I Love You..!

The little hands that cuddle me,

The soft fingers that caress me,

The cute smile that welcomes me,

The million questions that await me,

The cherubic eyes that search me,

And a pure heart that loves me...

I too love you my child....

For you,

Make me push my limits,

Urge me to create,

Teach me every day,

Make learning fun,

And you

Bring endless energy in me!

 

Naughty Cat

Hello mommies out there, its festive season, with the Elephant head God Ganesha visiting us for 10 days and I am sure most of you are busy with the preparations. I look forward to this festival a lot, yummy food to eat, some fantastic Mandap Decorations to see in the locality and the various forms of Ganesha Idols, showering us his blessings. I am already feeling excited, aren’t you?

After a little hectic day, yesterday, as I went to sleep, my daughter came up with a story. My eyelids were heavy and all I needed was some sleep. Stories were the last thing on my mind. Here’s how the conversation went,

Samu: Mumma, ek story you listen

AM: Na re, mumma tired, tomorrow we will listen

Samu: But mumma, Samu author this story

AM (with a surprised look): What?

Samu: Yes mumma, I author this story, you listen

AM (still surprised): Ok, go ahead!

Sit back and enjoy the story authored by a six year old….

“One day, Sara walk home. She see a cat cry.

She ask cat, ‘What happen?’

Cat say, ‘I alone, so I cry.’ Sara take cat home. Sara dad see cat and ask, ‘Why you bring cat home?’

Sara say, ‘Little cat, alone cat so cry, so I get home’

Dad say, ‘Ok, but you take care of cat’

Sara say, ‘Yes Dad’

Evening Sara play with cat in the ground. Sara run, cat catch. Sara throw ball, cat bring. Sara jump, cat smile and say, ‘Meow..meow…meow..’

Sara come home and give milk to cat. Sara drink bournvita. Sara mumma come from office. Sara mummy love cat and play with cat. Sara pat cat to sleep night.

Now….the game start. The cat get up and phone his friend cats. All cats come Sara house. They meeting and discuss how to drink all milk. They open fridge, drink milk and eat cheese and all food. All cat happy, but kitchen all dirty. Cats go back.

Morning, mummy get up, shout at cat. Sara get up, feel bad for cat. Sara help mom, clean kitchen. Sara don’t know cat is a Naughty Cat. Sara go to school, mumma  and dada to office. Cat alone home. Cat call all cats and do masti. Watch TV play TAB, games on Computer and eat all food. All cat dance on sofa and then tired sleep.

Sara come from school, see cats sleep on sofa. Home all dirty, chocolate wrapper, chips and biscuits all fall here there. Sara shout, cats get up.

Sara say, ‘I think you cute cat, alone cat, sad cat, so I bring you home. But you are a Naughty cat, dirty cat.’

Sara pick all cats and put them on road. Sara come home and feel bad….cry …

But Sara teacher say, help your parents. So Sara throw cat away, the Naughty Cat. It make home dirty. Sara smile and go to play."

 

 

 

Part2 soon….Naughty cat returns, she says.

 

Samu said, she wishes to write stories for children and feed them in dolls, so that children can listen to them and go to sleep. No isn’t that a wonderful idea?

She narrated the whole story and I was completely astonished at the way she had crafted this one. I wonder, how many beautiful stories she is gonna weave in future. With Samu around, everyday is a new learning experience.  As a parent, I know this is just the beginning and there are many more milestones that she will achieve in future.

 

I am sure, she is gonna have a hearty laugh reading this story, once she grows up.

Do leave a comment….and let the author know, how much you loved the story of Naughty Cat.

And do share some of your stories…eager to read them J

Ganpati Bappa Morya…!

Love and blessings,

AM

Six things I learnt from my Daughter

It’s been a wonderful six years of parenting, with its share of ups and downs and occasional outbursts. Parenting is a challenge and there is no perfect or correct method. Parents need to be highly flexible in their approach towards parenting. Each day awaits a new learning and a new surprise.

However, the past Six years of motherhood has taught me some very important life lessons. I would like to share those with you all here.

