5 star health and heart

My version of 5 star health and heart - maintain a balanced diet.
Eat your greens regularly.
Healthy desserts are fine too - in this case a low fat choclate walnut cake!



Travel: Goa

We recently went on a vacation - it was our first after coming back to India. And Goa was just the perfect destination for that :)

We stayed in a resort called "Cidade de Goa" which means "City of Goa". Its situated in central Goa close to Panjim.
The location of the resort was great - close to the capital and not very far from the airport.

We entered the resort and were given the traditional Indian welcome - a kumkum tilak on the forehead. N was buzzing with excitement after the bus ride. The resort had beautiful life sized paintings on the walls from the Portugese era.

They had a beautiful spa inside the resort. Awesome massages slathered in rich oils and herbs. The spa looked so peaceful and serene.

Beautiful Mediterranean style interiors; spacious and just perfect for kids to run around and play.

I fell in love with their dessert collection in the lunch and dinner buffets. Don't they look so tempting? 



The resort had a nice kids room where N spent some time every day.



They had 3 restaurants all of which were themed differently.
Alfama - inspired by the bohemian town square in Lisbon. It had romantic balconies and alcoves with musicians serenading you during a candlelit dinner. They sang "You are my sunshine" at our table and N loved it!

Cafe Azul - had the charming ambience of an Italian cafe. It had an awesome view of the resort pool as well as the beach and the sea.

 Laranja was a global cuisine restaurant decorated in bright and fiery orange 

The resort had its private beach, so it was quiet and yet fun! 

Sightseeing was fun too - The Basilica of Bom Jesus or Basilica of Good Jesus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

I loved the feel of the ancient Fort Aguada.

Lovely vacation! I am already looking forward to another one :)

Help!!!

I am not able to upload pictures to my blog and this is so irritating.
All the posts are lined up but no pics. Don't know if this is a blogger glitch or my lappy.

Is any one else facing this issue? Any suggestions?

UPDATE - The issue was that my Picasa web album was almost full (~1 GB) so I had to delete a few old albums and then I was able to upload pictures. Thanks to Blogger blog for the solution.

Terrible Twos

"I swear I am not going to take N out with me after today!" This is what I was feeling at the supermarket today evening.
It was a crazy, embarrasing and feel-helpless kind of situation :(

N spotted a toy car that he wanted to touch and play with and then he refused to let go of it when we were ready to go home.

S & I haven't seen this side of him. Lately he has been throwing tantrums and showing resistance to our usual methods of distraction or discipline.

I felt so helpless. A friend's FB status came to mind - "At times I have to remind myself that I am the adult and I need to stay calm".
Finally we did shorten our trip and left the store. Once we were outside he was distracted by cars and buses and forgot about the toy.
Next time before we go out, I am going to talk to him about where we are going, what we shall be doing and what is allowed. Hopefully that shall help!

Have you ever faced such a situation with your little one(s)?

Any suggestions on handling the terrible twos?
:-|

Lessons in life

Children teach us so much by being themselves!

They don't judge a person.
They are willing to give you a 2nd chance, even a 3rd, 4th and a 5th one.
They form their own opinions and don't go by what people say.
They don't criticise you.
They trust you with all their heart.

I wish I could do some of these things as an adult.

My cozy corner

If there is one place where I spend the maximum time at home it is this corner in my living room -

I blog here, catch up with my friends & family online, watch TV, have my coffee, look out into the balcony and read a book!

We are still settling in this apartment and this corner keeps undergoing changes. This is how it looks like now .... till N doesn't take a fancy to the Buddha, the mini drums or the green palm!

I am sending this as an entry to Patricia's Cozy Corners September party!

Of thank you(s) and please(s)

N gets mango juice one evening - his treat after a tiring play session at the park.
I get back to whatever I am doing.
After a few minutes, N is standing at the kitchen door looking at me.
He says "Zaankyu, mama" in that sing song baby voice.
I grin from ear to ear :)
First time ever that N said thank you without prompting.
Modelling behaviour definitely works!

Artsy-Craftsy-September 2010

The theme for the Artsy-Craftsy-September 2010 hosted by Shruti of Mindful Meanderings is "Celebrations and Decorations".

I happen to have just the perfect entry for it right here.
These are the "star" centerpieces I made for N's 1st birthday party.

Old age woes

I know whats going to bother me when I am old(er) ~ my back!
One weekend trip to Mysore which is like a 3 to 4 hrs trip one way and my back is like the epicenter of pain - a 6.9 on the richter scale. Yeah that bad!
Don't know if it is the roads, speed breakers or just sitting in the car with a hyper active kid.
But nothing that a hot water bag and some TLC can't cure.
Hope you all had a great weekend!