March 23rd, 2010 . Posted in Festivals and Holidays | 3 Comments »
Tags: Ram Navami 2010, Ram Navami Recipes
Ram Navami 2010

Celebrate Ram Navami
Tomorrow, March 24TH is Ram Navami- Lord Ram’s birthday. I was aware of the Navratris going on, but had completely forgotten about Ram Navami- until a colleague at work described Ram Navami Celebrations at the BAPS SwamiNarayan temple in Milpitas. That,of course, brought back fond memories of Ram Navami celebrations at my grand ma’s home- of her fasting, prayers, kheer and stories about Ram’s greatness. The Ramayana is a mesmerizing story- which I could listen to endlessly- there are as many variations as there are narrators! More… »
March 23rd, 2010 . Posted in Amara Moms and Dads | 1 Comment »
Tags: Dalai Lama; The 14th Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama: A Compassionate Heart, The Life of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
Last Friday, the family and I went for a wonderful theatre performance at one of the schools in the area- Living Wisdom in Palo Alto, CA. The performance was about the life of The Dalai Lama, and was enacted by the children of the school, ages 4 to 14!
The name of the production was: A Compassionate Heart, The Life of His Holiness, The Fourteenth Dalai Lama. I wanted to take the kids because my friend, who’s daughter used to study at the school, had raved about the productions of years past, and also because I have a strong leaning towards Buddhism and the theme appealed to me. More… »
March 22nd, 2010 . Posted in Amara Moms and Dads, Health and Lifestyle, Home | 3 Comments »
Tags: PRANA, south asian, sugar, white rice
Is white rice bad for you? PRANA says as bad as white sugar! Read why South Asians should pay attention
Now, who doesn’t like to sit down to a yummy plate of steaming, fresh white rice? With daal, with curries; biryani or pulao perhaps? For a lot of South Asians, across all parts of the culture, white rice is truly soul food. Today’s wisdom, however, dictates that the soul food of our past may be the thing we avoid in our future. PRANA (Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s South Asian wing) says:
“Sugar is the building block of carbohydrates. Since rice and grains are a rich source of carbohydrates, they are also a rich source of sugar. So, South Asians have quite the sweet tooth! White rice and breads are staple foods in the traditional South Asian diet, and eating uncontrolled portions often contributes to weight gain and associated health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Eating healthier varieties of carbohydrates can help reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes by lowering cholesterol levels, blood pressure, blood sugar and blood clots. Read about which carbohydrates to avoid and which to encourage for a heart-healthy diet. More… »
March 18th, 2010 . Posted in Amara Moms and Dads, Health and Lifestyle, Home | 1 Comment »
Tags: bone, calcium, desis, Dr. Katherine Sutherland, OBGYN, osteoporisis, vitamin D, vitamin D deficiencies, Womens Physicians Medical Group (WPMG)
The Desi and Vitamin D
I was at my fun annual check up with my OBGYN (Dr. Katherine Sutherland at the Womens Physicians Medical Group – WPMG- in Mountain View, CA: highly recommeded, btw). Dr. Sutherland is more like my primary care physician; she really takes care of me, and has been for 14 years now. Wow. I feel old.
Anyway, back to my point. While I was getting all the usual pokings and proddings, she asked me how good I was about taking a Vitamin D supplement. Now, I do pop Vitamin B and omega 3 and all that from time to time, and calcium as well, but Vitamin D? More… »
March 17th, 2010 . Posted in Amara Moms and Dads, Festivals and Holidays | No Comments »
Did your child dress up in green for St. Patrick’s Day?
Baaaah!! I did it again! I failed to send my kids in green today !! I always manage to send my older son off to school in his regular clothes every time it is a theme dress day. And then instead of showing him any remorse, I will pull my parent card and make some lame excuse about why it was perfectly okay for him to have worn his blue jeans and black t-shirt when the whole school will be dressed in green today! More… »
March 17th, 2010 . Posted in Amara Kids, Amara Moms and Dads, Festivals and Holidays, Home | No Comments »
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Imagine this AmaraMom’s morning. The AmaraKids and I charged out of the house, running late as usual. As soon as we reached their school, panic ensued. They had forgotten it was St. Paddy’s day, and were to have worn something green to school. The irony of it was that I had inadvertantly I dressed in a green skirt with a green coat!! Amidst tears at the lack of green clothing, with the More… »
March 16th, 2010 . Posted in Festivals and Holidays | No Comments »
Tags: Asha, holi bay area, Stanford Holi, Stanford Holi 2010
Stanford Asha Holi announcement:
The Bay Area’s BIGGEST and MOST-LOVED Holi is back!!
Celebrate with a cause and join in the revelry as
colors, water, Indian music and dance fill the air at Stanford on March 27th 2010.
Early bird deadline: Saturday, March 20th
WHEN & WHERE:
- Saturday, March 27, 2010, 11:00am to 3:00pm
- Sandhill fields, Stanford University. (Free Parking is available at the parking structure on Stock Farm Road and Oak Road) More… »
March 16th, 2010 . Posted in Festivals and Holidays, Home | No Comments »
Tags: Festival of Gudi Padwa, Gudi Padwa, Gudi Padwa 2010, Maharashtra
The Maharashtrian festival Gudi Padwa 2010.
A Gudi is a bright green or yellow cloth adorned with brocade, tied to the tip of a long bamboo over which sugar crystals, neem leaves, a twig of mango leaves and a garland of red flowers is tied. A silver or copper pot is placed in the inverted position over it. This gudi is then hoisted outside the house, in a window, terrace or a high place so that everybody can see it. Gudi Padwa ushers in the New Year, marking the begining of spring, when the crops have been harvested and start getting to the market. It is the Maharashtrian version of Lohri! It is believed that the sun’s rays increase in intensity from mellow to hot. More… »
March 14th, 2010 . Posted in Amara Moms and Dads, Health and Lifestyle, Home | No Comments »
Tags: elliptical, exercise, resolution, spring, spring cleaning
Who has memories of their mom and dad
Exercising at home?
My dad did yoga, my mom leg lifts and arm circles
Using heavy books as her weights, to tone
I used to watch, wondering why they did
Contort themselves to and fro
And now I’m in that same position
Of watching the waistline expand – oh no!
No time, no energy! are my constant cries
Steadily increasing in size are my thighs 
What’s the solution? A spring resolution!
Let’s buy some equipment for the home, we say
Finally, the elliptical is chosen one day
But alas, woe is us! Where do we put it?
The way our garage is right now, it won’t fit
More… »
March 13th, 2010 . Posted in Amara Kids, Amara Moms and Dads, Home | No Comments »
Tags: field trip, Girl Scout, USS Hornet
“Commissioned on November 29, 1943, USS Hornet(CV-12) inflicted more damage on the enemy in WWII than any other aircraft carrier. A National Historic Landmark since 1991, the USS Hornet is now a museum in the San Francisco Bay.” It was originally called USS Kearsarge.

USS Hornet keychain from Girl Scout field trip
More… »