I found it one stop shop for parents. Some of the highlights I find useful are:

1. Weekly newsletter during PGcy kept me up-to-date on “what’s-happening-with-my-baby”, advice about what best to eat / avoid when, what possible symptoms to watch for, what exercises / activities to take up etc.
2. Medical conditions, their symptoms, possible causes and things you can do to reduce / avoid them – This second PGcy was a really rough ride for me. Low b.p., excruciating lower back pain, infections – you name it, I had it. At least knowing more about what was happening to me, why and how I could ease some of the pain helped a lot.
3. Forums / community – For each article they have comments from community members. women share their experiences, give tips and advice and overall boost each other’s spirit.

They also have offers from diapers.com etc but I did not use these, so no comments there.

So if you are a trying-to-be parent, would-be parent or having kids & toddlers go take a look at this great site. It’s worth spending some time on!

Please give your blessings and best wishes for our little angel

http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Ways-to-Fight-Fear-in-Toddlers&id=3613936

Don’t forget to add your valuable comments. Brickbats and bouquets both are equally welcome

Enjoy…

Ingredients:

1. White raddish (mooli) – 1 big one or a couple small ones

For gravy:

1. Coconut (Nariyal) – 1 cup grated
2. Rice grains – 2 to 3 tsps.
3. Whole red chilies – 2 to 3
4. Tamarind (Imli) juice – ¼ cup
5. Jaggery (Gud) – 1 tsp.
6. Oil – 1 tsp.
7. Salt to taste

For spluttering:

1. Mustard (Rai) seeds – 1 tsp.
2. Asafetida (Hing) – a pinch
3. Split black beans without the skin (Urad daal) – 1 tsp.
4. Fenugreek seeds (Methi daana) – 1 tsp.
5. Turmeric powder (Haldi) – ½ tsp.
6. Oil – 2 tsp.
7. Curry leaves – 2 to 3 (optional)

Procedure:

1. Wash, dry and cut raddish into 1 inch long pieces.
2. Heat a tsp of oil in a pan and roast the rice grains and whole chilies till rice grains turn slightly golden. Remove in a bowl and let it cool.
3. Add Coconut to the same pan and roast till flakes turn golden and add it to the rice grains and chilies kept aside.
4. Mix the roasted mixture with tamarind juice and jaggery. Grind into a fine paste.
5. Heat a spoon full of oil and add mustard seeds, a pinch of asafetida, split black beans, fenugreek seeds.
6. Once the ingredients splutter, add turmeric powder curry leaves and raddish pieces and sauté for a min or two.
7. Add some water and let the pieces cook for about 3 to 5 mins.
8. Once the pieces are tender, add coconut mixture.
9. Adjust salt and water and cook for another 8 to 10 mins or for about 2 boils.

Notes:

1. For making tamarind juice, soak a small-lemon-sized ball of tamarind in required amount of water, ¼ cup for this recipe, for about 10 mins. Remove the seeds and strings out once it is well soaked.
2. Vary the number of red chilies depending on your spice preferences and variety of chilies.
3. In case fresh curry leaves are hard to find in your part of the world, you can dry and store curry leaves whenever they are available. Simply wash the fresh leaves clean and dry them in sun. Store in a clean dry container either whole or powdered.
4. For spluttering, follow the order such that the ingredients are roasted evenly. Some items like mustard seeds taste bitter if over roasted, so add the next ingredients in time.

Last year on 26-Nov there were about 10 people who came to India illegally, ripped our security networks, targeted our financial capital (amchi Mumbai) and tore apart the faith of 1,139,964,932 people in our own justice and protection system. Even now I shudder at the thought of those images on my television screen. Each minute was gruesome. It was hell while it lasted.

But heck, all that is over, isn’t it? Can we take the lesson, benefit from it and move on?

There was also one other side of that midnight – people from all over India were extremely courageous, helpful even to strangers, immensely close knit during those times. Tell me how many of us ever prayed for strangers, wished to God to help innocent souls, really really meant and *felt* sympathy towards fellow Indians before? During Kargil war? I would think so. May be.

But at other peaceful times we bicker amongst ourselves over which tenant gets to park the car in front of a three storey apartment or we gossip about movie-icons and cricket-stars or indulge similar kind of nonsensical pass-times. Do we really bond as “Indians” during those times?

Every country has good as well as bad things. Corruption, crime infest each society. But do we really want to let a handful of evil thinkers get the better of 1,139,964,932 ? Do we let them ruin our achievements, happiness, peace & all-the-little-things-that-matter-big? Have a gala time with free publicity at our expense? Make us forget our triumph over tragedy?

I would never want to do it. Why did we do the parades, light candle etc on the day it started? Why not commemorate the day we WON over them? Why not do something special for the dear ones of the victims and let them know that they have their countrymen with them (and I just don’t mean Govt. grants and stuff… )?

