BigBasket.com-The e-grocery store in Chennai-Review

A few years ago, when I first heard about how convenient it was to buy groceries online in Bangalore, I was impatiently waiting for Bigbasket to launch in Chennai. The recent launch in the city has gotten a lot of people into shopping for groceries online! A lot more are still skeptical about the quality (how can one buy lady's finger without checking it's end??!) of the perishables and the time of delivery! Well, give it a try as I did! When shopping online for clothes, books, gifts or toys is awesome, why not this?

Read on as I share my e-grocery shopping experience at BigBasket in detail!

An easy interface

The website is simple and non-cluttered, making it a 'cake walk' experience for even a novice. All you have to do is spend about 2 minutes at the comfort of your home to register your account, create your profile and start shopping! 

Once you register, you can choose your city. There is a drop down list under 'Offers', where you can find 'discounts', 'promotions' and 'bundle packs'. Hence, you aren't hidden from the latest offers available.

Wide range of products

You can choose the category you wish to shop under and just add the items to your basket. No hassle. A lot of brands are available too. 

What impressed me most was that there were options to choose as little as 100g for green chillies, garlic, coriander and likewise! Brownie points!

Some products that totally surprised me:

• Organic fruits and veggies
• A range of pasta and pasta sauces
• A variety of cheese including parmesan, mozzarella, organic feta and cream cheese!
• Multigrain beverage mix
• Ayurvedic food
• Ayurvedic personal care products
• Cookwares and gadgets of different brands
• Mexican olives and Mayonnaise

  

Fresh produce

The vegetables and fruits I ordered came neatly packed in Ziploc bags with a lot of holes punched allowing them to breathe and remain fresh. There were impressively arranged in big green baskets that were taken away for reuse! Extra brownie points from me!!

Convenient delivery time slots

The website offers you 4 time slots starting from 7am to 10pm. That gives you the liberty to plan your day instead of being stuck at home expecting the delivery. I selected the last slot of the day and it reached me on time.

Easy payment

Since you shopped online, you don't have to necessarily pay them online. You can choose to pay cash on delivery, use credit/debit card or simply use the food coupons. The bill is displayed when you checkout but you're informed that you might be charged a little extra (usually about 5%) depending on the weight of the fresh produces that you've chosen. And any changes to the bill or an item unavailable is notified again by SMS before the delivery to keep you aware.

Friendly delivery

It was at the end of the day that the guy had to bring in those heavy baskets to my residence, yet, he was patient enough to go through the list with me to ensure no missing items.

Easy return

I wasn't satisfied with the quality of a couple of vegetables. As much as I dreaded for the long procedures I had to go through returning the items, I was more than happy when he just took them away without a question and deducted my bill! How convenient is that?

Create your shopping list

You can shop in multiple sessions by using the 'Create New List' feauture! So, even if your session times out, the products added to the list remain intact. And if you have a standard list of groceries each month, you can simply add only the extras to the list every month instead of virtually selecting all the items and adding them to the cart every time you shop!!

Delivery Pin

Once an order is placed, you receive a delivery pin via SMS. You need to mention this to the delivery boy when you get your supplies. An enhanced precautionary measure to avoid wrong deliveries.

 On the whole, it is a customer friendly e-supermarket that I would recommend you to try!

 If you love going out in the hot sun, squeezing your way through the counters in the 'always crowded' super markets, trying hard to remember what you wrote in the long list of groceries you forgot to carry, waiting in the long queue to pay and carrying home your purchase, then this review is strictly not intended for you :) Others, have a relaxed life!

An intermission later!

It's been more than a month since I blogged last. I was grinning wide when I received a handful of messages enquiring about my non-existence. Feels awesome to be missed, isn't it? Nothing like it for a blogger!
Well, I did exist during the past month, but in a different part of the world since I posted last! A lot and lot of packing, shopping, re-packing, winding up the house we lived in the UK and travelling with a toddler kept me totally busy like never before during March and initial days of April. Although, moving back home is exciting, it is a huge challenge when you have to do it all by yourself with a busy toddler demanding you an unaltered lifestyle throughout! We stayed in the UK for about 20 months and we were on a high-speed roller coaster with twists and turns! The place is extremely beautiful, I must say! More on our UK stay some other time. I was dreading the air travel with the little munchkin, but the darling made it really easy for us!
We took a week's time to gear up for a new life in an old place! Back in Chennai, catching up with relations, friends, looking for schools, the admission process, the little girl's tonsure....phew! The toddler has been surprised and more shocked experiencing a variety of Indian feelings! Meanwhile, I plan to get back to my den to continue blogging!! More posts to follow...a variety intended! Will be right back :)

Sick?? But you're a MOM!

