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Showing posts from December, 2016

Is Your Breakfast Giving You The Benefits It Should?

This is a sponsored post for Quaker Oats and was first published on MyCity4Kids.com Ah, breakfast – a meal that we enjoyed as children, tried to skip as adolescents, have practically no time for as adults; and yet, swear by, as parents! Growing up we have all heard our parents insist that we have breakfast first thing in the morning if we have to be healthy; but it is only when we become parents ourselves that we actually understand the importance of it. It is only as a parent that we even begin to appreciate the benefits of not skipping breakfast in the morning! But of course, by then, our children have grown up and decided they aren’t interested in breakfast anymore. The truth is that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and has long term health benefits that are second to none. And among the many benefits of breakfast, the most important ones are – Breakfast gives our brain and body, the fuel it needs to face the day. Breakfast provides the es

The Air We Breathe Is A Gift, Let’s Make It Pure!

This is a sponsored post for Eureka Forbes AeroGuard and was first published on MyCity4Kids.com  There was a wedding in the family last week; and while I had to give it a miss because of my little one’s exams, my parents and extended family attended and enjoyed it! What’s more, the wedding was at my native place, a little village in northern Karnataka, where agriculture is the main source of livelihood. So after the wedding, my brother and cousins spent a day picnicking in our sugarcane fields; breathing in the fresh, dry air that my native is famous for; and sent me such amazing pictures that had me longing for my ancestral village and that picnic! Really, I so wanted my little one to be able to enjoy that clean, crisp air from our fields too! But alas, I am the city mouse and my little one unfortunately breathes air that is polluted way too much. With an apartment close to a busy road and now because of the advent of winters, there is constant smoke and particulate matt

Mum, Dad And The Surreal Sweetness Of The Afternoon Nap

I am on vacation this week. Okay, strictly speaking, my little one has school holidays and I am at Mum's; having a wonderful time despite working from home! Travelling over the weekend, I was totally stressed about the work week and how I was going to manage work and meet my deadlines. The only blessing was that I knew I wouldn't have to worry about my little one during this time. But I also knew I would be working through the week, much to my parents' dismay. But then again, what choice do we worker bees have! And so it was that the Monday morning dawned after Christmas. After my brother left for his work, me and my little one had breakfast with Mum and Dad; and then, even as they were still chatting, updating me on the status of my various cousins and aunts and uncles, trading latest wedding gossip and generally bringing me up-to-date on the family trivia, my little one got busy sketching and I fired up my laptop. I could see the sadness on Mum's fa

7 Things You Can Relate To If You Are Raising A Reader

Okay, first off, you are really lucky if you have a little budding reader at home! Take a bow; you are one of those rare parents who have succeeded in inculcating a love for reading in your little one; giving him a gift for life! You are also one of those exceptional parents, who not only appreciate the beauty and the significance of words, but are benevolent enough to let your little ones appreciate the magnificence of the world of words too! And this benevolence on your part entitles you to the front row seat to some of the rarest (and sometimes the quirkiest) child behaviour! Yes, as a parent intent on raising a reader, you belong to that special group extraordinary parents who get to witness the some really peculiar behaviour in your little ones! Wondering what I am talking about? Well, see for yourself – Yours is probably the only child on the block who asks for lemonade, marshmallows and midnight snacks! If you happen to meet my mom (try not to, for your own sake,

Is a clean home more important than your child’s happiness?

Click…attach…send…there, the pic was gone! Swati had just sent her husband a picture on whatsapp. It was a beautiful landscape sketched by their seven-year old. It was a masterpiece, if she said so herself. The boy surely had talent! Swati smiled as she saw the two blue ticks appear in the corner of the sent pic, indicating that Tarun had seen it. “My goodness, this is amazing!” came back the instant reply. “Yep!” she replied with a smiley; and then, “but he has a class test tomorrow, he has not studied for that! :(“ she sent the next message feeling guilty for not making Adi spend more time on studies. But Tarun promptly replied, “Oh, Swats, please don’t worry about the test, he will have that under control, I know; but seriously, I am just happy you see to it that you expose Adi to so many different things and help him discover his talents and interests….”  That evening, Adi was waiting for Dad to come see his beautiful picture! And as the bell rang, he rushed with it

Can Personal Hygiene Be Taught In A Fun Way? You Bet, It Can!

Remember when we were in school? I am talking about the time over a decade earlier – when we went to a school that was the closest to home and was known to have a good reputation (or sometimes, just didn’t charge too much in fees, as no parents had much money to spare for the same). We would mostly walk to school, right? School buses were for the big, fancy schools that we couldn’t afford. So there we were, walking to school, in our nicely pressed uniform (the only other uniform set drying on the clothesline); and carrying our books and tiffin boxes with us in those old fashioned school bags. PE period was for exercise once a week and for play the other two days. And recess was for us to have our snacks! There were no restrictions on junk food then as junk food wasn’t as big a part of our diet anyway, and most of us would go straight from the PE period to the snack break at least three days a week. Of course, we would be told to wash our hands before food; but who had the tim