Down the Memory Lane..

The Red roses meant Passionate romance to me. But, not after this...

   PC: Photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels

It was after my first child's delivery. The joy of giving birth to a beautiful boy couldn't dominate the pain that I had to endure due to postpartum problems. 
Within 7 days of delivery, Doctor told that I have to undergo minor surgery.

I was already in pain and depression, but there was no other option. The minor surgery that doctor said was not that minor anyways, another wave of pain, and recovery ahead. 

The surgery was done on our 4th anniversary. I had plans to celebrate our anniversary with our baby. But, I was in the hospital and in pain, that can't happen, right?

When my husband got the bunch of red roses to wish for our anniversary, tears rolled down my cheeks and we just hugged and didn't talk anything. May be from that day, red roses remind me of the support and love of my spouse.

PS: Years passed, we celebrated our 11th anniversary in February with 2 kids :-)

Until next time,

Linking to Booksnista for the creative writing prompt Red roses.

5 Best Qualities to learn from Children

I am a mom of 2 boys. I have learned a lot by parenting these 2 kids and observing them over the last few years. Since Children haven't experienced this world like us yet, they are open-minded, curious, ready to learn new things, have more courage to take risks than adults. 

We mature as we grow, but we also forfeit some good qualities in the process of growing. Here are a few Qualities that I feel we, adults should learn from our children.

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Curiosity :

Kids have a lot of questions as they are trying to learn new things day by day. They are curious, ready to explore new places, talk to new people and try new things. As we grow, we may be social , but do we really explore new places, talk to people from our heart and make new friends as easily as them? I am not sure.

When it comes to trying new things, we definitely will be far behind, right? We might have tried new tastes/ new adventures when we were kids than now. We should really learn to be more curious about things around and shouldn't stop learning.

PC: www.pixabay.com

Patience :

I am not talking about toddlers who lose patience very quickly and whose attention span is less. But, when they cross that stage, they improve their patience when they do crafts or play with building blocks. They involve themselves completely in the activity and try multiple times even after failing.

Iam not sure if all kids are like this, but my sons play with building blocks and legos for hours and hours to build something complex even after multiple failures. 

We, adults have pre-conceived notions before we start something, 
like -
 Dance doesn't suit my body
 or
 I am not creative enough, etc., 

These notions make us lose our patience when we hit a small failure. May be it's time for us to learn having patience and try again.

Loving Unconditionally :

In childhood, we also loved our parents unconditionally and trusted our friends blindly and supported family and friends without expecting anything in return. 

But, as we grew up, we saw that people change, friends become foes, people become close for some needs and leave when they get what they want. After all these, it becomes tough for us to love unconditionally like in childhood.

PC: www.pixabay.com

Loving our family without any expectations is the important factor for our happy life which we can always learn from our children. 

Excitement and Fun :

Kids get excited for every small win, they enjoy their little successes, right? They feel happy for just painting something new or creating some good craft or eating their favorite dessert!

As we grow, we stop enjoying these little things as we get busy with our work, managing home and other tasks. But, without excitement and fun, life becomes routine and boring.

Trying New things :

As children grow, they learn a lot of new things and try new hobbies if they are introduced to them. They are not afraid of failing and will put their efforts sincerely. 

I think, while growing, we slowly lose this good quality of trying new things. That's why many people believe it's easy to learn arts or martial skills early. 

But, it's not true. Acquiring a new skill is not impossible at any age if we are passionate towards it and spend more time working hard. Check this post to find out your hidden talents and work on them.

So, what do you think? What can we learn from our children? Do let me know in comments.

Until next time,

This post is written for Children's Day blog train hosted by Prerna at www.prernawahi.com and Vartika at www.vartikasdiary.com.

Power, Beauty and Legitimacy of Adolescence by Susan Jane - [Book Review]

Summary:

Power, Beauty and Legitimacy of Adolescence. Understanding the teenage years, from their complexity in reality to some fictional representations in Anglo-Saxon, French and Italian literature.

Based on thorough experience in teaching, pedagogy and parenting, this book is a helpful guide for parents and teachers who want to help teenagers, the best way they can, in becoming adults.

