Messy Yet Lovely - Embracing the mess of motherhood, one day at a time

Recipes

28 healthy Christmas snack ideas the whole family can enjoy

Holidays are when you can indulge in treats – sweet and savory alike. But what if you want to make healthy Christmas snacks that the kids and the whole family can eat without feeling guilty? It is so much better than eating those sugar-filled candies or treats that contain processed ingredients and also foster some healthy eating habits in kids. These healthy Christmas treats are not only for kids but also for the whole family. Come on, when did we all grow up so much that we stopped craving chocolate fudges or a gingerbread cookie? But thanks to the innovative ideas of all my fellow bloggers, I have all these wonderful ideas for healthier alternatives for Christmas-themed recipes. I don’t want you to wait anymore, let’s just dive in. I hope you got great ideas for healthy Christmas treats from this post! More healthy recipes: Homemade chocolate peanut butter…

Parenting advice

3 valid reasons why we should let boys cry

Boys don’t cry. It is a common phrase we hear often. But are really boys wired not to cry? Is there something wrong with boys crying? It’s interesting to note that biologically, women are wired to cry more than men. Ad Vingerhoets, Professor of Clinical Psychology (Emotions and Wellbeing), Tilburg University, The Netherlands, is noted for his research on crying. He has spent 20 years studying the topic. According to him, the hormone testosterone plays a role in regulating emotional tears. Testosterone is said to inhibit tears while prolactin, a hormone found in women is said to promote crying. But another study shows that however, in babies and young children no gender differences in crying frequency are found. Frey (1985) has postulated that boys and girls start to diverge in crying with the onset of menses in girls. But according to the study it has less to do with menstruation…

Parenting advice

6 surprising reasons why you need to hug your child every day

Don’t we all crave for a tight hug sometimes to melt away our sorrows? Or to share the excitement we feel in our body? Hugs are magical. The simple act of hugging has been scientifically proven to have lots of benefits. It’s for the same reason numerous studies suggest the benefits of skin-to-skin touch due to which mothers are recommended to have the skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth. If you do not have the habit of hugging your kids every day, here is why we should hug our kids more. 6 REASONS WHY HUGGING YOUR CHILD IS IMPORTANT 1. HUGGING RELEASES OXYTOCIN Oxytocin, a hormone released by the pituitary gland, is often called the ‘cuddle hormone” or ‘love hormone’ for a reason. This hormone is released in our body when we hug, snuggle, or bond in any way. Oxytocin helps us feel loved and connected. Have you felt a surging…

Being a mom

How to be a organized mom (14 tips you’ll wish you knew sooner)

I learned to become an organized mom after a lot of trials and errors. Being organized was not natural to me, but I learned it because of the chaos and overwhelm my unorganized life caused me. The laundry that would pile up, the book I had been wanting to read for weeks, the clutter in my bedroom, the sleep debt that was sucking out all my energy — all called for my attention. And when the stress started to grow on me, I wanted a solution. That’s when I stumbled upon bullet journaling. From then on, I learned to hold a balance between my personal life, family, and everything else. So let’s dive into our topic today: how to become an organized mum. Well, I would like to start by saying I am a work-at-home mom. So my ideas and systems of staying organized revolve around work-from-home life. But, all…

Recipes

How to make chia pudding (3 delicious recipes)

I have a sweet tooth since ….. I don’t know from when. I need my “chocolate fix” or a bite of any other desserts every once in a while. Not a great thing, I know! But these days, I am in search of recipes which are delicious and at the same time healthy too. I also want to set an example of healthy eating for my kids. That’s how I started making chia seed pudding. It is tasty, sweet, healthy, and awesome! And it takes only minutes to prepare. It is a healthy option for breakfast if you have busy hectic mornings like most moms of school-going children. WHAT ARE CHIA SEEDS AND WHAT ARE THEIR HEALTH BENEFITS? Chia seeds are one of the healthiest foods available to us. These nutrient-rich seeds contain protein, fiber, minerals, antioxidants (more than blueberries), calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, etc. Chia seeds are safe to…

Parenting advice

30 simple family ritual ideas to bring your family closer

We know how finding quality time is essential to maintain a strong connection in all relationships. I believe in intentional parenting and I want to fill my children’s life with as many happy memories as possible. If you are reading this post, I know you would like to build a stronger connection by doing fun-filled activities with your family. WHAT ARE FAMILY RITUALS? WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT? Family rituals are activities that you do repeatedly on a consistent basis. Family rituals need not be anything complicated and not always involve money. For example, you might be having a ritual of morning snuggles every day or a special handshake or gestures that you do with your family that no one else knows. If you have a movie night every week, it’s another family ritual. The benefits of creating family rituals are: Stronger bond between family members: By engaging in activities of common interest,…

Being a mom

15 bad mom habits that kill your happiness

I will start with a disclaimer. This list of bad mom habits is not to make any mom feel bad about themselves. Because no matter how much we try, we will still make mistakes and experience setbacks in our parenting journey. The purpose of this article is to help moms see where they can improve and end suffering for the sake of our own physical and mental health. Because let’s face it. Parenting is always going to be a tough journey and we don’t want to make it tougher by clinging on to these bad habits. And as we grow, as a parent and as a human, we need to know where we lack and improve upon it. So let’s see what the most common bad mom habits are. 1. NOT TAKING CARE OF YOUR HEALTH The reason most moms do not prioritize their health is that they either don’t…

Being a mom

20 habits all good moms have in common

I believe it is important to thrive as a mom and not just survive. When I became a mom, and still today with older kids, I have moments when I am not in love with motherhood. But I think that happens in all kinds of relationships when you face challenges. And then there are moments when I reflect on how motherhood made me a better person. I learned better habits after becoming a mom. I stopped procrastinating. Because if I do, I won’t have time for it later. And I learned to become more organized and learned healthy habits so that I can stay fit, and also model better habits to kids. And also conquered much of my laziness that was huge in my pre-motherhood days. All these changes happened because I started prioritizing what’s important for me and decided to improve my habits. So, if you are finding it hard…

Positive Parenting

10 positive parenting skills every parent must have

Positive parenting is a parenting method that is based on respect and connection. In positive parenting, unlike in authoritarian parenting children are not threatened or punished, and instead, they are heard and loved. When there is respect, children naturally learn to respect the parents and as a result, there is better behavior. Anyone who follows the traditional parenting methods based on fear, physical punishment, and manipulation can validate the fact that these methods are not effective in the long run. After a while, kids learn to find their ways to evade punishments or may even start to resent the parent, which no parent ever wants to happen. So if you are expecting to build a great relationship with your child where better behavior is due to love and respect rather than fear, positive parenting is the way to go. If you are a complete beginner to positive parenting, here is…

Parenting advice

11 easy ways to get kids to listen without yelling or nagging

We want our children to listen to us the first time we ask them to do something. But they seem to have their own mind and hundreds of reasons to do it their way. Of course, they are humans too but parents need children’s co-operation to become a smooth functioning family. Here are some ways to get cooperation from kids easily. 1. ASK RESPECTFULLY No one likes to take orders. Be it, small kids, or adults. Giving orders like “Do it!” creates resistance. Just like us, kids like their independence and don’t take it well when someone tells them what they should do all the time. Authoritarian way of parenting can only help make kids more defiant and uncooperative. Young kids may comply with your requests when you threaten or give physical punishment, but you lose the chance of developing a good relationship with them. This causes them to become a…