So what if Summer's done,
So what if soon all leaves would be gone...
With the snow and chill ahead of us..
Also starts our party rush:)
For the festivities are lining up....
While I still wonder..does time really fly,
The apple of my eyes have grown up...
Believe it or not, the little peanut is going to school..
And Un-fazed by the graying streaks,
the older one is still trying to act cool;)
As fall adds some more colors to life...
I invite you to take that little drive...
and be at 4 Bigelow way...
For it's Daddy & Daughter's 'Happy Birthday':))
Friday, September 23, 2011
Pizza demand by my picky eater:)
Before daddy dearest picks on me for choosing the 'Picky Eater' adjective for his darling daughter, let me quickly share my first time Pizza from scratch experience.
It was a short week after the July 4th long weekend and I am enjoying every bit of being back on my blog space on the weekend eve - the smiley up on the subject line is nothing to do with being a picky eater's mom, you might have guessed by now - 'TGIF':) . I wrapped my day sooner than normal for an early school pick up - we generally spend our five minutes drive time from school to home talking about what happened at school, who came etc, then I insisting on use of hindi for communication and she negotiating what all 'junk' (by my definition) options she has for snack when we get home. Eating regular staple food is one of the least liked activities by my angel - yes if it were Indian mixture or raisins or cereal bar or candies, the story would have been different. After her snack and while playing the 4th round of chess (it's just arranging the dots that defines a game of chess at this age), I heard what was music to my ears. Mom! Can I have some Pizza today. I know pizza is no less junk, but I was just glad she asked for something more close to dinner kind than mixture or raisin;).
It was a short week after the July 4th long weekend and I am enjoying every bit of being back on my blog space on the weekend eve - the smiley up on the subject line is nothing to do with being a picky eater's mom, you might have guessed by now - 'TGIF':) . I wrapped my day sooner than normal for an early school pick up - we generally spend our five minutes drive time from school to home talking about what happened at school, who came etc, then I insisting on use of hindi for communication and she negotiating what all 'junk' (by my definition) options she has for snack when we get home. Eating regular staple food is one of the least liked activities by my angel - yes if it were Indian mixture or raisins or cereal bar or candies, the story would have been different. After her snack and while playing the 4th round of chess (it's just arranging the dots that defines a game of chess at this age), I heard what was music to my ears. Mom! Can I have some Pizza today. I know pizza is no less junk, but I was just glad she asked for something more close to dinner kind than mixture or raisin;).
I jumped on my feet - got all my ingredients ready and of course my big helper was by my side all excited to help. In no time - I had flour all around my kitchen for the BIG helper was sprinkling the flour while mommy was kneading the dough. It was fun for us both -I was trying it from scratch the first time and to her just the fact that she was allowed to make all the mess, get covered in flour sans the background noise momma generally makes in such situations.
We looked in the pantry/fridge for our inventory to decide on toppings - she would have preferred some chicken but unfortunately we could only find some broccoli, colored peppers, Mozzarella cheese and some pasta sauce to substitute for the pizza sauce. I must have gone through the you tube videos explaining pizza making steps 10 times but was still pretty anxious to see the results. While we were busy messing around and setting the stage for our Pizza, daddy dearest walked in and looked around, wondering if his Friday evening was going to be spent cleaning the kitchen. The word Pizza and the idea of making it from scratch sure did not seem to make much sense to Daddoo who prefers to keep life simple - took him some sincere efforts to hide the apprehensions and choose the right encouraging words:). When the first pizza came out of the oven, daddoo had to be the guinea pig. The little devil by then was tired, starving and impatient enough to decide on giving the pizza a skip and going with the more comforting glass of milk. Took lot of coaxing to get her to try a slice. Papa who loves Pizza was really delighted with the outcome and was ready to grab a few more slices. I, who is not as big of a Pizza lover, was thoroughly excited about the successful attempt and ended up eating way too many slices - enough to outdo the morning 1.5 hr workout effect. I am sure with the remaining dough, our Saturday is going to be a Pizza day and little one too is going to catch up on her share over the more relaxed weekend. Thanks to her for throwing the idea and pushing me into trying something unexplored - it is never too late to learn:).
