SSSSSSEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNN

That's how old the Little Lady is now.
Over a long pre-birthday celebration lunch, the Little Lady told me: " Mummy I fell Odd" and of course I asked her why?. She responded "Since I am turning Odd years old"

Aaah!

I was reading her birthday posts at 3.5, 5, 6 and oh my gosh, hasn't the theme of Musical, Rainbow- Unicorn loving and slow eating continues on!
My Little Lady, you continue to mesmerize me, keep me on my toes in a good way and you amaze me with your darling charms!

My Annual Letter to Her
Dear Sassy Seven year old.

We ALL love you. You are amazing, very generous, empathetic and above all very affectionate. You talk with a smile, you dance with a smile, you sleep with a smile and you even cry with the lips turned upwards!
I love you through your "crying at a drop of a hat", "endless chatter", "slow eating","super long chats" and above all Endless Hugs.

You do LIGHT up a Room.
You do annoy your sister and also you miss her the most when she is away
You pick up an extra lollipop for your didi ALWAYS
You sung, hum, chant, play the piano and every thing musical
You skip more than you walk.
You ask "I dont understand that?" And continue to ask questions until you get it
You leave little post-it's around the house: "Teach me chess", "Can i see TV"
You have read "Harry Potter Book 1 & 2" before your 7th birthday!
You can spend hours watching TV without blinking
You need to know everyone in the room or the party
You can hug, my gosh you can hug!
You have your favorites and then you add more to your favorite list of people
You can debate with a smile and generally get your way

And above all: You teach us to Smile More and above all you show sympathy and empathy way above your age. It makes our heart melt.

Dear Little Lady, continue being who you are. You  make my heart go mush and you make me teary eyed without your kind heart and empathy!

We love you my 7 year old,  Sassy,  Eye Rolling, Expressive, Loveable and chanting Little Lady

Email: "We Lost"

On a lazy weekend afternoon we are walking around downtown with the little lady enjoying the 1:1 time we rarely get with her. 

I get an email from Miss V from her Robotics competition Reading "We Lost". I show my slightly shattered phone screen to Sumit saying: I think we should go to her competition to support her and cheer her up. Losing is tough always!

Along with her team Miss V has been working to compete in FLL, A city wide Lego Robotic competition. It is her first time and is a team of middle school kids: 6th, 7th and 8th graders all working for a common goal.

Now, back to the afternoon: We reach the school and all 12 participating teams and the supporting parents/ guardians coaches are all seated on the gym bleachers awaiting the results. I was expecting sad long faces, but no, they were sitting beside each other and cheering the other one on! 

I was left astounded. Here I came prepared with pep talks and cheer up messages in my head and the kids were fine!

The Award presentation ceremony begins!

Such amazing sportsmanship seen from all teams and such little kids is unbelievable. You can see the sadness in their faces when their team is not called out, but you also see their immense happiness for other teams as they go to pick up the trophies. So much to learn from this generation.

From the sidelines of the bleachers, I see my daughter with her team crossing their fingers! The younger siblings crossing everything and being there mini cheer leaders! And they describe the next category "Judges Award: "Allows the judges the freedom to recognize remarkable teams that stand out for reasons other than the Required Award categories."

And the winner is…….. Drum roll Drum roll….. Miss V and her Team

WOWZA!!! Of Course I am misty eyed, I do the proud parents "wohoo" and hold my husband's hand a little tighter. Her team also qualifies for the State Championships!

Man, this is one roller coaster evening!

The hi-fives continue, the cheering continues and the customary pictures are clicked. The smiles stay frozen on each and every one of their faces.
 

And her email which made us rush to school was : "We Lost"

In the evening, we talked about that one email, she said the following "I was really mad and upset after the final round. And then we realized we had nothing to loose after the final round, so we kept our spirits up, played games and just relaxed a little. We had worked so hard. It was amazing just to compete. And of course winning is unbelievable"

She did learn a very important life lesson in those 12 hours herself ."Keep trying, be consistent and win or loose, it does not really matter. Just keep trying. You will be fine".

