1st Year Survival of At Home MOM

It will be my 1^st year anniversary as a Work/Stay At Home Mom. Oh gosh I have a lot to share about, on what to expect, the feelings, how to cope, etc. And this will be a long one so bear with me ait?

What to expect?

Laziness/tiredness..  you call it lazy, I call it TIRED la wei.

For about the first 3 months, I felt..lazy. All I wanted to do was being lazy. But that was because I was heavily pregnant, I was in my third trimester. Hahaha that explains the laziness right? I wanted to do a lot, well at least my mind was not lazy. But the energy was mostly used by the baby in the womb.

After Amal was born, I concentrated on taking care of her, with breastfeeding and constant napping. It drained the energy out of me. I was thankful though that I didn’t have to rush in to work cause I would be sad to leave Amal behind. Just like what I felt when it was with Ayra and Amna.

Despite the perk of having to be there all the time for Amal, I was/am exhausted. All freaking time. I was lacking good sleep (for almost 5 years now), tired of ensuring the house is clean and tidy. I am neat freak, so I cannot see serabutness in the house, you know.

However, I am glad that we have Livy the Vacum Robot. I would be crazy without her, seeing hairs and dusts on the floor. Haha at least with Livy, I just need to switch her on and she will do the job. We will do the extensive cleaning once in 2 weeks. So that spares us a lot of energy and time.

Exhausted… the extreme of tiredness

Being home most of the time, with 3 under 5 children are really exhausting. It exhausts you physically and mentally. By physically, I’m sure you (the ones with toddlers) can understand how tired it is to attend to the needs of these children. I need to make sure breakfast, lunch and dinner are ready. On top that, don’t forget snacks. These kids love snacking. Plus, unhealthy snacks are a no-no. Though I fail that most of the times. Seriously, where can I get the extra time and energy to prepare our own healthy snacks? Thank god for frozen!

Mentally exhausted is another thing that fails me every time. You are at home, with the eldest being almost 5. What kind of intellectual conversation are you expecting? Most of the time is about Rainbow Dash and Sunshine Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle and Flutter Shy. Then it would be dinosaurs and horses, and fairies and princesses. The only time I get to stimulate my brain is when we are studying math or reading. That is a different level of patience hahahaha. It doesn’t help either that I have this sickness of overthinking. I cannot stop my brain from thinking about our financial, the schools, the education, the business, how to go about. I guess that drained out my brain even faster.

Privacy. What is that again?

I miss my me time. The time that I can have when I was at work. It doesn’t have to be a spa or a massage session. A ME time is a quiet time that I can have on my own doing whatever I want. I hardly get that anymore. Previously when I was at work, I usually had lunch in my room, while continuing working, or doing things I want to do. Surfing internet, checking out online shopping and stuffs. Or get out and hit the mall, just walking alone. That me time. Oh god I miss that. Now? Now I cant even pee in peace. Even if I lock the door, they still come knocking or yelling my name and asking me questions. “Mommy, how to spell dinosaur?” “ mommy, whatpe tu?” “mommy, amna hungry”. “mommy, amal is eating the playdoh!” How come they don’t kacau the father?????

Cold War

When your body is tired, and your brain is drained, you will end up being moody. Almost all the time. And it makes you even crazier when you see your partner gets to spend time with his friends at work, or be in his own zone even for an hour or so. At least he gets to do it daily. You get this ‘meluat’ feeling and you start to get pissed off easily by whatever he is doing. I’ve been there and we have resolved that. When that hits you, you need to talk to your spouse asap. Do not let it bottled up. You will end up hurting your children easily. You get irritated easily and scold them for the smallest reason. I am guilty of that and god I wish I don’t have to go down that road again. It is scary for me, and my family. Sometimes I am more a momster than a mommy. Hahaha Now don’t get me wrong, respect to the Husband is there. It’s just you cannot comprehend things positively when you are beyond exhaustion, mentally and physically. Too many frustrations. So that is why communication on your expectations, etc is important.

Insecure

When you were once an employee, (highly paid lagi tu) and now you stay at home with no pay, you will become extremely insecure. I am not talking about insecurity towards your husband, just insecure as a whole. You don’t get to spend money like before. You want something, you gotta check your purse and calculate. You pause and breathe in and walk away. You don’t have savings and that scares the shit out of you for what ifs. I get that almost on daily basis even up till now. One day, after solat, I confided in HIM on what I feel etc. I felt lost. I cried my eyes out. I prayed to Allah to ease my way. I opened the Quran and I believe He showed me the story of Prophet Musa. The page showed me the story of when Paraoh ordered for baby boys to be killed out of fear of the prophecy. Musa’s mom was so scared. She put him in a boat and sailed him. But Allah assured her that he will be returned to her.

