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Madhurie Singh, India’s First Schools and Product Reviewer

Writing since 2006, honest reviews of schools, admission process, application dates and interview questions for Nursery to class 12. Read all posts to understand which is the right board/school/preschool/ coaching/product for your child. CBSE, ICSE, IB, CAIE, IGCSE, NIOS, PMShri, BSB or State Boards.
Best school or Top School need not be Right School always. Read More…

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Parenting

Advice to married Indian couples

Written By Madhurie Singh Last Modified Date: October 27, 2016

A post every couple should read…. not written by me but wonderful thoughts.
1. There is nothing that threatens the security of a wife than the thought of another woman competing for the attention and affection of her husband. Nothing is more painful. Nothing is more disrespecting. Nothing is more insulting. Nothing is more belittling and degrading.

2. Marriage flourishes when the couple works together as a team; when both husband and wife decide that winning together is more important than keeping score.
Good marriages don’t just happen. They are a product of hard work.

3. Your children are watching you and forming lasting opinions on love, commitment, and marriage based on what they see in you. Give them hope. Make them look forward to marriage.

4. Husbands: The reason why other women look attractive is because someone is taking good care of them. Grass is always green where it is watered. Instead of drooling over the green grass on the other side of the fence, work on yours and water it regularly. Any man can admire a beautiful woman, but it takes a true gentleman to make a woman admirable and beautiful.

5. When a husband puts his wife first above everyone and everything except God, it gives his wife the sense of security and honor that every wife hungers for.

6. A successful marriage doesn’t require a big house, a prefect spouse, a million dollars or an expensive car. You can have all the above and still have a miserable marriage. A successful marriage requires honesty, undying commitment and selfless love at the center of it all.

7. Pray for your spouse every day; in the morning, in the afternoon and at evening. Don’t wait until there is a problem. Don’t wait until there is an affair. Don’t wait until something bad happens. Don’t wait until your spouse is tempted. Shield your spouse with prayer and cover your marriage with the fence of prayer.

8. The people you surround yourself with have a lot of influence on your marriage. Friends can build or break your marriage; choose them wisely.

9. One spouse cannot build a marriage alone when the other spouse is committed to destroying it. Marriage works when both husband and wife work together as a team to build their marriage.

10. Don’t take your spouse for granted. Don’t take advantage of your spouse’s meekness and goodness. Don’t mistake your spouse’s loyalty for desperation. Don’t misuse or abuse yours spouse’s trust. You may end up regretting after losing someone that meant so much to you.

11. Beware of marital advice from single people. Regardless of how sincere their advice may be, most of it is theoretical and not derived from real life experiences. If you really need Godly advice, seek it from God-fearing, impartial and prayerful mature couples whose resolve has been tested by time and shaped by trials.

12. Dear couple, Don’t underestimate the power of the tongue on your marriage. The tongue has the power to crush your marriage or build it up. Don’t let the Devil use your tongue to kill your spouse’s image, self-confidence and aspirations.
Use your tongue to build up your marriage and bless and praise your spouse.

It’s a forwarded message. Not written by me. You may share freely.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: marriage1 Comment

How do you encourage your children to pick up reading?

Written By Madhurie Singh Last Modified Date: October 22, 2016

I have special respect and admiration for people who read everything that can lay their hands on. Reading can never be substituted by anyone or anything in this material world. And mind you, reading need not be just books. It may be anything offline and online. I feel sad and worried, how children have stopped reading, schools have stopped encouraging reading, libraries in the schools look so sad.
A few years from now I remember my kids making me drive to the nearby library every alternate day. In a just 2 months time they had finished reading all the books for their age group. Then my spouse started buying silly toys for them. And alas! They stopped reading books. Suddenly reading became “boring”! In comparison to the apps and games, reading does not give you instant rewards such as points or stars which they are so used to now.
Instant gratification has to be now part of any tool that will encourage them to start reading again.
Can anyone share ideas on how to encourage children and schools into reading? Anyone conducting the reading competition, speed reading, reading comprehension in a fun way?
Reading apps that have gaming involved? Online competition on reading with points and awards? Unless it’s a fast awarding process, it won’t be rewarding enough for the children to adopt reading.
If you have any idea that has worked for you in making your children read, do post a comment below.
I will do an article on all the ideas I get here.
A few links :
http://www.stepintoreading.com/parents/tip/10-tips-to-encourage-reading-love-1
http://www.readingrockets.org/newsletters/extras
http://literacylaunchpad.blogspot.in/2009/11/20-sites-and-tools-to-encourage.html
http://www.readanybook.com/
http://www.reading-rewards.com/

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: books, readingLeave a Comment

What is wrong with us? Why are we not doing the right thing?

Written By Madhurie Singh Last Modified Date: May 4, 2023

  1. You don’t take bath, so you sweat, then you stink. Your solution-apply deodorant. Right solution – Take bath.
  2. You feel warm, you switch on Ac, soon you feel cold, then you take a razai, you feel warm, so you lower the AC temperature. Right solution – Take a cold shower.
  3. Your can’t control you greed and eat extra samosa, your stomach is upset, you take antibiotics, your pain is gone but good bacteria also gone, you start running to the toilet as soon as you eat anything, you take medicine to stop motion. Right solution – Don’t eat extra samosa. Eat curds and probiotic or visit a good doctor.
  4. You don’t exercise, so you gain fat, you goto gym to workout, you get muscle pain, you eat painkillers, you  stop balanced meals and starting taking protein shakes. Right solution – exercise, eat balanced meals.
  5. You sleep in the daytime, you don’t get sleep at night, you take a drink, you excite your brain and harm your sleep, you take a sleeping pill. Right solution – don’t sleep in the day time, if you don’t get sleep at night. You need more physical work to tire the body.
  6. You stop eating ghee and butter, you eat refined oils, your brain becomes dull, you buy omega 3 and 6 capsules, you join brain gym online to activate your brain cells. Right solution – Eat GHEE every meal.
  7. You bring home coke and pepsi, your child is addicted, your child demands more, your child is obese, you curse the company and scold your child. Right solution – Don’t stock coke and pepsi.
  8. You send your child to school without checking age criteria, you take admission in a rote learning type school, child fails, you start tuition, you scold him and teachers, child lacks confidence. Right solution – Let your child be of the right age. Choose a right school based on your child’s nature.
  9. You force your child to take up science and math in school, your child struggles, your child fails and lacks confidence, by now you have wasted years and money. Right solution – Assess your child’s interest, abilities, intelligence and happiness.
  10. We follow rituals, instructions, rules blindly and live in fear with unhappiness. Right solution – Find out if the rules are relevant any more to you.
  11. You want to add points, do comment below , I will be happy to add them here.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: how toLeave a Comment

Ask Parenting Questions

Written By Madhurie Singh Last Modified Date: October 6, 2016

Ask MadhurieSingh discuss-parenting-questions

Dear Parents,

A lot of you and I have parenting questions.

Parenting is not a pure science to find a few formulas based on theories to handle a problem.

Parenting is life. It is different experience for every family. Hence the problems are different and their solutions are different.

So let’s help each other by asking and answering questions.

I will be giving the most practical answers to your questions. No lecture, no theories and no nonsense.

So comment below and ask your questions related to

  • Children of any age
  • Food and health
  • Behaviour
  • Sibling rivalry
  • Personality
  • Motivation
  • Concentration
  • Sex Education / Body
  • Friendship/ Leadership/ Teamwork
  • Intelligence/ IQ / EQ
  • Anything that bothers you as a parent

Comment below if you have a question.

Click reply to answer, if YOU know answer to a question.



Share it with your friends, who, need answers.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: ask madhuriesingh, Parenting, Q & A2 Comments

The reality behind Mahabharata everyone must know

Written By Madhurie Singh Last Modified Date: October 2, 2016

*Philosophy of Mahabharata*

It is said in the texts that 80% of the fighting male population of the civilization was wiped out in the eighteen days Mahabharata war.

Sanjay, at the end of the war went to the spot where the greatest war took place; Kurukshetra.

He looked around and wondered if the war really happened, if the ground beneath him had soaked all that blood, if the great Pandavas and Krishna stood where he stood.

“You will never know the truth about that!” said an aging soft voice.

Sanjay turned around to find an Old man in saffron robes appearing out of a column of dust.

