Playdoh-ing with Samarth :)

Recent kolams :D

Basket woven with recycled material

I used the basket weaving technique and made this one. Isn't it so colourful and pretty? Surely can be neater...but I think it's fantastic for a first time effort :D

Bubble Investigation :)

We made a bubble blower using this link

http://www.ehow.com/how_2383687_make-bubble-blower.html

It was so much fun as you can see!! Samarth loved doing it together with me and we shared lots of laughs! :)

Your child, your responsibility - Keep them safe on the road!!

Picture this scenario.

It's a bright sunny morning and it's the weekend. You leave home with your family including children, and you have planned lots of exciting activities for the day at the zoo and the park. All of you get into the car, you wear your seatbelt and so does the person sitting in the passenger seat next to you - Of course because it is mandatory. You've heard a lot about how children should be safe in cars as well, so you start to buckle up your children who are in the seat behind you. But of course they refuse and throw tantrums. You waste a whole 20 minutes coaxing and cajoling them but to no avail. Resignedly and rather unhappily, you go back to your seat as you don't want to ruin everyone's mood - and you let the kids do what they want i.e bouncing around at the back of the car as always.

Sadly though - all of you never make it to the zoo and the play park. 

Instead you find yourself in hospital with wounds all over, and luckily enough the kids have escaped only with minor injuries. 

Did you ever think of all this when you left home today morning? Of course not. You imagined you would be lucky as always and everyone would be driving at a comfortable speed obeying every road rule. Not once in your wildest dreams did you think that YOU and YOUR family would be victims of road rage. 

So many people don't get this second chance that YOU just got. Their lives are wiped out in those very few seconds and that's it - it's all over.

Unfortunately we always wait until the day for some incident to happen which will serve as a wake up call. The truth is - we may not always be lucky to be alive to realize it. It is just a matter of seconds before it's all over.

For every story of survivors of road accidents; there are 20 stories of people and children who don't survive. Of recent, the statistics especially in the UAE are rather alarming. Every other day, there is one such story in the newspaper blaring out on the front page and the circumstances in which these accidents happen are horrific. Take a look at these links:

http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/dubai-car-accidents-up-but-deaths-drop-this-year-2012-03-17-1.448802

http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/child-among-six-injured-in-dubai-road-accidents-in-five-days

And if that's not enough to wake you up, take a look at this video. It summarizes everything that I possibly have to say on this topic that is so very close to my heart.

We cannot control how other people drive and whether or not they go around obeying road rules. BUT what we can surely control is our safety inside our own vehicle. As parents - it is our main responsibility to ensure that our children are safe and protected NO MATTER WHAT.

If I had a coin for each time I have ignored my child's tantrums and buckled him up in his seat in the car - I would be a millionnaire now. I'm probably the mean mom for him, but my child's safety is more important to me than giving in to his tantrums and glorifying my image in his eyes. I don't care what he thinks of me at that point - because I know that as his age he does not realize how important it is for him to stay safe but I do.

Road safety campaigns have now been launched all over the UAE and people are being urged to use a car seat for their child. Let's be very honest, how many people actually pay heed to these awareness campaigns? Hardly. Most people just give random excuses like 'Oh a car seat is too expensive' or, 'Oh my child never listens to me and I can't buckle her in because she screams and cries until I give in'.

Really now? As my fellow college mate Christina aptly said - 'What's more important? Giving in to your child's screams and not buckling up OR never hearing them scream again?'.

As a parent what can you do?

It is indeed YOUR responsibility as a parent to drive safely and stay within speed limits. Of course, I don't need to reiterate that PLEASE don't use your cell phones even on a hands free as that is distracting as well. And definitely no texting or Facebooking whilst you are driving. Who needs blaring music? Not you and definitely not your kids. 

It is as yet not mandatory in the UAE for children to be buckled into their car seats. I truly wish for the UAE government to wake up soon and start imposing fines on such careless parents.

If you are reading this and you are guilty of not buckling up your child in his/her car seat - then DO IT TODAY.

Because remember, there may not be a tomorrow. 

Eco-craft: 'Wild Thing' project for Samarth's homework

Hi !! - I'm Rumpoo :) Here's a short introduction to who I am and how I came to life!!

Samarth got a homework project from school to make a wild creature using recycled materials. His mom and he conjured up some ideas, and voila - they created me! Let's now see HOW exactly they made me!

I was originally a plastic water bottle, whose head they chopped off!  Then they rolled a sheet of newspaper and stuck it through the holes they had punched into the bottle - to create my hands.

Now it was time to make a head for me!! They crumpled a ball of newspaper and stuck it on the top of the bottle. Samarth's mom had an old torn kaftan which was lying around, she snipped off a piece from it and fashioned an outfit for me, yaaaaaay!! . Luckily it was a batik print - ideal for the look I was aiming for!!

Oh and they used newspaper which was rolled and cut into strips to make me some hair - woo hoo so they ensured I wasn't bald any more!! I was beginning to look really cute now and very much like myself!

Hello Hello!! :D - and that's ME!!

Hi Everyone - look at me, posing for a photograph in Samarth's class!

