5 Productivity tips for Moms #MondayMommyMomments

Life of a mother is not easy. Multitasking and patience are the new skills that moms acquire to make things work from their side.

When you are a mom of 2 children, it means more time is dedicated to helping them with homework, school projects, taking them out for playing, office work and of course the regular housework of cooking and cleaning. I think, no experience would make these tasks easy. Until the children go above 5 years of age, it might be more stressful for a mom to manage both the kids and engage them. I have 2 boys of ages 6 and 3 and I still find it difficult to get some 'Me' time or relax. But, over the years, this is becoming easy and manageable as they are growing up.

PC: www.pixabay.com

So, let me share some productivity tips from my experience:

1. Eating at right time:
I observed many women skipping their breakfast in the mornings as they are busy cooking, packing lunch and making kids ready for school.
A healthy mother can raise happy children.
Eating at the right time makes you more productive. Don't believe me?  Try to get up 15 mins early than your usual time to have breakfast. Drinking coffee/ tea doesn't help and it will not count as breakfast. Eating cereal with milk is the quickest option in the mornings and Overnight oats with fruits are refreshing. If you eat breakfast early, you will have more energy to complete all your tasks and you can do them quick. If you are very strict with your timing while taking lunch and dinner, your productivity sure will improve.

2. Taking time to relax:
If we get time to relax a bit at regular intervals, we can even work for 12 hours on a stretch. Trust me on this. Working women might agree that taking 2 coffee/ tea breaks in working hours and chatting with colleagues will boost their productivity. If you are a stay at home parent, I agree that there is one or the other task which keeps cropping up always but take a 15-minute break just to sit and watch TV or to read a book or to take a power nap. This keeps you active for the remaining time of the day.

3. Planning and prioritizing is the key
This single point makes a big difference. Somedays, I am very busy with committed book reviews, cooking, dance classes, taking care of children and regular housework. I cannot reduce work anyways, but I can plan ahead and prioritize my tasks. I set reminders in my calendar for all my book reviews and keep alarms 1 day before to finish reading ahead. I am flexible to cook simple dishes like cooking one-pot meals (kichdi, biryani, fried rice etc) when I don't have time. I always prioritize my tasks and postpone some which are not very important. This boosts my productivity for sure due to better planning and less tension.

PC:www.pixabay.com

4. Seeking help 
I want to stress this point to all moms. It is not easy managing children, we get stressed out, we get a lot of doubts about what is good/bad and we might lose patience sometimes. All these are normal. But, if we can take help of our spouse/ parents/ friends, things will become manageable. Never feel shy to ask for help if you are stuck at something or stressed out. This definitely makes you more productive as you can focus your energy on a single task by delegating the other tasks to someone else.

5. Try any creative skill
We should have less stress to be more productive. Any creative art can destress our brain. So, try any creative art that you enjoy at least once a week like painting, singing, dancing etc., Even playing sudoku or singing karaoke with friends is fun way to destress. Many women feel relaxed by cooking and decorating their houses. Crochet, quilling, photography, craft making etc., - there is a lot to research on. Whatever it is that makes you relaxed, try it and implement it.

PC: www.pixabay.com

How do you improve your productivity? Share some tips in comments. Would be happy to know them.

Until next time,

Linking this to #MondayMommyMomments hosted by Amrita and Deepa. Also, Linking this to #MondayMusings hosted by Corinne.

10 best Mother's day gift Ideas

I don't celebrate Mother's day as I believe, we should love and respect our mom always and there need not be a specific day to express our gratitude towards them.

My respect towards my mother doubled after I became a mother myself. Going through labor, many sleepless nights to take care of baby, cooking, feeding and taking care of family with self-less-ness, keeping the family as priority over her friends/ work/her hobbies, Wishing and blessing children for their happy life even after their marriage, supporting the children during childbirth, giving strength to kids during tough times, striving hard to help children and grandchildren even though nearing the old age - how can we even repay for whatever she has done to us?

While I am writing this post, I feel very bad about myself being away from my mother and being not able to visit or help her.

