Movie - Instant Family (2018)

Genre – Family-Comedy-Drama-Emotional

Director – Sean Anders

Duration – 118 minutes

Cast – Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Isabela Merced, Gustavo Escobar, Julianna Gamiz

Watch it on – Netflix

My View

In these gloomy and tough times, one feels rather scared to switch on the TV or even login to social media, for the media is flooded with stories of pain, loss and grief. Having lost my brother few months ago to the deadly pandemic, I can say that the ones who are left behind are called survivors for a reason and the only option left with them is to pick up the broken pieces of their life and try to drag to move on. In such a pursuit of diverting my mind, I was browsing through movies on Netflix when  Instant Family popped up as a suggestion. Not in a mood for serious stuff, I thought let's give it a try and the movie proved to be an excellent cheer me up on a gloomy evening. 

The movie is based on director Sean Anders's personal experience of adopting 3 siblings. Perhaps that's why the director was so effortlessly able to bring up the issue of adoption while sticking to the genre of family comedy drama. 

A happy go lucky childless couple Peter and Elle are passionate about giving old properties a makeover. One day, Elle purchases a property and decides to do a turn it over into a beautiful house for her sister. However, when she reveals the property to her sister and her husband, their sarcasm leads to an argument which gets Peter and Elle thinking about adopting children. Soon, they enrol for a foster care program. 

While attending an adoption fair, they find it tough to zero down on a prospective kid. However, Peter finds himself drawn towards a group of teenagers, whom nobody was interested in adopting. Despite Elle's warnings, Peter tries to approach them and is welcomed by a raw and blunt 15 year old Lizzy who asks Peter and Elle to stop showing pity and look for younger children who almost everyone preferred to adopt.  Peter and Elle develop an instant liking for the brave and straight forward Lizzy and immediately express their desire of wanting to adopt her. However, that this was a package deal, for Lizzy came with her two younger siblings, Juan and Lita. Now you see, why the title is Instant Family!

While Peter and Elle were brave enough to adopt the three siblings, little did they know what they were signing up for. While the first few days were a dream family come true, soon they too joined the league of parents sharing their horror stories at the foster parents support group! 

By the way...biological or adopted...who said parenting was easy?

And thus began Peter and Elle's struggle with parenting their three adopted kids. To make matters worse, the children's biological mother's frequent meetings with the children makes it almost impossible for Peter and Elle to develop a bond with the children. But Peter and Elle were not the ones to give up so easily.

The movie is not about who wins or loses in the end but the beautiful journey of transformation from foster parents to parents. One is left tearful and moved towards the end, for the movie proves that parenting is based on the bond of love and care, not umbilical cord!

The funny dialogues between the social workers Sharon (Tig Notaro) and Karen (Octavia Spencer) add to the fun and the audience are sure to fall in love with the straight and sass Karen!

In these tough times when orphaned children is a sad and cruel reality, movies like this give a ray of positivity and give a shoutout that the world can be a much better place with some genuine and selfless love and care.

Easy wholewheat flour & ghee biscuits (eggless)

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine myself baking biscuits! But, as someone wise once said, "necessity is the mother of invention." Well, I can't really call this an invention. But necessity is what turned me into a good cook and now I am experimenting with baking.

The culprit...err...the credit for this transformation goes to the overprotective father in my house - Mr. Hubby. Ever since he became a dad, he surprises me with his awareness levels regarding food safety and health. One of the first things toddlers begin to snack on is biscuits. But, when I enthusiastically bought packets of various Glucose and milk biscuits Mr. Hubby said little S won't be given all this. As I grumbled in frustration, Mr. Hubby asked me to have a look at the ingredients. I couldn't argue with him on this one as I did notice the amount of vegetable oil and maida. "If you are so keen on feeding him biscuits, why don't you bake at home?"

This awakened the Mother India inside me. So, last weekend I did debut on the biscuit front. I did keep it simple though, for I didn't want little S to outrightly reject my labour of love. When little S did savour them with pleasure, the Mother India was elated, for the biscuits had the goodness of wholewheat flour and desi ghee! This is how I made these yummy biscuits.

