Life in our Mothers Womb

How I really wish we could recall every second of our life inside our mother’s womb and understand the emotions I went through while I came out of that safe haven. I have always felt amazed when I see pictures of baby’s in the womb.

I have always wanted to know how my mother felt when she got to know that she was pregnant. I am 26 years old now and when I asked my mom recently about her pregnancy days, but she couldn’t recall much. It was upsetting. But I guess, at that time, at least Indian mothers never knew the advantages of keeping a pregnancy journal.

A pregnancy journal is the best way to keep track of all the changes that you go through on your way to motherhood. It also helps you keep a record of the kind of diet you followed, how much of weight you put on in each trimester, detailed report of your scans and medications, your belly growth. In addition to that you can also keep track of when you felt the first movement, the first kick, the happiness you felt when you felt the first kick, your husband’s reaction on hearing the news and your family’s reaction.

Keeping track of your pregnancy helps you remember and recollect those days any time you want to. In the same way when your children ask you about their early years, you will be able to explain things to them. It is always good to keep a journal for your children, this will help them learn more about themselves and their surroundings. They will learn to love the small things in life and appreciate each day.

Fill your journal with lots of pictures with each stage of your pregnancy, this will add more life to your journal and it will also be a learning experience for your children. In case you are thinking on how to make your pregnancy a lively experience, start recording it. Have a great pregnancy.

Planning with a Planner

Like i mentioned in my previous post about YouTube inspirations. I came across a brand call Erin Condren Life Planners. I got so fascinated by them that i went through almost all the videos that spoke of one.

There were a few things that caught my eye while watching each video. I like everything from their packaging to their changeable covers to their lovely stickers provided at the back. In short I just loved it.

This is how the outer cover and the coil looks. This planner is available in various Editions. They have classic life planners, foil life planners, quote life planner and sorority life planners. Each of these have distinct covers which can be changed. You can order for a cover change as well as select from their bundle offers and carry all clutch. Its totally up to how you want your done.

The quotes that they offer are really inspiring. I totally loved this one:

I also liked the color and the space that they have provided in each of their pages. it gives you a lot of space to create and write into. I really loved the way people used washi tapes, stickers, stamps, color pens and various other medium to decorate their planner. Its very inspiring. I loved the planner videos by Belinda Selene, hers was the best on YouTube. She has done total justice to Erin Condren.

   

Look at the way people have transformed their EC Planner pages into life. The coil is very strong and the planner comes with an elastic band which helps keep the planner intact while we carry it around with you.

I am planning to get one for myself soon. I am totally in love with it and I know this will keep me going.

To know more about these planners and to get one for yourself, check:  https://www.erincondren.com/life-planners

KEEPING MEMORIES ALIVE

I wasn’t much of a journal person till the end of 2014. I felt like I was forgetting a lot of details about my life and found it difficult to recall events and conversations involved. So, as a New Year resolution I decided to start off with writing down each day’s event. In the beginning I had these sudden urge to stop, but I was determined to go on. I went through YouTube for inspiration and I was shocked to see how beautifully people cherished each memory and that has really helped me stay on track.

I like the confidence people show by starting their own blog or vlog. It made me want to express my own ideas to people who are looking out for inspiration. I started my WordPress blog as a part this venture.

Writing down each day’s events and all the inspirations that you have had is a best way to keep your ideas intact. When you look back into them in the future, your past lessons will both be a reminder and warning of the do’s and don’ts in your life.

The beginning of this year started off with a blast, it was my brother’s wedding and I wanted to cherish each moment of my time with my family. The festive season and the wedding brought the whole family together, yet again. It’s been a long time since all of us celebrated Christmas and New Year together, the wedding was a good enough reason for the reunion.

Adding up pictures actually makes the events more lively and colourful. You could also use washi tapes to give the journal entry a much more attractive look. What I realised was that the pictures, stickers and washi tape helped in increasing my enthusiasm to keep writing each day.

So, if you’re having second thoughts about journaling, then don’t. It’s never too late to start one. Once you start off, there will be even more reasons to continue.

A VISIT TO AL RAWABI DAIRY FARM

I have been really looking forward to this day. We have been making plans to visit the farm since last year and finally  on 31 May 2014 we got the opportunity to see it and experience its beauty.

The Farm is located in Al Khawaneej and visitors are allowed to take a tour of the farm on Saturdays. You can book your visit on their website. You can go with your car till the very entrance and park them there. Once you enter inside, they take you around the farm in their minivan/bus. It’s fun when you go along with a group of friends or family. The farm is really clean and smells of cows obviously….it’s a farm, it wouldn’t smell of roses…

The first area we visited was where the pregnant cows are taken care of; they are placed in a well grilled and neat area and have blowers that spray droplets of water along with air to keep the cows feeling cool. The second spot was where the cows to deliver were taken care of. Then they took us to see the new borns and their mother….cute is the only word to describe the new borns. In between we got to see the cows pass through a shower before they went in for milking and it looked so cool. Then we were taken to see where the calves are taken care of; they are put in separate grilled areas, one small area per calf, away from their mothers. Around 50 calves are born per day. So imagine the growth of the farm.

They breed Holstein cows which give about 6 – 7 gallons/ 30 litres of milk each day. They have 15,000 cows approx. and the number is growing each day. The company was founded in 1989 i.e. 25 years of loyal service and still growing. Their products are available across all GCC countries and their products are loved by people belonging to all ages. They not only cater to dairy products but are a major producer of fresh juices. They have more than 14 flavoured juices in the market and are still creating juices that tickle our taste buds. I just love their juices and nutree boost (a good breakfast drink).

The guide told us that these cows are split into groups of 40 cows each and have a leader assigned to them. They go in groups for milking and follow their leader without any other guidance. It’s a wonder to see them walk in line and stand in perfect rows to be milked. The whole milking process takes about 10 minutes that includes, lining up, sterilizing, fixing of the milking instrument, milking, removal of the instrument, sterilizing and their release time. We are allowed to see the milking process and it’s a real sight.

Al Rawabi also caters to Camel milk and they have a separate unit for the same. We couldn’t visit the area, but were promised to be taken there on our next visit. The best time to visit the farm is during winters. It’s really hot and humid here now so we didn’t really take an interest in going around too far. Each plant is located at different points so, you have to keep shuttling around. In winters there are no problems, but summers are terrible. To know more about them you could visit their website http://www.alrawabidairy.com/

If you happen to visit Dubai or already live here, be sure to visit the farm. You and your family will truly enjoy and cherish every moment of it.

DIY Projects

I am just going crazy over the various DIY Projects that are available in YouTube. I must also say that I have become an addict to both YouTube and DIY’s. They are so easy to do and you can up-cycle and recycle with the materials that are available at home. This makes creating stuffs cheaper and fun.  That’s why people say creativity knows no limits and it’s so true. Talent just does not look at age or international boundaries. It’s just people with similar ideas coming together.

I have always had a love for craft and today when I see the DIY projects, I can see the limitless opportunities that are there in this particular area. My mom always says that I have an eye for creating stuff and it’s so true…

I just regret the fact that it took me so long to find out about these DIY. It might be due to the fact that I hate to wait for YouTube videos to buffer. I am patient when it comes to making stuff but not for video buffering.

I saw these really cool notes on the go… I have plans to make them. If it comes out well I shall surely put up instructions on how to go about making it. I shall add a picture of the one I saw online. This is for you to get an idea of how it looks. This can be attached to your bags, purse, key chain, etc.

I am in a kind of frenzy now; I imitated a few of the bookmarks that can be made at home. I tried it with plain white paper. Need to buy the colorful ones. Once I have made the colorful ones, I shall surely upload pictures for you to see. It’s good to gift people personalized stuff and DIY is just the way to spread the love…

Seriously, you should try them…they are exciting and you’re gonna love it !!!

CAKES

They always say that life is too short to enjoy all the good things. Every happy occasion is filled with sweet dishes. The most unavoidable of it all are ‘CAKES’.  In the olden days, cream cakes were a sign of luxury. The bigger the cake the more prestigious it was deemed to be. In the yesteryear’s we never had much choices, it was the same old design and flavor. But today we have ‘N’ number of flavors and designs to choose from.

