Rania Kudsi's Blog

organize ur life

try this organizer it's a really good one for moms and dads

http://www.parents.com/fun/games-printables/outdoor-activities/great-outdoor-games/?lastPage=true&page=5

MY Birthday

I'm sitting outside , sipping my coffee at this beautiful morning , looking at the green trees , the blue sky and feeling the love of nature hugging me and celebrating my Birthday today.

I'm turning 32 year old today, which means 32 years God took care of me all the way, guiding my steps and nurturing me to become Rania.

I want to thank God for being alive, for me Rania for being who I am. For having this great life for having this wonderful nature for having this body , eyes, ears legs and mouth , for being able to experience motherhood. For everything.

It's my birthday and normally u expect people to call you for saying happy birthday, but I want to call everybody and thank them for being in my life. My friends my family and people I fought with because each one gave me the power to be ME.

I'm sitting here looking at the birds for the fist time I feel the birds talking to me , telling me Hey what a great God we have see what a beautiful life we are living , I don't know why you human worry about tomorrow , just don't think of tomorrow negatively think what do you exactly want and think positively you will live a wonderful life.

I want to thank you God for taking care of me and to thank everyone for shaping me the way I am , and I want to thank my kids for raising me to be a better person my family , my parents for supporting me and my great husband for being near me.

50 ways to become greener family

Going Green: 50 ways to become a greener family

We asked you to share your best tips for making your family more eco-aware and environmentally friendly and you rose to the challenge. Here are the fifty best tips given to us by Raisingkids' members.

1. Hot water. We don't have a combi boiler so there is a bit of a wait for hot water when the tap is first turned on. We save the cool water that comes out before the hot water starts for watering plants.

2. Feeling fruity. If your fruit is going off, don't chuck it. Most fruit can be turned into something yummy, apple cake, banana bread, peach cobbler etc.

3. Ready, steady, cook. If the oven has to be on for any length of time, shove something else in with it. I do cakes when I'm roasting a chicken. Or I cook 2 chickens at once so one of them is cold for the next day's dinner or lunchbox.

4. Thirty-something. Turn the temperature down on the water, the heating & washing machine, saving energy & pennies. Wash most things at 30 degrees.

5. Cold corners. Have thermostatic controlled radiators so any rooms that are not in regular use get turned down to minimum.

6. Baby bottoms. I'm making my own baby wipes - bits of a fleece blanket cut down and hemmed. I'm also making wipe solution using a cup of water, a couple of drops of baby wash, 1 drop lavender oil and 1 drop tea tree oil and keep in an old refillable spray bottle! Much better than the wipes that you can buy, many of which contain lots of chemical products in them.

7. Car-share. Don't make a special trip to the bottle bank – if a friend or neighbour is going there, ask them to take yours as well and return the favour.

8. Re-use water. Certain supermarkets are now also doing their own version of environmentally friendly cleaning products which do not affect the water table. Not only are they kinder to the environment but if you use one of these or Ecover products for washing up then you can re-use your washing up water on the garden.

9. Boiling point. We bought an Eco kettle so we are knowingly only boiling the amount of water we need any excess is popped into a bottle in the fridge for drinking.

10. Plugged in. Make sure your stereo, PC or television isn't left on standby and that no mobile chargers are left plugged in (my kids need constant reminding!)

11. Car criteria. My new car's a low CO2 one, it was one of my criteria when looking.

12. Nappy valet. I used washable nappies - the square cloth ones. We kept some of them because they are so absorbent, and now years on they make fantastic window cleaners/floor mopper uppers! The trouble is that my girls never fail to tell everyone they used to be on their bottoms.

13. Bag lady. Keep plastic or reusable bags in the car whenever you go shopping.

14. Shank's pony. Walk or use public transport whenever possible, or car share for school runs.

15. Double up. Share a shower - you can have fun being green too!

16. Pick your own. Never buy fruit or veg from the supermarket that comes in a package. I buy only the pick-your-own and then I re-use the plastic bags for items that go in the freezer.

17. Boxing clever. Use sandwich box instead of sandwich bags.

18. Paper cuts. Buy books second hand wherever possible. This isn't something that would have occurred to me until a couple of very environmentally conscious people joined my book group!

