Happy birthday Papa! It is your birthday no :)

Ira ke Papa celebrated his birthday last week and in true sense took off! A short weekend getaway where there was no work laptop and the phone was hardly a companion. Ira did her first long distance train journey. While we tried to enthuse her with the hillocks and trees and rivers, she was  more interested in the paperboat litchi juice and snacks that we had packed.
As it was Papa's birthday, she had also decided that they must eat lollypop. While P is extremely understated in his birthday celebrations, Ira through the day reminded him about the special day and prefixed and suffixed it to every situation in question! "It is Papa's birthday no, we can watch a lot of TV"! " We should eat cake, it is Papa's birthday no. Happy birthday Papa!" The wish was accompanied by cuddles and kisses too! She jumped incessantly on the bed, danced and entertained herself.

It was a fabulous weekend, much needed R&R. Papa and Ira made the most of pool time. Mamma visited a place that she associates a lot of childhood memories with and her heart skipped a beat when she went there this time. Ira discovered the joy of a lavish breakfast buffet and the thrill of slathering her frenchtoast with butter! That grin on her face was priceless.

If you want to discover little joys, just look at a child around you doing their little things! And the greatest joy is in seeing how they make your special days even more special with their little antics. Happy birthday Ira ke Papa!
#Ira #Iraisms #TalesAtThree #Papa #Birthday #Happiness #Gratitude

Gratitude…in leaps and bounds! Thank you ‘Year Two’

March 23^rd, 2018 marked the final day of Year two in Montessori for Ira and her final PTM was on 26^th March, 2018. Keeping to the ‘Pramadh’ tradition, this year too we would like to share ‘our’ gratitude list, albeit a little differently this year!

This year the conversations have grown- more complex, more intriguing and more thought provoking. Our little human being gives us a peek into her world through the stories she tells, the experiences she shares and the many little things she doesn’t tell. So, our gratitude stories this year are through conversations.

“Look Mamma, I wrote ‘A’”

This happened just this week. In Montessori environment, children discover writing by the age of 4-4.5 years. We were told that she has just exploded into writing. She writes 1 and 7 but was yet to discover alphabet writing. Her third day of holiday and out of the blue while playing, she picks up a post it and next thing I know, she tells me- “Look Mamma, I wrote ‘A’”. P and I love the Montessori way of learning and we are thrilled to bits with how she is learning things at her time and her pace. Her world is blossoming in its own little way.

What did you do today? “Nothing”

One of the things we talk about post school is how was her day, did she eat her snacks and lunch and what she did. Most days, the response is "Nothing". We have overtime learnt that ‘Nothing’ is good because suddenly one day, she began talking of geometry and binomial cubes! We still have very little idea what they mean though.

“Play with me, keep your phone away”

We had made conscious attempts to introduce the screen much later to her and also in a limited fashion. What worked for us is also that we do not have a TV. Over the last year, the screen time has increased- we have tab days, movie days, game days. However, the access to mobiles is still very limited. There are times when we are guilty of being on the phone while playing with her or talking to her. She promptly tells us, “

Play with me, keep your phone away”. The parent in us does a little pride walk!

“Hmmm…ya, the sault (salt) is fine”

P and I love food and love cooking. Ira is gladly a part of our cooking endeavors at home. She helps clean methi, makes cutlets with papa, helps sprinkle salt on salads, helps make omelettes and even makes strawberry smoothie in the mixie. So, when we cook, she is a keen observer and when we taste to ensure salt and masala is fine, we also ask her to tell us. She will take a taste, pause, have a thoughtful expression and say, “Hmmm…ya, the sault (salt) is fine”.  We both believe cooking is an essential skill and we hope she takes to it like fish to water.

“You know, I was winding one activity and went to take another. I didn’t realize it was home time. Silly me!”

Yes, the sentences are that long at times. Ira loves going to school and also seems to enjoy her activities. One day when we went to pick her up, she was one of the last ones to come out. While we waited and wondered what was happening, she excitedly came out and shared how she was so busy with the activities that she didn’t realize it was home time. The glee on her face and the chuckle that followed this line was priceless, “You know, I was winding one activity and went to take another. I didn’t realize it was home time. Silly me!”

“You know he is my best friend”

This year, she has slowly begun to express about her friends. The list does differ at times, but some names are constant. From holding hands and walking into school, to spending play dates chatting and fighting incessantly , sitting in the car with arms around eachothers neck to sharing a cookie between them. They even plan to visit each other and promptly tell their parents about their plans. What a wonderful world she has discovered- the world of friends! Ofcourse , she vehemently tells us, “You know he is my best friend”

“Aiyo, it went into the wrong hole”

Ira can now wear her own clothes - simple tees and shorts and frocks. The other day she excitedly says, Mamma, see I can wear my own tee shirt. Next moment, she says, “aiyo! It went into the wrong hole”. It is these little moments that we remember. Ofcourse, there have been moments when she has worn yellow pants, a green tee and gone to school because that is what she wants! Little Miss Independence, ain’t she?

 “Dadu and Dida will do everything?!”

This year there were days when dadu and dida had to get her ready to school and drop and pick her up. While she was primed, she would want to know which activities would they do. This is because while papa gets her ready for school, mamma gets breakfast and lunch ready on school days usually. So, while she got set for it, she would insist on knowing, “Dadu and Dida will do everything?!” It has been a learning for her and an experience for them. Ofcourse, Dida packed her fave phulka and alu sabji for lunch, while dadu ensured she wore her seatbelt while he drove her to school.

 “A, I want one more gobi paratha”

As this year drew to a close, and work got extremely busy for us, we had a dear friend who helped with dropping and picking up Ira. One of those mornings when P was travelling and I dropped Ira off at her place early mrng, she got down from the cab and gave ‘A’ a big bear hug! I stood there grinning and swelling with pride and saying a note of thank you. You need a village to raise a child, you need friends who make your child their own.  Amidst her busy mrng, the friend made gobi parathas for the kids and the stamp of approval was of course Ira eating one gobi paratha and then saying, “A, I want one more gobi paratha”. They talk to eachother on first name basis and that often is how Ira relates to the people closest to her.

“Will s/he be there when I wake up”

A line our little girl often tells when our friends visit us. She loves having people over and is used to waking up to a morning when friends have stayed over. This year has been about discovering how at times she hates saying goodbyes. Some goodbyes have been tear filled too. Other times, she makes them promise they will visit again and then excitedly goes to press the lift button for them.  She recently made ‘Old N’ promise that he will visit her next week and only then she will let him go. Each time Joy and Rony visits, there is a shrill excited scream as they enter and when they leave, she wants to know when will they visit next. We wish this innocence stayed because we need to let the people who matter stay in our lives and treasure their presence.  Ofcourse, we have to creatively answer each time she asks,  “Will s/he be there when I wake up?”

“One more book please!”

Some evenings, we spend playing jenga or doing the jigsaw puzzles or reading books. We have been circulating books from her collection so that we read new books every few weeks. So, some books are strategically hidden away at times and some made to appear on the book shelf. There are some evening when we are on the 6^th or 7^th book and a little request pops in, “One more book please!”

“Ira Pramadh has gifted this to Papa”

She loves scribbling, drawing, colouring and even her teachers have shared how she does some painting almost every day. While at home, she insists we write the date and “Ira Pramadh has gifted this to Papa” on her masterpieces; we were told she does this at school too, gifting her teacher ‘B’ and also one of her favorite aunties, ‘N’.  When love speaks through creations from little human beings, what more can we ask for.

“Can we go meet TC and Luna?”

Ira loves animals, especially dogs. A love we first discovered when she would visit cubbon park on Sundays and was thrilled to see all the dogs. This year, she visited a friend who has two dogs, TC and Luna. While she has told everyone about them and urges her mamma that she and Papa want a dog at home, she takes every opportunity possible to ask, “Can we go meet TC and Luna?”. Guess, friends come in all forms and our little one has discovered the joy of playing with TC and Luna.

“ I will kikkly (quickly) run to ma’am and tell her he hit me!”

While she is very assertive at home and stands her ground, we realize that at school she takes her time to be assertive when someone hits her. Notwithstanding the scratches on her face or arms, when we tell her to confront the child and tell him sternly, she says “ I will kikkly (quickly) run to ma’am and tell her he hit me!”. This is the solution that she thinks is right. While Papa and Joy have more creative solutions to deal with this, her teachers during the PTM told us that this is how they instruct the kids to react if someone hits them. Hitting is a big no and tolerating it is also a big no. Grateful that she doesn’t hit in return, but hoping that she will stand up to anyone who hits her.

“We should do this like a family”

We read together, eat together, dance together to random music (two of us have left feet), go on long drives together, eat ice-cream together, watch movies together and even climb little hills together (papa and Ira race, while mamma trails behind) and sing the finger-song together- “where is the family? Here we are”. The line of the year has to clearly be this and a line we are super grateful for, “We should do this like a family”.

We are grateful for the year that went by and all that she has learnt and discovered and we have too! Looking forward to Year Three. For now, we gear up for the summer holidays, sunny conversations, water play and summer camps!

#Ira #Iraisms #Tales at Three #Parenting #Gratitude #Montessori #Conversations #LittleHumanBeings

The little black bindi

The little black bindi tells a happy tale. A tale where the little girl wants to be like mamma and wear a bindi like her. A tale where a small desire of a little human being is fulfilled. A tale where mamma and baby make faces and take selfies and capture the moment for eternity.

A tale where the big human being looks in the mirror and smiles at the magic that that little black bindi is capable of. A tale of mamma- Ira maana moments. A tale where mamma wants to capture the grain of sand and let time stand still. A tale which makes happy memories that will stay for as long as there are little black bindis.

#Ira #Iraisms #TalesAtThree #LittleBlackBindi #Mamma 

Little Miss Busy, the Ira way

Being a parent, you soon discover that you need a Pandora’s box of ideas to keep your child occupied on different days. Days like when the child is ill and you have to keep her indoors, those long weekends and those weekends when your social calendar is light and those mid week days when the child is home for some random reason and you are wfh.

Over the last year, we have figured out a few things in this regard. However, the quest remains.

1

•  Prep the child for the activity you want to do

This helps them feel excited without completely breaking the suspense and they broadly know if it is a colouring or craft or kitchen activity or reading or some new thing that you shall try.

• Create a suspense about it

Tell them the larger picture, retain the small details. Ask questions and figure out if they have something in mind that you may incorporate into the original idea.

•       Do not treat this like a chore

The moment you treat this like a chore, it loses its charm and impact. Go with the flow. There is only so much you can plan.

•       Understand the child’s attention span

For some activities, your child may be able to sit for a good 45-60 mins and be absorbed in it. Some activities, they will finish in 10 and want to do something else. Some, they may just be distracted to even attempt it completely.

•       Keep a flexible , multi activity plan in mind

The little human beings are extremely creative and surprise us with all that they can come up with. So, keep the activities flexible, keep a few in mind and have space for unstructured play. Let it all unfold organically. What may start off as a word game may convert to a market place with your child selling the alphabet blocks, reading them phonetically.

•       While you initiate, let it move to be child led

Do not micro-manage, wanting to hold their hands or forcing the rules. If it is about learning a game with stringent rules, instruct them accordingly. But if it is about an activity to spend time, learn a bit and have a lot of fun, let the child take the lead and behold, surprise you.

•      Keep Heart

There will be days when nothing works and there will be days when it works seamlessly. Embrace both with love and be cautioned, there is more to come.

•       It is ALWAYS about the child

Creating and building activities for them is not about you, it is about providing a sensorial experience to the child. So, remember, it is always about the child. You may love to play jenga but your child may chose to convert it to dominos. Go, with the flow and let it cascade.

Here are a few things that we did with Ira over the last few weeks, ensuring she was truly ‘Little Miss Busy’! These are picture collages and am going to leave you to imagine what more can be done. 

                                      Books and Jigsaw puzzles, they all tell multiple stories

                       Colour the world as you imagine it, Play with beads and cook them too

                           A new stamp activity gift that kept her busy for well over 30 minutes

         Turn any natural event into an activity to learn and have fun- the recent lunar eclipse event

          Cooking with papa is an all time favorite activity. Making Spinach Potato Peas patties.

#Ira #Iraisms #TalesAtThree #Activities #Keepingthechildbusy #Parenting 

‘Our’ Superhero is back home!

The ‘Our’ in the title refers to Ira’s and Mine, ofcourse J

My significant other whom I now, more often than not, address as ‘papa’ in even normal between-us conversations! Life does take a turn when a child becomes a part of it. So, Papa has a penchant for adventures and adventures that somehow involve the big ‘H’! yeah…Hospitals. His most recent knee surgery for a meniscus tear this week is just another excuse to tell you about ‘our’ superhero! He never takes OTC medicines even when in crazy pain, meets a doc always for a fever or cough or anything! However, doesn’t ask those questions and so if he does the visit alone, I literally have to nag him to understand what transpired.

