My goals for 2021

Since my last post was all about the things I didn’t achieve in 2020, I wanted to make a new list for 2021. The year started off with a new lock-down periode, at least here in Norway. And I totally still feel like I’m stuck in the middle of December of 2020. I thought it would be beneficial for me to write down some goals for this year. It’s great to have something specific to work towards. We might not be over the pandemic just yet but I can already feel that this year will be better than the last. It has to be! So let’s begin, shall we.

My goals for this year:

• Learn a new Surah
• Read more books
• Get a full time job
• Have a YouTube schedule
• Post on IG again
• Learn the box step when jumping rope
• Finish a 5k run in 30 minutes

• 

• 

For now this is my list. I struggle to find books I can relate to so if you have any suggestions, please comment down below. I have also started to post on my public Instagram so if you want to check it out I will link my IG here.

Lots of love,

Elizabeth

Advertisement

Grateful for another year

Today has physically and mentally been a long day. Even though it didn’t turn out the way I imagined, I’m so grateful for another year. You see, today is my birthday. 25 years ago my life started and I’m so grateful to have turned 25. Even though the number always scares me a little bit every year. But the thing is – I don’t feel 25. I guess it’s because I had this imagine of how 25 would feel and look like from a young age. And now that it has arrived, I don’t feel a day over 20, maybe 21. It’s like time stopped 5 years ago, even though it didn’t. 

My plans today were having a huge breakfast, taking my son to daycare and then continuing the day with my daughter. I planned to meet my mum and we would have coffee and cake. I would take her home to my house and cut her hair, pick up my son and start dinner. I wanted my brother to come visit us and we would all have cake together, and maybe I would open some presents. All of this never happened because it couldn’t. And even though we plan, God plans as well and He is the Best of Planners. 

Today didn’t happen has I imagined but I’m still so grateful for the family I’ve got, for my two healthy children who even at hard times bring a smile to my face, and for another year. God willing, I will have many more to come with my family by my side. 

---

Elizabeth

Modest favorites from Lindex

Ad: Lindex

I find it extremely challenging to find modest clothing in ‘regular stores’. Either things are too short, see-through or are just not covering enough. But with a bit of smart thinking and layering, you can get there. And when retailers make it so easy that the fit is already loose and modest, well then you’re half way there already.

Use code: summer19 to get 25% off at Lindex, online and in store. Valid from 21-23.June 2018.

1) Striped jumpsuit 2) Black dress 3) Orange dress 4) Denim skirt 5) Yellow pants 6) Green dress

Happy shopping!

Elizabeth

Premier jour à Paris

A week ago I was strolling the streets of Paris. I was finally travelling again, even though it was only for 3 days. A little getaway is always nice – no matter the length. This was also the last month for me to travel since I am in my last trimester, as we speak. So here I am, a week later with lots to share with you.

---

11th of March 2019 – Notre-Dame & Crepes

My day started a little bit after 5 am, way too early for my inner clock, but since I knew I was being picked up in an hour I made my way out of the bed. I packed my last belongings and ate a bowl of fruit. Right before 7 am I was in Oslo meeting up with my mum. We were finally on our way. At the airport everything went smoothly and we awaited to arrive Paris at 11.05 am. Starving we went to a cafe at the airport in France. After a short break we found our taxi driver and arrived to our hotel at 1 pm. A cute, modern hotel called ‘Hotel Pratic‘.

We freshened up and after an 1 hour nap we wanted to explore the streets of Paris. We weren’t far from Notre-Dame so we decided to take a city map and get on our way. The sun was shinning and the wind blowing. We saw the beautiful church from outside and decided to save our 10€ for a late lunch.

We stopped at a restaurant just next to the well-known church and enjoyed our first proper french meal. Even though I had a greek salad and my mum had a hamburger. Later we made our way back to the hotel. But before the day was over we stopped at a local boutique where I was gifted a Paris mug from my mum. We also stopped by the supermarket before we got our dessert at ‘La Cedrerie du Marais‘. A lovely lady catered us with nutella crepes and a steaming hot coffee. What a great way to end our first day.

---

Elizabeth

Pregnancy & Body Image

You’re suppose to feel this overwhelming sense of joy when you’re pregnant. And anything else would just be unusual.

Well, it’s not. Your body goes through A LOT of changes in only 9 months. And even though you might be the only one knowing it for the first months, you’ll rapidly start to grow and show. And you can’t make your body stop getting bigger. You can exercise and eat as healthy as one only can with daily cravings, but in the end, you’ll get big.

You’ll hear comments like; “You’ve gotten so big. Are you sure there aren’t two in there”. It’s frustrating cause it’s like no one knows what you’re actually going through. And who knows if you’ll ever get back to the size you were before. The invisible pressure is definitely there.

