India trip

Today I am gonna embark on my first ever journey alone with my son.Its exciting as well as scary at the same time.The fact that in all the entire journey time is well over 15 hours is also scary to think about.But on the brighter side it takes me to India and also I am always striving for independence and it cant get more independent than this ..so good luck to me ..

In india these are a few things I am looking forward to ..Truck loads of relatives, hot and sticky climate ,loads and loads of food ,mosquito and of course relaxing in between.I intend to write as often as possible from there as I have the resources available to take care of him and that is probably the only me time I am gonna get ..

I am also looking forward to keeping a positive outlook towards things and to enjoy things whatever the circumstances may be ..

so heres to hopefully a safe journey and lots of interesting anecdotes...

using hands to eat

I was so amused by a fellow Indians frustration 's of the westerners disrespect of his use of hands to eat food and how he questioned them back by asking how is wiping your ass more hygienic either .
I have always ate with hands and the only way I truly enjoy Indian food is if I use my hands .The idea as per the ayurveda and things is that every sense of yours must be involved in eating to completely enjoy the food.Hence the hands for touch , nose to smell the food, eyes to see it and of course the final taste.. Much like wine tasting this is an art in itself .

I believe that each culture is unique and none need to though of as being superior to another ..Each must be treated with respect and appreciated for its uniqueness...

Sachin ...

My blog or life wont be complete without the mention of the greatest man I have known ... Sachin...

Humble ,honest ,successful ... One man for whom I have cried for , fought about , laughed about ...

I saw his 100th 100 program and after so many years I felt  that rush and happiness when I saw the interview ... 

I recollect a few incidence during my peak admiration stage ...During school days I was crazy fan of sachin my whole school knew about it ,up to the point that people did not dare tell me if sachin got out ..I remember going to the temple and doing rounds just so he hits a century ..But today life has taken over and I dont see cricket as much ..But I still used to watch when Sachin here and there .. But when he retired .. I  did too from cricket ...

Superdrug Vitamin E skin care

I have  been liberally using the Vitamin E

Vitamin E all body lotion

Search for the best potty

My son has been getting ready to be potty train in the last few days and I have been trying out a lot of potty's ...

I tried the chair potty first ,he found sitting on it quiete hard .. And it left him with a sore bum ...
Next was the small poundland potty. In this he cried cause it led his legs becoming numb ..

Finally after loads of search I brought the car potty seat from argos for 14 pounds .. I was worried that this too could end in disaster but my excitement he loved the sponge car seat ,the smsll button which made the car sound kept him occupied. The seat fits perfectly , easy to assemble and clean ...

Behold !! Today my son pooped in toilet and I cant imagine how happy I am.. Its funny how when you become a mom how such silly things become important milestones in life ...

Grazer

I have been quite keen to shed away all the weight I have recently gained .Surprising for me ,I never gained weight due to pregnancy but I gained weight due to the careless grazing I did after that . I realised how my entire body has changed as a result f my deliery.Before I was a person who no matter what I ate ,it never showed on my body and today even going near a food makes me fat !!

I was analyzing my own food diary and I came to realise that the actual quantity of food consumed during meals were well witin limits but it was all the food I grazed in between meals especially while cooking that made me fat.
This also made me realise how our ancestors had given a brilliant solution to this problem.They said that food must always be first presented to god and then only consumed,this ensured that while cooking in the fear of god there would be no grazing at all..Brilliant they were , werent they ??

Coconut

I was born and brought up in the land of coconuts and yes coconuts for a major part of our diet we malayees are always looking for optimal utilization of resources and it’s amazing how many uses they are discovered for the good old coconut. From its husk used for rope to its leaves used to build houses, sweep floors. The very coconut , the tender inside used in cooking and making oil , its hard nut outside used for making spoons for cooking or burned to make the fire for cooking and the water used for drinking and even make alcohol ..


LOL amazing what a single tree can do... Our families have always used coconut oil for our head, body and consumption. It helps moisturize your skin and scalp .It’s a natural antiseptic and hence helps fight infection, it for the base for several oils in Ayurveda .It’s one of the main oil used to cure Eczema. Consumed it helps in weight loss, its lighter than regular oils however an acquired taste is.

