It was a pleasure to attend a racial harmony community event in Singapore. Singapore is a multi-racial country and provides equal opportunity to all races to lead a
I was amazed to realize that this was an excellent platform for women from different races of society to intermingle with each other and get to know more about each other. The event was open to residents but what I consider is that womenfolk have always much more to share with each other than men. The event was named as” We are one family-A Racial Harmony celebration” in conjunction with Punggol Central Ministerial Community visit of Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for law and second minister for a home affair in Singapore.The focus of the event was to discuss how to integrate new immigrants into Singapore society?
In any new country, immigrants take time to become the part of the society. Minister Shanmugam mentioned that all three parties are important-Singaporeans who have to be welcoming; new immigrants who have to adopt new culture; and the government which has to provide a framework for people to bond. Every party has to perform their role properly to achieve the desired results.
The crowd at the event was itself reflecting that people are interested in a bond which each other. It’s always good to meet new people, to interact, participate in activities together, and benefit each other by exchange of knowledge. So more events should be planned out to increase the participation and interaction level of different races of the society. I really appreciate the efforts which Government puts to integrate and help immigrants settling down in an alien country.
There were different performances by Filipino, Indian, Malay and Chinese groups. A major attraction was a performance by kids. Children should be exposed to such events which will help them to mingle with different people, of not only of their race but of different races and then they will have an understanding of the concept of unity in diversity since their childhood!
Charu Mehrotra
Promoting Excellence in Women!
Nurturing a child, to parenting a kid, managing a rebel teenager to guiding your adult kid on the right track- all phases of being a parent has its own challenges!Kids as young as 3 to 6 years old age are at such stage that their building blocks are being set at the base. Whatever you will teach them at this stage will become a part of that base and in long run will help in strengthening the base. So why not guide them to different character building blocks since their childhood.
Teamwork is one such concept which is difficult to teach when they grow up. These two activities which I am sharing today are surely going to teach them the basics of teamwork –
1-Story building concept-
Story making is such an activity which every kid enjoys and if it is done with a team of kids then they really have fun and learning concept together. Decide on a topic and take turns adding one sentence at a time.You can further ask questions to the team to develop new characters. You can use props also which will help in emerging of a character.This is a very good way to improve language skills of your kid and besides that, it helps him to have a flow of ideas within him and exchange of ideas within the team help in building teamwork concept.
2-Saving our resources-
This is a nice way to teach kids about different ways through which we can conserve resources.First of all, we have to explain them the concept of electricity that how electricity flows through different types of equipment of the house.Then we have to explain to them why we have to save electricity and different ways of doing it.Turning off the lights, turning off radios and television when not in use, adjusting the heat and air conditioning- there are so many ways to conserve our resources. The need is to take action. This effort should be made compulsory for the whole family as a team together which will help your kid understanding the importance of the work done.
Charu Mehrotra
Promoting Excellence in Women!
Shivali Mathur, a mother, home manager, and an artist!
Womenlines introduces Shivali as an entrepreneur of the month because of her extraordinary skills and achievements. Her story is motivating to all those aspiring ladies who want to create a niche for themselves and also want to look after their family while managing their work from home.
Shivali is a commercial art artist. She is a Commercial art diploma holder from Jaipur college. She says that she never planned her career. She wanted to pursue modern office management but got admission in commercial arts. She was not aware
at that time that she had taken a right decision for herself. She started her career in the field of arts by taking art classes for kids at home. When she shifted to Singapore then her career graph started taking positive turns. She started making her own paintings. Once her little one had grown up, in 2005 she started taking drawing and painting classes in Singapore. That time she got a chance to the participant as an Indian Artist in the South Asian Art exhibition. There she got introduced to Temple of Fine Arts, Singapore and participated in three of the Dance India Taste India events organized in Singapore by them. She is also involved to promote Indian Art with India Tourism Board in Singapore at many of the events organized by them. Ang Mo Kio GRC also invited her to exhibit her artwork at ‘Rhythms In Unity 07’. Along with all these activities, she also started conducting kids holiday workshops, kids birthday crafty workshops, art workshops for kids and ladies. Mind you, ladies, her classes are not just only for kids and youngsters.Students of all age groups and from different walks of life come to her. She has students from age 50 to young as 4 years old. Some working women have also come to her to learn painting as they enjoy doing it and find it an easy way to relax. Recently, she also got an opportunity to exhibit her artwork and conduct workshop at ‘Celebrating Womanhood’, an event organized at Suntec, Singapore. Visit http://www.shivaliart.com/index.php to have a look at her work.
At present, she has joined Global India international School as an Art and Craft CCA teacher and as a teacher for the Indian Club In Singapore Management University(SMU). In SMU, she is teaching the various type of Indian paintings like Madhubani, Warli, Miniature paintings.
This path of her career has been built up by her hard work and dedication. In the meanwhile, she became a mother twice. She managed to move with her husband from one place to other, and is managing her home with a touch of art in it!
