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Weekend Rehash – Home Sweet Atlanta!

As I’m typing this post, I’m sitting at my parents house with my laptop in my lap and my feet propped up. It feels good to be home!

Is it just me or do you guys also feel a little more dependent when you go home? Like I run the show in some ways in Chicago, but when I’m home, I ask my mom for her opinion about every little decision.

Anyways, we’ve had a great start to our visit. Lots of outdoor play and delicious food.

Let’s backtrack a little and rehash the weekend!

FRIDAY

I know I sound like a broken record, but Friday started off in the usual way. As soon as Vishnu and Kaiden left for school and work, I headed down to our apartment gym for a quick workout. I then made my way to Trader Joe’s and Target.

As soon as I put everything away, I got a message from my sister giving me the green light to pick her up at Carmax. There’s a bit of a backstory to all of this…instead of retyping it all here, I’m going to direct you to today’s post on Instagram. So many emotions!

And here’s to my sister and BIL buying their first car together!

I quickly got my act together upon getting home and made food for the week for Vishnu – lasagna, My Heart Beet’s Butter Chicken, and rice. All set for the week!

I also packed on and off throughout the day. As I was putting things in our bag, I thought about unpacking and audibly groaned. Ugh!

The rest of the day/night followed the usual flow – playtime, dinner, bath time, reading/getting K to calm down, bed time, and a little downtime with Vishnu.

SATURDAY

Saturday morning started at 6 am because we wanted to be out the door and on our way to the airport at 7:45. Thankfully, we managed to do just that.

I plan to share my tips and tricks for travelling with a two year old (when toddlers get their own seats) in a separate blog post, but let’s just say our <2 hour flight had plenty of ups and downs. The downs mostly revolved around the fact that K wanted to sit in my lap vs. in his own seat. Not great when the seat belt sign is on.

Anyways, we eventually made it out of the plane, on the train, up the elevator and to my parents who were happily waiting for us. Then came the one hour drive home. Haha!

By the time we got home, I was so tired. I fell asleep on the living room floor! My mom woke me up in time for my pedicure appointment. #muchneeded

The rest of the evening included badminton in the backyard and Zheel’s delicious Spinach Dhokla that my mom and ba whipped up. A must try recipe if you’re a dhokla fan (and even if you’re not!).

SUNDAY

Kaiden was up and ready to go at 7:30 (YAY!!!). We played and hung out on the shaded part of my parent’s patio until my in-laws arrived. They came to spend the day with Kaiden.

Sunday can be summed up in one word – FUN and lots of it. With all four of his grandparents present (plus his great grandparents), Kaiden was getting spoiled from all sides. He danced, played, ran around, kicked balls, took a 1.5 hour nap…rinse and repeat!

Here’s to an even better week ahead! Happy Monday. 🙂

Weekend Rehash – Family Time

written by Parita 3 Comments

What an awesome weekend! Like I mentioned in Friday’s post, Niel and Neelam, my BIL and his girlfriend, visited, and we had a blast.

Let’s start from the beginning…

FRIDAY

Friday started off with the usual routine – drop K off at school, work out, Trader Joe’s run.

But then for 1.5 hours, I deviated from the norm and met up a blog reader and new friend, Mira. We met up for a coffee and probably could’ve chatted for another hour. We talked about everything from new motherhood to mom guilt to making mom friends to everything in between. It was such a refreshing meet-up because we were on the same wave length about so much. I’m so happy we made the time to meet. Here’s to next time and more authentic friendships.

I spent the rest of my afternoon cleaning and prepping dinner (lasagna!). Vishnu got home a little earlier than normal, so we hung out before it was time to get Kaiden and before N&N arrived.

The rest of the evening was spent eating, playing, and talking. Even I went to bed a lot later than usual!

SATURDAY

Saturday morning started with made from scratch pancakes (sharing the recipe soon).

We then got ready and headed to the post office to submit an application for K’s passport. He’s doing some international travel later this year!

