The Biography of a Devoted Father

This post and copyrights belong to Rima Desai

Parent of the month: Feb 2015, Part II

MR. PRADIP UNADKAT

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going”. Our parent today is an exemplary hero who adds breath to this proverb. Wading through the worst tides of life at an early phase of parenting, he was convinced that nothing took precedence over the well-being of his children.

Let us welcome Mr. Pradip Unadkat on our platform today as we celebrate his 59^th Birthday on Feb. 27

Mr. Unadkat was born in Geita city of Tanzania country, East Africa. He grew up in Katunguru but the lack of finances refrained his education. With a stone on his heart, he began traveling to Mwanza daily to fetch money through work. Later he moved there permanently. At the age where other teens were talking fun and style, Mr. Unadkat had started full time work and with his blood and sweat, he built his business.

Wishing you many more years of great health and happiness from Parenting Booth

A message from his son: Vineet Unadkat

My mother fell ill when we were very young. I was 8 years and my sister was 4 when she passed away. It was the darkest phase of our lives. Only someone who has lost a life-partner and a mother that early can understand the pain we all went through. Now that I am a parent, I can understand with more depth how dad must have endured the situation. I still remember the things he would do to make us happy. He did everything to ensure we don’t miss mom.

In fact, dad wanted to remain single but he realized that we both needed the love and care of a mother. Hence, for us, he remarried. This was very helpful to us because mom helped us learn moral values, be well mannered and she gave us the strength to fight against all odds. I can’t imagine growing up without her! Both Chandni and me are here today with mom’s unconditional love and support for all of us. Thank You dad for taking that step for us!

Dad also had to go through considerable financial hardships. Several nights he stayed up late to complete his work so that he could get his share of money to send us to school. It was only through his dedicated hard work that we completed our studies.

To fetch me a brighter future, he had to send me to another city for school and college studies. I was 15. This was the toughest decision on dad. Having lost his first wife, and then sending me away for studies was like another hollow at home but dad was tough as a rock. He knew he had to do whatever was needed for my progress. I lived with my uncle. It was only later that I realized dad and my mom had a play in large part to keeping up with my studies. For years, dad and mom sent several items to Uncle, including Pickles they made and Papad (thin, crispy lentil tortillas), in a way to repay what they owe.

If you know the Indian culture, pickles and papad are a very important part of our daily meals and hence considered a good trade. Making either of them is a tedious task.

Special Qualities of Dad:

Dad is the most helpful and generous person I know. He has dedicated his life to helping and serving others. He has helped several people in small and big ways. Mwanza is a closely-knit Indian community. Dad is one of the strongest pillars for others during their personal and during community’s cultural events. He attends to the guests, helps in serving food, and is also there to volunteer during medical trips or emergencies. Several times dad has left behind his work to help and serve others.
Even though dad’s position was not financially strong to get my sister and me through our studies, he worked a lot more and ensured we complete our education. No words can express my gratitude for it.
Dad is extremely forgiving by nature. Even if someone was mean, rude or did something very wrong, yet he would forget, forgive, and be helpful to that person.

“Dad from you I have learnt to be Patient. You have taught me that we will always get what we deserve and that everyone has to pay the price of his or her Karmas. Hence, I learnt from you to do good to others no matter what they do to me and as a result, ‘goodness’ will come back to me. I have applied this principle in my life and seen it work. You are amazing dad. I love you and I am proud to be your son! I am thankful to You and Mom for everything that you’ll have done for us.”

A message from his daughter: Chandni Unadkat

When I was done with my school, I wanted to work but during those times, in my family girls weren’t allowed to work. Unlike other dads, my dad stood up for me, against the social norm and allowed me to work. He gave me the strength and became the biggest support of my life. In fact, due to dad’s support, I was able to contribute to the family in times of need, esp. when my brother was still struggling and trying to settle in USA. Every step of the way, my Dad has supported me, whether in my job or with the choice of my life partner. I was 4 when my mum passed away of cancer. These were the darkest days of dad’s life. Dad’s decision to remarry was tough for him but he did it selflessly, just for us. Being a girl and so young, he did not want me to be without a mother and because of that I feel my dad is a Hero. “I love you Dad. You are my Hero, my best friend and God’s gift to me! I am blessed to have such wonderful parents in my life. Mom and You make our lives complete.”

Also read: https://mystyrimz.wordpress.com/2015/02/18/biographyofadedicatedparent/

PARENTING

Puzzles and kids!