                   


Only after you become a Mom, the endless list of truth about Motherhood slowly unfurls! No, you can't circumvent them, either you get to know them sooner or later, don't worry, you dont have to chase them, you'll be robustly hit by them! The latest truth that unravelled before me: Moms can't get sick!


You probably know this if you're a mom, er...if you don't, you'll know it very soon! And if you are the spouse to the mom, then you secretly know it!


How does a day look like when a stay-at-home or working mom falls sick? Its the usual business day, with the kids to look after, the same mess to clean (messier than the usual days) and the routine to be followed because that is survival. When the baby falls sick, I can go to any extent to bring her back to toes. When the husband falls sick, I can give my best to make him feel better too. But when I wake up with a sore throat just to be reminded that am catching that flu which the baby brought from school last week, I shove it behind my head saying, "I'm fine, there's nothing wrong, I'm not sick!". But ultimately,  when things get worse, I have to admit that I'm sick.


                                


Other days, I would happily barge into the bed with a book and soup and spend some time under the blanket and sleep sleep and sleep until the last virus evacuates my body! But that cannot happen when you're THE MOM. You need to repeat everything like any other day, infact much more than the normal days, "Don't jump", "Be Careful", "Finish your milk", "Don't scream", "Sleep", "Don't do this", "Will you please listen to amma atleast today?" and the tolerance (usually very low during such days) is scrutinized. The cheerful, naughty little one hardly understands that its the mom who is crankier than her.


Moms, of course, are good at melting away with the slightest love from the child. The moment the kid brings a picture book and sits next to you to read it for her, the heart melts and you've almost forgotten that you need rest! Nature works that way.

Am lucky that my husband pitches in when I have a bad health. It is only the time till he returns from work, that drives me crazy, making me pray with all devotion to give me the patience to drag the day 'cause it never feels good to lose temper with a toddler.


Things I learnt:

• If you feel sick, call for help! Husband, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends, whoever! Don't neglect it as a non-emergency. You may not be bleeding to death, but, even a bad flu will not help you think straight. You're handling kids, the most delicate of all the things in the world.
• If you know anybody who's sick, please drop by with 1-2 meals, soup and medicines and take the kids. She'll be grateful to you all her life.
• And mommies getting help today, don't forget to make a note for yourself to thank everyone who made you feel better! Better to write them as reminders as the antibiotics are sure to ruin your memory! ;)

Its now your turn to tell me how you manage your day when you're sick. Who pitches in often to share the workload?





Images: Google

Youtube in the LOOP

                              

Any idea how children and YouTube are linked? No, they aren't linked....but looped! You give a toddler an unlocked screen, and look at it after about 5 mins, you would be appalled by the fact that she has browsed about 50+ YouTube videos! Am not exaggerating. They are swipe experts.

YouTube is overflowing with videos from all around the world and it sure has influenced our lives to a great extent. The bitter truth is that it hasn't spared the toddlers. Well, no one understands YouTube better than them. She shows me different icons to select that paves way for a whole new variety of playlists, the icons I have never explored all my life! By the time the chosen song plays, she would have scanned the entire list of suggested videos on the side, thrice, and jumped 5 videos! A huge fan of pocoyo, little A is, that she watches the same episode in Russian, German, Portugese, French and Vietnamese!! She enjoys them as much as she enjoys the english versions and tries to repeat the funny 'noises' they make! There was this phase when I was a little worried (read concerned)  that she hadn't started talking at the said 'age', now, I dread the day she'll converse with me in Portugese!!


                                  
                                     Image: google
No doubt, YouTube is doing a commendable job of satisying their toddler customers. They have millions of brightly coloured, loud and cheerful versions of the same rhymes that the little index fingers can meddle on. Why would they be stuck to a melodious version of 'Head, shoulders, knees and toes' that mommy had selected when there's a hip-hop version of the same? Not sure if you've noticed this...there are rhymes playlists and cartoons that have crossed 4 lakh hits!! And my dearest daughter would have contributed about a lakh, from various devices lying around her!
I will not deny the fact that YouTube has been little A's guru. It has made learning a lot more fun! The other day when I was chatting with a group of friends, I realized how each was affected by the non-stop blaring videos their ipad would play all day long. The repetitive videos and the flashcards have enabled the toddlers learn colours, shapes, alphabets, numbers and likewise much easily than we can imagine. But at the same time, I was baffled at how the playlist of each toddler was similar! Videos of surprise eggs and play-doh are mandatory in their loop- of course, you'll wonder why such videos exist, but, YouTube seems to understand the little humans better.
The story of how YouTube entered each toddler's life may vary, but there's no hope for sanity! Tell me if you find it! ;)

DIY Finger Paints

Take your time off and try making a few of what your kids love, all by yourself! I promise you'll never go back to the shop to get these again! The pleasure is immense to watch your child play with what YOU made. And all this, with what is lying around in the kitchen!

