One of my favourite Eco-Tip

Instead of throwing old or unused things out, I pass them on to others who want to take them by using freecycle.org. I have found this site to be very helpful in giving an unwanted item a new home. This is really interesting . You could find lots of unused stuffs (as well as used) for free.

For Coffee lovers - Dunkin Donut Coffee - Free sample

Nature at our door step!

Please click the image to view it larger.

It was a rainy day today and very cloudy. A little cold outside , so i had to close the window which i usually open just for some ventilation. And there i found this beautiful deer outside our house, not just one, they were 3 of them. Immediately i rushed in search of my poor little digital camera all over my house and finally found it very near by myself :))

Tried to click few shots, as clear as i could. Since it was late evening and was getting slightly dark i changed my camera's settings to get the pics clear. I couldnt get out because im sure their ears are very sensitive and that they might run away. So i took those pics from my window , which is why you would see the glare in some pictures.

Hope you all like it.

Sarah the Cheetah - breaks the world record

Sarah an 8n year old female cheetah sets a new world record as the fastest running mamal on earth.

A male cheetah in South Africa covered 100 meters in 6.19 seconds. Sarah didn't beat that just once, but twice: She first clocked in at 6.16 seconds and then 6.13 secondsPerfectly designed for speed; small head, big torso, slender long legs with big paws, narrow hind quarters. AMAZING .

Way to go Sarah!! She is extraordinary, and the Cincinnati Zoo has an amazing cheetah program!!! Congratulations to everyone who has put in a lot of hard work on this project!!
An 8 year old smashed the record for the 100m set by a wild male cheetah in Africa. girls rock!

Please enjoy Sara's video . Thanks.

Resource courtesy: Yahoo
Image courtesy : Internet

Navarathiri Season

Navarathiri or Dussera is one of the most important festival in India and is celebrated all over india by various name ( yet will sound almost similar).

Navarathiri (or navratri) the period of nine days and nights when Goddess Durga fought the Asura is celebrated as Navarathiri in Tamilnadu. Its called Dussera in all over india especially in north india.

Goddess Durga is considered as the personification of courage, strength, and power and praying to the goddess, helps one to be blessed with all these qualities especially during Dussera.

Married ladies pray to the Goddess for the well being of the family and children by performing pujas and reciting Lalitha Sahasranamam. Especially the last 3 days of the nine day festival are very auspicious namely the "Aayutha poojai", Saraswathi Poojai" and the "Vijayadasami Poojai"

In Chennai Navarathri is known for Kolu, the festival of dolls . The dolls which are wrapped in dhotis and papers and stored in the attic are brought down at least two days prior to the commencement of Kolu. The doll makers at their best mind power try themselves to be innovative every year and really produces lot of different varities.
Women who are focused with thematic presentations go around ransacking the shops to collect dolls for their theme. To conceptualize any theme a person should be well versed with the epics, spiritual, social and historical facts. Many kolu buffs dish out novel themes like cricket Ganapathy, stone sculptures at Mammalapuram and Ravana durbar.

More to come....

Vaccation to Ocean City, Marryland.

We took a mini-vacation to Ocean City, Maryland and it was great. We had a fab time. Couple of days during end of summer, in Ocean City was hot, sunny, happy and crowded. Daytime highs in the 80’s, sometimes hitting 90. Nighttime lows 65 to 55 degrees which will little colder.Lots of exuberant children and relaxing parents. The welcome board with the flag at the entrance of the city was really a warm welcome to all the visitors visiting that place which is surrounded by the beautiful blue Atlantic ocean around . This place was busily engaged with ferries , mini boats, fishing activities and a lot more.


It was quite a pleasant scenic beauty to do the boardwalk along the seashore. Which wasn't much crowded . It has lot many shops on the walkway, which was really fun for the collectible freaks like me! At the dawn it was getting a bit colder & beauty of the moon, the ocean, and their reflections...was at its best shot! Wish i had a better camera...:( !!

Okay Arts & Craft Lovers...here you go with quite a few shops at the exhibition which was held in the convention center. Actually there weren't many shops when compared to Indian Exhibitions i have seen so far. But whatever shops that was present there had their best products. Products like quilted napkin covers, pillowcases, throws, books, ready-made dessert mix, gems and jewellery shops were being displayed.

One of the most important thing that you can notice once you are in ocean city would be the number of hotel resorts that are present there. I really doubt if a small town like this would have so many beach resorts. The Coastal highway stretch has more than 100 streets in it and you can see the resorts along the streets throughout the stretch which is interesting huh! And the architecture of all the buildings are really nice and pretty tall.

