Post 17

Just some photos today because I really cannot think of anything to write. Plus i seriously doubt you guys look beyond the cute photos! ;)



Some days,

The Bub pulls out all the dabbas from the drawer she can easily reach and fools around for hours! Must also mention that she tries to put em back as well! :)

And Cub who loves having people over wears the apron he has painted at the birthday party attended, uses gift bags as gloves and starts serving folks at home! :)

and we also find all the airplanes we own lined up along with some cars! :)

we also happily pose together every now and then! :)

Post 16

yeah I lost quite a few days. Some stuff came up and I was in no mood to write really. But I must make the most of the last few days of the month.


The Bub is now talking nineteen to a dozen and is repeating pretty much everything. Even in that, yesterday was realllly cute. Like I said before, she loves going out. Every evening the nanny takes her down to the park. I take a walk around that time and then once done - play with her and relieve the nanny.


So the moment she is dressed, she goes to the chair next to the shoerack and demands "Shooj!" Once done or even while in process of wearing shoes she starts her goodbyes. "Papa! Byyye! Mamma Byyye!" and even Cub who is not around get his "Bhaiyya Byyye". All this is followed by some more Byes and Taaata etc which goes on till she enters the lift. (*makes a note to take a video*)


So, last evening the Shooj done, Ms. Bub was ready to step out. As she did, I waved to her and said I Love You and gave a flying kiss. Pat comes the reply "I Uv You" and a flying kiss to boot! I was floored to say the least! :)

She has started recognizing fish and monkey quite consistently and today even pointed at the lion correctly, though it could be a complete fluke. Compared to Cub, the Bub has just got around to seeing books. Of course, that is purely the fault of lazy parents. But now it is time to take her to the zoo. Am sure she will enjoy it now. Cub did. I still cannot forget His wide eyes wonder at seeing those animals outside of the book. Much fun! :)

Thankfully Bannerghatta zoo is pretty decent and one can always drive down to Mysore for a better one. Soon hopefully. First mission is to take Cub to the HAL museum which we have been talking about forever.

And for all you women who have daughters / nieces or some little girl in your lives, these are two shops we discovered on facebook (where else?!;). They make lovely clothes and deliver all over India for zero or nominal shipping charge. Considering the petrol prices these days, shipping ends up being a cheaper option! ;)

Here's the link to first one called Petals. I love her stuff because it SO little girl. It is not like adult clothes made in smaller sizes which is what most shops sell these days. They are all cotton and supremely comfortable. The cuts are clean and the prints different from what you would get at an usual store. Bub owns three or four outfits from them and I am not buying more ONLY because she already has too many clothes.

https://www.facebook.com/preranapetals

That's Bub is a lovely Warli frock by Petals!

The second one is Little Women. They make cute clothes as well for little girls. Smart cuts is their USP. Their stuff is more girly in the sense of frills, bows and sashes! Best part is they will customize pretty much any design you have liked or even create completely out of your vision. Extremely affordable and comfortable stuff. The Bub owns a super smart outfit from here. You can find them here;

https://www.facebook.com/littlewomenshop

and thats Bub in a very hep creation by Little Women!

There are many more, but have tried these two and have been happy. Some of my friends have too and there have been no complaints on that front either! :)

Happy Shopping guys!

Here's a super cute photu of the bacchas having a great time at Boca Grande in Bangalore! Great food and service and supremely child friendly! :)

Post 15

I missed posting yesterday. Had my ex-colleagues and now friends over for dinner Friday night. Had a great time just hanging out with them after a long time. Conversation about so many things went till almost 2am, so was obviously too pooped to write.


Saturday morning had couple of  friends from blogsville come over for lunch. One I have known for some time and always fun to hangout with and other I knew only through online interaction. So, one more virtual turned into real! :) M is always surprised about how I always end up meeting loveliest of people. I guess we take our friendship forward only when we find enough things in common. We also have shared so much of our life already that it almost never feels like we are meeting for the first time!


