Delhi Nursery Admissions

As the year comes to an end, another popular topic trending in Delhi is Nursery Admissions. Gone are the days when you could walk into your favourite school and seek admission for your child. With the increasing population, the nursery admission has become even more difficult in Delhi. I am in the process of filing forms for my daughter Shravya and even after filling 20-25 schools, I am still not sure where she will start her educational journey. The last day to submit forms both online and offline is 27 December 2019.

Few Measures to Protect Your Finances During Inflation

One does not have to be a financial nerd to understand Inflation. It is the increase in the average prices of goods & services in a country. In simple words, a litre of full cream milk in Delhi used to cost Rs 24 in 2009 and, as of now in 2019, it has increased to Rs 53. The cost has more than doubled in the last 10 years. Its not necessary that other goods & services have increased at the same pace. In October 2019, the retail inflation stood at 4.62% vis-a-vis 3.38% in October 2018. Thus, one should regularly review their finances to make sure the real return (post tax) from your savings is either equivalent or more than Inflation otherwise you are losing the purchasing power of Rupee.

                                             (source: OER Commons)

Kidzania - The Place to Learn & Play

In August 2019, my daughter Shravya turned 3 and this time we decided to take her to Kidzania in Noida. I had heard of this place earlier and knew that role plays and activities are performed in a realistic manner here but I wanted Shravya to be old enough (3+) to understand it. The place is a perfect mixture of education and entertainment and gives a nice overview of living in a real world. Location is just adjacent to GIP Mall and Worlds of Wonder park, and try to plan it on a weekday to avoid the rush and enjoying this indoor park at your own pace.

Asiad Circus - Cherishing and Reprising the Older Times

Asiad Circus, one of the few surviving circus in India, is currently conducting shows at Rohini's Sector-10 in New Delhi till October 20. When I heard about the circus, without a thought I decided to visit the event and reminisce my younger days. Back in the 90's, before the evolution of electronic gadgets, such as mobiles and ipads, Circus was a prominent form of entertainment for children. However, as technology has evolved and new forms of entertainment have emerged, there are few takers for Indian Circus and if the present situation continues they are likely to diminish sooner rather than later.

My South India Diaries 2019 - Ooty

Ooty (the real name being Udhagamandalam) is a name we all are familiar with since our childhood. Many memorable Bollywood movies of 90's such as Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Dil Se, etc were shot here. Despite hearing about it so much, I never got an opportunity to visit this enchanting place, probably because of my craving to visit offbeat locations. In addition, I felt that this place had lost its charm due to overcrowding. But finally when the time came, we decided to visit it in August (usually off season owing to Monsoon) and luckily both the rain and crowd did not cause any trouble to us.

My South India Diaries 2019 - Coonoor

This summer my family planned a trip to the Nilgiris in South India. We finalized Coonoor and Ooty - the 2 largest hill stations in this region -  as our pit stops. I had not heard about Coonoor before but after reading positive reviews on Tripadvisor, we decided to give it a shot. In this blog, I am mentioning about the mesmerizing Coonoor.

Oral Hygiene for Toddlers

Parents are often in a dilemma when it comes to maintaining oral hygiene in toddlers. Some parents believe toddlers are too young for oral hygiene and do not pay much attention to it, while some understand the importance of dental care but have insufficient knowledge. For me, identifying the right time and method of cleaning a child's teeth is of paramount importance. After all, imbibing best practices helps set good dental habits as the child grows.

Brace Your Health This Monsoon

Some people may like the rainy season, for it brings relief from the sweltering heat that we all have to anguish in the months of May and June. However, in the last few years, I have seen numerous people not being a fan of this season. Heavy rainfall in our city brings adverse consequences in the form of long traffic snarls, water-logging issues and acceleration in the growth of water-borne diseases. Stomach issues, such as sluggish digestion and bloating, are common during this season and can be controlled by taking few easy measures.

My London Diaries - 2019 (Part 2)

In Part 1 of the blog, I had mentioned some of the popular places to visit in London (https://www.mysecondinnings.in/2019/05/my-london-diaries-2019.html). In this part, I'll be talking about the places to shop, eat as well as my day trip to Bath.

