Desi MOMents in Southern Illinois

Giant in the house

2012-10-04T15:22:00.000-05:00

Conversations quickly turn comic and verge on the ridiculous at my home.

Here's a sampling from a half hour ago, when Little Miss M. came back from playschool exhausted, cranky and ready for her afternoon nap.

M: Mommy, I want milk!

Me: Here you go.

I pour some milk into her Toy Story cup and hand it to her.

M: Nooooo! I want milk in my Minnie Mouse cup!

Me: Its in the dishwasher. Why don't you pick a mug from the shelf?

Little Miss M picks our biggest coffee mug. I pour out the milk from the Toy Story cup into it. It barely fills a quarter of the mug.

M (pouting): Why you giving me so little milk?

Me: Its a giant mug! That's why the milk looks less! Drink up.

M (eyes growing wide): Did you say giant mug? Does that mean a GIANT come to my house when I was in school?

Me (sighing): Yes. A giant came to...

M: The giant from Jack and the Beanstalk?

Me: Yes...Can you finish drinking your...

M (wailing now): I don't want a giant to come to my house!

Me (in damage control mode): No, no...he came to see me on some work...he needed me to write a press release....

M (wailing): I don't want a Fee Fie Fo Fum giant to come to my house. Its scary!

Me: OK I'll tell him never to come home again when I see him next.

M: Never ever ever...but, but...don't tell him that!

Me: Why?

M: I don't want you to meet him at home. I'm scared!

Me: I'll tell him in a restaurant, not at home OK? Drink up now.

M: No send him an email! Then you don't have to meet him!

Me: OK now will you just finish your milk?

M: Tell him: Dear Giant, Maya doesn't want you here. So never ever come here again ever! OK?

Living with a three year old sure has its moments.

150 hot samosas for Saturday's Spring Fair

2012-06-01T00:28:00.003-05:00

My husband and I have promised to make 150 samosas on June 2.

Yes. You read that right. One hundred and fifty to be exact. More if we can summon the energy. But 150 is a good number, don't you think?

We will spend tomorrow boiling pounds and pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes in their jackets, then peeling and sautéing them in fragrant Indian spices to make a savory filling. Then we will place them in the freezer until the next day, when we are ready to deep fry them in a borrowed commercial deep fryer, after wrapping each of them in a shell made of plain flour.

Are we insane? Probably. But its all for a good cause, so we don't mind.

Hopefully there will be tons of hungry customers willing to pay a few dollars for a couple of hot, made-from-scratch samosas.

So what's going on on June 2, you may ask. Why, its time to celebrate Spring!

We're making the samosas for Carbondale's Sixth Annual Spring Fair. This is an annual fundraiser hosted by Little Miss M's beloved Schoolhouse, The Dayemi Parent-Child Collective, an alternative to the mainstream approach of day-care and preschool, where we strive to create a natural, family environment for children that awakens the full potential of the whole child.

The fun event raises funds and helps provide tuition-aid assistance for children who cannot otherwise afford the Collective .

Last year I had a ball making old-fashioned homemade signs which went up on various food stalls. Here are some samples:

Fun don't you think?

The kids played and ate and danced and sang and everyone had a blast. We all went home tired but happy.

So this year, we hope to recreate more of the same magic and will have live music, great food, kid oriented games and crafts, a pinata, a toddler area, salon where you can get your hair and nails done, face painted, henna and even a dunking booth!

We've booked a fabulous music line up with the Moccasin Gap, Bosco & Whiteford, Wiggle en Espanol, and more. This promises to be a really fun event for the whole family.

Add to that we are making sure everyone who attends goes home with a goody bag. The kids are going to really dig that!

And even better? You also get to win prizes from local businesses and participate in a silent auction with fabulous items ranging from pony rides, to acupuncture treatments, a Homeopathic constitutional, home made cakes to order, a custom painted adirondack chair, matching custom Mother and Daughter skirts, a Dayemur Herbals package, and much much more.

If you're in Southern Illinois this weekend and have kids, make sure you come for our Spring Fair. Its on Saturday, June 2, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 214 E. Jackson Street, Carbondale. See you there!

Here's our official poster: And for those of you who don't know what a samosa is: I have this to say: Boy have you missed out!

You just have to come to the Spring Fair on Saturday to sample some for yourself!

