Stay at home mom schedule

When I asked one of my friends how she managed the children at home, she remarked that you need to find your routine and stick to it. That line turned the light bulbs on my brain. Became my mojo. They are the same people who said “consistency is the key in disciplining, when it comes to parenting”. Some of the best fundamental advices I ever received. At the beginning of this journey, the blogosphere offered a ton of support with “how to go about doing this thing?” I could not have come through without the ideas from moms around the world.

While this is nothing near perfection, it works for our family and keeps us sane. We run on a late schedule, maybe due to dad’s work hours. If we are out and about or the children are sick, it is way off. This reflects a good day for the most part. I often wonder if I under-feed the kids, considering they are both little peanuts. Is genetics to blame or my inability to stuff them? My mother can answer that better, in sometime. With a heavy heart I admit this schedule is going to get uprooted, when we go to Chennai. Thanks to the 20 hour journey and 11.5 hours time lag. K never handled jet lag well, ever.

6:30 Little man, our alarm clock is up. Dad gets him, changes diaper and they hang out in the living room. Dad also unloads the dishwasher at this time.

7:00 Mom drags herself to the kitchen to get coffee/milk going for all. Does the beds.

7:30 K is up and heads out after a little waking up drama. Dad gets her brushed.

8:00 All are fed coffee/milk and getting ready for breakfast. We usually go through idli, dosa, oatmeal, cereal, bread. Occasionally, depending on my mood and time we get poha or upma.

8:30 Breakfast for K and dad are done. K gets a change of clothes and is ready for school. She leaves by 8:45 latest. Most days dad drops her and leaves for work. If P is on a work call, then I take her. Little man stays home watching TV or walking around by us, playing by self.

9:30 Mom and little man get their breakfast. I feed him. Yes. He will learn to self feed in his time, am not too pressurized by that yet. We sing songs or go through books or do cards, try to talk at that time.

10:30 He usually sleeps after getting a short feed. I clean up after breakfast. Load the dishes and think about lunch. Lunch is usually leftovers from previous day dinner. We typically stock 2 or 3 dishes in the fridge and keep rotating them for meals through the day. During his nap, I catch up on reading (spiritual and otherwise), make any phone calls/messages, chat with parents on skype etc.

11:30 Time to bundle up and leave to pick up K from school.

12:10 Back home and settled in for the afternoon.

12:30 Kids eat a snack and K relaxes around with TV or play together in their room, while I get lunch going and do sundry kitchen tasks. Few days a week kids chat with my parents over skype.

1:30 Lunch routine, it takes an hour to get them both to finish their lunch. We just talk over lunch or read a book when she eats.

3:00 K winds down for her afternoon nap and sleeps by about 3:30. I take little man for his bath and feed to get him to sleep. His nap starts about 3:45 after which I catch 2 episodes on Food Network – Ina Garten’s and Pioneer woman usually. I finish my bath, laundry, post lunch clean up, housekeeping, prep for dinner. At times K plays with the kids next door – depending on her and their mood.

5:30 All are awake for the evening and have their milk/snack. We chat about the day, hang around in the living room and then get K’s bath done.

7:00 Dad is home and kids are excited. So is mom, to get time for herself. The ‘me time’ is usually invested in getting through cooking dinner or baking. K climbs on the step stool and watches me work in the kitchen and wants to help out.

7:30 Finish little man’s dinner and step out for grocery or quick shopping trips or dinner once a weeknight – things like a Buy Buy baby/Target run or Kohls visit or the mall. We all actually go together, so everyone gets a time out from their schedule. If we stay home, kids play or do activities with dad and I get a shower.

9:00 Back home, little man is asleep. K and rest of us eat dinner after which we read or write or watch TV to unwind.

10:00 K goes to bed. Mom cleans up after dinner. Dad gets into night offshore calls and mom browses, reads or makes lists.

11:00 Mom to bed, dad sleeps after his calls are done depending on the day.

1:00 Little man whines and cries in the crib, mom picks him up, calms him down and gets him into her bed.

6:30 It’s a new day!

In summer when there wasn’t school, the routine was slightly different. Morning when he napped, I was able to get activities done with K like cards, books or coloring. Or we would plan visits to library for craft/story times or park district classes or the grocery or mall/play area together, more outdoorsy things – maybe just an evening in the park. With school in place and cold weather setting in most of those had to be cut down. My late night power sprint walks went off the window too. Really miss that quiet time and fresh air. 

