Make book reading more fun with these follow up questions!

• What is the title of the book?
• Who is the author? ...Words by
• Who is the illustrator? ...Pictures by
• What was the book about? ...Message
• What is the main event in the book?
• Was there any conflict in the story? If yes, what was it, and how was it solved? How you would have solved it?
• Who was your favorite character?
• What was your favorite part of the book?
• How would you have changed the story? Why?

Books are fun! Asking follow up questions can also help us understand and appreciate feelings and thought process of our little ones. Staying involved is the best way to stay informed:)

Thanks for visiting and have a colorful day!

Onam Greetings!

Happy Onam everyone!

Have a colorful day:)

Keep faith!!

"Life is no straight and easy corridor along

which we travel free and unhampered,

but a maze of passages,

through which we must seek our way,

lost and confused, now and again

checked in a blind alley.

But always, if we have faith,

a door will open for us,

not perhaps one that we ourselves

would ever have thought of,

but one that will ultimately

prove good for us."

A.J.Cronin

Colorful fall - fun art and craft ideas!

Featured in Times-Republican

Colorful leaves, shiny apples, bright pumpkins, twigs, berries, acorns, bark, pine cones and nuts. Not to mention I am talking about the arrival of fall. Watching the trees turn color in all shades of yellow, orange, red and gold is a spectacular experience. The colors, texture and beauty of fall is so inspiring that it provides us with a wonderful opportunity to get indulged in inner self and appreciate the impermanence of everything.

Fall with its colorful beauty also compels us to be more creative and playful with what nature has to offer.

Here is a super fun and colorful art project to make fall trees using finger paints.

All you need is

• Finger paints

• Construction paper

• Card stock

• Glue

• Pipe cleaner

• Scissors

• Art paint brush

Using scissors cut tree trunk from construction paper. Stick it on card stock. Dip index finger in paints and press on to paper for leaves impression. Touch up construction paper using paints.

For flowers - Dip pipe cleaner in paints, press it on paper for stem. Make petals using art paint brush as shown. (Dip art paint brush in paints and press it on paper).

I am also listing few fun and easy ideas that are creative and educational.

• Collect before and after fall foliage leaves. It’s a great activity to get kids to observe, stay involved and excited.
•  Use leaves, apples and potatoes as stamps.
•  Glue pumpkin seeds for bookmarks and fall greetings.
•  Paint and roll corn cobs for fun impressions.
•  Paint acorn nuts and make faces on it using markers.
•  Paint a love you forever pumpkin and write a sweet message all over it using darker paints or markers for friends and family.
•  Tear construction paper in small pieces and make mosaic art. 
•  Colorful hand, fingers, thumb and feet impressions in fall colors.
•  Collect twigs, stick them on in shape of letters on a cardboard and make a name plate. Punch 2 holes and use jute twine to hang it. Stick leaves, acorns and barks around.
•  Collect pine cones, Peirce a hole in the stem and hang them using jute twine.

Thanks for visiting:)  Have a colorful day!

Significance of Janmashtami!

Beautifully told by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar!

"Janamashtami celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna. Ashtami is significant as it indicates a perfect balance between the seen and the unseen aspects of reality; the visible material world and the invisible spiritual realm.

Krishna’s birth on Ashtami signifies his mastery of both the spiritual and material worlds. He is a great teacher and a spiritual inspiration as well as the consummate politician. On one hand, he is Yogeshwara (the Lord of Yogas — the state to which every yogi aspires) while on the other, he is a mischievous thief.

The unique quality of Krishna is that he is at once more pious than the saints and yet a thorough mischief-monger! His behaviour is a perfect balance of the extremes — perhaps this is why the personality of Krishna is so difficult to fathom. The avdhoot is oblivious to the world outside and a materialistic person, a politician or a king is oblivious to the spiritual world. But Krishna is both Dwarkadheesh and Yogeshwar.

Krishna’s teachings are most relevant to our times in the sense that they neither let you get lost in material pursuits nor make you completely withdrawn. They rekindle your life, from being a burnt-out and stressed personality to a more centred and dynamic one. Krishna teaches us devotion with skill. To celebrate Gokulashtami is to imbibe extremely opposite yet compatible qualities and manifest them in your own life.

Hence the most authentic way of celebrating Janamashtami is knowing that you have to play a dual role — of being a responsible human being on the planet and at the same time to realize that you are above all events, the untouched Brahman. Imbibing a bit of avadhoot and a bit of activism in your life is the real significance of celebrating Janamashtami."   http://www.artofliving.org/us-en/what-sri-sri-said-today

Jai Guru Dev!
www.artofliving.org

Appreciate what's little but makes life soooo meaningful!

