a winter walk

the best walks are the walks, when you go out expecting it to be an ordinary walk, but then something surprises you, like the walk at the beginning of spring when you spot the first crocuses and daffodils, or the walk in autumn, when you find a tree full of apples, in a spot that you walk past almost everyday, but this tree has gone unnoticed, but the best walk is the walk in winter, when you expect the tree's to be bare, but instead you are faced with one of the most prettiest sights that you'll see at this time of year.



escapism....

when kids are bored, and you just can't get yourself to look or feel excited about doing an activity with them, give them a box of junk, some sellotape and pva glue, then make yourself a cup of tea and leave them to it.
works every time.

:: this moment ::

the holistic approach...

in islam, our approach to life is a 'holsitic' one. we take care of not only our physical body, but we ensure our mental and spiritual bodies are taken care of as well. that is the true beauty of islam, the everyday normal actions that we do in our day to day live without giving much thought as to how this is effecting us, generally has a physical, mental and spiritual impact on us, such as our salah (five daily prayers). this not only applies to the actions that we do but what we eat and drink can have this effect on us too.

pumpkin is something that we enjoy at this time of the year. it is available in abundance, it's delicious and very versatile in what you can cook with it, but did you know that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was thought to have loved squash; he was reported to have once asked his wife A'isha (may Allah be pleased with her) 'O A'isha, if you prepare a casserole, increase the squash in it, as it strengthens the grieving heart' (Jauziya).

It is not exactly known which type of squash the Prophet (PBUH) was talking about, but what we do know is that nearly all the vegetables in this group contain beta and alpha carotene's, vitamins C and E, and potassium and fibre. they also have a high antioxidant level which is beneficent in heart disease.

SubhaanAllah, not only does this group of vegetable have many physical benefits, but the Prophet (PBUH) mentions that it 'strengthens the grieving heart'.

(some content taken from: healing body and soul, by amira ayad)

healing body and soul

i am currently reading this book, and finding it quite fascinating. as someone who is very conscious of what we as a family eat, the benefits of healthy eating and how it effects us, mind, body and soul, finding this book was a blessing.
 i would love to share every little bit of this book with you all, but as this isn't possible, i will share what i feel are the most relevant to us and what we can mostly benefit from insh'Allah.

upside down pear cake

after many Friday's of eating cake baked by my babes, i though it was high time i baked them something.

some softening pears which everyone was ignoring gave me the inspiration.

one of the simplest cakes I've ever baked.

not one of the prettiest,

but one of the tastiest.

enjoy with cream or custard (we had it both).

today we.....

.....after so many grey and dark days saw the sun shining so we put our books away and went outside, even though there were winds which felt as if they were blowing 100mph.

splashed about in puddles that were left behind from last nights rain.

saw this hole and discussed what kinds of animals might live in there.



my two year old told the ducks off because they were stealing each others bread.

got chased by huge white swans who wanted all the bread for themselves. 

eventually the clouds moved in and the winds blew us all the way home.

felting

the kids attended a felting workshop last weekend. it was really great to watch them create pieces art with natural fibres such as lambs wool.
 Alhamdulillah the kids have been dabbling in so many different things lately,  thanks to the hard working sisters who organise all these events, your hard work does not go unnoticed.

 these are some of the beautiful things that the tutor bought in to show us, they were truly beautiful, so much hard work and effort went into them.

taking ten....

peppermint tea + laptop + books

no matter what kind of day i've had, this combination at the end of the day,

is sure to prepare me for the day that follows.

welcoming winter.....with a smile

 

Snow, hot chocolate, wooly blankets, knitting, coughs and colds, short days and long nights, these are just some words that remind us of winter. Winter, for most of us, is not our favorite season because of the cold weather and early sunset. But while many of us are shivering and complaining of this weather and darkness, our past predecessors rejoiced at the coming of winter.


Imam al-Hasan al-Basri (rahimahullah) said, “The best season to a believer is the winter, its nights are long for those who wish to pray, and its days are short for those who wish to fast.”

