Did you ever take the time to look nice and your kids/ husband asked you if someone was coming over or if you were going somewhere?  Looking nice doesn’t have to be a special occasion thing, you can do it every day! If you want to look good consistently, you’ll want to have an effective wardrobe that complements your looks and makes wearing hijab easy and comfortable. An effective wardrobe will help you look beautiful every day, not just for parties or Eid days. When you look beautiful, you feel good about yourself, which translates into confidence and a positive attitude- the two must-ha ..read more

I almost got bitten by the home upgrading bug after seeing so many pretty projects everywhere during Covid’s stay-at-home time. Thankfully, we’re renting, so tearing down walls or repainting the walls in our favorite colors wasn’t an option for us.  On top of it, replacing furniture or decorative items just because I wanted something “new” wouldn’t work very well with my zero waste goals.  Did you know climate change can negatively affect your mental health? Learn about it here. I wanted to find simple, effective ways to have a pretty home without compromising the Earth’s wellbeing a ..read more

It was a trip I’ll never forget. I was visiting a few of my relatives. I flew many thousand miles, endured long flights and layovers with little kids on tow- just so I could spend time with my extended family.  It was my third trip in four years and since the first one, I felt something was wrong. During the first trip, I ignored the uneasy feeling of something wasn’t right and I remember telling myself maybe I’m feeling this because I haven’t seen them for a while.  The second time I knew something was wrong. The difficult ones provided plenty of evidence of unacceptable behavior. I ..read more

Have you Made Your Half-year Goals for 2021 Yet? Here are some of mine. The most popular time to make goals is at the beginning of a year. You see everyone’s talking about new year’s resolutions and you get excited to jump on the bandwagon! During this time, so many fabulous goals and ideas are floating everywhere- from Pinterest (let’s create pretty cool goals!) to IG (Let’s talk about those plans!). But the excitement usually fizzles out by the end of January. Because 21 days had passed by the time the 4th week of January rolled in. And if you hadn’t started following your plans already yet ..read more

“There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”  Israel is murdering Palestinian Muslims. A lot of powerful countries and their leaders (both Muslim and Non-Muslim) who could stop this genocide are either supporting them or staying silent.  As Muslims, we canNOT and will NOT wait for them to help our brothers and sisters who’re struggling in Palestine. But what can a  simple Muslim do in a time like this? Especially when you’re up against Israel and its vile accomplices? You may feel powerless, scared, and even lonely in your despair, but there’s always something you can do to ma ..read more

Have you paid your Zakah and sadaqah yet? Your rewards for doing good works will be multiplied in this month, and you can never say you have too many rewards! That said, paying your zakah and sadaqah can become a challenging experience if you’re not sure how much to pay and where to pay it. As Muslim women, we tend to delegate this to our husbands/ fathers/ brothers or other males in the family. It’s a good thing to know how to do this yourself- so you know how to do it yourself and earn some extra rewards as well. Let’s do this now- How to pay zakah on your money- Savings- Look into your ban ..read more

Ramadan is the best time for you to get closer to Allah(swt) and to have your dua’ accepted. This is especially true for you if you’re dealing with negative Muslim family members who should know better. How do you know if you have negative family members? Surely you’ve felt the stress and the pain in your guts, but here are some of the telltale signs- They create stress and pain in your life They are are repeat offenders over many days/ months/ years/ decades They don’t respect your boundaries They want you to live your life on their terms, i.e control your life They’re mean and hurtful in th ..read more

You’re not alone in your Ramadan struggles. Here are a few readers who are struggling as well- Leena had to slash her grocery budget to $130/ month for 4 adults (job issues). Rania came home from work only to find her mom and sister finished iftar and there was nothing left for her to eat (again).  Samar lost her father last year- she still can’t believe he’s gone. Omar isn’t sure where his marriage is heading. He feels stuck and scared. Abigail lost her mom and her husband within 1 month of each other.  Ramadan is the month of peace and blessings. In this month, you hope to increase ..read more

Ramadan and Earth Day both are in April this year. The Climate Clock is ticking and there is no planet B as of yet. Becoming a zero-waste Muslim can be the perfect Ramadan resolution this year.  If you love the simple life of Prophet Muhammad(sa), you can follow his footsteps by living a simple, zero-waste life.  When I started to know Prophet Muhammad(sa) a little better through his seerah, I realized how intentionally he(sa) lived his life. Rasulallah(sa) was so very gentle with his dealings with the Earth and its inhabitants- from the size of his(sa) home to the size of his(sa) ca ..read more

This is the final week of the 6-week preparation for a productive Ramadan 2021! I hope you’ve been with us on this journey so far. In the last 5 weeks, you have accomplished the following- Week# 6- You planned to reach your personal goals for a productive Ramadan. Week# 5- You planned for a peaceful Ramadan for your family Week# 4- You put together a thoughtful Eid gift list, shopped or made the Eid gifts Week# 3- You created your Ramadan and Eid menu, shopped for nonperishable grocery items, and made frozen meals Week# 2- You cleaned, organized, and decorated your home to welcome Ramadan in s ..read more