Love Playing Dressup

I wont lie, today has been kind of low day. Taking down the Christmas decor, stripping the windows and outdoors of the lights and replacing the fireplace mantle with the usual clock is the not so exciting part about the holiday season. When Zoe realized all the decor was getting packed away – she rushed to the Santa mailbox ( decor thing) and started pulling out random things that she had stuffed in the mailbox which we had no idea about – crayons, socks, a PJ shirt along with the letters we had written to Santa. Hah! That innocence!

  I have so many pictures from this month, I just havent gotten around to posting them. Let me start with these matching PJ ones ( and don’t hold me to posting the rest soon, things are pretty crazy around here. but I miss you blog ! ) One Saturday morning, I got my people to jump on the bed with me, set the camera on a tripod and off with the clicker we went. I also had my phone set next to the camera so I could capture all the fun ( and fuss ) we have while taking family pictures. So glad I did that – all those precious reactions from Zoe, are now on video! (I posted the video here)  – I have so much fun creating the videos and I watch them 100 times a day!

I am finally sitting down to recap our trip to Quebec  – and let me start by saying that it was amazing. Everyone kept asking why we chose to go to Quebec this time of the year ( late November, close to Thanksgiving ) because it is so cold – but based on the pictures and what I had read online, Quebec is supposed to be a winter wonderland. And wonderland it was ! It was like a set from a holiday movie ( I am a huge fan! ) – imagine every store being decorated, snow dusted cobble-stone streets, skating rinks in the town square, Christmas markets, fireplace roaring in cafes, hot chocolate signs everywhere … I mean – at the cost of sounding cliché – it doesn’t get more magical than that.  

We celebrated Diwali this past weekend and on the morning of Diwali – after lighting diyas all over the house, we all dressed up ( I made everyone would be rather accurate ) and take pictures. I want to pass on all the excitement, the culture, the rituals that I grew up with, to Zoe and the festivals are such a good time to involve her in every little detail. I asked her to hold my hand while I lighted the diyas and hand us the decorations as Amit hung them around the house. Screaming Happy Diwali on facetime calls, with Zoe echoing Happy Diwani, doing puja, visiting close friends on Diwali day with sweets and gifts – it was a beautiful Diwali day. I dont agree when people away from India ( who grew up in India celebrating Diwali) say that it was a whatever kind of day or nothing like back home – it all depends on how we choose to celebrate the festival. Some elements will definitely be different, but that’s true even for the celebrations in India. It is up to us to feel the excitemen

Please tell me I am not the only one who at some point during the day or week or month complains that there just isn’t enough time! Actually, based on the number of emails and messages I get asking for what my schedule looks like or asking to share any time management tips – I am going to safely assume that atleast I am not the only one in that boat.

I got a message from a reader last night – it went something like “I have an 18 month old. Neha! How do you handle meal time? It’s a struggle here. How do you guys do meal time and can you give any ideas for recipes to try” // This is a LONG POST – I tried to be as comprehensive as possible.

Sometimes, as I reflect back on the days of my 20s, I remember planning intensely for the three months of summer. Trying to pack in a ton of trips, back-to-back weekends of picnics and barbecues. Having a Friday with no plans to hit the city would make me anxious. But things are so different now. Having back-to-back weekends of plans will have me finding reasons to come out of some. The picnics, beaches and parties are all very much still in the agenda involving a ton of kids activities – but I am finding happiness in the simple, small things that summer stands for.

I am so excited about today’s post, you know what they say – change your hair, change your life. It’s true! Even if it isn’t a drastic change – a fresh trim or chopping off inches, a simple blow dry or a styling treatment – it doesn’t matter. You always walk out feeling like a celebrity.

  It has been a hot minute since I last shared my favorites round-up list. I’ve been meaning to, trust me – there is so much good stuff to share.

So excited as I type this post… keep reading, you’ll know why.

All you need to know about traveling with toddlers on a LONG flight

  Here are some of my favorite things – ones that I’ve either gifted in the past or those that Amit has hinted ( very openly ) for stuff that he’d love to get. Oculus Virtual Reality Headset – I got this for Amit last Christmas and it is one of my favorite gifts that I’ve given Amit, because I probably play with it more than he does. It is the trendy thing that guys love having ( #eyeroll ) but also so much fun for anyone else. Foot and Calf Messager : We have this at home and trust me, it is one of the best “self-care” things you’ll ever purchase. After a long day, hard-core workout session, long trip or just to relax on a weekend – it is amazing. Infact, over the years – I’ve purchased this as a gift for close friends as well. Everyone loves it. Apple Smart Watch : This is one of the most popular Father’s Day gift ideas. I personally don’t like smart watches – because it’ll be another thing in addition to my laptop and phone that I’ll be tempted to check/engage with all day. But I

At the risk of giving away the climax of what I am going to say – let me start by saying that last night was tough. I broke down. It came from no where and I started crying. Hysterically.

