Should i blame the sugar?

All mothers have had one of those nights, i am sure, when the little one refuses to sleep. He wants to talk and play and play some more.. This is absolute fun on a friday or a saturday but from Sunday  to Thursday nights, it is well, tiring! .. if only my one year old understood the concept of time and weekends to unleash his wild side.

So last night when my kid went on hyper drive,I played along till my last bit of energy, though continuously thinking what was causing his adrenaline to pump and decided that it was definitely sugar talking. But wait a minute, i didn't give him anything sugar laden to cause this! And then, i remembered co- incidentally, that the kheer and toberlone bits were a night before and he went off to sleep on bang on schedule!

While my son is going beserk at 1 a.m , i am raking my brains on this whole 'sugar rush' concept..is it really true or is it one of those things of the west that we have blindly aped like the cheeseburger?

I couldn't google any established facts, just a few theories and case studies: Below is what Webmd taught me;

Where Did the Sugar-Hyperactivity Theory Come From?

The notion that food can have an effect on behavior grew popular in 1973 when allergist Benjamin Feingold, M.D., published the Feingold Diet. He advocated a diet free of salicylates, food colorings and artificial flavoring for treating hyperactivity. Although Feingold's diet didn't call for eliminating sugar specifically, it did suggest to many parents that food additives might be better avoided. Little surprise, then, that refined sugar soon came under scrutiny.

Then a 1978 study published in the journal Food and Cosmetics Toxicology found that hyperactive children given glucose tolerance tests had results that suggested reactive hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). As yet, though, there are no good theories to explain the connection.

What We Know About Sugar

In the past 10 years, several studies have examined the effects of sugar on children's behavior. Here are the aspects of the studies that make them credible:

• Known quantities of sugar in the diets were studied.
• The studies compared the effects of sugar with those of a placebo (a substance without any active ingredients).
• The children, parents and researchers involved in the studies never knew which children were given which diets (this is known as a "double-blind" study and helps to prevent unconscious biases from affecting the results).

An analysis of the results of all these studies was published in the November 22, 1995 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers' conclusions? Sugar in the diet did not affect the children's behavior. The authors did point out, though, that the studies didn't rule out completely that sugar might be having a slight effect on a small number of children.

There you go.. it's all a farce..at least from my experience and lack of substantial evidence. Bring out the cake!

My friend at work pointed out today that when i buy a new bag, shoe, dress  etc i am so excited sharing pictures with friends, thinking what to wear it with and when.. and literally spend hours and hours talking about it..it's adrenaline and happiness..That's what last night was for him! He was happy being with us and excited to play and didn't want the night to end..I am his new bag or shoe :) It makes me super grateful.. if only i could rationalize it last night than trying to put him to bed, i would have enjoyed it a lot more..hmpf!

Till he prefers to find happiness in materialistic things, i am game for this adrenaline junkie! 

What my one year old taught me

As my son grows into his own, i am confronted with tantrums, stubborn screams, dramatic refusals and a whole lot of drama. But that is only one aspect of it. There is an equally elevated level of love, tenderness and affection all in a span of a few minutes!Sometime i feel it might be the beginning of a bipolar disorder for me. So, for my own sanity, i thought one day to take a step back and see what is really going on.

This is what i learnt:

1. He is an individual. This is a HUGE learning because all this while i wanted him to behave the way I wanted him to be. Why should he? He has a sharp mind. Has likes and dislikes like any one of us. He prefers to play with our shoes than his toys. it's HIS choice. Accept it. When i started giving in to these silly playthings, i realised that he was at the shoe game for a whole 5 mins then moving on to banging the spoon game or just plain distracted by a colourful balloon. What it saved me was a whole lot of back and forth screaming and preserving my sanity a little longer. Banging on the glass table is still off limits, FYI.

2. He has the right to choose how affectionate he wants to be with extended family and friends. OK, so just because i am close to a cousin, does not mean he has to be as well. If he does not want to Hi five my cousin, then so be it! I am not close to a lot of people and if you would force me to hi five them i would give you a look that could drain all your blood out! Then why do i expect him to share the affection that i share with another individual? He can take his time to know people better and trust them before giving out hugs and kisses. And anyway, for the kind of world we live in, i think its better off for my son to not go around kissing.. even the flying one.

3. PATIENCE: This has to be learning number 1. Every-time i want him to hurry up, only because the world expects it.. i have to consciously remind me to slow down. Like, when he would not crawl for a very long time, i did meet with some snide remarks and lots of free advice. It does get to you, to think your child is not upto mark. Thankfully, my husband was least bit affected and would only tell,'He will when he is ready'. it's true.. so true..because when he started, he would just not stop! like the little jerry mouse going all around the house, nibbling every little thing that crosses his path..would not stop even for a bit, not even to change the diapers..sweet misery! It all gets repeated again when the nosy relatives show their disappointment that my son does not walk on his own yet.. I smile..knowing very well that it's just the lull before the storm hits.

4. He is learning about this world. I know how to walk, climb, eat with my hands, wear my shoes not because i am a genius but i had my parents teach me all that. And i forget that climbing up a step is a learning that he has to go through. I was such a fool for him 'to know' how to climb up an uneven path..he stood there not taking a step forward because he could not balance himself up the incline..and i wondered for a fraction of a second what happened. Dumb mommy moment.. but the fun of it was that as soon as i took him up the incline he loved it so much that for the next 2 minutes we were going up and down the bumpy road! It's amazing to watch him build his confidence and enjoy the basic things in life that i had long forgotten. It is a humbling moment.

5. Living in the moment:  The minute you stop worrying about the milk that got spilled, the food that got burned, the bread crumbs on the floor, the nappy that needs cleaning, the clothes he pulled out of the closet and is sweeping the floor with and just look at him, you will smile.. with joy.. with love.. with the realization that this is the moment that memories are made of. that you will not get this day again.this time again..EVERYTHING ELSE CAN WAIT.

Did you see that?

This post is an epiphany. It has NOTHING to do with my son or me or my motherhood-ness..this is THAT OMG moment when i discover something and have absolutely no idea who to scream it out to.

So, if you have been following me by any chance, (i know you havn't) i have recently fallen in love with a lot of these pakistani salwar suits because they are stylish, smart, etc.. read it here if you want to know more.

Naturally i indulged in a lot of shopping to satisfy this craving. Bumped into a designer called Ali Xeeshan who's designs seemed cool and quirky...much like apna Manish Arora.  Picked up the suit below, but like all pakistani lawn suits, I had to assemble it like Ikea. Respite being that i could place the embroideries where i wanted them.

Mine is a tad different than what the model has worn but thats not the point here. What i would like you to focus on, dear readers, are the embroidered patches. The below one in particular.

Now while this Eid collection came out in Aug 2014, what has recently been launched in the classier part of the world, is -hold you breathe- Louis Vuitton 2015 Resort wear by Nicholas Ghesquiere (of Balenciaga fame) and it LOOKS LIKE THIS!!

Saw it on highheelconfidential, my go to blog with the first cup of coffee every morning in office while waiting for  my mails to download.

Now i shall breathe.. because you know now apart from me, that the BIGGEST conglomerate in the luxury world has blatantly copied a design from the much less known designer from one of the third world countries!

Below is Mr. Xeeshan with and in his creation.