Ingredients

Wholewheat flour (Atta) - 1 cup

Vanilla Custard Powder - 2 tbsp

Clarified Butter (Desi Ghee) - 1/2 cup

Powdered Sugar - 1/2 cup

Salt - a pinch

Milk - 1/4 cup 

Baking Powder - 1 tsp

Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp

Method

1. In a mixing bowl, take wholewheat flour and desi ghee and mix well to form a crumble. 

2. Add the powdered sugar, cardamom powder and mix well.

3. Add the custard powder and mix well.

4. Slowly add milk and bind the mixture together to form a soft dough. 

Note : Do not over knead the mixture else the biscuits will come out hard. Use only as much milk as the dough requires. There is no compulsion to use all the milk. 

5. Roll the dough into a thick roti. Using a cookie cutter (I used the lid of my baking powder!) cut discs in shape of your choice.

6. Line the discs in a greased baking tray. Keep some distance between the discs.

7. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees. Bake the biscuits for 20-22 minutes at 180 degrees at convection mode. Remove once the biscuits become golden brown and let them cool on cooling rack for 15-20 minutes. If you press the biscuits, they will appear tender. However, don't be tempted to over bake. Once the biscuits cool down, the texture will be just fine. 

Next on my wish list is Good Day biscuits. Let's see when that happens...

Easy Eggless Carrot Omlette For Kids

I loved Omelettes as a kiddo. They were an answer to my midnight hunger pangs during exam time. However, last year, an hour spent in Mumbai traffic jam behind a crammed up Poultry truck prompted Mr. Hubby and I to give up eggs.

These days I am trying to introduce various flavours to my toddler son as I believe, introducing varied flavours to kids by the age of five develops them into less picky eaters. While I wanted him to relish a nice fluffy Omelette, I found a way out to do so the eggless way! The best part is one can also play hide and seek successfully with veggies and the little prankster will happily eat it all without any fuss!

Sounds like a relief to the moms na! So let's get started...

Ingredients (Makes 4 Omelettes)

Gramflour/Besan - 2 tbsp

Carrom Seeds/Ajwain/Ova - 2tsp

Asafoetida/Hing - a pinch

Coriander Powder/dhaniya - 1 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Black Pepper Powder/Kali Mirch - 1tsp

Carrot - 1 small, finely chopped

Onion - 1 small, finely chopped

Green Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped

Water - For the batter

Refined Oil - To toast

Method

1. In a bowl, take gramflour. Add asafoetida, coriander powder, carrom seeds, black pepper powder and salt to taste. (Asafoetida and carrom seeds are excellent for digestion).

2. Add water and make a slightly thin batter. Remove any lump.

3. Add the chopped onions, chopped carrots and chopped coriander leaves and mix well. The batter will thicken a bit so adjust consistency to that of a dosa batter.

4. Heat an iron tawa/nonstick pan sufficiently. The way to a perfect Omlette is to have a sufficiently hot and greased pan. Personally, I am trying to do away with non stick cookware hence I stick to my good old iron tawa.

5. Using a round spoon, pour a spoonful of batter on a greased tawa and spread using circular movements.

6. Flip over the Omlette when one side is done and cook the other side as well. Cover and cook for 1-2 minutes till the Omlette turns crispy from one side.

7. Tasty and healthy eggless omlette is ready! Serve it with ketchup/green chutney or as my son prefers, just like that!

Is an RO purifier your best for pure water?

When it comes to my children, I make no compromises on quality. As a mother to an infant and a toddler, I am always proactive about minimizing the risk of infections. Since small children are very susceptible to water borne infections, I began to use boiled water for his consumption. As kids, I had always seen my parents do the same so I followed suit. 

However, soon I realized it was a task easier said than done. Managing two small kids, office and household chores meant a mad race with the clock, so boiling and cooling water seemed a tedious task. Hence, I began to look for other convenient options. While the age old filters was a known option, a little bit of online research told me it was no longer the best method to have the purest drinking water as there may still be heavy metals, harmful chemicals, and excessive salts left in the water. 

Thankfully, we live in a technologically advanced world. Discussions with friends and online research told me that RO purifier is the best and safest way to ensure purest water. RO purifier uses Reverse Osmosis technology to purify water. Yes, the very same Osmosis that we studied in school is now helping us keep our water safe! 

Source

Unlike the conventional gravity based water purifiers or water filters, RO purifier uses fine osmotic membranes to filter out the smallest of the impurities dissolved in the water supply. This makes them ideal for home and office use. There is a wide range of RO purifier depending on the level of product testing and the quality of filters used to assemble the purifier.

