Goofing around with a "Sari"

I doubled up my dupatta and tied it around Sudha as a mock "Sari". It was draped on her better than I had even draped it on myself. :)

First Temple Visit

Getting ready to take Brinda on her first visit to the temple - in pouring rain, on a Friday evening!

Sudha's Punyakoti Dance

Sudha participated in the Sankranthi celebrations and was part of the Punyakoti dance. I might be partial, but I think she was the cutest li'l calf there.

Disclaimer : Guru's camcorder skills are not a reflection of Sudha's stage performance.


Some pictures from the dance.





The story for anyone interested.

This is the story of punyakoti who believed in truth as God.

In the heart of place named Dharani Mandala in Karnataka state lived a Shepard by name Kalinga.
He had bath in river and sat below the mango tree in the wee morning hours and played his flute to call all the cows.
He cried loudly to call the cows Gange, Gauri, Tungabadre and Punyakoti.
All the cows gathered hearing his voice and the tumbler was soon filled with their milk.

There lived a tiger by name Arbhuda in the near by surrounding forest hill who was hungry for food.
All the cows were scattered when he sprang with a roar of thunder and anger.
Cow Punyakoti on remembering the hungry cry of its calf was in a hurry to return in order to feed her baby.
The cruel tiger quickly sprang to stop the cow thinking that he got his food for the day.
The cruel tiger roared in anger and said “I’m hungry; I will split you apart right now”.
The cow said “Oh humble tiger, my hungry baby is waiting for me back at home. Give me a minute; I will be back once I feed my baby.”
The tiger said “You are lying to me; you will escape if I leave you. I’m not a fool to loose my delicious pray.”
The cow said “Please believe in me. Truth is everything to me, I swear upon my parents and relatives. God will not forgive if we lie”.

It returned back to baby after convincing its promise to the tiger who wanted to kill it and told the baby about the incident.
The baby cried “With whom will I stay if you leave? Whose milk will I drink? With whom will I sleep? With whom will I live? Who will take care of me?”
The cow requested its group people and said “Oh my mothers and sisters please take care of my orphan baby as your own child. Please don’t pierce your horns at him if he comes in front of you and don’t kick him if he comes behind you.” Then the cow embraced its baby and cried in pain thinking that it’s going to be orphan.
Without making any further delay the cow left the calf and was soon standing in front of tigers den.

The cow said to the tiger “Oh tiger, I have returned back as I promised, I offer this body to you, my flesh, bones and hot blood are all yours, have them all and be happy”.
The tiger repent and tears rolled down on listening to what the cow said. It realized the sacrifice the cow had made for the sake of truth. It realized that God would never forgive him if he killed such a truthful cow and would never be happy by hurting such a innocent soul.
The ashamed tiger said “you are like a sister to me, what will I achieve by killing you”, saying thus the tiger sprang and committed suicide.

Happy with this, punyakoti returned to feed its baby calf. Called the Shepard and said “All my cow siblings and in your Shepard siblings may worship lord Krisna in sankranti”.
He is the only gracious one who protects.

- the strength of truth

What I am aiming to look like

These pics rotate on my desktop as well, in the hope that it will give me the much needed inspiration to get down and get moving.

All pics from the summer of 2005, the month I got pregnant having lost 30 lbs in 3 months just before.

Time stops

"Time and Tide wait for no (wo)man"

But it does.
The entire world around me stops when Brinda looks up at me and smiles.

A deal too good to pass up

Babycenter was going out of business and had the Babymel Amanda Diaper bag at high discounts. At one point, it was discounted to $29 and I could just not resist it (I really am not addicted, I didn't have a diaper bag for Brinda at all).

The bag came super fast, and the moment I set my eyes on it I realized - a "print" bag is not for me. The bag was beautiful and everything looked perfect, but it was the print. It reminded me too much of Grandma's handbag. (I had had the same issues earlier with Lexie Barnes Darling in Viona. But I'd assumed it was because of it being messenger style since I love my LB Echo in Viona for a laptop bag). It is a vinyl type wipeable material and I don't think that gels with me either. I find that the wipeable fabric (an absolute great feature for a diaper bag) makes me think diaper bag ... du'h it IS a diaper bag.

