Usborne Phonics Readers - Big Pig On A Dig by Phil Roxbee Cox

We received this picture book from our kid's school library for a week. The school tries and send a picture book time to time in order to encourage reading.
Now, my lifeline aka son is still getting the hang of reading (he loves it if he just has to listen and I read the books to him). But when the book is handed over to him by the school, he obviously takes it a bit seriously and know he should try reading it by himself.

The story goes like:
The big pig discovers a map and tries the fat cat to help him with digging. But the cat turns out to be a napping cat! What's in store for the big pig?


Here goes the efforts kiddo put in:

What the kiddo Loved:
1. More pictures - less text.
2. Easy rhyming text. The words were repeating cleverly. Surprisingly, the kiddo noticed that himself and tried recalling the words which he just read.
3. Fold-out pages - He just loved the pages which had a little mystery to be revealed.

The story is actually dumb and does not have a moral. But still, the kiddo loved his break from all preaching and teachings. He immediately went to his grandmother's room with a big laugh and told her that it's a funny story!

Get the book on amazon at:

He who opens a school door, closes a prison-Victor Hugo

There is one place on earth which is given equal or may be higher importance than heaven - School. Some call it - "the temple of learning".

The famous poet Victor Hugo said that "He who opens a school door, closes a prison.".  It is a phrase which makes different sense to different people. almost all the meanings which people derive out of it are in a positive light.

Looking at the present condition of schools and all the raised voices, this is one line which can be interpreted in a completely negative sense.

Two hearts, deep down, prepare for the worst
Feeling the numbers and calling countless first
Their world is blessed, as the world blesses them
Soon they’d be parents, for the life readies them

The foremost cry lead to most awaited smile
Crawls and falls, and first steps of hit and trail
Gibberish mumbles turning to words like mom
Growing so fast, recognizing family and home

She wanted to grow but Oh No! Not so like that
Like he promised to not be a trouble, or be a brat 
But such inevitable distress they had to face
Separation and strangers, they had to brace
It was a new beginning with gleam of dreams
As the sun is elemental with rays of streams         


That phase for angel was hideous but has gone
Now my angel is more subtle for the fear is born
The smile has returned as the life changes gears
Yet lies unanswered are those prayers of fears

The temple of education is thought as a school
A school of thought – It’s a sham, you fool!
When cry of separation turns to wail and yelp
To you and your child – Will there be any help? 
Help like security of safety of the child
From teachers, helpers or just a beguiled
God help those who help themselves
Is a quote for adults as kids are elves!


If he - The Creator - has another first under the hood
What would my angel do with the blessed parenthood! ?
My angel’s life would be unfair but as he is always true,
Slayer too would be angelic as he put its misery through 

Am I wrong when I feel that the brilliant words from Mr. Hugo mean that "When we leave our children at the school entrance and bid them goodbye kisses, we might be sending them to a prison? A prison which might enlighten their insights but at the same time, has become another dreaded place to leave them alone. But then, do we have a choice?"

PS: Honestly, I wrote a rough draft straight of my heart on this topic and then sent it over to my free of cost editor - Mak - my brother. Like always, he did a fabulous job of editing but this time, he returned with almost new version taking the idea, feelings and some lines from my writing. All the credit goes to him for this one!!!

Story Telling - Mat - Bob Books For Beginning Readers Set 1 Book 1

Reading books - a habit I have been trying to inculcate in my sons. I think that it is the only habit I have been putting so much efforts. I so so hope that all those reading sessions turn out to be meaningful.

As a parent, the first step to get out babies read is actually by "reading to them". The kiddo enjoys the stories most when I read them to him. But since, he is learning to read by himself, I insist on reading by himself. There is a catch here - It does not mean, that he reads his book and I have the luxury to enjoy my own. I still need to be as attentive as  him or may be even more.

Here is my lifeline, actually reading his first ever book all by himself:




The book he is reading is the first from a set of 12 books from - Bob Books Set 1 - beginning Readers Box Set. 

Do you remember which was the first book you read as a child or you child read? Do share in the comments.

Click the link below to purchase the book.

