Humor Archives - My Inner Shakti

How We Almost Booked the Wrong Vacation

Vishnu and I are fairly intelligent humans. In some ways, he makes up for what I lack and vice versa. Nice little balance we have going on here.

Well, you would think that two smart people would be able to book the right vacation…

Let’s start from the beginning.

Vishnu has a week off after he takes the boards, so we decided to take a relaxing trip to celebrate. My parents are flying up to watch Kaiden, so this is ultimately our time to recharge. Originally, Vishnu wanted to go to Bora Bora. Well, turns out a week isn’t enough time for a vacation on the other side of the world. I asked Vishnu if we could go to a Caribbean island instead. Maybe pick a smaller one and splurge a little on where we stay. He was disappointed but agreed that was the best plan B.

We then went back and forth on where to go. We recalled a conversation we had with a couple while honeymooning in Turks and Caicos. They told us all about this must-visit, remote island that you have to take a ferry to, etc. We both took mental notes and said we would definitely visit one day. Well, one day was June 2019 and we were going to…Antigua…

I started looking at options and resorts, but something didn’t feel quite right. First of all, you can fly directly to Antigua, and I didn’t see anything about ferries. Also, Cheap Caribbean and Costco both have vacation deals there, so how remote and exclusive is the island really. But I still went ahead and found a beautiful place for us to stay in Antigua.

That night, as I was showing Vishnu the property, I noticed a link for Anguilla on the Cheap Caribbean site. Hmmm. That sounded a bit more familiar, so I did a quick Google search. Lo and behold…the island that fit the description we were basing our whole vacation on is ANGUILLA!!! He looked a little confused, so I explained the feeling I had this whole time and how I think Anguilla was actually the island that couple talked to us about. It’s like a light bulb went off in his head because that’s what he remembered too. After a bit more research and learning that the link on Cheap Caribbean is outdated as they don’t currently have vacation deals there (but a true blessing for us!), we changed courses and booked a trip to Anguilla (on our own and not through a site or agent).

When I think about how we almost ended up going on the wrong (yet still very beautiful) vacation, I’m equal parts amused and horrified! Lesson of the year – TRUST YOUR GUT! That nagging feeling is there for a reason. Listen to it!

I can’t wait to go on a tropical beach vacation and do nothing but eat, read, drink, sleep, lay on the beach, and spend time with my hubby!

Final thought – don’t ever ask us to plan your vacation. You will likely end up in the wrong place! HA!

My Favorite Instagram Accounts for Mama Humor

written by Parita 2 Comments

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. There’s no way to ride the waves of motherhood without humor and lots of it. If I don’t laugh daily – at myself, at Kaiden, at Vishnu, at something I saw online, etc. – my day isn’t complete! These pockets of humor are what make this journey fun and oftentimes manageable! Laughter in the midst of sleep deprivation is key. Trust me!

Some of my favorite sources of mama humor come in the form of Instagram accounts. I follow a bunch that post hilarious memes often reflecting situations I find myself in all the time. As a mom, ‘you’re not alone’ humor is the best!

With that, here are some of my favorite accounts to follow and a few funny memes…

Moms Behaving Badly

Kids Are the Worst

Parents Humor

Rage Against the Minivan

Where the Eff is My Handbook

Your turn – what are your favorite IG accounts to follow (motherhood/parenthood related or not)?

So That’s What They Call a Mother’s Intuition

written by Parita 4 Comments

Mother’s intuition. Essentially a sixth sense moms have about their children. Also, something I never totally understood. Like how does that even work?!

Well…now I know.

Let’s rewind for a second though. For the first 20ish weeks of my pregnancy, I was convinced we were having a girl. Like I knew it in my gut. Ummm.. so I was 110% WRONG! In fact, when we found out we were having a boy, I looked at Vishnu and said, “Our baby isn’t even here yet and my mother’s intuition is wrong!”

Fast forward to last Thursday morning at 1 am. Kaiden was a hot hungry mess, and for some reason I thought it was a good idea to change him before feeding him. He didn’t like that. I know because he screamed his cute little head off. In my sleepy state, I changed his diaper very quickly and moved on to more important matters…milk!

