Partee Time :D

hey again everybody :) yea I know posting really soon, but I have had so much fun this week, just had to let you all know... 3 b'day parties, x-mas parties and a trip to the Railway Museum...

2 of my friends celebrated their b'day's at school. And the cake that was cut was regular wheat flour cake so I wasn't allowed to eat it. But I did get to eat chips, lots of it. So much that I did not eat my snack. And I managed to eat half a biscuit, much to mum's horror..but she can relax as I did not like it very much. After that everyday she's asking if I have tummy ache and pressing my tummy to check for lumps.. which is such a pain.

B celebrated her 4th b'day at the club which was so much more cooler. huge garden to play + huge rice cake and made so many new friends. The theme was the jungle, the cake and invite had all my fav animals. As soon as the cake was cut, I insisted mum pick out the elephant and i took him home with me. He was really sweet to taste too...but meanie mum did not let me eat it. But I was having way too much fun to complain. I played football for the first time too with B's older brother and his friends and totally loved it. I was stuffed with cake and ate it for 3 whole days :D . B is a very special friend, my first friend...ever since I was a few months old. There was only one balloon at the party as aunty in a hurry had left the bag with the balloons at her home. So there was this huge scramble for it. But I got it and did not let it go...gave it only to B and we shared the balloon amongst us...with mum making sure none of the other girls snatch it away from B's hands. One of the girls wanted to burst the balloon, and was trying very hard to do it. She even got B to light a match stick, but mum caught her in the nick of time.

Went to the first x'mas party (my very first one) at nani's club and came back with a smug look on my face :P. Met so many children there, made new friends, saw the older kids playing musical chairs . I even told mum to leave me here and go home in one of the cars parked there. she just kept coming in my way. not letting me go off to the grounds and play with the older kids...apparently deep in the woods snakes reside and B and I wanted to check out their home and cover the hole of the mould with big stones. Well actually B wanted to ... but I'll go along with anything she wants to do :P . Spoil sport mum! The best part was the gifts that I got from Santa. All of us were asked to stand in a line youngest to the oldest. Me being me refused to get in line, get out of mum's godi :D...but I still got my gift a story book... I just love them :). They played jingle bells, my fav song ever and had yum rice cake! Yes I stiffed my self like crazy... An aunty was distributing home made chocolates to everybody. I got mine too, but mum kept it in my bag even before I could see what it was. It was wrapped on shiny red and sliver paper...looked so tempting that i remembered to take it out as soon as we reached home and held on to it. The result was that it melted, I wiped my hands on my dress, and licked my fingers. Man it tasted sooo good...had to disagree with mum, when she told me I would get a tummy pain as it does not taste good. Mum really does not know anything does she! All she was thinking about was my blue dress which had patches of chocolate on it..well she did say something about allergies..what ever they are.

My school also celebrated x'mas day, before closing( yes I have my x'mas vacation, and mum is going crazy :P), but it was really boring. Also went to B's school's annual day function, and was bored again cause B was busy on stage and I couldn't meet her. Did enjoy the dance that the kids did on Mauja Mauja. One of the boys also played the Jingle Bells on his casio. All in all it was OK, not that great. Since the Hall did not have a loo( at least mum couldn't find one), I had my first experience of our mother earth and boy did I enjoy it! Going to pee became the most exciting event of the evening, until mum decided enough was enough and took me back home. Spoil Sport!

Mum took me to the Railway Museum on Saturday ( yes I do know the week days and that Sat & Sun are holidays :-D ). Initially I refused to get down from mum's godi, but one look at the park there, the slide..I was off in a giffy. And then there was this toy train, which was simply amazing. I got 2 rounds on it, we even went through a tunnel :D. And oh, I even went to feed the fishes at Cauvery River. It was so much fun watching the fishes dance around to grab the food ball, and finish it off really quick.

I'm having an awesome time, mum says we are going back to the Railway Museum with B and this time she will not forget the camera. And nani says that we'll go to feed the fish every week,I also have a new year party to go to, so it looks like I'm going to have a great holiday and

Happy Holidays Everybody and a Happy New Year!

Feel like a Star! :-)

I'd be flying right now if i could :)

Thank you Apar and Amrutha, for this beautiful Proximade award.

This award is given to a blog that invests and believes in PROXIMITY – nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award

Thank you Indian Home Maker for this lovely Butterfly.. for a cool blog, never did I think that I'd be called cool after becoming a mum :)

Thank you Mapreet for the Certified Honest Blogger Award


The Trophy Cup by Amrutha, Thank you girl!


IHM again for giving me the award that makes me go smug. Its a great feeling to know that in spite of the dirty politics there still are people who irrespective of their boundaries have one common goal.
May their tribe increase!

Pass on all the awards with great pleasure to, most have already received these awards, but that by no means is a deterrent.

Apar
IHM
Roop
Manpreet
Santosh
Raji
Monika
Suki
Priyanka
Amrutha
Serendipity
Mystic Margarita
Thought Room
Army guy

Blogging is an addiction. Like that daily cup of coffee, I have to check my mail, check blog updates.. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would win awards for blogging! Appreciation for writing straight from my heart; for baring my soul and making new friends along the way. I'm touched, honored & speechless that Manpreet, Apar, Amrutha and Indian Home Maker thought of me..

Will be putting up the links soon, if in the mean time, you check this post, please do consider the award.

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Nana ki chamchi kaun?

Main!

I have to sit on his lap when he has his breakfast. Lunch and dinner he is excused, simply because I fall asleep in mum's godi when they are all eating. I eat from his plate. He drops me to school, and he has to pick me up. Even if mum comes, I always ask for him. Thanks to me he is home on time...no early for lunch. I can never have enough of the car rides.

