Let's Put A Smile On That Face

I would like to relate a true incident when I was rescued by McCain snacks. It was a few years back, when my elder son, Varun, was all of six years. He was this extremely active kid (still is, actually) who could either run or jump, but couldn't sit still. Every evening he would love to go down and play with his friends and that would give him the ultimate joy with which he would go to sleep, awaiting more action and fun the next day. Until one day, when he caught the flu. A nasty one.

With fever running about a 102 degrees, he was extremely tired and the blocked nose and sore throat didn't make it any easier. He slept through the days and nights due to the medications and in the evenings, he would just sit on the couch, pretending to be watching TV but all he would think about was not being able to join his friends. He didn't like being stuck at home. His friends would call asking for him and I would turn them down while looking at his sad little face. By the third day, he felt a bit better but was absolutely bored. As a mother, I couldn't bear to see him that way. My cute little jumping jack was now sitting still, quietly. I couldn't take him out either as it was quite cool and I feared it might worsen his condition.

So, I came up with a plan. I thought, why not invite his close friends home? He could play with them and probably that would perk him up a little. I called his friends, whoever was available, to come home and play with Varun. I then told my son of my plan. His face instantly brightened! I eagerly headed to the kitchen to fix some snacks for all the kids. I scoured my kitchen top to bottom but couldn't find a single thing! Not even a biscuit. Now, I didn't have time to go to the shops to buy something, his friends were on their way. I was so disappointed. Just as I was wondering what to do, I chanced upon an advertisement of McCain’s snacks on TV. I remembered that I might have some McCain snacks in the freezer. We all love these snacks and keep them stashed, just in case. I quickly opened the freezer and there it was. A full pack of McCain smiles! Varun’s favorites! Phew, that was close! No sooner did his friends arrive, Varun’s mood changed and they all began playing in his room. After about half an hour, I called them out for a snack.

I cannot, till date, forget the expression on their faces when I laid the platter of those beautiful, delicious smiles in front of them. Normally, I wouldn't prefer to feed my kids fried food during illness but this time, I made an exception. Just looking at his excitement while gorging on the smiles in the company of his friends, made my day. Thank goodness for the pack of smiles in my freezer! The kids enjoyed and had a great time. Varun was back to his active self and I was relieved, to say the least.

But that was not the miracle. That night as I was tucking Varun in, he unexpectedly got up and gave me his special sloppy kiss. Pleasantly surprised, I asked him what it was for. He said,” Because I could eat smiles with my friends today! Thank you!” I felt a warmth within myself with all the love that I was soaking in. But at the end of the day, all that mattered was that Varun felt great because he could share his favorite smiles with his friends. And I couldn't thank McCain snacks more for making him happy!

Check out the wide range of delicious McCain snacks here.

******   Post written for the Let's Put A Smile On That Face contest on Indiblogger  *******

Mom Vs Media

A couple of days back I saw an advertisement for Horlicks on TV. It seems that nowadays, these companies can go any length to sell their products. Of course, that's what business is all about but I believed there was a slim chance of setting a limit here. Sadly, I was mistaken.

Here's what the ad was about. When milk is boiled it loses some of its essential nutrients. So you add Horlicks to improve the nutritional quality of milk. I get it, when milk (or any food for that matter) is boiled/cooked, the nutritional value decreases. But to say that by adding Horlicks or any other malt you can make up for the lost goodness of milk, is taking it a bit too far. Another one of Horlicks ad shows the likes of Einstein, Akbar and other prominent people in history not being able to drink plain milk. They couldn't do it so how could you, right?

In today's world of junk and unhealthiness, we parents take sincere efforts and convince our kids to cultivate good eating habits. And then, after all that hard work, along comes a commercial saying that there is absolutely no need to! Come on! Even if there was a slim chance of getting our kids on track, these ads sure know how to topple that all up!

Of course, we adults understand that advertisements are all about exaggeration. But how our little ones react to their selfish act is none of their concerns, apparently. I have to repeatedly remind my son that advertisements are false, they are a lie to make money. I may seem a little out of context here but I'd rather do this than be left speechless when my confused son argues with me over drinking milk just because an advertisement told him so!

