Cricket

Last is sunday we enrolled the kids into cricket coaching. The husband being a cricket fan and player....(which Indian man is not, I ask), he insisted that cricket coaching should happen.

The coach insists that this should be done twice a day on both weekends and the husband is eager to do it.

The place is less than 10 minutes away but the husband doesn't want to budge after dropping them.

The day began last week with me being rudely awakened at 5.38 am even before the kids are awakened, to get the kids ready for cricket. Where does this alacrity go on school days I ask.

Not to forget the huge kit that has been purchased, kit bag, bat, gloves, pads, helmet, attire, footwear, and th guards and support most importantly. The kids believe they look very smart in the helmet.

The coaching begins and ends with 2 circuits of the playground which is done very lazily. Here you can see the kids running around the huge ground.

And it works this way. They are allowed to go to cricket only if they go to keyboard classes and continue with their drawing classes.

Fingers crossed.
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Kartik Deepam

On this day we got married therefore this festival is very close to my heart.

The Kids Sid their prayer...ommmm as they stood in front of the Ganesh idol surrounded by lamps.

Candle lamps. Mind it. Keeps it simple and mess free.
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Question

Ojas-if we shave a tiger, will the stripes still remain
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Height of Trying to Trick

Tejas- Mamma tell me the password, I will use only now. Not again.
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Toothy travails and tales

In quick succession the upper incisors fell.

While I knew that their upper incisors were not in the best condition, I was shocked to see the black spots on the sides like they show in the colgate ad.
So they don't actually look endearing like pearls but horrific pomegranate seeds which have seen better days.
I am wondering whether the permanent dentures would also be affected or prone to the affliction.

Any dentists out there among my dear readers who could help me please?
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Crackers

For the first time the kids were interested in bursting crackers.
While I understand the need to be green and the child labour angle I couldn't deny them the fun and pleasures of the colourful lights and the thrill of setting them off.

What do I do? We kept it to bare minimum but that doesn't really do much.

How do we compensate?

Can I do something else to make it up for the pollution caused?

Any thoughts?
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Happy Diwali

Lighting up the ghar dwaar and aangan....
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4 down

And what a big window
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Watch Fight

Ojas & Tejas fight over a single watch.

Mamma tries hard to make them negotiate until the truth comes out.

Ojas- I don't want that watch. Paati farted on it.

Tejas- She did not fart on it. She just sat on it.

Following Suit

He managed to rescue this from going down the drain.


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3rd down

And this one I managed to preserve.

The Paris and Holzminden Trip Update

September I was in Paris for a global conference and being the first time to Europe in my conscious senses, I took a very nice camera (not). My N8 camera was the only one that served me well during this trip.

This is the dear little place I stayed for a couple of days. My husband's family and this is where I saw my first apple tree and a sprawling garden full of flowers and fruits.

 I traveled Emirates and landed on Saturday night. After spending a very restless night we finally took off to see Paris. For the first time in my life, shopping was not on my agenda. I was more interested in walking the very streets and seeing the very sights that I have so far only read about.

We did the famous Avenue - Champs Elysees 

And took the metro to Charles de Gaulle

Yes Street musicians do exist in Europe..I always thought they were a little fancy but nothing  really fancy about them, they really are possibly homeless and singing or playing for alms. 

The Sacre Cour Church. We were too lazy to take the steps so took the elevator. 

 The Invalides church. Like an army cantonment.

 With Napolean's tomb. I could feel the sense of history flowing through me.

 And finally the Eiffel Tower. The highlight of my trip. We stood in the queue for the tickets however they closed the summit.

 So we and that's the husband's cousin and me went to sit by the Siene and wait for the lights and sparkling lights to come on and just took in the sight.

 Driving past the Louvre

The Notre dame church by which we had dinner next evening with our office colleagues.

 An interesting display with a flower behind a bulb. the rotation of the bulb created an enchanting pattern.

 The last day of my trip. We went back to Eiffel Tower and climbed the 600 plus steps to make it to the top. While it was exhausting and sometimes scary to look down, the breathtaking view from the top made it worthwhile. If I were to do it again, I would certainly do it on foot.

 Homesick in Paris? No problem? You can just walk straight and you will reach India.

 The Louvre. Another must visit...

 If only it was to just meet Monalisa

 In Holzminden, we stayed at a lovely hotel with rooms built to German size. Quite a contrast from the matchbox size rooms in Paris.
This is one of the patterns that I found were repeated quite often in the houses there.

 The scenic drive between hotel and office.

And final destination for shopping was the Dubai airport for me!!! 

And the Birthday Party

Was total madness. In cold blooded fashion I decided to do a painting party because 7 is all about colours.

And not just any ordinary painting. T shirt painting.

The return gifts were these very same masterpieces however the kids expected a concrete return gift which cheapo aunty me did not provide.

The preparation involved buying various sizes t shifts , 2 dozens of them including infant sized ones where their sailings could paint for them.

Buying paints, brushes and assembling other items for painting like ear buds, plastic knife, toothbrush, toys with shapes to stamp the design in a pattern.

T shirts came with their cardboards but we also inserted newspapers so that colours did not stick to the backside.

My original plan was to create ink lot designs, sprinkle paint drops and fold the t shirt lengthwise and open to get a random design.

However the kids would have none of that. They insisted they paint themselves and it was heartening to see the kids go all crazy with their own concepts. For once mine did not stick with each other but were on different tables with their friends.

The cake was great tasting with a disastrous rukando design which looked like a cross between Hanuman's langot and a devils horn, and so it is best forgotten and unphotographed. 

The food was street food concept Chole bhature, dahi vada, samosa, chicken 65, gulab jamun, ice
cream, juice.

I am not sure whether the kids will end up wearing their masterpieces but I think it was worth the experience.

What I could have done better was,
A) done the party in the afternoon so that they could play afterwards and once the t shirt would dry they could wear that for the cake cutting which was my original plan anyway however since they did not dry and it would add to the logistics it would be crazy.

B) added a piñata or a small return gift as the kids like that the best and I couldn't because I was too tired to even think of what gift to buy and manage the logistics of changing numbers of guests.

C) I wish I could have done he ink lot design as that would give it a neat finish however then the kids wouldn't have had the experience of painting the same.





The adults were around to help them with ideas and they put their names and some even put their phone numbers on the t shirt apart from a thumb or palm print.

Happy 7th

A friend says this is one anniversary (motherhood anniversary) that will not give the 7 year itch!

So a quick one to say that my babies, even though I scream at you like all the time, I still love you as much as I did 7 years ago.

Even though I cannot stand you guys for more than a few hours, I still miss you when I am travelling or at work.

My heart gives a pang everytime you walk away to the class and I think, wish I could have been a silent and far off observer while you did your own thing at school.

A few milestones that we achieved this year...
 Two lower incisors fell off for both at the same time and the upper incisors are loose for both. Tejas' one incisor has dropped off and is currently safe in my car!

I did a 10 day official trip, a first in terms of being away from my babies.

Ojas today assembled a scientific toy rocket on his own just seeing the manual. 

The kids prefer to stay home and play rather than go out with us.

We tried to instill the display of affection by designating an official bedtime huggy time between the brothers.

The birds and the bees are being observed with observations like girls like boys!!

 This time they sat up till 00 hours because they new that with the turn of the clock their birthday arrives.