Back to School!

School has reopened after a fun summer break and my son is more than excited to meet his teachers & friends!! He woke up early, wore his favourite T-Shirt, packed his bag & lunch (Pizza, his favourite!) and climbed into the car with a big smile! As I clicked a few pictures of my son with his new school gear (It's Disney Planes ~ Dusty this year :-) ) I paused for a moment realizing my little boy has grown up now & he knows that he is going to school! He was ready & looking forward to going back to school.

I will never forget the day when my little Mathew went to school for the very first time (September 10, 2013) It was the hardest thing I have done! I am the happiest when both my boys are with me & this was the very first time I have been away from him for 4 hours! As a mother I know that it is important to start school at the right age & schooling plays a very crucial role in my son's education. Back home you start kindergarten only after completing 4years.

In Qatar the 'right age' to start Preschool is clearly defined & I pondered over this for a long time before taking the 'big decision' to enroll my son in  Preschool at 3.5yrs (KG1). After a full academic year I am more than delighted with all that my little boy has learned in a positive fun environment. He has grown from being a toddler to an independent little boy. The Montessori environment is positive, holistic & helps in developing a strong foundation.

 I miss my boy when he is at school & my little fellow waits impatiently to pick up his big brother after school. Motherhood has many stages & sending your oldest child to school for the very first time has definitely been a big step for me as a mother. All said & done enrolling my little boy in school at the 'right age' has been the first big step to his education & an absolute must to create a strong foundation.
Looking forward to a fantastic school year!!

5 Things We Love About FIFA 2014!!

The Finals of the FIFA 2014 World Cup is just an hour away & the countdown for the most awaited match between Germany & Argentina has begun!! The World Cup Fever in Doha was fantastic & we can't wait till Qatar 2022 when the real deal is going to be happening here!! We as a family really enjoyed this football season & here is our top 5 favourite things about Brazil 2014!


# 1 Shakira's La La La Brazil 2014 Video!!

We love Shakira's La La La!! It's the coolest video that will take you straight to Brazil!! We love the song & the video and my boys enjoy dancing to this fantastic music!!
What makes this video even better is that it supports the World Food Programme that gives more children access to nutritious food & education!!


# 2 The Semi-Finals Between Germany & Brazil

The Semi-finals between Germany & Brazil was a one-of-a-kind match in the history of the World Cup!! Germany won with 7-1 goals that shocked the whole world watching the World Cup Semi-finals. I am a fan of both teams but Germany took this match to an extraordinary level of professionalism & team work!
A Big Thumbs Up for a match that World Cup History will never forget!


# 3 Football Fun at Souq Waqif

We had the wonderful experience of watching football on the big screen at Souq Waqif!! It was a fantastic experience watching the match open air at the Souq with hundreds of football fans! The huge HD2 screens, the people cheering & a huge World Cup Trophy all in the middle of a traditional Souq is absolutely the best way to watch the World Cup!!


# 4 The McDonald's Football Burger!

McDonald's launched the Brazil 2014 World Cup Burgers in the shape of a football!!!! How cool is that!! We love the way it looks & love the way it tastes too!! The football burger is definitely one of the most fun things to enjoy around town this season!


# 5 Doha loves Football!!

Everyone in Doha loves football!! People are dressed in Football T-Shirts, there are beautiful World Cup Trophies displayed around town & a big Fan Zone has been set up at Katara for Brazil 2014!!
Every mall has a football kiosk set up with photo-op boards & face painting! My boys are walking around in the Brazil 2014 T-Shirt & everyone is talking about football & nothing else!!
Brazil 2014 has been grrrrrrrrreat! Looking forward to the Big Finals tonight!!!

Bloomsbury's Cochin!

As expats the one thing we miss the most about Cochin is the food!! Every trip down we visit all our favourite restaurants & cafes without fail! Half our luggage back to Doha is food & we must be the only family that brings back a full cake with the works as hand luggage!! :-) :-)

 
During our recent visit to the fabulous Lulu Mall in Cochin we discovered one of the best pastries in town at Bloomsbury's Boutique Cafe & Artisan Bakery! Absolutely stylish & chic Bloomsbury's Cochin looks inviting the moment you see it!

