Special Mommy moments

I picked up a tag from Dottie's blog that's apparently going around the world, started by hbm. The goal is to write 5 things I love about being a mom and tag bloggers around the world for a virtual "around-the-world-travel"!

Here goes...

1.
Growing up, I have always been commended for my patience and how I'd be a great mom and a nurse! I guess that was true until it happened to be 24/7, sometimes 38/12 when the days seemed long. I have come a long way in finding that nurturing self in me again. I'm not fully there yet and there are times when I'm totally zoned out.
But, I'm getting closer and I know it is going to involve a lot of hard work on my part!
So, how does this make me feel good?
Because my girls are helping me find my nurturing self again.
Maybe not nurse-good, but...

2.
Definitely the hugs and kisses!!
Those hugs can make me forget any rotten day or foul mood.
I know they are going to get fewer and they are not gonna want me anywhere within a 10-ft radius pretty soon...(hoping not!!)

3.
Every single milestone they've crossed has brought a smile - however early or late it may have happened! T1 and T2 make me proud EVERY SINGLE DAY! I know I may not acknowledge this everyday and that I'm their worst critic, but I'm also their BESTEST. From their very first grand entrance to their toothless grins to their first words to their first steps, and their indecipherable drawings (that they've made for me to display at work) to their master-pieces (ahem), to their lovely voices...
They've managed to enchant me with all of it and I know they can never cease to amaze me!
Of course, there's also the goof-ups...but I'm learning to be more positive about them ;-)

4.
They have made my faith stronger than they can ever imagine! Through all the ups and downs, the health scares, they have helped me turn to THE powerful force many a time. And everytime I've done that, I've found myself having better clarity of thought.

5.
Most importantly, being a mom has made me appreciate my own mom so much more than ever! I cannot even begin to reach up to her levels of sacrifice and endurance and love. Love you amma!!
And, love you dear T1 and T2.

shhhhh...
Now for what I really love about being a mom -
1. having two live dolls to dress up everyday
2. getting to cut their hair
3. all the pizza we get to order now
4. driving myself crazy planning their birthdays and other "enriching" activities for them
5. absolutely the hugs and kisses! that part is a cant-do-without.

again, shhhhhh...

And, now I'd like to introduce and tag my friend, Meenakshi to take this up.

Diagnosis:LD - What's next?

DISCLAIMER!!!
Before reading further, please note that the information presented here is purely cursory based on some online research. It is not intended to replace professional advice or treatment! Thank you.

Kiran of karmickids has dedicated March to raise an awareness for Learning Disabilities (LD). Thanks to Kiran, Tharini and the other wonderful women for making me a part of this mission.

There are oh, so many variations of LD and warning signs that Tharini has carefully explained. Not to mention people who have non-verbal LD. Then there are those who can have LD And be Gifted at the same time - Gifted in one area, and have a disability in another...

Considering that there are so many variations of LD, and so many symptoms, a proper diagnosis is of utmost importance. Only a trained specialist can single out the kind of disability a child has.
To confirm that your child is not a late-bloomer and indeed has a disability, do consult a Developmental Pediatrician, a child psychologist, or a neuro-psychologist. Age and severity are very critical factors when treating LD.

If your parental instincts ring a warning bell, wait no further! Take action immediately!

Once you have a diagnosis, what's next? Is there a cure for LD? It depends on how we define "cure"! If a cure to you means ensuring a successful, independent life for your child, then ABSOLUTELY YES!! With proper help and guidance, your child can learn to adapt to living with LD and go on to accomplish their dreams. I prefer to use "Managing" rather than "Treating" LD.

Here are some options -

1. Any site I checked emphasized on - "EARLY EARLY EARLY!" Early Intervention! Because otherwise, it can have a snowballing effect - if not intervened early on, the child can get frustrated at lagging behind, and that can lead to severe self-esteem problems, and it will take much longer to undo this damage!


2. If your child is in elementary school, then Sign your child up for an Individualized Education Program (IEP), which is available in most schools in the U.S. Most schools even have free pre-school IEP programs for qualifying children, to give these kids a head-start.


3. If your child is diagnosed with having ADHD in addition to LD, then medication can be prescribed to help control symptoms.


4. Because each child is unique, what works for one may not work for another. Figure out your child's special talent or interest and focus on those, because doing that can help tremendously. You can use them to your advantage and tailor your teaching techniques to keep your child's attention longer.


5. You should also determine your child's learning style - whether it is VISUAL, AUDITORY, or using KINESTHETICS.
   Based on this use appropriate tools and activities to help them learn.
   Visual learners process everything as images or pictures. They can draw or write well. Use Picture books or Videos to teach.
   Auditory learners process information when they listen to something (they are good listeners). They enjoy being read to, and like interaction.
   Talk to them, discuss issues, and have debates to stimulate them.
   Kinesthetic learners process information through touch. They typically do well in sports or drama. They may have difficulty sitting still, so keep them active and in motion if possible.
   


6. Communicate often with your child's teacher not only to benchmark progress, but also to know what's being done in the classroom. You can follow the same methods at home and keep the consistency for your child.


7. Make a Homework routine and stick to it as much as you can. A set routine helps children in focusing better and also teaches them to be better organized when they grow up.


8. You may also try breathing or focusing exercises.
   They nourish the body with hundreds of times more Oxygen than with regular, shallow breathing. It may be difficult at first, so start with 1 deep breath and slowly build it to 15 minutes a day or more.


9. Genuinely appreciate every little success your child has, and every milestone your child crosses!


10. Show your child that nobody's perfect, including you. Seeing that you are not perfect gives them better confidence. It also helps them know that you can learn from mistakes.


11. If your child is older - in Middle School Or even High School, you still have various options to control LD. Most of this requires planning and organizing - well ahead of time.


12. If older children are able to identify their interests and pursue an appropriate field, they will be more successful.


13. Science has made great advances in the research and treatment options for LD.
    Dr. Norman Doidge suggests that software like "Fast ForWord" help stimulate the auditory cortex neurons and help children with auditory processing problems.
    His book titled, The Brain that Changes Itself, talks about how the brain can be stimulated under the right conditions. Dr. Doidge also recommends the programs in The Arrowsmith School for their approach toward LD and other similar conditions.
    


14. Natural Therapy is also suggested as a treatment option, with virtually no side effects. You need to find a good Natural Practitioner who understands your needs well and can help appropriately. Some well-known herbal remedies are recommended for increased concentration, brain functioning, and memory. Other homeopathic ingredients including a variety of biochemic tissue salts are also prescribed.

For Parents: If you are unable to cope, know that you are not alone. Find a support group to get ideas, share comfort, or simply talk.

