Thanks to Walgreens for sponsoring my writing. Help Walgreens help others! Visit their Facebook page here to learn about their charitable partners and decide which cause Walgreens will donate to with a quick vote.”

First, charity starts at home. Beyond our family duties and responsibilities, its incumbent of all Muslims to give back to the Ummah (community)…and it should definitely NOT stop after the month of Ramadan.

Volunteer Ideas to Give Back to Your Community

• Volunteering Your Way in Your Kid’s School - Need some ideas? Here’s 79 Ways hubby, daddy and I volunteered at a local elementary school.
  
• Continue your Qur’an-a-thon Sadaqah pledges year-round, not just during Ramadan. Use the principals of studying the Qur’an, seeking pledges and making donations in your kids’ name.
  
• Have your kids decide how they want to volunteer any extra time…better yet, let them involve their skills, talents, interests and areas of expertise. Here’s what my girls are doing: S3 (S-cubed) STEM with the Sabra Sisters.  Additional ideas which we’ve done over the years include:

1. Volunteering at a horse rescue (because they’re horse riders),
2. Volunteering at public library events (because we could not homeschool without a library),
3. Volunteering to tutor other homeschoolers or school-kids in subjects the girls are strong at (ie. Arabic, Math, Science)

• Volunteer as a Muslim Family for the benefit of the local ummah. In our 99 Tips to Help Kids Fast during Ramadan, you can get *many* ideas, or at least inspirations to figure out ways to volunteer directly in your local ummah.
• Volunteering in the local homeschool community. You can search our archives for links of most of these: but I’ve done just about everything imaginable: organized a Physics Day for Homeschoolers at a local amusement park with nearly 150 homeschool family members, led Math coop, taught Invention curriculum, moderated homeschool online groups, organized homeschool gym classes, sports days, private museum classes, field trips, park days, tutor other kids…you get the idea, right?) There’s SO much to do as most homeschool-related activities are all volunteer-based. MashaAllah.

Low on time? Here’s ma couple of places to make quick donations

• Participating in Virtual Campaigns to help build a historical Islamic Center of Murfressboro, TN
• Islamic Relief – You can pick the campaigns you want to contribute your donations.

So, What Ideas and Ways Do You Give Back to Your Local Community? Have creative ways to share with us? Or, typical normal “volunteer” ideas, that even though everyone knows about how and where to do those activities, but never has enough volunteers present? We’re hear to support the mostly thank-less volunteer efforts you make…we want to acknowledge your efforts for the sake of Allah, inshaAllah. Please share.

Don’t forget to help Walgreens help others! Visit their Facebook page here to learn about their charitable partners and decide which cause Walgreens will donate to with a quick vote. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.”

What Ways Do You Give Back to Your Community? is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog

Crosstown Media, the Emmy-winning film and television production company, is developing a brand new documentary TV series aimed at exploring and celebrating the lives and faith of Muslim families living in Middle America.

Through profiling the everyday lives of one or two Muslim families, their goal is to accurately document what life is truly like for a Muslim family living in Middle America – both the happiness and the hardships.

They are looking for Muslim families – preferably multigenerational – interested in sharing their lives, culture, and faith with us.

Details

After an hour long call with the Product and Development Assistant, I tried to find out as much details as possible. After all requests like this has been plentiful over the past 3 years and I know the issues, concerns many readers have over the past.

In no particular order:

• Tentative title, “Muslim in the Middle” if they are fortunate enough to find an ideal Muslim family living in the Midwest & Heartland.
• Documentary style. Chronicle “A Day in the Life of American Muslim Family” on network television.

• Goal is to have a multi-episode series stretched out 6 or 12-13 week sequence.
  

• They hope to capture an “All-American” family who happen to be Muslim, in their every-day life whether they own their own business, at work, getting married, etc.
• They’d like to portray average family, who they are, what they do. Aspects of life that are unique and others that are “typical”.
• Typically filming will take place over 3-6 months.want hear as many families as possible to build relationships.
• They will respect our beliefs and customs.
• They would need to film inside in the home throughout their days,  work, etc. yet will Not intrude.
• Permission: Legal team. Releases for anyone on camera. Location & guest releases. Adjust language to cater specific needs & flexibility.

Some Benefits for the casting family according to Crosstown Media:

• Chance to show the world who they are and what they do.
• Being a Muslim is a big part of ones’ lives, so this is an opportunity to showcase this pride.
• Opportunity to educate others about Islam through the simplicity of living life as a Muslim (My words).

These are my own determination of Phases. But, Phases 1 – 3 make up the entire Development and Casting Phase, which Crosstown is presently in.

Phase 1. Email submissions:

• Despite their hopes for multigenerational, Middle-America Muslim family that are open to receive as many submissions as possible. They have no preference to ethnic groups, whether native Muslim or those who embraced it, multiple-religions in extended family or solely Muslim family. Any background. Native born American or Immigrant American. They simply want to see how many Muslim American families are interested in participating at this stage.

Phase 2. Detailed phone conversations:

• Crosstown with interview interested families over the phone, which may take weeks or months.

Phase 3. Introduction videos as part of screening.

• May take several months.

Phased 4. Production Phase.

How to Apply

Please email your name, age, location, a brief description of your story and your family, and a family photo to: casting@crosstown.tv

No word count.

Ideal deadline: May 31, 2011

Questions? Concerns?

Please share detailed comments below. Your questions and concerns will be addressed more expeditiously if you comment below rather than emailing me directly, as Crosstown Media will be moderating this post as well.

American Muslim Family Casting Notice – Crosstown Media is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog

My very best-friend is preparing a baby shower for her neice who’s expecting her first daughter.

And, like wow–Alhumdulilah!

How exciting…the first one in her generation to be called “Mama”!

Anyways, I remember everyone asking what names we had in line during all of my 3 (2 surprise) showers!

Hubby and I were very good…just like we said we didn’t want to know what the gender was…for the surprise, the name will be a surprise to everyone too

It was a personal and wonderful journey of figuring out our first born’s name and glad its still a highly-unique and rare name, with TONS of meaning!

It is reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “On the Day of Resurrection, you will be called by your names and by your fathers’ names, so give yourselves good names.” (Hadith Abu Dawud).

I’m very particular, because our first born has a very unique Muslim name…and I use that as a judge to see which is the most thorough database/website to start your glorious journey

So here are some places to start:

• Names for Muslims

• Muslim Baby Name - they have a cool compile your “favorite list”

• Tried and true: Search for Truth. same resources as above.
• MuslimBabyNames.net While not that correct in all their meanings, I like this site for their categories: “Historical names” and “Prophet’s names”
• An excellent Muslim girls’ name PDF here…not many names, but gets you started very well.
• Other muslim baby names listed in this article, I haven’t reviewed them all…but, I’ve reviewed enough and insha’Allah, gave you a great start.

Please share your recommendations below.

Muslim Baby Names – Always a difficult and fun experience! is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog