Hola...
In continuation to my last post i found a quotation by Rabindranath Tagore, "Don't limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time." I wonder how aptly he said that and perhaps this is what we call vision.
Our children are born out of us but they are independent individuals. We need to guide them but they cannot be completely our shadow. Just like the way we grew up and graduated to become parents, similarly they need to use their own wings rise and fly high in the sky. The initial years of a babies life are perhaps the years when they are completely dependent on us. With time they start to grow, develop, discover and gradually take decisions.
I realize it everyday that with each passing year my children especially my S is getting self reliant with his thoughts and activities. He needs very little help to do his daily activities and quite clearly expresses his opinions. Sometimes his way of looking at things leaves me dumfounded but at times i swell with pride that he is getting vocal of the things he sees around.
Most often than not we get affected with our surroundings and we try to protect our children but unless our children a bit of adversities how will they learn. Life has its own way of teaching a lesson to everyone but as parents we try to shield them from all.
This morning my S demanded 'puri' for his lunch box but a cursory glance at my clock refused to agree. Hence unwillingly he carried in his lunch box rice with boiled egg and steamed vegetables. I promised to him 'puri' tomorrow which somehow saved the day from meltdown. His snack box had fruits, a small fig roll and yoghurt.
I hope life gives you many moments to smile. Hold on to them tight, because they escape very soon...
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Monday, November 12, 2018
Tiffin Tales 51
Hola...
It's another day of another week and i hope you all have been enjoying the season. The leaves are all gone and so are the pumpkins. My neighbors have have beautifully decorated their houses with lights and the houses look dazzling indeed.
Today i would like to discuss something different. We all at some point do it in our lives, not necessarily with our children but in any relation. We compare either ourselves or our state or relations with others. As my children are growing i am increasing finding it difficult to restraint myself from comparing them with others. When we are blessed with a second child we tend to compare them with their older sibling. Every new act or activity is compared with the previous one irrespective of gender. We monitor the time frame when the elder one started to talk and compare the younger ones time they take. I know we all are uniquely different.
This weekend i was upset with my S because he made some pointless mistake while calculating his numbers in school. I knew from him that a few other students had scored well while he made those childish mistakes. When i further questioned he promptly requested me not to compare him with others. I was surprised to an extent.
For most of the weekend i questioned myself that what exactly is wrong. Is it wrong to expect that your child does well in class or to expect that your child will do well like the other students of the class. Even though i fairly get the fact straight that we all make mistakes and mistakes are learning steps, yet somewhere i am still confused with comparison and expectation.
It might sound a very trivial to some and perhaps to me too in few years from now yet the profundity between the differences is somewhat surprising me. With time i might get all my answers or time will teach me in its own way. As of now my thought of the day should be to encourage my children and compare less and less to others children. Well, i am a human too...
Todays lunch box had 'roti subzi'. I do not know how far he will eat that but i trusted my cooking skills and packed it for him. His snack box had peaches, a few green grapes and yoghurt.
Thanks for stopping by and i hope you all enjoy the day and rest of the week.
It's another day of another week and i hope you all have been enjoying the season. The leaves are all gone and so are the pumpkins. My neighbors have have beautifully decorated their houses with lights and the houses look dazzling indeed.
Today i would like to discuss something different. We all at some point do it in our lives, not necessarily with our children but in any relation. We compare either ourselves or our state or relations with others. As my children are growing i am increasing finding it difficult to restraint myself from comparing them with others. When we are blessed with a second child we tend to compare them with their older sibling. Every new act or activity is compared with the previous one irrespective of gender. We monitor the time frame when the elder one started to talk and compare the younger ones time they take. I know we all are uniquely different.
This weekend i was upset with my S because he made some pointless mistake while calculating his numbers in school. I knew from him that a few other students had scored well while he made those childish mistakes. When i further questioned he promptly requested me not to compare him with others. I was surprised to an extent.
