PIZZA!

I LOVE PIZZA!!!!

So I was very happy, when my mom invited us all to eat in my son-in-law's pizzeria when her dh turned 70. So we had pizza and kebab, and a cake I made for dessert. I have to say, that now I'm really well eaten, and so are the kids! MashaAllah wa alhamdulilah, we had a really nice day together!

MÄ RAKASTAN PIZZAA!

Ja siksi olin tooosi iloinen, kun äiti kutsui meidän koko perheen mun vävypojan pizzeriaan syömään, kun hänen miehensä täytti 70-v. Syötiin pizzaa ja kebabia, ja jälkkäriks oli mun tekemä täytekakku. Nyt on hyvin syönyt olo, niin mulla kuin lapsillakin., Meillä oli tosi mukava päivä yhdessä! 

Our own eid traditions - Meidän eid-perinteet

Eid doesn't really feel like it should here in this country. Muslims are only few among the rest of the people here, and it doesn't show on the streets.. That's why we're trying to create our own eid traditions, so that the kids have something to look forward to, something to remember when they grow up.

The kids don't go to school on the first eid day. They get some small gifts. something, that they have wished. In the morning we go to the eid prayer. Lately it has been made in a really cool place, a sports center that has a huge indoor playground. After the prayer the kids get to play in that playground for a couple of hours. It was the third time they made eid prayer in this place, and the kids were already expecting it for weeks. InshaAllah they'll make eid prayer in the same place every time from now and on.

We have two large floorball fields for the eid-prayer
Eid-rukousta varten meillä on kaksi isoa salibandy-hallia

Usually after that we go and visit my mom. She is not a Muslim, but I think it's nice to include her in our traditions. This time my granddaughter was with us too, because her mom, my daughter, had to go to work. It was a really nice visit.

My adult daughter made an eid party for some of our friends and their kids. We were six women and 8eight kids. We had such a good time, delicious dinner, and cool gifts! InshaAllah one of us can make such party every year, that would be really nice.

One of the eid  days we have made bbq here at our home, and invited some friends and family. This year we did it on the third eid day. We ate really well, that's all I can say.

It's not always so nice and easy to live in 'the west' as a Muslim, but we can try to do something about, for ourselves and our families.

The indoor playground is so much fun
Sisäleikkipaikalla on todella hauskaa

Eid ei tunnu Suomessa oikein miltään kun täällä vain niin pieni osa ihmisistä juhlii sitä, eikä se näy mitenkään katukuvassa tai muutenkaan. Siksi olemme alkaneet luoda omia eid-perinteitä, että lapsilla olisi jotakin, mitä odottaa ja isompana muistella.

Ensimmäisenä eid-päivänä lapset ovat pois koulusta. He saavat pienet lahjat, jotain jota he ovat toivoneet. Aamulla menemme ensin eid-rukoukselle. Parina viime kertana se on pidetty todella kivassa paikassa, urheilukeskuksessa, jossa on valtavan kokoinen sisäleikkipaikka. Rukouksen jälkeen lapset pääsevät pariksi tunniksi leikkimään. Tämä oli kolmas kerta, kun eid-rukous oli tässä paikassa, ja lapset odottivat leikkipaikkaan pääsyä jo viikkoja etukäteen. Toivottavasti tästä lähtien rukous pidetään aina samassa paikassa inshaAllah.

Rukouksen jälkeen olemme usein vierailleet äitini luona. Hän ei ole muslimi, mutta on mukavaa että hän on silti mukana juhlimassa kanssamme. Tänä vuonna myös tyttärentyttäreni oli kanssamme, koska hänen äitinsä, tyttäreni siis, joutui menemään iltapäiväksi töihin. Meillä oli oikein mukava vierailu 'mamman' luona.

Toisena eid-päivänä aikuinen tyttäreni järjesti eid-juhlan naisille ja lapsille. meitö oli yhteensä kuusi naista ja kahdeksan lasta. Meillä oli hauskat juhlat, maukasta ruokaa ja mahtavia lahjoja. Toivottavasti joku meistä voi järjestää samanlaisen juhlan joka vuosi.

My two adult daughters made this delicious cake for the party
Kaksi aikuista tytärtäni tekivät juhliin myös tämän herkullisen kakun

Yleensä olemme kutsuneet ystäviä ja sukulaisia grillaamaan luoksemme yhtenä eid-päivistä. Näin teimme tälläkin kerralla, kolmantena eid-päivänä. Söimme todella hyvin..

Aina ei ole helppoa tai mukavaa elää muslimina 'lännessä', mutta voimme silti edes yrittää tehdä asialle jotakin, ihan oman itsemme ja perheemme vuoksi.