Am I ready for this?

Kids are growing up too fast. Case in point.

Miss Chatterbox

• Miss Chatterbox and her friends talk on the phone, they plan their "Hang out day" at our place. And the unpaid uber drivers parents are informed accordingly
• Considering I am at work and Hubby is busy with work calls, Miss Chatterbox cooks lunch by herself for the friends and family.

• In evening, they summon me to join them at Chriskindle market where the friends hang out and us mums were carrying their shopping and well honestly also having a good time looking at their independence!

• In the night, their "virtual party" continues since they are chatting on "google hangouts" way past their bed time(s)

Little Lady

• The sassy eye rolls have started already and her claim that "Hairbands are so childish mom."
• The Harry Potter book series are being read furiously and she is on book 2 and not yet 7 years of age. Can I freeze her in time?

•  She is claiming that since Didi had her friends "hanging out" she needs her own "play date" sans parents soon.
• She is "saving chocolates" so she can enjoy them tomorrow. Read delayed gratification instead of right here, right now!

They are ready for this, but Am I ready for this?.

How do I balance letting them soar the skies and having their feet grounded on the floor?

How do I help them balancing the "social media" to the "real people" connection?

How do we as parents continue being the "cool parent" but also being the "rules parent"?

While I ponder on these, the Sassy Sisters are back to a craft project at home making a Thank You card. I guess they are still kids for a little longer.

An Impromptu British Evening!

In case you haven't read, Chicago has been cold, unseasonably cold. Which I feel is the story of every year and we forget.

After a long dentist appointment and it being as cold as it was, I just didn’t want to cook. I wanted to go out and break the monotony of us complaining about how cold it is!

As I stood in the cold, waiting for my uber to get home, any "wanting to eat out" enthusiasm I had just fizzled out. So we did the next best thing: Cook and make an evening of it

Cooking is less science and more of the pure passion of eating delicious food.

Simple.

 Case in Point: A friend of mine keeps saying, she barely cooks. But her Paneer Makhanwalla is the best I have EVER eaten. Less Science, more of her passion of eating the delicious food she makes!

At Tagore Villa- Kolkatta

Back to this cold, dreary evening, Sumit and the Little Lady by value of association decided on the menu.

(Deepak means Diya, means rememeber when in Calcutta we went to see how Diay's are made, means remember Calcutta, means remember the Baked  Beans on Toast at Flurry's)

Yep, logic of association makes sense, complete sense ;-)

Flurry's Baked Beans!

The menu decided was "Baked Beans on toast" and headed to the store to get the Special Baked Beans needed for this!

As I got home and waited for them, mind became active and I was likeI need more than Beans on toast: 

How about a "British evening" .The menu expanded to

1. Baked Beans on Toast
2. Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
3. Which was to be followed by a Cup of Tea! (Never happened, since we have over-stuffed ourselves)

Recipe for "Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie:

Ingredients: 

For Filling

1. 1/2 cup chopped each
1. Carrots
2. Green Beans
3. Onions
4. Bell Pepper
5. Celery
2. 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
3. 2 tsp Butter
4. Spices per taste: Salt, Black pepper, Dried Oregano, Cinnamon
5. 3 tomatoes pureed
6. 2 tsp Maida/ All Purpose Flour

For Topping

1. 3 medium potatoes boiled and mashed
2. 1 tsp yogurt or 1 tsp egg-less mayonnaise
3. 1 cup shredded Cheese
4. 1/2 cup Panko/ Breadcrumbs: Optional

Process for Filling

1. On a hot skillet, add butter. Once melted add onions, garlic and sauté till translucent

2. Add carrots, beans, bell pepper and celery, sauté for 2-3 minutes and cover and let it simmer on slow flame
3. Puree the tomatoes with the all purpose flour. Feel free to add 1/2 cup water for ease of blending

