A Peek Into The Thevar Household

When It Finally Happens

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 22:03:00 +0000

I had to make an urgent call to my therapist this week . He was completely booked and couldn't get me an appointment in such short notice. I did what I do next usually. Asked my cousin to let me know that nothing is wrong with me and that I am allowed to feel happy and excited.

If all that sounded like a bunch of gibberish, here is the deal. The Thevars are headed for a vacation. For me, it's much waited, much hoped, much more deserved trip. I get to see Eiffel Tower. This is our way of celebrating, "Hey we survived 10 years of marriage without killing each other. Good Job." For me it's much more than that. It's about me being able to do it. It's about finally coming to a happy place. It's about achieving one of your goals in life. It's about realizing that life will be a bitch and you will still be ok. Drama much? Well, what's life without a little drama eh?

There are really some very weird thing in life that I want to do/achieve. The real motivation for some of these things are not the best. When I was in 11th grade in India, we had a girl in my class who never wore the same outfit twice. All I kept telling myself was, "When I start making money, I will make sure I never wear the same outfit twice for at least two months". And it happened when I was in my second year of college. I was so darn proud of myself. And then I moved on to other things. It wasn't even a blip on my radar any more. It was more like, "Yeah. I am done. Next?"

Then the list kept growing. Perfect watch, the perfect Red Hand bag, Bottega Venetta bag, sky high heels, limo ride, Eiffel Tower, hot guy and money. It was super easy to get my hot guy. I am the lucky girl to find P-man(bad luck for him started right that second. haha). Along the years, it stopped being about the material things. It was the adrenaline rush that I get when I work my ass off to get these things. And I still am working towards others ( Read: Limo ride and BV bag). That's when the fear creeps in. That's when I call my therapist and say, "Everything is going good and I am getting nervous and itching to pick random crappy fight with Prabu just so I don't jinx the good times."

When you grow up with bit more of "downs" than "ups", it is hard at times to stand without shaking when you feel you are at the top. It can be as simple as getting that first pay check or your first kiss. It feels the same. That's what I am having right now. But I know this too shall pass and I will walk away thinking, "over reaction much?" Till then, I will annoy my doctor, annoy my family and friends and best of all, I get to annoy the man for 10 more years.

No He Does Not Watch Them

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Tue, 07 May 2013 04:24:00 +0000

Thevars went for dinner yesterday evening. While walking us to our table the hostess asked V if he watched any Hindi movies lately (No it wasn't an Indian restaurant. The hostess wasn't Indian either). V had a blank look on his face and to "rescue" him I told her that he doesn't watch Hindi movies and followed it up with a mumbling "He hasn't graduated much from Cars2 and Toy Story 3". This definitely had me thinking though. Because I got the "looks" from few when they find out that V hasn't watched much of Indian movies. We don't let V watch The Expendables, so why I would let him watch Baadshah. And V knows what Hindi language is. If you ask him what it is, he will say, "It's the language my mom and dad use when they have something to say in front of me that I shouldn't know about. It's their secret language."

The thing is though, I don't think V is missing out on any "Indian Culture" by not watching them. Some of the songs and movies lately are like soft-porn and/or make the MTV music videos hang their heads in shame. Yes, they are that bad. I even showed a song to my friend L and she thought the same. Yes, lot of kids watch Indian movies and yes, they are all fine. The Indian culture Prabu and I grew up in taught us that we are not to have "Special Snowflake Syndrome", we are to respect and have good manners. So did the American culture, African Culture, and any other culture that my friends are from. Them and their kids are doing A-ok. And in all honesty, I really want him to enjoy his Dinosaur Train, Octonauts and other silly kids shows. There is plenty of time to watch the crappy movies and stupid shows. What's the rush?

Here is the brat enjoying his Magic Tree House book while waiting for his dinner to arrive.

Knock Knock....

