No 3

Alhamdulillah..

I am no good in making announcement thus most of my friends and acquaintances are still not aware that I am actually expecting my number 3. Alhamdulillah. Segala pujian to Him. I guess none of my friends have visited my blog so yeah I feel more comfortable here haha. I am at my 14th week of pregnancy and reaching my second trimester. May my pregnancy journey will be eased by Allah swt and everything will be OK.

Actually, I have been trying for number 3 since few months but I guess it was not that easy. Till to a certain point, I had a thought I am redha if my children are only two. I am thankful enough but at the same time I kept trying and leave everything to Him because His plan is the best plan after all.

This time around, the symptoms are quite different compared to my previous pregnancies:

1. I did not have an implantation spotting as I used to when I conceived for Fahri and Naeem. My UTP test even turned out to be negative when I checked after two days of period delay haha tak sabarrr... After two weeks of period delay (few days after raya) I decided to had another UPT test. This is due to i was having a very bad back ache after returning to Klang and was getting fever. And I remembered on the way to Kelantan from Taiping, I felt so dizzy and vomited inside the car. But I did not expect anything since I have checked the UTP a week back and it was negative. Then, the first day returning to office, I still feel dizzy and having back pain, thus I decided to do aother UPT check. I bought the irregular period UPT consists of two sticks with the thought, if let say the first stick turns out negative, then I will do another one the morning of Epul's birthday, if let say la ade rezeki. So, I went to the loo in workplace and with a little hope (because I was used to negative results for 5 months of trying), but Alhamdulillah I saw the double red lines. I was in shocked for a while. And I was crying for few seconds 😂 Syukur Alhamdulillah.. Actually I wasn't really hoping because I thought the symptom will be similar with my previous pregnancies which I had implantation spotting. I can only thank Allah swt for the good news. Then, I decided to keep the news until Epul's birthday in 4 days time. To surprise him on his special day. But guess what, I just can't keep it to myself because I started to have nauseousness haha.. So told Epul two days after and I am sure he is very thankful. 

2. Surprisingly, my first trimester was not as bad as my previous pregnancies. I do vomiting at times but it wasnt something like before which I vomited each time after I swallow my food! This time around, I can say that I only vomit once in a week. I did vomit in car few times but everything was ok since I was ready with plastic bags and all. In short, I only took one MC so far Alhamdulillah.. it does not affect my performance in work. I am thankful to Allah swt because He is the best planner indeed. He gives us the rezeki when the right time comes. Just imagine, I found out that I was pregnant exactly when the semester break began. Meaning, just the perfect time for my first trimester while I am enjoying my three months break without classes. Actually, I was ready to take unpaid leave for a month after I found out that I was pregnant based on my helpless condition during last pregnancies. Alhamdulillah, so far I managed to go to work and just had minor dizziness at times.

3. It's also different for this pregnancy because I am thyroidless. Human without thyroid. I was too worried at times till I keep this news within my very close friends only. So far, I ve been for two check ups with my endo for my thyroid screening during pregnancy. Alhamdulillah everything is in good condition.

4. Since I do not have a terrible sickness this time, I managed to 'lilit2' my shawls still everyday haha. Unlike previous pregnancies, the only tudung i can put on is tudung sarung! because I just couldn't even look at the mirror last time... Alhamdulillah... I am quite surprised with the different symptoms that I am experiencing for this pregnancy. Syukran ya Allah.

5. Husband is being helpful especially at nights. Thank you love. But of course I already bear in mind that hubby needs to focus more on Fahri and Naeem compared to me as they really need attention.

6. Alhamdulillah Fahri and Naeem, at the age of 7 and 5, they understand my situation and asking me questions about the little bun in my oven at times. They help me sometimes haha when I need a massage. Thank you sayang2 mama.

Thank you Allah swt... May everything will turn out beautifully and may my baby inside will be healthy and grow perfectly ..in shaa Allah

Raising our little khalifah(s)

Throughout the week, Fahri is having his monthly test in his religious school. And last night, I sat down with him to revise Tauhid subject for tomorrow's test. Naeem as usual, love to give us a company. I revised the topics of 'Rukun Islam' and 'Rukun Iman' with Fahri. Alhamdulillah, he managed to memorized all of the five pillars of Islam and six pillars of Imaan. However, I was wondering, does he really understand the meaning of each pillar that he has memorized. I did some tests and yes, they do not really have a clear picture what are the meaning of those pillars. Then, I started to describe all those related to faith, Allah, shahadah and so on. At certain points, I had to put my description on a piece paper. My two boys with totally different personality. Fahri will listen but not really focus but i guess he already had a background knowledge on what I was trying to describe. While Naeem, he is a very sensitive boy to the extend he cried when I talked about akhirah (hereafter). Now, I have this question in mind;

How to make the kids love listen to akhirah story and not feeling scared about it?

Because, after all that is the meaning of the 5th pillar of iman.

Thus, I guess the way we up bring our children is very crucial and are we on the right track, parents?

