My Inner Shakti

finding strength in everyday things

5 on a Friday

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Happy Friday from our new place in Atlanta! We’re here and settling in. It’s been a little under two weeks since we’ve moved in, and I’m happy to report that things are slowly coming together

I thought I’d share 5 random but relevant things today as they pertain to our life right now.

  1. Transitions are very very hard for kids. I obviously knew this going in to our move, but man, the way Kaiden has been adjusting took me by surprise. He’s the sweetest, gentlest boy ever, but his emotions have been all over the place lately. Again, totally 100% understandable, but you never know what will set him off. I’m hoping our new home, routine, etc. start to feel more natural to him in a couple of weeks (because that’s when daddy goes to work and mama will have to do a lot of the routine on her own!).
  2. I’m not going to lie and pretend that K was the only one experiencing heightened emotions. I was right there with him, especially when we just moved in and everything was everywhere. I had to stop, take a deep breath, and talk to Vishnu about how I was feeling because it was causing me to feel super overwhelmed. Thinking about the baby and all that we need to do to prepare for her arrival is already a lot, but add on 40+ boxes and crap everywhere, and I thought I was going to lose my mind. Thankfully, my husband knows me well and said all the right things to calm me down.
  3. Speaking of my husband, he’s truly a rock star. He’s been working day and night to make this place livable and homey. I LOVE HIM!
  4. In non-moving related news, we LOVE our Peloton bike. Both Vishnu and I have been using it over the past couple of weeks, and while it’s definitely an investment, we’re so glad we made it. Definitely makes working out super fun…our legs hate us immediately afterwards, but they’ll thank us later!
  5. I’m going to be reunited with my sister (and BIL) after a whole month! This is huge for me/us because I used to see them at least once a week. They’re also moving to Atlanta but are currently in a transition state because the home they purchased is still being built. They’ve also been traveling a little this month, so they’re not quite back yet, but they’re here until Monday. And I’m so glad we’ll get to see them a bit this weekend! Kaiden is also super excited to see his masi and masa!

Ok, that’s all I have for now. I hope y’all have an awesome Friday and weekend!

Four Year Old Birthday Gifts

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I got quite a few requests on Instagram to share what we (me/Vishnu + family) got Kaiden for his 4th birthday. He’s quite the lucky boy in that he got some fantastic presents, ones that are toys but also serve an educational purpose in some way shape or form. As I’ve shared before, Vishnu and I don’t like to keep too many toys in the house, so some of these are to replace ones we got rid of prior to to our move. And truthfully, Kaiden would rather play with a stick or a rock over an actual toy! But we’ll see how he does with these over the next few months.

I hope these inspire you in some way! Let me know if you have any questions.

Super Hero Action Figures – Batman (his fav!), Spiderman, Iron Man

Board game – Chutes and Ladders

LEGO Classic Medium Bricks

Learning Resources Pretend & Play Calculator Cash Register (another fav!)

Book – Olive Marshmallow

Book – The Boy with Big, Big Feelings

Backyard tee ball set

Velcro throw and stick paddles + ball

Indoor bowling set

Frozen table

Lincoln Logs

STEM Master Building Toys

KiwiCo Science Kit – Chemistry (3 in total)

No portion of this post is sponsored.  However, affiliate links are included. There is no extra cost to you, but I do receive a small commission on anything you buy through my links.  Thank you for reading and supporting My Inner Shakti!

Written on Related:Kaiden

This is FOUR!

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My little guy is FOUR today!

I know it’s so cliche to say, but it really does feel like he grew up in a blink of an eye. I still remember everything leading up to his birth as if it happened yesterday. I remember the exact moment we heard him cry and when the nurse placed him on my chest. I remember taking him home, and Vishnu driving like 30 MPH down Chicago Avenue.

And then boom!

One day we wake up and he’s FOUR!

Kaiden is truly the sweetest boy with the biggest heart. He loves everything and everyone, and my favorite part is that he isn’t afraid to show it! He wears his big old heart on his sleeve.

He’s kind and loving and smart and sassy and emotional and fun and still very much a mama’s boy!

