Cigaretts !!

 My husband used to smoke, and I hated the fact of him smoking and smelling like cigarettes. I didnt know how to help him to stop, I felt helpless. I started educating my self on smoking, even wrote few papers for my English class. I got a good grade, only for him it didnt do much... but the last paper that I wrote really DID HELP HIM. It took him a while but I am happy to say HE QUIT. HE is not consuming a poison anymore!
 Anyways, here is my paper, hope someone also finds it useful.

March 16, 2010

Dark Cloud of Smoke: Cigarettes

      Have you tried smoking? Did you know that cigarettes kill more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, aids, homicide, and illegal drugs combined? Estimated 440, 00 people in America die every year, caused on smoking-related diseases. Can you imagine a graveyard of that many people? Most people who smoke wish they didn't, but they live in denial about what cigarettes are doing to them.

From my researching and my daily life I have come to conclusion that people should stop smoking because it has many horrible effects on them and people around them.

       Burning tobacco produces more than 4,000 chemicals. Some of these chemicals can make normal cells change into cancer cells. Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the United States. When smoking your lungs age faster and get destroyed .Would you rather enjoy healthy lugs that can breathe, or nasty black ones that block Oxygen and causes terrible diseases? When lung tissue is destroyed, the number of air spaces and blood vessels in the lungs decrease so less oxygen is carried to your body. Smoking cigarettes causes many changes in your lungs and airways. Some changes are sudden, last a short time and other changes happen slowly; they are chronic and last a long time. These are some of the changes that UPMC ( University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 2003) talks about: The cells that produce mucus in lungs and airways grow in size and number which results in increasing thicker amount of mucus. Smoking also reduces the number of cilia which are tiny hairs that clean your lungs and protect against infection. Your lungs and airways have more mucus, and the mucus is not cleaned out well, so it stays in your airway, clogs them and makes you cough. This extra mucus can easily get infected. Your lungs and airways get irritated and inflamed. They become narrow and reduce the air flow. According to Canadian Lung Association 2010, signs of lung damage, which most of smokers ignore are: Feeling out of breath when walking up a short flight of stairs, coughing, spitting up mucous and repeat chest infections.  Even one or two cigarettes cause irritation and coughing. The more you smoke and the longer you smoke, the greater your risk of lung cancer is.  It accounts for approximately 32 percent of cancer deaths in men and 25 percent in women. Man who smoke one pack a day increase their risk 10 times compared with non-smokers. ( Canadian Lung Association,  lung.ca) 

      When you are smoking, you are not just affecting your own health, but also a health of others. When your loved once breathe second-hand smoke, they can get bad affects on lungs and airways, many of which are: Wheezing, chronic cough, increased mucus, shortness of breath, trouble controlling asthma, more lung infections, and pneumonia and lung cancer. (UPMC.com Information for patience)

The EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) reported that 3,000 nonsmoking adults die of diseases caused by exposure to second hand smoke. Second-hand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds, including carbon monoxide (which poisons the human body), ammonia, formaldehyde, and other poisons. Second hand smoking is also carcinogen. Carcinogen is a substance known to cause cancer. (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center  upmc.com)

Do you have any children? Did you know that children exposed to secondhand smoke at home are more likely to have middle-ear disease and reduced lung function? US infants and children under 18 months of age suffer some 150,000 to 300,000 respiratory tract infections (lung diseases such as pneumonia and bronchitis) every year, leading to 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations. Approximately 50-75 percent of children in the United States have detectable levels of cotinine, the breakdown product of nicotine, in their blood. (EPA, US Environmental Protection Agency, smoking-facts.net)

          According to the UPM (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center), smoking causes more than 230,000 deaths from heart and blood vessel disease each year in the United States. This disease is also called cardiovascular disease. Cigarette chemical that affect your heart the most are Nicotine and Carbon monoxide. When Nicotine makes the heart work harder and need more oxygen, the following happens: Heart rate increases, blood pressure increases, arteries narrow, and blood flow decreases. Smoking affects your heart’s arteries which are called coronary arteries. When coronary artery is blocked, you can get chest pain. When a blocked artery deprives part of the heart muscle of blood flow, you get a heart attack. Smoking can also lead to stroke, or brain attack. A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked, then brain cannot get enough oxygen. This causes brain cells to begin to die, making parts of your body unable to function.