Sleep Baby Sleep

There is no better sight in world than seeing your child in a sound sleep. Every mother and father would bid their head in agreement that sleeping child is the most gorgeous face one can ever witness. Also, if the child is sleeping properly, it is also an indication of his or her good health.
There is a popular saying - "Sleep like a child". Those who can sleep properly, give a number of diseases big goodbye automatically.

I have two kids in my house. Elder one is three years old and younger one is just over a month old. Both of them have different sleeping patterns. While thankfully the younger one is sleeping most of the time, I really have hard time getting the elder one to sleep. Both the kids have different sleep requirements. The suggested hours of sleep for kids from birth to 1 year and above are given at the article - shhhh they are asleep.

Sound sleep is important for the babies as it is said that the brain keeps on learning while in sleep as well. The fact that babies learn while sleeping has also been scientifically proven. Details of benefits of those beautiful closed eyes are listed at - Why is sleep vital to your baby's development
 if that is not enough, try watching a baby while he sleeps. The best of smiles come to their faces during this period. My kids, both of them, even laugh their wits out while dreaming! Yeah, I have pictures and luckily even the videos of elder one while smiling and laughing in their sleep. Believe me, they are the best of all.

For the infants, many parents have hard time getting their kid to sleep specially after the bath. I am not an expert, but have a little advise for the rest hours after the bath. Try and notice the pattern of their play time. My mother in law never forced my kids to take a bath early morning. She patiently waited for them to get a bit tired after good play and then gave them nice warm bath. The kids go to sleep a bit easily then. I still remember once a neighbour commented her that the babies in our family sleep after bath, but their kids never slept after the bath. The answer of my mother in law was same - "You bath your kids right in the morning when they have just woken to finish your household chores. We let the chores spreading around till its time for them to sleep."

The articles linked are picked from the section - Child and You on reward me website.

I am participating in the ‘Ready For Rewards’ activity for Rewardme in association with BlogAdda.”

Story Telling - The Cavity Hunter

I received the pack of Colgate - Magical Space Adventure pack few days back.

The moment I told my son Ricky about the activity, he was super excited. Poor kid, he had to wait for two days so that we can skip the naughtiness of his younger brother and weave a story in peace. He is a little monster we all love.

Ricky and mumma worked together to weave a small moral story encouraging kids to brush their teeth daily - two... no three times a day. Yes, Ricky said three times - morning, afternoon and bed-time.

Watch the video for our story or scroll down to read the story.

Once upon a time, there were three astronauts - Sahaj, Frozen and Ricky. One day, Sahaj and Frozen were having a ball while working on some minor faults in the space station. 

When they returned to the space station, they noticed that there were some warning signs from one of the rovers.
They immediately checked what it was. It was a signal of danger.
"A danger!", Frozen said.
"It's from the planet Mars.", added Ricky as he entered in the lab.
"It's a UFO. An Unidentified Flying Object has been noticed orbiting around the earth.", said Sahaj.

Ricky was an expert in wars and weapons. He got his rocket ready and launched for the adventurous mission. Sahaj too went in another smaller spaceship and took his position on planet Venus to help Ricky. Frozen was in the space station to guide and help her both friends.

While Ricky's rocket was following the UFO, Frozen warned him about a comet which was right after him. 
She warned,"It has really long tail. Stay alert.".
Ricky turned the rocket just in time to escape from being hit. They got another signal from the Rover on planet with a ring - Saturn, "A UFO was orbiting along and gathered some information from earth. Not sure what is was all a about.".

Sahaj immediately left from Venus and headed towards Mars to help his friend Ricky. As soon as Ricky's rocket landed there, he was surprised by what he saw.

An alien had cornered Sahaj and was trying to dig holes in his teeth. He stopped when Ricky asked him to put his hands up.

"There are some naughty kids on planet earth who do not brush their teeth everyday. We would collect all cavities from their teeth and make an enormous cavity army. No one would be able to stop us then."

"But where did you come from?", Ricky asked.

"Ha ha ha.", the alien laughed aloud. "We are from the planet that revolves in the opposite direction than yours.", he said grumpily.

