True Essence of Ghee: Tale of Ghee-Making at Home and Everything Else in-between

Some things never change and for me, one of the constants is my love for Ghee in Food.

I am a Marwari, from Rajasthan where the superfood “Ghee” is extensively used in traditional dishes like Dal Baati Churma and rich sweets, etc. Ghee is far beyond the sum of its nutritive parts—it is as personal as it is political. Its appearance, flavor, aroma, and texture all tell diverse stories which are at once indicative of culture, cuisine, region, and at the same time also deeply personal like “secret” recipes passed down generationally in family kitchens. Today more than ever, as we consume “Ghee rich Food” we are rarely ever just consuming “energy” or “calories,” we are also consuming a certain culture, partaking in heritage, and creating food memories.

In this blog, I explore food memories of my mother making homemade ghee as it is referred to in Hindi, to suggest what its cooking process and consumption can tell us, and also how we could use Ghee for several other purposes.

Amongst my most vivid but also polarizing food memories of childhood are fresh ghee being cooked at home and my mother busy managing the process.

The process of ghee-making was an everyday affair wherein the fresh cream (known as malai in Hindi; that rose to the top of freshly boiled milk was removed and put in a separate bowl every day over the course of several weeks. When the bowl was filled with enough cream, up to the top after two or sometimes three weeks, it would be removed for the ghee-making process.

The process was very well managed by my mother, and I also wanted to follow the same traditional method for Ghee preparation for my family consumption. Being a working mother with tough working schedules, I was on the lookout for something pure, fresh, homemade, hygienic, and most importantly free from any preservative or any sort of commercial preparations.

As for me, usage of Ghee is not limited to food preparations to increase immunity or digestion but for various other purposes like skin care moisturizer for skin, lips, and heels. I sometimes apply it on hair as well. Few drops of pure ghee dropped in Nose also do wonders in relieving us from any headaches, migraines, etc.

Finally, my quest of finding the right “Ghee” brand for my family ended and I started doing all my food preparations with “Health Vitals” A2 Pure Ghee.  Traditionally prepared with utmost hygiene, homemade, perseverative-free, could be one of the best offerings for your family.

From small beginnings come great things and am sure with Health Vitals A2 pure Ghee you will realize the benefits of adding “Pure Ghee” to your diet. So, kindly book your orders/pre-orders at the below link/contacts to get your freshly prepared Health Vital Ghee at your doorstep.

Website: http://healthvitals.in

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hvitals/

Watsapp: https://api.whatsapp.com/send/?phone=919321856544&text&app_absent=0

 

 

How to motivate child to read?

“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” – Margaret Fuller

We all have some of the other special memories of the books that have motivated us and have learned the profound effect that reading the right book can have at the right moment.

Books have immense power to transition us to new worlds and different time zones, but they can also take us back to the important moments in our own lives. From building our vocabulary to help reduce our stress, preventing age-related cognitive decline, and increasing our ability to empathize, reading books is one of the simplest and soothing ways to look after our mind, body, and soul.

Books play a quintessential role in everyone's life by introducing them to a world of imagination, providing knowledge of the outside world, improving their reading, writing, and speaking skills as well as enhancing our memory and wisdom.

There are multiple ways that books make difference in our lives — they give us a glimpse of how other people live & respond to things happening around us, they broaden our views, mold our thoughts on politics and social issues, they show us how to become better with a better perspective and sometimes help us to navigate through any loneliness we may feel in our lives.

If you think a little more about it, you will realize that all the stories in the world are essentially made up of standard 26 letters. The letters are always the same, only their combinations vary. From letters, words are formed, from words sentences, from sentences chapters, and from chapters stories.

We all live in the same world, but we see it through different filters. Life is enriched when we come alongside others and genuinely attempt to see life from their perspective. A book gives us the opportunity to experience life through another lens.

Reading has been shown to put our brains into a pleasurable trance-like state, like meditation, and it brings the same health benefits of deep relaxation and inner calm. Regular readers sleep better, have lower stress levels, higher self-esteem, and lower rates of depression than non-readers.

While we understand the importance of good reading once we grow, it becomes of utmost importance to introduce reading habits to our children starting from an early age, and below are a few methods which can help them build some interest in good reading.

 For Ages: 2- 5 years

Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten ~ Neil Gaiman

Choose to read either every evening before bed or just after dinner, but make sure you make a daily habit out of reading.

