LIFE AS IT IS

I wanted to order some food from a local café, so I Googled to find their phone number. The search result took me by shock, it said that the café was “permanently closed.” Scrumptious was a favourite local café, where I often went to relish a hearty breakfast over veggie omelette, toast, and coffee. My daughter loved their froyo (frozen yoghurt). Scrumptious is one of the thousands of small businesses that have closed down during this pandemic. Small businesses around the world have taken a hit during these challenging times. As citizens and consumers, it is our responsibility to support small businesses wherever we live, because they are the backbone of an economy! The Daily Star link: Nowadays when I go grocery shopping, I try to buy locally produced fruits and vegetables. When I order food online for delivery or takeout, I opt for a local restaurant instead of a nationwide chain. No, I do not exclusively order from local restaurants, because the national chains are just everywhere! ...

The lockdown condition of spring and summer seasons was bearable, thanks to long, sunny days and warm weather. However, as I look to the future and think of the cool-cold days ahead, I feel that spending the next six months within four walls could become challenging. I almost want to beg to these sunshine days, "Please stay a bit longer." America is fearing a second wave of the coronavirus in the fall. Health experts are worried about how dire the situation may look like in the fall and winter, the seasons when the influenza virus also circulates. Second wave or not, my daughter's school is not reopening for in-person classes this year and my husband will continue to work from home until at least the end of 2020. I am preparing myself for the frigid, housebound days. I am a warm weather person all in all. I like to keep my windows open and let in the fresh air. I love summer mornings when sunshine pours through my east-facing windows. However, as cold days arrive and temp...

"For a working mother to be able to successfully blend and balance work and family lives, the key ingredients are planning, planning, and planning. Even during normal times, this involved setting out a basic routine for myself and the kids for weekdays, and even weekends," said Nadia Tabassum, regional manager at Unilever Bangladesh, and mother of three boys aged 11, 7, and 3. "I thrive on routine and for me, a single unplanned day can truly create havoc!" So, one of the biggest hurdles that working mothers like Tabassum faced, especially in the early days of the pandemic, was the complete meltdown of all established routines. The Daily Star link Career women have always shouldered a heavy burden of responsibilities and social expectations, long before COVID-19 was a thing. A working woman was already juggling work, family, and life, but at the onset of the pandemic, their responsibilities suddenly increased. Overnight, a working mother became a teacher and a childc...

These are the books 📚  my 7-year-old finished reading in this lockdown...  Here goes the list:  ~ The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton ~ The Secret Seven series by Enid Blyton ~ Amelia Bedelia chapter book set ~ Roald Dahl complete collection ~ The Secrets of Droon book series ~ Magic Tree House book series  ~ Junie B. Jones book series These pictures here do not include, obviously, the couple of hundred e-books that she read on Epic! I want to congratulate myself on her achievement, even if no one else congratulates me on this. But the truth is, a lot of people did praise me and congratulated me when I shared with them these photos. As a parent, I would like to encourage you to sow the seed of love of reading in your child. If that seed ever germinates, your child will never get bored easily. I know every child is different, but I also know that when we were kids, all my friends and cousins loved to read. Reading was our favorite pastime. And that helped most of u...

On a countless number of couples worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought on unprecedented marital challenges. China, the country from where all of this began, experienced a spike in divorce after the country began to lift the lockdown. Having said that, there are also couples for whom the lockdown has opened new opportunities to bond like never before. But no matter what, this pandemic surely has pushed us into a situation we did not foresee. When two people live under one roof and see each other 24/7 month after month with no end in sight, conflicts are inevitable.   The Daily Star link “We are living in a highly anxiety-provoking environment,” said Nusrat Siraj, a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) of Bangladeshi origin, who practices in New York City. “Social isolation, financial stress, loss of loved ones, and health concerns have all led to an increased marital conflict globally.”                  Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed ...

While so many of us are at home to  “ flatten the curve,” or in other words, to reduce the spread of the COVID-19, our healthcare professionals are fighting long, grueling hours on the front lines. Have you ever wondered what a typical day for a doctor at a hospital is like during this pandemic? Have you wondered what kind of life they are living right now, or what profound challenges and struggles they are facing in the battlefield? We have i nterviewed two physicians, who have been fighting on the front lines since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.  Dr. Shapur Ikhtaire Physician & Internal Medicine Specialist,  Bangabandhu Sheikh Muj ib Medical University (BSMM U) On June 24, Dr. Shapur Ikhtiare visited his in-laws to meet his wife and only son, who was soon to turn three. He had not seen them in more than six weeks. Physicians like Dr. Ikhtiare, who are fighting on the front lines, self-isolate themselves to avoid the possibil...

Play is the highest form of research. —Albert Einstein She collects all sorts of things for her crafts. These things range anywhere from bottle caps, egg cartons, cereal boxes, Styrofoam to ribbons, empty cans and cosmetic containers, old T-shirts and paper towel rolls. My 7-year-old daughter has taught me that you can make a new "something" out of (almost) anything. However, to let this creativity happen, you have to bear with a lot of mess, tears, frustration over failed projects, and a small investment in children's craft supplies. Don't worry, it's all worth the trouble. The Daily Star link Screens are enticing. True, they can keep your child occupied for hours. And, why not? Digital entertainment options available to children are literally unlimited! But unfettered screen time comes at a price.  Some of the negative effects of too much screen time in children include being overweight and obese for the lack of physical activity; poor vision; slee...

“When can I go back to school?" asked my daughter. I find it difficult to tell her that there will not be any school for her for the rest of this school year. She misses riding the yellow bus to and from her school. She misses her teachers and friends, like hundreds of millions of children across the world who are at home because they are under some kind of lockdown. My daughter's daily routine is in disarray. The Daily Star link The White House announced that Americans would have to stay at home until at least April 30. In our state, the governor has ordered a shelter-in-place until May 15. From what I am hearing, watching, and reading, I can safely say that there will most likely be no more school for our children this school year. They will lose a chunk of their normal childhood in the process, but then again, this is not exactly a normal time from any perspective. As a matter of fact, closing down schools is having an immensely positive impact on our effort to ...

Shadow play: we have a deer🦌, an alligator🐊, a bunny🐇 and a swan 🦢. My daughter and I created animals with our shadows.  Do you have kids at home? Build visual skills by playing with shadows. I know we are stuck at home, but let’s come up with creative solutions to our boredom.

March 15, 2020 I have always followed good hygiene practices, or so I thought. However, after the World Health Organization began to share proper hand-washing techniques following the coronavirus outbreak, I realised that I seldom washed my hands for at least 20 seconds, and a lot of times, skipped the backs of my hands. Am I grossing you out? But did you know that 4 out of 5 people do not wash their hands properly? I did not, until recently. However, living and working in pandemic conditions are teaching us new things every day. At the time of writing this piece, the total number of confirmed cases has topped 182,000 with over 7,000 deaths globally. The schools in my state, Delaware, have been shut down. My husband's workplace has asked its employees to work from home. Bars, taverns and restaurants were ordered by the state's governor to halt their dine-in services. From today onward, the food joints in Delaware, Pennsylvania, California, New York, Michigan, Maryland an...