real, raw motherhood
A rainy day and the house to myself, a sore throat has never felt better. Here is something I wouldn’t have known before becoming a mother: being sick can be fun. Pre-kid, feeling ill meant lower energy. Lower energy meant staying home to rest. Staying home meant that nothing would get done. A day wasted…
I didn’t write last week. I woke up with a cold on Saturday and asked my husband to take our daughter to Capoeira. I usually write during her class. When they left, I did grab my keyboard, made it to the couch, and attempted to type a few sentences but it was clear my stuffy…
When I was a teenager, I longed to be a boy. I longed for their carefree ways. I longed for their strength. Above all, I longed for the freedom and numerous privileges boys seemed entitled to. It sure looked easier to go through life as a boy. Of course, growing up in a Muslim family…
“Will you write something today?” my husband asked as I was walking out the door. “I’m going to try” was my first answer but then I reconsidered: “Yes. I’m going to write something“. My first reply answered a question he hadn’t actually asked. “Will you write something good today?“, is what my brain had registered.…
I have a dream. I dream of writing a book. Pages and pages of words. My words. I dream of crafting sentences, which, when read together, make a story. And since in the world of dreams, anything’s possible, I dream of a magnificent story. One that will touch people, expand their hearts, make them laugh…
I just was awarded my brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu For The Street. For those of you who don’t know what that means, the ranking goes as follows: white, blue, purple, brown and black. With four stripes on each belt before you get to the next color. BJJ for The Street was developed by…
I became a mother six years ago. I very much enjoyed my pregnancy and I even relish the memory of giving birth (much easier to enjoy in hindsight) but it didn’t take me long to be certain I never ever wanted to care for an infant ever again. The first three months of my daughter’s…
Guess how many nights I went to sleep by 10 pm this past week? None! That’s right! NONE! Once my daughter is in bed, I tidy up the house. Then it’s ME time and I want to do it all: I want to watch a TV show and relax. I want to read a book…
It’s not about what we produce but what we’ve accomplished. That’s what we’re left with at the end of the day” Chris Bailey– as heard in an interview by Claire Diaz-Ortiz– Work By Design Summit Every morning I put away the clean dishes. Every day I’m asked: what’s for breakfast? What’s for lunch? What’s for…
It started 18 months ago. January 13th 2015, 2 days before my husband’s birthday. He was scheduled for his yearly colonoscopy. Ulcerative Colitis is a condition that he’d suffered from since he was a teenager but had remained nameless most of his life. With the right medications, everything was under control and had been for…