It’s really aspiring ladies. If you have some art in your hand then don’t get it go waste!
You never know how God can help you out if you work with true dedication and integrity!
Charu Mehrotra
Promoting Excellence in Women!
Kids throw tantrums and always they throw!
Kids yell, jump, throw things here and there, slap, bite, behave rudely, and do so many other undesirable activities which at times every parent wants to avoid. I have gone through so many phases of my kid throwing tantrums which forced me to find out that why he is behaving in such a way and how I can create the desired behaviour in my child. While my research on Internet sites, through various books I gathered so much knowledge that I consider it must share with my blog readers so that they can also be benefited.
Parenting is a subject in itself and every parent should be knowing that there are certain things to know and understand before you deal with your child. Ignorance can be a bliss but can cause you distress in a later part of your life. That’s why I always say to my friends read as much as you can about parenting before you become one. Its definitely not an easy job and as nowadays most of the time there are nuclear families with nobody to guide you around you have to deal alone with your kids.
Positive behaviour in kids has to be nurtured out and cannot be achieved in one day. It demands your time, attention and desire to do it.
The first step to start with nurturing is to praise your child a lot. You will observe lots of improvement with recognizing good behaviour like patience, empathy, sibling caring, helping out others. While you are praising your child you are positively interacting with your child and if you do this act 6-7 times a week you can just start with a baby step for reinforcement of type of behaviour you want. Praise is good as it builds self-esteem, which is the inner feeling of competence which determines success in life. Make sure you are not praising your child for a non-specific reason like “You are a good boy!”. Your praises must be for a specific purpose like when your kid behaved properly praise like”That was a grown-up boy dear. When you are helpful to others you remind me that how big you are.Good Job!” We as a parent have to put lots of energy in complementing our kids to achieve desirable results.
Every child is a bundle of innocence and love. We have to learn to handle them with care so that as they grow they are having an abundance of love in them which they can spread out around!
Kids in today’s times are smart!
They are very independent, aware of their choices, and know what they want. The confidence level is amazingly high and sometimes it tough to make them learn some new habit, as they think that they already know everything. During vacation time it’s a challenge to come out with constructive activities always.Vacation time should not be just wasted sitting idle in front of the television.
These 2 activities will help kids in helping out others and be understanding themselves in a better way.
1.Daily good habits-
Its nagging time for parents when times comes to routine habits. To make them pick daily habits in a better way create a chart that lists their activities daily and posts to near the sink. Attach a crayon with the string to the paper and draw check boxes next to each activity. Ask your child to tick mark the activity which he has finishes. You can include activities like a.I brushed my teeth b. I washed my face etc.
2. Helping out with daily chores-
It’s just to teach kids to help out with some daily chores otherwise they will always be dependent. Make a list of the chores to be done.Young children can learn to sort clean laundry into piles for different members, pick out clothes for the next day and clean the table after meals, and put items in the sink. You can also make a chore chart. Divide the chores per week, check off the chores as they are finished and then do switch job once a week.
Charu Mehrotra
Promoting Excellence in Women!
Indra Nooyi is on the list of 25 top guns CEOs in the US! Leading the beverage major Pepsico Indra Nooyi has won accolades for her working style and has kept her company on the path of success despite the bad economic conditions.
Womenlines pays hats off to Indra Nooyi who is progressing towards the path of success and glorifying Indian women representation in the global scene. Women like Indra Nooyi sets an example in front of all those aspiring women who want to create their niche in life. Schoolgirls should be informed about Nooyi’s achievement and should be aspired to follow her footsteps.
Its quite interesting to look into her portfolio, being the highest- ranking Indian-born woman in corporate America, Nooyi has pushed PepsiCo to take bold risks like an acquisition on Tropicana in 1998 and starting company’s fast-food chain in 1997.Nooyi has a degree in management from Yale, and her career includes stints at the Boston Consulting Group and Motorola. She attributes much of her success to her upbringing in India. Nooyi honours her heritage by often attending PepsiCo events wearing a sari. She has developed 5C’s as the formula for her success 1-Competence: you must acquire a hip-pocket skill which you’re known for, and keep working at it. 2.Confidence and3.Courage goes together. Unless you’re willing to speak up for what you believe in, you’re never going to be much of a leader.
4.Communication skills, both oral and written, are really important. It’s the one area I’d really like to see our younger people investing in.5.Company’s conscience.
Her basket of awards is already full of so many achievements and awards.She has been awarded Padma Bhushan in 2007 by the government of India. Forbes magazine poll has ranked Nooyi third on 2008 list of The world’s most powerful women.In 2008, Nooyi has been named one of America’s Best Leader’s by U.S News and World report.
Charu Mehrotra
Promoting Excellence in Women!
Mothers are always concerned about the activities of their kids. Especially during vacation times!Kids demand attention, they are never ready to just sit idle. We as mothers try our best to keep them occupied with so many things. Colouring, painting, craft work, Internet sites, reading, pretend play, visit parks, etc are the various ways kids keep themselves busy. It’s a fact that whatever activity kids are involved in is helping them to develop some skills for themselves. Painting and art activities help in enhancing creativity, craftwork helps to build holding skills, pretend and play help in expressing themselves.
At times kids ask you for certain other activities as they can get bored of doing the same usual activities. Then we have to be innovative and patient too! While searching out for ways to keep my kid busy at home I came across various tips which I will love to share with my readers. As the list is big enough to share in one go, therefore I will keep the series on with every passing week-
1. Make me poster– To recognize your child’s interests.
Markers, gum, a large sheet, magazine pictures, snapshots, scissors
Go through different magazines and papers with your child. Find pictures of your child’s favourite things like what’s his favourite food, pets, clothes.Cut the pictures down and paste them into a large sheet of paper… Make big captions on the chart like “look at me when I was 1 years old!” or “My granny dear”.
This activity gives a special feeling to your child and says to him that you are special to us. This activity will definitely build self-confidence in your child!
2. Word game
Paper, Marker, Small Box
Decorate a small box and keep it in your kid’s room. Every day post a new word in his room and discuss the meaning also. Then keep that word in the box. Review all words once a week. You can add different variations also to this game. Show different words to them and ask them to choose. Then attach all words card together to make a word train. You can make this game more dramatic to involve your kid in it fully.
Happy vacations!
Quotation of the week for excellence in life- “The fastest way to change the society is to mobilize the women of the world.’
-Charles Malik. Charles Malik of Lebanon played a vital role in shaping the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights, Malik’s fellow delegates credited him as the driving force behind the document’s arrangement.
In politics if you want anything said ask a man- if you want anything done ask a woman-Margaret Thatcher She was the Prime Minister of United Kingdom from 1975-90. She is the only woman to have held either post.
Go Green in every sphere of life. Why not kitchen!
The whole world is talking about saving the environment to ensure a safer future for generations to come. It’s clear from the data how badly our current habits impact the environment. One impactful change we can make is right at home. With a few small steps, we can help safeguard the planet. One useful tip, especially during major kitchen clean-outs or remodels, is to consider roll-off container rental services. Renting a roll-off container makes it easy to manage large amounts of waste responsibly, helping keep landfills less burdened and maintaining a greener environment overall.
I have searched out 7 steps, from different resources and websites, which I think are must to be followed by any aware homemaker-
1.Take out the print out of this chart http://www.eldr.com/files/ELDR_GreenKitchenChart.pd and paste it somewhere in your kitchen. It will act as a reminder about different ways by which you can go green.
2. Microwaving is a good option to save energy. On average, you’ll reduce your energy consumption by two-thirds if you cook stuff in the microwave rather than in the stove (even if yours is gas). It’s not a good idea, for many reasons, to eat only microwaveable meals, but if you’re reheating leftovers—especially small amounts—microwaves are much more efficient than the stove top. You’ll also help keep the kitchen cooler, which is a bonus in hot summer months.
3. Go for a good cast iron or stainless steel skillet. Don’t go for cookware with non-stick surfaces. Choose sturdy utensils rather than cheap ones as it can be harmful to you. Most nonstick cookware these days is coated with Teflon, which contains chemicals. Cooking with Teflon has also been shown to kill birds. Cast Iron is a great alternative, providing precise temperature control and good browning.
4. Stock your fridge. A full fridge uses less energy than an empty one: Every time you open and close the door, the fridge has to kick into re-regulate its temperature. If there’s food in there already, there’s less outside air introduced, therefore less outside air that needs to be cooled. And don’t ever refrigerate uncovered food: Not only does it make it taste gross, but it also humidifies the air makes the motor work harder.
Purchasing from the bulk bins mean less packaging, and fewer trips to the store, and can also mean financial savings
5. Stick with green cleaning, rather than using chemical versions in the kitchen. You can also take help from companies like https://www.pestcontrolexperts.com/local/maryland/, which can help you to removing pests from your kitchen.
Make your own cleaning products if you feel up to it. There are a lot of innovative ways to capture the cleaning power of vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda. For example:
- Scrub your toilet with vinegar and baking soda.
- Cut through greasy counter tops with the power of baking soda.
- Use baking soda to get rid of grease and freshen laundry.
- Vinegar can clean the bathroom, kitchen, and other rooms throughout your home.
- When it’s time to buy new appliances, look for the Energy Star label to save on the amount of energy needed to run the equipment
Charu Mehrotra
Promoting Excellence in Women!
Quotation of the week- “No person is your friend (or kin) who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow and be perceived as fully blossomed as you were intended.”
– Alice Malsenior Walker (born February 9, 1944) is an American author, self-declared feminist and womanist—the latter a term she herself coined to make a special distinction between the experiences of women of colour. She has written at length on issues of race and gender and is most famous for the critically acclaimed novel The Color Purple, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee. ~ Marian Wright Edelman an American activist for the rights of children. She is president and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund