A Decade In The Y2K

We are approaching another year.A brand New Year. When we first came within reach of the New Millennium, there was this media hype,a hullabaloo about the Y2K bug that was going to disrupt and wipe out all stored information off our computers. This revelation created a chaos among many..But Thank God it never happened and todate no one really knows why the bug forgot to bite. Nevertheless aren't we all glad that everyone superseded the fear of the ‘Year 2000 ‘ or the ‘Y2K’ and probably look forward to victoriously celebrate a decade in the 'Y2K' epoch.

With the new year comes new beginnings, new challenges. Most of us, I guess plan to bring about changes in our lives ..This is the time when everyone starts making New Year resolutions. It's easy to make resolutions but I wonder how many actually keep it.Over the years, I too had many resolutions that I wished to keep , but alas! couldn’t see it all getting materialized. Before the New year turns up we would be planning and making endless and countless lists on what to do and what not to do .Come New year ,we tend to forget all we have planned and thus our goals that we try to achieve in the new year gets blown away with the wind….

I ask myself again and again ..Why wait for the New Year to make promises. All that we have got to do is take one day at a time .Make the best of that day.Step on the positive side and toss away the negativity. With a little bit of patience and appreciation , we ought to countenance the complications and the challenges that come to pass on us through this cycle of life, Being bold enough to defy the hurdles , we would possibly find the rest of our days rewarding.

A Happy New Year To You !

The Circle Of Friends Award

I am delighted to get the Circle of Friends award, which I have proudly displayed in the sidebar, from my blogger friend Mothers Always (Being Me), whose writings I admire. Receiving these awards from other bloggers help strengthen our confidence and credence in ourselves, and a motivation to blog better in blogosphere! I do not find enough time to blog on a daily basis, but whenever I find the time. I really enjoy it. I also love browsing the pages of my blogger friends, to read their posts and leave them a comment.

Receiving, giving and passing on awards to others is no doubt, an encouraging approach to develop a friendly bond among bloggers. Leaving a friend something exceptional like this virtual award, makes the recipient contented, knowing his/her posts have been appreciated. There are so many things we learn from each other here at blogosphere. We get to know the likes, the dislikes, favorites and of course the humorous side of our blogger friends. We learn about the different cultures, customs and the scrumptious recipes and cuisines from varied countries. I take this opportunity to thank my friends here at blogosphere and others, who browse through my posts.

Now I have to follow the rules and write a few facts about me
1. I have learned that to pursue an inner feeling of happiness, I got to approach toward the positive.
2. I turn to the internet to satiate my thirst for some reading.
3. My family comes first. They are my priority.
4. Oprah Winfrey’s Talk Show has been a source of inspiration to me and to a score of others .I would like her to reassess her retirement because we need people like her, who has the skill , to help motivate the youth of today to be a better society tomorrow.
5. I have cried the most in the year 2004, first in October when I lost my precious mother, who had always been my pillar of strength and then again in December, when a massive Tsunami hit South East Asia. My country Sri Lanka which was already ravaged by an internal war: a war between man, got wrecked a second time: a war with Nature (God forbid, let me cry no more!)


The new recipients of this award go to
1. The desperate cook
2. A Mommy's Day: by I am Me
3. Middle age ramblings
4. AISHALIFE-LINE
5. Nophie's Corner

The rules - Remember to acknowledge the bloggers (do a link) where they came from, nominate 5 recipients (Let them know about it) and tell us any 5 things about yourself. And don't forget to copy and paste the award badge!

Children And Boredom

The chilly weather makes all of us longing, to get cozy and huddle up in the house and when we have children around, we often wonder how we are going to keep them occupied for a specific period of time. And during winter break ,the kids get holed up in the house. It is then, that they complain of nothing to do and getting bored. Getting them to help us in the household chores is a good idea but for how long will they like this kind of activity we cannot predict.

As a stay at home mom, I have often spent a few times, stooping to their level ,taking instructions and abiding by their rules and regulations, in order to help their play time happy and fun .All in all, the end results are that we all are contended by the fact that we have had enough of quantity and quality time together as a family...

There are many ways and means to regenerate our kids from boredom. Its time we become a little creative in order to stop our brood from complaining. One does not need to be an expert in bringing out ideas to help children find some ways to spend their time during holidays.

