The power of Introverts

So it's women s week ... Not just International women s day I'd say.  I've always been a pro feminist and this was just another amazing way to celebrate what we are who we are what we deserve lots of W s  😀well  so I got an amazing opportunity to be a panel in the Women s Initiative for leadership success at work. I 'm greatful for this chance for it opened up so many new facts I discovered about myself. So whilst most of my time is invested in strategizing investment avenues for so and so client this was a tad different from the daily mundane work day.

At first I was not shocked that a survey I took prior to my preparation for this event, I fell into the introvert category not even a ambivert huh which is in between extrovert and introvert. I must admit I'm just a practised extrovert but a true introvert when it comes to just the real me. I love my space, my time with my bumble bee boy, and my own work out or unwinding time. I know how many girlfriend gang meet ups I have turned down ( back in India) bcos it's overwhelming for me now in my 30 s all I hear is bickering and why don't you join us often if at all I landed up in one, inquisitiveness at its best why don't you also do this and that ,endless talks about expensive trips they make with their families and blah blah  not to forget free advice at its best especially if their kids are older to yours . Well I love my friends  but sad to say I feel disconnected bcos I can't be a part of these talks anymore. Even if I'm a part of something like that i'm surely not in the moment. Oh then the analogy that I'm too involved with my boy hence I've changed I should take time out well maybe yes for you guys but if I  go to think about it I've always been the so called introvert. I was a bookworm and a total geek just that I had good eyesight so did not look like a geek with those fat spectacles to add on. Also I never dated a guy in college bcos or maybe bcos I was a geek or bcos I never gave any cues for that girlfriend material I carried a no nonsense label on me most often . After college while the girls would go out for movies or with their boyfriends  i would run back home  to take a computer class. They would force me to bunk my computer class but not even once I did I was persistent with my daily chores.  My evenings were  swim or play a sport or just read books and a quick catch up with my best friend Aarti  in the building for a walk. We'd talk about inventions, history, music, wanderlust trips, camera, technology and end it having a bhel puri chat and happily return home. I would study all night if I had exams coming closer I was always well prepared for my exams. I would laugh at my friends who would call me to share their sob stories about their break ups bcos I could not connect a thing here. In school my gang involved 4 girls and we enjoyed each other's company lost to a different world all together but my grades shocked the teachers again. Because I knew my stuff just that the introvert me I would never stand up and involve myself in a class participation whilst most others did it to score browny points from the teacher. So when I shared my story today at this awesome panel at work while today  I'm a 35 year old mom, I was astonished to know even in the west where I live there were many others just like me. Almost everyone scored more yes (es) and were not shocked bcos from  a behavioral standpoint we all are practised extroverts bcos our job wants us to do that or we have the pressure of doing so.

I gave a hearty laugh to the audience when I shared my story about how in my previous job where it involved high level sales and meeting large investment managers, exchanging business cards long days of back to back meetings and conference high tea, lunches, and the most boring part the evening cocktails 😅😅 put up artificial smiles and show off that you have a drink in your hand ! I have literally sneaked out of these especially in New York City who wants to spend your evenings talking about money and investment products again  no way haha . Me and my only female colleague Neha have ran out many a times out of these parties very quietly and laughed it out totally.We'd go to Times Square and stand in the Long line with teenagers for a cold stone ice cream and hide our faces when we saw a acquaintance who was a client in the conference looks like he sneaked out too  lol . Whilst my male colleagues would enjoy their drinks and chat with clients and score browny points with boss but of course. I have sneaked out almost every time after these long conference and
meeting days and  caught up on a broadway show alone . I'd walk alone in Times Square stop by a guy dancing hip hop and crowd cheering him and then a  colleague would call me where are you boss is looking for you we are all going for dinner so ... I'd say why should I join you guys not again oh come on I'd make excuses like no I'm going to stay back in my hotel room bcos I'm just very tired. That was the anti social label I carried at work but If I want to unwind without the office gang so be it!

So the women s day panel and meeting ended with a Arianna Huffington s' post and  a beautiful video on a introvert women im posting the  link here.http://youtu.be/c0KYU2j0TM4  this is a must watch Well so according to Arianna and research at Wharton school of business   (by the way I love this women and her Ted Talks ) most introverts are not shy they are smart and intelligent bcos they are well read and creative they do not necessarily or always believe in participating in a meeting to show off their intellectual point but they are involved  and they are busy processing in their minds what is required to do next. They end up in jobs with analytical skills and research.  I love being an introvert. It just makes me more powerful especially after I walk out of this meeting agreeing it ain't bad to be an introvert. It's just more powerful to be one.....

