Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Displaying Kid's artwork

January 20, 2021 0 Comments
My kiddo loves to paint and play with colors. 

Earlier I used to keep all her artwork organized in files and folders.  A few months back, we moved to our new apartment. While organizing I realized, although the artworks was nicely kept, we never really looked at them! When we started to go over her paintings one by one, I could see the shine in her eyes. I felt I need to have a place to showcase her work instead of keeping it in folders.

A wall dedicated to the artwork felt like an amazing idea but was not feasible for me, since I live in a rented apartment. I had to think of something else. After exploring a few alternatives, I chose two which worked for me.  


 

  • Got two soft painting boards (like shown in the image above), glued some of her artwork with a motivational quote or a loving message. Framing and displaying is also a great option.
  • I also use spaces on the doors to stick some of her work. It's easy to take out, without damaging the door or the painting.

It's a great way to personalize space and keep my kiddo motivated.  It reminds us of the fun times we had making those drawings!
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Thursday, November 26, 2020

PINK or BLUE?

November 26, 2020 0 Comments

One morning, I woke up in a good mood. Enjoyed my morning tea, got my little one ready for school and on my way to the office, I was listening to some beautiful music and humming along. Happy happy day! And then something got me really mad!!


That day was a costume dress in my girl's school and she was wearing a plant dress that we made together (had great fun 😁). She won the hand made costume award and as a prize, a small blocks toy to build a car was given to her. She was happy as she loves to play with blocks and cars. However, later it was exchanged with some girly toy prize. What happened was, the person giving the prizes thought she's a boy (my girl has short hair and wears jeans mostly) and gave her the prize that was decided for a boy winner!  This made me furious!! Categorization of boy and girl prize or toy is beyond my understanding.  I spoke to the teacher and gave my feedback. 


And when I think about it, gender stereotyping is so common!  😔😡


A few days back, kids were playing in the park and a boy was thirsty and took out his Elsa water bottle, and some aunties were like why does he use a girl bottle! His mother simply said he loves it.

From a friend, I have heard wherein a school girl kids were given dolls to play and boy kids were given balls to play. 

I have also heard comments when my daughter wore a Spiderman t-shirt or on how she doesn't like wearing a dress, 

There are even brands with the name of Pink and Blue! 


What is this Pink and Blue thing anyway??


I find it absurd. When I was little, I played with dolls as well as football. My friends were always a mix of boys and girls and we played together cricket and with Kitchen toys. My little brother used to play with my dolls.

I feel we should give a neutral environment to the curious minds to flourish and become sensible individuals. I feel stereotyping should not be promoted and I raise my voice whenever I see that happen.


Why keep girls and boys into cages of pink and blue when together pink and blue can make beautiful creations!


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Friday, January 10, 2020

School - love or hate?

January 10, 2020 2 Comments
Last night, I was spending some time on Quora and came across this question -"is it weird that a child hates going to school?". Responses were mostly, yes very normal. Well, to me it's not normal at all.

 I disliked going to school for a very long time. I was an introvert child, didn't have a lot of friends and was bullied at times. There was this one big group and the leader of the gang, a girl, would always convince others not to speak to me if i said something which she didn't approve of! I have always been this person who would just not agree to anything for the sake to being in good books. So, i was always left alone. This happened for few years. Then my school came up with this concept of shuffling students of different sections when they were promoted to the next class. That's when things started getting better. New kids were kind and i could make a few friends or at least have communication.

 My daughter usually loves going to school but there was a phase when she would just cry and say i don't like school. I got very worried and tried talking to her to understand what is it that is bothering her. After a lot of effort, she finally said that her best friend now plays with this other girl and the other girl just asks her to go away when she tries to join them in play. We comforted her and told her story that when Mumma was little, this happened to her and what she did. We also spoke to her class teacher and he said, he would observe and correct the situation and he did that! Few days later, she was again feeling good about going to school.



A friend's daughter, cried for days because kids in her cab would say nasty things to her.

 When a child doesn't want to go to school, makes excuse or cry, parents at times think it's because they don't want to study and just have fun at home. Well, i think, there is always a reason if a child hates going to school -be it getting bullied by kids, scolded by teacher, unable to cope up with a subject etc. which leads to low self esteem and not wanting to go to school!

 If you are facing this situation, please talk to your child to understand what is causing this behavior and work it out together.

 A child spends significant amount of time in school and it is supposed to be a place where the child feels welcomed and happy.

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Thursday, January 2, 2020

MATH for kids (3-5 year old)

January 02, 2020 0 Comments
There are certain things in life you wish you had done differently, for me that would-be MATH! I am not good in Math and I wish I learned it better.

 I would say introducing MATH to kids (early years) is very important. Math is not just about numbers, it's about reasoning and thinking. If taught in fun way, it will increase their curiosity and liking for Math.

 We started with Math concepts when our daughter was about 3 years old. Kids at this age like learning new things and she totally loved it. 

 I feel just sitting for some time to teach is kind of boring for kids at this age so it should be in form of play. Here are the few things you can try:

  • Pick the toy your kid loves the most and use that to teach counting. We used blocks and stacking toys. We started with 1-5 and moved further as per her comfort and interest.
  • Extend it to counting steps of walk, stairs, cars on road, number of times you catch the ball etc. Slowly your kid will think and relate numbers to all objects! 
  • Kids love to play with household utensils and that can also be used to teach counting.
  • Once comfortable with counting, you can introduce comparison (greater, smaller, equal). Place stack of 3 blocks on one side, stack of 4 on other and discuss which has greater number of blocks. 
  • You and your spouse can do jumping/running or skipping and ask your kid to keep a count of it and declare the winner!
  • Counting sides of different shapes that your child already knows is also a good activity.
  • Introducing addition would be next. Use objects or toys your child loves. Give 4 apples to your kid, ask to give one to mommy and discuss how many are left.  Repeat with different toys and games.
  • When we play with blocks, before building, I would just ask my kiddo to segregate the different blocks and count each set. You can try the same. It's fun! 
  • Teach counting and adding on fingers. Or mark lines on paper and add. 
  • Make it your daily routine play addition games. There would be a time when your kid would be very comfortable to add single digit numbers orally. 
  • Introduce to the concept of subtraction once you feel your child is good with addition. Use objects and make it fun.
  • Introduce to double digit numbers when your kid is good with single digits. 