 Our first visit to Bloomsbury's we ordered the best chocolate cake we have ever had till date & a perfect cup of cappuccino! They say the first impression is the best & we as a family found a new winner to our top favourite cafes in town!

Our second visit to Lulu was a short one so we decided to order a take away box from Bloomsbury's. The next time it was lunch & dessert. The time after some coffee & cake. Finally our last visit to Lulu at the end of our holiday was only to visit Bloomsbury's one more time!! :-)

 
The sophisticated & stylish interiors, the delicious menu & the fantastic pastries makes your dining experience delightful & something to look forward to! If you love pastries as much as we do head down to Bloomsbury's cause this is one of those chocolate cakes that you don't wanna miss!!   
    

SmallPrints!

 
I love Impressions of  Hand prints & Footprints, especially of my children!! I am sure all the mothers out there know exactly what I am talking about! :-)
We have done some beautiful hand & foot impressions of our boys on canvas, that we have put up on our wall at home! We call them little 'masterpieces' that we absolutely love looking at!
For Mother's Day this year my older son made me the most beautiful gift of his hand prints at school that I will always cherish & love!!

A few weeks ago I took my love of 'impressions' to the next level. Smallprints Keepsake Silver Jewellery was something that I always wanted! A Smallprints gift voucher was the perfect excuse to get my Smallprints Keepsakes done! I got both my boys hand impressions done on the most gorgeous charms that I can wear all the time!! :-) I would highly recommend Smallprints if you love impressions like I do cause I am thrilled & absolutely delighted with my Smallprint Keepsakes!

Summer Holiday Fun!!

My Preschooler's 1st ever Summer break starts today & I am so very excited!! I am one of those mums that miss my kids when they are at school & wait eagerly for them to get home! The Doha summer has started & the temperature did rise to 55 degrees the other day but I promised my boys we are going to have tons of fun & have a great summer!

I made a list of all the fun stuff we could do indoors to keep my boys active & enjoy their summer holidays!
 
1. Swimming!! There is no better way to beat the heat than to splash some water around in an indoor swimming pool! If you don't have access to an indoor pool get yourself an inflatable pool & have fun at home!

2. All kids loves to play with their friends so organize a play-date & invite your kids friends over!

3. Have an indoor picnic at home with games, activities & a picnic basket!

4. Do lots of fun Puzzles! My preschooler loves doing puzzles of different kinds!

5. Colour! Colour! Colour! You can introduce crayons/ water paints/ colour pencils/colour pens on different days & alternate between colouring book / canvas / large sheets of plain paper for your little ones to explore!

6. Bubbles! My boys love to play with Bubbles!!

7. Story Time is a wonderful way to spend some quality time indoor at any time of the day! During the holidays have more story time together!

8.  Pretend Play is one of the most fun ways to spark your child's imagination! My boys love to pretend to be in the Dinosaur Era, pretend to fly a rocket to space, ride horses & what not!!

 
9. Bake some cookies/ cake with your kids! You could get them to help you make a summer smoothie or fruit juice as well!

10. Activity Books & simple crafts are also constructive indoor activities that are a fun way to keep your children busy during summer!

We are all set to kick start our summer holiday!! The best way to plan some summer time fun is to think of stuff that you would have loved to do as a child!! Have a Grrrrrrreat Summer Everyone!!!

My Bamboo Puttu Kutti

My all time favourite Kerala Breakfast is Puttu!! Puttu is a dish of steamed cylinders of ground rice layered with coconut. It is usually served with Banana, Kadala ( Chickpea ) curry, Meen ( Fish ) curry, Chicken curry or Egg curry. Some enjoy puttu accompanied by sweet black coffee! My favourite side dish with puttu is a good scrambled egg with onions, tomatoes & green chilli made Kerala style!

