Book Review: Learning to Listen, Learning to care - A workbook to Help Kids learn Self-Control & Empathy

We have been using this book "Learning to Listen, Learning to care" by Lawrence E. Shapiro, as a family to help better ourselves. It is a great Character building book. Initially, I purchased it for the kids, interesting now we have a family session where kids and I sit together and go over one question or one whole activity, then together right our responses. 

It ends up being a great writing and literacy session. This author has a series of similar books that covers many different topics on character building and helping children be better human beings. I highly recommend this book, especially for boys who are not too keen about discuss their emotions. We don't write in the book we answer the question in our personal diaries.

Here is a sample Activity lesson to give you an idea. 

Activity 7 - page 1

Activity 7 - page 2

Actvity 7 - page 3

Homemade Beauty: Lip Balm making with kids

AR has always had chipped lips issue, many underlying issues for that. However, I also wanted something topical to use. We tried many different brands, both organic and non-organic but nothing seem to help really. Then I started making our own at home after the eczema salve we made for H. I have made many different variation until (I think) I mastered the ingredients blends to get the best results and here is my recipe.

Ingredients laid out for kids

Ingredients:

1. 5 tbsp Beeswax
2. 6 tbsp Coconut oil
3. 4 tbsp Olive oil / Almond oil
4. 4 tbsp Coco Butter 
5. 2 tbsp Shea Butter
6. Containers to pour into, you can find many options, we recycled these mini honey jars and previously used EOS old containers.

Instructions:

• Melt ingredients 1, 2, 3 and 4 in a microwave (15 seconds intervals, because can get really hot) or a double broiler. 
• Add shea butter at the end to the hot liquid to avoid it from turning into beads.
• Add essential oils (keeping in mind what oils are safe for children) and vitamin E at the end because heat destroys their properties.
• Pour into containers, let it cool and they are ready to use.

I  usually add a little shimmer for H using broken eye shades (which I save for this)

Final product. Notice the messy edges... I love the beauty of kids hands.

If I make Homemade body products for gifting or selling, I prefer not letting the kids help much to keep things clean. Beeswax can get quite messy when mixed with greasy ingredients, so be prepared for the mess when kids taking part.

Learning points

• We also talked about, smiling is sunnah Hadeeth
• Purifying intention to have beautiful smiles when making to please Allah SWT
• Instill the idea of making your own things so you know what you are using. 
• Be producers not consumers
• For older children great math lesson on how much you save by this and how much one lip balm container cost.

For beautiful smiles!

Book Reveiw: I Think, I Am!

Louise Hay is the author of the international bestseller "You can heal yourself" and also New York Times bestseller for "Heal your body". She also has a work book that goes with "You can heal yourself" called  "Love yourself and heal yourself" which has proven to help many people. She is known for her work on encouraging people to change their thoughts to positive and more affirming thoughts, despite of what they have heard about themselves.

"I think, I am" is a kids version book of her other works. It teaches children the power of Affirmation. With the help of fun illustrations and simple words children can learn how to change negative thoughts to positive affirmations. If children learn this skill of positive self talk, they can live a more fulfilling life inshaAllah.

We paired this book up with her "The Affirmation coloring book" and "Inspirational". I have always felt art to be very therapeutic just like writing. Coloring books like these have very soothing and calming affects on a person. Zentangle is a form of art that has been used to help people focus and relive stress.

Some of our completed works

This is one of those book we should have in our home libraries. Also be shore to check out Louise Hay's website.

Homemade Beauty: Lip Scrub with kids

Kids made Lip scrub today with 3 ingredients that we already had in our Kitchen. It was a simple and fun project that they really enjoyed, especially the kids. I try to teach kids to make whatever they can at home and from scratch and whenever they can instead of always buying it as the first option. Instilling the idea of being producers rather than consumers is crucial at a young age. AR always has chapped lips so we made these lip scrubs for all of us. These have always helped his chapped lips. H of course love making it since it's a beauty product. Also teaching them that our beloved used to do things himself (Peace and blessing be upon him).

Kid's lip scrub

Here is what we used in the kids version of the scrub:

• 1 tsp - organic coconut oil
• 2 tsp - organic cane sugar
• dash - organic cinnamon 

Adult's lip scrub

Here is what I used for the adults scrub:

• 1 tsp - organic coconut oil
• 2 tsp White sugar 
• 2 drops lavender essential oil
• 1 drop Eucalyptus
• Dash of grated lemon 

Optional additions when making it for adults or giving as a gift:

• Food coloring (gives it a LUSH touch)
• Coffee
• Brown sugar instead of cane sugar and white sugar
• Olive oil
• Honey

Enjoy the recipe and polish those beautiful smiles!