Deliciously divine sweet potato mash curry

2012-05-05T12:05:00.000-05:00

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite vegetables ever. And when they are cooked with coconut oil something magical happens.

They turn divine.

This dish always makes me close my eyes and smack my lips.

And the best part? Its super easy to make!

Most of the ingredients can be found at the International Grocery closest to where you live.

YOU NEED:

- 2 medium sweet potatoes

- 1 tablespoon edible Coconut Oil

- I tsp mustard seeds

- 1 tsp Black gram (Urad dal)

- 2-3 whole dried red peppers (more if you want to amp up the spice)

- 4 curry leaves

- 1/4 cup frozen coconut

- salt to taste

METHOD:

1. Wash and cut the sweet potatoes into 4 inch chunks and steam until soft.

2. Peel the skin and keep aside.

3. In a kadai (Indian-style wok), heat the coconut oil.

4. Add the mustard seeds.

5. When they splutter, add the black gram, red peppers and curry leaves.

6. When the black gram turns golden, add the sweet potato chunks and salt to taste. Mix well. The chunks if steamed well should dissolve. Remove kadai from heat and place on the kitchen counter or island.

7. Remove frozen coconut from freezer and defrost in microwave. Otherwise, plan ahead and keep it out an hour or two before you cook, so it defrosts on its own.

8. Add it to the sweet potatoes and mix well.

9. And there you have it: deliciously divine sweet potato mash curry all ready to be gobbled up.

Feed the birds in style!

2012-04-28T17:26:00.000-05:00

Make a Recycled Milk Jug Bird Feeder

Snot, snot and more snot. The past week has been full of it, with all three of us down with colds, fever and chest congestion. The husband took two days off work, the kid stayed home from playschool and we all just kept each other company, coughing in chorus and balling up wads of tissue all over the house.

When Little Miss M. was feeling a bit better, I came up with a fun activity that would keep her occupied but not sap all her energy and mine. A recycled milk jug bird feeder.

You will need:

Empty milk jug, scissors, hole punch, green acrylic paint, brushes, clean up cloths, sticks, pine cones, glue gun, glue sticks, thread, bird food,

Method:

1. Take an empty milk jug from the recycle bin, rinse and dry it.

2. Cut a circle 2.5 inches in diameter near the base of the jug (This will be the main entrance to the feeder).

3. Using a nail or hole punch, poke a twig size hole just below the circle. This will be the perch.

4. Get some green acrylic paints together and give your toddler a paintbrush.

5. Get toddler to paint the whole milk jug green.

6. Hand toddler a basket and ask her to collect sticks and pine cones from the backyard.

This occupied my kid for almost an hour - just hunting for the right kind of sticks and cones! I used that time to bathe the dogs, give myself a pedicure, cook dinner and clean the house.

Kidding!

7. Get a glue gun and start sticking all the sticks (approximately 5 inches in length) on the milk jug.

If you really want to slow yourself down, do this: I handled the glue gun and Little Miss M got to place the sticks on the hot glue.

8. Before you know it your bird feeder has a roof! Then its time to decorate it with pine cones.

9. Insert a twig in the tiny perch hole you created in step 3. This is where the birds will perch while eating out of the bird feeder.

10. Punch two holes on either side of the top, just below the cap, thread some rope through and there you have it, your very own recycled milk jug bird feeder!

We filled it with wild bird food and hung it right outside my kitchen window.

Isn't it pretty?

Little Miss M loves peering out of the kitchen window to see the birds eat.

It makes eating oatmeal every morning at the kitchen island that much more fun.

Dental drama

2012-04-19T16:09:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was torturous. I sat with my mouth stretched open wide for three and a half hours, while my dentist and his hygienist had their way with my teeth.

Did I hear you say what was the matter? I needed three fillings and a crown replaced.

Really minor stuff compared to having a wisdom tooth pulled or root canal surgery. Yet here I was with heart in my mouth and utter dread slowly eating away at me.

Why do dental visits inspire such foreboding and angst in most of us?

I had visions of the dentist drilling the wrong tooth or sneezing suddenly and the sharp instrument piercing my tender, unsuspecting gums. What if the dental hygienist had mental health problems and decided to go bananas on my teeth?

