Back To School With Fjallraven Kanken Mini

The other day a friend of mine and I were talking about just how different our children’s lives are from our own. We lavish our children with much more praise and even more so with material things beyond our inner child’s wildest dreams. For me, coming from my Pakistani immigrant family, things like annual trips to Pakistan took priority over, say, me having a Barbie dream house. I still vividly remember chasing after goats in my dad’s village, watching my mom attempt to haggle with vendors at the bazaars (being in America so long made her lose her edge a bit), and sitting down to dinner on a tablecloth laid on the floor with my cousins, sipping 7up from a bottle and cracking up laughing from the resulting sugar rush until our sides hurt.

 I personally never owned any designer clothing or shoes growing up (nor did I miss it) –  and I knew very well not to bother nagging my mother to buy me toys because she was definitely going to say no. The only places where money was no object for us was back to school shopping, for necessities like protractors and pencil cases, or the book store where we knew we could roam and pick up books on every topic and dad would happily pick up the tab.

 There is nothing wrong with having ‘things’ – particularly if you have the money – but I worry that our kids today will grow up without any appreciation for things and end up behaving like a ‘Rich Kid of Beverly Hills’ or something – (Please God strike me down if that ever happens).

I’m somewhere in the middle, Adam will get the occasional splurge – like his motorized Jeep or Nike shoes, but for the most part I want to teach him the values my parents taught me – experiences over things, and education over everything.

This year Adam officially begins Pre-Kindergarten (sniff sniff…) and I’m outfitting him with high quality clothes and shoes and also this new Fjallraven Kanken mini backpack. Fjallraven backpack’s are not only super chic (I have this one for myself too) but they are sold at J.Crew, Urban Outfitters, Shopbob, and Asos.

Originally made in Sweden by an avid backpacker, the philosophy behind the design was to create a backpack that would distribute weight evenly so not to cause unnecessary strain on the back – think of how your old Jansport would become pear-shaped with all of your stuff sitting on the bottom. Plus for a backpacker always being outdoors, the materials used to create this backpack needed to be extremely durable. For my little Adam, to whom we refer to lovingly as the ‘Adam-bomb’ because he destroys everything in his wake, we think he needs as much durability as possible in everything he owns.

Here’s what happened when I tried to photograph Adam wearing his new Fjallraven Kanken Mini backpack:

fjallraven-kanken-mini-backpack-back0to-schoolfjallraven-mini-kanken- fjallraven-kanken-back-to-schoolfjallraven-kanken-mini-backpackback-to-school-fjallraven-kanken(At last!)

Adam’s Backpack: Thanks to Fjallraven

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Last week we took a quick trip to escape the snow for some sunshine in Key Largo, Florida☀️ We spent every moment possible outside, Tom and Adam got their Scuba Diver PADI certification (yay!) while Sophia and I spent our days either swimming or drawing marine life and landscapes. This was my first trip after my sister passed last November, and even though I look so happy here, there were so many moments I felt the grief and sadness, as if it happened just yesterday. I am still figuring out how I want to show up in this space, as I have changed so much as a person since the loss. I just don’t feel called to post some of the things I shared before. Maybe that will change someday, or maybe it will just naturally evolve into something new. I think I will take this year to just process it all. (Even the idea of taking an entire year to think through something is a huge shift for my usually hyperactive type A personality) My focus at the moment is just living in the moment with my family and friends, spending time doing things that make me happy and healthy. I hope to share some of that journey here with you ~ thanks for following along ❤️
I had planned to shoot this outfit in collaboration with @lenacoutureofficial right before my dear sister passed away. Saba, the designer, was more than understanding if I didn’t want to anymore - but after thinking on it for a while I decided I wanted to - in my sister’s honor 💗 She was always my biggest hype woman. When i would feel like I’m not good enough or that I should quit (which was often) she would tell me I was unique and great and to keep it up. When I think of my sister, beauty and love is all that she embodied in her being. She expressed that on the outside also - as she loved to wear everything glam, bright & colorful, and full of bling. Hair done, nails done, everything did - that was Nusrat. For this shoot I took the time to get glam after a long hiatus - and makeup and hair took so long because I think I forgot how to do it, but afterwards I was surprised how I felt transformed. When I wore this gorgeous outfit that I know was designed with such love and incredible attention to detail by @lenacoutureofficial, I felt all of that beauty - like a walking piece of art, and very much at peace. Thank you so much to @divmophoto for capturing the feeling so well 💕
Ski weekend with my favorites ❄️❄️ So proud of Sophia for skiing on her own for the first time!
There are some trees with seeds that only grow after a fire. Their seeds are completely sealed with a resin that have to be physically melted off by a great fire in order to propagate. So to do we as humans, gain wisdom only after great pain and suffering.*
A month ago (and one day) I lost my sister and best friend to cancer. I am still completely gutted and broken. But, I’m also so so grateful to have had felt the love that now brings me so much heartbreak. ❤️ I am so inspired by her - and I will forever live my life to honor her memory. Miss you sis ❤️
Classic outfit combo: oversized blazer + denim 🖤fendi mules @shoeslutz
Just a mom who loves mums 🌸 🪴
Cozy for a coffee date ☕️
French. Toast. Egg. Bake. Save this recipe for a weekend or holiday brunch - it’s SO good and fool-proof! I’m not even a sweet person and I love it. The pecans are a non-negotiable IMO - I get honey bourbon vanilla pecans for this and it is just heavenly. Enjoy!