It’s the little things that make me happy at the moment. Having a bath in peace. Watching a movie from start to finish.
Being able to chat to a friend for two minutes without hearing the cry of “Muuuumm!”
My days are spent running after the kids.
Breakfast, getting dressed, school run, after-school clubs, dinner, bed – it’s full on. I love spending time with my children, Aafiya who’s seven, Hana who’s five, and Sofiyya who’s 19 months old.
But I’ve learned that ‘me time’ is important too. I can care for them better if I care about my own wellbeing.
I also want to be a good role model for my kids and show my girls, especially, that there’s no limit to what they can do.
One way I’ve found to do this is to join in the activities that my kids are doing instead of just watching them from the sidelines.
We go swimming and get out on our bikes and for after-dinner walks in the park. We even did some boxing classes together.
It’s a way of looking after myself as well as my kids and showing them that even though I wear a scarf, it doesn’t hold me back.
We’re lucky in this area of Walsall to have a community that really looks out for the younger generations. It’s especially nice to see lots of opportunities for girls to be active.
There’s a brilliant council-funded cycling club at the park where you can borrow bikes, and a cycling instructor is on hand to support.
My husband comes along too and we all enjoy cycling round the park together.
Recently, I went through a period that was really hard, and I found that simple things like feeding the ducks in the park helped me get through the day.
Sometimes, just getting out of the house with three kids is a challenge. It’s important to take a breath and be kind to yourself.
I think a lot of us feel we're not good enough or that there are things we can’t or shouldn’t do.
Have a go at things – you don’t have to be perfect. And give yourself the chance to be active and relax.
Because you matter, too.