Here are some useful links I used in summing up options for children with LD...If I've missed any, that's not intentional :)

http://www.med.umich.edu/1Libr/yourchild/ld.htm

http://www.ldanatl.org/about/acld.asp

http://www.greatschools.net/articles/70/LD/Identifying-a-Learning-Difficulty/LD-Evaluatio-Process

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/learning_disabilities_treatment_help_coping.html
http://int-pediatrics.org/PDF/Volume%2015/15-2/tuchman.pdf

http://www.nativeremedies.com/ailment/learning-disabilities-solutions-info.html

http://www.ldonline.org/article/7760

The disclosure

So, here's what happened after the casual chat that I overheard...

Almost a whole year passed us by, when one day my sisters (H and U) approached me. I distinctly remember those "few" minutes. I was watching TV. The looks on their face had a blend of excitement, a look of "should we or shdn't we tell", "what will she reply!", mostly excitement.
I could tell something was up. I was first worried that I was in trouble for something...That's what these confrontations usually meant :P
They did not shilly-shally. They couldn't wait to tell me and find out what I had to say. The words came right out!

"So, What do you think of Pup?" They asked.

If I were clueless, I'd have asked "Why??"

I was not clueless, but I was unsuspecting too. I wonder now what would have happened if I told them the truth about me checking him out for a whole year! Oh, that would have been fun! But that's not what happened. At that point in time, I really looked** up to them. I wouldn't dare to talk to them disrespectfully! Forget dissing them off, I had only "just" started sharing "PG 13 jokes" with sis-U.

So them asking me about Pup with such a direct question totally threw me off!
But I was cautious. Smart.
I said, "Oh! He's o...k...!" That came off in a VERY uninterested tone. They had no idea what happened in my mind during that seemingly long second!

"You know what?"...And they told me about the match-making scheme.

These are the "few" minutes I remember. For the life of me, I cannot remember what happened next! Part of the reason I don't remember is because an Illayaraja Hit Number from Varusham Padinaaru was playing in my mind - only, Karthik and Khushboo were swapped with Pup and me.
OK, exaggeration... But I really cannot remember what happened next! Can't think of a better explanation :)

In fact, like announcing life-changing events on National Television, I'm going to ask my darling sisters for the first time, finally(!) after all these years - their recollection of the incident.

Girls, care to indulge your lil sis?

To be continued...

**I still look up to my three sisters, BUT I'm more open with them now, count on them terribly, I yell at them often, argue and fight and the whole shebang.

Let ME show you impatience!

I had to get a quick lunch today. There was a lot of work to do, and I had to leave early to stand-in as a coach for an after-school activity at T1's school. So, no time to waste.
I ordered a take-out, and drove to pick it up.
I saw a fender bender on the way, on the opposite side. That stretch of road has no shoulder-lanes. I thought to myself that this looked like a fresh one, and I better take another route on my way back!

And did I do that? Of course not! By the time I got the fragrant Veggie Kurma from this decent desi place, and started driving back, I had completely forgotten all about the fender bender! And what should have taken 2-3 minutes, took me a good 15 minutes to get back!

What's this post leading to now? I got stuck in the mess! There was no way out! I was trapped! But that's not all!

Impatient idiots started driving on a Right-Turn-Only lane and tried to merge back into the through traffic to get ahead by...4 cars!!

I absolutely detest it when people do that! Are the rest of us morons trying to obey the rules? Does having a fancy car buy you exceptions to rules? I thought they're supposed to be more like Pup taking extra extra extra extra special care...

Anyways, these cars were not even making a good headway! I can at least "try" to understand when the traffic is miles long, on a hot day, and if you're AC is not working. Enough about me...
But trying to get ahead of 4 CARS?? What's wrong with these people!!??

Oh, but today the joke was on them! (Insert Newmann of Seinfeld's sadistic laughter)...

There was this Corolla that tried the same gimmick after seeing a BMW exit and merge back. The BMW got away. But the poor Corolla was trying to merge back when this huge 18-Wheeler got behind him. The truck was all ready to take the Exit to the Highway and was annoyed at this Corolla's cheap trick.

He honked and honked again. The Corolla tried to move a little closer to the left. He was beginning to get scared...
To the Corolla's horror, the 18 Wheeler kept moving forward. Move where? There was no room. No shoulder remember!
I could clearly see the Corolla's blatant fear just by the way he tried to desperately inch his way away...
Oh, what sadistic pleasure! It was blissful! Taught the moron a great lesson!
And the truck, ever so gracefully, steered his way to the Exit in the space that was about half a lane.
These 18-wheelers can come out of the narrowest of alleys without a scratch. This was no big deal! He knew that! The Corolla SO did not!

It was ABSOLUTELY worth getting stuck in traffic today!!

History is made...

Congratulations, Mr.President!

History is made...and it caused a whopping $150 million dent!

Agree that most of these expenses came from donations and Not from the tax-payers' pockets.
Agree that Bush spent about the same (he raised about $42 million but the total expenses were about the same).
Agree that Obama probably needs a lot more security than his predecessors, if for no other reason, only to handle the 2 million audience.
Agree that this is one of the most historic events in my lifetime.

But none of that simply justifies the spending in this economy! Isn't he supposed to be just like the rest of us? So why did he approve of this spending when I and every other citizen in the U.S. is thinking twice before making even a simple indulgence?

Obama did cut some corners with the celebrations, but wish it had been more...

My respect for him and more importantly trust in him would have grown exponentially if he had cut down more than he did and kept it simple enough. That in my opinion would have made this an even more Historic and Memorable Event!

I am hoping that this spending becomes negligible when the Economy gets a boost and makes my vote worth it.

Nevertheless, Congratulations, Mr.President!!

My Mitu, mishy-mish, babloo turns 7...

Have you heard the Little Johnny joke
Little J: "Daddy, can you tell me what's sex?"
Dad thinks, he's gotta explain this someday, so now's a good time as any, even though Johnny may be a bit too young...
So he goes and explains all about the birds and the bees.
Little Johnny: 'But dad, how am I going to write all of that on this Application Form?"

That joke was the first thing that came to my mind after this incident -

We were all going on a drive, the girls playing and talking, which faded away in my chat with Pup when T1 showed her middle finger and asked me what it was...! Pup and I looked like we'd seen a ghost! We did NOT expect a question like that THIS early! Fortunately , I did not get into too much detail unlike the dad in the joke...
I said, "That's your middle finger..." and before I could ask why,
she acknowledged..."Oh, yeah..." and continued singing, "Where is Middle Finger, where is Middle Finger?..."

There was another time when she confessed to me that she used the "F" word...! Whaaat the f...?? She went on to say, "Amma, sorry I said it's not Fair"...

This little girl of mine always cracks us up with such punch-lines. Ever since she could start talking...

Here's another recent one -
T1: "Amma, you look like a teenager!"
Mommy does a triple somersault (in her mind, that is).
T1 Continues: "Ya, with the backpack on, you look just like a teenager!"

But right now, she desperately wants to "make up" jokes...Bless her heart, but she's terrible at it.

For example, she asks me, "Why is his name Sponge Bob Square Pants"?
Answer: "He's a square, he wears pants, his real name is Bob and he's a Sponge."
Dude, that is NOT a joke...

