Category: birthday

Posted on

Happy birthday to The Book Club

It’s
been some time since I posted news from The Book Club. This week it needs to be written about since we turned ONE! Isn’t that wonderful? I had forgotten about it till facebook memories sent me a reminder. I do love the idea of revisiting memories.

This last weekend the meeting was pretty special what with birthday celebrations as well as Friendship Day on Sunday.

After much sifting through stories on friendship from Harry Potter to Kabuliwala to Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn I settled on a relatively obscure one about a young Irani girl who finds friendship in London even while retaining her uniqueness. With pre-teens staring us in the face that’s an important aspect of friendship – this idea of loving and retaining your difference even while being best friends. 

The Friendship drawing

The funnest part was the ‘friendship drawing activity’. (I modified the idea from a book of the ‘My Weird School’ series. Review coming up soon on my other blog, do watch out). Each of the kids were asked to think up something they’d like to draw – it could be anything. They came up with a flower, a bird, a train, a boat, a scene from the Irani girls life, a robot, a scenery etc. 

I then paired them up making sure the bete noires were put together. You should have heard the protests!! ‘Aunty I can go with ANYONE but her!’ (Oh they can be rude and blunt) ‘Aunty may we PLEASE exchange our partners’. But I stuck to the plan telling them none of them was so intolerable/intolerant that they couldn’t be with each other for 15-20 minutes. And then I asked them to  put together their two ideas and make up one drawing. It was amazing how quickly they settled down and got to work with absolute concentration. Even H and N who are always at loggerheads and who I’d paired together worked like a team.

We ended up with a bird-shaped boat, a robotic flower, a girl playing with a toy train while hiding under the bed during a bombing (That was from the story of the day) and bombs destroying a pretty scenery.
These kids are seriously brilliant.

If you work with kids anywhere this is an exercise I completely recommend. Not just does it teach children to work with people they don’t much like, it also prompts them to align their thoughts and ideas with completely divergent ones and work towards a common goal,towards a common win. Those are skills they’ll need to hone in life. 

I was pretty pleased with myself. The problem is I made it out to be a contest and now I have to pick the best drawing and I’m stumped.

Posted on

100 Happy Days – Week 2

This 100 Happy Days project is growing on me. I blogged about it last week – it’s a pledge to find at least one happy thing each day for 100 days.

Over the last week I’ve found myself watching out for the happy stuff and rejoicing each time something happy happens. I’ve had to pick and choose the happiest of them all. Here goes..

Another surprise!

Last week I came back after a spot of very functional, very boring shopping. Not the kind I enjoy at all. My feet were hurting as was my head from an impending cold. The thought of making even my single chapati for lunch seemed terribly daunting. I was considering settling for bread. I unlocked the door and found my cleaning maid at work. Now she is not a cook but there she was at the stove making a chapatis! She’ a true blue Maharashtrian and days ago she was telling me how they made jowar rotis with peanut-garlic chutney and I had said “You must make it for me one day.” And this turned out to be that ‘one day’. Miraculous, isn’t it? So both of us had these huge jowar rotis with the hottest, spiciest chutney. Yumm…I don’t even remember when I’ve last had a hot chapati straight off the tawa.

The kids are my next happiness..

N has taken to putting the alarm and waking up half an hour before I wake her up each morning. It’s been a week and it’s just such a blessing not to have to start your day with a crying reluctant girl. H is no trouble in any case. I guess half my happiness stems from starting my day on such a happy note. So after the kids are up I sit with my cup of tea and they laze round, chat and cuddle before the day starts off. Such peace.

..and there’s more

Since I was in Goa for my birthday my friends decided to celebrate it now. So some two weeks after the real thing I had another one. One of them got me this wonderful soup bowl which goes so well with my current weight loss drive. And there’s a set of deos too.

Souper fun!

Since it’s a 100 day project I’m looking at 15 weeks of happiness. Keep reading. And if you’re blogging about this too, leave a comment and I’ll hop over to share your happiness.

Meanwhile.. keep smiling!

Posted on

Only U…

… think my cooking is out of the world never noticing the slightly crooked rotis or the overdone daal.  
… happily christen my hardened cakes ‘biscuit cakes’ and crunch them up with relish.
..  think I sing like a nightingale and fall asleep with a smile to my off tone, off key renditions.
… think I’m fashionista number one fascinated at my barely there ‘makeup’ kit.
… think I’m pretty never noticing the flab only enjoying the warmth as you cuddle up.
… think I’ve got the grooviest moves as you dance with me to.



Seven years ….

Sure got lucky with you too.

Posted on

Happy birthdays are made of these

10 things that make a perfect birthday

1. A late lazy morning and waking up to a phone call from home, then another one from an old old friend, then another one and another and another…..
2. Birthday wishes from the kids accompanied by a big hug and countless kisses. They then follow it up by popping out from unexpected places throughout the day with a “Happy birthday mama”.
3. The maid comes in time.
4. The kids behave themselves.
5. The Husband remembers your birthday and gets the most gorgeous chocolate chip cake ever.. muah.
6. Friends drop in bringing along plenty of laughs.. and a scrumptious cake too… yes one more.
7. Lots of flowers that you didn’t buy yourself.
8. A few thoughtful gifts which also haven’t been bought by yourself.
9. Good food obviously not cooked by yourself.
10. A gift hamper full of goodies from the daughter.. Check out what it had…

The hamper

A pearl flower saved from a Diwali gift box

A pink ribbon.. must have for a girl

‘Perfume’ which was actually some flower petals in a
dessert glass

A single rose bouquet

A favourite Mc Donald toy she gave up for me

 Can one ask for more?

Posted on

Birthday bumps

A tier for each year.
Pic courtesy: Google pics

You turned six, yesterday and once again I forgot. I have wronged you dear blog, grossly. Never, once in these six years have I acknowledged your birthday. How callous is that! I thought this year would be different. Reading a birthday post at momofrs’ I thought I’d have a bash for you. I even planned a gift — a brand new design or a super colourful header. However that was not to be. Belated happy birthday to you, my best friend, my confidante.

Thank you…
for being there when I needed you
for sitting quietly when I didn’t
for waiting patiently during my summer disappearances
for listening to me uncomplainingly… rants, ramblings, babbles, gushes and all.

and above all,
for connecting me to so many many wonderful people

THANK YOU.

PS: Hope you enjoyed the cake.

Privacy Policy Proudly powered by WordPress