Hello everyone, I’ve decided to put together a free Ramadan meal planner for all of you. It has a simple layout and is easy to use. It has spaces for Suhoor, Iftar, Dinner and Snacks. I’ll be using the snack section to include lunch ideas for the cookie monster, can’t forgot our feasting kids.

Yes I know Ramadan isn’t about the food. For me personally I’ve found that being organised during Ramadan means I spend less time fumbling in the kitchen, less time thinking about what to cook and less time in the grocery store. This means more time spent on prayer and worship (for me anyway).

I’ll be using this meal planner during Ramadan and in shaa Allah it helps me to keep on track. If you need some organisation too, feel free to download the planner. Just click here and print. And don’t worry, yours won’t have modestmunchies.com splashed across the middle 😉

The above planner was from 2014 and 2015 is below.

I’ve been out of blogging action lately because I’ve been moving. Yes, moving, it’s been a crazy few weeks (if not months) with overseas visitors among other things and in the mix we decided to buy a house.

I don’t claim to be a moving expert, but this is the fourth move I’ve done in the 5 years I’ve been married (on top of a few others prior to marriage) so I’ve come to learn a thing or 2 that makes moving a little easier and I hope these tips can help you too.

In the weeks leading up to packing:
Collect/buy packaging material

• boxes
• bubble wrap
• newspaper
• packaging tape

Use up your disposable crockery ad cutlery to save time on washing up and have a few less things to pack. Use up excess groceries and keep your grocery shopping to a minimum.

Before you start packing

Keep aside 2 boxes/bags, mark one for donating and the other for selling (if you think you could make some money of some of your old stuff). As you pack you can put aside things into these boxes so you don’t take unnecessary things to your new place. It’s also a great chance to de-clutter. Remember to keep aside a few boxes, you’ll need these to pack fridge and freezer goods on move day.

When packing:

Have a system to list your boxes, furniture, etc. I’ve created printables for this. A box list, a furniture list (which includes place for where you’d like the furniture to go, this can be handy for deciding prior to the move so you’re not fumbling with movers on the day, or if you’ve given the task of furniture placement to someone else then they can easily follow the instructions on the list) I’ve also created a grocery and house purchase list, as stated earlier I tried to use up our groceries in the weeks prior to moving, so there was an obvious need to stock up on a few items again once the move was complete. The grocery list is accompanied by a house purchase list, there’s always things that need to be bought when you move into a new house, either you’ve got more space to fill or you’ve decided to get rid of a few things to make some space for something newer. And lastly a to do list, after moving into our place we found there were a few touch ups that needed to be made, a broken door handle, a leaky pipe, a squeaky door, you know all those usual minor fix ups.

Download and print the lists here:

Packing and Moving – Box List
Packing and Moving – Unboxed Items
Packing and Moving – To Buy
Packing and Moving – To do

Moving Clothes

I’m not sure what most people do with their clothes when they move, for us we found it easier to just keep everything on hangers as we moved close-by and had a day before move day to move small items.

If you have the house before move day:

Use this opportunity to move items, we took advantage of our 2 day head start by moving clothes (as mentioned above) the drawers of our chest of drawers as well other items we preferred to handle ourselves. If you are going to be in the house before ‘move day’ here’s a few things that may be handy:

-prayer mat and clothing
-floor mats and towels (for wudhu and drying up)
-toilet paper, and jug/bottle (we all know what it’s for,going to spare the details 😉
-water and cups -food/snacks if staying for a long period of time and something to eat it in -a flash light if the electricity hasn’t been connected
-wipes/paper towels and spray to clean up any mess if necessary as well as bin bags
-first aid kit
-scissors and box cutters ready for boxes to be opened on move day

During the Move:

Ensure everything is packed and ready for the movers. Keep your lists handy for reference. Check things off your list as you see boxes and items leave the house. Check things off again once they reach the new house. Keep water, drinks or food handy for yourself and the movers.

Important things to note with some appliances:

Unpack your fridge and freezer prior to them being moved. Remember to keep this upright during the move and to let them settle after the move for at least an hour before turning them on again. Use the moving bolts that came with your washing machine to ensure the drum doesn’t get damaged. (on a side note, if you’ve bought a new washing machine or just moved and used the bolts, remember to remove them once the washing machine is in place, there have been many a person who have found their washing machine running away from it’s spot during a wash as a result of these bolts not being removed).

Important things to do and sort out prior to or after the move:

Re-direct mail (bank, govt.,medical, insurance).
Set up electricity, gas, internet and phone lines.

That’s about all I did/can think off, I hope this post is helpful to anyone who is moving. If you have any suggestions or your own tips you’d like me to add please let me know and I will be happy to include it in this post.