And she loves knock-knock jokes. She tries to come up with really, um...lame ones (as a mom it's really difficult to use "lame" for something that my daughter does). Sorry, but how do you let your darling daughter know that she should not try these things...? I even bought her a knock-knock joke book... She won't give up! She keeps trying. I keep telling her that she's naturally funny, and she doesn't have to make up jokes...
Let's hope she gets better at it someday!!

We recently took a trip down memory lane to look for photos to complete a "Timeline" project for her school. Such nostalgic memories...

Despite all those sleepless nights she gave us, her infantile eczema, the food allergies, her back-to-back-to-back ear infections and all other health issues she has had, T1 has been an amazing trooper and an even more amazing kid!

With her hormones that are going to kick in sooner or later (later, I hope), I do not know how her personality will change, but I am proud to say now that she is ONE amazing kid! It might sound cheesy to hear this from a parent, but it's true!
She's silly, she's funny, she's dramatic, she's SO mature, she's hard-working, she's silly and loves anything/anyone that's silly.

I can safely say that she's one heck of a kid all but 5% of the time - the only time that she devotes to being a typical 7 year old kid (even a 2 year old sometimes)...

All her teachers over the last three years have commented on her profound leadership qualities. She gets direct training everyday from being a big sis! She's taken this "big-sis" thing to a whole new level.
She loves to take care of her little sis. She reads to T2, she pets her, helps her with her MathWizard worksheets.
She even helps her brush her teeth on an occasional Sunday morning when mommy wants to sleep an extra 5 minutes...

The other day, Pup and her were picking up T2 from the daycare. She apparently asked T2's teacher if T2 ate well that day, what was it she ate, did she take too long, etc...

As a parent, I sometimes cringe when she dives in to teach other kids - whatever it is - drawing, singing, writing, counseling too sometimes - it comes across a bit ... well... "cringy"...
I hope we are on the right track in cultivating her leadership qualities and making sure she doesn't come across as obnoxious!

What else do we know about her?

She loves music. She loves to practice too...Both Carnatic vocal and Keyboard...
Except that I can't help her much in this dept...My cousin-B from whom she learns music aptly joked saying, "Unga rendu paerukkum paada varaathathukku sethu vechu iva paadara" - She has made up for the fact that neither of you can sing (me and Pup)
:B

She does get shy and moody every now and then when people ask her to sing, but for the most part she is ready to go into an infinite loop of songs. These days, T2 joins in too, so they can do a non-stop kutcheri, so beware before you ask her to sing :)

She *loves* to draw, color, paint...She can spend days together doing just that. She has done some nice stuff in her recent Art lessons - using strokes, shading, measuring, estimating size, etc...Most of what they do is copying the teacher's original art work, and in the process they learn to estimate proportions, they learn different shading patterns, etc...

Here's one that she drew of herself - copied from the work of a professional caricaturist. This has truly been one of my "Proud Mommy" moments!!



She's growing up so fast! It's amazing! It sucks! We've even started embarrassing her now with our baby talk and silly songs!

My mitu (as I love to call her) mishy-mish, babloo is another year (and two months) older...

Bit of a break

There are so many things I want to write about, but taking a bit of a break now thru the end of the month. A little swamped with work.

But soon to come are updates on T1 - she turned 7 Nov 24th, and will be continuing the story of Pup and me.

Mumbai

Sis-U pointed me to Sathyanarain's and Sanjay's blogs, and I've blacked out my header condemning the Mumbai terrorist attacks...

Silk, Linen or Pearl or will it be Japan??

According to honeymoons.about.com, you traditionally celebrate the twelfth anniversary with Silk, or keep it Modern with Linen/Pearl, or...Travel to Japan!

Interesting! There is a good possibility that we may go to Japan next Summer, and since we celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary today, that's perfect!!
Ja!!
Todays's family celebration included Madagascar-2 and a quick dinner at Uno's. Tuesday was a Holiday for both Pup and me. So we had a nice breakfast together after dropping the girls off. We Yoga-ed a 30 minute routine from on-demand, and went to the mall and shopped to re-stock our closets with clothes a size or two lesser - YAY!!

12 years together. Actually more than 17 if you start counting from the time we started having a "thing" for each other.

Most of my friends tease me as having had a "child marriage" or at least one that was decided when I was still a kiddo! That's what happens when you have aunts who have nothing better to do :)
Sorry athai (aunt)!
But in your defense, it did work out well...

So one day, when I was supposedly studying for upcoming exams, I overheard a conversation between my aunt and mom. My aunt was suggesting that Pup and I will be a good match for each other! What the??? Did I hear it right through the closed door?
I leaned closer...and much to my surprise, it was true!
How was I supposed to react? I was only 15! I assumed they were casually talking and disregarded it, even though conversations like this did not happen casually in our house-hold...

I had forgotten all about it with the craziness of my 10th board exams. And, with no more such talk, I didn't think much of it. But I started checking Pup out everytime he visited, or we visited them.
Our families have known each other forever. My mom and his mom practically grew together, AND, pup's brother was engaged to my cousin (said aunt's daughter) at that time.
So our families met often, and more checking out and unconscious flirting happened...
Hey! That's what all 16 year-olds do anyways! I just happened to focus on the one!!

So, how did this casual flirting develop into a 12th anniversary?
Stay tuned for the story of us...

Living with Food Allergies

This is part of the chain of posts to raise Food Allergy Awareness, started by Tara of Winkie's Ways.

T1 was barely a few days old when we noticed patches of dry, red skin caused by eczema. Our pediatrician, Dr.N suggested that we try and keep her skin as moist as possible with a topical application of Eucerin or Cetaphil. We did as we were told. But her eczema was only getting more rampant. That's when Dr.N suggested that I avoid milk, nuts and eggs, since I was exclusively nursing her. I did that. We did not see a dramatic difference, but I continued to follow the restrictions in my diet...
She also suggested we do a skin test to check for food allergies before starting solid food. There can be many causes for infantile eczema, food allergies being just one of those. In our case, that WAS the reason as we soon found out. When T1 was 7 months old, we did a comprehensive food test on her tiny back, since her arms were not big enough. She tested positive for Wheat, Oats, Potatoes, most Tree Nuts (including cashews, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and pecans) and Peanuts. We were naturally devastated as much as we were terrified.
Fortunately, she outgrew most of these (except nuts) by the time she was 2.

To-date, we are thankful to Dr.N for suggesting the test. With food allergies, the smartest thing to do is to stay away from the allergen as long as you can. Had we not tested and learned of her allergens, I am sure we would have made things worse for her. Especially with wheat! There is no way I'd have otherwise known to avoid wheat and oats!

Until we tested her, the eczema probably never got better because I'd been eating different forms of wheat when nursing her almost exclusively.
Sometimes I wonder if nursing her really helped her immune system, or if it made her immune system so powerful that it started treating even normal food as allergens, and basically making matters worse??!! Your two cents??

