Month: September 2015

What To Expect When You Are Expecting….

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Life is short….!! Don’t we all know that?! And I guess since a very young age, we all had dreams and things we wanted to do/be when we grow up. And here we are, all grown-ups, adults, moms and dads. Did we make our dreams come true? Not yet? Almost….? 

We also expected this adulthood to be fun. We expected life to be fair, and dreams to be reality. We expected to have the right parter and the right life. Didn’t we all? We each have different expectations in life, yet at some point we all cleverly meet them (or at least some of them). But how about our daily expectations? We expect the day to go smoothly, the work to be done brilliantly. We expect our calls and messages to be answered, our invitations to be accepted. We expect our partners to be appreciative, supportive and encouraging! We expect our parents and family to respect our privacy, our doctor to see us immediately, the queues not to be so long and the kids to behave as adults. Should I keep going …..?! 

Why do we expect so much? Why do we dangerously give ourselves hope? Were we raised this way? Did our parents expect us to be this way? Therefore we also expect our kids to do so? While being positive in life is a much wanted and needed quality, I am not so sure about expecting. Somehow when we “expect”, we don’t allow doubts to creep into our plans. We want something and we want it now! We expect things to go our way, yet when they don’t, we are not so happy about it. 

What if we hit the stop button? We clean the page of expectations? We simply don’t expect anything anymore! Can you imagine how simple and easy life will be then? We will never anticipate someone’s reaction anymore. We will not be disappointed or frustrated anymore. We will just get what we get. We have a choice everyday to be whoever and whatever we choose. If something bad happens, we can choose to dwell on it, or accept it and move forward; we can start again. 

I personally struggle everyday with my expectations. I need to loosen up! With anything and everything. My goal and my focus will be to keep all this in mind and do better. I’ll probably never do it 100% right, but I will try to remember …. And I know I will be just fine if I keep on doing my best…!! What’s really a blessing right now, is this little place where I share a bit of what goes in my mind, with you! So thank you! And thank you for reading!! 🙂 

Ouiam 

You Think You Can’t Speak French..??

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     “Few days ago, I went to a cafe, with a highly soigné kind of decor. The atmosphere was filled with a strange mixture of feminine flowery eau de toilette and expensive cigar! Young demoiselles a la mode, with their haute couture little robe noir, and tres chic little purses! Joie de vivre and savoir faire… Voila!! ”

23 words out the 56 making the above paragraph, are French! And you perfectly understood what I meant! A coincidence? Certainly not! It is estimated that 70% of the words used in the English language are the same or very similar to the French equivalent words!! Surprised? I was too, when I started learning English! As a French speaker -or should I say Francophone?- I always wondered why would a rich and complex language such as English, need to “borrow” words from another foreign one! And why French? Why not Italian, Spanish or any other Latin language? And does using French words somehow makes you more sophisticated and elegant? Thus the need to show off and humbly brag about your skills? Dear reader, if you think you will find an answer to the above questions, let me apologies to you in advance, because I have none! No matter how many times I checked with “Monsieur” Google, I still can’t figure out why! Why do we use French words in English?! 

I do tolerate words like : Chauffeur, valet or even ballet, however, I am certain words such as Chef-d’oeuvre or fin de siècle, can be traded for something more…English! I also understand such things happening in the 18th century, when rich French aristocrats were finding refuge in London; but now in the 21st century, it does seem a little absurd to me. 

I am very intrigued to know what grammarians think of this matter. Is it the lack of words? Or the urge to be better, and more “Chic”? Or is it simply a habit?    

What do you think….?

Ouiam 

Happy Reading: Hello September!! 

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   Hey everyone! It’s Monday evening and I just finished cooking dinner, writing a blog post for my online course, making pancakes for tomorrow’s breakfast, sending few emails and texts…. Boy do I feel like a Super-Mama right now! Anyways while doing all that, it hit me that I never posted this month’s “Happy Reading” !! So after I switched off the lights, checked that the doors are locked, put my phone on the charger, here I am taking it back again and about to do what I love : Write about books! 

So here I will leave you with my list for this month of September: 

– All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. A friend of mine suggested this book, but the length of it kept on discouraging me. And when I finally dived in I couldn’t put it down. The book is brimming with rich details that fill all five senses. It is beautifully written with beautiful metaphors that paint gorgeous images! A wonderful story about destiny, life and hardships!  

– The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz. A motivating book, on positivity and simplicity. Four steps to live simpler! I liked it and started following these agreements already! 

– No Drama Discipline by Daniel J. Siegel. This book was recommended to me by a friend. As you may know I LOVE parenting books, and I usually read one every month. The book is a great reminder of what’s important and offers excellent advices. However, I thought it was a little too long which only complicated a simple strategy. 

I still have a huge list of books to tackle, but if you have a good book in mind, do share it with a friend (me) !!

