This Is Not Good

Indeed, this is bad. (Click on the above picture for a nice, larger view of the damage) It's what happens in my kitchen when the dishwasher hasn't been emptied of the newly washed dishes. When the dirty dishes are piled this high, the jump start to get them cleaned is putting the clean dishes away. And, this has always been one of my least favorite chores. Bartee has taken charge of this duty for a while now, but he prefers to empty it first thing in the morning, so that means I have to remember to run the dishwasher at night just before going to bed. Obviously, last night... that didn't happen. Now, what do we do? I'm gonna wait it out until tomorrow morning, when I'm sure when I get back from dropping Priya at school the dishwasher will be magically empty and waiting for all these lovely items to jump inside.

Some of you probably cannot understand how I will be able to fall asleep tonight knowing this is what I'll wake up to... but seriously, it'll be no problem. Housecleaning is not my specialty. If you want a nice, hot tasty meal... now that's something I can produce, but a clean house... you'd better look elsewhere.

Things about The Springs

We are coming up on the 5 year mark for living in Colorado. We weren't sure when we left the hustle and bustle of the east coast whether or not it would last, but despite the fact that we miss family, we love it here in "The Springs", as it is affectionately known by the locals. We're not the only Springs in Colorado... there's Idaho Springs, Glenwood Springs, Pagosa Springs, Steamboat Springs and Manitou Springs to name a few... but we're "The Springs". That ought to send a few search engines with tourists looking for places to go to my blog. Here are a few things that have happened in the past 5 years that make me like it here:

1. From the parking lot of Priya's elementary school, there's a view of Pikes Peak (the eastern-most peak of the Rockies that reaches above 14,000 ft)

2. More often than not, if you are at a traffic light that turns green and you don't notice... your kid will tell you from the back seat that you should go, before the car behind you will start honking.

3. At the local grocery store, there's a pony ride that costs 1 cent. Seriously, it takes only pennies... I've had to get change for a nickel a few times so that my kids could ride.

4. At the same pony ride, a 5-6 year old little boy approached me when he saw me reaching for change and said... "It's ok, I've got it" and paid for Sanjay to ride. His Mom let me know that he was doing his "good deed for the day".

5. The swim team is competitive and challenging for me... and the members appreciate the beauty of the outdoors. Just last week a teammate said, during our main set in the wee hours of the morning, "that sunrise is beautiful".

6. At Walmart, it was taking me some time to dig out my credit card and I said to the clerk, "Sorry, luckily it's not too crowded". Her reply... "It's ok. Even if it was crowded, everyone gets a turn".

7. The Jiffy-Lube has a very nice set of leather couches.

8. When I dropped off a donation at the Good Will drive-thru, the guy offered me a cold drink... even let me come inside and pick what I wanted from the refrigerator myself.

Pongal Celebration Today

We missed Pongal by a few days... it is actually celebrated on January 14th, which as it turns out was probably one the most lazy days of my life this year. Seriously, I didn't even blog that day... too lazy to type words on the keyboard. There was lots of laundry in the house that needed attention, the suitcases needed to be unpacked, the playroom was a mess, the kitchen was a mess... and it stayed that way. I wasn't sick... didn't have a good reason for my laziness, but that was my state of mind last Monday. So, today we celebrated. At the request of Amma (my mother-in-law) I made Bartee's favorite... masala vadai (a fried salty snack) and chakra pongal (a sweet dish made with rice and lentils). We burned incense and ate these treats for lunch. It doesn't come close to the grand celebration we had last year in India, but it was satisfactory for a Hindu celebration here in America.

Daddy's Home... Bearing Gifts

Daddy came home yesterday. Since he travels so rarely these days, he usually comes home with surprises for us all. That's right, he even brings Mommy something small. Last time, I believe it was chocolates from The Lone Star state. Anyway, he was right on the mark this time with the kids. Sanjay has asked more than once for his broken airplane back. However, when it broke Mommy promptly disposed of it and so it cannot be brought back no matter what we do. Turns out... Daddy must have been reading Sanjay's mind, because he brought for him a little airplane that actually makes take-off and landing sounds as well as flashes red landing lights. It really is the most realistic airplane toy... see it in action here.