Source

A little bit of research and online comparison helped me pick the best ro purifier and life is a lot easier now. There is a wide range of RO purifiers available in the market and one can compare the RO water purifier price online.  Considering the quality, features and price, you can choose the bestRO water purifier in India and keep your family safe from water borne diseases. 

Source

Keeping my children mosquito safe

As mothers, we tend to fight a never ending battle with diseases and infections. If nature would allow, I am sure each mother would love to set a protective kavach (layer) around her babies to protect them from anything and everything negative. While there are infections and diseases beyond our control, we definitely wouldn't want our babies to have diseases that could have been avoided by taking simple precautions. Mosquito related diseases are one such example. Mosquitoes often come uninvited wherever we go and bring with them harmful diseases like Dengue, Chikungunya, Malaria etc. Therefore, when it comes to these diseases, each mother wants to play safe by keeping mosquitoes away from their little ones.

Being a mother to a toddler and an infant, I have to look for mosquito repellent options which work at home as well as in the playground. My 2.5 year old son just hates being confined indoors while my 5 month old daughter gets cranky each time a mosquito bites her. Here is a list of options I have tried over a period of time and my experience with each one of them.

1. Mosquito Nets

This is the first option that comes to our mind the moment we bring our little ones home for the first time. We feel scared to use chemicals for newborns hence mosquito nets come in as a safe option. I too invested in a baby mosquito net. 

While it seemed like a good option initially, soon I realized that it was tough to monitor the baby through the net at night. My daughter loves kicking and would often kick away the net, forcing me to explore other options. So, I purchased a large, camp size mosquito net which fitted on my double bed. 

Life was good, till summers came calling. No matter how much cooling the AC gave, it was always stuffy inside the net. I felt imprisoned. Also, it was tough to move in and out of the net at night and the baby would often wake up by the noise. It was time to kick away the net and look for other options.

2. Good knight Activ+

Since I was least inclined towards the smoky mosquito coils, Good knight Activ+ was my obvious choice of mosquito killer machine. My parents used Good knight when we were kids, so I decided to zero down on the tried and tested brand. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed at all! I would shut the windows in the evening and switch on Good knight and this ensured a good night sleep for my children. I even have the option to switch from a Normal to Active mode when the mosquito menace is high. We carry the machine with us while travelling and even plugged it in the train compartment. 

While it worked wonders for my daughter, I was still worried for my son who loves playing outside in his T-Shirt and shorts. However, the next option solved my problem.

3. Good knight Fabric Roll-On

This has come like a boon to mothers of hyperactive toddlers since it is certified pediatric safe. Since overdressing your kids isn't a viable option in all weathers, the outdoor mosquito repeller works wonders. All I have to do is play a 4 dot game with my son and I can take a sigh of relief that he is safe from mosquitoes while playing in the park.

While the Roll-On is a natural product, the strong smell of citronella oil & eucalyptus oil sometimes turns my son off. But I soon realized there is another option that my son just wouldn't be able to refuse!

4. Good knight Patches

My son loves animals, so when we got him these patches, he just jumped with joy! Keeping mosquitoes away is now a fun activity as my son chooses his patch of the day!

5. Good knight Power Shots

This is a great option to do away with the mosquitoes who love to play hide and seek in the room. Just four shots in the corners of the room keep the mosquitoes at bay.

These easy and child friendly options help me stay tension free about mosquitoes, for prevention is always better than cure!

Instant Raw Mango Launji / Aam ki launji

I confess, I am a lazy cook! 

Like all good Indian wives and mothers, I too love to whip up delicacies for my husband and child. 

The reality - Juggling between a demanding job, house and a toddler in his terrible two's, my passion for cooking is limited to something simple and quick that helps me save "me time" yet bring a smile of satisfaction on the faces of my loved ones.

My fondest memories of summers from my childhood are related to mangoes. Since we weren't a typical small nuclear family (we are 4 siblings!), mom would make frequent trips to the wholesale fruit and veggie market (called Mandi in Hindi) and come home with Aam ki peti! (wooden cartons used in wholesale markets, containing anywhere between 5-10kg mangoes). The mangoes would be welcomed with a lavish dip in bucket of water from where they would be carefully picked by each one of us at our own wish. 

Mom would also get the most amazing ambi/raw mangoes/kairi. While most would be used for the annual mango pickle ritual, a sizeable lot was saved for the aam panna. Another delightful side dish mom prepared was the ambi/raw mango launji - a raw mango chutney. Mom would make lot of it at one go and we would eat it with our morning paranthas.

