Baby steps

Watching the younger generation grow is a pleasure. I look at my nieces & nephews and the children of my friends and my heart just can not help but soften and warm towards them. Their innocence, learning, and growing.

Last night my husband took the children all out for me so I could get a break for a few hours (may Allah reward him) in that time he also visited his parents masha Allah. He came home and told me a little bit of what the children did while they were with him. I usually do that to him when he gets home from work. ( I think it annoys him sometimes, but the children fill up my day... I'm a mother!) Anyway, he said the time for maghrib prayer had come in, while at his parents. As they all lined up to pray, my youngest joined the ranks beside his father. He recited along with his grandfather during the prayer in his baby voice, the end of each ayaat of surah Fatiha, followed by a loud AAAAAMMMEEEEEN!

He bowed as best he could for ruku, then lay flat on his belly for sajdah, saying Allah baar...again in his baby voice masha Allah. By the last rakat he was bored, and he let out a large sigh 'aaaaaaaahhhhhh' and lay on his back. But before his grandad could do the taslim he jumped up to pretend he was still joined in the salah, turning his head to the right then left.

Masha Allah this is the salah of a 2 year old! I thought the story was soo sweet. I have seen over the years other little ones of the same age doing the same actions in the same manner in the masajid. And found it soo adorable. Kids are cute!! Don't ya think??

Oh motherhood!

A much needed break was in order after Eidul Fitr. But this mother didn't take that opportunity. I sooo don't know why! The older children alhumdulillah all seem to be getting on well this year with their school work etc. But now with my eldest getting ready for his first year in secondary/ high school, I feel I have to make sure that he is prepared for this change in his life.

This change brings new levels of expected independence, and expected maturity. I am the one who is freaked out though!! Especially when I hear other peoples horror stories of raising teens & pre- teens. And I can clearly remember what I was like as a teenager, I was not easy to get along with to say the least lol. Just a moody- grumpy ''miss thang''! lol I'm totally freaked!! Subhan Allah, I don't know what to expect over the next coming years insha Allah. Well, we never do. But, you know what I mean?

At the moment he is still innocent, and clueless, a child still in it's pure form. My baby is growing up! *sigh* I am trying to make him prepared, but am I ready for change? hmmn..... I remember thinking, the baby stage is soo difficult, the exhaustion to sleepless nights (to which I still experience lol with the baby) the sickness, keeping up with them... not to mention trying your hardest to instill the correct aqeedah and cultivation of their Islamic character!

So when does it get easy?? Or is it ever easy?? Does a mother ever stop worrying for her child/ children? Does she ever feel like she has done them justice, and given them all they need to succeed in this dunya? To sow the seeds so that they may use them to grow into mature, firm, upstanding members of society, and go on to jannah. With Allah being pleased with them and you pleased with them also...... Oh a mother does worry!!

It's not just about food, the latest toys and flashy garments, being a mother is such a big responsibility, and I fret often as to whether I am giving all that I am entrusted to do. My brood is growing up FAST, right before my eyes... and time is always running out.

My Allah keep them upon the straight path, give them beneficial knowledge, and understanding of that knowledge. Ameen May Allah guide your children, and keep them firm upon the deen, and make them a cooling to your eyes.. Ameen. MAy Allah give our children good health, and protect them form the wasswas (whispers) of shaytaan. Ameen.

It's Over!!!

Yet another Ramadhaan has come & gone. Yet another month of forgiveness, blessing & reward! In the Eid khutbah the Imam said twice, '' Ramadhaan is over'' , I tried to choke back my tears because it really hurt me, those 3 words he spoke. IT broke my heart to hear the reality of it all. I am truely going to miss Ramadhaan, and I don't know if I will live to meet it again, or to pray another night seeking laylatul Qadr. O Allah please accept our Ramadhaan, please accept our fasts, please answer our Adiyaat, Ameen! Ameen!