A simple DIY finger paints with just 2 ingredients (inspired by Happy Hooligans) for you!

Supplies:

• Cornflour - 2 cups
• Water- 4 cups (3 cups of hot water and 1 cup of cold water)
• Food coloring of your choice

All you have to do is

Mix cornflour and a cup of cold water. Slowly add the hot water to the mixture and mix ensuring no lumps. Divide into as many small bowls as the desired food colours. Add more colours for a vibrant mix!

Related Articles:

DIY Play Doh-The Best recipe ever!

DIY Easy Play-doh with NO Cream of Tartar

DIY Easy Play-doh with NO Cream of Tartar

Most of the play-doh recipes call for Cream of tartar, but, in case, you don't want to use it or you don't have the time to grab them from the store, its absolutely okay.
Here is an easy-peesy cook-free recipe that requires no cream of tartar. The steps involved are baby's! ;)

Supplies:

1. Flour- 2 cups
2. Salt- 1/2 cup
3. Warm water- 1/2 cup
4. Oil- 1 spoon (I used vegetable oil)
5. Food colouring of your choice

Procedure:

• Mix the dry ingredients in a clean bowl.
• Combine oil and water and divide them into as many cups as the desired colours.
• Add the flour-salt mixture to the cups and mix them.
• Knead on a working sheet/table until smooth.
• Store them in airtight containers/ziploc bags.

Note: Although no cream of tartar, higher amount of salt in this recipe increases the shelf-life span of the play-doh.

Related Articles:

DIY Finger Paints

DIY Play Doh-The Best recipe ever!

DIY Play Doh-The Best recipe ever!

Play-doh is the supreme choice to develop a child's imagination and hand-eye coordination, ensuring several hours of fun. I was amazed to see my little one going gaga every time I hand her a ball of play-doh. That sparked the idea of making it at home in all the colours she wants. Making your own play-doh with your child can be exciting. I tried a number of recipes and by far, the one am going to share with you today, is the best.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1. All purpose flour (Maida) - 2.5 cups
2. Water- 2.5 cups
3. Vegetable oil- 5 tbsp
4. Cream of tartar- 1.5 tbsp
5. Salt- 1.25 cups
6. Food colours (any combination to match the mood, occassion or toddler's request)

Procedure:

• Mix all the ingredients together except the colours in a large vessel and cook the not-so-smooth dough on a low heat.
• Mix frequently and you'll notice that the dough becomes sticky.
•  Mix until the edges of the dough appears dry. Pinch the dough. It's ready if its not gooey.
• Now, place the dough on the counter top or a working mat that can withstand food colours. Knead the warm dough and divide them into small balls to colour them different. 
• Add the food colours and knead them until incorporated.
• You can store them in ziploc bags or airtight containers for several months.

Tips:

• While adding the food colurs, try to drop the colours in the middle of the dough and then fold it in, so that the initial globs of colour work their way into the dough before they hit your skin!
• In case you stain your hand, scrub it away with a little baking powder.
• Add the basic colours first. Then, you can blend in a mixture of colours to make a variation. Play with your imagination.

Related Articles:

DIY Easy Play-doh with NO Cream of Tartar

DIY Finger Paints

Emotionally Abusive-Are You?

                           

'Emotional abuse' might sound too big a word but are you sure you aren't practising it? To confirm that you aren't doing it, it is better to know what it is. Have you ever got irritated with your child and ignored them? Then, that's one of the simplest form of an emotional abuse, as you are passing the negative vibes and making the little soul feel neglected, though unintentionally!

Emotional abuse?

It may be verbal abuse, threatening, severe punishment, comparison, rejection, neglection and likewise.

Unlike physical abuse, emotional abuses do not have an immediate physical effect but a long term deletrious effect on one's character.

Here are some pointers for us, as parents, to know what emotional abuses are, for the sake of avoiding them.

