Samir is cookie monster so I guess that makes me the weird Elmo

I finally updated the picture on this blog after....wait for it... after... after... 5 years!  Some people don't even stay married as long as this blog has been without an appropriate photo.   I have been looking for a picture from our digital camera that has all four of us making decent faces.  However, as the new photo of the girls in Times Square shows, after 6 years of having children, I still don't have a decent digital photo on one of our cameras of the four us.  I have many beautiful photos of all of us, but somehow never on our camera.   So I ended up posting this photo with fake Elmo (F-Elmo per Samir) and fake Cookie Moster (Fookie Monster).  Annika begged us to take this picture with the nice men in the monster suits. After walking 2 miles in NYC busy streets with nothing fun or kid-like around she was thrilled to see these Sesame Street Monsters.   

I never meant for this photo to look like a real family photo but it somehow fits the title of "Kulkarni Family".   Samir swiftly stated that he was Fookie Monster so I guess that leaves me to be the weird-faced Felmo.  I can live with that.  At least there is a picture of the four of us after all these years.

Uh..hello? Its 2012 Ami

Apparently July and August are the only times of the year where I make time to post on this blog.  One of my new goals is to really appreciate the space this blog gives me.  The space to document.  The space to create.  The space to enjoy and relish the daily pleasures of life.   I don't know how many times I have written that I want to write more but this time is different because I NEED to write more.  I feel that I need to write the same way I need to run.  It is gutterral and as necessary as food and light and water and love. 

We just returned from our second Mondo-cation (a term Samir coined so eloquently) and this time it was a success!  We drove from Cincinnati to Bethesda, MD to visit one of my very best friends then to NYC to experience Manhattan in some of our favorite ways then to a huge family reunion on my mother's side in New Jersey.   We drove a total of about 30 hours during the trip but truly enjoyed most of the driving part.   I will try and write a bit about each part of our trip this week.  Today I will go in depth about our stay near DC.

In Bethesda, we stayed with my friend Nutan and her husband and two kids and two dogs and had the most amazing time.   We even got to meet and hang out with her kids Nanny, Pam.   Staying in their home for four nights/day gave me a chance to appreciate my friend in a completely new way.  I found myself amazed at her efficiency, simpleness, ability to prioritize joy, and how she made time for others and found balance in the fullness of her life.  I still don't know how she balances her challenging career as a CFO for the government with raising her two young sons and being a fun wife, friend, sister, daughter but somehow she does.

Below are the secrets I learned from staying with her that I hope to embrace more:

1) Make time for fun - Each day she makes sure there is something that both she and her boys enjoy in her days with them.  She also enjoys a glass of wine each night and relishes her morning coffee.  She gets dressed fast so she has more time to enjoy whatever she is doing.  She walks with confidence and joy and loves her husband and kids with vigor. 

2) Don't lose energy on necessary responsibilities - whether it is walking her dogs or watering her lawn or getting dinner ready, she easily moves from task to task without much rework or doubt.  She is swift, like a little fairy, moving with ease.

3) Keep your home life simple - she does not overcomplicate her pantry or closets with things she might need.  She keeps the basics and does not stress about whether she is prepared or not.   For example, she has about 8 coffee cups in her life, 3 of which mean something to her.  I have about 30 coffee/tea cups and only two of them mean something to me.  I like her ratio better.

4) Prioritize what is needed right now-  She does not apologize for wanting to take a nap or needing a snack or getting frustrated.  She is present to her own needs which makes her so much more aware of the moment. She also doesn't waste time on what she might need later.  Later is later.  Now is now.  Figure out now, now.   I spend so much time thinking about whats next I often lose sight of what is right now. 

Thank you Nutan for being my Best-y for the past 20+ years.  You always seem to bring out the best in me and now we can even share our families in the joy of our giggling friendship. 

"Can we go eat at a restaurant with chopsticks?"

Amara found some disposable chopsticks somewhere in the house on Sunday and has been asking when we can go to a "Japanese sit on the floor" restaurant. On Tuesday we decided to have a family dinner out at take the girls to their first Thai restaurant. At least this would be there first time actually eating there. They have been several times as babies and toddlers but not eaten anything more than perhaps some sticky white rice. This time both girls ordered their own dinner. Annika wanted chicken. When there was not chicken nuggets, she decided to order just chicken. It came steamed. White, paste-y, limp looking dead chicken flesh sitting in a bowl. I thought for sure she would be grossed out. But she was starving and excited about chicken.. she ate it plain! Then she tried dipping it in soy sauce and mild peanut sauce to her delight. She muddled through some pineapple fried rice but mostly ate chicken. Samir did his best to help her with chopsticks but she was not really interested. Her best comment of the night was, "Dad, how can you eat octopus? That is so gross". I answered with but Annika you eat fish and chicken? Her answer, "But that is because I like to eat it and it tastes yummy".

