Who is doing the dishes?

I always knew using the dishwasher was a waste of water and electricity, but the ease of it (or so we thought) made us frequent users. Recently, I have been cooking a lot, like nearly 5-6 times in a week. Which meant, nearly every single day the dishwasher would run. I would have prep dishes, dishes I cooked with, dishes we ate on, dishes from any leftovers in the fridge & the dishes we took to work for lunch. This was a daily load. And then, came the awakening. My mom visited, and for 11 whole days we didn't use the dish washer even once. She washed dishes as she cooked which compelled us to wash our own plates and cups. Observing her I realized, it shouldn't be that hard to do .. and we should really be saving all that water and electricity. I took the oath, will try and not use dishwasher for everyday stuff. Only probably when we have company over. What I have learnt is that I have become a lot more efficient with my dish usage while cooking. I don't unnecessarily take out a lot of prep dishes cause I know I will have to hand wash them all. Also, I clean as I cook. As the onions sautee, I will rinse the bowl in which I kept the chopped onions. By the time my dal was simmering with the spices, I would have finished washing the pressure cooker in which I had cooked that dal. And when I am done topping that sabji with coriander leaves, the cutting board and knife is immediately rinsed. I am absolutely loving how efficient I have become. I have 2 plates out in the drying rack and we now use the same 2 plates for dinner everyday. Not only have I now saved electricity and precious water, but time too in putting dishes back and taking dishes out. I have read somewhere that on an average dishwashers use 40 liters of water per load .. Yikes! I am glad to have made this little change!

My 11 days of motherhood!

My sister and Brother-in-law were brave enough to trust me and P to take care of their precious twin boys for 11 whole days, 9 of which they were out touring Switzerland and Italy. Of course my Mom being with us was a crucial part of it cause in this area I am (or should I say was) a total novice. :-)

First thing that comes to mind when I look back on this experience - Parenthood is TOUGH! It really made me appreciate all those parents, single moms, moms with one child, multiple children .. all of them & above all my own parents. This isn't an easy task! I thought my sister was prepping me too much, when she asked me 3 times a day for 3 whole weeks if I was "ready for them"!! Oh, how irritated I was. But seriously, I don't think she knew, how much ever she thought she prepped me, and how ready I thought I was, you just can never be ready till you are smack in the middle of it! This isn't something that can be taught or demonstrated, it's all about the 'experience'!

Ok, I think I am making this sound like I was very tortured. Lol! I really wasn't. In fact I LOVED every minute of it and missed them terribly the second they left! And I guess that's the whole charm of babies and what they call the joys of motherhood. After all those sleepless nights, the tantrums and screams, the mess, one gorgeous smile your way, just makes your heart melt. Makes you forget everything and truly makes all your efforts feel worth it.

Here's an interesting thought that hit me as I observed them - They depend on us for everything, we are their source of food, hygeine, entertainment, sleep, everything, and yet, funnily, they own us!

Here are some of my Memorable moments with J n K

1. Morning smiles: They seem to be in the BEST of moods at 7AM! Wonder at what age that changes and why! But they actually motivated me to be up early .. which is an achievement.
2. Them swaying from side to side when we sing "I love you .. you love me" and head banging when we sing other peppy numbers! Makes me laugh just thinking of it.
3. Pool time: Kishnoo is such a water baby! Loved the splashing and just being in the water. Jaiyoo a bit more delicate would splash .. then get out of the water and then want to come back in. ADORABLE!
4. Head Bump time with Jaiyoo: It's tough to explain .. it's just so darn cute.
5. Kishnoo's aaahaaahaahaa: This one is also ridiculously tough to explain but here goes. Kishnoo loves plucking flowers and my mom has now trained him to not pluck them but say "aaahaahaahaa" indicating "oh they are so pretty". Its HILARIOUS to hear him say that! I would take him near my flower pots just to hear that.
6. Animals: I don't know how and when this came about .. but they are ecstatic when they see any animals. I showed them my cats, neighbors dogs, chickens, goats, peacocks what not .. and they just have this weird animal call voice which comes out. It's sooo amusing to see their excitement.
7. Eat: How they ask for everything you are eating. They just want to eat anything and everything you put in your mouth, even if they have *just* had a full fledged meal! Amazing.
8. Bath time: I gave them ALL their baths and I loved each of them. That's the time I felt like a true mom. There is something just so soothing and beautiful about bath time. Oh and the smell of baby products and their baby skin. Soft like butter!!
9. Talk - I LOVED it when they said Mamoma or Mumma or their fav. CAR!! They just sound SOOOO cute! It's a delight to hear their voices, one so different from the other, yet both so melodious!
10. Barneeeyyyy: Oh how we loved Barney and memorized each of Mother Goose's rhymes! Our few minutes of peace! Have to mention Barney!

All in all, i can't wait to see them next and I can definitely wait to have my own! :D