Hola....
It's a cloudy Tuesday morning and laziness is following me like a shadow. The weather is very confusing today with sun shining to disappearing behind the clouds at almost lightning speed.
This morning has rather been a bit analytical for me. Last night as i served dinner to my S he seemed a bit lost. His mind was filled with some questions for which he looked lost and seemed to find some answers. I gently asked him but he said nothing much. We mothers are very very curious when it comes to know whats going on in our children's life and i seem to be extra fidgety. He slowly told me that some children of his class were making fun of a boy whose birthday gift that particular boy didn't like. This joke didn't go down too well with my S. He shared that the other boys were making fun saying that his gift choices aren't good and he doesn't know what boys of their age like. Initially i was surprised, but had to calm my son's mind. I explained deeply that there are people of all kinds in the world, but what matters mostly is how we react to all the situations. It's on the basis of of our reactions a lot of situations can be made or fixed. But in the midst of everything it's very important to hold to one's dignity and self respect. It is tolerable to protest or voice your opinion but never to compromise with your self respect. I explained S never to make fun of anyone's choices especially as simple thing as a Birthday gift. A gift is always gift and not necessarily a lifetime trophy. Gifts wear and tear out very soon but the feeling with which the person gifts, stays somewhere in our hearts and add to our memories. The conversation lasted for sometime and his tiny mind seemed to be appeased with whatever his mind and heart could take.
Its my mind which had an influx of thoughts and questions. I am sure most of you agree that in childhood birthday celebrations and gifts matter a lot but it's the duty of parents like us to simplify these things so that childhood birthday celebrations remain simple and heartwarming.
Yes, the review of farro; i remember you see. Yesterday i had packed farro for S lunchbox. He had it but somehow did not liked it that much. Farro has a bit crunchy and nutty taste and is a great healthy alternative to rice. It keeps you full and is pretty high in fibre. But i certainly have to find some other ways to pack it in his lunchbox. As for today it was a simple chickpea rice with some carrots in it and snack box had peaches and strawberries and flavored yoghurt.
Catch you all tomorrow. Stay happy!
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Monday, September 17, 2018
Tiffin Tales 11
Hola.......
Welcome to another frenetic week. The last weekend, i was almost a single parent to my kids and i cannot explain what a rip-roaring weekend it was. As i said about the universe conspiring to wreck my weekend sleep, it verified so well. Kids classes, birthday invitations, attending another function and i almost tugged me and my children at the events.
Since the school opened, my S had been pestering me to bake him some cake or muffins. I am not a very good baker and my cakes are most of the time hit or miss ones. I try to experiment with different but mostly stick to the basic cake recipe. The weekend was hectic but somehow found baking at the end of Sunday was somewhat therapeutic.
When i told my S, 'let's bake something', his eyes almost shone up. While i stuck to the basic cake recipe, i decided to go for muffins and add some fresh blueberries. I had a box of blueberries which i wanted to finish else they go waste, and i ended up adding them as topping. The entire house smells heavenly when we bake something and my S couldn't wait for the time period. His patience paid off well when he enjoyed his piece if muffin and i couldn't be happier. All my fatigue seemed to evaporate instantly.
This morning i tried something with my S lunch box. On my last trip to the grocery store got a packet of farro. In the packet of farro was another small packet with the flavor mix of pumpkin and sage. It looked good and sounded interesting. My curiosity was satiated by google god, who described farro to be healthy and high in fibre. It a kind of healthy wheat and needs very less effort to cook. So what i did, in a heated pan, i added a few drops of olive oil and the farro straight from the packet and added the spice from which was provided. I stirred it for a couple of minutes and transferred it to rice cooker adding required water. It took 15-20 minutes to cook and make it fluffy enough. I am anxiously waiting for my S feedback which i will share tomorrow. Meanwhile the snack box had pears and strawberries and his regular dose of yoghurt.
Catch you all tomorrow.........
Welcome to another frenetic week. The last weekend, i was almost a single parent to my kids and i cannot explain what a rip-roaring weekend it was. As i said about the universe conspiring to wreck my weekend sleep, it verified so well. Kids classes, birthday invitations, attending another function and i almost tugged me and my children at the events.
