Hey mom!

"I learnt how they make fertiliser at school today." said Nosh
"Really"? mom said and for once Nosh didnt have to repeat what she said thrice before mom came out of her usual stupor to respond. Mom was wondering what grade Nosh was in and how long she'd been sleeping.
"Well what honey?" she ventured...what goes into fertiliser?" with the accompanying indulgent smile reserved for moments like these.
"Cow poop." said Nosh.
"Oh" said mom and they fell over each other laughing, mom relieved that not much time had passed when she slept and woke.
"Who told you?" asked mom
"My teacher." said Nosh
All was well. Except for the syllabus in kindergarten these days. Oh well by the time she's through with elementary maybe Nosh will know how to balance my chequebooks and Reh will bring home a paycheck enough to cover soup costs. At least.

Brilliant? ROTFL...yea right!

Dipali of 'Of This and That' awarded me the above award out of the sheer generosity of her spirit I think! This blog is so sporadic and one-dimensional, I really am touched that you would think of me Dipali. That said, I promise to do 'more' not better like you said! Thanks again! BTW - the reason it took so long for me to put it up here was I didnt know how to get that logo until DUH - it all came back to me in a flash.

This award is for blogs whose content and/or design are brilliant as well as creative.The purpose of the prize is to promote as many blogs as possible in the blogosphere.

1. When you receive the prize you must write a post showing it, together with the name of who has given it to you, and link them back

2. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs (or even more) that you find brilliant in their content or design.

3. Show their names and links and leave them a comment informing they were prized with ‘Brilliant Weblog’

4. Show a picture of those who awarded you and those you give the prize (optional).

5. And then we pass it on!

I'm supposed to pass on this award but I see that most of the blogs I read have already been recipients but just to acknowledge the few others who also always make my day:

Mona

Parul

TAAMommy

Gauri

Nieniedialogues

Breadcrumbs in the Butter

Jammie

Rocking on....!

Last night just before the trillionth time asking them to get into bed, as usual Reh was tinkering with his boom box and decides for the trillionth time (ayiayiayi) that he'd listen to Rock On. Looked like it was fun dancing in their pj's so I decided to capture it forever. I'm waiting for the day they see it and cringe. LOL!

Reh I noticed was not his usual self - a bit too quiet for his usual demeanour. Maybe it was the time, maybe it was bcos he was not alone like he normally is in his room while doing his thing. He's normally more animated!

Nosh will do anything to get out of early turning in. Here she's in her element!

Mothers of the world - anthem for us

you have to see this to believe it!

mom's anthem

Chuckle-worthy yet sobering

I bring the children one more glass of water.

I rub the hormone night cream on my face.

Then after I complete the isometrics.

I greet my husband with a warm embrace.

A vision in my long sleeved flannel night gown.

And socks (because my feet are always freezing).

Gulping tranquilizers for my nerve-ends.

And Triaminic tablets for my wheezing.

Our electric blue blanket's set for toasty.

Our red alarm clock's set for seven thirty.

I tell him that we owe the grocer plenty.

He tells me that his two best suits are dirty.

Last year I bought him a Centaur for his birthday.

(they promised he'd become half-man, half-beast.

Last year he bought me something black and lacy.

(They promised I'd go mad with lust at least.)

Instead my rollers clink on the pillow.

And his big toenail scrapes against my skin.

He rises to apply a little chap-stick.

I ask him to bring back two Buffferin.

Oh somewhere there are lively little boudoirs.

With Porthault sheets, canopies and whips.

He lion-hunts in Africa on weekends.

She measures thirty-three around the hips.

Their eyes engage across the brandy snifters.

He runs his fingers through her Kenneth hair.

The kids are in the other wing with nanny.

The sound of violins is everywhere.

In our house there's the sound of dripping water.

It's raining and he never patched the leak.

He grabs the mop and I get out the bucket.

We both agree to try again next week.

- Source unknown!

Rehliner

Nosh in a moment of gay abandon kissed Reh. Sez the funnyman of the family - "Dont kiss me Nosh! I'll turn into a frog!"

dis n dat

Blogger swallowed up a whole post - has that happened to anyone? You post the post, view it and then go back to correct a spelling mistake and then it just disappears. A post which actually made sense to you. Bah.