Here is a list of gifts that I suggest which are more practical for any mom:

1. No - Cooking day

You know me and how much I hate cooking, so obviously, this comes as my top gift suggestion. Even if your mom loves cooking, Isn't it good to surprise her by preparing a meal for her? Think about it:-)

2. Give her your Time

Do you know what is more precious in this world? It's TIME. If you love someone, you give your time to that person. Why don't you give her a surprise visit if you are not staying with your mom and chitchat while having a meal or browse your family albums and reminisce good old days?

3. A mom and daughter shopping trip

Whether it is window shopping or serious shopping, take your mom and have fun shopping. When was the last time you went on a shopping spree with your mom?

4. A dinner date

Plan a meal with mom in a fancy restaurant and talk freely and heartily enjoying the lunch or dinner. What say? Do you want to give another twist to this treat? Arrange a dinner date to your mom and dad as a gift. cool?

5. Pamper her in a spa

Take her for a spa treatment/ body massage/ sauna bath. Even a relaxing pedicure will relief her.

6. Rekindle her hobbies

Does your mom love books/ gardening/ enjoy painting? Think of a personal gift to make her enjoy her favorite hobby.

7. Handmade greeting card and fresh flowers

Nothing can beat a personalized handmade card. Try your painting skills and surprise her along with fresh flowers.

8. A movie night

When was the last time you watched a movie together munching popcorn? Arrange a movie night at home or go to a movie theater together.

9. Bring life to old memories

Search for old photos, print them as collage and frame it. Surprise her with this nostalgic gift.

10. A gift

Last, but not the least. Think about some lovely gift options like a gift card, a watch, a saree/ dress or some fancy jewelry.

Make the gift as personal as possible.

How do you like these ideas? Do let me know in the comments.

Pin it for later!

Until next time,

Image courtesy: www.pixabay.com

3 Quick and healthy snacks for kids #MondayMommyMomments

As parents, we love to provide homemade healthy snacks to our kids. But, it is difficult to spend more time on preparing a snack. For someone like me who doesn't enjoy cooking, the preparation time should be short.  Here are 3 quick healthy snacks that I prefer to prepare any day which of course my kids love.

1. Chana chaat
Sometimes, it's better to look our traditional recipes when we think of a snack. White chickpeas are good for fiber and protein. Here is the quick recipe which takes no more than 10 mins if you have boiled chickpeas ready.

Ingredients:
Boiled chickpeas - 1 cup
small onion - 1  (chopped)
Garlic pods - 2 (minced)
Green chilli - 1 (chopped)
Small Tomato - 1 (chopped)
Lemon - half slice
Salt, chilli powder
Corriander leaves
cumin seeds - 1/2 spoon
Olive oil- 1spoon
mustard seeds - 1/4 spoon
urad dal - 1/2 spoon

Process:
1. Keep 1 cup of chickpeas ready after boiling and draining water.
2. In a pan, add one spoon of olive oil, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, urad dal and let them splutter.
3. Add minced garlic and green chilli. After they are fried slightly, add chopped onions. Saute for a few mins.
4. After onions turn pale, add chopped tomato pieces, add salt and chilli powder. Cover the lid and let it cook on low flame for a few minutes until tomato becomes mushy.
5.Add boiled chickpeas, cook on low heat with lid covered. Add chopped coriander leaves, squeeze half a lemon. Check for salt and spice and add as per the requirement.

2. Boiled sweet corn
This is a breeze to prepare and my kids always love it. There is no preparation as such. I boil sweet corn for 10 to 20 mins in water, strain them after they are cooked, add salt and pepper and serve.

3. Carrot muffins
Usually, all kids love muffins. So, this would be a favorite at your home for sure. I used whole wheat instead of all-purpose flour to make it healthy. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:
Whole wheat flour -1/2cup
Eggs - 3
Butter - 100gm/ half cup
Sugar - half cup
Grated carrot - 1 and a half carrots
salt - a pinch
baking powder - 1/4th spoon
vanilla extract - 3 to 4 drops

Procedure:
1. Mix butter and sugar in a bowl well until sugar is dissolved.
2. In a separate bowl, beat 3 eggs with vanilla extract until it becomes pale and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs mixture to butter gradually(not all mixture at once)
4. In a separate bowl, add wheat flour with salt, baking powder and mix it with grated carrot until it is evenly mixed.
5. Now, add egg and butter mixture to flour until it's smooth. No need to beat but we have to fold like we do for a cake batter.
6. Pour this muffin mixture into cupcake molds. Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit and then bake these muffin for 20 mins.

