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

*Five*

Exactly 5 years back, I made the decision to go vegan! I had given it several attempts before that but failed for my love of yoghurt and paneer and cheese was too much to overcome. But all of a sudden, 5 years back, it came to me, that it was time.

I do believe that this awakening comes to all ... whatever their goal is .. whatever motivates them. Sometimes no matter how much you attempt and try, you just aren't able to acheive. Doesn't mean you should stop trying and wait for the awakening .. for I believe it's the repeated attempts that brings the awakening.

5 years and a lot of debates later, I can say, I am really proud to be a vegan .. to have chosen this path. No, please don't think of me as being boastful or arrogant. I in no way feel superior to anyone out there. I just feel accomplished. I am sure others find several other outlets to do their good deeds. This was mine. I love animals, I have watched way too many factory farming videos, I have read way too much about dairy farming, I can't bear to support it, and thus became vegan. It's not easy, I've had my weak moments, but it's worth it and that's what keeps me going. And in the process i have realized that everyone needs this 'thing'. Everyone needs that one 'driving force', the one thing they are passionate about .. the one thing that they would do anything for. It helps you grow, it keeps you learning, and it teaches you to become a better person.

What's your thing?

Waste

We recently bought a new place and I have been trying to measure how green my thumb is! :) I planted a few tomato plants, bell peppers, chilli peppers and lots of other flowering ones and herbs. I am loving it. It's become a morning routine for me .. wake up and go check on my plants. It's only been 2 months now .. so the excitement is still very new. That being said, a plant grows and changes everyday ... so I am hoping the excitement stays. Anyway, back to the point I was trying to make. About 2 months back .. somewhere late March, I had planted these cherry tomato plants. They flowered pretty soon after that and I could see some beautiful little green cherry tomatoes growing soon after. I was soo excited. I could have my own home grown cherry tomatoes very soon. They were green at first of course .. so I waited a week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, the cherry tomatoes were still green!! A little bigger but completely green. After nearly 5 weeks .. somewhere in mid-May - I noticed one change color. Soon after in the 6th week, I had a bowl full of cherry tomatoes. They were red, plump, and extremely juicy and sweet. I swear I could pop them all into my mouth. Yum yum! But seriously ... SIX WEEKS?? It definitely got me thinking of the amount of food we waste. I always knew this .. but it wasn't this impacting. Growing my own has definitely been a growing experience for me too. I realize now that the plant works SO hard to produce that one fruit or vegetable. It works so hard to fill it with nutrition and flavor that we need and like. And it takes us 2 seconds to dump our food into the trash! SO sad. I am as big a culprit here as you are. I don't have as much regard to food as I would like to. I often let veggies rot in my fridge, often serve myself way too much on my plate and then end up leaving it, often .. way too often. But after this 'growing' experience, I think and hope I have become more mindful of 'waste'. Let's buy, take and use only that which we need and nothing in excess. There are many hungry mouths in this world and many hardworking plants. We owe it to both of them to not waste.

Six Months?

It's been ages since I have blogged. I guess I couldn't fight the 'married' and 'busy' stereotype. It's not that I have been so busy .. it's just that when you get married, 5 million other things seems to always be a priority. It's not just your priorities you have to deal with .. you have this whole other person's schedule to accomodate. Definitely is an 'interesting' experience. And let's not forget, the whole new set of parents & relatives we have both got - which means, more phone time, more family visits and more weddings to attend. Good Excuse? :-)

In one week, we are going to be celebrating 6 months of being married. Wow! Six whole months!! Can't believe it. And yet in some weird way, I seem to have forgotten what life was before P. It's like he was always there.

