Our One Day Road Trip

During the holidays in the recent past,we went on a road trip to Bahrain. Long  before the holidays,my husband had promised the kids ,to take them to the  theatre, to watch Toy Story 3 ( there are no movie  theatres in the country we reside).They were all thrilled when the  day arrived.We travelled by vehicle  via the causeway-the bridge that links the country I live and Bahrain. It took us about an hour to reach there.After the movie ,we had lunch at an Indian restaurant.We had to get back to our destination before dusk, so we didn’t have much time to go sight seeing.In the spur of the moment, I remembered the  list of some  books that I badly wanted to read.Those books were beautifully  embedded in the back of my mind.Since we didn’t have any planned agenda, we went to the  bookstore on our way home. And I was  fortunate that the books I  needed were available in the bookstore.

Embarking on our journey

On the causeway-the bridge

Each book  tells a different story

Rainy Day Chronicles

It’s Midnight-And it’s raining outside. The room is in full darkness .I remember switching on the night lamp before going to bed.’Maybe I have got up in the middle of a dream’, rubbing my eyes hard, I convince myself. Pulling my share of the blanket , I try to get back to sleep, when I hear a cry from the children’s room ,that  is right across the hallway. That’s when I realized that this wasn’t a dream.The lights were out due to a power cut.To reassure that everything was allright ,I managed to stagger up to  their room and comfort the frightened kids.I waited in their room till they went back to sleep. Needless to say,  I too drifted back to sleep with them.

This morning -it is still  raining, pouring to be precise.Peeping through the blinds,I could see the roads  filled with water.My husband and I have decided not to send the children to school today. They still don’t know our decision,but once they wake up, they’ll be euphoric.

A moment ago-drinking a hot cup of tea, I  remembered an earlier converstion I had with my son.That particular day ,we had almost finished our shopping, when there was a slight drizzle, we hurried back home.I mentioned to my husband that we needed to buy an umbrella. Upon hearing this, my son prompted ’No..Mom we need to buy two’, ‘One for us and one for God”..Taken aback, I asked him why God needed one.His innocent answer really bowled us over.”Mom you always say that God is everywhere, so when it rains, even God gets wet.’

Now- The power is on and I am recounting the whole episode to you!

A Gift For My Daughter

                               

                                               

Today my second daughter ,turned fourteen.The last two days , I was wondering what I should give her on her great day.Eventually I decided to make her a surprise gift- a hand-made card. Hence before the crack of dawn,I  quietly started working on my tools.I had already downloaded the digital card that I designed and got a print out of it..And the rest of the materials that was used in making the card was recycled stuff. Moreover,this card was better than the earlier cards I had experimented,thus  I managed to  click some photos in the process .After my task was done, I sneaked into her bedroom and placed it on her dresser .She was all smiles when she woke up and saw her surprise gift. 

                                               

And then she had more surprises at school .....

compliments from her friends.....

So sweet....

.

Motivating Children To Read

Enid Blyton

The school where my children attend , organized  their  annual   ‘Reading Book Week’ recently, for the  children in the smaller age group. This was arranged  in a very elaborate way. All the little  children took part with a lot of enthusiasm. I actually like this idea a lot because  the main objective is to encourage and motivate children to read.My kids were asked to bring some of their favourite books,to display in the makeshift class room Library and share and exchange  books with friends.This actually helped my sons to actively participate in the program.

Motivating children at an early age ,encourages them  to enhance their reading habits .This helps them develop their learning  skills  and enable them to reach great heights in learning  in their later years.Reading at an early age instigates a child in many ways.Their listening and writing skills improve to a  vast extent.   In this day and age most children are  fascinated by the television and the computer .They have no time to get involved in extra curriculum or  outdoor activities.So getting teachers and parents organize similar programs would definitely facilitate a lot of children to read a lot and more often.

The other day ,reading an article on Enid Blyton took me back to my childhood. As a little girl I loved reading her books.I would wait impatiently till I got my hands on her latest book.I vividly remember during that time ( in the late 7o’s) .We got the opportunity to borrow books from the mobile bookman, who would bring the latest books of Enid Blyton,stacked in a box on his bicycle.For a few cents, we got to keep the book for a week or so. Now as an adult and a mother to four, I’m still enthralled with her books and enjoy reading her mysteries and adventures to my children. Her books were a part of my childhood and in some way   responsible for my love for reading.

Mama's Macaroni

I love making pasta with an assortment  of different shapes, so as to make it  appetizing for my children . The most relished collection of dried  pasta  at home  is the conventional type :  spaghetti (thin rods) and  Macoroni , (tubes) .  I find it  irresistible to stack countless packets of dried ones in the  cabinet , so  I may try out the  new dish that I  might have seen  on the  previous day on “Fatafeat’ , a popular Middle Eastern Food Channel.

My Children love pasta in general, but get divided when choosing the condiments that go with the pasta. The four have a penchant to eat it according to their respective taste buds, which obviously vary. Eventually they end up settling with the  most  common dish , ‘Mama ‘s Macoroni’ which is  applicable to everyone. ” Mama’s Macaroni” –is   my own specified pasta  dish - the name in particular was familiarized by my children.This particular one   is also a  favorite amongst the family and  I can tag it as the ‘most cooked’ dish during  the holidays and festive season.

