It's winter at last!

Finally!
So what, that, we had a dry christmas and a rather warm first day of the new year? So what, that, Every time, we saw a few flurries, we let our hopes raise for the ground to be covered in an all-white blanket only to find them melting away as soon as they touched the earth? Though a little later than every year and a lot less than usual, it did snow! Wednesday afternoon, It had started with teeny tiny flakes and, within no time, the grey sky was pouring big, soft and fluffy ones, which had given the entire city a very serene look. The leafless trees, the evergreen shrubs and the soft grass, all had acquired a dainty and pristine white angel-like beauty. We had gone out trying to catch them with our tongues and had managed to taste a few. We tried to enjoy it as much as we could as we knew this one is not going to be like the one before.

One lucky Friday night, about a month ago, in January - All night long! We had woken up in the morning to find the nice surprise ever! We had perched up on the window sills to watch the last bits of those snowflakes filing up the sky. We had pressed our little noses to the glass door observing the parking lots/ cars/ driveways being cleaned. Needless to say, we just loved it- the beautiful pure white layer, everywhere all around.

And then, we had gone out, all geared up, and had our snow ball fights and built our snow princess. The littlest of us all, didn't take well the whole concept of snowballs hitting her and threw a huge fit. But she did cheer for us while we were busy making our snow princess. Until, she threw a fit again and we realized that, in our ignorance, we had used her crown, to be-deck the princess. So, the crown exchanged hands and a new one was found, rather hastily.

When the snow started melting, creating puddles of water, we had a gala time again jumping in them. The huge pile turned into ice, held its place for a long time, sitting in our front yard daring the sun to turn it into water. Melting very slowly as if waiting for more of the newer snow to join in..

Monday morning blues

Found this in unpublished archives from last year. Must have been written in fall sometime during the beginning of the school year. Don't remember what had happened that monday morning but the night before was totally cute. Read on. Totally an awww moment, isn't it?

Monday morning blues
They start on Sunday evening in our home with the kids being overtired by seven o'clock and momma, frantically, trying to put the dinner together on table lest the kids go to bed hungry. With two howling kids on her side, a simple task of setting up the dinner plate becomes daunting. The dad takes over feeding the dinner part after which they are serenely quiet. Changed to their night dresses and tucked in their beds, they look like they would start their zzzs as soon as she turns off the light. And content that she can now fill her own hungry belly with some food, she comes downstairs kissing both the girls good night. One-half chapati later, mom-dad hear some voices from upstairs. "that cannot be! They were so tired!" Convinced that their ears must be ringing, they turn back to munching their dinner. Mom's instinct tells her that she cannot be wrong, she decides to go check on them, only to find them having a nice conversation making up some silly jokes of their own. For a while, she stands outside their bedroom door, soaking herself in that cute moment before she gets in and asks them what's going on. Because, her tone was light, and their spirits high, they reply with a laughter and few minutes and another session of tucking, kissing goodnights and patting them to sleep later, momma tiptoes out of the room.

Scrubbing away the flu bug

It couldn't have been a better evening(than my usual ones). By 8:30 p.m. Both the girls were tucked in bed, happily snoring. Momma had big plans of finishing the book she was half- way through, ad then, posting an entry on her own blog while listening to some nice numbers, post- dinner. She just couldn't believe her lucky stars that she did get that 'me-time' she craves for, after all. Momma being momma, had to do the dishes, and finish just 'a few' chores before she could enjoy that much dreamed 'me-time' guiltfree. By the time she worked on sating her conscious, it was 10:15p.m. She checked on the dad(obviosly still at work), who gave his automated reply, anytime she calls her after the normal people's office hours(for our ease, let's presume it to be any time after 6:30 p.m.). So, the exclusive-to-wife automated reply was-(any guesses here?!?) -"I should be headed for home in next 10-15 minutes". Knowing ver wel, that means at least half an hour, and then adding the travel time, she had around 45 minutes for herself. Not much, but still desirable!

She had flipped through a couple of pages of the book, when at around quarter to 11, chinipie came to her, clutching her belly. Using her elusive instincts, momma rushed chini to the bathroom and put her on the pot. And lo! They had made it in time. With only a minute difference. The stuff from chini's belly chose to make its way out, not from the rear end, but all the way up on the bathroom floor! Now, momma is one of those people, who sheds tears seeing water in somebody else's eyes and and and who, for 100 percent, throws up seeing(sonetimes, just liatening to) somebody throwing up. So, yes readers, go on applaud her how brave she was to handle the situation all by herself, which included patting her poor daughter's back while she emptied her belly, washing her, changing her dress and she even managed to calm her down through it!! She was, also, very ardently pepping herself to clean the bathroom floor without getting sick herself. She got the clorix wipes, napkin roll and a trash bag, When she heard that familiar click and heaved a sigh if relief! The dad was home, just in time!! Hearing his daughter's voice at 11 in the night, he instantly came upstairs, looked at her, then the big box of wipes in momma's hands and then the bathroom floor. Without a word, he took the wipes from her and set out to do his job. Some people are Godsend. One of those, in my life, definitely is - the dad!!!

