Preparation for Ramadhan 2015

i sat down to discuss the upcoming Ramadhan with the boys recently. i want to instill good, calm values within them since young. i want them to not go overboard with food but go overboard with their good deeds. that's the basic of Ramadhan. i know its not what i or hubby grew up with but that's what i want the boys to bring into their lives. but we'll see if what we discussed actually materialize after the holy month.




for starters, niat is important therefore everyone must aim to fast the whole month. whether we can or we cannot, there are things that are beyond our control - our health, for example, sometimes do not permit us to fast in Ramadhan. we should not push ourselves if we face health issues but at the starting point to aim for the whole month is enough and should be applauded. the boys were very good last year, ariff fasted 20 days for on his first try. amir missed 2 days while asyraf missed 1. asyraf missed on a day that i did not wake up for sahur while amir misses were most disappointing as he broke his fast in school without telling us.


i am not against pasar Ramadhan but i do realize over the years, the pasar Ramadhan have been terrible. food quality have dropped, prices were exorbitant, choices limited, sellers open and close their stalls according to their own schedule. while i do have some pasar Ramadhan favourites, i would like the boys to not have to depend on them. we may go for the occasional kuihs just to make the table look nicer and to have sweets to break fast with but no meals from the pasar. unless of course i am so tired and can't think of anything to have for iftar.


i don't want the boys to postpone Maghrib prayers. unlike normal dinner, one tend to break fast slower and with more food, making oneself tired and lethargic to perform the prayers. therefore i have suggested to take our wudhu before iftar, have a light kuih after the call for prayers, a glass of plain water and then perform Maghrib prayers. we'll have our full meal after prayers. i am hoping to keep this throughout the month but i am putting much hope, maybe since the boys are still very young and can't control their stomach.


while i don't want to splurge at the pasar Ramadhan, i know this is probably the only time we see all sorts of kuihs up for offer. we're pretty 'safe' in our choices and we don't but extravagantly when it comes to kuihs, so for this, i'm ok with the pasar Ramadhan. we usually have about 2 types and they will either be karipap, ketayap, seri muka or onde once. those are our normal kuihs and we don't venture away from that list. however, i'm going to try to keep most of the kuihs for dessert, after Isyak. i don't ant the boys to spoil their iftar with all the kuihs out there and miss out on their main meal.


one item i really, really can't see, can't have much of during the fasting month is rice. i just can't and i get bored easily with rice. we have made a decision to have rice only once a day, either for sahur or for iftar, but never both times. there will be some days when rice can't even make it to the dining table.


alhamdulillah the boys are excited to face the holy month of Ramadhan. they are scared and anxious, of course, mostly scared if they get hungry and thirsty and tired but they are excited. insyaAllah, we'll make it a good full month this year.