                                      

This verse taught me to have faith in Allah. Have faith in Allah. Have faith in Allah. Dua, and work on it. Work on whatever I can work on. Keep on praying. Rest assured Allah has things worked out for us. Just have faith. And so, whenever I feel insecure, I feel down, I feel lost, especially financially, I remembered this story. So, if you feel lost on something, doa and pray to Allah. Talk to Him cause He is always listening. Then open the Quran to find the answer.

Seems like i am rambling more on the bad sides rather than the good ones kan? hahha

well, not everything is bad! be positive!

Stick like a glue

Your children will be more attached to you and you end up falling in love with them over and over again. Even though they just scream their lungs out at each other just now. Or they pick their poo from their diaper. And scattered their shit on the bed. Literally. And at times when they had nothing to do, hanging on your leg will be an activity. Just for fun. (but not for you when you need to do works)

Time is gold

Though it may seem like I have all the time in the world, trust me, that was just illusion. It’s Monday today, and suddenly it’s Monday again. When I was about to appreciate the weekends, Monday comes and plays the blues. I have all the things that I want to do for the week, then something comes up and bye bye list. We see you next week. That is one of the reasons for Lil’ Tummy not moving (or perhaps my excuse). the perks is you get to plan your day/week ahead (and pray that your plan sticks). I dont have to worry when Amal is hospitalized cause work is not asking me to be in the office. My time is devoted totally to her wellbeing. and that makes me a better mom. You get to plan for lunch with your ex-colleague, or dates with your daughther. and God is generous, He eases your way to it.  

                                             

                                                 

Love Overloads

My time is mostly spent on the kids (duh). I get to know my children more. I get to follow closely their development. I get to bring Amna to her physiotherapy sessions without guilt (work waiting in the office), I get to do exercise with her (though not on daily basis). Amna loves imitating my yoga moves, so it helps her to stretch her muscles and use her left limbs more. Ayra gets to come home from school to mommy’s cooking. We get to go on dates, just the two of us. One day is spent just me and Amna, and other day is spent just me and Ayra. We get to have our own private conversation, eat ice cream and be silly. I love that.

Healthier lifestyle (or so I believe)

I try to do Yoga at least once a week (but don’t take my word for it), eat healthy, cook healthy, gardening, etc. I need my family to eat healthily. We hardly dine out anymore. First, it can be costly, second, it can be dirty. Or unhealthy. We cannot buy health, but we can prevent unwanted side effects from happening. Diseases start from the gut: diabetes, heart diseases, kidney failure. So, what we now will have its effect 20 years later. So in order to be healthy in the next 20 years, we have to eat right, right now. I cant however be this conscious everyday. I am a human after all. So we do skip a bit once or twice. But drink lots of water, and balance out with veges and fruits.

Own Business Empire (Bahaha)

Now it may seem cool to able to start your own business, with your own brand etc. but my god, it is so hard to be persistent! I have things planned out, A to Z, but execution is really killing me! To juggle family, which is always always my priority, and business is really hard. The most frustrating part is marketing. I have laid the plan, how to do it, etc. I dont habe a partner to push me and work togehther. plus I don’t have much time to do so. I guess I need to take things one step at a time and not to have so much hope kot. 

So basically, there are ups and downs of being at home mom. What you need is strength (mentally and physically), support system, team work, and what I find important but easily missed is: ME time. This is crucial. Just take the time off. Don’t over think. Do what you want for 2 hours, alone. Go out with friends, laugh. That little things help you sane.

Don’t I miss having my own job? Oh YES I do. At times I feel like I am a better mom if I am working. I would less of a momster, and more on a mother.

So where do I go from here? I will let Allah set the road for me. I have my aims, but the road will be set by Allah. I do what I can and the rest is up to Him. I am always open to possibilities. 

Till then, please give me lots of coffee, cakes, and your prayers.

Milk Frother & His Birthday

Hub's birthday was in November and I had to crack my head thinking of what to buy.

With limited money and time, I really had no idea on what.

Then I remembered that he lovesssss matcha latte. 

It is his recent obsession lately. 

of course, I am responsible in introducing Matcha to him.

Otherwise, he sticks to coffee and tea.

We have our own matcha powder at home.

The one Mom bought for us when she was travelling Japan.

It is really2 good. 

It's like my daily dose of antioxidant.

We have tried making our own version of Matcha Latte, 

but we failed to nail it.

As i made my further investigation on how to improve the home made version of matcha latte, 

I finally figured out the key: Froth your milk.

It's the bubble and creamy texture that makes latte so yummy.

So, i figured, what could be better to give him for his big day?

A Milk Frother!

Not only that it will add to our kitchen essentials, but his matcha latte or any other latte can tremendously improved!

So I began searching for the most reliable, affordable milk frother.

I found that there are many types of Milk Frother in the market.

http://www.kitchenkapers.com/milk-frothers-and-milk-steamers.html

I have few options in mind. 

I have tried looking for it high and low from the local shops, like Kitchen Shop, Harvey Norman, Parkson, or any canggih2 centre. But it is either they don't carry it or that it has ran out of stock.

what i wanted is something like this: (based on reviews)

Another option I had was to purchase online.

and the only one providing it is 11th Street.

I have never purchased from 11th Street, and I didnt know exactly how long it will take.

Few errands came in between and I got caught up in the middle.

and at last, his birthday came.

I didnt get to buy him any gift on time.

except for a Pavlova with candle on top.

hehehe

But, on our visit to Ikea last month, I finally bought the long awaited milk frother!

but please, the price is so cheap, it is hardly a present!

only RM5.90

ahahahahah

But Hub was happy with it.

he even complimented that it is one of the best birthday gift i have given him.

We make latte almost on daily basis.

Coffee, matcha, or even hot chocolate.

I even use it to whisk eggs. 

We love it.

We love the price even more!  

Now, we get to enjoy our coffee or matcha as above.

(picture taken from google)

need to learn how to make this later:

And ouh, to my darling Husband, 

Our 5th Wedding Anniversary

2015 is our 5th Year Anniversary.

Alhamdulillah.

it fell on Ramadhan month, so we didnt have any special plan for the night or day.

but Hub did get me a suprise suprise. 

*big grin*

i told him in the morning that i was lazy to go to work. but his response was different from the usual one. he replied: ishh tak elok..pergi la.

i was suprised. usually he would agree and support me to take EL or wateva. hahha

but of course, that was just me feeling all tired and lazy. i did go anyway. 

it was Friday, and we didnt go out for lunch (it was Ramadhan). so i stayed in my room and continued finishing all due projects/ paperworks.

then i got a WhatsApp from my staffs (group WA):

so i was a bit curious. i didnt declare anything. i didnt tell anybody.

then i went down to see. if anything. i mean, of cos i didnt expect Mr Hub to actually suprised me with flowers and all. i know he's not the flower type of a person. 

then as i went to the reception, the girl told me that i have this:

i was blushing.. my CFO was there. so i had to tell him it was our wedding ann day. and he congratulated us and started telling bout his. 

hahaha

but it was a suprised. i didnt expect Mr Hub to do this. like i said, he is not that type.

though im not so a flower person, i am still grateful for this. 

he knows i loveeee Lilies, so he got me Lilies all over.

they still havent bloomed when i got them.

but 2 days later, they were sooo beautfiul and so wangi:

these were really2 beautiful.

and i got sad they eventually dried out.

thank you Mr Hub for the lovely2 suprised. 

and thank you for the 3rd one. ;)

what did i get him? to be seen in 9 months time ;) 

Insyaallah

"Oh Allah, bless our marriage and let it be a means for us to become closer to You in love and devotion. Let it be a source of untold blessings, happiness and joy. 

Oh Allah, let our marriage be a way for us and our families to enter Jannah. 

Ya Allah, protect our marriage from the whisperings of Shaytan. Give us the strength to live together in justice, equity, love and, mercy. 

My Lord, let this marriage bring untold blessings to us individually, to our families, and our children Insha Allah. 

My Creator, bless us with children who will be a source of great joy and happiness. 

Oh Allah, give us the love which you had blessed Muhammad, Allah's Peace and blessings be upon him, and Khadija with, May Allah be pleased with her."

three

3rd July 2013

it's our 3rd Anniversary!!!

i planned for things, but my health had taken over the day.

it wasnt really that bad, but at the end of the day, i was like a flat small whale.

i wanted to have a steak at Chef Zubir's restaurant in Laman Seri, 

but ended up having dinner home-cooked style.

well, alhamdulillah.

at least i ate.

the morning started with a suprise.

a smalll yet sweet gesture by my other half.

i found two cards on the table.

'to my lovely wife'

'to my lovely mummy'

owh.. i melted.

it may not be that big for you, but for me it is.

he's not that too romantic kind of guy who declares

his undying love to the world, or shower me with flowers, roses and what not.

he is a kind of guy who shows through gestures.

like giving me a back rub, a foot massage, cooking when im too tired to do so,

never stingy to buy me stuff,

sms/wassap me I Love You every morning and out of the blue.

so,

when he suprised me with a card, it sure melted my heart.

i love him for who he is, his flaws and his goodness.

his weakness and strength.

i am grateful to Allah for giving me such a lovely gift of

a wonderful blessed marriage.

i pray for us to be together till Jannah.

10 nasihat untuk isteri

 Azza requested that i blog about Being Me. 

but i like i said, my memories do not serve me well 

lately. it's sad.

i even forgot a conversation that i had with my staff in the morning when i called him in the afternoon.

pathethic right?

i need more oxygen to go up there, since it's been more utilized down there!

anyhow, i am intrigued by this advice that a woman gave to her child on her wedding night. 

and this advice is really good to all of us called wives.

i hope we all benefit from this. 

it does makes sense as, according to Sheikh Alaa elSayed, men are more attracted to/ influenced by

physical things, whereas women to emotions.

that is why men are easily captured by beautiful women, and

women are melted by kind hearted gestures. 

so, these are the advice that i managed to google up and copied from 

Jendela Hikmah:

(i could not find the english version. if u have one, do share)

“Wahai anakku! Kalaulah wasiat ini untuk kesempurnaan adabmu, aku percaya kau telah mewarisi segala-galanya, tetapi ia sebagai peringatan untuk yang lalai dan pedoman kepada yang berakal.

Andai kata wanita tidak memerlukan suami kerana berasa cukup dengan kedua ibu bapanya, tentu ibumu adalah orang yang paling berasa cukup tanpa suami. Tetapi wanita diciptakan untuk lelaki dan lelaki diciptakan untuk mereka.

Wahai puteriku, Sesungguhnya engkau akan meninggalkan rumah tempat kamu dilahirkan dan kehidupan yang telah membesarkanmu untuk berpindah kepada seorang lelaki yang belum kamu kenal dan teman hidup yang baru. Kerana itu, jadilah 'budak' wanita baginya, tentu dia juga akan menjadi 'budak' bagimu serta menjadi pendampingmu yang setia.

Peliharalah sepuluh sifat ini terhadapnya, tentu ia akan menjadi perbendaharaan yang baik untukmu.

Pertama dan kedua, berkhidmat dengan rasa puas serta taat dengan baik kepadanya.

Ketiga dan keempat, memerhatikan tempat pandangan matanya dan bau yang diciumnya. Jangan sampai matanya memandang yang buruk daripadamu dan jangan sampai dia mencium kecuali yang harum daripadamu.

Kelima dan keenam, memerhatikan waktu tidur dan waktu makannya, kerana lapar yang berlarutan dan tidur yang terganggu dapat menimbulkan rasa marah.

Ketujuh dan kelapan, menjaga hartanya dan memelihara kehormatan serta keluarganya. Perkara pokok dalam masalah harta adalah membuat anggaran dan perkara pokok dalam keluarga adalah pengurusan yang baik.

Kesembilan dan kesepuluh, jangan membangkang perintahnya dan jangan membuka rahsianya. Apabila kamu tidak mentaati perintahnya, bererti kamu melukai hatinya. Apabila kamu membuka rahsianya kamu tidak akan aman daripada pengkhianatannya.

Kemudian janganlah kamu bergembira di hadapannya ketika dia bersedih atau bersedih di hadapannya ketika dia bergembira. Jadilah kamu orang yang sangat menghormatinya, tentu dia akan sangat memuliakanmu.

Jadilah kamu orang yang selalu sepakat dengannya, tentu dia akan sangat belas kasihan dan sayang kepadamu.

Ketahuilah, sesungguhnya kamu tidak akan dapat apa yang kamu inginkan sehingga kamu mendahulukan keredaannya daripada keredaanmu, dan mendahulukan kesenangannya daripada kesenanganmu, baik dalam hal yang kamu sukai atau yang kamu benci dan Allah akan memberkatimu.”

i hope i can be his good Wife, and be rewarded with Jannah.

and his angel forever.

amin...

a Bump in the head

Hub is too cute.

hehe.

one fine day, he called me at work and said 

in a very serious voice:

"im at Biro. i need to go to the cosmetic centre to settle a few documents.

so, i walked there and then suddenly without even me realizing,

danggggg!! i walked straight into a glass door!"

and he was laughing like mad.

i was laughing too and was like:

"so i bet u are soo embarassed now! 

were there anybody inside? 

anybody saw u got knocked off by the glass door?"

 "no, i guess. i could not see. i didnt want to see.

i pretended to read the letter and walked away.hahahha"

hahaha. 

im still laughing.

and he wassapped me his forehead:

it was supposed to show redness but all i could see was

his fair forehead.

im telling u, he is way way fairer than me!

luckily Ayra follows him instead of me!

and that evening, he wanted to go to Setia City Mall to buy

Ayra a new pool.

(cos the old one got fungus all over)

at Early Learning Centre:

him:

"i think we should buy her the one with a slide'

me:

"ok, but we can buy the one on 50% tag. 

it will be more cost efficient"

him:

"nah.. this is way better.

so, why dont u get Ayra that thing she's holding.the mushroom house"

me:

"okay. fine.. "

him:

"can we buy the little figurines so the ones that come with it can have more friends.

if not, only the two of them are in the mushroom house.

they will get bored"

me:

"did u get knocked so hard on the forehead?"

suddenly he became all generous in spending more.

note: unwisely.

Ayra is lucky!

and in Ikea today, he was holding few train sets.

me:

"hm...is that really necessary? i mean, she really doesnt know 

how to play with the tracks.

is your head ok?"

him:

"still in slight pain"

that explains.

-_-

but i managed to persuade him to put it down.

probably we'll come back later and buy 

when Ayra can appreciate the real meaning of trains and tracks.

rather than trains and track off to her mouth or behind the sofas.

mommy bought these for Ayra in Ikea today:

a set of new table and chair.

she's preparing meals for her little friends.

the birth of Ayra Nabeeha

A sharp pain through my tummy woke me at 5a.m.

The pain that made u want to pass motion. Sort of.

So I woke and went to the loo.

Sat on the toilet bowl and tried to do what the nature does.

The pain was like a wind going wild in your tummy .

Kata lain, angin.

Lain macam.

It felt like a storm going wild in my tummy 

But no matter how I tried to pass motion, nothing came out .

Macam teran kluar angin.

Tapi ada lg byk angin.

It is hard to describe.

The pain came like every 5 minutes.

I woke Hub.

Told him about the pang in my tummy.

'Abang..I think this is it..or..it's food poisoning..lets go to the hospital..'

It was about 6.30am.

We performed our Subuh.

I sat on the bed while praying.

At the same time  trying to hold in the pain.

I hope Allah accepts my prayer that day.

Only He knows how painful it was and how difficult it was to pray in such condition.

Susah okeh!

We went down..me trying to hold in the pain and trying to walk as

fast as I could with that big tummy of mine.

Hub grabbed the hospital bag that ive prepared since I entered 36 weeks.

He drove the car calmly but efficiently.

At the same time, only prayers that came out of my mouth. 

لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ سُبْحانَكَ إِنّى‏ كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمين
 

“Tiada Tuhan melainkan Engkau, Maha suci Engkau, Sesungguhnya aku adalah dari orang-orang yang menganiaya diri sendiri.” (Surah Anbiya ayat 87)

We reached DEMC at around 7am.

Went straight to the labor room.

The nurse came to check on me 

'Owh..dh in labor nie..dh bukak 3-4cm..'

Hub and I was in..shocked.

Like, for real?

I thought I had food poisoning!

Nurse put on the belt that detects baby's heart rate on my tummy 

But.

I kept on taking it off cos I needed to go to the loo like 

LITERALLY every 5 minutes.

No kidding.

Came to a point that i decided to stay in 

toilet cos I got tired of going in and out of bed.

Hub was secretly laughing in his head as he said later:

'Na nampak sgt comel dgn perut tu ke hulu hilir masuk toilet "

Very supportive

-_-

Nurse came again to check after a few hours.

But the cervix only opened like 4 cm.

It will be a longggg day, she said.

She broke the water for me and we waited for the 

opening to be faster.

They even put me on Pitocin.

Nope apparently it didnt work.

Nurse suggested for epidural but I refused.

I know it has a lot of side effects so I insisted on doing it naturally.

Nurse suggested for pethidine.

 I refused again.

But she said I needed to conserve my energy since I have

been wasting mine with the diarrhea and toilet trips.

So I took it.

I could tolerate the pain. I did.

The pethidine didnt really help.

I got sleepy but still felt the pain.

But at least I simpan tenaga..


Hub assisted me in zuhur praying.
i prayed while lying on the bed.
that is all i could do.
pain is not the factor in not praying.
if i die,
at least i know i have done what need to be done.

Doctor came and checked.

HE (my female doc was on leave) broke the water again

to make sure this time it really works.

I felt a gush of water coming out..

Then the pain kicked in.

The intensity got heavier each time.

This time the pain was extremely not tolerable.

every position did me no good.

I wanted to walk. To sit. To squat.

Anything but lay down.

And I started to vomit.

Every air zamzam and kurma that I ate went out 

I was so tired! And in pain!!

Nurse came and checked me.

'Ok..dh nak dekat nie..dh 9cm..'

'Jgn push lg..tgu..'

the next thing i know,
they strapped my feet on the bed
(but i managed to kicked it off because i was in so much pain)
and they were counting to push and what not.

u see, it was hard not to push when all your muscles wanted to do is push.
like u cannot help but push.
the urge that came was beyond anything i have ever felt.
the pain was so excruciating.
tears started to come out.
my mouth did not stop from saying Allah's name.
in and out.
only Him.
it was indeed a battle.
of life and death.
and i didnt want to die in vain.
Allahuakbar, Allahuakbar, Allahuakbar,

Hub was really helpful.
i was so grateful for him.
Thank You Allah for giving me
the best companion.
the Best.
he held my hand all the time.
pat my back and zikir with me.
he reminded me not to lift my buttock.
(so that it wont tear)
he assisted me in breathing,
which i forgot how, with all the pain.
he was being brave and very very calm.
i am so proud of him.
Thank you Allah..

doctor used the vacum to help the baby out,
i was literally out of breath.

i pushed hard two times.
the second one got the baby out.
Gulppppp
something went out.
and the pain was gone.
Totally.

at 5.20pm.

i felt.. relief.
and..
there she was..all covered with.. grey thingie.
after checking her, doctor put her on my chest.

Assalammualaikum...

the cutest little baby.
my baby.
our baby.
she was looking at me with her big eyes.
magic.
i can feel her love.
for me.
her eyes showed so much hopes for me.
and at that moment, i knew my life is complete.
i knew that i want to be the best mother for her.
i knew that i want to give the best to her.
and i shall love her with all my heart and soul.
the love of my life...

she started to search for the breast.
i positioned her so she could be closer for lactation.
(read a lot on successful breast feeding during pregnancy)

she did well.
that little genius.
she latched on well and nursed for the first time.
it felt good.
i am convinced she got the Colostrum.
the liquid Gold.

the journey of birthing really wore me out.
but the adrenaline was high that i could not really sleep that night.
instead, i stayed awake,
staring at that child next to me.
that pure angle.

i would go thru this over and over again,
just to see, hold, love..

Ayra Nabeeha.

Happy 1st Birthday, My Little Angle.

Parenting style of parents of Al-Fatih

Raising Young Khalifah was amazing!

i gained tons of knowledge and i am very grateful that i went there.

it was held in Tabung Haji,

waaaaa. i have never been there.

the dewan was so lawaaa ok!

look at the stars!

the change colors!

and i am sooo kodi!

haha

Hub and I went together, so it was really insightful for both of us.

can keep reminding each other cos we are so forgetful lor!!

Jam was there too!

made it so much fun!

i looked chubby early in the morning

the seminar started off with a performance by 

Sham Kamikaze, Catt Ross and a guy whose name i didnt know.

the seminar was conducted by Amin from AlHijrah.

i like him.

sangat pandai bercakap and charismatic.

i am going to share with u about what i learnt.

sharing is caring right??

 among the interesting topics covered are:

Muhammad al Fatih by Ust Syaari.

