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An Introverted Blogger

anintrovertedblogger

📚Book Reviews
🌵Plant Mom
🥑 Recipes
✈️ Expat 🇨🇦🇸🇦🇵🇰🇺🇸🇧🇭🇶🇦
Read a melting pot of some interesting reading at 👇

🌿 Monstera Monday 🌿 Let’s be honest — p

🌿 Monstera Monday 🌿

Let’s be honest — plant pics rarely get the love they deserve. But these beauties? They earned their spotlight. So here we are: unapologetically posting leafy glamour shots one leaf at a time.

Swipe through for a few of my favorite Monstera varieties (and an honorary one).

Which one’s your favorite? And if you say “the one that doesn’t need watering,” I see you. 👀😂

1 & 2. Monstera Deliciosa – The OG. Big, bold, and always dramatic.

3 & 4. Monstera Adansonii – Aka the “Swiss Cheese” cutie. Holes in all the right places.

5 & 6. Monstera Thai Constellation – Looks like it’s been kissed by stars. Pure plant magic.

7 & 8. Monstera Albo – Variegation goals. She’s a little high maintenance but worth it.

9 & 10. Mini Monstera (Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma) – Not technically a Monstera, but we let her sit with us.

On my wish list: Monstera Aurea – Because what’s one more plant obsession, really?

🍀 Drop your favorite in the comments & save for your future wishlist!

#monsteramonday #monsteraadansonii #monsterathaiconstellation #monsteraaddict #monsterafanclub

Staycation Things. Captions on slides. Which one

Staycation Things.
Captions on slides.
Which one is your vibe?

#staycation #waldorfastoria #relaxing

March : Main Character Moments 1. I’m a kid at

March : Main Character Moments

1. I’m a kid at heart. Couldn’t resist the cotton candy at the Iftar buffet @theneddoha
2. Chicken Sandwiches & DIY dahi puris for iftar
3. A cloudy day in Doha has to be documented
4. Cottage cheese at 4am because who needs joy?
5. Shopping with kid 2 while fasting - a test of patience
6. Solo iftar because my hubby and kid have more of a social life than I do
7. Uber mom: running on love and zero sleep
8. Kid 1 was sick so I said to eat just half a toast with butter. He sent proof
9. March Madness brackets. Spoiler alert : I’m in the lead right now.
10. Tire trouble on the way to school
11. Malai boti parhata roll with chutneys. I didn’t take iftars lightly.
12. Toxic trait: Tea without sugar and a side of jalebi
13. Senior Surprise at school
14. Kid 2 and I. Last time applying henna together.
15. Asked kid 1 how his Eid was going. He sent this pic. I think it went well.
16. Read only one of these.

February has commitment issues so March stepped in

February has commitment issues so March stepped in to deliver!

1. The last 100 days celebration for my HS senior.
2. DIY Chili lime shrimp fajitas. 🍋‍🟩
3. Leaning into life’s challenges because I still haven’t staked this plant.
4. My biscuit with a side of top seed tennis players doing their thing.
5. Annual tradition : The snow cone at my kids school festival. For me. Not the kids.
6. Surprise delivery for kid 1 and his friends. Duck donuts.
7. Flowers for my daughter’s cross country coach. She has been phenomenal!
8. Bougainville dreams.
9. Friday love : poached eggs on sourdough and a latte.
10. A mix of nostalgia, chaos, and hard truths. Dolly Alderton just gets it.

Why do the ones I love the most, hurt me the worst

Why do the ones I love the most, hurt me the worst?
I think this is why I have trust issues! 😂

#makeitmakesense #plantstruggles #houseplantdrama #expectationvsreality #sendhelp

I had the best time hosting a Galentines Party for

I had the best time hosting a Galentines Party for my teenage daughter and her friends!
The decor came together with strings of hearts, helium balloons, fairy lights and lots of flowers.
We had grazing boards, mocktails, sparkling cider, dinner and a s’mores board dessert.
The girls made flower bouquets to take home and also made charm jewelry to attach to lipgloss. My daughter had the perfect playlist running too!
It was an evening of lots of laughter, candid pictures and smiles. The hardest part was probably moving all my plants away so we could setup.
Hearts are full. 💕

#galentinesday #galentinesparty #galentines #loveisintheair

The first time I tried the Pilates Reformer was qu

The first time I tried the Pilates Reformer was quite the experience! From mysterious straps to surprise cramps, to trust issues with my abs.
But did I love it and am I taller now?
Link I’m bio for the full story.
Have you tried the reformer?