I absolutely love cooking in this magic oil and always carry it around everywhere I go

All about home Food

I was seeing a program yesterday on TV about how the Indian society was surely shifting away from our tradition foods to the fast and easy culture adopted from the west .This has also made me thinking about my own food journey. As stated by Ayurveda, each body has its our unique DNA according to the land it is born in and then each body has certain foods that suite their body type and certain that don’t .After coming here, I have seen both lean and not so lean people and often wondered how the lean managed to remain lean despite all the fast food they ate and how I after coming here have managed to pound on so much weight .Well today I realize the answer.

My body best suites the good old dosa idly lifestyle and not the bread and biscuits lifestyle and I also see that the moment I slightly change my diet to the good old days , my fat goes melting away on its own ..

I searched for variety in western food only to find that there was far many in Indian too, just that I had to look. Probably the submissive Indian in me is still trying to gimmick the western food just so to be recognized as civilized and modern... Somehow we find the western food exciting to discover and new recipes from the Indian cuisines boring...

May be like Yoga it would take another foreigner to tell like that our good old brown rice and Sāmbhar is healthy, delicious. Sad that even though I would like to say that I am liberated, my thoughts are still chained...

Cooking ....

Italian Pound Cake Checked,


Nankatai Biscuits Checked,

Cornbread Checked

Boy am I bored or what


Lately I have been so bored that I have literately exhausted my culinary skills .Its amazing what boredom can actually teach you. I have never cooked before and since we loved in here I have been so bored sitting at home that I have been trying to cook everything under the son I have tried the Indian , the Chinese , Mexican ,Italian ,American and of course the British .. As much intimidated each recipe looks in the beginning slowly but surely you realize that it’s all the same.

Today I can confidently look at any recipe and say I can do this and yes I can... All it takes is you getting into the kitchen and trying...Yes there have been several disasters but now I have developed the knack of turning a disaster into a palatable dish as well...

Cleaning ...

One of my favourite and most difficult chores for the day is cleaning .As much as I love to see a clean neat house I know it takes a lot of effort. Especially when you are an Indian in UK lifestyle designed house. I often wonder when I clean why on earth a landlord would opt for white gas top and bathroom fittings for a house to be rented .My House is filled with all the light shades yu can imagine and its pain staking to keep this clean but I do it the best way possible


I cook less and wipe more every time I am in the kitchen in the fear of our masala's playing havoc with the white stove top.. And the worst case is the Bathroom...

I really don’t understand why you have a bath tub in which you stand and take bath 90 % of your time .Its pain staking for someone like us who have lived in bathroom back in India where you could pour water without the fear of spilling it over .You could turn around without the fear of falling off ...This is also probably one of the main things that makes me want to wish to go back home. Yes the lifestyles are different the reasons different .But imagine a household like us who drape ourselves in oil everyday taking bath in a bath tub, disastrous it would be had it not been for my everyday painstaking chore of clean ..So much so that I feel like I have almost lost a layer of skin from my hand

Brain Dead

I was actually conversing with my friend the other day and then actually realized that I am not even able to get a joke that easily, one skill I was very proud of before was my humor sense and timing... No one could beat me in that .But today I suck at it.


I have been rather sedentary over the last one year and slowly so has been my brain and today I realize that as a result, things are slowly fading away. It’s become difficult to recollect things .I forget things in a fraction of a second

One other place that I can glaringly see the difference is in my writing .I struggle to get a flow of writing these days.. It’s never been this way .I was someone who always enjoyed writing and whenever I set out to write something words would come down my brain automatically, but today I have a clean stale and I am struggling to find that word I am looking for

Well I guess an idle mind first becomes a devils workshop and when he gets bored our mind then becomes dead...Slowly but surely I feel like I am heading in that direction and hence I am forcing myself to keep writing however disappointed I am about how bad my writing is ,I am going to continue just so that I keep my brain active

Gang Rape

Every day I read the paper (NDTV) I am struck by just the sheer amount of gang rapes that are coming into picture .Everyday, a girl is being stripped off her identity, her life and all this because of some boneless dogs who fail to respect women..What can be done, the whole country debates in unison? While some want them to be stripped off their masculinity others want them to be counseled and understood as to what makes them do it...Whatever the case, a women does not feel safe anymore just for the simple fact that she is a women. And this is really sad...


