MATERNITY AND CHILDCARE
Being pregnant can give rise to many emotions, mostly the joy of bringing a new life in to this world apart from adding a new member to the family who you can love and care for.
Being responsible about how many kids that you want and knowing how many you can afford to rise in this consumerist society is important in the modern world, as there are many things to consider like the child's education, healthcare, proper nutrition, vacations etc.
It is way better to have a single child, be it a boy or a girl, and raise the child comfortably without any need on the part of the child to sacrifice certain things like expensive toys, music classes, tennis/ soccer coaching and other interests or hobbies apart from vacations abroad every summer.
At the most, you can have two children, but never more than that if you are intelligent and care for the planet which is already burdened with population explosion.
Knowing that you are pregnant, you need to take care of your health and use many supplemental nutritional products apart from consuming lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. You can use nutritional especially folic acid supplements on the advice of your doctor.
Don't forget to shop for Strollers and Accessories, baby car seats, baby clothes, shoes,
toys and books etc. for your child.
Also, it is time to buy some comfortable, beautiful maternity wear, and nursing wear for the months ahead along with some basic infant needs and clothes along with maternity lingerie. Maternity wear is best in cotton fabric as it is natural and very comfortable, soothing for the skin.
Happy Motherhood along with the joys and responsibilities that parenthood brings to you.
Casual ethnic wear for women in India which is most comfortable, elegant, dignified and appropriate in all places, be it the office, college, at home, in the market, in the city or in a village is the kurta paired with a legging or a salwar with or without an added dupatta depending on the design of the kurta/ kurti.
Kurtas and kurtis can even be paired up with jeans and skirts for a stylish, casual ethnic look. Kurtas
can be paired with matching or contrasting color leggings, salwars for a nice day look. And kurtis paired with flowing , long skirts in cotton or chiffon paired with metal jewelry can make for a good feminine evening look, which is both graceful and stylish at the same time.
Kurtas are available in all designs like straight A-line ones and short, knee length ones, and short ones which are called kurtis to pair up with jeans / jeggings and Skirts, and long, flaring Anarkali kurtas which look really elegant and can be worn to small parties if there is embroidery and other work on them.
Since they are so comfortable and easy to wear and maintain, along with the added benefits of looking effortlessly chic by choosing the right colors, apart from being very comfortable to wear on long distance flights/ trains, kurtas, leggings/ jeans, salwars and skirts are a must have in every Indian woman's wardrobe to make it complete.
WOMEN'S SHOES- HEELS, BALLET FLATS, WEDGES ,SNEAKERS, DRESS SHOES, BOOTS, SANDALS, RUNNING SHOES AND STILETTOS
Shoe shopping online has never been this easy or this fun if you know your shoe size, for there are an innumerable variety of options available to go along with your varied outfits for varied occasions and you can find shoes that are most comfortable for your vacation needs too.
WOMEN'S SHOES
STILETTOS AND HIGH HEELS
These are a good option to subtly increase the length of your legs and your height too. You can wear stilettos with your dresses along with the usual cocktail party outfits and even jeans. Do not use these for regular day to day wear for they tend to put a strain on your ankles. But for an event or a party lasting a few hours, these are fabulous.
WEDGES AND MEDIUM LENGTH HEELS
These are good for all of us who feel uncomfortable wearing those sky length, pointed heels and trotting on them all day. Wedges can give you the height without the discomfort of pointed sharp heels. Also mid length heels do the same and you can walk comfortably in them all day.
BALLE FLATS AND BELLIES
The most comfortable footwear to put your feet in all day and walk, run along comfortably without spraining your ankles are these flat shoes. Bellies make your feet feel very comfortable and are good for travel, good for all day wear in long flights, and airports. Also, these are good for all day shopping.
SPORTS/RUNNING, TENNIS OR BASKETBALL SHOES
A necessity for every woman who is health conscious, owning a good pair of running shoes and using them is a great way to stay fit and in shape. There are many beautiful, cute, functioning pairs of running shoes available online to choose from.