So .. 6 months .. how did it go? and how do I feel? I guess when I said that it felt like he was always there, I indirectly stated how easy the whole process has been. How, for years, I wished and hoped for a man who would give me my space, who would love my family & my cats (however crazy they are) as much as I do, who would pamper me and yet not over do it, who I could travel the world with, someone who would just feel 'right'. I seriously have to pinch myself at times ... cause I can't believe I found him ... it's not that I was wishing for something out of the ordinary, but the search and the process was so often disheartening, that it almost felt impossible. I had many concerns with marriage, one of them being 'space'. I love my space, I think that comes with living for 10 years by yourself. It makes you grow, be independent, but can often also inculcate a brat in you! :D. Yes! I have my brattish moments, but he tolerates it and even enjoys it at times. What more could I have asked for ?

As you can see, all that priority BS and marriage busy blah blah excuses I gave earlier has played havoc with the way I collect my thoughts too .. this post has no real story to tell and is just my blabbing. But I felt the need to do this. Should help me get back on the track of regularly blogging.

Anyway, consider this my mini-word vommit of my feelings after nearly 6 months of marital bliss. I am thankful to you, O Lord. You have been kind.

Wedding vs. Sanity!

Today, I have one month left for the wedding. No reason for not blogging .. but somehow I have become one of those .. too many thoughts .. but too busy to pen! Ugh!

Anyway .. here is a thought I have been having lately. I have heard about crazy whacko brides .. I have seen a few in person too .. and all I want is me not to be one of them. How does one remain calm & pleasant under such pressure? Do they have to call it THE most imp. day of your life? Frankly, I feel the days following the wedding day .. are all THE most important days ouf our lives .. but that's another blog altogether .. esp. since I will have authority to write about post-wedding behavior only after the 27th of nov. :) Back to the crazy brides .. I've been thinking about how not to freak out when my pallu doesn't match my toe ring (exaggerating of course) .. and when the makeup lady is late .. or doesn't finish up on time. When we miss the muhurat .. or someone spills something on me ... how does the Bride get trained to stay calm? How how how?

The path I have decided to choose is one my Dad advocates - Positive Visualization! I have seen it work several times ... and so .. from today .. it's only happy positive thoughts. Only the best will happen .. and people will always say the kindest things .. and everything will go as planned .. and I will stay calm and glowing through out .. and if something goes wrong .. so what .. no big deal. People including me will discuss about it for a day or two .. and then it will all be forgotten in the million other life events we have. No pressure .. no stress.

** Hope it works! :-) **

Granted

The other day, I was driving home from work and got stuck in traffic. That’s usually the time I let my mind wander… ponder ... get into phillosphical debates with myself. As I drove, I decided to close my one eye and see how easy it is to drive. Driving was okay .. but perception did get messed up. Checking blindspots became close to impossible. As soon as traffic started zooming by, I got startled and opened my closed eye all panicked. You must be wondering .. what the hell was this girl thinking?? Well I have a reason. My dad lost his eye when he was just 3 or 4 years old. He was playing like any other kid and fell onto the pointy ledge that fenced his yard. With a bunch of uneducated elders around him, who didn’t realize the need for immediate medical attention, his one eye was lost forever. Every time I think of this .. I tear up! My poor dad … what he must have gone through! And yet, he was able to bring up a beautiful family, prosper, inspire so many people and live so well inspite of this handicap. A handicap I couldn’t last through for more than a minute. That’s his greatness .. but if it was me … would I have been able to do the same? I don't think so. Then why am I not thankful for having my set of eyes intact? It’s terrible how we take all of this for granted. We don’t spare 2 minutes to thank the Lord for securing our limbs, and not impairing any of our senses, without realizing, all of it can be taken away in just 2 minutes. Must stop taking things for granted. Must be more humble and look at the bigger picture. Life isn’t about wearing the most expensive clothes or getting the biggest diamonds or buying the biggest house … life is about being good, kind, helpful, humble, grateful and compassionate. God, please give us all the strength to cultivate kindness and compassion and not vanity and wastefulness. As a new year begins in my life .. I would like this to be my mantra. Have more thoughts on similar topics to be added on soon!