Susan Jane Broda Tamburi  provides  an instructive, yet very simple approach to a full understanding of the complex mechanisms of adolescence. The author also analyses some enlightening representations of teenagers in literature.

Information about the Book

Title: Power, Beauty and Legitimacy of Adolescence

Author: Susan Jane Broda Tamburi

Release Date: 28^th June 2019

Genre: Non-Fiction

Page Count: 168

Publisher: Clink Street Publishing

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46357059-power-beauty-and-legitimacy-of-adolescence

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Beauty-Legitimacy-Adolescence-Tambori/dp/1912850842

My Review

This is the best non-fiction book that I read recently. Usually, parents are afraid to handle teen kids. Either it is generation gap or communication problem, parents and teenage kids struggle to be on the same page. While teens take rash decisions, Parents seem to control them more, the relationship strains a lot.

The author starts by explaining basics like the physical and psychological changes that happen during puberty and the impact of those changes on teens. Since the author is a teacher to teen kids with an experience of handling teenage children, observing them closely for a long time in her career, she could explain the subtle changes in the behavior of kids with logical reasoning.

The book is organized very well with the following topics in the order - explaining what is adolescence, some common mistakes parents make, how Parents can have the right attitude, how to handle unaccepted behaviors in teens and other teenage issues. 

There is a lot of material in the book that is helpful for parents. I even underlined a few sentences of the book to read later when needed. 

One thing that can be improved is that there can be more interactive material or practical examples. Of course, there are many practical examples in the later part of the book than the first part. The statistics mentioned in the book are excellent and helpful. More images might have been good though. 

I will definitely recommend this book to all parents. 

My Rating: 5/5

PS: I have received this book in exchange for a review from the publisher through authoright and this is my honest opinion on the book.

Author Information

I was born in Geneva from an English mother and an Italian father who both had come to Switzerland to work in international organisations. I travelled a lot when I was young visiting my two families in London and Rome. I went to school in Geneva and after one year spent in England in an Art School, I went to Geneva university where I got a masters degree in English, French and Italian literature. I started teaching during my studies and never stopped. I got married and had 4 children. Today I am still a teacher but am also responsible for teacher training in my school and at university. I have been living for 8 years with my American partner whom I had dated when I was a teenager. After having gone our separate ways we reconnected later in life and are living happily together in Geneva although we spend a lot of time in California.

My eldest son is an architect in Geneva, my eldest daughter has just obtained a bachelor at Brunel University in digital design, my youngest son is studying economics in Lausanne and my youngest daughter is enjoying a gap year doing voluntary work in Costa Rica and New Zealand before starting medical school.

We all get on well and are considered by friends and relatives as a “fusional” family, whatever that means…

I started writing articles at the age of twenty for an animal journal when part -time working in a zoo. A few years later I wrote a collection of children’s stories. I recently decided to write a book on adolescence in French which was published in November 2018, I then made a longer adaptation of it in English and have currently finished the Italian version.

(Schedule Below)

Tour Schedule

Sunday 30^th June

Splashes into Books

Monday 1^st July

Jazzy Book Reviews

Tuesday 2^nd July

Big Book Little Book

Wednesday 3^rd July

Fantastic Feathers

Thursday 4^th July

A Daydreamer’s Thoughts

Friday 5^th July

Book Read 2day

Saturday 6^th July

Donna’s Book Blog

Sunday 7^th July

Georgia Anne

Until next time,

A Pregnancy Journey - A Dad's perspective

I heard an excited scream early in the morning. It is not usual for Anjali getting up before me. So, I ran to the bathroom to know what actually happened.

When I am about to knock the door before forcing it open, Anjali opened the door with a shocking expression combined with happiness.

 "Ashok, See this!", She showed a stick with 2 pink lines.
I am clueless. "Arey, Budhu, We are going to become parents!"

I am not sure if I was happy or very excited, But I didn't feel to do anything like the men do in movies - holding the heroine and jumping with joy. I asked Anjali to take doctor appointment and let me know so that I can take leave (if needed).

https://pixabay.com/photos/couple-pregnancy-marriage-romantico-1812777/

First 3 months

Anjali is completely changed. She has severe vomiting sensation almost all times of the day (I don't why then doctor calls it only Morning sickness). Because of that sensation, she became very sensitive to smells, couldn't go to the kitchen, couldn't eat anything, and becoming weak due to vomitings.

