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!!
Happy 3rd Birthday
A slightly late post but hey better late than never :)
My "first baby" (as she describes herself these days) has turned three. I dont know where the 3 years went. It felt like the blink of an eye. 'You will say the same thing when she turns 20,' experienced people tell me.
As far as my girl is concerned, this has to be the most tumultous year in her short life. The calm and peace of the first two years was shattered with some major changes in her life. A month and a half after her second birthday, she became a big sister- a role that she has now learnt to enjoy.
("Who is that?" she asked when she first saw him)
Initially she was baffled by this new being who had entered her household. I remember reading this somewhere:
Imagine that you and your husband are leading a happy, married life. One fine day, your husband tells you 'Honey, I am getting a new wife'. And this new young and beautiful woman joins your life. Suddenly everyone's attention is on her. Wherever you go, people are commenting about how cute and young the new wife looks. How would you feel? Thats exactly how your child feels when it gets a sibling.
Deep, eh? It took Mehreen 3 months to get used to the idea of having another baby in the house. In those 3 months, her insecurity was hard to stand by and watch. But she quickly overcame it and fit into the role of big sister with ease. She started enjoying it- not without occassional episodes of jealousy, insecurity or plain hatred. But hey, thats how even we adults are. So can we expect more from kids?
Another major change was that she started nursery. On Day 1 when I took her into school, she skipped into the classroom without so much as even a 'bye'. It felt like someone had taken away an organ from my body. I waited around for a bit, in case she cried. But not her. So I went back home and the minute I stepped in, I get a call saying she is bawling her eyes out.
And thus began a month of another rigmarole. She would be escorted into the classroom screaming. And she would be screaming when I went to pick her up. the teachers assured me that she stopped crying the minute I left but it didnt convince me. Soon the tears turned into a fake cry that lasted 10 seconds when she saw me. That then turned into sheer joy and laughter. I was glad that I put her into nursery when I did. A lot of people told me what an atrocity it was to put such a young kid into school. But I feel Mehreen has blossomed as a person since she started. She now confidently approaches kids she doesnt know and invites them to play with her. She knows its wrong to snatch and that she should share her toys (whether she practices it is a different issue altogether). She loves singing rhymes. She can now say a sentence or two in English. She has become fully potty trained. So all in all, she has become her own person now- something I dont always enjoy as I miss my baby girl. But hey, you win some and you lose some.
Another change in her life was how fashion conscious she has become. She now loves to match her clips, sunglasses and handbags with her outfit (Thank God she doesnt insist on it, or else I would be in deep trouble). She loves to paint her nails. And she even got a little pedicure done :)
I know more changes are around the corner. She has now moved to a nursery where all the teachers and most students are Westerners. Im sure that one of these days she will come home and probably ask for some saa-mun (salmon). But the process of watching them grow up is so amusing and enjoyable that I'd like to forget to dwell on how quickly its happening. And I hope we are able to bring her up into a polite, honest, God-fearing and respectul human being.
NOTE: We are not much into celebrating birthdays but this year we took her around to Ceramic Café in Jumeirah Town Center where she spent a good couple of hours painting a box with her favorite cartoon character Hello Kitty.
A big thank you to the wonderful staff and manager (a friend of Arfaz's) for dishing up an amazing plate of Biryani even though it wasn't on their menu. It was one of the tastiest Biryani I have ever had. And also for the complimentary cake that everyone licked clean.
My "first baby" (as she describes herself these days) has turned three. I dont know where the 3 years went. It felt like the blink of an eye. 'You will say the same thing when she turns 20,' experienced people tell me.
As far as my girl is concerned, this has to be the most tumultous year in her short life. The calm and peace of the first two years was shattered with some major changes in her life. A month and a half after her second birthday, she became a big sister- a role that she has now learnt to enjoy.
Initially she was baffled by this new being who had entered her household. I remember reading this somewhere:
Imagine that you and your husband are leading a happy, married life. One fine day, your husband tells you 'Honey, I am getting a new wife'. And this new young and beautiful woman joins your life. Suddenly everyone's attention is on her. Wherever you go, people are commenting about how cute and young the new wife looks. How would you feel? Thats exactly how your child feels when it gets a sibling.
Deep, eh? It took Mehreen 3 months to get used to the idea of having another baby in the house. In those 3 months, her insecurity was hard to stand by and watch. But she quickly overcame it and fit into the role of big sister with ease. She started enjoying it- not without occassional episodes of jealousy, insecurity or plain hatred. But hey, thats how even we adults are. So can we expect more from kids?
Another major change was that she started nursery. On Day 1 when I took her into school, she skipped into the classroom without so much as even a 'bye'. It felt like someone had taken away an organ from my body. I waited around for a bit, in case she cried. But not her. So I went back home and the minute I stepped in, I get a call saying she is bawling her eyes out.
And thus began a month of another rigmarole. She would be escorted into the classroom screaming. And she would be screaming when I went to pick her up. the teachers assured me that she stopped crying the minute I left but it didnt convince me. Soon the tears turned into a fake cry that lasted 10 seconds when she saw me. That then turned into sheer joy and laughter. I was glad that I put her into nursery when I did. A lot of people told me what an atrocity it was to put such a young kid into school. But I feel Mehreen has blossomed as a person since she started. She now confidently approaches kids she doesnt know and invites them to play with her. She knows its wrong to snatch and that she should share her toys (whether she practices it is a different issue altogether). She loves singing rhymes. She can now say a sentence or two in English. She has become fully potty trained. So all in all, she has become her own person now- something I dont always enjoy as I miss my baby girl. But hey, you win some and you lose some.
Another change in her life was how fashion conscious she has become. She now loves to match her clips, sunglasses and handbags with her outfit (Thank God she doesnt insist on it, or else I would be in deep trouble). She loves to paint her nails. And she even got a little pedicure done :)
I know more changes are around the corner. She has now moved to a nursery where all the teachers and most students are Westerners. Im sure that one of these days she will come home and probably ask for some saa-mun (salmon). But the process of watching them grow up is so amusing and enjoyable that I'd like to forget to dwell on how quickly its happening. And I hope we are able to bring her up into a polite, honest, God-fearing and respectul human being.
NOTE: We are not much into celebrating birthdays but this year we took her around to Ceramic Café in Jumeirah Town Center where she spent a good couple of hours painting a box with her favorite cartoon character Hello Kitty.
A big thank you to the wonderful staff and manager (a friend of Arfaz's) for dishing up an amazing plate of Biryani even though it wasn't on their menu. It was one of the tastiest Biryani I have ever had. And also for the complimentary cake that everyone licked clean.
