Spring Carnival

Another busy day today. Ayaan's preschool had organized a "spring carnival" today. It had a farm theme as the highlight of the event was a petting zoo. Along with this they had a bouncy castle, a mini jumper, a face painting table, different craft activity tables, a playdough table, floor puzzles, coloring activity table, farm animal toys and the like. Students from both the Little Explorers and the Kinderfun preschool program and their siblings were invited.
The best part was the

Watermania

Spring break has begun. I took the kids out to Watermania today. Its an indoor aquatic and fitness center that is fun for kids and adults alike. They have a wave pool, water slides, huge swimming pools with diving boards and a smaller swimming pool for swimming lessons. Along with this they also have a fitness center and a sauna room.
Aaliyah already had a free pass from her school so only Ayaan and I needed to pay the admission fee. After paying the admission fee, which was

Love You Forever

Ayaan has his own take on the famous lines from Robert Munch's classic book "Love You Forever." He was playing his favorite game Angry Birds on the Touchpad and after he was done he turned it off and held it in his arms and sang:

Ayaan and the Touchpad

I love you forever

I like you for always

As long as I'm living,

My Touchpad you'll be

If Mommy can change the wording from my baby you'll be to my Ayaan you'll be then there is no reason for him not to. It just serves as a reminder that children learn by imitating and everything we do, we are being watched. So, we better be good, both for our conscience and for our children.

BC Teachers on Strike

Teachers all over British Columbia have gone on a 3-day strike starting from today. The decision to go on strike came about after months of unsuccessful bargaining between the teachers federation and the government over wages, class size, and lack of adequate funding. Whether or not the strike will sway the government's status-quo is yet to be seen. Meanwhile, Aaliyah is enjoying her extended long weekend. She goes back on Thursday, its Pizza day and she is all excited. There is a possibility that the teachers may go on strike on Friday too. So, if Friday ends up being a no instruction day like today then that will mean all the kids will get a head start on their Spring break that starts from Monday. 
As far Ayaan, his preschool was open. Aaliyah and I went to drop him off at his preschool. Sometimes, I am so thankful for this dropping off-picking up routine. At least that gets me out of my PJs and into my jeans. And my mind is not in a weekend or a vacation mode. I am sleepy, slow and slack big time on my daily chores. Somehow, I tend to get a lot done on weekdays than on weekends. That's just the way it goes...for now at least.

Nobody's Perfect

Imperfectly perfect

I have taken Parenting classes in the past. Back when I was a working Mommy. I used to work at a local hospital's Family Resource Center that revolved around the welfare of children and families.  So, a Parenting class was not a new concept for me. I can also brag about having 5 years of Parenting experience. However, even with 5 years of being a Mommy to two totally opposite children, I still find myself struggling to make my imperfect Parenting skills perfect. The Nobody's Perfect class series offered by the

Ayaan's Ayaanish

Ayaan Makin and Soundin' it Cute

Ayaan has started putting words and sentences together that actually make sense. Sometimes they are just phrases that he learns from the TV such as "yes we can" from Bob the Builder or "I'll fix it" from Handy Manny. He even copies his big sister a lot. If Aaliyah says "Mom Ayaan is bothering me" Ayaan has to mimic her by saying "Mom Aaliyah Aapi is bodering me." If Aaliyah says "Mom let's read a book" he brings his own favorite book and says the same thing. When this happens, I just take turns with them. Its good that he has a big sister to compete and copy. It helps to improve his vocabulary. There were times when I used to worry about

100th Day of School

Aaliyah, my kindergartner, came home today and announced that her class will be celebrating it's 100th day of school tomorrow. I already knew about it from the monthly calendar that her teacher so diligently sends every month. The bulletin boards outside of every Kindergarten class also have art displays with the 100th day of school theme. Its a big thing at her school. I asked her with a blank face, what it meant. Why was it so special. She immediately replied that it

Afghan Chopan

 

On Tuesday February 14th, when the whole world was celebrating Valentine's day, we were having dinner at my favorite Afghani restaurant-Afghan Chopan. Sadiq Uncle and family invited us and 4 other families for dinner. The main guests of honor were Choti phuppu, Phuppa and Alim. They were visiting us from California. Having dinner with them made the