ముచ్చటైన సంసారాల్లో మూడు ఆరోపణలు

ముచ్చటైన సంసారాల్లో మూడు ఆరోపణలు     భార్యలందరి ఆరోపణలలో కామన్‌గా వినిపించే ఓ ఆరోపణ ఏంటి?  ఓ యూనివర్సిటీలో భార్యాభర్తల సంబంధాలపై అధ్యయనం చేస్తు్న్న బ‌ృందానికి ఈ డౌట్ వచ్చంది. సందేహం వచ్చిందే తడవుగా ఆ బృందం సభ్యులు భార్యాభర్తలని ప్రశ్నించడం మొదలుపెట్టారు. ఒకటి అని మొదలుపెట్టిన వీరికి ఒకటి కాదు, రెండు కాదు, పదుల్లో కామన్‌గా చెప్పుకోదగ్గ ఆరోపణలు కనిపించాయిట. దాంతో అందరి ఆడవారి ఆలోచనా విధానం ఒక్కలా వుందా? లేక మగవారి అందరి ప్రవర్తన ఒక్కలా వుందా? అన్న మరో సందేహం కలిగిందిట వారికి. సరే, ఇలా ఒక సందేహం నుంచి మరో సందేహం రావటంతో దానిపై కూడా పనిలోపనిగా అధ్యయనం చేయడం మొదలుపెట్టారు. ఈ ఆరోపణలలో మొదటి స్థానంలో నిలిచిన ఆరోపణ ఏంటో తెలుసా? ‘మెచ్చుకోవటం’. భార్యలందరూ మా భర్తలు మమ్మల్ని ఎంతమాత్రం మెచ్చుకోరు అంటూ చెబితే, భర్తలు మాత్రం మా భార్యలని ఎలా మెచ్చుకోవాలో తెలియడం లేదంటూ వాపోయారట. కప్పు కాఫీ నుంచి మెచ్చుకోవాలంటే ఎలా? అని అడిగే భర్తలకి సమాధానంగా భార్యలు ‘‘కమ్మగా తాగిన కాఫీ బావుంది అని చెప్పడం కష్టమా?’’ అంటూ నిలదీసారుట. ఇలా ‘‘మెచ్చుకోవటం’’ అన్న విషయంపై వాదోపవాదాలు తీవ్రంగా జరిగాయట. ఎవరు గెలిచారు? అన్న అనుమానం రావటం అనవసరం. పరిష్కారం వున్నా అమలుకాని సమస్యలా మిగిలిపోతోంది అంటూ అధ్యయనం చేస్తున్నవారు సైతం చేతులెత్తేశారంటే ‘‘మెచ్చుకోలు’’ పవరేంటో అర్థంచేసుకోవాల్సిందే. భార్యలు భర్తల మీద వినిపించే ఆరోపణలో రెండో స్థానం దక్కించుకున్న ఆరోపణ ఏంటో తెలుసా? ‘సారీ’. ‘మెచ్చుకోవటం’ ఎలాగూ రాదు.. కనీసం సారీ అన్నా చెప్పొచ్చు కదా అన్నది ఆడవారి మరో ఆరోపణ అయితే, అసలు ఏ విషయానికి ‘సారీ’ చెప్పాలన్నది మాకెలా తెలుస్తుందన్నది మగవారి సమాధానం. అదేంటి.. ఇది, అది అని ఏముంది.. ఎన్ని సారీలు చెప్పినా పోయేదేముంది అంటూ భార్యలు అన్నదానికి ‘‘అదేమరి.. ఇగోని దాటి ‘సారీ’ బయటకి రావడం అంత సులువా? అన్నది భర్తల సమాధానం. చూశారా నాణానికి రెండు వైపుల్లా, కత్తికి రెండు వైపులా పదునులా ఎవరి బలమైన వాదనలు వారికి వున్నాయి. ఇక మూడో స్థానంలో నిలిచిన ఆరోపణ.. ‘బహుమతులు ఇవ్వకపోవడం’. తీసుకోవడంలో మహా ఉత్సాహం చూపించే శ్రీవార్లు ఇవ్వటంలో ఎందుకంత వెనుకబడి వుంటారు? అంటూ శ్రీమతులు ఆరోపిస్తే, మొత్తం పర్సు చేతిలో పెడతాం. కావల్సింది కొనుక్కోక ఈ ఇవ్వలేదన్న గోలేంటి? అన్నది శ్రీవార్ల సమాధానం. బావుంది. బహుమతి ఇవ్వడం, తీసుకోవటంలోని సరదా ఎందుకు అర్థంకాదు? కావల్సింది కొనుక్కోలేక బహుమతులు అడుగుతామా? అంటూ కోపంగా భార్యలు ప్రశ్నిస్తే, వారిచ్చిన సమాధానం విని ప్రశ్నలు అడిగినవారు సైతం తెల్లబోయారుట. ఆ సమాధానం ఏమిటంటే, మీకు నచ్చిన బహుమతి ఏంటో తెలుసుకోవటం మా వల్లకాదుకానీ, అదేదో మీరు కొని తెచ్చుకుంటే సర్ ప్రైజ్‌గా మీకు ఇస్తాం కదా అన్నది భర్తల సమాధానం. మొత్తానికి యూనివర్సల్‌గా శ్రీవార్లపై శ్రీమతుల చిర్రుబుర్రులకి కారణమయ్యే ఆరోపణలు ఇంచుమించు ఒక్కటే అని తేలిందిట. కారణాలే ఏమైతేనేం తాము మారం అని భీష్మించుకు కూర్చునే శ్రీవార్లతో ఎందుకులెమ్మని ఎవరికివారు మని తాము మెచ్చుకోవడం, సారీ చెప్పకపోయినా చెప్పినట్టే అనుకోవడం, బహుమతులు ఇవ్వకపోతేనేం తీసుకోవడం తెల్సింది కదా చాల్లే అని సర్దుకుపోవడం. ఇలా ప్రతీ విషయానికి నచ్చచెప్పుకుని ముందుకు సాగిపోతున్న మహిళకి ‘జై’ అన్నారు ఆ అధ్యయనకర్తలు.   -రమ ఇరగవరపు

