5 things I should have done...but didn't

1). Start the day with prayers.

2). Explain to Bayan that, when unloading the dishwasher, it is crucial to remove the larger, glass, items before attempting to grab the dishes beneath them. (See photo above.)

3). Encourage the children to check their shoes for dog poo before getting into the car. Never been an issue before but somewhere in our wanders at the market Bayan stepped in the motherload and no one realized until we we were all comfortably seated and halfway home when the unmistakable pong gave it away.

4). Firmly proclaim that all monkeys (and any other untamed, wild, animal for that matter) are to remain outdoors during nap time.

5). Specifically state that the toilet brush must never be used as a fairy wand. EVER.

Garden of Ridvan

We met up with some friends at a favorite garden where the roses were in bloom and the trees, well some of them, were heavily laden with fruit. We enjoyed a picnic lunch together and despite a little mishap, involving Ruhi twisting her ankle in her excitement to see everyone, we had a great time together.

We organized a little Ridvan treasure hunt for the kids. I know, I need to step it up a notch and get inspired to do something else for once. But it went pretty well. There were flowers to find and each flower contained part of a Ridvan story (for the older kids) or a number (for the younger kids). The kids then got in order to share their part of the story with everyone else. The younger ones had to guess how their number (1, 9 or 12) was important to the Ridvan Festival. The kids did a stellar job and I think they all learned from the experience. Plus it doesn't hurt that they got to share some chocolate cake at the end. That was good too.

Letting go

I don't know what to do. I love the idea of homeschooling and indeed I love much of the reality, but I am still not sure how to get everything done and Bayan has been loving the couple of days that he has spent in the classroom. He is so ready for this. Ruhi has begun to like school and for the first time in ages seems really happy to go. Anisa would prefer to stay home, but sometimes I think she really needs that extra structure and to find herself outside of her comfort zone. I am seriously unimpressed with schools here. I think that academically they are dropping the ball big time and that, in general, they are damaging to the emotional needs of children. Mehran has another viewpoint. He thinks that kids should be in school. They should not be kept home. They should see what a harsh place the world can be and should suck it up and learn to deal and live with it. In some ways I think he has a point. They should not be bubble wrapped, but I also don't think that they should be exposed to constant swearing, inappropriate and dangerous attitudes and constantly surrounded by peers who apparently have very different values. So we continue to compromise. The kids are attending a little school that offers a more wholesome environment 4 days a week and I do homeschooling with them on Friday. This helps with costs and also with the feelings that they are not being introduced to appropriate learning material for their age (specifically maths. But this is something that is across the board here. Most schools are still teaching division and multiplication through grades 6 and 7. I have issues with that. But I'll spare you and move on.) I can see that Bayan, especially, wants to stretch his wings. There has been no drama or tears about starting school. He organizes himself, puts his lunchbox and drink bottle where they need to be, gets his reading folder sorted and waves me out the door, saying: "See ya Mom. You can go home now." He doesn't even need a hug for cryin' out loud... but I do. All I want is just to snuggle him up in my arms, give him a big kiss and bring him back home with me. He is so bright and so charming and I miss him. I really miss him. The other day he came up to me grinning from ear to ear and said in a super excited voice "Look Mom! I have diarrhea. My teacher gave it to me." The smile froze on my face. Then he pulled a new reading diary from his bag and all was well once again. I love hearing about parts of his day and am sad not to share in them as much as I did and despite the fact that I am sitting at home with this gorgeous baby conjuring up fun activities for the kids to do when they return, and despite the fact that they are doing well and are happy, part of me is not. I love that they are all OK, but I am sad that they are growing up so fast, that they are moving on and I am sad to find myself letting go, even though I think (maybe) it is for the best...