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 03:42:00 +0000

All the things you think don't pan out at times. You end up crying in front of your kid. You end up doing exactly the same thing you didn't want to do. Life is a bitch at times and it bites on certain days. Today was one such day. Getting cooked inside the house working long hours and not seeing sunlight for days doesn't make it any better. The thing is work is my solace at times. That's where I get my kicks. I work hard, I kick ass and I am damn fucking good at what I do (Yes this is where you go looking for the meaning of narcissist in the dictionary. Don't look for long, I am right here.). And like always, every time I put more hours at work, start feeling good, depression and doubt kicks in and it all comes tumbling down in a matter of seconds.

The fact of the matter is, my brat is my lucky charm. For me personally things have never been better than when we moved to AZ and we moved here when he was 6 months old. This is like the best and worst time of my life at times. I work, I make money, I have a life and that's about it. I probably have bunch of Nordstrom Rack receipts to prove that I make money. Nothing more and nothing less. For being such an impatient person, I got everything in life at the most slowest pace I can ever imagine. I never thought I would wait so long for the things I am waiting for. And I know there are things I can wait forever and I am not getting them (If I ever meet you God, hide, because I am gonna kick some ass when I get there).

So today V noticed I was sad and when I went to put him to bed this is what he had to say.

V: Knock Knock

Me: Who's there?

V: Hug

Me: Hug who?

V: Hug you every day every year.

That's my brat. I hope I don't mess up in parenting so much that he loses this funny side. The day might have been horrible but he made my night and many more days to come.

"Mafia Parenting"

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 06:08:00 +0000

You had a kid, you parent the kid. That's what I thought all along. I was wrong(I am usually never right in these things in case you missed the memo). I am not going to link up here but Wikipedia has an entire section on "Parenting Styles". Who would have thought? Well, I did. I started to think what my style is. And the answer was, "Mafia Style". Do what we tell you to do and you will be rewarded. Try funny business and you will get the consequences for it.You can come up with your own name for your parenting style but at the end of the day it's all give and take. I always make V an "Offer that he won't refuse".

Few weeks ago, my friend was telling me how she was called "mean mom" for not letting her 4 year old go to a different neighborhood by himself. I told her that the day V says, "You are so mean mom", would be the day I will pat myself in the back and say, "Good job". The only time your kid calls you mean mom or mean dad is when you are making sure they stay out of trouble. And I am sure this conversation sounds very familiar to all the parents out there (Including my own).

"But but but, A's mom lets them do it"
"You are more than welcome to go stay with A"
"ugggg"
"There are things A's parents do that we don't and there are things we do that A's parents don't"

Lather, rinse and repeat. We all want to be perfectly rational, super patient parents. And I know some of you out there are. Well, I am not. Sometimes I like to say, "Why should you do it? Because I said so dammit. And don't you dare say dammit again." Oh yes, I do. Is it fun to sit down and play monopoly with him. Yes, it is. But are there days when I don't feel like doing it and let him watch buubleguppies instead. Hell yeah!

Somehow, these kind of posts are expected to end with a note where I tell you how much I love V no matter what. Well, guess what, I am not going to tell you. I will say this though. Question my love for him, you will have no idea what's about to hit you ;). And if you question V about his love for me, he will say the same.

Chicken or Egg, Marriage or Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:52:00 +0000

The recent news of a celebrity or whatever saying that she puts her marriage first and kid second got every one all up in arms. Some agree with her, some disagree with her and some just don't care (which is probably best thing to do at times). Funny this came to light now though. I had my share of dirty looks when I said my life does not revolve around V but he is just a part of it. Sorry, not going to happen. Doesn't mean I love him any less. Just that he is going to be an adult and walk out and I have me and P-man left in the house. So I need to get my priorities right.

For the last couple of years I have been thinking about the kind of impact my parents and others' marriage in my life had on me. And the answer always seems to be: Not that great. My parents are good (and may I say awesome) role models for parenting. They are awesome when it comes to being there for others. They are the last people you want to go for marriage advice though. I wonder if it's just a cultural thing. Not just them, there are others in my life who have been married for long and some how everyone seems to just become roommates after a while and not husband and wife.

