Archives

what I have learned

Feb12

what i have learned from my son this year…

his first trip to OSHO Ashram

his first trip to OSHO Ashram

D is turning two soon and i have seen him much more mature than a 2 year old should be like. well, all moms want to believe her kid is a unique one and i am no different.
He has taught me to forgive, forget and move on. he has been pushed and pulled and pricked and teased by kids his age and even their moms… what i see is, he plays with the same kids a few days later. this really surprises me about him. he has been taunted and even scolded by mothers of other kids for being a menace he is (and trust me, i am so proud of his naughtiness.. aren’t boys supposed to naughty nosy aunty??) yet he talks and smiles at those moms and aunties like they only mean good for him.

feeding the squirrels

feeding the squirrels

if i say for myself or on your behalf too- we have been misunderstood, misinterpreted, scolded, mocked at, pushed , pulled, tricked, pinched… a lot of this happens with the kids too and still they behave like the world is too beautiful a place to keep all these things in mind and lose all those precious minutes/hours/days in which he can play and enjoy, laugh and jump, doze off after play or even show his love for the kind human race and mute animals. my son taught me how selfish was i to keep all the pain and hurt in my heart and mind all through last year. i had best friends who didnt call me for their birthday parties and weddings, a really really close friend never told me she got a job and even left it, it hurts when your oldie besties you shared cuppa tea with everyday at college are far from you emotionally. initially when i get hurt i try to keep mum about it, then talk about it eventually but they refrain to talk because they want their peace and space. i was once very hurt when my best friend didnt pick up my calls on her birthday and didnt call me on mine just 3 days later.

nothing has to be black or white or gray even

nothing has to be black or white or gray even

the same has happened with my kid.. some of our very closest relatives haven’t called him on his birthday to wish, not that he understands anything yet but he simply doesn’t care. i have been seriously very angry and upset about some people, some events and incidents in this past year and after all that i learned from my son i free myself from all that anguish and anger, pain and hurt… TODAY ITSELF

I FREE MYSELF from all the anger i have for her, for regretting not telling my parents how much i have learned from them and how better a person i am because of them. i free myself from all those memos of guilt when i didn’t behave like a good mom should be, when i shouted at my child because i couldn’t cope up with my own emotional upheavals. because i could not handle him for the 22 month old that he is.

let there be light

let there be light

let it all go… let me just live the way D does- carefree, loving, and forgiving! i want to embrace the world and its beautiful things. i want to tell my loves ones and my best friends what they mean to me. my son has taught me a lot more than what just motherhood should be like. he helps me to be a better person every day. i hope some day he reads this and realizes being a parent is not as easy as being a child is. and “thank you my son” for you showed me what self help books don’t. i shall try to be like you and be a good example for who you should be like when you become a parent yourself. (wow! ain’t i talking about something way too far for ??)

“heal the world, make it a better place… for you and for me and the entire human race!”
-Micheal Jackson.

love,
Kunj

HOW TO: make ice creams at home in winter

Feb5

my son is a big time ice cream fan.. he wasn’t one until a few months back. he hated it last year, then around christmas a tiny elf came to our room one night and added two sweet tooth in his jaws… it took us a week to see them sprouting out. they are still tiny and can only be seen when he laughs out loud showing all those gummies. i like to believe its those tiny square ones that have inculcated the love for ice cream in him. well, every mom is a story teller and so am i 🙂

my nephew

my nephew

i have had ice cream all my pregnancy days and cannot blame my little one if he demands one too… ofcourse he is the obedient one out of us two who never asked for it at a silly odd hour until now. but i was not happy when a single scoop of flavored milk in pretty colors frozen to perfection landed into runny nose and sleepless coughing nights. i also hate giving him meds.
so i started thinking on what new i can do…

little D

little D

“all natural yogurt popsicles” :

1 bowl yogurt (preferably made at home)
1 bowl fresh strawberries and grapes
1 spoon sugar
1 bag of patience
and some sprinkles (optional- i used chocolate chips)

take a bowl of yogurt and tie it in a soft cotton cloth, hang it lose somewhere to drain out the excess water.
while the hung curd gets done, make a syrup of strawberries , grapes and sugar (only 1 spoon of sugar is enough since fresh berries n grapes are always sweet).
pour it over the hung curd and use a beater to mix it well. (i use a all in one beater)

yummm

yummm

add chocolate chips or sprinklers or anything you wish to; pour it into Popsicle cans and freeze them. an hour later pull them out and let the kid get dirty enjoying them.

