Terawikh Handbook (Printable)

Salam Ramadhan everyone!

First day of Ramadhan.

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Ramadhan is going to be pretty different this year obviously. To some, it might be a blessing to be able to stay at home with other family members, spending more time together, which they probably have not been doing since God knows when. But for the rest, this period of time could have been the worst with financial, work, health issues etc. Whatever it is, I am hoping for everyone to find anything positive to cheer yourself up throughout this time.

As for me, this Ramadhan is kind of special. I finally get to spend the night praying terawikh with Hafiz, which I usually barely able to do since Hafiz always worked till late at night that I had to spend Ramadhan days mostly alone at home. In normal days, I don’t really mind that but during the holy month I frankly want to have more time praying, reading Quran, and breakfasting together. To be honest, since I was a little girl, I never missed praying terawikh in masjid with my family that I felt so lonely and sad to not be able to do that anymore when I started living in Japan. So this year, I am so excited for Ramadhan! 

I have prepared a small minimal terawikh handbook to refer to (based on JAKIM terawikh guide), and by the end of Ramadhan I hope I can memorise the meanings of all short surahs I’ve included in the handbook. InsyaAllah.

Click here to download the Terawikh Handbook

The pages are in A4 and you have to cut a page into 4 x A6 following the lines provided. There are a total number of 24 (A6) pages. I did not put page number on them as I also want them to be used as a single page or in whatever way you desire. You may also refer to mine (last photo with page numbers written on them) to arrange the handbook orderly. Thick paper, normal paper, laminate or not, you do you 🙂

 

Ramadhan Kareem,

Fairuz 

Wooden toys: Price comparison between thrifted and new ones

Salam and hi guys,

I love shopping for wooden toys in Japanese thrift store or what they call ‘chuuko’ 中古。If you see the price difference you will understand why.

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On weekends, there are times when Hafiz and I have no idea of where to go. Other than having lunch outside, we love to go somewhere for a good couple of hours. At times, chuuko will be our choice. Chuuko or thrift store is where Japanese people sell and buy second hand items. What’s great about this place is that most of the things sold here are still in good condition and, what’s even more important is that they are super CHEAP. Don’t tell me you don’t like cheap things. HA.

As a matter of fact, Japanese homes are typically small so the idea of not having big storage at home to keep stuffs contribute to lots of things being sold at the thrift shops which are available nationwide, as many as one per neighbourhood. The issue of lacking of storage space inevitably forces people to sell their belongings even after they are just being used for a very short period of times, or sometimes still new. The other reason of why this kind of store is essential is that people actually have to pay if they want to throw big garbage! That includes furniture, electrical items, big toys etc. Hence instead of paying they would rather sell it to the thrift store even if they don’t make any fortune out of it.

I used to dislike going to the thrift shop. But now that I know what things to search for I begin to love it! Most of the times, I buy Ian’s wooden toys here because there are so many options, and the price is ridiculously low with such great quality. Win!

Wooden train with blocks / Thrifted : 750円 (RM30)New: 9,680円 (RM390)

IKEA baby play gym / Thrifted : 500円 (RM20)New: 2,999円 (RM120)

Wooden abacus / Thrifted : 300円 (RM12)New: 4,070円 (RM165)

Wire bead maze / Thrifted : 300円 (RM12)New: 2,850円 (RM115)

One day it will be my turn to sell these back at the recycled shops. HA.

 

Till then,

Fairuz

Baby-friendly birthday cake recipe

Salam and hi guys,

Ian turns 1!

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Frankly speaking, I am no baker. As far as I could remember I never bake my own cake. I have made few no-baked cheese cakes in my life but that’s basically it. But for Ian’s first birthday, I dreamt of becoming that good mom who bake healthy no-added-sugar cake for his baby. So I (and Hafiz) did! I found few recipes but some are too troublesome to make for someone who would not even going to eat the cake (that’s Ian; he is in a phase where he does not really want to eat except few bites of things). After thorough search for suitable recipe, I finally decided on one.

Anyway, as the cake is for a baby don’t worry if it gets smashed and probably not being eaten at all. There is a reason why people call it ‘smash cake’. It is all for fun!

R E C I P E

(Adapted from Super Healthy Kids Blog)

I n g r e d i e n t s

Batter

• 1/2 cup fruit puree (Blend 5 strawberries and 1 banana together in a food processor until liquefied.  This gave us 1/2 cup of fruit puree)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk or milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice (let sit for 5 minutes to make “buttermilk”)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting

• Organic cream (I used whipped cream)

I n s t r u c t i o n s

Batter

• Whisk your fruit puree, milk, egg, and vanilla together.
• In a separate bowl, combine whole wheat flour, baking powder, soda, and salt.
• Slowly pour your liquid ingredients into the dry, and mix until the dry ingredients are all wet.
• Pour your batter into a greased 6 inch round pan (Double ingredients to make a double layer).
• Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, or until you can stick a knife through the center and it comes out clean.

Frosting

• Frost your cake and top with fruit and sprinkles.

April 11th; we had a blast celebrating Ian’s first birthday. It was a simple celebration with just the three of us, at home. The cake definitely does the job! Ian ate few strawberries, destroyed small bits of the cake but most importantly we had good memory (and photos) of the day ♡

 

Till then,

Fairuz