His latest hospital stay was different because this time we had Ira in the equation. While she stayed with her Dadu and Dida and they along with Joy helped her get ready and get to school those two days, we like always prepped her for what to expect and what will happen. While the process and instructions may sound robotic, it has helped us so far and so we continue to employ this tool of parenting (ahh…there I said it and made parenting sound oh so cryptic). The surgery was successfully completed and Ira came to see Papa in the evening along with Joy. She wanted to see how the IV works, if she can touch that hand and do ‘tuiiii’, the big bandage that papa got and can she sit on him or be carried by him. She was also thrilled to raise and lower the hospital bed. When he requested her to raise the bed, she lowered it and her logic was, “I have to first put it down and then bring it up!”. She learnt that the next two weeks, his movements will be restricted and that they can’t do the train-run or the horse-run, neither the acrobatics nor jumping around. He got home last evening and they spent this morning doing activities that do not involve movement, including placing little bikes and superheroes near the bandage!

While Papa works his way to recovery, till the bandage and staples are removed two weeks later; Batman, Superman and Hulk have their work cut out, to take care of ‘Our’ Superhero! 

#Papa #Ira #Iraisms #TalesAtThree #Gratitude #OurSuperhero

"We love the movies and caramel popcorn!"

When I began this blog almost a decade back, it was with an inquisitiveness to understand a new medium and shift from penning my thoughts in a diary to a page that I called my own. Over the last three years, this has also become a space where I literally record/store some of 'our' favorite experiences that render itself to life-changing memories. Most of them have been about Ira and things we do together. I was quite tempted to begin a dedicated parent blog but decided against it. One blog, multiple thoughts- like a repository that I hope Ira will one day visit and read, all about her  and her parents and the mad & fun things we did together <3 p="">

                    Sunday morning happiness- Assam chai, Marie biscoot and blogging

Today's post is about a historic moment in our lives- 18th January 2018. Historic, because this action was taken post a lot of deliberation that P and I went through. We both are movie buffs and i spent a large part of my pregnancy watching Korean movies and loved them. I often wonder if Ira will grow up to like that genre. For now, over the last year, we have introduced her to animation movies on the laptop and she has definitely inherited the 'movie buff' gene and aren't we thrilled! While she has seen the regular Frozen, Despicable me, Ballerina, Big Hero and Smurfs, she also likes the offbeat ones like Kubo and the Two Strings, Mulan and the Little Price and watches them on a repeat mode. For now, Sunday is her 'official' movie time every week. But she does get to watch her favorites, each time she visits Joy or Rony!

The last week P and i contemplated if we must take her to watch Paddington-2 that had just released in the theatre. We have been waiting for a 2D movie as a first experience. One step at a time. She saw Paddington 1 on the laptop a few weeks back.

Conversation between Papa and Ira before the movie:
Papa: Ira, would you like to watch Paddington 2 in a theater?
Ira: Yes! (with big eyes expression)
Papa: a theater has a very big screen, lot of people
Ira: Ok
Papa: But there are few rules. We have to sit and watch the full movie, we can't talk or disturb anyone during the movie or even walk or run around (Please note that we sound Hitleratarian but it is annoying when Parents bring kids to movies and they constantly talk sitting behind you! One of the prime reasons why we delayed taking Ira to the movies for this long!)
Ira: Okay

                                                                 Gleefully Posing

We all headed to PVR @ Orion and booked the tickets for the movie. As Ira and I walked through the 'women's line', she was quite amused and then she walks in, sees movie images moving and runs from poster to poster, saying "see this!". Her expression was priceless! We bought a tub of salt and caramel popcorn (her first popcorn out of home) before entering the theater. She walks in, looks at the screen and is wide eyed. We take our seats and tell her that she has her own seat. She is soon busy watching the adverts and eating caramel popcorn. She says, "This is huge!". She loved the movie, ran around during the interval, looking at all the empty rows, tried sitting on the railing and toppled over! Her first experience at the movies was wonderful in every way!

She came out wanting to know when will Paddington 3 and 4 come to theater! Guess, we have a convert. Our next step is to take her to a 3D movie and see how she does with those glasses.
Post the movie, with a sprint in her step, we headed to one of her fave places to have chicken hakka noodles (that is the mamma gene speaking, for sure)!

