My dilemma is regarding the Stoneridge 5k on October 16th. Its a Saturday and its in our neighboring community and all the proceeds go to the school that has the most number of participants representing them. Last year Sean's school took the money and I felt bad that I didn't participate. So this year I'm seriously considering doing it. It may also be the one thing that'll get me on my treadmill more often. I know I can swing a 5K with minimal training now - thanks to the last 10 years of yo-yo running but I dont want to be one of the very last ones in the field considering I have a lot of colleagues that may show up since they all live in the said community.
One of the other reasons why I'm pondering if this is a good idea is because I was planning to have a get together at our house that same evening. I havent sent out the invite so dont know for sure if it'll work out for everyone but if it does what do I do? Do I want to do both or not???
Decisions...decisions..
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
New outfit
Over the weekend Aji was on a getaway with the guys in Miami. I got Rhea a top to go with the skirt that Mummy got for her this time. Here she is right before we left for church..
Chocolate fix.
Yesterday I was channel surfing and came across teh most delectable chocolate pudding recipe. And something unusal happened, for once I had all of the ingredients in the pantry.So even though I had initially planned to make it over the weekend I just couldnt wait until then esp. considering I had everything I needed on hand. Best part it wasn't time consuming at all.
It's been awhile since I made any dessert so I knew the kids would enjoy it as well even if it meant waiting until today for them to eat. So after I got dinner on the table and before the second round of homework, i quickly got the desert all done and put it in the refrigerator to set. It smelled divine and I couldn't wait to get a taste.
By the time Aji got home and had his dinner it was close to 10pm. That was enough time for the pudding to set and so he and I shared one! It was really good!!
Here it is - Delectable home made chocolate pudding.
The kids had it as a snack after school today!
It's been awhile since I made any dessert so I knew the kids would enjoy it as well even if it meant waiting until today for them to eat. So after I got dinner on the table and before the second round of homework, i quickly got the desert all done and put it in the refrigerator to set. It smelled divine and I couldn't wait to get a taste.
By the time Aji got home and had his dinner it was close to 10pm. That was enough time for the pudding to set and so he and I shared one! It was really good!!
Here it is - Delectable home made chocolate pudding.
The kids had it as a snack after school today!
Work and Life balance
I struggled with this a lot last year. I was managing two very demanding projects. They were both very crucial in terms of client satisfaction and complexity. That meant very long work hours for me. I would put long hours at work, barely make it on time to pick up the kids, try to get through Sean’s homework, their dinner and put them to bed only to again login back from home. It was a very challenging and stressful year. Long hours for me at work also meant that the kids were also forced to have a long day at school. That resulted in huge Mommy guilt every single day in addition to all of that work stress. I’m thankful for Aji for all the support and oh so grateful that all of us lived through it without damage. Both my projects were extremely successful and received client accolades.Thank God for that!
One of the most important things I realized last year was that I never ever wanted to short change my time with the kids and Aji. I wanted to give them my 110%. After a lot of thinking, pondering and losing my mind, both Aji and I decided that it was in the best interest of all of us that I go part time. So I spoke with my management and they were so very receptive right from the first time I brought this up. So starting September I’m now doing 32 hours per week. I do 8:00-2:00pm Monday through Friday with an additional hour two days a week to round the total to 32. I have to admit this has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life. There are days/times I feel bad about my reduced responsibilities. Lame as it seems, there are times that I miss those minute to minute and second to second curve balls that came my way when I had an overflowing plate full of work and not enough time. But then, I realize that I’m so much relaxed and nicer to be around now. Another big plus - Sean can take the bus from school now rather than having to go to after school care. This means he and I can spend some time and get the bulk of his homework done while he has more energy and before other distractions namely his little sister gets home. I pick her earlier than previous years as well and it is so much better.
The other good thing that came out of this is that I have more time and energy to plan for a weekly menu so I don’t serve the same 2 or 3 items the whole week for dinner. I also wanted to make sure the kids are eating less processed foods (I've lost count of the bags of chicken nuggets and fish fingers we have bought from Costco) and fewer trips to Mc Donald’s. I have started planning my weekly menu in advance so I can stick to my grocery list and not be distracted with the 10 other items that are calling my name at the store. This has made such a huge difference. Previously I would stray from my list so very easily because I'd be planning my dinner as I did the grocery. Which meant I'd pick up things that I really did not need rightaway and just end up eating space in the pantry. Which reminds me - Time to clean out the pantry. There are quite a few items that need to be purged or be used soon.