One Activity at a time:

 

This is one of the most important lessons Samu has taught me. Reading, playing, dancing or watching TV, she is completely engrossed in that one particular activity. She cannot listen to songs and colour. She says, “Mum-maa disturb hota hai, please song off karo”. I started following her footsteps. Now whenever I am cooking or doing household chores, I completely concentrate and give my 100% to the task in hand. This ensures that, I am not stressed out and also helps me to give my best.

Forgive and forget:

 

I do shout at my daughter, I even at times spank her, yet the next moment, she is in my arms, cuddling and kissing me. Unlike adults, children don’t know to hold grudges, they have a pure heart, which knows to forgive and forget things. This is what makes them even more special.

We as adults have Ego clashes and we are willing to let go of relationships, however not ready to forgive.

Try new things:

 

She keeps on trying new ways to comb her hair, to write, to play, to keep her toys and her clothes. This is something which amuses me a lot. Today she might have kept her toys in lower shelf, tomorrow, it will be in another. I asked her once, “Samu why do you keep shifting your toys?” “Mum-ma toys ko bore ho jaata hai, same place na, so I shift”, she replied.

At times, you really need to shift your focus and try out something different, or do things differently. Maybe you will get different results.

Google Images

Ask questions:

 

When we sit to study, she has a list of endless questions and till the time, she is not completely satisfied with the answers, she will keep bombarding me with her questions. When I ask her to do something, again there is a nonstop Q&A session.

Every time, I am confused, I do the same. I ask myself questions, and most of the times, I get the answers.

Not comfortable, just leave:

 

When I take Samu to birthday parties or functions, she will only play with children she is comfortable with. The moment she senses, someone is behaving badly or is being unfair, she will move away from that person. How simple it is for her, however, we adults, try to please everyone and at the end remain stressed out.

Be happy for small things:

 

There are times, when Samu is happy just like that, no particular reason. A balloon, some colour pencils, her favourite cartoon, tiny droplets of rain, the sun shine, the flowers…they all make her smile.

There are so many things to be happy and grateful about. Good health, a secure job, friends, food to eat and the list is endless. Find happiness in the small things, big things will follow!

 

Have you learnt something from your child? What is it? Do share it in the comment box, or email me at awesomemumma@gmail.com

Love,
AM

 

Letters to Samu-1

Dearest Samu,

Today as you begin a new phase of your life, I wish to share some lovely moments of motherhood with you. I might not say this often, however, I admit that you are a wonderful child. You gelled up very well with your grandparents, uncle and aunt. You never made faces and never threw tantrums in public (though at home you drive me crazy). You never cried endlessly for a specific toy in shops or Mall.

You love travelling my dear, just like your parents and grandparents do. You made the first trip to your Dad’s native place when you were just 3.5 months old. I was quite worried, as to how will I handle your outbursts in train, however, you slept the whole night peacefully. Many of the co-passengers were surprised to see you fresh and lively the next morning.

The next trip we went was, when you were 9 months old. It was a 10-day trip and we covered some beautiful places like, Bangalore, Mysore, Ooty, Madurai and Rameshwaram. You enjoyed every bit of the trip, be it the monkeys, the deer or playing with baby elephant. You loved rolling down on the soft blanket of grass in Brindavan Gardens, Mysore. I effortlessly handled you throughout the journey.

Just when I thought things are so beautiful with you around, you had a minor accident while playing and the elbow of your left hand got dislocated. It was at about 11pm at night when this incidence happened. I still remember the way you cried, I couldn’t handle it. It was the first time, I saw you cry so much, I knew it was hurting, but I was helpless. We rushed to the hospital, took an X-ray and the doctor suggested to put a plaster. You refused to co-operate. It was the first time in the 9 months you threw tantrums.  No matter how much I tried to cajole you, you cried, screamed on top of your voice. You were adamant and didn’t allow the doctor to touch you. That’s when I had to be stern. I had to do it. I held you tightly and asked the doctor to proceed. It was very difficult for me to do it, but I had no other option.

That’s the time, I knew, motherhood is not only about being goodie-goodie, it’s also about taking the action at the right time.  You had the plaster for about 15 days, after which you refused to use your left hand. You became grumpy and were never in a mood to play. It took around 45 days for you to completely recover from all this.

I heaved a sigh of relief, not knowing that, ‘Picture toh abhi baaki hai mere dost’.

Then began the everyday ‘Food Battles’, which still continue, my dear. You refused to eat solid foods. It was herculean task to feed you. That’s when I realized the significance of the word, ‘Patience’. The doctors suggested, I leave force feeding you. They even said, if you are hungry, you will eat. But, how could I just leave it. My 2 year old, was surviving on milk that’s it. Then to top it all, there were agony aunties, who never missed a chance to taunt. It was quite difficult and depressing my dear, but mum-ma had to face it.

Your fussy behavior, led me explore the unexplored side of me. That’s when I started experimenting and cooking. I tried new dishes every day; I read food blogs and made the best use of weekends. You loved most of the stuff I made, however you were lazy to eat. You preferred gulping down a glass of bournvita or glass of juice, rather than having chapatti or rice.

However, I was quite amazed to see you eat a full plate of Pav-bhaji at your friend’s birthday party. You are a very good girl, when you go out to eat. You eat everything from your plate, but at home, you take hours to finish a single chapatti.

I am yet to figure out the reason behind this. Maybe, once you are grown up and read this, you will have an answer (fingers crossed).

Then came, the next big step- ‘Play-school’, however, unlike other children, who cried and stuck to their parents, you happily entered the school gates and were busy chatting with friends. You loved to go to school, you loved doing home-work and you managed to be a teacher’s pet, which your mum-ma never could be.

Your pre-school years also went away effortlessly. I never compelled you to study, but, I admit at times, I did shout at you, when you were little laid back. When situations demanded, I had to be little strict, but the best part was, you always accepted it.

Today is the first day of your primary school, and you got up early morning. You were little impatient, you were excited to meet your friends. You were very excited about your new books, your tiffin box, water bottle, bag and new shoes.

Dear daughter, I wish to tell you one important thing, these are the platinum years of your life. These years are the stepping stones for your bright future. Learn for the joy of learning, not for grades. I agree grades do matter, for higher studies, however, I don’t wish to burden you. I want you to learn life skills; I want you to be emotionally strong. I want you to be someone with a ‘Never say Die’ attitude. I want you to explore, to experiment, question and imagine.

Enjoy the moments with your friends, play, laugh, scream, fall, make mistakes, and learn from them. Just remember one thing, no matter what the situation, your mum-ma will always be there for you. I cannot promise to be physically present or have a solution for all your problems. However, I would be there to listen to you.

You make this journey of motherhood entertaining with your smiles and never ending chatter.

Love you,

Mum-ma

Share your experiences of motherhood, here in the comment box or mail me at

awesomemumma@gmail.com

God Bless,

AM

Some Truths and Lies

The other day, I had to go to Samu’s school to collect her books and uniform. I came home by 10:30am. The moment, I enter the house, I ask Samu, if she has had her breakfast. She nods her head and says yes. I ask her what she had, to which she replies matki usal and chapatti.

I am happy that she has had her breakfast, without any fuss and get back to my work. Later that day, my mother-in-law, tells me something that completely shakes me up. Samu had not had her breakfast; she only had some biscuits and her usual cup of Bournvita. I was speechless; my 6-year old had lied. My initial reaction was to shout at her, ask her why she lied; however, this kind of reaction would just invite more problems.

Google Images

This instance took me to my childhood times, when I had lied to my biological mom. I had eaten a chewing gum and my attempts to hide the wrapper from her were futile. The moment she discovered the truth, she locked me in the bathroom for four hours. On top of this, she even switched of the lights. I was afraid of dark, and needless to say, this event, aggravated my phobia. I was just 7 years then, I cried, I screamed, the whole neighborhood could hear it, however Amma couldn’t or rather she chose to overhear those cries.

Coming back to the current situation, I was confused as to why Samu would tell a lie. She already was scared to face me; I could sense that from her lowered eyes. It was just a small lie, however, as a parent, I was angry and hurt. Instead of shouting or spanking, I chose to be quiet. I left the room. After about 15 minutes, I heard a knock at my bedroom door. I knew it was Samu. I asked her to come in.

“Mum-ma, I am sorry, aap mujhe shout karoge, agar breakfast nahi khaya toh. Isliye, maine jhoot bola. Sorry”, she said. (Mumma, you will shout, if I had said, I didn’t have breakfast, that’s why I lied)

I took her in my arms, and replied, “Haan, main chillati, magar Samu, ab toh mum-ma upset aur sad ho gayi na. Aap promise karo, aap mum-ma ko hamesha sachi baat bologe. Aap kuch galat karo, thik hai, magar jhoot bolo, who thik nahi hain”

(Yes, mum-ma, would have shouted, but now mum-ma is upset and sad. You promise that you would not lie to me. You make mistakes its ok, but never lie)

She smiled and promised never to lie.

Google Images

I know that with time, she would break this promise and there would be situations, wherein she would lie. And I also know that she would lie, to avoid punishment, to hide something or to even avoid hurting me.

Google Images

We all have some point of our lives, held the crutches of lies in some form or the other. That never made us a bad person. As parents we need to recognize that children will lie, it’s just their way to get something from you or to avoid a particular situation. We need to be mindful, in the way we respond to that lie. We need to bring out the consequences of lying and the effect it has on relationships, instead of just shouting and venting out our anger on the child. Let the child know that you trust them completely. Role-plays and stories also assist in explaining this to children.

Have you faced such a situation? If yes, what was your approach?

Share your experiences in the comment box or email me- awesomemumma@gmail.com

Love,

AM

Keep it ‘Cool’, Baby!

Summers are here and we are already feeling the heat, aren’t we? Here are few tips, which I follow during summers.

Ø Stock your fridge with Cucumber, Tomato and Carrots. You can also make salads for afternoon meals. Healthy and refreshing.

Ø Get the most of the season, with fruits like Sweet Lime, Oranges and Watermelon.

Ø Keep the little ones hydrated, with fresh fruit juices, coconut water or lemon juice. Glucon-D also is a must, as children play in the afternoons.

Ø Shop for some light cotton outfits, dhoti pants, capris, shorts and comfortable t-shirts.

Ø Get cute flip-flops or crocs, they come in cool colours and different cartoon characters.

Ø These days you even get trendy hats and caps. It’s a must, in case you are travelling with your little ones.

Ø Sunglasses are also a style statement for children these days. They come in cute colours and shapes. Grab one for the little one and get ready to click pictures.

Share your 'Summer Tips' in the comment box or email me- awesomemumma@gmail.com

Love,
AM

PS: Images have been taken from Google:)

Vacations and Word Power!

We have successfully completed 20 days of the summer vacations, phew! An achievement, I sayJ I hope you mothers agree to it. Keeping your children busy constructively is the biggest challenge which we parents face in the tech savvy era. Thanks to the distractions, in the name of TV, Ipads, Playstations, Smartphones, and Laptops.

Samu turned six this month, and she wanted a special gift for her birthday. I brainstormed for a while and finally got her a Scramble. I must admit, the game is too addictive and I enjoyed playing it during my own vacations. At first I was little hesitant to give it to Samu, however, the moment, she started playing, she too was hooked. We were busy playing with words for the next two hours. She can spell most of the three letter words and, I guess that’s the reason, she enjoyed it.

For the Love of Words

I highly recommend this game for children above 5 years. You can purchase this from any toy shop. It's also an ideal gift for your loved ones, not that expensive and highly addictive.

Children usually don’t enjoy sitting in one place for more than 10 minutes, however as parents, we need to take the initiative and involve them. You need to be enthusiastic and willing to spend quality time with them, that’s when this game will be fun.

How are you mommies spending  the Summer vacations? Share your views in the comment box or email me- awesomemumma@gmail.com

Happy vacations!

Love,

AM

Vacations begin...!

“Mum-ma, now what to do”

“Mum-ma, I am bored”

“Mum-ma, let’s play”

“Mum-ma, what do I do?”