All in all, a lovely time was had. Don't know what today hold. We are quite tired after back to back entertaining. Maybe we will finally go to HAL museum we have been wanting to take Cub to forever. Or the zoo. Or just a drive someplace. Might just end up vegetating at home as well! :)


Recently bought a new bedsheet for Cub from Vividha. You can find them on facebook or Shopo (a fantastic, reliable, and unique online store). I think they even retail through bigger home stores. They have these cute sheets with popular stories printed on them. Welcome change from standard Disney fare that you get otherwise.


We bought this as a gift from Aaji - Ajoba since they had given him cash when we went there during vacations.


Here's how it looks;

The Hare and Tortoise Story! :)

The Cub happy with his newest acquisition! :)

Post 14

Here's a photo shared by our cousin on FB today. I am going to keep her caption as well so that you gentle and kind folks are not scandalized! ;)

My kinda gal! And to all the worried and aghast folks on fb-there was no liquid in the can - she was simply beery good at recognizing a good one when she saw one - that's all! 





and here's a poem I shared on facebook today. Absolutely love! :)


To build a house
First you need a large bundle of air,some birds, mostly small,the smell of flowers and trees,baskets of colours,balloons full of laughter,and a sky within you.That’s all you need.



From Bumples, fumdidlers and Jelly Beans by Arnold Spilka (such a gorgeously beautiful book of poems for kids)

Post 13

So, what has the Bub been upto?! Honestly i just read the last post I wrote for her and she is still all of it many times over! :) She is still very cute, super naughty and has become a little hell raiser!


She talks endlessly! Not a lot of it makes sense but when awake she rarely takes a break from making sounds of every kind. I always thought this whole women talk too much was just one of them stereotypes, but when I see the Bub, I am not so sure! ;)


Her vocabulary is increasing by leaps and bounds and she tries to repeat every word we say. Her diction is not very clear unlike Cub and that makes it even cuter. She is still refusing to acknowledge any animal except Doddie (doggie) and the bhow bhow sound for most part. There is an occasional cat / cow moment, but that is rare as of now.

Finally we are seeing a slight reduction in the clinginess factor. Now the maid can clean potty and even feed every now and then. I can actually say bye and go out without her bawling her eyes out the entire time. Antijinx and Touchwood! :)


She walks like a Goonda and even her doctor called her Rowdy the last time she walked into her clinic. She is pricey when it comes to making friends and I hear many a comments about her attitude already! She LOVES other children and calls everyone Baby or Paapu as if she is 30years old.


She still adores going out and that includes her daily evenings out in the colony itself. She goes absolutely crazy running, shouting, smiling and laughing! She is an absolute delight to watch during these times. Of course it also involves running behind her these days - one moment your attention is diverted and you will spend next 10mins trying to trace her.


She is junk food errr... junkie! She wakes up in the morning and her first words are Bitti (meaning biscuit) and Cheeeps (chips). I do not how she has a radar for these things. Thankfully she also enjoys her fruits, but mostly she is demanding Bitti, Chote (chocolate) or cheeeps! gah!


The potty training is going slooowww. Make that super slloowww! Now she atleast agrees to sit on the goddamn potty with Booksh as the bait. Booksh obviously being Books! Right now we have a hit rate of zero percent and frankly we are being lazy too. Soon hopefully. I am dreaming that she will just figure it out on her own one of these days and save us the trouble! What?! A woman can hope, can't she?


But the love for Booksh is endearing and she keeps getting them to us. Funniest is when she insists on getting a separate book for herself every single time I read to Cub and gets mighty upset when I do not oblige.


She has learnt to throw tantrums the kind I had seen only kids on TV throw. The lying flat on the floor, the kicking of hands and legs and holding of breath. Sometimes all of it together. It would have been extremely frustrating if it wasn't so funny most of the times.