We looked in the pantry/fridge for our inventory to decide on toppings - she would have preferred some chicken but unfortunately we could only find some broccoli, colored peppers, Mozzarella cheese and some pasta sauce to substitute for the pizza sauce. I must have gone through the you tube videos explaining pizza making steps 10 times but was still pretty anxious to see the results. While we were busy messing around and setting the stage for our Pizza, daddy dearest walked in and looked around, wondering if his Friday evening was going to be spent cleaning the kitchen. The word Pizza and the idea of making it from scratch sure did not seem to make much sense to Daddoo who prefers to keep life simple - took him some sincere efforts to hide the apprehensions and choose the right encouraging words:). When the first pizza came out of the oven, daddoo had to be the guinea pig. The little devil by then was tired, starving and impatient enough to decide on giving the pizza a skip and going with the more comforting glass of milk. Took lot of coaxing to get her to try a slice. Papa who loves Pizza was really delighted with the outcome and was ready to grab a few more slices. I, who is not as big of a Pizza lover, was thoroughly excited about the successful attempt and ended up eating way too many slices - enough to outdo the morning 1.5 hr workout effect. I am sure with the remaining dough, our Saturday is going to be a Pizza day and little one too is going to catch up on her share over the more relaxed weekend. Thanks to her for throwing the idea and pushing me into trying something unexplored - it is never too late to learn:).
Friday's are eagerly awaited by all of us I guess:- wrapping the week up to go back to your loved ones for two full days is simply divine. Not having to force open your eyes when your heart desires to buy those invaluable 2 more minutes of sleep; Not having to rush to bathe her, feed her, drop her at school and make it to a 8:30 meeting; and everything else that comes with a weekend for a working mom, who also has a hidden desire to have all the time to laze around and spend what's called some quality moments with her little bundle of joy, who is growing really fast amidst this mad race of life.
When I left home this morning, I knew my day was going to be crazy starting with some insane data analysis work. But by the end of it, a great gym workout, some good data analysis outcome and the yummy homemade pizza - just the perfect end to a hectic week. So look forward to the weekend now:).
When I left home this morning, I knew my day was going to be crazy starting with some insane data analysis work. But by the end of it, a great gym workout, some good data analysis outcome and the yummy homemade pizza - just the perfect end to a hectic week. So look forward to the weekend now:).
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
PotLuck - not just fun but so much to learn!
When a group of individuals come together, they have to have something in common to make it work. And I am so fortunate to have found friends who like us: think - talk - plan - implement and enjoy everything about food. Every time we meet, we are not just focused on gorging on the food in front of us, but also discuss all about what we'd like to gorge on the next time and then the next time and then more next times. There's only so many cuisines one can try in a lifetime...with this group and the enthusiasm for food - no cuisine will miss it's chance to be tried, tasted and of-course appreciated:).
Before we started our official Potlucks this year, we used to meet over good food often. Kudos to Hazra for coming up with the monthly Potluck idea. Not that we needed reason to meet and eat...this made sure we met every month (even during the harsh snowing winters in New England) and also shared the cooking responsibility. Must say I am enjoying it thoroughly, more so because we have a food theme every month and it gives us all opportunity to try unexplored food territories. It is enlightening to discover that the international cuisines that might seem so much out of reach when we order them at the restaurants, are indeed so much easier to prepare from scratch - with the ability to add a personalized touch that caters to your taste. Oh yes, needless to mention - the rule of thumb for our potluck is all food is home made:). I used to be so conservative when it came to trying out new recipes...always stuck to my same old Indian home made food...the Potluck sure has given me so much confidence to explore the international cuisines.
