Make summers fun with drinks for kids to beat the heat and the sweltering, mercury-busting temperatures with home-made healthy drinks.

Sharing with you all my top 5 favorites, easy to make, loved by kids “drinks”:

**These drinks are recommended for toddlers and kids. Some fruits are a strict no=no for children under one. SO be sure to check with your pediatrician before trying.

1. Lemonade – Nothing beats the good old lemonade. It is called the official drink for summers for a reason. Not just refreshing but also nutritious. You can add a twist to it by adding different ingredients to it like:
   • Mint
   • Edible lavender
   • Orange
   • Ginger
2. Smoothies – Be it breakfast, snack or dessert, smoothies not only keep you hydrated but is also filling.
   • Banana Smoothie – Easiest and toddler approved. Add diced banana and milk (you can use soy milk too) to a blender. Blend until the ingredients are combined and smooth. And tada..! Its ready to be served. Depending on your child’s taste buds, you can add your choice of sprinkles. To make variations of this smoothie, simply replace the fruit with another.
   • Mango smoothie
   • Strawberry + raspberry Smoothie
   • Mixed Fruit Smoothie
3. Aam Panna – Kids love mango and what better way to enjoy summers than home made aam panna. This recipe requires raw mangoes, which need to be pressure cooked. Once done, let them cool, peel them well and remove the pulp. Mix pulp with a little sugar and salt. Ass a dash of little cumin seed powder and blend the mixture in a blender. Kids will love its tangy, sweet-salty taste. You can substitute honey instead of regular sugar to make it extra healthy.
4. Juices – I am not in favour of packaged drinks, no matter what the brands claim. And I do not trust the local vendors to use hygienic ways of serving the drink. I prefer extracting the juice at home with a manual juicer or a food processor. Our favourites are:
   • Watermelon juice – Best thirst quencher
   • Pomegranate juice – loaded with anti-oxidants
   • Orange juice – daily dose of Vitamin C!
5. Lassi – Rey is a curd lover! So i had been looking for a recipe that I could prepare for him. I came across this simple yet awesome recipe. https://gkfooddiary.com/plain-lassi-for-babies/All it takes is 5 minutes and best served fresh!
6. Coconut water / Nariyal Paani – Yes, I know I said 5, but I just couldn’t leave this one out! Nariyal paani or coconut water is low in calories, delicious to boot and perhaps the healthiest natural drink you can indulge in on a hot, scorching summer day. It is our go-to-drink when we are traveling within the city. Even better than bottled water. To read of the many benefits of this refreshing natural drink, click here 

Do you have any toddler-approved, favourite summer drinks?

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However, God had other plans, and I was blessed with an angel of a boy. It was love at first sight (as is with almost all moms). I found it hilarious that people often mistook him for a girl, courtesy his long, golden, wavy tresses! It (maybe) was God’s way of fulfilling my wish of having a baby girl.

The idea of twinning was always exciting and did not disappear with the boy baby. And I thought to myself, so what if I can’t wear the same dress or same hair clips with my boy, we can still twin, right. How?

That is where Bonorganik came into the picture.

I became their customer in 2016, when my son was just 11 months old, and we were planning our first holiday as a family. I had initially visited their website to order from their fabulous Mommy and Baby collection but was soon curious by the hilariously captioned tees from the Dad and Son collection.

My husband who wasn’t very fond of twinning (that is new right?) loved the idea and the tees.

My son is now well over 2 years, and we are still not over the twinning craze! The latest in our collection are these super-fun captioned tees from Bonorganik.

If you love coordinating your outfits with kid’s or anyone else you love, then read on as to why Bonorganik is the site you can rely on.

About the brand:

Bonorganik is a global apparel store that offers tees, dresses, pajamas, boxers, ethnic wear, footwear and much more for every bond, age group, and many occasions.  What sets them apart is how they help people bond over apparel by dressing similar.

Established in 2012, it was founded by two people passionate about delivering the best. Niharika Verma and Puneet Verma have over ten years of experience in the field and are well on their way to becoming the world’s only brand that sells clothing for all relationships.

Categories:

• Just Like Dad: My favourite category! They not only have dad and son; dad and daughter, they also have a dad, son and daughter section!

