What's the first thought that came to your mind when you read the title? The power of a single word...what are your expectations? Can it have a colossal impact? Well I believe it can. And even if it doesn't, I will remind myself time and again of this post and reinforce my faith. Yes, that is the magic of the internet, this little space. Accountability. Whenever we share something with our readers, we become answerable, accountable to that particular thing. 

So the word for 2023 is 

GRATITUDE

When I saw my favourite bloggers read Jacey Duprie, Leslie Stephens and many others share their words for 2023, it set me pondering. Supposedly people are no more making resolutions. Who sticks to them anyway? Intentions have taken the position and importance of resolutions few years back. And why not? Intentions are more doable and less rigid that resolutions. However the power of a single word dedicated for 2023 set my thinking horses galloping. Why not? Why not assign your intentions and thoughts to a single word and work on it for our betterment? The past three years have been pretty rough on me. However with maturity (of these three years), I have realised that I need to see the glass half full. I know it hasn't been easy and I have been in the lowest of all lows in my life during these three years, but that does not mean that I don't need to heal myself.

I have the scar marks, the grudges, the angst and the sadness. But I also remember the words from a self help book I reviewed two years back: If you hold a burning coal, the only person burning is you. So I have decided to let go ; because I am not ready to burn further. I have two little kids, and my well being is directly proportional to their healthy upbringing. 

So this year onwards it would be focusing majorly on the good, and being grateful for the incredibly gifted life God has endowed me with. Emotional struggles ; although crippling are majorly first world problems. So let's just focus on the pluses only because let's face it: if you want to survive in this world, it better be in a smiling mode; ain't you?

So here are the three major things I am grateful for that happened in 2022:

Family health. Of course this goes without saying. Apart from little bit ailments, I am extremely grateful to have reasonably healthy parents, in laws and my immediate family. I mean nothing can be worse than an ailing elderly parent/ child or spouse. Incredibly grateful for their health.

Trip to Vietnam. Well being travelled to 23 countries so this may not seem something special. But believe me it is! With our last international trip to Maldives and Sr Lanka being 3 years back, it was the longest gap in the stamping of our passports! And not only that, I was privileged to travel with my entire fam...the kids as well as my parents. Incredibly grateful to my husband for planning this trip so efficiently for everyone of us to cherish for a lifetime. My little one would never be this little, strutting down the streets of Hanoi on her grandfather's lap. Simply priceless.

Home Renovation. When we bought this apartment in 2017, it was in fine shape. The interiors were not exactly upto my taste but there was no point in tearing down the perfectly working cabinets and all. Neither we had the money.

Five years down the line, there was a lot of wear and tear and two years of staying home with no maintenance rendered this place of some tender love and care. I decided to brave it all, going for the renovations (apart from the repairs) which I wanted but never could.

It was full six months of blood, sweat and tears literally. And not to forget the dust and debris. In one word, it was HELL. managing everything with 6 workers right next to me, 12 hours everyday. Husband nagging me daily that I had brought hell upon my family because of this decision. We never needed a new kitchen or mirrorred closets. But hey? He got to be outside at work, 14 hours a day while I combatted everything. But somehow looking back (now that everything is complete) I am pretty proud of myself.

My biggest gift of 2022 : getting to call this renovated place my home. I work extremely hard to keep it beautiful and clean, and I am extremely grateful that I get to cook in my dream kitchen everyday. I love the new doors, the new cabinets and every single change we made with our hard earned money.

Forever grateful.

What's your word for 2023? Let me know!

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Make a Wish Box.

If you are a mom, then you simply just can't move around with a tiny clutch. You need to carry a lot of essential items if you have your baby or kid with you. We moms are supposed to be genies; whenever or wherever a wish is made by the kid, that item has to magically appear; courtesy mom! And we moms take this role very seriously. We love to dish out the item immediately, as soon as the demand arises and I really take pride in saying that my baby bag contains pretty much everything baby related!

Being a mom of two, I have kind of become pro in packing bags and here's my tried and tested list of things that I like to keep in my bag at all times.

 Baby Wipes: Whether your child is in the diapering stage or out of it, the one thing that can never leave your bag is a pack of good quality baby wipes. Over the years I have tried out quite a lot of variants, I can safely say that Cuddables Water Baby wipes are my first choice. Whether it's cleaning their face after feeding or wiping their tiny hands or their tiny, sensitive buttocks or other body parts, the quality of wipes is of utmost importance and that's the reason why I rely on Cuddables wipes. It's the best you can give your little one, here's why:

• 99% water. The first thing that I look for while buying anything for my babies are its ingredients. When it comes to wipes, I only buy water wipes. You don't want any chemical or alcohol rubbing your baby's skin. Water wipes are the safest thing you can use on their delicate skin. These wipes are enriched with hydrogenated castor oil, citric acid, barbadensis extract and glycerin. Cuddables water wipes are exactly the thing you had been looking for. 
• It's fragrance free. We all know that fragrances are chemicals. We don't need any extra chemicals for our littles. These wipes are paraben, SLS and toxin free. I am always looking for fragrance free baby products.
• 100% cotton fabric and no plastic. Anything that touches our little's skin should be cotton. And do we need more plastic in our lifestyle? No, not at all!
• 3 times thicker. Thick wipes are so important. It means that they are not going to tear away while using and also they are very soft on our little ones' skin.
• Eco friendly and Bio degradable. We can never let go the concern for our Mother Earth even for a while. The way we nurture our babies, the same care is deserved by our Mother earth too. While buying any disposable product, we should always make sure that it's eco friendly and bio degradable.

Since Cuddables water wipes are made of cotton, they are safe for our Mother earth too. You can buy them from Cuddables.in, Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho and their website.

Hence by using Cuddables water wipes we are not only taking care of our delicate babies but our Earth too. Do you need more reasons to switch to Cuddables wipes?

The other mandatory things in a baby bag would be (of course apart from diapers and formula) an extra set of clothes. Kids often wet/soil their outfits and leaving them in a wet top would be the last thing you would want. Healthy snacks both for the baby and you. Some toy or small activity based stuff to keep the kids occupied. I always keep stickers and colours and sheets. Last but not the least, paracetamol syrup for the kids and tablets for me. You never know when a severe headache might hit you or someone else would thank you for dishing out the simplest yet most effective pill in such a scenario.

So mommies, this was my "What's in my kid's bag" secret. Do let me know if I can add anything more to the list.

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