May 31, 2011

Mysore beckoned




Went to Mysore for the weekend.

Met up with old friends and folks- Navy had done his college there.

Ate at the Olive Graden/ Tree where we had been a decade ago. Watched CSK win the IPL and must admit was thrilled though I should support the Blore team now.

Enjoyed the zoo thoroughly and wondered how the name Mysore coud be mispronounced - My sore and how foreigners may find it amusing .

May 28, 2011

Mommyhood learnings





Rushme tagged me on this interesting Mommyhood tag. Doing a tag after a long time- Thanks!




Anushka was very excited about her uniform and we tried it out and I felt that the dull uniform acquired colour and character and actually brightened up once she donned it.


Lesson 1: When I was a non mom, I would laugh at the Indian Maatha on TV/ movies, I thought that I would be an objective and unbiased mother. Yeah, right!



Anushka quizzed me as to why kids have to wear uniform. Did office goers also wear them. Like in XYZ factory I reminded her where the boss uncle is a friend of Navy's. Then why does the boss uncle not wear the uniform? He should as per her logic that those who worked in the factory should be wearing the uniform.




Lesson2: Motherhood has made me take a closer look at how we do things and why we do things. I am amazed by the questions and the thoughts that little ones shoot about.


Aditi just loves to play with balloons but she is also scared of them if they are lying on the floor.


I did not get to even see Anush's first fallen milk tooth which I wanted to preserve. She thought it was yuck and had discarded it .


Lesson 3: Motherhood has taught me to go with the flow. Expect the unexpected. Don't feel embarrassed. Be more flexible with plans. That fun can be had with a broken bat or a piece of sparkly paper. Not be so particular as to how the house looks. Though once in a while the control freak in me takes over.



Parenting while working is a difficult task with travel and meetings and late evenings and so on to juggle with. But trusting anyone with your baby is not easy at all.


Lesson 4: How important it is to have support while rearing kids- be they parents ( like mine) or in laws or help or a spouse who can be home when you are not. I am so grateful to them.




While I have never feared my own death in the past, I wonder how my kids would survive if I were to die. I raise them to be empowered, but I hope that I am around for them. I want to keep things in order, write a will, make tapes / letters just in case.


Lesson 5: There is more purpose to my life than ever.




The kids are my recharge batteries (though they wear me out at times)


They make feel young and zestful ( though they think I am mighty big and old)


They make me feel good- I love me most as a mother and I have never loved myself more in any other role be it at work or as a daughter or a wife ( though the kids may not rate me the best mother in the years to come, I know I have tried my best and that is good enough)

May 27, 2011

Aditi is 20!

Aditi inadvertantly had a party for her 20th month bday!! In all that excitement I forgot to do the post on it.

Baby you are wild and adorable and love to help around
You have no problem climbing the steps to the mid size slide and zooming down, swinging up high is your cup of tea..
You love to find ways to amuse others
You are naughty and hardly show remorse though you mention the magic words pretty frequently

May 26, 2011

Spread the word(s)

Had an awesome get together of the Saffron Tree folks in Bangalore. We got to see gorgeous kids, exchange books and of course there was a lot of chat and eats. This time there was full attendance. Hope we have many more such.

BTW If you have old books to donate, (for ages 0-22 yrs) do get in touch with me or choxbox.


And here is Anushka's newer book shelf though we continue to patronise her old one as well.

May 23, 2011

A Swinging Weekend



Anushka performed at the Swingers Dance show and she was so charged about it. Swingers has an effective strategy of coaching kids and exciting them enough for us to shell out a fair amount to view the show. Indulgent parents and grandparents made up the crowd. It was fun and Anushka's look of elation at having performed was priceless.

May 20, 2011

Fruits of the season



While we have always gone berserk over mangoes, Aditi follows suit.


My mom recently found these fruits in Jaynagar.


The light green ones taste like 'rose' water almost - panneer soda for those who are familiar- very polarising response- Navy loves them-they are also filled with nostalgia for him.


The middle pink ones are light green in Mumbai and are a watery fruit- I love it but no one else eats them at home.


The small green ones are hog plums(?) meant for pickles.

May 18, 2011

What she did this summer...

Well technically she is still doing since summer is still on...
  • Sai Visharam, a beach resort in Karnataka
  • Chinatmani ( to be with indulgent grand folks)
  • Cubbon Park, Lal Bagh, Ulsoor lake
  • Stanley ka Dabba at the theatre
  • Green pocket ( at last)
  • A dentist visit
  • Some family dos
Need to go to Bangalore Palace sometime soon-  I have not been able to take her for this.

Summer surely has been with a capital S
  • Swimming - not been able to do much of late since the pool is in repair
  • Summer camp at Kids Kouch which included  key board, dance, story telling , craft and cooking
  • Swingers Dance workshop- which she thoroughly enjoys
Much to her disappointment, skating did not happen.

At home
  • (Cr)Art: Kolam from grandmas and Felt work with me
  • Hindi script by herself
  • Abacus - a bit reluctantly!!
  • Reading and being read stories
  • Globe hopping- using a globe/ atlas
  • India hopping- through dress up and discussion
  • Making cards for birthdays galore and writing notes
  • Helping in the kitchen- peeling veggies, juice making
  • Chilling out with her sister and generally being a kid- the BEST part

Oh yes, we paid off our house loan on flat no 2. Yipee to us. (Though we have a soft loan to pay off still to my dad :-) )
Time to  invest in Blore.

May 17, 2011

Really wanted to witness this

Went to Cubbon Park even but found NO parking at all and had to turn back

I am told they perform every third Sat or Sunday- anyone knows more?

May 16, 2011

Refreshed and back

Was at Dhule/ Dhulia in interior Maharashtra for a few days. Very novel experience of visiting an age old Vanaspthi factory among other things.

An official Paris trip fizzled off due to visa delay. Not much regrets since I have been there before and that too with Navy.

We finally went to Ulsoor lake and the kids had a ball.

Went for a shaadi in a hitherto unexplored part of  Bangalore.

It was probably the hottest summer day in Bangalore yesterday.

May 11, 2011

Blog break

Taking a break from blogging. Will see you in a while.

May 10, 2011

Overheard

Anush was telling Aditi that "....all human beings come from animals you know- ape- monkey- gorilla...."
Aditi responded with a quizzical look.

Anush explaining We are the world to an older  cousin-" There were many children in Africa who did not have food. So many singers sang this song....to collect money for food for them"

Aditi responds correctly when asked "What is your name?"
But she has the same answer when you ask for anyone else's name as well....

Anush wanted to preserve some discarded carton for her "important papers"

May 09, 2011

Nature Mania

Lalbagh it was this weekend. First time for Aditi- third or fourth for Anush.
We had loads of fun and I had not even carried  a ball with me.
Nature offers enough to kids to play with and their imagination adds on to the fun.

Went to the famed MTR for breakfast and enjoyed the Rava Idli but found the turning off of fans midway through our breakfast rude. If the weather had been better I would have lauded the same.

Toying with investing in a flat in Bangalore. But this time I am not going to go overboard.  The motto is going to be de-clutter. Because we are placing access and convenience over size and style, given the budget.

Here is the another bit of fun we have been having with colourful felt paper..

May 06, 2011

Then and Again



This is one of my favourite pavadais of Anush worn by both the girls.

Aditi looks a bit miffed about having to wear hand me downs!


It is from Maharashtra and typically worn as a blouse at least in Mumbai.

This fabric has been used oh so innovatively here..

May 05, 2011

Of teeth

One goes......



Many come....


May 04, 2011

My Day !

I was flooded with gifts- flowers, sunglasses, a new cassette - CD- DVD- radio player, DVDs, clothes and cards, cake- cookies and wishes on FB, on the blog and in person/ over phone. Just when I thought it could not get better- we went for dinner to NH 8 - highly recco for veg Rajasthani food barring rotis all was stuff good.


Anush is attending Summer Fun at Swingers and is really having a ball!


Went to Kobe's sizzlers a few days back. Am note sure I like sizzlers anymore( barring the brownie one of course) though teh place and stuff was nice enough.



And here is an Anushism that left us in splits- we were attending a family do on Monday
Anush to her thaatha- " Thaathu, you are looking so smart! " Thaatu was in a gorgeous white kurta- pyjama.


Enter Navy in a white shirt and a mismatched off white dhoti. " Appa thaathu is looking so smart and you are looking so funny....." Navy will never forget to wear a contrast shirt now on with his dhoti.

May 03, 2011

35 yrs young

That is what I am today.

I believe everyone's life has a movie/book's worth in it. If someone were to capture mine so far, it would make for a happy story.

A big Thank You to all who make my life special and keep me young.

May 02, 2011

Rosy lips, teeth without

Anush was so excited to lose her first tooth. "I am very happy- now I will have a new tooth Amma!" she exclaimed.



By chance found some fab stuff for the kids at the Wilson garden Tirupur garments sale.



Explored an idly place called Madurai Idly stall and found the pongal great.


Ate bajjis in the rain, in what seems to be a mini VV puram food street in Wilson garden


Had the first Yummy mango of the season.


All in all a great weekend spent visiting family and friends and eating of course.


And the dress up was like Kate the princess who got "kalyanam".

Here is the Queen (great grandmother) with her great & grand princesses