6 Weeks 6 Mums: Aparna

I met Aparna first in 2009 when I joined Syscom Corp, now IDEMIA. As far as I can remember, our conversation started with food as we were on the lunch table. I got to know from our first conversation about her love for cooking.

We enjoyed our conversations on food, fashion, Bollywood, relationships and shopping. She also introduced me to the book “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne and told me that she was introduced to the same by an old lady while travelling in a train. And the book has helped both of us. It has been ten years of our association, we are at different chapters of our lives, but the admiration and love for each other is still the same.

I have always loved her optimistic and progressive approach towards life. Since the concept of 6 Weeks 6 Mums in my mind, Aparna was always there on the list. It was lovely talking to her about her journey of mommy hood and mompreneurship. As we both are in different countries, we exchanged lot of voice messages, video calls and texts for this blog.

Me: Hey! How is it going? Vyom and Viti keep you so busy.

Aparna: Yes. They both keep me very busy but I must tell you it is awesome. My day starts with lovely good morning hugs, and then spoon feeding, cuddling and running around to get dressed. Hugs, kisses, piggybacking, lovely new words, and wise advice from these little ones are good. It's just so awesome and full of love. I feel blessed hundred times a day and thank god for that.

Having said that it is not that rosy. All this also includes handful of irritation, shouting, uffs, argss, every day. But at the end, that goodnight kiss and hug wrapped in love makes it all worth it.

Me: Totally! As both the kids are growing, I have seen your journey as a mompreneur too. And it is so inspiring!

Aparna: Thank you! But do you know the idea of a food blogging website was there in India too. But it only came to life after I shifted to Canada. When I came here almost 6 years back, I got to know that I was expecting and then the whole story changed. I was getting pretty good job offers but still I chose to stay at home until my son turned 2. During my pregnancy, I was also doing a lot of research on setting up a home based business. With my research I got to know that online business has got a lot of potential. I focused on starting my work online as I wanted to spend time with my kids.

I started plumsnpeppers.com when Vyom was few months old and it helped me a lot to fill the void that was created after quitting my full time 9-5 job. I also started my mini catering business from which I earned too. But now the business is on hold as my hands are full with kids and my new product that will be live on Amazon soon other than Sewing Craft Kit for kids.

Me: Impressive! What about the book “Capsule Wardrobe”? How did the idea of writing a book came about?

Aparna: Well as you know that I love clothes and shopping. The idea came from there only that we buy so many clothes every time we go out shopping, but when there is an occasion we are always clueless about what to wear despite having a wardrobe filled with so many dresses. So "Capsule Wardrobe" is about power dressing with minimal and essential clothing in your wardrobe. I am also working on my next book too.

Me: Yes, I have read the book. It has helped me a lot in making decisions while buying clothes and making my wardrobe more powerful than cluttered. But do you miss yourself sometimes in this motherhood journey?

Aparna: A clear and big No. Honestly deep down I am the same old fun loving person, who loves to spend time with friends, dance, shop, cook, and eat. Though would love if I could make few changes like sleeping till 10 a.m., shopping without kids following you, or going on a date. But I have adapted to these changes now, still I wish I could change it.

This reminds me that in the last 5 years, I have watched only 2 films in theater and those were animated. Sigh!!!

Me: I can understand that. I was regular too with my movie dates till I was in India but now I am in the same boat. So with kids running around, when do you get the time to work on your website and new book or product?

Aparna: Well I work when both the kids are off to school or when they are napping. Evenings are for cleaning, cooking, and playing with kids or watching TV.

Me: Oh great! That means your office hours ;) are in the morning only. Sounds cool!

Aparna: Yes, because your mind is fresh and loaded with ideas in the early hours so I prefer to put that time for my work and it is working great for me and my family. I also think that smartphone is a boon because it allows us to do a lot of things with one single touch. After my second one was born, I was restless for some time to work on new ideas. And smartphone was a big help. I executed 70% of my new amazon seller ideas on my smartphone only.

Me: I am sure all this is possible because Anand supported you so well.

