Being a "Hands-On Mom"

I discovered the best way to keep my toddler engaged. Its a simple, no-mess, no-cost exercise, that anyone can do from just about anywhere(unless you live in a war zone!) weather permiting!. Its called- GOING FOR A WALK!.
We started this week, by walking around the neighborhood. Thankfully, the weather was much better than it has ever been since we came here! (and my husband promises it will get better- well, except (there is always an EXCEPT!), this weekend, when it may snow again!).
Its simply a beautiful thing to do. If you always wanted to "stop and smell the roses", then this is the way to do it!. My kiddo is just about curious about everything on the way- the dogs, cats, birds, the planes in the sky, the lady with a stroller and even the gravel on the pavement!. Its fun introducing him to the ordinary things in life, that are so mundane for us, yet new and exciting for him!.
Yesterday, we saw a little birdie's nest in the tree. And today, we saw the garbage truck emptying out the roadside bins!.

Im trying to be a "Hands-on Mom"!- so nowadays I'm planning new, practical and educational activities at home. Yesterday, we spent the evening playing with lentils!. I gave my little one lots of spoons and lots of vessels of different sizes, and watched while he filled and emptied them all. The activity ended with him spilling all of them on the floor (and eating a few), so had to call it "quits!" early on!. Anyways, it was fun while it lasted!. 

Wind of Change

Change is inevitable.. but also tough to accept .. until it becomes a routine. When I went from married working woman to working mother, the change was enormous!. The sleepless nights, the endless breast feeding sessions and the stresses of everyday household affairs took their toll on me and ultimately, I compromised my professional work ethics. I was always late to work, always waiting to leave early, skipping sessions, etc. Now when I look back, I wonder why I never handled the situation better then?. I had fallen into a runt and couldn't get out of it.
Thats exactly, what I want to avoid while I'm here. Again, change has been tough on me but this time, I seeking to control it. I could crib all day and wail and scream that this is not what Im asking for!, but then, who's listening?.Lesson learnt from my last experience- Control the change!.
Years ago, my friends and I had gone for a Scorpions concert in Bangalore, while in college. Now, I'm not a big fan, but I do love their hit song- "Wind of Change". It was the final song that night, and I remember, swaying to the music, with the song on our lips, and mobile phones' torches in hand, (substituting for candle light).

The future's in the air
I can feel it everywhere
Blowing with the wind of change

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change

Walking down the street
Distant memories
Are buried in the past forever

Of course, the song is bigger than just a simple pep talk on change. It was symbolic to the end of the cold war and in many ways is a song for all wars and revolts. 

Flour Power!

The past few week days have been very stressful for me- having to take care of a toddler full-time is exhausting!. Its sometimes frustrating as well, because you never really make decent adult conversation the whole day!. Anyways, today,I took a cue from an online forum and decided to let him play with flour after his breakfast. And voila!, the result was fantastic!. My kid got so engrossed in flour play- putting his hands in the flour, loading his digger truck and sometimes his dumper truck, fishing the flour out of the bowl with a spoon or a spade- it was fascinating to see him all involved in an activity!. Later I gave him an old cardboard, which he sprayed with flour, after which we make some fun figures on the flour with our hands!. We spent the whole morning doing this!.

They call it "sensory play". Whatever, its called , its worth it!. 

Maiden Oven!

For a first time oven user like me, an ordinary oven can be quite intimidating!. First, you wonder, how do I turn this thing on?. Then, we contemplate how long to "pre-heat"?. Then, we think about the equipment, how it will come out, if we are doing the right thing? etc. All this may seem silly for a seasoned baker, but for a novice- it can be the most difficult cooking problem one has ever faced!.
Anyways, I decided to overcome this "phobia" last sunday, by making my first "tandoori" dish- the ever famous Tandoori Chicken!. First I got my sis-in-law to give me some expert advice. And then I researched online for simple, easy-to-do recipes of this dish. The simplest and best search i could zero in on was this- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsb311KiG1U
The outcome was thankfully, reasonably good. Anyways, more importantly, I made my firsy steps into baking. Hopefully, I get better with time! 

TGIF-Thank God its Friday!

In Germany, I'm beginning to enjoy week"end" culture!.. There is no such concept in India for doctors. Of course, Sunday is a rest day, but it is not the same like getting a whole weekend off!. My husband is home by noon on fridays. Its the day of the week, he is most energetic about- "the weekend is here!". Also, the day when we are most likely to go out and have some fun!
So this weekend, we went to Stuttgart. No! not to that Indian store this time!. Did some proper shopping on King's street or Koenigstrasse (as the Germans call it), right it the middle of the city. Its a super place- so many people walking around, lots of brands on sale, lots of small eating joints and an occasional comedian or musician!. Its a perfect weekend pastime place- you can just walk along the cobbled street taking in the sights, or graze the lawns in front of the palace or steal a meal from the umpteen cafes on the road. Finally got done with some much-needed basic shopping in H&M.

