~Belly Bumps and Haircuts and Hanukka.....Oh My!~

CAUTION:  EXTREME RANDOM-NESS AHEAD....READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Evening My Stylish Sisters!

Maybe it's my pregnant belly and overly hormonal brain, or maybe I'm just using that as an excuse, but my trains of thought have been running off the tracks at all stations lately.

I can think of numerous times within the last couple of months where I have had to start a story at least three times before I could actually finish it.  In fact, not so long ago I was telling my hubster about a close friend of mine who I had gone to college with, and when he asked me what her name is I couldn't even remember!  The humiliation of actually having to look her up in my contacts on my cell phone was too much for me to handle.

I've read different theories about why pregnant gals get so scatterbrained, everything ranging from increased levels of hormones, to baby production using up any available intelligence.  But I honestly still don't understand it.  As if being pregnant wasn't complicated enough, we also have to suffer through the embarrassment of frequent Freudian slips, constantly misplaced house keys, and totally bizarre daydreams.  Alhamdulillah for the ability to have kids, don't get me wrong, BUT lately it has gotten to the point that I have even *gasp*
LOST MY DESIRE TO SHOP!

Yes...it's true.  As most of you fabulous fashionistas know, I am on another vacation visiting family.  My Chick of Chic-ness....Guru of En-Vogue...Scholar of Shopping (AKA My mom) has tried getting me to splurge on some totally cute clothes since getting here, but once I wedge myself into them and look into the mirror I tend to lose my nerve.  I'd much rather just go buy some adorable dresses for my daughter, than try on more preggo clothes.

I don't mean to sound vain or conceited, those who know me know that I am anything BUT that...alhamdulillah I am so grateful for being able to be a mommy, and I love my baby bump.  I am just not one of those women who relish my new outtie belly button and cankles. 

Speaking of being able to have kids and loving being a mommy, I took my daughter for her very first haircut the other day!  I have to admit I was up almost the whole night before, filled with dread about the screaming, crying, and otherwise bad behavior I was sure would be displayed once she was in that chair. 

 My mom recommended her own totally fabulous hairstylist to cut my daughter's hair, knowing that her very own daughter has crazy curls much like mine.  She assured me that Ms. L would be loving, patient, and knowledgable....and she was so right!  Not only did my daughter bond with her immediately when she showed her how cool the spray bottle was, and how fun a chair complete with hydrolics could be, but she only needed to trim barely an inch off of my daughter's locks to make them look as healthy and lustrous as ever!  She explained that the reason the worst part of my day is when I have to brush my daughter's hair is not because I was a horrible mother (which is the way I feel after a ten minute sob fest with my little one every time I go near her holding a brush) but because we needed to use different products on her curly-q's.  Here were her suggestions:

1.  Use a shampoo sans dyes, perfumes, alcohol, or all that other stuff that's added to most shampoos.  They were stripping her hair of its natural oils, thus causing the curls to become balls of frizz.  Product recommended: Deva Curls No-Poo (like shampoo...but no-poo)

2.  Let her sleep on a satin pillow case.  She explained that cotton naturally wicks away moisture from anything including hair or skin.  I think I, also, will be purchasing a satin pillow case in the hopes it will help me in my dry skin problems.

3.  Instead of a brush, use a large comb with teeth that are set far apart from eachother.  Those brushes that almost everyone uses with the little bulbs on the end of the teeth do nothing to help de-tangle her tight curls, and any natural hair brushes also draw moisture out.

I have tried number one and number three (haven't gotten around to shopping for satin pillowcases yet) and ALHAMDULILLAH hair brushing time has gotten %150 better.  It's still hard to get her to sit still for ten minutes (pretty normal for any two year old) but there aren't nearly as many tears shed by either one of us.  THANK YOU MS. L!

And last, but not least....Hanukka.

Now I KNOW this is truly random, but the other night I was sitting with my family, and my father shared a bit of interesting knowledge with us that I found astounding.  He said that he had been listening to NPR (the national radio station here in the U.S.) and they did a story explaining the history of Hanukka.  According to National Public Radio, Hanukka was actually not even a holiday until after WWII when the increased population of Jewish people in the United States felt left out during the Christmas season, and so they started to celebrate a holiday of their own.  Now, this is definitely a "fact" I'm going to research more, but I found it quite interesting...if it's actually true.  I am not one to bash religious holidays other people celebrate.  In fact living here in the U.S. I absolutely love the Christmas/Hanukka/New Year season for the feeling of frenzied joy and mass marketing that accompanies it.  My family is what I like to call "default Christians" meaning they don't actually practice, hardly even believe, but by default celebrate Christian holidays.  That created a very materialistic view of the holiday season for me both as a child, and into my adult years, and I still hold onto it long after converting to Islam (alhamdulillah!).  I love to go shopping those couple of weeks before Christmas, even if I'm only buying myself some new lotion, or my daughter some shoes, or just an Auntie Anne's pretzel from the food court.  The long lines, packed parking lots, and late night hours add an excitement that I've only ever experienced one other time of year...the night before Eid in Jordan.  Insh'Allah one day I will live in a Muslim country and be able to enjoy this feeling of comradery during my own holiday, but for the moment I see nothing wrong with enjoying the holiday spirit that surrounds me...even if I don't technically celebrate Christmas or Hanukka.

Well...I've probably filled you amazing Muslimahs with enough random-ness for the night.  I would hate for my totally random ramblings to be the cause of any migraines or brain aneurysms or the like, so for now I will wish you a goodnight, and insh'Allah will see you again soon.

Ma'Salaama and Happy Hair-Brushing!

Fashionably Yours,
The (what was this post originally about again?) Mujahada in Prada