Do we just get so comfortable with each other that we don't care or is it just what marriage is all about? There are great mothers and great fathers, but those same exact people fail to be great wives and husbands at times. And then we keep passing this awesome bad marriage genes to generations. I have my advice ready for when V turns 21 (He doesn't care at that point but I am still going to tell him). Don't get married. If you do get married, don't have kids. Every one goes in thinking, "I am not going to do that to my kid" or "I will make sure I am not my mom/dad". But guess what? You are blood/dna/genes of your parents. You can not escape from it. And there in lies the problem. All of them think "I will not do this to my kid" but no one for a second stops to think, "I will not treat my spouse like that". The day that happens is the day we can break the bad marriage gene.

Major Doubt

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 00:28:00 +0000

V has been home since yesterday as he had fever. He is feeling and doing much better today. So in the afternoon he was doing some painting and I was sitting next to him working away. He started a conversation which left me wanting to find a parenting manual so I can look for the "perfect" or "right" answer. Here it goes...

V: Amma, who will take care of me when you die?
Me: (recovering from the shock of the question)You can go live with Chaitu mama. (what the heck do I say....what what what)
V: But who will take me to Jersey. It's a long flight.
Me: He will be here to take you honey (he will be here anyway if I am dead....what the heck am I thinking)
V: ok. Then I am good.
Me:Actually, if I am not around, appa will still be here to take care of you (I don't even remember my name anymore)
V: Oh yeah! That's right. Appa is older than you so that should be ok.

I swear on all things parenting, kids need to come with their own manuals. I have certain conversations in my head that I know will eventually happen. So I am prepared (kind of) for those. This one, I was not. I must say, one part of me was glad that it was a very casual talk for him and he didn't think it was a big deal to ask that. He was just genuinely curious and concerned about the scenario. Oh my Brat!

What Happens When....

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 18:44:00 +0000

everything is going smooth? I disappear like this from blogging. I didn't realize that its been almost 6 months since I last posted till my aunt asked me if I am still writing. When I started this blog it was to keep every one posted on V and then it turned out into my venting board. I moved away form family to a new state and was trying to find myself and it was a new life. I didn't know anyone in here, was struggling with PPD, PMDD and whatever the hell there is out there. So I would come here, bitch about the good, the bad and the ugly. More about the bad and the ugly than the good.

Now it's a bit different. I have friends in Phoenix (boy does it feel good to say that out loud). My girls that I can call at 2am just to talk. My lovelies that will drop everything to come give me a hug when I need one.Whatever I used to write here, I now talk to them about it. Poor things, they are probably thinking of moving out of Phoenix :). But I think I can still use the space to post updates on V and other things.

V is 6 now, in first grade and is doing good. We just got back from visiting family in NJ for two weeks. It has been an awesome trip. We are glad we spent time with the family. We are equally glad to be back home and our back to school routine starts tomorrow. Here is a latest picture of V playing in the snow in NJ last week.

Behind Closed Doors

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 02:28:00 +0000

There is laughter
There is sadness

There is light
There is darkness

There is hope
There is despair

There is love
There is fear

Can you see?
Can you hear?

It's all there
Behind closed doors

Summer 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 20:08:00 +0000

Now that V is in school, everything has to be planned around his schedule. Can not take days off from school on the whim. So this year most of our vacations or time off was planned around his school calendar. This is also the year I realized how much V enjoys traveling and visiting new places. We went on a 4 week trip to India. No no, not a vacation, a trip. I always want to take a vacation right after I come back from India. Don't get me wrong, I love to visit the family and I get to see some of my family but man the 30+ hour travel from Phoenix and all the nonsense when I get to India, it definitely dampers the excitement a bit.

We visited Prabu's native place Bodi where V met his great-grandmother and had such an awesome time. He actually wanted to stay few more days there (so did I. I love me some Bodi kind of place) but we had to get back as Prabu's Niece's school started. In India kids in high school seem to get very few days of summer holidays. We also went to Hyderabad for 4 days to attend my cousin's wedding. V also got to meet his BFF from Phoenix in Hyderabad and had a sleep over :). It was a good trip. V had a great time. Prabu had a blast. I had fun. All I need now is a shot of tequila so I can start planning my next trip to Italy (Hey V wants to go and I do whatever V says ;)). And don't ask me how India is. You don't want me to open my mouth on that subject :).