                                   We just discovered Caramel Popcorn and movie at the theater

So, to more movie times ahead! yaay!

Happy Sunday everyone.

Exploring Nature, the Ira way

Ira loves nature and we make an attempt to take her to parks and natural spaces as much as we can. Recently, we saw about a workshop on FB: Nurturing Nature: Garden Exploration, being conducted by Puja Gurung of the Honey Bees Nature Club. The venue was the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain and the registration fee entailed was quite reasonable.

What was promised? (Directly from the advert)

"A hands on exploration of nature through gardening and activities. Activities include planting and sowing seeds, exploratory games, sensorial activities and nature crafts. A day to get dirty, messy and muddy and have a thrilling time while connecting with mother nature."

The experience itself

We had to report by 10.15am and being the prompt selves that we are, we were there on time. Ira of course was prepped that this is something new that she would be doing where she will be introduced to gardening. Ira during her summer camp last year was introduced to the concept of germination at school. 

Parents and kids started pouring in. However, the organizer was late by almost 10-15 minutes.

The workshop began with attendance being taken and then all of us sat on mats and were told what to expect. It would begin with a nature walk where the kids would see new things, listen to bird calls, smell some things, touch and feel the barks and may be eat something. Puja’s energy and enthusiasm was contagious and she also sang a lovely nature song (can’t remember). The song served as a good warm up and then we began the small walk. The kids were shown ants, spiders, they jumped on dry leaves, they touched the barks of trees, saw wild berries, saw the peepal tree and it’s ‘heart’ shaped leaves. They also smelt the eucalyptus leaves, collected berries and listened to the call of birds. It is a task to get 2-5 year olds to be that attentive. 

The two things that kids seem to like is holding a stick and playing with sand/mud.  Post the nature walk, we took a snack break. We ate what we had carried and we were also given a slice of watermelon and encouraged to store the seeds for planting. After this, the next activity involved collecting things from nature- leaves, twigs, berries and create a piece of art from it. While there was one main art being created, Ira made her own little thing with what she had collected.

The final segment, the kids had to fill their pots with soil and then were given seeds- methi or dil. We have to water this everyday a little and see the plant grow! As the session closed, the kids made the most of the play area at the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain. It was a Saturday morning well spent! Ira sure had fun. She did come back with an ant bite on her left eye and visited the ophthalmologist on Sunday! But that is all part of growing up J

What we liked about the Workshop/activity

•         The duration of 90 minutes works with kids.
•         Puja’s energy is contagious.
•          The art with nature was interesting.

What could be better?

•         It could have been structured a bit better, with more interaction between the kids.
•         For someone who has been a lot to parks and explored nature, the novelty factor is low.
•         Maintaining time is paramount and for someone who is a stickler for time, I like organizers to be there prior to any of the participants.

What is important to remember?

It is a good thing to explore anything new like this for the little human beings who are inquisitive and want to know everything about every little thing! Glad Bangalore has a lot of such activities happening round the year. We personally like things in the outdoors rather than the malls or closed spaces. But that is us. So, till we embark on another new experience, we shall savor this and reminisce about the beautiful art that we created with components of nature!

#Ira #Iraisms #TalesAtThree #LoveNature #NurturingNature #NewExperiences 

It is all about me

Very often, we forget ourselves in the cacophony of life. Make this year a little bit more about yourself.

Life gets busy

Life gets mundane

Life gets adventurous

Life gets nasty

Life gets painful

Time flies by

Time stands still

Dreams in our eyes

Fault in our stars

Hope in our hearts

Plans in our mind

Happiness in our being

Take that little step

Learn something new

Finish that TBR list

Walk a little more

Say No, vehemently

Say Yes, in happiness

Work on what you like

Do what you love

Love a little more

Dance a little more

Write a little more

Play a little more

Wander a little more

Wonder a little more

Let it be 'about me' a little more!

The journal in the pic was gifted to me last year by one of my besties and it will be my  favoritest gift ever. It is a five year journal. As I wrote the two lines for 2018, Jan 1st, reading what I had written last year made me so happy. Such an overwhelming feeling, like a memory log! 

So, when you look back to this year the next year, hope you also feel that you have made this year, all about you!