After finishing up there, we got some coffee, walked around the River Walk, and then headed to Sienna Tavern for brunch (so yum!).

Kaiden fell asleep on the walk home for like five minutes which obviously means he didn’t have to nap at all the rest of the day. Grrrr…

It all worked out because we rented a boat for the afternoon with Niel, Neelam, my sister and my BIL, so while K was tired, he still rallied. If you’re ever in Chicago, I highly recommend renting a pontoon boat and heading out on the river. And guess who captained our boat?! ME! My sister took over towards the end because my back hurt, but it was a ton of fun!

We planned on playing some games after K went to bed, but our Door Dash order never showed after 1.5 hours, so the evening went a little south in terms of that. Still a fun day overall!

SUNDAY

Vishnu and N&N took Kaiden to the park in the morning so I could clean, cook, and have some alone time.

Luckily, Kaiden took a 2.5 hour nap which means the rest of us did as well. This mama was tired!

We then scratched our afternoon plans to visit the beach and headed out to get some gelato instead. Perfect idea on a hot Chicago day!

And now we start a new week with new adventures! Happy Monday, y’all.

High 5 on a Friday!

written by Parita 1 Comment

Is it just me or do the weeks keep flying by faster and faster? This makes me nervous because it ultimately means winter is that much closer. NOOO!

Anyways, I’m not going to think about all that until at least September! Gotta soak in all the Chicago sunshine while we have it.

Now that we got the weather out of the way, let’s get into my 5 random things for the week…

ONE – While I’m not quite ready to think about winter yet, I am thinking about Fall TV! I can’t wait for This is Us and A Million Little Pieces to come back! I also can’t believe those are the only network shows I now watch live because I used to watch 5-6.

TWO – My BIL (Vishnu’s brother Niel) and his girlfriend Neelam are visiting this weekend! They haven’t seen Kaiden since early February so this should be fun. We’re renting a boat on Saturday and planning a beach trip for Sunday. Hopefully we make it to Nookies as well because I want Ernesto’s Chilaquiles. YUM!

THREE – So we put Kaiden down to sleep between 7:30-7:45. He doesn’t actually fall asleep until 8:30 ish. In that hour, he literally says every word/phrase he knows. It’s hilarious from the outside in! Free evening entertainment! I also think it’s a good time for him to process all that he’s learning and experiencing during the day. I’m currently reading How Toddlers Thrive, and it’s just insane how much growth and development happens in those little brains and bodies!

FOUR – Does anyone else order the same exact thing every time they go to a certain restaurant? Ema is one of those places for me. I always order the Mediterranean Chopped Salad with Falafel. It’s honestly one of the best salads I’ve ever had. Am I predictable? 100%. Am I happy after eating here? Also 100%.

FIVE – If you read one thing, make it this! I found this article via Hitha Palepu’s #5SmartReads and LOVED IT! Such a great and life changing perspective.

If you’re going to read one more thing, make it the blog Raptitude. I recently discovered it and can’t get enough. The writing style, the topics, the comments. It’s worth your time…I promise!

Ok, with that, happy weekend!

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73 Questions

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I love old school blogging. You know, day in the life of/chit chat/journal type posts. While I still loosely follow that format here on MIS, I honestly miss some of my favorite bloggers writing in that same way. I hear it’s making a come back though so stay tuned!

In the spirit of old school blogging, I decided to answer a 73-question survey I first saw on Julie’s blog. It’s super random, but because I love these kinds of posts, I decided to partake!

Note that most of my answers are exactly what came to mind in the moment. If you’ve been wanting to get to know me on an even deeper level, here’s your chance!

1. What’s the best thing that happened to you this month? Kaiden started sleeping in until 6-6:30 am (for the most part)!

2. What is something you’re tired of? How divided and caustic our country has become.

3. What is something that recently moved you? A text exchange with a good friend who is currently experiencing some hardship. Her strength is inspiring.