Before we started our official Potlucks this year, we used to meet over good food often. Kudos to Hazra for coming up with the monthly Potluck idea. Not that we needed reason to meet and eat...this made sure we met every month (even during the harsh snowing winters in New England) and also shared the cooking responsibility. Must say I am enjoying it thoroughly, more so because we have a food theme every month and it gives us all opportunity to try unexplored food territories. It is enlightening to discover that the international cuisines that might seem so much out of reach when we order them at the restaurants, are indeed so much easier to prepare from scratch - with the ability to add a personalized touch that caters to your taste. Oh yes, needless to mention - the rule of thumb for our potluck is all food is home made:). I used to be so conservative when it came to trying out new recipes...always stuck to my same old Indian home made food...the Potluck sure has given me so much confidence to explore the international cuisines.
In the past, I noticed with regular Potlucks, it is very important to have some variations with food, else it gets boring and more of a burden - having to repeat the same recipe's again and again. You get tagged with being good at making one thing and every potluck you are expected to bring the same - agreed sometimes it is safe to go with the tried and tested, but then does not do much for the creative cook and need to learn insticts in someone who loves to explore more with eating and cooking. We welcomed year 2011 with our first Potluck hosted by Hazra and Andre in January - the theme was Indian Eclectic Mix- some great spicy food in the relaxing surroundings of one of the most cozy places in town (yes I'm talking about the Beausoleil abode). Menu included fish cutlets, Egg/Potato chops, Veg Pulao, Chicken Makhani, Veggie Mushrooms and the Devine English Triffle for dessert:). The second one, very well planned by our ultimate hosts Suchi and Abhi with the Asian Fusion theme - food here was to die for...tom-yum Soup, steamed chicken shrimp dumplings- Malasian chicken curry with white rice- Sesame Chicken Satay with peanut sauce - Pad Ke Mao followed by the very awesome Carrot cake....can go back in time to eat these again:). For this month, Dubeyz are the host with Middle Eastern theme and details are documented on another post that follows.
There's nothing that beats the combination of GOOD FOOD & GREAT COMPANY....Cheers!!
March Potluck: Welcoming Spring - The Middle Eastern Way!
For the March Potluck, we picked Middle Eastern for the theme and the moment it was shared, our great cooks were all over the Internet looking for what they could bring. We all are very emotional and involved foodies and never fail to bring more food than needed for the number of people. Our mindset is lets not miss our only chance to try the theme and just make everything that sounds yummy - eat like there's no tomorrow:). It was my turn to host the Potluck - of course... Ajay handles the 'Make the home presentable' part and I handle the yelling part to get that done:)....I am good at yelling, if I don't, the entire effort and time goes into cleaning the small 200 sq ft office room - we never have time to get to the bigger and more accessed parts of the house. Aadyah joins in to lend her helping hand - BIG helper, sometimes I get more help than I need...but she's so much fun. After confirming every one's availability, I shot the email asking everyone to pour in their Middle Eastern ideas.Our very first response came in from Andre (if I could say so, biggest admirer of good food in the group) - Lamb Kebabs and Gyro..ummmm...sounds yum....Though it clearly was an suggestion, Hazra dint miss her chance to have some fun in telling Andre, a response means the one who responded makes the items he listed....that statement sure made Andre nervous and not respond to our emails again - that was bad Haz!...we do love your ideas Andre - keep sending them:). Here's what followed for the final Menu:
- Suchi & Abhi - Kabsa (rice and chicken dish from the Arab) - Thanks to Suchi's dad who shared this great recipe and of course our chief chef Abhi who takes up all the hard work with Suchi bossing around and making trouble all the time...wait till the BIG protest from Suchi starts, for me calling Abhi the chief chef and her the trouble maker - but the group will support me on this:)
- Haz and Andre - Tabouli Salad and Baklava (Haz is our dessert queen - best desserts made from scratch - yum was the Baklava and of course the host gets to relish all leftovers. I was nice enough to share some of the Leftover baklava with Andre, knowing he loves all Haz desserts and even after he got me killed multiple times in the game of Mafia:)
- Ronita, Aj and Aadyah - After lot of confusion on what to make and thorough research on youtube, it was Falafel with chicken stuffing, Roasted Red Pepper hummus, Baba Ghanoush and the undisclosed attempt on making Pita from scratch (turned out fine but practice would make it better)
- Sonali, Shiv, Som and Sunny: Lamb Rack, Arabian Shrimp. Ok I thought no one could be more confused than me when it comes to choosing the dish, but No - there was Sonali to beat me there....Hours spent on Internet - no outcome, then more hours spent in the grocery...I could visualize Sonali and the lambs looking at each other for hours with so much love and bit of nervousness - like two people trying to fall in love but undecided if lamb would make a better partner than the shrimps....and then few calls to the Potluck team to get mixed opinions and finally ending up in dual partnership-with both lamb and shrimp...Shiv decided to display his creative skills with trying a new drink which he named 'Classic Mombo Jombo' - Oh My God that's completely made up...
