Is it Me?

Beautiful painting by little miss Haana.

Is it a painting of her mumma?

Electric Scooter Buildup Continues

Continuing the story from here - https://roadtohaana.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-electric-scooter-buildup.html

Bobby boy realized he should be getting some verbal commitment from me after all.

Mumma, the electric scooter needs to have a bell too.

OK Bobby. 

So, are you going to get it for me for my 7th birthday?

I don't know Bobby. 

You have to Mumma. 

I'll have to check with Papa.

Turns out Raj had just came back from overseas, and was hence the prime target to offload some parental pressure! 

So Bobby proceeded to tell Papa all the specifications needed on his electric scooter. And then placed the 'Can you get it for me' question on his lap. Meanwhile i remembered something that I thought should help the situation. 

Bobby, Ryan's mom told me she got the scooter for herself actually, so she can keep up with your bikes. So, actually, I should have that scooter! And it has a basket at the back, I can put you in there!

Bobby turned back to Papa.

Papa, actually we need 3 scooters! One for Papa, one for Mumma and one for me!!

I didn't think this story will take this turn!!

Meanwhile after relaying this story to Softy mausi, she decided she wants a scooter too... this is not the effect I was going for!

The Electric Scooter Buildup

The Bro gang has been spending quite a bit of time together. On their bicycle, scooters and lately, on Ryan's electric scooter. Ryan has multiple of them. A standing scooter, and also one with a seat on it. Ryan's mom told me that she initially got that one for herself so she can follow them when they're on their bicycle, but Ryan likes to ride it now (maybe because the other Bro - Bobby, is riding his other scooter). 

Bobby has been talking about scooters a lot lately. Especially since birthday is around the corner. 

I want a Gotrax electric scooter for my 7th birthday - Bobby said to me.

But that is another year away, we will talk about that later. 

Yes, but for my 7th birthday I need a Gotrax electric scooter that can go offroading. Do you know what is offroading?

To go on grass?

Yes. Ryan's Gotrax electric scooter can do off roading. It can go on grass.

OK.

Actually mumma, also I need the scooter with a seat, because I can get tired standing up. 

I see.

Do you want to look up Gotrax scooters on your phone?

Absolutely not!

No Mumma, we should look them up. For my 7th birthday. It should also have a basket at the back, behind the seat. It also must have a key and a key hole. Should we look it up now Mumma?

Everyday Bobby boy has been adding specifications on this Gotrax scooter! The pressure is building!

I am the Dog

Growing up, we had a dog. We was medium sized white haired dog Lucky. Too smart for his own good! He was a menace in many ways,  but there was 1 way he was very useful. He used to eat all the leftovers at home. And this is one of the perks of having a pet dog in the first place, right? 

I was thinking about the state of leftovers at my home and realized I'm the only one who eats leftovers! Every day for lunch i heat up left overs and slowly and diligently clean up leftovers from the fridge. No one else at my home quite does that. Dulce doggy, meanwhile is tempremental about food. He has expectations. He has mood swings when it comes to food. He needs variety, he needs nutrition, he needs taste. He has standards. 

I then reached the seemingly obvious conclusion then. I am the dog!

Winner Deal

Little miss Haana this week stayed home one day from school since she had not been feeling well. Towards the evening she was feeling somewhat better. But also feeling like getting take-out from her favorite thai place. I already had plans of what to do for dinner that evening, so I said no. She devised a devious plan. We will let Dulce decide! 2 treats were placed 1 feet apart on the rug. If he eats the right treat first, we do takeout. If he eats the left treat first, we eat at home. He ate the right treat. I protested I didn't see if he actually ate the treat or just grabbed it but ate the left one first. 

Round 2 then. Same treats. This time left treat means take out. Right treat means eat at home. Dulce ate they right one first. I won, but we will have best of 3.

Round 3. Same treats. Left treat - eat at home. Right treat - take out. He ate the right treat first, and then gobbled the left one,  while little miss Haana was yelling Yay!! I gudgingly proceeded to place the to go order. But meanwhile Dulce doggy was smacking his lips in this winner deal for him!!

Bath Time

Today as we were finishing dinner, Bobby boy said something he has never said in his 5, almost 6 years in this planet. He said, "Mumma, I want to take a bath". I even stalled him, cause little miss Haana and I were talking. But he repeatedly again - I want to take a bath Mumma! 

Anyone who knows Bobby boy would have had the same reaction as what I had -

"How is that possible? The real Bobby has never said those words. Where is the real Bobby and what have you done to him?!"

Valentimes Day

Valentines day was around the corner. Bobby boy's kindergarten class was going to have a valentines gift exchange party on Friday. There are 18 kids in the class. 

I ordered little colorful pens, and over the course of the week, Bobby, Papa and I worked on drawing and coloring tigers, pirate ships, lions, robots, elephants and many more for 18 cards for Bobby boy's class. We then stuck a pen and a candy inside each card. We made a special card for his teacher with a princess in a ball gown. I was so excited for valentines day!

On the other hand with little miss Haana, valentine's day snuck up. Also, now being a teenager no mass cards' exchange was on the cards, thank god! She took some good chocolate for her friends from home. But when I picked her after school on valentine's day, 2 little pink tote bags came along and sat in the seat with her. I asked her who they were. So, one was from her bestie Cora. She had written the most sweetest letter to little miss Haana about their friendship and their quirks,  and the times they have shared together! Cora had also filled the tote bag with little miss Haana's favorite candy Reese. 

