Wonder of water

Have you noticed water fountains at malls, multiplexes, restaurants and so on? I see many kids and sometimes adults trying to touch the water. In most instances, I wonder what prompts them to touch this filthy water? Often smelly as well.

But

When you feel the first drops of rain

Drink chilled water from the fridge as you get back home in summer

Stand beneath the waterfall ( Kumbakara comes to my mind)

Or you see an ad like this one, then the magic of water hits you.

Love is all around

Anush's cousins left last night. She took it in her stride. Contrary to expectation.

Appa was here on work and spent the weekend with us. His visit was kept a surprise for her and she was thrilled to bits. Anush had eyes only for him when he was here. After seeing him off at the airport, Anush became miserable. I though she was being sleepy but then she began sobbing and said that she missed A-Thaathu and why should he go to Delhi and so on.

My FIL underwent cataract in both eyes ( over the weekend) and it went off very well. Anush was a little upset to see him in bandaged eyes but as soon as I drew her attention to a pic of Karunanidhi and said that uncle was kind of like that- she thought it funny - " Yes Amma- they are same but that Thaatha has no hair"

For my star birthday, my SIl baked me a lovely date and walnut cake. Since it was eggless, all in the family had it.

Navy got me a truckload of novels on what happened to be my star bday eve.

My mother had enrolled for a 2 week course in the basics of the Montessori philosophy at Anush's school. Some idiot we know, who is a lazy 30 something, looked surprised at this and stated ( not curiously, that would have been okay) rather impolitely that amma must be the oldest in the class !! Anyway learning has no age. Teachers/ Interested parents from as far as Pune and C'tore have come to attend it. And Amma seems to be enjoying it though she does feel that a lot of it is general common sense.

My paati who has been with us for years now, was overwhelmed to see Anushka in the poola jadai- paati loved me in it as a child and it was nostalgia trip for her.

Anush , last week, told me " Amma, how many times you will tell me " Anush I love you" Again and again you say the same thing. "

Since then I tease her and have been seeking her permission before I proclaim my love to her

Last night, she turned to me and said " Amma I won't be angry- please tell me !!"

And I feigned innocence and asked her what she wanted me to tell her !

My moment of pure evil delight.

Summer Song

Then:

Years ago,( 27 yrs to be precise), each summer for about five years, apart from the wander lust, there was a little girl in Andhra who loved to deck up her hair in a poola jadai. ( flower plait?)

Her mother would construct it using banana leaf and palm sticks and it would adorn her hair long enough for a shot at the studio with the two way mirror to capture the poola jadais beauty at various angles.

This girl began to shudder even at the mere mention of paavadi chattias on moving to Mumbai at age 10. She was hurt by the often condescending generalisations her class mates in school made about South Indians and had been too timid to retaliate. But that is a different story.

Now- today:

Anush's mother is not very arty with flowers but she did find adult size poola jadais in the flower market at Koyambedu. She decided to try for a kid size one and managed to get it custom made.

Anush was duly decked up and she turned out to be a chip off the old block, enjoying all the attention and the photo session that followed.

Cousin time

Since I have not yet taken snaps, here is an old one with the same set of cousins

Anush has a Tee that proclaims "My mom is the greatest in the world!"
Would you believe me if I said she chose the Tee herself :-))
Her cousin was reading it aloud
Anush fiercely told her cousin " NO!!! MY mom is greatest!!"

She forever is dancing with her cousins and having a ball. They indulge her a lot.
But sometimes it gets difficult for her to accept sharing her more precious toys- her Lego, her Dora paint set and so on. But after some reassurance, they collaborate and come up with great stuff together. She is generous with food though.

Sometimes Anush tells them what to do or not to do- one is 12, the other is 7!!

When I tell her that she cannot instruct others, she says " Oh I should not be a teacher?"

Panic

Finished the book last night. A page turner to use a cliche. The plot summary seems to give away too much .....

What if everything in your life was a lie? Things are going well for 24 year-old Evan Casher: his career as a documentary filmmaker is booming and his relationship with his new girlfriend, Carrie, couldn't be better. After an urgent phone call from his mother, he makes an unexpected trip home to Austin. Then the unthinkable happens. He arrives to find his mother brutally murdered, and narrowly escapes an attempt on his own life. ........

But the author takes you through it really quick in the first chapter itself and then the drama unfolds. There is good pace and unexpected twists in the first half but it meanders, becomes even predicatble in the second half.

Still a good read.

Hot "weak"end

Yesterday we made a resolution - no outings during the day for the next two months.

Had taken Anush to the zoo, the Guindy one- not even Vandalur. And almost died of the sweat and the heat. Of course Anush had a lot of fun but that was still not worth it.