4. Once vegetables are tender, add the tomato - flour paste and add spices.

5. Let it simmer till the sauce thickens, taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
6. Turn the flame off

Process for Topping

1. Mix Potatoes, 1/4th cup shredded cheese and the yogurt/ egg less mayonnaise. The consistency should be of mashed potatos.
2. Feel free to add some salt/ black pepper per taste

Bake:

1. In a baking dish, layer the filling first.
2. Add the potatoes on top to cover all filling
3. Cover with the remainder 1/4 cup cheese, top with panko

4. Bake in the over for 20 minutes at 375 F.

5. If you like the top crispier, feel free to leave in the oven for additional 10 minutes

Enjoy with the hungry kids, missing your Brit friends and definitely make a "British Evening" just because!

Fireplace and a warm hot meal with the family!

This was a true hit with the kids and Sumit also approved of this Pie! Even going as far as, we need to make again and admiring: Is this all made from Scratch?

Yes it is, please refer to Recipe above Mr. Hubby so you can make it next time!

Made from Scratch for sure!

Diwali Celebrations

Diwali, The festival of lights, the victory of good over evil. The favorite festival of our household.
A reason to dress up in Indian fanfare, eat delicious food, spruce up the house with candles, colorful rangoli's showcasing the kids creative side and above all meet friends and family and just be festive, happy and grateful.

This year, I was feeling a little lazy to get the process started> I asked the girls, can we skip the annual Diwali Party? And both of them responded right away saying "Absolutely Not". So that was that.
We planned and prepped, kids helped decorate the home, made diya mistletoe, friends RSVP'd, menu was thought through, appetizers were discussed and debated and above all, the highlight: the dances! They kept asking me, what song, how long, how many, solo, couple etc etc.
We landed on 5 this year :-D Since that's how we role. All in all, I am glad the kids now relate to Diwali and actually live and breathe it as we did growing up in India

A friend was reminiscing her Diwali in a school in Indian hill town and her story of saving to buy fireworks, overlooking the valley and seeing it all lit me made me nostalgic.
For me, it was the yearly "getting house ready". Polishing the silver, decorating the house with a "theme" having cousins and friends over for a big family dinner and pooja. Above all going to family friends house with treats and getting treats from them, greeting everyone and dressing up with everything feeling magical. Diwali was a big deal and I am hoping it will continue to be a big deal in the generation to follow.

Like all years, this year was special. The girls, oh the beautiful girls. As we got ready for our home pooja, the girls like clockwork knew how to set up the temple, the writing on new books, the asking of presents,  the discussion of us being grateful in the world and above all, greeting one and all "Happy Diwali"

May we continue our traditions and invent new ones as we go along this journey together.

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Diwali.

New Age Parenting ??

We are new age parents

And yes, I am sure all parents in their generation would think the same. So it does not make us unique, but still i like to put myself on pedestal from time to time.
I will continue.

We are new age parents.
We want to be actively involved in our kids lives, the PTA's, the classes, the play dates, the tucking in nights with the hugs and kisses. We want everything.

We want a career to reach the stars, the board meetings, the late night presentation preps, the work happy hours, the high heels to go with it. We want everything

We want a social life, the late evenings with friends, the occasional sans kids date nights, the crazy fun home parties, the dressing up for key milestones for friends and family. We want everything

We want a healthy lifestyle, the home cooked meals, the fresh salads, the occasional gym memberships, the soccer games with the kids. We want everything.

We want to reflect inwards, go to temple, do the meditation, learn about self calming techniques, the folding of hands with gratitude. We want everything.

We want to give back, be it volunteering, removing the weeds from a national park, packing food, donations, associated fundraising etc. We want everything.

But something's got to give. Right?
We still get the 24 hours in a day. We still continuously juggle and prioritize and make to do lists and make spreadsheets to keep track. We still struggle and some balls inadvertently do get dropped.  As 'new age parents' some days are good and some days are blah.
Is there a way to get this "Mysterious Balance" in the life of new age parents?

Hmm, I wonder.
May be not wanting "Everything" is a start. May be continuously adapting to life's priorities. May be making peace with the fact that we are not going to be balanced!