"Venus! I just came from there.", Sahaj added.

While Alien turned to Sahaj with his witty tools, Ricky shot him with his laser gun. The alien fell on his knees and pleaded for mercy. Sahaj, Ricky and Frozen, all three of them warned him from their headphones, "Never ever mess with children from next time. And for the kids you were talking about, they have already promised their parents to brush their teeth two times a day. Now go back to your planet before we kill you."

The alien ran towards his space ship and the UFO disappeared in the sky in seconds, never to be seen again,

Back on earth, everyone was overjoyed and celebrated the victory of brave Astronauts. From that day, all the children never broke their promise to brush their teeth and taught their younger siblings to do the same as well.

As they say, learn while you play, the kiddo has grasped most of things from the pack. Here they go.

Ricky introducing the characters:

Below are the pictures of cut-outs:

I’m blogging my #ColgateMagicalstories at BlogAdda in association with Colgate

Special thanks to my all time saviour Mukesh Gulia - my brother for the narrations :D...

Story Telling - Bubbles Owns Up

I have been sceptical about starting the YouTube channel for my son for a while. Finally, after much thought, here is his first video. The videos would be very basic but I would try to improve the sound quality from next time.



Ricky has the series of Bubbles story books. Each book has a short story teaching good habits to the child. The book also has a set of questions in the end. Ricky loves those questions and makes it a point that I never skip them.

The book can be brought from below links.

                                           Flipkart

When Amitabh Bachchan wrote a letter to his Granddaughters - Aradhya and Navya

First things first - This post was supposed to about my last day's Marathon. But as I saw the news, the already very popular letter by the legend Amitabh Bachchan grabbed my attention. As a hard core lover of letters, I could not help but post about it first.

As expected, there are mixed reactions to the same. While most people like me find it extremely touching and absolutely apt, there are some who find nothing great about it. Then, there are some, who feel that if he really wanted to write it, why do it openly?

Each person has his/her freedom of thoughts and speech. Below are some of the reasons, I loved it:

1. It’s a letter:

I have lost the count of mention about my love for the letters. I accept that one of them is too innocent to intercept the deep meaning through it and the other one is already on her own path of thought process. But imagine the pride and glory in the eyes of little one the day she begins to understand it. Every time, the girls would feel low, i am sure letters like this would help them buck up. It's bitter but their dear grand pa is not going to be with them forever.

2. It's about daughters and women:

The letter is addressed to his grand-daughters. Any deed done straight from the heart - big or small for any woman is a step towards better world.

3. It came from a legend:

When a famous person talks, there are masses who are looking up to them. Each word they speak can influence someone's next course of action. Thus they need (not must) to be more careful with all their deeds. There are people who blindly follow their icons. Therefore, such clear and impartial thoughts expressed on a public platform should only do well for the society. I think, if it changes the mind of even a single person regarding even a single thought to good, his deed to share the same with world is well accomplished.

4. It reflects the mentality required for society:

I so wish all men and women across the world felt this way about their daughters and women in their lives. The so called feminist word would not have taken birth.

5. It's his choice to share it with the world:

To write a personal or an open letter is all his choice. No one has any right to object to the same. As he himself says - Because...

All said and done, the letter goes as below:

Letter content Source: TOI

Guilty Mom

Off late, my kiddo has been calling me in office and complaining that I did not bid him goodby while leaving for office. Actually I leave for office when he is asleep - his school starts at quarter to 9. He is suddenly being mamma's boy specially in mornings. Starting past week, I have been getting calls from home with people consoling him that why I did not bid him goodby. The kiddo has also been asking me at night time that I say b-bye to him while leaving in the morning.

This is how we looked today morning when I was just stepping out. I had hard time controlling my tears...

I feel so bad leaving the little child and tip toeing to office while my mother in law tries to console him. He settles down in a few minutes itself is a different story. Using the word bad is not appropriate to describe my feelings at that time. I feel horrible. Actually I have tiny tears sparkling in my eyes somewhere even when I am writing this.
I feel guilty...!
Guilty of making my baby crying.
Guilty of not making his wish to hug me when he wants to come true.
Guilty of not spending more time with him.
Guilty of being a working mom!

