Jollydays, Holidays and more

• Meenu was here for a couple of days. Achu had fun with an additional playmate. Asked him which cousin he loved the best...Shalu (12yrs), Paru (7yrs), Esha (7yrs) or Meenu (3.5yrs)....I knew he would choose Shalu :)....Then I eliminated her from the list and my boy picked Meenu next :):)
• So there were 5 naughty kids playing around the house. It was better than having one bored kid in the house.
• During the holidays Achu didn't do anything very productive.He lazed around,.got up late, watched a lot of TV,played with the gang, attended pooja at office, Visited his grandparents, slept late and didn't do any studying until the last day. A quick revision - 3 letter hindi words (while we wanted to get coached in tota this hols), Addition with carry forward, English reading: The ugly duckling and the Lesson: Weather in Social Science.
• Achu had his fancy dress competition on 10.10.11. He was a tiger amidst another 15 tigers in different shapes,colors and sizes. This is what I asked him to say. He says he forgot the last part and that his teacher said 'Good' - Good Morning- I am a Tiger- Growl- I am India's National Animal-Growl- I am a carnivores animal- See my Stripes? No 2 tigers have the same stripes- My babies are called cubs- I am being hunted - Please Save me- Growl.
• Today he has his English Recitation and Computer Olympiad. I selected the Poem 'Little Things'. Surprisingly he learnt it very fast. And you know he is dramatic don't you :). Hoping he presents it the way he does it at home. There is a little mummy crime as far as the CO goes. Actually a daddy crime. They gave us the books he needs to learn up 2 months ago. I gave to M and told him to take up the responsibility of teaching him just that.He didn't. I didn't remind him either. M seems least effected when I told him the test was scheduled for today!!!!!! And I started feeling totally guilty since the boy is so used to the computer and a little bit coaching would have made him do well.So I fished out the books 2 days back and gave him a little brush up without forcing too much into his little brain. He seemed very interested and that made me more guilty and angry with M for not doing what he had to.    

Update : Very sad he could only recite 2 stanzas of the poem. He is so good at it at home though! Amma said "Be happy he has the capacity to learn it and recite. It's ok if he doesn't get to say the whole thing". I am still sulking.
The computer test he gave me  a thumbs up signal. I'll have to wait for the marks to confirm that :)

Bits and Bites of all kinds

• Achu had a drawing competition at school. He had to draw something relating to "Fun Fare". I guess it meant he had to draw something related to being fun!....I thought they made a spelling mistake and showed a couple of Fair pictures with giant wheel and all, drew a picture with his idea of  a boy standing and saying "Let's have fun" ( he is extra imaginative I tell'ya ). He told me he did well and a few teachers came and told him his drawing was good.
• At first I didn't know whether to record this or not. But then I thought Achu has to know everything not only the good and bad moments in his life but the grey moments too....Achu was caught copying for his hindi test!!!!!! I have the habit of asking him to take a test and then after the test fill int he gaps he left out by looking into the book. So I thought That's what he did. But his teacher told me he knew he was doing something wrong. When I asked achu he told me he knew he was doing something wrong and he was sad the teacher caught him!!!!!! I was shocked .....I asked him why he copied and the reason he gave made me totally guilty and a better mother in the process...."Amma you told me you wanted me to get 10/10 .Then you added that only if I get 10/10 you will buy me Cars CD...That's why.."- Moral of the story: To begin with I knew I hadn't sat with the boy to teach him Hindi till it was too late and too much for the little mind to take in. On top of that I give him a warning just when he leaves to school about the marks he HAS to get and the consequences of not getting it. Bad Momma.:(..So Achu it is not your fault. It truly isn't. I take up 98% of the blame ( The 2% being M's...though he would adamantly deny his part by blaming the way I brought him up and that he will need tutions..baah!)...Achu promised me he would never ever do it again and I promise never ever to expect more than what efforts have been done and never to bribe him 
• Amma, Achu and I had a quick bite at Mc Donalds one evening. While I dung through a spicy chicken burger( without mayo doesn't taste very good) with iced tea, Amma had a fish-o-fillet combo which had coke and Achu had chicken nuggets, a softie ( after a lot of prayers) ....some french fries for all! Parcled some potato wedges for Acha.Update: Actually in the car Achu made up a few captions for the joint..."Mc me a burger" ('make' innu vendi 'Mc' itta madhi he said ) is all I remember :(

• Achu is all bones. He never puts on any weight. He is a stick.It's been a month since he started having his food on his own and the amount that goes into him has drastically come down. There are days he just skips dinner and days when he hates breakfast.His likes are limited. His lunch box comes back untouched or nibbled at. Achu you need food to live. Am not asking you to live to eat (like me) but to eat to live baby.   
• Searched all around town for Cars DVD but landed up getting Rio..and then the DVD players refuses to work.
• There's another tooth in the shaking....
• On our to do sheet we've got heaps fella

1. A Fancy dress competition
2. An English recitation competition
3. Computer Olyimpiad !!
4. A Painting Competition 
5. A few tests which includes the dreaded Hindi test
6. A big break for Pooja vacations ( Yipeee!)