add sprinkles or chocolate chips

add sprinkles or chocolate chips

you can also add in it tiny pieces of fruits or home made jelly or just crushed rice flakes- as it pleases your kid. sorry my phone had been hijacked and now its almost broken and cannot deliver good pictures , i missed out on clicking a good pic of my son enjoying his yogurt ice cream but you may check my instagram account – @awomansays and even account.

you may write to us at info@awomansays.com while enjoying the yogurt ice creams,

re-useable popsicle cans

re-useable popsicle cans

thank you for such a great response and all those loving mails,
we are coming up with some surprises and collaborations soonish.

love,
KUNJ

Keeping the cold at bay !

Sep27

I had always been advised by friends and family that if my son loves fruits and veggies there are few chances of him having cold and fever struck days… very true. but virus is a deadly non budging and fearless bug that can fly in from anywhere and enter the soft gooey body of these tiny tots. the super active spiderman becomes mr.bean all of a sudden, not that i love him calm and composed sleeping on time with a teddy in hand but i certainly dont like him sneezing and moodless. Cold oftens lasts for about 3 to 4 days and with some kids even more because they dont know how to throw out the mucous from the nose or throat… i often catch my son gulping down what pushes itself out from the lungs to the throat and on the tongue and phussssss goes down again. I encourage D to puke it on my hand and pat a little hard on his back to throw it out but he stares at me like i talk greek! he gulps the mucous and throws the bread/milk/veggies/legumes etc. what a son i have!!!

so then my MIL suggests this awesome healing from the kitchen that she always used to do with her kids… i.e my husband. I prefer not to give my son any meds until its incurable from herbs and home remedies. sharing with you all this perfect mixture that will pull the mucous out and throw it away in the dirty diaper and potty chairs.

ingredients: cardomom (full/unpeeled) – 2
milk -luke warm – about 6 spoons
safety pin – 1
ghee no diwo – 1 vatt (i have no intention of searching what it means in english. please check the picture and look it for yourself… i need to finish this post before he wakes up from his cat nap… thanks!)

20131029_113842

D-I-Y

light the diwo/vatt and pinch the cardomom along with the skin in the safety pin… hold it safely far enough not to get a burn yourself and burn it in the flame.

20131126_140332

now once the full cardamom is burned let it cool down to normal room temperature.

20131126_140340

crush this with a pestle or back of a spoon into tiny particles… and add it to lucke warm milk.

20131126_140558

strain the milk into another cup and while its still warm feed it with a spoon to the kid.

20131029_113916

trust me, it works wonders… must have passed it on to a dozen more mothers and it works on every one of them for keeping the cold at bay. and since it has been helping them all i thought i may post it here and help you moms too… i know its difficult to reach to everyone but we can always talk! email me on info@awomansays.com and lets share our stories…

will post your story in this space if you have one to share with others like I just did.

lots of love to you and your little ones,
Kunj 🙂

my birth story

Jun11
had read and talked a lot about contractions and labor pains but until you don’t experience it you don’t understand it in real!
on march 31st while every office in town was working till late i was feeling uneasy in my tummy. my mother felt it must be acidity or indigestion so we went for a walk in the street lights walking on the footpath and watching every office building shining with lights. everyone was working, including my dad and husband. working on the last day tax papers and stuff! i took a pause every time i had a tummy pain while on the walk, and that time it clearly felt it was gas and nothing else.