The other tote bag was from a boy!!!Is it Hamilton, I asked? And she said yes! We both giggled!! First valentine's day card from a boy! It was very giggle-worthy! Hamilton had gotten many candies and small toys and small legos to fill the tote bag, along with a self made card and envelope. It was super cute! I aww-ed, and demanded to see the letter. Little miss Haana read it to me and we giggled some more! 

This was a momentous valentine's day for all of us!

Dhikchik

No words for this... 

other than dhik-chik

Pay It Forward

Bobby's and his neighborhood "Bro" Ryan have been playing together all weekend. All day today they were in and out of our house. Riding their bikes or scooter in the garage lane and then coming back inside to grab a snack (multiple batches of air fryer French fries!) and then running back outside. Ryan's mom says he prefers eating at our house better than his own! And in fact for weekend lunch, he's becoming a regular at the dining table. 

I remember growing up, I had a seemingly lifelong friend Anusha Mani. We used to hang out together in the weekday evenings and weekends. During summer break her grandmother used to be around and much of my summer breaks used to be spent at her place. Her grandma used to cook, and specially keep things for me. Food at her place was very different from mine cause their family was originally from a different part of India (tamilnadu) and so, their meals looked and tasted nothing like ours'. I remember fondly her place and her grandma! So when Ryan eats with us, it feels like nice :)! Is this what paying it forward means?

Nothing Is Still There

Little miss Haana and I were cuddling together, chilling for a few minutes after dinner yesterday. I had put mascara on my eyelashes that morning. 

A couple months back little miss Haana and I had gone to one of her favorite stores nearby that has cosmetics. We bought a mascara for each of us. But after I tried it, I didn't think it worked great. So I got another one for myself, that I liked much better. Little miss Haana still liked the one she got from her favorite store. Mostly because it was from her favorite store, I think!

She asked me which mascara I used. I told her it was the one I bought later. 

She said mine has a more voluminous effect. But hers' lasts longer and doesn't clump up. Even at the end of a long day and even if she's rubbed her eyes during the day, it just doesn't smudge at all. 

I should've not said anything at all after that. But then I said, "You know what else stays on forever? What gives a not- even-there effect and stays on for the longest without clumping or smudging?". "What?". "Nothing! Nothing stays on n on, and doesn't even wash off! No smudging. And its completely waterproof! See it's still there, even after washing! After the whole day and washing n rubbing. Nothing is there!". We laughed and laughed, and then she said "You're such a meanie mumma!". When all I said was the truth!

Bro Gang

Bobby boy now has some friends in the neighborhood. A couple houses down one way is Ryan, and a couple houses down the other way is Zuhair. They call each other Bro. So they are the Bro gang. 

Zuhair is in Bobby's school too (but not in the same class). Today coming back from school Bobby boy told me he and Zuhair met at recess and decided they will play at his house after school. I nodded, but then I protested, "I was not consulted when this program was being made". So Bobby boy smoothly reminded me, I was not actually invited (since I'm not in the Bro gang)! Because I'm not a boy! (Eye roll)

Not A Snow Day, It Was A Snow Week

Last week was momentous here. Last Friday night a cold weather system was going to take the temperatures to a deep dive. There was a significant chance of freezing rain and snow flurries on Saturday. Chance of snow is music to my ears! 

It rained sleet all day Saturday.  But no snow. Then late night on Saturday and then Sunday, there was finally some snow. Everything was white outside. It was bitter cold. Dulce was the first to explore but then after a couple minutes came running back home. I wondered if Dulce remembers last year. 

Last year it snowed several inches. There were snow ball fights. Bad people (Bobby, Haana) had ganged up together to get me with snowballs! Their alliance feel apart when i responded with vengeance and snowball prowess! Then we all snowballed Dulce doggo together. But he put his long legs to good use and was able to dodge most and take off galloping. Only to return with full speed and wagging trail. Nana (maternal grandpa) came out to play in the snow too! Later, Raj, Bobby boy and little miss Haana tried to put together a snowman. But Dulce, in his excitement jumped on it and that was the end of that snowman. Later we all built another one in our backyard. A bigger better one. And this one had a cap, a scarf and a carrot nose. Only, Dulce doggy took off with much of his nose soon. Nana and nani took pictures with our snowman, as did we all!

This year was different though. It was more sleet than snow, so it wasn't snow-fight-worthy! But Bobby boy's friend Ryan's mom came by and offered to take them sledging in a small sledge she had! The boys played outside, sliding their bikes and scooters on the ice! Bobby even tried to fall so he could slip and slide on the ice! I wasn't so hot with the prospect of slipping or sliding, thank you very much! 

Little miss Haana was getting a bit stir crazy by Sunday, so proposed we walk to a Boba tea place around the corner. Usually just a 5 minute walk from our place. But i wondered if it will be open in such a weather. She insisted she's already checked online. So off we bundled up and went. Later Raj and Dulce doggo joined too. Doggo enjoying running around as always and ferreting bunnies in the grass wherever we went (he catches none). It took us a good 20 minutes to reach the Boba place in the snow and ice. And that's when we found the place was closed!! Ha ha, no surprise there! We then turned around and started our trek back home. 

The ice stayed around for several days and in fact still lurks around on walkway corners. The school was closed from Monday through Thursday! Both Bobby boy and especially little miss Haana have never smiled so broadly in the evenings everytime we got notified 'school is closed tomorrow'! I stayed home and worked from home which seemed extra busy! I might need a recovery day on Friday after this week! But we parents congratulated each other on school reopening on Friday! It really was a fri-yay! 

Not the usual snow day of this year, but a fun week nevertheless. Of course immensely grateful for power,  heat and water at home.