Children know perfectly well that unicorns aren’t real, but they also know that books about unicorns, if they are good books, are true books. My younger one loves to read fairy tales with small stories with incredible illustrations, something like - Aesop's Fables Jumbo Picture Book or books from most beloved author Ruskin Bond. Books with excellent visualization and small entertaining stories can help children develop interests in reading. 

Go for books with augmented reality and 3D concepts. Augmented Reality is truly an amazing idea that literally comes to life as you take a journey like my recent buy on Deep oceans. Was amazed to see the detailed information which kept my child engrossed in the mystical lands of the ocean. Augmented reality is indeed a great way of teaching facts to your children.

For Ages: 5- 7 years

Create a game for the book-Send kids on a treasure hunt, the treasure being a book. Leave clues that lead them around the house to discover it in an unexpected place. The clues could be related to the book as well, its characters, or scenarios just to create some buzz before they start reading it. The magic of discovering a book at the end of the hunt will show your kids how valuable they can be.

Offer books like toys, Have them around the house. Keep one in your bag. If your child is throwing tantrums or dragging on your leg, pull out a book. It won’t always be what they want, but any distraction helps.

Especially puzzle and brain-boosting activity books, they are an amazing gateway for child’s creativity and to channelize their energy. These books include plenty of activities, such as solving mazes, matching the pairs, finding the differences, dot-to-dot, and more. Each activity of these kinds of books promotes the brain development and learning skills of young children

Let them develop their own taste and interests, accept that your kids have different reading tastes. Captain America might not be your interest, but your six-year-old will probably think otherwise.

I often tell my children, read, read, read. read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.

 For Ages: 8- 13 years

Shop together, my elder one and I love to go shopping and then browse the bookshelves.

Gift books and more books: Books are keepsakes that never age like toys and fads do. Wrap up a book or present a gift certificate to a local book shop so the birthday kid can pick his own.

            Lead by example, be around your children and away from gadgets, and get yourself               too involved while they read. In case you are tired and don’t want to pick up any  

             regular book, destress yourself by doing some Mandala Art or some 

             other adult coloring books.

Let us read and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies… the man who never reads lives only one.

I love books. I adore everything about them. I love the feel of the pages on my fingertips. They are light enough to carry, yet so heavy with worlds and ideas. I love the sound of the pages flicking against my fingers. Print against fingerprints. Books make people quiet, yet they are so loud ~Nnedi Okorafor

Last but not least do not push children too much to read, enable them with good books and create the right environment. They themselves would feel motivated and start enjoying reading and exploring more and more books.

Happy Reading!!

Website: Amazon.in: Dreamland Publications

Instagram: Dreamland Publications (@dreamland.publications) • Instagram photos and videos

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Your best T-shirt should be like your bed; it just feels like you are home when you are in it.

                                                                                                                                 - Ashton Kutcher

BAWAAAL – Your one-stop shop for any T-SHIRT design & print. Ranges from exclusive designer ones to bulk prints. Basically, they provide excellent services for any kind of T-Shirt design for an individual as well as bulk orders.

For men, women, and kids they offer a variety of top wear like Tees with or without hoodies, half sleeves, crop, and tank tops for women, etc. are only a few styles to mention what BAWAAAL offers us. Amazed with their variety of theme-based tees, make them stand apart, you name it, and they have that theme from kid unicorn/superhero theme tees to emoji depicting your mood t-shirts, they will read your mind and print on your tee 😊

Another uniqueness @BAWAAAL is that they turn your dream, your imagination on their prints. You can design for yourself and can exactly see how the output would be once it’s been made by using their fabulous design editor, something which is so unique and gives customers to choose, innovate & create according to their needs. One of the best features I have ever seen on any website shows how much they care about the customer’s desire and comfort. Brilliant!

From giving the customers an enterprising experience, absolutely hassle-free, end to end to transforming their dream into their tee design. An online BAWAAAL platform enables customers to design their own tees, order online, and track. An excellent end-to-end experience promised @ BAWAAAL.

Since these days we are all very particular about going for local organic products, BAWAAAL offers a variety of organic stylish T-shirts for your daily or party wear. Extremely skin-friendly, comfortable, and appealing.  Organic cotton is grown without harmful chemicals, leaving the soil, air, and water free from contaminants that cause harm. So obviously, organic cotton that uses a smaller amount of chemicals is better for your skin and for your health. In fact, organic cotton is so safe, it's one of the best materials for your skin.