After tucking chini back in her bed, and after dad's cleaning, the finicky mom went to do a thorough clean up( which obviously, always irritates the dad). But it turned out, that the dad didn't get a chance, as chini kept throwing up, from both ends, the entire night. Poor girl! She had to change her night dress twice, her bed was dirty, so he had to be moved with the mom n dad, n after a few minutes their bedsheet hsd to be hanged too. The carpet had to be cleaned for the times, they couldn't make it safely to the bathroom. After to failed attempts to settle her tummy with a frozen pedialyte, they called up the doctor at around 4:30 in the morning who advised to give her just ice chips until morning. Poor thing ws so dehydrated that she kept crying ( with no tears!!) tht her mouth was dry n ice chips r nt helping. But as rhe ice chips seemed to hv worked better n giving her two sips of water resulted in another bout of throw-up that poor mom n dad had to toughen themselves. Only at around nine in the morning, after confirming from the doctor, did they give her diluted apple juice and few pieces of apple. My child was very tired and just wanted momma n papa to sit with her. After she fell asleep, the finicky mom, set to her task again, scrubbing all the bathrooms, carpets, washing the sheets, clothes, lest she as two sick kids at the same time.

It's been two days and chinipie is still not very well. She had thrown up this morning too. And the entire household is on a khichdi diet.

Sugar, missing all the attention, has started saying, "I am sick" "my head is feeling dizzy".

So Sugar goes to School!

And yes! you can close your mouth and wipe that look of surprise off your face! Even I didn't expect it to happen so soon after this. But I guess I saw it coming much before but refused to acknowledge. With sugar trying to pull her older sister out of the classroom, every time we went to drop her off.. with sugar refusing to enter the house afterwards, screaming No! I don't want to go home! as soon as the car halted before the door of our humble abode... with sugar jumping to her feet when I announced that it's time to go get didi..

And momma ooh'ed and aah'ed on the sisterly bond all this time!
Until, one day,
She just kept crying inconsolably. When everything other soothing effort failed, mommy decided to talk it out with her.
Sugar, kyun ro rahi hai? why is sugar crying?
Amidst her tears, she had replied I wanna go
Sugar library jaegi momma ke saath? Does sugar want to go to library with momma?
still hiccuping, NO
Sugar shopping jayegi Sugar will go shopping?
NO with another heartfelt bawling
Now, these were the options, which ought to cheer her up, usually. Not today, though. The only other option left was going to the park, which was out of question on that wintry morning.so, momma asked her again,
Sugar kahaan jayegi? Where does sugar wanna go?
School. uuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnn

Mommy didn't even realize when her baby just grew on up her.
Not quite though. Before this surprise breakdown, momma had already enrolled sugar in two-day two's classes in the same school as chini and was waiting for the classes to start. Though, in truth, momma was still having the separation issues and was fooling herself in wondering how her oh-so-little-baby will handle in. While, in truth, it turned out that she was actually an eager-to-leave-mommy girl who just walked straight to her teachers with her own story to share. Without even turning back to say bye or even look at momma. Whereas the shocked mom was repeating insanely to the chuckling dad over and over and over again, she didn't even look at me. she didn't even look at me. Dad, still as happy as can be, said, Oh! I was never worried about her. Concerned for you, instead!?!?

Today, is the second week of her school and she goes only two days a week. The rest whole week, as her older sister gets ready, she keeps asking, where's my book bag? Where are my school shoes? Why are you not dropping me? Well, I did get greedy and tried to enroll her for two more days at least, but it turned out that there are only two-day classes at the current school for this age group. Am at loss, how to keep her busy the rest of the weekdays for the remainder of four months of this school year. Any ideas?

sugar on her first day to school

The holidays

We are here and all in good health (lemme do a touchwood real quick unless those much-scared infections make a comeback in my family)? Though, chinipie kept insisting the entire last half of december, much to mom's and dad's anxiety, I am sick. I am very very sick.. Poor parents couldn't figure out why their lovely dughter would feel so and tried, in vague, to erase any such thoughts from her mind. Only when chinipie declared, one fine morning, I am bored of being sick. I miss my school., that it dawned to them that the whole concept f uch a long holiday is new to her. The only time she skipped her schjol was when she was not well and mommy kept her home. Naturally, she put two and two together and concluded that she is sick. Amazing, how their mind works in such a simple fashion!

