What's my blog all about?

Realized with a start that it's been ages since my last post. While travelogues are fun to write, I now hope to try and reconnect to the essence of what my blog is about. It has seen glimpses of gardening, baking, and of course holiday posts in plenty because I believe these have been an integral part of my "Life as a Mom" :). But I also want to look back at posts in a few years and go "Awww!" like I do when I read some of the posts from when the kids are young.

It is not that children stop saying interesting things as they grow older, they just start taking it to a whole new level. In the tangles of trying to make sense of it all while trying to yell less (check out the www.theorangerhino.com if you missed my earlier posts on the subject), I have been missing out on noting down a lot of interesting situations. Here are some recent ones:
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S has become the master of the "anticipatory bail" situation. He forgot one of the books for his holiday homework at school, and then after multiple times of my asking him if he's finished his homework comes to me with a woebegone face (as though he has just discovered this fact):

"I didn't bring my XXX Workbook!"

Me: I've been asking you about homework for the last 2 days, why are you telling me this just now?

S: "But Ma'am will scold me!" (Notice how my question is completely dodged, and by now he's most realistically teary eyed)

Me: The school has already sent a mail that everyone is now on holiday, I can't even go and get the book now. If you'd told me on the 1st day, we could have gone and picked it up. (The 1st day of holidays was an optional PTM).

S: "You call Ma'am right now and speak to her!"

Me: How can I do that? I don't have her number with me.

S: "But you call and speak to her right now!"
And so on...

I maintain that this whole convenience of leaving books at school and only bringing home what is necessary contributes to a lot of such situations and tension. Our backs used to bend with the weight of schoolbags, but we never forgot anything :P.
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D was busy preparing for her Piano ABRSM Grade 1 exam for the last few months, and establishing a regular practice schedule took a lot of work. I'm not the most organized person myself so trying to inculcate this in another person felt like a bit of a lost cause! After tugs of war and many discussions, we somehow managed to establish a rhythm of everyday practice sessions. I know this is how every parent feels about their child, but I just have to marvel at how she picked up the finger-work for the keyboard/piano. I know it didn't come easy to her, she was not a "natural" at it, she had to work quite hard and practice these pieces over and over to reach this stage. But I can hardly remember the frustration and the arguments, when I listen to a passage that she didn't think she would "ever manage to learn" being played perfectly, and I have to watch and listen transfixed to my seat :). Now the exam's done and she can learn "for fun" for some time. The loudest "Phew!" is from me ;).

S is for Seattle

We were warned about the rainy and changing weather in Seattle, but arrived to a wonderful bright and sunny day :). And that lasted for most of our stay, much to our delight!

Thanks to the constant precipitation, the greens are so "green" :)

Thanks to my cousin who lives there, and kindly spent so much of his time on us, we managed to take in a lot of the sights. We also stayed at his place in Redmond, and as he's a favourite with the kids they were quite thrilled as well. Here's some of the stuff we did:

Mount Rainier: After wondering the previous week if the weather would let us get to see the mountain up close, we managed to get the best view possible. The roads were clear because of the climate but the mountain was still covered in snow. The kids actually got to have their first "real" snow experience while dressed in summer clothing, I admit I was a wee bit jealous ;).

The Duck Tour: We had seen the duck tour vehicle that did the Duck Tour in San Francisco as well, but hadn't managed to take a ride there. Something that travels on land, as well as on water - I was just as thrilled by the experience as the kids were :). Add an entertaining driver to the mix, and it's definitely worth it.

Fascinated by the floating homes! 

The skyline from the water

Other City Sights: While the Space Needle is definitely "touristy", how could a Grey's Anatomy fan pass up on visiting it? So we managed to take it in on the one day that we went into Seattle city. We also caught a glimpse of the first Starbucks, though the queues were a bit too long for us to stick around and try their coffee (We had already had quite a few Starbucks experiences anyway).

View from the Space Needle - with Rainier in the distance

Outside the first Starbucks - and that's the queue in the background!

Whale Watching: This was one part of our holiday that would definitely not have happened, if not for my dear cousin telling me about it :). It was a lovely day spent on a boat, chasing whales (mostly orcas). It was a bit of an irony trying to see them in the wild, after having seen them in captivity at Sea World. But you can imagine what an amazing experience it makes. The day was wrapped up with a visit to Deception Pass.

Yes, it was cold!

With Deception Pass in the background

Time with Friends: A couple of dear friends were in Seattle, we managed to spend a day with one and her family. It's true what they say, even if you haven't spoken in years, the connection remains the same :). Another friend stayed very close to my cousin's place (though we realized that fact much later!) so managed to spend a few hours at her place one morning.

Museum of Flight: We managed to put in a visit to the museum on our last full day in Seattle - quite interesting and very informative for adults though the kids were good sports and walked around to see everything.

And the last day arrived and it was time to leave! What a holiday :) !!!!

That rounds off my travelogue (Do I hear many "At lasts!" ;)). I am planning a couple more posts with references of tours and hotels.. and on the visa process.