Are we taking enough time out of our day to appreciate the smaller things in life? Or are we more obsessed with big, impressive material things? It's important to remember that we can't fully appreciate the major things unless we can appreciate the minor ones, too. A stranger's smile, a little kid's gigglefit, or even just the beautiful clouds in the sky all deserve our notice. We all run the risk of taking things for granted if we don't appreciate them more consciously.

Our strength lies in small things!

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that our strength lies!

Mother Teresa

The best thing, next best thing or worst you can do in moment of decision!

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing and the worst thing you can do is..nothing!

Theodore Roosevelt

Back to school art project - 5 simple steps in right direction as a family!

Featured in Times-Republican

Summer vacation is almost over. Stores are so filled with back to school supplies, clothes and new decors. Not to mention … It's school time again!

A new school year is also the beginning of a period defined by mixed emotions for everyone; exciting yet crazy days full with conflicting schedules, getting homework done while keeping up with demanding extracurricular activities, and the famous pick and drop kid’s scenario. I tell you, if we mothers get paid for driving around our kids…we will be so rich!

So, it’s time to bid a not so desirable farewell to those lazy laid back mornings, that comforting cup of tea with a lavish book reading and say hello to chaotic beginning to the day, followed by super chaotic evenings.

On a positive note, life offers us a fresh start every moment and back to school with new everything around is a wonderful opportunity to talk to our kids about aspirations and small things that can make big changes in our lives. Tell them about our dreams that came true and dreams that we are still working on…times when we felt proud and times when we almost gave up on things. Stories of our success and failures can empower them and make them relate with events in their lives and apply.

I am so scared of swimming. My daughters are so fishes. They dream of swimming like Michael Phelps and make us proud. They tell me all the time, mom, its ok come and try. It’s nothing. It’s so comforting. We will teach you. I tell them it’s so easy for you and so hard for me…because it’s all in the mind.

The other day she had to do her vault and bars routine in her new gym for first time. She was so nervous. She came to me and she said it looks hard mom…and I said like swimming for me. It’s all in the mind mom, right? I am going to do this, will you learn swimming. I said yes! And she went and gave it her best. Now, bars, beams or vaults…bring it on! She rocks them all…

As for me I am going to enroll for swimming lessons.

This month’s art project is make a list of 5 things you and kids want to accomplish together in coming year, 5 simple steps in right direction as a family.

What you will need

• Chart or cardboard
• Construction paper
• Stencils (optional)

• Pencil

• Scissors

• Paints

• Sponges

• Markers

• Glue

Using pencil draw 5 shapes on construction paper. Cut them using scissors. Stick them on chart using glue. To cover the remaining area, dip the tip of sponge in paint and pat gently on the paper. You can use same sponge for all the colors. Just go from lighter to darker for beautiful overlapping effect.

Make a pizzazz artwork for the family room using inspirational words, craft supplies, stickers, sequence etc. Express your style stating your family goals.

It’s never too late for anyone to be what they could have been! Push each other, be each others strength and keep up with the good work!

Thanks for visiting and have a colorful day:)

Raksha Bandhan - Celebrate the bond!

India celebrates the festival of Raksha Bandhan!

Here is such a beautiful and lovely quote by Smt. Bhanumathi Narasimhan.

"This full moon is dedicated to the seers -- the Rishis. It is also called the Raksha Bandhan, which means a bond that protects you. Your bondage to the knowledge, to the master, to the truth, to the Self, all save you. Today the sister ties Rakhi on the brother's hand saying, 'I will protect you and you protect me'."

Happy Raksha Bandhan everyone!

Featured is rakhi I made from reusing rakhis from previous years.

Festivals are colorful and joyful times. As we indulge in celebrations lets keep our carbon prints as less as possible. Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, Reconsider!

Have complaints!

A person who accepts the situation, acts, corrects and moves forward never complains and a person who is stuck and not ready to take any action ....will have plenty to offer...

No matter what, sooner or later we all have to accept, acknowledge and move forward. Nothing is perfect and complaining is not the perfect solution to strive for perfection. Doing is:)

If you find yourself stuck ask yourself,  "what's next"? and go for the possible alternative..

Happy solution hunting:)

A person

Follow your dreams!

Should have, would have, could have!!

http://www.keshavchugh.com/

It is never too late to be...

what you might have been!!

It's all in the mind!!

http://www.keshavchugh.com/

If you feel you are free,

you are free...

If you feel you are bound

you are bound...

 

Fun and easy recipe to make your own big bubbles solution!

What you will need

• 11 cups of water
• 4 cups of liquid dish soap that's not antibacterial
• 1 cup corn syrup
• A clean plastic container. Dirt or other contaminants may ruin the solution.
• Serving spoon to mix

Combine ingredients in a clean plastic container and mix well using serving spoon. Blow bubbles using a big bubble wand:)

Thanks for visiting and have a colorful day!!