Make opportunities for children to get active in different ways... By sharing our ideas with the kids on what to do and how to do, helps the children to play an active role in being creative... Generate a lot of opportunities for the children to experience with..Let them experiment with different ideas. Children would like anything to do with games. There are many ways to be creative and make holiday time a fun time. Some children are good with words. Indoor games like word –building could be really interesting, when you make it a fun game. For instance, take the word ‘Ordinary ‘. Let them make new words from this one long word. The new words from ‘ordinary’ would be (ray, roar, yard, nod, ran etc). By introducing this word game, we are actually helping them improve their vocabulary.

Another fun game, I observed my kids loved were the repeatedly practicing of tongue twisters!.'Twisters' is a sure way to revitalize kids from boredom. Here is a tongue twister which my children and I enjoy to date...This could also be played as a game, to test their spelling skills (in this case ,whether/weather)

Whether the weather be fine
Or whether the weather be not
Whether the weather be cold
Or whether the weather be hot
We’ll weather the weather
Whatever the weather
Whether we like it or not.”

Happy Holidays! Have Fun...

My First Award

I am honored to get this award and I thank Always A Mom for it.



Seven Things That You Don't Know About Me

1. I used to be an elementary teacher - but gave up to take care of my home.
2. I love to try different recipes. If it does not turn out right, I give it a new name and still enjoy
3. I read Richard Carlson's book, "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff With Your Family" in the year 2004 which made a lot of changes in me. I learnt to look at the positive side of life.
4. My childhood favourite was Enid Blyton. I still enjoy her books when I read it to my children.
5. I get motivated by everyday people doing everyday things.
6. I would love to visit France someday to see the Eiffel Tower, and maybe make use of my French which I have learnt during my school days.
7. I am a person full of compassion and love, when tragedy strikes children in any part of the world, it affects me very badly because I cannot reach out to them.

I have nominated the following bloggers as recipients of this award for their hardwork:

1. Very Becoming
2. How I Cope With Acid Reflux and Ulcers
3. Swathi Pradeep's Kitchen
4. Always A Mom
5. Real Life In A Minute
6. Being a mom, wife, grandma and student!
7. Because Nice Matters

As with any award it has a few steps or rules the recipient must follow after receiving the award. And they are:

1. Thank the person who gave the award to you.
2. Copy award.
3. Post it in your blog.
4. Tell us 7 things that your readers don't know.
5. Link 7 new bloggers as recipients.
6. Notify winners of award with comment on their blog .
7. Keep being awesome!

Congratulations and Happy Blogging!!!

Oh ! This Funny Language

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger,
neither apple nor pine in pineapple
English muffins were not invented in England
or French fries in France.
Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat
Quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,
A guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig
Why is that writers write, but fingers don't fing,
Grocers don't groce, hammers don't ham
If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth?
One goose, 2 geese, so one moose, 2 meese?
One index, two indices?
Is cheese the plural of choose?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegatarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Ship by truck, and send cargo by ship?
Have noses that run and feet that smell
Park on driveways and drive on parkways?
How can a slim chance and fat chance be the same,
while a wise man and a wise guy be opposites?
When a house burns up, it burns down
You fill a form by filling it out
An alarm clock goes off by going on
When the stars are out, they are visible
but when the lights are out, they are invisible
When I wind up my watch, I start it
But when I wind up this essay, I end it

Courtesy : InBox Collection -

The Magic Of Disney

Very Recently the Disney demo 09 concluded in the country of the birth place of Walt Disney and here I am half way across the other side of the world and motivated to write something about the Disney influence we all have had. My whole family is attracted to Walt Disney creations...I loved Disney classics as a child, and still enjoy them with my children. Walt Disney has inspired my kids in so many ways ...They were drawn to his world of sketching from an early age.
And as parents, we were fully aware of their interest in everything ‘Disney’. We introduced to the kids some Disney classics for reading. Initially we read to them during bedtime and subsequently it became habitual and only when the end of the story was read and when they had heard their favourite characters from the book lived happily ever after, that they used to fall asleep without any hassles whatsoever... Having introduced them to Disney classics, from a young age, enhanced their reading and listening skills too. By the time they entered kindergarten, they had mastered several skills like listening, picture identification and word building.
The earliest memories I have were the sketching on our home walls, depicting some of Walt Disney‘s animated characters. An attempt at Disney creations, by my children! Later I discovered these drawings on their pillow covers as well. During their school break, they loved to watch Disney movies on DVD, which kept them spell bound .and whenever their class had some story time program, my two daughters did not fail to act as a Disney character, to bring the story to life.
The world of Disney also shaped my young children’s’ minds. They learnt to recognise and identify the good, the wicked and the evil, thanks to the characters in Snow white, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, etc. They were inculcated with values like kindness, love and generosity.
Now whenever I log on to my computer I am ushered in by Disney characters painted by my children. Am I not glad we have the world of Disney playing a significant role in developing the language skills that leads to stimulating reading in children .Thus laying a solid foundation for a more complex learning in later years.
And even today, my daughters, who, in their adolescence and pre-adolescence years are motivated and enthralled by his wonderful cartoons! And lately my two young sons are following suit...
Here are some cyber paintings, done by my twelve year daughter Mona.