With the end of such a beautiful month, came joy masha Allah... Do you know how blessed we are? Do you realise the Mercies of Allah upon us as Muslims? My family and I spend the day of Eid with our children trying to make sure that they understand, how bountiful and merciful Allah is to them. That no matter how down trodden, and destitute you might feel. Or how much you feel the whole world is against you, or that all the people you used to love or have loved are gone.... You still have Allah, to turn to, and there is ALWAYS someone else worse off than you! Someone out there who is your brother or sister, who is suffering more than you! And to be thankful.



Some would say luck, but there is no luck in Islam. We were Blessed to enjoy a happy Eid day Alahumdulillah. In the end the children only played two games. But they were happy masha Allah. My Mother in law (May Allah reward her greatly) cooked for the whole family. SOme lovely rice & peas, chicken, and samosa. It was yummy!! The rest of us bought along all the junk food for the kids.... popcorn, cakes, chocolates, lollipops etc. We sat back and watched the little ones eat whatever they fancied, make jokes with one another, and wrestle, before I took out the pinata! They jumped for joy! They were so excited about playing the game that they were almost shaking. (or maybe it was just the sugar rush from all the junk lol) It took AGES to break, which was hilarious in itself. The determination on the faces of those kids to break it was fantastic!! My husband and his sisters watched in laughter! But when it did break open.... the MAD DASH for all the sweets & toys was mayhem & jubilation. To see them (9 of them) all tackle one another for the most they could get and tickle sweets out of each others hands & grab them was really funny!



After that was a short game of pass the parcel to which my sister in law hummed old nasheeds to them. (I forgot the duff!) Each of the children received a small toy, courtesy of my lovely mother & sister may Allah reward them Ameen. But after all of the silly excitement the children were all exhausted, alhumdulillah. They hailed it as one of the best Eid days in years. Masha Allah that was all that I wanted. Just to see them laugh and hear them giggle. I see them all growing up before my eyes, and know that soon they will be too old for all this, so let them enjoy it and be kids while they can! Enjoy childhood because you can't get it back once it's gone....




My sisters.... wherever you are around the world, I hope that you too had a good day of Eid with your families and loved ones.

Another Ramadhan flies away!

I don't know about you but, subhan Allah I have felt this Ramadhaan go by REALLY fast. Before it began I was wondering how I would cope with the long hours this year, let alone my boys! In hind sight I think it was only Shaytaan trying to worry and discourage me, because alhumdulillah it was no where near as difficult as i thought it might be. And Allah is truely Merciful to His servants!!!

My eldest son hasn't yet reached the age whereby fasting is Fard on him, but we still encourage him to persevere and fast as many days as he can. However this year as with last year he has managed to do 20 days masha Allah before becoming weak. So we asked him to stop fasting until he regained his strength. The poor young man was heartbroken (he cried) that he couldn't continue on until he recovered. He pleaded, '' Why does this happen to me every year? I wish I could finish one full Ramadhaan!''. I felt his sadness, because he does truly love to be involved. As we all do! Especially us women, when we have to stop the fast in Ramadhaan the heart feels sadness at not being able to join in. Even if it is for a short time, we feel at a loss.

The next in line of my children, is doing what I heard someone coin 'mini Muslim fasts'. We allow him to do as much as he can during the day, and don't admonish him if he cannot continue the full day. He finds it more difficult when we are home to keep his fast. The boy is in & out the kitchen ALL day, saying ooops! lol Until he gets fed up of trying to remember he is fasting and just says 'I give up!' But he tries again to do better the next day masha Allah.

My daughter does the fasts that just simply make me laugh! She is only fasting when you put something in front of her she doesn't want to eat. For example, if is it a lollipop, she isn't fasting today Mama, but if it is an actual plate of real food.... Mama , it's Ramadhaan, I'm fasting ... I don't want any food! l lol

May Allah reward them all for their efforts and sincerity, Ameen. May He keep that zeal in their hearts as they grow older! Ameen.

