Necessity forces mothers to innovate!

I find myself continuously scouting the net for different ideas to entertain the toddler. No mother will deny that it is a very hard task! Plus the idea is never to just pass the time, right? You need to inculcate a variety of learning, encourage skill development, not to mention throw in values, etc etc. Especially since we have moved to Germany and the day care avenue for new games and activities is pretty much gone from her life, the kiddo displays perpetual boredom. Whatever new toys only get so much attention before they get branded as 'old' like the tons others lying around the house.

Anyway. A friend suggested looking up flea markets for great bargains and so we went to this KinderFlohMarkt on Sunday. It was a great experience [a Pune equivalent both in terms of spread and scale would be a "Bhavya Pradarshan"! Can't explain that even if I tried, so non-Puneites kindly ignore]. Some of the items were used but they were in good condition. We decided to use our judgement on what passed and what didn't and went ahead and shopped.

We bought a few toys for the tod, but the most exciting one was this collection of alphabet and number mats for almost nothing. An unbelievable bargain! It is now day 3 and I think I have brought home a treasure:
We played with the mats the traditional way, i.e. pieced the mats together in the order of alphabets and letters. We tried various variations, making long trails or making simple words from letters she knew.

Today we tried something totally different. We made a huge game out of the mats. It took a lot of prepping: First we separated the base and alphabet/numbers, then spread the base mats in a line starting from the bedroom into the living room with about a foot between every two mats. Then we made little chits and wrote down some simple actions on them - bark like a dog, moo like a cow, touch your toes, jump up high, etc.

The game went like this: Roll a dice, jump the number of mats equal to the number on the dice, find and fit the alphabet/number on that mat, then pick up a chit and act out what was written on it. Change player and continue. Kiddo not only enjoyed the game, enjoyed its numerous rules, often reminding me when I 'accidentally' skipped a step - like Aai, you forgot the chit! Of course, she could neither read the dice, nor count steps nor read the chits without help from me, but we had fun nonetheless.

She won both the games we played, needless to say. But the ultimate winner was her mother, considering we spent a whole hour playing with the mats! :-)

Update: We've since discovered even more ways to play with the mats - hubby made blocks/cubes out of 6, then 16 and then all 36 mats. We are also sorting by colour, learning alphabets and numbers and even made a hopskotch!

Spinach Dhirda

It was so hot during the day that kiddo refused to eat anything and kept asking for milk. Had to come up with something that was filling, nutritive and snacky to sustain the interest in food.
Thought of making dhirdas but the plain version is a bit boring! So I added in some blanched, chopped spinach to the batter, which gave it texture and colour and a different taste. Had to cover the dhirda for a bit to ensure the spinach cooked through before turning.

A dhirda is a Maharashtrian dosa made up of gram flour, often with some other flours mixed in, such as rice flour in 2:1 or 1:1 proportion.

Here's the recipe:
Spinach Dhirda (serves 2-3)

3 tbsp gram flour
2 tbsp rice flour
1/2 cup blanched, chopped spinach
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder or to taste (or one chopped green chilly if there are no kids eating this)
1 tsp kasuri methi
salt to taste
oil for greasing the pan

Mix all the ingredients except the spinach to form a smooth batter of flowy consistency. Add the spinach after ensuring all the lumps have been removed.

Heat a pan on medium heat and add about 2 ladles each time. Grease the dhirda from the sides if required. I was using a new non-stick pan so made it completely oil-free. Cover for a minute or so and turn when the bottom turns brown and crispy. Cook for another minute and remove.

Serve hot with ketchup, chutney or pickle.

The joy of baking

An oven - a large traditional oven - with an uninterrupted power supply!! Super!
I carry an unusually heavy baggage of baking flops with me. Not my fault some of the times. Can't help it if MSEB knew that there was batter sitting on the kitchen platform waiting to go into the oven. But most often I have only me to blame :( However, I can't help that I have baking urges at odd times in the day and then if ingredients are not available I switch according to my convenience. Can't complain about internet recipes that didn't work if I didn't follow them to the T.

Somehow, I've given myself a fresh start since I got here. Learnt from some of the past mistakes. Stocked up on ingredients just in case that urge strikes. There has been no looking back since! I've already baked a strawberry cake, carrot cake, chocolate cake and today was the turn of a banana cake. Kiddo has been asking for cake since morning and the two pathetic looking overripe bananas on that shelf were begging for attention.

Thus was born the banana cake. I used this recipe http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/3118/banana+bread but made quite a few changes (some people just don't learn, do they?)
Substituted flour with 2 cups of whole wheat flour, added 2 tsp baking powder, increased brown sugar to a full cup. Baked at 200 degrees for about 30 min.

Forgot to take a pic before cutting it. Trust me, it tastes good. Healthy and yummy good. Can't wait for kiddo to finish her nap. I think I am going to wait for her to demand cake again (it refuses to leave her mind since morning) and then present it to her, Tadaa!

10 things I miss about back home...

These were things I had taken for granted or even worse, thanklessly neglected them! They say you know the value of something when you don't have it. Now I know why 'they' say that. Here is my list of ten:

1) Ceiling Fan:
I did not expect a European summer to be so hot. Back home it was easy. Inside the house, the humble ceiling fan would more than do the trick for you. I miss the oh-so-sweet humming sound of those blades. Somehow the pedestal fan can't match its longer, well-perched cousin.

2) The Broom:
I miss the simple broom and dusting pan every time I have to use these complex contrapments to clean my house. I often wonder about the need to develop such complicated dusters/cleaners with adjustable rods and removable mops and the likes. A simple sweep and the job got done back home too, in a tenth of the time, with the same efficiency!

3) Non-human life:
All around, there was a variety of birds, stray dogs, cats, cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep, pigs that almost made up the landscape back in India. An occasional camel, a rare elephant were visual treats not just for the kiddo but they made my day too. Of course, there are zoos here, but it's not the same! And pet owners aren't always that friendly that you can just walk up to a dog on a leash and pet it. As for the cats, the less said the better.

4) Newspapers:
I miss waking up in the morning and heading for the door first thing to retrieve the daily dose of news, views and more. Sometimes my duties as a mother got in the way of enjoying the newspaper with my morning cup of coffee, and at times I had to make do with just the headlines. But I miss having the newspaper on my center table, available, if and when I wanted to read.

5) Vegetables:
I remember visiting the local veggie mart and frowning every single time. I would loathe the same old selection each time and given my objections to several of those greenies, picking out a week's supply would be tough. I didn't know it would get tougher here. I didn't ever think I would miss karelas, tendli, okra, lauki. Sometimes these are available in Indian stores and I can't believe I actually shout in joy and amass them then!

6) Fruits:
I'm making a separate mention of fruits. Because while some of them are not available, other exotic fruits present a variety of options here. So many berries, peaches, necktarines, varied citrus fruits to choose from. Yet, I miss the chikoos, pears, figs and velchi bananas from back home. Life feels incomplete without them :(

7) The neighborhood stores:
It was sooo easy getting milk or bread back home. Just walk into your neighborhood store and ask for one. It's a bit more complicated here. You have to walk up to the nearest supermarket, look for the item, stand in the billing queue, and come back. Going for 1-2 items seems like a big waste of time. The brighter side: I am getting more and more organized and need lesser and lesser 'loose' items every week thanks to a kitchen that is getting better stocked.

8) The ubiquitous Udipi restaurants:
Oh, I soo miss idli, dosas, sambar, mughlai udipi sabzi and naans, udipi chinese and their puri-bhaji or puri-chana. I have visited a few Indian restaurants here but they serve only the highly 'hyped' Indian dishes, or rather a blander, much westernized version of them. I'm not a spice-eater myself but I miss that taste from back home.

9) Home delivery:
Everything and anything was available at your doorstep back home. Groceries, books, medicines, clothes, even diapers. I miss the convenience of clicking away and getting it delivered in less than a few hours at times. Online shopping is an option here too, but it's very complicated, delivery is paid not free like in India, and there is too much fine print.

10) My car:
I enjoy public transport here. I love the flexibility it provides. I love being free from traffic jams or finding parking spaces. But I do miss my car sometimes. Especially when I have to walk back with a huge bag of groceries, or when it rains (I looovve driving in the rain).

What's on your list? Leave me a comment.

Unique museums - Part II - Cite de l'espace, Toulouse

Another gem, this one. A bit far from the main city of Toulouse but worth visiting, especially for a day out with kids.

This museum features exhibits from space technology. Easy to recognize from the Ariane rocket that can be seen from  far away. Complete with a MIR space station, the inside of a Columbus space shuttle, space suits, planetariam shows, space capsules, it can keep kids of all ages entertained for hours. Our two-and-a-half year old seemed fascinated by most displays although explaining even the concept of "earth" was a bit difficult (she can now tell you that we live on the earth by the way!).

What she really enjoyed was the simulated moon walk. When we stood in the queue along with a lot of elder kids, I quietly sneaked up to the man in-charge to ask if our kiddo would be allowed. He looked at her, asked how much she weighed. His face revealed nothing when I said "12 kgs", but I heard the man behind me remark "Ah, Petite". He came back a while later after consulting with his colleague and I thought it was all over for the kiddo who was already so excited that she was jumping up higher than she would on the moon.
However, he explained that there was no risk so if she wanted to, she could! Kiddo then proceeded to complete the entire round with a 50-strong crowd looking on and cheering.

I think if there was a Guinness record for the youngest simulated moon walker, the munchkin would be a real competitor!

