Tiffin Tales 19

Hola....

We are approximating towards another weekend. The week a mixed one with mixed feelings. On one hand we are gearing up for the festive season on the other hand there are a few of my family members who are gravely ill. My mind is slightly disturbed but life rolls on as usual.

The other day i was discussing about the gravity of good health especially when age is slowly leaving our side. Good health is a blessing which only a handful of people receive. This morning i received calls from my family members informing about the critical conditions. Since morning thousands of thoughts  have crossed my mind sometimes petrifying while sometimes the times spent together with them. All of sudden years seemed to roll in front of eyes like a camera roll and memories seemed to stream my mind.

In today's world we all try to eat healthy, stay fit but sometimes things don't go as we plan. Life throws different curveballs and we are almost thrown offtrack. But still we need to keep calm and try our best to overcome the fence and keep moving ahead.

The day just dragged on today and i was somewhat lost in my thoughts and living the day in the bygone days. But duties are never neglected. Even though i was lost but my priorities never takes a backseat. This morning S requested for 'upma' (semolina) with lots of beans, carrots, peas and groundnuts. Yes, added a generous amount of ghee. He liked it so much that upon his return from school he enquired if there were any leftovers. I felt a tad sad because it was exhausted but promised to make it soon for him. That was reward of the day for me. His snack box was fruits and some cookies and a bottle of smoothie.

Take good care of your health friends. It's the only thing that remains with you when everything else has left you.

Tiffin Tales 18

Hola...

Hope everyone is enjoying wherever you are. Enjoying work, life, or even if you are struggling just know that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Time changes just like the weather and actually its difficult to envision weather.

Life is so similar to weather, just when we thing its 'that' time of the year, time adopts a new path and we have to embrace it. In the last few years of my life, i have learnt a lot when it comes to long term planning. Time has its own planning which is divulged to us at the exact time only.

The festive season is also dawning. I am a Bengali and all over the world Bengalis are gearing up for the biggest festival of the year. Goddess Durga is on her way and her homecoming is a huge celebration. Around the globe Bengali women are stocking up their sarees to wear and welcome the Goddess. Of course i also have my own plans to celebrate her homecoming in my own small way and i am thrilled. The environment feels so warm and loving on those days. Every year we make memories and it feels good to relive them every time. While i cannot do much shopping, but dressing up my children gives me immense happiness.

This morning was cold even though my S refused to carry his sweatshirt. His logic is during the daytime it gets warm and sweatshirt is a baggage. Now my S has so many rationale these days that i have try really hard to cope up with him. Today was pasta day of the week and hence no brainer. The sauce was different today. It was Basil pesto sauce. The snack box had two different kinds of fruit and a bottle of strawberry smoothie.

Catch you all tomorrow. Take rest guys. Rest is very important both for mind and body.....

Tiffin Tales 17

Hola....

I am much much better than yesterday and gosh what a terrible day it was.. Health is so so important and what a topsy turvy day it has been yesterday. Even my small little family was kind and considerate enough to let me rest yet, the kids need attention especially when it comes to their food. My S fed himself, put his plate in the sink and i could not have been more happier.

When growing up we read and read health is wealth. But then whenever me and my brother fell sick our parents took all extra care to make us feel better. Those were indeed breezy days. Now, the tables have turned and i am even scared thinking of the illness of the children. But whenever i fall sick my family does try to comfort me in every possible way.

This morning i woke up after  some good sleep and had catch up with all the pending works that i had  to stop yesterday. Hence the morning was a bit busy. It was raining in the evening hence driving was slow and i had to run errands to finish some work. Autumn days are here and the evenings are a bit chilly. This morning for lunch box i made fried rice with vegetables and a fried egg on top. My little S was elated and somewhere i felt gratified. The snack box had a fruit bar, some apples and a small bottle of smoothie. I was so exhausted in the evening that for dinner i checked my pantry hoping for some miracle. I saw a packet of noodles and had some chicken in my freezer and rustled up a quick chicken noodles and disappeared from the dinner table within minutes. End of another day and i hope you all enjoy your day.

Tiffin Tales 16

Hola.....

Welcome to another week, another week of twists and turns, another week with renewed energy, another week of challenges and yes gaining lots acquaintance with the world.

The week starts with a cloudy morning followed by rain during the daytime. It was windy on the weekends and the leaves are rapidly declining. With each day the fall weather is adding more warmth to the houses since its getting cold outside. The longer day are turning shorter, the sun disappears quickly and morning arrives late.

As i am writing these lines, i am acutely suffering from sinusitis. My head is almost bursting but felt this could be a gateway to forget it for sometime. Unfortunately it doesn't seem so. I am have stop now because i can barely keep my head straight. It feels rock head. Since it's a tiffin tales this morning i packed some vegetable soya bean rice. The snack box had fruits and a small bottle of smoothie.

