Texas Dawah Convention 2007

Five star hotels don't have microwaves and refrigerators in the rooms.

Considering we are not actually financially qualified to stay in five star hotels, that came as a big surprise to us, as we wanted to save on food expenditures. We requested a fridge, and used our rice cooker and steamer to heat up our food.

Like I said in the previous post, the beds are our yusra. Alhamdulillah. Hubby, Baby Z and I grabbed our much needed sleep that Friday morning, while S,N, and H explored the hotel room, and tested the bed's spring. I think they rated the spring as being in very good condition.

Knowing I would fall asleep and never wake up for the rest of the day, I took to washing by hand in the bathtub, all of our dirty clothes. After 14 years of leaving boarding school, in which we scrubbed our own dirty laundry by hand each weekend, I realized that I had forgotten how back-breaking it could be. From then on, I told the kids to wash their own clothes as they shower. I washed mine, hubby's and Baby Z's.

The arduous planning and preparation I had gone through prior to the trip was fruitful, except for one thing. I forgot to bring cooking oil, which probably is a good thing too anyway.

We ate white rice with sardines, spaghetti and its sauce, and white rice with some chicken bought from the food court downstairs. It was hard work for me having to prepare the food each morning especially since the steamer took so long to heat up can of tomato-flavored sardines, and I suffered sleep deprivation, again.

To top it off, Baby Z caught a cold and couldn't sleep one particular night due to coughing. he was miserable at the babysitting too, though he didn't exactly cry. The babysitters said he just kept pouting whenever he seemed to remember that I had left him to go to the lectures.

S never failed to put a scowl on her face whenever we sent her to the MIST Jr.

"I don't like dodge ball!" she complained.

AFfer the second day though, she began to smile a little, and told me about some games they played that she participated in. As I had told Baby Z's babysitter to call on S whenever Baby Z is unconsolable, they did call her several times, which probably gave her some respite from the dreaded MIST Jr. dodgeballs.

H made some friends in his age group, and seemed to be having fun.

N enjoyed the Kidzone so much that she refused to be picked up on the very last day, such that hubby had to physically pick her up. She didn't look too happy. The tears were proof. It was bittersweet. I felt sentimental on the last day too. if I were her age, I would probably cry too.

All in all, the convention was an experience to savor. I still miss it. It was hecti for me, considering I had to prepare the food, tend to Baby Z, dash from the lecture hall to the Kidzone and nurse Baby Z back and forth each time, pick up each kid at the specified time from different rooms, and keep up with doing the dishes in the bathroom, and also the laundry, along with the task or organizing and packing stuff so we wouldn't be rummaging endlessly in the van. It was mentally and physically draining, and I am still recovering, but it was really worth it! Alhamdulillah.

Baby Z's eczema surprisingly got better, much much better down there in Houston. When we got back to Ohio, it got worse.

On Monday, we went to see the pediatrician, and when we told him of the eczema, he said,

"Either that, or you will all have to move to Houston."

Hubby even said the day before,

"I have to find ajob in Houston?"

"Why?" I asked.

"Because Z's eczema is better there."

It must be the humidity.

The experience at the convention is just too rich to be written about in one post. Nevertheless, I don't think I have the luxury of time to write about it extensively even though I want to.

Let's just say, for now at least, that I am really really glad we went.