Monthly Archives: March 2011
Reflections…
.. for this week’s Thursday Challenge!
Lights reflected in the tiles
Reflection in a mirror
And this one from an earlier post….
Tiny tidbits!
One full moon day, I promised Ammu that I would take her to the terrace when I come back from work. So I took the two of them to the terrace to look at the Moon. They said that it looked very beautiful 
I also pointed out to the soothing moonlight all around us. While savouring the lovely sight of the night sky with the moon and little stars, the moonlit space around us, Ammu wondered.. ‘Mamma we cannot count the stars na?’ Spontaneously, Adi *pointing skywards*: ‘One, two, three….* At his age, he thinks that counting the stars is definitely possible 
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One day, at bed time Ammu was upset. She said ‘ thata didnt allow me to see TV. Thats why I’m angry’. I tried to reason saying ‘ You watched TV in the afternoon na. So you should let thata watch in the evening. And you have your homework to do or read for the tests. He wont have any such thing to do na’
Ammu spontaneously: ‘Ok then..we will send thata also to school. Maybe he can go to 2nd or 4th std’ 
Me trying to supress the giggle: ‘Talk to your HM ma’am and tell me. We’ll send him’
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Recently, Ammu has realised that mamma’s name is very popular..heroines/kids in serials, movies go by that name. Once while watching a movie, she didnt seem very happy on hearing the name. When asked what happened, she said : ‘Why is it always Priya and not my name? 
I told her that she has a name that is not so common. Probably, she’ll be glad about this when she grows up Dont think she can appreciate it now!!
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Ammu is very particular about going to bed with me. She refuses to sleep with anyone else. In fact for most things like bathing her, getting her ready for school, etc she insists that I should do it. Though at times she allows others to do it for her. But, to bed, she must go only with me.
One night, she was particularly adamant and refused to heed to the requests from sis and BIL2. She said ‘I like to be with you only mamma. Everyone likes to be with their mamma na…’ Then, as an afterthought she continued ‘ everyone likes to be with mamma except one… Adi!!’ he is his baba’s son and asks for his mamma only sometimes
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During Ammu’s tests…
Sometimes, while getting her ready for school in the morning I casually ask her some questions, those she would have not remembered or answered the previous night. Sometimes she answers, at other times she confidently says ‘Mamma I will think and write something. You dont worry’ Earlier I had noticed mistakes in her worksheets which I know were due to the fact that she is always in a hurry to finish. So I had said ‘You should not be in a hurry. You should always think and write’
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While on a walk, I point out the lovely pink tabebuias to her. Leafless, the rows of trees were bathed in soft pink. Spontaneously, she asks ‘Mamma is it spring?’ I was amazed and excited that she could make the connect
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One evening, while I was talking to her about her day..she says ‘Mamma i like to be in school only… more than home.’ Me *a little concerned*: ‘why? everyone likes home na? why you dont like?’
She *spontaneously and emphatically*: I know. But it is different for me mamma!!
Already acknowledging and asserting that she’s different!!!
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Friday Flowers :)
Happy weekend folks!! Hope its fun and lovely, or just calm and peaceful… or all of these put together
Lil pleasures… and some bliss!!
After many days of hectic work I got some respite yesterday And I left for home early!! The sun had not set and it felt good to be out with the sun still shining bright. On the way, I saw the tress swaying and felt the cool breeze… people returning to their homes and small kids playing in the school ground while their mommies chit chatted keeping an eye on them
As soon as I reached home.. I took Ammu for a walk. We talked about a lot of things…flowers and plants, the buildings, her school..so on. She wanted to me to pluck some flowers for her, but I declined as it was dusk. Instead, I picked up some of the pink and yellow flowers that had fallen on the road. She was excited and asked if we could tie those with a ribbon to make a bow
I was reminded of our childhood days. I told her about the time when I and sis1 used to go for morning walks and would return with lots of flowers that we would pluck from plants on the way. On hearing this, Ammu spontaneously said ‘ Avva also would pluck white flowers from the plant na.. near the old house?’ I was totally surprised that she still remembered this. Looking at my surprised expression she went on.. ‘Avva would pluck the flowers and tie them na… I remember Is that Jasmine mamma?’
