Study Time

Its been close to two years that I have been stay at home mommy.
So main work now is to nag my poor child and get his studies done.
I have been taking studies in the past not only of my son(I guess being a mom this comes as default responsibility) but also to my nephew few years back.
So studying is not that bad at least when exams are not at corner or may be tomorrow.
(My son could have altogether different opinion about it but I really don't care ;))

So one such relaxed afternoon post lunch we decide to study.
All right, so pollution is the subject and we are reading his textbook.
Am at one particular picture explaining him how people bathe their cattle in river , kids swim etc etc and water gets polluted.

and there you go...म्हणतात ना कुणाचं काय आणि कुणाचं काय . 

suddenly चिरंजीव says ..mumma ती buffalo बघ ना कस तोंड करतेय she is actually enjoying her bath.

Highly disappointed me... considering me explaining him something very important as pollution and he is interested in buffalos look...

I looked at him and burst into laughing...disappointment vanished within a second..

That look on his face..its a lifetime memory we created ..

Heartily Connect

I have seen it in my mother ..her friends ..

My Maushi her friends.. 

My mother in law ...her friends..

One thing which is common in that generation..

The ease with which they connect with guest at home..that warmth which make the guest feel at home. 

These ladies will always have something to offer.Their homes would always look neater and frankly speaking you will not even get time to look around as you are so zapped by their hospitality.By the time you settle she will offer you coffee.

Something which I feel our generation should develop more.

Happen to visit my friends house recently and experienced it again..not a planned visit and not at all at suitable time.I saw her at window and waived at her.She invited and I couldn't resist.Warm welcome which I received from her and her mother will definitely remember always.The way with which aunty hugged aryan and blessed him the way she would she does to her own granddaughter and quickly packed sweets which he liked..just amazing..

As you grow up you really don't get impressed by size of home or furniture or fancy decor.

What attracts is the way you been treated and the warmth your heart feels.

Next time you have unexpected guest forget about the mess you have at home or the filthy paijama and tee you are in and just welcome with open heart..what matters is heartily connect..

Its just a snack!

Sunday evening when I am busy doing veggie shopping for the week, father and son duo decides to finish snacks shopping.There they are with bag full of packs.

>>what all things you have got?

>>Got everything which he wants..

Discussion ends there.

Scene 2:Day 2 :
Evening snacks time..

I hand over cup of milk to him..

and there he goes..

>>"Mumma मला जवानी पॉप्स दे "

My eyes almost popped out..

>>" काय देऊ तुला?"

>>;अगं अस काय करतेस तू ? काल आणलंय ना मी 

Me on my way to kitchen wondering ( loud self talk )what जवानी पॉप्स  look like 😃

>>; तुला माहिती नाही का ..शंतनू ला पण माहिती आहे मी त्याच्याच tiffin मध्ये खाल्लं 

now my curiosity really builds up...I took out new snack pack and there you go 

जवारी पफ AKA जवानी पॉप्स 😆😆

May be ह्या नावाने खप जास्त वाढेल 😆

Invitation

He completed 9 years and 10 running now and as all of us wished  once he also wanted to grow up fast and started saying he is 10..(running is silent).
That 2 digit age number makes him feel grown up :)
Time is flying too fast and he is growing too fast I feel and somewhere wonder that innocence is vanishing but there I again get glimpse of it

8.30 pm dinner time is the only TV time Mumma has and no cartoon show is allowed that time..
He has understood that no tantrums would change mom's mind and watches whatever serial is on.Lying on sofa ..sometimes playing with cars...murmuring something ...sometimes complaining sometimes willingly he watches TV with me.Sometimes he is more into it than me I must say.

commercial serial break is on and some promotion of other serial is going on. Simultaneously I am working on something and not actually bothering to look at T.V and there you go...

चिरंजीव >>खरंच का ग मम्मा !

I looked up and see his eyes gleaming with excitement...

मी >>काय रे सोन्या

चिरंजीव >>आपल्याला बोलावलंय का लग्नाला ?

मी >>लग्नाला ?कुणाच्या लग्नाला?

चिरंजीव >>अगं असं काय ..ते बघ T.V वर

Mrs. मुख्यमंत्री सिरीयल promotion is on and all are invited for wedding:)

सुमीच्या लग्नाला सगळ्यांनी यायचं हं !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3QFqQsTLgM

Part of me wishes him to grow up and be fit to face practical world around and part of me wish his innocence would be intact forever :)

Natyancha Sar

नात्यांचा सर

आपल्या चिमुकल्या बाळाला मध्ये घेऊन आई वडील पहिला सर बांधायला सुरवात करतात !

