A difference this year!

No secret that this weekend is much anticipated in the Traveling Narayanan family!

This year, there is a twist. Daddy Narayanan will be on a plane for the most part of the Father's day and the 15th wedding anniversary. 

We did our usual "dinner at Chaat House" early and as a present to the kids, I bunked yoga today and spent the entire morning making "hama bead art" with them. It was their request! They had already worked on this the previous day and made the "secret present".. more Hamma bead art!

I tried to do some powerpoint template to fit some patterns on to the bead frames. They sensed that although my body was with them, my mind was in the Hot yoga room. It was a suggestion that I try to do a Yoga Logo for my project! 

In the process, the kids learned the concept of "resolution". If you dont have an entire box in one color, chances are the final product will look nothing like the logo! So we hunted for other pictures and they found an "AUM" symbol for me to work on.

Jr. ironed out the bead art to make the beads stick. For a second I was worried that the 20 year old iron had been compromised by this ironing session. The little one was honest enough to let me know that the mishap had happened the previous day when ironing on a carpet and I was not to blame!

San was glad to just see us relax, do art, play cards (the little one is now adept at playing Rummy) and other board games. 

My dad gave us his "advanced" wishes for our anniversary, over the phone and I told him "the one good thing you did in this life is get me married to Sangeetha. so if anything, congratulate yourself for a job well done!"

They say that if you have a perception that "time flies" , chances are, you are having good times. As kids we were taught that happiness tends to create a perception of time moving fast and sadness makes you feel time is moving too slowly. 

Cannot believe it has been 15 years!

Good Karma?!

Wishing everyone out there a happy father's day!

Missing in action

I have been traveling. That means a weekend presence with the kids, then gone again for the week type thing. 

In between I "put scene" as though I am some stay at home dad by picking up kids from school wearing my sweatpants and sandals. While making conversation with the moms at school, they envy my wife for having such a "house husband" without realizing that I haven't been around much of this month. 

It is fun to watch wife's face go all red and turn to "Bhadrakaali" mode when someone compliments her on having a husband who "shares" with the chores. Hey, one has to get his entertainment someplace, no?!

Then I get to have some fun taking pictures of the pretty girls as they dress up to go some event.

This time, made sure that there is a "family" picture.

 

The girls gave me a lecture on how my t-shirt and pants are not a match to them and why I should also "dress up" when going out. I dress formally every day during my travel. So there is no way I am dressing "up" during the weekend.  

Now that summer is almost here, we will start doing more outdoor activities.  Cannot wait for the long weekend in a few weeks!

Our walkway aka Art Gallery

Most of the artistic creations of Jr. and the little one from their school work are displayed on the doors of our cabinets in the garage. Granted it is not organized neatly but it is a treat to pull into the garage and stare at some of their early work. Brings back memories and makes you forget long work days at the same time. 

We do update the garage drawings on a rotational basis, once a quarter or when daddy feels like it.

The inside of the house is another matter. The walkway is reserved for work they do in art class and we are adding to the collection every month or so. 

Here is the little one's latest work .. 

and our walkway as of today

The display helps motivate them because everytime someone visits our house, they go to the walkway to see the additions and ask the kids questions and encourage their work. 

In the process, I am also learning how to improve the "display" by spacing things out right on the walls and re-arranging pictures in portrait vs. landscape format etc.

They do have other works on glass and on "rocks". They are both painting rocks now. Those are going to be tricky to display. Planning to buy little ledges that go on the wall and put the rocks on top. 

That will have to wait for a few weeks!