The divine in me bows to the divine in you.....

A few months back I was visiting a friend, Miran, I had know her for many years on and off. She is a firm believer in holistic living both for the mind and body and by that I mean she eats healthy, exercises, does yoga, meditates, works hard and is a very polite and kind person and I would say practices these virtues. She is a single parent too.

Miran also had two girls right about the age of Roxy and Romy. And of course the conversation always drifts to what the girls are up to. At the time, I had been having these constant conflicts with Roxy over practically everything no matter how hard I tried; she didn't like the clothes I got her, didn't like the way I made her hair, didn't like the food, didn't like doing anything I would suggest. Rox got into the mode of starting to believe that Mamma was mean to her and didn't like her..... I was telling Miran about this and she said she also went through a tough patch with her elder one on things like this.

I asked her how it was going now and she said its gotten much better. I asked her how she got to that point, did it just run its course or did she change the way she was behaving or changed her attitude on things... and then she asked me to try this:

Sit in a quite place
Come to peace with yourself, that is calm down and just gather yourself and try to feel the peace
Close your eyes
Call out to speak to your daughter's higher self
Talk about all the things you love about her
Talk about all the things that make you mad that she does
Then ask for her forgiveness for the things that you may have done to make her mad in this life and the past life
After that also say that you forgive her for the things that have knowingly or unknowingly happened
And come to peace with who you are and who she is.....

I actually did this exercise a couple of times, there was nothing to loose I figured.

Interestingly enough, I have to say the past few months have been quite smooth..... may be this method taught me to  lay out what is actually bothering me and how to be at peace with all that.... or may be Miran knows a thing or two about holistic living :)

In any case, I am quite happy the way things are right now and would like to keep it that way,
so the divine in me bows to the divine in you.......

Going to the Pelican's

On our recent visit to Sarasota, Florida, Romy and Roxy were unusually peppy, constantly getting in each other’s way, louder than usual and to top it all whatever I said to them fell on deaf ears.

Interestingly enough, there were scores of pelicans flying around the Ritz waterfront diving beak first into the water. And it just occurred to me and I told them if they don’t behave they will be going to the Pelicans! And voila, they were all ears :)

I told them at the Pelicans there is no Pizza or Pasta or Fries or any other food they can’t live without. At the Pelicans they have to eat what the Pelican Mamma brings home which is usually fresh fish that is sometimes alive and worms. The Pelican will open their mouths and feed them that. Their jaws dropped….

I told them, the Pelican nest is quite small so there is no room to run around and they will just have to sit there all day unless they can fly.

They resoundingly said they didn’t know how to fly….

Moreover, I said life can get real boring as there will be no toys or friends. And on top of that if the Pelican babies do not get comfortable with them and they could ask them to leave the nest and go into the water.

They tightly held on to the table we were sitting on…..

Somehow my imagination of a Pelican nest was it’s built on the water (after doing some reading that is not the case).

And it went on and on. They had many questions like how do they actually get sent to the Pelicans? I told them that Mummy and Papa are going to swing them up and down and that is the cue for the Pelicans to come and carry them to their nests.

They looked in amazement with a little scare in their eyes…..

Then onwards all I had to say when they would fight with each other and not listen was “who wants to go to the Pelican’s?” 

All in all, it was quite a fun trip and we all got home without visiting the Pelican’s ;-)

Lovingly,

Mommy

 At the Ritz Carlton property in Sarasota, FL.

Go..... spread your wings and fly.....

At the beach

 Mommy trying her jump shots! :)

Day 2: At the Ringling Museum
The front gate was quite ornate and we thought that was it to it but when we stepped inside we were amazed at all the Venician architecture and gardens!

Here comes the circus! :)

 The property at the museum had these enormous banyan trees and not just one but about a 100 of them.

The house inside the property lies by the water and was just breathtaking...

 The art museum gallery

 Enjoying a ride back to the entrance after we were done walking around the spread out museum property.

 Back to the Ritz property in the evening, it was quite a lovely sunset.

Day 3: Headed to the Children's Zoo

 At the zoo

 Back at the Ritz, the kids having fun at the pool

Back pain and how I overcame it....

In last few months I have come across a lot of folks talking about back pain, both at work and outside of work. I often find myself asking them if they suffered any accident and so far the answer has always been “no” (which is good). Then I find myself telling them that they can probably overcome it. Of course this leads into more conversation but due to lack of time it never finishes. So I thought I should put this on my blog.

So the story goes back to around 2004 when I had chronic back pain and I started getting some tests done. I had an X-ray done and then an MRI and it turns out I had a bulge in my L4-L5 and a herniation around S1-S2 and that was pinching some nerve and that is what was causing the crazy lower back pain I was experiencing.

Then started a crazy regimen of pain medication, physical therapy, back stretching exercises and better posture training. I suppose with all this going on, I started feeling a little better and then a couple of months passed and again the pain developed and now we are in 2005.

This time whilst talking to other folks going through similar back pain issues I was introduced into the world of chiropractic adjustments!

Then started another regimen of chiropractic treatments, physical therapy and massage!! I really liked going to my chiropractor, it seems they could magically make you feel better with those abnormal adjustments and then the physical therapy after that. Let me also add the physical therapy also included mini neck and back massages which were just amazing! It felt more like going to a spa in pain and coming out refreshed. This went on for a few months till my insurance would no longer support it for that year L

At the end of 2005 I was feeling better than before but the pain kept lingering and on top of that I found out that I was expecting. So in January 2006 the pain overtook me and I was put on bed rest for a couple of weeks. Since I was expecting there was no medication to be had, no X-rays or MRIs to be done and most doctors would not recommend me continuing with my chiropractic treatments.

It was around third week of January’06 Anurag left me a copy of

Healing Back Pain by Dr. Sarno by the bed side. I opened the book and started reading……

 

That was the day and here we are today, after two children who are 6 and 3, I am pretty much free of  back pain without any medication or physical therapy or chiropractic treatments or back strengthening exercises or better posture or you name it! 

In a nutshell this is what Dr. Sarno says and what I have come to believe:

• You back is one of the most resilient organs of your body, do not doubt it, do not think its weak
• The mind is very powerful and it will play tricks on you and most of the pain you feel (that occurred naturally not by some unfortunate accident) is an effort by your mind to repress emotions
• The mind tricks you into not facing repressed emotion by making you focus on pain in the body
• And when the above realization sinks in (you have to believe it and practice it) the pain starts to go away….

I can’t thank Anurag enough and incidentally he got this book for me in 2004 (2 years before I finally read it). Feel free to email me if you have any further questions.

Happy Healing,

Puja

Three days in Paris with the girls.....

On our way back from India, we took a 3 day detour in Paris and it turned out to be quite a trip.

Day 1: Arrival in Paris

 Arrived in Paris around 9:00am, waiting by the train station at the airport after putting the rest of our luggage in the cloak room.

 Stopped by the lovely cafe by our Hotel

 Took the train to the Pont des Arts bridge with the love padlocks, its quite a scene!

Kids enjoying their ice cream by the bridge!

Another view of the Pont des Arts bridge

 Reached the Louvre and the kids loved the glass pyramid and the surrounding area

 We didn't go inside the Louvre this time, we just hung outside with the kids

 Enjoying the waters by the Pyramids

 On the Ferris Wheel ride, looking at the great Paris skyline

 There were various rides and the kids just loved it

Day 2: 8:30am

Started our walk to the basilica at Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre since we were right in the area. Right here was a a lovely carousal ride the kids would not get out off! :)

 Right on the steps of basilica at Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre

 There are still these public telephone booths all over Paris and everytime we would see one, Romy and Roxy would make a few pretend calls. They absolutely loved this.

 Walking towards the Eiffle Tower by early afternoon.

 Right before the Eiffle tower there was another Carousal ride the kids did and then there were these eccentric bikes we all got in.

 Afternoon we reached Jardin du luxembourg

 Had our lunch here in the open besides these fountains at the really nice Italian place

 Nice view of the Jardin du luxembourg

 Another view of Jardin du luxembourg in the evening and headed back to our hotel.

 Day 3: 

Reached the Eiffle tower by 8:30am and waited in line for 3 hours before making our way to the top. Note that if you buy your tickets a day in advance you don't have to wait on such long lines. Anurag was insistent on getting the girls to the top and this really paid off because now they recognize the Eiffle tower very well.

 Views from the top of Eiffle tower were amazing.

In the afternoon we headed to the Center Pompidou so the girls can ride the escalators. Right in front of Center Pompidou enjoying a glass of wine with some snacks.

 Again in front of the Center Pompidou was a really cool art shop, would have spend much more time there but the girls were driving me nuts :)

 Ahh... finally on to the escalator rides, there are about 6 escalator rides before you reach the top and the views from there are breathtaking.

After the escalators ride, enjoyed really delicious gelato ice cream at Amorino. Incidentally this shop is also there in NYC.

 Outside the Center Pompidou there was a man who was making these lovely ballonaimals and things for kids for free!!! Can you believe it. Anurag tipped him and he refused to take the tip. The girls really enjoyed their ballons.

 Made our way to take a trip on the Seine river in the evening.

 On our river cruise Bateaux cruise, it was an awesome boat, very long and sleek with great views wherever you are seated.

2 hour Bateaux cruise coming to an end after seeing some major landmarks like the Notredame.



Au revoir Paris!! A bientot!!

Travel list with kids!

I have always made elaborate lists before traveling anywhere just so I don't forget anything especially when traveling with the kids.
Well, not that it mattered too much since most places I traveled with the girls were kid friendly and I could easily procure what I forgot to get, but nonetheless it somehow was important to NOT forget. And the most important reason I have come to realize for this is the time it saves!

So finally after 5+ years I have decided to keep my list on a spreadsheet that is easily attainable without having to look into folders, emails, paper copies etc.

Feel free to refer to it and create your own. I will of course be updating it after every trip to keep it current (like we never had Ipads before, but now its an essential :))

Click --> Travel with Kids List

Sitting in Kona airport (Hawaii, Big Island) peering through my emails on where we were staying! Hahaha

In pursuit of fashionable & fun handbags!

Hi! today we talk about Rebecca Minkoff, I have really liked her stuff for a while now but have to confess most of it was online so was not really sure of the quality though there have been numerous celebrity citing wearing it at numerous times :)

The leather tassels are a very good touch and one could mistake it for Balenciaga at first sight!

Her big success came in 2005 when she brought the "Morning After Bag", today that is still quite a favorite and comes in some really cool hues, check this out at Nordstrom

I was finally able to see the quality in person this week and was very pleasantly surprised, the basket weave she uses quite bit is done beautifully and also the colors are to die for. See some of my favorite styles:


M.A.C Shoulder bag also available at 
Nordstrom

 Perforated M.A.C clutch available at Zappos in various hues

The Honey Clutch with the lovely tassel with wooden beads. This clutch has enough room for your smart phone, make-up essentials and could also fit a three fold wallet. Absolutely love the weave and would go beautifully with your little black dress!

Available at Zappos