For most of the weekend i questioned myself that what exactly is wrong. Is it wrong to expect that your child does well in class or to expect that your child will do well like the other students of the class. Even though i fairly get the fact straight that we all make mistakes and mistakes are learning steps, yet somewhere i am still confused with comparison and expectation.
It might sound a very trivial to some and perhaps to me too in few years from now yet the profundity between the differences is somewhat surprising me. With time i might get all my answers or time will teach me in its own way. As of now my thought of the day should be to encourage my children and compare less and less to others children. Well, i am a human too...
Todays lunch box had 'roti subzi'. I do not know how far he will eat that but i trusted my cooking skills and packed it for him. His snack box had peaches, a few green grapes and yoghurt.
Thanks for stopping by and i hope you all enjoy the day and rest of the week.
Friday, November 9, 2018
Tiffin Tales 50
Hola...
It's Friday and its snowing here. Yup, its just November and a long way to go before the winter ends. I also realized that it's my 50th 'Tiffin Tale's' post. It might sound a bit cliche but i am super happy in noting down my day to day thoughts. In a few years from now my S will perhaps stop carrying his lunch box but i guess i enjoy reading these snippets of his school days.
We woke up to a fresh layer of snow which is apparently seasons first snow fall. Dressed in boots, hats and mittens we went outside to check if its thick or thin snow. Luckily it wasn't thick but good enough to get some pictures clicked though. Thankfully it isn't going to snow on this weekend though.
The week has been crazy and its going to super crazy over the weekend. The house looks like a battle field with festive clothes, scattered toys, candles, piled up and un opened letters, unwanted boxes. I think i will some super man power to organize everything and come back to life.
This morning woke up to a strange pain in my left feet. The entire day has been a bit slow and i wanted some rest after all the running. But with a toddler at home its a distant dream. With the Diwali fervor i forgot that milk containers needs replenishment, so i had to rush. Even though i am a bit exhausted yet the smiles on my children's face after they are fed properly gives me some divine level of satisfaction. As i m typing these lucid words i am helping my S with his homework while the other one is constantly trying to grab my attention.
I will try to wrap it for this week. For today's lunch box, it was just his snack box which had parathas and a cheese stick and a few pieces of pear. I hope you all enjoy your weekend amidst all the stress and running. Please pray for me too, so that my feet gets some rest.
It's Friday and its snowing here. Yup, its just November and a long way to go before the winter ends. I also realized that it's my 50th 'Tiffin Tale's' post. It might sound a bit cliche but i am super happy in noting down my day to day thoughts. In a few years from now my S will perhaps stop carrying his lunch box but i guess i enjoy reading these snippets of his school days.
We woke up to a fresh layer of snow which is apparently seasons first snow fall. Dressed in boots, hats and mittens we went outside to check if its thick or thin snow. Luckily it wasn't thick but good enough to get some pictures clicked though. Thankfully it isn't going to snow on this weekend though.
The week has been crazy and its going to super crazy over the weekend. The house looks like a battle field with festive clothes, scattered toys, candles, piled up and un opened letters, unwanted boxes. I think i will some super man power to organize everything and come back to life.
This morning woke up to a strange pain in my left feet. The entire day has been a bit slow and i wanted some rest after all the running. But with a toddler at home its a distant dream. With the Diwali fervor i forgot that milk containers needs replenishment, so i had to rush. Even though i am a bit exhausted yet the smiles on my children's face after they are fed properly gives me some divine level of satisfaction. As i m typing these lucid words i am helping my S with his homework while the other one is constantly trying to grab my attention.
I will try to wrap it for this week. For today's lunch box, it was just his snack box which had parathas and a cheese stick and a few pieces of pear. I hope you all enjoy your weekend amidst all the stress and running. Please pray for me too, so that my feet gets some rest.
Thursday, November 8, 2018
Tiffin Tales 49
Hola...