on 1st april at 5am in the morning i felt a contraction and since i had studied magazines on the same and learnt it in my P101 class from Rita, i knew it was contraction!!! a 14 second contraction every 40 minutes. i had trouble having food and walking around. yet i made it a point not to rest. i could not sleep… every time my eyelids shed there was a contraction and i lost my sleep. i called my husband who was in ahmedabad at that time (and me at my mom’s place in rajkot) to come over, i told him its time now! i could catch on some sleep out of tiredness for 2 hours in the afternoon and spent the rest of the evening in pain… i did some squats and tried walking in my parking area.
by late night my husband arrived and i was still in pain. the contractions had reached 20seconds intensity with 20 minutes apart frequency.
i was awake the whole night, counting seconds and the minutes apart and while passing the time i was constantly in touch with my pregnancy mentor Rita. she told me to continue with squats and breathing exercises.
on april 2nd, i woke my mother up at 5am and told her i just could not sleep the whole night and my contractions were now 10 minutes apart…
at 7am, i puked out last night’s dinner and the contractions were 7 minutes apart… with 30 seconds intensity. i woke my husband up and told him we had to go to the hospital and my mum woke my dad up. by 8 am everyone was ready. i took a quick shower and took a few last snaps with my husband and my tummy showcasing in bonus my puffy eyes (due to sleeplessness and stress).
8 30am- my contractions were 40 seconds intensity with 6 mins of frequency. i had already prepared my hospital bag a week before and left with it immediately.
my doc’s hospital was not that far away… we reached there in 5 mins. my gynec at that time had just finished a caesarian delivery and was washing up before examining me.
the whole labor room was bloody and dirty!!!
she examined me and said i was 2 cms dilated! i could wait for a few more mins, she asked me to lay down on the bed next door and i was admitted at 8 45am.
by that time my in laws were informed and they were on their way to rajkot,
around 9 15 i was given enema and excess hair was shaved off, clothes were changed and i.v line was inserted on my right arm.
the frequency of contractions increased and so did the intensity, when i was at a 2mins apart contraction my doc Mamta Limbasiya pinched my insides and burst the water bag. i felt a lot of warm water like substance gushing out of my body… she asked me to make a squat like position while on my back on the bed and push…
i did it a few times and i was told i am now 7-8 cms dilated. i was taken to the next room- the labor room and was asked to place my feet up on the L shaped rods and just push… as if i want to push mucous out while constipated!
all this while my husband was on the phone and wats app with Rita and passed on her msgs to me.. and as per my request my mom and my husband were allowed to stay with me in the labor room.
the doc was all set and i could feel the local anesthesia being injected… i pushed pushed and pushed…
6 huge pushes and the little one was out… at 10 55am.
as already mentioned in my birth plan all the blood was first transfused in the baby from the cord before cutting it off.  i wanted to give my baby skin to skin hug but an over-enthusiastic ped.doc took him away and started cleaning it. i was told its a boy!!
though under anesthesia i could feel the stitches being sutured at the vagina and a pain killer was injected on the right side of my waist.
the over-enthusiastic ped.doc forgot to measure my baby’s height and only weighed him. he was wrapped in a cloth and given to my husband first. he was speechless with joy. i saw my darling little angel while the sutures n cleaning continued. the doc pressed my tummy and removed all excess stuff.
the baby made a showcase to the rest of the clan  while a tired new mommy was shifted to the resting room. the ped.doc who i was told would teach me how to make a contact with the kid and teach me the basic b.feeding techniques was so enthu that he took his fees and rushed out. the new mom was left unaware of what to do next. the nurses helped at this hour and by noon i had my first b.feed session. soon i was visited by my gynec, she told me a few do’s and don’t ; she gave me my meds and explained when to take which ones. she asked me to take some food and b.feed once again. Dr. Limbasiya was very kind and asked me to call her up anytime i had trouble with the baby. there were two nurses who were asked to make rounds every few mins to check if i needed a change or any help.
i had normal daal-chawal and some juice. and once the i.v line was called off i slept for a generous three hours in the afternoon next to my kiddo. i hadn’t slept the whole night and was tired of course.
Dr. made one more round in the evening and said i could be discharged.
by 7pm i was home and on the same bed with my newborn in my arms.
life had changed in a few hours. i was promoted and had a new status to flaunt ! well… now right now. as i needed rest but i could soon do the flaunting.

 cheers!
kunj 🙂

snacking after b.feeding

Jun5
i have no idea why b.feeding makes me so hungry every 3-4 hours but i certainly eat a lot… if i dont eat in quantity (read it as longer feed hours, potty-pee change ups, sleep time, mid-night, massage-bath times) i make sure i drink something thats really heavy and keeps me full for the next 4 hours straight!
if you are a new momma these things will help you when u have very less time to fix a meal for yourself.

a bunch of fresh litchi… juicy n filling.

a huge glass of mango milkshake- a single tall glass can keep u on your toes for four hours! and its mango season right now… fresh n sweet.  

a slice of handvo… pre-prepare it and microwave for 15 seconds when you feel hungry. we call it handvo in gujarati, dont ask me what its called in english or hindi. a momma has very less time to initiate synonym search on google.

keep tubs on ice cream handy in the freezer all the time. you never know when u may need them.
read – midnight hunger pangs.

i caught up on a caramel coffee and brownie snack after a long longgggg time… it was ‘lets date again’ evening with PG. he knows what makes me happy- a hot piece of brownie 🙂

one more handy stuff in your bedroom for midnight snacking after b.feed-
PG fills my freezer with such bars every time he visits me… i m one lucky wife 🙂

these are  my snacking options- what are yours??
anything with lesser calories and more nutrients?? lemme know… i am gaining fats!!!!

cheers!
kunj

tears

May7
There will be moments when u wish to cry, just cry a little bit, for no reason at all and for many reasons in all.