The 'Me time' rarity in every mom s life and the newly found word 'Mindfulness'

Okay so... I'am not really good with resolutions ... the so called new year resolutions or birthday resolutions ...also last few years i've treated new years as just another day ..oh well how boring and dull in the eyes of some party hoppers.. but yes  i'm yet very enthusiastic about small tit bits but im no way the party hopper, dancing all night, using the cell phones to call poeple who are not around and wish them and then waking up late on new years day and going for another party bcos its new years. No way I can't do that this is not then this is now, the 30 s... its beautiful and i don't miss my teens ...




I love my 30 s bcos im slow... im laid back... i don't feel like rushing into something... im not running a rat race in my career. I dont have,constant urge to check emails. I dont want to do what the world is doing. it is just this amazing feeling of being lost to a awesome world, steal some 'Me time' whenever i get a chance and amidst all this the bumble bee boy is growing at a super sonic speed. His  english with gramatical mistakes is too cute to be missed. He wants to question something and give an answer to it by saying 'I think its a ....'   he also wants to talk fast like adults and would eat away words with a burp...his latest is 'Thirsty crow story taught by his grandmom'  He rushes and pushes the crow to fly away happily that's what we hear eats up most words in between lol... he loves walking with the mobile phone in his hand and shaking his head ok, I see, hmm, all imitating the adults in the family.






So ... when I pause and think about this bumble bee he is super busy we all are complaining about time and work and errands I'm glad the daylight saving will strike soon to enjoy an extra hour in the busy day.Have you noticed that our world seems to be speeding up all around us? There are plenty of cultural examples, like Justin Bieber becoming an overnight sensation via YouTube  so much so to the tunes of 'Baby' my 4 year old connects my mobile to a blue tooth headset and jumps like a monkey on the bed thats his dance move btw :-!

As a woman and as a Mom or just as you , it’s important for us to recognize the speed of change that’s happening around us, and consider the skills and approaches that have historically contributed to our success and need to adapt to the realities of our lives.  Given my large family there's always someone to talk with and learn from. Most recently my Aunt  proved, once again, to be an invaluable teacher.



For context, my Aunt  is about 25 years older than I am. As a woman, mother, and experienced executive at IBM, she lead a hectic life right from her 20 s. This past few years she s'  become calmer, more present, quicker to rebound from disappointment, and has more clarity of purpose. She lives in Australia in a small town .  Her new "zen" state is impressive so I asked her how she was achieving it. With a smirk on her face she replied, "I'm practicing mindfulness."   At the time I didn't know much about mindfulness except that it was working for my Aunt ! At the first instance I thought its another lecture on positive attitude and life stuff - you know what I mean but it did make sense to me today that im in the 30 s boat. As my friend Setuka grins  Oh Priya please do not ask me to read books on life and motivational stuff  if I tell her to read a Robin Sharma but Here's what I've learned so far and have been "practicing" for the last month or so and Setuka this is for you my dear friend.



While the 'Me time' rarity circles my life and every mom s life what matters is live the 'Me Time' thoroughly if its one hour of shopping do it - live it. if its a coffee with a friend or a date night with your partner live that moment and please do not discuss your daily errands and managing a toddler it might be the toughest task but not during 'Me times' please !!



So whilst I'm both religious and spiritual  I discovered both are different and can have its own meaning. What I've learn about this eleven letter 'Mindfulness' (just as long as my last name 'Ram - chan -dran' is :-))

• Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention to the present.  It's living in the moment, rather than dwelling on the past or anticipating the future.
• Mindfulness is about observing your thoughts, feelings, and body without judgment. Rooted in Buddhist meditation, it aims for acceptance rather than framing things as right or wrong.
• Mindfulness can improve overall wellness. It has been proven to be beneficial for our bodies and minds. Research studies have shown improvement in the immune system's ability to fight off illness, increased positive emotions, reduced stress, increased focus, improved memory, and improved empathy. 

I realize this might sound a bit hokey or too abstract for some. Here are actionable things to train our minds to stay in the present, be highly productive at work and home, and energize, rather than drain, us.

• Change the lens. We all perceive situations based on our beliefs, opinions, and ideas. Without realizing it, these "lenses" shape how we perceive information. As humans we tend to recycle the same thoughts or thought patterns. This can be limiting, negative, or judgmental. Trust me I hate the damn word 'Judgemental' I was recently frustrated by a comment a Mom made on my 4 year old s naughty attitude who is busy practicing some pushes and kicks on his timid friends not always when some do not co - operate or annoy him . Almost my entire family genes with boys especially is being super naughty and then the same boys grow up to be the most shy and quiet personalities  so I kind of relate to it and my cousins jokingly ask me who got the punch today. But trust me he looks so cute when he does that it cracks us up but I have to stop it if it goes over the bucket. I jokingly tell my family and friends maybe he took Mr Marwah s comment very seriously  my parents neighbor in Mumbai  gifted my  new born son a silver bangle which in Punjabi is called 'Kada' and its from their Gurudwara (place of worship)and Mr Marwah said 'Beta Maarke aana lekin kabhi Maar Khake mat aana' meaning ' You hit but do not get hit by others'  :-)  Okay so while I intervene and ask him not to do it this judgemental person  who has a lot of time in life so I say creates a bibiliography on me and my son. Get a life please don't judge a 4 year old. They just go through these phases big deal !!  .......okay now im deviating from my spiritual being sorry so as per my Aunt,   Mindfulness involves consciously exploring these "lenses" in the moment to break habitual patterns that aren't productive and retrain the mind. And maybe most importantly, be comfortable not thinking at all.  Be at peace with simply being


• Distance is good. Mindfulness encourages us to step back and examine how our body, emotions, and thoughts come together in response to a situation so we're not carried away, or along, by it.  Put some distance between the experience and your reaction to it, particularly when you can sense a strong emotional response.
• Think small….really small. This one is pretty hard. Slow down and examine small, routine actions to raise awareness of your body and your emotions. There's a raisin exercise that's commonly cited in mindfulness.  You eat a handful of raisins one by one, rather than tossing a handful in your mouth, so you can individually observe the taste, feel, and process.  The idea is that by raising awareness of small habits or moments you actually increase your ability to influence larger, more stubborn habits or moments.  (Admittedly, I haven't attempted the raisin exercise yet).

• Meditate in a way that resonates with you.  Whether it's 90, 60, or 10 minutes, have a formal daily practice of focusing on the present through meditation. For my friend Setuka I introduced her to a Zumba class if you cannot do yoga or those meditation related stuff do anything that resonates you why not be a hip hop or Zumba class right ..

There's a vast body of research on mindfulness. I haven't even scratched the surface, and I haven't done any of these things consistently yet let alone practice but I aspire to in various ways I'd give it a thought for sure.



Many of us would agree that increasingly we live in world of grey ambiguity, rather than black and white certainty. And, that world seems to be moving faster, as technology advances afford us greater transparency and the ability to analyze, understand, and disseminate information much more quickly. I’m curious if you agree that the world does seem to be spinning on its axis just a bit faster. How are you preparing yourself to be successful in a rapidly changing environment? our kids are the best example they are growing so so fast. So Pause breathe think. watch this video and tell me what you think. Thank you once again for subscribing to my blog. Enjoy that 'Me time rarity' I aspire to watch a broadway with my buddy in NYC that's my planned 'Me time' for this fall and I'm looking forward to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwWhvm5RHZE&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwWhvm5RHZE

The most elusive goal ... striking the work life balance and being a good Mom.

....So i called it  day a off from work and pre school of course  ... thanks to the impending inclement weather the snow storm all over east coast. I woke up early to see the snow flakes pouring outside and said wow to myself can stay in my pyjamas all day ....refilled my coffee mug and got on to something i love ... Blogging about my little sunshine the bumblebee who makes my life busy. After staying home full time for 3 years and experiencing the better side of life of doing things at your own pace, watch the little bumble bee/sunshine s whimsical ways, waking up to 10 am mornings  i do love these day offs where the week gets shorter.


Whilst I'm not this unflappable working mother doing everything right and getting organised and running this laundry list i must admit i'm still very lazy and love day dreaming too. Now does that make me a bad Mom. Probably yes in the eyes of many perfectionist who are mechanial and operate like machines.

Some intruiging yet a cute free advice i got...

