Wednesday Ponderings...Compliments

Nowadays we are all of us so hard up that the only pleasant things to pay are compliments - Oscar Wilde


I have this book Simple Abundance - A daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach. The following passage is from this book. I really enjoy reading this book and this is what I read today and would like to share it with You...


All women need more compliments in their lives. We need to give more of them to our families, friends, and strangers. We need to hear more of them, even if we have to give them to ourselves. But most of all, we need to bask in them.


Today be receptive. Start with the assumption that you're beautiful, dazzling, absolutely fabulous. Ask Spirit to reveal how gorgeous and brilliant you really are. Every time someone pays you a compliment, accept it as if an angel had just whispered Spirit's appreciation. Smile and say, "Thank you. How nice of you to notice." Become abundant with your compliments to others. We're all so fragile, especially when we put on a brave face. A sincere compliment can penetrate beneath even the most sophisticated masks to soothe troubled souls. The woman you think needs compliments the least is probably the one who needs them the most.

I absolutely agree with the above passage. I've seen when I pay compliments to someone it does bring me joy as well.. Ofcourse the receiver is happy too. Its a good habit to cultivate..Let me begin right now by thanking my readers who take the time to read my ponderings and some of you take some more time to leave a comment... Its appreciated. Until next time...

Do you believe in first impressions...

I have always wondered about this. It used to be said that ,the first impression is the last impression..

In my view when you meet the person for the first time..he/she will always put forth their best aspect of themselves..will try to portray a perfect image. I'm not sure its deliberate though..it just comes naturally maybe. In this case you are super impressed and love the person you've just met..

Now on the flip side..What if someone has an extremely bad day or going through something serious in his/her life..now this person you meet for the first time maybe you will not be that impressed and happy about..So we are kind of not giving this person a second chance as we have built an impression/image of this person in our minds...

So in my opinion the first impression is Not always the best/last impression...this is what I feel..looking forward to your views.

OMG I'm Exhausted !!!

Its summer at its peak here in the US. We had a very hot July..Mostly I'm in Mumbai , India for the summer and relaxing and chilling as my kids have their vacation and I get mine... This year we decided to have my in-laws here for the vacation as we all could spend some quality time here and what better time than when the kids are home. My older one will be 7 in 2 weeks and younger will turn 3 in september. Let me tell you to keep 2 boys busy is one exhausting job. I'm losing track of time..and MOmmy Mommy is all I hear all day long... It feels good too at times but secretly I'm just waiting for the school to begin.

Also I feel I need a vacation just for myself just after school reopens and I can have some time to relax.. Alright got to go as I can hear ..MOMMYYYYYYYYYYY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Some PEP talk...

Today as I was catering to my 2 1/2 year old toddler's lunch request there was an AHA moment... He wanted me to cook him some pasta for lunch and he loves his veggies in it too..so was'nt that hard to make him happy. He sat on the kitchen counter watching me make his favorite food. Of late I'm getting really exhausted and my son is very energetic and loves to play all the time and lets face it ...he's quite a handful. My older son is 6 1/2 was just the opposite at this age..He kinda sploilt us (me and my hubby)...He was always well behaved and had proper nap times and a good eater and played well with his toys and took such good care of them. In fact I still have his toys when he was a 1 yr old and they have been kept so well.. By 2 1/2 as I mentioned is just the opposite...I really don't know what to expect next from him...Each day is a new adventure for him as well as me..

Ok let me get back to the 'AHA moment' I mentioned earlier..As my pasta is boiling I figured out how to deal with kids who are high energy and maybe unpredictable..I know there are good moments too..and those I really cherish..Like some days are so much peaceful..and some not so much...

Are you guys ready for my formula...Here it goes :
Loads of (PATIENCE + Energy + PERSEVERANCE ) = Happy Family
So in short PEP (abbreviated form) will make happy mothers and happy kids and when the dads come back from work they are happy as well.

I'm sure many of you would agree with me that to deal with kids and raise them in a positive way we all need tons of Patience. Its easy to lose it and raise our voice but then kids learn from us..and we don't want them to learn wrong...do we..But I do agree its easier said then done..Patience is indeed a virtue..and I'm still developing my patience and trying not to get stressed over trivial things...

Next is tons of Energy- Most of our kids I know which includes exchanging notes with my friends..are really high energy kids..with them you need to somehow match their energy levels and get them involved in sports or physical activity of some kind..Like for my younger one..he loves going to the park and loves the outdoors..He loves going for walks so thats what makes him happy and he's exhausted ..he eats well and naps well. But I know sometimes we get so tired to take them out and there's when they start exploring the house and maybe mess it all up...