Byee!! :D

Kolam Design - May 2012

Kumar Sanu ki awaaz main :) My top 7 faves

I was listening to a few songs the other day on the radio that totally took me back to the 90s when Kumar Sanu was the ultimate male romantic voice around in the Bollywood music industry. He, along with Udit Narayan, ruled the roost at that time - and what a melodious era it was :)

I'll list a few of my favourites from Kumar Sanu's voice:


1. Dheere Dheere se Meri Zindagi Main Aana from Aashiqui [1990]

2. Ae Kaash Ke Hum from Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. I was amazed to see that I could remember 99% of the lyrics to this song :) No wonder it is on this list today - absolutely melodious and hum-worthy.

3. Mera Dil Bhi Kitna Paagal Hai from Saajan :) An all time favourite. I just love the line that goes 'par saamne jab tum aate ho' :)

4. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga from 1942 A Love Story. 
Simple, simple, super simple melody; yet it touches your heart in a way that hardly any song can.

5. Taare Hain Baarati Chandni Hai Yeh Baarat - from the 1997 movie Viraasat

]

6. Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen - from Baazigar [1992]. Foot tapping beats and a zany sense of rhythm embedded within that made it a popular chart buster. I used to love dancing crazy steps on this song with my family :)

7. And............. Odh Li Chunariya from Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya [1998]. Love how Alka Yagnik sings the 'Pyaar' bit each time with a variation :)

New Designs :)

My first bloggie award! - Thanks Richa!!

My sweet little friend from the blogger world, Richa... had given me this Heart Locket award award somewhere in the month of December 2011 - and me being the eternal procrastinator, never did really mention it here as an acceptance :( Sorry sweetie!

Here is a link to her post : http://clouds-rain-and-sunshine.blogspot.com/2011/12/award.html

 This isn't the exact image of the award she gave me - I had to google it because her blog does not allow to copy images :)

The Heart Locket award carries with it some rules though:
1. If you get the award, pass it on to 7 blogs
2. Put the picture of the award in your post
3. Don't pass this award back to me
4. Answer the questions below and post it on your blog.

My answers are:

1. What makes you feel great about yourself?

I think I have a head on my shoulders and am far more confident now than I was in my early 20s. I have evolved as a person and learned a lot about the world around me, which makes me feel stronger. Experiences shape personalities, and though I haven't seen much of the big, bad world; I have learned from whatever little I have had the opportunity to notice around me. I am thankful for this entire circle of awareness.

2. Who inspires you the most? And specifically, which qualities inspire you in each person? You can list as many as you like.

I have a whole list of people around me who inspire in different ways. I admire mothers I see at my son's school who manage multiple children together [3 or more] and with a smile on their face all through - and they manage to drop their kids and go to work as well with not a minute to rest. I always am left wondering how that is physically possible - but I have learned that it is not impossible either. Secondly, I love and admire my dad's perseverance and determination which enabled him to complete an MBA when in his mid 40s and a PhD a few years later. He has and will always be an ongoing source of inspiration.

I would like to pass on this award to seven worthy bloggers:

1. Patty
2. Subha
3. Masala Popsicles
4. Writerzblock by Pallavi
5. Rekha
6. Jyotsna
and, 7. Ritu

I really love your blogs - keep writing and keep smiling ! :)

News around the world of late that has made me happy!

Tidbits of news in India and around the globe recently that have brightened me up :)

http://mumbaimirror.com/article/4/20120318201203180208178084f94a856/Indian-student-guilty-of-hate-crime-Jurors.html

The jurors in India-born student Dharun Ravi's case, who came out with a guilty verdict on Friday that may jail him for 10 years and even lead to his deportation, say his repeated attempts to watch and gossip about his gay roommate's sexual encounter convinced them that he committed hate crime.

The jurors - seven women and five men - had spent over two days deliberating on the 15 charges that Ravi faced, including bias intimidation, invasion of privacy and tampering with evidence. 

Finally Tyler's soul shall rest in peace - justice prevails !! Should I feel sorry for Dharun? No way - I think he deserved this for being the perpetrator of Tyler's misery. Dharun had absolutely no right to do what he did - I have no words to describe what I feel.


And this :)
http://mumbaimirror.com/article/4/2012031320120313024033416776a56a5/Woman-lies-upside-down-for-75-days-to-save-twins.html?pageno=5

A Polish woman lay upside down in labour for 75 days to save the lives of her two premature babies after the first of three foetuses growing inside her was born prematurely and died.

Joanna Krzysztonek eventually gave birth to baby girl Iga and boy Ignacy two and a half months later, on February 15, at a neo-natal clinic in the southwestern Polish town of Wroclaw.

“I sighed with relief that there was a chance to keep the pregnancy and to give the babies a chance to be born successfully,” she said.

There are absolutely no limits to a mother's determination and perseverance - that's why it is said that heaven truly lies beneath a mother's feet :)

And this :)

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/families-rush-to-adopt-abandoned-sharjah-baby-1.993511

Social welfare officials have received at least a dozen phone calls from interested Emirati families wishing to adopt an 11-day-old baby girl that was abandoned last week in Sharjah.

The baby girl was discovered by a man outside a villa in Al Hera, and was admitted to Al Qasimi Hospital to recuperate from a fever and a cold.

Naeema Al Nakhi, head of the social services section at Al Qasimi Hospital said the baby, whose nationality is not known, was in a healthy and stable condition.

"She was left on the floor without a blanket to cover her up from the wind. If she was left for a longer time in the cold it could have been fatal," said Naeema.

So wow, there is still humanity left in this world :)

By the way an alarming number of babies are being abandoned in the UAE of late... I really wonder why and how the statistics have risen this far - really makes me sad.