The introvert and the extrovert – Childhood opened up!

My son is most likely what they call a Melancholic. While I do not want to necessarily categorize him in a box… he is what he is!

My daughter is more likely a sanguine. While I do not want to necessarily categorize her in a box… she is what she is!

Watching and learning their temperaments has helped me immensely understand my children. While in my urge to be a good mother, I push and pull them in all directions of socialization and learning, I have now realized that at some point I am actually putting my personality on my children. Understanding their personality has also helped me step back when I know I have crossed way beyond their comfort zone.

Melancholic’s are quiet and analytical. That describes Isaac in and out. He is a family man. He loves his house and his family and is content being right here at home. There were times that I would get really worried about him. 

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The Sanguine and the Melancholic - Ziva's world

There is this pretty cool thing that I discovered recently. TEMPERAMENTS. We each have a different temperament
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_temperaments
Lots of things are involved in how our temperaments are formed. As part of a marriage seminar, Suresh and I took the temperament test.
I am a Choleric
Suresh is a Phelgmatic.
Suddenly my husband made so much sense to me! I have always loved him! But now he made sense!
As a consequence of the temperament analysis I now walk around looking at people through the eye glass of temperaments! I am not judging - its just that they make more sense!

Guess who comes under the scrutiny of this eye glass! Of course Isaac and Ziva.
Yesterday I was talking to Isaac and Ziva about the paralyzed man and his four friends from the book of Matthew 9:2-6. The story is about four friends bringing their paralyzed friend to Jesus to be healed. Ahhh - Good friends! The ones who stick around even when you are paralyzed.

I finished the story and asked Isaac
Me: Who is your best friend Isaac?
Isaac (Without a blink): Jeremey
Me: Who is your best friend Ziva?
Ziva: Suzanna and Natania and Akshaya and Aaron and Audrey!
Me: OK Ziva! But tell me one name who is your best friend!
Ziva (Pause ... whines) : But Amma ... I want all the girls and all the boys to be my best friend!

Typical Sanguine!  They love you the most and forget you the fastest ;)

Big people dont have homework!

I sat between them as we tried to get math and phonics done. Now usually I keep my phone next to me. But on this day I pulled my Bible and a note book and decided to start writing. Just like they were writing!
Ziva watched me for a few seconds

Isaac looked up occasionally from his math book. Finally
Isaac: Amma why are you writing from that book
Me: Because I have homework
Ziva: Big people dont have homework
I laughed out loud!
Me: Oh Yes! They do!

We have recently been doing an accountable bible study with our church. One study was a book of Acts in so much detail, it was nauseating.
The second study was writing the words of Jesus from the bible. I was writing about the wise and foolish builders ... I got a chance to tell Isaac and Ziva the story. I ended by telling them
ME: Isaac and ziva will not fall if you stand on 'the rock' ... Jesus
Ziva waits for a few seconds and then starts to cry...
Ziva: 'But I am scared I will fall!'

 I wish I could say ... But I will catch you. But truly I know that there  is only one person who can catch her when she falls. Hope she finds HIM :)

No Phonics for me - Thank you! Just some reading and side serve of encouragement

As a homeschooling mom, I was terrified when at age 5 Isaac did not seem to still be wanting to read. I knew he could read a lot of words. But he refused to look at sentences in books. He got irritated and refused to even sit with me when I tried to put some basic English language rules to him. I was even more flustered when I heard that 5 year olds were cursive writing in Schools. But writing was not my worry really. Isaac could write half decent. He was slow. But that was an incentive issue. If I could find an incentive he would write fast.
But I just wanted him to start reading. And then one day he just did.
It was right after I had gone completely frustrated and given up all hope. It was after I had cried my heart out wondering what I was doing wrong. It was at a point where I told DH ' I am going to leave him alone and let him figure it out. ' The only thing I decided to continue is to read as many books to him as I could lay my hands on.


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Entertaining my sick babies - Things to keep them busy but rested

It's that season of the year. There are colds and coughs and fevers. Its all around and as you pray and hope that it does not enter you house, it does! Being sick is one thing, having a sick baby at home is another. And then the cooties spread from one munchkin to the other one and it seems like the only thing you are doing is scampering for the tissue box and making hot soups.
We had one such season a few months ago and the hardest part of this time is to keep the kids rested and yet entertained. Its one of those seasons when you need to start thinking outside the box for ways and means to keep the children occupied. A a mother I am learning to experiment on the roles of various indoor activities that can be put into good use. While a day could go along with regular games and toys, when the cold and fever continues on to Day 2, we mommies must start getting creative.

Little bookworms: I know it sounds simple. And simple enough it is. Sick days are a good time to pick up a huge stack of books from the library and sift through them. Reading is an all time favorite in our house. I usually rotate my stack of books so that in desperate time such as these I pull out old books that suddenly seem exciting. Benefits of reading: The kids sit still for a few moments. Even a few moments such as these add to the process of healing which their tiny little bodies need.

An artistic twist: While I am really not in favor of using water as I do believe that the kids end up playing with the water more than anything else, still I believe painting is the most relaxing thing ever! Most moms like handing over crayons and color pencil to ease up the cleaning procedure. I however believe painting is the 'no pressure' name of the game!  The holding of the brush, the ease at which the colors fill the paper and the joy of mixing up colors makes for very playful moments. Especially when your little munchkins are sick, you should really try this form of art. Usually, I too sit down with them with a piece of paper and the colors. A complete de-stresser even for us mamas!

Playing around with Play-doh: Making and playing with play-doh can be a very entertaining and very engaging form of play. The making part involves a lot of effort but the kids love mixing the colors and watching the dough form. Once the dough it ready, it makes for several hours of quiet play time. A relaxing and calming down activity with plenty of brain stimulation! My munchkins love the mixing and the rolling and forming of all kinds of shapes and structures. And I love that I can get them to sit still for a few hours while the medicines and warm fluids do their magic.

Hot soups and warm breads: Sick season is also the time for plenty of soups. Thankfully both the little ones love soups.  Usually I would not let anyone with the colds and sniffles into the kitchen. However desperate times call for desperate measures and one good way of getting the munchkins focus off their aching bodies is getting them to help our in making their own soups and breads. So the munchkins get to watch the dough for bread being mixed, they get to work on their own shapes of bread. Involving the kids in the cooking process also helps the appetite increase at a time when food consumption does become a challenge.

A few soothing tunes: Music works like magic! It is true and few soothing tones are good to help the little ones fall of to sleep. A little music and a little swaying around also helps the bonding between mommy and baby which is very essential during those fevers and chills. Body contact is essential for the healing of our little ones body and music just adds a little masala to this beautiful process. So turn on those comforting notes and help your munchkin relax.

Getting clever: I am not a big fan of leaving the TV on especially when the Z and I are sick. I feel the blinking light from the TV does more harm then benefit. I try to avoid animated series as they are more flashy. But I have stack full of National geographic videos with calm scenery or whales jumping over water. I find these very soothing and the kids love watching the animals. On sick days this is my back up especially if I start to feel the body ache and runny nose entering my immune system as well.


While I totally dislikes the flu and cold season, I know that is a great part of growing up. In being restful our children learn to react to their bodies. They learn to listen to their bodies. They learn to entertain themselves through calm and quiet activities.