And just like that...

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 4/18/2013 5:22:00 PM

'...it's 4 years later and my little one has started big school. I'd been dreaming of the day both of them would get on that bus together and head off to learn how to be big boys and girls, leaving me to enjoy my own big-girl-ness by getting my hair done or reading at least 50 pages of a book in one go. It really has happened! I wasn't really prepared for the sentimental lump in my throat when I saw Tara get on that bus. I think I may have teared up a little, and not only because I w(...)'

Read full article

But there's some stuff he's still trying to work out...

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 10/25/2012 6:25:00 PM

'Vir: Mamma, how do you spell doli?Me: D - O - L - I. But what's a doli, Vir?Vir: It's that thing that's shaped like a little house with two sticks on the side. The wife sits inside it and two strong men carry her away.Me: But where do they take her, Vir?Vir. Hmm. I don't know. Maybe to a party.:-)'

Read full article

And Vir is teaching me a thing or two...

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 10/22/2012 1:07:00 PM

'While making an art and craft volcano because Science experiments are the latest craze.Vir: Mamma, how will we make it? What about the fire? How will we get the fire to come out?Me: We'll think about it, Vir. Let's get the volcano part ready first.Vir: But I just want the fire.Me: How can we get the fire if we don't have a volcano first?Vir: Mamma. Sometimes, in life, there can be a fire without a volcano.'

Read full article

Tara's teaching me a thing or two...

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 10/22/2012 5:47:00 AM

'Tara: Mamma, mere paas two rubbers hain!Me: Tara, rubbers nahin, erasers.Tara: Mamma....erasers ko English mein rubbers bolte hain. (with a "you seriously don't know this?" tone)Me: Really? Ye tune kahaan se seekha?Tara: Ye maine apne aap hi samajh liya, mamma. '

Read full article

What does Lanco do anyway?

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 10/6/2012 8:28:00 AM

'A few months ago, we were driving on the highway, headed towards Delhi. Vir was staring out of the window at cars with the same interest and intensity that he has been displaying for the last 5+ years that I've known him. I've never had a day of trouble with him in the car - he is happy to look out of the window quietly all the way from here to Dehradun, which is about 7-8 hours away, spend about 30 minutes in my mom's house and start asking for another drive in the car! And he's co(...)'

Read full article

The 'Just Married, Please Excuse' Contest

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 8/23/2012 6:53:00 PM

'I've been following Yashodhara Lal's blog for a long time...it's been on the blog list on this page forever and sometimes I come to this page just to see if she has posted something new! When she has, I'm sure to get a smile, a chuckle, or a big all out laugh on the other side of that click and come away happy.When she started writing about her upcoming book, I was so excited and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. She was gracious enough to respond to my shameless begging and send(...)'

Read full article

3 going on 13

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 8/16/2012 11:09:00 AM

'This is a question for mothers of teenage girls who might read this blog. How do you do it? Handle them, I mean? I'm asking because I think its happening to me sooner than I had imagined. Sooner by about 10 years. Let's examine this objectively. Below are some things I have heard about teenage girls:1. They like to argue. Check.2. They have strange and very sudden mood swings. Check.3. They are always right. Check.4. They DO NOT back down. Check.5. They can make you want to gnaw you(...)'

Read full article

I'll say this again: Already?

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 8/8/2012 1:41:00 AM

'Vir (jumping out of his school bus): Mamma, look what Aashna gave me today!Me: Nice! A friendship band!Vir: Yes. She's my friend and she's a girl.Me: Did she give one to everyone in the class?Vir: No, just to me. She even gave me a marble a few days ago.Me (to myself, but I think in a teenage girl voice): Oooooh....a marble! She must really like you.Me (to him, in a mom voice): That's nice, sweetie. Do you ever give her anything?Vir: No. I don't even take anything to school. But, to(...)'

Read full article

Missing the point by just a little bit

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 7/31/2012 3:04:00 AM

'Tara, while preparing to cross the road: "Mamma, pata hai, jab road cross karo toh ek bada sa zebra aa jaata hai."'

Read full article

Already?

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 7/22/2012 4:41:00 PM

'Vir: Mamma, when are nana and nani coming to meet us?Me: Day after tomorrow!Vir: What time?Me: By the time you come back from school, they will be at home.Vir: Okay - I think I'll bunk school that day.Me: Ermmm...let me think about this - No, you won't.Vir: But mamma, it's so boring. We always do the same thing everyday.Me: Only 12 more years to go, sweetie (or something a little more thoughtful, sensitive, and appropriate)Vir: Okay, mamma, how about I take a phone with me to school(...)'