           I have tried smoking cigarettes too, and I found it grouse and a horrible choice. After smoking you can’t wash out your mouth, the smell is too strong. Even if I loved it, it’s not worth it because it affects your body from head to toe. If I don’t take care of my body, who will? Not to mention the money you are spending every single day on cigarettes.

Smoking cigarettes is very bad for your health”, says my husband who smokes. He has been smoking for six years now. His teeth are already darker, and you can smell him across the room. He says that he started smoking with his friends, and got addicted too fast.  “I would like to quit, but I can’t, I tried and failed many times; but I will quit.” He says. (Personal Interview with Adin, March 8, 2010) He said many times that he will quit, but no action. I would do anything I could to help him stop smoking. He is aware of how dangerous cigarettes are. I feel terrible sitting and watching him inhale one after another. “Its stinks” I say. But no, it hurts more!  Knowing that this poison stick can cause so many negative effects on his body, and even kill him, hurts me deep inside every day. Will my son start smoking because his daddy is? I don’t know. All I know is that when people are smoking that little cigarette, it’s slowly smoking their precious lives away. My aunt and grandfather died from smoking. Aunt Aisha got lung cancer, and grandpa coughed his life away. I remember how many nights my grandma stayed awake with him when he couldn’t sleep from coughing all night. I remember the month of Ramadan when we were fasting all day. The first thing to break his fast instead of food was a cigarette. Imagine all day not eating and when you do get a chance to eat you light up a cigarette. As a little girl, I never understood, I still don’t. Many families lose their loved ones over cigarettes; I don’t want to be one of them again.

       If you want to change your life, then change your mind. Quit smoking! It is not a question” if” you will get sick from smoking; the question is “when?”  The first thing you can do is write down the list of what you like about smoking verses what you hate about smoking. Who knows you mid find out many things you hate about it, but didn’t know. Include every single thing you can think of, from the largest, most obvious, to the smallest. At the end of the list write down the reasons why do you want to quit, if you do. When you're done, make a copy to carry with you, use it as motivation. Remember, you will never quit if you keep putting that decision off. Decide today that you will take action. You know that you need to stop, and you ask for help to do so. Talk to your friends, maybe you can find a quit buddy. There are many programs online that helped others to quit.

Susie, a forum moderator (quitsmoking.about.com), who gave up smoking, gives a great advice to one woman who is trying to quit smoking, but can’t stop thinking about cigarettes. She says that when you're a smoker, your body will begin to "need" another cigarette within 10 to 20 minutes of finishing the last one, and you probably start thinking about the next one within about a minute after you finished the last one. This is never, ever ending as long as you continue to smoke. So, now that you decided not to smoke and you're early in the quit you may be thinking about smoking as much as you did as a smoker. The “very big” difference is that with each cigarette you don’t smoke, you are reducing the need and desire to smoke another one. And the great news is that eventually you will have no need or desire to smoke, period. It’s also really important for you to lose this thought that you "can't" smoke. Unless someone has you in chains, you're perfectly free to smoke; you're just choosing not to. The more you think about "can't smoke" instead of "choose not to smoke", the harder it is. You think that you're being denied something when you're not. It's also a good thing to try not to think about "forever" just now. It's just too darn overwhelming to think about never smoking again. This, too, will come with time and patience.

Many people have tried quitting, but only some succeeded. You could be one of those who succeed. You know your loved ones want you to quit, it’s up to you to make a right choice .and stay strong in your decision. Everybody will support you and help you. Good luck!

NOT HALAL

Go ahead, Empty your pockets, the following products are Haram (by the way sorry (o:

Who is a TERRORIST ??

Hi,

Have you ever been hated, or accused of something you didn’t do, just because of the way you look or dress?

