~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

~Sabah~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Afternoon My Stylish Sisters!

Today I am having a 100% laaazzzyyyy day.  It's not often that I put my foot down, take a stand, and say "No! I'm not going to do dishes, I'm not going to wash clothes, and I'm not going to cook!"  Okay, okay, actually I did do the dishes....but other than that I am determined to spend my day playing with my daughter, watching movies, and snacking on more Danish Butter Cookies than could possibly be healthy.

Last night my husband came home with a new toy for the household, which inspired my lazy day today.  A brand new, internet ready, blue-ray DVD player!  I am not one to rave about technology...when it comes to cell phones as long as I can dial a call I'm happy, and when it comes to TV's I'm usually completely satisfied as long as it's not black and white.

BUT I do have to say I am soooo impressed with this nifty, tiny little box that sits under my TV and magically delivers Netflix, Pandora music, and even Facebook into my living room.  I'm in the middle of watching a movie called "Sabah" about a Muslim woman living in Toronto, Canada who falls in love with a non-Arab, Christian man.

Although I have to admit the movie is entertaining and pretty amusing, I can't help but to keep thinking "Ya Haraam!" every two minutes.  After Sabah has felt stifled by her controlling brother, and total responsibility for her mother for too long, she begins sneaking to the local swimming pool.  These escapades lead her to a meeting with Stephen, and gradually as her love for him grows, her dedication to follow Islam diminishes.

What bothers me the most is that every Islamic guideline that she follows at the start of the movie is somehow shown to be a horrible, unfair restriction on an oppressed woman.  This same attitude is flashed across the TV every evening on the news, and splashed across the front page of the paper almost every day.  The blessings of security, honor, and having a supportive family is turned around into boredom, dowdy-ness, and overbearing relatives. 

Although at the beginning Sabah struggles between her desire to follow her heart, but her sense of responsibility to her family, and her dedication to Islam, she witnesses someone close to her committing an even greater sin than she.  It is almost as if she feels reassured that if this other person can commit something sooo haraam, that perhaps what she is doing is not quite as bad as she thought.  I can't help but think this is often so relevant to all of us.  Although it may be hard to admit, I'm sure we have all been in the position where we felt truly guilty about something we were doing, until we saw someone doing something even worse.  This is an easy trap to fall into...and a very hard one to climb out of.

The funny thing is...no matter how many times I sit here and tell myself I can't bear to watch another minute, I don't want to miss seeing how it ends LOL.  So...I will make the selfless sacrifice to my stylish sisters, and take it upon myself to watch it until the end so as to save all of you from the same fate.  Or...if you insist on watching it, go ahead...but don't forget to leave me a comment and let me know what YOU thought of it!

Ma'Salaama and Happy Lazy Days!

Fashionably Yours,
The (aren't those little pretzel shaped Danish cookies DELICIOUS??) Mujahada in Prada

~Mini Mujahada's Latest Obsession~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Evening My Stylish Sisters!

Jummah Mubarak!  Insh'Allah you all have a wonderful weekend with lots of time spent with family and loved ones ahead of you!

I'm spending my Friday evening sitting with the Mini Mujahada (my daughter) watching Princess movies and eating way too many Arabic sweets and coffee (milk for the little one).  Alhamdulillah for simple pleasures like these, I live for quality time with my fashionist-ette doing girly things like this.

I guess it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that my Mini Mujahada has developed a very keen fashion sense and strong personal style for only being two.  I mean, the girl has more shoes than I do (which is saying a lot), and lights up at the idea of going to the mall.  Her latest love is the new Yo Gabba Gabba edition Vans shoes that have been released recently here in the States.  For those of you who have never heard of Yo Gabba Gabba, it's a funky little kids show with lots of dancing, skits, and performances by every type of musical group out there.

The characters (from left) are Plex the Magic Robot, Muno, DJ Lance Rock, Tootie (my daughter's favorite), Brobee, and Foofa.  It's a pretty wacky show, but I like the messages they convey in their skits, and my daughter is absolutely enamored.

Unfortunately when we went to the mall a few days ago they didn't have any of the shoes in her size, and I had to drag my very disappointed and tearful toddler out of the store empty handed.  Tomorrow one of my good friends and I are going to give it another try and search a different mall for a pair, so wish us luck!!  I've decided if worst comes to worst I'll just have to get them off ebay for about $20 more than in the store.  I'm not usually one to go to such lengths to get my daughter something.  I've always made fun of those moms and dads who stand in line for hours trying to get the newest "Tickle Me Elmo" or "Brats" doll.  I guess I must want her to have these cool little shoes as much as she does LOL

Here are the coolest little kicks on the market right now, what do you ladies think?

