Just like every other person, weekday mornings are the craziest time for me too. The main part of the day when I do all the talking, shouting, rushing and running starts from the moment I wake up my daughter. It doesn’t stop till my son and I come back home after dropping her in school.

Having always been like ‘Jab We Met’ Kareena Kapoor who rushes and catches her train, getting ready in leisure and walking to the bus stop unhurriedly has never been something that I have done in almost the last decade! Even when I didn’t have any commitment in life or any cooking or household chore to be done! But just like Kareena, I always managed to catch the bus on time. 🙂
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All through my school, there was one complaint from all the teachers – I didn’t talk at all! Anybody who knows me when I was in school would know that except for a few close friends, I hardly talked with anybody else. Any guests at home would always wonder why I never talked.

Though I changed a bit over the years from a complete introvert to, say, a semi-introvert, it was only in the last few years that I changed for the worse – of course, I didn’t stop and chat with every Tom, Dick and Harry I met, but I was suddenly using my voice all the time.
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As I collected my daughter’s new uniforms for her next academic year yesterday, I felt a wave of nostalgia. Of a longing for all those happy, carefree school days. Seeing the excitement on my daughter’s face while trying out her new uniforms, I remembered my own excitement. About how the summer vacations were always synonymous with getting new uniforms, getting new school books, covering them and choosing and sticking labels on each of them. And how each one of them seemed to be an important and exciting activity to both my sister and me. We both enjoyed going to school and rarely took leave. My daughter has taken after us and hates taking even a single day leave.

The smell of crisp, new clothes and new books, the excitement among the kids as each one got to find out which ‘House’ in their school they were assigned to, the cramped up room housing the new uniforms and books, the staff busy answering the queries of one parent and helping the other one get their new uniforms – the busy atmosphere always seen during these times in schools! It did bring back a lot of pleasant memories!

Back then, we never cared about new beginnings or taking a much-needed break for rejuvenating yourself for new beginnings! Starting primary school or joining a new school or the onset of holidays were just a part of life. Nobody around you kept talking about weekend or vacation plans. Nobody felt the need to document any thoughts, memories or opinions! Was there Facebook or WhatsApp back then?!

Wishing all you wonderful women a very happy women’s day!

My kids and I landed today morning in Singapore, but my husband is leaving from Madras only tonight. All through any conversation related to my vacation be it among my friends or relatives, I had to always say that’s how we got the tickets and we were okay with it. Yes there is no denying that it would be difficult for a few minutes for me when I will have to manage the luggage and two kids, especially considering the fact that I am a bit clumsy and to me, pushing a trolley without struggling itself is a big thing 😛 And not to forget the fact that I would have to come back to a house locked for several weeks, which means it was going to require cleaning up instantly.

What surprised me today morning was when the taxi driver asked me where is your husband when he saw me with two small kids and two big suitcases! He had several questions like is your husband working in Singapore, why isn’t he here and when he saw the little one asleep when we reached my apartment, he asked how will you carry the baby, the backpacks and the luggage!

Well, in the larger scheme of life, managing these for just a few minutes doesn’t really seem like a big thing to me. And guess what, for the first time, I managed all these so easily without struggling for even a second while pushing the trolley or while arranging the suitcases in the trolley. My little ones, as always, were so helpful all the while. The crying from them and the whining  from me would begin only later after the effect of sleepless night and exhaustion takes them (as well as me 😉 ) over tomorrow.

Ever since I resigned my job in January 2014, there have been several people – from close relatives to strangers, who have been asking me how do you pass your time all day! When I tell them I am a SAHM (Stay-At-Home-Mom – the new trendy abbreviation to use for a homemaker with kids, in case you didn’t know) who doesn’t how every single day passes by like a blink of an eye, some understood what crazy lifestyle it would be with little babies and doing all the household chores without help, but some didn’t.

It was just about 9 hours ago that my flight landed in Singapore after more than 2 hours delay in departure time. After spending a sleepless night in Madras airport, here I am sitting bleary-eyed and exhausted and typing away all that comes to my mind even as my home looks all messy and cluttered. Yes there are dishes to be done, floor to be swept and wiped, clothes to be washed. But a time like this when both the kids are sleeping during day time is a rarity and I don’t feel like clearing the clutter outside first without clearing the clutter within my mind. Writing has always been therapeutic for me during the last decade of my life.

On December 26th, 2016, I started writing the words “The hands itch to write about the wonderful vacation that I have been having the last few weeks – a vacation filled with several trips, a couple of Sanjay’s kutcheris, shopping,” As usual, I never got around to writing beyond this – call it lack of time or lack of motivation or just plain writer’s block!

Then, things took an about turn and suddenly, this vacation became too tiring. However, I will always continue to cherish the best parts of this vacation.

Wishing you all a very happy new year!