Puzzles are an excellent way to build logical thinking and conceptual knowledge. Do not underestimate the power of puzzles to develop a sharp, smart mind.Begin puzzles for your children as early as 2 years of age. At 2 years, you can do 3-4 piece puzzles. and slowly move up.How to help kids with puzzles at any age:

Take a flat surface – prefer having a dark color paper or s…heet or brown cardboard / wood / floor / table to work on. The more simple the background, the easier it is for the child to pay attention to the puzzle pieces

1. Resist the temptation to give the answers and solve it for them. If you have a strong need to solve their puzzles or are impatient while they figure it, you need to get yourself a puzzle box!

2. The first times, show your kid how the puzzle is done. If they are in a hurry to take pieces from you, let them just play around it, even if they solve nothing. This helps create INTEREST.

3. At another time, pick the same puzzle. “Let’s do this together today”. Pick a piece with the most character in it, i.e. one which looks the most detailed e.g. one with face, or color and shape so that it is easy to recognize the other part that fits in.

4. Pick the connecting piece and explain how the color or the design matches at the edges and that is why they ‘fit in’

5. Calmly explain how to fit pieces in like push the edges together or push down the pieces so that they are flat.

6. If your child gets frustrated, leave it. There is no point in teaching with negative emotions looming around. Remember, finishing the puzzle is not important, learning a little bit at a time is! Focus more on the process than the outcome.

7. Leave a puzzle out on the dining table or your child’s table without saying a word. See if your child plays with it within 1 -3 days of keeping it. Again, do not mention anything, just leave the puzzle out and observe. If your child notices it and plays, you know your child is interested in solving problems!

parent of the month

The Biography of a Dedicated Parent

Parent of the Month: Feb 2015

MR. DINESH ARYA

Talent and Intelligence are nothing without the benchmark of Courage and Hard work. Add a spice of Maturity and Modesty to it and boom you have a sparkling gem. Few people are able to wrap all of these six qualities in a perfect balance like Mr. Dinesh Arya. Today on 19 Feb, we are celebrating his 65^th Birthday!

Sir, Wishing you many more years of success

Coming from a very humble upbringing, Mr. Arya had learnt some important values early on in life. He was very young when his father moved from Pakistan to India. Going back to the history of India’s freedom struggle, Pakistan’s separation from India brought immense trauma on the masses and to Mr. Arya’s family as well. The lack of vaccinations victimized him to three lethal diseases at a very small age – diphtheria, small pox, and meningitis. There on, another challenge was growing up in a Muslim-Christian dominated locality. Again, India has faced many mob riots based on religion from time to time and the situation was graver in the mid-1900s. The main challenges for the family were mere survival and providing good education to all the siblings. But, life’s troubles didn’t end there.

While at 11 years other classmates and friends enjoyed their childhood, Mr. Arya and his sister helped their father to deliver his business boxes. Imagine the agony of changing a school due to lack of funds and then having to study and work all day! Yet, Mr. Arya never ranked beyond 2^nd in all his school years. With his diligence, he stood 42^nd in India and won a scholarship to IIT, Mumbai – (A highly prestigious institution for higher studies).

From there, he topped in GRE and won scholarships to all the universities in USA. Back in those days, winning a scholarship to study abroad was like discovering an ocean in a desert – an opportunity only for phenomenal students. But, Mr. Arya’s sense of responsibility towards his family was much higher than the need to capture this sparkling opportunity. He knew that being the eldest and the only son, his family needed him a lot more. He chose stay back and be a pillar to his family. Thereafter, many a challenges crossed his path but Mr. Arya’s moral values, humble and patient nature stood the test of time.

Even after getting a job from IIT campus, he had considerable financial responsibility towards his family. He helped get his sisters married and supported a sister after the loss of her spouse. He had to give up his job twice to a fresh new start and even hit rock bottom times where his family lost everything.

As his family puts it – “His life has been like a Sensex with huge up strings and down strings. The beauty is that his values have remained the same in all situations. People around him, even in his career, gained so much from him that he became a catalyst to their extra-ordinary success and yet he humbly took pride in their victory.

The youngest to the oldest know him as – ‘compassionate’ and ‘generous’. He has believed in the philosophy of giving without expecting and taught his children the same.

A message from Niti Ranjan – Daughter

Special memories

Dad’s work required him to travel a lot but whenever he would return, he made him for his absence. He would bring something special for my brother and me, talk about his travel, and spend time with us. He helped me a lot with Math and Science.