I was gifted this really exotic Bamboo Puttu Kutti during my visit to Kerala & I have been totally fascinated by it! If you love puttu, you will understand my excitement! Puttu prepared in a Bamboo Puttu Kutti is complemented by the natural flavour of bamboo & coconut shell making it simply perfect!!
Bon Appétit
 

The Best Malayalam Movies of Recent Times!

A few years ago a post like this would have never existed in my blog! Don't get me wrong, but Malayalam movies were never my cup of tea & I would never recommend a Malayalam movie to any of my non Malayali friends! In the last 2-3 years there has been a total make over of the entire Malayalam film industry! When I first saw one of the 'new generation' Malayalam movies I walked out the theater in disbelief! I enjoyed the movie so much that I wanted to see it again! I told myself there could always be one exceptional movie in Malayalam! With high expectations I watched the next 'new generation' Malayalam movie & I was more than delighted! After watching much more than a few Fantastic Malayalam Movies recently I decided to give a standing ovation to the entire Malayalam Film Industry by recommending the best 5 Malayalam movies of recent times to everyone!! I have seen each of these movies several times & I would give them all a 5 star rating without a doubt!

Roma's Top 5 Best Malayalam Movies of Recent Times!

#1 Ustad Hotel (2012)

My favourite Malayalam movie of all times!! Everything about the movie is fantastic! My kids love this movie & I have lost count of the number of times we have seen it!!


#2 Ohm Shanthi Oshaana (2014)

Adorably cute movie! I particularly enjoyed the flash back as it was around the same time that I was completing my studies! The songs are absolutely fantastic!


#3 Thattathin Marayathu (2012)

Thattathin Marayathu holds the record for the most fantastic dialogs, music & songs!! I would call this movie the turning point in Malayalam cinema!


#4 Drishyam (2013)

The best plot EVER in a movie!!! Drishyam was the one movie that we all gave a standing ovation in the theater!
 

#5 Diamond Necklace (2012)

 An absolutely enjoyable movie that is taken very very well! Diamond Necklace is one of those evergreen family movies that you can see over & over again!


 

My Dentist!!

 My first post this year is dedicated to my husband a Periodontist (A Dental Specialist!)
I have always been afraid of dentists & the thought of a dental appointment gave me shivers up my spine!!
A dental clinic, the scary dental chair & the horrifying instruments would give me sleepless nights & a tummy ache! The very thought of a tooth extraction or fixing a cavity was worse than facing the toughest Math exam to me!
Then came the day when I announced that I am marrying a dentist! "A Dentist? A real Dentist?!" Everyone at home laughed for months together at the thought of me marrying "my biggest fear" as my dad puts it!! Our family dentist had a good laugh too!
We had a long engagement, got married, have two boys & all this while not a single dental problem....!
So all these years I never had to sit on the dental chair as a "patient" & have my dentist husband examine my teeth!

A few months ago I realized that I could feel my Wisdom Tooth at the back of my mouth. I was excited & asked my husband to take a look at my tooth at home. The moment he saw it he told me that it had to be extracted & it was only a matter of time before it gave me trouble! I suddenly got butterflies in my stomach. It was the same nervous feeling that I experienced when I was younger & had a dental visit. I tried to push my tooth extraction as much as I could.
Finally D day arrived & for the first time in all these years I sat on my husband's dental chair. The clinic atmosphere, the light on the chair, the instruments were all making me nervous but I decided for the very first time in my life to close my eyes & trust the man with the syringe & forceps in his hand. He promised me that he would never hurt me & I believed that.
"We're done!" he said smiling at me! I was shocked, excited & speechless! I didn't feel a thing! I didn't cry!
He made my biggest fear seem so silly & insignificant. I knew I wasn't afraid anymore.

People say its because I love him that I was not afraid anymore. His other patients would give testimony that he is the finest dentist they know. For me it was the day that I realized the perfection of his hands & work. This is my testimonial for the finest dentist that I have ever known, my husband.
I Love You with all my heart! May Jesus Bless Your Hands! 

Merry Christmas!!!

