Tri Color Rotini and Pizza

Busy weeknight calls for quick dinner and pasta with its funky shapes and colors can please everyone. While grocery shopping yesterday, Saumya picked the tri color rotini. She calls it Line Pasta.Cooked with green bell peppers, zuchini and onion, this was another chance for a hopeful mom to bring vegetables to the dinner table and still be in preschooler's good books. She was very happy to see rotini on the dinner table on the same night she picked it from he store and put up a request for it. "Thank you for making my line pasta right tonight Mamma"
Zucchini failed to make it beyond one bite but fortunately peppers and onions passed the test!
I have to say this is not my favourite kind of pasta though rest of the family loves it!
Tonight's dinner was pizza made with store bought fresh pizza dough. It turned out really good and no vegetable picking was done by the preschooler! She ate the pizza, vegetables and all! This is a big win for me coz everytime we eat pizza, she just spends her time avoiding all the vegetables and after sometime gives up and moves on to the dinner rolls. The veggies were cut very small and had their crunch intact and I used them as the second layer Base->sauce->veggies->cheese. Maybe that worked when they were not right in her face and I had fun making it.
What's cooking in your kitchen today?

Flower Power

Saumya took responsibility of two flowering plants. Lot's of love and water everyday brought out the much desired results.
Here's our proud little flower showcasing her flowers!

Musical Notes

Today when I said bye to my doll at the preschool, she became all teary eyed and ran to me. I didn't know what to say or do because we haven't been in this situation before. She marches into the school all chirpy and cheery and that is what exactly happened today as well but it took a new turn when I was about to depart. She said that she wants to come home with me and even after trying plenty to make my through her thought process I couldn't gather the reason that led us into this emotional fix. I left when she was sobbing while hugging her teacher. I was continually thinking and trying to solve this puzzle. My heart wasn't ready to let my mind rest, the feet were working their way down the school stairs but it seemed as if someone is asking me to turn back and go in and just grab my doll in my arms, where she really wants to be. By the time I reached the car, my vision was cloudy with tears that filled up my eyes. These little droplets never let me down, they behave like my best friend who is always there when I am in an emotional parenting dilemma. I turned the car on and along with that the music got turned on as well. "Do Naina Ek Kahani, Thoda sa Badal, Thoda sa Pani" from the 1984 hit movie masoom. a mother is putting her daughters to bed and singing this beautiful song. I love this song a lot. In my music CD this songs comes right after the famous Lakdi Ki kathi . My daughter listens to it every morning she goes to school and then we turn the music off but today sh insisted on listening to the song that their mamma sings. Through the whole song she didn't say a word, which is unusual for her chatty self! We reached school and I saw her lost in thoughts. Her eyes had that far away expression. I had to, kind of wake her up, to break her thought process and ask her to come out of the car. But I didn't make much of it at that time. On my drive back home from the school, when the song was on, it occurred to me that every time I listen to this beautiful song, I get so gullible for no reason and feel like taking her in my arms. It seemed to have the same impact on my daughter. She wanted to be with me. She understand and speaks lot of Hindi but I am still not sure if she understands the whole song. Was this the reason of the difficult drop off? I cheered myself for solving the mystery but at the same time felt guilt pangs for introducing the tender little heart to such strong emotions.
At pick up time she was her normal cheery self and the moment she stepped in the car, the request to turn the Mamma song came. Again, it made her spellbound and when we reached home, the song wasn't over yet. She asked me to not to turn the car off until the song finishes. So we sat in the garage.
I guess it's time for me to lose that CD now!

On the side please

Whenever we are out dining I have tons of specifications for the servers like dressing not in the salad but on the side so I control the amount, masala on the side while ordering masala dosa because it makes the dosa very soggy.and I don't like that, do not put any butter on the naan bread but give it on the side, make the pizza well done, that is to say, let it spend more than usual time in the oven and many more. The servers and of course the chefs in the kitchens must hate me! Even when I was a little girl I gave a difficult time to my mom with these kind of specific requests. I must say I might have rubbed this on my husband as well and I guess on someone else too! This morning at breakfast while waiting for her English muffin to get toasted the preschooler said "Mamma, could you please put the butter on the side and not spread it on the toast?" I can very well do that but why doesn't she want it on the toast? "Because I like to see how much butter I am eating with each bite and when it is already spread out I am not able to do that" Mom are you happy now? History is going to repeat itself for sure here!

