Asalamu’alaykum  wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu ladies, 

I hope you and your families are enjoying these wonderful days of Ramadan, subhanAllah, it just seems to be flying by as it does every year!

I’m not on my social media platforms during this month, but I did want to connect with you all and talk about something I myself have experienced in Ramadan.  Its the feeling of needing to get through all the resources we accumulate in excitement for Ramadan, but sometimes detrimentally at our own expense. 

It might seem a little ‘dramatic’ but it happens!  I’ve had Ramadans where I’ve made resources for my children and collecting tonnes more, only to have been left feeling stressed, which isn’t the best frame of mind to be in if we want to maximise from the blessings Ramadan brings with it.

So now we’re a few days in, it’s likely you’ve established some sort of routine in your home, especially considering this Ramadan is like no other, with the masaajid being closed and families are in self-isolation.  So take a minute and reflect on what you seem to be getting through, what you enjoy and what you’re not getting around too.

And if need be, simplify.

Rather than feeling the need to complete every activity in your Ramadan basket, focus on one or two things consistently.  Seriously, if you manage to encourage a positive atmosphere in Ramadan for your family, are cooking iftaar and suhoor, looking after your kiddos, and manage to work on some focused learning during the day, you have done BRILLIANTLY, Allahuma barik!

We sometimes as mothers unintentionally burden ourselves that if we don’t manage to complete everything, we’ve had a mediocre Ramadan- which is not the case.  A Ramadan in which we are nourishing ourselves and our families with the book of Allah, being present with our families, taking time out to reflect, and ponder and making du’a is a worthwhile Ramadan insha’Allah.  Resources are there to aid us, not to replace the above.  

And remember, anything you don’t get round to, why not continue after Ramadan?  Ramadan isn’t something we only need to discuss or learn about when it arrives.  Keep those activities on hand, and you can always dedicate time after Eid to enjoy and benefit from them.  In fact, this in itself has a benefit, as it teaches our kiddos that once Ramadan leaves, it shouldn’t be forgotten.

May Allah make us amongst those who leave Ramadan having purified ourselves.