Do men think of women as just mere objects .or are we women seeking attention by the way we are .I don’t think it’s either .I think it’s just the lack of accountability by the system . I don’t think that the convict in Delhi case hung himself. I think he was tortured and killed and yes I do believe he deserved it

Rich or poor...It happens across society and there are just thousands of reasons and just no solution. The respect for women needs to be inculcated right from homes to schools to colleges .It should be nipped at the bud.

I also think that these men are the most insecure people on the planet and that they find the weirdest reason to satisfy their masculinity...Sick and depressing

Fun few days

A friend came over day and we were able to gather some old memories of our school and all the fun we had .. It was shocking to actually realise 10 years have passed since school . Well indeed I am getting old .Both of us being in the jobless category poured out our grievances and that surely felt good ..As sad as the thought is , sometimes it feels nice to know you have company ....

My walks and yoga keep continuing through I must admit my laziness is fighting really hard to make me loose this .But I am trying hard to keep up

I have been baking cooking and trying crazy receipes .. Cornbread , rocky road.. Yumm. pasta in whwite sauce with tomato and ham... Not bad my culinery skills are getting awakened !!!

Every Thrusday my son and myself we viti our local library for our nursery rhymes session..This half hour of rhymes is as much a fun for im as it is for us mothers ..You see all of us gleaming and proudly singing all the rhymes as though we would like to pronounce to the world that yes ,We know it too ... Its always been fun and relaxing ...

Day well spent !!

Best Indian Diet for weight loss and whole body detox

I am always fascinated by stories of weight loss and detox or rather anything that is got to do with food and nutrition .However , I am not someone who believes in crazy dieting and like to live life without having to compromise on food. However , I always felt that being in the lifestyle that we are in ,it is always important to give your body something to rest ,rejuvenate and recover only then would your body be in peak health at all times


Like always I found my answer to this in Ayurveda. I remember my grandparents fasting on occasion of religious belief and I used to wonder why god made people fast .But I know understand how smartly our forefathers have included a full body cleanse into the life by adding belief of god to it.
Clearly, things are not going to change by just a fast , but fast means clearer body , clearer mind and hence more positivity , thereby you suddenly feel like God has just blessed you ..
Now back to the diet I am sure would suit everyone’s lifestyle

This is a course of 7 days and must be done only once in 2 months Max. It consist of preparing the body for fast, the actual fast and then preparing the body back to the normal diet...

Day 1-3 Glass of Hot water with 1 tbs of ghee in the morning on empty stomach and the rest of the day only Moong dal soup .You can have as much of it as you want

Day 4 Fasting day

Day 5-7 Khichidi which slowly progresses to the normal diet by day 7 (Rice + Moong dal + Vegetables )

Doing Pranayama and suryanamaskar (Only as little as you can) throughout this phase is also helpful.

Moong Dal Soup

Moong Dal : Soaked overnight.

Heat Ghee , add turmeric , asafoetida , bay leaves grated ginger ,add moong dal and 3 parts water and simmer for 30-40 minutes .Then , saute Onions , cumin ,coriander seeds ,garlic and to the cooked dal and use .
Khichidi is the same moong dal with rice and vegetables added to it.
This is one of the most sensible ways to cleanse your body and mind ... Done sparingly, it will remove all the toxins from the body and rejuvenate you

Organizing your home

I have been seeing a lot of videos on organizing homes in my pursuit to make my house neat and functional and there by remove the clutter that has accumulated. I have been very conscious since we moved into this house to try and avoid unnecessary purchase and reduce clutter to the minimum. I must admit , one year later I have been rather successful at it .However , no matter how hard you try there would be some clutter that come in that you just can’t avoid .. I have a soft spot for food and I guess I get this habit from my mother to stock up groceries as though there would be a storm in a few days. Hence that’s one area that has buildup...


Anyways, today was my closet cleaning day .One cleaning I hate the most. I am not a big shopaholic and hence thankfully there is very little clothes but I have always been clueless of how to keep them clean and add to that the fact that wardrobes in my house don’t come with shelving compartments it’s a task in itself ..