Pretty funky, huh?

Well, I'm off to gorge myself on more sweets and pour another cup of coffee.  Enjoy your weekend, and wish me luck on the shoe hunt tomorrow!

Ma'Salaama and Yooooooooooo Gabba Gabba!!!

The (Big Kid at Heart) Mujahada in Prada

~Totally Random....Totally Beautiful~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Evening My Stylish Sisters...

I know this post is completely random and has nothing to do with my recent rantings about home improvements, but I just came across this picture on a close friend's FB page and HAD to show you ladies...

I'll give you each one chance to guess at who it is....

~Okay....So The Bedroom Has Been Put on Hold~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Morning My Stylish Sisters!

Well ladies, as usual in my hectic life, the plans have changed.  After some discussion with the hubby we've decided that we will put the bedroom plans on hold for just a bit, and concentrate instead on the living room/kitchen/dining room areas and the bathroom.  After finding out we will have some family members visiting from overseas for a bit, and realizing that everyone who walks into our house sees our living room but not the bedroom, we've chosen to adjust our home improvement plans.

Alhamdulillah we already have some very nice furniture, including a gorgeous sofa and loveseat combo, and a collection of six (yes SIX) wrought iron tables with glass tops including end tables, coffee table, and a mini buffet style table.  The problem is, it is all literally sitting at the EXACT same spot it's been sitting since we moved in four months ago LOL.

I have two huge gilded mirrors that I haven't had the chance to hang yet, and still need to get some rugs and other accessories.  We've been searching around for a dining room set, a feat that has proven to be WAY harder than I expected even though our expectations are quite reasonable (in my humble opinion):

1. Must be 100% REAL wood.  Do people even make things in real wood anymore?  It seems that every set I look at is corkboard or balsa wood or some other kind of composite of the leftovers laying around the floor of someone's shop.

2. Must be round, with the option of dropping two sides (or all sides) in order to make it square and save room while not in use.  You would think hinges cost millions, as hard as it's been to find drop side tables...geesh.

3. Must be espresso colored wood.  NOT cherry, NOT black, NOT natural, NOT beech, NOT birch, etc. etc. etc.  In my opinion espresso is the MOST ordinary color of wood! A nice deep dark brown stain without the reddish tint of cherry colored wood.  Again...they must have run out of espresso colored stain years ago...

The other plans that I have for our living room is to find a nice bench that has storage under the seat.  My plan is to have this bench sitting near the front door for visitors to sit on while removing their shoes, as well as a good place to throw my daughter's stray toys when I have a last minute visitor.  I've looked around at quite a few benches and found a beautiful leather one at a local store for less than $50.00.  It looks pretty similar to this one from overstock.com:

Other than those few items I need to buy, I've been searching everywhere for a cute set of towels and oven mitts for my kitchen.  I still can't find anything that both my husband and I agree on.  Insh'Allah this weekend when we head downtown to the textile district to search for rugs we'll find some nice accessories for the kitchen and bathroom too.

So that's about it for my most recent home improvement adventures.

Oh except...how could I forget to announce the latest news???  When we do decide to redecorate the bedroom, it looks as though we will be using brown and pink for my daughter....brown and turquoise for my hubby and I....and for the new baby....brown and...........

PINK!!

Yes, it's another little princess we are welcoming into our family!  Alhamdulillah for everything.  I was teasing my husband that our daughter is so spoiled she even got her way with this.  She's been begging for a sister ever since she found out there's another baby on the way, so she was overjoyed when she learned she got her wish.  :)

Well ladies I am off to do some more internet browsing for the house.  Insh'Allah I'll see you amazing Muslimahs again soon, and have some updates for you of how the decoration adventure is coming. 

Ma'Salaama and Happy Home Improvements!

Fashionably Yours,

The (DIY) Mujahada in Prada



~How To Turn One Bedroom Into An Elegant Master Suite, A Toddler's Bedroom, and A Nursery All In One~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Evening My Stylish Sisters!

First of all, I apologize for the excessively long title for this post.  But I couldn't figure out how else to title it using any fewer words LOL.

After a lot of discussion with the hubster the two of us have decided that in order to save money to buy a house in the future, we are going to stay in our one bedroom apartment for another year or so.  If we are able to stick it out even longer (until mid 2012) there is a probability that we will receive a sizeable buy-out from the city, so they can demolish our building and expand the local airport.  And as good as a two-bedroom apartment sounds NOW....a nice lump sum of money in a couple years sounds even better.  And so begins our attempt at patience. (Allah help us!!)

