Days, Life, Dreams

My Reason for Wanting to Lose Weight

2012-01-29T15:35:00.001+05:30

Wow! I actually get a chance to sit and write something! The past few weeks I've been too busy or tired to blog and I have let it go. I guess I needed a longer break from it than I thought.

I've been keeping busy with spring cleaning, amidst my usual daily stuff. There are times when I think it would be easier to flood the house with soap and water than to clean section by section. It's exhausting, and I'm not done yet. I got rid of a pile of stuff that was around the house in various places just waiting to be cleared out. That felt good. I don't like having unused stuff lying around taking up space.

I have yet to weigh myself (don't have a scale so I use the one at the local pharmacy) but I still have a few more days to go. A few more days to eat less and exercise more. I know that I have lost something since my pants are starting to fit better again, meaning I can close them while standing instead of lying down. Ha. I can also see some definition starting to show on my arms. More muscle and less flab is always good. Glad teases when I try to show him my progress, but he has yet to start on his exercise goals. No, I will never be able to wrestle him down, but that isn't my goal anyway. Being healthy aside, I want to again look good in a swimsuit. Maybe not a bikini, but there are plenty of other nice ones out there that I'd love to fit into.

For example: This is probably my ideal suit, maybe with some hotpants instead of the panty.

Found here.

Or this:

Found here.

Love this one.

Found here.

If I did wear a two piece, I'd go with something like this, but I don't know that I will ever be able to again show off my tummy, hence all the ones that hide it.

Found here.

My goal is to be ready for a new suit by summer, our summer that is, which for us falls between April and June, so I don't have much time. I can't wait to go swimsuit shopping!!

Weigh Up, Weigh Down ... Down ... Down, I Hope

2012-01-17T16:05:00.000+05:30

Ok, I must do this, even though it is tough - I am trying to lose weight - again.

Before I had kids, I was a normal weight, roughly around 145 lb. (65 kgs.) I'm 5' 5'' (167 cm.) so that was a good weight for me. I exercised daily and never overate except for the occasional party spurge, which never bothered me.

With the chidren I nannied for 3 years, around 2005.

Then I got pregnant with Logan. All sorts of new things hit me, including whether or not it was safe to continue my regular exercise. Instead of exercising, I stopped except for the occasional walk, and once the nausia passed, I ate, a lot! I had heard that I needed to eat every two hours so that is what I did. Logan was born at 33 weeks and I weighed 198 lb. (90 kgs.) Imagine what I woud have weighed had he been born at full term!

With Logan in the NICU, when he was 8 days old.

As soon as I was recovered enough from the delivery, I started exercising again and was able to lose a fair amount but I was nowhere near my former weight.

On a train - Logan was 10 months and I was just a few weeks pregant with Lila.

With Lila I also gained, but I knew that it wasn't necessary to eat so often, only when I was hungry, so, while I gained about the same amount, it was over 9 months instead of 7, so I gained slower. I also got a bit more exercise.

About 2 weeks before Lila was born.

After Lila I worked hard and got down to a decent size that I was ok with. I fit into my clothes and was planning on losing more ... when Scarlett showed up.

Just before I got pregant with Scarlett.

Again I weighed about 90 kgs. when Scarlett was born. During that pregnancy I did my best to not overeat and to exercise as much as I could, but I still gained.

6 months along with Scarlett.

One month after Scarlett was born.

I do gain easily, and I have to keep exercising and keep my meal portions in check, but I got lax after Scarlett came. Well, I did try for about a month when she was 3 months old, but gave up shortly afterwards. I was too tired, often sick, or the kids were sick, all 3 would get up in the night, and Logan was in nighttime potty training - in short, I was too tired and busy to exercise.
And it caught up with me, though I didn't realise how much until December. I had kept eating what I wanted, rashionalizing that I needed it since I was still breastfeeding, etc. Well, Scarlett is not a small baby any more. She is 14 months, and while she still nurses maybe 2 or 3 times a day and at least once a night, she gets most of what she needs from solids. She is a good eater and I no longer need to worry about my milk being perfect since she is more nursing for comfort and out of habit rather than for nutrition.
Since we don't have a full length mirror in the house, I never saw myself in full, and it was only when pants that I almost fit into started getting tight again that I realised something was wrong. In December we went for an outing with some friends, and that changing room mirror, and seeing photos from the day afterwards, were enough to scare me into getting back into shape. I had no idea I had let myself go so much until I saw this:

Freaky!

And this:

So since the beginning of January I have started on my (hopefully permanent) weight loss program. For me, the best time for exercise is the morning, before the kids get up, for two reasons: 1 - the kids are sleeping and won't bother me, and 2 - the computer, which has my workout videos on it, is home.
I get up at 6, have my coffee, check my mail, FB, etc. Then I start exercising between 6:30 and 6:45. I wanted to take it slow and get used to it again, so for the past 2 weeks I've been doing anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes of exercise daily, and yesterday I was able to do my first 1 hour workout. That felt good.
I have also been keeping tabs on my diet and watch my meals portions, only snack a little with my afternoon coffee (and I make sure it is a healthy snack instead of the cookies I was having), and I no longer have an evening snack. I've cut back on alcohol and limit treats. I could never do a diet that cuts out all yummy stuff, but cutting back works for me and is what I am doing.
My starting weight as of Jan. 1st. was 76 kgs. (167 lb.) and my goal is to lose 10 kgs which would bring me back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I'll let you know how I have done on the 1st of Feb. when I do a weight and body measurement check.
So heres to permanent weight loss (click virtual glass with mine). I will do this!

I am linking up for Talk to Us Tuesday over at Confessions from an Impulsive Addict. Come join us.

Pongal Contest Judging - and More.

2012-01-14T19:08:00.000+05:30

On friday, Logan's school held their Pongal festivities. Pongal is the harvest festival and involves a lot of traditions that I am not familiar with, but I got to learn about one of them - the sweet pongal.

Sweet pongal is a dish made from lentils, rice, cardamom, jaggery, cashew nuts and lots of ghee. It can be decorated on top with cashews, rasins, and/or bananas and is a dish involved in Hindu religious rituals that pertain to Pongal.

The school likes to hold contests as a way to involve the parents in school activities. There was a Christmas cake one in December which I entered (but didn't win, boo hoo), but this one was out of my league as far as cooking it was concerned, so I was asked to be one of the judges.

The girls and I arrived shortly after class started, and I kept them outside until the judging began. They were only expecting a few entries and were suprised to get 41 total. We had to judge them on appearance, taste, and whether or not they had provided a recipe, for a possible total of 10 points from each judge. I wonder if anyone got a full 30 points. The results won't be out until wednesday because monday and tuesday are holidays. Yes, this is one of those festivals that lasts several days.

While I was busy with this, Glad kept the girls and they had some of the sweet pongal for snack. It was an interesting experience for me as I had never tasted this dish before, and the fact that I wasn't familiar with it was one of the reasons they asked me to judge in the first place. They wanted an outsiders opinion and they got it. Ha.

Logan's class in the yard, checking out the setup. Logan is in the back, far left. All the children came in traditional outfits.

By the end, I started feeling sick from eating all that sugar and ghee. (If you don't know what ghee is, read this.) Ghee is extreemly rich, and while it tastes good, too much makes the food heavy, but it is a large part of traditional Indian cooking.
Well, it was fun, but I don't want to eat any sweet pongal again anytime soon. It was interesting to see all the flavors and variations on the dish just from being made by different cooks. Some were ok, some delicious, and a few were yuky, well, to me anyway. A few people went all out on decorating their dish and serving it in a traditional clay pot, while most just put it in a serving dish, though there was variety in that too. I should have gotten a photo of the tables. (Excuse me while I kick myself.)
But I did get one of the cute yard setup. This was supposed to look like a typical farmer's house and yard, with the cooking being done in the traditional way, over an open fire.

Lila and Scarlett checking out the hut.

Well, I enjoyed it and so did the kids. Read the links I've provided if you want to know more about this festival. And now a close-up of the girls cute dresses.

This was one of her birthday gifts from some of Glad's co-workers.

... and the back. So cute.

She's had this one for a while now and it still fits.

Saying Goodbye to a Dependable Friend

2012-01-07T17:12:00.001+05:30

Today I said goodbye to a friend.

Logan at 3 months. First time we used the stroller.

A friend who has been there for me since Logan was tiny.

Logan at 4 months, first vacation.

A friend who willingly carried whatever I placed in it, with no complaint.

I really should have gotten a pic of when it was packed with groceries.

A friend who continued on as it got more use...

Lila, 7 weeks; Logan, 19 months.

took us everywhere,

Lila, 7 months.

and endured many naps.

Lila, 7 months

Logan, just days before his second birthday.

Sadly, this friend got tired of all the work,

Lila, 16 months.

especially as it entered round 3.

Scarlett, 4 months.

It was a great friend and will be missed.

Scarlett, 7 months.

Have you guessed that I was talking about my stroller? Yes, sadly I had to get rid of it before I was ready to not have a stroller. Up until a few months ago, it was working just fine. Then somehow, the whole frame bent to the left and the right front wheel was stuck permanently in the air. Pushing it became a headache, especially when the older ones were hanging on to it. The uneven roads didn't help either.
Now that Scarlett is walking it isn't such a tragedy to not have it, but where I can go with all 3 kids is limited since I will have to carry Scarlett until she can walk at a decent pace and keep up with us. But keeping it was worse. I came to dread taking the kids out cause pushing it and trying to keep it going straight and pulling the ones hanging on was tiring on my arms, to say the least.
Will I get another? Maybe. It would still be useful for at least another year, but I don't need such a sturdy one any more. Maybe one of those easily collapsable umbrella strollers would do the trick.

At least this is an easily replaceable friend. :)

Year End Review Linkup, part 4

2011-12-30T15:00:00.000+05:30

Here is the fourth and finally part of the year-end reviews. I am linking up with Confessions from an Impulsive Addict for this review. If you missed the first three parts you can find them here, here, and here.

A review of 2011

October

In October I picked up with my writing about life in India and what I think about it. I wrote more on the food, Diwali, and a trip we had here when Logan was just a baby. Sometimes I like to write about my personal childhood memories, and often the ones that come to me are triggered by something that is happening with my own kids, like this one. Logan learned how to tattle on daddy, too.
I started working on the stockings I made for Christmas, started planning for Logan and Scarlett's birthdays, and Scarlett learned how to stand. I also got these cute photos that I plan on framing some day.

Lila Chanelle at 2 yrs., 6 mos.

November

November's highlight was Logan's and Scarlett's birthdays. Having kids with birthdays only a day apart can be stressful if planning two parties, so this year we skipped the big parties and celebrated at home with just us, since Logan did have a party at school. It is possible that when they are older, they will demand separate parties, just like my youngest brother and I did. Funny, I just remembered that our birthdays are also one day apart.
The winter monsoon hit, making it super wet and cold for about two weeks straight, and we all got colds. I kept working on those stockings and finally got them finished in time to hang them for Christmas. And Scarlett started walking. Yay!

Logan's party at school.

Yay! I can stand!

December

Yay, Christmas, and being the last month, I can remember it best, ha. Well, it was quiet for us, no visitors or houseguests. I did some baking - fruitcakes, nanaimo bars, and more fruitcakes. I actually got a late start and found this great page with tips that I will follow for next year. I'm surprised I didn't do any cookies. I actually meant to do gingerbread men with the kids and it didn't happen.
Other than shopping and baking we didn't do too much except go to a resort for a day, and we went to a mall on the 24th for some fun. The weather right now is beautiful, sunny and windy, with highs around 25-28 deg., but it does get cold at night, dropping to 18 or so. If you read my summer posts you will know that is cold for us.
So now I plan on taking a little blogging break and will see you all again in the new year.

She invented her own roller skates by walking on some Lego cars while wearing my shoes. Smart.

Happy New Year!

Last minute update: We are ending the year with a bang as we are riding out a cyclone. Being on the coast, we get such things periodically. So far we have had 48 non-stop hours of rain, and this will continue until the storm dies which won't happen until it gets further inland. I hope it ends soon.

Christmas in the D'souza House - 2011 Edition

2011-12-29T00:52:00.001+05:30

Yet another Christmas has come and gone, our 4th as a family. This year was the most exciting so far in terms of the children enjoying it, just because they are older now. Logan understood better when I asked him what he wanted for Christmas. His reply? A pig for his farm set. He had gotten some animals on his birthday but there was no pig in the set. I had actually never seen a set with a pig, but the first day I went shopping, I found a set by a different company and it had a pig. Perfect.
Logan also got some puzzles (another request), a Lego set, a frizbee, a Winnie the Pooh reader/workbook, and a toy keyboard. He loves music so I'm hoping he will learn how to play it.
Lila didn't know what to ask for so I got her a tea set, baby doll, puzzle, Winnie the Pooh workbooks for colors and shapes, and a frizbee. Scarlett got a baby doll and Fisher Price xylophone.
In their stockings they each got two wrapped toys, a ball with water and glitter in it, and some chocolate treats. They were very happy and spent all of Christmas day playing with their new things.

Glad had to work until the 23rd so we set aside the 24th as a day to go out together and celebrate. We went out to a mall, the largest here and the only one that is built like a western mall. I should do a post on Indian malls some day. I'm sure you'd love that.
Anyway, we headed out in an auto, all 5 of us just fit. The first thing we did was to take a ride on the train that was circling the central display of a huge tree and a winter scene complete with painted snow, little houses, Santa and a manger scene. The kids were excited until we got on; then Lila wanted to get off right away. It's funny cause it was a slow train and it just did two rounds and she cried, yet Lila likes to go in autos which are much faster.

After the train we went to the large toy store that they have. Too bad they don't allow photo taking cause they have some great toys. We spent a long time there, letting the kids look at whatever they wanted. Logan found a tiny stage and got up there to dance to the piped in music.

Taken outside the toy store. That is a Lego Taj Mahal behind them.

After the toy store we did some shopping - shoes for Lila, socks for Scarlett, a belt for Logan and earrings for me. Nothing grand but all needed. Besides, their gifts were already bought. After that we had lunch and then headed home where Logan and Lila napped (Scarlett had napped at the mall) and Glad went out to get my gift from my mom - a new phone. Mom actually managed to convince him to get me something from her. Amazing, considering he hates gift shopping. Now I can take photos and videos when I want without waiting for his phone to be home. I'm happy for that. Maybe next year he will get me something from him. Fingers crossed.
In the evening we watched a Christmas movie together over pizza, a very rare treat. We also dug into the one fruitcake I had managed to soak and age properly; it was moist and very alcoholic. Yummy! The brandy was super strong but it was good. I had to hold Logan back as he likes fruitcake so much he wanted to eat the whole thing himself and hardly left any for the rest of us.
Sorry I never got any Christmas cards sent. We haven't gotten our yearly family photo yet, and unless I can convince Glad to leave the cricket on t.v. long enough to go out, it won't happen.
Now Logan keeps asking for more gifts and to open his stocking again, and when I told him he'd have to wait until next year, he decided to start on his list for next Christmas - he wants a cat, a toy one. I'll see what I can do about that.

To see more Christmas photos, click here.

Year End Review Linkup, part 3

2011-12-23T20:30:00.000+05:30

Today I am linking up with Confessions from an Impulsive Addict for the third part of a year end review of life in the D'souza house. You can find parts 1 and 2 here.

A review of 2011

July

In July we had the summer monsoon, I joined my very first blog linkup, rambled about my kids, wrote about how I do my grocery shopping here in India, and posted my first recepie. And that is only some of the July posts. I did well with my blog in July.
Sadly, I have no photos from July, as my camera died, and to date it is still not fixed. Any photos taken after this point are with Glad's phone, and it only takes good outdoor photos, so the indoor ones, while I have tried to fix them up with my photo editor, still aren't that great.

August

No photos taken this month either. I hate not gettting pics of the kids. It makes me feel like I am missing records of their life. So sad.
In August I wrote more about life in India and my thoughts and views on things here, Glad turned 31, and I struggled to get my kids sleeping in their own beds. Scarlett (9 months old) got her ears pierced this month, and began showing signs of the rascal she is to become. She wore me out with her antics and being sick. I thought she was teething but she wasn't. I also posted some recepies.

September

In September my mom was visiting my grandparents, thus enabling them to see pics and stuff about the kids, so I wrote a series of special posts just for them. They are old enough to not be into computers or have internet at home, except for when mom was there.
I also wrote about the crazyness of life, stressfulness of toys, and more childhood memories. The children swam a lot, played a lot, and generally kept me busy. Oh, and I got my blog buttons up, wearing myself out trying to figure out how to work with coding. Let's just say I won't be trying it again any time soon.
Somewhere around the beginning of this month I had a "duh" moment when I realised I could use Glad's phone to take pics, at least when he is home, so I began taking lots. My phone has a camera but for some weird reason, no way to take them off, so it is rather useless. Here are some from this month.

We got lots of use out of the pool.

Messing around with the webcam.

A rare moment.

Building a Lego ship with daddy.

Love this smile.

Next week will be the final post of the review. See you there.

Even More Videos of My Kids

2011-12-23T07:03:00.002+05:30

There is just something about taking videos of your children and having those memories to hold on to. Unlike photos, with a video you can see what actually happened at that time and you don't have to depend on your memory to fill in the blanks. Memory of events tends to fade with age, but videos live on.

This first one is Scarlett's new favorite activity - talking to the "baby" in the oven door. Usually she talks longer but as soon as she sees me with the camera, she gets excited and comes over.