Anyways after more than 3 hours of hard labor, loads of aches and pains and lots of help from my little helper, Pranav, I have successfully cleaned that clutter... And to add to this success I have also cleaned up Pranav’s Clothes and two cabinets in my kitchen...Kudos to supermom...

In this process I came to realize that this unfound and rare love for organizing my house comes from the fact that I have a very cluttered mind at this point and my minds way of searching for an answer is by cleaning the visible clutter..

I am slowly but surely clearing all the clutter at home and my mind...

Mobile toy Library Croydon

As every small child will be your children are never fascinated by the same toy for more than a hour to max and you always need to be stocked up and prepared for the worst... Also you can never really guess the toys that might be of fascination to them. I remember when I took Pranav to the toy store and asked him to see what he likes he grabbed the tag of toy that that fallen on the ground and ran towards me to proudly show me that, that’s what he likes the most.. So I was always of the lookout for an option that let me circulate my toys very now and then and yet not actually have to bear the cost of buying them all ... Well I found my answer


The mobile toy library is such a beautiful concept that the councils have developed which helps so many middle class women like us entertain our children at no extra cost..

They have a varied range of toys suitable for all kids and a 2 weeks turnaround time for us to pick two toys of our choice and return them the next time. They come by and stop over at several location every 2 weeks in turn covering the entire Croydon in a month, so not forgetting any mo who needs some toys..And all this for a small membership fee of 5 pounds..

I wish this concept travels far and wide to every country and every street, to every child who ever needs a toy!!

Power of Ayurveda

Every since I was small, I have always been fascinated by yoga and ayurveda the greatest contributions from India... I always remember closely watching every program that detailed about it..Today all grown up, I am still fascinated by the science of ayurveda and how several centuries ago , Ayurveda has developed so many cures and lifestyles changes that could help tackle even the modern day diseases like Diabetics and how even the minutest of things that our forefathers did was governed by the science of Ayurveda .. Let me explain


People in those ages knew the art of portion control, the amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats per meal, the concept of small regular meals, the idea of eating dinner early, eating seasonal produce, the idea of exercise... There is a lot ....It’s all there in ayurveda... No wonder the people from those centuries that no health issues well into their 90's

The only sad thing is that it took the westerners to recognize the power of yoga and ayurveda, for us Indians to appreciate its true value.

Today yoga and ayurveda is everywhere, there are several patented versions of it... But the true spirit of yoga and ayurveda is not a course of a 1 hour activity it’s a way of life...
Ayurveda never fails to amaze me even to this day , it plays a part in every day of my life knowingly or unknowingly .It helped my son recover from Eczema, it helped me get my health back on track, it helped me recover faster from my delivery , it helps my dad survive his neck pains ... the list continues ...

Walking through Croydon

In my pursuit for positivity in life I continue..

Yesterday , I continued my daily session of yoga and quite surprisingly I notice that with just a few days of sincere yoga I can surely feel the improvement in flexibility and general wellbeing , no wonder its such a wonder drug!!

Finished my daily chores like a mad machine. I think I am slowly getting obessive about cleaning , my kitchen has almost lost its sheen due to the constant cleaning by me !!

Then followed the day with my usual chatting eating watching tv etc ..

Evening , headed out on a stroll with my husband on our pursuit of discovering all the nooks and corners of croydon .. Its been almost a year since we moved in and yet besides the regular routines we have never really dared to explore the ever so large town that Croydon is , so during one of our strolls we decided that for our walks we would never repeat the same roads and hence each day is a new routine , new buildings parks and beautiful discoveries ..Loving it ...

I think the only think you really need in life to get excited is something new from the usual , it could be as small as this yet it could give you so much more of satisfaction that it could just make your day

Positive living

I always wanted to imbibe positivity into my mind and tried and read so many books just to understand how ...
But i know from practice now that no book can make that choice for you.. Only you can
So adding to the several failed pursuits i try again ..
Yesterday and today have been rather successful days .

For start,since i always wanted to be a fit person but just did not believe in spending money in gym ,i started my very home based 0 cost yoga and miles of walking ..

Yesterday covered 4.5kms and did a session of pranayam
Today took pranav out for football and my mile walk down market road..

Came home and evening did yoga.its true excerise makes you happy ...
The funny thing is instantly you feel like you are already healthy with just one pose and that you look thinner ..