I know most of the readers knew the last line was coming up. Such moments make me think that probably I might consider taking a break and spend time with my kids for sometime. I am working by choice. Financially, my non working status would not affect my family in any means. But does that mean I have an option to leave my job and not feel guilty any more? Would it solve the problem?
Honestly, the mere thought of not working gives me goose bumps. No offences to anyone, but everyone has his/her own basic nature and I am not the kind of girl who can be at home. I dread household chores and enjoy my own free space while I am at work.
Coming back to the mom who feels guilty, I still wonder about the solution to this. I have read numerous articles about this feeling and almost all of them try their best to make me realise that I should not and never feel this way as spending quality time is more important rather than all time and many other reasons. To be true, at the end, none of them makes sense when my child tells me he misses me or does not want me to go.
Is it because of this emotion that I try and do my bit to fill the gap? I take him to sports complex even if he says one no matter how tired I am after I return in the evening. I make sure to check his diary and never let him go to school without his homework or any other activity been written. I read him his favourite bed time stories no matter how much I do not want to read that night. The list is endless. But again, stay at home moms also do all this. I am no exception. Then what is that I can do overcome the guilty?
Well, I guess, the only answer is accept and embrace it. No matter how hard I try, I would feel the same way some point or other. Even if not working, I would feel -
Guilty of scolding him too much,
Guilty of wanting to run away from him sometimes,
Guilty of being too strict,
Guilty of being too carefree,
Guilty of letting him eat that ice-cream and catching cough,
Guilty of almost everything.

Despite of all the guilt, I get the most satisfied heart every time I see my kids smiling.

Are you also a guilty mom sometimes? share your feelings and let the guilt pass by!
Do dads also feel the same way every now and then? I am sure they do. do share your share of thoughts.

Letter From A Father To Her Daughter

"More than kisses, letters mingle souls." ~John Donne

Time and again I have mentioned how much I adore letters. A letter with words straight from heart would be a best gift my loved ones could ever gift me. There is no chance my blog would miss a letter which made the masses cry.

Yes, I am talking about the letter from Mr. Prakash Padukone to his daughter Deepika Padukone. The letter has some lines which are no less than a precious gem.

Here it goes:

Dear Deepika & Anisha,

As you stand on the threshold of life’s journey, I want to share with you some lessons that life has taught me. Decades ago, as a little boy growing up in Bangalore, I started my tryst with badminton. In those days, there were no stadiums and courts where sports people could train. Our badminton court was the wedding hall of the Canara Union Bank near our house, and it was there that I learned everything about the game. Every day, we would wait to see if there was a function in the hall, and if there was none, we would rush there after school to play to our hearts’ content. Looking back, I realise that the most important thing about my childhood and adolescent years was my refusal to complain about a lot in life. I was thankful for the few hours a week we had the opportunity to hit the shuttle back and forth. In fact, the foundation on which I based my career and my life was the refusal to whinge or whine about anything. And that is what I want to tell you my children, that there is no substitute for perseverance, hard-work, determination and passion for what you choose to do. If you love what you do, nothing else matters — neither awards nor compensation, not even the gratification of seeing your face in newspapers or television.

When I won the All England Championship, the prize money in badminton became significant — £3,000 — a huge amount in those days. But that did not distract me from the sheer joy of having been instrumental in putting India on the global map of this game. Deepika, at eighteen, when you told us that you wanted to shift to Mumbai for a career in modelling, we felt you were too young and too inexperienced to be alone in a big city and in an industry we knew nothing about. In the end, we decided to let you follow your heart and thought it would be cruel to not give our child the opportunity to go after a dream that she lived and breathed for. If you succeeded, it would make us proud, but even if you didn’t, you would not have any regrets that you did not try. Deepika, I have learned that you can’t always win in life, that everything you want might not come your way. That events don’t always turn out as you want them to. To win some, you have to lose some. You have to learn to take life’s ups and downs in your stride. The amount of effort that I put in my game never varied from the first day till my retirement. Even during my toughest times, I focused on what I had, instead of dwelling on what I did not. I had the ability to make the best of the worst circumstances and remain steadfast to my goal. Remember how I constantly tell you both about the importance of making your way up in the world without waiting for your parents to pull strings? I believe it is best for children to work hard to make their dreams come true and to not have things handed to them on a platter. When you are home visiting us, Deepika, you make your own bed, clear the table after meals, and sleep on the floor if there are guests at home. If you occasionally wonder why we refuse to treat you like a star, it is because you are our daughter first and a film star later. The cameras that follow you everywhere and the arc lights will eventually fade and what will remain is the real world. Strive to generate positivity around you even though you are too new and too small a player to effect a big change.

