Little Bear does not like french fries.
The reason, I am recording this rather trivial event is to inform him when he reads this blog someday years from now when he is not 'little' anymore. Probably some day when he has just finished a plate of french fries, chips or some other greasy food which are not a part of Little Bear's meals today.
We are a pretty health conscious family. We eat balanced meals usually using organic foods, try to work-out regularly and stay away from empty carbs. We payt a lot of attention to Little Bear's meals to make sure they are packed with all the essential nutrients, protein and fat. I do this because I have a feeling that as he grows older, more independent and exposed to what most of the world is eating,he will want to decide his meals, opting for the fatty, greasy, sugar laden foods that he was deprived of in his early years. Perhaps the foods he eats now will more than offset the bad foods he eats in the future.
So Little Bear, if you are reading this, remember that once upon a time not to0o long ago you did not like french fries.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Off to school!
Unlike this blog which has seen little activity in a while, life in the Little Bear household has been busy and eventful.
We are having a blast with the little fella and are enjoying spending time with him. Occasionally, the Terrible Twos make their appearance and that too with a vegeance. We are dealing with discipline issues, lots of talking back, whining for no apparent reason and the decibel level in the house has suddenly quadrupled. All this, coupled with late bedtimes has left this blog sorely neglected but we are back to report some recent developments.
Last week, Little Bear started preschool at a local Montessori. We have been convinced that our son would thrive in the hands-on, peaceful and pleasant learning environment that a Montessori school provides and were looking forward to this event all summer .
Little Bear had mixed feelings about going to school. He was excited about the prospect of new toys at school but not so excited about other children being there too ...more kids means sharing of toys and we are not a fan of that!
So Monday, August 11th rolled around and we were all scramblng to get him ready for school. Dressed in brand new clothes and shoes, Little Bear posed for pictures with Amma and Appa and then a little reluctantly sat in the car. School begins at 8:45 am and ends at noon. We have a car pool lane to drop and pick him, a feature I was not sure about but one that I have begun to love.
When I picked him at noon that first day, his face bore a tired battered look. I knew he had cried some and was clearly overwhelmed. His teacher informed me that he had spent most of the morning crying and she had held him the whole time. The only 'activity' he had seemed to enjoy was sweeping the garden.
The first week, was a mixed bag of not wanting to go to school and crying. The following week, things were a little better. He had discovered another activity he liked - window washing. And between sweeping the garden, window washing and 'reading' the books, he seemed a content little bear.
The only source of concern for me was that he was not eating his snack at school. The school expected the kids to help themselves to the snack to encourage independence and Little Bear is not used to that. So, I sent him off to school with a gentle reminder everyday to get a snack or ask the teacher for it if he was not sure how to serve himself...But everyday at noon, when I picked him up, he was starving and informed me that I did not get a snack because there was none...Clearly, he was a little intimidated with the idea of getting a snack himself, and needed some help to overcome this fear.
Finally, I used the tried and tested last resort in parenting, one that has a track record of success but is usually frowned upon by idealists. I bribed the boy. The prize would be a new fire engine to add to his fleet of 'whee-oos' and he would get one, if he got a snack at school the next day. Papa bear reminded him about the prize when he dropped him that morning.
When I picked Little Bear at school the next day, the teacher proudly told me that he had had a wonderful day.Also, he ate a snack she announced. My heart swelled with pride and I glanced at the boy,who looked at me gleefully and opened his mouth to remind me about the impending trip to Toys r us. I hastily pulled the car off the car pool and drove home, with Little Bear rattling off the exact specifications of the fire engine he wanted - it had to have a ladder, a bucket, 2 firemen, a hose and should make a sound ...
We are having a blast with the little fella and are enjoying spending time with him. Occasionally, the Terrible Twos make their appearance and that too with a vegeance. We are dealing with discipline issues, lots of talking back, whining for no apparent reason and the decibel level in the house has suddenly quadrupled. All this, coupled with late bedtimes has left this blog sorely neglected but we are back to report some recent developments.