मग आजी आजोबा काका काकू मावशी आत्या असे बाकीचे मोती अगदी अलगद येऊन माळले जातात आपोआप !
बहीण भाऊ .. सक्खे चुलत आते मामे भावंडं ह्या सगळ्या मोत्यांनी रक्ताच्या नात्यांनी पहिला सर बघता बघता भरतो !
हळुहळू दिवस जातात तस बाळ आपला नवीन सर बांधायला घेतो .. त्याचे मित्र मैत्रिणी .. शाळेतले ,बस मधले ,van मधले ,ग्राउंड वरचे ह्या क्लास चे त्या क्लास चे , शाळेतले शिक्षक ,कॉलेज चे मित्र ... मित्रपरिवाराची कुटुंब ... शेजारी पाजारी ... जेव्हढे मोती गुंफत जाल तेवढा सर वाढत जातो.
पहिला नात्यांचा सर आणि हा जोडलेल्या नात्याचा सर ..दोघातले मोती अधून मधून स्पर्श करत राहतात ..
क्षितिज रुंदावते तसे सर वाढत जातात..  नोकरीचे सहचारी .. नवीन नोकरी..  नवीन सहचारी.. नवीन सर

अशात कधी जीवनाचा सहचारी मिळतो आणि एका सोनेरी सरांची सुरुवात होते.  त्या सराच्या बांधणीला मात्र आधीचे सर्व मोती एकत्र येतात.  एकमेकांशी कधी स्पर्श झालेले नसले तरी त्या एका मोत्याच्या नवीन बांधणीला  शुभेच्या द्यायला.
नवीन नात्यांचे नवीन मोत्यांचे नवे बंध .. त्यातून निर्माण झालेला नवा सर ...
मोत्याच्या ह्या माळेचे सौन्दर्य ज्यांनी मोती जोडलेत त्याला कळते ...

पण ह्या मोत्याच्या सरांची एक गोष्ट आपण विसरून जातो ह्याला गाठ नाही कुठल्याच बाजूला ..
मोती गुंफत जावे एका बाजूने आपल्या मर्जीने किंवा कळत नकळत .. पण कुठला मोती कधी निसटून जाईल ते आपल्या हातात नाही .. .बरं ह्याला first in first out असाही काही नियम नाही . वेळ आली कि अलगद बाजूला विरून जातो जितका अलगद आपण गुंफतो तितकाच ..सरामध्ये ती पोकळी राहते ती मग कायमचीच .त्याची जागा कुणीच घेत नाही ..आठवणींच्या मोत्याने ती जागा भरण्याचा प्रयत्न करतो जोडणारा मोती ..
आठवणींचे चे मोती आणि खरे मोती ह्याचा हा सर  अदृश्य धाग्याने बांधलेला ..मोत्यांचा सर ..हेच तर आयुष्य !

Perspective !

"Mumma तुझी ही pant(read salwar here) जरा different आहे ना ". He said

"Yeh" I replied but that surely put smile on my face..

जुना joke  आठवला म्हणतात ना तस! 4 -5 वर्षांपूर्वी घडलेला..

Why some people have stories associated with everything?

Don't know...not their fault राशीचा गुण असेल 

In this case not one but two stories were attached..

That shiny jet black velvet salwar she was wearing. So much I had liked it.Surely I will buy this. I was discussing it with another female colleague of mine at cafeteria.She also managed to spot that girl with velvet salwar and wondering what is so special about it. Another colleague overheard our conversation and then subject diverted to why females look at other females for clothes ,jewellery ,lipstick shades and what not and how male species is so simple and straight forward and how then won't mind ten other men wearing same colour.. brand shirt in the same room.Subject got diverted then but it was hovering over my mind. Next few weekends relentlessly I visited all possible shops ...roadside vendors but no luck.That black velvet salwar was really unique as per me(and hopelessly out of fashion as per my friend) .I was little disappointed with hard luck but was not someone to give up. I kept searching and finally one day in one shop I got it at much higher price but then I knew it was unique one.Back home looking at the thing I bought husband just commented."is this what you were hunting for so many days..crazy "Grrr ..may be... but I was super happy I had got what I wanted and I had waited so long for it and now was not going to wait any longer.