Winter is the season of the believer because it is so easy to do good deeds. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) has made this a great mercy for us; we can fast these short days without any decrease in the reward and we have a huge gap between Isha and Fajr to pray some night prayers.

Umar (radi Allahu anhu) said, “Winter is booty for the devout worshipers.”

So take advantage of these short days and long nights!

Also now that we are in winter, we may need an extra push to keep renewing our wudu because of the cold weather. Here are some benefits of wudu to motivate yourself to keep up this sunnah, even though you’re freezing cold:

1) Expiation of sins

:: “He who performs the Wudu perfectly (i.e., according to Sunnah), his sins will depart from his body, even from under his nails.” [Muslim]

:: He who performs Wudu like this, his previous sins will be forgiven and his Salat and walking to the mosque will be considered as supererogatory act of worship.” [Muslim].

:: “When a Muslim, or a believer, washes his face (in the course of Wudu), every sin which he committed with his eyes, will be washed away from his face with water, or with the last drop of water; when he washes his hands, every sin which is committed by his hands will be effaced from his hands with the water, or with the last drop of water; and when he washes his feet, every sin his feet committed will be washed away with the water, or with the last drop of water; until he finally emerges cleansed of all his sins.” [Muslim]

this information has been taken from here:
http://muslimmatters.org/2010/11/14/sunday-open-thread-why-winter-is-the-season-of-the-believer/

pottery

our first pottery class (organised by our home-ed group) was a total success. the kids really enjoyed getting their hands stuck in, touching, feeling, moulding the clay. they made pots, which can be used for a number of purposes, pencil holder, flower pot, utensils in the kitchen are just a few ways that it can be used (as if my kids are going to let me put my kitchen utensils in it). we will collect them in two weeks, when the pots will have dried out.
glitter, paint, glue, sequins are all the the ready. watch this space.

patience and perseverance

'change your clothes, brush your hair and tidy your room' (or something like that), were my words before i left the house one day, so when i came home to find her looking even more scruffy than before and the room exactly the same as i had left it, you can imagine my reaction. but before i could say anything, she told me to wait, she pulled out my camera and showed me this

i sighed with relief, i wasn't angry anymore, although she hadn't done as i had told her, she had been very busy, busy practising a lot of patience and perseverance.

what could i do except congratulate her at achieving something that she has been trying for days!

snuggle up.....

turns out that were not the only ones trying to snuggle up

and get cosy in this little old house of mine!

ponderings.......

Then to eat of all the produce (of the earth), and find with skill the spacious paths of its Lord: there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colours, wherein is healing for men: verily in this is a Sign for those who give thought.

Surat An-Naĥl (The Bee) – سورة النحل 16:69

'Honey is a remedy for every illness and the Qur'an is a remedy for all illness of the mind, therefore I recommend to you both remedies, the Qur'an and honey.' (Bukhari)

"Honey consumption (as compared to refined sugar or HFCS) leads directly to the formation of liver glycogen, thus stabilising blood sugar levels. Honey thereby reduces metabolic stress and improves fat metabolism and disposal, thus combating two of the key parameters of the metabolic syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes and obesity."


~Dr Ron Fessenden, The Honey Revolution

friday :: baking

my daughter has been baking on Fridays, as she said she would! it's just that her mother hasn't been very good at blogging about it.

these are chocolate chip and hazelnut cookies.

(there's really nothing else to say except that they were  gone almost before entering the cookie jar).

art attack

there's nothing like a session of art to blow the morning cobwebs away.

slime time

we made slime. no your ears are not deceiving you, we made slime! well the story is, my son picked up Richard Hammond's book on wacky experiments from the library, and guess which experiment he wanted to do first, of course, something that involves getting gooey and messy.

ingredients needed to make slime are cornflower and water, oh and food colouring (to make it look like professional slime).

cornflower amazed me, yep it amazed me. i couldn't believe how something could become hard and then become slime again just by mixing and touching it.  i know i'm not making any sense, you have to try it to know what i'm talking about.

i would definitely recommend this little experiment for any children who love getting their hands dirty. 

Eid

shopping done, cards made, cakes baked, decorations hung, all thats left is to PARTY!!!

HAPPY EID everyone!!!!