Cakey Bakey
One of the most challenging things during this Ramadan is to keep Miss M busy. It's almost after a year that she is at home for an extended period. Previously every time there was a break from play school, we had gone to India. But now she is home 24*7. Since we are fasting and it's too hot to even step out of the house, my poor girl spends day in and day out cooped up inside . She isn't as much a trouble as a lot of other kids because she has got a trait of being able to amuse herself with her imaginary friends and toys.
But there is only so much that she can amuse herself or play with her brother. So I have been busy researching various ways to keep her occupied while helping her little brain absorb different concepts. We have done a bit of finger painting, we have played a lot of games and we have been looking at a lovely bird that has laid its eggs in our balcony (more on all of those later).
One day when she was particularly bored, I asked her if she wanted to make cake. She was absolutely thrilled as she loves to eat cake. I wasn't too sure if cooking while I was fasting was such a great idea because it would be so hard to figure out if there was enough sugar! But she was so excited that I didn't have the heart to disappoint her.
I chose to make the oil cake recipe that my amazing baker friend Mehnaz gave me. The cakes turn out so soft that it's unbelievable.
Step 1 was to powder the sugar. We had a bit of an issue because my sweetie pie preferred to eat the sugar than powder it
And then when I asked her to put the sugar in the grinding jar, she lifted the cup of sugar and placed it in the jar!
We then proceeded to seive the flour.
Then poured in the oil and added the eggs
Mixed it thoroughly
And poured it into the baking dish. But my daughter, like her mom and grandma, enjoyed licking the spoon
And the mixing bowl more than the cake itself (that's a very strong gene we are passing down).
When the cake was baked, she was proud
She didn't want to wait to cut it and wanted to pinch her share off.
Eventually she cut it and ate several pieces before finally sharing it with her brother who loved it just as much.
Ramadan
Ramadan is a truly special month for me for more than one reason. I was born during Ramadan and I first found out I was expecting during this month.
A few years ago, Ramadan meant going for Tharawih with my neighbours, attending Qiyam Al Layl prayers on all of the last 10 days of the month, etc. Sadly, with two young ones its no longer possible. People tell me I should just take them and go but I think it's unfair to the other worshippers that they should be distracted by two screaming kids.
Even so, the beauty of Ramadan is unmatched. The men get home early. A lot less cooking translates into a lot more family time. A lot of Quran recitation that echoes through the house. A lot of duas. My dad tells us stories from the Quran. Arfaz often goes to labour camps and comes back with heart warming stories that are then shared around the dinner table. All in all, it's a beautiful month of ibada and togetherness.
I take this opportunity to revamp my blog a bit. I have often been asked by people what I blog about and I would hem and haw and say "just about life." I have lately realized that its important to give your blog a personality. Hence, I am giving it a parenthood spin. It will probably help all my friends and followers to learn from my experiences. I look forward to getting support from all you lovely people out there. Your comments and suggestions are what always keeps me going.
Ramadan Kareem!!