Tag: indianmomblogger

the last days of Ramadan.

by Umm Afaf's blog, posted in life

Hello everybody.

Hope you’re doing well.

We are right now witnessing the blessed month of Ramadan. The month of Ramadan gets immense blessings in our lives. We do oblige fasting in this month and attain utmost rewards from Allah. I personally believe that Ramadan cleanses our souls to worship Allah better.

We do offer Salah (prayer), we fast the whole month, we read Quran, we give charity, we stay up night for night prayers in this month of Ramadan because we of course do not want to miss on anything because Allah has promised to answer our duas ( prayer).

But we all know we are already halfway through Ramadan. There are hardly few days for the last ten nights. If you’ve still not happy with the first 15 days of Ramadan lets make the next 15 the most engaging one in shaa Allah.

 

  1. Salah (prayer)

We must fix our Salah at the earliest. Salah is one of the main pillars of Islam and in this month of Ramadan work on your salah. Pray the 5 obligatory Salah on time without missing any. Pray taraweeh, pray tahajjud.

Ramadan comes and changes our schedule and also the level of imaan. So this Ramadan change yourself for the good

2.Quran- reciting, listening and translation.

Quran the guidance to living a life according to the will of Allah. It’s been a practice in my family to complete the Quran in this holy month. My mom precisely used to ask to recite the Quran daily so that by the end of the month we complete the whole book of Quran. If you’ve not yet started reciting Quran it’s never late, you still have few days left until the Ramadan ends.

Listening to Quran is one of the easiest way to engage. Let there be Quran playing in the background when you’re busy doing house chores, cooking etc.

Also read the translation to understand Quran better

3.Good deeds.

Increase the good deeds especially in the month of Ramadan. As I mentioned earlier the reward from Allah is immense and unimaginable. It is not how big the deeds are it purely your intention and being consistent in it. Do it for the sake of Allah and not for the sake of showing off to the people.

The good deeds and your good intention may take you to the Jannah (paradise).

4.dua.

Allah says in the quran

“Call upon me and I will respond to you”.

We all have a long list of duas. If you are someone like me who forgets halfway or forgets very important dua to be made, then it’s always better to make a list of duas so that you do not forget anything and anyone. The wants of a human being is unlimited is something we learnt in economics. If the one desire is fulfilled we have another 5 waiting to be fulfilled. But Allah never gets tired listening to the countless duas we seek.

Remember to make dua for yourself, your spouse, your parents, your in-laws, your children, your grandparents, your cousins, your family, your friends, the ones who are sick, the ones who are no longer with us and to the whole world suffering from hunger or poverty.

5.rest.

Do not go 24*7 in the last ten days. Rest is also as important as anything else because when you rest well you could worship Allah more efficiently and more heartily. But that doesn’t mean you sleep the whole day and stay up the whole night. Laylatul qadr is promised in one of the last ten nights. It’s better than thousand months. So you really don’t want to miss it right?

 

That’s it for now guys.

Make the best use of the remaining days of Ramadan because we are never promised another Ramadan next year.

Make the best use of the last ten days as well.

 

“Whoever spends the night of laylat al-qadr in prayer out of faith and seeking reward all his previous sins will be forgiven”

 

Until we meet again,

Stick around.

life update ’19.

by Umm Afaf's blog, posted in life

Hello everybody.

Hope you’re doing well.

Loooooooooooooooong time so see huh?

(Please consider the letter ‘O’ in the previous sentence as a level of excitement)

Why excitement you ask? Of course I am writing a blog after so long. Also the energy level is 100% right now since I am writing this early in the morning. I’ve always been a morning person and super hyper in the morning. I alone know how it feels to go back to sleep after the suhoor (a meal had before the dawn when you fast in the month of Ramadan).

Today’s blog is just a small update on why was I missing here. The month of April was no less than a machine run. It was a power packed month with a lot of travel, family visits and my domain name decides to expire. Now when it comes to technical stuff I rather quit but leaning technical terms is never in my book of dictionary.

I was a confused head and had no idea where to turn my head. Also for the fact my blogs traffic dropped like crazy. It was all in one go and I kind of felt very disappointing. I’ve never been a person who needs motivation to write blogs but at the moment I needed some. I believe Experimented and experienced for the self-realization. That’s the reason I knew I should take a break. Its totally fine to take break in life because quitting is never an option.

I don’t earn from my blogs yet but the fact that I wasn’t regular and consistent putting content here, kind of ached my heart. Social media is a great influencer. It can give you motivation to touch sky or demotivate enough to lose hope. It is your call how you want to take it.

Initially when I started blogging I kind of had a twin side towards this platform. I was doubting whether it is okay to write blogs, be a social media influencer or endorse brands for collaboration. There was always a debate happening inside me to do or not to. There was obviously no win.

but, Alhamdulillah there was a turning point.

I now believe that this is my work and until I am doing it the right way without hurting the community guidelines that I have set upon myself, I am in the right path. There’s no looking back.

Life is like a see saw. It goes up and down. You are all happy in the air when your side of the see saw goes up. You see the sky, you see your dreams, and you want to stay up forever.

Then wussh goes the see saw, alas! You are on the ground. You feel disappointed, you feel low, you feel there is no way, you feel like quitting, you see the opposite person enjoying the heights.

That’s exactly life. If you can enjoy up in the air why not when the see saw hits the ground. Trust me after the night comes the beautiful day.

Life isn’t guaranteed. Life gives opportunity, but it’s you who decide which suits best for you. Life gives dreams, but it’s you who make the dream meet the reality.

That’s it guys!

I hope this bought at least a slight positives in your life. It surely did for me and hoping the same for you.

That’s it for now.

Until we meet again,

Stick around.

The weight loss drama.

by Umm Afaf's blog, posted in life, parenting, pregnancy

Hello everybody.

Hope you’re doing well.

I’ve always loved reading, whenever I had some time in hand i read an article in a newspaper, in my WhatsApp group or even in a magazine at reception desk. My love for reading took a step ahead in my pregnancy. I was at moms and obviously I wasn’t allowed to do a lot of house chores and I was left with the only option to read articles. i kept a close track on the weekly pregnancy changes in body. Sometimes my gynecologist was very much astonished to see me asking for details that no patient ask.

I also felt that post pregnancy weight loss articles had a lot of drama than the articles I read about pregnancy. There were tips, tricks, food habits, gym, yoga, GREEN TEA!

I saw few people coming up to me and politely saying that I’ve put on weight! ‘Wow as if I dint know that already and thank you for making me feel worse!!’ Did I also mention that this was said just after a month of my baby’s arrival? I don’t understand the concept where in everyone wants a slim and good-looking wife, a baby after 1 or 2 years of marriage and immediately after the pregnancy the wife should look all glammed up. If a baby takes 9 months don’t expect a woman to get to her pre pregnancy weight overnight.

There are 100 more things happening in her life. The new baby, mood swings, hormonal changes in the body, the severe pain, advises, dos and don’ts etc. she’s already having a tough time and it’s not a good idea to make her feel worse about her weight.

According to me we learn about weight loss only after the pregnancy because before that we dint face an issue of weight. Most of the girls or women are in a good happy weight before pregnancy and what happens right after pregnancy is that you start researching about the weight loss as a first timer. So there are different methods of losing weight and as you are the first timer you may not really know which one suits well for your body.

The first 6 months of baby and mother is crucial. The baby needs utmost care and attention at this particular time. So as a first timer it’s very risky to experiment with your body or diet at this stage.

Do not come under anybody’s pressure to lose weight especially for the first 6 months, stress will not make you lose weight.

All rights reserved exclusively for YOU!

Another major thing I want to disclose here is that LOVE YOUR BODY.

Make a promise to yourself to take care of your body because as I said earlier it’s your right.

Get fitter not because everyone’s asking you to,

But for yourself.

Stick to your roots. Having healthy homemade food, avoiding excess sugar and junk itself makes a lot of difference.

It’s always a good feeling to fit into your old clothes.

Most of the women face knee and joint pain in their mid-40s and it’s majorly because of the weight. If we observe closely the large amount of people who walk/jog in the park are uncle and aunties.

It’s obviously a good feeling of that sight but it’s a big lesson for us that taking care of our body at the right time is an important factor.

Let’s not just wait until our doctors’ advice to do some sort of exercise rather be fit and expect an unexpected compliment!

Don’t lose hope, day one or one day the call is yours!

There is always a person who cheers and motivates

And one such is my better half!

Alhamdulillah ❤️

I believe in motivation and I hope this serves as one.

That’s it for now guys.

Until we meet again,

Stick around.

An early mother.

by Umm Afaf's blog, posted in life, parenting, pregnancy

Hello everybody

Hope you’re doing great.

A topic that i wanted to pen down here since a long time but never attempted it for the short of words I had towards it.

The 20 years old I was confident enough to go through labor and responsible enough to up bring a child. The people here on social media come to me with questions like why?

Can I please tell them they are no answers for your WHY’s?

Why it is a mother’s age even a factor to determine if she can have a baby?

A mother is born when a child is given birth. A women knows her responsibility as soon as she knows there is another life inside her body. Age is just the number. If a mother can go through the hardest and painful thing called LABOR, you’re not aware of the power she has inside her.

There is nothing like a perfect age to get pregnant and have a baby. If its 18 or 35, unless your body is in a good healthy condition you are good to go. It’s actually your body, your mind and your heart which should be ready to accept the challenge coming ahead. Upbringing a child is not everyone’s cup of tea. That’s why most of the time its women who sacrifice their dream job, their leisure, their sound sleep to give time and attention to their child.

We women are born with a super power to grow a baby inside us. That is the miracle of god and no women will ever accept the fact that it’s an easy-going process. It takes enough courage to even think about it. An example of courage,

In India the average children in a family is usually two. So imagine when a mother gives birth to the first one she knows very clearly the pain she goes through yet again she becomes mother for the second time without even giving a thought of the pain she went through with the first one.

If the switch board has got some electric issues and you touch it by mistakenly, would you mind to touch the electric shock again? Well, that’s what happens when a mother goes through the labor for the second time. Yet she forgets the pain when the tiny baby is wrapped around her arms.

That’s how beautiful a women’s heart is.

The society thinks she is weak, her sole responsibility is to take care of the house or the kids, and she has no rights to give her opinion on any issues.

Every women deserves to be treated well. There are stay at home mums(sahm), working mum, mompreneur, mom who work at home, women who work late, women who work very early, women in the fields, women flying a plane etc. we see women in all fields these days and it is a proud moment for a nation like India where a woman was kept out of the house for the five days every month.

“A women is like a tea bag you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water”

The quote explains it all.

So ladies, you’re already doing a fab job.

As a mother, as a sister, as a wife, as a daughter

AS A WOMAN.

No one knows what is good for you except your creator alone.

Trust your instincts and follow your dream.

(a woman will never forget her responsibility of taking care her family)

This post is a part of the #MomsSpeakUp blog train hosted by prisha and nayantra .

I would like to thank my dearest blogger friend CINDY

http://www.blogaberry.com/womaninme/a-journey-to-being-a-happy-sahm/

for introducing me.

I would like to introduce GAYATRI from

http://motherlymess.site/2019/03/06/essence-of-being-a-woman-a-sahm/

Please hop on her page to read her views about the prompt.

That’s it for now guys,

Until we meet again

Stick around.

 

 

Hosted By :

#Mummasaurus
#MommyingBabyT

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Being a housewife.

by Umm Afaf's blog, posted in life

Hello everybody.

Hope you’re having an amazing day.

We women are born multitaskers and multitasking gets a promotion when you become a housewife. A women who stays at home after she is married is called a housewife.

I always believed that being a housewife didn’t contribute as an important factor in life. I felt they are just like my mother or my aunt or anyone who is married and takes care of the house, whats the big deal I imagined.

I’ve been married since 2013 and I am a housewife since 5 years. I so regret the imagination that I did in the previous paragraph about housewives when I was younger of course. I deeply know and believe that no one can underestimate the things a housewife can do!

Taking care of the house, kids and the HUSBAND is not an easy task. Lets start with the main responsibility, THE HOUSE.

From the time I get up from the bed responsibility starts hitting right away. To make up the bed, the perfect tea, the breakfast, the lunch that has to be packed(all from scratch), the dirty dishes, the laundry( washing, drying, and sorting ), cleaning, dusting, moping, cleaning the bathrooms etc! The words are shorter and quicker but the actual task keeps me occupied for the first half of my day. There is no day off where I can skip any one of the above. Even if I skip one or two there is nothing called a holiday in a housewife’s life.

The second responsibility the child/children. Taking care of your kid is even more complicated than the house chores. They are very tricky to handle. They can either wake up in a good mood in the morning or a cranky mood that runs throughout the day. The demands that they make for food is unpredictable. When you don’t have dosa batter in the refrigerator that day they decide to have dosas. When the bread expires that’s when they want a sandwich. The oranges that were there in stock and are getting rotten nobody cares to eat it because it looks dirty. Imagine convincing your child in these situations and that’s how a housewife’s life is when it comes to taking care of them. The tantrum they throw when they don’t want a shower or a desired dress after the shower and taking them to bed for afternoon naps is something that every housewife will relate.

The third and the most important factor for a housewife is to take care of her HUSBAND. He can come home with a grumpy face or a happy face. If he comes home in a grumpy face and youre PMSing that day I am sure youll end up having a big fight. If he comes back from work with a happy face then you may go out for dinner that night. A hungry husband is forever angry. I’ve literally gone through this experience of hungry and angry husband. If they don’t like a particular food a housewife will end up not making it even if that particular food is her absolute favorite.

From taking that stain from his favorite shirt to keeping his wardrobe organized, the responsibility is mine (a housewife).

So a housewife is 24*7 on duty where in there will be guests coming over without prior notice, a kid can fall sick, a husband may have stress at work, cooking is necessary for survival, mood swings of women etc.

Yet another common factor in a life of a housewife is “staying at moms”. No words can explain how it feels when you’re going to your mums and the pleasure that’s achieved has no explanation. That’s the only time I believe when a housewife takes a break.

A housewife shouldn’t be considered minor than any working woman. She has chosen to be a housewife for the sake of her family. It’s high time to respect and appreciate for the work she does!

A woman can take care of anyone and everything except for herself. I think self-care is a must in a women’s life in general. Pamper yourself, order some good food, drink plenty of water, be fit, buy something for yourself, wear good clothes and be happy.

Always remember,

Happiness is a choice.

That’s it for now guys,

Until we meet again

Stick around.

My Instagram life.

by Umm Afaf's blog, posted in life

Hello everyone.

Hope you’re doing well.

Yet another interesting topic of my life.

Being an extreme introvert and having an Instagram profile with 2000 followers is in itself a big deal. Without further delay lets just flip to my first page of my Instagram life.

I was following a lot of bloggers then, who had their own website where they would write something. So when I first decided to write blogs I did open my new page on WordPress and changed my personal Instagram account to a public profile. With a lot of researches online and without any human help! And thus joined the tribe. I remember I had almost 300 followers then and when I changed my profile to a public account my followers list increased to 450. So basically I started with 450 followers. And I actually thought I don’t have to do much and waited for a 1000 followers. It took me a year to complete 2000 followers, like how silly was I!😜

Little did I knew what was coming my way? It took me quite a time to understand Instagram.

There is engagement, there are numerous giveaway to increase followers, there is profile visits, there are insights, there are campaigns, collaborations and Instagram suggests the best time to post, best day to post and what not! Not to forget INSTAGRAM ALGORITHIM. I never knew about this, I thought a blogger has to write blogs, post few pictures, post stories and done! I don’t have words to explain there is so much more to it.

What I really enjoyed about Instagram then is about the collaboration that I did with few brands and felt really good that the brands trusts my work. And who doesn’t love hampers and gifts right? A did get a slight work pressure from the brands even before the deadlines. And later on whenever there were collaboration I was so worried that I started focusing and stressing more whether I will be able to satisfy the brand with my work. I did quite well with all of the collaboration, Alhamdulillah.

I started loving instagram and took all kinds of effort to keep my instagram feed good-looking! I loved the responses I got from my followers about my blogs and that really motivated. I had a lot of friends and family who checked on me on a regular basis, I must say I had an amazing bunch of people in my life. Also there were a few of my fellow bloggers whom I would always look up to whenever I had to clear my mind about anything related to social media or my blogs. I am forever grateful to those friends of mine whom I’ve never met in real life but plays a prominent role.

Another major important thing about my instagram life is about my constant supporter and a critic that I always look up to, my better half. The first glimpse of my post that goes up in the grid, every blog that I publish, the collaboration posts and stories are closely approved by him. He is the invisible person for all my social affairs. Alhamdulillah!

The main motive for me to be active on instagram is to grow my audience. I know instagram is not permanent until there is some other app taking over it like that of orkut or facebook. I am more concerned and determined about my website and that’s what matters the most for me. In order to grow my audience I need to promote my blogs through instagram and facebook.

Sometimes I feel that people already assume that you’re happy with the flow of Instagram and often forget to ask how am I doing! Because they see my social media updates and believe it!

To be real honest whatever I share ,that is not what’s actually happening in my real life. It’s just 1/4th of it!🙂

If you see a picture of a delicious food that I post don’t be fooled, may be that’s the old picture. I may post it because I miss it! I still feel good whenever I am not judged on the basis of my Instagram story! I love sharing positivity through my profile even I am in the worst mood. And believe me that is more important!

It’s sometimes okay to ask how am I doing and trust me I’ll happily answer!

I hope all goes well with my intentions in shaa allah(if allah wills)

If you feel like doing a little help for me

Introduce my instagram page and my blogs to your friends and family.

Since my niche is more of women stuff I’ll be glad to have more of female followers in the list!

https://www.instagram.com/aashiqaraweez/

That’s it for now guys,

Until we meet again

Stick around.

Log kya kahenge.

by Umm Afaf's blog, posted in life

Hello everybody.

Hope you’re doing well.

One of the famous phrase I grew up hearing is log kya kahenge (what will people say). I am sure this is quite common in almost everyone’s life. I used to wonder who these “people” are that everyone wants to please. It took me quite a long time to know and understand the concept of this. It’s like we are living a life only to please them.

The other thing that go hand in hand with the above phrase is show off. Life has become a major competition where you’re competing with people of similar possessions. The best expensive hospitals, the best schools, best clothing, best cars, best houses etc.

i too choose the best for myself or my family, we all want best of best right? But the BEST should never turn into a show off!

We humans are never ever satisfied with whatever we have in our lives. The things you own now, was a dream few years back. But we don’t care about it, what we care is about the future plans. The more the wants are satisfies the more you ask for it.

Is the above paragraph based on economics? 🤣Well it sounded like that of a dimension law. Jokes apart that’s been life. We make life so complicated that we often forget to enjoy and believe that there’s only one life to live. For some of them life becomes stressful, complicated, depressed, sad and unhappy. When we start pleasing others that’s when life becomes unhappy.

This reminds me of a recent incident that happened in my life. Last month I had been to my native and I did get to attend a lot of weddings, family function and get together. What I started noticing is that people started asking this frequent question to me and that started bothering me a lot.

“Your daughter is already three right?

“When are u having your next baby”?

 “You should have already had your second baby by now”?

Surprisingly, these interrogating questions were asked by few people whom I met for the first time. The first few times I was asked these questions I was ignoring of course. But later on it started haunting me. I was lost in deep thoughts thinking about this.

People said,

“The 2.5 age gap is the best age difference between your kids,

“The bonding of siblings are great at this particular time,

“It’s easier to up bring 2 kids of smaller age,

“It becomes difficult once you start growing old,

“My mom will not be able to take care of me and my ‘new baby’ because even she is aging.

And a lot more.

When the suggestions are given by my family members I know it’s out of concern they have towards me and I respect it. But suggestions coming from a random person

I don’t know if all of these suggestion I got is true or false. But it made me sad. I then realized that I am losing my track and this is something that should never ever bother me.

I started thinking about few women whom I know personally and are really trying hard to have a baby. It might be the health conditions or it might be a patience test for them.

What about them?

Trust me these question are not less than a taunt.

so, Think before you speak.

On a happier note,

Let’s be happy! 😊

Let’s not make someone’s life complicated. 👍

Let’s make this place a better place to live.💕

Let’s be a better person. 😍

This is based on my experience. No offence to my dearest people who already have two or more kids 😉

That’s it for now guys.

Until we meet again,

Stick around.

Review: club Mahindra derby green, ooty.

by Umm Afaf's blog, posted in Review, travel

Hello everybody.

Hope you’re doing well.

It’s said in a quote that vacation are the best days of all. Sometimes when you feel depressed, worried about your daily routine and stressed days it’s your body asking you to take a break. When you go for vacation you come back with more energy and more enthusiasm, thus enjoying your work. What better than a prestigious stay in a hill station.

Recently we visited ooty and chose to stay at club Mahindra derby green. Club Mahindra needs no introduction, since it was my first experience here I thought I would give you guys the first impression of the property.

Started in 1996, the company’s flagship brand “club Mahindra holidays”, today has a fast growing customer base of over 235000 members and 50+ resorts at some of the most exotic locations in India and abroad.

This property is one of the oldest yet well maintained. The property is spread across 5 and half acres. I was pleased to see the city view and race course view from our room. It has almost 89 rooms. Since it’s an old property the structure of the room is little different from the usual ones. The room has amenities like tea/coffee maker, a microwave and other modern amenities. There is seating area for every room so that no one misses out on view outside.

The most favorite part of this property is that it is surrounded by greenery. The different flowers which has different colors will automatically bloom your days. It feels refreshing to be around the beautiful garden and sip on some hot tea. The birds chirping here is much better than the Bangalore hustle bustle. From the time you enter the gate of derby green till you exit, the property will make sure you’ll find greenery all around. At every nook and corner here will make you fall in love with the property. There are relaxing chairs and benches all over the property if at all you get bored with the same view from your room.

The hospitality here is cherry on top of the cake. Every staff working here will make certain that you’re having a great stay. The smiles are so warmth enough to make your day. From the security at the entrance gate to room service person everyone here is so kind and sweet. If there’s any kind of entertainment and fun happening around, they’ll call up individually and ask if interested. To every concern of ours they’ll find a solution.

We stayed here for 2 days so we had 2 complimentary breakfast and 1 buffet lunch here. The complimentary breakfast here had some delicious spread that one cannot resist eating. It included toast, pastries, fruits, juices, cereals, beverages, eggs etc. There is a live counter where you could ask for south Indian style hot dosas. The lunch buffet too had a vast spread. But as I was expecting biriyani for lunch I was little disappointed. There was obviously a tasty spread from north Indian to south. The food here had authentic taste of local food and we all know about the hygiene maintained here.

Overall my experience about my stay here at club Mahindra is forever locked in my memory book. Ooty is in itself a great place to visit especially from Bangalore as it the only nearest hill station. In addition if opted for a club Mahindra stay I am sure anyone’s trip is going to be fruitful and awesome.

Rating: 5/5

Value for money: 8/10.

That’s it for now guys

Until we meet again,

Stick around.

Review: xplorabox.

by Umm Afaf's blog, posted in parenting, Review

Hello everyone.

Hope you’re doing well.

Being a mom of a toddler I can assure you by now that this is the most difficult phase of all. It’s not only about the 100s of questions they ask each hour but also getting bored in a jiffy. When I think of my childhood days I remember using a term ‘BORED’ is only when we had 2 months of summer vacations and the last few days were kind of boring. And whenever I complained about my boring days to my mom, she would always say start studying for the next year.😉

Now, as a parent myself I know how different is this generation. As I told earlier in my previous blogs that ‘we 90s kid are the only generation who have struggled to become friends with our parents and we are struggling to become friends with our kids’.

This generation is different we cannot help! But the fact that there are people making a real change for keeping a toddler busy which in return helps them grow better physically, mentally and intellectually.

I’ve recently come across the activity subscription box for kids. “Xplorabox” is an unique cocept where in they try to engage kids with all new activities every month. The age curated monthly subscription box has 5 different activities and each activity is totally different from each other. The ‘jungle themed’ box here has 5 activity.

  1. My magnetic wildlife.
  • Motor skills
  • Academic skills
  • Confidence
  • Creative and exploring skills

This activity has a magnetic board, animal cutouts, 1 sheet of dense jungle animals and 1 sheet of cold regions animals.

Each sheet has to be placed over the magnetic board and the child has to match the pictures with the animal cutouts. this keeps them engaged and they really love the magnetic feel whenever they attch a picture.

2. Animal puzzle.

  • Motor skills
  • Academic skills
  • Confidence
  • Play and social skills.

There are 4 cutouts of animals and their babies. This is a jigsaw puzzle. A very innovative way of introducing animals and their babies. As each puzzle has different number of babies with them it’s fun to count the babies too.

3. Match the spots.

  • Motor skills
  • Creative and exploring skills
  • Cognitive skills
  • Play and social skills.

This activity has a board of animal patterns and there are cutouts of each animal.

The child has to recognize the animal pattern and then match it accordingly. Again a very new concept and very engaging.

4. My reptile world craft activity.

  • Motor skills
  • Creative and exploring skills
  • Play and social skills.

This is  a coloring activity which has a board, cutout sheets, 2 colors (paint), 2 sponges, 1 color tray and glue drop sheet.

Exploring paint is every kid’s favorite. This activity has cutouts of few reptiles. The child has to color the reptiles using a sponge and once the reptiles are colored they are all arranged in a big board and thus making a reptile world.

5. Monkey feeder

  • Motor skills
  • Academic skills
  • Cognitive skills.
  • Play and social skills.

This activity has a monkey board which has its mouth open, a tree with a tiny spinner and 12 fruit cutouts. This is my personal favorite too. Basically, a tree has 3 fruits (banana, mango and orange) attached. Every time the child rotates the spinner and it shows any of the fruits, the child has to pick the same fruits from the tree and feed it to the monkey. This game goes on and on.

My personal experience.

  • This is one of the innovative way to keep kids engaged.
  • There are 5 different activity in a single box every month.
  • Each activity has its own benefits to the child and the details about the improvements are listed in the box.
  • All the items provided here has a good quality. It’s totally not a one-time activity and it can be used later on.
  • Each activity is safeguarded in a cloth bag thus there is never a chance of mixing up.
  • It’s an age appropriate box from 2-4, 4-6, 6-8 and 8+.
  • The materials provided has good quality and there is no fear of wear and tear.
  • Each activity has an instruction card and there is no worry of not understanding an activity.

The most important thing about this box is that this is one of the best way to spend some quality time with kids.

another most important factor is that this keeps screen time away.

This box is priced at Rs.1099/-

Link- https://www.xplorabox.com/

That’s it for now guys.

Until we meet again,

Stick around.

Life revolves around a circle.

by Umm Afaf's blog, posted in parenting

Hello everybody.

Hope you’re doing well.

The topic I decided to write here today is an unusual one. We all read about life, how to lead life, how to learn about life etc. I strongly believe that life revolves around a circle. The newborn in the hospital and the old man in the death-bed have a lot of similarities. To be clearer it’s like the newborn has revolved in the circle of life and met the old man at the point where he initially started.

To begin with, when I last visited Dubai with my family we were in a mall exploring. I happened to meet this very big family who were busy shopping and exploring like us!They were a group of almost 15 people including the babies and kids. They had 2 wheel chairs with an old man and woman sitting. there was 2 pram which had 2 babies sleeping on it. I still have the picture recorded on my mind.

That’s when I started noticing and finding the similarities in the old and the new.

Let’s have a brief outlook on the topic.

  • The old man has his wheel chair

The babies or the new-born have their pram.

  • the old man loses his hair or eventually end up being bald

The babies are born bald or less hair.

  • The old man loses his tooth gradually

Newborns are born toothless.

  • The old man loses his sight as he grows old

The newborn do not have a perfect sight when it’s born.

  • Sometimes the old man uses a diaper

(Health conditions)

The newborn always uses a diaper

  • The old man speaks in a shaken voice

(The speech is not clear and we end up not understanding)

The babies initially cannot speak. Thus we end up not understanding.

  • The old man always need a lot of care, attention and observation.

It’s the same with the newborns.

  • The old man is sent to old age homes

The kids are sent to nursery or school.

  • The old man does not want to go to the old age homes because he wants to stay with his children.

The kid do not want to go to the school because he/she wants to stay back with his/her parents

  • The first piece of cloth a newborn is wrapped upon is in the color WHITE.

The old man when he dies is also wrapped in the white.

The points listed here is mostly on my observation and my surroundings.

Now, why I chose to write this topic is that to deliver a message.

One, an old man acts like a child when his age number increases and as an adult it’s our responsibility to take care of our parents just like they did.

To narrate a saying,

The life of this world compared to the hereafter is as if one of you were to put his finger in the ocean and take it out again. Then compare the water remains on your finger to the water that remains in the ocean.

That’s how short the LIFE is.

Whenever I get to meet an elderly person who cannot do his basic daily chores like if the person is sick or if the person is left with no strength to do his daily essentials, like everybody else I too have a soft corner towards them. I instantly swap myself with their character and start imagining how life could be in their end. Every time I do that I realize how difficult will it be for them and deep inside I never ever want to get to that phase of life. Not because it’s a fear of death but the fear of dependency.

If a human being can do his basic chores without any help it’s a greatest blessing from the creator. We often compare and complain about things that we don’t possess.

To remind a tiny blessing you already own is that you’re reading this, with the help of your smart phone or your laptop or the desktop. There are hundreds of human who die starving.

So, in whatever position you’re in right now,

BE THANKFUL:)

Like a philosopher says;

Live life as if it’s your last day on earth.

That’s it for now guys.

Until we meet again,

Stick around.

a lady driver!

by Umm Afaf's blog, posted in travel

Hello everyone.

Hope you had an amazing weekend.

This is an unexpected topic that’s come up here.

I recently started driving and there were few strange things that happened. I thought it would be great to share here and safeguard this in my memory book.

Driving was never on my list until my husband pushed me in it. The main reason I never wanted to drive is that, we woman multi task. even if we are doing a lot of work our mind run from topics to topics. driving is something where you should focus only on driving and I believed that a multi task woman like me will ultimately fail. So I thought it’s never my cup of tea.

But am glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to learn something that eventually makes a person independent.

I took a 15 days driving classes at my native and got adjusted to driving very quickly. It was all good until I had my teacher next to me and a big placard which had a red colored L board in it. But as soon as I started driving a normal car it was all different. One thing that’s common when you initially drive is that you will constantly hear honking even if you’re driving good or normal. It seems every vehicle wants to overtake your vehicle and driving feels as if it’s just giving others the way.

I never tried to drive faster only for the reason that I had to change gears and slowing down was forever tricky. Not changing gears felt that I am dragging the car with all of the power and the car dint wanted to come ;). Stopping a car was my favorite and I did it very well Alhamdulillah.

I kind of got confident in driving and I thought I am an expert already. Little did I knew what was coming my way? Bangalore traffic!

Pity to the person who thought driving was easy. Anyone who thinks driving is easy please visit Bangalore and meet the traffic. is it just clutch and brake? there is more to it.!

TBH, I appreciate every person who can drive on Bangalore traffic. Like there are vehicles coming from all sides and every person who is driving will make sure they honk so that everyone knows their car is coming. I first thought all the motor bikers do not know to ride properly. Then I felt the auto rickshaws that came in any direction destroying lane should be banned. Then I started hating the cabs, like the cabs never ever driven properly. But gradually understood that I am a new driver and it took me a while to understand that every person has some destination and they do not care about your destination.

Another thing that freaked me out is that every time there is a vehicle behind my car and they obviously start honking if I am going slowly or they want to go ahead of me. As soon as I give them the way every person who is overtaking my car will make sure that he catches a glimpse on who is driving. And when the person sees me driving it’s like there is a satisfaction on their face that their mind has won because they’ve already guessed that it’s a lady driver.

I’ve slowly got a hold of it. It feels really good that I know to drive. It’s felt tricky at the beginning but gradually I feel good at it. I still get a tiny heart attack when I see a huge vehicle coming my way. I’ve heard all kind of continuous honks when my car stopped in the middle of the road. I am still scared of overtaking a vehicle. I’ve seen frustration on people’s faces.

But what is important is the constant encouragement I get and a little push when I back out.

That’s my driving story!

What’s yours?

I would love to know!

I know there are a lot of driving related words here and I am sure every person who knows driving already, relate to this.

That’s it for now guys.

Until we meet again,

Stick around.

life updates!

by Umm Afaf's blog, posted in parenting

Hello everybody.

Hope you’re doing well.

Ah! It feels age’s I’ve come up here to write something. I hope you missed reading my blogs and I thought of giving you guys a little update why I was MIA.

First thing first, I was at my mums for 3 weeks and I completely missed my space where I could peacefully write. I would next blame my little one because her afternoon nap is rescheduled to late evenings and it’s completely not worth opening a laptop in front of her. I kind of missed the track and whenever I sat down to write my mind wouldn’t be focused. Then I thought of taking a small break which turned to a month.

It’s been a month I haven’t published any blog and I felt terrible when I realized I took a longer break than needed. Usually a break is taken when you feel low, disheartened, sad or depressed. Well that wasn’t the case with me. But sometimes unusual break is a good sign to start-up again with more energy and more enthusiasm.

We all feel low sometimes and it’s as natural as eating food. One should understand that life cannot be perfect because this is not a fairytale but a rollercoaster ride where you feel everything in one go. Life does not promise anything, so it’s better to enjoy more and worry less. One should also believe that stressing never gives a solution rather it makes the situation worse.

October has been a busy month and there were a lot of good things that happened. As I was at my mums, I had no responsibility towards anything I literally took an interval in life.

I was delighted to be part of two amazing events that took place few days ago. One being a pop up event by the qurikipedia Bangalore. The pop-up event had lot of fun activities for kids, amazing kids curated shopping and delicious spread of food.

Being a johnson’s baby myself I had an opportunity to attend the café meet of Johnson and Johnson’s at Bangalore. I was invited as a blogger and it felt so good knowing that the brand has changed itself inside out. The brand has transformed and came up with more gentle, more pure and more chemical free products. The host and the team answered every concern a mom had towards the safety of her little one, and I am sure every mom who attended this event was convinced.

Life’s been good Alhamdulillah!

That’s it!

So a clear message here is no stress= happy life,

If that doesn’t work just take a small break from your routine and then kick-start with the BANG!

That’s it for now guys

A lot of topics coming up here,

Until we meet again

Stick around.

Traveling with toddlers.

by Umm Afaf's blog, posted in parenting, travel

Hello everybody.

Hope you’re doing good.

IMG_8190Traveling and exploring different cities is something that I would always look up to.

Be it be summer, winter or autumn. Traveling to a different city, eating their traditional food and taking a little break from the routine is never a bad idea.

I’ve always loved traveling whether it’s with friends or with family or as a couple. But as a parent it’s quite different from the usual trip. To be specific its always an adventurous trip. I feel traveling with a smaller baby is way much better than with toddlers.

Its unpredictable on toddlers mood. A happy faced toddler may look very excited before the journey begins but could be in worst scenario once the vehicle moves for about 10 kilometers or so.

Usually kids do not enjoy the ride or drive and thus gets fussy.

So here are the few tips that is tried and tested before you begin the adventurous ride:

1. travel during night/nap time.

It’s very important to plan ahead when you’re traveling with babies or kids. It’s always better to take a late night flight/train. Kids usually get tired during the day and end up sleeping.

A very important note here is never jumble with their routine. I used to skip her afternoon nap so that she sleeps early in the train/bus. When she skips her afternoon nap she gets cranky at the end of the day, feeling sleepy and tired, sleeps at the odd times ultimately ruining the sleep schedule.

Never pressurize the kid or their schedule. It’s the parent who need to take extra care.

2.carrying snacks, lots!

Its better to carry a lot of snacks when you’re traveling with toddlers. Taking different kind of snacks and drinks are more attractive to a toddler. Its savior when a kid gets cranky and irritated. One of the easiest way to stop them crying. Taking their favorite food/snack will also serve the purpose very well.

An important reminder here never show them every snacks that you’re carrying because they’ll end up having all of them at once.

b3dafa83-668b-4612-9330-daa81cabf54a-1.jpg

3.carrying activities/books.

One of the reason a toddler gets cranky is because they get bored during travel. So one of the easiest way is to make them busy. If your toddler read books then it’s sorted. Or else you could try coloring, carrying crayons, sketch pens, coloring books, few activities.

Activities like telling the colors that they see, things that they see around, spotting animals, singing rhymes, guessing game etc.

4.favorite toy/blanket/soft toy.

Carrying any of their all time favorite toy will make them feel home like. Each kid has one such thing that’s their absolute favorite. So its better to take it when traveling. they’ll end up playing with it thus killing some time.

5.comfortable dressing.

It’s an important factor to dress up comfortably when traveling. It’s basic rule that applies to all be it be babies, kids or elders. Kids are very specific about their clothing. They always prefer a good material and good quality dress. babies/toddlers get cranky very easily even if it’s a tiny cloth tag that is attached to their top or trousers. So Make sure dress up your little one comfortably.

IMG_57286.always favorable to kids.

Traveling is always planned ahead. Dates, tickets, hotel check in etc. are planned way too early. But sometimes there arises a situation where kid falls sick and we get into a confusion. Traveling with a sick baby is itself an untold story. The crankiness are on top-level when traveling with the sick baby.

Its better to reschedule the trip. Or it’ll ruin the whole fun-filled trip.

7.keeping them engaged.

Talking to them is another way of keeping them busy. Especially toddlers love talking.

I know they’ll end up asking 100 more questions than usual. The questions are repetitive that is the most annoying part. That happens with me too and I try to ask them questions and try to answer few of theirs.

Another tip I would suggest is to excite them about the destination. Tel them about the plans, the food and about the stay. If you’re visiting zoo, parks, water parks, themed parks basically which are kids friendly then talk a lot about it and intensify the topic.

IMG_56118.take breaks.

If the travel time is very long, take breaks. If you’re traveling on road you could easily stop and take a tea break or even for some stretching;)

trains/flights it becomes lil difficult. But never say NO to taking break. Walk on aisle, go to washroom or shift seats so that kids don’t get tired sitting in the same position.

9.tissues, wet wipes, hand sanitizer.

One will never have enough tissues and wet wipes during travel particularly if a toddler is accompanying. Also there are chances of lot of germs and bacteria when traveling on public transport.

So it’s always better to take care of our cleanliness.

Always carry spare clothes because it may get dirty at any hour and digging into the heavy luggage bags will obviously waste a lot of time.

10.be a cool parent.

Sometimes even all of the above things are taken care there are times when our babies get super cranky. We get tensed about other passengers who are on board with us. But babies are unpredictable. They may be super tired or sleepy or not in a good mood. Getting angry on them is a waste of money. they’ll end up crying more. Instead you could be more sweeter and have a lot of patience.

And about the other passengers I am sure everyone has gone through the same situation or everyone will go through the same situation in the future. So keep calm and have a fun filed travel;)

I hope the travel tips are useful for your next travel.

That’s it for now

until we meet again

stick around.

parents ‘the BFF’

by Umm Afaf's blog, posted in parenting

Hello everybody

hope you’re doing good.

Todays topic is very interesting because it deals with friendship. So whenever we sit back and think about Friendship it would be about our school friends, college friends, tuition friends, neighbour friends and so on.

But there is no mention of parents as friends. Because we have lived life that parents were never included in our friend list. The main reason for this there was a huge gap between parents and kids when we were growing up. They were always considered a one step ahead and kids and parents were never on the same boat.

We as a 90s kid always wanted our parents to be friends.

I think we are the only generation who wanted to be friends with our parents as a kid and trying to be friends with our kids as a parent. I feel strange and bad that we are the struggling generation who is not at ease even when they were kid and even when they are a parent.

when to be a friend.

So as I mentioned earlier we are not at ease and we are trying our level best to be friends with our kids.

The most important thing here is it’s not and never an overnight process where you and your kid becomes best of friends or bFF. Usually parents tend to make mistake. Some parents think they should be friends with their kids when they reach teenage.

Teenage is a period where kids change a lot and that’s never a time to start a friendship with your children. If you’ve ignored all their silly things when they were kids and trying to get all attention when they reach their teenage, then it will not sound good.

So the best time for you to become friends with your kids is when they are small. When theyre small they are more of mama kid ie they want to be with parents all the time unlike a grownup kid. They want attention, support, love, laugh and everything from their dad and mom. That is a very good time to enroll yourself in the list of your kids friendship.