19. Reading group. Glossy magazines are passed round to interested friends and family members - and they do the same.

20. Freecycle it. Join Freecycle - you become a member of your local community and then you tell people things you do not need any more and if they want them they arrange to collect. Also if you want something you can ask if anyone has one kicking about you can have. As long as it's legal and you do not want any money anything goes - kids toys, beds, wardrobes, fairy wand etc.

Wild thing. Go foraging! I've made dandelion salad, nettle soup, nettle omelette, lots of things with wild raspberries and blackberries. We also have LOADS of wild garlic around for the picking. Apparently you are allowed to dig the stuff out by the bulbs as, if left to itself, it goes mental and strangles out other plants so trimming it back is actually beneficial to the environment.

32. Us time. Twice a week we have an 'everything off' day - no TV, no computer, no lights (just candles), it's also a wonderful opportunity to just sit and chat without any distractions. Late nights by candlelight = great ghost stories!

33. See clearly. Get rid of your old specs by taking them to an opticians that send them to third world countries, rather than throwing them away.

34. Tree hugger. The Woodland Trust is running a Tree For All campaign, and is offering free trees, as well as some funding, to schools and community groups. Anyone can get involved, including families and individuals.

35. Tip off. I like a bit of tip foraging and lucky for me the guys who work at our own are great at letting us 're-home' stuff for free. So far I've had two beautiful wicker hampers and also managed to get two huge sheets of thick plywood one day - made shelves for the garage and my daughter's bedroom.

36. Soaking wet. If you have a child that has just grown out of disposable nappies, rather than chuck the unused ones away, you can open them up and use them at the bottom of plant-pots and hanging baskets (under the soil, obviously!). They help retain moisture, so your plants will need less watering.

37. Time of the month. I use reusable sanitary wear in the form of a Mooncup, and use biodegradable natural cotton sanitary towels and liners.

38. Little pigs. We've recently got some guinea pigs - these have turned out a real bonus in encouraging our girls about 'all things green'! Not only does having a pet teach the importance of looking after your environment but the guinea pigs eat all the vegetable peelings and the paper we shred is perfect bedding material. They're also brilliant at cutting the grass – we move their run around the garden we don't have to mow the grass as often, saving us time and energy!

39. Candid camera. I go to the chemists and ask for their old camera film cases with lids and use them for storing my seeds until the following year.

40. Rolling stock. If you use roll-on deodorant (which is better for the environment than spray anyway), when the bottle is finished, use a knife to carefully prise out the roller ball; give it a good rinse with water and then fill with poster-paint - et voila, a chubby 'paint-pen' for the kids.

41. On your bike. I recently got a child seat for the back of my push bike, we walk or cycle most places.

42. Gardener's world. Start a compost heap, it'll save you a fortune at the garden centre.

43. Galloping gourmet. Make most of our meals from scratch. If you have fewer ready meals, there'll be less packaging.

44. Wrapped up. I always re-use bread wrappers by emptying out crumbs and use them for wrapping sandwiches or covering food.

45. High energy. If you need to replace appliances try get the highest energy efficiency rating that you can afford. This will save you money in the long run too.

46. New broom. I sweep daily to keep the use of the Hoover to a minimum.

47. Flushed with success. We have a brick in the toilet cistern which helps save water.

48. Whites right. Line drying washing is obviously eco-friendly too, and the sun is a great bleaching agent on whites.

49. Lagging behind. There is a energy efficiency trust that will give grants so that you can improve your lagging and save the world at the same time.

50. Avoid the draught. Use draught excluders to keep the house warmer so you don't have to use radiators as much.

Mum Arrested For Leaving Child In Car

Mum Arrested For Leaving Child In Car 13 March 2008

Mother's good deed costs her dear

Treffley Coyne was having a good day. Her husband had collected just over $8 dollars for charity in his office, so she drove into town with her children and one of their friends to find a charity to give to. Coyne stopped her car when she saw a Salvation Army charity collector and popped out with her two older daughters and a friend to donate the money. It was cold and sleeting, Coyne's two-year-old was sleeping, so she locked the car and stepped less than 10 yards away to put the money in the donation tin.

Unfortunately for Coyne when she turned to go back to the car she was accosted by a community service officer who promptly arrested her and charged her with child endangerment. The mother of three now faces a potential jail sentence and fine of $2500.

The case has caused uproar in the states with people coming out on both side – for and against the mother.