When your kid will pass a lot of stool and even when he will strain and yet just pass out a lot of warm smelly air for a day or two. 
When he will shout/cry on his loudest voice or when he wil stay quiet and not play at all.
When he will not want u to leave for a single moment and cry for u to just hold him in his arms for hours n hours and even when he will not be in his best moods and want to stay aloof.
There are several more moments when a mother wants to cry, just shed a few tears in silence and then get back to her ‘I’m a strong mom’ character!!
And that’s how life goes on… 
When u r terrified to face your biggest fears about your child just think of how God wants you to face this too, and he has definitely put in that extra energy within you much more in advance before its ‘use in force’ occurs. He knows what shall happen and how will you react to each situation so he fills in that extra strength for you to stand on your toes and run an extra mile ( literally and figuratively). Just thank him for that extra bundle of courage he mailed to you while you were busy to even notice it…
While you were trying to get your kid to sleep at 3am,
While you were washing a pile full soiled clothes he poop-ed ; pee-ed ; puked on,
While you were holding him in your one hand and having lunch with the other,
While you played with him for hours after a hard day at work,
While you were attending to his sickness with a brave heart and a smile that reads ‘ this shall pass too’…
Yes, every day is a new adventure in a mom’s life and whether good or bad it shall all pass by in a few hours or days…
If its bad god has given you the strength
Andif its good god has given you ample time to cherish it.
Love each day and each moment with your little one, attend to all his needs and kiss him good night every time he takes a nap because some day you are going to miss it all. 
And that day all that god will leave u with shall be memories…
Cheers!

i hatched !

Apr8
Yes, i was away for a while and i am extremely happy to say i hatched and i did it just so perfectly!
i had not thought i could be so strong and patient. i had a tough time and all i could think of was ‘ i am sure i am not having any more babies…’ hahahaa even before i gave birth!
but the moment i saw my little boy i forgot all my pain, i forgot how weird my body structure was at the moment… i could feel the little medical procedures happening down there but i cared not how much it was paining because the joy of seeing my boy made it all the seem like a prick.
there is so much i want to write and share through my blogs… so much about motherhood and the daily challenges i have face and learn to overcome  but today as i write my first blog as a mother whose baby is no more in the tummy i have only one thing to say….

my m-i-l as well as my mother have been constant support system to me but i could not have done this so well without Rita.. my trainer, my guru, a friend, a calm listener, a guide and a lot more…
she had been chatting with me even at 2am in the night and back at 6 in the morning … checking with me how i am doing…
she had been so encouraging through those 24 hours that giving birth seemed easier than the way elders (read society butterflies) described to me…
i have no words to thank her enough of the help she provided me all through the 5 months…

there is always this someone u find in a new land that changes ur life forever and for me that someone was her. i found love for my little one there- when i broke the news to my hibby i said it very reluctantly as i wasnt sure if i wanted the baby or rather i was ready for it in the first place. Rita helped me cope with the fact that life is abt to change and that change is going to be beautiful but it will all depend on how i enjoy it. she taught me to love my body that was changing day by day in a curvy and beautiful one. as i write this i miss my tummy n i miss my young one’s kicks inside me even when i have him right here in my arms.
Rita came as an unheard blessing who made sure i ate right stuff, i exercised right enough… i thought positive and behaved positive as well..
its in her aura, in the vibes of her classroom which acted as a meditation class to  a picnic spot to a celebration hall to gossip adda and even at times a therapy room…
she has been a perfect mentor to me… and i cannot thank her enough for what she has done for me and all the other girls.
please visit this website and spread the word to those preggy women u know in ahmedabad and surat. it shall benefit them in tons.
http://pregnancy101.in/

she is also very active on her facebook page-
http://www.facebook.com/groups/Pregnancy101Group/?bookmark_t=group

now this blog needs a makeover… will be back with a new blog and a new look in a while… actually i dont know how long that ‘while’ will be.. it all depends on how much time i get between changing nappies and taking a nap. 😉 a new life begins
 cheeers to motherhood.
kohllined on fb- plz like the page

busted happy weekend

Mar25
 Even when a lot of things went wrong on the weekend that just passed by; it was still so beautiful with all its flaws…
the gobbling up of a whole pizza— i have never eaten the whole of this thin crisp tomato gravy oregano n cheese at one go!


