Halloween, Sandy etc

So we stayed home for most part this weekend. Parents got a basic check up do e at the Doctors. I was supposed to get them a basic BP check up and Sugar test at one of the DRs and just then last week we saw at the temple there was a free check up for elders. Parents went with P and got it done.

A&A were lady bug and bumble bee this Halloween. There was a gathering at apartment clubhouse and we took them, they snacked, played, looked around quite a bit as lots kids were there with costumes and finally did some coloring. I didn't paying attention to their costumes this time. But then this was what I wanted them to be last year so maybe it was an obvious choice. Last year they were Bunny and a monkey ..

P left for Ottawa Sunday. Took the greyhound bus so made a very early start to drop him off. Then we had usual grocery stuff, got through some long lines as people were hoarding stuff required for approaching storm Sandy! Canned Food, water, batteries etc

Office was open till 2 and shut down but stayed home. It's Monday almost 5pm now and it's quite windy. Hopefully no major power outage. Although dinner is made and we should be able to manage till lunch tomorrow without cooking.

Flu shots and doc visits!

I got the flu shot as they were offering at work as usual. Basic injection all done early this week.

Took the kids today for their flu shots and since they are above 2 they got the nasal-spray flu vaccine and was awesome, no fuss no mess :-) and was so quick! Yay!

Got an annual check up done today.  Also visited the dentist few weeks back for the first time ever in my life again just for a general check up.

Ear piercings - Check!

Girls got their ears pierced yesterday - yay! Everyone, including me kept saying should have been done way back when they were little and they would just cry a little and be done with it. Mine was done at some 11/13 days apparently and traditional way with the ear piercing man came home and just poked it in. Of course I would have got it done sooner when they were few months, but P wasnt convinced. First few months we had travel and we didnt want to do anything new should they not take it well. Time passed and P kept insisting they would then pull each others ears or mess with it etc as they were very active infants. Let's get it done when they ask for it was the final discussion point. Finally on garba day when I put these big earrings - AG asked the magic question - "I want earrings too Amma" - Of course darling and I was so happy - I love jewellery and chances are I know at least one of them will, if not both!

Wednesday being Vijay dashami etc was as a good day I thought, didnt want to get into further calendar details. Claire's in Burlington mall is a walk-in ear piercing and accessories store. The lady suggested that they are young and maybe I should come back next day when they are staffed with 2 experienced ear piercing people who simultaneously pierce both ears at the same time so it helps when kids are wiggly and uncomfortable. Its a better way but I was bummed as I was all set to get done same day and so was my mom. I took a chance we all got ours one ear after another big deal. AG was the first one to go. After 10 signatures she took from me, checked my id etc. I chose basic gold plain studs, nothing fancy and Voila! she did the markings and was done before I knew it. AG resisted a little bit for second ear, I was holding her in my lap in a high chair while mom in the front was distracting her. No cry no fuss all done. Yay!

AL I wasnt sure would go so smoothly she can be quite fussy and she senses things too soon and is cautious by nature, although she was standing out side with my dad when AG was getting it done and had no clue of the details. I thought I will go next day when both ladies are available for her. I asked her and she said she wanted earrings too one last time and the lollipop lady gave AG after she was done was more attractive to her. Again more signatures and I was sitting with AL. She saw lady use sanitizer and gloves and got the whole "doctor" feeling and her expressions changed kinda sceptical, she went through with cleaning, markings and first ear and she cried a little bit and resisted. But quickly got done with second one too and got a lollipop and an immediate trip to Rainforest cafe and they were fine. Some initial redness in ears but subsided.

So for next 2 months have to use the cleanser they gave to prevent infection and when we change earrings few months down the line ensure earrings always there for next 1 year or chances of it closing back again. I think they look really cute, or cuter with the earrings. :-) The whole thing costed $95 for both including that medicated cleanser. On hind sight should have avoided the cleanser and gone with traditional haldi and saved few bucks. Oh well but the haldi mess another issue. Expensive according to me but job well done since there were almost no tears- and that matters. I got some extra ear piercing done in college days and through similar method (gun or whatever they call it). Its almost pain free. That really helped to the traditional piercing method I guess in general. So 2 years 4 months is not a bad age after all to get ear piercing done but of course the girls were really good :-)

This and That...

Its been 2 years since my Grandfather passed away. The first and last time he saw the girls who were just 4 months old and AL even lovingly scratched his hand. Everything seems so staged now if I think about it sometimes, like it was meant to be. Me flying down with girls sooner than planned. Meeting him sooner than planned once I landed and things that followed. I am probably lucky to have grandparents presence and influence for so long in my life which I know many dont have.