“I know you are here to find out about the Kurukshetra war, but *you cannot know about that war till you know what the real war is about*.” the Old man said enigmatically.

“What do you mean?”

*The Mahabharata is an Epic, a ballad, perhaps a reality, but definitely a philosophy*.

The Old man smiled luring Sanjay into more questions.

“Can you tell me what the philosophy is then?”
Sanjay requested.

Sure, began the Old man.

*The Pandavas are nothing but your five senses*,
sight,
smell,
taste,
touch
and sound…,

and do you know what the *Kauravas* are?
he asked narrowing his eyes.

*The Kauravas are the hundred vices that attack your senses everyday but you can fight them*… and do you know how?

Sanjay shook his head again.

“When Krishna rides your chariot!”

The Old man smiled brighter and Sanjay gasped at that gem of insight.

*Krishna is your inner voice, your soul, your guiding light and if you let your life in his hands you have nothing to worry*.

Sanjay was stupefied but came around quickly with another question.

“Then *why are Dronacharya and Bhishma fighting for the Kauravas, if they are vices*?”

The Old man nodded, sadder for the question.

It just means that as you grow up, your perception of your elders change. *The elders who you thought were perfect in your growing up years are not all that perfect. They have faults. And one day you will have to decide if they are for your good or your bad. Then you may also realize that you may have to fight them for the good. It is the hardest part of growing up and that is why the Geeta is important*.

Sanjay slumped down on the ground, not because he was tired but because he could understand and was struck by the enormity of it all.

*What about Karna*? he whispered.

“Ah!” said the Old man. “You have saved the best for last. *Karna is the brother to your senses, he is desire, he is a part of you but stands with the vices. He feels wronged and makes excuses for being with the vices as your desire does all the time.*

*Does your desire not give you excuses to embrace vices*?”

Sanjay nodded silently. He looked at the ground, consumed with a million thoughts, trying to put everything together and then when he looked up the Old man was gone….
disappeared in the column of dust………

Leaving behind the great philosophy of Life.

This was published in Canadian Hindu Link Page 11 in the Nov 2006.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Ballad, Mythology, Philosophy, StoryLeave a Comment

How to maximise your savings and increase your passive earning

Written By Madhurie Singh Last Modified Date: September 29, 2016

A lot of mothers who used to work and have taken a break or quit working have been writing to me a lot of how to start earning. So a couple of important instructions/ advice to you all.

Parallel to your job, start something in your free time. Trust me, you have atleast 2-3 hours of free hour that you can use to convert your hobby into passive income source.

Parents, do not quit your job unless you start earning enough or more than what your 9-5 job earns. 

When you work from home you save a lot of money. So its important to earn but it’s also important to know, how are you able to save at the end of the month or year.

Minimum Direct Saving = Rs 37000* (* approximate )

  • Petrol/ Transport  charges/ Driver’s Salary = Rs 10000
  • Day care / Full time nanny = Rs 10000
  • Canteen food  = Rs 2000
  • Cooks salary = Rs 4000
  • Tuition Teacher = Rs 6000
  • New clothes / Jewellery / Makeup = Rs 5000

Indirect Saving: 56 hours / month* (* approximate )

  • The travel time of 2 hours minimum per day saving is 40 hours per month that can be used for a hobby or teaching kids
  • Time on dropping and picking to and from daycare is 10 hours per month
  • Shopping time saved from going for office wears, makeup, footwear, bags is 6 hours per month

Whatever you are earning from your Work from home gig, add Rs 37000 expenses to it.

Hence, if you are earning Rs 10000, you are actually earning Rs 47000/- as all the expenses are gone.