The best part of these BAWAAAL tees is that they are bio-washed and preshrunk. They provide a variety of services such as individual requirements or Bulk T-Shirt Printing, T-Shirt Customization, T-Shirt Designing, etc.

An ideal gift for weddings, birthdays, or corporate gifting, suitable for demonstrating family or friendship, or relationship goals. BAWAAL welcomes all... men, women, children, siblings, oversize, plus size and customizes their T-shirts based on your choice and convenience.

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Miracle Of Writing Skills

 You can always have an option to edit a bad page but certainly, you cannot edit a blank page.”

― Jodi Picoult

Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until you turn on the faucet and let it flow. Writing is primarily based on one’s learning and intellect which will be judged by the readers. Writing skill enables us with communication and critical thinking skills, it also fosters our ability to explain and refine our ideas to others and ourselves. Writing skills are an extremely important part as it forms the foundation of written communication.

Let’s explore why it is of utmost importance these days to emphasize writing skills for children. With online schooling and exams comprising majorly of MCQ (multiple choice questions), it looks like children have almost forgotten the habit & discipline of writing.

Major reasons as a parent I feel my children should be good in written communication along with verbal public speaking etc.

Reason 1: Emotional Growth – Kids need to start writing early because writing helps to improve emotional growth, develop critical thinking skills, and improve school performance. Kids are also able to showcase their comprehension of super complex concepts with greater ease if they have practiced and mastered their writing skills and continued practicing good handwriting. You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing ordinary perhaps meaningless and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it.

Reason 2: Makes A “Good” Reader – Good writers are good readers. Writing gives a mechanism to voice our inner thoughts and allows us to share them. Writing enables children to master phonics, comprehension, mechanics, developing their voice or perspective, and communicating their perspective or vision to others in a convincing manner backed up with facts and actuals. Eventually, it could help them in technical writing for their thesis, book, or any advanced knowledge sharing.

Reason 3: Increases Analytical Skills – Writing helps to improve analytical or problem-solving skills. Regular writing & practicing will surely help students to become quicker at constructing sentences, conveying opinions precisely, and exploring tone of voice. These are all very useful skills for the workplace once they will grow and take up jobs etc. The first draft is as simple and easy as if you are telling yourself the story. It’s only between you and that writing piece that lets you analyze and connect.

Reason 4: Improves Communication & Understanding -Writing is important in everyday life be it school or college or corporate because it enhances your communication, boosts your idea sharing, opens multiple opportunities for you to earn or grow in your occupation and aspirations, promotes career development, appreciates others, expands skill sets, and simplifies evaluation. Writing skills are an important part of communication. Enhanced writing skills allow you to communicate your message with clarity and ease to a far larger audience than through face-to-face or telephone conversations. I work for a corporate and email writing & business writing are must-have skills for any employee to sustain in the organization.

Reason 5: Helps in creating Impact & Influence – Good writing needs to have a logical structure to make sense to a reader. Your ability to organize sentences and paragraphs in the most appealing & attractive way to influence how others perceive you and understand the point of your writing. The primary reason for writing anything is to begin your communication with others, to stimulate interest or action from the reader. You may also use writing to help you to reflect on your experiences, share and learn from them or guide others. When we write, therefore, we are either writing for ourselves to share our beliefs and experiences or we are writing for others who want to share their part of the story with the world.

Reason 6: Helps in Relaxing – Writing gives form to your ideas and gets them out of your head, freeing up bandwidth and preventing you from crashing or feeling demotivated. Writing important ideas down relieves you from the stress of losing your thoughts to time or an overcrowded mind. For me, writing is a form of meditation and helps me to vent out my anger, frustration, or pain, whatsoever on a piece of paper. Thus, making me calm and rejuvenating myself to conquer the world again. There could not be any greater pain than bearing an untold story inside you. So, just pick up a pen and start writing. Be it a student or grown-up adult, we all have our challenges, frustrations, or aspirations which we would not like to share with anyone, it’s always better to write them on paper or diary.

“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”

— Franz Kafka

Read More at : Miracle of Writing Skills - KiddosCart

All that I am, or ever hope to be, I owe to my mother....

This famous quote from Abraham Lincoln precisely defines my feelings for my mother, not today, but every day I live or wish to live...

