• Yog

    Where are your Hands?

    Never thought that teaching Yog about his body parts could be so gratifying. We were talking about hands yesterday, and I pointed with my one hand to another and said, “This is Mama’s hand. Where is Yog’s hand? ” He looked baffled from one corner of the room to another trying to find his hands. I brought him near me, caught his hands in mine and turned his palms upwards to face him. “Yog’s hands!!!” He looked at his palms as if he was seeing them for the first time. He laughed out loud and was so excited to discover his hands that he couldn’t sit in one place anymore.…

  • Uncategorized

    Tooth Fairy – Part II

    Since the last few years, tooth extraction in our house has been synonymous with the Tooth Fairy. It started with giving Toyna something to look forward as a child, in return for the painful extraction. Six to seven extractions later, she is no longer scared, but for some unknown reason, the tradition of the tooth fairy still continues. Since the tooth fairy is somehow supposed to know Toynas wish and grant it, I have to try and get to know Toyna’s wish and pass it on to the fairy for her midnight shopping spree. One more extraction today, and I casually asked Toyna, “So what do you think the Tooth…

  • Thoughts and Quotes

    The Secret

    I wish there was a secret that no one else but I knew It would be like a seed in my heart which time and tears would grew Soon it would blossom with bright flowers in colors of red and blue Wherever I go would around, these flowers would sure to gloom Each time my heart smiled, the thorns would pierce it sharp The blood, the pain would sow more seeds apart More tiny saplings in varying colors would unfold Not only in my little garden, but in all those I know Soon the world around me would be full of flowers, deep red Lies, hatred, mistrust would go deep…

  • Toyna

    Pets at Home

    Toyna has been pestering us for a pet dog since eternity. I love dogs myself, but at the same time, am fully aware of the fact that we don’t have the time or the physical space in our house to do justice to one. Whenever we try to explain the same to Toyna, she quickly claims that she will take care of the pet completely. It will never be a botheration for us. I always sigh at this, remembering the so many older claims she has made; from which she has quickly moved on to the next big thing in her life. I understand she is afterall just a child and…

  • Uncategorized

    Teachers vs. Dogs

    Yog’s morning walk starts when we leave to drop Toyna to the school bus. Toyna’s school teachers at the stop, are very fond of Yog and love to play with him. Yog, on the other hand, has different set of preferences, which are in this order: 1. Dogs, 2. Automobiles, 3. Stones, 4. People. He, therefore, rarely obliges the teachers with any attention. Today, as we dropped Toyna to the stop, one of the teachers implored Yog to play with her. When Yog didn’t concede, she retorted, “There are no dogs today! Play with us, at least today!” With that she burst out laughing, but I was red in embarrassment. To…

  • Yog

    The Code Word

    ummm, hmmmmm, mmmmm…. How do I tell about something like this? Should I even be writing about it? I don’t know. But since this is so important to me, I think I should go ahead and write about it. To all readers, here is my note of caution: This post may contain details considered dirty and smelly by some. We started potty training Yog about 2 months back. As the term suggests, we used to take him to the bathroom and beg him to please do poo poo in the bathroom. To help him understand that this is the place where such gifts are given, we used to make sounds like mmmhhh, mhhhhh…

  • Thoughts and Quotes

    Love thy neighbor (and yourself)

    When I open my Facebook each day, I am flooded with messages which are focused on self help. Business leaders, spiritual gurus, philosophers are all constantly teaching  us to be proud of who we are, no matter how ugly, weak, powerless we might be. We are taught to love ourselves first, only then we will be able to love others.  We are reminded that we have a right to achieves our dreams and we should fight against all odds to achieve them. All these messages are surely helpful to boost my day. It just happened that, one day, while reading through one such message, I thought, “I just wish I…

  • Toyna

    Happy Teachers Day

    As soon as I got home from office yesterday, Toyna ran to me, hugged me and said “Advance Happy Teachers Day!” I was surprised to hear this. Sensing my hesitancy to accept the title of a “Teacher”, she quickly exclaimed, “You taught me how to walk, how to say my first words. You still teach me how to eat food properly. ” She then paused, waiting for my reaction. I was not totally convinced, so she quickly added to her argument, “Our family is always our first school.” I smiled at this and my heart warmed up. I accepted the wishes with a “Thank You Toyna!!” and a big hug. Though…

  • Yog

    The Foodie

    Yog loves everything that is even in the remotest ways connected to food. Most of his waking time, he spends in the kitchen sitting beside his grandmother or me, watching us cook. When we remove him from the cooking scene for fear of he getting hurt, he busies himself with the pots, pans, grinder jars, ladles, boxes, anything that makes sounds  and is associated with food. Our best time together, during the day, is when I sit down for my meal. Usually he has already finished his food, but his curiosity on whats on my plate, always pull him to me. I sit on the chair, and he sits on…