EOD Routine

“I want 5 books (to be read) tonight mummy” declares Mr 3.9

I say 'First lets brush your teeth'

“Three books, ok? But I brush my teeth tomorrow morning, ok?” comes the negotiating reply.

I repeat the same thing (every night) about sugar bugs eating away his teeth while he is sleeping. (The days I am lazy to help him with brushing, the sugar bugs are on a holiday and his teeth safe for the night)

“Three books, ok? But only brushing no cleaning tongue, ok? he negotiates again.

My ‘OK’ has to sound like he won a good deal for himself. (3 books is still a good deal.)

I negotiate for 2 books. An instant and suddenly teary “You are always naughty mummy!” reply seals my failed negotiation

Every single night I attempt to skip a page, I get told off for missing a page.

I read fast, I am asked to slow down.

I yawn and sheepishly skip a few lines, I am asked to repeat the page

The joy of snapping a book close after the last word, is all mine!



The Mad mummy (in me) is counting every second of sleep he is missing out on and calculating how late he will wake up the next day!

The Good mummy (in me) is thinking she is reading to her child every day as recommended and that her child actually loves to be read to, yippie!

The Angry mummy (in me) is wondering why the same book every day? Keep me motivated, dude!

The Happy mummy (in me) is wrapped by the smile, hug and kiss after a reading session that leaves her little man satisfied!

I feel the love on Valentine's Day

My dear FIL,

Can I begin by saying that there has not been a single day that I have not thought about you and not wished that you were still here with us? You were a man of great character and principal. I was always in search of a mentor like you to guide me through this rock and roll journey called LIFE.Just almost when I began to realise that I could learn some really good tricks of the trade from you to combat life, destiny dealt her cards and took you away.

Now, I can't ever put in words how grateful I am that your death was so fast and graceful, if I may say.My deepest and strongest wish now that I feel too tired and old on some days is to have an end like you did.
A way to a man's heart, they may say, is through his stomach. But surely a way to my heart is simply through my heart. We all have different shades to our personality. Different people see different shades. Different people like different shades.I too saw different shades in you. One as father to his DIL and the other as a grandfather to my son.The way our minds and hearts work, the former shade felt like a growing seedling...a growth that I slowly began to realise and relish. The latter shade, I simply saw without doubt, straightaway - from day one.. and this is the shade that found its way- straight into my heart, so effortlessly.
I feel robbed of all the valuable learning's that I could have pocketed and I feel so utterly robbed for my son since the relationship that you two shared was so abruptly cut short.The bond that I saw growing between the two of you was love and affection in its purest form personified.Well, as I say the way our minds and hearts work, such a bond brought such great sense of joy and warmth and assurance that a tinge of envy I could not avoid. Envy that my little man had such a blast in your company more so than mine.
Along with you seems to have gone that sense of confidence in parenting that I was just beginning to discover.

What I have today, I try to believe is like a present wrapped in lifes' ifs and buts.I can see my present only if I unwrap and put aside the ifs and buts. And what I find is my present packed with memories we created that are so fond and just as beautiful as our bond....

Dil aakhir tu kyun rota hai

Sharing this poem written by Javed Akthar ji.....I feel this is written just for me....or people like me.... Jab jab dard ka baadal chhaya, Jab gham ka saya lehraaya, Jab aansoo palkon tak aaya, Jab yeh tanha dil ghabraaya, Hum ne dil ko yeh samjhaya, Dil aakhir tu kyun rota hai?, Duniya mein yun hi hota hai, Yeh jo gehre sannate hain, Waqt ne sabko hi baante hain, Thoda gham hai sabka qissa, Thodi dhoop hai sabka hissa, Aankh teri bekaar hi nam hai, Har pal ek naya mausam hai, Kyun tu aise pal khota hai, Dil aakhir tu kyun rota hai.

Encapped

Why is encouragement and appreciation (from people deemed as kith and kin)so hard to come by?
Why does this spracely exist? If it exists, why is it not expressed? If expressed, why is not at the right time?

Despite your conclusion that what they are wishing for is unrealistic,
how hard is to support your loved one to seek what they desire?

Despite your ignorance in their capabalities,
How hard is it to acknowledge that your loved one is all but trying to
dicover their own potential?

Despite your dreadful doubts,how hard is it to atleast let them try?

Despite your lack of enthusiasm, how hard is to help them believe that nothing is impossible?

Despite feeling that they are wasting precious time, how hard is to be a little understanding of their struggle?

Despite not helping them forge ahead, how hard is to atleast not stop them in their journey?

If you intend not to do anything different in your life, why not let others?
They may fail, they may succeed. Either way they win, for atleast they know they tried.

Angels

What do you do when words fail to express your deepest feelings?
Well, I try nevertheless.

What does it take to put others before self even in a situation that primarily concerns your own well being?
What does it take to let go your 'me' time for the ever demanding family time, day after day?
What does it take to alter your ambitions to suit a fairly functional family?
What does it take to portray a strong and confident image even when you feel fragile and shattered within?
What does it take to change thee when people around you simply fail to be reasonably accommodating?
What does it take to accept responsibility for all the bad that happens to your loved ones and still feel taken for granted in good times?
What does it take to smile in face of a terrible and haunting agony for the sake of comforting your child when deep within, the child in you breaks into an inconsolable tantrum?
What does it take to stand by your decision in unpredictable life changing situations even when your loved ones fail to see your selfless intentions?
What does it take to lower your expectations of others when you relentlessly deliver your hundred percent to everything and everyone in your way?

....it simply takes a WOMAN!

To my beloved mother and all the other wonder women in my life, you are my guiding light and I am your biggest fan.
I am sure one would not experience growth without at least one such woman in your life.If you deny, you are still learning how to count your blessings.
I only land up taking deep breathes and wonder how do these women do it? Everything they do, it is with so much ease, it seems so super natural, so overwhelming. They have seen the best of life and the worst of life.They are larger than life itself. They are so inspiring by just being...these women have no clue that I admire them like nothing or nobody else...if only I could weave my words as far and deep as my love for them is.....

I believe goodness is GOD and thanks to these women, I have seen(experienced) GOD....

Thinkoholic

I have caught myself thinking about things that never was and never will be....I just cannot seem to stop myself from doing this. There is this unquenched longing that haunts my soul. I am unsure if this longing is justified. It only leaves me feeling lost and helpless and sometimes even sorry for myself. The only string that pulls me back to the present-the reality, is my staunch belief that everything happens for a reason and everything happens for the good. Despite this I wonder sometimes what good has shone out of some particular things that have happened and what good could have come out of some things that were just not meant to happen!

Choice

When it is raining outside,
Do you exclaim, ‘Oh s**t I did not get my umbrella!’ ? or
Do you get out and get slapped by the gentle rain?

When you lose a job,
Do you whimper like you have lost a leg? or
Do you just take a deep breath and smile with belief that there is something better out there for you?

When you do not get admission to university,
Do you curse your luck and lose motivation? or
Do you realise that there probably is something more important to be learnt outside uni?

When whom you love does not love you,
Do you lose faith in life and love? or
Do you feel the pinch but still be strong enough to move on?

When you feel other people are leading a better life,
Do you just roll your eyes and continue to feel envious and ignorant? or
Do you try to understand yourself and your life to realise and appreciate what you have?

When your house is burnt down,
Do you play the blame game and feel agitated? or
Do you feel the valuable material loss but still cherish the priceless memories?

When your child drops paint on the floor,
Do you keep the paint box away until your child agrees not to do it again? or
Do you turn on your wild side and offer a wall in the house for your child to paint?

When you are subject to discrimination,
Do you sulk, withdraw and feel inferior? or
Do you feel provoked to prove a positive point and make things clear?

Would you choose to – Smile in the rain, learn to love life, and believe in all that is positive and nice?