Berry Picking

It's just the onset of summer and week one of the summer break. Everyday is a new experience for us and though exhausting for me, but full of action for Anvesha. By the way, we gracefully survived week 1 of summer break.. Yayyyyyy!!!!

This weekend we went for strawberry picking with few of our friends. It was a fun filled afternoon and we collected around 6 Lb of strawberries. It was a perfect day for picking berries, by which I mean that it was neither too hot nor too cold.

We collected these super sweet and juicy strawberries, although the kids ate a lot right from the strawberry bushes :)

There are many reasons to take the kids to strawberry picking. First and foremost, its fun:) It's so important to get out as a family and the fact that strawberry picking pulls you and kids away from television is an added bonus. Life is crazy, chaotic and fast paced. Getting out at the farm, smelling the ripe, juicy berries and getting your hands dirty at the farm is indeed worth it. 

The strawberries are cheaper at the farm. We don't have to pay the added cost of  someone else picking, packing and shelving the produce. I am AMAZED at how much more delicious our freshly picked strawberries were as compared to the ones we get at any store for which I may have paid a fortune so far.

It was fun teaching Anvesha where food comes from. U pick farms are fun ways of educating kids about about farming. Anvika is too young to understand all this, but she had her own share of fun at the farm.

And finally here is the team with all of their hard work at the farm 

Anvesha's last day of preschool

Anvesha's last day of preschool was today- June 19th 2018.  She really enjoyed her 3 years of preschool with Miss Riddhi whom she absolutely adores. I can't believe my little girl's preschool has ended and she will be starting kindergarten in September this year. I now have a preschool graduate!!

Like all milestones, this too was a cause for celebration. I had planned an year end party at our place and the kids had a blast. Here are the pics of last Saturday.

I think a child's first teacher holds a special place in the child's heart. Here is a pic of Anvesha with her preschool teacher- Miss Riddhi.

Can't help but compare the first day and the last day of preschool pic of Anvesha. Gosh !! she has changed so much- physically, emotionally and in so many other ways. I really miss my baby now.

When my little girl started preschool she was 3 yrs old and the youngest one in the class. She cried everytime I used to drop her off at school and when I came to pick her up. It's funny how life comes to a full circle. Today, at the last day of her preschool, she was all smiles.... and I was the one with tears in my eyes.

I have no idea how I am going the survive her first day of kindergarten ( read big school ) in September. But before that, we have a long summer break and will make the very best of it.

Happy Summer !!

Anvesha's piano recital

When I was growing up, we were not an "I love you" family. We certainly found this affection lovely. Not that we didn't love each other, but maybe these words were considered to be so obvious that repeating them would sound like an overkill. Love was seen in every hard earned compliment, the yummy meals that my mom made for us after having a long day at work, or for that matter having a pineapple pastry at Krishna Bakrey @ Mall Road every time we used to go there. 

I was thinking about all this at my daughter's piano recital on Saturday. I have always wanted Anvesha to have a hobby and even better if it was in the field of music. Maybe I carried this from my childhood when we didn't get to go in music lessons as the focus was more on academics instead of inculcating a hobby. It has been almost 10 months Anvesha has been learning piano and I see so much progress in her. The house is always full of compliments mixed in with few off key versions of songs every time she plays her piano. 

This end of year recital, she was to play " Ice cream song", "Little gray pony", "Partner Play". "Mister Moon" and my favorite, "Two little robins". As the event got closer, they were playing better and better each day and this made me so proud. On the day of the recital, as I watched Anvesha practice her songs, it showed the hard work of all the Saturday mornings we have been going for piano lessons. I didn't see any hint of nervousness on her face and she appeared more than confident. It was just me- I was more nervous than her. 

When it was her turn for her solo recital, she was to play "Two little robins"- well at least that's what she told me, I was surprised to hear her play " Little gray pony". Her fingers have become more fine tuned than they were couple of months back and I am so proud of her. 

              

At the end of the recital I may have told her 2-3 times that I loved her and I intend to say that to my girls 10,0000 more times in their lives. But, my parents were right too. You don't need to say the words- sometimes one note is more than sufficient.