
W R I T E –
My #onelittleword for 2019. For many reasons.
One Little Word 2018
I’ve never been the kind who makes New Year resolutions or writes down goals. Like a true Taurean, I just get on to doing something till I achieve it, or till I realize it’s not meant for me!
This year I was introduced to a new concept by a couple of wonderful bloggers – One Little Word. It is originally a concept of Ali Edwards from Oregon, USA since 2006, who explains the concept very simply as “A single word can be a powerful thing.” (https://aliedwards.com/one-
I see it as one word or theme to live your year and your life by – be it in your relationships, be it at work or home, be it with your projects, be it with your goals, etc. The word should inspire and motivate you to keep moving towards something better.
I saw some fellow UAE Mom Bloggers come up with some wonderful ideas for their own words for 2018 and it got me thinking what is the one thing lacking in me?
It’s amazing how children learn so much by watching and observing their parents,but what’s even more special is how parents can learn to see everything in a new light when they are with their children.
Every new experience for the child, becomes a new experience for the parents too, as they get to learn a different way of exploring and dealing with things.
Dear A
Today, on your 5th birthday, I’m not going to tell you how much I love you…you already know that. I’m not going to tell you about the man I wish for you to become, there is time for that.
I once read somewhere:
“Do not forget to wish your mom on your birthday, its one of the most special days of her life”
My son, A, had been to Mattel Playtown in Citywalk, Dubai on a school trip with his friends, and couldn’t stop talking about it for days to come. They went for a short while, and they caught Barney and his team in action, but he missed seeing his current favorites – Bob, the Builder and Fireman Sam. I had promised him we would definitely be making a trip to Playtown with his little brother, P during the summer break.
Mattel Playtown has 5 diferent themed zones, dedicated to different characters, namely, Barney, Bob the builder, Thomas and Friends, Fireman Sam and Angelina Ballerina. Each zone has different activities based on the different characters, mainly helping with developing motor skill and social skills. There is a stage where the different characters come on to sing, dance and interact with their little audience.
So on a Thursday afternoon, my two super excited boys and I, went to Mattel Playtown! To save time, we bought our tickets online. We got our entry wrist bands from the reception and proceeded to the first floor, where we were just in time to catch Bob the Builder live in action, on the centrestage.
Nothing like a rainbow-themed craft to brighten up a summer afternoon at home. We are always looking for new ways to keep us busy and away from screen-time during the long summer months at home. If, like us, you are not travelling during the summer vacations and need ideas to keep the children constructively entertained and busy indoors, then look no further than here.
June, in Dubai, sees temperatures going up to 40°C and July and August seem like you’re living on the sun itself! We are fortunate enough to be able to spend most of our time indoors with air conditioning. The summer vacations will soon be here and sadly, we will be spending the entire 70-odd days of our summer vacations here in Dubai.
We are going to need a truckload of entertainment to keep an almost 5-year-old and a 2-year-old busy. Entertainment that is not screen-time and gadget related. Entertainment that can be constructive play, leading to brain development – development and exercise of both the right and left sides, i.e, creative and rational sides of the brain.
I love pictures. Not so much taking them or being in them, but surely love printing them and putting them in collage frames all over my bedroom. I do get lazy to update the photographs in the frames, but I make sure memories of all major events and milestones have their space on the walls all over the house.
My elder son, A, loves being read to and his favorite book is a compilation of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse stories. If it were up to him, I would only read stories from that book to him, day and night.
One of the stories in the book is “Up, Up and Away”, where Mickey Mouse and his friends go on a hot air balloon adventure. The story teaches children about shapes and shadows – how they are created and how they change during different times of the day.
It had been almost 4 years since I last went on a holiday. The main reason we hesitated over the last year or so, was that my younger son was less than 2 years old, and keeping him entertained while away from home would be a task. My elder son really wanted to experience a flight and the taking-off and landing.
I had heard of a lot of people travelling to Georgia lately and knew it appealed to a lot of friends as it was free entry for Indians living in the UAE.
So, in March 2017, we decided to plan a short trip for the spring break, and Georgia was on of the places that stood out due to lack of time for Visa application procedures. We did all our airline and hotel bookings less than a week before departure! That left me with very less time to pack for the kids and us, keeping in mind that it was quite cold in Georgia. My sister-in- law was going along with us too, and my elder son was really excited for the whole trip.