Since the school opened, my S had been pestering me to bake him some cake or muffins. I am not a very good baker and my cakes are most of the time hit or miss ones. I try to experiment with different but mostly stick to the basic cake recipe. The weekend was hectic but somehow found baking at the end of Sunday was somewhat therapeutic.
When i told my S, 'let's bake something', his eyes almost shone up. While i stuck to the basic cake recipe, i decided to go for muffins and add some fresh blueberries. I had a box of blueberries which i wanted to finish else they go waste, and i ended up adding them as topping. The entire house smells heavenly when we bake something and my S couldn't wait for the time period. His patience paid off well when he enjoyed his piece if muffin and i couldn't be happier. All my fatigue seemed to evaporate instantly.
This morning i tried something with my S lunch box. On my last trip to the grocery store got a packet of farro. In the packet of farro was another small packet with the flavor mix of pumpkin and sage. It looked good and sounded interesting. My curiosity was satiated by google god, who described farro to be healthy and high in fibre. It a kind of healthy wheat and needs very less effort to cook. So what i did, in a heated pan, i added a few drops of olive oil and the farro straight from the packet and added the spice from which was provided. I stirred it for a couple of minutes and transferred it to rice cooker adding required water. It took 15-20 minutes to cook and make it fluffy enough. I am anxiously waiting for my S feedback which i will share tomorrow. Meanwhile the snack box had pears and strawberries and his regular dose of yoghurt.
Catch you all tomorrow.........
Friday, September 14, 2018
Tiffin Tales 10
Hola...
Whoopee, we all managed to reach another weekend. I am so looking forward to my weekend sleep but i am pretty much sure that the universe must have already conspired to wreck my plan. Even though there will be no morning alarms, yet my children have that extra sensibility and sensitivity to sense weekends. It's almost festive time for them. My S will smilingly wake up to poke and gently remind me that there its a non school day. Deep down my heart i smile too because i have less chopping and cooking.
As i said of the universe conspiring, there have many weekends when people call without realizing the local time. I never get annoyed because i always appreciate people who think and spare some time to talk to me and my family. The different time zones create more confusions and yes morning sleep is terminated. On busy weekdays grandparents wait to talk to their grandchildren or video chat with them. These days most social sites offer calling and we all try to make most of it. There have been times when excited grandparents called us up to wish my S Happy Birthday in the middle of the night. Without sensing the time they called only to be disappointed to be let known that he cannot be woken up now. I still feel sad remembering that night.
Fast forward, yes, it's an autumn September weekend. This morning has been a bit interesting and uninteresting in both ways. My S refused to carry his lunch box today expressing his desire to have 'hot lunch' from school. I wasn't concerned that much until this morning when his dad declared that his account is not reflecting the amount we sent for his lunch. Gosh, my S was almost in tears but it was me who froze for a couple of seconds. My relaxed state of mind almost turned into a battlefield wondering from where should i start. Since i had very little time, i could not come up with any favorite thing of S. I just wanted something which would be filling and nutritious. I am not a fan of frozen items and rarely you will ever find my freezer stocked with those unless we are preparing for some hurricane or tornado. Potatoes are the best friends and given its versatility, this vegetable is a winner in almost everyones kitchen. Tick-tock, tick-tock, i boil them and make mashed potatoes and a vegetable burger to go with that. I hurriedly pack everything and the snack box had pears and cheese. Phew, where did my morning go? Now, you know too...
Have a great weekend folk, and enjoy every single second of it, even if you spend sleeping.....
Whoopee, we all managed to reach another weekend. I am so looking forward to my weekend sleep but i am pretty much sure that the universe must have already conspired to wreck my plan. Even though there will be no morning alarms, yet my children have that extra sensibility and sensitivity to sense weekends. It's almost festive time for them. My S will smilingly wake up to poke and gently remind me that there its a non school day. Deep down my heart i smile too because i have less chopping and cooking.