Even as this is my second child I’m much bigger than what I was with my first. I keep telling myself that I’ll get back to my ‘normal’ self and this in it self is a miracle. But as much as it is a miracle, and I am truly grateful to be a mother again, I can’t help to feel like I’m not myself.

I don’t feel sexy in my body, I don’t feel as confident. Most of the time I feel bloated and like I have to pee every hour. I’ll never have my abs back to normal and my bellybutton will most likely not go back to it’s normal self. And I feel guilty for feeling this way. Because my body is getting bigger and I don’t like looking at myself in the mirror, even though I’m creating a human being inside of me.

---

Elizabeth

A whirlwind of a week

Monday

The last couple of days have been so crazy. It all started on Monday where I had a chill day with my son until he fell into an accident. I got so overwhelmed and guilty that I couldn’t protect him. Luckily his bruises are almost healed and he was back on his feet in no time.

Tuesday

Tuesday I got an email about a phone interview I had Friday morning, just when I thought there was no hope left.

Wednesday

On Wednesday I had to bring my car into the repair shop so that I could continue on driving it the next 2 years. That meant waking up at 6.30am, driving to the next town an hour later and then wait a whole day till the car was fixed. We did spend the morning having a hotel breakfast and continued on with shopping and a walk back home to my mums. Whilst my son was taking his afternoon nap which he had been procrastinating, I could finally breath out and relax.

Thursday

I got another interview call on Thursday which meant I got to meet my mum again so that she could watch my son. It went fairly well and we enjoyed an afternoon outside before we drove back home where I then colored her hair.

I actually got another call yesterday morning while I was at the health station with my son for his last baby vaccine. Another store wanted me in for an interview and we settled for today at 1pm.

Friday

Starting off today fairly early at 7.30am, I had breakfast and got ready for my first interview. Around noon I had to drive, yet again to my mums to pick her up so that she could watch my son while I went to my second interview.

It has literally felt like I’ve been running around everywhere and meeting so many new people in such a short amount of time. On top of that I have another interview on Monday at a clothing store which I’m super excited about. But first I have to take this weekend to rewind and unplug. My feet are killing me and I’m in desperate need of a lot of sleep.

Wish me luck!

Elizabeth

Black Panther Date Night

I’ve been dreading this – sitting in front of the keyboard and try to type something together. To be honest, I haven’t felt inspired even though I’ve been thinking about writing, every – single – day. I’m craving some new inspiration & motivations on how I can make this blog even better. Any ideas? Please leave a comment below.

---

Tonight we had our first date night after almost two years (!). A date alone that is, with a babysitter at home, aka my mum, watching our son. We drove 10 minutes to our local cinema and watched Black Panther. I’m usually not enthusiastic about marvel movies, but with this one I just got a good feeling. I’ve also heard that it was received very well by other social media influencers.

So if you’re into action, si-fi and a little drama, you should definitely go see this one. Here’s my outfit of the night.

Elizabeth

Valentine wishlist

I have countless things on my wishlist. Everything from a Mac mouse to a HD camera, but since it’s valentines day soon I wanted to dive into Asos and see what I could find that I would genuinely be exited and happy to buy. Even though my saved items are much more then these 8 ones here, these will have to do for now.

j’adore // Adidas // Pink skirt // Burgundy jumpsuit // Night shirt // Ring // Wide pants // High heels

---

You can never go wrong with a simple tee and I’ve been loving ones with slogans or writings on them. I really need to find some new ones since the 3 I have I wear on repeat. Pair it with a modest long skirt  or wide pants and you’re good to go.

I desperately need new sneakers as well and I’ve been drooling over some Adidas or Nike shoes for a while. You mostly end up paying for the name, but I do have to say they look unbelievable good.

A jumpsuit is a timeless piece and this one is high on my wish list and will probably stay there for a while because it’s way too expensive to buy. But I’m allowed to dream about it, right? And if I were to buy this suit I would maybe even pair it with a matching set of burgundy high heeled shoes – just saying.

You can never have too many night tee’s, and since mine is worn down and washed out I think I’m going to buy a new one soon and it might as well be this one. Paired with a cute heart ring to pull the romantic look all together, even though I’m just going to bed.

---

I hope this was inspirational. Maybe you even found something you would like to buy. I’m definitely starting to love Asos, and I don’t know why I haven’t thought about buying from them before. I just always thought they were too expensive or only had high end brands. But you can find anything on this site, from Monki or New Look to Asos White and River Island. I can’t wait to stop by again and actually get those things from my wish list to my shopping basket.

