Malak.Xo

Just under a month to go for Ramadan 2020! This year I have put together a nice '30 Days of Kindness' Calendar for Ramadan for children with the help of parents/guardians to follow earn some good deeds this Ramadan. Please feel free to pull and print off and if you would like an emailed PDF version just contact me and I would be more than happy to send it. I printed many copies and will be delivering to friends and family with children that I think would like to do this.   In the past I have tried to do a more festive Ramadan month to put some Barakah back into the month and have it be a joyous occasion for all. It is especially important for children because it helps instill that love of the month for them from a young age. Especially growing up and seeing the temptations of other Holidays and wondering why we don't do anything fun for Ramadan or Eid? Simple decorations and preparations like hanging some lights up across the window, lanterns placed around the...

You read the title correctly: 2018 in Cupcakes! Looking through my Instagram timelines and sliding through my phones pictures I noticed we made a bunch of cupcakes throughout the year. So what better way to go over 2018 then to go through all the pictures of cupcakes I found? Let's begin! During Malak's 3rd Birthday party we all decorated cupcakes as one of the activities! The kids just piled on the toppings while the rest of us tried to make something cute hahah! Malak's birthday is on January 26th but we had her birthday part on the Sunday which was the 28th! We had so much fun at Malak's Paw Patrol themed party and I know Malak had a blast <3 More gorgeous cupcakes from Malak's birthday party with my nephew Karam staring intensely at them, all he wanted to do was grab one! I know they aren't cupcakes but I had to document the gorgeous Canada Day donuts that I picked up after July 1st! I made this a my nephew Karam's 1st birt...

Hello fellow bloggers, I feel like it has been a while, I have a few drafted pieces in the works but I want to work harder to committing to a blog deadline. Anyhow, I have made a goal to read more as I usually don't do any leisure reading. As a Library Settlement Worker I work for an organization but am situated in the library. All of the library staff are great and they are always reading on their breaks and frankly I am jealous as I can't ever get my head that into a book. The irony is that I am an English Language and Literature major (oops). This is where my goals come into place. I am creating a summer reading list based on other suggestions I have heard in person and all over the internet. I am going to list a bunch of books and see if I am able to fully get through or at least make a dent in the list by the end of the summer. If you have any suggestions for any great reads please leave the name in the comment below. Here we go: 2018 Summer Reading List   The H...

Ohh boy.. What a question. As someone who graduated university two years ago I thought I would be more established and knowing what I want to do in the future. I am currently employed full time, my first professional job. I am a library settlement worker, I help newcomers to Canada with information and orientation services in the library. I am employed by a non-profit organization but we have a partnership in the library, so no the library doesn’t pay me. I love the organization because they do so many different things in the community; like children literacy groups, youth groups for  both newcomers and mainstream Canadian youth, settlement services and counseling, basic needs, anti-racism and bullying, and so much more! The job itself is rewarding even though there are some restrictions on the services we are able to provide for a client the feedback from the clients are always positive. What is the problem? Other than the fact that I am on a contract that has po...

Hello Bloggers, I took a few minutes today to write about the Holy month of Ramadan in which Muslims fast. I hope you take the time to read it and hopefully learn something from the post. Ramadan might begin on the 26th or 27th of this month depending on the sighting of the moon. The month of Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar which depends on the Lunar calendar, this makes Ramadan at a different time each year. Fasting the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars in Islam and is required by Muslims if they are physically and mentally healthy and at an age of maturity (not required of young children unless they want to try it out) The five pillars of Islam include: Shahadah (Faith) Salat (Prayer) Zakat (Charity) Sawm (Fasting) Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca) Some reasons that Muslims fast during the month include to discipline the self and to learn to say no to desires whether that be over-eating, or things that may be prohibited to Muslims in Isla...

With the Holiday season quickly approaching and the donation bins and charities calling to people for donations, I would like to present people with a challenge. I have created an "Acts of Kindness" calendar for the month of December. The challenge is aimed at children but adults are welcome to join and maybe tweak it a bit to suit adults substituting "school" for "work" and etc. It is a great way to encourage children to be kind and realize that their are people less fortunate than them in the community and even around the world. Although traditionally I do not celebrate Christmas, the atmosphere it creates is beautiful since it is supposed to be a time of love, happiness, and inclusiveness. It all begins with our children, teaching them to respect all people and to be kind towards one another. I hope a lot of people decide to take this challenge and feel free to share it with co-workers, friends, and family :) Happy Holidays everyone and good luck...

We awoke this morning with rainy, gloomy weather but we hoped for the best so our fun-filled day could begin. Malak was festive in a red Canada shirt and grey shorts with a maple leaf on the side. The look was completed with cute pigtails and a tattoo on her cheek. We spent the day at the park playing at all the kids stations. We were all fasting but Malak and Shatha got in on some of the snacks the park had to offer. Malak played on some cars and the bouncy castle with grandma and I took her to the playground and bubble stations. Malak loves to play and see people, she is so friendly. Every year they call up children onto the stage to sing the National Anthem and Malak went up and stood with the kids and even ended up lip-syncing the words (remember she's a one year old). It was the cutest thing ever! Malak even ate a slice of cake from the big flag cake that was served. Her being happy made me just overjoyed. It was a great day! Although it did get chilly throughout the day. ...

With Ramadan on our doorsteps I thought I would dedicate a post to it. Ramadan is a time to better yourself, get over bad habits, and spend time together as a family. Muslims from all over the world begin their fast from sunrise and do not break it until sunset. It is 30 days full of benefits including detoxing the body and mind. Fasting the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. The Five Pillars of Islam include Shahada (accepting Allah as your creator and the Muhammad as your Prophet), Zakat (Obligatory Charity), Salah (Prayer), Ramadan (month of fast), and Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca). Since Ramadan is a time of love and spending time together as a family there are many activities you can do with children and loved ones. Try to encourage your children to partake in activities from a young age so as they get older they continue to partake and encourage their children one day. Some activities include making Ramadan cards and duas, prayer trees to col...

My sister Ayah is getting married soon and as a surprise to her I planned her bridal shower and invited her friends. It took place May 1st, two weeks before the wedding. The colour theme for the shower is pinks, white, and gray. Originally I was going to make it a Beauty and the Beast theme for her favourite Disney princess but it seems harder than a colour theme and I was on a budget. My sister Iman can over yesterday and did some baking, it took longer than expected to bake eclairs and cookies but they turned out beautiful. Here are Iman's not so famous eclairs, they always turn out delicious! They didn't rise as much as we had hoped but they are still very tasty.                                            Just some beautifully decorated sugar cookies! It was messy but th...