If an allergen triggers an anaphylactic reaction, it starts right away. But other symptoms including hives, rash, or stomach disturbances can start 2-3 days later. So, as much as we were excited to try out new foods, we waited and went by the book.
We were very, very, very particular when trying any new food. We started in small doses and continued for a whole week. No less!
As a matter of fact, we kept with this trend even after her first year. We had the food allergy results with us, so why did we do this? Because all of these food tests have false positives and false negatives. JA!!!
Usually, treenuts show better results with the skin test, peanuts with the blood test. Elimination and Re-introduction with careful supervision is probably a good way to test for food allergies.

We've learned a lot of things about managing food allergies and being on top of it. A lot of posts in this chain have listed a bunch of DOs and DONTs, and TIPS and TRICKS from Dottie, PG, Sue, Kiran, etc...
I have myself written a few posts on T1's allergies - here, here, and here.

So, for my part this time around, I'll primarily write about Reading Labels. While some Food Allergy labels are informative, some are very, very confusing and seem like they've been added as a "cover your a$$".
There are so many different variations of the same disclaimers. Some of the popular notes include -

"Manufactured in the same facility that uses nuts"
"Manufactured in shared equipment that uses nuts"
"May contain tree-nuts or peanuts"

"Manufactured in the same facility that uses nuts" makes a lot of sense because some people can have react to an allergen if it's "In the air."
So these folks have to really stay away from such products.

"Manufactured in shared equipment that uses nuts" is another of the informative messages that I did not know the real meaning for a long time. The possibility of contamination from shared equipment is exponentially more when they are "Dry-cleaned" as opposed to being rinsed with water.
If they are "dry-cleaned" there is a good possibility of nuts sticking in those unreachable corners. Especially Chocolate!! It may take a few batches to absorb all those remnant nuts before making totally nut-free chocolate. Ever since I learned that, I've completely stopped taking chances with chocolate.

In a FAAN meeting with Anne Munoz-Furlong (The founder and then CEO) as the Key-Speaker, she mentioned that if enough people call and request for nut-free chocolate, the manufactures will pay heed - apparently that's how you get disclaimer-free M&Ms in Canada!! The power of consumers!

"May contain tree-nuts or peanuts" is just too vague. If you've noticed, even Maggi has started adding these labels on! How frustrating! T1 loves Maggi, and I continue giving it to her, but I'm so scared and watchful each time. I should probably stop!
What's the deal with Trader Joe's?? As much as I love the store, I hate that they add these "You Can't Sue me Now" disclaimers! I mean from sandwiches to broth, their products May contain Shellfish and Nuts!!!
What next? Bagged spinach that May contain nuts?

I decided to keep a positive tone, and will stop my frutstration with labels at that!!
Oh, while I'm talking about Disclaimers, I'd like to add that this post is completely based on my experiences and to be taken with a pinch of salt (Hopefully we'll continue to find Salt with no nuts).
The other thing that I want to mention is being a member of an Allergy Network.
Being a part of my county's chapter of FAAN has helped us a lot. With regular meetings, we get to learn from other people's experiences. It's a good support group for each other. The founding members have worked VERY hard with the school board to stream-line rules and bring about a scripted "Health Plan." It's still in baby stages, but at least there is something in the works. We have had two amazing Halloween parties with completely safe food (aka none). They have also organized many play-groups, which I never had a chance to be a part of. But my point is that a support group like this has helped us in many ways. I learn something new every time I attend a meeting. There is a whole bunch of people who go through so much more than I do and have done it wonderfully so!

Finally, a note about treatments. There is no proven allopathic treatment on record. Yes, there are allergy shots for seasonal allergies, but they are so intrusive, and not even reliable! There are remedies that contain the symptoms, but nothing that really claims to cure - EXCEPT when you take the Alternative Route, that is!
Again, these are from my own experiences -
We have been treating T1 with BioSet for about 2 months now. As far as BioSet practitioners are concerned, they use intolerences and allergies interexchangably. The practitioners check the energy flow of any susbstance using its unique wavelength (Pup's Quantum Mechanics ken agrees with that logic). They sorta create a "circuit" using the substance they test against. If there is a block, the circuit is not complete. That's how they decide if must be treated.
Sounds far-fetched? We decided to try it nevertheless.
My niece, D took the treatment from the same doc and her Wheat allergies just went from +ve to -ve in a week, leaving her regular Allergist totally perplexed!! That's when I became a believer.

Both the test and the treatment are totally non-intrusive. All T1 has had to do is hold this metal rod wrapped in a wet paper-towel and chat away to glory for 15 minutes! Wait! The chatting away is nothing new to her!

We have so far attempted to treat outdoor allergens like mold, weed, pollen, trees etc. I do not know if this Fall's outdoor allergens were mild or if the treatment is working - but we haven't used a Nebulizer for T1 ALL season (Casting Anti-jinx Spells). She still has an itchy, runny nose...but nowhere close to what she endured last year!!
We've just started with foods this past week...
At the end of it, even if we do not have a cure for her food allergies, we are hoping that accidental exposures will not harm her much. That's good enough for us.

I'll end this note with this link to Dr.Sears' notes on Food Allergies.

How cool is that??

I was in Chicago last week for a couple of days to attend an Oracle Developer User-Groups conference. Apart from running from one session to another, and trying to cover more than one session at the same time, I got to meet some Oracle Gurus up close. I've been commenting as GND in the PL/SQL Evangelist, Steven Feuerstein's blog, and had mentioned that I'd stop by and say hello. Which I did.
Later during lunch, he occupied an empty seat in the same table as mine. So we got chatting, and I found out he's a vegetarian too, for different reasons though. He sticks to a vegetarian diet more for health, and I'm one cos that's how I've been raised. And, its one thing I haven't been able to change...
Anyways, had this conversation -
Me: "Steven, Whatever your answer is, please say Yes."
SF: "OK!"
Me: "Have you ever stopped by my blog?"
SF: "I'm sorry, No! But that's because I only read 2-3 blogs on a regular basis..."
Didn't you hear a word I said?? You could've just humored me and said 'Yes' like I requested...Sigh!!

I do know his time is more valuable than reading my rants :)

The next day, I stopped by to ask him a question on one of his sessions. After answering my question, he told me -
SF: "Oh, by the way, I took a look at your blog yesterday. So, you have two girls, huh?"
I was bowled! How cute is that?? In the midst of prepping for a whole slew of 1-2 hour sessions, he took the time to visit my blog!
I don't remember what I said to him, but I hope it was not something stupid!!!!

Belated Wishes

Here's wishing everyone a long-overdue "Happy Deepavali"!!

I remember a few years ago, even before kids, I told Pup, "This coming so-and-so day is Deepavali." He said, "Oh? OK!"
And that was it. Most years, a quick prayer, and some fruits took care of most of our festivities, including Deepavali! Not very proud of slacking in our traditions, but come to think of it, I think I lost interest way back...When we all started growing up and moving out!