Happy Learning!!
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Wednesday, December 18, 2019

What WIFI symbol means on a payment card?

December 18, 2019 0 Comments
Do you know if your card has the WIFI symbol, it means that it can process contactless payments through NFC (Near Field Communication)? The symbol indicates the card has a radio frequency identification chip inside. This allows short range data transfer without the need to touch the point of sales (PoS) device. No need to swipe the card!


How it works?

 When you wave the card in front of a reader that is compatible, the reader sends a signal that wakes up the RFID chip in your card. Your credit card then wirelessly gives the reader the information that it needs to process the transaction. You don't even have to take the card out of your wallet - you just should wave it within a couple of inches of the reader.

 Visa claims that contactless cards work only when the card is within 4 cm of the PoS. This payment method is growing in developed countries. 

 In India, RBI allows you to make a transaction of up to rupees 2000 without a pin. If the amount exceeds that, then a pin will be necessary to complete the payment.
Drawbacks

  • It's technically possible for someone to read your credit card by getting close to you with a near-field card reader.
  • If you have multiple contactless cards in your wallet, terminals might not be able to tell which one you want to use at any given time and give an error (I see this as a way of defense to theft!). In such cases, you take out your card and then pay.
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Tuesday, December 3, 2019

My Dad My Hero

December 03, 2019 2 Comments
There are times when you come across a post on social media, you strongly relate to and feel that it's telling your story! Here is one such quote.
Image Credit: QuotesNStories

Every time I see this, I feel blessed to have a father who always supported me, gave me equal opportunities in every sense (in this unequal world), taught me the importance of being independent and encouraged me in every step of my life.

Today is my dad's birthday (3 Dec). He left this world few months back. I can no more celebrate this day with him now but I want to dedicate this post to him.

Being from an Indian middle class family, where a single member is often supporting the complete household financially, i understand the struggles of a Dad. Though a Bengali, I have grown up in UP and from what I have observed, when you have limited finances and you need to choose to provide education to a girl vs boy child, often a boy takes the precedence! For a girl, it's more like save the money for her marriage. Well, this has never been a case at my home. 

Few instances which left a profound impact on me:

(BCA last year, neighbourhood aunties all worried about my marriage, mom discussed with dad several times). Dad calls me for a discussion!
Dad: Mom is worried about your marriage. I want to ask you if you are interested in getting married now.
Me: Whaaat!! Come dad, i hate marriage.
Dad (to mommy): She doesn't want to and i think she should complete her studies, get a job first, marriage can wait. I think this topic can be put on hold for a few more years.

BCA done and dusted. Now, for MCA, there was a need to arrange the finances. I got to know from a dear friend about education loan, loved the idea and suggested dad about it. Mom got all worried about the burden of loan on our girl, relating it to marriage prospects and what not! 
Me: Dad, don't listen to mom, let's go for the education loan, how will you arrange this money, you have another child (my brother) who would be going to college in few years.
Dad: We will see how to handle that later. Right now, your education is our priority. I have thought about ways to manage the expenses for now so don't worry about it. Do your best.

MCA done. Went for campus placement, got offer for a job in another city. Got cold feet. Cried like hell (annoyed my roomies). Then called Dad. 
Me (crying): It's a job in a different city. I can't do this. I can't live alone. 
Dad: Times are changing. Women are doing everything these days, no need to be scared. You will find friends there. I will accompany you and would be back only when you are comfortable. Accept the offer and trust me on this.
He was right, it was one of the best experiences of my life.

Once I was watching Bachchan family's interview and Shweta Bachchan said, she was not allowed to hold her passport and other stuff while travelling, it was always Abhishek for no reason. I still remember this because it sounded so weird to me. This might be very small thing for some, for me it is not. I have always been given lead in both decision making and responsibility, being the elder one. I was not overlooked for being a girl. 

To all parents out there, support your child, love them, give them equal opportunities & responsibilities. Allow them to explore and take their own decisions. Yes, they can be wrong but so can you! Be there for them, even on things you don't agree to.

Happy Birthday Dad. I love you and miss you so much.

My favorite pic of him

P.S. To all my friends and loved ones who were there with me during this difficult phase, I can't thank you enough and I am blessed to have you in my life. If you need me anytime, I am just a call away.
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Tuesday, October 15, 2019

About Me

October 15, 2019 0 Comments
Hello Friends!

 I am Madhurima. I am a mom of 4 and a half year old, an IT professional, an introvert by nature and a thinker! 
I know Bengali, Hindi and English language. I am planning to learn Mandarin.My hobbies include watching movies, listening music, singing and reading. I have recently started learning Taekwondo and liking it. I can't swim but I think that's a great skill to have so that's on my to-do list as well! I am quite lazy and am not interested in exercise/work out.

My daughter is my lifeline and my brother is my best friend.

 The purpose of this blog is to share my journey and thoughts on what we call "Life".  I will share my experiences and learnings and I hope this will help you in some way or at least bring a smile on your face 😊😊

 Let me introduce you to my family....
This is us :)

My Daddy, Brother and Mommy. (recently lost my dad)


My InLaws and Family (Diwali Celebration)
Thank you for reading and let's keep connecting 💗
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