Its Ramadan time!

[doodlebug 3]

Fasting is good for the soul no matter what religion you are so I can't see the harm in it if you're not muslim, though that being said I think I'd do a modified version if I weren't muslim, i.e. I would allow myself to drink fluids like water all day and to take my medications.

I"m kind of the opposite of moody in that I dread it at first but then I get into it. Kind of like you just surrender 'cause you can't change it and you know you're in for the long haul.

Gawd the clocks don't change till November???

I know the clocks changed in Egypt. That is always so confusing for us and then when ours change it's more confusing.

[amal 4]

i want spaghetti

[hollyw 0]

A prof of mine at undergrad married a Muslim girl from India, and he reported that she remarked that it wasn't hard to observe Ramadan in a community where every evening someone would be hosting the food. It felt like cheating to go to the party but not fast.

One Ramadan, we were visiting Wadi's aunt and uncle in France, and I was not fasting. I remember that feeling of participating in the celebration without having "earned it". I felt like a doofus.

i agree... When we were living in Paris we used to go over to my husband's aunt's place a couple nights a week to break the fast. i felt like an idiot participating without actually having earned it, so that was the year i started fasting. i didn't do it everyday, but i did it maybe half of the days. last year i was here and my husband was in Algeria and i think i did it the first 2 or 3 days and then stopped

I always get excited for the start of Ramadan and then after a week its like, ughhhhhh how many hours til we can eat????

Can't wait for a couple years when it's in the middle of the summer

[♥JP♥ 5]

I'm looking forward to you gals posting recipes

[amal 4]

ok, so, day 1 of fasting and now I'm just about ready to gnaw my arm off whilst I wait for the food to cook. (heating up that chicken dish I posted earlier) only 20 minutes left and I can start chowing down. The cats are stearing clear of me. I think they recognize that look in my eyes that says "I will eat anything that doesn't run away from me". I hope tomorrow goes faster and easier

amal

[HLM 1]

well im looking forward to have all my sins forgiven and increase my good deeds. i want to remind sisters here to renew ur intentions becoz it really makes a difference. the heart is what makes the deed count. its for the sake of Allah in the beggining and at the end! i ask Allah to accept from us and grant us al firdous al a3la:D AMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN

[doodlebug 3]

ok, so, day 1 of fasting and now I'm just about ready to gnaw my arm off whilst I wait for the food to cook. (heating up that chicken dish I posted earlier) only 20 minutes left and I can start chowing down. The cats are stearing clear of me. I think they recognize that look in my eyes that says "I will eat anything that doesn't run away from me". I hope tomorrow goes faster and easier

amal

omg that is so me the first couple of days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my kids don't even talk to me now I just come home, cook dinner, serve it to them and go in my room until maghrib. lol

[amal 4]

ok, so, day 1 of fasting and now I'm just about ready to gnaw my arm off whilst I wait for the food to cook. (heating up that chicken dish I posted earlier) only 20 minutes left and I can start chowing down. The cats are stearing clear of me. I think they recognize that look in my eyes that says "I will eat anything that doesn't run away from me". I hope tomorrow goes faster and easier

amal

omg that is so me the first couple of days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my kids don't even talk to me now I just come home, cook dinner, serve it to them and go in my room until maghrib. lol

hahaha I totally understand. My son took his plate to his bedroom coz I couldn't help but eyeball him as he so eloquently stuffed his mouth to the brim with food.....Nah, it wasn't that bad but he did ask why I kept staring at him.

When hubster got home I asked if he was ready to eat coz I was STARVING. He asked why so I told him that I had to make up days from last year. He totally mushed out on me. Hugs, kisses, more hugs coz he was all proud. I finally told him "hey, honey, thanks for the hugs but if you don't move out of my way, I'm going to kick you"!! He laughed at me and I rushed the food to the table. Too bad the food didn't settle at all last night and my stomach is still killing me.

[doodlebug 3]

ok, so, day 1 of fasting and now I'm just about ready to gnaw my arm off whilst I wait for the food to cook. (heating up that chicken dish I posted earlier) only 20 minutes left and I can start chowing down. The cats are stearing clear of me. I think they recognize that look in my eyes that says "I will eat anything that doesn't run away from me". I hope tomorrow goes faster and easier

amal

omg that is so me the first couple of days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my kids don't even talk to me now I just come home, cook dinner, serve it to them and go in my room until maghrib. lol

hahaha I totally understand. My son took his plate to his bedroom coz I couldn't help but eyeball him as he so eloquently stuffed his mouth to the brim with food.....Nah, it wasn't that bad but he did ask why I kept staring at him.

When hubster got home I asked if he was ready to eat coz I was STARVING. He asked why so I told him that I had to make up days from last year. He totally mushed out on me. Hugs, kisses, more hugs coz he was all proud. I finally told him "hey, honey, thanks for the hugs but if you don't move out of my way, I'm going to kick you"!! He laughed at me and I rushed the food to the table. Too bad the food didn't settle at all last night and my stomach is still killing me.

it's definitely a struggle to be loving and gentle from about an hour before maghrib on.......

[♥JP♥ 5]

ok, so, day 1 of fasting and now I'm just about ready to gnaw my arm off whilst I wait for the food to cook. (heating up that chicken dish I posted earlier) only 20 minutes left and I can start chowing down. The cats are stearing clear of me. I think they recognize that look in my eyes that says "I will eat anything that doesn't run away from me". I hope tomorrow goes faster and easier

amal

omg that is so me the first couple of days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my kids don't even talk to me now I just come home, cook dinner, serve it to them and go in my room until maghrib. lol

hahaha I totally understand. My son took his plate to his bedroom coz I couldn't help but eyeball him as he so eloquently stuffed his mouth to the brim with food.....Nah, it wasn't that bad but he did ask why I kept staring at him.