Second: Scarlett having an intense discussion with daddy about why she should be allowed to have some of his snack. I've realised that she is convinced that she is really talking and that we actually understand her babbles. Interestingly enough, she has enough variety of babble that it seems like she really is talking.

Third and fourth: Kids having fun together, making animal noises, playing, and finally tears when bedtime is announced.

Outing to a Beach Resort

2011-12-22T06:58:00.000+05:30

I'm so behind. I should have gotten this written as soon as it happened but I put it off and then other things came up, and now it is old news. But it is still interesting so I think you will want to hear about it.
Last Sunday (the 18th), we went out for some time of fun, relaxation, and family time, something we rarely get because of Glad's intense work schedule. He has two jobs. The main one is manager of Logan's preschool, which is 5 days a week, plus a few hours on saturday. The other is teaching English, monday to friday evenings (he is rarely home before 11), and several hours both saturday and sunday.
One plus of the teaching is he can cancel if needed, if something else comes up or if he needs time off. So sunday he cancelled everything and took a trip to a beach resort outside of town. Glad's boss loaned us his car and driver (an Innova) since all we have is the scooter and usually take a taxi for family outings.
So I got the kids up early and we were out by 8:30 in an effort to beat the traffic. I had everything packed the night before, clothes layed out, food ready to go, so in the morning it was a minimum of work for me.
The first place we stopped was the crocodile reserve. Of course the kids were eager to see them, and I learned that there were more varieties of crocs than I had thought. It's amazing how many there actually are. We also saw turtles and some snakes there.
The highlight was the underwater display. It was a small brick room, dark and a little scary. They had a huge gharial on display there, and a microphone under the water let us hear his sounds. He was a good 10 feet long, at least. Logan freaked out and screamed the whole time while Lila was amazed and asked to go in a second time.

All those teeth are scary.

After the reserve we continued a short distance to the resort, where we spent the next several hours by the pool. The water was icy cold but the air was warm enough to sit in swimsuits, even though it wasn't sunny. The kids only went in a little, preferring to play around the kiddy pool, throwing their toys in and getting others to fish them out. I dared to have a swim in that icy water, though once in, it wasn't so bad. It was the getting in part that was torturesome.

We met up with some friends there, Logan and Glad played some cricket, we had lunch, talked, relaxed. We needed it. The place did have a beach, but we decided to stay by the pool and Glad just took Logan and Lila to see the beach. Logan wanted to go in and Lila was scared. I guess they both have their moments of bravery.
We headed home around 4:30 and all three kids promptly fell asleep. It was a great, fun day and we hope to have more of them in the near future.
To see more photos from this day, click here.

Year End Review Linkup, part 2

2011-12-16T20:00:00.000+05:30

Today I am linking up with Confessions from an Impulsive Addict for the second part of a year end review of life in the D'souza house. If you missed part 1 you can read it here.

A review of 2011

April

April saw us sweating it out as summer moved into full swing. Scarlett turned 5 months old and Lila turned two. Some of my posts were random combinations of stuff we were doing and some were just a collection of photos from last month. At least now that Scarlett was older I was able to get more posts done.

Attempting a group shot. These never come out as desired.

May

My favorite month - probably because it is my birthday month. Heehee. Happy birthday to me!
This month was probably the hottest summer-heat wise so I set up the kids wading pool on the balcony. Lila became more of a rascal and started getting into more trouble, with at least one big antic per day. I celebrated my 4th mother's day, and started my Mommy to Mommy blog. I took the children to the park several times and got some great photos. I'm only putting two here since the posts I linked to have lots of pics.

This is how I kept the pool clean.

And yes, sometimes all 5 of us got in. (The empty space there was for me, see?)

June

The most notable thing about June was that Logan started preschool. His first day was a success and it has just gotten better since then. He loves school so much. This month I also faced my scariest parenting moment yet. And it was just the beginning, for it seemed the terrible twos had really taken off with Lila. Just keeping up with her was wearing me out. Scarlett learned to crawl this month, meaning she also started getting into trouble.

Outdoor play is something we did lots of this month.

See you for part 3 next week.

Ho Hum...No Fun

2011-12-15T07:46:00.000+05:30

There hasn't been anything exciting happening around here lately. I think the most exciting thing this week was finding a string of lights for our tree. I so miss being surrounded by Christmas. :( This morning I woke to heavy rain; unusual, since the monsoon has been over for a while and we have had some heat lately. I hope it warms up again cause we have plans to join some friends at a beach resort on Sunday for swimming. Logan asks about it daily and would be so disappointed if we can't go.

Tree setup this year, before I found the lights.

Flannelgraph manger scene. I figured this is safer for the kids than a ceramic one. Besides, I don't have another one. :) Set is from Betty Lukens.

And this is why I stuck with the small tree this year - no worries about it being toppled. Well, unless Lila climbs up on the stool and isn't careful. So far she has been; Scarlett would have eaten the whole thing by now.

I don't have anything more to write right now so I will leave a few links from past Christmas posts for you to check out.

Some Things I Remember About Christmas Over the Years

My Most Memorable Christmases

Does Santa Clause Exist?

Year End Review Linkup, part 1

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000+05:30

Today I am linking up with Confessions from an Impulsive Addict for a year end review of life in the D'souza house.

A review of 2011

January

Not much happened blog-wise this month. I was too busy with a new baby and exhausted from trying to keep up. (Yes, I know that link is from Dec. but like I said, I was busy and my two Jan. posts are not much to remember. Besides, it gives you a clear idea of what my life was like at that time and why I didn't have time to blog.)

Snacktime at the park.

Littlest princess. 2 months old.

February

February saw me trying to get back in shape and wishing I had more arms so I could keep up. Scarlett also got her first two teeth at 3 1/2 months old.

So cute.

One of my favorites.

March

In March I started Logan's nighttime potty training and worked with Lila on daytime training as well. Getting him out of diapers at night was amazing though it took much effort on my part. (Now it is Nov. and he does well as long as I remember to take him to the toilet at least once a night.)

March saw the beginning of summer (we get summers with temperatures in the 40's) and the kids moving into our room to sleep. They also got sick with coughs and colds and were rather miserable.

The cricket world cup was on during this time and since Glad was watching it, I got an overdose of cricket.

Ready for summer.

Watching videos while sick.

Logan's chalk drawing of me. :)

"Don't forget me." So cute in her summer dress.

The next installment will be up next week, same time, same place. Don't miss it.

Finally!

2011-11-30T22:35:00.001+05:30

So I finally got them done - our Christmas stockings. I wanted them done before the first of December and they were, though I had to push hard on the last two. I just worked on them when I could find the time.
It would have gone faster if I had of had a sewing machine, but you know, I feel good cause I did something creative with my hands that I hadn't done in years. I used to make things when I was young and had time on my hands, but now it is hard find the time to do anything extra.
Each one is unique and has a theme that, for at least Glad, Logan and myself, is meaningful to us. From left to right we have: Dad - alcohol, Logan - a cow, Lila - an angel, Scarlett - a gingerbread man, and Mom (me) - snowflakes.

All 5 of them - ignore my toes on the bottom. I had to hold the phone over my head to get the shot just to fit them all in.

Making them was quite simple, that is, if you know how to sew it is simple. First I cut the stocking pattern on the fold to save on stitching. Then I cut and added the red trim. On the trim I added sequins or beads to finish it.

For the pictures, I made paper patterns, cut them out double, then over-stitched them and just tacked them on to the stocking. I finished each one with fabric glitter glue. Some of the materials were easier to work with than others, but the best part of this project was that I had everything I used for it in the house. All I bought was one bottle of gold fabric glue, since it was the only one I didn't have.

The children's - see their names on the tops?

Glad's and mine.

Click here to see individual pics of each one.

Now that that is out of the way, I can begin decorating. I dug the tree out today and it is standing on top of a cabinet waiting for me to get some lights for it. Last year we only decorated the tree; nothing got done for the house. This year I want to do more for the house, and some friends of ours want to come help decorate, meaning I need to go shopping for decorations. Fun, fun, but not if I have to take the girls with me, which I will most likely have to do. The best place to get decorations close by is a tiny shop that is crammed full of stuff and has tiny, narrow ailes. It is like shopping inside a box. Anyway, if I have to take them it will be a quick trip cause tiny hands in a shop with attractive stuff is equal to one bottle of vodka, if you catch my drift.
I'll keep you posted.

My Thanksgiving Post

2011-11-24T22:15:00.001+05:30

Everywhere I look in the blog world people are preparing for Thanksgiving, ok, US Thanksgiving. If I was in Canada we would have celebrated it back in October, and since I am in India we don't celebrate it at all. Ha.
Logan's school started in the US, so, in addition to all the local holidays, they celebrate several of the major US holidays. On Halloween they had a little celebration, and today for Thanksgiving, the children learned about it. The school also collected used clothes, toys, and food items to give to a local orphanage, so that the children can learn about being thankful for what they have by giving to those in need.
So even though I can't remember the last time I actually celebrated Thanksgiving, I figured there is no harm in listing what I am thankful for right now. There isn't any particular order and this is all random, except for the first two.

1. These stinkers. They keep me so busy I don't have time to complain about anything except about how busy and tired they make me.

Early morning, in their pj's. I think kids in pj's look so cute.

2. The love of my life, the one who slaves at work 7 days a week to keep us all going. XXX I love you, Sweetie.

Discussing dental hygine with the children; Logan is standing with the teacher. (This actually isn't his class, and apparently he doesn't sit like the rest of the kids do. But he does love that particular teacher and talks about her all the time and will do anything for her. )

3. The fact that I have internet and that it works, even though it did take 10 minutes to upload that last pic.

4. Candy canes, and Christmas. Mostly candy canes. :)

5. Fruitcake.

Yummy!!

6. My blog friends. I spend so much time at home with the kids that here is where I most get to interact with people over 3 feet tall and discuss things more meaningful than whether the inflatable whale is a daddy or a mommy, listen to debates on the difference between a burp and a belch (my kids say a burp is a burp and a belch is a belch, laugh about it, and start again), and repeatedly confirm to Logan that only boys have penies. (Honestly, why are boys so into that part of their body and why is it so important to them from the moment they discover it? It is just another appendage.)

7. Rain. I love it. It is raining right now and I feel so relaxed. I think it calms me down.

8. Vodka. Need I say more?

9. My new giant purse that holds all I need for the kids without looking like a diaper bag.

You'd be surprised what I have in there. A mommy can never be overprepared.

10. The fact that all 3 kids were asleep before 11 p.m. tonight = peace and quiet.

And while I could go on, I think 10 is a good number for now. Now I'm going to hop over to my other blog and get a post up there. You can read it too. Just click on the link for my other blog on the sidebar over there and you'll get it.

See you next time. And since most of my readers are in NA and will be just waking up for Thanksgiving, I wish you a fun, thankful day.

Scarlett's First Birthday

2011-11-14T07:39:00.001+05:30

One year ago, I met her for the first time.

Just came home.

One year ago, she came home to stay.

Since then she has grown into a cute little rascal. She loves to eat, tries to talk, enjoys her play. She tries to do everything the older ones do.

Yes, Scarlett is one year old. This year has passed faster than my other kids' first year's did. I still have fresh memories of her babyhood and I wonder where they went.

One month old.

Two months old.

Three months old.

Four months old.

Five months - love her smile.

Six months - getting bigger.

Seven months.

Eight months - refused to sit.

Nine months.

No ten month pics. No camera. From this point on, all are taken with Glad's phone.

Eleven months.

Twelve months - happy birthday to me!

I didn't do anything grand for her birthday. I think all I put into Logan's wore me out and I was out of ideas for her, so no fancy first birthday like Logan and Lila both had. I made a simple cake, we sang for her, she opened her gift, and that was it. She did love the attention, the cake and her new toy. See the video and hear her excitement. I didn't wrap her other gifts, but she got some clothes, a plate and sippy cup as well.

Birthday morning, just woke up.

She loved the flame.

She tried so hard to get it open. I had to hold Logan and Lila off as they were ready to pounce on her, open it for her, and take it for themselves.

She figured it out immediately.

Logan's Fourth Birthday, pt. 2

2011-11-12T00:51:00.001+05:30

Ha. I never do a part 2 for birthdays, but I wrote the last post this morning (correction, yesterday morning; it is already 1 a.m.), and now I want to add his birthday pics and such.

The kids are all finally in bed. I let them stay up late since they were having so much fun with Logan's new toys, and I had promised them a movie. Well, I wanted to start it by 9 at the latest but instead they played and at 11 p.m decided they had to have the promised movie. At least they are still easy to please at this young age. I told them they could only watch a short one since it was so late and Logan actually picked the shortest "Winnie the Pooh" movie that we have, after which they had a snack and went to bed by 12:30 a.m. I know they will sleep late tomorrow so I am going to stay up a while. I need this time to myself with no screaming fussy kids around. The silence is heavenly.

Classroom cake - banana spice cake

Ok, getting distracted from the topic. This morning after Glad and Logan left for school, I rushed to get the girls and myself ready so we could be there on time for Logan's school party. It is customary in his school for a small party to be held for the birthday child in their class, and the parents supply the cake. Anything more than that is optional. Since Logan tends to join both downstairs classrooms, both were included, and even Glad's boss and his wife showed up for the event. They brought Logan a mini bowling set which kept him and Lila busy for the afternoon.

Train cake - chocolate

I had made the cake in advance, and Logan was so happy to see a cow on it. I am not an artist, but I freehanded the picture and it came out pretty good, I think.

Once the party was over, the girls and I spent a while at the park, then went home to make lunch. Once the kids all went down for their naps, I went ahead and made a second cake for Logan. See, the first one was for school, and once I turned it over to the teachers all I saw of it was a small sliver, and anyway, Logan had wanted a train cake "like the circus train in Dumbo" as his first choice. So I made it for him. The delight in his voice told me that making the second cake was the right choice, even though it took extra time.

Then in the evening once daddy was home, Logan opened his gifts and had lots of fun playing with them. He was delighted with all the plastic animals. I had gotten two packs so that he could have the large amount he wanted, and he was so happy. He liked the tractor, and also enjoyed the horse and wagon, though in the end, Scarlett loved that one the most.

Logan wore his getting-too-small-already suit (minus the jacket) to school, and the girls came decked out too.

Animals - his most favorite thing.

School party. Lila was busy digging into cake at another table.

Enjoying Logan's toys.

Click here to see more of Logan's birthday pics.

Logan's Fourth Birthday

2011-11-11T07:16:00.001+05:30

Today is Logan's 4th birthday. I still can't believe it. These past 4 years have flown by and what memories I have of them.

Logan is still an animal lover, with cows and then the rest of the farm animals at the top of the list. This year he wanted lots and lots of animals for his birthday, plus a tractor. Of course I got them for him. I can't wait to see his face when he sees the surprise gift I found for him. He had asked for something he sees every day - a cow pulling a wagon with a man driving. Yes, he tells me that almost daily. Anyway, I found a cute set with a horse pulling the wagon with a cow inside and a farmer. It isn't exactly what he sees but I think he'll like it.

Logan loves to sing. His current favorite song is the one "I Will Follow Him" from the movie "Sister Act". He saw his teachers perform it at his annual day show and since then he likes to sing it, except he still doesn't know all the words so he just sings "I follow" over and over while shaking each of the cuddle toys. After a while it gets annoying so I try to tune it out, which is hard to do when he sings at the top of his voice.

Logan loves school - learning new things, his teachers, his friends. He cries when it isn't a school day. Ha. I think I need to record that for 10 years from now when he will tell me how much he hates school. Well, I hope he continues to love school.

Logan can be very wild and his antics will test me to the limit, but he is so cute and I love him so much.

Yes, I'm Still Alive

2011-11-05T16:12:00.001+05:30

I can't believe it has been so long since my last post, but I have a good excuse, honest I do. The kids all got colds, one at a time, then I got it, and just now are we starting to get over them. I've spent the better part of ten days covered in coughs, snot, pee, and sneezes, plus holding feverish kids, putting on countless videos or t.v. shows, blowing noses, and more.
I think I really lost it when I was going to blow Lila's nose, but instead ended up at Scarlett and told her to blow. She can't do that yet and I wondered what was wrong with Lila before I realized I was holding the hankey by the wrong nose.
To top it off, the rain has continued, relentlessly. Every day, all day it's rain, rain, rain. Don't get me wrong, I like rain. But it's almost been two weeks and shows no signs of stopping yet. I can't take the kids anywhere, so fights have escalated since no one can go outside to run and play. Logan was finally well enough on thursday to go back to school, so he got out for a short while, but the rest of us are beginning to feel like caged chickens.
Yesterday I took the girls out for a short walk and we got hit with a sudden downpour. You don't know heavy rain until you have been in monsoon rain. Fortunately it wasn't cold and we were close to home, but wow, wading through streets-turned-rivers while carrying both girls and trying to keep us semi-dry with the umbrella is not my idea of fun.
So today when mom's parcel arrived, two wild chidren sat quietly on the couch looking at the new books she sent. They hadn't been that quiet all morning. Thanks, mom. The books were a success.

And you haven't heard about the laundry yet. (Maybe you don't want to. It's ok.) Because it is normally so hot, no one here owns a dryer. It would be an unnecessary expense since it would sit idle for most of the year, only to be used during the rains. If I had one now it would be getting me my money's worth, cause with all this rain, nothing is drying. I have the rack under a fan 24/7 and it still takes up to 48 hours for things to dry through.
With little kids though, daily laundry is a must, just to keep up. So that fan is going to keep spinning until the end of the year if it has to, or at least until the end of monsoon. At least we no longer need the air conditioners.

My Thoughts on India, part 6

2011-10-27T00:58:00.001+05:30

Part 5 is here.

The past 72 hours it has been raining off and on. Not just a little rain but heavy downpours. This is the winter monsoon that we get in this part of the country. While average temperatures in Chennai hover in the mid-30's, right now it feels much cooler. I was so cold today I got a sweater out. I haven't done that since last Christmas. Not all of India gets two monsoons like we do. I think mainly the middle of the country gets both the north and south monsoons, so we get one right after the summer, in June, and the winter one now, Oct./Nov.

This one makes it feel so cold. The floors turn to ice and I have to make sure the kids are dressed warmer than normal. This is also when sickness kicks in, sadly. Logan was the first to get sick this time. He got sick Monday evening, and has had a fever off and on, plus a cough and cold. Can't avoid it.

Now, at this time of year there is something more than the cold happening. It is the biggest festival of the year, Diwali (prounounced 'de val e'), the festival of lights. This festival is probably the local equilvilant of Christmas in the way it is celebrated. It is a time to meet family and friends, to give gifts, and to light the world.

This is the one I hate. It is pure noise.

For the past week or more there have been fireworks and firecrackers going off at random times, but tonight was the biggie. Hours of non-stop noise, and literal clouds of smoke everywhere. There is so much gunpowder in the air that you can smell it, and the sounds of noisemakers bursting rattles your bones and hurts your ears. This year I managed to convince the kids that the crackers were going off cause people were having a party. That way they wouldn't cry every time they heard one. Yes, last year was rather traumatic.

The rains do get in the way of the firecrackers, cause you can't burst them in a downpour and it has to be done outside, but I'd rather hear the rain pour down any day than to have to listen to non-stop firecrackers bursting. Right now there are still a few random ones going off; the majority were earlier in the evening. There is one that I hate. It is actually a long row of firecrackers together, and once lit, it takes at least 30 to 60 seconds to finish. The entire time it is non-stop LOUD noise. It sounds like a machine gun. If you were a visitor here and didn't know anything about Diwali celebrations, you would sware you had just landed in a war zone. There is that much noise and that much gun powder in the air.

While most people burst firecrackers, there are those who protest by not buying them. They aren't protesting the celebrations but the conditions that the employees who make the firecrackers are forced to work in, and the fact that most of the employees are children. It is common to hear about accidents and deaths in the wearhouses where the manufacturing takes place, but there is only so much that can be done to stop the top guys who make the money off this. There are laws against child labor but they are not enforced in many places and children as young as 6 are often found in these places. It's very sad.
I personally don't have anything against buying and bursting firecrackers, so long as they are being made by adults in safe environments. With us though, we don't buy them cause our kids are scared of the noise.
What do I like about Diwali? The lights, for one. Buildings are often draped in lights and at night it always reminds me of Christmas. Too bad these lights come down before then.

Cashew barfi, my favorite.

I also enjoy the sweets. Giving of sweets is a common tradition, and I have to say, while Indian sweets are ultra-rich, they are so good. If you have an Indian sweet shop near where you live, you have to try them. There are many varieties to choose from and flavors to savor. It is common for special Diwali sweets to be made with saffron, one of the most expensive spices, and also to be covered with a thin layer of silver paper, which is real silver and is edible.

A sweet shop display.

Another common gift is a dry fruit and nut basket, though generally the only dry fruit is rasins, and the nuts are usually cashews, almonds, and pistachios. Fancier baskets will include dried apricots, figs and dates.

Diwali is also a time of shopping, discounts, generally considered an auspitious time for getting new things. Gold has tradionally been high on the gift list, but now electronic gadgets seem to be replacing it, at least it looked so to me this year by all the advertising.

Happy Diwali to all.

Christmas Prep

2011-10-26T06:00:00.000+05:30

I've been in the Christmas mood lately. I think it must have started when the kids started wanting to hear Christmas songs when dancing with daddy. This is from Monday night, but they have listened to them a lot the past week or two. (If you missed yesterday's videos, check them out.)

That got me going and I started thinking about what kind of prep I needed to do. For some time now I wanted to get us all some nice Christmas stockings but first of all, they are hard to find, and second, when you do find some, they aren't worth the price as far as the quality goes. So I got inspired to make my own.
The day the idea came I put it to work. I dug out a thick white bedcover that I knew I would never use on the kids beds to use for the main stocking part, some red cloth for trim, and newspaper for the pattern. Within minutes I had 5 stockings cut out and 5 red trims. That was the quick part. I don't have a sewing machine so I am doing all of the stiching by hand.
As you can see, I cut them on the fold to save myself some stitching. At this time, two stockings are in this state.

Two others have the trim completed. The red beads were on a string so I just overstitched them on, but the sequins and beads I had to do one at a time. It was both tedious and fun.

And here is the first one I completed. I love beadwork so I am using that for most of the decorations, but I am also going to try some applique. The kids want certain pictures on theirs and it will take some effort on my part but I hope they will come out ok. This one with the snowflakes is mine.

Other Christmas prep that I have in mind is to try an experiment with fruitcake cooked on the stove, rum balls, maybe some Nanaimo bars, and peppermint vodka, using the pieces of candy canes I saved from what mom sent us last year. Check out the link for this great idea.

On Monday Logan had Diwali celebrations at school, so he got a chance to wear his kurta again. It is only the second time he has worn it and it is already tight. But at least he has gotten some use out of it.

Goofy boy.

A Few Videos for You

2011-10-25T13:16:00.000+05:30

First up, Lila singing "Eensy, Weensy Spider".

Scarlett blabbering on about the gecko she sees on the wall. We have a number of resident geckos that have claimed spots on our walls and Scarlett loves them.

Dancing time. In the evenings when he is home, Glad likes to have dancing time with the kids and they enjoy it too. Check out Scarlett's moves.

It has been raining off and on since last night. Even now, it continues to rain. Roads are flooded, the temperature has dropped, and the kids are showing signs of being cooped up. Logan has two days off school for Diwali holidays and Glad is home too, but if this intense rain keeps up the holidays may last a little longer.

A Story from My Recent Past

2011-10-24T01:20:00.002+05:30

I'm just sitting here catching up on my weekly posts for my other blog. I'm trying to gain a readership and following over there but not having computer access during the day limits what I can do. I don't want to ignore this blog either cause it is a record of our family, the children's growth and progress, etc. and as far as I know, my whole family on both sides reads it. At least I think they all do. (Do you guys?) Since we have no immediate family living nearby, I feel the need to keep in touch this way.
But sometimes I can't think of anything to write. It isn't that there is nothing to write about; I think of stuff constantly and keep a notebook of blog post ideas for both blogs. It's just that when I do get a chance to write, I feel everything is a jumble and it takes me time to get my ideas sorted out. In the evening I am just too tired to think straight so I often chill instead by watching a video or reading other blogs since it takes less effort.
Anyway, tonight I just wanted to leave a little something here, and I remembered a story that I have never told anyone. I doubt Glad even remembers it. Ok, here we go.

In November 2008, just after Logan's first birthday, we moved to Chennai. It was a pretty big deal moving us to another city, packing all our stuff, baby equipment. At least we didn't need to bring furniture. We were landing at the house of a couple we knew and would spend the next 18 months there.
The day we were to leave Bangalore I was ultra-busy - packing suitcases and boxes, dealing with my new pregnancy (Lila, around 3 months), and of course, caring for Logan. Glad got sick that day, so sick that all he could do was sleep. By evening he finally had enough strength to make it to the train. Traveling with us was this couple's 14 year old son who had been in Bangalore for a get-together with some of his friends.
If you have never been on an Indian train, it can be hard to explain things about it so you will understand, but I'll try. Indian trains are notorious for having all sorts of bad things happen - the papers are full of it, so when traveling on one, you have to be mindful of yourself and your belongings. Thankfully we have never had anything bad happen on a train, but this incident was a little scary.
The windows on these trains are small and, unless it is an airconditioned car, they have bars and shutters that you can close and lock. Airconditioned cars have sealed glass windows and are a little more comfortable, but the other one was all we could get for that trip, and it was packed. You'll see in a minute why I bring up the windows.
We found our seats and settled in. Since it was a night trip, the bunks were already down. Ok, more explaining. Each car is divided into seating areas that are open to the rest of the car, no privacy. Each area has long bench seats on the lowest level that convert into bunks at night, and have space for 6 adults. These go the width of the car. Opposite them by the other window across the aisle are two seats going the length of the car. These are narrower but one plus is the upper bunk is always down and you still have two seats if you want them, or two bunks. We usually get these cause then we can keep stuff on the top bunk while on a day trip.
So we had booked two of these narrow ones and one opposite in the middle. I got the bottom with Logan, the teen with us had the bunk above me, and Glad was in the middle bunk just opposite us. As soon as we boarded, I got Logan ready for bed. I made the bed and gave him a bottle, then patted him to sleep at the end by my feet. The whole time I was putting Logan to sleep, this guy from the next set of seats was sitting on the end of his bunk staring at me. Now, I am used to people staring at me since I'm white, but this started to get annoying. How interested could he be in me putting Logan to sleep?
The window next to me had been left open by the previous passenger, and since I was busy, I left it. I figured I'd close it later when I cooled down a bit, cause even though it was already quite cold in Bangalore at that time, I was hot. I was pregnant, remember? At one point this guy got up and pushed in front of me, closing the window and saying it had to be closed. I thought it was not only odd but rude of him. Glad noticed and asked me if I wanted it closed and I shrugged the whole thing off and got back to Logan.
But the guy kept staring, and it was annoying me, to say the least. Finally, I think Glad had gotten up to use the toilet so I told him about the guy staring and how it was bothering me. He went to the toilet and I laid down to try to sleep since Logan was down by then. I think I was laying there with my eyes closed, when I heard Glad talking rather forcefully to this guy. He was asking him if he had a problem and said "That is my wife and if you need something you come to me. Stay away from her." I had actually forgotten that I had asked him to do something about the staring guy, and was a little startled at first, but then I knew I would be able to relax. He was so forceful and talking loudly that the guy freaked out and apologized, then lay facing the other way the rest of the night.
It is known that Indian men can be very possive of their wives, and even though I know Glad would only beat someone up if he was hurting me, he was able to use that to our advantage to get the guy to leave me in peace. The rest of the night passed without incident and by the time we arrived in Chennai that guy had already gotten off the train.
I'm happy to say we have never had a bad train experience while traveling as a family. You can read about a few of those trips here and here.

Well, goodnight. It is almost 1:30 a.m and I do have to get up in the morning. Logan has school, well, it is a Diwali celebration so no actual school. You can look forward to a post on Diwali, the festival of lights.

Lifecycle Repeating Itself

2011-10-17T15:53:00.000+05:30

Another childhood memory...

When I was 5 years old, my mom and 2 younger brothers and I lived in an apartment complex on the ground floor. I have fun memories of that place, like sliding down the carpeted staircase on my tummy, head first. It seemed to be the longest staircase ever and was a great ride. Yes, it was one of those apartments with two floors. We lived in the same building twice, in two different apartments, about two years apart (I think). It was great for hide and seek.
But today's story isn't about the place itself.
My brothers were 3 and 2 at the time, and one day the younger one, Steve, wanted to go outside. Mom must have been upstairs or possibly in the public laundry room down the hall, but she certainly wasn't around cause I went ahead and opened the door for him and let him out, closing the door behind him. It never occured to me that he shouldn't go out on his own, that he couldn't watch himself. I just thought he should go out since he wanted to.
I don't know how much later it was when mom asked where he was and I said I let him out cause he wanted to go out. I don't remember her reaction to me, nor if she said anything, though I'm sure she did. She must have freaked. I do remember her going out and searching the grounds for him, finally finding him playing on the huge tractor tire that was there for us to climb on.

Sometimes these memories come to me at the oddest times, but this must have been triggered by Lila wanting to go outside and Logan unlocking the door for her. Thankfully, I caught them and stopped her. Lila can't reach the lock yet, but if she could, or if she got the idea to put the stool there and open it, she would be out faster than a bolt of lightening.
I've had Logan take off before, racing out of the yard and into the street as fast as his feet could carry him. Once he went around the block before someone caught him and brought him back. Another time he went out without me knowing and it was only when a construction worker from the house down the street brought him back that I realised he had been gone. He had been playing in the sandpile in front of the house. I shudder to think what could have happened to him, since, even though this is a residential area, traffic is high and just as fast as on the main roads.
Even though when they play cricket with daddy he sends them down to get the ball, they have to understand that they can't just leave the house on their own whenever they feel like it. It may take time, but I guess drumming it into them day after day will ensure that they will remember to stay inside and not let each other out. And I just remembered, the other day Lila let Scarlett crawl out and shut the door on her. Arg. I can't keep up with this girl's antics. Good thing I saw it or Scarlett would have fallen down the stairs.

Maybe I should just get a lock installed at the top of the door.

Mom, I'm sure you remember that time. Wanna tell us your version of it?

My Thoughts on India, part 5

2011-10-12T23:15:00.000+05:30

The previous 4 parts can be found here, here, here, and here. :)

Indian Food, part 2

One of my favorite of Indian snack foods is chaat. It comes in many varieties all over the country and is a common street food. Of course, it is not recommended for foreign visitors to eat from roadside stalls, since they often use tap water for cooking and for sauces that won't be cooked, so you would have to get it from a good restaurant or hotel, but don't miss it.
I've eaten both the home made and restaurant made varieties and I have to say chaat is delicious in all its forms. The main fill ingredients are potato, onion, tomato, chickpeas, yoghurt, and sauces. I like the tamarind sauce best. These are served over something that looks like a cracker, or inside something that looks like a puffed chip. As you can see from this picture, it can also be sprinkled with corriander leaves and those little stick thingies (terrible that I don't know the real names of these things). But I can safely say that the taste makes up for my lack of knowledge of the names of such things.

A chaat stall on the road.

Another food I enjoy is the paratha, which is simply chapathi dough stuffed with vegetables and rolled thick, then fried. I made some aloo (potato) paratha for lunch today and everyone, including Scarlett, enjoyed them. I served them with yoghurt to dip in and carrot sticks (Logan's top favorite veggie. He will grab carrots at the local veggie shop and bite into them right from the bin. Eeek. At least the owner thinks he's cute and lets him get away with it while I make him stop since they aren't clean.) There are many varieties of paratha - potato, veggie mix, even paneer. If they weren't so filling I would probably eat too many of them at once.

Dislikes - well, there aren't too many things here I won't eat, but there are a few.

- Dishes that are too spicy, the ones that make you feel you could breathe fire after eating them and that make your eyes and nose run. They usually taste great but you suffer for it with pain in your mouth, throat, stomach, and later bowels. It usually isn't worth the pain.

- Cardamom. This little spice flavors many Indian dishes both savory and sweet, but I have never taken a liking to it. It is even used in tea. Eww.

- Fish dishes. Fish is already one of my least favorite foods. I won't eat it in a curry; the taste actually turns my stomach. The problem I face? I married a fish lover and fish curry is one of his all time favorite foods. He buys fish weekly from a guy who brings it to the door on his bicycle, so I have learned to cook it for him and the kids. They like it too. Once in a while I eat a little of it fried but more often than not I skip it. Oh, and if the head is still attached I won't touch it, ever! It has to be sliced and cleaned and no head in sight. Usually parts of the head are in the bag and they freak me out, so I learned to use the tongs to take them out and I give them to the cats that wander the yard.

It's Almost Time

2011-10-08T06:00:00.000+05:30

Only one more month and we will be celebrating two birthdays: Logan's and Scarlett's. See the tickers over there? Yep, their birthdays are only one day apart. Logan's is on the 11th and Scarlett's is on the 13th of November. I'm still trying to decided whether to celebrate them together or separately so how about a list of pros and cons?

If celebrated together:

Pros:
Only have to make one cake
Can invite the same guests
Only have to plan one party

Cons:
Logan might not feel his day is special

If celebrated separately:

Pros:
Can give each child separate attention
Could honor local tradition of having a large 1st birthday party for Scarlett
May be able to count Logan's class party as his party and still only need to plan for one

Cons:
Extra work for me, having to make 2 cakes, plan 2 parties, etc.

Hmm..., I find it interesting that I can only think of one con for each. Ha. In Logan's school they always celebrate each child's birthday with a cake and little party. The people we'd invite will already be there; he just wouldn't get any gifts from his guests as that isn't allowed at school.
I was asking him what he want for his birthday the other day, and he wants something to play music. Well, I don't mind encouraging music but I would have to find a sturdy toy instrument that won't break easily. He is extremely rough on his toys and has broken more toys, books and puzzles than I can count.
I also have to consider that Lila might be feeling left out with all the attention on the other two, so I plan on getting her a little gift as well. I don't think I will need to do this every year, but this year for sure.
Ok, well, I still haven't come to a conclusion but I do have time to think about it. You'll hear about it when it happens.

Look Who Thinks He Knows Best

2011-10-07T14:57:00.001+05:30

Logan has reached the point in life when kids begin to notice when someone is doing something wrong (real or imagined) and has started reporting to me what he sees. Usually it is just little things, like what Scarlett is putting in her mouth or something Lila is getting into. Nothing big, but most of the time helpful things that I would miss if he didn't catch them, plus the occasional report on Lila to get her into trouble so he can have his way.
But he also thinks he needs to report on daddy ... .

