Tip #1: The Laundry

Assalm alykom:

I decided to offer a tip each week or so on my blog. These tips are related to my ability to maintain my religion, homeschooling, houseduties, my children and my sanity. I found in the beginning, homeschooling can be quite overwhelming with all my other duties as a wife and mother. I have found a few tips along the way that have made my whole homeschooling experience much easier. Therefore, here is the first one:



The Laundry
Laundry can be quite overwhelming in a large family. It is even more so when you homeschool. When I first started out, I always found myself with laundry all over my living room. Half of it folded and ready to be put away. The other half would be waiting for me to have time to fold it. Then, there was the mounds of it in the garage still waiting for me to wash. Something had to be done. I could not keep going like this. What I first did was lower my standards about the laundry. It was never being put away because I did not like how my children would put it away. Well, after lowering my standards, I put my children to work with the laundry. My washer and dryer is in our garage. I found a laundry sorter at Wal-mart. My son is responsible for sorting his clothes according to color. My older daughter sorts hers and her sisters. I sort my clothes and my husbands. After the clothes go through the wash, I fold them and put them in a laundry basket. My children then pick up their baskets and put the clothes away themselves. My son does his own, my older daughter puts hers and her two younger sisters' clothes(they are all in one room), and I put my husbands' clothes and mine. Now, I no longer have clothes waiting to be folded and put away. I try to do one load a day and the children put them away about every two to three days. The clothes are not always put away they way I would like, but at least they are not all over my living room. They are also learning to be responsible for the house duties. I had another problem and that is with matching up sock for six people. I will save that for tip #2.

Jesus and The Da Vinci Code

Assalam alykom:

The Da Vinci code brought Jesus to the mind of millions of people worldwide. The book sold 40 million copies and the movie made millions in the first day alone. Churches worldwide are presenting their versions of decoding the Da Vinci code. For Muslims, this is a golden opportunity to present what Allah says in the Quran about Jesus. You can read more about what Allah says about Jesus in the Quran here.
Here is a couple of questions related to the Da Vinci code that a person might ask himself or herself. "Was Jesus married?" If he was married, how would that affect a Muslims' belief in him? Listen to these beneficial lessons on this very subject from http://www.loveallah.net

The Da Vinci Code part one

The Da Vinci Code part two

What do others think of your homeschooling efforts?

Assalm alykom:

While homeschooling is becoming more popular and common, it is still considered out of the mainstream. Therefore, people might find it odd that you have decided to take up this life style with your family. My husband travels to a variety of masjids throughout our state doing workshops on Islam. The children and I sometimes travel with him. I like to go with him because it avails me the opportunity to meet different people. Actually, when I meet someone new, they are the ones who usually ask about my children and where do they go to school. I think that this is because parents are really becoming concerned about what kind of education their child is receiving, what kind of role models they are looking up to and what kind of people they are socializing with. Here are some of the comments I get:

Some people look at me as some kind of super woman. They tell me: "I could NEVER do that" "How do you do it with four kids" Well my advice to them is it is not for everyone. It is difficult and it has become a "lifestyle". There is a great deal of sacrifices. You sacrifice your time immensely. You sacrifice a "truly" clean house. The list can go on. Therefore, I never tell someone oh you can do it it is easy. I do find it difficult. However, I have found that I am getting better at this lifestyle, and it is getting easier for me.

Another comment I get is that "I could never do that because I am not educated enough." I have a business degree in marketing, and I still feel I am relearning all the things I new before. My advice to them is that if they really want to homeschool, you should try the state funded virtual schools. These are very easy to follow, and there is always guidance from a teacher, and accountability with mandatory state testing. Another route for those who are not confident, would be to buy a boxed curriculum. These companies who offer this, also sometimes offer teacher support for an additional charge.

This is a frequent question" I am afraid that my child would not be getting the social interaction that he or she needs." I have not found this to be a problem with my children. My children are very friendly when they meet new people or are with their friends that they know. Involving your children in activities such as sports, girl or boy scouts, or after school/weekend programs in masjids can help develop their social skills. I am trying to improve this myself, but have not found the appropriate activity. This next year, I plan to be more aggressive in finding something my children will enjoy, Inshallah.