Dear Nayanamma

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Tue, 22 May 2012 03:33:00 +0000

I cried for you today. Took me 13+ years to mourn your death. It hit me today that you are not here physically. You are not here in person to celebrate my highs and talk to me during my lows. You are not here to see the man I married. You are not here to see your great-grandson. Vikram is his name. I do get a bit jealous of V at times. He has both sets of grand parents who love him to pieces. I talk to him about you. He loves to hear all the 'Nayanamma Stories' and 'Kadapa Stories'. He would have adored you Nayanamma and you would have loved him.

V's Tosi Pinni is getting married. Can you believe it? My baby sister is getting married. Remember the summer holidays where we would all get together to create havoc in the house as kids. Now I have a kid, Kiki has two kids and Toshiba is getting married. I find myself thinking, it can't be true. She should still be playing with dolls and fighting with Chaitu and Kiki for their attention. Then I remember the day I got married. Jyotattha was saying the same thing about me :).

I am sad that you are missing all of this. However, I want you to know that we are all doing good. The six of us might still fight with each other if we ever get a chance to spend an entire summer in a house. But we still got the love, now it just expanded with the spouses and kids added to the mix.

I love you and I miss you Nayanamma.

This Is Me....Not That

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Tue, 01 May 2012 23:37:00 +0000

I am not a bitch
I am not PMS
I am not sad
I am not depression
I am not a psycho
I am not PMDD
I am not a narcissist
I am not anxiety

I am a woman
I am courage
I am a wife
I am passion
I am a mother
I am love
I am a friend
I am loyalty
I am a colleague
I am funny
I am me
I am happiness

"Kisser-Hugger-Lover-Joker"

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:15:00 +0000

It suddenly dawned on me that V is five years old. He is very considerate, tries his best to follow what we tell him and also has a personality of his own. No he is no perfect. I try my best to make sure that doesn't happen. So we also go through our share (and some times more) of tantrums, fights, arguments (oh he argues all right!) and tempers.

We were in NJ for a week and at the airport he said I am his 'Kisser-Hugger-Lover-Joker'. I honestly did not understand what he was talking about. He explained.
V: You are my Kisser-Hugger-Lover-Joker momma
Me: What? What does that mean?
V: You give me best kisses. You give me big hugs. You always love me and you make me laugh all the time with your funny jokes.
Me: Awww..... Thanks honey.

It would be fun to see what goes on in their little brain and how they come up with these things.

Here is a recent picture of V at the railroad park

Hypocrisy, Is That You?

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 04:43:00 +0000

I am not writing this because I think I am not a hypocrite nor am I delusional. Just something I saw today that made me think of this. Prabu and I went to watch a telugu movie. Let me re-phrase that. I wanted to watch this new movie that was out in the theater and dragged Prabu along with me to torture him for 2 hours. We expected kids to be in there. Yes, Indian movies do not seem to have the regular G, PG-13, R guidelines that are here for the “American” movies. Even if they do, parents bring their kids. I am not going to comment on it. Whatever rocks your boat!

But what got me today was this. There were 4 adults and a 9 or 10 year old sitting couple of rows ahead of us. So this song starts in the movie and one of the guy gets up and takes the girl out and brings her back in right as the song is ending and when they were walking in he closed her eyes with his hands. Why? Because the hero and heroine in the movie were kissing. He did the same again for another song. Took her out as the song started and brought her in after it ended. Prabu likes to give benefit of doubt to everyone. And even he couldn’t help but shake his head at what we just saw. And they let the girl sit through these violent scenes where people’s hands, legs and head were getting chopped off. That apparently is not a problem. The whole blocking her eyes with his hand because they walked in on a kissing scene just rubbed me the wrong way (Yes judge me and see if I care)

I still can’t get over it. Why bring her to the movie and do that? Believe me, I know all about not having a baby sitter when you want to watch your favorite movie. I sucked it up, saw it when it came on DVD, went alone while Prabu watched V or hell, if I decide that V is ready to watch a movie with that much violence then believe me a kiss won’t make a difference. Or is it because she was a girl? Was he afraid that kids will watch these songs, grow up and will have pre-marital sex? Is that what this is all about? Pre-marital sex existed in the 17^th century, 18^th, 19^th and it exists today. I think we are just kidding ourselves if we think it’s all because of the TV shows, movies and the like of the 20^th century and that too only in the “western countries” and not in India. It happens in India, it happens in US and it happens in Pakistan. When your horny hormones kick in, I really doubt you will remember the song you did or did not see when you were 9 or 10 years old.

Beginning Of The End Or The End Of The Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:57:00 +0000

It's already 2012 somewhere on the earth. It's still 2011 where I am. I hated New Year's Eve as a kid. Hated it with the utmost passion. You don't have to know the reason :). New Year's Eve always ended with me thinking (as always), "When I grow up and make a lot of money, I am going to have the best, happiest New Year's Eve". That was the time, I associated money with happiness. It took me a while to figure out, I can make the money, I can bring happiness, but I might still hate New Year's Eve. Don't get me wrong, I love celebrations. I love parties. But a dull and dud New Year's Eve, I hate.

So this year, to make it exciting, my client is going live on January 1st :). Yup, in another 3 hours we go live and I will be in a meeting at 12:01 AM :). Woohoo. Nope. Not being sarcastic at all. I bought a dress. I am going to get ready and sit at my laptop working away. You know why? Because there will be bunch of us and we will be talking, joking, working getting nervous and getting excited. That sort of day I like. A boring day is not me. I can not have it and I will not have it. This year will be the beginning of the end of the New Year's Eve hate and the end of the search for new beginning.

Merry Christmas - Take That Political Correctness

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 07:19:00 +0000

Merry Christmas. Yes, you heard me right. I said it. No happy holidays. Just plain Merry Christmas. What the heck holidays are people talking about? My client is going live on New Year's eve and it's official that I will be holding champagne in one hand and will be on the phone with my team on the other on New Year's Eve. I am also retracting my vacation and will be working part of next week. So spare me the 'Happy Holidays' and just wish me Merry Christmas. I have been "celebrating" Christmas since last year. Why the change? Well, I am glad you asked ;).

You see, V came home last year from pre-school ad decided it's time we have a Christmas tree because, well where else can Santa keep his presents. This year he is in Kindergarten and the same deal. You would think people will leave the 'political correctness' bullshit aside and actually teach the kids about what Christmas, Hanukkah and other festivals are all about. Nope. Christmas = Santa + Gifts + be good so Santa gets you gifts + did I say presents? Hanukkah = Recipe about Latkes. Here's what is ticking me off. Look, you want to teach my kid about Jesus, Christianity, Jews, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and whatever other things there are - go for it. But don't just teach the non-sense and not the real thing in the name of being politically correct. So the kid has no clue why Christmas is celebrated, what Hanukkah is all about but all he knows is Christmas = presents from Santa.Yes, I am the mother and I do let him know the real deal. But you know as well as I do that when lessons come from school, it makes a huge impact than the parents. Especially at his age where these kids think whatever they learn in school is the Gospel. If you are going to teach them, teach them from A to Z, not just some PC crap. Thank you very much.

He brought home a wish list he wrote for Santa and a worksheet of recipe on how to make Latkes. That's the extent of his knowledge on Christmas and Hanukkah. I need to go torture my friend C to give me a first hand account of Hanukkah as celebrated in her family than looking up Wikipedia about it. Then I need to explain him what Christmas is all about. I will be the first one to admit, anything that has gifts/presents tagged to it, I am all for it. Hell, I want some presents from Santa myself (Santa, if you are reading this, get me some love, diamonds and Loubutins). But I know the real deal too.

On that lovely ranting note, here's wishing every one a Merry Christmas :).