Pendidikan Islam kepada anak by Pn Hjh Sabariah Faridah

Pembentukan Tauhid dlm anak by Ustazah Badariah

Pembentukan Khalifah by Ust Hasrizal.

the first session was about Muhammad al-Fatih.

it was presented by Ustaz Syaari.

 

if u do not know about Al-Fatih, please do read on him.

he is the great Muslim warrior who conquered Constantinople at the age of 21.

He ruled the Empire of Islam at the age of 15!!

(i was studying for PMR at that age!)

what the ustaz touched on was how Al-Fatih was brought up by his parents that

made him the success person that he was.

here is what i captured:

1. jaga keturunan: teach our kids the history of our family so they have the sense of loving towards the family. know our roots. remember that what u give u will get back. what we to do our parents, our kids will do to us. 
2. let them grow with vision and jihad: let them literally draw out what is in their minds. Al-Fatih drew what he imagined and he made them into reality. let our kids use their right brains more. it is said that later, the right brainers will rule the future. the right brainers are more imaginative and creative.. so, crayons and paper out! draw!
3. before they go to bed, is the time that knowledge is absorbed most. about 80%!  that is very high. that is why, before bed, tell them the stories of great islamic warrior and read them the Quran (or play the Quran if u cant read beautifully). for now, i let Ayra listen to Quranic verses. i read to her whenever i put her to bed. if tak semua pun, mana yg hafal je la.. hehe  when she is a little bit bigger and she can understand stories, insyaAllah, stories of tokoh-tokoh Islam pula..
4. always2 bersangka baik kpd Allah. when 2 of big brothers of Al-Fatih died, his father took it well and groomed al-Fatih to be the next kin. he didnt blame Allah. instead he worked on a solution. mould our kids' adab and akhlak by showing good examples. dont expect your kids to be beradab if u tak beradab.setiap yang berlaku ada hikmahnya.
5. let your kids learn foreign language. Al fatih learns 7 languages. masters in 4 of them. hm.. nak Ayra blaja ape ek. (mummy pun kena blaja gak)
6. take care of what they eat and their physiques. dont let them get fat!!! let them be active. do not worry that your kids cannot duduk diam. let them be. it shows they are bright and smart. attentive.
7. let them be independent. kurangkan saying 'no' to them. if they want to climb the bed, let them. if they fall, they will learn. unless of course, nak cross jalan merangkak sorang2 memangla tidak boleh yer..
8. let them be friends with the elderly. they can learn much from the elderly and learn to respect.
9. teach them literature. sastera. al-Fatih wrote poems when he was growing up. one of the famous great poems that he wrote, that inspired many great people:

   To obey, Fight hard for Allah, is my aim and my desire;
   'Tis but zeal for Faith, for Islam, that my ardor doth inspire.
   Through the grace of Allah, and th' assistance of the Band Unseen,
   Is my earnest hope the Infidels to crush with ruin dire.
   On the Saints and on the Prophets surely doth my trust repose;
   Through the love of God, to triumph and to conquest I aspire.
   What if I with soul and gold strive here to wage the Holy War?
   Praise is God's! ten thousand sighs for battle in my breast suspire.
   O Mohammed! through the chosen Ahmed Mukhtar's glorious aid,
   Hope I that my might may triumph over Islam's foes acquire!
   
   Sultan Muhammad al-Fatih, Ottoman Sultan and Conqueror of Istanbul

10. equip them with martial arts and outdoors activities. Rasulullah s.a.w even suggested for us to learn archery, horse riding and swimming. maka..bukan shj anak.. tp kite pun kena la belajar..

 so, in short, itu la dia...

i have more to share but limited time to write.

till next post!

jom beramal!!

mini album

i am currently working on a project for my little angel.

we do not have any pictures of her in the house. 

at all.

only our wedding pictures.

i feel bad.

we have tons of her pictures!

but i really dont have the time to print them out.

even if have the time,

it slipped off my mind every time!

i am getting so forgetful.

so..

thanks to Groupon, i managed to grab the Photobook's coupon at cheaper price.

hence, the project.

i've done this before. a couple of times.

and both turned out perfect.

one for our wedding.

and one for Mom's birthday.

i am so excited doing Ayra's first album.

i sleep at 2am every night just to complete this.

i cant do it during the day as Ayra is handful!

sneak preview:

28 is the number this year

14th August 2012

i turned 28 today.

i feel old. but then again, how does 28 feels like?

at times i dont think im ready to be 28. i feel like i just graduated from Uni. and life just begun. 

in a blink of an eye, here i am. years later.

married to a wonderful human being.

blessed with such a lovely daughter.

those are joys and love of my life.