If you've ever seen this awfully icky horror flick, "The Dentist" certain images will haunt you for the rest of your life. The story is about this Beverly Hills dentist who finds out his wife is cheating on him, becomes mentally unhinged and starts vengefully destroying teeth, jabbing gums of unsuspecting folks, mutilating mouths, you name it. Just chilling to watch. But pretty effective as a horror film, I can attest to that.

I can't really recall any visit of mine where the dentist inflicted terrible pain. Yet, every time (once or twice a year at the most) I have a dental appointment, I find myself quaking in my boots and doing all I can to postpone the visit.

There's something about all those hook-shaped, sharp-edged tools surrounding the patient's chair that make me want to run screaming for my life, all the way home. No thank you. No, I really don't want my teeth examined, probed, drilled, excavated, polished, scraped or extracted.

The dentist dread may be a remnant of my childhood, where I was forced to wear orthodontic braces to straighten my teeth. I remember well the elastic bands we had to thread into the sides of our braces and how food would annoyingly get stuck in between all that metal.

I lost most of a tooth in a bike accident years and years ago, another lifetime ago it seems, hence the crown. And all the fillings needed replacing - they were really old. A week ago, one just fell out! So I was forced, just forced to finally visit the dentist and get it redone.

I must say, my dentist did a marvelous job. But in my head I kept counting the minutes. Did he really have to take that long?

Running the 5K

2012-04-16T17:35:00.000-05:00

My two-year-old participated in her first official race, this Sunday. Oh she was so excited! She could barely stand it.

The Neighborhood Co-op Grocery in Carbondale hosted the Nutrition 5K and Kid K for the 14th year in a row and they did a splendid job. What a perfect way to start our Tamil New Year which happened to fall on the same day.

First I did the 5K with a dear friend. We signed up to walk, but barely ten minutes into it, started running (slowly!) and we ran all the way to the finish line.

I felt like a wheezing hippo gasping-for-air by the end of it, but so glad we were able to run the whole length.

Then it was Little Miss M's turn at the Kid K. Not yet 3-years-old, she was among the youngest to participate.

Dad ran with her to keep her company. And she ran all the way! Oh I was so proud!

The sweetest part of the run was the build-up to it. The lady in black shorts, sang the children's song, "Head, shoulders, knees and toes" to get the little ones to stretch before the race! It was the cutest thing to see and certainly an "Awww" moment for all of us.

The point of participating in local 5K races is not just getting in shape and raising money for charity. Its such a positive, upbeat environment to surround yourself with early on a Saturday morning and a great way of modeling health and fitness to your young ones.

We're already talking about participating in more 5K's as a family. Its such a great exercise goal to have in place. And I only see positives coming out of this. No one can argue about the physical and psychological benefits to running.

No more black thumb!

2012-04-13T23:53:00.000-05:00

Nothing like spending a few hours in the garden digging dirt.

My back is sore and my thigh muscles twinge every time I move, from all that exercise. Maybe I'm getting old. A few hours of gardening have done me in! But in a pleasant, happy sort of way.

The skies were ominously dark for most of today. Then it finally rained and when it stopped, I decided to take advantage of the wet earth and just go ahead and dig. Digging was easy since the ground gave way easily. I was able to put in a bunch of flowering plants and transplant other plants from varied areas of the garden.

There is a school of thought that says one should never work the soil when it is wet. But digging dry-as-rock earth is way harder and less appealing. So I'm willing to take my chances.

I was careful though not to compress or compact the soil in any way.

Over the years, I've killed more plants than I care to remember. But every Spring I take great pleasure in getting my hands dirty. Maybe this will be my lucky year.

No more black thumb. Call me green thumb!

Toddler tantrums

2012-04-12T23:46:00.001-05:00

A child's smile is one of life's greatest blessings, goes a popular saying. Its true. When a child smiles, you fall in love, head-over-heels, madly, deeply in love.

But when she has a series of tantrums, it can sap the very life out of you.

Unfortunately, I had my patience tested severely today by little Miss M. Not yet three years old, the little imp, transformed into a cranky, whiny and clingy mess earlier this morning. Despite my best efforts, she simply refused to be her usual happy, sunny, smiling self.

First she cried because there was no milk.

Then she needed some glow-in-the-dark paint and we were out of it.

After that her craft beads fell all over the floor and it took forever to pick it all up.

Then she pushed a little girl in playschool and had a breakdown.

Ten minutes later she scraped her knee while running outside.

Then she poured paint all over the table and herself.

Then some other kid emptied a glass of water all over her.

Later she didn't want to go home from playschool.

After that she didn't want to nap.

Ugh. It just went on and on. So much whining and so many tears.

Just when I'd put out one fire, another would start in its dying embers.

I tried hard to maintain my good humor and fought to keep my smile in place, as I spent my morning volunteering at her playschool, The Dayemi Parent-Child Collective. Every Thursday I lead a toddler arts and crafts class there, where we explore the joy of creating art using various materials.

But days like today, joy is hard to find. I was so mentally exhausted with all the tantrums that I felt like I needed a week's holiday just to recover from the trauma of it all!

But after a two-hour nap late in the afternoon and a good long tantrum after she was "woken up," Little Miss M. was back to her usual goofy, smiling self.

Oh what a relief that was!

We played Hide and Seek before dinner and just to hear her yell, "Ready or not, here I come!" filled my heart with joy and brought a smile to my tired heart.

After dinner, Little Miss M. gave me five kisses and a great big hug.

"I love you, amma," she whispered right before she crashed for the night.

In that moment, it all seemed worthwhile.

Recipes: Curried banana flower & spinach peas curry

2012-04-11T19:59:00.001-05:00

Wondering what to cook for dinner today, I peeked into my refrigerator. All I found were a few tomatoes staring sadly back at me.

It's obvious I need to visit Fresh Foods, our local fruit and vegetable store in Carbondale. But I didn't have the energy to do that today.

So I looked in the freezer, hoping there was something else and found a bag each of frozen spinach and peas.

In my pantry I found a can of banana flowers. Hmmm...never cooked those before. I think I mistook it to be jack fruit and picked it up at the International Store in town.

I also found some onions, garlic and ginger - essential staples in every Indian home. I put everything on my kitchen island, took out my spice box, pondered over it a bit and here's what I came up with:

Curried Banana Flower

Ingredients

1 can banana flower
salt to taste
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
2 tablespoons oil
1 inch cinnamon stick
4 cloves
3-4 bay leaves
1 cup sliced onions
one inch ginger chopped
four cloves garlic chopped
two medium-sized tomatoes - chopped
1 tsp. chilli powder (add more or less according to your taste)
2 tsp. coriander powder
2 tsp. cumin seed powder
chopped coriander for garnish

Method

Drain the can of banana flower and rinse well in colander.

Chop the banana flower and add salt and turmeric to it. Mix well and set aside for about 10 minutes.

In a pressure cooker (or regular pan), heat up the oil and add cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves and sauté for a few minutes.

Add the onions, ginger and garlic and saute till onions appear slightly transparent.

Add the tomatoes, chilli powder, coriander and cumin seed powder and sauté for 7-8 minutes

Add the marinated banana flower and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 3 whistles over a medium flame. If using a regular pan, close the lid and let it simmer for 25-30 minutes.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or rotis.

Spinach-Peas Curry

The second dish I made was super easy and very delicious to boot. Thanks go to Tarla Dalal, my favorite Indian vegetarian cookbook author, for the recipe.

Ingredients

2 tsp. oil
2 cloves
1 inch stick cinamon
1/4 tsp. asafoetida
1 10 oz. bag of frozen, chopped spinach
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup water
1 tsp. chilli powder
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1/4 tsp. dry ginger powder
1 cup milk
salt to taste

Method

Heat oil, add the cloves, cinnamon and asafoetida.

Add the spinach and peas along with water and bring to a rapid boil.

Simmer for 10-12 minutes until most of the water evaporates.

Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, ginger powder, milk and salt and mix well.

Bring to a boil and serve immediately with rice or rotis.

Jeera Rice

I had some leftover rice in the fridge, which I sautéed in a tsp. of butter with whole cumin seeds and a pinch of turmeric powder, to make an easy Jeera rice (cumin rice).

I heated up some store bought rotis and dinner was served.

It was gobbled up in minutes. Minutes I tell you!

Now excuse me, I need to ~~burp~~ digest all that awesome food.

My virtual desi closet

2012-04-11T00:28:00.000-05:00

Clothes by Sabyasachi Mukherjee

I grew up in India and lived there for what seemed like my whole life then - until I was a quarter-century-old.