It was very tough on dad to realize that at the tender age of 11 years, I had become an Insulin dependent diabetic. He did everything he could to cure me but he finally felt helpless and I began taking shots. Until today, I live on shots but dad’s positive outlook helped me live through it.

He has taught me to be a good human being, be affectionate to others, and love my own life too. Most of all, I have learnt from him to be generous, helpful and modest without expecting anything in return.

Special qualities of dad:

I can talk anything to him without him judging me
His zest for life is amazing
He gets along with any person. He is equally friendly with and respectful to people of any cast, creed, position, or background.
He is extremely compassionate, caring, and intelligent.

A message from Dushyant Arya – Son

Childhood memories with dad:

-Playing cricket

– Helping me in my studies

– Entertaining Foreigners over Dinner from his workplace

-Watching movies

-Taking walks together and discussing about life and many other things

What I learnt from dad:

It is impossible for me to pen down the infinite number of things I learnt from dad. Here are some:

-Compassion and concern for everyone
-Doing good for others without expectation
-Forgive others (this is difficult for me but dad does it so easily!)
-Love your family
-Interest in the growth and self-discovery of others around you
-Reading
Adapt to any situations like fish to water
Ability to stay positive in all times
To work with passion and do my best in all endeavors and success will surely follow

For you my dad:

“Dad you are my hero, mentor, guru, friend, philosopher and for me, the closest form of God on Earth. I deeply adore you and idolize you in all your roles – as a father, boss, coach, uncle (mama), etc. For me, no other man I know can equal you and I have never loved another man as much. As you celebrate your 65^th year, I wish you good health. I wish to imbibe your good qualities. I want to spend as much time with you as possible. Do know dad that ‘You are the Best’ and we all Love You!

Mr. Dinesh Arya’s Message

“We were living in a joint family when my first child, Niti was born. I was in a touring job, requiring 20 days travel. I landed home and realized that my wife was already in the hospital. Next day wading through rain and floods, I reached the hospital ‘after’ Niti was born. Years flew by in a whirlwind of tours due to my job. My wife played both: mom and pop to Niti in every way.

Now Niti lives far, I cannot make up for the lost time with her but my granddaughter fills my heart with joy. With my son Dushyant as well, I did not get to spend as much time as I wished. A turning point in my life was when I bought him a computer, and he became my teacher. Today, I am proudly the father of a fine entrepreneur. I would love to have the same kids in the next life so that I can watch them grow, pamper, and play with them. In this life, I will make do with my grandchildren J I am blessed to have children who admire, love, and forgive me despite lack of time and attention from me.

I am forever indebted to my wife – Rita for her contribution in raising the kids while I was absent from home to make two ends meet”.

Mrs. Rita Arya’s message

I am proud to have a husband who is a caring, loving, and giving person even though he has missed out the fun of life in his young days. He could not spend much time with our children due to his travels but whenever kids needed him, he has supported them emotionally, mentally and physically. He makes an adorable father who is always optimistic and sending positive vibrations to his children. We all love him a lot!

—–Copywrite Rima Desai, Feb. 2015——-

Also read this

PARENTING

~Simple but highly powerful ways to show love~

Tip of the Day:

Show your children how much you love your spouse in ways other than just words and physical touch. Teach them how to serve each other by doing something that you may not like but yet do to give comfort or show love to your partner. Life is not all rosy and romantic, show love in your day to day routines.

What do children learn by observing such actions?

The importance of sometimes putting others’ need before theirs
Teaches them practical / realistic ways to show love which will help their relationships later in life
Gives them a sense of security and love in the family
Teaches them to share responsibility
Teaches them to respect others and others’ needs

Real life Example:

Lately my husband has been cooking some difficult dishes. Those that typically ONLY women cook and which are totally out of his comfort zone like Dudhi (lauki or bottle gourd) vegetable, cabbage curry. More so, he has been rolling and roasting chapatis (Indian flat bread) which is not only tough for any newbie but also highly uncommon for men to do. Maybe 1% of Indian men (non-chefs) do it.

Yet, he does it with a lot of joy. His purpose is to give me my extra free fun time or my own time. Other ways we show love and our union to each other is by playing silly games like running around tagging each other, making funny faces, water splash challenges, giving massages, making food of each others’ liking, giving each other a day or evening to utilize the way we individually want, sharing daughter’s responsibilities like brushing teeth, pick and drop, meal care, and so on.

