Snowman pancakes!

This morning, we made something really fun! Snowman pancakes! Megha, as usual, helped mix the dough.

Recipe taken from: http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/45396/easy-pancakes/

Imaginative Play?

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon (today). We woke up from our nap at 4 PM. Our home overlooks the park across the street. Megha loves looking at the park from our steps leading to the first floor. There was no one in the park. She asked me why there was no one in the park. I told her because its very cold outside, all the kids must be playing inside. Then she said, "No momma, I see one little kid playing". I looked again. There was no one. I asked her where the kid is. She said, near the slide. I looked again, no one. I asked her what the kid is wearing. "A black winter jacket". 

I thought, maybe she just mistook the shadows of the pole nearby. Then she said, "now she is on the swing momma. can we go too?" There was no one on the swing but the swing was moving. WTH? I thought and took her to the window to look out. 

She maintained that the kid was playing in the park. 

She doesnt know the concept of fear and i have never seen her lie intentionally before. I doubt she knows what a lie is. It really scared me. 

Is it possible kids imagine things and say it? 

I got really scared. Its not a fiction or something, it just happened this evening!
Weird. 

Megha's 3rd Birthday Celebrations (15th Dec 2014)

Unlike the last 2 years, the planning for Megha's birthday celebration started merely 2 weeks before. Just as well, because this time we didnt want to make it as elaborate a deal as it was the last two times (it ended up being the same which is a different story).

Theme: The theme for the party was Disney Cars. Megha loves Lightning McQueen and Mator and so, we built the theme around it. From paper plats, balloons, decor to cake, party favors and Piñata, everything was Cars.

Venue: Based on the guest list (15 kids and 20 adults), we decided hosting a party at

home is ruled out. We rented an indoor playground for 2 hours which we thought would be perfect (and it was. well, almost). It came with pre decorated room and we didnt have to worry about that part. 

Also, Anand blew some helium balloons at home. We had fun on the morning of the birthday too. They also neatly arranged the tables and chairs and each kids chair had a balloon tied to it. Outside the room was the play area where there were big slides and all sorts of play things for kids.

Entertainment: We hired entertainment, a clown, the same one from megha's first birthday. For such short time (2 hours) we maynot have needed her but having her was fun. I let the kids play around for 15 minutes and called them all inside for snacks and her magic tricks/ face painting and the balloon toy making. 

She kept the kids entertained well while the adults got a chance to grab a bite. Anand was still out waiting for the food. Megha was a little cat this time (her choice totally).

Megha's outfit was from Macy's in US (Anand's selection).

Cake: Just like the last two times, we ordered the cake from the same lady. The cake was a simple 2 layered (vanilla on the bottom and chocolate on top) with strawberry filling and butter cream frosting. The cake was also built around Cars theme.

Someone switched the lights off and most pictures didnt come out well. Oh well, we had so much fun though. And the cake was yummy! 

One more picture:

Piñata: Megha by now knows what a Pinata is as she has attended a few parties where she saw pinatas. This time, we got a Cars (Lightning McQueen) pinata. The thing was BIG! I bought 4 big bags of chocolates from Bulk Barn and it only filled half of the Car. Anand bought additional candy and we (actually Anand did) filled it up to the brim.

Kids absolutely loved it! I bought some additional bags for them to fill in their pinata.

Food: For starters, we had Samosas, lots of chips, juice, cake pops (Neeta made these),

hummus and cheese. For mains we had pizza, biryani, naan, 2 curries, salad and ice cream.

Favor Bags: Just like that last time, I have personalized each favor bag (return gift as we call it in India) based on the child's age. Each bag contained a hard bound book. 

Some of them were stories, some journals etc. The favor bag also contained an assorted bag of

candy. We made them using the candy from the same bunch as Pinata. 

The gift bag also contained a Cake Pop, which our good friend Neeta made at home from the scratch!

Everyone (with the exception of one family) showed up at the party and I couldnt have been happier. Megha received lots of blessings, lots of gifts and lots of hugs from everyone. A great day!

After returning home, we packed some food and gave to some of our friends around. The next day, the big day for Megha as its the actual day of her birthday, calls poured from all over the world. She was thrilled to say thanks to everyone and she opened all her gifts.

We put a chair near her gifts and she opened them all. We clicked several pictures and here are a few:

This is a gift from me and Anand, a piano.

Things to do with a Pre-Schooler on cold days

Of late, its been too cold to step outside for more than few minutes. In the beginning of December, we still used to be able to go for walks but not any more. With a busy toddler at home, I am always looking for activities which we can do together without having to go outside. Also, my main aim these days is to cut down on the screen time. Hers and mine. That's one of the easiest ways to spend quality time together I feel. This was last weekend.

Free Painting (using water colors): There are no rules and no pictures here. No boundaries to maintain and no competetion to win. All we are aiming is to have some messy fun. And oh what fun she had! By the end of it all, there was so much paint even on her face :) Good 30 minutes spent :) A long bubble bath followed.

