Maronen

When we were in Germany,  we used to roam around the city during weekends. While roaming like that during a winter day, we discovered a new nut called Maronen in a street side shop. It was soooo yummy.  They just roasted the nuts in a pan and were selling. For €1 we just got 6 to 7 nuts.. Oops. We started searching for that nut in the grocery shops. I found it FBL(Hi I remember the supermarket's name) MM was so happy when I roasted them at home.   After coming here to US, we get this nuts during the Fall and Winter.  Here it is called chestnuts. Mostly all our weekends during fall/winter, we will be munching these nuts at home.  They say, that these nuts does not have cholesterol and is the only nut having C-vitamin. why dont these yummy nuts grow in India?

Our German friend taught us the correct way to roast those nuts. If someone wants to know: Wipe the nuts and with the flat side down, cut the nuts with a sharp knife and make a 'x' mark.  Preheat the oven to 425 and it will take 25 to 30 minutes for the nuts to be ready. we can easily peel the shell off, when they are warm.  It would be difficult, if it becomes cold. Don't ever loose an opportunity to munch one guys...

Comedian of our home

Mowgli is really a comedian now-a-days..
Last week I put him to sleep and was washing dishes and he came running to me
Mowgli: Amma, I was trying to sleep, but my nose is not working. What should I do?
He had cold..

We went for shopping and as it is winter here, sometimes we shed tear due to cold wind.
Amma:  Do you know, why you are shedding tear?
Mowgli:  Becaaauuuse I drank a lot of water..
He looked so innocent when he said that.  Hats off for his imagination..

Yesterday he got up from his nap and got some tiny dust particle in his eye. It was so irritating for him. he started crying. I told him to close his eye for a while and washed his eye with cold water, but it was still irritating for him.  I asked him to lay down for a while, he started crying saying, "My eye broke, while I was sleeping"..

A few days before, he woke up from his nap, Instead of rushing to the bathroom, he went straight to kitchen, opened the shelf and peed in the trash can. I caught him and he said, "Mommy, we got a new bathroom and a new potty".. He was still sleeping. 
Kids at this stage are soo interesting to be with.   Thank God, that I have enough time to spend/enjoy with them. God bless them to have a bright and interesting future..

Happy new year and Happy pongal too!

Lets start  this new year with some good happenings in my life.

1. My sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Lot of company for my kids..
2. We have bought a new SLR - Nikon D7000 ( A photographer is on her way) It is too heavy(It should be at least 3 lbs) and I am so scared to handle it, while my kids are around. Operating it is another big task, I am squeezing my tiny brain to take every shot.  Sometimes, I just click using the auto option...(So simple it is)
3. I have enrolled in our apartment Gym. It was a long procedure. When I went last year, they told that I can enroll during the calendar year. I went last week and the lady in charge asked me to sign some legal documents so that I cannot sue them if I fall down from the treadmill.  While I was about to sign the document, she asked me whether I am the unit owner, which I am not. They need my house owner's signature for their official record. That was silly. I dont know how they can stop me from suing them with my landlord's signature.
4. Started some water therapy too(Dear S along with you)
5. Ice skating is going fine and its really fun, especially seeing my little Mowgli skating.
6. I had a hair cut.  How come this be a good news? But it is for MM. He always like short and straight hair. And I had 4 feet long hair.  Now my hair is just less than a feet long and it saves 30 mins of my time daily.
7. As always,  I am enjoying my time with my kids.


Some not so good things are also happening in my life
My dieting is going terribly wrong. As usual I cannot resist Starbucks Mocha with Starbucks ice cream in it. I will control my craving all through the week & during the weekend I will make Gulab Jamoons or Coconut cake or Kesari or Carrot halwa and will add up some 2000 to 3000 calories:-(  If  I dont make any eatables our dear friends are gifting things like sonpapdi or chocolates.. I used to do Jogging, but now it is sooooooo cold and lot of snow here.  But I am very sure, I will reduce my weight before Spring.  Otherwise most of my tops wont fit. hi hi... 

p.s.  The above picture is the Amaryllis bulb plant which bloomed last year(during last new year). This year, I am still waiting for this plant to bloom, but it shows no progress. The plant looks healthy lets see.

Dumb phobia

I done know why a few men, don't feel like talking out with their wives. Is it due to that, they earn? or well educated? or man ego? Hmm.. I know a person, who dint talk with his wife for 12 yrs(living in same house). yeah, 12 years.. My god... Is he a psycho? I was really shocked when I heard that. And the reason was very silly(I mean, its not worth 12 yrs of life). I should not be saying this, he is very elder to me, but i could not digest that.

When we went to their home, he was talking with us for 2 hrs. Is that fair? I was really irritated. Elderliness should lead to patience and not to this brutal behavior. His ego hurts him to talk with his wife, but he plays motta blade with other person.. He goes out and mingles with lot of people, what a old women can do at home, without husband's support? How much his wife would have longed for him.. That women died(due to aging, blessed she is) last year with all those frustration.  I really thought God can't reward him in any other way.

Updates

My Mowgli's school started this September and he is enjoying the school.
My Nemo is doing great, walking, running, blabbering etc
My MM is fine doing his work etc as usual.
Me as always, at home loving/taking care of my kids and hubby..

Let me write a few things before I forget about them..
1.I cooked Chicken on Vinayagar chathurthi while our friend who is a christian made kozhukattai.(I dint call my parent, who used to inform me ;-)  )
2.I have started dieting, exercises to reduce my weight.
3.Two of our friend's family are moving back to India.
4.This  month all our weekends were tightly booked with outings, get together, parties etc.  We were really happy.
5.My parents got the Passport, May be I will bring them here next summer.
6.My sis-in-law delivered a handsome boy baby this July.
7. My sister is expecting a baby next year. She was asked to take bed rest as she was bleeding. The better part is, she has started reading books. Poor gal, what else can she do..
I feel, she will deliver a girl baby.  Lets see. 8.My Mowgli has joined an Ice skating class along with his mom. If we find a good baby sitter for Nemo, MM will also join mom and Mowgli. I am so excited to skate.  will update soon about this.

Kolu 2010

When I was a kid, our family lived near a shopping area.  To be exact, we lived in Pondy Bazaar in Chennai. I used to watch people buy things, window shop, roam and enjoy in that area.  Whenever there is a festival, the area would be filled with people, shopping for things. As all kids, I too loved festivals.  My parents used to celebrate all the festival except this Kolu(which is very colorful and attractive for kids).   I used to put a chair in the Balcony and watch the dolls arranged neatly in the shops. My friends, used to invite me for the kolu. I loved to visit them. A few times, I had even asked my parents to celebrate Kolu at home.  But they had other great things to do. That was past.
When my atai came last year, she brought some dolls with her. She celebrated it last year(I mean virathams, slogams, songs, sutha bhatham). And the tradition continues this year by mee ;-).  I did everything virathams, slogams, songs, sutha bhathams and even neivethyams.  I wanted to tell stories about the gods and goddesses but I found very hard to squeeze time for that. Harder than that was managing Kolu with 2 toddlers.  My nemo used to take all the third row things.  Thank God they dint break. And one day he put his finger into the burning camphor and cried all the night along with me. Ooops that was another story. MM was soo happy as he got some or other different dish to enjoy daily. It was fun. Two weeks flew like a few minutes..
We invited all our friends. I even invited few americans. Our neighbor who is a very old lady(she is 83, a lovely woman, I should write a full page post about her) came and asked about all the dolls. She even invited her daughter and grand kids visit the kolu. I was very happy when they all came. I felt like I was in India.
Hope I continue this next year too.

Happiness

I took this tag from a blogger (To describe happiness).
Happiness is a fresh flower to me.It makes me smile, feel fresh and crisp and makes me live this life fullest..
But after mm and nm's birth, even flower seems dull in front of them.


The other cheers in my life

1.While in MM's arms along with mm & nm
2.Seeing mm learning things and nm exploring
3.Walking with MM, along with a chat
4.Being with my mom
5.Shopping with my sister
6.Chatting with friends
7.Preparing good food for my fellows 
8.Enjoying music, while there is no one to disturb
9.Playing on swing
10.Reading a good book
11.wearing anklets and glass bangles
12.enjoying black tea while blogging

and the list goes on...