The owner of the lunchbox is the darling husband.Till we were in the US,DH used to come home for lunch and most of the days,I would breeze through the morning,getting fresh meals on the table,day after day.On the rare day,when he was going to be very busy,I would just pack something for him..or he would grab a burger or sandwich.
Then we moved to Melbourne-I don’t remember much about the first 5-6 months..may be he took lunch on some days,on others,he ate out…I didn’t care much. After we moved to this house,last february,pretty much the same pattern continued.Some weeks he would take boxed lunch on all 5 days,sometimes,may be 2 or 3 times..But one thing was constant..there was hardly any variety in his lunch box.
It was always- Rice-daal-sabji OR Curd-Rice OR Fried Rice OR Rice with Curry …you get it? the rice was constant.
He insisted it was easier to eat..and I didn’t mind,because,rice is easier to cook. Recently,I realised,how boring it is for him.He doesn’t complain..but just thinking/writing about it,bored me out of my mind. So,I have decided to bring in variety.Since the beginning of 2010,I am giving him boxed lunch,EVERY single day,unless he has a lunch meeting or if I am sick..and I want to continue this..because-1) It saves us money and
2) Its healthier. If only I can find other options.
The problem is it should be something that I can cook the previous night.Simply because,he doesn’t have the patience for my cooking to get done in the morning and starts panicking and threatening to leave,without the lunch.This gets me also worked up and I end up feeling unappreciated.And also,if I get up early to cook,so does Aadi and I am so not ready for a longer day of mommying.So,anyone back to the Project LunchBox-I am going to try and post what I pack for him,everyday..and hopefully some of you will share something interesting with me.
Do you or your spouse take a boxed lunch to work?What do you normally pack?
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Its time for the next guest post.This one is from one of my favorite bloggers..infact the one that initiated me into blogging.I read a post by a second time mom on Indiaparenting pregnancy boards and it made me reach out to her.That mom was Tharini and on her encouragement,I started my first blog.Tharini moves me and that was another reason,why I requested her to do this guest post for me.
Here’s what Tharini has to say-
There are many ways to meet people. Both in real life and on the virtual. And the way I met Trish, could fall into the category of ‘regular’….or not. How do you classify something that connected to the exact emotional state in two people?
Indiaparenting it was. On a message board. Where I had shared Thambi’s birth story. Trish read it and reached out. Not only because it called for congratulations, but because it called for that special sentiment, called hurt. Hurt, that a mother’s presence would have made the all the difference, and her absence was a very raw wound for me. And Trish had sensed that. It was the same wound that hurt her too. Girls need their mother when they are becoming mothers themselves, period. And I was lucky to have that blessing the first time around, with a narrow miss the second time. And in all the things that a birth story entails, it was this that Trish keenly sensed and wrote to me about. Ah, the bliss of being ‘got’.
She began blogging soon thereafter, and I learnt a little more about her and her life. But distances are always there, waiting at the corner, to wedge their way in and open the chasm wide. Busy lives with very little time was the distance that wedged itself in our case. We are not in regular touch or completely tuned in to each other’s lives. But when she writes to me about doing a guest post after 3 eventful years, that is the time to pause and think, and remember and reach out once more. So here I am, wishing Trish many many more happy sweet years of blogging and growing in her own right.
A parting thought….this bookmark, with one question, READY? I love it. 5 letters, with a question mark at the end, and the potency of infinity? Oh wow!!! Ready? So open ended with scope for the widest interpretation, the popular one corresponding to your exact situation in life. At that time, for me, it would have been….are you ready to move forward from that point, from that ache and embrace your newly completed family, completely? Now, it is…are you ready to make some serious changes in your life, leaving behind old habits that tend to leach and remember what it is like to be pure once more?What does READY? mean to Trish? And what does READY? mean to you?
Thanks for writing,Tharini and thanks for sharing this beautiful bookmark with us.
Ready? to me today means-Am I ready to take charge of my health? Am I ready for the next phase,thats going to start in our life,as Aadi starts school?Am I ready to give myself sometime,to wait for nature to take its course?Am I ready to make some changes in our lifestyle to make it better in coming months and years..?I think its about time and I think I am ready!What about you?What does READY? mean to you?
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I first stumbled upon Rayshma’s when Aadi was a couple weeks old.I read her blog,when I was up nursing Aadi inthe wee hours of the morning and her post made me smile,despite my sleep deprived state.I still remember,she had blogged about being cooped up at home that day.It reminded me of my days in Toronto.But,sleep took over and I forgot to save her url and I was discovering new blogs then..so,there was no way I could find her again.
