We had so many things planned for today and so,I had the brilliant idea of blogging on the go..I decided that I will keep writing snippets through out the day and then have a great blog post..Only problem,I forgot to open the new post on WP on the iPad and without internet access I couldn’t open it.Anyway,long story short,here’s some snippets from my day today..
Aadi and Nanhi lying on the mattress,we dragged out to the living room(it was too hot last night) and Aadi telling Nanhi.. “Mumma is older than you,Papa is older than you,Tuku(masi) is older than you,Nanu is older than you,Dadu is older than you,Dadi is older than you..etc etc..”till she had accounted all the family members..Nanhi listened quietly and then nodded wise,”hmm”.
I took Aadi for a painting workshop today..she had so much fun and I am seriously considering enrolling her in a painting class.I wasn’t much older than her,when I first learned to paint and I am so glad I did.After the workshop,we came home and I cooked lunch-a quick semolina pulav,which Aadi refused to even try. I have managed to get my hands on a copy of Vegie Smugglers and I am hoping it will help me get some veggies into my fusspot!
After lunch,it was time for swimming..SD went in the water this time and I sat with my iPad with all the intentions of blogging..but there was no internet,so spent the time playing Panda Jam..my latest obsession.
After swimming,Ms.Aadya wanted a cupcake so we went to the cupcake bakery for coffee,the girls had cupcakes and we had our coffees.
And then,it was time for a grocery run!There is nothing I love more than a well stocked fridge and pantry.SD bought loads of marinated kebabs,so thats what we had for dinner-kebabs with steamed rice and moong daal.
Now the girls are in bed and we are watching Talaash..SD is on leave from tomorrow so I am hoping to get a break atleast in terms of school runs:)
More later
Category: Uncategorized
A photo Memory
Today’s post is a part of the theme blogging from the Marathon Blogger’s group,the theme being “A photo Memory-a blast from the past”
The pic I am sharing is from -My Haldi ceremony..:) I wanted a very traditional wedding..the Yash Chopra kind of wedding..with all the rituals done..every custom followed to the tee and the works.And really,my dad made sure it was a wedding fit for a Princess.:)
The old Photographer Uncle loved clicking my pics..He kept telling my dad and everyone else,he had never seen another bride,so ready with a smile..even when she had tears in her eyes…:)
And because he was always clicking pics,I have so many precious moments captured on camera..the pic above is one such..
Frisky is my first baby..He was a gift from SD,when I lost my pup to snake-bite.
When I saw the theme,I knew instantly this was the pic that I was going to share..after all it is the month we got married..and my mind is flooded with memories of all the preparations and celebrations:)
My good man-Day 7
Yesterday I was in a mopey kind of mood..getting irritated about everything,feeling sorry for myself.SD asked me if something was bothering me or was it just PMS! I started to say something…but he came forward and gave me a hug and that made me feel a little better.
I spoke one of my Besties in the morning and that was nice,I was distracted for a bit.I hung up and was feeling mopey again.
I called up one of my other Besties and spoke to her at school pick up.. again I perked up.. but when I hung up that feeling was back.
Later when SD went for his cricket practice,I worked out and ended up being super-sore.The kids wanted pasta so I made that for them and there was some left-overs from lunch and when SD came back I asked him,what he wanted to eat for dinner,so I could cook that.He took one look at my face and asked me to rest and made us both some maggi with his own special twist..and it was the most delicious meal ever.
A little later I was talking to a friend and when I mentioned I was trying to put Nanhi to bed,he teased..that it was his wife’s job. Another friend I was chatting with said something about being clueless about changing his 1 year old’s diaper.And I just laughed it off…
And then as if right on cue,SD came and took Nanhi off my hands,so I could talk to my friends in peace.And I realised,how good I had it.I cannot tell you,how quickly my mood changed then… I didn’t feel sad or dejected anymore..all I felt was this warm fuzzy feeling..and ohh!So much love for SD!
And he did get some extra brownie points for letting me eat the last ice-cream cone in freezer.. sometimes a girl needs her chocolate ice-cream..and if a man can share the very last one with her,when he is craving it equally bad.. he needs to be appreciated.. he needs to be put on the pedestal!! He deserves a special blog POST! 🙂
That’s why this post had to be written..:)
Love you,SD!
