Boiling Point

Over the weekend we made a quick trip to Lake Tahoe, to see the clear waters and snowy mountains. It turned out to be a great trip.

Getting back was hard, knowing that the long weekend was over and Kutie will have to start going to daycare for a full day and that my parents are going to leave early next week.

The worst thing turned out to be an email blast from another parent whose kid goes to the same daycare saying some nasty stuff about the daycare facility. Her complaints ranged from “the daycare is not run well” to “the correct brand of wipes were not used for her kid” and that she heard some shouting at another kid by one of the helpers. Of course, this was followed by a bunch of emails from other parents, exclaiming how nice the facility and the facilitator are and how they helped their kids etc. We even got a call from the daycare facility, explaining the situation and explaining her point and what happened. Of course, we started to have our internal discussion on what might have happened, what our next steps could be …

On one hand, the person who issued the complaint seems to have already found another daycare and has taken their kid away already – so wonder if this was something glaring or just her way to get away with the deposit (we have signed up for a 2-week notice to get the deposit back). Another interesting factor is that both the parent and the day care facilitator’s spouse work in the same company – could there have been bad blood right from the beginning … don’t know.

Now, with all of this, of course what do I do is the biggest question? The last two days Kutie has not been taking his usual 2 – 2 ½ hour nap but instead only an hour at the most (at the daycare). He seems to be clingier to me than ever before (which is not bad, I love the attention he showers on me, but still, it’s probably not that healthy and well, I know it hurts my parents most, since they are about to leave and the little guy sometimes just doesn’t want to be held by them). When Amma was at the daycare, we did notice that main facilitator not present on some days, and an older lady doing the diaper changes and feeding etc. Amma is now of the opinion that daycare facilitator is not the best supervisor of her own employees. But we cannot point any other faults with her - the daycare is clean, Kutie hasn't fallen sick (yet, Anti-Jinx mantras) and he does seem to enjoy the outing.

Of course, with my parents leaving early next week, and with no other daycare on our horizon, (plus I am not sure I want Kutie to go through the pains of trying another place this soon) I am stuck … so this is just a vent!

And when it come to frustrations, I had an argument over dinner last night with honey on sending kids to large daycare versus a small one with maybe only 1 or 2 kids. He was of the opinion that kids need to be with other kids, and if there was an option he would send Kutie to the daycare like ours with 5-6 other kids. His argument was that kids would get the interaction, learn social behavior, and will not be a shy kid (and of course he pulled an example of one of our friends kids, who runs in the opposite direction when he sees anyone coming in his direction). Now I feel the opposite, I agree that kids need company of their peers, but I don’t think it needs to start at age 2 or less. Probably when they start going to school at 4, when they would enjoy the company of other kids & make friends. Also I think being shy or not, (not sure if either one is a virtue or not in the first place) has a lot to do with how the family interacts with others is and not just on the kids playing with other kids. Of course, the whole point of the argument was a little lost in our case, since either way, Kutie needs to be in daycare since we both work and will not be able to baby-sit him!

*** Sigh ***

Pictures

Here are the pictures from our trip to the wonderful snow covered mountain tops around Lake Tahoe.

The snow covered mountains


A view of the beautiful blue waters



A view from inside the car of the clean sleek road



BTW Just realized that I hit my 100th post mark! YAY!!!

Fun in the snow @ Tahoe

We finally made it to Lake Tahoe (believe it or not, we had planned this trip from early Jan – packed our bags one weekend, only to cancel the trip last minute due to heavy rains) – to the snow-covered mountain tops, to the cold, chilly Tahoe lake. It turned out to be a great trip – albeit with a few mishaps!

Story so far …
We made the last minute plan Saturday morning to take the trip to Tahoe as the predicted weather was sunny. Luckily we got the hotel reservations and we made the few last minute purchases and were ready to go.

