“You’re a stay-at-home mom? What do you DO all day?”
It’s happened twice in a week, and they were both women. Anyone ought to have more class than this, but women — especially women — should damn well know better.
Last week, I was at the pharmacy and a friendly lady approached me.
“Matt! How are those little ones doing?”
“Great! They’re doing very well, thanks for asking.”
“Good to hear. How ’bout your wife? Is she back at work yet?”
“Well she’s working hard at home, taking care of the kids. But she’s not going back into the workforce, if that’s what you mean.”
“Oh fun! That must be nice!”
“Fun? It’s a lot of hard work. Rewarding, yes. Fun? Not always.”
Genealogy software to visualize extended family tree
Es selaam,
Since my wife joined a famous online social network few months ago she has re-connected with nearly 200 family members all around the globe.
Her family can be traced back 36 generations but far from all branches of the family tree have been mapped. Especially not the female side of the extended family. The later generations got scattered across borders, a process that has intensified the past decades as life under the post colonial regimes pushed people out of their ancestral regions to find refuge and better opportunities around the globe.
My own family goes back to the Huguenots; French Protestants that were betrayed by the Catholics and who became refugees after the Night of Bartholomew massacre. Some ended up in The Netherlands. Others maybe England or South-Africa. There are links to the USA, Hungary and most certainly: Germany and Austria. It would be nice to hook that information up to Muslim part of the family.
I am looking for genealogy software, this is software used to visualize a family tree and maybe add documents, like old pictures or scans of documents to the archive.
There are a number of packets available and I wonder if someone has experience with them.
Because all the software bundles I have come across is aimed at a Western clientele I dare to question if they are flexible enough to work with mapping an extended family as known in non-Western cultures. Will the software e.g. have to option to add 'titles' given to those family members that are in Western culture not even considered part of the core nucleus (paternal) family? It would also be nice if there were an online version available so people can cooperate online to build the family tree.
If anyone has any experience with family tree software or web sites I like to hear about it.
Wes selaam,
Ibrahim
Islam, Dawah and Family by Nouman Ali Khan
you're going to get the hardest time, the worst sarcasm and insults from your family when you try and become a better muslim, when you try to learn more and practise Islam better.
we've got to have patience and not lose hope. not lose our cool.
and remember:
Abu Lahab - the uncle and neighbour of the prophet (pbuh). the one who went out and celebrate when the prophet (pbuh)'s son died
Abu Jahl - another uncle.
they were Family - and the worst worst worst ennemies of the prophet (pbuh) and of Islam.
and its hard to make dawah to family. especially to older generations. so when it is hard to make talking dawah then the other solution is manners. staying courteous, polite, when they insult the next day you call them.
Families encouraged to eat healthily on the cheap
An effort to convince families in England that they can eat healthily on a budget is being launched.
Four million recipe leaflets will be mailed to families already signed up to the government's Change 4 Life public health campaign.
Three supermarket chains have also agreed to offer discounts on products such as fruit, vegetables and fish.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16365230
Mum & Muslim e-mag
Alhamdulillah the second issue of Mum & Muslim is out now. There are quite a lot of articles on issues related to pregnancy, birth, children, parenting, education, creativity. The e-mag also does reviews of books, products and venues. There is also a forum which is very young indeed. Do have a look insha-Allah and let us know your opinion. We need writers insha-Allah.
Mum & Muslim e-mag
Me, My Sister & Anorexia
“I don’t know why you have to be immature about it.” I put my foot in it again. Opened my big mouth.
“Don’t you dare call me immature, you don’t understand it’s hard for me.” My sister erupts into a flood of tears and walks out of the room. I sit contemplating.
Anyone else would have probably shrugged off the comment or started a slanging match. Even if they felt angry, crying would probably not have been their first reaction. “Alhamdulillah,” I murmur under my breath. Accidentally throwing away the salt of my sister, a depressive anorexic sufferer, and consequently making such a comment was not the best idea, especially as it involved food.
IslamExpo- My Experience
After begging my Dad for tickets, persuading my mum to come (even though she's not a Muslim) as well as my Auntie who had just found out I was a Muslim, we made our way to Olympia ( the train was completely full of Muslims lol I think the non-Muslims were nervous) on Saturday. After watching, hearing and reading about how amazing it was I didn't want to be dissapponted and I wasn't! I bought loads of books, spoke to some of the sisters and finally got a copy of the Revival Magazine! and subscribed! The magazine is well presented and amazing- it was worth it. My dad was having debates with some brothers and my mum and auntie was given leaflets and leaflets because they said they weren't Muslim! They eventually bought a Qu'ran for 69p lol! But, in my Auntie's words:
Telling The Family
So the hard part is over. I've told my mum, dad and brother that I am converting to Islam, alhamdulliah, and am going to wear the hijab asap. Coming from a family of agonostics (my mum and brother) and a new revert to Islam ( my Dad) this wasn't as hard as I thought. Now it came to telling everyone else.
My mum and Dad came from a very strong Pentecostal church- which I used to go to in my search for God- where Christianity was the [b]only[/b] religon and if you mentioned another one prayer immediently followed. To my aunties, grandmother,uncles and cousins, Islam was a made up religon which was all about violence etc. I never thought this even when I was a christian, I knew Islam came from the word Salaam which meant peace ( I had a lot of muslim friends).