The Lion King





Tarzan II

From The Animal Kingdom

Courtesy : Email Circulation

Chocolate Reveals Your Age

This is  an email circulation and I had to share it with you.So take a pad and a pen and invite your friends to join in the fun.


YOUR AGE BY CHOCOLATE MATH


Don't tell me your age; you'd probably lie anyway-but the Hershey Man will know!



1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate (more than once but less than 10)



2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)



3. Add 5




4. Multiply it by 50 -- I'll wait while you get the calculator




5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1759 ..
If you haven't, add 1758..



6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.



You should have a three digit number



The first digit of this was your original number
(i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week).



The next two numbers are YOUR AGE! Oh YES, it is!!!!!

Spring Cleaning And Clutter- Free!

Recently the whole family got busy, engaged with spring cleaning and clearing the clutter that had got collected within the last several months. After days of delaying this household task, we decided to start clearing without further delay that particular day. Even my five year old showed a lot of enthusiasm helping around, carrying the thrash bag here and there and trying to fill it up with whatever he thought was garbage!,
The very first thing my son did was to get this particular pair of shoes and said, ‘This is Garbage! I held on to it, as if for dear life before he could dump it into his thrash bag. I was wondering how children observed everything and anything., This one pair of shoes which I loved dearly was a bit tattered, nevertheless I enjoyed wearing it , because it always made me so comfortable .I could walk with ease. Incredibly I‘d never got a leg pain after I‘ve walked, confidently with these, during our many fortnightly outings to the Mall.
Then there was a pile of books, which had to be tackled , with my elder daughter. Those books had been in her room, in the same spot, for several months now, but she wouldn’t let me go any closer to them. Eventually it was decided all the books would go into a cupboard, that was out of view and for later use for my other daughter,( if she finds anything interesting to suit her tastes!)
My husband and I had decided that the things which were not used anymore should be given away , so that someone else, could enjoy. Out came clothes, shoes, socks, shirts, etc. from every nook of the house. I appreciated the whole family’s helping hand; the work got done faster and easier. For my sons this was a fun activity, they were so generous in parting with some of their toys to put in the charity box. My older son loved playing with the duster; he even imitated his Dad, wearing a piece of cloth tied loosely around his nose, like a mask.
By the way I love garage sales! But to organize it here in the country we reside would be a bit of a hassle! Nevertheless I have no regrets depositing all the stuff that was not in use for ages, into the charity box, which was installed close to a popular Mall nearby my home.
It didn’t take a while to understand that by doing this task of cleaning the house together as a family we had plenty of quality time together. No strict rules were imposed on the work task and there was no time limit , but the concept was to complete before night approached. So after a hard day was done, everyone felt tired but happy to see the house neat, clean and clutter free. But I was wondering for how long!
I came to the conclusion by making the children participate in this household chore; we were actually inculcating and developing their skills, sequentially, to complete a given task. They will also learn to arrange and put their toys away in boxes than keeping them scattered on the floor. We also teach them values like being responsible and being productive.
The kids learnt to work as a team. I fervently hope this ‘working together’ notion will be put into practice again, during our next spring cleaning day!

