Create Personalized Picture Memories Using Photojaanic India

I love adorning my home with pictures of my children, so when the team at Photojaanic contacted me to try out their product, it was quite difficult to say no to them.

The brand was launched in the year 2013, before which they were already partnering with Kodak to help customers create beautiful images in print. The idea behind the brand is to help their customers tell their stories through personalized print products.

While they have two very interesting concepts - photobooks and wall art - I chose to go for a wall mount print.

One of the very first reasons was that I already have a lot of images in the house, but most of them are framed. And there are quite a few images that I would love to see as a mounted piece instead of a framed one. Hence I thought it would be a nice way to try out their features and see what my kids had to say about it.

Needless to say, I wanted to surprise my kids, so had not mentioned anything to them. So when the big package arrived, they were obviously very excited to see what it contained. And when I took out the print and put it up on the wall, the smiles and the shouts of happiness was simply worth getting that print done from Photojaanic.

The print size that I ordered was 11 X 14 and there are a host of other size options you can choose from. Also, I went for the full image style in portrait as I wanted to have the image take up the entire space and not add any borders or designs.

The site has a range of edit options that you can easily use to create your very own custom photobooks as well as custom kids photobooks.

I am extremely happy with the finished product, which comes with a glossy effect. The mounted print is very light in weight, and as it comes with a wall mount hook, it is very easy to put it up on the wall. The borders are thick and neat, and there is a seamless flow in the image and the frame.

In fact, we loved it so much that very soon we will order a new batch of images again. It's super easy to use and takes barely a few minutes to create your own custom image art piece. These steps will help you do just that, if you are looking for the mounted art option, once you have chosen which images you want to create using Photojaanic.

1. Login to the website
2. Select 'Product' 'Mounted Prints' 'Select Size' - I chose the size 11 X 14
3. Click 'Get Started'
4. Choose a style for the mounted print - I chose the 'Full Image' style
5. Click in the center and you will see 'Choose Photo' option on the left hand side with options to select and upload your image.
6. The image will appear in the template. You can use various edit tools on the right hand side, such as 'Filter' 'Border' 'Text' and so on to further use your creativity and customize the image
7. Click 'Preview' and check your final image. You can further edit if required, else 'Add to cart' and checkout

That's all the steps that you need to create these beautiful photo stories for your home. I would definitely suggest you try them out, and also use these as gifting options for friends and family. 

- Debolina Raja

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And like I always believe in and say:
'Heal the world we live in
Save it for our children' - MJ

Happy Parenting!!!!

Debolina Raja

The Road to Responsibility: A Resource Guide for Teen Drivers and Their Parents #GuestPost

One of the biggest concerns that most parents of preteens and teens have is related to driving. While as parents we often talk to our kids about the importance of safe driving and never driving under the influence of alcohol, many incidents still take place, often leading to tragic results.

Some time back, I received a mail from another concerned and responsible writer/researcher, asking if I would like to share some resources on the same. Here is a very educative and easy to understand resource that you can go through as a parent, and can also share with your young child or teen to make them understand the importance of safe driving and ways to ensure they are not in any form of danger while being on the road.

Here's a look at the same.....

The Road to Responsibility: A Resource Guide for Teen Drivers and Their Parents

For most teens, learning to drive is their way of making a major leap towards adulthood. This rite of passage is exciting for teens, but scary for parents. There is good news, though. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in the past decade, drunk driving fatalities in people under the age of 21, per a population of 100,000 people, has decreased by 49 percent.

In 1982, when the NHTSA started tracking statistics relating to drunk driving, the number of fatal crashes involving drivers under 21 was at a record high of 80 percent or 5,215 teens, compared to 10 percent or 1,021 teens in 2015.

Although the numbers look positive, there are some sobering statistics, too. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every single day, six teens die in a car accident, but the saddest news of all is that there are many ways these accidents could have been prevented.

Crash Prevention Awareness: Understanding the Risk Factors

YOU CAN READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

- Debolina Raja

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And like I always believe in and say: 
'Heal the world we live in 
Save it for our children' - MJ 

Happy Parenting!!!! 

Debolina Raja

Cute Kids Clothes From Pinkalicious #FirstLook My Thoughts

Some time back, about a month or so ago, I was contacted by the team of a kids' clothing brand called Pinkalicious.

While I do a lot of clothing reviews, lookbooks and hauls for myself, I am very wary when it comes to clothes for my kids. In many instances, the material or fabric is not that good as it seems on the images, or the fit may not be good, and many brands do not give enough importance to small details such as the accessories used, the zips and buttons used and so on,

I told the team my concern and they were quick to inform me that I would not be unhappy. Also, they were very specific in understanding my kids' age and specifics, so that they could send me the clothes accordingly.

When I went on to their social media page, I saw a lot of styles that were really eye-catching. One of the things I needed to go by was the colour, as both my daughters are only always obsessed with the colour pink. But I also wanted to deviate a bit and experiment.

So the team suggested a few designs, and here is what I absolutely loved by the first look itself.

This is what I absolutely loved for my 3 year old. It is a little long in length, but I can still make her wear it and the best part is that it will last her a long time. The pinks and reds, along with the golden makes it for a gorgeous party dress, great for parties and weddings.

Again, my elder one does not have many non-pink clothes, and this gorgeous bright yellow tee was just perfect for a 9 year old. Also, the fact that it has a really gorgeous pink stone encrusted crown on it made it super cool.

The fabric is really soft, which is not the case in most party dresses. I am not really sure what it is but it is something that my daughter was happy to wear, it did not irritate her skin.

The zari at the border of the dress matches the one on the dupatta. Also, I am happy that it is stitched in such a way that it will not directly touch my child's skin, and not make her itchy.

The lining is made of cotton, which protects the material from directly touching the skin and does not cause any itching. This is always one of the first things I check when I am buying any fancy clothes for my kids. So this is a HUGE PLUS for me.

The zipper detail is also very good and sturdy.

The fabric of the tee is breathable, and my daughter has already started wearing it, waiting for a special occasion was too much for her :) I soooo love this crown detail. And for a change, she looooved the yellow colour!

The collar of the tee has a bright print fabric in the inner lining, which adds a lovely contrast to the overall look. I like the idea of these small yet important details.

Here are all the details you will need to get in touch with them.

The team also sent along these super cute accessories to go along with the younger one's red and pink dress, and I can't say how much she loves wearing them and feeling like a princess :)

Fun Fact About The Brand

The idea behind Pinkalicious was the dire need of a mother to find an exclusive dress for her daughter's 5th birthday party! From 1 dress and design, it soon turned into multiples!!

Today, the brand is up to work on any style and design that you want to specifically create for your little princess or prince.

You can shop for their designs at FirstCry and Little Muffet

- Debolina Raja

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And like I always believe in and say:
'Heal the world we live in
Save it for our children' - MJ

Happy Parenting!!!!

Debolina Raja

Come, Imagine Discover And Learn At Koco Kids, The New PreSchool And Play Area In Mumbai

‘Koco Kids - Imagine. Discover. Learn’ is a Preschool and Play area that has just opened at Santacruz (West), Mumbai.

Focused on providing a loving and enriching atmosphere to help your child achieve their maximum potential, this is the first of its kind Preschool & Play Area with the largest indoor and outdoor play area. At Koco Kids, you will discover tailored programs that have been thoughtfully designed for your child’s precious early years. Working closely with parents through a happy, fun and unhurried atmosphere, the group helps develop an interest in learning with fun.

Koco Kids promises a one of its kind concept which combines constructive outdoor play with a state of the art soft play and indoor play area. A place where kids of all age groups can climb, jump swing and run under one roof. Along with that there will be extra-curricular activities which will be open to all, for the complete growth of the child.

In Conversation With Co-Owner of Koco Kids, The New PreSchool And Play Area Launched In Mumbai

Most preschools and kindergarten institutes these days are offering a hands-on learning approach, so how is Koco Kids different?

Koco Kids is different because of our curriculum, our facilitators, our equipment and our overall ethos. We are extremely focused on what is developmentally and psychologically appropriate for children and have created an environment that promotes imagination, play and discovery as a medium to achieve learning. Everything from the color of our walls to the size of our blocks has been chosen considering the appropriateness for little children and how it can contribute to creating a developmentally sound environment. Our curriculum is a beautiful blend of marquee preschool educators like Madam Montessori, Reggio and Waldorf, with a healthy dose of play. We have borrowed the best from each school of teaching, modified it to make it relevant to life skills needed in today's times and thus created a unique method of teaching. We believe in letting children grow at their own pace, bringing out the uniqueness in every child and inculcating a lifelong love for learning.

Unlike other schools, we don't expect such small children to sit still at a place and listen to us. We encourage them to stay active and involved and thus our children move rooms every half an hour. Each classroom is thematic and focuses on developing a specific learning skill eg. - one room is dedicated to fine motor skills development, one to music and dance, one to art, creativity, and cognitive skills. Each day has the child moving every half hour thus catering to every kind of learner (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) , maintaining novelty and making children bold enough to adjust to a new setting quickly and easily
2. In a country that gives so much stress on learning from books from an early age, how do you encourage parents to adopt the learning through experiencing concept, rather than the learning by rote?

At this tender age we want to hone a child's imagination, develop life skills and an undying love for learning, Our curriculum is a guideline that enables teachers to steer the class in different directions based on what may interest the child since every question, every observation made by a child is an attempt to learn, and must be encouraged rather than drowned in the practice of following a rigid lesson plan.