Lovely three days! Sooooo happy!

We've spent three wonderful days with Amira's new family. First we had a wonderful henna party at my mom's summer house in the country side. Then the wedding party on Saturday. This evening we met at the adventure park and enjoyed the wedding left overs and good company. MashaAllah it feels like we get along really well..

Hennaaaaaaa...

Most of you might not have heard the whole story of Amira and her dh, but I can tell you it wasn't obvious that her dh's family will accept someone who is not 'one of them'. It has been a long, sometimes rocky road for Amira and her dh, but Alhamdulilah it was worth it. I know she has a good husband who loves her, will take care of her and whose family already loves her too. I couldn't be happier! Alhamdulilah for everything!

When we were on the way home we saw a rainbow in the sun set.. it was amazing!

Many sisters have asked me what our finnish families and friends thought of Amira's wedding, so here's some of the best comments:


Amira's grandmother from dad's side (who said she was a wrong person in a wrong place in the henna party) did Debka for one hour and then said: I could have made some more, this is nothing yet


Amira's dad, who is not very fond of foreigners (to his mom, nette's grandmother): After this finnish weddings will feel like nothing . He did Dekba too, btw..

The groom's family went to get Amira from her dad's place and then drove across the town to the wedding hall.. So much noise :D

Amira's dad's wife: This is much better than Finnish wedding! People really know how to have fun! (Some of yall might guess, how Finnish people usually have fun and what it needs..)

My aunt: Turkish girls are so beautiful! Those colourful dresses and head scarves make them look much fancier that someone with a mini..

And the same aunt: This is awesome! Women just dance, and men serve tables and do all the work! This is not the way i thought Muslim men act..

The grooms ex-teacher: I feel like I was abroad! My friends have told me about Turkish and Arabic weddings they saw when they traveled, but now I've seen it myself and it's so much more than the stories I've heard!

The grooms mother who passed away a couple of years ago bought these glasses to be used in her son's wedding..

My parents have got used to our stuff already so they were not as surprised as the others, but they liked it a lot too. Mom gave extra points for table service - in Finnish weddings there's always buffet and people need to stand in queue to get their food! And the same goes with the cakes! She was very happy and said this is much better and faster way!

The wonderful wedding cake!

Everyone who I spoke with liked everything! I heard only positive comments! I guess that party changed some attitudes! mashaAllah!

In the country side!

The kids and I were visiting my mom at her summer house in the country side. We slept there for two nights. MashaAllah we had so much fun, it was like a little holiday!



When we were leaving Nenna came to say bye to us. Laila wanted to go with us so much, so we took her too. Poor Ali, he was devastated. He shouted so much 'I like YAYA'(Laila) and wanted to run after the car.


Mom's place is in the end of this small private road, so it's a perfect place to have some hijab free days. too bad this time the weather wasn't warm enough to have some tan on my arms.. At least my hijabi tan lines are not that sharp on my face now lol..

We entered mom's house. The first thing we did was changing clothes. I keep some worn out old fashioned clothes and extremely ugly old dresses there so that we don't have to carry many bags with us. So don't wonder why the kids wear so ungly stuff in the pics :D


Mom had lunch ready when we arrived. The kids ate like they've never seen food lol. I love mom's kitchen, so cozy.. And she still cooks sometimes with a real wood oven or what ever it's called in english..



Then they run to their play house. They love it! My mom's husband built it when my older daughters were little, so already two generations have been playing in it..



The most of the whole three days we spent there, they were playing there or next to it in the sand box. They played even cleaning the house, which is not their style lol.. The house wasn't very clean after the cleaning btw.. :P



They 'cooked' some funny stuff and invited mom, her dh and I to eat. Hehe.. it was delicious :p . Mom let the girls take chives flowers and they went to pick up whole spring onions lol..


They dig out the horses I made them two years ago. It so funny, they treat them like 'real horses' for a while but then they suddenly throw them somewhere and forget they exist lol.. They have always wanted to bring them home, but i think they have more interest in them when they can play with them only twice a year or something ;) .


and the bows and arrows that I made last summer. Lol, yeah.. Every time they have a task for me. This year they wanted me to make swords :D , so I did. Mom's dh has an every man's dream, a work shop with all the tools you can dream of. he has also plenty of materials for things, and when ever i feel like making something, he has everything I need.

Nader was helping me. He didn't have an electric machine btw.. just some sand paper on that plastic thingy.. And these are NOT crosses, they are swords! We made one for Ali too. Poor thingh had to stay home with mama..



They were playing the four musketeers lol.. All for one and one for all. I wish they would really understand it btw.. they're all quite selfish and don't want to share :D . I'm not sure i let them keep the swords though.. Depends if they know how to handle them without anyone getting hurt. they're not sharp btw :P .