Ramadan: The Holy Month

Ramadan, has approached again, this is considered the holy month for muslims all over the world. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calender. Fasting during this holy month teaches muslims modesty, patience and spirituality. Muslims throughout the world fast for the sake of Allah and offer prayers more than usual. People abstain from eating and drinking between dawn and sunset, They refrain from indulging in anything that is considered excessive and ill-natured.
Ramadan is the time to reflect our sins and ask for forgiveness from God, We pray for guidance, to refrain from evil and bad deeds. This is also the time to make peace with those who have wronged us, strengthen bonds with family and friends, do away with all things that are bad: basically to cleanse our lives and our cluttered minds.
Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam. It also allows Muslims to practice self-discipline and self-control, show empathy for those who are less fortunate; thus encouraging acts of generosity and charity. While fasting is not considered compulsory in childhood , many children attempt to complete as many fasts as possible as practice for later life.
Besides engaging in prayer and spiritual reflection, the evenings are spent with family and close friends partaking meals. In many Muslim countries, markets and shops close down in the evening to enable people to perform prayers and consume the Iftar meal –(the evening meal eaten when muslims break fast,) These markets then re-open and stay open way past midnight and till the time of suhoor: the meal taken before sunrise.
The Holy month of Ramadan is a time for fervent and devoted prayer, and the rewards and blessings associated with it are multipled. Thus by fasting Muslims feel a closeness to God.

From My InBox

I have an obsession collecting email forwards, that I deem fit to read a multiple times. The ones with a story and a moral behind it. Here is one such inbox collection which is truly worth reading time after time, as it enlightens the power of Gossip, that could do harm and cause many misunderstandings among society. Gossip is the creation of a twisted mind.! The pain caused by this is incalculable. Next time lets think twice before participating in any kind of smear campaign.






The Gossip

A woman repeated a bit of gossip about a neighbor. Within a few days the whole community knew the story.
The person concerned was deeply hurt and offended.
Later the woman responsible for spreading the rumor learned that it was completely untrue.
She was very sorry and went to a wise old sage to find out what she could do to repair the damage.
"Go to the marketplace," he said, "and purchase a chicken, and have it killed. Then on your way home, pluck its feathers and drop them one by one along the road."
Although surprised by this advice, the woman did what she was told.
The next day the wise man said, "Now go and collect all those feathers you dropped yesterday and bring them back to me."
The woman followed the same road, but to her dismay, the wind had blown all the feathers away. After searching for hours, she returned with only three in her hand.
"You see," said the old sage, "it's easy to drop them, but it's impossible to get them back.
So it is with gossip. It doesn't take much to spread a rumor, but once you do, you can never completely undo the wrong."

Thrash that Rash!

Today I was reading some health issues on my favorite Health website www. webmd.com, when this informative slide show caught my attention. Sometimes we all take skin rashes for granted, simply brushing it aside for a minor irritating nuisance.
There are a lot of causes that trigger a rash to erupt on your skin and the most common of them is due to an Allergy. Years back, my younger daughter had to deal with a skin irritation, called Hives, which I learnt later was triggered by an allergic reaction. Consequently I took an interest in reading anything about allergies, their symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Thank God gradually she overcame this irritable quandary.
Childhood illnesses like chicken pox, measles, are also known for the rash that develops during the incubation period.
Fortunately, most rashes can be alleviated by medicines or just go away without complications. For me, the presumption was that any kind of rash on the skin was due to an allergic reaction .But I was wrong!
It astounds me that a rash could also indicate an underlying illness. Rash could also be something fatal. It could be an early sign of cancer. This admonition could be adhered to seek treatment in the early stages to prevent further complications.
This slideshow enlightens the reader/viewer to emphasize the kind of rash that is in need of immediate medical attention. Nonetheless it is always advised to get your doctor’s opinion.




Precancerous Skin Lesions and Skin Cancer Slideshow

Shared via AddThis

The Tale of Ellie Pooh

“Mom - You can’t be serious!” Cried out my daughters, when I recounted an incredible news scoop that I had gathered from the Internet. Although this was breaking news to me, I believe the story had been in focus for a while. Actually it all began, when I was browsing the internet looking for a picture of an Elephant for my eight year old son’s class assignment, when this bizarre caption caught my eye. It was beyond belief!

Curious to find out more, I went to the website, http://www.mrelliepooh.com/ and thus established the validity of the story. It may for some, sound highly amusing or ridiculous but I thought it was laudable!

Elephants have always been identified with a lot of appealing adjectives like majestic, magnificent, largest, huge or more often by the common term wild.

