SomeTimes Life is Bliss and Sometime It is Not !

Harajuku lover

2012-07-19T17:57:00.001-07:00

A few photos from our trip to Guess where ?

2012-07-18T18:13:00.001-07:00

Happy Mardi Gras to my Friends and Family in Mobile, Alabama

2012-02-21T16:15:00.000-08:00

We talked about Paris and the history of Mardi Gras , We talked about Carnivale and we made lovely homemade masks :)

Target is in our Minds and We are Under Control

2012-02-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

http://jezebel.com/5886253/target-knows-you-better-than-you-know-yourself?utm_campaign=socialflow_jezebel_facebook&utm_source=jezebel_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

I was not shocked to read the recent Jezebel article on Target! Yes sometimes there is a product I want for example squeezable apple sauce and Aunt Annie’s organic ravioli. I recall thinking of how I wish Target would carry this and low and behold as if the Red Target had a mini transponder in my brain reading my thoughts those two items appeared in the snack lane. The one right by the children’s clothes and they were a whole dollar bill cheaper than whole foods. Then of course there was Marc Jacobs’s looking boots and Harajuku mini and now Jason Wu! A step further my local Target donates to my local salvation army so this seems to follow me on over to thrift where I always find what I am looking for including Norah life size Disney Princess paper dolls which had four princesses instead of two in the salvage box and were five bucks instead of twenty. I have so passed by those a dozen times and thought oh but twenty bucks she will tear them up in no time. Then like magic in thrift so my question is do they read my mind to decide what to donate or do freaks who want the same thing as me just return everything ? A further example is the sheer number of donated size 11 shoes I find on thrift from Target hello have you ever looked for that size? And then 10 or so pair all wedges and flats! As anyone else had this happen is there a secret matrix controlling our brains ?

Watch Out Marc Jacobs, Norah is the new black !

2012-02-06T14:28:00.000-08:00

It only took a few minutes for her to start fashioning her dresses instead of these pre fab ones on these ultimate paper dolls.

Just a Few Things

2012-02-04T17:11:00.000-08:00

Boy I have been busy but I miss blogging here is few things that we have been up too !

A Positively ,Bright , Cheerful Snowy Day

2012-01-13T10:49:00.000-08:00

And here is Winter ! Obviously it is not to cold for Hamzah to enjoy that Nutella and Banana Sandwich. I had a dream that I had a $2 off coupon for Nutella , just a dream but a sweet one ! What do you guys like to eat one the run ?

Late Mornings

2012-01-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

Norah sips milk and tries to wake up ! We were running late this morning , a dark cloud humdrum day . Norah 's sleepy sipping expresses today the best. xoxoxoxoxo , Love Jen

May the Force Be With You !

2012-01-09T05:05:00.000-08:00

We had the best time watching Star Wars on the Big Screen Yesterday ! It was amazing and I love sharing it with the children.

A Sushi Date with my little lady !

2012-01-03T14:33:00.000-08:00

Norah and I are super busy making everything nice for the homecoming of the twins tomorrow ! We stopped for a Sushi date ! We got some take out sushi from Trader Joe's yummmmmmmmmm !

Bliss New Year

2011-12-31T13:31:00.000-08:00

Everything Shall be Amazing !

A year over and a New One Just Begun!

I would like to start this post by thanking all of my lovely readers when I see that there are people from all over the globe interested in my family I get goose bumps. The New Year’s brings about resolutions of all kinds from people all over the world who celebrate the Georgian calendar. I would like to share my top five resolutions with all of you lovely humans of this cosmopolitan world.

1.) I would like to become more spiritual and this is a journey that I am definitely going to be talking about on this blog. I am Muslim and I like most of us in the West have become secular. I would like to embark a journey to faith and I will be of course sharing this journey with all of you. I would love to break down stereotypes of show people of all faiths what we have in common as human beings. I am proud that my small son in Morocco has such a large amount of faith.

2.) I would like to spend more time with family especially my dear mother and children. I would like to share what knowledge though it is little of the world around me with my dear children. I will reach out to my son in Morocco and dedicate more time to Skype and making him feel he is a part of us.

3.) Take in more free days at the local museums i.e. The Art Institute of Chicago, The Lincoln Park Zoo and The Filed Museum.

