Charmee Nune

  For generations the Vedic knowledge of waking up at Brahma Muhurta, roughly an hour predawn, has been passed on to Indians. I remember my parents always mentioning to sleep early and wake up before sunrise. If you study during Brahma Muhurta , you will remember much better. It is the ideal time where the universal energies are at balance. This calm state will help you accelerate your spiritual and creative growth. Recently, I stumbled upon a book, The 5 AM club by Robin Sharma. Of course, it got my attention, and it rekindled the teachings of my parents.   To be honest, I have always been an early riser. Waking up by sunrise or just before that is still a routine to ensure I reach office on time, get Vivaann ready for school. However, waking up at 5 AM every single day is taking it a notch higher.   This is something which needs to be cultivated as a habit. I need to schedule my sleep early to get up at 5 AM. Immediate question that comes to my mind is what ...

  Learning never ends. As a parent, your learning is rapid. There is an opportunity to learn something new everyday. We know that collective nouns for animals are drawn from their appearance, or their movement or sounds made by them. Something which was interesting to learn was a group of zebras is not just a herd, it is called  a dazzle .  The black and white stripes can be used to camouflage. It is named for the motion  dazzle   effect  created by a group of running zebras.  Vivaann is developing his own taste for books. We love to purchase age appropriate books which we can read. I stumbled upon this really interesting book written by Sarah Creese. The book introduces the children to lots of different collective nouns which we do not encounter on regular basis. Here are some  fascinating ones.   A bask of crocodiles A crash of rhinoceroses A band of gorillas A tower of giraffes A school of fishes A business of flies A knot o...

  “Mother’s lap & Nature’s lap are the only places where we feel free from world’s hustle and bustle.” I could not agree more when I came across this quote for the day in social media. As a family we enjoy travelling and exploring new places. Being in a country like Australia, relaxing on a serene beach watching over turquoise blue water, venturing on a walking trail, a stride in a park are simple activities which are accessible, economical, and easy to incorporate in daily lifestyle. Being amongst the diversity of the living organisms and experiencing the natural terrain is a feast for soul. As parents, Santosh and I always want our child to form his bond with nature. Letting our child feel the moistness of the beach sand under the feet or trickles of the dew on the grass were our ways of giving him experiences to be one with nature. Every opportunity we get to step out, we opt to be outdoor, being in nature. As the child grows so should the experience. Is there a better way t...

To me, words that are crafted well will always leave a lasting impact . Words form impressions. Words influence my thoughts and action. Therefore, I always seek for a good read. It keeps me happy, motivated, and focused. Today, I will share some powerful sentences from my treasure cove which has influenced my lifestyle, parenting style till date. When I digress, when I don’t have answers, I revisit these. The quotes resonate my approach. My top 5 influencers for 2021 are:   Be Organised! Organise your physical space, financial space, kiddo's space, and your head space .   Never do for a child What he/she can do for himself/herself. A “ dependent ” child is a demanding child… Children become irresponsible Only when we fail to give them the opportunity to take on responsibility.   Children don’t listen. They observe . When a flower  doesn't  bloom , you fix the  environment  in which  it  grows, not t...

  The expression ‘ go fly a kite’ in English may relate to telling someone to go away. It literally meant if a person had to fly a kite, he or she would need to walk away to do so. If the expression is uttered in a family with an Indian ethnic background, it simply means a family fun day and literally involves flying kites. Being born in India, especially in a gujarati family, my association with flying kites goes back to my early school days. In olden days flying kites may have served  different purposes in different countries like healthy exposure to early morning sun for Vitamin D, measuring distances, calculate and record wind readings or a form of communication similar to ship flags. However, the Indian festival ‘Makar Sankranti’ or ‘Uttarayan’ is celebrated on January 14 every year to mark the celebration of the harvest festival or change of wind, end of winter. It is indeed a picturesque view in most Indian cities; a sky filled with hundreds of bright kites, terrac...

I am fortunate to have a mother who encouraged me and trained me in my childhood to participate in myriad opportunities for reciting poetry, elocution, speeches in school and in community or participating in forums where we can share thoughts on a topic. My mother has surely excelled in her perseverance. Today, my sister and I are confident conversationalist with and ability to speak in public forums. Last week I got a call from mom who lives in India at a random hour. “There is an event for grandkids organised by the retired bank employees’ association. You need to prepare Vivaann so he can recite a poem on “Sun” to help celebrate ‘Sunday’. I know it is a short notice, but you have 48 hours to prepare the video and send me the link.  Reciting poetry is crucial in mastering speech. He begins school next year. This is a great opportunity”. In my mind, opportunity for a four-year-old literally means a test for the parent. This is the role my mother plays in my life. She chal...

  Welcome four! When my boy turned four, I would ponder. Will it be fabulous four or furious four? A few months into the year and I can feel a shift in my parental role as a facilitator. Gone are the toddler days. Here is a big boy! A young mind ready to soar.  Something certainly is different about being four. Being independent, assertive, exploring new activities. Trying is all about being four. Can I put together a puzzle? Can I button up? Can I fetch my own snack? Can I balance my bike? It is next level DIY. Of course, this newfound independence is coupled with random tantrums, screaming, jumping, storytelling and naming.  A parental mind goes at war, constantly walking the tight rope of independence versus defiance. The struggle is real while finding the real balance.  There are no wrongs or rights, surely a few fights. When you have successfully hurdled three years of parenting journey you can see a tantrum coming. When you have poured too much of milk or not e...