I feel sorry for her, but I couldn't do anything other than reminding her to take the tablet to avoid morning sickness. I observed that more traffic and more braking during the drive to office is increasing her morning sickness. I have chosen a different route which is long but with less traffic and less pollution for our daily commute to the office. I had to start cooking as she cannot bear any smell and I know I am horrible at cooking, but I have to try.

Next 3 months

This time is cool. Anjali is back to normal again, her morning sickness gone.  She is happy and taking care of her diet. We are shopping together for healthy food like nuts, fruits etc., She is also having cravings surprisingly sometimes even in the midnights, we are going on a fun ride in the nights sometimes just to get her favorite ice cream/chana chaat that she likes.

I also see her mood swings because of hormone changes. She gets upset easily nowadays and cries even for a small fight between us. Seems strange, but I understand, it is not her fault after all but due to hormonal changes. Sometimes, it gets tough, but I am practicing patience.

8 to 9 Months

Anjali has changed physically. She is completely different now. All her old wardrobe doesn't fit her now and we are going for shopping trips often.

She looks tired, she has become plump and always panting for even walking fast. I cannot do anything to share her load though. The baby might be growing fast inside.

I told her to take leave from office and rest at home, but she took work from home as she felt, it's boring without office work. She cannot see her feet itself these days, as her tummy stretched to some extent. Since swollen feet is becoming a norm these days, I am applying oil daily to her feet before sleeping.

Many times, she asks me to feel the kicks of the baby, but the baby stops kicking exactly when I touch her tummy. I think I am slowly making an emotional bond to my baby even without seeing. It seems strange though!

I am nervous too as Anjali entered 9th month. I am always on alert whenever my phone rings. I keep my car tank full of fuel in case I need to drive to the hospital any day. I keep gynecologist's numbers and my insurance contact numbers handy. I explored the shortest and fastest routes to the hospital beforehand. I couldn't sleep well in the nights as I am awake whenever she moves and I want to be ready whenever she needs help.

Hospital Room

Ok, Our wait ended today. But, the experience is a mix of all emotions. When Anjali is in her labor room shouting with unbearable pain, I felt handicapped as I couldn't help her in any way, except checking her regularly to motivate her.

Anjali gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. All tired, she is sleeping after bearing pains for 12 hrs. The baby looked adorable and this sweet little Angel is nothing like I have dreamed before. It is time that I share my love with another Angel - my beautiful girl along with Anjali.

These 9 months were a hell of a ride. All is well, that ends well, right?

Until next time,

As women, we go through a lot during pregnancy but we forget that our spouse goes through a lot too with us and without our partner's support, those 9 months won't be easy. That is the reason, I wrote this post which I dedicate to all lovely dads and husbands who support their wives on their pregnancy and parenting journey.

This blog post is written for a blog train #LetsBlogwithPri hosted by Prisha , this is my take for the given picture prompt.
Thanks to Sneha Jubin for introducing me. Read her take on why we shouldn't judge other moms. 
 I introduce you to Kavita Singh. Kavita is a mom blogger and book lover. Hop onto the train to read more interesting Parenting posts.




Hosted By :
Prisha Lalwani
Mummasaurus.com
IG: @mummasaurus1
FB: /mummasaurus1
Twitter: @mummasaurus1

The joy of Motherhood

I was kind of a person who never paid attention to small kids. My friends and cousins used to start a conversation with kids and play with them. Until I became a mom, that child caring attitude wasn't there.

I clearly remember the first day when my elder son was born in a hospital. It was a normal delivery. I enjoyed my pregnancy period a lot keeping myself happy always, eating good food and getting pampered by my spouse. I didn't dream about how my baby would look like but I felt some strange happy feeling when I experienced first kicks of my child in my tummy.

It was not a love at first sight or the greatest joy when I delivered. Reason being the complication after my delivery. You can read my childbirth story here. But, for my second delivery, I have discussed with the doctor on the possible complications and chose c section and I was mentally ready to face my baby, feed him and care for him.

I have experienced the joy of mommyhood when....

