Week 7 | HOW'S YOUR DAY? (13-19 Safar)
Tuesday, December 1, 2015 –
Week 7
Week 3 | GREEN (15-21 Muharram)
Tuesday, November 3, 2015 –
HIjri 1437,
Week 3
Milin Kassim
Those little green books (and some in purple) have been your loyal companions for quite a while now - especially before you doze off to your dreamland.
Those little green books (and some in purple) have been your loyal companions for quite a while now - especially before you doze off to your dreamland.
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This theme comes beautifully on a week when Allah blesses us with such lovely sunny weather and blue skies, alhamdulillah. Orked and I went out to play the first day we noticed the haze leaving us. And then again another day. And again.
I remember growing up not having all the best toys in the world as we weren't from a wealthy family. But I was the happiest. Because my mother instilled in us a love for simple everyday things we sometimes take for granted, such as the blue skies, or the way the leaves sway to the rhythm of the wind, or how the skies turn a pretty hue of pink while the sun sets. My mother had such great love for nature and she indeed had successfully instilled the same love in me and my sister. And I cannot be any more grateful for that.
I am thankful that our neighbourhood is surrounded by so much green despite being in the city. I truly love the greens, the way my mother does, and I hope to instill that same love in my daughter too. I hope to raise Orked to notice and appreciate Allah's beautiful creations, and to realize how much more they are worth than material things. In shaa Allah.
I remember growing up not having all the best toys in the world as we weren't from a wealthy family. But I was the happiest. Because my mother instilled in us a love for simple everyday things we sometimes take for granted, such as the blue skies, or the way the leaves sway to the rhythm of the wind, or how the skies turn a pretty hue of pink while the sun sets. My mother had such great love for nature and she indeed had successfully instilled the same love in me and my sister. And I cannot be any more grateful for that.
I am thankful that our neighbourhood is surrounded by so much green despite being in the city. I truly love the greens, the way my mother does, and I hope to instill that same love in my daughter too. I hope to raise Orked to notice and appreciate Allah's beautiful creations, and to realize how much more they are worth than material things. In shaa Allah.
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Abang first tournament.
And he didn't win the match. Saddened by the defeat. He was too heartbroken. Abah & Adik is trying hard to console and boost his spirit. I wasn't devastated at all.But I do feel sorry for him and feel bad for letting him even enter the tournament. I know Abang has my strong willing heart but I haven't give him enough of what he should have to project it physically.
Takpe sayang. You are still new in this game. Fresh.
Green.
InshaAllah, one day. You'll do much better. It takes courage to even say yes to enter the game.
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Week 2 | PLAY (8 - 14 Muharram)
Wednesday, October 28, 2015 –
HIjri 1437,
Week 2
It’s through their little giggles and endless laughter with the loved ones their souls pick up some vitality and enthusiasm while at the same time boosting others. And, an enthusiastic soul is always the one who gets to beat the odds life thrown at them better than a frigid soul. Oh how can I overlooked that especially of lately? How importance play is to a child!
I was overwhelmed perhaps with the responsibilities I have to shoulder I forgot sometimes to just let loose and have more play time with you two. Yes, I always I have your Daddy to cover that for me but it’s not an excuse any more.
A sudden flash of memory rushed into my mind.
I remember - not long ago - how thrilled you were when I told you our beloved Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) loved to play with children. I could see the sparkle in your eyes and your face were glowing with a big, bright smile. It must have meant a lot for you to know that the best man ever walked on this earth was also someone who was so dear with children.
Yes, play is a serious business to a child. And who understand that better than our beloved Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم)?
To be continued...
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Play is a favourite, important subject to me. Always have been, and always a wonder to me as well. I thought I'd grow out of it by now that I'm thirty. It's this inner child in me. I have always been somewhat child-like and I guess, young at heart? I remember once back when I was working in the corporate world, I got commented on the way I bring myself - not professional, playful or something along those lines. I was taken aback and tried to change, but God knows how unnatural it was for me. I guess I'm just naturally this colorful kid, always wanting to express myself in bright-coloured child-like art.