- Tushar - our forced bachelor friend:) - missed his wife Nilu badly, for he realised we ladies are good at making decisions and would have helped him get the much needed confidence with trying his hands on something Middle Eastern...He played safe in the absence of Nilu and decided to rely on famous Boston based Mike's pastry for the yummy Welcome Spring cake - so apt for the month of march...
That was our big Menu list...ask me about the quantity...we all believe there should never be scarcity of good food (Amen!)...if its 11 of us, each one of us will cook for at least 15...and with all the items..there was only food all around my kitchen....when everyone started gathering, I and Sonali started to fry the Falafel for they taste better if served hot - my attempts at Pita would have been a disaster if not for Hazra's just in time help that saved them...the evening started with Falafel Pita wraps, Tabouli salad and assorted drinks including Classic Mombo Jombo:)...
What followed was the game "Mafia" that took serious efforts on Aj's part to explain the rules, with Suchi's constant trouble making act, trying to sabotage Aj's attempts...they simply love to fight about everything and pull each other down...some strict disciplinary ground rules finally helped with starting the game. Only to find that the players need to go back to Kindergarten and get their basic listening skills refreshed. Having played the game before, I was just so SMART at it - my game plan & analysis skills were at it best, but... being the competitive player that Andre is, he saw me as a big threat and made sure I was killed no matter I was a Villager or a Mafia....Haz kept wondering through out who are the Mafias and kept killing the poor villagers....Aj, Som and Abhi were the consistent Mafia's and Suchi took over from Aj soon as the coordinator...I told you - girls are so much better at managing anything and everything.....Sunny was busy with the computer and kept targeting Daddy Shiv every time he had the Mafia powers...Andre could not control his Mafia instincts and decided to act as a Mafia informer while being a villager - (trust me all he was trying was to get me killed by ganging with the Mafia's)...that's when we realized, it is not good to keep Andre away from food for long...he was taking multiple breaks to eat Baklava's (which he was asked to stay strictly away from till the Potluck day, else there wouldn't have been any left) and too much sugar made Andre super hyper:)...in any case, we all were tired of killing the Villagers/Mafias, and distracted with the delicious Kabsa, Lamb Racks, Shrimps and Baklava's waiting for us....
Time again to attack on the food......we went crazy and out of control...you could only see little food left - the amount that looked excess when we started was disappearing fast...Baklava and Mike's pastry for Desserts were just perfect to add that sweet tinge to our Middle Eastern food festival.....the evening continued with some Charade game, interesting trivia, fun facts - read out by Aj and Shiv from their IPhone and lot of small interesting catch up talks that went on till past mid night...this included discussion on ideas for next Potlucks...Brazilian, West Indies, Malasian..etc etc are all on our minds...It was such a warm welcome to the much awaited spring after long months of snow this season....to our surprise, the week that followed had three snow days - luckily mild though...Spring is almost here:)) - if not, lets bribe Mother Nature with another intermediate Potluck - good enough reason for us to eat and celebrate:))...so looking forward to our next one....
