Hand in Hand

My job is far from our house, but the way to it is so beautiful. From the train i can say hi every morning to the Züri lake and see it almost in its full length, surrounded by beautiful houses. After it is finished, a new beauty starts - the Alps. Therefore, often in the train i meet groups if enthusiasts going for daily hikes, usually elderly folks. They are very smiley, most of them in pairs and usually one of them prints out the train schedule and everybody consults him, like a teacher with pre-school students. We sometimes even start a small talk and they tell me where they are going. I feel always a big admiration about their spirit and will to stay active and enjoy nature at that age. They just radiate happinness and charge me positively on my way to work.

Sometimes, i don't see groups, but just elderly couples. And every now and then, what really warms my soul is the way they hold hands while sitting in the train or when they walk around the station. Their faces are full of goodness and look as if they are saying: "Thank you for spending your life with me and still sticking around!" This is for me love and happinness in its making! Sometimes they sit right next to me in the train and I feel honored, I smile inside and I think to myself: "I want to be like you when I grow up."

Walking On Hot Sand

How exciting! Robin is for the third time at the seaside. Besides re-discovering the feel of the waves, the sea breeze and the fun of making sand castles, he also learned that sand can be quite challenging if it is hot, so he finally managed to say “Pali”, which in Bulgarian means “It burns” (“Pari” in reality, but I guess the “r” is postponed for a later stage).

It feels amazing to see how many times he practiced to say “Pali” today in so many contexts – hot coffee, hot surfaces, hot food. It must be really empowering for a little kid to know such a meaningful word, isn’t it?

Growing Up

Today I faced a typical challenge for a mother of a two-year old. We went out for an evening walk and my son was really eager to do things on his own, walk in opposite direction and not follow us in any way. It was cute in the beginning to see his smile and how he would act distracted when we talk to him, but soon I was forced to take him out from these cars that shake up and down once you insert the coin. After another half an hour of intense discussion and desperately trying to continue our evening walk, I finally took the decision against my will and his, to take him home and leave the others eat in peace.

Typical thing. However, the reason why I am writing about it is because of the way I felt while dealing with him. I had not a single bit of irritation, anger or frustration – feelings that some time ago would have easily come and would have gotten complete control over me. I was alone with him while the others were waiting and I did not get tired of repeating the same thing: “Please, come and give mama a hug and if you listen to me, I will let you ride 2 of those cars tonight. If not, we go home and we both lose the fun options we have now.” I felt determined, secure in myself and really calm that no matter what the outcome is, I would have done the right thing for him, which would make him trust me more for the future. I had no doubts in myself and I felt that the whole time I was thinking of him and was putting him first, even though in the end his will did not win. My tone was gentle and I even caressed him a few times because his tears really broke my heart a little. He fell asleep on the way home and it was clear to me – the growing teeth and the increased evening tiredness had really overwhelmed him tonight. We reached home while others enjoyed their meal in peace, even though in a bit different way than planned. On days like these, I feel that while Robin is growing, I am growing even more as his mom and as a person, so I owe him a big “Thanks” for allowing me to see things in a different light and giving me the chance to learn and have control on my actions.

Excavator

Can the word "excavator" ever sound cute to you? I bet yes if it is the first word your child learns to say confidently! The excitement that shines on Robin's face every time he sees one and the joy that he can actually say what he sees is absolutely fantastic to see! "Baggeee!" is his incredibly authentic swiss version which he shouts out with so much pride 😊

Next to "Bagge", the last month we have repeatedly heard some other new ones like "bau" for ball, "otto" for auto (car) and very recent one: "gukke" for cucumber. In addition he happily says "daggeee" (danke) for thanks every time he receives or serves something. I guess he has not figured out the exact use of this, but is on his way!

Learning to speak is such an exciting journey for him and even more for us! So thankful to see his progress and his growing confidence!