Shopper in the making

While playing outside in the driveway, the preschooler got the mail hand delivered by the mailman and was very proud of it. We were browsing through it when she found a catalog from Coldwater Creek.She pushed aside the rest of the mail and began leafing through the pages. "Mamma, I am going to buy a dress for you, let's find a pretty one", she landed on a page and pointed to one with a big grin "Mamma, this is a very pretty dress, it is beautiful, it looks like a perfect dress, it's my favorite color also but the only problem is it's not my size. How about we buy it for you and then you keep it safely and give it to me when I grow up" Not a bad deal at all!
Bewildered as much I was by this young lady's shrewd move, I am so happy to have found a shopping buddy after 8 long years when I moved away from my mom. It has never been the same. I can't wait for those girly days that I will be spending with this lovely lady.

Little Pleasures

Sometimes little things in life itch so bad like that bug bite that you know for sure would go away but can't help scratching it which in turn makes it even bigger of an itch. And these little things are also the ones that bring everyday pleasures and make life worth living. This past Friday, me and my husband achieved a milestone, it's pretty personal, but we still like to share with everyone the knowledge that we have finally reached a place for which the journey was embarked more than seven years ago. I would not say this journey was all pleasant but it can't be called a sordid tale as well. It was a bumpy ride and we got lot's of bruises on the way and now it's over so we can start another one! All is well that ends well. Life goes on, bugs come and go! Friday, August 15 was India's Independence Day also and reaching a milestone that particular day made us feel even more special. Thanks to everyone for the loving wishes.
Now if you are a regular here, you must know by now that my darling husband is a cookies and cake lover. So to celebrate the occasion I baked Coconut Cookies inspired by Mansi.
















I omitted the icing part though. They came out very well, my preschooler got one after her dinner and munching a mouthful she asked "What is this mamma? There is no chocolate, I only like chocolate cookies" and all this while she just couldn't stop eating it! Dad is no different, he loves everything that is baked in the oven and more than any cookie or cake I enjoy the oooh and aaahs these two people shower me with for the food I bring to the table.

An Open Letter to My Daughter

Dear Daughter,

Since the day you have come in my life, to say the least, everything has changed. Every morning when I see you with that pure expression on your face, I know that I am God's special one who blessed me with you. Every time you call me "Mamma" my heart takes a leap, every smile of yours brings a joy I haven't ever experienced anywhere. When you are trying to learn something new, it's very difficult to witness your little struggles without jumping in with a helping hand and when you cross the hurdle and meet success, I almost skip a heartbeat. Before meeting you, I never knew one could be so gratified by someone else's achievement. Seeing you grow everyday is a delectable delight, nothing can come even close! On your birthdays, we not only celebrate you but also our parenthood. It seems that you and me are holding hands and helping each other thrive and uncover each of our potentials every moment of the day. Sometimes I boss you around and you, with such a big heart just go with flow. Sometimes we encounter difficult moments where we don't get along well but we are so very good at making up. I especially marvel at the fact that you do not hold any grudge. Being a mother to you is helping me be a better wife and a better individual as well. I might appear impatient to you but I have come a long way from when I wasn't your mom. You have taught me to keep a smiling face even when every bone in my body is exhausted. From you I have learnt to let go. Thank you for being there with your hugs when I need them the most. I love you and I love your love. Thank you.

What's in a name?

Playing around in our home office, our preschooler found a picture of mine which she hasn't seen before.
"Mamma, are you sitting in a restaurant in this picture?"
"I sure am".
"Is this a picture of the time when we were celebrating daddy's birthday?"

That's her most recent trip to a restaurant.

"No, this is an older picture, even before you were born. Two years before to be precise".
"Was I in your belly?"
"Ummm, no sweety, this picture is from even before that. "
"So where was I when I was not born and was not even in your belly??"

Saying that you were nowhere just doesn't seem right to me and she was definitely somewhere in the big scheme of things.

"You were in mamma and daddy's heart all the time".
"Oh, and you used give me love from inside your heart?"