Ho! Ho! Ho! It's December 25th ~ The Most Wonderful Day of the Year!! Merry Christmas!!
Our family loves everything about Christmas & the month of December is a time to celebrate the Greatest Birthday in the World! The Birth of Our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ!

Every year on December 1st we set up our Manger, decorate our Christmas Tree & fill our home with lights & Christmas decoration! Only in the second week of January, the celebration winds up & everything is packed away for the next Christmas! I grew up with such an elaborate Christmas celebration, thanks to my mum! She did this every year & made it a family tradition! Now we continue this wonderful tradition & my children understand that Christmas is very special to our family.

Another wonderful tradition my mother taught her girls was to add something new to the Christmas tree every year! So every year I look for at least one or two new Christmas ornaments to add to my tree at home! My husband keeps warning me that, as years go by my tree will be so full of decorations that it can fall over :-) Well, if that happens we will just have to get a bigger tree!

 
Our Boys love the Advent Calendar with Chocolates & we have made our own little Christmas Tradition of enjoying a Christmas treat every day from the 1st to 25th December!! I love the way my boys wait patiently to open the treat every day from their advent calendar!

Every year we attend all the Christmas celebrations & festive activities around town with our boys, making this festive season something to look forward to every year! From Carol Singing to Christmas Cookie Decoration to a Tea Party with Santa Clause, we fill our December calendar with Christmas activities every Christmas!

 

Christmas is for everyone & if you don't have a Christmas Tradition make one this Christmas!
Here is my Top 25 Must Do to Make Christmas more Christmasy then ever!!

1. Attend Holy Mass on Christmas
2. Make a Manger / Crib in your home
3. Put up a Christmas Tree (however small it maybe!) & decorate it!
4. Buy yourself a Santa Hat! Wear it & you will be singing Jingle Bells!
5. Listen to Christmas Carols
6. Go Christmas Shopping!
7. Believe in Santa Clause!
8. Wear something in Christmas Red / Green
9. Eat Christmas Cake
10. Do One Good Deed (at least!)
11. Share a Christmas Meal with People You Love
12. Wish everyone "Merry Christmas!"
13. Say a Prayer Together as a Family
14. Attend a Christmas Celebration
15. Tell your Children the Christmas Story
16. Learn at least one Christmas Carol by heart!
17. Buy your loved ones Christmas presents! (Don't forget to wrap it!)
18. Do one Christmas Craft / Project with your children
19. Make a tour around town & visit all the beautiful Christmas trees, gingerbread houses & decoration in the city!
20. Bake / Cook something Special for Christmas! (Cookies, Cake, Mince pies, Gingerbread House!)
21. Have a Christmas Party!
22. Drink a cup of Hot Chocolate & munch on Cookies sitting near your beautiful Christmas Tree!
23. Take a Family Photo in front of your Christmas Tree
24. Send out Christmas Cards! (Snail Mail , E-mail, Text! Whatever is your style!)
25. Be Happy & Cheerful spreading the Love & Joy of Christmas to everyone around you!

Christmas is a time of Joy & Celebration when everyone around you is in a festive mood & everything is Christmasy! In the midst of all the Carol singing, Gift exchange, Santa Clause, Christmas Parties & Beautiful Winter, the most important thing is to remember the True meaning & importance of Christmas!

May Jesus Bless You Today!

Merry Christmas!!!

Colombo in a Day!

The vibrant capital city of Sri Lanka is a charming destination with the right blend of culture, history & modern day hustle and bustle. Colombo is a perfect get away for a weekend & a popular transit destination.
The moment you enter the city, you get a very familiar homely feeling seeing the traffic, friendly people & big billboards with the Sri Lankan Cricket Players!!

Leisure, Cricket, Business or Transit, whatever your reason to be here, my theory is to never miss an opportunity to explore the city no matter how brief your stay maybe!
If you stay in Colombo is short then here is the way to have a complete & unforgettable Sri Lankan experience in a day! My top three picks for hotel stay would be Cinnamon Grand, Cinnamon Lakeside & Taj Samudra.

