Friday, February 8, 2019

Tiffin Tales 83

Hola...

How are you all doing? I hope the weather is being kind to you and you all are making most of the winters. From my window it looks to be a gorgeous bright sunny day but just a step outside its almost bone shattering windy and cold. So I guess watching the sun from inside is more warming and soothing. The winds are tough and the sun looks sweet. The oranges these days are juicy and sweet but the winters haven't been kind to them.

A friend of mine dropped for tea this morning and it felt so good. She had some work and she decided to have a cup of tea at my place. She indeed surprised me and I had quite a good time chatting with here. The good times lasted with 45 minutes though and she had other chores too but those minutes definitely rejuvenated me. Sometimes its so important to discuss or vent out our emotions of feelings. The heart feels heavily relived though. Discussing acts as a window which lets fresh thoughts in and lets the older ones go out.

The cold wind is surely going to last for today and tomorrow and we see snow on Sunday. This year the winters have been brutal for us for sure. As my son repeatedly asks for spring and he wants to change the calendar pages fast so that winters passes and spring steps in. I find his words funny though because we all are governed by time even the weather. There cannot be snow in summer and beach weather in winter. I explain him but children are innocent. Perhaps I am also quietly waiting for the flowers to bloom and the leaves to come back.

It's Friday again and it's a pizza day for my son. He excitedly waits when he will proudly stand in the line and order a slice of his favorite cheese pizza, a fruit and a glass of milk. The pride of sitting with friends who eats from their boxes and discussing his luck on Fridays is the highlight of the day. On other days other kids get their share of blessings and my son waits for Friday. Of course the snack goes from home and today its a cheese stick, a banana and a small packet of chips. I wish I was born now :)

Enjoy the weekend friends and catch you all next week....

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Tiffin Tales 82

Hola....

It's been sometime we met, of course virtually. I hope you all have been doing well wherever life placed you. I had to take a small sabbatical owing to some changes in my life. In the last few days we lost a family member unexpectedly and somehow it shook our feet off the ground. Life can be so strange and and full of twists. That person was very popular amongst our families and somehow the separation is still unfathomable. He was full of life and happiness and had the unique quality to draw people near him. Only if we knew that he would spread love and leave us surprisingly.

They say people really never leave us. We just cannot see them, but they are always by us in every moment but the fact that we cannot see them with naked eyes or converse with them hurts every moment. Over the last few days life has taught me so many new emotions. Some of those I experienced earlier and some were new. Over the last few years I didn't meet him so often but was in contact but the thought that he would leave us so soon never crossed my mind. There are so many facets of life which only time teaches us. We always have had friends or neighbors who lost someone but we never feel the pain so bad unless that pain grips us.

The news some how made me numb. I took a few days to get a clench of my life and emotions that flowed within my heart. The thought pangs that I will never meet him or hear him kept scraping my heart. But I guess when time brings typhoon it slowly calms you down as well. I took a small mourning break from everyday duties and tried to delve deep. The deeper I went the calmer I got. Of course I did carry out my basic responsibilities and made sure that my children never felt neglected. Gradually I coming back to everything I have been doing.

This morning it started with some rain and its still cloudy outside. We are supposed to get more rain over the night and tomorrow. I woke up and could hear rain drops on the window. Today's lunch box for my son had egg fried rice with shredded carrots and broccoli. His snack box had pears, grapes and a chocolate biscuit along with a pack of yoghurt.

I hope you all have a nice time with your families and friends. Life is too short to waste on anything else. I will try to be more and more regular here...

Friday, January 18, 2019

Tiffin Tales 81

Hola...

It's another end of a week. The weather has been murky and keeping the mood cheerful is quite a challenge. The sun is on vacation and we want him to visit us soon.

Talking about mood its very difficult to remain cheery and chirpy in this weather but no matter the weather or situation is we have to keep smiling. This reduces stress and somehow motivates us, i feel. My children feel lackadaisical especially on the weekends. My S always looks forward to his activity classes but when he is done he looks lost and sleepy. Such is the power of this weather. Even though they look sad but in most cases they are not. The look outside in the sky and wish the clouds could just vanish and sun comes out so that they can step out some play time.

I always try to explain him the importance of smile. Situations are like tides, sometimes huge while there could be smaller ones visiting us at regular intervals. Smiling at the troubles somewhat weakens them. Braving them opens opportunities and also gives the spunk and spirit to face more in the future. Life is full of uncertainties and having the right mindset prepares us.

The weekend will be snowy and I don't know how we will manage driving to activity classes and for groceries. The snowy weather will demand staying indoors and the kitchen will be on for longer hours. This morning my S wanted cauliflower rice for lunch. I made it in some butter and with rice added a small vegetable patty. His snack box had a banana and a small packet of chips. That's all from this week. I hope you all enjoy the weather be it rain or sun or snow smilingly. Enjoy it for everything changes soon.....

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Tiffin Tales 80

Hola...