Next day was the special day I decided to wear it but had to drop kiddo also to school.

"Good will get to flaunt it better" I thought.

All set for school ..me and little one ...me with my bag pack and he with his.I am in hurry to lock door.. making sure nothing is forgotten..then searching auto...after getting auto finally we settled in.

His hands on my lap just the way it was today.He must have felt the soft touch of my brand new velvet salwar.He looks at me and exclaims "Mummaतू  monkey चा  dressघालून का चाललीस  officeला ?"

I couldn't believe my ears..monkeyचा  dress ...........................and then it clicks and am into splits.

Poor chap must have got confused what is wrong with my mumma.She is wearing monkey dress for office and now laughing for no reason.

He is not to be blamed.We only make them wear those soft furry animal dresses for annual day, fancy dresses , don't we? 

He has tough me lesson which probably would top "what I have learnt from my son" list and its PERSPECTIVE 

It was his perspective from his knowledge.Likewise every one has their own perspective and its wise to listen and to respect other person view whether we agree to it or not.But we don't always accept it that easily.

Point to ponder  

That blissful moment

संध्याकाळची पांच ची वेळ. 

एकदम निवांतपणा ना मिटिंग्स  ना ऑफिस वर्क ना घरकाम 

ना मागे मुलाचा लकड़ा 

कसलीच घाई नाही

हलक्या वाऱ्यावर विंड चाइम नाजूक आवाज करात नाचत आहे 

हातात वाफाळत्या कॉफीचा मग घेऊन अलगद जो झुल्यावर बसाव 

कोफीच्या अरोमा बरोबरच अजून एक मंद सुवास सर्वदूर पसरला आहे  चाफ्याच्या फुलांचा 

एखादी नवी नवरी जशी नखशिखांत नटावी तसा चाफा फुलला आहे

पण खरा वेडावू न  टाकतोय तो गुलमोहर  पूर्ण बहरून आलेला 

बालकनीच्या कट्ट्यावर हनुवटी ठेऊन एकटक बघात होते

अचानक खाली पाहिल तर कट्यावर पण गुलमोहोराचे प्रतिबिंब

नीळ आकाश आणि बहरलेला लाल गुलमोहर 

त्या एका क्षणाला पूर्णपणे वर्तमानामधे मन 

पंचेन्द्रियाना मोहवणारा तो एक क्षण . 

That blissful moment..

Experiments in Kitchen

Time that I have spent in kitchen in last 15 months is probably more than that I have spent there in entire life.Its that urge to try out something new more than actual love for cooking I guess.New in this case is strictly restricted to new for me which could be as simple as basic cake.The real new which leads to invention innovation I have no plans to reach there and happy to leave it for my favourite chefs who have given so much glamour to cooking.I mean the way they present jeera tadka dal makes it look so special.Their fancy utensils spatulas background kitchen and kitchen appliances including microwave freeze or simple mixer grinder its treat to watch.In the end the way which they present dish and taste a spoonful you decide ...you will try it once.

This list of "should try it once" probably overgrown in my case is one reason I could think of my time in kitchen and off course simplicity.Cooking these days have really become simple isn't it.From ज्वारीची भाकरी  to Mexican Italian cousin..  name of which difficult to pronounce you just give it to google baba and he will return thousands of options just for you.Now catch here is everyone would have given his/her special touch to recipe claiming his/her is the best.

* So before you dive in you need to do some homework (this can be from hours to days depending upon individual browsing expertise. capacity and sometimes luck)but once you zero in on handful of cooking experts life is really easy.
There are few out there who will say add salt as per taste and few with there measuring spoons and cups.So its upto you to choose which way you want to go.First category reminds me of my mom and our dialogues when i was in my twenties.I would have fights with her on measurements and her अंदाज  ️...but to get to that expertise you need to be hands on for good number of years..
* For someone who is good at basics and cooks on the whim ...spoons and cups works better as it gives you exact same taste every time you cook.

There are plenty of sites telling us what to do but just handful which tell WHAT NOT TO DO. I mean this is equally important.

"चकल्या बिघडण्याची कारण " ह्यावर एकमेव site मिळाली होती मला and it surely deserves mention here
http://chakali.blogspot.com/2010/11/common-mistakes-in-making-chakali.html

I distinctly Remember I had started with चकली  and it had ended up in मुरुक्कू ....

       Had made banana chips of regular bananas and it was disaster.

       It was wait for over year to find out place where you get bananas for chips.