I remember before I even had my own child, I went to the office, just couldn't grasp the business lingo, and was looking forward to come back home so I could finish painting the giraffe cartoons I drew on Duit Raya packets I crafted. Yes, at the office, when it's all serious business, I was thinking of giraffe cartoons?! I even had my own children's book drafted back then, but it has only been kept personal for now.
I believe that all these, among many other important reasons, made up my adamant decision to leave the corporate world and be a work-at-home-mom as I'm always just bursting with fun play-time ideas for my little one. While I hope and pray that Orked enjoys all these activities, I know that I truly have been enjoying them myself! I'm one who wouldn't mind nor get mad if Orked scribbles on the wall - I'd join in as well! When it comes to creative expression and art, I'm never afraid of mess. And truly, alhamdulillah for this opportunity to have more messy, artsy playtime sessions with my daughter.
Here's a photo series of what Orked and I did this week - paintsicles, we call it. We froze some bright-coloured paint in ice cube mould overnight, slid in some colorful popsicle sticks, and hurrah - we got some paintsicles in the morning! I happened to have bear-shaped ice cube moulds, so that was a bonus, with Orked happily going "bear, bear!" along the way. We had fun painting and swiping those paintsicles across some art papers, and I especially was pleased to see Orked smiling and so engrossed in the activity. The result was wonderful too! Such pretty rainbow hues on those papers.
On a more reflective note, I am inspired and grateful, alhamdulillah, when Milin shared with us about how our beloved Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) loved playing with children and how it's one of his many beautiful ways in showing mercy towards children. I hope and pray that in all that we do, in all our plays, I will always remember Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) as an inspiration, and again, to always correct my intention and do it for the sake of Allah swt, in shaa Allah.
I remember before I even had my own child, I went to the office, just couldn't grasp the business lingo, and was looking forward to come back home so I could finish painting the giraffe cartoons I drew on Duit Raya packets I crafted. Yes, at the office, when it's all serious business, I was thinking of giraffe cartoons?! I even had my own children's book drafted back then, but it has only been kept personal for now.
I believe that all these, among many other important reasons, made up my adamant decision to leave the corporate world and be a work-at-home-mom as I'm always just bursting with fun play-time ideas for my little one. While I hope and pray that Orked enjoys all these activities, I know that I truly have been enjoying them myself! I'm one who wouldn't mind nor get mad if Orked scribbles on the wall - I'd join in as well! When it comes to creative expression and art, I'm never afraid of mess. And truly, alhamdulillah for this opportunity to have more messy, artsy playtime sessions with my daughter.
Here's a photo series of what Orked and I did this week - paintsicles, we call it. We froze some bright-coloured paint in ice cube mould overnight, slid in some colorful popsicle sticks, and hurrah - we got some paintsicles in the morning! I happened to have bear-shaped ice cube moulds, so that was a bonus, with Orked happily going "bear, bear!" along the way. We had fun painting and swiping those paintsicles across some art papers, and I especially was pleased to see Orked smiling and so engrossed in the activity. The result was wonderful too! Such pretty rainbow hues on those papers.
On a more reflective note, I am inspired and grateful, alhamdulillah, when Milin shared with us about how our beloved Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) loved playing with children and how it's one of his many beautiful ways in showing mercy towards children. I hope and pray that in all that we do, in all our plays, I will always remember Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) as an inspiration, and again, to always correct my intention and do it for the sake of Allah swt, in shaa Allah.
“Indeed in the messenger of Allah there is the best of examples.”
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Week 1 | ANEW (1 - 7 Muharram 1437)
Tuesday, October 20, 2015 –
HIjri 1437,
Week 1
Tonight, I decided to break our routines. You would usually have your Quran recitation in our room or the family hall. But from now on, I hope you will also feel comfortable to recite Quran in your room. So it began. Adik seeing you started your Quran recitation, immediately joined in.
But more than that I also hope this New Year of 1437 you and Adik will have a closer relationship with the Quran. That means I pray we will seek time to not only recite the verses, but to understand and ponder upon their meanings.
I see our days are brighter this year, in shaa Allah…
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Mornings, as we know it, represent a new beginning. A new day to make things right. A new day to be better than before. A new day to learn something we thought we failed the previous night.
I love capturing and freeze-framing our mornings. More so when there's that beautiful morning light. On a bigger scale, it doesn't just represent a new day. It represents us, starting anew.