As i said of the universe conspiring, there have many weekends when people call without realizing the local time. I never get annoyed because i always appreciate people who think and spare some time to talk to me and my family. The different time zones create more confusions and yes morning sleep is terminated. On busy weekdays grandparents wait to talk to their grandchildren or video chat with them. These days most social sites offer calling and we all try to make most of it. There have been times when excited grandparents called us up to wish my S Happy Birthday in the middle of the night. Without sensing the time they called only to be disappointed to be let known that he cannot be woken up now. I still feel sad remembering that night.
Fast forward, yes, it's an autumn September weekend. This morning has been a bit interesting and uninteresting in both ways. My S refused to carry his lunch box today expressing his desire to have 'hot lunch' from school. I wasn't concerned that much until this morning when his dad declared that his account is not reflecting the amount we sent for his lunch. Gosh, my S was almost in tears but it was me who froze for a couple of seconds. My relaxed state of mind almost turned into a battlefield wondering from where should i start. Since i had very little time, i could not come up with any favorite thing of S. I just wanted something which would be filling and nutritious. I am not a fan of frozen items and rarely you will ever find my freezer stocked with those unless we are preparing for some hurricane or tornado. Potatoes are the best friends and given its versatility, this vegetable is a winner in almost everyones kitchen. Tick-tock, tick-tock, i boil them and make mashed potatoes and a vegetable burger to go with that. I hurriedly pack everything and the snack box had pears and cheese. Phew, where did my morning go? Now, you know too...
Have a great weekend folk, and enjoy every single second of it, even if you spend sleeping.....
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Tiffin Tales 9
Hola...
I am so excited today. Even though i am quite far away from the actual festive atmosphere back home, yet i can almost feel the palpitation of the festivities. The richness of the festival, the aroma of arrangements, the hustle bustle, the anticipation collectively satiates the heart.
If you are aware of Lord Ganesh, youngest son of Hindu Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, you will know a bit more about Ganesh Chaturthi. I can explain in details, but in a separate post. Growing up in a small town we quite never celebrated this festival, but the month of September would be the dawn of festive month. I am a Bengali who swears by Goddess Durga and Kali and the groundwork for the celebration would start in this month.
Sometime time later in this month i will try to jot down a few more memories of the preparations of the Durga Puja but as of today i would like to soak in the Ganesh Puja atmosphere. Over the years and with time, we have started to celebrate widely Ganesh Puja and Rakhi.
This morning woke up feeling a bit festive. I tried to explain a little bit of Lord Ganesha to my little S but since morning hours and minutes are precious and crazy, we could not talk much. I guess i was thinking too much about the festivities back home so could not make much for his lunch box today. I ended up making 'upma' with green beans and carrots and a dash of ghee. For his snack box, i gave him fruits and a cheese stick.
To my stupefaction at the pace with which time rushes we are almost there to another weekend. Tomorrow certainly looks a bit busy but i will try to share my madness here. Till then happy times...
I am so excited today. Even though i am quite far away from the actual festive atmosphere back home, yet i can almost feel the palpitation of the festivities. The richness of the festival, the aroma of arrangements, the hustle bustle, the anticipation collectively satiates the heart.
If you are aware of Lord Ganesh, youngest son of Hindu Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, you will know a bit more about Ganesh Chaturthi. I can explain in details, but in a separate post. Growing up in a small town we quite never celebrated this festival, but the month of September would be the dawn of festive month. I am a Bengali who swears by Goddess Durga and Kali and the groundwork for the celebration would start in this month.
Sometime time later in this month i will try to jot down a few more memories of the preparations of the Durga Puja but as of today i would like to soak in the Ganesh Puja atmosphere. Over the years and with time, we have started to celebrate widely Ganesh Puja and Rakhi.
This morning woke up feeling a bit festive. I tried to explain a little bit of Lord Ganesha to my little S but since morning hours and minutes are precious and crazy, we could not talk much. I guess i was thinking too much about the festivities back home so could not make much for his lunch box today. I ended up making 'upma' with green beans and carrots and a dash of ghee. For his snack box, i gave him fruits and a cheese stick.
