Ron’s HAiku Prompt this week:
Sucking on a sweet
Feeling fizzing on your tongue
Swizzles Love Hearts - Yum!
Ritu 2019
RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #254 Sweet&Heart
20 May 2019 19 Comments
in #ronovansweeklyhaikuchallenge Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Ronovan's Weekly Haiku Challenge, Senryu, SWeet & Heart
Chai And A Chat #33 #ChaiAndAChat
20 May 2019 42 Comments
in Chai and a Chat Tags: #ChaiAndAChat, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Catch Up, Chai and a Chat
Hey there Peeps! Time for our weekly catch up, get that drink ready!
- If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that it’s been another week of rushing around… And it won’t end anytimes soon either… not whilst that cast is still on Hubby Dearest’s foot…
- If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that this week we had to tiptoe around Lil Princess… Yes, I know she is moody at the best of times, but the past week was stressful for her and her compadres, as it was SATs week. The time the government wants us to test the 7 and 11 year olds, supposedly to see how the school is doing, but inevitably, it ends up stressing the kids out too, no matter how much we try to play them down at school. At 7 it’s a lot easier to make things seem like a usual school day, but at 11 the classrooms change round, with display boards covered up, and desks lined up in exam formation, so even if we are trying not to make things different, they are. She was okay with the English tests but he is not a fan of Maths and they stressed her out, especially the reasoning papers… Still, they all got through and I am told the papers appeared to be pretty fair. So it’s up to the children, as to how they perform. We try, at home, not to make too much of a big deal about it all, but she is old enough to understand that she is being tested and marked… and it affects a child. We celebrated the end by going for icecream at the local Treatz dessert place! (Maybe more my treat than theirs…!)
- If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you the usual backs and forths occured with training and tuition, from Tuesday to Sunday… and culminated in a cricket match on Sunday morning, which they lost… but Lil Man bowled pretty fantastically in. Though there were no blue skies this time!
- If we were sipping chai together I’d mention that, if you remember, I am the head of the School Council, and we have been raising funds for improvements within the school. One idea we had last year, was to provide books for the three playgrounds for use during lunch time. Not every child wants to run around like a loony, so I made this my project, but time was always against me. Last week, I was informed that I needed to spend the year’s budget, so off I went on Saturday and spent a cool £100 on books for my playground boxes. I also raided my kids bookshelves as there are so many books there that they havem but don’t or won’t read… and hey presto, we have three fantastic boxes ready for the children to dip into!
- If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know that the rest of the week went relatively smoothly, but I am still tired!
- If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that this week cannot go fast enough, as we will be on our half term break from Friday for TWO weeks! Even though it feels like a short while since we had Easter break, the past 5 weeks have been crazy, and I can’t wait!
- If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d mention we have meetings with the Head this coming week to discuss our futures at school, and possible classes for next week… who knows what it may hold????
Have a wonderful week, Peeps! Let me know how your week went!
Childhood – The Old Skool Way – How It’s Supposed To Be #Memories #Childhood
19 May 2019 34 Comments
in Family Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Childhood, Old Skool, Playing, Safe
We all spend time moaning about our kids and their behaviour. It’s a parent’s prerogative, isn’t it?
Then we complain about how they never go out, and spend the whole time on phones and screens (devices we have given them…)
But we are too worried to send them out, like we used to go out. The world is a big, bad place, after all. Social Media and the internet tell us of all these awful things that happen out there. We wrap them up in a certain amount of cotton wool, because we all want to protect our pecious offspring.
A bit too much helicopter parenting, making sure you know exactly what your child is doing at all times, and with whom. Running yourself ragged to get them to all the places you have booked them into to keep them busy, getting frustrated at the cries of “I’m bored!” throughout the weekend and, oh, don’t talk to me about the longer holidays!
It is sad that many of us don’t have the confidence to send our kids out with a little slack on the leash we tend to keep them on.
I hold my hands up. I am guilty of this overprotectiveness.
But I am also aware of the fact that they have to grow up some time, and they do need to assert their independence. They are going to need to know how to deal with the world, after all.
