Oh My Tajwid!

Salam,

I found this on FB and it is an interesting fact that most of us don't realize. Many of us make mistake when we recite Quran when it comes to those arabic letters. So, let's get it right by learning how to say each on eof them perfectly.

She's one brave pregnant lady: Msian's shooter Nursuryani Mohamed Taibi

Salam,

I've read about her decision to still compete in the Olympics in London this year. Now, she's in London and she still adamant to try her luck in her favourite sports. This tough lady doesn't want to let go the once in a lifetime opportunity despite of her condition. I'm proud of her and wish her good luck. She's a already a winner since her determination is so strong.

Here is the news:

Malaysia's pregnant shooter, Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi, has made the trip to London and will compete in next week's 10m rifle event, just one month before she's due to give birth to a baby girl. She's not the first pregnant Olympian in history, but at 34 weeks is believed to be the furthest along.
The 29-year-old qualified for the Games at the Asian Shooting Championships in January, days after finding out she was pregnant. At the time, she had hoped her health would allow her to compete in London. So far so good.

Doctors say Nur Suryani is fine to compete. One of the few concessions she'll make is leaving London soon after her event on the advice of doctors who don't want her flying after 35 weeks.
In a sport that requires precision, calm and concentration, how will Nur Suryani compete with a child moving around her womb? "I will talk to the baby before I compete," she said in April. "[I'll say] no kicking, stay calm for one hour and 15 minutes only please."
She understands that some may criticize her Olympic quest but isn't fazed by it.

"Most people said I was crazy and selfish because they think I am jeopardizing my baby's health," she told reporters. "My husband said grab it as this is a rare chance which may not come again. Also, I am the mother. I know what I can do. I am a stubborn person."
Nur Suryani is the 47th-ranked shooter in the world and a long shot for a medal. She also qualified for the 50m rifle competition but can't compete in it for obvious reasons. That event has a section that requires athletes to lie on their stomachs, a position not exactly conducive to late-term pregnancy.

Kakak masih gagah berpuasa. (BM entry)

Salam,

Alhamdulillah, setakat ni Kak Yong (Fathini) masih gagah berpuasa. Mama bangga dengan anak mama. Tahun lepas Kak Yong puasa separuh hari selama 3 hari selepas tu jatuh sakit seminggu. Tahun ini, mama dan papa masih tak nak paksa tapi kakak sendiri yang nak cuba berpuasa penuh satu hari. Walaupun kakak ni kurus je orangnya tapi semangat kakak kuat. Walaupun Hafizah (Kak Ngah) selalu jugak makan dan minum depan kakak, kakak tak tergugat pun. Masa mama berumur 7 tahun pun mama masih tak puasa penuh satu hari. Semoga kakak akan bertahan beberapa hari lagi.

Kakak a.k.a. Kak Yong (Fathini)

Nursing wear DIM.

Salam,

I've been looking for some nursing wear that I can wear but most of the ready made nursing wear are quite expensive. My hubby has been telling me from time to time that the closet that we are  sharing might not be able to hold our clothes any longer if I keep buying new clothes. huhu. Thus, I've made a bold attempt to alter one of my blouses yesterday to change it into a wearable nursing wear.

I have to admit that I'm suck in sewing. Yup. My workmanship was far from perfect even though I used to learn how to make and sew baju kurung once. I still have the baju kurung that I made on my own but I never wear it because I'm ashamed of the finished product. An expert can tell in a glance that the baju kurung isn't a wearable one.

When I've made up my mind to just try my luck converting my normal blouse to a nursing blouse yesterday, there was no turning back. I took out the scissors and start to cut from the neck to insert a zipper in the middle. Next, I stitched the zipper and wallah it was done in 20 minutes.

The finish product of my nursing wear Did It Myself :

 Such a sloppy workmanship right?

Well...at least I can use it.

I can hide the sloppy stitching with my hijab because I prefer to wear a long hijab now. That's why this blouse is considered wearable and functional for me. hehe

Have any of you altered your own existing blouse or other clothing to become your own nursing wear?

This breast pump can help you too.....

Salam,

I have to admit that I only know how to expressed breast milk after my third daughter is born. When my eldest daughter was born (in 2005), I wanted to fully breastfeed her but the people in the nursery didn't want me to leave any EBM, so I had to buy formula milk for her to be given at the nursery. Only when she was with me, I tried my best to only give breast milk. For my second daughter, I managed to fully breastfeed her since I was not working when we were in New Zealand. Plus she also had lactose intolerant. I can see the difference between her and her elder sister . Fathini (my eldest daughter) immune system is not as tough as Hafizah's immune system.