Priya is easy... she loves, loves, loves animals. So, he found a really neat pack of North American animals... 12 small animal figures and, as she noted, it included her favorite, the wolf. All smiles for the kids this morning when Daddy revealed their surprises. What did he bring Mommy, you ask? This lovely Moose Magnet... :)

My Paternal Cousins

Sometimes things happen that bring you back to your childhood and it's so nice to recall those memories. Tonight I chatted online with a cousin of mine with whom I'm not regularly in touch mainly because we live in different timezones and have our own families to tend to daily. Anyway, as always she had me laughing out loud. We were favorite cousins back in the day... it was no secret. At the time, there were 8 of us and we all drew names at Christmas for the gift giving. The name you drew from the hat was the person on the receiving end of your Christmas gift. For a few years though, no matter what name we picked, Michele and I exchanged gifts. We were so close we choreographed dance routines to the Footloose ("Let's Hear It For The Boy") soundtrack, formed break dance clubs in Granny's basement, shopped Family Night at K-Mart and took over the place, walked the "catwalks" in Granny's neighborhood to buy a snack at 7-11 and snuck alcohol into the Prospect Hall dances on Saturday nights.

These memories lead me into the times we spent together as cousins... all 8 of us. Oftentimes we had sleepovers at Granny's house on New Years Eve so our parents could all go out and welcome in the new year. I remember the late night stuffed animal pillow fights when we practically had to draw straws to see who would get the green snake... that one could really pack a punch. Of course, who could forget the morning waffles with orange juice and cold milk? Granny was famous for this breakfast and kept us coming back even in our college days to be served up this kind of meal. At holiday time, we all sat together at the "kids table" and collectively decided that the ham wasn't edible and it would be best if we just flushed it down the toilet. Another holiday tradition... hitting our parents up for money so we could all go see the latest hit movie together. It was all very well planned and executed. These were times when we all bonded and it didn't matter that we had formed the 4-oldest club and left the other 4 out, behind our locked door. Three more cousins came along years later... 15 years later, and I always felt a twinge of pity for them that they didn't get to enjoy all this special time at Granny's house with lots of cousins their same age.

Anyway, it's been fun to think back on childhood, if only for a moment. I dug up these pictures that best remind me of those days...

My Personality

The results of my personality test... according to 40 multiple choice questions. I'd say it's fairly accurate:

You Are An ESFJ

The Caregiver You are sympathetic and caring, putting friends and family first. A creature of habit, you prefer routines and have trouble with change. You love being in groups - whether you're helping people or working on a project. You are good at listening, laughing, and bringing out the best in people. In love, you value harmony and mutual understanding. You will apologize or give someone the benefit of the doubt, if it means getting over a fight sooner. At work, you are good at building relationships and connecting with people. You would make a great nurse, social worker, or teacher. How you see yourself: Organized, dependable, co-operative When other people don't get you, they see you as: Opinionated, critical, and know-it-all

What's Your Personality Type?

When Do You Blog?

I blog at night... really out of necessity more than anything. You see, Sanjay likes to drag out the bedtime for as long as he can. He's tucked in, some cars are in bed with him, books are on the shelf, lights are out, door is cracked open for a little ambient light... the perfect conditions for falling asleep. No, not really. He calls me back frequently, so I like to be right here at the computer only steps away from his bedroom. I can hear him... "Mom? Mom?". He usually has to tell me something and it's always one of these things:

1. Can you crack the door this (arms spread open as wide as he can get them) much?

2. Will you tuck me in?

3. I want you to check on me.

4. I need some cough medicine.

5. When I wake up, will you hold me?

Every night, it's guaranteed, that the final time he calls me back to his room it's to say these exact words "ummm... when I wake up, will you hold me?". Really it's always that question, phrased exactly the same way, in the same tone of voice... a really sweet, scratchy, tired voice that melts my heart. That's why I blog at night, so I can be there when my cuddle-monster wants to ask me that question.