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.

******

 

The great summer vacations

So the summer vacations are on and though initially mommy was a little worried thinking about the super long three and a half months period at home, things have been going pretty busy so far.  With chinipie's karate and swimming and few other programs thrown in between, all of us get exhausted by the end of the day.

Oh and the major part of my day goes in coaxing them to go for it. I know I might sound like a cruel or a hard mom but it's them who wanted to go in the first place. Chini had been asking me why I don't take her to swimming any more and of course, what she would be doing the entire summer. I found out the best swimming classes and enrolled her. Sugarbun just assumed that she is in too. The morning of the very first swim lessons, both if them came downstairs with their swim costumes on. Looking at sugar's excited face, I had no heart to tell her that those lessons were only for four yr olds and up and decided to play uptil the last moment. Once there, she was just not ready to accept the fact that her big sister went but not her and kept asking me why she can't go. A look at her face and I could tell that shez about to cry. So, I just took the chance and asked the supervisor if she could start and was taken by surprise when he said yes. And before I knew she was gone with an instructor and I was at their office completing the sign-up formalities. The first day was fun as the focus wasî to get the kids used to the water. And the kids were more than eager the next day.

The second day was an eye-opener for them when they were left by themselves in the mid-water. Of course,  the teachers were there but not really holding them. And that's when it started. . I don't like swimming!  I don't want to go! Chini even asked "why don't they hv any noodles like the last summers?" Then she realized, "it's not the same place, is it? " ummmm... actually it isn't dear! Good that u realized. So then started the daily counseling, "that's how u learn" ."that's how u move ahead. " even tried the luring trick, "oh I thought u really wanted to go to disney cruise. It's essential to know swimming for it." The first thing that came was,"what's a cruise? " So it was explained and the extra specials of all disney characters were added. And guess what it worked for a day, after which she said I don't want to go to disney at all. Uh oh! So an ultimatum was given just swim from one end to the other and we will stop the lessons. You think it worked.  Of course not! Every morning, we leave the house whining. Twice, we even came back crying.


As for sugar, for the first week, she just re-iterated whatever her big sister said, though she seemed to enjoy it. Sugar was a little troubled by the chlorine water stinging in her eyes; she used to come back with watery, itchy, and red eyes each day. But that was fixed by swim goggles, and a talk with the teachers, who were not allowing the goggles at the beginners level. On the very first day of the second week, she threw up as soon as I had left her with her instructor. A friend of mine started helping her clean up while another fetched me(I usually go out of sight for a few minutes to avoid an outbreak). As soon as I reached the scene, the staff started yelling at me that I should have brought her on an empty stomach. Which was kinda true as what she had thrown up was pretty much solid, unchewed food. My little sugar actually just gulps all her food. Yeah still! So, my guess is something must have been stuck in her throat that would have made her uncomfortable and the crying would have brought it all out- on the poor instructor albeit!  Anyways the staff was rather rude and wad screaming unnecessarily in frint of the poor kid, going to an extent that this has happened again. Now wait a minute, that wasn't true and I told her that and it just changed the scene completely. Immediately, her tone softened,  her voice lowered and she offered to clean up if I just took my daughter to wash up in the shower room. So, off we went, amongst the sympathetic looks of the moms in the pavilions. Once cleaned up, sugar wanted to go back to the pool and the same staff member offerrd to take her ( parents are not allowed there). She asked me if she wasn't really sick as if I would hv pushed my teeny girl in the pool if she were. All said and done, she was just doing her job but with 942 kids being coached there every single day, they must be well equipped and trained to handle such situations; then why such a hulla-balloo? 


Even with all the associated drama each day, It's finally the last day of the first two-week session of the swim lessons. And I am proud to say that both the girls are floating on their back independently. Chinipie was doing well until her instructor told her that they would all go to the deep end. That's when the fear seeped in. Chini's skill level is at par with her age but it's jumping into the water that she fears the most, especially at the deep end.  Sugar still doesn't know what deep means, so she just classifies it as the dark blue water. 

For karate, sugar is content watching her big sister for now, who had resisted initially, her reasoning being, I am not allowed to do and say what and when I want. Later she started enjoying, even looking forward, only because her friend joined in. Good for all of us, coz this is the only thing I had decided for my kids, long before they were born. Yes, they have to, have to, have to master at least one form of martial arts. Rest anything, they are free to choose! Call me a cruel mom if you want to!

Let's get busy

As we grow, we continue to experiment with our vocabulary, sometimes, to the point of sending momma rolling off to the floor.

The allergies and moustaches

Like sugar who mysteriously grows a moustache anywhere. I got a moustache on my arm. The next day it woud be on her tummy. On asking what is a mustache, she avidly changes the topic.

Recently, she switched to energies(for allergies). She would often be found complaining I got peanut energy to even the minutest dry skin rash/ heat rash  on her and sometimes on momma, too.


Sesame Outing

Ever since chinipie's birthday outing at the sesame place, we have fallen in love with the place and as the summer heat rises up, sugarbun is ready to put on her babing suit and go on to enjoy the rides there. Her favourite one is the roller poster.


The Silence

Is usually threatening as it's guaranteed to mean that they are upto something, which would result in more task for the poor momma. During these times,
Barbies gets a hair cut la-snip-its-style. With hair locks being fed into the toy-machine(the picnic bench with a hole in it) and a toy being thrown out as a reward.

Dental Floss is pulled out to the last string and is used either to decorate the whole house from top to bottom or as a collar and chain for the plush puppies or just to tie up anything and everything. On being questioned, comes the smart reply, "I didn't do it. The other one did it. I just found it and used it". Where else would you see the mantra of  'Reduce, Reuse and Recycle' more aptly followed?


Toilet rolls are used to make waterfalls and the lakes beneath. If momma objects, we try to roll it back. If she doesn't, we remind her to say, "Do not make the waterfall." Really? So all this is done just to get her attention/reaction??

If that's so true, then what about that one time when the entire brand new roll was flushed in the toilet, resulting in an overflow of the past three days of , uhm let's just say, oranic manure.? Was that to get momma busy or to contribute to the environment?