kids, you have no idea of the pressure I am taking raising a twin alone. You haven’t noticed that I am a mother of twins who is not walking across the mall not having one or two nannies to serve me but rather taking all the responsibility alone with my husband’s help. You haven’t put yourself in my shoes to think maybe I am more annoyed that you are, because I am witnessing this all week and even when I decided to go out to refresh and have fun, my kid is not allowing me to. You haven’t seen in my eyes that I have tried and still trying everything to make the crying act come to an end but it is not in my hands as you may think.
It is very easy to judge others when you are not in their situation but once you are in someone else’s shoes, the story is totally different. Just in case you are a guy or a lady who is not yet married or a woman who didn’t have kids yet, please be kind when you see such a scene. Don’t judge the mother but rather wish her luck or pray for her that God grants her the strength. At the end of the day you can easily go away and avoid the noise but she might continue the entire outing suffering. So put yourself in her shoes; have some sympathy and if you can’t then beware “it is easier said than done”.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Were grandparents super heroes?
Did you ever wonder how come our grandparents used to raise 5 or more kids and they always looked happy and elegant in the pictures while we suffer raising 1 or 2 kids. Were the kids quieter at that time, was life easier, were the living expenses cheaper, how did they do that? We know for sure that kids are kids even if these generations are more aggressive, but a baby is a baby and he will always be dependent and demanding. It is not that long times ago babies would go to the kitchen and feed themselves. On the contrary if you think about it, there were no facilities like our days. Think of the kitchen appliances alone, everything was done manually by hand. Technology now makes things much easier and some tasks take no time at all if you just use the right tools.
Ok so what was it then? My mother used to tell me that when they were young, their parents would go everyday to the grocery stores to buy fresh veggies and fruits to be cooked on that day. Imagine someone going to buy molokhyia (real thing not the frozen one we cook), clean it and prepare it to be cooked for a family of 7 averages. Yeah, I just realized that even the amount of food must have been a challenge itself. Now we cook only for ourselves; mostly a family of 4 where two kids can barely eat so you end up cooking small portions. Ok so what was it that made them do it while we can’t?
Not to forget the expenses, even if life expenses were cheap, they took so little money as well. I hear in the movies that one would take 20 LE as a monthly salary. Apart from always failing to make sense of that, still a father was expected to take care of a big family of 7 average. My mind can’t make sense of this, 20 LE for everyday life expenses, schools, transportation, health care and the list goes on! I don’t believe in things like old days were blessed but our days are cursed; I think every age has its own challenges which people have to defy.
Maybe the secret was in our grandmothers themselves. Were they less complainers, did they have more energy? Maybe we are drained these days because our life surroundings are so stressful. Maybe because we have to work, so we can barely be up to leading two roles; a housewife and a career woman. Maybe being enclosed with technology, social media and internet is making our life tougher while we think it is the opposite. Maybe life was simpler before globalization and now we are more exposed to the world so we always fail to satisfy our needs. Maybe we have greater dreams than our grandparents so we waste so much time chasing them. I don’t seem to have an answer… If you do; tell me what you think?
Did you ever wonder how come our grandparents used to raise 5 or more kids and they always looked happy and elegant in the pictures while we suffer raising 1 or 2 kids. Were the kids quieter at that time, was life easier, were the living expenses cheaper, how did they do that? We know for sure that kids are kids even if these generations are more aggressive, but a baby is a baby and he will always be dependent and demanding. It is not that long times ago babies would go to the kitchen and feed themselves. On the contrary if you think about it, there were no facilities like our days. Think of the kitchen appliances alone, everything was done manually by hand. Technology now makes things much easier and some tasks take no time at all if you just use the right tools.
Ok so what was it then? My mother used to tell me that when they were young, their parents would go everyday to the grocery stores to buy fresh veggies and fruits to be cooked on that day. Imagine someone going to buy molokhyia (real thing not the frozen one we cook), clean it and prepare it to be cooked for a family of 7 averages. Yeah, I just realized that even the amount of food must have been a challenge itself. Now we cook only for ourselves; mostly a family of 4 where two kids can barely eat so you end up cooking small portions. Ok so what was it that made them do it while we can’t?
