Aash at Home

While I am filling up a glass of water,  I drop a piece of ice. Yusuf picks it up for me, knowing that I can't bend down and instead of putting it in the sink, he puts it on his head, imitating the Ice Bucket Challenge. Yusuf: Amma mujhe Ice Buckets karna hai. (I want to do the Ice Buckets) "Sab log Ice buckets kiyoo karte hain?" (Why does everyone do Ice Buckets?) Knowing it was a very valid question, I didnt feel like answering. Partly because I was not sure how to answer him and partly because I was feeling miserable. Me: Yusi, Amma does not feel good! Yusuf: Aapke paas baby hai na! (Since you have a baby inside you) His theory was pretty accurate. Me: Ajee can you drop me to work for a couple of hours tomorrow, I have this important meeting with the whole team including the CPO and I don't think I will be able to drive. Ajee: Are you insane Ayesha you can't go to work tomorrow, you need to work from home. Me: Yeah you are right, the baby cou...

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 ...

Phuppi is leaving on Thursday for California and then is going back to Pakistan as her 6 month stay in the US is coming to an end (She will be back in May Inshallah!)..Although she is a woman of few words, she is a tremendous help and so much fun..She is known for feeding kids and fattening them up. Hasan apparently was her responsibility when he was a baby and he and his P90X are now working hard to undo the damage that was done years ago.  She now works hard on getting every morsel into Yusuf so that she can quickly wash the dish and not have to keep leftovers (her pet peeve).  Now that she is leaving I am already wondering who is going to give me honest opinions about my clothes, watch movies with us, fill me in on all the Indian Soaps, and clean up after Hasan??..Her presence will truly be missed.  Phuppi watching Captain America with the gang!  Phuppi leaving  gave us all just another excuse to...

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,...

Although we arrive on time, the rush is crazy at Al-Farooq (Mosque) as Eid is on a Sunday this year. There is no parking so Ajee drops us off by the entrance. This takes a few minutes. Abba helps me get Yusuf out, while Amma gets Nani Amma out, Phuppi is carrying the bags and shawls. As I am getting the diaper bag out, I rip half of my right thumb nail..OUCH!!!..The officer wants us to hurry up as there are many cars behind us. So I take the baby from Abba, with my diaper bag (Thank heavens it’s a backpack) on my back and Isa holding my hand with the throbbing thumb and make my way to the ladies section with Amma, Phuppi and Nani Amma. We take off our shoes. Nani Amma and Amma take the elevator; Me and Phuppi decide to take the stairs as the line is too long. We finally make it upstairs and re-unite with Nani Amma and Amma. There is absolutely NO Space. We all try going from ro...

It is finally Eid morning and as always everything is chaotic at the Saiyed Residence. I can hear Ajee getting ready while I am still trying to catch a few extra zzzz's cuddled up with Yusuf, who is finally sleeping peacefully after a rough night. Last night was a late night for all us ladies anyways since we were getting all the clothes and our selves ready for Eid. After dying their hair, Amma and Phuppi were up in the attic till about midnight looking for their stash of new clothes. We took votes to decide who is going to wear what, once all the options were laid out. After the final verdicts, all the men and kids' clothes were taken out and Amma ironed while Phuppi prepared for mini facials for the 3 of us. I finally made it to bed, by then Yusuf was up!!..    "Wake up Aleesh..We have 12 minutes to leave for Eid Prayers"......

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...