Lounge Talk with Moppets

Fashions fade, style is eternal

Well said, Yves Saint-Laurent.

That is why since toddlers, children try to emulate their parents because they believe they are the most stylish people they could ever meet. However, parents can improve upon that style by dressing up their children in not only stylish but also comfortable clothes.
Building upon this idea is Moppets. 
Moppets is a comparatively new brand offering quality cloths for kids ageing 1-7 years. Their stuff ranges from casual cotton wear to formal western and eastern dresses. For convenience, customers can buy their variety online. 
The success of Moppets can be attributed to the woman behind the show. This Mother's Day we asked her to share her success story with us.

1.What was the motivation behind your business idea?

Quality clothes which are offered by different brands are very few in market and they are very expensive, not in the reach of middle class. So my aim was to provide good quality clothing at a lesser price. Especially fancy clothing for little girls from ages 1 to 7 years. 

a trendy skirt for the trendy girl - age: 4 to 5 years

2.What challenges do you find in balancing work, family, and life? How do you meet these challenges? 

Alhamdulilah, luckily I have full support from my family especially from my husband, so i have no such challenge to be pointed out. Yes dealing with workers is always difficult, so when i work, i speak their language which i have learnt from them :) and i come to their mental level to explain them what i really want a piece of cloth to become.  

glam her up for an evening out - age: 4 to 5 years

3.What is your favourite thing about the work that you do?

First of all i love making and designing clothes, and kids' clothes are always very cute, When i design a dress i get so much curious to see how it will look like and when people like it and appreciate it, it gives me so much satisfaction and pleasure which is UN-explainable. Playing with colours is always fun. 

beat the summer heat in this light coloured dress - age: 3 to 4 years

4.What advice do you have for other mamas who work in and outside of the home?

My advice is that mothers should set their priorities. Their kids and family should be on top of it; it is her most important duty to take care of her child or children and always be there when they need her. Then if u have time spend some with your self, do work for your satisfaction and take good care of your self.

DIY Day: Cereal Craze

I began experimenting with dry cereal as a suitable finger food for my baby. However, I ended up eating most of them myself. They've been making them so delicious now! At times I didn't even bother to add milk - grab a handful from the box and just chew away!

oh my! what'll the kids eat now?

What I was then left with was a big pile of empty cereal boxes. So I got thinking of DIY ideas I could use these boxes for.
Here are a couple I came across while browsing through pinterest.

Crayon Sorter

If your child loves colouring but doesn't love to clean up after, here's a quick tutorial on how to make this cool crayon organiser. I doubt the kids will have any excuse not to clean then.

Note Pads

Help the kids recycle leftovers of partially used note books by following this tutorial. It'll be their little precious diary. 

Or opt for these pretty to look at note-books made easy through these instructions 

Puzzles

A new puzzle every time a box empties. No repetition and no boredom! Here's how to make one.

Wallets for the little savers

A DIY for a little grown up kids to help them understand the idea of measurements as well.

Book Marks

These are so easy to make! And so many at a time!

Peek-a-boo

The Problem with Raising a Perfect Child

Most of the time these days, I don't have time. No time to do anything but only look forward to the little naps  granted by my infant's exhausted state. 

However, there have been instances when I am sitting absolutely free of chores and mental stimulation, locked in a world with my baby. These are the times when I often reflect upon the question of whether I'm doing justice to my role as a parent.

am I?

When I was pregnant and blooming with life and energy, I had made quite a few plans. According to my scheduled ambitions, by this time my baby should've not only been potty trained, but also mastered the german language and learned to count up to 20. 

None of the goals are even close to achievements.

I often wonder then what went wrong along the way.

Apparently the internet has the answer to everything. So in the attempts to address my assumed failure, I searched my query online:

How to raise a perfect child?

Forced by habit to choose the easiest way out, I clicked upon the least complicated link.  Voila! There I had it. The answer I had sought for so long, It looked easy as I went through each step very eloquently described.

But then I realized there was a problem with each proposal. They were far easier to read than implement. Though all of them might not be that hard to exercise, here's my rebuttal as to why I'm unable to follow through some of them:

Proposal: Put parenting first

Rebuttal: I'm a stay-at-home mother. I'm guessing that's what I try do the whole day. And if that's not enough I can volunteer to build an all-purpose-robotic-nanny instead.

Proposal: Review how you spend the hours and days of your week.

Rebuttal: Planning my naps around my baby's sleep schedule

Proposal: Be a good example

Rebuttal: That would include the virtues of patience, steadfastness and tolerance. I think I had them before. Then I fell victim to an overcrowded mind and a haphazard routine.

Proposal: Develop an ear and an eye for what your children are absorbing.

Rebuttal: I'm a strong proponent of this fact. The question is, do I myself have spare ears and eyes to do the same. Hmmm...

Proposal: Punish with a loving heart

Rebuttal: With those cute cheeks, that's just not possible

Proposal: Learn to listen to your children

Rebuttal: I think I do. But there's too much noise in the background. In my head.

Proposal: Make a big deal out of the family meal

Rebuttal: That's what my baby does. And it also leaves a big mess behind.

Either way, I think that there is no one way to raise a child - and that too a perfect one.

Every child is perfect in their own sense. As parents we need to realize this very imporant fact instead of falling prey to stereotypes, which more often than not only make us feel guilty. We are parents for a reason, because we bear the capacity to become one. So I think that there is no perfect child. There is only your child who is a reflection of you; and if we succeed in making them into humans better than us than I can say we've done our jobs. 

And to the internet who seemed a pro at parenting advice, here's my message.

Monday Moves: Of Diapers and Backaches

Since the last week, my baby has been pooping a lot. And I don't just mean the regular intervals after every meal. He goes whenever he pleases like it's his new favourite hobby.

Too much shat in the diapers means that I have to wash him as often. 
The frequent trips to the toilet carrying him over one arm slowly culminated into a severe back pain, where then consequently I had to seek an alternative. 

Yup ... that's not me

In this case I couldn't ask my child to stop spoiling his diapers cause frankly speaking he wouldn't understand the illogical reasoning behind it. 

So I attempted some exercises that proved to be of much relief. 

Here are a couple in case you're suffering from a back pain for any reason there may be.

Lower Back Rotational Stretch

Lie on your back. Bend your knees and lay your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on your chest and press your shoulders on to the ground.

Roll your knees on to one side and hold to 5 to 10 seconds. 

Return to the starting position. Repeat on the opposite side. Repeat each stretch two to three times.

*do not attempt this exercise if you have post-pregnancy diastasis recti

Cat Stretch

If only this exercise was demonstrated by this cute cat.

awww

But sadly it does not. Here's how it's actually done.

Position your self on your hands and your knees, and relax your torso to let your abdomen and back sag to the floor. 

Slowly arch your back as if someone has tied a rope around your waist and is now pulling it up. Pull in your chin towards your chest to form an arch.

Return to the starting position. 

Repeat 3 to 5 times.

Shoulder Blade Squeeze

Sit on a high ground with your legs perpendicular to the body and back straight.

Inhale deeply and pull your shoulder blades together at the back. Hold for 5 seconds. Relax.

Repeat 3 to 5 times.

If you're settled into an exercise regime, try to avoid the following exercises if you have a backache.

• Straight leg sit-ups.
• Bent leg sit-ups or partial sit-ups (curl-ups) when you have acute back pain.
• Lifting both legs while lying on your back (leg lifts).
• Lifting heavy weights above the waist (standing military press or biceps curls).
• Toe touches while standing.

Well there you have it. Now I shall go do another round of weight lifting with my baby to remind myself how important these exercises are!