More than anything, the joy my daughter gets to see us do these things for each other is phenomenal. The energy eventually spreads.. Now at 4 years, she wants to make Tea and Sandwiches for dad 3 times a week and that too from step 1st to end.

Please do not use this post as a WEAPON against your husband. lol but by all means Share it with them! :D Do not demand or command what they SHOULD do. There are several options in cooking or besides cooking, there are many things around the home that can be done together. The whole idea is to work together for fun. It could be doing groceries together, shopping, cleaning at home together, setting the table together… anything within each one’s comfort zone.

~Working together in one great way to bond a family, experience love and produce lots of joyful energy at home~

Also read: https://mystyrimz.wordpress.com/2015/01/24/marriageastrology/
* Note – all my articles are originally written by me. Find lots more info on my Facebook Page – Parenting Booth: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Parenting-Booth/838254032904102

Astrology

Great Myths & Misconceptions of Astrology. Things you probably never knew!

Last week, when I created my Astrology Study Group on facebook, 27 people wrote to me, asking me to look at their or their kids’ or husbands’ charts. I have been that person who has always been attracted to Astrology even though my family never depicted that. In terms of Astrology, my passion is to help people understand the TRUE MEANING AND PURPOSE OF ASTROLOGY. We are highly MISGUIDED in our knowledge and use of Astrology. There is so much I can say about this. Truly! and some of it, I have explained in my video at the end of this article. Do hear the video, there is lots of great information on Astrology in it. Below are some MISCONCEPTIONS we have on Astrology.

When predictions fail, we doubt astrology

If you have a bad experience with a doctor, do you stop believing in the field of medicine or do you simply change your doctor?Astrology is a very accurate and ancient science. It is also a highly complicated subject to understand. It is said that one can never learn astrology in one birth, there are so many complex calculations to be done that only 1% of the world’s population could ‘Master’ this skill. In fact, Astrology is more the work of a Spiritual Soul than that of someone who has learnt it. Hence, when predictions fail, when astrologers tell you things that do not come true, it does not mean that Astrology is wrong. It only means that the Astrologer is not well-equipped.

Astrology is all about Predictions

False! Predictions are possible in Astrology, but Astrology is so much more about diagnosing the problem areas of one’s life, analyzing the client’s strengths and empowering clients to focus their energies on their strengths. Unfortunately, today’s astrologers have made this subject very ‘fancy’ and ‘commercial’ by projecting it as a Science of Prediction. Hear my video to understand this better.

Astrology can help change your future

There are no real remedies to change our luck. As described in astrology, luck is nothing but accumulated karma – both good and bad and there are only 2 ways around it: face it with pain or face it in a spiritual manner. Gem stones are one of the biggest myths. Astrologers direct clients to gemstones mostly for commercial reasons OR due to the lack of true knowledge. Take a logical approach to this – if gemstones could truly dissolve your problems or make them easier, then all of the world’s problems could easily be solved or reduced. The truth is that there is a big psychological ‘trick’ here. We start BELIEVING that gemstones will help which increases our mental strength and start to attract better things. Gemstones, havans, pujas, etc., are not mentioned in ancient astrology as ‘problem-solvers’. To improve our luck, we must face our probems and by live a ‘satvik’ life: serve the needy, be kind by thought and deed, stop eating animals, work on our anger, greed and pride, meditate, use techniques like reiki and life-coaching to emotionally heal yourselves and so on.

Forecasts are true

There is no such thing as the forecasts you read in newspapers. It was created by someone and sustained by other astrologers to ‘hook’ us to their readings and services. Again, apply some logic here: there are BILLIONS of people on this earth, how can 12 zodiac signs and forecasts based on them apply to billions of people?! Trust that original astrology has no place for or description of daily / monthly forecasts like the way it has been projected to us for so many years. For once, read the forecast of another sun sign and find it to be true for yourself! Again, there is a psychological element here: we want to hear something ‘good’ or ‘fear based predictions’ attract us and no matter what is said, our mind finds a way to apply it to our life.

Sun Signs describe your personality

No two people are alike on this planet and hence, no two horoscopes! 12 sun signs cannot describe the personality of billions of people. Astrology analyzes our personality from so many factors: The rising sign in our horoscope, our moon and sun sign, the constellations and so on. It is a long list! Describing personality based on sun signs is just a ‘fancy’ thing.

