Back!

Hi All!

I'm back after a month long break. I haven't been very regular with blogging and I can't promise I will be either.

Christmas was good. I spent Christmas day moning with my husband's family and that afternoon Nanma and I took a long train ride to Kerala for my cousin's wedding where we had a happy family reunion. From there my family went down to my lovely little hometown where we attended another wedding among all the family bonding that happened.

On New Years eve we took the train back to Chennai and spent the first day of the new year with Ashwin's family. We then attended another cousin's wedding where I met 2 long lost friends and 2 blog readers!

Ashwin also had to have a small ear surgery and had to undergo several tests for his sleep apnea. Nanma started going to a new playschool - one just opposite our house. Not the best start to the New Year, but I'm not complaining.

What I loved about the holidays

1. FAMILY! We had so much fun travelling together on the train. Our tickets from Kerala to ODC (my hometown) were booked separately by the 3 families travelling. We were 12 in all and while checking to see how far away our berths were scattered we had the utterly jubilant surprise of finding that all 12 berths booked from 3 different parts of the country were side by side in the same coach!! We had so much fun playing UNO and snacking away on biscuits and murukku just like when we were kids!
2. The only thing better than having a great set of cousins is to get married and discover that your husband has an awesome set of cousins too! The wedding in Chennai was so much fun. Their family has a nice tradition of celebrating the bride/groom's "night before". The cousins put up an entertaining show for the family and Ashwin and I had the horror pleasure of dancing to a few funny choreographed numbers in true Bollywood style.
3. This "Night Before" party was at a posh hotel and just as we were driving out, Nanma said with a sigh "This is how to have a nice time!" The rest of us in the car burst out laughing at the aptness of her words. Of course by "nice time" she meant the time she and her cousins spent running up and down the rows of chairs chasing each other.
4. Ashwin was originally suppossed to have 3 surgeries in January. We were quite worried about these but by God's grace he only needed to have one small surgery. We also found out that one of the things he is allergic to is milk - something he has every single day in the form of coffee and curd. Anyway after cutting milk from his diet, he is so much better!
5. Once again . . . FAMILY!!! I am grateful more than ever now, for my wonderful family that rallied together when we needed support. I count myself very blessed to have 2 supercalifragistically wonderful sets of parents! I love you Appa, Amma, Papa, Mummy!

Now after enjoying 3 weeks as a stay at home mom, I am now a working mom once again. My kids at school and I were swapping holiday stories. I told them I went to 3 weddings.

One little boy asked me "What means wedding?"

I told him its the day a man and a woman get married. I made a clasping gesture with my hands.

He looked shocked. "3?? Ms. Deepa? You?"

"yes"

"Then you lay 3 babies?"

"WhaaaaaaT??

I think I need to start my next lesson asserting that I am a woman and not a hen! And then maybe find a more appropriate gesture for the word 'Wedding.'