Is this what is New Age Parenting?
May be our parents had it right.... keep it simple and go with the flow and instill the value system. Rest will follow!

Aaah a dream

7 countries, a cozy gorgeous wedding and 15 days of true relaxation. What a trip. Of course i wont mull over that my parents were to join in for this and had to cancel a day before and we missed them immensely. But will focus on the trip itself.

As always, I start with the Itinerary and a summary description: Some air, some bus and lots of public transportation!

• Barcelona, : 24 hours: Must go back with a longer time there!
• BudaPest : 2.5 days: What a brilliant city dotted with ball room dances in the squares, gorgeous views and friendly people
• Bratislava : 1 day: A easy breezy and relaxed quaint small-big city. The after effects of the post communism era felt the strongest here
• Vienna : 2.5 days: The grandeur, the magestic buildings, the history, aah
• Prague : 2.5 days: The party town, the food, the scenes. Must go back sans kids.
• Paris : 2 days: Of course C'est Paris! Climbing top of Eiffel Tower!
• Ghent-Bruge : 4 days: Wedding Wedding and more wedding fun with a day in the land of canals and Belgian Truffles

Firstly: Yes that was a lot of travel, but how easy and convenient it is to travel within EU. I was left impressed
Secondly: Thankfully, no major hiccups, kids were chilled and we were relaxed and minus missing my parents immensely, we relaxed, slept in, chilled in!
Thirdly: We traveled super light, 2 hand carries and back Packs. Of course the wedding clothes, our dearies got for us(TY TY). But travelling light made it possible to be nimble within the trip.

The trip was so different from our other ones. And i cant place a finger on what exactly made it different! I realized how exhausted I truly was and slept in so much on the trip. And we were so flexible with what we did and when, we sort of went with the flow with what the kids and we wanted.

It was our first time through Central Europe. The countries we were visiting  were so different from each other. The disparity between "before the iron curtain" and now was so evident, the remnants of the world war 2 were like it happened yesterday. At times it was like walking in the past and imagining ourselves in that era. Sometimes we would shiver like in the Jewish Synagogue in Budapest and sometimes we would feel our chest swelled with pride walking in the gardens of Schonbrunn palace in Vienna.

I will try to add additional details over the next few weeks, but as always, travel makes me nostalgic.

Growing up, we traveled, some faraway places, some temple trips, some weekend getaways. It was a mix of things, generally dotted with some work conferences for my dad or just some family weddings or prayer events. But we traveled and I often tell my husband those are my fondest memories of being on the road, our parents shopping with us, for us, we visiting places, using those old fashioned cameras and it makes me smile.

I really do wish my parents would have joined in, but i cant thank them enough for making me "catch the travel bug" earlier in life!

Thank You Chicago Police

We were caught at the wrong place at the wrong time.
We were stuck in the middle at the Chicago Navy Pier  4th of July Chaos!
This incident it has left a mark on us.... which will be hard to fade away. Especially in the mind of my 6 year old and 11 year old.

They were shaken up, but on the tough discussions, the one thing that stood out for them is the bravery of the Chicago Police. So they decided to write Thank You Letters.
With their permission here it is

My 6 year old, Little Lady

Dear police,

Thank you for keeping us safe from the bad guys. I was at navy pier on 4th of July 2019. I got scared when the crowd was running towards me. It was scary when I saw blood and people hurt.You were very brave.

                                      Thanks alot,

     

My 11 year old, Miss Chatterbox

                

Dear police,

     I am writing to you to say thank you. I was part of the chaos in Navy Pier on July fourth. Before that day, I used to get annoyed when in the night I would hear the high screeching sound of the police cars. Now, I feel safer when ever I hear that exact same noise. I got very scared when the big stampede started racing towards me and my family. Then, when the stampede died down, and you yelled with a gentle voice to duck, I did exactly that, knowing you would keep me safe. It was quite a relief that my mom and dad and sister where right there next to me. I admire your bravery when you yelled to duck, but stood up straighter yourself. That amount of braveness and courage is mind-blowing. When I was ducking, I was crying because I thought there was a criminal on the loose with a gun. I was relieved when I read the news saying that no shots were fired. There is one thing engraved in my head still- When a police came up to our scared family and said these exact words ‘ You can get up. It is safe.’. Once again thank you.

