March 10 - Restart

After a really really long time, the kid starts her yoga with the OA.  I need to pitch in soon too.  Why is it that I dont keep up with my exercise every day and do it only when the health is under serious threat??

That aside, while the OA says he is being much more alert due to my health, nothing stops my binge eating, I am such a bad patient I say..

March 4 - Spy Can Craft

The kids make their I-spy jars with a theme of the scout law.   Love the way the kids are expressing themselves these days.

March 3 - Love Letter :)

This was the note the kid had written back in her 1st week of 1st grade days :).  Her spellings do kill me even now but looking at this I am so much more thankful that lord is being cinde to me :) 

Feb 26 - Nice Thought

Saw at the senior center where the girls meet for their scout meeting..


and the girls made their own brownie contract, their own rules for the troop based on the GS law.

I am surprised at the choice of their words like inclusive, personal space.  My tiny little daisies all grown up and talking sense :)

Feb 24 - An Eventful Day

Watching Isha Coimbatore festivities live has become a Sivaratri ritual for me, so while it is Sivaratri in India it is Sivaroju for me here.  This year the magnitude is much much higher due to adiyogi unveiling..

The day was eventful for the kid who is now officially a candidate for black belt and one thing we would regret is she just going back home without that degree.  Martial arts inculcates a sense of discipline and sharpens the child's reflexes undoubtedly and every child needs to learn self defense period.

The lazy me and the crazy kiddo always find a reason to out and what more excuse than the testing :).  So Boston Market it was followed by Coldstone, kid her usual chocolate and coffee lovers for us.  Forget fasting on Mahasivaratri, I ended up eating chicken, I have cut down nonveg a lot, this should stop too.  I should give it to the kid for sticking to her no NV diet religiously.

The child knew about keeping her spine erect and waking up whole night on Sivaratri through Isha and her dad and the little one decides to do it, I like how she sticks to and follows through her choices whatever they are and at the same that is a source of my concern too at times.

Feb 22 - Must Dos

We have 4 branches of our amazing library, 2 of which we frequent a lot.  The bikestand and the doggie display are must play spots whenever we go there, at least once even when we are rushing through everything else. :)

Rain or Shine, we need to ride the doggie, climb over it slipping, losing grip, whatever it takes.. little great joys of a child.

Feb 20 - Another bright day

Another bright day but a bit on the colder side, so just an hour of playtime before we rush indoors..

The veggies cleaned, cut stored and ready for the week.!!!

Feb 19 - A sunny Winter Afternoon

It is difficult to believe that it is still Feb in this part of the world with sun so bright, no snow at all, temps high the kids have a blast at the local park.

and yours truly settles down with a book :)

Feb 18 - Sorting

Letting go of things is the toughest task, a few of her books set aside to give away to her cousins..  One thing I am gong to miss going back to India is books.  I feel too stressed to even think of leaving behind our 1st home together..

Went grocery shopping in the evening and it always a pleasure to listen to old songs on the drive, the same list for the last 10 years, in between we switched to new ones but evenually fall back into the old track :)

Feb 16 - Ugadi Practice

The child has been performing at TAWCT events from the time we moved to this part of US.  I am not a big fan of what goes behind these shows, those dress hunts, the parent egos, the practice sessions, the time juggling and finally the day of the event is another story altogether..

But all said and done, the child likes being on stage, she loves to dance, so there we go.. The winter break begins and so do the practice sessions and there I go checking out what might be the possible costume on stage not just for the kid but for everyone else too :).

Feb 15 - Her biggest problem

The kid is almost a black belt candidate now, a life skill that I strongly believe a child should have irrespective of the gender.  Is it beneficial, yes, it keeps her fit, her reflexes are better and sharper, I would prefer a more serious and one-on-one approach but this is the best the city has to offer in terms of taekwondo, so!

The kid hates sparring session as of now, she does not want to give up and dodge, she needs to go into attack and defense modes aggressively is what she thinks but at the end of the class she gets into the sparring is the worst class, can we please skip this one... aarrghhh!!!  I know she is going to soon enjoy it and miss it when we move back to India, so for now we just laugh it off :)

Feb 14 - Sugary Junk

The kid comes home with her v-day loot and Fun-Dip is the "in" thing this year.. yicky stuff!!!

Feb 13 - Hectic Monday

We learned about chocolate, checked out the plants, the cocoa nuts, nibs and made chocolate dipped oranges and strawberries.  It was an experience to learn about them, when I asked the kid as to how the chocolate came, she said bring it from the store, so it becomes all the more necessary that we do this little session.

and because it as Valentines Day, we set about making valentines with pressed flowers and leaves..

Grocery shopping for valentine themed cookies for the class party and of course the routine book drop off at the library.. how can we come empty handed??  So...

Feb 11 - Happy Weekend

Kid loves the snow, last year there was not much and one time there was, she was unwell, so could not go, here is her one last snow-filled winter, so she is going crazy, sledding whole day tirelessly...

Snow time followed by hot chocolate with whipped cream and 3 marshmallows :) her favorite treat.

Every alternate Saturday is our scout meaning, the brownies are on a Quest and as part of their connect key, they had to follow a healthy lifestyle habit and a snack recipe which they did.. the library had a valentine craft and story time, so it was an eventful Saturday as usual for us..

I have put on several volunteer hats over the past few years in the city, the longest was the book seller at Friends store for almost 3 years, except for a slight racist slur from the coordinator which I choose to ignore, it was one of the very happy experiences.

Feb 5 - A pleasant surprise

There was an invite from the kid's art teacher to the Palace Theater, I asked her if she had any of her works sent to the displays and she had no clue and it being the weekend could not call the teacher to confirm what it was.  As it was just a normal lazy weekend at home, decided to go and take a look at the Black History Month Display over there..

 and there comes the surprise to her and me both... an inspiring woman art by the kid...  Lorraine Hansberry (to be honest, I did not know who she was until I read up the note attached to the pic) and so did a lot of the people out there..

and then they took their certificates from really friendly happy mayor of the city... I love this man...

Feb 4 - Shadow Puppets

If you don't already know I looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove our library :)..  We had this amazing puppet show on bring your child to the library day.

Eating Out - IHop

The kid has a standard menu wherever she goes, Mac n Cheese or Grilled cheese sandwich with orange juice and add a smiley face pancake if it is IHop..

and I have a standard too, Tuscan Scramble :), so when we go there it is our "usual".

A busy day

Weekends are much more busier than weekdays some days and the kid prefers it that way.. the single child woes, trying to keep her busy and occupied rather versus i-pad induced coma :(

Dance, then chess workshop at the library, followed by a 3-hr. break and then the scout meeting and bi-monthly grocery shopping... uneventful hectic day!!!

Did I say, I LOVE our library system, loads and loads of stuff for the upcoming winter break and much much more... I am going to miss this place very badly.

I finally caught up with the backlog and am trying to make sure I post at least one pic a day, the moments to cherish and remember before we wind up... 

A magical Evening

One of the best things about the kid's school is the various fundraising activities and the fun filled evenings once in a while.

#21 - Sleeping Under the Stars

The best mornings are those that begin under the open sky, pleasant and no disturbance at all...

Overnight camping near the cove, an experience to cherish...