Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Winter activities in Naperville-Soccer, Karate and Indoor Swim

As winter approaches parents with young kids get new job-the hunt for indoor activities for their active kids. I have been in the same boat and still I am.
When my son's second winter came,it started getting difficult to keep him indoor on the weekends as weekdays we had playdates but weekend are family days for everybody. Also toddlers are so much into kicking so here is a place Just for Kicks. We are a big fan of this place even though we have to drive little far from where we live we are going there for almost 2 years now.Thanks to our friend Dana for introducing us to this place.


Now lets come to swimming, I took my son to YMCA for swimming classes they offer but he refused to go the second time then we found this State of the Art saltwater pool. Since his first class onwards he looks forward to Swim at Bear Paddle.Residents of Naperville and Woodridge can take advantage of their 2 locations. It is open for kids as young as 6 months to 11+. The interior of the clubhouse gives open invitation to the kids to come and have a splash and instructors don't push them but at the same time teach them what is required for the class last but not least the people at front desk beats any customer service.So they get 👍👍. Bonus is that they are open on Sundays too.

One more good place to keep the kids busy for all ages is Sharkey's Karate. They take kids as young as 3 years and call them Little Sharks. Bonus is they are open on Sundays too.


Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Raahgiri Gurgaon: A phenomenon good to be a part of!

                                          Be active live healthy!
Active parents have active children, suggest the results of a large study. By exercising regularly themselves, parents can help protect their children against obesity, say researchers.
Parents can carve time out of their hectic weekdays schedule and have a playdate with their kids playing street games, or riding bikes without any worries about a car coming from behind.
Keeping this in mind Traffic administration in Gurgaon and citizens took the initiative by the name Raahgiri to reclaim the streets of Gurgaon. The name Raahgiri communicates that this is about taking charge of our own journey, of our own streets, of our lives.
Children and adults are invited to bike, skate, run and walk; to partake in community leisure activities such as street games, street dancing; to learn yoga, aerobics and Zumba.
Raahgiri Day is a weekly street event happening on all Sundays from 07:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon.
Currently there are 2 locations in Gurgaon- Sushant Lok and DLF phase 5 and Palam Vihar where citizens can take advantage of open wide roads.
More than anything else I find Raahgiri day to be a day to socialize and make friends and get to know my community better.

I have personally witnessed many young kids volunteering their time to make the process smooth which gives them sense of responsibility and make them aware of traffic rules and regulations. This is another big reason to bring the kids out on road on Raahgiri day.
Amidst the dins and the bustle of the Gurgaon traffic the experience of the road without any traffic is so heavenly.
It is definitely a good initiative for helping your kids fall in love with outdoor activities. Active parents have active children, suggest the results of a large study. It is a good platform for parents to be a role models for their kids.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Driving License in Gurgaon- An approach towards betterment

Recently getting license in Gurgaon has become very transparent and simple. There is negligible room for agents and hence corruption level is quite low here in Gurgaon.

Rules for recently moved residents:
Since I am not a permanent resident of Gurgaon, I had to open an account in nationalized bank as a proof of residence along with Gas connection copy and BSNL landline phone bill. If the bank account is in your spouse's name have you as co-holder please have your marriage certificate ready. 
Where to go:
Ekal Seva Center, Ground Floor, Mini Secretariat, Gurgaon. Ekal Seva Center is at the Ground Floor of Mini Secretariat building (next to District Court) located near Rajiv Chowk Roundabout.

Proof of address: Copy of any three from the following:
1.    Election Voter ID card
2.    Ration Card
3.    Electricity Bill
4.    BSNL Telephone Bill
5.    Water Bill
6.    Nationalized Bank Pass Book
7.    Passport
8.    Gas connection
If you don't have 3 proofs in your name then you can attach proofs with your spouse's name too (in this case carry the marriage certificate)
Date of birth proof: Copy of any one of the following:
1.   High school Certificate or mark sheet showing date of birth proof
2.    Passport
3.    PAN Card
4.    LIC Certificate
Procedure to get a driving license in Gurgaon:
1.      Ekal Seva Center (at the Ground Floor of Mini Secretariat building) near the court
2.      Fill 1 & 2 from 1st counter and paste your pictures. Attach the address proof and date of birth proof.
3.      Clerk will send you for medical checkup at one of the cabins in the halls. Pay the fee of Rs. 150 for the same. Don’t forget to get a receipt and attach it with the documents. Here you are basically tested for color blindness and have to verify all the medical information regarding oneself along with blood group so please make sure to know your blood group before going.
4.      You will be required to go to Road Safety Knowledge Centre at Traffic Department Office in Sector 51 for a 90 minutes movie followed by a Computerized Written test (Make sure to refresh your road signs and knowledge). This test comprises of 30 questions and you are required to score 60% to pass the test.
5.      Back to the line to submit the documents to the clerk who will verify the forms and documents and sign the same (this can be pain if any document is missing or if you are dependent on any of the address proof and don’t have marriage certificate)
6.      You will be directed to deposit the fee of Rs. 110 for license processing and get picture taken. You will be issued a counter slip confirming that you have applied for driving license (learner).
7.      You will be receiving postal mail with your learner license.

 Note: This learner license is valid for six months. However, the applicant can apply for converting the same into confirm driving license after 42 days and the following forms and documents would be required and fee of Rupees 400.A Permanent license of the appropriate class will be granted after the successful completion of a driving test conducted by the RTO. In case of failure, a retest can be requested but not before a period of 7 days
    Getting permanent license

1.     Visit the Ekal Seva Center get Form No. 4 from a counter, fill it and affix your picture on it.
2.      Attach the original learner license and also the Date of Birth proof and address proof again with the forms and Get them signed by the license clerk.
3.      Deposit an amount of Rs. 400 at the fee counter in the same hall. 
4.      Visit the third floor in the same at the office of RTO who will issue a date for the driving test. It is conducted between 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm from Monday to Friday, by Gurgaon Traffic Police Inspector.
5.      After you are through with the test, get the approval attached to the form.
6.      Issue: You have to come next day to Ekal Seva to deposit the file with the approval form where the confirm license would be ready within a week time. Timings are 9:00 am to 1:00pm

Here is a great opportunity of improvement for License Authority-people need not come the next day to deposit the file. Either the test should be conducted before 11:00 or the Ekal Seva clerk timings should be till 5:00 to avoid revisit.

ATTENTION: Must take a pen and a glue stick

Renewal of License after the expiry of validity
No driving test required and it takes about 7-10 days to get your new license.

What to carry:
1.   Original driving license,
2.   2 passport sized picture,
3.   Date of birth proof (passport, High School or 10+2 certificate or mark sheet),
4.   Address proof (passport, telephone bill, ration card, election ID card)

Where to go:
Ekal Seva Center, Ground Floor, Mini Secretariat, Gurgaon

What to do:
1.    Get form no.9 and fill them and paste passport pictures 
2.    Attach the address proof and date of birth proof.
3.    Get the forms verified by the license clerk 
4.    Deposit the fee of Rs 200 and get the medical done at specified counter. 
5.    Deposit the forms and documents with the clerk. 

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Gurgaon-Kids hangouts and birthday parties

Birthdays are an annual thing. A time of excitement for kids, tweens, teens and young adults but a time for panic for parents
Come October each year the planner in me starts getting restless. First year in Gurgaon so no ideas of place to have birthday party except our house. Party in house brings lots of work which was not in my plan.
So hunt for a party place began!!

Stellar Children's Museum- This museum is located in Ambience Mall, Gurgaon
It is a nice place for birthday parties as well as for your kids to spend a day.
Price: INR 500 per child; INR 200 per adult; Include Explore It! Gallery plus one hour for an additional INR 4000 on a weekday (Monday-Thursday) & INR 6500 on a weekend (Friday-Sunday) OR INR 200 per child without an additional hour.
However they have a minimum kids requirement: 20 children weekdays (Monday-Thursday) and 30 children on weekends (Friday-Sunday)

iSKATE: Located on the 6th floor of Ambience Mall, Gurgaon. The ice rink is spread over a sprawling 15000 sq feet.
This is a cool place for birthdays if all the kids know skating. 

Mcdonald’s at Omaxe City, Sector 49 - The old Mac Donald’s can never be a wrong choice. This location has a good size room to accommodate 20 kids. The party package comes with a party host, invitations, birthday caps and 2 games moderated by host. All you have to bring is cake. Food can be ordered here itself.

The Krimzon Cafe: This is located at Ground Floor, Vipul Plaza, Suncity, Sector 54, Golf Course Road, Gurgaon. The Outdoor area is lovely with the white fence giving it a beautiful feel. The fact that the surrounding area is not crowded makes it an ideal place for having parties since it gives you the required privacy. Bouncers could be arranged in the space outside.

Always one has to celebrate his birthday where his friends celebrated so we ended up choosing the sweet ole Mac Donald.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

GURGAON-home deliveries

Alright living in Gurgaon is fun but it is a big culture shock to us. I almost try to avoid traffic- my interaction with traffic includes my trip to my son's school, office which luckily is near, friends and sometimes malls or Galleria.
I know this is not totally avoidance of traffic and the unplanned  Gurgaon roads but still for my day today needs I found stores that do home deliveries.
Few of them are:

Grocery shopping-

Yededo- It is an awesome Organic Online Store. You place your order by 3 on Wednesday and Saturdays and the grocery will be delivered the next day. Orders can be placed emailing rahul@essaarorganic.com or calling 9899691740. Minimum order purchase is Rs 500.
Shyam Store- New Shyam Store is located at Vyapar Kendra, C-Block , Sushant Lok Phase I. This shop keeps all Multi branded grocery ranges. Orders can be placed calling 9811501164. Minimum order purchase is Rs 400. 

Pharmacy:

I have used both below listed pharmacy
Mittal Pharmacy: It is at Shop No GF-43, Sushant Vyapar Kendra, Sushant Lok-I, Gurgaon.This pharmacy supplies medicine as well as general merchandise. Orders can be placed calling 9810914589 and 0124-4044078. Minimum order purchase is Rs 500
Pasricha Pharmacies- This is a chain pharmacy with several locations. Call 124 414 5151 to place order with minimum order price of Rs 500.