My CPA Journey – Part 4 of 4: Reaching the end of the Tunnel

Continued from Part 3 of 4 – My Crazy Maternity Leave

To Work or not to Work – that is the question

Before I knew it, I was in Month 11 of my insane year of maternity leave and was due to go back to work soon. I had a lot of questions and important decisions to make and still wasn’t emotionally stable. Do I even want to go back? What about my little girl? She still has so many appointments. How can I possibly leave her with strangers at daycare? How would she ever adjust over there? Would she eat? Would she nap? Would they ever understand her needs? Would she spend all day crying? And how can I go back to a work environment which is known to be so demanding? Would I spend my days struggling at work? Would I ever reach the end of the tunnel? I felt so clueless and had no real answers to any of these questions.

The daycare part was hands down the toughest to think about and find a solution for. The last time I went to work, I was pretty much single. Now I had a family – a baby to dress and feed in the morning before catching my train and somehow making it to work on time. I used to hardly reach my office for 9am, so this new daily routine seemed impossible. (more…)

My CPA Journey – Part 3 of 4 | My Crazy Maternity Leave

….Continued from Part 2

My maternity leave is not a time where I look back and see lots of happy memories. Basically, if you met me around then, you would’ve found me with a tiny baby in my arms, and I would’ve said that life is brutal. It’s unfair. It’s hopeless. And if you’re thinking it was postpartum depression, it really wasn’t. At least I don’t think so. Because I had no time to fall into that kind of depression! As you read on, you’ll see why 🙂

I had wanted to travel as soon as possible after the birth of my daughter to be with my husband, but my daughter was too little and too weak for that. So I decided I’d wait until she was a bit older. But things got complicated in a different way and I found myself in places and situations I could have never imagined. (more…)

Family Room Series – The Walls

This is a sponsored post written in partnership with Canadian Tire. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hi guys!!!

I’m finally starting to work on my basement family room that I’ve been talking about for so long on Instagram! Here’s a couple of before/after shots. What a difference! I mean… does it even look like the same space?! (more…)

Simple & Modern Autumn Decor

Hey guys!

The weather here in Toronto has been unusually warm for the end of September… with heat warnings and all! If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I even headed to the beach last weekend. But we Canadians know better than to complain about that because it’s going to be -20 degrees before we can say ‘winter’! Point in case – even though the weather has been warm, it hasn’t kept me from getting excited about the beauty of fall. (more…)

My CPA Journey | Part 2 of 4 – From New Graduate to New Mom

Anam meditating at great wall of China

Continued from Part 1

Starting Full-Time Work

I started full time work just as enthusiastically as anyone else. I’d just had an amazing summer after finishing my undergrad at university, with a backpacking trip to China and Southeast Asia. I also tried my hand at cooking for the first time that summer and loved it. Life was amazing!

I was already engaged when I started working full-time. My fiancé lived and studied in Melbourne, Australia. The plan was to have our wedding in Pakistan which is where his and my extended family lived. We wanted to have the wedding sooner than later, so for the first time in my school life, I did something slightly off the beaten path. Unlike most of my peers, I opted out of writing my CPA exams in the first year after university and decided that I would start the exam writing process the following year, after coming back from my wedding. Accounting firms help you prepare for your exams during the first year of work by providing you knowledge refresher classes and some time off for study. They pay for your exams as well, which is great. My firm was very understanding and said no problem – I could write my exams the following year! (more…)

MY CPA JOURNEY | PART 1 of 4 – From High School to University

Anam at graduation
Warning: This is going to be a long post. I will be releasing it in 4 parts. But I’ve split each part into further smaller subheading and sections so you can scroll down and only read whichever section interests you. If you want the whole scoop, you better read it all! 🙂
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This post is requested by many of my followers on Instagram @theinspiredaccountant who are either thinking of / are pursuing the CPA designation. Which is a bit annoying because the whole point of my Instagram is to NOT think about accounting. But at the same time I think you know what? The more people I can SAVE from this profession, the better. I’m only kidding! 😀 I’m finally writing about my journey and hoping that somehow something I write can help someone somewhere. If you have specific question, don’t hesitate to ask me in the comments below, drop me a comment or a Direct Message on Instagram. (more…)

3 Easy Desserts You Can Make in 60 Minutes

Hello, lovely people!

Today I’m sharing with you three super quick and easy desserts that I absolutely love. I make them often for tea parties or little family get-togethers and they really impress the guests 😉 These will make for cute little snacks at your next week’s Eid celebrations as well. I actually believe that once you have all the ingredients laid out in front of you, you can make all three of them within an hour, because that’s how easy they are. I might share the baking videos on my instastories if I make them for Eid so watch out for them on my Instagram. Let’s get into the recipes and see what they’re all about!

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10 Affordable IKEA Accessories you will LOVE

If you’re looking to add some cute decor accessories to your home and don’t have anything specific in mind, then this post, my friend, is for you! I have handpicked some IKEA accessories that I think are absolute steals. They are multi-functional, aesthetically pleasing, and will definitely add a lot of style to your space. Above all, they are super affordable (all under $19.99)! I do have most of these accessories in my house but a couple of them are on my IKEA wish list. So wherever possible, I’ve included pictures of how I use these accessories in my own house to give you some ideas on styling.

If you aren’t already following me on Instagram, make sure you do that to see the behind the scenes of all my decorating (and life)!

So let’s get into the list, shall we?

 

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