Stay tuned for more of our Homemade recipes for the whole family.

Yoga with kids

Every morning as I do my yoga after dawn prayer time my kids start to creep out of bed one at a time. Sometimes after I am have completed my yoga regimen I put one episode of Cosmic kids on for them for their yoga time. The kids have been doing Cosmic kids yoga for quite a few years, recently she has been adding plenty of new videos.

Happy Yoga Mommies and kiddies!

Why we love everything coconut

Coconut is a staple in our home, we love it "in" and "on" our bodies.  Hope this inspires you to include this wholesome superfood in your lives too.

Product review: Substance - Nappy Rash Onitment

Bismillah

This post is mainly inspired by my life revolving around a baby these days. Its about a product I have been using for about 4 years now, and really feel I need to share its immense benefits we have had. Its like the only baby skin care  product I carry in my diaper bag. 

It works great for almost everything! I have used it for the kids on cuts, diaper rashes, sunburns, burns, mosquito bites, dry skin, irritation my daughter gets in her private because of swimming and for her . It is the only product we used on our son when he got circumcised . If you are like me and love good smelling things, you will simply love the way it smells.

It is however a bit on the expensive end but the way it works is a little goes a looong way. I have only bought it 2 times in over 4 years and still have enough to inshaa Allah last this whole year or more.

- We ask You O Allaah to protect our families for any evil in this World and the Hereafter, and to make them great thinkers and make us of those who fear You due to knowledge. Ameen.

Book Review: Raising Baby Green

This is a wonderful book that all parents should have a or at least take a look at. It carries a wealth of information about pregnancy and early childhood. It has tips on how to keep your child away and protected from harmful chemicals, how to protect our families and planet (that Allah has given to us a blessing, test, and a trust). It has 300 best green baby products for you to chose from. It can be challenging to change our entire lifestyle at once so start with baby steps. As it is from the teachings of Islam as well to take things gradually and do what suits you and your family best, and the rest leave on Allah SWT.

Dr. Alan Greene was on parents.tv where he shared some easy and also cheap alternatives to conventional medicine for our little ones. We use and have used some of these remedies for our family, and all of us have benefited from them, big and small.  

Please email me at rawdahs@gmail.com if you would like to have a copy of "Raising Baby green"  I would love to share with you the benefit of this book :).

Hajj Holistic checklist

Kaba in Ihram for the Hajj! 2010 

Here we come Allah, here we come....

"In the blistering bright rays of the sun, amongst the arid grimy sand dunes of a faraway place, no traces of life could be seen. There was only a barren land filled with emptiness. The blurry horizon spread from east to west. Apart from the dry whistle of the bristly wind, a cry could be heard echoing in the distance. What could it be…?

A closer look reveals a beautiful baby boy left lying on the scorching sand under the heat of the sun, lips shrivelled, tears pouring profusely down his swollen eyes. His cry is pleading for help, but where is his mother…?

Not too far away, amongst the rocky hills, another isolated sound can be heard - the voice of a woman gasping for breath as she runs from one mountain to another searching for any signs of life. Alone, bare footed and wounded her tired feet drag her back and forth a distance of more than 450 metres each way in the hope that she can find water or someone who can come to her child’s desperate aid.…" 

These beautifully put words are of Shurma Chowdhury a writer from saudilife. They are so clear in explaining the story behind Hajj. 

The month of Zul-Hajj is almost here. Millions of people around the world are preparing  to leave for this beautiful and the most memorable journey of their lives. Some have already reached Masjid al-Haram or Masid Nabawi. People will be coming from different circumstances, some have saved up all their lives and NOW they get to do Hajj when they are old. All rich and poor, old and young, weak and strong, big and small ALL will unit in one place to perform the Hajj.  "...there is no reward for Hajj mabroor except Paradise" {Al Bukhari}

Hajj preparation for most of people start right when they get the invitation from Allah SWT. If one has the intention one could get rewarded for each of ones steps towards Masjid al-Haram by Allah SWT's Mercy.

InshaAllah in this post and the next I will be sharing with you a few things. Such as, a Hajj holistic checklist some Hajj resources and some Ahadeeth {Prophetic sayings} and Aayat {Quranic verses}. Things to do for those not performing Hajj.

