Summer again

 This summer holiday has been unique in so many ways. Touchwood, it has been easy. It started off looking quite boring and uneventful. But in due course, I was able to savour this stage of the kids where they are way more independent. They would wake up, grab some breakfast, and get on with some activity. Be it reading, playing a video game, or doing some craft work. They found the treasure trove of Netflix games this summer. And it was a full-on family activity playing a bunch of those games. K, to be honest, is very competitive when it comes to these games. 

Since the girls have built some stamina, we were able to go on way longer walks. So instead of short walks every evening to keep them engaged, we could enjoy really long walks. Be it in the area of a trip to the city centre via walk or be it a trek. It was quite wonderful to have the company of these young girls and walk around. There were days we would chat about random things. Other times, they would listen to their choice of music. Again, a huge advantage of having them in this stage is that they are quite independent to have their own taste of music so that they are not dragged to listen to someone else's playlist. We also use this opportunity to swap music titles of each other’s favourite artists. 

Since Chiyaa is nearly 15, my sis and I spoilt her by watching Squid Games. It was a really thrilling and enjoyable watch. Again, reaping the benefit of having a bit older kids is that we can enjoy a lot of shows together. We have been regularly watching an anime called The Way of the Househusband. This, in turn, inculcated a desire to cook, and we have been trying to dish out a few of the items. A huge success was cheese croquettes :) Talking of dishes, the girls have been keeping super busy cooking, baking, and Chiyaa has become a pro in making ice creams. They are really thriving in making different dishes and enjoy feeding people around them. They have also tried to keep up with their instrument practice, though it has been the toughest habit to push this summer.

I have seen such a progression from the days when I used to dread the holidays and keeping kids entertained. We have come to a point where we thoroughly enjoy them. Apart from our plans we have been graced with celestial events such as the solar eclipse and the Perseid meteor shower. We love the raucousness in the house, the mess in the kitchen and bedroom, the absolute anarchy in the living room, and the total fun in spending time together. As the lovely six weeks of switched-off alarms, lie-ins in the morning, playdates, walks, shopping, lots of cooking, and lots of eating draw to an end, all I can do is wait for the next one next year :)