No blog's complete without a few poses from our little princess - Don't miss the colorful spring outfit:)
I repeat: There's nothing that beats the combination of GOOD FOOD & GREAT COMPANY....we proved it again:)) Cheers!!
I repeat: There's nothing that beats the combination of GOOD FOOD & GREAT COMPANY....we proved it again:)) Cheers!!Saturday, September 4, 2010
Toast to the bestest brother:)
BROTHER'S WEEK: If you have a brother who has made you laugh. Pulled your hair. Stuck up for you. Drove you crazy. Hugged you. Watched you succeed. Saw you fall. Picked you back up. Cheered you on. Made you strong. Can't do without. Copy and paste this to your status...
Bhai - read the above on a friend's status on FB...each word resonates with some memorable moments of growing up in your company...it never would have been as much fun without you...there are so many things on my mind at this moment that I would want to pen down...but words won't do justice to preciousness of the time spent with you...
I have looked up to you all my life..wanted to do everything like you...be a person as good as you are - that's a tough one to match upto...can only say I'm blessed...you have been a strong support and were always there...can't say enough about what it meant to have you next to me during the difficult times - would have given up without you and your love...remember still you said once - can't see you cry like this, I have to fix things for you..and you did help with fixing it all, everytime I was in any problem:))...and yes these good words have nothing to do with my awesome rakhi gift:))...can't stop laughing when I think about those rakhi ka 50 paisa/ek rupaya that you asked me to return when we'd have a fight ..and I would reciprocate by asking you to return my rakhi first;)...
Wish to go back in time and assist you again with your funny (read wierd) experiments...with science, food, cars...OMG everything thinkable or should I say unthinkable...some notable ones for the sake of written records and reading pleasure for those unaware (read Aadyah, Shaurya, if/when we have more kids;) and may be bhauja too):))
1) Your path breaking, oops sorry thermometer breaking experiment: the imported fever thermometer (anything imported was precious those days) that succumbed when subjected to the bubbling boiling water...can never forget the blast, followed by some very unforgettable spankings - the mercury remains were preserved in a test tube for a long long time...you took me down with you..it was all your idea...I never had the brains to think that far:)
2) Your coolest soft drinks: soda drink technology - made from scratch...Orange/Cola Rasna + Baking Powder + Vinegar...do I have your formula right Mr scientist (wonder at times how you missed getting the Nobel prize, my bad - only if I had documented these before)...pure chemistry from books applied in kitchen...we were safe on this one till you would prove the experiment by shaking the mixture in a bottle and spraying/spilling the soda out like opening a champagne to celebrate your success...the mess got us into trouble from mom....
3) Your icecreams: I have had the luxury of having unthinkable flavours of homemade icecream as you believed in using the freezer technology beyond just making ice cubes..though most of the times your icecreams could qualify more as flavoured ice cubes..the ice cream industry felt really insecure during those years...competetion you gave them inspired them to make better ice cream and glad the black current flavours made you accept icecreams are better paid for than made;)
4) Your homemade chocolate - as I type it, can visualise that look still...a thick layer of dalda (turned yellowish due to heating) on top of dark choco powder mixed with milk and frozen to settle ...look - aweful, taste - bitter from chocolate & dalda like from dalda...Recipe - NEVER TRY or TRY at your own risk - Mix sugar, milk, choco powder and dalda, probably in equal quantities and bring the mixture to boil and freeze for mixture to settle - bingo, chocolate ready except all ingredients in an attempt to escape have made their own layers - the ingredients never thought someone could put them through such a traumatic experience! WARNING - keep away from children all age and chocolate loving adults!
5) Your racing tracks: major part of our small single bedroom defence quarters were covered with books, scales and anything with flat surface to make tough racing tracks for the free maggi cars...hours spent on car stunts on those tracks...
