My first Bike to Work day

Not long back I had posted about how workout has had good effect on me. A lot of my friends agreed to what I had to say, and feel the same way. Some also requested to read and learn more from what and how I do to make that happen.

Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen"
                                                                                                                   Ralph Waldo Emerson

There are somethings that are always in your mind and you want to make that happen. However all the ifs and buts are the ones that drag us down. I had been thinking about biking to work for a long time, and finally I did it today. With the onset of  daylight saving time, warmer mornings and longer evenings, I had no more excuse for being lazy.

The ride helped me clear my mind and soak the sun as I rode to work. It was a pretty productive day. Ride home was not as easy as the wind was against my ride home, and my legs were sore, but I still made quick stops on the way to take some pictures. The lush green hills, some patches of  clouds and clear blue skies looked like somewhere in heaven. I am extremely glad I did it as I got my workout for the day by missing the terrible traffic of the Bay Area.

Are you thinking or planning to do something? If so "Now" is the time, as tomorrow never comes.

Viral Fever and foods that work for my kids

A mom's nightmare is having a sick kid at home, and for working moms, how worst can life get. With 2 kids at daycare, and the numerous occurrence of cough, cold, fever, ear infections and the ongoing flu season, I have been trying a few things that works for me. Not all kids are same, and I don't believe a sick kid is one solution fits all problem.

Here are my goto list and hope this helps you too.

•  Jello, I keep a good stock of this at home. Kids love jello, so save it for the time they get sick.
• Fluids are always good, so I courage lots of any fluid, 100% natural juice, homemade squeezed juice, milk, buttermilk.
• My kids love soups, specially the home chicken soups.
• Yakult - this is one of my favourites with lots of probiotic goodness. This is a drink that I give everyday to preserve the good bacteria when kids are on antibiotics.
• Icecream, specially popscicles provides all the sugar to keep them energized, and also gives them lots of fluid.

Even a small bowl of chicken soup goes a long way

The best one on my list is pedialyte freezer pops, as they are life savers for all kids with all the minerals, salt and sugar that they need to keep them going when they don't feel well. I have my freezer always stocked with it, because you never know when the bug comes home.

Yakult and a short walk after fever

Silly kids at the doc

However, my mantra is "Keep food that kids love, even if they are unhealthy, for the times they are sick". They will eat them for sure.

In between jobs - Wacky Wednesday

Most days are not perfect and as does no flow as you planned for it, and since we have no control over what we cannot do, we just move on. This quote by an Unknown Author just reflects on how my Wednesday was.  "The best revenge is always to just happily move on and let karma do the rest."

After a busy morning breakfast and prepping for kids school, lunch boxes,  I had sometime to play with Navya before dropping her off to school. Memory card game is one of our favorites and can be played in a very short time. Even 5 minutes can do wonders.

Nishka had an early day which mean she gets off school at 11:30, and we wanted to go get her passport done, just incase we plan any travels this years. The office opens at 1:00pm, and we were there at 12:30 and the lines are already long. Had we known about it, we could have gone earlier. Kids have a hard time to stand in line, so I let her read the greeting cards that are on sale at the post office. After 30 minutes in line, we were no lucky enough to get a token to make the passport, seems the lines are more than what the post office can accommodate. Sad face and we are out of the door.

After a stroll, we headed for out tax appointment. Unfortunately the lady who does our tax had to leave for something that was urgent. Nishka played at the office on what they had setup for kids, some toys and books were a life saver. In the mean while we handed our documents and headed home. Another bummer the same day.

All I wanted to do was sip my coffee and call it a day. I watched kids play as I refelected on my day which was not what I had planned for. The small joys of life, I would say.

I cooked dinner for the family, and a close friend visited. We all ate together, and kids enjoyed a lot. Togetherness is what divides sadness and doubles all happiness.

In between jobs, Terrific Tuesday

Ever wondered what to do with kids for 1 hr, play scrabble. I had not played it in over 20 years, and finally this morning spent sometime to play with Nishka. This helped her brush up on a lot of words she already knew but now she can spell them and never forget them. Playing and learning is so much fun. Nishka made a funny comment while we played "Oopss I see something that should not be done, the game is only for 8+ years".

I did walk her to school again today, and we enjoyed talking about random things on the way. Talking to kids helps them with exploring and is a great way to fuel imaginations.

All mommies need a break, so I wanted to treat myself with lunch that I had been planning for a while.

I love soups, all kinds and every kind. Finally in over 2 years since the time I came to know about this spot, wanted to try their Pho. How can it not taste great with 1700+ review in Yelp. At 11:45's this place is super crowded, but we still managed to find a place by the window and gulped it all. Warnings "no drooling please".

I finished my lunch with a trip to orange tree frozen yogurt, tell me who does not love dessert. I got lychee, pineapple and vanilla frozen yogurt with green apple boba, gummy bears, mochi and chocolate coated raisins, delish.

I shopped for a pair of running shoe as  was as the Mall for the dessert, and I think I deserve it for all the runs I do. It was cool and beautiful outside so I decided to run as the sun went down. I missed the sun set as I ran up the hill, but the after sunset color I the sky just gave me hopes for an even better tomorrow. Stay tuned for a Wacky Wednesday.

In between jobs, Mission-Magical Monday

An idle mind is a devils workshop, and I did not want that to happen when I had some time in between jobs. Taking 1 day at a time is all the plan I had. However the thought of doing something that I had not had time to do was top priority for me.

Dropping Nishka to school on the first day of kindergarten was fun. The excitement she had then still prevails and I got to see and enjoy that when walking her to school today. She had more friends than before and feels more confident.

I rode my bike after a long time. With the onset of winter, even though we are in California, it is near to impossible to bike in shorter days. Biking along trails with lust green backdrop was amazing. The yellow mustard flowers are such a sight to see, however do watch for "No trespassing signs" in case you would like to take pictures. The flowers remind me of the epic scene of bollywood movie "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge".  

Enjoying the 75F warm sun was another thing I wanted to do. With nothing in my mind, soaking up the sun and drinking my "pineapple mint aloe slush" was a perfect afternoon.

The day ended with a perfect home-made dinner with my family by my side. The Avocado-pasta is inspired from a really good friend, and tasted great, recipe coming soon. Stay tuned for a Terrific Tuesday update.