Start to cut expenses that are useless: Rs 84000/ year = Rs 7000 / month* (* approximate)

  • Switching to more economical cell phone service provider can save Rs 6000/ year
  • Switching to more economical internet service provider can save Rs 6000/ year
  • Switching to more economical cable service provider can save Rs 1000/ year
  • Switching off TV that runs in the background all the time can save Rs 1000/ year
  • Buying non perishable food items in bulk can save Rs / year 12000 / year
  • Buy perishables not in bulk as you need on a daily to bi-weekly basis can save Rs  6000 / year
  • Teaching kids your self instead of tuition can save Rs 40000 / year
  • Cutting movies once per month can save Rs 12000 / year
  • Instead of buying rent things www.rentone.in

Now don’t just sit on the Rs 7000 savings, but invest on:

  • Start an SIP of all that you save each month = Rs 14 Lakh after 10 years
  • Start buying gifts in advance during heavy sale season
  • Buy holiday packs 6 months in advance
  • Buy Gold coins monthly worth Rs 7000
  • Buy Silver coins monthly worth Rs 7000

Other passive ways to earn:

  • Convert hobby into business from home
  • Share your knowledge via udemy.com, youtube.com, blogs
  • Share your technical knowledge via http://truelancer.com
  • Share your apartment room via www.airbnb.com, www.roomorama.com, www.wimdu.in
  • Share your vehicle with or without you www.carpooling.in, https://www.selfdrive.in
  • Share your apartment for pets
  • Share your parking (an app needs to be built, where people who leave for work can rent their parking)
  • Share your stuff (rent) www.rentone.in
  • Share you knowledge of your city as a guide on https://www.vayable.com

These are over an above your regular active income source.

[tweetthis twitter_handles=”#women #savings”]Create like a Child, Earn like a Parent, Save like a Veteran, Spend like a Lady[/tweetthis]

Parents, if you have any passive source of income that you want mention here, do post in the comments.

Filed Under: Parenting, Women Entrepreneurs Tagged With: money, savings, women2 Comments

Can you balance everything in this life?

Written By Madhurie Singh Last Modified Date: September 14, 2016

Can you balance everything in this life
Nonsense answer if you hear someone bragging that they have a perfect life and everything is balanced.
I get this question a lot.
Especially working moms want to know how I balance my life.
Let me let you into my secret.
There is never a balance.
I feel that I am on a long seesaw. Always running from one end to another. When there is everything normal then for a few weeks only, probably, I am at the center. Mind you, with both legs on either side, from the center, trying to balance the seesaw of my life. And it’s bloody painful to balance everything on with legs far apart.
Then there will be crisis on my websites that force me to rush to that side and handle it. By the time it’s recovered to the normal, I am needed on the family side due to kids illness or exams or my pet has an issue or my partner needs immediate help.
Yet, I enjoy the whole running around as that is what life offers.
There are moments and days of frustrations too when I am overwhelmed. Like a normal person I scream and shout. Like any other person I cry too.
But these are moments.

[tweetthis]It is perfectly fine to be imperfect.[/tweetthis]

So next time you hear any successful person showing off on TV or magazine that they have a balanaced life, give a smirk to all the hidden hoo haas behind his mask.

It’s not possible to have a balance and successful career without sacrificing a few things at the family front.
Similarly, it is impossible to have a perfectly happy family without sacrificing your career.
Just need momentory, daily prioritising.

There are many tips to deal with the crisis which I would love to share if you want. Do post a comment here.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Balance, Career, Family, SacrificeLeave a Comment

Confident children, Did I do a good job as a mom?

Written By Madhurie Singh Last Modified Date: September 14, 2016

Confident children, Did I do a good job as a mom?

Image credit: Google

I was asking Hindi chapter questions to my son in grade 6 for his half yearly exam preparation.
The chapter was about a boy who was very bright in his class. This boy was a wizard in Math and topped in Science, History and GK. Also was good in languages. But, his polio affected legs were something that he would be made fun of in his school. Yet he was very patient with other students and never fought with others for such issues.
So the question was, “What are they qualities you like in this boy that you would like to adopt?” This was his text book question.

This is what my son wrote. “I like the fact that the boy is brave, intelligent and very patient. But I do not want any quality of his. I am very happy as I am. I come first in my class, with very good marks in science. I am not bad in Math. I am OK in languages too. I am very good in badminton and football. I am a very good athlete. I think you should not compare children. Each child is good in the way he is. Such questions should not be asked.”

[tweetthis twitter_handles=”#parenting, #confidence,@madhureisingh” display_mode=”box”]Sometimes kids prove that you did a good job as a parent, pat yourself.[/tweetthis]

 

After reading his answer I was quiet for a long time. Do you think I did a pretty good job in instilling self confidence in my sons?