You are in an industry where there’s always going to be big money, but I believe that it is important to try to be the best in whatever you do regardless of the money. The things that really matter in life are relationships, honesty, respect for your parents and elders. Material success is important, not fundamental to happiness and peace of mind. I can’t tell you enough about the rejuvenating power of prayers and a little faith. Spare a few minutes of your day to close your eyes and meditate, to think about God and you will see how much faith in His power will strengthen you. In the end, when your career is behind you, what remains is family, the friends that you have made. Live a life that is healthy and one that will allow you to live with your own conscience. Everything else is transient. And remember, no matter what, we are always going to be there for you.

Lovingly,Pappa

I absolutely loved the way Deepika ended her long but awesome thank you speech -
"On behalf of every child I want to thank put parents for being the people that they are. I promise you that all of us, I am going to try and be the best that we can be and most importantly thank you for being you and THANK YOU for allowing me to be me and to pursue my dreams."

I so want to write a letter to my Papa for everything he has done for us. The fact is that I am too afraid to share my emotional side with him. I am definitely going to put my fear aside this year on his birthday and gift him the best gift I can ever imagine for myself.

Also, I have read a great book called - Letters From a Father to His Daughter by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (Click on the link to read the review)

Have you ever got a letter from your father or written one to him? Try and share it with the world (if not too personal...).

My Child - My Best Buddy

"Children are the best source of learning"

There are no second thoughts on above words. Children teach us small needs of life like - to smile, to cry, innocence and above all selfless love.

Gone are the days when parents used to keep the children under a stick. There is a small story around Lord Krishna and his mother Yashoda that people used to tease and plead Yashoda for letting her son cry a bit sometimes as it's also needed for kids. It is said that Yashoda never let Krishna cry and always made sure that he is ever smiling.

I might not be as loving as Yashoda, but I am trying my level best to be friends with my three year old. We - mother son, have found our own set of activities we love to do together and learn from each other.

Bed Time Stories

I am yet to find a kid who does not like stories and my son is no exception. I narrate small stories to him when it's time to sleep. The problem is that he wants a new story everyday. I have found a solution by using his favourite characters/toys in the stories and making sure that the stories pass simple good messages - sharing, helping, honesty, respect etc.

From some days, the little kiddo just repeats the story after me be saying that now he would narrate a story to me. While narrating, he has many times corrected my version that mummy you forgot to say thank you, sorry etc at that point.

Building Blocks

The traditional blocks set is never old enough to learn something new. The cute "handy many" sometimes comes up with vehicles I never thought of creating out of those blocks. Have a look at below creative parking lot, alloy wheels in the race car etc.

Mobile car parking

Truck helping a car which broke down

Aeroplane Carrying Cars

Aeroplane

Vocabulary Teacher

While the kid is learning to speak clearly and pronounce the words right, he is also helping his grandmother pronounce those words correct. For example, my mom has a tendency to add a 's' to spoon and say spoons. He corrects her many times. Also, my mother in law generally says 'sweet dream' and he keep her repeating till she says 'dreams'.

Play Mate

Both of us - myself and my son play together. Be it cricket (bat-ball), hide and seek, chor-police, football, racing or those slides in park, I accompany him everywhere whenever he does not have other kid to play. It's a bliss when sometimes I say that I do not how to play this game (to avoid playing) and he says - " mummy, mein sikhaunga" (mummy, I would teach you).

There are number of other little 'Kushi Ke Pal' (happy moments) when I enjoy the buddy parenting and make sure that the term 'Khuljaye Bachpan' stands true for my son. 

Sibling Love

Siblings - the only two or more enemies who can be your best friends ever.

I still remember the fierce fights I used to have with my brother. The horrible fights among my cousins also now seem fun. Today, I myself have two sons. When I conceived my second baby, everyone kept telling me that the elder one (2.5 years then) would become very possessive and would throw tantrums as he would feel jealous of the attention given to little one. Thankfully, by grace of God, little kiddo is not showing any of the signs many people warned me. In fact, he loves his little brother and boasts that he is his "Big Brother".

We did not work very hard but just kept in my few things in order to do the magic:

PREPARE HIM: Let your child know that the baby is coming well in advance so that it's not a surprise for him. This would also help you keep him cautious about the baby bump. My son was so excited about the baby in my tummy that he even used to play doctor-2 with me and pretend-cure the baby in mummy's tummy.

TELL HIM HE IS GOING TO BE BIG: All babies want to become big boys and girls. Teach him that he would become big brother as the baby come. Ask them that the little baby would be very small and he would need to help mummy in keeping him safe. It would also reduce your work a bit as he:she might help you pick those things when you do not want to get up.

ASK HIM TO TALK TO THE BABY IN WOMB: We all know that parents are advised to talk to baby in the womb to make that bond stronger. The same applies to elder sibling. Ask them once in a while to recite that new poem he learnt in school to the baby and tell him that baby liked it very much as it moved inside. My son used to ask me very frequently if the baby is moving and used to kiss my bump every now and then. He also used to assure the baby that he would be there to take care of him.

DO LET HIM KNOW THAT HE IS YOUR BEST BABY: Let your kid know that he is till your best baby and you live him the most. Kids always want to be the most loveable person on planet. I have been hugging my son and telling him that I love him. After the birth of his younger brother, I tell him that he is my most gorgeous baby and I love him most. Surprisingly, he then replies that the little baby is also my best baby and love him also. He looks so cute when he says that mummy now you have two boys.

PAY HIM A LITTLE EXTRA ATTENTION: While you are busy taking care of little one, do not let the elder one feel neglected. Actually, he now needs a bit extra attention. I now play more with him whenever I get time. He should know that nothing has changed with the arrival of another baby in house. Let him know time to time that he would have a friend to play with once the baby grows a bit big, all kids love friends.

While the above tips might not work all the time, some tweaks here and there would definitely make new parents life easier. With time, those innocent souls would become best of friends - remember, best friends are the ones with whom we quarrel the worst!

More articles on the subject can be found at link - Child and You

I am participating in the ‘Ready For Rewards’ activity for Rewardme in association with BlogAdda.

Kicks: A Cherished memory

“Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother.”

~ Lin Yutang

Motherhood is one right which can only be claimed by women. Unfortunately, men cannot feel the divine experience of moulding a life within themselves. If they had, they would understand the amount of emotions attached to the same. Right from the moment when a woman discovers that there is a life on its way and it is her own body which is going to be its creator, the seed of being a mother is implanted deep into her heart.

There are multiple stages of pregnancy and each stage brings its own set of emotions along with it. The most awaited stage is the one when the mother starts feeling that tiny life. It does not matter if the child is her first child or tenth child; the feeling of little soul moving right inside her is priceless. The emotions are always same. The only difference is that first time mothers are too anxious to feel and keep on waiting impatiently for the heavenly experience, while experienced mothers have some patience.

Poor fathers, they can only feel when they are lucky enough to be by mother’s side at the right time. I still remember the moment when my husband and brother felt the baby for the first time. My husband got a good kick on his ear and we still laugh out loud thinking about the same. My brother was terrified and he immediately took his hand away and was very afraid to feel it again!

I try to express my emotions I go through every time I felt my baby moving. The below lines shows only a part of feeling which is wonderful, amazing and surprising at the same time.

KICKS: A CHERISHED MEMORY

Those kicks when I am eating 
Those punches when I am working. 
Those strokes when I am resting, 
My soul is surprised when I am sleeping. 
  