Exactly a year back I started my own blog site on her birthday, with all your blessings, love, and regular feedbacks had a fantastic last year where I could see my passion, dream getting realized into reality. So, heartfelt gratitude to all of you, who encouraged & motivated me to dream and achieve bigger and better...

From writing and promoting blogs for more than 25 Top brands including Little Fingers, Urban Clap, Schwarzkopf, Edu Fun, Soul Essential, Pickled Delights to hosting & anchoring big events and LIVE shows, last year was simply incredible and fulfilling.

While I continue to seek for more opportunities, the journey is never-ending. There will always be growth, improvement, adversity. I continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.

The response I received for my first blog on my mother was overwhelming. Not only did I get amazing reviews, but that blog also helped me win a few Mother’s Day contests too 😊. Maybe it resonated with many and was relatable in many ways.

My first blog for her primarily spoke about how things began for me with her blessings, be it my school/college life, corporate or married life. However, today I would like to pen down the teachings from her which made me survive and sustain successfully in all roles. Thus, a mother is for sure the beginning, but she is the one with you in the journey too.

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts  

Lesson #1: Discipline & Proactiveness

My mother is a multi-tasker, from taking the best care of us, doing the job and household chores. She always managed to keep the house neat, clean, and organized.  I learned from her to do things proactively and never leave things pending or for the last moment.

How has this learning help me & my children?

It is 15+ years for me to work with a top MNC, my zeal and quest to learn new every day has only and only increased. It is because I don’t keep my work pending, I always have the bandwidth to take up more and be on top of my game.

My children are also in one of the best schools here and at this young age, they never default on any assignments or any homework.

They are very clear on their priorities and plan their day well. None of us need reminders to finish our priority tasks. A genetic habit we all have inherited 😊  

Lesson #2:  Mental Strength to deal with negativity – Self Respect

“Don't blow off another's candle for it won't make yours shine brighter”

She always inspired me with her strength and agility. Be it changing our places frequently as part of Army life or today when she is her own best friend. Trust me her journey has not been easy but the way she fights back amazes me just every day.  

How has this learning helped me & my children?

She will always encourage and inspire me, the days I would feel low or depressed, her positivity, her assurances, and her smile reenergize me and help in focusing back on my real goals and happy life.

Her ability to turn negatives to positives is another art to learn, she only and only focuses on positive and clearly cuts any negativity around her. She is happy and wants to be happy and thus she chooses only to be surrounded by happy and good people.

She often tells me that, “Let the improvement of yourself keep you so busy that you have no time to criticize others”

And her positive affirmations & inner strength help me to focus only on the best things which life has offered.

Lesson #3: Honesty & Harmony

I have never seen my mother cheating anyone, cheating not only in terms of monetary benefits, etc. I have never seen her disrespecting or disregarding people unless it goes beyond her self-respect.

Full of love, kindness, generosity, and harmony, have only felt her love, affection, and blessings for all.

How does this learning help me & my children?

To be kind and loving is not an act but a habit. We all meet and greet people with warmth and love. I tell my children to be kind and compassionate and value the blessings we have.

Judgment prevents us from seeing the good in people, it might be destroyed in the end, but the lessons you learn building it will not. However, we all should stand for ourselves when required and avoid getting taken for granted.  

Lesson #4:  Joy of giving

She is part of multiple NGOs and social service groups, her charity, and donations for the poor in building hospitals, schools, etc. have been acknowledged by a few prestigious groups and she continues to contribute and give back to society in whichever way she can. Truly inspiring!

How does this learning help me & my children?

Well, not much right now in this space, however, I too continue to address a lot of women and parenting forums and share my blessings with fellow women and try to help them in my capacity by either counseling or connecting them with like-minded women, etc. I am a key speaker at multiple IWD events in my organization and feels good to help people around. As for sure, what you give, come back manifolds and amount of love and motivation I get, am very sure of this practice and experience “joy of giving”.

To sum up, wishing her another year full of happiness, good health, and prosperity.

A heartfelt wish from a loving daughter to a mother, who proudly flaunts her name which has you, who proudly flaunts herself as she has you!!

 Follow me on instagram.com\abhrekha

Pickled Delights: King of Pickles!!

  

Daal, rice, Pappad and some achaar (pickle) is a food combo that we would always crave for as it is ‘heavenly’!

