vision piece

Spirit Day "What you want to be when you grow up!"

2010-03-25T20:44:00.005-05:00

As you might have noticed from an earlier post 2 years ago, "Tonight's Dinner Conversation", my daughter is a creative thinker about what she wants to be she she grows up. So, when we were told she was supposed to dress up as what she wants to be... I was a little concerned... although I tried not to show it outwardly. M decided she wanted to be a princess. So, I had finally found a use for that extremely pink dress, with glitter, my husband had kindly brought back for her from his trip to Iraq 2 years before. I made a paper crown, with a pink, purple, pink, purple, pink, purple gem pattern, and she was very happy. I commented on her desire to be a princess, and my husband said, "Well, at least, she doesn't want to be a pig!"

Second son's first lost tooth

2010-03-25T20:29:00.003-05:00

Janan has officially lost his first tooth. He woke up at 3:58 am, and called me (after a late movie night with friends) into the bathroom. "Mommy come here!!" Although slightly reluctant due to the time, I arrived in the bathroom to see my son very proudly holding his first lost tooth. "I twisted it", he said. Now, although this was extremely exciting, I did think it might be nice to go back to bed. Janan, however, could not sleep anymore. He very kindly waited until the first light of dawn, around 6 am to request breakfast. We all gradually got up and admired the new hole in his smile. Around 4 pm, in the afternoon, we were wondering what had happened to him, and found out that he had fallen asleep on the toilet...

fruit

2008-05-27T12:50:00.002-05:00

Fruit...I remember how in Chicago the Persian (Iranian) friends would talk about how the fruits were sweeter back home, the flowers were more fragrant, and I questioned whether that was true, and if it wasn't just their nostalgia for home that caused them to talk that way. Now that we have been in China for the school year and I am certain the fruits ARE more tasty, and the flowers, in several cases are more fragrant, I am encouraged to believe the friends who talk like this. We have discovered two new fruits, in addition to the ones we are more familiar with that have caught our attention. Myrica Rubra or Chinese Bayberry and Dragonfruit ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrica_rubra ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfruit Yummy!!

tooth

2008-05-06T06:44:00.002-05:00

Well, it is official...my oldest has lost his first tooth! A few days ago we discovered that his two front bottom teeth were loose. We were quite excited. A few days later, after going to a friend of a friend's moving sale, and coming back with a little pink ballerina outfit with detachable wings...our two boys dressed our ill little girl in the outfit, made her a special box to hold teeth, a special want and a sign which now hangs above her bed which says "the tooth fairy sleeps here".
This morning after our oldest had eaten breakfast, he came up to me and said "Mom, look!" "I lost my tooth!" He really lost it, he couldn't find it...and we decided he must have eaten it during breakfast. ...now our designated toothfairy is out of work...

Our terrace

2008-04-26T16:05:00.003-05:00

We can see this area in the photos below, from our living room window, and from our terrace--which now has flowers and lemon trees (We thought they were oranges, but I think we now believe they are lemons.) I will have to take photos of our terrace, the flowers and the kids soon. We also have hydrangea pink ones...in Chicago we have blue ones. On April 20th...my private preparation and celebration of the coming 12 days made me spend the good part of the day cleaning the terrace(soot, and pollution create quite a mess!). Then, my dear husband noticed that there was a man selling flowers at the corner. He was there again today...maybe I could take a picture of him too. So he and this delightful man helped us carry up a tree(orange/lemon?) up our 5 flights of stairs in addition to 9 small ones, 2 of which have lemons on them, and 7 pink hydrangea plants. I was so excited! Then, we planted them. The next day three of the hydrangea plants were desperately in need of water...We were so worried! I went out and gave them some water, and they started to come back by mid-day. Then, it started to rain!! For 3 days, more or less, and then for a couple more days we had rain!! It was perfect! We don't get rain very often here. The plants are doing well now. The other day, a friend of ours had come over for a Chinese lesson, while I was at school, and said that because of the strong wind we should bring in our large tree(in a pot) and the two small ones in pots to protect the blossoms so we don't lose the eventual FRUIT!! So now they are in our living room. As I walk down the hallway, about midway, I start smelling the blossoms. Yea!! We are celebrating!

2008-04-26T15:48:00.002-05:00

These were photos taken in the exercise area in the middle of our complex, where we live, on my husband's birthday. This year he has officially decided that his birthday will always be on April 2, despite whatever the lunar calendar will do. This was in response to the reaction of his Western counterpart who had difficulty celebrating his birthday, and his in-laws.

Tonight's dinner conversation

2008-04-26T15:15:00.003-05:00

J had started this conversation by saying he wanted to be an English teacher to Chinese people when he grew up. Then we asked our oldest, "Well, what would you like to be when you grow up." (Note: I am really into this conversation started spontaneously by my son, because I had just required my 5th grade students to write a 10 paragraph essay about this topic--and some turned out REALLY good...) K says "I want to be a worker. I want to build buildings and help people." J responds "I will help people learn." To all of this my husband and I are saying "Oh that is very good!" We turn to our almost 3 daughter and ask her "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Very seriously and with conviction, she says "I want to be a pig! OINK! OINK!" My husband, my oldest son and I start laughing...I with tears in my eyes, and my dear J, patiently tries to tell her "When you grow up you are going to be a person, not a pig."

I'm back

2008-04-26T15:14:00.000-05:00

Wow! China has lifted the ban on blogger!

vistiting my mom's house

2007-07-11T09:02:00.000-05:00

Our lovely daughter smelling the flowers, for the camera

2007-07-11T08:56:00.000-05:00

Son #2, his first time without training wheels

2007-07-11T08:46:00.000-05:00

I noticed as my second son rode off on his bicycle with only one training wheel, that the training wheel wasn't touching the ground. It was time to take it off!! He rode with the bicycle without falling for the first time(without the training wheel)this past Sunday. My older son started riding earlier this summer, and our daughter has difficulty reaching the pedals of the tricycle, so has decided to use "the too small for her" scooter. Maybe next summer she will learn. We'll see.

The Secret

2007-06-11T09:15:00.000-05:00

Have you watched "The Secret"? A friend had left it at our house be mistake, and i have since watched it and shared it(with permission). The main premise is that we need to imagine ourselves achieving what we would like to achieve in our lives. And, I have a secret for you! Twelve years ago I created a life plan for myself, and right now it is coming to fruition. My plan was to move to China, and other countries around the world, with a husband and children. We are waiting to hear that we have the visa in order to move to TEDA. I have a job teaching 5th grade, and the children would attend the same international school.