I saw my baby in pink, so chubby, round, cute, small and beautiful.

I could feed my baby for the first time through breastfeeding. I felt an emotional bond instantly.

I experience the joy of mommyhood every time...

When I see the blind trust my children show to me.

When I see my qualities in my children, especially creativity.

When they show kindness and care to family and friends. I feel proud of the little ones for learning important skills.

When they help others and show empathy.

When they explore the environment and learn new things in life.

When I am amazed at how quick they grasp some skills and when they are ahead of me in learning. 

When they surprise me with a lot of questions and curiosity to understand things in this world.

When they try to understand my feelings and help.

When we all sit together and enjoy our favorite show on TV or do some craft together or paint together.

Simply put, the joy Mommyhood is in the everyday life of the Parent. Feel Grateful for the moments you create now with your children and stay blessed as Time will fly and the days gone are gone.

Until next time,

3 simple parenting mantras that always work #Momology

Hello all.. it's always fun to hop on the blog train with fellow bloggers. I am not a parenting expert but I want to share a few mantras that always work for me.

Patience :

I have read a blog a long time ago about the Budha pose. When kids are shouting, unmanageable, not listening to you, just take the Budha pose, have patience, breath hard and just stay calm without any reaction. This works mostly you know? If we can wait until the storm passes, no yelling required. Of course, we need to interrupt and take action if there is a chance of kids getting hurt. Else, a few mins of patience will solve most of the parenting problems. Did you ever try this?




Diversion :

When your child incessantly cries for a sweet treat or a toy, doesn't listen to your instructions at all, try diverting them. It's an important skill that parents have to learn especially if their kids are still toddlers. I am not very good at this skill, my spouse is better than me and it works wonders always. Mark my words, parents 🙂 To divert a stubborn child, you should make them talk, ask questions and listen to their answers.


Spending more time with kids:

This parenting mantra increases bonding and helps in managing kids. If we can engage kids without them getting bored, there are fewer tantrums, less crying and less demanding of sweet treats. Agree?

I try to play along with my kids by trying a craft/ origami/ painting as per youtube videos/ playing with their cars by racing, reading books, playing board games, dancing together etc., Every weekend if I can spend time like this even for 30 mins, it will have a great impact on my kids and their behavior.




So, these are my mantras that work almost always. What are yours?

By the way, we completed 8 years of parenting this month, yes! Our elder one turned 8 🙂

I would like to thank Puspanjalee Das for introducing me in the Momology Blog Train. Puspanjalee is a writing coach and a book development editor. She also runs a fabulous Facebook group for newbie bloggers. You can read more about his/her work at https://mywritingmyworld.com/.

 I would like to introduce Anupriya who blogs at http://www.mommytincture.com.

Anupriya runs a mom blog where she shares her parenting experiences,  travelogues and book reviews.


This post is a part of Momology blog train hosted by Thoughtsby Geethica, Slimexpectations, Mummasaurus and Truly Yours Roma sponsored by FirstCry Intellikit, Instacuppa, Diet Funda, Hugs n tugs, Tina Basu, Unorthodoxpeeps, Lotus Herbals baby and Shumee toys.

Thoughts by Geethica

Until next time,

Strong Roots Have No Fear by Aditi Wardhan Singh - [Book Review]

Book Details:
Title : Strong Roots Have No Fear
 Author: Aditi Wardhan Singh
Genre: Parenting, Children & Family Law
Publisher : Raising World Children LLC
Source : From Amazon Kindle

Blurb:
This book provides you with a simple framework within which you can raise your little ones to grow into empowered thought leaders in our constantly evolving multicultural world. If we raise our children with a culturally aware mindset, we need not fear the future.

What you find in this book -

The confidence to be intuitive as a parent.
Timeless strategies for a confident mindset
An honest look into mindful living.
A global outlook for your multicultural family.
How to be culturally sensitive and rooted within self.
Purchase Link:
Amazon

My Review :

I am not a fan of nonfiction but this book seemed interesting to me.

The good thing about this book is it talks about children and their behavior in a practical way with examples. I can very much relate to the author when she says she cried in childhood whenever her mother asked her to perform on stage. I did that too and now my kid does too. I know the benefit I got when my parents encouraged me to perform on stage at an early age. Now, after these many years, I don't feel scared to perform on stage even if the audience is a big crowd.