  The drives are long, when you cry in the car seat But the years are short, soon you’ll be at the wheel not needing to hold my hand in the car, The days are long, when work is piling and you are being clingy But the years are short, and you’ll soon be typing away your own, The kitchen is messy and cooking is hard when you want to be held But the years are short and you’ll be rushing away from the dinner table to be with your friends, The nights are long when you refuse to sleep and want to be rocked But the years are short and you won’t need my lullabies anymore, The times are tough when you are sick and it hurts so much to see you in pain But the years are short, so let me not complain For you’ll grow up soon and will fly away. Let me hold on these hugs Let me take away your pain Cook and work with you on my lap Rock you all night, Till you feel like yourself again  

When you see this picture – you probably think beautiful location, nice dress, lovely photo. But, what you don’t see is …

  Last month, we took a trip to New York. The city holds such a special place in my heart – mainly because it reminds me so much of Bombay, the city where I grew up. The energy, the people, the fast pace of life  – all of it is so invigorating. Amit and I have been to New York so many times over the years, yet each time the idea of going to the city gets me excited. I had been dying to take Zoe to New York and experience the city with her,  to do things that Amit and I love about New York and share those with her.

  This series is quickly becoming a popular read which makes me excited to sit down at the end of the month and pen everything down.

Can you believe that this is a section of an awkwardly positioned room in our basement? Nope, right? I couldn’t have either =))

Shop the Post Turn on your JavaScript to view content What a last few days it has been. My blog was hacked last Friday and it was an extremely stressful 12 hours that we had. 12 hours probably dont sound like much but the thought that I would lose everything that I had ever written was extremely nerve-racking.

When I was pregnant with Zoe, I would call my mom with questions about being pregnant, about her experience and stories about raising my brother and I,  and all the million questions that a pregnant/new mom would typically have. I specifically remember asking her how did I learn to love books so much? How did they imbibe the passion for reading in me. To which mom had said – you can’t teach your kid to be passionate about something but you give them the tools, encouragement and set an example.

Happy April. The last month just somehow flew – I had so much going on! First of all, I think I fell the most sick in the last few weeks than I’ve ever been in my entire life. Ugh! I always used to say that I never fall sick and there you go – obviously jinxed it. I’ve been down with strep, a really bad throat infection and the worst stomach bug all within a span of few weeks. Also, Amit had his knee surgery ( second one on the same knee ) last week. Hopefully with the month, all that sickness is also behind us now. Other than that, March was a very exciting month. Work has been extremely busy lately but extremely interesting. We played Holi ( Holi is an Indian festival and my favorite one) I love it so much that I once flew down to India just to celebrate it with my family and friends. We had a blast – the colors, dance, music, food – had the best time ! I also saw some really good shows, movies, read AN ENTIRE book, added a few new beauty favorites to my routine and ofcourse have new

Outfit Details : Mango dress , nude pumps , Quay sunnies I’ve been thinking a lot about being dressed-up and the judgement that goes with it. I remember after I had given birth and had some girlfriends come over to meet the baby, one of them commented that I did not look like a new mom at all. And that my husband must be doing all the baby’s work. All that because I had worn a clean dress, brushed up my hair and had applied lipstick because I was excited at the prospect of “socializing” and having  people over. Being a mom doesn’t mean that you have to go parading in front of people in dirty hair or milk stained clothes. It was as if  a badge I had to wear to display how busy I was or was a scale on which my parenting responsibilities would be measured.

It took me a long time to finish this gallery wall ( well for now – is any decor in the house ever the final version? ) The reason I was slacking on the gallery wall is because I was actually afraid of taking up a gallery wall project. If you do a search on Pinterest for gallery walls – it is inundated with the most beautiful, editorial walls that seem almost impossible to recreate. There is no template, no rules to the order in which the frames should be organized! Anyway, I really wanted to decorate  the wall with frames and took upon the project to figure out the code behind gallery walls – and if I couldn’t crack the code, create one! Hah! Here’s the result and I am pretty happy with how it turned out. The frames are from Minted and here’s the code – by which I mean, the process I went about it.

Outfit Details Wilsons Leather Parka , jeans , boots , bag ,  sunnies   I’ve been thinking about self-improvement lately. It is different than making lofty goals or clichéd resolutions. These are not about working out or giving up junk food! It is more about the practical, things in my day-to-day lifestyle that I’d really like to do. For myself. To learn something new, to improve on a skill I am passionate about, to go back to doing something that makes me really happy. Or even work towards a habit that doesn’t contribute to my life.

I cannot believe I am writing a DIY post because I might be the least DIY-type person you’ll ever know. This pom-pom garland is the simplest project you can undertake, all you need are the right supplies. Four to be precise – pom-poms, a thread, needle, scissors. That’s it!

Outfit details Dra clothing dress , Jimmy Choo sunnies ( similar option for $25 ) , Jimmy Choo handbag , Nic+Zoe pumps This week was such a whirlwind ! Work has been very busy, Zoe is sick and has passed on the germs to Amit, we started work on the home-office – so my house is a mess like a construction zone … just one of those weeks. Today I am sharing some random things I am loving lately. I love writing this segment, because it is like catching up with a girlfriend and talking about all the things you have been doing, things you feel she should check out !

Today’s post was going to be something else. I had it ready to be published sitting in my drafts but I decided to write this post instead. Yesterday, Zoe had a meltdown of an intensity that I hadn’t seen earlier.

Every mother has her own breastfeeding story … here’s mine.

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Outfit Details : Faux-Fur Ombre Jacket , Black Skinny Jeans , Black Booties , White frame sunglasses