Ten tips for a well organised and decluttered house

Having a mess free, well organised house is an ever elusive dream for many. It is that coveted position that many can’t really reach. To add to the chaos there are endless videos on: My daily cleaning routine, 30 ideas to a well organised kitchen, Cleaning hacks etc..

Now these videos raise the bar so high that it puts many on a guilt trip. Hence I thought of writing a blog doing a reality check. The fact that you are even reading this article means there are chances that you are either grappling with organising your home or are looking for some motivation to do so.

1.   Set realistic goals:

Please do not set your standard so high that they cannot be met. A lot depends on which your life cycle, routine, responsibilities and the actual time spent in your house. If you have toddlers and babies in the house, your priority is to ensure they are safe, well fed and looked after and NOT really having a well organised house. If you spend several hours out of the house I wonder how much time can be dedicated in organisation/cleaning etc. If you have all grown up in the house and well abiding to a routine then perhaps you have a higher chance of having a neat, clean and well organised house.

School tiffin ideas

Cooking is an art and school tiffin in that gamut is a challenge to say the least. So many things come into play e.g.: The choice of menu, presentation, taste, nutritional value, palatable after about 4/5 hours of cooking etc.

Some children just do not eat home cooked food. They thrive on junk. While I do not have such a problem, my challenge is how NOT to repeat a menu. And that is a pressure created by my own self :)

Presenting a week's school tiffin ideas.

Diwali rangoli ideas

Diwali is just round the corner. You have hardly any time left to scout for Diwali designs and materials. 


I have compiled herein a few my rangoli designs from past Diwali seasons. Do let me know if you liked the designs. 

Simple Kolam DIY

Click below to see an easy peasy DIY simple kolam. This kolam can be drawn in under 5 minutes. 

Dance the Dance of Joy

Its that time of the year again.................dance the dance of joy!!

That's my outfit for the season

It's the first day of the new month and also the beginning of the Navratras, hence I thought of doing a festive round up and throw back.

Our country is unique in every way and sense. In the context of festivals also

Touching feet - Respect?

The question mark in the headline is a deliberate one and is also the topic of discussion today.

From my younger days I have been averse to touching people’s feet. In the teens it was labelled ‘rebellious’ But, I sure did know it wasn’t. I just didn’t like the idea. And I also declared that touching someone’s feet doesn’t ensure that I really respect that person. Anyways days passed and I kind of put my guards down. Eventually, I just did it as a physical exercise. There was no point discussing it with anyone because somehow no one seemed to understand.

On and off, I would discuss this topic with others and somehow most people seemed to have no problem doing it. Then came along my good friend google. I googled for any information on this tradition. Few things came up:

My Krishna collection

Krishna means different things to different people. To me it symbolises an infinite love energy.  It encourages self love. I am an ardent Krishna fan and all things associated with him namely peacock feather, lotus and shells. I have few good collections of the Krishna idols. 

So presenting a picture heavy blog after a long time. Brass and wood are my favourite combination and that is exactly what you will feast your eyes on. 

Above: a collage of my Krishna collection

Scroll down enjoy and do leave comments below. 

Independence day celebrations

This comes a little after Independence day celebrations, strategically so, only when people have forgotten all about this day.

Until I was in college, I would look up to the independence and republic day celebrations. Participation in singing and other activities was fun in more than one way. For starters practice meant no need to attend lectures for a few days just before the actual day. There would be so much fun and masti just being with friends from our own and other classes. Full time pass in the name of practice, lots to eat because we had many breaks. On the day we were the important set of students that the crowd would look at. Running around looking busy was just a fad then I guess.

Too much time on hand!

Before becoming a parent I was not so social. General chit chat with someone didn’t really interest me. But well things change after one becomes a parent. The other parents become our friends and child related events namely play dates or birthday parties become our idea of socialisation. No I am not excited; I am just about recovering from this shock. You can’t beat them join them.

Looking at the brighter side, I get a lot of insight into human relations, expectation from child/spouse etc. from these interactions. I learn most of my parenting lessons or shocks from other parents. More shocks than lessons in fact. My ideas of parenting don’t really fit the ‘norm’.

Whose career is it anyways?

I often hear parents saying that it’s a competitive world. Choice of career and getting into a good stream is tough etc. In this light they pressurise the children as early as 5^th grade. This takes a toll on not just the children but also the entire family. People have a restrictive vision when it comes to career choice, say medicine, engineering, MBA etc. Of late I have come across so many parents talking of career counselling, aptitude test etc. for children as young as 10 years. It completely scares me and makes me wonder if these kids have a childhood at all. First there was the craze of medical and engineering entrance, then came along the IIMs and IITs followed by the latest integrated college; and now the baap of all coaching for the admissions into integrated college. This coaching happens for the children of about 6^th or 7^th grade!