We also met up with my hubby's friends in a quiet cafe off King's street- Kunstler bund. Lovely place for a quiet informal meeting with ol' friends!.Their Irish coffee was great as was their yogurt with fruits and honey. It had a lovely white and red theme, that i would love to emulate some where.

Paneer Pudina Curry

So, here's the first of my "experiments" at cooking in Germany!. I remember a few years ago, friends used to call my house the "lab", because I would make them sample all my home cooked recipes for ideas and opinions.  Anyways, I have come a long way since the days of the "lab" (hope).

So I had some pudina (mint) and some paneer that I had got at the Indian store in Stuttgart over the week end. That was the inspiration to combine the two!. I searched online for a paneer pudina curry recipe. I came across some starter recipes for tikkas but no gravy recipes.

My experiment begins with first preparing a base gravy, with some standard seasoning- jeera, red chilies  For the base i used onions, tomatos, pudina, almonds, cashews and peanuts.  After some shallow-fry cooking of these, I ground them all into a paste. In some cooking butter, I sautéed the paneer cubes. When they were done, I added the gravy base. Ten minutes later, I was done!. Tastes lovely with chapattis!

Toddler activities over the weekend

We had a lot of fun over the weekend. My hubby got a 3-day weekend unexpectedly. We spend the first day shopping for groceries at the Indian store in Stuttgart. Its surprising, how small the world really is!. You get everything you need to make an Indian curry right here.
It was raining like crazy as we drove down the Autobahn. But even then, the slowest you would go is probably a 100 kph!. Its amazing how easy, good roads can make your life!
We spend the evening shopping at IKea. For someone like me, this is a dream destination for shopping!. Its true retail therapy for me!. If I could, I would spend the whole day here and I would buy everything there is to buy!. But with a toddler in stow, its speed shopping all the way!- "Skip the exhibit &Stick to the list". We were lucky my kiddo decided to keep himself occupied with stuff we kept throwing into the shopping trolley!. But its a cool activity for a toddler- seeing so many colors, touching so may textures and learning all the way!. If your kiddo can last an hour without throwing a tantrum in a shopping cart- I highly recommend a trip to IKea as a toddler activity!

 The rest of the weekend, we spent at home. Cars, trucks and jeeps- thats all my 21 month old son is bothered about. Give him some small cars and he will keep driving them up and down the sofas/beds/tables and even the kitchen room heater!. For the first time this weekend, he spent some time in "independent play"- while I was busy in the kitchen and my hubby sat glued to the internet, he played all by himself, running cars over the bed with pillows as make-believe hills and tunnels!. It was a welcome relief for me! Keeping him up and playing takes a lot of energy on an average day (so much so, that I resign to seek the help of Ipad and You tube (gods of home entertainment -for the unfortunate few of us who lack satellite television!). Another skill my little one mastered over the weekend was, learning to stack a tower of Lego Duplo blocks!. Another great idea for independent play.

New Place, Old thoughts

So here i am , at the not-so-tender age of 32, sitting in the living room at my apartment in Germany, wondering whats coming into my life in this new year. The past two years have been full of activities and events that, the loneliness of the present amuses me!. I have resigned myself to the role of a full-time MOM to a hyper active 21 month old toddler. Needless to say, its not an easy job, frustrating at times. I can't help but wonder how my grandma managed to take care of me and my brother, single-handedly, while my parents were away at work. I never remember my grandma ever feeling tired or burned out , in all the years that she took care of us. Kudos to her!
Away from the chaos that is India, the silence of a German suburb, is new and unexpected for me. I never thought I would miss the noise that makes up everyday life in India. Right from the car-cleaner ringing your doorbell at 7 A.M, to the servant rattling away as she cooks and cleans, life in India is "full". I never thought sunlight was so rare for people in some parts of the world!. The sight of the sun rays streaming down your window is a welcome sight here!. On the flip side, its clean and green. We never have to worry about power cuts or water running out in the taps.
These days, away from work, the only sense of self-achievement comes from the dishes I cook everyday. Each day,I try out a new recipe or a new way of cooking an old one. Cooking is as fascinating as chemistry to me. We mix, grind, blend, saute, fry and deep fry all kinds of ingredients. It makes the mundane routine of daily life more appealing.

Anyways, while i'm here, I plan to master a few recipes, travel a bit and spend quality time with my son. A good exposure on my work front would be a bonus!. Lets see whats in store for this year!.