95th anniversary

2007-05-07T06:28:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, my children and I were able to visit the gravesite of Corrine True, and say prayers in commemoration of this day when 'Abdu'l-Baha was here in Chicago in 1912. Some people sang the prayer for the Hands of the Cause, another the prayer for the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, and a quotation about "these heavenly children". It was a small and reverant group. I was able to contribute by reading a prayer that was given to Corrine by 'Abdu'l-Baha for her husband.
Prior to going to the gravesite we attended children's classes at the Center(as we do almost every Saturday) but it was special because it was the 95th anniversary of when 'Abdu'l-Baha met with the children's Sunday school class of the Baha'is in Chicago. 5 years ago, for the 90th anniversary I had taken the children, which now consist of children in the Rahmat sector of Chicago, to Lincoln Park Zoo, where 'Abdu'l-Baha visited on the 4th of May that same year. There is a photo that was taken of Him looking at the polar bears. So, of course, it was very special for us to go and see the polar bears.
Earlier this past week, I had taken my children to Lincoln Park Zoo, forgetting about the connection and they had requested for the first time to see the polar bears.

learning to ride a bike

2007-05-06T15:48:00.000-05:00

Going back to work and school

2007-04-28T06:34:00.000-05:00

Since August of 2000 until now, I have been at home in the process of having and producing 3 lovely children. On May 14, the day after Mother's Day and two days after my daughter's second birthday, I will go for an orientation at a philanthropic children's hospital in Chicago. This will start my new life as a working mom. I will only be working 20 hours a week, which are flexible, to cater to the needs of our little family. The job pays ok, and has great benefits. I will do administrative duties, and handle educational materials for the department. There will be a few graphic designers who will help me create the materials, and I will guide them. The past year has been a bit of a whirlwind of indecision, and i am looking forward to more stability. I have never worked in a hospital before, so this will be a new environment with many new things to learn.

This summer, I will also start attending my alma matter for graduate level courses in order to pursue a degree in Curriculum and Instruction.

How do I make my kids happy?? I have enrolled #2 in art classes so that while I am working, he will also have somewhere to go, and the "baby" will have undivided attention from her Baba.

I always said I didn't want to go to work before my babies were 2 years old...so this is really an answer to my prayers. Although, I was asked to fill this position almost exactly a year ago, it is just happening when my baby can handle it. I think at this point going back to work will make me a better mom, This is my prayer, may it be heard.

gifts full of love and laughter

2007-04-13T04:32:00.000-05:00

I surprised my lovely husband for the first time with a party for his birthday! I can not take credit however, because our friends hosted it at their home staging it as a LONG overdue visit. Dear friends came, at short notice, and brought gifts that made us laugh and smile. We opened the gifts the day after. (The baby and I were at home due to sickness, and were unable to participate in the party.) So it was rather nice to open the gifts with my dear husband and the kids. One of our friends, gave 8 pairs of eyeglasses(the kids are constantly knocking off his glasses and breaking them--so my husband was either running around saying 1) "Where are my glasses?" 2) "I look so professional with my broken glasses!" or 3) "@^&#*!@(farsi frustration)!!" We laughed so hard when we saw them--but were also SOOO thankful. We decided to try them all on!!
Another item which causes frustration for my dear life partner is not being able to find a nice, matching pair of black socks. Another friend gave black socks. So lovely to get gifts which were exactly what I would have purchased!!
Another friend gave homemade BAKLAVA, that was the best HE HAS EVER EATEN!!
And a dear couple gave a tie to my husband that I had actually picked up but put back .

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!!! Wish I could have been there, but this way he was truly loved by others...I must say that it was nice to hear him say "It won't be fun without you!" But, he did have fun!!! The kids did too, especially the one who almost shares a birthday with his Baba.

And it was nice to hold the baby, almost never putting her down for 3 days. During normal activities there isn't time to hold each other, there are so many other things we have to do. I was very willing to leave all my household duties to hold my wonderful little girl... who is doing very well now. In the photos she was excited by all the activity/gifts, but you see she is not quite her bubbly self.

Easter fun

2007-04-13T04:26:00.000-05:00

While the baby and I were at home, due to a stomach flu, the boys had fun at a family outing for Easter. The boys were VERY proud of their new outfits and ties!! Can you tell?? I wish I had taken a closeup of the younger one's tie--picked out by his older brother which has soccer balls on it. Th older one is in one of his favorite colors(PINK!!--because he likes girls so much(he likes quieter calmer people)--Oh goodness! What does this mean for puberty??!).

strange, yet wonderful, before bed activities

2007-02-22T08:23:00.000-06:00

update on our Ayyam-i-Ha and Fast projects

2007-02-22T07:56:00.000-06:00

With the help of friends and family, we have been figuring out a prototype for our Fast and Ayyam-i-Ha calendar, which includes the pocket(made from my son's hand shape) to place service assignments or clues for a trasure hunt to find gifts, etc. By threading a piece of wax linen through a single hole, through a bead and then through a button, we created a way to easily put our ring which would indicate which day in the calendar it is. I have yet to write the days of the month on each petal of the flower, or numbers on the hand. I will( if we choose to number the hand) number it from the pinkie towards the thumb.
In addition to the calendar we have worked on counting 19 9-pointed stars for each day of the Fast. My friend was so excited about these ideas, I decided to do them for all 30 families who may be coming to our Ayyam-i-Ha party on Sunday night, just prior to sundown so we can say the prayer together before going home to bed!! 600 clay stars, and the makings for 30 calendars(they will make them themselves).
We also decided to give the stars as a gift with enough ribbon to hang them in a chinese take out box, with a booklet attached with a few recipes people have given me and I found on the web that are special for the Fast.

preparing for Ayyam-i-Ha and the Fast

2007-01-25T13:17:00.001-06:00

Over the past few days I have been consulting with friends about what we can do for our children for Ayyam-i-Ha, and I have come up with this sketch of a Baha'i calendar which would be made out of fabric. Next to each of the flower petals, on the outside are small circles which are buttons. A small beaded something would be moved from petal to petal depending on which month it is, and the 19 petals(days) would be attached with velcro to the flower, and when we are not using them, put in the small pockets below. On the left, is a small hand reperesenting the 4 or five days of Ayyam-i-Ha(service), again with the buttons to move the small beaded something. Maybe I would add another pocket next to the hand to place "service assignments" for each of the days of Ayyam-i-Ha. On the right, would be a pocket for Holy Day petals.

Another idea is to compile special recipes people use during the Fast, maybe with small descriptions about why a particular recipe has special memories, or why a person has used it.

2007-01-23T10:48:00.000-06:00

starting out the first day of my 36th year with hidden presents(from a husband in distant location), and banana bread we celebrated and then the kids created a home with the dining room chairs in the living room...the baby was trying to figure out how she could ride inside the little car...it was a lovely day.

future architects

2007-01-23T10:37:00.000-06:00

Yesterday the boys (ours and some dear friends)decided they would create masterpieces, and in order not to be upset if they were broken, I took photos of each one(I'm not sharing all of them). The boys were very excited about what they accomplished. I put in one photo taken earlier in the day of the little one. She likes breaking the houses, hence the need for taking photos in the first place.

travels

2007-01-23T10:34:00.000-06:00

In December, I went to Italy to check out the job we finally recieved our paperwork necessary for the work permit from Italy...I like the school, but the cost of living was too much to make it possible.
My dear husband is in California checking out jobs there, for a month now and another month in Feb-March.

more photos

2006-12-03T15:09:00.000-06:00

Here is my beloved husband and daughter...And, I love these long grasses which move and dance in the wind. It is so nice that people consider grasses "ornamental"! These are along the bank of a small pond.