Source : Vahchef video


So, how did you like these recipes? Excuse me if instructions are not very clear as I am not used to writing cooking recipes on my blog :-)

Until next time,

Linking this to #MondayMommyMomments hosted by Deepa and Amrita. 

Image courtesy: Google images labeled with non commercial reuse.

5 lessons learned from Motherhood #MondayMommyMomments

Parenting teaches a lot. We learn and grow from our mistakes, right? So, every parenting journey presents some lessons with time.

Before I go into the lessons that I learned from Motherhood, I want to share this lovely quote. This is true! Don't you agree?

1. Be Flexible

Life with 2 kids is very unpredictable. Thank God, the elder one crossed the 5th year, else it would be a roller coaster ride. 

Since I love traveling and enjoy unexpected journeys, many a times I thought I will travel the same way with kids. But, we always have to tweak our plans a bit,  plan in more details about food, accommodation and travel breaks for rest. Travel is just one of those which needs to be customized as per child's moods. 

Going to a movie or to a park or to a tourist place or cancel the trip completely and take rest after running behind the kids and tired - It is better to be as flexible as we can. Initially, I used to be upset with the change of plans and get tired managing the cranky mood swings of kids. Now, I have backup plans to see that they are not hungry, bored or cranky. Now a days, I am happy to just read a story to them or make a craft together and relax in a weekend and less concerned about things not going my way.

2. Have Patience

I think, every parent of a toddler would agree that their patience levels are not enough to manage the naughty guy. As parents, we learn to have patience and control our tempers. Anyways, even if we shout at the little ones to not put everything in their mouth or stop running in a shopping mall, they don't oblige easily. Right? The only solution is to be calm, divert them and control the situation. 

This skill can never be taught but only be experienced, practiced and improved. What do you say?

Picture courtesy: www.pixabay.com

3. Seek Support

I am an independent woman and I love to sort out problems on my own without taking anyone's help. But, when it comes to kids, I prefer to take help from family and friends when it becomes unmanageable. Whether we are a stay at home mom or working mom, it's not easy to run behind a toddler, feeding and cleaning him on time and entertaining and teaching him good values.  Even though we tend to do all chores by ourselves, it's better to seek help from other family members and spouse instead of getting stressed with parenting 24/7. 

I learned not to feel shy to ask help from my parents and in laws when I need a break. Ofcourse, the support from spouse keeps me sane on weekends when I can get some time to relax from regular chores.

4. Enjoy the present

In this busy lifestyle, we rush every day - cooking, getting kids ready to school, feeding them, making them do homework, evening snacks, cleaning the house, laundry blah blah. I learned to take some time to enjoy the present. 

My younger one will soon start going to school. How much ever I hate running behind him to feed something and clean his mess, this age is never going to come again. Those sweet simple words with innocence can never be experienced after one more year when he will talk like an adult. He will grow up from those chubby cheeks, cute curls and lovely eyes to a school-going boy. I don't know if I get as much time to enjoy his laughs as I am getting now. 

So, I learned to cherish the present joyous moments and act naughty along with him.

Picture courtesy: pixabay.com

5. Don't forget 'Me' time

Initially, motherhood is stressful. Especially during breast feeding, sleepless nights when child is sick, cleaning the mess daily due to scattered toys, feeding the toddler for hours and hours while he doesn't even open his mouth and I feel damn hungry, when the kid bangs the bathroom door hundred times in 5 mins..etc., 

These were tough times when I had to forget my interests and sacrifice my blissful sleep. But, I realized, I cannot completely sacrifice the 'Me' time. This makes me more stressful.

If I had to get up 30 mins early to have a peaceful cup of coffee reading my favorite blogs or have to sacrifice my 30 mins sleep to read my favorite book or write my blog,  so be it. This is very much needed. I learned to take the advantage of  my toddler's afternoon nap to watch interesting movies or to read a book or just sleep. This made a lot of difference and I felt refreshed. 

