Aash at Home

Yesterday I went to the now empty 1826 with Ajee to meet with our new Realtor who will help us put it on rent. While we waited for the her,  I looked at the empty rooms, bare walls (except for the nails and the really low pencil scribbles n the Master Bath walls thanks to Yusuf) and furniture indents on the carpet. The emptiness  reminded me of the same time exactly 10 years ago right before our wedding when we purchased this brand new townhouse.  The thought that I will not be living here anymore saddened me as this place has always been so blessed and has witnessed so many happy moments of my life that I have experienced from  a young, energetic college girl to a grown (not so energetic) mother of 2. I still remember walking in to 1826 (which was still half done) with Ajee, Amma, Abba, My Abba and our Realtor at the time to choose the upgrades, paint colors, wood flooring etc for our future house. It was so exciting to be starting my new life with ...

Its been over a month since I have posted (sorry Mahi!), so I guess it is time for some general updates. Everyone at the house (including Yusuf) is very familiar with the term Bey Blades now, and since my last post we have had several additions to the Bey collection. Isa now has a stadium for it and just convinced Ajee to order a specialty Japanese Bey Blade online. Bey Blades in their stadium  The Bey blades however, do come in handy. The sentence, "we will take away the Beys" works like a charm when homework needs to be completed, reading needs to be done or when there is a general need for discipline;  the Bey collection is also one of Yusuf's favorite things as he knows it is off limits, so whenever Isa is not looking he will go and sit in the stadium, or take all the beyblade parts apart. These toys can also used as a distraction to feed Yusuf. Yusuf in the stadium Feeding Yusuf, ...

1826 is about to go on rent in February so we have to find a rental place pretty quickly. For the past month or so we have been looking and have not had much luck - a pretty stressful situation, but we have been in situations like this before and are hoping that something will be worked out right in the nick of time.   This past weekend Amma, Abba, Ajee and the kids looked at a few houses and fell in love with one. They were so excited (especially Amma Abba) as they thought they had found the perfect place in every way. However someone else got to it before us, which kind of depressed the two of them. A few weeks ago a similar situation had happened where we almost got a place but the landlord gave it to someone else. We cannot completely blame luck for us not finding a suitable place however, there are some other factors: 1.       We need something big enough to house all of us and some. 2.       Each member of the family has their...

Hasan - "Aash be ready at 9!! Its Yoga today for P-90x!" Isa - "Yay Hasan Chachoo I am going to do it too!!" Ayesha- "That should work since I have another 45 minutes or so to wind everything down and Ajee will be back by then so I should be able to focus" Focus..What a great thought! I was trying desperately to feed Yusuf who as usual was turning every morsel down and was creating a ruckus on his high chair, which I just do not have the patience for. So I took him down and decided to give him some of the adult food - Biryani (a spicy Pakistani rice dish), which he gulped down with out a fuss along with half a banana simultaneously while running around in the family room floor (his preferred method of eating) . Right around 8:30 Asim (Brother between Ajee and Hasan) rings the bell a hundred times and then barges in through the door (this is pretty normal at 1826)! He grabs Yusuf, who delightfully goes to him...

I: Amma..do you know there are 145 million turkeys in the World? A: Really Isa..that's awesome! I did not know that. I: Seriously Amma there are ..Mrs. Spencer told us. I: Amma what is 95 + 5 +90? A: 190 I: You know..I know what 2 times 9 is..(counting double on fingers)..hmmm 17 ..I mean 18!! A: Very good Isa!! I: what is 100 gazillion + 405 million?? A: I have no clue! (where does he even think of this stuff from??) NUMBERS is Isa's new fascination, the shoe lace craze has finally taken a back seat (thank the Lord!). However, he still likes getting into random stuff. Yesterday, I came home and his hands were completely blue probably due to some kind of paint or ink. I had to feed him as whatever he touched turned blue and the stuff did not come off no matter how hard he washed his hands. After eating, he wanted to go out and play with his friend (who had just left our house), or watch Curious George,...

I just spoke with my dad - My Abba after almost a week. He called me from the Jeddah Airport as he was on his way to India to visit his ill older brother, after completing his Hajj Mashallah, which is not a minor accomplishment. (The Hajj  is the largest pilgrimage in the World to Mecca, Saudia Arabia.  It is one of the five pillars of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out by every healthy Muslim who can afford it at least once in their life time.  Although, I don't live with him anymore I can definitely feel his absence. He is a regular visitor at 1826 who seldom comes empty handed. He always has his hands full with the best juices, fruit, cookies, chocolates etc. He is known for having the best taste in almost everything from groceries, to women's clothes to jewelry. However, his best quality is his kind and welcoming nature. Mashallah! No matter whom it is, and how much space he has his door i...

It is 11:45 P.M at the Saiyed Residence on a Thursday night, I have been trying to put Yusuf down for the last hour or so but have not been able to. Ajee (My husband) finally comes in to the room and I hand over the baby to him to get a break and go down for some water. As I head down the stairs I see Hasan (Ajee's youngest brother) jumping up and down in his sweats infront of his computer in Ajee's Study (which is in fact a dining room). He is actually copying a video of the P-90 X excercise routine, Hasan's new obesession for the month. Meanwhile, Amma (Ajee's mother) is squatting sweeping (for the 2nd time today) the carpet and the foyer floor with a small hard broom ("tinke wali jharoo - specially imported from Pakistan), and a soft regular broom simultaneously. Abba is waiting for her to finish as he needs help finding something upstairs. Phuppi (Ajee's paternal aunt) just finished washing the dishes and is now watching an Indian ...

So I have been thinking for quite a few days about starting a blog..I mean everyone is doing it these days...so why not join the bandwagon..but then wondered..what the heck do I write about?? I mean I don't have any extreme talents, advice, insights or any great accomplishments that I can share.. So why not start with my wonderful, loving, and extremely chaotic family...which has to be my most prized possession, and pretty much what my life revolves around. Ok..so we are definitely not the regular American household with 2 adults and 2 kids that wake up at 7 AM go to school/work, are back by 5 and have the lights out by 9 P.M..There is constant activity from 7AM till 1AM in our beloved 3 bedroom townhouse (1826), that we have been trying to sell unsuccessfully for literally years, however it always manages to somehow accommodate our growing number of members Mashallah!!! There are currently 9 people residing at...