Little Homeschooling Update

Assalamu alaikom

End of the week :)  We've settled into a nice routine here at home, alhamdulilaah (have my non Muslim readers figured out my Arabic words yet; this one means 'all praise is due to God'=thank God).  Even little Aisha isn't as crazed anymore.  She's taken to sitting on the floor nearby and playing with coins, that was her favorite activity this past week.  She won't put them in her mouth, so I feel safe letting her fill and empty the bucket with the coins. She also moves them from one pile to another.  Once I finish up my morning chores and sit down at the table is when I feel that the kids also buckle down and start their work for real.  Otherwise they might be kind here and there, but not really working.  And that IS my routine.. to sit down at the table by 8:30 (ok sometimes it is 8:45) and get started for the day.  We normally work til 11:45 or noon (they take a little snack break in the middle).  After lunch we meet back for Science/History depending on the day, and then we do our activities (tennis, football, gymnastics, Quran class).

My goals for the begining of this venture were multi-faceted:
1. to give us all time to unprogram our brains from what we thought 'school' looked like
2. to give the kids leeway in general to adjust to our new way of life
3.  to focus mostly on the 'core' of education (reading, writing, arithmatic) and not to panic if I didn't get a lot more things done, at least for the first few months.  i do have science and history in the plans, and so far those are going on schedule, too
4.  to not let myself get carried away compaing myself to other homeschoolers b/c there really is so much you can do out there
5.  to incorporate those religious elements into their lives like i had originally dreamed of doing

So I think I've done pretty good at pacing myself.  I've wondered if I were doing enough, and then sometimes if it were too much, but all in all they're getting work done, retaining it, and the best part.. regurgitating it!!! Unprompted, too! Yippeee!!! It's working :) 

I had to think long and hard about one little subject though, and that was Arabic language.  We don't speak it much at home since my husband and I have always spoken English as our first language.  The kids do read Arabic in the Quran, but they don't know its meaning nor can they have a conversation.  After much thinking I am now confident that they must learn it as best as I can teach it to them.  It's their heritage and it is the language of their holy book.  A lot gets lost in the translation, so it will only benefit them to know it.  I settled on a program to use, and have sent the company an email asking if i can get the 'teacher discount' :)  (which, by the way, Staples gave me their teacher discount card b/c i'm a homeschooler.. yay Staples!)  So pray for me please.. I will be adding one more subject to our curriculum. 

Ok, so that leads me to the other 'religious element' I mentioned in the goals up above.  After I felt confident after a couple of weeks of homeschooling I realized I didn't really have a fixed time for Islamic Studies.  Okie dokie...ruffled through many old books the older kids used back in Seattle at the Islamic School.  I wasn't sure which curriculum to use (there were two good ones, at least), and I wasn't sure what levels I should start the kids at.  Grrr, I didn't like this.  Well, subhanAllah, when you just ask your lord for help He surely won't fail you.  Somehow, one morning, I had one of those books in my hand and I was at the breakfast table.  Somehow we all ended up at breakfast at the same time.  Somehow I opened the book and started reading from the begining, and the story was so interesting that I found 4 pairs of eyes staring at me!  (ok, well, maybe not Aisha's)  The older 3 loved it, and I suddenly figured out how and when we would cover our Islamic Studies.  This week's breakfast time was awesome.  I would read from that textbook which has verses, hadith (sayings of prophet muhammand, peace be upon him), skits, and stories from the quran.  It's had a tremendous impact on them already, as I can see their awareness of their faith grow, just from talking about it for a few short minutes in the morning.  Masha'Allah, what a blessing. 

I've learned that 'learning' looks different now that we are free of the schedule of public school.  Reading about our religion together at breakfast is an awesome way to make it a natural part of our family instead of a boring class they have to go to on the weekend.  We also do some read-alouds at night (a fiction book like currently The Adventures of Tom Sawyer), and none of this could have happened during public school time.  They used to come home so ready to turn their brains off that it was like pulling teeth to get them to read, to pray, or to talk about anything learning-related.  And now, suddenly, we are learning ALL the time and they are happy with it! I am so so grateful to have been shown this path and to be on this adventure.  Life looks different to me in regards to my children, my future, and their future. 