One last frequent comment I have heard is that the quality of education is not good for homeschooling. Parents many times tell me that their children are very smart, and are in gifted programs and that homeschooling will not facilitate their child's education. I think personally that is changing. Colleges and scholarship programs are seeing that the placement test for homeschoolers are high, and they are recieving a quality education. Many colleges, such as Harvard, are allowing homeschooled students into their programs.

I think a lot of these questions I get are based on myths about homeschooling. I would love to hear what people think about your homeschooling efforts.

Tile trivets

Assalm alykom:
Here is yet another tile project. When we moved into our present house, there where many left over tiles from remodeling that was done from the previous owners. Therefore, I am always looking for craft ideas to utilize what I have. This one can be a project for the child of any age.

Materials:
Tile of preferred size
Paint brushes
Glass paints that require baking in the oven

Directions:
Just make sure the tile is clean before painting. Make sure that the glass paints you use requires baking. This assures durability. I have put our trivets into the dishwasher many times and the paint is still there. If your child is young, give them examples and ideas to paint the trivet. Otherwise, this is going to be a 2 minute project. Once your done painting and baking, use everyday on your dining room table. The ones I have are a permanent fixture on my table. Here are some that we made: You can see with the last one made by my then three year old, that the trivets can be according to the age. For the smaller tiles, if you put a piece of felt on the bottom, they make great coasters. I hope you enjoy making these as much as we did!

Happiness

Assalam alykom:

Happiness: This happens as a
result of internal and external
needs being met.







We live in a world that is instant and on the go. We have instant messaging, instant check out at the store . ATM machines that give us instant money. We haveinstant coffee, soup,lemonade,tea ect. We as society at large are wealthier than those 50 years ago. There is more technology and more of a variety of things to buy. There are nicer cars, computers,clothes,houses...........the list can go on forever. However, are we happy as a society? Are we really enjoying our lives? If you were to look at the news, you may wonder about that. The drug companies are selling more antidepressants medicine than ever. The psychiatrists are also busy with counseling those who are sad and discouraged. Divorce rates and single parenting is at a all time high. However, there is hope in Islam for happiness.
I found this set of lessons very helpful in over coming sadness,frustrations, anger, and stress. It also taught me that part of my happiness is derived in pleasing Allah and accepting what He
decreed for me. I hope you will listen to these beneficial lessons.

Happiness (Radio Program) Buy the entire Series
1. Elements of Happiness 2. Faith-Based Happiness 3. Heart Drives	4. Trusting Allah 5. How to Trust Allah 6. Taming Your Sadness

Before and After

Assalm alykom:

I good place to get wooden things to paint is at garage sales or thrift stores. Many times you can find good quality sturdy pieces for very little money.

This first piece I found was only $1.50 at a thrift store. Since it was painted blue, I had to put several coats of Kilz primer over it to cover it up. Here is the before shot:
After applying several coats of primer, and then letting it dry, I just painted it white. Then I painted designs and the Arabic Alphabet and numbers. My girls love it when I put Arabic on their things because they feel it is specilized to them. Here is what it looked liked when I painted it all.

This next piece also only cost $1.50. It is a very handy shelf. I liked it because it is a large shelf and has knobs on it to hang things. I also had to apply several coats of kilz to paint it white. Here is how it looked before I painted it.

I painted it white after that and then painted the designs on it. Here is how it looked when I finished.

This last piece I found at a garage sale for $2. There was two of them and I got both of them. This was the best find because they where already primed. So, all I had to do was paint them. I painted the girls names on them in Arabic and they again really loved that. This one is a smaller shelf, but it also has the hooks for hanging all their little girl things.

Here is the close up picture with their names. So, next time you pass a yard sale in your neighborhood, do not pass it up you may find a useful item to paint!

clip boards

Assalm alykom:

In my homeschooling, I was always having trouble with pending papers. If I assigned a paper bin for each child the papers ended up lost in it all. I tried folders, but we would forget about what was in them. Therefore, I came up with these clipboards. We have the papers clipped to them so we can always see them. They also have their names in Arabic so it is personlized. I made little ones for my toddlers. They have pending scribbling that they need to continually work on. Also, they feel included in the program which is very important.















