Twenty- five Seven

4 reasons I am grateful for in 2016 #Gratitude Post

December 29, 2016
4 Reasons to be grateful

As the year draws to a close, I realise that I have a lot to be grateful for. In particular, I have four major reasons to be truly grateful for.

Grateful for being alive

They say that as you grow older, you attend more funerals than weddings and birth celebrations. This year I attended two funerals and two condolence meetings. I also heard of the passing away of three others – dear friends’ parents who passed on while I was away. While one of the people whose funeral I attended was old and ailing, the second was not. He was hale and hearty and closer to my age……That was a real shocker . Within minutes the person was gone. We take our lives for granted and the realisation that death has come to my generation made me feel grateful for just being alive.

Grateful for good health

Mumbai is one of those places where Malaria is endemic. My brother once told me that the Aedes aegypti that bite in the day are carriers of Dengue while the Anopheles who bite in the night are carriers of Malaria. Luckily I don’t know what time the mosquitos that transmit Chickungunya bite. However, I’m grateful that despite several mosquito bites at different times of day, I didn’t get any of the mosquito borne diseases that are endemic in my city.

Earlier this year I developed a strange symptom of an extremely dry mouth and really dry eyes. While the dry eyes didn’t bother me, the dry mouth did. Because there were times when I just couldn’t utter a word, simply because my mouth was too dry! The doctor I consulted scared me with a probable diagnosis of Sjogren’s Disease. While I didn’t bother with testing this out, I am grateful that even though my mouth is still dry, it hasn’t got any worse. Moreover, I can still talk!

Terror Attacks.

According to the Esri Story Maps Team and Peace Tech Lab there have been 1789 terror attacks and 15,888 fatalities world wide in 2016. Terror attacks know no logic nor do they follow a pattern. You do not have to be in a war zone. Nor do you have to belong to any ethnic or religious group. You could be just an ordinary person like me. You could be boarding a plane or having dinner at a hotel. So I am indeed grateful that they didn’t attack when I went for a movie or shopped in the local bazaar.

Grateful for good help

My household consists of my octogenarian in-laws and my husband and myself. I also have two grandchildren who I babysit daily. This year I had yet another grandchild which made it imperative that I get help no matter how incompetent or erratic they may be. There were times in the year when I had no one really to help which made me grateful that for the most part there was someone around!

But what I am most grateful for…………..

I am grateful for all this and much more
- Love of family and friends : they may be a source of aggravation but they are a major source of joy
- The opportunity to travel : it might be a fiddle but is a great learning experience
- The support from bloggers : it’s amazing how real strangers become virtual friends
- The generosity of complete strangers: I can’t cease to wonder at the goodness of those who lent me a much needed and appreciated helping hand
- The blessings of the Universe: Last but not least, I am truly grateful to the Force or Whoever is Up There . Thank you truly for making sure thatI and mine were well cared for.
Indeed I have a lot to be thankful for.

Linking this post to #GratitudeCircle hosted by Vidya Sury.
#Patience – My #Word of the Year #FridayReflections

December 29, 2016

“Patience is not just about waiting for something… it’s about how you wait, or your attitude while waiting.”

~ Joyce Meyer

This whole week I’ve been saying “Gosh this year is almost over!”

Before I began this last post for #FridayReflections for 2016, I went back to last year’s post on Word of the Year. I was amazed to find that it was almost to the date, that I wrote a post that I linked up to #Word of the Year. Foolishly, I realised that my word for 2016 was BE ME. This year I choose PATIENCE as my #Word of the Year

Why PATIENCE is my WORD OF THE YEAR

Being yourself would seem the easiest thing in the world. After all who knows you better than you know yourself?

Unfortunately, I find that even though I was trying to be true to myself, there was just no way I could only BE ME. Therefore, it comes as no surprise when I find that most of the goals I had set for myself in 2016 remained unfulfilled.

While I did take marginal steps ahead, I found that there were several aspects of my life that left me dissatisfied. For instance, my weight didn’t go down. My heart rate didn’t go up.. …..So while my blog stats did improve, I didn’t become a super star.