Five Years - Dr.Seuss Themed Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 04:33:00 +0000

V is into Dr. Seuss's books and I ran with it as a theme. I did not bake, I did not cook. All I did was enjoy it as much as he did. This birthday felt extra special to me because Vodina was here to celebrate and I must say she made it perfect. I had the idea but she brought it all together with these little touches that made it extra special and extra beautiful :)

I will talk less and let the pictures speak for themselves. Most of the ideas were picked up from searching google,pinterest and other sites. The t-shirts were from Etsy. Party hats, cloth banner are from Target. Happy Birthday banner - Prabu put it together (Yes he is awesome and no you can't have him;)).

Birthday Boy

All the 'Things'

Gold Fish crackers :)

The hats are from Target

Banner is from Target. Goody bags contained A Dr. Seuss Book, Pencil and an Eraser

Coloring Packs we made for kids as an activity

This cucumbers and carrots inc ups was an idea I saw on pinterest

Instead of regular cake, we ordered cup cakes (Mini and Regular).

Vodina and I made the toppers with toothpicks and Dr.Seuss Foam Stickers :)

I love the way Vodins decorated this :)

The 1-4-3's (Loves) of my life ;)

V in his class on his birthday :)

Halloween 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 16:57:00 +0000

This year V was Optimus Prime from Transformers. He has never seen the movie. One of his friends in school brought a transformer toy from show and tell and from then on he is into transformers.

Pity Party For One Please

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 07:24:00 +0000

Well, that's what you do when you are alone in a hotel room with your laptop and no one in sight to talk. You throw yourself a pity party. You can also say to hell with it and go have a real party but then there won't be much to talk about ;).

I'm in Chicago for the week on a work trip. It was very last minute but one that was very much needed. The family was great and supportive and had no problem. Then why the hell am I having a pity party. For one, I am dreading going back home. When I got home after the last work trip, the little brat was waiting for me at the airport with flowers and a big hug and it was super sweet. But then I got, "We didn't miss you much. It didn't matter if you were here or not. V was fine and we did great with out you" from my mom. Ouch. I love you too mom, want me to get out of your way now? I don't think I want to hear anything remotely close to that again , so yes, kind of dreading going back home.

The more I think about it, I wonder if it's 'female brain' thing or if I am having mixed emotions because it's actually the first time I am staying alone without the family around. Funny thing is, I have never heard mom say it when Chaitu or Prabu were travelling (Oh yes, I am comparing and I will:)). It also doesn't help that I get zero calls from home when I am away. It's usually me calling and trying to talk and it's never the right time for a decent 10 minute conversation. Now that my bitch-fest is over, here's the deal. Finally I am at a place where I can honestly say, I love my job. Mother can give me hints but that's when I have to remember that she was born in 1954 and I wasn't. It's hard to explain to her about the adrenaline rush you get when you accomplish something, so it's easy to bitch about it, shake it off and then go on with the work :). And to quote one of my favorite author, "The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."

Why I Do What I Do?

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 02:02:00 +0000

I used to sing
Sing to forget the pain
because singing made me happy
One day I stopped
Singing was annoying people

I used to cook
Cook to forget sorrow
because cooking eliminated the bad flavors in my life
One day I stopped
Cooking was not paying my bills

I began to work
I work hard, I work long hours
It gave me recognition
It gave me friends
It gave me money
It gave me happiness

I do not have any guilt
I played the cards I was dealt
I will not take the money to my grave
To say no now is not brave
I will buy that house
I will pay for those diamonds
Stop me if you can
For I am about to rise
Karma will take it all away
And I will be back
Singing, Cooking and Making Money

"I Am A School Ager"

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 05:34:00 +0000

That's what V's been saying for past few weeks. He was so excited about starting kindergarten today. He couldn't sleep last night because, well god forbid sun doesn't rise and he misses first day of school :). It was way too cute to watch him so happy and excited about school. I hope it lasts another few weeks :). Today we had to drive him and we got to meet his teacher and see his classroom. It was only for an hour. Tomorrow my boy will be riding the school bus. It will be from 9 - 1 tomorrow and Monday. From Tuesday onwards it's full time which is 9 - 3 :).

Here's him getting ready for his first day of school today.