Ouiam 

Thank God It’s Friday: How To Throw A Moroccan Theme Baby Shower! 

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Today’s post is a little different than the usual “Thank God It’s Friday”. It is still related to food, however, the focus will be more on the set up, than the food itself! 

  

Last week I threw a baby shower for my dear friend Maria. Since I am a proud Moroccan, and I am perfectly aware of the richness of my country’s culture and cuisine, as well as the curious blend of sights, sounds and smells! I decided to go with what I know best, a Moroccan theme! I will be sharing with you few tips that really helped making my baby shower a success! 

Contrary to what you might see on similar articles about “How to throw a party”, I will skip the part where they tell you to first come up with a guest list, or even better : “plan your menu ahead”, which is just rediculous! I mean …… For the love of god who doesn’t know these things? Yeah so I will skip this step and go directly to what I think is more important! 
  
First of all, choosing a theme for your party is the most important step of all! Wether it is Moroccan or Victorian, once you decide on that, you will then only have to execute! 

The buffet is going to be the masterpiece of the party! So you will have to focus on the decor. Here are few tips: 

– Consider your table a piece of art, visualise how you want it to look before you even start! 
  

– Play with the levels of height. Save all the shoe boxes you have, and all the small tables, because you will place them on your table before you place the tablecloth. 
– Colours!!! Bring all the colourful fabrics, tablecloths, cushions, ribbons and even curtains! Place some of them randomly on your table. Ideally you need one over each small table or shoe box! 

– Collect your treasures! Since it is a Moroccan theme, go for candles, colourful glasses, silver trays, and of course if you have one of these lovely “Tajines”, then you hit the jackpot (see picture below) 
  
– Moroccan tea!! There no Moroccan anything without Moroccan tea! Boil some tea with mint and water, then poor the tea in the Moroccan teapot (if you don’t have it, then use any silver pot)

  

– Use your assets! Have a walk around your home and see what can look pretty on your table. You have a pearl necklace? Put it in a transparent glass and boom!!!! You’ve got a beautiful item on your table. You have a lantern? Use it! A Persian rug? Place it under the table. Some colourful bangles? Use them for your napkins!! Let your imagination go wild and you will not regret it! 

– Flowers! Flowers are a must! Wether you put them in a vase or you use rose petals, they will completely transform your table! 

– Add a personal touch: I thought I should have a special lady to put some beautiful Henna designs on our hands! And I did just that! It was a hit and my guests loved it! 
   
– Music! There is no party without music! 

– Give aways: this is a sweet gesture to thank your guests for coming! 
  

This is a simple yet fantastic and inexpensive way to take your guests in a trip to Morocco! It is so much fun and definitely a party that will not be forgotten!!

Ouiam    

What’s On Her Mind: In-Laws…..

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 Hello my dear friends! And welcome to yet another exciting and beautiful story from another amazing Mama. A very brave one! Who taccled a very sensitive topic today! I leave you with Miss.H’s words of wisdom!! 

In-laws 

When you get married -in our arabic society- it also means that you married the In-laws! A blessing? Yeah sure …. Sometimes! A curse? Probably… When you are under the same roof.

Living with your family in law is absolutely no piece of cake, they can be the kindest and sweetest people, yet at the same time always scrutinising and criticising every move you make. Somehow you need to become the Queen of wonderland! Otherwise you just won’t make it! 

In the first few months, sure you will be shy and blush at every comment; however after five years -24/7- under the same roof, things are not cute anymore, and get a bit ugly for the silliest reasons! It is difficult, but you have to let go, for the sake of a peaceful life. I am not saying that you shouldn’t love them! Once you are married to their son, you need to embrace them, and take them as your own! But you need to have your own routine! You need to be the one in charge of raising your children! You need your privacy with your husband away from intruders!   

 From my personal experience, the more space you keep between you and your in laws, the better it is for everyone! They will respect and love you more. Sometimes I really feel blessed to have them around, especially when I am sick and my husband is traveling. Or when they throw a huge birthday party for my kids, and invite over 300 member of the family just to celebrate it. Yet some other times, I just want to be alone, be lazy in my pyjamas the whole day without even brushing my hair, and I sure deserve to have similar days! 
 

Well i think it is both, a blessing and a curse at the same time. You will just have to balance the feelings, have a positive attitude, and mostly be yourself ….. The loving wife, the caring mother and the sweet daughter in law. My in laws define me as a sweet and sour girl, and they couldn’t say it any better! 

Miss.H

One Crazy Language!! 

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Few days ago, I had to write a post about English as part of my online studies. It got me a full mark and few sweet compliments too 😉 so I decided to share it with you! Why not?! Hope you enjoy it 🙂 

Arabic was the first language I ever learnt. We speak it at home, we learn the rules and guidelines in school. By the age of ten, I mastered this rich and complex language. 

