Have you heard about RichPlan4u?

RichPlan4U is an insurance and road tax renewal company, in which you can do it online!  The good news is, they are offering 15% discount on insurance and road tax renewal until 31st March 2014! You can order them here.

Speaking of road tax, and well, vehicle. It reminds me of an embarrassing story that happened almost 12 years ago. It is so embarrassing, I had never told anyone about it, (until now!). So, be thankful that you are lucky enough to hear this, you’re welcome.

Anyway, I was in standard six, and I was at at school for a night class. That particular night, after the night class, I was waiting for my dad to pick me up. At 10pm, it was dark, cars were everywhere but all I could see was lights coming out of parent’s cars picking up their kids. As soon as I spotted my dad’s car, bingo!

I ran towards my dad’s car, pretty excited because my dad was earlier than usual. I dived into the car and said, “wow dad, you’re surprisingly early today!”

However, all I get was an awkward silence. I looked around and to my surprise, I didn’t know these people. and then it hit me, OH MY GOD, I GOT INTO A WRONG CAR! That’s not my dad! and that’s not my brother! Without saying a word, I sprung out of the car.  HAHAHAHA. Can you imagine, getting in the wrong car??

and guess what’s the worst part, the “brother” that was in the car, was a schoolmate (though I  had never talked to him) and they were also  my neighbour! Needless to say,  since  then, things were awkward  between me and him (and his dad) for the rest of my life. hahaha, there, story of my life. :p :p :p

Now, write your own entry for a chance to win an ipad Mini by SalamMedia. Visit SalamMedia to enter and win! Hurry, closing date is 20th March 2014.

Alhamdulillah, Sara just turned 4 months old, and while taking care of her, I managed to create my clothing brand, ImanSara. It is inspired by my daughter. I started working on it during my last few weeks of pregnancy. After I got the hang of being a mom, I slowly picked up where I left off.

ImanSara is long due. It’s been my dream to become a designer since I was small, and it is a start of MY journey. I love quality and tasteful pieces while still being affordable, and that is the things I want for ImanSara.

I pray to Allah that He will bless this venture of mine. It is not easy, but that is the challenge I’m willing to take. InsyaAllah, I’m in the process of creating more products which will be on preview sometime this week.

As a woman, I know hijab (I don’t mean just tudung but overall clothing) is every women’s struggle, and we all have our own journeys. I don’t believe anyone should condemn the way anyone wear, because you’ll never know who they are in Allah’s eyes. Perhaps they are better than us in ways we don’t know. and only God can be the judge.

That is why, I want to help ease women’s hijab journey by providing apparels that are beautiful and modest.

Visit: Imansara.com

Follow IMANSARA on Facebook, instagram, twitter.

When it comes to extreme challenge, I’ll be the first to jump in! Why? Because I’m an adrenaline junkie, that is.  Unfortunately, I don’t always get the opportunity, that’s why I REALLY want to win free Skytrex tickets by SalamMedia.

I LOVE challenging myself, especially when it comes to height factor. It can be quite scary, but hey, that’s the challenge; to face your fears! Skytrex is forest challenge high above the grounds, and that’s SO my kind of challenge!

Other than that, I’m also a roller-coaster junkie and I LOVE white water river rafting. So yeah, I REALLY REALLY, REALLY want to win the Skytrex tickets! I maybe a mommy now, but that won’t stop me getting my adrenaline rush!

The best part is, SalamMedia is giving away 50 free tickets (1 person wins 2pax -that means 25 winners). So, there’s high chance of winning there! Try your luck, guys!

A couple of weeks ago, I was breastfeeding on a lounge chair in a mall. Coincidentally, the baby room was just a few steps ahead. Then came a mom from the baby room, and she told me to use the nursing room as it was empty. I told her, “no thank you, I’m good”. Actually I feel sorry for moms who rely on nursing rooms because I know it’s not the most convenient thing. In fact, I stay away from nursing room.  Here’s why.

1. It smells like diaper change. People constantly coming in and out changing their babies. Of course it smells like baby’s stools.
2. It’s usually small and lonely (I don’t think my husband enjoys accompanying me because of the diaper smell).
3. Most of all, I hate having to feel like I’m hiding to feed my baby. I’d like to feel free feeding my baby wherever I please, thank you very much.

When I first went out in public, I was terrified and insecure about breastfeeding in public. We started bringing her out at 3 weeks. At first I was self-conscious about nursing in public (NIP). I had to run to the nursing room to feed her and even at the most familiar mall, I still didn’t know where the baby room was because I never noticed it before!

A week before I had the guts to go out, I practiced nursing my baby in the nursing cover, she was barely 3 weeks old then. The practice was for me, and for her to get used to. Luckily she’s not a fussy baby and she doesn’t mind being in the nursing cover at all. However, even then, I still didn’t have the guts to NIP during our first outing. Either I resort to rely on nursing room or pack expressed breast milk (EBM) and hot water. Packing EBM is such a hassle, do you know how heavy those icepacks are?

Finally, I gathered my guts and breastfed in public for the first time at Subang Parade when I was out with my sister. Then, slowly I started feeling confident. Next thing I knew I was breastfeeding her everywhere. In Ikea, The Mines, in restaurants, whenever, wherever as long as there’s a seat. So all it took was practice! and the right gear.

Me, nursing Sara at Wangsa Walk, KL. More on this nursing cover here.

Here’s some tips on NIP (based on MY personal experience)

1. Get the right gears to breastfeed discreetly. Nursing wear, or breastfeeding-friendly wear will certainly make it easier. For added privacy, get a nursing cover.

2. Be aware of the feeding time and your baby’s early cues. Screaming baby attracts attention, and may make NIP difficult. So, as soon as you see the cues, find a place to NIP.

3. It’s all about mentality. If formula-fed babies can feed in public, breastfed babies should get the same rights. Try to think of it as advocating breastfeeding in this world where formula feeding is becoming the norm. Actually, you should feel blessed to be able to give the best for your baby!

4. Don’t hesitate to ask for help. You’ll be surprised how accommodating people can be when it comes to nursing your baby.

Once, I needed to NIP when I was at a department store, and there was nowhere to sit. Not even outside the store. So I just asked one of the staff for a chair, and they kindly grabbed a stool for me and I nursed her right there, at one of the aisles like nobody’s business. Cool ey?

There was also this one time when I was at a mall with Sara alone, I saw a row of lounge chairs but not one was available. There were several elderly and then I saw one healthy able guy. So I politely asked him to give up his seat so that I can nurse Sara. Fortunately he respected my request and kindly gave up his seat. The point is, you can have faith in people and hope they’ll be nice to you. 😀

Another reason to NIP? Convenience. Baby’s hungry? Sure, just find a seat, pop up my nursing cover and within 20 minutes, she’s done. Compared to bottle feeding, I have to mix the formula with water or heat up the expressed breast milk and while all that, try to calm the hungry baby. Oh, that’s just too much trouble for me, especially having to pack so much! Bottles, water, hot water, the milk. What if I forget one thing??

With NIP, I only have to pack for her diaper change and I’m all set. I find NIP is very empowering. I love it! It’s a win-win for me and Sara. She gets to feed on cue, and I get to have my freedom. Sure, it slows me down a bit, but hey, it’s just 20mins every 2 hours. I might as well catch up on instagram or just have a chat with my husband while I’m at it.

Next up, learning how to NIP on-the-go!