Green Initiatives of 2015

And when we think we can't be further greener, there come some more avenues to go green.
Some of the initiatives we managed to take 

- moved to LED lights in most places of the home 

- started more of gardening with attempts to grow basic herbs like greens, basil, mint. Whatever is possible in my sun less garden

 

Placed an aloe Vera plant on my desk to use as a moisturiser

Started composting using kitchen waste and house dust. Even making the kids pee in it so that I save the water that would go for flushing and also give nutrients for the compost.

Almost completely moved over to steel bottles, steel snack boxes . Closely reading the plastic container numbers

- less of microwaving more of induction or gas stove

- moved over to wooden cutting board

- moved over to iron tawa for dosa from nonstick tawa 

- separated potatoes and onions and using natural baskets

Moving over to cows milk from Astra if all goes well. Will try to make own ghee and paneer henceforth with better quality milk 

Glass containers for spices

More natural like kora grass mats and grass baskets plus more of plants all around

Other initiatives to take

Perhaps move to cloth bags for keeping veggies in the fridge

belated Year end Update

 So the year 2015 is full of new beginnings. 
 
 But before that 2014 had not been very kind to us as much as I had hoped. 
 
 As a family - We lost my Nani and Nana in a space of five months. 
 One on 1st jan and the other in 28th July. 
 While Nani was suffering from illness I am still under shock about Nana. Didn't expect him to go away so suddenly. 
 
 Work wise the year was full of travels for both hubby and me and we also did manage a couple of holidays including Singapore and Coonoor. 
I also managed to take a break in December to oversee the renovation of our home. 

 Well so we ended the year feeling happy poor! 

> Especially after the inclusion of a library!

I also managed three publications with Mango Chutney, mathematics Fun fact and fictionhttp://www.mangobooks.net/book_details/8345/mathematics_fun,_facts_and_fiction

and folk tales from around the world. 
http://www.mangobooks.net/book_details/8428/folktales_from_around_the_world

Women's Web very kindly published my interview 

http://www.womensweb.in/2015/03/riti-kaunteya-life-as-an-author/

And now for the resolutions


- A general attempt to move over to more green less artificial 
- try to build in exercise
- write everyday 
- read more
- read more of HBR
- eat out even lesser. We already reduced to bare minimum
- healthy snacks for children. More fruits less processed
- follow 5 s system at home.
- teach children independence and make their own bed at least and maintain their own cupboards
- focus on kids ' studies better and make it more organised and regimental
- follow the keyboard course and be serious about it
- wake up on time on the alarm
- Reduce and remove iPad usage by children
- make children read more
- socialise more

- use more of flower decor 

DIG it- Dirt is Good

How Often Do you see a child's play face?

Pertinent question isn't it? Something that most of us would like to respond with an answer like- all day, everyday, every moment, as often as I want, always....
But today I am not sure how much do we watch our children really play. No I am not talking about the play on gadgets. I am talking about mud play, water play, playing in the grass, in the soil, doing physical activity. Getting messy and dirty and playing with stuff that are not toys but improvised from everyday objects.
Have you ever noticed the laughter that emerges when they are doing real play vs gadget play is totally different. It is more spontaneous, natural and healthy?
It ensures that the children build a healthy mind and body for life and most importantly, build happy memories of their childhood. Just like we have our own memories of playtime.

I often say, my kids are my own clay to mould and therefore I would like to give them experiences that only I know as a parent that is going to become a rarity as they grow old. Which is why, in the presence of so many distractions for the children of the internet era, I insist that they get as much free play as possible. Which means, get out of the house, switch off the gadgets and play, run around and do physical activity. Play ball, play cricket and cycle. Feel the breeze on your face, look at the lizards darting on the walls and the flowers fallen on the grass. Look at the bug crawling on the grounds and make a mini pond in the place where the grass has worn off. 

Watch a cat beg for food and count the number of puppies that have just been born. Count the number of crows lined on the wall and watch the squirrels skip across the branches.

Imbibe as much as you can about nature in the city and make sure you do not miss a single day of play. 

Get as much dirty as possible for dirt is good!

And so is the grass and the leaves that cling to your clothes.

And didn't mamma tell you that a cactus should not be watered so much! Well, watch out, for that is what she is about to tell you next and you will be sure to remember that and not water them and the cactus in a hurry henceforth!

