SpEciaL GirL.... (",)

Nowadays, She has this new Habit of asking:

"Fatini ada buat notty tak hari ni??" ("Have I been naughty today?")

It's been six years now since the day she was born, and I've always made doa may Allah grant me ease in raising her, and patience so that I can be a good mother to her... 

But, despite the endless doa, those tantrums never seemed to end..... ***sigh****

Perhaps it's a test for me from Allah SWT, or some sort of punnishment for me too... 

Whatever it is, it's never her fault, she's a child, an innocent child who needs love and care.. 

Free from sins....

And, not even once that I blamed her, and I've also given up raising my voice at her nor showing my anger at her, for I realized that would only made things worse.

 It's like how you try to couter a fire with a fire... 

All you'll probably get is a BLAZE!! 

In my helpless attempt to change her, many people advised me to recite certain Quranic verses to her ear while she's asleep to soften her heart. 

 But... I've never really taken this seriously... 

Until only recently that I found the courage to do this continuosly and consistently (Istiqomah) and with renewed determination I began. 

MasyaAllah, Alhamdulillah.... After a month, I noticed a lot of changes in her!

She became more obedient, no more tantrum, rajin solat, not so fussy about food anymore, etc etc....

And not to forget her daily questions now:

"Fatini ada buat notty?" (",) 

It's as if she has her own determination and courage to change herself... And she keeps asking me that question everyday as if to check if she's on track. Cute kan?? 

And when she asked this again yesterday, I told her the same thing I've always told her:

"Tak de.... Fatini baaaaaaaiiiiiikkkkkkk sangat hari ni.." Whilst planting a kiss on her forhead. (I told her she's been a good girl)

She then excitedly jumped and went away and immediately Aleena came to me and said quietly:

"Tu sebab Mama banyak baca doa la tu... Masa tido tu......" (She told me it must be those doa that changed Fatini)

Waahhhhh!! How clever that she could relate that!!! 

Yeah, that's what I've been doing anyway....... I've been reciting certain Quranic verses to Fatini's ear every night now witnessed by Aleena coz Fatini always the first to go to bed every night. It's been a month now and the results were amazing... Alhamdulillah... Seriously she has changed a lot. 

And the question is, WHY NOW? 

I've known about this cure for a problematic child long ago, but how come I've never been determined enough to do it consistently...??

Was I doubting the Quran????

The answer is, NO NO NO I've never doubted the Quran, but I've always had doubts in myself... 

That's why...

I thought it could never work for a person like me... 

Actually, Allah will always help no matter who you are as long as you have faith in Allah SWT. And most importantly, when you start, make sure it's not just 'hangat- hangat taik ayam' hehehe... 

That's what happened to me before too hehehe... 

So, let me share what I've been reciting to her every night when she's asleep:

  ~~ Al-Fatihah

  ~~ Ayat Kursi

  ~~ Al-Isra: 82 (3 times)

  ~~ Selawat (5 times)

  ~~ At-Taha (1-5) --> This was suggested by my mother in-law. 

  ~~ Lastly, zikir "Ya Latif, ya Kahfi..." (You can google this up)

 The last step is : Istiqomah. (",)

I'll keep doing this insyaAllah...... and if anyone wants to do the same for your kid, my advice is, never ever give up if it takes a while before you see results. Just Have faith in Allah. (",)

So..... Not only that she became a good girl now, her talent in drawing also boosts!!!

Check it out (",)

In case you are wondering who these are... 

Tadaaaaaaaaaa......

Haaaaaaaaaa do they look alike? Boleh la kan hehe..

Sama kan??? :D 

This is my favorite :-)

Haaaaaa... I myself find all these impressive!!!

 Call me 'perasan' or whatever haha but I really think Fatini is talented!

:D

She must have at all times a tiny book and a pencil, and she would start drawing wherever, whenever she could!!!!

And I have to make sure to buy a new book once the one she's using is about to finish :-)

Eh????

I think I just detect another talented person in the house other than Fatini...

I guess you knew already who drew this???? hehehe.....

For a 4 year old, I think this is impressive too.... 

But, she kept saying with a 'Tak puas hati tone':

"Kenapa tak cantik macam Fatini lukis???? Aleena nak buang dalam tong sampah...." :D

Till later, Salam....

(",)

A LiTtLe GeT AwaY....

Assalamualaikum wbt...

Guten Morgen!!!

Maka bermulalah aktiviti zaman dolu2: Menyibuk bila Mr. Hubby pergi kursus!!! Hehehe... 

Ri-yaz Heritage Resort @Pulau Duyong Kuala Terengganu. 

I'll update more later... Right now, it's morning, aleena is asleep, we have plans for today, there's Playground, Swimming pool, and we're also gonna meet our old friend here too insyaAllah...

Overall, it's a beautiful place, the kids love it, they're overly excited too hehe... 

As always... (Rolling my eyes..) :P

Eh, where's Fatini??? First thing she did after waking up early about 6am was exploring the place again (rolling my eyes again) hehe..

Ok, a little 'Sharing is caring' for today:

Let's recite Surah Ar-Rahman... 

It consists of 78 ayat, and Allah mentions 38 times in this Surah:

"Which then of the bounties of your Lord will you deny?"

Some other translations:

"Which favors of your Lord would you deny?"

And the malay translation:

"Maka nikmat Tuhan mu yang manakah yang kamu dustakan?"

38 times out of 78... More than half..

It's non other than to remind human beings again and again of all the favours from Allah SWT..

It also shows how forgetful and ungrateful human beings are... 

Needed to be reminded of something consistently... Over and over again. 

This surah always brought tears to anyone who recites it, there's something about it that draws the heart to it, and overwhelmes the heart with gratefullness... 

So, we are human beings, the 'weak' human beings, and there were times when we feel ungrateful, or that we forget Allah's favour upon us. So, whenever you start feeling this way, turn to the Quran to surah Ar-Rahman and start reciting it... 

You'll start feeling grateful in no time insyaAllah... (",)

Later, makes it a routine to recite this Surah regularly.... 

Remember, the Quran is the Deen, the food to our soul... 

We need it in our life... So that we can have a healthy soul insyaAllah..... 

Till Later, Moga bermanfaat.... 

Assalamualaikum wbt.....

(",)

HE'S GeTTing OLdeR... Hehe...

Happy Birthday Dearest Hubby....

I see white hairs, and I know you are getting older.... Hehe..

Nevertheless.... White hairs didn't matter, wrinkles didn't matter too... 

What matters: Where are we now? How close are we to the Creator? Are we ready for death as each birthday means we are getting nearer to that appointed time.

Alhamdulillah, you are still here today, for another Birthday (",) 

My doa, love, care, and many many more are with you always.... 

May Allah SWT bless and guide us through always.... Always... 

Till Later, Assalamualaikum wbt....

Mr. Spray...... (",)

All the neighbors dislike him.. He sprays at almost everything, if he gets inside the house, the curtains and anything that stands (except human) would be his target. 

I think, me, hubby and the kids are the only people in this neighbourhood who still feed him...

Not because we are too kind, but it just feels wrong to let him starve and keeps 'meowing' for food.

There's a reason for every Allah's creation, just don't hate them....

We have had a lot of trouble dealing with Spray ourselves, his favourite target at our place is always the front door!!! Great isn't it??? :P

I've always noticed his urine there right at the entrance. Many times!! 

So, we have to wash it again and again and again.... Yeah yeah... If I were to succumb to my annoyance at his attitude here, I would have stopped feeding him long ago, like most of the neighbours.. By not feeding him, he wouldn't come to our place... Right?

But of course, it's not the right thing to do... There has to be other ways... 

As for me, I continue feeding him anyway, and sometimes I sat next to him and talked to him whilst stroking his back while he eats.

I told him, don't spray at the door anymore, be a good boy, (he's already a good one anyway, always let the females eat first then he would finished the left overs, sweet kan???) What a gentleman...

I told him also that he's not allowed inside the house, so don't even try to get inside ok hehehe..

And I also told him not to be so loud...

Spray is very noisy by the way hehehe!

Oh ya, wondering who Spray is???

Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..........

Amacam?? Hensem kan..... Hehe (",)

God is great, masyaAllah, for these past few days, he didn't spray at our front door anymore! 