Ridvan

Call it what you will. It's a treasure hunt. Another one. My kids are not complaining. Yet. And I just don't have the time or the inspiration to do anything else at the moment. So, once again I took a quote, this time about Ridvan, jumbled up the words placed them in colorful eggs and hid the eggs in the garden for the kids to find. They unjumbled the words until the quote made sense and then got to use the garden clippers to trim the roses and make a floral arrangement to bring inside. They only get to do this on Holy Days so despite its simplicity it was still special. But as they get older I know I'm going to have to start taking it up a notch and making it more interesting and challenging. But this year, its all about simplicity.

Brazil

The kids really wanted to do something these school holidays and because the last were far more low key getting prepared for little Maryam and then getting through the day to day after she arrived I figured it was about time that I got my act together and tried to do something fun for them.

We began with the staycation hotel and a complimentary breakfast in bed. They were then given the days itinerary and had to guess what country we would be visiting based on said itinerary. It wasn't difficult, especially when they were given clues such as: hiking to a beautiful waterfall, birdwatching in the "jungle," a makeshift restaurant featuring Brazilian black bean stew and rice for dinner followed by the movie Rio. I can't believe how big these kids are getting. I mean look at Bayan. He is just five for heaven sakes. What is this? I find it very depressing, but here they are admiring the waterfall looking very enormous and grown-up.

Here is the view from the top of the falls looking down. Bayan started out pretty excited, but then, about half way up decided he didn't really care much for hiking after all. Ruhi was a trooper. She could have kept going and she inspired Mehran to go faster. Anisa was good until we hit the top and then started to tire. Her footwear was probably not the most appropriate so that didn't help. It was cute but not appropriate for traipsing up mountains. Some things she just has to learn the hard way. It was pretty overcast and sometimes drizzly which was awesome for my "rainforest" theme though it didn't do much for the bird watching. But we did come across this little guy so it wasn't a total loss.

Dinner bombed. Big time. But the movie was a hit and overall they enjoyed 'Brazil.'

Cleland

With relatives visiting from overseas and interstate we packed the kids up and headed out for a trip to a local wildlife park for a bit of holiday fun. We met the locals,

fed the natives and generally had a wonderful time.

My Kitchen Rules

I like to keep our weekdays t.v. free, but in the early days with Maryam home, Mehran gone and the children in need of something quiet to do in the evenings I will confess that we began watching a show called My Kitchen Rules. I am rather weary of reality shows, (this was the first that I have allowed the children to watch) but this one was really good. We didn't see the whole season, less than half in fact, but what we saw we all really enjoyed. They had teams of two competing against other teams of two from around the country to see who was able to serve up the most delicious recipes in a variety of challenging situations using specific ingredients. What impressed me was the fact that the teams were so encouraging of each other, obviously they all wanted their own team to win, but there was no sabotage or underhandedness. When one team forgot to buy a crucial ingredient the team they were competing against let them use some of theirs. How awesome is that? They cheered each other on, cried when teams were sent home and got along splendidly behind the scenes - OK, yes there was some stress and freaking out, but nothing nasty at least not that we saw and what we saw was some amazing, yet ordinary, people creating some amazing food and friendships. The result of this was a bit of quiet in the evenings so that I could sit and nurse Maryam and simply soak her in while the kids were happily engaged in something educational (that I could also watch from where I sat). And yes, I did say educational. The kids, who have always loved to bake, are now learning to cook and are super excited to help out with anything that has to do with food preparation. We have researched recipes, tried some of our own and Anisa is currently creating her own cookbook, filled (well, 4 so far) with recipes that she has made, liked and wants to make again. Bayan has taken on the role of judge like nobodies business and is sooo charming. He walks around rating everything he eats from a slice of apple to a bowl of cornflakes to his latest dinner. He will take a bite, roll his eyes to the heavens above, really think it over, and then proclaim that you have 10 out of 10 or eleventy hundred or even if it is not something that he is particularly fond of and you get a less than stellar score he will say: "That's OK Mom, you're still the best cooker in the whole world." And your heart will just melt and you'll look in those eyes and you'll know, thanks to these guys, that my kitchen rules.