I really don’t know what is going on in the Suburban House. I really feel,I should change the name of this blog to something like a Medical journal..or something.
When I was pregnant I noticed a new mole of Bab’s leg.I didn’t pay any attention to it,because,I keep sprouting new moles all the time..they come and go..
But Bab’s mole kept changing.In the last 4 months,since Babychino’s birth,it grew in size,asymmetrically and got darker. Every time I saw it,I felt anxious..
Finally yesterday,I took her to the GP.The GP took one look at it and said,without a minute’s hesitation that it looked dodgy and we should remove it.
I didn’t even wait to go back with SD. I just got it removed then and there..I was just going to ask the Dr. about what it could be and then I saw the biopsy needle.I swear,I could feel my heart beating so loudly..I was sure,it was echoing in the whole room.
The Dr. said that they have to test it for Melanoma.She said,9 out 10 cases are fine..but we need to rule out all the possibilities..She said,she felt,it would probably be nothing
She said she will call me,if something is wrong..otherwise I should relax…But how can I? How can anyone…?
We really need some space cleansing vibes here.. some VERY STRONG positive vibes that will drive away all these sickies away!
I hope the new year brings in good luck and good health our way!
Yet again..
Yet again,life got on top of me.I really dunno where the time goes these days.EVERY single day,I think of you guys,I think of updating the blog.. but….
First things first,thanks for all the hand holding,everyone.I got the CT scan done and the results are … lets just say,I need to see a surgeon.There is a 4cm cyst in my spleen. Given that the spleen itself is 10cm long,4 cm cyst,seems big.So,I see the surgeon before Christmas and then,we’ll know more.If I require a surgery then,I think I will just pack my bags and go to my dad’s. Anyway,we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
We are down to the last school term for Babushka..and it has been a great last term,filled with lots of activities and fun-days. They even went had an excursion to the zoo.SD wasn’t too crazy about her going alone..For days together,he kept asking me,”How could you leave her alone??” I finally asked him to take the day off and go with her,since babies weren’t allowed and there is no way,I was dragging a 4 mo just so we could follow the Kinder group at a safe distance!!I played the I-am-her-mother card and she went to the zoo and she had a blast.She is still talking about it and its been 4 days!
Babushka is so quick to talk and so witty.At the zoo, the teacher was putting name tags on everyone,with the school address and number,facing forward.And this cheeky monkey tells the teacher,”No,No Jane,you cannot put it like this-how will the animals know our names?”and before poor stunned Jane could answer,she says,”OK then,Never mind,we’ll just flip it over and show it to our favorite animals.”Jane was still speechless,the other parents had a nice laugh!
Babychino is busy growing up..She is now sitting up.Yes!Already(knock on the wood now!) a couple nights back,after her massage,I sat her up and was rubbing her back and she first lifted one hand off the floor,tentatively..then the other..She is trying to lift herself,when she is lying down.but,if you prop her up,she stays like that for a good while. She is suddenly interested in colors and I think her favorite color is yellow! She likes to grab EVERYTHING! All this is fun,but she gets mad,if I move away from her 10 cm radius! She pretends to cry!!YES!Pretends to cry..just keeps looking at the ceiling and makes these wailing sounds…and when we go close to her,she smiles!!!
Speaking of smiles,everyone at Babushka’s kinder have nicknamed her ‘Smiley’..Lately,SD and I have been looking at our girls and then saying,to each other,who would have thought?..I get that thought quite often,when we are having a nice peaceful moment…all of us laughing at something Babuska said or Babychino did…it was nice when SD mentioned feeling that way too.Its nice to know after so many years together,that we still feel the same way. In less than 2 weeks,we’ll be celebrating our eighth anniversary together. When I look at the girls,I really feel.. when we were going through hard times in our relationship,because SD’s parents weren’t agreeing.. a kid was probably the last thing on our minds..and we got past that.. and now we have two of our own!!Blows me away completely:D
I guess,I’ll stop here for now..Will be back with more soon..till then..
Take care,my lovelies..
Quick Banana Cake
My daughter has an excursion tomorrow..her first actually.They are taking her kinder class to the zoo. After going back and forth,we I decided to let her go.S is still not convinced.But anyway,bottom line is she is going.And when I asked her what snack she wanted,she asked for Banana Bread.
S loves it too.. but my only problem with Banana Bread is,how it gets hard and dense on cooling.I wanted it to be soft.So,I started out baking this cake.But as always,I was multi-tasking-making calls,chatting,mixing the batter! The baby cried too..so,I put her back to sleep..Anyway,to cut the long story short,I forgot to add the milk!
And then I waited for the cake to get baked..Can I just tell you,its the softest banana cake I have eaten?And when you have a recipe quite by chance, you should write it down.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cup flour
3 ripe bananas(mashed)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence.
Method:
1.Mix oil and sugar and whisk.
2.Add an egg to this and whisk more.Add the essence.
3.Add the mashed bananas and mix well.
4.Add the flour in 3 parts,mixing well.
Bake at 180 deg C(160 fan-forced) for 45 minutes,till the knife comes out clean.
Cut into pieces and store in an air-tight container(if it lasts that long!)
Happy Baking!
Creamed Spinach with Corn
Spinach and corn are two of my absolute favorite vegetables.I can eat them in any form.But the rest of the family – lets just say, they are not in love with anything green,leafy or yellow.The husband refuses to eat anything leafy..He gets mad at me for even garnishing food with fresh Coriander or Parsley leaves. Give it to him in a form where he can’t see the leaves, he will gobble it up.Recently,we went to a cafe for brunch and it dawned me that I am the designated salad eater of the family.The husband and the daughter,dutifully passed me the greens from their plates.
Anyway,here’s my version of Creamed Spinach with corn
Creamed Spinach with corn ( makes 2 generous servings or 3 medium serves)
Ingredients:
Baby Spinach leaves 200 gms
garlic cloves- 2 nos.
ginger- 1/2 inch piece
green chili- 1-2 as per your liking
Onion – 1 medium sized,finely chopped
corned can-1
Olive Oil -1-2 tsp
2 tbsp 
cream(thick/lite-your choice)
all spice powder- 1 tsp
salt to taste
Preparation:
1.Puree’ ( spinach,garlic cloves,ginger,green chili) in the food processor.
2.Heat a tsp of olive oil in a pan,add and fry the onion till translucent( you can also use shallots)
3.Add a cup of corn( I used canned corn,after draining the broth and rinsing with water)
4.Add the spinach Puree,salt and all-spice powder.
5.When the raw smell disappears,lower the flame and add the cream. Serve hot.
To give it an Indian flavor,when serving with Naan or roti,I just replace the all-spice powder with Kitchen King Masala Powder(MDH/Everest brand) and serve with rice or roti. Very quick and delicious..
Do leave me a comment if you try this recipe:)
4 months:)
Oh my Laddu,
What are you doing to the time??Really it hasn’t gone this fast,EVER! So you rolled over a good 1 week before you hit the 4 month mark. What’s your hurry,tell me? But you know what,for once,I am happy and not desperately looking for ways to freeze time and you,as you are. This last one month has been so exciting.. you are pushing yourself to a new level every day.
You are not happy lying down anymore.Everytime,I put you on your back, you start lifting your neck and try to sit up 🙂 You naughty imp!So, these days,I have taken to propping you up with pillows and that makes you so happy.
I am actually so thankful for all the extra pillows that we have in this house.Because God forbid,if I forget to prop you up on those pillows,you scream the house down. You have set new rules around here,the most important one being,that Mumma has to be in your line of sight ALL the time. So,when I am cooking, you and your pillows are on the couch lounger..When I am getting ready,you and your pillows are on the bed right across from the bathroom.
