Great video on outdoor preschool!
This is a great 20 min. video on outdoor preschool in Norway, that I came across via the yahoo group. Even though it’s unpleasantly wet and cold, the children seem to have so much fun. Love the statement – “There’s no such thing as bad weather, except bad clothes!” This really encouraged me to brave the cold and sometimes damp weather we have here in Delhi. Also, great ideas on what one can do outdoors with 3 to 5 year old children. Their little brains maturing without the pressure of formal lessons.
Nailing the fundamentals in preschooling
As I embark on a Charlotte Mason journey with my preschooler… to able to grasp her educational outlook and going through her homeschooling six volume series can seem quite extensive to absorb in a short time. The books are meant for snacking on over a period of time, although I wish I could gorge on in one or few meals – take in her entire philosophy in one sitting. But I know that each volume when read piecemeal can provide a steady diet of encouragement and instructions. But this could take years before I complete all six volumes and just about scratch the surface of what she is trying to say. This is why I really love Ambleside Online: besides that wonderful free curriculum that it is, it has systematically organized resources to help me get started on the right note. And all this for free! Comes courtesy of the Advisory, a group of moms that have selflessly put this together, just encouraged by the fact that such an education might influence the next generation! They do benefit from the pooled research and information as they homeschool as well.
Having said all this I, by no means, suggest substituting reading the homeschooling series for all that Ambleside Online has to offer. Actually, the website includes a link to the series and encourages us to read them!
The three links that I found helpful to comprehend and align with her philosophy for a preschooler:
Also going through the FAQ page answered a lot my queries!
From what I get from reading the above links… in the early years, rather than on academics, parents are to zero in on “ many relations waiting to be established….” (vol 6, pp.72-7) as in with the earth, plants and trees, animals and birds, human affinities, and their relationship with God. The rest will come! This seems enormous in itself. Botony, ornithology, socioeconomics etc. all in preschool?? But, all this is to be accomplished through simple interactions.
These years are also to fence my authority as a parent and concentrate on habit formation that of obedience, imagination, cleanliness etc. I hope to explore this area a bit more.
My next goal is ensuring Nathan has a lot of outdoor times so as to let him explore and acquaint himself with natural objects first-hand. Working with concrete objects with the real world rather than the pseudo manipulated kind that of the Montessori approach.
The preschool years, a.k.a. Year 0 – birth to age 6 – is also said to be a great time to get the extras rooted in. Extras include poetry, composer study, classical music, folk music, art study, hymns, foreign language.
Rephrasing a quote from Charlotte “Away with books, tell stories instead during the first few years!” I really find it hard adhering to this entirely. However, I love the idea of narrating bible stories than reading them. But books, I can’t dispense with! Anyway it’s more the panorama of pictures that is the problem not the reading in itself. From what I get, substituting books for outdoor activities is what’s discouraged.
Having got a gist of what I should be doing I hope to chronicle, here a little, there a little, as I go along.
When life presses in!
Being a mother is such a wonderful gift from the Lord and something most women have a deep longing for. Pregnancy, the whole experience in anticipation of a baby…. those who have been through it will testify how joyful and magical it can be. And finally, the moment when you hear the first cry of your new born!!!!!! Oh, words cannot express the joy!!!
This time, when I got to know that I was pregnant…..the excitement and the delight!!! This was in the first week of December. Felt extremely nauseous to the point I just couldn’t eat my own food…. eventually dropped cooking altogether!! The things family and I myself put-up with….. all for the sake of the one in anticipation!!! I really enjoyed all the pampering from my husband and my mother, and not to mention my friends in church!!
In January, my husband had to visit his home town for a while, and my mom left for Mumbai for some work. So it was my dad, my sister, my son and myself! My dad, who is suffering from cancer really needs someone to assist him, with the whole diet regime, supplements and juices that he has to take. I really enjoyed spending time with him, reading the bible and having discussions together which we really like doing as a family.