4. If you could teach one subject in school what would it be? Math

5. What’s your favorite beverage? Sparkling water

6. What’s your favorite cocktail? Moscow Mule

7. What is your favorite birthday cake? Anything with lots of chocolate!

8.What is one thing you still have from your childhood? My goofiness

9. What is your favorite movie? Now and Then

10. What is something you can’t do? A cartwheel

11. What is one habit you wish you could break? Picking at my skin

12. What makes you laugh no matter what? Vishnu (my hubby!)

13. What does creativity mean to you? Doing what you love

14. What are your favorite lyrics of all time? Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein…

15. What is something you’ve always wanted to try but you’ve been too scared to do? Bungee jumping

16. Best advice for your 19 year old self? Practice self-love every damn day – physically, mentally, emotionally. I don’t know much, but this much I do know – loving yourself for who you are is the key to a joyous and fulfilled life.

17. If you could raid one woman’s closet who would it be? Nasreen from HeyNasreen

18. Must have purse item? Wallet

19. What did you want to do with your life at age 12? I think at that age I wanted to be news reporter.

20. What is something you will not be doing in ten years? Working an 8-5 [insert prayer hands emoji!]

21. What is an important life lesson for someone to learn? Constantly thinking/worrying about what other people think is a surefire way to be miserable.

22. What is one goal you are determined to achieve in your lifetime? Start my own business.

23. Would you ever live anywhere besides Chicago? Yes, Atlanta. HAHA!

24. What is your favorite dessert? Chocolate chip cookie

25. Is there a dessert you don’t like? Anything made with mint and/or white chocolate

26. It’s brunch! What do you eat? Chilaquiles

27. Who is your favorite painter? Michelangelo

28. Favorite Disney animal? Baloo

29. What is a book you are planning on reading? Things You Save in a Fire (release date August 13)

30. What did you read most recently? I’ll Never Tell

31. Favorite solo artist? John Legend and Alicia Keys

32. What’s your Favorite board game? Taboo will always have my heart!

33. What’s a city you wish to visit? In the US – San Francisco. Internationally –Barcelona.

34. Heels or flats? Flats!

35. Where does one go on a perfect road trip? California

36. What do you do on a rainy day? Read, sleep (well, at least pre-baby me did this!)

37. What’s your favorite exercise? All time – running. Currently – TAP classes at my gym.

38. What was your worst subject in school? Physics

39. What is your spirit animal? Monkey

40. What do you usually eat for breakfast? Protein shake

42. Cooking or Baking? Love both, but if I had to choose, cooking.

41. What do you usually eat for dinner? Varies by the day!

43. Favorite baked good? Soft, warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies

44. What is something you wish you could be good at? Playing the piano.

45. Skiing or Surfing? Neither!

46. First celebrity crush? Mike Vitar from Sandlot and The Mighty Ducks.

47. Most recent celebrity crush? Matthew Rhys (you guessed it…from the Americans)

48. What color was your prom dress? I didn’t go to my junior or senior prom. Whoomp whoomp…

49. How do you manage stress? Deep breathing, making to do lists, and talking it out with someone I’m close to.

50. What do you do to relax? Read, write, or watch TV

51. Age when you were first kissed? 13 or 14

52. Place you were first kissed? My friend’s basement (we were playing spin the bottle)

53. Favorite fashion trend of all time? High-waisted EVERYTHING!

54. Best fashion advice you’ve ever received? Dress for your body.

55. Trend you would like to see disappear forever? Super duper short shorts

56. Shoes or Bags? Shoes!

57. How do you know if you’re in love? When you feel 100% yourself around the other person and don’t question every word, move, etc.

58. Television show you’ve binged on recently? Currently – the Americans. We’re hooked!

59. Who do you turn to when you’re sad? My husband or my sister.

60. Name one thing you’ve learned the hard way? Loving myself is the key to joyous existence.

61. If you could make a documentary about anything what would it be? The crisis at the border and the state of the detention centers. More people need to be made aware of what’s happening in our own country for things to change.

