Juicing: energy booster?

Salam!

Our fruit caterpillar to go with The Very Hungry caterpillar story

As a Mum, I am very watchful of what my children eat and drink. Ever since they were little, I always wanted to make sure I feed them the best of  everything; I refused to feed them jar food, and used to make their own baby food that I would take out with me, as we used to spend a lot of time outdoors.

I am not very health conscious when it comes to me. I am a foodie and I enjoy being one, I don’t particularly have a sweet tooth (probably owing to the fact that my Dad had diabetes and I enjoyed eating and drinking sugarless deink with him, while my Mum would pour  a few spoons of sugar in her tea). But I love my savoury,  deep fried or not, I am ever ready to eat anything that’s salty. I also have a collection of chilli sauce (indeed I love my chillies!).

After my children were born, and they started to eat solids, I would join them and we would all sit together and eat. I realised how important it was for me to lead by example when it comes to eating. My kids are not fussy eaters Alhumdulillah, they eat everything and that’s something I wanted to make sure of. Growing up, I remember being a fussy eater, and my Mum always having to accommodate the menu for me. Anything my brothers and sisters didn’t like to eat, I wouldn’t eat, and also added to that list was my own ‘i don’t like it’ food.

As a mother, I didn’t want them to turn out like me, so I would cook food that I don’t like, and would give it to them even though I didn’t like it and would not eat it. But, as the kids were growing older and wiser, they would ask things like ‘Why don’t you have meat on your plate?’etc... So, I started having more red meat, along with them. No more questions are asked. Is till I’m not a big fan of red meat, but I do make sure we eat it once a week. I must say, I have to thank my kids for that, considering my iron level is always low.

My kids love their fruits/veg. I enjoy my vegetables, but I am not a fruit eater. Like I mentioned before, I do not have a sweet tooth.  Alhumdulillah, the kids never ask anything about me not eating fruits, they love it too much to be honest. But, it did make me realise that I must be lacking in some nutrients and vitamins. I finally found the solution to it: Juicing! Two of my friends have been juicing for a while and had really taken a liking to the thing. So I tried it out, and I love it!

At first I thought it was only going to give me essential nutrients and vitamins, but it happened to give me much more than that. It had a feel good factor, I mean mentally and physically, I felt better, it might just be a psychological thing, cos I know I am doing something right. But I must admit, it had made a difference to my life, I feel a lot lighter ( even though I don’t think it made a difference to the scale).

This isn;t the biggest surprise though, but since I have started juicing, today was the first time I managed to go swimming after a gap of about 3 months. I used to swim regularly before, but due to work commitments and feeling uneasy in asking people to babysit for me, I haven’t been swimming for over 3 months. One thing us single parents feel uneasy about  a lot is asking people to look after our kids while we have ‘me’ time.  No matter how close we are to someone, it is still very hard from us to come forward and say will you be willing to babysit for me while I enjoy some free time. I have thought about this a lot, I find that people who are in a relationship do not find it hard to say that to their partner or even other family members, but this is one thing a lot of us single parents struggle with. Maybe, because a lot of us have had to take more responsibility than others, especially in the case of an absent parent, where all the responsibility have been shamelessly ‘dump’ on us. And we know that it is not a nice situation to be in, and although in no way we think of our children as burdens, we know what it feels like when people are having fun instead of stepping up and shouldering their responsibility. Anyway, today since the girls were at nursery, I managed to go swimming and Boy it was amazing! I have been swimming for quite awhile, but by far this has been my best experience! I swam non-stop for the whole session, and didn’t even stop to breathe for a minute! I did more laps than I have ever done before in the same amount of time, my speed was better, my techniques were better, and it was all effortless. At the end of the session, I still felt fresh and probably could have gone on for a while longer.  I was even approached by people who thought I was great! They should have seen me swimming during my school days!(sarcasm).