Besan ladu besan sticks all over inside your mouth and then sometimes it has that burnt smell or too much of ghee.So...So ....

Gits Gulabjamuns u will bet nothing can be simpler than that but that too can go wrong.

I was cursing Gits for mentioning 40 pieces out of one packet.

"You have to make small balls which gets you to proper size after frying" This knowledge you will not get unless you do it yourself or at least assist someone.

They don't write these detailed instructions on the pack and trust whoever is trying it, would follow it obediently without using any personal expertise.

Maharaja Laddu size Gulabjamun joke probably has stuck with me forever.

* Sometimes you have to blindly follow instructions without using your brains.

Gulachi poli..that's a delicacy.When you live near vile parle you will have so many shops giving you that perfect Gulpoli..but no...that is a real खुजली  when u want to try it out yourself.You have encouraging sister who is an expert.So why not.

But as always you watch 10 YouTube videos for gulpoli and then you mix up everything ..recipe for gulpoli puranpoli what not.

No prize for guessing first attempt is super failure.but

हम होंगे कामयाब एक दिन  and you don't give up and finally get your favourite dish exactly the way you wanted.

• Too many cooks(read people/youtube videos /instructions)spoil the broth.Just follow one.
• Ask detailed questions(however dumb it may sound to other person😛 after all its you who are going to put in efforts and eat it in the end😂 )if you are privileged to learn from someone in person/phone.
• Sweet ,spicy, good, ok, excellent all these are relative terms and differ from person to person family to family.Something which is too sweet for you can be diabetic for someone else.

When we refer to videos  for desserts/chocolate dark chocolate that we get here in India is much sweeter that what you may get abroad or there could be different brands/types for these products.

Even after getting these tips had to have three attempts to get that perfect chocolate mousse at home.

Palak Paneer could have n number of versions like with tomato,without tomato,tomato thinly cut,tomato gravy,with bay leaf,without khada masala,without garlic......

Finally i settled on favourite KKs recipe.

So may be after couple of trials you will get that perfect taste that suits your tastebuds.

• but obvious don't give up keep trying..its not sky diving anyway so can be unsuccessful in first attempt 😛

and in the end some tried and tested links,

for any chat items offcourse Tarala Dalal

Palak Paneer by kk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ni8I5CZo8

chakali

http://chakali.blogspot.com/

madhura

http://www.madhurasrecipe.com/

vegrecipe

http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/

keep experimenting and keep me posted!

DIY..Best out of waste ..creativity and whatever....

If you like those DIY videos that is really great.
If you are fan of best out of waste things nothing like it.
In addition to this if you think you are creative (pun intended)then its really deadly combination and if you have money and time at your hand then no one can save you 😆 Trust me.
I mean its my experience so you get to hear it from horses mouth 😉

I still remember carrying that hanging lamp all the way from USA Ikea shop...and no am not flaunting here..it could be anything from any shop any place ..that is not important.Important thing here is DIY tag.

For almost two months that box was lying under one bed or another from one room to other.
After tolerating enough of nagging husband declared he is really super busy and unfortunately can not do it at least for next few days..so as an intelligent wife I read between the lines.. he has no interest and will have no time ever. 😡
"Forget about husband wife tying some colourful scarves on head and painting home with some romance...thanks to Paint advertisements for coming up with such unrealistic ideas. This is just a simple lamp to be assembled which we can not do together .:( .leave it we speak different love language ...(Thanks to these self help books....advise comes handy at times..)"-----
I consoled myself and decided to personally look into the matter...grrrrr

Instruction manuals are great but for one person to do it is a horrendous task.By the time you fix one end ,other end opens up and then there you are continuously getting another live set of instructions from your little one.."Mumma may be you should fix this way"......and in the end it needs some electrical fitting as well.

After spending two Saturday afternoons trying to understand instructions, doing lots of hands on, googling types of bulbs ,and bugging some friends who do some work at home..I decided to call up electrician.
He is another busy man who turned up after another couple of Saturdays and finally I finished that DIY lamp with electrician who was unable to understand instruction manual so I had to explain that to him with lot of patience.
remembering Marathi proverb here..
सुसरताई तुझी पाठ किती मऊ :)


End product is great and then you forget the process of DIY which was not so pleasant and start looking for another DIY.