Play is part of the serious business of growing up. Indoors or outdoors, on muddy fields or at home, children find play irresistible for a good reason - and you can see the benefits written all over their faces.
  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHwWcRkrZ14

The grouse that I had when my kids joined play school was that they do not get enough time to enjoy the swings! I could be called an antithesis of parenthood. Whoever asks the teachers to allow their kids to play in the swings? Everyday I would ask my kids, did you play on the swings today? Because I know that swings can be found only in schools and if you do not get to play there you do not get to play them at all. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwRUkYePKqo

More kids today are growing up in cities than ever before - but cities are not always designed for children.  When Surf Excel asked kids what they'd change, they had all sorts of ideas. But more than anything, they wanted space to play. By 2020 half of the world's children will live in cities. Let's make sure we listen to them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0yZBU7qS44

Which is why I always insisted that my kids get out in the only green space I have, play there, even if it meant getting wet with the water pipe that was watering the garden or getting bitten by bugs.
Even if it meant they would pluck a few leaves from my precious plants but still, at least they got round to exploring a green space.
I am fortunate that my building has enough space to play. In fact that was the reason why we zeroed on this apartment even before we became parents. Because, in our minds, we were sure that we would not want our children to grow closeted in the house without a space to play. In the town where I grew up, there were huge maidan.....spaces left vacant after every few rows of houses. And these were used as play grounds by the children in the vicinity. This is something that urban cities do not have and of course busy parents like us do not have the time to take children to a park to play. So we ensured we have everything we need right in our complex and we also got a mini garden space as unexpected bonus. And what a boon it turned out to be!

Learning is Messy
Scientists are making amazing steps forward in improving our understanding of how children's brains and behavior develop through childhood. These new advances help us understand better than ever before how important it is to allow our children the freedom to get dirty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUOpJndq428

Hence I never stopped them from muddying up by digging into my empty pots and filling them with soil, or rolling over the grass and getting grass stains on their light blue jeans.

They would dig out soil and spread them all over the stair case and I would sneak out of my apartment in the night and quickly sweep the mud before anyone slipped.
The phase passed soon but still the children found other things to play. The great Indian cricket and football. Or even climbing of the solo frangipani tree causing great trepidation among the parents in the building!
Well, that phase passed and we heaved a sigh of relief. Yet I am glad that they still want to play rather than stand outside and gossip as older children do!

See a fresh perspective on childhood: http://kidstoday.surfexcel.in
"We've created the Surf Excel Kids Today Project to get a fresh perspective on modern childhood -- especially looking at the importance of hands on experience and getting dirty in our children's development. Dirt is proof that children are living life, participating, exploring and experiencing. We believe that Dirt Is Good."


Which also means that kids love to do things by themselves. The messier the activity the better. Polishing shoes, washing slippers, folding clothes, climbing upon the basin and washing dishes, sweeping or rather breaking the brooms with vigorous sweeping, putting veggies in storage, playing with dishes pretending to arrange them but actually messing them up....we could go on. They say every such activity builds cognisance and hand eye coordination. In the earlier days there was no organised play, only free play and most children learnt by imitating their parents. Which also meant that the only toys they had were the objects in and around the house, ever wonder why kids love banging vessels!



The Surf Excel Kids Today Project

Have you ever noticed that childhood today is more work and less play than it used to be? You are not alone!

Surf Excel has conducted new research amongst 1,000 Indian mums and found that they strive to find the best way to ensure their children are well-prepared for the competitive world ahead:
•    60% of mums believe their child’s future happiness is dependent on them doing well at school
•    One in four would like their child to spend more time at school
•    However, mums also believe learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom – children can learn life skills from everyday experiences (82%)
•    Collaboration and teamwork are more important than being successful academically (66%)

To help redress the balance, Surf Excel has launched The Kids Today Project to show that recreation and hands-on experiences are not nice-to-haves, but are in fact critical to every child's developmental success. 

Great Ways to have a Beautiful Home

When we first bought our house, we were very particular that we would use bright colours in our home. Not the entire home of course but every room was given a breaking wall.
We experimented with bright yellow on our favourite walls, especially the ones which were meant to have paintings with focus lights.

A few years later, hubby decided to try his hand at painting the house himself. He bought the entire store of Asian paints I guess, experimenting with bright shades like code red which was an extremely raunchy red for the bedroom. And lots of metallic shades in gold and chromium. I must say I loved that phase. I loved the gold and he even used stencils to make wall art with gold.

Since we are restricted by space in a two bedroom house, our only available canvas are the walls

The red wall  raunchy? Romantic? What do you say? It's the bedroom after all!

The lady in gold stencilled with multiple coats of the same gold. It is still my favourite piece of art on my wall an remains there In spite of painting another color on the rest of the wall.

Check the below.the lady remains and the bed sheet matches the curtain scheme

The entrance is the first look of the home. I have adorned the shoe rack with money plants in old wine bottles and they make it look lively and welcoming. And we have done what many don't do. Invested in a lovely lamp shade and installed and nerdy saving bulb there. Even if I don't light it on a daily basis, the lamp shade looks grand.

The entrance adorned with the Sun 



I was thinking over and over on how to make a good and unique nameplate, I thought about punning on the word Name- Plate and paint on a plate. But then I thought it would be difficult to punch a hole and mount it on a wall.

Therefore I needed something with a ready made provision for hanging.

I unearthed an old scratched up LP record and this is what I did with it
I first painted the LP with the left over gold paint. 2 coats were needed. I waited for it to dry completely and stuck pictures of all four of us and painted our names with black acrylic paint.
Cool isn't it? (and cheap also!)