A playground I feel, 
As those legs heel. 
Womb congests as ‘it’ deals, 
I wish all could all reel. 
  
It was on right just now, 
It slipped to left and I wonder how. 
It's moving, it's visible! 
It's funny as I capture, 
‘This’ moment of wow! 
  
Those tiny elbows and hands 
Those little knees and feet 
This delicate body 
Struggles inside me to find the space 
Reminds me so that it loves me 
So that I can smile 
And to make me feel blessed 
That I am never alone. 

I am sharing my #MemoriesOfMotherhood with Bio Oil and BlogAdda. This Mother’s Day check out the Yummy Mummy calendar and make a similar calendar of your own using the Bio Oil App.

The Day When I...

Who is the first person we think of calling or talking to when we are truly happy?

I bet this might have varied answers - Best friend, mother, father, husband, wife, and the list goes on.

Who is the first person we think of when we get hurt (even the slightest)? Let me rephrase the question. What is one word that comes out of our lips when when we  are hurt?

"Mummy", "Mom", "Maa", "Amma" and so on.

The difference is that all of them points to the same person - Our mother. Yes, picture this -

I hurt my knee/elbow  - I cry in pain - "mummy"

I am not well - I utter in dismay - "mummy"

I am frustrated - I shout in anger - "mummy"

I knew this truth right from the birth, but like every thing whose importance is realised when we do not have it any more, I realised how much I was dependent on my mother only when I went away from her. It was during the time I was in some other city for my first job when I used to return to my pg/hostel hungry and dying for food. All that I used to see on the table was cold food which I would never ever have put in my mouth if I was home. Many times, I literally shed tears thinking of mummy. When finally, I was back in my home town, I simply refused to relocate and choose to switch the company. I had just one liner answer to my manager - "When I get back home, There would be no one to say - "aa gai beta, hath muh dho le, mein khana daal deti hun" (baby, you have returned. Wash your hands and face till I serve the food for you). I even missed a big company because of this prolonged mom-sickness.

There are many such memories which I may recall with my mother. When I give a serious thought to the best ever memory I had with my mother, below instance rules my heart and mind:

Date: 7 April 2012

Time: Around 5:00 PM

Location: Labor Room

I was exhausted after almost twelve hours of gruesome pain, five hours of scoldings to push from nurses and doctors. My son was finally there and of-course I was happy. But the fact that I was confused was also true. While everyone was on cloud nine as they saw their next generation, I was completely lost for almost an hour.

Suddenly, the door opened and I saw my parents enter the room. I burst into tears the moment I saw them. I was crying uncontrollably. Everyone around me was trying to calm me down saying different things - "don't cry or your eyes would become week", "it's over, why are you crying", "don't cry, it's the time to smile now!".

All I could utter as my Mom held my hands was - "Itna late kyon aaye" (why did you come so late?). The room was filled with laughter on my innocent reply.

It was that moment I missed my mother the most. All I wanted in world at that time was to see her next to me. When I look back in time, I cal tell for sure that - 

The best memories with my mother and being a mother, both were when I became one and stepped into her shoes. That is the most cherished memory with my mother.

The moment I became a mother myself and saw my own mother, that was the moment when i realized that she is truly my first expert.

Let me put a smile again everyone's face. Below is the snapshot of my Facebook status after two days -

Also linking with:
I am sharing my #MemoriesOfMotherhood with Bio Oil and BlogAdda. This Mother’s Day check out the Yummy Mummy calendar and  make a similar calendar of your own using the Bio Oil App.

A Letter To My Son

Honesty is one virtue which everyone is always looking for in every person they meet. Need less to say, a bit of dis-honesty from our loved ones is heart- breaking.

When it comes to kids, every mother wants her child to be living and honest to her. All she wants from him is true love without any hidden motive.

I often think that time is not far when he would become independent and would not hug and kiss me as often. He would no longer piss me off and force me to play with him no matter how tired I am.

My kid is too small to read this or understand the meaning behind these words. I wish one day, he not only understands these lines, but also grow larger than them.

