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Appreciating Boredom

written by Parita 2 Comments

I’m not sure why, but one of my most vivid childhood memories is laying on our carpeted living room floor in the smack dab middle of a Rhode Island summer.  I still remember the sunshine filtering in through the front window hitting my face at just the right angle so I couldn’t keep my eyes open.  And of course, like most homes in our neighborhood in the early 90s, ours didn’t have central AC, so window units and standalone fans it was.  The fan was such a constant in my life that I can still hear the motor running on high. 

Why am I sharing such a descriptive mundane memory?  Well, because when I think about my childhood, it was filled with moments like this.  Where I was doing nothing and was most likely bored.  And to be honest with you, I want to ensure Kaiden’s childhood also includes a little boredom…a little stillness.

Kids these days are overscheduled and overcommitted.  There’s music class, dance class, sports, swimming, play dates, etc.  On top of that, there’s something called school and everything that comes with it.  Technology adds a whole other layer of complexity.  iPhones and iPads are staples in most homes.  Gone are the days of basic TV channels only (which is what we had growing up).  I think our current package has over 1800 channels.  WHY!?

There is literally no time for boredom. Not a good thing!

I honestly don’t know how I’m going to not only force boredom on my kid as he gets older but also show him that it’s a good thing! Especially with all the distractions that are bound to come up.  But I truly believe a little quiet time should be woven into every kid’s day.  Time to just be.  To think.  To imagine.  To feel the sun shining on his/her face and hear the buzz of the central air in the background (ha!).  To be bored.

I guess modeling this is probably the best way to do it.  To put our commitments and gadgets aside and let our kids see us just be.  To let them see how it makes us feel to be free for just a few minutes a day.  Maybe this is the true test. We have to do it first.

If that doesn’t work, you better believe I’m going to tell K my ‘boring’ childhood stories until he has them committed to memory.  That’ll make him crave quiet time!

Written on May 23, 2019 Related:Life, motherhood, Toddler

Random Weekend Snippets

written by Parita 21 Comments

1.  Remember when I blogged about Coursera?  The whole concept got me really excited, especially when I learned that Khushboo signed up for a class too.  I decided to forgo the Philosophy class (for now) and signed up for two nutrition classes…that overlap for six weeks.  I honestly don’t know what I was thinking when I did that, but I think it’ll be fine since the level of learning I’ve selected is understanding (and not application or synthesis). 

Anyway, the Fundamentals of Nutrition class started this past week, therefore I spent a few hours over the weekend reading about nutrition basics, dietary guidelines, and dietary tracking.  Call me crazy but I miss being in school sometimes.  Probably because I love to learn – especially about something that’s become a passion of mine.  I can’t wait to apply and share all of this new knowledge…yep, I’m a nerd.   We’ll see how it all goes…one week at a time.

weekend snippets 008

2.  I have to share the cute birthday card and picture my sister sent me. 

birthday card 001

Love it!  I called to thank her for the sweet card, and about half way through the conversation we started talking about how I “bullied” her when we were younger.  Because we’re almost seven years apart, it was quite easy to get my way.  For example, I’d change the rules of any game if I was losing.  If Aekta didn’t go along with what I said, I’d yell and walk away.  A little while later, she would come get me so that we could continue with our my game.  I’m surprised she still talks to me!! 

3.  Khusbu (my friend from college) and I had a little girls’ day on Saturday.  I’m not going to post any pictures because I feel bad for those of you who are experiencing a brutal winter right now (which I’m guessing is a lot of you).  Let’s just say the weather was beautiful enough that we were able to stop for some fro-yo and then go get manicures/pedicures.  We ended our night with dinner and drinks at Tap42.  I had my second blueberry beer ever and loved it!  And for dinner I went with the housemade veggie burger.  A very good choice!

4.  After reading about Revlon’s Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stains on Mila’s blog the other day, I knew I had to try them out.  I made a pit stop at Target on my way home from running errands and ended up purchasing two – one in Honey (a neutral, slightly pink shade) and the other in Romantic (a dark pink/reddish shade).

weekend snippets 007

Me being me, the first thing I did after getting in the car was tear off the packaging so that I could try one of these out.  My initial thought?  I LOVE this lip product!  It’s a cross between a lip balm and a sheer lipstick -super creamy and highly pigmented.  And so far, the staying power seems to be pretty good as well.  Yay…new makeup makes me giddy!

4.  I know I’m late to the party, but I finally got around to making cauliflower crust pizza.  Best. Decision. Ever.  If you haven’t already, make this pizza.  It is absolutely delicious.

I used Brittany’s recipe as a guide. My modifications included using the entire cauliflower head, two eggs, cheddar cheese, and a couple pinches of salt.  For the toppings, I used store bought tomato sauce, sautéed onions, spinach, and red bell pepper, sliced olives, and feta cheese.

weekend snippets 010

The crust was flavorful and hearty.  While it didn’t taste like a regular pizza crust, in my humble opinion, it was 10x more delicious.  And for those of you who don’t like the taste of cauliflower, don’t worry.  With everything else that goes into it and on top of it, the cauliflower flavor isn’t overwhelming at all. 

Bottom line…make this pizza as soon as humanly possible. 

6.  Finally, I started researching Miami apartments because Vishnu and I are 99% sure we’re moving in a few months!  More on this later…I promise!

Did you buy, make, or try anything new this weekend?

Written on January 28, 2013 Related:Blogging, Family, Food, Friends, Make-up, Moving, Nutrition, Restaurant, Weekend

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