Of Tell-a-Tale And Fairy-Tales

Eid has come and gone. And with it the whole ambiance changed as well. I wholeheartedly welcome this change but wondering how I am going to cope the colder days ahead. Already the festivity mood has vanished into thin air despite the fact that the holidays are still on. My children will get back to school this Saturday. Till then, its hubbub everyday with all four, staggering for the television or the computer. And what more with the arrival of the latest thingy by name of play station 3, the children cannot differentiate day and night and if they had eaten their meals or not. How ever I have come to a decision that once school reopens, this newest gizmo will be veiled for awhile in a probable attempt to divert the children’s attention more toward school activities.

With the four at home, noise and clamor is an everyday thing. They have found ways and means to bring the house upside down. It‘s like we are celebrating Halloween here. Recently they scared the guts out of me with an eerie music they played on and off via their latest gizmo. And mind you, top of all this, there’s the high-pitched blaring that takes place in between regular intervals. Mine vs theirs. The only favourable outcome I have achieved so far from this screeching is my vocals cords have all toned up, though sadly not too good to put into use in a singing competition. Nonetheless this hullabaloo generated by my children on a daily basis has not changed my attitude towards them at all. My heart grows fonder day after day and my love for them deeper.

The children having a break from school has a positive side too. There is plenty of quality time that's being spent with each other and this - bonding, brings us much closer. As much as they create a mayhem, children also bring into our lives lots of fun, laughter and happiness.

    
The other day, extremely astounded, my seven year old came to me and said ‘Mom! I think she’s going to marry a frog.'    

My first reaction was a surprised, 'What! Who?' Although quite amused at this, I kept asking him how sure was he with his announcement. Then he went on ‘I am sure Mom. I heard her telling someone on the phone. Go, ask her.'
'Yes! Yes! Go ask her,' prompted my ten-year-old in an encouraging manner. Even though I found this outlandish, I thought it would be better if I got an explanation from my daughter so as to clear any doubts and alleviate all forms of suspicions from the perplexed two.

I was laughing my wits off when I heard my daughter very coolly say 'Oh that! My friend and I were talking about Walt Disneys’ The Princess and the Frog.'
'Marry a frog? What was he thinking! It happens only in Fairy Tales!'

    
Oh ! Dear Me! Why wasn’t I thinking?

(image source courtesy internet)

                                               

Remember This Too Shall Pass

Reflecting on the  views  of  Richard Carlson, the  writer who penned simple solutions on how  to keep daily responsibilities and household chaos from taking over your life   in one of the many ’Don’t sweat the small stuff ‘, books , made me  realize and acknowledge how motivational his ideas were and how inspiring he was as a writer,author,speaker and a family man.He has shared  with his readers his perception of how to handle household chaos in a very easy and comprehensive manner. No doubt the book is full of immeasurable facts and encouragement on every reasonable topic from how to manage stress to coping difficulties and managing the house without sweating the small stuff. He has high lighted the importance of family values in every point of view. And each chapter has been  written under  different topics relating to our home, environment and those near and dear. 

He is one of my favourite writers of the modern times. A motivational speaker who rose to fame with his ‘Dont Sweat The Small stuff series .It was quite by chance  during a visit to the bookstore that I happened to stumble upon this book.And by the time I finished reading I had become an ardent fan.With his straightforward opinions on how to tackle life’s obstacles,challenges, other negative emotions and also the many little things that  infuriate us at the slightest provocation,he has encouraged us to think optimistically. He has elaborated that these are barricades that could be maneuvered tactfully   in our quest for peace, happiness and love .

Although I have read this book an umpteenth time., I keep turning to it for moral support whenever I need to defy my unbalanced  state of mind, presumably when I am at my weakest every month.

Adapting some of his opinions that he set forth in his writing  and putting them  to practice has  enabled me  to accomplish  my  daily household  chores  in a stable mind-set which otherwise was impossible.Especially during weekdays- In the mornings ( this is the time the commotion begins) when everyone is in a hurry to go about their business: to school, workplace  leaving behind the  thoroughly exhausted self to clean-up the aftermath of the big mad rush.

Here is a  quote  from the book  that changed the whole outlook dealing with the hustle and the bustle, ‘The best and the most effective way to maintain a grateful spirit and keep yourself from being overwhelmed is to remember that all things –even the hard things –will pass.’

Am I glad! I now get about my daily household tasks with  an upbeat approach..

Time And Tide Wait For None

Sometimes I have the tendency to put off things that should be dealt with right away. By postponing the task  for another day, I found that things have got amassed and the task, mind-numbing .Like for instance clearing my emails that have gone beyond a thousand. That does n't mean I have a  thousand friends sending me mails everyday. My two boys recently became members of an online game site and pleaded  with me to sign in for their  newsletter and from that day onwards,my inbox has been piling  with mails, mails that keep coming  from Aliens,Robots and Farm animals. Then there are the spammers who send dubious mails trying all sorts of  tactics  to convince me into believing something about  winning a lottery or  that I have been  bequeathed  with a fortune  from  a relative whom I have never heard of.Do I fall for those !No way..Somehow or the other, spam mails  have found their way into my inbox,turning  my mail box into a junk box. A boxful of doubt and uncertainty. Hence it’s obvious, I find it difficult to put together the good and dispose the bad mails. Now just imagine how cluttered my inbox is with all those mails hoarded. 