DRESS SHOES
These are good for formal occasions as they complement formal skirts and dress suits very well. Business meetings and other formal occasions require wearing these shoes. They are suitable for regular office wear too.
RUBBER SHOES
A must have during rainy season to help dodge the rains and mud, also can be used if you have a garden in your yard in which you work regularly, can also be used when it is snowing lightly outside to protect from the water.
REGULAR HOME USE SLIP-ONS AND CASUAL SLIPPERS
A must to care for your feet at home and to give your feet a nice cozy cushioning which protect your feet from all the daily wear and tear.
SNEAKERS
The most comfortable shoes that can be worn anywhere from the airport to college to the beach are sneakers. Owning a good few pairs of sneakers is an essential wardrobe and shoe building step. Sneakers are fabulous.
MEN'S SHOES
A good pair of DRESS/ FORMAL shoes are essential for office work and boardroom meetings to go along with your formal office wear. Formal colors like black and brown would be good here. Wearing the right kind of shoes with the right kind of formal/work wear can make you look dapper.
RUNNING / SPORTS / GYM /TENNIS/ BASKETBALL SHOES
These are essential for today's health conscious men who go to gyms and do various outdoor fitness activities like running, TREKKING and WALKING. A good pair of Sports shoes helps you feet to stay free from injuries and helps in your workout regimens to ensure that you have a comfortable way of being fit.
SANDALS AND SNEAKERS
These are good for for everyday casual use, along with wearing them on your travels and flights, and at the airports along with your casual wear rather than wearing your household slippers, gives you a good look, rather than a lousy one without compromising on your comfort.
HOW TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE FROM YOUR BLOG
Blogging needs time and patience. However if you are persistent and can write good quality original content which is easy to read and understand , and presented properly, you can start to make MONEY from your BLOG.
The first step is to decide your niche, something that interests you, and start researching on the topics and writing on your blog.
Make sure that you can regularly keep posting new articles and updating your blog though it is good to remember that blogging is a way to earn supplement income apart form your daily job and that too if you are passionate about writing.
Initially, you have to look at blogging as a hobby, a nice productive interest that you can have, along with utilizing your spare time by doing something that interests you and helping other people who read your articles online.
After setting up a good blog on BLOGGER or WORD PRESS, and posting a few articles with good content, you can think about ways to monetize your blog.
Word press needs you to buy a domain name if you want to MONETIZE your website/blog. Blogger is free though. When your blog is of a decent size and up and running , here are a few ways to monetize/ make money from your blog.
a) GOOGLE AD SENSE
Ad sense requires that you have your blog running for at least 6 months before you can apply for it. Also, you need a good amount of quality content too. If your ad sense application is accepted, you can start earning some money, though not much initially, through advertisements that are posted to your blog.
Ad sense also requires you to have a PRIVACY POLICY on your blog. You can add one by adding a new page from your blog's dashboard, and copy pasting from a privacy policy generator like SerpRank.com.
If ad sense doesn't work for you, then there are other alternatives to make money through advertising on your blog. You can sign up at these ad sense alternatives which are chitika.com, infolinks.com and revenue hits.com.
b) AFFILIATE MARKETING
Sites like Amazon, Alibaba, e-bay, link share etc. provide you with links to market their products if you sign up for their affiliate marketing programs. You can make a decent amount of money by recommending the products you like , if you have a good number of visitors for your blog who like your articles and keep returning for new posts.
c) PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
If you have a good email list and client base from the visitors on your blog, you can start to sell your own products like E-BOOKS, hand crafts, paintings etc, and services through your blog, which can be a good way of earning/ MONETIZING your BLOG.
Happy Blogging!
PACKING LISTS FOR TRAVELLING/ VACATIONING WOMEN OR TRAVEL ESSENTIALS FOR WOMEN
LUGGAGE
Travelling, whether for work or fun can be made a lot more enjoyable, safe and comfortable if you pack smartly and intelligently. To do this you need a set of good Luggage .
Invest in a good quality solid set of light weight luggage which can include a Trolley suitcase or bag, a duffel bag and a Backpack or a laptop bag, along with a good big size handbag with sufficient zippers and pockets.
