Busy Baby Mama blogs

Here’s a neat Ramadan activity I am doing this month with my toddler…

I printed this Ramadan Calendar template to help my child keep track of the days of Ramadan.  Before each Iftar, we head to our little “Ramadan Wall”. We count how many days of Ramadan have passed, and how many days are left for Eid (while building some excitement in the process!) I found that after nearly a month now, my child’s number skills have improved drastically!

Then my child and I created our very own Good Deeds Jar to encourage some good deeds being done by even the littlest member of the house. My child learned the meaning of good deeds and the importance to do more during this special month. I used 2 jars for this project, one held the strips of paper that contained the good deed tasks to be performed by my child, and the other held little incentives or prizes for my child to look forward to after the good deed was performed, like little party favors, toys, stickers or even some candy.

It’ll take less than an hour to make, and you spend 5 minutes a day just having your child dip her hand in the Good Deeds jar, and complete a simple task such as ” Fast for an hour”, “Give Sadaqa”, “Clean your toys”, and so on! This activity allows your child to understand and realize what kind of good deeds a Muslim is expected to perform and how Allah is “saving” all our rewards to present us with when we meet Him Insh’Allah

After each good deed is completed, my child would track her performance by pasting the colorful squares onto the masjid template, that you can download and print. Ramadan Good Deed Chart- DOWNLOAD HERE. As the masjid starts filling up with colorful squares, your child will start to feel excited over her accomplishments this month!

For my wall: I downloaded Artsy Ummi’s Ramadan borders from here. I bought Artskills letters for about $5.00 from Rite Aid and some foam stickers for 99 cents. My child enjoyed peeling and pasting the stickers on the posters and jars.

Over all, this activity is quite a success as it kept my young toddler loving and remembering Ramadan daily. Every day she dips her hand in the Good Deeds jar, and finds out what her next task is. The best part about it is when she gets to dip her hands in the “Rewards Jar” and gets her sweet treat!

Busy Baby Mama blogs

The blessed Messenger, peace be upon him, has always emphasized the importance of exercise for children and adults. He encouraged parents to teach their children sports, especially archery, swimming, and horseback riding. The Prophet himself was engaged in sporting events such as racing and wrestling.

The summer is a perfect time to have our children get involved in physical activities and still “score” some blessings. One of the most wonderful summer camp opportunities for Muslim boys and girls is in Monticello, New York. The director, Jasmina Zekic, has spearheaded this project to give the youth in New York an opportunity to experience Allah’s infinite beauty of nature, enjoy the sport activities freely, and foster Muslim brotherhood and sisterhood.

Although the camp is located in the reserve country side of Monticello, New York near Catskill Mountain, the parents have access to hassle free transportation where in they drop the children off at the Brooklyn site, and then the friendly staff will take care of the rest.

The camp opened in the first weekend of June. And if you are interested, you can sign up for either the weekend camp or the 5 Days Camp. The programs have dates that are designated for boys and for girls.  The Program is a great opportunity for parents that are concerned to place their children in a safe Islamic environment. This camp will give Muslim children everything a parent wishes for their child to have during the summer. The schedule is packed with a lot of learning activities, science experiments, arts and crafts and best of all they spend time learning the Quran and studying Islam too. Fun activities at the camp swimming lessons, rafting on the famous Delaware River Rapids, sleeping in the tents, taking boat rides on the lake, and hiking in the beautiful Catskill Mountains. Sports activities will include basketball, soccer, volley archery, tennis, biking, and horseback riding.

At the camp, kids will be active from the early morning starting with Fajr prayer all the way till Ishaa prayer. In between prayers they will have hands-on activities as well as sports activities that the kids will not become weary of the Islamic obligation. Quran and Islamic Studies will be conducted by Shaikh Mohamed who was born and raised in Egypt. He is a graduate of Al-Ahzar University in Tafsir of the Quran and is also a hafidh of the Quran. He currently serves the Muslim community of Monticello, in the newly made beautiful Bosnian Masjid that is within walking distance of the camp site. During their time at the camp, the kids will perform their five daily prayers together and they will learn to inculcate Islamic behavior.

This program of learning and fun can absolutely change the way Muslim children see the world and their place in it. Kids will learn the importance of personal responsibility, the value of goal-setting, the spirit of teamwork, and the thrill of accomplishment.  Go here for more information.

Busy Baby Mama talks with Chef Musa, an 11 year old Hafiz student who loves to cook. If he’s not busy memorizing the Quran, he’s in the kitchen memorizing a new recipe to place in his Halal and Healthy Cook Book Journal.

This busy Hajj season was filled with interesting Qurbani meals from around the world as Musa’s family visited friends and family from various countries and shared exotic Eid meals. This sparked an idea in Musa. After looking at his family’s own Qurbani meat, he contemplated on a possible meal plan. How could he cook an all-in-one meal while he fed a maximum number of people? There was the classic Mogul Biryani from India to choose from, or a quick crock pot meal such as the traditional Beef Chap Stew with Joloff Rice from Africa. He finally decided to opt for the Turkish Kebab with green and red peppers.

His mother helped him pull out the correct ingredients for the recipe from the refridgerator, and he got straight to work. He had to put everything together in 30 minutes before he rushed off to study for his test.

Here is Chef Musa’s recommended recipe. He saves all his recipes in his Recipe Journal which he creates online from a website called www.smilebox.com. The website offers free options that can be used to email friends and family or it allows you to become a member and download & print to make a family cooking album.

Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox recipe

Sr Alif inspired us to think of what fall activities we could do to avoid the temptation of Halloween night. So we asked all the busy ladies what they were up to this week.  Here is what Busy Baby Mama had to share….

Busy Baby Mama blogs

After we return from the apple orchard and have spent a day picking only the best looking apples, the kids can’t wait to get home and make their favorite apple recipe. This year, we have kept apple picking for Halloween day as it falls on the weekend.

Because I wanted to share my family’s favorite apple recipe with you, I bought apples from the store to get started….we’ll end up making more of this recipe when we actually go apple picking this weekend Inshallah. I got this recipe from Iqra, a wonderful friend who is an amazing baker. Mashallah. She has baked for charity and has amazing goodies up for sale on masjid events. She loves turning any recipe into a healthy one…and I love her so much for that!

When I first made this, my daughter (who hates apples -SIGH!) ate so much of it that I leaped right back into the kitchen to make two extra batches right away (hehehe I added extra apples in my second batch- I just chopped them up into extremely tiny pieces so the extra bits went undetected. GRIN*).  Click on the document below to download the recipe. Happy baking!!!

Apple Walnut Bread Recipe Download Here. Hope you enjoy it!

Busy Baby Mama blogs

I wanted to make yummy cookies for all our kind neighbors for Eid this year. What better way to get my child involved, excited, busy…and do a bit of dawa while at it! I found this website…I wish I could have found more interesting shapes that were Islamic related. But here is what’s out there:

http://www.astrolabe.com/eid-cookie-cutters-set-of-6.html

While I prepare lots of cookie dough…you check this link out!

Busy Baby Mama blogs

Iftaar party for kids is a wonderful and educational event, but that depends on how much stamina I can muster during the last week of Ramadhan.  Party games can be modified to give an Islamic edge to them, but keeping the numbers manageable, finding playmates your child gels with and getting the child involved with party preparations is key.

www.silverenvelope.com is a wonderful site for Islamic party materials and stationaries for busy moms like us. It makes party hassle free and kid friendly. My favorite part in this site is the DIY that shows you how to make these party essentials simply beautiful!

I never imagined that simple clip art can make a world of difference in creating a cup cake decor, party favors, and napkin holders!

DIY cup cakes!

    

DIY napkin holders!

Busy Baby Mama blogs

I like to hit all my goals. It’s amazing what our generation is capable of – Alhamdulilah! Just consider the fact that women no longer have to rise at four in the morning to fetch the water … with the convenience of modern – day amenities we can now put that time to better use. If you are like me, you might feel a little twinge pain when you cannot always study surahs without feeling that the kids need to be suitably occupied also. I can be accused of using the telly as a baby sitter on occasion and we may all feel like parenting can sometimes feel like a one man show now and again, but this Ramadan this mama has a few systems put into place to give me peace of mind.

…. I’d like to share my Ramadan list with you:

Morning Hour of Audio Surah – This is one of my favourite times of the day. My child and I have been practicing spending about an hour just listening to a c.d. of the Quran. At first I was skeptical that we could manage to squeeze in that time together, but it’s working well for the both of us. I ‘home school’ my child in the morning, so with our hectic schedule I wasn’t sure we could do it. It is a very soothing time when I sit down with a hot cup of tea after breakfast and just cuddle up with my daughter on the sofa. Sometimes I hold the Quran in front as I follow the words but not always. I thought a small child would get fidgety after a while and I would have to turn it off but I’ve found the opposite. After our time is over she will sometimes go turn it on herself while I’m in the shower. http://www.jebril.com/

Harun Yahya – Renown scientist/Daaee has a children’s selection of c.d’s that have plenty of animals and cute cuddly creatures. Always a hit with kids. While the narration and choice of clips isn’t exactly Disney quality, the concepts are meaningful and thought provoking. I like to sit a couple of times and watch my 5 year old before leaving her to watch them on her own. We sometimes chat about what we think while we watch, …I’m happy because it’s good healthy watching.

http://en.harunyahya.tv/productCat/Lang/4/CatId/53/FOR_CHILDREN

Adam’s world – This may depend on child to child but for those of us with kids who like silly slapstick, puppets, and funny voices this is a nice choice. Be careful not to over do it …I’ve been saving Adam’s world for Ramadan … as in I don’t really give my 5 year old the same c.d’s to watch all the time. Out of sight is out of mind …. Where as too much repetition can mean your child may not want to watch it when you need time to study or rest during Ramadan. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9I2aCrH9-M&feature=player_embedded#t=19

My Knowledge Companion - My 11 year old  and I watch these 3 minutes quick Tafseer of  Surahtul Mulk given by different scholars. We talk about it, and I was surprised that although he is so young, he comprehended the lecture so well that I decided to base my homeschooling using this website - Got Mulk?

Meet the Characters of JannahSteps…

Busy Baby Mama

Typically on the phone at all times, while multi tasking everything else in the house; she will barely miss burning her pot while checking emails, sorting her bills and planning play dates with her best friends’ kids. Her to-do list is as long as her hall way carpet.

She is the typical Muslim mom.

Carrying her little baby in one hand and guiding her toddler to the potty or reorganizing her schedule to include the latest extra-curricular activity for her older child- this mom is always on the run. She juggles raising children, making express gourmet meals, planning fun family activities, heading her children’s school PTO, and being a conscious citizen by volunteering at the local soup kitchen. She is also an expert on family finance and knows how to live on a dime.

Although she is consumed with her domestic duties, she finds time to sustain her other interests that include reading, decorating her home, gardening, crafts, and as if her life isn’t challenging enough she’ll take on the daily newspaper crossword puzzle!

Her husband is always the obstacles course as he throws different tasks at her already busy schedule. And somehow in the midst of all this chaos she is able to read the Quran and make her Salah for some spiritual recharge!

Busy Baby Mama is the parenting voice of Jannahsteps.