Just A Regular Mommy

  Being a mother lets you try on different roles - teacher, BFF, confidante.... but also, clown, detective, commando...   I was outnumbered. One is to two. I could not match the agility of the opposing camp troops. Nonetheless, I was physically more powerful. Still, I could not afford to lower my guard around the two large cola drink bottles bought for the evening’s get together. A raid on my refrigerator, where they were stored, was imminent. I could analyse that from the sporadic giggling sounds. And hence I asked hubby to help patrol the area as I prepared dinner in the kitchen. This resource could not be trusted completely though, given the heavy influence of the opposing troops on his emotions. But I gave him a benefit of doubt. On and off, they kept approaching with their headstrong demand of first having a glass full of cola which gradually scaled down to a request for a sip. But negotiating on certain things was out of question, including this one. So, they retreated t...

  Yes, spending time with your toddlers is fun. Especially supermarket visits ;) It was exactly midweek, noon of a Wednesday. I had taken a day off from office to spend a complete day of my girls' vacation with them. I had it all planned - a visit to the supermarket ( as Wednesday is their discount day and I had to replenish a truck load of foodstuffs and cleaning agents for every damn thing in the house. Last supermarket invasion of this kind was about three months back! ), followed by getting  mehendi  done for my girls by the  mehendi  guy who sits at the market's exit ( both of them simply love it and I make it a point to get it for them on long holidays ), and then to get their favorite donuts from a store in the same mall complex. So, off I started with a battalion of my two little 'helpers' and my actual helper, their nanny. Now, I bet that every mom who visits a supermarket with a toddler(s) cannot expect the trip to be complete ( rather end somehow! ) w...

  I do not disagree with people who say that we must try our best to engage in conversations with our toddler kids. But let me give you a disclaimer : Sometimes, while doing that, you might find yourself at the far edge of sanity! ONE SATURDAY MORNING... I was running a list in my mind of things to be done that weekend. Me  : "Shall we book the flights tickets for December now?" Hubby  : "Yes. When should we go?" Me  : "Uh, I think..." J  : "Anita stays in Rainbow Towers!" This out of the blue ‘interesting’ fact was not of any relevance at that moment. Still, both of us acknowledged it with a halfhearted smile. Apparently, that was not enough. J  : "Papaaaaa! I said that my friend, Anita, stays in Rainbow Towers!" Hubby  : "Uh, okay. I did not know that." (With an expression saying ‘what did I miss’!) Me  (gesturing him to attend to his oldest girl first!) : "I think 24th should be good. Their holidays begin then. Cheapes...

Mostly all parents, before they have become parents, list their commandments on the dos and don'ts of how they would raise their kids.  My experience - There is all possibility of at least one being broken. Here is an example.. They have not named it as 'pacifier' or 'soother' for no reason. In fact, it should be called 'The Pacifier'.  Reason   : It soothes the crying baby for sure but it actually 'pacifies' the miserable parents too who try every possible move known to mankind to make their wailing babies quiet. When my older one was born, almost every infant around me was a proud owner of at least one of the kinds. Given the overwhelming variety in consumer goods available, I first could not believe that something like a pacifier can have so many avatars . There is a glow in the dark type to make the hunt easier in the dark. Then there is a type with Marilyn Monroe like lips or Charlie Chaplin like moustache. Some, even personalized with the baby’...

  A typical day in the life of an Indian woman is incomplete without the arrival of her anxiously awaited housemaid. Mine is no different. But  every second, the anxiety rises exponentially when she does not show up at her regular time. Do you know why? Read on.. I have blessed myself with two of them  (Yes, maids are no less than a blessing when there is an active infant and a hyperactive toddler in the house) . One is the cook and also does the daily cleaning chores. The other is my children's nanny for the evening who also helps me with other infinite tasks.  (P.S. The tasks I am referring to over here may sound unproductive. But trust me, they are crucial, like - clean up of the recurring pile of toys, detecting and cleaning unseen water pools here and there, treasure hunt of things you did not realise were important unless the toddler and the infant plot to make you realise, managing the perennial flow of kids laundry, avoiding intentional or unintentional misha...

  " Things get easier for parents as children grow older " - A debatable statement, I would say. But I can at least guarantee that things like relieving one's self, as and when one wishes, definitely gets easier! Well, let me explain this with an eight year old tale...  With two chirpy toddlers in the house, I have manipulated my body to send me to pee at strategic time slots. It still takes a lot of heart to leave them without an adult around for two whole minutes. But when my boastful master minding of self scheduled pee visits fail me, that walk to the washroom and back is no less than playing  kabaddi!  Interested in details?  The toddlers broke over a fight for a couple of dolls.  (Mind you, same colour, same size and same date of purchase from the same shop at the same time. Can someone please throw light on the non existent reason of that fight? ) I somehow managed to make them call a truce. Unlike every other day, I had to pee at this time of the af...