My London Diaries - 2019 (Part 1)

I have been fortunate enough to visit many countries in Europe and the list has a new entrant - London. Well, first of all there was no plan to go to London as 2019 started. However, my husband's company decided to send him to London for official purpose in March 2019 for 2 weeks. I was very happy for him but the excitement got doubled when he told I can accompany him. Applying for a London Visa is a bit different than applying for a Schengen visa but we made sure all the criteria were fulfilled. I and my daughter (Shravya) got the visa within 10 working days from the date of applying and we were all set for our much awaited trip.

Day Trip to National Bal Bhavan

I am always in search of new places in Delhi to take my 2.5 years old daughter - Shravya, where she can have fun and at the same time learn something new as well. I got to know about National Bal Bhavan from a friend, and to be honest, I was not aware that such a place even exist in Delhi. On searching the web, I found that even though the place caters to kids aged between 5-16, there are still many attractions that can be seen with a toddler and decided to plan a day trip before the onset of summers.

Ideal Books on Motherhood & Parenting

There are abundant books in stores covering topics on Motherhood, Parenting, etc. There are huge data sources online too on such topics and all the information is easily available nowadays. From the time of pregnancy to current motherhood state, I have been reading different array of books and these have kept me going through. I am now aware of so many things which I would have not known otherwise. So in this blog, I would be sharing some of these books which have helped me immensely:

Tingaland - An Indoor Kids Play zone in Noida

Good news for residents of Noida and nearby regions. An indoor play zone for kids called Tingaland has opened in Noida's Starling Mall based in Sector 104. Suitable for kids up to 10 years, this place offers a lot of fun activities for children and at the same time keeps them engaged in a manner that enables them to learn as well. I am sure as a parent most of us thrive for such learning and enjoyable activities I had mentioned in one of my earlier blogs about indoor play areas gaining popularity in Delhi (https://www.mysecondinnings.in/2018/08/indoor-play-areas-becoming-popular.html), which is now spreading in NCR as well.

How Much to Invest Today to Achieve Future Goals

We all understand how important it is to save and invest money today in order to achieve our goals in the future. Without a specific goal, we are walking on an infinite platform where we do not know how much amount we would be requiring in the future. I have read in newspapers people quoting random big numbers (50 lakh and 1 crore) to meet their future needs. But is this 1 crore enough 20 years down the line? What seems a big number today may not be tomorrow as inflation will erode its value as time passes by. But if we have a specific goal, such as kids education, buying a house or even retirement, it becomes easy to identify a ballpark figure that we need to save and invest today so that we can attain our goal with minimum fuss in future.

Toys that Stimulate Brain Development in Toddlers

The nature of toddlers is very fragile, that is, we should handle them carefully. They are always on the move and does not like to sit idle. We are also not sure what things will keep them occupied and for how long. They are curious and tend to do those things that we adults like to do, but we don't want them to do at this point of time. As toddlers are too young to attend a main school, they tend to learn from the toys we provide them to play. Thus it is extremely important to choose useful and age-appropriate toys for your toddlers to encourage intellectual stimulation, motor skills and physical growth.

Day Trips at Trampoline Park, Nandan Van and Deer Park

Are you  still thinking where to take your toddlers within Delhi/NCR to have a fun time? I had already covered National Rail Museum and Old Fort Show in my earlier blog (https://www.mysecondinnings.in/2018/11/Day-Trips-Delhi-Museum-Oldfort.html). Below are some more places I found which I am sure your kiddos will enjoy as my daughter did.

A Guide to Online Marketplace for Toddlers

When you look for toddler's stuff such as toys and clothes online, Firstcry and Amazon are on top of the list. Like if I talk in travel terms, they are Shimla and Mussorie of hill stations where most of us have been there but now we look for other destinations which have been less explored. Similarly, I wanted some variety when I was looking for toys and books online for my 2 year old daughter. This prompted me to search on social media as there are many people who market and sell quality products across these platforms to get a wider reach. Below is a list from where I have ordered stuff online and have found them pretty useful.

My Scandinavian Odyssey (2015) - Part 2

In part-1 (https://www.mysecondinnings.in/2018/12/my-scandinavian-odyssey-2015-part-1.html), I had mentioned about my 5  days in Denmark and Norway. Now further continuing this Scandinavian journey to Sweden and Finland.