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!

Cub and Bub together! :)

There have been enough posts of Cub alone and few of the Bub and almost none of both of them together! Now that Bub is older and can play, it has been so much fun just watching them enjoy each other's company and to see the love blossom.


Cub has always been a doting brother and that has still not changed. Touchwood. Of course now with Bub playing the perfect younger pestering sibling, he sometimes just gets upset enough to say "Go away!", but he never hurts her intentionally whatever be the provocation.


The Bub takes complete advantage of being the younger one and treats Cub like her own private property. She won't let him carry her when he wants, but will use him as her rocking horse the moment his back touches the bed! He might have to beg her to let him give a kiss and she can almost lick his face off with gooey wet kisses!


Cub plays the disciplinarian (I squirm everytime I hear him to talk to her the way I talk to him! :( ) and the sweet and protective sibling in parts. While Bub still does not show her affection as easily it is so easy to see her worry anytime Cub is hurt or crying or when we are hollering at him. She tries to soothe him with gentle patting and haath pheroing.


She is extremely thrilled to see Cub after any gap of time. She says the cutest and most enthusiastic Hiiiii and gives him the biggest smile ever with her eyes dancing and shining to boot. We still cant get over how she finally started saying Bhaaiiiyyyaa. You have to hear her say "Bhaiyya Aa Jaao!" Whenever he goes down to play, she stands in the balcony and keeps shouting Bhaiyya till whole world and it's brother has looked up and waved to her.


He on her part indulges her in pretty much everything. If we refuse something to her, he fights with us to give in. He easily shares his toys and books and pretty much everything else.


Right now things look good! :) Here's how they look! :)

Bonding with Laddoo Aaji! :)

Dressed to go out! :D

because my brother doubles up as a rocking horse as well! 

Ready for their morning cuppa milk at Daadi's house! :)

and then for some masti!

Double trouble, anyone?! :)

full on lauuuu! :)

Cuddly hugs, anyone?!

Didn't i say she treats him like personal property?! :p

Cooking together! whatever was that about too many cooks?! :)

we are same same but different! Matching tee gifted by Aaji-Ajoba! :D

and this is how we look when we are not upto some mischief! :)


ps: am going to try and do one post everyday this month and see if i can keep at it! wish me luck! :)

cheers!

because she deserves a LOT of posts for herself

but since that does not happen as often as I would like, I MUST sit and finish this post in one go and give up on Facebook's instant gratification for a bit. Sigh!


So the Bub is now little over 15months old and since she has crossed the one year mark, there have been milestones galore and so much more that I cannot even remember now. She is on a complete cuteness overdrive and has a flock of people going crazy about her wherever we go. If nothing else, I will ten different folks telling me how adorable she is. Yes Yes! We shall share photos as well! :)


She took her first steps exactly at the age Cub did - 14months - to the last day even. But that was just the trailer and the actual walking started about 2 weeks later on 1st Jan. So the new year started with new found independence for her and trouble for us. She was ofcourse crawling at super speeds before that and kept resorting back to it when in need for speed like almost every other child.


She is now saying a few words. Mumma, Papa, Bye, Heyo (hello), Dog (along with bhoo bhoo sound), water, bottle amd most recent Bathoo (bathroom). The lack of verbal skills does not stop her from telling us what exactly she wants or does not want. Oh! How can I forget that she has learned to say the magic word No which she uses liberally especially when being food normal healthy khaana. So now not just her whole body twist around and hands come up, but there is also a resounding NO! to go with all of it.


She is quite naughty and loves ripping books, throwing things and putting everything possible in her mouth. She plays with everything except her toys which she plays with only when she sees someone else using them!


She is a quick learner and wants to do everything her brother and we do. So if he jumps on to the beanbag, she has to try and join him too. She pretends to take body lotion from the bottle and applies it on her own hands or sometimes ours as well. Tell her "Maalish karo" and she might indulge you with some rubs as well. She thinks pulling off her own socks 75times a day is funny, goes and sits on the small chair next to the shoe rack when you say "Shoes pehnenge" and pretend talks on the phone every now and then.


She absolutely LOVES going out. Even if we just take her down to pick Cub up when he comes back from school, she does not want to come back home. Say Park in the evening and she has a big smile on her face. The moment we get into the car she goes ballistic! :)


We have finally started pointing to nose correctly and are supremely excited to recognize a dog and say Bhu-Bhu to everyone who would listen.


True to her genes she is a lazy bum. She is not the kid who you will say "She does not sit in one place for even a minute!" for. This does not make her any less destructive or dangerous, but she is more than happy sitting in one place and wrecking havoc in that limited area.


Unlike Cub who is an out and out his Papa's boy, the Bub is her Mamma's girl! I call her my Fevicol Ka Mazboot Jod for all the time she spends clinging to my pajama like an extra appendage. Thank god it is getting a little better now. She is a very friendly child - from a distance. Try and pick her up and she will scream murder. I always have people apologizing saying "She was smiling at me!" and I say it is OK. I know that is how she is.


That said she does not have major stranger anxiety as such and is quite happy basking in attention from everyone around as long as you do not want anything in return.


She adores Cub and the smiles he gets are something we can only dream of. Touchwood and anti-jinx. She loves being with kids her age and tries to make friends at times.


Considering she has an older brother, as of now she prefers cars and superheroes over dolls. She has a couple, but mostly she just throws them around. The other day she took Cub's small Superman action figure and was trying to make it fly the way Cub does with the requisite sounds. Cutest sight ever!