Happy birthday, K! I hope your day is magical, special, silly, fun and so much more! We love youuuuu!

On Slowing Down

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In the past few weeks alone, I’ve had more than one person tell me I’m a fast mover.

“That baby girl is just slowing you down. But not by much.”
“Girl, you are a fast preggo.”

I’ve always been this way. I walk fast, I talk fast, I eat fast, I type fast. And I get irritated when others are slow in any way, especially when it comes to walking. Some may even say I lack patience sometimes!

But these comments lately have made me laugh and pause because I’m finding that I want to slow down more. I’m clearly having a hard time.

I was talking to my colleague and friend Ros about this a few weeks ago, and we both said that slowing down makes us feel less productive. However, we both acknowledge that not every task requires us to finish in record time. The extra five minute won’t kill us! It’s more about intentionally deciding what needs to be done quickly because of deadlines, others being involved, etc. and what can be done more slowly.

I’m trying my hardest to apply this logic to my daily tasks…and it’s HARD! I’m so programmed to be quick that slowing down literally takes me talking to myself while doing most things as a reminder to not rush through.

Part of me is also very aware that this stage of life is one I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. To be home, around family and friends. To raise beautiful and kind humans with someone I love and adore. I want to look back and say that I lived these years slowly and purposefully. I want to recall details. I want those around me to feel my presence.

This is going to require a lot of work. As I’ve shared, I’m trying to build a simple daily meditation practice. I’m telling myself to slow down all the time. And I’m also sharing this public post in the hopes that those who know me IRL keep me accountable to this important goal.

With that, I’m about to go through my skincare routine very slowly, enjoying the process. And then it’s time to hit the sack! Good sleep seems to be an important part of this too!

Written on Related:Life, Self

Friday Stuff [#11]

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Happy Friday! For us it’s a bittersweet one because today’s Kaiden’s last day at his school. The school he’s been at since he was six months old. To say I’m feeling all the feels today is a big fat understatement. But deep breaths and looking ahead to creating new memories in Atlanta is getting me through.

The next time I check in on here, we’ll be in Atlanta. Craziness! So. Many. Emotions.

Enough of that, let’s get to this week’s Friday stuff…

Butter Chicken

I’ve shared this recipe on here before, but I need to share again because my husband raves when I make it. Thank you, My Heart Beets, for this amazing recipe!

Ever Chicago

Vishnu, my sister, my BIL, and I dined at Ever this week! You guys, it’s not a cheap meal (to say the least) but it’s definitely one that make any celebration worth remembering. If you’re in Chicago, have some extra $$$, and are celebrating something big, I highly recommend making a reservation. I’ll be sharing more about our experience in a post next week.

Fellowship graduation

Yesterday was Vishnu’s Fellowship graduation dinner. As much as I can’t believe in our time in Chicago is up, I can’t believe Vishnu’s training journey is coming to an end in about 15 days. At various points in the past 10 years, I felt like it would never end…ha! More than anything, I’m just SO proud of Vishnu and his perseverance. It hasn’t been easy at all, but the bumpy road to this point was well worth it. On to that attending life!

People We Meet on Vacation

People We Meet on Vacation is a book I highly recommend reading this summer! It filled my heart with so much happiness. I shared a review on my IG page as well. Get this book! You won’t regret it.

Well, that’s all from me this week! I hope you have a wonderful Friday and weekend. Enjoy!

No portion of this post is sponsored.  However, affiliate links are included. There is no extra cost to you, but I do receive a small commission on anything you buy through my links.  Thank you for reading and supporting My Inner Shakti!

Gaijin – Chicago

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Gaijin is Chicago’s first okonomiyaki restaurant, offering both Hiroshima and Osaka styles of the savory Japanese pancake. 

My Inner Shakti goes out to eat

Ambiance

Gaijin has a cool, hip vibe like so many restaurants in the West Loop. The restaurant itself can seat about 60 people, so it still feels private and intimate, and there’s some outdoor dining space available too. Personally, I loved how each table came with it’s own grill to ensure your food stays hot as it comes out.

