Mindfulness & a Spiritual Podcast

As many of you would know from my Instagram stories, I’ve been looking into mindfulness and spirituality recently. I have barely scratched the surface. I haven’t done any meditation or exercise. But just by enhancing my knowledge in this area, I have already noted a huge change in myself. Imagine the possibilities!

Crying, feeling self-pity, being overwhelmed, arguing, experiencing anger and reacting – such moments for me have become far and few in between. Definitely still there but much better. And when I do feel such emotions, I catch myself, reflect & learn from the experience.

I’m a lot more conscious of what’s happening around me and inside me. I have learned what can trigger me and feel better equipped to manage it. I find it harder to rant or complain about situations or to roll my eyes at someone’s seemingly ‘ignorant’ remark. Mindfulness has allowed me to come from such a great place of understanding and I’ll forever be grateful for it.

Personally, I want to delve deeper into this, and it is my wish that all of you start this journey too. Actually, this has been a very popular question in my DMs. So, where can you begin?

For starters, I’d like you to listen to Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul podcast episodes starring Eckhart Tolle. Starting Jan 6th 2019, every Monday Oprah discusses with Eckhart one chapter from his book called A New Earth. They’re on Chapter 7 out of 10 now. People call in with their questions as well, some of which may apply to you too. The concepts might be a little hard to grasp with no prior knowledge in this area, but the fact that this is in the form of a conversation really helps. Great way to test the waters and see if this stuff speaks to you. If not, you’re probably in a different phase of life right now and that’s okay.

Just because we weren’t formally taught this stuff doesn’t mean that it’s not important. In fact, I’m convinced that if society had realized the value of emotional intelligence and taught it from an early age, we’d all live in a more peaceful internal and external state.

You can never regret any effort you put in for your own betterment. Listen to the podcast, understand and try to apply what you learn. If you do, let me know if it was eye-opening for you and sparked further interest.

Much love,

Anam

How to Combat the Cold & Flu Season with Kids

Vicks Humidifers

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Braun Thermometers & Vicks Humidifiers. All opinions are 100% my own.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! I absolutely love the joyful, festive feel of this season and wait for it all year. What I don’t look forward to is the sickness that comes with it. Winter in Canada is prime time for cold and flu viruses to thrive. I have two little kids – a daughter who goes to kindergarten (which basically means that she enters viral territory on the daily), and a three-month old son who is about to experience his first winter on earth. While I’m trying my best to take as many precautions as I can, I also know that some sickness is inevitable. In fact, my daughter has already spent one week at home with a bad cough and congestion. Let’s just say I’ve never wanted to spring to arrive sooner!

When my daughter was 11 months old, she had a febrile seizure due to a very high fever. It’s one of those moments that I will never forget. I don’t mean to scare any new mom reading this. Febrile seizures are not too common – only 2% – 5% of children between the ages of six months and five years have them. Nevertheless, they are a possibility that I think parents should be aware of. When my daughter had it, I panicked, didn’t know what to do and couldn’t even think straight. It only lasted for about 40 seconds, but those were the longest 40 seconds of my life… After that incident, I made it a point to obtain the necessary knowledge to recognize symptoms of fever, take proper temperature readings and to equip myself with tools that would help me get through this season as smoothly as possible.

Today I’m sharing some tips on how you can manage fevers and tackle the lack of humidity in the air for better health during winter time. (more…)

My Labour & Delivery Story

Hi guys!

I finally got a chance to film my Labour & Delivery story. Check it out:

In this video, I talk about my VBAC attempt at the end of my second pregnancy. Although 75% of VBACs are successful, I fell in the remaining 25% category and had a C-Section. In any case, my baby came out healthy and I recovered well from the C-Section, which is what matters. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below! Remember, if there’s anything you can learn from listening to a birth story, it’s that everyone’s experience is different, and the best thing we can do is be open-minded about it all. Dont forget to check out my blooper on Instagram haha! Enjoy <3

My Salah Mat – Review

My Salah Mat Review

As a Muslim mother, I’m always on the look-out for ways in which I can keep Islamic values alive at home. Whether it’s through community events, family traditions, or Islamic products, I try to ensure that my kids have as much exposure to Islamic teachings as possible. Today I am talking about how My Salah Mat helps me with this goal and why it has proven to be an amazing product for me.  (more…)

The Endy Mattress: My 100-Night Review

Time is flying and it’s already been more than 100 nights since I got my Canadian-made Endy mattress. My friends, this mattress is definitely a keeper for me!

If you haven’t yet heard of Endy – let me give you a real quick introduction. It’s a Canadian-made, accessibly-priced=mattress that doesn’t compromise on quality and ships for FREE in a nice and compact box for easy delivery and set-up. After almost four months of using it, I can confidently tell you that I’m extremely happy with it!

First of all, I loved how quickly the Endy mattress was delivered. Based on my experience with other major furniture stores, delivery of large items can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks. I got the Endy mattress within 3 days of placing my order. I also loved the compact cardboard packing. It definitely made it very easy to carry it through the winding staircase and a narrow hallway in my house. I brought it straight to my room and that is where I opened it and watched in amazement as it unfolded and expanded on to my bed. (more…)

My DIY Ramadan Decor

Ramadan Decor

I can’t believe we are less than a week away from Ramadan! This year I really wanted to decorate a corner of my house that celebrates this blessed month. With a little kid in the home, I think it’s very important to visually mark such religious occasions.

As always, I kept my décor very simple. I also unintentionally ended up keeping in line with my Black & White & Pink living room colour scheme. I guess I just gravitate towards those colours. I’m so happy with how it turned out, because it’s all nice and coordinated with my living room now. It’s also drawing from the beautiful spring weather that we have right now.

The best part about it though was how easy and simple it was! (more…)

Simple, Modern Birthday Party Decor

The last time we decorated and did a little get together for my daughter’s birthday was on her 1st birthday. Now that she was turning 5 (still asking myself where all these years went!), I decided to do something special to make it memorable. And I’m so glad I did!

I love party planning but I’m guilty of also being very last minute! It’s just so hard to make time for it with work and everything else you have to do in the evenings and on the weekends. I started planning for this little birthday on the Wednesday of my one-week March Break, and hosted the little birthday family get-together on Saturday (3 days later). (more…)

How to Clean Tufted Fabric Furniture

It’s no secret that I love my bedroom. It truly is the comfiest space in my house and I wish I could spend more time in here! If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I recently got an Endy mattress for it. It’s 100% made in Canada and amazing quality. The mattress has made this bed even more comfortable and I look forward to resting here after a crazy day.

I often get asked how I take care of my upholstered bed. While fabric beds and tufted headboards have their visual appeal, they are not as easy to clean as wooden or other solid surfaces. Keeping fabric looking great requires some care and attention. And if you have chosen a light-coloured fabric like me, any dirty spots and discoloration can become the focal point of your beautiful headboard. We obviously don’t want that!

I am including some tips below on how to take care of upholstered furniture. It takes a mixture of easy protection and some cleaning to maintain. But it’s definitely worth the effort! (more…)