I had been craving for mango launji since the time mangoes announced the arrival of summers. But the very thought of standing in front of the gas for long would make me chicken out!

Finally, my mom in law came to my rescue and taught me to prepare instant raw mango launji. At first, I was apprehensive, but believe me, the moment I took a bite of launji with parantha, it tasted just like the raw mango chutney I once ordered from Kitchens Of India.

Sharing the recipe.

Preparation time - 10-15min

Ingredients (for one bowl chutney)

• Raw mango - 1 large, peeled and shredded/diced into mouthful pieces      

• Salt - to taste
• Black pepper - to taste
• Water - 2 cup
• Jaggery - 1 cup chopped (you can increase/decrease the quantity to alter the sweetness)

• Desi ghee - 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida - a pinch

Method -

1. Heat ghee in a kadai, add asafoetida and cumin seeds and allow the cumin seeds to crackle.

2. Once the cumin seeds crackle, add the shredded raw mango.

3. Add salt and pepper and mix. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes.

4. Add 2 cup water. Cover and allow the water to boil

5. When the raw mango becomes tender, Add the chopped jaggery. Cover and cook on low flame for  5 minutes.

6. Check the consistency. Once the chutney thickens to a chutney like consistency and the jaggery gives it a beautiful brown colour, the chutney is ready! 

7. Transfer to a bowl and serve chilled with paranthas.

The chutney has a shelf life of 3-4 days when stored in refrigerator. However, it tastes so awesome that you will most likely finish it on the first day itself!

While it is the perfect accompaniment for paranthas, it can also add zing to an otherwise boring meal.

Simple na! 

While we used to have many varieties of mangoes in the North - Safeda (tastes best in mango shake), saroli, chausa, langda, dussehri, totapuri, my favourite ones were the langda and the chausa, simply for their sweetness and abundant pulp! I could have anywhere between 3-4 chausa at a time! However, Mumbai boasts of Alphonsos (though I am yet to learn to identify the authentic ones) and Kesar and our palates are slowly getting conditioned to them.

Which is your favourite mango variety? Do you have an interesting mango recipe to share? Do let me know in the comments section.

Teething Chronicles - Attention Please!

This post was written when my li'l one was 9 months old and his teething phase was the hot topic of discussion in our house. Teething is one time that really tests your patience, especially if you are a working mom. The fact that I had to leave this post  as a draft midway to attend to my cranky, teething baby is a testimony to the fact that the best way to deal with a teething baby is to drop everything aside and shower him with love and attention. But just before you think this is just a phase, let me tell you from my experience that the demand for attention keeps on growing until you just surrender to his highness Mr. Teething. Even though my son has graduated from being an infant to a toddler with a mind of his own, the demand for mumma's attention sees an exponential increase each day....

Found this post an year later in my drafts. Dedicated to all the moms for whom the  teething chronicles have  just begun!

I am becoming more tech savvy these days, thanks to S's increasing understanding of his surroundings. Parenting makes us do things we never expected to do. I had made an impressive pitch on "blogging on the go" to Mr. Hubby when I wanted to buy a tab, but stuck to my good old laptop for blogging even after the tab arrived to simplify my life. Call it motivation or need of the hour, motherhood has finally got me blogging via the tab, albeit for a different reason altogether!

As most parents would agree, teething is one of the most challenging phases. In fact in the last couple of months, almost every change in S's behaviour and health is being attributed to teething. Makes me often wonder if teething is the micro version of adolescence, for both the stages are an easy way of justifying odd changes in our otherwise angelic children.

Found the comparison weird? Well, yuo see I too am the mother of a hyper cranky teething baby. Like son, like mother!

Of the many changes teething has brought in S, the one that's bugging me big time is his constant desire for attention. Like all moms, I too dreamt of spending quality time with my child. But when the child cries even if you move away to go to the loo, it is time to pull your hair (if any left post delivering a baby!). All he wants is mumma to sit and play with him, take him wherever he wants for as long as he desires, even if it means mumma does nothing of her own or the house the whole day.

Little one has discovered the tool of crying and having his wishes fulfilled. In fact nowadays, he doesn't have to make that much of an effort to have his way. All he has to do is to make a crying face and make some cranky sounds, and within seconds, mumma  n papa are dancing around with objects of his desire, just like the snakes dancing to the tune of snake charmer.

Looking at his cute face, I have no doubt that at all of 9 months, he is nothing short of a charmer. Trying to go out of the house in his notice, or making him sit when he wants to play is as good as trying to explore a snake hole with bare hands.