Aunty Ann - 'Dont you have to cook a meal for the rest of the week since you are a working Mom....I used do all my cooking and deep freeze it wake up at 5am Thaw it and give it fresh to my kids you should do that too.

Me - Awesome idea 'Aunty'

Me - To Myself - 'Thanks but no thanks', Whilst Aunty s idea is lovely and would mean i wont enter my kitchen for the rest of the week .... nahhhhh

To me this is more complicated and so mechanical and also a lot of time and effort goes into thinking. Well its just me im sure everyone has a way but  the society in general thinks  working mom s are stressed out and do not give anything fresh to their kids. Another one from my old friend in Mumbai who has 2 kids -  In US you don't have to do anything i'm sure bcos the dayare provides you with all the food and i'm sure your kids must be so falling sick every month in the daycare hence i toh never did that plunge ever with both my kids . There are all sorts of 'judgemental human beings what do i say... I get all sorts of free question marks on foreheads from people i dont even know
So... how do i get the time to hit the playground. how do i get time over the weekend to hit outdoors in this weather  - don't you have to finish your grocery and wen do you do the laundry. What about cooking, cleaning, organising your closet  ..'.best one ' don't you make fresh rotis or you just buy the readymade frozen food for your kid or you let him eat at the school?

The answer to all of the above is 'shut up'

And  Hey You, Im a Good Mom! I do all of it!!

What matters to me is to see a happy face in the morning when we wake up  cuddle tight and i sing the 'You are my sunshine' song to him... we give each other a 5 minutes hugs pugs and then our day starts ... im ready with breakfast on the table ... i've packed his lunch already (my son s daycare does not provide food only snacks....so  i do all of this when hes sleeping not very early but a alarm that snoozes for about half an hour and i call it morning at 6.30 am....im not organised and i don't pack things the previous night i do some of it at times depends really and then im a desi and i do make fresh rotis its a 2 minute job why stress on the round shaped rotis i don't care if it looks like a half moon or india map... of course i have a machine that kneads my flour.. and i use all sorts of short cuts ... whatever works best.

Fortunately i work on a compressed 7 hour a day kind of schedule. Thankfully I have no laptop or work from home option my job does not need that.   Well  so we are apart for 6 to 7 hours in a day but thank god with the winters here we have all the evenings to us i do take him along to fetch some grocery if need be, we hit home get on to our pyjamas and have it all for us. I dont even think about all of the questions above all i do is think about him when im driving and what fun stuff we are gona do next i love to see that face lit up like a moon when i pick him up from the day care and ready to hold my finger and walk down with me ... its that moment of pause that matters that happy feeling of having missed each other ..that matters and making up for those hours we missed. even 1 hour of good bonding and forgetting the world could do that for me at least. I have a no cell phone rule in the evening i let it stay in the bag it workss wonders.

Its important we respect ourselves and our decisions in life i know its tough but we gota hear our instincts every now and then and work according to that.

We are all good moms. We are all trying our best for our kids. Sometimes we fail, we are stressed when they are sick, most often we fight it and we suceed. As moms we put so much  emphasis on our flaws which we should'nt. I see good moms out there all the time. At my son s day care i see all moms happily talking to the kids about how good was their day, i see good moms at the library who read out to their kids, i saw a good mom who took her son out of the library bcos he was loud, she is teaching her son about rules, routines and expectations. The mom who forgoes cooking dinner and drives through Mcdonalds so that she can spend more time playing and less time cooking is a good mom too. Its the quality of time not quantity as my cousin rightly said!! Aunty Ann is a good Mom too bcos she did what is best for her kids.

As Moms we never hear appreciation but get criticised easily when our kids dont behave or fall sick but we are all good moms at the end of the day so appreciate yourself and speak to yourself while driving or while getting ready look at the mirror and say how good you are. Do not tag yourself as a working mom or a stay at home mom, you are simply a good mom.It is what it is.

Testimonial Tuesday - The real test of my life!!

 Hello everyone!! As you all know i usually blog under the title of 'baby s day out - (as most of my friends know) and lately under the title of busiestbumblebee.blogspot.com - my 3 year old bumble bee boy so .... but at the outset i would like to mention this blog is about the author of the two blogs above its about 'Me' yes its about 'Me' - Thanks to all my friends who inspire me to blog....here goes once again for you all....

~~The last two months of my life ~~ The real test of my life ~ brought out the real person in me !

