Dressed all fancy

I'm not really a competitive person at all. Yet of late I've enjoyed participating in a number of contests. There have been some writing competitions which I enjoy because they make me write about things I might not take up instinctively. Besides, they take my mind off the kids for a change. Some have taken me down memory lane back to my own childhood which is a great feeling.

And so now I take on another one. Shruti's Artsy Craftsy Challenge .

This is my second time at Shruti's. I enjoy her challenges most because I know I can never win these ones since I'm not really a 'crafty' person, so there's no pressure. This one is about Kids' Fancy Dress Costumes.

Here's their first one. Hrit as Sher Khan and Naisha as Mowgli. The kids were in the Jungle Book phase and loved dressing up. I found these really easy to do.

For Sher Khan I got a yellow Tee and Tracks and painted on the stripes. The tail is made by twisting a clothes'-hanger in shape, wrapping newspaper to give it body, then putting on yellow paper and painted the stripes. I made a loop at the end and inserted a regular belt through it so Hrit could just tie it on. The headgear was a bonus.. I borrowed it from the local toy-library. Hrit refused to let me paint his face so this had to be it.

He just doesn't look menacing.. a happy Sher Khan

Mowgli was a cakewalk. I simply used an old asymmetrical animal print skirt and tied it on. One can use any animal print cloth. It works just great.

No animosity here: Sher Khan and Mowgli cuddle up

Last year they had a theme.. insects. Hrit had these black overalls so I got satin ribbons stitched on and got black stockings on his hands to hide that bit of white. Some wire was twisted into wings. Dustbin bags went over the wires and I painted on yellow stripes. A readymade hairband completed the look.

The Bee

.. and the ladybird

Naisha was a Ladybird. She had a red dress on which I got black rounds stitched on, black stockings, red band and wings similar to Hrit's with spots instead of stripes. That's it.

Out in the cold

This week's Thursday Challenge: "COLD" (Ice, Snow, Windy, Beverage, Food, Ice Cream, Cold Weather Clothing,...)



Man and his best buddy

The picture is clicked by my sister who refuses to have her own blog.

This one's for India

Dear Hrit and Naisha,

We were early at the bus stop today and I was struggling to while away time with the two of you as you ran around bubbling with your early morning energy. Then along came Tanu with his Dadu. He takes his bus from the same stop as you and over time has turned into a friend. He joined in the ruckus till his Dadu suggested, “Let’s sing songs while we wait for the bus”. Tanu went first and he sang ‘I salute the flag’ then launched into ‘Chhodo kal ki baatein’. “I am preparing for tomorrow’s Republic Day function,” he explained. As his Dadu took all your little hands in his large ones and explained to each of you the right way to salute I looked on filled with guilt and regret.

Yes, tomorrow is Republic Day. However, you think it's just another holiday. I am so sorry darlings I forgot to tell you that tomorrow is no ordinary holiday. I could of course blame it on the relief of not having to wake up early to a super chaotic morning or the excitement of having Daddy home all day (he’s been working the last two weekends and we’ve barely glimpsed him all this while). But I won’t. I will make a promise, however, of telling you about the wonderful country you were fortunate to be born in…

--- a country where you can light fireworks at Diwali, tuck into seviyans on Eid and and get gifts for Christmas – a triple whammy

--- a country where you, Zaheen, Jennifer and Gunraj can share tiffins at school without a thought

--- a country where mama can wear what she wants, go where she wants.

--- a country where you can say exactly what you want because everyone, yes everyone, is allowed to have their say

--- a country that that gives both of you equal freedom and equal rights

And when you grow up ours is a country that gives you the power to make it what you want. That’s a huge power and a huge responsibility. Use it well when you have it.

Tomorrow is special. It is our country’s real birthday and we shall celebrate it in style.

Meanwhile listen to this, our National Anthem. I get goose bumps and misty eyes when I hear it. I hope in time you too will learn to look beyond it’s melody and will stand up in pride and love to salute your country just like Tanu’s Dadu taught you.

Love

Mama

Vote and Support

Okay people Blogjunta is looking for the best blogs. And surprise surprise obsessivemom has been shortlisted for the poll. We qualified, to state the very obvious, in the category on 'Parenting'. Needless to say I, the OM, am thrilled to bits. Of course I would be more thrilled if I actually won the whole deal. So...

...If you've ever seen a friend, a sister, a neighbour, a mother, turning into an OM .. vote for us.
... If you've seen anyone struggling to survive as an OM...vote for us.
...If you've ever been bored to death by an OM's kid treatise.. vote for us.
... If you think the blog deserves it ... vote for us
... and if you think it doesn't, well then, do it anyway... . ... for a friend, a sister, a neighbour, the humanity at large... actually anything will do.

I guess you get it then... the bottomline is ... VOTE FOR THE OM.