I’ve hesitantly allowed Lil Man to go to the park with his friends, not long after an assault happened there, (dropping him off, and making sure he was with the right mates, before leaving), I have given Lil Princess the opportunity to walk home alone now, as she has to get ready for Secondary School next year. I’ve left them alone for a short while, as I do grocery shopping. They’ve walked to the shops alone.
Listing these things makes me wonder why I feel they are petty things that all kids should be doing anyway, but it has been hard letting go, believe me. And even if I feel they are ready, and capable of dealing with things, their dad is even more over protective of his children… so I do feel for them sometimes, battling against both of us, just so they can be kids… and experience everything we did.
However, today, we managed to overcome a big step.
The kids.
Out.
All afternoon.
On their bikes!
Ordinary, isn’t it? Something I remember my brother doing every day in the holidays. Disappearing after breakfast on his bike with his little gang of friends, appearing to eat lunch then disappearing again. If I had been the active, outdoory type, I’d have been allowed to do the same, but I preferred my book time, or a walk to the local shops, running errands for my mym (and buying teen magazines or cheap makeup from the chemist!)
Anyway, today the kids enjoyed a proper Old Skool kids afternoon, and they loved it!
We live in a cul de sac, and there are a few other children, but no one we knew. Then, a few months ago a new family moved in and they have a boy a similar age to Lil Man, and two girls, younger than Lil Princess. We fed them samosas on Diwali as we all stood out in the street at night, watching the Gurdwara fireworks display, and the bonding started.
The boy has come round a few times, playing Playstation or football in our garden, and Lil Man has been over to his house too.
As the days are better and evenings longer, we get back from school and they have been out, on bikes and scooters, in the safety of our road, and my two have joined them for short whiles. But their bikes were at the in-laws.
Today, we got back from Lil Man’s match, after picking their bikes up, and once they had eaten lunch, they went out… at 2pm… and I didn’t see them until nearly 6pm!
That was a biggie for me. But I read a little and snoozed on the sofa, knowing they were only outside.
When they got back, they were relaxed and happy, having made even more friends, as children from other familes that live on the road joined them too, and they rode bikes, played football, ran races, played games and chatted. All normal kids stuff, that didn’t involve screens at all!
They have now got a little gang of friends together that live here, who can safely get together, of different ages, and different backgrounds too (English, Indian, Polish, Arabic, African) and just one afternoon out together has made the atmosphere in our house totally different.
No arguing and angsty behaviour, just happy children who have exhaustend themselves in the most natural, child-like way.
There’s a lot to be said for fresh air, and just playing.
Here’s to many more afternoons where finally, my kids can be kids, the way I remember childhood.
What do you remember about your childhood that seems to be missing in our kids lives nowadays?
Stories For South Asian Super Girls #BookReview @PinkLadoo @Rajo_rani
19 May 2019 20 Comments
in Reviews, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #BookReview, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Raj Kaur Khaira, Stories For South Asian Super Girls, The Pink Ladoo Project
I know I have been reviewing books on a monthly basis, but sometimes a book comes along with a background to it that just begs to be singled out, and I came across such a book this week.
I was extremely excited to take delivery of this inspirational book, by an equally inspirational woman.
Raj Kaur Khaira is a British-born, raised in Canada woman of South Asian descent, Sikh by religion.
At ten, she was horrified at the reaction to her sister’s birth by other family members, who were saddened that there wasn’t a boy this time.
Over the years she became a true activist for women’s rights, and her interest in the harmful impact of sexist South Asian and non-South-Asian customs and traditions on both boys and girls spurred her on to do something more.
Raj founded The Pink Ladoo Project in October, 2015.
This project was a mission to encourage families to celebrate the births of their little Princesses, as well as their little Princes.
Traditionally, at the birth of a boy, orange sweets called Ladoos are distributed to family and friends, yet nothing for the birth of a girl.
But why?
The Pink Ladoo Project strives to challenge this belief, and they asked for Indian sweet makers, and families to make/purchase/order pink ladoos, so that the arrival of a girl could be celebrated equally. Pink, not just because of the Western link with girls, but also because the colours pink, and red, signify Strength, Power, Luck and Celebration in our culture.
The Project has taken off hugely and there are many thousands of followers. It not only lauds the births of girls, but also celebrates and shares stories of female empowerment, from the story of a mother giving away her daughter at a wedding, to an occasion when three granddaughters carried out the traditionally male ritual of carrying the casket at their’ grandfather’s funeral.
