Yummy Food, Big Names, Little People!

Kit is the official taster in her class. Teachers rely on her to encourage other children in her group to try new foods. Once at the table, she will volunteer to try all new foods, be it asparagus, hummus or a varied version of cauliflower! Her teachers tell me that other children watch her as she tastes it and announces “I like it!” – this encourages other children to at least try and of course it encourages Kit to carry on experimenting even if some days it brings out “I don’t like it. Yuck! Disgusting!”



Asparagus - not so nice?

 We all know that food always tastes nicer with friends so it does break my heart a bit when Kit comes home and says that she now loves cauliflower and I think of the endless moments spent trying to make cauliflower attractive... where did I go wrong? Never mind, at least she eats is somewhere! Same with asparagus – I got so excited when she said she loved it that I decided to steam it right the next day...Kat was eager to try it too. I order groceries online so sometimes portions are a surprise – I didn’t realise a bunch could have that many stems! Anyhow, determined to steam that, I served it all up and they did look pretty in their beautiful green glory but I guess the portion size scared the two girls!!
One look and Kit said: “I just tried one in class and I loved it – I can’t eat so much!!” My heart sank.

Now it was Kat’s turn: “Can I just try one first?” She did and she gave me that sideways secret look (the one she uses to show her dislike when Kit is eating). I died. Read More...

Happy Birthday Kit

I am amazed that I have not written for over two weeks. In fact I am amazed that I have managed to get anything done except celebrate Kit’s birthday...YES! Pink cake, pink icing, pink everything...and Kit is now 4!

Such a long awaited, spreading over 2 weeks celebration finally ended with a grand finale this Sunday and Kit is already looking forward to her next one (I am aching from all the running around and of course belly hurts from all the yummy cake(s) – trying not to think about the endless miles on the treadmill!!)

Happy Birthday Kit

There definitely is something magical about this age. The more I look at her, the more I want her to remain this age. The bond between the sisters is so tender now, especially because Kit is beyond the ‘find all, break all’ stage and Kat is so thankful for that! Read More>>

Love Poem

Dear Mama and Papa

I love you so much when the sky is grey

I love you the rainy days

I love you when the sun is bright out in the sky

I love you with 13 dollars

If you bring me something, I will love you more

I will love you if you bring me cuddly toy to sleep with

or a flower or a doll

Even when I get lemonade or

a box of teddy grahams

I love you with the heart of my singing voice

My mama and my papa.

THE END

Read more...

Unconditional Love



Messages from the heart

 No matter how my day has been, whether a migraine has touched it in any way or not or if I've aimed for twenty tasks and achieved only two - there are some things in my life that never change and knowing that gives me comfort...I know that Kit will come running into my arms as soon as she gets off the bus and hand me the message that she 'writes' for me everyday at school. I know that the minute Kat gets on her school bus in the afternoon; she is going to call me from her cell phone (the novelty of the phone continues...) and update me with the latest chit chat from school (Oh yes! And she has a boy Halloween partner this year!! She still cannot believe her teacher could do this to all the girls in class!).

Their love for me is so predictable...always the same...UNCONDITIONAL. Then why do I sometimes lose MY temper and on occasions have confrontations with even a (not yet) 4 yo? I could learn a thing or two from my girls.

What amazes me is that children do not even care about their own pain, their own feelings so much...all they care about is YOU. The other day I had to raise my voice with Kit to get something done as she would just not listen (typical ignore mummy behaviour). She ended up crying saying that she was upset because I was not happy. There have been instances where she thinks “I am sad”, “I am upset” or “my feelings are hurt”.
Kat used to do (still does) exactly the same. Many times, they will not cry for themselves - they will cry for me and those tears hurt me the most - I WILL end up feeling miserable!!  READ MORE...

What's with MY ear, I ask?

Sweet Dreams Baby

Every baby has their unique way of drifting to sleep. Some listen to lullabies, some are rocked to sleep, some sleep while drinking milk or sucking their thumb and some babies will just sleep. My new niece is amazing I’ve heard – she belongs to the Just Like That category and is difficult to keep awake. Bliss!

By the way, my girls have never been great sleepers as babies. I learnt one thing though - whether your baby sleeps in excess or not, you will always get abundance of advice which makes you question your baby raising skills (after just having got over the questions over baby bearing ones!) All said and done, Kit Kat have finally discovered the pleasures of peaceful sleep (sleep and let sleep!).

