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Sunday 24 July 2016

Contest Giveaway : The most Joyous part of Parenting--- Your story... Your Confession


bloggers contest


Giving birth to a baby is the biggest joy of life. There is nothing more satisfying than holding a baby with tiny hands and fingers. Those little bundles of joy make us forget all the problems in the world.


We are creating an opportunity for mothers who take care of their babies as well as their family to pen down their experiences and share with fellow mommies.


I look forward to listen to your stories and your moments of parenting. We all share a common bond of parenting. I intend to create a platform for mothers to share their joy and sorrow and in addition to that earn Rewards too.



I invite entries to be written on "The most Joyous part of Parenting". You can write about your experiences and any particular moment with the baby which you will cherish forever.

Entry should be of minimum 400 words and  need to be sent to us latest by 15 Aug 2016.


Ofcourse, winners will be receiving gift coupons for their efforts and all the posts will be posted on .our blogger website and Facebook Page.

This is a great opportunity for all wonderful mothers to express their feelings and share their own unique stories.

Dont forget to send your post to confessionsbymommy@gmail.com latest by 15th Aug 2016.

2 winners will be announced on 20 Aug 2016.

Dont  forget to :

1) Write your own unique story

2) Minimum word limit: 400 words

3) Check your story for any grammatical errors

4) If possible add your pictures.

Happy writing !!!


Tuesday 19 July 2016

Men vs. Women


Or rather we should say Mars vs. Venus. A lot has been said. A lot of jokes are spreading laughter and lots of rumors are making rounds. One thing is common and that is the sensitive topic and that is on Women.

Recently, Mrs. funny bones lashed out by writing a wonderful blog which targeted the particular category of people in society whose views are quite misogynist. Check out her article here.

Twinkle Khanna
Mrs Funny Bones


To face such like minded people, we don’t need to look out there in the world. Mrs. Funny bones, very informatively, pointed out all those people in power and part of the ruling group of our country, whose opinions and actions very much prove their belief of misogyny.

Even though Kalpana Chawla reached Moon, Indira Gandhi took control of the largest democracy in the world, Mary Kom brought bronze to India from Olympics, Sania Nehwal making India proud, Malala Yusufzai from Pakistan being the youngest Nobel prize winner at the age of 17 and many many women out there breaking all the orthodox notions of keeping a women behind a veil.

These women have proved themselves and showed the world what they are capable of. There are the ones who are balancing out what ever life throws at them and proving themselves with their outstanding achievements.  But what they get in return ---- Criticism, preconceived opinion and demotivation and body shaming. Everything worked according to the comfort zone of society. Mrs. Funny bones mentioned Serena Williams who was also a victim of body shaming and that too on tennis ground. I may ask now whether people really came to see her game or to judge her body. She hasn’t proved herself and won accolades because of her fit body but because of her outstanding skills of playing tennis.

I remember an incident while in school; one of the girl quit playing basketball because her father didn’t want her to wear short skirts or shorts and display her legs. Now I wonder how beautiful boy’s legs seem and shorts must be banned for boys keeping in mind the dreadful view of dense hair on their legs. Isn’t that a torture to the audience who are getting a view of sweaty armpits out of their vests when their arms are up scoring a point to make their team win?  Am I body shaming? Oops !!
No, we will never do that. It’s only the women who end up being traumatized by this so called men dominated society. Right from the time we attain puberty, we are being taught not to talk about it loudly in front of father or brother or any male member of the family. It is considered as a taboo and not accepted positively in the society though this biological aspect of women’s body is actually the sole reason of growing population. I wonder if doctors also behaved the same way and we had different hospitals especially with male and female doctors respectively.

How much liberal our society may become, they will keep imposing certain rules on women, no matter how much talented they are.  In the end, I would ask people who are reading this to discuss openly with your kids that there is no difference in being a boy and a girl. If a boy can reach the moon, a girl is also not left behind.



She can achieve anything and everything and will continue to do so.

Wednesday 13 July 2016

Reached the big Milestone 30

"What is this fuss all about? Whats so great about being 30? Its not about the numbers but how do you feel inside your heart."

This is something I used to brag about to myself. ofcourse, I was in my early 20's then and was so full of life. yes, I am full of life now too but things were definitely different then. I was a free bird learning to fly, free to fall and rise again. I was free to explore anything anytime of the day. I was a dreamer trying to see my dreams into the reality in coming years. I had just gotten out of the college and was trying to adapt in the world to sustain my life.

 I was as chirpy as I could, I was as carefree which I am not now. I had a bunch of few friends who were centre of my world and we made funny plans to settle down all together in one house and live together forever. Little did we know that reality is too far away and has gone for holiday for some years but will surely come back on our face.

And It hit me rather sweet way. I got married at 25 and had a baby at 26. Pretty fast!!!  And my life took a turn upside down. My energy levels started to come down. I was not as enthusiastic as before. I had no aspirations left for myself. I started living for a tiny life which has come in this world and needed to be nurtured.
parenting, women, Milestone, 30
Best four !!