Snowman making: We ended up having quite a bit of snow last weekend. After shovelling it in the late afternoon, Megha and I built a snowman. Well, almost. It was way too cold and Megha wanted to eat the carrot I had kept as the snowman's nose (and she did).

Retrieving Old Toys: This was this morning. Even though the sun was bright and shining, it was still very cold to step out. So, after breakfast, Megha and I went to the basement to play for a bit. The "bit" ended up being a 2 hour playful time. We retrieved a lot of old toys which she used to play with before. Since its been a while she saw them, they were as good as new toys for her. She helped me make a shelf and we placed a few toys in it (see last picture).

One of the toys she was much delighted to find was her lantern which my mom had given it to her back in India. She even remember that Jayeesh anna (my nephew) had a similar lantern. And oh, if you are wondering why she is wearing 2 different shoes, she wanted it that way!

I also cleaned out a chair and rested a bit while Megha continued playing. I had done a few loads of laundry by then and all I wanted to do was just to rest my feet for a bit.

Later in the evening, we both were too tired to do anything and she watched a few videos while I read a little. 

Valentines Day Crafts for pre-schoolers

These past few weekends have been too cold to go outside, even when fully bundled up, for more than a few minutes. So this evening after nap, Megha and I set out to make a few Valentines Day crafts (for whom, we dont know yet). May be to her dad, my parents and her friends at the daycare.

We have used what we have at home from last years valentines day supplies.

Rose petal Heart: All we need is some paper (something thicker), some glue and some synthetic rose petals. Well, I used synthetic petals but if fresh rose petals are available, we can dry them and use them I guess.
I tied a small string to the foam heart, applied some glue on it. Megha spread the glue and stuck the petals.

Glitter Hearts: We cannot get enough of glitter these days. Be it a Christmas ornament, or a hand made card, we seem to use glitter for everything. Again, I used the foam heart and Megha applied glue and glitter on it. Its drying as I type now. (Picture above)

Here are a few more crafts which we made.

The more time I spend with Megha, the more I understand what really enriches her mind. She knows what she wants and would not take anything less than what she wants. Like, this evening, she wanted to squeeze out the very last bits of glitter glue from a doodle pen. There was so little left in the pen that I thought its quite hard to squeeze that out. But Megha kept trying and trying (good for her) and then finally told me, "momma, we must get this out". I said OK and between the two of us, we managed to squeeze out the last bits and then some! She was delighted! Its a beautiful sight to behold, her accomplishments. Never give up.

Because....

Of late, Megha started applying logic to everything she does (much to my delight). Like this evening, she wanted juice box. I have her one and before I could say anything, she tells me, "it's apple juice momma". I was surprised because neither did I tell her what juice it is not did she taste yet. Then I said, "that's right. It indeed is. How did you know?"
She said, " because it has picture of apples on it". My smart baby!!

Happy New Year!

Wishing Megha and everyone reading the blog a very Happy New Year! Megha has grown up so much in this last one year. She talks a marathon now and is the apple of our eyes. Here is something interesting which she had been saying of late. She wants to be a doctor when she grows up.

Here is what she likes in terms of food; And we give her breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and snack (in that order) everyday.

Height 36 inches and weight 14 kgs.

Loves: 
Pasta (spaghetti with Victoria's marinara sauce; just a little)
Spinach rice
Pancakes and waffles with Nutella smeared on it.
Hot dogs (not the buns though)
Hashbrown
Ripe Pears
Lays chips (yellow classic one's)
Chocolate Milk
Tim Bits
Broccoli

Likes:
Maggie Noodles
Gold fish crackers
Cheese
Rice Pudding
Yogurt
Banana; Apple; Grapes
Uncle Bens Rice
Chicken Noodle soup that Sherry makes

Knows:
Several rhymes
Alphabets (says all; can recognize all capital letters and we are up to J for small letters)
Numbers up to 30 and when in mood up to 50
Days of the week
Colors and shapes
Gayatri Mantra
Brushing her teeth
Potty trained (working on night time and at times poo)

Favourite past-time:
Playing in the park
Looking at her books (loves when we read it to her)
Watching youtube videos (Kinder surprise, rhymes, peppa pig to name a few)
Loves Dora and Bubble guppies and also Disney Junior programs
Craft time with me
Me walking her in her stroller

Not a big fan of:
Nap or sleep time but usually winds down fairly fast with lights down
dark rooms
plain milk or prunes
me brushing her hair (its getting a little better these days)

And oh, usually she is in her PJs at home. Outside, she loves to wear dresses (I let her on special occasions). Otherwise she is normally in her pants and tops (not much jeans though). She loves hats, shades and pretty footwear.

Below is a picture taken 2 days ago at a friends birthday party: