On the second day of Eid I spontaneously decided to host lunch so invited anyone that could get to us in time for lunch. I wore this outfit, which I found really pretty and which was cool and comfortable with a lovely fit: The babies wore these rainbow dresses which I picked up for a […]
I recently had the idea of creating a journal for Little Lady to keep her occupied during the holidays. It was originally meant for half term break in October, but I never managed to get it finished at the time. I had this lovely book full of thick plain paper which I had been saving for something special, […]
My word for last year was acceptance, I have written about how I fared with the idea last year here. My word for this year is Belief. This year’s word was an easy one and a natural evolution from the word from last year. So much of my development and growth last year has been […]
A strange thing happened to me yesterday (I love it when I get to start a post that way). I was just finishing up my chores and getting the kids to bed when the doorbell rang. It was an elderly lady I see sometimes going past my house or shopping nearby with her husband. She […]
A Map for Lovers is the story of the aftermath of a love affair between Jugnu and Chanda and how their families and community react when they go missing. The book is set in a small unnamed English town (which rather reminded me of Burnley) with a mixed population of white and South Asian residents.Shamas […]
The difficult thing with this 40 day photo challenge is that by the time I get home from work (at 4.30) and remember to look for something to photograph, its dark outside already. So I have to look around in the house for something that piques my interest. I have a soft spot for over […]
As one of my 40-day challenges, I previously listed not complaining for 40 days. The lovely Sister Umm Travis has also mentioned this as something to try on her blog (can’t find it now). I don’t like to complain and try to be positive, but I have to say, sometimes holding it all in is […]
On reviewing my goals for 2014 a few weeks ago, I found that one of them was to help the kids have the best summer holidays ever. When I wrote this down, I hadn’t realised I was pregnant. Now that their holidays are here, I am due to give birth any day now insh’Allah and can’t do as […]
image source If the image has caught your attention, then I’d like to mention my new(est) blog – Faith Beyond Words. Sometimes I don’t have the time to write and sometimes there is just no need, because as they say a picture paints a thousand words. With this in mind, I hope to post one […]
My kids have always been fussy eaters, most likely because I have been in the past. But there is one thing they will all eat – paratha’s, buttery, soft, flaky chapatti’s made with wheat flour dough and lots of clarified butter or ghee. So when I cook something that offends them, like a vegetable God-forbid, […]
Looking back on Ramadan, my mind tends to focus on what could have been better – I wish I could have read more Quran spent more time in salah (prayer), given more sadaqah and spent more time in dhikr (remembrance of Allah).But I know that we live in the real world, where spirituality is to […]
As a child my upbringing was quite strict and reserved. When we were small, my siblings and I would get taken visiting and for day trips. As we got older, we found ourselves fairly isolated. My parents were quite reserved and after the death of my very outgoing and sociable grandparents, my parents limited visiting […]
We are hardly used to being in fasting mode when we find ourselves already in the third and last portion or Asharah (ten days) of Ramadan. The last ten days of Ramadan are signified by increasing devotion to worship and increased good deeds. For this reason I have taken these last days of Ramadan off […]
I know that’s an odd thing to say. Let me explain. When I was a little girl, the main entertainment for us kids was television. Other than that I read everything I could get my hands on. At that time Asians on TV were limited (Network East is all I remember) and non-existent in school […]
