Recently a lot of moms messaged me, a few I am now close to have even Whatsapp-ed me at odd hours asking what to carry and what not while travelling with a toddler.
Firstly, I am so happy and indebted to those who trust my motherly instincts and ask for suggestions.
Secondly, I understand why they ask. My husband and I are very fond of travelling. There are destinations which we visit again and again because we love being there. I have traveled for holidays in my first , second and last trimester as well… as far as 300-400kms without having any issues. Thank you Lord for that… and My first short trip with the kiddo was when he was about 45days old while first big holiday trip was when he turned 6 months old… in between I was either attending weddings or too tired and sleeping on weekends .. lol !
And lastly, I socialize a lot and love to receive or pass on suggestions (not advises) to moms who believe I mean good for her and the little one. I take in suggestions as well, in a healthy way and it has always helped me except weight losing tips.. they never work and I don’t understand why !!
Little D
So lets make a list of major things required by moms:
so here we were in a super chilled Kashmir in 2016 holidaying with a bunch of wonderful people.. about 17 of us! we didn’t wanna go back.
when i went to Kerela i thought there is nothing so heavenly like this place on earth, and then i went to kashmir a few years later and i knew there is nothing more beautiful than Kashmir. we loved the snow, the warmth and hospitality of people there and the food and the landscapes. it was a dream destination for my husband. his bucket list 2016 has kashmir written in bold letters and we made it to the most beautiful place on earth last year. upon our return we had our flights from Jammu after a two day stay at Vaishnodevi, Katara. Jammu was super hot, as if we are back to ahmedabad. whilst we were there in the city we caught up with some friend’s friends who happened to own a walnut factory there. they had farmers who would sell the whole walnuts to them and they would then break it and sort out according to size and color and package them likewise.
here is a brief post on ‘ my toddler visits walnut factory ‘ in pics.
i had these pics saved and stored on my phone and never really thought about writing and posting on it… recently D saw these and immediately recalled the entire sorting and packaging process i showed him. i was quite glad that this lad who can’t even make a W on his notebook without help could remember the entire sorting and packaging process at a walnut factory! no doubt he surprises me every time and i pen it down on the blog. the little brat doesn’t eat a walnut but knows the shells can be used in a facial and the kernels for oil besides eating.
kids of the 21st generation!!!
here is a pic by pic toddler visits walnut factory story.
totally nuts ‘family’
the humongous office of the factory consisted of very interesting facts and figures, on how to identify your good and bad nut according to size, texture and color. there are so many kinds of walnuts in itself! did ya know ? i didn’t! and i am glad now my son knows it too. we can show it off at school meetings. hahaha and now you can download this pic from our pinterest page and do some showing your knowledge yourself too!
hansraj walnuts
the humble hansraj family we visited who treated us with a factory tour and the most delicious north indian breakfast that actually kept me full till the evening. the size of the rasgulla they served was bigger than my son’s fist.
the sorting happened in huge heaps, had it been my dad’s factory i would have jumped and swam in it like old duck uncle scrooge.
just cracking it up
lovely ladies who were cracking the medium sized lot for us to relish while we walked by the huge sorting and packaging machines.
brains??
the rainwater harvested walnuts freshly cracked are the sweetest of all, and i am so so glad and thankful to the hansraj family who showed us around and treated us like their own family.
ever grateful to our friends who took us there for a visit.
the airport selfie @jammu
the strolling got my little kangaroo tired. safe flight.
Love for food when you are pregnant stays on forever even after you deliver the baby until and unless you are those moms who want to look like Kim Kardashian at her wedding. of course all those cravings go away but you become a food junkie, not because you want to eat all that but also because you are always trying to cook something new and interesting and at the same time healthy for your kid… yes, most of us Indian moms do cook our kid’s food at home with our hands… a few are super broad minded to let the cook’s sweat drip into the food while they prepare and the mom watches tv or signs documents at work place.
i say this out of observation in real life… cannot name her but this new friend i recently made and that too we became friends because we incidentally met and our kids are of the same age was constantly complaining of how she goes to an 8 hour work shift which she cannot leave and behind her back her m-i-l makes no effort to cook good food for the kid… i dont know who to feel sad for, the mother or the child. both of them are losing out on the wonderful meal time that should enjoy while they can. once the kids grow up they eat on their own and once they become adults meals are never at home except some occasions and festivals. why cannot a mother be there just thrice a day for the kid?? is it demanding too much from your professional life? i fail to understand such mothers even when she is a great friend of mine and a wonderful person at heart.
so then i made a food chart and a meal time table for her kid; asking her to put it on the fridge or wherever its easy on the eyes and constant hit on the mind. it included milk-veggies-dairy-fruits and grains.
now, preparing the food is not a big deal.. a complete gujarati thali/meal plate is just the right thing for your kid if he/she has begun eating solids. it has wheat rotis, boiled rice, cooked veggies and necessary spices, protein in form of dal and dairy products such as curd or buttermilk. the right amount of salt and sugar and pepper and lemon and chilli and coriander and turmeric… wow! serving the perfect amount of all of this in the meal plate makes it the most complete food for your growing toddler’s needs.
incase your kid needs some help wiping off all this from the plate, you can decorate the food and add some color to it, beet gives red, turmeric gives yellow, lemon gives whiteness, dry coriander gives brown, curd and beet beaten together gives pink! broccoli and fresh coriander gives green.
sharing pics of a few meal plates i have given my son and REMEMBERED to click a pic before i feed him.
ofcourse with all this food in front of him i have to sit with a bib and a waste cloth and face wipes and lots of patience… at times all this vanishes in the hungry tummy in about 15 minutes. yet i have seen some random moments when the food is tucked under the chair and over the floor and after 30 minutes i thank the Lord for blessing me with only one child and i thank the scientists for technology and smart phones with memory so huge to store and play over a dozen nursery rhyme videos. we talk and play and shout and blabber and i call him cute encouraging names to finish his food. i am cherishing every meal time with him, it gives us both the time to look into each other’s eyes and talk. It gives me moments where i realize what his favorite food is and which are his all time favorite food combinations too. God has simply made a favor to me, my son loves his meals. and i love watching him eat it all and give a burp at last. we sing songs to make his meals interesting at times… what do u do with your kid???
please do share your meal plate pictures with me on my facebook page.. i am running outta options soon. www.facebook.com/awomansays