💪What’s your favorite workout?

#PilatesReformer #FitnessFails #pilatesworkout #pilatesgirl

January Photo Dump (keeping it raw & unfiltered).

January Photo Dump (keeping it raw & unfiltered). Let’s see if I can do this every month!

1. Karak in a clay pot. 💕
2. Insanely calorie heavy but delicious baked cream cheese dip with veggies.
3. Actual footage of how some of my books are kept.
4. Do you take a picture of where you parked? Or are you normal? I still had trouble finding my car.
5. Persian food at one of our fav’s.
6. A family of karak lovers.
7. The kind of pics kid 1 sends me from college.
8. This is where I do my weighted vest walks.
9. I am loving homemade saunf (fennel mix). I’ve become my mom. 😂
10. Coffee I indulge in occasionally but absolutely love.
11. What on earth did I just read?! I don’t know what to say.

College decision season = emotional whiplash. 🎢

College decision season = emotional whiplash. 🎢 One email = pure joy, the next = total devastation. And don’t even get me started on deferrals (cue the frantic Googling of ‘Should we send a Letter of Continued Interest?’). Parents, let’s talk about surviving this rollercoaster—without losing our minds. 😵‍💫 Read more with the link in my bio.

📕How has the college decision weeks been treating you? Share with me and forward to friends who are going through the same.

#collegedecisionday #collegekidsmom #collegedecision

I’ve had these books for the longest time and I

I’ve had these books for the longest time and I just haven’t managed to read them. I want to be able to get to them this year.

📕Is there any one you’ve read and suggest I start with?

#tbr #booklover #readingbooks

An amazing sushi platter to start of 2025 because

An amazing sushi platter to start of 2025 because I don’t have anything momentous to share from 2024. I have no highlight reel and no pivotal accomplishments to talk about from last year.

Last night the kids and I were up talking and I asked them if they had any goals for 2025. Their answers surprised me! They were well thought out covering so many aspects of their lives that honestly I was genuinely excited for them.

They asked me about my goals and I thought I’d share them here as well! These are some things I want to focus on for the first quarter of 2025.

1. Go back to reading more historical fiction! This was always my favorite genre. But the hype of booktok books took over for me last year and I wanted to remain ‘current’ in this space and ended up reading books that weren’t as meaningful to me. Yes I’ll still read smut from time to time, but stories set in WWII are my first love and I want to get back to them.

2. I want to clear out our storage areas because now it’s getting on my nerves. For the most part, our home is very ‘minimal’ and I clear out our living spaces from time to time. But a couple storage rooms need a major cleanup. I want to be able to pack my life in a few boxes if I need to.

3. I want to learn a new skill. I already have a couple things in mind and I’ll share soon! But learning a new skill is high on the list. I think it works your brain in new ways and I can’t wait! This is my fav from the list!

4. I’ve always been consistent with going to the gym, and working out for good mental & physical health and I want to keep that up for as long as I can! I’ve come to love reformer pilates and yoga.
Hoping I can try out higher weights for strength and keep the momentum going.

5. Plants! I have a lot of them. But it’s getting overwhelming now. Plant care takes a lot of time and I’m running out of space. So for the next few months I want to avoid buying any new plants and just take very good care of the ones I have. Make sure they flourish, grow, and thrive! I propagated so many plants and perhaps I need to donate some now.

🎇Do you have any short term goals for the year?

Happy 2025.
With all my love,
-N

Winter break is here and I’m sure those of you w

Winter break is here and I’m sure those of you with college kids are looking forward to having your kids back home. The excitement is real - both for parents and kids! For a lot of us, we haven’t seen our kids since we dropped them off in August so we’ve been looking forward to this break!

That being said, sometimes we anticipate a cheerful, happy family break together but things can go sour at times and ruin the happy moments.

So what are the ‘Five Things Not to Do When Your Teen Comes Home From College’ ?
Well for starters, let’s not ask them ‘why are you sleeping all the time?’ They need the rest and trust me dorm beds are really not that great.

I have a few more ‘Don’ts’ in my blog post. Definitely have a read if you have a college kid coming home soon! The post is linked in my bio.

🏫When my college kid comes home he eagerly awaits home cooked meals! What does your college kid most look forward to when they are back home?

|college freshmen| parenting teens| grown and flown|

Whenever I am hosting a dinner for friends, I ofte

Whenever I am hosting a dinner for friends, I often make a roasted leg of lamb. It is marinated the night before, and bakes in the oven during the day. It looks stunning on the table and this recipe makes it fall-of-the-bone tender.

The recipe is linked in my bio and on my website. If you try it out, let me know how it turned out.

What is your go to dish for dinner parties?

Recipes| leg of lamb| Pakistani recipes

Whenever I repot my plants this is the soil mix I

I’ve read ‘The Idea of You’ twice already. F

I’ve read ‘The Idea of You’ twice already. First time was on audio (and I would highly recommend that), and then when my library hold came through I read it again.

I think by now everyone has either read the book or seen the TV adaptation, so I won’t go into details about the story. But let me indulge you in what I loved about it.

I think what made this story for me, was Solene and how this relationship was so much more than just a romance for her. Being with Hayes, helped her rediscover the meaning of love, happiness, and what it means to be desired. For her, it was also her journey of self-discovery which, at her age can be oddly fulfilling.
I will admit, that Hayes’s character took me by surprise. For a 20-year-old lead singer of a boy band, he was surprisingly mature which was a breath of fresh air. He was relaxed in complex moments and seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. Hayes is clever, flirts just enough to keep you on the edge, and knows what he is doing. Hayes is essentially your perfect book boyfriend.

I have a full review on my website. Link for my website is in my bio.

Have you read this ? Or seen the adaptation? Would you recommend I watch it?

The idea of You| book review| Anne Hathaway| August Moon

This is what we’ve been up to during our summer

This is what we’ve been up to during our summer break. Even though my kids are teenagers, they still need something to keep them busy otherwise they resort to doom scrolling on Instagram.
Doha summers are brutal so here is what we’ve been doing indoors.

A 1000 piece puzzle! That’s been by far the most engrossing. I rolled up the carpet in our upstairs family room, and laid out the puzzle on a mat. Whenever anyone in the family wants to do something creative, they sit down and complete part of the puzzle. Sometimes we do it together and sometimes it’s a solo activity!

Taboo! This has quickly become a family favorite. We don’t have teams, but just try and see which one of us can get the most guesses correct. It gets funny when kids say ‘remember the first day of social studies homework in grade 6?’ The answer was ‘family tree’ but only me - the mom -knew that.
Go figure!

UNO is brutal! The kids have some crazy new rules which end up making someone draw 16! How is that even a rule?! And a player can ‘jump in’ before their turn, and you can double up the card you throw etc. At this point I’ve lost track, but UNO has become quite challenging!

And finally Table Tennis. Both kids love it. This has become fiercely competitive. Kid 1 came back from his first year of college and said he’s become quite good at it, because apparently he plays it there with friends a lot since it’s in his dorm. At least he learnt something in college!

😎What is keeping you and your family busy this summer?

🥇Can you guess what the theme of our puzzle is?

#summervibes #indoorgames #summeractivities #doha #summerfun

I preordered this from because Kristin Hannah is m

I preordered this from because Kristin Hannah is my auto buy author and I still haven’t read it!
Not only that, I had it shipped from the US to Qatar and paid an exorbitant shipping fee and it’s still on my bookshelf. But I know I would have had major FOMO if everyone had this book with them and I still didn’t own a copy - the crazy things I do! But this read is up next.

Though I have to say I had just read Dust Child (which was also set during the Vietnam War) and so I wanted a different read before diving into this one.

Please tell me I’m not the only one who buys books to just put them on their TBR!

#tbr #tbrpile #bookshelf #booklover #bookstagrammer

A non aesthetic picture of the reality of exam sea

A non aesthetic picture of the reality of exam season in our home. Past papers, revision notes, sticky tabs, laptop, notebooks, textbooks- it’s all there! And if your child is like mine then there is some last minute cramming sessions happening before for the exams.

It’s May and whoever you talk to is going through either AP exams or IB finals or GCSE’s or if you child is in university they have their finals too and the pressure is crazy.

I feel for the kids! It seems like they work hard all year and so much of it comes down to these final two weeks!

I usually tell my kids that they’ve worked hard and they know the content and it’s ok to worry a little bit and to be nervous. Start your exams with a prayer (dua)and just do your best.
And then I frantically scream ‘omg is your calculator charged?’ 😂
Of course ideally I want them to get a good nights sleep and have a healthy breakfast before they go, but it doesn’t always happen.

Also seeing my child head out in the morning carrying the clear white plastic bag with pens, pencils, student ID etc brings back stressful memories for me. 😂

✏️What helpful advice do you give your children before their exams?

#examstress #examseason #apexams #ibexams #gcse

My only regret with this book is I wish it had com

My only regret with this book is I wish it had come out earlier.
The author -Wallace has some great takeaways in her book that makes this essential reading for parents of teenagers and high schoolers.
This book is well researched and takes a deep dive into the achievement culture in the US and the pressure on the children to get into the top US colleges. She then writes about the mental health aspects including the sense of self worth that results from this pressure.
A survey the author conducted had 83% of parents agreeing that ‘others think that my children’s academic success is a reflection of my parenting’.

I have to admit I was one of those moms. I often felt if my child did not do well in a subject, it somehow reflected on me - that maybe I wasn’t trying hard enough or not providing my child with the best resources to succeed.

The pressure surmounts so much so that children absorb the idea that their self worth is dependent on their GPA, their extra curricular, the awards they receive etc.

The author interviewed many parents across the country and one interview that stood out to me was when the parents who were concerned about college admissions- hired a tutor in middle school, not because the child was struggling but to ensure the child was able to test into the advanced math track in 7th grade and eventually take AP Calc BC in senior year!
There are countless more examples - one of parents encouraging their kids to keep doing a sport because it would look good on college applications. Everything in their family revolved around the insanely hectic athletics schedules.

But at what cost? There are alarming rates of anxiety and depression in teenagers because of this pressure. Our children need to know they matter and that it is imperative to invest in intrinsic values such as friendships, volunteer groups which help cultivate a sense of belonging for our children. In the latter part of the book the author details how to help your child and how to reframe so many conversations that I think many of us parents have with our children.
Sometimes we know all this - but a reminder is always needed.

📕What are your thoughts on achievement culture?

I am a part of multiple Facebook groups for book r

I am a part of multiple Facebook groups for book recommendations and discussions and I enjoy reading what others thought of a book. (Yes I am still one of the few who use Facebook 😂).

There have been multiple instances where some folks have recommended books by Palestinian authors only to be dismissed constantly saying these books should not be read or the authors are anti-semitic, and should not be supported and promoted.

Very few people actually want to read these books and open their minds and unlearn what they’ve been told. But for the most part, comments are closed off by the moderator as soon as someone asks for books on Palestine because others come forward saying whatever you read in these books is based on fiction and is all fabricated.

With so many posts on social media (not mainstream media as much), one would think that people would open their eyes to the truth. But the comments suggest otherwise. I was beyond shocked to read some of the comments. Books like ‘Mornings in Jenin’ or ‘Against the Loveless World’ are difficult books to read and beyond heartbreaking.

I’ll be honest, I hadn’t read many books by Palestinian authors except for Etaf Rum until recently. But I would urge you to go to your local library and pick up a book by a Palestian author and have a read.

Most books in this post are from @qatarnationallibrary and when I went I also picked up two cookbooks to try out some Palestinian cuisine.

Thank you @the.versatile.sisters for this mug!!! Love supporting this cause and creating awareness.

The mug design was created by @jam_musings in collaboration with @ceraenoorofficial

#palestinianauthors #diversebooks #diversereads #keepreading #doha #booklover #bookstagram #palestine

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