Summer of 2011

• This summer was rather uneventful.We didn't have any trips outside city because Appuppa and Achamma were ill. 
• The first camp Achu went for was at 'Igniting Minds'. A dance workshop. He performed a dance at the end of the workshop at his school. He loves to dance.
• The second camp was at the same place but was a theater workshop. Achu was Tucky fish. He loves theater as well! He did get to dance for a song as well.
• The third camp was at Worldly Wise. A theater workshop with dance. At the Russian Cultural Center, he danced for Roboda and played the part of the mighty moutain in the play "The Mouse Princess". At the end of the play when it was time to give in self introductions my boy said" Hello! I am Rohit.I was the hmmmmmm...Cloud"!!!!!! The crowd had a good laugh :)
• Achu wants to join swimming but then a bad sore throat and cough is keeping him away from his first love....The pool
• Got him 2 games....Pick a Trick box of Magic : I'll give it a 3/5 and then the Tuk Tuk Taxi board game: 1/5 ....very deceptive packaging I should say.
• Two more weeks of holiday....Amma's thinking baby........:)  

Yay! Shalu Time

Achu's cousin Shalu came and spent 2 days with him and it was fun through out .It took him exactly 5 minutes to get over the initial I-am-shy phase

Achu

• was suddenly a big boy doing most of his stuff on his own
• never walked around nanga 
• shared everything!!!!
• was never jealous I was talking to Shalu and not to him
• never fussy ( except when we had to come away from the play area and did not get him a car at landmark)

 Shalu

• had grown since the last time we saw her 3 months ago
• she hadn't lost her tom boy attitude
• is a biiiig Prithviraj fan.We had a great time one night.While Shalu kept describing about her dreamman in a very dramatic manner Achu and I were in fits of laughter
• loves horror movies. Tried to convince me to take her to Haunted 3D. Luckily I didn't.
• adores her lil bro Appu
• is very talkative ( isn't every girl from 0-100?)

 They

• cuddled together with the Ipod, playing all the games on it
• slept late and woke up late  
• both love Paneer butter masala, Butter chicken, mushroom soup, noodles and chips
• watched Mr.Bean 
• both had different things to do at Ampa Mall. Achu had the play area while Shalu had the funstation Shawarma for Shalu and French fries for Achu. Both of them bought paper craft work boxes which the three of us spent the night working at.
• had a lovely 3 hrs at Kartwheel an indoor play area
• hated it when their time together was over.

Shalu you are a darling. Hoping you'll be back for a longer vacation. 

Ho Hum! Struck by Boredom

Achu's favorite phrase for the season "Amma Bore Adhikunnu" (Amma am feeling bored)

• He goes to drawing class twice a week
• He has already attended 2 workshops and performed on stage once
• He has his street friends coming in on holidays 
• He cycles

but I guess he wants to do more
What to do? Four more days and he'll be having holidays....
We don't have a planned holiday coming up
I'm thinking......Let's see lil fella
We'll fill up your holidays with things you will cherish
God Bless

What fun this summer - I

Achu and Amma ...our first venture alone outside the state of tamilnadu :)

10.05.10 : Left in the evening to Trivandrum...Amma and Achu...while Acha is off on a work assignment to Jaipur...Achu was good all throughout the flight but did have a slight ear pain while landing....Aji mama, mahesh mama and sunil mama came to the airport in Aji mama's LANCER...(yipeeee!!!!....) and picked the 2 excited souls :)

11.05.10 : Woke up all excited ....Isha was there at Thambi appoopa's place so it was fun...The initial I-don't- know-who-u-r phase gave way to the what-shall-we-play-next phase fast...indira ammooma asked apppoopa to take us to the zoo...it was kinda cloudy so we were expecting rain......by afternoon aji mama, mahesh mama, reshma mami,meenakshi,sunil maman, renjini mami, pichi valliamma, chinnu chechi,sharu chechi, lavanya chechi and meenu came and all of us left to the Trivandrum zoo

It was one well maintained zoo and we feasted our eyes on all the wild beasts...the walk was tiring but since the weather was cool we had fun.....as we approached the exit the clouds gave way to thundering showers preceded by flashlights :)

We drove to Indian coffee house....for some hot coffee and bread omelet...while achu nibbled on some puri...and it poured outside.......