                 Sincerely,

                          

 Fate goes ever as fate must.- from Beowulf.                      

Their City Their Home

      

Is it a lone gunman, a mad driver or something else ?

Not the thoughts you want to have after a wonderful July 4th celebration with the kids and parents at Chicago's Navy Pier!

With family visiting from India, we decided to go to the Navy Pier to enjoy the fireworks. The 4 adults and 3 kids were plopped right by the water and a lovely picnic. At 9:30 the fireworks began and it was mesmerizing. We generally see this from afar, but watching the reflection on the water, with the songs and fireworks in synchronized fashion has its charm!

We clapped, enjoyed and after fireworks ended, decided to wait for the crowds to disperse. With the young kids and MIL, it would be easier. So we plopped on a bench and were just chatting about the display. My SIL and her daughter decided to go in the pier for a quick rest room pit stop.

Suddenly!
Yes suddenly we saw thousands of people running towards us screaming. We froze in our spots not knowing what was going on. We ducked behind the very bench we were sitting on. May be 30-60 seconds later, everyone just stopped. We stood up and said to our bystander, wonder what that was about! And then we see swarms of cops yelling at the crowds to "Get Down NOW, Take cover. "
And I slam dunked my 11 year old and 6 year old again on the floor. It just got more real. My MIL cannot sit on the ground, I see my husband just giving her cover with the back to the cops.

My girls are starting to scream and I really want them to be quiet, just in case "they" hear them.
One is below my arm and the other is holding my hand. Both are shaking and may be it was me also. I look at them and ask them to look at me. And just tell them "Sing Navakar" our daily chant.
I needed them to focus on as we hear screams around us. And that's what they did. Looking straight into my eyes with tears streaming down their cheeks. They just chanted and are curled up like little babies. I see Sumit and his mom as bend down as physically possible 5 ft. ahead. We lay there. And then 10-15 minutes pass by I think.
We see a cop come to us and tell us "IT IS SAFE, YOU CAN GET UP NOW"
The girls and I are frozen, he repeats and we stood up still unsure. There is a chaotic scene around us, but we stay focused on looking at him and Sumit and MIL with him.
He says "YOU NEED TO LEAVE NOW".
I say "NO WAY, I WILL STAY RIGHT HERE UNTIL THE REST OF MY FAMILY IS HERE" he looks at me stunned and stayed with us until my SIL and her daughter meet us.

Honestly, we had no idea what happened.
My first thought: "Not my kids"
My second thought: "Is a crazy car guy mowing down people"
My third thought: "Is a lone gunman being really really stupid"
My fourth thought: "Not my kids"

We looked around us, 10 feet from us, we see poodles of blood. Cops and paramedics with someone. I look at my daughters watching that and tears re-emerge.

My 6 year old cried and was like "Bad guys are here"
My 11 year old cried and was like "I am never leaving home again"
My 5 year old niece was just quiet and confused and looking around her.
And us, the four adults: Well were numb and the "what if's" started flooding the mind.
I held them close and talked to them all the way on the walk back to the car, we saw littered shoes, bags, glasses, tears and there was this silence in the crowd.

The kids slept with us that night, it took lots of talking, ice cream and honest and tough discussions to get them a "little normal" again.
Of course, I had to FORCE them to step out the next day for a bike ride and then slowly get normalcy back.
My girls and us are doing better now. We are still talking about it. It will always be their "normal" going forward and I DONT WISH it on anyone. I feel we got "lucky" but honestly not what i want to teach our kids. "It happens, just get lucky!" WHAT WORLD DO WE LIVE IN NOW

The girls wrote beautiful Thank You letters for the Chicago Police. Next post.. more to come 

Be Inspired: Our Girls. Our future.

