Mrs.O's writing room.

The wait was excruciating, one week seemed like a month and oh! how the days dragged as I waited for the phone call. Every time my phone rung my heart raced until finally there was an email. You've got the job! I was super excited. Night before I report for work: Amani throws up and coughs to no end, she finally sleeps. First day: I was up at 5:30am, jumped on the bus at 6:25am, onto the train at 7:05am,  was at the office by 7:50am. Sam sorted out the kids, got Amani dressed, pushed Mich a long, dropped him off at school, got Amani to day care and rushed off to work. Turns out they were not expecting me yet (long story). I headed home. Got a call from the day care - Amani was not well at all. God's ways! I'm glad I could pick her up. While she was home taking a nap, I received a message from office asking me to start the next day. Damn!! I was hoping for a free week, especially with Amani sick and stuff. I was beginning to feel sick too. Next day, I was back on the b...

I’m looking out of the window, watching little magical snowflakes quietly, purposefully, gently, falling to the ground. It’s beautiful. It’s cold. It’s calming to gaze on from the warmth of my room, exciting too for little kids just breaking off from school and skipping along with glee. Their thirst finally quenched for long they waited. December came and there was nothing, Christmas day too. “Oh! What is Christmas without snow?” they asked. Now they smile for it comes with the New Year! Mich is bouncing off the walls as usual, looking forward to snow ball fights; Amani's first snow experience and she doesn't quite know what to make of it. Judging from her brother's gymnatics, she figures it's something to be excited about. I love snow when it first falls. It’s fresh. It’s new. It’s crisp. It’s clean. It’s White. Reminds me of David’s prayer in Psalm 51 “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” Isaiah 1:18 “Though yo...

You know that time is doing its thing when suddenly the Baroness in “Sound of music” looks young and nicely shaped. Leisl, Captain Von Trapp’s oldest daughter reminds you of your days in high school and Gretl, well, little Gretl is another version of your daughter. Yup! You’ve been around that long, and your favorite movie characters have kept themselves looking feisty. You reminesce on good times by watching “Gold Finger” and you can’t get over how young James Bond was and yet at the time, he and Captain Von Trapp were your dad’s age mates. We will skip Arnold and Willis in “Different Strokes” because Louis and Mr. Jefferson are now your contemporaries. I cherish the emotions that get triggered when I watch these classics. I imagine life as an elevator and these movies a constant. At the beginning you are looking up, 10 years later you’re face to face; in another 10 years your gaze is slightly tilted downwards, 10 years after that you are literally bowed down look...

Books: What to expect the first year and What to expect the second year . Authors: Heidi Murkoff, Sharon Mazel, Arlene Eisenberg & Sandee Hathaway After reading “What to expect when you’re expecting”, you bring baby home and wonder what to do with the cute buddle of joy (sometimes not so much joy). Well, Heidi Murkoff wrote another book “What to expect the first year” she has done the research for you. She points out  baby's development month by month and blends it with the mother's (and fathers) challenges and questions at this delicate stage. Having all this information sprinkled with questions from parents makes it all more real. Parents are able to identify.

Wow! The New year is here! I enjoyed December thoroughly. My daily schedule revolved around waking up around 6:40am read 7:00am, taking a bath, dressing Amani up, packing Mich’s snack and making sure he got to school before 8:00am. Amani and I would then walk back home. On warm days we would take a stroll, on cold days we would dash home and have breakfast after which she would look at me as if to say “aha! And now??” “Can the games begin?”