She LOVES eating... all the unhealthy stuff! I do not know how she recognizes healthy food and pushes it away without even giving it a chance. Even then she is much easier to deal with than Cub when it comes to eating. A BIG Anti-jinx. She enjoys biscuits, popcorn and icecream the most. Thankfully she will eat most fruits including banana, apple, papaya, chikoo and grapes.


Oh and must mention that the Bub is used to sleeping with a Turkish towel in her hand! Do not ask how and when we realized it, but just give her a towel when she is sleepy and she will doze off on her own without you having to take any effort. Of course, we have NO idea how we are going to get rid of the habit! Let's see.


All in all, she is at a super duper fun stage right now. Her smile can light up the whole room and absolute strangers keep coming up to tell us how cute and pretty she is. She gives the most gooey and wet kisses and it is a pleasure getting them. Her Bye is absolutely adorable and she really enjoys saying it for some reason. In short she is a true bundle of energy and joy to have around!



And here are the photus! :)

Didn't I say always happy to be out and about?! :)

:) Cub holding on to Bub carefully! :)

Please note she is picking up Mathri to eat! :D

Just one of those days! :)

Dancing queen!

Enjoying the train ride With Cub! :)

Yes! I can run around now! :)

Always ready to bother the Cub who is almost always indulgent! 

Dressed up for K Bua's shaadi! :)

The fevicol! :D

Dressed up for K Bua's sangeet!

Doesn't she look like a little girl already?! Sigh!

All set for summer except desperate need for a haircut!

Keeping the hairband on till i could take a coupla pictures! :)

Naya saal! Naya baccha! :D

No No No!!!!!!! Of course I am NOT pregnant! Bub just turned one for chrissakes! :p


I am talking about Cub. He has grown up so suddenly that we are actually finding it difficult to come to terms with it. So many changes - mostly for better and yet heartbreaking in their own right. It is like we have a new kid in the house. If not for the consistently intermittent whining I would have believed in the paranormal as well to explain all this! :D


The big school for one has been good for him till now. His confidence is growing and he is learning a lot (too much if you ask us). He is still fairly quiet in the class and needs to believe in himself a little more perhaps, but according to his teachers he is among the smarter kids in the class. Very observant and a quick learner. Who are we to argue then?! ;)


At the sports day, Cub ran like the wind and came first in his class race. I have always been the participation is important kind of person, but it is difficult not to feel that extra flip of your heart to see your child stand at the podium. A lovely and proud moment. He was also right at the center and in the front for the dance their class performed (Waka-Waka) for the Annual Day. It is great to see him discover new facets to his personality.


Cub is also now talking more easily to new kids. The decision to move areas and colony has been a good one. He actually goes on and tries to make new friends now - albeit after a bit of prodding. He is learning to play with a bunch of people and still is clueless about how to deal with the playground politics. One day at a time I guess.


He is an amazing older brother. I mean, Bub has seriously lucked out in that department. He is caring, engaging and very naturally sensitive and affectionate. He is the only one who manages to take her off my hands when I get completely tired of her Fevicol ka majboot jod with my legs! Yes, there are times when he does not want to have anything to do with her, but those moments are few and far in between.


It has not been easy for him dealing with all the attention Bub gets because she is at such an adorable stage now! There is no way he can compete with that. Yet, he is trying to take it in his stride. We keep telling him how he as a kid got as much attention if not more and it is really just a matter of age.


I had told Cub that in the new year he has to start eating by himself. He nodded yes, but I was not sure if it was really going to work. One week down and things have been better than ever. Touchwood! We also noticed that eating at the dining table helps. Errr... yeah we generally sit on the bed and eat while watching TV! But since we have moved to the dining table, he has been eating by himself and well too. Guess he missed the attention he gets like this.


He is even dressing up on his own! Sigh! Now if we are going out etc, I just need to handover his clothes to him and he is ready in a jiffy. We are still learning to button correctly, but tees and pants is not a problem. He is becoming more and more independent and there are so many little milestones that he seems to be achieving everyday.

His writing and colouring is getting so much better. He still hates homework with vengeance though. There is finally some interest in learning to read by himself and it is so much fun to see  his thrilled jumping around saying "I read a whole sentence!" He is becoming more and more logical in his reasoning and keeps coming and telling us why he thinks certain things happen or do not happen. But like me, he is not very curious by nature really.


He hates structured play of any kind. It includes jigsaws, board games etc. Maybe it is because he does not like it when he cannot master things instantly. He is still much happier making up stories and letting his imagination run riot with whatever toy or object catches his fancy. That said he is a lot more interested in physical activities now. he loves climbing up and jumping down. Running. He is learning to play cricket and frisbee. These days if we go down on time, he gets one solid hour of exercise.


He is having actual conversation on the phone with his grandparents now. And whoever else agrees to listen. Finally! :)


All in all, things are definitely looking up in this new year. Cub is growing up to be a lovely kid. Yes, the kind who will get his heart broken perhaps, but his innate sweetness keeps showing up ever so often and I find myself tearing up and sending up a prayer for his happiness. As much happiness as he brings to others in the very least.



May you keep growing stronger and yet stay gentle at heart my love. You are a very special person!


Love ya lots!



I hope to blog more often this year. I hope you guys had a great last year and I wish you have an even year ahead! Cheers!

Dressed as shepherd for the Nativity scene in the colony! :D

All set for our trip to halebid and belur

Like i said, he prefers going wild with his imagination! :)

Actually agreeing to pose for a change! :)

Running - his latest love! Side-effect of coming first in that school race!

Jungle gyms are best friends these days! Even tiny ones! :D

And yes, we still make crazy faces for the camera most of the times! :p


Happy New Year folks! :)