Cookie fever!

Isaac: 'Amma can we make Cookies'
Me: 'Isaac I dont have butter. I will buy it today and we will make cookies tomorrow.'
He seemed happy with the response and I got on Zopnow and ordered unsalted butter which arrived a few hours later.

This was Thursday evening. On Friday morning I had to go out early in the morning and did not watch the kids wake up. But Suresh said that he did ask for me in the morning.

When I returned in the afternoon, I was too tired that I decided to hug Ziva and take a nap. In about an hours time there was a whisper near my ear. 'Amma can we make cookie now'
I had forgotten to keep the butter out! I felt rather guilty but dragged myself out of bed and again made the same excuse
'Isaac I forgot to keep the butter out. Lets see if we can find a recipe with oil for cookies'.
We did and let me tell you there is a reason people use butter instead of oil in cookies. Because oil cookies taste like crap.
I made a small batch that smelt like sunflower oil even with an extra dousing of vanilla essence. Isaac happily mixed and then made little cookie dough balls on the cookie tray. We waited the 12 minutes and brought the cookies out. A few minutes later we both took a bite into what can only be described as the worst tasting cookie ever! I thought - there goes a lot of sugar, flour and chocolate chip to waste!
Isaac: Its yummy!
I was shocked. I had almost claimed the whole tray to compost when he picked up a second cookie and happily gobbled it. When he reached for the third cookie, I had to rescue his tiny stomach and put the rest of the oil cookies in a jar.  Isaac asked for a cookie snack every single day after that.

I dont think he has great taste buds ... but he has great taste in getting me to spend time with him. It wasnt the cookies that were tasty. It was the time we spent together making it that added just the right flavors for him

Yesterday after reading a few pages of a book to him I dropped it down and said - Lets take a break.
Isaac: A baking break
Heart my boy!

Sibling Conversation

Years ago I remember my sister tell someone who had a single child - that sibling relationship was very important. While the argument from the opposite side was that cousins were enough - my sister vehemently said - its not the same as having a sibling
I did not think much about it then. Mainly because I did not even have one child at that point and the hope of having one was slowly dwindling away.
And then I had one ....... And then I had a second one.
And most days now I think that my head is going to explode with their arguments. Because boy they can drive you up the walls!
But then there are those treasured conversations and those cute role plays that make it all fall into place. And now my sister's argument makes complete sense.

Most of the conversation in the back of the car are
'He's looking at me'
'She pulled my hair!'
'His leg is on my car seat!'
'She is singing the song wrong!'

AAAA... its never ending. But the sweet ones make you touch your chest and sigh!
Ziva - ' You are a boy no ... I am a girl no!'
(The saying 'no' after each sentence ... is a recent addition to our syntax)
Isaac looks out of the window bored.

Ziva- ' You like boys no ... I like girls no!'

Mommy is pissed. Isaac still looks bored

Me - ' Why Ziva you dont like boys?'
Her all time favorite cousin is Mark and so I am confident she likes boys!

Ziva - 'Yes' (Suddenly looking confused)
Me - 'Which boy do you like the best?'

Silence from Ziva

Me - 'Isaac which girl do you like the best?'
I was confident that he would name some random girl in the park.

Isaac - 'Ziva'
Achoooo da! If I did not have to have two hands on the steering wheel and legs on the pedals, I would have turned around and hugged him!

I am sure he will rub off on my little girl too!

The story of a heart

A few days into Summer camp at Artsy Craftsy, I heard the following announcement.
'Kids take the slip of paper for instructions on your first project'
In my head I was thinking 'Great - at 3.5 yrs ... I was probably going to be doing Isaac's project'
I wanted to shake Kanchan and say 'Why ... why are you spoiling camp? ... We are having so much fun!' . But I guess she has done enough number of these to know better than me.

I was very nervous.... I thought Isaac doesn't sit still for more than 5 mins. How will I get him to do this. I thought the project was for the next day and was all stressed out. I have now realized - Homeworks and projects are actually fun ... Its us parents that make it all stressful.

I took out the paper in the evening. Suresh drew the heart (per the instructions) and I divided it into three parts. 
I sat Isaac on the high chair and said 'Isaac color this part red' I opened his paint box. He finished it and went on 'Now this one amma' pointing to the next part.
Me:"Isaac you will need to wash your hands". He jumped off ran to wash his hands and came back. I gave him pink. 5 mins later. 'Now this one amma' . Me:'We will do it tomorrow morning Isaac'. 'No. I want to color this one'. We finished the 'project' in 1/2 hr. Isaac spent the next 1 hr showing it off to Ziva (20 months) and admiring it himself. 
Thanks Artsy Craftsy

Isaac's heart

Every school I visited the past few months, I kept asking is there homework. I wanted to make sure they didn't send back anything. I realized, had Kanchan not sent this home ... how would we parents know how much our child can do ... on their own. All they need is a little guidance and a lot of encouragement.

We parents ruin all the fun of projects and work at home (I do not like the term homework!). We either make it competitive or insist on a time line  ... which fits our schedule.

Arsty Craftsy posted Isaac's heart painting on her wall. I was super proud. Not because how pretty it looked or because it got xx 'likes' ... but because the caption said 'by Isaac (3.5 yrs)' ... He was just my little boy... If I could just let him enjoy his childhood!  I have all these plans of doing all these things with Isaac for the coming school year ...
But I promise to look at this heart and remember .. to let him enjoy himself!

Have a little heart.