So we're half way through our first trimester.  I'm glad things are moving along well, and I am glad I didn't stress over the extra subjects that I had wanted to cover but hadn't gotten to yet.  I know it'll all work out in the end, and alhamdulilaah, so far it's been great.  May Allah keep us successful and guide us to please Him.  Now that we're half way done we can start the countdown to our first official family roadtrip to visit my mom in Mississippi!!!  We'll be taking one month off from mid December through mid January. :)

Thanks for reading and I welcome your comments!
Love
Zein

Green Smoothies!

Assalamu alaikom y'all!

I stumbled across a link to green smoothies and their benefits the other day.  I was hooked instantly!  I ran out and bought some fresh greens, a few extra fruits, and borrowed a blender (b/c I don't have one).  I'm hooked, and I can't wait to try a new combination each day :)

The ideas is to drink your greens if you're having a hard time getting enough fresh fruits and veggies each day (which I know I am).  You put about 60% fruit and 40% greens.  It is not very overpowering that way, especially if you include banana or avocado.  Those tend to 'cream' up the smoothie.  And I use water: no milk, no juice.  The calories are low, the fiber is high, and the overall benefits are fantastic!

I'm going to put some of the article below with a link at the end:

Green Smoothies?


Yes – these are simply smoothies that are made with fresh organic greens blended in to them with a a fruit or two and a couple other tasty ingredients.

Green smoothies provide a concentrated amount of fresh greens in quick and convenient drink. Plus blending greens and fruits together breaks down the cells of these plants which improves digestibility and makes it easier for your body to assimilate.
What Exactly Are Greens?
“Greens” are Leafy greens, the green leaves of edible plants. Some of these leafy greens are grown specifically for the leaf itself like lettuce, spinach, kale and parsley. While found as the green leafy tops of root vegetables like carrots greens, beets and turnips.

The Most Popular Greens For Smoothies

- Baby Spinach

- Kale

- Collard greens

- Mustard greens

- Dandelion greens

- Turnip greens

- Beat greens

- Parsley

- Arugula

- Romaine lettuce

Benefits Of Green Smoothies

This is what you can expect if you drink just one smoothie a day.

1. Increased Energy
Powerful boost of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients without bogging down your digestive system. Drinking your greens in the most optimum form for your digestibility and nutrient absorption leaves you feeling more energized.

2. Mental Clarity and Focus
With a healthier foods come greater mental clarity, focus, alertness and the ability to better handle stress and reduce anxiety.

3. Increased Fiber Intake
While juicing can also give you a powerful punch, it just cannot give you the whole fruit and vegetable like green smoothies can. Fiber is essential for good colon health and keeps you regular.

4. Clearer Skin
High in fiber which allows your body to eliminate toxins the right way instead of through your skin. Plus you are getting that concentrated source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that fight the aging process!

5. Reduced Cravings
Easily fight those cravings for junk foods, unhealthy sweets, salt and fats. When your body receives adequate nutrition, you no longer feel hungry from a lack of nutrients in the typical, dead processed food. You will find that after a couple short weeks of drinking green smoothies, you will crave healthier foods such as fruits, vegetables and greens.
6. Rich With Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is like the blood of the vegetable which natural health experts state enhances the immune system, purifies the blood and rejuvenates the body.
7. Alkalizing
Fruits and vegetables are alkaline foods and many natural health experts claim that consuming these foods helps maintain a proper alkaline balance in the body. Cancer does not grow in an alkaline body. In fact, most disease grows in an acid environment.
~ Bonus Benefits ~
Green Smoothies are EASY to MAKE and are a Natural Source of Fat Loss.

Read the whole article for recipes, and more information!

http://www.getfitandyummy.com/green-smoothies-rock/

 

slightly deep thoughts!

Assalamu alaikom

I saw the following verse from the Quran in a friend's email signature the other day.  I literally just stopped what I was doing and had a light bulb moment.  "Oh." I think to myself.  "It's been right there all along."  I read it, and I reread it, and I wonder why we (rather, why "I") couldn't embody this sentiment:
 And they who say: O our Lord! grant us in our wives and our offspring the joy of our eyes, and make us guides to those who guard (against evil).  
(  سورة الفرقان  , Al-Furqan, Chapter #25, Verse #74)

Allah, our Creator, our Lord has blessed us with verses that guide our hearts.  THIS is how we want to perceive our spouses.  THIS is how we want to perceive our children. As a joy. 