Before I gave birth to Husna, I surveyed the price for breast pump. Most of them are quite expensive. Then, my younger sister sent a breast pump from Japan that she used before. Unfortunately I can't really use it anymore. Since I am quite determine to slowly make some stocks of EBM, my hubby bought a very simple breast pump from Giant Hypermarket.

Here is the breast pump:

The price is 1/3 from the other popular brands. It's only RM150. I don't have to wait for so long to fill up the bottle and I've managed to stock up some in the freezer. Normally I'll wait until both breasts are engorged before I express some. Alhamdulillah, Husna can drink from the bottle with the special NUK teat (I bought another bottle separately).

 The EBM stock:

If you are also thinking about buying breast pump, maybe you should consider your budget and if your budget is not more than RM200 than I would like to suggest the same pump that I'm using now.

No to Ramadhan Bazaar this year.

Salam,

My hubby has told us the day before 1st Ramadhan that we shouldn't buy any food from Ramadhan Bazaar this year. Based on our experience last year, it's really worth to buy the food since the price here (in Kelana Jaya) is becoming more expensive. Apart from that, some food get spoilt quickly and some are not as tasty as they look.

Thus, yesterday we cooked some simple food and made some simple sweet delicacies. The good thing was we didn't waste any food at all! Come to think of it, we are so used to not buying food during Ramadhan because when we were in New Zealand, there was no Bazaar selling any ready made food during Ramadhan. The only time for us to feast our eyes and mouth was during Iftar with our Muslim friends either organized by some families, our Waikato University Malaysian Association or The Muslim Association in Waikato University.

I reckon it's not hard to not buying ready made food if we remind ourselves the true meaning of fasting. Fasting doesn't mean that we don't eat and drink for the whole day and then during the Iftar we greedily eat and drink as much as we can.

How's the Ramadhan Bazaar in your place? Have you noticed the difference in terms of the price?

My pledge this Ramadhan.

Salam,

Ramadhan Mubarak to all muslims. I'm sure we are so excited when Ramadhan comes for a lot of reasons. It's a holy month where we can gain a lot and we are asked to do a lot too.

Thus, I'm sharing my pledge for this Ramadhan:

• keep breastfeeding even though I also want to fast for the whole month (insyallah)
• encouraging and motivating Fathini to fast as many days as she can.
• avoiding from talking about other people (written or spoken)
• avoiding from wasting any food
• performing more prayers especially the at night (this depends if Husna is sleeping well)
• finding more time to recite Quran 

Insyallah I'll try my best to do what I've pledged to do. Now, does anyone want to share what's their pledge for this Ramadhan?

LOL (Laughing Out Loud)

Mana nak simpan? (BM entry)

Salam,

Kami sekeluarga masih menumpang tinggal di rumah mertua sekarang sejak kami pulang dari New Zealand pertengahan tahun 2010. Bukan tiada keinginan untuk tinggal di rumah sendiri. Cuma rumah yang telah dibeli belum siap sepenuhnya. Kalau sebelum ni, barang-barang kami memang dah banyak. Sekarang bila bertambah lagi seorang ahli keluarga, lagilah bertambah barang-barang.

Masalah utama memang ruang untuk menyimpan barang-barang yang terhad. Di dalam bilik yang kami guna, sudah dipenuhi dengan kotak-kotak plastik untuk saya simpan barang-barang. Itu pun dengan dua buah katil, almari besar, meja solek, almari buku dan kotak-kotak plastik, bilik yang kami gunakan tak nampak seperti bilik tidur dah. (minta maaf, saya sengaja tak nak letak gambar ye sbb malulah nak tunjuk bilik yang berselerak)

Dalam banyak-banyak barang kami, saya paling tak larat nak tengok mainan anak-anak. Bukan semua mainan tu kami beli sebab anak-anak selalu juga dapat hadiah-hadiah dari ahli keluarga yang lain. Hampir setiap bulan, saya akan tengok dan cari mainan yang sudah rosak atau yang tak perlu disimpan supaya boleh dibuang dan ada ruang penyimpanan untuk mainan-mainan lain. Cuma mainan-mainan anak-anak macam tak berkurang malah makin bertambah.

Saya ada terfikir nak sedekahkah mainan-mainan yang masih elok ke rumah anak-anak yatim atau kepada keluarga yang kurang berada di kampung. Anak-anak pula yang tak berapa setuju sebab mereka sayangkan mainan mereka. Mungkin saya perlu yakinkan mereka tentang idea tersebut kerana kami tak perlu membeli lagi kotak-kotak plastik untuk menyimpan mainan tapi perlu menyedekahkah mainan-mainan kepada yang lebih memerlukan. Hmmm, apa pendapat yang lain?