As I eventually fell back asleep, I thought to myself, “I hope Kaiden doesn’t poop between now and his next feed because I have a feeling his diaper isn’t as secure as it should be. I should get up and check. I should get up and check. I should get up and check…” SNOREEEEEEEEEEEE…I was out!

I should’ve listened to my intuition because sure enough Vishnu woke me up in frenzied state at 4:45 am. His exact words were, “Par, wake up. We need to give Kaiden a bath right now. There’s poop everywhere.”

So at 5 am, we gave Kaiden a bath. 5 am. Something usually reserved for right before bedtime.

After all was said and done, I looked at Vishnu and said, “That was my fault. I rushed when putting his diaper on.” I went on to explain the nagging feeling I had before falling asleep.

Vishnu’s response? “Well, that was crazy but kinda fun, right?”

Crazy? Yes. Fun? Debatable.

Also, note to self. This is what they call a mother’s intuition. When something feels off, listen to the voice in your head. ESPECIALLY when it comes to diapers. Lesson learned!

14 of My Quirkiest Travel Habits and Preferences

written by Parita 19 Comments

Are you a quirky person?

If you answered no to that question, you’re lying! I believe that every single one of us is quirky in our own ways. It may be more evident in some people [like myself], but if we dig deep, we all have little things that are very “us.”

And there’s nothing like a little travel to bring out the quirky in a person. During my flight to London, I sat down and made a list of all my quirky travel habits and preferences…just for fun. I’m hoping some of you can relate (and tell me if you do in the comments!).

Without further ado, here are 14 of my most prevalent quirks and preferences!

As much as I hate sitting and waiting at the airport, I like/need to arrive at least 1.5 hours before boarding time.
I’m not a Starbuck’s person in my day-to-day life, but when I travel, there’s a 95% chance I’ll buy a fancy drink.
Without fail, I grab the armrests the minute the plane touches the ground.
I like to sleep. Correction – I LOVE the sleep. And I can pretty much sleep anywhere, including on planes which is what you’ll find me doing 99% of the time.
I will do absolutely anything to avoid having to use the bathroom on the plane.
I don’t drink liquids when flying if I can avoid it [see #5].
I [used to] sneak my way in one boarding group early…every time I flew.
I did #7 because I like being the first one in my row so I can get situated.
#8 includes claiming my space and putting my armrest down [you would be surprised by how many people think they can take over my seat space because I’m on the smaller side].
A new habit of mine is using hand sanitizer three separate times during a flight. Don’t want to get sick.
One of my favorite things to do is pull out the in-flight magazine and tackle the crossword puzzle and all the Sudoku puzzles. And if my magazine doesn’t have untouched puzzles, I’m not above stealing my neighbor’s magazine!
Turbulence = prayer time.
Despite knowing how I can be when I’m hangry, I almost always forget to pack snacks when travelling.
Comfort over style is the name of my game when travelling. With that being said, my travel uniform [99% of the time] is a pair of leggings and a big comfy sweater/long sleeve tee/sweatshirt. It really bugs Vishnu when I essentially wear my PJs outside of the house. So naturally I’m not going to change…just to get on his nerves!

Now tell me I’m not the only admittedly quirky one around here!

Almost But Not Quite Famous

written by Parita 17 Comments

I thank my lucky stars that the internet wasn’t a thing (at least for me) when I was growing up. For many many many reasons!

While this meant that my childhood days were filled with playing outside, riding bikes, reading books, getting bored, it also meant that there were less opportunities to become instantly famous. Not that I had any aspirations to do so. I was happy with my Baby-Sitters Club books and weekly slumber parties!

This is where it’s important to note a couple of things about my parents. My mom was interested in learning more about things like baby photo contests and beauty pageants. Fame had nothing to do with it for her. My mom’s a creative girly girl and thought it would be fun for us to take part in these kinds of activities. My dad, on the other hand, was 100% against that kind of stuff. So we never did any of it.

For me and Vishnu, the conversation is a little different. It’s not about pageants and photo contests, it’s about whether or not we’ll even post pictures of our children on the internet.

I brought all of this up during dinner last week and learned something very interesting. I was thisclose to being famous.