Here's the earlier post: http://allesgutoder.blogspot.de/2013/07/unique-museums-part-one-deutsches.html

Two month old in Germany

I complete two months of having moved to Germany today. Two months. Phew. Two long months. Two really long months. Not one day I remember has been splendid or stellar. People say moving to a new land is exciting. For me it has been far from rosy. Let me admit that I did not exactly expect a honeymoon. I tried to mentally prepare myself for hard work. Even then, finding my way around, adjusting to a new house and new kitchen with limited supplies, new food and new ways of life, and most of all, being responsible 24x7 for the toddler has taken its toll for sure. Back in India, we had the day care which allowed me time of my own, family to fall back upon in trying times, occasional meetings with friends to look forward to, and work in terms of a consistent retainer position, even if part-time, that I cherished. It all stopped suddenly and entirely when I got here and miss it all like crazy every minute of every day.

In these two months, I have been through tribulations and utter turbulence of the mind. Why am I here? What am I going to do? How do I survive this? Questions that do not have easy answers. Questions, the mere thought of confronting which would send shivers down my spine. And now I am living with them every moment. Conclusion: Not an easy two months. But the positive side is this: I got through them, didn't I?

My "smart"phone played a heavy part in my life in the last few days. Especially social media networking which made me feel so close to friends and family and literally kept me going. Can't imagine life without checking updates last thing at night and first thing in the morning each day. Thank you facebook, whatsapp, gmail for being there!

Another person who really helped me here is the friend of a friend, though I never felt that the link was so long-winded. She welcomed me with open arms and loads of most useful advice. I like to call her my Santa Claus here! I don't want to mention her name here, but if she reads this post, she will know it is her. Thanks RR :)

Anyway, a lot of people I've spoken to in the last few days claim that they have gone through similar trying times in foreign countries. Most of them peg the difficult period at around six months after which comes a seemingly dramatic transition following which one feels truly 'adjusted'. At the moment that number of 6 months sounds overwhelmingly daunting. 6 months. I am just about a third of the way there? What can change so drastically in the next 4 months? Will wait and see. Will write again on 11th November and link back to this post then!

Treasure trove of warmth

Our local playgroup here is an incredible example of how nice German people can be. I got introduced to the group when the kiddo and I were in a playground. A mother who was observing us, as her daughter played alongside mine, herself got up to me and told me about the local playgroup for children under 3 years. She then went on to take me to the room near the church where they held the sessions and invited me to join on the coming Monday.

I was initially very excited - in a foreign land any offer of friendship can go a long way, it even made my day! But as Monday got nearer, I started to feel a bit jittery. What if we stick out due to our different dressing sense or due to the lack of expensive toys to take along? Will the other kids accept my child? Will I be able to communicate with them in my rather insufficient German? I went feeling very diffident, but there was no harm in trying it out, was there?

To say I enjoyed that first session was an understatement. I was not the only non-native but perhaps the only one with such little knowledge of the language or culture. The ladies were hugely welcoming and went out of their way to make me and kiddo feel comfortable. They revised our names so they could remember them and helped us out with the lyrics and meaning of the lovely native songs that they sang. The session was based on a pre-decided theme and a few activities centered around that theme. Some eats, some songs but mostly just being around other mothers and other kids.

The kiddo blended in with ease. Strangely, kids that age don't need language to communicate! She talked with them in Marathi and they with her in German, and they still got along splendidly. I got along too, feeling comfortable enough to try out a few sentences and some rehearsed Grammar! Loved the response I got from them - warm, loving, encouraging.

I have begun to treasure these Monday mornings when my child gets busy playing alongside her peers and I can sit and relax and listen (even talk some) to ladies my age. I don't think the ladies will ever realise what their hospitality means to me. I'm going to cherish this experience for life!

Unique Museums - Part One - Deutsches Museum in Munich

There is at least one and mostly innumerable museums in every city in Germany. There is bound to be a natural history museum, a toy museum, a museum in the local castle. We are restricted by our toddler's minuscule attention span, and almost afraid of visiting museums, but we look up at least one place in every city we visit - one place that we think would be different. We base this decision on reviews, personal preferences (we are both not the art-friendly people, for one) and mostly time and place constraints. Most times, our decisions are well-rewarded.

In this series of posts, I have decided to review unique museums - albeit as I visit more of Germany and other parts of Europe, my opinion might get reinforced or I may be forced to change it. Let's see how it goes!

1) Deutsches Museum in Munich:
We see the history of man and animals and evolution carefully documented everywhere, but getting to see early machines and latest technology under one roof is remarkable! Especially if you are inclined towards engineering or pure sciences, you will really dig this museum. Everything from large and awkward early contraptions to the sophisticated nano technology equipment is displayed in the most unique fashion. There are even helicopters and planes on display. Our toddler too was unexpectedly fascinated and we could spend good amount of time looking around. She was particularly enthralled by a large 18th century water wheel and huge ships. As if that was not enough, the museum features a children's area with large lego blocks, life size musical instruments, and scientific games full of fun and learning.

Now that's what I call a museum!