Inspiring people

I would like to introduce here the person whose message inspired me to start this blog - Scott Dinsmore, founder of Live Your Legend. He deserves tribute because of the work he does - helping people live life with purpose.

Self-discovery is the first step, which is where a blog turns out to be one of the most successful methods - to jot down ideas and to put into words what is important.
I think it is very significant to know myself - strengths and weaknesses, priorities, values and beliefs, career targets, dreams. I have to admit that I still do not have all these things clear to myself and that is why I often find myself struggling with my own behavior.
So I decided to do an honest self-discovery and on my way try and stick more to the things that actually matter to me.

The best way to understand what Scott does is to watch his TED talk in California on "How to Find and Do Work You Love".

On this page I will keep coming back to him and the useful things I learn from him and all the inspiring people he introduces on his website Live Your Legend. Check out the Free Toolkit - it contains some great advice on many things you might think you already know.

I will also bring up other people who I believe have great ideas and do something extraordinary with their life.

Finishing up in Scott's style with an action point (for you and me): "Start knowing your "Why" & Let it Lead The Way!"

Cuddle To Sleep

Last night was a difficult one... Robin is teething and was crying loud almost every hour. The day started in a very tiring mode, but we all got into our normal routine and I actually got some work done. On days like this I am so thankful that my job allows me to have a home office. The more I worked, the more fresh I felt. I finished just before Robin and papa reached home in the evening. Once Robin saw me, he gave me a wonderful monkey hug and I felt so content to spend the evening playing games with him – cutting fruit salad, arranging magnetic puzzles and finally preparing some meals like ice cream with carrot and egg or cabbage with grapes. He even served some to Nana and Ma on Skype (his Bulgarian Grandparents). Cooking toys are definitely his favorite for quite a long time already and I love it how he simulates eating and drinking!

Then my favorite part of the day came, when Robin finally agreed to sleep. Since he was born, he tries to defy sleep because there are so many other more fun things to do. As usual he wanted to sleep with papa and once they lied next to each other, he settled comfortably around his arm and gave him such a big fat kiss and a blissful smile full of trust. I was swallowing every moment with my eyes, even though Raju was telling me to go and do my other evening activities. Robin was babbling and practicing all the words he knows. Raju tried again to teach him “pani” – water in Nepali. Still Robin kept saying his favorite “ta!”. I stayed with them and felt my strongest moment of thankfulness in the day. Cuddling to sleep is definitely one of my favorite parts of the day with my boys where papa-son love shines to its best.

What are your favorite moments of the day, where nobody can steal that overwhelming feeling of happiness and everything else can wait?

Laws of Energy

My son Robin is already a bit older than 2 years, so you can already notice he is entering the famous “Terrible Two” Stage. As every human being he has good and bad days, some days with more tantrums than others.

Every now and then I face a challenge of keeping my cool, and he of course runs to his papa since he seems to be the one that understands his wishes best. Papa Raju has a tendency to use natural sciences in every day life so his practical advice for tantrum situations is the following:

Treat every wish as a wave of energy. Energy can’t be destroyed with a “No – you can’t have that!“ or “No – You can't do that!” Energy can only be transformed into a different kind of energy. So if you go ahead with "No" – it will be transformed most likely into the typical toddler’s anger. Therefore in order to avoid, biting, shouting, pinching and what not, best bet you have is to keep calm and redirect the attention to something else or actually give your toddler what he wants and let him realize why it is bad for him.

Just one example: Robin is crazy about wiping with mops, cloths or wet wipes. However, I try to restrain him from the wet wipes with chemical and the other day he turned the house upside down because I didn’t give it to him. Raju pitched in and explained him calmly that his stomach would ache if he touches this and puts hands in mouth. Still he was crying and wanted the packet very much. After a few minutes of explanations, Raju gave it to him and he took it in the other room and never opened it. But his wish was respected and he was ok now.

I have always known that you have to approach a child with an equal respect as an adult. But there is nobody that does it better than his papa, so I am happy and thankful for his daily lessons of patience.