Because I've promised her.

Salam,

Yesterday it was my 34th day according to my confinement period. But I had to do something which was not advisable for a woman who is still in the confinement period.

I went to see my youngest sister in Kolej Mara Banting because I made a promise to visit her once she has settled down. She looked happy to be able to study there even though the place is situated in a remote area. I'm glad that the place is in a remote area since the temptations to go out for loitering or wasting time and money is very slim. All she can do is concentrating on her study and excel in her study.

We arrived there by 12 p.m. When we were there, we could see that the place was quite huge. The first building we saw was a huge-3 storey building of classes. Then we saw the small mosque and the food court. We waited for my sister at the food court because the guard told us to wait there and we couldn't really go into the hostel. My sister was so excited to see us and she was more excited to meet and hold Husna for the first time.

The small mosque

My sister and my elder daughters

My sister, Awin and my youngest daughter.

My sister, Awin wanted to go out and bought some stuffs. So, we took her out to the nearest town which was not so near. The town was about 5 km away from the school. We brought her to "The Store" in the town and also had lunch there. My sister bought some dried food and some clothes before we asked her to quickly choose and pay for the clothes after Husna made some noise. She started to feel uncomfortable since the weather was quite hot and stuffy even though we walked under the shade.

We went back to KMB and had a good rest in the mosque. I changed Husna's diaper and freshen her up before I asked Awin to take care of her for a while. There was one middle age woman thought Husna was Awin's baby because she asked Awin "How old is the baby?".

After Zuhr prayer (by 3 p.m.), we left Awin and promised to see her again next time. Maybe not during Ramadhan since we are going to see each other during Eid.

 Our last photos before we said goodbye.

Free nursing shawl!

Salam,

I came across this interesting news from my FB account. It's a good news for all nursing mothers. The shawl will come in handy especially when we (nursing mothers) are on the go. You want to breastfeed your baby but at the same time, you need to cover your "aurah". So, the best solution is of course using something to cover the parts you need to cover.

WW: Interesting wedding doorgifts.

A lamp? A cage? 

You need to guess....

Now....I think you can guess this one.

Quick update of Husna at 1 month old.

Salam,

Husna (my youngest daughter) is 1 month old today. (Alhamdulillah) We brought her to the nearest government'c clinic to get the vaccination. She still have jaundice but the level is relatively low. According to the doctor, she has the prolong jaundice caused by breastmilk. Some babies do experience this and it takes quite a while until everything is back to normal.

During the weighing, it was exciting to see how much she's growing now. When she was born, she was only 2.8 kg. Her weight now is 3.6 kg. That's why she's chubbier .

At 1 month old, she can:

• react to any sound by turning her head towards the source.
• push her body using her feet.
• call us to pick her up by crying especially when she has been left on her own.
• be startled when she hears a loud noise.

Okay, that's all that I can share for now. Here's the latest photo of Husna:

I'm a supergirl style. hehe

Cenderahati perkahwinan paling pelik? (BM entry)

Salam,

Sejak seminggu dua ni, banyak sunggu kenduri kawin. Saya tak pergilah sbb dah kalau pergi pun bukan boleh makan nasi & lauk sedap-sedap tu. huhu. Suami saya yang terpaksa pergi. Dia pulak bukannya minat sangat nak pergi tapi dah orang dah jemput tu tak eloklah kalau tak pergi.

Bila suami balik, saya sibuk nak tengok apa yang dibawa balik. Bukan apa, saya suka sangat tengok cenderahati yang menarik yang orang-orang sekarang hadiahkan untuk tetamu. Waktu kami kawin dulu, saya hanya buatkan beg kantung kecil dari kain renda dan isikan dengan gula-gula. Untuk tetamu VIP, kami bagi telur rebus sbb arwah mak saya masih sukakan tradisi memberi telur rebus. Beg untuk gula-gula tu saya yang jahit sendiri dengan bantuan adik dan sepupu-sepupu. Masa tu bajet saya tak banyak sebab saya baru je bekerja lebih kurang 2 tahun. Duit simpanan masa tu tak banyak sangat.

Entah bila cenderehati majlis perkahwinan berubah. Saya tak berapa pasti. Yang saya tahu, 9 tahun yg lalu (waktu kami kawin) dah macam-macam cenderahati seperti sabun wangi dan sapu tangan yang sudah siap mula timbul di pasaran. Kalau sekarang, ramai yang memberikan gelas atau cawan hiasan kecil, kek kecil, coklat dan macam-macam lagi. Setakat ni cenderahati yang paling pelik pernah saya tengok ialah "sarung bantal hiasan" dan "hiasan seperti lampu Aladdin". Nak tengok apa yang saya maksudkan? eheh....esoklah saya ambik gambar dan tunjukkan.

