The Weekend That Was!

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We had an amazing, fun-filled, action packed weekend. Saturday was the little boy's cultural fest at school and ever since the note came home informing us about the fest, the dance and the costumes, I have been excited, maybe a little more than the boy himself! 

The little boy was to be in the christmas dance and hence, had to be in a red satin shirt, black bow tie and black pants along with silver pom poms. I got the satin shirt stitched when I went to Trivandrum for our christmas break and we had the remaining costume in place. Ever since the school started after the christmas break, I have been asking him about his dance and all that I got for a response was that he was dancing for "bol baje" (read: dhol baje). Thanks to the whatsapp group of mammas, we came to the conclusion that all the kids were excited about the dhol baje song and wanted to dance only for that. 

The day of the cultural fest, it was heartmelting to see the little one dressed in his dance costume and all set for his stage performance - not his first yet, to us, still special. As the kids got in, we, excited mammas, most of us draped in Sarees, stood squealing and eyeing each other's dress until we were let in. It was a fun filled two hours of dance and music with little ones dancing to the tunes of various Indian festival songs. As my little boy came to the stage I was excited for him and all his friends but he was holding just one pom pom and seemed upset. He was the least interested in dancing and started troubling the little boy next to him, trying to poke his eyes, and oh boy! I just wanted to disappear. There wasn't anything the I could do at that moment, although in my mind, I would have said "Don't do that, Adhrith" a million times. Although everyone around me found it "cute", I know the little boy's parents wouldn't have found it so and neither did I. I breathed a sigh of relief as the dance got over and the entire episode was forgotten as we enjoyed the rest of the show. We came back home with a lot of memories and photos to cherish, and a certain little boy telling his Acha that he didn't dance because he was waiting for the "Dhol Baje" song to come and he was angry because someone took his pom poms.. Kids!

Sunday was even more exciting with the Pinkathon, Bangalore happening. Like I told you in the earlier post, The Bangalore Birth Network was partnering with Pinkathon to bring on board babywearing moms to participate in the 3km walk. We were to reach the Kanteerva Stadium by 5:30 in the morning and I decided to carpool with a mom I met at the practise walk and who, I later realised, lived next to me. So with sleeping kiddos in our Soul carriers, both of us set out at 5:00 in the morning to the stadium. As we reached the stadium, we could see thousands of women in pink and white, all set to run for a cause. The stadium was packed with women all set for the marathon - some for 3km, others for 5 km and 10km and a few for 21km. Amidst the entire crowd, I must definitely say how we, babywearing moms, stood out with our little ones strapped to us in our beautiful carriers and rocked the 3km walk. There was a sense of sisterhood, each cheering for the other, and as the mommies finished the walk, we patted each other on the back. For us, things like these are a reassurance that we can do it, inspite of being a mom, inspite of having a baby on our hip, and to most of us moms, none of these could ever be possible without babywearing - our biggest blessing that empowers us to live life as we wish without being restrained! 

Weekends like these make your heart happy in a way that makes you wish time stood still.  It tires you yet it's rejuvenating, preparing you to start the week ahead on a positive note. The kick lingers for your mind to whisper "you go, girl" every now and then when you are unsure of yourself and feeling low. This was as refreshing as a weekend getaway, and trust me, given a chance, I would do it every weekend!

On a different note, I finished two books too over the weekend. Reviews coming up soon (hopefully!).

Volunteering With The Bangalore Birth Network and Pinkathon 2017

I love pregnancy, I love childbirth and I love children. I love when people treat pregnancy and childbirth as the most natural, normal thing that could have happened, more focused on having a healthy pregnancy and enjoying the phase. Over the years, from being an irritating, intruding niece invading the privacy of a new mom (as embarrassing as it is to reveal it),  I've become a strong campaigner of moms-to-be, encouraging them to do all that they wish to do even while they are pregnant and following their instincts and body to decide what to do and what not to do, and encouraging dads-to-be and new dads to be as supportive of their wives as it can get and help them lead a well-deserved healthy, joyful pregnancy, childbirth and of course, stress-free parenting. I've learnt to let a new mom be, understanding her choices and standing by her, without invading her privacy and providing unsolicited advice. As much as I support natural birthing, I've learnt that there are times when a c-sec is unavoidable and you needn't be upset about it, as long as the mother and baby are healthy and fine. I've learnt that an essential c-sec is not the end of the world and you are no less a mother than if you would have given a natural birth. More than anything else, I've learnt to be there and lend a ear to a new mom who is frustrated with all the opinions that she has been getting ever since she became a mom. 

Team BBN with Milind Soman

All in all, the concept of pregnancy, birth and motherhood is something that really excites me! Which is why, when I saw a call for volunteers by the Bangalore Birth Network I knew I wanted to be a part of them. I had been thinking about volunteering for an organisation for sometime now but I was still not sure with whom and when this presented itself right in front of me, I knew instantly that this was what I wanted. Needless to say, I was glad when they roped me in as one of the volunteers and in the process, I've met some amazing people and working with the team has been really exciting.