"An Affair To Remember"

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 01:30:00 +0000

Couple of months ago I went out to do some grocery shopping leaving the boys alone at home. When I walked through the door V announced that he had dinner and threw up afterwards. I noticed Prabu cleaned up the carpet and was washing V’s clothes. Can I help you, I asked, and my man declined saying he’s got it under control. All was well. Few weeks after that, I took out the big bad vacuum (I have a tiny one I use every other day and keep the big bad one for monthly). I thought the bin was full and decided to empty it out. Boy oh boy! As soon as I opened the bin, I shut it back in and called Prabu at work. I was seeing red by then but was very composed on the phone (Surprise, surprise) ;).

M: Did you use the vacuum 2 weeks ago to clean the carpet when V threw up?
P: No
M: Are you sure? Because I just opened the bin and I can’t even explain.
P: No. Why would I? I used the wet scrubber we have.
M: Ok. Then I guess I have to believe that there are ghosts or something paranormal.
P: What?
M: Well, I didn’t do it, you didn’t do it. But then the vacuum is looking and smelling like hell if you open it. So yeah, I think there are ghosts in the house. It’s ok, I will see you at home.

He came home, went straight to the vacuum. Took it outside, opened it and came back to clean it. I told him to throw the filter out and he has to scrub the bin down. Ok. Awesome. He does it all and comes back to say “Sorry. I think I did use this vacuum that day. You can buy a new one.” Here is where I should tell you that I had my eyes on a new vacuum since last year but didn’t want to argue with, “We Americans are all about the next new thing”. But the second he said you can buy new one, I was all over it. After few days, he says why don’t we just order a new filter instead of a new one. And I was just shaking my head going, “Men”. I got a new filter and all that jazz but I can’t shake the smell out of my head and the feeling of ewww looking at this damn vacuum.

Finally, last night, I decided to have the affair I always wanted to have. Oh yes, you heard that right. I decided to have an affair with ‘The Dyson’. I took the plunge and ordered my new toy. He will be at my door in 5 to 10 days. He promises to clean the house better as long as I promise to guide him through the rooms, the corners, and the hard to reach places. He also said he will be with me for the rest of my life and if I am not satisfied at any point, I can send him back. Come on over in few days, if you want to meet my new boyfriend ;). At $200 less than retail, this will definitely be an affair to remember :).

Finger Puppet Holder

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:04:00 +0000

It's ridiculously hot in Phoenix and there is only so much of playing V can do inside the house. So every now and then, I tend to do something fun for him that keeps him occupied for few hours to days (depends on what I make). The jail I made is still going strong in the 'play' department :). I was in a major cleaning/tossing/organizing mood this weekend and noticed these plastic pins that I saved from the flowers I received from sis-in-law for my birthday (don't ask me why I saved them, I do those kind of things). I also had some Styrofoam from the packaging from Ikea. And I present to you finger puppets on flower pins ;). I only had 7 pins so for others I used some cardboard I had. We bought these puppets from Ikea when v was 2 years old and it worked wonders for our drives :).

Ikea does sell the puppet holder that you have to screw into a wall or any other surface. The way I did, I don't need no nails or screws ;). And I don't think I have to tell you that it was a hit with V :)

Chick Hicks In Jail

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 02:49:00 +0000

Few months ago V saw a Police Station/Prison set in a toy store and said, "It's just for looking right. We can't borrow it right". So I told him yes, we can't "borrow" it. I thought I would make him a jail. I made one for him yesterday using some Styrofoam bought at home depot, patterned paper and this wooden "thing" I bought long time ago from Joann's for 59 cents. You can see my lovely ridiculous work. I can't cut things straight for the life of me nor am I that "artsy". The walls used for this jail are made with cardboard from a shoe box (Note to Husband: See how important it is for me to buy shoes ;))

V loved the jail and played with it all day yesterday. Today he called me into his room to show me a "Truck Festival" he is having. It was very cute. He arranged all his trucks on the wooden planks and was explaining about each one to me. After few minutes I thought, "Let me take some pictures." By the time I got the camera and went back to his room, I saw this:

Me: Vikram, what happened to your festival? I was going to take pictures and show it to Attha and mama.
V: Chick Hicks came in and crashed all the cars and trucks
M: That's not nice of him. Didn't you tell him not to crash.
V: I did and he didn't listen to me
M: Well then may be chick hicks would like a little time out
V: Don't worry momma. I put him in Jail. Look here momma.

