Ramadan Prep

With Ramadan just around the corner my little head has been buzzing with ideas to make it especially fun and exciting for my little guy. Of course, I want most of our time to go towards worship so here are ways to plan in advance:

1) Cook ahead of time. Some sisters have talked about pre-making foods like samosas and freezing them until needed.

2) Keep it simple. No need to stuff your face with an unhealthy menu. Keep it healthy and simple, this will only aid your body in detoxing while you are fasting.

3) Do your Eid shopping ahead of time. No one wants to be browsing the malls when they could be getting in some extra worship, especially during the last 10 nights.

4) If you are not fasting this year (because your nursing or your expecting) consider reading the quran from cover to cover. A simple method is 4 pages after each salaat, 4 x 5 = 20 pages, 20 pages= 1 juzz of the quran. I read this some where and loved how simple it was!

5) Consider hosting a potluck iftaar, this way everyone can still keep their routine of extra ibadaat up

6) Encourage yourselves and your children to wrap presents or save their money to give as a charity to those who are in need.

7) Have family circle time a few days a week, during a time that suits you best. Consider fun, islamically educational activities to do together. Here are some resources I plan on using during our circle time:

The products above are available at Habib's

8) Decorate every room in your house! Lights, banners, balloons and other decorations. Remember you want your child to know Ramadan and Eid are very special holidays for Muslims just like other non-Muslim holidays are for the other children they know.

9) Make a "Welcome Ramadan" banner collectively as a family.

10) Swap your child's regular books for Ramadan/Eid themed books.

11) Do Ramadan/Eid themed Arts & Crafts.

(Source: Crayola)

12) Attend a class or lecture for the month.

13) Take your children to Friday prayers and Tarawee with you, try to stick to one masjid so they feel comfortable and get used to it.

14) Be nice to your spouse-- even if they are wrong (ALL the time) joking!

15)  Play dance around the house to this- just kidding... maybe ;)

                         



Little Loopy Leena

To summarize Leena in five words: Fearless. Stubborn. Adventurous. Genius. Adorable.

She knows exactly how to get what she wants (we're powerless against her smile and sweet pleading voice). Yes, she may be addicted to milk and ice cream, and yes, she may be a tiny bit obsessed with Barney and Nick Jr, and yes, her tantrums are ridiculous.... but she's still perfect Mashallah. She's not even two and she knows her ABC's, her 123's (up to like 15!), her shapes, colors and animals. She continues to amaze me every day with all the new words she's learning and how fast she picks things up.

I would say she is a pretty well rounded toddler - TV is a big part of her life but so is playing outside, coloring, reading (and sometimes eating) books and she's awesome at puzzles. She loves her family and we love her! Masha'allah, she's the greatest blessing in our lives.

Mashallah, Leena has beauty and the brains to match. I can't get over her adorable loopy curls! Her smile is absolutely contagious. I loved hearing all about the variety of her activities and how quickly she Mashallah picks things up. It's amazing how smart our little ones are! May Allah protect her, preserve her memory, growing skills and ability to learn new things and may he always keep her under his protection and care. Ameen.

If you have a photo you would like to share, along with some words of positive encouragement, please email alif2yaa@gmail.com

Sunscreen

Several of you have asked me about Sunscreens. Both  Badger and Green Beaver have great natural products that are safe to use on the skin. I love that neither of the products use artificial fragrances or chemicals. Instead they use natural essential oils which actually help moisturizing the skin. We use the Green Beaver sunblock and it contains Jojoba oil. Jojoba oil contains healing properties to help treat skin disorders, eczema and acne. This is just an example of why the natural choice is always the better the choice. Not only are you protecting your skin, you are preserving it Inshallah.

911 Birth

Unplanned home birth... Subhanallah, could you imagine this happening to you?

Special Song

"At the beginning of life, the disguise is quite transparent to the conscious mother who recognizes the deep spiritual connection that unites her baby's soul with her own. Her most important role from the moment of conception is to nurture her child so he can rediscover his essential spiritual nature.

In some traditions, this connection is believed to the precede conception.

In certain African tribes, people believe that the spiritual birth of a child begins when his potential mother first imagines him. She goes to a silent place and listens for the baby's special song. When she hears it, she returns to her home and teaches it to her mate. While making love, they chant the song as an invitation for this soul to enter their lives. Once pregnant, she regularly sings the song to her unborn baby and teaches in to the midwives in preparation for her birth. They sing the song while the woman is in labor and as the baby is born into the world. The child learns the theme song, which supports him through all the stages of his life. He uses his song to celebrate his moments of glory and comfort him in times of loss."

Alhumdulillah, Allah has blessed me with the opportunity to witness birth time and time again. Deepak Chopra talks about birthing traditions from around the world. This chapter (Creating a Baby) in particular caught my attention for a number of different reasons. All women labor differently but a common theme I have noticed is a birthing noise. Some women grunt while others are completely silent. There is a point in labor that tends to become very rhythmic for the woman. This is when she depends on her "special song". For Muslim women this generally is a specific verse or dua. The woman may repeat the same verse or dua for her entire labor. 

I encourage the birthing woman to tap into her inner voice and find this song. It can be extremely soothing, distracting and calming. It helps Mom concentrate and go with her contractions instead of fighting them. The rhythms begin to feel like waves from the ocean and Mom can focus on tranquil visual imagery. 


I often think back to my own birthing experience. It was a combination of making dua for myself, reciting and a rhythmic dua which became my special song. The words would just slip off my tongue uncontrollably and I softly sang thru birth. Even now is true that my child is instantly comforted by his "special song". It is as if he knows, that I too instantly feel comfort and he can hear it in my voice. 


What was my special song? Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "There are two phrases that are light on the tongue but heavy on the scale of rewards and are dear  to Allah the Gracious one. These are Subhanallahi wabihamdihi (All glory is to Allah and all praise be to him) and Subhanallah Al azeem (Glorified is Allah, the Great).

Do you have a "special song", verse or dua that you used during pregnancy or birth that still comforts your little ones today? 


Disclaimer-  I am not advocating using the "special song" for conception purposes, what you do on your own time is your choice! This post was to focus on the use of "special song" during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period specifically.