Tag: blog chatter

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All about Simple nail care

As much as we do the skincare and hair care, when it comes to hands and nails , they always take the back seat.
Most people opt for manicures or pedicures only at the salon. Not sure if it because of the lack of time, or not willing to invest in the products. I do not comment on it, but getting it done is what matters.


Life came to a standstill with the pandemic, salons closing and a major setback for people because their now at their own risks for hair cut, spas, pedicure and manicure. With that said, taking care of yourself in terms of skin, hair and nails isn’t a big deal if you are willing to spend some time for it.

When it comes to nail care, we commonly find two sets of people. People who can do manicure with closed eyes and people who do not know the difference between the cuticle and the half-moons. No matter whichever category you belong to, here are tips that make nail care easy.

DO NOT BITE NAILS
Though most people do it out of stress or being tensed, biting nails just as we learnt in primary school isn’t a great habit. We are either directly feeding on the germs from the nails and spoiling the nails which already had a good manicure. In short to avoid it, you could maybe cut it out immediately once it grows big, have a peer signal you when you are about to bite. Nails do not taste great anyway.

MOISTURISE

Dish washing, sanitizing, using hand washes frequently wipe of the natural oils from nails. It makes the nails brittle, crack and split. The best way to moisture is to use baby cream or vaseline. Just massage the nails until the cream is absorbed.

LENGTH RECONSIDERATION

Nails that chip along edges or are stripping of at the tips need to be reconsidered for length. If you are someone who does daily chores like dish washing , peeling I hate to break it, it is difficult to manage with long nails. You could maybe reconsider the length to a level just above the finger that can be manageable.

NO CUTICLE REMOVAL

Cuticles signify the nail health, so do not break the barrier, It can easily lead to inflammation. Cuticles protect your nails from infection and removing them can cause nail infection for a longer duration. You can invest in a cuticle oil to take care of your nails.

WEAR GLOVES

In case you use harsh soaps for cleaning, be it the house or vessels, make sure you wear gloves when you touch the detergent. Harsh chemicals might prove bad for nail health. Also make sure to wear gloves so that your nails do not chip when your either cleaning or gardening.

EAT WELL

A well balanced diet is very much necessary for overall body maintenance including your nails. A healthy diet can guarantee you healthy nails which are supple. Vegetables, whole grains, seeds, legumes and nuts when included in diet regularly help in producing nutrient rich blood which help in boosting mail health.

DO NAIL FILING IN ONE DIRECTION

People naturally tend to file nails in back and forth motion. What actually needs to be done is doing it in a one direction motion. Doing it in back and forth makes the edges rough.

DO NOT PEEL GEL NAILS
When you want to remove gel nail polish from nails, do not peel them off. They will strip the nail off and also the natural oils. They might even lead to brittle nails. Make sure you soak them with acetone and a cotton ball to remove the polish.

LEAVE THEM POLISH FREE

Once a while leave the nails polish free cause they need their breathing space. If nails turn yellow or are being very brittle, the nails signal you to give them some polish free time.
So go polish free for about a week or two, give the nails a good massage. Once they turn healthy you can resume to applying nail polishes.

SIMPLE NAIL CARE ROUTINE

  • Remove nail polish with remover.
  • File the nails.
  • Push the cuticles back
  • Cleanse the nails.Wash the hands thoroughly. Pat dry. Use acetone to remove any moisture.
  • Apply base coat.
  • Apply two coats of nail polish.
  • Clean the area around nails
  • Apply the top coat.
  • Apply hand cream

I hope the above tips and routine might make it easier to manage nails in our busy lives.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE –
@Sindhu Vinod Narayan. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sindhu Vinod Narayan (Thatmadrasmom) with the right and specific direction to the original content.

This post is a part of Blogchatter ‘Half Marathon.’ 

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Irresistibly lipsmacking recipes for toddlers #myfriendalexa

Toddlers are little humans who are just getting to know the world around them. Food, people, surroundings are what they start exploring with.

Looking around people analysing their behaviour from what they talk , do and eat always fascinates them. They try imitating and feel happy doing it.

Have you eve noticed the toddler demanding to eat like an adult. Yes they feel kind of accomplished or superior if their demand is fulfilled .

Quite often us adults are in a way responsible for the way they eat and also reject foods. Since I already told you they love to imitate this is not only in normal behaviour but also seen when choosing what to eat.

Junk foods , ready to eat, fried foods, food containing maida gain more popularity through media and their peers. Kids also demand getting these at home.

I will not say that we should right away reject or deny. See of you are able to give in to them, but as a healthy option that you are able to offer.

Here are two recipes that never go wrong and I tell you that your toddlers would want you making this on demand frequently.

UPMA CHEESE BALLS

Upma cheese balls

Upma is most often a less looked upon option for tiffen especially by the spouses and the kids. With this recipe below I’m sure that they will trouble you to make upma here on.

Ingredients

  • Upma – 1/2 cup (100gm)
  • Besan / chickpea flour- needed to coat the balls. Say a 100gm
  • Cheese cubes -2
  • Salt- as needed
  • Oil for frying

You could alternatively do an air fry as well.

METHOD

  1. Make upma into balls but adding little ghee so that it’s easier to mould them as balls. I generally use semolina upma. You could also alternatively try with poha/vermicelli upma.
  2. Cut cheese cubes into bite sized pieces and place inside the upma balls.
  3. Make a batter of besan,salt and water . You could add pepper if you need spice. I’ve not because the upma already has enough spice. Make sure the batter is of dripping consistency.
  4. Heat oil in a wok. Add the besan coated balls and fry until golden brown.
  5. They could be had with tomato ketchup, mayonnaise or even hung curd.

You could also air fry them, as I had mentioned above. In that case you could coat them with bread crumbs post the besan batter coating. Leave for a while and then fry.

BUN PIZZA

Bun pizza on tawa

Kids often get tempted seeing the variety of pizzas shown on TV. More or less during dine in I’ve seen more of wastage when parents order pizza as per the kids choice. You could try the below method at home to make bun sized pizza. It’s satisfactory to the kid and also easy on your pockets. Most importantly it’s home cooked so you needn’t worry about hygiene.

Ingredients

  • Bun – 2
  • Cheese slices -2
  • Cheese cube -2
  • Mix veggies – onion tomato capsicum and baby corn
  • Pizza spice – 2 tbsp
  • Tomayo ketchup -2 tbsp
  • Oil as per need
  • Butter for toasting
  • Salt and pepper- as per taste

METHOD

  1. Add oil in a pan, saute all the veggies together . Season with salt and pepper. They only need to be half cooked.
  2. Add butter to the same pan and toast the outer brown side of the bun.
  3. Once toasted, apply tomato ketchup to the inner side.
  4. Place the cheese slice on top of the ketchup layer.
  5. Now arrange the veggies on top.
  6. Sprinkle pizza spice or individually sprinkle chilli flakes and oregano.
  7. Close with lid and cook until cheese melts.
  8. I bet you will never look to place an order for pizza.
  9. You could also play with toppings as you like it.

Do try these recipes and let me know in comments. This is my first recipe post. I’d be happy to take feedback.

I’m taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter’s #MyFriendAlexa.

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Review of Our Song by Milan Vohra

BLURB
‘People will leave. Even the good ones do. The music will stay.’ This is what life has taught Ragini. A struggling music composer who left the world of Hindustani classical music in Delhi to do her own kind of music in Bangalore, Ragini is impulsive, emotional and often a little lost. The typical creative type – or so Andrew thinks. The head honcho at a mega Pharma company, Andrew is half-British, half-Indian and a full-on ‘propah’ pain. Even if he’s gorgeous. The typical corporate type – or so Ragini thinks. He needs her to compose a song for the company’s silver jubilee. She needs him (well, just his project really) to be able to keep doing her music. They can definitely do without the sparks they set off in each other. Or the highs and lows and all the conflicting notes that being together seems to bring. Because love is off the table for him. And music is her only love. Can two stubborn people from such different worlds ever find harmony together?

BOOK DETAILS

Publisher : HarperCollins India

Pages : 240

MY REVIEW

First of all the cover gives you a great impression about the book and never gives you a second opinion of choosing the book.
Secondly it combines two good elements music and romance into a good amalgamation.
Loved how both contrast characters need to come together for the project.
Ragini who wants to continue music and Andy who wants her to compose a song for the silver jubilee of his pharmaceutical company.
Loved how Milan vohra weaved both the characters.
A fast paced , witty plot that’s sure to keep you engaged with reading the book.
The romance has been penned in a not so cheesy way that’s another feature that stands out .
Loved the way how the author kept the language simple but has given a great book. A sure to entertain read that could unfold itself as a feature film before your mind.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Milan Vohra is an advertising consultant and also Mills & Boon’s first Indian romance author.

This review is part of blogchatter book review program.

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Review of on the open road by Stuti Changle. #myfriendalexa

On the open road

BLURB:

Myra wishes to break free of her cubicle. Kabir wonders what life would be to build on his own. Sandy drops out of college to work on the next big startup idea. Ramy inspires millions of his generation on his travel blog – on the open road.

on the open road – THREE LIVES, FIVE CITIES, ONE STARTUP, revolves around the lives of these restless and dreamy 20-somethings as they battle their inner demons and the societal taboos to live life on their terms. It is an emotional journey of following one’s heart. The journey entails undying friendship, love and loss, happiness and depression, fear and conquest, dreaming and achieving.

Will they be able to embark on the hard yet empowering journey to their true selves? Or succumb to the hardships on their road to freedom?

MY REVIEW:

The story revolves around three people- Myra, Kabir and Sandy. We have the struggle part described for all three of them. Myra is fed up of her 9-5 cubicle life but longs to startup a business with friends. Kabir is a rich gyu who has his family business, but he wants to have a business of his own. Then we have Sandy who is Kabir’s friend, who’s a college dropout and has his own startup creating apps but is not very successful.

We have another Character Ramy(Myra’s friend) to whom people look up to. He is a traveler and a blogger. Kabir and Sandy draw inspiration.

The plot is something that every single person in the corporate rat race can relate to. It has elements of love, friendship, dream, travel and success. The writing is simple and crisp. I completed the book at one go. The book is mentioned as unputdownable on the cover, since its fast-paced. But seriously, it did not let down my expectation and has lived up to it.

Stuti, coming from the corporate background herself has brought out the experiences just as it is in reality.

The one liners and the quotes will inspire anyone with ambitions but has inhibitions to proceed with it. I have listed out some of the one-liners I liked.

I loved the cover and how the title aptly suits the plot. I loved reading the second half especially. The characterization was done brilliantly with no sugar-coating. They were genuine in their portrayal.

Anyone who has a dream of owning a startup should give this book a read. I felt people from other walks of life could find it a little difficult to relate to the experiences noted by Stuti. Though the book is a light read, the amount of experience and self-motivation we gain is a lot. The book makes you self-introspect to think ahead of career and make decisions.

BOOK DETAILS:

  • Book name: On the open Road
  • Author: Stuti Changle
  • Paperback:188 pages
  • Publisher:Invincible Publishers & Marketers (2 March 2018)
  • Language:English
  • ISBN-10:9387328465
  • ISBN-13:978-9387328464

The book is available on Amazon https://amzn.to/2zqBsZY

MY RATINGS:

Cover: 4.5/5

Title: 4/5

plot: 5/5

Writing and Presentation: 5/5

Overall: 4.5/5

ACCOLADES:

Winner of ‘Notable Mentions’ in Amazon Kindle’s Pen to Publish competition

‘Unputdownable, lively and fast-paced, it promises to inspire the youth to pursue their dreams.’- Ashish Kashyap, founder – Goibibo & redBus

‘The book reflects you and me. A great group of characters who bring life into a great story. It’s a must-read.’- Neha Hinge, Actress & Miss India 2010

Quotes from on the open road:

“Somewhere between the right and the wrong, the past and the future, there lies a now. Don’t let it go. For ‘now’ often leads to a new road!”

“Life proves to be one hell of a ride. All you’ve got to believe is that the things that do not work out lead to the ones that do! As the journey goes on, there’s a lot more to learn.”

” Citylights seem glorious at night, the high rises stand in splendor, in my mind I have a fight,what do I want in life? I wonder! ““Whenever you have a problem, try to enlarge your perspective, look at the sky and the stars.”

“If you feel that the cubicle isn’t for you, build some for others!”

“We belong to a generation full of broken hearts and wandering souls, just blank from the inside, in a constant search for ourselves, looking for something we don’t know yet, in the empty spaces of life. It is not that we can’t do great things, but we’re raised to believe – we can’t!”

“When you work on what you love; it acts like meditation. If each one of us does what we love and pour our heart and soul into it, we would not have to meditate elsewhere at any point in time.”

About the Author (in her own words)

A minimalist at heart, with every passing day, I find myself moving farther from the never-ending quest of owning material possessions and a step closer to owning a vast ocean of experiences. In 2016, at twenty-three, I packed a rucksack and left Mumbai, in search of my true self. I met people with extraordinary stories – the travelers, the entrepreneurs, the artists, the visionaries and the saints, who inspired me to the core and gave a new direction to my life. on the open road draws inspiration from my real-life experiences and I wish to inspire my readers to follow their dreams.

Share your thoughts about the book using the hashtag #OTOR

She interacts with the readers’ community through Instagram Live and Facebook Live. @stutichangle

About the Author

A post-graduate in management from the prestigious B-school IMI, New Delhi and a graduate in Computer Science and Technology.Winner of Notable Mentions in Amazon Kindle’s Pen to Publish Competition.

I am taking my Alexa rank to the next level with Blogchatter .

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Never ending list of pregnancy myths #myfriendalexa

Pregnancy myths
Pregnancy myths

Pregnancy is deemed the best phase of being a woman. Being born a woman attains full glory when she becomes a mother.

But it’s also the timeline where you get to hear a lot of myths. Not only in our Country, it happens all over the world. So let me list them down for you and you can comment if you came across something more. So let’s get those myths busted.

It starts with the date you conceive. Add the month of conception to your age, the total is even it’s a girl else you’re in for a boy.

Then comes morning sickness, if you have it throughout your first trimester then it’s a girl else if you don’t experience it you have a boy.

Pregnancy glow People have different versions here.

Indian:

“You’re glowing you definitely will have a girl” is what you hear and if it’s the other way , you look tired and dull they say you are having a boy , since the male child draws out all the energy.

Rest of the world:

If you’re dull it means you have a girl, since she takes up all your glow. And if you are glowing and look fabulous you will have a boy.

Carrying high or low, wide or outward:

Pregnancy myth
Pregnancy myth

If you are carrying low and belly is outward, you are probably carrying a boy.

If you are carrying high and belly is wide you are carrying a girl.

Popular pregnancy myths
Popular pregnancy myths

Food habits:

If you crave sweets and dairy rich stuff, you are probably carrying a girl.

If you crave salty and spicy food, you are probably carrying a boy.

Doesn’t it depend on what the woman usually wants to eat?

Pregnancy myths
Pregnancy myths

Fetal heart rate:

If it is over 140 per second you are carrying a girl and if it’s below, you are carrying a boy.

Swelling of nose:

They say if you have a swollen nose it’s probably a girl.

But the actual fact our noses swollen up due to increased estrogen levels.

Wedding ring myth:

Tie a strand of the father’s hair to your wedding ring and swing it over your belly, you are probably carrying a girl if it goes in circles; if it swings back and forth then it’s a boy.

Doesn’t it depend on wind direction?