1.  Magic Soap - Its a pure castile soap by Dr.Bronner. The one you have to purchase is the Unscented Baby Mild one. Since being a Muhrim {pilgram} it is not permissible to use anything scented. The good thing about this soap is that it can be used for ALL purposes. For example, washing hand, face, body, hair, brushing your teeth, laundry, cleaning you house or in the case of Hajj your surroundings. We use it when we are in ihram for the whole family. This will also decrease you luggage load, you will put 10 things in one bottle!

2. Fragrance free hand and body lotion by Desert essence. 

3. Crystal body deodorant stone - Its safe and fragrance free, click here to read more. This can be found in different brands like pure & natural crystal and also in travel sizes as well.

4.  Essential oils - These would be  a good chose to protect yourself from getting sick or catching a flu, since you will be exposed to people from all around the world. These will inshaAllah help stimulate your immune system and help fight any bacteria entering you with the permission of Allah SWT! 

• Lavender oil - relaxing (works great for jet lag), protects from flu and cold, antiseptic, even by smelling the oil.
• Tea tree oil - powerful antiseptic and immune stimulator. Its known to be great for cough, cold sores, infected wounds, cuts, and insect bits.
• Lemon grass oil - air refresher and purifier, great for headaches.
• Eucalyptus oil - Useful for muscular pains, insect bites and insect repellent.
• Sandalwood oil - for sore throats, earaches and cough with mucus.
• Peppermint oil - for fatigue, headaches, digestive system, and muscular pains

Each of these have many other therapeutic uses but these are just to name some that are more relevant. Even if you're not able to get all try to at least get lavender, tea tree, peppermint and eucalyptus oils. 

Note: DO NOT use essential oils straight, they are very concentrated and potent,  so they should be diluted at the ratio of 2 to 3 drops essential oil to every 10ml of 100% pure carrier oils such as almond, avocado, calendula, rosehip, grape-seed  aloe vera and jojoba oils. ALSO, keep in mind that these are scents and fragrance is NOT permissible in the state of ihram, so you should use them in a diffuser (buy a cheap one you can dispose there) and a couple of candles. Using them in the diffuser will give you its benfits as well, use it at night when you are sleeping until you are no longer in ihram. Ones out of the state of ihram then you can add them to your creams or oils at the same ratio. REMEMBER to dilute that are high concentrate. 

5.  Homeopathy first-aid kit -  Pack your remedies in small zip-locks with labels of each remedy. Zip-locks are light weight and don't take much space. 

    Essential Remedies

1. Aconite 30
2. Chamomile 30
3. Ferrrum Phosphorus 6x
4. Gelsimium 30
5. Nux Vomica 30
6. Carbo Vegetabilis 30
7. Arnica Montana 30
8. Kali Mur 6x
9. Aloe 30
10. Rhus Tox 30
11. Lycopodium 30

6.  Accupressure - It's a great pain reliever and has some other benefits as well, such as natural labor induction (I was using acupressure points to induce natural labor for H's pregnancy after the 39th week and during labor as a pain reliever). You can look up on Google or ask a professional about pain different pain relief points.

These are somethings that will inshaAllah help Pilgrims to take the most out of there Hajj experience and Ebadaat (worships). This will with the permission of Allah SWT help us all stay in good health instead of being drowsy and droopy. It's important to remember that NOTHING can benefit you or harm you with out the permission of Allah All Mighty, and these are just means, really protection and relief is ONLY in His Power. So take the means and put your trust in Him.


Some of you asked where you can find this stuff. 

North America 

• Whole foods
• Other health food stores
• Nature's Source
• Olive Tree Organics
• Green Health Foods (these are just to name some there are 100s more!)
• Organic planet
• Target
• Loblaws

Europe

• Health Food store
• Organic stores
• Holland and Barrett
• Evergreen health foods

Gulf Region

• Order from online from anywhere in the world...you will need an address
• You can also find them at uae.souq.com/home.php 
• Check for foreign natural product stores

Hajj Mabroor wa Saee Mashkoor!

“...And proclaim unto mankind the Pilgrimage. They will come unto thee on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every deep ravine....” (Surah Al-Hajj, 22: 27)

Our two week adventure!!

Packing for a long journey across the planet is not that easy with little ones, if its not planned well. How you plan your journey can really define what type of memories you will have (fond ones or ones you want to forget). Previously I had posted about somethings to keep with you on a road trip to keep the children occupied. However when traveling by plane you cannot do the same (can't carry too much luggage). Alhumdullillah, I am starting to get use to traveling and on every trip learn new things to do in order to have a smooth journey.

InshaAllah in this post I will be sharing with you my travel kit secrets. You can pack the material I will be mentioning for any short or long, road, air or track trips. These are some essentials that I have to have when travelling with my family.

Secret #1 

• Always travel with a Diaper-Backpack. Reason for that is:
• it gives you two free hands to handle your kids
• lots space for baby stuff.
• weight is appropriately divided on 2 shoulders
• its not like diaper bags which keep falling off your shoulder! or hit people in their face with it!
• look for a backpack with side pockets or baby bottles and sippers 
• One thing to remember with backpacks is that NEVER keep any important belongings in the front pockets! They can be easily stolen! 

Secret #2 

  Homeopathy Travel kit

• I always pack first-aid remedy kit in small zip-locks with labels. The reason why I prefer zip-locks when traveling is because they are light weight and don't take much space. 

    Essential Remedies

1. Aconite 30
2. Chamomile 30
3. Ferrrum Phosphorus 6x
4. Gelsimium 30
5. Nux Vomica 30
6. Carbo Vegetabilis 30
7. Arnica Montana 30
8. Kali Mur 6x
9. Aloe 30
10. Calendula tincture ointment
11. Rhus Tox 30
12. Lycopodium 30

Aromatherapy -->Essential oils kit

• Since we can no longer carry liquid in hand carrys. I pack most of them in the luggage. I have  taken two essential oil in a ziplock and the airport officials were fine with it. One other thing I did was, I soaked a cotton ball with the essential oil and zipped it! This way I had the oil and it didn't bother the aiport immigration.

   Essential oils

1. Lavender oil
• Known for its relaxing properties (works great for jet lag), protects from flu and cold, its also antiseptic so you can apply to small cuts and wounds. I also keep a small bag with dried lavender flowers in the backpack.
2. Tea tree oil 
• Very powerful antiseptic and immune stimulator. Its known to be great for cough, cold sores, infected wounds, cuts, and insect
3. Lemon grass oil
• Great refresher and air purifier, also great for headaches.
4. Eucalyptus oil
• Useful for muscular pains, insect bites and  insect repellent.
5. Sandalwood oil
• Good for sore throats, earaches and cough with mucus.

Secret #3

Suprises

• Kids love suprises! I wrapped some small toys for them to keep them busy. 

These were some small toys, that I had packed. The kids loved opening them! The new toy kept them busy for a while through out the trip. 

This was one thing we got that AR simply loved, because he really likes animals (its also a great learning tool for toddlers and preschoolers)

Few things I learned from this trip:

• Stroller review! We have this 'sit and stand' stroller which we simply LOVE, however it's not a travel friendly stroller with 2 little ones. It serves us great for local use, but not for touring. 
• We were thinking AR was old enough for not having a blanket to travel with but, a lot of times he was really cold and asked for an blanket!

Alhumdulillah the last few weeks of traveling have been very adventures and fun! We got to stay in Riyad and meet the new addition of our family and then we head off to London, England, where we met up with my in-laws. We all had a great time, it was a fun family reunioun. Although our stay in London was short but we still had loads of fun! (I will be posting about our London adventures). One thing I absoutly hated was the subway rides and the fact that there was almost no wheelchair/stroller accessibility!! Which meant carrying the stroller up and down the stairs with 2 kids.

Once we got to Canada we also got to attend the Journey of Faith conference, which was a very much needed spirit revivier. It was also nice because we got to meet most of our friends. Although I have to say the jet lag and the over tired kids were a bit of a challenge but it was still worth it. After the 2 weeks of on going action we took the whole Monday off to relax!

MashaAllah! I have to applaud my kiddies for their patience throughout the long trip. They did get irritable at points but mostly the stood strong though the trip, Alhumdulillah!

She got Burnt!

SubhanAllah! I miss blogging!! We have been very busy with HSing, home, beach, packing for vacation, and learning from experience!

We have just been on a rolloaster of test from Allah swt, which ofcourse happens to teach us a lesson and make us a stronger believer! Be'eznillah hu tala

Well, a few weeks ago our little princess got burned with boiling water! (I can imagine all your OMGs!!) Alhumdulillah Allah swt is MOST KIND! He protected her face and chest. The water fell on her left shoulder and back. As a mother! first few minutes I panicked, but then I said to myself if I don't calm down I can't help her! So..Mama took a deeeeep breath and gentle took her shirt off, and did what she thought was required.

What was it that I thought was required you ask??

1.   I applied Aloe vera gel by Forever Living (great products, do check them out). I had to however stop applying this gel on the third day because, as soon as I applied it she was very restless and seemed like in pain. Maybe it was causing some sort of burning sensation on her burn. I immediately washed it off. After that only used the fresh Aloe vera.