How to be friends with your kids.

it’s about the quality. If you’re sitting next to your kid and enjoying your phone or tv then its never called a quality time.when you are focused on your kids play or the drawing session or the little talk session they have with you, even if it’s for 15min that’s more like a quality time. The more you build the quality time with them the more chances of becoming good friends later on.

involving them in every matter. Even if they’re small try to involve them like choosing the dress of yours, asking what need to be cooked for dinner, or any daily chores. Also try to involve them even in the big decisions that s made in the house. Try to ask permission when you’re using or taking something from your kids wardrobe. Kids learn from their parents ultimately imitating them in daily living.

Another important thing is talking to your kids. Being a mom of a daughter I know how long she can go with the talks. Even if its stories or rhymes or the life incidents (on repeat mode) listen to them. You may get bored listening to the repeated stories but that’s okay. As a parent we have had sleepless nights and repeated stories are much better than sleepless nights right?

I’ve noticed that as they grow when they are exposed to more of life they start sharing less.

The one reason that they share less as they grow up is obviously the interest you give your child. If you’ve scored out of out in listening to their kids version of talk session and never ignored their talk, then you may not find a day when they don’t want to share their talk sessions with you at whatever age they are in.

It’s very important to be friends with them.

Its one of the easiest way to be connected with the kids and up-bring them.

Also never forget that at the end you are ultimately a parent and you know the limitations of a kid. It’s very delicate relationship to deal with. Every relationship has boundaries. Try to cover up with the boundaries and enjoy the little friend zone with your kids.

Every kid is different, every parent is different and every upbringing of a child is different. You know your kid better so adjust the consistency of your love, and have a great friendship with your kids.

This is purely according to my personal experience and thoughts.

Thats it for now

until we meet again,

stick around.

Review: Ekam’s personal care Products.

by Umm Afaf's blog, posted in Review

Hello everybody.

Hope you’re doing good.

Taking care of skin is as important as eating healthy food. One should always ensure that they are taking good care of the skin because at the end of the day your skin is something that you’ll be wearing for the rest of your life. The major thing that has to be kept in mind is the products you choose and the quality of product.

I am glad I came across this brand called EKAM

Being a mom or a working woman, we woman always complain about not getting enough time to take care of ourselves and pamper our skin. Running into a salon every now and then is not a good idea at all, especially if you’re a mom like me. So this time I am sorted with indulging in the experience of EKAM products.

EKAM

Ekam is one of the luxury brands that offers you a wide variety of products from scented candles to personal care products. Ekam is one such brand which innovates new products ensuring its customers until they are pleased. All their products are elegant to look and beautifully packed. Sit back and enjoy the review of the most relaxing products that I encountered.

1.shimmering rays face and body mask.

With glycerine and white bentonite.

Product claims;

*bentonite expels toxins

*kaolin removes excess oil.

*glycerine moisturize the skin.

*the mask soothes the sensitive skin.

*balances the PH of oily skin.

My personal experience:

The turquoise color of the mask makes it feel like an oceanic experience.

It smells like an ocean filled with clay.

The mask is creamy and gives spa vibe for sure.

There is a tingling sensation and cooling effect immediately after applying the mask.

Its gentle on skin and easy to use.

Unlike other mask that dries out and makes skin-tight, this washes off quickly without scrubbing.

Makes skin softer and smoother right after the wash.

Acne spots got reduced just after first wash.

This product is suitable for oily and sensitive skin.

The packaging of the product is excellent. I loved their Maldives range product collection. The colors of these packaging will surely give the beach vibe.

Ingredients:

price: Rs. 590 for 100 gms.

2. Morning dew scrub.

With sea buckthorn oil, lemon and rosemary extract.

Product claims;

*the scrub removes dead cells and impurities.

*the oil exfoliates the skin and help protects it from sun damage and free radicals.

*glycerine soothes the skin and locks moisture.

*improves skins overall texture.

*lemon brightens and lightens the skin when used over time.

My personal experience.

The texture of the scrub is very creamy.

Very light on skin.

Spreads evenly hence very easy to massage and wash.

The fresh smell stays on skin for a while.

The exfoliating granules of these scrubs work wonders to skin.

There is immediate soft, radiant and squeaky clean skin.

Skin doesn’t feel dry. Keeps the skin moisturized for a long time.

Not a travel friendly pack but definitely a home spa experience.

The packaging of this product comes under luxury. Double box packaging and air tight container that takes in 300 ml of the scrub.

It surely gives a salon experience.

ingredients

price: Rs.900 for 300 ml.

3. coco island sunscreen lotion

SPF 30 with glycerine.

Product claims:

*light and mildly scented.

*protects the skin from harmful UV rays.

*keeps the moisture locked

*effective.

SPF 30

sun protection factor is a measure of a sunscreens ability to prevent UVB from damaging the skin. Dermatologists recommend using a SPF 15 or SPF 30 sunscreen.

My personal experience.

I was never aware of how a sunscreen can protect the skin, when I deep studied this topic I came into light the importance of it. I was glad to know that this lotion has SPF 30 which is amazing to the level of protection it gives to skin.

The lotion is again very soft on skin.

The lotion comes in a pump bottle and making it even easier to use.

Non greasy/oily after use.

Recommended to use 15 minutes prior skin exposure to sun.

this sunscreen has higher staying capability.

Works as a moisturizer as well.

Easy to carry and travel friendly.

This comes under their Maldives range of skin care.

Price: Rs.590 for 100ml.

Ingredients.

I would highly recommend the ekam products.

If you are stressed from work or anything, try the EKAM products. Relax and enjoy the day with their spa range or Maldives range. You’ll surely thank me later for the recommendation.

Ekam products will ensure that one has a great relaxing and calming day.

Rating 5 out of 5

obviously;)

that’s it for now

until we meet again

stick around.