In our younger days, Deepavali used to be such a grand affair. My mom and grandma with some help from my 2 aunts (dad's sisters), made enough "bakshanam" (a.k.a. goodies) and "marunthu" to last our huge families for weeks - 10 kids and about 8 adults. The shopping for clothes, the crackers, the obscene amount of bakshanam we ate without a worry about loading carbs, calories, or fats...sigh! Fun days they were!!
All of my cousins came over to our place and we had a blast! Literally, during Deepavali...I'm just going to say "Diwali" now - easier to type ;)

Slowly, everyone started growing up, out-of-state colleges happened, then weddings happened and it was simply not the same anymore!!

That is really not an excuse for not having the Diwali spirit, I know! When either set of parents visit us, we do celebrate very well. By celebrate I mean eat a lot, buy new clothes, and eat some more.

I did buy new clothes this year, for the girls at least. It was Sunday before Diwali, and we went to I-HOP for breakfast, like we do every few weeks...On our way back, we decided to celebrate Diwali. When we got back home, made a paste of "nalangu", applied it on the girls feet and then applied some oil while murmuring a "Thank-you God for Everything" prayer. This was really exciting for the girls...

While T1 and T2 were having a bath, I attempted to make the ever-popular 7-cup cake, which turned out to be neither 7-cups nor a cake :)
I decided to reduce the 3-cups of sugar to 2, reduced 1 cuppa ghee to a little less than 3/4, added maida and besan in my own quantities...
The only thing that was true to its measure was the milk.
Oh, and my cups were not really "Cups"...they measured maybe 2/3 of a cup, so I made just enough :)
Could I change the recipe anymore???
I know it all right?

But the joke was on me. The 7-cup cake turned out to be a Whatchamacallit Halwa. I was too scared to let it sit on the stove for too long. So I promptly removed it right after the concoction stopped sticking to the sides - hence the halwa consistency. But it tasted pretty good! T1 "tried" and finished one, which is great - she is very resistant to trying new things. T2 gulped most of the 20 or so pieces over 2-3 days, and against our will, so did Pup and I.

I must have sounded totally obnoxious to a few people by how I shuddered at adding all that ghee! Really!! Come to think of it, over the past few years, I have either made Kheer or chakra pongal, or those quick n easy microwave-cooked halwas (carrot halwa, beetroot halwa, chikoo halwa...), neither of which really require more than a teaspoon of ghee...
Or I've conveniently used store-bought goodies and ignored the fact
:)

Bygones..cooked and eaten! Enjoyed while it lasted!

So ya, that was our Diwali this year.

Happy Halloween!

I'm always running behind on posts that I want to write...so it's no surprise that I'm wishing you now, few days after the fact...
Happy Halloween!

Ours started off a week before the Big day with a no-food, no-candy Halloween Party organized by members in our county's chapter of Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). The main idea was to enjoy Halloween without having to stress about allergic reactions.
I offered to volunteer, though for the most part all I did was read emails going back and forth.
It was amazing to see the spirit some of these people have.
One had ordererd 50 medium-sized pumpkins and 50 sets of glue-it pumpkin decorations, another made 50 goody bags that kids could decorate,
one had put together a ghost poop race using packing peanuts (that's the only kind of nuts we'd see in our Party :)
and so much more!!
We decided to bring in something to drink - water, apple and grape juices, which were my contribution.
The venue being a Public library, all the children quietly paraded around before picking out their "Treats".
Again, no-food treats...but such amazing stuff, including halloween pencils, stickers, tatoos, straws, skeletons and so much more!
Over all, it was a wonderful 2 hours of fun...

I was in Chicago for a couple of days last week for a conference.
Busy (fun-busy) two days! Got to meet some Amazing Gurus in my field, up close!
The girls were completely co-operative and made it easy for dad to have a smooth sailing.
Dad outdid himself and held the fort effortlessly.
Mommy's now thinking she should do these things more often ;)
Seriously, I think it did us all some good and has made us appreciate each other more.

But I got back in time for the big day!

I was quite excited too, to get dressed up and all...
I was this witch-dracula person...or whatever it is you call someone with a cape and an evil-eye make-up!!
T1 and T2 were Minnie-mouse at the Allergy Network Party.
T1 changed her mind at the last minute and wanted to be like mommy.
So we put together a costume using a dupatta as a cape, a black velvet dress and some glittery make-up.
T2 remained as Minnie mouse, although she was Ariel at her school's Halloween party.
Yeah! We are big on Disney!!

So we paraded around the Court with Chip, Dottie and a few other kids in the block, while Pup stayed home distributing (no-nut) candy to our neighborhood kids...
We ended the evening playing (Pup and me struggling, actually) Rock Band at Dottie's.

That was our Halloween 2008.

Kumon, I bid thee adieu...

I'm really fed up of being the bad guy!
From the kids' point of view.
I want to have fun with the girls, not spend a good part of the 180 minutes that I get with them every evening asking them to "do this and that", or "NOT do this or that"!

The bad act from me starts soon after we get home and sit on the table to have their milk and snack. They longingly look at my neighbor's yard, which is a direct view from our dining room. My neighbor's daughter, M, and a couple of other new kids in the block are having fun playing in their swing or simply running around...while two little girls of this working mom are scurrying their snack down, and getting ready to start homework.

To ease my guilt, I can't help but wonder, "Didn't I just pick up T1 from her after-school care, where she spent close to 2 hours playing, even had some gymnastics lessons-which she LOVES!
Didn't I pick up T2 from the huge play-ground in her pre-school"?

Here's the problem - we have the whole thing reversed! Fun first, get home tired, THEN complete HW.

OK!! Here's our schedule -

5.00 - pick up kids and reach home
5.00-5.30 - quick wash-up, feed em a snack (start cooking dinner).
5.30-6.45 - Kumon and homework and music/keyboard practice.
6.45-7.30 - Dinner
7.30-8.00 - Brush, wash-up, read and get ready for bed.

As you can see, there is really no minute to spare. And most days, with the two of them goofing around and having fun (???) in between this schedule, bedtime ends up getting pushed to almost 8.30pm.
What difference will 30 minutes do, you ask?? It shows the next morning!! That's what. If they are in bed by 8.00, they are both well-rested and wake up by themselves or with little help. Else, it's a tough chore, esply with T2.

We're basically over-worked every single day and try as we may, there are hardly any real fun-family-moments! And did I add the cooking, cleaning, and a broken dishwasher that we haven't had the time to replace?

So What's gonna give?

Plan A: Kumon Reading!
Plan B: Kumon Math AND Reading!

As far as I know, NO Plan A has ever worked. So I'm not even going to try.

So, as of 15 minutes ago, Pup and I have agreed to stick to Plan B.
It's happening next week.
After tomorrow's Kumon Ceremony!
After she gets a Trophy each for Math and Reading.
For being ahead of her Grade Level.
For working SO DARN hard every single day, with complaints or without.
For putting on a bright happy face to make it less of a deal.
For talking to her mind (or brain as she says) and making it come around and cheer up when she's not willing to do Kumon.
For doing all of this because she blindly trusts us.

