My Inner Shakti

finding strength in everyday things

Weekend Recap – Super Short

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…or it felt super short, I should say!

Vishnu and I both commented on how this weekend just flew by. I think that’s a direct reflection of how much easier it is to parent a 3 year old than a younger child. Maybe it’s just us, but while we still have our ups and downs with K, this age is just so much fun and easier to manage. Woo hoo!

Anyways, here’s a high-level overview of our weekend…

FRIDAY – productive, creamy mac n’ cheese (from a box!), Parks and Rec, Vishnu home late

SATURDAY – run with my sister, park time, lunch from Moti Cafe (so so), 2 hour nap (for me and K), simple dinner, ‘Love Wedding Repeat’ on Netflix (do not recommend!)

SUNDAY – park time with a friend, short nap (for K), quick grocery trip, delicious pasta dinner (by moi), more Parks and Rec (and lots of laughing out loud!)

Other things to note:

I hope you guys are ready for more coaching posts on here and on IG. I’ve been brainstorming topics and have so much to say!

Threenagers are a very real thing. VERY REAL!

While I was super impressed with my fellow Chicagoans resolve to wear a mask in enclosed spaces, I’m no longer impressed because people are slacking! I went grocery shopping this weekend and I saw people with the mask under their nose, under their chin, and surprise surprise hanging over one year. WHY!? IT’S NOT THAT HARD!

How is it AUGUST?! Like how?

I’m still loving my daily t-charts for my to do lists. I found the idea via Kamana Bhaskharan’s instagram account and it’s an amazing system! I’m so much more productive when I have my chart ready to go.

Ok, that’s all I have for today. Have a great Monday!

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Weekend Report

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Friday

Friday followed the usual formula with a couple of exceptions.

I made a Trader Joe’s + Marianos run to grab groceries for the week. After coming home and putting everything away, I meal prepped by making some pesto (my own recipe), The Chutney Life crack sauce, and Cookie + Kate enchilada sauce.

I then showered, got ready, and did some work while waiting for Vishnu to get ready. Ready for what you ask?

Welll…while night float sucks, there is the advantage of going on Friday day dates, which is exactly what we did. Vishnu made a reservation at 3 Arts Club Cafe inside Restoration Hardware a couple of weeks ago. You guys, let’s just talk about the space. It’s beautiful and really open and airy. I really felt like we were sitting in a European cafe. The food was equally good. I got a soft scramble plate with avocado and sourdough toast. And I couldn’t pass by on a oat milk latte, so I ordered one of those too!

We then walked around Restoration Hardware designing our future (like waaaay in the future) home. To be honest, most of the furniture didn’t jive with me. Just not my style. Oh well. I guess we’ll have to pretend shop somewhere else. Haha!

After we got home, I headed to my annual doctor’s appointment (all good here)! Then I came back home and watched the latest episode of A Million Little Pieces. Man, I didn’t love this all that much for the first season, but I’m so glad I stuck with it. It’s so so so good!

Then I picked up K and we followed our normal weekday evening routine – play, eat, bath, books, sleep!

I then cleaned up and did the dishes before crashing on the couch!

SATURDAY

Saturday started a little earlier than I hoped – 5:45 am. And nothing could convince K to ‘wait for the yellow light’ [on his alarm clock].

So we started our day, and by the time Vishnu got home, we were almost ready to head out to the Children’s Museum. If you’re thinking, “How can you go to one place so many times?,” you really need to check out your local museum. This place is amazing and has so many different areas to explore. Anyways, because I wanted Vishnu to sleep for a bit, K and I headed out to the museum around 8:45 and stayed until about 11:15.

Once we got home, we played for a bit before eating lunch and going down for a nap (all K!).

While he napped, I did a Barre3 online workout I found on YouTube. It felt so good to move in a different way again. Love me some Barre3!

Once K was up, Vishnu played him so I could prep dinner for the boys…enchiladas! I used Cookie + Kate’s sauce, my own sweet potato + onion filling, and The Chutney Life’s Crack Sauce (as a topping). You guys! This simple dish turned out so so good!

I then headed out to my sister’s place for a belated Galetine’s get together with some of my favs! We talked, we laughed, we ate, and we watched To All the Boys: PS I Still Love You. Such a fun night and a reminder that we need to schedule these more regularly.

I didn’t go to bed until almost 12:30 am. Who am I?!

Sunday

Well that late bedtime didn’t serve me too well come morning. K was up at like 6:04 am. Was really hoping he would sleep until at least 7, but that was a no go.

We spent our morning playing, making pancakes, and generally wreaking havoc until it was time to go to soccer class. Vishnu and K headed out for that while I went down to our gym to work out. I then showered and did laundry.

K was super tired after soccer, so you can only imagine how the next 1.5 hours went. Lots of meltdowns, whining, etc. In fact, I made him this delicious plate of food for lunch, including pineapple, a toasted PB sandwich, and PB + banana bites, and he ate…the pineapple. I decided to put him down for an extra early nap because the crying would not stop and we couldn’t figure out why he was so crank (other than the fact that he was obviously tired). That was the best decision because he passed out immediately.

After nap Kaiden was happy and eager to get to the park since it was a beautiful day in Chicago. Once Vishnu got home from the gym, we made our way over and met our friends who then came over for dinner.

Toddlers are fascinating, I tell ya! Kaiden had a somewhat ‘off’ evening after a great weekend. He wasn’t himself and we have no idea what to attribute that too.

Ah well, tomorrow’s a new day…

Hope y’all had a great weekend!

Weekend Shenanigans

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Oh man! What a weekend. I’m wiped but happy! This one wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, and while there were several ‘I want to pull my hair out’ moments, there were plenty of fun/sweet ones too!

With that, here’s the breakdown of our weekend shenanigans.

Friday

So Friday started as it usually does – Trader Joe’s and the library. I got two new books and am already half way through one. It’s so good…will definitely share more soon!

I came home worked out, made these muffins because I know Vishnu loves them, and made some chicken fingers for V + K. Guess who wasn’t a fan?!

Anyways, Vishnu and I were supposed to grab lunch together on Friday afternoon, but when I went to wake him up (he’s working nights right now), he looked so out of it and tired. I suggested that we cancel and eat lunch at home.

I then watched the latest episode of ‘A Million Little Pieces.’ SO SO SO GOOD!

I headed to K’s school around 4:30p for Kaiden’s class Valentine’s Day party. It was like most of the others, except this time, K was more social and actually wanted to do the activities. He also ate a ginormous cookie, which totally ruined his appetite for dinner. Ay ay ay!

The rest of the evening was spent doing a little bit of work and reading.

Saturday

The first half of Saturday was a lot of fun. Kaiden and I woke up and hung out for a bit until it was time to leave for the Children’s Museum, where he had an absolute blast! He ran around so much – thankfully, it wasn’t too crowded either. We saw his school buddy Roger there too, and the two of them had so much fun climbing and running around the castle exhibit.

I read some during K’s afternoon nap, which is when Vishnu came home. I told him to stay at my sister’s place after work so he could sleep. Worked out perfectly since my sister and BIL are out of town this weekend.

The rest of the day was spent playing and whining and laughing and crying…rinse and repeat!

Once K was down, Vishnu and I settled down to watch Parasite. You guys! This movie was so good on so many different levels. Definitely a must watch. Vishnu said it was now on his top 5 favorite movie list. It’s THAT good!

Sunday

Sunday looked a lot like Saturday, except sub soccer with the museum!

When K went down for his nap, so did I. I was SO tired…like couldn’t keep my eyes open tired. I think it had something to do with not sleeping well the night before. I remember waking up a few times…and once I was so wide awake, I thought about just going out in the living room and reading some until K woke up. It was 3:45a. Glad I decided to give sleep another chance.

Like I said, this day looked a lot like Saturday. Not much to report!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

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Weekend Rehash – Home Sweet Atlanta!

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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 – When the Grandparents Come to Visit

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This was a good weekend! My parents were in town and that made everyone happy. Especially Mr. Kaiden!

FRIDAY

Friday started off on the usual note, except for one thing. It was K’s first full day in the young 2 classroom. He was super quiet at drop off, but he didn’t cry, so I’ll take that as a win. Our guess is that he warms up throughout the day because the pictures we received in the afternoon showed a very smiley, happy boy!

I then spent the rest of my morning/early afternoon running errands, prepping some food, going to the gym, and then heading to my sister’s place. My parents stayed with her and Adarsh (my BIL) this weekend because they came to celebrate her residency graduation. My sissy’s going to be an attending…yahoo!

I decided to make a haircut appointment while I was there since the hair salon I go to is right across the street from my sister’s place. Well…if you guys follow me on Instagram, you know that it didn’t turn out the way I wanted. She cut it a lot shorter than we discussed, AND on top of that, she took off way too much volume all around (I told her to stick to the back). Ay, ay, ay! At least hair grows back!

We hung out for a bit before heading back to pick up Kaiden from school. You guys! You should’ve seen him when he saw my parents. He ran straight to my mom. CUTEST THING EVER!

