Hola...
The first week of September is almost getting over and gently we can see and feel the glimpse of autumn. This morning it was mildly cold but started to heat up once the sun showed up. If anyone has gone through any of my previous posts, you will know that this is time when Bengalis gear up to welcome their esteemed Maa Durga. Its been years away from my native place yet the excitability and sensitivity towards this festival is so strong that only the heart can fathom because words miss the boat.
The morning rush was less this morning due to the easiness of the nature of the lunch. There was less preparation hence got a couple of extra minutes to have a quick breakfast which is sometimes the last thing of the morning. I met a couple of other moms at the bus stop who were also discussing about weather and autumn and the grievous winters. I deliberately asked two of my friends to join me over a cup of tea or coffee to elucidate a bit more about their autumn plans. They happily came and we had a nice discussion about different activities our kids are doing or the ambit of something more.
Now the food part. Since the last weekend was a long weekend i made gulabjamuns and dahivada. For those who are unaware of these gulabjamuns are made from milk solids, kneaded and made ball size, fried and dipped into a sugar syrup. Well, its yum if served mildly warm. Dahivada is a bit of uphill battle and needs a few steps to be followed. ( if someone is interested i can share the recipe). I had a fair share of both the items and served them. The convivial was evident on their faces. As all (mostly) women ask the recipe and procedure they did too, i couldn't be happier.
As i said lunch was easy peasy today it was my S favorite pasta. Even though he would adopt and promote store made pasta over mine yet an extra help of cheese makes him cheesier and he happily obliges. I just boiled, drained and a pan added some oil white onions, added the boiled pasta along with the sauce. Ah don't forget the cheese.Well i win the day....
So lunch was Pasta marinara sauce and loads grated mozzarella cheese and snack box carried apples, strawberries and a small pack of yogurt.
Catch you tomorrow
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Tiffin Tales 2
Hola!
I am back...A series of unending stuff happened over the past 10 days somewhat pushing me away from my screen, well laptop to be precise. My laptop was unwell and it was un cooperative for most of the days. I wasn't in my pink of health, had guests at home (which was fun though) and now my toddler is crying lungs out because of common cold (yikes).
The past days were full of tales but couldn't write them down even though i regularly packed tiffin. Well, they were mostly compromise tiffin since i wasn't well. My son, okay lets address him as 'S' is both an easy and difficult child. Easy, because he doesn't want to exploit too many things (food) and difficult because he wants variety within limited options. Now every morning this poor soul has to think from different perspectives before packing his 'Tiffin'. The perspectives are as follows:
> Nutrition- Now i that i myself am a mom i have to hammer in their heads that food has to be nutritive. It doesn't matter if my S doesn't like broccoli rice or spinach soup. Frankly speaking even i would have also rolled my eyes all over the sky i were packed those stuff.
> Time- We all are trying to be super in everything that we do these days. Be it posing for a simple picture or or baking a simple cake everything has to be supremely and timely. In the morning madness, i have to take into count every minute before i make anything 'nutritive' 😉
> Modernistic- Well, the first two points adds this one and then the box is ready. The box cannot look the same everyday. With kids its all more challenging but fun.
Lunch box can help the kids fraternize with other kids as well. A little bit of creativity and under the tutelage of Google we all can accomplish our plans of packing a power packed lunch boxes. On that note todays lunch box was Soya bean rice with generous amount of vegetables. The snack box had Pear, cheese stick and yogurt.
If some mom by any chance reads it please feel free to share your stories or your menus. More for tomorrow.........
I am back...A series of unending stuff happened over the past 10 days somewhat pushing me away from my screen, well laptop to be precise. My laptop was unwell and it was un cooperative for most of the days. I wasn't in my pink of health, had guests at home (which was fun though) and now my toddler is crying lungs out because of common cold (yikes).
The past days were full of tales but couldn't write them down even though i regularly packed tiffin. Well, they were mostly compromise tiffin since i wasn't well. My son, okay lets address him as 'S' is both an easy and difficult child. Easy, because he doesn't want to exploit too many things (food) and difficult because he wants variety within limited options. Now every morning this poor soul has to think from different perspectives before packing his 'Tiffin'. The perspectives are as follows:
> Nutrition- Now i that i myself am a mom i have to hammer in their heads that food has to be nutritive. It doesn't matter if my S doesn't like broccoli rice or spinach soup. Frankly speaking even i would have also rolled my eyes all over the sky i were packed those stuff.
> Time- We all are trying to be super in everything that we do these days. Be it posing for a simple picture or or baking a simple cake everything has to be supremely and timely. In the morning madness, i have to take into count every minute before i make anything 'nutritive' 😉
> Modernistic- Well, the first two points adds this one and then the box is ready. The box cannot look the same everyday. With kids its all more challenging but fun.
Lunch box can help the kids fraternize with other kids as well. A little bit of creativity and under the tutelage of Google we all can accomplish our plans of packing a power packed lunch boxes. On that note todays lunch box was Soya bean rice with generous amount of vegetables. The snack box had Pear, cheese stick and yogurt.
If some mom by any chance reads it please feel free to share your stories or your menus. More for tomorrow.........
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Tiffin Tales 1
Hola!!!!!
Its a new chapter of my life these days and i keep going on short hiatus every now and then. My child is going to a full day school and we all are excited. School, which brings tons of memories for most of us. Growing up is fun, well for mostly unless the circumstances are hostile.
School, the first place where me friends (technically) because neighbors keep changing. While i am still in touch with some friends who were neighbors too but we all like to remember friends from school or college. The lucky ones get friends for life while the others lose their way but the memories are always so special. The pranks, the lunch breaks, the first crush or heartbreaks all develop in school.
Well the same gush of excitement went through our veins when our child was preparing for school. Growing up in small town we didn't have the most chic or upscale stationaries but books and few pencils or pens and the lunch prepared by our mothers was certainly the best phenomenon for school days.
Coming to tiffin, these days its scarifying to me what to pack for lunch and snacks. My not so fussy eater wants diversity in his box. The first few days have the regular ones but it wont last long. This morning it was simple pasta with chicken sausage but with a silent note, "Mamma, please make some poha with extra peanuts tomorrow". Well, i wont mind that because its Friday tomorrow and its could not have been more simpler......
Have a great weekend folks! Talk to you on Monday...........................
Its a new chapter of my life these days and i keep going on short hiatus every now and then. My child is going to a full day school and we all are excited. School, which brings tons of memories for most of us. Growing up is fun, well for mostly unless the circumstances are hostile.
School, the first place where me friends (technically) because neighbors keep changing. While i am still in touch with some friends who were neighbors too but we all like to remember friends from school or college. The lucky ones get friends for life while the others lose their way but the memories are always so special. The pranks, the lunch breaks, the first crush or heartbreaks all develop in school.
Well the same gush of excitement went through our veins when our child was preparing for school. Growing up in small town we didn't have the most chic or upscale stationaries but books and few pencils or pens and the lunch prepared by our mothers was certainly the best phenomenon for school days.
Coming to tiffin, these days its scarifying to me what to pack for lunch and snacks. My not so fussy eater wants diversity in his box. The first few days have the regular ones but it wont last long. This morning it was simple pasta with chicken sausage but with a silent note, "Mamma, please make some poha with extra peanuts tomorrow". Well, i wont mind that because its Friday tomorrow and its could not have been more simpler......
Have a great weekend folks! Talk to you on Monday...........................
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Happy Mother's Day 2018
Hola, 2017 disappeared and 2018 is flying fast. Hold on, I have been trying to run equally faster but 2017 just slipped away. Well, i tried to galvanize it in many ways. I gave birth and as the altruism of life we not only give birth but get a new life in the form of 'mother'. It's a generic word and can be explained very perspicuously but the weight of the word can felt with time. It's a feeling. I am not going deep but every time i look into my child's eyes i ponder how exactly my mother felt years ago while raising her children.
A cursory glance at my childhood pictures takes me many moons back. I certainly do not remember all the occasions when those pictures were taken. Back in those days we did not have much access to cameras and studios but the idea of clicking and saving moments was always a hit. I have a special liking about a photo where me and my sibling were trying hard not to look at the photographer in the studio but at our father, who was trying to make us smile with his antics. Wearing a neat frock stitched by my mother that picture still holds a very special place in my heart till date.
Now while raising my children i realize that mothers are sustenance of our lives. We outgrow every possible thing but we never outgrow mother's love. Each day is a lesson of gratitude to my mother. The suzerainty with which a mother protects her children can never be judged but only applauded. Yes, i do it in my own way every day while trying to raise them.
Dear Mom, even though its been years that you are done with raising your children, still i feel i am still running around you. Clad in saree you ran around to make us do our daily activities yet the child in us always wanted to get naughtier and mischievous. Years later when i am raising my own, i truly feel your knees must have hurt or your toes must have felt sore but you never expressed. Probably when we slept you could properly breathe. The food you painstakingly prepared each time was not always appreciated yet gulped down but now have to wait for the calendars to change years to meet and have the food exclusively prepared by you. Now when my toasts get burnt or the vegetables remain uncooked at times i feel the pinch. Motherhood isn't a doleful experience but a gamut of experiences which time teaches so efficiently. I pine for everything my children complain about. Perhaps as a sequel of my childhood.