'She was on a tirade, she was yelling at me,' Treffley said of the community officer. Having called her husband who told her not to say anything more, the mum was handcuffed and sat in the back of a police car by the time he arrived on the scene.

Working mothers

Some Moms Would Take Pay Cut for Time with Kids

By Kathy Gurchiek

Moms working outside the home may bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan, but that doesn’t mean they want a skillet for Mother’s Day on May 11, 2008. What they’d like is more of a work/life balance, and some would be willing to take a cut in pay for that extra time.

Almost one-fourth of 880 U.S. working mothers surveyed said work has had a negative impact on their relationships with their children. A lack of time with their kids still seems to be an issue—16 percent bring work home at least three days a week and one in five do so every work day.

The findings are from a survey for CareerBuilder.com conducted in February and March 2008. Respondents had at least one child under the age of 18 at home, worked full-time and were not self-employed.

Among the findings:

• 43 percent of working mothers would be willing to take a pay cut if it meant they could spend more time with their children.

• 34 percent of those who would take a pay cut would be willing to give up 10 percent or more of their salaries.

• 51 percent of working mothers with more than one source of income would leave their job if their spouse or significant other made enough money to support the entire family.

“More than 25 percent of working moms are dissatisfied with their work/life balance,” CareerBuilder.com chief sales officer Mary Delaney said in a press release.

“As companies continue to experience a tighter labor market, the importance of retaining star employees is requiring them to implement benefits,” such as flex schedules, telecommuting and other company-wide work/life initiatives, “that actually encourage workers to improve the balance between their professional and family lives,” said the mother of three.

A separate Mothers Day-related survey by Adecco of 2,138 U.S. workers found that working mothers are as likely as nonparents to work late and respond to work-related e-mails after hours.

Among respondents in Adecco’s survey, conducted in April 2008, 1,262 were employed full- or part-time, 645 were not parents or legal guardians, and 352 were female workers who are parents or legal guardians.

It found:

• 71 percent of the working mothers say it’s more difficult to manage their family than their career.

• Working mothers are almost as likely as nonparents (71 percent vs. 73 percent) to work late and respond to after-hours e-mails.

• 60 percent of working mothers think they have the same level of access to work/life benefits as nonparents.

• 44 percent of nonparents think nonparents have the same level of access to work/life benefits, and 25 percent of nonparents think nonparents have less access.

• 59 percent of working mothers say motherhood has not affected their career path; 15 percent said it has hurt their career.

• 32 percent of all workers surveyed would be less inclined to ask a working parent, male or female, to work late.

Adecco suggests that managers and business leaders reward productivity, not face time; build an inclusive culture to avoid treating parents and nonparents differently when it comes to work/life benefits; encourage participation in ‘take your child to work day;’ and lead by example, such as not initiating non-essential e-mails or calls to staff after hours.

Nearly half (49 percent) of mothers Adecco surveyed said their organizations should do more to help them achieve better work/life balance.

“Mother’s Day is the perfect time to celebrate all moms and particularly working moms, given the challenges around juggling home life and career priorities,” Adecco chief career officer Bernadette Kenny said in a press release.

“As the workplace evolves and becomes more flexible, we are witnessing that moms are becoming more confident with maintaining both their careers and family lives,” she said, but she noted that in an increasingly 24/7 world “challenges still remain.”

“Employers should pay attention to this trend and ensure that all employees, not just parents, are able to better balance work and life.”

Tough World

How should we raise them ... in a very tough world ... how should we make them spiritually talented rather than concentrate on how to defend themselves.... how should we teach them to give and share when we are living in a world that you should be acting like a wolf.... why we keep telling our parents " comon , you have raised us wrong ... you should have teach me how to be more like a wolf than to give and care for people ...”I want my daughter to share , love and care for others , I want her to give poor spiritually people love, tender and care and help them to see the light I want her to share her food , money and clothing ... but where does she stands afterwards ... would she be left out or would people deceive her and think she's a fool ... would she be a kind hearted woman that everyone will think she is nothing but a dumb . Could anyone play with her feelings and emotions?I'm lost into this . we are living in a world that we are making it tough ourselves with the way we treat each other . The way we keep showing off with the money that we have the clothing that we wear and the houses that we live in .... but are we showing off with our personality and the emotional intelligence that we have.Why can’t we just love each other and give more to get more … I’m afraid of how I’m going to raise my children ‘coz I love them so much and I don’t want them to get hurt.