Then I moved to the United States in pursuit of a boy (and higher studies) and ended up making a life here. But that's another story for another day!

Nine years in the United States and I have become a true 'desi'. Pronounced 'they see', the term is an ethnic adjective of sorts, an identity marker, referring to a person or product from the Indian sub-continent who is now an immigrant in another part of the world.

As a desi, I often find myself looking back with untamed nostalgia at the food, fashions, music, language and culture I grew up with in India.

Truth be told, the thing I miss most about India, is the day-to-day dressing-to-kill factor!

Oh Sabyasachi, how I love thee!

The part where every outfit is carefully picked to match makeup and jewelry.

The part where the most gorgeous handmade / hand embroidered pieces are easily available at a price that might leave you gasping a bit, but still in the mostly affordable range if you're holding down a decent job.

So in the midst of my crazy life, I enjoy nothing more than salivating over the latest of Indian fashions online, even the more unaffordable ones.

So what if I won't get a chance to wear any of it, in my casual, laid-back, small-town American life?

Actress Vidya Balan wears Sabyasachi

And Pinterest makes it easy for me to virtually drool over the creations of my favorite Indian designer, Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

An exceptionally gifted couturier whose trademark lies in international styling with an Indian soul, Mukherjee wows me every time with his choice of unusual fabrics, textures and fusion styles; his detailing, patchworks and embellishments; all in a diverse and vibrant color palette that appeals to something deep in my soul.

Critics say his global appeal lies in the use of indigenous methods like bandhni, gotawork, block printing and hand dyeing, in the construction of modern silhouettes.

All I know is his creations simply take my breath away.

My virtual desi closet almost seems to be a shrine of sorts to Mukherjee's magical creations.

The lazy person's guide to making a sandbox

2012-04-09T14:49:00.004-05:00

Fact: Toddlers love playing with sand.

My two and a half-year-old is no exception. She can spend hours-on-end immersed in sand-play and not be bored.

The past month, I have been looking at DIY sandbox design projects. I figure I could get so much writing done if Little Miss M. is busy playing in her sandbox!

Inspiration: I saw this Indian tent display at The Magic House, St. Louis Children's Museum and thought it might be a nice topper for a sandbox.

You know, it provides shade from the sun and a cover of sorts to protect the play sand from creepy crawlies at night.

Then I saw this awesome sandbox-with-tent thingy on Pinterest.

I promptly pinned it onto my Ideas for the backyard board.

And this fabulous sandbox in the backyard.

And this amazing one - a sandbox / deck with wheels, which you can move around your garden. Genius!

But they all seemed like a) Too much work and b) Too pricey

So this is what I came up with: Something my husband lovingly calls the lazy person's guide to making a cheap, but surprisingly effective sandbox!

1. Find a large container.

In our case, we happened to have a largish plastic swimming pool purchased for $8.99 from Rural King last year, lying forgotten in our garage.

2. Buy a few bags of play sand to fill container.

We made a quick trip to Lowes and in less than ten minutes picked up six 50 lb. bags of really nice play sand for $3.68 each.

3. Pour sand into container.

Get husband / boyfriend / sucker to do this if you are truly lazy.

4. Enjoy your new sand box.

That's it. So easy.

Its a big hit with Little Miss M. She absolutely loves this.

And I love that I can sit on a chair beside her sandbox and blog, while she makes sand castles.

And the best part?

I can keep an eye on her through my picture window, from inside my house, if i need to watch the stove or something at the same time.

We have a fenced-in, secure backyard. So this is feasible.

The only caveat: This may not work if you have two kids or more. It may be too small.

But its perfect for one toddler.

We cover it with tarp at night so the sand stays dry.

Easy peasy.

Easter parties and cake eating

2012-04-08T21:44:00.000-05:00

Gorgeous day for an Easter egg hunt and fancy cake at a friend's place.

This is going to be a photo-blog today as a direct result of too much cake eating, relaxing in the sunshine, chitchatting with friends, playing in our new sandbox (more on that later) and having a totally awesome day.

Easter egg hunting with dad

Still hunting for eggs with mom

Candy eating commences after the egg hunt

Awesome Easter party cake at a friend's place

Happy Easter, dear readers! Hope your day went as well as mine did.