Last is tons of PERSEVERANCE - Now some kids are really strong headed. For them you will have to keep trying again and again.. Like about their food habits or some thing which you are trying to work with...Or Maybe some parents are trying to make them stop drinking from their bottles. Some are trying to take away the blinkie. For some it maybe toilet training... It takes a lot of will power on ur part to keep on working with ur kids again and again and again..and it WORKS...

I hope this is helpful to you. Atleast this has been helpful to me. Only today I found the right way to present it hopefully...so this was my PEP Talk to Me...and if you have something which works..feel free to share it with me..

Who am I ....

I'm a homemaker... I have loads of laundry staring right in my face...they are waiting to be folded and sorted out. Alright just loaded the dishwasher..Check. One task off my list. My older one in school - Check. My younger one had his shower and his breakfast. Check. Great so far so good. Yet so many jobs I still have on my list of things to be done.... You would be wondering whats up with me..with so many things still pending how come I get the time to write this post.. Well I don't - I'm just sipping my 2nd cup of tea..and I'm looking for motivation to start the mundane household chores again.

Alright I should'nt be complaining when so many do not have the luxury to be a homemaker aka house wife.. See I have the flexibility to choose my own hours, I can drink tea whenever I feel like..or shower whenever I feel like..in short no schedules to follow, no pressure of driving to work and facing those awful traffic filled days and struggling to be on time.. No leaving work making sure I'm on time to pick up kids from school and also planning the dinner menu driving back home..Yeah I get all that , But hey I'm only human and its our birthright to complain which could be called Venting Out..

Here in the US we are not so fortunate to have help as back home(India)..There its readily available and cheap too. Here it gets a bit expensive and then too its like cleaning services for 1 hr couple times a week... So here we are the maids, the cleaners, the chauffeurs, chef , teacher, companion... Also when you start doing all the above mentioned chores it does'nt seem that bad and its manageable..but there are days when you JUST HAD IT !!!!. Yes, it makes us feel so good that we don't have to depend on anyone else except ofcourse our DH and kids who share the household chores too...

SO C'est la Vie !!!! .But it all works out in the end.. Its all well that ends well. All of you have a Happy Mothers Day.

A Time for Everything...

I'm reading a book, "Simple Abundance- A Daybook of Comfort and Joy" by Sarah Ban Breathnach. As I was reading this page, I found it so interesting and optimistic I had to share it with you. Its a passage from this book...Enjoy.

There is a time for everything,
And a season for every activity under heaven - Ecclesiastes 3:1

Yes,but they are not the same.
You cannot raise happy, secure ,emotionally well adjusted children, revel in a fabulous marraige, and work a sixty-hour week.
You want to, I know. So do I. But we can't. It is physically , emotionally. psychologically, and spiritually impossible. We have tried. We have failed.
We cannot circumvent the laws of Heaven and Earth just because it would be convenient. Just because it would fit nicely into our plans. We have tried. We have failed.
When we cannot do it all at the same time, we are meant to do only some of it. In order to find out what that "some" is to be, we need to ask : What is it I truly want right now ? What is it I truly need ? How do I get it ? How much does it cost in life's currency ?
This might be the season for you to wipe a runny nose. That does'nt mean the season of running your own business won't occur. This might be the season of living out of a suitcase. That doesn't mean the season of restoring a colonial farmhouse will never come. Making deals doesn't mean that someday you won't be making school lunches. The seasons of life are not meant to be frenetic, just full.
"You probably can have it all," Anna Quindlen muses. " Just not all at the same time. And ...you might have to make certain compromises when your children are small. But your children are going to be small for a very short period of time... it will go by in a blink of an eye, and you will only be 40, 50, or 60 with another 15 or 25 years ahead of you." A quarter of a century to do what you want to do, the way you want to do it.
Blessed is the woman who knows her own limits.

So signing off for the night with this thought provoking excerpt from this book...

A Happy Heart Makes a Cheerful Face....

A Happy Heart for you all to bring a smile to your face...

A simple decorated heart cake. My Wilton's cake decoration Course 1, week #2 lesson. We learnt how to decorate a cake with a star #16 tip.
Cake : Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Jam Filling

Frosting :Buttercream

Decoration: Used Tip #16 (star)

Colors : Blue, yellow
I Still have to practice some more to get more satisfactory results... This is a beginning....



A Beautiful quote to ponder upon till we meet again.....
I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma. - Eartha Kitt.