Activities with kids to get you in the Christmas spirit

The holiday season is officially here and the countdown to Christmas is on! So, we’ve listed a selection of fun things to do together with your kids to get in a festive mood.

1. Visit Christmas markets

If there are christmas markets going on, make sure to visit as many as possible with your kids. They will enjoy exploring the shops and all the buzz and activities around.

2. Bake cookies

Neel is my assistant when I bake. He enjoys adding stuff into the baking mixture and loves to roll and cut them into different shapes. Oh and in the end he does a bit of tasting to make sure I have added the right amount of sugar!! We pack the cookies in glittery packets and hand them to our friends and family.

3. Make advent gifts for the neighborhood

Every year, around 24 ladies from our village come together to make advent gifts. Each one makes 24 identical gifts and labels them with the number provided by the organizer. The organizer will then rearrange all the gifts in such a way that each one in the end gets 24 different gifts to be opened from 1st of december till 24th of december. Neel is always happy to help me with preparing these packages.

4. Decorate the house with simple Christmas ornaments.

Neel is happy to assist me in decorating our house with ornaments. He even decides where each item has to be placed. As long as the ornaments are unbreakable, I just let him take charge of decorations.

5. Make christmas crafts

Read about it here.

6. Watch christmas movies

Thanks to Netflix, we get to watch lots of Christmas movies. Sipping hot coffee / hot chocolate and sometimes with an ice cream, we spend our weekends watching these movies.

7. Get togethers

We usually invite our friends and family for a sumptuous meal (raclette is our traditional Christmas meal) and exchange gifts.

8. Last but not the least, decorate our Christmas tree

This time I really enjoyed decorating our Christmas tree with Neel. All I did was put up the tree while Neel hung up each ornament in the place he thought was the best.

These are some of the things we do for Christmas. I am sure we will be doing more exciting stuff when Nyra is a bit older. What are your Christmas traditions?

– Madhurya

Some tips to keep kids engaged while working from home

As a working mom of 2 (a pre-schooler and a baby), I have a lot on my plate right now. Here are some of the things I do to not lose my sanity, while also getting a lot accomplished and spending quality time with my kiddos (as much and as often as possible) .

You can read about the things we did when my firstborn, Neel, was just 9 months old here.

Working from home is no easy feat; Here is how I make it work for our family:

– I start my work earlier than the kids’ wake-up time. Waking up early gives me time to answer emails and finish up any pending work. There are days when the kids wake up at the same time as I do and then decide not to go back to sleep; During such times I just let them play with the toys lying around. No noise is allowed during this time.

– I take a break for preparing breakfast, feeding and cleaning. Once we are done, we move to the “playroom”. This calls for independent play. Though the kids play by themselves, or with each other, I still sit on the couch placed in this room and work while keeping an eye on the little ones.

– While Nyra is usually happy if Neel is around and plays with all the toys, Neel however gets bored quite easily. During such times, I let him do some pre-school activities (safe around the baby as she wants to grab everything around her). Here are some of them –

• Making alphabets/ numbers out of stickers (Neel came up with this idea)

• Making alphabets/ numbers out of lego

• Drawing/ painting
• Tracing alphabets/ numbers. You can find lot of free printables online. The one in the picture is from this book gifted by Manasa.

• If the weather is nice, we stay outside. While I work, the kids run and crawl about in our yard.

– After lunch, Neel is allowed a few minutes of TV time while Nyra takes her nap.

I usually finish working in the afternoon. I start early so I can finish up early and spend the rest of the day with the kids (I have the flexibility to pick the time-frame in which I like to work)

Some tips to make life easier while working with kids around:

• Prepare your meals in advance. I cook all the meals for us and Nyra during the weekend. This saves all the time used for meal preparation. Freezing meals, veggies or purees (for Nyra) also saves a lot of time.
• Prepare all activities for kids in advance. I have arranged the things required for the activities in different boxes.
• Always make sure to let your kids try only 1 activity at a time so that they don`t get bored easily.
• Make sure to have meetings / calls when the kids are really busy or taking naps. I do a messy activity with kids like painting and let them sit in one place and not move. And while they are engrossed in the activity, I can walk away to take calls.
• Encourage kids to play together (even if there is an age difference). It is always fun to work or play if they have company.

I hope this list gives you some ideas on how you can manage work and kids at home. Please share your thoughts and ideas too.