Also managed not to drag a mood swing post an unexpected afternoon nap to take over my positivity ...

So 2 days of sucess .. Hoping to go on ...

Thank you for this beautiful day .. Gn ..

Growing up !!!

I truly believe that everyone has some sorrow they carry in life
And that life gives everyone challenges ..its how we face them that makes us happy or sad people ..success is also a measure of your ability to find happiness amongst these sorrows .. I was reading a blog of one of my schoolmate and truly inspired to see how she looked at live with so much positivity and took life simple .. I am now taking my baby steps towards this journey ..I have decided to try and live every moment to the fullest cause not many are so fortunate ..I also realised that the most privilaged are the ones who crib the most.. So I have kicked my butt and told my self oh.. Grow up....

Simple baby mosituring shampoo

I had brought this shampoo a while ago for my son and tried it for him, but unfortunately it did not work for him and it felt him itchy so I had dumped this bottle in my cupboard for a very long time... Being the stingy me, I did not believe in wastage and hence decided to try it on me when my regular shampoo was over...

Before saying anything more, I must admit that I do not have the best hair in town not even remotely close, however I do have good healthy hair and if kept well would look really good.  But I am not someone who spends a fortune on hair products and hence my hair is just the way it is..

I have never used ant hair spray, color, iron , or any other cosmetic on my hair , I do a regular haircut and yes I do Oil my hair , after all we come from the land of coconuts !!

Now back to the review, this product does not claim to offer a lot of things, does don’t promise to be a miracle .Its promises are simple

·         Soothes baby's delicate skin

·         Gently cleanses with no tears

·         Soap free

·         No Perfume & No Colour

·         Hypoallergenic

·         Suitable for Newborn Babies

·         Dermatologically and Paediatrician tested and approved

·         Ph balanced

·         Active ingredients Pro-Vitamin B5, Chamomile and Lavender Oil

Well the newborn in question is me and I simply love this shampoo..It does not leave too much residue .It makes your hair feel nice , does not leave a lingering smell. Does not feel like I just poured over some chemicals on my head, and of course its always nice to feel like a baby

I would definetely purchase it as the shampoo for my son had he not suffered from eczema
I brought it at the pound store so I have very little complain about the price

Philips Avent bottles and teats

I came over to UK only after my son was 5 months old and since I was exclusively breastfeeding him and did not introdduce any formula milk ,I only purchased these around about when he was about 8 or 9 months old.. I wanted to slowly move him out of breastfeeding as I felt it was time , honestly it was so tiring I felt like that was all I did the whole day !!

I wanted something that would soothe him out of breastfeeding and on my mission to find just that I came across the Philips avent bottles paired with the natural teats suitable for my son ..It was on offer and I remember picking up two 125ml  bottles for close to 10 pounds and the teats included . Elated at my purchase I rushed back home to kick start my mission .Took the follow on milk powder prepared it and off I rushed to my son with the bottle .. In a mimic ,where he felt I was feeding him I introduced the bottle and hurray to my utter disbelief , he took on to it in a jiffy .. I was sucessfully able to move him out of breastfeeding to complete bottled milk in a weeks time and I was really pleased..

These bottles were so good that when my son was almost 15, and I decided that now its time to move over to the the first trainer cup with soft spout , I literally had a battle to get rid of the teats .. So , if at all I got a chance to redo this again I would have introduced the soft spout early on for sure ..

Now at almost 18, I have completely moved him out of the trainer cups as well and into toddler feeding ranges .But I would always be grateful to Philips for being such a great companion on very many trips which would be quiete painfully if not for them ..

Now to cut the story short

Advantages

• The bottles were comfortable to use and clean 
• The plastic used were of good quality,BPA free
• It was anti colic 
• The teats were interchangeable so did not have to change the bottles everytime (Best advantage for me)
• Lasts really long I still have mine in just the same state ..

Disadvantages

• Not the cheapest of bottles nor are the teats cheap

Our struggles with my sons Eczema

I remember his first birthday celebration and all those photos where he had this clear complexion and his smile on his face .. Never did I predict what was to come just a few days later .. We had always wanted to shave off his hair and we had procastinated it all the while thinking he would not look great in his birthday snaps and hence once that was out of our way , we decided to give it a short .Our in- house barber ,my husband ,shaved off his hair and I guess along with the hair went off all his good days ..