I do really think, this all due to the change in my diet. But maybe not, but I guess other people should try it and tell me if it had had the same impact on them!

Why we don't have a TV

Many people are actually surprised when I tell them we don’t have a tv in our household. IT seems strange nowadays, as most houses have the latest technology and in my house new technology is not much welcomed.

I have had different comments concerning my lack of TV at home; sometimes people insinuating that I cannot afford one; that I am a very boring person and must be leading a boring life or even that I am a control freak who is being overprotective when it comes to my children. I know many Muslims who choose not to have a religious reason; they believe there is too much ‘fitna’ (corruption that deviates from the right path) on it. I must say, I didn’t choose to have a TV for that reason.

Growing up, I loved watching TV, it was THE entertainment. I remember rushing back from school, so I would be on time to watch my favourite cartoons, or even putting the alarm clock at 6 am on weekends so I would not miss any of my favourite cartoons. And also, finishing my homework hastily so I can watch my evening soaps etc... The list goes on and on, there were even times when I refuse to go out just because of what was on telly.  I remember how my Mum had to stand in front of the telly, so I could actually hear what she was saying even though she had been screaming it out for the past 5 mins. Looking back, it looked like my whole life was centred around TV. Oh I did have good family times, my parents loved to play board games with us, we use to have competitions from time to time and those were our family times on top of outings/picnics. Funnily enough, even though TV was the main focus of my life at that point, I actually barely remember anything about it, the things I do remember is the games we used to play as a family, I even remember some of the conversations we had  back then. Those are the moments I really miss, not the TV, not the programmes on telly; none of it; what I do miss is all my family sitting around the monopoly board, and my mum cheating as usual while we all try to play honestly, or the dominos competition me and my dad used to have every month against my uncle and cousin, and how we always beat them. Or even the days when I was so little, and I used to just watch my big brother, big sister, dad and uncle playing Carrom, while my mum and aunt served us snacks.

I remember when I left home for uni, one of the things I was worried about was how was I suppose to spend my time if i don’t have tv. I must say though even though I didn’t have tv, I did have my laptop and internet, and if any was not working, then they were the most boring days of my life; not because I couldn’t watch anything, nope! Just cause I could not keep in touch with my family and friends.

I realised I didn’t need a TV anymore, having spent ¾ years at uni without one I never really missed it.

Following my marriage, I realised how much harm TV can also cause to a family. I used to resent the TV at some point as it had taken over my place as a wife; it also became a reason for argument many a times. I had learnt that there’s a life outside the square (now rectangle) box, and I wanted to live this new life instead, and my ex-husband thought differently. But this was never the reason why I don’t have a TV.

I can very well afford one if I want it, and I have even been offered people’s old TV which I kindly refused. After having my daughters, I realised how precious each and every minute we spend doing things together as a family is important; those are the memories they are going to cherish, the memories they will talk about and miss as well. It is easy to just switch on the TV and let it babysit and raise your children, but instead I choose to raise them and make them independent so they won’t need a babysitter. Oh, it would be way easy to have them in front of the screen, while I get all my jobs done; knowing that they won’t have made any mess, but this is not the life I have chosen.  I choose to make the mess with them,  I choose for us to not rely on any object, but to rely on ourselves and I choose to give them fond memories of me.

Are we bored? Not at all, we always have something cooking. There’s always something exciting to do, a new activity, something to get our hands dirty with, it never gets boring, and we enjoy each other’s company all along, we talk about random things, we laugh about stupid things, we make silly faces and sounds; there’s always something to do up till bed time!

As a single Mum this is the choice I have made, any Mum can make that choice, it’s not because someone chooses a different life that they must be ridiculed. I spend a considerable amount of my day working, and having my kids away, it is not fair on them and me to even ignore each other for the few hours we do spend together.  They need me and my love as much as I need them and their love. Besides, we still have the laptop if we want to watch something suitable for them together. It is not the end of the world!