Materials needed:

*Ceramic Tile
*Glass Paints
*Acrylic Paints
*Strong Glue(I used hard as nails)
*Picture Hook
*Wooden laundry clips



Directions: Clean the tile. Paint your design on the tile. The glass paints that I use require a short time of baking in the oven. Once you do that the paints cannot be scatched off. While the tile is baking and cooling, use the acrylic paints to paint a design on the laundry clip. If you paint it a solid color and then want to paint a different color like I did, you must wait for the first color to dry a little or the colors will mix together. After your tile is completly cooled and you laundry clip is completely dry, you can glue the clip to the bottom. At this point I glue the picture hanger on to the back too. This will allow you to hang it on the wall, Wait 24 hours for the glue to dry before you hang it.

Crocheting

Assalm alykom:

After my now ten year old son was born, I learned to crochet. This was before the popularity of the internet. I just went to the library and checked out all the "how to" books about it and got started. It was very simple for me and I find it a very relaxing craft. I have crocheted up to this point alot of things, blankets from yarn to lace made from thread. I even recently started the hobby of beading and even crocheted a nice bracelet from wire and beads. With children, and little spans of a large mount of time, I like to stick with small projects. I recently checked this book out of my local library. It has a lot of nice small projects that are just right for me. One of the projects was a little purse made from scraps of yarn. It was a great project because I could finish it in about an hour and a half. With three daughters, I had to make three purses. Here they are.








My girls really love them. They are so easy and quick that they would be great for gifts as well. If you do not know how to crochet, you can do like me and head to the library. However, there is so much on the internet to help you. Here is a nice link to help you get started.

If you liked this project and would like more ideas like it, please join my yahoo group here:

Painting Wooden Crafts

Assalam alykom:

My children go to the workshop each month at Home Depot. They so far have made many nice things. This is a free workshop on the first Saturday of each month. I have listed it on my blog before and you can read more about it here. One thing that the workshop provides is a nice wooden project to paint when you get home. The last workshop was a nice wooden tool box. It is a great piece for holding books, toys or whatever.


This one I painted for my son.









This one my eight year old daughter painted








And, this one my four year old daughter painted.









This one I painted for my girls. In Arabic, it says,"our books" on one side. The other side says, "we love to read."





Here is a list of materials:

*Wooden object (The craft stores have many unfinished wooden pieces. You can pick small pieces such as birdhouses and small boxes for around 1 dollar)
*Paint brushes different sizes
*Kilz water base primer
*Variety of colored Acrylic paints
Directions:
Depending on the piece, you may have to use a little of sand paper to smooth it. Apply 1 coat of Kilz to your piece. Let it dry and then apply another coat. This allows you to paint colors or even white paint onto your wooden piece. If you apply the paint directly, it will absorb into the wood. After the Kilz is completely dry, start painting your designs with the acrylic paint. Let them dry for at least 24 hours before you start using them. Enjoy!

So, what does a homeschooling mother do over the summer?

Assalam alykom:

Since I am in K12, I have the summer off from school. That means time for me to do all the things that I say I never have time for because I am homeschooling.




After the school is finished for us,
we take a family vacation.
The passed two years we have
gone to Gatlinburg ,Tennessee. We rent a cabin and stay in the mountains. Here is a view from our cabin. The kids really enjoy it. There is the Smokey Mountain National Forest. You can spend days there just walking through the trails and endless waterfalls.


Here is one of the water falls that we saw.

After vacation, the next thing that I do is clean out our study room. I throw out all the old papers,broken crayons,dried up markers without lids and reorganize the room. The next thing I do is began to organize my house and do the deep cleaning. During the school year, there is really only time for surface cleaning. The last thing that I do is try to find time for myself. I love doing crafts. I usually take the summer as an opportunity to do my craft projects. I hope to be posting them over the summer. Many of them are kids crafts. As far as the studies for my children, they work in more detail with my husband on their Quran, Arabic, History and Islamic Studies. I am having them work on their multiplication tables. There is not much time to work on these during the school year. I am also having them write letters to a pen pal. I think this is good to keep up their writing skills. In Shallah, I will be posting my crafts soon. So, keep checking back.