Beat boredom at Home

Beat boredom at Home   The notion that Housewives have nothing to do the whole day is partially right and I am sure most of you would agree, especially those who are yet to be moms and those whose children are old enough to be on their own. OK ! So you have time and you are bored and you have no intention of staying bored forever. Try these few ideas to keep yourself constructively occupied and get into a routine for yourself. Take up Book Reading: Most of us are into reading - either the paper or magazines. Take this reading to another level and start reading books which interest you like fiction, literature, science, cuisine etc. Make up for the lost time where you wanted to read books of your choice but couldn’t because of lack of time and family constraints. Gardening Gardening is a very therapeutic hobby and you can do wonders to your house garden by growing beautiful flowers, herbs and plants. For those who live in high-rises you could look at creative ways to make a simple garden in your balcony or window sills. Writing A wonderful way to express yourself .Write about topics you like- it could anything from science to baking or just your feelings or a cause that you think is important. Get into blogging, use the Social Media and promote your work. You never know you could end up getting requests for writing jobs and get paid for it just sitting at home. De-Clutter Your Home Even if you have children and you think that everything is important in the house there will be a phase when your house ends up looking like a storage compound. Try and periodically organize your home and remove the clutter. Keep only what you need, donate and recycle what you don’t need. You will be so much happier when the house is spring cleaned .A clutter free house also leads to a clutter free mind and you will be at peace. Exercise Now we know it’s difficult to exercise in the mid afternoon but whatever the time of the day, exercising your body will keep you active and alert and most importantly you will feel good about yourself. Food for thought Polishing your cooking and baking skills for those who have a penchant for new cuisines can be a good way to keep yourself busy. Try new signature dishes, share them with friends, have a cooking kitty session, you never know if someone comes to like what your are cooking and asks for it to be made on order, this hobby could end up becoming a part time profession. There have been many instances where housewives who took up baking as a hobby now bake on order- and have even started their own full- fledged bakeries.