Mangal Dosh(a) or Manglik is the worst thing to have in a chart

In reality, Mangal Dosh means only this: This person is highly ambitious and has an insatiable drive to contribute to the world. Hence, this person focuses less on family life, has more problems in personal family life but is going to be an achiever, a very successful person in society. This also shows a strong athletic drive, angry or impulsive nature in earlier years of life especially before 35 years. It is good for a Manglik to marry a Manglik for they can understand each other’s passionate nature easily but it is a myth that when a non-Manglik marries a Manglik, it threatens their life. A person with Saturn placed in or influencing the 7th house may also marry a manglik as Saturn is opposite of Mars and so helps to tone down the impulsive, angry nature of mars.Mangal dosh is considered when Mars in placed in certain houses like 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 12th and is a ‘hot’ concept in India. Many people reject marriage proposals to those who have manglik dosh. Many astrologers believe this too.

Saturn is the worst planet and Sade Sati the worst time period

Contrary, Saturn is the best for polishing out our loose ends into a wise, successful person. Yes, it teaches lessons harshly but it always IMPROVES us in some way. Sade Sati does bring hardships and the extent of hardships depends on Saturn’s position in one’s chart and on the overall horoscope of a person. That period of life can make someone go from rags to riches or riches to rags. The toughest time of Sade Sati is the 2.5 years when Saturn sustains itself on the moon. Don’t fear Saturn, be happy that it strikes to teach and polish us.

Astrology works only if you believe in it

False! The planets or combinations in our chart continue to influence our life even if we reject the notion of astrology. However, this influence lasts only as long as our focus is a lot on the material side of life. The moment we start meditating and what I call ‘spiritualizing’ regularly, we start breaking the bonds of our karma. Remember religion is following a certain faith while spirituality is working towards self-realization and reaching the purest state of the soul.

We are doomed to the life written in our chart

Nope! Astrology clearly states that we write our destiny by our thoughts, beliefs and actions and since we create it, we have full control to ‘change’ it as well.

Kaal Sarp Yog is true

In astrology, yog means ‘combination’. There is no such thing as kaal sarp yog. If an astrologer says that you have this yog, change the astrologer.

Gun Milan is great to test compatibility.

In Indian astrology, 2 charts are matched to test on 36 points. It is assumed that the more the points meet, the better the compatibility. This is a great myth! Gun milan can tell you very little of how well you will settle with your partner in the marriage. There are other very important methods to test compatibility.

All Astrology is the same. Astrology is just one large subject with no branches

False! Linda Goodman is a classic example of Western Astrology which is very different from Indian, Vedic Astrology. China and Korea have their own astrology as well. It seems that each culture has some form of astrology which validates the truth in it but astrology notes in India date back to as early as 9th Century B.C. or even before!

Kundlis or Horoscopes can tell only certain broad things about us

False. Except for when you wake up, gargle and drink tea, your chart can sketch every minute crease on your skin. This means that your chart can tell your likes, dislikes, relationship with siblings, hidden desires, secrets, about your parents, friend circle, no. of spouses, nature of the spouses, directions you are likely to live in, passions and careers, school studies and so on.. Hence, be wary of sharing your birth chart the way in which you share news about your shopping.

A good astrologer will tell me about my life-span and warn me about accidents / all negative events in my life

False! A good, genuine, knowledgeable astrologer will NEVER mention these life-events to any client. Astrology has not given the RIGHTS to an astrologer to tell a person when they will die or something horrible will happen. Never!

It is hurtful to read posts of people who said the astrologer told them that they will no good or that they will meet a horrible accident in a few years, etc. Well, astrology was made to EMPOWER people, to give them true direction and hope and to believe that there is GOOD in every person and in everyone’s life. Ethically, astrologers are supposed to focus only on the GOOD and even if some negative news were to be shared it for the good of the client, it must be put in a way that the person feels POSITIVE and HOPEFUL.

Please share this information with others. Hear my videos. My website www.rimadesai.org

PARENTING

Happy New Year Parents…

My Illustrator

Meet my Illustrator – Kristin Wesley

Artist and behavioral health professional, Kristin Wesley is no stranger to parenting. A mother of five with both biological and adopted children ranging in age from 2 to 23, she is inspired every day by their unique character and zest for life!

Kristin has over 15 years of clinical experience in the behavioral/mental health field. She has provided therapeutic support, managed programs as well as trained others to deliver these services- all with a focus on connecting with individuals where they are and encouraging them to use their strengths and skills to better understand themselves and their lives.

Kristin’s formal education includes a Bachelor’s in the Interdisciplinary Studies of Psychology and Philosophy and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Intermedia Art from Arizona State University. Kristin has completed Post Bachelor’s studies in Art Therapy at The George Washington University as well as the renowned Transformational Life Coaching program at The Southwest Institute of Healing Arts.

