I was doing some research for work today on equality in sports participation and one of the most striking findings I came across was the lack of participation of Muslim women in Sports. Quite a few of the research reports and studies had attempted to gauge the reasons why Muslim women did not participate in […]

The term I use in this title probably sounds silly, but I am sure every mum must experience it at some time. Some days it’s just the fact that most shops have their aisles and racks so close the pram can’t get through without knocking half of the contents of the shop to the floor. […]

It was my cousins wedding last week and an absolute pleasure to get dolled up, turn up like guests and enjoy the food them come home.  No hassle, no preparation, no to-do lists and no trauma or drama, which Pakistani weddings can be great for. It was segregated as some of the sisters wore niqab, […]

This weekend was a scorcher by English standards (30°C) after the wet spring we have had, so we decided to make the most of it.I usually avoid going out in the evenings with friends as it takes even more time away from the children and I fret about missing prayers. But with the long days […]

We were lucky enough to have an Eidfest event near us this Eid.  The event was organised by 1Eid whose vision is: “We will strengthen and unite local communities by reviving, celebrating and sharing the essence of Eid.” Which is kind of wonderful. There were a couple of things I liked about this event.  The […]

My dad stopped by this week and randomly brought in and assembled a snooker table.  He thought it would be better than the kids watching too many cartoons (erm, we don’t have a TV).  The kids were on it like a shot and have been knocking the balls about ever since.  I sent my mum a picture […]

We opted for a simple Eid this year.  With two new babies and a family wedding in recent months, following on from a summer Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, wedding season in general and my pregnancy, simplicity seemed to be the kindest option. So this time round I didn’t get the decorations out, I didn’t do any shopping […]

Hmm…where to begin. My children are not normally allowed any fizzy drinks (except for the sips sneaked by my mum, sisters, cousins…when I am not looking).  I was out shopping and these mini cans were being given away.  I couldn’t say no to a freebie and they gave us one each – except they opened […]

I was rushing through my evening as usual, when Little Lady and Little Man asked to pick strawberries. I’m amazed how much joy they got from something as simple as picking strawberries, helping wash and prepare them and then gobble them down. Our patch is so little that we get three or four red ones […]

One of the features of Leeds Castle I really liked was the kitchen garden.  It was nice to see the mix of beautiful flowers and useful herbs.  Mum was with us and was inspired by the fennel growing in tall, whispy plants.  I loved the layout of the garden, sectioned off into squares by borders.

The weekend after Eid (which seems so long ago now), I decided to throw a one-dish Eid party.  I usually d this quite soon after Eid as we still have out decorations up. This year I decided I had had enough of stuffing the kids full of sweets and instead of a sweet table we […]

I came across this lovely post called 21 Suggestions For Success & Happiness at Sister Zaufishan’s wonderful blog. She has re-posted a similar list by Mr H. Jackson Brown Jr called “21 Suggestions for Success”. It got me thinking. What has 32 and a ½ years of life, 11 years of marriage and nearly 9 […]

I recently overheard a conversation (no I wasn’t listening, it’s an open plan office) between two of my colleagues about motherhood. They were two of a number of recently married, hip young women, in their mid-30’s, a little older than me and mostly a few grades senior to me. They were discussing motherhood and thoughts about […]

Long-Suffering Sister introduced me to Isabel Allende and I find that she is rarely emphatic about a book, so I thought this author would be worth checking out. Although Allende is famous for “House of Spirits”, her writing has not really registered on my radar and I had no expectations except for the hope that […]