To my stupefaction at the pace with which time rushes we are almost there to another weekend. Tomorrow certainly looks a bit busy but i will try to share my madness here. Till then happy times...
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Tiffin Tales 8
Hola...
The Sun is radiant today. The tender winds are making the leaves look golden. Some of the leaves have started to change its color and the others are gearing up as well. Since i almost had an overwhelming day, this morning i decided to b-r-e-a-t-h-e and take things easy. There were some tasks which needed my attention but i decided to push them a bit farther.
I am not a tea/coffee person and there have been tons of people in my life who have questioned me about my lack of interest in these beverages. Even though most of the time i fail to make people understand that life can go on smoothly without tea/coffee especially the mornings. My own mother refuses to start the morning without her tea. Tea is almost like morning prayer to her. Growing up in a small place tea was and still is the first things offered to guests after water. Over the years soft drinks and other beverages have slowly occupied a lot of place in the kitchen and fridge shelves but tea still holds the prominence and dominance in most of the houses.
If i speak about my native place and tea i will have to add another important aspect, most people start their day with black tea. Yes, simple loose tea leaves strained with hot water with some sugar and a dash of lemon juice. Of course there are another section who do not consider to be tea at all unless milk is added to it. Now some people argue that milk leads to acidity while the other group crack up at the thought of black tea.
People who are on a simple weight loss journey substitute sugar with honey and a drop of lemon juice to their first cup of tea in the morning. So tea lovers always find distinct ways to enjoy their cups. Even when the sun is fierce and blazing outside and people usually love to sip in some ice cold lemonade or soda there are people who find tea to be their beverage.
There are different kinds of tea and in my childhood i have been to different tea gardens and in some had access to visit the factories as well. The kids these days would call them field trip but now a trip down my memory lane takes me to those factories where we saw the different stages of tea sorting and packaging. The winds almost made me smell those factories.
Now isn't it funny that growing up in place where people still adore tea i have no affinity towards tea be with or without milk. Winters do tempt me at times to sip in a cup of tea but mostly its green tea. Is it the smart packaging or marketing tactics to improve your immunity that attracted me towards green tea? Well, none.... My Uncle used to have them and i always used to be curious about the taste until he shared with me. I liked that and somehow that taste grew in me. Now, on few occasions when i have green tea its like an ode to my childhood memories.
Oh yes, i almost to share my lunch box menu. Since i was not interested in any detailed menu today i packed vegetable and egg rice. The snack box had peach and berries and a small pack of yoghurt.
Enjoy the midweek!
The Sun is radiant today. The tender winds are making the leaves look golden. Some of the leaves have started to change its color and the others are gearing up as well. Since i almost had an overwhelming day, this morning i decided to b-r-e-a-t-h-e and take things easy. There were some tasks which needed my attention but i decided to push them a bit farther.
I am not a tea/coffee person and there have been tons of people in my life who have questioned me about my lack of interest in these beverages. Even though most of the time i fail to make people understand that life can go on smoothly without tea/coffee especially the mornings. My own mother refuses to start the morning without her tea. Tea is almost like morning prayer to her. Growing up in a small place tea was and still is the first things offered to guests after water. Over the years soft drinks and other beverages have slowly occupied a lot of place in the kitchen and fridge shelves but tea still holds the prominence and dominance in most of the houses.
If i speak about my native place and tea i will have to add another important aspect, most people start their day with black tea. Yes, simple loose tea leaves strained with hot water with some sugar and a dash of lemon juice. Of course there are another section who do not consider to be tea at all unless milk is added to it. Now some people argue that milk leads to acidity while the other group crack up at the thought of black tea.
People who are on a simple weight loss journey substitute sugar with honey and a drop of lemon juice to their first cup of tea in the morning. So tea lovers always find distinct ways to enjoy their cups. Even when the sun is fierce and blazing outside and people usually love to sip in some ice cold lemonade or soda there are people who find tea to be their beverage.
