Hasta Luego Baby!

“The world is round and the place which may seem like the end, may also be the beginning.”

Seems only like yesterday...

The first foggy morning,

A warm cup of chai in Cafe 300

An awesome boss who took me into an awesome office,

A room with a view,

Commute - umm what's that?

I fell hook, line and sinker,
It wasn't just the office,

It was the people in it...

Like a warm blanket

The next boss really showed me,

The future is female,

The power of using my own voice,

Giving...

Many a lessons learnt in the last few years,

Some in the office, some with customers  

Most with these informal friends I made,

Over my blog, chai or a BollyX Class.

I will miss you,

But the world is round...

What seems like an end is really a beginning!

So I won't say Good Bye...I will say "see you later"

Hasta Luego till we meet again!

Stay in touch with me on LinkedIn, my facebook page or email

Tentative Parenting : Leap of Faith

" Sometimes all you got to do is take a deep long breath, close your eyes and  take that leap of faith... p.s : keep your fingers crossed at the back that everything works out" 
                                           ---Meenakshi

                                                                                               

                            Photo Credit : Aman Barboza, Venue : Oracle Corporation

My son taught me a lesson this week - in 7th grade at the ripe age of 11 he auditioned for a role in the school play for the first time...for a boy who never sings or dances...he showed remarkable grace and fortitude. Sometimes the toughest part about a new journey - is the beginning. There is a little inner voice telling us how comfortable we are with status quo, telling us we are not ready or capable or is the risk even worth it...so we keep grinding away living a life other than the one we dared to dream about.

So K2's audition ended with him finding his "magic lamp"...he is Aladdin in their school play...my search for the magic lamp begins next month as I take my "leap of faith".

In our current world which is "turning tides" and where women are finally beginning to move beyond "could have, should have, would have"...drop those mental shackles and take that leap of faith...at the end of it all - we end up with two life lists : All the things that we did and all the things that we "wish" we had done. 

Get cracking on that first list...I am right with you!

p.s : if you came to my blog looking for an instant pot recipe - have you tried my berry jam yet - it is delicious and takes literally 5 minutes to make :-)

Change is inevitable...

"Change is inevitable, Growth is Optional"

I love my life, am grateful for my friends and support system, love the beautiful office I work in (zero commute! yes baby!)  and just adore the lakes by my house and the beautiful walks I take around it with my two boys and puppy. My Saturday's for the past year have been pretty set - Get up, put the steel-cut oats in the Instant Pot and then rush to my BollyX class, come back home and cook lunch (or go out to eat). This Saturday, it felt like I was ready for some change from my routine of getting up just in time, throwing the oats in the instant pot, walking the puppy and coming in late for my BollyX class...so here's what I did ... (I was still late for my class 😐)

I had been stewing for a couple days over the beautiful organic berries in my fridge that weren't getting eaten (blackberries and strawberries in case you were wondering). So I got up early in the morning and in the time that it took me to chat with my Ma in India, I made a Berry Jam in my Instant Pot - it's scrumptious and very little work. I also made some protein packed muffins for the boys to have with the berry jam & then went to my BollyX class - change in my routine felt good...now let me start thinking about what other aspect of my life could use a face-lift....Hmmm!

Berrylicious Jam (3 ingredients)

What you need 

1. 1 lb Strawberries, 1 lb Blackberries (mix with the sugar/stevia blend and keep on the side for 20 minutes to let it macerate
2. 1 Lemon
3. 2-3 Tablespoons Truvia Brown Sugar/Stevia Blend Mix ( ~ 15 calories per tablespoons) 

To Cook 

1. Turn on your Instant Pot to Saute. Add the mix of the berries+sugar/stevia. Saute for 5-6 minutes. Squeeze in the Lemon Juice.
2. Now turn the Instant Pot on Manual High Pressure for 3 minutes, NR
3. After about 10 minutes, store or eat.

How is your weekend playing out?

Vote for Suvarna Bhopale...for BRSSD School Board!

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think." – Margaret Mead

My son started middle school last year at Sandpiper and I approached the school year with a lot of trepidation tinged with hope. He had spent 6 uncomplicated years at Redwood Shores Elementary and "change was always scary". My fears were laid to rest in the ensuing year : he learnt, he got stretched and he  absolutely loves being at Sandpiper - it wasn't all a smooth ride but his growth and learning has been phenomenal.

 In this entire journey, I observed the role that Suvarna played at the school - whether it was actively listening to the children on what was working and what wasn't working (my son comes back home and tells me everything still, so I got to hear of how the 6th graders met with the District Supritendent and the school board and talked about what was working and what wasn't), I saw firsthand her involvement in enrichment programs like Mock Trial (so brilliant and I see my son's growth curve there in just a year of that program...and she runs it 100% on her own with some help from volunteers), theater, Model UN and I sincerely believe she is a champion for our BRSSD public school system and has taken an active role in it's sustained growth and improvement.

I am voting for her because she has proved in her 5 year tenure on the school board that she is committed to bringing about positive change in the school system for our children and I urge you to do the same.Check out her website -

https://sites.google.com/prod/view/re-electsuvarnabhopale

Please follow & like her Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/suvarnaforschoolboard

Education is the greatest way in which you and I can contribute to our childrens betterment, so please vote for someone who will champion sustained improvement and growth.