After some park time, we came home, ate dinner (a Gujarati feast by my mama), and hung out for a bit before calling it a night.

SATURDAY

Kaiden and I headed to my sister’s place around 9 am. GOOD MORNING, FAM!

After a walk to and around the Green City Farmer’s Market, where we enjoyed a blueberry smoothie and some delicious grilled cheeses, we headed to the zoo where we saw zebras and gorillas before calling it a day (it was getting close to nap time!).

We all napped for about 2 hours while K napped. Best decision ever! I can’t wait to live closer to my parents!

In the late afternoon, we hung out at home and made falafels for dinner. Well, my sister made falafels and I assisted! They were so good!

Vishnu actually finished at a decent time so he was able to join us for dinner! Also, you guys, we had Trader Joe’s Bon Bons for dessert, and they are AMAZING (#2 on the list)!

SUNDAY

Sunday looked a lot like Saturday in that we spent it at my sister’s place again. Except this time, I napped…A LOT! I don’t know why, but I woke up super tired and just needed a little (lot) rest.

We decided to stay in, enjoy each other’s company and eate more of my mom’s delicious food!

After saying bye to everyone at 4:30 ish, Kaiden and I headed home. We played and ate and played some more before I put him to bed.

Once Vishnu got home, he ate and suggested we watch a movie. He wanted to unwind! At first, I was hesitant and then said ‘what the heck!’ We watched Always Be My Maybe. It was super cute and funny, but not something I’d watch over and over again. I did, however, really appreciate the diverse cast. More of that please!

And that was our weekend in a really long nutshell! Thanks for indulging me with these posts! The future me will love reading about this weekend, so it’s important to present me to document even the mundane details. Kaiden will only be so little for so long!

Have a great week!

RPM dessert

Weekend Recap – Mom, RPM, Bears, etc.

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Even though relaxing, low-key weekends are pretty much a thing of the past, I’m finding I equally enjoy the sleepless, crazy, and chaotic (and fun!) ones too.  And this past one was certainly that!

FRIDAY

Friday included a trip to the dentist and the doctor (annual checkup) for me.  Thankfully, everything looks good!  However, I need to remember not to leave these appointments until the end of the year.  I fasted until 11 am for my doctor’s visit.  And that’s because I waited too long to schedule the appointment.  I was ravenous to say the least.

My sister came over in the early afternoon to hang out with me, my dad, and K.  Since she’s also loving (affiliate link ->) Barre3, we did an at home no equipment workout together.  The best part was getting glimpses of Kaiden watching us from his bouncer.  Who knew Barre3 could make one giggle so much!

Fast forward to the early evening, Adarsh, his friend Krishna, and my sister (she left for a volunteer event and came back) came over for dinner.  I made Instant Pot pasta and chicken that turned out so-so.  After thinking a little too hard about where I went wrong, I came to the conclusion that Trader Joe’s quinoa and brown rice pasta is not meant for the IP.  In the past, I’ve used whole wheat/multi-grain…annnnd that is definitely the way to go. Lesson learned!

Anyways, the rest of the night included lots of back and forth with Kaiden who would fall asleep only to wake up 10-30 minutes later.  Oy vey!  We’re working on it…

My exhaustion is at it’s peak by about 8:30 pm, so you can imagine how our night ended.  If not, I’ll tell you.  I suggest watching an episode of Ozarks while I pump.  I finish pumping (episode still going).  I lay down on the couch despite Vishnu telling me to sit up (he knows me too well!).  I fall fast asleep.  #storyofmylife

SATURDAY

Saturday started with an early morning pumping session.  Then when I heard Kaiden stirring, I brought him out and fed him before putting him back down.  I decided to take a short nap on the couch while I waited for my mom’s call to tell my she landed.  Best nap ever, I tell you!

My mom got to our place a little before nine and immediately took Kaiden into her arms.  The next 12 hours were all about K and his Nani!

We did house things for the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon, since we had an extra pair of willing hands to help with K.

A little later in the afternoon, Vishnu and I headed out to run some errands and grab a late lunch.  We made a pit stop at Nordstrom Rack before making our way to my beloved RPM.  This was our first solo Vishnu and Par outing/date since Kaiden was born.  And boy did we enjoy!  Lots of yummy food and fun conversation…very rejuvenating!  Thank goodness for grandparents. 🙂

RPM dessert

Aekta, Adarsh, and our friend Mike came over for dinner (and to see my mom) later in the evening.  I made my family famous nachos…my mom’s favorite.