 and while i ate all of this i surfed the internet looking for good online deals 

totsy.com is a good website in case u dont mind paying in $ for shipping.
the later half of the day saw me mingling with friends over dinner… they got me this <3 <3 how i have always loved cham cham from 'bengal sweets'
bengal sweethttp://awomansays.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bengal-sweet.jpg
compensating for the 1 and 1/2 piece i ate i let the meal be strictly salad types!
they way i did the other day . and added this to the after meal snack,
 

all this happened on saturday… i believed i managed to balance my calories but sunday turned out to be the same… (ewwwww)

why is it so difficult to stay away from ice creams??? why do they make my will go weak??
mint milk chocolate has always been my fav! 

 
a friend forwarded this to me… and i so agree with the thought!!! immediate action was taken.. and results were seen…
 

all is well that ends well… i had a wonderful weekend even when it had lots of unplanned calories… lots of rubbish gossip with my girlies… and a lot to be happy about!!! 
how was ur weekend??
btw… my march giveaway has ended, will announce the winner tomorrow…
do catch up on the blog !
cheers!
 aavjo 🙂
kohllined on fb- plz like the page

how to make paneer

Mar14

The other day when i posted the blog my friends called up asking if i really made paneer at home… affirmative answer later they screamed on the phone why i didnt invite them!!

hello… i was making something special for my husband! 😛
and here is the paneer recipe.
i got some really fatty milk from a local shepherd here. she works part time at my mom’s place too. she got a heavy cream buffalo milk fresh in the morning. the kind of milk usually used in making ice creams at home.
stir it well and strain it (in case u got it from the shepherd too)
keep it on room temperature so its easier to cook.
next step- add a little sugar! sounds strange but since the milk wiil get boiled up some amount is sugar is needed to give it a lil taste plus to keep it moist within.

grease a pan or thali with oil so that the paneer doesn’t stick to it.
pour in the milk content. and on a double boiler cook it the way you cook dhokla or steam idli.

close the lid for about 5 to 7 minutes and u are ready with fresh white paneer 🙂

dont wait for it to cool down, slice it while it warm to get clean smooth sides.
scrap out the little bits stuck on the thali and re-use it for paneer sabzi the way i did here

cheers!
try it ans lemme know soonish how it tasted!

heyyy, have u entered my march giveaway yet??
click here to enter
aavjo 🙂
kohllined on fb- plz like the page

cookin with paneer

Mar13
 

I have been a lot lazier than i thought i would be, even with all the time in the world i spent useless hours watching ‘packed to the rafters’ on tv rather than blogging… 

on the other hand i have been exercising regularly (pat on my back) and going for regular doc visits n tests…
while waiting for my baby to hatch (sometime soon now) i often chat with my mom how ahmedabad is different from rajkot even though both are filled with gujjus and heat and food joints.

i once told her i dont find good paneer near my place, the one i get is not so soft n tender that i enjoy enjoy cooking with.
and here was the masterchef of the kitchen boiling some hot water in a kadhai and teaching me how to make paneer…
woaaahhh!! this was something i would never miss and thought it would be nice sharing it with u.


packed some of the good looking pieces in a container and gifted it to my mommy’s music tutor. 
and let the shreds be treated for an afternoon meal.

PG was visiting me that day so i made something with bell peppers (his favorite), chopped all of it with a huge tomato and some garlic petals and green onion stalks.

got them sizzling in a pan of hot oil and some great gujju spices- the usual red chilli powder, salt, turmeric, dhana-jeeru and a lil bit of hing!

added the paneer to add some drama…


 and voila! here was my home cooked paneer and bell pepper sabzi with the perfect combination of spices n tangy flavor!

PG loved it and so did i 🙂
all thanks to mommy for the cooking lesson- paneer made from extremely fatty milk in just 20 minutes.
cheers!
aavjo 🙂
kohllined on fb- plz like the page