Nevertheless, without any further consideration, I planned to do something, at least check the mails sent by real people.Unwaveringly,I acted fast. Avoiding another wasteful moment, I  hurriedly ran through my mails.What a surprise! Most  of the mails  looked  like they had come from outer space .I too seemed to be caught  floating into space. However after a while,  a few stars caught my attention. The ones I suppose came from this planet.  This one  I am sharing with you is exemplary.It swiftly brought  me back to earth.

It reads something like this..".Now I know why I am gaining weight.It’s because of the shampoo I am using when showering .The label on the bottle says ‘for extra volume and  body’. Therefore  I have decided to use washing liquid ,for the label in that bottle is encouraging.It says ‘dissolves fat  that is otherwise difficult to remove’.

Now do you think I did what I had to do ..No! Perhaps  another time..For I am still in the process of unraveling the treasures sent by real people and  yet again have postponed  clearing my mail box.

A Taste Of My Creation

It’s not in any way an ipod  or an ipad or an iphone ,It’s just that  ipickled...

The world is still in mourning  over the death of the Apple genius Steve jobs  and at the same time  it is heartfelt to read so many eulogies from all over the world  accredited to this mastermind of the  apple products, 

However here at  home, I was beyond awe and felt like celebrating  when I  saw  an acclamation fastened by my younger daughter on  one of the bottled  jars, which according to her was  in appreciation for the  pickles that I had created .

See what I mean.. nothing to do with apples right?

                                Made   with a pinch of this and a dash of that 

A Good Read

I love books.They keep me entertained when I am bored.There's nothing like a good book which makes me feel quite relaxed and thoroughly contended. Recently I added a few more to my library.This  book which I am raving about in particular, kept me spellbound throughout my reading session.It is based on a true story with full of suspense and drama.This is a story of one woman's struggle to gain freedom from the clutches of the one person whom she thought the world of.And how she endures the  pain and torture  in a country far,far, away from her home. Even though I enjoyed the authors vivid  narration, I still wished she hadn't dragged  religion into it or insulted the culture..I am sure it would have been a totally different picture  had she learned to  adapt to her  new life style with love,admiration and respect. 

Inspirational Blog Award

I sincerely  appreciate  my  blogging pal Moon for her kind gesture passing onto me this  award .I  got to know her through her amazing blog 'Themoonsmile2' which is bounded with ambiance and warmth.The  stories  about her family  which  she narrates  in her blogging are very interesting and  impressive.I am touched by her kindness .Thank you my Friend!

And with the award ,I have to answer the few questions  tagged.

What makes you laugh,smile or giggle?

My childrens' anecdotes.

What are the dreams for the future?

To see my children guided in the right direction.

If you are to go on a cruise where would it be and why?

I'll probably decline the  offer to go cruising.I am afraid of the ocean....

How would you spend your vacation time and with whom?

Spending  quality and quantity time with my family.

If given a choice what life would you choose? Your life now or the past?

My life now..

Is there something you wished before when you were young but you did n't get it

Cannot think of any..

Have you been in a situation where you might have given up but still you chose to move on..

This is a tough one..Can we move on to the next question please?

Is there someone in your life who has been your source of  strength and inspiration?

The ordinary people doing the extraordinary....

Here are some deserving blogs that I wish to tag this award

CloudNine

Abby's Cooking Kitchen

From My In Box

Please pass this on..

• Copy and paste the award on your site and copy the link of the person who gave you the award. 
• Then answer the tag questions! 
• Nominate any blogs you feel deserve it.

When Things Go Wrong As They Sometimes Will...

This Ramadan, I was strong-willed to make good use of the month. Besides the extra prayers that I was offering  to the Almighty in appreciation for the  bountiful resources and blessings that he has had showered on all of us: me, you and everyone. I was also determined  to make use of Ramadan - which also relates to fasting, to reduce some of those extra fat from my body. A strategy was firmly set to do some exercises, to burn off those huge amount of calories that was going to be shoveled into my mouth at the time of breaking the fast. With  great strength of mind (so I thought) I wrote down in my notepad the list of items ‘to do’ that would help me keep in shape. And the first entry in the list was  ‘eat less fried food’. Did I abide by my rules? I didn’t think so. The foremost reason was due to the food that I kept preparing for the family to feast at the end of each fast (iftar) which was a daily occurrence during sunset. While preparing the food for iftar, I would be persistent which food would be shoved into my mouth and which wouldnt. But all those became momentary, when I sat with the rest of my family to break our fast. Who wouldn't take pleasure in eating the 'hot hot’ samosas, and the mouth-watering  crispy pastries or the spicy rice porridge that  bubbled  in the pot. I just couldn’t resist. And the plan to do some ‘work out’ didn't go well either: the mere thought of running on the treadmill made me go weak at the knees.