Bangalore Birth Network Sling Library

After I joined, the first event that came our way was the Bangalore Pinkathon 2017. BBN has been partnering with Pinkathon for the last couple of years by bringing in babywearing moms to the Pinkathon. This year, we decided to go a step further and include moms to be as well and raising awareness on 'Gestational Diabetes'. We had a wonderful practice walk on the 8th of January, where a lot of babywearing moms and a couple of pregnant moms too came together for a walk around Cubbon Park and the highlight of it had to be Milind Soman joining us for the walk and assenting for the innumerable selfies and groupfies. We had the Bangalore Birth Network Sling Library booth set up where babywearing enthusiasts and new moms could try out various carriers that could help them in deciding their carrier of choice. It was indeed a fun morning, meeting new people and connecting with them. 

A newspaper cutting about the Pinkathon Babywearing Walk

The main Pinkathon event is on 29th of January, and we are reaching out to all moms and moms-to-be to partner with us for the Pinkathon this year. It would be a 3km leisure walk and by supporting this, you would be helping us raise awareness on Gestational Diabetes. Also, you would be able to meet a lot of like-minded people and connecting with them. Rest assured, this is going to be an event you would look back to dearly. 

You can sign up here in case you are interested. It would be really great to have you alongside us!

A Malayalam Book After A Long Time!

Kunnolamundallo Bhoothakalakkulir - Deepa Nisanth

I can't quite recall the last time I read a malayalam book. I love the language, the beauty of its words and I've loved all the malayalam books that I've read. One of my first memories of a book fair was purchasing a malayalam book and the excitement of reading it on my own. Sadly, though I still remember the story, I forgot the name of the book and I misplaced it too. I really loved that book!

Then came the second language malayalam classes at school. Some of the amazing teachers that I've had at school were my malayalam teachers and I am sure they played an integral part in my love for the language and reading malayalam books. My love for Pottakkad's and Malayatoor's books, amongst many others, was instilled by them and I still associate these books and authors with the classes we had where we discussed the books rather than being taught, and where we were encouraged to give wings to our imaginations. Even during those times when I didn't prepare for any other exam, I loved preparing for Malayalam exam - there wasn't much to prepare for, you just had to read through a bunch of wonderful stories and poems!

Reading malayalam novels came down (a lot) once I started college and there would have been very few that I read since college till now. I remember reading Changampuzha's Ramanan and falling in love with some most of the verses in it. I remember reading Vaikom Basheer's Pathummayude Aadu while I started working and M.T.'s Randamoozham after I got married. Other than these, I don't remember vividly reading malayalam literature for a long long time.

Last year, I did want to add a few malayalam books to my reading list but it never happened. And, as the year was about to come to an end, somewhere during the last week of December, as I was browsing through a bookstore, Deepa teacher's ( I do not know her personally, but after following a lot of her posts and reading her book, I do not want to call her anything other than 'Deepa teacher') books caught my eye. Without a second thought, I picked one, wanting to add this to the list of books that I read in 2016. But my mind never let me pick this up since deep down, I knew I wanted to start the new year with this book.

And so, as a new year dawned, I picked up the book with a lot of excitement. Ask me if I had high expectations of the book, I wouldn't be able to answer you. I mean, I don't know. I didn't set any expectations although deep in my mind, going by Deepa teacher's Facebook posts, I knew that this was going to be an interesting read. And that was exactly what it was for me.

The book took me down the memory lane, bringing in lot of childhood memories along with it. I laughed at times, I was disturbed at other times, and there were moments when my heart felt heavy too. All through the book, I felt like I was sitting in my couch and having a conversation with Deepa teacher, taking in all that she had to say, just sitting back smiling and nodding my head. Simple, understandable language and most often, in your daily conversational tone without trying to modify it to suit the 'dressing' of a book, this is what made the book stand out to me. I re-lived my childhood, remembered a lot of old friends and the "naughty school girl" moments, and by the end of it, I felt good.  I felt really good. The book was so heart-warming that once I finished the last page, I sat back closing my eyes and smiled - a right from the heart smile. 

I'm really glad that I picked this book. It was the perfect push I needed to bring me back to the long forgotten warmth of Malayalam books that I once enjoyed. Now, I can't wait to read more. Thank you, Deepa teacher, for this gem!

P.s: You can click below to buy the book. Thank me later! :)

A Messy Mom’s Tale

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The morning alarm goes off by 4 in the morning. I snooze it for another 15 minutes before I open my eyes, not yet ready to get up from the bed until I realize it’s almost 5:00 A.M. I jump out from the bed, willing my body to move faster so that the day’s work gets over before the maid comes.

As I come out of my room and gets myself a glass of water to start my day, the house looks earthquake hit. There is not a single place, let alone any corner, that is free of toys. The cycle is parked in the middle of the living room while the jeep is parked in between the kitchen and the dining room. Oh, and the balance bike is in the guest room. The t-shirt that the little one wore yesterday is lying down near the bed while the shorts is in the toilet. As I walk to the kitchen, the mopping towel is on the floor and I realize that the little one peed on his shorts that is now in the toilet and the daddy wiped the floor but forgot to hang the cloth back, instead leaving it there itself. I see a few chocolate wrappers on the sofa and I wonder how since it wasn’t there when I went to sleep? And then I remember. The little boy refused to sleep and in the process of making him sleep, I had slept off. After which, daddy and son seemed to have had their time together sharing chocolates which Amma would have otherwise restricted.

I do a quick cleanup before I start preparing breakfast and lunch, this time making a mess in the kitchen. The maid comes and just as she was about to finish the cleaning, the little boy gets up. As the maid leaves, I see the toys that I cleaned up and organized just a few hours before coming out again. As I run behind the little one, I see the laundry bag piled up to the brim and the washed and dried clothes yet to be folded. I sigh (there’s nothing better that I can do!) and divert my attention back to the little one. It’s time for him to get ready for school. Once he is done with his potty and bath, it is time for breakfast and the little one is seated on his high chair for breakfast. As he starts to have his breakfast, I go for a quick shower and get myself ready.

By the time I am ready, I check the clock only to realize that we are running late. I rush to the dining room to see the little boy playing with his food, water all over his food tray and he playing splish splash with the water with food mixed in it. I do not have time to clean it. I keep aside the tray, wash the little boy’s hands and face, change the dress and we leave home.

I come back home after dropping him at school and realize the house is back to being a mess – toys on the floor (again!), food particles all over the high chair and even water on the floor. I sigh yet again, but I really do not have the energy to clean up just then. I sit down with my breakfast, taking a long breath before yet another long day starts. I check my Whatsapp and Facebook while I have my breakfast and get lost in it. By the time I come back to my senses, almost an hour has passed. The cleaning up has to wait, as I need to sit down for work, if I have to keep up with deadlines. A couple of hours later, it’s time to pick up the little one and I head to his school. We come back from the school and the  little boy runs ahead to play with the toys (read: picking the remaining toys from the organizer and throwing it down). After much coaxing, begging and pleading, he finally agrees to sleep for a while and I realize the bed is not done. I try to do the bed with one little boy jumping on the bed and finally I make him sleep.

I am too tired by then but I have work to finish. I get back to my laptop and tries to finish whatever is pending before the little boy wakes up. Two hours later, a tiny face peeks at me from the bedroom and the little one is awake. I do not want the house to be any messier (though it couldn’t get any worse but I don’t want to try my luck!) and I take him to the park and come back just in time to prepare dinner. I am way too tired after that to clean the house and want to hit the bed, only to realize that there is still that pile of laundry waiting to be done! I keep it for the next day and I dose off.

Yet another day starts and the same story continues. I dream of a neat and tidy, organized house, but two years into motherhood, with an active little boy, all that I care about now is getting hot food on the dining table on time, fresh clothes to wear and having fun with the little one. I cringe when I get a call from friends/relatives informing us that they are coming home in sometime or worse, when we have a surprise visitor because the first thing that I think of is how to clear the mess. I panic and then I try to do a marathon cleanup, only to mumble a few words of useless excuses to the guests for the messy house that comes out as a greeting instead of a hello. There are times when I get suffocated with the mess, there are times I just want to run away from the mess and there are times when everything becomes too overwhelming for me. Though I would prefer it otherwise, I’m almost certain that the story is going to be same for a few more years (I hope to get it sorted by then. Hopefully!).

But, to think of it, maybe I am ok with it. Or maybe I have come to terms with it. Because deep down, I’ll rather use that time to spend with my family and myself than being overwhelmed by the mess and desperately trying to clean up every half an hour, leaving me with no time to enjoy the beauty of life that is in front of me. It may not be a perfect justification, but that is the only consolation a messy mother like me has!

Hello, Twenty Seventeen!

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Dear Twenty Seventeen

I am welcoming you with high hopes. I hope you gift me with joy, love, laughter and happiness. I hope I remember you with a smile in my face and an endearment in my heart. While we are together, gift me with pleasant surprises, joyous moments and wonderful additions.

I wish you give me a year full of amazing reads, explore the deepest corners of my mind, and help me express words in the best possible way. Please take me to places where I will find nature at its best, where I get to know the world and come back with experiences of a lifetime. Let me meet some amazing people who will walk a long way in life with me.  Challenge me to better myself and make me realise that I am capable of more. Let me be me always and let me be surrounded by family all the time.

I hope there are new beginnings, happy endings, and a wonderful time always. I hope you gift me a year to cherish, a year close to my heart and a year blessed with enough of everything.

Here's to a new beginning, a new page and a new chapter.

Happy New Year!