Coming back to ways of drifting to sleep - As a baby, Kat had this strangest habit of rubbing my skin before going to bed. This skin could be my hand, my arm, my anything! This rubbing would go on all the while I was reading books to Kat till the time she fell asleep! Sometimes, if I was sitting next to her and she was drowsy, she would pick my arm and start rubbing her tiny fingers over my hand. This rubbing matured into Kat sucking her own thumb and then eventually a soft toy in bed (still does - Oh! I mean the toy, not the thumb!!)  READ MORE...

Kat's First Coach

My older sister has a passion for shoes. She is known to have a matching pair for almost every outfit. I hated her being so fussy when we were younger as that meant wasting ages and ages in a shoe shop every time we went shopping with Mummy. I never shared that passion (ok fine, she had the prettier feet) due to the fact that medically (owing to plantar fasciitis) I need comfy footwear (thank God!)

The one thing I like carrying and care about are handbags – am I fussy? Depends how much time I have - although I think I lost the time luxury factor a few years ago. For me, it is important to have a smart handbag and my favourite brand is Coach. I always seem to find what I’m looking for – quick and easy. Bliss!
Here comes Kat into the picture – she seems to be an interesting mix of me and my sister. She has this passion for handbags (she has a pretty decent collection) but the FUSS with which the selection is made is how my sister used to pick shoes. I can’t help making the connection.

Kat has a selection of handbags which were of the ‘kid/maybe tween’ level – the most sophisticated ones being a Tommy Hilfiger and the latest a pink Juicy Couture from her Aunt. So when she went shopping for a Coach handbag for ME , it was heart breaking to see her look at the price tags of all the smaller handbags (her size) and then put them back instantly. I could see her posing with them in the corner of the shop too. So after I had selected mine, I had a quick word with Papa (who is the last person to object to anything for Kat anyway!) and we decided it was time to surprise Kat with her first Coach. So we started looking at the handbag section she was searching through at first and then we broke the news that she could actually buy one for herself.  READ MORE...



Mother and Daughter Coach



Destiny

Destiny Dolls Party

Every few days, Destiny comes to our room…yes, that’s what Kit calls it. She will practically bring her entire room into ours and for the next few days we are assigned to our Destiny! This includes dolls from her collection, together with various outfits and shoes (and night dresses) to match, loads of soft toys and various sizes of sleeping equipment for each odd sized doll and of course, play food for different meals of the day…its very interesting to see Kit buzzing around from one room to the other getting things ready. Some weekends our Destiny may also include pieces of paper with scribbles on it (apparently some menus) or some heart warming pictures or just plain paper with colour pencils lying alongside.  READ MORE...

Overwhelmed

I have not been hibernating – school life with two kids has simply been too overwhelming. Right, there is no other way to put it - OVERWHELMED. I have just been here doing nothing outside the ordinary and Kit Kat have hopped from one activity to the other at school, Kit has learnt some amazing skills in her brand new class, there is no much energy in our house after school hours that I am simply basking in its love during the day…before more rushes in after school! I simply cannot keep up with their schedules during school hours and outside along with mine and am learning new skills I never knew I had!

Although dealing with Kat is always a pleasure as she’s that age where you can communicate like a friend and there is always a humour that is appreciated. It can also be a bit of ‘hitting your head against the wall’ situation when everything you say generates “I don’t care’ answer which drives me up the wall most days. Other days, I don’t care either...and then we make up and sorry etc – we’re ok – Kat is a nice girl just with her bad and good days – we both are learning and are working on finding the best way to communicate with each other! The good news (apart from that her hair is growing!) is that Kat is loving 5th grade so study/teacher wise she’s very happy for now which means a major precipitating fight factor is out of the way (phew!)

My super STAR

Kit has been a super duper STAR in school. She is having an unbelievable time. She is coming home with endless stories (dominated with detailed lunch menus) of the day, her teachers, her friends. She is slowly learning the art of best friends, sharing friends, not hurting feelings etc. It is such a joy to see her mouth phrases like “its ok if I play with her too? One person can have 2 friends, right?” or “she is my best friend but I play with xyz too.”

Of course, the highlight of the day is the round trip on the school bus – she is happy to be just like Kat! READ MORE...

Kat wants s'more

With loads of dirty clothes, leg cramps from intensive rock climbing, over exhaustion and SO many wonderful memories and stars in her eyes – KAT IS BACK!

