I finally got round to meeting the new team I will be working with hopefully at the end of this month insh’Allah. I turned up with the best intention to learn and work hard and prove myself but still annoyed that I had been pushed into the kind of work I was not looking for. […]

There are few things I love as much as the handwritten love notes that I get from my children.  Little Lady used to be particularly prolific and I have some wonderful examples of her musings hidden away in my diary and keepsake boxes. This is my favourite, which I always keep with me.  She wrote […]

A sister recently left a comment in a blog post asking for career advice on whether she should take up a position that she felt that she might not be up to.  From her writing on her blog, I can tell she is intelligent and insightful, I have no doubt that she could do what […]

I had some nice news today. I recently asked my new employers about a prayer space or room and my manager said she would for arrange me a temporary space and ask the planners for the new building we are moving to about a more permanent area to pray in. She told me today that […]

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 […]

Having one of those days today. I think workload and events over the last few weeks have worn me down a bit. Was planning to spend the day moping, but it’s not really my style. So thought about why I feel this way and realised I am looking at the small things that are there […]

The last few weeks have been ones full of uncertainty for me, not a state I do very well in.Mum-in-law has gone back to Pakistan, meaning the dynamics in our home have changed subtly. It’s nice to have more time with just me and hubby, but means I have to manage the housework on my […]

I have been an avid reader of self-help books since my teenage years. Since then I have become a little more cynical about them and fewer convince me they are worth reading. Nevertheless, between the good ones (Stephen Covey, Tony Robbins, Barbara Sher, Lawrence Boldt) I have picked up enough good advice to stand me […]

Last weekend I spent a morning with Little Lady shopping and talking. She had insisted that she did not want to come and we should leave her at home. I insisted that she should get out and get some air and spend some time with us. When we got there, we ended up splitting up, […]

Alhamdulillah Eid day was lovely, with family gatherings, meals together and lots of presents for the babies.  I was so busy I didn’t get many photos, so these are a mix of mine and Shutterbug Sisters pictures. I started the day early by beginning preparation for lunch and cooking a traditional sweet breakfast of vermicelli […]

My older son is sitting his SAT’s this week and as every year the debate has kicked off about whether the SAT’s are a good idea or not. These are Standard Assessment Tests  that are given at the end of Year 2 and then again in Year 6 of primary school. The children are tested over […]

I am currently reading Parenting Skills: Based on the Qur’an and Sunnah by Dr Ekram and Dr Mohamed Rida Beshir. Something that surprised me was that they did not start with childcare tips, or parenting advice but with the idea of self-review or “mohasabah”, or reviewing what you have done every day. Although this was […]

I feel like the small efforts I have been making regarding my faith are starting to pay off, although this is nothing to be complacent about, I just feel a difference from some weeks ago. Of course a big part of the reason for this is that it’s the blessed month of Ramadan and you […]

This weekend something caught my eye during tajweed class. We spend the last part of the two-hour lesson opening the Quran and practising reciting after the teacher to get our pronunciation right. We usually use one of the Qurans kept in the masjid, so I end up with a different version every time.  This time […]