So my Dad performed the yearly ceremony on Monday in a very simple manner at the temple. It was peaceful and calm at the temple, as it was a Monday morning (although Durgashtami). No distractions whatsoever. I am big on all religious ceremonies being a private thing and hate publicity stunts. Mainly cos focus on the spiritual aspect is often lost and emotions and outwardly/worldly presentations take over and it makes it seem like a formality which it shouldnt be. Of course, values, good faith and respect is more important than ceremonies itself not just to the departed but to the people around you. I guess I have this fear from couple of my past experiences that gatherings may simply become a sham, where 1 person whether a priest or organizer just uses his/her position to take undue advantage of others feelings/respect and faith. Its my opinion anyway.

Yesterday finally ate at Sichuan Gourmet for lunch. Since I got to Boston area people have recommended it as the best restaurant and so close to Indo-Chinese etc. And rightly I loved it. Had this spicy tofu curry with white rice and loved it, love it, loved it! And such generous portions that I had to pack the rest and 3 of us ate it again for dinner ;) Mom especially loves tofu. Its not as close to Indo-Chinese to me but very tasty. I never was a big fan of spicy food in general, I still dont cook spicy food or enjoy spicy food when its home cooked. Past few months though my spice tolerance and craving for spicy food has increased but it limited to only when I eat out. One of those changes I guess to taste buds.

Peeked a little into NDTV last night and most of Yash Chopra movie songs were being played. Loved it! Right from his earlier movies to the latest ones. We were humming and then there was this little hum that joined us AG smiling and doing her own thing of tearing-up the thermocol ball and humming with us :-) cute or what?

Thanks to everyone at home, making an early start in the mornings for work. Although I am not a morning person, cant say I hate it. Its lovely driving on calm roads and admiring the surrounding and falling in love with the city you love/work/hang out in :-)

Navratri

These days are always close to my heart. And now that for the first time we are actually home with the kids (been in India last 2 years) we were able to follow our very own traditions that we created ourselves and hope we follow each year to come.

1. Garba: I simply enjoy this dance, music and the gathering. And glad I introduced it to the girls. Although they were groggy, and they wont remember it probably until I keep taking then every year for next few years, they got the rhythm and the beats and I am glad :)the Swamy Narayan temple was way too packed than we would have wanted but an experience nevertheless, met my colleagues from work there.

2. Durga pujo pandal: Navratri past few years is not complete until we take Maa Durgas' darshan/Arthi at the local Bengali Durga Pujo. There is something very serene, strong and comforting in the idol that brings inner peace and strength in me. This time visited the Winchester one. Even bumped into a couple of bong friends we know too :)

Stopped at Chucky Cheese's and kids didn't want to come back home ;), it was a last minute thing and a total Paisa vasool for those winter-y days :)

Quotable quotes

Amongst the many updates you get in FB which are kinda irksome at times. I saw this one:

"Your beliefs dont make you a better person your behavior does" ...simple message but true.

Stumbled upon this many times..."Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people" - Roosevelt. 

Vacation! Vacation

After about 4 years took 1 week off with the Girl friends in Europe and had a great time! Although very different from last time as we were a bigger group and weather was colder back then and we were 4 years younger ;). This time 3 of us set forth and ventured into two beautiful cities in Europe, although with no fixed agenda we had a checklist that we successfully crossed out.

We made this last minute plan as usual to take off to Europe. There were more dramas than we expected as my friends had to take UK and Schengen visa. Everyday we would wait for the passport, as UK visa took longer than expected and that created all the drama for us ;) Schenegen was a breeze for them. And me being the dual citizen that I am with NZ didnt need any visa and Thank Goodness for that.

My flight to London from Boston got delayed by 7 hours due to a technical snag and I was waiting at the airport and kinda bummed.

London

I flew into London and we stayed at K's our other partner in crime. Since this is my second trip there just strolled down the shopping area with the girls who made some pretty big purchases (LV topped the list). We did a casual strolls both days and did some bar hopping and settled for some lovely Middle eastern/ME food at Giraffe cafe. Overall 2 days nicely spent. Rainy weather, great company - who can complain? We then took a BA flight to Amsterdam from Gatwick.

Amsterdam

A cozy and vibrant, this place personifies 'freedom' to me in every sense. We did the Heineken tour, shopping (my girls went berserk ;) had fun although shopping was not on my agenda), Red light district (a very different experience is all can say, since its all very legal here), a casual trip to the 'coffee-shops' (yep! it was like in the movies ;)), And I did VanGogh Museum while the girls continued shopping. The paintings were split between 2 locations as main museum was under some kinda construction. I just visited one of the locations and loved it. Loved the very 'deep' quotes alongside the paintings and the paintings. We did a canal cruise and a lot of just hanging out and walking. We were on our feet continuously for 2 days so by end of the day we slept really well ;) We discovered Moez a lovely ME veggie chain and definitely had the best fries ever in Amsterdam and the falafel sandwich, yum! yum! yum! The weather was pleasant and not too cold and thoroughly enjoyed snacking on Nutella on warm waffles. We never really care for Nutella as much at home, but out there it was tempting. Whether on a crepe or a waffle.Cool, drizzly weather and warm waffles w/ Nutella is a deadly combo. We even ate at a couple of Indian restaurants and Tandoor specifically had good food. Had Mexican other times. Hotel was close to the heart of the city and it really cut down time to key places, even though city is not as big from what I saw, but still.