-Madhurya

Summer in Switzerland- Things we do as a Family

Summer is the best time in Switzerland. After the freezing cold days of Winter and rains in April/ May, people eagerly wait for summer to begin which is usually in the month of June. All the ski stuff, winter jackets, wraps and cardigans are put inside the closets and the summer shorts, floral dresses and swimsuits are taken out. As the number of sunny days are short here and intermittently composed of rain, we take every sunny day very seriously and make sure to enjoy every bit of it.

Usually our summer days are filled with:

• Taking long walks around our neighborhood

Our house is surrounded by a lot of vegetable farms, berry fields, vineyards and forests. There are designated stroller-friendly paths for the public to take walks or cycle around. This is one of the best ways to let kids witness how the farmers grow the vegetation and the tools and equipment they use.

• Hiking the mountains

You get to enjoy the real beauty of Switzerland when you explore it on foot. There are many mountains and trails to hike in Switzerland. We always look for child-friendly hikes which can be easily done by kids. 

• Biking

Thanks to my e-bike, I am able to bike around a lot with my kids in tow. Switzerland is one of those countries with really good biking paths. Read about some biking trips we made in the past here.

• Swimming in the lake

Switzerland is home to over 1500 stunning lakes. On a sunny day, you can find lots of people sunbathing on the lakeshore or swimming in the lakes or in Neel’s case, finding special stones and throwing them into the water!

• Boating

When Mike is not working and we know that it is going to be hot and nice, we spend the day on the boat. When I was pregnant with Nyra and was nauseous and couldn’t go boating, Mike would take Neel with him and they would spend the whole day together. Now Neel knows where everything is on the boat and he is the co-captain!

• Pool parties at home

Get an inflatable pool, fill it with water and kids are happy no matter what age. When my friends bring their kids, I prepare some lemonade and snacks and we all get to enjoy a pool party at home. 

• Berry picking

A lot of berry-field owners in Switzerland keep their fields open for the public to pick and buy the berries during summer. You can pick strawberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, gooseberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Picking berries with kids is fun and a lot cheaper than buying them in the supermarket.

• Make homemade popsicles

With all the berries we pick and the produce from our local farm, we make delicious popsicles at home. So good to relish when it’s so hot!!

• Bbq with friends

On sunny days, we mostly bbq at home. This is also a fun way to spend time with friends!

With less time in the kitchen and more fun outside, it is the best way to enjoy summer with your loved ones!!

This is how we make the most of our limited sunny days. How about you? Do you have any suggestion? We would love to know!

– Madhurya.

Celebrating America in India- July 4th Thoughts and Activities with kids.

This blog began its journey in a quiet city called Tucson in Arizona, known for its majestic Saguaro Cacti and dramatic Sunsets. I lived there for 5 years, my husband even longer. Life as a newly married woman and then as a young mom, in a different culture was hard. I had no job, my friends lived far and we met them only on weekends; My family lived even farther. There was nowhere I could run to when things got crazy, and boy did we go through some crazy stuff! But bit by bit, day by day, I ventured out into the unknown, got my Driver’s license, got lost a few times and found myself again. My friends who are still close to my heart, helped me navigate the unknown roads.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

While living in the US, I learnt as much as I could, whenever I could about everything I fancied. I enrolled myself in a Community College and took classes on Sociology, Psychology and what not! I learnt to respect personal space- physical as well as emotional. I began to believe in the power of physical exercise. I learnt to drive and not wait to be driven; cook with the freshest of ingredients available at the local farmer’s market; appreciate and protect natural beauty. I learnt to give of myself to causes I strongly believed in, as I volunteered at the local library, for an organization called Junior Achievement of Arizona and at a Seed Conservation Center called the Native Seeds Search.

US has played a big part in our lives. We spent some of our best years there. Part of me yearns to be back, especially when I look at the pictures of our road trips and remember our walks to Starbucks or breakfast at Nico’s or shopping at Trader Joe’s. And maybe we will go there someday, who knows?!

Just like how I nurtured a love for India and all things Indian in my daughter when we lived in the US, by celebrating all the festivals, reading books about our culture and taking her to Prayer Classes, We want to ignite and keep the patriotic flame going for my kids, who were born in the USA. I want them to learn as much as they can about the place where they are from and where they belong (Not sure which one’s which at this point!). So we decided to start our own July 4th tradition celebrating America.