He slowly started developing rashes on his back and his head had dandruff like flakes all the time.. Worried I went to the doctor , he told me it was fungal and gave me a fungal cream.This made no effect and slowly it moved down his back and to his hands and knees .. I was devastated and worried .. I went back ,he told me to continue the cream ..

I was sure that something was not right , he too started being fussy ,icthy all the time and crying was a daily affair .. I went back again , this time another doctor diagnosed it as eczema ,prescribed me an emolient bath additve and a petroleum jelly like cream .. He also prescribed me steriods ..He asked to avoid everything with perfume in it ..

This made some progress . when the cream was applied he was ok for sometime but when it dried out it was back to square one .. I remember then, he used to always be so squishy cause he had so much cream all over him all the time..

I never wanted to put even a small dose of steriods on my son. Yes I knew that the doctor told me that this was the most common practice to treat eczema and yes in such small doses it was ok.But I just did not want to use it at all..

As a mother , the worst thing that could happen to you is to not know what and why somethings happened and then to know that there is very little you could do and that you just have to see him suffer and wait for one day hoping it would go away on its own ..

I was too stubborn to take that as an answer .. I did not want to give up on my son , never .. not to such a small thing .. I researched the internet day in and out and read about everything that was written about it.. I read books, I spoke to doctors ..Now I was a little relieved cause I felt I knew something about what it was and all I had to do was to try and control it with my own combination.

Here are some of the facts I discovered from research

• Its hereditary ( Its true for my son, it was in our immediate family )
• If the parents of the child suffers from Hayfever , the children are at greater risk of eczema (Yes my husband had hayfever)
• There is no sure medicine to completely cure it yet ..
• Steroids are the commonly used treatment
• Fragranced products , detergents , dust etc are some of the external triggers for eczema
• Its also believed that it could be triggered by some food allergies commonly for foods like Dairy , gluten ,eggs etc ..
• Its is a very common ailment in UK among children.

Having done my fair bit of research I began my experiments with products and foods.. and today after nearly 6 months of trial and errors I can quiete happy say I have found my magic portion that works for my son

His eczema has cleared out completely , and now the scars are fading away too , though if I dont follow the regime he still can get his very occasional spots .It is never the same..Yes I have taken away a lot of food from him that he probably would have loved to have , but he is a happy child and that all I ever want

I remember his first birthday celebration and all those photos where he had this clear complexion and his smile on his face .. Never did I predict what was to come just a few days later .. We had always wanted to shave off his hair and we had procastinated it all the while thinking he would not look great in his birthday snaps and hence once that was out of our way , we decided to give it a short .Our in house barber my husband shaved off his hair and I guess alone with the hair went off all his good days ..

He slowly started developing rashes on his back and his head had dandruff like flakes all the time.. Worried I went to the doctor , he told me it was fungal and gave me a fungal cream.This made no effect and slowly it moved down his back and to his hands and knees .. I was devastated and worried .. I went back he told me to continue the cream ..

I was sure that something was not right , he too started being fussy ,icthy all the time and crying was a daily affair .. I went back again , this time another doctor diagnosed it as eczema prescribed me an emolient bath additve and a petroleum jelly like cream .. He also prescribed me steriods ..He asked to avoid everything with perfume in it ..

This made some progress . when the cream was applied he was ok for sometime but when it dried out it was back to square one .. I remember then he used to always be so squishy cause he had so much cream all over him all the time..

I never wanted to put even a small dose of steriods on my son. Yes I knew that the doctor told me that this was the most common practice to treat eczema and yes in such small doses it was ok.But I just did not want to use it at all..

As a mother , the worst thing  that could happen to you is to not know what and why it happened and then to know that there is very little you could do and that you just have to see him suffer and wait for one day hoping it would go away on its own ..

I was too stubborn to take that as an answer .. I did not want to give up on my son , never .. not to such a small thing .. I researched the internet day in an out and read about everything that was written about it.. I read books, I spoke to doctors ..Now I was a little relieved cause I felt I knew something about what it was and all I had to do was to try and control it with my own combination.

