Such A Pleasant Afternoon!

The boys were to go bowling all afternoon. Shriya and I had three glorious hours stretching ahead of us. We were like two best friends making plans- what to do first and where to go, how to make the most of it!


We first went to Shriya's favourite shop- Lollipop Shop. It sells little knickknacks, clips, rubberbands, bracelets and everything little girls love. After 20 minutes of leisurely choosing we made it to Bishan Junction 8 where we first spent an enjoyable hour at the library. On the way back we stopped by at the Icing Room. This is a magical little shop all decorated in white and candy pink with lace doilies and sugar sticks. Shriya had saved up her pocket money (well earned through her gold stars) and wanted to spend it all here. We got a small cake- all covered in plain white vanilla icing. S chose 5 tubes of coloured icing cream  and a pack of sugar hearts to decorate her cake. And what a time she (and I had)! When we were done, there was no white to be seen.A little too much decoration, if you ask me...but oh so creative and we couldn't wait to eat it for dessert that night.


After a relaxed tea of muffins and milkshakes and some idle people watching my eye caught some sales that I couldn't resist. Picked up some stuff, tried them on and finally chose a few based on Shriya's expert advice. Such a pleasure shopping with a little girl!I could very well imagine the scene if I had brought the boys along. My husband would have been breathing down my neck to hurry up while my son would have mentioned a million times that he was getting BORED. Incidentally his favourite line these days when I even glance at a clothes/shoe/bag shop is "Dont even think about it, ma"!

We made a pitstop at the art supply store and headed back home.We didn't really do anything extraordinary . Just simple pleasures, relaxed time, enjoying each others company. Definitely an afternoon to cherish!

Met the boys at the door. They were sweaty and tired.We were all talking at once about our lovely afternoons. Seems they had a great time too.But oh so different from ours, for sure!!

My ACSian

Vaibhav started grade school nearly a month ago! Its been a month of excitement, whines, celebrations and lots of adjustments.

Vaibhav knew he was starting 'BIG' school where he can have lots of fun and make more friends! What he did not know was that he will have to wake up EVERYDAY for 5 days a week at 6.30am. He just cant understand why anybody in their right sense would start school so early. Why ma? Why cant they start an hour later? Why do you have to put me to bed when I'm not tired and wake me up when I am? Siiigh. My poor little thing has also to adjust to a recess bell, a weeee bit of homework and all the ways of a 'propah' school!


But he's also having a great time! I know it because he clearly told me so. One Friday I asked him if he was thrilled that he didn't have to go to school the next day. He gave me one look (one that said ' you just don't get it , do you?') and wisely said "Amma, I like my school, ok? I just get a little cranky in the mornings. That does not mean I dont like school"!
Ok, got it Sir!

Academics wise, I was very relaxed, confident that V would be fine...except for maybe Tamil!But he was out to surprise me there as well. He turned in a worksheet in which he had done only 2 sums out of 14. And the teacher had  asked him if he did not know how to solve the sums. My smartypants told her that the sums were too easy and so he was bored and that's why couldn't be bothered to finish it all!!!Anyway...that was the first week. Now he's on a winning high- after having tasted what it is to get a ten on ten :-)

Its a very sporty school! They take great pride in their tournaments and coaching. And it definitely is an all out Boys school. Vaibhs and his dad are super excited to be a part of the Adventure Club where they will be bowling, treking and camping with other Dad/Son teams!

Vaibhav through some previous Karma got into the very competitive and difficult-to-get-in tennis coaching. ACS is known for its tennis and he is getting a huge kick swinging his racket on his shoulders,  enjoying the lessons. Table tennis is his new favourite, though. He plays it during recess (the school halls have several tables strewn across for the boys to hone their game), he plays it after school and he plays it on the weekends.

Vaibhav, soak in the ACS culture and enjoy every minute of your boyhood!The best is indeed yet to be!

Hmmm... moments

Shriya- Amma, why do you always call me 'Chakkarai'?
Me- Because you are the sweetest thing to me
Shriya- But amma, chakkarai is sugar, right? And sugar does bad things to us, right? So how can you call me that?
Me- Hmmmm
Shriya- Call me by the things I love, ok?
Me- Ok henceforth you will be my avocado dippy dip, my kutti idli girl


Vaibhav- It's not fair!! ( an oft-repeated phrase these days)
Me- what's not fair?
Vaibhav- You are big and you get to share your bed with dada but i am smaller than you and I have to sleep all by myself!! Not fair!
Me- Hmmmm




Vaibhav- I am not sleepy as yet
Me- But you have to wake up early tomorrow, school starts at 7.30!!
Vaibhav- Amma, why do you put me to bed when I'm not sleepy and wake me up when I am??
Me- Hmmmm


Me- Hey Vaibhs, its the weekend.... aren't you glad there's no school today?
Vaibhav- Amma, I like school, ok? I might be cranky sometimes in the mornings but that does not mean I don't like school
Me- Hmmmm....ok sir, I'm glad to hear that!