Other than raising her brood and endlessly creating art, Kristin’s current projects include GreenLight to Life, LLC, an empowerment services company that provides assessment, coaching and healing support to people experiencing challenges in life.

Kristin also regularly facilitates Art for the Heart workshops throughout Arizona using art and the creative process to support self-discovery, awareness and development. Through these services, her artwork and her family, Kristin helps groups, individuals and their families creatively connect with their hopes, dreams and goals to live their BEST LIVES!

If you are interested in services, hosting an event or learning more about Kristin Wesley, please contact her at 602-753-7318 or GreenLightToLife@cox.net

I personally thank Kristin for such wonderful illustrations. I have known her closely for 6 long months and it is an honor to know such a nurturing and talented woman :)

Parent-Edge Magazine Articles by me

Holiday Art – A magic art for kids from Scrap!

This article has been written by me and re-posted with permission from Parentedge: http://parentedge.in/holiday-art-create-from-scrap/

Christmas or any another festival, we humans pretty much imitate the busy activity of a beehive during festive seasons. However, before the crowd attacks the shopping centers, newspapers speak out the Christmas Cheer loud and clear as a flurry of toys, lights, and gifts decorate flyers and pamphlets. Since I like to use everything to its best capacity, I could not think of throwing away the big heap of paper that came through my mail. And this is how a new art project was born.

Activity: A Simple Art Project, 45-60mins

Age group: 4- 6 years with parental help; 6 – 10 years independently

What you need

A large piece of cardboard or plain white paper
Markers
Glue sticks or glue
Newspapers / flyers with any images related to Christmas or toys
Scissors
Trash can
Curious kids

Learning Focus

Creativity, imagination, organization skills, fine motor skills, competitiveness, spatial reasoning, decision making.

The Plot

You can chose either ‘The Christmas Theme’ or ‘The Toy Theme’ or mix the two!

It is best to have two kids do this activity side by side to add a competitive spirit. Kids will have 60mins to complete the project. Their aim will be to create for themselves, a special room on the canvas or paper you provide. They will do this by choosing, cutting, and pasting the pictures from their own pile of newspapers. They could use markers to decorate their room and create any theme. It doesn’t matter if the snaps overlap, as long as each one is seen clearly and a minimum of 20 pictures have been used. They should use their imaginations to generate this special room as if it was real, a part of their real home. In fact, you can title your kids ‘Interior Designers’ for this fun project.

How to

Collect all the newspapers and sit down in an area with enough room to spread the papers. Before you call the kids, filter the papers by yourself. Make sure there are 15 – 30 pages of newspapers / flyers that have photographs related to Christmas or toys. For example, a page showing decorative lights, a Christmas tree or an ornament, is worth saving. One that has a few toy cars, kids playing in a dollhouse or pretending to be supermen are excellent too.

If you are calling on friends or siblings for a project competition, make two different piles, relevant to each one’s age. I had a 9-year young with my 4-year young, which means the older one got a lot more newspapers to work with simply because she would be faster and more independent. I wanted to keep the curiosity as well the challenge alive for each one.

Once you have the newspapers sorted, spread out a large cloth / sheet / plastic to work on the floor. On that spread out the large white paper or cardboard and all other necessities in equal quantity for each child. Then, call the kids.

The rules

It is time to announce the rules. Let each child know that the competition is only in two aspects – to use everything that is given and to complete the project on time. Make it clear that there is no competing for better or worse. You won’t be judging the final project and putting a label of good or bad; rather you will see how well they use the resources given to them within the set time limit. Assure them that you are around for any back up or support. The ultimate aim is to LEARN & HAVE FUN. Read ‘The Plot’ section above to announce the rules.

This picture above was created by Kapila Khare, 9 years young. She made the toy room of her dreams!

Now that you know this activity has so much to teach your child (check above in the section titled ‘Learning Focus’), you can use this project with different things.

Here are a few ideas

Save boxes of cereal, cookies, croutons, ready-to-eat packs, lentils, etc. Cut out food pictures from there and challenge kids to make a food chart. Use the classification of healthy vs. unhealthy or fats/ proteins/ carbs. Activate your creativity, parents!
Save pictures of produces (fruits and vegetables) from several articles. They could make charts to classify fruits and veggies or ones they like vs. don’t like or even organize by the color or texture.
Use your vacation photographs, vehicles, environment, or pictures of different roles that people play in the community.

