Silly Saturday: Home delivery

Just like any other toddler Smera has a weakness when it comes to mobile phones. So as over-protective mobile lovers we got her a little toy phone almost a year ago. She didn't quite like it then, obviously was not as interesting as ours. But suddenly she has taken a liking to the toy. She loves to pretend having serious conversation over her toy phone.

Here is an excerpt from the conversation tapped by MBI. Yes you guessed it right Mommy Bureau of Investigation.

Smera: Hello Saravana? Do you have two illy (read idly)?

Smera: Daddy what do you want? Dosa?

Daddy: Yes angel!

Smera: Excuse me one dosa. No oil and coffee.

This is our regular order on Friday mornings at Sarvana but what made us laugh is the seriousness with which Smera efficiently ordered over the phone.

Lesson to learn: Never underestimate a two and half year old's ears! 

Image: gettyimages.ae

Very berrylicious

Smera has been grounded at home for the last few days. She fell down from a tricycle and injured her arm. At this stage more than injury, it’s boredom that is irritating her the most. So the dad and daughter duo decided to bake mixed berry cupcake and I have evidence to show that my daughter is refined assistant chef.

But there are always two sides to the coin, isn't it? Much as they look nice, they were under cooked. So we took the picture and popped them back in the oven. They came out slightly burnt, very dry and sour as the berries were not tossed well in sugar. The sour bit is my mistake to be honest, my diet-conscious self didn't allow me to put in enough sugar!

If that was not enough, I even went and shared a few mildly atrocious cupcakes to my lovely neighbour Beena Di. She actually did deserve it primarily for two reasons:

1. For her love for Smera
2. The eggs in the recipe came from her home. 

Freewinds - Mama and baby had a big fall

Have you ever felt like going back in time? Maybe to re-live some cherished moments or to undo some mistakes we must have done. With this thought I am going to start a new segment - Freewinds! Taking time out to look back on what has happened in past, re-learn, refresh and maybe even re-live. This post is somewhat re-living what happened many years back.

I must have been in 5^th or 6^th std, it was raining very heavily. Amma wanted to get something from the nearby grocery store, so I instantly offered to help her. This was my chance to go for a walk in the rain. As I walked through the rain enjoying suddenly ground beneath me disappeared. It took me a while to realise that I had fallen into a manhole.

With my leg stuck between metal pieces, I couldn't get out. Noticing the delay in returning, Amma came looking for me and found me stuck in the manhole. She pulled me out, hugged tightly and took me home. For the rest, I do not remember except the stinging pain thanks to the fall and tetanus shot. 

The reason why I am reminded of this incident today is, my little Smera fell down from her tricycle and slightly fractured her arm. It all happened in front of my eyes and I just couldn't anything. Felt like Deja vu, just that the characters were different, I am the mum and Smera the daughter.

It was good fortune the hospital was 5 minutes away, so couldI rush her in for a quick check. My worst fear came true when the doctor said it’s a slight fracture and we need to straighten her bone. Brave little one did all this without anesthesia and got her a pink bandage to match with most of her clothes in her wardrobe. 

This entire incident has made wonder what my parents would have gone through each time I fell down and came home hurt and bleeding. This is the tough part of being a parent, to watch them fall. 

Smera has been astonishingly courageous during this whole period. It goes without saying that she gets frustrated and irritated when it itches a lot, but even then a little distraction helps her forget. I am sure this is not the only time we will be feeling like this. But that’s what growing up is!

Kudos to my little Smera, you make me and daddy so proud!

Images courtesy: gettyimages.ae

Silly Saturdays: Driven to the wall

Once you have taken a long sabbatical to become a mom, it becomes a very difficult after 2-3 years later to get back to work. Ask me about it. I have been struggling with to take this decision for over a year.

So decided to discuss this with mum/mentor, a lady who has innumerable times given me just enough push to get me started, whenever things have not worked for me right. 

Here is the inspiration discussion I had with my mum.

Me: Amma, I think it’s time I get back work. What do you think?

Mom: That would be good for you. With our little Smera growing up, it would just the right time for you to start looking around.

Me: So then I’ll start looking out soon after our july vacation.

Mom: Hmm … on second thoughts, (sporting a grin) why don’t try your luck at the RTA as a taxi driver!  With you being always to on the road picking and dropping people. That would be just the right job for you.

If that was not enough to offend me, my little one too left no stone un-turned to make me feel terrible.

Me: Smera come on darling, sit on my lap and let’s go out for breakfast!

Smera: No, I want to sit on daddy lap

Me: Ok

Smera: Mamma you go drive, daddy sits next to me!

It takes an open heart to notice the signs God sends, and then it takes courage to accept them with gratitude. But should this be considered as god’s sign or Silly Saturdays!

I cannot blame myself for not having a drive.

Image courtesy: speakmovement.com

Accidental learning

I have said this number of times.  I have learnt a lot from my two year old – it feels back to school days. Take for instance, the case of a Sting-Ray, I only really came to know about this creature after Smera started recognising them. Then there is the difference between a turtle and a tortoise or how to distinguish seal from a sea-lion and to explain how an alligator is different from a crocodile. Of course, all these are testament to my lack of appreciation of marine biology and the result of Smera’s overdeveloped sense of curiosity, fueled by her weekly trips to the Dubai aquarium.

But that’s not the type of learning what I want to talk about today. We learn everyday to be better individuals, trying to be good parents to her. There have been days when I have felt my patience thinning out like an over-stretched rubber-band trying to potty train her. It’s like playing snakes and ladders, some days we go up the learning curve and some days we go back where we started.  

Last week after a potty training accident, I was really upset one evening, thinking to myself, why can I not teach her this? Then I tend to question myself, what is it that I am doing wrong? Just then she comes and sits on my lap and says “Mamma are you upset?”. I nodded my head to say yes and then gently putting her head on my shoulder and said, “I am sorry”.  

