RAMADAN ARTICLES - Ramadan preparation

01.Buy all necessities for the month of Ramadan before Ramadan so you
can spend less time during the holy month rushing around. You can be
more focused on your religious rituals and spiritual development.
Everyone in the family, even the kids, can participate, writing a
shopping list, preparing some meals to be stored in the freezer.
02.If you have gotten into bad sleeping habits throughout the year,
start readjusting now so you can wake up for Fajr prayer.
03.Sunnah fasts of Shaaban(the month before Ramadan) help to prepare
for Ramadan and help to make the transition into the holy month a
smooth one.
04.Reduce TV watching and prepare the family for the new spirit of
Ramadan. Engage with your kids more and morein creative activities
that remind them of Ramadan. (Suggested activities including reading
the moral story booksin group).
05.Organize your tape/CD collectionto make it easy to select and to
play nice nasheed (Hamd/Naat) to sing along together or Quran and Dua
recitation, so as to introduce the spirit of the month gradually.
06.Plan ahead for the time you are spend at home in order not to
losethe balance between your responsibility as a parent to supervise
the children's studies and your engagement in religious practices such
as reading Quran and praying Salat.
07.Plan ahead if your daughter needs a hijab to accompany you to the
mosque. If possible, get shoes for the kids that are easy to tie when
theyleave the mosque. Do youor the kids need prayer rugs for prayer?
Plan transportation to the mosque and back home.
08.Prepare as much cooking as you can before Ramadan. Here are some
time-saving tips:
1.Prepare some vegetables and store them in the freezer to have them
ready when needed.
2.If you soak dates in milk or water and eat them for Iftar, pit the
dates before Ramadan.
3.Chop onions, garlic andstore them in the freezer to have them ready
when cooking during Ramadan.
09.If you are planning to invite guests for Iftar, thebest time to do
that is during your monthly period (menstruation). This has several
advantages:
1.You will be able to tastethe food that is going to be served.
2.You won't be engaged in some acts of worshipso you'll have more time
for cooking.
3.You won't have guilt feelings for staying after 'Isha' with the
guests and not going tothe mosque.
10.Prepare your kids before Ramadan that they have to help you more in
housework and in setting the table and preparing the Iftar. Relate
their action with the notion of Sadaqah and good deeds. Remind them
that the reward of their good deeds is multiplied during Ramadan.