Kat-made Apple cider

As a special treat, I went downstairs to pick her up after bus drop off (she’s normally a big girl but yesterday was a well deserved special treat) and the first thing I noticed was that she had grown taller (I mean is that really possible? only 2 nights?) Now I know why Grandma and Granddad mention this every time they see Kit Kat (and they get to see them every few months) and I look at the girls up and down wondering if they’ve really gained height? Apart from that, Kat looked so tired BUT happy. Her pink bag looked dirty pink now (I’m a mum – can’t help noticing these things at first glance, can I?) and everything that she could not fit inside was now outside in smaller bags like extra sneakers, medicines and so we both struggled upstairs with a bag filled with *sigh* dirty clothes, sleeping bag, backpack, three smaller bags (which were originally inside the pink bag) plus a bottle of Kat made Apple cider AND non stop chatter!

Kit had (yet another) beaded necklace as a welcome gift ready for Kat and after a few hugs and kisses later, the novelty READ MORE...

Kit's Kumon Challenge

 Starting Kumon was a big adventure for Kit – of course anything that Kat does and Kit gets to copy is always an achievement. The difference of years is never really an issue with her. There's always a shortcut to everything!

From dots to numbers...

It was a bit of a setback when Kit realised that her Maths sheets in Kumon involved counting big red dots instead of numbers (like Kat) when she got them for the first time a few months ago – however, the situation has now changed – she wishes those dots would come back once more! Yes, Kumon is wonderful for children at this early age and it has been a tried and tested formula in our home for Kat (she needs the repetition) but Kit is finding the new sums a bit of a challenge at the moment.

Every time I sit down with her, she will start looking outside the window instead of looking at the sheets. Exasperated, I will ask READ MORE...

School Trip Already?



Pretty in pink with pink luggage, pink Three Cheers for Girls sleeping bag AND pink backpack, Kat is off to a 3 day school trip to study astronomy, creative writing and make apple cider. The last time she went (the focus was on bugs that time!), it was her first time away from me and we spent ages preparing for the trip. This time it's been a breeze for her - they do grow up so quickly, don't they? Sadly, I haven't changed much - I went through the packing list ten times and packed and repacked countless times. I am still trying to remember the item I must have forgotten to pack...in vain!

Right till this morning, every time I mentioned the word ‘packing’, Kat ducked away somewhere in the fear that I would make her go through the list and the items yet once again!

Kat has apologized to me already - seeing my near crazy behaviour perhaps, she has assured me that from last time's experience she is sorry but she is positive that she will not miss me this time. READ MORE...

Sunny Mismanagement

I LOVE my sunglasses – actually it’s more of a necessity for me than a fashion accessory...the day I venture out in the sun without mine I am doomed – a bright, smiling sun and hunger are triggers for a migraine that will never forgive me for days. Kat has glasses and she even got the photo chromatic ones so that she could have her sunglasses in the sun and the same ones turn normal in the shade. However, after seeing me being so much in love with mine, she has now finally got a pair of prescription sunglasses for herself. She enjoys wearing them but it’s a big hassle for me as I always end up carrying them – it’s an expensive pair (prescription sunglasses always are) and I am so worried that somewhere in the process of exchanging the normal pair with the sunglasses, she will either lose or break this one – and I feel much safer guarding them! Totally my fault – no one else to blame...

Kat copies me and gets her pair and who does Kit copy? You guessed it – Kat! Kit has not one, but 2 pair of sunglasses to choose from and some days she will not leave the house if both Kat and I are wearing sunglasses and she isn’t...so here we are, three girls ready to face the sun with sun block, sunglasses and sun hats and guess what? the only man in our house will not wear sunglasses. He has the most jaw dropping Maui Jim sunglasses that have seen daylight only half a dozen times  READ MORE...

My girl has migraine?

My threshold of pain is reasonably good, in fact it’s very good BUT when it comes to a bad migraine I just don’t know how to handle it. Give me childbirth and I will breeze through it (Ok fine, the epidural helps) but although I’m a chronic migraine sufferer and I’ve known migraine since I started middle school and I do (and should) know how to live with it by now, this is one kind of pain I cannot absolutely bear. SO, it totally BROKE my heart when KAT called me from school yesterday crying incessantly and saying that her head hurt so much on one side and that she was nauseous too. It was almost home time by now and I think it was a build up of the whole pain by this time that led her to cry (I used to do it when I was a kid).

I know this feeling too well. My heart sank. Kat is very strong – she is my big girl in school – she never cries so it must really hurt. The nurse had only called me 30 minutes ago asking me if it was okay to give her some pain reliever and I thought it was just a regular headache (sometimes when they are tired they go up to the nurse) and she agreed. Then Kat went up to her locker room and called me and cried so much. Her school is around 30 minutes away by car so even if I/Papa wanted to bring her back, it was simpler for her to get back in the school bus (as it was home time anyway).