She also has this new found obsession with lying down on the floor just like that wherever she is. Be it home, the complex or some public place. I have no idea what the kick is.


Inspite of getting ridiculous amount of attention from everyone she still throws a hissy-fit every time I take Cub on my lap or cuddle with him. She tries to push him away and shouts till I tell her either she shares or scoots. Weird this girl is!


All in all she is a bundle of sunshine and joy! And we are truly blessed to have her as the one to complete our foursome! :)

So what if I am wearing my new chikan suit? I will still roll on the floor! gah!

Making funny faces! :p

Lookit that expression! 

Sometimes there are quiet moments of solitude as well...

Extremely happy with her glass of Joosh! :)

Junkie - i told ya!

Classifieds are very interesting indeed! :p

Doing tel maalish for herself! ;)

Post 12

While one child is actually interested in the movie at hand

so much so that he dresses in an Avengers tee and poses with the poster! :)

The other is happiest with popcorn to munch on

so much so that she makes sure carries the leftovers out and muches as she walks! :D

Post 11

While we are still on the topic of reusing / recycling here is some more stuff at home;

I bought this at the Second to None flea market for 50bucks! Its an old bangle stand converted into necklace holder! :D

This is a photo frame Cub and me made outta flipkart packaging! It helps him remember his daadu who is no more...

This is a shoe-box that now holds shoe polish stuff!


Like I said M is AB fan, so, the box says "Main aaj bhi phainke hue paise nahi uthaata!" - his phamous dialogue from Deewar! (those who know Deewar will get ze connection!)

This is a new basket, but it is eco-friendly and holds all my earrings perfectly! :)

Post 10

Didn't I mention a hectic weekend. M's childhood pal is here and it has been fun catching up with each other's lives. We were up till past 2am last night and are woozy even now. Yesterday went for a birthday party and it was absolutelly fabulous. There were little aprons to paint and carry home and a puppet show. The MOST fabulous cake and food.


Here's the mother-daughter duo at the party. I was out keeping an eye on the Bub because she refused to sit in place and kept creating a havoc during the puppet show.

Trying to pose unsuccessfully! ;)

While an unguarded moment gave a perfect click! :)

and one decent photo in hazaar i took to get her look in the new-new dress! ;)

Post 9

I just need to do a quickie because I am very sleepy and we have a hectic weekend ahead. The maid has not turned up for two days in a row and ghar is a mess and our moods tend to get frayed and we all end up yelling at each other! Not a very happy situation to say the least.

So today's post is about kadhi! M LOVES kadhi in every form and I hate cooking! Period! So when the request for Punjabi kadhi came along I was so not sure. Called Meeno Mausi and the recipe sounded simple enough. Made it the previous night because M thinks it tastes better the next day when all the flavours have thoroughly seeped in.

How was it? Not bad at all, even if I say so myself. The picture went on facebook too with all praise from M. That is his usual trick for last almost eight years to make me cook more often! ;)

Here's how it looked;

what's your favourite comfort food? have a lovely weekend folks! :)

Post 8

Facebook has been a revelation of sorts. Along with all the timepass that happens here, there are so many creative people showing their creations and also a whole lot of folks who are working on different social causes and actually making a difference. Then there are groups of hazaar kinds starting from all people who enjoy trashy hindi movies to the ones who love to pun to secret groups of friends to foodies - that you will always find someplace where you fit in perfectly even among strangers and eventually make friends too.


One such group based out of Bangalore is Second to None. This is a group that encourage the philosophy of Reuse - Reduce - Recycle in a big way. People buy and sell used things in good condition on this forum. Books, clothes, electronics, kitchenware - just about anything that can be reused can be sold / swapped / freecycled.


People also share their recycling ideas on this forum and it is absolutely amazing to see the kind of stuff they come up with. For a lot of them Going Green and living in eco-friendly fashion is not something to be done on world environment day, but is a way to live. A lifestyle they follow religiously and I admire them greatly. I, for one, always believe in the Power of One. If each one of us decides on changing even bit by bit that way we do things, it will eventually have a ripple effect big enough to actually make a noticeable and positive impact.