Earlier whenever I have tried to tell her about some incident that had happened while we were in that house, she didnt seem to remember. Not that I expected her to.. we had stayed there when she was just a little girl of 1yr till she was 3 yrs old. Granma would carefully pluck flowers from the plant choosing only the ones that had bloomed nicely. She disliked people who plucked out the very young buds. She would then tie them up into a garland while Ammu had her afternoon siesta. Granma loved the daily ritual of decorating the photos of deities with the beautiful garlands and flowers for the pooja in the evening. By the time she was done with it, Ammu would be up. But many times Ammu would wake up sensing Avva’s absence and then sit beside her during the whole process. Perhaps that is the reason it is so deeply etched into her memory And, inexplicably, I felt so very glad that she remembers!!
Back at home, I suggested she put the flowers in a bowl. In a smal bowl, she filled water, put in the flowers and placed it on the table in the living room. And, showed it off with great excitement to everyone as soon as they stepped into the home
The colour of life…
… Green For this week’s theme at Thursday Challenge.
Green is a colour so soothing… makes me feel at peace. I cannot take my eyes off when I see an expanse of green while travelling …there’s something so tranquil about it. I’m sure most would agree with me. *i have always wondered why green is associated with jealousy*
And these past few weeks .. I’ve been revelling in the sight of various shades of green… from the fresh sprouts on bare branches..to the translucent green of tender leaves… to the dark leafy green Its amazing to observe the plants come to life again!! Isnt it?
I had felt that Green would be an easy peasy theme… but truth is I have had a tough time going through the pics again n again.. so many pics of trees and plants!! I couldnt pick just one.. Finally, I have selected a mix..
The green playground… pic taken by sis in London. If you look closely you can see a set of people doing something in a ‘A’ like formation.
A green bug .. pic taken by sis when we had been to Tirunelveli for a cousins wedding.
Green joy ride! Pic taken by BIL1 at Kolkatta.
And how can I not include a picture of leaves? This was taken by me, on the apartment terrace, after a drizzle!!
Liked the various shades and forms?
Golden Glow!!
… for this week’s theme, METAL (Metallic, Steel, Bronze, Gold, Iron, Shinny,…), at Thursday Challenge !!
The pics were taken at the ‘Padmasambhava Buddhist Vihara’, also known as the Golden Temple, at Bylakuppe .
Tiny tidbits :)
Adi has this habit of throwing things from the balcony … esp when no one is looking. One day while playing, he throws a toy out of the balcony. His baba goes and brings it back when Adi is busy with something else. After a while, on seeing his toy back in its place, Adi asks ‘Baba, you fell down and got it?’
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Adi used to wake up crying at times and that worried Sis. I suggested that she tell him some nice things while going to bed… or maybe a prayer would help. So she told him to pray and said that he neednt get scared and that Shiva will protect him from harm.
One night when they got ready for bed and BIL closes the door and the windows he asks
‘How will Shiva come and protect me if you close everything’
Sis says ‘Dont worry..He’s already here. He will protect you’
To which he replies.. ‘OK. I will also protect him!!!’
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While watching the movie Ganesha Adi asks his mom why Lil Ganesha’s head is chopped off. She says… ‘Shiva is angry with Ganesha because he didnt listen to him. And so Shiva has chopped off Ganesha’s head!’ To which he asks… ‘So if I dont listen to baba and make him angry..he’ll also chop my head off?’… *mixed emotions…shocked ..awestruck..*
We have heard this story umpteen times…but this line of thought had never occured to us!!
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When he is fussy about eating..we usually say ‘you have to eat if you want to get shakti and become strong’ So now..whenever he is eating he raises his arm and points out saying..see bomma i’m getting shakti!!
And then if one of us says we are not going to eat..he says .. ‘You must eat.How will you become strong?’
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This one has been in the drafts for over a month now Glad that I’ve been able to post it !
These days we are seeing less of Adi. His grandparents have come from Kolkatta and are taking care of him. He doesnt come to our place after school. Though we do meet him once a week at least. Home felt very different at first.. without his presence. But we have got used to the quietness now He is as usual busy with school, play and grandparents. Thankfully, Ammu and Adi meet everyday in the school van ..on their way to school. Or she goes to his class at times, during break, to talk to him
The week before last Ammu was down with fever and he was refusing to go to school coz his didi was not going! And now, it’s his turn The change in weather always does this to them…no matter what precaution we take
Summer vacations will start after a week and we hope Adi will come and spend some time with us. I’m sure his parents will like the break from having to constantly keep on their toes
Hoping and wishing and praying that sickness stays away from the kids … this summer. And ALWAYS!!