Preserving Peppers

Preserving Peppers   You might have bought so many chillies or peppers for some purpose or the store has only bigger packs of these and you are a small family. Preserving these items might be easy for a few but not for everyone, it definitely saves some money if preserved well, than throwing them away if rotten. Always remove the tip of the chilli to store it  longer.  Dry chillies in open air, its the easiest but for many who live in colder or humid climates, the story is different. They can dry chillies in an oven. Slice chillies in half to speed drying in ovens and dehydrators. If your oven is electric, preheat to the lowest setting. The pilot light on a gas oven is sometimes enough, use an oven thermometer to check the temperature; it should be around 150 - 200 degrees.   Prepare the chili peppers the same way as if you were drying outside or if you prefer you can cut them into thin rings. Spread the chili peppers evenly over baking pans or cookie sheets.     Allow the chili peppers to dry all day or overnight in the warm oven. You may wish to turn them once during the drying time, but this is not necessary. Dehydrators ( may not be available in India)can be purchased with or without a fan, and while the ones with a fan are a bit more expensive, they do their magic faster than those without.   Prepare your peppers as you would for the oven method. You can leave the seeds in or remove them if you wish. Lay the prepared peppers evenly on the trays of your dehydrator and turn the machine on. Peppers generally take 8 - 10 hours to dry in a dehydrator with a fan or 10 - 12 in one without.

Power struggle between parents

Power struggle between parents   New Mom or Old Mom...you like to have control of the situation as you know your child better than Dad. Sometimes, we don't need Dad's help atall and it feels so irritating when he tries to force his help or expertise in Childcare.  This power struggle happens more between new parents, both Mom and Dad are new to the Child. Dad feels Mom doesnot know much about childcare as she is a first time Mom and he tries to give inputs and forces to help her. Though its her first time, she is a Mom by instinct, it comes naturally to her. She had practiced baby care right from the first months of inception, she had read multiple articles, spoken to experts like her Grandma and Mom, friends and others, asked numerous questions to the Doc...atleast she knows more than Dad. Its good to have a helping hand but only when she asks for it, definitely not when she doesnot need it.  The triggering moments are-- He jumps in when you are putting the baby to sleep and he or she doesnot sleep easily. The baby's mood  changes and starts indicating to Dad to come and play. That is 100% a wrong time, now Mom's effort is totally wasted.  When the baby cries in sleep, he/she falls and gets hurt, when the nurse give the baby an injection...these are the times when the baby wants to see Mom's face, but Dad jumps in, and the baby cries more. He feels bad when Mom tries to show up....i have personally seen these situations...and believe me, things will ease as days go by. The child's actions will slowly express to Dad that he/she likes seeing Mom when sad or in pain, and why not, he still seeks His Mom's advice.  To ease the issue: Don't take it too emotionally, unless the child comes to you, let Dad comfort the child sometimes, when its not a badly hurt situation.  You take a back seat. Let him also cherish those moments of cuddling with the baby. Don't jump in if he has already picked the baby up and the child is getting some relief. Sometimes the child forces his or her way out of Dad's arms to come to you, in that case, pacify the child  and explain to the child that going to Dad is not  wrong and that Dad is trying to help the baby. Atleast Dad will know that you are not power playing.     

Host the party well!