My visit to the doctor was due, was not very comfortable with the present doctor and wanted to see Dr. Urvashi Sehgal instead at Phoenix. It was the day before my husband arrived that I talked to him and on an impulse, I think it was more an instinct that drove me, went to do the Ultra Sound test for viability as written by the doctor(because of a previous miscarriage, the doc said that the test was only to satisfy my conscience). All my excitement and expectancy…all thwarted in just that hour!! It was my twelfth week and the baby was formed no more than six. My heart skipped a beat to hear this….being all alone, my husband and my mother both were out of town. The things that raced through my mind: what did I do wrong?? I should have done this….and I should have taking that… I wish I had taken rosemary teas…. and so on! I was quickly reminded not to go down that route! Think of it… there are many that do everything wrong and still deliver perfectly normal babies. Look at Rachel Crow, the X factor contestant, who was born a crack baby, her biological mother was on crack cocaine in her pregnancy… think of the threat to the fetus!! And yet, in spite of her mother being incautious, look at her now! No disabilities, a well behaved teenager with a deep affection toward her adoptive mother! Really since I would like to try again, condemning myself will take me nowhere, however focussing on nourishing my body for the next try seems more like it!
This was not my first miscarriage, my second. (However, I am so thankful that I am blessed with a son, 3yrs. now) My first miscarriage was traumatic, multiple reasons for that. One, definitely was my wrong perception to the whole episode. Believe me, I have learnt my lesson the hard way… a right perception is the key if you want to sail through a storm. Or rest assured you WILL be shipwrecked!
In such a time…. I have to say that I am blessed with a wonderful church…. a great circle of selfless friends, more than ever willing to be there. When I spoke to Probhita (my friend, my Pastor’s wife) from the hospital, she said, “ I’m just leaving right now” There is no better place to be than in the church’s wing… hanging around the people of God, those who genuinely care and bolster your faith, and being under good teaching to uplift you and fortify your mind in a storm.
I view this as from the hand of the Lord. It’s so reassuring, that He is more than able to give me my hearts desire! Just trusting God about everything! I could very well waste a lot of time thinking: Why did this happen, especially the second time? Could it happen again? But, what I have come to learn is that there is no better way to be comforted than to know (really understand) that God is in control. JUST TRUST HIM, specially when it’s beyond your power to do anything! The only solution to life’s problems: I say it again TRUST HIM. I think I missed this truth the first time and suffered serious consequences. I hate to admit it but it is true! So now, I always want to view life (the everyday and more so the unexpected trials) as an opportunity presenting itself to exercise faith, trusting in the plan of God!
There are so many that go through miscarriages with no support from family. And I…. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful husband that loves me and was such a support to me. He gave me a day off to just wallow in any thing I desired. Fixed breakfast, lunch and dinner, took care of Nathan. This whole week, he fixed breakfast for the family! I felt totally pampered. Friends in church eager to lend a helping hand! My mom, cooking some of my old time favorites! I am truly, extraordinarily blessed!
So as I move on and the storm subsides, my comfort verse for this season:
Proverbs 3:5 – 6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
One more thing…there’s one advice on anyone that has had a miscarriage- opt for a D&C and not the misoprostol pills. But just ensure you have an experienced doctor doing it. Taking the pills in my first miscarriage really wore me out! Going through the D& C was a breeze!
As I set out with my preschooler!
Reading ‘Some Implementation‘ got me galvanized into action… Hey, why not? I have no more than one child! What’s wrong with me? My son definitely need at least an hour of fresh air and sunshine! After all Charlotte reckons three to four hours for children under age 6! With our not so well-ventilated rooms in contiguous houses, the least I could do is take him out! Those where the thoughts that raced through my mind!
The next day was busy, but you know what …when one makes something a priority, one can somehow fit it in!! My mom was leaving for Bombay, my dad’s diet and juicing needed supervision, some read alouds for Nathan, fixing lunch….. in the middle of it all, at 1 p.m. “ Nathan let’s go to the park!”
Making a virtue of the sunshine and the park, for which I’m ever so grateful, grabbed a banana and a bottle of water, and set out. He made a castle from the bricks strewn in the park. And crushed scattered lime leaves and noticed the lime tree in blossoms. I showed him the difference between buds from the blooms and he asked me, “ Where’s that girl, Thumbelina?” (ha!) For a want- to -play- ball kind of child, I was amazed at how he played with bricks, leaves and mud all by himself.. .. Just letting him be. As Charlotte puts it, ‘A good deal of letting alone!’ I enjoyed watching such freedom and was smug about putting it to practice!
I consider myself so blessed to walk in the trail blazed by others. How easy can it get!
