Hope for 2021

Manya: Mom, once all this COVID is behind us, my arms are going to be so tired and sore.

Me: Arms? Why?

Manya: Because I will be hugging everyone!

Here's hoping for a year with more hugs and less bugs. Happy New Year! 

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!

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."

First Day of Grade 2

2020 is surely going to be a historic year - and as our kids are caught in it, they are making history. First day of Grade 2 today. 100% remote learning. We missed the usual hustle and bustle of a new academic year - meeting teachers and new classmates, new bag packs and lunch bags and back to school outfits. These were replaced by a new desk, a new laptop, frenzied setting up of all the tech stuff - links and passwords, and calendar updates for all the meetings etc. 

M starts the year with a huge interest in Politics - what with it being an election year and all. Let's see how long this phase lasts. Meanwhile, I have made it clear to her that no arguments at home till she actually gets her law degree :).

Quarantine Diaries: One is surely enough!

Quite a coincidence that a few days after I updated this blog with the post - One and Done, we had this conversation.

Me: "Manya, I am so done with repeating the same thing over and over again. It's like you have sworn to never listen at the first go." (Don't ask me what this was about - we are in isolation, remember, thanks to COVID-19 - we are all on the edge every now and then, but rest assured it was "not my fault".)

Manya walks to me with determined steps and in a very grave, sombre tone says...

"You know mom, that decision about having just one kid - that was a great decision by you. You simply don't have the patience for another kid."

I was aghast - she sprung that on me out of nowhere - no context, nothing. We haven't talked about this in ages. I could feel the rage rise through me...I tried to keep it all in, and just said cockily..

"Thank you for your great insight. I know my decisions are always right and so am I. Now get back to doing what I am telling you to." 

Juvenile, yes but in my daughter's words, "whatever".

Manya: 01 | Mommy: 01

We'll survive today.

Quarantine Privileges: Basmati Rice

(Background: As early as February, here in Seattle, the COVID-19 panic had started - which meant most "essential commodities were not available. At that time I had a partially opened bag of Basmati rice - I usually take smaller quantities in an everyday use container and keep refilling. Since the bag was more than half full, I didnt think much at the time. Come April, I realized our stocks were gettng depleted - now by this time most Indian stores were closed - making only deliveries - no Basmati rice was available anywhere. As a last resort, I picked a big bag of California long grain rice from Costco. Finally, Basmati in our household did get over and I got around to making the other rice.)

Manya: What's this stinking, short, fat rice you have made?
Me: What do you mean? It is normal rice?
Manya: No it is not.
Me: Manya, we usually have the Indian Basmati rice but since that's gotten over - only this is available. This is California long grain rice.
Manya: Oh boy, I do feel bad for the Californians.
Me: It's okay - it's not that bad.
Manya (launching into a lament): It's horrible. What has this world come to? A person can't even enjoy a simple meal! Oh, how I miss the good old days of basmati rice. I will never complain when you make plain daal and rice again - but with basmati. Oh how we must suffer in this pandemic.
Me (thoroughly amused): Sure, whatever. Eat  up.
Manya (after a few spoonfuls): California - who would have thought? Aren't they advanced or something? They can't produce decent rice? Are they asking for donations to improve their rice quality? I will personally donate from my safe. Oh my god, I pity anybody who has to eat this rice.
Me (in splits) : Manya you are sounding so serious - don't rant like an old woman. Come on!
Manya (in a no nonsense tone): I don't know why you are so amused. There's nothing funny about this rice or this situation that we are in. Please check if basmati rice is available somewhere. Can nana send us some basmati rice? Indian food rocks. It's the best food ever. I used to like California but what did they do with the rice...

Believe me she went on and on and on....And I was tenderly reminded of my dad who can also launch into a rant if something very basic is not in place....

(Wiki link to Basmati)

Needs vs. Wants in the Times of Corona

Now this class assignment went very well. Very educating and elightening (hopefully) for the little missy!

This lesson posted here so that can be revisited whenever the need arises.

Parenting in Quarantine: Homeschooling Fail

#CoronaOutbursts #OverEnthusiasticMom

#Day34ofSchoolClosure #LockdownDiaries

“Mom, you are too enthusiastic about all this school work, home schooling and all that. Calm down. I’ll never share your enthusiasm. You have no patience with instructions and I have no patience for your instructions. This is never going to work. I will never choose homeschooling and you can never teach. You don’t even know what representation checks are. You don’t know what diagraphs are. (Followed by a long list of things I don’t know - I have already forgotten the terms). This is a temporary situation and no need to be so enthusiastic. There will soon be an antidote for this corona virus and we will be back to minding our own businesses.”

Ouch that hurt (my enthusiasm in particular).

I swear all I did was say, “yay let’s see what we can schedule into our day today”.

Parenting in Quarantine: Physical Distancing and Online Connectivity

#CovidStories

So there are enough jokes about moms in particular and parents in general being driven up the wall by specifically two questions - “What should I do?” and “What can I eat”.

You know what’s offering respite - online real-time classes. Just imagine a bunch of elementary kids in a Zoom conference call. I am passively witnessing one and it is a stress buster. I pity the teacher though.

Prelude:

M: Mom am I looking okay in the video

Me: who cares manya - nobody is interested

M: I am interested in how I look - let me check and test properly!!

First 10 minutes:

“Who’s there”

“Hello, me”

“Hello, can you hear me”

“Hello, don’t talk together”

Next 10 minutes:

Apparently, they have to sign attendance...

“Can you see the pen icon”

“What is an icon”

“Near the mute”

“No don’t mute”

“Who me”

“No, you”

“Can I use highlighter instead”

“This is a tough job”

We are on the 31st minute and I think they are becoming pros at it. Well atleast till the next time. And I get 60 minutes of free me time.

Btw, the little monster gets on a Skype call with her piano teacher next. Call me a sadist but watching this tiny 7 year old negotiate her way around all this technology and then getting so exasperated with ensuring the device is charged, on time connectivity etc - as she goes around finding her quiet place for her “very important conference call”, making sure the door is shut tight and what not - is just so amusing. #FirstWorldProblems

Parenting in Quarantine: She knows it all!

So the recent situation has done a lot and it’s all in the news - including increasing our first grader’s vocabulary to include words like quarantine, social distancing and pandemic. However, it’s interesting to note that what has made things worst for her is that Amazon is not shipping non essentials. I cannot even begin to explain to her her privilege - she just doesn’t get it. Oh and by the way however bad things are “don’t get scared”.