It's a new year now in our Islamic calendar, and if I were to list down a new year's resolution of all the things I hope to learn and achieve for us, I probably wouldn't stop. And that's a lesson in itself - to learn and to always want to. I recently just hopped on a new journey as a work-at-home-mom, and that's a whole lot of newness there.
To begin with, I want to be a better mom/wife/daughter/sister/daughter-in-law and to always know the reason for it. I want to always be reminded that my goals of being a better-this or a better-that are all only for the sake of Allah.
So here are some freeze-framed moments of our morning. Your tantrums as a nineteen-month-old just like any other nineteen-month-olds and how I'm always learning to embrace them with patience - to be a better mom. And our mornings spent together with these coloured activities that I am so grateful of. I'm entirely thankful for this opportunity to have more time with you and to learn to be a better mother.
We recently started this collaboration of art together whereby you'd paint and learn all the things a toddler would learn from sensory play. And you'd have fun and giggle. And I'd learn a new interpretation of Qur'an and write it down in the form of brushlettering. I'm trying to do this on a regular basis and have a collection of reminders from the Qur'an that we'd learn and paint down together. You may not exactly understand them now. But I hope that one day when you look back at all these reminders we painted & wrote for ourselves, you'd benefit from them in countless beautiful ways. In shaa Allah.
To another better day, and to a better year. In shaa Allah.
I love capturing and freeze-framing our mornings. More so when there's that beautiful morning light. On a bigger scale, it doesn't just represent a new day. It represents us, starting anew.
It's a new year now in our Islamic calendar, and if I were to list down a new year's resolution of all the things I hope to learn and achieve for us, I probably wouldn't stop. And that's a lesson in itself - to learn and to always want to. I recently just hopped on a new journey as a work-at-home-mom, and that's a whole lot of newness there.
To begin with, I want to be a better mom/wife/daughter/sister/daughter-in-law and to always know the reason for it. I want to always be reminded that my goals of being a better-this or a better-that are all only for the sake of Allah.
So here are some freeze-framed moments of our morning. Your tantrums as a nineteen-month-old just like any other nineteen-month-olds and how I'm always learning to embrace them with patience - to be a better mom. And our mornings spent together with these coloured activities that I am so grateful of. I'm entirely thankful for this opportunity to have more time with you and to learn to be a better mother.
We recently started this collaboration of art together whereby you'd paint and learn all the things a toddler would learn from sensory play. And you'd have fun and giggle. And I'd learn a new interpretation of Qur'an and write it down in the form of brushlettering. I'm trying to do this on a regular basis and have a collection of reminders from the Qur'an that we'd learn and paint down together. You may not exactly understand them now. But I hope that one day when you look back at all these reminders we painted & wrote for ourselves, you'd benefit from them in countless beautiful ways. In shaa Allah.
To another better day, and to a better year. In shaa Allah.
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"Red and yellow, and pink, and green,
You are a Muslim; Islam is your din,
You are a Muslim; Islam is your din,
Don't forget purple, orange, and blue,
The colour of Islam is the colour of you."
- Mohammed Yaseen, The Colour Blind Boy
Truthfully, daddy and I still have plenty to explore about being Muslims. Alhamdulillah, with you around, the journey becomes more fascinating.
- Mohammed Yaseen, The Colour Blind Boy
Truthfully, daddy and I still have plenty to explore about being Muslims. Alhamdulillah, with you around, the journey becomes more fascinating.
Imagine a vast field lined with a path. Colourful flowers everywhere. Daddy loves the brightest ones, I love those in pastels and creams, while you love a mix of each shade. Nevertheless, we choose to appreciate the beauty of the entire place.
Halfway from the destination, you surprise us with a bouquet. Yes, a mix of each shade. How the contrasts accentuate the whole bunch. As we continue our journey, the surrounding changes. We behold harmony.
Khalish, thank you for such a present. Thank you indeed for your presence. Daddy and I pray that the new year leads us to more discoveries. More harmonies, too. Ameen.
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Khalish, thank you for such a present. Thank you indeed for your presence. Daddy and I pray that the new year leads us to more discoveries. More harmonies, too. Ameen.
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