With all this, I went back to refresh my memories on those principles I said I would follow for my preschooler. As I mould my preschooler I plan to concentrate on habit training, nature study, composer study, poetry, hymns, foreign language etc… and informal read alounds! (as suggested from the above link)
The preschool years of life is an undertaking that I now come to see as crucial and formative that will determine most of the child’s character. This enterprise which will have challenges, risks and complications and most importantly scope for growth (sounds metaphorical), but seriously taking it up with diligence and punctuality just like professionals confer on their work! Love that kind of fervency! The Creator Himself has thought the mother qualified to take on this challenging task. He will bestow special wisdom in the process, I believe… So, I cannot walk about with lack of confidence in my ability as a parent… trusting that the parent-child relationship works! Believing in His design!
Biryani
This recipe is no authentic way of making biryani. But it works and tastes really good! This recipe is a combination of my mom-in law’s pulao and biryani as I knew it. Her pulao had such a strong biryani taste and flavor, that I thought, hmm, may be I need to flavor the rice this way. And guess what, this biryani is suffused with gutsiness!!!
GRAVY
5 large onions, chopped
3 large green chillies, slit
1 cinnamon stick
2 small bunches pudina/ mint leaves
1 small bunch coriander leaves
2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
3 peppercorns
2 cloves
3- 4 tablespoons oil
Saute all the above ingredients in oil until onion turns light brown. Cool and puree. That’s the ground masala.
1-2 tablespoons chilly powder
400 gms curd
1 ½ – 2 Kg mutton (Depends on the mutton to rice proportion you prefer.)
Marinate the mutton in salt, curd, ground masala, and chilly powder for an hour in the vessel you desire to cook in. Cook the marinated mutton as is for an hour or till the meat is tender.
RICE
1 kg basmati rice (5 cups)
9 cups water ( a little less than needed)
2-3 drops kewra water
a pinch of saffron
2 small bunches mint leaves (pudina), cleaned and choped
3- 5 chillies, slit in 4 (number of chillies will depend on how spicy you like it)
2 onions, chopped
2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
3 cardamoms
3-4 cloves
large stick of cinnamon or cassia
1 tablespoon ghee ( it does flavor the biryani)
1 tablespoon oil
- Over medium heat, in a large pan with a lid, melt the ghee along with the oil and the garam masala (cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon), stirring a bit. Add the chillies, onions and mint leaves, frying each a bit before adding the other. Then the ginger and garlic paste. Stir a little.
- Add the washed rice, stirring till lightly slicked with the oil. Pour the water and kewra water. Add the saffron. Clamp on the lid. Let it cook.
GARNISH
8-10 onions, thinly sliced in rings
8-10 potatoes (optional), cut in thick discs
200gm cashews, split in half
Oil for deep frying
- In a pan of hot oil, fry the onions in batches to get dark brown strands. Stash them on paper towel.
- The potatoes can be grilled on a nonstick pan
- Toast the cashews on a nonstick pan till lightly brown.
LAYERING THE RICE AND MUTTON GRAVY
- In a large vessel with a lid, layer the bottom with potatoes. Spoon the rice to cover the bottom with a thin layer. Then pour some gravy and strew few mutton pieces. Add the second layer of rice. Scatter onion strands and cashew.
- Then spread the mutton and gravy. Scatter few potatoes over the grayy layer. Then the rice…. Continue layering till you fill the vessel, the final layer being rice. For the garnish, a final smattering of onion strands and cashews. Clamp on the lid. Place it over a very low heat for 20 min., or till warmed through. Done
When serving, never mix the layers so that the gravy completely mingles with the rice. So spoon out delicately! Serve with raita!
God’s most important gift – the power of choice!
Points from the message in church, last sunday!
This new year can be seen as a clean slate to write my history. I can have the best marriage, be the best mother, have the best relationship, a deeper commitment with the Lord Jesus Christ. It depends on ME!!
Life is made of choices, not chances. We are our choices! Character is formed by the same. NEVER underestimate the power of choice. External circumstances do not take our power to choose. Christians should never be victims, but victors.
“Victimization is a slap in the face of God”
As opposed to animals that have instinct, man has the freedom to choose his own destiny. So take hold of the wheel… direct yourself to the right destination!
The questions to ask in crucial decisions ( those that will determine the course of our life):
- What does God say about a situation?
