iHijabi

In-laws or out-laws?  Here are my tips on trying to maintain a good relationship with your in-laws whilst keeping your sanity. I feel like I need to make a lot of disclaimers before I go into this post because people's situations are different and I don't want anyone to take what I say the wrong way. So, I understand that not all mother in-laws are the same and neither are daughter in-laws. If your in-laws are verbally, emotionally or physically abusive toward you then you need to get out, other people are not worth losing yourself for. And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one who severs the ties of kinship will enter Paradise.” Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh.  Some people just can't live with their husbands parents and that's ok, it's not for everyone. Islamically, your husband should be able to provide a house for you and you do not have to live with his family, but you must still aim to keep the ties of k

Salaam! I hope you're all doing amazingly well at the end of this freezing February month. So when I was pregnant with my daughter I spent A LOT of time looking online and asking friends and family what I need for when the baby comes. My mum being extra cautious and superstitious and all didn't let me do any baby shopping during the Xmas sales and I left everything so last minute that when my premature baby came 7 weeks early all I had was one pink blanket. I wanted to create a checklist for all you guys expecting or know someone who is expecting for the first time and would like to know about ALL the things they may need to or want to buy for their baby. First off I will just share the checklist with you all which falls into 5 categories:  Sleeping, feeding, clothing, cleaning & traveling because I feel like these are the essentials for a newborn. I will give you information about all the different options available in these areas and then tell you about the thi

One minute I was at work, next I was on my way to the hospital. Being a first time mum there isn't much support out there during pregnancy, due to cuts to the NHS or whatever the reason, when you're classed 'low risk' there isn't much patient - midwife interaction like there should be. I had a few appointments with the midwife for check ups and booked myself an antenatal class at 35 weeks. Nobody told me what to look out for, what were supposed to be worrying signs or anything like that so my best friends during those months were google and netmums forums. April 2017 and I was in mild pain for a few days, I called the midwife who told me it was Braxton Hicks (false labor pains) and that I should just take paracetamol. I thought nothing of it and headed to work. During this ordeal I realised that I had a very high pain threshold, 6 hours from giving birth and I was at work gritting my teeth and getting on with it. 33 weeks along it couldn't be contractio

I'm one of those people who's a little late onto the highlighting craze. I'll be honest I didn't like the whole shiny overly-done highlight, but lately I've been seeing more natural radiant makeup looks, which is totally my type of makeup! The reason I tend to go for more matte looks is because I have oily/combination skin and I hate it when my T-zone gets oily and shiny in pictures. I've come across many highlighters but I've never found that warm rosegold(ish) highlight that isn't glittery but gives you a nice glow that isn't over the top like you've just put oil all over your face. I never found one that I really liked, that is until I saw this Anasatasia Beverly Hills x Amrezy Highlight on instagram. I fell in love with it straight away and knew I had to have it. Whilst my little bubba was asleep I went all out trying on all the makeup  I had recently purchased, just so I could see if the highlight really did look as stunning as it doe

...but then I got Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Becoming a Mum has been the biggest blessing in my life thus far. We hit the ground running when she was born 7 weeks early and haven't had a moments rest since, but waking up to her smile everyday and that look of love in her eyes makes everything worth it. I always wondered how women forget the pain and struggles of pregnancy and having a newborn to even consider having more children, but as cliché as it sounds I guess you only know when you become a mother yourself. During the first 5 months of pregnancy, bed ridden with extreme morning sickness also known as hyperemesis gravidarum, I wondered how I would even survive to the ends of my pregnancy let alone be happy about being pregnant and having a baby. After one cycle of Clomid I was told to take a pregnancy test exactly 2 weeks after the progesterone injections (read my PCOS post to find out what I'm talking about). Anyone who has been trying to conceive knows about that a

Salaam salaam! If like me, you're tired of the cold, dreary winter and can't wait for summer you will love this post from summer 2016 of our road trip to Wales! A group of us (hubby, sisters & cousins) were planning a long weekend away in 2016. Going abroad with a bunch of people and 2 toddlers is not ideal, so we looked for something closer to home instead. Torn between the Lake District and Wales we went for the latter, mainly because the other was just too expensive. My bro in-law, who mashaAllah is getting better and better at planning getaways and for some reason likes to deal with all the headache, organised the whole trip. Hubby hired a mini van, we all cooked some food, packed our things and off we went on our first road trip as a group. Alhamdulillah the journey was enjoyable and the whole thing was a success. The men took it in turns to drive (because they didn't trust us *rolls eyes*) and we arrived at a beautiful house in the Welsh county of

If you're a male or really don't want TMI about menstrual cycles, polycystic ovarian syndrome and all that jazz then please stop reading here. Just exit or read one of my other posts. If you're someone I know personally (friends & family), I would really appreciate if you keep what you're about to read to yourself and just take what you think is beneficial from this post. I've been debating with myself about whether I should write about this topic as it's a personal one that I don't like people gossiping about. However as I talk to more and more women I see how common it is, especially among south Asian women and how rarely it's spoken about because for some reason it holds shame and stigma. Recently someone close to me struggling to conceive confided in me about the issue, her symptoms sounded familiar, after telling her about my story she finally went to the doctor and was properly diagnosed in order to get medical help. I wasn't surp

For our first anniversary on 2015 I decided to book a staycation (holiday where you don't go abroad). We booked a weekend away to Newquay in Cornwall and had a nice long drive there from London. I booked us a hotel last minute on booking.com, after reading plenty of reviews online we decided to go for a guest house called Porth Cove Hotel right by the coast. The room was really pretty and the place was cosy like a home away from home. The owners of the hotel were lovely and really welcoming. Breakfast was included a we went for a vegetarian full English which included a veggie sausage which was actually really nice. All the staff at Porth Cove Hotel made our stay very comfortable. The views in Cornwall were beautiful, the sand, sea and little bit of sun made us feel like we weren't in England. It was really relaxing and peaceful, I could have just sat on the beach all day. The sunsets are even more stunning when you escape the hustle and bustle of Lon

Salaam! My cousin and I were looking for a nice saree for when her future in laws were coming to see her last summer, being impulsive when it comes to shopping I bought this saree. I didn't even need a saree and I hardly wear them but I fell in love with this as soon as I saw it. Here are some pictures from my uncle's wedding when I finally got a chance to wear it! Hubby & I <3 So I clearly didn't get the memo that all my sisters and cousins were going to wear green Boomeranging with DolceNaz This colour was all the rage last 2 years and is still one of my favourite sarees, just need an excuse to wear it again..wedding season 2018?

Our Nikkah & Walima (Islamic marriage) took place in 2014 (see wedding post here ) and waited until our 1st anniversary to register the marriage because I wanted an excuse to have another party and wear a white dress. Now hubby just has one date to remember and double the presents every year. The dress was from an online company Croyance The registry took place at the town hall. I wore the white lace overcoat from Acacia label on top of my white and gold Croyance dress, the whole look came together and I finally got to wear my version of a white wedding dress. After the registry at the town hall we organised a little dinner party with close family at Riverside Lounge in north London. Although it was a lovely venue and we were blessed to be with our close family the restaurant itself was a huge let down. They've renamed since then and possibly changed management but the service was terrible and the food was awful. The gajar ka halwa and ice cream