Deep conversation with a neighbour

Deep conversation with anon-muslim neighbour

Salam everyone,

I just wanted to share a conversation I shared with one of my lovely neighbours recently. She’s simply adorable old little lady that posted me a welcome to the area card when I first moved to the area, and she’s always putting my bins back after collection, a true lady with English values.

She was just having a little chat with me when she randomly asked, I hope you don’t mind but I wanted to ask you something. I was like oh sure go ahead, thinking it’s probably a ‘islam/muslim’ question. Then she went on: “It’s  quite sometime now that you have moved here, and you seem such a lovely persons, and your girls are such a delight, I was wondering if you don’t feel lonely sometimes,” she carries on, “ don’t get me wrong please, it’s just I remember when I separated from my daughter’s dad, a long long time ago, I wanted to find someone else, and I did eventually find the right one after a while, although later on he turned out to be the wrong one as well.” She laughs. “It’s just I was thinking, I never see any man coming around, except for your brother and I was wondering, I know what I feels like, I just thought maybe I could give you some advice.”

I was actually really touched by what she said; it was nice of her to think about me even though we don’t have a deep and meaningful relationship. It was definitely a sweet thought from her.

I started to think how am I supposed to answer this, so I started: “Oh thank you that’s very sweet of you. We muslims don’t date you see, we don’t mingle with men other than family members and we avoid mixing with the other sex.”

She listened carefully, then said, “oh! I understand. But how do you meet your husband then?”

“Very good question! We normally rely on family, friends or acquaintances who would set up a meeting between potentials. For example, a relative may know of so and so who wants to get married, and bring a marriage proposal to a potential, who then consider to pursue or not.”

“oh that’s interesting, it used to be like that in the old days, but not anymore, but it’s nice to see some people still living by their values. So do you just get married after you receive the proposal?”

“Well not really, normally the two parties will talk (including the bride, groom and families) and if they think it’s a good match, then islamically as they are not allowed to date then they get married.”

“Oh it must be hard though. You are basically marrying a stranger. And, what if you two can’t get on?”

“Marriage is risky anyway isn’t it? What guarantee do you have when you date someone that they always gonna be right for you? I mean many people date for quite a while before getting married and it stills doesn’t work out. It’s all about destiny.”

“True. At least in my case,” she says. She carries on, “so are your family and friends trying to look for someone for you then?”

An innocent question from an innocent lady. Yet, it was harder to answer this question.

Be proactive when it comes to abuse

Salam everyone!

I recently found something I didn’t even think I had anymore. A few years back, my latop broke, and I got a new one, then I decided to get it repaired and even got it back months ago, but never really bothered to check what’s on it as I thought it must all have been erased, but to my surprise everything was still on it.

If you have even the slightest or faintest idea that something Is not right in your relationship/marriage, you should document it and save the proofs. You never know, in the future those can be very handy. I found some pictures that I took the first time my ex-husband assaulted me. I do remember taking those photos, I took those photos after he had given me my phone back, it was not a very good camera but it was clear enough. When I took those photos, he had already sked me to forgive him and I had answered positive, but for some reason I decided to take some pics of myself that day. I had never even look at those pics, I think I transferred them quickly on a hidden folder on my laptop so he wouldn’t have any doubts.

I never even look at the pics properly, I think I was too scared that I would find something not right, something strange about the way I looked, and I was afraid to face it, I was afraid to face myself, to acknowledge what had happened. I wanted to move on and be positive. I didn’t even bother checking my face in the mirror, I was happy to be oblivious. Oh I could feel the pain, may jaw did hurt, I remember struggling to swallow food for  a day or two, but I didn’t want to look, looking meant going through it again, and I didn’t have the courage to do it back then.