2.  Pulled out my "Encyclopedia of homeopathy" and "Prescriptions of Natures cures" to see what I   could give her right away for pain relief, and start her treatment.

•  Homeopathic remedies

• Arnica 30 (always a GREAT pain reliever) 
• Cantharis 30 every 15 minutes for 1 hour, then twice in 4 hours till next day and then cut it to 4 times a day. Now she is taking it once a day. (I have to add that she also had 6 teeth come out at once and 4 of those were molars! MashaAllah, she was/is so brave and patient about it all. May Allah swt increase her more in it. Ameen!)

3.   Made my own aloe vera gel at home with Aloe vera (from home) and honey. You can also use this recipe to make a better one but we couldn't find Vitamin C powder sadly.

4.  Gave her a HIGH dose of vitamin C and E to help her heal for over a week. I ONLY gave her FOODS that were high in Vitamin C and E, no supplements

5.  Applied Calendula Tincture ointment 3 times a day for the first week after cleaning her burn gently while she was played in the bath tub. Still applying once daily.

6.  Also applied Memo a herbal antiseptic for the first 4 night.

7.  Started applying a vitamin E essential oil once the wound was completely healed.

8.  We decided not to do a dressing on the burn because she was getting irritated by it. We also found that it was healing faster without any dressing, as long as the burn and her environment was clean to protect from infections

9.  Applied honey directly but she hated it! only used it with the aloe blend.

10.  Washed the burn with Zamam and Calendula soap 3 times a day for until the burn was completely healed and once a for 2 weeks. 

11.  Applied a Propolis cream 

13.  Gave her lost of fluids and water.

How she got burned you ask?

Well, I recently swtiched to using water insted of oil when frying an egg. Alhumdulillah it was water not oil! It all happened in seconds...she tumbled and fell on the stove, the stove shock and the water fell on her. I usually use the back stove tops, but this time they were out in the lving room playing and in a second ended up in the kitchen!...It was just something that was wrtten. It was Qadr! with wisdom beyond our perception to encompass, unless Allah swt shows us the wisdom.

What one should do when one gets burned (things I didn't do, due to not knowing and lack of resource)

1. Wash burn immediately with moderately cold water for about 15 minutes. This will stop the tissues from farther burning and provide pain relief.  This is only for first degree and second degree burns DO NOT do this to a third degree burn!
2. Dip and clean gauze in a diluted mixture of Catharsis mother tincture and water. Apply the wet gauze on the burn for 15 minutes do this repeatedly until completely healed.
3. Essential oils such as  lavender oil, tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil with very powerful antiseptic and immune stimulator. They are known to help heal burns, cuts and wounds

Things to keep in mind if you are planing to treat a first or second degree burn at home.

1. Always keep the burnt area clean to aviod infections.
2. You need to know what degree of burn it is, you can easily google it and read about it! You have to be sure of what degree burn it is in order to start the treatment.
3. Watch out for symptoms of infection, such as pus, yellow or green discharge, bad smell coming from the burn or blood. Immediately consult a doctor! 
4. If you are not confident enough to take the charge of  healing the burn at home then its better you do not! (In my case despite the fact that I had a LOT of pressure to take her to the hospital, I chose not to, and Alhumdulillah Allah swt granted her shifa! Alhumdullilah my husband was supportive of my decision as well, although inside at first he wanted me to take her to the hospital, and also mentioned it a few times. BUT, when he saw her healing he was satisfied and supportive of helping our daughter heal safely at home.)
5. My brother and father in-law mentioned a stove guard that you can put in front of the stove, I will be investing in getting one inshaAllah. 

I have shared all this information with you all in order to help you to be able to help a burned victim (Na'uzubillah) with home remedies rather then rushing to the hospital. In case of a third degree burn (where the burn has reached the third layer of the skin) rush the victim to the hospital for medical care. Also, if you are unsure of how to go about the procedure of home treatment of a burn, you will be better of seeking professional care. Before you do something you have to believe in it!!

Last, but not the least, I would like to say we should ALWAYS remember that shifa comes from Allah swt ONLY! If He wills He can put shifa in plain water! so its very important to remember Him a lot and ask for His Divine Protection and Healing.

NOTE: I have a Pdf version of the book "Encyclopedia of Homeopathy", if you are interested in a copy, mail me at rawdahs@gmail.com. I would be more then happy to share it with you, it's an amazing reference book to have. :)