- Is the choice in harmony with the word of God?
- Is my standard based upon the word of God or my own wisdom, or upon what people think? Verses: Prov 3:5-6, Proverbs 28:26, Proverbs 20:24Rather side with legalism than lawlessness. We don’t have to pray about the clearly forbidden.
Then there are those decisions that are not spelled out in the bible. They are neither black nor white… the grey areas. The choices between what’s good and what’s best. (1cor 10: 23)
The questions to ask:
- Will it make me a better Christian? Will it build me up spiritually? Will it move me closer to God??
- How will my choices help others? Will it hurt others? We are not to be people pleasers but we are to consider others?
- Will your choices trouble your family?
- Will I want others to know what I’m about to do? Live your life in the light.
- Is this the best use of my time?
- Do I take counsel from others? Proverbs 13:10, 15:22, 19:20
- Do you think your decisions through? Don’t make your choice on a whim? Proverbs 14:8, 14:15.
- What will be the consequences of my choices?
There will be a judgement day! That’s why we need to make wise decisions. The day of reckoning is preceded by the day of reason.
Life has choices, choices have consequences. Therefore make the right choices.
Asthma concoction
An asthmatic attack can be quite an episode, especially for a child. Nathan, though not frequent, has them. I remember the first time… we were clueless! It started off like a cold- the snuffles, and then chest congestion leading to short breaths, and finally a state of lethargy. A year old child can hardly express much. Witnessing that was really hard for us! We took him to our pediatrician, a really good doctor. But let’s face it, for asthma, the only remedy conventional medicine can offer is asthalin. Administering it every four hours using either the inhaler or the nebulizer! And when severe, a steroid, Betnisol is given.
A year ago, Renu, my friend asked me to try a concoction. I wasn’t so eager to believe that this would really help… No more asthalin?? Impossible! Then when I finally gave in, forced two spoons of this magical concoction down his throat… voila! It worked!! The runny nose would not peak to a wheezing condition. This was such a relief to know there was another way!
Below is the recipe to this homemade potion:
Egg and brandy concoction:
For this you will need:
1 cup juice from unripened green limes
1 egg (preferably one that you are confident about)
Raw honey
Brandy
- Immerse the egg in the lime juice. Let it sit for 24 hours. The egg shell and the lime amalgamates to form a frothy head. If the juice is tangy enough, the eggshell will dissolve leaving only the inner lining.
- Irrespective of how much of the shell dissolves, after a day bash it about and strain through a muslin cloth. You will get a golden molten mixture.
- The raw honey, brandy, and the egg mixture have to be in equal proportion. So add honey and brandy accordingly. Refrigerate.
- Have 2 tablespoons a day starting from the first signs of a cold or the onset of a climate change.
Howbeit, this doesn’t cure the condition, it helps you through it, that is, if you take it before it climaxes. I look at it as a good substitute for asthalin, if taken in time. This week, however, I missed and had to face the brunt!
There are so many wonderful ingredients that nature provides. The remedy to many problems may simply reside in the kitchen. These building-blocks within our reach can prove noble indeed! I hope to discover more of life’s goodness.
Nature’s Nobility, a category in this blog, sets to verify just that!
TALIMPOO? What is that?
Being married to an Andhrite, assisting my mother-in-law, a solicitor of recipes.. I conclude thus: One needs a passion for the picante to love Andhra food. Although there are many ways of cooking a simple subzi or curry as there are homes in Andhra, no dish is without braised chillies. By braised, I mean chopped chillies are fried along with diced onions before stewing them in the vegetable, dal, or meat in question.
This brings us to TALIMPU, a.k.a. bagar, an imperative step to give Andhra food its pungent punch! The trifecta of ingredients: onions, green chillies and curry leaves means you can make almost any dish taste from there. Chillies are cut in rings or slit in 4 and thrown in a well of hot oil that’s been spluttering with a tablespoon of TALIMPU GINJALU (mixture of mustard seeds, split urad dal, split gram dal, and cumin). The chillies have to be fried well before you add the onions and curry leaves. When cooking meats, substitute the GINJALU (seeds) with a small cinnamon or caccia stick.
So, ever wondered why Andhra food is smacked with fieriness? Thanks to karam podi (Andhra chilly powder) on top of braised green chillies!
Check out the recipe for rasam.