Author: Archana

Once a Physiotherapist now a Wordsmith. Field Botanist. Bonsai. Proud Indian. Fauji Wife. Doting Mother and Mother-in-law. Devoted Grandmother. Reluctant Cook. Happiest on a road less travelled. 60s are the new 40s ;-)
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Reflections on 2020 AprilAtoZ

Reflection #atozchallenge 2020

Hello! This is my seventh attempt at the April AtoZ blogging challenge and my was Experiences of a first time grandmother! 
Some sweet, salty moments and learnings! 
In case you have missed out, you can catch up here. 
Congratulations to all awesome bloggers who have completed this challenge. This year is unique as all of us around the world are facing the Covid19 pandemic. 


Luckily, the Internet Gods were kind enough to allow me to schedule, post and comment on many posts. The AtoZ master list listed 510 participants and 89 bloggers revealed their theme on the #BlogchatterAtoZ Theme reveal and I saw 144 awseome posts on the first of April!! Obviously I still have a lot of catching up to do, something that is top of my to-do list. 


I had delayed my decision to participate (its my seventh attempt) and once I did, I went into a frenzy of writing and managed to schedule all my posts much ahead of time. Y turned out to be most difficult and I was gasping for ideas till the last day! My posts were not image-intensive as it was more about my feelings and emotions and I did not make the effort of looking up memes to accompany the posts. Does it indicate a certain weariness? I cant say really! 


Visitors to my blog were generous with their comments and I Thank all of you! Even if you have not commented! 😉


Across all the challenge, I saw the popular themes related to writing, books, travel, cooking and best of all, I found 4 blogs about babies/kids and one by a grandmother one about future grandkids!! Yay! I was not alone!! 

Here they are..

This post is incomplete without mentioning Quilting Patch Applique by Frederique.. She posted outstanding quilting work and has even suggested an awesome knitting site that I plan to sign up for soon. Thanks Frederique!

A couple of wonderful Nature related blogs..



As in earlier AtoZ challenges, Keith’s Ramblings by Keith Hillman and Canvas with Rainbow by Anagha Yatin were outstanding with their fiction.  


The Lockdown has been extended in India as we try to accept an upcoming new normal in our lives.. that of always wearing a mask, carrying hand sanitisers. Greeting by way of Namaste and washing hands and feet have traditionally been a part of our lifestyle and I am glad the entire world is now adopting it. 


I pray that this calamity ends soon. 
I hope all you of are healthy and safe in your part of the world. 


Take care everyone!
It was nice meeting you all and reading your thoughts. 
Lets stay in touch! 


Stay Home! Stay Safe!

Here are links to my previous AtoZ attempts. 
2013 Mixed Bag
2014 Exercising For Fitness
2015 Gardens of Pune
2016 Herbs
2018 Contemporary A to Z
2019 Caring for the Caregiver

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Z is to Zone Out

Hello! Welcome to my seventh attempt at the April AtoZ blogging challenge. My theme this year is Experiences of a first time grandmother! Some sweet, salty moments and learnings! My posts are totally based on what I felt (may even border on rants) and are not meant to be a guide. 

Zone Out
When I look back, the day when Daughter went into Labour and next 2 months are a blur. On the one hand time seems to have flown yet all days were almost identical. 


It was a period of intense happenings in our country.. major political decisions had been taken which naturally generated much discussion among friends and family. 


I had Zoned Out. 
Switched off from the world.


No reading newspapers or watching News on TV. No time for Facebook or Twitter. All my time and energy was spent on the newborn and first time Mom who we were hosting! 


These were precious moments that would occur only once in our lives..


And you know what, I realised I was not missed in the big world outside. Life went on – Trees blossomed, the Municipal Corporation functioned, the Stock Market fell and rose, roads got repaved … you get the drift..I did not miss them either.. 


In fact, I was so peaceful. So much so that I have decided to keep zoning out more often. Reduce the stress. Stay happy. Enjoy being a Grandma!!  

Have you tried zoning out? 
I am sure my thoughts may cause a deja vu to some of you especially someone who has hosted a new born. I would love to hear from you!

See you tomorrow folks!

Here are links to my previous AtoZ attempts. 
2013 Mixed Bag
2014 Exercising For Fitness
2015 Gardens of Pune
2016 Herbs
2018 Contemporary A to Z
2019 Caring for the Caregiver
Disclaimer: My posts do mention some products or service providers but these are not sponsored and not meant to be an advertisement.  