Imagine my surprise,when I moved to texas and found another blogger,in Texas..and that blogger was Raysh!She was truly my Texas Sunshine.We exchanged emails and there was a connection..We met and got along like a house on fire..and before she knew what hit her,Aadya had a new aunt!:D
When I decided to do guest posts,this month,I don’t know what I was expecting..I just knew that I wanted to spread some smiles through the people who made me smile..:) But,Raysh this post..is making me turn beet red..seriously..:P
And the rest of you,here’s Rayshma for you-Whenever i think of trish, i find myself smiling. that’s just the way she is, i guess! happy, cheerful… always smiling. and her smile sure is contagious! she is what is generally perceived as a giver. she gives without expecting… she remembers your likes and dislikes despite the hazaar things she has to do… and that’s bcoz she genuinely cares.
saying she’s enthusiastic or talented really does no justice to her. she’s beyond all of that. her zest for life makes her one friend you’ll always want! if you don’t know how talented she is, you should drop by her art blog… and i dare you to come back without saying “WOW!!! frikkin fantastic!” *or something to the effect* THAT is how good she really is. and i think her personality really shines through because of how genuine she is. she doesn’t need to put on an act of enthusiasm, it comes naturally to her. and sometimes, i wonder how…!she’s the first blog-pal i met. and i sure as hell glad that i met her! i used to believe that my blog made me look like a better person than i am. i am, in person, rather shy. i take time to open up to people… to consider them friends… but trish never made me feel that i didn’t know her. it was like meeting a long-lost friend… someone i wanted to meet, but hadn’t got down to. as they say, some connections just happen. and i am so so honored to be doing a guest post for her.
here’s to many more years of blogging and friendship.
love you gurl! MUAH!
This is the third Guest post..you can read the previous guest posts, here and here. -
This is an article that I wrote on Helium.I was thinking of writing about this for a long time..and when I wrote this article on Helium,I decided to post it here as well.To view my Helium profile,go Here
Here goes-
Trying to conceive-Irregular cycles.So,you are happy together and are ready to take your relationship a step further.You decide to get pregnant.Thats the easy part.The most stressful period of a couples life is when they are trying to concieve.Even the healthiest of couples can have trouble falling pregnant and need to be patient.But its hard to remain patient.We expect our bodies to work as we want them to.If you are lucky and belong to the class of 70 % women,who have regular menstrual cycles,your work is easy.Monitor your cycle for the first few months,get an ovulation predictor kit or study the pattern of your body,have intercourse on the right days,and with luck,you will soon be pregnant.
But,if you belong to the 30% women who have irregular cycles then the chances of your getting pregnant reduce and the levels of stress increases.The increased stress in turn wrecks havoc in the woman’s body,messing up her cycle and in turn increasing the stress levels again.Its a vicious cycle. But you have to remember as irregular as your cycles are,there is a pattern to the madness.
When you decide to try to get pregnant,the first step to follow should be observing your cycle.So,may be you don’t get your period every month,but get it every other month-Try to figure out a pattern.Its is quite possible that you have a longer cycle than normal and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Once you start tracking your dates,you will overcome the uncertainity and be better aware of your body.It may take more than 2-3 months to understand your cycles.
Next step is to determine if you are ovulating or not.Its probably a good idea to consult a doctor for this one.In fact,it is recommended that you go for a pre-pregnancy check up,before you start trying to get pregnant.These checkups can open the doors to a lot of information.Make sure you ask your doctor,all the doubts,that you may have.At the same time,remember to not be bogged down by the big medical terms.
If it turns out that you have irregular cycles because you have trouble ovulating,your doctor should be able to suggest a treatment for that.Most gynaecologist,these days believe that losing 5% of the body weight can bring on ovulation,without any prescription medication in about 90% women.If that doesn’t work then,there are ways to induce ovulation.
Alternatively,it helps immensely to be in sync with your body.It is a very good idea to take sometime to know your body,before jumping into any kind of treatment.Making notes about your body,everyday,can help you establish a pattern and thus understand your body and cycles better.Meditation and yoga are very beneficial too.
Be patient and be open to alternative treatments too.And lastly,if you think,you need medical or professional help,don’t hesitate to ask for it.
Disclaimer-This is just information,that I have gathered from the internet,books,and other sources and is in no way,meant to replace medical or professional care.
I will be writing more on this and similar topics..in the meantime,if you want to take it offline,email me..
Ciao,my lovelies,more later.