Host the party well! Every season is a party season, and with Birthdays around, its always a busy time. For the invitees, its busy time shopping for gifts and for the hosts, it is a big time from the beginning. Do it well! Specially if you have been dreaming big about this party, you need a good plan, good scheduling, better ideas, and a nice process to keep up with your social contacts. Hosting party is not a one time story, its a ripple effect, if you host well, people will talk good about you, if you mess up, they might be silent but it speaks alot.  Start with the dream: if a party is coming close, start dreaming about how you want to do it. Begin 3-4 months ahead of time. Even those 3-4 months might not be enof...make a list of the thoughts that strike your mind when you think of this party. Let them be the wierdest, dont worry, chalk them out. You can delete and modify those ideas later. Write whom you want to invite, how you want to decorate, if you want to do it on your won or hire someone, where and when you want to host.  Think of handy prep help: The best of the decorations sometimes come from a cousin or a friend, the most delicious cake can be from an Aunt, your Uncle may be able to help you host a musical night. Think of all the handy help from among the friends and relatives. If not, think of helping the most needy talents and motivate them.  Compare positively: Talk to your friends about the parties they attended, and the themes they came across, you may not repeat it but modify it. Bring new themes that are combinations of traditional and modern themes.  Get some help: Take help of a reliable person who has similar ideas, someone who can decorate the same way as you dreamt and planned incase you are busy at the last moment. You may be nervous or tired, and so you need someone to fill in your shoes with the decision making and delegating. Discuss all your ideas and plans, share the contact details of all the people who are involved in your party preparation with your friend or cousin who is assisting you closely.  Things will be easy this way,,,,have fun in your own party.

How to dispose re- used Oil

How to dispose re- used Oil  Most of us love deep fried foods, as they are usually tasty, keeping aside the oily part of it. Some of us are more health conscious hence, they don't prefer deep frying at home, but once in a while, even the most healthy people are forced to make deep fried foods at home when entertaining guests or prepping up for a festival or a grand occasion. After the cooking part is done, here comes the actual part, what should one do with the remaining oil, reusing it might not be a healthier option. But it can be used just once for tempering purposes only, definitely not  again for deep frying, which most of us tend to do. The oil has already reached its boiling point and lost its quality and using it to deep fry again will only cause bad cholesterol issues. Hence, cool the oil, move it into an Air-tight container and store in a cool, dark place, reuse as early as possible for strictly tempering purpose.   If you decide not to reuse the oil at all, then don't pour it down the drain, as I  did before I knew or gave it a smarter thought. Cooking grease can only destroy the drain pipes. We might think "Its just oil and it will freely flow down the drain", but that does not happen always. Oil, butter, meat drippings, and other forms of fat can build up inside your home's sewage line, eventually clogging it completely. Even if you don't have to replace the pipes, the plumber will charge you more to clean the stuff. Even worse it could clog the public sewer line. To avoid such a gross mess, let the grease cool in the pan, then pour it into an empty used can/bottle and throw it  in the regular garbage. Or just wipe up the cooled grease with paper towels and toss them but that is if you have little oil in the pan and save your drains from clogging.

No Driving force

No Driving force!   Days of super speed has arrived long back, everyone is running busily around through the day. In countries like India, where there is wide facility of public transport, someone who has not learnt to drive a vehicle, who can't afford an own vehicle, who can't drive due to health and other personal reasons can survive easily...however, even in India, having a personal vehicle and being able to drive on own pays well in times of urgency.... Once we cross the country and reach Western countries like USA, where not every state has public transport, survival becomes difficult, dependency increases. Who thought getting married will force a woman to stay between the four walls, leaving behind her busy career, family and friends, other activities in India? Until the husband teaches her to drive left-handed, she is left always at home. I am not discussing much about the Work permit Visa issues, but they make it worse. Students who finish their Masters in USA learn to drive on their own, but life is definitely different for a woman from India who gets married to someone abroad. It happens with anyone coming to a new country on a dependent visa, and no driving permit.  Unlike India, not  every city is busy, with people seen everywhere. Until, one makes friends, gets busy in life, she has to cut the boring time...Its a new place, one side is the anxiety and worry that she left all her own people so far...the other side is the exciting feeling of getting to know new people, new culture, new places..there is lot of chance and time to go around and visit while the husband is at work, but all that stops her is the inability to drive...even though she drove a 4-wheeler in India, in America its left-handed driving, she still needs practice and a driving permit. Another angle is the hesitation whether to ask the husband to teach her to drive, or ask to take her out as she is feeling home-sick and wants to be as busy as possible inorder to forget the memories of her family back in India. The husband might be busy, too tired, or he might feel she is not allowing him to get rest...all these thoughts and feelings may not happen to every woman, but most of us encounter these..... There are so many eyes looking for good friends...so much disappointment, but all i could say is...wait, give it some time, if he can't take you out, you make the habit of going for a walk, during winter, go out when sunny..or go to the fitness center, every apartment community has one, look for other Indians to make friends, but look for like-mindedness. If you life crafts or cooking, learn new stuff, internet provides every coaching, even new technologies if you are a techie, bring a plant home, do some gardening, decorate your home....these are just passing clouds, slowly take a friend's or your husband's help to learn driving. After a year of so, when you turn around, you will laugh at these times, and sigh saying "Gone are those leisure days, i had so much of time in hand". Cheer up!!

