Flavour of the Day with Noora

So, Yousef's "phase of acting out" just got worse! Today, in the middle of a "time-out" he yelled at me and said:" you go to time-out and I will tell you how long you have to stay!"My reaction was to stay cool, carry him without saying a single word, and putting him back in the spot, completely ignoring his kicking and screaming.

I have to admit though, in that moment and for a while after, my heart sank and I felt so sad. I had been loving his age of adorable funny phrases that he puts together, the innocent questions that come with everything we do, the voluntary hugs and kisses a million times a day, and the look on his face that said I never, ever want to make you mad. Now, he wants to punish me for punishing him!

He is only TWO. 

Flavour of the Day with Noora

Getting Rid of Midnight Feedings

So many mamas told me that they were the ones who had to get their children off midnight feedings by giving them water in the bottle instead of milk. By doing so, they eventually stopped getting hungry and thus stopped waking up.

With Yousef, he did it all on his own. One day when he was 7-months-old, he simply didn't wake up. And that was that.

Mona however, now 7-months and a half wakes up every night at 5am like she has an alarm clock in her head. I am wondering if I should stop her or wait for her to outgrow it. She is still refusing solids and might still be hungry at night rather than it being just a habit. 

Flavour of the Day with Noora

Yousef is driving me crazy! The answer to everything is "no".

Let's take a shower, no. You need to get out of the shower, no. We have to go to the market, no. We have to go back home from the market, no. And this "no" is usually accompanied with tears and yelling. He does this thing where he puts his hands and legs in a position so I am unable to buckle his car seat that just makes me so mad!

Even when I tell him not to touch something, he keeps his finger on it and looks at me like: "what are you going to do about it?"

I have heard of the "terrible 2's" but had no idea that they are this terrible and I have to admit, I do not know how to react. A few months ago, he was so easy-going, obedient and innocent, now he is just a little bundle of defiance!

Flavour of the Day with Noora

The Worry of Vaccinations


My son Yousef had a very complicated delivery which I believe was the cause of him being a very weak and colicky baby. And since he barely eats anything even as a toddler, his immunity and overall health are a bit shaky.

If there is even the slightest side-effect for a medication or vaccination, I know that Yousef will get it. When the label says "in rare cases so and so were reported," Yousef reacts in a so and so manner.

My worry however has really risen over the past three vaccinations. After each one, he seemed to develop some sort of reaction even though his doctor assured me that there won't be any! It is some coincidence though that a few days after these vaccinations he gets really sick. Fever, vomiting, fatigue, rash, loss of appetite, and general fussiness and they last for a good 3-4 days. This is the third vaccination in a row that caused these symptoms and I am starting to wonder if it is in his best interest to be vaccinated so often.

Even with no medical proof that the vaccinations are causing it (in fact, his doctor completely disagrees with me) I noticed the difference before and after he takes the shots. I am so confused and scared of making a mistake. Vaccinations or not? Are they worth it? Can he really develop some sort of disease if he isn't vaccinated? What if the vaccinations are hurting him and no one knows the side-effects yet?

Flavour of the Day with Noora

My nieces and nephews came back from school with report cards. Anticipated, their faces were filled with a million emotions, some had pride, others had wonder if the marks are good enough, and some had looks of carelessness.

In the same family, one got a marvellous report card, the other mediocre and one couldn't care less if the  grades were good or bad, high or low or if his parents would be happy or mad. It's so strange.

What is even more amusing is how anxious my sisters were. As if the grades are for them and not their kids! I can understand it, judging from the amount of work and time I put into homework with my step-daughter, the final grades really do get to parents.

When you have different abilities in the same family, how do you not compare? From now, I can tell that Mona (7 months) is a lot smarter than Yousef (2). I wonder how I will react when their report cards are due.

Flavour of the Day with Noora

First time to travel with both kids, Yousef (2) and Mona (7months) has been quite an experience.

The nights have been hard but the help of family during the day has been amazing! For the first time on a family trip, Yousef has really enjoyed a vacation. He played with the cousins, enjoyed playing outside, going to the mall and just hanging out. The day has come when Yousef comfortably left the room to go play somewhere I was not. I could not believe it!

It's so strange watching him interact with his older cousins and try to hold his place in the group, not as a baby, but as an equal. With the typical tantrum here and there of course.

I never grew up with cousins around but it seems to be like so much fun! I am looking forward to the years of video games and movie nights, hopefully by then the tantrums would be gone!

Flavour Of The Day With Noora

Distractions, distractions

Writing is one of those jobs where you can have ZERO distractions. And since the only free time I have to do my interviews and write is the 3 hours Yousef is at preschool, I need all the focus I can get.

This was a long weekend, which meant I had to attempt to work with the kids at home. I got my coffee, sat down and put on my serious face, NO DISTRACTIONS ARE ALLOWED. Ten minutes later, "I'm starving," Layla (8).
"What do you want"
"I don't know"
"Call me when you do".

5 minutes later, Layla again, "I'm starving"
"Ok so tell me what you want"
"I don't know"
"I'm making you eggs"
"Ok, you too Yousef (2)"

I make the eggs, hand them their plates, feed Yousef and then sit to write.
3 minutes later: Yousef is screaming over some toy Layla is playing with. 5 minutes later: he is still yelling. I go up stairs, grab a trunk of toys and come down.
I sit to write.
10 minutes later, Yousef is crying because the toy is not fitting in the car. I solve the problem.
10 minutes later, the dry clean company comes to pick up a load. Then, I remember I need to take 3 doctor's appointments for the kids for that same day. I do that and then sit to write.
Yousef and Layla fight over who gets to watch TV. I take Yousef upstairs, turn on his show, get my laptop and sit to write.

The first time I sat down, it was 9:30am. Now, it's 11:30am and I am getting no where! The deal was, my husband takes the kids to the mall in the morning, while I work. But, since he came back from a late project around 4:30am, I don't have the heart to wake him up.

I can't wait until my kids are teens, going through the phase where they just want to be left alone and maybe then, I can finally focus on having a job!