Friends, catch you all later. Hope i get rid of this sinus hangover soon.....

Take care !

Tiffin Tales 15

Hola....

Yay, it's weekend once again. It's an all weather day here, from cloudy to sunny to a few drops of rain and windy too. All in a day. Today while  dropping my S at the bus stop i overheard someone's conversation. The lady said, we all are bad in someone's book. Even though i didn't think deeply about it but somehow the words stayed with me. It's a fact that no matter how much effort we put in trying to make other's happy enough is not always enough.

Year's back when i got married, my husband had told me don't try to please everyone, you will be disappointed. Sage words, even after all these years, there are people who have never spoken good about me. I never failed in trying but i am yet to get to positive results. Waiting though....

We all try to make that best friend, make the perfect dish, dress up perfectly, be the the perfect host, get clicked perfectly, yet somewhere due to technicality or any argumentation things look sketchy. Perhaps that's what makes us human. But what is more important is we shouldn't stop trying, not please others but to do one's duty. But we should also know to draw a fine line between pleasing others and doing duty.

Think about it we all are unacceptable to someone for perhaps no reason. So friends live your life to the fullest no matter what the situation is . Life just rushes so expeditiously. Take out that favorite dress, get dressed, get clicked, enjoy your favorite food. You will be judged anyways. Enjoy whatever comes your way.

The week ends with Poha in lunch box of S. I added lots of vegetables and peanuts. His snack box had pears and a fruit bar.

Enjoy your weekends friends.

Tiffin Tales 14

Hola...

I hope you all are enjoying the week. We are almost at the end of this week. We all need a pat on our backs because no matter how hustling and demanding the week has been, we all walked through whatever came our way. I know we all have our weekend priorities set, yet the rush will be a bit less and we all will try to organize ourselves for the following week.

It a mix of cloudy, sunny and windy day here. Just when my S dressed up in the morning for school it was cloudy and windy. I insisted him to wear a pullover looking outside the window. He obliged, but later on when we went to the bus stop it was sunny again making me feel that pullover wasn't a good idea. As the day approached the weather seemed unsettling but i earnestly hope the weekend weather be good because i promised my kids we will play outside. With the winters around the corner, outdoor playing will almost be abolished apart from snow fun. Sigh!

Before the autumn brushes by quickly i have to trim and do some work on my plants. The leaves are slowly changing colors and starting to dry up. The need some extra soil and a bit of nourishment and weekend is perhaps the best time to these work. I will try to include my children too so that they also learn to take care of plants and in that day it will be an outdoor day you see. Grins.....

There has been a demand from my S last night to give pasta for lunch, so this morning it was no brainer for me. Whisked up pasta and added some shrimps with some generous amount of mozzarella cheese. I know my S will be extra cheekily happy to open his box. His snack box was usual with fruits and yoghurt.

Tomorrow is Friday and i am looking forward to it to let my hair down and 'breathe' if not sleep. What are your plans? If you are reading please do share.

Love......

Tiffin Tales 13

Hola.......

Its a partly sunny partly cloudy day. This morning i opened my freezer to get something and realized that there is still a tub of ice cream lying. With the weather changing everyday i have some how forgotten about it. I am scared that even a spoonful of ice cream will lead to infinite days of cold and coughing. I am so petrified of those nights spent coughing that my tub of ice cream is nearing its expiration date.

Many many moons when i was little but my love for ice creams was not so little. I used to madly love ice creams and even a glance of a ice cream used to make go weak in my knees. I came from a family of limited resources and the place where i grew up was a small town too. Having an ice cream was a big treat for us and we used to get them on special occasions only. The flavors were limited too mainly orange, chocolate and vanilla. I remember just in front of our school there were vendors selling ice cream mainly the ones in cone or in the more famously known these days as popsicles. Popsicles were popular with the students mainly because it was priced low compared to the cone ones. On certain days i used to get ice creams from my mother but for major other days i never looked at them.

Years later when the market was flooded with different flavors and the concept of payment as per scoop came in my love for ice creams changed too. It was perhaps it was more readily available in the grocery stores. People started introducing ice creams at the very celebrations from birthday to marriages as dessert. There were more flavors but less joy with every cone.

Add a few more years still ice cream is equally enjoyed by young and adults. Ice cream parlors are very popular and movies and ice cream or walk after dinner followed by ice cream are the best possible combinations. The flavors have diversified but somewhere i miss the child in me who used to long for a small popsicle with her saved pocket money. That child is a mother now who puts her the health of her family first. But i still enjoy looking at my S enjoying his ice cream without any thoughts or apprehensions. Perhaps this childhood and innocence.

This morning for S lunchbox i made his all time favorite soya chunks rice with vegetables. The snack box had fruits and a homemade blueberry muffin.

Let me know any memories of your childhood ice cream love.