4.) Exercise at least one hour a day in the form of cardio either belly dancing or other forms of cardio. Good Health allows us to prosper.

5.) Make one really good friend and spend more time sharing my passions on this blog.

Top Fashion Trends for Mom and Kids in 2012

So I have clothes that I really truly dream of wearing and then there are the clothes that are out of reach. The clothes that I just cannot afford but I can look at any time on my favorite fashion blogs or Google. So for 2012 I want to showcase my top three favorite designers, top three affordable designers, top three dream perfumes, top three affordable perfumes and dime store couture make up ideas. I will also be featuring more Muslim friendly clothing as I have recently noticed I have a few readers from the Middle East. Dubai is definitely one of the premier shopping capitals of the world and it is time that this fashionable city gets the credit due to it, so I will feature great places to shop around the world and include Dubai, USA, London, and even Saudi Arabia. I will also review coffee houses that are kids friendly, publish reviews on kid’s clothing and have a weekly fashion post dedicated to kid’s affordable fashion. This blog started off as my struggle a way for me to find some peace of mind escape from my trouble. It has evolved into a very creative form of self-expression and with so many page views per day I would really love to pump up the volume.

Xoxoxox,

Blisses, Kisses and Hugs

I wish you all of very happy and healthy New Year and May your dreams come true in 2012.

All in a day's thrift !

2011-12-30T15:14:00.000-08:00

The Lincoln Park Zoo is free and real thrifty ! Enjoy the lovely photos I love the bats and the Koi Fish !

The vintage spider girl is a photo

http://wellmedicated.com/inspiration/100-illustrated-horror-film-posters-part-1/ ! Also Modern Kiddo !

Enjoy

Just Five Things

2011-12-23T17:04:00.000-08:00

1.) Norah's gingerbread art house of couture.
2.) Norah is the snow last week she was saving it for X-Mas and to throw at her brothers.
3.) This day 4 year ago ! The date was messed up on my old cam !
4.) My desk all festive with the children's holiday handmades from school.
5.) Gingerbread village complete with a Chicago apartment building and Anthropologie presents !

Happy 7th Birthday Mehdi Ibn Mansur

2011-12-23T08:21:00.000-08:00

Mehdi was born two days before Christmas so the hospital was pretty empty as I stumbled down to the NICU to visit him on Christmas Eve.Mehdi was named after Mehdi Ibn Mansur a famous Muslim leader who united Baghdad and made it the center of the universe. The famous Mehdi also translated 1001 Arabian nights into Arabic from Farsi :) I was weak and tried from the c section that I had the day before. I had been to see Mehdi a total of six times because he needed to be fed every four hours. The twins were with my best friend so Mehdi and I were alone for the most part. Mehdi was my fourth child and my baby boy. There were nurses around, but it was silent and there were only a few very sick babies around. Mehdi had briefly lost oxygen because his blood sugar bottomed out at birth. I had tried hard to get my gestational diabetes stable but Mehdi being born a couple weeks early and weighing almost ten pounds had a little trouble.

He did not look like the small frail babies that were his first roommates, he looked healthy and strong. Mehdi was beautiful and very quiet like small angel as he curled his body up in his isolette and slept. I felt better when I spoke with the other moms whose children all had something very wrong. As Christmas day came and went and Mehdi was released from the NICU I felt lucky. Mehdi and I left his stylized toys for Damen a small boy who almost never had any visitors and was born four months earlier weighing a little over one pound. Mehdi was not planned he was a gift that happened while his father and I were trying to patch up our broken marriage. I guess we should have been careful but we were exhausted from caring for the five month old twins Mohammed and Hamzah and having all sorts of marital problems it just was as it should be.

Mehdi was a quiet baby and almost never cried; he would wake up and stare around the room when he wanted to eat. My good friend immediately named him little Budda. She said he was the closest thing to peace that she had ever experienced. We brought him home to my best friend’s house the day after Christmas. We introduced him to the twins. He was such a sweet quiet baby and never seemed to mind that his eighteen month old brothers were constantly poking and probing at him.

