How to Prepare for a Peaceful Ramadan as a Busy Mom
I know you’re feeling the pressure to be Ramadan-ready. I mean, it's around the corner! Are your meal plans ready? Have you deep-cleaned your house? Have you decorated your living room? Are you ready spiritually, mentally, and physically?
Phew. It’s tiring just thinking about all we hope to do!
So listen, my fellow mom... it's nice to be prepared and to make Ramadan special for ourselves and our families. But don't do it at:
The expense of your finances.
Losing your cool and being grumpy.
Feeling pressured to do it a certain way because everyone is saying so.
Some Simple Things I do to Prepare for Ramadan
Make a very simple meal plan for the month with our faves.
Buy the groceries for the meals before Ramadan begins (it's ok to even do this on a week-by-week basis in Ramadan).
Plan to have a short, casual halaqa (Islamic circle) with my kids every day to connect with them and for reminders of schedules and to-do’s.
Discuss the expectations pre-Ramadan in a family meeting, such as:
Our Ramadan routine, and the times we will wake up for suhoor and have iftaar
That we won’t be playing certain video games or watch TV that's not educational.
That we will be studying more deen and reading of the Quran over our usual extra-curricular activities.
How we will implement light exercise into our day like going for walks, and how we will fit in time to rest or catch-up on sleep.
Ramadan Decorating Shouldn’t be a Chore
Ramadan decorating for our kids can be done the easy way, so don’t make it complicated. In my house, we simply:
Clean our home the best we can in our current situation and even clean what we can’t finish during Ramadan.
Use our Ramadan decor from previous years and revive them to avoid waste.
Leave the decorating completely to the kids and let them do it the way they want because it's not about how fancy our house looks, it's whether our kids enjoy the moment and feel the festivity of Ramadan.
Enjoy the time together prepping for Ramadan, instead of focusing on getting things done because after all, it’s not really a necessity.
Suhoor Doesn’t Need to be Tough
I've always found suhoor to be the most challenging part of Ramadan for me as a mom. Besides the early rising, most of us have to ensure our kids get up on time, the suhoor meal is ready, we tell everyone to say their intention and to stop eating on time, we remind everyone to make wudu and pray before fajr ends, and lastly, we ensure they all go back to bed without noise and ruckus!
So yeah, you tend to put yourself last as a mom, and sometimes, you can get really annoyed! Well, I've eased some aspects of suhoor to make it less stressful for myself, and I'm sharing five of them if you're a mom who's feeling the same way.
1. I remind myself that all the things I have to do are a form of ibadah, and I will be immensely rewarded for them; this changes my attitude from frustration to contentment.
2. I ensure that I get up earlier so that I can have my peaceful time of dua and drinking tea, maybe getting in a bite, before everyone else gets up and the rush begins.
3. I try to have the suhoor meal ready the night before. You can cook scrambled eggs ahead of time and refrigerate it - it still tastes yum especially when you add it to a burrito/roti with cheese and chutney.
4. Some mornings we will have leftovers from our iftar meal the night before, especially if I made soup or haleem—it's perfect!
5. I pretty much serve the same types of food that are the most wholesome for fasting. Foods like dates, oatmeal, granola, eggs cooked in different ways, soup, fruit, and vegetables, leftovers, and, of course, lots of water. This makes it easy to know what to have on hand.
Think of the Pros of Ramadan
I always look forward to Ramadan, even though most of the time I'm not prepared for it like I hope to be. But I find it easier in some ways as a mom, because:
1. It’s so much easier to fast than in other months because of the blessings of Ramadan.
2. You can just feel the spirituality in the air and notice the abundance of barakah.
3. The big shayateen are all locked up, so it makes it easier to do what you need to do without the usual hassles.
4. There is less cooking and mess in the kitchen because most of the family members are fasting.
5. Kids are less feisty, boisterous, and noisy as they're too tired from lack of food, so it gives moms a break.
6. We don't have to worry about what to eat for lunch!
7. Kids now look forward to maghrib salah and actually know the correct time.
8. The chances of missing fajr are much lower.
9. You can feel your body detox from eleven months’ worth of not-so-great-eating.
10. Our duas are answered abundantly, so we get to ask for all our problems to be solved and our dreams to be fulfilled.
Don’t Worry About Perfection
One of the aspects that make Ramadan difficult for moms, is when we obsess about perfection. When you think you have to tick all those Ramadan to-do check boxes within 29/30 days. Realistically, who can achieve this with children?
So redirect your mindset to focus on strengthening the connection between you and your Lord, it will be your most beautiful Ramadan, inshallah. Everything will fall into place when you place your trust in Allah SWT, and you'll realize that perfection isn't necessary to achieve sincere worship of Him.
I hope these tips help you find more peace as a busy mom in Ramadan! You can listen to my interview below for more tips about getting ready for Ramadan without feeling overwhelmed.
Salam, I’m Zakeeya!
I believe that making our homes a safe haven for our families, as well as being a wife and mother, brings us great blessings, contentment, and benefits to society as a whole. Since 2011, I've been dedicated to assisting Muslimas in finding tranquility in their roles, taking better care of themselves, and achieving inner peace. Our journey in this world is not an easy one, but I pray the tools and guidance I offer will help you face life's challenges with more gratitude and mindfulness. Join me as I share wifehood, motherhood, homemaking, and lifestyle solutions that make life more fulfilling for you as a woman! Read more about me here.
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