We have bakery’s and people who cater to all our occasions and people who bake cakes themed according to each celebration and also those that go with each season.  This makes having a cake a must for every special occasion of our lives.

There are a lot of things to decide on first, before we order a cake. The flavour of the sponge we want like say dark chocolate, white chocolate, vanilla, pineapple, mango, strawberry, etc. Secondly, the weight of the cake and the size and shape you like it to be. The icing on the cake is what makes it look attractive. You have a few options for the icing, like fresh cream, sugar and butter.  Then the kind of decoration you want on it, the fruits, flowers, colour, design and the options are endless.

When we search for images of cakes, in order to get a similar one baked, one gets surprised by the variety cakes that people have baked. It’s just amazing how the creativity of a baker takes life in these cakes.  So be it a birthday, a wedding, a christening, or simply for happiness, there is nothing better than cakes to spread the love.

Cakes are loved by people of all ages and it does make us feel special and we could make others feel special too by gifting it to them. It’s not really necessary that we need a real occasion to cut a cake. You can make any ordinary day special by cutting a cake with your loved ones. So spread the love by buying and cutting cakes. It really brings life to a dull day. Cheers !!!

Burj Khalifa…Tallest Man Made Structure…

Like I had mentioned earlier, Dubai has been my home forever. I have seen it grow right in front of me and i have always felt like a proud mother when it comes to speaking about Dubai and it various developments and attractions. One can never forget the Visionary rulers of Dubai as its their dream and hard work that has brought Dubai to the top.

Today when you look at Dubai, one can never deem it to be a desert. It has been transformed into a perpetual paradise. The Burj Khalifa, previously known as Burj Dubai was a project all of us residents watched and waited for anxiously. The amount of planning and hard labour can been seen in the end result. Today people from all across the globe come and visit this amazing glass structure.

When the project was announced initially, people had their doubts, but we trusted the visions of the Leaders. That trust is what stands 829.8m (2722 ft.) tall surrounded by a beautiful park which has been designed after a desert flower called the Hymenocallis.

The Burj Khalifa is home to restaurants, night club, offices, residential apartments, swimming pools and you name it, they have it. It has earned a lot of laurels for itself and there is no doubting it.

The Dubai Fountain is an attraction that is located right next to the Burj Khalifa and is one of the most sought after tourist destination in the country. As the sun falls, the shows begin and it takes place every half an hour.

This is located right beside one of the biggest shopping malls in the country called the Dubai Mall. This mall is home to the most popular brands from around the world and is a one stop destination for all the luxuries and cravings of this world.

At the Top, is the observatory desk located on the 124^th floor of the Burj, where we view most of Dubai and have an ariel view of this buzzing town.

 

The most stunning attraction of the Burj Khalifa is its fireworks. It is a real treat to the eyes. It’s amazing to see the way they set the fireworks on the sides of the building, right from top to bottom. It’s the highest New Year display and there is not yet another who can break this record.

If you ever make plans to visit Dubai, and witness all these amazing attractions, try spending a New Year’s eve here in the city that never sleeps.

To know more about Burj Khalifa:-  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Khalifa

 

Dubai…A City of Light and Life…

Dubai has been my home forever and I totally love the life here. It is a city that is home to people belonging to different nationalities. Its multicultural diversities is a real treat. Dubai is a part of the United Arab Emirates and plays a major role in the economic activities of the country. It is a major tourist destination and its forever changing. I started living here since 1994 and I have watched Dubai grow with me. The tallest building at that time was the Trade Center which was located at the beginning of the Shk. Zayed Road and after that it was just a few buildings here and there, But today it is filled with skyscrapers on both sides. Sometimes it feels like a mini New York. In the earlier days the public transport availability was minimal, but today Metro has become a real blessing to the residents of the U.A.E. Today whenever I fly out of Dubai I always have a sinking feeling within. I always pray that I can get back sooner. If you ask me to speak of Dubai and the life here, I don’t think one blog would be enough to finish all I have to say. In my next entries I will be speaking to you more about Dubai.