6) Your engineer brain: any toy or mechanical item had to be opened to understand the technology..not sure if the technology made any sense but the things could never see light of the day again after your attempts to dismantle them...Rest in peace to all those things!!
The list can go on and on...and so can I...
for this is with love ...for my adorable bhai...
Love you so much...ttttiiiiiiight hug:)
Bhai - read the above on a friend's status on FB...each word resonates with some memorable moments of growing up in your company...it never would have been as much fun without you...there are so many things on my mind at this moment that I would want to pen down...but words won't do justice to preciousness of the time spent with you...
I have looked up to you all my life..wanted to do everything like you...be a person as good as you are - that's a tough one to match upto...can only say I'm blessed...you have been a strong support and were always there...can't say enough about what it meant to have you next to me during the difficult times - would have given up without you and your love...remember still you said once - can't see you cry like this, I have to fix things for you..and you did help with fixing it all, everytime I was in any problem:))...and yes these good words have nothing to do with my awesome rakhi gift:))...can't stop laughing when I think about those rakhi ka 50 paisa/ek rupaya that you asked me to return when we'd have a fight ..and I would reciprocate by asking you to return my rakhi first;)...
Wish to go back in time and assist you again with your funny (read wierd) experiments...with science, food, cars...OMG everything thinkable or should I say unthinkable...some notable ones for the sake of written records and reading pleasure for those unaware (read Aadyah, Shaurya, if/when we have more kids;) and may be bhauja too):))
1) Your path breaking, oops sorry thermometer breaking experiment: the imported fever thermometer (anything imported was precious those days) that succumbed when subjected to the bubbling boiling water...can never forget the blast, followed by some very unforgettable spankings - the mercury remains were preserved in a test tube for a long long time...you took me down with you..it was all your idea...I never had the brains to think that far:)
2) Your coolest soft drinks: soda drink technology - made from scratch...Orange/Cola Rasna + Baking Powder + Vinegar...do I have your formula right Mr scientist (wonder at times how you missed getting the Nobel prize, my bad - only if I had documented these before)...pure chemistry from books applied in kitchen...we were safe on this one till you would prove the experiment by shaking the mixture in a bottle and spraying/spilling the soda out like opening a champagne to celebrate your success...the mess got us into trouble from mom....
3) Your icecreams: I have had the luxury of having unthinkable flavours of homemade icecream as you believed in using the freezer technology beyond just making ice cubes..though most of the times your icecreams could qualify more as flavoured ice cubes..the ice cream industry felt really insecure during those years...competetion you gave them inspired them to make better ice cream and glad the black current flavours made you accept icecreams are better paid for than made;)
4) Your homemade chocolate - as I type it, can visualise that look still...a thick layer of dalda (turned yellowish due to heating) on top of dark choco powder mixed with milk and frozen to settle ...look - aweful, taste - bitter from chocolate & dalda like from dalda...Recipe - NEVER TRY or TRY at your own risk - Mix sugar, milk, choco powder and dalda, probably in equal quantities and bring the mixture to boil and freeze for mixture to settle - bingo, chocolate ready except all ingredients in an attempt to escape have made their own layers - the ingredients never thought someone could put them through such a traumatic experience! WARNING - keep away from children all age and chocolate loving adults!
5) Your racing tracks: major part of our small single bedroom defence quarters were covered with books, scales and anything with flat surface to make tough racing tracks for the free maggi cars...hours spent on car stunts on those tracks...
6) Your engineer brain: any toy or mechanical item had to be opened to understand the technology..not sure if the technology made any sense but the things could never see light of the day again after your attempts to dismantle them...Rest in peace to all those things!!
The list can go on and on...and so can I...
for this is with love ...for my adorable bhai...