I was a very small girl when there was war in Bosnia, but I remember everything. I remember the crosses Serbians would leave on the terror they did. They would carve, or tattoo it on the bodies that they raped, tortured, or killed. They even hanged our man on cross like a Jesus. As a little girl, I was scared to see a cross because I was scared that Christians are around. Was this their symbol of evil? Am I supposed to hate everyone who hangs cross on their neck, in car, or in the house? I understand that there is all kinds of people in this world, and that no religion teaches evil. I have made friends with people who believe in cross (Jesus), and I am happy to tell you that they are nothing like Serbs in Europe. Not even all Serbs are evil. So the answer to that question is No, their religion had nothing to do with their evil actions.

I came from terror from Serbs in Bosnia, to America, where kids in school call my sister a terrorist because she wears a scarf. When we came to America, she was 4 years old. She spent most of her life in America; she is an American Muslim. But she can’t go to school anymore because girls, and parents in school call her terrorist. She is 14 years old, and she doesn’t understand, WHY? She asked me today: ”WHY am I a terrorist, for covering my hair? What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to take my scarf off, forget about God, and my religion to please all these people? So in order for people at school to like me, I have to be who I am not, I would have to look and act like other girls in my school? I can’t, I can’t!! -They are barely wearing any clothes, showing their private parts, they show no respect for themselves, for guys, or man-teachers. The less clothes I wear, the more I blend in? Taking my scarf and clothes off, seems like the only way I will be accepted in this school? That is not fair. What should I do?”

What am I supposed to tell my sister? That she is in wrong society, or the wrong school? Is this a wrong country or school for religious or modest people? What is a problem here? Is it a problem that she is from Bosnia, or that she is Muslim? What do you think? What has she done wrong?  You tell me! Why are they accusing a 14 yr old girl of being a terrorist?

Should I take her to the Mall and buy her new clothes that girls in her school wear, or maybe I should take my sister back to Bosnia? Isn’t this a country where am supposed to live my dream? Or is it a country where you have to be anyone but yourself, please people, and forget about your religion and God ?

She said that kids in school are blaming her for some new attacks, or something they heard on news and seen on youtube. I don’t know what they heard, or what else media made out about Muslims. I am tired of people blaming my religion for GOD knows “WHO” did on Sep 11.  Even if Muslims did attacked America that means that they attacked Muslims too, because this is my country, America is a Muslim country too, and the attack has nothing to do with my religion. My religion teaches peace, and we believe that killing one innocent man is like killing all man kind. So who ever attacked America on 9.11  is NOT following Islam or any religion what so ever.

My religion teaches peace, and before you say anything about this religion, learn about it from Muslims, or from Quran, not from Media where they can say anything they want about ME, aaaand YOU too.

Did you know that among the many innocent victims on 9/11 were several dozen innocent Muslims, ranging in age from their late 60s to a couples unborn child?  The Muslim victims were parents to over 30 children, who were left orphaned without one or both of their parents. Six of victims were Muslim women, including one who was 7 months pregnant.  

Why would Muslims attack innocent people when this is forbidden in our religion, or why would Muslims attack their own Muslim brothers and sisters ? Does this make sense ?

I still don’t understand, why is any of this my sisters fault? What example does a parent who points finger at innocent girl and calles her a“terrorist”, set to their daughter or son? You are teaching your child that another child who grew up in the same country as you is a terrorist because of their religion? You are creating hatterit between the kids. How would you feel if someone hated your kid because of your religion, or because of the way they look, or dress?

 I went to the same school as my sister, and nobody has ever called me a terrorist. My name is Samra, my sisters name is Dalila. We look alike, and we are both Muslims. Do you know the only difference between the two of us? The only difference is that I didn’t wear a scarf when I went to this school, and she is.

For that piece of cloth that represents modesty, they call her a terrorist, but for me she is a a hero, because she is the only one in this school that wears a scarf, and no matter how hard it is, she stands up for what she believes in. My favorite American quote: “Stand up for what you believe in, even if that means STANDING ALONE.”  

                                            

Ramadan Rasberry Juice

Just a little juicy idea for Ramadan:

From This:

To This

How to teach your child to pray

"Allahu Akbar" gave me the money
                 

At young age (2-3 yrs) children usually start imitating what they see, so it is a good idea for  parents to let their children be in the same room with them while they are praying. That way they will watch their parents, and pretend that they are praying too. When you notice their first attempt at praying, dont forget to make a big deal out of it. You want them to know that they are being watched, and that they are doing whats right.

