You learn from your own offspring - Apno Ko Apne Dum Pe Jeena Sikhao!

If someone was to tell me five years ago that I would become fearless, free from inhibitions and a self-reliant person, I would have laughed at them. However, five years on, caring for a baby and encouraging her dreams and aspirations have made me into a better person.

Now, I don't feel inhibited to raise my voice on any wrongdoing as I know that I need to set a good example for her. If I cower and act indifferent to key issues in life, then that's what she will learn. She has also taught me many lessons in life. Being young and only four doesn't mean that her emotions are less intense than those of a grown up. In fact, she goads me into helping others. She says that we must help the poor and give them money and food. Taking a leaf from her book, I ensured that I gave food those in need. Furthermore, she also wanted to celebrate her birthday in a grand manner. I had to Marshall all my resources and managed to arrange a party with all her perquisites - Balloons, Barbie's theme decoration, Barbie cake and a tattoo artist. In a new city with zero support from friends and family, the task seemed a bit tall at times. Digging deep into myself, I managed to ensure that she had the birthday party of her dreams.

 

When I am fighting her battles and helping her achieve her dreams, I feel a sense of confidence and accomplishment in life. I know that I have to be strong in order to protect her from many things. I need to interact with teachers and other parents and be articulated and confident. She has definitely changed me from being a wallflower to someone who is not that inhibited about sharing concerns. She is an extremely active child, and I have realized that I cannot depend on my husband to ferry me around for her classes. I managed to shirk off my driving blues and started driving after six long years, and I feel quite unfettered.

I want her to grow up and pursue creativity rather than the hum drum of a mundane life. To that extent, I have already started fiscal planning using various instruments. The right mix of equity, life insurance and fixed deposits will allow her to match her financial burdens. It will also ensure that I don't suffer from sleepless nights at that stage. I don't want her to pursue my ambitions yet I want her to be able to reach great heights in all her pursuits without being worried about money. Thanks to her, I have started to manage my finances to plan for the future. I definitely feel that kids teach us so many things in life.   

This is a post for indiblogger for HDFC LIfe Sar Utha Ke Jiyo. Here is the link for further information     http://www.hdfclife.com/.

Travelling with a toddler - Overnight Medical Kit

Summers are here !! Yes , they actually have been here in Bengaluru since a month. Aren't we lucky?
Snide comments aside. I have had enough of idling time in front of the tv , computers and pigging out.I was on the lookout for a different kind of trip. After debating from Goa to Kerela , I finally decided to embark on a spiritual journey , albeit only for a day or two.
So , I finally zeroed in on Shirdi , Maharashtra. Though this is quintessentially only a 1.5 day trip , it does entail travelling with my kid. Everyone knows that scrapes and stings are to be expected when travelling with toddlers.
This calls for a bit more than just a first aid kit .It calls for a mega overnight kit. Here is what is in my kit

1. Tylenol / Calphol / Crocin - Kids tend to get feverish  with the change in climates and being in and out of air-conditioning. So keep the Tylenol at hand. Ensure that you have the dosage chart and carry your thermometer as well. No guessing allowed.
2. Probiotics for Upset Stomach - Erratic eating habits and travelling tells a toll on the little one's tummy.Try Econorm or any other probiotics to keep the tummy healthy.
3. Antibiotic Cream - For soothing little scratches
4. Oral Rehydration Solution Powder packs - These little packets provide a store house of energy and prevent dehydration during travelling.
5. Gas Allevients - Sitting in the car for long hours at a stretch leads to gas and discomfort.Opt for a simethicon bases gas reliever and in my case I can trust Lanzole .Always check with your doctor for the right dosage.

These items and the essentials of the first aid kit  (http://jiya-everythingunderthesun.blogspot.in/2013/04/first-aid-kit-travel.html?showComment=1373013095466#c3384971367729948484)  will make your travel that much easier.

I have a dream - A dream of a new car

( Image courtesy Indiblogger contest for quickr nxt )

“I have a dream” - Martin Luther King.

While MLK  had a dream of equality, peace and freedom from prejudice, I have a dream of a cool new car. The well worn and beloved car is now 11 years old, older than even most relationships. It has stood the test of time but now its time to retire it and invest in a swanky car with the most amazing features. Moreover, the weather is scorching in Bengaluru, and the air conditioning is dead in my old car. Hence, its now the time to invest in  a new set of wheels.  While buying and selling any item, there is always a doubt about the best price. I want to sell my car at a reasonable price, yet  I also want to buy a gently used car to fit my budget. The answer to all these issues is Quikr NXT. You can get more details at http://www.quikr.com/ and download the app for android and iPhone.

I have a great plan to use Quikr Nxt to make money and get a good deal on my Upgraded car.