Of course he sprayed at other places like the car tyre, the bumper, the wall, but he'd stopped spraying at the front door!!!! The most crucial place. I have this feelings that he understands what I'm saying haha :P

Ni yang makin sayang Spray nih hehe! 

Ok, till Later, actually I was supposed to write about our little open house last Saturday, one of the best event for me after almost 8 months in Malaysia, but I ended up writing about Spray instead!!! Hahahaha!!

Ok, till later, Assalamualaikum wbt.... (",)

"There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end."  (Quran 6:38)

My Neighbour (",)

Assalamualaikum wbt....

Tu diaa.......

A kind next door neighbour gave me this today.... Alhamdulillah.... (",)

The thing is, This is the third time that I received something from a neighbour,  twice from a different one. 

And I've never given them anything in return... Yeah yeah how terrible... 

My lame excuse was always:

I was still in a period of adjustment, and because of that I wasn't in the mood to cook anything special....

Mmmmmmmm.... Is that logical enough??.

Here's the reality: 

I'm blessed with a wonderful neighbours but, I've failed to appreciate them, and I've failed to show gratitude for their existence in my life. Fuhhhhhhhhh...

Ok, I hate to admit the truth, I used to be someone who loved to live in my own world, since I was a little girl I just never liked socializing!!! 

But........ All that have changed while I was in Germany... I've learned to appreciate friends and people around me.... I began to enjoy cooking, and having people over at our place was one of the most looked forward to event!

But..... everything's changed again once we got back here, in Malaysia... 

I began to isolate myself again, maybe because I've missed my life in Germany so much, that I got carried away, thinking that I could never have again what I had in Germany..... 

And everything's changed again recently (after Ramadhan's over to be exact) hehehe.... 

I'm now beginning to enjoy all these again!!!! Both attending and organizing an open house!!!

And also socializing and making new friends!!

I guess, it's never too late to change...... ;)

And Allah will always help those who helped themselves. 

"Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him and do good- To parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near, neighbours who are strangers, the Companion by your side, the way-farer (ye meet), And what your right hands possess. For Allah love not the arrogant, the vainglorious "

(An-Nisa: 36)

Till Later, Assalamualaikum wbt....

Ps: Love your neighbour (",)

Aidilfitri 2014......... (",)

Despite all the merriment, despite the fact that we have our family members with us and that we can meet them regularly, and we have them around during Eid celebration, and despite everything, I found myself reminiscing about our life in Kaiserslautern Germany again...

**sigh**

I kinda miss those times when we have just 'US'

Just 'US'  (",)

Hubby, me, and the kids, everywhere we go, every celebration, every happy and sad moments...

And we have only just 'US'

And yet, we were happy....

We were very happy indeed.....

I miss it very much.... :')

                        

                                      ~~Aidilfitri 2012~~

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz............

It was 3pm, and I was about to doze off.... When suddenly.....

"Mama mama mama, tengok ni, Fatini nak cerita kat mama." (She has a story to tell me)

 Oh my, my eye lids were heavy, but I forced them open anyway....

Still sleepy, I looked at her drawing this time with a lil faked enthusiasms :P 

She makes comic book nowadays, with her own imaginations, her own ideas, and then I'm forced to listen to all her stories, errrrrrr wait, it wasn't just me, all of us had to listen to her stories! But, I was always the first one (",)

Ok, what story is it this time?

So, she talked and talked, it's about a rocket and planets and the galaxy and the sun and............

Oh, my eyes went wide all of a sudden, all the sleepiness drained away.. I noticed how she drew the planets in such order..... and EARTH was the third one?

The huge red ball is the sun, followed by two other planets she forgot the names and the third one is the Earth!! I asked her how did she know this arrangement? 

Shrugging, she said, "Fatini tau sendiri...." (I just knew)

Wow, I'm impressed, even if it's merely coincidence that she drew the planets in that order (",)

She must've seen it somewhere, maybe in a book, or TV, and Fatini is someone with strong memories. Mmmmmm... And I think she's talented too.. This runs in the family anyway hehe, we've got a Cartoonist in our family tree. (",) 

Ok, feeling proud now..... Enough enough enough.... Hehe...