Sometimes performing prayer in front of kids can be hard, because as the prayer starts, the kid notices the silence, sees everyone busy, and uses this situation to make mess or bother people who are praying.
My son, almost 4 year old, used to climb up on my back, or even perform dangerous jumps off of table. When this happens, it doesn't ruin the prayer if you take him off of the table, then go back to preforming the prayer. Sometimes when he would climb up on my back, I would lightly push him away, and other times I would just let him finish playing, because I read that Prophet saws used to let the kids play around him, and climb on his back while he is praying.
Telling my son what he is not allowed to do while am praying didnt work much, so I started doing what my parents did to me when I was preschooler.

                

I bought him a little praying rug, and every time I preform a prayer , we would pray together. When I put his rug down, I place a dollar, penny, or candy under neath it. When he is done praying, he quickly gets up, and  picks it up all excited with eyes wide open, excited to see what he got this time. "Woooaw, money!!! Lets put it in the box, mamma!!" Expression on his face is priceless !
Now he asks me to pray, instead of me asking him. When I asked him who gave you the dollar, he said: Allahu akber gave me money!
                                     
Just two days ago i was sleeping, and he woke me up saying: Allah Akber didnt give me anything!!(while he was holding his little rug in his hands). So I told him that he didnt turn to "kibla" the right way, mommy has to place your rug the right way, then you can pray. haha ! Sometimes in the morning he wakes me up: Time to pray, Time to pray! I just love it, and am scared soon he will figer it out that am the one placing the money under neath his rug. Hope inshAllah by that time comes, he loves praying, and keeps performing prayers with family. Amin!

                                                           

Praying in the Public Places

If you are a Muslim, there comes a point in your life where you have to pray in public, in order for you to not miss a prayer. I remember my first time praying in public, I was in Florida. It was morning, which means Fejr time. We parked our car, and prayed in parking lot. Its not scary, its actually relaxing. People were watching, walking by and staring, but for some reason it just didnt bother me. I felt more concentrated in public prayer, then when i prayed alone. It was a beautiful feeling that I cant describe. I didn't care about what people think about my prayer,because I am praying to the same GOD who created them, and I believe that "one day" they will witness that I prayed...

After that time, I prayed in Public couple more times.  When you pray to Allah swt, you have this connection that matters so much you forget about everything else. The prayer is like my "pause" button for this world, so no matter where I perform it, the world slows down.

Dont judge the...

Dont judge the book by its cover
Tho book is called "Does My Head Look Big in This". My sister brought it, and asked if i wanted to read it. To be honest when I saw the book I was like na-a, am not reading it, its just another story about a women treated bad, everyone pretty much hates her because of, oh nou, get this, she is wearing a scarf over her hair, -no thanks I know the story I live it. Then she toled me she read the book, its actually funny and interesting. I grabbed the book and made a face at her, as really?? I havent read a book since HS, i thought its time to start again,  so I started reading it. I couldn't stop, this book was everything but what judged it to be.. she was right, it was interesting!

This book, Does My Head Look Big in This, is about the girl Amal who went to Christian elementary school,  when she started HS she also started wearing Hijab. Very smart girl, she didnt let this peace of cloth stop her from making her dreams come true. There is also this boy Adam who liked her, well she liked him back, he tried to kiss her aand ull have to read the book to know what happen lol. She also had a mean neighborer who turned out to be a lonely sad mother who ... well read the book ;-)

Dont judge the movie by its cover
I did! I saw a guy from That 70's show (Eric Forman), and was like: Its gotta be a good movie! So my little sis and I went to see it. It was a weird movie, when it got to that part where this older women took her bra off, and started making out with a kid, while her nasty, weird boyfriend was watching, WE LEFT!! Im still trying to erase it from my memory. I mean Iv seen Bruno, I expected to see nasty and stupid, but this movie surprised both of us. I thought it was a love story movie, not a gross ew-y el stupido movie.