Last year I had a task from mom too.. I knitted and crocheted new clothes for these puppets. Now half of the colours are gone..



After I finished the task of the year, it was time for me to relax.. I was just watching mom's beautiful garden, reading a good book in a swing with my coffee cup.. MashaAllah, so peaceful..


The day went too fast, just relaxing, eating, weeding some of mom's veggie beds.. Yeah.. she has so delicious veggies, all organic.. Means a lot of weeding..

It's quite therapeutic btw.. All the aggressions are taken care of after pulling out thousands of thistles, having hands full of spikes.. No, of course I don't wear cloves.. When you pick up thistle spikes from your hands you really feel alive ;) . I should do that more at home too lol.. my lawn has some thistles, but I just run on them with the cutter usually..

While I was weeding, the kids had been using the water colours. they messed up their room upstairs, some splashes of colour were found around the floor and walls :o. they also played indians and painted some stuff on each others faces.



All of us got quite dirty lol, so we went to the sauna to wash ourselves. I love mom's sauna, it's not electric like mine, it's heated with real wood. Feels totally different.



Soon it was time to put the kids to bed.. Laila and Deena slept in the bed on the right side, one at each end of the bed. Donjana slept on the sofa in the right side. You can see some of their water colour mess on the table..


Nader and I slept on the bed made of the upstairs living room sofa. It took some time to make the kids to fall asleep, especially Deena. Alhamdulilah finally They were all down. I could sit, relax and watch some football.. Mom and her husband were sleeping as well.

The other days went pretty much like the first day.. We started with breakfast. Even Nader could eat quite well.. He still has pain in his throat from the operation. He cried only when he saw me at the table. With mom he ate like nothing happened. :D I'm soooo gonna get him rid of that habit.

This is mom's downstairs living room btw..

Mom's nearest neighbor is a horse farm. it's about 300m away.. If you are a bird.. By walklking the road it's maybe 600meters away. I'm quite sure you can't see the little red house behind the field in the pic.. maybe if you click to grow it you can see it.


My kids love horses. they would love to take riding lessons too, but it's sooo €€€ here :( . InshaAllah later some day.


We had a really fun and relaxing time. Im pretty sure mom is not so relaxed though :D . InshaAllah she is resting now. She couldn't have a break from the kids lol..

So we said good bye and left. On the both sides of mom's private road there's so pretty flowers. I just had to stop one more time and take a pic :D . Not feeling like going home, but mom needs her own time with her dh.


InshaAllah we'll be going back in a month, when the berries are ready to be picked up :P

Mother

Mother - what does it mean?

Tomorrow is a Mothers Day here. We don't celebrate it but it got me thinking. I was looking for the definition of a word mother, but wasn't happy with what I found. I ended up asking some experts.


♥ wikipedia says:

A mother is a woman who has, conceived, given birth to, and raised a child. Because of the complexity and differences of mothers' social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it's challenging to define a mother to suit a universally accepted definition.

Sounds like it's a lot to do with biology..



♥ a dictionary says:

a female parent.

ok.. so sterile and cold. So I went to look for some better definitions:



♥ Tenneva Jordan:

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.

♥ Honoré de Balzac:

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.

♥ Oscar Wilde:

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his.

♥ Margaret Culkin Banning:

She never quite leaves her children at home, even when she doesn't take them along.

♥ Sophia Loren:

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.

It's better to ask some experts, some people who have first hand information. I asked my children what 'mama' means? Here it is, with their own words. Just translated from Finnish. It's funny, they're all defining me, not a mother in general..




Deena, 5 y/o says:

♥ Wonderful!
♥ Cooks good food.
♥ Gives me exiting and fun things to do and takes me to places.
♥ Gives me hama-beads.
♥ I love mama.
♥ Mom's scarves are beautiful.
♥ Mama is lovely lovely lovely when we do something and when we don't do anything.

Nader, 4 y/o says:

♥ Mama is the best wonderful
♥ I hug and kiss mama!

Donjana, 7 y/o says:

♥ I love mama!
♥ My mama cooks the best food!
♥ Mama's heart is beautiful.
♥ Mama tells bed time stories!
♥ It's fun to make stuff with mama, crafts, trips and such.
♥ Mama comforts me when i'm sad and hugs me.
♥ Mama is so so so dear to me!

MashaAllah awww.. so nice words from them!

It's not easy to define mother.. It has a different meaning for different people.

I was trying to define mine as well.. And i don't know what to say. I love my mother dearly, she has always been there for me. She is the best mother in the world!

Thank you mother for being you!