So the school was off for entire two (holiday) weeks in december which when mommy counted actually came out to be ei-gh-t-een days!  18 dark, cold and wintry days, stuck in the house with two very active kids and with the dad absconding (read slogging@office ) for unreasonably looongg hours!  Mommy declared that unless the dad had some good plans, she is off to her Mom's place. The threat never even came close to being executed as when mom checked the flights, the prices (even after excluding the dad) were high enough for her to abandon any plans to travel for next two years at least!  Nevertheless, the dad, seeing the plight of his highly motrified wife, took a week off(he hadn't taken a single day off the entire year!). Mommy, very generously, ignored the fact that half the time he was still working from home, and did make two rushes to the office for some urgent meetings. Also, she pardoned the messy state of the home - owing to another fact that the two different set of guests, who were to visit us during the holidays, cancelled their plans. As mommy had been busy preparing the meals (as her plan ahead initiative) so that they could spend most of the time showing the guests around the city instead of the kitchen, the entire house had been turned topsy-turvy.
Hassled, momma asked chinipie, doesn't all this mess bother you?
Contemplating, for a while, which answer would please her mom, she decided to stick to her own self and said,no
Momma, then turned to sugar, her little one, who just turned her back and continued with her precious contribution in giving the house a look of a dumpyard.
With lots of expectations, she then, looked upon the dad and even hoped that he would volunteer to help her cleaning up; instead got an advice to ignore. So, mom made it her mantra, and as much as it bothered her, didn't even move a finger to clean. She, even, took it a step further and started dumping things, secretly hoping, that eventually she might get a Helping hand. Turned out that she had been entirely singled out here and shez the only one, in the family, who gets irritated by the uncleanliness. She had to give up after a few days of fretting and fuming!

The holidays were well spent, despite of such minor episodes, which have acquired a tendency to occur at a more frequent rate than expected in our household. We spent an entire day at a nearby amusement park, enjoying the fun rides (an unusual experience at this time of the year where we are) and signing the day off with a special holiday light and sound display. Another day was spent at the children's museum, yet another watching the disney princess stories on ice(after which both the girls put on their fluffy shoes and skate, twirl and whirl on the kitchen floor pretending the hardwood floor to be ice). We also revamped the kids room with their favourite princesses and fairies wall decor.

Santa had left some exciting gifts which included the nail paint(of course princess ones!). Mom was treated with an exclusive spa treatment with a perfectly finished manicure and pedicure. Thanks Santa! But as he came on christmas eve vs the actual christmas evening, it was declared that the missing gifts(From the list) will be delivered tonight. Uh oh! Mommy took all the efforts to convince that he comes only once and did indeed come on the correct day and time! And yes! That morning, first thing chinipie did was- came running downstairs to check if indeed he had come and on finding the gifts, she had come running to me- momma, santa did come! And he left lots Of gifts for me and Sugar. Then, she had one running to the dad and repeted the same excitedly! Again, a dash to her room to wake her sis up and share the exciting news. In case you are wondering why she was surprised, that's coz according to her this wasn't winter and most certainly not the christmas time! Why? Coz - in her words - It isn't snowing at all. How can it be winters? How can it even be christmas? We didn't even get to make a snowman! And the christmas has to be a white one! While mommy wondered at her daughter's logic ( and thanked the stars, silently, for not sending the winters this year), she assured her girl that, most certainly, it would snow and we would get to make a snowman. Only to find her crying, one morning, on her bed - it's not even snowing. How will we celebrate christmas? though, she played alng with her dad and mom, and involved her baby sister too. And, together, they decorated the christmas tree, decorated a gingerbreadhouse and made cookies, and left a bowl of "yummy halwa", a plate of cookies, a cup of hot cocoa for Santa and went outside to sprinkle oats and sarkled sugar for Santa's reindeers. On seeing the cup empty (and, of course, after opening all the gifts), she did, indeed go out to check if the oats were gone. Mommy's heart was pounding very fast, expecting, another loud bawl, but God is indeed, merciful! Voila! The oats were gone! Must have been mom's lucky day! Later, while playing with her newly received toys, and while thinking aloud what should be on next ear's list, chini declared, Christmas is my favourite holiday! And mine too, sugar chimed in.

The gingerbread house - captured before it collapsed!

Food for reindeer(in the packet)

Stay tuned. There's a lot more to tell you all.