Whatever the case, there's no way an advertisement can get away messing up my children's healthy habits because I will make sure it doesn't. But then, there is a thin line between brainwashing and educating as far as the media is concerned. To identify that is where the true challenge lies.

God couldn't be everywhere and that's why he created mothers. (Neat escape, God!)

My new endeavor

My new blog 'Mom Actually' is finally up and I must say I'm pretty excited! A new blog means new brainstorming sessions, new discoveries and new experiences. As the name suggests, it is a 'mom' blog. I plan to pen down my observations as a mother. Whether they are nagging issues or feats achieved, they will all be posted on my new blog.

Since the baby, I have been having so many new experiences and doubts even though it is my second innings as a mom (believe me it is different this time), that I thought I might as well write and  brag about it!

I just hope to keep it interesting with useful information and posts. To my new project!
Here's the link. Check it out!
Mom Actually

Match Point!

Being a parent to one kid is tiring and painful enough, let alone two. The father is like a tennis match audience. Left, right, left, right. By the time the match is over, he is already in great pain. The mother is like the tennis ball. Whether she hits the racket or out of the court, she gets whacked anyway!

Meanwhile..

So, I'm having this calendar stare back at me and I'm surprised how I missed the fact that one month has already zipped by in this new ( and fast!) year. There have been so many tasks and events on my hands and when I finally take a breather....one month gone!

My elder son's school reopened and we are busy with his many tests. Not to mention his karate classes and his oh-so-frequent birthday parties for which I have to practically beg my friends or my husband to do the gift shopping. I have never been so intimidated by birthdays before! And if all this wasn't enough, an impromptu travel with a wailing four month old just about pushed the limits.

So now that I'm back home and settled into that on-my-toes routine, I somehow manage to distract myself with the help of the idiot box. And I find that I'm hooked on to some of the shows on Star World like 'Packed to the Rafters', 'Grey's Anatomy', 'Melissa and Joey' and my ever favorite 'How I Met Your Mother'. Though I have to tear myself away from time to time for the baby, I make sure to keep myself updated (Thank God for repeats!!).

I guess that's the reason I'm fairly sane, managing the household and the kids. Kudos to all the mothers out there doing all this and much more!

Small Wonder!

My elder son came up to me one evening and said," Ammai, let's both read my Solar System book". I said,"Ok" and followed him to his room. Plonked on the bed, he was turning page by page when suddenly he  asked ," Are androids dangerous?" !!

My bundle can't even differentiate between asteroids and androids! The power of technology,eh?

Mummy returns!!

Wow!! I can't believe its been one year since I posted something on this blog! Well, what can I say? Been busy with home, son and becoming a mom once again. Yes, I am now a proud owner of a second baby boy! He looks just like his elder brother but I hope is not as troublesome.

Since it is Diwali time again( people must be wondering if I publish posts only during Diwali!), I wish you all have a happy and enjoyable time with family and friends. I sincerely hope that I continue to post on this blog more often than before!

No, not wishful thinking! :))

Cheers....Happy Diwali people!

It's school time!

After 2 years of continuous demanding, bugging and attention seeking, my little one had to finally step outside the comfort of his home and face the world. Yes, he was now ready to join play school.

More than worrying about how he would cope up with his new friends and teachers I was worried about how I would handle his absence from home. But for starters, he was to attend school for an hour with me accompanying him.

Well, the day had come and after a busy morning we were ready to go. I took a few photographs of him in his uniform (oh, how cute he looked!!) We reached school and I was amazed how he interacted with the other kids and began playing with the toys he was given. We were then taken to his classroom and there was a little project waiting for him already! He was given a sketch of a dog and was asked to stick a few black paper dots inside it. Of course, the teachers assisted him, but he did pretty well too! We were told to take the project home and file it. An hour was too short for him, but we had to go back home. That was how his first day went and he enjoyed it tremendously.

He has been going to school for a week now. For me it is all a mixed feeling. Some excitement, some tears of joy, some nervousness….I realized suddenly that day that my baby is a big boy now. And at the end of the day, he makes me a proud mom.