Sofa Epic and Complainer’s Challenge

I did plan lots for this last weekend, but I ended up doing…nothing. Well, nothing productive anyway. I have spent all summer talking my husband out of removing the chimneys from our downstairs (why are all Asians obsessed with removing chimneys – why does about three foot more space by the wall improve our lives so drastically considering it costs so much?). Anyway after agreeing it was unnecessary on a number of occasion, he announced on Friday evening that we had better pack up the back room (where I keep all of my books, the children’s toys, my craft supplies, all of my stationary, paperwork and the computer and pram with all of the children’s coats in it) as the builders were coming on the weekend. So packed everything up in boxes and spend two days sitting on my mum’s sofa. Usually this is one of my favourite places, but by the end of two days of being stuck inside with the kids with nothing to do, we were all going crazy. I spent two days eating rubbish (chocolate bars, pancakes, chips and fish-fingers, chocolate fudge cake, chilli crisps, halal cola bottles, chocolate biscuits…).

I spent most of the two days watching my family channel-hop at high-speed (Long-Suffering Sister is queen of this, whereas Kooky Little Sister just watches weird stuff). In the evening we have the treat of the 45 minute film. This is when my mum watches a particular Indian channel every day at 8pm to see the view the first 45 minutes of a film, before the channel shuts its free-view slot. This is to encourage people to subscribe. Of course the film-makers have clocked on and right before the 45 minutes is about to finish, there is some great surprise about to unfold which has you hooked, which you cannot see the denouement of. None of this seems to bother my mum at all and she happily watches the first 45 minutes every day. I also spent the weekend looking at my books, but not reading a thing. I took my journals with me, flicked through them and again did not a thing. I sat with my gran for a while which is usually something productive, but she was on one of her bi-annual fits of temper, usually caused by one or other of her relatives, so spent two days shouting, swearing and threatening on the phone to the other end of London and to Pakistan, with the rest of us trying not to wet ourselves with laughter while she threatened to “come over there in my wheelchair if I have to and yank all of your hair out!”

Any way the lovely Umm Travis, has shown exemplary timing Mash’Allah with her challenge asking us how long we can go without a complaint and her challenge to have an attitude of gratitude. So I am thinking about the weekend and what I have to be grateful for – a good rest which has left me with buckets of energy and a renewed focus. I am grateful that I spent time with my parents and sisters, I am grateful that they were patient enough to put up with me and my rowdy kids all weekend. I am grateful that my husband cares enough to try and make our home comfortable and beautiful for us. I am thankful that my gran is well enough to yell for 50 minutes without taking breath. I am grateful that I made time to speak with family in Pakistan (a new bride to congratulate, a new baby to ask after, and an ill mother-in-law to make giggle amongst others).

In turn I tag beloved Big Sis, Sis Rainbow, Sis Umm Nassim, Sis Lubna, Sis Umm Zachariya, and anyone else who would like to have a go, please join in if you like.