I truly applaud this practice and have my own personal story to share…
When my mother was due to give birth to her first child, she was in a country away from her own family, the UK, so her mother flew over from Kenya to be here to support her.
The pregnancy hadn’t come about easily, or as quickly as some wanted, but finally, the big day arrived and so did I.
A girl.
My Pops was overjoyed. He was the first one to hold me as I had been born by c-section. I was his first child, and the first thing he could truly call his own.
My mum and grandma were so happy too.
Except, joy was marred when a woman arrived at our house, pretty much mourning the fact that I had been born a girl, especially since my grandma had flown all this way…
My Pops gave her a piece of his mind and told her she should be ashamed, being a woman herself, saying those things.
He went on to give sweets out to the family, even though eyebrows were raised, as 43 years ago this was not the done thing… But that’s my Pops. ❤
They went on to have the prodigal son, my brother, and no one complained then!
When my own first child was born after a long struggle with fertility issues, a boy, my mum did whisper to me, “We were happy with what ever grandchild you were going to bless us with, but I am secretly glad it was a boy, so no one can put any pressure on you at all…”
They would never think negatively, but were so aware of the thinking of the majority of the community.
I went on to have my Lil Princess, and actually, she was celebrated by everyone, as the first girl in two generations within my in-laws family, so her arrival was a blessing of a different sort!
Ritu
Read more about the Project here.
From this project, for Raj, the idea stemmed to create a collection of phenomenal South Asian women, from the past, as well as the present, to inspire the South Asian Super Girls of today.
What a fabulous idea!
Raj collated the details of many women, some already known, some lesser known, but no less inspirational, and created this collection of biographies coupled with some absolutely fantastic artwork from a team of amazing South Asian women artists.
What I loved about this book was that each woman is discussed in short snippets, easy for a child to digest, and at the end, there is a page for the girl herself to write her own biography, and draw her own fantastic portrait, because we all have it within ourselves to be Super Girls!
Lil Princess is reading it now. I devoured it in a sitting, and learned about women I had admired in the past, as well as some I hadn’t heard of. From the old school royalty of India, Noor Jahan, Jhansi ki Rani and Razia Sultan, modern day celebrities, like Jamila Jameel, Lilly Singh and Meera Sayal, we are introduced to Pritam Kaur Hayre, a woman who emigrated to Canada at 50, and with no English, helped to gain rights for workers on farms, and was even vice president of the Canadian Farmworkers Union, and Jayaben Desai who also instigated protests against the working conditions in factories, and so many more.
I thoroughly recommend this book as something for all South Asian young girls, (and older ones too,) to readm as well as women from outside of the Asian community, as we definitely need to be reminded sometimes that the Female of the species is pretty damned special!
Honestly, I think each school should have a copy of it!
And there are so many more out there…
I want to mention our home grown Super Girl, Sukh Ojla, who is an extremely funny female Indian comedienne who also talks about her own anxiety and depression via her Social Media…
And within my own life, I count my own mother as a huge inspiration to me. She has taught me so much about life, and how to live it to the fullest. Her greatest advice to me was to “never lose yourself” and she has been there, my biggest supporter in my blogging and writing adventures too.
So, if you want to see a review by me, here you go…
Stories for South Asian Supergirls by Raj Kaur Khaira My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An absolutely wonderful, inspirational collection of biographies celebrating the South Asian superwomen out there, some already known and some lesser-known, but no less inspirational.
What a brilliant book to show our girls what they can aspire to be!
And it is available to purchase far and wide, in major book sellers, and from Amazon too. Click here to purchase.
Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 221
19 May 2019 30 Comments
in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday, Today, Winnie The Pooh
“What day is it?” “Today,” said Piglet. “Ah,” said Pooh, “my favourite day.” – A.A. Milne
Many thanks for that Spidey… I do love a bit of Pooh Bear and his wisdoms.
Just a little reminder to make sure you are living in the now, and not the yesterdays gone by, or in the hope of something better tomorrow.
Today will never come again, so grab it by the horns and ride it!
So… tell me, what are you looking forward to doing, today?
But I Smile Anyway... 