Summer is a season of BBQ's, Cold Drinks, Park shenanigans and this Chicago Summer is unpredictable weather wise.
We have been literally making hay when the sun shines!

At one such BBQ evening with friends, I had one of the most inspiring discussion with a friends mom, lets call her Mrs N. An accomplished lawyer, a musician, an art dabbler and over all a very well read lady.
Along with my 11 years old and Mrs N, we were discussing American politics, the current volatility and the tolerance levels of people.
This is right up the alley for Miss V, my 11 year old. She said: "My schools motto is Honor Diversity" and Mrs N said, "that's wonderful, but I really want to be in a place where we don't have to talk about these things, be it honoring diversity, women's rights etc. It should just be "normal".

True.

This led to an even more interesting discussion on how change can be bought. And Mrs N. told my 11 year old and all of us something which left us speechless and really made us ponder. Her statement was:
"One can protest by standing and picketing and holding bill boards, yes. But one can also initiate change by being in the position of power or using the power one does have to do something more impact-ful". 
To which Miss V was quick to chime "The louder one screams the lesser the impact on the issue at hand!"

Like I said, I left inspired. She recanted a story to us from her childhood on how and why she became a lawyer, which was around the Nixon Impeachment and her absolute devotion to the American Constitution was clear.
Mrs N. was telling Miss V : "We need more women, More smarter girls choosing the path of becoming a lawyer barbecue you have the ability to be neutral, to be impactful and to be just. No one can take that away from you"

Miss V i think just hovered around Mrs. N the rest of the evening.
Like I said, summer BBQ's are amazing and also this one was for a special occasion and left me
feeling very inspired and I think whatever path Miss V and my Little Lady choose, I know that our girls can have any future they dream of and work towards!

This was the perfect way to start a Chicago Summer

Anti-Climactic Mothers Day!!!

When I look back now, i think it was very Relaxed , but at that time I was feeling "Cheated" and that was maybe because I was "Entitled" to it!
Plus now I truly feel how pressured a "hallmark holiday" can be!

So it all started with: " We have a plan for Mother's Day"
Breakfast in bed, a bike ride, a picnic in park, a lovely dinner with closest friends like family to celebrate all mothers, grand mothers and a day of pampering (aka my pampering)

And let me just say...."It was anti-climactic"
There were "tantrums" mainly mine. Overly dramatic... since i am like, its mothers day and its all about me and my MIL. (Read: Entitlement syndrome) But it wasn't. So i yelled (Sort of politely "not").
I gave myself a "Timeout" and folded two loads of laundry.
I gave myself a "Timeout" again and then cleaned up feverishly.
I gave myself a "Timeout" again and then just stomped my feet around the house like a BIG baby.

We (The Girlies and I) did make up by the afternoon over some hugs, some more hugs and some flowers... Always Flowers!
And then the day improved..... We were snuggling in and watching a movie, getting misty eyed when the Indian national anthem played in the movie and kids laughing at me. I should have fond memories of a lavish lunch and an even more lavish colorful dinner at home. Above all I should have the fondest memories of the bubble bath with the girls and having a "bubbles" funky hair!

So yep..... but I will remember "my own tantrums" from this Mother's Day and I do really wish the girls remember the "bubble bath fight"  instead. Time will tell!

But that is parenting, some good, some bad.... and not always perfect.
I had wished my mom-friends in the morning
"Happiest Mothers Day... these kids make us stronger, weaker, happier and angrier with all the emotions in between! May we have the continued patience to love them more than we already do"

I just didn't know that that's exactly how my day will go!

17 years ago....

2 big bags, short hair and overstuffed Hand carry bag

That's how I had landed in LAX, pretty much 17ish years ago. I had a distant uncle pick me up from LAX, take the local roads to my "room" a large-ish studio which I was sharing with a distant acquaintance.
And here I am, 17 years later, taking an oath of citizenship in this country.

It is a bittersweet emotion, India for me will always be home. My true home. But US will also be my home, my grown-up home. As weird as it sounds, it is as honest as it can be.