Mom, i couldn't be everything whatever you dreamt of. When you were raising me you must have knitted thousands of dreams which i am totally unaware of till date but the only dream i have today is to raise them good. A mind with good thoughts which makes them great human.
My children, every year the handmade card i receive is so precious that i want to share with world and say Yes, motherhood pays back. Mom, if you could feel what i feel right now then we both could laugh holding our tea cups and saying "Motherhood is rewarding, but not easy".
A cursory glance at my childhood pictures takes me many moons back. I certainly do not remember all the occasions when those pictures were taken. Back in those days we did not have much access to cameras and studios but the idea of clicking and saving moments was always a hit. I have a special liking about a photo where me and my sibling were trying hard not to look at the photographer in the studio but at our father, who was trying to make us smile with his antics. Wearing a neat frock stitched by my mother that picture still holds a very special place in my heart till date.
Now while raising my children i realize that mothers are sustenance of our lives. We outgrow every possible thing but we never outgrow mother's love. Each day is a lesson of gratitude to my mother. The suzerainty with which a mother protects her children can never be judged but only applauded. Yes, i do it in my own way every day while trying to raise them.
Dear Mom, even though its been years that you are done with raising your children, still i feel i am still running around you. Clad in saree you ran around to make us do our daily activities yet the child in us always wanted to get naughtier and mischievous. Years later when i am raising my own, i truly feel your knees must have hurt or your toes must have felt sore but you never expressed. Probably when we slept you could properly breathe. The food you painstakingly prepared each time was not always appreciated yet gulped down but now have to wait for the calendars to change years to meet and have the food exclusively prepared by you. Now when my toasts get burnt or the vegetables remain uncooked at times i feel the pinch. Motherhood isn't a doleful experience but a gamut of experiences which time teaches so efficiently. I pine for everything my children complain about. Perhaps as a sequel of my childhood.
Mom, i couldn't be everything whatever you dreamt of. When you were raising me you must have knitted thousands of dreams which i am totally unaware of till date but the only dream i have today is to raise them good. A mind with good thoughts which makes them great human.
My children, every year the handmade card i receive is so precious that i want to share with world and say Yes, motherhood pays back. Mom, if you could feel what i feel right now then we both could laugh holding our tea cups and saying "Motherhood is rewarding, but not easy".
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Happy Day 9
The week has been soooo long. Oh my my! viral fever along with lots of accompaniments visited me and made sure that i do not pay attention to anything else. Crawling from bed, every joint of my body crippling with pain had created havoc in my life. But slowly i regained strength to be happy to be grateful to get a grip over my life.
The sun is on a vacation mode and clouds are playing all across the sky. My day of idleness also came to an end i am back to my usual work, yes, but with happiness. It did rain as well this morning, so extra hour of sleep? Nah, cannot put my brain into another lackadaisical day.
My refrigerator is screaming for replenishments and so i hurriedly visited the local grocery store to get my vegetables and fruits. I am quite fruits and veggie eater and to an extent disciplined as well. Even though gym always doesn't sound exciting me, yet i go out for my regular walks. Walking just refreshes my mind, of course, weather permitting. Working out inside the gym, watching the screen in front or listening to music makes me feel a tad isolated. On the contrary walking gives me a sense of freedom. I try to use the most of summer time, enjoying the nature and yes loads of vitamin D to sail me through the winter months.
Being a Bong myself i have an exciting event coming up in my calendar as 'Durga Puja' and i am immensely happy about it. This weekend will be busy for me and i am so happy thinking about it. I may not find time to jot it down but i will try to soak in the festival as much as i can. This week is all about planning and preparations. The clouds are trying to make me sluggish. But i will rise above those idle thoughts, and with extra ecstasy for the Goddess comes once in a year. Well, i am certainly happy about that....
The sun is on a vacation mode and clouds are playing all across the sky. My day of idleness also came to an end i am back to my usual work, yes, but with happiness. It did rain as well this morning, so extra hour of sleep? Nah, cannot put my brain into another lackadaisical day.
My refrigerator is screaming for replenishments and so i hurriedly visited the local grocery store to get my vegetables and fruits. I am quite fruits and veggie eater and to an extent disciplined as well. Even though gym always doesn't sound exciting me, yet i go out for my regular walks. Walking just refreshes my mind, of course, weather permitting. Working out inside the gym, watching the screen in front or listening to music makes me feel a tad isolated. On the contrary walking gives me a sense of freedom. I try to use the most of summer time, enjoying the nature and yes loads of vitamin D to sail me through the winter months.