Anyway, while going through the laptop, I stumbled on those pics I took that day and for the very first time, I realised what it looked like, what it looked like to be an abused woman, and more importantly what I looked like. This person on the picture looked nothing like, nothing of what I remember being before or what I think I am now. It was a completely different person, alien to me. I was not really much about the bruises, I am dark-skinned, so those don’t show very well, but it was just the face, the look on the face, the cracks on the lips, the blank expression, the sore lips; no none of it looked like a younger version of me or an older version, I fail to recognise this as myself. I look horrible, my eyes were numb, and my lips cracked in a few places, my face was completely drained of any colour and emotion. I looked lost in my own world, and soulless. I realised I looked like a total mess, a complete horror, and maybe had I look at that picture before, I would have realised earlier on in the relationship that I had to let go and get away from it.

My point is it’s crucial to document everything, photos where possible, text messages where you can, audio/video recordings and snapshots. Anything you really can even if you think it’s not important. Save it somewhere safe, maybe a friend you trust or even on a pendrive that you can hide. Make sure you have got enough, so if ever you need to prove anything then you can. Do not let your abuser know you are holding any proofs, do not threaten them with it, if you do then you are digging your own grave.

Clare's law- A way to escape domestic abuse?

Clare’s law- A way to escape domestic abuse?

A scheme allowing people to find out if their partner has a history of domestic violence has been used by more than 5 people a day attesting the violent past of partners or future partners.

Clare's Law - named after Clare Wood, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2009 - came into force across England and Wales in March 2014.

This is subhanallah an amazing scheme. It can help save so many brothers and sisters from a turbulent and violent relationship. Although so far only women have been using it, men also can use it. It works like a CRB or DBS check, where the police gives you information about whether your partner or potential partner has had a violent past. This type of information is not only available if your partner or potential has been convicted but even when no charges were pressed.  If the police feel you might be at risk, they would disclose such information to you. Furthermore, it gets even better as they can actually tell you if you are in or getting into a relationship with a violent partner without you asking for it (though I personally believe this only happens in extreme cases).

Subhanallah, like it’s often said, you do not really know someone until you live with them.  And many men and women will vow this is true. For Muslims, who are seeking to get married, this is indeed a godsend. A lot of people cannot find partners and check that the information given to them is right, sometimes families and friends do not know it all, just because someone belong to a good and respectable family, doesn’t automatically mean they are too. And, a lot of people are now turning to matrimonials or aunties who try to find ‘the one’ for you, how can you verify that all the information about the one is right. Well, Clare’s law is the answer. People like to hide their dirty past, some will say it’s between me and Allah, which is true, but withholding information is not right either especially if it concerns somebody’s future. People should have the right to make sensible and measured decisions based on the information. Some may choose to go ahead even if information of abuse is disclosed (some people do change with Allah’s help), others may not feel so comfortable with it. But, I think this is great way of making informed decision and knowing the risk you may be taking.

Can you use it, when the proposal has been brought through someone you trust (family/friends) why not? You are not undermining your friend/families intention by looking out for potential danger, even those people may not be aware of the full story. And if someone is not comfortable with the idea with you checking things up then I guess something must not be quite right. We are expected to trust complete strangers and devote the rest of our lives to them, but that’s what they are until we are married to them: strangers!

Feel free to let all your friends and family know, Allah knows best, you might be helping in saving a life.