Love you so much...ttttiiiiiiight hug:)
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Supper time with a Toddler
Time flies and it has flown for us too. Can’t believe the little peanut will be 2 in about a month…one of a kind character, such a strong personality in the making for someone who was too little to fit in mama and papa’s arm…I can go on and on about the small things that she does every moment…life was never so much fun and entertainment without the tubby teeks-dimpaa teen-rodyy eeps-teet weetheen-turly air-veyi fair-eyechaa bue-oveyee 2-mama’s pet-is that kichuuu-yesh yech yech.
But with every fun thing comes some challenges – nothing’s without a cost. Though this one I would love to pay for – the return on investment (ROI) is very precious to my heart. I will start with saying my toddler is much obedient, follows a defined schedule, very predictable with little bit of tomfoolery or monkey business, which is so part of being a child. At times, I do experience what's better known as "Terrible Twos", but when compared to any average toddler, I certainly have an easy one to handle. Of Course, supper time is a different ball game all together– it can take anything between 5 minutes to more than an hour. And what I have realized over time is, eating or choice of food is not the big problem. It is the mood and more so the idea of sitting at one place with nothing other than the food to explore, that makes her restless. In the past two years, we have learnt a lot as parents too. And what has worked with supper time is how much we could make it fun for her, all she needs in return for the free of cost all day entertainment that she provides.
When we started with more of regular food, I did try different recipes – what was yummmyyyy one day was totally a drag on another… I must admit I’m not very patient especially on days that are crazy at work, so Ajay did well with managing those situations…One thing about Aadyah’s personality is one cannot force her into anything, and mine is I cannot give in very easily…so it was a tiff of personalities when Ajay intervened to explain, probably easier for you to understand and give in than having to get a toddler to see sense;)…I got the message…and it saved us all some unpleasant-noisy-screeching moments and the guilt that followed for making the sweetie cry/scream when I would not let her escape without finishing…Not that the tiffs do not happen anymore – we have our mother-daughter moments, but more than me, Aadyah has learnt the knack of using super nice buttery sweet talks that can get her what she wants…like many other skills, this one comes from dad too;)…A cute “mamaaaaaa all done..ummm..otaayyy mamaaaa” can melt any monster and I am just a mother – so it works…the days when mother’s almost like a monster and would not fall for those sweet gestures, she has the super excuse – “Mamaaaaa peeepeeees”…you just cannot ignore that when you have been quite persistent about “No pee-pee’s in the diaper, we go in the Potty”…and once off the high-chair, there’s never getting back there…
These days every thing has to be done ‘Aapiii’ – i.e. by herself… gives her a sense of achievement – makes her feel special that she could do things independently like older kids or mama/papa…makes her very proud and us too, have to see the look on her face to realize the sense of pride – I guess very common behavior among all toddlers and kids. With supper time, the ‘aappii’ approach can get out of control…first the pace that requires half hour for 3 bites and then the mess that follows…as much as I appreciate my little one eating on her own, there are days I’m crunched on time…more so half hour invested for 3 bites makes my cutie tired and done with her ‘aaapie’ business …enough for her to declare “All done mamaaaa”…so we have customized the ‘aapie’ approach - we take turns…we have each ‘aapie’ turn followed by two bites fed by mummaa;)…that keeps both party’s creative instincts alive…trust me this task indeed involves much of creativity so don’t get surprised by the use of that word;)
Few other things that have worked:
1) Baal Ganesha or Banku (from Bhoothnath fame) story
2) Any other stories involving her and her favorite animals like Monkey jumped from the windows and Kishaa played football with lion…and elephatant whose name was Dondi made a goal…just keep her busy in such conversations and the mouth just opens for the spoon…
3) Side dishes that are mostly junkies like chips, Indian mixture, peanuts…though the most bland food could be complained about as hot/spicy, these spicy junkies with layers of chilli powder are much appreciated…another habit that’s inherited from papa…well ofcourse, Mama made another rule – “one chip one bite” and “No bite, no chip”…kinda tradeoff but works;)
4) Pasta and Sauce served separately so she could pick the floral pastas and do 'dip dip dip' is fun too...one thing I need to try more when I'm a little less crunched on my schedule is get more creative with presenting the food..the little experiments I have done there have worked well:)
5) Pocket mai Rocket hai song from Rocket Singh Salesman of the year is a true saving grace on tough days...