The other day I served popcorn for snack and gave Logan and Lila strict instructions to not give any to Scarlett. Lila loves to feed Scarlett so I have to be clear about which foods she can't have. I left them at the table and went to hang the laundry.
Glad was home and had sat to eat with them, so I didn't go in right away when I heard Logan calling me. I finished hanging the laundry and as soon as I got in, Logan piped up with, "Daddy is giving popcorn to Scarlett and you said no." Ha. He, of course, wasn't giving her the whole thing, just the soft part, but Logan was convinced daddy was breaking my rule and felt it was his job to point it out to me.

I still can't believe this rascal will be 4 next month!

Code is Not My Thing, But...

2011-09-30T22:07:00.000+05:30

You may or may not have noticed that I now have a blog button. (Mommy to Mommy has one too.)
I wanted one for a while but didn't know how to get it. I finally Googled a tutorial and managed to get part of it, but all the coding had me stumped. Even though it was clearly spelled out, I couldn't figure it out, so I asked my little bro (who is a professional web designer) for help.
Well he got the button on here all right (maybe you saw it down near the bottom) but there was no way for anyone to get it. I'm guessing buttons aren't something he normally does, so he didn't think to put the grab box, or to put it in the layout part of the blog; he stuck it straight into the main code. I asked him to change it, but I guess he must have been busy so it didn't get done.
Today I decided that I should again try to work with what he had done and the tutorial, and by studying it well and messing around a bit, I got it to work! Yes, I'm feeling a teensy bit proud of myself right now. No, it isn't perfect (can't figure out how to get the grab box centered) but at least it is there and if you want it, you are welcome to it.
No, I won't be getting into working out code any time soon. It was all too much for my brain to handle and cost me many late nights, but for a one-time thing, it worked and I am happy.

Of Costumes, Star Trek, and Drawings

2011-09-28T06:00:00.000+05:30

When I was a kid, I was crazy about Star Trek. I remember spending hours each day imagining myself as part of the crew, even as far back as when I was 5 or 6. I got this love for it from my dad, I guess, since he is a die-hard fan himself.
As I got older and switched from watching the original series (which were already reruns by the time I started watching them) to the movies, my imagination and excitement over it grew. I wasn't keen on Star Trek: TNG until I saw a few episodes, and then I couldn't stop watching them. I just had to see them and it was the worst punishment ever to miss a show.
When I was about 13, we were living in Ottawa, Canada, and there was a Star Trek convention being held at one of the hotels. We (my brothers, sister and I) had made drawings of ships and design suggestions we thought could be used. We were so sure they were going to use them that we wanted to give them to the studio and actually expected them to be incorporated into the show. Ha.
I don't remember exactly how it happened, but my mom decided to take us to the hotel to see if we could see any of the actors and give them this package of drawings. We had some costumes she had made for us, so we put them on for our outing. I wish I had a scan of that photo. I was dressed as a cheerleader, one of my brothers was a clown, and my other brother and sister were frogs, complete with fluoresent green stockings, heads, body suits, webbed hands and feet. I remember walking through a mall on our way to the hotel and seeing peoples reactions to the frog costumes was priceless.
When we got to the hotel, mom found out it would have cost $100 for the five of us to get in, way more than we could afford. We were disappointed but waited outside, along with the t.v. crew from the channel that aired Star Trek for whoever was coming to pass.
Suddenly a group of people rapidly came our direction. James Doohan (Scotty) was in the middle, surrounded by his bodyguards. In the split second it took for them to pass us, my mom gave the package to my sister and told her to give it to him, so she ran, in her frog outfit, to give it. She actually got up to him and almost put it in his hand and as he was looking down to see who it was, one of his bodyguards picked her up and moved her aside without missing a beat.
We were so upset that he didn't get the package. I mean, we went to so much trouble and it didn't happen. My sister did make the 6 o'clock news, though. She was only about 7 at the time so it was cute.
Later, mom told me we could mail the package anyway to the studio, so she had me call the hotel to see if I could get an address from them. I have always been uncomfortable with making calls where I wasn't sure I would say what I needed to and get the right information. To this day it is hard for me, but it was way harder then. I remember rehersing what I would say, and I'm sure the receptionist had a good laugh at my request. Remember we didn't have internet then so we couldn't just Google it.
Well, I couldn't get the address, but mom was able to later and we sent it. I've always wondered what they did with it. It probably ended up in some giant pile of fan mail and was forgotten. Around that time, Star Trek:TNG was switched from an air channel to cable, and since we never had cable, we couldn't watch it any more. That was a sad day for me.
Over the years, I saw various episodes but never saw it all the way through, so imagine my joy when I was able to download all 7 seasons, plus bonus stuff, in one package. I've been working through it for a few months now and am happy to finally understand it well. But I'll never forget the day we all dressed in our crazy costumes and trekked the city in search of adventure.

Logan's Annual Day

2011-09-18T00:35:00.000+05:30

Friday evening was Logan's first school annual day event. He had two duties: present a gift to the chief guest and perform a song with his class. He did fine with the gift as his teacher helped him, but when it came time for the song, even though daddy was there next to him, he didn't perform. He just kind of flopped through it and wasn't interested in doing it. Then later, when he had to sit with me for the rest of the show, he was mad cause he couldn't stay with his teacher and kept asking for her.

Here we are all decked out, waiting to leave. The taxi was late so we played with the Facebook webcam for taking your own profile pic.

We had a good time at the show. It wasn't easy keeping Lila and Scarlett in our seats for so long (almost 3 hours), but with some toys, lots of snacks, and some dances from the little kids, they lasted. Scarlett is into dancing now and she jumped on my lap for most of the show, plus I had to keep Lila from running after daddy as he was the coordinator for the entire event and was all over the place, so it wasn't relaxing for me, but I enjoyed being out of the house nonetheless.

These were taken at home after we got back. Logan is wearing his costume. I'd never put a shirt like that on him.

Recepies - Tomato and Cheese Pasta

2011-09-17T14:11:00.000+05:30

Everyone who knows me well knows of my love for pasta. Spagetti, lasagna, or plain noodles and cheese, it doesn't matter. I could live on it. Unfortunately, my husband doesn't share the same feelings, saying that pasta is too bland for his taste. The food he was raised on is so spicy that it makes your eyes water, nose run and throat burn, while your mouth feels like it is on fire. I haven't survived much of that but you can see why he feels anything else is bland.
Because of this, I don't make pasta very often; maybe a few times a month, including my pasta salad. Today I felt the need for some pasta and cheese so I made a simple yet flavorful tomato and cheese pasta.

This is about half of what was left.

You will need:

250 gr. pasta, any type, cooked and drained

3 large tomatoes, chopped

4 - 6 cloves of garlic, diced

1 tsp. garlic paste

100 ml. tomato puree

salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste (you could also add traditional Italian pasta spices if you like - I just don't have any)

250 gr. hard cheese (I used cheddar, but you could use any you like), chopped

A few spoonfuls of a flavored cheese spread (makes it creamier)

Cook and drain your pasta.

Chop tomatos and garlic, and fry in a little oil till almost done. Add a little water if it sticks.

Add puree, 1 cup of water and spices, and cook until completely done.

Add pasta and cheeses, mixing until cheese melts.

Serve and enjoy.

This is great as is, or you could add some mushrooms and green pepper for extra yum.

Special Update - Scarlett at 10 months

2011-09-15T15:00:00.000+05:30

My littlest rascal is growing up so fast. She loves to eat and won't hesitate to try anything. If she sees you eating, she will scream until you give her some. She joins us for meals now and eats most of what we do. She loves to feed herself and is good at finger foods.

She has just this week switched from two naps to only one nap a day. I'm happy for that as it gives me a block of time when all three of them are sleeping and I can relax, nap, or get stuff done. I'm trying to get back into exercise and will use that time for it.

She loves to play in Logan and Lila's room and is very happy to be around them, so long as she doesn't need to eat or sleep. When she needs something, she will come and follow me around fussing and saying "mama" until I get to her. She hates a dirty diaper and isn't happy until it is changed.
She also loves daddy and is such a daddy's girl. As soon as he gets home, she charges from where ever she is, calling, "dada, dada", and makes sure he gives her some attention.

The newest thing she has learned is how to point. She will point out things, often animals but also anything that catches her eye, then say "dat". She must have learned this from Lila as I never taught it to her.
She loves to dance, to any music. And if she can't dance, like when in the stroller or highchair, she will swing or kick her legs and laugh.

Only two more months till her birthday. Where did all that time go?

Special Update - Lila at 2 years, 4 1/2 months

2011-09-15T03:00:00.000+05:30

If I had to choose one word to define Lila it would be ... dang, I can't think of just one word. Curious, troublemaker, inquisitive, rascal, naughty, independent - those are the best I can come up with right now.

Sorry if the pics aren't so clear. I'm using Glad's phone to take them as the camera is still not working.

She loves to build Lego trains. But they aren't long trains with lots of cars; they only have one car and are more of a tower. She makes one almost daily and comes to show it to me saying, "Look I made!" She is so proud of her work.

She also loves to build with blocks. You can find her stacking blocks all the time, usually just a small handfull of them. This was taken this morning.

One of her biggest loves are her cuddle toys. She has two that are with her almost all the time, and who she can't sleep without - Ben and Lambie. Ben is a small bear that she got for Christmas last year and Lambie is a lamb I had years ago before Logan was born. Both are about the length of her forearm, so they are perfect for carrying around, cuddling with, etc. Any of the other ones can be missing but not Ben or Lambie. I have to hunt for them at times, but now she will often remember where she left them and can find them quickly.
She also has in her bed a duck, fish, giraffe, ragdoll, and rabbit. She willingly parted with her larger bear (see above pic) and spiderman so that Logan can have some cuddle toys at night too, but drew the line at him taking her ragdoll like he wanted to. I convinced her that spiderman was already Logan's and when he asked for more, she offered the bear, but no way could he have the doll. Sometimes he will sneak it in the night when she is sleeping but if she sees him take it, she will snach it back so fast.
Logan had a bear up until a few months ago when he threw it over the balcony and only told me about it two days later after I had searched the house and didn't find it. Someone had taken it by then. I think I was more upset about it than he was since I had had that bear since I was 15 and had saved it especially for my firstborn. He sometimes asks for Ed (the bear) again, but I remind him that Ed is gone, and probably sad like the lost toys were in Toy Story 3. He gets real serious and thinks about it, then says someone found him and he isn't sad any more. Gee, Toy Story can make you feel so sad for toys.
Back to Lila. She wants to do everything herself - feeding, dressing, putting on shoes. Though she still needs some help, she can mostly do it, and I have to remind myself to let her. Logan still wants me to do everything for him (ok, not feeding) and says, "Mommy has to do it", when in reality he is perfectly capable of doing it himself; he just doesn't want to.
Lila loves to play with Scarlett and can make her laugh. They often dump the toy box together after Logan leaves in the morning and spend time playing. Lila also loves coloring and playdough, though both are temporarily banned since she started eating them rather than using them properly.
She knows when the cartoons start in the morning and asks to watch them almost daily. She especially likes Make way for Noddy, Dragon Tales, and Oswald. In the evening while I cook, they watch a movie together and she likes to pick Lion King or "Wio, da mobie about da bood" (Rio, the movie about the bird). Of course, Winnie the Pooh is still an all-time favorite and she has all the movies memorized, including the latest one.
She can be very naughty at times, running the other way when I call her, getting into things no matter how out of her reach they are. She has discovered that she can take the stool from the sink and use it to climb onto things that were previously unreachable. Between her and Scarlett, nothing is sacred any more.

Teasing her sister in the pool.

Special Update - Logan at 3 years, 10 months

2011-09-14T22:33:00.000+05:30

Right now Logan's life revolves around school. Last weekend was a long weekend and the whole time he was crying when I told him he didn't have school those days. He loves going, and not just for the input. He is making friends, mostly girls. Ahem. He came home the other day chanting someone's name. Turns out it's a girl he has befriended and hugs often. And Glad told me that recently he hugged all the girls in his class before coming home.
His school is set up in a house, so classrooms are small and close together. The two preschool classes are next to each other, and though he is in one, he asks to be in the other one daily because of the teacher. He loves her and always tells me, "Today I'm going to be in Mamta Miss' class." He never mentions his teacher, though he does know her name. It seems that he has the run of both classrooms and both teachers feel it is better to let him partake of both rather than force him to stay in one. He is the only kid who does this, though. The rest will sit in their seats and not move until told, but he won't stay seated.
His favorite activities are singing, puzzle play, and writing. He is good at drawing but still can't write the alphabet on his own. I feel it is being introduced altogether too early, but that is something I can't stop, as all Indian preschools introduce writing at 3 years. He brings homework writing practice and I help him do it. I just hold his hand and guide it, letting him control the pencil but making sure he doesn't veer off into drawing mode like he would prefer.

Ready for school. He also has a cap as part of the uniform but doesn't wear it as the one-size-fits-all hat is too small for him. Ha.

At home he still asks to do school with me, so when I can, I do reading with him. I feel learning to read takes priority over learning to write. He can read the alphabet, names and sounds; and knows the difference between upper and lower case letters. Sometimes we visit the Starfall reading website for phonetic practice. He kept asking me to write words for him to read, so I got a notebook and started with his favorites - farm animals. He can read all of those with no help. I've also added wild animals and some sentences about Winnie the Pooh and all the characters. So far he is enjoying it and getting the words down since they are about things he likes.
Logan has a love/hate relationship with his sisters. He will be super mean, grabbing, hitting, pinching and hurting them, then he will turn around and say in the sweetest voice, "I love you, Lila" and will hug and kiss her. Sometimes they play so well together and other times they fight all day. But I guess this is normal.
Logan has also gone through a phase of refusing to eat, especially in the morning. At first we didn't know how to handle it. He would start eating, then leave after a few bites, freaking out and screaming if we tried to get him to eat more. He would fuss to the point of throwing up what little he had eaten, and that would only make it worse as throwing up scares him. Not just him doing but even hearing someone else do it.
After some rough weeks, we finally realised that it was better to just let him eat as much as he wanted instead of forcing him to eat. He lost a lot of weight, but then started eating better of his own accord. He still doesn't eat too well at breakfast, but I have found that it is because he doesn't like to eat fast. When he can take his time, he will eat a lot, like at afternoon snacktime. He often asks for seconds at snack time and spends a whole hour eating sometimes. He hardly drinks milk anymore but has lots of yoghurt instead. He is slowly putting on weight again; his new love for buns is helping with that.

Here is a video I took of him this morning before he left for school.

Magical Moments

2011-09-13T23:04:00.000+05:30

Today I am linking up with Shell for Magic Moments - photos that capture special moments.

Logan (4 months) and daddy.

Logan (18 mo.) and Lila (5 days).

Daddy and Lila (3 weeks).

Logan (20 mo.) Lila (2 mo.)

Scarlett (2 mo.) Lila (21 mo.)

Three little rascals, looking so innocent.

One of my favorites.

Special Post for My Grandparents

2011-09-12T23:32:00.001+05:30

Mom is visiting my grandparents right now. They have never met my kids, nor do they own a computer or normally have internet at home. Mom had the internet set up for the duration of her visit so that she could show them my blog and photos, so I plan on using the next few posts to update them on the kids and their growth and progress. So Mom, Nana and Papa, these posts are for you.

Only now am I realizing how much all my kids have looked alike as babies. Here is the proof: Each of them are 9 months old in the following photos.

Scarlett

Lila

Logan

There are times when I look at old pics and see faces that look so much like Scarlett does now, like the one of Logan above. And Lila was the baldy. Her hair has taken the longest to grow out. Right now, Scarlett has more hair than she did at the same age, and Logan did too. In fact, only now have I begun to tie her hair up. I'll have to get a pic of it soon. Our camera is still broken so I use Glad's phone for photos but can only use it when he is home, so I'll try for some this weekend.

Here is a video of the kids dancing that I took last night. It isn't super clear, sorry, but you can at least see their love for dancing. Especially check out Scarlett's wild moves. The song that is playing is a Punjabi song, from the north Indian state of Punjab. The moves Logan and Lila are doing are traditional Punjabi dance moves, somewhat adapted for them. The finger moves are correct, but usually the circle is done by linking one foot with someone and hopping in a circle with them. To see the video fullscreen, just click on the lower right hand corner.

Splash and Play

2011-09-05T07:27:00.001+05:30

Here are a few videos of the kids from the other day, taken with Glad's phone. Sorry if they aren't too clear.

The Story of My Life

2011-09-04T09:02:00.000+05:30

Can you relate to this?

It is evening, 6 p.m. Kids are watching a video, hubby is home for the evening. That darn PMS has you tired and grumpy, and you desperately want to relax, but dinner needs to be made. At a loss for ideas, you ask hubby for some. He offers to cook ... if you do prep.

So while he watches some t.v. and then runs to the store for some last-minute items for the butter chicken he wants to make, you (finally) get the dishes done. Then you divide the chicken, put the rice on and chop onions. Hubby is back and starts to cook.

By the time dinner is ready it is almost 8 p.m. The baby is tired cause she only had one nap. You don't want her to sleep now as you know it will only be a nap and she will be up half the night if she does. She nurses and instantly falls asleep. You put her in bed, leaving the door open so the noise will wake her soon.

You serve the kids their food, then serve yourself and plop on the couch to eat and watch a little t.v. Soon, though, you look back to see kid #1, who skipped nap that day, sleeping soundly on the table. Kid #2 has left her dinner and is playing. About this time baby wakes up. Hubby takes her out of bed and leaves the two girls to play.

You finish eating, then realize that hubby has disappeared to the shower. He comes out, gets his dinner, then again disappears into the bedroom with his food and the laptop. He tells you to take kid #1 to the toilet before you put him into bed. Gee. You were hoping he would do that. But no, it is now your job. Take kid to toilet. Sleeping kid doesn't do anything and is falling all over. You don't care if he wets his bed and tuck him in.

You give the baby a bath while kid #2 desides it is time to finish eating. Go to dress the baby, and snap at hubby for watching the movie you just downloaded that you had hoped to watch together. Leave the baby in the room with him so that he can "help" you. Give kid #2 a bath and get her ready for bed. She wants a story before sleep. Get a book and read to her. Finish her bedtime routine and tuck her in.

By now it is 9:30 p.m. Baby is tired and fussy, but you need a shower. Leave her with hubby and take a quick one. Sit in bed to nurse baby and ask hubby what happened so far. He turns the laptop over to you and rolls over to sleep.

You start the movie from the beginning. About 20 minutes in, baby is sleeping so you get up to put her into bed. At that moment, kid #1 walks in looking for you. Take him back to bed and tell him to sleep. Baby is up again. Sit to watch the movie and pat baby back to sleep. Put her in bed.

Just when you are ready to relax, don't. Kid #1 keeps coming back. You keep putting him back into bed. Around 11 p.m. you still haven't finished the movie - too many interruptions. Kid #1 isn't going back to sleep. You shower him and get him ready for bed. He wants a story. Despite your better judgement, you give in. He wants to read a book but you convince him that telling him a story will be better so that you won't have to go to the trouble of getting a book and going somewhere to read it.

You tell him to lie down, lie next to him and ask him what story he wants. He wants the one of the people and the naughty snake. Some quick thinking brings to mind the story of Adam and Eve, and you procede to tell it. After that he wants the o

ne about the donkey. No, you don't know that one. The one about the goat? No, never heard of it. It's the last story, pick one I know. So he finally wants the one about the lost sheep. Storytime over, you tell him it is now time to sleep.

It's late. You've lost track of time yet you want to finish that movie. You bring the laptop to the table and finish it there. Then you decide to read some blogs. All this time, kid #1 keeps getting out of bed. Finally he asks for a snack. Since he didn't finish dinner, you give him one. Get him back in bed.

Somewhere around then (post-midnight), fireworks go off. Kid #1 hates the noise and keeps getting up to tell you (at least he isn't freaking out like he used to). You tell him someone is having a party and that is why they are bursting them and he conjures up the menu - cake, ice cream and chocolate. Right, ok. Go to sleep now.

You try to continue reading, thinking that he will fall asleep at any moment. Instead, kid #2 wakes up. Give her water and get them both back in bed. Fireworks seem louder than ever. Decide to stay up a while longer so that all kids will be asleep when you go to bed.

One a.m. arrives and you can't last any longer. Kid #1 is still awake!! Tell him you are going to bed and that he will just have to go to sleep on his own. Lie down and count to 10. The door opens but it is kid #2, not #1 like you were expecting. Fireworks are still going off, though more sporadically, so you take her into bed. You are too tired to care if you are crowded or not.

Baby wakes several times in the night. Kid #1 eventually shows up. Baby wakes you around 6:30 a.m., nurses then plays, threating to wake the others. You take her to the kids' room so she can play and you lie down and try for some more sleep. She won't let you. She cries cause you won't get up with her. She is still tired but has nursed all she can, so you pat her to sleep. You don't care how long it takes or how much she fusses. She has to go back to sleep.

Finally, the magic moment arrives. She is asleep. You have to move her to her bed since the tiny kids' room bed is not safe for her. Give up your plan to sleep in your bed when you see there is no space. Lie down in the kids' room. You can't sleep cause you are too awake and hungry. Check the time. It is now 8 a.m. Get up, get some coffee, and blog about your exhausting night.

Toys - A Source of Pain, Stress and Insanity

2011-09-03T15:00:00.000+05:30

I was thinking today that toy manufactuers must not actually interact with children. See, I had a painful meeting of the sole of my foot with a large piece of Lego while I was carrying the baby this morning. Someone had kindly dumped their Legos in my room just so that something like this could happen.

Toys like that should come with a warning: painful if stepped on. (Also applies to cars, blocks, pretty much anything.) Sure they are educational. You learn about construction, colors, physics, and pain. And what about noisy toys? "Will cause insanity if listened to repeatedly". Tell that to the kids who refuse to turn them off.

Logan had a Nemo toy when he was a baby that sang the most irritating song, and it wouldn't go off either, unless I turned it off. He loved it; I didn't. Lila has a duck that used to quack. Now it doesn't after too many trips in the washer. Actually, that one was rather cute. For Christmas I put some phones in their stockings, and regretted it by the end of the day. I was happy when those stopped working. And let's not forget the annoying sounds that came from that walker music tray. Painful. I was so happy when that one died.

I can just imagine it: a roomful of toy designers (who are all childless) sitting around a very large table in a quiet room, discussing what they should make next.

"This new toy has to be attractive", says one.

"And educational", says another.

"What about loud? Kids love loud things." quips a third clueless designer.

"I know - we can have it sing the ABC's and Old Macdonald in a high-pitched voice."

"Oh, yes, kids like the songs and parents will be happy cause the kids are learning something."

... and this is how noisy, painfully annoying toys come to be.

They should all be sold with complementary earplugs!!!

Logan's First Field Trip

2011-08-31T21:58:00.002+05:30

Yesterday Logan went for his first field trip to a children's library that we used to frequent last year. It is a cute place set up specifically for children under 12, not only for reading and taking out books, but also for arts and crafts, special classes, and activities. (This link is from almost 1 1/2 years ago and they were so small. Scroll to the end for pics of the library.)
Logan hadn't been there in a long time, since before Scarlett was born, so he was thoroughly enjoying the time. However, when it was time to go his teacher couldn't get him to leave, so she told him they were going to another library. Bad move on her part. When they got back to school, Logan cried for the new library. He cried all the way home and cried to me when he got back, though we thought he was only crying cause he had to leave. It wasn't until later that we found out what his teacher had told him. Poor boy. He kept asking to go to the new library, and even asked again this morning. She had better have an answer for him when he goes back to school on friday (he has two days off, local holiday) cause I'm sure he will ask.

Scarlett's Sickness - the Real Cause

2011-08-29T22:22:00.003+05:30

So all that time that Scarlett was sick, I thought she was teething. She had a runny nose, an off and on fever, and was very clingy, wanting to be held all day ... then the rash showed up. It started on her face and worked its way down her body. That is when I realised it must be some common childhood sickness.
I looked it up and confirmed that it was Rubella, aka German Measles. The symptoms were the same, the rash appeared the way it should, and now, 4 days after she got the rash, it is almost cleared up and she is feeling much better. She is playing again, sleeping well, but not yet completely clear of it. The article said she can be contaigious for at least a week after the rash is clear.
I always heard this was called the 3-day measles, probably because you don't know you have it until the rash shows up. The fever lasted about three days, going up and down, and she had the runny nose for at least two days before that. So it definately lasts longer than three days; only the rash is there for three days.
In case you are wondering, no, we have not vaccinated the children. I have always been uncomfortable with the idea, especially here. The list of vaccines they are supposed to get in the first year alone is scary. Only now with Logan starting school have I considered possibly getting some of them for him. I may wait for a while longer for the girls, I don't know. Vaccines do carry risks; even though they are something like 1 in a million, I often question, would I want my child to be that one? I think not. I figure as long as there is no requirement for them, I will avoid them unless necessary.
Growing up, we never got vaccines, except for the time I cut myself on something rusty and mom quickly took me for a tetanus shot. I do remember that. Otherwise, mom felt it was better to avoid them. Did I get any childhood sickness? Yes, I had chicken pox, mumps and measles, but that was it. I never got anything else.
So now I am at the wait and see stage with Logan and Lila. They may or may not get it; only time will tell. In the meantime, Scarlett still needs extra attention and cuddles. Her appetite went way down; she completely quit solids and nursed sparingly. She is nursing a little better now, though more for comfort than nourishment. Pray for her.

Salad Ideas

2011-08-27T23:40:00.003+05:30

Here are some salad combo ideas that you may like to try. Though I am listing ingredients, one of the best things about salads is that they can be adapted using your favorite veggies and omitting ones you don't like. For example, Glad and I both dislike raw tomato, so I never serve it raw, but I do use it for cooking.

- Green salad. I love this one for the color. I am listing what I use but you could use any green veggie that you like: spinach, corriander, green pepper, green beans and peas (precooked), spring onion, cucumber (seeded and chopped small, leave the peel on), sprouts (I use moong dhal sprouts). Other ideas would be lettuce, brocolli, and zuchinni. I also find that adding fruit to a salad brings out the flavor even more. For this green salad I recommend guava, green grapes, or green apple (peel left on). You could use all three fruits but usually one or at most two is enough, since this is not meant to be a fruit salad. The grapes are especially nice.
This salad is beautiful served in a glass bowl. If you find it is too green, a slight hint of red from pommegranite seeds sets it off beautifully. To get the seeds from a pommegranite, slice in half, hold face down in your hand over the bowl and hit the shell with a soup ladle. This loosens the seeds and they fall out. Make sure to wear an apron as the juice stains and it will splatter.

- Spinach and papaya. Since spinach has a strong flavor, the papaya helps to balance it out. Use fresh leaves and a very ripe papaya (firm, dark red, but not falling apart) for the best flavor. Sprinkle with lemon juice. I have also added salted peanuts or sesame seeds to this for some crunch.

- Beet salad. Precook and chill the beets. If you leave them to chill in the water they were cooked in, the color that drained will return, leaving you with brightly colored beets. Cut into bite-size pieces. Mince some onion and garlic. Mix in with your favorite vinagrette dressing. I haven't tried fruit with this as anything you add to it would take on the color and might not look so good, but I think it would taste good with orange or tangerine.

- Sometimes I just mix up whatever I have on hand, like so: cucumber, tangerine and corriander leaves.

Cucumber, carrots and corriander leaves with lemon juice work nicely. I do like lettuce in salad but it is hard to find locally, so I make do with spinach and corriander leaves for the leafy green part. If you like some crunch in your salads, peanuts and sesame seeds work nicely, as would most any nut. Experiment with your favorites. I can't get them here, but I used to love adding bacon bits to salads, along with a rich dressing.

- For dressing I often just add lemon juice. If I want something thick, I mix one part mayonaise to two parts yoghurt, with some salt, pepper, chili powder, and occasionally, garlic paste. This is really good with pasta salad.

- Ok, I wasn't going to include it here, as I usually make it as a main dish instead of a side one, but here goes: my pasta salad.
Cook and drain your noodles. I like to use shell pasta. 200 gr. is more than enough for the 4 of us.
To save time and pots, I usually cook the frozen peas and corn in with the pasta. I figure it will all be mixed together so why not cook it together.
Chop the veggies you want to add. I usually add cucumber, carrots, spring onion, red onion, and green pepper. It is important to chop the veggies small; they taste better and are easier to eat this way. Children prefer them small too. Add some corriander leaves as well.
For protein, I like to use paneer, which is a local cheese, but I also use sprouts, chickpeas and peanuts, often all together. Shreadded chicken and tuna go well in this too.
I mix everything in one bowl, then make the dressing on top of it. (Can you tell I don't like having extra dishes to wash?) Mix in the dressing, chill if needed or serve right away. I like it cold.
That same dressing works well for egg salad too, or anything where you normally use just mayonaise. If you are trying to cut calories, this is a good way, yet you don't lose the flavor.

Recipes - Hummus

2011-08-27T16:31:00.002+05:30

Hummus is a yummy dish made from chickpeas that comes from the Middle East. I love to eat it as it is both delicious and healty. It is quick and easy to put together, as long as you have everything readily on hand. Since I get dry chickpeas, I have to soak and pressure cook them first but if you can get them canned then you can skip the cooking step.
The original recipe calls for tahini, which I believe is a sesame seed butter, and olive oil. Since I never have either on hand, I skip the tahini and use my usual cooking oil. Now, I never measure my ingredients, so if you want exact measurements, look up a recipe. Here is how I do it.

Fill blender 3/4 full of chickpeas.
Add roughly 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, or about a tablespoon of garlic paste.
Add some olive oil, about a 1/4 cup, plus the same amount of water.
Add some lemon juice, not too much.
Salt to taste.

Blend together on high until smooth. If it is too thick or doesn't blend well, add a little more water. Taste it and increase the seasonings if needed. You want to taste everything but none of the ingredients should overpower each other.
Put into a serving bowl. I usually decorate it with some sesame seeds sprinkled on top and some corriander leaves. Traditionally you should also drench the top with olive oil.
I often serve this for lunch with toast or chapaties and veggie sticks. It is also great as a dip for chips. Check out this article for some more info on hummus.

ZZZZZZ .... Huh? No, I'm Typing in My Sleep

2011-08-26T06:59:00.005+05:30

While starting on my second coffee, I try to recall the last time I was up at 6 ... and stayed up. I've not slept too well these past few night. Scarlett got a cold again, and then started getting fevers off and on. Last night she was up every two hours to nurse, plus I had to take Lila to bed and get her water at least 3 times, change Logan's bed and return him to his bed once. Did I mention I'm still tired? I'M TIRED! Please knock me out so I can sleep for more than two hours.
Since I couldn't go back to sleep I figured I'd get some online time, something I've not had for a few days. For two days I was also sick with a cold, not able to do much, while still caring for the kids, etc. Every time I told Logan I felt sick and wouldn't be able to do activities with him, he would say, "Mommy is sick. You feel like throwing up." That is being sick in his mind, and something that freaks him out. Of course I would clarify that it was just a cold and that I would feel better if I had a nap, except napping is not possible. Yesterday I tried to lie down for a few minutes with Scarlett and she threw a huge fit, screaming and crying and was only happy when I got up with her again. Then later I tried lying down in the kids room while they were playing. It works sometimes, but each time I nodded off, one of them would scream and I'd be awake again.
I think Scarlett may be teething again. It is the only thing I can think of that would cause this kind of up and down fever. She still eats and doesn't have symptoms of anything else except for a runny nose. She also keeps putting her tongue on the same gum area and it looks red and a little puffy. It is so cute though, that tiny tongue moving all over. And she is getting way too smart.
Too bad energy doesn't come in a shot cause I would take one right away. :)

Some Random News

2011-08-21T12:23:00.003+05:30

With heavy rainfall over the last two nights, the weather has cooled down drastically. It is overcast outside right now, yet amazingly I still need the fan on to not feel too hot.
Last night was amazing. Around 1 a.m. we had a thunderstorm, bright lightening, loud thunder, pouring rain. It was so loud it woke me up, so I thought I'd better check on the kids since something so loud was sure to wake them. Surprisingly, all three of them slept through the night, not waking once. Me, well, I woke with the storm, then later to change Logan's wet pants (second time, to be expected in a downpour, I guess), then later to let Glad in when he arrived from the train station. He had gone for a day trip to a town a few hours from here and the train only came in at 5 a.m.
Logan and Lila are slowly getting better at sleeping through the night and in their own beds. It's been up and down since I started the push to get them to sleep in their own beds. Some nights one comes to our bed, some nights both; the past 2 nights, nither of them. I hope this keeps up.

Scarlett is getting so big now. (I'm still kicking myself cause I haven't gotten the camera repaired yet. I'm missing so much.) She is eager to eat anything I give her. She also demands food from whoever has it. Lila is willing to feed her, but I have to keep a check on that to make sure Lila isn't feeding her something she shouldn't have. Last night Lila was having oatmeal after her dinner. I was busy with Logan and left both girls alone in their highchairs, next to each other. When I came back, Lila was spoonfeeding Scarlett, or trying to anyway, and Scarlett was grabbing the food with her hands and it was all over the both of them. At least they were having fun, and with bathtime as the next activity, it didn't matter that they were a mess.
Scarlett also has a new trick. She has learned to shake her head no. I don't think she actually means no when she does it; it is just something new that is fun to do, especially when I'm trying to feed her. Ha. I have to hold her head still to get the spoon in. I figure that if she didn't want the food she would spit it out, so the headshaking is just another skill to be practiced, anytime, anywhere.
She also has an earsplitting scream/cry combo that she uses whenever:
- she is hungry and tired;
- Logan hurts her;
- she is mad;
or whenever else it suits her fancy. Mainly though, it is when she is tired and wants me "RIGHT NOW OR ELSE". I'm sure all the neighbors around can hear it and the only way to get her to stop is for me to pick her up. She is instantly quiet when I pick her up.
At other times if I try to put her down and she doesn't want to go, she stiffens her body and then arches her back to fight it, all the while screaming. Sometimes I just lie her down when she does it, or force her to sit and show her a toy at the same time. After all, I can't carry her when Logan has run from the bathroom unwiped and is ready to sit on the couch, or Lila is dumping the laundry soap into the sink (did that this week, and emptied my brand new bottle of stain remover too). She will then follow me and if I stop walking she will grab my leg and stand up, trying to get me to pick her up again. She also gets really mad if I don't let her crawl out the front door when it is open.
So know you know who really runs the house. I'm just the slave and better get back to my duties before she wakes up. :)

Yesterday...

2011-08-17T23:47:00.003+05:30

I'm tired, but want to write something real quick. I got Scarlett's ears pierced yesterday. I had wanted to get it done for some time but had waited since she had cradle cap that extended to her ears. That has been gone, but the next problem was finding a place to do that wasn't trying to overcharge me. I had gotten Lila's done for a decent price but around here they wanted to charge me three times as much as I had paid for Lila.
So yesterday I had to go out to pick up a Bible for one of Glad's friends. I remembered that near that shop was the place I had gotten Lila's ears done, so I stopped in there first. Poor Scarlett was already tired and ready to nap and had no idea what to expect, so of course she cried her "that hurt" cry. Almost made me cry, but I had to stay upbeat for Lila who was sitting there watching the whole thing. I gave her lots of cuddles and she got over it quickly, then fell asleep soon afterwards.
Also, when getting the needed Bible, I found one for the children, "The Beginners Bible". It has pictures on every page and the stories are just at their level. Just what I needed.

So now we are reading through it and Logan and Lila are happy for a new book and I am happy to read them something they don't have so memorized that they quote it while I read it (like the Winnie the Pooh books, can't stand them anymore).

Glad's Birthday

2011-08-13T01:10:00.004+05:30

Yesterday (the 12th) was Glad's 31st birthday. I had been planning for some time a way to make it a little more special and not just us as it usually is. I thought I could make a cake and take it to the school for his staff to enjoy as well.
Yesterday he told me he had thought about taking a small cake to school as it is tradition here in Tamil Nadu that, if it is your birthday, you treat your friends and coworkers. I told him I was making a cake and that I had thought of showing up with the girls and that we could all celebrate together. He wanted nothing to do with that idea, saying he would be too embarrassed.
Anyway, I planned to go, then he called asking if I still planned on coming. Ok, I could finally come without worrying that he was going to freak out about it like he had when I first mentioned it.
The girls and I arrived and he asked me to wait a while as the staff were in a meeting. Then one of the teachers came to tell me they had a big plan to surprise him with a cake and lunch. Ha. There were plans for a party right under his nose and he didn't suspect a thing. We had to wait a while as the person buying everything was still out so the kids played and got into trouble, and I sat trying to not be impatient, since I knew it was already long past Logan and Lila's lunch and nap time.
As soon as the food arrived, we took the cake in and I think he was very surprised to see that they had known and were planning this for him. He had gotten cards and gifts from a few of the staff in the morning and thought that was it.
When the cake was cut, we headed home with the kids and the large Rajastani lunch that had been bought for us. Someone had also thoughtfully gotten some KFC chicken and that was what the kids had since the lunch was quite spicy, though delicious.
Then I pulled out my surprise - fish curry. Now, I am not a great cook, especially when it comes to Indian food, but I can follow a recipe. I had been wondering what gift to give him as Glad is not into gifts but I love getting the right one for someone so the idea of fish curry came to me since it is something he loves.
At first I thought I'd buy it but the amount of food I'd have to buy just so they would deliver it wasn't worth it. I was going to drop the idea when it came to me that I could try making it myself. So I googled a recipe and found an easy-to-follow one, held my breath and went for it.
Well, not only was he surprised but he was very happy for it as it is one of his favorite dishes, and when he had it later for dinner told me it came out just right. Ahh, success. And it has been a long time since I got a kiss from him for doing something - that made my trouble worth it.
So it was an enjoyable day overall, plus I tried something new and succeeded at it. It was fun.
Happy Birthday, Gladson!

My Thoughts On India, Part 4

2011-08-11T07:25:00.006+05:30

Indian Food, Part 1

Early last year I began writing a series of posts all about India and my views of it. I fully intended to keep it going, but somehow it fell by the wayside with my getting pregnant with Scarlett, moving to a new house, and so on. I am going to pick it up again so you can look forward to more of these posts.
You can find the first 3 parts here

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Part one is about driving and traffic here, part two is about the sidewalks, and part three is about a variety of things. Now I will pick up with the promised post on food.

Indian cusine is extremely varied, changing from north to south and east to west. Since I have only lived in the south, I will talk about some of my favorite South Indian dishes.
I think of all the foods I have eaten here, my favorite is the masala dosa, which also happens to be the first Indian dish I ever tried. It is actually considered a breakfast or snack food and is listed as such on menus.

A masala dosa is made from a special flour mix that is fermented and is filled with a spicy potato mixture. You break it with your hands, then dip it in sambar or chutney before eating.
Some other traditional breakfast foods are idlies and vadas. A vada looks like a doughnut, but is a savory deep fried item made from dhal (lentil) flour. It often features whole peppercorns inside and is eaten, like the dosa, with sambar and chutney.

The white round things on this plate are idlies. An idly is bland, one of the few bland foods served here. The sambar is a thin sauce that contains vegetables and lots of seasoning. The chutney is usually made from ground coconut and green chilies, but there are various other ones.

Here is how meals are traditionally served, on banana leaves. Lots of people still serve their meals this way. It is interesting to eat from one. Since you use your hands, you have to learn some special tricks to make sure you get enough in your mouth without making a mess of your hands. You are supposed to use just the tips of your fingers to eat, but many people use the whole hand to mix the sauces and rice together.

And this is how you will get the meal in a restaurant. This is known as a thali (literally "plate") and it varies from north to south. One of the main differences between a north Indian and south Indian thali is that a north Indian one will be served with rotis and south Indian will be served with rice, lots of it. Each of the sauces in the little bowls are different. All are meant to be dumped on top of the rice and mixed in. Some of the options are dhal, sambar, channa (chickpeas), mixed vegetables, and some different chutneys. I am not familiar with the other items there.
The white stuff in the bowl on the bottom is yoghurt. It is served with every meal to help ease the burning of the spices in your mouth and stomach. In many restaurants, a thali is refillable and you can have as much as you can eat, except there will be fewer options. Men walk around with a, for lack of a better word, bucket of food and will serve it to whoever wants it.

Another common dish is biriyani, a rice dish that comes in many versions - chicken, mutton, beef, egg, and vegetarian. The one pictured below is chicken. Biriyani is delicious.

Some things about eating in India:
- Always eat with your right hand when using your hands. Never use the left. (If you don't know why, let me know and I will tell you in the next post.)
- If using silverware you can use the traditional fork in the left position, but in your right will be a spoon. I still have a hard time not using a knife and do use it at home, but knives are rarely served in restaurants.
- There are two kinds of foods served here, vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Some people are so strictly vegetarian that they will only eat in restaurants that serve vegatarian food, avoiding ones that also serve non-veg. (as it is called here). Some vegetarian landlords are so strict about not having non-veg food cooked in their houses that they will say that in the rental advertisement. Restaurants that serve both will have separate kitchens for each one so that meats can't contaminate the vegetarian food.

To be continued...

Moving Rooms and Sleep Habits

2011-08-07T15:01:00.004+05:30

Last year when we moved into this house, our kids finally had their own room. From the beginning I had them sleep there to get them used to it, and even though it was rough at first, they got to where they were staying in their beds all night.
Then the summer came. Here in Chennai it is impossible to be comfortable in summer without air conditioning. We can't afford to air condition the entire house, only the bedrooms, and with only one air conditioner, we put it in our room, since the ceiling fan has problems with the speed (I know, gotta get it fixed). The kids' fan works great so they stayed there until it just got too hot, and then at night we put a mattress in our room for them.
Now, fast forward 4 months. Even though nights have gotten cooler with the arrival of monsoon, the kids were still in our room, and our bed. Both Logan and Lila were waking up way more often than is normal for a kid. Since our fan isn't so good, it doesn't circulate the air so well and they weren't cool enough on the floor, so would move into our bed to feel the air conditioner. At times I found myself with only a sliver of space to sleep on. It was getting to be too much.
So this week I decided it was high time they got back into their own room and beds. I wanted a smooth transition, so the previous night I told them it was their last night in our room and then they would be back to sleeping in their room. They were less than happy about the idea, especially Logan. He slept with us from birth until his first birthday, then as often as he could in between. He only stayed in his bed when he couldn't get out on his own. And Glad doesn't care if he is there, so getting Logan out was not going to be easy.
I decided we would use a chart to help with the change. They would get a sticker for every morning when they woke up in their own bed and after 5 stickers they could get a small treat, then after 30 something bigger, like a new storybook. I decided they just had to wake up in their own bed instead of sleep there all night in order to get a sticker to make the possibility of gaining stickers easier for them, since they were both so accustomed to coming into our bed, sometimes numerous times in the night. Lila was so excited about the chart and watched eagerly as I put it on the fridge ready to use the next morning.
That evening all was ok until Lila realised I was serious. She fussed some, but then settled to sleep when I assured her the door would be open and the bathroom light left on.
It has been 4 days now and the results are different than what I had expected. From the first night, Logan came into our bed every night at least twice. Each time I moved him once he was asleep, and the first two nights he managed to wake up in his bed, thereby earning a sticker. But the past two night he has stayed in our bed dispite my best efforts to keep him out. So he has only gotten 2 stickers.
Lila surprised me by not only staying in her bed all night, but also by sleeping through the night, something she has not done in months. Out of 4 nights, she has only woken twice when Logan was fussing about having to go to his bed, but she never tried to get up. She just has some water and goes right back to sleep. I didn't think it would be so easy for her. So she has 4 stickers and is eagerly waiting for her promised treat tomorrow.
One thing I have been careful to not do is compare one with the other. It would be easy to say to Logan: "Look at your sister and how well she is doing." Or, "Lila will get a treat and you won't." This kind of talk would only serve to make Logan feel bad and possibly fight with Lila more than he already does. All I do in the morning is, if they woke up in their bed, I make a fuss over it and have them pick a sticker to put on the chart (and I date it for my reference). I haven't mentioned to Logan that he has fewer stickers and that he needs to improve. I think he will make that decision when he sees Lila get a treat.
Or maybe he won't. I feel this change will take longer for him. He likes to feel someone there when he wakes up, and he tends to wake up a lot. I can't remember the last time he slept through the night, and that is what needs to happen. Sometimes when I move him back he wakes up and I have to reassure him that he will be ok in his bed. He usually goes back to sleep, but sometimes waits for me to go and then creeps back into our room. He is so in the habit of waking up in the night that I don't know what to do to break it.
If anyone has any tips on getting children to change this type of habit, waking in the night instead of sleeping through, I'd be so happy to have them.

Things I Do (That You Never Have to Think About)

2011-08-03T06:51:00.004+05:30

I often sit and wonder what to write about. During the day (when the laptop is gone) so many ideas pass through my head. Sometimes I note them down, but more often than not I forget about them and then when I do sit to write, my mind goes blank, usually due to tiredness. That is my current state - fuzzy mommy brain.
Well, I can blame a large part of that tiredness on my rascals who all still wake up in the night for one reason or another. Lila and Scarlett literally alternated the other night and I was up every 1 - 1 1/2 hours with one of them. And the rest of the blame goes to PMS. Ok.
I have such grand plans and ideas to write more about India, since most people who read my blog have never been here and have no idea what it is like. I also have more recepie ideas to share, stuff about the kids, etc.
Ok, enough intro. What can I share with you in the next 10 minutes before I have to get Logan up and breakfast ready?

There are some things I do on a regular basis that you probably never have to do or even think about doing. For example:

- Boil milk daily. We get our milk delivered to the door each morning, just like most everyone else here does. It is convenient to not have to buy fresh milk all the time. The downside? It has to be boiled to clean it. It comes already pasturized, but it is common knowledge that the places that package the milk are far from sterile. Everyone boils their milk daily. It is a fact of life.
- Make my own yoghurt. While I can buy yoghurt, it comes out much cheaper to make it myself. Just to give you an idea: I pay Rs. 28 per liter (roughly $0.60 Can.) for milk. We get 2 liters a day, and I freeze 1/2 a ltr. at a time, easy cause it comes in 1/2 ltr. packages. Every 2 or 3 days I make 1 ltr. of yoghurt at a time. Now, if I were to buy that amount, the cost would almost triple. 400 mls. of yoghurt is Rs. 32 (roughly $0.70 Can.) That is less than 1/2 a ltr. I'd have to buy 3 of those, costing me Rs. 96 every 2 or 3 days. Over time, making yoghurt is much cheaper, and it is one thing I don't mind doing as it only takes minutes to do.
- Visit the bucher. While it is possible to buy frozen meat in some places, the cost is almost prohibitive, so we buy it fresh. Chicken can be delivered to the door, but for beef, Glad has to go to the tiny shop, get squished by the crowed all waiting for their meat, see the entire cow hanging there, make sure it is cleaned and cut the way we want it, etc. Because of the ordeal it is, we buy beef for the month. When he brings it home, I have to divide it up into portions, package and freeze it.
One plus of this is that we get a good cut each time. You have to be early or the best cuts are gone quickly. In case you are wondering, yes, beef is sold here. The Hindus don't eat it, only Christians and Muslims. Most of the beef shops are owned by Muslims since they are some of the biggest meat eaters.

These are only a few things. If more come to mind, well, you will get another post about them.

I'm Mom of the Day

2011-07-28T19:51:00.003+05:30

Some exciting news today. Both my blogs are being featured over at Literal Mom. I've never been featured on anyone's blog before; it is a new feeling knowing that I will be getting some visitors and possibly make some new blog friends.
If you are new here, welcome. Check out my crazy life with 3 under 3. And also be sure to pop over to my other blog (link is over there on the sidebar). And if you leave a comment on either blog, I will be sure to drop in for a visit at your blog too.

Recipe - Chicken Egg Rolls

2011-07-26T22:49:00.003+05:30

When it comes to cooking, I do it because I have to, not because I enjoy it. Even so, there are a few items I do like to make every so often, and this is one of them: chicken egg rolls.
I've eaten similar things before, but the following is my own recipe.

400 gr. boneless chicken, preboiled and shredded
1 medium onion
1 medium green pepper
2 large tomatos
1 small green chili, thin slices
1 tsp. garlic paste
100 ml. tomato puree
1/2 tsp. each of corriander powder, chicken masala, cumin powder, chili powder
salt to taste
8 chapattis
4 eggs, beaten

- Chop and fry onion, green pepper, tomatos, chili and garlic paste.
- When almost done, add spices and fry for a few minutes, then add puree and enough water to make a thick sauce.
- Cook a few more minutes, then add shredded chicken and salt. Set aside.
- In frying pan, add a little butter or ghee, then 1/2 a beaten egg. Immediately place chapatti on top, pressing gently to spread egg evenly. Once egg is set, flip over.
- Spoon filling down the middle, then fold both sides over and cook a few more minutes, open side down. Optional: add a little grated cheese before adding the chicken filling.
- Serve with yoghurt for dipping.

Makes 8 rolls.

I always make my own chapatties, but you could use bought ones, or flour tortillas would work as well. It is a bit of work to make these but the end result is well worth it.

Let me know if you try it and like it, or if you make something similar. I'm always on the lookout for new, easy-to-make recipes and welcome any tips or ideas. Enjoy.

Bulberry Mush

2011-07-24T23:05:00.003+05:30

Yes, I know this is my third post today, but it is too cute to not share.

I was getting the kids ready for bed and Logan was singing. First it was "Itsy Bitsy Spider", then he switched to "Mulberry Bush".

Logan: Here we go wound the bulberry bush.

Me: It's mulberry bush.

Logan: The muborry bush. No, the bubory bush.

Me: Mulberry bush.

Logan: Here we go wound the bulberry mush.

I was laughing too hard to correct it.

My Day Today

2011-07-24T15:56:00.003+05:30

Been sitting here for a while now, trying to get my menu and shopping list for the week complete. I'm one of those people who is organized for a while, then I let it go and just wing it until I can't stand the chaos and I get everything in order again.
Take, for example, my daily planner. I have to write down what I need to do for the day in order to remember all the important things. I use it for my menu, keep tabs on what needs to be cleaned, what I need to buy, anything I've bought above the weekly shopping, bills paid. I record what exercise I got and for how long. If one of the children is on medication, I note that there too - what day it started, when it ends, and how many doses are needed daily. Of course I also have birthdays and such listed too.
In the back I have a list of daily jobs, things I have to do, such as boiling the milk, doing a load of laundry and folding the previous days load, etc. There is another list of household jobs and how often they need to be done, though they rarely get done when needed. I have a rough menu, long-term projects I am working on, and a long-term to-buy list.
Having this planner helps me keep orgainized, otherwise I will be sucked into things I want to do instead of things I need to do. There are times when I don't complete what I put down, that is to be expected, but I try to stick to it as much as possible.
Something I've done for a while now that makes things easier is I keep a blank paper on the fridge and fill in what I need to buy as things run out. That way I don't have to try to guess at it at the end of the week. I do keep a master list on the computer and refer to it as needed, but mostly whatever is on this list is what I really need.
I like to get my menu done at the same time, so that I know how much to buy of certain things, or if I need something I don't normally have on hand. That way I cut down on unnecessary shopping trips during the week, though if I do need something, the shop where I go is literally just around the corner and it isn't too hard to pick something up.
I try to avoid shopping with the kids. Most shops here have tiny aisles and they love to touch everything. Keeping them out of stuff is frustrating, so Glad willingly keeps Logan and Lila Sunday evening and I walk with Scarlett in the stroller to the shops that are right up the street from our house. (I'd love to leave Scarlett home too, but Glad wants to spend time with Logan and Lila, and he can't focus on them if she is there. In a few more months though, I will be leaving her. My only loss will be the stroller to put everything in.)
I go to 3 separate shops. The first one is a place called a margine-free shop, meaning you get a little off the price of everything. Mostly it is just a few paisa up to 1 or 2 rupees, but there are items that have larger discounts of 5 or 10 rupees off. I know that isn't much, but when shopping for a large amount of things it does add up.
The one problem with this place is that it is small and there are times when what I want isn't in stock. So I make note of that on my list and when I finish there, I head to a larger place a short distance away. There I get whatever I couldn't in the first place. Then I head to the fruit and vegetable shop, then home. In total, it doesn't take me more than an hour, on average, to hit all 3 places and make it home before Scarlett gets really fussy. By the end the stroller is stuffed and heavy. Sometimes Scarlett does want to get out so I have to carry her and push the heavy stroller on the bumpy roads (don't get me started on those).
There are a few other shops I go to on occasion, like one frozen food place where I can find a good size can of tuna (450 gr.) for a decent price, bacon and hot dogs, and a shop that only carries their own brand of dairy products where I get paneer and ice cream (sometimes). Things like meat and chicken we buy from the butchers, milk is delivered to the door daily, and a wholesale egg shop is only a block away. We buy two trays (total 60 eggs) at a time. I just put those big trays straight into the fridge.
When we get home I have to get it all up a flight of stairs, so I usually make two trips, one with most of the bags and the other with Scarlett in the stroller and the rest of the bags.
So now in a few hours, just as soon as Glad gets home from his classes, I'll be off.