Highlights Magazine for children

Assalm alykom:

As a child, I use to get the subscription for this magazine and I loved it. Now as a Muslim, I tend to be selective about what my children read. Sometimes getting these magazines you have to edit alot of what you do not approve. Therefore I tend to stay away from magazine subscriptions. I remember with this magazine, my favorite thing was their hidden pictures. When I came across their website, I found you can print these out from the website. From my previous posts, you know my family loves the I Spy books. These hidden pictures are very similar to the I Spy. You can find them here in the Parents' Corner. There are some stories, crafts and of course the hidden pictures. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Is no child left behind stupid in America?

In the state of Florida, the motto for education is "read by nine". I think that this is too old to expect a child to be able to read. They should start reading as they recognize letters. My children began reading in both English and Arabic by the age of five. I do not think that this is because they are exceptionally smart. I think that they are normal. The United States government wanted to hold schools accountable for their students. They implemented The No Child Left Behind program. This required the students to take state mandated achievement tests and the schools were left responsible for the results. When the program was first introduced, my state was at the bottom of the list in scores. The schools get funding based on their test scores. With the low scores, the state became very aggressive to raise the scores. My question is: "Does designing the whole educational process to pass a test and get funding educate a child?" Many parents have expressed to me that their child's curriculum is completely centered around passing those tests. I think that achievement tests are great to track your child's progress, however the entire teaching process should not be studying for those tests. The tests in my state are only for reading and math. If the education is mainly concentrated on this, what about the social sciences such as History, Social Studies, and Science? Is this really making children smarter and more educated? If you saw this piece on 20/20 you might wonder. It is called Stupid in America. I myself was raised in rural Indiana. I attribute my lack in education due to the environment mostly concentrating on farming. Therefore, when I started college I was very far behind in Math. After taking several remedial courses,I was able to catch myself up to the college level. I have a good friend whose son graduated from highschool last year in urban Orlando Florida. He had the same problem. He also had to start in remedial math. According to the ABC article, this may be a trend. There is another interesting piece of information about education out there. This one is put out by the National Geographic. They did a survey to test the geographic literacy of 18-24 year old individuals. I was really shocked at the results.
Take a look and see what you think. I have to say, that the k12 curriculum does an excellent job with geography. They start having the children in kindergarten learn all the continents and the oceans. At first I though it was a bit to much for a five year old. But now, at 8 and 10 years old, they know all the continents, the oceans, many of the rivers, mountain ranges and many of the countries inside each continent. I also think that being Muslim educates my children about different cultures and countries. I look forward to any responses about this subject. Until I started homeschooling, I never really new the problem existed.

Testing

In the state of Florida, a traditional homeschooler can
be accountable for their work in one of three ways. One
way is to have your child tested along with the public
students. Your child can take the state standardized test.
I would not recommend this unless you prepare your child
with many sample tests before hand. The public school
system works long and hard to prepare their students
exclusively for this test.
Another way to hold your child accountable is to have
them tested with a general standardized test. This would be for
example the Stanford achievement Test. This has to be
given to your child by a professional teacher.
The last way to show your childs academic progress
would to be to maintain a portfolio of all of your child's
work. You would present this to a professional teacher.
The teacher would then evaluate the work . The teacher
may talk with your child or have your child do some
reading or writing. This evaluation determines if your
child is prepared for the next grade.
As you know, I am part of the K12 virtual public school.
Therefore, my children are required to participate in the
state standardized testing. This requirement starts at 3rd
grade. I have to say, that I am not a fan of achievement
tests. I think the preparation for them consumes a lot of
quality educational time. I have friends who have hired
tutors for the children and do nothing but worry about
those tests. K12 has testing booklets through out the
curriculum. They also have a short course that teaches
the child strategies for test taking. I found this helpful.
They had a program on the computer to practice for testing.
The child would take a series of tests on the computer. After they
passed each test they earned blue ribbons. The administration
created competition amongst the students to win prizes. I feel
that the K12 preparation for this test did not detract from our educational experience. My son felt very confident in his ability
to take the test. As a matter of fact, his scores where very high.
I was very happy with this because my children do several hours
a day of Arabic, Quran and Islamic Studies. I had some
reservations that they will be able to keep up with it all.
Alhamdolilah, they are doing great! The virtual school itself
rated number one with scores in the third grade. That left an
impression with me that the k12 curriculum is accountable and
good. I also thought that since it is a "controlled" public
education for my children, if they keep up these high scores,
maybe they will qualify for scholarships or elite programs.
This entry is just another way to share my experiences down
my road of homeschooling. InshAllah you find benefit from it.

