the True grgai3an

grgai3an is one of the most beautiful traditions we have in islam.. sadly through out the years (specialy the last 10) its been turned into a showoff fest! people no longer do it, instead they simply dress up for it and thats all!.. instead they spend a fortune on creating the weirdest and the most none relevant giveaways as "grgai3an" which again .. has nothing to do with the tradition it self .. every year.. less and less number of kids rang our door bell for grgai3an. many families do small private grgai3an parties for some reason?! i even was invited to a "grgai3an party" this year that said "no kids allowed" on the invitation!!!! LOL WTH?!
we already have birthdays ,, noons,, and a3yad .. theyre all indoor .. the only unique thing about grgai3an is the going from door to door factor .. !? i really dont know why people are becoming so boring lol ?

this was Abdullahs and hamoods (my kids 3-1) first grgai3an in kuwait .. and since ive been trick or treating with them on Halloweens .. and since i know how much fun it is for all of us .. i decided to do grgai3an with my kids instead of an indoor party or sending them off with the nannies! (do not even get me started on handing kids to nannies!!!)

you would not imagine the amount of fun and bonding we had .. the new neighbors we got to meet .. and the encouragment we got from everyone we visited.. it was sooo nice and felt soo right and natural :) an elder woman came to me and asked .. are these your kids? i replied "yes".. she then said "bless you (allah ebarik feech mnn omm.. zaina tsaweeen wallah 3afya 3laich" her words made my day (hugs)

after our rounds.. i head back home. our door bell was ringing for more people doing grgai3an.. and guess what i saw .. a young mother with her kids doing grgai3an! was soooooooooooo cute!! and refreshing i totally loved her! mashallah 3laiha ..

so to all the families out there .. mommies and daddies .. give it a try! youur kids will enjoy it a 1000 times more if it was with u .. not to mention its the most legit excuse for u to enjoy these things again with out feeling silly about it! :p

kl 3am wnto b5air .. o 3asakom to3odon kl sina o to9omona ;)

Ramadan @ Wilshire Blvd

Salam all..

its ramadan mashallah.. the beauty of the closeness to Allah in this month cannot put in words or measure. its a blessing that we make it from one ramadan to the next, and for that im thankful, its a blessing that all my family and friends are having this ramadan with me, and for that im most thankful :) alf alf al7mdellah. last ramadan was spent in LA.. some, very few americans wished me "a happy ramadan" which ill never forget because it was very kind of them :) also.. i and hub + abood would be cooped up in the apartment all day.. no zwaraat no grgai3an no qabgaat or graishat or tibareek shahr .. just my preciuos little family. it was kind of nice.. i miss that sometimes. we would break our fast on cereal sometimes.. frozen pizza from traderjoes and ofcourse deliciuos huge california dates with yogurt .. now when i see how huge each iftar is .. it makes me wonder if this is at all right? if allah would approve of it? .. we donate few kds to people in somalia for example.. but why would we spend this much on food to beggin with.. why these huge portions and all this variety?

other than all of that .. its all lovely here! its confusing how i feel home sick at my own home somtimes.. dont know what to do about that. i keep saying home is where my family is. and its true.. as long as they are around me.. im content .. and to all of those who didnt make it to this ramadan, i pray you are in a better place.. ur gone but not forgotten.. in my heart and thoughts always .. love u all (hugs)