For all those showering sympathy for little S and judging me as a bad mom, nobody is more pained to see S in trouble than me. I know that in times of discomfort and illness, the ultimate relief a troubled child gets is in his mom's lap. So I tried all possible ways to involve him in my activities. Taking him along in the pram to the kitchen, singing aloud to him from the bathroom to assure him I am around (yes, I do it however weird it sounds!). But a child's greed for attention seems no bound. Epecially when there is a doting dad available at his beck and call, leaving no opportunity to shower advise upon the exhausted mother!

Alas! All that a poor mom can do is to grind her teeth as she waits for the remaining teeth to pop up and give her back the non grumpy smiling baby!

I Am Just A mom, Not God

(This was published in Parentous)

When a woman becomes a mother, all she wants is to be the best mother and enjoy the phase of motherhood. To ensure everything goes fine, she gets into action much before the delivery. She spends hours researching on the internet, immerses herself in parenting books, attends hours of prenatal sessions and becomes a total sponge each time someone drops advice based on their experience.

Finally comes the phase she had been waiting for nine months – to hold her little one in her arms and bask in the joy of motherhood. But, with the bliss come many surprises that the new mommy couldn’t have imagined in her wildest dreams. To begin with, the sheer number of guests paying family sized visits to the hospital, despite knowing how susceptible a newborn is to infections carried by visitors.

While all that a mom wants is a bouquet of good moments and cooperation from people around, she is often left to deal with eyes scrutinizing her abilities from all directions – beginning from....Continue reading

Introducing li'l one to friends from the sea

Motherhood in itself is a magical experience! To see a little life develop step by step in front of your eyes is a beautiful experience words can't explain. Having recently turned one, my little bundle of joy is now officially a toddler and is all gradually observing the beautiful world around him. Experts say that a child’s brain develops the most in the first five years of his life. As parents, this is the best time to introduce new words into his vocabulary and make him familiar with the surroundings.

Since children have a short attention time span, the best way to teach them something new is by using pictures, stories and songs. They might forget what you try to teach them, but they will forever remember the stories and rhymes. 

So, when I received the #colgatemagicalstories packs, I was more than elated, for these days my little one loves to observe animals and their sounds. While other kids are scared by the shrill barks of the neighbourhood German Shephard, my son jumps and shouts with excitement, as if encouraging his canine buddy. Since I had not yet tried to relate pictures with stories, I was all excited for the experiment!

Soon, I received the 4 special Colgate packs, each with a separate set of magical sea world creatures inside. Since my little one is too small for art and craft, I took the lead with the cut out. I was impressed with the focus on “learn and fun” in the packs. For starters, the packs had instructions simple enough for the kids to follow. The packs even suggested the kids to take the help of elders, to avoid any mishap.

What impressed me even more was the little information about each creature that truly lived up to the “learn and fun” spirit.

Did you know these amazing facts about life under the sea?

• Octopus has three hearts and can change its colour quickly
• Puffer fish defends itself by filling its stomach with water
• Killer whale is the largest member of the dolphin family
• Sea turtles can grow upto 300kg in weight

Well, I for sure didn't know all this.

As soon as I opened the packs, I was I went back to my childhood, remembering my favourite cartoon The Little Mermaid!  Waiting to befriend my little one in the pack was the Dolphin, Parrot, Sting Ray, Whale, Pirate, sea turtle, sea horse, lion fish, barracuda, sharks, crabs, mermaid, star fish and Octopus! Quickly, I prepared the cut outs using the simple to manage cardboard stands provided in the pack itself, and we were all set for the #colgatemagicalstories.

My little one is too young to understand stories, but loves music and rhymes. So, I prepared a small jingle to introduce each character from the story.

Here’s a li’l jingle I sang to him - 

Welcome my friends from the sea,

Thanks for coming to meet me,

Shark, whale, dolphin, star fish

All the fishes make a wish

Blackbeard’s treasure is tough to find

But Sadie will be helpful and kind

Parrot’s talks gives company

Crab dances very funny

Looking at Octopus shark and whale

The pirate feared and turned pale

But then came the pretty mermaid

To the lost pirate’s aid

Together the treasure they found

And then headed to the happy sound

In castle their friends laughed and played

In the magical world, they happily stayed

This is a sponsored post. Discover the magical world of sea with the special #colgatemagicalstories packs.