I have  forged new friendships, got married, had 2 wonderful strong girls, established my career, traveled extensively, lived in 4 US cities, moved over 10 times and not counting the move across the ocean to London for a bit. It has been a ride filled with speed bumps, crashes, speeding and lots of smooth riding as well.

Recently on my planned unplanned trip to LA and southern California, I was nostalgic. Sitting on the rug of my old "real college roommate" and laughing uncontrollably with her brother, their spouses amidst the cacophony of all our kids, I caught myself knocking on wood.

It's been wonderful journey. As I reel with being the Citizen of a new country, giving up citizenship of "home" I feel the path continues on.

Welcome to US, again I say.
I can vote now. The first time in my life. I left India before the legal voting age and since arriving here have not been able to vote.

The harder part of this natural progression is the emotional side. My brother always jokes: Not required in India. I am truly on paper now, an NRI and I will need a Visa to go back.

Jokes aside, I feel growing up in India has set me apart be it the family values, the work ethic, the jugaad attitude, the chalta hain attitude and above all the love for Bollywood. I feel the new passport will not take that away ever. I will be as Desi as Desi can be.

I see my kids who are born and brought up here and I see they are more desi and more global than I ever be.
That will be the true legacy in today's world. A global citizen, what your passport says has little to do with it.

Serves me Right!

I blew my own trumpet recently by showing off 'de-stressing via cooking elaborate meals'.
It's only fair that I follow it up with what happened the week after: I did absolutely nothing!

We ate out twice (trust me having someone cook for you and no associated clean up was amazing)
Sumit cooked twice and we absolutely devoured the delish meals.

The stress level across both the weeks remained constant but the energy level went down, way down! 

Silver Line: I did love how being taken care of without asking. I did love to talk in a monologue with a friend just so I could vent.  In the bigger scheme of things, I did love just focusing my energy on one thing and the rest of things just 'happened'
However I  missed being the provider, being the care taker (I can complain about this, Okay).

This is the tough and the true side of parents (working or not doesn't really change this). Sometimes you get a good week, sometimes a tough week and sometimes a week from hell. Schedules line up tight, you juggle a few things, you cant get to every commitment, you don't get to oversee the homework or sit for a good meal. But somehow at the end of it, it magically "fits".

Needless to say this week I plan to catch up: Starting by warm meals in our bellies, clothes folded and well laundried also, sitting with kids while they complain  finish the homework, remembering to breathe through the stress of work and above all I plan to catch up on the the most important thing: My unfinished Netflix Series!

Stress week or Food Frenzy week

When I am super exhausted or just very stressed, I do one of two things, I dress up fancily or I cook fancily.
Considering I have no where fancy to be at on a day to day basis. I have been cooking fancily.

The last few days in my house have been the following
Saturday: Daal Baati with all Maru accompaniments! Of course celebrating the birthday of the one of the strongest individual I know had something to do with this

Monday: Indian Chinese complete with hakka noodles, fried rice, paneer chili, Gobhi Manchurian. Having kids ask me to open a restaurant after this meal was the best compliment I could ask for.

Tuesday: An Ethiopian street food dish called 'Ful' gobbled up very quickly by all of us. Me missing my mum and sharing food pictures with them made it up

Wednesday: Chaat Corner: Paani Puri, Dahi Puri, Sev Puri! Sumit saying that the paani puri is close to his Jaipur days! Oh man, I am in bliss.

I feel food gets us all together on our dining table, makes us laugh, cherish the limited time we get even more. As working parents with busy lives and busy work, we dont get as much time as we would like with the kids. So this is me saying Quality over Quantity.
The weekday evening dinners makes my fondest memories with the kids (YEs even yelling at them to finish fast sometimes!).

I am sure my family wants me to stay stressed so I could make more elaborate meals(!).
I am sure my weighing scale begs to differ though!

So what's your stress buster?

It sticks in the Universe... but we okay

Man, I wish I had said something like "Solve World Hunger" and it would have stuck in the universe! But no, vain me had said "It's going to be a long winter" and long behold the universe heard that and that's what sticking!!! Damn Me.