Let me start with the children part.  This could be taken to mean that our children are so great that all they do is bring joy into our lives. I personally don't think this is what the verse is about.  We all come with our ups and downs, so no person is going to be 100% a joy to someone all the time.  My toddler got into 5 dangerous things within a minute and thirty seconds today.  She is running my nerves to the wire.  However, I think I could slow down and either put more things out of her reach and/or spend the time to give her direction calmly.  This would establish a healthy ground of communication. 

We have to change how our hearts feel towards children.  This will revolutionize our lives, I think.  The answer to our stress and frustration is right there, straight from God Himself.  They are JOY.  So that means I must be doing it wrong when I don't see them as a JOY.  When I'm mad that milk spilled for the 3rd time in 24 hours all over the table, chairs, and floor, I need to turn to Allah and ask HIM to help me through it.  Don't get mad at the child.  Don't wish they weren't so bothersome or messy.  Don't say "why can't my house look perfectly neat and clean all the time".  You know how they say fashion models and fashion magazines lower teen girls' self-esteem and create unhealthy expectations in them?  Today I realized that society, magazines, and stores do that to ME when it comes to my house.  I feel there is a certain level of how tidy or matchy my house should be.  Then along walks the family into the house and that image doesn't exist.  I don't want to define my expectation by a magazine's image, but to an extent I think we all do.  This materialistic disease takes us away from being thankful to Allah, from praising Him, and from seeing the 'messy' parts of our life as a joy.

So my goal is to keep reminding myself of this verse and to feel joyful with my children.  Whatever is difficult is a reminder that Allah is there for me to ask, and He will run to my aid. 

The part about the spouse is a good topic for a different day, but wow... look at your spouse as a person who gives you JOY, and you will see him/her in a different light.  And hopefully we can be that joy for them as well.

Catching up at home, making soap and butter

Assalamu alaikom

I'm so grateful to have someone come do the big cleaning in my house once a week, and that helps so much especially now with homeschooling.  Of course the dishes and the kids' clutter is a never ending cycle, but that is OK and comes with the territory.  So today the house is clean, sheets, towels, and floors are clean too, so I decided to make a new batch of laundry soap.  Thankfully, that takes all of 10 minutes, so that is done.  That batch of soap will last me about 2 or 3 months, and it cost only $2 to make. I'll post the recipe below.  I used the recipe on the Duggar's website, but I made half since the thought of 10 gallons of laundry soap sitting around didn't sound good.  5 gallons of laundry soap should get used up in 2 or 3 months, I think.

Right now as I type the kids are shaking jars filled with cream to make butter.  I'm planning making some homemade bread after this, so insha'Allah we can enjoy some homemade bread and butter today!!!
Fun times :)

Laundry Soap Recipe:

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4  Cups - hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

my favorite month!

Assalamu alaikom

I think I'm going to have to declare October my favorite month.  It's so great. What's not to love? The weather is lovely as we start to get quite cool in the evening and early mornings.  The sun still shines, and it still warms up to the 80's during the day (at least here in TX it does).  The days shorten to a nice length: not too short and not too long.  And then there's the shift in nature: the trees, leaves, vegetables, and general change of the cycle.  I just love it.  I feel like it's the perfect weather to 'live' in.  I also just really got burned out this summer with the incapacitating heat.  We didn't handle it well, we didn't have much to do to pass our time, and it felt like punishment from the beginning of July through the beginning of September.  So, I'm truly happy to be done with Summer.

My decision to homeschool in a trimester system was partially influenced by the dread of next summer.  So we will 'school' for three months and then take one month off.  This way we'll have something useful to do during 2 of the summer months, and then we can do all the fun stuff in the 3rd month.  Also, this way we can enjoy some of each season without having to worry about missing school days.  I'd much rather go to the zoo, to trails, hikes, and lakes during December or April rather than in June/July/August.  So, I do hope next summer won't be as bad.

Enjoy!