So, the best part of our plan (other than the lump sum, of course) is that I get to redo our bedroom!  The only problem is; turning one bedroom into a nursery for the new baby, a fun bedroom for my toddler, and an elegant master suite for my husband and I is turning out to be a bit harder than planned.  I've already had my husband rearrange the existing furniture twice, and I still don't like it, so I decided that before I make him rearrange it again I would draw a To-Scale diagram of the room with mini furniture so I could see how it would look.  My husband made fun of me for a couple of days after seeing my diagram, but he'll appreciate it when he learns he only has to change the furniture one more time.

After figuring out how I am going to set up our beds I started searching the internet for different ways to divide the room in order to give my daughter her own space to play and sleep, and to allow my husband and I to have some privacy.  I have browsed literally thousands of different room dividers and chinese screens, and have finally decided on one similar to this:

Although at first I was concerned that this style wouldn't coordinate with our bedspread and other decor, in the end I've decided this screen is the best bet because of the stand at the bottom.  With a toddler playing around the screen, and working with limited space, the ability to have the screen stand straight up (instead of zig-zagged) and be more stable is much more important to me than the style aspect.  And, the opposite side of this screen is plain white, without the grids, so I will have that side facing the door, and possibly hang a nice picture from it or decorate it in some other way.  If you like this screen you can go to iroomdividers.com and check out their huge selection of room dividers ranging from Shoji style (like this one) to modern, and even some with art prints and photographs.

I'm going to use this screen to separate a space for my daughter's bed, a bookshelf for her toys and books, and her table and chairs.  Here is all the stuff that will be on her side of the screen:

This is my daughter's bedding set.  Her bed is similar, but is in a dark espresso colored wood.  Also the bedding looks much more pink in person, rather than the lavendar that is showing up here.  You can't see the polka dots so well at the bottom of the comforter, but they match the canopy I've chosen (shown below).  If you like this bedding, or want to see other beautiful bedding for anyone from babies to adults, check out bacati.com.  Their customer service is amazing, and the quality is superb.

And here is the adorable canopy from ikea.com that I will hang above her bed.

I've looked around at many different bookshelves, and my original plan was to get a bookshelf that I could use two cloth baskets on the bottom shelf, and stack her books on the top shelf.  But then I came across this adorable sling bookshelf with storage bins from OneStepAhead and I loooove it.  I can also personalize it with my daughters name for only $5.00 which is such a cute touch!  The wood is available in Espresso, to match her bed, so I'm sold! yay!

I also found this adorable rug, which is wayyyy expensive (for a rug...and my budget) but I am going to keep searching for one similar, because the style of the bird looks like her bedspread, and the pink color matches perfectly.  This one is from rosenberryrooms.com.

Now...my daughter has this cute set of table and chairs from Ikea (that I can't show because they don't have that style anymore) that are solid wood, and unfinished.  I bought them because I despise (not just hate....but DESPISE) plastic furniture for kids.  (unless it's for use outdoors)  I also chose them unfinished because at that time I wasn't sure what colors I would use for my daughter's bedroom, and I wanted to paint them myself.  After a lot of thought I've decided I will stain them to match her bed, and her new bookshelf, and paint the seat of one chair bright pink and the other turquoise, to coordinate with her bedspread.

Whew!! So....those are the plans I have so far for the "Other Side Of the Screen" (sounds like a cheesy horror flick, doesn't it??? LOL) I'll wait to bore you with the plans for the adult side in the next post.....but I will give you a hint....

I just got a BEAUTIFUL bedding set...and got it on sale!!  And you ladies know...there is not much that makes me happier than getting something beautiful...unless it's getting something beautiful ON SALE!!

Please ladies, let me know what you think of my plans so far!! Feel free to tell me if you think something else would look better, or if you have any home improvement projects of your own right now! 

Ma'Salaama and Happy Home Improvements!

Fashionably Yours,

The (yes I DO use my stilettos to hammer the nails in) Mujahada in Prada

~Bassinet Browsing~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Afternoon My Stylish Sisters!

Insh'Allah all of you had a wonderful weekend, and a productive start to the new week!

Alhamdulillah since my last post I am feeling much more optimistic.  I have kept myself very busy these past few days.  When I got back from my trip with my daughter, my poor husband was living in a house completely void of any groceries, and badly needed some laundry done.  He is very independent, and fends for himself when he needs to, but the poor guy is working 70 hours a week and gets home from work ready to shove anything close by into his mouth and pass out in his work clothes.  So, after unpacking our suitcases (we came back with one suitcase more than we left here with, and all three suitcases overweight!-oops!) I spent a couple days washing clothes, cleaning house, and stocking up on some much-needed groceries. 

