Day trips

With toddlers, day trips are easier, rather fun and relaxing. Last weekend we made a trip to the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad for a picnic lunch, train & carousel ride. Three families, three kids and a nice warm day - a fun day for picnic.

Now even though I am pretty decent at organization at work and get things done in a timely manner, at home there are a lot of times where I seem to be playing 'catch up'. First off, I decided to make some moong dal + potato cutlets but forgot to pack bread to make the sandwich and had to borrow from our friends, who we picked up on the way. Our friends forgot plates for the rice they had made, though luckily I had remembered to carry some. I got Kochunni his favorite waffles but he wouldn’t eat any and I seemed to have no backup, but luckily our friends had got some muffins which he ate with delight. So somehow we managed. After a potpourri of lunch we hit the Railroad – a mini train ride around Vasona and Oak Meadow park. The kids enjoyed the ride and later Kochunni kept talking about the railway crossings, & the ‘paugha’ (smoke). We went to the play area along Oak Meadow Park and spent the next few hours watching the kids tumble and play. Of course, we had a fighting Kochunni on our hands when finally we decided to turn back, and I had to use my creative power to ask him to play catch to at least get him to leave the playgrounds and move towards the exit.

This weekend, the same friends called us over for another train ride, knowingly well that both our boys had enjoyed the mini-train ride last week. And so we found ourselves at Niles Canyon Railway, another non-profit weekend getaway that provides a 30 minutes train ride from Niles Station to Sunol Station. On aboard the steam train, there is a good hillside and nature to peek at transporting us to past, though the occasional view of the roads brought us right back into the present. The ride itself was pleasant though on the other end at Sunol there are just a couple of restaurants and a very small park (no play area) for folks to relax before boarding the next train back. Since we were now experts at picnic we managed to find a shady spot and relax for a while before letting the kids play around in the park. Since there was no play area we had to be innovative and played the choo-choo train, catch, I spy etc & kept the boys busy. With all the running around we were soon tired enough to call it a day. We headed back to the station, and the heat wave started to burn our skins. Kochunni hated being so hot and kept asking us to find him some shade though none was available. The little guy cried his heart out, and I felt so bad for him. But we soon headed back and once the train moved, Kochunni relaxed enough to enjoy the journey back. When we reached home, we headed straight to the bed wanting to curl up and nap. Of course, Kochunni hates taking naps these days and just kept bouncing off in the bed, though for a change husband and I relaxed enough to get a couple of winks.

In the evening I headed out to OSH (a local nursery cum hardware store) to get myself a little plant for the kitchen windowsill. As it happens I don’t really have a green thumb, unlike my mother-in law who is an ace at such things. Anyway, I picked up an African violet not even knowing much about Violets or any indoor plants for that matter, I was actually looking to buy a money plant (the only indoor plant name that I know of, (see how bad I am) but none was available so I picked out these pretty violets that were just too beautiful to pass off. After purchasing a green pot (Kochunni’s shopping influence) I came home happy. After a nice dinner, we were off to la-la land, as the hot day wore off into to warm night.

TV Land

For a while now, Kochunni prefers to eat his lunch/dinner in front of the idiot box watching his cartoons and songs. It’s the daily ritual and seems like the food wont travel down his throat if the TV isn’t on, though our recent India trip dispelled this myth, making me want to clear the clutter on the dinner table and use that for a family meal. Of course easier said than done , with too many things going against it.
One, the dining table is very near our entry point into the house, which means the stack of letters (read spam), bags and everything else virtually are always placed there until the next morning when needed again.
Two, family meals is a thing of past as Kochunni (presumably) needing to go to bed early has to have his dinner by 7, at which time (on most days) husband is not home. Then having just two people sit at this large table seems too elaborate an effort.
And so the TV saga continues, though to be fair, I too love watching my shows eating my dinner (the Gen Y effect)

Now for some of his favorite show reviews
Curious George – A monkey living in the big city with his man-friend in yellow hat, a perfect foil for a toddler learning new things, curious at figuring out the ways of the world. George doesn’t really speak but just makes sounds Ah! and the OOO’s, while the background commentator helps move the story forward. A nice blend of learning and fun makes it very entertaining even for adults

Sagwa – The Chinese Sesame Cat and Clifford – The Puppy Days - These two shows are in some ways similar and yet different. Both show talking animals and their owners, living in harmony. Though the owners don't realize that these pets can talk and only hear their barks or meows they seem to understand them well. Often the stories are split between the adventure of the kitten/puppy vs the adventure of the pet owner, both teaching viewers the importance of family, friendship, valor and other important qualities. Where one shows a family of kittens, Clifford has a made friends with a bunny, a bird, kittens and even a family of mice.

Bob the builder – This is an eternal favorite with the little guy, more for the trucks and than anything else. The first time he saw the video it was at the local Walmart store as we were doing some shopping. Kochunni then a 18 month old, squealed in delight at the sight of the brightly colored trucks and would get mad and cry every time Bob or Wendy came on the scene. He wanted to stay on the same aisle forever and we had the hardest time moving along. Seeing his enthusiasm, I did buy a video for him and to this day he sings the opening number with much gusto, even when he hasn't seen the video in months.

Thomas the Tank Engine – The first time Kochunni saw the show (again around 18 months) he seemed to be frightened at the somewhat plastic , chubby face of Thomas and his friends. He cried “Venda” (don’t) and asked us to stop playing the video. He did not mind reading about the train and his adventures through the scores of library books that passed through the house. I think today he wouldn’t mind watching the show though I haven’t had a chance to rent/buy the videos for a long time now.