The best out of waste addiction is another monster to handle.Suddenly every alternate waste that should go straight to the dustbin starts looking useful and you start getting some unimaginable ideas to make it look beautiful.
Someone gifts you something and you get so much emotionally attached that you start thinking how can you reuse it:)..earring holders out of dry fruits box .😝

But we are not to be blamed..those youtube videos are at fault...they make it look so easy and wonderful.

Smitten by BOOW(Best out of waste) bug, every time cooker ring shrunk ,it found place in TBD creative stuff dump instead of dustbin.

It looks really good for some days but after that same things start looking shabby so just addition to original waste..:(


Had collected packaged bottles caps for months to come up with some tea coasters that look awful and which went straight to dustbin after all the (so called)creative work.

I really don't want to discourage BOOW lovers here.

Things don't work out sometimes but at times they turn out super cool and you can actually gift it proudly.

Had tried dream catcher(DIY) ,wall hanging(BOOW),bird nest (BOOW),Ganesha frame..so many more and they had turned out good.

It is a good stress buster.Your creative quotient gets filled.And then you have stories associated with each of your master creation.:)

Agent Agent

Some 5 years back..

It was when we were on lookout for our new home.Built up area, carpet area ,flower bed, no of floors building age, loan availability, flat condition those were the things constantly discussed at home.Husband had registered on some site and there you go... All the property agents had got his number.Weekend used to be time when he used to get maximum agent calls and then in the evening we used to set out to explore the available properties and stroll.You be at some location and then agent won't be there.Then some phone calls ...waiting ..giving directions...

Three and half year old am all ears....watching dad very closely.The way he talks ,the way he answers phone calls ,queries to be asked everything little one had picked up so well.

It was a new game for him.

Agent Agent

Mumma माझा phoneवाजतोय का?

Yes beta 

Ohh agent चा phoneअसेल 

Okमी  aryanबोलतोय 

Ha yes 2 beech ke...(read 2 BHK) 

Ok मी येतो बघायला  

Then little one set out to view so called property on his tricycle 

Mumma on compony 

We would park it somewhere on roadside and then rest of the conversation..

अजून आला नाही का?

मी phoneकरतो 

Hello

हा में इधर खड़ा हु। .. 

पेड़ के पास ...

car में। ....... Black color ki mercedes...

( well when i am going to visit I will use my own car..and not dad's car and we have fleet of cars from A to Z ..so at times it would be blue BMW ..sometimes Lamborghini..मूड किया तो  Aster Martin...i10 i 20 Honda city ...)

Every time we played this game he would take new car name and that surely put  smile on my face with thought...person who has fleet of cars ..BMW to Mercedes ...why would be on look out for 2 BHK in Andheri east...

but then childhood innocent games...:)

Mazha Disco zhala.....

Mumma……एक good news आहे …माहितेय काय .

मी ना sports day मध्ये  select झाला ….Lemon spoon competition मध्ये ..

आता  sports day ला मला फक्त  clap करायला नको …

Ohh wow that a really great news…

माहितेय खरा तर मी second येत होता पण end moment ला ना  dwij baba ने track change केला आणि तो  out झाला आणि मग मी  select झाला मी slow होता थोडा पण बरोबर track बघून चालत होता ना 😊

My little one was all pumped up.

Last day of unit test and we have our sports day..wow thats something new exams and sports on same day….☢

My mind in flashback where we had elaborate close to one week sports celebration where every one would participate in games which they want in the preliminary selection rounds and then on final day of sports week finalist would perform.That entire week there would be no studies.just be out on ground and play ,cheer your friends and have fun.So even if u don’t win there was never a feeling of loser.

One reason was may be for no studies during sports and then fun we had just participating was enough to forget the pain of losing.

Frankly was never so good at sports but fun we had playing those simple games lemon spoon potato race needle and thread skipping langadi kho kho kabaddi do still remember and here back to present times…during regular school hours someday we are having preliminary rounds and on sports day only winners would participate..rest all clap…grrr….me not liking this…but who really cares parent like it or not…

back to present…not really it went back again... at this time just for couple of years..

Mumma माझा  disco झाला …

काय 

Not aware of any preliminary rounds happening in school for sports..we are just in primary section and now have started real studies..ohh yeh..….was wondering annual day is just  done now कसला  disco

तुझा काय झाला ?

अरे  disco

कशात  disco..(I am still clueless but repeating same question is so dumb..)

ती running race होती ना  मी बरोबर धावला ग but teacher saidतू  disco झाला …..