Ants and Cheerios

Assalm alykom:

You might be perplexed by my title in this entry. You are probably already asking yourself: "What is the connection with ants and Cheerios?" Well it starts with a little riddle I read the other day. So, here it goes:

What do ants use for hula-hoops? See answer below








Answer: Cheerios

I thought this was just the cutest little riddle. Only a mother who has ever had toddlers would find this funny. I have four children and the oldest is ten now. Therefore, I have been carrying in my purse in a ziplock bag Cheerios for the last ten years. Oh my, they have changed over the years. There is the plain flavor, the honey coated flavor, the frosted flavor and the newest one is the yoghurt covered. There is one problem with this flavor and that is, not all the cheerios have the yoghurt on them. Therefore, my children pick all the yoghurt covered ones out of the ziplock bag and eat them first. I think Cheerios is one of first finger foods that all my children had tried. It is quite amusing watching them try to pick them up. Their little fingers just fit into the hole perfectly. As they get older they go from eating one by one with their finger to just grabbing them by the handful and eating them. I even found a nice little activity with Cheerios to do with my three year old. I gave her a nice long piece of yarn and she made a Cheerios necklace. Then her and my two year old daughter had fun eating it. This created a slight little break so I could teach my older children. Are Cheerios a staple in your family like mine?

Wind Sock an easy craft

Assalm alykom:

I am a volunteer at my masjid. I hold a craft class for children once a month. I have been doing it for about 3 months now. I have really been enjoying it, and I hope the children are enjoying it too! This is the craft that we did this month. It was so easy and it can accommodate children of different age groups doing it together.

Materials needed:

craft foam sheets

foam glue

foam stickers

assorted ribbons

paper punch

Directions:

Design the foam sheet while it is flat. For the younger children they just peeled the stickers and arranged them on the sheet. The older children cut out designs from the extra foam and glued them on. Make sure to leave about one and a half inches from each end free from design. This is where you need to glue it. After you have finished the design, you need to use the paper punch and put 4 holes in the bottom and tie your ribbons to it. The more ribbons you use the more attractive the sock will become. The next step is to punch two holes in the top. Next you need to fold the foam over like a tube and glue it. It is best to set something heavy inside the tube while it dries overnight. Finally tie one last ribbon through the two holes in the top. This is what you use to hang it. The socks in the photos at the top are the ones my daughters and I made. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

A Vacuum and Allah's Qadar

Assalm alykom:

When you homeschool, finding a tool that will help you with your house work can be essential. This is especially true if you have multiple children, with some being toddlers. When you homeschool everyone is home with you alllllllllllll day long! Therefore, they are eating and making messes as they go. You can try to keep after them, but you really cannot be in two or even three places at one time. I was struggling and wasting time sweeping my hard floors with a broom several times a day. At the end of the day, it would take me almost 45 mins. just to vacuum all the messes on the carpet. After this struggle, I decided to buy a small cordless upright stick vacuum. I first bought a medium priced model. I was excited with it for about the first two weeks. I was sweeping up crumbs and what not 3 times a day with ease and quickness. Then, the motor quit on it. I began to panic because this became such a much needed item in my house. I immediately returned it and got the same model once again. I am happy once again with my new found treasure. Then, after a week the motor quits again. I return it and decide this store does not have a better one. I go to another store and decide to buy a much more expensive model. This one is still cordless but it has a detachable hand-vac. I take it home and I am very excited to try it out. Well, I was very happy once again. This one is even better than the first one. I plug along with this new luxury vacuum for about 2 weeks. Then "it" happened again. The motor started to fade. I was really beginning to wonder if a vacuum was really met to be for me. I took it back again and exchanged it for the same model. I liked it so much, and I thought I would give it another try. Well, after I took it out of the box, I made two swipes across the floor and the wheel fell off. I tried snapping it back on, but it would not work. It was an obvious factory defect. I took it back and decided to get yet another model. This was like a stick vac but with no detachable hand-vac. It was also a deluxe model because I did not want the cheap stuff that would fall apart. Eventhough, up until now the expensive stuff was doing just that. I arrive home with less enthusiasm because I was growing tired of the trips back and forth to the store. I start to assemble the handle and realize I cannot not even put it together properly. The reason being is due to another factory error. The handle was made backwards. I was so disappointed. My husband offered to save me a trip and returned yet another vacuum. When he arrived home he had the economical version of the same one he returned. Well, needless to say almost a week later, it is truly a blessing. Finally, after two months and six vacuums I am truly happy with the vacuum that Allah blessed me with.
The lesson that I learned from this is no matter what we try to do to make the outcome of what we want, Allah's Qadar will prevail. He is the Decider and the Planner of everything. I know that I tried everything to get the right vacuum. I tried different brands, different stores, and different priced vacuums. The result was all the same. The vacuum that was the best for me did not come until Allah willed it for me. I also know that what is willed for me is the best. Eventhough, it may not feel that way to me. In the case of my vacuum. I ended up with the best vacuum at the best price. I just had to keep my patience to achieve that in the end. May Allah make for all the Muslim what is best for them! AMEEN