Edit #1: In case you were wondering, my friend said she special ordered the cake from Cristaudo's in Carbondale.

Hindus celebrate Rama Navami in Southern Illinois

2012-04-07T23:26:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful, sunshine-y day to celebrate the birth of Lord Rama!

Hindu devotees showering rice grains on the Rama-Sita deities.

The Hindu Temple and Cultural Society of Southern Illinois celebrated Sri Rama Navami this afternoon.

A holy festival spread over nine days, Rama Navami celebrates the birth of Lord Rama, considered to be the seventh avatar of the Supreme God Vishnu and the hero of the great Indian epic, The Ramayana.

A hundred or more Hindus joyously attended Sri Rama Kalyanam (ceremonial divine marriage ceremony of Lord Rama and Sita) performed by a priest who was brought to Carbondale all the way from The Hindu Temple of St. Louis.

The ritualistic ceremony included plenty of chanting in Sanskrit and some explanation in English, so everyone could follow what was going on. This was followed by devotional songs by community members and a sumptuous Indian lunch.

I think most of us went home and napped for a good long while after all that overeating and socializing, following the main ceremony!

My husband and I dressed up in our Indian finery

For Indian immigrants like me, the enthusiastic community celebration plays a vital role in keeping the Hindu festival alive and much looked forward to. Its when we proudly get into our silk sarees and wear our dozens of jingling glass and gold bangles, dot our foreheads and pull out the Indian rubies and emerald earrings from our bank's safe deposit box.

Its a chance to pretend we are still in India.

And for a short while, it almost seems like we are back home - the Sanskrit chanting, the clothes, the food, the atmosphere, the catching up with dear ones - all the things you grew up with and took so much for granted and now miss more than ever.

Little Miss M. poses with her friend

As parents and immigrants, my husband and I feel this big responsibility to make Little Miss M's Indian heritage be a badge of honor she will carry proudly for the rest of her life.

So we do our best to cherish and keep alive many of the traditions and festivals from our homeland, while assimilating with the country we live in now.

Indian Spice Box

2012-04-06T17:30:00.003-05:00

My Indian spice box or masala dabba

For the past year or more, I've been looking for an authentic, Indian-style spice box.

For years we've been making do with a plastic version and I was just about ready to toss it into the recycle bin.

We tend to cook a LOT of desi food at home and I craved for an efficient and attractive spice box that would make all the difference.

So I looked high and low in Southern Illinois shops and online storefronts, but was unable to find the aluminium or steel spice box my heart desired.

When I did finally find it, on EBay of all places, the spice box was so overpriced I backed off, horrified.

Its almost ironic, how this spice box (or masala dabba as we refer to it back home) is so easily available all over India, but almost impossible to find in small-town America.

Shiny new spice box

Then two days ago, I was in St. Louis on immigration-related work and happened to stop by World Market.

If you've never been to World Market, this is an awesome place to find all kinds of treasures from around the world, for bargain prices!

And within ten minutes of walking in, I saw it. The spice box I've been looking for all this time!

Delicate hammered design on the outside

Seven small steel cups resting in a stainless steel bowl, covered with a glass lid. Delicate hammering produced an intricate hammered design on the outside.

This was it!

The spice box of my dreams.

And it cost me only $9.99. A bargain, I tell you.

Desi spice box

I brought it home, washed and dried it and carefully filled the cups with fresh, fragrant chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, black gram , mustard seeds, garam masala, and cumin seeds.

I then cooked up a storm!

Glitter-tastic Toddlers and Easter Egg Crafts

2012-04-06T01:00:00.000-05:00

Glittery Easter Eggs ready to go home

Its been a glitter-tastic kind of day!

I spent the morning helping a bunch of cute toddlers - ranging in age from 1.5 to 4 - decorate cardboard Easter eggs with plant clippings and glitter.

Glitter, glitter everywhere....not a plant in sight

The kids simply LOVED glitter. And they went to town pouring it all over the eggs and themselves!

Thankfully I set this up as an outdoor activity at the Parent-Child Collective Little Miss M. attends. So clean-up was easy.

Glittery toddler hands

Believe me, nothing is sweeter than watching two-year-olds sift through mounds of glitter in fascinated wonderment.