Freedom from Kumon!! Just saying it makes me feel de-stressed.
I think she deserves this freedom! We can do more fun things and still learn some math along the way.

And maybe she can even step out on a weekday to play with her our neighbor M.

And the Moral of the Story is...?

Moral of the story is...Well I can't decide really. It can be one of the following -

1. Routines are for a reason - don't disrupt mine. I need amma in the mornings and appa in the evenings.
   Mommy drops me off, daddy picks me up. Could I be any more clear?


2. I think I may be making a switch to becoming mama's girl (dreaming on).

So which one is it?

Here's the "Story"...
Story within quotes because I'm quoting T2.
When I ask her about her day, she tells me something like this -
"In the first story, I ate pancakes for lunch".
"In the other story, Megan pushed Emma." (making up names).

Or, when I ask her if she slept well, She says -
"In the first story, I saw dinosaurs and it was so bloodishy..."
(Esply if we happened to read the Dinosaurs book at bedtime).

This girl here has taken the famous Shakespearen wisdom from "As you like it" that All the World's a Stage, a bit too literally.
But, she never ceases to crack me up everytime she does that!

Ok, back to the Story...It's a short one...

Our regular weekday routine is for daddy to leave in the wee hours of morning while the rest of the house is still sleeping.
Mommy then wakes up reluctantly, gets ready and then gets the girls ready for school by 7.20
After throwing some anti-jinx charms here, I boldly say that T2's morning tantrums are getting SO much better.
I am able to reason with her and prevent her from crying out loud almost all the time...
Other than my constant reminders to the girls to "GET MOVING", mornings are not much of a deal anymore.
After I manage to wake up, that is.

Unless, mommy and daddy switch roles. Then it's a completely different morning for all of us.
Daddy can't enjoy his quiet mornings,
mommy loves the extra hands and the extra sleep,
T1 loves it that Daddy is dropping her off,
but T2?
T2 behaves differently. She is thrilled to see daddy in the morning, but she gives daddy a hard time with everything!
The clothes, the bath, the brushing, the breakfast...(not in that order, of course)!!
And she wants daddy to do all of that, but not really!?

It's not easy for daddy either, who's completely spoilt with the peaceful mornings.

So what is it?
Do you think T2 is such a stickler to routine that as much as she loves having daddy in the mornings, she can't handle the change?
Or Is it true that my little shim-shim (one of my popular no-meaning endearments for the girls) is finally becoming a true mommy's girl?

I don't care what the truth is! I'm sticking with the second!

Milk, Cows and an Address

In an attempt to make the girls think laterally, T1 mostly, I've been throwing random questions at them...
Mostly math questions for T1. She can do addition and multiplication quite well, but I don't know if she knows why or when to use them...Hence this exercise.
My most common application involves apples - adding them and dividing them for a said number of people.

Yesterday, I was following a book to ask questions and I tried to see if they remember something they had seen about a year or two ago in an episode of Little Einsteins.

So I asked, "What's Milky way?"
T1 said, "It's part of an address!!"
T2 Promptly answered, "What comes from cows, amma!!!"

Need I say more??

The GM Diet Changed me!

A few weeks ago, I decided to do the GM diet after a two-liner request from cuz-P.
She said in the subject, "Do you want to do this?"
The Body of the email had a link explaining the diet, and she added, "I want company!"
That's it! The only question was when do we start this? I am at a point where I am desperate to lose more weight. But the "detoxifying effect" in the GM Diet intrigued me too.
A typical rule of the thumb for a healthy weight-loss is to get rid of a pound a week. Maybe 2. But the 10-17 pounds that the GM Diet claims you can lose sounded far-fetched. Don't they (God knows who "they" is) say that losing so much weight so fast can alter your personality? Well, I'll know in a week's time, I thought!

So, we eagerly tagged another friend, N along. Our journey started...
Day 1: Weighed in X pounds. Started it off enthusiastically with a glass of warm water and a splash of lemon. Ate an apple a little later. Couldn't let go of my morning coffee...so had a cuppa when I got to work - with creamer and Equal! What detox again?
Went to a grocery store near work to grab some cut fruits.
Whom did I run into at the store? None other than N, pushing her cart loaded with fruits. He, he. We whined about how tired we already were of this thing...Little did I know what's in store for me...
The store happened to run out of pre-boxed fruits. Disappointed, I packed a salad-bowl full of fruits from the open salad-bar. That's not the bad part. $12 (Ya, no kidding!) and 20 minutes later, I ended up trashing half my bowl, thanks to the rotten cantaloupe! I felt terrible. Just the fact that my ration halved, made me feel more hungry!!
Anyways, before I knew, the day was over with loads of watermelon and winter melon pieces...

Day 2: X-2 pounds. What a wonderful start with that baked Potato?? Mil usually gets done with cooking by 7.30, I had requested her to pop a whole potato in the cooker and she gladly did. What bliss!! Again, I cheated by eating it with some Benecol - yikes!!
I made some grilled veggies with hardly any oil, and no spices.
I took a salad with the grilled veggies to work, and a packet of microwavable veggies for a snack. I love the taste of grilled Eggplant. That smoked, burnt flavor with no extra spices to ruin the taste! Yum! I can do this all my life!
But the trio (me, cuz-P, and N) took turns whining, while the other two cheered and supported on (aka Whupped the whiner's A S S with strong words)...
This trend continued the rest of the week!
With uploads of Grilled veggies, 10 cups of water, and a few downloads (too much information??) later, we successfully ended our second day.

Day 3: X-3 Pounds. A little disappointed. Weighed myself again after a shower. Still the same! I often weigh myself 4-5 times in 10 minutes with the scale in different angles. What am I thinking? That my Mirror on the floor will tell me that I am the lightest of all? A girl can dream, can't she?

A mix of veggies and fruits today. More grilled veggies, wonder soup, and fruits (good, fresh ones, this time).

Beginning to feel different now. I mean right now, as I type this. I just did a bottoms up of Pup's drink...Don't know what it had, looked liked Mango Juice to me...
Wonder what it's spiked with!

Day 4: X-4.5 Pounds: Hey! Every ounce counts! I'm THAT desperate!
Lovely, lovely day! Bananas and milk. More bananas and milk. And some more.
You think you like bananas and milk? Try the GM Diet. Then we'll talk!
But seriously, I stopped craving for my morning coffee. And Afternoon coffee. But I had them cos of habit. I actually dumped half my afternoon coffee cos I really did not enjoy it! Hmmm....Personality beginning to change here??? Interesting!

Day 5: X-5.5 Pounds. One more pound lighter today! I could eat rice! Yippety Yip YAY!
This is the opposite of a cuss word. I was enthralled!! What could be better than eating rice after 4 long days of none??
You think? I ate less than the stipulated cup!
Really! I made a pot of tomato rasam and ate it as soup and sometimes mixed with rice. I lost interest in the 4-day old GM wonder soup, and was too lazy to make more.

