Where were YOU when we got married?

Little H2 was happily going through our wedding album until she realised that she was no where to be found. How do you explain to a 2 year old that she wasn't born yet? Her Akki solved the problem and told her that she was in Amma's tummy when the pictures were taken.

Many questions ensured during the course of the day.

"Ammi why did you get married?"
"Ammi don't get married because I want you!"

And when Thaaththi got home H2 told him all about the wedding album and told him "Ammi married you because she wants you!"

Trying to be funny Hubby asked, "Where were you when we married?" and H2 promptly replied, "In Ammi's Tummy!" Hubby then asked "Where was Akki then?" Without hesitating H2 replied "In YOUR tummy!"

Things H2 has been upto...

....since I last updated this blog:

1) Aththamma caught H2 with her head down a full  bucket of water when our helper Nandini left her alone for a second in the bathroom to bring a bottle of shampoo. Since this happened on Aththamma's watch, she is having nightmares about H2 drowning and has promptly put away all buckets and basins up on the roof! seriously!! I had to bring them down with the aid of a broom.

2) H2 nearly swallowed a coin and claimed it was a toffee that she was sucking. Luckily,  Nandini saw it and pulled it out of her mouth. Her Grandpa ordered us not to have any coins in the house and not to make any transactions with coins!! :)

3) I left H2 for half a second and when I got back she had a mouth full of something. Upon closer inspection it was revealed that she had a whole load of multivitamin tablets (which were for H1 and which said not for children under 5 years in the bottle!) in her mouth. It was 15 in total!! How they all  fit in that little mouth, I have no idea! Since I knew exactly how many were in the bottle (as we've just opened it and H1 only had two of the tablets) i knew she didn't swallow any. Phew! The "medicine box" now sits on top of a cupboard.

4) H2 locked her self in the bathroom and the door had to be broken down by my Hubby. This was while both my Husband and Aththamma was at home while getting her ready for school. The lock has been replaced at a height that is above 5 feet!

5) H2 emptied a whole bottle of baby powder on her head and was happily  combing her white hair when Nanda walked in on her. Oh how I wish that Nanda took a photo of H2.

6) Just a day after the baby powder incident She emptied a whole bottle of baby oil on her head. The said bottle was on top of a unreachable shelf that H2 managed to make reachable by climbing on H1's study chair!

What do I doooooooooooo?

Just one more

Adding to my last post,
H2 also sang, while settling down in bed last night,

Source and cupses, source and cupses
It's time for tea, it's time for tea....

She meant cups and saucers you think? ;)

Know any famous deers?

My H2 loves to sing....

She sings,

Old Mc Murder had a farm...

She also sings.

Do a dear, a famous deer....

Oh darn! I can't recall anymore...

OH! and the other day she came and said, "Happy Balentimes day Ammi!"

The Better World of Books!

PP's post on books started me on this post. (Thanks PP for introducing me to Goodreads!!)

I LURVE reading and I always wanted to keep a record of the books I've read but never got around to doing it. Then I saw PP's post on Goodreads and immediately started creating a list of books I've read. Just managed to add 168 of the books I've read. I also entered the challenge like she mentioned. Though I'd like to read 50 books at least this year, I have to be realistic. I mean how can a mother of two holding a 8 -5 job do all that reading? I read whenever I can, wherever I can...like in the toilet, while I have my lunch at work, while I put the kids to bed, during commercials while watching TV...I grab whatever second I can! Sometimes I read a book while string a pot of soup! So I kept the figure at 30, but as you can see I am already 14% ahead :) hmmmm...maybe I should change it to 50?

I have read Secret Adversary and Marley and Me before, but just like PP, I love re-reading the books I've already read and loved! (Believe it or not I've read Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone 14, YES! FOURTEEN times!!! :)) I am a sucker for fantasy stories...I still love my fairy tales :P

My idea of heaven would be a bookstore.I go nuts when I go into a book store. The smell of new books, the shelves full of books....sigh. Unfortunately for me, getting to a bookstore was a problem (funny enough, I don't like libraries. I guess it lacks the smell and the colours of a bookstore) because of my other commitments and finding the time to go to one was so difficult. That was until a friend introduced me to Betterworldbooks. Ah! I found my virtual heaven!!! It's FREE shipping people!! AND community service to boot! I don't mind that the books are not brand new (It's wonderful that someone else enjoyed them before I did and sometimes you get lovely surprises like little notes and cards forgotten by the earlier readers). You can get brand new ones if you wish, but I always shop in the bargain bin :)

I order about 7 books every month and it always costs me less than 4000 bucks. It's usually 5 books for me and two books for the kidos. That keeps me going till the next month's books arrive. Oh! the joy I feel when I see that book parcel waiting for me every month. The only downside is, the order takes about a month to reach you and there is no tracking facility (what did you expect for free shipping??) But if you pace it out right you get your books before the previous set is read :)

I am glad to say that my kidos seem to be following my footsteps. They both need a book read before they sleep and now H1 has taken to the habit of taking a book to the toilet and H2 demands a book while she drinks her milky. (OK, the experts will tell you it's  a bad habit to take books to the toilet and read books while you have your meals, but I disagree!!! so there!!

Toilet Tales

If you've followed this blog from the very beginning, when H1 was a tiny toddler, you'll remember that I had many toilet stories to tell. Now H2 seems to be following her sisters footsteps and loves spending time in that ever fascinating place.

Tale 1

 She loves playing with the tap and I've caught her many a times with the tap open, happily playing away. One day when I walked in on her at the tap, she had removed all her cloths and was happily splashing away. Remember how much of a little hora gediya my H2 is? When she caught me looking on she quickly turned her back to the tap and tells me as if its a valid excuse for what she is doing, "I am washing my bum Ammi, I am washing my bum!" I gave her little bum a little whack and sent her out of the bathroom.

Tale 2

One night, before bedtime, I put on some toothpaste on her toothbrush and gave it to H2 and asked her to start brushing while I went off to boil some water for her milk. I've just to leave H2 for two seconds without supervision for her to get into a scrape. When I came back yes, she was busy brushing, just not her teeth! She was brushing the toilet bowl! 

Tale 3.

Once I walked in when H2 was trying to help me with the laundry, she was washing her T shirt in the toilet bowl. I had to wash her, the T shirt and of cause the toilet! 

Little Artist - con, that is!

Remember I keep saying what a con artist my H2 is? Here's another story to demonstrate the point.

Kiddos have this habit of starting to draw on walls when they reach toddler hood. We came up with having a designated area (a big white board on the wall) for them to draw when the creative genius strikes, instead of on the walls. This worked very well with H1. 

H2 on the other had has drawn quite a few times on the wall when we were not looking....with lipstick, crayons, colour pencils, pens etc..

Last week, I was lying in bed reading when I saw H2 at it again with the corner of my eyes. I firmly directed her to the board and asked her to draw there and went back to my book. Things were just too quiet so I looked again to see H2 has covered a whole wall with her scribbles.

Me: What did you do H2? Are you supposed to draw on the wall?

H2: (Guilty face) mumble mumble...

Me: Wait till Thaaththi sees this!

H2: Mouth turned down like a dehi lella and looking at me with BIG guilty eyes.

Hubby: (while walking into the room) Who drew on the wall Ammi? H2 did you draw on the wall? You are supposed to draw on the board or paper!

H2: (thinking I might as well try it on the dumbos) It IS paper Thaththi! (while pointing at the wall). 

Hubby had to go out of the room to compose himself before trying to discipline H2.