What do you think your child’s answer would be to the same question?

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Children, Comparison, Confidence, Parenting, Son1 Comment

How my kids stopped cribbing about brown bread sides

Written By Madhurie Singh Last Modified Date: September 8, 2016

screenshot_2016-09-08-12-13-512
Yesterday my son complained to me.
“Mom, why don’t you chop off the sides of the sandwich? All my friends bring sandwiches that are neatly cut.”

I am not in favor or wasting any good food. It’s criminal to waste even a single grain.

So out of the blue I said,” You are being racist!”

He was quite confused. What has a bread sandwich go to do with racism?

Without really pre thinking, I started to frame the reasons and replied to him,
“The entire bread is made from the same dough. Which was white in color. Then it was baked in the same oven. The outer layer got brown as it had direct contact with the heat. The inside of the dough also got cooked, but by the heat that is transferred from the outer layer. So the inside remains white while the outer layer turned darker.
So after the baking is over and the bread is sliced, it will have slices with the outer sides brown in color. But what is its fault? It has the same ingredients and went through the same baking process. Why should it be chopped off? Is it only because its brown? We are brown too. So you are differentiating between brown and white! Does that not make you a racisit?” You are going against your own race!

I know I went tangential in the explaination but it was so effective that my sons do not ask me chop the sides of the bread anymore.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Bread, Racist, SandwichLeave a Comment

Is listening same as chanting mantras?

Written By Madhurie Singh Last Modified Date: September 6, 2016

I have spent 13 yrs in South India. Bengaluru, Secundrabad and Hyderabad to be precise.
Each morning we would wake up with the very pleasant sound of mantras. Mostly Vishnu Sahasranamam chanting played on a record player at my neighbour’s home.
Initially it was irritation that slowly transformed to tuning my morning chores. When I started to feel immense peace whenever it was played, I do not know, but it changes my mindset from whatever state to a calm state. I am mostly taken back to my home at ITI colony, Krishnarajpuram, Bengaluru.
After so many years, I had the urge to listen to the Vishnu Sahasranamam again. Thanks to YouTube, found the chanting sung by MS Subbalaxmi.
While listening to it, I wondered, does listening to the mantras have the same effect as chanting?

Listening is a good start but can never be anywhere close to chanting the mantras and shlokas.

As I googled my query, I found a lot of answers, some saying it’s same, some saying it’s not. But one of the comments in this link was a good answer that my logic accepted. http://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/10952/does-listening-gayatri-mantra-have-same-effect-as-chanting
So why is hearing not the same – not as effective – as praising, or chanting, or repetition? If you have two bells and you strike the first, it will vibrate and give out a loud sound. The second bell nearby will feel the vibrations from the first bell and start to vibrate in harmony a little but it will not give off any sound, and will stop vibrating well before the first bell that was struck. It is only by striking the second bell that a large vibration and sound can be had. Similarly, listening to the Gayatri mantra may startup some small vibrations inside a nearby person that are in harmony with it, but once it stops, the vibrations stop with no lasting effects.

Another explanation would to ask yourself if by repeating Roti, Roti, Roti, will you get the Roti in your hand and be able to eat it? If you want to eat the Roti, you have to go to the kitchen, cook it and eat or at least serve it on a plate and eat it yourself, even if it’s cooked by someone else! If your look a the Roti and chant it’s name, will your stomach be full? Similarly, if you want to get the benefit of the mantras, you have to recite it yourself.

Even though I am believe that chanting is better than listening to these mantras, I still will continue to play the shlokas and mantras, with the given routine and time, I like the peace it brings to me and to everyone around me.

Food for your thoughts:

Why schools do not play Gayatri mantra or Surya Sahasranamam or Vishnu Sahasranamam Why children in schools are not taught to recite powerful mantras daily? We have a mine of shlokas that have been proven by scientists to affect brain and body cells if chanted properly.

Small Announcement: I am starting soon a free session via blogs and articles about “How to Blog and start earning from home.” Kindly click this link and fill the form to get notifications. Since its a free service, there will be no one-one messaging via Facebook or whatsapp. All questions will be via comments on the new blog.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: mantras, shlokas, Vishnu SahasranamamLeave a Comment

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