Mum says I have changed a lot. Grown taller, isn't that supposed to happen? All the new clothes I got for my b'day are very close to becoming small.

I totally love my day care now...can't miss it even for a day. So much so that mum has become to dread the weekends, that she used to enjoy so much. Ha! Like it makes a difference to me :P

Since I can climb up and down the stair by myself without holding on to anything or anybody, I run out the house as soon as I am up and have to be dragged screaming back inside.

I used to hate getting my feet dirty, wouldn't walk barefoot on the grass & the drive way, wouldn't enter the sand pit and insist on my feet being cleaned immediately at school. Now I can go barefoot everywhere. I love the feel of sand, dirt, concrete, tarred road and the mushy wet grass.

I have even begun to let mommy tie my hair up in a pony tail and yes, they are pulled off as soon as nana picks my up after school.

Love ringa-ringa roses, nani teri morni ke and ba ba black sheep... but the movie songs are still my fav. Mama has become very smart these days. He usually used to channel surf, always moving one level up now he just jumps to the channel he wants to watch. Simply because if any music channel comes on, he cannot watch anything else.. see ...I taught him to something which even mum and nani could not get him to do!

Rules of the house are as follows:

1. Anytime nana or mama come home in the car, I have to get a ride from the gate till they park the car.
2. Any time they leave, I still have to say bye and watch the car drive away.
3. No body can leave without kissing me good bye.
4. I will eat what you are eating, so you better watch out, if you do now want me to eat something, cause it ain't gonna happen if I see the forbidden food on your plate!
5. When mum's mobile rings I have to find it and give it to mum, never mind that by the time I get it, it stops ringing.
6. anytime you take a pic of me, you better show me that photo that very instant.
7. When I am around, mum should stay away from the laptop.
8. If mama is working on the comp and I need to watch my rhymes, he has to move the instant he is asked to.
9. I supervise the cleaning at home. Even show the maid how it is to be done. I do the same in nana's office too.
10. I decide the footwear I will wear.
11. Once I have gone to sleep, mum has one hour as her buffer time, she better come to bed then, I don't cry that much.

We went to Bangalore for a week, few days back and attended so many weddings. I met so many of my cousins, uncles and aunts. I was so confused! I just remembered the babies. And the car would play all my fav songs.. I got some wonderful gifts too. Santosh Mama gave me this cool Nursery Rhymes CD set. We also went to the supermarket with Pria didi and Raji mausi. Of course since mum was carrying me all the way there, Raji mausi was carrying her purse and I was making sure that she didn't run away with it. I found this cute baby doll there and sweet Raji mausi bought it for me. That of course made me really happy. I was really grumpy cause nana left me alone with mum and total strangers in a strange place and went away. Mama happened to be nearby, came to cheer me up for a few minutes cause nana told him I was really upset.

The baby doll is my baby. I feed it, apply cream, and even make the baby go su-su.. The 4 CD's are M.I.N.E. It was given to me and are mine alone. No body has the right to touch them. I can play with them as I please. After seeing them like a hundred times, I play catch with them, love to see the light reflect off them and they should always be near me.

I'm a big girl now, and I have to eat by my self. Rice, curds, dosa, idli, fruits.... aappi aappi. I'd love to cook it too only meanie mum does not allow me near the gas. But I stilllike to be carried by mum and nana. I love to see the moon and stars and go looking for them even during the day.

I'm also speaking words and picking them up really fast, but all say that ki main thoda tutlati hun... mum and nana are not worried but mama and nani are and they are planning to take me to dr. jag...lets see how that goes..

And did I tell you...I absolutely love footwear. Not just mine, but everybody's at home. I'm always wearing mum's and nani's sandals (which has a in a real tizzy cause mum wears her's all the time :P ) I don't spare nana and mama's shoes too. I can very easily identify their clothes and footwear, something mum and nani have not been able to do so ever!

Happy Christmas and New Year's in advance everybody. Mum is planning to take me to the club here, hopefully we will have a blast and not trouble her by staying in her godi all the time, like I did at the weddings. But they should have good music playing. Else there will be trouble in paradise !

Muah! Byeeeeeee.....

Too much Love?

Chubby cheeks and rabbit teeth, that is my imp. Just like her mama. And like him, her cheeks too get pulled and kissed by every tom, dick and harry. Till I got rude and pointedly told people - relatives, friends and total stranger to stop. Wasn't easy being rude, but it was getting out of hand with one aunt waiting to bite her cheeks.

Today whenever she wants to show her love and affection towards anybody, she pulls their cheeks and plants a kiss on the cheek, to adults and children alike. She loves kids, all are babies to her, irrespective of their age. She wants to hold them, kiss them, hug them... wants her mum to carry them. That is the one time that does not mind not being in my godi. Unlike other children who get possessive of their mothers when they carry or touch other kids, mine just loves it and wants me to carry them and cries when the kid is returned to the mother.

In her school, there are 3 kids younger to her. A 6 month, a 8 month and a year old kid. All with chubby cheeks. She is nuts about them. Always hugging and kissing them. The 1 year old took the longest time to adjust in the school and he is her fav. She is always running after him to hug and kiss him. Last week he kept running scared form her and she kept trying to pull him. She finally yanked him and planted a kiss on his cheek, only with her teeth, forming an "O" the front 4 teeth. Since the teachers know her affection for the younger ones, it was handled with explanation as to how she had hurt the kid. Since the child stays there till 6 pm, the mark had vanished withhte help of ice and the parents were not worried.

