What does your garden grow?

The answer, at the moment, is a few annuals which managed to survive the journey from Home Depot. But, great plans are afoot. Peaches, much inspired by Earth Day at preschool, proposed growing vegetables. Somehow (the mechanics were not exactly clear) but somehow this was going to clean the air and save the planet. Popcorn had no such noble motives. She had made her plans for the summer and they consisted of wearing pink skirts and eating strawberries. And how much easier it would be to follow this simple plan if Mom bought skirts in every shade of pink and grew strawberries at home! All these grand ambitions have to be fulfilled by a couple of planters on our deck so with some freshly bought potting soil at hand and faith in nature in our hearts we have embarked on our adventure. If anything grows, photos will follow....

The Problem of Mr. Cheney

So there we were, on January 19th, congratulating ourselves that we were finally out of the woods. Mr. Cheney was no longer a part of the administration and would fade away, writing his memoirs and giving speeches, but not lighting up our radar any more. But that did not happen. Here he is, criticizing President Obama: there he is, staunchly defending torture. Our radar is ablaze!
The whole time Mr. Cheney was vice-president,we heard his health was delicate. Did no one prescribe a restful vacation, far from the madding crowd? Where, oh, where is a secure, undisclosed location when you desperately need one?

What's in a name?

For the first time in history England has a woman poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. This is great not simply because she is a woman but because her poetry speaks so directly to us. I especially liked "Name" . While I was reading all the articles on her, I discovered Ursula Fanthorpe for the first time and could not believe that I had never read her! Oh, how she writes!! This poem about a painting is as close to perfection as you can get. When you read these two wonderful poets, you see the world from a different angle. A bit like our craft time today when Peaches and Popcorn gave up their beloved castles and princesses to draw rockets in space and then added glitter outlines to every object, celestial or man made.

Back to the Basics

The other day my friend and I were deep into a discussion about birthday plans for our children. We stopped abruptly when we realised that we were planning for events nine months away! That's how crazy the whole kids' birthday thing has become: the pressure to create a perfect (and expensive) fantasy experience for a child. Children too have become more demanding as they go their friends' extravaganzas and want the same for themselves. It was heartening to know, therefore, that in the current economic situation, birthdays too are being downsized. At last, some sanity. A chance to enjoy and celebrate without having to worry. Now all we have to do is break the news to the little angels themselves...

Look Who's Crafting....Paris Hilton!

Fresh from my V-day cards project I was surfing craft sites and looking for projects when I happened upon the news...Paris Hilton is launching a crafts line. In this tough economy everyone is looking to save a buck(not that Paris would know anything about that!), so crafts of all kinds are surging in popularity. Plus, making something always creates a warm glow which we could all do with right now. Early reports suggest its a colorful and "blingy" collection likely to entice the target teen crowd.The fact that she turned out for the launch in a Hello Kitty necklace will also help.And yes, I was wondering too, and it turns out she does actually scrapbook. If this catches on, we might all have her scrapbook kit on our holiday and birthday gift lists for the girls in our lives. Meanwhile, Peaches, Popcorn and I will rely on construction paper and glitter glue!

Valentine's Day...with a difference

Last night, after the girls were asleep, and I was taping red heart shaped lollipops on the nth card fairy valentine card,I paused to reflect. There was a time when two days before V-day I would have been reading restaurant and movie reviews, planning reservations and getting tickets. And now, here I am, the inner Momzilla unleashed." I will not buy into the ready to go Disney card and candy kits, I will help the kids to make thoughtful cards themselves". Well, Mommy learnt her lesson! Good luck getting a wriggly kid to sit down and hand make 30 cards. They did their best, scooped up their candy and disappeared into the basement while I finished making dinner, then put them to bed and was still working on their valentines. Jewellery and chocolates and candle light dinners are precious but Gloria the Hippo (from Madagascar) cards and enough sugary candy to turn your insides permanently pink....priceless!!

December already??

Well, that's been quite a break from writing. I have to pin it down to the birthday parties I had to organize for the girls. Both did their best diva acts to keep me on my toes. Popcorn kept a strict head count of friends, gifts, goody bag items etc to ensure that everything was equal. Peaches, ever the easier of the two, did not have a meltdown when I had to break the awful news that no Curious George cakes were available and cheerfully changed to Thomas instead. Now they are both looking forward to Parents Day at their ballet class and, of course, Santa. Everyday they present me with scraps of paper dense with scribbles, their "Christmas Lists".
My grand plan to bake cookies for holiday gifts this year will be put to the test this weekend and I am having qualms already.On a happier note, I just finished People of the Book by Geraldine March, a very rewarding read, takes one into different worlds and times, a wonderful escape from the here and now.