Yesterday Anisa turned six. The loveliest, silliest six that I know. In following with the trend of this year (being that I have not been adequately prepared for parties) we celebrated with a family dinner at the restaurant of Anisa's choice, a cake, a couple of little presents and for a service project went with something simple and small that may yet yield wonderful results. Oxfam Australia helps impoverished communities in developing countries by building things like bridges and wells for water, they train communities in health and nutrition and how to raise domesticated animals to provide income and to supplement diets. Anisa carefully browsed their site and decided that she really wanted to purchase two items. In the end she decided on a chicken (which will go to someone in the Solomon Islands) and a goat for a family in Africa. The chicken is good, but I really like the idea of the goat as it can provide milk and manure, eat scraps, be sold to help pay for school fees and the first born female is given to another family so that the process can begin all over again so other families benefit too. I guess it is sort of similar with the chicken. Oh well-it's all good.Should the children ever question why we didn't have a party every year I thought I would jot down my movements yesterday so as to provide a detailed reminder of what most days are currently like.
Allow me to set the stage. The previous evening saw me and the children making a triple batch of chocolate cupcakes (gluten free) so that Anisa could bring them to school and share them with all the kids (who loved them, by the way). In between preparing dinner, eating dinner, doing homework and cleaning up we managed to create and cook the muffins.
I opted to do the icing and sprinkles myself after the kids were in bed as there was much debate about who got to do what job and weather or not it was fair that one person got to add a whole cup of flour while someone else had to add a whole cup of water. Apparently flour is more special. I don't know. Anyway by the time they were all tucked into bed, had said their prayers and I had read them a couple of chapters from the Little House Series, it was after nine o'clock. By the time that I had cleaned the kitchen from dinner, whipped up the frosting and spread it and the sprinkles across 40 odd muffins and had packed them up for the trip to school tomorrow it was close to ten. I still had to pack their lunches and make sure that I signed diaries and notes to say nothing about my own preparations for classes the next day. I did eventually get to bed, I shan't disclose the exact time, but that doesn't really matter because look at how I wrapped the sandwiches (I used the corn tortilla mountain wraps filled with shaved ham). 
Aren't they cute? They're made with paper flower cut outs, tucked between two pieces of waxed lunch paper and then ironed together. I added a ribbon and a little note with matching flower motifs and voila! fancy lunch wrap perfect for a birthday or special occasion.
I opted to do the icing and sprinkles myself after the kids were in bed as there was much debate about who got to do what job and weather or not it was fair that one person got to add a whole cup of flour while someone else had to add a whole cup of water. Apparently flour is more special. I don't know. Anyway by the time they were all tucked into bed, had said their prayers and I had read them a couple of chapters from the Little House Series, it was after nine o'clock. By the time that I had cleaned the kitchen from dinner, whipped up the frosting and spread it and the sprinkles across 40 odd muffins and had packed them up for the trip to school tomorrow it was close to ten. I still had to pack their lunches and make sure that I signed diaries and notes to say nothing about my own preparations for classes the next day. I did eventually get to bed, I shan't disclose the exact time, but that doesn't really matter because look at how I wrapped the sandwiches (I used the corn tortilla mountain wraps filled with shaved ham). Aren't they cute? They're made with paper flower cut outs, tucked between two pieces of waxed lunch paper and then ironed together. I added a ribbon and a little note with matching flower motifs and voila! fancy lunch wrap perfect for a birthday or special occasion.Anisa's birthday began, for me, at six am. I got showered and changed for work. Organised breakfast and sourced clean uniforms. The kids were up at 6:45 to get dressed, eat breakfast, fix their hair and pack their bags. While they did shoes I loaded the car and we were on our way by 7:30. I dropped the kids and cupcakes at school just after 8:00 and arrived at my school just after 8:30. I had enough time to visit the restroom and make photocopies before racing to my classroom and going at full tilt until 3:00, um 3:10, which meant that I didn't get back to the girls until 3:40. We got back to pick up Bayan by 4:15 and had a little over an hour in which to get back home, do homework and get changed before leaving to meet Mehran at the restaurant at 6:00.
The kids had a great time, ate all their favourite foods and especially enjoyed some extra dessert. We were so full that we decided to keep Anisa's cake for tomorrow night, well- most of us did, Bayan had other plans. Luckily it was nothing that a little extra frosting can't fix.
After dinner we came home and I got the children into their pyjamas and ready for bed. We said prayers and read stories and I dashed out the door to make the end of Feast. I had promised the Education Committee that I would make the announcements about the drastic changes we are making to our children's classes. They told me to be prepared for ferocious opposition as there are those who are not going to be happy with our decisions and are not going to want to hear what I have to say. I repeated the Tablet of Ahmad as I raced down the highway trying to mentally prepare myself for the approaching apocalypse. I noted, as I walked in the door that there we no other committee members present that evening. Humph. Not a good sign. I guess that someone heard my prayers or that the community was ready for the change because instead of opposition I had people volunteering to help. Thank you God! And Happy Birthday Anisa! We love you sweetie.
After dinner we came home and I got the children into their pyjamas and ready for bed. We said prayers and read stories and I dashed out the door to make the end of Feast. I had promised the Education Committee that I would make the announcements about the drastic changes we are making to our children's classes. They told me to be prepared for ferocious opposition as there are those who are not going to be happy with our decisions and are not going to want to hear what I have to say. I repeated the Tablet of Ahmad as I raced down the highway trying to mentally prepare myself for the approaching apocalypse. I noted, as I walked in the door that there we no other committee members present that evening. Humph. Not a good sign. I guess that someone heard my prayers or that the community was ready for the change because instead of opposition I had people volunteering to help. Thank you God! And Happy Birthday Anisa! We love you sweetie.
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