Be careful of the spoken word!!! Rudimentary mistake.

Last week was well "interesting" and funnily in a good way. We battled polar vortex and counted our blessings that we had the luxuries of a warm home, a supportive team and kids who managed to keep themselves entertained. And we got to new additions on our "Art wall"

• We tried the "Throw boiling water in air and watch it turn to snow" Successful"
• We tried the "Blow bubbles and watch them freeze" Un-successful"
• We worked crazy long hours since no commute and the work just got more intense!
• Hubby worked, picked up all my slack and definitely the supportive team comes in play (Again!)
• But we ate amazing food: Mexican Bowl, Bhajia's, elaborate Indian Meal, Super bowl snacks and above all lots and lots of "Kadha aka Golden Bliss aka Herbal power juice"
• We saw DDLJ!!! And that my friends was the best part!

We oddly celebrated the onset of vortex and having the crazy cold go away with friends. We are like that(!). Simple pleasures or just need to be a little silly.

But the week was. Memorable. Again, i can only be thankful for staying indoors, being warm and above all being able to choose how I reach to such weeks.

The kids were also reminded of this. I often wonder how can we raise kids who are "thankful" and "not entitled" to these things. Open to all suggestions.

Quick Food Fix: Shishito Peppers

On the last evening of the long weekend after a busy and yet super fun weekend, we are all ready to recharge the batteries and be ready for what lies ahead.

I decided to end it on a simple yet powerful foodie night!
Kids enjoyed some Hash Browns (one smothered with onions, and the other peppered and seasoned) .I continue to succeed  struggle in the No Potato for a year challenge, but I wanted something fun and easy to cook.

Long behold in the my fridge lied an unused bag of Shishito peppers which my husband had picked up in hoped of us eating.
Well tonight was the night.

I looked up a recipe, surprisingly super easy, as always modified it to fit my needs and then cooked and ate it with earnest. Including my recently turned 11 year old kiddo.

Process: 
1. Wash the peppers (About 10-12) in water.
2. Poke a hole in each pepper. Mainly So when you grill/ char it, it doesn't splutter
3. Heat 2 tsp olive/ vegetable oil in a skillet. I used an aluminium ones, when i researched the recipe, the common theme was DO NOT use non-stick, so I didn't.
4. When the oil is hot (you can test by adding a drop of water, it should splutter), add the peppers
5. Turn every 30- 45 seconds until the "charred" effect comes in. Please note: Charred, not burnt!
6. Take it off the skillet on a plate and garnish with sesame seeds and Rock Salt.

Eat and enjoy!

How was your long weekend?

Because you are never too old for bubbles!!!

A wonderful afternoon during the holidays in Southern California, all of us were coming out of a cactus garden and 2 minutes later the girls sprinted.
I couldnt run at their speed and saw both of them chase these humongous bubbles.

Once I caught my breath, I sat in a corner and saw the kids just enjoy the simple joys in life. I looked at Miss V, like really really looked her

She squealed with laughter, made those massive bubbles and popped them with equal zeal. It was heart warming.

Miss V, my Chatterbox, My old soul, my kind soul and above all my strong soul turns 11 today.

She is at that confusing age when You are too old to hang out with little kids and still too young to hang out with adults. That confusing age when you want to be silly but are too cool to be one. When you are too cool to be cool. Her turning 11 is just a step in this confusing age.
I will hence forth call these years "Sighing Years" or "Eye Rolling Years" or "Mom, this is embarrassing" or "Urgh" years!

You get the idea!

Under her shell of snappiness, kindness, strength, resilience, anger, frustration is still my little girl, is still my chatterbox, my lovely Miss V. She lights up the room, engages everyone around her in deep meaningful conversations, she reasons, she debates, she loves immensely and takes every challenge on!

Miss V, she is becoming such a lovely lady. A lovely strong lady!

Happy Birthday dearest, you turn 11.
We can no longer count your age on our fingers.