They have been a part of wildlife, responsible in maintaining ecological balance in nature. In one way or another Elephants have been useful to man! But now not only are they recognized for their mighty appearance but also for their bountiful resource that they provide, enabling a growth of a new industry. It’s incredible but true, when I affirm (thanks to my reliable source, the internet) that the waste they produce is being recycled into paper which is then fashioned into something more creative.

This renewed paper from the elephant’s dung promoted as “Mr. Ellie Pooh” paper, goes through several procedures before advancing to the craft stores! And mind you! during the recycling process, the smell of dung is completely eliminated.

I have been captivated by these magnificent creatures since childhood. For years, having lived within close proximity to the zoological gardens, we were fortunate enough to have had easy access to see these animals being fed and pampered by the zoo workers. What made me even more interested in reading about Ellie Pooh was the fact that the animals talked about, are the Elephants of Sri Lanka, which play a major role in this remarkable venture.

It is exclusively the dung of Sri Lanka’s Elephants that is transformed into paper, which is used for making of scrapbooks, cards, books, note books etc. What a whole lot of discoveries, reading about this project led me to. The entire recycling process takes place in the outskirts of Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the recycled paper in Sri Lanka is known as Jumbo Poo paper. Ellie Pooh and Jumbo Poo are associates working together to bring about a friendly and pollution free atmosphere. It’s note worthy to cite, that one of the objectives by the people behind this endeavour is to bring harmony between the Elephants and the local farmers. This perception will significantly improve the relationship, no doubt. It would be no bolt from the blue when the uncontrolled hostility between man and beast subsequently dies down, by this out of the ordinary notion.

After that initial uproar, I caught my younger daughter snuffle the paper cluttered on our computer table, to distinguish the dung variety.Unfortunately we haven’t to date purchased any, but next time we shop for paper to scrap, I will, without a doubt mull over Ellie Pooh paper! I couldn’t ever have imagined that the Elephant’s dung was such a beneficial article of trade.

With the children on Summer Break, I was determined that this was the appropriate time for my daughters to divert their attention from their current favourites - Jodi Picoult, Cornelia Funke and Meg Cabot - to a different storyline, something dissimilar to the all time favourites: ‘Winnie the Pooh’, which they have all grown accustomed to.

Equipped with more facts in succession, I sat with my foursome and continued my recounting of the unusual saga of Ellie-Pooh!

My Reliable Source

For a working Mom or a stay at home like me, the Internet has become part of our lives now. We have got so dependent on this medium, that we look up for various news and information and indulge on it as a trustworthy source. With this, came the most easiest and convenient form of communication; the e-mail, which took over the traditional form of letter writing. Electronic mail or E-mail crept into our system speedily. It is very difficult now, for most of us to switch back to letter writing, the conventional way.

As for my family and I, who reside many miles across the seas, away from our native place, our only communication with the rest of the homefolk is via a phone call or a letter. At the beginning, I would be on the edge of my seat in anticipation for my husband’s return from office, when he would bring with him, the snail mails we get from family back at home. Over here there are no door to door postal services; I depend on my husband’s company mailing address to receive my mails. Then things changed, when my husband got us a computer and the internet connection... It made easier for me to correspond. Since then there has been no looking back .

I love reading, from news papers, to magazines! I love reading paperbacks too , but with children and their workload, I had to be selective in my choice of reading and simply stand firm by my decision , Nonetheless I simply couldn’t resist the internet, the addiction that I fall back on to satiate my thirst for some reading.
The primary thing I do when one of my children fall sick is browse through my favorite health web site for information on the related illness . By doing this I tend to be more relaxed and calm. Getting some first hand information on the internet relieves the stress off me. Before the advent of the internet in my home, I used to be so panicky whenever the kids fell sick not knowing what wedged their immune system. I’d like to know the severity of the sickness before proceeding to the doctor. If it’s just the common cold, I try to subdue by some home remedy. Otherwise a visit to the doctor is a must.

Even my children, who are all of school going age, need the internet for some reference work for their assigned homework. Every now and then my 3rd grader, comes up with some class assignment and thus it is necessary that I approach the internet for assistance!

And in lighter vein I must add, when my eight-year-old wanted me to Google a picture of an elephant from the internet and get a print out from the computer, for his class project, My youngest , looked all perplexed and taken aback, wondering how on earth was I going to download an elephant-as big as that!!