It was the eureka moment when I got what the disco is…but no way I could laugh..I had to use all my skills to show extreme disappointment .how can a mother laugh when her little boy is disco..😅...............disqualified..

I was in splits again….and this time I could share it with him as he knows what disqualified is and what disco is and off course he is two  years older....  big boy:) ...to laugh at his own jokes.....

All rite..

We both geared up for final lemon spoon competition.

"Mumma तो  दात पडलाय ना त्या gapमध्ये मी spoon ठेवेन मग ते हलणार नाही 

(😉 ohh we have natural advantage this year)

हा चालेल  तसाच कर 

हा passage आहे ना mumma तो  perfect आहे तिथेच आपण  practice करू ..

That is perfect bachhu..

तू sofa वर बस आणि get set go म्हन मग मी येईन 

All rite…

There we go

His strategies ,management skills ,enthusiasm and practice…He is already a winner for me:)

My Disco Boy....

Probably school days are best days of our lives.We are the queens and prince of that protected world which our parents give us.Small world of school parents friends.Probably that is the happiest time spent ever.

With generations few things change.we notice that change.sometimes we accept the change ..sometimes we crib and at times just let it go.

In our times this was not the case …unknowingly we slip into this mode may it be for studies..teaching method…annual day or sports day…but we still enjoy it partly watching our kids and partly reliving our childhood days.

His Plans...Short Story.

"My sister coming down from New Zealand to stay with me with her two young daughter.She is coming after such along time.Need to find out nearby places for weekend outing.I also have got few salwar suits stitched for my nieces.They don't get all these over there no.Every time she sends me beautiful gifts from there.This time will buy something nice for her..." Harsh was unstoppable.

Recently she had developed friendship with Harsh.Within few months now she had started admiring her.Working lady with teenage kids.Most of the times she would be tired in the evening. Pollution  ..health issues ..office problems ..sometimes newly stitched dresses.. kids tantrum would be subject of discussion which would often end with "we should meet often it is stress busters" or "we should pay more attention to our health kind of things.Usual ladies talk..she was the only working person in house but she never complained about it.Nitu was glad to see Harsh delighted.

One of the bonds that get stronger and more beautiful over time is between two sisters.All those fights two had over little things in childhood.. those disagreements ..age gap everything just dissolves over time and what comes up is beautiful open healthy caring bond...Nitu was thinking as he saw Harshveer having stroll with her younger sister in the society compound late evenings.

Ohh so looks like she has come down..small built for Sikh family Nitu thought..two long chotis for little gals are so cute.Nitu decided not to disturb Harsh and just waved at her.she remembered long walks she had with her sister during vacations ..endless laugh over silly things or some really meaningful discussion.

Over next 5 6 days Nitu saw Harsh busy with her sister nieces and family.

Next when Nitu and Harsh meet her sister was already gone to her mothers place in Punjab and Harsh got busier with her routine.

"Haven't seen her for some time now looks like too much pressure at office.She didn't attend birthday party as well yesterday.May be can whtzapp and chk".. Nitu thought and again in daily chores it slept out of her mind.

And there she was across stairs Nitu quickly checked on her "Where have you vanished gal ?haven't seen you for some days .You didn't even attend the party."

Harsh replied "..had been to Punjab at mothers place. My sisters husband expired. No one knows what happened probably during sleep he got cardiac arrest. Sister went back now to New Zealand.She had come to visit sick mother after 4 years and see what happened."

Nitu Felt numb for a moment. Her heart wrenched for girl whom she has just seen from distance. whom she had never meet.Poor lady who staying abroad comes to visit her sick mother, spent time with her loved ones must have gather some fond moments which she would cherish for few more years till they meet again.But god has some other plans.Mortality of human is truth so difficult to accept.Human life is so fragile and unpredictable.Something which Nitu has seen happening in movies and drama so far was happening to someone in real.It made her pause and reflect on life.Kids not doing homework ,husband not spending time, bored of cooking ,tension in job..may be someone has more complex problems to cater to today ...whining on petty things is it really worth..not sure what plans god has for us. lets celebrate this life when we still have it."

To be or not to be .......Tech-kid..

Few days back got one forwarded message on whats-app about #Tech-Kid and it really triggered lot many thoughts regarding technology, kids, as a parent role that we play in introducing technology to our kids. 