Needless to say, I felt pretty exhausted by the end of the night.  Once again, Kaiden didn’t go to sleep without a fight!  And while he woke up a few times throughout the night, it didn’t take too much to put him back down.  Phew.

SUNDAY

Sunday morning started much like Saturday – pump, feed K, etc.  It also included a trip to Trader Joe’s.

The most exciting part of Sunday was the Chicago Bears game Vishnu, Adarsh and I went to!  Aek and Adu got Vishnu tickets for his birthday, and while they were at it, Adarsh decided to get himself a ticket too (my sister had to work).  Our seats were absolutely amazing, the weather was gorgeous and relatively warm, HOWEVER the Bears lost.  I’m not necessarily a Bears fan, but we all wanted a W.

Chicago Bears game

Other than that, our Sunday was all about K and trying to get him to go to sleep on time…and stay asleep! 🙂

Kaiden and grandpa

Favorite Weekend Moments

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Ahhh the cherished weekend!  Something we treasured oh so much pre-baby.  Now?  Well, to be honest, I’ve been mixing up my days since Kaiden’s birth.  Saturday doesn’t really feel any different than Wednesday.  But when your baby is freaking adorable, who cares!

While the weekend doesn’t feel much different to me, everyone else can still tell the difference, so with that, here are a few favorite weekend moments…

My dad flew in on Thursday night, walked through the door, and immediately asked to see/hold his grandson!  Kaiden was asleep, but my dad?  He was so excited he couldn’t hide it.  So much love in that one moment!

Kaiden and grandpa

On Friday, Vishnu and I experienced our first solo evening at home with the baby because my parents attended a wedding event in the burbs.  We ate cereal for dinner, we watched TV (for the first time in 15 days), we fed/burped/changed/rocked Kaiden to sleep, and most importantly, we survived to tell the tale!  We’re getting the hang of this parenting thing…slowly but surely.

My BIL, Niel, flew in on Friday night.  Another sweet and exciting first meeting!

Kaiden and Niel

Vishnu worked a 24 hour shift from 8a Saturday to 8a Sunday.  He was beyond exhausted because…a 2b/2b apartment + 3 extra people + a baby that gets up every 3-4 hours…doesn’t exactly equal relaxation.  Again, he survived so there’s that.  But with him not being at home, my parents planning to attend the actual wedding on Saturday morning, and my BIL not having any real baby experience, my mom asked my sister to come over on Saturday to help me as needed.

Welllll…things didn’t go exactly according to plan.  Kaiden had an off night on Friday, so we were up a lot more than expected.  And because I didn’t want Vishnu getting up with us, I told Niel to sleep in our room, and I slept in the living room with Kaiden (who was safe and secure in his bassinet). After finally reaching my breaking point at 5 am, I woke my mom up and asked her for help.

Ultimately, this meant that they weren’t able to attend the early morning ceremony but did make it to the reception late in the evening.

This wasn’t necessarily a favorite weekend moment, but it did make me realize how lucky we are to have so much love and support around us, especially in these early weeks.  I know not everyone is so fortunate.

Saturday morning/afternoon flew by.  Between a nap for me, extra pairs of arms holding and playing with Kaiden, and a visit from Adarsh’s parents/sister, it was the evening before we knew it.

Before I share more about my solo evening with K, I want to link to John Oliver’s latest video on vaccines.  As a new parent, I found his perspective/humor super interesting and informative.  I highly recommend taking the time to watch this in its entirety.

Ok, so on to the evening.  With Vishnu at work, my parents at the wedding reception, and Aek/Adarsh/Niel/the rest of the gang at the beach, I was able to spend a few hours at home…alone.  AND to top it off, it just so happened that this time aligned with Kaiden’s nap time.  YAHOO!

What I should’ve done during this time is nap myself.  What I did instead was plop on the couch, turn on Netflix, and watch a documentary.  More on What the Health and my thoughts coming soon.  It was glorious, even though I paid for it later.

What the Health

A few hours later, Aek/Adarsh/Niel/Adarsh’s parents/sister returned home with dinner…pizza from Home Slice.  It was so delicious I forgot to take a picture.  We will be ordering from here again!

Sunday’s main highlight was having Vishnu back home.  It was kind of remarkable how when he walked through the door and saw Kaiden his exhaustion melted away.  He pulled a Par and stayed up with all of us instead of taking a longer nap.

The rest of Sunday included hanging out at home and spending time with Niel before it was time for his flight.  There was also a nice long nap for mama, Adarsh’s parents stopping by one last time before also heading home, and Aek and Adarsh coming over for a bit.

How was your weekend?  Name some favorite moments!

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