Not to forget the expenses, even if life expenses were cheap, they took so little money as well. I hear in the movies that one would take 20 LE as a monthly salary. Apart from always failing to make sense of that, still a father was expected to take care of a big family of 7 average. My mind can’t make sense of this, 20 LE for everyday life expenses, schools, transportation, health care and the list goes on! I don’t believe in things like old days were blessed but our days are cursed; I think every age has its own challenges which people have to defy.
Maybe the secret was in our grandmothers themselves. Were they less complainers, did they have more energy? Maybe we are drained these days because our life surroundings are so stressful. Maybe because we have to work, so we can barely be up to leading two roles; a housewife and a career woman. Maybe being enclosed with technology, social media and internet is making our life tougher while we think it is the opposite. Maybe life was simpler before globalization and now we are more exposed to the world so we always fail to satisfy our needs. Maybe we have greater dreams than our grandparents so we waste so much time chasing them. I don’t seem to have an answer… If you do; tell me what you think?
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Abuse the pregnancy
Well since my kids are already 2 years old, I am not going to take you through the past two years; otherwise I will lose you before I kick start my blog. However I will shed the light on the key highlights, milestones and phases that are worth sharing. The very first of which is the pregnancy experience itself. If you think I will complain and tell you about all sorts of pain I encountered, I will prove you wrong. Yes the pregnancy was tough and this had nothing to do with me personally; the twin baby pregnancy is more challenging by nature but I enjoyed it.
One great advantage of being pregnant in twins was that people always thought am about to deliver ever since I was in the 5th month. Everyone feels for you and wished to help. People would give me their turn in a queue, cars would stop to cross the street, even my clients used to appreciate that I am presenting with my tummy that big. I remember one day when I went for a big presentation, the client was so sweet that she kept thanking me that I came and made all this work while am about to give birth, I was in the sixth month by the way but I haven’t told her.
Probably you are thinking I was eating like a man but actually I could not eat much because the twins take so much space inside that they put some pressure on your stomach making it smaller. I could only eat half as much as I normally do, yet the chocolate and the ice cream consumption was not affected of which I was eating tons. Accordingly I suffered anima last couple of months of pregnancy but still I loved the experience of being pregnant.
Despite the heaviness I felt and my tummy which was as big as if I was putting two cushions inside I managed to stay at my work till I was eight months pregnant. I was also driving till that period although my steering wheel used to annoy my bump but I loved it. My doctor used to tell me that I am the best pregnant patient he has provided that I had twins inside. He was proud of me because I barely complained (it was fun).
If you are still pregnant or trying to conceive, pregnancy is a very enjoyable phase and relatively calmer than when you have the kids physically outside (One kid is no worries at all but two definitely is). Enjoy it and be positive about any pain you encounter. Always remember that after this pain you will have an amazing addition to your house that will be the most pleasant thing afterwards. No pain, no gain <3
Well since my kids are already 2 years old, I am not going to take you through the past two years; otherwise I will lose you before I kick start my blog. However I will shed the light on the key highlights, milestones and phases that are worth sharing. The very first of which is the pregnancy experience itself. If you think I will complain and tell you about all sorts of pain I encountered, I will prove you wrong. Yes the pregnancy was tough and this had nothing to do with me personally; the twin baby pregnancy is more challenging by nature but I enjoyed it.
One great advantage of being pregnant in twins was that people always thought am about to deliver ever since I was in the 5th month. Everyone feels for you and wished to help. People would give me their turn in a queue, cars would stop to cross the street, even my clients used to appreciate that I am presenting with my tummy that big. I remember one day when I went for a big presentation, the client was so sweet that she kept thanking me that I came and made all this work while am about to give birth, I was in the sixth month by the way but I haven’t told her.
Probably you are thinking I was eating like a man but actually I could not eat much because the twins take so much space inside that they put some pressure on your stomach making it smaller. I could only eat half as much as I normally do, yet the chocolate and the ice cream consumption was not affected of which I was eating tons. Accordingly I suffered anima last couple of months of pregnancy but still I loved the experience of being pregnant.