I shopped from this category and personally was very happy with their collection. You too can shop the Beer Inside, Milk Inside tees combination here.

• Just Like Mom: Mom and daughter (sigh! I wish I could have shopped from here too. If you have a daughter who loves dressing up like her mommy, these combos will bring a smile on your face), mom and son (why should boys have all the fun eh?), mommy and baby (LOVE this one) and double trouble.
• Just like Us: Family and friends outfits (no one is left behind!)
• Him and Her: This is where I am planning to pick up my anniversary gift from. Shh..! It is supposed to be a surprise for him!
• Super Siblings: There is something for the pranksters too.
• My baby: Bodysuits for the little one with matching tees for Mum and Dad
• Occasion wear: There’s a whole lot here from Special Days to Pre-wedding fun to Honeymoon madness to festivals and interest-specific.

Every item comes with a detailed description, which includes fit details, fabric details, styling help, and terms & conditions.

Material used:

Most of the apparel I have bought and browsed so far has been 100% cotton. Soft and easy on the skin.

How to order:

Visit: https://bonorganik.in/

Browse through their online catalog.

Add your items to the cart and proceed to check out and make payment.

Easy peasy!

They offer free shipping in India and have the facility for paying Cash on delivery of the products till a 10k limit (check for your pin code though as there are area exceptions to this payment method). They even have an easy return policy (with T&C of course).

Go ahead, get your matching set now. After all, twinning is winning!

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All her life she had lived a certain way. A way that was about to be altered. She wondered how she would adjust to the new life. She worried if she would be accepted for who she was, how she was. She hoped that it wouldn’t be much different from the home she had grown up in. She didn’t have even a flicker of doubt that he would help her settle in. She knew he would be her rock if need be, such was the understanding between them already. Yet there were those apprehensions, those questions which would remain a mystery, the answers she would get only with time.

She was born and brought up in a nuclear set-up. Space, independence and solitude were her dear friends. She didn’t know if she would meet them again anytime soon. So she packed up the thirty years of her existence in two suitcases and prepared for what was be her new home. Leaving behind the only life she had known, the people she had grown up with, the safety net of her home.. Parent’s home as how it would be called from now.

Before she knew it, she was there. Married to the man who loved her. With him. With his family. In her new home ready to begin the new chapter of her life. Surrounded by people she didn’t even know up until a year back and who were now her family. They say, when you get married, you don’t marry the man or the woman, you marry his or her family. And it was no different for her. As time flew by, she became one of them. She molded herself to their ways. She accepted them as her own. They reciprocated.

It was not easy for her. From a nuclear set-up to a joint family. To leave parents who had given her birth, who had held her hand while she learned to walk, who had loved her despite the tantrums and the tears, siblings she had run around the house with, had played pranks with, had screamed and sung with, all this had taken a completely different meaning.  She wasn’t scared of the responsibilities her new role brought in. She had handled much more in her life.

It was something else. She missed the sanctity of the room she was used to escaping to after a long day at work. She missed not having to smile when she didn’t feel like. She missed the peace and quiet her previous abode had allowed her for so long. She missed being her true self. She missed things she had not even noticed in the past. This paradigm shift in her life left her feeling unsettled at times. Almost dysphonic. Her “mom’s home” was no longer truly hers. Oh, she would always and forever be welcomed with open arms and without invitation. But it wasn’t the same. Her new home didn’t quite feel hers yet.

Smile – she told herself. For no one like to see a sulking face.

Such was the overnight transition of the princess to a queen.

You are a pampered Princess only in your parent’s castle. Becoming the quintessential Queen comes with responsibilities.

Over time she learned to look at what she had gained. The man who loved her and stood by her. Patiently. Holding her when she broke down missing her mom, encouraging her when she wanted to add her touch to her new home, introducing her to his clan, making sure she was a part of conversations she had no clues about.

She was fortunate to have been blessed with another father who not only treated her like his own daughter but also pampered her as one. She found a mother in law who was so unlike the typical saas that the Indian television portrays. She found another brother. One who was always there, who would always check in on her to see if she was ok, settling well into her new home. She found a sister, who made the world of a difference in making her transition easier. She had found herself a Joint Family

The post The Journey appeared first on Raising Rehaan.