Recent photos

2006-12-03T14:56:00.000-06:00

The photos of the kids were taken over Thanksgiving, when it was warm enough to go outside without a coat. A week later we recieved about 6 inches of snow, the nice kind that is good for packing and sticks to everything. We had several hours of rain beforehand which made it difficult for motorists, and air travel when everything turned to ice, but we enjoyed it. We don't have pictures because the camera wasn't charged but the kids were playing in the snow from 7:30 in the morning until lunchtime.

roots patterns dreams

2006-10-26T22:42:00.000-05:00

staying where we are?? What should we do! Where should we live? How do we find the perfect school so that my children become compassionate world citizens? What patterns are we creating in our children?

This morning I awoke from a dream where our little family was a unit almost tied together yet without strings on a street in downtown Chicago. My perspective was looking from the street toward the building with the sidewalk in the foreground, and lots of people moving or standing on the edge of the pavement. We, as a family unit, were flying through the air...back and forth...back and forth almost like a pendulum. Yet, I had a feeling of complete happiness watching our family united and flying. Cut.(film terminology of course has rubbed off on me) My perspective is of the shelves in a department/Target type of store. I seem to be looking for what caused us to be united and fly, yet where I am looking has nothing on the shelves and there are no prices...

What are we to do...may all the answers be given, and may we understand them!

transitions

2006-09-25T02:19:00.001-05:00

My oldest is going to school, and this weekend he missed going. Gradually, from September 5, he has been dealing with not being at home with us, and liking school. I miss him. He cried each day of the first week, although he told me the only thing he didn't like about school was lunch--too noisy. And said after the second week that he wished that the weekends were 5 days, and he went to school for 2 days. Now, he wanted to go back to school on Saturday.
Students in his school recieved % rates in the 80s last year, which compared to other schools in Chicago, is REALLY good. Although I have difficulty with some of the things he is coming home with(behaviors, comments about content in various classes) I am concerned and have met with the Principal in hopes of changing some of the things I see as problems. He has been put into a gifted program, which means LOTS of homework, including the first day of school. I have mentioned, and hope the school implements a version of the Virtue's Project, and the Read to Feed program from Heifer International.
Now, my baby girl, seems VERY interested in potty-training. At least 1 a day she asks to be put on the toilet. The other day it was 6 times! She is a phenomenon. I need to work carefully with her to instill the relationship I had with Kayhan at this age...she is SO independent...my second son spent Labor day weekend with his Grandpa by himself!! And was reported as being "a delight!!" And, he really is.
The other night both the boys decided to draw eyeglasses onto themselves...they looked so funny. They are reading, looking at books A LOT right now. I love it.
My husband has quit his job. His day job. The job he has gone to almost every day for the past 10 years. He will stop going on Tuesday. The day his boss returns home from being overseas. It is a very good thing, and a scary one as well. I am preparing myself for going back to work. I really don't want to leave the kids, and am not ready for the stress of a daily 9-5 job--maybe I will go through the same transition period as my kindergartener.
May God assist us and you.

wa-wa, translated = water

2006-08-14T06:08:00.000-05:00

Going with the flow

2006-08-14T05:19:00.000-05:00

Although Italy has been on the imminent horizon for about 5 months, the hopes of change for our family have been postponed, it seems, until next year.

I am disappointed, but am the kind of person my husband relies on in order to find positives in any situation. I believe in going with the flow. I am willing to take risks, but not against unrealistic obstacles. I am in search of God's will, and do not feel God wants us to leave just yet.

We need to make sure that our home sells before we go, in order to make this transition possible financially. We need valid work documents, I am not comfortable going without proper documentation and being lawful. My dear husband has applied for citizenship, but we just received a letter saying that the process has been delayed because they are giving him a background check.

After dealing with the Italian Consulate, I have a new awareness of how one or two people can cause problems for so many people. We should recieve my work permit in October.

Peace in the Middle East

2006-08-06T05:42:00.000-05:00

A website which outlines some interesting information:
http://www.usip.org/topics/lebanon_israel.html

A link:
http://info.bahai.org/article-1-7-2-1.html

A teacher's resource:
http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/eyetoeye/teachers/index.html

website sent to me by my sister-in-law:
(The website is changed on a regular basis. Previously it had an image of young girls writing messages on the bombs which would be sent into Lebanon. As an educator, a mother and a human being, I am horrified.)
http://fromisraeltolebanon.info/

Story posted 6 hours ago about protests against Israel:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060806.wprotest0805/BNStory/Front

Some friends of ours were in Haifa between July 17-25, on Pilgrimage to the Holy Shrines on Mount Carmel...other friends are living there--in the eye of the storm.

A Jewish Prayer for Peace:

Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, that we may walk the paths of the most high.
And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares, and our spears into pruning hooks.
Nations shall not lift up sword against nation - neither shall they learn war any more.
And none shall be afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken.

Our prayers are for all of these people--the victims, and the perpetrators on all sides of the conflict.

it has been a while since you have seen us!

2006-07-02T00:43:00.000-05:00

power of water and electricity

2006-06-17T23:22:00.000-05:00

Please check this out!

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/2006/06/waterfuel.wmv

God's will

2006-05-14T05:25:00.000-05:00

Life remains the same for so long, and then in a moment it can change tremendously. The tender herbs in the meadow stand upright and then with a strong gust of wind are made to bow to the unseen forces of nature...
We are all but tender herbs which are moved by these amazing forces.

We are hoping that this gust of wind is pushing us in the direction He wants and what is ultimately the best for our little family.

I have been given an overseas position in an IB bilingual school.

We are preparing to move, have bought the one-way plane tickets for August, organizing/giving away and selling our belongings, repairing the house/building a new garage, selling the car etc..

Will be attending a colloquium on education this weekend(spiritual education and community development), a dual language training in June and an IB Middle Years Program Training in July. My dear husband will be taking care of the kids while I am enriching myself, fertilizing our family tree.

My daughter is now 1 year old

2006-05-14T05:16:00.000-05:00

How can a year go by so fast?

Baha'is in Iran

2006-05-14T05:15:00.000-05:00

Please read about the situation for Baha'is in Iran. Thank you.

http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/2006/03/on_the_site_of_.html

Easter photos

2006-04-18T06:11:00.000-05:00

We spent Easter with my family, and had an Easter Egg Hunt in the backyard, later we had dinner with some friends.

snow men

2006-03-06T22:21:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the first good snow this season for making snow men...the snow man melted today and toppled and we will be expecting almost 60 degree weather by the end of the week! Chicago..

kid tid bits

2006-02-21T07:47:00.000-06:00

Yesterday morning I went to the fruit market just with my second son in order to spend quality time with him. When we were looking at the fruits nicely displayed above, there upon the shelves below were different kinds of candy in small containers(very accesible to shorter eyes). J gently moved his open hand across them and said a breathless "Beautiful!" I started laughing outloud causing an older AFrican-American woman to come up to us. I explained to her what he had said, and as a result we conversed as we went through the store...or as J "was picking out his dinner" as she described it. Corn, beans, brocolli, kiwi and a huge ham and jar of pickles I told him to put back.

Last night we had a younger couple and her mom over for dinner. They started describing all the things the young girl did as a child...I was so thankful J was in bed by this time. For example, she took all her father's favorite record albums and put them all out on the floor and started hopping, doing hopscotch. A few minutes after getting a nice dress sent from her great grandmother(who wanted a picture) she went down a slide the other kids were putting water down in the dress....her mom was out of town and her father was sleeping when she decided to make a peanut butter sandwich at the age of 5 getting peanut butter all over the counter, the chair she used to get to the counter, and then she decided to read the paper while she ate her sandwich of coursePB everywhere, but now she has black film over the sticky PB and then subtly wakes up her father with one ofthose hands on his face...
I asked my oldest who had--to all of this--listened and said "Did you hear any of this? to which he vigorously shook his head "no".

My baby girl was sick with a high fever over the weekend --avoiding even mommy's milk--and only slept when she was on top of me while I patted her back or rubbed her head...it was a moment of connection...she realized I would be there for her...and for the 4 days really didn't leave me except when her father held her for short periods--really utilizing the ability to wrap her on my back.

chinese medicine

2006-02-10T21:05:00.000-06:00

at an average price per month of 4 times what we pay for electricity...chinese medicine is quite an investment...

in preparation for Ayyam-i-Ha

2006-02-10T20:47:00.000-06:00

my children are earning "fruit of service" for their "tree" to celebrate Ayyam-i-Ha. If they put their dishes away, clean up, act kindly, etc...we added their virtue beads they earned earlier to the tree as well...

"ye are the trees of my garden. ye must bring forth goodly and wonderous fruits, that ye yourselves and others may profit therefrom..."...we sing this Hidden Word as well...

today's moments

2006-02-10T20:07:00.000-06:00

the boys gave bear-y a bath

my baby girl hears water running in the bathroom, and thinks it is bath time!

a visit home

2006-02-09T08:24:00.000-06:00

our dear friend Ruhiyyih came home for 9 days of lovely chatting and baby tickling...it was wonderful to see her after such a long time.

2006-01-30T15:18:00.000-06:00

2005-12-30T04:29:00.000-06:00

Bedtime reading, "The Giving Tree." Recently we have enjoyed the following authors:
Frank Ashe, "Happy Birthday Moon" and "Moondance" We absolutely LOVE these books!!
http://www.frankasch.com/home.html
Todd Parr, "The Peace Book", "It's Okay to be Different" and the kids really get the giggles with his "Underwear dos and don'ts" my oldest gets the giggles most on this page...DO put your underwear away, DON'T put it in the freezer...
http://www.toddparr.com/

secrets for paradise

2005-11-28T14:07:00.000-06:00

http://aryab.blogspot.com/2005/11/teaching-5yr-old-secrets-of-universe.html

by request, a few recipes

2005-11-21T03:23:00.000-06:00

Based on questions from moms, and on my love for the new little ones and their mothers, I am trying to compile the information I found most useful for my children...
Food:

Our family has a litany of food allergies, so before attending other children's birthday parties etc. I make a cake with my children which does not have egg, nuts, milk/dairy, wheat, soy or refined sugar. I have found some lovely cookbooks, where the cakes actually taste like cakes "Simple Treats" is my favorite. They have a bakery and the cookbook is a result...
http://www.simpletreats.com/
Undoubtedly, when I come with such a cake there are other children who have allergies who benefit as well, so it becomes my little service project. And, I have yet to have my youngest get upset by the fact he can not have something.

Double Fudge Brownies
2/3 cup rolled oats(ground into course flour in food processor)
1/2 cup plus 2 T Sweet Potato Puree (organic canned--I have also used pumpkin and added a little more sucanat)
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup canola, safflower, or sunflower oil
1-2 T vanilla
3/4 cup sucanat, date sugar or maple sugar
1/2 cup carob chips(or chocolate)
2/3 cup barley flour
1/2 cup carob powder(or cocoa)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

you may also add 1/2 cup pecans or other nut to this recipe, but we choose not to due to the allergies.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil a 9-13 pan. In a small bowl, mix sweet potato puree, syrup, oil and vanilla.

In a larger bowl mix the ground oats, sucanat, carob chips, and half of the nuts if using. Add flour, carob powder, baking powder and salt into oat mixture. Pour the wet into the dry and mix together.

Pour batter into the pan. Sprinkle with pecans if using. Bake 30-35 minutes until knife comes out "clean". Cool before cutting.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

I avoid all milk and meat products which are not organic, and humanely treated(without hormones--without being fanatical).
My children love spinach, broccoli, peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes. The one problem with vegetables that I have found is that they do not like the texture of green leafy vegetables, so I have a Persian recipe that I make that the kids adore. Kookoo sabsi (my oldest likes ghormeh sabzi as well--a stew that is served alongside rice)

Kuku sabzi is most of the time made with egg. I have found a way to make it without eggs.
Ingredients:
1 Bunch of each: spinach, Italian parsley, dill, coriander(usually use 2 of coriander, and 4-5 green onions(to taste)( you may also use mint)
2-3 T of Tumeric
2 T Thyme(I think--I get the spice from my persian mother-in-law and I think it is thyme)(optional)
high heat oil(safflower)
salt
1 cup of rice(I usually use basmati) standing in water overnight
handful of red currents(for color and taste--optional)
1-2 T baking powder

Wash all green herbs 2-3 times in a bath of water to get out all dirt/pesticides. Pat dry, and place in food processor. I usually do several batches and mix it all together with salt tumeric, sometimes cumin, my mystery spice from Iran and the red currants. Then I take my rice that has been sitting all night and blend it in a blender with a bit of water, enough to not damage the machine, then dump that into the herb mixture. Mix it all up, and fry or bake. Baking is healthier, but frying tends to make the patties disappear faster.

if you can eat eggs, try it with them! (Of course I would recommend eggs from free range chickens...)
http://www.superluminal.com/cookbook/substantial_iranian_omelet.html
(By the way, the above website is great for persian recipes)

My children also love sushi--california maki style. They love the roasted and salted seaweed and will eat it plain.
We use Seasoned and roasted Laver or seaweed cook the sushi rice in the rice cooker, fry carrots and spinach separately in sesame oil and wheat free tamari soy sauce. Cut up tomato and cucumber(avocado for the adults) and make the sushi. check out how to make it. It is sooo easy! Sometimes we eat it like an asian version of a burrito. It is a great picnic food and won't spoil without meat.

ok back to persian food...