62. What is your Kryptonite? My son’s smile and laugh!

63. What are you most enchanted by? The way my son says ‘I love you!’ And sunrises/sunsets.

64. What is your biggest strength? Reading people – what they’re feeling, thinking, etc. Sometimes I’m wrong because I go a little too deep, but most of the time, I’m spot on!

65. What is your biggest weakness? My ability to overthink everything and then blame myself no matter what.

66. What are 3 words to describe living in Chicago? Cold, walkable, food [lover’s paradise]

67. Cutest thing on planet earth? Babies interacting with each other

68. Most important advice you’d give your future children? Be kind…always.

69. Best first date idea? Walking and eating your way through your city!

70. Favorite type of flower? Lilies or roses

71. What do you first notice about someone when you meet them? Smile and sense of humor

72. What’s your guilty pleasure? Currently – binge watching the Americans.

73. Plans for the weekend? My BIL and his girlfriend are visiting from Atlanta, so hanging out with them!

Weekend Rehash – Messed Up Naps

written by Parita Leave a Comment

This was a good weekend for our little fam! I think we did a decent job balancing outside the house activities and indoor play. Also, Vishnu didn’t work this weekend, so in my mind, that’s always a win!

Anyways, let’s get to it!

FRIDAY

Friday started off as it usually does – dropped K off at school, worked out, made a Trader Joe’s run, unpacked groceries, and ate lunch.

After lunch, I decided to make a ‘quick’ trip down to Michigan Avenue to return some stuff at Uniqlo and Nordstrom. You guys, something you should know about me is that I can’t stand slow walkers. It drives me bonkers. The only thing that trumps that is people with poor sidewalk etiquette. And boy did my pet peeves get tested on Friday. I probably looked like a mad woman weaving in and out of all the pedestrian traffic. I was so winded that I decided to treat myself to a little froyo on my way home!

I then came home promptly fell asleep for 2 hours. This was not part of my Friday plan! But I guess I needed it…?

Anyways, I woke up and scrapped my meal prep plans and just made Lindsay’s Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Oat Bars. SO GOOD! Vishnu liked them too, as did K. But I probably liked them the most, given that I ate the most. I love it when I make things ‘for K’ but end up eating them.

The rest of the evening was good! Vishnu and I recently started a show called the Americans, and we are hooked! I think we watched a couple of episodes before calling it a night.

SATURDAY

If you saw my Instagram post from yesterday, you know that our Saturday was a little wonky. K woke up on the wrong side of the bed. But we persisted anyways. I went to a Cycling class at the gym, and then we headed to a new-to-us lunch place called Egg-o-Holic. The food was great and really inventive. However, my child only ate the chips that came with his sandwich. Oy vey!

We then headed home in time for nap time. K slept for 1.25 hours before waking up. So much like last weekend, I went in to rock him a bit but ended up falling asleep with him on the bed. We slept until 4!

This would’ve been ok (ish), except we had a play date planned with my friend Mownika at 3:30. I quickly messaged M and told her about our situation. Honestly, I almost cancelled altogether. But then I rallied the troops, and we headed out around 4:45. We stayed at Mownika’s place for about 2 hours. It’s safe to say everyone had fun – adults included!

Even though it was a little past Kaiden’s bedtime, he didn’t fight us too much. Of course, once he was down, we watched the Americans!

SUNDAY

Our grand plan for Sunday was to take Kaiden to the Shedd Aquarium. We thought he’d love looking at all the fish! Turns out a 2-year-old can only look at so many fish before getting bored. About 15 minutes in, Vishnu looked at me and said, “We’re losing him!” Thankfully, he came alive again when we encountered an interactive submarine play station.

We attempted lunch time at the museum, but that only worked well for me and Vishnu. Kaiden wanted to goof around and play!

We eventually headed home, fed Kaiden lunch 2.0 and attempted to put him down for a nap. I know he was exhausted, but he didn’t sleep a wink. Instead, he rolled around his crib screaming every vocab word he knows! It was super cute but frustrating at the same time!

