Musical Monday- Day 29

Thanks Prachi for this wonderful title and idea. Music is an essential part of our daily lives. If there’s one thing that we as a family are passionate about is music. We have music playlists for all times of the day. We have family favorite playlists as well as our very own favorite personal playlists that we listen to in solitude. When we discover and get hooked on a new song we instantly share the song in our family chats and urge each other to listen. Sometimes we instantly fall in love with the song, sometimes we reject or sometimes we realize it’s a number we can get used to! So music holds a very special place in our lives. No matter how busy we are there’s always time for music.

Now not only some songs almost take me to an era of my life but there are a few that almost transport me to certain moments and it has an almost hypnotic feeling with the smells and the sounds so real. In this regard I must mention the song nanhi pari sone chali hawa dheere ana… this song transports me right to the time when my mum would put me to sleep. I can smell the fragrance of her particular perfume, feel her wet hair and at times also get a whiff of a lingering incense stick which makes me think that this memory must be of afternoon naps. Also in regards to my mum I also have the most funniest memory of me humming raah mein unse mulaqaat ho gai…. and boy oh boy would it irritate her. I would just hum it and she thought I was singing it because of some boy 🤦🏻‍♀️. I still can’t help smiling when I hear this song on the radio.

Another song that takes me to our dating days. Now my husband and I mostly had a long distance relationship. He was working in Bangalore and I was still studying in Kolkata. I was very used to this and then came a time where he was working in kolkata for a year. That was a wonderful time in my life for obvious reasons but then quite suddenly he had to leave for the US. He had gifted me a cassette album called Down Memory Lane and it had some of the best classic romantic songs. And my most favorite was when i need you i just close my eyes and I’m with you … oh my this song still takes me back to those days of sheer longing to be with him. The song was such that I felt someone had written it with us in their minds.

Also another song that has a very special memory associated with it is 500 miles… This was during my pregnancy days and it’s one of my hubby’s favorites. I honestly didn’t think much of this song until then. It was around my fifth month of pregnancy journey when one night my daughter became overactive and started kicking me really hard. It was so bad that I could barely breathe and suddenly my hubby started caressing my belly and singing 500 miles. She immediately stopped and from then on whenever she kicked my hubby would sing and she almost instantly would settle. This also happened after she was born and anytime she cried at night, this was our go to song. But She definitely responded to my husband’s voice better than mine.

Lag jaa gale is another song that takes me back to my early motherhood days. It’s one of my all time favorites and I always sang to my daughter when rocking her to sleep. Even though this isn’t a lullaby but I loved singing this to her. This song transports me to a dimly lit room in our apartment and the fragrance of J & J. It’s a song I still often hum to my daughter when she’s upset and needs a big mommy hug.

Last but not the least is a recent addition with Buster 🐶. Yes how could he not have a song etched in my memory. So Kabir Singh playlist has been on the loop for the last few years now and I can’t get enough of it. On most days I’ll play them sometime or the other… Ever since we got Buster last year was the first time we went to India and he would be away from us for almost a month. It was couple of nights before we were to drop him at his boarding place and he was on my lap, fast asleep. I was stroking his head while tears were streaming down my face, it was like all flood gates had broken loose. Suddenly I heard myself humming kaise hua kaise hua tu itna zaroori kaise hua. I don’t know how this song became our song but ever since that day whenever I hear this song I can’t help but think of him.

These are some songs that have a very deep connection but there are numerous others that have a lot of meaning or signify an event in my life. All my moods have a favorite song but if i were to have one song as my life’s background music it would be kiska rasta dekhe.

#Blogathon2024

Prompt: Day- Day 25

What do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time?

Thank goodness for this easy prompt. Now jumping right in what I enjoy doing most in my leisure time… 🤔

•Above anything I love spending time with my family in my leisure time. Nothing supersedes that. Having them close to me all huddled up is my absolute favorite.

•Now that we have that out of the way, long drives. Last year the hubby and I decided that we both really get charged up after a long drive. So we have made it a practice to drive around at least 2 days in the week. It’s generally after dinner and daughter is studying during this time, around 7:30 ish. We leave for an hour to drive around. No running errands, no destination no nothing just having music on and driving. It’s our best form of relaxation on a week night and it’s also a time we have our most heart to heart conversations. We come back recharged and ready to tackle all our remaining work.

•I’m a huge romantic movie buff. I just love watching feel good romantic movies.

•Music… now what can I say for something that we as a family are passionate about. I love hearing music at any given time.

•Relaxing Bath… yes I hardly get time and probably few times a year I make it a point to fill the tub with bubbles, light a candle, turn on some relaxing music, put some nice bath salt and soak my tired body. I absolutely love doing this!

•Browsing for home decor… my home is my haven and I love making changes. Seasonal decor or shuffling around things that are already there. And I’m always on the hunt for new things. So I love browsing the different store websites for inspiration and indulgence.

#Blogathon2024

Another Day#2 – Day 18

That’s exactly what I did today and I need to remember to practice every day. Things are good with my mum now and I need to focus on only that!Nothing is guaranteed and I should accept things as they are today. I know it’s easier said than done but it’s something I’ll definitely put more effort into.

Today I had a really nice day after quite a few harrowing ones and I really feel good about it. I took time in doing things that I enjoy. And it feels good. The hubby wanted to take me out on a lunch date but I wanted to continue with my fast so instead we went for a drive. Later we came home and had an early dinner at 4:30 in the evening. After which he had to attend meetings and I went to pick up daughter.

Now waiting to see if we get a call from school for announcing another snow day tomorrow 🤞🏼! For a change daughter wants tomorrow off so let’s see what happens.

#Blogathon2024

Another Day – Day 17

Mentally I’m not at a good place but I’m really fighting it out and trying to push through the day. Yes I’ve had a few rough patches throughout the day when people/extended family has passed a certain judgement about my decisions or thought they were being subtle with their digs. I could have answered back to certain people but I really didn’t t have the energy for the negativity and thereby ultimately blame myself for not being respectful. Yes it’s a strange place of hypocrisy that I’m living in right now.

But on a different note I’ve really tried to focus on being grateful instead. And I’m most thankful for that.

• For the doctor on agreeing to talk to me and explain what’s really going on. He really didn’t rush me and was quite empathetic to my situation. For the honesty with which he told me things as is and how patiently he answered my endless questions.

• For not going down the rabbit hole of what ifs!

• For the intervention of fate that things happened the way they did.

• For those who took care without waiting to talk to me.

• And also to those who didn’t judge me. Those dear ones who understand the agony of living far away and not being able to drop everything at once. Just because you don’t live in your country doesn’t mean you’ve abandoned your dear ones and is living in a blissfully ignorant world.

• I’m grateful that today was a super busy day with stuff I couldn’t get out of. This thereby helped me in being slightly distracted.

• Last but definitely not the least for remembering to be grateful and having the faith that things will be okay.

#Blogathon2024

Today- Day 16

No sweet talk today and no apologies for a dismal post… I’ll write as is and exactly how I’m feeling. Today is the 14th death anniversary of my dad… 14 long years it’s been and some days it still feels very raw… some days I still wonder what he would say to this or that and how he would react to this or that… particularly when it comes to daughter or our big and small accomplishments.

I was already dealing with this when I called my mum as a part of my usual morning routine, and once again there was no answer. I called again and no response! My already stressed mind was literally freaking out because I had the weirdest feeling of something not being right. I ignored and called again, this time our house help picked up and she started crying. I almost lost it but tried to remain composed and asked her what happened. Selfishly wishing that her crying didn’t have anything to do with my mum.

But gut feelings are rarely wrong. I’ll leave it at that. I feel guilty that I can’t drop everything and travel right now for various reasons. I’m praying with all my might we get good news tomorrow and I’m thankful at the same time that we were able to avoid what could have been really bad! January almost always stresses me and tests me in innumerable ways. That’s life, I guess and you just have to go with the ups and downs but I have faith. THIS TOO SHALL PASS 🙏🏽🙏🏽

#Blogathon2024

Sweet Something- Day 13

Sums me up

A sweet something that the husband gave me today. It seems he was at a store and this immediately reminded him of me and he got this for me. After 20+ years of being married and he still amazes me with these sweet surprises! My heart is so full of love that I couldn’t stop smiling. Daughter got pretty irritated at my silliness and said, ‘are you a teenager or what’ ??!! I guess I still am at heart ❤️

#Blogathon2024

Cheat Post Alert- Day 11

I saw someone share this on my facebook feed the other day! Not only did I shake my head in agreement but felt a huge sense of pleasure that other people thought the same as well :)!

#Blogathon2024

Strength- Day 10

Strength comes in so many different ways. As mentioned earlier the last one year has been very challenging for me emotionally. Firstly trying to adapt to a new lifestyle while feeling very insecure and having zero confidence was not the best and to top that came many many emotional turmoils. Like I said in my previous post the hubby and daughter stood by me rock solid every step of the way.

For the most part no one knew what I was doing. I was so afraid of failure that I refused to talk about it. So the burden was on my hubby and daughter to cheer me, motivate me, coach me, coax me, encourage, understand and discipline me all at the same time.