Writing this down helps me look at areas where I can do better to keep the children engaged. Given their age and my exhaustion, I have been unable to enroll them for other activities. P helps out a good amount, necessary for him to stay involved with the kids. Well, it’s alright to cut ourselves some slack....As with any job I am going through my learning curve and it is getting better. While fears and doubts still remain, my hope is built on nothing less than Almighty who is my anchor through this phase in life.

Mango Chutney

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade they say. I was driven into making mango chutney when ripe sour mangoes  had to be utilized  (they were from Ecuador, sold in Milwaukee at a local produce store below my sister’s loft apartment). I prefer not to throw away fresh produce. Never been successful locating sweet mangoes in the area. I was disappointed that little man could not enjoy mangoes as fruit for breakfast; rest of us ate this savory version with dosas. It is a nice sweet, sour, spicy concoction.

 Sour ripe mangoes – 2 medium

Onion – 1

Ginger, garlic, green chilly paste – 2 tsps

Salt – 1 tsp

Red Chilly powder – ½ tsp

Jaggery – 3 tsps (I never used to use this ingredient in cooking, slowly becoming a fan of this good stuff)

Puree the mangoes to get a pulp. In some oil (actually make that lots, well at least 3 tbsps), temper mustard seeds. Add in chopped onions and fry for few minutes. Add the ginger garlic green chilly paste with salt and fry till raw smell disappears. Fold in the mango pulp, add the chilly powder and jaggery. Cook on low flame for at least 20 minutes till you see the oil separating.

This must make a good side for curd rice as well.

Spinach Soup

Inspiration for this soup is the traditional “Kadaintha (or) Kadanja Keerai” recipe. This is my version of the same. Kids and I enjoyed the warm soup with some toast on a snowy cold November afternoon in Schaumburg. K ate it up fairly quickly and little man had his share with rice cereal mixed in. I skipped black pepper to keep it light on spice, wanted it to be kid friendly. What actually prompted me to convert this recipe to soup is that, we ended up with 4 loaves of bread this week. P and I shopped at different times on the same day and bought 2 loaves each of cinnamon raisin and white bread. We generally do not have rules around buying bread. So, it was nice to be in that “similar thinking” point in time for a minute. After 7 long years we are probably getting there!

Spinach – 1 bunch

Onion – 1 medium

Tomato – 1 medium

Green chillies – 2 or 3, depending on the kind you use and what spice level you prefer.

Garlic – 3 pods

Toor dhal – ¾ cup

Mustard, jeera, hing, curry leaves – a tsp each for tempering

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Corriander powder – 1 tsp

In a pressure cooker, add the chopped spinach with onions, tomato, green chillies, garlic and salt. Add in the dhal with 2 cups of water. Nothing else. Pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles. Upon cooling, puree this aromatic blend in a blender – I pulsed it mostly.

Heat up some ghee in a pan, temper the ingredients listed for tempering. Add a tsp each of turmeric and coriander powder. Pour in the divine spinach blend, simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Done! That simple.

What I loved best about this soup is the silky texture when I poured it out of the blender. Just so rich, yet humble. Lately I am keen on jotting down recipes with lesser ingredients. It is getting to be my thing in the kitchen these days – simplify, simplify and simplify.

Brunch food - Poha

Growing up, Poha was not part of breakfast or brunch at my parents in Tamil Nadu. My mom used to prepare a sweet version wherein the poha aka aval is soaked in milk with a little sugar and grated coconut, as an after school snack. I liked it. Poha is dried, flattened rice flakes. My first exposure to breakfast Poha was at Mangalore, in the office cafeteria. As a strong believer of a big, good breakfast (I never skip), I used to try all the menu items on different days. I took an instant liking. Simplicity at its best.

In the few months leading to and after little S's birth, we had a Gujarati lady helping with cooking at home. She makes good poha. It started becoming a staple in this household ever since. She once remarked at my bad, "Ye, thin poha muth lekha aana...usse hum chivda banathe hain. Thick poha se hi breakfast banathe hein". That I learnt. She also added golden raisins and white sesame seeds to enhance the taste. Here is my version of the dish. But I still miss hers. Now she is gone and I haven't been able to decode her recipe yet. Didn't learn it from her earlier either. I'll get there some day.