Despite the heaviness I felt and my tummy which was as big as if I was putting two cushions inside I managed to stay at my work till I was eight months pregnant. I was also driving till that period although my steering wheel used to annoy my bump but I loved it. My doctor used to tell me that I am the best pregnant patient he has provided that I had twins inside. He was proud of me because I barely complained (it was fun).
If you are still pregnant or trying to conceive, pregnancy is a very enjoyable phase and relatively calmer than when you have the kids physically outside (One kid is no worries at all but two definitely is). Enjoy it and be positive about any pain you encounter. Always remember that after this pain you will have an amazing addition to your house that will be the most pleasant thing afterwards. No pain, no gain <3
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
The gadget generation: A curse or a blessing?
Well I don’t know if being in the gadget generation is a curse or a blessing because when I see kids very much hooked to the tablets, mobiles and gadgets; I remember how naïve and undemanding a generation we were. Try to notice while shopping the number of kids holding technology gadgets. It is not that I am judging or blaming parents for doing so, I do the same unfortunately. But what to do; this is my only way to take both kids out and keep them entertained.
I was taken by wonder when I found my babies starting to get hooked to technology ever since they were a couple of months old. After they were one year they started to show interest in holding a tablet themselves which was when we got the first one. I always criticized parents who get their kids gadgets at an early age (by early age I was referring to primary grade) but I found myself unconsciously doing the same where now we have two tablets and we are only 2 years old. Easier said than done!
There is a good side of technology where it comes in handy when you go out, they can keep kids amused. Also we always download educational applications and games to start learning their alphabets and numbers. But being so hooked to technology is not healthy for the kids. I have read that we must limit the hours our kids get exposed to technology be it a tablet, mobile or even a TV. Doctors say the more kids get exposed to these things, the more they get alert and hence the tougher it is for them to fall asleep properly at night.
My whole purpose of this post is not only to say what I feel but to tell you about an experiment that I made and worked wonders with me. 3 months ago my kids used to sleep after 1 a.m. which was something I hated. Knowing that the earlier the TV is turned off, the earlier they will fall asleep, I got rid of the habit of having the TV voice always in the background. I started to have a deadline after which no TV nor tablet is turned on at home. Guess what; every I week I turned it a little earlier and accordingly they started to enter bed now around 10 p.m. or slightly after that. For me this is much of an improvement as it took around 2 months only to try to adjust this bad habit so I wanted to share this as I have tried it and I can personally guarantee it is magic. Good night <3
Well I don’t know if being in the gadget generation is a curse or a blessing because when I see kids very much hooked to the tablets, mobiles and gadgets; I remember how naïve and undemanding a generation we were. Try to notice while shopping the number of kids holding technology gadgets. It is not that I am judging or blaming parents for doing so, I do the same unfortunately. But what to do; this is my only way to take both kids out and keep them entertained.
I was taken by wonder when I found my babies starting to get hooked to technology ever since they were a couple of months old. After they were one year they started to show interest in holding a tablet themselves which was when we got the first one. I always criticized parents who get their kids gadgets at an early age (by early age I was referring to primary grade) but I found myself unconsciously doing the same where now we have two tablets and we are only 2 years old. Easier said than done!
There is a good side of technology where it comes in handy when you go out, they can keep kids amused. Also we always download educational applications and games to start learning their alphabets and numbers. But being so hooked to technology is not healthy for the kids. I have read that we must limit the hours our kids get exposed to technology be it a tablet, mobile or even a TV. Doctors say the more kids get exposed to these things, the more they get alert and hence the tougher it is for them to fall asleep properly at night.
My whole purpose of this post is not only to say what I feel but to tell you about an experiment that I made and worked wonders with me. 3 months ago my kids used to sleep after 1 a.m. which was something I hated. Knowing that the earlier the TV is turned off, the earlier they will fall asleep, I got rid of the habit of having the TV voice always in the background. I started to have a deadline after which no TV nor tablet is turned on at home. Guess what; every I week I turned it a little earlier and accordingly they started to enter bed now around 10 p.m. or slightly after that. For me this is much of an improvement as it took around 2 months only to try to adjust this bad habit so I wanted to share this as I have tried it and I can personally guarantee it is magic. Good night <3
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)