It all started when my mom and I travelled to India for four months. This was my mom’s first visit after leaving to settle in the US. On top of that, I wasn’t even two years old yet. A huge deal for our little family of three on so many levels. The biggest being that my dad would be alone for four months. Funny side note – our neighbor at the time was convinced that mom left my dad even though he told her where we really were!

Anyways, my mom and I had a grand old time in India. My grandparents and aunts were so excited to have us. My mom said that I quickly went from missing my dad and crying all the time to being the life of the party.

My close encounter with fame came towards the end of our trip. One of my dad’s best friends owned an ad agency at the time, and one of his clients was Parle G. Parle G is a brand of Indian biscuits/cookies. Apparently it’s the largest selling brand of biscuits in the world. And on the cover of the packaging, there’s a picture of a super cute little Indian girl…the face of Parle G.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

That face could’ve been mine! My dad’s friend wanted to use my picture in a campaign!

What happened, you ask? Well, my mom was ok with it and didn’t think it was a huge deal. However, when she called my dad to ask him, he said no. He didn’t want my face on the world’s best selling biscuits. And that was that. Now if you’ve met my dad in real life, you know that he’s one of the gentlest, most laid back people in the world. But when he says no, he means it.

After my mom told me all of this, I looked at my dad and shook my head. He started laughing and shook his head back. I then looked at my sister and jokingly said, “We missed out on the royalties…and Bollywood!” Says the girl who doesn’t plan to put her kids’ pictures on the internet…

But in all seriousness, I get it. Seeing your kid’s face on a package of biscuits would be a little weird and unsettling. And I guess there’s that whole thing about privacy too. Good decision making, dad!

And that’s my story about being almost but not quite famous!

Did you ever have any almost famous (or really famous) moments?

Weekend Recap – Birthday Fun & Oddball Comedy Festival

written by Parita 12 Comments

When it comes to my own birthday, I don’t like to make a huge deal out of it. A little chocolate in some shape or form, and I’m a happy girl! But what I didn’t realize is that I was applying my nonchalant attitude to Vishnu’s birthday as well. Yes, I always make sure to do something special for him, but I never make it ALL about him. And as much as he denies it, I know he enjoys and appreciates a little extra attention on his birthday.

That is exactly why I decided to change things up this year!

After work on Friday, I made a little celebratory dessert – Katie’s Gooey Chocolate Chip Brownie Bars. You guys, these bars are addicting. I know this was Vishnu’s birthday weekend, but I definitely ate more of this sweet treat than he did. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture…oops. Trust me though, you need this in your life!

When Vishnu got home from work on Friday night, I asked if he wanted the first half of his present a little early (his actual birthday was on Saturday). Before he even had a chance to say “ok, sure,” I ran into our room. I knew he was going to love what I got him, and I couldn’t wait any longer. If you can’t tell, I was more excited than he was!

Vishnu’s a shoe guy. He has more shoes than most girls I know! And that’s exactly why I got him some beautiful new leather TOMS. The cognac color is beautiful! They even look great with scrubs. Smile

On Saturday morning, I asked Vishnu what kind of food he was craving. The answer was brunch, so the birthday boy and I headed to Banyan Café. This restaurant came highly recommended from a waiter at a different restaurant, so we were super excited to check it out.

The Black Bean Benedict had my name written all over it, so that’s what I ordered. Vishnu decided to go with the Smoked Salmon Benedict. Both dishes were absolute brunch perfection. My benedict came with eggs, black beans, a grilled peppers, salsa verde, corn bread, and a side of rosemary breakfast potatoes. Vishnu’s came with eggs, smoked salmon, capers, tomato, lemon marmalade (I know right!), toast, jalapeno aioli, and the breakfast potatoes. We will be back!

After stuffing ourselves silly, I suggested we walk around for a while. The weather in St. Pete was gorgeous – warm with a slight breeze. Vishnu forgot his sunglasses at home, so we made what I thought was quick pit stop. Umm no. The birthday boy decided to take a birthday nap, and I didn’t have it in me to wake him up!

Eventually, we had to get ready for part two of Vishnu’s birthday present – the Oddball Comedy Festival!

I did a little research beforehand and learned that this event can get a little crazy in terms of parking, lines, etc. We decided to leave home around 3:30 because the parking lots opened up at 4:00. In true Parita fashion, we were a tad bit early, but it all worked out because we were able to grab a quick bite to eat from the Taco Bus food truck! We were also able to watch a few different comedians perform on the festival (secondary) stage.