Summer Is Near

Assalm alykom:

I will finish another year of homeschooling in just two weeks. Since I am in a virtual public school, I do a nine month school year with three months off for summer. The school technically runs through June. However, I have finished everything early for my two children. I debate all of the time whether or not I like to have the entire summer off. I cannot decide if I would rather school the kids more laid back during the year. I would teach them, for example 4 days a week and take three days off to attend better to my household. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea of having three whole months to work on long projects. I also like the three month break to evaluate the things I did the year before. I tend to use this time to do some hard reorganization if my schooling room. My children continue in the summer to learn Quran, Arabic and Islamic studies. During this time, my husband takes the opportunity to work with them harder. I usually do not work with them at all in the summer,but this summer I want to concentrate on working with them on their multiplication tables. I think that is enough. The k12 program I use is quite intense sometimes. I think that we are all looking for the break. I would love to hear how others do the scheduling. Maybe I can get some new ideas from what I am doing now. Please let me know your ideas. Do you homeschool all year around or do you take the summer off?

Butterfly

Assalam alykom:

My daughter just finished studying in Science the life cycle of the butterfly. It is truly an amazing process that this creature endures. I think SubhannAllah, how it starts as an egg, then a caterpillar, then it goes into this strange cocoon, and then emerges as the beautiful butterfly. I absolutely love butterflies. They are truly an exquisite creature that Allah has created. Here are a few websites that give a good explanation of the life cycle:

http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/jackhulland/projects/butterflies/

http://www.vtaide.com/png/butterfly.htm

http://www.shrewsbury-ma.gov/schools/beal/curriculum/butterfly/butterflies.html

I can remember, when I was a young girl, living in rural Indiana, I had the opportunity to witness the migration of a group of monarch butterflies. They flew in one evening just before the sunset and covered several mulberry trees on my neighbors land. You could hardly see any leaves on the trees. It was if all the leaves had turned orange and where walking around. They looked exactly like this picture. It is surely a site to see if you are so fortunate. The monarch butterfly is a fascinating creature, and here are a few sites to give more detail about its life and habitat:

This one has a nice little movie where the butterfly emerges from its cocoon.

http://www.units.muohio.edu/dragonfly/cycle/index.htmlx

http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/monarch_butterfly.htm

http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/butterflypuzzle.htm

With all this inspiration of the beautiful butterfly, I decided to write a poem for my kids that went along with what we learned.

BUTTERFLY

Butterfly, butterfly

High in the sky.

Allah created you a beautiful creature.

He made you different from many other insects.

You are made with a metamorphical feature.

Butterfly, butterfly

High in the sky.

You start your life as an egg, carefully placed on a leaf.

After you hatch, you emerge as a caterpillar and you eat and eat.

Alhamdolilah, this stage of your life is a time that is only brief.

Butterfly, butterfly

High in the sky.

You wind into a silken thread, so hidden from those who see.

You are happy in your small tight little bed.

This is how Allah made you to be.

Butterfly, butterfly

High in the sky.

You sit in this thread called a cocoon for only a limited time.

You push your way out of your silken world, to become a butterfly.

Your flying above the trees, not as before where you had to climb.

