Building Memories

I opened up my blog today for the first time after almost a year. I want to keep up with it more regularly this year. I took a peak at my older posts and was so shocked to see that my most recent one had been viewed over 1600 times! I'm so touched that people are interested. A part of me felt like nobody wanted to read any of this, but just seeing that number really humbled me. I am just a stranger on the internet, but I am shocked people actually want to hear/read anything I have to say!


                                     MEMORIES



A few years ago I had seen this wonderful and inspiring post on social media of creating a memory jar on January 1, and not opening it up until December 31st. I loved this idea so much. Instead of remembering all the bad times, collect all the good memories and remind yourself how blessed you are. I did one a few years ago and am so glad I did. I remember the warm and fuzzy feeling I got when I opened up my box and relived my favourite memories of that year. My dad always taught us to be grateful for everything in life because it helps us stay positive and reminds us how much God loves us. I decided to start one again for 2020. The year has only just begun, but I am excited to see what 2020 has in store for me Inshallah!

My 2020 Memory Box

Curveball

I am generally known by my loved ones as someone who is friendly, talkative, easy going and often smiling. However, in recent months I have felt this part of myself slowly fading away. After a very crazy year full of big changes and big adjustments, I am finding myself overwhelmed by the many ways life has taken a turn. I will spare you the unfortunate details and just say: sometimes it is okay to not be okay.

The funny thing about life is that it never goes the way we planned. This is God showing us His infinite power. We can mentally prepare ourselves for what's about to come all we want, but there will always be curveballs along the way. It's not always bad. Life can surprise us in very positive ways too. We must take lessons from all aspects of life; good and bad. The healthiest thing we can do for ourselves is take everything in stride.

Don't be afraid to make changes in order to look after your own mental health. You have the right to cut out toxicity from your daily life if you feel it is hurting you. Whether it's a toxic habit, form of entertainment or even another person. Think outside the box and remind yourself that sometimes it is God's way of helping you. He may be enlightening you and opening your eyes to new and better possibilities. Even though you may feel like something was good for you, He is making you aware that maybe you never needed it in your life in the first place. The only person who can care for you is you. There is no shame in talking about your fears, feelings, and/or worries. Get outside help from a professional (i.e., therapist) if you must. Never let anyone dismiss your concerns, because your thoughts and feelings matter. They are important. Let the past be the past, and move forward. Allow yourself to heal from pain, Never be afraid to add new things to your life, and say goodbye to old things. It won't always be easy. More often than not, it will even be painful. Making drastic changes in life takes a lot of courage. Quoting Mitch Albom, "All endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time." (The Five People You Meet In Heaven).

Travel Diaries: Madinah, Saudi Arabia; Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Travel Diaries Part 3: We took a flight from Istanbul to Madinah and arrived at their new airport. The Madinah airport is designed to give you the feel of Masjid-e-Nabwi. The ceiling architecture mimicks the umbrellas that are strategically placed through out the mosque. Until one has visited this blessed mosque themselves, it's difficult to describe it's beauty in words. We stayed in Madinah for eight days, which gave us plenty of time to meditate, as well as go out and do a bit of sight seeing. All the staff at our hotel were really kind and welcoming.

Finally, our last stop was Makkah, where we also stayed for eight days. The drive from Madinah to Makkah was about six hours. We saw countless camels along the way! Makkah, Saudia Arabia is where the religious pilgrimages take place (Umrah and Hajj.) After we had completed our tawaf (walking around the Holy Ka'bah seven times) and sahee (walking between Safah and Marwah seven times), we spent the rest of the seven days praying in the mosque, doing a bit more sight seeing and our last bit of shopping during our trip. One day we took a trip out to Ta'if, which is a mountainous region about an hour and a half out of Makkah. At the top of the mountains, we were greeted by some very frisky babboons!

Saudi Arabia is a desert so there were days when it was 40 degrees out there! Other than the dry heat, the trip was overall amazing and unforgettable.

Madinah Umbrellas

Madinah Museum

Madinah Museum

Masjid-e-Nabwi

Camels

Me petting a baby camel!

Madinah Airport

Masjid-e-Nabwi door

Mosque Entrance

A hungry and smelly cat my mom and I used to visit daily after every prayer =)

Ka'abah in Makkah

Baboons in Ta'if

Inside Haram (mosque)

Meeting more cats in Makkah!

Kaba'ah

Travel Diaries: Cappadocia, Turkey

In part 2 of my "Travel Diaries", I will be chronicling our time in Cappadocia. After spending two nights in Istanbul, we took a domestic flight to Cappadocia, where we stayed for one night, and two days. The city of Cappadocia is known for it's picturesque scenery. Most of the city is built into caves, (including many of the hotels). Although we did not stay in one of those, our hotel was still designed in such a way to give off a "cave vibe." We did, however, have a gorgeous view of the caves from the hotel dining hall terrace.

 

We had tour guides booked for both days of our trip. The one we had on day one was amazing. He was funny, friendly and taught us so much about Cappadocia's history. There was another family with us on our journey as well, who had come from Sydney, Australia. We exchanged contacts so we could keep in touch through e-mail and social media.