New Moms and their Feelings

New Moms and their Feelings Being a Mom, I know encounters all the different mixed feelings one comes across in this journey called motherhood. The day we hear the news, its a brand new feeling. As the 9 months journey begins, its a unique experience, Every mom has her own special story about pregnancy. And if, due to unforeseen circumstances, she faces a miscarriage, thats another shock...it takes long to heal and become normal, even with a tiny 4-5 weeks baby, She might overcome it, but the very pain is recalled often. Not easy to forget the accident totally. The time when she is in labor, is another anxiety. One excitement of being able to see the baby's face in the next few minutes, where the 9 month journey seems so worth it. But if there arises any complication during delivery, she undergoes trauma, despair that fear which none can explain...Finally the baby's arrival brings tears, even though she is utterly tired, and her body cut if its a C-Section, she smiles at the sound of her child's cry. Everyday of the baby's childhood is a new experience. She feels proud when her plan works out, and sees failure when simple things don't turn out the way she expected. It can be the simplest thing, her child not sleeping on time, as she planned, if the child does not eat the food she prepared with lots of care, if the child says "NO, STOP, SHUT UP" learning things by observing, Mom's heart is broken one more time. Every time, Dad shouts on the child to discipline, Mom knows he is not serious, still she is hurt. If anyone comments on the child's behaviour, she is there to defend but straightens the child in private. When they grow up, the first day of school is yet another test for Mom. And when they leave home to study further, its a saga of tears. On and on......Mom, your love for your child can never dry up, like the tears of love in your eyes!!!

Take time out for yourself

Take time out for yourself Soon as Mommy knows she is expecting a child--if planned, her immediate response will be so very exciting and extremely happy. Even with the slightest inconvenience, at times, pregnancy feels awkward, Mommy might say "am i there yet? Let the Baby come sooner, i can't handle this weight anymore!", still she is all excited to see the face of her little miracle and waits eagerly.    The first months are so tiresome, yet everytime she looks at the child's face, she forgets about all the sleepless nights, worrisome moments and feels "she was born to be his/her Mommy". Once the child starts to crawl, life gets a little busier. Baby proofing the house, keeping an eye on the child every moment is tough. Those sleepless nights and tiresome days continue. Yet, your house is under your control.  But,as they grow up, keeping them busy through the day, tackling the worry of entertaining the child without letting him/her feel bored of staying within walls is yet another busy job. Once they go to school, their schedules keep your on your toes...you might rethink--"well, should i have waited some more years for kids" or "Should we have taken a back seat after just one child?" Mommy--you are tired. Let loose, don't worry too much about keeping your house spotless clean with such busy timetables forces the little left-out energy. At times, its important to not over-do. Take someones help, or appoint a maid, or...just  keep things aside, even making phone calls to maids and arranging a cleaning appointment is yet another task for you. One weekend of relaxation is nothing wrong. Don't feel guilty if you haven't cleaned your kitchen one day as you do every night, if you haven't called someone who expects your call everyday, if you haven't escaped reading your favorite book to attend an obligation-party.  You need to recharge your mind and body for the coming years. Well, not to frighten or warn you. Thinking positively, the future days will be happier,  and you have to get ready for them by recharging and energizing yourself.