A little before 7 pm, we headed to the amphitheater for the main stage performances. You guys, we laughed…A LOT! Of course, when you go to something like this, you have to put your sensitivity hat away and just go with it (I’ll be honest, I found this a little hard when it came to certain topics.), but overall, we had a great time!

Jeff Ross, Roastmaster General and the host for the night, was awesome. He started the show by using an audience cam to narrow in on members of the audience so he roast them. Later, he randomly picked 10 people to come on stage so he could roast them. Hilarious! Of course, Amy and Aziz were ridiculously funny! Amy joked about how she’s always told what a great time it is for women in Hollywood and how that can’t be true because all the women are starving! Aziz joked a lot about his relationship and how being a minority in Hollywood has affected him. Good stuff! Vishnu and I were reacting some of the jokes on our way home…albeit not as successfully!

There was no celebrating on Sunday because Vishnu had to get up early and head to work. I, however, woke up and finished Why Not Me?. I then made a to do list and got to work – cleaning, organizing, packing, shopping, writing, etc. Needless to say, Sunday was a full yet productive day.

While I’m sad the weekend is over, I’m excited about my trip to Chicago this week! And the fun doesn’t end when I get back. Our friends Jenny and Jimi are visiting and staying with us over the weekend. WOO HOO!

Have a great Monday!

Do you like comedy shows? Who’s your favorite comedian?

What’s Yours Is Mine and What’s Mine Is Yours

written by Parita 11 Comments

The husband wife relationship is one that truly embodies the “what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours” philosophy. At least in our experience.

Before we got married, Vishnu and I didn’t share much. Not that we didn’t want to, but we lived in different states for the better part of the last four years of our relationship.

Almost immediately upon saying “I do” it became quite apparent that marriage is all about sharing. Case in point…we went from living independently to now sharing a 650 sq. ft. apartment, a tiny closet, a bathroom, a car, bank accounts, medical insurance, friends, household responsibilities, and yes, sometimes even a razor (shhh don’t tell Vishnu!).

None of this was a surprise to us. We actually planned for all of it.

However, the thing that sometimes comes as a surprise is what I like to call “shared stress.” Let me illustrate with a recent example.

A few weeks ago, Vishnu received a letter in the mail stating that he was being summoned for jury duty at the beginning of March. I put a note in my calendar to remind him to call the courthouse and confirm his participation.

Last Friday, I reminded Vishnu to call the courthouse. When he saw there was an online option to check-in, he opted for that. All was good and we proceeded to enjoy our weekend.

On Monday morning, Vishnu gets up at 6:45 so that he can be out the door at 7:15 to walk over to the courthouse. He walks over to my side of the bed and gives me a kiss. Immediately upon waking up I tell him I’ll make breakfast and ask if he needs to bring his lunch. He says that he didn’t see anything on the website but that he’ll check before leaving.

I get out of bed at 7:00, brush my teeth, and go in to the kitchen to make us breakfast. As I’m pulling things out of the fridge, I hear Vishnu say that he needs to bring his lunch with him and that he needs to be dressed in business casual clothes. Neither of which he planned for. I look at the clock…it’s 7:09.

I immediately start making a sandwich. I then wash a bunch of grapes and find the one remaining trail mix packet in our pantry.

As I’m frantically pulling everything together, I yell, “I don’t like this shared stress!!!” To which Vishnu responds, “You married me!!!” Touché, husband, touché!

Vishnu appears in the kitchen looking quite relaxed at about 7:20. I ask him why he isn’t rushing, and he says he’ll just take the train. Say what?!

As I stand there shaking my head, he drinks his protein shake, throws his lunch in his backpack, kisses me goodbye, and heads out the door at 7:30.

So yes, marriage really is all about “what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours.” Even stress.

He’s lucky he’s cute!

How We Almost Booked the Wrong Vacation

My Favorite Instagram Accounts for Mama Humor

So That’s What They Call a Mother’s Intuition

14 of My Quirkiest Travel Habits and Preferences

Almost But Not Quite Famous

Weekend Recap – Birthday Fun & Oddball Comedy Festival

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