Now my hubby is the sweetest for whom being strict is very hard. If I had a weak moment, he would almost always tell me it’s fine and I can indulge. If I still resisted he would eat whatever I was eating that day or promise me that the next day we would go out to eat. While strictness wasn’t his forte he more than compensated by being very supportive, never once judging. He always acknowledged that my journey was difficult and it didn’t matter what my results were it mattered that I was putting my heart and soul in this. And on harder days these validations were exactly what I needed to hear.

Daughter on the other hand is the strict support and the voice of reason. It’s very difficult to get past her with a puppy face. She’ll just keep lecturing me how one slip up might put me a week behind schedule. How much I slog to shed while a little slip up and the scale doesn’t show any mercy. There have been times I’ve been exasperated when I was really struggling and a comfort meal (read junk) was all I wanted and she would look at me and say ‘just think how proud you’ll feel if you don’t succumb to the temptation… it’s just a few hours and you’ll feel happy that you made it, tomorrow’ or her classic line, ‘do you really want it or do you need it… be honest with yourself’. There were moments I wanted to tear my hair or yell uggghhhh… But not only did I try my best for myself but I also wanted to make her proud. And she’s the one who cheered the loudest and complimented me the most.

But having said that what I’m most thankful for is their support on days that I did succumb to temptations. They turned those weak moments into celebrations and said I deserve a break. Not once did I fear any judgement and to continue this journey, I think that’s my biggest strength.

#Blogathon2024

For Better or Worse-Day 9

comfort in a cup

When an allergic reaction occurs out of nowhere and the whole face is swollen like a watermelon. The eyes are swollen and blood red. When steroids are prescribed asap and there isn’t any ready to eat food. Maggi noodles almost always come to rescue. No matter how much I bash it and yell at the daughter when she requests for it, Maggi noodles sits waiting patiently in the corner shelf of the pantry waiting its turn. For it knows no matter what I practice or preach, I’ll always keep a few packs for such times.

Infact while making the noodles, in my head I could hear my mind saying “in sickness and in health; for richer, for poorer for better for worse”. I guess that’s Maggi noodles for most of us!

#Blogathon2024

My Weight Loss Journey- Day 8

I’ve been dappling with intermittent fasting for quite some time now. It was something that suited my lifestyle and it gave me a sense of discipline. But to be honest while I wasn’t gaining weight I wasn’t losing any either. I was kind of at a maintenance stage. God knows that, that was definitely not a weight I wanted to maintain.

Now I’ve always struggled with weight practically most of my adult life. No matter what I did I could not lose weight and sometimes it seemed even if breathed extra I would put on. Not only did I try all kinds of diets but I exercised as well. With PCOS I knew it was a difficult journey.

The biggest blow was when I felt that my doctor wasn’t believing me. He made snide remarks that suggested I wasn’t trying hard enough. I still remember January 6th, 2023 I had an appointment and his exact words. It blew my confidence and shook me to the core. I came home and started googling and that’s when I came across the two books that changed my life. Delay Don’t Deny and Fast Feast Repeat!! They changed my life forever.

The very next day I jumped into OMAD (One Meal a Day) regimen. And that was a game changer for me. I read and watched various youtube videos of several different doctors. They helped me realize what was wrong with my approach. I joined a lot of FB groups and felt being heard. It was an eye opener for me.

I also started doing daily exercises or at least 5 days a week. I didn’t look at the calories I just went there and did every day. Some days I burnt 700 calories and some days I let myself easy with 300 but I diligently did and pushed myself.

Very soon I started seeing results and it was such a great feeling when everyone else started noticing. As always my hubby and daughter were my biggest cheerleaders. They’ve both celebrated every big and small milestones. Hubby has seen me cry and heard me rant. He’s stood by me and supported my journey every step of the way.

Today as I type this post, I’ve lost almost 50 pounds and I still have a little way to go. And while so many people think it’s been an easy road, it hasn’t! I’ve had some pretty bad days and a lot of plateaus in-spite of really trying but I’ve come to enjoy this life style. It gives me the freedom and it really works for me. Of course I take breaks from OMAD every now and then. Sometimes I indulge myself and treat myself with a full day of eating.

Apart from OMAD, I have to mention I gave up on sugar for almost 7 whole months last year. Going to India in summer kind of tossed that out. But sugar is a TREAT that I must say even now I hardly indulge in. Holidays are tricky and I let myself enjoy once in a while but it’s definitely not an everyday or every week treat.

So that was a huge confidence booster for me last year. And I’m really enjoying this new lifestyle! Even after a year I have my bad days. Days when I feel like indulging or days when I really struggle with the discipline and on those days this quote is what really helps me going 👇🏽

#Blogathon2024