 

Cappadocia is world famous for their hot air balloon rides. They launch very early in the mornings, so you could watch the sunrise from up above. We were planning to check them out on day two, but unfortunately they got cancelled, due to extreme wind. The tour guide we had on day two was a bit rough around the edges! Other than that, we enjoyed seeing more of Cappadocia's beauty. Our day ended with a one hour hike through the valleys. I cannot even put into words how beautiful it was. It was unreal, and looked like a painting had come to life. Finally, we said goodbye to Cappadocia and took the last flight back to Istanbul. We stayed in Turkey for another 5 days, before embarking on our journey to Madinah, Saudi Arabia. (Stay tuned for Part 3 of my "Travel Diaries", where I will tell you about Madinah).



Hotel Dining Hall, where we often saw cats hanging out!

                                    

Dining Hall overlooking Hotel Swimming Pool

 

Hotel pool during the day



Hotel Courtyard #1



Hotel Courtyard #2



Turkish culture is known for their teas. Here is one of the first apple teas I was served in Cappadocia. Yummy!

 

Stray dogs overlooking the city

Hike #1

Hike #2

Hike #3

Panoramic view from our hike

                                    

Cave restaurant where we had our last meal


 

Ramadan Struggles

Muslims are currently in the midst of their fasting month of Ramadan. It is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and is significant for many reasons. One of those reasons being that the Holy Quran was revealed during this month. Muslims spend 29 to 30 days fasting from dawn till dusk. The Islamic calendar doesn't coincide with the Gregorian calendar. The months are based off the sighting of the moon. Therefore, Ramadan doesn't always occur at the same time every year. In recent years, Ramadan has been taking place during the summer months, which calls for much longer fasts.

I've previously wrote about my struggle adjusting to my IBS. I did an entire year of a full "detox" diet. I was eating strictly vegan/vegetarian/grain free meals only. If I had eaten any of my trigger foods, I would be in a lot of pain and discomfort. Despite how painful it was for me to consume meat, dairy or grains, people still liked to pester me and make comments like "just eat a little", "stop making yourself so weak", "you can train your body to be okay with that food."

The truth of the matter was that my diet bothered others more than it bothered me. Sure, it was an adjustment to my lifestyle. I had to pack special homemade meals when I went out to social gatherings (even weddings), and eating out at restaurants was limited. However, I had accepted it for what it was. Lots of people liked looking at me with pity and sadness. Quite frankly, it was others' reactions to my diet that frustrated me more than my actual diet did.

I learned to be creative with my meals and did lots of research on what kinds of delicious recipes to try. I never sacrificed flavour in any of my meals. Actually, now that I have added lots of things back into my diet, I still eat many of the vegan foods I used to during that entire year.

I visited with a dietician shortly before Ramadan 2016 to get some advice on how to make sure I got enough nutrients in my body, despite giving up so much. She gave me some really helpful tips. The biggest things she told me I needed to do was: slowly re-introduce foods back into my body, increase my water intake and take probiotic supplements. Which is exactly what I did, and those three things made a huge difference.

Unfortunately, my body did not settle in time for last Ramadan. My doctor advised me to give my body some time to heal before forcing it to go through 19 hour long fasts. I consulted with a mufti (Islamic scholar) to make sure it was okay for me to skip my fasts last year. He said I was exempt, as long as I made my fasts up in the future when my body allowed me to do so.

Despite getting both medical and Islamic advice on the matter, the critics were back. I had many people chastise me for not fasting. They put me on guilt trips making me feel as though I was committing a huge sin. However, I also had those who supported me. I remember my brother telling me that there are lots of people who wish to fast during Ramadan, but for various reasons are unable to. He also reminded me that fasting is not the only form of ibabah (remembrance of Allah SWT) during this blessed month.

One thing I learned in the last couple of years was that no matter how many people wanted to criticize me or pity me, there was only one person I had to listen to: myself. The only person who knew how painful it was after I ate a trigger food was me. People could easily say "have a little cake" but in the end, it would be me who would suffer. It would be me running in and out of the bathroom all day long with endless cramps. Furthermore, my inability to fast during last Ramadan was something between me and Allah SWT.

By the grace of Allah SWT, my body has settled now. I am able to fast this Ramadan without consequences. Although the fasts are long, as long as I drink enough water and/or lemon water with my meals, everything runs smoothly. I am now aware of what foods my body reacts to the most. I just have to keep my trigger foods limited. My dad always taught me to be grateful for everything, no matter what the circumstances. So Allahumdulillah for the grueling year I did my strict diet. If I hadn't gone through that, I wouldn't have found all these wonderful new recipes to try, taste (and share!) And Allahumdulillah for being able to add some of my favourite foods back into my diet. No matter how difficult it was for me to adjust to my IBS, it was not the worse thing that could have happened to me.

Vegetarian and Vegan recipe ideas.