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Y is for Young

Hello! Welcome to my seventh attempt at the April AtoZ blogging challenge. My theme this year is Experiences of a first time grandmother! Some sweet, salty moments and learnings! My posts are totally based on what I felt (may even border on rants) and are not meant to be a guide. 

Young

Every stage in a woman’s life involves a huge change.. its difficult to say which is a bigger challenge … 
– Puberty which changes a carefree girl to young woman 
– Marriage that makes her simultaneously balance the hats of a ‘daughter in law’, wife and professional.
– Motherhood which entails carrying, giving birth to, nurturing and then moulding the mind of her young one.
– Mother in law – this is equally challenging as she has to ‘let go’ of her child (son or daughter) to set up his own nest .. IMHO it may be more difficult for the mother of a son. 
– Becoming a grandmother.. again not something to be done lightly.. and this AtoZ is all about becoming a grandma..


The best part of becoming a grandma is that I can play, sing, dance with Grandbaba without inhibitions.. Baby talk becomes a norm as does miming nursery rhymes and stories.


I can easily avoid household chores and spend time happily playing with the baby. 
😉


Hide and Seek, Catch Catch, Hopscotch (my daughter used to call it Stapu), making sand castles and card towers. Finding joy in a weirdly shaped stone or chase the butterflies in the garden. These are just a few of things I am looking forward to..


Its my time to a revive the child in me.. to become young again! 

I am sure my thoughts may cause a deja vu to some of you especially someone who has hosted a new born. I would love to hear from you!

See you tomorrow folks!

Here are links to my previous AtoZ attempts. 
2013 Mixed Bag
2014 Exercising For Fitness
2015 Gardens of Pune
2016 Herbs
2018 Contemporary A to Z
2019 Caring for the Caregiver
Disclaimer: My posts do mention some products or service providers but these are not sponsored and not meant to be an advertisement.  All posts are from a maternal grandmother’s point of view!

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X is for eXcitement

Hello! Welcome to my seventh attempt at the April AtoZ blogging challenge. My theme this year is Experiences of a first time grandmother! Some sweet, salty moments and learnings! My posts are totally based on what I felt (may even border on rants) and are not meant to be a guide. 

X has always been a challenging alphabet in the AtoZ Blogging Challenge..
So today again I will use X to outline my version of what I felt and did…

eXcited 
eXercised 
eXhausted (on a few days)
eXplained
eXalted
eXplored
eXamined
eXuberant
eXpressed
eXasperated
eXtrapolate
eXpedite
eXamine
eXhilerated
eXquisite
eXplosive
eXperiment
eXcuse

eXcellent for SAH Grandma!!

All eXtraordinary and eXceptional feelings!


I am sure my thoughts may cause a deja vu to some of you especially someone who has hosted a new born. I would love to hear from you!

See you tomorrow folks!

Here are links to my previous AtoZ attempts. 
2013 Mixed Bag
2014 Exercising For Fitness
2015 Gardens of Pune
2016 Herbs
2018 Contemporary A to Z
2019 Caring for the Caregiver
Disclaimer: My posts do mention some products or service providers but these are not sponsored and not meant to be an advertisement.  

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W is for Wear

Hello! Welcome to my seventh attempt at the April AtoZ blogging challenge. My theme this year is Experiences of a first time grandmother! Some sweet, salty moments and learnings! My posts are totally based on what I felt (may even border on rants) and are not meant to be a guide. 

What has been your experience? 

Wear
Considering that I have showcased my new found tailoring skills (you can catch up here at my E and M posts), I am sure you expect me to talk about clothes that I made for new Mommie or the baby.


Well, not quite.
I am going to talk about Baby Wearing.
Rather my feelings about it.. because there is plenty and more about it on the Internet. 


Buying a Pram was on top of my list of purchases for the baby and Daughter was quite opposed to it. Storage space was among the last of her reasons for it. Baby wearing is her chosen method to walk outside.. 

I freely admit my reservations to this. When I saw the carrier, I was in a tizzy… it will be too hot… baby’s nose will be covered… there will be too much pressure on baby’s spine… 


I read up about advantages of baby wearing.. and continued to have reservations despite having accepted so many other innovative ideas…


Suddenly, I started noticing many mothers in Pune wearing their babies.. at the local temple, at the store, on the Walking Track and one who was riding as a pillion on a scooter.. Whoa.. and all those babies and Mommies looked so happy. Besides it allowed Mommie to be hands free .. It was at that point when I began to cave in.. maybe there was some substance after all.. 


