My Nap Time

Naps on weekends are always a hit-or-miss. They're a contest between little Miss Haana (way too much fun to be had to risk falling asleep) and her parents (should sleep now to have more fun later!).

Yesterday having given up trying to make her fall asleep I decided it's the classic case of when life serves you with lemons you make lemonade. So here we were both little girl and I in bed, all cuddled up and giggly, me feeling somewhat sleepy now while the little girl fully charged up. Realizing there shall be no little girls napping today, I said "Gugu, why don't you make Mumma fall asleep, and pat me to sleep?".

So here we were - me cuddled up in bed, the little girl sitting next to me, patting me and singing twinkle-twinkle-little-star as a lullaby. In my mind I can see how I can be accused of being the exploitative mom! But the opportunity was too good to pass up. After twinkle twinkle it was row row row your boat. 

:)

Peers and Paint

I pick up my little girl from her Montessori in the afternoon everyday. Up till now when I pick her up some of the kids in her class have already been picked up. This was the case with the little baby's best friend Miss Mahika. 

Starting this week Miss Haana is going to be dropped an hour yearly to school at 8, and picked up an hour early too. On Monday when I reached to pick her up I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Mahika. 

When I reached the classroom, as always, my little cute girl came running to hug me, and placed herself on my lap and we giggled, and I kissed. Several other kids came running in our direction too. The first thing Miss Mahika did (before pleasantries) was shove her outstretched hands, palms down, in front of me. Purple nail polish! She waited till I had the opportunity to appreciate the nail paint to her satisfaction. If I hadn't noticed already Miss Haana chimed in- Mumma I want nail paint on my fingers too! I laughed in response.

The nail paint on fingers has been a contentious issue I've steered clear of so far. I feel finger nail paint is too visible, eye-catching and fashion conscious,that I decided Miss Haana should not get nail paint on her fingers (toes are ok, and we choose and change those every week). Now with the best friend having nail paint and them discussing it at class (Miss Haana didn't want to wear socks to school on Monday so she can show her friends her toe nail paint!), it's peer pressure too. I can tell I have some battles approaching. For this week, though, happily, she forgot all about nail paints when we reached home! Phew!

I'll Show You

This morning, like most mornings, I opened the balcony door while Miss Haana was still asleep and looked at the sky. There were clouds hanging low and the beautiful blue of the sky scattered with pinks and goldens of the rising sun.

When I turned around I found the little girl sitting up in bed, eyes still brimming with sleep. I was pleasantly surprised as I always am to see her. I moved in closer to hug her and say good morning. To which she responded with the question: 

Did it stop raining Mumma?

I said, yes Gugu it stopped raining. 

To which she prodded- is it not raining anymore?

I agreed, it's not, anymore.

And then, slipping out of the bed immediately swinging to action, she said-Come Mumma, I'll show you the rainbow.

And we headed to the balcony with a purpose.

I feel I am so deep in the "I'll show you Mumma" phase! We didn't see a rainbow and concluded he must have gone to sleep at an inopportune moment. But for the record, my little girl is my rainbow of all All times :)

Grocery Shopping

Miss Haana and I made a trip to the grocery store yesterday. I usually am not the one doing the groceries. But mostly if I'm going out somewhere it's with my little baby girl. I thoroughly enjoy our trips together - even to mundane places and places otherwise labelled as "chores"- with her, it all comes alive; with her it's different! 

So we were at the nearby grocers on Sunday afternoon; we got our fill of vegetables and milk. I ambled through an aisle that had Burt Bee's products. I like their colored lip balms (with shimmer;)) so I picked out 2 colors I haven't tried. As soon as I picked them out, the little girl (sitting on the shopping cart at this point) wanted to hold them. 

However the lip balm sticks were rigged. They had magnetic pulls that led them to fall to the floor every 30 seconds or so. All through the store for the next 30-45 minutes, I picked up the lip balms from the floor for 500 times or so. (Ok, maybe some exaggeration, but not by a lot!) I finally got tired of it when one time this little girl sitting cozy on the grocery cart dropped the lip balm and it rolled under the shelf and it of reach. We were way to the other side of the store (from where the lip balms were kept) and I was getting tired. I got mad, and told her I'm going to take it away now, and took the lip balm away. 

Attention and naughty energy was soon diverted to a pack of colorful rubber bands I had just picked out and put in the cart for making her pony tails (a recent fetish- both of ours'). Fearing the same fate as the lip balm for the rubber bands; I scolded her not to touch the bag. "If you touch it, I'm not going to get it!" I scolded. The little hand that was reaching out to the rubber and packet, stopped just short after that statement. It hesitated for a few moments, and then decided not to risk it, and was withdrawn.

A few minutes of relative peace and silence ensued. I got done with what I needed to fill my cart with and rolled to the checkout counters. Since a few minutes had passed, the little girl thought it's safe to start again. 

Conversation started with neutral topics. "See Minnie Mouse Mumma"

"Where Gugu?"

"There"

"Oh ya, Gugu! I see Minnie Mouse now!"

A couple more neutral sentences later, attention was diverted to the rubber bands again, "Mumma can I touch it now?"

Seeing the humor in the situation now that I'd cooled off, I say yes (why not)!

Next statement? 

"Mumma can I pick it up"

Something tells me that was the plan from the beginning. <3

Screw Up

This is like a poster of what not to do.

Yesterday little Miss Haana and I were painting another batch of sun-catchers. I decided to touch up one tiny portion by myself, so I took her paintbrush from her.

But just as I rolled the brush in the paint and was about to do some touch up, a drop of paint plopped down on the sun-catcher. "Oh no", I said, "Look Gugu sometimes Mumma screws up too.." And I became absorbed in painting.

I realized quick enough I'd made a mistake - and not just with the paints; because very soon little Miss Haana asked me, "Mumma, can I screws-up too? Pleeaase? Please Mumma, can I scrooze up too?!". (Yes she does talk like that most of the time!)

:-) why was I not told this was gonna be tricky?

Patience Means?

Ater calling on the little girl for the 5th time to come and brush her teeth this morning, I was getting exasperated and impatient!

I was holding her favorite blue brush (which has Dora and her friend Boots on it) and still no sign of her. Getting impatient, I called her again, "Come herrree Guguuuuu"

To which a hear a cool and composed little girl from the other end say, "Wait Mumma! Patience means, have to....? Wait!"

Mumma is resisting the urge to grab and squeeze the little girl for being super cute!