Kat's School Bus

Once on the school bus, I called her again but she just quickly spoke to me and said she wanted to rest. I tried to get as much information as I could in those few bits of conversation so as to confirm it was a migraine. The symptoms were so damn similar to how I feel – the aura of a migraine, the whole nausea, the pounding on the head…Anyhow, I cancelled my physiotherapy for the knee and waited for Kat to come home (last minute cancellations never go down well – I could write a complete blog on that lady who took my call and said “I will waive the late cancellation fee this time as I have other fish to fry” – can you believe that?) I even sent Kit to the playroom so there could be some quiet for Kat when she got home. READ MORE...

Hurricane Weekend

So here we were thinking of a wonderful holiday to Cape Cod for the long weekend only to be ruined by a hurricane red alert there followed by waiting till Thursday and then last minute cancellation on Friday..So we found ourselves with 3 long days ahead with Kat complaining that we NEVER do anything interesting and that this was going to be her worst weekend ever (she tends to get melodramatic most days!) and Kit following suit after closely watching Kat’s reactions.

Papa and I did feel terrible as we were looking forward to this last break before school starts but then we don’t usually go around driving at gusty winds of 125mph and more! So couldn’t blame the girls for feeling let down but when your feelings are mirrored in your kids, it makes you feel even worse, right? Papa and I then set on the task of entertaining them over the weekend and to make it fun for them in whatever way we could.

Fancy Italian & a stroll home :-)

Friday (the afternoon we would have left – *sob*) evening we all went to an Italian place for dinner. Kat LOVES pasta – I can’t remember but I’m pretty sure it must be the first food word she learnt to say as well! As for Kit, she loves pizza when it comes to Italian but some fancy places don’t do pizza so ended up with pasta which was fine as some days she would rather be like Kat then be like Papa (he is such a Pizza person!) We had a leisurely dinner (so much so that at one point we thought the server had forgotten us!) and strolled back home – at one point, Papa kissed Kat and Kit froze READ MORE...

Night-night...

Each night, Kit and I spend at least 5 minutes negotiating number of books for bedtime reading. She has become very clever – she starts with 10 and settles for somewhere around 7-8 on most days. Some days, when I am adamant or just not in the mood, she will become mini me and say “7 or 20?” which is a direct lift off from my “3 or zero?” threat that I use on her occasionally when things get out of hand.

When we finally do agree on the number of books, we spend the next half hour or so snuggled up in bed reading them – and this is the time when Kit is allowed to suck her thumb and she uses her freedom to the full. Along with this comes the newly acquired habit of feeling my ear with the other finger and the even more recent habit of alternating hands so you can imagine how wet and sticky my ears are at the end of all this. Thumb on hand 1 goes in the mouth, hand 2 feels my ear - after a few seconds hand 1 with wet thumb feels my ear and dry hand 2 thumb goes in mouth and so on…

We are reading a book from the library called ‘Is your mama a Llama?’ nowadays. I love this book myself and we read this almost every day. There is a kangaroo called Rhonda in this and Kit loves the sound of this name and wants us to call her that from now on and for the last few days she was actually upset when every night she would remember that we forgot to call her Rhonda during the day!

Anyhow, once the books are read and the lights are out, Kit is happy for me to go as long as she can feel my ears one last time, go to pee and drink water (in that order)! One last hug and kiss and I’m out – monitor on and Kit is generally good for the next 10 hours.

THEN I enter Kat’s room and find her sitting quietly with a book in her favourite chair (both girls have identical chairs). READ MORE...

Kit's chair can almost always be found next to Kat's

Care for some tea?

The perfect cuppa tea!

Arrived! The most beautiful porcelain tea set Kit Kat have ever owned. We gifted one to Kat couple of years ago but it was tiny and now that the girls want to have real tea parties, they wanted to have slightly bigger tea cups. The one Kat owned was kindly passed over to Kit who broke almost all of it on the first day (probably in the excitement of actually having something so close to real!) that now only the tea service basket remains... Kat even went to the extent of asking if she could borrow my Wedgewood which threw me off a bit so I immediately went online and got them their own (if Kat wants to do something, she will get around to doing it eventually and I LOVE my Wedgewood to this day)

I was surprised (yet again!) at how clever Kit has become at picking things online – she knows just how to dart her eyes in the right directions till she’s found what she needs in the least amount of time and she will point her sticky little fingers and touch the screen gleefully with “Can I have that one, pleeeeese?”. READ MORE...