I then gave the whole ‘let’s sleep in the bed’ thing a chance, but even that was a no go! He just laughed and laughed, while I closed my eyes pretending to sleep.

I then said forget it and just let him play. This did mean that bedtime was earlier than usual at 7 pm. He fell right asleep and stayed that way for 11 hours. Thank goodness!

And of course, once he went down to sleep, Vishnu and I continued on with the Americans!

That was our weekend in a long nutshell. I hope you had an enjoyable one as well!

High Five on a Friday!

written by Parita Leave a Comment

ONE – After working from home for almost 2 weeks, I finally went into the office yesterday! And boy did it feel good. I facilitated a session on mindfulness with some of my colleagues, so I put a little extra effort into what I looked like/wore, and it was worth it because I felt good! I even treated myself to an oat milk latte!

Working mom or not, this is just a testament to the power of getting dressed and ready for the day. Even if you don’t do it often, make it a point to take your time, do your hair and makeup (if you wear it), and pick an outfit that you feel good in. We deserve it!

TWO – For those of you follow me on Instagram, you know that I recently shared a post about my most favorite bug spray ever. Two things – I wish I had shared about this earlier, and I wish I had this discount code ready to go before I shared the post. Lesson learned!

If you haven’t hit purchase yet but want to, please see the details for how to get 10% off your order…

THREE – Ok, let’s talk about the Big Little Lies finale! Personally, I loved this season and the character development. There were a couple of episodes where it felt like nothing was happening, but other than that, I enjoyed it. The finale, however, I have mixed feelings about. Especially the very end. I mean, I get why they did that – regardless of whether they renew for a third season or not, there’s some closure. But I didn’t feel like I got closure. I need a season 3, and knowing there may not be one makes me want to pull my hair out! Anyone else have strong thoughts about this show? Please share!

FOUR – Kaiden and I are heading to Atlanta in August for a week! My grandparents are staying with my parents right now so we’ll get a lot of time with them, AND it’s my best friend’s baby shower one of the weekends! I can’t wait to go back and see all of my favorite people, eat my mom/ba’s food, and hang out. And by hang out, I mean work from home, but you get the gist!

The best part is Vishnu will be able to make it home for the shower (it’s more of a get together with friends/family than a traditional baby shower). I feel like over the past few years, he’s had to miss out on so much. This was a near miss too, but he was able to get coverage for his Friday shift! YAY!

FIVE – This is an older article, but it’s fascinating nonetheless. It talks about how the brain actually changes with pregnancy and motherhood. CRAZINESS!

Happy weekend, y’all!

Why We Chose to Send Our Son to Daycare

written by Parita 3 Comments

Since starting Kaiden in daycare at 6 months old, I’ve gotten a lot of questions about why we went down that path, why we didn’t go with a nanny, how we survived the daycare germs, etc.

It’s been 1.5 years since that time, so I thought I’d share our experience and insights for anyone who also ‘struggled’ with the question of which childcare option to choose.

NOTE: I’m starting and ending this post with the same sentiment – this is not a daycare vs. all other childcare options post. This is simply about our experiences to date!

The Beginning

When Vishnu and I moved to Chicago in June 2016, we weren’t pregnant, and although we were trying, childcare honestly wasn’t something we were thinking about at the time. So when it came time to choose a place to live, we picked the building we did for lots of different reasons but not because there was a good daycare nearby.

Fast forward to three months into my pregnancy. We went to visit my friend Erin and her new baby at the time. Vishnu and her husband were chatting when Shahan asked V about our childcare plans. He mentioned that the city daycares have waiting lists (sometimes a year or longer). On our way home, Vishnu told me about this convo and how we needed to get on it quickly.

Within a week, we had appointments at all the daycares in area. Luckily, the one we absolutely loved had an opening for January 2018 in the young infant room. AND it ended up being the closest option in terms of proximity to our apartment.