Rehliner - R regularly tips Reh on what he's doing is big boy stuff or big boy behaviour or not. Incentive to behave and all dat. Last week something happened and R said - thats not what big boys do Reh, you're not behaving like a big boy! Reh goes - but I AM a big boy - I wear underwear!!

Ladies and ladies we are now a houseful of potty trained people. No more trips to the diaper aisle. No more being on tenterhooks in car and other houses upon forgetting spare diapers. Lighter bags. No more treats and desperate promises and deals made in the vicinity of the pot/john/comfort station to get one's kid to use it. No more. It is a brand new day and we are now actively researching and trying out loos at various stores and houses whether I like to or not, the only advantage being boys dont need to sit while handling their business. Thank God. I suspend him from up there, ask him to aim right and get the hell out the store bathroom. Yes, I miss diapers at such moments but on the whole, we are a pound(s) lighter. Yaayyhhoohaay!

Summer vacation plan - try out every icecream/flavour pictured on the icecream truck that does the rounds by our house. And there's many. Google eyed Nosh couldnt believe I actually agreed to her plan. Told her there's an orange flavoured ice with vanilla inside that we should get next since those are her fav flavours and her jaw dropped. "Really? There's an ice cream like that?!!" sliding out of her chair in amazing delighted earnestness. You'd think she was talking about an island getaway. Oh yeah Nosh - you wait. Just you wait. You and me and Reh can lie next to each other getting our tonsils out and reminiscing about the good times we had slurping on cherry flavoured ice bars. Oh yeah. All we need are the rockers on the front porch.

Noshi-ma.

My sister was wondering why there are these odes to Reh on the blog and hardly anything on Nosh. Thing is when I started the blog, I was just starting to tune in to Reh in a different way. He was talking nineteen to the dozen and it was much easier to understand and enjoy him. By then, Nosh was in her element, a full-fledged, little person who I knew very well. The way Reh was spouting different things every other day for us to see and understand him, Nosh had been through that earlier and she was very interesting too, except, I hadn't been blogging then. Wish I had though, never knew anything about it. I have lots of scraps of papers and diaries scribbled with things she said and did though.
To describe her now...let's see.

One thing that I'm always appreciating her for is that she's such a sport. She's ready for anything (except waking up early morning) no matter what it is at what time of the day/night and she just jumps right in with you to do whatever you suggest. She's always been great with her brother and despite him taking away a lot of time due to her when he came along, she just loved having him around. Of course there are those days when she wishes no one else was around but her but they are very rare. It's reached a stage now where if one is sleeping, the other is restless and rudderless lol.

The flip side of that which I regret is that she's SO mature for her age sometimes that you forget she's a baby too or that if she regresses into being one, she has every right to it and all it will take is a little babying for her to feel loved and attended to before she's back to being Miss Nosh. I still remember the times she used to come looking for me when I shut the door to Reh's room to put him to sleep. Always used to make sure she was with her Dad though, never alone outside. She learnt to open the door without making any noise and she'd look quietly questioningly at when he'd finally nod off and then I'd be with her. When we finally jumped into bed together me and her, she'd be one thrilled kid.

She cant get enough of being read to. I could go through all her books and be croaking hoarse but she'd love to sit and listen to more. She still loves to go to sleep holding/snuggling next to me.

She's very good with her body, she can dance like a free spirit. She's been asking me to put her in one of those Little Gym kind of classes where they teach you to somersault and jump through hoops and God knows what else. There's one around the corner and I just might do that this summer vacation. She loves doing puzzles and is quite good at spatial skills. I never sat her down to it, its something she showed me herself and I'm thrilled at her ability. Art, cooking, drama, she loves these things.

She loves to go shopping and has a really good eye for picking out clothes and things for the house. A month ago, we went to a store and I saw this jacket which looked really nice, except it had all these belts and buckles. I guess it was inspired by the military look or whatever. I tried it on, it fit, the price was OK for one of those days you need to throw something on and rush. So sure and full of confidence, I tried it on and turned around with a flourish to ask Nosh what she thought. "You look like a man" she said very matter-of-factly and tutted, thth ththed her very practical, 'but of course' line at me. I almost fell to the floor laughing. Both at her comment and her bang-on lifestyle editor style. Thats how much fun she is to take shopping.

Putting her clothes together too. I have a very basic, tried and tested sense of style. I'll pull out more or less the same combos of t-shirts that go with pants or skirts or whatever and put them on her. She, with the same wardrobe will manage to pull out something that adds new life to the same outfit after 3 years. Some new combination of colours, this jacket with that skirt, that tshirt-with this pant and you have to stand back and admire. I mostly am delighted.