There are different kinds of tea and in my childhood i have been to different tea gardens and in some had access to visit the factories as well. The kids these days would call them field trip but now a trip down my memory lane takes me to those factories where we saw the different stages of tea sorting and packaging. The winds almost made me smell those factories.
Now isn't it funny that growing up in place where people still adore tea i have no affinity towards tea be with or without milk. Winters do tempt me at times to sip in a cup of tea but mostly its green tea. Is it the smart packaging or marketing tactics to improve your immunity that attracted me towards green tea? Well, none.... My Uncle used to have them and i always used to be curious about the taste until he shared with me. I liked that and somehow that taste grew in me. Now, on few occasions when i have green tea its like an ode to my childhood memories.
Oh yes, i almost to share my lunch box menu. Since i was not interested in any detailed menu today i packed vegetable and egg rice. The snack box had peach and berries and a small pack of yoghurt.
Enjoy the midweek!
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Tiffin Tales 7
Hola....
Its a gleaming sunny day and the sun looks so happy. Well, its us who feel happy when the sun shines. A different way to look at things i guess. It's fall season so the sun rays have a different sensitivity. It is soft in the mornings making people desirous to spend a few extra minutes in the sun, heated during the day and mellowed down again towards the afternoon.
As i write these lines i am sitting in one corner of my room, the sun rays are smoothly falling on my back. One can easily feel that it isn't the summer sun which was fierce. The balmy sun along with the gentle wind is like a lullaby to my senses.
After a thought provoking Monday, Tuesday was little bit sweet. It's my niece's birthday and i was so excited to wish her perhaps more excited than the birthday girl herself. She turned 11 today but feels like just the other day when we celebrated her arrival. Eleven years back even i had less idea about bringing up a child. All i knew was a child is gift from heaven who just adds joys. Fast forward now i know after giving birth that a mother is born on the same day and the resilience she has matches none. Of course a baby adds so much joy to the immediate and extended families but the joy comes with reams of responsibilities. A baby's cry is diverse based on needs. While a baby cries for needs and attention a mother cries on different levels of emotion.
I can certainly write a bit more about my ongoing journey of motherhood but time restricts everything. A huge pile of clothes needs to be laundered and folded. I need to get some fresh vegetables and the milk can is in reserve state. The refrigerator needs some space management while shoe rack is perhaps screaming for immediate attention. The morning conversation with my S mainly revolved around his morning duties and some 'mom' tips to finish his tasks especially homework quickly. After all these years i have realized that mom tips rarely fails and some stay in some corner of your heart forever. So today's lunch box included vegetable sandwich and some crackers while snack box had some fruits and a yogurt.....
Its a gleaming sunny day and the sun looks so happy. Well, its us who feel happy when the sun shines. A different way to look at things i guess. It's fall season so the sun rays have a different sensitivity. It is soft in the mornings making people desirous to spend a few extra minutes in the sun, heated during the day and mellowed down again towards the afternoon.
As i write these lines i am sitting in one corner of my room, the sun rays are smoothly falling on my back. One can easily feel that it isn't the summer sun which was fierce. The balmy sun along with the gentle wind is like a lullaby to my senses.
After a thought provoking Monday, Tuesday was little bit sweet. It's my niece's birthday and i was so excited to wish her perhaps more excited than the birthday girl herself. She turned 11 today but feels like just the other day when we celebrated her arrival. Eleven years back even i had less idea about bringing up a child. All i knew was a child is gift from heaven who just adds joys. Fast forward now i know after giving birth that a mother is born on the same day and the resilience she has matches none. Of course a baby adds so much joy to the immediate and extended families but the joy comes with reams of responsibilities. A baby's cry is diverse based on needs. While a baby cries for needs and attention a mother cries on different levels of emotion.
I can certainly write a bit more about my ongoing journey of motherhood but time restricts everything. A huge pile of clothes needs to be laundered and folded. I need to get some fresh vegetables and the milk can is in reserve state. The refrigerator needs some space management while shoe rack is perhaps screaming for immediate attention. The morning conversation with my S mainly revolved around his morning duties and some 'mom' tips to finish his tasks especially homework quickly. After all these years i have realized that mom tips rarely fails and some stay in some corner of your heart forever. So today's lunch box included vegetable sandwich and some crackers while snack box had some fruits and a yogurt.....