Paris

We then took the Thalys train to Paris. From Centraal Station Amsterdam to Paris Nord. Took a cab to the hotel and since it was an early train we slept through the journey and once we hit the hotel showered, got ready and went to Louvre. Louvre was way too big than I imagined. The bummer was everything was in French and by the time we decided to take the headphones for guidance in English it was kinda late. We toured the Napolean Bonaparte arena, Mona Lisa painting (which as expected does not meet expectations due to the hype plus the over crowding, you sort of lose interest in it). It was massive place with works from some greatest artists. And since ours was a 3 day trip and Louvre could alone consume 2 days according to me. We did a rather quick tour of it and then headed to Eiffel Tower. This was absolutely breath taking view. Middle of the city there is the lovely huge metal structure. I was in awe. But again its me someone else might not get the same feeling. I loved it. Kept staring at it and my mind went blank and happy at the same time. We took the elevator to the top and again cant say enough about how beautiful it was. As much as I was done with tall buildings after Sears Tower and Empire State, I still loved this one. It was a beautiful site soaking up the whole view of the city with River Seine flowing across.

We then headed back to the hotel and went to Blanche for Moulin Rouge. It was a nice show but started later than expected and again it was all in French. It was my first cabaret show and I liked it. But towards the end our fatigue took over as we did quite a bit of sightseeing the very first day and we got done by about 2am and took a cab back (we were up since 4am). this was probably the only crazy day we had where in we squeezed in a lot :-) Next day we went to Sucre Couer, it was a nice vicinity and a pretty good cathedral, walked around across Pigalle and headed to Champs Elysee. Took a quick look of Arch de Tromphe which is just like our Gateway in India. Girls shopped a bit again on Elysee we then again went back and strolled and ate in cafes and enjoyed the views. Had some really good Italian food there in a cafe.

Next day we first went to the Palace of Versailles then to Notre Dame castle. Palace gardens were beautiful. I had already seen Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal. So the more exciting part for me where the piano bars and the lovely restaurants and cafes outside St Michele's. It was a gorgeous site to just walk in that area and the lovely chocolate/cookies smell in the air. It was the next big highlight for me in Paris after Eiffel Tower. Totally not doing justice in this post here. We did some more strolling around in Champs Elysee, finally went to the hotel, packed, headed out to Fauchen cafe, shopped a little, ate at a pizza place and prepared for departure next day.

We headed again to Paris Nord. Since this time we were going back into UK had to do all the immigration/customs stuff. Took the Eurostar train 2 2/1/2 hours. Again dozed off. My friends had left some stuff at K's place in Wimbledon, so one of them went to her place to get the stuff while the two of us waited at VAT office, once she got back which was a bit rushed as their flight to India was earlier than mine and K's (Yes K was flying to India w/ the baby same day). Once they wrapped up and checked in, I went to my terminal and got home.

This was the first time I flew Virgin Atlantic and it was pretty good, I liked the food served also. No dramas, got home and got back straight into my lovely routine.

Thankful and Grateful!

My trip was only possible due to my parents and husband. The pillars in my life.

I am not a huge fan of vacationing without kids. I couldnt think of it ever.

But this all-girls trip just happened!

P and my parents encouraged me with all the bookings to go ahead and completely took over with the kids and their stuff. Mom and P suggested this time will never come again once kids start school, parents are not here etc, plus P also is taking a week off in Canada although its not a vacation, vacation, ;)

But when the day actually arrived to leave I was in tears as I was leaving them behind. I did it once in India as I had no choice back then for 4 days when MIL expired and my parents house was the only place they were loved and safe. Period. This was definitely easier as it was home base and kids routine was not disrupted etc. It was just me missing them terribly. It was a big decision for me. At the same time I am blessed with a support system I cant stop bragging about. As much as I applaud people who do everything on their own. Nothing like having hands-on grand parents. Plus even more blessed to have flexible and affectionate kids. There were certain things only I could do, like feeding them for example when they were younger. But they took to my mom so easily and naturally from Day 1, I just love it, I love the rapport and bonding they share with her. Touch wood!

As soon as I got to London I spoke to the girls, did Facetime etc and they were totally fine. They asked me to bring them the red London bus and fire truck/engine from London and they did great! That's when I realized how sensible the girls are. They would ask for me everyday remaining 5 days and then Mom would ensure she reminded them I'd be back soon and I am taking a break with friends. And although 7 days felt like a month to me, it just flew for them.

Although I think it is probably my only/last vacation/trip without the kids.