You can do it by clicking on the blog title in the upper right hand corner of this page or you can click here and vote for us on FB. See we're giving you options.

Oh and do NOT get distracted by the others on the list. Click the correct button, aap ka apna -- obsessivemom.blogspot.com.

The Queen

The Husband calls her The Princess but that she’s not.. She’s the Queen herself and he.. well decide for yourself. The other day, back from their annual function she plonked herself on the sofa and demanded I put nail paint for her (This obsession with nail paint is getting to me). At 9.30 in the night that was the last of my priorities. I was more concerned with rustling up a quick dinner since it was way past their bed-time. I left her sulking heavily. When I came out to lay the table this is what I saw….

Nail art from the expert

As she watches television the dedicated Daddy goes to work on her feet. The Daughter shall train The Husband after all. Way to go Naisha.

This and that

For a long time Hrit has been stuck on the idea of becoming a ‘bus driver’ even while I have been trying to broaden his horizons. Finally he was ready to reconsider. “Mama,” said he, “I think I will be a tattoo man. You must get me that big book with lots of tattoo designs. Then I will get to go to many birthdays I will make tattoos.”

This too shall pass, thought I and it did.

Yesterday he announced, “I want to be a soldier.” Finally something sensible. He went around asking, “What do I have to do to become a soldier?” “Eat well and exercise well,” advised The Husband from behind the newspaper. So now he’s practicing pushups as he has seen in Chota Bheem. Counting begins at 21.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A spider was spotted the other day. I was made to put everything on hold and called to admire the insect. It was a miniscule specimen hardly worthy of admiration (after the huge mud-coloured ones we've lived with and learnt to get used to in our house in old Lucknow). Five minutes after I went back to the kitchen the son followed with an update. "Mama Naisha picked up the spider and flushed it away." I was almost about to applaud... (Forgive me Gandhi ji but I really am relieved my daughter isn't always the damsel in distress) the son added, "Now it's family will cry no". That made me bite back my applause and condole the sad demise.

They never cease to surprise me, these two.

In other news....

The daughter wants to shave off her hair because 'after that it will grow very fast'.

and the son has learnt to laugh with his hand on his mouth in the most ladylike fashion.

Overheard

The Husband and the daughter having a discussion..

TH: Don't you think it's time for Shanti to go to school? (For the less informed Shanti is my two year old grand daughter). Where should we put her LFS or Vibgyor?

TD: Papa she's a baby she'll go to TreeHouse first.

Best of 2010

Thursday Challenge: "BEST of 2010" (Your favorite or best photo of 2010)
Here are my favourites. I love the reds of the first two. They stand out in my mind probably because they are recent clicks. The third is a long time favourite clicked by my SIL just as 2010 was about to kick off.





At the Mapro Farms, Mahabaleshwar

 

At the Mahabaleshwar Market

Heapful of Fun

WW2

Sssnake... Kaa, Kalia, a snake by any name.





A wedding and a vacation - II

If vacations are a rarity in the family.. weddings are an extinct concept… well almost. We’re in that mid-life zone when all our sisters/brothers/cousins/friends are married and we all have kids too young.

When a relative’s relative invited us for a wedding there was great excitement. Naisha was of course thrilled that she’d be wearing chaniya cholis for two whole days and she’d get to meet a ‘prince charming’… so what if it wasn’t her own.

The packing

There were clothes to be packed and jewellery too, which had been languishing in my SIL’s locker for years and there were the woolens…. By God how much grief the woolens gave me. Almost two decades of being away from the North has left me completely unprepared for cold climes. And so I was sourcing jackets and pulling out long-forgotten shawls. Finally it was all done and we were on our way. We were sharing the room with the SIL’s family which was great because the kids get along almost as well as we adults.

The dressing up

The first day we simply deposited our luggage and disappeared for sightseeing. In the evening we were given a printed ‘programme’ that informed that tonight would be a dandiya night. We thought we’d dress up the kids first and then get on with our own stuff. However we were unprepared for the amount of time that took. Hrit was ready in a jiffy but the girls just wouldn’t be satisfied. When I broke the heart-wrenching news that Naisha would have to wear a jacket on her chaniya choli she was devastated. Nothing would placate her till I hit upon a winner. “I’ll let you wear lipstick for tonight,” proved to be the magic words. She pouted and preened and made us put some on her cheeks as well and was finally satisfied. Just as I was heaving my relieved sigh in sauntered Hrit bhai after the arduous task of ringing doorbells of as many rooms as he could (which included our own for about 100 times). He saw Naisha and immediately flared up because he didn’t have enough ‘things’ to deck himself up. I had to bring on the whole boy-girl reel and finally convinced him that he looked fine as he was and sent the threesome out. We were left with about five minutes to wear the greasepaint for the pre-wedding bash.

