Also I'm happy and grateful for each and every person I came across in my life ❣️ The lessons learnt are enormous, positive and negative criticism, ups and downs, back talks and appreciation, friends and haters and much much more that contributed to this milestone...much more to learn and explore...
My parents drove all the way from their place to Coimbatore to the award ceremony. I feel their part is much more vast, for me to become a business women because my motivation started from home.
My World record Speech and Award Felicitation video link
When the lockdown was first announced in the month of March 2020, I couldn't sit at home all of a sudden, my mind was not prepared to be idle at home, not sure of what to do next. I researched countries which was affected before us and saw they were already in their 75+ days of lockdown. I thought this might extend for us too and wanted to invest the time gaining some knowledge. Started a certification course in "Basic Child Psychology" in Udemy and followed by that read many online articles, kids engagement posts, usage of digital technology and so on which was enhancing my knowledge of interest. Though I had psychology in my Post Graduate subjects, my interest in psychology started from my childhood where i like observing people, their mindset, behavioural patterns etc., and from my 17 years, where I would hunt all psychology books in my Under Graduate College library. Which was in turn very helpful for me in parenting my two kids and also when I took over Tiny Teddies, I could easily handle young minds with ease.
Now, again we are into strict lockdown, I wanted to do some professional course on Guidance and Counselling, did lots of research but couldn't find a proper one. Since I was searching and surfing the courses availability for months in my browser, Facebook popped me an AD on "Counselling Children and Adolescents". Along with that I thought of completing Advanced Child Psychology too. And here I am with my completion certificates.
The name Brownizza and the picture caught my eyes when I scrolled through my facebook newsfeed. Wanted to give it a try immediately because we(myself and Albrain) were in birthday week celebration. I placed order with Shilpa(Founder of Dessert Destiny) and she promised to deliver a day later. I couldn't taste the Brownizza immediately as I went out that day. I refrigerated it and the next day I opened the box wow what a lovely view 😍 Each slice is topped with different topping. Tried one by one and couldn't say which one is the best. Brownizza vanished in a jiffy. All 4 of us loved each and every unique slices...The brownie base is heavenly in taste ❤️ That's one best brownie I have ever had.
On May 4th, 2021 I saw a her post saying "Shop for a Cause" Money from this would be donated to Covid 19 patients. I was impressed by her thoughts and ordered one set for us. It was assorted flavour of Chocolate, Nutella, Choco Mint and lotus biscoff. The macarons melted in the mouth along with the blissful flavours... Again each one has a unique taste and flavour.
Do check out her cakes and confectionery
https://www.facebook.com/dessertdestiny
Self care and life skills are as important as academics, keeping themselves clean, listening to their needs and also being independent. When taught at right age, they begin to take care of themselves before emotions get in their way.
We felt that he can do it on his own, so slowly made him to trim his nails with guidance. He enjoyed doing it and feels independent.
I was invited as a chief guest by my childhood friend Arun for a Badminton Tournament which happened today at 21.B Badminton Academy, Vyasarpadi. We both discussed over phone about the event and came to know that the participants in the tournament are not professional players. There were 24 teams under the category A, B, C and D(6 teams in each category), 48 members in total.
I want to share a few things which I observed in the tournament. Some members enrolled themselves in the academy to have some physical activity for themselves and some have enrolled to follow their passion. Many have mastered the game(It's cool, if we follow our passion we can master it with ease). Either way they have a good mental health, they seem fit and happy. I visualised socialising, appreciating, motivating and cheering each other inside the venue - thats amazing right 😍 When we have any regular physical activity for ourselves we tend to have an excellent mental health which results in keeping ourselves, our family and friends happy which means our society is happy. This is a small give back to our society from our side 😀
I delivered a small speech and handled over the bat and the trophy to the winner team. Mr. Arun Kumar(Founder - Blue Whale Technology, Pallavan Salai, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar) and Mr. Aarif teamed up and bagged the first place in the tournament.
Visiting people and learning more about them makes me happy. I get most of my inspiration and motivation when I meet people.
What's your recent inspiration? Do share with me in the comment box❣️
I don't know why Almind is so obsessed with screw drivers, Allen keys and other mechanical items. Right from one and half years when he started to walk, he picks up those items and starts dismantling his toys, chairs and furnitures at home 👩🚀
Though we bought him all types of kids mechanic sets he ends up using real ones.