But if you make the mistake of doing a group glitter activity inside your house, you are in BIG trouble.

The glittery mess we were left with after the activity

Glitter tends to stay in your carpet and floor and no matter how well you vacuum and mop, you'll be cleaning it up for months afterwards.

Trust me, I figured it out the hard way!

Kitchen and Linen Closet Organization

2012-04-04T23:36:00.000-05:00

I'm the president of organizing and decluttering in my household.

Ever since its warmed up outside I've been tackling one small area at a time to work my spring cleaning magic on. So far its working wonders.

But progress is sloooow, especially when there is a toddler calling your name every ten seconds. I wish I could just snap my fingers and it would all get done.

So the other day I decided to spruce up my rice and lentils cabinet in the kitchen and this is how it ended up looking.

Pretty neat, if I say so myself!

And in case you are wondering, we eat a LOT of lentils in my vegetarian household. Not only are they nutritional powerhouses, but they are quick and easy to prepare and super yummy to boot.

Lentils play a starring role in Indian cuisine. A typical desi meal in my house includes rice, lentils and vegetable curry.

Need another look? :)

About two years ago, I went berserk in IKEA and picked up 2 dozen of these sleek containers.

At that time I wasnt sure how I was going to use them, but they turned out to be the best investment ever.

They offer easy access while cooking and are well made. I use them to store a ton of grains and other food items all over my kitchen.

The very next day, I straightened out my linen closet.

Here's a peek:

Seeing all those stacks of neatly folded sheets and towels makes me smile.

Now I need to tackle the rest of the house!

Recycled nature crafts Easter egg

2012-04-03T23:39:00.000-05:00

Ever since Little Miss M. was born I've been itching to do all kinds of arts and crafts with her, for I am an artistic kind of gal; not very skilled I'm afraid, but just really interested.

So we spend many a leisurely evening having a blast, creating art (and making a great big mess)!

The more successful pieces go up on Little Miss M.'s wall of art and she simply loves the fact we put it up there for all to see.

Here's what we did last evening: a recycled nature crafts Easter Egg.

Supplies:

Flowers, weeds and grass clippings from the garden
A piece of cardboard
Pen
Elmer's Glue
Craft stick or brush (to spread the glue)
Glitter (optional)
Scissors

The process:

1. Go to the garden and ask your kid to pluck some flowers, weeds, grass and anything else that catches her fancy!

2. Find a piece of cardboard in the garage or recycle bin.

I like to save old cereal boxes and reuse the cardboard for art.

3. Draw a giant egg

4. Ask kid to squeeze glue inside egg.

If your kid is like mine, she'll probably empty the whole bottle right there. But at least she's polishing her squeezing skills.

5. Ask kid to decorate the egg with all her nature clippings from the garden.

6. Once every inch of the egg is decorated with flowers, weeds and grass, let kid shake some glitter all over the egg.

(Because glitter makes everything so much better, don't you think?)

7. Let dry overnight and cut out the egg from the cardboard in the morning.

Ta-da!

"Where do you want to hang this?" I asked.

"I don't want to hang it. I want to give this egg to Mindy," she replied.

Mindy is my 86-year-old neighbor who lives all by herself.

I'm sure she will be absolutely thrilled by the gesture.

For more craft ideas, follow my Pinterest board: Crafty Kids

Southern Illinois petting zoo

2012-04-02T17:49:00.000-05:00

Soaking in the March sunshine in Southern IL

You know something is up when the ticks are out in full force by the end of March!

The news media is reporting record breaking warm weather for March across 90 cities or more in the US.

As I looked at my photo stream from March 2012, I was struck my the number of animals, reptiles, insects and sea life we've been interacting with the whole of March!

We really did take advantage of the sunshine and let Little Miss M. enjoy one of the many perks of living in Southern Illinois: daily interaction with random animal life.

No one would ever guess we don't have a petting zoo out here!

Here's a peek.

Walking our dogs, Pico and Mina, on a warm, sunny day

M. loves visiting the cows belonging to SIUC's Department of Plant, Soil Science and Agricultural Systems

Huge garden snake we dug up in the backyard while prepping the soil for our vegetable garden

Baby mouse that one of our dogs brought into the house from the garden

Our cat, Billu, gives M. company right before a lazy afternoon nap

Baby yellow chicks for sale at Rural King Carbondale!