I drove myself crazy figuring out all the activities I could do with the kids. I bought books they can read by themselves or to be read by me. I downloaded free worksheets related to American Independence, came up with lists of songs to listen to and movies to watch. We watched YouTube videos of History lessons for kids. I even compiled a list of shows they can watch as part of their American History “Lessons”. Even though it was quite exhausting not being offered a syllabus on platter, it was totally awesome coming up with my own.

Books we read, worksheets we had fun doing…

Learning about American Independence and drawing parallels between American and Indian struggles for Freedom, discussing topics like how Boston Tea Party vaguely resembles the Salt Satyagraha movement in India, were some of the many things we did as part of our July 4th American Independence Day Celebration. The conversation has only just begun and we have a long long way to go.

On the 4th of July we had hot dogs (we followed this recipe and it turned out great!), watched Hollywood favorites, listened to folksy country music and danced to songs like Katy Perry’s “Firework“, Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA“! It was a Party in India… 🙂

This exercise gave us an excuse to learn something new and it made an otherwise mundane weekend very special.

Watching a quintessential American explorer “Indiana Jones” movie

I hope this post inspires you to dive deep into anything that fascinates you and your children. This World is full of stories and magic waiting to be discovered. And who better to unlock these hidden gems with than our kiddos?! You only need to scratch the surface along with them, they will lead the way with their curiosity and excitement.

Books we read – Who was Alexander Hamilton?, Magic Tree House – Revolutionary War on Wednesday.

Downloaded worksheets from Education.com

Got ideas for Songs, Shows and Movies from healthyhappyimpactful.com

Watched Videos on Kids Academy.

Learnt so much from kidskonnect.com

LOVE

-Manasa

Winter thoughts and Crafts

“We are Not all in the same boat, but we are all in the same storm”.

I read this somewhere and felt it reflected the thoughts I’ve been feeling lately.

I’ve been speaking to lots of people and getting to know how they are dealing with this Pandemic. I am thankful that we are able to live an almost normal life here. Even though cases are increasing here in Switzerland, we are still not having a lockdown. But people are scared and worried. It is normal to feel this way. However, does worrying solve this issue? I doubt it.

Along with stressing themselves, people are transferring this stress to their extended families and friends. Because of this, relationships have been tested. Friendships have been broken. To these people I can only earnestly say that even though we are not in the same boat, we are all in the same storm. We are all going through the same s***. Some, more than others.

Instead of bringing others down with negativity, do your best to be positive, be thankful for the friendly people around you, for all the lovely festivities coming up and nurture your relationships in the best way possible. Support each other and be kind!

Now that I am close to the last month of my pregnancy, doctor has recommended that I stop working. It’s really cold and snowing out here, so I have nothing much to do. When I am not doing household chores, cooking, dropping Neel to day care and going grocery shopping, I have been doing a lot of DIY crafts and activities.

1. Diwali crafts

Neel and I made these lanterns and diyas. I let Neel draw on color paper before cutting them to make the lanterns. For diyas, I followed this video.

2. Advent gifts

Every year, around 24 ladies from our village come together to make advent gifts. Each one makes 24 identical gifts and labels them with the number provided by the organizer. The organizer will then rearrange all the gifts in such a way that each one in the end gets 24 different gifts to be opened from 1st of december till 24th of december. This year I made these frames/ wall hangings out of washi tapes and cardboard boxes. In every frame, I stuck Christmas card which I made using thick golden cardstock.

Final 24pc handmade frames / wall hangings

3. Christmas tree hanging

This year, because of the Pandemic and my current situation, we will be spending Christmas/ New year at home and so we decided to put up our own Christmas tree. Along with the regular Christmas tree decorations, I decided to make some of my own handmade ones too. Using empty toilet paper rolls, I made these golden flowers.

4. Christmas gifts

I made these handmade gifts for my friends using mason glass jars, golden washi tapes, golden color spray and candles.

5. Christmas activities

Neel and I are doing a lot of activities together in the spirit of the holiday season. We both check Pinterest for inspiration and if he likes something he says “shall we do this together mama?”

– Playdough Christmas tree

–Christmas tree cards

Neel is my partner in all of these creations. He is one excited kid when it comes to celebrations and festivities. I think he gets it from his mama. Thanks to him, I’m enjoying making crafts, decorating our house and celebrating all the festivals. So you can see, I have kept myself busy lately and I don`t think I will be stopping anytime soon (until the baby arrives at least). I hope you all enjoy this holiday season in whichever way possible, small or big, with or without family, and make the most of it.

Love,

Madhurya