Iris and Stage

Last weekend was a busy one for us. Iris had her first stage performance. That was for her pre-school's ihtifal and graduation day for 6 years old students. So the juniors (4 and 5 years old) need to entertain the audience letting out the seniors to enjoy their robes. Iris rarely talked about the show so I didn't give too much attention to that. I presumed these kids would merely perform on small stage with limited seats for the audience. I heard few times she hummed Desa Tercinta by Nora with a little cheeky twist "Ke kiri-lah, ahaii, ke kanan-lah, ahaii!!". Only 2 days before the event, she asked me to give kain sarung for her because the teacher asked her so. 

Then on Saturday morning, Iris woke up so early at 6 am which only took her alarm clock to ring only once. She didn't even put it on snooze mode and screamed in excitement "Dah pukul 2 ke Bapak?".Then I started to feel that her show was something significant for her. She then asked me to iron her baju kurung and at 1 pm we left the house to one Chinese school in Subang.

It was indeed a grand stage, with many seats I can ever imagine. (I mean, seriously, a primary school with such grand stage? Homaii!!) The event started with Quran recitation from 5-6 years old kids. Then a theatrical 'Butterfly Song' which left Iesha a bit sad because all the butterflies died at the end of the show. It was obvious that the butterflies need to die because they adhered to the lyrics:

 "Dari ulat jadi kepompong, 

tidur nyenyak dalam kelongsong, 

cukup masa kepompong pecah, 

pom, pom! 

jadilah rama-rama yang indah. 

Rama-rama terbang merata,

hisap madu di pohon bunga,

sungguh cantik aneka warna,

tapi sayang hidup tak lama,

tapi sayang hidup tak lama." 

She kept questioned me why the butterflies died, "Sebab butterfly dah lama hidup ke, Mummy?". I was pretty sure the first answer would never satisfy her, but I just answered it anyway. I kept repeating the same answer until the next show came on stage. It was a real fun 'Wiggle Dance' by 4 years old which amused Iyra to the max. Then the stage drapes closed and I was so excited to see what the stage would reveal-my girl, my girl, my Iris! I heard Desa Tercinta and I spotted a small girl with yellow baju kurung so melenggang-lenggok on that grand stage! It was my girl Iris!  I tell you, she's an expert in melenggang. She really did her performance at her best! She even threw the audience a queen's wave! Iris was in fact a true performer.

After her show, Bapak ran to the back stage to meet her. She was so relaxed about her show and we praised her on her good job. I asked her how did she feel, "Iris biasa je, Iris tak rasa apa pun." I started to imagine as if she were from a bunch of performers who lived in caravans which traveled and performed every day in their lives. She just asked me "Orang semua suka tak tengok Iris tadi?".  Till then, enjoy the moment!

The stage

Butterfly Song

Spot the girl in yellow baju kurung? That's my girl.

Village kids

She got a balloon for her great first show!

Happy Birthday Iyra!

You may be little in size, but you bring loads of happiness to everyone around you. 

I wish you a happy birthday and I love you with all my heart. 

May Allah grants you from among the righteous. 

Happy two years old Iyra!

Hugs,

Mummy

On Cloud Nine

I have always love clouds. I love the facts that they are actually made up of thousands of water droplets. But I deny that fact and try to imagine clouds are actually form of cotton candy or something fluffy and just so huggable. I love those bouncy buoyant fluffy fat clouds, but of course I fear the stormy gloomy damp bold clouds. I could spend hours just by watching clouds. Firdaus knows how much I love this heavenly creation. I wonder how could they remain in the sky for hours without coming down? I would be very much delighted to touch and feel the clouds. Much to my surprise, there is one artist from London which brings cloud down to the Earth, I meant he made the clouds through complex steam machine and such. You may reach his work here. For now, enjoy the clouds.

Read aloud: Wee Little Lamb

The book is about a wee little lamb who is the shyest animal on the farm. A rabbit, a cricket, an owl, a robin all ask him to play and explore the world, but little lamb continues to hide behind his mother. Then a tiny field mouse asks him to play and he agrees. That surprised my daughters because they feel the little lamb would never come to play because he is so shy. My 2 years old daughter Iyra loves this book so much she pretends to be the lamb and hides. The best thing in read aloud is when they truly engaged themselves in the story you can see it in their eyes. Iesha is in love with this book too because she is also a shy girl. When I said to her, "Iesha macam wee little lamb ni-lah, shy, pemalu. Iesha kan malu bila orang tanya apa-apa, Iesha tak jawab." She denied and said, "Acha bukan shy-yah. Acha takmo jawab je apa orang tanya."   Well, she's a no shy girl, she's just, Iesha.

Read aloud: The Girl Who Wanted to Dance

The book is about a little girl named Clara who is raised by her somber father and is enchanted by her grandmother's joyful story of her mother's dancing. And it is not surprised that Clara loves to dance too. Her father then becomes even more withdrawn after her grandmother's death. Then one day a troupe of musicians arrives in the village and Clara sneaks out to watch the performance and later follows their wagon tracks to their next destination. One of the kindhearted dancers finds her and asks Clara why is she tracking them down. Clara says she wants to dance. The kindhearted dancer teaches her to dance, then brings her home. Surprisingly one night the father joins the performers and dance with that kindhearted lady dancer which is actually his wife, and yes, Clara's long lost mother. This book may charm older children, but not preferable to Pre-K kids. I was a bit struggling to finish the book and I didn't know how to explain the message to my children. I mean should I tell my daughters that it's okay to abandon their parents just to follow their loves for arts or any other interests? This book might comfort a child with lost parent but still s/he may receive false hope of reunion. I can't even answer Iesha with questions like "Kenapa Mummy Clara tak ikut Bapak dia balik dengan Clara?", "Kenapa Mummy dia tinggal Bapak dia sebab nak dancing?" Gosh, a book with complicated message is not my preference, and it surely be tagged as "Not Now."

Happy Mothering!

The Babies

Allah has created a specific role for women as part of His mercy. Allah's Messenger (bpuh) said: Allah created, on the same day when He created the heavens and the earth, one hundred parts of mercy. Every part of mercy is analogous to the space between the heavens and the earth, and He, out of this mercy, endowed one part to the earth, and it is because of this that the mother shows affection to her child. For this purpose, Allah has conferred upon women the unique qualities and characteristics necessary for effectual fulfillment of this role. Women tend to be more nurturing, compassionate, sensitive, and patient: all qualities needed to create a warm, loving, and peaceful atmosphere within the home. - Nurturing Eeman in Children by Dr Aisha Hamdan.

Read aloud: Siapa Alien?

This book is written by Wardina Safiyyah and illustrated by Uneh. The book is about a little alien named Ali and his friend Rani who just like any Earth kids; very inquisitive and very adventurous. One day they traveled to Earth and accidentally met with a human kid. Puzzled and shocked, they screamed to each other, 'Alien!!!'. Ali left us with a question 'Siapa alien, sebenarnya?' This is Iesha's favorite book. Every time we spend time reading together, Iesha would choose this book over other books. The book is so torn I need to cellophane taped each page. Iesha loved the idea that Ali and Rani have that funny popped out eyes, blue skin and  three fingers in each hands. The girls also loved the idea that Ali and Rani can travel up in the outer space so close to other planets. Iesha wanted to go to Mars and Iris would love to be in Saturn, the planet with ring. I suspect their preferences were based on color of the planets. So, 'Siapa alien, sebenarnya?'

Just Give It!

Developing charitable instincts in kids is a noble goal, but the process is not easy. Small kids or toddlers have their rules which are really significant to them. It may sound ridiculous for adults, but they really stick to their rules, to list a few: 

1. If I like it, it's mine.
2. If it's in my hand, it's mine.
3. If I can it from you, it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
5. If I saw it first, it's mine.
6. If it's broken, it's your.

I didn't join any philanthropy class myself, rather I only read from few articles on charity. I didn't know what's right or wrong or any guidelines in charity, but I'd like to share few sayings from our beloved Nabi Muhammad on the matter. His sayings are so simple and we can even discuss with our children. 

"Every act of goodness is charity." -recorded by Muslim.

"The believer's shade on the Day of Resurrection will be his charity." -recorded by Al-Tirmizi.  

"Give charity without delay, for it stands in the way of calamity."-recorded by Al-Tirmizi.

"Save yourself from hell fire by giving even half a date-fruit in charity."-recorded by al-Bukhari.

And here are some of the charity ideas we can do with our children:

1. Give art kits to orphans.
2. Give fresh milk to orphans.
3. Make 'Missing You' cards to grandparents.
4. Give away toys to orphans.
5. Give away old but not torn shirts to orphans or homeless people.
6. Buy books to family or friends.
7. Buy slipper and put it at surau or mosques.
8. Feed stray cats.
9. Save change and donate it to a charity.
10. Plant a tree.

Teaching My Kids Charity

I've been thinking to develop charitable instincts in my girls. So much influenced by the latest enlightening booklet I read "Charity even with a trifle" by Abdul Malik Al-Qasem, I was thinking what are charitable acts that are suitable for my girls's age. I've listed a few, from giving away their old toys to giving art kits to orphans. Finally I came out with the simplest act; feeding the stray cats. The night before we fed the cats, we have a brief discussion over charity and giving to people and animals. They were so excited they kept talking about feeding the cats over and over again. (Especially Iris because she loves cat so much. I seriously mean so much.) This was some of the conversation I remembered:

Me: Esok kita bagi makan cats, okay. Stray cats, kucing yang kat tepi jalan yang takde tuan jaga. Kesian cats, dia lapar. Kadang-kadang dia cari makanan dalam tong sampah je.

Iesha: Tu-yahh. Cats mana ada duit nak beli makanan, sebab cats tak kerja. 

Me: Kesian kan. Kita boleh tolong cats esok bagi dia makan fresh fish. So dia tak makan-lah sampah banyak sangat kan. (Forget reasoning, I just wanted to make them feel good about feeding the cats.)

So the next morning, they woke up early to start their first charitable activity. We started the activity with a doa recited by Iris "Ya Allah, bagi lah kitorang jumpa cat. Kitorang nak bagi makan fish ni." I asked her to doa because I was worried we wouldn't find any cats to feed. And just after we came out from the car to find cats, there came five cats. The girls were so excited and they asked me to cook some more fish. I told them we can make this as a weekly activity, Insya Allah. 

We then had a discussion over the activity. They suggested to cook more fish next time. They also reported on the numbers and the colors of the cats. Iris also spotted one thin and unhealthy cat which didn't join the party since he came late. Iris promised herself to feed that cat next week. Iyra was so happy she kept on meowing all the way to our next activity. 

Alhamdulillah thanks to Allah for giving us idea to this simple yet meaningful activity. There are so many Quran verses and hadiths on the beautiful of giving. The feeling after giving (charity) is indescribable. I would slowly teach my children to give for the sake of only Allah, not because of showing off or just want to be praised by human. Insya Allah. So, let's check out their activity!

Iris started feeding.

The cats smelled the fish.

They came out from their hide-out.

More cats.

Iesha slowly came closer to the cats (she was a bit scared of cats).

This big cat conquered the party.

Iris tried to be fair by giving more fish to the thinner cat.

This cat is a sure monster.

Iyra joined in.

They were excited.

Iyra pointed to the cats.

Party bits.

No more fish.

Breakfast.

Fun!

"Sikit sangat-yah Mummy masak fish"-Iesha.

They took some for them. Eh?

But eh, why Iyra wore a swimming suit?

Because then we headed straight to swimming pool.

They also treated themselves with lollipops at Candylicious. 

Bhahahaha!

One evening in a restaurant,

Iesha: Mummy, Acha rasa Acha macam mengandung-yah. (In her signature monotonous utterance).

Me: Ye ke? Iesha rasa macam mana?

Iesha: Acha rasa macam ada baby dalam perut Acha.

Me: Sebab apa?

Iesha: Sebab Acha minum air ni.

And she pointed to 'Air Bandung'.

Lol, lol, lol!!!