I always make a main dish with something the children like(often meat) with vegetable and rice, and if they want more of the meat(which there is little of) they have to eat the vegetable and rice...

Celery stew--Khoresh karafs

1 med to large sized onion
1 lb beef or lamb cut in small pieces
2 T tumeric
water
2 bunches of celery, cut into 1 inch slices
1/4 cup of dried mint
1/3-1/2 cup dried parsley
1-2 T of tarragon, dried
(you may also wash chop and prepare fresh herbs two bunches of parsely to 1 of mint--but the above is the version for a busy mom)
2-3 dried limes(can be found in middle eastern stores) or you can use lemon juice to taste(but the limes are sooo good!)

Fry onions until translucent(if you have time) put meat in and tumeric and salt. Fry meat until browned add water so that the water fills up the pan at least an inch. Add celery, herbs and dried limes(I crush mine with a nut cracker). Cook for a couple hours, and stir and add water when needed. Taste for salt at the end.

Serve over (basmati) rice.

---------------

Fesenjoon(long cooking time) Not a recipe my son can eat, but is easy so I am sharing

1 med to large onion
1 lb. chicken(preferably legs because the chicken will fall off bones and disintegrate so the bones are easier to locate)
1 bottle of pomegranate molasses 10 oz
5 cups whole walnuts
maple syrup/salt to taste

Place walnuts in blender, cover with water and blend until a puree. Feel free to add water. Put into a pot and add water so when the mixture bubbles it doesn't spatter onto the cook. Cook until it turns color. Put in an onion (whole) which has been punctured a couple times with a knife and the chicken and molasses. Add water periodically and cook for 5 hours, or put in crock pot for 12 on high. At the end, taste for maple syrup and salt.

Serve with (Basmati )rice

-----------------

Pizza, always with spinach.

I often will make my own, but when I am busy I will buy the frozen kind put a 1/2 inch layer of frozen chopped spinach, sprinkle a little salt, add cheese on top and pop it in the oven.

-----------------

Hope this was helpful!

next world

2005-11-15T10:27:00.000-06:00

my friend passed this morning a little before 8, in his sleep.

cycle of life

2005-11-14T10:28:00.001-06:00

My oldest son after explaining more about the imminent death of my friend, said "When someone dies why can't a girl have a baby?" Profound...
It reminds me of 'Abdu'l-Baha's analogy of this world being like the spiritual womb for the next world. We are developing our spiritual arms and legs so that in the next world we have the ability to move freely and communicate, like the baby develops arms and legs inside the womb--there is no purpose for them in the womb--but we understand their use once they are born.
"Death is a messenger of joy to thee; why dost thou grieve?" In this case, it is truly a messenger of joy. It is only the people left behind that suffer.
And, a new life...
like the water bug who wonders while swimming around under the surface, "What happens to those who go beyond? When it is my time I will definately come back and tell everyone what it is like." Then it was the bug's time and he rose to the surface, sat on top of the water where his wings dried and then he FLEW! What JOY! "Oh!" He thought "I told my friends that I would tell them what it was like above the surface..." So he flew down, and tried to below the surface to tell his friends...But he couldn't go under the water, no matter how hard he tried.

The importance of the next generation to take care of those who are making the transition into the next world...

update

2005-11-08T12:44:00.000-06:00

I spoke with David Shanks' social worker and she said that he needed the money from the sale of the home regardless of whether or not he had been victimized by mortgage fraud. Ideally if he had a trust fund, they would have kept the home but he needed the money and would have sold the home in order to get the money anyway. And, the money(the majority of it has been returned to him). She said that he is where he needs to be, which is in a home for disabled adults.

Can we find justice?

2005-11-06T01:23:00.000-06:00

Our home is on the cover of today's Chicago Tribune with the previous owner, in a picture I witnessed being taken. The poor man is the center of an article entitled "Mortgage Fraud: The New Street Hustle".
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/broadband/chi-mortgagefraud,1,2001047.htmlstory?coll=chi-news-hed
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/chi-mortgage-1-story,0,5744461.story
My husband and I (obviously had no idea this occurred, and) are united in our desire to give the home back to him, but as he can not afford having a mortgage payment, and should never have had one, we are incapable of giving it back to him without assistance.
Please say prayers for justice.

a post

2005-10-21T00:30:00.000-05:00

chicago just named as A cluster...have been working on the development of children's classes for past two years, and now they are coming into being the way we envisioned.
currently tired, but happy....love all of you.

This past weekend

2005-09-19T22:52:00.000-05:00

We went camping this past weekend. It was wonderful to be a part of nature. The kids came back so much happier.

Before we went camping, we stopped at my grandma's apartment. She will be 93 this next month. The boys tested out their new sleeping bags on the floor of her living room.

article illuminating experiences of Katrina victims in NO

2005-09-13T02:17:00.000-05:00

Hurricane Katrina - Our Experiences
By Parmedics Larry Bradsahw and Lorrie Beth Slonsky
EMSNetwork News
Tuesday 06 September 2005

Two days after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the Walgreen's store at the corner of Royal and Iberville streets remained locked. The dairy display case was clearly visible through the widows. It was now 48 hours without electricity, running water, plumbing. The milk, yogurt, and cheeses were beginning to spoil in the 90-degree heat. The owners and managers had locked up the food, water, pampers, and prescriptions and fled the City. Outside Walgreen's windows, residents and tourists grew increasingly thirsty and hungry.

The much-promised federal, state and local aid never materialized and the windows at Walgreen's gave way to the looters. There was an alternative. The cops could have broken one small window and distributed the nuts, fruit juices, and bottle water in an organized and systematic manner. But they did not. Instead they spent hours playing cat and mouse, temporarily chasing away the looters.

We were finally airlifted out of New Orleans two days ago and arrived home yesterday (Saturday). We have yet to see any of the TV coverage or look at a newspaper. We are willing to guess that there were no video images or front-page pictures of European or affluent white tourists looting the Walgreen's in the French Quarter.

We also suspect the media will have been inundated with "hero" images of the National Guard, the troops and the police struggling to help the "victims" of the Hurricane. What you will not see, but what we witnessed, were the real heroes and sheroes of the hurricane relief effort: the working class of New

Orleans. The maintenance workers who used a fork lift to carry the sick and disabled. The engineers, who rigged, nurtured and kept the generators running. The electricians who improvised thick extension cords stretching over blocks to share the little electricity we had in order to free cars stuck on rooftop parking lots. Nurses who took over for mechanical ventilators and spent many hours on end manually forcing air into the lungs of unconscious patients to keep them alive. Doormen who rescued folks stuck in elevators. Refinery workers who broke into boat yards, "stealing" boats to rescue their neighbors clinging to their roofs in flood waters. Mechanics who helped hot-wire any car that could be found to ferry people out of the City. And the food service workers who scoured the commercial kitchens improvising communal meals for hundreds of those stranded.