So with Diwali festivals are 'almost' over. We Bengali's have a common saying that "we have 13 festivals" in 12 months. We take pride in celebrating those but Diwali is now almost a national festival. People celebrate Diwali irrespective of religion or region.
We tried our best to celebrate Diwali in our small little way. I made a couple of dry and gravy items. I tried to make a small little 'rangoli'. In the evening we dressed up a bit, we lit all the candles and celebrated with a few sparklers. The joy on my S's face was unparalleled.
Each festival has its own uniqueness. What each festival does is to bring the families together. We always look for that perfect moment to celebrate but in the process of making that moment perfect we add memories for lifetime. Make each moment so precious that you would like to remember them lovingly.
I am still in a 'Diwali hungover'. Life is rushing so fast but i want to pause a bit. To breathe, to relax and watch my children growing. They are growing up at an agile speed.
I somehow woke up early this morning and cleaned up all the candles and the drops of wax. For my S's lunch box i made him egg fried rice with some vegetables. His snack box had apples, a small sweet and yoghurt.
Enjoy your day folks and cherish every moment of it...
So with Diwali festivals are 'almost' over. We Bengali's have a common saying that "we have 13 festivals" in 12 months. We take pride in celebrating those but Diwali is now almost a national festival. People celebrate Diwali irrespective of religion or region.
We tried our best to celebrate Diwali in our small little way. I made a couple of dry and gravy items. I tried to make a small little 'rangoli'. In the evening we dressed up a bit, we lit all the candles and celebrated with a few sparklers. The joy on my S's face was unparalleled.
Each festival has its own uniqueness. What each festival does is to bring the families together. We always look for that perfect moment to celebrate but in the process of making that moment perfect we add memories for lifetime. Make each moment so precious that you would like to remember them lovingly.
I am still in a 'Diwali hungover'. Life is rushing so fast but i want to pause a bit. To breathe, to relax and watch my children growing. They are growing up at an agile speed.
I somehow woke up early this morning and cleaned up all the candles and the drops of wax. For my S's lunch box i made him egg fried rice with some vegetables. His snack box had apples, a small sweet and yoghurt.
Enjoy your day folks and cherish every moment of it...
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Tiffin Tales 48
Hola..
HAPPY DIWALI...
I hope everyone around, near and far is celebrating this day of with twinkle in their houses and hearts. Bengali's are celebrating 'Kali Pujo' today. Whichever form of the Goddess you are worshipping, all it matters is devotion and celebration.
My S woke up hurriedly and excitedly to celebrate Diwali in the morning itself but since the schools are open, he had to go to school. I promised him that we will have our share of fun in the evening. Childhood is perhaps the only time in our lives when we celebrate all the festivals under one roof and at one table. As we grow up and get bounded by our duties, celebrating all the festivals together with the family becomes one beautiful dream. We constantly go back to our growing years and visit those memories. While we try to make new memories with people around, those childhood moments always remain fresh in our garden of memories.
I do not have any guide book for raising my children but i try to teach them to be always compassionate to the people who are in need. Diwali is indeed a festival of lights but there are scores of people who go hungry to sleep, or lights in their houses. Sweets and other festival food items are dreams for them. We can change their plights in one day or Diwali night but to think about them, say a prayer for them and whenever we get a chance to help them with whatever way possible is something i want them to learn. Celebration is always happy when everyone around is happy and helping someone in need is perhaps provides the greatest level of satisfaction. It's my self effacing way to give back the world something for everything the world has given me.
On the occasion of Diwali, today i made a few dishes like paneer pulao, choley, dahi vada and namakpara. It consumed a good amount of time but then its Diwali..
For my S lunch box i packed vegetable rice and a small salad. His snack box had pineapples, kaju roll and yogurt.
Enjoy Diwali and make tons of memories....Good wishes from my family to you and your's....
HAPPY DIWALI...
I hope everyone around, near and far is celebrating this day of with twinkle in their houses and hearts. Bengali's are celebrating 'Kali Pujo' today. Whichever form of the Goddess you are worshipping, all it matters is devotion and celebration.
