Notes from an almost-empty-nester
The day began peacefully enough…
The kids fortunately were down playing almost all day leaving me to change sheets, cushion covers, table covers and set up flower arrangements undisturbed. The Husband was glued to his phone with his colleagues, ex and present, discussing Diwali auto sales. His exclamations would make you think he was Rahul Bajaj or Anand Mahindra with the profits flowing into his own personal account… the happiness he gets out of such conversations, My God! Strange na how when the kids leave you alone it’s like ‘Wow’ but when The Husband leaves you alone it’s like ‘Grrrrrrrr’.
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| A clean and pretty house is so rare and such a pleasure |
.. and then the kids took over
While I got the rangoli ready H managed to knock down and break the Ganesha idol we’d got for the puja and came within an inch of being whacked by the frustrated Husband who had been made to go and get it at the nth hour. That was not the end though. They fought over the rangolis, stepped into them, got colour over their new clothes..making Diwali look like Holi, and generally got in the way as much as they possibly could. They were on a roll.
N, the brave
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| Can you believe this? |
That, ladies and gentlemen, was how my Diwali went. How was yours?
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| Leftie, forever |
That’s the magic of having your dad over. Sigh! He’s gone already
… We cribbed together as we watched Big Boss
This is what happens when you have a budding artist in the family.
When I discovered her ‘sketches’ our conversation went like this…
Me: Naisha did you do this?
Naisha: No (studying my face closely and watching my expression)
Me: (Pretending to be impressed)
Naisha: You like it?
Me : Hmmmm…
Naisha: I did it.. sorry.. but it’s nice na?
… and then followed a lengthy and extremely complicated explanation of what she’d tried to make.
Yay!! My dad’s coming. There’s plenty of excitement and we’re all preparing in our own ways.
I kick started my Diwali cleaning with the kids’ room, which doubles as the guest room, since they still sleep with us. Managed to dispose off a sack of their old toys and the room looks so spacious.
N’s been asking me..”May I ask Nanu what he’s getting for us?” and then despite my very firm, “NO” she goes ahead and asks him and then adds, “Get something for H bhai also.” This, despite the fact that they’ve been at each others’ throats all day.
H refused to go to play even when his friends came to call him. He said, very importantly, “I can’t come I’m helping mama clean the room for nanu.” All he really did was watch and get in the way.
That didn’t prevent him from telling the neighbour’s daughter that “My nanu is coming tomorrow, don’t come to my home and mess it up. I’ve helped mama clean it.”
I wonder whether H’s excitement is because of Nanu or the ‘boy doll’ he’s getting. H likes to play with dolls as long as they’re boy dolls. ‘Play’ involves either wrestling with it or tossing it up in the air so that it gets stuck on the fans or pelmets.
The kids started their three week Diwali holidays.. three weeks, isn’t that crazy? I haven’t been able to locate a Diwali camp to keep them occupied. God help me!
Editing to add: Did that post two days back and forgot to publish it. So well, Papa is here and life’s great. He carried two box fulls of Mithai… which I have proceeded to demolish systematically, aided marginally by H. I’ve rationalised my sweet orgy with the thought that I need to finish it all before The Husband gets back. He’s travelling for a few days. He’s diabetic, you see, and his sugar levels have been up over the past month. Loving wife that I am, I have to save his life even if I endanger my own. Hee hee. So what if I don’t take Karva Chauth seriously, I do love The Husband. Must get that mithai finished.
The weightloss, needless to say, has suffered… 200gms up in a day. Thankfully the gentleman trainer got the weighing machine functional so at least I know where I stand.
Day four of the holidays and the kids are already beginning to drive me crazy. More on that in my next post.