Most of these workers had lost their homes, and had not heard from members of their families, yet they stayed and provided the only infrastructure for the 20% of New Orleans that was not under water.

On Day 2, there were approximately 500 of us left in the hotels in the French Quarter. We were a mix of foreign tourists, conference attendees like ourselves, and locals who had checked into hotels for safety and shelter from Katrina. Some of us had cell phone contact with family and friends outside of

New Orleans. We were repeatedly told that all sorts of resources including the National Guard and scores of buses were pouring in to the City. The buses and the other resources must have been invisible because none of us had seen them.

We decided we had to save ourselves. So we pooled our money and came up with $25,000 to have ten buses come and take us out of the City. Those who did not have the requisite $45.00 for a ticket were subsidized by those who did have extra money. We waited for 48 hours for the buses, spending the last 12 hours standing outside, sharing the limited water, food, and clothes we had. We created a priority boarding area for the sick, elderly and new born babies. We waited late into the night for the "imminent" arrival of the buses. The buses never arrived. We later learned that the minute the arrived to the City limits, they were commandeered by the military.

By day 4 our hotels had run out of fuel and water. Sanitation was dangerously abysmal. As the desperation and despair increased, street crime as well as water levels began to rise. The hotels turned us out and locked their doors, telling us that the "officials" told us to report to the convention center to wait for more buses. As we entered the center of the City, we finally encountered the National Guard. The Guards told us we would not be allowed into the Superdome as the City's primary shelter had descended into a humanitarian and health hellhole. The guards further told us that the City's only other shelter, the Convention Center, was also descending into chaos and squalor and that the police were not allowing anyone else in. Quite naturally, we asked, "If we can't go to the only 2 shelters in the City, what was our alternative?" The guards told us that that was our problem, and no they did not have extra water to give to us. This would be the start of our numerous encounters with callous and hostile "law enforcement".

We walked to the police command center at Harrah's on Canal Street and were told the same thing, that we were on our own, and no they did not have water to give us. We now numbered several hundred. We held a mass meeting to decide a course of action. We agreed to camp outside the police command post. We would be plainly visible to the media and would constitute a highly visible embarrassment to the City officials. The police told us that we could not stay. Regardless, we began to settle in and set up camp. In short order, the police commander came across the street to address our group. He told us he had a solution: we should walk to the Pontchartrain Expressway and cross the greater New Orleans Bridge where the police had buses lined up to take us out of the City. The crowed cheered and began to move. We called everyone back and explained to the commander that there had been lots of misinformation and wrong information and was he sure that there were buses waiting for us. The commander turned to the crowd and stated emphatically, "I swear to you that the buses are there."

We organized ourselves and the 200 of us set off for the bridge with great excitement and hope. As we marched pasted the convention center, many locals saw our determined and optimistic group and asked where we were headed. We told them about the great news. Families immediately grabbed their few belongings and quickly our numbers doubled and then doubled again. Babies in strollers now joined us, people using crutches, elderly clasping walkers and others people in wheelchairs. We marched the 2-3 miles to the freeway and up the steep incline to the Bridge. It now began to pour down rain, but it did not dampen our enthusiasm.

As we approached the bridge, armed Gretna sheriffs formed a line across the foot of the bridge. Before we were close enough to speak, they began firing their weapons over our heads. This sent the crowd fleeing in various directions. As the crowd scattered and dissipated, a few of us inched forward and managed to engage some of the sheriffs in conversation. We told them of our conversation with the police commander and of the commander's assurances. The sheriffs informed us there were no buses waiting. The commander had lied to us to get us to move.

We questioned why we couldn't cross the bridge anyway, especially as there was little traffic on the 6-lane highway. They responded that the West Bank was not going to become New Orleans and there would be no Superdomes in their City. These were code words for if you are poor and black, you are not crossing the Mississippi River and you were not getting out of New Orleans.

Our small group retreated back down Highway 90 to seek shelter from the rain under an overpass. We debated our options and in the end decided to build an encampment in the middle of the Ponchartrain Expressway on the center divide, between the O'Keefe and Tchoupitoulas exits. We reasoned we would be visible to everyone, we would have some security being on an elevated freeway and we could wait and watch for the arrival of the yet to be seen buses.

All day long, we saw other families, individuals and groups make the same trip up the incline in an attempt to cross the bridge, only to be turned away. Some chased away with gunfire, others simply told no, others to be verbally berated and humiliated. Thousands of New Orleaners were prevented and prohibited from self-evacuating the City on foot. Meanwhile, the only two City shelters sank further into squalor and disrepair. The only way across the bridge was by vehicle. We saw workers stealing trucks, buses, moving vans, semi-trucks and any car that could be hotwired. All were packed with people trying to escape the misery New Orleans had become.

Our little encampment began to blossom. Someone stole a water delivery truck and brought it up to us. Let's hear it for looting! A mile or so down the freeway, an army truck lost a couple of pallets of C-rations on a tight turn. We ferried the food back to our camp in shopping carts. Now secure with the two necessities, food and water; cooperation, community, and creativity flowered. We organized a clean up and hung garbage bags from the rebar poles. We made beds from wood pallets and cardboard. We designated a storm drain as the bathroom and the kids built an elaborate enclosure for privacy out of plastic, broken umbrellas, and other scraps. We even organized a food recycling system where individuals could swap out parts of C-rations (applesauce for babies and candies for kids!).

This was a process we saw repeatedly in the aftermath of Katrina. When individuals had to fight to find food or water, it meant looking out for yourself only. You had to do whatever it took to find water for your kids or food for your parents. When these basic needs were met, people began to look out for each other, working together and constructing a community.

If the relief organizations had saturated the City with food and water in the first 2 or 3 days, the desperation, the frustration and the ugliness would not have set in.

Flush with the necessities, we offered food and water to passing families and individuals. Many decided to stay and join us. Our encampment grew to 80 or 90 people.

From a woman with a battery powered radio we learned that the media was talking about us. Up in full view on the freeway, every relief and news organizations saw us on their way into the City. Officials were being asked what they were going to do about all those families living up on the freeway? The officials responded they were going to take care of us. Some of us got a sinking feeling. "Taking care of us" had an ominous tone to it.

Unfortunately, our sinking feeling (along with the sinking City) was correct. Just as dusk set in, a Gretna Sheriff showed up, jumped out of his patrol vehicle, aimed his gun at our faces, screaming, "Get off the fucking freeway". A helicopter arrived and used the wind from its blades to blow away our flimsy structures. As we retreated, the sheriff loaded up his truck with our food and water.