Along with these, make sure that you carry a Wallet which can fit in your Handbag, for your travel cash cards, money, (carry some money as cash in the local currency which you can buy at currency exchange counters in banks or consulates) and cards and a Passport Pouch for storing your tickets, visas, Passport and other essential documents, especially if you are travelling abroad.
Also keep your wallet and all the important documents along with your cell phone, earphones- to listen to music, a pen and a notepad in your handbag with you at all times.
ELECTRICALS AND ELECTRONICS
Make sure you carry a Universal Chargeralong with your mobile phone and don't forget to buy a good Roaming plan/ global SIM card with the required talk time and data plans so that you can always remain connected with your folks. Also it is good to give a detailed itinerary to your family and friends along with the contact numbers.
Whether or not Photography is your hobby , carrying a good Camera with sufficient memory and again a universal charger to go with it is a good idea.
You can capture the various moods,locales and climates of your Vacation/ travel for sharing the Pictures with friends and family later. Also you will have the memories in print to last a life time.
SKIN CARE AND MAKE UP
Make sure that you carry a separate Utility pouch for your skin care essentials like Lipbalm (tinted), a good quality Sunscreen, moisturizers (though some hotels do provide nice scented ones) , deo/ antiperspirant, basic foundation cream and eye make up, kajal, compact powder, lip gloss, Razors, tweezers, nail clipper, combs/ Hair brushes, extra rubber bands and hair clips and wet wipes and/or a Hand Sanitizer.
Also don't forget to carry a pack of sanitary napkins or tampons for emergencies. Carrying a small Pepper Spray bottle is good too along with a small Swiss Knife cum bottle opener set.
CLOTHES , SHOES, HATS, SUN GLASSES AND LINGERIE
Carry comfortable clothes that are suited to the climate and the local culture of the places that you are visiting. Also wear comfortable loose fitting clothes for the journey.
Carry lots of comfortable Cotton underwear, tampons and comfortable sets of bras like sports ones for the entire duration of travel as hotel laundry bills tend to be increased in enormous proportions otherwise.
Carry a travel sized umbrella and a Hat (esp. for beach vacations) along with your beach wear-comfortable, good coverage providing bikini, a good towel, along with a nice Kaftan or a sarong. Carry a couple of shorts and T-Shirts and Tops along with a few pairs of Jeans, skirts, and a couple of dresses.
A cardigan or a Sweater, thermals along with blazers and scarves would be good when you are travelling to areas with cold climates, which is when you need layering. A nice muffler cap and some nice woolen Stoles/ Pashmina or even a sarong or wraps to keep you warm in cold airports and airplanes can be carried. Carry comfortable Sunglasses along with good quality comfortable flats or slippers, loafers or sneakers, Bellies/ Ballet flats or sandals. Skip the high heels.
LUGGAGE TAGS
Invest in some brightly colored , easy to spot Luggage Tags, and tag them to your check-in luggage so that you can identify your bags easily on the conveyor belt.
PRESCRIPTION GLASSES AND DRUGS
If you wear prescription glasses or Contact Lenses, always carry an extra pair of glasses in your hand luggage (glasses may be lost/ broken, frames may be broken), and also carry extra pairs of Disposable Contact Lenses with you. Basic first aid OTC drugs like Paracetamol, Cetirizine (for allergies), band aids, Vaseline, mosquito repellent cream etc. can come in handy.
Don't forget to get your travel insurance before leaving, and pack some small padlocks for your luggage and backpack, a small bottle of perfume, handkerchiefs and some zip lock pouches in various sizes for their many uses.
Have a Happy, Safe, Comfortable and enjoyable Journey.
SUMMER is here with all its sunniness and HEAT!! It is time for all of you people to take some basic care in regard to food, clothing, drinks, skin etc.
Here a few basic tips and recommendations for all you people to beat the summer heat and enjoy the sun without getting a sunstroke/ sunburn.