I'm blessed.

so much blessed.

so, 28 is great. i guess.

i am here, writing. 

next to my daughter and husband who are all asleep. 

(hubby fell asleep at 8.30pm!)

blessed.

at 28, i can say, i'm blessed and grateful to Allah swt.

i have everything that i need, even though not necessarily that i want. 

a loving, understanding, caring partner, a joyful daughter, a home, healthy parents, a job (even though not so much of interest), close friends, childhood friends, a car, some savings, handbags that i want (even though not all that i want i have), clothes, good food, good family, good friends. 

not everybody can have what i have. 

just look at those in Burma and Syria. 

it is such a pain to see them that way, especially babies and children.

if i were to be given a super power, i choose to have the power of saving those children and provide them with the best care and safety. 

if i were given 3 wishes, i'd wish for:

-world peace. 

-health for my family

-for all children to be loved and taken care of

im such a beauty queen protege. hahaha

anyway, for my birthday, i took 2 days off. Monday and Tuesday. 

to settle things (our passport), and some me time.

Monday was a very hectic day. brought Ayra for her passport application and to renew my passport. by right we could get our passport within an hour but the system was offline due to some glitch, so we had to wait 5 days for it. so Friday, collection time. this is so tiring. 

was thinking of taking only half day on friday, but probably i just take the whole day off. it's raya anyway. might as well make use of the cuti i have, (which is like 38 days more)

after passport errand settled, we took Ayra for her first ever movie in the cinema! Ice Age 4.

she was in awe. 

eyes wide open watching the big colorful screen.

when a scary scene of the dinosaur came, she grabbed my hand and hold tightly. as if she understood that scary part. so clever.

about half an hour later, she fell asleep.

thank god her ticket is free! haha

i was reluctant of going, afraid that she might cause a scene. but alhamdulillah, it went okay. she was okay. mummy and ayah really had the chance of enjoying the movie. 

thank you princess.

after movie, we had iftar at Delicious, Setia City Mall. it was also the pre birthday celebration. doing it today might be too tiring as wednesday is a working day. mummy has to wake up early!

Ayra had sticky date pudding. wow. so delicious!! i will definitely be looking into its recipe!

people, do try it. seriously, delicious. 

bet u will like it!

Ayra really enjoyed her meal. 

she looks so cute. like a big boss enjoying her meal.

look at her hands. haih....si bulat..

(please excuse the terbalik video. hubby was the one who took it. not me.heheh)

Tuesday,.. i planned for a 'me' time. 

went for a facial in Serenity Spa in e@Curve. 

it's a usual place that i go to since 2 years ago.

quite happy with the service. but too expensive. i signed up for a package 2 years ago and today was my last facial with them. will go again if they have better promo next time and if i have the time. 

it's quite far from my house actually.

i rather go for facial in setia city mall. which i will later after i search for some info on available facial services there. such a convenient to have a mall right in front of your house!

after facial, went to find a baju raya for mom. i haven't bought her anything for raya. she helped me a lot taking care of that little princess. not only that, she makes ayra's clothes, and mine too! 

found a MsRead baju for her eventually. 

then went to find Dad's birthday present. 

that is the hard part.

Dad has everything and his things are expensive.

talk about Salvatore, Raoul, LV, etc. 

totally cannot afford what he has!

that left me with no idea of what to give him. 

actually, earlier on Saturday, we found a Massimo Dutti shirt which is very2 nice and elegant.. but decided to give Hubby instead cos it suits him better. hehehe. and the size is a bit small. dont think Dad would want to wear it.

so.. today.. went into British India.. find a nice kurta with ridiculous price, grabbed it in a nice soft turquoise color, and pay. tawakkal and hope Dad likes it. 

so, Happy Birthday to Papa, 15th August. 

after doing some groceries shopping for mom, head home to Mom's house and picked up princess. 

quite a tiring day but loving the me time. 

So.. Happy 28th Birthday to Me. 

I hope i can be a better muslim. a good wife. a loving mother. and good daughter.

Thank You Allah for all your blessings.

I am forever grateful to You, Dear Lord.