1. I will list my old faithful on quikr with lots of pictures, and I will provide accurate details about any known issues and accidents. I can let the buyers know that the papers are up to date, and the air conditioning does not work.Its easier for the buyers to take an informed decision. Buyers can catch me on chat, and I will be able to provide feedback even on the go. I can be e proactive and respond to messages about price negotiations, pictures and specs of the car.
2. Meanwhile, I will be on the lookout for a car that fits my budget and has the features that I crave. It's comfortable to search for the car using the search functions on quikr. I can search by brands, fuel types, price ranges, colors, ads posted by dealers or individuals or used or new cars. I can then sort by price and ads with photos. The best part is that I can chat with the sellers without having to call them up. I can request all the information about their cars. I can clear my doubts, even if they surface at 3 am in the morning. Quickr also provides an opportunity to send a free SMS to the sellers.

I am confident that I will be able to get a reasonable price for my old car, and I can use that money to upgrade to a car with power steering and an ice-cold air conditioner. Quikr nxt certainly makes it much easier to sell and buy a car. It's easy to chat and set up viewing without being glued to telephone calls. Try it and you will not be disappointed.

This post is an entry for the indiblogger contest.   

Pampers Baby Dry Pants for happy mornings

Let Sleeping babies lie - Anonymous  

A sleeping baby is like a boon from the Gods for a new mom. I remember the time when my daughter was a wee newborn. She had good lungs and raised a storm if her sleep got disturbed in any way. The adage," Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned( disturbed )” was quite apt. Coached by my mom and encouraged by my new friend on Mom’s forums , I quickly realised that the way to bliss was comforting nightly rituals. Babies are creatures of habit, and Woe is on anyone who disturbs their schedule. Calming and soothing babies ensure a good nights sleep for mama and Baby.

I did a lot of research on the type of diapers for my daughter. I wanted to ensure that she would remain dry during the night and wake up smiling like the beautiful angel whom she was. You can get more information about Pampers and their unique reward scheme at  http://www.rewardme.in/tag/Pampers.Here are the nightly rituals that I followed to calm the raging beast.

1. Suit her up in her spanking dry Pampers to avoid any accidents. This keeps the baby comfortable at night vis vis a cloth nappy. Cloth nappies require frequent changes and disturb the babies sleep leading to unhappy babies and hapless moms. The best course of action is to use Pampers diapers for the little angels.
2. Give her a tummy massage with a little asafoetida water. I would make circular motions around her navel to dispel any gas. I would follow it up with a nice leg massage with baby lotion scented with lavender. It has proven calming properties. My daughter also suffered from mild colic, so I would often pace around with her to alleviate the stress.
3. Next, I would wrap her in a snug as a bug onesie (Easier for me to handle)
4. I would pull out one of her favorite books. It was an entertaining book called “Everywhere the cow goes Moo." The story brought me close to my Humorous side, and I practiced my French Accent with Panache.
5. Post the story session, I would switch on the humidifier for that relaxing white noise.
6. Above all, I would lay her on my chest for body to body contact, and I think my thumping heartbeat would soon lull her into sleep.

All these rituals were comforting to her and me too. It would help me unwind after a stressful day of parenting. It would also reiterate the love that I had for my bundle of joy. It was so heartening to coax a giggle or gurgle from my baby. Hence, I feel that it’s essential to spend a few minutes with your baby without Laptops and Mobiles.  

This is a post for the indiblogger contest for Pampers.   

IDBI Federal Lifesurance Whole Life - Befikar Umar Bhar

Monetary Stability, oodles of time and creative freedom define the quality of life we all aspire   to. We spend all our lives working hard and saving harder to provide stability in our lives. And sometimes, our own personal yearnings get relegated to post everything.... We all wish that we had a magic wand that would manage all our financial worries without sacrificing on the fun quotient in life. Well, there is no magic wand but careful  financial planning can make our lives that much easier. The IDBI Federal Life Whole Life  Policy claims to be the solution to all these worries. It provides a fixed sum on a  predetermined date and no more premiums are required for further life cover.Sounds good to me. You can check out all the details at http://bit.ly/BefikarUmarBhar..  

If all my financial issues were sorted there are a number of things I would like to indulge in. Here are my five top dreams that I would like to cross off my bucket list.  

