LIFE AS IT IS

No, Trinky is not the name of a person or a pet - Trinky is my 10-month-old daughter's most favorite toy. Trinky is white and pink, she is made of cloth and cotton. She is adorable and she accompanies my daughter everywhere. Trinky is Wareesha's favorite toy. Perhaps, I should now call Trinky a rag of a toy because my daughter's chewing and chomping have done some permanent damages to her hands and legs. But Trinky is still my daughter's favorite companion. There is a funny story behind how we got Trinky: No, we did not buy Trinky. It happened last January when my aunt was visiting us from New York. Among a bunch of gifts that she got for Wareesha, there was a sleeper with very cute cow prints on it. The sleeper came with a soft toy, which looked like a cow. The sleeper was too small for my daughter so I returned it to my aunt. But I liked the soft toy cow so much that I asked her if I could keep it. My aunt agreed readily. That little soft toy cow was Trinky. We...

As I saw dozens of photos on Facebook of my friends eating out with their  mothers , I wondered if  Mother ’s  Day  is more about gift-giving and dining-out than actually recognizing what a  mother  does  for  her child. In the Unites States,  Mother ’s  Day  is one of the most commercially successful celebrations -- cakes, flowers, greeting cards and expensive gifts, such as jewelry worth billions of dollars are spent around this occasion.  Anna Jarvis, the West Virginian woman who founded  Mother ’s  Day  in the U.S.A., fought against the  commercialization  of this  day  until her death. She spent her money and time, speaking and working against what businesses have turned  Mother ’s  Day  into. In a survey carried out by the National Retail Federation (NRF) before this year’s  Mother ’s  Day , it was found that the Americans were expected to spend some $20.7...

When I look at my 8-month-old daughter now, I find it so hard to believe that she was once a tiny newborn. She weighed less than 6lbs, even though I gained 32lbs during my pregnancy. After her birth, she was unofficially named the "tiny baby" of Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis! Every doctor and nurse who saw her called her a tiny baby. Now at 8 months, when I look at her, she looks so mature and strong (God bless her!) that I find it hard to believe that she was once a tiny newborn. When she sleeps next to me, I cannot help but put my nose against her soft skin. Sometimes, I would wake up in the middle of the night and give her a quick kiss on her forehead. I love her distinct "baby smell." I love to kiss her on the neck when she is in my lap. I love her so much! I know it is perfectly natural, but it often feels unnatural when I think about it. I love to run my fingers through her soft hair. Sometimes, I scratch the back of her head and she closes her...

So, my anklet arrived last Saturday. And it looks just as pretty as it looked online. Unlike most websites, the photos posted on Etsy are not photoshopped. What a wonderful thing! I am so happy with the anklet, the seller and the website as a whole. Yesterday, I ordered a handmade ball made of fabric for my 8-month-old daughter. With shipping, it cost me $6. I would say the price was very reasonable. The seller had a number of handmade balls to choose from on her virtual shop. I think Wareesha will love to play with it. Just a few hours after I placed my order, I received an email saying that the item had been shipped. That was quick! A couple of weeks ago, I bought a Papyrus card for a good friend of mine. Then yesterday, I suddenly decided to find out if there were handmade cards on sale on Etsy. Guess what, hundreds of handmade cards are available on Etsy. After a half-hour browsing, I ordered one for my friend. The seller made only piece of that particular card so I know that n...

The title may sound cliched. But the birth of my daughter has proved for the "nth" time that friends are indeed forever. (How? Well, it will take another write-up to explain why I think so, so I will not get into that discussion today.) But not all friends are forever, some friends are forever. Friendship is such a complicated relationship. I mean it always baffles me.  I talk a lot so I get along with people pretty well, provided that they do not do something to upset me. But other than that, I get along with people well from the first day I meet them. But getting along well does not necessarily make the person you are getting along well with your "friend." I have found it tougher and tougher with time to make new friends. The people I have befriended during my school years are still my closest friends. In college, I made some close friends too. But after college? Oh no! I have been living in Minnesota, USA, for the past 5 years. In the last 5 years I have made...

Yesterday, I was looking for an anklet to buy online. I have always loved anklets but the sad truth is I rarely find anklets in stores. Some stores do carry anklets but they just happen to be not my kind. So yesterday, I went to Amazon, Macy's and several other shopping sites to see if I could find an anklet that I could buy. After spending almost an hour, I came to my personal conclusion: women do not like wearing anklets! How come there are so limited choices available for anklet lovers?? Then accidentally, I bumped into a website  called www.etsy.com! Although Etsy has been around for a pretty long time I never heard of them  before. While browsing the site, I learned that the site was featured in major TV networks, newspapers and magazines. Etsy is a virtual marketplace for home-based business owners. It is literally a heaven for people, who love handmade goods. While browsing the jewelry on Etsy, I came across a few anklets that I absolutely loved. I ordered one...

I have seen babies as young as one month old spending time before the television. They watch everything — from the English Premier League, SpongeBob SquarePants to Hindi daily soaps! But have we ever wondered what television viewing from a very young age may do to our children? Yes, television can occupy your children for hours. Apparently, they love TV programs. But the truth is the undeveloped brain of a baby cannot process more than one function at a time. As a result, she cannot shift her attention from the television screen, she keeps staring at it regardless of whether she understands a word or not. Moreover, a baby cannot and does not understand TV programs. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends no television time for babies under the age of two. Research has shown that a child’s brain grows rapidly during the first two years of his life. What exposure to television and other entertainment media does is prevent the normal development of this brain. A child learn...