Yesterday, she does the same thing again, only harder, a perfect round. Deep dark red line. Thank fully no blood. And this time the teacher, hit her on her lips lightly, scolding her. All she wanted to do was kiss the child and again she was strong. I was least amused by imp's actions. The teacher was consoling me saying that its a small issue, bigger things happen with kids in a kiddie school. And the fact that they know she is nuts about babies esp. him! And this time his parents were not amused either. I know I would have been very upset too. Tomorrow I apologize to them, even if I have to reach early, cause I missed them today. And gave a bottle of Entrops at school, that will surely help.

My prayer is that she does not become a bully. That little boy is so scared of her or rather her affection. And everyday I'm going to hope I get no complaints about her.

Hope, Faith & Fear...

Motherhood introduced me to a gamut of emotions. One of them is Fear. I have never been paranoid or afraid of anything. But this bundle of joy showed me what it means to be paranoid and scared.

It was while checking out schools and day care that a facet of the fear slapped me in the face. Turns out that children having single mothers, divorced parents is a very common thing. And its the norm that the child is in the custody of the mother. Also common is the father & his parents and relatives turning up at the school to meet the child, without the mothers knowledge or permission, irrespective of having visitation rights. I was informed in detail the kinds of measures taken to ensure that the child is not in unwanted hands. " What if they feed the child something or take the child away without our knowing... what if something happens to the child! " this thought spoken out aloud by one of the managers in a school, chilled me to the bone. Needless to say I have strict instructions at her school, and am always testing them to see if they follow through.

And now I know another kind of deep rooted fear. All thanks to the Mumbai Mayhem. I'm terrified of taking her out anywhere. Keep thinking what if it was us in one of the rooms. What would I have fed her for 3 days. Would we have been lucky? My bag always has different foods for her, a snack and a fruit. I always keep a little extra. She always eats every 2 hours, so she is forever munching. During the mayhem, we had to attend a wedding at Lalit Mahal Palace Hotel, I was petrified. Would they think of attacking another city while one was under siege? What kind of security is in place? And it is then I realized, that I had lost my faith in the government, in the system.

Why was there such a huge intelligence failure? Why is there no crisis management in place? Why are our armed forces paid a pittance while our leaders are paid the sky? Is there no competent person who can be an effective, responsible and sensitive people's representative in the real sense? All of us need and ensure that our homes are secure, our leaders go to enormous lengths to ensure that they and their homes have high levels of security. Why can the same not be done for the land that we live in, for the country that we live in? Why do the leaders shy away from their job? Our leaders have a responsibility towards us, the very people who elected them in place. It is because of their high-handedness, insensitivity and uncaring attitude that our country in such a pathetic condition. The British started the divide and rule policy, and our politicians have perfected it.

And brings me to the most important question, that has been on my mind ever since it started. Who do I vote for now? I don't understand how a 49-O will help, except to ensure that no proxy vote happens.

A crazy thought ? -- Is it possible that the earlier Mumbai train blasts and the Bangalore blasts were trail runs, to check the response time?

I have lost all faith, yet have a glimmer of hope that this will not be repeated. I want to give my daughter a secure life, not just from me, but also from our country electives. How long does one stay cooped up at home, not venturing at any public space. How long does one live in terror and fear. All of us have to die one day, but a death forced upon like this is terrible. Living in fear is equally terrible. The terrorists set out to put fear in us, they might have succeeded for a bit but no way can they ingrain it in us, so that we stop living.



In loving memory of those who gave their lives so that many more could live. May their soul rest in peace.






And salutes to all the rescuers. and for all those who do not vote, are not registered, Jaago Re. Lets do something, go and vote. Each one of us can make a difference. India needs it.

So what does she eat?

I totally love junk food, street food. Burgers, Pizzas, Pani Puri, Bhel...I could live on it. When preg, every week I had to have Pani puri's at the near by stall. All this came to an end when I had my baby, with confinement and a strict diet. During my pregnancy, Uncle Jag had told me repeatedly, good quality breast milk is best for the baby, and breastfeed till 3 years max, this will build the baby's resistance power and he/she will rarely fall sick. I could only drop my jaw at the thought of breastfeeding till 3 years. Little did I realize, how close I would come to actually doing it.

When the first rashes started appearing I dismissed them as air borne an air borne allergy(using my new found intelligence form the books that I read) as a new born child does get affected by it. At 10 days old one does not expect something drastic. And the pediatrician wasn't worried either. 15 days old and it gets worse. The rashes have distinctive characteristics. There we 2 kinds of rashes. The first on her front(upper torso) and back, small transparent ones. From far they looked like water droplets. The second kind were scary. Boil like in clusters in folds of her skin. The pediatrician dismissed them as air borne rashes or due to the washing soap and detergent. And prescribed Neosporin, the surgical ointment. He also instructed us to stop her oil massages, as it could become worse. We started washing her clothes with reetha, still no change. And there was no way I was going to use surgical ointment on my baby.

Respite came in the form of Uncle Jag. He was not in Mysore. He did not see her when he made his diagnosis, but he was bang on target. He described the second type of a rash when I described the first over the phone. Lactose Intolerant. To say I was shattered is putting it mildly. I was having 3 glasses of milk in a day, as supposedly having fluids increases the breast milk. Immediately stopped having all milk products. Detoxification of my body for 10 days, and Entorps application for my imp. Took another 15 days for the rashes to clear out.

Lactose intolerance is the impaired ability to digest lactose (the naturally occurring sugar in milk). The enzyme lactase is needed to digest lactose, and a few children and many adults do not produce sufficient lactase to digest the milk sugar.

Curds is safe to have, because the lactose in the milk precursor is converted to lactic acid by the bacterial culture. The reduction of lactose bypasses the affected individuals' need to process the milk sugar themselves.