The Procaffenating 'Me' love my hot mug of coffee every morning ~~ brew .. heard of the song let it snow? i'd sing to myself  let it brew ... let it brew ... let it brew ... :))) sorry if that was a bad joke hehe i wana laugh though!! My coffee is my life it puts me one step higher, charges my battery, enlightens my mood and pops up my enthu cutlets always..but you know what the last 2 months my coffee travelled to the microwave so often it had to be heated & then re heated & then re - heated but still sipped it more like cold coffee, hardly remember cooking a favorite meal for my family (oh no not so cool for  an indian family, cooking is laborious but i love it im a pro - indian i love cooking and my breakfast lunch and dinner), the laundry kept calling to pile up those mountains of pending clothes over the weekends, the dishes were starring at me, at some point i'd think life is like the busy bumble bee my blog title ahh  happy co incidence huh but i dint think it would be this to say the least !! OMG  forget blogging on sunshine  ive been so off blogging i did manage to blog on his costume i couldnt hold on to my horses writing about that cute little bumble bee and why i dressed him up for Halloween as the 'Little Bee Guy' -
...

well ~well ~well to cut the long story short so whilst my boy started  pre-school this september and i started my full time job  my job took me back to school too - with books n books , job aids, flash cards, voice notes,voice memos  - it was pathetic to listen to my own voice I'd say the so called American tune with a heavy Tamil or Bombay acsent was playing hard on my ears :) to try something else a sweet colleague gave me an idea that 'Siri' on the iPhone can read out your notes you see how tech we are getting here and it's been more than ten years since I graduated and this decade s study methodology quiet excited me you know I'd record my voice whilst reading the concept and re play it in my car while driving, so anyway .... but Siri wouldn't co operate you know ...she can get stubborn especially with a  3 G connection whilst driving,  Siri sometimes threw  a lot of attitude and would bluntly say 'sorry I can't read notes at this time or I can't complete your request at this time :-p' awwww technology can get on to your nerves if they don't do their functionality quotient well. so Sadly I would go back to voice memos & of course to the course material  books. i studied like a owl ...days were longer not much well uhh a lil over 24 hours -and the nights Owls dont sleep at night but a tired me, a tired mom, yes i needed a goodnight sleep at least to call it a day off !! And weekends - no weekends literally -

'Barnes & Nobel' it was 8 hours of study over the weekends at the book library 'my Adda' with my coffee, scraching my head with the pen at times , running over the quizzes , re visiting job aids and notes  ... late evenings at Ruchika s place... some weekends .. So what it all meant is after one unsuccesful attempt I  passed the toughest exam so they say to survive being in the world of investments & finance in Uncle Sam s country  and I passed it very well. - Hooray -  I earned it - I did earn it with a lot of sweat but all of that hard work, focus and persistency paid off totally !!
....
So here s to a  real person s testimonial truly thats to 'Me'..

And of course to all who've been with me ...to all the angels over my head - as they say good things begin and end with gratitude :) My sister taught me this a big Thank you to her  - who always put the never die positive attitude in me !My Family in India who believed i wud do it -  Needless to say but of course  my better half my support who  was a mother to my son and did everything to keep him occupied and helped me in and out with the household and everything under the sun  I'd say!! (I still can't fill gas in my car I outsource that responsibility to him)!! And some wonderful friends, good old plus new friends at work who were such a inspiration and help !!

Well... Alls Well  at the end of the day and  its a happy TTuesday !! Back to work gobbled the burger TTtuesday burgar (at work) in no time :)

Nothing is Impossible - I'M POSSIBLE - live this attitude !!

The Proaffenating Me !!

My 2nd Home :)

Happy Halloween - Mr Bumble Bee s story

This Halloween sunshine s costume was all ready a month and half back courtesy amazon Prime!

Most kids at 4 i hear start having opinions on their costumes. Mom i wana be 'Superman' i wana be some Star Wars Character  like 'Hulk' for most boys its those muscled men and girls its Princess this year most girls chose to be Elsa from the movie Frozen. With my 3 year old im yet enjoying dressing him up as per my choice he does'nt care much about a costume in fact he looks at ways to rip it apart.Luckily at school which was his first halloween parade for the year he would'nt do much hes a good boy in school although he tried hard to pull those antennas out awwwww he looked so so cute!

Trying hard to get those antennas off :)

The Bumble Bee story  - Well I had mentioned in one of my sunshine blogs this little guys loves to explore nature he'd not care much about a playground running around but would rather stop by to look at creepy crawly things like some ants marching on the floor, or would name a caterpillar oh thats  'green' his trips to the zoo were total 'paisa vasool' he would patiently watch every animal genre.

The heart felt birdhouse !

So... the bee story stems back to last winters when  we made a birdhouse  at the Owl  museum to welcome Spring and i put it up at our Patio in the summers,  a cute little Birdhouse it was -  however a Yellow and Black bumble bee family of 7 to 8 Bees decided to occupy the birdhouse.And that caught the excitement of my little guy he used to cook up stories when he saw a fly in the house - He 'd say to his Thatha (Grandfather) Bumble bee came from the Air Conditioner vent and went inside his t - shirt and then i'd say okay wel complain about this to Thatha thats how the whole bumble bee frenzy started and this went on the whole of last winters until he saw a real bee so close okay i had to keep warning him to stay a distance away from those buzz sounds you never know these cute little bees as they look in costumes are'nt really cute well you know what i mean !! 

Then came the book we started reading the Ladybug Girl and Bumble Bee boy -  The adventures of the Bug Squad.It had 4 cute characters.we picked up lots of stories on this from the library and the only boy character in the book was bumble bee boy and that struck Mommy s brain bulb lights on and so did i get the idea to dress him bumble bee you see .....heeee heee i also did a few DIY in this costume.

So we were all set ... 24th october 2014 was  'The Day' I was super excited to leave office early on a friday to attend sunshine s halloween parade at the school. all Parents were asked not to go to the kid s class as they would get distracted rather all parents wait at the backyard playground of the school where the parade was .... and i met Michael s Mom at the parking and the two of us kept yapping and waited for our little boys to come on the parade. First the infant class came out a cute little bunch of lions and turtles and sunflowers and lady - bug costumes so adorable!! Sunshine s class was getting ready to come out and i was waiting with my camera and video mode on ... there i saw a bunch of them coming out slowly into the ground and both michael s Mom and I wondered where are ours ? ....And they were the last coming out in their own world looking here n there and i had put the video mode on as soon as i saw his class coming and i shouted Hi Vivyyyyyy the little Bee was blushing yelllow ...:))) to see Mommy at the school ground he was puzzled, slightly lost but boldly walked ahead with his class at one point he wasleading the parade with Miss Tina his teacher. It was a moment of pride indeed.

Hi Miss Tina - 

,,,,...From Bee boy & his Mommy

Happy Halloween to all enjoy your pumpkin patches and dress up your best its so much fun!!

Bumble Bee boy loves....

Sunshine  s new avatar -  'Mr busy busy  bumble bee boy ' Life s busy very very busy our mornings are now 6 am for mommy about a little past 8 am for bumble bee boy. But we like it that we are so busy and after a busy day at school and work when mommy and bumble bee boy meet its a moment of pause, a moment of silence, sometimes happy tears, just  no words, just hugs tight ones and kisses and a good mood again to tell mommy all the stories that happened in school when we drive back home! Home is heaven - wherever you roam a few hours or a vacation it's those precious threads that draw us close to where you live it's your home !

So at home or otherwise bumble bee boy loves doing various things that keeps him busy here goes ....

... He loves being bumble bee boy!

He loves exploring our yard our cute little patio garden nurturing them, and observing the colourful flowers oh  purple flowers look mamma he goes !sometimes his animal friends visit our garden too!

He loves the rainbow - he will climb up the slide in the park and watch the clouds float by.... And would say I saw rainbow can you see !


He loves to stand under the  tall trees and look up to the treetops !


He can run as fast as the wind!


He loves to go on trips with his family and always tries to guess where the car will take him next. Maybe it will take him to the Moon!

He loves cupcakes and loves to guess the color of the cup cake toppings ! He loves colors in short!

He loves music ! He can dance on anything shaking his cute little bee wings bumms !

He loves to go to the seashore (when he was really little hed keep saying beach if he wants to go out) - he  buries his toes in the sand and breathes in the salty air" then daddy and he race the waves all the way back to the shore!

He is the deep thinker you know  - the owl - the little reader and we just collected our prize for finishing 100 books this summers! Happy reading !!


Lastly and the bestest thing on earth  he loves to swing - swing high into the  sky! And touch the treetops and clouds!



.... And daydreams about all the adventures bumble bee boy might have tomorrow.

My lovely little yellow & black bumble bee boy even though our lives are busy may god always give us our vagabond moments where we roam and explore the outdoors and much much more!!

Happy bee times to all the reader friends :) :)    

P.S - there is a awesome surprise coming up in the next bumble bee blog !!!

Lets get busy !!

For those of ya wondering why a new blog title and a post after a long time ...its because there s lot of new stuff happening in sunshine and his mommy s life. Right now my life is full of wonderful responsibilities and it's those things that need my time and attention.  I won't say for sure that I'm through with blogging :) in fact there s most to come now So i have a new full time job and my sunshine has a full time school ...so its just been  super super busy...... in short you can imagine its like sailing in new waters after 3 years of a fruitful, joyous, super fun, ultra laid back sabatical :)) but im excited  i've got back to my career something i always loved the investment industry and im even more charged up bcos i interviewed with the world s largest investment/ asset management co and yes i bagged the job !! Well life is going to be super busy i know but my love, my boy and his amazing toddlerhood cannot stop me from blogging but of course!! so i just wanted to blog a bit on on the stuff we 've been doing otherwise despite our busy schedules.  (afterall i want to read all of this and want him to read when he grows up :))

I must admit i'm a big fan of montessori and im trying to montessori proof my whole house  with montessori tools in the living room, bedroom, bathroom and of course his room oh not to forget our patio too (balcony) Oh no im not home schooling my kid in the real sense if you thought so .. but i got inspired by the various things i ve seen and been reading. actually so when sunshine was 2 i got a little curious into this subject and realised the musical toys (noisy i say....) mobile gadgets, ipad etc is such a waste of time & money on kids. After sunshines s first birthday our room was filled to the brim with toys really not knowing which one to open and play with it was so overwhelming i can't tell you the house was a circus trust me !! As time passed and we moved to the west i i kept reading and reading i started investing in some really inexpensive toys/tools initially where he can use his fine motor skills, develop hand eye co - ordination, and develop more curiosity. This was my takeaways from the reading i did. So very simply Montessori means bringing in a lot of practicality in your child s life. .Everything from science to geography to nature can be taught to a 2 - 6 year old kiddo. It promotes mindful learning, independance and self discovery. Interesting isnt it.  The best part now the toys do it all its called tools in mont. So we have decided to get organised and be a montesserian its just creating that space for your child with supervision and child proofing of course. Most importantly organizing everything is the key and it encourage your kids to be organized and responsible..too yes it can come as early as 3 years of age.

Today i do a lot of practicality and 'sensory basket' related activities for sunshine who has suddenly turned super busy like the bumble bee :) building his hive !!

Sensory basket is simply placing a few tools in a tray or basket and indulging a curioisity in your child s mind i typically place it in his work station a small table chair but if i have many tools i use the dining table in the living room. Yes make use of your living room too do not show off your costly cuttlery and bar accesories cummon its a kiddos house so dont dump everything in his room make use of the space all over the house. im yet to click more pictures of my house and how i have created corners for his activities.

Why the word sensory  - The sense of touch or using your fine motor skills like fingers and hands is the exact meaning of sensory. Most often kids find it diffficult to hold a pencil before they begin to write thats bcos their sense of touch is just beginning to develop. so its awesome to introduce them to various sensory related activities between 2 to 6 years of age.

Well so ..So here is Mr Bumble bee s Hive:

And he gets busy... the artist in him!!

Activity -Lets paint - placed tools (* sheets and paint & brush)in a sensory basket 

Activity - Lets learn the 4 seasons 

And we are leaning summers here :)

Activity - The Bug a boo project 

Getting busy like the bugss

An awesome sensory tool wooden puzzles

Now this sensory basket contains animals & vehicles and some flash cards to match it up

Activity - Lets count !!

Activity - numbering small <medium<large

Activity - lets stack - promotes hand eye co ordination,fine motor skills

                                                        build with patience :)

The secret of good teaching is to regard the child's intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination."

- Dr Maria Montessori 

Love your child ! Respect your child! Count their opinion & Let them explore their little world ..

Lots of love & Regards,
Sunshine Bumble Bee s Mommy :)

P.S - Watch out for more activities and Montessori Home space in my next blog :) i might be as slow as a tortoise in compiling and putting everything together now that we are busy and there is zero free time but please bear with me :):)