Learning Arabic, was a slow and steady process. A set of rules that you should learn by heart, and use them dutifully. The alphabet is 28 letters, which are all used just the way they are pronounced. You will never find a letter that will ever be pronounced differently under any circumstances! It is a language that distinguish between male and female, in pretty much everything. A language that doesn’t have any weird features that have made their way into it with time! As any other language, verbs are allowed to be moody too, however, they can only choose among three tenses: past, present, and future! 

Fast forward: At the age of twelve, I dived into the language of Shakespeare, and almost immediately, the craziness of this language, started making its appearance! 

In “enouGH”, the “GH” is pronounced “F”, as if this same letter has done something terrible in the past and has been banned from fulfilling its duties! Or when we say: “thouGH” and we happily ignore the same syllable “GH”. Was there a minimum amount of letters in this word that couldn’t be reached, so someone decided to use extra letters? 

Is there any eggs in eggplant? Or ham in hamburger? Or is there any apples or pines in pineapple? I wonder if there was a quota that had to be matched when creating these words? 

If the plural of tooth is teeth, then why isn’t the plural of booth beeth? And we have one goose and two geese then why it is not one moose and two meese? (Do I have to mention that my autocorrect is going crazy right now!!!!). 

Why do writers write, yet fingers can’t finge? And if a teacher taught, why didn’t a preacher praught? 

Should we even talk about how moody are the verbs? You would think they are humans! Why do I need a tense to be wishful? And express a hypotheses? 

Regardless of how crazy English is, it is and without a doubt, my absolute favorite! A language that always keeps me on my toes, always sending me to dictionaries, to make sure I used the right plural, tense, adverb, adjective…..etc. So cheers to a crazy yet very beautiful language! 

Ouiam

Thank God It’s Friday: Quick, Easy, And Yummy… 

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Sometimes all you need is a day with your oldest, dearest friend and your beautiful, loving aunt and her cheerful, easy-going daughter! Reminiscing about your wedding day five years ago, and talking about how fast life goes by and how beautiful it all is! So Thankful for these beautiful people with whom I share a very special bond. You know…. those people who are very close to your heart, and who have been there for you in every stage of this life! People whom you talk to about 4 or 5 times a day or maybe days and days go by without hearing from them, yet once you see them you pick up right from where you left! 

So yes… My day was just what I needed! Fresh, full of love ….. And food! Yup foooooood! Talking about food, today I will be sharing a dessert recipe, a delicious and super easy to make dessert! Here is what you will need: 

15g Butter 

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

4 Bananas (peeled and cut into 3 pieces)

100ml double cream 

In a pan, put the butter (over medium heat), once it starts melting add the sugar. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bananas, cook for another 1 minute. Then add the cream and stir! Voila…!! 

Try it and let me know… !!! 

Ouiam 

Do You Remember….?

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Do you remember… ?! 

The heart skipping a beat, the butterflies in the stomach, the state of euphoria….

When you first met him, when your eyes first met his gaze, and you felt cold, then hot, then cold again! You passed your hand through your hair just to show everyone how nonchalant, indifferent, calm and casual you were… 

Those nights when you kept wondering how he felt?! And secretly hoped that he felt the same… And blushed when you secretly realised what you hoped for…

When you finally had the courage to tell yourself the secret that has been lingering around for some time! And felt happy and content knowing that you finally came out of the closet! The indifference closet… 

When you knew that one day you will be his, yet you didn’t know how you knew… 

And the day came, with the rush of adrenaline, the tears, the hands and lips shaking, the not so gentle butterflies this time, the feeling that nothing else exists anymore…. You can’t remember anymore, because those seconds felt like years and years. Him coming down the aisle….. (Because in Arabic weddings he does, not the bride)! 
You wanted to cry but you didn’t want to spoil your makeup! You wanted to do a little victory dance but you couldn’t risk the guests thinking you were a little too crazy! You wanted to press the pause button but you didn’t really want to! 
Do you remember now….?! 

Actually dear reader, I would like to apologise for misleading you. I never meant to use the pronoun “you”, I was talking about me. Me and the love of my life… My husband! 

Sometimes I don’t remember any of that, because I am tired or I am busy or I am just not in the mood. Because I focus more on him being my big spoon, my foot warmer, the place I lay my head at night. The hand I reach for when I cross the street, the eyes I look at during the saddest and the funniest parts of movies, the side I nudge when we find secrete humour in an ordinary thing! The partner in crime, the food taster, the IT man….! 

Some other times, While I am stirring the food, or picking up the milk from the fridge, or just getting into my car, a wave of memories showers me. I stop for a second, with the widest smile… I feel my heart skipping a beat. I feel the butterflies in my stomach. I get into that same state of euphoria ….! So yes I still remember, I still go there when I need to, I still remember … Yes I do… 
Ouiam