Here's something we made recently in that spirit (though I must say we did it more for the Fun part of it!).

A box of Unibic gift pack that I had saved to make a bag! :)

Some paper left over from some training M had attended. Some stickers!

The other side coloured using lovely oil pastels gifted to Cub recently! :)

Some neat and tidy slots made by M! :)

Ta da! A box that holds Bub's hairbands in place! :)

Post 7

Cub has been into superheroes for a while. Not in an obsessive sort of way, but he loves all the stuff superhero. He gets this love from M who is a comic book junkie. We watched Avengers and now he knows more than the standard Superman and Spiderman. We have a huge Superhero poster that I got M for our last anniversary  and obviously Cub adores it equally if not more!


So after making the desi bow-arrow thing at home, we hit upon an idea to make Captain America shield for him. In this case only the suggestion was mine and work was done by M and Cub. An old carton (cardboard box), some chart paper and colours and soon our shield was good to go! :)

Here's how it looks;

The Cub colouring the shield in Captain America Colours!

The final look! :)

And that is our Captain America in action! :D



Next DiY Superhero project?! Thor's Hammer! Watch this space! :)

Post 6

I am completely and totally lost today. Maybe I should pick up my pet-peeve? The obsession with fair skin among us Indians. How I completely and totally hate it. I cannot stand fairness cream ads that try to show how life is better if you are fair. That what you have is not good enough. That fair is better than dark.


Arre kyon bhai?! Aisa kya rakha hai gore rang mein?!


Why are we incapable of just appreciating and enjoying the gamut shades of skin we have around us? Why do we actually believe that dark = not pretty? Why do we say things like "She is dark, BUT pretty nonetheless" as if being fair always means being beautiful?


And who decides what is beautiful? Why are we not capable of appreciating what we are and what we have instead of running behind what we do not or cannot have?! It makes me so mad when people think it is OK to comment on someones looks just because they can. The insensitivity and rudeness of some folks has to be seen to believed.


I often hear about how my kids are fair(er) especially when M is not around. I wish I could come up with equally rude responses, but fail most of the times. What do you say to someone who actually says "Don't grow up and look like your mother!" to your six month old?


I am someone who does not have any complex - either one - left anymore. But imagine the a young impressionable mind who is made to believe that being fair is everything. It just breaks my heart every single time I hear a child who wants to be fair and a feeling of rage and hopelessness when the adults around them actually keep looking for remedies to change their god given colour.


I hope that by the time our kids grow up it will not matter eitherway. That they will know to look beyond the superficial. That the definition of beautiful will not be as rigid. That they will find beauty in everything they do and see. That they will have the brains and sensitivity to shut their trap when they don't see that beauty. That they will appreciate and enjoy the differences rather than try and be clones of each other. That there will be no talk of what colour looks nice on what skin. That they will bring about this change - slowly but surely.


Amen to that.

Post 5!

I am trying real hard to come with half sensible things to write about! :) i keep racking my brains. Since I was telling you about my discoveries in online world, I will continue with that - this time both real and virtual.


When I was a kid we had two standard soaps in the house - Cinthol for bath and Lifebuoy for washing hands. Cinthol was nice and fresh and Lifebuoy would harden up and didn't exactly look or smell divine. But that is what one had and one lived with it without paying much attention eitherway. There would be occasional Camay gifted by folks coming from abroad and it would be exciting! Diwali at grandparents' place meant Moti Sandal soap for bath after the oil massage. It would be a festive pack of three in different colours looking very pretty. Somehow we never bought Lux etc kind of soaps at our home.


It was only two years ago that I bought my first couple of handmade soaps from an exhibition at Chitrakala Parishat in Bangalore and I have been hooked since. With all kind of natural and exotic flavours I absolutely love how they make a mundane bucket bath a little more exciting! :D


I love flavours like Neem, Lemongrass, sea-salt, Patchouli etc. Here's some I have used and loved.