How is everyone doing? I hope you all are working towards your New Year resolutions and making new ones. As the days and months pass by we to an extent bend those resolutions as per our schedules and other responsibilities.

Talking about my resolutions it was only to keep my pitch level lower while i raise my kids. My pitch levels have increased unreasonably high over the years. My children have somehow made their maxim of their lives that as long as mom doesn't scream they will not listen. From simple things of life from brushing teeth to completing science project this Mom has to talk loudly to drum each word in their ears.

So this year I have made this resolution to help myself and my neighbors who for sure will hopefully thank me towards the end of year.

This morning also started with me yelling at everything and everyone because we all got late . So we all had to rush and brush to get ready and catch the bus. The weather was less windy though. In a rush rush I made broccoli and bean rice with some chopped carrots cooked in chicken stock. I was skeptical but it tasted good though. His snack box had apples a few berries and yoghurt.

I have tons of things to do today but hope  to catch you all soon. I hope you all make everything on time and enjoy the winter season...

Friday, January 11, 2019

Tiffin Tales 79

Hola..

Welcome to another weekend. Yes despite the cold and windy weather we all made it to the weekend. The sun is shying and we completely understand as the season demands it. The winds are getting stronger and my layers have increased. The cough and cold become almost members of the families.

Over years i have also realized how weather affects our mood too. A bright sunny day almost instantly brightens a face or broadens the smile whereas a rainy or dull day makes everything look so gaunt. The trees wear doleful look making us yearn for summer days to come soon.

This morning my S was standing next to the calendar and he wanted to change it from January to March. The reason he wants spring, and i laughed heartily. He says winters makes him sad and spring cheers him him and summer makes him the happiest. I had to patiently explain him that nature and time has its own cycle and we have to adhere to it. Our life cycles are also similar to nature where we experience all seasons. Winters are perhaps the last season we experience in our lives. Well thats how nature is. Lets all respect nature, protect it before we are left with no natural resources.

I cheered my S reminding him that today being Friday he can have his favorite pizza for lunch in school. His smile for sure brightened my day. His snack box had apples and a small of chips.

Enjoy all the seasons of your lives, for we humans do not get another chance to get those season or time back. Happy Weekend.

Thursday, January 10, 2019

Tiffin Tales 78

Hola...

Hope everyone is doing well. We are battling another cold, windy and cloudy day. The temperatures have dipped a bit and we cannot complain because it's January. The icy cold winds hit the face whenever we step outside.

The mornings are harder especially for the kids. But i love to see them smiling and jumping at the bus stops. The urge to go to school and be with friends makes them so happy. I so enjoy their smiles and the positive spirit.

Time rushes so fast. There was time when my S used to cry to go school because he would miss his mom but now its role reversal. These days he wants to go to the bus stop all by himself. Even though we accompany him to the stop but he always walks a few steps ahead of us in order to met his friends at the earliest. He wants us to wait till the bus leaves so that we wave him bye but most of the days he is happily busy chatting with his friends. The mommy is happily sad a bit. I always want him to be happy but sometimes selfishness takes some space.

Okay since its a cold day my S wanted something special. He wanted some broccoli rice with some grilled chicken. It was rather easy for me. I had some boneless chicken in my freezer which in the morning i grilled it with salt, a dash of pepper and a drop of lemon juice. His broccoli rice was easiest with some butter. The snack box was apples and chips and yoghurt.

How was your Thursday? I am sure you all are looking forward to Friday. Share your thoughts, ideas or your plans if possible.

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Tiffin Tales 77

Hola...

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019... This is the first post of the year and I certainly want to start on a positive note. I hope you all a have terrific year with love, success and positivity. The last year was bit of a ride for us but glad that we sailed through it. There were quite a few tides but glad those didn't wash us away. We held on to each other and we will continue to do the same.

They say it takes a village to raise a family but i still haven't made it to that village yet but the journey to that village is quite a tumultuous one for sure. The holiday season gave us a nice break in the winters. There was some morning silence compared to the usual meltdown mornings. The kids woke lazily and there breakfasts were simple. The lunch time saw some hustles and of course they took some nice afternoon naps. Evenings were relaxed and there was no bedtime anxieties. There were lots of story times and books which was quite comforting.

This morning the schools re opened and I am sure lot of kids like my S had some tough time to leave the bed early. My S wished if the holidays could on for some more days and secretly I wished the same. The holidays meant lots of cooking and eating at home and of course tons of groceries. In one of my trips I picked a bottle of schezwan sauce and this morning it made its debut for lunch box. I made some schezwan rice with vegetables. I had some patty which i crumbled and added to the rice. The rice had some nice aroma and I hope my S will enjoy his lunch. He is still in holiday mood and this rice is his current favorite. His snack box had some fruits and a small sweet, which again is from the holiday season and a small pack of yoghurt.

It rained hard yesterday but the sun is up today but I guess for a couple of hours. On that positive sunshine lets start this year and my tales too. Hopefully i can stir up some more exciting tiffin and my stories to go along.

Have a blessed day!