Sweetheart you are turning into a whole new person..I cannot believe it that just a few months back,you were a tiny baby that we brought home. But you know what,even then, you knew your Mumma and you set the rules. When you were crying, the only thing that calmed you was if Mumma held you close and whispered in your ears..and even now, that seems to work like magic.One minute I have a screaming baby and the very next,she is smiling:)
All that is fine,but,really Bubba,the other Big person is this house is your Papa and its alright if he holds you sometime..Yes Yes, I know you have been letting him rock you to sleep,last two days..but,we need more of those moments.I mean,come on… it’s not necessary to cry every time,I move out of your 10cm radius.And then,when I hold you, you are happy and smiling at all and sundry. Sometimes I want to see those beautiful smiles too.
You, naughty monkey, you save the best of your smiles and deepest chuckles for your didi.Your big sister,comes up with funny tricks to make you laugh You chuckled for her the first time..Gosh!Your Papa and I stopped whatever we were doing and watched in awe.
And not only smiles,you are a wild kitten,ready to bat your paws on Didi’s face,when she irritates you,by trying to eat your nose.You scream screech in anger irritation and want to bite her nose back! It’s the most hilarious sight. I hope I am able to laugh,later in life,when you get both get older and are driving me crazy with sibling fights!
As of now,I will just revel in the love you both shower on each other,and thank God for blessing me with such lovely babies.. Gosh! I could just eat you up.
On 23/11/2011 you turned 4 months.Didi was so excited,she kept telling anyone and everyone,who cared to listen,”Its Ananya’s Birthday.Say Happy birthday to her!”She insisted we bake a cake.We had a busy day that day and I was too tired.But,she wouldn’t give up.So,we ended up baking a cake-in-cup,which was quite a disaster..and decorated it with rainbow Marshmallows.I was too sad,for not getting/baking you a real cake..But,I promise you,when you can actually eat the cake,I will bake you the prettiest,the softest,most delicious smash cake EVER!
Oh and I know, you hear this too often,that she looks like Aadi or Papa or Mumma.. and I also feel at most times that you look like didi did at your age, but you also have your own face and expressions and voice ..and they are so you,I can recognize it,even with my eyes closed..I know,it doesn’t make sense right now..but it will when you become a mom,then you will know the crazy ways,a mom’s mind works in!
I’ll stop here with lots of love and cuddles and kisses and squooshes.
Love you always,
Mumma!
And you my dear readers,I leave you with this:) Enjoy!
Siblings rock!
Pretty little things..
….called Buttons 🙂 I absolutely heart buttons- of assorted colors,shapes and sizes. I hit gold when I found a pack of 100 assorted buttons in bright colors and cute shapes.
I used them here and here they instantly upped the Cuteness factor 🙂
Then,I made this card for a friend’s 5 year old.
And how can I forget these gift bags that I made for Aadya’s 4th birthday.
These were super-easy to make and such a delight to see a box full of hand-made goody bags:)
Just made dots on the brown paper-bags- using acrylic colors and ear-buds.Wrote the names of the recievers using a felt tip pen. And then,the birthday girl ‘helped’ me stick the buttons on 🙂
Linking this post to Artsy-Craftsy November 2011
Some baby knits:)
I had plans of making a nice winter wardrobe for the baby.. but two things offset my plan..
1) We didn’t know the sex of the baby..till the very end..
2) I had severe carpel tunnel..
Here are some things I worked on,when I was pregnant..
Aren’t these cute?? The little cutie kept them on for all of 5 minutes!!!
Pattern: Test Pattern on Ravelry
I hope these stay on longer!
Pattern: another pattern I tested .
And this is where I turned into my MOTHER!! yes,I made matching garments for my kids 🙂 and now,I,finally, understand what made her do it:)Here‘s the one that I knit for the big sister-
Pattern: Pebble on Ravelry
Ok, now you can say-Awwww..:)
Mung-Zucchini Cutlets
This post has been long over-due! Thanks for being so patient,Ami!