Day 6: X-5.5 Pounds. Again!! No loss of weight! Must be the rice! It happened to be a festival day - Aavani avittam - the sacred-thread-changing ceremony! The only real festival for men! So loads of goodies that MIL had cooked. Being a saturday, I did not have the luxury of my GM-weight-watchers (cuz-P and N). I was on my own for the weekend!
But I behaved. Better than I thought I would. I ate a spoonful of everything that MIL had cooked, more for sentimental reasons than for cravings.

Man! That mango drink I gulped a few minutes ago was DEFINITELY spiked!

Day 7: X-5.5 pounds, again!! I have to act fast. This weekend thing was not helping! Plus the less fiber in my diet was not helping either...I felt bloated, and did not lose any weight.
Have you ever heard of watermelon juice described as beautiful? You will, now!
I drank a beautiful cup of gingered watermelon juice. Yum, yum, yum, yum, YUM! And I ate less rice and more veggies hoping I'd lose some weight, and also hoping I'd get rid of the what I was eating - out, Kaput!
;)

Day 8: Wait a minute!! The GM Diet is a 7 day gig. What was I doing on day 8? Weighing myself, of course!!
X-6.5 pounds!

That's what I lost - a whole 6.5 pounds. And for a change, around the love handles, mid-tiers, whatever you call them flabby abs!
My 5 days a week of intense workouts did not do this to me. My running did not do this to me. But the GM Diet sure did! Added with a little yoga (15-20 minutes) everyday. I have a normal BMI for the 5 feet and 8 inches of me - After more than 7 years!! I'm Thrilled beyond words. Thanks cuz-P (who also lost 7 LBs, N lost 10 LBs).

You know what? It's been more than the weight loss for me! Like I pointed out earlier, "They" say that drastic weight losses can change your personality! It sure did! A month later, I have kept off most of what I lost. And better yet, my sweet cravings have drastically gotten better! I loathe myself everytime I have to eat out now, as opposed to finding excuses to eat out.
This past week, I did not really plan well, so haven't been packing lunches => eating out. The first time in years that I have felt SO horrible about eating out! (Well, could also be the bug I saw in my sambhar today at that place - I can't get myself to call it a restaurant - Dottie gave it the perfect name, "hole-in-the-wall". It's .3 mile from my work, Usually great food, but eating there builds your resistance, if you know what I mean...)

Anyways, usually the left-over mysore-paks that I bought on Sunday for some visitors, would have been trashed into my tummy within hours. But they've been sitting there the whole week, and I finally relented and ate one yesterday (and another one today after the Spiked Mango Juice)...

So, that's it! I'm glad the GM Diet has changed me for the better and am gladder that my Morning Yoga is still going steady - not everyday, but...it's going. There was one day that I worked out for a laughable 4 minutes. 1 minute of surya-namsakar, 1 minute each of kapal bhatis, anulom-viloms, and regular breathing...

After our success, sis-S tried it, sis-U tried to try it, and another cuz-R and his wife J tried it too.

I myself am willing to go for another bout of this - maybe my own condensed 5-day GND-Diet. All I need is another 2-liner email from cuz-P after she gets back from her 10th Anniversary-celebration in Paris and Switzerland.

Quick Quips...

A short and sweet note with a couple of laughs -

T1's first PJ - The poor girl has been trying hard for a while now to devise her own joke...and we, laugh along just to humor her...if not for the joke, surely for her question at the end - "Get it??"
But she finally made one up.

Why does a duck quack?


Because it can't Moo! That's why!!

I was doing a MathWizard worksheet with T2. The problem was to circle what's odd.
There was a cat, a dog, a bear, an elephant and an airplane.
T2 took a good look at it, thought for a second and confidently said, "The Animals!"
Who can argue with that?

First Week of Public School

First week of school -
Day1: The girls woke up in time and got ready with so much enthusiasm...it was unbelievable!! T1 can be such a dear if she wishes! We were ready ahead of time and promptly went to the bus stop. I was pretty darn sure, I'd be crying like crazy. But surprisingly, did not! I think I was too overwhelmed. But I did cry the weekend before when watching Mamma Mia! Esply, when the song "Slipping Through My Fingers" was playing - wasn't that the song that Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried sing just before the Wedding Day? Silly me!
Anyways, After the bus left, I drove to T2's daycare to drop her off and went off to work. I was having First-Day Jitters! I tried hard not to worry about whether or not T1 found her classroom, or if she was doing ok. I should give her more credit.
I decided to let T1 take the After-care bus without my help. I called them around 3PM to see if she got in alright and they confirmed that she was doing A-OK!
I left work at 4.00 to pick her up.
I had sent lunch from home. She forgot her lunch bag in school. No surprise there...She'll get used to it (or I will :)
Her bag's zipper was open and there was a tonne of material (forms and stuff) that could have easily slipped off.
So we had a quick talk about keeping her things in order (and she hasn't let me down since then).
Her first day was great! Ms.D read a book about First Day Jitters, and helped ease the "butterflies in their stomach" (Im sure she copied Ms.D's words). She made a couple of new friends, got familiar with the school's layout...
As a part of getting to know the kids, Ms.D had asked to send 3-5 items that best describe T1. T1 wanted to take a crayon (She loves to draw), her ice-skating camp T-Shirt, a book, and pack of go-Fish cards (she loves to play she said).
All her choices. She also wanted to add her $2 mic that we bot (cos she loves to sing) but it was a little too big to fit in the small brown bag.
By 7.30 or so, she was ready to drop.
Overall, I'd say a busy and fun first day.
Day 2: Similar morning...
We wanted her to get used to buying from the cafeteria when there was help.
But I decided to join her for lunch and familiarize with the process too.
We had pre-paid about $50 bucks into her account (which was already set up).
I went to school and arrived there a few minutes before their lunch time. The class was waiting outside the cafeteria, playing some games (moderated by Ms.D) to kill time. Soon they went in and most kids sat on the table allocated for Ms.D's class with their packed lunches, while the others (me included) formed a line to order our lunch. We stood at the very end of the line and waited.

The two veggie options were Cheese-sticks and cheese pizza (or bagel) with fruits, veggies, milk, yogurt, etc...
T1 reminded the staff there that she's allergic to nuts, and doesn't eat meat. I was a bit worried that it was like fresh news to this person. Like she did not expect it.
Anyways, she decided to take a slice of pizza, some corn, and a carton of milk, and I took the cheese sticks with apples.
After she entered her ID (aka paid), we went to pick a spot...We had to sit in the middle of the table, with all the corners occupied already.
On my way out, I mentioned to another Cafeteria staff about her allergies and that we were told that she would be sitting in one corner of the table, etc...
And again, she told me that she had no idea about her allergies! I'm sure its too early to put a face to the names they must have been given, but it looked like she did not even have a list!
I was disappointed...and promptly sent an email to the Principal and Ms.D expressing my concerns.
Later on Day2: Heard from the Principal that she will discuss the issue with the Clinic Aide and get back to me.
Day 3: One of the first emails I got was from the Principal. She had reviewed our health plan and discussed it with the teacher to make sure T1 will be in the corner of the table. And, the class teacher had formally informed the cafeteria staff about T1's allergies.
Of course, part of the responsibility is in T1's hands to make sure she requests to be seated in a corner, and never to share any food in the first place!
And the bigger responsibility is on us to remind her time and again (as we have been doing the past few years) until it becomes second nature to her!