Dakshina Chitra

Before the wedding madness began, we spent a few magical days in and around Chennai. Dakshina Chitra, on the ECR road was one such trip where all four of  us were mesmerized.

Besides going back in time while viewing the different styles of homes  ( Tirunelveli Brahmin, Syrian Christian, Telugu Farmer's Hut etc) we got to try our hand at pottery, kalamkari, mask making and block printing. We were thrilled to watch an authentic Oriya Yakshagna type of performance depicting the Narasimha avatar. I was amazed to see the kids sitting spellbound during the 2 hour show. A hand puppet show depicting Hanuman's visit to Lanka, glass blowing demonstration, kili josiyam (where a little parrot will predict your future)  were all some of the other stuff that we immensely enjoyed.

It was a beautiful slice of South India to showcase to the kids. They were especially excited to try their hand at the various art and craft activities. It was a memorable day- happy times, teachable moments! We'll definitely be back!

Sorry for saying Sorry!!!

My children are polite. No kidding...they are and maybe a little toooooooooooooo much these days. I dont know how they got here but sometimes I wish (I know...I'm mad) they weren't this polite.
It would start off like this...

Vaibhav- Sorry Shriya for accidentally touching your toe
Shriya- Never, mind!Sorry for keeping my toe out of my shoe
Vaibhav- Amma, sorry for not saying sorry immediately
Me- Vaibhav, thats OK! And please you guys don't have to apologize this much for something as simple as grazing a toe, ok???
Vaibhav- Ok, Sorry for saying Sorry, ma!

Grrrrrrrr....and that was just one sample. They are like the manners police. When we were in India they would constantly have their antennae tuned to find who's slipping a bit. The absolute heights was when these two went and offered a poor old beggar some money and made him say 'Thank You'!!! Of course they promptly muttered a 'You are welcome'!


Grandpas, great grannies...no one is spared. I've told them to please mind their own manners and leave everybody else out of it. They tell me "But amma, we ARE minding ours. How can we say 'You are Welcome' if the other person does not say a 'Thank You'?

Aaaaw....my little boy's last week in kindergarten

It doesn't bother him one bit. In fact he tells me "I'm not going to miss kindy ma, I'm soooo excited about going to BIG school".

But I AM so going to miss Vaibhav being in kindergarten. I'm going to miss walking the 15 minutes and dropping both kids off at school with a tight hug and a wet kiss. I'm going to  miss spending the mornings with both of them. I'm going to especially miss my darling boy being little.

Big school is definitely going to rob my son of whatever little babyhood that is remaining in him. He will be interacting with other boys....he'll learn to be tough, he'll learn bloopers(I cringe at the thought of it) and he'll behave like a big boy.He has already requested me to call him 'dude'!! When I asked him if he knew what it meant he innocently replied that all the big boys called each other that :-)

What can I say? Its been a week of mixed feelings. I am happy for him that he's going to start an exciting new journey at ACS. At the same time, my eyes well up when I think that this is the end of a phase.3 years have flown by. We've had beautiful moments. Vaibhav's first day in kindergarten, his first sports day, his first school outings were all as thrilling for us as for him. My heart still misses a beat when I think of those first two weeks in kindergarten when he screamed and cried and begged for me to be present in his classroom. 

My sweetheart, I'm as emotional as you are excited. I'm just trying to hold on to something that I can't. You will grow up but will also always, always be my baby. So, the next time when you are with your friends and I happen to call you by one of your many petnames...please bear with me!

Crafty we get!

Shriya and Vaibhav are totally into art and craft activities these days. A piece of paper, scissors and a bit of crayon can calm them down as much as a cuddle, book or nap! They  received so many art & craft related gifts this year. Such thoughtful and fun stuff that they immensely enjoyed!
Here are a few that they've tried their hand at....

Vaibhav's Spoon art

Fairy Art------- and the results

Shriya's own diary







Early Learning Centre (ELC) has a fascinating collection of craft ideas for little ones. I find them extremely calming, a great way to bond with the kids and an interesting way to spend an afternoon indoors.
Warning Hazard: You could get hooked on to these a little more than your kids which could irritate them :-)