 Ever since my younger daughter gave up  eating cheese, an absolute condiment in  pasta,  I had to find an alternative. And  was n’t I lucky enough  to  have found it sooner. I couldn’t have found anything better than coconut cream as the substitute.  It’s absolutely delectable with pasta. Although traditionally pasta  is  cooked to the dent,  my children  prefer it flexible and  very  tender .In view of that I have adapted that method  when  cooking  pasta.The recipe I have posted today is made with macoroni, the tubed shaped pasta . And   for my vegetarian  daughter, I skip the meat and add par boiled carrots and zucchini .

^Enjoy!

^{Mama's Macaroni}

^{( Ingredients)}

A packet of macaroni (500 gm packet)

1 1/2 lbs beef ( you can substitute with chicken)

2 large onions chopped

4-5 green chilies (remove seeds if you prefer less spicy)

A small pod of garlic

1inch ginger (or a little more)

1-2 teaspoons of Cummin seeds

1-2 teaspoons of curry powder

1-2 teaspoons pepper or according to your palate

Salt to taste

2 cubes  beef/ chicken stock 

Ghee/butter

1 cup thick coconut milk  or 3-4 tablespoons of coconut milk powder added to a cup of hot water ( * or you can stir in the milk powder straight into the cooking pasta- if you use this method please add  a cup of water  into the pan when  the  pasta is being cooked with the other ingredients.)

For garnishing; 

(optional)

Cheese

Coriander leaves/ parsley

Directions

Boil the macaroni with a little salt (drain it and set aside). Wash & cut the beef into medium sized pieces. Boil the beef with 2-3 cups of water- with a little pepper & salt. Once done set aside (don’t throw the excess liquid).

Pound the ginger, garlic, green chilies & the Cummin seeds (set aside).

In a large pan, heat 2-3 tablespoon of ghee/butter, stir in the chopped onions and when it begins to get soft & translucent, put in the rest of the pounded ingredients (garlic, ginger, green chilies & Cummin seeds). Keep on stirring it you get that aroma (don’t let it brown).

Put in the curry powder and the pepper and give it a good stir. Add the boiled beef with the excess liquid into this sautéed mixture and cover the pan with a lid & cook for 10 minutes. Next add the boiled macaroni. Mix in the  stock cubes. Cover and cook for further 10-15 minutes. Pour in, the cup of coconut milk or the milk powder( If you intend to use the powder ,follow the instructions given * )

 Remember the meat stock cube is already salty, so add  salt only if it’s necessary.  Let it simmer for a while .Transfer in to dish and garnish with chopped coriander/parsley.

 (Ready to serve  for about 8-10 persons)

Or if you still fancy it with cheese

Transfer this cooked pasta into a baking dish. Grate cheese on top of the pasta and bake in a hot oven until the cheese begins to melt .Remove from oven & garnish with chopped coriander leaves/parsley (optional)

 (P.S. You can adjust the spices according to your taste bud.)

My Card Creations

My card creations are on display at  123 greetings.com. Please feel  free to use  them .

Cheers!

aynzan

aynzan's card creations

Milk Tooth And The Tooth Fairy Saga

My six year old son is beginning to lose his milk teeth. The other day, a little upset, he  showed  his wobbly front tooth. I appeased him saying  he was going to be alright. Later that evening when my husband came home from office he sat with the six year old and made interesting conversation so as to keep him focused. In no time, he pulled out the wobbly tooth without any hassles what so ever. I remember vividly, when my older son, who was about the same age, two years ago, had the same experience. But unfortunately we didn’t know what to do at that time. .I became  panicky and made it worst  for him. Ultimately a visit to the doctor set things right. He talked to my son and made conversation with him just to calm him down and keep him focused and within a matter of seconds his shaky tooth was removed by hand, without anyone notice it. Hence I have  gathered a teeny bit of courage  to handle  with ease all kind of  tribulations.

Now coming back to where I started.. Within a week, the younger son lost two more of his teeth and the older brother found it so amusing. Witty as he is, he kept teasing him, saying there was a tunnel carved inside his mouth. This made him even more uncomfortable and as a result refused to go to school that particular day.After that episode ,he became so inhibited, that he kept his mouth closed most of the time especially when he had to talk to visitors. He was also to go on an excursion with his class during that week but repudiated to go the last minute .When his class teacher, who knew that he was all agog about this trip, asked him why he didn’t turn up. He responded with  a wide  grin. She didn’t need further explanation, she understood!

 A cloud of doubt hangs over him these days as he looks at his reflection in the mirror to see if new ones are visible. He often questions me if I had really prayed to God asking for his new teeth. Nonetheless he is terribly upset that I flushed his broken tooth down the toilet bowl. “Why did you do that?” he said. ‘I would have got one ‘Riyal’ (Saudi Arabian currency) keeping it under the pillow – reference to the Tooth Fairy that he had heard about from the older siblings. ..   

I think a brief narration of the myth of the Tooth fairy would make my story clear: The Tooth Fairy  is supposed to  give a child money in exchange for a baby tooth that has fallen out . Children  place the tooth under their pillow at night.. And  this swap takes place when the child is fast  asleep.. Ah!!!! Such wonders of fairy tales…

By the way, this I may say  in lighter vein , the next time my son loses another tooth , I should write a note addressed to the tooth fairy and leave it under my son’s pillow. Which would read like this ‘ My son doesn’t need  the money , a new tooth would do’ …..

-I created this picture blog using stickers and embellishments provided by Scrapblog.com-