Verbal abuse

Needless to say, this is the most common and a very offensive form of emotional abuse. Verbal assault, constant usage of bad words, blaming them or calling them bad names make an irrepairable damage to the child's personality. Be sure to taste your words before you spit them. It is meaningless to feel apologetic after having uttered a dozen bad words, as the little hearts are already shattered.
   
                              

Rejection or Neglection

A child may be neglected unintentionally. Ignoring a child while you are doing an important task is simply neglection. I know that its frustrating when you are constantly being disturbed when trying to focus on something important. You can either politely tell her that you'll join her in a few minutes or pause the task for a minute or two and keep the child engaged in some interesting activity and get back to work. If nothing helps, you can take the help of a family member or a friend to keep her engaged until you can take your time off. Rejection is hard on the children and zeros down their self esteem, and that's not what we want.

Avoiding a child to showcase your anger towards them is an intentional rejection. Like your peers or other adults in your life, a child doesn't understand that you are ignoring them because you are angry. By behaving as if she doesn't exist or not responding to her, you aren't putting your point across but leaving them confused, shattered and rejected.

                               

Severe punishments

It will take a lot of efforts to discipline a child but punishment is not the right key. Severe punishments that scare a child like locking the child in a room or beating them up are unacceptable and you are better off being counselled. Their tender hearts yearn for a loving environment. Punishments like saying NO to their favourite toy or an outing is itself a BIG punishment and hard to take, but work like wonders to discipline without any psychological effect.

Comparisons

Children hate comparisons as much as we, adults, do! Comparing a child with peers or siblings is the biggest blunder a parent can make. Surprisingly, it starts right from when and how a child manages to achieve his milestones. This not only creates a lot of pressure on the individual but also on the parents. The thoughts that "whatever I do, am not better than him/her" lead to depression and low self-esteem and will most often result in jealously/anger/frustration towards the person he/she is compared with.

                           

Manipulations

We preach but don't practice. Children notice that. We take so much effort to teach our kids the good values in life but its easier if they see you practising them. Be how you want them to be. Makes the job easier!
Live your life, love more and be happy....your child is watching!
               

                   

Adults or peers may be emotionally abusive. Please watch out for the above mentioned signs. Better to know them, to keep away from them. And by any chance, if you are abusive in any form, better to stop it immediately than to repent later.

How clean is 'CLEAN'?

                                 

         Toddlers and mess go hand in hand. Little A's most favourite hobby is to topple the whole tub of toys whenever she goes past it. All the toys certainly don't come out in one toddler push, so she makes sure to push it harder until that tiny piece of clay sticking to the base is out and she'd sit on it comfortably and sing "Lo lo lo a boat"! No it doesnt end there. You need to sing the entire rhyme and she'll do the required actions, and then walk out, heart content! As I bend down to clean up the mess, I hear a 'Nooooo' and there she comes paddling back through the clutter to frantically put them back on the floor, making it worse!

I mutter to myself as I retrieve a tiny toy fork tucked in between the cushions. 'Why is it that all the nicest and most interesting games have a zillion pieces!!?' But more than the expensive toys, its the bits, bobs and junk, that kids love. Empty milk cans, empty plastic pill boxes, milk powder scoops, disposable spoons, cardboard boxes, a wollen ball from the scarves, a tiny piece of thread from a dress, colourful flashdrives, cd boxes, combs and  everything that can be categorized as junk are much sought after! You may think its easier to shove them away in their absence, true, but they are replaced much faster than you think. Like the colonies of bacteria in a culture plate, the junk only keeps mutiplying.

                                         

There's no area that is free of clutter when the little one is allowed to have fun. The worst is the floor and you are sure to have your foot punched with lego blocks and clay tools while walking across to attend a phone call. You could be transfixed by little toy knives, or a toy toaster or her favourite sand shovel while you try to do simple things like sitting on a sofa! Beds aren't spared either. Balloons, a toy bread slice, dolls, shape cutters, cars, books, toy spoons and so many other interesting items that are freshly bought find their way into the bedroom to sleep next to the tiny tot!

                                                        

With a motherly intention to impart the knowledge that messes can be cleaned up too, I include little A in the process. I let her sort all the blocks, books, crayons and the rest and put them in different bags/boxes and happily wind up. But little did I know that my happiness is short lived. After all the sorting, little A would want that small yellow car to hold onto when she sleeps, yes, the very same car that first went into that green box that was tactfully tucked in between a huge collection of assorted puzzles. Trying my best to not disturb the arrangements,  I put my hand underneath to feel that green box, but finally, end up turning the tub upside down to desperately lay my hands on that yellow car to immediately stop her from crying! Sigh!