And whenever carpenter/plumber/electrician visits our home for repair work, he won't leave the place until they finish off the work, he loves watching them 😍
Off-late insisting him constantly he stopped dismantling (but it took long years to change him).
Happy that now he is trying to construct and build new things but I always keep an eye on him ❤️
**About the video - I'm observing him from the morning, he is using all tools in that box
This Easter i didn't cook or bake anything at home.
Morning : Fruits & buttermilk
Sweet potato comes under our evening snack menu once a week. We all love steamed & baked version of Sweet potatoes. I always make my evening snack simple and quick so that i wont get exhausted to cook dinner. So, let's have a look of my simpler evening snack version 😀
Steamed version :
Peal the skin and chop the potatoes.
Steam for 10 minutes in a steamer/Idli maker.
Sprinkle Chilli powder/Chaat masala.
Baked Version :
Peal the skin and Chop the potatoes
In a baking tray smear ghee.
Place the potato pieces on the tray with spaces in between.
Bake for 15 minutes(200C) by flipping in between.
Sprinkle Chilli Powder/Chaat masala/Cumin powder.
Do share your your version of sweet potato recipes in the comments section 😍
Our thoughts : TV/Gadgets are not bad, there are many things that kids can learn from these, but over usage might lead to health and mental hazard. So we are not completely against TV and Gadget time but we explain and try to make them understand the pros and cons of using gadgets and restrict their time limit.
When I got married and started to live in a separate house, We didn't consider buying a TV when we started to furnish our house. Vijay and I are not TV person but instead we used to watch videos of our interest in internet or buy DVD to watch movies. We used to avoid using desktop or laptop when Albrain was awake. Until he went to playschool at the age of 3, we engaged him with board puzzles, books and went out almost every weekend (Park and Beach mostly).
When Albrain was in Pre KG, he didn't accept that TV would come under living room things. That time we thought we should also give him TV time and hence we bought a TV. Things completely changed after the new arrival. Albrain started to sit in front of TV for long time, he ate in front of TV, played in front of TV, his TV time was more than other activities. I was scared to stop TV time abruptly as he might repel. I made a point to him that he shouldn't mix up activities with TV time, for example if he eat food, he has to sit in the dining area instead of sitting in front of TV. If he has to play, he needs to play and then keep the toys aside before he switch on the TV. He can choose any one hour in a day for TV time(I made sure that he doesn't watch TV and sleep immediately). His TV time got gradually decreased over time and got under control.
When it comes to Almind, not only TV, smart phones, laptops was already a part of our life. The same set of rules were insisted on Almind too, no mixing other activities with TV/gadget time. During weekdays both of them do not have time to watch TV as they are tightly engaged in school and after school activities. So, on weekends, Almind can watch any program for two hours on Saturday and Albrain on Sunday. They used to watch kids series or some youtube videos.
Vijay and I watch movie/series on Friday nights. Kids go to bed at 8pm daily. So we both watch for 2 hours till 10pm.
We used to go to theatres when any animated/3D movie gets released. If it's some Hollywood action movies, Albrain and Vijay used to go to theatre to watch.
Kids are now exposed more to screen time because of online classes, but we make sure that they shut down the tab/laptop once the classes are over.
Points we learned and observed over time :
Both Albrain and Almind gets bored with toys over the time. Even if its their favourite toy, they get engaged with it only for few days. So, instead of buying them toys we did these activities to engage them.
** Exposing them to different routines - Hopscotch, Cycling on terrace, cleaning herbs and spinach, arranging fruits and vegetables in fridge and baskets, basic house cleaning, arranging their cloths, making their bed, opening and closing windows.
** Encouraging them to draw - give them some theme like beach scene or summer day or their future house, ask them to make handmade greeting cards for friends and family on special occasions.
** Motivating them to write stories or poems - Theme based poems like fathers day, earth day, save animals, preserve water. Give them some random words/objects and ask them to write a short story using those words/objects. Ask them to write a story about random topics.
** Journal Writing - Note down the happenings of their day in a notebook or diary along with date.
I hope all parents who read this blog could relate 😍Share your parenting experience in the comments 😀
Food - always uplifts my mood. When i am down or i'm on a work break, i like to try new cuisine or our family favorite dishes. Today in between my weekly off from work, i wanted to try my families favourite dish Lasagna. I used to try various versions in this. This time tried with veggies and meat together. As always everyone in our family enjoyed the meal.
