Ootkeyarea!!

No, I haven't been to Ooty. I am not searching for my keys either. Let me explain...My little one wakes up for a cuddle twice during the night. And tonight was no different except that I couldn't go back to sleep along with her. I woke up before dawn with sleep slipping away in the wake of my random thoughts.The average person has upto 30,000 thoughts per day. Since I am an average person, it's perfectly normal :-)

And it actually put a smile on my face to know that this was a case of UHTCEARE. Yes, that's the word.It is surprising (to an average person)that a word is spelt u-h-.Uht is the old English word for the time before dawn. Ceare means to care or worry. UHTCEARE means lying awake and worrying before dawn. I love this word because it can be used instead of a whole sentence! And happens to me often though it is best avoided for keeping in good health.It is one of the forgotten words which should be brought back into common usage. Thanks to Mark Forsyth for caring enough to compile such words. Oh it's pronounced oot-key-are-a. For the love of words! Good day!!

P.S:Another word starting with 'uh' is uhlan, pronounced as you-lan. The 'lan' rhymes with run. A uhlan is a soldier armed with a lance.

Spooky Dolly

My little one played with the doll yesterday and pulled some of its hair out from the pleats.

It was on my bedside table and was the first thing that came into sight when I woke up. Kind of spooked me out!!!

Pancakes for 8 month olds

Here's a simple pancake recipe I tried this week. The texture was perfect for my 8 month old to chew with her gums.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp rice flour

Half a large banana

1-2 tbsp milk

1 egg yolk

Blend all the ingredients to form a smooth paste. The batter should not be very runny. You might use more or less milk to adjust the consistency.

I used only the yolk of the egg since I was apprehensive of the protein in it's white. Check with your child's doctor before giving whites. If your child is already used to eggs, then you can add a whole egg.

Now grease a nonstick pan with a little butter. Pour the batter in small spoonfuls to make little pancakes. Flip them when you see air bubbles on top. The batter cooks fast so be careful not to burn it.

Cook for a minute on the other side and remove into serving bowl. This recipe is suitable for baby led weaning.

You can feed them to older kids too. And even mom! Ahem ;-))

My toddler's favorite meal

Peas 'peace' rice is one of my toddler's favourite meals. I call it peace rice as it is finished without much cajoling. And mommy's at peace when the food isn't leftover.

Soulmate by Karen Salmansohn

Another lovely picture:

The Koi Pond @ Strawberry Hill

This little koi pond is at StrawberryHill, Bedugul, Bali. The bijou resort is cosily tucked into the misty hills of central Bali. A bunch of cottages surrounded by pristine,serene nature offers a relaxing getaway from the busy throes of the south. It's a stone's throw away from Pura Ulun Danu and the biological gardens.

The entrance to the cottages:

The cottage we stayed in:

They serve fresh homegrown strawberries with breakfast. The farm :

Red and pink marigolds:

We spent 3 days of our vacation in Kuta and 1 day in Bedugul. Kuta has many pubs for the night owls. One can take surfing lessons and experience some impressive spas. Dinner at Jimbaran bay as the sun sets is a must do.

Easy Clown's Hat

Tomorrow is Circus day at school for my toddler and we are short of the right costume. So we did this activity.

The stationery store is just a hop and skip away from our home. We got :

a birthday cap,

a white chart, any colour will do

colour papers,

craft glue and a pair of scissors.

Begin by pasting the chart on the cap to cover the print. For this, cut out a semi circle, with radius equal to the length of the cap, from the chart. Fold it into a cone and adjust it on the cap. Glue it on.

Cut small circles from the coloured papers and stick them on to the cap.I let my toddler stick the circles because she likes to work with glue.

Cut a few strips of the coloured papers and stick them in a bunch on the tip of the cap. You are done!!