And there is a huge range of Slings to choose from.. best of all, Pune actually has a Sling Library where Mothers can try out different types to help identify the ideal Sling for them. 


This Grandma is yet to ‘wear’ our baby but I will get around to it soon.. Promise! 
Till then, I am scouring e-commerce website for a suitable Pram for baby and me to go  for a walk!!


Have you been wearing your baby? What do you  think?


I am sure my thoughts may cause a deja vu to some of you especially someone who has hosted a new born. I would love to hear from you!

See you tomorrow folks!

Here are links to my previous AtoZ attempts. 
2013 Mixed Bag
2014 Exercising For Fitness
2015 Gardens of Pune
2016 Herbs
2018 Contemporary A to Z
2019 Caring for the Caregiver
Disclaimer: My posts do mention some products or service providers but these are not sponsored and not meant to be an advertisement.  All posts are from a maternal grandmother’s point of view!

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V is for Visitors

Hello! Welcome to my seventh attempt at the April AtoZ blogging challenge. My theme this year is Experiences of a first time grandmother! Some sweet, salty moments and learnings! My posts are totally based on what I felt (may even border on rants) and are not meant to be a guide. 

Visitors!
While at any other time, I love for people to visit us, I dreaded any one to call us with an infant at our home. 
I can almost hear the surprise in your mind, dear readers..
Let me clarify..


Traditionally, the new Mother and her baby were kept almost isolated.. Washing feet and hands was mandatory for anyone who wanted to see them.. obviously to protect them from infections. 
In our modern set up, it is a tricky job to ask visitors to do so..  People were actually offended when I asked them to. 


Of course Corona has now ensured everyone has reconnected with this particular and important hygiene aspect at all times. 


Then came the next hurdle.


Let me clarify again, at any other time, I am a welcoming host (I hope) but with a new born, my priorities had changed. Babies dont like to be held by strangers and many end up being upset with all that talk and laughter in the house – especially in the Flats that are now the common abode in urban India. 


Guests forget time – I take that as a compliment – but I had to choose between being a good host and a caring grandmother. I was way behind my chores. Asking guests to stay for Lunch or Dinner (or the meal at that time of the day) usually worked like magic! 


The mental anguish of doing the right thing, not hurting people was too stressful for me.


Of course all come with only best wishes and love for us and I appreciate the gesture. All had words of advice, some of it very useful. 


I know what not to do when I next visit a newborn. In fact its best to wait till baby is at least a month old. 

What has been your experience? I am sure my thoughts may cause a deja vu to some of you especially someone who has hosted a new born. I would love to hear from you!

See you after the weekend folks!

Here are links to my previous AtoZ attempts. 
2013 Mixed Bag
2014 Exercising For Fitness
2015 Gardens of Pune
2016 Herbs
2018 Contemporary A to Z
2019 Caring for the Caregiver
Disclaimer: My posts do mention some products or service providers but these are not sponsored and not meant to be an advertisement.  All posts are from a maternal grandmother’s point of view!

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U is for Unconditional

Hello! Welcome to my seventh attempt at the April AtoZ blogging challenge. My theme this year is Experiences of a first time grandmother! Some sweet, salty moments and learnings! My posts are totally based on what I felt (may even border on rants) and are not meant to be a guide. 

Unconditional
Unquestioning
Unqualified
Unreserved
Unlimited


Phew.. As usual, despite a theme, some alphabets are a huge challenge in the AtoZ. My thinking cap for today’s alphabet kept throwing out the above words..
That’s when I realised that for a Grandma to truly and properly do her ‘job’ in looking an infant and the new Mom is to be unconditional.


Do what is to be done with unlimited love, without expectations and no reservations and overcome my own reservations if needed. 
There is no place for ego clashes, petty behaviour. 


New Mom and Baby has to be focus of attention, as one needs to adjust to this New World and the other has to recover from pregnancy and labour. 


It is time for healing and nurturing.
Of welcoming a new family member.

Unconditional love. Unconditional care. 


I know you will agree with me… 
🙂
I am sure my thoughts may cause a deja vu to some of you especially someone who has hosted a new born. I would love to hear from you!

See you tomorrow folks!

Here are links to my previous AtoZ attempts. 
2013 Mixed Bag
2014 Exercising For Fitness
2015 Gardens of Pune
2016 Herbs
2018 Contemporary A to Z
2019 Caring for the Caregiver
Disclaimer: My posts do mention some products or service providers but these are not sponsored and not meant to be an advertisement.  

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T is for Toys

Hello! Welcome to my seventh attempt at the April AtoZ blogging challenge. My theme this year is Experiences of a first time grandmother! Some sweet, salty moments and learnings! My posts are totally based on what I felt (may even border on rants) and are not meant to be a guide. 


 
Toys! 
As  we awaited our Bundle of Joy, I found myself in a totally new world .. one of baby products! I guess I must have mentioned this in almost every post, its a whole new game out there!

It is now all about sustainability, non toxic materials, learning experiences and so on… Ofcourse there are the usual brick and mortar but online shopping from various start ups opens up a fantastic range as toys go traditional. 

There are toys made from cloth, washable ones with non toxic materials. Some were so cute, I almost ended up ordering one for myself!! 
This cute cloth Elephant is actually a Rattle!

And there are wonderful books as well.. ones that afford a sensory experience for the infants .. 
These books have contrast colours and different textures 
What has not changed at all, is that we find toys at unexpected places around the house … under the sofa cushions, in the show case of the drawing room, even in the kitchen!

What has been your experience?
I am sure my thoughts may cause a deje vu to some of you, especially someone who has hosted a new born. I would love to hear from you..


See you tomorrow folks!

Here are links to my previous AtoZ attempts. 
2013 Mixed Bag
2014 Exercising For Fitness
2015 Gardens of Pune
2016 Herbs
2018 Contemporary A to Z
2019 Caring for the Caregiver


Disclaimer: My posts do mention some products or service providers but these are not sponsored and not meant to be an advertisement.  All posts are from a maternal grandmother’s point of view!
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Wispy (ThursdayTreeLove)

Indigenous, Tekdi, Lannea
We pass by this tree almost daily and February is the month when its most eye catching due to the wispy branch ends. It has shed its leaves sometime in November and bursts into these delicate inflorescence in February (usually). 
Here is a cropped image..

It is locally called as Moi or Lannea coromandelica

Here is closer look at the flowers.. 

Dont they remind you of the Mango blossoms? That’s because both belong to the same family Anacardiaceae. 
Soon these flowers develop into fruit.

Moi is an indigenous species and common in hills of Pune and there are a specimens that grow in the city as well. I have seen it in Pondicherry and even in Tadoba. It can be easily identified by its ashy mottled trunk and lovely leaves. Today, I dont have a leaf photo for you. May be a couple of months later when the tree bursts into foliage.


Pune hills have seen umpteen tree plantation drives.. and I have noticed that Moi is among the few that does well. 


Have you noticed this tree in your city? Or its wispy flowers?


I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Head over to see some wonderful trees from around the world. Better still, join in!

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S is for Schedule

Hello! Welcome to my seventh attempt at the April AtoZ blogging challenge. My theme this year is Experiences of a first time grandmother! Some sweet, salty moments and learnings! My posts are totally based on what I felt (may even border on rants) and are not meant to be a guide. 

Schedule
Time table or program..


Infants are their own masters, its difficult to have a ‘schedule’ for them. In our case, the closest we came was Bath time which was around 11am – naturally depending on punctuality of the concerned Helper. At times we had to keep him awake so massage and bath was not missed. Other than that, there was no schedule for the tiny tot.


I however did try to keep a time table. The main aim was that the household ran like a clockwork and new Mom’s diet was always spot on. It also ensured I had time for stock taking, cooking, extra cooking, tending to my Bonsai and the occasional nap.  


During the day, we also did not overtly try to stop sounds (Mixer or Cooker whistles and so on), the aim being that the young one gets familiarised as soon as possible. I read some where it helps babies understand the day-night concept. 
Practically, it meant, I did not have to shut doors when cooking or switch off the door bell! 

What has been your experience? Did you have a schedule for baby and Mom? I am sure my thoughts may cause a deja vu to some of you especially someone who has hosted a new born. I would love to hear from you!

See you tomorrow folks!

Here are links to my previous AtoZ attempts. 
2013 Mixed Bag
2014 Exercising For Fitness
2015 Gardens of Pune
2016 Herbs
2018 Contemporary A to Z
2019 Caring for the Caregiver
Disclaimer: My posts do mention some products or service providers but these are not sponsored and not meant to be an advertisement.  All posts are from a maternal grandmother’s point of view!

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