Mommy's knitting escapades!

I have been dabbling with some knitting off late! I knitted a tote and I should say, I am impressed with the results!




Here are the stats:

Pattern: Elisa's Nest tote from purlbee.com
Notions: US # 9 / 5.5 mm needle
Started: Oct 10th ,2008
Completed: Nov 2nd,2008



Remarks:
It is an easy pattern to knit. I took a long time to finish as I got only a few minutes everyday after work to work on it! I really like the applied i-cord edging and the i-cord handle. Its my first time with i-cords! I am really glad I saw this to completion! Will use it wen I go out sometime!

Now, for a snap of the maker and the produce!! ;-)

Social Networking Issues!

I am not talking about issues with an Orkut or FaceBook account!!
I am talking about my son's stranger-anxiety!
The only people he needs in this world in me , my DH and his nanny! Recently we went on an picnic with my DH's colleagues to a resort! Alvin was cranky all thru the day..wouldn't let any new person come near him! I am hoping that its jus a phase he is going thru..

Though he spoiled our day and ticked me off with his 'un-social' behavior, in retrospect I felt that, I cannot blame him for his behavior.He dint decide to be 'un-social' to the ppl around him. That is what he is and I love him dat way!Situations like this remind me that I should not force him to be someone he isn't..I shouldn't force him to be what I want him to be!!



The only time he was happy was wen he saw water in the fountain and the swimming pool! He takes to water like a fish! Guess all kids do!

Sky-rocketing Tuition fees!

The academic scene in Hyderabad is pathetic. I have seen many..almost all schools with no play-grounds and bad infrastructure. Here you get to see schools and colleges which function out of a single building in a congested commercial area, with no breathing space! To top it all, the State Government has passed a G.O which allows schools to function without any play grounds and use the near-by Municipality parks for recreational and physical activities! As if there are wonderful parks around the city!

All the supposedly-good international or other established schools are found in the outskirts of the city and it will cost you an arm and a leg to get your kids admitted into those schools. You dont believe me?! I will give you numbers. It seems to get your kid admitted into the LKG level in the supposedly-best school in the city will cost you One lakh and 37 thousand INR(Rs.1,37,000) in the first year.. and it becomes 60 to 70 grand from UKG and so on..This year, a school hiked the charge for the Application form from 300 INR to 1000 INR. The reason they give is: "Lotsa IT companies are coming to the city. So, we charge higher!!"

Where will the "Aam Aadhmi" go to get his kids educated?! The admission process is tougher than the IIT admissions! Its is one hour face-to-face personal interview with the potential-LKG student without his/her parents , another hour face-to-face interview for the parents without the kid and another hour interview for both of them together! I feel so bad that in a few years I have to make my son go through this farce! In a bid to get good results, they are filtering the kids at the admission level! So, where will average student go for good education?!

Either you should have the brains or the money to do the talking, preferably both!! Looks like Academic Institutions are big business in metropolitan cities! No wonder there are schools and colleges in every nook and cranny of the cities! When quantity increases, the quality goes down the drain! God knows where this vicious cycle will end?!

Life in the fast lane!

My 3 yr old nephew has joined LKG!! Joining the Kindergarten has become a life-altering phenomenon these days!The teachers in KG expect the kids to know alphabets, numbers, colors, shapes and what not even before joining it!! If the kid has to know all these things before they join KG, then wat are these teachers paid for?!? I remember learning alphabets after joining KG. Back then, the teacher to student ratio was healthy. But now, the schools are loaded with kids and the teachers aren't able to give each kid individual attention.

The teachers in this age are expecting or rather demanding perfection for these KG kids, which is unfair!where is our education system going to?! The foundation itself is being laid wrongly! no wonder most of the graduates are unemployable!! The education system in India is all about memorizing the text-book and vomiting it on the exam paper. It doesnt give space to the students to be creative, to think on their own and question the knowledge they are being imparted with.

How many of you during your school-days got lesser marks jus cos you wrote the answer to the questions in your own words?! the student who reprinted the text book on the answer sheet wud've scored the highest marks. The exams also dont test the basics of the principles learnt in a subject. I know many students who memorized maths problems and got good scores in the exams.

I have come across parents complaining that their kids aren't studying well and are not getting good scores when their kids are scoring 95+ percetage!! C'mon!! Be realistic! I also keep getting worries about when to start Alvin with his ABCDs and how to give him pre-schooling! I also want him to compete in the rat race out there but, I also know that I will never pressurize him to be the first in it!

Multi-tasking Daddy!!

A few days back I had the rare luck of watching a heart-melting moment in my kitchen! All you unmarried girls out there, this guy is taken!! and he is mine! ;-)




My husband ventured into the kitchen on a morning and volunteered to help me make dosas. And, Alvin as usual wanted his daddy to pick him up. so, I got these rare snaps of Alvin and his daddy spending quality time in kitchen!!

Injury Time!!

I hate it when Alvin cries out of pain..He fell down from his walker today morning and hurt himself..and he cried out of pain.. I felt so bad. But, I guess I have to get used to these injuries. Childhood will be filled with bruises and scraped knees. He has to learn to pick himself up whenever he falls.

I remember his first fall.. he fell from his bed when he was just 4 months old.(I know you might be thinking,"watta mother she is?!?")He was sleeping on de bed with pillows around him.I had dimmed the lights in the room so that he will sleep peacefully.Heaven knows how he crawled outta the bed to land on the floor. My heart stopped beating when I heard the fall.He cried like crazy out of pain.. "Thud!! ... Waaahhhh!!" he cried for about 5 mins and then became ok.



Alvin is quite good at handling pain. He is a strong boy too. We made it through chicken-pox when he was just 6 months old. I got it and passed it on to him unknowingly. He had high fever for 4 days and rashes for more than a week. But, he was a brave boy. Cried a lot, but came through pretty unscathed. In fact, he gave me confidence that we can overcome anything as a team!

I love you,Alvin!

Story of a blanket!!

I started knitting a blanket for my son when I was six months pregnant.(I alwez knew it was a boy, all the while I was pregnant. Call it maternal instincts?? ;-) ) I wanted to do something for my baby when he was still inside me. What better than a knitted blanket?! I started it slowly and my son was out even before I finished the blanket.. Now, that my son is using the blanket, I thought I will post some pictures of it in use.. Its made of 4 knitted pieces seamed together. The pattern is the very simple Log Cabin Pattern . Alvin was 4 months old when I finished the blanket. I know I am a lazy bum!! ;-)

This was the first piece.. It took me jus one week to finish this.But, the other 3 pieces took months to finish..

This is the finished version of it..



Alvin is enjoying the blanket..

We play hide-and-seek with it!!

sleep like an angel in my blanket!