Mug Cozy-Day 6
A simple ribbed Mug Cozy.Thanks Pooja for deciphering what I thought was complicated!!;)
Its funny ignorance leads to fear.I didn’t know how to knit an i-cord and I was so scared to try it…It sounds so silly now!! An i-cord is the simplest knitted object(?) ever!!
I think it would make a cute gift..what do you say?
Ohh an update on the squat challenge : I couldn’t do my squats yesterday..So today I did 30 squats and 30 ab crunches..Anan kept hopping on and off me in between!!LOL!Ohh and the cutest thing EVER- When I was doing my squats,Anan was doing them with me and groaning and counting too!! And now I am sooo sore..C.A.N.T W.A.L.K!!!!
Of carrot cakes and truth about frostings… Day 5
Ms.Aadya was going to the zoo today and its sort of a tradition in this house that Mumma has to bake her something special for such occasions.I asked her what she wanted and she said,”Carrot Cake”..So,that’s what I baked. I have to tell you,it was quite an experience,cracking eggs,when I had my own cheer-leading team of midget sized people! With every egg that I cracked,the girls cheered..I whisked and they sang and danced..:) I had only just creamed the oil and sugar and Aadi wanted a taste.Nanhi didn’t like the look of the creamed brown sugar,but she threw a tantrum because only didi got to taste it!! Oh! the joys of sibling rivalry!
So,the recipe-this one calls for oil instead of butter.My mom was forever looking for ways to replace butter with low-cal options,so you can imagine her joy when a friend told her that she could replace butter with vegetable oil.Since then all the cakes in our house were made using vegetable oil.And every now and again,I play around with the basic recipe to add flavors.
Without further ado,I present :
Ingredients :
Yields 1 Glad BBQ pan (29cm X 19cms X 5cms)
3 eggs
1 and 1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup chilled water
2.5 cup self raising flour
2.5 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped nuts(almonds,walnuts,cashews and pistachios)
1/2 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 tsp cinammon powder
1 tsp nutmeg powder
Method:
Pre-heat the oven at 180 degs (160 fan forced). Grease and sprinkle some flour on the cake pan.
Cream the oil and Sugar together,making sure that all the lumps are broken.Add one egg at a time.Add the flour,walnuts,carrots,salt,spices and the baking soda.Mix it together gently,adding little water at a time.
Pour the batter in the baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes,till the fork comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let it cool..
Once cool,you can frost the cake and garnish it.I used Philadelphia Frosting It was divine and for garnish I used chopped nuts(walnuts,almonds,cashews,pistachios)
If you want to make your frosting from scratch,I totally recommend this recipe from Taste.com
60 gm cream cheese
30 gm butter,softened
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
3/4 cup icing sugar.
Place cheese, butter and vanilla in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until pale. Gradually add icing sugar mixture, beating until combined.
So quick and it turns out so nice and fluffy..ohh yumm!
I still remember the first time I tasted a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting at starbucks in a Borders Book store in Delaware and my first reaction was..umm why cheese? But with every mouthful,I liked it a little better..and now I can’t think of any other frosting that will compliment a carrot cake as the Cream cheese.
That being said,I know my daughter and though Aadya insisted on the CC frosting,I knew it that she wouldn’t like it.I let her taste it,before I frosted the cake..she did and when I asked,she said..hmm not bad…I frosted the cake,she waited patiently and then worked her way through her piece slowly..very slowly..and then,she said,looking extremely shattered..’OK Mumma..I need to tell you the truth about the frosting..I don’t quite like it’
SD and I couldn’t stop laughing..I removed the frosting and she gobbled the cake up.
But she is like me.. she is warming up to the cream cheese.. every now and again,she wants to take a little lick of the frosting…
I heart this cake..because its so light and moist and not very sweet.Its just perfect to school snack or after-school snack or even great with the afternoon cuppa.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do..If you try the recipe,please leave me a comment tell me how you liked it:) and also send me pictures,so I can add them to my reader’s pictures page!