I think the below line from the book says it all. This is what we want from our children. Isn't it?

Kids making sound decisions when not around parents is what matters. And that comes from us being with them even when we are not.

The chapter on imbibing multilingualism has a lot of tips on how to raise multilingual kids and why it is important for them.

I liked the chapter on how to ignite curious learning in children.

There is a chapter full of tips on how to limit Technology usage, limit screen time etc., which I think is useful for all parents in this generation.

I liked this quote about gender equality:
When your kids see you and your partner having a relationship with equal standing, they know their place in their own relationships.

Some of the tips that I found helpful as a parent are about celebrating diversity, easy travel with kids, understanding different cultures, handling emergency situations etc.,

A few lines from the book that I liked:

The Secrets Lie Within Our Own Childhood

Children are blank pieces of colored paper that we create timeless art on.

Take advise from every person you meet, if you will but make sure to adapt it to your little one’s personality.

A working parent does not clock out of parenthood. Stay at home parents don’t sit at home drinking wine while the kids watch TV.

Let them enjoy their childhood. Enjoy it with them. Breathe in every moment.

The best lessons are learned in the simplest of life’s messy, unplanned moments.

My Rating: 5/5

I recommend this book for all parents who love to read some practical tips on parenting.

About the Author:
Aditi is an authoritative voice on cultural sensitivity and empowerment. Featured on CBS and NBC, she is the founder of the RWC magazine encouraging other voices like hers to come forth to create unique resources for parents everywhere so children can be global thought leaders. In her spare time, she enjoys choreographing recitals, volunteering and having dance parties with her two charming kids. She also writes for various well known publications like Huffington Post, Thrive Global, Richmond Family Magazine etc.

Until next time,

My Memories of being a #FirstTimeMom

Every Mother dreams a lot about their baby before the delivery. But, no amount of preparation is enough compared to the real experience of taking care of the baby. Moreover, the memories of being a #FirstTimeMom are always special.

I was skeptic about my ability to take care of a baby before the delivery. I was not someone who can comfort a baby or cheer an infant. I was even afraid to hold the infants before I became pregnant. Babies are so pure, fragile and lovely that they should be treated gently.

In the labor room, on that day just before 7 years ago, I was amazed by the first sight of my son who is like a cute pink bundle – peaceful, soft and lovely. There are no words to explain but the experience was more than what I dreamt before. My First expression was the happiness that I could deliver a healthy child. I was thankful to the God for my baby.

When they brought the infant near me and when the nurse tried to help me with feeding, the first touch was soft. I was afraid if the baby’s skin will be damaged by my touch. When the infant was near my chest for feed, I felt an instant connection and liking. When my baby learned to feed my milk, I felt complete and felt like I had a great purpose of my life. Now, when I write my feelings about being a #FirstTimeMom, it feels a bit exaggerated, but that was the state of mind then.

I feel happy and thankful that I have my Mom by my side at that time to teach me how to take care of this beautiful baby boy. It would have been a lot difficult without my mom’s help and support during that time to recover from childbirth, eat healthy food, have nice sleep and to feed my baby in regular intervals.

The memories of being a #FirstTimeMom are always special. I wonder, how it would have been if there were baby wipes which were as pure as our motherhood memories. We didn’t have water-based wipes 7years ago, but now, we have #FirstWaterWipes by Mother Sparsh.

At that time, I was looking for natural wipes without alcohol content and which were fragrance-free. We get a lot of baby wipes in the market which is fragrance-free and soft, but finding a wipe made with natural ingredients is tough. Diaper rash is the most common concern for newborn babies and so, choosing a wipe which doesn’t irritate their skin is a challenge.

I am happy that today’s moms have a good option with Mother Sparsh as baby’s skin is 10 times more sensitive than adult skin.

Mother Sparsh Baby wipes are chemically proven to prevent diaper rash and they are made with 100% plant-based fabric. Now, the new mothers know better what to choose for their baby’s skin. You can purchase the water-based baby wipes on Amazon/ First cry and many other famous retailers.

Until next time,