Stepping over ropes:

It’s considered that stepping on a rope results in umbilical cord coiling around the fetus neck.

In modern days, now it extends to electric chords as well.

Usage of hands:

Ancient days people say If the pregnant woman is seated on floor and when she tries to get up, if she uses her left hand first it would be a boy; if its right you would be carrying a girl.

I don’t think that would change once a woman becomes pregnant. Even when she was ten she would have been using the same hand to get up.

Whatever the above points seem to convey what all mothers want is to have a healthy, cheerful baby. Gender discrimination should not be taking a priority here. No mother will want to abandon a child just because she was expecting the other gender. In the end, he/she is another tiny living human being created by her and who is now dependent on her.

Keep having positive thoughts, surround yourself with loads of happiness, positive vibes and most importantly people with positive vibes. Keep yourself well hydrated and well-fed. And that is all that takes to see your little dude/duddette.

Let’s hear those myths coming and keep nodding heads; get the myths busted. I will always love my baby no matter he/she. A baby is a baby.

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Letter to my dear daughter #myfriendalexa

Dear Cheeni,

Even before I knew you were coming I named you, my little angel. I found a new reason for my existence when I saw those two pink lines. We (your Dad and I) fell in love within seconds listening to the magical sound of your heartbeat. I thought it was a myth to identify gender based on heart rate, but I knew it was you, my special rainbow baby.

I knew it from those constant kicks and strokes you gave me while you grew inside me. They were such a gift, a signal that you were alive and growing. The times I sing to you and read out to you when I was alone, I felt a strong connection. Those moments of acknowledgement when I talk to you, the signs of reciprocation kept me going even when I was tired or feeling low. Even today I try holding on to what it felt like to have you kicking and stretching the limbs of your tiny body inside my body, safe and sound. These are moments etched in memory for lifetime.

I wasn’t the only person counting down to your arrival. No words to express the excitement of your Grandparents (all four of them) and both aunts as I was nearing my due date. You see, you are their first grandchild and their first niece. The countless number of phone calls showing that they can’t stop talking about you, to see if it’s time. I really feel so blessed to see how many people love you.

I was so eager to be the mom you so deserve. Disclaimer: I may not get it right at first, but I promise to try my very best and I promise to love you unconditionally until my last breath on earth.

I celebrated my first Mother’s Day with you, my baby. I feel this irresistible need to tell you some things about what it means to me to be your mother. So exciting that I now have a girl of my own who will wish me “happy mother’s day”. Now that’s a change from me wishing my mom and all elder woman in family.

I replay the first moment I saw you, at times when I try sleeping at night. The first eye contact I had with you on the labor bed, when the nurse gave you to me, by placing you on my chest. That moment of relief, happiness, pain all at the same time.

And What about your Dad? You are so lucky to have him of course. I have never doubted his ability to make a fantastic father. And now I know you will be the girl(second) who ultimately melts his heart with just one look.

You’ve had such an intense impact on our existence here. And now, you will become the best and worst parts of us.

You have my eyes, and your dad’s hair, my round cheeks and his long fingers, but you are unique.

And destiny will tell us if you are as bold as him or as quiet as me. We have so much ahead of us.

You are a daddy’s daughter too but sometimes the feel that you’re all mine at least secretly gives me a sense of pride and accomplishment. He does travel along for the ride but you and me… We’ve got a special thing going.

There would be times where it gets tough, but I do know that we can get through tough times, and I want you to know that I’m always trying my best. I want to be a good mother and I’ll try my best to do what’s right for you.

All I would wish for you is to Create a life that gives YOU happiness. Nothing would make me prouder.

You will have plenty of days to thank me, but I would thank you on every Mother’s day for making me a mom and I am so happy to be yours.

I can strongly say there is no word in English language that sounds as delightful to a woman as the word, “Mom.” God must have coined it after a long thought. One shout out of the word “Mom!” — every woman turns her head. And that is how special it is to be a mother.

#sindhublogs

#myfriendalexa

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