He would sleep for five hours at a time which is unheard of for a new born. I would have to wake him up to eat which was a joy because the twins were so small that they had to eat almost round the clock. Mehdi was a joy and the easiest baby that I have ever been around. In the middle of the night when the twins were asleep which was almost never I would sit and rock him and things were so peaceful. Time seemed to just stand still! This blog was made to showcase the sorrows of having a child abducted but in the meanwhile it has take a whole different turn , I am pleased with the turn that this blog has taken and wish all my lovely readers out there peace in whatever you endure and a very Happy Holiday season :) In memory of Muharem the holy month of my ancestors I have seen fit to add this lovely photo of the Battle of Karballa from the Iranian Art in Tehran as well as this other lovely of Mehdi Ibn Mansur for the Baghdad Art Center. Long live Iraq and May the Suffering of the Iraqi People end soon !

Fly away lil birdies

2011-12-22T08:32:00.000-08:00

They are off! What a whirlwind of a morning! Got up at 3 a.m. took the twins to the airport long wait! They were sweet and kissed me goodbye. Mohammed of course does not kiss and refused. I cannot describe the feeling sitting behind the glass with security pass waiting for the 757 to take off; it was the joy that they gave me no trouble and the fear of praying for a safe journey. So I have posted some of the cute moments before takeoff. The feeling a mother has when her little birds fly away is one that I can never describe. Join me tomorrow for Mehdi’s birth story as tomorrow is his seventh birthday or Eid Milad as he would say in Arabic.

This is Sunday Morning Stroll

2011-12-19T08:15:00.000-08:00

Wow this multi religion thing is great I went over to a Jewish friend’s house for Hanukkah and my Christian side of the family has been a sending the presents so I love it and so are my young folks. Tonight we are going to school lights so be ready for some pretty hip happening photos of our fair city.

So Sunday morning stroll was an awesome cool crisp day in our fair city, it started off with a chat with my favorite exiled son Mehdi from Morocco of course. Through my sorry it is awesome to learn more Arabic from my son who cannot speak English anymore, nothing to make you learn and humble you faster than the will to communicate with your child. Man I love that kid and when he recites the Quran I am so amazed by his perfection. I try to find the Brightside of a really bad situation. After I chatted with my son, I then took a walk to Starbucks with my darling and her almost too small Ugg boots.

The fun part of the day was my trip to Wicker Park on a date with my baby daddy, yea we are still trying to sort things out. A long the way my fickle fink eyes were turned to a cool bike shop with the most amazing bikes. http://www.thechainlink.org/ ! These bikes were colorful, hip and utterly awesome. I am also in love with the bike basket which I will be purchasing come Spring Time! Phil the owner or shop keeper was also amazing and to be honest my eyes are usually not so pleased when I see an Anglo man but I must say that he was very hot and very tall. A nice sight for a mommy so all you mommies go buy a bike from Phil this Holiday season. Phil also highly recommended the restaurant that was the last stop on my Sunday morning stroll! Cumin was amazing and as a vegetarian I must say it was the most amazing food this side of Nepal, and I will definitely be going back to the restaurant and the bike shop. So I will be seeing you guys later when I post zoo lights!

Xoxoxoxox, Jen

Oh the Snow the Snow !

2011-12-17T07:56:00.000-08:00

Old Man Winter is finally here and just in time for a white Christmas J He blew through town this morning and Norah and I went out to get a latte take a walk and collect snow in a paper bag so that she could throw it at her brothers. I know I am not around blogging much I miss you guys xoxoxo , Jen

Norah is wearing

Zara Jacket , Tea Collection Sweater leggings , children's place ear muffs , Gap dad's hat, and Bogs

Hugs and Kisses

2011-12-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

I miss you all ! We had an awesome thanksgiving and have been so so busy ! I am such a lucky mama I turned 37 wow can hardly believe how time flies. So not much to update I am sorry I have neglected you all , I noticed on the stats that people still come by so I think all of my lovely readers deserve this small update. I will try to get back on the blogger track and have All in a Day's Thrift and Sunday Morning Stroll !
xoxoxoxo , Love Jen

Little Tomboy Style

2011-11-12T12:22:00.000-08:00

I never thought that I would allow my daughter to wear her brother's hand me downs :) Today I purchased her her own boys Marvel sweatshirt not quite the Shiloh Pitt look hence girl's UGGs and Pink stripes on her leggings :)

This is Sunday Morning Stroll

2011-11-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

Playing in the Leaves :) This morning we walked to the market and played in the leaves along the way :) Enjoy

This is Sunday Morning Stroll We Heart The Windy City !