With Ramadhaan nearing it's end, they have asked me what they are getting for Eid. In short, nothing from me!! LOL I have learned over the years that they don't really appreciate it anyway, what they really enjoy is the time we spend together. So I have decided to have a Eid kiddy party for them & their cousins insha Allah. ( I hope they appreciate it!) Like I said, a few months ago I bought a huge pinata in the shape of a nice present. I have been slowly filling it up when they aren't around. Also I have been thinking about what other games they can play as well insha Allah.( As well as playing in the garden and scoffing chicken burgers!) Today, I told the children of my plans, and that I would let them decorate the living room for the first time for the Eid day insha Allah. This is in the hopes that it will keep them occupied for a day so that they can fast!! lol

I really want to make the Eid both a celebration and a reward for their efforts this Ramadhaan insha Allah. Just as they do in Muslim countries. In the west, I find it to on the whole be a wash out for children. With adults only thinking of what they would enjoy doing on the day. I have done that in the past, and just getting together with family and eating isn't enough for my children they quickly get bored, then trouble starts, because nothing was planned for them. None other than gift giving. And 2 weeks later they have no interest int hte gifts the received or they are broken! It's all about the memories this time. And if no one else will make plans... I guess I have to.

I wanted to ask you ladies, do any of you have ideas of party games I can do with the children, or activities? They all range from 2 yrs old to 10/11 yrs old. And they are all still kids masha Allah, not mini grown ups stuck in childrens bodies.... yet!

I look forward to your ideas/ help. And hope you and your families have a blessed Eid, and that Allah accepts your Ramadhaan!

Ahlan wa sahlan!

As Salaamu Alaikum warhamatullahi wa barakatu to all of you 'newcommers '. I hope you enjoy my sometimes silly but often quiet blog about being a mother. You are all welcome to join in and send me some of your funny stories also insha Allah. Or add some funny stories as a comment. They don't have to be funny, it could be something that made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Or maybe not even about your own child, a friends little one or a niece or nephew etc. Just keep it all pleasant please. All positives inshaAllah

Wa Salam Alaikum
Habeebah

sneaky cookie monster!

I don't know about you & yours but my kids HATE bedtime.... passionately! More than likely though because we also use it as a discipline measure. Which is why my 2nd eldest was sent to bed early tonight for misbehaving. As you could imagine he was not too pleased about the punishment, but had to deal with it and ''man up'' as I say.

2 hours later he comes downstairs and asks for a drink. Bear in mind he wasn't sent for a time out this was being sent to bed as a final resort. I had my back facing him while I was browsing e Bay lol. He was instructed to quickly get a drink then go back up to bed. It suddenly dawned on me that I was making myself a cup of tea, and was waiting for the kettle to boil, with by Scottish shortbread biscuits/cookies on the counter top. I heard a quick rustle in the kitchen, so got up to investigate.

The packet of biscuits appeared to be totally untouched as I picked up a cup to fill up with water. I felt bad for being suspicious of him, but as i look down I see his dressing gown pocket open slightly and 3 (not 1) yes 3 biscuits peaking over his pocket. Saying nothing I simply lent over and removed all of them from his pocket. While he just let out a sigh, with his eyes wide open like '' How did she see that?''

GOTCHA!!

I had to laugh as soon as he left the room. His face was hilarious!!!

Mama, Abi... I want...

It's getting a little cramped here, and we are having to make do with the space available alhumdulillah. We had seen the day coming years ago when we would need more space for the children masha Allah. Which is why we had our loft/ attic room fixed up for either us or our eldest to move into when the time came. Well, the time has come, too soon if you ask me.

With my decorators hat on *wink* my hubby and I redecorated the loft room for my eldest son in the colour he wanted (which was green ). And set up a desk for him to do his homework etc. But now, the next one wants to know what are we going to do to his room! He has it all planned out, we are apparently going to get him a laptop and a tortoise for his room. (Boy need to get a JOB!! a laptop?? puhleeze!) We have just been humouring him while his list of wants gets longer and longer.

So lil Miss had to join in too right? She said: '' Abi?.... If he gets a turtle (a tortoise really but she calls them all turtles) can I have a kitten in my room?'' OK... now. We already have two cats masha Allah, which I don't allow in the bedrooms. To top it off I got them for the kids to begin with and who looks after them now??? You guessed it .... MAMA! So I said: ''No, no more kittens we already have two and they are not allowed in the bedrooms!'' To which she replied: ''OK can I have a tiger then?''

A TIGER?????