School ID

2011-07-24T12:50:00.003+05:30

Just thought you might like to see Logan's first student ID pic.

He looks so different here from his usual pics, smaller and cuter, I think. What do you think?

Random Thoughts About My Kids

2011-07-21T22:58:00.005+05:30

This evening the kids watched parts of "The Lion King". They don't like to watch it all the way through as some parts they still find scary or boring so I skip those and they just watch what they like.
Logan's favorite part is when Simba and Nala have met again and Timon and Pumbaa are watching them.

Timon: This stinks!

Pumbaa: Sorry.

Timon: Not you! Them! Him, her, alone. (Logan cackles hysterically)

He thinks alone is actually hello, and for some reason finds it so funny. He laughs at that part and wants to see it again and again. The hilarity never wanes for him. I have yet to find it funny (aside from the obvious Timon and Pumbaa banter).
After he finished the video tonight he was singing the song "Can't Wait to Be King", but he didn't catch the word king and instead was saying 'clean'. "Oh, I can't just wait to be clean" is how he sang it.

He is continually singing or quoting parts from his favorite movies. Lately it has been parts from "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh", one of his all-time favorites. When he doesn't catch the words, he just sort of mumbles through until he gets to what he knows, then proceedes to quote the same thing over and over. And that is when I wish I had earplugs. He knows so well all the movies and shows he has seen since he was small, so I continually try to introduce new things, though it is tough. He prefers what he is comfortable with, and will fuss and cry if I suggest something different, or give Lila a chance to choose.
Sometimes I tell him it is Lila's turn to pick a video, and he will turn to her and say "Want to watch (whatever it is that he wants)", thus influencing her decision and getting what he wanted after all. Well, he may get away with that while she is 2, but I'm sure she will eventually refuse his suggestions. That does happen sometimes right now, but more often than not he gets his way.

Scarlett has figured out how to get onto the balcony by herself. There is a small ledge by the door, and she crawls over it, then up the two steps to the top. I am nervous when she is playing there as she has yet to learn to crawl down the steps feet first, though I have shown her how. I'm afraid that at some point she will topple over on the cement head first. Not a nice thought. She goes out there when Logan and Lila do, and I have tried blocking her exit, but that only got me a barrage of angry screams that I am sure the whole neighborhood heard. She just has to be where everyone else is, but I can't be out there the whole time they are. I am trying to make Logan aware of her safety and how he is responsible for her when I am not out there, but I can't rely on him yet.

I know I haven't put up any new pics in a while. The automatic lenscap on my camera is jammed and I haven't had time to get it to the repair shop. I'll do it soon, I promise. For now I will leave you with a few pics from June that I don't think I've posted yet.

That is our unused swimming pool in the background. The kids have had colds, coughs and throat infections off and on for a few weeks now, due to the weather changes. Hopefully it won't have too many holes in it and I will be able to use it again once the monsoon is over.

This is actually a slide, but not a safe one. The angle of the slide is so steep that it is closer to being a drop. It doesn't have an extension on the bottom; the kids just hit the dirt hard. Most slides here are quite dangerous in that sense, yet the kids seem to figure them out early. Lila likes this one sometimes and today surprised me by going down behind my back. Usually I stand there and grab her arm before she hits bottom so that she doesn't land face down in the sand like she did today. She didn't care though and went back for more. She only discovered a scratch on her forearm later when I was washing her. She is too daring.

Baby Pics Linkup

2011-07-17T11:50:00.004+05:30

Today for the first time ever I am trying out one of those blog linkups, just for fun. This one is hosted at Things I Can't Say.

Logan at 7 1/2 months.

Lila at 6 months.

Scarlett at 6 months.

Notice the same walker for all of them. Of the three, Scarlett has used the walker the least, preferring to crawl all over instead.

Logan and Stories

2011-07-10T08:42:00.003+05:30

Logan's favorite Bible story is the one about the Lost Sheep (with Noah's Ark being a close second - he loves any with animals). I recently downloaded a short video of the story from My Wonder Studio. They've seen it over and over, and Logan now has it memorised.
The other day while waiting to leave for school, Logan quoted the entire video, word for word. Except when he got to the part where the shepherd was counting his sheep, he started at 90 and counted to "90 10" (it apparently comes after 99) and then continued with the rest of the story.
He has a terrific memory for things he learns, whether it is via video, music, or just reading it to him. I can read him a story just a few times and then he will quote it back to me. He now "reads along" his favorites, quoting the whole thing with me while I read it.

Monsoon is Here

2011-07-07T06:48:00.002+05:30

With the arrival of the monsoon, things have cooled down considerably here. The daily high has been around 33 deg. C, and often overcast, so it feels cooler. It has been raining every night for about a week now.
In a way it's good that it only rains at night, cause we can still go out in the day without worrying about getting wet. Yet I love daytime rain. I find it soothing and calming...unless I'm stuck in it and getting wet. Monsoon rain isn't just a drizzle; it is a downpour that can beat any umbrella. The roads turn into mini rivers and your shoes will get ruined. No one wears rainboots here. Rubber sandals are more common and the best if you have to walk in the rain.
This drastic change in the weather is probably what is responsible for the colds we've all had this past week. Lila is ok now, and Scarlett is slowly getting better. Neither of them like having to take the antibiotics, but this particular one is rapidly effective. Logan used it a few months ago when he had something similar to what Scarlett has now, and this cleared it up quickly.
I remember getting caught in monsoon rain many times in the past, particularly when I lived in Bangalore. There the rain usually came in the afternoon. It would hit suddenly and so intensely that there was no hope of staying dry. It would actually rain sideways. Riding in an auto in the rain was always an experience too. Since the sides are open, you still get wet. Some of them have a curtain to roll down and that will keep you fairly dry, though you can't count on it. I used to open my umbrella and place it on the floor of the auto by the open side so that my feet could stay dry and warm.
That is another thing. We get two monsoons here - the summer one (right now) and the winter one (around October/November). The summer one is more refreshing since the temperatures don't drop as drastically, but I always find myself freezing during the winter one. When temperarures drop into the 20's, you find people in jackets and hats. There is actually a shop near our house where they sell winter clothing that I never thought anyone here would use, like the kind of jackets usually worn in snowy weather, knit hats, gloves, scarves and sweaters. I went in there last winter to get a sweater for Logan and was surprised by what I saw. The owner said they maninly sold stuff to those who were traveling to colder countries; makes sense to have such a thing available.
I did pull out the children's sweaters recently but Logan is the only one who gets cold enough for it, probably because he is the only one who doesn't have the necessary body fat for keeping warm. Normally though, they only wear them in the winter when it does get cold enough for them. We just use sweaters though. I haven't found it cold enough for jackets or hats and mittens were only for when they were babies.
Of course all this rain brings beautiful growth from the plants. Everything turns green again and looks great. The downside? The mosquitos return. Our house in particular gets a lot of them and we use every mosquito-fighting invention available, yet we can't keep them out. The one thing I enjoyed in the summer was no mosquitos. It may have been too hot for us, but it was also too hot for them and we enjoyed not having them around.

Sickness, Again

2011-07-05T07:25:00.005+05:30

Lila and Scarlett have been sick for a few days. At first I thought it was the same thing Logan had a week ago, but Scarlett got progressively worse until I knew it was something else. Yesterday we took them to the doctor. Scarlett has some sort of infection that is affecting her throat. Poor baby can't make any sound that isn't raspy and can't cry without it hurting, I'm sure. She is now on antibiotics. Lila will take them too, though she is nowhere as sick as Scarlett is.
So now I'm worn out. Scarlett is demanding day and night. I carry her much more than normal, so my arms are aching; I'm not sleeping well and feel so tired. But such is life with sick kids. At least when Lila gets fussy and wants to be held it will only last so long and I can distract her with cartoons or something, but Scarlett is still too young for that and wants mommy, mommy, mommy. She will go down to play for a little while, but then gets fussy again.

And I have a little complaint (sorry): We only own one laptop, and Glad has been taking it to work with him EVERY DAY, ALL DAY! I don't get access to it until the kids are in bed cause as soon as he drops it off (as he is running for his English classes), Logan and Lila are waiting to watch their favorite videos, so it is theirs. We just need to buy a new laptop, actually I think we need two. He needs one at work and I have to have one at home. There are so many things I need it for. This laptop is ready to retire - most of the keys are shot, has a battery life of 10 minutes, missing keys (tks. Logan), etc. Arrg.
Why don't we just buy them? Like I've said before, we avoid as much as possible buying on credit, unless there is no other option. Anyone want to give me a laptop? :) No, guys, I'm joking. I'll just have to wait until we can afford it.

Ok, complaint is done. Here are a few pics of my stinkers...

Here is how Lila usually looks: diry, messy, half dressed. See the permanent marker on her legs?

Yep, she got up like this on her own.

She flatly refuses to sit in the tub.

Feeling on top of the world...

Their first time using playdough, and yes, Lila had to eat some. She can't help herself. Can't wait to get those walls painted.

Always Something New

2011-06-29T23:13:00.003+05:30

Logan had his first bit of homework yesterday. He came back from school with a workbook in his bag, so I checked it, since usually these books stay at school. He told me his teacher held his hand and helped him write the letter a, and his homework was two lines of a's. Of course he needed my help with it since he isn't yet used to following dotted lines and going slowly and neatly.
He loves learning new things. At the moment, most of what he is doing in school is review for him. For example, he is being introduced to the alphabet, shapes, colors and numbers, yet he knows them all already, so writing is something new and he had fun with it.
After finishing his required homework he wanted to do more, so I pulled out the workbooks I had bought for him some time ago and we did a page of 1's together. He can't get enough input. Sometimes he reminds me of Johnny 5, the robot from the movie "Short Circuit" who kept going around saying "more input" and was never satisfied no matter how much he had.
Hopefully his love for learning will last for life.

Unwinding to Avoid Loss of Sanity

2011-06-25T00:16:00.004+05:30

It's after midnight and I should be sleeping. My kids have been in bed since 10. My husband just went to bed, and he is usually up later than me. I guess I'm just unwinding.
Sometimes I feel my day will never end. Lila is driving me crazy with her daily antics. Since I wrote that last post about the trouble she likes to cause, I've been on the lookout for it and noticed that she does at least one big naughty stunt daily that creates a mess that I have to clean.
Today she got glue all over herself, dumped her dinner all over the floor, and dumped water outside the bathroom door. Three's the charm. One day it was drawing on herself with permanent marker, or the real yucky one where she dumped the potty all over the bathroom floor with the semi-solid contents stinking their way into the rest of the house. Worst of all, she was playing in the middle of it like it was the most normal thing in the world.
She has done most of the artwork on the walls, beds, toys, and floors. And I can't wash it off. Now I know why people wait until their kids are grown to invest in brand new furniture. She still loves to throw things over the balcony, but dumping things, anything at all but usually water, seems to be her favorite activity. She dumped all of Glad's new business cards on the floor twice. The second time it happened I asked her what the baby was doing and she said she was playing in daddy's things. Daddy's desk is off limits, but Logan and Lila still get into it, and this time tried to pin the blame on Scarlett. Ha. They don't yet understand how to do it on purpose...I don't want that day to come.
To top it off, Scarlett is now getting into things. Today she figured out how to crawl over the ledge at the balcony door. So now she can get onto the balcony but has yet to figure out how to crawl up the steps. I'm not going to go ahead and show her how either. I figure once she can do it herself then she can go out there. I spend so much time daily pulling stuff out of her mouth - I don't remember this happening with Logan and Lila.
I'm so tired of all the little things that happen daily. Logan missed school from Tuesday onward because of a fever and then a sore throat. He wakes up with what we used to call a 'frog in your throat' sound. He coughs a little but isn't sick otherwise, except he's been eating less. But he'd better recover this weekend cause him going to school is my sanity saver. I get 3 hours where I don't have to listen to him and Lila fighting, him hurting her and her screaming at a million descibles. He also wants storytime/activity time/abc time all day long. He asks all day!!! Even if I just did something with him, he wants more. His desire for input is good, and school is the solution because I get more wired up listening to all those requests all day long, mostly in a fussy voice because I can't say yes every time.
Last night he wanted stories and I told him I was tired and my brain needed a break. He immediately cried to daddy, "Mommy's brain needs a break." As if the tears would make me change my mind.
I'm not tired yet, but I'd better get some sleep before Scarlett wakes up to nurse. And I need a shower. And I'm hungry. I'd better get out of here.

Exercise?

2011-06-21T23:51:00.002+05:30

This afternoon I was on the balcony playing with Lila and Scarlett. Logan had a fever so he was napping. In an effort to get Lila to get some exercise, I was playing chase with her. She loves it when I chase her and catch her and even Scarlett was getting a kick out of it.
Then I decided I needed a little exercise myself. For the past few months, with Scarlett's irregular nap schedule and waking up in the night, I have not been able to keep up with my early morning exercise. So I tried to get Lila into jumping jacks. She tried enthusiastically, but still can't quite do them. For my part, I found my bra just wasn't giving me the right support for exercise so I was using my hands to keep my breasts from flopping all over. Lila thought it was part of the exercise and mirrored what I was doing. Too cute.
Then I remembered a time years ago, I was 9 or 10, my mom doing jumping jacks with us and the same thing happening - her needing the extra support and us copying the move. What goes around comes around, I guess.

First Day of School

2011-06-17T06:50:00.007+05:30

So yesterday was Logan's first official day of school. He was actually excited about going, mainly because there was a snack in his snackbox and he would get to play in the playhouse with the red door.
We took a few pics with his new backpack, which the school provided. He gets his uniform next week.

And here they are on their way. His school is a literal 2 minute drive from our house, so they leave only a few minutes before school starts, since Glad doesn't have to be at work there until then.

The girls had some playtime for the next 2 1/2 hours, intersperced with diaper changes, nursing, video and snacktime...the usual with them.

Lila kept asking when Logan and daddy would be home. As much as Logan pesters her and hurts her, she misses him when he is gone. So as soon as they got back, she ran to the door saying, "Logan!" and he promtly slapped her face. Oh my. I asked him why he had done that when she was so happy to see him and he said it was because (he says capas) she had said Logan. What logic. Anyway, we got him to apologise but she wouldn't accept it for some time. She was so offended. But after a while they were back to playing together like they usually do.
He did well at school. The next two weeks are just warm up, adjusting time. He was the only one in his class who didn't cry the whole time. He was too busy with puzzles. He only fussed when it was snacktime as he wasn't hungry yet but had to do what the class was doing. He told me the teacher fed him.
It was a pretty good first day, and now I'd better wake him up and feed him so he won't be late today.

A Few Recent Pics

2011-06-16T10:09:00.004+05:30

The park next to our house.

The park near Logan's school.

Scarlett News and More

2011-06-15T15:08:00.005+05:30

Scarlett is keeping me super busy these days. She is now crawling fast, getting into everything she can reach, eating anything she gets her hands on, and has just gotten a new tooth. I just saw it today. That must be why she has been so fussy and not sleeping so well lately.
She has tried to figure out how to get on the balcony by herself. There is a small ledge to step over and she gets up to it, puts her hands on it and stands, then lies on her tummy, sort of balancing like a scale. Twice she fell forward and landed on her head - one hit under each eye, poor baby. But she learns fast and the third time she tried it she actually put her hands out to catch herself. But then she gets stuck. She can't figure out how to get her legs over yet. I'm in no rush for her to learn that cause next she will have to figure out the two steps to the balcony itself. That is scary for me. Cement steps and baby heads do not mix. I'm afraid she will either fall down them or be pushed, accidentally or on purpose. Logan has been rather naughty with her lately. He will push her so she falls back and hits her head, or he will pinch her or just hit her hard enough so she will cry. He always tells me that he has done it and I've talked to him so much about taking care of her and not hurting her, but he just doesn't get it. He also does the same things to Lila, just on a rougher scale. I don't know what the problem is.
I know he doesn't get as much attention as he wants; I'm just not able to give it to him. I'm hoping that school will help as he gets some input daily, has other children to play with and gets a break from his sisters. Somehow I also have to fit in reading practice with him daily. Arrg. I have too much to do and not enough hours to do it all in.