Just thought this experience was worth documenting – the little fun moments to be cherished later;).
Rhymes redefined with Aadyah:)
The dots represent the words that get eaten up in a rush to finish :)..of course it is another level of fun to hear these live with action:) - watch the videos…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQRaVMzfkw8
Twinkle Twinkle:
Tinkaa tinkaa leeyii taar,
Ow I wandaa watt you aaa,
Up aba wod…hii…litaa diamaa….skiiiiiiii!!
Chubby Cheeks:
tubby teeks, dimpaa teen, rodyy eeps, teet weetheen,
Turly air, veyi fair, eyechaa bue, oveyee 2,
Mama’s pet, is that kichuuu, yesh yech yech!!
Five Little Monkeys:
Phiiive teetle monteeys, dhumpin onaa bayyd
……………………bump head…
mamaa..doterr…
no more monteees dumping onaa bayyydd….!!
Ba Ba Black sheep:
Baaa Baaa Baaaaa theeep..
Haave uuuuuuuu wooooo…
Yech Yech Yech saaa…thee fooo..
One maater…dame..One leeyi boy…
Live attross the yaane…
Machlee Jal ki Raani:
Mathleee dal ki raani hayyy…
Deevan .. pani hey..
Haath aaddao...daa dayedi...
baar..marr daaayedi...!!
Johny Johny-Yes Papa!:
Donyy donny yapappa..
Eetin tudar..no pappa..
Teyyin aayi ..no pappaa..
…mouth…..ha ha ha ha…
London Bridge is Falling Down:
Nondon bidge nondon bidge umm umm …
Fayeein doun Fayeein doun Fayeein doun…
My fayy layee
......ion an tee, ion and tee, ion and tee, ion and tee….
(with a reminder to stop and move forward)…Myeee fayyy layeee…
….bendaaabo…bendaabo..bendabow (another reminder)
…Myeee fayyy layeee…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQRaVMzfkw8
Twinkle Twinkle:
Tinkaa tinkaa leeyii taar,
Ow I wandaa watt you aaa,
Up aba wod…hii…litaa diamaa….skiiiiiiii!!
Chubby Cheeks:
tubby teeks, dimpaa teen, rodyy eeps, teet weetheen,
Turly air, veyi fair, eyechaa bue, oveyee 2,
Mama’s pet, is that kichuuu, yesh yech yech!!
Five Little Monkeys:
Phiiive teetle monteeys, dhumpin onaa bayyd
……………………bump head…
mamaa..doterr…
no more monteees dumping onaa bayyydd….!!
Ba Ba Black sheep:
Baaa Baaa Baaaaa theeep..
Haave uuuuuuuu wooooo…
Yech Yech Yech saaa…thee fooo..
One maater…dame..One leeyi boy…
Live attross the yaane…
Machlee Jal ki Raani:
Mathleee dal ki raani hayyy…
Deevan .. pani hey..
Haath aaddao...daa dayedi...
baar..marr daaayedi...!!
Johny Johny-Yes Papa!:
Donyy donny yapappa..
Eetin tudar..no pappa..
Teyyin aayi ..no pappaa..
…mouth…..ha ha ha ha…
London Bridge is Falling Down:
Nondon bidge nondon bidge umm umm …
Fayeein doun Fayeein doun Fayeein doun…
My fayy layee
......ion an tee, ion and tee, ion and tee, ion and tee….
(with a reminder to stop and move forward)…Myeee fayyy layeee…
….bendaaabo…bendaabo..bendabow (another reminder)
…Myeee fayyy layeee…
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