Sonakshi Sinha for Grazia with on trend Dark Lip

Lip colours to try

• Mac Satin Lipstick in Film Noir
• Clinique Almost Lipstick in 06 Black Honey.
• Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Vamp
• Mac Satin Lipstick in Cyber
• Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Satin Lip Colour in Rouge Noir

Parents Back From Hajj

My parents are back from hajj tomorrow, and the girls are busy painting the welcome back banner and i have a cake to make.

Their 3 weeks away seem to have flown by, im really eager to see how they are, to see how much of a profound effect this trip has had on them.

For mum it's been a life long dream to visit some of the most sacred sites in Islam, but for Dad well lets say he wasn't all that keen, he felt mum had almost duped him into taking her, which i found pretty amusing. 

I wonder if they are changed as people, talking to them over the phone, dad anxieties about going seemed to have melted away, he sounded happy at ease, in peace almost. Hear him talk about just going for salah or just finished salah was odd, he wasn't one for reading ever. 

Mum on the phone honestly was so happy, so excited, but at times her voice would be trembling at the sheer awe of where she was.

I've never really thought about hajj or even going but i guess my parents going sparked some interest in me, if only for the cost of the whole thing to be slightly off putting.

Looking forward to hearing all about their journey.

Now i better go get started on that cake! 

Deepika Padukone for Vogue India September 2013

Should Muslims Celebrate Halloween

Yesterday when someone I was working with said we don't celebrate Halloween events because it clashes with our beliefs, its got me thinking is

Ok so it has pagan roots, but now in 2012 it’s just a another fun totally commercialised holiday full of sweet treats and dressing up right?

I asked a friends yesterday what her thoughts were, and if her kids were going to be “trick-or-treating,” well it’s just to make the kids happy so yes {I want happy kids} plus she hadn’t even thought about whether it would be haram or not. She actually looked at me like, who has that amount of time to even think that?!!

I’m no expert in this field; in fact both my girls have invites to Halloween parties later today. Part of me can’t help but think only an extreme Muslim would think of this "fun" night as wrong.

But then again maybe I’m just ignoring to really acknowledging the deeper significance or historical background of Halloween, but if I do accept it what about other days, where does it end? Birthdays, Anniversaries, Christmas, Valentine’s Day.

I’m a pretty liberal Muslim, but lately more than myself I have questioned my duty as a Muslim parent, I feel growing up I had a somewhat confusing childhood, being taught certain morals and values at home, yet seeing a something totally different outside and at school. I don’t really want my children to be like that.

So I sit here thinking what should I tell them, should I allow them to participate, after all their friends are? Who wants to be the odd one out? But if I know something is not correct according Islamic practices as a Muslim parents is it not my duty to point it out and explain to my children {not sure they would even understand}

On the other hand if I allow them to have Halloween fun now and then once their older decide they can now understand right and wrong, tell them to stop is that not a one way ticket to confusion.

This is not as easy as say what we eat, everyone for example know that pork is prohibited, so we all avoid it, so does that mean it's easier when we all do it, or in this case when we don't do it.

When was the last time you heard someone say Halloween is haram?

Another point maybe that an acts that are haram have the highest status of prohibition And the milder ruling than haram is "makruh", which means "disliked". So maybe in the case of Halloween it’s the latter ruling? 

Whats your thoughts?


ps my colleague wasn't a Muslim he was a Christian.

Eid-al-Adha 2012 - Here's Mine, How was yours?

If you celebrated Eid this weekend, Mubarak! How was yours?

In our family, every Eid, {so that’s twice a year} we have the same almost customary argument/debate as to whether we should go out or stay in and cook at home, both my parents work, so we {me and the siblings} usually vote for going out, and then we have mum who even though she doesn’t have the time, brings the house down at the mere thought of not cooking dinner at home, last time we won, this time she won. So we stayed in.

I spent pretty much all of Friday thinking it was Saturday, waking late, meant doing a mad rush to get all of us out of the house, in time for Eid prayer, the mosque is just a minute’s walk away thankfully.

We had lunch at my parents’ house, and then headed back home to prepare for dinner ~ we split the work load, saves just one person slaving away in the kitchen. Everyone came to mine, and I made roast potatoes, to accompany the roast leg of lamb my SIL made. My other sister in law brought dessert. Absolute god send has to be disposable roasting trays!

I was hoping to go out on at the weekend, but eldest ended up with the flu. so we stayed home, watching movies, playing board games, painting, laughing and just enjoying doing nothing. Don’t remember the last time we did that.

I was really craving Nandos though {as you do} so ended up making something similar at home.

home made eid cards - the kids loved making these

henna 

eid prezzies

eid breakfast

more henna, someone in the house turned out to be a dab hand at applying it

nandos at home + x factor 

fries

the most kitsch dessert i can make, taste amazing!!

Stress!!

Honestly I cant tell if its killing me, or making me stronger. Its one of those things that we know we shouldn't do, but we do. Be stressing over family, friends, work, children, life in general.

I feel like I do it that little bit more of late, I'm even starting to wonder if I like it, as in am I driven by stress??

Either way it needs to stop!

eek...                               

might need to print this out?!

LOL

and finally 

Whats your stress level like?!

Back to School - Are you Ready?

Its been great having the girls at home for the school holidays, but my enthusiasm for all things fun and crafty is starting to wane, and I'm now looking forward to them skipping along to school! Both of them, that's right reception and year one here we come, i have paid my dues and now they can both be at school between the hours of 9am to 3pm!

Well i say both, but I'm still waiting on a date for a hearing for Saira. We had to appeal as she didn't get a place.

You would think with all the time to get organised, i would at least have the school uniform all ready to go, nope i only went went last week to get all they need, to say i left it late is any understatement, you will find no sizes for under 6 years old, all the shoes will be on the floor,{mixed}sizes will be missing/sold out and don't even try and look for anything in black, all that's left is navy and gray!

Its my own fault really, i had mentioned to the other half about getting the uniform early July and for some unbeknown reason i decided to listen to him when he said "get them later" " its too early" eh no we won't, nothing will be left, i still cant find dresses or shoes in their size. now checking online...

*My mind was totally blank as to what i needed, even though i have done this before, so i used this uniform check list as guide.

So are you organised? Are you counting the day till they go back?