Damn Bubbles!

[PS: Have been so lazy about posting these days - hoping to write a few entries and back date them to maintain some sort of chronology! I really seem to run out of time - every single day!]

M has been fond of bubbles ever since I happened to introduce them when she was about 6-7 months old. At her play gym, bubble time continues to be the favorite part of the class. Recently, madame has mastered the art of blowing bubbles "on her own" and that means a whole lot of more fun than just popping them.

I end up making about 16 ozs of bubble mix solution atleast twice a week (standard formula = water + dishwashing liquid + sugar), if not more! 

The other day I posted this conversation on Facebook, and had to journal it here too:

Manya: I am done with blowing bubbles, Mommy now you have a go.
Me: No, Manya, thank you. I don't want to blow bubbles first thing in the morning.
Manya: Mommy I WANT you to blow bubbles NOW.
Me: Please?
Manya: Please.
Me: okay...
Manya: Hold the mix carefully mommy, don't spill it. Hold the wand and blow gently. Don't blow them on the couch - you know how daddy gets upset.
Me: Miss Smart Pants, I taught you how to blow bubbles and everything else. (And I blow some bubbles)
Manya: But you are doing it all wrong mommy. Blow bigger bubbles and higher.
Me (after 15 minutes of this wretched thankless activity): Manya am done blowing bubbles too - my mouth is aching - my cheeks will burst now.
Manya: That's alright mommy, nothing will happen. keep blowing. If something happens, I will take you to the hospital and the doctor will fix you.
Me: I have no energy. I need breakfast. I am falling.
Manya: Eat your cereal quickly and come back for bubbles.
(and after every 30 seconds, "are you done eating mommy")

Quite the dictator, no?

Happy Holi!

All these years after our wedding, I have been whining and cribbing, and whining how I have not been able to indulge in my favorite festival - Holi , BUT things have changed - I have found my partner in crime...

It was so simple:

Me: Manya it's holi today! Happy holi!

Manya: What is holi, mommy?

Me: Holi is a festival of colors. You put color on each other.

Manya: Hurray, Let's do holi! Happy Holi!

So I whipped up some homemade color (using gram flour, corn flour, sandalwood powder, turmeric, icing flavors). We waited for it to get nice and sunny outside and then played with colors for a long time - I am sure the neighbors thought we had gone crazy - We colored each other's faces, clothes, slippers, legs, and what not. Manya was thrilled - she wants to "do holi" everyday now!

We "wore holi" (some nice colorful Indian clothes) after a "holi bath", which had mommy and dotty splashing in the tub together. We also "ate holi" - potatoes, puri, gol gappas, and suji halwa with puris being M's favorite!

I am hoping we'll get rowdier as the years progress ;).

DIY: Baby Blanket to Toddler Poncho

If you are a mommy of (especially) a toddler girl who fast outgrew her cuddly baby blankets - those that could once swaddle her don't even make a decent throw in her crib no - this post is for you. 

In a casual conversation with a mommy friend, I happened to mention about this and voila, she came up with such an awesome idea - convert the blanket to a poncho, she said!

Now, if you know me, I am a shirker of most house work. Needles, threads, stitching - all are really not my cup of tea. I am one of those lazy people, who stare at a trouser or shirt that needs a button, and wonder if it would be easier to just throw it away. (This is ofcourse in the lazy land - America - ouch, I am kidding, but no, seriously. Back home in India, I would just deposit anything and everything to a tailor to be put together for reasonable price.)

Okay, you get the picture. So, while the idea did enthuse me and sounded fairly simple even for my limited (read no) skills, I was a little iffy, till last night. I finally picked myself up and got down to doing it. At the worst, only an outgrown blanket was at stake.

But, I was pleasantly surprised. This one's a no-brainer! It is extremely easy - the end product very useful and cute! You know all those car rides when you can't get the baby with the tough jackets buckled up - and all you do is throw a blanket over only to have it keep sliding down - or when you'd wish the baby could hold her own blanket as you took her out on a chilly, windy afternoon in a stroller. Or for those irritable mall trips, when with all the pulling out and pushing off of sweaters - you'd wish the sleeves weren't there to make your life simple - well here's the easy peasy DIY poncho!

Step 1: Depending on your child's height, choose a blanket, which when folded into half diagonally, would reach barely below her knees. Mine measured 28in x 34in.

Step 2: Fold the blanket diagonally such that the front part is slightly shorter (about 2 inches), than the back part.

Step 3: Mark the center of the fold with a pen. It is around this that you will have to cut the circle for the neck.

Step 4: Keep the blanket folded, and around the marked point cut a half (when you open the fold, it will be a full circle). Remember to cut a very small half and then try it on your little one and then see if you need to expand it a little more.

Step 5: Hem in the blanket around the cut circumference (to ensure threads don't keep coming out). If you are the adventurous kinds, you can get creative with neck designs too. I just kept it simple! Gave it a ruffled look by folding in the reverse of the blanket.

And you are done! The poncho's good to wear. I already tried it on M and she loves it! (okay, to be honest, she doesn't really care, but I love it :P)