12.05.10 : The mornings was spent at Rajan appoopans place...Achu took over meenakshi kutty's Hummer and enjoyed himself thoroughly since there were so many toys over there..while isha and meenu were busy playing girlie stuff

We went for a Malayalam movie int he evening ..." Happy Husbands"...was a comedy ...Achu wasn't interested so he managed to sit in the seat by having 3 frooti's, one milk shake, one kitkat and some pop corn....yup all that liquid did get us visit the loo just after the intermission (during which I asked him a zillion times...boys!) ...achu did give out a giggle or two at Jayram's mimicry....but he slept through the second half.
Then we headed to Prabha appoopans place where sudha ammooma had prepared yummy dinner of fried rice and chicken curry which only amma whacked while achu slept through until parvathy's wake-up-achu technique succeeded. Binu maman and Deepa mami dropped us back home.

13.05.10 : We spent the whole day at Manu appoopa's house....Ambika Ammooma had prepared the most bestest yummiest super..prawn fry....and pichi valiamma prepared great chicken curry ( she'll kill me if i missed that one :D...)

After lunch we had a quick visit to Mukkola ( our ancestral house)...the pooja room...then to Leela ammooma's house, Thangamani ammoooma's house and then to vasantha ammooma's house...and back to 
Manu appoopa's house

achu and the kids gang had loads of fun....he was the only boy among 4 girls!!!!...the fourth being parvathy who joined the army late in the evening.....Then late in the night we were back home.

14.05.10: The whole day we were pretty lazy..though we planned to go to kovalam...nothing clicked....aji mama was busy at work...so we lazed around until the evening ...then suddenly at 6.00pm a plan was struck...mahesh maman picked up pichi valliamma and the kids and came and we all were on our way to shangumugham beach :):):):):).....chinnu chechi had this impromptu wacko idea while we were driving  to get into the AC bus...and Aji mama cornered a bus and all of us got into the bus :):):)...Achu and Amma loved the trip to the beach....then the next batch went with Aji mama back in the bus to where the car was parked drove back tot he beach since the last shuttle service was at 7.30pm.....Mahesh mama and achu mad a castle....while Lavanya and isha made another castle...Once the whole gang was together again  we had masala peanuts and ice cream....and the kids got a few of those lighted horns

On our way back we packed some great shaverma to have at home ...Dinner was at rajan kochachans place ....barotta and chicken curry....after the filling shaverma...:b

15.05.10: Flew back to chennai....Achu was excited to get back and bought a Amba ( ambassador) car at the airport....ate most of the stuff served but finally puked during landing :( ...this is the first time achu fell sick during the landing...

And so Amma and Achu had a wonderful time in Trivandrum...thanks to all Appoopas, ammoomas, mamas,mamis,valiamma,chehcis and kutties...

We love you all................ummmaaahhhh and hugs

A Mummy Crime

My blogs on Achu missed a few weeks...but his antics never miss a moment to surface. Achu is enjoying his xmas vacation right now.

I pity the boy since he is pretty much bored up with his routine life . Want to bring in some difference in his life. Everyday. Must do something about it. He is having such a like-me childhood in a not so like-what-I-had environment. In my days there wasn't anything happening for kids all around us and so close so I at four had to be comfortable playing with my dolls ,chalk, cycle and Amma. But my little fella is doing just that when he has a dance class happening 2 streets to the right, a painting class happening 2 streets to the left , a circus in town, winter workshops N-S-E-W....Now isn't this a mummy crime???????:(

Itchichi Amma
Must do something.......

When Holidays strike....and vanish

Achu has started his pooja holidays and am gonna plan out a whole week of activities. Let's see. am busy at office this week but i really want to take him out somewhere everyday. No....Swine flu is not going to deter /defer my plans.

September 22 - Achu joined me at office and I drove him to the closest Marry Brown and he enjoyed riding the car, the engine ...didn't wanna ride the horse and then had his fav fries. Then we went back home.

September 23 - Took him to 'Achaacha house' . He will spend the whole day in total freedom.Its the Never-No land. He gets to do whatever he wants. Gets to eat whatever he wants. Gets to be whatever he wants. what more. It was independence day today ......

And then the whole week jus disappeared with me in office and lil achu at home ...though we did have tiny unplanned outings

Achu came to our office for pooja and had a blast...with all the sweets and chocolates....with a litlle more than 30 ppl at office it was only my lil boy who told me the rangoli I did was good...I love u achu :)