Meanwhile, on the other side of the table, Amara decided to teach herself how to use chopsticks. We look over and there is Amara with a piece of baby corn in her chopsticks chomping down. This was her second feat. The first was when Samir's seaweed salad came and she took a huge chuck and starting eating the seaweed with her fingers like spagetti. She picked up a few different ones slightly confused and kept asking, "I can eat this? Is this a plant? ". She was mesmerized with Samir's fish sushi and even decided to take a bite of raw salmon and tuna. "Its so pretty and looks yummy". She was not that happy with taste though. She ploughed through several of my veggie sushi rolls and loved eating the "wrapper" by dipping it in soy sauce.

In the end everyone was happy and tired after a great evening of laughing and appreciating a new cuisine palatte for the girls. Perhaps next time it will be Korean. Be Bhim Bop - Here we come!

Updates on new milestones for the girls

Annika -

Competed in FOGANA and won third in at Cincinnati in Minor Folk Dance on July 16th. She said she is not interested in doing FOGANA ever again but would be willing to do it again next year. She has the same love/hate relationship with cultural commitments that I have.

July 20th - Asked to eat a salad with her dinner at LaRosa's completely unprompted.

Early July - helped Samir catch a fish in a friend's pond and then the asked to eat it. Samir actually did gut and clean the fish and they ate it. Not sure how I feel about this but am impressed with her commitment and courage.

Amara -

Tried to catch the rain while moving in the car by holding her mint container outside the window. She kept saying, "Slow down, Mom, I need fill this up."

July 16th - Fell asleep in the back of the convertible at 11:00pm on the way back from Preeti's house after FOGANA. The top was open and the wind was blowing her while the moon was full and beaming down onto her.

Early July - Amara realized that she is in love with Jeeps. Annika helps her determine she is wants a Jeep Wrangler with an open/soft top. Amara now can recognize any car that Jeep makes so I guess "JEEP" is her first sight word.

Mid-July - Amara asks me how to build a television. I don't her I have no idea and have never thought about how. She says that she is going to learn and build one in her room. Then she will build one for Annika's room next. So kind. : )

Adorable things said on Friday, July 22nd.

Conversation with Annika at 1pm>

Annika - "Mom, can you come upstairs and play with us. I packed my suitcase and put in a lot of effort to set up Vegas."

Me - "Why are you in Vegas?"

Annika - "Because I am here for a wedding. Come on up and put on your swimsuit. We are just relaxing by the hotel pool".

Me - "Well, I am in the kitchen unloading and then loading the dishwasher but I have some great music on. Why don't you come down and we can pretend its a dance club in Vegas."

Annika - "Mom, I don't there are any dance clubs in Vegas."



Conversation with Amara at 3pm>

Me - "Amara why are you naked, its almost 3pm and we need to go for a nap."

Amara - "Because I am going to a baby shower in Vegas".

Me - "And what happens at a baby shower in Vegas that means you need to be naked?"

Amara - "Babies take showers, Mom!" (exasperated with me for being so clueless).

Let me count the ways I love my IPAD2

I just realized how easy and quick transferring IPAD photos are to my blog. Still not sure how to do it but Samir did it so one day I can learn. This means I don't have any ridiculous excuses for why our profile photo is 4 years old. There are two things in modern life I wish I could enjoy more but my fear/battle/disgust with technology keeps me from succeeding at: Photo albums and listening to music. While the rest of the world works out the their favorite up-beat music, I still spend 5 minutes untangling my earbuds to plug into an eliptical because I don't have an IPOD with music on it. I do have IPODs, 3 in fact have made into my hands from someone or another. But none of them have any of my work out music on them. Also, I 3 beautiful digital cameras. One without a charger cord, one with a broken battery recharger, and one that is small and perfect but I have never downloaded pictures from yet. I am pathetic. Career and business success. Even motherhood is overall a success. But technology keeps me under its thumb and I have allowed myself a sob story of being a victim too long. I am taking on the challenge of learning something new. Forget med school. I am starting with downloading photos and creating albums online. Simple and so rewarding for me and my future generations.

I will also post a pic of my new closet soon. Still figuring out how exactly to do that and Samir is not here right now.

And God has thrown down the gauntlet!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

This is my public admittance of my shopping obsession and having too many clothes - this shot does not even include my pants. I believe this a challenge to minimize - I am going to research what a healthy closet looks like. Perhaps a lighter closet will mean a lighter body, mind, and spirit.

Location:What is left of my closet