Neev - Made by a NGO based out of Jamshedpur, these were the first handmade soaps I used. These were gifted extensively to friends and family and appreciated by everyone. This is some seriously good pampering for your skin! You can buy them here http://shopo.in/shop/neevsoaps


Parisa Creations - Just looking at soaps Gauri makes is sure to make you lust them! :) Honestly I am still Holding onto the ones I have, but have already gifted some to people. I am waiting for my current soap to get over to use of these! You can buy them here http://shopo.in/shop/parisa


Earth Flower - Created by Priscilla Prerna Rai, these soaps look lovely and have a divine fragrance. Bought and kept in my cupboard. Hope to use them soon. Here is where you can find her https://www.facebook.com/pages/Priscilla-Rai-Natural-Artisanal-Soaps-and-More/204219906305126?v=info


And one of our favourite cheap aani best but amazing soap is Himlaya's Cucumber soap. WE just LOVE the khushboo and keep picking it up every now and then when we are bored of the exotic! :)


Toh iss soap opera ka aaj ka episode yahin pe samapt! :)

Post 4!

I have no idea what I am going to write about today. But write I must me thinks! :)


How many of you shop online? I have just discovered the joy of online shopping. There is a treasure trove of awesome stuff people are creating and selling. We are really spoiled for choice. From getting funky home decor to gorgeous jewelry to cool new games for kids - it is all there.


I will keep sharing my discoveries here! :) Today let me tell you about Paperwalla Art! This cool dude who works in advertising for a living and cuts paper as a passion. He makes the coolest frame by cutting paper and framing it. He even customizes things for you and is super creative and fun to work with! :)


Folks who know M and me, know that M is a HUGE Amitabh bhakt and this was our for anniversary last year. This frame is his favourite dialogue his favourite Big B movie. Our original idea was just to make a few dancing bottles and the have the dialogue around it. Then Paperwalla made an AB cutout and I was hooked. After that I just got the finished frame and it just totally blew us away! :)


This is where you will find him and his work!


https://www.facebook.com/paperwalla


Here's what I got made from him. Isn't it fantabulous! :)

Post 3

and lack of creativity in the post titles hits a new low. But i think putting a number will help me keep going! I have over a year of writing to make up after all.

Today I am tad unwell, so going to keep it short (yes I will!). Copy pasting the facebook update I did today because it deserves a place on  the blog and not be lost just like that!

Conversation between Cub and me at lunch, a couple of days ago.

Cub: Lets have water lunch one day!

Me: What the heck is a water lunch?

Cub: That means we will only have water for lunch.

Me: Okkk! Par usse pet kaise bharega (but how will it fill your tummy)?

Cub - Arre! You only keep saying naah: "Don't drink too much water while eating, nahi toh paani se hi pet bhar jaayega"!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have a packed weekend ahead meeting bloggie friends - local and from other cities. It is odd even calling them blogmeets anymore because now we are just regular friends catching up every now and then. Most of us have even stopped / reduced blogging and stay in touch online / offline through other channels. What started as reading each other's blogs, commenting, exchanging few mails and finally meeting has come around a full circle. This now seems to be the only way of making new friends and I am not complaining!

Cub's school has started and a routine will soon fall into place. Have started him off on karate classes and I hope he will fun learning a new skill. Our colony has a whole lot of activities happening for kids, but i don't want to tie him up every evening. This is twice a week and since he is in to this whole superheroes phase right now, he is loving the idea of learning martial arts! :)

Here's what Cub was busy with past coupla days. Remembered from Sue's status about stick bows and arrows we made as kids. I used jhaadu sticks and made arrowheads out of some flipkart packaging. He already had a store bought bow. 10mins of work for me and hours of fun for him. Of course it's charm is over in two days! ;)

Trying to figure out how to make homemade arrow work! :)

jai shri ram and bajrangbali ki jai! :D (ofcos i made them pose!)