Mothers, I am sure, your little ones bombard you with such questions, frequently.  I never remember asking my parents, such questions. My vacations were planned. The whole morning was spent in the building compound, playing football, badminton or cycling (there were no gardens). Afternoons were spent lazing around in each other’s house, playing cards/ludo/snake & ladder/carom. Evenings again, we gathered in the compound and played till our stomachs growled in hunger.

However, the scenario is quite different these days. We as parents need to keep our children occupied or else, they get easily attracted to technology. They prefer watching TV, playing video games, downloading apps on smart phones/IPad/Tab. Also not all parents can afford to enroll their children in summer camps, Art & Dance workshops or even a family vacation.

Being a fulltime working mother, I have to seriously crack my brains and get stuffs for Samu, or else the easiest way-out she finds, is to coax her granny and watch her favorite show, Chota Bheem and Doremon. With each passing year, she is becoming more smart, and I have to be super-smart and search for new ideas, or else prompt comes the reply, “Mum-ma, yeh toh pehle bhi kiya tha” (We have done this before). Huh! Whoever said, children are innocent, forgot to mention the frequency of innocence.

 Over the last three years, I’ve gathered some ideas from the blogsworld, from friends and from my own childhood experience.

Painting is one such activity, which Samu loves to do. She enjoys playing with colours, water and the brush. I am not very good at painting; however, I do try my best. This was one such activity, which we did last year. We spent around 3 hours on this and Samu was super happy with the outcome.

Things you would require:

Ø  Drawing paper/white sheets

Ø  Water colour (I used Rangela Tempra Colours)

Ø  Paint-Brushes of different sizes

Ø  Palette

Ø  Black sketch pen/marker

Ø  Cute little fingers J

How to do:

Ø  Take a white sheet and pin it to a writing pad.

Ø  Mix blue colour with enough water in the palette

Ø  Take a thick brush and let the child paint the entire paper with blue colour

Ø  Let it dry (it takes almost 45 mins)

Ø  Let the child use his/her fingers and make small thumb impressions on the paper.

Ø  Let them draw few lines here and there, in green colour, to represent under-water plants.

Ø  Use a sketch pen to outline the thumb impressions and give it a finishing touch.

Samu wanted to do the outline thing on her own, so I just left it to her.

Age Group:

You can easily do this activity with children above the age of 3 years.  Samu’s drawing teacher introduced me to this technique. Thumb painting is fun; you can make flowers, mountains, house, and tree. You can keep newspapers below the white sheet, to avoid any possible mess.

Did you like it? How do you keep your little ones busy? Share your views in the comment box or email me- awesomemumma@gmail.com

Happy Holidays!!

Love,

AM

Journey as a Mum-ma!

“Mum-ma, you are AWESOME”, says my 6-yr old daughter, and the moment she says this, my heart skips a beat!

There are umpteen things which come free with Motherhood, some of them being:

Nausea

Morning Sickness

Mood Swings

Labour pain

Feeding troubles

Weight gain/loss

Hair gain/loss

Grey hairs

Insomnia

Backache

Less of ‘Me’ time

Cooking up Stories @12am

Guilt trips

Super-clean house

And the list is endless....

However, when that little angel hugs you and says the magical word Mum-ma, all the troubles, tensions, and pain vanishes in a moment! I started this journey precisely in July’2006, when I discovered that there is a little life inside me. And the nine-month ride with my baby, seemed joyful, yet tiring at times.

Samu, joined us in the Journey of Life on 11^th April, 2007. My life changed completely, there was someone, who needed me all the time! It is a wonderful feeling to be a Mom, however, the post-partum depression, the sleepless nights, the breast-feeding sessions, the susu-potty sessions, the decision of getting back to work, the weight gain all these drain you completely.

This reminds me of a quote, which is very close to my heart,
“Making the decision to have a child - it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ” ― Elizabeth Stone

And now my heart will turn 6 next week. This blog is an attempt to re-live those special moments spent with Samu, and to record, the small things that she has taught me and continues to teach me!

Join me, in this roller-coaster ride of Motherhood!



That's Awesome Mumma, with Samu and Dada

Love,
AM (Awesome Mumma)