Why Not a Nanny

So K’s school is four blocks from where we live. It’s on the way to both the train for Vishnu and downtown for me. We are VERY lucky that we can just walk him there so easily.

We honestly didn’t consider a nanny because (at the time) we didn’t feel comfortable leaving K home with someone who would essentially be a total stranger. Of course, we know get that you interview people and all that, but at the time, it wasn’t something we wanted to do given the school was so close to us. Vishnu was also really adamant about daycare for the social aspect. We wanted K to be around other kids from a younger age. K’s school also does music class, yoga and lots of other fun learning activities. Not all nanny’s are former educators, so we definitely took this into consideration. We also loved the fact that K could attend the same school all the way to pre-K if needed.

And finally, from a logistical standpoint, we live in a small apartment, where my ‘office’ is a small corner between the kitchen and the living area. I work from home a lot. If we had a nanny, I would have to go to the office every day or find another workspace. Vishnu’s schedule also varies sometimes. So given the lack of consistency, daycare felt like a good choice for us.

Surviving the Daycare Germs

When I talk to friends who are considering putting their kid in daycare, the first question that inevitably comes up is, “Are the germs that bad?” I’m here to tell you that they are in fact HORRIBLE!

Not to scare anyone, but within the first week of Kaiden starting school, he had a nasty stomach bug that literally took me and Vishnu down too.

Let’s put it this way. 2018 was hell in terms of K being sick. We (sometimes it really was the collective we) experienced everything from colds to stomach bugs to hand foot mouth to Roseola to ear infections to random fevers.

BUT…the plus side to all of that is K’s immune systems is definitely stronger now. 2019 has been pretty good to us so far. He’s only had two random fevers that went away in a couple of days. He’s also had a runny nose here and there but that too goes away fairly quickly.

From what I’ve been told (by other daycare parents) is that while the first 12-18 months are rough, your kids are so much less likely to get sick when they enter pre-K and beyond. FINGERS CROSSED!

The bottom line is if you put your kid in daycare expect them to be sick for a while. And once you’re past that, relish in it!

Daycare Costs

Daycare, especially where we send K, is expensive. It’s essentially rent 2.0 for us. However, this is the place we wanted, so we sucked it up.

In terms of the comparison between a nanny and daycare, daycare still works out to be cheaper in Chicago, even when using the lowest hourly rate.

What I Would Have Done Differently Knowing What I Know Now

Well, for starters, I wish I could’ve taken off a whole year to be with K. But that wasn’t possible. I got 16 weeks of maternity leave and then my dad came to watch K for a couple of months to close the gap. My dad did offer to stay with us until Kaiden turned one, but we told him it was ok. I didn’t want to take him away from my mom for so long!

I don’t know what Vishnu would say, but in all honesty, I wish we had waited until K was one to start daycare. Looking back, six months feels a little too young. But we did what we did with the information and knowledge we had on hand at the time. #noregrets

How Kaiden is Doing in Daycare Now

Kaiden adjusted quite well to daycare from the beginning. The only time he has trouble is when he transitions to a new classroom. Other than that, he loves school. Right now, I think yoga Tuesday is his favorite.

I think you’ll hear this from a lot of daycare parents, but kids are so different when they’re there versus at home. K eats the majority of his food at school (even things he won’t touch at home). He naps for the full two hours, which as you guys know, is hit or miss at home. It’s honestly great!

Well, I think that covers the question of why we chose to send K to daycare. Like I said, this was not meant to be a daycare vs. all other options type of posts. I do think it gets a bad rep sometimes, so I want to give parents-to-be and new parents some sense of relief that you’re not bad parents for sending your kid to daycare! Any option that works for you and your child is a GREAT ONE!

If I missed anything or if you have any additional questions, leave a comment below or send me an email!

Weekend Rehash – Home Sweet Atlanta!

Weekend Rehash – Family Time

High 5 on a Friday!

73 Questions

Weekend Rehash – Messed Up Naps

High Five on a Friday!

Why We Chose to Send Our Son to Daycare

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