All you need is a pile of newspapers and a watchful eye!

Cooking

A Nutritious Dessert for Kids – small and big ;)

Very often, we have enough reason to say – “No more icecream for my kids” but then it gets tough to steer them away from this choice. Festive season, outings, parties, and winter are some of the many trying times.

I have never seen this recipe before. The thought popped out while deciding a dessert for a Diwali Party and it worked wonders. I was surprised at how many adults too sprang for it.

What are we making?

Popsicles from craft sticks, ice tray, milk, cardamom powder, and syrup of your choice

I chose – drinking chocolate powder and saffron, rose, raw mango syrup (sorbet)

My Ice tray is red hearts. I had a blue fish and animal shaped Ice tray too.

Activity Benefits

Healthy dessert – perfect for parties and large groups!

Extra Small portions

Great replacement for icecream – significantly less fat

Kids can cook with you – develops interest in cooking

Only 15 minutes of total cooking time and maximum an hour of freezing time.

Serves many people effortlessly in many different colors and flavors

Enhances your creativity

Make it Happen!

First make space in your freezer. Depending on the number and shape of ice trays you are going to use and the height of the popsicle or craft sticks. I am lucky to have a horizontally broad freezer. Spread a cloth or plastic sheet at the base to avoid a mess on the freezer floor.

Decide on the variations you want. How many types of sorbets or syrups do you want to use? Take as many glasses and spoons. Pour milk in each of the glass to a half. Pour your sorbet in to make it edible enough. Make it a little stronger than usual for the flavor to come out as a popsicle. A good indication is that the sorbet color stands out in the milk. Add a pinch of cardamom powder in each glass. Stir for 10 seconds.

Pour into the ice trays as you like. Freeze.

Check in 30 minutes. Gently push your finger into the Popsicle. Just before they are completely hard, remove from freezer. They should feel a little fragile from the top, yet not allow your finger to sink in. Place the popsicle sticks into the half-frozen mixture. The sticks should be able to settle in with 1-2 efforts. There should be no cracks in the popsicles, but if there is, do not worry.

Take water in a spoon and gently pour it all over the ice tray. This is the most important step because, after your put the sticks into already half-frozen mixture, we want the sticks to stand in place and hold the popsicles well. As the water freezes into ice, it will do this for you!

Re-freeze ice tray

Enjoy it

It is ready to go in another 30 minutes! When you are ready to serve, remove the ice tray on a water safe surface. Let it stand out for 3-6 minutes. This will allow the mixture to loosen well enough that it is easy to remove the popsicles without cracks or without separating the stick from the mixture.

Serve in mini-serve plastic to go cups or in small bowls / cups.

Eat half a dozen if you like; it will not harm you half as much as icecream does!

Variations

Talks about this dessert popped up with my close friend Rashmi Khare when she mentioned that she uses orange juice or any other juice to make super quick popsicles. Fresh homemade or bottled juice in the popsicle maker and there you go. Think of making this variety with all your different ice tray shapes!

Thank You Rashmi for such a great idea!

–Exclusive and original recipe by Rima Desai.

No part of this recipe has been intentionally copied from anywhere. Similar work is the act of coincidence.

No part of this recipe may be copied and posted, re-posted, used in print in any form or manner.

Parent-Edge Magazine Articles by me

Six Easy Activities for an Emotionally Robust Kid!

This is my first article for Parent-Edge Magazine, India. It am reposting it with permission from them: http://parentedge.in/blogs/activities-to-build-your-childs-emotional-quotient/

https://www.facebook.com/Parentedge

Introduction

This blog post has been contributed by our new Parent Blogger Rima Desai. Rima has a Masters Degree in Psychology from Mumbai University. She wrote numerous articles for Parents, Women and creating Self-Awareness in a leading newspaper in Tanzania when she lived there. Her work includes writing for in-flight magazines and editing internationally published books. Rima is a certified Childcare Professional and Life-Coach in USA. She has extensive experience in training teachers, students and holding camps for children (3-9 years).

Activities to Develop Your Child’s Emotional I.Q. from an early age

There is a lot of talk that goes on about parenting and emotions. The importance of developing an emotionally robust child cannot be undermined. Your child may grow up to be a doctor, engineer, or a computer programmer, but that is not enough to safeguard her personal life, and the ability to communicate and express herself. This skill of free emotional expression is needed at every step of relationships, career, and for high self-worth. Now, you have an opportunity to be their emotion coach!