Oh Christmas Tree!Oh Christmas Tree!
Our Christmas tree is up,tinseled,decorated and lit up :)We all love looking it at it:) Ms.Aadya was the chief decorator this time and I had to literally sit on top of my OCD-side to re-arrange the colors..:D But this year,she was so excited,I didn’t want to play spoilsports.She didn’t stop chattering all the time.She put all the decorations in a box and carried it around,as she hung the ornaments on the tree.
Ms.Ananya took a fancy to the glittery baubles.And no she didn’t just look at them,she wanted to taste them..and she even tasted the smooth ones,but didn’t particularly like those.Her favorite job was trying to stick ornaments on the tree..but she didn’t quite get it why didi’s stayed on and hers didn’t.That frustrated her a lot and there was a moment of mini-destruction,where she lashed out at the lowest branches! But she got distracted soon enough and left the tree alone.
When we were decorating the tree,we played some Christmas songs on you-tube and were generally talking,laughing..I loveeeee that atmosphere…when we laughed,Nanhi laughed along!!Aadi wanted to know if she kept running away with the baubles too and we told her that we had decorated the tree while she was sleeping..But this time,I really wanted Nanhi to be a part of this family tradition too. But keeping Aadi away from the tree was so easy..Read here,if you don’t believe me..and she was only 2 months older than Nanhi is now!But Nanhi..OMG!She couldn’t care less..she does what she wants..she listens,when it suits her and seeing her sister move the decorations around,makes her believe like she has the licence for doing the same..:)
In other news,we were going to have a long day today.And I didn’t want to skip on my xmas25squat challenge,so I did my squats,while brewing our morning cuppa.. 🙂
2 days of Marathon Blogging and 2 days of squats done and dusted…!
Have a good week!
Of new routines :)
SD has started playing cricket again since the last 2 weeks and our Saturday routine has changed.While previously it was-Me-Go to work,come home,eat a late lunch- frozen Haldiram Thali or leftovers from the previous night,flop on the couch,cuddle the babies..take a little nap,go out for dinner/takeout,watch a movie in PJs 🙂
Now SD brings the girls to my workplace and then we go to drop him at his cricket ground,and then we have a girls afternoon of shopping/window shopping & food court meals.Then we come home and sleep/play/read,depending on how tired we are.Showers,cooking and then pick up SD,followed by dinner and movie in PJs.
When Aadi was little and SD first joined this cricket club,I was so angry and upset,because it meant that we(Aadi and I ) were trapped at home.I wasn’t driving then and we were at the weather’s mercy!But now its a different ball game all together.
I have two more weekends of work and then 7 weekends free..So looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday mornings and planning a whole weekend with SD and the girls.
I am doing the 25squat challenge and did the first day of the challenge,while cooking dinner. Nanhi didn’t want me to have all the fun,alone,so I did 10 squats carrying her!And that made Aadi angry,so I did the other 15 holding hands with her!And then she got mad at me,that I stopped!! The kid has no mercy! LOL!
I hope to get through the next 24 days and see some results!:)
I guess I’ll stop now..
Day 30!I did it!
30 days of non-stop blogging..yayyy I did it!And I have to admit,it was quite effortless..I think I must have struggled with what to write,may be once or twice..but all good otherwise.
We woke this morning to see a dead Sparkle 😦 I don’t know if they had a fight or she just got sick.We were worried about Aadi’s reaction..but she was pretty good.She did keep saying that the big sister died..and I winced every time she said it.. Oh she was very upset that we didn’t wait for her to flush Sparkle down the toilet..I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
In other news I had a fab killer workout this morning..but it was too hot for comfort..I was ready to throw up at one point..but some cool air from the fan and sips of water made me feel better..
Its movie-night here-we finished watching Brave and now are watching the Dark Knight Rises..I better stop typing,SD is frowning at me!
But before I go,I want to ask you..do you want to read more daily posts..or just sporadic ones??
Leave me a comment..come on!make a girl happy 🙂
What did I do-Day 29
Recently I shared a picture on FB and since then I have been receiving emails from friends asking what have I been doing to lose weight..My first response is nothing really..But,then,the more I think I realise..its the small changes that make a difference.