#Life #AboutMe #Metime #Selflove #LoveSelf #ExistentialExperiences #Happy2018

We are 'Team Pramadh'

Ira is currently completing her Christmas break! While her Dussehra break was of 21days, this one is for 16 days! Mean mommie alert- I almost wished they had Dussehra and Christmas camps too!

The second year at Montessori has been about visible and incremental growth that we have witnessed. There is so much she is learning. While some rare days, she does choose to tell us that she did the geometric cabinet or the binomial cubes, she did movable alphabets or just watered the plants. She mostly is non-committal when we ask and prod what she did at school. The biggest thing is she loves school and is excited to go every day. She has also begun taking a little more interest in the celebrations and partakes in a few things, like doing the pookolam on Onam. But there are days too, when during navaratri celebration, she wore a ghagra top and went and walked out in her top and shorts, because she didn't want to wear the ghagra and do activities. She enjoys the little sweet treats given on festivals, they seem to be her biggest priority (like Papa, may I say). Her PTMs this year have been incredibly fascinating. We were told about her progress, how she likes words and likes to draw, her inclination to write and fascination with little books in the school library. We were given a detailed report of her behavioral, social interactions, psycho motor and cognitive skills and every little thing was marked. The meticulous observation of Ira helped us understand in depth all that she does in those five hours at school everyday. We are already doing some research on what kind of a school next and Montessori education is already on the list.

Phrases

Everyday, seems like she says something new. Some of her new phrases that find their place in her regular conversations now are:

·         Papa, I want to have a conversation with you ( the entire dialogue and conversation context began when P wanted to talk to her about something she did. We never used the word scold)

·         I have decided that I want to...

·         I generally think that...

·         This is what we should do, right Mamma?

·         I love you, my sweetiepies (referring to ofcourse, us :))

·         Listen to me...

·         How many times do I have to tell you..(I am guilty, this is almost my line)

·         Come on guys...let's go/ let's play/ let's watch a movie/ let's read a book/ let's cuddle

·         We must definitely do this...

·         I will change my mind

·         This is a different concept

·         Now, this has disappeared and now appeared again

There are many many more phrases to come and we know that we are all ears. Just don't ask, "whose line is it anyway?" :)

Conversing in third person: One evening out of the blue Ira wanted a conversation with Mamma and Papa. She began, "when a small baby wants something, her Mamma Papa, the big people should give her"..... and thus began several conversations, where she referred to self in third person. 

Play, Pretend play and more

Ira has discovered playing with other children in the apartment. While they all speak different languages, they seem to understand eachother. She is the youngest amongst them playing laggori or cricket or badminton. While she talks 19 to a dozen at home, she is relatively quiet in a crowd. She does enjoy her play time and when asked to come home after an hour, she vehemently asks for another 5 minutes! Haven’t we all done that and don’t we know how precious those five minutes are.

She also now tells stories to her friends (soft toys) at home. They could be about chocolates, about monsters, about animals, about a little girl and her parents, just about anything.

Her another favorite play activity is 'when I was a baby' story! P began this ritual and we do it, when we travel, when we meet friends and when we have people over. The idea is to tell a small story about when you were a baby.

Among the board games, she enjoys scrabble and plays them to her own rules. She is learning to make words phonetically, the three letter ones and does that and in no time, the board converts to a market place where she sells the letters! Either way, we are happy as long as it is an activity to keep her occupied.

Pet animals

As a little one, she once went and sat on the back of a dog at Cubbon park. The love for animals has only grown. She has told a dear friend that she is going to bring her dog home and told another school friend of hers that she wants to play with his dog. So, next time she mentions TC, Luna or Shadow, please know she means serious business J She loves dogs, cats and on a recent visit to a farm at Sathyamangalam, she spent a large part of her day, wanting to feed the cows and one calf in particular. What amazes me is the lack of fear and the spontaneity with which she takes to animals. Looks like the papa gene is at work here, thankfully!

Perseverance

With school, there come the inevitable ‘bugs’. Every other child during seasonal changes is sniffing, coughing, running a temperature or having a stomach bug. It is heart breaking to see them go through this. But what we discover is how persevering they are during this time of ill health. Even while coughing incessantly and needing the super hero mask (read nebulization) and spending children’s day morning at the hospital, Ira made the most of the play area and the drawing activity that the kids were given. In the last few weeks, there has been a time when Ira was unwell and I had to travel. While Papa held fort, my little girl also cooperated for the follow-up visits and medication. She does claim to like the white sweet syrup more than the tangy orange one.

