As the debate on same sex marriages rages in the Indian courts, it’s not just the nation but the world that watches with baited breath, on what the outcome and the aftereffects are going to be. But more than this, what is really evident is that the world is a truly diverse place, and every individual has a right to live a life of dignity and safety, experience love, and joy. What role then can we as parents play in ensuring that our children who will come in to this world a decade or two down the line, don’t have to fight for basic rights but will thrive where there is mutual respect and love?! This thought plays in my mind every time I watch or read the news these days. Moving into a role at work that focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion has only made this a more pressing need for our family – how can we raise our child to be more inclusive?
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I’ve never been a morning person. Early morning school when I was a kid was a nightmare. Even as a grown up, I found that I was at my best in the evenings. My energy levels suddenly went up, I had blazes of creativity (like now at 11 pm) and work would be great quality and super quickly, especially if it involved creative writing (like now, at 11 pm)
Even when we had babyT, he was never the one who would rise and shine at the Crack of dawn. Both of us would lay in, till the sun warmed our cheeks and crinkled our eyes. I would slink away from the bed and he would follow in no less than 10 minutes. Somehow, they know when you’re bodily warmth slips away from them.
So this past year when Tasmai started full-time & in person school I knew my days of that late morning start were over. Kaput, vanished into thin air just like that. Now I would have to wake up even before the sun had risen to cook up 2 meals, a snack and a treat. It gave me the shudders.
But wake up I did. Cook up elaborate meals I did. I mean freshly made pesto for pasta. Who was this woman? Salad, roti sabji, Dal rice – a full thali meal? In fact the teacher sent home a note saying, can you tone down the elaborate meals you send T, as he struggles to finish it in time. Oops!
How? I don’t know! Has my wiring changed? Have my poles interchanged? Not at all. I’m still the night owl that i am. Awake after all the lights are out. I now survive on very little sleep on weekdays. Weekends are the time to lie in.
Question to be asked is why? And it’s not as simple as just love for my child. Well mostly it is. But it’s also purely practical – T cannot consume food outside until all eating places became more conscious of food allergies and started learning that dairy free needs to be a thing. And food for kids needs to rise above cheese and butter, the so called nutrient powerhouses. That or T has grown up enough to understand the ingredients that go into cooking the meal and asking pointed questions. “Yes this is vegetarian but does it have milk cream or butter?”
Utopia is still far away, but until then, I shall wake at 530. I shall waft sleepily to the kitchen. I shall rack my brain to think of creative ways to make fun meals, and I shall wait for the weekend to laze in bed till the sun warms our cheeks. Good night!
(No pun intended there)
The pandemic and lockdown has ignited many hobbies and people have picked up on long lost interests and passions. Some baked, some painted. Many read. I am one of those people who went from reading no books in years to reading 12 books in 2020 and already half way through my 2021 goal.
What happened? Did I suddenly find free time which never existed before? Not really. There’s always time to do the things you really want to do right? Finding my love for reading and actually reading took time, effort and sustained efforts. Today on National Reading Day (yes, its a real thing) I thought I would list down the efforts and how I actively read.
Continue readingWe bid a teary goodbye to our beloved car this week. She’d been with us for a good 13 years. That’s eternity in these days when cars get replaced every few years.
It was March 2008 that @karksons bought the ? car and then as he picked me up on the way to work and we drove the daily commute, this car saw our friendship, love & then life blossom.??
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We went from being friends to making the first date plans in this very car.? Endless dinner evenings at a time when you could drink a bottle of wine & still drive in Mumbai.? G proposed in this car. We decided to get married in the car.
I came home as a new bride ?in our red car. we moved to our first home ?& then subsequent homes in this car. We heard the news of our pregnancy?, from our health center when we were traveling in this car & of course went to the hospital &? brought back our baby boy in this car.
She saw many battles when not once but twice she was battered – one by a drunk driver & then by an angry mob. Yes!! She’s endured it all.? Our special red car. She lived a full life & now she’s hung her boots.
Thank you for the love, our beautiful car. This is a memory capture for you. ????
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#MommyingbabyT #ourcar #lovestory #valentinesday #storyofourlove #storyofourlife #ourfamily #redcar #swift #retiredcar #sustainable #memories #hereinmycar #garynuman #cars #farewell
I love winter. I love the drop in the temperature. I love winter fashion. I love the warmth the year end brings to our hearts with festivities. But I don’t love the dry skin, layers of clothes and most definitely falling sick in winter. More so, after becoming a parent, watching the little ones fall prey to flu is quite painful.
If you look back, you’ll certainly remember dadima (grandmother) advising her brood of grandkids – “winters are here so wear a sweater, cover your ears & head, don’t go out with wet hair.” Was this this just some old wives’ tale? Not so much when you think about how cold & flu are more prevalent in the winter days.
Continue readingHave you heard tales from grandparents, of the times where diseases like small pox were prevalent and may have even claimed lives of their loved ones? Thankfully diseases like these are completely eradicated today. Our generations ahead are assured of a life of health, all because a concerted effort was taken across the world to work towards eradicating diseases that once claimed millions of lives.
When we were expecting our baby, we were curious about vaccination schedules. We Googled as most anxious parents-to-be and came across click bait articles which talked of risks of vaccinating but we chose to discuss the information with our doctor. He allayed our fears and assured us there were no such risks.
Continue readingWhile the act of feeding a baby only milk for the first six months of their life is nice and convenient, there comes a point where they have to get onto solid foods. And, way before you get them into shrimp, it may be very intimidating to build up to a proper meal because their little stomachs need to get used to certain things. So with this in mind, what can you do to start your baby with solid foods, in terms of their diet, as well as some practical points?
Continue readingAre you a working mom? Don’t put self care on the back burner. Self care for working moms does seem hard to come by doesn’t it?
If you’re a mom, odds are good you have a very, very busy life. Pew Research confirms it. Women today are spending more time working than women in the past, while also spending more taking care of children.
Unfortunately, some other necessary changes haven’t quite kept up with these shifts. Surveys tell us moms are still the ones most likely to be saddled with the housework, even if both they and their spouse have full time jobs.
That could mean you have trouble finding time for self-care. While that’s understandable, it’s still important to address your own needs. You can’t take care of all your daily responsibilities if stress gets the better of you. (Not to mention the simple fact that working as hard as you do means you deserve to treat yourself.)
Luckily, there are ways to practice self-care for working moms. You just need to remember these essential tips.
Continue readingAs parents there’s nothing more we want for our children than to grow up healthy and happy. Everything we do is orientated towards this goal. But of course this can be interpreted in many different ways and it’s sometimes confusing to know what’s right for our children.
Happily, there are a few things about which there is no doubt: eating right, getting enough sleep, not spending too much time on screens. One of the most important of these is sport. Children who regularly spend time doing physical activities not only grow up with better physical health, but also tend to be happier with improved mental well being. So, what should we as parents be doing to encourage our children to get some exercise? What are the right sports to be trying at each age? From easy cricket games for kids to helping out with chores, here’s a go-to guide:
Continue readingFilms bring with them an open canvas. They provide an opportunity for filmmakers to highlight social causes, speak of spirited people and inspire its viewers. The director of the film is at the helm of affairs to bring together his vision for the film and the varied talents of his team – the actors, scriptwriters, musicians et al.
One such personality from the Sandalwood industry aka the Kannada film industry is Jogi Prem. Prem was born as Kiran Kumar. He started his career as an Assistant Director, before directing his own film Kariya in 2003. These were followed with two more movies in quick succession, and together they placed him on the mantle of stardom. He is known as the hat-trick director of the Kannada film industry because of his back to back hits.
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