10-day-challenge-post-7 - Four Books

Top on my list is:-


1) The Diary of a Young Girl - Ann Frank - This book was recommended to me by a friend. Though I dont read non-fiction much I finished this book in one sitting. It is very emotional and though-provoking.

2)The Prodigal Daughter - Jeffrey Archer(My first JA and totally loved it, inspires me that if you really want to you can achieve anything)

3)The Inscrutable Americans -Anurag Mathur (Really humorous and I read it after my 1st visit to US, so could totally relate)

4)All Sidney Sheldon Books

Only 4, could pen down so many more.

10-day-challenge-post-6 - Five Foods

Today's post is five foods and my question is how can they limit to only 5



1)Fishy fry,Shrimp & Lobster Fry

2)Chicken Biryani-yummmmmmmmmm

3)Ice-cream, simple vanilla will do. I can eat however much I want, it is only for healthy eating habits that I resist myself



4)Tiramisu- if you have not tasted this sweet, you definitely should.

5)Anything made with paneer I can devour.

10 day challenge - Post 5 -Six Places

1) Dehuroad, Pune - This is the place where I spent 16 years of my life and I absolutely love the place. From my childhood to teenage lives, all the experiences, all the fun, totally rocking place.

2) Kerala, my home-town, used to love going for vacations every summer, living in huts, playing in the oceans and sand whole day, eating coconuts and mangoes, this is one gorgeous palce to be in.

3) Florida, USA - Hubby and I had 2 totally fun packed vacations here before marriage and both of us love the place

4) Stamford, USA - I was here for a year and boy it was a total masti filled place, never did I gamble so much, or play cards so much or danced so much or give gaalis so much or laughed so much. Totally rocking and rocking friends!

5) Lonavla, Khandala -- Had gone one monsson with friends, It is beautiful, all the greenery and you can see water on the leaves. We had great fun.

6) PP, Pune:- Home where my parents live. I can go home over the week-end and not step out on the verandah also, love it here

10 day challenge - Post 4 -Seven Wants

hmmm, this is so interesting, I used to always think If I got 3 wishes, what all I would ask for and this is seven. so let me go wild here



1) A Jeannie to do my housework like the one in 'I dream of Jeannie' except a more tame one

2) Lifetime membership to spa for face/body massages

3) Monthly Salary without doing much work or no work would also be great

4) Food generating machine, so all I have to tell it is what I want and it would be ready, ooo all the tiramisu and ice-creams and chicken tandoris that I can eat

5) Well to be a little practical, with pt 4 I would also always want to have an hour glass figure

6) Romantic vacation in Italy

7) To be able to complete things, I am so good at starting new things but do no thave the patience to take them to completion, so lots and lots of patience or a magic wand :)

10 Day Challenge - Post 3 - 8 Fears

1) Dying - yeah truly scared of dying and more scary than that is NO 2
2) Losing my loved ones before me...
3) water--scared of drowning, trying to overcome by learning swimming but still a long way to go.
4)Going Blind - scared of dark
5)Living alone - I need people around me
6)Kids getting abused
7)Had to think a lot for this one - - getting handicapped
8)Catching fire & burning

Whew! this was a tough one

10 day challenge - Post 2-Nine Loves

Post2 of this challenge is Nine lives.
So here's the list:

1) My son

2) Myself(yeah, I am very selfish that way and this would have been my no 1 point except after my son was born I realized I can do anything for him)

3)Mummy,Daddy,Chechi & Paarthu

4)Hubby dearest(still is only 4th on the list)

5)Reading(Books & Blogs)

6)Food - All types of it.

7)Travelling --visting new places

8)Playing Cards

9)Being happy - I dont get offended easily

10 Day you Challenge Post 1- Ten Secrets

I had come across this challenge at one of the blogs I read and found it interesting. Now that another of my favourite and everyday read blogger Preeti was doing it here and asked us to join, how could I not.

So here's the challenge
1) I was a big time sucker for maintaining friendships all the time but now realized that it is not worth it always

2) I love my parents and in-laws a lot and can do anything for thier happiness. Even more tham my son, yes this is true I cant even start thinking about the millionth + 10 things they have done for me.

3) When I was a teenager I wanted to marry someone whom I was madly, passionately in love with , but over the years and experiences I decided better to marry someone who loves me that way, I did that and now I am relaxed and happy in life.

4) It is better to marry a guy who can help in household work than one who can talk well and do nothing

5)I hate it when people say they will do something and then conveniently forget about it. My reasoning is dont say if you are not sure of doing it.

6) I never understood why people have gfriends/bfriends. Being committed to one single person was so lame, you always found the next one better. I decided to remain single till marriage, uske baad to hopefully ek hi rehenga :) though I still refer to my ek lauta ek pati (abh tak)

7) My house is messy most of the times and I am too lazy to clean it and really I dont see anything bad in it :)

8) I do not spend long hours on phone when I am with someone, so If I am out with friends my time is thiers completely, or with parents(it is thiers),or with hubby infact I dont even have a cell phone

9) I never plan in advance for anything, everything is kept till the last minute

10) It is very difficult for me to say 'No' to anyone.


So here are my secrets, do join in if you are intersted.

