Monday was Pakistan Independence Day – 70 years on from the day the country was created. I have never been much of a nationalist, but my family in Pakistan are and I have certainly married into a family of real patriots. My father-in-law served in the Pakistan army and fought in two of the Indo-Pak wars. Many […]
I have been trying to keep the kids busy this week without resorting to back to back TV. I thought of buying them some board games which we could play together or some jigsaws which my boys like, but found them rather pricey. In the end I found some bargains at a local charity shop […]
I didn’t do much sale shopping this winter break, but I did pick up some jigsaw puzzles and games to keep the kids busy. We don’t do anything special for New Year’s eve or day, but I was looking forward to the free day to spend with the family. We took all of the games to […]
This post is to share something positive every Friday insh’Allah. Not necessarily anything life-changing, but something small and everyday that we may take for granted but for which we should be immensely grateful to Allah (SWT).The thought came to me yesterday as I was praying my Maghrib (evening) prayer and found Little Man waiting patiently […]
Keeping in mind some of the difficulties/upset we have been experiencing with family, it has been a relief that home life has been fairly calm. My focus on the moment is on the children’s tarbiyyah and education. The most important part of this is teaching Little Lady Quran, which has been a big struggle for […]
I wanted to make some cards for Ramadan and found inspiration at the wonderful Ramadan Joy website, with some easy to make cards (here). I tried to stamp the wording directly onto the card, but couldn’t get the stamp right – either the letters wouldn’t align perfectly or the edges of the stamp would get printed around […]
This week (7th July to 14th July) is Srebrenica Memorial week and is dedicated to commemorating the lives that were lost in the genocide at Srebrenica in July 1995: 8,000 Bosniaks, mainly men and boys. This is something that is very close to my heart. I was in high school when the Bosnian war broke […]
The world is watching the horrific events unfold in Palestine at the moment – the death toll reported today has passed 500 with thousands leaving their home to seek refuge from Israel’s ground offensive. Muslim’s and non-Muslim’s have joined in protest, prayers, activism and charity work. As we receive news of what is happening and discuss amongst […]
This time of year – with the last days of Ramadan upon us and Eid approaching, lists are a life saver for me. They allow me to write down everything I need to do and clear my head. This allows me to focus on prayer. They help put some structure around my thoughts and assuage […]
These are the last of the cards I made a few weeks ago (first batch), thinking I could make a few quickly. The background for this was one of a series of different coloured pictures I cut out from a university brochure. They were all shots of natural patterns in different colours. The blue background […]
Subhan’Allah, I have had a very busy week and I am just starting to fall into a routine with the baby, who turned one month yesterday (already?!) and the older children. This means that this has been the first chance for me to sit down and write (albeit with a tray of dishes to take […]
What a horrid morning. I woke up feeling so miserable today and spent the whole morning veering between rage and sadness, with everyone feeling the brunt of it. The house is still being refurbished and we are still living in two rooms. Everyone has colds and coughs and keeping everyone organised and with a routine […]
What makes you happy?Making friendsPlaying with my friendsJellyBeing looked after by my parentsSpeed cars (any old car with a spoiler at the back)Speed shoes (trainers) This drawing was by Little Man a year or two ago. He is meticulous and will spend ages on his drawings getting every finger, toe, eye brow and detail into […]
There is one food I crave but don’t eat more than two or three times a year – a good old fashioned paratha. A friend has left her little boy with us for a few days and I decided to make the three boys parathas for breakfast. I find a good solid breakfast leads to […]