When hubster got home I asked if he was ready to eat coz I was STARVING. He asked why so I told him that I had to make up days from last year. He totally mushed out on me. Hugs, kisses, more hugs coz he was all proud. I finally told him "hey, honey, thanks for the hugs but if you don't move out of my way, I'm going to kick you"!! He laughed at me and I rushed the food to the table. Too bad the food didn't settle at all last night and my stomach is still killing me.

My fiance was telling me that lots of people get hospitalized during Ramadan in Jordan. When its finally time to break fast, they are so hungry they stuff themselves and get sick. I hear that it is highly recocmmended to slowly break your fast. To drink something, eat some dates, have some soup. Then after an hour or so, have your meal. I think that might help with the tummy pains.

[Carolyn 1]

For breaking the fast my husband (or myself) makes this great but sorta strange "juice" made of milk, sugar and fruit (usually banana and either apple, or pear, maybe an avocado)...THIS is what I crave during Ramadan!

We also have dates, harira (bean and tomato soup--don't some other MENA countries have another name for it?) and hard boiled eggs with salt and cumin. Occasionally we have sweets, but Simo isn't big on sweets (I think I'm going to try some recipes from this forum this year).

And we watch silly Moroccan TV shows on the internet. I make up the dialogue in my head.

Looking forward to the coming month! Yalla!

Carolyn

[doodlebug 3]

ok, so, day 1 of fasting and now I'm just about ready to gnaw my arm off whilst I wait for the food to cook. (heating up that chicken dish I posted earlier) only 20 minutes left and I can start chowing down. The cats are stearing clear of me. I think they recognize that look in my eyes that says "I will eat anything that doesn't run away from me". I hope tomorrow goes faster and easier

amal

omg that is so me the first couple of days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my kids don't even talk to me now I just come home, cook dinner, serve it to them and go in my room until maghrib. lol

hahaha I totally understand. My son took his plate to his bedroom coz I couldn't help but eyeball him as he so eloquently stuffed his mouth to the brim with food.....Nah, it wasn't that bad but he did ask why I kept staring at him.

When hubster got home I asked if he was ready to eat coz I was STARVING. He asked why so I told him that I had to make up days from last year. He totally mushed out on me. Hugs, kisses, more hugs coz he was all proud. I finally told him "hey, honey, thanks for the hugs but if you don't move out of my way, I'm going to kick you"!! He laughed at me and I rushed the food to the table. Too bad the food didn't settle at all last night and my stomach is still killing me.

My fiance was telling me that lots of people get hospitalized during Ramadan in Jordan. When its finally time to break fast, they are so hungry they stuff themselves and get sick. I hear that it is highly recocmmended to slowly break your fast. To drink something, eat some dates, have some soup. Then after an hour or so, have your meal. I think that might help with the tummy pains.

I know that logically one should temper one's eating to avoid the hell I went through last night, but alas..........when that clock turns and it's time to eat, I cannot help myself. And I get sick, yet again.

[amal 4]

i did very well last night. I started with a glass of water and then some lentil type soup. Then broke in the jameed soup *drool* still my favorite. Slowly worked through the fixins until I could barely walk lol! We are invited to a friends house for maghrib and food 2nite so that should be fun. i always agree to this stuff and then get mad coz when the time comes to go, I don't wanna go anywhere. Oh well, I'll do it for the holiday.....

[mybackpages 0]

Maybe Ramadan is making me too reflective, but reading here and other places, it has made me think- why are people fasting? What does Ramadan mean?

I fast because it is commanded from God. simple right? well not really. Islam is a religion that demands we think, read and educate ourselves, not to just blindly follow. This is how I approach Ramadan.

If God commands it, then there must be come reason. I may never know the full explaination, but I can read and study and come to certain conclusions. First God in Islam is not fire and brimstone. Read the 99 names of God- no where is he called the punisher or a God of revenge. Yes there are consequences for our actions, but with every commandant God is generous in the tools he gives us to make us successful.

So Ramadan is a blessing not a hardship. The key to being successful in fasting to to have the correct mental attitude.

It is not about feeling what the poor feel. Yes it can remind you that there are others in worse circumstances than us, but spending the daylight hours not eating or drinking is not going to give us any real experience of feeling impoverished. The truely hungry go to bed at night still hungry.

Yes some days are hard. some days the temptation to eat or drink is strong. But this is still not a hardship. You could say "Shaytan is whispering in my ear", but all that means is that I have lost focus on God and my obligation to fast and am thinking too much about satisfying my immediate needs.

Fasting is not just about not having a drink or something to eat because, afterall you do give up other temporal pleasures too. For me these hours of fasting are allowing me to keep in check my own implusives and behaviors. The things we do in Ramadan are things we should be doing all year- Ramadan is just a time to refocus our selves and our relationship with God.

IMO if fasting becomes a hardship, then its better to eat a bite or take a drink and begin again. Complaining about the difficulties seems to cancel the fasting anyway no? I mean if it is not really a hardship, but I jsut want to whine, then I am forgetting why I am fasting. If I complain because it is a true hardship, then I am not doign what God is askig me to do, so I should take care of my needs and try again.

[Henia 11]

Ramadan is here.... I am looking forwrd to tarawee, esp praying the Bou smail masjid that is right off the sea here. Losing weight, sleeping in for hours after fajr, going out on the town after tarawee and all the parties. Saha tourkoum everyone....