Once again, at gunpoint, we were forced off the freeway. All the law enforcement agencies appeared threatened when we congregated or congealed into groups of 20 or more. In every congregation of "victims" they saw "mob" or "riot". We felt safety in numbers. Our "we must stay together" was impossible because the agencies would force us into small atomized groups.

In the pandemonium of having our camp raided and destroyed, we scattered once again. Reduced to a small group of 8 people, in the dark, we sought refuge in an abandoned school bus, under the freeway on Cilo Street. We were hiding from possible criminal elements but equally and definitely, we were hiding from the police and sheriffs with their martial law, curfew and shoot-to-kill policies.

The next days, our group of 8 walked most of the day, made contact with New Orleans Fire Department and were eventually airlifted out by an urban search and rescue team. We were dropped off near the airport and managed to catch a ride with the National Guard. The two young guardsmen apologized for the limited response of the Louisiana guards. They explained that a large section of their unit was in Iraq and that meant they were shorthanded and were unable to complete all the tasks they were assigned.

We arrived at the airport on the day a massive airlift had begun. The airport had become another Superdome. We 8 were caught in a press of humanity as flights were delayed for several hours while George Bush landed briefly at the airport for a photo op. After being evacuated on a coast guard cargo plane, we arrived in San Antonio, Texas.

There the humiliation and dehumanization of the official relief effort continued. We were placed on buses and driven to a large field where we were forced to sit for hours and hours. Some of the buses did not have air-conditioners. In the dark, hundreds if us were forced to share two filthy overflowing porta-potties. Those who managed to make it out with any possessions (often a few belongings in tattered plastic bags) we were subjected to two different dog-sniffing searches.

Most of us had not eaten all day because our C-rations had been confiscated at the airport because the rations set off the metal detectors. Yet, no food had been provided to the men, women, children, elderly, disabled as they sat for hours waiting to be "medically screened" to make sure we were not carrying any communicable diseases.

This official treatment was in sharp contrast to the warm, heart-felt reception given to us by the ordinary Texans. We saw one airline worker give her shoes to someone who was barefoot. Strangers on the street offered us money and toiletries with words of welcome. Throughout, the official relief effort was callous, inept, and racist.

There was more suffering than need be.

Lives were lost that did not need to be lost.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bradshaw and Slonsky are paramedics from California that were attending the EMS conference in New Orleans. Larry Bradshaw is the chief shop steward, Paramedic Chapter, SEIU Local 790; and Lorrie Beth Slonsky is steward, Paramedic Chapter, SEIU Local 790.

2005-09-08T19:54:00.000-05:00

We are selling our car we bought just prior to child #1, unable to fit all 3 kids...

2005-08-31T11:34:00.000-05:00

Another picture of marjan from yesterday, and a few pictures of our guests (7 total)from this past weekend.

yesterday's photos

2005-08-31T11:18:00.000-05:00

These are all photos from yesterday, first meal of rice cereal for the baby, painting gone crazy, and visit to my mom's house, and first day janan was successful peeing in toilet...no photos of THAT!

Katie's birthday cake

2005-08-17T00:17:00.000-05:00

Katie's birthday cake
Originally uploaded by rosechildren.

On my sister's birthday Marjan and I served cake...is she asleep, or trying to see around mommy?

mommyhood/familyhood reinvented

2005-08-15T00:56:00.000-05:00

Each child, it is amazing!, recreates the family space, carving out an identity in the spectrum of the family which we didn't realize was needed. And, in so doing recreates all those around him/her. Like a box of crayons left out in the sun too long, the personalities of the others leave portions of themselves which can not be taken away or ever be left in it's "pure" form. I look to my oldest son as an example. Prior to my second son being born, he didn't know how to ask for affection, or socialize with others. He has since made great strides in learning how to socialize with other children, and now is learning how to communicate and be nurturing/loving/gentle from his little sister(with an intense love for all that is female and pink!) I wonder what my other children would be like had they been only children.
All of this makes me contemplate how we are moulded by each other, and how each new relationship (diversity emphasized) recreates us, making us more and more centered.
Each child has reinvented me as a person and as a mother. My little girl wants to talk, and talk, and talk, and talk, whenever she is awake enough to communicate with someone/especially me. She is only 3 months old!!! So for 1/2 an hour before she is "overstimulated" and tired, we "talk" to each other. I have never had this with the other two--they were more interested in physical acitivity/doing SOMETHING together(especially nursing). As she is awake for longer and longer periods, I hope she will not feel neglected while I do housework/food preparation etc. and am not looking at her directly...again...I think this will cause my two boys to become more balanced as they learn how to talk to her.

All of this creates a desire in me to meet new people in order to melt my crayon colors again.

blameless

2005-08-11T05:47:00.000-05:00

How much of where we find ourselves in life is related to the attachment/or lack of to our parents? How can I insure that I will not repeat the negatives of my upbringing?

New book(to me) "It's Not My Fault" by Patricia Romano McGraw
http://www.amazon.com/

How can relationships, with other people and with God heal us?
There is so much healing to happen in the world.

New concept/discipline approach(to me) Love and Logic
http://www.loveandlogic.com/

chances and choices

2005-07-25T09:45:00.000-05:00

The pain/suffering of those around me has caused me to think more deeply about our personal chances and choices, and how that effects our lives.

After receiving your responses I plan on forwarding them to my dear family member who is feeling the painful repercussions of her choices. My hope is that after reading your responses she will not feel alone.

1. Are there any chances you have had in life which you chose not to accept? What were the results of that decision(s)?

2. What are some of the choices you most regret?

3. Are there any choices you regret which happened today?

4. Are there chances in life that you grasped and are continuing to benefit from?

5. Which choices are you most happy/proud of?

"knowing oneself"

2005-07-16T00:46:00.000-05:00

The tag questions:
1. Name a few things or activities that lift your spirits and really get you going.
2. Name a few things or activities that drain all of the tension out of your body and mind.
3. What helps you get or stay focused?
4. Are there any things you've tried and taken off the list?

My husband and I are going to answer this together as thoughts randomly cross our minds, in no particular order except Selvi's outline:
1. spending unlimited(without children) time in the library, going to the House of Worship in Wilmette, spending time in a pristine natural environment...grasping the earth between my bare toes...feeling the sun upon my face, and warm rain upon my back...a refreshing breeze on a humid and hot summer day...serving/teaching children, seeing the service of others, a smile genuinely spread across the face of another...spending time in a movie theatre seeing thought-provoking artistic and respectful films...music which brings diverse elements/musicians/instruments together...actually anything which serves as an artistic bridge between cultures...rising above the earth in an airplane/seeing ourselves as insignificant in this vast creation...travel and learning about others...seeing an old couple holding hands or exchanging a loving glance...realizing a fault in myself and understanding the path to changing it...