Apa cenderahati perkahwinan yang paling pelik yang pernah anda dapat? 

So true!

Salam,

This doesn't just apply to teachers but also to all mommies. I believe that mommies always teach their kids too every single day. The same can be said about daddies. In fact everybody who somehow, some ways teach other people in different kinds of mediums like on FB, television, radio, newspapers or magazines. If we are in it to see how it can change other people's life then we are on the right track. The income is the bonus and of course we need it to survive. 

Now, what say you?

Rahsia hati tenang. (BM entry)

Salam,

"Ketahuilah dengan berzikir kepada Allah hati akan tenang".

 Ini ialah kisah puteri Rasulullah(Fatimah Azzahra'), ketika mana beliau berkahwin dengan Ali bin Abi Thalib. Beliau menguruskan rumah tangganya dengan memasak, mengisar gandum sehingga menjadi tepung dan seterusnya membuat roti ,sehinggakan tinggal kesan-kesan luka pada tanganya akibat terlalu berat kerja yang dilakukan'maka pada suatu hari beliau datang berjumpa bapanya (Rasulullah S.A.W)dan mengadu apa yang dialami dan meminta diberikan seorang khadam untuk membantunya dirumah dan nabi berkata: "Fatimah adalah sebahagian dariku apa yang dialaminya seperti aku yang mengalaminya" Maka Rasulullah berkata padanya "mahukah kamu jika aku tunjukkan perkara yang lebih baik dari itu ……..ketika kamu mahu tidur bertasbihlah sebanyak 33 kali,bertahmid 33 kali,dan bertakbirlah 33 kali, sesungguhnya zikrullah tersebut lebih baik bagimu dari seorang khadam "apa yang dimaksudkan Rasulullah ialah zikrullah memberimu kekuatan jiwa dan membantumu menanggung segala penderitaan hidup dan Allah akan senantiasa bersamamu.

 Kita pun selalu mengeluh bila tengok banyak kerja-kerja rumah yang seperti tak habis-habis kan. Untuk ibu-ibu yang bekerja, balik dari tempat kerja dah kena selinsing lengan baju nak basuh pinggan, baju, sapu, masak dan macam-macam lagi. Kalau ada pembantu rumah pun, biasanya kita tak biarkan semua kerja dia buat kan. Kerja menguruskan anak-anak, kita akan buat sendiri jugak. Jadi, jom kita cuba tenangkan hati dengan berzikir. Mudah-mudahan terasa lebih ringan kerja kita dan pahala pun dapat.

Mr. Brown.

Another work of art from Fathini.

Spanking NOT beating!

Salam,

Do you spank your children in order to teach them a lesson? How do you do it? Which part of their body do you use to spank them?

My husband and I also use spanking as a tool to teach our children. They know that they'll be spanked if they have done a serious mistake. We always make sure that the Spanking is just enough to teach them NOT to hurt them. There's a thin line between Spanking and Beating. If you spank to teach, you only spank them once or twice and you don't want to hurt them. BUT if you are beating them, it's already an act of abuse. That's why in some countries, they oppose to the act of spanking just because they afraid that it might lead to abusing.

When I was small, I was spanked few times because of being mischief. There was one particular incident that I still can vividly recall. I lost the house keys on my way back from school. My late mum was so furious because if somebody found the keys, they would get the easy access to our house! My mum called me to her bedroom and she asked some questions. I felt as if I was asked by a police officer! It was a thorough "investigation" made by my mum. When I told her I couldn't recall how did I lose the keys, she lost her patience and she spanked me at the thighs. It wasn't a painful spank at all but I felt so sad because I let her down and made her frustrated. Since that incident, I tried very hard to avoid being spanked not because I was afraid of my late mum but I didn't want to lose her trust on me.

Now, what do you think about spanking? Is it still relevant now or is it kind of an obsolete tool in disciplining our children?

Henry Middleton: A cool English teacher.

Salam,

He can be a good example for a cool male teacher. He never loses his composure or his patience even when thing goes wrong in his class. How I wish I can like him. I hate losing my temper but sometimes I just can't help it. I love to create a friendly environment in class but that depends a lot on the students.

I bet when a teacher is as handsome as him, most students will sit and listen to him. It's part of human nature to be attracted to someone who's beautiful or in this case quite a hunk. Other qualities also help him as he is quite natural in teaching and he doesn't ridicule his students when they make mistakes in using English. 

Kudos to Zain Saidin because he has proved to be the most suitable actor for the character.