The insatiable yearning...for long tresses

HAIR!!! Maybe when I was Kat’s age, I WAS so obsessed with it? 100% has to be my genes, this one – every single morning when she comes into my room to wish me (due to the summer break schedule), the first thing I notice is the beautifully brushed hair and lip gloss (and this is before brushing teeth). At bedtime, she wants to sleep in a correct position so that her hair is not spoilt in the morning – of course, once she sleeps, it’s a different story!

Bad hair day? Never!

The pool in our building closes at 11am and Kat goes for a swim everyday (much against her wishes sometimes) during the summer break. The other day she was getting terribly late for the pool and after much agitation, grumbling and everything included I managed to send her down at 10:30am so she could have at least half hour swim – imagine my bewilderment, my shock when she came back 5 minutes later saying she had forgotten her swim hat and could not jump into the pool without one as it would spoil her hair! HAIR?!

To aggravate an already delicate (at times, hilarious) situation, Kat is now obsessed with LONG hair. She stretches and pulls her hair down from under her ears every night (Kit might do a better job I say) hoping they will grow faster...I still prefer the short style – so easy to maintain, no fuss at all...but that’s me and I cannot impose my wishes on Kat and whenever I have tried, it has never worked :-(  READ MORE...

Best friends forever? Uh-oh! Not so sure...

Best Friends Forever!

Kit has a best friend – of course her friends change ever so often and most of them are the ‘best’ anyway BUT still this friend is really Kit’s bestest friend so far. They play nicely together in the playroom, by the poolside and even go to the shops and parks together with their respective babysitters for little picnics etc.

Kit had a wonderful time at this best friend’s house a few days ago (and has since had this Can I have a baby girl or baby brother? mantra) so it was logical for me to invite her friend over to our house for a play date, right? WRONG!! It was the biggest mistake of this week at least! The other sin I committed was that I was not around for the play date. I had to run an urgent errand and as this was her BEST friend coming over, I assumed all would be fine considering there was Kat and 2 other babysitters around.

Imagine my surprise when I came home after the play date only to be told by Kat that all Kit did for the entire torturous 2 hours was cry and not share a single toy – my darling little girl who is adored by everyone around her and is the epitome of niceness and manners, who is usually such a matter of pride for me, turned into someone unpredictable just like that? Apparently, she just sat there bawling every time her friend touched any one of her toys/dolls. I believe Kit softened a little bit towards the end but wonder what went wrong? She’s had play dates before but nothing as fierce as this! (I believe in the end her friend ended up playing with Kat so I guess we did have one successful play date combo in the end)

When I questioned Kit, she said READ MORE...

Back to School

KIT KAT GO BACK TO SCHOOL (*sob*)

Loaded backpacks, lights out by 8:30pm, hopping from one after-school activity to the other – YES, the summer vacation will finally end in 2 weeks and YES, in spite of the exceptionally long break, I will miss having the girls home with me...I will miss the constant arguments, the ‘not so occasional’ kicking and punching (between Kit and Kat, of course!), the slamming of doors on each others' faces (they have been told so many times!), the never ending rounds of food being served all day long with the equally long (Kat *yawns*) stories of Ariel at the dinner table over and over again for Kit…YES I will miss all this when the girls go back to school.  READ MORE...

Pride and Joy

I am the bad cop around here and Papa is the good cop. He can never say ‘NO’ to the girls. If he feels something should be declined or taken away, some way or the other, I end up being the one who actions it and invariably I become the bad cop once again!

Kat has Papa wrapped around her little finger and Kit is surely learning FAST. They have this little game very day – Papa will come home and ask Kit – “Who do you love most, Papa, Mummy or Kat?” and Kit will raise her eyebrows, pretend to think, shrug, roll her eyes and then say – “Today is mummy day” or “Today is Kat day” and then Papa will pretend to cry and she will say “OK – today will be your day!” – then Papa will act crazy and do some jiggle wiggle and they will end up tickling each other – all this ending with five kisses for Papa – 2 cheeks, forehead, chin and lips – after all this love affair is FINALLY over, Kit will start her LONG list of complaints about Kat and how she never got those doll clothes or those books from Kat and how she pushed her...how she wishes she could have all of Kat’s things – Oh my God! Such drama for a 3.5 year old! READ MORE...

Today's Wish...A Baby?