I am no perfect Muslim parents as well, but I guess and I have found this article from here which i believe will benefit all of the Muslim parents in shaa Allah. I will highlight some of the powerful thoughts from the article.

Successful Strategies to raise children in Islam:

1. Pray / Dua

“Every success I have seen in my family’s life, I can remember having prayed for it first,” admits one grandmother of three huffadh (memorizers of Quran). “If my dua doesn’t come true in this world, I have faith that it will in the next one, so I have patience.”

 “I recited Surah Maryam every single day of my pregnancy. I want pious children above all else — it’s all that matters.”

Many families shared with me their reliance on Salaat-ul-Istikhaara (Prayer for Guidance) before making any major life-altering decisions and Salaat-ul-Haajah (Prayer for Need) when desiring something they felt was crucial for their children’s well-being. Whenever a blessing appeared in their lives, they were quick to pray Salaat-ul-Shukr (Prayer of Gratitude) as well.

2.  Suhba (companionship) will make you or break you.

“It doesn’t necessarily need to be that it’s the ‘drinking, gambling, partying crowd’ that is holding you back,” muses a mother of elementary school children upon hearing the couple’s history. “I have one set of ‘dinner party friends’ who believe in a ‘children should be seen and not heard’ philosophy. They plant the kids around TV sets and video games while the parents socialize in other rooms. Then I have another group of friends who engage their children in the adult conversations, who don’t keep the younger ones ‘out of sight, out of mind’. It might surprise you to learn that my own kids actually prefer to be around the adults who actually care enough to get to know them.”

3. The Prophet (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) was a living, breathing reality in our lives.

When a learned scholar was recently asked, “What should we teach our children?”, his response was swift and unequivocal — “The seerah (biography of the Prophet) and nasheeds (devotional songs of praise). If your kids love the Prophet, they will automatically love Allah.”

With toddlers and pre-schoolers, I noticed that a lot of the parents mentioned the Prophet Muhammad (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) as if he were a relevant person in their lives. They talked about him the way one would talk about any respected elder whom the child adored. It wasn’t unusual to hear parents telling their little ones, “The Prophet Muhammad (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) loved green, so let’s wear our green clothes for Friday Prayer!” or “Prophet Muhammad (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) taught us that we should sit down when we get angry, so let’s sit down since you’re feeling so frustrated.”

While visiting my sister in Southern California one weekend, I noticed that an English translation of Imam Tirmidhi’s “Shama’il” (Characteristics) sat on my six-year-old nephew’s beside table. She explained that it was part of their son’s bedtime ritual for her husband to share one hadith from that famous ninth century text with him. “Learning intimate details, like the fact the Prophet (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) enjoyed eating dates with cucumbers, makes our son feel like he actually personally knows the Prophet (salallaahu alaihi wasallam).”

4.  Having fun wasn’t “haraam” in our home, but we kept the home environment as pure as possible.

“If Shaytan (Satan) were to ring our doorbell and ask if he could come in and babysit our children, we would throw him out,” one scholar says, “yet we allow the television set to do exactly that…we literally invite Shaytan in when we turn the TV on!”

“Preserving my children’s fitra (primordial state) is of the highest priority to us,” one mother of two pre-schoolers tells me. “Right now, the difference between right and wrong is so clear in their eyes; they really get it when we explain what’s what to them. The entertainment industry’s depiction of what’s ‘normal’ manages to confuse adults, so just imagine what it does to children!”

“It’s important to replace every haraam you stop your child from with at least two halaals they can enjoy,” advises a popular Muslim family counselor. “You don’t want your children to grow up thinking that Islam is just a bunch of no’s — ‘no, you can’t do this; no, you can’t do that.'” She laughs heartily, “Make it about ‘yes, we can!'”“There is so much fitna (tribulation) out there in the world. We can’t protect our kids from everything bad,” warns a devout grandfather of ten children. “But it is for that very reason that the home must be an oasis where Allah is remembered and obeyed, where children can relax and feel cherished, where they can practice their religion without feeling apologetic or alien. The home environment should be as halaal as possible. Our litmus test was always ‘Would we be ashamed if the Prophet (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) were to walk into our house right now? Is there anything we would want to hide?’.”

5. Our parents didn’t just “talk the talk”, they “walked the walk”.

“Children need to see that Islam ‘worked’ in our home,” says another scholar. “Islam isn’t just about praying and fasting and charity. Islam is an attitude that must be infused in the mundane day-to-day dealings with life. Do parents treat each other with respect? How do they react to the ups and downs of life? Do they have a sense of civic responsibility? Children are constantly learning from their parents, even when the parents don’t think they have anything to teach.”

“I don’t get it when I hear mothers telling their kids ‘Don’t tell lies’ and then in the next breath smoothly tell phone callers, ‘Oh, he’s not home right now’ when the husband is sitting right there in front of them,” says a medical school resident who is spending time learning Hanafi fiqh as well. “Or how about when parents teach their kids ‘It’s wrong to backbite’ and then complain about the in-laws to anyone who will listen? 

6. Talk to your kids…with love.

“When your kids are younger, you should take advantage of every opportunity to guide them, remind them, advise them,” instructs an Iraqi father of two girls. “Of course, there’s a fine line between nagging and teaching, between being judgmental and being perceptive. Nevertheless, I encourage my children to look at everything through ‘the eye of discernment’. What does everything around us mean? Why is that billboard saying that their brand of soda will guarantee a successful party? What was the real reason that car driver honked his horn like that? Why does this movie make parents look like bumbling fools? Is having to wait in a long line ever a reason to lose your temper with a bank teller? Talk, talk, talk to your kids! Even if they don’t say anything, believe me, they’re listening!”

7. They had a pious father who engaged them.

A majority of the families I spoke with extolled the virtues of the Amir of the House: the man who led his children in congregational prayer, the father who gently but firmly encouraged both his son’s and his daughter’s sense of modesty, the husband who fulfilled his wife’s rights without demanding his own, the responsible breadwinner, the dad who put a stop to gossip the moment it started, the patriarch who was eager to hasten to the masjid to join the jama’ah (congregation), the Muslim who held fast to his principles (whether it was a father who refused to allow his co-workers to shorten his name from “Mohammad” to “Mo” or the dad who wouldn’t travel on Fridays so that his Jumah prayer wouldn’t be jeopardized). The grown children remember their father’s integrity and quiet examples long after they have entered parenthood on their own, voluntarily choosing to mold their own lives in honor of a man who didn’t force his way of life down their throats when they were younger.

Family Day Al Muhammadi

Assalamualaikum..

We successfully organized our Family Day or known as Al Muhammadi Family Day on the 4th of Syawal. Thank you to my cousin Eli for being the mastermind and handling most of the tasks. He even came out with the plan. It was a really excellent idea to have the event on the 4th day of Syawal since most of the relatives and family members were available. Al Muhammadi is actually a name of our beloved late grandfather- Muhammad, my mom's late father. Al Fatihah. Both my grandparents from mother's side had passed away when I was in secondary school. Al Fatihah to both. My mom had 4 siblings and she is the only lady. She has 2 elder brothers (both had passed away few years back) and one younger brother. In total, Al Muhammadi consists of approximately 50 members including cousins, nieces and nephews, aunties and uncles. Two families could not make it at a very last minute which were my uncle Pak Su's family and my brother's family- both families were not able to attend due to health reasons. Hopefully this is not the last gathering we re gonna have so that all family members could join in future.

The family day took place in Permai Resort, Bachok. This was our first time here. The resort is just nice for a family gathering. There are many activities can be done here. We had a one night stay in the resort. We arrived at 2 pm and checked out the next day at 12 pm.

Just arrived! My boys were handsomely dressed at the beach because we were from a Raya visit before straightaway heading to the resort.

Bumped into Fizo Omar. Coincidentally, he was also having a family day there. My husband dah feeling retis. Please forgive him 😁

So, these were among of the activities held on the first day:
1) Lunch (a very late lunch haha)- We had rice with gulai uhhhh sedapnya with sambal...a great catch up for all the family members since it's very difficult for us to gather like this especially me and my family as I am staying in Klang. Most of them are staying in Kelantan. Few in Kuantan and JB.
2) Get ready for the telematch games. We changed attire, wearing our official Al- Muhammadi Family Day T Shirt...yeayyy
3) Telematch time! Some of the games were:

Kids:
-Candy Flour (blowing flour to find candy)
- Egg and Spoon Race
- Blow and Explode Balloons

Adults games were divided to married couples and singles:

- Egg Toss (the funniest game ever I swear)- The pairs stand about one metre apart, and a raw egg is tossed from one partner to the next.

Those who catch the eggs without breaking them continue in the game, the others are out.

After each successful catch, the players must take one step backward so that the tosses are longer and longer.

- Three Legged Race

with my hmm cousin's daughter...Nurul

Listening to the briefing by my cousin Joe

Look what I managed to snap! Lovebirds were holding hands during briefing session hihi...my mom and dad.. the most senior members

selfie is a must

the kids were ready for the first game, candy flour!

Fahri was excited but Naeem was a lil bit afraid of i-don't-know-what

The daddies were giving some tips to the kids

Yeayyy Fahri won the second place!

with mummy, Kak Lily, Mun, Kak Za, Kak Ma and Damia

My family...how i wish my brother and his family were here. Oh ya my sister also could not make it due to work call.

Naeem with Tok Wan n nenek

The best part was to spend time with them!

Enjoying the beach side after the telematch games

Selfies with my naka2 menakan yang setahun sekali je jumpa...All are grown up, pretty and handsome!

Group photos! It was really fun!

Candid of us discussing on things or maybe reviewing our selfies haha

After the telematch...the gentlemen went to the pool

At night, we had a barbecue

Then, prize giving ceremony

Yeayy..Fahri's name was called for three times..

Dapat snackss yeayyy

The next morning, before checking out, we had breakfast together

My mom and my aunty (my late uncle's wife), among the seniors in the family..


Overall, it was a really successful event and we really need to have this more in future! Well done ❤