The way your heart gets pulled by kids is simply amazing. No matter what they do, love you or hate you in any particular moment, innocent and oblivious, they are pulling the heartstrings. After becoming a mom, I have realized how I can emote for seemingly no reason at all!

"Yes my doll, you are always surrounded by our love".
"Mamma, why did you choose the name Saumya for me?"

Eyes wide open I looked at her, is she really asking me this?

"We always wanted to have a girl who is soft spoken and nice to people and your name means just that. So it was easy to pick a name for you"

Her face lit up as if the brightest ray of sunshine has been spread over.

With open arms she said "Mamma come here, I want to give a lot of love to you, I have huge love for you mamma"
"Where did you get such huge love for me?"
"From you"

Amour Propre

You untangle an arduous interpersonal situation by leaving aside your dignity and self esteem because your only focus is the final outcome, which is peace. People rave about how you maneuvered it but your head is all giddy with the erratic play of victory and defeat. Victory of saving the situation and defeat of the ego that was asked to shut itself up! Both of them are fighting to grab that position under the spotlight! You are unable to rejoice the triumph because your ego that was an ally in unscrambling the quandary keeps poking its head every now and then. Why? Why does the ego that settled down amicably so you could go ahead and save the day is now fighting back for it’s suffering, for the deprivation of its effectiveness? Why can it not live in harmony with the tranquility that was achieved? Why does it keep sending reminders of the time it wasn't fed well? Miss out once on serving and it appears there's a famine. Why is it insatiable? What do people actually mean when they say they have inner peace, does their ego stop behaving like a toddler who keeps saying me, me and more me? Or they drowse it with too much fodder so it goes in deep slumber? If it's still awake and alert why doesn't it keep raising its hand to ask for more? Some say they have been able to draw a fine line between ego and dignity. How do they decide upon the thickness of the line that stands between those two? Is there a way to differentiate? I find these waters are so murky that no matter how much you filter, some parts of one element do manage to stick to the other!

Grocery One On One

Months back I would dread to go the grocery store with my daughter as that would mean spending double the time and coming home mentally and physically exhausted! But last few trips have turned out to be such learning opportunities for both me and her. Hmmm, I am looking for red round apples, blue berries that are so little, yellow long bananas, orange oval looking apricots,green triangular pears, plum round plums, hey mamma that's so funny plum plums. Can you find a cauliflower for me honey? Oh yes, the white big flower with green stems, I got it ma! Where else can you find so much material to learn Colors, Shapes and Sizes! While bagging the fruit she does her counting 1, 2, 3, 4.... Walking down the aisles she understands the categories in which things are classified throughout the store. It's such a great place to grasp the concept of temperature and how different food items need to be stored in varying conditions. On our last trip while going through the dairy section she pointed out ,"Mamma Milk and butter section is always cold, do you know why?" unhun "Because butter melts when it becomes warm and then it disappears. Just like when you put butter on my warm toast it just melts away mamma."
On our previous trip, while picking up bread from the shelf, she used her age appropriate enthusiasm that smashed the whole packet. I got upset with her because no matter how embarrassed I was with what we did I couldn't bring myself to buy that smashed packet and that meant being the crappy customer. But I restrained myself from lecturing her. The expression on her face told me that no words are required. And this time when we reached the bread aisle, to avoid any embarrassments I was itching to just grab a packet and move quickly but I was also anxious to see if my restraint and the experience left any mark on her. "Mamma, we pick the bread packet very gently or it gets smashed, remember what happened last time?" Yes!! People around me must be thinking I have hit the jackpot coz I was smiling and grinning ear to ear and Dr. Maria Montessori's words came to my mind yet again "Education is a natural process carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words, but by experiences in the environment"