Have we all gone completely nuts? We expect the child to be a super human; go to school, do the school homework, take school tests and also coaching to get into a goddamn integrated college whose future is not really known to many. This not just takes a toll on the kid’s health but I think we are putting together a production unit of zombies!

Parenthood – What’s your reason?

Aah! You clicked the link and reached the blog! Awesome read on.

I believe our society is very nosey! Yeah everyone spends a lot of time and energy trying to understand what someone else is up to. 

The newlyweds barely complete one month anniversary and get asked when they will expand their family??

Man proposes child disposes – Vacation.

Man proposes child disposes – Vacation.

Yes you read it right! Man proposes child disposes. Ever since I have become a parent my god seems to have changed or moved its energy into my child. As much as it is fun, fulfilling and enjoyable being around this demi god; it is tough and difficult. Just like finding THE god!

All my choices revolve around my child ever since I have become a parent. Choice of quitting a job, holidays, selection of school everything and anything has the intention of his highest good. And this is what happens to my choices….

So we are all excited and set for our first vacation on the event of his first birthday with this demi god! We book the train tickets, hotel etc.. all set as to what to expect etc… The moment we reach the train station our little one who rarely cried in his first year of existence, starts howling uncontrollably. We are left hapless. The train we are expected to board arrives at the platform and leaves and we decide to drop the trip. On our way back home the moment we leave the railway station this demi god laughs like it is his biggest victory!

Our jaws drop in amazement!! Till date we have no clue why this child cried so much.

And yes that’s why I say – Man proposes child disposes.

This is the first in the series. Do drop a line if you wish to read some more on this series.

A Five point guide to getting back to a schedule on the event of school re-opening.

The summer break is over and schools have re-opened. I know it’s both a relief and a struggle to get back to the old schedule. Both parents and children struggle to get back. Here five points to help you get into the groove. You read it right just five point will do the trick.

1.       Start the previous night:

Absolutely! One of the secrets to a peaceful morning is to prepare the previous night. Below are few thing you could finish off the previous night

a.       Menu: Plan the menu. You have a lot of meals to plan for namely breakfast, lunch, tiffins for school and office and also dinner. So decide either in your head or paper what food will be served the next day. Infact if you could do this for the entire week then its perfect. Since then you could also do the vegetable and fruits shopping accordingly.

b.      Clothes: Many schools now have upto 4 uniforms a year [I wonder why]. But if your child goes to such a school then it’s a great idea to determine the next day’s uniform, check if it is laundered/ironed etc. Incase of office going parents, good idea to plan your own clothes as well. This gives you a few minutes of peace in the morning rush hour

c.       Important knick-knacks:  Set out your important knick-knacks like mobile, laptop, handkerchiefs, house keys, glares , child’s shoes, caps, etc and keep it handy. Ideally you should have a set place for these items.

2.       Early to bed:

A good night’s sleep is extremely important. Every child’s needs are different. But an average 8-10 hours of sleep is a must for the child. Ensure you have a set bed time, and the child starts winding down at a certain time every night. This makes it easy for the child to slip into sleep easily and without tantrums. I am not getting into bed-time routine like bath, story-telling etc. since it’s different for different households.

3.       Morning routine:

It’s a good idea to wake up an hour before waking up your child. Take the time to clear your thoughts, do few light stretches, breathing exercises, start off the kitchen work etc. Basically get the ball rolling before your little one wakes up. Next the child. Children need more time than adults to start their chores. Hence it’s a good idea to wake them up atleast hour and half before they have to leave for school. This gives them enough time for their chores and also spend enough time with parents.

4.       Alarms and reminder:

Alarms and reminders work like a charm. Use them on a day to day basis to keep track of, the to do list like medicines, assignments, submission dates etc. Reminders can be physical say sticky notes or on mobile phones. So do use these. 

5.       Prepare the kids and show some excitement:

I believe it is important to prepare your child atleast a week in advance. Discuss the re-opening date, list things to be bought like uniform, school bag, other accessories etc. Do it in advance. Show some excitement, make the child interested in the new academic year tell them fun things they can do at school. DO NOT share your stress with the child. Doesn’t help anyone.

These are a few guidelines, trust they help you. Do share stories of the school reopening and your coping mechanism. Do share your thoughts on this article in the comments section below. I would love to hear from you.

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