The Amanda is on the larger side, perfect for a Cloth Diapering mother, or a mother of 2, or an overpacker, or a mother of a potty-training-in-process kid. In short, it is great for almost everyone. The inner fabric is water resistant and has great pockets for organization. Insulated blottle holders on the outside in zippered pouches provide a nice touch. The best thing - the changing pad is in a outside pocket. So it doesn't take up any space on the inside. The straps on the Amanda can be shortened to tote style or lengthened to wear messenger style cross body.

So, had it not been for my personal quirks, I am sure the Amanda would've been a great choice. As it is, I could not live with those quirks so the Amanda is off to a home where she will be well loved.

In the quest for THE diaper bag

I think I am *this* close to finding it in - Ramalama Drew.



I had stayed away from this for a long long long long time. For one, at $365+ it was way too expensive for me to think about buying new. And the vegetarian me wasn't comfortable buying a leather bag. Then I got this deal to buy a well loved Ramalama Drew in distressed Olive from another mama, and I couldn't resist. (Let me stress that at this exact moment I have only 3 other diaper bags - a Fleurville Sling Tote in Ballistic Black - my car bag, a Lexie Barnes Duchess backpack - my small day trips backpack, and a Posh Baby Ultimate - my travel bag)

I couldn't wait to rip it open and "wear" it. From the first moment - it just felt right. Although it was well loved and the leather has been broken into, it still was soft to touch in places and moulded so well against my body. It is extremely lightweight, and any of the weight that I feel was from the metal hardware. Although I'm quite short, the bag sits right on the lowest setting.

It has 6 large internal pockets, plentiful for diapers, wipes case, snacks, sippycup/bottle and anything else. I love that the internal is a differnt colour lining, and not a black hole as my other diaper bags are. I don't know if the lining is wipeable and stain-resistant, but I suspect it is since it seems spotless inside.

My only caveats with it - it doesn't have external pockets. I like having my cell phone on the outside, and the keys too (even though there is a key hook inside). I wish it closed securely instead of with drawstrings - it makes me just a little paranoid when I put my wallet in there with the other stuff.

Since I got this well loved, it didn't come with any accessories, so I cannot comment on it.

The Ramalama Drew looks like an excellent bag to take to work with a laptop insert. I am going to try that out if/when I get a chance to go into office. It is a bag that will live far beyond the diaper days, and bag that screams "I am a woman" instead of a "I am a mom".

Now, I'm hoping to sell a few of my stuff online so that I could buy the Ramalama Ava. Err... I'm really not addicted, the Ava's more structured and has external pockets and would be a good replacement if I decide to use the Drew as a work bag. :)

My first all terrain stroller

For the past 12-18 months, I've been using this stroller for sidewalks, trails and roads and I'm very satisfied with it for the value for money. With some amazon.com discounts, I paid $100-120 for this. I didn't know about better strollers and at that time felt this was the best. With my current knowledge about strollers, I'd probably put in another $100 and buy a Easywalker Sky from mamabargains.com or a used Bob or MBUS.
But for someone on a budget, this is a great option.



Pro:
- It works wonderfully on all types of surfaces. The swivel is excellent.
- Though its not exactly lightweight to lift up and down a cartrunk, its featherweight once it gets moving.
- My 1 year old is very comfortable in it and goes to sleep almost always.
- Folds compact enough, though I've only used it in my CRV and I dont really take all the time to go to the most compact level.


If I had to be really really picky about things I don't like.
- the parent cup holder holds a coffee cup great, but is too small for a water bottle. The cup holder in the babytray surprisingly holds a sippy cup and an adult water bottle perfectly.

- the sunshade canopy is not enough to provide shade, but then I guess every stroller has the same issue when the sun comes in at an angle like in the mornings or evenings. I use an extra shade from kiddopotamos a few $$ more and it works instead of having to spend a lot more $$ for a model with the swivel canopy.

Cupcake FAIL!

Recipe used: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Cupcakes/Detail.aspx

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
3. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Frost with your favorite frosting when cool.

Daddy and his girls

Getting the Itch again

... to go back to work.

On one hand I look at little Brinda and cannot imagine leaving the sweet innocent baby and going off to work to satisfy my own selfish motives.
On the other hand I look at life around me and find myself being hedged in with everything closing around me and I want to get out and breathe some.