Stuff the bell

Why? So it doesn't ring? I happen to have a love hate relationship with Bell Peppers. I love them combined with paneer and also with mixed vegetables, I like their crunch in pastas and I relish them on pizzas as well but once they are stuffed, they are just stuffed. Then they do not have room for my love. They are too copious for me to jiggle my way through them. Whenever my mom made those stuffed bell peppers, to avoid the whining crazies she would make some paranthas with that same stuffing. Those were the good old days when what to make for dinner wasn't a question for me! Now while eating lunch the question for dinners just keeps nudging me. Sometimes deciding on something that would tickle every one's taste buds is much harder than actually cooking it. I often look around the web to get ideas for dinner. Last night while browsing through Mansi's blog I stumbled on theStuffed Bell Peppers, in spite of them being in my unfriendly zone, the recipe did appeal me and I decided to give these stuffed up individuals another chance. Being little I used to joke about stuffed bell peppers that once you stuff a bell it won't ring and what good is a bell that lost it's ring. Bell peppers lose all their taste once they are stuffed Ma!! And what happened last night? Could the bells ring? They did, as a matter of fact they rang loud and clear. All dinner plates were clear of any bits of dinner at the end of the meal! Thank you Mansi for sharing this wonderful recipe. We relished it with naan bread and onions sprinkled with salt and lemon juice. It was a big hit even with the nay Sayers!

I will do it

What words would a preschooler use for most part of the day? Is there a list somewhere I can look up? My lovely, always-paranoid mom friends are now wrecking their brains thinking why didn't I know about this, really there would be some specific words that my preschooler be using? Where is the list, where!!?? Well you can relax because I have the list and it has only one phrase "I WILL DO IT ALL BY MYSELF". The whole focus of my parenting has been to help our daughter move towards not only physical but also emotional independence and I am so proud for what she is today. How excited I was when I saw my daughter using the toilet one and a half years back, I couldn't stop jumping with joy thinking about the bathroom with no diaper pail in it. But I am somehow not able to appreciate this fact when I am standing outside the bathroom at 3 at night while this sleepy person tries to do her business all by herself. Looking at her slumbery moves my listless eyes are not able to see a budding individual who wants to learn to be self-reliant even while she is sleeping.
The headstrong girl is focused on "I will do it" and because learning comes at its own pace, the other phrase that follows is "Be quick, we are getting late".
A sampler
Mom: Let's go out to get the mail
Preschooler: Okay, but first I need to go to the toilet.
Mom: Hmm, how about you use the toilet while I bring the mail.
Preschooler: (upset) No, I want to take out the mail.
Mom: Ok, I am waiting. Be quick.
Preschooler moving at the pace of, err, well, a preschooler.
Mom: I am waiting. (Nicely)
Preschooler doing her business her way.
Mom: I am still waiting. (Pretending to be nice)
Preschooler got lost in thoughts while washing hands.
Mom: Be quick, I don't want to wait any more!
Preschooler: Why do we have to be quick Mamma? Where are we going?
Mom (fazed): We aren't going anywhere just out to the mailbox. (Red faced)
Preschooler: Why do we need to be quick? I am wearing slippers, now let's go.
Mom (shaken up to the core): Let's go. (Hand at the door)
Preschooler: I will open the door.
Mom ( there we go again) : Okay!

At the mail box :

She is able to reach the mailbox but still can't open it so I pick her up to help. But you see help is a four-letter word that our preschooler has prohibited in the house.

Mom: Let me pick you up so you can reach.
Preschooler (offended): Don't pick me, I am not a baby. I will open it all by myself.
She tried 3 times, could only touch but wasn't able to pull it down open.
Mom: Wow you have grown a lot, few weeks back you couldn't even touch that handle!
Preschooler (appeased): Let's open it together.
Yay, we've got mail.
And then I had to rush inside to make dinner. Did my ears just ring or someone say, "I will do it”? Well all I have to say is "Be quick!"

Hit the market

I am a member of Librarything and also on their early reviewers group. They get a batch of advanced reader's copies of books from various publishers every month and members can make their picks on the books they would be interested in reviewing. The members are then randomly selected or at least I don't know the selection process. I have snagged two books from the July batch and actually received my first book today. Advanced reader's editions of a book are published only few in number and are given away for promotional use and also to get a sense from the reviews on how a book is going to perform when it actually hits the market. I don't know how much importance it has but I am feeling pretty special. Eh, a publisher is sharing a book with me for which only 80 copies got printed and is waiting for me to send a review so a prediction can be made about its profits as well as the popularity of the author. I can take a bow, thank you very much! By the way, I joined Librarything to catalog all the books that are in my library or my memory for that matter that I have read. Its a great place to share your love of books with other readers and make friends.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Librarything in any way or doing any promotions for them, though I am sure they love it when people write about them. I am just a member with whom they share their bandwidth and yes, the advanced reader's editions too.