Here’s what I did-
1) A bit tedious but I counted calories..(have been slack for the last few weeks) but still do..That and lots of walking.I used myfitnesspal to calculate calories. It even has a tool for calculating the per serve calories,so that way,if you cook your own meals,you don’t have to guess the calories.
2) Replaced as many processed things with fresh as I could-Did a big pantry clean out and literally dumped the things that I couldn’t resist..read Bhujiya! Moved most of the snacks for SD and kids to another shelf and my healthy snacks to the one with easy access.
3) Upped the fibre content with fruits and veggies.
4)MFP told me that even 1 tsp olive oil has 150 cals..So,I replaced it with oil spray or just used 1 tsp to grease the pan and then poured it out.
5) calories Consumed- 1200 cal to lose,1500 if you are nursing/pregnant.
6) 5-6 meals during the day- brekky/lunch/dinner-300 cals.. and 3 100-cal snacks. I was targeting 1500 so I did 300 for brekky,400 each for lunch and dinner and 4 100-cal snacks- one of which was almost always a cup of milk.
You might have noticed,most of it is food related..well it was-I have to be honest I tried my best to workout for the first 3 -4 months of the year..after that,as it got colder,I started working more,SD’s travels etc.. workouts are out..I was lucky if I can get one in 10 days. So,I try to eat clean..some days I slip up and then the very next day,I start eating clean! Michelle Bridges of the biggest loser fame,says that weight loss is 80% diet and 20% workout..well I am trying to give my 80%:) Since the last 2 weeks,I am trying to be more strict with myself and schedule a workout/walk 4-5 times during the week,first thing after school drop-off,that way,its done before my body has a chance to complain!
Also read the Kardashian mum say- they follow the 80-20 rule.. eat clean 80% of the times,so if you have an occasional treat..its not so bad!
Hope this helps:)
My sister doesn’t approve of my ‘diet’ because I eat everything..but I eat in moderation..and I firmly believe that if I go without something for a long time,1)there is a big chance of self-sabotage- I will miss it so much and then binge!
2)when I start eating it again,I will put the weight right back on!
So..there you go,I have said it as it is..I have lots heaps of kgs but I still have a long way to go,till I will be happy with the way I look…:)
Hope this helps,
Day 25
I can’t think of a clever title today. I am still sore from my workout on Friday and today I went into the pool with Nanhi,because SD was playing injured soldiers. He got hit by a fast ball on his shoulder and when he woke up this morning,it was swollen ..I could see the swelling through his T-shirt! He has an X-Ray scheduled tomorrow.
Oh and I have a bit of a sad news 😦 Ok OK.. I am being dramatic!But,I found my first Grey hair yesterday..and I’ve been so sad:( Just last month,I was talking to my BFF and told her,I was tempted to color my hair,but I decided against it,coz I didn’t need it…and now its come back to bite me in the back!!:(
I had my assessment with my trainer on Friday and though there is no major weight-loss,I managed to lose the 2 kgs I had put on with Diwali.
But,I have doubled my timings in most of my physical tests which makes me so happy and proud! Someone was selling an elliptical trainer and I grabbed it,got it home today and we set it up in the living room,so I can workout when the kids are in bed.What I hadn’t accounted for was the little monkey that lives in our house.After the elliptical was set up,I hopped on to try and in less than 10 secs,Nanhi climbed up..she has no fear and she is so light on her feet..I promise I am not saying it just because she is mine. She was so swift as if she has been doing it all her life. I freaked out.SD grabbed her and we shifted the coffee table across to using it like a baby-gate!
My initial thoughts were to sell it right away..but when I calmed down,I thought against it. I stuffed a sheet across the wheel-it will just mean that extra step for me,when I want to work out,but if it will keep her little fingers safe,its worth it!!
Anyway..a new week begins tomorrow. Tonight at bedtime,Aadi said to me,”You know what mumma,I am sad its Sunday today. I am very happy when its Friday…” I had to keep a straight face..but my God!! do the Monday Blues really start that early?
How was your weekend?? Hope you had a good one 🙂
15 Marbles 