Manjadi – A wonderful delight of songs, quite nicely rendered in 3D animation, though not comparable to any Hollywood production, it is still a decent attempt. We first found them on You Tube (no longer showing the full songs) and it was an instant hit with the little guy and singing the short songs became part of long car rides. The latter half of the CD contains stories from the Panchatantra that seem a little tedious to watch. But the songs from all three volumes are still some hot favorites in our household.

There you have the current favorites of the Kochunni household. I can already see signs of Kochunni getting distracted with Clifford and Sagwa, which might soon have to be replaced. So what about you, what are the favorites at your house these days?

The Story Hour

For a long time now, I have loved to read, be it a magazine or a good book I could read into the wee hours of the night. I still remember the Wednesday afternoon in 4th Standard that my mom came with me and talked to the school librarian to let me pick out a book. In those days, the school library was mainly available to students in secondary classes – I guess, it was there way of making sure that kids took care of the books they took home. The librarian, a nice lady was getting ready to close up, but seeing my enthusiasm as I eyed all the books locked up in the shelves she gave me an Enid Blyton telling me firmly to return it next week in good condition. That day in school all I could think of was about reading this book – something that was not part of the curriculum, not science, not history, not anything I had read before! I soon became a regular on Wednesdays

The choice of books varied over time, from Enid Blyton to Nancy Drew, to Gokulam to Femina, to Shakespeare to Austen, to Perry Mason to Agatha Christie. Though I think my favorite genre of writing remained mysteries – it was always fun to see if I could solve the puzzle before the end of the book or not.

When I got pregnant with Kochunni, I was a gifted a few books from friends to read to him – Eric Carle, Sandra Boynton etc. During his first year I got him a few more. Soon an entire shelf space had to be dedicated to his books. I was thrilled when around 18 months he would ask for a “booka” even though he did not seem to care for it much, as most found its way into his mouth. Finally the first book that caught his attention was “My little book of trucks, trains and tractors” with loads of pictures of the said things. He started calling the green cement mixer an "apple", and always wanted to open the book to this page.

Over time we taught him to say ‘cement mixer’ and he started to recognize the vehicle on the street. This realization brought about a renewed interest in his books and he picked out the “The baby’s first words” with more love and attention. We started making weekly trips to the library and always picked out a few books for him. I remember my mom even commenting, that he had more books than any toddler she had seen, but to me it was just a part of my love that I was passing down to him.

Just after he turned 2, one of the first books were he was able to accompany my reading was this little circus book that I found at the second hand book shop in Mountain View. Not really a famous ‘kid book’, but it was still an instant hit with him and he had the words memorized
- A few lines:
Hear the horn on the clown car as it honks
“Toot – toot”
Funny bears on skates like to
"dance and play"
Silly elephant tricks make me shout
“Hooray!”
We would end the session with a smiles and claps, and lil’Kochunni’s feeble “Einiyum” (Again).

Now, there is one thing that I did not expect to happen. His love and interest in books is often limited to trucks, trains, airplanes - essentially anything vehicular. Of course occasionally he would pick up the A to Z book, but he always preferred story books that would have a dump truck or a fire engine in them, and so now the library visit is a bit more challenging – first find a book that’s age appropriate, second find a book that has a vehicle in it and third it was to my satisfaction as well (You know, has a good moral, teaches numbers, letter or something). I have to say I have found a few that have become instant hits with him –

Little Blue Truck – Alice Schertle
It s a little tale of a Blue truck that goes ‘Beep’ around the country side, making friends with the animals he meets along the way. Along comes a big (read mean) Dump Truck who would rather “honk” at the animals blocking his way, in a mad rush to get to his ‘big important work’. Unfortunately the Dump Truck gets stuck and no one is ready to help him until the little Blue Truck jumps in. A lesson in chivalry, friendship and common curtsy, the book is full of barnyard animal sounds in a sing-song manner and pretty clean images – an instant hit with Kochunni.

My Truck is Stuck – Kevin Lewis
Another tale of a stuck truck driven by dogs this time. One of the dogs starts to ask help from fellow passersby driving by. The illustrations also show that unknown to the drivers a group of dogs make away with the loot of bones that the truck was carrying. Kochunni does not realize this part yet, but what he enjoys is “who will help the truck next” questions as I turn the page on the book.

Needless to say, reading to the little fella is sometimes a challenge - you have to read and re-read the same thing to death. Now I ask him to tell me the story, which at times he enjoys. But one thing is certain, the library has become a lifesaver, I don't think I would have managed a 100+ books for him at our house. If only, the library had a section for toy cars and trains as well ....

A Wednesday

Reviews are a matter of opinions, you take it or leave it, but it also adds a little perceptive to our thoughts. We saw the movie ‘A Wednesday’ at our cousin’s house at my jiju’s insistence – really it was the battle was between Bejja Fry and Pirates of the Caribbean and somehow this little known movie won. Its just a story that happens on a Wednesday and therefore the name, It has elements of Fox’s 24 and Bruce Wills Die Hard but still is intrinsically Indian and no, not with song and dance (of which there is none) but just the visuals and the straightforward dialogues. With a great cast Shergill, Shah, Kher it promises a thriller ride for everyone (not kids of course). A couple of newcomers (I think) the TV reporter, the good cop, have done their work well too add to the whole experience.

The movie talks about terrorism in the background but mainly its about our society - the one we all live in and breathe or at least try to. Crisp (most of the time) and edgy it’s a decent movie from start to finish.



Ok, my first review reveals nothing about the movie, but that just it – for this one, go without reading too many reviews or plot lines, otherwise it will spoil the experience – I don’t want to give anything away, just know that it’s a good ride and if you don’t like it come back and we can have a discussion about it, ok? :D