I knew I had good reason to lose sleep the past two weeks.

Day 4: Got a note from Ms.D asking to sign a consent to give lollipops to T1 as an occassional treat. I have two issues here.
i) Why Lollipops as Treats??? Kids love stickers and stamps! Wouldn't that suffice?
ii) Since when did lollipops have nuts? Have I managed to become an unpopular parent for worrying about my daughter's safety??? In less than 4 days????

Risking more unpopularity, I asked Ms.D these questions. NO! Not in the same words!
I asked her how often the kids will be treated with Lollipops, and asked her where she gets them treats from!
She replied back saying that it will not be very often (If the kids do something above and beyond expectations). And she sent me a link to the store and kind of lollipops she buys.
Actually, turns out there is a small note at the end of the website link she sent that says "Product may contain traces of peanuts". So that's that!

She was genuinely concerned! I was over-reacting!! I read the entire page umpteen times before seeing this note!!

So, no lollipops for my dear baby...Will have to send in something else from home...

Other than that, the rest of the week went by fast and without new incidents. She loves her school and after-care, and we love it that she loves it.

Mommy's now a much less nervous wreck than she was a week ago...and eagerly looking forward to the new school year!

Need a break or I'll break!

You have NO idea how over-worked my mind is/ has been the past few weeks!
And it's about T1 starting Public School...

Why would this be SO different from her Kindergarten?
These were my thoughts before the open house and back to school nite...not in any particular order!
1. It's a totally new place.
2. It's much much bigger than her other school.
They prolly have to walk a mile each day getting from one class to another, to the cafetaria, the gym, the playground, etc...
(No, I am NOT complaining about the walking part, just trying to bring out the vastness of the school).
3. Completely new faces, from the teacher to her classmates, to the Principal...
4. Eating at the cafetaria. All I had to do last year was sit down with her, go over the veggie menu and let her pick the days she wanted us to buy from school. Then the teachers it served to them...
Now, on the other hand, she has to memorize her ID and use it on the key-pad if she were buying lunch
(At least we have the option to pre-pay, and she does not have to handle money...)
5. Logistics of how the heck am I going to get both kids ready by 7.20 and rush to the bus-stop!
(At that point, all I knew was an estimate of the bus-arrival time).
At least now, my in-laws are here and I can leave T2 home and drop T1 and come back, in the worst case...
But what happens after this month?? (T2 usually wakes up around 7.30...if it's 8.00 she loves it better)!
Just doesn't make sense for Pup to leave so late everyday...
Traffic's a b i t c h around here. Even 15 minutes make a huge difference for his already long commute, so 2hrs certainly will.
Also, I'd rather we spend more time together in the evening...
6. And if I have to make the mornings work, I have to get them to bed by 8.00! Which means I have to be up by 5.00 (if I have any intentions of continuing my already getting-fewer kapal bhatis).
And this also means dinner at 6.30 and start bed-time routine at 7.30. And somewhere in there squeeze in HWs and Kumon and 15-minute reading...
Talk about life-style change!
7. Travel changes for her - taking one bus to school in the morning, take another to after-care in the evening.
8. Not forgetting to bring back her backpack or her lunchbag or HW! (I was sure I'd have to buy at least 10 new lunch bags this year)...
Even the previous years, it's been her responsibility, but we picked her up from school, so we were able to check her bag and make sure everything was there...
9. New academic structure, new HW patterns, etc...
10.Her food and seasonal allergies, of course! This is prolly what has been my biggest cause for concern!
How much can I educate her? How can I bring every possible situation to her attention? Or even know what to tell her?
Everyone has been telling me how vocal she is and how she's going be fine...
But as true as it is, it is not really true! Does that even make sense?
She "can" be very vocal, if she is not distracted, that is! When she's with friends or other kids, she "completely" forgets all rules!
She does not stop to think, even though we have been re-iterating it to her more than we like.
I'm almost like a "thenja" tape - a worn-out tape - playing the rules over and over again. Until I actually see her in action following the rules, I will keep telling her the rules and will keep asking her to repeat after me!
- NO SHARING - NO accepting food from other kids even if you have eaten them before, you do not know if they had peanut butter -
- NO SHARING - Wash your hands before and after eating (let's hope the other kids do it too) - NO SHARING - NO SHARING - NO SHARING.

How the Back-to-School and Open-House Events changed some of my worries -
1. It won't be totally new to her now...She's seen the entrance, her classroom, teacher, classmates, and a little bit more of the building...
2. Is is much bigger than I thought it would be! Good heavens!!
3. At least she knows her teacher and the assistant teacher now by face...and a couple of classmates that she said hi to (and sad a bit that one kid did not say hi back :)
4. I found out that her school does not do a separate table for kids with allergies! sigh! they will be made to sit at one end of the table is all...
But the cafetaria folks will know that Tanvi has Nut Allergies.
There will be helpers the first week to help the kids use the keypad to buy their food.
5. Still an issue!!
6. Still an issue!!
7. Again, volunteers will be helping to guide children in and out of school.
Her after-care center had already contacted the school to make arrangements.
Her teacher made a note of each kids' PM arrangements for the first day, as well as every regular day...
That was the most important piece of info they collected from us.
May be I'll follow her school-bus and see if she gets in ok...and then again when school closes to see if she gets in the right after-care bus.
8. Still an issue!!
9. Lots of homework to come, lots of assessments to take place...
But, most often homeworks are going to be given out on Mondays and not due until Fridays.
We'll have time. Not so bad...
10.Talked to the principal, who was very accomodating and directed me to the School clinic Aide.
She switched T1's classroom to another where there were already 2 kids with Peanut Allergies.
That was thoughtful!
Met with the school Nurse/clinic Aide (whatever she's called...), handed in the necessary paper-work and Benadryl and Epipen (hoping that it never gets used, of course).
She said the cafetaria staff and specials teachers will all have a list of the children with food allergies (and other health issues like diabetes, seizures, etc...) Goodness! Scary, innit??
Her Class teacher, Ms.D, has a lot of experience with kids having food allergies and is comfortable administering an Epi.
I volunteered to help in anyway to bring an awareness to other kids and parents. Prolly sounded like a paranoid parent! Which I was!!

I think I felt a little better after those meetings. Thanks to our Local Allergy Network for Educating me and others like me.
Even though I'm more worried now, I'm glad I have the information!!
I knew what to do, what to expect, what to request, what questions to ask - wouldn't have dreamt of asking them otherwise...
Thanks guys!!