Story telling: Stories of the prophets

Salam,
 
Like I mentioned in one of my previous blog, it is very important to read stories to your kids to inculcate that love fore reading.
One of the thing I have struggled with is finding interesting stories which are short but straight to the point. I have a few Quran stories &co. books by goodwords, I personally find some of them quite boring and the words are quite hard for toddlers and very young children to read.
Eventually, I decided that I was better off writing up my own stories for the prophets. I would read up about the prophet I want to cover with my children, and take note of the interesting aspects of the story. For example, one of the stories I covered with my children was about Yunus (a.s). Obviously, having an animal is the story, was really the most interesting part of the story for the children. They could not stop talking about the fish/whale (some versions suggest a whale, others a fish). It captivated their imagination which was really good.
I normally tell them the story in the type of language for their level. So the story of Yunus (a.s) goes like:
There was a prophet called Yunus, he was a prophet just like our prophet Muhammad. He lived in a place with a lot of naughty people who did not thank Allah, and did not pray to Allah. And prophet Yunus told them Allah will not be happy if they do not listen to Him and they should astaghfirullah as they have been very naughty and bad. But the people did not want to say sorry to Allah and did not want to pray to Allah.
They were on a boat one day and one person had to jump off so Yunus said he would so everybody else can be safe. And Yunus fell in the water and a fish/whale ate him. But he was not hurt. Allah didn't let the fish/whale hurt him even though it ate him.
Yunus was very sorry and sad. He asked Allah to help him and pray to Allah. And Allah, who always hear our prayers and give us everything told the whale to spit him out. And Yunus was free.
Allah made him sleep under a tree and gave him lots of fruits from the tree, so he wasn't hungry anymore. When he felt better, he went back to the naughty people who were now good and have said sorry to Allah and Allah had forgiven them.
I asked my daughters what do they know of Yunus (a.s) and they could pretty much retell the story, and it goes without saying that 50% of the story was about the whale/fish.
As I mentioned, lessons should be audio, visual and kinesthetic. For the visual part, I would normally google/youtube anything connected to the story and Alhumdulillah stumbled upon a nasheed about prophet Yunus (a.s). We also made some colouring and cutting of fishes and whales.

My take on this is they need to know about the different prophets, and even when telling them a story make sure they can understand it as there is no point in them learning hard words without actually understanding the moral of the story.

Intoducing new languages

Salam,
 

I just wanted to update those that are multilingual or teaching their kids more than one language. Like I blogged previously, I introduced my girls to the Arabic writing system.  Alhumdulillah it’s going better than expected. Like I explained, they know their Arabic alphabets orally, but they are now learning to connect the sounds with the symbol.

For those who are teaching Arabic to their kids, and know Arabic, they would know that Arabic letters when on their own look different to when joined up to form words. And my eldest amazed me a few days back, by actually recognising Arabic letters in joined up writing(words).

I was reading the Qur’an to them , and she pointed out the letters alif and ba in different places on the page. I have actually not taught her how those letters look when joined. On one of my prayer mats, it has the sentence Allahu Akbar written in Arabic, and she pointed out all the alifs and the baa in this sentence. I must say as a linguist I am surprised, obviously I was about her age when I started learning Arabic, and I cannot remember whether I knew how the letters would look if joint or not, but I am very excited about this discovery. I am actually buzzing about discussing this linguists or Arabic speakers to see how this happens. Is this some process of cognitive linguistics? Obviously, she knows the difference between roman alphabets, Arabic and numbers, she knows they are all different and can identify new letters(symbols) and put them in the right box.

Furthermore, like I previously said i would introduce them to connecting the write symbol for numbers in Arabic, French and English, and so far they can recognise the same symbol standing for the same thing with same meaning in different languages.

If anyone is interested in teaching their children different languages this is the right time. A multilingual child’s mind works harder, as they are processing more information. This is an excellent exercise for the brain, studies have shown that the more language a person knows, the easier their brain find to process information. The younger  a child is, the more native like his language acquisition will be. In linguistics, there is a term for this period of time where language acquisition is at the best, it’s known as the critical period hypothesis. Although not proven, many linguists believe the best time for a child to acquire a language successful is between birth up to the age of 8 or puberty.  So, make the most of it.When a child speak more than one language, you may find that they actually start talking a bit later compared to monolingual children, but that’s absolutely normal, and they sometimes mix up the languages, do not worry, it’s all normal, the key to it is keep trying, by the time they are a bit older, and have  a bigger vocabulary, they will put things together by themselves. And you will find, they will normally use the right language with teh appropriate adult they are talking to, but sometimes one word would slip from another language.