I still remember the day,

I found that you were on the way.

Not knowing what to do,

I followed my heart at every step.

As you free inside,

I wonder how would you look like.

As I felt you within me,

I danced with joy.

I love you,

Before I saw you.

I gave those creepy shows a miss,

As people said it would impact you.

I laughed more,

To keep you smiling.

When I saw you for the first time,

I kept looking at you.

I took a long look,

At your tiny fingers,

At your deep eyes,

At your kissable lips.

Droplet of pearl fell from my eyes,

I made sure it did not fell on you.

I remember clearly,

I could not have enough of you.

I played when you played,

I slept when you slept,

I smiled when you smiled,

I cried when you cried,

I also cried when you laughed,

When you kissed,

When you hugged.

Time is flying quickly,

You started crawling,

You stood on your feet,

But you still look for me,

When you wake up!

I wonder what do I want for you?

Some say, make him a doctor,

Some wish you earn the most.

You come and hug me,

Little arms cuddle my neck,

Cute lips kiss me cheeks,

And Then I know,

All I want for you is this.

I wish you stay as smiling,

I wish you stay as innocent,

I wish you stay as loving,

I wish you love as selfless.

You cry if you are sad,

You smile if you feel good,

You wonder when I become sad,

You play when I dance.

You fear if you feel creepy,

You cuddle if you feel loving.

Those expressions of love,

Those tears of hurt,

All are so pure,

So HONEST.

My heart ponders,

If you would stay the same?

My soul searches,

For the actions to be taken.

Great people have said,

Children are reflection of parents.

So true they are,

As you talk in sleep,

Exactly like me.

I keep my promises,

So that you learn to keep yours.

I tell you all truth,

So that you never learn to lie.

Sometimes my life,

I do not talk to you,

So that you never do so with me!

Yours honestly,

mummy :-* 

I am writing a letter about how a mother teaches honesty to her child with the Max Life Insurance i-genius #YoursHonestly activity in association with BlogAdda.

Look Down to Look Up!

Ever heard the story of an ant trying to crawl up a wall and falling down in numerous times? What does she do?

That tiny ant never gives up. Every time she falls down, she immediately starts all over again. She does it again and again until she has reached her hole or goal. This was probably the first story we ever heard on being hard work/positive attitude/Optimism.

Image Source

 As we grow up we tend to forget simple lessons of life and thus this simple moral as-well. Our mind need to be reminded repeatedly that all we need to do in order to be content is ‘keep faith’. As adults, we have a better example right in front of our eyes. As we become parents, our joy sees no bound of course. But, at the same time, we start ranting about the problems and extra responsibilities that come along with it. We complain about not having enough sleep, not having time for ourselves and so on.

In the midst of such chaos, what we fail to notice is the struggle of child. If we give a slightly deeper thought, we would agree that they are actually the bundle of inspiration all smiling and happy jumping around us. The little fragile mind starts its struggle right from its birth. As soon as it arrives in this world, it struggles to find that perfect way to take feed from its mother. Yes, many infants have problem doing this natural activity initially. Then, the poor souls cannot take care of themselves and are continuously struggling to keep themselves full, clean, wet and may be more. As soon as they start crying in the middle of night when they wet themselves, we generally get up all frustrated. What we forget is, that the feeling that cute little baby must be having. He/she is not able to bear the wetness and thus had no other option but to cry out loud. They are bound to behave same for all their issues.

As they grow, they have much bigger challenges ahead of them. They see all of us talking, walking, reaching things by ourselves. This is the time they behave exactly like the ant in our story. They rise and fall down. They bruise themselves. They do this until they are not able to stand on their feet and move them one by one. This can do attitude keeps on until they become us – the adults!

I so want to know why? Why can’t we keep that child alive within ourselves? Why are we afraid of consequences? Why do we ever stop trying? Why don’t we smile more? Why do we urge for larger than life happiness? Why do we allow those negative feelings to overtake us?

Image Source

Why do we not Look up? Need a tip? Look down – may be somewhere below your knees: The children.

Note: All images used are created by myself on my blog - Quotes