This past weekend my hubby had a day off and we were able to take our daughter, his little sister, and his younger cousin to a nearby aquarium which was an amazing experience for the kids.  We all enjoyed looking at sharks, beautiful fish, turtles, stingrays, and the craziest looking seahorses called Leafy Sea Dragons!

Yesterday I was kept busy running all over town getting some other odds and ends we needed for the house, as well as running some errands for my mother-in-law, so today I am enjoying a peaceful and MUCH-needed day of rest and relaxation.

I decided since I'm home, with my feet up, and my cappucino by my side, it was a good time to start cruising the internet to check out some beds for the new baby.  Holy Shmoly!! I can't believe all of the different choices there are out there now!  My daughter is only two years old, but I don't remember seeing all of these options out there when I was choosing a crib for her!  I wanted to share some of the options I found with you amazing Muslimahs and see what you think.

Old World Cradle

I absolutely love the traditional, old school look of this cradle from ababy.com.  I can imagine it staying in the family for years to come, and filling up with the baby's toys, stuffed animals, and other treasures as they grow up.  I also like that it could easily be used for a girl, or a boy, depending on the blankets and accessories that you use with it.

Oval Elite Bassinet

This bassinet is a beautiful compromise between traditional and modern.  Like the cradle, I can imagine this bassinet sitting in the corner of the room even as the baby grows up, and becoming somewhere for him or her to hold their stuffed animals, or other toys.  The round shape is different and unique, and I could easily remove the canopy and bedskirt to convert it into a more modern, and simple storage place for extra blankets or other trinkets.  This style is available on various websites and varies in price and color, this one is on sears.com.

Fisher Price "Zen" Bassinet

I looked at this bassinet when I was pregnant with my little girl.  I love the modern look of this one, along with the special features it has.  It plays fifteen different songs, and makes various soothing movements designed to help put the baby to sleep.  My only reservations about this bassinet is that it is made out of mainly plastic, as opposed to the solid wood construction of more traditional bassinets.  I do like the little shelf under the bassinet, which would come in handy for extra sheets and blankets, but the construction of the bassinet concerns me, and I don't see it sticking around for very long.  This bassinet is available at amazon.com.

Traditional Swag Bassinet

I absolutely adore the traditional, flowing shape of this bassinet.  The sash around the top can be changed from green, to blue, to pink, depending on the sex of the baby and the color you choose to decorate with.  It is formal, yet simple, and reminds me of the elegant bassinets used in the 1800s by royalty.  Although I'm not sure it could be used for too long after the baby outgrows it, I think it is absolutely beautiful.  I debated getting a bassinet like this for my daughter, but instead got a co-sleeper which I quickly regretted and will NEVER do again, and honestly I still feel guilty that I robbed her of the opportunity to sleep in such a gorgeous little bed.  This beautiful bassinet is available at ababy.com.

The Cocoon Hammock

Although this hammock style baby bed is not as beautiful or elegant as the others, it appeals to me for personal reasons.  When my daughter was still very young she was extremely colich-y and would go for hours (and sometimes what seemed like days) screaming.  My husband would walk her up and down the hallways of the apartment we were living in, which would soothe her, but as soon as he would come back into the house and lay her down she would start screaming again.  It was very stressful for the two of us (and I'm pretty sure for our neighbors!) and it was hard not to feel like we were doing something wrong.  Finally her pediatrician suggested we let her sleep sitting up, so we would often sit her in her baby swing and let her sleep there.  I'm not sure if it was the sitting up, or the gentle rocking of the chair that helped her sleep, but she rarely slept in her crib the first four months of her life.  When she outgrew that little swing we were panic-stricken, but alhamdulillah her colich-y days were over and she slept peacefully in her crib.  Because of those sleepless nights pre-baby swing, I am considering getting a hammock bed for the new baby just in case he or she has the same problems sleeping as their older sister.  This cocoon bed is available at armsreach.com.

It's nice to be sitting at home, enjoying my time with my daughter and searching around for the new baby.  It's good to feel hopeful again, and actually be excited for the arrival of the new one.  It was hard to admit that I wasn't exactly overjoyed at the prospect of having another baby, and I felt guilty for not being happy.  Alhamdulillah, Allah is the Best of Planners, and now I know that He has blessed me with another wonderful opportunity to be a mom, and blessed my daughter with the chance to be a big sister.

Ma'Salaama and Happy Bassinet Browsing!

Fashionably Yours,
The (getting bigger by the day) Mujahada in Prada