When I was approached by the author, Adejoke Ajibade- Bakare to review her book of poetry, I was a little nonplussed. I love books, especially straightforward and fast paced prose, but poetry is another matter. I am never sure if I am missing something, a metaphor of some kind or an allusion to some deeper […]
I have come across the idea of a nature table and really liked the idea. There were a few I found which quite inspired me (some pics here, here and here). I thought this was a nice way of enriching my children’s everyday environment a little.Ideally I would have liked some kind of large tray […]
My in-law’s have this philosophy that mischief-making in a child is a sign of intelligence. The naughtier the scrapes they get into, the brighter they are. Perhaps there is a grain of truth in this, I’m not sure.I have been lucky in that my youngest child, Gorgeous, was a very good baby. He was the […]
One thing I love about my relationship about Little Lady is that we have great conversations. These are mainly about books, films, family, school, food and more books. But sometimes they are just about life and our perspective on things.One recent such conversation came about because she had been watching lots of hijab tutorials. I […]
We were invited to dinner tonight, so I thought I would make my hostess some cakes (being one of the few things I can make without burning or murdering with salt). I used this recipe, but quadrupled all the ingredients. In the end I filled a tub for my friend who came around with some […]
My mum’s mince kebabs are well-known amongst friends and family, people can’t get enough of them. I had a go at these last night and they were easy to make and tasted scrummy. To make them even easier I peel and quarter the onions and top the chilli’s and give them to the butcher to […]
We are hoping this month to (finally) visit my brother’s intended and formally ask for her hand insh’Allah. With this in mind, me and my sisters spent the weekend discussing what preparations were required (my brother being oblivious and my parents behaving like rabbits caught in headlights every time marriage is mentioned).Eventually we headed out […]
Little Lady has always been quite anti-hijab, insisting that she will never wear it, but ensuring I always have mine on before I leave the house. Recently though she seems to have taken more of an interest. Her dad recently bought her a nice leopard-print trim abayah to wear to the masjid for Quran lessons […]
Pregnancy seems to bring out the advisor, expert, midwife, doctor, shaman and superstitious old soul in all sorts of people. I know every culture has some variation of pregnancy/baby superstitions – in England it’s the ring on a chain held over the stomach to determine if it’s a boy or girl (depending on whether the […]
On our first day in the Isle of Wight we headed for the coast, at the Western most edge of the island past Totland village and bay, to see The Needles. The Needles are probably the most famous landmark on the Island and surrounded by a number of activities for families, including a chairlift and […]
This weekend and this morning have been a lesson for me. I realise I have not been my Happy Mama self for a long time. I spent the whole weekend moping, feeling tired and sad and getting cross with people. I spent most of Saturday evening working myself into a tantrum, aiming it at my […]
Posted by Happy Muslim Mama at 21:50 Labels: Ramadan
A while ago I posted Healthy Eating With Kids and then realised that my children’s diets, healthy eating, learning to cook well and growing my own food or finding fresh (from relatives gardens, farm shops and markets) are all growing into real passions for me. I think all of these aspects of food are closely […]
Part memoir, part modern history lesson, this book also has a series of short fables running through it, making the book very hard to categorise. The book begins with the author looking back to her childhood and her father’s stories about Afghanistan and Afghaniyat (Afghan-ness) and pondering over her identity as a British born half-Pukhtun […]