Sorry sari tale

I hadn’t worn a sari for about five years now, which is something considering once I was a regular sari-wearer at work. I had dug out my wedding finery but none of my old blouses fitted L so I got new ones done. Despite two alterations I was just not happy. I packed the ensemble anyway hoping it would work out. What was I thinking? That I’d lose some 10 kgs between departure from Pune and arrival at Mahabaleshwar? Predictably that didn’t happen. I did wear the sari but my feeling of being uncomfortable and ‘exposed’ just grew and grew till I dumped it and pulled on my standby suit. (Don’t I know myself well?)

I am still wondering how people wear saris.. how I ever wore them. That’s another resolution -- get back on the sari wagon this year.

The big fat wedding

Much before we reached the venue, posters announced the impending wedding. And there were hoardings, yes hoardings, of the bridal couple and their relatives hands folded in welcome. This however was the tip of a huge huge iceberg. The wedding was a well-orchestrated event.

The hoardings

The kids were quite awed by the posters

There were printed handouts detailing the programmes. There was also a booklet with wedding related details. It outlined among other things the contact persons (for food, accommodation, ritual related queries) and, to my immense excitement, the menu for all the meals spread over two days. There was lots to look forward to.

We stepped out all set for the pre-wedding bash. The cold caught the kids by surprise and they were only too glad to rush back to the room where they crashed with The Husband leaving the SIL and I to enjoy the programmes in peace huddled around angithis with hot bowls of kalakand.

The groom’s family put up a grand show. There was a mock KBC, a swayamwar featuring the real-life bride and groom, and dance performances that had even the dads and uncles matching steps to ‘Dabang dabang’… I tried to conjure up an image of my professor dad or my somber dad-in-law gyrating to anything like that but failed completely. I had to hand it to the groom’s side for being complete sports.

I would like to find out if this is the norm these days, in which case The Husband and I will start preparing the kids for a court wedding.. of course if they don’t take care of it themselves.

The next day was the wedding. According to reliable sources the bride had had a number of makeup ‘trials’ before the right look was finalized. I thought back to my own time. When I booked the parlour all I’d said was ‘bridal makeup’. I went in with no idea of what I’d come out as and remember myself saying over and over ‘don’t make it loud, please’.

The floating mandap

The mandap was set up on a swimming pool. Though the hotel staff had cautioned ‘no more than 25 people in the mandap at a time’ almost double the number crowded on making me conjure up a vision of the contraption  collapsing and the bride and groom along with their entourage getting a cold dousing. Not a good idea in the December cold at all. There was live music and songs like Tare Hain Barati were sung at appropriate occasions.

The live music

Finally, the highlights

THE HUSBAND spent the two days huddled up in his blanket. When his phone would ring a reluctant hand would emerge, feel its way around till it found the phone and then disappear back inside the blanket again.

Shark surfing

While Naisha and my niece were involved in girly pursuits like sprinkling flowers on the bride and groom Hrit found himself completely ignored. He struck up a janam janam ki dushmani with bua because she left him out of the basket-and-rose-petal ritual. He was sent to me in great distress huge tears pouring down his cheeks. I needed a brainwave to appease him and I got one -- I told him he could sit with papa and watch sharks on the laptop. Hrit is in a ‘shark phase’ so was completely thrilled. The Husband was of course not so thrilled as his dismayed face popped out from under the blanket with a ‘What me?’ expression. However, to his credit he spent many hours with Hrit showing him gory videos on U Tube. Such is male bonding.

Meanwhile at the wedding pretty chinky-eyed girls circulated trays of dry fruit and delicate strawberries and jellies on toothpicks. The said toothpicks had tiny multicoloured satin flowers at one end.

Tired of the flower sprinkling Naisha took a fancy to those toothpicks. I found her with some fifty of them that had been discarded by people. All attempts to make her get rid of them failed and I had to agree to let her keep them till the next day when I quietly threw them off.

The trip was memorable for another huge reason. This was the first time ever I dared step out of the house without the nebuliser and I didn’t need it despite the cold. A huge step forward for Hrit.

On the way back…

we stopped at an airgliding field. Awesome sight.

The gliders.. scary scary scary

Oh and not to forget we did a round of the Panchgani schools.. The schools where Tanuja and Kajol had studied, New Era where TZP was shot and where Amir studied, the location of Gadar (does it even have school scenes? I really didn’t know but the local guy said it did). We also saw Amir Khan’s famous house.. of course from the outside. We were told that Amir and Salman roam around ‘khulla’ in Panchgani while Sachin liked his privacy. So much for celeb info.

Once an OM always an OM

A blog collage? It is just too much trouble, I thought when I saw it first at momofrs’ blog. Then it jumped at me from Monica’s blog both of who got it from Swaram . Oh okay I’ll do it. Might turn out to be fun after all.

The idea of the meme is to collate the first line of the first blog post of each month to see how your blogging year went. Here goes:

January

Hrit was spilling water the other day and here's what Naisha had to say to him

February

What's this obsession with the 'bad'?

March

Here's a conversation I had with Naisha

April

Hrit Naisha are increasingly teaming up against me and I'm not sure I appreciate it.

May

Despite Hrit's completely disobliging behaviour (Lights, Camera, Disaster) it seems the editors were magnanimous enough to include us in the article.

June

I’d been preparing the kids for a quite sometime for the shift to Pune.

July

It's crazy how many things one needs to teach the kids.

August

Our over ten year old faithful Microwave was murdered yesterday by an egg.

September

Like most young women festivals, for Naisha, are purely an occasion to dress up.

October

I had always been under the impression that my girl was a girly girl but O boy Naisha gave me some surprise.

November

Diwali’s a day away and I’m nursing the worst cold of my life.

December

This specs thing is proving not quite easy.

The collage is pretty much reflective of my blog.

8 out of 12 have the kids in the first line.

2 are about the kids.

1 is about me.

1 is a general topic.

No guesses there. I continue to be faithful to my name. The last two categories offer hope of a widening perspective, meanwhile it’s cheers to my bachchas.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday I




First it beat the clouds then the buildings.. this rainbow is determined to show up.

A wedding and a vacation - I

Most New Years on their arrival, find us vegging out in front of the telly. However, 2011 came upon us while we were celebrating a wedding. Though it was scheduled for the 1^st we landed a day in advance. If you’re wondering why, I’ll just say that the wedding was in Mahabaleshwar. Got it? For people in Pune/Mumbai Mahabi is really no big deal. However, for our vacation-starved family, it was no less than a trip to Kashmir’s Gulmarg.

I’ve been to Mahabi twice earlier but this was the first time I actually saw more of it than the bit that lives in a glass of Strawberry shake at MAPRO farms. I must confess though that bit remains quite my favourite. If you haven’t sampled their fresh strawberries with cream or the shake your life is incomplete.

Colours of Mahabaleshwar

The colours of Mahabaleshwar for me will always be the fresh reds of the strawberries, the rich scarlet of beetroots and the bright orange of carrots. There was a pleasant chill in the daytime sun when we arrived. However, what made the trip special was simply the fact that we were together for a holiday after I don’t know how long. I can’t even remember when we last went out together – just the four of us. That’s what special about holiday destinations and tourist spots. Of course they have the sunset points and sunrise points, the caves and forts, orchards and farms.. but what sets them apart is the happy holiday feel. And we were part of it all. The Husband was relaxed for change (All must be well at Mahindra, I presume) and game for a holiday. The kids were thrilled and could barely sit still.

As a friend pointed out.. The Husband has eyes for nothing else

Predictably enough we headed out to MAPRO to begin our ‘sightseeing’. I stuck to the time tested fresh SB shake, The Husband, on his last binge before he went on a ‘strict diet’ in 2011 (or so he claimed), opted for SBs with fresh rich cream and some icecream thrown in for good measure. Naisha took on the safe icecream (when will she learn to experiment!) while Hrit opted for mango icecream… yes he ate mango ice cream sitting bang in a Strawberry farm. When I pointed out to him that Mahabaleshwar didn’t grow mangoes, it grew SBs he refused to change his mind with an uncompromising, “So what? Lucknow grows mangoes, na,” which was of course irrefutable logic.

We'll huff n we'll puff and we'll finally get home

At the Venna Lake

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned earlier but my kids are water crazy. One look at the lake and they went berserk. The husband wasn’t too keen on the boat ride but where was the choice? Off we went. Naisha took the oars within a few minutes of being on the lake while Hrit confessed to being ‘too scared’. Finally encouraged by Naisha he took the oars too and the two of them proceeded to row us home with gusto. “I’ll eat three rotis today,” averred Naisha flexing her hands as we disembarked.

Savvy shoppers with their precious buys

I was of course interested in a spot of shopping and so we headed to the Mahabi market that comprised of about two dozen small shops. We saw some gorgeous vases which I longed to pick up but the guy at the shop refused to bargain and we left in a huff. Now I’m feeling totally silly because I did so want them….another reason to go back. We finally got home with two hats for the kids, a pair of glares worth all of Rs 30 and some shiny stones (which proved of great value in keeping the kids busy in the hotel room during the endless wedding ceremonies they didn’t need to attend). Hrit fell so madly in love with his glares that he refused to take them off. He wore them all through the wedding, at the dandiya night, at the reception, through the pheras and even at bedtime. When I forbade him from taking off his glasses he promptly wore the glares over his glasses.

Back at the hotel it was time to get ready for the pre-wedding dandiya night. But that’s another post.

So Happy New Year everyone, our beginning was pretty good, how was yours?