Here is my version of Lasagna and Steaks
CHESSY CHICKEN
Marinate Chicken Breast steak (1 Kg), Minced ginger(1 tbsp) Minced garlic(1tbsp), Salt, Pepper powder(3tsp), lemon juice(1tsp) for 30 minutes.
Line up the marinated steaks in a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes at 200C.
Remove and flip the steaks. Place the chesse slice over the chicken and bake again for 10 minutes.
My younger kid's journal (Almind, 6 years)
Today morning I asked him to keep a share of Prasadam for his brother and dad...after returning from work, I got to know that he ate everything, I asked him whether he understood what I told him in the morning. He didn't say anything, I told him that it really makes me upset because I have clearly explained and trusted him because when I was leaving to work my elder one was in his online classes and my husband in his office call. I didn't talk to him for sometime. Later he asked sorry and promised that he won't repeat it again. Now before going to sleep he wrote this in his journal that he won't be selfish
Tears are rolling wanted to squeeze that kutty Sathan but he slept already
2013 - When Albrain was in UKG, we went for a doctor's visit. We usually carry some books and travel friendly puzzles to engage him during the waiting time. That time we had a Rubik's cube which has numbers in the side (It was a gift from Vijay's office). During our waiting time Albrain was shuffling the cube, it was a long wait that day, he lost his patience. He started nagging us. We asked him to solve one side of the cube. To our surprise he solved without our help. Then we asked him to try the other side too, he couldn't complete it but tried to solve it as much as he could.
When we reached home, Vijay immediately learned to solve Rubik's cube from youtube and taught Albrain. Next day when Vijay went for work, Albrain solved all sides of the Rubik's cube by himself. I was so surprised and wanted to capture the moment. Immediately i shuffled the cube and asked him to solve once again, he did and i recorded. I uploaded the video in his youtube channel. This is the video link :
I started hunting for Rubik's cube classes and competitions but in vain. I couldn't find proper Rubik's classes at that time and also the competitions listed in the internet were not in India. So, we bought him all types of Rubik's cubes(2*2, Pyramid, Barrel, No Centre and different sized cubes) that we could find in store and just encouraged him to explore and solve the different types of cubes at home.
Once when we saw an open Rubik's cube challenge at Hamley's Chennai, we decided to take him there. It was an open tournament wherein there was no age limit listed to participate in it. He was the youngest participant. While solving, his cube tumbled down but without any panic Albrain picked up the cube and solved it. He solved the puzzle in 2 minutes 46 seconds.
He got featured in his school website and Talentzhub website which was motivating for him.
His friends used to come home and learn Rubik's cube from him and also some of his friends' parents and my friends have also learned the technique of solving the cube. During lockdown he took online classes for kids who are interested in solving the cube. He has uploaded Rubik's cube tutorials in his youtube channel. I'll link down the tutorial below
Click here to watch Albrain's Rubik's cube tutorial videos
From a friend named Aishu, I got to know about Tamil Nadu Cube Association. I called them and enrolled Albrain in speeding technique classes. Later the same month, got info regarding Nobel World Record from the same friend Aishu. We checked the records made previously related to Rubik's cube and we decided to set a new record. The event was scheduled on a weekend at K. S. Rangasamy College of Technology, Erode. The slot given for Albrain was on Sunday(14-03-2021) at 10:00am. He entered the stage with 10 cubes and a timer. The judges shuffled his cubes and started the timer. Albrain solved eight 2*2 cubes in one minute. Yayyy he set a record in Nobel World Record under "Maximum number of 2*2 Rubik's Cube solved in 60 seconds". He was honoured by Mr Selvamani, Politician. That's our proud moment.
Today morning is a special start for me. Yes i'm getting rewarded for my consistency and completing the January Fitness Challenge 2021 organised by Zealous Gang - Driven by Zeal and Fitness. The Prize distribution program was scheduled between 7am - 7:30am at RA Puram, Chennai. I planned to pick up my friend Devi(She was also a finisher of the challenge).