Dont judge the people by ..anything
Hmm.. I am bad at this, I dont judge people by the way they look, but somehow i judge everyone wrong. I live in my little world thinking that everyone is nice, perfect, polite, gentle and so on, this is why it turns out that am always wrong and thats how I end up disappointed.
I have a cousin who is always there -when he needs me! Once I help him, he kinda throws in one of those words that tell u, u had nothing else to do, or  you were the one who wanted to help him he didnt...aaand he is gone!
Then i have another cousin who was always, always there for me, when ever I need him, but I dont feel like I was there for him. :-(

I had two best friends who would always surprise me. Like back when I was 16, I toled them both this big secret of mine, the one I expected to believe me started laughing, like in comedy movies, with echo in my head. And the other one who I thought would judge me, or laugh at me... No, she said oh wow that is so cool, amm hold on, What, she is the one who believed me? I would of never guessed!  So while I was telling her more about this, my other friend was rolling on the floor laughing. lol Yea, life is like that, full of surprises.

Thinking out loud

We are all very different, but so much alike.
So many deaths at this moment, and God knows how many new borns?
No matter what language we speak, we all laugh, smile, cry and do many other things the same.
If we are so alike, why dont we understand each other? Why do we judge one another?
Not a single person has an easy life, we all know this, but still hurt each other.
I believe that every one of us has a rose inside them self. That beautiful part of us, that makes us smile at strangers when we walk by them. that sensitive part when we cried while watchinga sad movie.
Everybodys "rose" is different. Even the most mean person has it, but we gotta find it, and see it.
Instead of looking for someones flaws/mistakes, we should be looking for the rose inside them, because when you find one rose, LOOK AROUND, you might just find a GARDEN.

Have you ever found a rose, in the middle of dirty street?

I have.

Well...I over-drugged myself

Its been a long week. I am still sick, in fact I woke up with swollen face, how long will this what ever it is last? I am dizzy all day, cant sleep at night from coughing, and if i take Tylenol I am out like a baby. As a mother you cant just be out, even at night you gotta keep one eye open.
 The other day I over-drugged myself. I took some syrup for night time that was like a slap in the face. I dont remember falling asleep, I do remember my hubby waking me up for fajr and giving me some more of medicine. Not asking if its day, or night time syrup, i just swallowed.. (I didnt sleep after Fejr since forever, and iv been trying to keep it that way).
I have no idea how I prayed salah Fejr, i also did the dhikr after, but every time i blink i fall asleep, then wake up and dhikr, I kept trying. I remember moving from floor to the soffa, as soon as I set down i dont remember much, but I was sleeping and reciting, and every time I open my eyes i hear myself reciting Quran... LoL I was doing dhikr while wasted, how weird.  I hate to take those stupid syrups, but sometimes you have to. I am guilty of taking it when I wasn't sick thou :-) hihi I am sure am not the only one?

Who is cooking ?

I was sick the whole weekend, I had cold, but that didnt ruin my day anything at all, in fact it made it more fun. Yesterday my kitchen smelled good, like Chiken Biryani Rice (my fav), but guess what? i wasn't the one who was cooking it, but the lazy one laying on sofa and watching tv, waiting for dinner. This isn't the first time my hubby cooks the dinner, hes done it many times since we got married. I just love that about him. He loves to cook, and he does a darn good job!That Biryani Rice, was honestly the best one Iv ever tried. My parents loved it too.
My fav meal is the one we cook together, it tasts good because its made with love. When am mad, or just not in good mood, he tries to cheer me up, Why? Because as he says:  if you make my food when ur mad, the food tasts mad, not good at all, but when ur happy your food is made with love and it tastes perfect, I know this, trust me. lol

How to pick a perfect gift?

A perfect gift

Express Your Emotion Through Gifts!

Many people have problems finding a perfect present for their "someone".I always get asked for help because as they say I always know what to get. Well I dont, not right away at least, here are the 10 simple questions I usually answer, before going shopping:

1.The name of lucky person: ___


2.This is the amount of  money I will spent:___ (important to know)

3. Does this someone have collection ?


4. Did they give you a hint that they -need- something? ( pay special attention to what the person talks about, what they find important and meaningful, they might give u a clue


5. What is his/hers hobby?


6. Whats the first -thing- that comes to your mind when you think of him/her?


7. The place he/she hasn't been to in a long time..?


8. What is their favorite: -movie, -brand of clothes, -music singer, -book, - cookies, -accessory?


9. What is your favorite memory of you two? You could remind them in a way. (personalized bracelet, poster, pic in frame...ect)


10. Something he/she always wanted to have..?


-In case you got more then 1 girft, you can also make a MAP with clues, where you left all of their presents

Suggestions of what u could get:

-A beautiful card, with 2 movie tickets

-Gift Card for their fav store

-Edibles (with their fav fruit)
-Perfume 

-A gift basket, with things they love inside

-A nice, unforgetable dinner that you cooked, everyone loves homemade presents, there delish.

The following pictures could give you an idea, or get you inspired.

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9.

10.

11.

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13

14  He is giving all hes got! lol 

Dont forget to PACK IT nicely

The longest time I spent making a gift was a week. It was for my hubbys birthday. Every day after school I would go to a different store and get different gifts. I packed it nicely in a big gift basket.

He was really surprised, and happy.

Seeing him smile like that,

I was happier then him

:-)

The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.  ~Pierre Corneille

Can you pick a fovorite?

What is your favorite present you have ever gotten?
 I looked away and made a long pause while I tried to answer this question myself. You cant just pick a favorite. You can pick a favorite gift of a year, but not of a lifetime. I guess my favorite gift is from God,  my son. My little pearl. After miscarriage, i wanted a baby so bad then before I even knew I was pregnant, I had a dream. In this dream I was on the beach, beautiful weather, beautiful ocan, everything is so perfect, I didnt even have to wear my hijab. I walked to this shell on the ground, and took it.... it was mine!  I opened it, there it was, my beautiful pearl, this gave me a worm feeling, I smiled. This is my pearl, nobody has one like it. So a day later, I found out I was pregnant. When I holded my son in my hands, I remembered, he is this pearl :-).

My brother in law came back from Bosnia, so I got many beautiful presents. I didnt even expect some of those people to remember me.

What is your favorite part about presents/gifts? Getting or receiving? I bet its receiving. Are you excited to open it right away? I love packing presents. I prepare before going to get one, I got whole bunch of questions to answer in my head about what should I get/buy or make. I think i will write them down after this blogg, someone might find it helpful.

One of my fav things i got from Bosnia is this  ring from my sister. Now she already gave me couple of rings, but this one is special.

First Blog, March 29

Its 11:00AM, and here I am on computer already checking my email. Nice way to kill time, when I should be doing something else. Oh well... This is my first blog entry, after 50 journals I decided to start blogging.

In my blogs will probably be talking about my life as a Muslim in America, my son, husband, family, art, fashion and I dont know, lets see what else comes to my life or mind.

So today is pretty sad - rainy, too much rain in Vancouver! rainy weather makes people said. I am lucky I have people who make me happy, I forget about lame boring rain when i see them. 

I made pancakes for my son, ohh excuse me, "we" made pancakes. I cant make a single meal without him, he has to sniff the food, mix it, crack it or what ever, he just has to be there to at least watch how its made. If he missed it, his question is: How did u make this, where did u get this, what is this mmm? then when i say I made it, he takes from 5 to 15 min thanking me. Haha, he is a 3 year old by the way, does this mean that he will be baker/chef when he grows up? He also uses my brushes to paint, he draws on his cars... I dont know, he could be many things when he grows up, but something tells me, an artist like his mamaa :-). I love to rub it in my hubbys face: Looks like our son in an aaartist! lol I just got a phone call from my mama, she wants me to come over, but I have many other plans. I am this plan making machine, the min I wake up I plan out my day, thats why my hubby always asks me: So what are our plans for  the day, or the weekend? Yes, I always get to plan the weekends. Last weekend we visited this Arabic store in Portland and I just dont understand those Muslim people !! Yes, Muslim....!! Their store is naaasty! We Muslims are soposed to be like a cleaning machine, because half of our faith is cleanliness... I dont understan why does their store smell so weird, and why dont they welcome you when u walk in, and really, is that a fitting room? that guy can clearly see my a$$ if I change in there, the door cant even close... I dont understand them,  you gotta clean your store bruther! lol  But they do have beautiful skirts, so I ended up buying one.