Or even some yummy, buttery parathas paired with some curd and pickle will do just fine on any given day.

Personally, there is not a single version of pickle I don’t love and relish. People close to me know my cravings for pickles all the time with all kinds of food.

Pickled Delights are known for adding a distinct taste to the food items and have unique aroma while the peppery and spicy range of pickle serves as a flavor enhancer and is consumed in small quantities with meals. They are one of the best quality homemade pickles in India today made of pure ingredients and lots of love, am sure they would make you nostalgic and bring back your childhood memories of your dadi or nani ke haath ka achaar😊

KARONDA pickle reminded me my school days when we used to eat them outside our school. The same tasty karonda blended with spices, mustard oil serves as an ultimate treat to have with rotis or any bread.

However, my ultimate mid night binge is “Ultimate Aam” prepared in classic Punjabi style, the king of fruits will surely rule your taste buds and your hearts!

Mirch Mango surprise is one of the finest and tastiest flavors, prepared exclusively with Bhavnagri chilli’s stuffed with tangy grated mango & assorted spices offers great taste and adds on lot of goodness to your regular food.

Health benefits

·        Eating fermented foods may help with everything from insulin resistance to inflammation.

Rasila Nimbu with no added oil and sugar, works as an excellent digestive aid priced at 250/- a jar.

Alternatively, Khatta meetha nimbu is also a unique pickle without any oil or any preservatives helps in digestion, the ingredients include jaggery, assorted spices & herbs.

·        Pickles that are not fermented still deliver the benefits of vinegar, spices, and cucumbers. Drinking pickle juice has become a trend because of touted benefits related to muscle cramps, weight loss, diabetes, and more.

·        Pickle juice is also a favorite of those following a ketogenic diet, who might need more sodium to manage electrolyte balance.

·        Pickles can boost your intake of antioxidants. The natural antioxidants found in all fruits and vegetables help in the fight against free radicals.

·        Cooking any food can break down heat sensitive nutrients, including antioxidants. Pickling raw vegetables and fruits preserves their antioxidant power.

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Soul Essentials: Our De-Stress Default Associate

 

 

                          Soul Essentials: Our De-Stress Default Associate

You owe yourself the love that you so freely give others. Sometimes we just need to take a little time for ourselves. A day of pampering totally brings back that youthful glow. Make at least some time daily for your well-being. Almost everyone is keeping busy these days maintaining both your personal and professional life and excel at handling both. That’s why taking care of yourself and pampering yourself shouldn’t be last on the list – you must find time to do it and feel the difference.

People often ask me how do I manage household chores, office work, children, and my hobbies?

Well, I don’t have an exact answer to it but yes, I try to keep myself relaxed and motivated.

And after a long tiring day I usually rejuvenate by indulging into a warm bath or foot soak with aromatic bath & soak salts which have the goodness of all the natural ingredients and help relax & nourish my body and soul. These magical bath Epsom salts bottles, when added in little quantities in water helps in detoxification, pain management, de-stressing etc.   

 

While these bath and soak salts bring lots of freshness and gives you an absolute surreal experience, their whipped cream soaps are an ultimate treat to your eyes and body. They are so beautiful and look so tempting that its hard not to feel to eat them 😊

 

Soul Essential’s special handmade foaming cream is made with all nutritious butter infused with skin polishing formulae that helps in making the skin smooth and soft. it's a great alternative to handmade soaps if you prefer a more of a mousse consistency. They also help remove dead skin cells and Improves the appearance of fine lines and blemishes. And helps clear your pores & marks keeping the skin moisturized and hydrated.

Skincare is an extremely important part of self-care. Taking care of your skin is more important than covering it up with make up or any other cosmetics, as they might temporarily make you look beautiful but in turn would cause enormous harm and damage to your real skin.

As said, Filters are great, but great skin looks better any day.

 

Highly recommended soul_esseential’s luxury bathing products for all ages for all skin types.

Their exclusive collection for men soaps , kids collection, cold pressed soaps are not be missed.

Their antiseptic, antibacterial properties & other ingredients promises healthy & glowing skin.

 

       “Nurture & Take Care of your skin, you will wear it every day for rest of your life”

One of the best ways for corporate gifting and making every woman feel special!

 

Instagram :

Luxury bathing products (@soul_essential_) • Instagram photos and videos

 

 

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