Cooking With Potato

Everyone loves potatoes. Who doesn’t ? But sometimes you could get a bit exasperated eating the same dish made of potatoes every day.The only food my children eat without any pressurizing is POTATO. They love it fried or cooked with a creamy gravy. They relish it when it is cooked with coconut cream. This recipe is most popular among my native folk. I tend to use less spice in my food because my children abhor the too spicy stuff , the fiery ones. Those of you who love trying different recipes, could try this one too. This is written in the simplest method so as not to confuse the cook.

There are some adjustments which I did make , to the original recipe that my Mother delighted us with. The changes were necessary to cater my children’s palate.
There are no hard and fast rules here . You could change and adjust some of the ingredients accordingly .You could either add more or less spices. The spices I have used here would be available in any Asian or Indian supermarkets.


Potato In Coconut Cream

The Ingredients ( Serves 2-3 persons )

2 large boiled potatoes

2-3 pieces of chopped garlic

1 medium sized onion finely chopped

1 green chilly chopped ( optional)

Half a tsp mustard seeds

Half a tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp curry powder ( you can adjust accordingly)

One tablespoon of oil

A few curry leaves ( optional)

Salt to taste

1 cup water (250-300ml)

3 generous tablespoons of coconut powder

Coriander leaves for garnishing


Method

Cut boiled potatoes into chunks. Heat the oil in a pan .When the oil gets heated , put in the mustard and the fenugreek seeds .

As it starts to splutter, turn in the chopped onion and the green chilly. Cook till onions become translucent and then stir in the garlic and the curry leaves . (cook for less than a minute)

Mix in the turmeric and the curry powder. Add the cup of water into the pan and bring it to a boil.

Now put the boiled potatoes into the cooking broth. Mix in the coconut powder and give it a quick stir, so that no lumps form.

Lastly add salt to taste .Cover the pan and simmer for 2 minutes . Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

This could be eaten as an accompaniment either with

1; Hot toasted bread and a salad of your choice
OR
2; Steamed rice and a meat dish of your choice.

Bon Apetit!

Home Remedy

Over the years I have had gathered these home remedy tips from various sources.Some were passed on from the family..I have tried some of these at home which I have found to be very effective. These really help you or or your loved ones from relief from minor ailments, They are cheap and readily available in your kitchen cabinet . .Home medicines are the the spices you use for your cooking or the herbs you grow in your garden (to get that extra flavour and aroma in your cooking). Furthermore no preservatives or additives added, they are simply home made!!!

Pepper is an excellent medicine to treat digestive disorders.. A decoction prepared with one cup of water, 5 to 6 pepper corns, a piece of crushed ginger and a little jaggery (this will reduce to half on boiling). when sipped, while it is still hot, gives relief from cold, cough and sore throat.

Ginger -helps digestion, cures cough when taken with bees honey. Take a little ginger juice (you get the juice by crushing a piece of ginger) mix in half teaspoon lime juice and a little bees honey to get relief from cough).Repeat this 2-3 times a day. Include a piece of crushed ginger in your daily tea and you may not have many digestion problems. (Try this next time you make your cup of tea. It's delicious too.)

Coriander seeds- to stop the vomit, soak coriander seeds in water and then sip this water at regular intervals. For conjunctivitis, soak cotton balls in coriander water and rub the eyes with this solution, to get immense relief.

The magic of bees honey: -Bees honey has been known in alleviating internal ailments , such as the common cold, cough,sore throat and related conditions .If you include bees honey in your daily diet, your immune system will benefit and you will be more able to resist diseases. Bees honey is a natural antiseptic, try it on minor scrapes and bruises.

Some other common herbs

Parsley- A natural breath freshener and eases an upset stomach.

Thyme-calms cough and may ease menstrual cramps, some rub this natural antiseptic on cuts and scrapes.

Sage- makes a soothing mouth wash for canker sores or gargle for sore throat. Brew the leaves (like tea) and gargle for sore throat.

Rosemary - crushed and added to your bath may stimulate the blood circulation.

Cardamom is known as a good medicine to treat indigestion and also treats gas problems. Chewing cardamoms gets rid of bad breath. When you suffer from a tooth ache, clench a clove on the aching tooth.

So next time you have those nuisance aches and pains , try these simple home remedy tips.Nature's healers could do wonders for you!

Give Me A Break Please !