2011-10-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

Halloween Weekend in the Windy City !

A few photos from the lovely people in Chicago on this Halloween Weekend :)

Just a Few Things !

2011-10-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

1.) http://meinl.com/ A very blissful coffee house in Chicago !

2.) Fall in the Mid West Norah is Wearing a Zara Sweater and Little Boat ( Petite Bateau) Skrit

3.) Mohammed walking across the street alone :) Mohammed is wearing gap jeans , gap blazer , tony hawk sneakers and back pack ll bean

4.)Poshy Hamzah wearing Gap Blazer , Abercrombie Kids Shirt and Toms Vegan Classics

5.) Movie night at school

6.) Moroccan grocery store everything is organic Mehdi is wearing Carters

7 and 8. ) My posh little orphan wearing Gap kids dress, 77 kids leggings , Thrifted head scarf , Mommy's Tiffany pearls, and Louis Epi Bag

9.) Hello Kitty Vintage Jumper

Bliss My Son In Morocco

2011-10-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

I cannot describe how I feel today; my son’s new step mother has arrived from Morocco and has shared some pretty amazing photos and videos of my son. If you read my blog then you know that his biological father took him to Morocco and has detained him there for four years against my wishes. So I feel grief stricken by the fact that I am not raising my own child, I cannot hold him close, coddle him when he is sad, help him with his homework or do things that a normal mommy gets to do with her six year old. I am also happy that he apparently treated as a small king and seems to be thriving; he looks happy, healthy and extremely clever. I am told he reads Arabic well above his level and does well in religion class. I saw a beautiful boy, dashing striking with the same beautiful eyes and wide grin that he left with. I get the impression from staring at him that life has been very kind to him. If I saw him on a blog I would think what a wonderful child, imaginative, creative and splendid. I would enjoy looking at him as much as I do all of your children. The catch is he is mine! This wonderful child belongs to me! How amazing it is to be able to look at your own child and be that proud with no guilt that you are conceited or biased. It is amazing to look at your child and not be able to think of one single thing that you would do different and think wow what an amazing family. I was so resentful that my son’s step mother was going to see my son and now I am so grateful for the amazing story that she has produced.

I sent him this small dragon, a simple toy I found at garage sale. I wonder if the previous owners know how happy that simple dragon that came with a whole castle set has made my son in Morocco. The toy now has its own story, it has its own travels and is now one of the most special and unique dragons that Fisher Price has ever made. I was amazed at how creative he seemed when I saw the little green dragon resting on his shoulder in so many poses and that was when I thought to myself Oh yes indeed he is one of mine. I was amazed with the photos and relived that he is so very well. I could see his artistic nature oozing from the screen, especially when he was the star of a video with a great song written by him. I am smitten with his talents and I get the pleasure of having a unique person in our family, a small Arab boy, who is our son, wow amazing huh! He belongs to us and one day we will all meet again and be able to teach each other so much. My hope is no longer getting him out of Morocco, but learning to deal with and mend my broken heart. I must work harder to get my son in touch with his stateside siblings and let him know that we love and care for him and that most of all we are proud of who he is!

I cannot grieve or be sad when I see such an amazing child, after all, is that what every mother wants? My anger for my ex will likely not subside nor be subdued, but I can celebrate that he not won I am no longer in such pain because our son shall be love and he shall be well.

Posh or la mode chronomètre deux

2011-10-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

My boys thought they were pretty bad ass this morning ! After flipping through MILK mag they decided to be Posh and wear these jackets we bought at the Thrift store ! Hamz and his sport coat with the Toms just kills me ! What kid's fashion museings do you all have ?

Introducing Kindergarten Designers Norah and Itzel

2011-10-21T05:37:00.000-07:00

I am pretty smitten this morrow ! My daughter and her good friend Itzel have started designing dresses and I am pretty darn proud. I looking for a way to at least make an iron on for a tee shirt any ideas blog land ? I am in love with these designs I can see the stripes in a sweater maxi and I see the lovely purple and teal in a boxy sheath with black thread trim . I need help to make this happen at least make them exist for their little designers so any ideas ?

Both girls have cool names that I could see on a label !