As someone who tried to grab a reservation twice before finally snagging one, I’d say not to wait when doing so.

Service

The service at Gaijin was perfect. I felt like we were waited on without it being too much. Our waitress made some great recommendations, and overall, different people checked in on us throughout the evening.

Food

In terms of food, we really enjoyed everything we tried. The menu itself is broken down by starters, shared plates, sides, pancakes, dessert, and the tasting menu.

Because we couldn’t exactly choose what we wanted, we decided to go for the $39/person tasting menu. It included pickled veggies, noodles, a pancake, and dessert. Lots of food (happy hubby’s who go to finish off what we couldn’t…haha)!

The picked veggies were good. Not something I’d order on their own, but as a light starter, they worked.

Next came the noodles! These were simple yet tasty. My favorite part of this dish was the veggies. They were sautéed to perfection!

Next came the pancakes! I ordered the tofu and my sister went with the shrimp. These beauties – with cabbage, veggies, mayo sauce, and protein – were delish! I would come back to Gaijin just to eat my pancake again! The grill kept them super hot which was nice because you’ll definitely want to savor each bite.

And finally came dessert. Not my favorite course. My mochi donut came with a chocolate topping and my sister’s with a macha one. The thing that bothered me was that the donut itself wasn’t sweet AT ALL! I don’t love super sugary desserts but I need a little bit of sweet, especially after all that savory!

All in all, we really loved our meal at Gaijin! My sister and I both agreed that if we came back, we would order a couple of shared plates and the pancakes. That would make for a very satisfying meal!

Last Full Weekend in Chicago

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I took a big exhale as I typed out the title of this post! I can’t believe the less than one week countdown is on. So bittersweet in so many ways, but also just so very sweet.

I wanted this weekend to be full of family time. While Kaiden and I leave next weekend, Vishnu doesn’t come until 12 days later when his fellowship ends.

Friday

Friday was a good day overall. I worked, ran some errands, and baked mini cheesecakes (because I wanted to!). We had a simple dinner, not so simple bedtime routine (because Mr. K didn’t want to go to bed!), and a night of television hopping. We started with an HBO show called Starstruck, moved on to the a docuseries called The Windsors, and ended the night with some Jason Statham movie. Well, Vishnu did anyways. I fell asleep about 25 minutes into The Windsors!

Saturday

Saturday ended up starting later than I expected. Closer to 7:30! Kaiden decided to sleep in a little!

As soon as he woke up, he reminded me that we forgot to wrap daddy’s presents, so that’s what we did first thing. Then we delivered the presents to daddy in bed, ate breakfast, got ready, and went to brunch.

Y’all! M Henry is a must try little place in Andersonville. The food was fantastic! Vishnu and I couldn’t get enough of the Blackberry Bliss Pancakes we ordered for our table.

We then headed to my sister’s place for the next few hours where we sat and talked and caved to Kaiden’s demands! Her SIL graduated from undergrad, so her in-laws were in town. We hadn’t seen them in a long time, and it was fun to catch-up…and I think they enjoyed Kaiden’s shenanigans!

We now had a tired boy on our hands who skipped his nap, which meant a quick dinner, no bath, and an intended early bedtime. Bedtime didn’t happen any earlier than normal, but he fell asleep right away, so there’s that!

I spent the next few hours reading on the couch and starting this blog post while Vishnu watched some Angelina Jolie movie.

Sunday

Sunday started off with pancakes and fruit. We then got ready and headed to the park to launch rockets and swing. I’m pretty sure Kaiden was a little disappointed because none of his friends could make it. He kept asking me who he should play with, and when I would say, me or daddy, he would reply with, “But I want to play with my friends!”

We eventually convinced him to come home, and then it was lunch, nap, workout for mama, wake up, and more park time. We launched rockets with K’s friend Roger, and they also chased each other around with Roger’s bubble guns.

We ended the day/weekend with dinner, bath time (much much needed), and little bedtime drama per the usual!

Overall, our last full weekend in Chicago was a great one! Lots of time outside and with family.

Hope y’all had a good one too!

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