I’m also trying to make meal time more fun and educative – using food as a passport to travel around the world. So if we had Chinese for dinner, we do 3 fun facts about China like – capitol city, currency, language. This means I have to keep trying cuisines from different parts of the world which is fine because I enjoy cooking. I hope that by doing this Sean and Rhea start enjoying cusines from around the world and also get introduced to the diverse cultures.
The only thing left to do now- Jump back on that workout wagon. I can’t use the ‘I don’t have time’ excuse anymore.
One of the most important things I realized last year was that I never ever wanted to short change my time with the kids and Aji. I wanted to give them my 110%. After a lot of thinking, pondering and losing my mind, both Aji and I decided that it was in the best interest of all of us that I go part time. So I spoke with my management and they were so very receptive right from the first time I brought this up. So starting September I’m now doing 32 hours per week. I do 8:00-2:00pm Monday through Friday with an additional hour two days a week to round the total to 32. I have to admit this has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life. There are days/times I feel bad about my reduced responsibilities. Lame as it seems, there are times that I miss those minute to minute and second to second curve balls that came my way when I had an overflowing plate full of work and not enough time. But then, I realize that I’m so much relaxed and nicer to be around now. Another big plus - Sean can take the bus from school now rather than having to go to after school care. This means he and I can spend some time and get the bulk of his homework done while he has more energy and before other distractions namely his little sister gets home. I pick her earlier than previous years as well and it is so much better.
The other good thing that came out of this is that I have more time and energy to plan for a weekly menu so I don’t serve the same 2 or 3 items the whole week for dinner. I also wanted to make sure the kids are eating less processed foods (I've lost count of the bags of chicken nuggets and fish fingers we have bought from Costco) and fewer trips to Mc Donald’s. I have started planning my weekly menu in advance so I can stick to my grocery list and not be distracted with the 10 other items that are calling my name at the store. This has made such a huge difference. Previously I would stray from my list so very easily because I'd be planning my dinner as I did the grocery. Which meant I'd pick up things that I really did not need rightaway and just end up eating space in the pantry. Which reminds me - Time to clean out the pantry. There are quite a few items that need to be purged or be used soon.
I’m also trying to make meal time more fun and educative – using food as a passport to travel around the world. So if we had Chinese for dinner, we do 3 fun facts about China like – capitol city, currency, language. This means I have to keep trying cuisines from different parts of the world which is fine because I enjoy cooking. I hope that by doing this Sean and Rhea start enjoying cusines from around the world and also get introduced to the diverse cultures.
The only thing left to do now- Jump back on that workout wagon. I can’t use the ‘I don’t have time’ excuse anymore.
Exam Week
This week is test central for Sean. He has a Math test today, Social Studies tomorrow and spelling on Friday. Busy week indeed. I'm still getting used to the busier pace of second grade. First grade seems like a cake walk now. Yeah I know, I didnt feel like that last year going through it. Anyways, its time to get a little bit more serious. Sean did very well on his first spelling. Drum rolls please -
He got an 'E' (Exceeds) for getting all correct.
For the second test he got one word wrong. He had done it all correctly at the home test so I was surprised and felt really bad for him. The word that stumped him - CITIZENSHIP. Just means that we'll have to work a little bit harder this week.
To add to the extra home work and test schedule that Sean has this year...madam Rhea has homework too!! She is super excited about it though - no kidding.I was beginning to wonder if she really was my kid...loving homework and all...until I cracked the secret reason behind this love. She has seen Sean doing homework forever and always felt that it was one of the defining attributes of being a 'BIG KID'. So now her time has come and she is just so excited about it...poor lil darling. She has no idea what's in store. Anyways, the good news (for me) is that she doesn't have homework everyday - just Tuesdays and Thursdays. We'll see how things go. So far she seems to be enjoying it and even wanted to do extras over the weekend when Sean was doing his Kumon!
He got an 'E' (Exceeds) for getting all correct.
For the second test he got one word wrong. He had done it all correctly at the home test so I was surprised and felt really bad for him. The word that stumped him - CITIZENSHIP. Just means that we'll have to work a little bit harder this week.
To add to the extra home work and test schedule that Sean has this year...madam Rhea has homework too!! She is super excited about it though - no kidding.I was beginning to wonder if she really was my kid...loving homework and all...until I cracked the secret reason behind this love. She has seen Sean doing homework forever and always felt that it was one of the defining attributes of being a 'BIG KID'. So now her time has come and she is just so excited about it...poor lil darling. She has no idea what's in store. Anyways, the good news (for me) is that she doesn't have homework everyday - just Tuesdays and Thursdays. We'll see how things go. So far she seems to be enjoying it and even wanted to do extras over the weekend when Sean was doing his Kumon!
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