But in the process I lost myself and nobody cared to shook me. As the baby grew up, I started to reconnect with myself. I started to explore options which could satisfy my career craves (word invented by me) and yes I was able to explore some opportunities which I could do from my home itself. As time passed by, I realised my true calling. I started to do things to enjoy rather than making an obligation from myself. I rediscovered my interest in reading and writing and wiped the dust off from my books and diaries.

Now when I look into the mirror, I see a confident woman with a charm on her face and she is not scared to take decisions for herself. Yes, her skin is not as clear as it used to be and she has got some dark patches on her rather flawless face but there are face creams available in the market to her rescue.

But  does that really matter now? Reaching this big milestone has taught me an important lesson of my life. And that is not to worry about the appearance too much (Mind me- I didnt say Never ;-) ) It is the heart of the person which makes him worth. Now I spend more time to improve my knowledge by reading and connecting with like minded people rather than spending hours in front of the mirror.
Now I enjoy solitude. I am not scared of going out alone nor do I find it funny spending time all alone.

In short, after reaching this milestone, I see myself as a strong woman who is ready to face any obstacle and is not scared to face the world all alone.

Parenting Mistakes I am Never Going to Repeat

I always believed that a first time mother doesn’t need to be taught on how to raise a new born. Of Course, there are apprehensions at first but I can never doubt a mother's capability of raising a child. 

Only a mother has a sixth sense of knowing when a baby is hungry or when he wants to play or rather go to sleep. My baby is part of me and I felt restless if he was not with me even for 5 minutes.

Now he is 4.5 years old and when I look back at journey of raising him from a baby to a toddler to a preschooler now, I feel overwhelmed. But I also look at those mistakes which I wish I could revert. But it’s better to learn from the mistakes rather than regretting them.

1) One thing which I am definitely going to try with my second (If I change my mind *wink*), I will withdraw the habit of using a bottle to drink milk. One major disadvantage was that he loved to suck milk out of his bottle that he always preferred it instead of fruits and vegetables when he was hungry. Breakfast, lunch, Dinner- whatever it is, he never ate anything to feed his hungry stomach but his last resort was milk bottle- always.

He left using bottle for milk after almost 4 years and I could see his interest in food to satisfy his hunger pangs. How much I regret for not taking the effort earlier!!

2) Another mistake was not just neglecting, but I totally forgot about the oral care aspect of a baby when his first tooth emerged.  And now when he is 4.5years old and has decayed his front teeth, I learnt the importance of oral care in babies and toddlers. I realized this when Dentist explained the effects of prolonged sucking of milk bottle and how it can decay the toddler's teeth if we don’t clean or wipe the teeth after every bottle. 

As per the dentist, we should start wiping and cleaning the first tooth of the baby to avoid any decay due to deposit of milk and sugar.

3) When I started solid with my baby, I was always scared and tried my best to give him smoothest of texture while preparing his food. As per his paed, once a baby is 6 months old and has started to munch on carrot sticks, we should not have a thumbs rule on what to feed him and what not to. I always decided on my own terms small tummy will be able to digest something or not. How I wish, I could have been more experimental and exposed hi to vast variety of food. 


4) Last thing which I am still trying to inculcate in my son is a schedule of sleep and wakeup time. I wish I could realize the importance of setting a schedule as early as possible. However, it’s never too late. I am sure one day I will make him stick to his bed time schedule. 


Wednesday 29 June 2016

A trip without Husband and Kiddo

I happened to go on a 2 day trip to Mcleodganj and this trip was without the kiddo accompanying me. He stayed back at his nani's place along with his Mausi and Mama. Initially we (Me and his dad) both were quite apprehensive about the idea but we managed to come over our fear. And here I was in Mcleodganj without my husband and the kiddo.

Trust me, it was one of the best trips I had in recent past only because I could be all myself and did whatever I wanted to. There was no one to take care of and I was as carefree as I could be. Initially I was skeptical about my feelings but gradually took control over my feelings when I went through this unforgettable trip with people I never expected to go along with.
Dalai Lama, Monastry
Mausaji, Papa and me (L to R)


Though this was not a planned vacation but it was a trip to a beautiful hill station to visit a Tibetan Ayurvedic doctor. This was a short 2 day trip worth memorable for a life time. My group was the most unusual one - we 4 from the same family and everyone without their partner. And we were amazed and thrilled after realizing that. 
Hills, Mcleodganj
Papa, Sagar and ofcourse Me :)



The best part of the trip was I didn’t have to worry about the comfort of a kid. I didn’t have to worry about a glass of milk every morning and evening. There was no fuss of food in breakfast, lunch or dinner. I didn’t have to take care of kid's demand of their particular food (Yes, they can ask for chapatti and dal in the mountains which they never have at home). I could try every kind of bizarre or rather local food at an absurd corner cafe or street side food without having to worry about the quality of outside food. I could experiment with any kind of food being all alone.
Breakfast
Yummiest breakfast


The major attraction of all the cafe and hotels there was availability of a local mini library. You could just go to the cafe, order a ginger lemon honey tea, and sit back and relax reading your favorite book and a view of deodar covering the mountains. Being along with the kiddo, I could not have enjoyed this luxury and same with hubby who has opposite interests to mine when it comes to reading books. 
Love reading, Books
Love Books



I could roam around in the market being carefree without having to run after the kiddo who can be extra naughty in the market. I didn’t have to worry about listening to the demands of everything those small eyes see. It hardly matters why they want but main reason they want something is because they like to see it. 

