'tis the season to eat/make halwa!

The winter chill seems to say: chuck out the calorie counter and dig out the degchis, it's time to make hot, tastes-best-with-ginger-tea halwa.

Chana, carrot, sooji: take your pick.

PS: Now that I've finally acquired the knack of making halwa, I'm appalled at how easy it is!
I mean all these years I've been thinking that there's this huge subtle art behind it that can only be achieved by a chosen few Cordon-Bleu cooks (or the desi-equivalent thereof), and now I find it's ridiculously easy.

Try it, honestly. It's great calorie-rich food for growing kids (not so good for mums though):P

parental plug: smell the roses

if you want to see the impossible -- spring in winter, blooming pink roses et al, check out the Sisters-in-Faith blog's newest makeover.

One can almost smell the roses,

e-'Eid cards

so, we've been sending out e-'Eid cards the last couple of days and were wondering whether some of the readers of this blog might like to check out our new, revamped card service.

alternatively, if you scroll down the page, you'll see the pale blue bravenet e-card service box sandwiched somewhere among the host of other boxes on our sidebar.

suggestions on improving the service/sketches/gifs are always welcome.
jazaakumullaah khayr.

did you see this? (parental plug)

If this isn't the cutest Ramadhaan blog makeover in the world, I don't know what is!

awwwww inspiring!

If you have some time, watch this really cute salah animation...we love animation, so this is right up our alley...good stuff !

رضاء

3rd July

today was the day Rida was born...although it isn't her birthday as in 'birthday-birthday'...that's because we don't do days ...

the day went splendidly well alhamdulillaah..it was Monday , so she had the additional blessing of following the Sunnah..in that the Prophet صلىالله عليه وسلم fasted on Mondays, which was also the day he was born...after a scrumptious iftaar, we are replete with pasta, puff pastry, chocolate cakes, watermelon and chicken nuggets...all her favourite food.

I think back to the time I learnt that she was to be born, I was in med-school in my second year, and when I learnt that I was to be a mother again, I decided to name the baby رضاء

the word has a masculine form that means contentment (with the will of Allaah)

and a feminine form that means favoured (by Allaah)

I believe that names have a bearing on one's character...and I pray that she will be twice blessed in this world and the next, aameen.

PS: I found this cool site on the etymology and history of first names..interesting stuff

sew what's new?

Category: awww maa shaa Allaah (proud mum post)

these are pix of samplers that R-R made for their iqtisaad al manzilee (home education) class all by themselves (not that I could help even if I wanted to)...laa quwwata illaa billaah

19 Things

19 Things R-R are teaching me

(why 19?..because that's the sum of their ages..see, it makes sense if you look at it like that)
Beyond the mushiness of loving, sharing, caring and making it second nature to put another person's needs before one's own, r-R are teaching me some hands-on lessons in life that I'd have never learnt without them..

How to read the Qur'aan with right tajweed

How to understand/pronounce particularly dicey Arabic turns of phrase

How to tie laces on shoes

How to blow balloons and tie them without string

How to make the 'running stitch'

How to fix index cards just so

How to tuck the bedsheet in without a single wrinkle

How to clean a horribly littered room in 5 minutes flat

How to make friends with strangers even if you don't speak their language

How to draw using the computer paint box (it's not as easy as it looks!)

How to wear an abaya ra'see

How to make hot cocoa without floating lumps

How to eat eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner

How to wake up, pray and get dressed for school and out of the house in 10 minutes

How to cope, how to make-do, how to do without

How to enjoy picnics by the sea

How to implement what you've learnt, right now

How to save random change from around the house in a spare wallet

How to operate the 4 remotes in tandem

Allaah y'salimik yaa Rasha wa Rida..may the learning never end!

A five-year-old's first fast

"Wake up," I whisper to my son.
He looks frail, minus the bluster and boisterousness of the day, curled in his grey woollen pyjamas under a comforter, eyes half-open and little red blood vessels visible under his pale skin.
"my body is hurting me" he groans with the peculiar turn of phrase that he's developing lately, where he'll say "my tooth is hurting me" instead of "I have a toothache."
"Well, maybe if you do a little less karate chopping in the day and get more sleep and eat food instead of playing with it," I begin.. only to realize that he's gone back to sleep.

