"Awesome Himachal"

“Awesome” One word to describe my days spent in Himachal though I covered a very small portion of the beautiful state in a very short time, I am in love with its natural beauty and can’t wait to go back again and explore it in more details.

It was magical, serene, alive, idyllic and a land of smiles.....I have never seen people so happy and chirpy everywhere I looked. What made it more special was, it was the first place we ever visited as a family of 4, yes!!! My own family of 4 :-)

If I really want to write about my trip to my heart’s content, I would have to start a new blog dedicated to it...so I have decided to sum it up in few things that I would love to share with everyone.

Here we go, highlights of my trip:

Our stay: After a lot of research and considerations to a lot of things we finalised on 2 places to stay. The first one was “Bird and Chirps” a home stay about 2 kms out of Dalhousie  The place is not only amazing; it is a breath taking property. You have one of the best views of the valley from any room. We decided to try a home stay because we were travelling with 2 small kids and we wanted comfort of home away from home. We were not disappointed at all. The hospitality of the owners was par excellence, from one amazing meal after another, to looking after the kids while we were eating, to sending milk for kids daily without fail-without even asked for it, to all the guests eating together, to the host waiting for the last guest to eat.....it was true personification of the saying “Athiti devo bhava”.

From there we moved to Mc leodgunj, to a fully commercial hotel. At Mc leodgunj we were looking for some privacy and wanted to spend the last 2 days just idling away but we didn’t want to miss the amazing views of the valley. Our hotel “Triund” gave us all. From a warm and friendly staff, to an amazing view and good food, we loved everything about the place.

View from our room @ Dalhousie

View @ Mc Leodgunj

Excursions: 

We made a conscious decision to not travel to Himachal during snow, because of a lot of reasons like both the kids are too small to remember snow later, and both are highly susceptible to cold....etc etc

This gave us an opportunity to travel to a lot of places around Dalhousie and Dharamshala which are normally closed down because of snow. A snapshot of it is posted below

Kalatop @ Dalhousie

Mc Leodgunj

Mc Leodgunj

Dharamshala

Dharamshala stadium

The inseparables

Both our kids though were very friendly at home but I never did notice how close they are. This can be because I am always around them and it’s mostly three of us together. During the trip I realized how much both of them are dependent on each other. My younger one who was only about 11 months refused to be without his brother even for 1 minute, he wanted to do everything that the elder one was doing (Witness below) and was not ready to leave him even for a minute. Their interaction and love for each other was heart warming.

My life

My life

Lookkkkkk below the table!!!!!!!!!!!

My life

The people

One of the memories for me will always be happy and talkative people. The simplicity and naivety of them was heart melting. Here I would like to mention the members of both the places where we stayed. At Mcloedgunj our elder son fell sick and the staff of “The Triund” were so sweet and caring towards him.....because of their compassionate behaviour even the illness didn’t bring down our spirits...

Our taxi guy

Sweet kid

The shy guide who refused to look at camera

Our taxi guy

The post will not be complete without a special mention of our taxi guy..”Deep baba”. He is a 65 year old guy who has one of the sweetest voice and claims that he knows almost everything about everything (which he doesn’t :-)). He even claimed he knew Ambanis :-) and owns a bunglow ..but what made him special was his spirit to work even at his age, his innumerable memories about the region and his love for people around him.

His bunglow  :-) (His photo is shared above)

In addition to this following are a few snapshots to sum up my wonderful experience at Himachal..

My Family

No.1

No. 1

Muscles!!!

Mastiiiiii

Fun and Learn games for Kids

Few more fun and learn indoor kids games focused on comprehensive language learning. (Those who are new please read FUN AND LEARN)

 

As I explained earlier it is advisable to laminate all the cue cards and these can be used again and again later.

Did she cheat?

With a trembled voice and gloom in her eyes

She entered the room pale and blank

A look at the paper and her heart sank

Blood rushing through her veins

Sweat pooling through her manes

The paper was black and white

The numbers, mocking at her plight

Hands clenched tightly on a torn piece of paper

It was her lifeline

One look at it, she will be fine

If she excels their dreams will fly

If she cheats her’s will die....

Results are out today, she has passed but her home wears an abandoned gaze,

She has passed, passed on

To a better world devoid of them and their expectations

Photo credit chriskoehler.deviantart.com

The details of the contest can be found here

Travel tips for kids

This summer we will be taking our first family vacation. All four of us together for the first time!!!!!!. We have been on a few trips before but nothing that required so much travelling or staying out of home for more than a day with 2 kids. So keeping this in mind I started planning for it months in advance to avoid the stress at the last moment. Following is a list of few things that have helped me in last few years and that I have incorporated for this trip also.

1. Research and organise (a lottt). If you are travelling to a new place or a touristy destination research the place well in advance. Figure out if the place has any child/kids attraction (Relevant to your kid’s age). Research the hotel that you are planning to stay in. Make sure to talk to the hotel representative and clarify the age of kids travelling with you and any specifications like extra bed, hygiene, accessibility etc. If possible carry a list of tourist attractions of the place (it lessens the headache later)

2. Talk to your kids: If your kid is 3 or more it makes sense to mentally prepare them about the upcoming trip. I started a month ago and explained again and again that we will be travelling continuously and we will not be at home for a lot of days. You can even play games around the travel to make it easier for them and for you later

3. Medicines: I have a master-list of medicines that I carry with me whenever I travel. Though it was pain making it the first time but it has worked like magic. It was worth the effort. I have copy pasted my master grid for reference (I have removed the name of medicines)

	No.1 (4 yrs)		No.2 (11months)		Mom Dad
	Medicine	Dosage	Medicine	Dosage	Medicine
Fever
Stomach infection
Acidity/Gas			NA
Rashes
Eyes
Ears
Cut	Antiseptic cream		Same
	Antiseptic powder
	Band-aid
Bruises	Spray		Same		Spray
	Balm				Balm
	Cream				Cream
Cold-Running nose
Cold only cough
Cold antibiotic
Headache	NA
Vertigo
Burns

If this looks complicated, uncomplicate it, simplify it or make completely new but put in the effort once and you can always use and modify later if required. In addition to above my medical box also has a mosquito repellent, thermometer, antiseptic and cotton.

4. Medical record: Make sure to carry the medical records with you. God forbid if an unforeseen medical problem arrives you should have their medical history handy (We carry their medical files without any extensive reports)

5. Packing: For clothes I follow a simple rule: “Carry double”/atleast 2 pair/each day for my 4 yr old and have modified it to “Carry 4 times” for my 11 month old.

o Extra extra extra pair of socks, undergarments and hankies (more than twice as per your estimate)

Carrying so many extra clothes will result into lots of luggage. Some tricks that I use are: Carry 2-3 common jeans/dark colored bottoms, do not carry inner vests extra (It’s ok if they do not wear them on few days), water wash socks on alternate days and carry less number, and carry similar colored clothes- can be mix-matched with a common bottom.

Sort and organise the clothes even in the luggage. I create rows and keep them methodically like Innerwear rows (for all), Night dress for all, Toiletries for all, Light travel wear for all, and good clothes for the trip for all etc.

Toiletries bag: I normally carry fresh sealed smaller bottles of anything that can explode like shampoo, creams etc. And along with that I carry a lot of zip pouches for my return journey. All open bottles sealed and packed in them.

6. Carry a handy travel bag: It is imperative to carry one handy travel bag. Think of everything under the sun that you could need only during the travel (Air/Train/Bus/Car accordingly). Things that I will always keep for my kids are:

o Extra clothes: Depending on the time of travel to reach the destination keep one or more extra pair of clothes

o Snacks for each child

o Some toys specially favourites. If possible keep a few new toys to keep them interested

o Extra diapers, wipes, formula, bottles, cups, glasses

o I always keep a roll of garbage bin bags with me

o Flashlight

o Cotton (If flying, can plug the kid’s ears)

o Sanitizers

o Baby Carrier (if travelling with a baby)

o Toiletries pouch

o Basic medicine for fever and cream etc for cuts

7. Brand your kids: If your kid can move on his own, brand him. Put a tag in his/her pocket with details like name, contact information of parents, travelling to and fro details, flight/train details etc etc.

8. Checklist: Plan a checklist in advance. Take a print and double check everything before leaving the house. My checklist is a veryyy detailed one which includes things like carrying towels, sunglasses, shoes, sanitizers etc etc.

In addition to this don’t forget one very important thing...close your eyes and pray to God before leaving the house..He will make sure you, your family and everyone around your family will have enough patience and love to endure and ignore the kids through the trip..........and inspite of all the planning if anything (most likely most of the things) goes wrong, put it behind you, don’t think about it and....have fun and don’t forget to add your magic to the trip and build beautiful memories

How to teach young children about sexual abuse!!

Image courtesy :Fanpop.com

As a parent we worry day and night about our kid’s safety and wish to protect our children from any hardships and problems in life but the fact is, they have to face the world alone. We cannot be physically present with them everywhere but what can be with them are “the skills and knowledge” that we can help them acquire. 

Sexual abuse is a topic that I always thought I will not have to face for next few years but with the latest incidents unearthing about sexual offences against 3 and 4 yr olds, the worst nightmares of all parents are coming true. 

Hence I thought it was imperative that I talk to my 4 year old about it. Easy said than done... 

After wrecking my brains for few days I realized that I cannot talk to him straight about it. It will have to be indirect but in a simple enough way for his young brain to understand and comprehend. I divided the topic in two parts: 

1) Awareness of private body parts 

A 3-4 yr old is generally aware of his/her different body parts like hands, legs, face, eyes, bum etc etc. But are generally not aware of which body parts are private and should not be touched. I went about it very simply, I told him that these are the 2 parts of body which no one is allowed to touch other than mom and dad and that also only during bath and washroom time....no one else is allowed to touch him there . 

(He is very close to his uncle and often has a bath with him) but I realized that we cannot increase more people on the list, else he will not be able to comprehend the difference between who is allowed and who is not allowed. Hence off goes his uncle and the bum tickle monster, naughty slaps on the bums etc 

The key here is to repeat and ask them to repeat. This is something that he/she at this young age is not capable to understand in its true entirety. And generally I am a big advocate of explaining the logic and reasons to kids when asking them to understand something but this was something that he had to learn by heart (Each bath time I repeat the question diligently...which are the 2 body parts that no one is suppose to touch OR who can touch these parts and who can’t?) 

2) Good touch and bad touch 

Second part of teaching was to make him understand the difference between a friendly touch and a bad touch. If this is not explained properly, either it will not work at all or it can backfire, the kid can become sensitive about even a friendly cheek pull. 

Here it is important to remember that in our society it is very common for even strangers or people we hardly know, to touch and kiss our kids. However I strongly discourage every parent to allow it but it is something which is widely acceptable hence your kid should somewhat be able to understand the difference between a good/friendly touch and a bad touch. 

In order to make it more clear and simple I play a game with my kid with two kinds of stickers’ smiley face and upset face. 

In this game, every time when I do a bad touch he shows an upset face sticker and vice versa. For every correct answer he gets a jelly or whatever we decide earlier. 

Some examples of a bad touch can be a long rub on the back or a pinch anywhere or even a prolonged cheeks pulling followed by a lot of touch......and example of good touch can be a small kiss, a small hug, cheeks pulled for smaller duration etc etc. In essence any touch which is prolonged or any touch which is like a rub qualifies as a bad touch. 

The key is to keep them motivated and attentive enough to play this game often. Again we have to repeat and talk about it again and again for them to remember it. 

It may take some time for the kids to understand and comprehend any of this at all. Mine still doesn't get the good touch bad touch part completely. 

As a parent I urge all other parents to realize the importance of talking about it at an early age (I wish we didn't have to but we need to) and continue talking about it for many more years till they are old enough to clearly understand it (No idea what that age is but I am sure I will know when he is old enough)

India leads with Highest Maternal and First day Infant Deaths

“Giving birth should be your greatest achievement not your greatest fear.” ~ Jane Weideman

Chances that a mother and baby will survive their first day is lowest in India. India has shown impressive economic growth in last few decades but any growth is inadequate if we do not protect the most vulnerable citizen of the country “pregnant women and the newborns”....Read my full post here:

http://bestcurrentaffairsquestions.blogspot.in/2013/05/india-leads-with-highest-maternal-and-first-day-infant-deaths.html

" Their last summer "

Under the red and orange of Gulmohar, like its crown is on fire

Two drops of tear unify with a blind stare

Quickly the flamboyance of red engulfs the white of fear 

Like it could sense the urgency of adolescence blending with desire

The slender green leaves hiding the moments of tender needs

Clasps and holds, chases and misses,

Laughs and tears, teases and kisses,

Virtue and purity, lust and love,

Soft and rough,

Grips and grins, loss and wins

Of their last summer together.... 

The grandeur of the full bloom has bowed down, 

To create a memoir of their love forever, 

Every summer will remember their last summer together!!!