Early Sunday morning after a quick breakfast, off we go. No problems on the way and we make it to the ski resort in about 3 hours. Honey wanted to try his hands at snowboarding and signed up for one of the afternoon lessons. We rushed through to get lunch and ensure we make it to the mountain to see if all the fun or not! Unfortunately, Kutie does not like anything. Not the minestrone soup, not the French fries, no nothing! All he wants is to run around (probably because he was cooped up for so long on the ride) But with hundreds of people at this tiny restaurant it was like ensuring an ant doesn’t get trampled over by the marching army. We try to make by with cookies until we can find something else for the little guy …

Moving up to the snow mountains, Kutie seemed to have more fun. He exclaimed “tampu” (cold) when we held out the snow to him. The only problem, he wanted to run around so quickly but with other skiers coming down so quickly, we were afraid that he would get pushed out. After realizing that this is just not going to work, we took him back to the little restaurant and that’s when I notice that they sold small packets of Oatmeal. Halleluiah! There’s something that the little guy might like.. so I make a little serving. Of course, now rejuvenated he wanted to run around some more. We decided to head up back to the mountain and start to wait for honey to return from the top.

Far away, I see a guy waving. I wonder, is he hurt? Who is he waving to? Hmm .. is that honey? Not sure I try my little tactic of raising my hand a little bit – hoping that I don’t look stupid, if its not him. I run back to get the camera and try to take some zoom in and take some videos. Slowly he comes down bit by bit and its honey. He falls, he scoops up, he’s my hero!

Back from action, he is sore but has loved every minute of falling down in the snow! We get back on the road to get to our hotel. Luckily we find an Indian restaurant and serve up some hot rice and raita for Kutie. Tired, poor Kutie is the first to collapse.

We hoped for a restful sleep, but poor Amma had an eventful night – with vomiting and not much sleep. The car trip seemed to have taken a toll on her, but by morning she was much better.

Next morning, we made a trip to the lake and enjoy the cool waters. The path was lined with silvery snow, we walked gingerly across them to ensure we don’t fall and hit ourselves. After a great lunch we were back on the road to reality.

The end!

the sights... and the bumps ...made our trip a memorable one! And by the way, it was my parents & little Kutie's first time to see and experience SNOW. And they loved it! Of course, dad complained about the chilliness, but he always talks in opposites!

Pictures of the beautiful white snow, the killer slopes, the icy cold waters ... coming soon!

Here we come

A little take on the nursery rhyme ...

---

Here we come 'round the block,
'round the block,'round the block
So early in the morning.

Here we come to see the snow
To see the snow, To see the snow
So early in the morning

Here we come, so let it snow
Let it snow, let it snow
So early in the morning.

Here we come all bundled up
All bundled up, all bundled up
So early in the morning.

Here we come 'round the block,
'round the block,'round the block
So early in the morning.

---

Any guesses where we are off to tomorrow?
Clue: Its a very 'cool' place, with a lake covering two US states.
Update on Tuesday!

Happy Valentine's Day

Love is in the air
For today is Valentine’s Day.
Red and pink be today’s colors
My dear Valentine, Be mine forever!




{graphic courtesy coolholidaygraphics.com}
Ok that’s cheesy enough, even my tummy turns (yes I know I wrote it) Brrr … how bad can you get … whatever! It’s a Hallmark holiday, what do you expect?

Now, next mission, maybe I will get honey to read this one post.

But with the cheesy poem, I know its gonna backfire for he will never come back for more! The law of diminishing returns! *sigh*

To everyone else, May you find your true love and may you live happily ever-after! Happy Valentine's Day!

What was I thinking?

Ok maybe I should delete the last post ... I am sure now the limited viewer ship I have would go down even more ... Who admits to reading these things? Right!

No I am not turning into a cheesy romantic! I blame my faux pas to Valentine's Day activities everywhere! *Sigh*

Am I losing it?

I am not perfect.

As a teenager, I have read the silly Mills & Boon book. If you ask me how many, I don’t know, but I know one summer I read one everyday! So there! I knew most of the plots by the end of it all and often even just reading the back cover I could predict (pretty accurately) how the story would go – yes not just the fact that girl wins boy, but how it actually will go … Common that’s not smart, yes I know.

Let me see – how many plots can I think of
1. Poor, innocent girl meets wealthy handsome guy, they spend a night. Girl realizes her mistake (huh?) and runs away. They meet maybe several years or months later, boy is angry and girl is pissed. They don’t know why but the chemistry is still there and finally after multiple run-ins, misconceptions later they hook up. The end.
2. Handsome guy, dead wife, has a baby – hires a nanny. Enter the girl, loves the job, loves the guy – can’t think anything can happen. Of course they do. The end
3. Boy meets girl (or vise versa). They hook up. Something happens, they part. Girl gets pregnant, does not tell boy (or maybe cannot for some ‘big’ reason). They meet. Boy still has the hots for the girl. Girl is not sure what he wants. Boy figures out he is the dad, upset now wants to marry and do the right thing. Girl disagrees, she wants love not pity. Blah Blah they figure out in the end (of course) they truly love. The end
4. Smart workaholic lady, meets her rival in a guy who either is in the same profession or has just bought become her boss. They quarrel. They love each other. Oh brother!
5. Girl traveling to some foreign location. Meets the guy, thinks he is a beggar. Goes on road trips, falls in love. Realization that the guy is the prince of the country. Oh my! In comes the lady vixen, of course the lady is no match (or so she thinks). Finally girl realizes that the guy loves her and the vixen is his step cousin (or something else)! Aha!

Another 5 more, just twist the boy/girl around.

I don’t know when I got over it (finally, maybe) and moved on. I read the great works of literature – Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Alice Walker, and the fictions in between – the Grishams, the Sheldons, the Pattersons.

But yesterday when we went to the library I saw three M & B’s. and I took it! OH DEAR!! Am I losing it? Of course, I haven’t read it yet … but now I am feeling guilty.

What should I do?
a) Read them and pretend I did not & sell it back to the library,
b) I hide them in the closet for a rainy day,
c) Or should I just leave it in plain sight for who actually cares what I read – they are probably better (or worse) than reading the tabloids!

What do you say?

Another question will it even thrill me anymore? Probably not ... the last time (years ago) when I read it, it was hiding it from Amma, not really knowing the world and its ways, probably not knowing any better. Maybe now just for that sake alone - reminisce - I should read one .. what do you think?

A walk down Memory lane

Timepass tagged me on this one – seemed easy enough but now I have realized that I probably need to write a lot more to take this detour. Anyway, here goes

"Post 5 links to 5 of your previously written posts. The posts have to relate to the 5 key words given : family, friend, yourself, your love, anything you like. Tag 5 other friends to do this meme. Try to tag at least 2 new acquaintances (if not, your current blog buddies will do) so that you get to know them each a little bit better."

Family – A poem for Amma & some best wishes for my dad on his birthday

Friend – Not really about a friend, but some things that brought back a lot of memories from my childhood days

Yourself – This is the one that I think has been the most emotional and painful to document

Your love – Hmm, I haven’t written much about my dashing, handsome, knight … have I?. Though he is mentioned on many of my posts, you would think I should have our love story posted at some point. Ok note to myself, but for now here’s one that I wrote on his birthday and on father’s day

Anything you like - My first official Mother’s day


And now to tag my “virtual buddies”
Edappal In hopes that this gets you out of hibernation!
Swati - who is just settling in after a big trip. Here's something more 'to do'! :)
Hiba’s mom - here's a virtual scrapbook for you!
Preethi – A new visitor - how about I tag you? Sorry, if I am not playing nice! But I would to love to know more about you.

Update on daycare

According to the daycare Kutie’s day one without family went well. He cried for only 5 mins and then was happy to play with other kids – and joined in on the circle time and peek-a-boo games. When my parents when to pick him up after a couple of hours he looked cheerful.

Lets hope the sunny days are here to last!

BTW, I have been corrected by the daycare to refer to them as 'teachers' rather than 'aunty'. Will this daycare give exams and homework as well? Sigh.

I acquiesced

Almost everyone I talk to suggest that we just leave Kutie alone and let him cry and he will learn to stay on alone. So today, without much heart we have left him at daycare (no grandma to help him around), with my parents going to pick him up later today. I know, I know, my brain tells me this is most likely the best way. I still say most likely – only because, no one seems to have tried out any other method than letting kids go at first. Colleagues have stayed on for 5-10 mins and no more, some have tried half days but that’s about it. I am not saying my method will be any better but ….

She never quite leaves her children at home, even when she doesn't take them along. ~Margaret Culkin Banning

Grown don't mean nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? What's that suppose to mean? In my heart it don't mean a thing.
~Toni Morrison, Beloved, 1987

Anyways, today he will be alone at daycare. My parents would probably pick him up in a couple of hours, and if all goes well, we could just increase the time over the next two weeks, is the plan.

Thanks little Aryan, for your lovely flowers, it certainly made our day. I will show it to little Kutie in the evening.

I would like to pass it on to my parents, who I am sure are already missing the little guy, being away from them for a couple of hours. With just a few weeks remaining of their trip, I understand how sad they are to leave the little guy. I will be missing my confidante, my support (I know you will be only a phone-call away, but it was just great to have you with us) and Kutie – I am just not sure how he will react. He has grown so attached to his Ammamma – asking her to give him food every time, calling Muthu over to play with him – it will definitely take some time to adjust. He has learned much from them in ways of learning to talk, to pray, and has enjoyed the special attention only grandparents could shower on their grandkids.

I would pass it to my dear son, hope you grow big and strong. I wish you will enjoy your time away from us at the daycare, at school, and always know - we love & adore you.

And last but not the least, I pass it on to my dear honey ... in hopes that I get real ones on the 14th! * hint, hint * :)

I pass the wonderful roses along to -
Cee Kay: I am sure we all need a dozen roses and blessings always. So here's one for you - in hopes that everything works out for you always. It been great to know you through your blog ... hope we keep in touch always.

Hiba's mom: Best wishes always and forever. Sorry I haven't stopped by recently, but things have been busy at our house. (hope this makes up for it) :)

Sad little me

Kutie started daycare today (with my parents going back to India in 2 weeks) we decided to ease him in. The whole weekend, knowing that the little guy will have troubles up ahead, made me sad and disappointed. I wished and prayed for a miracle – maybe the president would change the rule and let grandparents stay for years rather than the six months if you have the visa, maybe the company I work at would pull a new policy for mommies to work at times that suit them and not the regular 8 hours, maybe I could win a million dollars and not have to pay tax on it either.

Since none of the possibilities came true over the weekend, I moved my prayers to hope and wish that the daycare will be a smooth ride for Kutie, hopefully he will make friends easily and adjust quickly.

With all our prayers, honey dropped him off and as expected he cried straight for ½ hour. I had asked my mom to stay back, just so that it might help him, but smart as he is, he was pretty sure on what was happening. He kept calling for his dad and after a while “poova” (let’s go) to his grandma. When I spoke to the day care ‘aunty’ she was of the opinion that I should just leave the little guy alone from tomorrow and that he would adjust quicker. I beg to differ; wouldn’t it scare the hell out of the little guy? Wouldn’t it feel like his parents just ditched him off?

Apart from this, was this other email at work that I need to attend a seminar for a week in Vegas – this means not only me being away from my little one that I will need to deal with myself, but also the fact that the two guys will be left alone to deal with themselves. With no family near, I cannot turn to anyone for help for the 4 days I will be away. The seminar is months away, and hopefully Kutie will adjust to day care by then and honey can drop him off for a couple of hours and work from home … but these are all “what if” situations that scare the heck out of me!