Butterfly, butterfly

High in the sky.

Your wings give you the beauty that you contain.

They are liked colored glass that I can see the sun shining through

I love watching you in my garden passing each flower again.

Butterfly, butterfly

High in the sky.

I pray that Allah keeps you an enjoyment for me.

I hope you will visit my garden, so I will not miss your flight.

I praise Allah for creating you making your beauty for all to see.

Here are some fun websites theat are also related to the butterfly:

http://www.concord.k12.nh.us/schools/bgs/TIBG/Games/games.htm

http://www.butterfliesinbloom.com/games/

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/coloringbook/sketch_butterflies.html

This one I really enjoyed:

http://www.mrnussbaum.com/butterfly.htm

This is a general site full of a great deal of sites on butterflies:

http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/butfly.html

I hope everyone enjoys this information on the butterfly as much as we did!

A Prophet of Allah is in the news

Assalam alykom:

For the past few months, Our beloved Prophet Jesus has been mentioned on the nightly news frequently. The first controversy that came about was the Davinci Code. It is a book with a different account about the life of Jesus than what the Bible states. It became a bestselling novel and is soon to be a newly released movie. There is another controversy about this book. . There is different author that wrote a similar book, and he is suing the author of the Davinci Code for plagiarism. This story gives yet another opportunity for the media to mention Jesus.
Last week ,I saw another piece on Jesus. There is another book out called the Jesus Papers. This author claims that there is proof that Jesus never died on the cross. I found this interesting because we as Muslims also believe that he never died on the cross. However ,the claim in this book is that he was hung on the cross and then removed before he died. We as Muslims believe he was never even hung on the cross at all.
Also, last week The National Geographic did a piece on the Gospel Of Judea. Apparently, this is a lost text that scientist are piecing together after it was found. It is supposedly shedding some light on this disciple of Jesus. It is stating that he was not actually a betrayer of Jesus as the Christians believe.
With all these accounts in the media about Jesus, we Muslims should be brushing up on our knowledge about him. This subject gives us a perfect oppurtunity to give dawah . I think most Christians probably do not even know that we recognize Jesus or any other prophets mentioned in the Bible,for that matter. For starters, we can go to the Quran and know what Allah said about Jesus. Here is another nice tool for dawah.

This lecture was given to an MSA:

1. Jesus in Islam A
2. Jesus in Islam B

The invitation was for the general public. Therefore, most of the people in the audience are not Muslim.
Be aware of what the Media is saying about Jesus. That way you can be prepared to tell someone what Islam says about him.

Finally!.........A positive story

Assalam alykom:

I turn on the radio in the car. They are talking very negatively about Islam. I turn on the television to watch the news. There is more negativity being spread. I look at articles on the internet written by Muslims and many times they are about their bad experiences while living out their life in society. Well, I have a wonderful story that happened to me and it is because I am a Muslim.
My 18 month daughter had a minor dental procedure that required a short hospital stay. She had to have general anesthesia so she had not eaten since the day before. After the procedure was finished, and she had been released, and I could tell that she was very hungry. I took her down to the hospital cafeteria in hopes to find her something appropriate. After finding the cafeteria, I proceeded to search for something like yogurt or jello or apple sauce. As I was looking, a woman who worked in the hospital called out toward me. She said to me, "Sister, Can I help you find something?" She looked at me quizzically and said," You are a sister are you not?" I told her that I am not Catholic and that my religion is Islam. She told me that was wonderful and I was still a sister to her. I continued to search for an appropriate food item for my baby. I finally found some yoghurt and a small bottle of juice. By the time I found these things the line had about twenty people in it. As I approached the line, my "sister" friend was already close to the front. She grabbed my items from my hand and insisted to purchase my items for me. I was very adamant to pay for the items and handed her a few dollars. However, she was more adamant and told me that she wanted to buy the items for her "sister". She handed me the items and told me "Have a great day SISTER!" I was really touched. Sometimes I do not know what to think. Do people see me in the hijab and conjure up all the evil things that are being said in the media or are they like my sister friend and they do not buy into all of that? I feel apprehensive with myself in public. Sometimes people give me unfriendly stares, but mostly they smile and are kind. However, my incident with my sister friend really made me feel better about it all!