Excerpts from 2012

All summers, Chinipie had written her stories and added some nice drawings to enhance her story. Once during our bedtime story reading, she had asked me, " mom what's an author? wt's an illustrator?"

On being told the meaning and the difference, she had said, "so i do that.. does that mean i am one of those?"

 After getting an affirmative response, the very next day when her lil sis was trying to get her attention while she was trying to write something, she had said, "sugar plz don't disturb me.. I am authoring a book and then I have to illustrate it too.. I do not have time to play with u today." Sugar, obviously, didnt understand a bit. All she knew was that her big sis was shooing her away and that was enough to enrage her. Mommy, on the other hand, just wondered on her child's radiant personality!

Soon after, there was an introductory picnic for the incoming kindergarteners, where the teachers were shaking hands with each child and introducing herself. Something like. "Hi. I am Ms.W and I am the assistant teacher." Following the similar lines, To my utter amazement, very confidently, Chinipie had introduced herself as,  "Hi. I am Chinipie. I m an author and an illustrator."

******

After her dropping the guitar from the second floor, Mommy was trying to explain to Chinipie why this was wrong, and, at the same time, the concept of gravity(wonder why?) when she gave an excuse that the whole guitar-falling-episode was unintentional and she was just experimenting trying to sway and hang it from the lobby but the guitar fell too fast before she could catch it. Patiently, I tried to reason with her, asking has she wondered why doesn't she stay up in the air when she jumps. 

Immediately, she quips... Coz i am not a fairy!!!

******
This one was very soon after my car accident.

Are you not going to exercise downstairs? 
No
You are not even going to run on the treadmill? 
No
You Are not even going to do any yoga?

No honey. Not today.

Why?

Coz remember mommy had A car accident. Mommy's still hurting from that. 

So what? you can still exercise.

No beta, mommy feels tht she might start hurting even more if she exercises today. She doesn't want to take chances.

For a while, it looked like she has taken it well, when she said, "why should I care? Anyways, you will become fat!"

A few months later, mommy had started going to the Y for the aquatherapy or pilate classes, which seemingly benefitted her. Those being summertime, the kids were very much at home, so they used to go to babysitting facility within the premises. They had made a few friends there and had actually started looking forward to it. Once or twice, Mommy would have to skip it owing to other commitments. "Mommy, we are not going to the Y today?"

 "No beta. We have to go some place for lunch. So we will have to skip the Y or else we will be late."

"Anyways, you will not learn anything new today, I guess" 

Now, this was a relief. Coz mommy had mentally braced herself to hear those dreaded words from her. About learning new, I know comes from the fact that I used to ask both my girls what did they do at babysitting while I was away. In turn, they used to ask me what I did and I used to show them a new move or pose each time. As I used to show them only one fitness move at a time, probably, she thought that I learnt something new each day.

******

 

Science in Kitchen

It was a rather sunny winter afternoon and the temperature was not too cold either. Hence, the crazy family decided to go to their fAvourite hangout- 100cents to those who can guess what it can be? Hold ur breath.. It's the ZOO!!! No pun, it is a fun place to take ur kids too. And all the more in spring, when u can see the kangaroos and the likes jumping with their cutie babies in the pouch! And sugar just loves the felines- tigers, leopards, cheetahs and the likes. Ofcourse, they have to be on the other side of the fence!

We were in the reptiles sections and while sugar was getting worried over the flicking tongues of the lizards ( nopes not the little wall lizards. These were bigger varieties from the Africa and the South America), chini was busy watching the cobra doing the 'standing straight on the spine' act! A rather hassled momma was busy checking if that venomous reptile is all secured and there's no chance of it escaping its glass abode, when a tiny hand softly called on her,
"so what does cobra do to you except for this dance? Why are they dangerous?"
They bite.
they bite you and then they leave you alone?
What??!!?
they bite you, then what? Do they eat you?
That's when it struck momma, that on our lAst visit to the zoo, we were more fascinated by king's distant cousins(?) the pythons, boas and anacondas, which squeeze you to death to gobble you up or send a wiggling you in their tummy.
No, they bite you and you die. Momma said.
Why?
Because their bite is poisonous.
What's poisonous?
Something that can make you die.
So they bite with stings like the bees?
No, they bite with their teeth. Their teeth have poison in them.
Oh. So where do the bees have poison? Why do the bees die after they bite you
And momma distracted chini, hey where's sugar? Where's ur li'l sister? We need to find her!! And made a mental note to blast the dad to again have deluded her, in the time of need! I swear he was there with us when we had entered that closed arena!

Yeah! Go on. Mock me! I have my limits. There are a certain number of questions I can take at a time. Next time, probably, I will remember to get a better network covering smartphone with me. Probably, wikipedia might come to my rescue at places where my own memories of science lessons and of course, the dad go for a long walk!!



Here Are a few trivia questions that are thrown at me almost on a daily basis..


A blueberry has the word 'blue' in it and it is blue. A blackberry has the word 'black' in it and it is black.
Why does strawberry has the word 'straw' in it? Does it have any straw in it?


Why is apple seed brown and orange seeds white?
Why is the avacodo seed so big while these are small?
Why are papaya seeds round?
Why do we eat pomegranate seeds ? and not apple's and orange's seeds?


Why do rotis fluff up? Why do we fry pooris in oil?

Why do you make 'atta'? ( actually she was trying to ask why does the water bind it together?)

Why have all the leaves not fallen off the trees? ( pointing at the Spruce and fir outside the kitchen window)

Why do you wash vegetables aNd fruits?
Why do we Cut them?
Why do we cook them?
Why do you eat mirchi? ( spicy food) while I cannot?
Why do we have to chew food?

Why do you put dahi in milk to make dahi? (while watching me prepare yogurt)


See how many you can answer, and remember you are in the kitchen with hands stuffed in sticky dough and do not hv access to either ur smart phone or any other form of internet! And surrounding you is your curious 4-yr old and chattering 2-yr old, so you can' t move. One of them is talking away non-stop and the other is stuck at that one question, and can't help repeating it over and over. And, beware, though u r in a hurry to get the food ready on the table before they get too hungry, you cannot snap at them! They are acting their natural innocent self! And then, there is this bright hope of them growing up to be highly intellectual beings!!

Go on... Take the challenge!
Answer them and yes, share them with the rest of us mortal beings as well!
What say? Did you have to google it up? Did you ever think such a question can be asked?
Actually, a few of them, have been taught in school.. Probably when we were 10 or more? So, is this a highly evolved generation?

P.s. don't forget ur answers shud be in simple words for 4-yr old's