Feeding the free range hens and roosters at Dayempur Farm

Catching a fish and releasing it at Dayempur Farm's scenic fishing pond

Stunning peacock at Dayempur Farm

Bunny play date at The Science Center in Carbondale

Toddler Room DIY

2012-04-02T01:33:00.000-05:00

Five years ago, my husband and I bought a charming 1960's single-storey home in a part of town commonly referred to as the faculty ghetto of Carbondale.

Coming from an upbringing in India, where we didn't so much as put a nail into a wall, without first calling for a carpenter, it never ceases to amaze me how handy and knowledgeable we have become over the years, as we systematically remodeled, renovated and reworked every room in the house, to better reflect our personalities and design aesthetic.

Our latest DIY project is hopefully our last for a long while.

It is one I am particularly proud of. We accomplished it in under a month, with a lot of advance planning and trips to Lowes, The Home Improvement Warehouse and True Value Hardware. Help for the more specialized parts of the project like moving electric sockets and installing drywall, came from our excellent handyman, Ray, who we paid by the hour.

The three-pronged problem:

Big guest bedroom which lies vacant most of the year.
Small nursery, my toddler has outgrown.
More closet space desired in master bedroom.

The solution:

Break the wall between the guest and master bedroom and push it back two feet.
Build an additional closet running the length of one entire wall in the master, without sacrificing any real estate.
Build another closet on the other side of the wall.
A coat of new paint, decorative molding, a new ceiling fan and new furniture in red and white transforms the previously dark, blue guest bedroom into a bright, sunny toddler room!
The nursery becomes the admittedly smallish guest bedroom.

We figure guests are few and far between and can sleep in the old nursery!

Why let so much space lie vacant most of the year when our little furball of energy can use it everyday to advantage?

Here is how the project went down:

The scariest part of the project was breaking the wall!

We painted one wall in Little Miss M.'s room blaze orange.

The other walls we painted a muted lemony shade.

Her crib converted into a full size bed.

We picked up the mattress from Sam's Club, and the rest of the furniture from IKEA.

I particularly love the Expedit - the big white cubed square that takes up most of an entire wall.

It gives me plenty of organizing space for most of my toddler's playthings.

Vinyl Art on the walls came from assorted places, including Pier 1.

Tell me what you think!

Your clock is ticking!

2012-03-31T17:52:00.003-05:00

The moment you get married, there is only one burning question in the minds of all of your family and random busybodies in India.

"When are you going to have a baby?"

My typical answer repeated at least a few hundred times was, "Not now! We want to enjoy being married first!"

Of course in my head I always added, "And remind me again how I know you?"

At first I found it hilarious that folks expected me to get pregnant within the first year of being married. Then I began to find their constant questions irritating and by the third year of my marriage, I found it downright rude and overly intrusive.

Imagine a far flung relative telling you, "You know, you aren't getting any younger. Your clock is ticking."

"But we aren't ready, Aunty!" I'd say. Do you mind?

With over 1.21 billion people according to the 2011 census, you'd think folks in the second most populous country the world over, would at least attempt to dissuade reproduction! But no such luck there. Indians like people everywhere, simply adore babies! Having a baby is seen as the solution to all of life's difficulties.

Granted, we did have it a lot easier than most newly married Indian couples who have to face the baby question almost everyday of their lives. We mostly had to put up with it on the phone or on our yearly trips to India to visit family.

But boy, am I glad I resisted all that pressure and waited the four-and-a-half years to have a baby.

It was time well spent solidifying my marriage and being immersed in the concept of "us". It was time invested in completing our education at Indiana University Bloomington and settling down in beautiful Southern Illinois and making a life here.

My baby girl, M., is two-and-a-half years old today. And she is the most precious gift in my life. She makes me smile every moment I am with her. Life has become more meaningful and beautiful with her in my arms.

But it seems I have somehow gone back to square one. I am now constantly faced with the question, "When are you having baby #2? Its about time, you know!"

Sorry to disappoint you, but not for a long time, folks!

Welcome to my blog and I hope you check back in often.

I plan to talk about life in beautiful Southern Illinois and what its like to be a permanent resident in a country not your own, raising a house full of pets, a husband and a fighter girl a.k.a. my rambunctious toddler.