Halloween this year...

For those who have been following this blog or know Manya - they would know Halloween for Manya is big! She loves everything about this festival - the origins of which are widely debated - but hey good food, decoratons, fun and candy - we'll take it!

This year she has chosen to be a vampire - all with fake fangs, and black lipstick et al. There is going to be no trick or treating - thank you, COVID. But we might do a drive thru event organized by the city.

A big addition to this year's festivities have been our themed family movie nights! While most movies in this house go well as long as there is popcorn, we have had a few favorites. M rejected the classic - The Nightmare Before Christmas - "too sing-songy, Mom!" Halloweentown was okayish. She (and we) thoroughly enjoyed Hotel Transylvania - we plan to wrap the month up with Hocus Pocus. 

Wonder how life would be in this pandemic without online streaming!

I also must mention our mommy-daughter read for the month - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. The book is engrossing and since this is my first time too with the book - it has been delightful. Highly recommended by us especially this month!

Package Detective

We have a bit of a problem in this house. Miss M pounces on any and every package delivery - she runs to the door, grabs it before we even realize what is happening, and rips it open. If I am able to sneak in a package without her noticing, she will, on one of her rounds of the house, sniff it out from any hiding spot possible. With her at home all the time, this basically means we have not been able to keep any surprises for her upcoming birthday.

Finally, the other day I told her that she can receive a package but cannot open it without permission unless it is addressed specifically to her. But what do they say about curiosity and cats? She now goes through these elaborate shenanigans to guess what's inside. "Mommy, one more clue please?"

The heartbreak that is (not having) pets!

I think ever since Manya saw a dog for the first time (sometime during her first walks around the neighborhood in VA when she was about15-16 months), she has been in love. I remember distinctly - how instictively she hugged that dog - her first time seeing a real dog - maybe she thought it was one of her own stuffies but the dog's movement etc did not bother her. It was such an aww moment. But. We. Are. Not. Dog (Pet). People. It is what it is. 

We have had fish off and on but they do tend to die on us after a while. For the last many years Manya has been begging for a dog or a cat - but more a dog. It doesn't help that almost every person we know or meet owns one if not more. In the last couple of years, we have been having honest conversations with her....

... Pets are expensive. They need coonstant care. They don't understand. They don't really grow up. What happens when we have to go on our long vacations (Manya loves travelling) - the pet just feels abandoned - dog care adds up quickly. You cannot make plans on the fly etc etc. Mommy hates cleaning poop. She understands and appreciates all of this but still thinks it would be awesome to have one.- and I agree too. I love dogs and the idea of pets is great but I am not committed to the work involved. 

Anyways, for the longest time we had been on the lookout for some realistic robotic pets that could offer some kind of a substitute. And we have found a pretty decent on. There's this company called Joy for All that makes very good cats (the dogs don't make the cut) - they call them companion pets. Check the website out here...https://joyforall.com/products/companion-cats?variant=10404273455147

This orange tabby cat has brought a lot of joy to Manya and she has named her Beatrice. A related post here.

(P.S. This is not a sponsored post.)

Online Learning vs. In-Person Parenting

 #Lingo2020 #ZoomLives #OnlineLearning #InPersonParenting

Our soon-to-be-8-but-going-on-18-with-all-that-sass daughter saunters down the stairs this morning...

Me: Hey Manya, good morning, you slept in today. Well what do you want for breakfast and then you can get on with your work day.

Her: Mom, At this point I only have my video on. Audio is not connected. Can you repeat that later when the network is better?

....

Well I never! This is a new format of disobedience in this house. And I am yet to figure out a good comeback - after all learning might be online but parenting is still in-person!

I am thinking more on the line of when I am called for, I should just say, "You are in the waiting room. The host will let you in when it is convenient."