The good thing about summer is the amount of juice you can easily guzzle up/down.

She loves to splash about in the baby pool in the apartment and tries to repeat a few basic swimming tips that she gathered in the 3 formal sessions she attended and then stopped. ( She stopped because the trainer shifted to the large pool since the small one had been emptied for cleaning and this put her off) Hopefully next month or next season she will be bold enough to resume the classes. We do not wish to pressure/force her.

Her paternal grand parents and cousins and aunt have come over for a vacation and she is so excited! More on this later.

Am reading Panic by Jeff Abbott- first by this author- a well written thriller

Review at 44

Yesterday was Anush's monthly bday. ...and it also happened to be her school review day . Navy could not make it since he was travelling.

I like the way kids are reviewed these days-non judgemental - no grades- more collaborative- often constructive .

She is seen as imaginative and offers vivid descriptions of incidents, songs, stories, pictures and people.

Her facility in both Tamil and English were noted as also the use of some heavy vocab.

She continues to be focused about her work and fairly self sufficient

She is more social now, is helpful and concerned about her class mates and beginning to form some close friendships.

They see her as rather mature and very perceptive- I asked if she was losing her childhood - they put my fears to rest.

And the last few weeks of school saw her well settled and less nervous/clingy for the first time since Christmas holidays.

Now for the one that made me smile : She sings Hindi film songs while working!!

Chilling out

Yesterday was Vishu and spent rather well at home

Anush wore a new cotton paavadai chattai and chanted her own prayers in anushspeak and ensured that Navy repeated every single word of the gibberish said in earnest. Forgot to take pics/ video.

We enjoyed cleaning up my wardrobe and all the clips/ earring/ bangles collection which are finally being put to use partially by Anush.

Evening was spent in the play park and we made some new friends one of whom was a most hearty one year old who could not stop gushing and smiling at us.

Saw bits of Guru for the umpteenth time and I wondered how Ash's blouses stay in place in Naana re.

While we were at it ate some boiled peanuts with my mom and grandma around to shell them ... oh what bliss.

A lazy mid week holiday "well spent."

Hairy tales

Anush used the word "tonsured" when she saw Abbas Tyrewala on TV! I was impressed.

She had heard the term a while back when she quizzed me as to why someone had golden hair.... so I told her that some had blonde, some had black, some brown, some red and some no hair....either because they were bald or had had a tonsure

Saw Ayan- rather half of it- found it worth missing!! It gets too gory. Songs are not great. Surya alternates between fab and flab.

Found some cool light weight wooden ear rings in Sundari shaped like stars, fish and parrots. Bumped into one of Anush's teachers there and Anush asked her when she could get back to school and that she was missing school very much!! Yes, the same Anush who has been rather reluctant to go to school since Christmas.

Storytrails in Mumbai

Remember this? And this?

Storytrails is an amazing initiative and they have just launched their trails in Mumbai.

To book a place, call +91 98206 71336 or mail them at geeta@storytrails.in.
The kids' trails cater to older kids as of now- 5 yrs plus.
You could also apply to join them as a storyteller.

Celebrations

Went to 601 at The Park for dinner last night. Missed my folks who were there when we went there last.


Anush enjoyed the place and said that the soup, the pizza, the vanilla bean kulfi all were "very good". (She finished the soup, ate the onions and mushrooms from the pizza and had about 3 spoons of kulfi.)


She sang Happy Birthday for Navy loud and clear and those on the adjoining tables indulged her. She behaved herself impeccably through the 2 hours or so.



And as a grand finale Anush proclaimed that her Appa was new and not old, when Navy told her that he had aged by a year.

************

An old pic from Somnathpur

Now on to a tag from Boo- who got it from HBM who is hoping to connect blogging Mothers all over the world in 80 clicks.

Here are the rules:
Just write a post of your own (5 things that you love about being a mom) and find someone to link to and tag - someone from your own country, if you like, but definitely someone from another country - and link back here and leave a comment.

When Anushka was born, I was really unprepared though ready to be a mother, if you know what I mean. Over the last few years of being a mother, I think the joy or travails of being a mother is specific to the child and the mom's temperament.

Here is why I love being Anushka's amma-

• She is my sunshine girl- I love the questions and the curiosity that often offer a new perspective.
• She is my advocate. I am truly moved by the unconditional love and the display of it. It is amusing too - I have Anush to take my side if any one dares argue with me- even if I am in the wrong!!
• She is my little devil. I relive my childhood with Anush. Oh the joy of secretly doing forbidden things like slurping on soup, making dirty noises, dressing up silly, talking funny and so on
• She is my Little Buddha. I have learnt to be more open and tolerant of unsolicited advice (though finally I may not take it)
• She makes us a family. I love what Anush has made of Navy and me- Navy is more expressive and I am less diffident now.