I started having LactoBascillius Acidophilus supplements and increased my intake of curds. Curds made from organic milk( milk from cows untouched by hormones or pesticides induced food) only. The packet milk/curds are terrible and worsened her condition. Switched to Soy milk and Ensure to ensure I get my required nutrients. To reconfirm the diagnosis, I tried half a glass of coffee, when she was 5 months old, the rashes started appearing again. Curds also has a higher content of calcium and today she loves her curds..

Every evening around 6 pm, my imp would start crying like clock work. And the crying would continue till next morning 6 AM. Only when held in the position of burping would she stop crying. The pediatrician prescribed colic drops, saying all babies get colicy, its natural. I didn't want to give her drops, and went back to Uncle Jag, who asked me to stop having wheat. Anything with wheat was out. Daliya, Laddoos, rotis, parathas, upma. I had to rethink my whole diet. My baby was diagnosed having Wheat/Gluten Intolerance. This happens when the intestines cannot digest the components of wheat. And with all the wheat I was eating, the gluten was solidifying in her intestines causing her pain & constipation. Uncle Jag had to manipulate & move the gluten further down her intestines. Watching this being done on a 3month baby is painful. Another thing that we did was Beetle Leaf compress. Take a leaf, heat the smoother side on a lit diya and apply on the stomach. Leave it overnight. We did this for about a month. And detoxified my body again. I became gluten intolerant too, just never realized it. So all products that contained wheat and gluten were removed from my diet.

We made a lot of diet and lifestyle changes. Wheat could not be cooked at home, since the fumes also created the same reaction in her. Switched to black tea and coffee. I breastfeed her for 2 years. Would have continued had my back not become an issue. I don't understand how doctors can say a child is allergic to breast milk. Its simply logically not possible. If the mother makes changes in her diet, and sticks with it, then the child will stay healthy. The babies react to foods eaten by the mother. Read the benefits here ( thanks to Sujatha for providing the link)

Its been 2 years now, and the lactose intolerance has gone down. I could take a cup of coffee and not be worried about my baby breaking out into hives or any other new reaction. I have not introduced wheat or milk products yet, and will not do so till she turns 7 years. According to Dr. Jag, it takes 5-7 years for a child's intestine to develop fully. And Wheat is best avoided, especially the ones available in India. They are Genetically Modified and infused with excess gluten. Wheat & Cows Milk are the main factor for asthma in children and adults as they are mucus inducing foods. My homeopath says that as a child I was lactose and gluten intolerant too, my parents don't remember. Earlier days parents would just take the medicines given by the doc and not many would have readily accepted a child being intolerant. Although my parents remember I had to be put on a certain diet. But he remembers and today he is the doc I turn to for my kiddo too.

Today she eats everything except those products that contain cows milk, wheat and gluten. I do not know if these intolerance's are life threatening, I am not willing to test it out. I will much rather wait till 7 years. People ask how we manage. Its by checking everything. Labels , ingredients and asking questions. Anything with wheat flour, milk solids, corn syrup, permitted artificial flavors are out. Bread, cakes, biscuits all contain wheat and milk solids. And where we are unsure we ask, pointed questions.

We are fortunate that Mysore is waking up to a healthy lifestyle, primarily thanks to Dr. Jagdish of Jag Therapy. Organic foods, Soy & Rice based food, Dietary Supplements, all are available though a lot of wheat flour substitutes are not easily available.

Selecting a day care & school was very difficult. I needed one where the teachers and helpers have had experience in taking care of children with intolerance's and allergies. Strict instructions with a list of things that imp can and cannot have. She has a helper who looks after her primarily, & the staff ensure that she does not eat other children food. she is naturally curios and wants to try new things. But I'd rather that she try them with me than at her day care. The day care also does not encourage cakes and chocolates for birthdays, a major plus point. Imp is yet too young to understand that she cannot eat certain foods. But have taught her to eat the foods that I eat. So if there are snacks or foods that she would like to have but I'm not eating them, she will not ask to eat, will be quiet content with what I give her.

I have become more vocal and shameless. I ask for the menu before any social commitment. If the menu is not friendly I either carry imp's food or ask for fruits. Close friends and relatives now know and are prepared with friendly food. Its not an easy journey. Every place we visit or plan to visit happens only if friendly food is available.

So what does she eat?

1. Flours - Soy, Rice, Buckwheat, Amaranth
2. All vegetables, fruits and greens.
3. Par- boiled Rice/Red rice
4. Whole Grams
5. Dry Fruits - Almonds, Figs, Raisin, Walnuts. (Cashew should be avoided as it is high in cholesterol and damages a child's liver. The baby hungrily absorbs and stores up all the nutrients from the mother when it is in the womb in its liver. And uses it when in no mood to eat. :-) )
6. Soy Milk and Pediasure
   

Being aware certainly helps. Majority of doctors in India are not aware of intolerance's and allergies. They simply cannot fathom an Indian kid falling in these categories. But they do. This post is in accordance to the Food Allergy Awareness Month started by Tharini to create & increase awareness of Fool Allergies in Children. There is a huge difference between a food allergy and food intolerance, which Tharini has done a good job of highlighting it. Please share your stories and comments and spread the word around. If anybody has any questions, ask away.

Worth Mentioning, is the list of dos and don'ts put up by Dot Mom.

The Burday Cake and its moments

Hey Everybody!

First off, a small confession to make...like my mum I'm getting addicted to this blog. Its simply too much fun!

