Author: Tulika

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Brownies!


Sometime back I’d promised I’d find time each weekend to take up one craft activity with Naisha and try one recipe with Hrit. However I could keep my word only to Naisha. We did some great fun stuff. When it was Hrit’s turn either we ran out of time or I couldn’t find a suitable recipe.. easy yet appealing. And so I fobbed off the poor guy with stuff like peeling boiled eggs and potatoes (basics are very important, I told him) …

 … or post cooking washing (A good chef must learn to clear up).

Yes mums can be pretty crafty.

Sweetheart that he is, he hung around helping me with my chores satisfied if I let him ‘smell the atta’ or gave the names of the spices in the spice box.

Finally this weekend things came together and we decided to try this recipe from cookingandme.com. Chef Hrit took centre stage assisted by Naisha.

First, the ingredients…
Marie biscuits — 20-25
Cocoa powder — 3 tbsp
Roasted nut of choice, we managed walnuts — 1/4 cup
Sugar — 2 tsp
Condensed milk (Milkmaid) — 1/2 of a 400gm tin

Here’s how it goes…

Crush the Marie biscuits.. don’t worry if it isn’t too fine a powder

Add the cocoa powder

Add the sugar and Milkmade and mix. This needs some strength and I had to lend a hand

At which point.. the mixture becomes too yummy to not be tasted..

Add the nuts

Butter a bowl/tray

Spread out the mixture on the tray

Pat it evenly and put it in the freezer.

Call in the assistant to clear up

We left it overnight and the result was great. The brownies in the original recipe
look yummier but ours weren’t bad

For a more accurate account do hop over to the original recipe .

Hrit’s parting line (accompanied with a huge sigh): I wish I were a mama then I could get to cook all kinds of things.

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We are Maganlal Dresswala

Check this out1. Sher Khan from The Jungle Book
2. Mowgli from The Jungle Book
3. Ladybird (2 sets)
4. Bee
5. Octopus
6. Jelly Fish
7. Air Hostess
8. Pilot
9. A river
10. An astronaut
11. Planet Venus
12. A Russian dancer
13. Spiderman
14. Nurse
15. Baker (2 sets)
16. Queen of Hearts
17. SpiderThat’s our DIY fancy dress inventory. Crazy isn’t it? The kids have worn all of those over the years, of course not counting the ones I’ve rented/borrowed from kind friends. Add to this sets from varied annual day programmes and you’ll know why the kids’ cupboards are overflowing with clothes they do not wear, and this in just the four years since they started school.

I really should host a dress-up party for the kids and their friends.

Getting back to where I left off in my last post — the fancy dress was a grand success. They looked glittery enough and scary enough to each of their complete satisfaction. Here’s how they looked..

A crown, a cape, an apron and a heart worn over a red and white dress.
N painted a thermacol plate with hearts and also made some playdough tarts (which were demolished before they got back home).
I swear I didn’t ask her to show off her cape.

 

That’s the spider. Erstwhile octopus tentacles were covered with black ribbon and poof! they turned into spider legs. H wore them with slings. A piece of black cloth with the web, a hole cut out for the head to go in and tied at the sides with black ribbon, worn over a black T shirt. This one was easy.

 

Obviously, this then is our entry for Shruti’s Artsy Craftsy Challenge .
A glittery Queen of Hearts crown
Scallops cut into some red chart paper.
Paint on fevicol and spread glitter. Shake off the excess (and store for a glittery craft another day).

 

Paint on silver hearts
Add tiny hearts cut out from silver paper.
We’re planning to help N’s friends make similar crowns, the colour preferences are already pouring in. My only reservation is the glitter. It has a nasty habit of spreading itself all over the house. It’s been two days since I finished that crown off and I’m still trying to get it off me.
IT JUST DOESN’T GO.
Even though this was easy enough N didn’t help with it at all so we’ll probably have to have another entry. I had fun, though.
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Two updates

The two current worries of my life — the darned fancy dress and my weightloss — seem to have sorted themselves out.

First the fancy dress.. the decision has been made — Queen of Hearts for Naisha (Yesssss!), Incy Wincy spider for Hrit.
Naisha is a real surprise. She’s a great story teller so I tried to sell her the idea of just narrating the story in the rhyme rather than mugging it up and says she, “No mama I’ll learn the rhyme.. look I already know half. Then she proceeded to rattle off  “The Queen of Hearts she made some tarts….” Women I tell you.. most unpredictable. What’s more she has also prepared herself to tell the story if she forgets the rhyme. That’s one kid sorted. SIGH!

Hrit was a no brainer.. anything black and scary and he’s happy.. so a spider he is.

Somehow the task of putting the costumes together seem so much easier than arriving at a decision that makes the kids and me happy.

Now for the weightloss…
BOREDOM ALERT: If you’re not a compulsive fat fighter stop now.

If you are one read on…
Actually, I’m not even sure I should be happy about this one but I am. I did my BCA (body composition analysis) at the gym today. And the results…

The good first.. (me being a wannabe optimist)
— muscle mass has increased
— BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) has increased.

Isn’t that wonderful?


On the flip side
— Weight up by 2 kgs
— Water content down (I need to drink more water. At least 4 ltrs says the instructor. When I started at him incredulously and asked, “Do even you ever drink 4 ltrs?” He replied with a deadpan face, “I drink 8.” So much for being a smart alec).
— Fat percentage up too.

The net result is what the instructor had pointed out earlier… exercise regimen is perfect but the diet….hmmmm.

However, for now, I can’t look beyond the BMR and I am pretty kicked. All I have to do is eat sensibly and all will be well. How tough can that be? I’ve done it before. So two kgs by Spetember end.

Happiness!

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A dilemma

It’s another fancy dress at the kids’ school and I’m in a bit of a fix. The theme this time is Nursery Rhymes. “Star, I want to be a star,” said Naisha as soon as she came home. “Twinkle twinkle little star. I already know the rhyme,” she chirped.  “We’ll see,” said I while thinking “Won’t do, too simplistic.” They have been singing that one since they could barely talk. I was hoping I could convince her for something ‘better’, according to me, of course.

After some thought, I arrived at the Queen of Hearts. It would be nice, thought I. It’s different, and it would be something Naisha liked — a red dress with shiny, glittery hearts, a crown, maybe and a plate of tarts.. perfect.

Not so, thought Naisha. The deterrent, of course, is, that she’d have to learn a new rhyme. She can do it easily enough, I know, she’s smart.. but the thing is she doesn’t want to.

So here’s my dilemma

If I push the Queen of hearts…
It’ll be an uphill task as she’ll need plenty of convincing.
Of course, she’ll have to learn a new rhyme.
She might worry about her lines (I know she’s a worrier, specially on stage) and her apprehensions might ruin the pleasure of the performance.
BUT
It is a nice concept.
It’s ‘different’.
She’ll certainly enjoy dressing up.

OR

Should I go with the Star
It’s her idea.
She is comfortable with it.
She’ll be more confident on stage.
BUT
The idea really is too simplistic.
She’s capable of much more than this.

Am I being a Chinese Mum in trying to push her? Or am I being a laid back mum in letting her be? How will she know what she’s capable of if no one pushes her? She certainly isn’t the self-motivating kind. If she does well this time maybe next time she’ll be more confident in taking up a challenge instead of opting for the easy route and sticking to the safe and simple.

What do you think? Star or Queen?

Edited to add: She woke up this morning saying a ‘yes’ to the Queen. And now I’m wondering if she’s doing it just to make me happy.. sigh!
.. and I’ve had another brainwave.. what if we skip the rhyme. The brief says they have to talk for a minute.. not necessarily recite the rhyme. She could just say it, in her own words. Worth a shot. Yay.

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Of unwanted advice and weightloss

Some time back a fellow blogger suggested it was a good idea to incorporate surya namaskars in ones routine. Always ready to try out a new suggestion in the fight against fat, I did so. It’s been over a week now and I’ve stuck to it.

Today as I was in the middle of my daily dose of twenty ..
“Aap breathing control nahin kar rahi hain,” commented a voice.
She was a co-gymmer I barely knew. I threw her a mildly apologetic smile and continued.
“Aise toh koi fayada nahin hone wala,” she went on. This time I gave her a not so apologetic smile, resolutely turned my back at her and went on.
“Haan sachchi.. yeh sab toh instructor ke saath hi karna chahiye,” the co-gymmer had been joined by a friend. This was getting seriously.. IRRITATING. I tried to concentrate harder on my counts.
“Aap ne woh Nazia ko dekha hai? Woh perfect karti hai. 
Aaaarrrgh…
I don’t know who Nazia is and I don’t care. I do not want lessons in Suryanamaskars I’ve been doing them for years. I don’t even know who you are, you are certainly not an instructor. Why don’t you find something else to do rather than commenting on me…

I wish I’d said at least SOME of that. I didn’t. I wish it weren’t so tough being rude to strangers… even to rude strangers who crawl on your nerves.

Of course one reason for my irritation was the fact that I haven’t been losing much weight in a long long time, which is also why there hasn’t been a post on weightloss. What’s the point of a post on weightloss when there’s no weightloss?

The summer vacations are suicidal, I swear. Remember before I went off I was there – in that 60s club. However two months and it’s all undone and I can’t get back. The other day my trainer watching me conscientiously at the weights said, “aap exercise toh theek karti hain.. aapka weight kam ho kyon nahin raha?”
Hah thought I, “You haven’t seen how often I’m heading for the fridge”.
It was like he’d heard my thoughts, “Aap bilkul diet nahin kar rahin hain kya?”
Yup “Nail on the head,” thought I.. while nodding and trying to smile a non-commital smile.

However, that pretty much sums up my situation.
Chocolates, pastries, khakras, breads, bhels, soups, salads, eggs and milk.. the good, bad and ugly..all of it finds a place on my plate.

I really do need to get my act together.

And so here’s my pledge for September.

I will

Keep going to the gym
Try to squeeze in a 20 minute walk in the evening
Have just two cups of tea/coffee.. three maybe
Stop at soups and salads at dinner time

I won’t

Eat junk
Smuggle in a sweet post meals
Grab a spoonful of Nutella if there are no sweets
Eat up the kids’ chocolates and replenish them quietly
Sit with a plate while watching late night TV

There I’ve confessed all my sins.

The target for September: Two kgs.

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