So, these are a few lessons that parenting taught me. What about you? What have you learned from parenting?

Until next time,

Linking this to #MondayMommyMomments hosted by Amrita and Deepa.

Also, linking this to #MondayMusings hosted by Corinne.

#BangaloreMolestation What can we do?

After reading the recent incident in Benguluru about Mass molestation of women by drunken men on the new year's eve, every woman in India has got a shocking feeling. We, as women face eve teasing and abuse at least once in our lifetime in India, but we are habituated to either ignore and forget the issue or blame ourselves for being there in that circumstances. But, this time, #LetsSpeakup.

Whatever happened in Benguluru is not correct and we all knew that. But, what can WE do about it and stop the same happening in future? This thought was lingering in my head in the first week of Jan and I was searching for answers by reading a lot of articles on this issue.

What I found and understood is that there are 2 ways to stop this happening in future.

1. Parents educating their Sons to show respect to women

Source:www.pixabay.com

Respect should never be gender biased. Men or women - every human being deserves respect.  Researchers reveal that rapes don't happen because of the dress the women wear or the religion they belong or the specific age group they belong. So, instead of putting restrictions on our daughters, let us teach our sons how to respect women. Let us teach them what consent means. Of course, Fathers play an important role as they are role models to their sons.

We should let our children know that whatever they show in movies mostly is not correct. Even now, a hero in Indian movies wins the heart of heroine by stalking and harassing her in college/ office, which is very impractical and demeaning. 


2. Parents training their daughters with self-defence skills

We should raise our daughters more confident, give them enough freedom with responsibilities. We should make them understand that women are not weaker sex when they learn self-defence skills and be confident. 

"A Human body can bear only up to 45 del (units) of pain. Yet, at the time of giving birth, a mother feels up to 57 Del (units) of pain. This is similar to 20 bones getting fractured at the same time."

Now, what more proof is needed to show that women are strong physically? 

These days, women are working and managing families without much support, handling a lot of stress which is making them strong emotionally as well. So, let us stop retraining our daughters to wear a specific dress or be at home at a specific time but build their confidence to face this world. 

What else do you think we can do to prevent these incidents happening again? Please do share your opinion in comments.  

Linking this post to Amrita and Deepa for #MondayMommyMomments.

Until next time,

Linking this to#MondayMusings hosted by Corinne of Everydaygyaan. 

My favourite baby products #MondayMommyMomments

The soft skin of the babies and the smell of their body are awesome. I always wonder, if the smell is from the milk they drink or from the baby powder that their mom's put on them ☺ This thought made me think of my favorite baby products.

Body lotions and creams: Aveeno is my trusted brand for body wash and body lotions. I have used Johnson's products for sometime and settled in with Aveeno for both the kids. They have fragrance free range with a combination of oat meal extract for baby's sensitive skin.

Breast pump and feeding bottles:
As many mothers already know, medela is a popular brand for good Breast pump. Avent PhiliP feeding bottles are unique with wide nipples. Even if it's juice or milk, my kids loved these bottles.

Diapers:
I love huggies the best. The quality is the way I wanted. I tried pampers too for my kids but they were thin compared to huggies. Many new models and brands have come recently so Iam sure there might be a great product available now when compared to huggies.

Clothes:
I prefer max and firstcry.com for toddlers and mee mee , just born for infants. Of course, kids are lively and lovely in any dress they wear.

Toys:
Since I have boys, hot wheels and building blocks were their favourites. I remember buying a set of 60 cars to my elder one when he is 3 years old 😀 you know my kids are just crazy of cars.

Cutlery:
I didn't go by any brand but used to buy a lot of plates, spoons and forks with their favourite cartoon characters. Mc queen car is their most lovable character
, so almost all types of bowls, plates and spoons had that car. I also used to like Nuby products.

Baby bibs and napkins:
It's fun to buy bibs as I remember finding the cutest ones in just born and mee mee. These make life easier. The small napkins come as a set with vibrant designs are my kid's favorite.

So, these are my 7 favorite baby products. Do you also have memories of great baby products? Please do share in comments.

Until next time,

Linking this to #MondayMommyMomments hosted by Deepa and Amrita.

Image courtesy: All images from pixabay.com