I had great fun on my burday too. Mum being the meanie she is insisted on dropping me off to school. but she is forgiven cause all my friends sang for me :D I was in seventh heaven. Distributed baby apples and chaklis; instead of sandwiches and choclates, delighting the teachers (my mum is the only one who seems to send healthy snacks). Kept singing Happy Burday for the whole week. Anybody who called on the mobiles or the land line had to first talk to me and wish me, so what if my burday was over!



I got really cool gifts too. Nana and Nani got me loads of dresses and shoes. Mama got me the cute doggie and mum got me touch and feel books. I totally love them. And how can I forget the cake! It was simply delicious. Strawberry Rice cake, was yummmm..the cherries on it were better. We went out for dinner, and I insisted on having more cherries, after I saw them in mum's drink. Then next day I got a bad throat thanks to the chilled cherries. I even got to wear a ring, which was given to my mum by her great grand dad.




Yet to go to the orphanage though. We can go only on a sunday, since all the children will be in school during the week. And ever since my burday, sundays have been packed what with my maushi coming over and attending function. They better take me there soon..

All in all it was an awesome day week. Next year mum has promised me a Chocolate Rice Cake :)

WTF moments of the day!

Ban Conversions, says Bajrang Dal Leader...

Radio Station attacked for playing Hindi Songs on Rajyotsava Day

Our leaders and their party men are redefining secular and democratic India. Freedom and law of our country be Damned!

Violence can never be justified! Never Ever.

How easy is it to eat healthy?

India has become a dumping ground for Genetically Modified foods, MSG loaded foods and our government is doing nothing to stop it. They are increasing the use of pesticides too. In the midst of all this how is one to eat nutritious food? Slowly people have started saying NO to such food and organic food has come into existence. This I think is a real joke, because in our villages, people eat organic, their foods are not loaded with pesticides nor are they GM enhanced foods. And the less said about the MSG loaded instant foods the better. Our government does not think it necessary to ban MSG while most countries have recognized its harmful effects and have done so. And since most of us do not have access to organic foods, we have to make do with what we have certain precautions and care in washing, cooking and storing goes a long way.

What started out as an answer to suki's question and has turned into a full fledged post. Had been meaning to do this for a very long time, just never got around to it.All these tips and remedies are from Uncle Jag who runs the Jag therapy clinic in Mysore, we follow this at home all the time, irrespective of organic or not. We play safe.

Washing:

Soak all veges and fruits in salt water for min 30 min. drain and wash with running water and leave them to dry. Soak the greens too, clean thoroughly and leave them to dry.

Soak ginger in water for 30 min in water, then wash it with a toothbrush under running water. Having ginger with skin is more beneficial than without skin.

Carrots, potato, sweet potato etc...all the vegetables that can be had with skin, soak and clean under running water with a brush( can use a discarded cloth brush or a soft brush) Be careful that you do not scrape the skin, only clean the mud out. It is healthier to eat vegetables with skin. And this process is good for those who like to eat raw veg and salads.

According to Uncle Jag, if the greens have a lot of insect bites in them, it would mean that no pesticides were sprayed and it would be safe to have.

Cutting & Cooking:

Cut vegetables fresh. There are times when we are in a time crunch, so we usually keep the cut veges in the fridge but for not more than 2 days(stretching our limits)

While preparing anything, like dal, sambhar, soup etc, add an inch of ginger (with skin). Just pound it lightly and cook it along with the dish. It lessens the toxicity.

De-seed tomatoes and chillies while using them. Its the seeds which are harmful.

Heat the pan first and then add the oil or ghee. Can add min while cooking and add olive oil as a garnish just before eating. Healthy and Tasty. My kiddo loves it :)

And since we are all slaves to our taste here are some Antidotes for those weak moments, but before we go there, first the imp know hows:

Preparing an Infusion(for 1 person): Boil one cup of water, switch off gas, add a teaspoon of the herb/spices, and cover the dish. Allow it to steep for about 5 minutes. Drain and it is ready to have.

Preparing a Decoction: Boiling the herb/spices for 8-10 minutes and letting it steep for about 5 minutes.

Cinnamon Tea/Infusion: Eaten too much at a wedding or when socializing? Prepare this with a pinch of sugar and a small strip of cinnamon bark. Sugar brings in the carbon required to break down the oily food aiding digestion. This should be had only once a month, DO NOT make a habit of this as it will weaken the intestines. Always to be had 30 min after food. Not on an empty stomach. Another option is to have Cardamom/ Elaichi at the end of the meal.

Eaten too much of gassy foods and stuck with flatulence? Mint Tea/Infusion to the rescue. Take fresh mint leaves, clean and leave them to dry in shade. Once dry, powder them in a mixer and store. Use this powdered mint to make the infusion. Always to be had 30 min after food. Not on an empty stomach.

For food poisoning: Cinnamon Infusion followed by Ginger Decoction, 30 min later. And this is followed by a through cleansing of your stomach through your mouth. Repeat the Cinnamon tea 2 more times. And stick to light bland food for a day.

Ginger Decoction: About 3/4 glass of water, add an inch of ginger with skin, pounded lightly. This should be had only after 30 min of having the cinnamon tea.

Have this only when you start to show the symptoms of food poisoning. This is a very safe procedure. I had food poisoning and fever 3 months after delivery and since I do not like to pop medicines especially antibiotics, followed these steps along with Crocin and was fine the next day.
Disclaimer : I am not asking you to not visit your doc!

Want to detoxify your body? Prepare a Decoction of a table spoon each of Cumin/Jeera, Feenugreek/Methi Seeds, Fennel/Thick Saunf & Coriander Seeds/sabut dhanya in about 1.5 ltrs of water. One liter to be had in one day, comes to about 4 glasses in a day. Take for 5 days.

With the influx of GM foods increasing, it is getting increasingly difficult to eat healthy. One has to be very careful when buying and eating. What does one do when our staple diet is being genetically engineered? Wheat, Pulses, Sugar, Salt, Milk all have additives in some form or the other. In the earlier days, roti's would be brown in color, now they come out white. It is because of the increase of gluten in the packaged flour. Excess gluten is beneficial to bakers as it makes the bread and cakes fluffy and tastier. During processing of the wheat, the wheat germ is taken out, gluten added and voila we get the packaged flours. The wheat germ which is the most nutritional product of wheat is exported. Organic wheat is available, but tough to find. If one knows or has access to organic wheat, then you can have it ground. I know of people who do so.

Have only whole grams. Soak them overnight, strain and soak again in hot water. Take out the skin and its ready to be cooked. Substitute sugar, for honey or Organic Jaggery. Regular Jaggery most of the times is adulterated. And depending upon your body's iodine intake decide on iodized or rock salt.

Packaged cows milk is the most adulterated. To Quote Shirley Lipschutz-Robinson

Once upon a time, milk was teeming with life forces. Today, supermarket milk is a brew of hormones, chemicals, DDT, fungicides, defoliants and radioactive fallout, produced by artificially inseminated creatures forced to stand around in muddy feed lots all day long...

Read why we should eliminate pasteurized milk from our diet.

And how can I forget Rice? All the major brands available are polished leaving no nutrients. Switch to parboiled or brown rice.

It all boils down to matter of choice, however increasingly difficult it may get to be. But we must say NO to GM foods, MSG Foods, pesticide loaded foods and adulterated foods.

*If anybody has any more grandma remedies do let me know will update it or link it here.

Happy Burday to you... :)

hey everybody

I'm back and its my b'day today, so people wish for me ok...

now lets get down to business...

Did I or didn't I tell u my mum's a meanie. first she weans me off, second she gets a new maid for me and the worst... she has put me in school, though she is calling it day care...

hurmph...

of course I might now react when I see my home or the familiar route home but I do hold on to my mum tightly as soon as I see that lane where that horrendous school is. Doesn't she feel sad in spite of me crying, she doesn't even come back when I cry, just turns the other way around and goes off...even on my b'day!

Meanie nah...

But the good part is that she lets me sit on her lap when she is driving, does it matter that I refuse to sit on anybody else's lap on the way to school..

Mothers I tell you, esp mine is totally techno defunct...she can't even get to play the dvd and the television, the remote always stops working.. I think blaming the remote or the power cut is just an excuse to get me to stop watching songs.

I no longer get conned by her to drink up my milk. Ha! I will drink only if it is cold. yup I love anything that is chilled. My mama got me this amazing teething ring, which had to be chilled and its simply amazing chewing on it. Mum says now I'm too old for it and is refusing to get me another one, so what if it would be the third one!

I have very strong hearing powers, so even if the TV is in a low volume and I hear my songs, from Jab We Met, Welcome, Partner and Sing is king I come running from where ever I am, eve if I am sleeping. No body has the right to close the main door, it is MY job. I get up from my sleep if I hear them closing the door. So now I have everybody trained just right, call me when you have to open or close the doors. Call me when the dogs have to be fed, else there is hell to pay.

Thank god my mum doesn't get excited these days when she hears me say a new word, man she can get soooo embarassing, I tell you!

OK so I will admit the day care is not soo bad, once I stop crying. They have rabbits, birds and dogs. And the aunties are so good. There are even small babies. But there is one boy who loves to play with my bow-bow more than his and he is always gunning for my bow-bow. They even have lots of blocks and puzzles for me to do, nursery rhymes..it is fun, but I still want my mommy there. She was there for the first 2 days, dunno why she cant be there all the time. She should just get a job there!

I mentioned earlier that I love to look at snaps right, and I also luve to get my photo taken, I'm always posing :D but the paranoid mum that I have she just refuses to put them up on her blog. She can talk about me but she cant put up my pics? Double Standards I tell you!!

These days I like to do everything on my own, but my ever controlling mother just does not let me eat and bathe on my own. But she wants me to sleep on my own. Yea right like I am ever going to do that. That is my revenge :D sweet sweet revenge :P

Like mum, I love lights too and I esp loved the Dasara lighting in the whole city. Couldn't get enough of it. I kept directing mama to where I wanted to go and the sweety pie that he is, he relented. Mum is going to put up the pics soon, just as soon as I give her the time to do it, that is :)

And Ooh..Before I forget, mum is taking me to the orphanage, to celebrate my birthday. She says it will keep me grounded (whatever that means!!) and I will also get new friends. And yes I am waiting to cut and bite into my cake tonight, mum says its a special strawberry rice cake. Last year we had a chocolate cake and I wasn't allowed to eat that, but this one mum says I can have as much as I want. Ain't that grand :)

Bye for now, hugs and kisses to all ... muah... :)

p.s in case you are all wondering why the title reads the way it does, simply because that is how I wish everybody including me :D

Time for MeMe and Thanks again...

They say a picture speaks a thousand words...does it really and that too with rules?

Tagged by Apar, here are the rules

a) Answer the questions below, do a Google Image search with your answer, take a picture from the first page of results, and do it with minimal words of explanation.

b) Tag 5 other people to do the same once you’ve finished answering every question.

1. The age you will be on your next birthday

I thought it was bad manners to ask a woman her age!

2. A place you woulds like to travel to…

the world actually but starting with Venice...

3. Your favorite place

Mysore from atop Chamundi Hills

and one pic does not do it justice :) just love the symmetry of lights seen from above...