2. a really good backrub/massage...that wasn't emphasized enough !!!!!!!!! MASSAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!...ok there may be other things...let us see...my husband says I should be honest but not tell you what he feels drains all the tension...and is the source of our mass production of 3 cute children...a hot, deep bath in the middle of the night when there are no time limits...accomplishing the goals of the day...gaining confirmations that an action/s were on the right path...having a clean house

3. time for reflection...housework/artistic handicrafts which keep the hands busy but the mind free to contemplate...catastrophies in the world or the personal lives of friends/family...celebrations/joy in the world or in the personal lives of friends/family because it makes me stop to think...reading the Writings from Baha'u'llah, 'Abdu'l-Baha(me), and poetry(both of us), our children are a constant reminder of why we must succeed and do what is best/right...

4. For me TV, but my husband says that he never looked at TV as a way to relax.

Kisses.

chances...choices

2005-07-14T20:07:00.000-05:00

In contemplation...upon the chances we have been given, and the choices we make....we are given complete "freedom" to choose our direction, and then we deal with the consequences or feel inspired through confirmations. There are times we choose wrongly and experience hell, choose correctly and have heaven on earth.

"Whosoever desireth, let him turn aside from this counsel and whosoever desireth let him choose the path to his Lord."

How do we recreate this as a model for our children, as a method of discipline? ... Using questions and choices which have rewards and punishments, which are a direct result of their decisions? Encouraging them to make the decision? Whichever path, always providing love through a gentle or torrential rain, and/or warm sun?

mommy research

2005-06-17T03:13:00.000-05:00

Jokes have always been a mystery for me. It is me who always tells the punchline first, or forgets the punchline all together. My dear friend, Maryam, would tell people that I am funny without knowing it--I still don't understand what she meant by that. So, as a mother of two boys who like to giggle, I am in the process of trying to find good jokes the kids will somehow understand, can memorize and share with others. Thus, my intense mommy research. SO, if you know some please share!

In my research, here are some that tickled me, and made me think as well:

1: A noise woke me up this morning.
2: What was that ?
1: The crack of dawn!

What do you call an ant from overseas?
Import-ANT!

Q: What did the bee say to the flower?
A: Hello honey!

personal expression

2005-06-17T01:39:00.000-05:00

personal expression
Originally uploaded by rosechildren.

proud of his artistic abilities--I think he gets it from me!

personal expression 2

2005-06-17T01:37:00.000-05:00

personal expression 2
Originally uploaded by rosechildren.

entertainment on a hot day

dad with new baby

2005-06-12T03:05:00.000-05:00

dad with new baby
Originally uploaded by rosechildren.

family of 5

2005-06-03T23:50:00.000-05:00

family of 5
Originally uploaded by rosechildren.

MarjanCU

2005-06-03T23:47:00.000-05:00

MarjanCU
Originally uploaded by rosechildren.

our daughter

2005-05-18T10:43:00.000-05:00

She will be one week old tomorrow night, Thursday at 9:05pm. Thank you for prayers. After using castor oil, black and blue cohash and having my membranes stripped while in early labor the contractions began getting slightly painful around 5 pm. The labor although extremely intense was extremely quick(5 hours--with 2 hours of contractions with very few breaks), and so my body doesn't have to recover as much as it did with the first two (42 hours and 15 hours of hard labor). Focusing on the entrance(doors) of the Shrine of Baha'u'llah in my mind's eye and saying "...prepare the means...make straight the path...open Thou the doors..." The baby came out in 3 pushes(15 minutes(about) after contemplating an epidural): head, shoulders, placenta. When focusing on the prayers the pain was localized, whereas the pain when I wanted to give up was throughout my whole body and not tolerable...so as a needed defense I recited "Allah'u'Abha" in my mind and outloud to process this transition from the womb to the outside world.
It was love at first sight...my little girl. She was 8 lbs, 5 oz, and 20 inches long. Her name comes from my favorite marriage prayer which refers to coral and pearls...
Marjan Pearl
Marjan is coral in Persian, and with slight variations coral in Gaelic (Marjean) and an African language (Marjani) which was not disclosed in my research.

my oldest son's dream and thoughts

2005-05-18T10:21:00.000-05:00

Dream: "The Sister"
She wanted to be a boy, then she had an idea, she wanted a hair cut, she held the rubber band in her clenched fist while they cut her hair.

"the Tunnel"
A dream about the hospital and a long tunnel...

Thoughts/story:
Lions go down the slide, the dogs go under the house and then the elephants go in their big house. The cats go in their little house.

little conversations

2005-05-07T02:49:00.000-05:00

"The dog eats...CRACKERS!" He, he, he, he! "The dog eats...CABINETS!" Ha ha ha ha!!
Our dinner conversation...he he he, genuine belly laughs from my two small boys inbetween bites of chicken, salad and rice.

Earlier, in the car, my boys were debating when the new baby would arrive. My younger son wanted the baby to come today so he could go see Grandma...(sorry), and my older son said "No, no...tomorrow...I want the baby to come tomorrow."(we'll see!)

Amazing pieces of reality according to an almost 4 year old and a 25 month old.

mantra

2005-05-02T22:56:00.000-05:00

Before going to bed, I turn on the light and open "the Hidden Words"--so tired lately I need something short. "Despair not" it says..."all this will pass away"...rejoice not in prosperity or despair in poverty...
I think "all this will pass away" must become my mantra.
As I went through labor with child number two, I repeated "Allah'u'Abha" over and over through the contractions. My midwife said I was too comfortable and had to get up and move around. Through our difficulties I think of repeating "all this will pass away" in like manner.
Releasing, calming and preparing for the third which should be coming sooner than 9 months ago when concieved.

today is the due date

2005-04-27T04:44:00.000-05:00

I have felt guilty for being scared of the responsibility and work of having this third baby. Just tonight, my due date, my heart is consciously opening up to this new life inside of me. When I went to this spiritual healer recently, she told me this baby is just like me, very sensitive. That all we have gone through during this pregnancy, we have both gone through together.

thoughts upon the third child...

2005-03-31T01:50:00.000-06:00

How do your thoughts, your stress, your prayers influence the future personality of your child? My first child is calm, balanced, quiet...while he was incubating I was not working, slept a lot and ate a lot, said at least an hour of prayers in the morning, every morning, said prayers for him, and prayers for his father, focused on how I could be of service...now I am desperately trying to find time to meditate...eat and deal... saying--not necessarily feeling--prayers while children are climbing on me...
How does the personality/interests/gifts of the child influence the mother? my second son started dancing before he started walking...in utero I danced with my husband and older child almost every night after dinner...NOT what I do now, or ever did prior...

expected release upon the world: April 27

upon a battered shore

2005-03-31T01:14:00.000-06:00

tsunami waves leave the body clinging, blistering
drops of pain cascading down the spine
glistening, shimmering
the hand lets go and grasps at kindness moments too late.

...
what won't kill you will make you stronger
...
"the true lover yearneth for tribulation..."