I'll choose playing with my baby over cleaning, anyday, anytime. "Do you want me to read that book again for you? Ok, here you go....that little bit of dusting can wait." "Err....You want me draw for you? Very well, come and sit down....I'll put this hoover away!"

Almost always, little A takes the role of a helper and excitedly throws the pieces into the storage boxes but all this only until she spots her long lost BINGO pup or a wooden spoon from her kitchen set that had disappeared weeks back! Her play would restart with soaring spirits and the story continues. But this time, I give up, I really don't have the heart to 'mess' her fun! After all, she'll be 2 years 6 months and 10 days only ONCE!

Food for thought:

•  Cleaning should be a routine, not an obsession.  The more you are obsessed, more is the stress.
• Toys are to be played with, papers strewn about, that is childhood. Good if you understand.  Don't worry if others don't!
• Happiness is when the little girl holds the pencil right rather than clutching it in her fist because you spent that 20 minutes showing her how to, instead of scrubbing the kitchen floor!

15 Best and Free Android Apps for Toddlers

                   

    Worried about having to share screen space with the kiddo in toe? Well, it isn't that bad if they get to learn something from it, right? Phones and tablets are a blessing in disguise when you suspect a tantrum, especially when you are out with them in restaurants, malls or clinics. Sure to keep them busy in long flights and at home when you need that 'me time'!
Here is the list of 15 best android apps that makes learning fun for them, in no particular order. These are absolutely free to install.

1.Animal Puzzle for kids

Devoloper: Abuzz

           

Description: Like in the picture above, they are simple puzzles for the tiny tots that help them develop tactile and fine motor skills. There are 84 animal puzzles to keep them busy. Watch them get familiar with the names of the animals as they complete, without worrying about them losing any piece of the puzzle!

2. Learning colors for kids

Devoloper : Stork Studio Limited

Description: It's a simple game that would teach the kids 9 various colours.  The game interface is intuitive and even the youngest can get their hands on it with ease.

3. Kids shapes

Developer: Stork Studio Limited

Description: A fun game for the toddler to match shapes with the right one,  choose the right shape and also burst similar shapes. In short, enables them to differentiate the shapes as early as 1.5 years!

4. Shapes and Colors Music Show

Developer: Fischer Price

Description : Repetitive exposure to shapes and colours enable easy identification.

5. Phonics song

Devoloper : Laboratorio Android Expert

Description : A song to help learn the phonetics that requires no Internet connection.  How good is that?

6. Animal sounds for kids

Developer: Shemetenga

                                         

Description: This app enables easy identification of animals and their sounds. An easy-to-use app for kids.

7. Lego DUPLO Trains

                                          

Description: This is an animated, toddler-friendly app that will help them drive the colourful LEGO train from station to station, yes, the child plays the role of an engine driver! The child gets to live his dream by choosing and loading wagons, building bridges, stopping at crossings, refuelling and laying new tracks around pesky roads! 

8. Kids socks

Developer: Mimoteo

                                         

Description: A game for pre-schoolers and all they have to do is drag the socks with the same colour and pattern and match! A fun game to learn colours and patterns!

9. Talking Tom/Pocoyo/Ginger/Ben/Gina/Santa

                                           

Description: You can talk to the little characters and they'll repeat in a funny voice. Needless to say, it enhances communication skills. Try them and discover a range of activities!

10. Kids Paint Free

Developer: Virtual GS

                                             

Description: An alternative for virtual painting/drawing when on the move! It also allows saving the art to the gallery!

11. Potato Head Colour

Developer: Dexati

                                                 

Description: They are colouring pages and best suited for pre-schoolers. It doesn't require drawing but selecting the colours and tapping, and the colour auto fills in.

12. Picture Book

Developer: Shemetenga

                                               

Description: Colourful flashcards to learn words, the kids can relate to! Pronunciation made easy.

13. Kids Piano Lite

Developer: Sunny Day

                                                 

Description: You can choose what to play like 'Twinkle twinkle' and the piano will display the keys to be pressed in the side bar. It also has an auto music mode which makes it look like a music box!

14. Nursery rhymes

Developer: thehippoteam

                                                   

Description: Comprises a whole bunch of popular rhymes with videos that kids love to hear over and over again! However, it needs internet connection.

15. 50 Nursery rhymes

Developer: Shemetenga

                                                    

Description: Plays the 50 rhymes without internet connection. The toddlers can have fun singing along the lines without the hindrance of a video. Recommended for 3+ age groups.