India should be (and definitely CAN be) a symbol of hope over despair, light over darkness, joy over sadness. It is OUR country, our beloved “Bharat-maataa”, so who else will take care of her, if not us?

Think not about what this country did for you, instead ponder over what YOU did for INDIA….!

Instantly, al those memories came flashing and made me feel nostalgic. It reminded as to how roads used to be deserted when the greatest ever epic “Mahabharata” was telecast on Sunday mornings. It seemed that city came to standstill for that one hour every Sunday! Everyone in the family used to be glued to the television. Mom used to prepare breakfast well before time so she would not have to miss a single scene.

On Sundays, even I used to wake up early, only to catch the latest songs on Rangoli (who on earth would now wake up to listen to blaring songs from thousands of music channels). My personal favorite was Surabhi, the best show that projected India’s cultural diversity. So used to look forward to the questions asked in the end, only then we did not have access to Google Difficult to resist the urge to list a few more – Potli baba ki, Vyomkesh Bakshi, Vikram Betaal, Malgudi days, Hum Log – the list can go on..

It was not just about the quality of serials that used to be aired but also the fact that they were telecasted only once a week (most of them, if not all) unlike the K-soaps these days that are on no matter what time and day of the week it is! These days, we have news channels that cover everything from ‘who-slapped-who’ videos to ‘a cat stuck on the top floor of a building’ but NEWS. We even have reality shows that has made a mockery of the concept of arranged marriages. Also now, all the shows are available at the click of a button, courtesy YouTube, Google and many more…

Ohh… How I miss the good old Days, wish I could go back in time and re-live some of those, with no access to mobile phones, internet or the cable network. In a world, where everything was not so readily available and where we can live each moment and relish them later, as I just did …

Let me explain those two a little. I am an Indian to the core. I can (and do) love Greek food, English fiction, American (monster) trucks, Japanese furniture and crafts, Chinese calligraphy and beads and several many other from all over the globe, but deep down I have India in me. I love my country – its rich and varied heritage, culture, being a part of this colourful, soulful community. Naturally what follows is a love for all our festivals and celebrations. Being able to enjoy Diwali, Eid and Christmas in a small town in Goa is an experience unlike any other. I also love our national festivals and days – Independence day, Republic day and even Children’s day

Secondly, I simply love literature. Fiction mostly. I get really carried away, misty eyed even when I read something beautiful. (Remember Yugandhar by Shivaji Sawant? Or Heidi by Johanna Spyri?)

So when Children’s day came by this year I tried to combine these two seemingly unrelated ideas. Here’s what we did at home:

• - I scripted “Merchant of Venice” by W. Shakespeare into a skit in Hindi
  • • • – Hindi’ized it (Shylock became Thakur Ratan Singh)
      • – Slashed etcetras from the plot (I had only 5 actors, one of whom was a 3 yr old!)
        - Broke down everything into scenes, dialogues
        - Explained the story, each character and scene to my 5-actor (children) crew
      • - Our kids’ tuition teacher and her sister along with Bhaiya became our judges. Tuition teacher’s family was audience.
      • - Bhabhi took up make-up-artist-cum-hostess role.
      • - My husband Chiran put on his cameraman’s cap
      • - Practiced. Practiced. Practiced.
      • - Rehearsed. Rehearsed. Rehearsed.

      The result? It was through and through fun. Kids and elders all worked together as a team. Come to think of it, how often do we really manage that?

      

      I’ll be uploading the video shortly on YouTube. Watch this space for a link..

      Share/Save]]> http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/merchant-of-venice-in-hindi/feed/ 2 http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/bitten-by-the-design-bug/ http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/bitten-by-the-design-bug/#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:36:53 +0000 Varada http://naari-thewoman.com/?p=181 Last year this time around I was obsessed with interior designing. I looked up internet (obviously), local books shops, anything I could lay my hands on for scraps on info on how to create a harmonious, functional and beautiful looking room.

      We purchased our house in 2005. An apartment on the ground floor in Ghaziabad, U.P that was just right. If you look at it from outside it’s a nondescript, yet-another three storey building. But inside the ground floor apartment is my personal heaven. (Or at least I wanted it to be )

      Between paying off home loan and stuff we kept the plan for renovation-beautification on hold until last year, when we managed to put some cash away for this purpose. That’s when I decided to pursue my dream. In the course of searching for proper guidance I discovered the site called Universal Class and found that they have online courses, rich with content and well within the budget. I ended up taking their course on Interior Decorating and also managed to get a certificate of outstanding performance through the assignments I submitted. (Yeah, modesty is my middle name )

      Armed with all this info I created a floor plan and a mood board for my house.

      

      

      We did get major pieces of furniture created (mostly wall mounted so as to save floor area), painting for all the rooms, added wall art pieces and other accessories.

      

      How’s that?

      If we use the internet in a constructive way, there are millions of learning, growing opportunities out there. In today’s world knowledge is really at your finger-tips, may it be from any field, any area.

      I used the site “Universal Class” for interior decoration stuff, but that’s not all that they do. They have 100’s of courses in various areas (from Entrepreneurship to  Medicine related, from Mathematics to Crafts) which people with less time and resources can avail of.

      So, what are you waiting for? Head out to your favorite learning place on the net and start working on your dream today.., And yes, don’t forget to share with us and rest of our readers if you know of any such learning centers / courses which they can benefit from

      Share/Save]]> http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/bitten-by-the-design-bug/feed/ 4 http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/into-the-wild/ http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/into-the-wild/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:04:58 +0000 Shikha http://naari-thewoman.com/?p=161 Francis Bacon said in The Quotable Book Lover, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some are to be chewed and digested.” I feel the same can be said about movies, too. I recently watched (read was-carried-away-by) the movie , “Into The Wild”. I was so drawn to the story that it was impossible to hold back tears in the end. Based on a true story, ‘Into The Wild’  left me asking myself unanswerable questions.

      The story is about a young guy, aged only 24, Christopher McCandless who is fed up of the social facade and complicated relationship with his parents. He leaves for Alaska, in search of happiness and peace within himself. He abandons all his belongings, donates his money and changes his name, so as to disappear from public scrutiny. He embarks his journey, steps away from civilization and its necessary (un)pleasantries, and walks alone , into the wild……

      On his journey to Alaska via Mexico, he meets a lot of influential people from whom he learns the lessons of life and ways to happiness. On reaching Alaska, he stumbles upon, what he calls – the Magic bus. For over 40 days, he braves all the hardships, hunts animals for food, maintains his journal and reads his favorites.

      However, after thus struggling through a solitary existence, McCandless begins to soften and acknowledges the possibility that human relationships were more of a necessity than he had originally thought. He, then  decides to return to the civilization he had come from, only to find his route blocked by a melted river.

      Although McCandless’s behaviour, may seem reckless and drastic and even evoke anger and irritation in some, it teaches a lot to us. We, as humans, need to realize that we need to strike a balance between peace-searching isolation and being a part of society. To quote McCandless “Happiness is real only when shared’”. You can be living in society and still be yourself, not succumbing to the social pressures or obligations.

      Forced to live longer in isolation, what does the young spirited guy go through? Does he retreat back into his peaceful solitude? Does he face natural calamities? Is he rescued? Does he seek help? Meet help? Watch / read “Into The Wild” to find out for yourself…

      Share/Save]]> http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/into-the-wild/feed/ 2 http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/a-day-from-my-diary/ http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/a-day-from-my-diary/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:10:05 +0000 Varada http://naari-thewoman.com/?p=89 Dear Diary, Today was a very special (?) day.

      My birthday dawned upon me just like it had in the last few years. A tiny butterfly rolling in my tummy with anticipation and dread. Anticipation – may be someone will remember and wish me, send me flowers and stuff. Dread – well, one more year gone, I am closer to the "middle age" by another 365 days.

      Well, I was born in a large family some 3 (or 4?) decades ago in Indonesia. After some smiles and some tears, finally I am here. In India. Working for a Software Company – from my Mom’s crowded kitchen to the plush ambience of this office, the journey was not always smooth. But all that is history. Which no one remembers, but me. So no point boring you with the details.

      0900 Hrs: With the anticipation and dread I mentioned above, I sit in the Cafetaria. A group of co-workers passes by. I am all ears (and eyes too). But alas, no one notices me. "No probs. Don’t worry, the day has just started. Someone will remember. May be they are planning a surprise for me… " I console myself.

      1100 Hrs: I sit in the Cafe’. Still waiting. slowly turning into .

      1300 Hrs: All the people come down to have lunch. I look up expectantly at each face, trying hard not to be too obvious. Doesn’t work. No wishes.

      1530 Hrs: Scene: Cafe’. My co-workers, whom I thought to be my friends, come in many groups. Chattering happily (it’s a Friday, you see), giggling, cursing the strict project timelines or company policies – all sorts of conversations. Then she comes. Oh, did she make an attempt to look extra gorgeous today? For me? My heart races to match the speed of a Formula-1 car. She comes near me. Casually touches her hand on my face. I turn tomato orange or a similar shade of pink. Just about to faint. Still no wishes.

      1700 Hrs: I sit in the Cafe’ and doze off. I see a large party, a huge cake, she puts it all over my face and laughs like pearls falling on marble. Some utensil crashes in the adjacent kitchen. I wake up. No wishes.

      1900 Hrs: The day ends just like any other – with everyone leaving for their home. No one wished me today. All my dreams are shattered. A tiny sob escapes my mouth. But alas, there’s no one around to notice, to see a poor, honest, sincere employee weeping on his birthday.

      2200 Hrs: "Never mind", I tell myself, "Never you mind. …" and I weep myself to sleep. (;_;)

      Yours truly,
      ~The Coffee table nearest to snack bar,
      ABC Inc., India.

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