With all these in my mind, i started my morning routine with an enthu. I lit the lamps, fed the fishes and watered the plants. Today i didn't have a Yoga session, so did some dance workout from youtube. At 5:30am Almind woke up, when Vijay and Albrain was ready for the morning jog. Mostly they will jog for an hour or sometime more. I didn't want to leave Almind alone at home so asked him whether he could join me for the prize distribution program and promised him that we can quickly reach home before his online sessions. He was so happy that he showered and got ready before me. I took my shower and left home. On the way i picked Devi and we all reached the venue before the program started.
There were bunch of morning Cyclist, who had already finished their regular cycling and assembled at Noel's Cycle Lane, RA Puram. The program started with the welcome speech and introduction of the Chief Guest. A few lines about the Chief guest :
Balachandar Subramanian is an Indian professional wheelchair tennis player who is currently practicing in SDAT stadiums (Mogappair & Nungambakkam) with a strong focus of achieving ITF international tournaments. He started his tennis career in 2006 and has been continuously practicing hard to achieve in International, National and State circuit tournaments.
Short Term Goal – He has a short term goal of achieving in international level ITF Futures, ITF 3, 2, & 1 tournaments.
Long Term Goal - He has a long term goal of acquiring Medal for India in Paralympics, Para Asian Games, World Cup and grand slams.
Very interesting profile right? Now you can understand my excitement. Yes yes, I'm going to receive my reward from him.
The prizes were distributed to all the finishers. They had a special session after that, 3 lucky winner gets a home baked cake. A kid from the gang picked up the first lucky winner and Whoo its my friend Devi. For the second lucky winner pick they called Almind, he picked a lucky winner. My instinct said that ill get that cake when i heard its homemade, sugar free, maida free Apple Walnut Crumble. Another child is called upon to pick the third lucky winner, YES YES it's MEEEEEE. Coffee and Cake was distributed. We had a slice of the yummiest healthy cake. TWe collected our cakes, thanked everyone, took some group pics and selfies and left the place. I take this opportunity to thank all the organizers and motivators for constantly motivating and inculcating fitness into everyone's life. We reached home by 8:30am.
I had some unfinished morning routine. Cleaned the birds cage, Mopped the floor(Albrain Sweeps the floor daily), cleaned bathrooms and went into kitchen to cook. Vijay had already cooked Bottle gourd moor kulambu. I did Lady's finger fry for side dish. Also i cooked prawn millet noodles for dinner.
I started to pen down my special day in my blog. Now, I'm starting to my School for my online classes.
Watch the glimpse of my morning in the below video.
5am - 6am is my yoga class. It was an amazing session as always.
6:15am - 7:15am I have my mindfulness session. I vented out my distress, discussed about the change in me and learned new chakara and meditation today.
After the session i had some office work to do, so i continued staying in the balcony where i attended mindfulness session.
When I went inside after my work, Vijay already cooked chicken curry & rice for lunch and boiled milk. Thank god that saved a lot of my time. I kept fruits for kids for breakfast. Yes, we eat unprocessed and uncooked food for a meal in a day.
Almind gave me a cute handmade card. Kids started with their online classes and Vijay with his office work. I started to get ready for a school, where I was invited as a chief guest.
I went to the school(Chennai girl's higher secondary school, Perambur) after many diversions and misdirection of google map. I was late by10 minutes 😭 I met my cousin Deepika there, had a word with the head mistress. I was asked to address the 11th grade kids on the topic "Do's & Don't of technology in Covid". I have already sent my presentation slides through email so everything was set well in advance.
In the auditorium, there were bunch of 200+ girls eagerly waiting for my speech. After the formal introduction i started my presentation. Since it was a post lunch session, i thought students would be sleepy but to my surprise it was an interactive session. I was so happy when a couple of girls asked questions and got their doubts cleared. One student said few things in the slide are new to her. Happiness is sharing knowledge, you all agree right? 🙂
When I came out of the school, suddenly I thought of visiting my in laws who stayed very close by that school. My Mother in law likes chocolate cakes. So bought her few chocolate cake slices and went to their place. My in laws are all surprised when they saw me. Wished Patti who is 90 years old and my mil for women's day, spent some time there and returned back home.
After reaching home had some evening snacks, spent some time with kids. Albrain gave me a beautiful hand made card. Then I got ready for my online Beledi sesssion at 6:30pm. After the session, showered, prepared and had dinner. Spent some time on blog and winding up the day with lots of love and memories 😍
Hope you all had a great day 😎
With Love
Aarthy ❤️