Here are some of the facts I discovered from research

• Its hereditary ( Its true for my son, it was in our immediate family )
• If the parents of the child sufferes from Hayfever , the children are at greater rick of eczema (Yes my husband had hayfever)
• There is no sure medicine to completely cure it yet ..
• Steriods are the commonly used treatment
• Frangances products , detergents , dust etc are some of the eternal triggers for eczema
• Its also believed that it could be triggered by some food allergies commonly for foods like Dairy , gluten ,eggs etc ..
• Its is a very common ailment in UK among children.

Having done my fair bit of research I began my experients with products and foods.. and Today after nearly 6 months of trial and errors I can quiete happy say I have found my magic portion that works for my son

His eczema has cleared out completely , and now the scars are fading away too , though if I dont follow the regime he still can get his very occasional spots .It is never the same..Yes I have taken away a lot of food from him that he probably would have loved to have , but he is a happy child and that all I ever want

Tommee tippee Sippy cup

I was very apprehensive about this brand after a rather low response to the same brands easy beaker by my son. However I decided to give it a chance after all it was less than a pound.

The sippy cup is quite compact and convenient to hold (Suitable from 4 months) and yes my son picked up this cup the moment I gave it to him .He loved the idea of being able to pull open the spout on his own drink water and close it .I guess he felt like he controlled something... He was the boss!!

This cup is always on my table filled with water and my son does know that’s what he needs to reach out for in case he is thirsty..

Since the cap closes very well, he is yet to master the art of opening the cap and pouring out the water .However he still does manage to get some water spilled through the spout. However since very little comes I am quite happy and comfortable to give it to him at all times.

It comes in different colors like pink, blue, green etc.I have the green one. It’s very easily available in almost any big store and its priced more or less the same at most stores.

The only issue I have with it is that, it’s small. Well actually to be honest it being small is as much an advantage as it is a disadvantage. While its quite convenient for him to use, when going for a long day out etc , this would not be enough to carry water .but honestly I guess he would not drink more than that cup full during the travel but moms will be moms and I always have double the amount of everything with me while I travel.. It’s as though we always think that there could be drought in the place we are travelling to... Crazy I know... Anyways besides that I am yet to find any faults with it.

To sum up

· Suitable for tiny hands ( 4 months up)

· Extremely affordable

· Attractive colors available

· sturdy and tight cap

· Easy to clean

Innocent Apple Juice

As my son was allergic to certain citric fruits ,I wanted to make sure that he got the benefits of a fruit and yet not have too much added sugar . Yes the best way to eat a fruit is whole, but he just refused to eat an apple so either I give him apple puree or hide it in cakes .

While travelling I wanted some juice that was easily available and easy to carry. I chose Innocent cause it claims to be made not from concentrate and has no added sugar . One portion of it (150 ml
) would give him his one fruit for the day .

I have been using this product for 3 months now, though I must admit I dont give him more than 2 glasses a day , he absolutely loves it and it does give him his daily dose of vitamin C and a little fibre .. both can help

For 3 pounds you get 2 bottles of 900 ml each in Iceland . I felt that even though it may be much more expensive than the regular drinks since it does not contain too much of sugar I ll take the bargain .

Though I personally would not recomend too much of fruit juice for children for the occasional drink , this is a perfect choice ..

Marketing perspective ,

Product : provided in a fashion that makes consumer perceive that its healthy . Product available in smaller sizes as well.

Packaging: Neat and has a lot of information about the benefits of this drink written all over.Also claims of the good work Innocent does for the environment making you feel like you are doing something as well.
A smart 900 ml bottle shaped in such a way that it makes you believe there is lot more.

Promotion: always on offer on iceland , 2 for 3 pounds, makes you feel like a bargain , when the actual fact is that it looks like thats all is its actual price .

Place: Easily available in most stores

Price: 2 for 3 pounds for 900 ml bottles, even though its much more expensive than regular drinks the claims of not from concentrate and no added sugar with traces of vitamin C makes you belive the price is worth it ..

St Helens Goats milk

As my little one has been suffering from Eczema and I am on a battle to control it ,I have changed his diet drastically and have been very successful in controlling it . As a part of the diet change ,the first thing I changed was his milk.