1. Backpack and travel all around Europe - Europe, beautiful Europe! It beckons me with ethereal landscapes. I would live and eat in Europe. I would visit the splendor of England and the fairies of Scotland. Immerse myself in the tall tales of the naughty leprechauns. I would devour the pastries and Coffees of France. Above all, I would revel in the sun kissed beaches of Spain and Greece with no worries about my financial future. I would be befikar.  
2. Open my own Restaurant - Launching a restaurant entails 24/7 involvement and a lot of risk. I have seen many a ventures tank and savings lost as restaurants closed down due to inexperience or poor management. I would love to open a family-run restaurant with great food, music and loads of fun.  
3. Take Classes - I am a huge baking fan, and I would love to take baking classes. I am always hesitant about taking these classes as I don't know if I could generate a Return on my Investment. If I was free to do as I choose, I would set up my cookery classes.  
4. Star in my movie - I would bankroll my own venture based upon a very intense story that I have loved. It sure is a bucket list item. Tom Cruise? The story would be replete with   typical bollywood masala songs and many dream sequences. The locales would be as exotic as possible.
5. Go for an all out adventure trip ala Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara- I have been enamored by the concept of facing my fears and conquering them. I would love to learn swimming and go for scuba diving and snorkeling. I would also like to undertake cage diving in shark-infested waters for that extra thrill.

All these things are on my bucket list, and this keeps me going. I dream of fulfilling some of these aspirations in my life. With life insurance and other financial products, I have the opportunity to spend fully and live my dreams.  

This is a submission for the Indiblogger contest. Life is waiting!   

Bech Quickr and forget the fikr

All the world's a big marketplace. Shopping is constantly on our minds while we are at the mall, at a school event or even when we are meditating. We are invariably on the look out for the finest deals and the best services.

In fact, I was on the lookout for event management for my daughter's birthday, and I found the answer in the quickr app. I searched for all the decorators, tattoo artists and magicians on the quikr app and liaised with all the vendors through the chat feature. I could receive quotes as per my requirements and finalized the vendors. It was a eureka moment, and I realized that the   Quikr next was the answer to all my shopping problems.

Going through the app and using the chat features, I realized that I love the app and prefer using it rather than making a phone call for the following reasons

1. Connectivity - I could leave my messages any time of the day or night, and the vendors could revert as per their convenience. Moreover, I would also get an alert if some vendor reverted to my queries. This was highly convenient as I would often forget to call them during the business hours. I would invariably remember in the evenings and by then everyone would be unavailable. Furthermore, I have horrendous phone service and am consistently missing calls. I would easily receive the messages in my app through my Internet connection.

2. Comfortable access to Information - While I was haggling with the rates, it was simpler to remember what I had bargained for and what I was getting in return through the chat history. It was easier than writing on a paper and then searching high and low for that paper. I had a record of all the rates and quantities as agreed upon.

3. Privacy - Its usually very risky to share numbers with strangers, and generally, I would share my number with the vendors. Quickr nxt provided me the opportunity to engage in conversations without releasing my number. This made me feel safe, and I could haggle and shop for services and products with an worry-free mind.

Overall, I would recommend the Quickr nxt chat features as they really make life easier for us shopaholics. The app itself is easy to use and allows for quick sorting through the plethora of buyers and sellers. I am now looking forward to selling some old yet in prestige condition appliances. As a seller also, quickr next chat offers the same benefits of convenience, privacy and access to past conversations. It's an in one genie.

So what are you waiting for? Download the app and get started on this wonderful and exciting journey of buying and selling on Quikr. It’s the time to “bech quickr” and buy quickr.   

This is my submission to the indiblogger contest and you get all the information from  http://www.quikr.com/.

You're like the wind

In my dreams, I could be a Princess, and that's what I was. Like most little girls, I believed nothing less than a Prince could make my dreams come true.       - Loretta Young

We've all thought along the same line for most of our lives. This may have been the assessment in the 20th century, but a girl can be much more than a princess now. Moreover, we don't need any prince to make our dreams come true. When I was a girl, I wasn't fettered with these expectations. In fact, my parents encouraged me to go out and conquer it all.Yet, at the cusp of it all was the conundrum of choosing a regular career or an artistic career.It all either financial security or creative freedom. Like many before me, I chose the humdrum of a normal career.

Cut to 2010, when a whirlwind named Sanskriti was born. She has managed to shatter all the stereotypes that I had of a typical girl child. She has made me realize that she can pursue everything she wants. She can choose to have a successful career, voluntary work, marriage and fitness.

With her enthusiasm and maturity, she has embraced all things girly and princess. However, on the other side, she practices her karate katas with a war cry. Like the wind, she skates by yet she calmly practices yoga meditation. With her, I realized that the world is like a blank page, and the experiences fill up the pages.

I pledge to preserve her verve and vigor for life and promise to encourage her aspirations. As a girl and a future woman, the opportunities today will pave the road for her to pursue finance, freedom and love. Unfettered by the stereotypical expectations, she can choose to pursue as many opportunities as she wants. Just like Maria Vonn Trap, she is a cloud that can't be pinned down.   

“This post is a part of #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus“.