Motherhood for me has been revealing and humbling, rewarding, fun and joyous, all at the same time.

I pass this tag to
VJ from Australia ( overseas link- as a relatively new mom of a little fellow)
Choxbox from Bangalore ( as a mom with some experience)
Hiphopgmom from Jamshedpur ( as an older mom)
Rohini from Mumbai ( as a fellow- mom )
Itchy from Chennai ( as a mom of twins)

Anushka's Appa's surprise

It is Navy's birthday today.

Last week itself the new clothes and the coffee mug were revealed by Anush, much to Navy's amusement and my mock chagrin.

Anush declared " SURPRISE APPA! Amma has got you a surprise. Come and see it"

Last year's trend of not gifting Navy any gadget or accessory continues....he has only himself to blame- he is choosy and I am not well informed- so could not get him any cool cell phone.

Anyway got him a good perfume- Anush placed a star sticker on the bottle and said it for her star appa.

His gang from office turned up, they amaze me, with candles and salad ( since cake would be anti diet) at midnight for a surprise. They had done this really cool poster.

Anush who had told her Appa the previous night that she had a surprise card made for him but would not show him since it would not remain a surprise ( you bet she is a quick half- learner) rushed in to hand over her card- rolled like a scroll- tied with a "band aid " ( instead of rubber band).

Navy was really touched and proud and he totally deserves to be.

House of Green Mangoes

We were at a road side shop in ECR buying random stuff. There was a mango tree near it.

The tree was laden with raw mangoes of assorted sizes and I was showing them to Anush.

The lady of the house rushed out. She just grabbed a couple of mangoes off and handed them to Anushka.

That was really so unexpected and generous of her! We could not stop gushing our Thanks!!

Made some yummy instant pickle with one of them. Will make kairi lassi with the other today.

While on Mangoes, my latest Mister Muthu ( in Chandamama) is on the stands and is on Mango mania.

Bye Bye Black Beauty

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell was among my favourite books as a ten year old and I wished we could own a horse. Since that was not quite possible, I had some terracotta horses instead.

Some of you may recollect the "famous" incident involving my favourite senti value horses. And how I saw they remain protected.

Anyway some things are not meant to be. A couple of evenings back, when I got home, I found one of the horses lame and the other with a broken face. I will never know who did it and it is safer that way for the culprit. ( Accidents do happen but apologies can/ should be tendered.)

I decided it was time to replace the black beauties or the remains thereof.
Went to a nearby potter and found these little elephants and got a pair.



While one can argue that they do not have the character that the Black Beauties did, I am sure most will agree they have a charm of their own.

An unexpected Award

Sands flattered me with this sisterhood award. A real pity that we could not meet in December though she was right here in Chennai.

Being an only child I cannot claim I really understand this bond but an award is an honour and Sands, thank you!

As per the rules of this award, I should be passing this award to five (though in fact it should go to all on my must read list and a few more) :

Choxbox and Blogeswari- I am amazed at how often our thoughts/ interests match respectively. I admire the former's attitude to raising her kids and the latter's sense of humour and style.

Apu- if ever I had a sis of choice, she should have been like Apu- a great friend, an excellent writer, very deep and perceptive- I wish she would write more fiction as well

AgelessBonding's Usha and Boo- among my inspirations to blog - very strong women, witty and sharp - I look forward to their not so regular posts

So ladies, do continue the tag. Now for the other fine print related to tagging etc:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 5 blogs which show great ATTITUDE and/or GRATITUDE.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link this post to the person from whom you received your award.

New beginnings

The television that we got just as we began married life- Sony Trinitron or Vega it was- went defunct. The picture kept turning blue- they do not even make the pic tubes anymore for it.

So we exchanged it for a small flat screen for the guest bedroom but stuck with Sony for old times sake ( our larger one is a Samsung, if you look at the header pic ) .

We are back to no TV in the drawing room which is how we lived for eight years, till we moved into the new house.

When people come over they need to make conversation not watch TV . That has been Navy's logic and it worked well. Those who stay on can always enjoy TV in the guest room!

*****

On the tea pot we picked up a few days back- the creator is Puneet Brar and here is her interesting webspace.

" I started pottery to create products that we decide to live with rather than acquire. Objects that have a presence and a character ,that share spaces with us and are not based on function alone or on trends to render them meaningful. That make us think and question the way we treat them, the time we spend with them and consequently the life we lead. " Puneet Brar