The Orissa art goes with the wall decor completely. Whatever art I buy, I try to make it match the concept.

I copied images from warli book and the husband painted them with a fine tipped brush and acrylic 

paint. These are various dancing positions and acrobatics- emphasis on movement more than stills. (It has created a stir in the complex with people asking us -how exactly did you do that?)

I am particular that the sofas be huge not just because there could be more people but because they serve as good recliners. However, my all time fav is wood which I intend to invest in once the children grow up. For now, they serve as diving board, trampoline, etc, everything but what it is meant for. But after all, a home is where even kids feel comfortable, not a showcase or a museum. Much as I would like to keep my home adorned at all times, I have been told that the warmth my home exudes compensates for the lack of decor.


Minimalistic decor in the entertainment section. Check the guitar as a decor!! Expensive!

I  picked up the dancer pieces from the Jharkhand stall in Metro plus show. These black metal performing women with the gold embellishment goes well with the gold wall

Sticking to the living room theme, we adorned the walls with warli and madhubani art in series





And another of the nature series in orange/ yellow tones to suit the gold wall done by the husband. Inexpensive art truly!



In fact, we did not leave the doors even. They are pre designed ply wood that can be stuck on. I loved the design...very Ganesha like. And the peacock painting is done by the husband. Art for free!!

A painted corner...free flowing art! movement and stability!

The other trick to enliven the home is to bring in plants. The good part is that if you make mini planters like these or just put in a plant in a container with water, even if they do not grow, you can always replace them from your main plant in the garden. These tea cups are the four remaining ones from a set of six which broke during, guess what, redecorating and  deep cleaning our home!! Impromptu decor!!

These look good on the dining table!! That's the place they were meant to be any way!!

In fact I put money plants in both bathrooms and I pick up longer stems with some roots so that they create an illusion of growth!!


flowers gathered during my morning walk, impromptu bouquet that immediately brightens the day

Purple periwinkles and globe amaranth in a small glass container form a flower rangoli to brighten up a corner.

These flowers come at absolutely zero cost, that is the best part.

My another favourite way of pepping things up is to put a good bedsheet.
I ensure I pick up unique bed covers wherever I go and especially the thick cotton ones or quilted ones that give a rich look. My next purchase would be a mirror work Rajasthani bed spread!

Or brighten up a corner with a light source. This one is a kalamkari lampshade in leather punctuated with holes to allow a shadow play of dark and light. 

nothing like a real fire to light up a corner

And most importantly, de clutter as much as possible at the same time, create space. I specially follow this with my books. Spaces for specific favourite genres of books are predesignated. I have a different rack for unread books and a different one for to be given away books.

The kids room is a riot of colours, more than what is considered decent!! But since it happened in bits and pieces, it gave an informal wild look. So there are lions and tigers on one side and cartoon characters on the other. 

I am also a great believer in the 5 S principle. A place for everything and an everything in its place- makes life easier. I believe that one must intimately know where each stuff is placed or likely to be placed so that a chore like cooking becomes faster. I hate spending time searching so I ensure all boxes are closed with their lids after proper drying of course else it would stink.

Especially with the homes with lack of space, one's creativity can expand into the outdoor. I have moved from the mentality of plants for ever to being prepared to replace the plants if need be because plants die and one must not spend time moping of lost plants. Buying them is inexpensive and spending a small amount of money gives one the satisfaction that any shopping activity brings.....therapeutic.

A stroke of genius....nostalgic red floor in the garden...I love this especially when  kids sit and play without damaging my plants...

The terracotta pots really last long and look good. Low maintenance. I had bought a couple 10 years ago and they look still new.
This year I picked a few more from the Dastakar and adorned them in the garden.

Notice the rocks that blend with the garden decor

Sometimes it is great fun to follow a color theme in the garden

And I love Urlis, indoor and out door, traditional ones and 

modern ones

Crazier the container, the more creative one looks

a mithai ka matka planted with the ultra slow grower succulent

Terracota cup with lucky bamboo stalks

Lucky Bamboo with glass stones and pebbles 

Being in the fragrance industry, I am a great believer of fragrancing the home in a subtle not too loud way.

Reed diffusors are a great way to fragrance corners of the home especially after a long day at work, when you come home a soft scent welcomes you. Not too overpowering though.

So also flowers especially  the scented blooms 

festivals are a great way to enliven the spirit and I make use of them to redo my home.

So every time we felt that things at home were getting dull, we used paints to liven the home up.
And our latest? We did the entire home in wooden floor. The feel of the wood on the feet and the garden outside fools me into believing I am living in a resort!! Or in a home away from home!

Whether paint on the wall or painting on the wall. 

I have had great satisfaction with Asian Paints both in terms of the range they offer and the quality of paints. I had people coming up to me and getting the exact shade code from me and replicating the same in their homes.
Especially the Sunflower shade and the gold that is so evident on most of the pictures in this post.

Submitted for Asian paints contest