Archive | June 2010

Don’t do this to me again

Jun26

The little girl is out to the park with neighbors for two hours and I am all alone at home.  I am clueless, restless and mad at the moment. I feel the void in less than half hour and standing near the windows to welcome her back.

I am sorry for being mad at you yesterday evening for spilling the cup of horlicks on your dress and couch.

Please please don’t do this again to me.  I will hop on with you wherever you go. Come back soon sweety

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Pretend and play

Jun22

The latest game we play most of the evening.  Some of her pretending include being mommy, teacher, princess (seriously she dresses like princess right from tiara to toe) and baby (very rare).

Yesterday she pretended to be a birthday girl and the deal is I have to give her as much surprises as possible and keep her happy (that means no face wash, no study hour, no milk, no cleanup and of course a lot of TV time).

Having said all this do you think it is feasible to keep this girl happy everyday by the mom who dreams way too high about her discipline and future?

Still I made an effort to keep the pretending birthday girl happy yesterday. The surprises mommy gave were her favorite food for dinner (Poori), favorite PJ’s to wear , a special birthday hug and kiss before going to bed and gifts for every half hour  (the rule for gifting is that the item can be any old stuff from home but it has to happen in below way)

Me: Call her name gently like Adiamma or pattu rajathi from Kitchen
Adi: As I call her name she will move to living room (If she is already in Kitchen), then come back to me and ask with an innocent face (as if she just landed on earth) enna amma (yes mommy)
Me: I have a surprise gift for you. can you please close your eyes (sometimes the gift will be chosen by her before she goes to the living room still its a surprise for her)
Adi: Done
Me: Bend my knees, kiss on her hands, give a gentle hug (not the one I usually give by shaking her left to right), give away the surprise gift and sing the birthday song
Adi: Reacts as if she won the Miss. Universe title and then makes a ballet performance for the birthday song sung by me (If I miss a line or she misses a beat then I have to start over)

On the whole it was a pleasant evening for her, well a tough evening for me (I was not even bound to raise my voice to the birthday girl still get all the work done from her)  you agree?

Artsy Crafts – June 2010

Jun20

I just noticed this contest last week and thought we can give a try. It is really a nice initiative to strengthen the special bond between the mother and child. Making crafts had always been so much fun for me and Adi. I have been breaking my head for two days on what to make and then was this sudden spark. Father’s day is coming and the day is M’s birthday too so why not a special card for him.

The source is here – http://glittergoods.typepad.com/glittergoods/2009/04/scratch-foam-block-printing-plus-a-few-bonus-auction-project-tips.html

Materials (collected in short span)
1. Styrofoam plates
2. Pencil
3. Crayola paints (4 colors)
4. Brush (As I was not able to get a brayer)
4. Color paper or chart
5. Markers (to write anything)
6. Glitters (optional)


Steps are same as explained in the source link except that I used brush to paint the base and my hands/spoon (I couldn’t get a baren too)  to press them on to the paper. Adi contributed in almost all steps.  It took around 1.5 hours for us as we were doing it for the first time.

While typing this Adi said “Amma innikku craft pannadhu romba fun-a irundhudhu” (Amma I had great fun in making today’s craft) Shall we do them again?

Thanks a lot Shruti for such a wonderful contest.   Here is our entry (hot hot right after the make)

It is a card with shirt for appa along with my heart and flowers

Quick Breakfast Ideas

Jun15

Please don’t visit us during the morning hours on weekdays after June 28th. You might witness a killer family.

Yes, Adi has to eat breakfast at home still leave home at usual time.  I don’t know if it is a challenge for us or for her.  She easily takes an hour to finish her breakfast or lunch during weekends. To top it I have to also pack lunch for her for next two months.  My ideas are

Breakfast
1. Fruit loops with warm milk
2. Banana milk shake
3. Pan cake with maple syrup
4. Egg dosa cut in bite size
5. Mini Muffins

Lunch
1. Noodles with carrots and peas
2. Egg fried rice
3. Curd rice with a veggie poriyal and couple of baby carrots
4. Poori with aloo masala and couple of baby carrots
5. Sambar rice with appalam

I need your ideas for a quick breakfast and an empty lunch box.  Please help me guys.

India trip

Jun9
To cut it short it was a wonderful and grand vacation I would cherish the rest of my life. We enjoyed every moment of the vacation.

My highlights
Get together with college friends
Get together with ex-company friends
Chithirai festival at my village along with all relatives
Read one of Jeffrey Archer’s novel and all possible tamil magazines
Visit to tanjore temple (periya kovil) and other places at tanjore
Long drive alone with stereo on at Chennai

Adi’s highlights
Play, play and play (esp. with kitchen stuffs – choppu – she had 3 sets on four weeks)
String of jasmine flower (her hair was never without jasmines)
Anklets (Kolusu) with many sonorous bells
Mehandi at both the hands
Ear piercing ceremony
New Pattu pavadai’s (silk skirts)
Birthday celebration with grandparents (dora cake and flower candles were the best amma and appa could get for her this year)
Two wheeler ride with amma and grandpa (sometime standing in the front and sometime at the back holding the rider tight with eyes closed.)
See saw ride in local park
Cycle ride with new friends around the house (of course with training wheels)
Making of murukku with ammachi
Tender coconut/ Coconut trees (esp. on how people climb the tree)
Trees, birds, cows, bullocks and goats (She fed leaves to goats at our village and was brave enough to touch a cow from the back with four kids around her for protection)
Elephant at the temple
Amazed at an old lady balancing the veg/fruit basket on her head without holding it
Surprised by the ratio of bikes vs cars on road
Upset on a day and cried stating she badly miss her best friend over here (I enjoyed the way grandparents bought her back to mood)
Piggy back ride on grandpa’s back
Speaking in tamil (she was very good at this after week one)
Played with my favorite teddies suji and anu (I made it very clear to her that they are mine and she can only play with it)

Best of best – Myself driving on heavy chennai traffic with Adi next to me, stereo’s playing hossanna and both of us singing along.

Adi already started calling M as gundappa (moti papa) and might soon call me as gundamma (moti amma). The credit goes to all the food back home and home made snacks travelled overseas to serve us for another couple of months.

At present Adi is going to a daycare at the back of our home. She would join the summer camp next month followed by new school for K-grade.