Being a Bong myself i have an exciting event coming up in my calendar as 'Durga Puja' and i am immensely happy about it. This weekend will be busy for me and i am so happy thinking about it. I may not find time to jot it down but i will try to soak in the festival as much as i can. This week is all about planning and preparations. The clouds are trying to make me sluggish. But i will rise above those idle thoughts, and with extra ecstasy for the Goddess comes once in a year. Well, i am certainly happy about that....
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Happy Day 8
It's again a windswept day. Tough winds are almost sweeping away the leaves from the trees. Stepping out from home with a pullover is brawny. The season of fall. Speaking of fall season, it's not just the fall season outside. Fall can can be inside the homes as well. On a lighter note, i had a small fall just this morning in my room. As i swiftly woke up to my alarm thinking i am late i tumbled and had a 'fall'. Ouch!!!
My first fall of the season. But thankfully no injuries. My sleep dissolved almost immediately. Smilingly i woke up, brushed and convinced myself that the world is still in it place even it did try to shake me. I went ahead to make my fall special coffee. Sipping my coffee i tried to make my plan for the day. My car needed a wash, grocery was low. I ignored my groceries this weekend. My laundry needs to be folded. Goodness too much for a day. With the winds blowing strongly outside i somehow started feeling lazy.
I succumbed to my laziness and decided to skip going outside. Instead i folded my clothes, made a nice warm soup for myself, took a nice shower and read my favorite book. I was lucky to chat with a friend of mine with whom i hadn't spoken in quite a while. I was checking my emails when my friend propitiously was online and we chatted for sometime. Living on different time zones took some toll and we promised to touch base again soon.
My soup and breadsticks sailed me thorough today. I am sanguine that i will refill my pantry tomorrow. A relaxing day was indeed a 'Happy Day' for me today....
My first fall of the season. But thankfully no injuries. My sleep dissolved almost immediately. Smilingly i woke up, brushed and convinced myself that the world is still in it place even it did try to shake me. I went ahead to make my fall special coffee. Sipping my coffee i tried to make my plan for the day. My car needed a wash, grocery was low. I ignored my groceries this weekend. My laundry needs to be folded. Goodness too much for a day. With the winds blowing strongly outside i somehow started feeling lazy.
I succumbed to my laziness and decided to skip going outside. Instead i folded my clothes, made a nice warm soup for myself, took a nice shower and read my favorite book. I was lucky to chat with a friend of mine with whom i hadn't spoken in quite a while. I was checking my emails when my friend propitiously was online and we chatted for sometime. Living on different time zones took some toll and we promised to touch base again soon.
My soup and breadsticks sailed me thorough today. I am sanguine that i will refill my pantry tomorrow. A relaxing day was indeed a 'Happy Day' for me today....
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Happy Day 7
The weather is changing rapidly. I have almost packed my summer clothes in separate vacuum bags to keep my sanity when i need them next summers. It's a typical autumn morning. It's a breezy morning with the sun playing peek-a-boo. The leaves are finding it hard to remain with the trees. The roads are strewn with dried leaves.
A drive in the neighborhood and people can be seen cleaning the dried leaves, packing them int he brown bags and leaving them for the trash trucks to carry them away. For me the season of fall makes me so, so nostalgic. It's that time of the year when we wait for Goddess Durga to arrive. After a yearlong wait it's time to celebrate her homecoming and what more can be a joyous occasion for a Bengali wherever he/she may reside. The approaching festive season, the preparations that goes into it takes me back to my growing years. Every year around this time i almost go back to my childhood. The memories give me such warmth. These have always been Happy Days of my life and still bring happiness whenever i close my eyes and think about them. Such is the effectiveness of the memories that it makes time lapse and takes back to the cherished times.
The morning has been quite a tidal of memories. But i am certainly not complaining. Let me embrace those memories, enjoy my refreshing salad lunch and get back to my work mode. Of course happily....
A drive in the neighborhood and people can be seen cleaning the dried leaves, packing them int he brown bags and leaving them for the trash trucks to carry them away. For me the season of fall makes me so, so nostalgic. It's that time of the year when we wait for Goddess Durga to arrive. After a yearlong wait it's time to celebrate her homecoming and what more can be a joyous occasion for a Bengali wherever he/she may reside. The approaching festive season, the preparations that goes into it takes me back to my growing years. Every year around this time i almost go back to my childhood. The memories give me such warmth. These have always been Happy Days of my life and still bring happiness whenever i close my eyes and think about them. Such is the effectiveness of the memories that it makes time lapse and takes back to the cherished times.
The morning has been quite a tidal of memories. But i am certainly not complaining. Let me embrace those memories, enjoy my refreshing salad lunch and get back to my work mode. Of course happily....
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