Kit’s best friend has a baby sister and she’s just come back from a play date with her. All I’ve heard for the last 15 minutes is non-stop oohs and aahs about the little, tiny baby and how cute she is. (Kit’s also had a new baby girl cousin recently so conversations have been dominated with baby talk and baby pictures etc.)

Kit (with a puzzled look on her face): “Mummy, I don’t remember you from when you were a baby?”

Me: “That’s ok. I remember you from when you were a baby.”

Kit: “I was born when Papa was born”. She believes that. (She also believes that I am Papa’s mum!)

In our house, Kit is the expert wisher. She will always WISH. Sometimes she will wish that her toys or her dolls could fly or sometimes she will wish that all of Kat’s things could be hers (not a bad one!) or sometimes just a blanket wish to cover everything – “I wish all my dreams could come true”. However, today’s wish is different – today she is upset with me because she wishes I could “born a baby” on her birthday (by November?!) READ MORE...

Silent Heroes

When I was 10 years old, life was all about having fun today and looking forward to having more tomorrow. The complex relationship battles and awareness episodes came much later in my life and once they did, they lingered on...

Life today is so different. I look at Kat and I look at myself when I was 15-16 years old and she’s only 10! Her mind is so complex, her feelings so mature but her mind is still of a naive child. So last night, following a cue from a story of a child paedophile arrest, we discussed at length with Kat. READ MORE...

My green-eyed wonder or will it be grey?

Kat has beautiful brown eyes with even more beautiful, long eyelashes. I have to admit I have pretty eyelashes too (deteriorating bottom up, maybe? Not that top parts are enviable anymore!) BUT I think gene wise these long eyelashes come from Papa as do the long, sleek hands and feet (are only the chubby cheeks in the infant stages mine?).

Now that Kat is taking good care of her looks and face, she looks rather well turned out and smart especially with her glasses that she has to wear constantly because of her near sightedness. However, she hates wearing them and is so looking forward to the day when she can switch to wearing contact lenses. Apparently it’s best to wait till she’s 12-13 years of age before we make that switch so she’s REALLY excited (and she’s only 10!). I thought she was only excited about the makeover she was going to have – I was not aware of anything else on our visit back home from the optician until:

Kat: “Can I have green coloured lenses?” READ MORE...

How about a shower today?

When Kat was little, we had a hand-held shower, so I remember her graduating from the bath to the shower quite early on. The shower we had also had adjustable strength so Kat discovered the joys of showering much earlier on and never looked back (of course having a long bath with her toys is always a luxury which she still manages once in a while and can’t stop gloating about how much her skin glows after that!)

With Kit, things have been REALLY different – she’s always loved a bath. With dozens of toys around her, so many drama lessons, so many swimming lessons have taken place in that bath of ours! Her skin gets slightly red and itchy after being in the water for a bit long so Kit’s bath is not longer than 10 minutes on an average but even then, those 10 minutes are the most cherished moments as we race to the bathroom every day (Yes, we do that!)

SUCCESS AFTER ALL!!

Post swimming is the only time when Kit will step into the shower with Papa and she will scream! She does not like the shower one bit. For one, it’s not hand-held so you cannot play with it or do it your way and secondly it comes down on you full strength from the top – FULL STOP! So I had given up all hope of Kit graduating to the cleaner, happier world of showering in the near future (at least) when she came up to me yesterday and said:

Kit: “I think I will have a shower today like Kat.”

READ MORE...

The lonely tap with no friends

Today was Roof Tank Cleaning Day – normally this day is insignificant, it comes and goes and the notice in the concierge which reads No water between the hours of 0900 and 1500 has little or no meaning whatsoever. However, in the SUMMER HOLIDAYS this day has a different meaning altogether – this means super duper rush to get all water jobs completed before 9!

So, after the task of waking Kat up was achieved successfully (Kit was no issue at all!), we set upon the water jobs. As I was helping Kit with her teeth, I was a bit distracted and was also trying to explain to Kit about the roof tank cleaning in a simple way…

Kit: “There will be no water today?”

Me: “Some people need to clean the tank on the roof. They will turn the water on after some time and it will come from here (pointing to the tap)”

The second I said the word Tank I knew I had made a mistake because now I had a million questions ahead and this brush job would never get done. Tank reminded her of fish now!

Kit: “Tank? What tank? Water is in tank? There is tank on roof? We have fish in tank, right?” READ MORE...

OH! COME ON...LETS  GET THE CLEANING DONE!