Elizabeth

30 questions & answers

1. What was the first though you had when you looked in the mirror this morning? Wow, my hair is fluffy. I loved it when it’s a lot of volume, washed and cleaned from the night before.
2. Who did you kiss last? My son. Can’t resist those round checks.
3. What’s your favorite quote? ‘This too shall pass.’
4. Favorite planet? Earth.
5. Who’s the 4th person on your missed called list? My dad.
6. What’s your ring tone? The unoriginal iPhone ringtone.
7. What are you wearing? Still in my PJs.
8. Do you put yourself in a box? Maybe sometimes.
9. What brand are your shoes? Bianco.
10. What’s best – a dark or a bright room? Bright. I need a lot of light. Especially now when it’s winter and the days are so short.
11.  Is the glas half full or half empty? I like to believe it’s half full, but somehow I always say half empty.
12. If you’re alone in a room with two beds, which bed do you choose? Depends on which one I’m drawn to first.
13. What did you do around midnight last night? Fall asleep.
14. What does it say in your last message inbox? ‘Leaving now :)^^’
    
15. Who is the last person you saw today? My son before I put him down for a nap.
16. What word do you use over and over? ‘Serr!?’ Which is equal to ‘really!?’
17. Last movie you watched? ‘‘A bad moms Christmas’. Don’t judge, I didn’t find anything else.
18. What’s the last hairy thing yo touched? My hair.
19. Your last browser history? Ikea, looking for child safety things.
20. How many film rolls do you have laying around? None. Thank God for digital photos.
21. Your favorite age so far? Maybe 21 or 18, when I just got my licenses and felt as free as a little bird.
22. Who’s your worst enemy? Myself.
23. What’s on your background on your computer? My son.
24. What’s the first thing you said to someone today? Something like ‘why are you not asleep yet’.
25. Choose between a million dollars or the ability to fly? Ability to fly. Just imagine how fast I would get to places.
26. Do you like someone? Yes.
27. Last song you listened to? Maher Zain – The Chosen One
28. If the last person you didn’t know got mad and angry at you, what would you do? Walk away.
29. What car do you drive? Volkswagen Polo 2003
30. What’s the closest thing to your left foot right now? A chair.

---

A fun little exercise for a lazy Sunday. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Elizabeth

My goals for 2018

I know it’s a week until new years but I thought I would share my goals a week in advance. Since I am going traveling the first week of January and I still want to film 2-3 videos in advance, I thought I would do this now.

I always take a look back at the year I’ve had and summaries my feelings, accomplishments and travels. I will still do this at the end of the year but for now I’ve picked my brain on what I want to improve in 2018.

---

MY GOALS FOR 2018

1. Read the Quran every day! I did this after Ramadan and even though I just read a page or two sometimes, I sat myself down after Maghrib prayer and read. Now I’ve fallen out of my routine and only read a verse or two on my Quran app.

"The most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even though it were little." Sahih Bukhari 8/471

2. Listen to the Quran every morning. A great way to the beginning of a new day and why not start the day of right. This is something you can do while preparing breakfast, getting dressed or doing your laundry.
3. Do dhikr. Remember Allah (God) in everything you do. Say thank you for the food you have, the clean water, the job you’ve been giving, your faith, family & friends. Nothing would be possible without Allah.

Alhamdullilah - All praise to Allah
 Subhan'Allah - Glorious is Allah
 Allahu Akbar - Allah is the Greatest

4. Learn Surah Al-Kahf. The 18th chapter of the Quran. A surah I’ve started to learn but then again forgotten because I don’t practice it. Insha’Allah I will learn at least the first 10 verses before Ramadan 2018.
5. Listen to Surah al-Kahf every Friday.

"If anyone learns by heart the first 10 verses of Surah al-Kahf, he will be protected from the Dajjal (Anti-Christ)." Sahih Muslim 4/1766

6. Fast Monday & Thursdays. Prophet Muhammad saw used to fast on these days because these are the days our deeds are shown to Allah.
7. Wake up for Fajr consistently on time, and also pray Tahajjud (night prayer) at least once every week.

Our Lord comes down to the nearest Heaven every night when the last third of the night remains.

8. Write a gratitude journal. A place where I can write down what I’m grateful for, what I want to improve and my accomplishments for the day.
9. Create a new video every week with bonus videos sometimes during the week. Focusing on lifestyle videos, fashion & style and beauty related videos.
10. Gain 500 subscribers on YouTube.
11. Buy a Nikon j5 to improve my video quality. Support me on Patreon if you’d like!
12. Keep a daily diary on my laptop without any filter. Somewhere I can write exactly what I’m feeling and experiencing.

---

I hope you continue on following my journey and let’s check off this list one by one together. Do you have anything you want to add? Leave it in the comments.

Happy holidays!

Elizabeth