Read full article

Fun with colors

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 6/30/2012 7:18:00 PM

'One of the things that makes the kids happiest is if I let them mess around on my computer. Anyone who knows me also knows that I do not let anyone mess around on my computer! So, even for Vir and Tara, messing around is basically watching me while I write sight words for them to read out on a blank PowerPoint slide and getting to choose colors and clip art to make the words more fun or coloring shapes on  MS Paint or on a really lucky day, playing some badly designed game on c(...)'

Read full article

The joys of having a loving sibling

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 6/11/2012 1:40:00 AM

'Tara: main big and strong hoonVir: (in the tone of a teacher gently correcting his student) Tara, aap big ho. Aisa lagta hai ki aap strong ho. Par actually, aap siraf fat ho. '

Read full article

Baggdu

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 5/31/2012 1:28:00 PM

'Have I ever properly introduced Baggdu? He's our 6 year old lab. He's the most amazing dog you'll ever find. When he first became part of our little family, the family was a lot littler - just Vijay and I. He was the cutest little thing...I fell in love with him the minute I saw him. I wanted him so badly. But Vijay didn't want a dog at the time. For all the right logical reasons I'm sure. Before you read on, take a look at him:I don't really need to go into the details here, but le(...)'

Read full article

Changes

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 5/28/2012 7:33:00 PM

'For the last few months, my work life has overtaken a lot of my other life. I'm in a job that I enjoy and that I'm good at and that is challenging and all that good stuff. I also really like making money - I make less than I spend, but I love offsetting every expense against my income in my little mental ledger. And since I offset one expense at a time, and my ledger doesn't come with an inbuilt "add" functionality, it all works towards making me think I'm totally self reliant.It st(...)'

Read full article

It's still May!

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 5/26/2012 6:42:00 PM

'Still May - which means its not too late to write Tara's birthday post! I would have to write one you know - even if it was December...because Tara will learn to read very soon, and when she does, there will be some serious trouble for a certain writer of a certain blog in which a certain younger sibling will find herself certainly a little shortchanged.But fear of serious consequences aside, I can't move on without acknowledging that my little little one is now 3! Recently, there w(...)'

Read full article

The sibling bond

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 3/23/2012 3:23:00 AM

'Vir: Mamma, you know what's the biggest number? Me: No (I really don't)Vir: It's LupetoMe: Lupeto? What's that?Vir: It's the biggest number. It's bigger than infinity. It's bigger than everything. Me: Cool. Who told you about this number?Vir: Yash (the current source of all wisdom)Me: Great. So I love you Lupeto, Vir.Vir: I love you Lupeto.Me: And how much do you love Papa?Vir: LupetoMe: And nana nani?Vir: LupetoMe: And aita and koka?Vir: LupetoMe: And Tara?Vir: One hundred'

Read full article

Erm...Belated Happy Birthday, Vir

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 2/28/2012 8:26:00 PM

'I've already made my excuses for not writing for so long on this space (see post below). Things are the same...oh, except my maid went away, so they're a tad crazier even. I did promise myself though that I'd write Vir's birthday post within the month of Feb so that I could say his birthday was last month. It's so much sillier to say it was last to last month, right? So now that it's February 29th (whoever designed this calendar leap year thing did me a favor and didn't even know it(...)'

Read full article

Where is everybody?

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 1/9/2012 6:21:00 PM

'Still very much here. When my kids grow up and read all about themselves, they'll wonder what they were up to during the long periods of silence on this blog. To them I will say - when you grow up and get married and have two brats of your own and a job and a house and a maid who keeps threatening to quit and then finally leaves and a mostly harmless dog and road trips to the gramps and cold, cold winters and lots of laundry that just won't dry - try to write a blog and try to be re(...)'

Read full article

My little performers

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 12/3/2011 6:11:00 PM

'My two and a half year old made her stage debut today! It was her school annual day and Tara played a little red fish in the school musical performance of The Rainbow Fish. When I first heard that her school was planning an annual day, I didn't take it seriously at all. I thought it was just another show and tell kind of thing the school likes to do to keep parents happy. Her school is really big on the marketing front anyway, and I don't mind since I just ignore it for the mos(...)'

Read full article

Didn't Gandhiji just walk a lot?

Author : Living in Gurgaon      Blog : Vir and Tara's Blog      Date : 11/15/2011 6:04:00 PM

'I had the best weekend! Two of my best friends got married. To each other. The reception was in Kerala, and I got to go without the kids and with other friends. Doesn't get better than that! Vijay was really great about taking the kids over completely for the weekend. He gave them a really good time and though they missed me and thought I had come back everytime the doorbell rang, they weren't unhappy. And Vijay says they were no trouble at all! I really should do this more often. M(...)'

Read full article