What I realised was that while some people have mastered Pareto’s 80/20 principle I seem to have mastered the inverse! No matter how hard I try, it never really seems good enough.

However, what this year has taught me is that what I really need is to be patient.

[Tweet “My #Word of the Year for 2017 is PATIENCE.”]

Things happen when they have to

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt over the years is that things only happen when they are meant to happen. Time and time again I’ve been a lady in waiting, hoping against hope for something to happen. Then , when I’ve almost given up, or when I least expect it, doors open and stars shine and the much awaited happens. I’ve found that rushing things doesn’t always work…………

Trying to do things in a rush almost always leads to disaster. So perhaps I do really need to be patient and wait for things to fall in place.

I’m linking this up with Sanchie Vee at #FridayReflections and Laurel Regan‘s special Word of the Year linkup at http://www.alphabetsalad.com/.

Do join in and see how the year has been for other bloggers and what they have chosen as their #Word of the Year!
7 ways to keep little ones busy after Christmas is over

December 28, 2016

7 ways to keep little ones busy after Christmas is over

#Christmas is over but the #holidays are not

The children have long eaten the chocolate advent calendar that kept them busy busy before Christmas is eaten.

Santa has come and gone. The Christmas crackers have popped but the holidays still are on.

This can be quite a tiring time for moms who have kids at home on holidays. Especially in a city like Mumbai which has very little for little ones to do.

Keeping children occupied and out of mischief is always a challenge . While older children can see a movie or visit an aunt or friend, it is the little ones who need more planned activities.

Here are a few ideas to keep them busy

Recycle or pass on.

With Christmas out of the way, this is a great time to take stock of all the toys, books and games that the child has. Santa must have come laden with gifts so it is time to pass on old books or toys to make way for the new. If there are some needy kids around, you can pass these on. Else, call up the “jaripuranawallah” or make a visit to the neighbourhood old paperwallah and get rid of the stuff. This activity will not only help keep clutter down but will help reinforce the concept of recycling

Memory collage

With all the wrapping paper generated, help make a memory collage. Cut out the paper into Christmas tree shapes , bell shapes and star shapes and help your little one make a Christmas collage to remind him/her of the wonderful Christmas just spent.

Go for a ride

With the weather being the best it can get in Mumbai, this is the perfect time to take a ride around the neighbourhood. In a bus! After all this is one way to get the child on top of “The Wheels of the Bus” ! Find a bus route close to your house, one that is interesting and fun and just hop on. Be prepared to spend an hour or two singing the song or just watching the different people getting on and off. If there is a park nearby, this would be one good place to get off.

In case it is easy for you to hop on to the local train, do that instead. I know my little grandson loved his train ride from Churchgate to Charni Road station in a train that was thankfully empty.

Discover the market

Another interesting activity is a visit to the local market. With the markets flooded with fresh fruit and vegetables choosing oranges and making them into marmalade is great fun.

An equally interesting is to select flowers. Else you can feed the cow some grass. ( most markets have a cow!)

Clean up

The best way to keep busy minds busy is to keep their hands busy. Channelise your toddler’s energy into helping round the house. While you are busy tidying up, your little one can help you make piles of what to keep and what to throw. Use his help in pushing cartons around, pegging the wash on the line, keeping things back in place and sorting out stuff.

Dance the blues away

Children love music and are always ready to dance. So put on some peppy music and have an aerobic workout with your little one. You’ll be surprised at the moves they can come up with.

Plant a carrot top

Feathery carrot leaves that sprout from a carrot top are simply fascinating. This is an activity that can be done any time of year but I think it’s a great activity during the Winter break.

All you need to do is fill a flat bowl with water and chop off a bit of the carrot top. Keep it in a sunny place for a few days and within days, the green feathery leaves will sprout. In Mumbai homes where space is hard to come by this is a great little garden for little ones to develop.

I may be a bit late but the holidays are still on aren’t they? So do try out these activities before the little ones go back to school!

Linking this up with #Mondaymommymoments