4. Your favourite food

5. Your favourite pet

In their natural environment..

6. Your favourite colour combination

7. Your favourite piece of clothing

the most comfy thing ever made!! can live in them, only if my mum can understand that :P

8. Your favourite TV show


9. First name of your significant other


10. The town in which you live



11. Your first job


12. Your dream job

this a straight lift from Apar's answer, simply because it fits :)

13. A bad habit you have

reminded me of a long forgotten post.. :)

14. Your worst fear


15. What would you like to do before you die?



p.s: it looks really easy, but it is not. Its really painful, I'd much rather write but, that would just take the fun away.

The rule says to tag 5 people, me adhere to all the rules? Nah....Santosh, Raji, Manpreet, Mystic Margarita, Priyanka, ThoughtRoom, IndianHomeMaker, Suki, Roop, Koopmandook you are all tagged :) and of course anybody else who wants to take this up, please do.. just let me know so I can come and see your answers..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Apar also gifted me the most wonderful gold card ever.

Thank you lady! It means a lot, through this blog I have made so many wonderful friends, Santosh, Manpreet, IndianHomeMaker, Priyanka, Roop, MysticMargarita, Suki and ThoughtRoom.

It truly has made the world flat for me and what a great way to make firends. And I hope to make some more.. :)

checko-slow-wakia bolo

So we're watching the ads on television, yes we are not allowed to see anything else, ads with kids totally rock! And a fairly new ad of a Unit Linked Plan, comes up. It has a toddler with excited parents, trying to get the child to say daddy, mummy and Czechoslovakia. the kid manages the firs t2 beautifully but shows his tongue out at Czechoslovakia. The parents go back to reading the newspaper and some other stuff, and the child slowly says checko-slo-vakia..

Now my Imp is watching this ad, transfixed. My bro decides to have some fun.

Mama: Imp, checko-slow-wakia bolo

Imp: Giving a side glance holds out her left palm, like the cops stopping you at the traffic signal, and says Mamaaaa....with a drag..meaning why are you disturbing me? And yes her expression and tone says it all. Few seconds later, as if to explain what she is doing, since mama was reading the paper, says haathi and points towards the television... an ad with an Elephant being given a bath is on...and just like the earlier ad, here the mama goes back to the paper shaking his head and mommy has a nice laugh...

Of Tags and Awards...

Tagged by India Home Maker

The rules for the tag are:

RULE #1 People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.

RULE #2 Tag 6 people to do this quiz and those who are tagged cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by continue this game by sending it to other people.

1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
Been there and done that. Shattered at first, then walked out. Life goes on, and he is not worth any more tears. My daughter and I deserve better

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be.
A Peaceful world, all living in harmony. No wars of any kind - between countries, between religions... All I want to worry about is the mundane day to day stuff...

3. If you could, whose butt would you like to kick?
I'm no atheist, but it would have to be God for bringing such kind of people on earth, who seek to destroy and destruct.

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?
Invest and have some fun

5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?
Falling in love is something that cannot be controlled. If it happens, I wouldn't like to loose the friendship at any cost, whichever way the relationship goes.

6. Which is more blessed: loving someone or being loved by someone?
Any day its Being loved...

7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you love?
It would depend on the situation actually. I wouldn't go for a long distance relationship, I have loved so I will not be foolish in love again, I'd look at the practical side....

8. If the person you secretly like is attached, what will you do?
Nothing. Kick my self in the butt for liking a person who is already committed.

9. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be?
I'm split between Child Labor, Girl Child, and Education. 10. Do you lie? At times, little white lies.

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
hmmm...lemme see... financially well settled, good job,kiddo in a good school and indulging in things i love - travel, blogging,reading and dancing

12. What’s your fear?
ever since I've become a mom, its the fear of the unknown happening to my kiddo... violence and the future of my country...

13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
IHM....Warm, Caring,Giving and young at heart

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married and poor?
Single and rich with my kiddo :)

15. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously who will you pick?
the one who is more honest, responsible, loyal, courageous, kind, upright, sensitive ...

16. Would you give all in a relationship?
I have. And I prob will again, but not at the cost of being taken for granted or my self respect.

17. Would you forgive and forget someone no matter how horrible a thing he has done?
Would probably forgive with time, but never forget.

18. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?
whichever makes me happy

19. Your all time favorite song. Only ONE. And why?
Choosing 1 is plain torture and I cant think of one song....

20. The rule says to TAG 6 people, but this is open for who ever wants to take up this tag, just come back and let me know...:)

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Mystic Margarita, thank you for awarding me the Honest Blogger Award. Its truly an honur. Thank you.


Blogging is truly a communication and technological revolution. Where else would you find people pouring their hearts out, writing about stuff that you wouldn't have spoken to anybody about, connecting with strangers all over the world. When I started this blog I did not know what I wanted to write about. And I was too involved with my work to go beyond the namkaran of my blog. and then I poured my heart out, simply because I couldn't bottle up my emotions and feelings any longer. I had to get it out of my system. This blog became my therapy and it has helped me a lot. Looking at my old posts I can see the change in me and my attitude.

I write without pretense, and all the blogs I know are the same. They may not write about their life, but they are honest and straightforward nonetheless. And most have already recieved this award, so all my friends who read me who have not recieved this award, consider yourself awarded.

In a lighter vein...

Hi Everybody,

I'm the imp and this is a guest post on my mothers blog. I wanted to know why she spends so much time on the stupid laptop that I'm not allowed to touch, but whose scroll mouse I totally love. My mum is so serious, she needs to take things lightly, I don't know why she keeps getting harassed for no reason. I'm growing up, I'm naturally curios and naturally naughty. So what if I,

1. Love to apply powder to the bed and the floor. Thank god for the poor quality checks at the manufacturing plant, else the powder would not come out with the seal on.
2. Love to apply cream, on everybody's face and hands. And of course the floor and furniture also.
3. I'm very good at sweeping, dusting and swabbing. But my mum and nani don't let me. They always disturb me when I take the broom from the maid and don't let her sweep the floor.
4. I love to rip apart my mum's wallet. It is in tatters, the clip is broken and its absolutely amazing when I hold it upside down and everything falls down.
5. I love to do everything on my own, except sleeping.
6. My nani is very upset that I have spoiled her precious kitchen cabinets. Since I couldn't open them, I would keep playing with teh knobs, and now they are so loose and one has fallen off and cant be opened. The best part I learned to open the cabinets and take out everything :D
7. I can finally open the fridge too, cant wait to empty out everything, but right now its just fun to shut the door real hard. I hope mum does not find that key she was looking for to lock the fridge.
8. Sleep is such a total waste of time. I cant wait to start day care, dunno why mum is taking so long to decide. Total spoiler.
9. Thank God for the mudiya's that nani keeps at home, else how would I climb to get my creams and powders. So now mum keeps them at the very end of the table, but pretty soon I will reach there too..
10. My mum's mobile is my own. Nobody else can receive calls or make them, or sms. Mum is a sweetheart, she downloaded the Pappu dance number so that I can listen to it all the time. Too bad for her its also her ringing tone, I'm sure she is going to change it soon.
11. Shah Rukh Khan is the ultimate.
12. I like to listen and watch only the songs and no boring numbers for me, they have to be the latest numbers. The teddy's on 9xM are too cute.
13. Every paper has to be read by me first. Every book that mum brings from the library has to be shown to me first.
14. Every time my nana or mama come home, I have to have to get a ride in the car, through the drive way, till they park it for the night.
15. I have to wave goodbye to them from the gate. Else I do not eat and get very very upset.
16. No clips, pins or rubber bands for my hair. And my mum is not cutting my hair ever again! She does not pin up her hair so why should I?
17. I love to walk barefoot all around especially outside and land up getting bit by various insects and rashes, yet as my mum wonders when will I ever learn.
18. I hate to stop playing to go for a bath and create a huge ruckus when I have to get out also :P
19. When we go out, I love to try the loos there. Okay, so one time I went 3 times in a span of 15 min, just so I could check out the bathroom. It was a new place. And for no reason mum just lost her temper and refused to take me again. Thank god for nana, he is such a doll, can twist him around my finger..(even though he calls me miss drama)
20. I don't like to eat the same food twice in a week. I want something new, if momma cant give it to me, then I'd rather go hungry than eat the same drabby stuff.
21. I love to look at snaps, esp the old B&W ones, my nani has kept them in such good condition, she is worried that I will spoil them as They are my property now and nobody has the right to touch them or any of the other old snaps.

phew! I'm tired. And I'm going to sleep now. And if there is something I have forgotten I'm sure my mum will let you all know.

Please tell momma to take a chill pill! Please .... Pretty please..

Until next time Bye everybody.

What does Gandhi mean to you?

To me he is the reason we have our Independence, he is he reason we are a democratic country, he is the reason we are free, free to live the way we want, free to think and to voice our thoughts. He is not called Father of our Nation for nothing.

If he did not speak up, we would still be living under oppression by the British. Just think how our life would have turned out?

And would we be able to have Barbecue and Beer? Definitely not a chance.

I came across this ad through India Uncut, listed at Ads of the World

This ad makes no sense to me.

Gandhi was a vegan, he did not drink. And if had not spoken up, would we be a free country still? I hold him in really high esteem and this ad has me offended.

The copy is really stupid. First you say "Life is easier if you don't speak up" and then say "debate" How is one supposed to debate if you do not speak?

This campaign is insensitive, lacks understanding, plain stupid and highly irresponsible.

Take a look and if anyone can enlighten me with a different point of view, please do.


Original ad here

Edited to add: Denmark's leading newspaper is promoting debate over public issues. Turns out they have used Nelson Mandela and Dalai Lama. I still think the Ads have failed to bring out the message. Source

In the name of GOD??!!

Why? Which faith advocates that you need to kill in the name of god? Killing in the name of Allah??? These terrorists are bringing a bad name to all Muslims and human kind. And they rejoice and celebrate at the number of people killed? 
 

Its terrifying, calling checking friends and relatives who live in Delhi, Bombay, Bangalore, Ahmadabad and now Delhi. Checking for blogs posts from bloggers who live in these cities, praying they are OK, but not all are well. There are countless whom I do not know, who are affected. And the media is just so insensitive. When will they every learn. Looking at half dead people being carried away was just too much for me. I have stopped watching news channels. Just catch up on the net. I'm not strong enough to view those gruesome images glorified by the news channels. Have we learned to live with terror that it does not shock and numb us?

  

Will there be no end to this mindless massacre? There is just no excuse for it. Where does it say that you need to avenge, where does it say that you need to kill to scare, where does it say that hatred is valid? Why this hatred?

So here I am

this is me
and there is no where else on earth I'd rather be

Its Official. I'm now a divorced single mum. I prefer Single Mum, but heck it feels great. Free, relaxed and can now think of moving on with my life.

I was right except it was on mutual grounds with no support. Else it would have taken years and I can tolerate being slandered but I draw the line when it comes to my parents.

So here I am clubbing both my blogs. Although it has been a long time since I posted there. And this blog is closer to my heart. And thanks to Vin and Blogger Help the merger was successful.

To new Beginnings...