Thick poha - 2 cups, soaked in water about 15 minutes
Onion - 1 medium, chopped/diced
Green chillies - 1 slit
Green pepper - 1 medium chopped just like the onion [optional ingredient, just my way]
Mustard, jeera seeds - a tsp each
Hing - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - about 5
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

Melt 2 tablespoons ghee in a hot pan, sputter the mustard and jeera with hing. Add in the onion, green pepper, green chillies and curry leaves - fry till translucent. Add salt and turmeric, mix in the wet poha - soaked but not soggy. Mix well and cook about 10 minutes.

Feel free to fancy it up with toasted peanuts/sesame seeds or raisins.

I love it with good old coconut chutney.

Nature, one of my loves

Before my fading memory fails me completely, I should document our little day trip to the Kettle Moraine forest. 

Some trivia, both the words kettle and moraine are geographical terms representing a former glacial terrain. Going to further technical geological definitions will defeat the purpose of my post here. Our goal was to see neither the kettles nor moraines, but just getaway to catch some fall colors. It all started when a beautiful Friday dawned with perfect sunshine and temperature reading at mid 70s. Not bad at all for October in the Midwest. A phone call to my sister in Wisconsin, plans were quickly made to drive to the Kettle Moriane State Forest, about an hour drive north west of Milwaukee. My bil rented a minivan so the pack could all fit in one vehicle and enjoy the ride, not having the added pain of getting lost and tracking down ‘the other car’ in the scenic jungle. After a hot south Indian breakfast of idli, vada, sambar and morning routine, six people got out the door by 11am. Now, that’s an accomplishment for a Saturday with breakfast. Those with two little ones who need to be fed, bathed and clothed can appreciate that.

The drive was pleasant and enjoyable, till the first few drops started hitting the windshield about 45 minutes into the ride. Not letting that dampen our spirits, we made a stop at the visitor center to collect some maps. The center was closed for the weekend. But we got some beautiful pictures amidst the fallen leaves and tall trees. We continued the scenic drive to the main bigger center, savoring the quiet and calm of the wet trees their shades of yellow, green, orange and red. A visual feast. After the maps were read, the lot fell on Parnell Tower Loop trail which had a 60 foot tower giving a good view of the area and colors. But we needed the fuel to make the climb, and boy did that little place provide it. It’s a shame I cannot recollect its name. But, for a little price the lunch bar served us huge portions with big smiles. We also tried fried mac and cheese, a true Wisconsin classic - besides the sandwiches and chicken strips. Finishing up with ice cream - Food Network seriously needs to go there and review them...capture their humungous ice cream portions. We tried 2 flavors and both passed our taste tests- 'Butter Brickle' and 'Wisconsin State Hare and the turtle'. Next was the Parnell tower climb, we took turns and hauled both the kids up and savored the views from the top. All in all, a good short trip. This post does not do complete justice to how I have really enjoyed the several Wisconsin state parks and trails.

Everyone needs to getaway to a quiet place, the literal breath of fresh air brought about some rejuvenation to our souls.

Thanks D&P for the ever cheerful attitude, even amidst our two little brats. Cheers to good times and all the little activities we did together these few months.

Channa masala with a southern twist

We usually prepare channa gravy with Badshah/MDH masala that gives it a good north indian flavor. This time I thought I'll try a version adapted from the kerala kadala curry. I feel the same gravy base will work good with minced mutton or chicken. Yet to try that.

Soak black and white channa for few hours (I like to do that overnight usually). Pressure cook with salt.

Dry roast and grind below ingredients.

Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
Fennel seeds - 3 tsp
Black pepper seeds - 2 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Cardamom - 3
Star Anise - 1
Cloves - 3/4 pieces

Grated coconut - 1 cup
Garlic - 5 pods
Shallots - 5
Green chillies - 1

Fry some red onions, curry leaves in coconut oil, after sputtering mustard. Add tomato puree and fry with salt and turmeric. Add the prepared masala paste with boiled channa. Bring to a boil, and then let it cook on low heat for about 1/2 hour till you see oil separating.

What I like about the gravy is - the tingling taste it leaves on the taste buds till up to 1/2 hour after the meal. I think the tingle comes from fennel, pepper and the cinnamon-cloves.