Self-Appraisal

Qouted :
A little boy went into a drug store, reached for a soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone. He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits.

The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation: The boy asked, "Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn? The woman replied, "I already have someone to cut my lawn."

"Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now." replied boy. The woman responded that she was very satisfied with the person who was presently cutting her lawn.

The little boy found more perseverance and offered, "Lady, I'll even sweep your curb and your sidewalk, so on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of Palm beach, Florida." Again the woman answered in the negative.

With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver. The store-owner, who was listening to all, walked over to the boy and said, "Son... I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job."

The little boy replied, "No thanks, I was just checking my performance with the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady, I was talking to!"

The Woman in your life ... very well expressed

This was quoted from an Article I read on the Net :

Tomorrow you may get a working woman, but you should marry her with these facts as well.

Here is a girl, who is as much educated as you are;
Who is earning almost as much as you do;

One, who has dreams and aspirations just as
you have because she is as human as you are;

One, who has never entered the kitchen in her life just like you or your Sister haven't, as she was busy in studies and competing in a system
that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary achievements

One, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters, almost as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;

One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that, her home, people who love her, to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family ,name

One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1, while you sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances, environment and that kitchen

One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and cook food at the end of the day, even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more, and yet never ever expected to complain; to be a servant, a cook, a mother, a wife, even if she doesn't want to; and is learning just like you are as to what you want from her; and is clumsy and sloppy at times and knows that you won't like it if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than you;

One, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even men at her workplace too, those, who she knows from school days and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities;

Yes, she can drink and dance just as well as you can, but won't, simply
Because you won't like it, even though you say otherwise

One, who can be late from work once in a while when deadlines, just like yours, are to be met;

One, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most important, relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you just help her some and trust her;

One, who just wants one thing from you, as you are the only one she knows in your entire house - your unstinted support, your sensitivities and most importantly - your understanding, or love, if you may call it.

But not many guys understand this......

Please appreciate "HER"

Airport road

I was driving to Madaba today enjoying this beautiful shiny spring day , with my son sitting in his car seat , we were enjoying our time singing and I was teaching him to pronounce the words , I was talking to him about everything I'm seeing on my way , the greens , the sun , Spring, Winter, People selling veggies….. and then I saw something horrifying I just stopped and looked I couldn't believe it ..... I saw 3 women in a row on the edge of the street on the airport road selling eggs ……. EGGS in a basket and people are stopping to buy ....I just don't understand , how could this happen ?? how can anyone sell eggs in the streets without labels without being certified ??? what about the bird flu ??????????????what about the diseases ? what's happening I just can't believe it? can anyone tell me where are the authorities ..... HEY wake up this egg can kill anyone, lots of diseases and the world is talking how it's so important to eat fresh secured eggs ... I really can't understand this and I WANT MY RIGHT TO LIVE…..

Food and Drugs in Jordan

As a mother and a member of a family ... I'd like to discuss some issues that I'm sure are the concern of each and every family in Jordan.Lately I've been purchasing a well known brand of milk (Jordanian) that I thought was the best but I was completely wrong. So many times I opened the milk for my children - thank God I've tasted it - to find out that this milk has a very bad taste and it's not good for drinking. I ask my Mom and my relatives and even the doctor of my children to find out that all of them had experienced the same issue with that brand. I really wonder what the food control department is doing in Jordan and why this company is not being questioned......What about the eggs , why in Jordan we don't have a production date or expiry date just to know when was this egg produced and when will it expiries ... don't u think it's our right to buy fresh eggs. How will I know that this egg is produced now or long ago.What about the different food prices in Jordan? You go to buy from a shop near your house to find out that it has doubled the price then you go to a mall to find it triple the price and then you end up moving all around to pick some things from a place and the other from another. Is this fair to us???Where is our right to eat healthy good food ?? why when you go to buy some products from malls , sometimes you find it expired or at least it has only one month to expire? Why you can smell the chicken and fish once you enter a big well known mall and you feel so disgusted with that smell and if you are a fool to buy it you will end up in a hospital.Why the antibiotics in Jordan are over the counter medication??? That anyone can buy it without a prescriptions and sadly to say even the doctors are giving them to people and to kids every time they are sick even id it was only a virus that doesn’t even need antibiotic and it will go alone … We are killing ourselves …..