Pottu Kadalai Maavu Urundai

Yummy!!!

So would say anybody who eats this...anybody who likes mild sweets...anybody who likes making quick sweets...

How do u go about it....

One proportion of Pottu Kadalai (or Odcha kadalai - One used to make Coconut chutney) with half proportion of Sugar. Powder them in the mixer. Let them not be granular.

Melted ghee as much as you need to hold the sugar and pottukadalai flour together into balls. Typically it is equal to the amount of pottukadalai u add. The more the ghee the lesser it will stick to your mouth.

Cardamom (elaichi/yelakkai) powder if you like the flavour - a pinch.

Want it crunchy? - Add roasted cashew.

Mix the ingredients and make urundais...ur kid may also have fun popping off the urundais u make..so do include them in the game (process)

Yummy sweet and healthy balls ready....to eat and enjoy!

I can save my planet!

--This way I keep it as green and healthy as my parents did it for me--
so that we dont see further rise in temperatures
so that we dont see more glaciers melting
so that we dont see more floods
so that we dont see more erratic season changes
so that we dont see more people facing starvation due to drought

Check List
?? Are all the unused lights, fan, electrical appliances powered off
?? Do I have energy saving (CFL) bulbs in my house
?? Can I power off the electrical items like television, computer, DVD player instead of letting them go to standby
?? If the air-conditioner/heater is on are the windows/doors closed appropriately
?? Are the radiators clean enough to let the air circulate properly
?? Isn't a mechanical lawn mower better than an electrical one in many aspects
?? Is my refrigerator set to the right temperature, set in the right place, properly filled and regularly defrosted
?? Are all the taps closed tight with no water dripping or leaking
?? Do I prevent running water when brushing my teeth or rinsing vessels
?? Do I need to use the washing machine - Is it full
?? Can I dry by myself using the natural solar resource instead of using the drier
?? If the clothes are not too dirty can I use cool wash cycle
?? Can I wash small and single items by hand
?? Do I need to use the dishwasher - Is it full
?? Can I take a quick shower or use a bucket filled with water to bathe instead of standing for a long time under running shower
?? Can I use a watering can to water plants instead of a hose which consumes more water. Does the same apply to washing a car - bucket of water instead of an easy hose pipe
??Can I use a homemade solution of baking soda and vinegar instead of the showy items filled with CFC from the supermarket stores. This simple solution helps me clean a lot of stuff
?? Can I grow some plants either in my garden or my kitchen window or a nearby roadside
?? Can I shop more sensibly - things which I really need and can use and reuse as against things which I use and throw and effectively increase the world's garbage
?? Can I plan my visits to the stores instead of running every now and then saving in turn time, fuel, money etc etc
?? Can I buy fruits and vegetables of the season
?? Can I carry my own shopping cloth bag and avoid the plastic and even paper bags as much as possible
?? Can I try to avoid plastic bottled water as much as possible
?? Can I get green & eco-friendly gifts instead of the usual plastic toys / gifts
?? Can I use all forms of paper for shopping lists, phone numbers, reminders instead of fresh new papers everytime
?? Can I use a slate / blackboard to list down items for family members
?? Can I try to buy stuff made of recycled paper thereby contributing my bit to save paper
?? Genuinely can I share magazines and newspapers with friends and relatively wherever possible
?? Can I try to use emails / egreetings instead of paper alternatives
?? At work/school/college can I get everybody to sign on a single greeting card instead of each one presenting a separate card
?? Can't I donate even shoes if I dont feel like using worn out ones or ones with little bit of repair on them. I can do the fix and then donate them
?? Did I know that even old cellphones can be recycled or donated - for those money insensitive people
?? Whenever I visit the beach or any natural outdoor place can I make sure that I do not litter it

And finally can I spread the word among people so that we can create a higher eco-friendly world around us

Lets be hyper about miling - Hypermiling

Fuel costs, High Mileage, Efficient Engines, Smart Driving....Hypermiling - Save on fuel and improve your vehicles' fuel efficiency..How?
Let us discuss
* Regularly tune up your vehicle with the help of a good mechanic, parts to focus on - engine, air filter, tires, oil used, cooling system
* Try switching off the engine when you need to wait for few minutes at the traffic signal or a railway crossing
* Try not using the air conditioner whenever possible esp in the interior roads
* Using a sunshade/screen when parking your car also helps
* Try to avoid aggressive driving like accelerating fast or braking suddenly
* Plan your outdoor activities to avoid multiple trips and in turn ending up with more fuel spent (and ofcourse more time spent on such activities)
* Take off slowly from a full stop and try to slow down before coming to a stop
* Whenever possible try to have minimum load in the vehicle especially the trunk. Extra weight uses more fuel
* Try using credit cards with offers on them for fuel refilling
* Are the premium/high price fuels really as effective or could we go with the regular ones itself?
* Look out for fuel prices and try to fill the tank when the prices are low(er)
* & Finally whenever possible try walking or bicycling or using public transport or carpooling

Belly fat or flat?

It is really that easy...
- Stop getting too tensed--> in turn reduce the production of the hormone cortisol
- Try slow deep breathing exercises --> these help in lots of other ways too
- Eat more fiber
- Drink lots of water and flush the fat away
- Strong bones straight body & no slumps - Monitor and improve Calcium & Vitamin D intake
- Ab exercises - try to improve your heart rate
- Hold your tummy in - Do not let is loose - It will soon become a habit

Wednesdays

Wednesdays have been wonderful days for me. They have been tiring but enthusiastic with him around. What all does he not ask me -
- Why are we going home?
- Why should the animals sleep now?
- Why should we eat?
- Why should I wear this?
- Where are we going?
- Why are we not going to the zoo?
- Where is the sun?
- Did you see that oil tanker?
- What is that sign?
- Why should I eat this?
- Why should I not bang?
- What will happen if I bite that?
- Why is the flower pink in color?
& best of all
- Why is it 2'o clock now?
Whoops!!! To what all do I answer right? God help me to bear with this curiosity and feed it well.

Today was the trip to a zoo & museum. We enjoyed the coin going around in circles into the pit. Then we ran to the blower to blow the balls away from us. How much strength one can show on that small blower? Then we ran to the long pipe to drop the small balls just to see them fall into another wide bowl and go into the center. Only he can imagine the mouth of the pipe to resemble a Mickey Mouse and also remember to sing that song for me "M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E". Then we saw all the colorful wooden blocks in different shapes. Later we dropped the circular bands into the puzzle just to let them fall into appropriate slots. That was fun esp to see him pick up the bands from the bottom and put them into the slots of his interest from the bottom itself. The small tunnel , the magnetic blocks, the dinosaur toys, the musical buttons, the toy kitchen and the record-your-voice games were additional items that grabbed his attention though for shorter spans.

The zoo was a small friendly zoo. He enjoyed the snakes and lizards. The excitement with which he shows them to me just reflects how much he enjoys seeing them. The ducks and geese in the pond, the peacock, doves & fowls in the cage however did not really attract him. That was because it was time to attend nature's call. Could anything come in that way. However it did - That was a closeup view of an owl in a separate dark cage. How he links them to his bedtime stories and TV cartoons really surprise me though I am getting used to it more and more.

Followed by the huge list of questions when we start on our way back home what else could a 3 year old bubble of energy do but flop into his car seat to doze off for his afternoon nap. There would be all his story time and cartoon friends running in his mind to engage him and his curiosity there too.