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5 Magical Christmas Books for Kids: Perfect for Holiday Story Time

It's the holiday season and what better way than to spend reading those magical Christmas stories to your kids. Whether you have a cozy story time by snuggling under the blanket or read the book sipping hot chocolate by the side of the fireplace or just before tucking your little ones to bed, these wonderful books are sure to bring joy and lots of Christmas cheer to your little one(s) and your family. You may check out my youtube channel for such amazing Christmas reads and many more. I also have some exciting ideas for you to make the most of this holiday season, along with creative tips to keep your kids happily engaged during the winter break. Do check out the below articles. I am sure you will find them useful. Things to do during Christmas Activities to engage kids during winter break Winter worksheets for kids Now, let's dive into the books that are going to win those tiny hearts and spark their imagination this holiday. 1. How Many Sleeps Till Christm...

12 Months, 12 Books: My 2024 Reading Journey

In 2024, I made a conscious decision to read regularly. Instead of treating reading as a past time activity, I adopted it into my daily routine - aiming to read 10 pages each day. There were days where I couldn't read due to various reasons - sickness, time constraints, fatigue or other commitments. However, I managed to meet the target of 10 pages a day (on an average), over the year. This approach helped me overcome the reading slump and voila I could finish one book each month, totaling 12 books in 2024. In this post I would like to share all the titles I read last year. The Art of Happiness: My quest to learn more about Buddhism led me to this book by His Holiness Dalai lama in collaboration with Howard C Cutler. The content of this book is deep and highly relevant to everybody's life irrespective of one's region, religion and culture. The authors put forth "How to be happy" in very simple terms, while implicitly explaining the essence of Buddhism and Buddhist...

Rutabaga: An Underrated Superfood & A Delicious Indian Recipe To Try!

Trying something new can feel uncertain, whether it is a new routine or new job or new city or even a new vegetable, as we often find comfort in the familiar. I had reservations about this particular vegetable until I cooked and tasted it. Let me introduce you Rutabaga, a lesser known vegetable (at least for a person from tropical region like me). It is nutrient-rich, flavourful and incredibly easy to prepare. When I first saw Rutabaga in the grocery stores here, I thought it would be from the yam family and ignored it, primarily because of its starch content. In addition, Rutabaga's sheer size always made me think twice to try it. In India, grocery stores sell small portions of vegetables like yam, cabbage or pumpkin, allowing customers purchase only what they need, which is...

Gearing up for First day of School

The day you first held your little one, the first time he smiled at you, those first steps, first tears, first words, first bike ride... You would have experienced countless firsts with your child so far. Before you knew it, your kid is just few days away from a very important milestone - his first day of school. If your kid is starting kindergarten this academic year, I totally feel you. I was in the same state of mind, exactly an year ago. After tending to my son for more than 3 years, that too as a stay at home mom, he is very attached to me. I was with him literally 24 x 7, except for those very few minutes I sneak into the washroom. The thought of how he would survive those 7 hours of school without me, haunted me for days. Next his preparedness to face the whole new world (without us) was dreadful. I had infinite questions/ doubts in my head. It is quite natural if you have an endless loop going on in your head. In this post, I sum up my experience of preparing my child and ...

Recipe: Reminiscing with Carrot Halwa

When we are away from home, almost every meal we make brings back the memories of home. Festivals are no less. That too when we are from that wonderful generation who has witnessed and experienced festivals at their best, undoubtedly our hearts get full with those fond memories. Deepavali is celebrated with much pomp and show and is considered the biggest festival in Tamil Nadu. Undoubtedly, festivals bring in a different vibe and of course new dress(es), good food and family gatherings. But Deepavali is much bigger than this because of the brightness it brings along with it, yeah the fireworks undoubtedly. When I was a kid, we start prepping for the festival for almost a month before - thorough cleaning of the house, shopping for clothes and crackers and the most interesting aspect for me was preparing special sweets and savories. Mom and I used to make at least half a dozen varieties of sweets and snacks. The constants used to be muruku and mixture. A week before the festi...

Manu's Medley

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