I could just relax my mind without having to worry about my lil kiddo having a good and comfortable time. When I go to for vacations with him, all I have in my mind is whether kiddo is hungry, if he is tired or sleepy, or to make it worse when he wants to roam around when I am too tired.  And the hit point is when kiddo wants to go back home and it is still 2 days to go for vacations to end. 
Vacations


I could go for a trek or walk over steep hills enjoying the walk. On the other hand, along with the kid, I and dear hubby would have been taking turns while carrying the kiddo on our shoulders to ease stress on their little feet. And who in this world enjoys this kind of trek over the mountains. If you happen to come across someone like this, do let me know. It will make me feel better and I might consider taking the kiddo on my next solo vacation. OOpS !!!


Sunday 26 June 2016

60 --- Really a number of retirement

As I grew, I knew that at the age of 60, people retire from their work or job. During morning assembly in school, we clapped for teachers who were retiring and saw them recieving bouquets of flowers and happily giving a speech. (Though we never cared for a word they said, it was always a pain in ass to stand under the scorching heat of sun).  As time passed by, I learnt that we do some savings to live our post retirement life without any tension.

As people retire, most of them already have their grandchildren and they dream of spending life playing those little kids. they try to match their energy levels but stop running after a shorter while holding their aching knees. This phase of life is truely relaxing in every sense. One gets to see the ripened fruit which they have sown during one's youth.
Retirement, Life
Influencer

I met a retired English teacher during a 10 day's long workshop.

She is a smart and elegant woman who was attending this workshop. When I talked to her, my outlook of retirement was totally changed. She never had expected the conventional pot retirement life. When I got a chance to chat with her, I got to know that she has enrolled herself for a counselling programme through a long distance course and along with that she was here to teach spoken English to the underpriviledged people. She just could not sit idle at home. Her idea of life was to continously learn and contribute towards the society.

I was forced to contemplate my thoughts after talking to her. After that, everyday when I saw her in the morning during that workshop, I could feel a positive mindset in her spirit. I went through a picture of retired people taking a walk in the park. Till now I had this kind of image of retired people in my mind ---- relaxng, eating and sleeping at home, going for a stroll in the park along with a bunch of retired men and laughing over silly matters or discussing and having heated debates over politics.
But their learning curve has just stopped.

I learnt the true meaning of the phrase- "Learning is a continous process" only ecause of this lady. She taught me that age is never a matter of concern but the main point is how we go on in the life.

As they say - Life goes on, but its upto you where you take it.

First Day of volunteering

As I entered the narrow and busy lanes of Sangam Vihar, I was scared. I was disappointed. Those lanes were very scary. There were shabby people sitting on the pavement, Thela valas standing here and there and staring with their round and brown eyes. They had blank expression and were staring fearlessly straight into our eyes.

It was a dreadful walk towards our NGO and last stretch which we crossed was a small by lane covered with garbage and mosquitoes and flies showing a scene to your vision.

With a heavy breath and hands covering our mouth and nose, we finally reached our destination. it was a worn out building with patches of paint left on the walls describing a modern art. Our NGO was in the basement of this building and we came across a black wrought iron gate and as we tried to push it open, we realized that it was locked. Hands of my watch striked exactly at 9 and we were surprised not to find anyone there. The moment I was dialing supervisor's number, We saw a lady who is the coordinator of this NGO, walking towards us. She opened the lock with a guilty smile as if she has been caught stealing something.

Finally the moment arrived and we entered our classroom and were greeted by two girls in their shy voice. Though they were hesitant while talking to us but their face reflected a determination to learn to speak English and achieve something in life. As we were interacting with them, more students started to come into the classroom and finally we had a group of 8 learners ready to embark their journey of learning to speak English.

Shenaz, who is my buddy for this project, and I started the session with full enthusiasm and were able to break the silence. eventually learners started  to overcome their shyness and started to respond in English and started to interact as well. They were eager to form sentences in English and we helped them to convey their thoughts in English which actually boosted their confidence.

Teach India


We spent around 2 hours with them and during those 2 hours, we forgot the struggle we faced in the morning to reach this place. At the end of the session, our sweetest reward was smile on th face of our learners and determination in their heart to be self dependent in their lives.