Trouble Be Thy Middle Name

2011-06-14T17:55:00.003+05:30

Lila seems to be practicing for a life of trouble...or maybe she is just being a normal 2-year-old. She keeps me busier than the other two combined. She has to do at least one thing daily that makes me wish I had a playpen her size that I could lock her in (it would have to be escape and sound proof), though she usually does more than that.
Take 1/2 an hour ago for instance: I was getting a head start on dinner so that when Scarlett gets fussy I can see to her and not worry about dinner being late like it usually is. Lila came to me with something white and runny on her hands - she had dumped a (thankfully small) bottle of baby lotion on my bed, rubbing it into the sheets. When I went to look at it, she said, "Oh God, Lila", imitating what I say to her whenever she creates a disaster of epic proportions and I am pressed for time but have to clean it. I had no idea I said it so much that she knew it. Actually, I only say it when I'm really upset - I've had a long day, listened to too many hours of screaming and crying, when I'm on edge and need a break.
It is never-ending with her - I swear. Yesterday she dumped a bottle of laundry bleach all over the balcony and herself; she regularly dumps water on the floor in varying quanteties; she has flooded both the living and dining rooms; she sticks her hands in the flour and licks them when I'm rolling chapattis; she will systematically drop her dinner on the floor if she doesn't want to finish (usually I'm nursing the baby and can't go to her); she loves to play with soap, and will take the bar to her room, or my bed, dig into it and rub it all over herself. She rips things, breaks things, opens most anything, eats anything, and then runs when I catch her. She has learned how to run around the furniture so I can't catch her easily but will then usually get herself stuck in a corner.
Ironically, she rarely gets hurt. At the most she will get a scratch or a bump, nothing serious. The turpentine incident has been, by far, the worst trouble she has gotten into since her trouble-making days began. I just hope she won't have anything worse happen.

Baby Books

2011-06-10T14:16:00.010+05:30

When Logan was about 5 months old, I decided I didn't want to forget the progress he was making, so I started a baby book for him. I was keeping monthly records on the computer, plus I had printed a book to fill out. And once Lila came, I did the same for her.
I wasn't too happy with the books though, because I could only record what was in the book and there was stuff I wanted to add that I didn't have space for. Plus I had to print the book itself, print the photos, cut and glue stuff...I didn't have time for all that. To top it off my handwriting is not the neatest so the book looked messy.
So when Scarlett was on the way, I was dreading the book-making process and what it would cost to do it, especially with color printing being so expensive. That was when I thought, "There must be a way to do this digitally." So I looked it up and found a scrapbooking site that provided a simple, user-friendly program for making your own scrapbooks. This was just what I needed. I tried a few of those sites where you keep the book on line, but that wasn't practical for me. Sometimes the internet isn't reliable and I didn't want to be working on something and not be able to save it if, for example, the power went off or the computer froze. So this program was the simple solution.
In my research I found that digital scrapbooking is very popular, and you can find loads of backgrounds and embelishments to add to the very basic ones this program offers. It's fun working on them, and the best part is that every page can look neat and be arranged the way I want it.
I've been uploading them to Facebook since it is easier to load large amounts of pictures there than here, so I'm going to give you the links so you can see them.

This link is for Lila's book. Most of hers is complete. I just need to finish a few of the pages on the end.
Lila's book

And here is the link for Scarlett's book. I will add more to it over time so check back every so often.
Scarlett's book

I've not yet started on Logan's digital book. All his info is in the previous one, but I will work on transfering it soon. My kids love looking at the baby books, especially the one that is theirs. Eventually I will print these out, to be put in a binder, along with any other mementos I have, such as Lila's first earrings, hair from Logan's first haircut, and so on.

If you are interested in making your own books, I found the software here.

Lila Gives Me a Scare

2011-06-08T21:15:00.004+05:30

Lila gave me a real scare this afternoon by drinking turpentine.

This morning someone came by to drop off a box with paint and supplies as we are going to paint the house soon. I had it placed in the office and left it there as it didn't fit under the bed. I didn't check the box closely and never noticed the bottle of turpentine sitting there. I don't know if it was open or closed, though it must have been closed or else I would have smelled it.
Around 3:30 p.m., Logan and Lila were running around playing. They had skipped their nap and were rather wild. Scarlett was fussy, only wanting me to hold her and not letting me put her down. So I went to use the computer, putting Scarlett on the floor next to me with something to play with.
Next thing I know, Lila dropped something and was coughing. I smelled it and immediately got scared, not knowing what I should do, only that I had to do something fast. I picked her up and tried to wash her mouth out, then I thought maybe she should throw up. I didn't know how much she had swallowed. I'm guessing a mouthful. She was coughing and spitting, and I was almost frantic until I saw how scared Logan was. He was crying and freaking out like he does when he sees someone else freak out. Somehow it affects him. It didn't help that Scarlett was screaming for me either.
Then I remembered our neighbors downstairs. Both our landlord and his son are paediatricians, so I grabbed Lila and the bottle, told Logan to watch Scarlett, and ran downstairs to see who was home. Our landlord was out so I ran to his son's place hoping he was home. Thank God he was. His wife immediately sent her daugher, who sometimes plays with my kids, up to our place as both Logan and Scarlett were crying. The main thing he said was that she shouldn't throw up to avoid getting it into her lungs, then to give her milk. I have heard of that before; it seems to help neutralize the poison. He said if I took her to a hospital they would do an x-ray to make sure her lungs were clear, then tell me to watch her, make sure she was breathing ok, etc.
He wasn't freaked out about it, which helped me calm down. So I took her upstairs to try to get some milk into her, since she wouldn't drink what his wife gave her. On top of it I had to try to calm Logan and Scarlett as well. I sat Lila in front of the t.v. and she had a few sips of milk while I distracted Scarlett. Soon she got into the cartoon and I was able to put Scarlett to sleep; then Lila got tired and took a nap on the couch. I was finally able to turn to Logan.
He had been playing with his friend for a while but was actually begging me to have school with him, so I did some reading with him on this great site, starfall.com. I love it.
After her nap, Lila was fussy but seemed to be ok, until she threw up during dinner. She hadn't wanted to eat so was on my lap when it happened. Logan again freaked out, probably more due to his own tiredness, so I put him in his room to cut some of the noise since all 3 of them were crying again. He eventually fell asleep. After a quick bath, both girls fell asleep on my lap in the space of 5 minutes, Scarlett nursing and Lila cuddling. Peace and quiet ensued, and it was only 9 p.m. This is unheard of in our house.
It is now 10 p.m., all the kids are still sleeping, and I finally have a chance to reflect on the events of this afternoon. I really should have checked the box. Lila gets into EVERYTHING these days and is accustomed to helping herself to water from the bottles in the fridge. So she assumed it was water and drank it. Good thing I was right there when it happened so I could help her right away instead of trying to guess what had happened.
I have now closed the box and put something heavy on it to at least hinder her from getting into it until we can find a safer place to put it. Ahhh, the things children do to keep us on our toes and test our nerves.

Getting Ready for School

2011-06-06T08:50:00.003+05:30

With school starting in only 9 days, I'm working on having Logan ready, both physically and mentally. I've been mentioning it regularly, reminding him that it is coming, and now he doesn't fuss about it any more. Instead, he keeps saying, in a cheery voice, "All children go to school". We talk about his interaction with his teacher and classmates, how he needs to obey, be nice and not hurt anyone. But what he talks about most is how he will be able to "play with the red door", referring to the playhouse they have in the playground. He loves that playhouse and will stay in it the whole time we are there.
One thing I like about this school is that they have a limit of 10 students for each teacher. That makes it much easier for the teacher to focus on the children individually, unlike some of the public schools I've seen here where, even in the kindergarden groups, they have 40 to 50 students per teacher. That is way too many to be able to focus on properly. This school is actually an American-based school that was brought here by an Indian man who was returning. He has already set up 3 such schools in our city, plus is making franchises available.
Glad isn't just working for this man as his employee; they are good friends and more like parters in the business. Glad started as a teacher in the after-school programs last year. Then for the summer, he ran the whole summer camp program, as well as teaching some classes. And now? He's been promoted to HR manager for all the schools, so that is going to keep him plenty busy. HR is something he's good at. Even without the title, people are constantly coming to him for advice, or to just talk about whatever is bothering them. It happens all the time. And now he can get paid for it. Ha. Of course, that won't be the only part of his job description, but it is a large part. And I think this job makes better use of his talents than just teaching one group of students. He's great as a teacher, so much so that parents request that he do one-on-one with their children, but he is capable of so much more, and I think he will grow in HR.
So today, Logan and I are heading out for some starting-school shopping. He doesn't need much since it is only preschool for 3 hours in the morning - the backpack and uniform shirts are supplied from the school, so I just have to get him a waterbottle, snackbox, and some shoes, plus we have to find new pajamas for him and Lila. Fun, fun. He hates shopping so this should be an adventure.

Scarlett at 6 1/2 Months

2011-05-31T11:31:00.005+05:30

Scarlett is getting more active these days. She is trying her hardest to crawl and almost has it down. She will spend hours playing in the kids room, so long as one or both of them are there with her. She loves their toys more than her own.
She has also become extreemly vocal, screaming an ear-piercing scream just for fun when she is excited or even just happy, and of course when she is not happy too. She wants me all day long.
Naps have become haphazard. She is messing up her own nap schedule and won't fall asleep when there are distractions around. She eats whatever she finds, so I am forced to clean the floors daily. She is super curious about everything and takes time to inspect things she finds. Today she discovered Lila's potty and was pushing it on the floor, making a loud screaching sound. She loved it and got mad when I took the potty away.
She is also eating some solids now. Mostly she just tastes things when we are eating; she doesn't have meals yet. She loves fruit. I give her cookies when in the highchair and I need her to be happy for a while. She has figured out how to eat them and loves it. Last night she had yoghurt. She made a face since it was a little sour but kept eating it. She has also tasted bread, pancakes, egg yolk, chocolate cake, and of course, daddy's drinks.

Daddy? Is That You?

2011-05-30T08:11:00.004+05:30

I wish I could tell what she is thinking.

My Birthday and Other Updates

2011-05-29T16:47:00.005+05:30

It feels like an eternity since I wrote my last post, probably because several blog-worthy things happened this past week and the internet was down so I couldn't write about them. So let's see.
Last Saturday (the 21st) was a busy day. We got some new furniture and spent most of the day moving stuff in or out, cleaning corners that hadn't been touched in a long time, getting rid of stuff that had been piling up for a long time, etc. Actually, all this stuff came from the family we were living with last year. They are leaving the country, so we bought some stuff off of them.
What did we get? A fridge, microwave, dining table, small cabinet, large cupboard, desk, air conditioner, smaller bed for Logan that has a trundle attached, t.v. and stand, plus some boxes of curtains, books, and other odds and ends. The house is looking cozier now with more stuff in it, and we actually have a bed in our guest room/office. We took the big one Logan had and he got a smaller one. In addition to that, the t.v., dining table and fridge are all bigger than the ones we had. I especially love my new fridge. We needed a bigger one.

Logan busy with his newest favorite activity: building trains. And he always wants me to take a pic.

Daddy and kids having fun in the pool.

Overexposed, but still cute.

Scarlett's latest trick.

Sunday (the 22nd) was my birthday. Glad surprised me by mentioning it twice in the week leading up to it. He never remembers birthdays so it made me feel good that he made the effort to remember. We didn't do anything big, just ordered dinner and he got me a cake.

The kids all sat around singing happy birthday, but their eyes were on the cake. Too cute. And of course I had to cut it, etc. etc.

Scarlett had her first taste of cake.

Do you think she liked it?

A few days later I took my birthday money and went clothes shopping. It's been so long since I could just go out, on my own (well, ok, Scarlett was with me), enjoying the quiet, not having to drag small someones or get them out of trouble. I can never shop with them. Of course I stretched my time out for as long as I could. Glad had classes in the afternoon so I had to come back, but a morning to myself...ahhh, so nice.

Crazy Me

2011-05-19T21:27:00.003+05:30

I just spent the whole afternoon/early evening doing something crazy: labeling every post I have ever writen. I never considered doing it before now, but there is something about starting a new blog that makes you think about how you can improve your old one. As you can see, I've changed the template again and added some new widgets, just to stir things up and make it more exciting.
In case you don't know how the labels work: all you have to do is click on a label and all the posts with that label will come up. That way you can find things by topic and you can review stuff I posted long ago. I had a great time going over past posts, reliving memories, and even cleaning out some drafts I had long forgotten about.
Now I'd better quit. Lila is playing in the shower, Scarlett is shouting at me from the highchair, and Logan is ignoring his dinner in favor of whatever is passing through his mind right now.

At the Park

2011-05-17T16:31:00.005+05:30

There is a really nice park right next to the school Glad works at, literally next to it. It is a famous park here and was recently redone. It's one of the most beautiful parks I've seen here.

One of the many fountains.

That is Logan hiding in the grass.

Playing with some seeds.

Searching for more seeds. I love how Lila's dress is billowing out.

After the park closed (they all close for several hours in the middle of the day), we went to visit daddy at school again. The goal is that Logan will get used to school and like it before he actually has to attend.

Claiming daddy's spot.

Trying to get one of Scarlett and myself. I rarely have pics of me since I am always behind the camera.

Logan's latest thing is building trains with Lego. For a long time he never used it except to throw it around. Then all of a sudden he started coming to me to show me what he had made. Now he always asks me to take a picture of his latest creation.

You will have to excuse the sometimes clear/sometimes not pics. My camera has become tempermental and will sometimes refuse to take clear pics, no matter how still I hold it. Also, I discovered that the flash will work from time to time but when it works is beyond my control. So frustrating.

Quick Notes

2011-05-14T23:40:00.004+05:30

Do you like my blog's new look? I got bored with the last one and have been toying with the idea for days, but it was getting my new blog done that got me inspired to refresh the look on this one. As you can see, the main color is still green (I love it) but there is lots of new stuff.

Tonight we did something "just for fun". Glad was going to shower the kids, but instead, he went and got the landlord's garden hose and filled the pool. It was already after 9 p.m. They had a blast, splashing around in the dark, and enjoying having mommy and daddy join them too. Yes, all 4 of us went in. (Scarlett was already sleeping.) The moon was big and bright and gave us enough light to see by. It was nice to do something different. The hard part was keeping them quiet as there are so many windows around that I didn't want to disturb anyone.
Last weekend was the first time in a long time that Glad was home all day Sunday, so yes, all 5 of us ended up in the pool. Of course it is crowded with so many, but it's fun for the kids when we join them.

This is from some time last week.

Pooh Talk

2011-05-14T23:24:00.004+05:30

Here is a short video for your enjoyment.

For some reason that makes Logan laugh so hard. It works wonders when I need him to smile for a picture.

New Blog

2011-05-11T23:28:00.001+05:30

I started a new blog. No, I'm not giving up on this one. I just felt the need to branch out to something new. This new blog is aimed at new or first-time mommies, so if you know anyone who would be interested, you are welcome to give them the link. The content will be stuff I have learned as a mom that is usually unexpected when you are first starting out, but that is helpful to know.
The link for this new blog is over there on the sidebar, so check it out and tell me what you think.

Days, Life, Dreams

My Reason for Wanting to Lose Weight

Weigh Up, Weigh Down ... Down ... Down, I Hope

Pongal Contest Judging - and More.

Saying Goodbye to a Dependable Friend

Year End Review Linkup, part 4

Christmas in the D'souza House - 2011 Edition

Year End Review Linkup, part 3

Even More Videos of My Kids

Outing to a Beach Resort

Year End Review Linkup, part 2

Ho Hum...No Fun

Year End Review Linkup, part 1

Finally!

My Thanksgiving Post

Scarlett's First Birthday

Logan's Fourth Birthday, pt. 2

Logan's Fourth Birthday

Yes, I'm Still Alive

My Thoughts on India, part 6

Christmas Prep

A Few Videos for You

A Story from My Recent Past

Lifecycle Repeating Itself

My Thoughts on India, part 5

It's Almost Time

Look Who Thinks He Knows Best

Code is Not My Thing, But...

Of Costumes, Star Trek, and Drawings

More Videos of the Kids

Logan's Annual Day

Recepies - Tomato and Cheese Pasta

Special Update - Scarlett at 10 months

Special Update - Lila at 2 years, 4 1/2 months

Special Update - Logan at 3 years, 10 months

Magical Moments

Special Post for My Grandparents

Splash and Play

The Story of My Life

Toys - A Source of Pain, Stress and Insanity

Logan's First Field Trip

Scarlett's Sickness - the Real Cause

Salad Ideas

Recipes - Hummus

ZZZZZZ .... Huh? No, I'm Typing in My Sleep

Some Random News

Yesterday...

Glad's Birthday

My Thoughts On India, Part 4

Moving Rooms and Sleep Habits

Things I Do (That You Never Have to Think About)

I'm Mom of the Day

Recipe - Chicken Egg Rolls

Bulberry Mush

My Day Today

School ID

Random Thoughts About My Kids

Baby Pics Linkup

Logan and Stories

Monsoon is Here

Sickness, Again

Always Something New

Unwinding to Avoid Loss of Sanity

Exercise?

First Day of School

A Few Recent Pics

Scarlett News and More

Trouble Be Thy Middle Name

Baby Books

Lila Gives Me a Scare

Getting Ready for School

Scarlett at 6 1/2 Months

Daddy? Is That You?

My Birthday and Other Updates

Crazy Me

At the Park

Quick Notes

Pooh Talk

New Blog