On a perfect Colombo morning wake up early & take a dip in the hotel swimming pool! There is nothing better than a grand breakfast after a swim. Most hotels in Colombo have an interesting breakfast buffet which is complimentary with your stay.

After breakfast go on a City Tour & see the landmarks & attractions of the city. Make sure to see the Galle Face Green, Victoria Park, National Museum, Town Hall & the Beira Lake in the heart of the city. After the City Tour pick up some stunning souvenirs & traditional Sri Lankan handicrafts from 'Lakmedura' Handicrafts Center.Tea is the most popular souvenir followed by handicrafts in wood & coconut shell. You will also find lots of batik prints on different kinds of fabric & classic Sri Lankan souvenirs like wooden elephants. Shopping in Sri Lanka is not very expensive & if you love souvenirs like I do, you better buy an extra bag too!

After picking up your souvenirs head straight for a authentic Sri Lankan lunch at Raja Bojun. The lunch buffet with an elaborate selection of vegetarian & non-vegetarian specialties at Raja Bojun is culinary treat for your taste buds. The restaurant is usually packed for lunch with tourists as well as locals.

After lunch our next stop is Odel, Sri Lanka's most popular fashion retailer. The flagship Odel store at Alexandra Place is the most impressive with its colonial architecture & largest collection of products. After you have satisfied your shopping craving, have a cup of Ceylon Tea & local delicacies at the quaint cafes at Alexandra Place.

Promising an unforgettable evening our final stop is The Dutch Hospital! The Dutch Hospital is the coolest & most happening place in Colombo. With magnificent Dutch architecture this colonial courtyard is the oldest building in the Colombo Fort Area. You can find everything from Barefoot to Ministry of Crab at Colombo's best shopping, dining & entertainment courtyard! After exploring this amazing place pamper your taste buds & eat dinner at Semondu! Semondu is an absolute treat & well worth a second visit!
So take a day's break & experience the magic of Colombo!   

It's Raining!!

It's July & the summer sun is shining brightly in Qatar! All I can think about now is that it is raining & pouring back home this very moment as I write my blog! Kerala Monsoon is magnificent & breathtakingly beautiful.
Monsoon always gives me a happy feeling, bringing back childhood memories & special moments that I will always cherish. Every year on the first day of school, the first drops of the monsoon arrive! When we were little our new school year shopping would include 'rain shoes', a waterproof school bag & a fancy umbrella!
I always thought it was a great way to start a school year with the sound of raindrops in the background during every new lesson learned. My sister & I always looked for an opportunity to jump in puddles & play in the rain, especially if we had grandparents around to plead our case to Amma! Having cousins around was a bonus for more time in the rain! They say, if the rains are very heavy, then there are lesser chances of falling sick! At least that was our favourite excuse!

By the time you are in high school you grow out of splashing water around & you enjoy the monsoon differently! My most fond memories were my basketball days in school. Our team used to boast saying that if it started raining, there is no team who can beat us in a basketball match! Honestly we were pretty good at winning a match in the rain :-)
I was away for college & in my hey days rains were all about sipping a cup of coffee & looking on. I had the greatest roommates in hostel & we never missed enjoying a single rain! A cup of coffee was almost a must have if two raindrops were falling from the sky!

 

I love the rain anywhere & everywhere but in Kerala, it is something else! I think it is the way the whole place looks after the onset of the monsoon. One monsoon we went to this lovely little coffee shop in Fort Kochin to have their home-made chocolate cake & ice-tea when it was pouring! Every mouthful of chocolate cake got better with the rain getting heavier! I will never forget the look on Amma's face that day, just feeling so cozy & content with her two little girls on either side!

My husband loves the rain more than I do!! It rains in Qatar for 2-3 days in a year & in this rare downpour if you see two very excited people with two very excited kids driving in the rain, then there is a very high chance that it might be us! We call ourselves 'rain people' who get most excited at the sight of a single raindrop! Whether back home or anywhere else in the world we have travelled to, the rains have been very special to us! A hot cup of coffee, some butter-cookies & people you love is the combination to enjoying every rain!