How to wake up kids

I love my sleep.
I have meetings starting from 8:30 am in the mornings at my new job. Normally I attend the 8:30 - 9 meetings from home, get the baby ready, drop him off to daycare, drop the car back at home, take the other car to work, which means if I am lucky to leave home by 9:15 I can maanage to reach office by 10:00.
Now as it happens my baby does not open his eyes before 9, I hate waking him up and normally he would wake up by 8 but if not I kiss his hands and his legs until he stirs and tosses the other side. Gently call out his name until finally he manages to open his eyes.
Now I remember when we were kids and during summer vacations or week-ends we would like to sleep late, mom wanted us to bath before 9 as after that water would stop.
I remember daddy trying to wake us up and how he would wake me up was,"Papa, get up", no response, "Wake up my Princess", hmmmmmmmmmmmmm" Wake up daaaaaaaaaaaaaaa", this would continue for a few minutes till I pulled the bedsheet over my head and went to sleep again and then my mom's voice from the kitchen, "Are you getting up or should I come there" and the next moment I would be by the wash-basin brushing my teeth :)

A week-end Outing

The forecast for this week-end was rains which was nothing new considering the trend we are in now. Saturday morning, Ritzu woke up at 7:55 am, if it was a week-day he would not have opened his eyes before 9 , I am sure :), so I had to drag myself out of bed to make his milk. Immediately hubby made a demand of poha as bfast. After that was done and since I was too lazy too cook anything for lunch we decided to go to the temple. They had the 5-year Anniversary celebration, so off we went.

Reached temple by 12:30- had darshan and then went to the eating room. For $5 we got masala vada, curd rice, plain rice, dal, chana, masala rice, papaddum and pineapple sheera.
After this and lots of photo sessions outside the temple we returned home. Ritzu still di dnot want to come inside and started playing at the new play-area they have started int he apt complex. Finally after a hr, I managed to take him home and put him to sleep at 4:30. We woke up at 6 and then decided to go to the mall.

We wanted to get shoes for R, at the shoe are he liked one with a car picture on it and was very xcited to wear it and show-off, so cing his xcitment we decided to buy that one. A mall visit is never complete without going to the play area, R was exhausted with all his play, came home had dinner and off to bed.

Sun morn again R woke up at 7:50 am, after a break-fast of upma and banana we decided to go to the History Musuem. After taking our bath and getting ready we left home by 12:00 and reached the musuem by 12:40. Since it was Father's day we got free entry to the musuem. There were different secions, there was even a play-area for kids where me and R went up above and came down. From there we went to the St Paul Cathedral, after praying and taking in the calm and peace of the church we went to the State Capitol. It had the Senate Chamber and the Supreme Court, there were also lot of beautiful paintings put up. There were huge pillars aligned along the stairway.
Then we decided to return back, On the way we stopped at Champs and had some Cajun Shrimp pasta and apple-pice cake, reached home at 5:30, R played all the time till 8:30, finally had dinner and slept and today morning(mon) he did not open his eyes before 9:15!.

and baby Paarth goes to school

Yes, this June 13th 2011 was the first day my baby nephew started his LKG at a new school. he had been toa nursery near our home which he did not like much and even after a month would cry everyday morning. So everyone expected this to be the same. But maybe he has grown up fromt he baby he was or some other factor he went there without crying, attended class and came back, good as a brick, am so proud of u my cutie-pie, loads of umaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Baby at day-care - part 2--

He had a good day she says--That were the words of my baby's daycare teacher when I called to ask how his day has been today.
He eat well, napped for almost an hour and most importantly did not cry but enjoyed himself, what more can a mommy want.
He still screams when I drop him off, hopefully it is a matter of time before he starts screaming if I dont drop him off.

Leaving from ofc to see my chukoo baby
Luv u
umaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

Baby at day-care

So this time we decided to settle on a proper Kindercare for my baby.
After a little bit if searching decided to go with one near our home.
May 16th 2011 was his first day. Well the poor little thing did not know anything and very happily came in kaaaaaar with amma & appa. At the day-care they were giving juice which my boy very happliy drank and then it was play time- so with everyone else he went out. At that time we decided to leave.
After going out he realized we were not there and then was sad for the 3 hrswe left him there.
We decided to start with 3 hald days, so the next 2 days he was practically crying all day, not eating. But once we got him home he was fine.
The week-end he got cold and so we did not send him until Thu where he spend the half-day crying and so on Friday.
The 3rd week also we decided to do half-days, Tue he eat his lunch but was crying consistently and would not nap also, would nap for 10 mins and then wake up screaming. Wed we got him home early as his grandpa was leaving for India but he had a better day, Thu was crying most of the time, Fri he warmed up to one of the substitute teachers and after waking up from nap also did not cry.
6th June 2011 started his 4th week, Mon when I left him he cried a lot, poor thing breaking my heart in a million pieces but after 1 hr he was fine and did not cry the remaining time. He did eat his lunch and nap for an hour.
Today when I left him he kept crying int h car itself and would not let me go..let's se ehow today is :(

I think I did a good job

So today the FIL left. Sadly I could not go to the airport as office is far from there and would take lots of time back and forth.
So it was one month of cooking for me non-stop. I really appreciate and wonder how the ladies manage home and jobs and father's, mother's, in-laws, brothers,sisters in short the entire hosuehold.
I keep wondering how the ladies in Mumbai cook food, leave early to catch the train and return alte at night and still manage to cook dinner + take care of the kids etc, really hatos off to them.
I had a good tiem cooking, 1st experience for me to make all 3 square meals but boy was it tough with the job and sometime food did not taste all that great also.
But all in all I did manage to cook 3 meals- all different varieties for a month.
Now I need a long long break from everything :)