notjustmommying

Stay at home Vs Working Moms First of all, let me tweak the topic a bit; let me make it Stay at home moms and Working moms; let’s talk about the lives they lead, the challenges they face, the sacrifices they make and the rewards they take; for once let us NOT compare them. Versus often written as vs. is a Latin word meaning 'against' or it may mean to have a comparison or a competition between two teams/parties. Mothers do what they feel is best for their off-springs; whether they stay at home or work outside their homes, I would never wish to question their choices. When I was younger, studying and working, I couldn’t ever imagine myself not working or staying at home, changing diapers, feeding the baby and worrying about the piles of laundry and what to cook next. I could not visualize it because I have been brought up in a family where everyone worked and earned. My father has always insisted that women be financially independent. He has helped distant relative...

You have landed on this page, probably because you are keen on starting to cloth diaper your baby or you are already doing it and want to know, how others deal with cloth diapers’ nitty-gritties. We begin with prepping the diapers. Your fluff mail has arrived and you can’t wait to see the little bums dressed bright and beautiful; but  heyy, hold on; you’ve got to wait! It is important to prepare the diapers for use, mainly for two reasons: a.        Hygiene: Just like you wash any other piece of cloth before putting it on to your baby’s sensitive skin, these diapers too need to be pre-washed. b.        Absorbency: The natural fibres (cotton and hemp) have residual oil that restricts the absorbency, hence you need multiple washes before you can use them Now, the question is how do you prep the diapers? Mostly you will find the prepping and washing instructions mentioned on the packaging that the diapers come ...

Many a love stories have begun with me… many more will come alive.. Your love adds colour to me .. violet, yellow, red and saffire.. Come add music to my life as I give a place for you to hide.. Come.. eat, sing and laugh with me… through you I live my youth & my life Hello people!! Well, this post is nothing but my attempt to revive an old blogpost that I wrote some 7-8 years back. With time, everything changes; so, did Hauzkhas village. What was obscure 8-10 years back is now a bustling Delhi spot with innumerable restaurants and people from all walks of life. What hasn't changed a bit is the positive, infectious vibe of the place. The place got its share of buzz with the great Bollywood Imtiaz Ali movies like “Rockstar" and "Tamashaa", although Tamashaa came in much later. Ruins of Hauzkhas is the place where Heer (of Rockstar movie) gets high on desi daaru with Janardan. A still from Rockstar movie, thThis scene was shot in H...

This picture is from my days in Maldives Rains bring forth every hidden emotion, I wrote this poem sometime in 2011. इस सौंधी खुश्बू मे कुछ ख़ास नही है, इस बारिश मे अब वो बात नही है, मेरी आँखो मे बादल तो है पर बरसात नही है इस बारिश मे  अब वो बात नही है मुट्ठी मे बंद कर ली थी मैने वो बूँदें, थोड़ी सी खुश्बू और वो बातें, यादें तो हैं पर वो अहसास नही है इस बारिश मे अब वो बात नही है निकलते थे बारिशो मे भीगने, गरम चाय मे कुछ पानी की बूदे पीने, पर अब तेरा साथ नही है, इस बारिश मे अब वो बात नही है  छाता घर मे भूल के, मिलती थी तुझसे और बारीशों से, सब कुछ है पर कुछ नही है वो मुस्कान, सिमटी हुई थी तमाम ज़िंदगी जिसमें, वो बारिश के गाने भी कहीं खो से गये हैं रातें नयी पर सपने पुराने रह गये हैं..  

I would read endlessly before I got married. Watching movies was never my thing, but reading and writing was something that took me to a world of my own; but then life happened!! I got married, reading never happened, I kept amassing all the good books I could put my hands on and writing was like a dream. forget creative writing, I had to think hard to comment on people's facebook post! It was when I conceived and took a break from work, I began reading, writing (letters to the baby to come) and follow my passion for craft and hand-building pottery. My baby became my inspiration for all things creative. Motherhood is maddening and from that madness I derived my passion; since there is no escape from this insanity, you start feeling funny about the new changes that life brings to you. the sleeplessness, the exhaustion, the spit-ups, the poop explosions and what not! The humour in this parenting journey can only be understood by parents.  ...

I happened to switch 3 doctors in 9 months of my pregnancy; different doctor in different trimester and that is not how I wanted it. Pregnancy is a beautiful and unforgettable 40 weeks journey; made or marred by the doctors you choose. I had to change doctors, not because I wasn’t comfortable with them, but because of some unavoidable situations. I delivered in Gurgaon, which was a fairly new area for me and my family, that made it even more difficult for us to decide where to deliver. We got in touch with friends in and around Delhi/Gurgaon; each had a different experience to share about the various famous hospitals. We searched the internet; also checked the Facebook/google reviews of the hospitals and contacted the moms who delivered there (this was a slow process; but we got honest reviews from them). My Ob-gynae was a visiting doctor; she was attached to most of the top-rated hospitals in Gurgaon, but left it on me to decide where to deliver.   We visited two of th...

We did annaprashan when my baby was 5months and a week old, that is because we had to do the ceremony choosing an auspicious day (as per Hindu calendar);  It was just a drop of kheer given to him.  I started solids only after A completed 6 months. My doctor gave me a list of first foods and how weekly to try and introduce different stuff. Initial foods were mushy ones like banana, steamed apple and porridges of all sorts. I had dates and bit of jaggery to substitute sugar; and for flavours I would add garlic and other mild spices like coriander powder and turmeric. When a baby is born, there is a sudden flood of advice and information. Everybody suddenly becomes a teacher, treating you like the stupidest student. The myths and facts that a new mom is confronted with can get overwhelming. However learned and abreast with the trends we are, we do tend to fall for many of the myths and false guidance. It is important that we as ...