Monday, September 10, 2018
Tiffin Tales 6
Hola...
A new week and new things to look forward to but what a hectic weekend it was. The week was pretty a week of hanging around and hobnob. My poor S who has been sneezing since Friday wanted some extra rest but due to the craziness of our schedule he had to somewhat subtract his sleep time. Of course he wasn't happy at all about it.
Over the weekend we went to a kids birthday party all the ladies were discussing about their child's development and his food habits. Now this particular mom had a completely different perspective about her child's activities. She pampered him a lot spoke highly about making me feel a bit miserable. Now you might ask me why? Am i only one who complains that my S never finishes his lunch, never keeps his toys in place, his books are always scattered, sneaks and haves all the chocolates that i 'try' to hide from him and on and on. Of course there were other moms too who echoed the same. But that particular mom had twinkle in her eyes whenever she mentioned her son. She said she usually rewards her son whenever he accomplishes any given task.
As a mother of a child whose son is within the same age bracket as her son i found her words a bit grandiose and flatulent. I even applauded her son and her labour behind those accomplishments even though i was wondering if i was missing out anything in raising my child.The mom graciously accepted the acknowledgements. One of the other moms wished if her daughter was like her son too, to which that particular had tears in her eyes. We had no idea if we had irked her but we all apologized. We tried to comfort her until she clarified that no mother should go through the acclivity of emotions that she is going through. She numbed us all by saying that her son is a 'special child' whose every milestone is an achievement for the entire family which is celebrated. Her everyday effort to motivate her child to grow and meet his milestones was indeed exemplary. I began to curse my mind for thinking weak. The oversight of our conversation changed until the host of the party came to invite us to join the cake cutting celebration. All my way back home i kept thinking about her and the struggle.
So this morning without any complaints of Monday morning and extra lovingly i packed his lunch and snack boxes respectively. His lunch box had shrimp pasta in a thermos while his snack box had slices of peaches, some berries and a small yogurt.
Happy week folk!
A new week and new things to look forward to but what a hectic weekend it was. The week was pretty a week of hanging around and hobnob. My poor S who has been sneezing since Friday wanted some extra rest but due to the craziness of our schedule he had to somewhat subtract his sleep time. Of course he wasn't happy at all about it.
Over the weekend we went to a kids birthday party all the ladies were discussing about their child's development and his food habits. Now this particular mom had a completely different perspective about her child's activities. She pampered him a lot spoke highly about making me feel a bit miserable. Now you might ask me why? Am i only one who complains that my S never finishes his lunch, never keeps his toys in place, his books are always scattered, sneaks and haves all the chocolates that i 'try' to hide from him and on and on. Of course there were other moms too who echoed the same. But that particular mom had twinkle in her eyes whenever she mentioned her son. She said she usually rewards her son whenever he accomplishes any given task.
As a mother of a child whose son is within the same age bracket as her son i found her words a bit grandiose and flatulent. I even applauded her son and her labour behind those accomplishments even though i was wondering if i was missing out anything in raising my child.The mom graciously accepted the acknowledgements. One of the other moms wished if her daughter was like her son too, to which that particular had tears in her eyes. We had no idea if we had irked her but we all apologized. We tried to comfort her until she clarified that no mother should go through the acclivity of emotions that she is going through. She numbed us all by saying that her son is a 'special child' whose every milestone is an achievement for the entire family which is celebrated. Her everyday effort to motivate her child to grow and meet his milestones was indeed exemplary. I began to curse my mind for thinking weak. The oversight of our conversation changed until the host of the party came to invite us to join the cake cutting celebration. All my way back home i kept thinking about her and the struggle.
So this morning without any complaints of Monday morning and extra lovingly i packed his lunch and snack boxes respectively. His lunch box had shrimp pasta in a thermos while his snack box had slices of peaches, some berries and a small yogurt.
Happy week folk!
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