This is the kid who'd been manfully fighting sleep late last night to make sure he didn't miss suhoor for his very first fast? He's sleeping like a baby now that it's time ...and short of physically lifting him out of bed (and waking the others in the process) there's no way I can get him to wake up.
So I let him sleep and move on to the other room, where R-R and my husband are eating.
"He didn't wake up?" they ask
"No.. maybe he can fast another day in shaa Allaah."

In the morning, all hell breaks loose.
He jumps out of bed with an accusing: "You didn't wake me!!"
'But I did! You didn't wake up..now have your bath and breakfast and let's tackle all that homework."
He has determination written all over his stubborn square jaw.
"I'm not having breakfast..I'm fasting." "You can't ..not like this…you have to get up and eat suhoor and make a niyah "
"I did. I made my niyah last night before sleeping that I'm fasting today." Needless to say, there's nothing I can do about it.

A couple of hours later, he has homework sheets strewn all over the study and is watching his siblings eat.
"You sure you're fasting? You could keep a half-day fast you know, or a half-jaw one," I tell him.
"What's that?"
"Well, only one side of your mouth is allowed to eat," I explain
"chuh.. that's for babies..just keep my share of the fudge brownies for iftaar".

Mid-morning I get a call from an acquaintance who's invited us to iftaar, could I prepare a small presentation on the fadeelat of Ramadhaan? Yes, technically I could; but just then it feels like short-notice…plus I wasn't really planning on going to the iftaar.

I planned on spending the day at home, to give my son special memories of his first fast. I remembered mine..dressing up in a green, glittery outfit made by my grandmother, followed by a shop-for-all-the-food-you-feel-you-can-eat fest , topped by the promise of post-iftaar pistachio ice cream at Monginis' ..can indulgences get better than that?
Today, I'm determined to find out.

to read the rest of this entry and other Ramadhaan diaries, click here

Meet Ablaa Rasha and Ablaa Rida

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

الحمد لله that we anjaahed our test...
[Ed: anjaahed=Arablish for passed]

..in the morning,we were very,very frightened..WHAT in the whole wide world would happen if we failed???! But it came to be that the test wasn't half an hour,as Abba frightened us off to the Mushaf..We went to sleep ---at least I tried to sleep.
morning..fajr, 5o'clock..prayed fajr..saying prayers in sujud: "Ya Allah,Ya Allah,help us, help us!!" ...revising Mushaf till quite some time...At eight o'clock in the morning, the young ones were asleep,I and Rida were gettin ready..
Abba was already off to work, so,after we got ready, I and Rida began to help Umma to get the young Rs ready,which took us quite some time. Abba came at ten o'clock--(in case ya'll don't know, the test was to begin at ten).
WE rode off in Abba's car, reached the school got off * all dignityd * ! Umma had a talk with the principal and two teachers took me and Rida off. they were v. polite.. one of them asked us our names, but the other one didn't say much... the test began,the one who asked us the names listened to a couple of surahs -- they asked me parts from Athariyaat, Qiyamah, Hashr, Mujaadilaah, Balad, aTalaaq, al Mulk. It was quite easy but I had been dreading all that they would ask ...well rather long talk this,isn't it?
And now aunty K I'm sure u know the real purpose of the fireworks display;)..massalama!!
ابلة رشا

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

I'm writing after such a long time that I really don't know what to write :) we got a whole pile of books from school and I'l l post something interesting from themإنشاء الله thank you everyone for your duaas, please keep us in your prayers

رضا

(Ed: in keeping with their newfound status, R-R will henceforth be referred to as Ablaa Rasha and Ablaa Rida (ablaa=teacher) by all lower forms of life aka younger bros and sis at home. Abu R-R tells me that chocolates strategically handed out when siblings call elders by desired appellation go a long way in facilitating the change from plain R to AR.

Also, now is the time to use their kunyaa (which like the best household china had been carefully put away on the backshelf of our minds): say assalaamu'alaykum to Umm ulKhayr and Umm alFadl :)))

Wonders never cease

Ed: Rasha just lost an entire post where she was talking abt how excited she is abt going to the uae and that she got her result today...she's too disheartened to re-post.

...alhamdulillaah she was no.1 in her class and she got a beautiful blue wristwatch with "Victory" written on it...MaashaAllaah laa quwwata illaa billaah.

BUT, for me the most interesting bit abt her result is:
she got 99 in Math
and 100 in embroidery.

Now that takes some doing!