I wasnt too crazy about sending her to bday parties simply bcos I'm not familiar with the parents and in our day you dropped the kids and picked them later. Here I saw how the moms hang around for the party too. Anyway, she went for her first one 2 weeks ago and was very thrilled to win a prize and was busy doing the cha cha with the rented-for-2-hours Snow White, when I went back to pick her up. I couldnt believe it! My girl? You had to revive me after I considerably wilted, backed into a corner and fainted after being asked to dance at bday parties when I was a kid. Here was my own flesh and blood, shaking everything she had and then some.

Before she left, the previous day , she was busy putting her outfit together, she found the perfect clutch (one which I gave her to add to her pretend/dress-up toys) and actually asked me for a cell-phone. Mine. Huh? I asked her why? She said in case she wanted to come back from the party, she wasnt feeling good or too nervous, she could call and ask me to pick her up. I told her she doesnt even know how to dial. (I was wondering where we were going with this) She said she had our number on a piece of paper and in her clutch. Then I remembered how she asked me to write down our number on a piece of paper to practice calling home, the day before. She said she had the paper and she would just ask the bday girl's mom to call me.

We settled the matter with me telling her, if she wanted to call me, the bday girl's mom had my number anyway and she could just ask her and she would immediately call me. She was'nt very happy with the arrangement but she realised there was no other way around it. So thats my super-planned, ahead-thinking daughter for you.
Shaboo I know you're loving this.
There's more much more to my little girl and I'll keep it coming. :)

Silly tunes

I often take limericky, silly songs kind of books from the library bcos its fun to see noshirinez (I often make silly names out of my kids' names too) and Rehmustario dissolve in a heap of laughs when they listen to the song and esp if it's a familiar tune. I got one today called 'take me out of the bathtub and oher silly dilly songs' by Alan Katz. I'm gonna type up a few that I found funny. Not that funny but funny enough to make the kids lighten up when they're doing circles around your legs saying "mum can I load the dishwasher?", "mum can I help you cut up the chicken"?, mum can I put my head in the dryer"and in between saying 'No' a hundred times, it helps to belt out one of these in your best ....errr.... c minor?

Stinky Stinky Diaper Change
(To the tune of Twinkle Twinkle)

Stinky stinky diaper change
Boy, my brother smells so strange
He made something in his pants
Sure hope it wont attract ants
Stinky stinky diaper change
Boy, my brother smells so strange
It's ok, dont hold your nose
Now he's clean and in fresh clothes
All his stuff is often stained
Can't wait till he's potty trained
He's so cute in his playpen,
What's that smell...oh not again!

Personal note - feel free to substitute words that'll have our kids rolling in the aisles - like doozy for something, Reh etc for brother!

Go Go Go Go To Bed
(To the tune of Row Row Row your boat)

Go go go to bed,
Put your head at rest,
Or tommorrow while at school
You'll snooze on your desk!

No, no no not yet,
There's more stuff to do,
Art and games and balls and cards
Plus some TV too!

Whoa whoa whoa slow down,
Not another peep,
You are young and I am old,
We both need some sleep!

Oh oh oh wait mum, Just ten minutes please!
Yawn, I wanna play somemore,
Yawn, um goodnight,.......zzzzzzz!

Give Me A Break
(Sing to the tune of 'Home home on the range')

Oh give me a break,
'Cause I made a mistake,
And my library book's overdue,
The fault is all mine
It was due way back in '92

Home home's where it's hid
This is such a bad thing that I did,
And you might say "Gee Whiz!""
'Cause the book's title is
How To Be A Responsible Kid!


I'm So Carsick
(To the tune of Oh Susanna)

I'm in my dad's Toyota,
And we're now in hour three
Im gonna visit Grandma,
Though I wish she'd drive to me

We had some lunch,
A while ago,
A tiny pizza pie,
I need a soda or some juice,
'Cause boy, my throat is dry!

I'm so carsick
Bet ween you and me,
We've been driving for so long that,
I am growing a goatee!

Some take the bus,
Some take the train,
And others get to fly,
We're in this car, in the slow lane,
I think I'm gonna cry!

I'm so carsick,
Gotta go wee-wee
Hey Dad, stop this Toyota
And next time, go without me!

Hope you enjoy these!