Ramadan

This is what I call speed blogging. I am hoping to get a wee update in before Layla wakes up. Ryan has already been up and is back down again so I have that wonderful little zone of time where I am the only one awake!

We have a few days left for Ramadan and this is a crazy month in particular! Because of the heat (August is really the hottest month) there are NO STORES open at all until 4pm. Then all the restaurants and food stores open for about an hour and there is a slightly mad rush while folks emerge from their houses to get some food. You can buy a set meal at the restuarants....no choices just "how many people are you feeding?" and then you get a plate big enough for it all. And of course a plate of fried food....

They usually break their fast with some dates and laban which is like a thinned out plain yogurt drink. Then they eat a pile of fried foods and I think they go pray at this point. After a big, they'll tuck into a larger dinner like we bought last night. See the photos (= We had some friends over and it was a lovely time of trying to help the kids remember how to eat with their hands and leaning over the plate and keeping the smaller ones from walking ON the plate....

Ugh. my computer is not recognizing the photo card so I can't upload any pictures. Must EVERYTHING break at the same time!?!? There is only so much Tom can fix at once. grrrrrr.

Anyway. The 3-day Eid which is the celebration at the end of Ramadan will start on Wednesday. It is a big holiday for a few days before and a few days after and then life will settle back into more of a routine. We will have Layla in school by the 10th as that is the start date for both schools we are considering. I am now getting worried again that she won't want to be gone 5 days a week. While she is a very bubbly and outgoing personality, she has a strong homebody/introverted streak like I do. Yesterday morning she curled up on my lap and said "Can we just have a mommy, Layla and Ryan day today?" Poor kid. I said yes, though I knew we did have to go out later (= Oh well.

oops ! I hear her little footsteps (=