Summer break is here and the children are at home .Though I am relieved there’s no morning rush hours, I find the work load forever increasing, I have suddenly become an automaton, catering to the foursomes’ ever demanding needs. All four, have quite a different appetite. There is also a different kind of noise pollution that erupts during mealtimes: the many hassles and the clamour during breakfast time. The smallest of the off springs, would want to eat his favourite brand of cereal, while the eight year would prefer his bread toasted. One would pleadingly suggest “Mom could we eat pancakes today?’ When my oldest would quickly prompt ‘why can’t we eat something spicy’! Although this kind of blaring drives me nuts, I still carry on the day’s chores , with a smile…After all Summer is the time I get to spend both quality and quantity time with my children..By the way I ‘ve got to cut short my writing for the moment, for I hear my hubby call for his morning tea !

My Superman Omar!

Not so long ago ,I preferred to get canned food that could be peeled off from the top, because I constantly had this struggle with the can-opener. But recently in a typical tug-o –war with this domestic device, my opinion changed, when my eight year old stepped in and took over the operation !! In a jiffy, he helped open the can of mixed fruits. Now whenever I am in a dilemma handling this piece of equipment, My Super Man comes to the rescue!

Breakfast

-This is my response to Today's prompt at www oneminutewriter.com . "Describe in detail your favorite breakfast as a child."-


My siblings and I would wait uncomplainingly around the breakfast table for Father ,who would bring the freshly baked bread from the Bakery, which we all took delight in eating ,with the coconut “sambol” Mother made. Even though we had a choice for breakfast, we always tried to eat Mother’s favorite. With stinging eyes and a runny nose, my whole body would be encircled with a burning sensation . I wouldn’t give up!! Hastily gulping water in between each morsel, I would fan myself with the morning newspaper, to cool that sweltering in me and pretend that everything was just fine. I would n’t dislodge from the breakfast table till I finished the last mouthful of that spicy coconut sambol , which was a mixture of scrapped coconut, red chilly ,green chilly and chopped onions sprinkled with lemon juice and salt. This was Mother’s delight!

My Addiction with Digital Scrapping!

I was wondering how I was going to spend my mornings, now that my youngest has started to pursue his learning skills, kindergarten level. Apart from the routine culinary and home keeping and sometimes attending to other overdue chores, I still had an hour or so on my own and I didn’t know how I was going to pass this time doing nothing. Luckily for me, I am still hooked to reading; in all probability I thought I could make use of this skill to while the time. Then one day, when browsing the internet, I happened to stumble upon a website, (www.scrapblog.com) . This is an online scrapbooking site, where one could blog with their scraps uploaded from their computers and cut, copy, paste drag or drop, old, new, colored , black and white, newspaper cuttings ,pictures, photos and also do some journaling. Those of us who loved to cut and paste something ,which was of personal interest, but was often excessively higgledy-piggledy, will find this fascinating, as it doesn't leave things lying around and making a big mess with the cutting and pasting with scissors, glue etc..Digital scrapping leaves me with no clutter and I love that.. I am simply amazed that I actually created a few. And I am enthralled by the results. One has to experience this digital art,the accepted leisure pursuit in the cyber world.And Scrapblog.com,lets me use various embellishments and stickers,free of charge.For those of whom, who want variety,pick up your purses and go on a shopping spree at the different craft stores easily made available for your convenience.From now on I'll make sure I create greeting cards,using my latest digital scrapping skills to wish all my loved ones, on any occasions. Wouldn't that be amazing!. And voila, At last! my recurring thoughts of how I was going to spend the mornings have been solved.

Picture Blog

Funny how life is ..(Click the picture to get a bigger view.)





Digital scrapping is my latest addiction.You can see more of my creations by copying and pasting this link below, in your browser.

htt://www.scrapblog.com/viewer/viewer.asp?sbld=1661081

Metamorphosis

Today, we were prompted on http://www.oneminutewriter.com to write on, "Metamorphosis"...I thought I would response with this piece of writing and share it with everyone on my blog!

"With the arrival of my 4th child, I felt the world was going to crash on me, I thought someone from outer space was going to snatch away my newborn. I smiled less and cried more, everything was spinning around right in front of me. Mentally I became a different person. And physically too, my facial appearances started changing with more frowns, sulks, and droopy eyes. Everyone acknowledged the change in me; I was not the same person. I told my Husband that the world was coming to an end. Perplexed and concerned, he took me to the doctor, who said I was suffering from post partum depression. He put me on medication for a few months and told me that I would be just fine afterward. Gradually with some therapeutic assistance and the love and support from family and friends, the hallucinations came to a complete standstill. My son is five years now and I’m glad I‘ve got over those childish fears and have grown into a more matured adult after that brief 'metamorphic' experience."