We went through a phase in our house,where we were tired of eating the same vegetables-cabbage,cauliflower,beans,carrot,capsicums..and I wanted to bring new vegetables to the dinner table.
When I mentioned Zuchini,the husband wasn’t too enthused ..the daughter couldn’t care less..So,I had to make it fun.What is more fun than a cutlet. So,here’s what I came up with.
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cup Green Mung
1 zucchini,grated
1 small onion,finely chopped.
1-2 green chilies
fresh corriander leaves.
Salt,cummin powder,black pepper.( if you want an Indian flavor- add some red chili powder and garam masala)
Bread crumbs for coating
oil/oil spray for frying.
Preparation:
Soak Mung in warm water for 1 hour. Then cook the moong with sufficient water in an open pan,till the Mung become tender and the water dries up.If there is excess water,drain it.Mash it to a pulp and let it cool.
Heat oil in a pan and fry onions in it,till they start to brown.Add the grated zucchini and fry for a minute or two.
Add the fried onion-zucchini mix, the spices and chopped green chilies and chopped corriander leaves to this mix. knead well.
Divide the mixture into balls of equal size.
Flatten the balls and coat with bread crumbs and pan fry on medium heat,till crispy.
All done!
I served these as it is with tea and then, as Pita wraps for dinner.
For making the wraps,you need:
Pita bread-2
salad-sliced onion,tomato,lettuce,cucumber.
Green chutney or any sauce of your choice-hummus,tahini,garlic sauce..whichever you like.
Cut the pita from the middle,so that you have two pita-pockets. Stuff the pocket with salad,cutlets,generous helping of sauce-Wrap it up..Dig in!!!
Hello from the Suburban House
Hello!Hello!
Anybody still here??
This is Suburban Mumma reporting from the Suburban House:)
Hope you all are doing well and still reading:)
So,here’s the latest from our end-
Babychino was very very sick from the weekend of Nov.5th. She had a case of acute Bronchiolitis and was have trouble breathing.She scared the crap out of us,on Monday morning by gasping and wheezing loudly.This happened at 6 am on 7th Nov.We were sent to the ER twice in the same week.Since then,I had not slept well until,last night.I would just sit there watching her..forcing my eyes to stay open,even when they protested and started watering.Her cough is all but gone now and I slept last night..My body is so tired,my eyes are so tired..but I am happy,she is better.
And for all those who asked,YES! I finally gathered all my nerves and went ahead and booked the CT scan.So,thats done and dusted.And after the test I realised,that I survived the test..its the waiting for results,that will kill me. Anyway,I was told that if its something urgent,they will call me..otherwise,I will get the results from the Doctor,next week.And now,every time,the phone rings,I jump!
Babushka,went one level up in her Kumon English in less than a month..and WE are a very PROUD set of parents:) Babs also finished her Prep orientation and we got her uniform fittings done.She was like an excited bunny in the uniform store. Yes,there’s a uniform store and they give you appointments to get your child’s sizes checked and despite giving you an appointment,they don’t have everything in stock!
Oh and Babychino,rolled over and loves it when we cheer her on! Ohh and she is super-clingy to me now..She knows and responds to her name and gurgles as soon as she spots me.Oh wait..I am not allowed to go away from her.I have to be in her vicinity all the time. She is going through major separation anxiety.SD is not amused..he accuses me of snatching both his daughters 😛 Then,I give him a sly look and say,he is mine too.and that seems to please him LOL! what can I do..I am irresistible.
Well my so-called friends don’t think so..we are going through a re-run of this.It hurt like hell..but I have come to realise that I am better-off without such friends.SD wants me to blog about it,to hear back from you,kind folks..and may be I will,for his sake..
Well,thats it from our side..I will write again,soon.
Take care,Luvies:)
And she rolls:)
Yes, she does!!
Anzie has been rolling from her back to tummy,when she is on the bed or on the couch,for a while now..But yesterday night,after her massage,she rolled from her tummy to back and had a big smile on her face,when we cheered!
15 Marbles 