Image: gettyimages.ae

And this made me re-realise, that I have read and I am familiar to the theory bit of being a parent, it’s the practical execution that is much tougher. That is probably the reason why I tend to be hard on myself, expecting miracles on every first attempt. But that’s when little comforting words like, “I love you mamma” or “pretty mamma”, lets me validate on the job done well. 

Even though she drives me insane, it’s Smera herself that helps me find my balance, pushes me to be a better person. When you grow, darling I want you to know that its not you that I was never upset with you.  I am usually bugged with myself that I cannot teach you better or be more tolerant. Just when I feel everything is falling apart, your comforting words, your hug and kiss make me feel better. That’s my lesson for today and for once, I am glad it is non-aquatic. 

Silly Saturdays: Baby talk

Smera loves to talk these days. She likes to make big conversations, absorbing all that we say and things that she observes. Sometime you will be amazed and sometimes it just cracks us up.

Her class teacher Ms Afsha always has something interesting to narrate to us when go back to pick her up. And so one day as I went to pick Smera, Ms. Afsha mentions about this funny conversation between Smera and the teacher assistant (TA).

Smera: I will get a baby!

TA: Oh! Is mommy having a baby?

Smera: No! She will buy it for me from the sukamarket (i.e. supermarket)

Another day her ex-class teacher thought, I was having a baby. Thanks to my lovely daughter who keeps talking about her mama getting her a baby from the sukamarket! 

Living through the midweek crisis

I use the word crisis a moderate term to explain my frustration.  Dubai has been invaded by horrendous weather and the summers have just started. Yes they are here to stay and so is my irritable mood. Not just that, I have been having this harassing headache for more than a week.  Well it’s not as big as I am making it sound, but my sinus troubles are back.

Image: gettyimages

Well that’s not the end of it. Nope it was just the tip of the ice-berg! I have put on a kilo that I had lost with great difficulty. The best thing would be to do some extreme cardio – sprinting or brisk walking. That sounds easy right, not really when you have no stamina to do this any more than 10-15 mins.

That again is not end to my sob story. Sigh! I still had one more problem – uncontrollable hunger pangs. Whenever I fall sick or am depressed, I end up hogging on a lot of food. And so even in such a terrible state, I managed to visit Bikarnerwala and Puranmal to gorge on chaat and kachories.

I am sure I can go on cribbing for the rest of my life, but I have decided not to ponder over it too much as little Smera is ready to head out. With hubby away for a day, I have planned an exciting day out for today. Starting with - breakfast at Sarvana, hair-cut and painting toes at the parlour, afternoon siesta, evening swim and then finishing the night with our favourite movie – Lion King!

Once all this is done, I am going to cuddle her and sleep off this disastrous .  And if for some reason that too does not help, I will eventually sort to some retail therapy thanks to hubby’s credit card. 

Silly Saturday: An Australian mystery !!

Question: Why does Matt Preston have a neck scarf on, all the time?  

Image: randomhouse.com

Answer: I think he likes to be ready always. 

Image: savvydaddy.com

On shaky grounds

By now everyone would have known of the 8.0 magnitude earthquake rocking Iran. Sending little panic parcels to the nearby countries that includes us in here Dubai and back home in Delhi. Well that is really the factual description of what happened. And if you go by facebook or other news source you might start feeling a little dizzy.

On ground the situation was entirely different. After a tiring workout session with the trainer, I was catching on some sleep. A few minutes past 2 in the afternoon, hubby calls in to make plans for a movie. Thankfully since it was for a movie, I eventually didn't mind taking the call at all.

Then shortly I receive another call for the hubby, “Sangi there is an earthquake, the building is shaking”. “I can’t feel anything here”, I said to him. “Well then maybe you are earthquake-proof”, says the darling hubby, slowing treading on dangerous grounds.

Image: gettyimages

Telling myself it was nothing I thought of getting back to sleep, just then I hear messages flooding on Whatsapp. Most the messages were coming in from neighbours in the community and some of these messages read as below

“I felt the earthquake now!”

“Yes, offices in festival city evacuated”

“My bed was moving”

“My sofa moved”

Another message read as, “my lights are swinging”. Ok this one really scared and made me got off my bed.

Then the message from my very thoughtful neighbour’s, “what if something happens to the nuclear plants?”.

With this thought, my sleep went away and slowly peaked out of the window. The office-goers in the complex bang opposite to my house was on the road. Then the next message on the phone was, “watch out for the after shocks, it would be wise to dress up and be ready should we need to run out”.  

Thinking to myself, maybe I really am earthquake-proof, I got ready to pick-up the hubby from the metro station. He turned up unusually early thanks to the earthquake I never felt. And then sipping a cup of tea and discussing the earthquake story, the hubby with a smirk on his face says, “Since you are shaking things up all the time, maybe the earthquake had a calming effect on you”. 

Silly Saturdays: Politely impolite

I feel particularly strong about manners, especially when it comes to Smera. We have been guiding her on how to be polite and making sure she understands the concept of words like ‘Please’, ‘Thank you’ and ‘Sorry’. She sometimes needs a little reminder, but even then she has now completely mastered the concept of using these words.

Image courtesy: Gettyimages

Yesterday she got a little upset with my mum over a petty issue and I suddenly find myself as a spectator to this conversation

Smera: Go away Ammamma!

Mum: That’s not a nice thing to say

Smera: Pushing my mum, she repeats once again “Go away Ammamma!’’

Mum: Now that is really rude darling!

Smera: trying in her best polite voice “Go away Ammamma PLEASE”

With no other option my mum had to give in to the argument as the conversation no longer was impolite with a gentle use of the word ‘Please’.