My S woke up hurriedly and excitedly to celebrate Diwali in the morning itself but since the schools are open, he had to go to school. I promised him that we will have our share of fun in the evening. Childhood is perhaps the only time in our lives when we celebrate all the festivals under one roof and at one table. As we grow up and get bounded by our duties, celebrating all the festivals together with the family becomes one beautiful dream. We constantly go back to our growing years and visit those memories. While we try to make new memories with people around, those childhood moments always remain fresh in our garden of memories.
I do not have any guide book for raising my children but i try to teach them to be always compassionate to the people who are in need. Diwali is indeed a festival of lights but there are scores of people who go hungry to sleep, or lights in their houses. Sweets and other festival food items are dreams for them. We can change their plights in one day or Diwali night but to think about them, say a prayer for them and whenever we get a chance to help them with whatever way possible is something i want them to learn. Celebration is always happy when everyone around is happy and helping someone in need is perhaps provides the greatest level of satisfaction. It's my self effacing way to give back the world something for everything the world has given me.
On the occasion of Diwali, today i made a few dishes like paneer pulao, choley, dahi vada and namakpara. It consumed a good amount of time but then its Diwali..
For my S lunch box i packed vegetable rice and a small salad. His snack box had pineapples, kaju roll and yogurt.
Enjoy Diwali and make tons of memories....Good wishes from my family to you and your's....
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Tiffin Tales 47
Hola...
All excited for Diwali? Me too.... The house looks squeaky clean and feels so good. The divine energy is strongly felt even though a thick aura of home sickness is making my heart a bit heavy. Festivals are the time when we miss our loved ones. I am yet to triumph over that feeling of missing my home and parents. Some things never change with time, we just get used to living with that.
At present, I am gearing up to celebrate this year Diwali with my small little family. My S is super excited to light up those 'diya's' and candles. Wearing those festive dress and festive smile everything looks luminescent. Well, that's what is Diwali. Brightening up and penetrating through the darkness, lights all around Diwali is a celebration of lights.
Another legend goes that after a long battle with Ravana, Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman. The people of his kingdom welcomed them and celebrated this day as his homecoming.
There can be so many legends but to celebrate and be happy we all need is to be happy and spread the happiness. Friends celebrate this day as a victory of lights over darkness, let the positive power take over your minds and lives. May happiness be with you and your families all throughout.
Any festival involves tons of cooking and Diwali is no different. I have quite a to do list and will happily share here tomorrow. Today was a holiday too but tomorrow is a regular school day. For lunch i made a simple Bengali meal of 'shaak', dal, mixed vegetable curry and a fish curry. For evening snack i made 'dahi puchka'.
Enjoy your day and the season.
All excited for Diwali? Me too.... The house looks squeaky clean and feels so good. The divine energy is strongly felt even though a thick aura of home sickness is making my heart a bit heavy. Festivals are the time when we miss our loved ones. I am yet to triumph over that feeling of missing my home and parents. Some things never change with time, we just get used to living with that.
At present, I am gearing up to celebrate this year Diwali with my small little family. My S is super excited to light up those 'diya's' and candles. Wearing those festive dress and festive smile everything looks luminescent. Well, that's what is Diwali. Brightening up and penetrating through the darkness, lights all around Diwali is a celebration of lights.
Another legend goes that after a long battle with Ravana, Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman. The people of his kingdom welcomed them and celebrated this day as his homecoming.
There can be so many legends but to celebrate and be happy we all need is to be happy and spread the happiness. Friends celebrate this day as a victory of lights over darkness, let the positive power take over your minds and lives. May happiness be with you and your families all throughout.
Any festival involves tons of cooking and Diwali is no different. I have quite a to do list and will happily share here tomorrow. Today was a holiday too but tomorrow is a regular school day. For lunch i made a simple Bengali meal of 'shaak', dal, mixed vegetable curry and a fish curry. For evening snack i made 'dahi puchka'.
