Happy Halloween

Our daughter’s first tryst with Halloween.

No, she has absolutely no idea what Halloween means.

She likes the sound of this new word – so meticulously adds it to her growing vocabulary list.

Yes, she likes the thought that she gets to meet her friends for a party.

She has always liked the sound of the word “party” – it is firmly established in her vocabulary list.

Her dictionary would define this as “a buzzword implying a much-loved, much looked forward to, generating much excitement [read: sleepless/ less sleep nights for the parents] event”.

Excitement!! Excitement !!

So for today, let’s just name her EHK (the Excited Halloween Kid).

Excitement was such that there was no fuss in waking up for school. Because it meant, party as soon as school got over for the day.

Excitement was such that she had an interesting conversation with the lady who helps around the house.

Scenario:

Lady has completed her work, leaving the house, hand on the door knob.

EHK pipes up “Halloween Halloween… Party… Happy Halloween” and waves a cheerful Bye.

The lady answers with a broad smile: “Yes, I am also wearing blue like you”

EHK looks at me – a disappointed look.

I swiftly change the topic and the mood.

Dressing Up

Well talking of moods, let’s look at this conversation snippet as I get her ready for the evening:

Me: So aunty has kept a theme and you are to wear black pants & T-shirt. Yayyyy !!

EHK: Nope, I am NOT going to go in all black. I will wear a skirt today.

Me: But you want to wear “full pants” on other days.

EHK: Today I want to wear a skirt. (A grumpy look is setting in – precursor to a meltdown)

Me: (Trying one more time) See, but all your friends would be dressed as witches.

EHK: (Shriiiieeeeeek… was that her or the wind that has been howling today??!!) I AM NOT A WITCH.

Me: (Damage control mode) No no, you are not a witch. You are just pretending to be one. You know like you play “Pretend Pretend”

EHK: I am NOT a witch. I will NOT be a witch. I will be a Fairy with wings and wand.

Me: Well, the theme is black. Fairies usually don’t wear black.

EHK: [Well-controlled sobs] Doesn’t matter mumma, fairy can wear black, too. And see I will have red wings.

Now, who can argue with that?

My confidence in my convincing power is diminishing as some tears make their appearance, the pout forms and the clock is ominously ticking away.

Me: [Seriously the last attempt] Ummm, maybe another time? Today, a witch?

EHK: Silence and a betrayed plus accusing look which kids have surely mastered.  

A mini meltdown is surely on its way. But the seasoned professional [read: mommy] in me suddenly took over. After all, I needed to get to the party, too.

Me: Well Ok, you can be a fairy with a black top and your colourful skirt. And you get to wear your red wings and carry the wand.

Well, my mommy wand sure did the magic – tears, pout, grumpiness, defiance – all vanished at once.

EHK: Babbling away. Uncontrollably happy. Incoherent. Doesn’t matter.

The delighted whoops and the Fairy smile were worth relenting to her wish.

The Party

And there she was squealing in delight, running around with her friends, jumping, dancing – her happy wings bobbing up and down.

And she stuck to her stance even at the party!! She just would not wear the cute red horns like her friends readily did. She had decided – she is NOT a witch, and she would not budge.

Fair point. Accepted.

She relished the food – not letting go of her wings and wand.

She went from house to house with her friends and wouldn’t come back till she got some goodies.

And with her wings bouncing, one hand firmly holding her wand, she would run back to me, the other little palm full of toffees or chocolate, so that I could safely keep it in her “bag”.

Not that she has those toffees. But the whole new thing that she experienced, the entire fun of enjoying with friends – that simple joy made her so happy. And made me so happy too.

And the After-Party

She squealed in delight as we opened her goodie bags.

She gushed about the evening as she narrated little stories to her daddy.

And she gushed about it in her mind as we tried to put the over-charged little Fairy to sleep.

Aaah, but before she finally drifted into her dream world (where I am sure she has been re-enjoying her Halloween party), she drowsily asked me. “Ma, what does Trick or Treat mean?”

That’s a tricky question little Fairy – will treat you to the answer tomorrow.

Happy Halloween !!

Ooooh girls, they wanna have fun !!!

 

The little lady has just turned three.

Never ever has she experienced being home alone with daddy while mommy has stepped out.

So when a group of enthusiastic “school mommies” planned a dinner date, Cyndi Lauper swiftly moved in to take hold of my mind.

Happily I hummed:

“When the working day is done
Oh girls, they wanna have fun” 💃💃💃

Me – All peppy.

Husband – Glad & super-supportive.

Daughter – Clueless (but surely prefers this non-cranky mother figure).

The Emotions, the build-up, oh… !!!

Excitement – But OF COURSE !!!

An evening out.

That too only with the girls (toddler not demanding attention = chatting freely).

That too after ages.

Phew… 😀

Planning – But OF COURSE, OF COURSE !!!

Advance notice given to hubby, so that he is in town.

And also in town means getting home early (I know certain things are unheard off… guffaws 😁) to take care of the little one.

Exact time of pick-up meticulously decided with mommy friends living close by.

Reminding hubby every day, about his upcoming mini evening project (lest he forget “THE DATE”).

Anxiety – But OF COURSE, OF COURSE, OF COURSE !!!

Oh no, not what you are thinking, not about leaving her at home (daddy would surely do a great job).

Aaah wait, let’s just sneak in some credit here - had set everything that she might need for the evening 😉

You wonder, “Then, what was the Anxiety about?”

Come on!! Haven’t you heard of the very first evening date?

And here I wasn’t dating one, but an entire bunch of awesome ladies.

So shouldn’t I be anxious about what to wear??

Aaah well, the wicked heat made it very easy to decide – comfy cotton.

The Challenges

Can such an “adventurous” outing really be without challenges?

The Plot.

Clock – it’s ticking, unmoving, moving towards the designated time when my friends will pick me up. ⏰

Hubby -Nowhere on the horizon.

Hubby’s partner in crime (read his beloved mobile phone) - Unreachable.

Wow… what am I to do??!!

If I start dressing up in front of the little one, a meltdown cannot be discounted.

Last thing I would want to handle now.

Neighbour helps by sending her daughter over to play with ours (they are best friends anyways).

Aaah, that gives me some ironing time.

The plot thickens.

The intermittent sound of thunder.

Now, is it also going to pour??!!

Precaution desired - shove an umbrella into the purse.

Umpteenth phone call to an “unavailable” husband phone number.

Do I really need to express my mental state at that moment??

And then, the unapologetic no-explanation-felt-necessary call of the cook “I am not coming in today”.

Wow… what a day to take a sudden leave!!

Do I still need to express my mental state??

Quick rummaging through the refrigerator – and I knew hubby & daughter are taken care of.

Thunder Roll (more like a Drum Roll).

Doorbell rings.

Finally, the hubby has made his appearance.

Crucial 10

And this is how to sum up the next 10 minutes:

1) Dole out instructions to hubby who is wandering from one room to the other.

Oh God, can’t he just stand still for 2 minutes!!

And then he wonders why our daughter can’t sit still for a moment!!

Genes, I say.

Ok no time to analyse genetics now.

Take a deep breath – as if that’s possible at this minute - be patient and somehow drill in the information into his subconscious.

2) Attend to the phone calls from the mommy friends – who patiently agree to wait while I get ready.

3) Getting set for the evening in record time!!

“X” Book of Records, are you listening?

4) Finally piling into the car.

Finally deep breaths to replenish the breathless lungs.

Wow, did I actually make it to the date??!!

An Evening to Remember

And then starts the animated conversations.

Sound control authorities may kindly take a break.

Oh what an evening – let me do a short & sweet summary:

Loads of laughter,

Lot of good food,

Loads of laughter,

Yummmmmm desserts (drooling in my dreams still),

Loads of laughter,

Mini conversations,

Loads of laughter,

Photo sessions,

Loads of laughter.

Consequences & conclusions

Have always heard it is the most difficult when you separate from your child the first time.

But it really wasn’t. I just didn’t feel any guilt or anxiety.

✓ Because I knew she was in safe hands, in entertaining company.

✓ Because I have had shopping escapades whenever we have been at my parents’ place, with the grandparents playing doting play mates.

✓ Because I am leaving her now when she’s got used to being away from the mommy in school.

✓ Because it was hardly for a few hours.

Smiling to myself, as I think about the evening with my lovable nutty mommy friends, I walk into the house.

And what do I see?

A supremely satisfied daddy who has had more kiddo time than gadget time that night.

An over-excited daughter - thrilled at getting exclusive precious rare time with daddy.

So much so that we had to listen to imaginary stories, interjected with “Do you know the muffin man?” on repeat mode, till 1 am!!!

Me – Totally looking forward to the next mommies-only outing.

Daddy – Wishing that would not be when he has to catch a flight in a few hours.

Daughter – Super happy to see my dinner date photos over & over again. And am sure, looking forward to more exclusive daddy time soon.

Cheers to us Mommy Friends!!!

Food for Tot

That dreaded day has arrived.

I have to cook “home food” for the school mates of the daughter.

Am no expert chef & never have I ever cooked for 30 people at a time.

Oh, and here we are talking about 30 very special little ones.

Step 1: Exam Jitters

A deluge of questions hit me.

-          What will the precious little ones prefer eating?

-          Will they like the taste of the food I serve them?

-          Will I be able to cook adequate quantity? Oh, I cannot fall short!!