Half Blood

Of course our house is magical! We have elves watching with cameras during the day; we have Gruffalo waiting outside the door listening to bad children; there are little fairies who tidy up the room at night when good children go to sleep and leave money under the pillow; you grow witch feet if you don’t wear slippers; important objects appear and disappear almost instantly etc. BUT nothing prepared me for the question Kat asked me a couple of nights ago as I tucked her in bed...

Kat has this new love of listening to some audio book (current favourite being The Lightning Thief) – so as I was setting it up, adjusting the volume and generally fussing around, she looked at me and said: “Mummy, am I a half blood?”

Me (all I can see right now is Harry Potter smiling at me!): “What do you mean? Why do you ask?”

Kat: “No I was just wondering if I was part magical, maybe some Greek God or someone? I haven’t seen many pictures of my birth but Kit has so many. I’m so different from her.” READ MORE...

God made us Sisters, Hearts made us friends

After many tears and emotional blackmail, Kat managed to move out into her own room (well, it’s actually our guest room converted into her room) a couple of months ago. There were a lot of “this is mine”, “that is mine” type of arguments and with Kit it was simple – everything Kat touched belonged to Kit that very instant! In the end, it was a peaceful separation with Kit Kat now having their own space (and surprisingly less arguments over lost belongings). Both of them, however, continue to make rounds in each other’s room to scavenge whatever they can!

Since the move, the one thing that Kit loves to do in the morning is that if she sees Kat’s door is closed, she will quietly sneak into her room and face the big question – should she nick some dolly clothes at this ripe moment when all is clear and confess to me in the other room with that innocent face? Or should she simply lie down with Kat and bug her?

Some days it’s the dolly clothes for which Kat’s anger surfaces as and when the discoveries are eventually made…Other days she will make her comfy position alongside unsuspecting Kat, put her thumb in her mouth and start feeling Kat’s ear! This will get an INSTANT reaction.

Kat will jump up on the bed with “Eeww! Disgusting! Mummy take her away from here. She hasn’t even brushed her teeth and she’s breathing on me! She even smells of pee” (She still uses this on Kit from her nappy days when she did smell in the morning – not fair!)  READ MORE...

Now THAT was a fun ride!

I did it with Kat and I knew I should not with Kit but I was on the verge of doing the same with Kit this weekend. I hate it when I have to introduce my kids to bigger rides or something which they might not be ready for yet (or is it me?) – Thank God for Papa – if I was married to someone else or if he was like me or even if I had my way, our girls would have been hiding under tables/in closets or staying indoors on brilliant, gorgeous sunny days!

I think I may have got away to some extent with Kat with my I know best, it’s the first child authority. But secretly in my heart I know that we overprotected Kat. I know we should not make the same mistake with Kit but it just tends to happen with me. Here is when Papa steps in…he will not let it happen – but then, Kit will never let it happen too! Such an explorer, such an adventurer she is! READ MORE...

THE SWINGER THAT POPPED MY EYES OUT !! (*gulp*)

Mozart, Bach or Brahms today?

WAITING TO BE PLAYED...

For the last 3 years or so, our piano has become a distinguished feature of the living room. Maybe it is this state of permanency that has given Kit the power to play it (or rather ape Kat and me) with such poise and ease? Whenever Kit gets a chance (especially when she hears Kat), she will overthrow anyone on the piano bench, seat herself, open her favourite piano music book (the one with pictures) and will start playing (she makes it a point to play with both hands so as to copy Kat and me to perfection) a melody while humming. All this is impromptu and the music and song have nothing to do with the open book as Kit cannot read music (yet!).

Last evening when a similar scene as above was enacted (Kit always likes an audience):

Kit: “Mummy, you like my song?”

Me (while clearing the room of toys, papers, dresses…): “I love it!”

Kit: “Does it make your heart come out?” READ MORE...

When Kat met dog...

It swells my heart with pride when I see Kat stroke any dog now. For someone on the outside, it may seem like the most obvious and the most natural thing but for her it’s been a struggle and she’s come through it – victorious. She’s finally achieved what seemed impossible a few months ago – Well done Kat! We’re so proud of you!

All kids are born fearless – the best age of all! Then creep in the insecurities where we as parents play a pivotal role I think and this is where the dog fear came in – I have this innate fear of four legged animals and they seem to sense it no matter how far they are! They are drawn to me instantly and maybe I behave strange because of this?

