Flowers - Courtsey the Morning Walks

Made into a boquet

I love Gulmoher

It's Official

We hate homework
We feel terribly sleepy or hungry or thirsty everytime we need to do them
We cry, we hold the pencil poised and do not move it until screamed at.
We get very tired after a few lines of writing.
But we are ready to colour some random drawing book of ours the moment we escape from the homework.
We bully Mamma into holding our hand at times as we write. And as she writes, we look around - anywhere but into the book.


We love using the eraser
And even colour pages that are not part of our homework when Mamma is not looking
We like cutting and sticking though.

An Afternoon of Cricket

with multi coloured and sized balls

And self fielding

Geared to take the ball (anted to wear gloves also!)

Crinkling, Crunching, Crushing

The other day Kiran was mentioning a few pincer grip activities and I frankly did not give it much thought.
This weekend, as we sat together to do our home work (notice the we- it includes me and sometimes the Dadda). and I always thought we are done with home work- the dreaded monster that is remembered on Sunday afternoons regularly and thereby is solely created to create a sense of doom in our hearts every Sunday afternoon.
Coming back to Ojas & Tejas & their homework, we had some cutting & pasting work to do and while Tejas was very eager to do the cutting himself, Ojas showed no such eagerness. Towards the end, he realized that cutting paper is also a right that can be exercised and therefore he insisted that he should cut the pictures. I noted that he had difficulty in coordinating the scissors.
I immediately recalled Kiran's set of exercises and did the following
1. Paper cutting- Ojas showed initial signs of difficulty but was quite deft later. We also bought a pair each of colourful scissors scissors with good grip in the evening. Reminiscence alert-
when I was in Prep class, the teacher brought many pairs of colourful tiny scissors for class activity. Since there were many pairs, I was hopeful we would get to take them home (I had small desires even then). I never got them scissors and I am still in love with such colourful scissors..End of reminiscence
2. Paper crumpling- I did not know they gave so much satisfaction!
3. Squeeze Balls
4. Coin Sorting- the side effect/ benefit of this sorting and piling exercise is that the kids have taken out their coin boxes / piggy bank that so long were used only as boxes that can be locked & unlocked. They take care to lock their piggy banks in the night before sleeping by the way.

Ageless Bonding

With Usha in the true sense as she was bonding equally well with me as well as Ojas & Tejas. From the moment we met till the moment she left home, we were chatting non stop. She even managed to play cards with the kids. To think she came to Chennai often lived next door to me and we had never met all these years!
Ojas & Tejas say thanks for the story CD and Mamma for the Krishna!

Alice in Wonderland

A sticker book published by c4ci.com that has been stickered more than a year ago and is now being used as a story book. Ojas & Tejas were sufficiently interested in the story, especially because of the familiar subjects being discussed like mushroom, caterpillar, lock, key, juice (magic potion), and the fact that Alice became big & strong & small and strong by eating various stuff. Now I really found it difficult to weave my way through the number of times she shrank and enlarged and still make a convincing relateable story out of it but I guess children still have the ability to take it at face value. And that's why they can imagine and build upon a make believe magical world.
They also love The Jungle Book from the same sticker book collection. They have almost memorised the first page which goes..Tonight, the tiger Sher Khan, desperate with hunger (add sound effects - grrr)... They love the story and it is one of their preferred bedtime books.
My reading method includes pausing at each sticker and letting them read the word that the sticker depicts aking it quite interactive for them, apart from asking them to describe the pictures on each page.

Small Is The New Big

Mamma- Eat your food, then only you will become big & strong
Tejas/ Ojas- I am small, I want to be small
Mamma- ok, eat and become small and strong.
Tejas then proceeds to measure his palm against mamma's palm to reassure himself that he is indeed small and will eat only if he feels the need to become smaller.

Tejas- Dadda is chee chee because he has hair on his hands and face
Mamma- But even Tejas has hair on his hands. Proceeds to tug at a few hairs on his arms to make her point, (yes I am evil)
Tejas- clearly shocked at realizing that he has hair on his arms.
composes himself very quickly and says- But I am small naa (which makes it ok to have hair or makes the hair less yucky to him)

Buffet Manners

Long long ago I had done a session in my workplace on business etiquette. This also included highly impractical buffet ettiquette like- do not load your plate to high or move through the line fast or do not nibble in the line.

Kiran in her riotously funny post made me relive that memory and for lack of any other posting idea, I am making my own version of Buffet manners- relevant to me the nonvegetarian.

1. First take a quick dekho- scan the entire counter including the desserts and mentally make up your choice. And this gives you an idea of how much to eat and whether you need to leave space for desserts at all. In a fixed menu buffet, you can even decide that the buffet is not worth it so you can make a meal of the starters themselves.

2. Don't forget the counter where they prepare the fresh kababs - especially in the marriages or resorts they are tucked in a corner- in one marriage in Delhi, I almost missed out the kebabs. Only when I saw someone carrying a plateful of them, I quickly hunted out the treasure using my trusted nose. Before you even pick up the plate order the kebabs as they take time to prepare them.

3. Very true, as Kiran says- never look towards the soup counter- even if it is non vegetarian. Contrary to popular lore- they are not appetizers- only space takers.

4. Skip the breakfast juices also unless you are using them instead of water

5. Salads- only if they contribute to some gastronomic delight of yours or if you want to check out the recipe. I would even avoid boiled eggs- can easily be prepared at home.

6. You have not come to eat rice or roti or other sundry cereals. Go for the meat straightaway- If you want to look nice and include the cereals- do the nonveg biriyani and selectively pick up the meat.

7. Lentils- another no no- because they are usually made very delicious- creamy, thick - which means you compromise on the space that could be otherwise occupied by other deserving items.

8. When you are in that sort of a buffet party where you have starters & cocktails before dinner- and the useless waiters are not even looking in your direction and you are embarassed to go again and again for seconds- either use your kids to get as many plates or if your kids are too small, take them to the counter and very loudly ask- what? you wanted chicken lollypops-and then proceed to get a whole plate of them - then loudly ask one random friend- hey you wanna share these? So it will appear as if you are not the only on eating the kebabs.

9. I normally do not look at the veggie section but sometimes I hop across to collect some okra, dahi vada, potato fritters etc because I derive utmost gastronomical delight out of these items. You can choose your own select items and go for them but not at the cost of the non-veg

10. Desserts- many foolish health freaks go for a fruit platter- why/ Haven't you readthe forwards that say fruits should be eaten only before the meal and not after? Go for the difficult to prepare souffles, pastries/ cakes etc. I normally skip the mithai except if gulabjamun is there. I would say leave those plane vanilla icecreams also. Do only the gourmet stuff..like cakes dipped in chocolate fountain. Drool drool.

If A Car goes Drrrrrrrrrrrrrr

How does an aeroplane go?
Answer- Aerooooooooooooooooooo (as per Ojas)

Scenario is that I am giving Ojas a wash before bedtime using running water. (turned low)
I rinse his mouth first and while he is spitting it out, I wash his lower body. And then proceed to rinse his mouth again.
Why does Ojas run away screaming and holding his mouth tightly shut?
Answer- because the water has become dirty after washing his nether regions (langu wash)

Why does Tejas refuse to place his toilet seat for shitting?
Answer- because he has just taken bath and he doesn't want to dirty himself by touching it!

Which is the best way to convince Nani to put cartoon?
Answer- threaten to break her glasses or shake the chair on which she is standing.

What is the right way to drink milk (coffee)?
Answer- on a tray with a bowl of mixture placed with it (just like how Nana, Nani drink their tea/ coffee)

How does Tejas realize I have made Complan and am passing it off as Coffee?
Answer- It is not smelling like coffee- Coffee ka doosra smell hota hai (Mamma's skills inherited)

How do you express feeling of pain in any part of the body?

Answer- legs / hands mein bhukki ayee - Hungry in the legs, hungry in the hands

How do you express your need to eat?

Answer- My stomach is full of water, will you give me peanuts?

Why should I not stand in the toilet when they are shitting?

Answer- because it will smell! how considerate- Mamma tum go karo, smell hoga

Guess Who Became Smarter?

Men in Black & Red

Guess Where?

Which of these eating joints in Chennai can you recognize?
So a lot of people got most of them right...
Barbecue nation
Pizza Hut, Adyar (yes the reflection on the screen was a blatant hint)
Don Pepe, Cathedral Road. The "mexican" on the window reflection and the name written on the coaster was the hint, but somehow the image couldn't get enlarged- I discovered a little belatedly Subway, Ascendas GRT Granddays
Cafe Coffee Day

Tough one- Ponnnuswamy, Adyar

Fruit Shop on Greams Road, Besant Nagar

He he, just showing off- my home

Is It Time to Get Worried Already?

Ojas- Aunty asked me to sit with friends (not Tejas perhaps)
Mamma- where did you sit
Ojas- With Girl friend, there was no place near Tejas
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The maid had washed their undies along with my kurta and the undies turned a pretty shade of pink.
Hoping a couple of washes would remove the pink colour, I decided to use the "pink" chuds anyway.
Ojas- you are weraing pink anderwear
Tejas- yes
Ojas- are you Mamma?
Mamma - ? ?

The Evil Mamma

-Forces the kids to choose between "having juice in Chennai with Mausi" and going to Pondicherry with Dadda & Mamma
No prizes for guessing what they chose! And who were laughing all the way to Pondy & back.

- Makes the kids get used to music on laptop and then tells them everyday that the battery doesn't work so the laptop cannot play music

- Allows them to believe that the drumstick seeds are chicken pieces

- Uses cartoons to distract them from herself

-Feeds them custard but calls it caramel pudding

-Blends milk & boost and calls it cold coffee

- Threatens that if they do not eat the cake she baked (which they had said is not good) she would switch off the cartoon

A Model Robbery (Real Incident)

And incase you wondered-some sidelines

1. Dacoit 1 stayed in the living room arguing with Uncle 1 & Kid 1 & 2 and escaped with the TV remote- he never could get the watch he was eyeing

2. It's true- dacoits do ask for the cupboard keys

3. Girl 1 (who was ha-ha -ing) burst into tears of shock as soon as the dacoits left

4. Boy 1 who was just out of his bath and loitering about in a towel immediately put on his trousers when he realized that robbers had arrived

5. And where was I- in the inner lobby and got in when Grandma walked out and was the one who was pushing the door shut - inches away from the rusted gun weilding masked dacoit- ugggh

6. One lady inside the room thought it was a good idea to cover her head with her sari - to hide her diamond earrings

7. The lady who was bravely pushing the door shut was extremely worried whether the bullet had hit her husband's new shoes stowed under the sofa

And Now for Some Brotherly Love

Off To School

In the new dress Mausi bought for them