TOP 4 WAYS TO BEAT THE HEAT AND STAY COOL IN SUMMERS
Take special care of your kids in summer by making sure that they drink enough cool water, wear comfortable loose cotton clothes, and do not go out to play during the peak sun hours. Also make sure to sprinkle some prickly heat Cooling Powder on their backs.
a) Try to stay indoors during peak times that is around 11 AM to 4 PM and sometimes even up to 5 PM , till the sun is down and the heat becomes less intense. Try and go out doing your business in the morning times before 11 AM and after 5 PM in the evenings.
If it is essential to go outdoors, don't forget to carry an Umbrella or wear a hat, wear loose light colored cotton clothes that can keep you cool. Also wear a good sunscreen on all exposed areas of your skin and take care that your sunscreen has an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of at least 30 (SPF 30) if you are living in India.
Wearing a sunscreen / sunblock can protect your skin from premature ageing, dark spots and even wrinkles. Also carry a water bottle with you and keep sipping water frequently.
Use Sunglasses whenever you are exposed to the hot summer sun, as SUNGLASSES protect your eyes from the harmful UV rays and also protect the sensitive skin around your eyes and prevent wrinkles , dark circles etc. You can also use an under eye concealer with SPF above 15.
b) Don't eat outside foods esp. fried foods in summer as they tend to produce excess heat inside the body. Rather stick to good old Coconut water and bottled mineral water or fresh hygienically processed fresh fruit juices.
Hydration is the key factor here to keep your body healthy. Make fresh fruit juices with the available seasonal fruit and add some crushed ice, garnish with mint and drink to keep the heat away.
Eat foods that are light on the stomach and easy to digest such as whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables. Mangoes are the fruit of this season, but don't forget to take Watermelon and other watery, juicy fruits like Litchi during the summer months.
c)Bath twice a day esp with cool water, as it helps in cooling the skin and body, do wash your hair once every two days. Use a nice anti-frizz conditioner for your hair as heat tends to frizz up hair.
You can use a nice citrus / cucumber/ sandal scented soap for that extra fresh feeling. Don't forget to use a good Deoderant/ Antiperspirant after bathing.
Use a light, fresh, non-greasy moisturizing lotion. Additionally, you can use perfumes which are fresh, floral, or citrus scented to make you feel and smell fresh throughout the day.Invest in a good moisturizing lip balm as heat tends to crack/ chap lips too. Stick to light, matte make up. Drink lots of cool water throughout the day.
d) You can make ICED TEA and COLD COFFEE along with the regular fruit juices and fresh lemonade (lemon juice mixed with water and sugar with a pinch of salt and mint for added freshness) and laze on your favorite chair reading a book on your kindle e-reader .
Here are the Recipes for iced tea and cold coffee.
ICED LEMON TEA RECIPE
Ingredients
Tea powder/ tea bags
Crushed ice
Water
Sugar
Lemons
Mint leaves
Process
Make the tea depending on your tastes, you can make it strong or light. The process is to boil the tea leaves with water and then strain using a sieve. You can store the cooled liquid in the refrigerator for future use too.
Next, take the liquid in portions as needed and add water, sugar, the juice of a lemon, and ICE as needed (for a glass of iced tea, you need a spoon of sugar and a tablespoon of lemon juice) and pour all these into a blender and blend for 2-3 minutes. Your chilled iced tea is now ready to drink. You can garnish with mint leaves and serve.
COLD COFFEE RECIPE
Ingredients
Instant Coffee powder
Sugar
Milk (Vegans can use Soy milk/ Almond milk)
Crushed Ice
Water
Vanilla essence
Process
Boil the required amount of water and add the instant coffee powder to make the brew and stir well to mix. A spoon of instant coffee powder should be added to make one glass of cold coffee or you can add it as per your taste whether you want it light or strong.
Now add milk as required. Generally, milk has to be added 3 times more than the coffee brew made with water. Next, add sugar to taste (a spoon or two would be nice) and stir well to mix. Pour these ingredients into a blender and add crushed ice, a few drops of vanilla essence and blend for a few minutes. Chilled Cold coffee with a great taste is now ready to be served and enjoyed.
Happy Summers ! Have fun.
