DIY diya garland for Diwali

I love decorating the house for Diwali. Each year I go shopping looking for new candles, rangolis, hand painted diyas and anything new that I can lay my hands on. This year apart from decorating the home I also wanted to create something thoughtful and special in D's play area. And so I ended up making a diya garland. Not only does it look adorable hanging on the window but also adds the right amount of festive touch to our favorite area of the house.

Last week, a fellow blogger posted about how she made a diya garland at home. It was simple, easy to put together and such a unique idea for festive decor. Taking inspiration, I decided to create one of my own. 

Following is the step by step process on how I made it. Don't panic guys, it's really easy and hardly took me an hour to put together.

Things you'll need

1: Craft paper ( I used the ones I already had)
2:  A pair of scissors
3: Glue
4: Sparkle colors
5: A thread (to hold the garland together)

Since its a Diwali garland you can choose the craft paper in combination of red ( for the diya) and yellow (for the flame) The reason I chose different colors for mine is because it was for D's play area.

Using a pencil I traced out a diya on the blank side of the craft paper. It was fairly simple ( no artistic skills needed!) Then with a pair of scissors cutting it along the borders, my first diya cut out was ready. I used the cut out to trace diyas on the rest of the sheets

Once my diya cut outs were ready I used sparkle colors to brighten them up. The only thing to remember while using sparkles is that they take about 5-6 hours to dry but its totally worth the wait.

After they dried out completely I used a punching machine to make holes on both ends of every Dia. Then tied them all together with a jute thread thick enough to hold the weight of the diyas.

I had 16 diya cut outs and didn't want a very long garland so made a double layered one. You can choose how long you want yours to be and accordingly decide on the number of diyas.

It's really that easy and I had so much fun doing a diy activity this Diwali. Coincidently, it's a diya garland which also happens to by my daughters name! And so I feel like I'm going to let the garland stay hanging on the wall post Diwali too! 

Surviving Motherhood!

D is just six months away from turning two! I look at her and wonder how did time go by so quick!? The flashes of that day when she was born are still clear in my head. How the first glimpse of her made my heart melt. I won't lie but holding her for the first time also made me a little nervous. Doubting myself at the title of being a "mom" and whether or not I'd be able to keep up.

Today as I reflect back on the past one and a half year of my life, I don't know if I have been the "idol" mom but I can proudly say that I've learnt so much out of it. 

From testing my patience, to being more patient. Learning to love selflessly and turning out to be a stronger person both physically and mentally- it's been a joy ride! 

Enter a tiny little member and you bet how everything starts to revolve around them. It's easier to get caught up and lose yourself in the entire process. Life changed 360 degree for me and as demanding as motherhood got, I found more the need to stay connected to the older version of me. 

On the blog today- I'm sharing a few things that I made sure to do during my journey with D. It helped me sail beautifully through what I call the first two most demanding years with the baby. 

Prioritising myself:  As mommies we are not breaking rules of motherhood by taking time out to do things that make us happy. After a month of having D, I stepped out to get my hair colored. I would plan trips to the mall around D's nap time. Catch up on my favorite TV shows. Basically tried to do as many things that made me feel normal because believe it or not, feeling normal is like luxury postpartum! 

Taking time out for RJ:  Priorities do change once you have a baby. Its easier being parents than being partners! I've realised how D has become part of most of the conversations that RJ and me have. Everything is directly or indirectly related to her. But we do consciously try and take time out for one another. Whether its going out for dinner or watching a movie on Netflix its quality over quantity after you have a baby.

Hanging out with the BFF:  This has truly been a life saver and the biggest stress buster I could ask for. Catching up over brunch, dressing up to make sure we click good pictures together, talking about fashion endlessly or for that matter just speaking my heart out. Having a bestie around post pregnancy was like forgetting all the blues of motherhood and shifting focus from sleepless nights to a glass of wine!

Updating the blog: I started blogging even before I had D and this was something I never wanted to let go off. Writing keeps me connected to my inner self and I made sure that no matter what, I took time out for it. Making D a part of my blog (which earlier I was hestitant about) has helped me a great deal. Since the blog is all about my life here in the US, talking about how I'm raising my baby girl sure deserves a mention. 

Eating well: I had so many people advising me how to avoid "certain foods" and watch what I was eating (especially while breastfeeding) because it would directly go to my baby. But I cant be thankful enough to my mom, and mother in law for letting me eat whatever I craved for, in moderation of course. For a foodie like me, having any kind of limitations on the type of food I was eating would have been super frustrating. D was absolutely fine during the entire breast feeding process with no stomach issues and has developed an equal fondness for food ever since she started eating solids. 

Getting help:  I was lucky enough to have my mom and mother in law beside me during the first year with D. They took turns to come visit me and their experience really came handy. As a new parent we tend to panic at every cry of the baby but having them around was so comforting. From D's everyday maalish (body massage) sessions to making yummy recipes to feed her, these are things that I learnt from them and cannot even imagine sailing through this phase of my life without these two ladies! 

Mommy duties can been quite overwhelming and bittersweet but at the same time I can assure you its been worth every sleepless night. On top of that, practicing all of the above really helped keeping my sanity intact and I wish to continue doing so over the years to come.