-          Will I be able to finish cooking on time? I needed to reach by 11:30 in the morning.

Step 2: The Syllabus

The syllabus entailed - Starter/ Salad, Main Course, Dessert/ Fruit to be served.

Ok, that took care of the categorization process.

Now, with so many options running riot in the mind, I needed to shortlist a menu.

After much deliberation, I decided to go by what our daughter likes to have. And that meant sticking to absolutely simple stuff.

The exam guides (read: her teachers) readily agreed to the menu & it was finalized

(And that brought with it, the first sigh of relief)

·         Corn-cucumber-pomegranate salad  – colourful salty sweet blend that our child loves (and even I am very fond of, although that’s irrelevant here)

·         Paddu (the benefits of moving to a different city & learning new dishes from friends) - cute little steamed balls of dal & rice – a wholesome meal for a child along with coconut chutney

·         Baby bananas – to complete the lunch

Hmmm, it really wasn’t too difficult!!

Step 3: Preparing for the Exams

·         Consulted the maestro (read: grandmother) on phone – to reaffirm the menu and to get an idea about the quantity of raw materials to be purchased.

·         Acquired the raw materials – with meticulous detailing & planning (or so I thought).

·         Mommy confidantes approved the menu & even shared their paddu pans (to speed up the cooking process, of course).

·         Daughter got very excited when she realized I would be getting food for her friends the next day. Proudly proclaimed “When I go to school today, I shall tell my friends, Ms R & Ms V, that my mumma will bring food for us tomorrow.”

Oh no, darling daughter, do you realize you just jacked up my jitters?? You are setting certain expectations here.

Step 4: Exam Day & the last minute Revisions

·         D-day is here – had kept the corn washed the night before. But just before putting them to boil, the jitterbugs hit me, and I add another 250 gms to the pot. Oh, I cannot fall short!!

·         Pomegranates deseeded, I am busy chopping up the cucumbers. The excited little lady jumps onto a chair to get a better view (of her momma’s quivering hands).

·         Then she picks up a cucumber dice, pops it in the mouth, crunches it with her tiny teeth & with a very serious face declares, “This is fine for my friends.”

Yeah, thank you for ratifying it & thank you Mother Nature for making such an awesome fruit/ vegetable (the debate continues but let’s leave it to the botanists).

·         I pack her off to school with her daddy.

·         Have requested the cook to come over & help in making the zillion paddus. And as I turn to prepare the chutney, “Oh no, I have forgotten the coriander leaves!!”

Last minute dash to the veggie guy.

·         And finally, the exam paraphernalia is packed::-

a)      Salad is mixed, tasted (Umm… its tasting fine).

b)      The paddus are packed in a humongous container (Had forgotten I have one such at home!! This exam has led to such awesome discovery).

c)      The chutney is filled into 2 boxes.

d)      The bananas sit bright and pretty in a huge packet.

e)      Have packed in serving spoons too.

·         And off I go... On time !!

(Second huge huge sigh of relief)

Step 5: The Exams

Am standing outside the examination centre - the butterflies are doing their merry flutter in the tummy. Gingerly I tug at the school bell.

The invigilators (her teachers) let me in with a warm welcoming smile.

And as I wait for the kids to get set for lunch, my daughter rushes out and spots me in the waiting area. She would not leave her nervous mother’s side. Or is it the other way round? She’s my little mommy at the moment.

And then when I am summoned inside, she holds my hand & guides me in.

The adorable expectant faces greet me with a loud “Namaste” & suddenly all nervousness disappears.

I start serving and the teachers help me out.

Two little girls discuss gravely, “She had said her mumma will come on Sunday. But Aunty has come today with the food.”

I smiled.

For my daughter, any out of the ordinary day is Sunday.

Step 6: Exam Results

The older kids are very encouraging - They ask for more servings.

Some even say, “Thank you aunty, you home food is superb/ very tasty”

As I wonder are they just being polite, I hear two little shy voices discreetly call out to my daughter and say, “Your mumma’s home food is very good”

My heart does a happy flip.

A certain little boy is, apparently, for the first time agreeing to have food at school, made by a friend’s mommy.

As he shyly asks me for one more paddu & chutney – it feels so heartening & special.

And all I can do is serve & grin.

The exam results have definitely been favourable (out comes a third huge huge huge sigh of relief).

Added experience: I observe how the kids conduct themselves in the school eating environment – they sit on their mats, in a circle, neatly put their plates aside once done, wash their hands & mouth, stack their bags back on the shelves, and then run out to play in the garden.

So, ??

Did I start the post by saying “dreaded”?

So, let me alter it to “That much awaited day has arrived”.

Looking forward to the next turn and hoping to serve up yummier home food.

P.S. Now I understand the joy & immense satisfaction my mother derives from cooking for everyone.