Performance

This year Ira discovered the joy and fun of performing. Nope, not for grade or prizes (thankfully, they don’t have these concepts yet). She partook in the sports day this year, jumped around, ran a bit, hopped a bit and was happy to collect the medal that was given to all kids for participating (Kudos to JH for following this). Her 2^nd annual day in December was season theme based and she said she was dancing to chak dhoom dhoom and enthusiastically would want to do that at home. On the D-day , we discovered that her dance song was something completely different. Talk about being surprised and pleasantly surprised when she did do some moves on the stage. Just being up there, staring at eager parents and smiling seems like such a big feat for these little human beings! We would up the day with a mandatory selfie and big smiles.

Passion for Cooking

Being born to foodie parents has its share of adventures. P and I love trying different cuisines, love cooking different things at home and love eating different varieties of food. Ira has been introduced to all veggies and fruits and varieties of non-veg since she began on solids. Over the years, she does have a few favorites and a few comfort food. But even in a moment of chaotic conversation, you mention food and you will get her attention. Don’t we love that! Off late, she and P are binge watching cookery shows on the laptop and even seeing a whole lot of Gordon Ramsay. They decided to make sweet corn fritters following one of his recipes this week. Her interest to do some basic chopping, mixing of ingredients and be a part of the entire process is thoroughly encouraged. Look forward to many more such moments and I somewhere deep down do hope that she retains the love for food and this curiosity to dish up something new.

We are Team Pramadh

There is so much that happened in the year that went by but one thing that will remain is how fiercely she represents her name and introduces herself. While she is shy and almost inaudible when someone asks her name, she insists that she be introduced by her full name, Ira Pramadh. While our ‘Earth Rejoiced’ the moment she was born, the happiness she brings us with every little thing she does leaves us overwhelmed and wanting the world for her, especially when she says, "we are 'Team Pramadh'".

"Dada, aur thoda aloo dalo naa"

                             At Mumbai this time, enjoying the 'panipuri' and ensuring the customary pic!


Food and conversations are a part of me! I love food, love experimenting with cuisines and have snooty opinions on food too. While I travel a bit on work, I always make it a point to eat the local cuisine and try the street food in a city I visit. 

One street food that I have been 'fida' over for years is 'phuchka'. The Bong version with mashed aloo, boiled brown chole and the perfect mix of spices. I do not endorse the pani puri we get in Bangalore made with green peas. It just doesn't make the mark for me. When I visited Delhi, I made it a point to try the Golgappe there. It was 11am at India Gate and I was busy downing golgappas. The potato was cut in cubes, the puri was small and they had added little white peas. I ate it and told myself phuchkas are way better any day! During my recent Mumbai visits, I ate the Pani puri made with Ragda. Have to admit it is an acquired taste and slowly, love may have happened. 

However, the best version of this street food still remains the  Bong Phuchka! And always remember, don't forget the sukha ( fao in bong) and don't forget to tell, "Dada, aur thoda aloo dalo naa" :) #phuchka #streetfood #lovefood #aloomatters 

Dadu gave that to ME!

She teaches him how to put Piku to bed. She goes with him on his walks. She rushes to the door to help him with his lunchcase and then drags the bag all the way to the kitchen. She fights with him when he refuses to give her a chocolate because too much chocolate is not good. She likes to eat the same 'saulty' bikki that he does. When annoyed with him, she refuses a hug. She also likes muskmelon, like him. She licks the cream in the biscuit and then offers the empty biscuit to him and then is sad when he says he doesn't eat sweet biscuits. Today, he accompanied her and Mamma to her doc visit. A five day viral that refused to go away. Urghhh, hate these bugs. Post her blood test, she cried and told him her hand hurts. He promised her a chocolate and there, the magic words were spoken. Tears forgotten, she lay her head on his lap on the way home. On being dropped home, an enthusiastic and vehement "Bye Dadu" happened. Loud enough for the whole apartment to hear. She ate a part of the dairy milk and has stored it in the fridge for the next day. Almost like guarding her treasure, she told me, "Dadu gave that to ME"!

#love #grandparents #grandparentsareprecious #dadu #gratitude #Ira #Iraisms #TalesAtThree