Gave title to this write up and thought is it really appropriate ? I mean do kids of this Alpha generation really have this option of to be or not to be?By default or by birth they are Tech-kids growing up with ipads and smart phones in hands and completing pending homework posted on whatzpp apps..They are smart, fast and super curious.They relate to things and can express themselves so well ..know exactly what they want.

With world coming closer and loads of information available at fingertips hope as a parent we can help them understand difference between information and knowledge.

Curious young minds are open and ready to explore every possibility they see. May be we have to be more open and less protective.

Cupboards are full of cars,board games expensive gifts but post school if they wish to play with discarded tyre lying in ground let them play without worrying about uniforms getting dirty, hands getting muddy or  getting late for lunch.

On lighter notes...with increasing weights of school bags and rules and regulations only on paper I really wish ⇣ this can happens soon:)

Master Chef

"Wow!We have master chef competition this month!" I tried to bring as much enthusiasm as possible in my voice..

"जाऊदे गा mumma ...teacher नाहीतरी मला prize देतच नाही .."----

"अरे सोना असा नाही you should participate..teacher सगळ्यांना कसे  prize देणार ना।  prize तर  दोनच and you all are 40 in class...participation is also important you will have fun..we will prepare something nice and then if everyone is making something and you sitting idle you will get bored na.."---

This much gyan was enough..he quickly agreed or may be by age of 8 he has already understood at times its better to agree than argue..

He said yes and got busy with his play but there I rolled up my sleeves.By now even i have understood this master chef competition is more for parents than kids to showcase their talent and creativity.(we are having this competition since kindergarten..so almost done with 3 rounds..when they expect kids (or parent)to be innovative why can't they come up with innovative competition for kids..anyway am diverting again..)

So keeping my principals aside like kids competition ला वाजवी पेक्षा जास्त importance देऊ नई ..kids should be doing real work and not parents etc etc.I started to google recipes which kids can make..this internet is a real मायाजाल।If you are not focused you can really get entangled badly spending loads of time without any results..reminding myself of this fact after every 10 minutes i wasted good amount of time in just finding out desired recipe but no luck.Tried checking with some of myसुगरण  friends but that too was not much of help.

May be my criteris were little stingent..we had done some bread stuff ..shev puri earlier years so was not ready to repeat it It was too simple isn't it ?what innovation in that ?no way he will stand a chance for price in that case.

आखूड शिंगी बहुगुणी गाय i mean recipe अणायची कुठून ?..i mean ती simple पण असली पाहिजे  innovative पण असली पाहिजे सकाळच्या rush hourमधे  ready pan झाली पाहिजे मुलाला बनवाता येएल अशी पण पाहिजे .too much to handle...but was not ready to give up.

Finally came up with something called cheesy Monaco bites..

simple Monaco biscuit, cheese slice ,some toppings ,tomato ketchup, shev, corriander leaves..

this looked manageable.He can make some 5 6 puries and to add some glamour to dish will make some biscuit chair and table and present it as tea time snack. I was super excited with the idea.

Day before the competition another point came up..there has to be written recipe along with dish.

Again some time on internet to come up with good format.

Preparing actual dish was simple as expected.

Kiddo actually made few and finished it up as well .He looked happy thinking he can eat whatever he made and as biscuits involved kind of junk food which added more satisfaction may be..

Real challenge was getting those biscuits chairs ready.After cursing those DIY video makers for making it look so simple somehow I finished it.Such a relief it was.But it lasted only for few seconds.Now i could foresee a bigger challenge.How the xxx he is going to carry it to school.There is no way he can fix it in case it gets spoiled...and probability of failure was 100 %here...may be its not my cup of tea I thought 😏better luck with simpler more feasible "innovative "idea next time I convinced myself.

It was not difficult to convince Kiddo.He was super happy to see entire set up.Just gave him hint that if something breaks up don't worry just make your snack and enjoy it.Its important to have tasty dish than decoration☹️

As expected chairs ditched last moment but that really was immaterial to him.He came home super excited "mumma काय tasty dish बनावली मी ! सगळी संपवून पण टाकली !.I shared it with Shantanu as well. त्याला पण खूप आवडली ."

haha Monaco biscuits and cheese was super saver.He was not bothered whether he wins or someone else.

As a parent ..Do we walk the talk?

I thought as for a moment i was feeling sad cause I couldn't make prize winning recipe for him but there he was just happy with his contribution.

By end of the day got pictures of prize winning recipes..hats of to mommies and their creativity and enthusiasm..really appreciate the efforts they put in.

After all ,not all there is only one Master Chef!