Although I have a pretty good idea of what kinds of foods I am able to eat, I am still in the process of getting to know my body. I've discovered that I should avoid most grains for now, until my body settles. So I am strictly eating a vegetarian diet now. I have been doing a lot of online research on IBS and found some really informative videos on youtube. I've also been cooking a variety of vegetarian/vegan dishes which I found to work for me. I wanted to share some of the recipes which I have tried and tested so far that can potentially help someone else with digestive issues. Most of the recipes I use are either from http://www.allrecipes.com or from youtube.

Cowboy kale - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/240259/cowboy-kale/

I made some alterations to this recipe. I didn't have any bell peppers at the time, and I used white onions instead. The result was still quite delicious. I completely forgot to serve it with the vinaigrette, but even as is it was flavourful. I cooked kale again last week, but this time I had lightly cooked the kale, and added (raw) cherry tomatoes, avocado pieces, and whole almonds. Also another great way to eat kale.



Cowboy kale served with baked salmon. I wanted to try the fish to see if I could handle it. I later learned that it's best to avoid all meats for now, including seafood. However, if you are able to eat couscous or quinoa, this kale recipe would pair nicely with it!
 

Grilled Mediterranean Vegetable Sandwich - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/22886/grilled-mediterranean-vegetable-sandwich/?internalSource=recipe%20hub&referringId=1084&referringContentType=recipe%20hub

Since my body can't handle the store bought breads, I made homemade (whole wheat) roti and had this Mediterranean mix in a roti roll. I am not a huge fan of eggplant, but in this roll it was really good. The garlic mayo was what topped it off and gave it an excellent flavour.

Fabulous Zucchini Grinders - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/73456/fabulous-zucchini-grinders/

Another vegetable that I don't particularly like. I made this before I realized I couldn't have breads. I served it in casserole form, as opposed to sandwich form. Also, I eliminated the cheese.

Spinach and Ricotta Calzone - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/spinach-and-ricotta-calzone-recipe.html

This was one of the first recipes I tested out on myself. I have my own pizza dough recipe which I used and I made the dough out of whole wheat flour. Although it was extremely delicious, the crust and cheese did not agree with me. I used only mozzarella cheese.



Spinach and cheese calzone made with all purpose flour
 

Spinach and cheese calzone made with whole wheat flour
 

Roasted Brussel Sprouts. with apples, golden raisins and walnuts - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/230659/roasted-brussels-sprouts-with-apples-golden-raisins-and-walnuts/?internalSource=recipe%20hub&referringId=2436&referringContentType=recipe%20hub

I made this recipe as is but I eliminated the brussel sprouts, raisins and wine. It was so simple yet so delicious. the apple slices gave it a really nice sweetness.

Baked Eggs in Avocado - http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Baked-Eggs-Avocado-Recipe-30787252

I find that avocados are a hit or miss for most people; you either love it or you hate it. This is a great breakfast idea which is very filling, if you haven't re-introduced grains back into your diet yet.

I baked these in the toaster oven. I did find them to be very mess to eat. However, delicious nonetheless.

Almond Milk Ideas

So far I've tried sweetened vanilla, unsweetened vanilla and unsweetened original. Personally, I like the unsweetened vanilla but there are many other flavours of (non-dairy milks) out there. Like chocolate almond, coconut/almond blend, coconut milk, cashew milk, and soy milk to name some. It's important to remember almond milk is watered down compared to cow's milk, therefore you would have to make some adjustments to how you use it. However, it is fortified with the same nutrients as cow's milk. I do not like the taste of soy milk, so almond milk is what I found to be right for me.

• Use it in cereal. My cereal of choice is Shredded Wheat because it's high in fibre.
• Cook oatmeal with it. Oatmeal made out of almond milk has an acquired taste. It won't be as thick as oatmeal made out of cow's milk and slightly less flavourful. You can add your choice of sweetener or fruits such as apples or bananas to adjust the flavour.
• Use it in teas. I usually make my tea with 1/2 part water, 1/2 part milk and heat it up with my choice of tea bag. As previously mentioned, almond milk is a lot more watery, so you are required to use 3/4 part milk and 1/4 part water.
• Latte. My husband and I both wanted to try the almond milk with coffee but it didn't seem to be working. The trick is to do the same thing with it as you did in the tea: use 3/4 part almond milk and 1/4 part coffee. Make a little bit of espresso and in a separate cup, heat up the almond milk and foam it with a frother. If you don't have a frother, your latte will taste great but just won't have the foam on the top.
• Milkshakes. The great thing about milkshakes is that there's no right or wrong way to make it. You put what you want in a blender, blend and you have your milkshake! My favourite type of milkshake is made with ripe bananas and some cinnamon powder. Since the bananas are already sweet, you don't even need to add sugar. I've also tried it with strawberries but didn't like it very much due to the tartness of the berries.
• Hot chocolate. I warmed up the milk, and mixed in some cocoa powder and honey for sweetness.

Vanilla tea made with almond milk. I used a vanilla earl grey tea bag and vanilla almond milk for this 

Vanilla almond milk latte
 

As you can see, almond milk is extremely versatile and a great alternative for anyone who may have a sensitivity to dairy. Furthermore, it adds a hint of nutty flavour to your food and/or drinks.

 

When adjusting to a new diet, the most important thing to remember is: be patient with your body! Don't get frustrated when you get flare ups because it most likely will happen. Our bodies are funny and need time to change. As much as we wish they'd change overnight, they won't! Furthermore, we are all designed differently. Some things may work for me, but won't work for someone else. It is important to be observant and see what food works best for you as an individual. Reading so many online forums, I found that most people feel the way I did; frustrated. When doctors keep suggesting "add more fibre to your diet" and nothing seems to be helping, you really feel helpless and like giving up. But there is hope! We are lucky enough to live in a world where there are so many alternatives that there is something out there for everyone. I will continue to post about my journey as much as I can, in hopes of helping out anyone out there who may feel alone, frustrated or helpless.

My Experience with IBS

I wanted to share my experience with irritable bowel syndrome (ISB) because I just recently discovered digestive problems have become all too common in this day and age. Hopefully the things that helped me out can help someone else out who may be going through a similar problem.

A few months ago I started feeling unwell and began my journey of going through grueling doctors appointments (with specialists) to figure out what was wrong. I will spare you the graphic details, but long story short: I was getting constipated on a daily basis and it was quite painful to say the least. I thought I was doing everything right: eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, eating food high in fibre, working out. All the things you are supposed to do to stay healthy. But nothing seemed to be helping. Some nights I would have to take milk of magnesia right before bed. It would clear up by morning but then the entire cycle would start all over again.

There were days I just wanted to stay home because I was in so much discomfort. My husband dragged me out a couple of times, suggesting that getting some fresh air and seeing other people might help me feel better. We had a family potluck coming up which I was conflicted about. I wanted to go because I wanted to see everyone. However, I knew there would be lots of food there that I couldn't eat. The potluck took place a day before my Birthday. I was going to be turning 30 and although I wanted to celebrate it at first, I lost my mood for it afterwards. I know I am still young, but it was just a reminder to myself that as I was getting older, my body was slowly deteriorating.

The day of the family get together arrived. When it was time to eat, people filled up their plates with all the delicious food at the table. I barely filled my plate and ate very little. The little that I did eat, I had a feeling it would still make me constipated the next day, but I couldn't starve myself. People made comments like, "It's your Birthday, that's all you're eating?!" Or people would be telling me to try some of their dish. I tried explaining why I wasn't taking more food, but they would say not to worry because the food would easily digest. In my head I was thinking: sure in a normal body it would digest, but not in my body. They were not trying to be rude or offensive, they just didn't fully understand the problem/illness. I barely understood it myself, so I couldn't blame them.

Despite people trying to force feed me stuff I couldn't eat at the party, in the end I was glad I went. For my potluck dish, I brought a red velvet cake (which I baked and decorated). Since everyone knew it was my Birthday the next day (because I very shamelessly announced it to everyone), when it was time for dessert, they called out for me to cut my cake. I cut the cake while everyone sang me Happy Birthday. It was a small gesture on their part, but it meant a lot to me and was very special. I had fun and it temporarily distracted me from my pain.

I had a follow up appointment with my doctor the following week and she told me what I have is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS.) It's basically irregularity in the bowels and goes from constipation to diarrhea. For me, it was mostly constipation. She gave me some tips on how to handle the illness and I went the next couple of weeks taking her advice. She suggested to take Metamucil if necessary but also to make sure to drink lots of water through out the day along with it. Another thing she said was to keep a food diary and see if there are patterns of what foods were triggering me to get constipated.

The more I spoke to people about it, the more I realized how common digestive problems have become. I also realized that everyone's bodies are different. There may be some foods that trigger me, but another person with IBS is totally okay with. I made small changes to my diet such as the following:

• Dairy was one thing that was triggering me so I switched to almond milk. It comes in a variety of flavours such as vanilla, chocolate and coconut (sweetened or unsweetened.)
• I did not eat any meat for a couple of weeks, and only stuck to fruits and vegetables.
• Rice, white flour, white breads and pastas were another trigger. Instead of rice, I now have other grains like couscous, and quinoa. (I bought brown rice and brown pasta but haven't tried them yet.)
• My husband and I visited our local farmer's market and bought all organic fruits and vegetables. Some of the fruits/veggies can be a bit more expensive, but not by much.
• Making sure I drink at least 6-8 glass of water every day.
• I drink a glass of Metamucil every morning and every night.

The minor changes I made to my diet seem to be helping (so far). When I began telling some of my family and friends about the diet changes I made, they started feeling bad for me making comments like "Oh my god, how long will you live like that for (with no meat?") IBS is a chronic problem. Some people's bodies settle after a year or two, and they are able to slowly add stuff back in to their diet. I don't pity myself for what I went through. God made me this way and I'm going to stop complaining about it. Sure, there are times when I feel sad I can't eat some of my favourite foods anymore (well I could if I wanted to, but I know I will regret it immediately afterwards). However, there are still also lots of things that I can eat.

In the meantime, I have discovered what to do to control my issue and keep my body healthy. Besides, people have a false notion that vegetarians miss out on all the good food in life. The truth of the matter is, there are plenty of non-meat dishes out there that are very delicious. My experience expanded my horizon to so many new recipes and dishes that I normally wouldn't have tried if I hadn't gotten ill in the first place. It is what it is and I will have to deal with it. I'm not ashamed of it and I don't feel sorry for myself (anymore) so I don't want others to feel sorry for me either.

Diary of 2 Cats: Medical Edition.

My husband and I had been planning a long weekend fam jam for the last few months and on May long weekend, the day had finally arrived. We were going to have people over Friday evening and a few families were planning on staying until Monday afternoon. All our plans were running relatively smoothly. Once Friday morning came around, we were getting Pepper and Tiger ready to go to a pet boarding service for the weekend (since they don't do well around crowds and/or around strangers.)

As I was trying to catch the cats, Pepper suddenly squatted in my dirty laundry basket and let out a little bit of pee. Since he's done that before, we knew what was happening: his urinary infection was coming back. However, the first time around was far worse. He was squirting bloody pee all over our (condo at the time.) So in retrospect, this time around wasn't so bad. At least we knew what was going on with him and knew what actions to take to help him feel better. We booked an emergency vet appointment with a nearby vet where they kept him overnight to collect a urine sample for testing.

After we dropped Pepper off at the vet, we still had lots of party preparations to do. Plus, we had to go back home to pick up Tiger and drop him off to the pet sitters'. Mind you, we live in a small town where our vet and pet sitters are on opposite sides of town, both about 30 minutes away from where we live.

Through out all the party craziness, Pepper was still at the vet and I kept calling to see if he had urinated yet (he didn't until the next afternoon.) When he DID finally urinate, my husband had to leave the party in a hurry to pick him up from the vet, and drop him off to the pet sitters'. As previously mentioned, the vet and pet sitters are on the opposite side of town.

Male cats have a higher chance of getting urinary infections then female cats. Furthermore, once they've had it once, there's a chance of the infection coming back, which is exactly what happened. Pepper was put on medication for a few days and is now on a prescription diet, which we have to buy directly from the vet. (FYI, If anyone's pets are acting oddly, I strongly encourage you to take them to a nearby vet immediately to treat the issue.)

The vet clinic we went to is open 24 hours which I found very comforting. Furthermore, the pet boarding service is a husband and wife who work from home and they board both cats and dogs. The dog kennels are in a completely separate building behind their house, and the cats stay in their house with them where they feed, play and watch over them. Despite all the unfortunate events that took place with our kitty, we had a wonderful experience with both our (new) vet and the pet boarding service.

Tips and Tricks on going Sugar-Free

Hubby and I are still limiting our sugar intake but we do cheat from time to time. Our rule is: we get to eat one sugary treat once a week. Sometimes we do end up eating sugar more than that. Usually twice a week at most. By going sugar-free we are not only cutting junk food out of our diets, but sugar all together. Meaning: we are not taking sugar in our tea, coffee, oatmeal, baked goods, etc. We watched a documentary, in which they did a study on lab rats of the addictiveness of sugar and cocaine. The rats got addicted to sugar faster than they did the cocaine! That right there is a red flag on the danger of sugar.

Going sugar-free doesn't have to be as scary as it sounds. The key is to substitute white granulated sugar with a healthier alternative. We started using honey in our tea, coffee, baking, etc. instead of sugar. However, hubby has a client who's a registered nutritionist. He told us that once you put honey in a hot substance, the heat takes the benefits of the honey out of it. He suggested to use agave nectar as a sweetener and to eat honey straight. Agave nectar is sweeter than sugar, and doesn't have a strong distinct flavour like honey. So now we've started sweetening our food/drinks with agave nectar and we really like it. You should be able to find it in any health or bulk store. It makes our morning coffee tasty and we feel good about ourselves for eating healthier.

My husband went cold turkey on cutting out his sugar, and he said it was really hard (as you could probably imagine.) For me personally, I slowly decreased it week by week. We both have sweet tooths, so it was definitely a big adjustment. However, the neat thing is that once you cut it out of your system completely, you don't even crave it anymore. It takes a lot of self-control and when you are hanging out with family and friends and they are all having some sweets, it can get very tempting. The key is to keep yourself disciplined and remind yourself why you cut it out in the first place.

First Sugar-Free Week was Bittersweet

In our attempt to start eating healthier, my husband and I have decided to reduce bad sugars from our diets. We've substituted our sugar intake with honey. So instead of putting 1 teaspoon of sugar in our tea/coffee, we put half/one teaspoon of honey. It's not easy because we both have really bad sweet tooths. However, we are doing our best to keep at it. I admit, our first week was not completely "sugar-free" but we certainly did reduce our junk food consumption. Instead of having dessert after our meal(s), we have fruits. Also, I baked my first sugar-free treat this week. I made carrot muffins and substituted it with 1/4 cup of honey, as opposed to the 1/2 cup of sugar that the recipe requires. The baking rule is: if you replace sugar with honey, use half the amount of honey. Honey has such a distinct flavour that it can overpower the other flavours in the dessert.

We've agreed upon still allowing ourselves to eat dessert once a week, so I've given myself the weekends as my "cheat day" or "dessert day." On the contrary, we need to remind ourselves that instead of having 2 large slices of cake, we can only to have 1 small slice. It does take a lot of self control and sometimes it can be really tempting to reach for the bowl of ice cream, instead of a piece of fruit.

Our largest junk food purchase is when we do a Bulk Barn haul, which usually includes chocolate almonds, chocolate raisins and banana chips. Those usually finish within the week. Also, when ice cream is on sale, we tend to stock up with 2-3 containers of them. Now we have a whole lot of ice cream in our freezer that will take a lot longer to finish than originally planned!

Carrot muffins baked with honey.

Healthier Lifestyle Choices

We moved to our new house in early June, July was busy with our fasting month, and August/September we hosted a few parties with my and my husband's families. We had my immediate family over for Eid, my husband's entire extended family over for a housewarming (which was almost 50 people) and a small group of hubby's cousins over for the long weekend before school started again. Now that we are semi-settled into the new place, I am trying to get back into my daily workout routine.

Last year, I was extremely vigilant with my diet and workout. I logged everything on my fitness pal app, followed a strict 1200 calorie diet, drank 2 litres of water regularly, and worked out on a daily basis. I managed to lose 20 pounds in about 5-6 months, which was a huge accomplishment for me. It was half the weight I wanted to lose, so that was such a great milestone to know I reached such a big stepping stone. However, I then went through some extremely painful and uncomfortable medical treatment, causing me to gain all that weight back again, due to lack of exercise and being on pain killers. Gaining all my weight back took away my motivation to get back on the horse and start working out again. However, I am slowly getting back into the game.

I started using my fitness pal app again, and am watching every single thing I am eating. I am trying my best to workout regularly, but in all honesty, it can be really difficult. It just feels like a chore, and I really don't enjoy it. I took swimming lessons last year which was fun and was such a great workout. I live in a very scenic little neighbourhood, so I am changing it up by trying to go for walks and jogs on a daily basis and enjoying the scenery simultaneously. I am really pushing myself and remind myself that it took a few months to gain all that weight back, so it will take a few months to lose it all again.

My husband and I started this "no sugar" thing earlier this week. It's very difficult, considering I have a really bad sweet tooth! I am taking baby steps the best way I can. With my hubby cutting his sugar intake with me, that will make it much easier for me to eat healthy, and stay motivated. I also feel like the "no sugar" rule will help me lose weight a lot quicker than I did the first time! I will still have a treat from time to time, but I will control myself around desserts. I do hate to use the word "diet" because that just puts me off. So instead of saying "I am on a no sugar diet", I will say "I am making healthier life choices." Wish me luck! Here's to eating healthy, working your butt off (literally) and a better lifestyle change!

What I Do and Don't Miss about City Living

When we first decided to move to the countryside, of course I was excited but a part of me was also nervous. I felt like there were certain things I would miss from the city that wouldn't be readily available in a small town. It goes without saying, that I would miss seeing my family and friends. However, this adjustment has gotten much easier because many of our family and friends have been visiting us more often, now that the weather has gotten so beautiful.

The one thing I can honestly say that I do miss about Toronto is when I used to volunteer at my local animal shelter. I would go there every weekend and volunteer as a "cat cuddler." Playing with all those homeless cats and kittens would make me feel so happy. Nothing ever made me feel as happy as I did when I was around those cats.

The best days were when we would get to see the animals get adopted. It was hard not to get attached to some of them, but deep down inside, you always wanted to see them leave the shelter, and never come back. The most fun I ever had was playing with numerous kittens simultaneously. The workers and volunteers knew it was the older cats who needed more attention. The cats would stay in the shelter for much longer than the kittens. Even so, there were times when we (the volunteer cat cuddlers) were selfish and played with the kittens anyway because we couldn't resist their cuteness.

There were a few superficial things which I thought I would really miss once I moved, but in all honesty, I've not missed them one bit. It's amazing how the mind work. Once something unimportant is taken away from your life, it really makes you reflect and wonder if you ever needed it in your life in the first place.

Same City, Different House

The last few months have been quite hectic. I usually love reading before bed, but the last book I completed was The Crimson Crown almost three months ago! We recently moved to another house (in a different part of the city.) So I've been exhausted by the end of the day from all the moving and unpacking that's been going on. We were in between houses for the month of May, so had to stay with some family member for the month, which had it's ups and downs. For the most part, we were grateful we temporarily had a place to stay.

We're still not done unpacking and setting everything up yet, but we're slowly making our way there. We've met many of our neighbours so far, and they are quite lovely. A few of them have lent us their lawn tools. In fact, one of our next door neighbours ended up mowing our lawn because he knew we hadn't bought a lawn mower of our own yet! There is a cute little ranch nearby, where we always see dogs, horses, and sheep hanging out on the lawn. The owners let us come in and see some of their animals the other day.

There is a lot of farm land nearby, and every time we drive past the farms, if one of the farmers are out, they always smile and wave at us. That is probably what I love the most about living in a small town. People always wave and say hello, even complete strangers.

Aside from the lovely people we've met, we've also met some lovely animals. The wildlife we see the most is cottontail rabbits. We always see them hanging out in the yard. We've seen them playing, perched up on our bench, eating grass and at one point, also saw one getting nice and comfortable and falling asleep right in our own backyard. Other animals we've seen are skunks, lot of chipmunks, turtles, snapping turtles, wild turkeys, muskrats, racoons and I went for a walk the other day and saw a little deer trotting right in front of me.

We were sad to be moving out from the sweet little town we (previously) lived in all winter. However, our new neighbours (human and non-human) have made us feel comfortable in our new home. We're also happy to finally be enjoying the city in the summer.

Wildlife

I was a little disappointed that we've lived in the countryside for nearly six months and have not seen any wildlife yet. However, it seems as though a lot of the wildlife is finally starting to come out!

My husband and I were driving to Walmart the other day, and on our way there, we saw two deer hanging out on someone's front lawn. The house was located right next to a heavily forested area, so they hung around for a few minutes, (long enough for us to snap some pictures!) then began trotting away back into the woods. My first time seeing a deer was last summer, when we saw one crossing the road on Manitoulin Island. Later that same summer, we saw a family of about five deer in a parking lot in Mont Tremblant.

A few days ago, I looked out the window and saw some movement in the water. It was a long furry animal, swimming to and fro. I'm not sure exactly what it was/is, a weasel, muskrat, otter or something of that family I would presume. We keep seeing this little guy swimming around several times a day. At first, I thought it was a beaver, but it was too small and it's tail was long and pointy, not big and flat. Today, we even saw it jump out of the lake and hang out on the lawn for a bit!

We are also starting to see ducks swimming and flying about. But these ducks/birds are not like any other birds I've seen before. I don't know if city birds are different from country birds, but I've never seen black and white ducks in Toronto before! 

There's something pleasant about seeing animals in their natural habitat, as opposed to be caged up in a zoo. They are cute and peaceful to watch. It's fun to observe them, enjoy them, and let them be.

Cutie swimming around.

DEER!

Multicultural Day

Every Wednesdays, our local library has a kids crafts class and they have a different theme each week. This week their theme was Islam. The librarians asked me to host it, and share my experiences as a Muslim with the kids and the moms. I read a few Muslim nursery rhymes and explained some of the basic Muslim/Islamic terminology. (Example, that "Allah" is just an Arabic word for God.). After I finished reading, the librarians and some of the moms asked me various questions about my religion and about my headscarf. Questions like, "Do you have hair or are you bald?", "How long is your hair?", "Do your scarves have to match your clothes?", "How many times do you pray?", and "How long is each prayer?". After I was done answering everyone's questions, we did some Islamic art. We used paper plates to make crescent moons out of them. Then we used pipe cleaners to dangle a star from each moon. The kids used markers and sparkly beads to decorate their moon and star. I was very nervous at first, but it seemed like it went okay! Below are some of the things I took with me to show everyone. On the left are some of my different coloured headscarves. And on the right is one of my favourite prayer mats, which my parents bought for me from Turkey. This particular one is actually reversible.

 

Here is my lovely artwork! All the kids did such a great job with theirs. =)

Small Town Struggles

A few weeks ago, my friend (who is the head librarian at the local library) asked me if I could come in and help out with a kid's craft program. So I went, but all the children were shy around me and looked at me funny. I suspected it might be because I wear a headscarf, which most people in Peterborough are not accustomed to. I whispered into my friend's ear and said, "I think the kids might be afraid of me."

She replied that yes, this is possible. Living in a predominantly Caucasian town/city, they may not have as much exposure to different religions and/or cultures. I never had to deal with this in Toronto, since it's such a large multicultural community. I've accepted the fact that I am "different" compared to most of my neighbours.

Nobody is ever rude or racist. People are just curious and ask a lot of questions. Sometimes they ask questions which I've never gotten before, like asking me what kind of alcohol I like drinking or why I don't eat pork. I try to remind myself that they probably don't know Muslims don't drink alcohol or eat anything that comes from pig.

So, the local library is planning to do their first multicultural craft day in a few weeks and want me to come in and talk to the kids a little bit about my culture and religion. And let them know why I dress differently than everyone else in the community. Furthermore, we will also be making some Islamic art work. I am a tad bit nervous, but all the librarians and moms are super excited about what I have to say! I am very grateful that the local library is open to doing something like this.

Living in two very different cities/towns, I know that no matter where I live, it will have it's pros and cons.

Country Style Winter

Everyone warned me in advance that the winters in the countryside will be far more brutal than the winters in the city. Lucky for me, I love winter (and snow), and nothing can take that away. Well everyone was right, the winters here are COLD. Some days are better than others. It's a few degrees colder than Toronto, and some days are really windy too. The highest it's gotten is -28 degrees (PLUS windchill.) It snows every few days, and the snow doesn't melt, all the snow just keeps collecting on top of the previous snowfalls. When I walked out today, in some spots, the snow reached up to my hips! Our car was covered with almost a foot of snow! It's beautiful to look at, and I just love it. I had to change my whole wardrobe when we moved up here. When I went out to shovel the driveway today, I wore three THICK sweaters, three bottom layers, a winter jacket, a scarf, and a hat, and I was still cold! It's already so lovely in the winter, I am anxiously waiting for spring and summer, because it'll most likely be ten times more beautiful. But in the meantime, we are stocked up with coffee, tea and hot chocolate to keep us warm and cozy!

I think there's a car under there somwhere! =) 

Pros and Cons of Country Life

The other day, we drove back home from having dinner at a nice restaurant. Before heading back into the house, we looked up and saw a beautiful starry night. I've seen some starry nights out here, but I've never seen one like that. All corners of the sky were just covered in those beautiful little diamonds. It looked like they'd been sprinkled all over. It was really something. I tried to take a picture with my camera, but it didn't capture a good shot. What I saw that night could probably be most appreciated with one's own eyes.

A few days later, my husband and I had to run some errands around town. On our way back home, he drove into a ditch and our car got stuck. Every car that drove past us, stopped to ask if we were okay and if we needed any help. A gentleman helped pull us out of the ditch with his big pick-up truck. Getting trapped in the ditch was a downer, but it was kind of nice that every one (who was a complete stranger by the way) stopped to offer us some assistance. We'd gotten into car trouble in the city a few times, but that many people never stopped to ask if we were okay. Not to say that city people are rude or unfriendly, but usually people in the city are in the rush to go somewhere. It's a much slower paced lifestyle in the country, and people seem to have more time to spare. 

I keep seeing animal footprints in the snow around the house, but haven't encountered any wildlife yet! My husband keeps assuring me it's probably just bunnies. Whatever it is, I think it would be pretty neat to see it! 

I learned some neat little Canadian trivia the other day. Allahumdulillah, feeling quite blessed that a small percentage of those lakes are in my town/city: 

One of the biggest (and hardest) adjustments so far has been that I don't know that many people in the area. However, the people who I have met have been very welcoming. I've met some nice people, but would still like to meet some more.

Downtown

I got a chance to see downtown Peterborough over the weekend. It's very different from downtown Toronto. It is roughly about four city blocks, and they are all one way streets, so you have to go around in a circle to get to the other side. They have some nice used book stores, restaurants, pubs, cafes, ONE movie theatre and some independent shops. I also saw a cute little strip mall in the heart of downtown. There were no condos or skyscrapers in sight. I saw some people walking through doors between the shops, and I noticed there were little apartments above each of the stores. We drove through the streets but didn't get to see inside any of the stores, since majority of them were closed. We went just after six, so they were just closing up. It was quite different from what I remember in the big city. Most restaurants/cafes in Toronto stay open late, till at least 11 pm. And a lot even stay open till 2 or 3 am!

We did manage to find a small coffee shop which was open late. "Open late" by small city standards mean, it was open till 8! It was an independently owned cafe. It was not as cozy as some other cafes I've been to, but still not a bad ambiance. While we were there, a local artist came to hang up some of her artwork in the back room. I overheard her telling a customer that she has some sort of opening coming up. I liked that the local cafe was supporting a small independent business.

It took roughly about ten minutes to tour all of the downtown, before we went in for some drinks. I lived in Toronto all my life, and there are still parts of downtown Toronto which I haven't seen! Still on my list of Peterborough sight seeing: The Canadian Canoe Museum, art gallery, museum and Riverpark Zoo. The Canoe Museum costs just over $10, and the art gallery, museum and zoo are all free! I will be done seeing all of Peterborough in no time!

What Life in the Country is Like

We've been living in the countryside for about a month and a half now. We had to go back to the city a few times to get some of the stuff we left behind (in our old place), now all of our stuff has moved in with us to the new house. Many of my friends and family were concerned that we would feel lonely up here, but so far, we are both loving it. Our experience living here has been nothing but amazing.

Our new city/town is not as multicultural as Toronto, but I have yet to come across a negative experience living here. Everyone I've met and interacted with has been really nice and friendly. I've gotten acquainted with the local librarians and have even been invited to a couple of their Christmas/holiday parties.

It's a few degrees colder up here than in Toronto. It's a high price to pay (no pun intended) for living in the beautiful countryside. I am loving the natural beauty that surrounds me. I love walking through the woods during the day, and stargazing at night. On nights the moon shines bright, it looks spectacular outside. It's been snowing on and off for the last few days. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love winter and the snow! The lake has completely frozen over, and a blanket of pure white snow now covers it.

I haven't come across any wildlife yet. I've seen some unfamiliar footprints in the snow, and have heard my kitties hissing at the window a few times, but haven't witnessed seeing any wild animals.

It's a quiet, peaceful and simpler lifestyle. I feel like I am living in a story book. This feels like home.