Afiq gave me these for Mother's Day today. Well actually he gave one for me and one for Shahril. I am deeply touched particularly because he has been very careful with his pocket money this year. When he started Year 2 this year, he had RM 4 in his wallet and that RM4 was actually fom last year's pocket money.

Ever since he started school I made sure he brought 'bekal' to school every day. For me, It's more about instilling the habit than saving money. Last year he would normally spend RM 1 of his pocket money on (sweet ) drinks.

When he started Year 2 this year, I told him that it's ok if he wants to spend money once in a while on anything that he likes, but not everyday. To my surprise, the first month of school went by without him spending a single ringgit!

The only time he used his pocket money so far, was to contribute to his class collection of money to buy a gift for the Headmaster when he was transferred!

Then a friend came to visit last month, and gave Afiq RM5 'duit belanja'. Even then, he had somehow managed not buy anything.

Last Friday, I had to wait a few minutes longer than usual when picking him up. He got in the car and apologized. (I didn't realize the wait, to be honest). But I asked him the reason he felt he was late anyway. "Abang pegi kedai buku tadi, Abang beli sesuatu untuk Mama. Ahad ni kan Mother's Day.. Abang ada surprise untuk Mama!"

I choked.

Afiq, I hope you'll grow up to always be thoughtful like this. Please know that it doesn't matter what it is that you buy, and it never will... but it's your thoughts that really count. They may seem small to you, but moments like these mean the world to me. There will never be a day in my life without my do'a for you. Semoga Allah sentiasa menjaga hati, menguatkan iman, melindungi Afiq dari apa jua kemungkaran. Doa Mama semoga Allah melimpahkan rezeki, memanjangkan umur dan semoga kita sentiasa dalam rahmatNya. What a fine man you will be, sayang. InsyaAllah.

 

I found this recipe in my quest for ehem, healthier food. The best thing about this is, it's so simple to make and is just sooo delicious, I foresee myself making this again and again as I think this is quite perfect for Afiq's bekal to school. Oats and dates, nutritions wise.. Do I need to say more?

 

Got the recipe from here

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour*

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup quick rolled oats

1 package (8 ounces) dates, chopped - about 1 1/2 cups of chopped dates.

1/2 cup brown sugar - I put less than 1/3 of a cup

1/2 cup granulated sugar - - I put less than 1/3 of a cup

1 egg

1 1/4 cups milk

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl; add sugar.

Stir in oats and dates.

In a separate small bowl, beat egg with milk; stir in melted butter and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and stir until evenly moist.

Pour mixture into a greased 9 X 5 X 3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 55 to 65 minutes ( I baked it at 160 C for 60 minutes), or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in center. Once the loaf has cooled, wrap and store overnight for best flavor.

 

Note: although I have reduced the sugar used, I would have liked it better if it was less sweet still. So the next time I make this, I'll reduce the sugar even more and probably add more oats.

 

The before picture

 

Once it's out