Summer with kids at home

June 12^th, 2013…last day of school at Garden Gate Elementary School. The day my kids and me have been waiting for because we long to sleep up to 10 in the morning. A break from getting up on alarm every morning, and a relief from the drop pick schedule at school. Although, it is a different story that kids will definitely get up early from tomorrow because there is no school, I still want to think about the extra time frill in the bed. At school parents had mixed reactions, some parents wanted the school to last a little longer, some were happy to go home as they had planned big summer vacations to India, while some like me were undeniably happy to enjoy a laid back summer.

Summer time is fun time, but based on my motherly experience the excitement doesn’t last longer if there is nothing interesting to do at home. The matter of fact is that kids get bored in 2 to 3 days of vacation and ultimately complain about what to do next. Today’s parenting is no joke coz the parents are solely responsible to keep the kids engaged with creative activities. Working parents smartly opt for summer camps, math prep classes, music, dance, swimming, and tennis etc. to keep the kids occupied. Unlike yester years today’s generation believes in expensive summer camps as ways to keep the kids active, happy and social. 

Back in the days when I grew up in India, every summer vacation I was sent to my native place. My native is a small tropical village in the countryside near Goa, Maharashtra. Almost from grade 2 to grade 8^th, I spent every vacation in my ancestral house in the countryside. Every day I would go out on an expedition with my uncle, aunty, cousins or friends in the farm. Fetching water from the well, running in the farms, plucking fruits from the trees to eat, drinking fresh cool coconut water, or covering the floor with cow dung everything seemed like an adventure. Believe me, every day would be special even if I had to go behind the cattle, or visit our ancestral temple. I was like a free bird let loose in the country without any restrictions to explore every possible opportunity. The life in my village fascinates me even today. I consider myself extremely fortunate for such opportunities to lead life in the recluse of nature and wonder when will my kids get to explore such rustic earthy and pure fun openings.

Back in the days, our parents did not even know our whereabouts as long as we were with some family member.  However, today because of the wide scope of technology, media, and massive reach of information people know much more than they should and it is practically impossible to trust anyone. Besides, there are other alarming societal issues like stranger danger, safety, child abuse, abductions and so on. Therefore, compared to those days, today looking after the kids single handedly is pretty challenging. So like a smart mommy on the go, I have stacked up a list of places to visit, fun things to do at home, lined up play dates and tentatively planned vacations for the next 8 weeks to keep my kids busy and stimulated. In fact we have already signed up for summer reading program at the Cupertino library. My job is to keep their morals boosted and encourage them to relax and have fun to make the summer of 2013 memorable.

Happy summer!

Bikram yoga my New Year resolution

My weight loss struggle and me are like the hands of a fan that never meet.  I have tried every form of Yoga and Pilates so far like Vinyasa flow, Power Yoga, Hatha yoga and so on and concluded that they all give great muscular flexibility provided I continue practicing them on a regular basis.  Apparently, I heard about Bikram Yoga and its medical benefits, so I have been trying to get in one such hot yoga class to check out how different it is. 

Bikram yoga is a 90-minute yoga class done in 100⁰ F hot room.  I have been contemplating between Power Yoga and Bikram Yoga from last year, so finally I decided to take it on as my 2013 New Year resolution.

Accordingly, I researched about Bikram Yoga classes nearby and found one 12 miles away from my home in Mountain View, California.  So on January 29^th, when I entered the studio looking at people who seemed to be regular members, their super skinny, sexy bodies intimidated me. I felt like one obese, overdressed woman in that crowd.  However when the class started I did not care what I looked like because I was falling short of breath and struggling for my mere existence in the heated room.  I was exhausted, thirsty, and super warmed up.  My heart was beating at the speed of 150mph and it felt like the clock was moving with the speed of a slug.  I left the room at least 3 times during the class to get the feel of cool fresh air, but came back when one of the Bikram yoginis told me to just sit down in the hot room even if I felt uneasy because for beginners the whole idea is to take the complete 90-minute treatment. After the class was over I felt like what did I walk into, because this torture was definitely not for me.  Regular Bikram Yoga members told me it happens on the first day, and that I will definitely be better off from the next session onwards.

On the contrary, I felt exactly opposite when I took a cool shower after the class. That was my aha moment.  Believe me I felt super energetic after that session. That evening my husband told me my skin was glowing and he thought I was looking fresh. I found Bikram as a one-stop solution for sleep, digestion and skin problems.  So I walked into the torture chamber again to feel the goodness of it and believe me I have been wanting more ever since.  I am a busy woman running on tight schedule as a full time mom and a student at SJSU, so going to Bikram Yoga everyday is practically not possible for me.  Although I am not a regular member, I try to make it at least 2 times a week and no joke, only in 7 classes over 2 months, I am already feeling the change.  I feel light and bright about every thing in life.  I do not want to go in detail with my medical issues, but want to assure that Bikram Yoga is addressing all of my problems slowly but steadily. 

Going to Bikram Yoga was my  New Year resolution for 2013 and I am keeping it so far.  Considering my demanding routine, I am planning to go for 2 classes per week to start with in this year and then take it from there. 

I recommend Bikram to all my friends who are ready to take a challenge and reap the medical benefits of hot yoga.  Spine alignment, weight loss, overall fine tuning of the body, and full body detox are the exciting side effects that come with this hot yoga package.

I think to you have to try it to believe me.  So if you like Jenifer Aniston, or you are a Kareena Kapoor fan who wants to have it all, go for it!