Enjoy your day and the season.
Monday, November 5, 2018
Tiffin Tales 46
Hola..
I am optimistic that you all had a nice weekend. Saturday was windy and Sunday all day it just poured and poured. Well certainly not a happy weekend for us here. But yes, on Sunday we all took a long nap to beat the rainy mood blues and certainly it helped to an extent.
My Diwali shopping is still incomplete. The major part of cleaning and dusting is done and no i haven't made sweets or any goodies yet. Bengali's worship Goddess Kali on this day while mostly others worship Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha on this day. Lights adorn mostly all the houses and people use 'diya's' too illuminate. With changing times and different locales people use candles, especially tea lights to brighten up.
When we were growing up Diwali was much awaited festival because of the fire crackers. I along with my brother always used to enjoy bursting those and till this date i have fond memories of them. As we are from a meagre income family, our fire crackers weren't varied or too many. We had limited number of crackers but our excitement to burst them would multiply the happiness. Sometimes we used to wonder at our neighbors who used to burst tons of them probably but our parents always comforted us saying that happiness is never in them. Deep down in our hearts we weren't convinced but always being the obedient kids we were we never revolted. I can only dream of those days now because the winds have changed and these kids almost bring the house down when their expectations aren't met.
Over the years with the pollution levels going alarmingly high, its indeed wise to restrict Diwali lights and spreading the cheer with sweets and savories. The smoke from the crackers are quite disruptive not only on the day of Diwali but for for the consecutive days. People with asthma, babies and elderly people and animals who are the worst affected because they cannot express their despair. A lot of people have over the years have given up their love for crackers but there are scores who are yet to give up this love.
My children will perhaps never experience the joy of bursting crackers, but being a responsible citizen i refrain from polluting the air around me. For them Diwali should be lighting the house, knowing the reason behind celebrating this festival and spreading positivity.
Today the school is closed hence i got an escapade from making 'tiffin' but of course i had to make detailed lunch. Let's hope the festive week brings joy in all our lives...
I am optimistic that you all had a nice weekend. Saturday was windy and Sunday all day it just poured and poured. Well certainly not a happy weekend for us here. But yes, on Sunday we all took a long nap to beat the rainy mood blues and certainly it helped to an extent.
My Diwali shopping is still incomplete. The major part of cleaning and dusting is done and no i haven't made sweets or any goodies yet. Bengali's worship Goddess Kali on this day while mostly others worship Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha on this day. Lights adorn mostly all the houses and people use 'diya's' too illuminate. With changing times and different locales people use candles, especially tea lights to brighten up.
When we were growing up Diwali was much awaited festival because of the fire crackers. I along with my brother always used to enjoy bursting those and till this date i have fond memories of them. As we are from a meagre income family, our fire crackers weren't varied or too many. We had limited number of crackers but our excitement to burst them would multiply the happiness. Sometimes we used to wonder at our neighbors who used to burst tons of them probably but our parents always comforted us saying that happiness is never in them. Deep down in our hearts we weren't convinced but always being the obedient kids we were we never revolted. I can only dream of those days now because the winds have changed and these kids almost bring the house down when their expectations aren't met.
Over the years with the pollution levels going alarmingly high, its indeed wise to restrict Diwali lights and spreading the cheer with sweets and savories. The smoke from the crackers are quite disruptive not only on the day of Diwali but for for the consecutive days. People with asthma, babies and elderly people and animals who are the worst affected because they cannot express their despair. A lot of people have over the years have given up their love for crackers but there are scores who are yet to give up this love.
My children will perhaps never experience the joy of bursting crackers, but being a responsible citizen i refrain from polluting the air around me. For them Diwali should be lighting the house, knowing the reason behind celebrating this festival and spreading positivity.
Today the school is closed hence i got an escapade from making 'tiffin' but of course i had to make detailed lunch. Let's hope the festive week brings joy in all our lives...
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