Where The Mountains Are

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 07:07:00 +0000

Aha! So this is what it feels like. Something happened over the weekend and I am trying my best to 'let it go'(If any of you know tried and true methods on how to 'let go', let me know. I am all ears :)). It's hard though. I am sure you all have been there, done that. I don't have to specify what it is. It can be anything. Anything that makes you want to scream 'F you all' in an empty house. Anything that makes you go from "I am feeling good" to "Bite Me" in 3.3 nano seconds. These kind of things happened before. This time though I am caught between "Screw convenience" and "Come on, stop being a brat Sowjanya". It is not a fun place to be at.

Yes, I will come out of it by not being a brat. I already wasted 2 days sulking about it. Time to shape up(literally) because anniversary weekend is ahead of us and I want to look awesome. Time to remind husband what he got himself into eight years ago :). You need to exit now because it's about to get 'cheesy', 'corny' and what not. See the guy in the picture below. He's the reason I wanted to get to the top of a mountain 10 years ago and scream, "I am in love". And I still want to do it from time to time. This weekend, I might actually do it as we are headed to the mountains in Tucson.

Thirty Going On Thirteen

noreply@blogger.com (Sowjanya Yinti) — Wed, 11 May 2011 02:47:00 +0000

Couple of weeks before my 13th birthday I asked my mom if I can have three new outfits for my birthday. Both of us were surprised I asked. Me, because I never asked anything for birthdays. I didn’t have wrapped gifts waiting when I woke up on birthdays. My mom was surprised because I asked and that too not just one but three outfits. Few days later, she said it’s not possible and we can afford only one new dress. I sucked it up. My aunt who was visiting us said, “Well, when you get married, you can have your husband buy you as many dresses as you want”. I told her that day that I will never wait for someone to buy me anything and If I want something, I will work for it myself. I wasn’t arrogant about it when I said it. It felt very ‘matter of fact’ for me at that time. I am glad my parents didn’t just get me everything. It definitely gave me motivation and I got the taste of my first paycheck when I was 16, three thousand rupees (Less than $100). I worked as a news anchor for a local cable channel (I still can’t believe I did that. What was I thinking?). Surprisingly I didn’t go out and buy any new dress. That money was spent for my TOEFL exams and other things. But the whole ‘new dress on birthday’ just stayed with me. So for the last 12 years (After moving to US), I made it a point to buy a new outfit for my birthday.

Birthdays are always special to me. I know for some, it’s just another day but not for me. I am here, I am alive then I am celebrating that day. I love birthday parties, I love everyone making a big deal about it. This year was my big 30th and I was away from the family. I didn’t have the ‘hoopla’ I envisioned that I would do for my 30th. But I finally made my “three outfits” into reality. I got me a reservation at the spa for some pampering. I made reservations for dinner and I made sure I kept me happy that day. And I didn’t have to ask anyone for anything. I was able to do it myself.

Few days later it got me thinking though. Am I still 13? Does being a 30 year old mean I have to start saying “Oh it’s just another day. I am getting old”, even though I don’t mean it? Does it mean I will stop ‘celebrating’? Nope. No way, no how. I worked way too hard to be where I am and nothing will bring me down from feeling how I feel. Thirteen or Thirty, you still have to rely on you and only you for your happiness and no one can hand it to you. Would it be nice? Yes. Can it happen? Not always. That’s when you tell yourself, “Suck it up butter cup”. That’s when you decide which route you want to chose. The one where you are pissed off and sulking or the one where you are still pissed off, but are able to work on getting over the anger and finding ways to cool off. Both ways are difficult. Personally I have chosen both routes at certain points of my life. Part of growing old, you see yourself choosing the second route more often than the first :). That's the difference between 30 and 13 ;).

Here is a pic of the familia at the birthday dinner: