Prayer Area and Ramadan Basket for Children

The blessed month of Ramadan is almost upon us inshaAllah, and it's best to prepare for it in advance. It could be starting to fast some days so you have a little practice, or meal prepping, or doing a deep clean of your home so you don't need to worry about it during Ramadan.

This year, I have prepared for Ramadan by creating a serene prayer area for my 6 year old son and I. It's funny because initially I had made this area just for myself. I craved the concentration in prayer I used to have before having two little boys in my life, and tried everything to get that level of khushu back in my salah. It was frustrating when even after creating a peaceful space for myself, I couldn't find peace in my prayer because I could still hear the children being children, or needing me as soon as I start praying. It's the story of every mother isn't it?

It hit me recently that why am I trying to attain a different phase of my life right now? My children will get older soon inshaAllah, and that concentration will come back inshaAllah. For now, I need to focus my time and energy on the season of life I am in at this very moment, and that is that my older son is now 6 years old and has almost learned how to pray completely mashaAllah. This turning point in his life is a reason for joy and festivity, and so the prayer space has become a place for him and I to bond together in Ramadan inshaAllah. Just by adding a few accessories, I was able to create a warm and welcoming environment for him.

The Ramadan Kareem banner along with the Crescent and Star balloons from With A Spin made for the perfect backdrop. Just a few items like these can transform the look and feel of a whole space. 

This wooden Masjid Lightbox display is a unique item and I added it for a festive yet sophisticated look. Other places it would look great in are entryway and dining table for suhoor or iftar! It makes for a great centerpiece. I also have my Quran and some prayer beads for this area, and my son can read with me on the double rocker inshaAllah.

Finally, I have a Ramadan basket for my son every year, and in it are books and activities for the duration of the month. The most important new item being added this year will be his very own Prayer Rug, as he starts to pray with me inshaAllah. The prayer rug is designed specifically for children, and it makes them feel special.

Another crucial part of the Ramadan basket is the advent calendar, where I have slips of good deeds for my son to do for each day, and he gets a small treat or activity to do after the good deed. I will elaborate more on this in a future post inshaAllah.

Children love instruments, and I've included a Daff for doing nasheeds with them. The rest of the items in the basket have been pictured below:

Here's a list of the items:

1) Prayer Rug
2) "Shh, I'm praying" Door Sign
3) Ramadan Activity Book
4) Ramadan Celebrate the World Book
5)Ramadan and Eid Stickers
6) Eid Temporary Tattoos
7) It's Ramadan Curious George
8) Under the Ramadan Moon
9) Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns
10) Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets
11) Ramadan Mubarak Cake Topper
12) Coloring Greeting Cards

Stay tuned for more details on our Ramadan Calendar and the good deeds we do for every day of the month! If you'd like to get started on decorating for Ramadan, check out With A Spin's shop for all kinds of beautiful themes, and use my code SIMPLYINCONTROL for a 12% discount! 

I hope you found this useful and gave you some ideas on how to make Ramadan a memorable time for your children! Let me know in the comments what you're doing to make Ramadan special for your children inshaAllah!

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Fridge and Pantry Organization Using Bins

Over on my Instagram page (@simplyincontrol), I just hosted a 3 week Kitchen Clean Out challenge, and today marks the last day! During the first week, my followers and I worked on our upper cabinets and the fridge. The second week was all about counters, sink and garbage disposal, stove top and the pantry. The final week concluded with lower cabinets and all drawers, as we completed a full decluttering and organization of our kitchens from top to bottom!

The most fun pictures are always of the fridge and pantry aren't they? Everyone enjoys seeing all kinds of food nicely organized in different stations :) In today's post I wanted to show you how I organize my fridge and pantry using bins to create zones.

Here's a look at my fridge from inside. It's so important to be able to see and access everything easily to prevent wastage of food. Because of this, I like to hold everything in clear containers, and I find acrylic to be the best quality.

Creating zones in the fridge and freezer is a great time saver for when you need to grab something quickly, instead of having to fumble around to find something. I have used some bins from mDesign to compartmentalize like items together. It pulls everything together really well!

A few other things I like to use for organizing are turntables, egg containers, can holders, and glass storage containers for leftovers. Glass containers are great for heating leftovers and you can clearly see what you have in the fridge so nothing is forgotten in the back! I'll link all of these items at the bottom in case you're interested.

Moving on to pantry organization!

Here's an overall look at the pantry. I've seen this sized pantry in most homes, but I moved into this townhome from a place with a pantry three times the size of this one, so it was a struggle to adjust! I think I've finally figured out a way to make it all work now! If you have a door for your pantry then an over the door organizer is a must. The one I'm using required no installation so that works great for renting.

Another thing I find very helpful is removing food packets from bulky boxes. It makes everything so much neater and easy to access!

There are all kinds of organizational components in the pantry.The acrylic bins from mDesign help to create zones so that everything can be found easily. The fabric bins on the top shelf are from Target and add a fun splash of color. The flour containers are from the Dollar Store, proving that you can still organize any space no matter what your budget is! And my favorite part? The lentils containers!

Who knew lentils could become a work of art? The airtight containers from mDesign and the customized sticker vinyls from Etsy made this pantry organization a dream come true!

Here are a few links of items I use to organize my home, for a look you can achieve as well!

I hope you found this post helpful and that it motivates you to clean out your fridge and pantry as well! 

Thanks for reading and don't forget to Follow Me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for future posts!