Alhamdulillah for all gifts from Allah SWT,  may her talents contribute to the Ummah someday, insyaAllah.

Ok, when she finished, I became wide awake!

And later, about after Asar, I've planned to read a little and managed to read very little before suddenly...

"Mama, hari ni Afeef belajar sejarah pasal zaman Paleolitik......Mesolitik....Neolitik... Zaman logam... Mama tau tak zaman Paleolitik tu orang hidup dalam gua..... Bla bla bla.... Berburu.... Bla bla bla... Tak de baju.... Bla bla bla bla bla......"  (He talked about what he'd learned in history class earlier)

And there he gave me a lecture..... A real lecture.... And I was forced to listen to all these!! Again! Haha!!!

So, I put down what I was reading, concentrate on his 'Lecture', and surprisingly, I found it quite interesting hehe.. I found myself asking him questions! 

And he memorized everything he'd learned in school, he's really into History, he just love the subject. Alhamdulillah, good for him, coz I couldn't remember myself having had such interest in any of the subjects I'd learned back in school! 

Mmmmmmm.... Silly me...

So, he talked and talked and talked, and when he finished, I felt like I've just attended a History class :D

Then he said, "Ok mama, Afeef nak cerita kat Fatini pulak... " (He said it's Fatini's turn now) hahahaha!

And all the response he got from her:

"Bosan lah Afeef... Isshhhh Fatini x faham ape cerita Afeef ni!!"

(She said it's boring and she didn't understand a thing!!!) :D

And I laughed quietly... Hehe...

So, that was it, being a stay at home mom, I hardly have time for myself, no afternoon nap, no reading, no day dreaming.... Etc etc.... and guess what???

I don't mind a bit..... (",)

Till later, Assalamualaikum wbt....

HaPPy BiRThDaY To ME!!!!!

Oh my..... Yesterday, 2nd of August 2014 was my 34th Birthday!!

I've concluded that I can never have a better Birthday than the one I had yesterday!

Wait wait wait! Actually, I've said the same thing last year too :P

Okay, okay, okay......

If last year I've received a surprise birthday gift from hubby and it was during Ramadhan, this year I've received another surprise birthday gift again!!!!!!!

 But this time, it's far better, it's not just from Hubby, it's also from.....

Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........

I'm speechlessssss!!!!!

AGAIN!!!

They are just so sweet!!! I was so close to tears, but I had to control myself because... 

Ehem.. 

There were lots of people around at that time and I can't lose control like I had last year hehe :P

Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa......! Haaaaaaaaaa!

Again, it was totally unexpected.... Hubby told me earlier that this year's Birthday gift for me was supposed to be our Umrah together that we've planned to perform during the last 10 days of Ramadhan. But, it had to be postponed, so I did not expect anything for my birthday this year because his plan to bring me there was already a huge gift :)

But, to my surprise, hubby had planned another surprise for me! And the best part was, the kids joined in too! They've even shared their 'Duit Raya' to get me that cute teddy bear I'm holding in the pic above! Owwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhh..... They've shared their 'duit raya' for my birthday gift?????.

How sweet is that???? I can't stop smiling the whole day today whenever I thought of yesterday at their effort and how I didn't notice that they're up to something when they've clustered together at the mall, whispering, and how after they've got the present they tried hard to cover it haha!!!! But, it did not occur to me at all that it was my present haha!!!!

Oh.... I was soooooooooooooo touched!! 

I hugged them all 'ketat-ketat'!!!! 

Love them all with all my heart.... :') 

I feel blessed! 

That was the surprise I had in the evening. In the morning, my sister bought a cake..... Sob sob sob....

And the kids got all excited and Fatini cut the cake on my behalf hehe.. Actually, they took turns to cut the cake :D 

It's basically everyone's birthday hehe..

One of the best Aidilfitri I've ever had, at my mom's home at my mother in law's home, all was just perfect... I feel LOVED :)

I couldn't be happier this Aidilfitri :)

Haaaaaaaaaaa..... Macam popular tak?? :D

Till Later, Assalamualaikum wbt... :D