I am praying that I find a job that is atleast 20 hours/week and would let me work from home. I would have to earn atleast 2k/month to be able to make up the cost of Sudha's daycare/preschool and Brinda's babysitter/nanny (for I am sure that I want someone come home and help me, rather me drop her off at someone else's place).

First Jigsaw Puzzle

I had more fun doing it than Sudha :)

First Valentine's Dinner

We went out to Red Sky Tapas Bar and Restaurant for a Valentine's dinner. Ironically, it was our first dinner ON Valentine's day since we got married. For some reason or the other, we've never been able to go.

The place was great, food was ok and the bill was yikes!!

I liked having the opportunity to dress up, but did not have time to get my eyebrows or nails done. But more importantly, unfortunately, I was HUGE !! I was a regular red beached whale and that's made me so sad.

We talked some, but for most part, did not know what to talk about ... sigh ... so much for "romance" after kids.

Lessons in Geography

Sudha can now answer the following questions

Where do you live - Atlanta (said with a perfect Southern Accent)
Where do Ajji Tata & Shali live - India (she misses this sometimes)
Where do the Wiggles and Kangaroo live - Australia
Where do Penguins live - Antarctica

AND - she can point out all the 4 on a world map. :)

I think she's going to be like me when she grows up.

2 Months old

With her newborn Mutt - very cute diaper and great fit, not sure if I'm happy about how absorbent it is.

(How do I turn the pic around?)

What does Brinda do?

Always sleep and always poop - was Sudha's answer to my Dad's question :)

Did the stork bring me a miracle baby?

Brinda slept through the night - from 9pm to 5am !!!!
She had earlier done 4-6 hour stints at night, but tonight was AWESOME! After all the struggles I had with Sudha, I am keeping my fingers crossed that Brinda does not give me any troubles with sleep.

Adventures in Double-Stroller buying!

I wanted a double - didn't know what, didn't realize good ones were expensive.

1. Fisher Price Sit and Stand - I liked it, but Guru felt it was too bulky. He preferred the Joovy Caboose and made me sell this.



2. Joovy Caboose - I still have it, but I don't like it. The front seat is too narrow for my liking. I have put it up on CL, but I'm lax about responding these days and so still need to sell it. It *might* be a useful thing to have 1-1.5 yrs down the lane, but for now - NO.

Updated with Sold status - I was glad to see it go. Maybe I'd like the Joovy Ultralight version better, but I'm not going to get another one to test the theory.



3. Easywalker Duo - I ordered one new from Mamabargains. It cost me $375 after shipping and I thought it was a great deal. I was happy with it, even though it was the 2008 model with single canopy. I got one in red, although I guess I should've gone with lime.

2 days after it landed, a selling on Craigslist contacted me about a MBUD Elite that she was selling. I had been lusting after a MBUD forEVER and was considering getting one from the great sale at babybeginnings.com, but this was a great price for a Elite that normally retails for $900-1200. On Strollerqueen's advice (www.strollerqueen.com , also at yahoo groups StrollerSWAP), I put up the Easywalker Duo for sale. Luckily, a nice mama snagged it up very quickly. So the Duo went on its way home without even being out of the box.

(The pic shows the 2009 version with split canopies, in which case I would've defenitely kept it, but the 2008 has a single canopy)


4. Mountain Buggy Urban Elite Double - I'd been lusting after one and did not think I'd ever find one in my price range. I'd never seen them on sale in Atlanta Craigslist, and the ones people at StrollerSWAP were selling were too expensive for me. I did increase my budget a little to get this($350) - but it is an Elite model and is a little more plush than the normal one.

Finally, the stroller to keep, even though it is a beast at 35 lbs.

(A stock photo)

The actual stroller

As a complement to the MBUD, I also have a Valco Buggster ($130) and Basinnet($60) that I got from Babycenter and Shnoop sales. I'm planning to get a Valco Hitchhiker for Sudha to stand on. This is going to be an awesome lightweight stroller for travel, etc. And it does great in parks as well, even though it doesn't have air tires.


(I haven't managed to take out the fabric off the frame completely, so mine doesn't look as clean as this and has fabric overhanging, but hey - it functions great and I love it!)

The irony - I have ALL red strollers .... hmm....

Soapy Hairy Adventures

The previous time we'd tried to do that to her hair - I think she was around 12-15 months old.