Now, a fun place for the kids called - "The Jolly Roger".
We our son to Jolly Rogers . On the plus side, there were a number of rides for his age ( 2 yrs) he did not have to wait for any rides. And the staff was reasonably helpful. On the downside, we spent more than $35 for the rides .

Note to parents with small children, watch out for the "point system". If you buy points, the each ride costs between $2 and $3.50 for a small child's ride. If your child plans to ride more than 5 rides, you are probably better off with the multi-park pass than the point system. The rides are carnival quality. While I felt ripped off by the point system, it was our fault for not doing the math and going with a pass.

It was as perfect a beach day with a perfect weather. Ocean City, Maryland, is filled to the brim with visitors. It’s the kind of classic, late-summer day that makes people love Ocean City. It inspired me to celebrate by posting a few photos of classic Ocean City.

See you all soon :))

Labor day Vaccation

Yes, ocean city it is! finally decided at the last minute :)) as usual. Ocean City is a great vacation spot for us-only a few hours of driving .Read some reviews that it is such a beautiful resort town. We chose, this place, to relax and enjoy ourselves in this limited time. Hopefully we should be having a great time there with a good weather. Will post vaccation pictures soon. See ya all soon. Happy Labor day!

Vaccation Vagueness!

The labor day holiday is nearing by and we had a usual talk about the vaccation. Where to go? Near or Far? Drive or Fly?...with so many Questions like these really puts us in a confused state, therefore you cannot decide all alone . Vacations don't happen unless you plan for them! Especially with a busy husband like mine. I usually plan things ahead yet will always end up in the last minute . Had been considering quite a few places in mind depending on our criterias. Still theres no definite answer.

Image courtesy - Internet.

Coping with a fuzzy eating toddler!

After having some experience with my 2 year old , i thought i should write an article on this wonderful topic which would benefit many mother like me who has almost tried every single way to make my kid eat some food . I use to get depressed which may sound a little weird but im sure im not the only one around here.

As babies grow into toddlers and begin eating table food, they often become fussy eaters. It is very normal to have a fight with toddlers everyday during the meal time because they don’t want to eat their food.

How to avoid all these struggles? Although im not a doctor , i guess i can share my 2 cents here , so that some of u could be benefitted out of it.

Here it goes :

• You can think of putting your toddler in a daycare , for atleast couple of hours at the beginning , that way they'll learn socializing and other good habits.


• Some kids will tend to eat atleast a little , on seeing other kids eating during their meal time.


• At home, you can make meal-time a family affair.Although it sounds impossible in this busy world, you can try it out atleast 2 to 3 days a week.


• Do not offer your toddler any drinks or snacks if he is too fuzzy about eating. This will definitely make them hungry during the meal-time.


• Cook one healthy meal (which has a maindish-some veggiesor meat-soup- yogurt/Milk)for everyone in the familyand offer it in a plate to your toddler . Your toddler will fight with you at first, but eventually will realize and try to eat. Do not offer any alternatives.


• But make sure you prepare a healthy cum delicious snack that he will probably like it. Dont try to introduce too many new food at a time.Just go one-by-one.


• A toddler's tastebud is very sensitive, at the same time, they tend to eat only when they are hungry. So do not force or bribe them .


• Stick to the routine and serve the meal at same time every day as far as possible. Because some kids are very punctual (like mine). They eat atleast one meal exactly on time, if you make it a little late they become hyper-active and become very cranky in hunger.


• Learn to admit the fact : that toddlers growth during this phase is very slow.therefore they will have only limited apetite. Hence they can eat only a little, and the very little nutrition itself is enough. -- this is a scientific fact and you may refer it with any of your pediatrician. THE GOOD NEWS IS THEY WONT STAY LIKE THIS FOREVER.THEY WILL EVENTUALLY CHANGE.


• Be creative with food. If your child does not like eggs, try giving them egg custard or beat the eggs real fluffy and add finely grated veggies to it and bake them in tiny cookie tray that way they might try to eat them. Basically toddlers likes colorful food with different shapes like toys...


• Call these finger foods playful names that a two-year-old can appreciate, such as:
  apple moons (thinly sliced)
  avocado boats (a quarter of an avocado)
  banana wheels
  broccoli trees (steamed broccoli florets)
  carrot swords (cooked and thinly sliced)
  cheese building blocks
  egg canoes (hard- boiled egg wedges)
  little O's (o-shaped cereal)
  Place the food on an easy-to-reach table. As your toddler makes his rounds through the house, he can stop, sit down, nibble a bit, and, when he's done, continue on his way. These foods have a table-life of an hour or two.