Have a good weekend all of you! :)

Post 2! :D

I am so used to writing long posts after long intervals that I am kinda dreading this daily post thing. i LOVE Art's blog for that reason. Every little interesting tidbit in her life is on the blog in short posts rather than waiting to write these detailed post. Actually there are no details lacking in her posts either. Must take tips from her! :)


Summer vacations are officially over and Cub starts his school from tomorrow. Upper KG or Senior KG or whatever else it is called. Second year in big school. I hope it is a lot of fun for him. There is expected to be a lot of writing this year and Cub officially hates anything to do with writing! So wish us luck! :D


These holidays were fun. I am not working out of home after almost 10 long years and we went to Bombay and Pune for a whole month. That is kids and me. My first flight alone with both and it was not half as bad. Though my respect for single parents traveling with kids from US etc has increased manifold. 24hours on a flight! Wow!


Cub made friends easily in both places and was out of home most of the time especially in Bombay. The kids in my building who have seen him as a baby have always had a soft spot for him and included him in all their games of cricket even though he could hardly even hold a bat straight. It was really sweet of them! In Pune all the kids were new and yet he managed fairly well. Sadly he was terribly tantrummy when at home and drove us up the wall wayyy too often with his constant whining and crazy demands. We are guessing its sudden realization that the grandparents' love was now shared and perhaps it just being a phase.


I LOVED shopping in Bombay. The street shopping of course. I bought summery petticoat like frocks for Bub, shoes for both the kids, lotsa hairbands and funky necklaces for Bub. And all of it costed me so little that I wish I had more time and space in my luggage! :)


Both the kids went ballistic over mangoes. Especially Cub who would eat as many as you offered. He even loved licking the seeds clean! Not that Bub was any less and would keep "Aaa" with her mouth wide open and ready for next bite. My parents went absolutely crazy loading up mangoes at home the entire time.


Pune chapter was with M's mum and that was as much fun. Of course it was reallly hot and getting out during the day was tough. We met some friends, some family and ate at some really nice places. If guys from Pune are reading this blog, you must try this little place called Zikomo on baner Road. Absolutely fantastic food. I am dying to go back to Pune to eat there again.


Ma in law ofcos like always fed us fantabulous home cooked food that is any day better than bahaar ka khaana. Rajma, chana, karela, bharta - you name it and we had it! The best part she made home ice candies for the kids with these little plastic moulds she has. One day mango, litchi another and blue curaco on third. Cub wants his mom to be a cooking goddess now! Sigh! :) There was chat for dinner one day and boiled veggies and bread on another. Total dhamaal.


MiL and M had a lot of bank work etc to finish so we would tag along sometimes and Bub thought an empty branch and it's people were created for her entertainment. And pox on the guy who made a two floored branch. She spent entire morning going up and down the steps and I obviously had to run after her the entire time because they were the most unsafe steps ever!


Oh and must tell ya Cub learned swimming this summer. Yayy! He obviously needs another class to get breathing techniques etc right, but he can swim now. Now for me to learn.


All in all a good time off for all of us! What were your summer vacays like? Went out? Chilled at home? Summer camps? back to school?

The Bombay Buddies! :) Few more are missing from this pic!

Helping Aaji make Aamras!

With Pilot Mama! :)

Cool Daadi served us chilled mocktails! What's to complain?! :)

Sand play is never enough even in small colony park. Imagine a whole beach full of it! :)

and a sea full of water! :)

Running wild outside Vijoba's house! :)

Dressed for dinner at Marriott in Bombay. A treat from grandparents!

Meeting old friends like there was never a gap! :)

Very thrilled wearing new frock stitched by Vandana aaji aka Laddoo aaji! :)

The naughty bub thrilled after making me run after her up the steps in Daadi's bldg!