Citrus Lane June 2012 box review

Woohoo, the wait is over and I finally got my June's box. 

Please Check out the contents of the box June's Citrus Lane box with the theme " Little artists"

1. Hohner kids Puppy flute

2. Eco-kids finger paints (2 pouches) and play dough (1 box)

3. Chronicle books Magical Menangerie

4. Babyganics Stain remover 

5. Putumayo kids cd sampler and 

6. A $35 gift card to Minted.com

She loved the puppy flute and started playing with it right away and danced to the songs in the Putumayo cd sampler. 
The Theme for the July's Citrus lane box is "Bon Voyage" and I Can't wait to get my box.

 http://www.citruslane.com/invitedby/shirisha.prodduturi

Order today and take 10% off the cost of your subscription with code SPRINGFUN. That's up to $25 off an annual subscription! 3-month and 6-month subscriptions are also available. 

Beet root laddu

Beetroot is a rich source of potent antioxidants and nutrients, including magnesium, sodium, potassium and vitamin C, and betaine, which is important for cardiovascular health.

Here goes the recipe for the yummy  Beet root laddu

Beet root        1 cup
Sooji               1/2 cup
Sugar              1 cup( add more or less according to your taste)
Cardomom  powder  2Tspns
Ghee               5 Tbspns
 Dried coconut powder 3 Tbspns
Cashew nuts


Roast Sooji  in ghee until it turns light  brown.
Now add the grated Beet root, sugar, dried  coconut powder and cardamom powder to Sooji. Mix and make small balls with this mixture. Top the laddus with roasted Cashew nuts and store them in an air tight container. Store them in fridge for a longer shelf life.

Nature watch cruise in San diego

The unforgettable experience

Woohoo... it's the season for whale watching in San Diego. I decided to go on a nature cruise by San Diego harbor excursion. It's a six hour guided tour of  Islas Los Coronados and dead man's island where we get a chance to watch whales, dolphins, harbor seals, sea lions, orcas, sea gulls and herons in the mexican waters. I got  excited when they started boarding on Bright morning star at around 10am. We got seated comfortably on the top deck of the boat.  We had fun watching the schools of  Dolphins chasing the boat. We saw two humpback whales and the sightings were just for a few seconds and it was very disappointing. We  visited the luscious green  dead man's island. We saw many Sea lions and Seals basking in the sun. The water around the island is clear blue in color. The blue water hitting the island looks very beautiful  and its an unforgettable scene. Our next stop is Bird rock island where we saw many species of birds. The  white coloured rocks in the island were covered with feces of the birds.

On the way  back to San Diego, we walked around the cockpit and  talked with the Captain of the ship. It's a very wonderful day at the sea.

Noodles Omelette

An evening  snack for the hungry kiddos.

Here is the recipe

Noodles  100gms
Diced Tomato  50gms
Diced onion   20gms
Jumbo sized eggs 5
Salt to taste
A pinch of Garam masala

Cook the noodles in  water and drain the excess water. Keep aside. Beat the eggs, add noodles, tomato, onion, salt and garam masala. Turn on the griddle, spread a laddlefull of the above mixture and spread it. Let it cook for 2 mins. Flip the omelette over and let the other side cook for 2 min.  
Noodle Omelette is ready to eat now.

Roseola ......... scaryyyyyyy

Roseola, also called Sixth disease or Roseola infantum is a viral disease, generally mild and extremely common that affects children between 3 months and 2 yrs, caused by Human Herpes Virus 6. 

It is contagious and spreads when the child gets in contact with nasal secretions and saliva of infected children  when they laugh,talk, sneeze, or cough. 

It typically starts with a high fever (102-104) and ends with running nose and a  pink rash all over the body. The rash first appears on the trunk and then spreads to face, neck, back, arms and legs. The rash is pink and may have small flat spots or raised bumps. These spots may have a lighter halo around them and turn white if you press on them. The rash is not itchy or uncomfortableand contact with the rash itself doesn't spread the illness.  

The lymph nodes in the neck and at the base of the skull may also be a bit enlarged Other symptoms include  sore throat, stomach ache, vomiting, and diarrhea.  A child with roseola may appear fussy or irritable and may have a decreased appetite. 

Repeat cases of roseola may occur, but they are not common. Tanvi got it twice in a month.There is no specific treatment for roseola. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and cool sponge baths can help reduce the fever. The disease usually gets better on its own without complications.

Oh my god..... the rash looks really scary. I donno where Tanvi got it from  (My gym or  Monkey Joes or the pool)?  :(

Ways to keep your little ones occupied....

I am constantly in search for ways to keep my little darling Tanvi, occupied and away from trouble so that I can do my work.

The ways that best worked for me are


1. Stacking cups  -  I bought her a  set of  stacking and nesting cups in Ikea and showed  her  how to stack and nest the cups. The stacking cups are a big hit with her, so I bought one more set of the Bruin cups at Toys R Us.












2. Finger puppets - I got a set of finger puppets  for Tanvi  to play in the flight  when we were travelling to India. She loves to play with them.









3. Animal figurines -  Tanvi  got a set of small animals figurines  as a gift from her grandma. They are great as we can teach the names of those animals. They don't have small parts that come loose and pose a choking hazard to the toddlers.








                                                                                                                                                                                                               4. Lollipops - Although an unhealthy treat, the sugary suckers sometimes come to the rescue when the child is fussy.

5. Balls and Balloons - Balls of different sizes and balloons of different sizes and shapes keep the child busy for a while.

6. Board books -  Tanvi loves to read  board books, so we go the local library to get some books and dvds.









                                                                                                 7. Ipad - I loaded my ipad with many apps for toddlers. She can unlock the ipad, play games, watch her photos and videos.

8. TV cartoons -  She loves to watch  cartoons on the TV. Lately i'm introducing her to Dora and Sponge bob cartoons. She loves the videos by Baby Einstein and Brainy baby.

 9. Doodle pad - She loves to scribble on the doodle pad and have fun.













10. Wooden peg puzzles - She got a wooden puzzle set as a return gift. She loves it and does it perfectly all the times. I bought a  set of 3 in Walmart.

Senagapappu payasam( split chick pea pudding).......yummy..........

It's Sharath's B'day on May 30th and mom made this yummy Payasam,

Here is the recipe.

Split chick peas   200gms 

grated fresh coconut 50gms

sugar  100gms ( or as desired)

milk      500ml           

elaichi powder 1/4 teaspoon

Boil the split chick peas and grind 3/4th of it into paste. Combine with grated coconut, milk and elaichi powder and let the mixture cook for 10- 15 min and then add the desired amount of sugar and let it boil for a few more minutes. 

Senagapappu payasam (split chick pea kheer) is ready.....

Its very easy to make and yummy to taste.