He had started on cows milk after he turned one and I had always noticed that he was always gassy and uncomfortable on the regular milk. People told me that it was normal and things will calm down .. but it did not ..He was an ardent fan of milk and hence he used to consume a lot of it .. I soon realised that his rashes were very profound as well .

I began to research a lot and read a lot of good reviews about Goats Milk and I decided to give it a try
I went to sainsbury and brougt a carton of Goats milk for about 1.69 pounds and started my son on it

Within days I could notice that he was no longer gassy and quiete enjoyed the milk. His rashes were also not severe any more ..I was delighted and have stuck to it for more than 6 months now .

Here are some benefits of Goats milk that pulls me towards it

• Less allergic than cows milk
• More homogenized Milk
• Less likely to cause intolorence
• Milder than cows milk
• More suitable for human than cows milk

I was convinced ..

St helen's comes in whole milk as well as semi skimmed versions .. I am hence also able to provide my son with the full fat version

However I must admit it cons as well

•  it does smell like goat which is quite a turn off for someone who is looking to shift.. For my son however since I had administered this early on , he was not yet adjusted to any milk yet and hence he did not notice the difference .
• Also I wish they had provided it in larger cartons.. Tis can be quite irritaing cause you ll find yourself always in sainsbury buying milk ..
• Also its more expensive than regular milk and can be difficult to find in regular stores.

If your son suffers from eczema or has been gassy on cows milk ..This is worth a try ..

Pampers Simply Dry

Pampers Simply Dry

The first product I decided to review is the one that I use the most and hence truly deserves the first chance
I brought these recently for about 10 pounds for 60 diapers in my ever ending pursuit for the search ultimate diaper that was cheap yet sustains my sons Tsunami ...

But my answer is finally here .. Pampers Simply dry

It does feel like a cheaper option of the pampers baby dry in its look and feel but it does take quite a lot of pee .. perfect for my sons day time wear ..

It has never caused him any rash and it fits him quite well too .. I am so happy with it that I have stacked up 6 boxes of it already ..

The sticking part also has enough adhesive in it to open and put the diaper over again in case you did not do it perfectly the first time

This cannot however be used as a nigt time wear as it migh not last for 8 hours of wetting .. but for 10 pounds I ll say I am extremely pleased .

Definte top of my list

Well I know a lot has changed since I have last blogged.. even to the point that I dont even remember I had a blog spot .. but here I am back blogging about my life just because I missed writing ...
Well , now I am having a change of location ,a new member to my family and a lost identity ...

I have moved to a country far away from home to try to call the place London my home .. so here I am in this stranger land full of new people fighting to find my identity ..
Well for many days I fought it by saying that I lost it because I had a baby and was so involved in it that I had no time for myself ... but the truth of the matter is , you always have time for yourself .. you just need to find it ..
I digged deep into myself ,also parallely digging deep into the tons of bags of potato chips( thank you for all the extra kilos )  near me to find an answer ...
I did not know where to start .. hmmm I thought staring at my computer .. for days I tried hard to fit the role of a perfect homemaker .. I tried and made new receipes that I myself did not know what I put in... I cleaned the house with so many things to make it clean .. I spend so much time with my baby , that even he got bored of me .. and yet my pursuit failed

Then I thought to myself maybe if I fit into the crowd better I would find my place.. there I went shopping buying things I never would even go near ... I wore them on like a bodysuit to cover me and yet I felt lost ..

Next I did the ultimate task of searching online for my answers .. I went through lots and lots of confused people posting even confusing videos of what we should do ... only to leave me lost forever ..

Then I sat down and thought to myself . This is not what I like or want and who I am .. this is what others think I should be

So here I a at the end of a very long pparagraph still as clueless as I began .. Who am I

My search continues ....

Housewife to her rescue ..

Well what can I say I am bored being a housewife yet scared to go back to work cause my motherly instincts just fools me to think that I am the only one who can best take care of my son !! Silly I know ..

Well its been so long that I can actually feel my brain rot and my cognitive abilities become a lot slower .. not that there were at their best before .. So I decided to do this .. something I am awfully good at , being a critic..

I decided that I am gonna critic every product that comes my way .. from the prespective of a stingy housewife .. so here I am .. Hopefullly  I shall stick it out ..