Cool drinks to beat the heat!!

Summer has begun. Most of the kids have school going on. Here are few drinks  which can save kids from dehydration :

1. Sweet lime water with a pinch of salt.
2. Jaggery water with little bit of lemon in it( for sweet n sour taste)
3. Saunf (aniseed) water
4. Glucon D water. Nowadays many flavours are available for kids to experiment and enjoy.
5. Coconut water can also be given.
6. Mint lemonade - Add crushed mint leaves to the sweet lime water for 10minutes and then strain out the leaves.
7. Watermelon lemonade - In a mixer, cut watermelon into small pieces, remove the seeds, add lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Blend it n serve.
8. Smoothie - This is every child's favorite. Cut 2 to 3 different types of fruits and blend it in a mixer. Add orange squash. It is just yummy..
9. Pink Panther - IN a glass of water, add 2 to 3 tsp of rose syrup and 1 tsp lemon juice. Mix it well and serve.
10. Our favorite since our childhood, RAW MANGO JUICE or famously knows as 'aam panna'. This can also be tried with kids.

* If you donot have any of the above ingredients then can soak orange skin in water for 2 to 3 hours and serve it chilled. The orangey flavour in drink will be enjoyed by the kids.
This drink can be drunk instead of regular water.

My above drinks are water based since it is safest with younger kids. But if you serve aerated drinks to your kids then cold drinks can be added too..

I have tried most of the drinks with Pratham and he enjoys them thoroughly. Sometimes with fancy snacks, he also carries these fancy drinks to school.

Game of mind

Manipulating is one of the important aspect of our lives. Most of the time of our day to day life just goes in managing, arranging or manipulating activities or people. We want to make sure that everyone is happy except your ownself. But there are few people around who will always send negative vibes.
My idea for this blog isnot to write bad about others but somewhere i felt that i must share how being 'a sit at home mom', a home maker faces troubles..
Juggling between Pratham's school, extra curricular activities and home is a task. After putting in so much efforts, at the end of the day when you have to hear that i am the one who is creating problems and spreading rumours, puts me off. This is the time you need your near and dear ones and perfect time to know who are your well wishers.
But motherhood teaches to be patient and hv faith in oneself. Never lose hope and keep trying.
Best way to boost yourself up is :-
1. Listen to your choice of music. It could be bollywood songs, light instrumental music or may be nursery rhymes.
2. Eat favorite chocolates (dont think about calories)
3. Watch a movie of the favorite genre.
4. Read a book or magazine or newspapaer.
5. Solve a puzzle or play a game.

For me the best way to cheer up is to clean or reaarrange the wardrobe.. It is so relaxing that i forget all my worries and troubles.

There are many more ways to boost up your day. It all depends on the person and nature of the problem :)

Its the mind who is playing games with us.

Snack time

Its a struggle for almost every mom to decide whats to be given for the school snacks. Right now im in the club waiting for my husband. So in my free time i was just thinking what should i give pratham tomorrow  for his bus snacks. Though he has opted for school snacks but he loves to carry a tiffin box to share with his bus buddies. Here are the few ones which i feel are easy,delicious and most importantly healthy.

1. Small idlies with a topping like tomatoes and capsicum.
2. Rava dhokla in different shapes (cookie cutter can be used to make different shapes)
3. Fruit salad - 2 to 3 fruits of different colours cut into different shapes.
4. Cheese or jam sandwiches cut into different shapes (use whole wheat bread)
5. Dry fruits like almonds, peanuts, raisins,cashewnuts.
6. Vegetable parathas or aloo parathas.
7. Salads like paneer with cucumber and tomatoes.
8. Thepla and cheese roll.
9. Different varieties of rice like yellow rice or lemon rice or rice in pesto sauce.
10. Baked samosa or baked veg pattice.

And to top it all, once in a while, can surprise the child with a goodie like chocolate or candy, and then see the smile on his face.. You will do anything to just see that happiness on his face..

Motherhood - always fun.

After a lot of ifs and buts, i finally sit to pen down my thoughts, my feelings and my view points.

MOTHER..itself is such a huge word that how much ever i write for it is gonna be less. I don’t know why am i writing this now but this is something i wanted to write since i was born as a MOM.. my son Pratham is 4 years and 3 months today but still i remember his tiny feet and fingers touching me for the first time.. his twinkling eyes looking at me as if an angel is watching me.. after going through the labour pain and all, when i saw him i was just super excited that a new part of me is born.. it was my husband (who very nicely accompanied me throughout my labour pain) asked the doc whether its a boy or a girl.. but for that moment(in fact till date) it really didn’t matter what the gender of the child was.. the only best part was that from 2 we have become 3.
Seeing him growing up is like a dream come true. Most of the days are happy but few are the ones which i feel should have never existed. Every stage is a challenge. His settling period when he came into this world, his feeding routines, his activities and his milestones like teething , walking, eating by himself and many more was all so much fun. Then came the major challenge in any parent’s life.. SCHOOLING..
First was getting his admission in a good playschool (how does one term a school good or bad is another story). After he secured in the desired and nearby playschool , next challenge was a good Higher school.
It was like a nightmare. So many nights went in thinking which school, which board etc will be good for him. Whether we will get in or no? But finally when he got in the desired school, we all were so happy. Its kinda relief when i see pratham going to school happily and he is in more playful mood when he returns from school.

Motherhood is an ongoing process where you enjoy every bit of it, atleast i do. Whenever i look at pratham or even think about him, all my worries are vanished.

Thank you Pratham for making me believe that there is someone in this world who i would love even more than myself.