'Parlez-Vous Français?'

This is in response to the article which appeared in todays MSN, ( July 9th) under the title 'Parlez-Vous Français?'

'Parlez-Vous Français?' ,Years ago my father used to pose this question to my siblings and I, which eventually became the reason for my great enthusiasm in learning French. During our younger days, We were quite fascinated by the French language beginner's ,step-by-step course, which appeared weekly in a newspaper supplement ( SatMag) and thereon paved the way for my interest in learning French.'Talking about the French Language', the article which appeared in today's MSN Coffee Break, revitalized those beautiful memories of my childhood.And today,as the people in France celebrate Bastilles day,I celebrate my triumph for having my memory intact and getting those ten phrases all correct, in the fun and friendly quiz, courtesy MSN encarta.'Oui,Je parle Français'.Vive La France!

Crunchy-Brunch Time!

One lazy winter mid-morning, after an early breakfast, my children wanted some snacks to nibble, just to while away the chilly weather. But unfortunately, I had run out of snacks. Under heavy pressure from my foursome, I was compelled to rummage in the kitchen cabinet. I got hold of a packet of instant mushroom cream instead! While preparing this according to the given instructions, my eldest daughter asked me to add something crunchy to it, so I added carrots to the creamy broth! That was just the beginning... they all seemed to enjoy and eat it without any fuss. The next time I made it, my younger daughter suggested it would taste even better if I added something else to it, so I simply added cabbages! Soon I realised they loved it, Mmm..did'n't I encourage..?? Every visit to the supermarket,I tend to purchase extras and pile it in my kitchen cabinet. And thereafter whenever I made this, one of my four, would haphazardly request me to add this and that. Occasionally some boiled chicken too would be stirred into it. Now you can just imagine the composition of such a mixture.. how it ended up as a soup of a different kind!!! In all conscience,I thought this was a clever approach to get them to eat their vegetables...
Isn't this appetizing and wholesome eating!!!


Try this, your children may love it! Enjoy


Basic Recipe -

1 packet of instant cream of mushroom (68 kg)
1 litre of water
1/2 a cup of chicken (previously boiled)
2 cabbage leaves/one stalk of leek-shredded
1 medium carrot cut into cubes
1 medium turnip cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon pepper
A pinch of salt
For garnishing
2-3 cubes of butter
A few chopped celery
2-3 boiled, diced mushrooms


For Preparing -

Whisk the instant cream of mushroom in the water and bring in to the boil. Keep stirring, so that no lumps form. Gently stir in the carrots, turnips, shredded leek/cabbage, add pepper and salt (according to taste) and cook for 5 minutes. Lower the flame and add the boiled, shredded chicken into the broth, stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish the butter and celery leaves/mushrooms. Serve hot (servings 4).

Getting Permission

Recently my sons aged seven and five came home from school with permission slips given by their respective class teachers, asking for parent’s permission, to let the kids go on a trip to an amusement park, which was being organized by the school. Persuading me with his usual charm , the older one got my permission to go on this trip.

Being the youngest and still unable to do things unaided, my five year old was not fortunate, but he happily accepted the fact, when I told him that I would allow him to go on school trips when he is older. And then ,he quickly marched to his brother, who was sitting on the other end of the room, to tell him what I had related.

I couldn’t help laughing when I heard the conversation between them.

My five year old son, “Mommy says, she’ll let me go on this school trip when I’m older.”

My seven year old replied, “when you are older, she’s dead".

Me, myself and I

This is just an introduction ...I'm a busy housewife with four energetic children, with all the hassles of daily life, I try to find some time to read and write, even if it's a line or two. Besides reading and writing, I love to try out new recipes! If it does not turn out right, I give it a new name and still enjoy. During my adolescent years, I enjoyed reading 'Mills and Boon' paperbacks and I'm still fascinated by them. My endless thoughts-I prefer to put down in writing! My latest addiction is digital scrapbooking, I've come to love this ever since my youngest started to pursue his learning skills-kindergarten level.