A rather thoughtful soul gifted me the Ramadan calendar from L’Occitane at the start of Ramadan. I am a fan of their hand creams and was curious about their skincare range, but it was a little outside of my price range, so it was nice to get a range of products to try out. The box itself feels sturdy and beautifully put together. Split into ten sections covering three days each, each section slides out and is itself split into three boxes. Each box contains a little treat. I opened the first few and found a mix of classic, instantly recognisable products and newer skincare off ..read more

It was a loooong day today. I had made plans to get lots done today and I asked Allah SWT to put barakah in my time and help me to get all of my tasks done. I usually do my Eid shopping before Ramadan so that it is out of the way and there is no last-minute panic. This year that just didn’t happen. So I made plans with the kids to get it done today. I got up early and did the housework and laundry first thing to get them out of the way and then dragged the kids out of bed at 9am.   We started off at the hopping mall (Westfield Stratford City) for the boys to pick tracksuits and new traine ..read more

Growing up, I used to listen to my school friends tell me about how they spent their holidays in towns far from London (Leicester, Preston, Blackburn, Manchester) spending weeks with cousins, at family wedding, having sleepovers. I felt like I missed out because we had such little family here and none my age, being the oldest of my generation in the UK.   My oldest three were the first children grandchildren in my family, so also didn’t have peers, but had my sisters to treat them and take them places.   In contrast my youngest two (Darling 9 and Baby 7) find themselves with a squad ..read more

I am sure I am not the only one whose spirit is raised by the greenery, new flowers and better weather of spring.  I am loving the blossoms everywhere on trees, the flower bulbs pushing through including the ones I planted with my youngest two with our gardening group in various spots across the park and public green spaces. I love gardening and watching things grow and I love to go out first thing every morning to check how the plants are growing in my garden and enjoy the new flowers coming through. I make a point of getting up early, going outside and taking a few minutes before ..read more

One of the many things I love about Ramadan is the sense of community, including the way many of us express this through food and feeding others. We tend to pick a day or two in Ramadan and then cook multiple dishes in bulk to send out to friends and family. When my teens were little they would look forward to those days with excitement at the thought of being allowed to take platters to various houses on the street. Now they are older, I have to threaten and cajole them to get them to do it.   In turn, I love the days when neighbours and family members send us snacks, platters or meals ..read more

A few month ago my second youngest child, Darling, aged 9, asked me if she could wear her hijab to school. I asked her if she was sure, and on hearing that she was, I said of course she could.   I can’t lie, I hesitated for a few moments. Not because I don’t love the hijab and am proud of her, but because I know that perhaps people might treat her differently because of it. They may see her as a Muslim before they see her as a child. Some will assume that I and her dad made her wear it.   Of course, I said yes and told her I was very proud of her. Of course, the first day she wore it ..read more

 One of the things I love in Ramadan is sending iftar to neighbours, family and friends and people sending back treats my way. I like that we just make a little extra and send it out and Allah (SWT) blesses it and it is enough for quite a few others.   Over the last 10 days, I have been sent pakora’s, potato samosa’s, mince samosa’s, two lots of biryani, a Bengali platter (with rice, channa and sweet pua pitha), dhai bhallay and lots of dates.   Today we got a knock on the door and someone handed my son a bag telling us it was from a house number down the road: I recognised ..read more

Alhamdulillah, a week into Ramadan and I have found this Ramadan and fasting an interesting experience. The nights are longer and the days shorter, so these fasts are a little easier than previous years.  Working from home also means I can start work later, so for once I am not feeling lightheaded with sleep deprivation (although I did have a nice little nap in the middle of a lecture in the masjid this week, I heard someone let out a loud snore, so I wasn’t the only one). My parents’ in-laws are not here this year, so that means a little less work and thinking of someone else, but also ..read more

Assalam-alaikam, I realise it’s been a year since I last wrote and in that time I have had moments when I yearned to wrote and others when I wondered if I ever would again. Then today I realise I have this little pocket of time for myself every day between clearing up after Iftar and before taraweeh prayer and maybe writing is a better use of my time that scrolling through various social media feeds full of nonsense.   The last year has been intense, exhausting, rewarding and often deeply overwhelming.  My mind is stretched in every direction, leaving me with no mental capacity or en ..read more

Assalam-alaikam Ramadan Kareem, I hope this Ramadan has started well for all of my brothers and sisters and that you are making the most of it. I am deeply grateful to see this blessed month again. I find Ramadan is always the month I find myself again – it takes me back to my purpose, my self and my Creator Insha’Allah. This year has been no exception. Once again I find myself having to pare back to essentials so that I can manage fasting, worship, family, home, work and community. Everything non-essential falls away just so that I can manage.   I was speaking to my bestie about goals fo ..read more