thoughts on Raya

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I bet people has already started to worry about finding fabric for the kids and tailoring their baju Raya especially during the school hols and constant sales ad. Although this year I don’t feel so preoccupied with that due to my preggy state, I do feel the urge to prepare my family for Raya. If all goes well, I will move into my new home sometime mid-August and deliver my baby (Insya-Allah) late October or first week of November itself. So these two big events in my life will happen shortly before and after Raya. Fatin has been telling me she wants two kebaya for the festive occassion. (Oh, and make it as slim-fitting and pretty as possible – she adds! LOL ) As for my eldest Sebrina, I’m going to see her in Ireland this July and bring her back – she has ample time to choose for her baju later when she returns. I guess with older kids, you have to allow them to choose because they are fastidious over how they want to look like. But of course within a budget lah. The other day hubby discussed with me over finances and realised that we have a tight crunch ahead due to many expenditures this year – the new house, overseas trips and coming baby. It’s great that sometimes hubby gave me a stand on his finances so that I would be careful – I realised that as I grow older there’s so many people to please, especially the kids. So we promise to remind each other of our reserves and expenditure, but Alhamdulillah, God has been kind to allow us many leisures in life.
I don’t think I had that much choice when I was growing up. My Mom is the sorts that would buy a roll of fabric and made us all the same baju – well up till I was sixteen! Kasut tu pakailah yang ada sampai buruk. Then I would start bribing my Mom with housechores to take me to Globe or Kamdar for baju Raya shopping! ha ha … I’ve always wanted things brand new for me and kinda got carried away till now. Comes Raya (err, not just Raya!) I get excited nak beli matching everything but when I start being a real mom – I must start getting frugal so that my baby will model after my good behaviour, not my odd ones!

Preparing for Raya itself is a fun chore – my parents made a big deal out of spring-cleaning the house and preparing all the kuih. So to me, Raya had always been big in my diary – it’s not something I pass off as another break to watch TV and visit relatives. Celebrating Raya becomes the tradition I’ve been trying to instill in my new family and so far, things are changing for the better and hubby and Fatin actually look forward to puasa – which is a great accomplishment to me already.
Having said that – I feel quite depressed that I won’t be able to do much for the preparation- even my maid posed me that question yesterday; “ibu macam mana mau Raya nanti?” I know what she meant – will I be able to prepare my new house, cook the 3 hour-rendang and make kuah kacang? fast for a month? entertain relatives, etc… All I know is that I’ll take it at my level best when the time comes. I admire some of my colleagues who were fit and steady right up to their 9th months of pregnancy and I vowed to myself to be healthy as possible so my family too would enjoy a good Raya this year. I believe a mother’s role makes or breaks a festive occassion. Anyway, I could start good by sending my daughter’s fabric for her kebaya to the tailor this weekend. My baju? Naaahh…I’ll save the fabric for after delivery – only God knows how my body would change after that, and big possibility I won’t be able to fit into my previous outfits too soon. Good luck to me! LOL

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