Kat must have sensed and picked this one from me (obviously!) to the point where she would not go near any animal (let alone touch it). She was terrified of them…but then came the huge problem…FRIENDS! You never want to be embarrassed in front of your friends, do you? So Kat decided one day (she gets this determination from me I like to think) that this was it – after sessions from her psychologist on overcoming fear (the fear was that bad!) and many nights with both of us talking about it before going to bed, Kat has done it! When she sees a pet dog on the street with someone, she goes up on her own and pats/strokes the dog (very confidently) and sometimes the dog does look fierce and I have to force myself to stay put on the ground and stop myself from shaking so violently! READ MORE...

Kumon Sisters

For all of you who are not familiar with Kumon, it is a Maths and reading program that has worked brilliantly with Kit Kat (so far). Kat started when she was four and as Kit tends to do everything that Kat does and having the second child syndrome makes it easier to some extent, she started at 3 years. Kumon is based on repetition and may or may not work for some kids but I like to think that it works for my girls. When Kat was younger, she took to it like duck to water but then came the nasty long divisions over and over again and then the fractions and she seemed to be stuck in certain levels forever! All said and done, Kat is over some difficult blocks but the most challenging job for all of us is to complete a sheet (and 2 for Kit as she does Reading too) every single day.

While Kit is always excited to do her Kumon (as hers is so colourful with pictures and large sized numbers – she’s only in Junior Kumon) and although Kat got a Kumon Golden Mathlete Star recently, she always has to be inspired to do hers (I don’t blame her!) The one inspiration that always works is if I get them both to do it together – from a work and seriousness scenario, this is not an ideal situation but is a win-win for everyone so I let them carry on…and this is how the sisters get on with it! READ MORE...

DON'T WE JUST LOVE IT? :-)

Is there a Gruffalo?

Meal times with Kit Kat are usually ok now. When it was Kat on her own, she was a bit fussy and picky with the food but since the arrival of Kit, there is really so much happening at the dinner table now, that even Kat eats her food without any complaints. Generally I think Kat has become a better eater too.

ARE YOU REAL?

Most days, I have to read the story of Ariel – The Little Mermaid or her daughter Melody. On the days that I am not reading, we have the story of an imaginary character called Megan and she is the bad girl. If you are the lucky mum whose kids eat all their dislikes without any distractions, then well done to you! Unfortunately, mine doesn’t and needs a good supply of both imagination & patience to swallow hers in between several minutes of detailed thinking (somehow Kit’s brain likes to think in greater, even slower detail when food is not of her liking and her mouth chews to match the pace…grrrh!) So here I am patiently weaving a story of Megan and the Gruffalo when suddenly she snaps out of it and says:

“There is no Gruffalo, is there? It’s all pretend. Come on, tell me”

READ MORE...

Thumb sucking - Yours or mine?

Official release of my pinkie today – Hurray!

Little Kit has had control of my little finger as a pacifier for sleep for the last 3.5 years and a full week of non usage of my pinkie as a sleep inducer makes me think I’ve won my finger back!

Why did I do it in the first place? All new mothers whose babies do not stop crying in the middle of the night or keep waking for whatever reason during night or day must have tried every technique from white noise to lullaby to ignoring cries to whatever works. Something has to work!

They (who?) say that mothers are wiser second time around…ok so here I am to prove that this might not always be the case (always an exception to the rule!). Kit would not sleep in any easy way and after much trial and even more error I figured the only way to calm her and put her to sleep was to let her suck my little finger. To be honest, it felt really cute and harmless when she was newborn and then 3 months, 6 months or even a year old. It even looked cute and everyone complimented on it as it would pacify her so easily without the need for a pacifier!

So far so good…Then came the problems – Kit grew and somehow we both started looking abnormal having my finger in her mouth at nap times! I tried to reason with her (she became more adamant) and then gave up. It even came to the point where she would only suck my pinkie (not even Papa’s) and that too in a certain position and some nights she would like to pick a particular finger! READ MORE...

Who is Baby #1?

All of you reading this and have one child, this is one time where you can surely be happy about it (apart from the obvious cost benefits!). At some point (or many points) in their juvenile years, these siblings (primarily the older one) will question your love over and over and over again to the point where you start questioning it yourself… grrrh!

For some reason, all these debates start in our house around homework or some other important task (do I see a diversion here?) so last evening Kat announced while doing her work that she thinks of Kit as competition (!) and without even knowing what the conversation was about Kit said “Me too!” (as anything Kat does, she has to Me as well)
Sensing a migraine coming on, I try to push the conversation forward –

Kat: “Since Kit has been born, all the attention has been going to her. Everyone says she is the cute one. No one bothers about me”.

I see big tears rolling down and the clock ticking away towards 8pm and I know we are here for long…. READ MORE...