• Dip it with fun : Young children think that immersing foods in a tasty dip is pure fun (and delightfully messy). Some possibilities to dip into:
  cottage cheese or tofu dip
  cream cheese
  fruit juice-sweetened preserves
  guacamole
  peanut butter, thinly spread
  pureed fruits or vegetables
  yogurt, plain or sweetened with juice concentrate
  Those dips are equally nutritious and will serve the purpose.
• AVOID JUNK FOOD.
• Last but not the least , PATIENCE is very very important and you gotto have tons & tons of them!!! :) do not get discouraged or feel bad or get angry when the child rejects your hard work. Its just a child. So you need to be more patient and self motivated.

Hope this will help moms like me.Good luck with your toddler!

Bye Bye Summer !!! :(( Welcome Fall 2009!!!

It is a bit sad that there wasn't much of real summer days this year, and the temperature hardly touched 96 which was the maximum . When compared to the previous years . Anyways, welcome to the Tricks & Treats Halloween/Fall 2009! I kind of like fall season of all the seasons here. As there are lots of things to do around my area. But i hate winters. Especially with a kid, you cant really do much of activities , and tend to get winter blues.

NewJersey is a great place to visit during the fall .Especially there is nothing like coming to the Southern parts of New Jersey . There are many fall festivals including craft shows, pumpkin festivals and more. While in town take notice of all the beautiful colorful leaves on the trees. Golds, oranges, bright reds, and deep greens make it known that it is fall in Southern New Jersey.

Things you do to enjoy Fall around NJ and the Tri-state areas :

• Check out your local newspaper or your county website for events such as fruit picking , like pumpkin picking , apple picking, and so on. Because its always fun for the kids.


• You can enjoy the country fruit festivals like the Chatsworth Cranberry Festival in Chatsworth, NJ, set in the colorful trees of the Pine Barrens. Enjoy the local cranberry harvest with homemade cranberry baked goods, cranberry salsa, cranberry dressing and so much more.


• I always love the South Jersey Pumpkin Show in early October . You'll enjoy a mini-haunted village, scarecrow displays, haunted hayrides, a fall art gallery, a fall garden, a music and food fest, free pumpkins for the kids, kiddy amusement rides, and over 200 craftsman displaying their wares. Various events take place at different times throughout the day. The Pumpkin show is located at: Cumberland County Fairground, 3001 Carmel Rd Millville NJ 08332.


• Delaware Water Gap : A River and its Valley For 40 miles the Middle Delaware River passes between low forested mountains with barely a house in sight. Then the river cuts through the mountain ridge to form the famed "Water Gap." Exiting the park, the river will run 200 miles more to Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean at Wilmington, Delaware.There's still more to do; this valley has been a home for thousands of years, and dozens of historic structures dot the park's scenic byways. Source(s):
  http://www.nps.gov/dewa/index.htm
• Please check local website (of yours) for more information :
• September 13-15, 2009 Philadelphia Nat’l Candy Gift & Gourmet Show Atlantic City, New JerseyAmerica’s largest show dedicated to the retail confectioner, is sponsored by the Retail Confectioners Association of Philadelphia.
• September 20, 2009 Cognac and Chocolate TastingCranford, New JerseyChocolate & Spirits tasting event featuring artisanal chocolates to compliment Pour Moi
• October 27-28, 2009 KosherFestMeadowlands, New JerseyKosherfest is the #1 kosher food and beverage trade event serving the retail, foodservice, manufacturing and distribution industries. New Products Competition Oct 15 and 2nd Annual Kosherfest Culinary Competition Oct 27.
• September 9, 2009 WLIW21 Autumn Gourmet ClassicNew York, New YorkThe ultimate "foodie" event in an intimate setting! Lidia Bastianich, Jacques Pépin and John Barricelli team up for food, wine & culinary theater. Live demos, food tastings from around the New York metro area and wines from around the world.
• September 16, 2009 Taste of the VillageNew York, New YorkMake the 7th Anniversary of this event by inviting friends who love extraordinary food from award-winning chefs such as Dan Barbar, named the nation’s top chef in 2009 by the James Beard Foundation, Mario Batali of International Acclaim and Chef Akhtar Nawab of Elettaria.
• October 30-Nov 1, 2009 Chocolate ShowNew York, New YorkThe 12th Annual Chocolate Show in New York will, as years past, feature some of the most world renowned pastry chefs and chocolate makers from all over the world. As such, this show is one of the most exciting gastronomic events, enticing visitors from the entire United States to get a taste of their favorite sweet.

Thanks and have fun during this fall.

Resources :

Chatsworth Cranberry Festival

South Jersey Pumpkin Show

http://www.nj.com/

http://www.state.nj.us/

http://www.foodreference.com/

Image Courtesy :

Internet