Run your eyes over these activities that will help you enhance your child’s EQ. These activities would work well for children between the ages of 3-8, depending on their emotional maturity.

Quick challenge: In two minutes pen down as many emotions (just one word each) as you can. Note that some emotion clusters like joy, happy and glad are the same type of emotion.

How many emotions did you spurt out easily? Not many of us are generous with our emotional vocabulary because we haven’t been taught to recognize, discover, and word our emotions. In reality, we experience more than 50+ emotions and often several of them in the same day. Here is a short list:

Happy / glad / joyful / blissful / ecstatic	Sad / sorrowful / unhappy / depressed
Proud	Ashamed / embarrassed
Successful	Failure
Satisfied / content	Dissatisfied
Secure	Insecure
Patient	Impatient
Proud	Disappointed
Curious / Interested	Bored / disinterested
Thrilled / excited / enthusiastic	lonely
Loved	Unloved
Accepted	Rejected / dejected
Included / belong	Left-out / excluded

Very often, we are stuck in the confined loop of ‘happy-sad’ words when using our emotional vocabulary and this directly influences our children because they learn no better. Let us learn to label more emotions that are relevant to the situation.

Activity 1

Ask your child to state all the emotions they know of. If they find it hard to begin, make a happy face and ask them to complete the statement: I feel ______

Do the same with a scared, angry and an excited face. This way you can get them started on your little emotion project.

Activity 2

Sit facing your child so that both of you are looking at each other from an arm’s distance. You will show an emotion on your face when you say these words:

“I see a mirror and what do I see? I see a ____ face looking at me.” Repeat this exercise with 3-4 simple emotions that your child can recognize.

Now ask your child to pick 3-4 of her favorite emotions and do the above activity with you. In the next round pick a few new emotions and do your best in making that face. Use disappointment, tired, sleepy, bored, lonely, etc.

Activity 3

Remove their soft toys and place them in a row. Any pictures that depict a living being will also work.

Pick one object after another and tell your child one simple statement about something that happened in this beings’ life today. Then, your child has to recognize the emotion felt by this being.

E.g., today the shark swam from sunrise to sunset and now she cannot swim anymore. What is she feeling right now?

If your child does not label the emotion, give her two or three choices.

E.g., is the shark feeling lonely, happy, or tired right now?

Cover different emotions with each new object. Some statement options:

Today baby elephant got a new ball toy to play with. How does he feel? (happy or excited)
Sheep woke up at 6am early in the morning and she played all day. Now the sun is setting and she is beginning to yawn, how is she feeling right now? (sleepy or tired)
Bumblebee’s dad promised to bring him a new school bag but then dad forgot. How does the bee feel? (Here you do not want your child to label only sad. You want her to be more specific. The answer is ‘disappointed’).

Activity 4

This activity will give your entire family an outlet to express emotions through a rhyme along with actions. Here the child learns how each emotion ‘looks’ and ‘feels’.

When we feel happy, we make our happy bunny ears (V with fingers on the head). When we feel sad, our ears fall down (upside down V with fingers on the side of the head). When we feel angry, we roar like lions (or stomp our feet) and let it out. When we feel scared, we make a fist and take it close to our chest. When we feel embarrassed, we bend our head low and hide our eyes. When we feel proud, we lift our head high up above our neck. When we feel confused, we tap a finger on our head and when we feel loved, we cross our arms to give a hug. (Alternative way: use the rhyme: ‘if you are happy and you know it’. In each round, introduce a new emotion and the corresponding action).

Also Read: Helping Children Manage their Emotions

Activity 5

Have each family member explore and reserve one spot in the home that is their ‘quiet spot’, where they can go to when they are angry or sad. Have them recognize their ‘favorite’ and ‘happy’ spot in the home too.

Activity 6

Print out or draw faces showing different emotions and stick them in direct vision. Each one of you can point to the emotion you are feeling when you sleep or wake up, after school, and before / after meals.

Magazines, ads, and public places are also a great resource for a quick fun time ‘recognize their emotions’ game.

Remember, if your child is aware, alert and accepting of how she feels, she has the most precious gift – to skim through every situation thick or thin

Rima Desai

Ignatius Fernandez November 28, 2014 at 9:14 am – Reply

Rima, well-done! The post is not only informative, but creatively expressed. Scope for your background in psychology. Parents are likely to take your plan seriously and act on it. God bless. Ignatius.
http://www.ignatiusfernandez.com

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Six Easy Activities for an Emotionally Robust Kid!

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