Random..

This month has been eventful month with kiddo's along with couple of other kids' birthday parties, diwali parties, trip to Chicago sickness, etc..

I just got over my 2 weeks sickness when O came home with a pink eye - when he recovered, hubby fell sick again - and It looks like I've picked up kiddo's pink eye as of yesterday..ugh! waiting for this phase to be over and SOON.

It's been the most slowest and laziest week of my life - Never have I ever felt so dull, lethargic, moody, and just blah overall.  I did not feel like going out, talking to anyone, going anywhere, doing anything - I just wanted to lay there on my sofa and have TV on all day and not even watch it. I hardly cooked, cleaned, or did anything else.    I did experiment with one recipe (Pizza - desi style) and it was horrible - I think i'll stick with my tried and tested recipe as this pizza just tasted awful

It was Thanksgiving break for the kiddo so he got to lazy around with me throughout the week - We had a fantastic time with family over Diwali so just felt lonely and depressing upon coming back - We ended up doing absolutely zilch for Thanksgiving - not that we celebrate it anyways, but we ended up watching 4 movies back to back and didn't even mind it ;) We also put up Christmas tree which was fantastic - kiddo loved helping me with it and he admires it every single day.

We are looking forward to life returning to normalcy with O starting school again and me getting back into the routine of things with work, planning, organizing etc.  We plan on watching Life of PI this week so hopefully, I'll be able to write a review on that.

Weather has been super cold so making us feeling even more dull.  We are looking forward to December as obviously Christmas is just around the corner and hubby and I are planning a get away for a few days :-)

I am about to hit my 100th blog post :0) - Small joys in life <3

O's lunch: Potato & Chutney sandwich

I had made Aloo parathas one night and had a bit of mixture leftover - I generally don't like to throw food away unless absolutely necessary and usually find ways to use up leftovers with new, quirky recipes that I like to either invent or 'google'.  

For lunch the next day, I decided to make a sandwich of leftover potato mix, used coriander chutney for taste and served it with a side of avocados.  kiddo loved the bit of a spice kick he got with the chutney which balanced out nicely with bland taste of avocado :)

Happy Diwali & Saal Mubarak

A very happy Diwali and Saal Mubarak (Happy New Year) in advance to my blog - clearly, this Diwali will go down the drain this year for me - Just what I get for being so excited about Diwail this year for a change; I have been super sick since last week and keep getting worst instead of better.

I am trying really hard to keep my energy up for my kiddo so that at least he gets to enjoy it - Here are some glimpses of Diwali from our household!

Diwali...

Diwali is just around the corner - Normally, we go to a couple of parties, hang out with friends and that's pretty much it - this year however,  I cannot contain my excitement because I want to do everything we used to do as kids so that my son gets to enjoy it and gets the meaning of purpose of Diwali as well. WHAT IS DIWALI?

I look forward to making a Rangoli, lighting diyas, arrnanging pretty things around the house, make yummy food, hanging out with friends, going to the temple and most of all bursting up some firecrackers in our backyard.  

Quick lunch: Sprouted Moong Beans Salad

I always have a frozen 'batch' of Sprouted moong in my freezer - It's a quick fix for any of those days when you need to whip up a quick salad, soup or even parathas.  Sprouted Moong is very nutritious so is good any time of the day.  

I whipped up a quick salad by sautéing moong in a bit of EVOO with tomatoes; added cucumbers and also added a tempering of cumin seeds along with jalapeño peppers because I enjoy a bit of kick.  

Salt & pepper is the only seasoning I needed - it was quick, simple and absolutely delicious. 

Happy Birthday O!

A very happy 3rd birthday to the most handsome, beautiful, loving, charming, sweet, laid-back, hilarious, crazy, smart, etc..etc.. kid that I know!!!

O is without a doubt the love & light of my life - when he's with me, I do sometimes wish for a break from all the craziness; but when he's away from me, all I do is think about him or things revolving around him.  He's the center of my universe and I've no clue what I was doing prior to him being in my life.   

He is the sweetest 3 year old ever - he's so considerate, so loving and such a flirt.  I love him to death and wish him nothing but the best in his life.  

I love you kiddo..and as much as I hate the fact that you're growing up so fast, I am proud of the fact that you're growing up to be such a beautiful human being.  I hope you light up others' lives like you light up mine.  

Learning process..

Having a preschooler means you have to review all your 'lessons' all over again - the schools and world today is super competitive so it is imperative that the kids start learning as much as they can as early as possible.

I have your average kid at home who has the attention span of an ant.  On top it, he's a typical boy so would rather jump from table tops and counters and walk around in action hero outfits and 'fight' all day.  It is very hard for me to get him settled down and get some 'lessons' done.  It is however, important that I do - I've learned over time that it may seem like he's not interested but he's almost always paying attention to everything I'm saying and is pretty quick to pick up words and ideas etc.

Anyway, no matter what, I try to get at least 3 - 5 lessons in a day.  We usually sing songs, learn about days, date & month, do one craft project, work on our numbers and shapes and a bit of flash cards (I have the hardest time with this).

He's pretty good with days of the week - he knows what month we're in and knows his ABCD's.  He's got the colors down so we don't review those anymore.

I try and incorporate some fun activities in our lessons.  He loves all things arty and crafty.  We usually either color, paint or do a cutting and glueing project where he can work on his fine motor skills.  We also play a bit of 'sports' either in or out of the house depending on the weather.  he's mastered the art of throwing a perfect ball and catching.  He also loves playing with play dough and make imaginary shapes.

We also dance and sing and just go crazy especially on those depressing days..Anything and everything that's stimulating to the mind is what we love to do :)