Aparna: Absolutely. Without his support and his confidence in me it wouldn't have been possible. I am thankful to him for his support and encouragement for being my dearest and best friend. He is always there for me. He is the best dad ever for my kids.

Me: What about your time with Anand? How you guys take out time for each other?

Aparna: There was a time when Anand and I started to feel that we really need some time to talk, when it’s just us. As our kids sleep with us, so we have a rule now that we will sit for late night chats on Fridays and Saturdays after kids are asleep. It is working great till now. After we started it we realized that we needed it so much.

We also plan our breakfast dates when kids are in school. :)

Me: Yes that time is very important for every couple. Are you both on the same page when dealing with kids?

Aparna: Most of the the times we are on the same page and clear about our ideas and so is Vyom now. He knows that a No means No and we try not to say that often. But I think I tend to shout a little more than my husband, but I don’t get too mad as I don’t lose it. However my toddler is at a stage where she doesn’t listen to us at all. But we can’t do much about it other than try to distract her. She is too young to make anything understand.

Me: How often do you use rulers?

Aparna: I don’t put them to use and I highly doubt they help. I have never used even a slap in the last 5 years and I don’t see the need. I think using rulers means that if you can’t win an argument with kids then you try to scare them or out power them. It does not work for me.

Me: Though you already broke so many stereotypes still any one in particular you want to mention.

Aparna: Never thought of this one, but it has to be that your life is finished after kids or you can not look pretty or get back in shape. None of them is true. You can always do whatever you want to do. There is always a workaround. Yes, life gets very different and a little too busy for few years but if you keep calm and take things easy then everything will work out.

I think all mothers need:

• To take a deep breath and think what will happen if my house is messy for a day.

• To make a choice between spending time with kids and cooking four options for kid’s dinner.

• To decide whether to let kids play for a while and stay messy so that you can spend some time with a friend/ read a book or cleaning your kids and home.

Me: What does your kids love the most from mum’s kitchen?

Aparna: Many because I keep trying new things for my website. But I will mention just two. Mixed Veg Paranthas and Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes.

Me: Share the recipes too.

Aparna: Mixed veg paranthas: Grate a carrot, few florets of cauliflower,chop a handful of spinach, mix them with some flour, carom seeds and salt and a dash of oil, knead the dough and make it into paranthas.

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes: Please click the link. :)

Me: What would be your advice to new mothers?

Aparna: My mum gave this advice to me and I am sharing with you now. Make your kids have meal with you and feed them the same thing you are eating. Let them get messy if it calls for and give bath after food. If you put neat and tidy kid to have meal all you get is irritation. And do not over protect kids. Let them explore the world their way.

Me: Do you follow any fitness routine or did you follow any when you were expecting?

Aparna: I walked a lot and did Lara Dutta's prenatal yoga from Youtube. I still try to be active in whatever way I can.

Me: Top 3 outfits every mommy wardrobe should have.

Aparna: I can write a lot on this one as i just wrote the capsule wardrobe. But for now let us talk about the basics.

• Jeans and T -shirts are must.

• Long tunics or front open shirts if you are breastfeeding.

• Slip on shoes are great when you are carrying a baby in one hand and bags in the other.

And try to make sure your outfit has a pocket even if its a summer dress helps in storing tissues that might be needed.

Me: What about travelling. You do a lot of camping trips.

Aparna: Yes I travel with my babies for holidays. And it is great if you have a helping hand, but if you do not have still it is OK. I mean I am not too worried about planning trips with kids. Her is short video of my baby bag that I carry every where.

Me: I know Anand trusts you completely as a mother. Still let us know what he thinks about you. :)

Anand: Aparna is a beautiful and wonderful mother. It was not a very easy decision to leave her career and be a stay at home mum. But she accepted it happily for the family and did not complained ever about it. She fills our lives with joy and happiness. I think she is a great friend to me and our kids. I just want to say her thank you for all her love and care for the family. We all love you so much.

Thank you Aparna for being part of 6 Weeks 6 Mums and thank you all the reader for coming to the website and reading the blog. Please comment, like and share.

Happy Reading!