Last week, Little Bear started preschool at a local Montessori. We have been convinced that our son would thrive in the hands-on, peaceful and pleasant learning environment that a Montessori school provides and were looking forward to this event all summer .
Little Bear had mixed feelings about going to school. He was excited about the prospect of new toys at school but not so excited about other children being there too ...more kids means sharing of toys and we are not a fan of that!
So Monday, August 11th rolled around and we were all scramblng to get him ready for school. Dressed in brand new clothes and shoes, Little Bear posed for pictures with Amma and Appa and then a little reluctantly sat in the car. School begins at 8:45 am and ends at noon. We have a car pool lane to drop and pick him, a feature I was not sure about but one that I have begun to love.
When I picked him at noon that first day, his face bore a tired battered look. I knew he had cried some and was clearly overwhelmed. His teacher informed me that he had spent most of the morning crying and she had held him the whole time. The only 'activity' he had seemed to enjoy was sweeping the garden.
The first week, was a mixed bag of not wanting to go to school and crying. The following week, things were a little better. He had discovered another activity he liked - window washing. And between sweeping the garden, window washing and 'reading' the books, he seemed a content little bear.
The only source of concern for me was that he was not eating his snack at school. The school expected the kids to help themselves to the snack to encourage independence and Little Bear is not used to that. So, I sent him off to school with a gentle reminder everyday to get a snack or ask the teacher for it if he was not sure how to serve himself...But everyday at noon, when I picked him up, he was starving and informed me that I did not get a snack because there was none...Clearly, he was a little intimidated with the idea of getting a snack himself, and needed some help to overcome this fear.
Finally, I used the tried and tested last resort in parenting, one that has a track record of success but is usually frowned upon by idealists. I bribed the boy. The prize would be a new fire engine to add to his fleet of 'whee-oos' and he would get one, if he got a snack at school the next day. Papa bear reminded him about the prize when he dropped him that morning.
When I picked Little Bear at school the next day, the teacher proudly told me that he had had a wonderful day.Also, he ate a snack she announced. My heart swelled with pride and I glanced at the boy,who looked at me gleefully and opened his mouth to remind me about the impending trip to Toys r us. I hastily pulled the car off the car pool and drove home, with Little Bear rattling off the exact specifications of the fire engine he wanted - it had to have a ladder, a bucket, 2 firemen, a hose and should make a sound ...
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
I would ....
I keep this handy and refer to it very often ...Beautiful lines and words to live by for every parent...
If I had my child to raise over again
I'd build self-esteem first and the house later
I'd finger paint more and point the finger less
I would do less correcting and more connecting
I'd take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes
I would care to know less and know to care more
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites
I'd stop playing serious and seriously play
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars
I'd do more hugging and less tugging
I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often
I would be firm less often and affirm much more
I'd model less about the love of power
And more about the power of love.
Diane Loomans
If I had my child to raise over again
I'd build self-esteem first and the house later
I'd finger paint more and point the finger less
I would do less correcting and more connecting
I'd take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes
I would care to know less and know to care more
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites
I'd stop playing serious and seriously play
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars
I'd do more hugging and less tugging
I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often
I would be firm less often and affirm much more
I'd model less about the love of power
And more about the power of love.
Diane Loomans
Happy 21/2 Years
Little Bear is 30 months old (21/2)..I thought this milestone deserved a post because so much seems to have changed overnight. I feel like the baby in my son is slowly diminishing and he is morphing into this little person, with a very obvious personality, real likes and dislikes. He continues to surprise us with his conversations and wise observations. Of course, we are also in the throws of the terrible twos, so we also see his not-so-pleasant-moods but for the most part we are in awe of this little being and completely in love with him.
Little Bear is very very vocal. At dinner time, when I put a spoon of cauliflower curry on his plate, my fussy eater instantly popped a floret in his mouth and commented 'Oh! I thought this was spicy but it is NOT'...He's able to amuse himself and play alone in the living room when I am in the kitchen. He does not follow me around the kitchen anymore pleading for a ladle, the pressure cooker or my attention..He treats his stuffed animals like babies making sure they are fed, bathed and tucked to sleep. Of course when he is a bad mood, the poor dog and bunny are the first to see his wrath when he flings them across the room..When we sneeze he exclaims loudly 'BLESS YOU!!!' Of course, he expects the same from us when he sneezes and if we forget to 'bless' he'll remind us saying 'I just sneezed ..please bless'
We are still working on trying to get him to eat on his own. His love-hate relationship with milk continues. He loves Mac and cheese and pasta.
He used to regularly say/repeat Sanskrit prayers in the morning and at bed-time. Now, he shows a lot of resistance to even repeating it after us …But he does love singing Lord Ayappa songs ..
His favorite toys continue to be the fire-engne, bull dozer and dump trucks. He dislikes puzzles and coloring …Mama is hoping this changes soon…
Disagreements about TV time are at a new high in our household. Little Bear thinks it can be negotiated, Mama and Papa bear think this is a ridiculous request and so the arguments continue. As far as favorites go, he still loves to watch Barney and Little Bear on TV. But is not picky about his shows and can be entertained with ANYTHING on TV...CNN, golf, Oprah, anything…
He is showing some affinity to dancing. He likes to dance/sway to ‘Sona Sona’ music and emulates the Big B’s moves.
He greets strangers with a hearty ‘Hello’ and then quickly looks away. Sometimes if the said stranger is a pretty blonde, he may even follow the ‘hello’ with an introduction of whoever is with him like ‘This is my mother’..
Recently, when he was sick with a nasty summer cold, he pleaded with me.’Amma, please give me bitter medicine so I will feel better.’ That nearly broke my heart. After a few days, I got the cold he had had, and when I complained one evening that I was completely worn out and very tired he told me with a very somber look on his face and his arms flexed…’Amma, you should not say,. You have no energy. You should say I have strong energies, and then you will feel better’
Happy 21/2 Years, Little Bear!
Little Bear is very very vocal. At dinner time, when I put a spoon of cauliflower curry on his plate, my fussy eater instantly popped a floret in his mouth and commented 'Oh! I thought this was spicy but it is NOT'...He's able to amuse himself and play alone in the living room when I am in the kitchen. He does not follow me around the kitchen anymore pleading for a ladle, the pressure cooker or my attention..He treats his stuffed animals like babies making sure they are fed, bathed and tucked to sleep. Of course when he is a bad mood, the poor dog and bunny are the first to see his wrath when he flings them across the room..When we sneeze he exclaims loudly 'BLESS YOU!!!' Of course, he expects the same from us when he sneezes and if we forget to 'bless' he'll remind us saying 'I just sneezed ..please bless'
We are still working on trying to get him to eat on his own. His love-hate relationship with milk continues. He loves Mac and cheese and pasta.
He used to regularly say/repeat Sanskrit prayers in the morning and at bed-time. Now, he shows a lot of resistance to even repeating it after us …But he does love singing Lord Ayappa songs ..
His favorite toys continue to be the fire-engne, bull dozer and dump trucks. He dislikes puzzles and coloring …Mama is hoping this changes soon…
Disagreements about TV time are at a new high in our household. Little Bear thinks it can be negotiated, Mama and Papa bear think this is a ridiculous request and so the arguments continue. As far as favorites go, he still loves to watch Barney and Little Bear on TV. But is not picky about his shows and can be entertained with ANYTHING on TV...CNN, golf, Oprah, anything…
He is showing some affinity to dancing. He likes to dance/sway to ‘Sona Sona’ music and emulates the Big B’s moves.
He greets strangers with a hearty ‘Hello’ and then quickly looks away. Sometimes if the said stranger is a pretty blonde, he may even follow the ‘hello’ with an introduction of whoever is with him like ‘This is my mother’..
Recently, when he was sick with a nasty summer cold, he pleaded with me.’Amma, please give me bitter medicine so I will feel better.’ That nearly broke my heart. After a few days, I got the cold he had had, and when I complained one evening that I was completely worn out and very tired he told me with a very somber look on his face and his arms flexed…’Amma, you should not say,. You have no energy. You should say I have strong energies, and then you will feel better’
Happy 21/2 Years, Little Bear!
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