A long Innings !

What do I say on the eve of my 21st wedding anniversary, that its been a long innings and inspite of the usual ups and downs a good one ! Blessed with three kids , I have been too busy to have any time for myself, which explains the long gaps in blogging ! With a daughter in college and two teenaged boys life is still hectic ! Whoever said that once the kids are " grown up " you will have much less worry and trouble in your hands, was entirely wrong ! Every stage of bringing them up has its own set of issues and worries and taking care of hubby dear is also very demanding ! I guess once a mother , you are always a mother and will not stop loving your kids or worrying about them till your dying day.
I feel very thankful to God for blessing me with this crazy family and hope to fulfill my role as a mother and wife to the best of my abilities for as long as He wishes me to : ) So cheers to a couple of more years of fights and arguements, fun and laughter, hugs and kisses, and I do hope my unromantic hubby remembers to come home a little early tomorrow and take me out for dinner !

Marks is not everything in Life !

Every year there comes a time when Class 10 and Class 12 results are declared in summer and then the mad rush for admissions to schools or junior colleges and professional courses begin. Kids are full of hope or anxiety depending on how their exams went but I guess the parents suffer too! Many children have spent hours in coaching classes so as to be well prepared for the entrance exams for the professional courses or even just to improve their percentage in the Board Exams. What a rat race it has become lately, but are our kids really being educated? They have no time to read a book in a quiet corner of the house or to listen to music or to pursue a hobby or to admire a work of art or see a good film. Most parents do not encourage such activities for fear of a shortfall in study hours! Isn't this lamentable , isn't this sad...Children know the formulas and equations thoroughly, very commendable I am sure, but know very little of anything else. This is not a very happy state of things, for I firmly believe marks is not everything in life! It gives you a start perhaps but does not teach you to cope with the big bad world outside. Wish parents would realise this and not push their children into careers unsuitable for their personalities or apptitudes. Living your dreams and ambitions through your kids is just not done, neither is it wise to force kids into the family profession, unless they want to of course. As long as kids earn their living in a honest and honourable way even a job at a Pizza outlet is fine. Cheers to all parents who accept their kids capacities and limitations and encourage them to explore alternate careers so that they can enjoy what they are doing and have time left over to pursue their hobbies and live life to the fullest : )

Adda...

When everything else fails there is always books!
People here in Mumbai are so busy with their lives and jobs and money making schemes that they have no time to sit down with you over a cup of tea and indulge in good old 'adda' ( which is the bengali word for light hearted chit chat on all topics under the sun )! Gone are those days in Kolkata when people would just drop in if they were passing by your home and soon there would be a laughter and 'gup shup' over 'cha' and Britannia thin arrowroot biscuits on lazy Sunday mornings. Our place on Lansdowne Road was always full of people.. friends relatives and acquaintances or people who had become ardent fans of Baba after some of his astrological predictions came true ! Here in Mumbai you have to call people weeks in advance if you want them to come over and you have to make polite phone calls if you want to go over for 'adda' sigh! There's big formality about inviting people for dinner and social niceties simply beats me hollow! Only if something can be gained by your association with Mr & Mrs So n So then you 'cultivate' a friendship with them . I have given up trying to keep the adda going with a few of our old friends from Kolkata, for even they seemed to have changed after staying in Mumbai for a couple of years...In frustration I turn to my old faithfuls, my good old books to keep me company for I cannot go down and gossip with the cooperative society ladies or join the local kitties in search of stimulating conversation! I'd rather be transported to the world of Agatha Christie and lose myself in a juicy murder mystery! And with that I'll return to the world of Miss Marple and 4.50 from Paddington : )

Meal Duties...

People please forgive, for as a crazy mother of three I sometimes hardly have time to breathe hence the long delay in writing ! The boys are done with the exams but not with school and still a week to go before the summer vacations. Jija is busy with her one month internship with a NGO so each morning is a mad rush to get the tiffins ready and the breakfasts on the table. Each one likes a different kind of food and it is tough, I would like to curse the guy who said " variety is the spice of life " ! My dear hubby of course wants all the wrong kinds of foodstuff which he is not supposed to eat and life is a constant battle at 38/803 which is how the flats are identified here in our housing complex! I am told all the kids in our building become quiet and obedient the moment they hear me shouting ( most often at Jishnu of course ) and the Mammas benefit considerably as I help to make the work of disciplining their kids easier! Its not an easy job to be a working Mum or a full time Mum which is what I am at the moment. It was a tough decision to quit my 4 year old job but I guess the rewards of bringing up your kids well is more precious than contributing to the family income...for the time being anyway. On that note I'll sign off for today as the dinner has to be heated up or else my teenaged boys might just decide to make a meal out of me : )

Starting Off!

This is a new experience for me, by 'this' I mean blogging ! Jija persuaded me to try my hand at it and so here I am ! 'Crazy' mother that's me 'of three' are my kids Jija, Jishnu and Jojo or as the world formally knows them Rohini, Rohit and Ritwik. I'm not going to confine myself to just my mothering activities but anything and everything under the sun : ) so give me some time to gather my thoughts together before I start blogging regularly.