What am I talking about? HAIR. MANE. TRESSES.

They say you realize the worth of something only when it disappears from your life. They’re not wrong. Hair Today. Gone tomorrow.

Back in heydays, I experimented a lot with my hair. Chemical treatments like colouring, highlighting and straightening – I tried it all. Multiple times. I rocked whichever way I styled my hair even though I didn’t take any special care of my mane, used any and every shampoo. Oil? What is that?

And then motherhood happened. Which, by-the-way, wasn’t any less than a roller coaster ride. And no, I don’t mean the pregnancy, I mean the physical and hormonal changes. By the 9th month of my pregnancy, thanks to the diet and supplements I took, my tresses were thicker than ever, luscious, long and shiny. Salon-ready! But that happiness was short-lived. Then life happened. Sleepless nights, sudden hormonal changes and the dreaded post-partum depression. I suffered from severe hair fall, deteriorated hair quality and rock-bottom confidence levels. I had to do something!

Cut to the present, I am making conscious efforts to save my abused hair. During the last two years, I’ve tried a lot of treatments – ghereloo as well as from those chic-looking salons.

If it interests you, here are some of the things I tried and I think they worked

• First! Chopped off the damaged ends, even if that meant losing half my hair length. Better to have healthy short hair than long, damaged hair. So snip, snap!
• A healthy diet. No matter how many times you’ve heard it in the past, there will not be a better answer. Eliminate junk and increase your vitamin and mineral intake.
• OIL! Religiously. Gone are the days when we had fresh air to breathe and chemical-free food to eat. If the pollution takes a toll on the skin, the same can happen to your crowning glory too.
  1. Homemade oil: Coconut Oil+Curry Leaves.

Wash the leaves and spread them on a plate to dry. Once dry, put them in a plastic bag and keep the bag in the sun for a day or two. The leaves will quickly dry and become crisp.

Heat the coconut oil in a pan. Add crushed leaves

Heat it until the leaves turn a dark shade. Stir frequently.

Let it cool. Strain the leaves out. Ready to be applied

2. A leave-in hair oil that can be used after wash.

• Sulfate free shampoo – No matter how much these big brands claim for their shampoos to make your hair look salon-ready, the true story is that they all have chemicals which bring long-term damage to your hair.
• Conditioner – A must. One thing I had never used in my life until last year, I am a strict advocate of regular conditioning now. Unless you live in a pollution free city, relying solely on organic food, hogging on home-grown fruits and vegetables and having nothing to stress about. You get the idea.

Brands – tried and tested

• Shampoo – Moroccan Oil moisture repair shampoo
• Conditioner – Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy Conditioner
• Oil – Organix Moroccan Extra Strength Penetrating Oil

I do colour my hair even now thanks to premature greying. Yes, the curse of too many chemical treatments as well as the poor quality of water I had to make do with after I moved to Dwarka post marriage. The water was so harsh that within 2 years I had more grey hair than I should have had at my age. I am now stuck with regular touch-ups. It’s either that or looking like a clown with her hair on fire on a windy day. No thank you. At least not just yet.

Styling:

I avoid and discourage the use of heat treatment. I do not blow dry my hair and avoid the straightening iron or a straightening hairbrush like a plague. Even the best of the straighteners can cause significant damage to your hair, make it brittle and prone to breakage and no amount of serum can completely prevent that from happening.

I have naturally wavy hair which tend to become straight as they grow in length.

For styling, I twist my hair in a bun and leave them like that for a few hours before untying for a beachy look.

Or, braid my hair and leave them overnight for a slightly crimped look.

But mostly, you’ll find me in my mom bun. The quickest and simplest of hairstyles. And the only one I have time for more often than not.

On most days I am happy with what I see. I do make exceptions for special occasions, but they have to be really really special.

I wish I could say there was that one magic potion I drank that made my mane grow back to its former glory. But then I would be lying. What I did is succeed through trial and error. And it’s still work-in-progress, but we’re getting there.

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This is not a sponsored post.

All products mentioned are based on my personal experience.

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