The card I made for my mom! :)

This is how it looks ...

I've always loved making card. I love the leaves and delicate stems in this one... :)

Simple... 

I made it for my mom for her birthday as the card says... but her birthday is still a few months away. I thought of making one now anyway... :) 

The leaves were made using a punch. Rest is just water colours. That's something else I love. Painting! :).. will put up pics of some of my works if I can find them. Lately I dont get time for anything much...

I bought a few punches and now I'm trying to make use of it. :P There are so many varieties out there.. I feel like buying them all... 

There is a machine that lets you cut the desired shape.. My aim is to buy that one day...

http://pazzles.com/products/creative-cutters/inspiration/

When I looked at the cost on page, it was like $99. I thought, why not, I will get that as birthday gift or something.. But when I went to the shop to have a good look at, it says $599!!!! + $99 for the software!! Damn.. I really would have loved to get that one!!

Fun, when we least expected it... at The Meydan Racecourse

Saturday morning, Hafizka's cousin and wife called up saying they'll be dropping in after attending their daughter's Sports Day. Her school is near our place...

I cooked up some lunch and we headed out after a bit of tea around 4:30 in the evening...

Ayaan delayed our departure a bit by pooing in his diapers when we got into the car.. :)

Hafizka's cousins love exploring new places. They have been to most places in Dubai, so touring around with them is fun...

They had been to the Meydan before of course, but as we hadn't we headed there...

The Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse is considered an ultimate venue for horse racing. 

The Meydan also has the world's first track-side 5-star hotel... 285 suites offering direct, unobstructed views of the racing action... and also has an IMAX theatre, the Meydan Musem and Gallery...

We didnt actually see all that :) .... we went to see the racecourse without a clue that it was the racing season.. and there were races going to be held that particular day. It was free.. no ticket... so we got in to see why such a rush...

The race course was wow!!

This pic hardly captured how beautiful it really was...
I had never been to a horse race... this was fun... :). We were given the program guide, a lucky draw slip where we just had to give our name and mobile no., and an entry form (to put in our predicted outcome of the races)
We couldnt make head or tail out of the form :P
An Arab guy behind helped Hafizka out... :D

I was least bit bothered with the forms... i was more interested in the program guide... I loooove races... the thrill of the running..... :) the horses were sooo beautiful.... I really wanted to take more pics of the race and the horses... they were quite far thou... and ayaan got into cranky mood around the 2nd race (which was amazing! found this link on youtube of the race: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KunNqGE5-s )

I got ayaan to sleep right after the 4th race... we stayed there long enough to check out the lucky draw winner and the 5th race... then we got home... the last race was around 9:25 pm...
We needed to get home... the kids had school the next day.. and the guys had office...

All in all it was a fun day :) I really enjoyed it...

The next race is on 2nd Feb according to their site: http://www.meydan.ae/#index
:)

A Get-Well-Soon Card for Prisilla

My friend's 1 year old daughter hasnt been feeling well for a few days now...

Yesterday when I came to know this, I thought of making a card... a get well soon card from Ayaan to Prisilla.... :)

The idea of card making came to me because Steffy had told me she loooves making them. I had never made one myself unless those for school craft work :)
Thought I'd give it a shot anyway....
I used all the old newspapers and magazines I had.... not surprising I found all the cutting/pasting really fun... :) I used to love craft works... its just that now-a-days I don't get the time for it...

Here's how it turned out..

This is the front...
I hope ur not laughing :) its my first attempt :)

Don't look at the right side.... I was planning on writing something there.. but forgot all about it... and it looks soo silly... Ayaan messed up the top part and I had to cut it out....
But the left side I really like... cutting out all the alphabets... different sizes, fonts, colors....
It was really fun! :) I might make some more cards just for the fun of cutting and putting all together..

Ayaan wouldnt give Prisilla the card... I gave it to her myself... because you see, Ayaan is scared of Prisilla....
:D
He's older than her by 8 or 9 months.... I don't know why, but the moment she comes near him he starts crying... He likes small kids... I havent seen him react like this to any other kid. Yes, he doesnt take well to strangers... but crying when a small kid comes near him? Nope, thats a first....
He'll have to get used to her I guess... :)

While making this card in the morning I got so engrossed in it that I didnt notice Ayaan had spread rice all over the place. Yesterday it was almond oil on bed and today rice....

Thus ends my first venture into card making :)

Jungle Junction....

Pocoyo has taken a backseat... and as of now, Jungle Junction is Ayaan's favourite!

Ayaan loves the music and songs in jungle junction... It's all very lively and wonderful.
Even I love it :D
Zooter's soo energetic... love her British accent...
Ellyvan... I find Ellyvan a bit silly but sweet...
Bungo... he is like a know-it-all.... :)
And Taxi-crab reminds me of Sebastian from The Little Mermaid.

And the rest of the characters... all so sweet...
Watching all this with Ayaan had made me a kid all over again....I'm loving it :). We never really grow out of our childishness. It's always there inside no matter how old you are. And now I appreciate both kiddo and adult stuff.

We love the Introduction song:

Deep inside the jungle, far from anywhere,
There's a place that no one knows,
But we can take you there!

It's Jungle Junction!
It's Jungle Junction!
Jungle Junction!

Life is fast and friendly,
And everyone you meet,
Buzzes around on high speed roads
with wheels instead of feet!

At Jungle Junction!
At Jungle Junction!
Jungle Junction!

Now Zooter zoom's around,
She keeps the jungle running right
(Get the message)

Ellyvan the elephant is ready day and night, (Hello)
That fussy bunny Bungo, wants to know when you'll arrive
So if you got the need for speed,
Come on let's take a drive..

To Jungle Junction!
To Jungle Junction!
Jungle Junction!

That Jungle Junction!
That Jungle Junction!
Jungle Junction!
----

Check out this site:
http://www.disneyme.com/disney-junior/jungle-junction/

This is an awesome site for everything Jungle Junction. There are videos, games, colouring and some activities. Ayaan found it fun to click on everything :)

Tiger Boo!!! We Looove him!!

Ayaan Hafeez proudly presents.... HIS NEW CAAARR!!!! :D

It's a small little thing and he loves it... :)

He has been cranky since he woke up this morning. We did a little video chat with my mom & elder sis, Shahmida back in Saudi. He wanted to exercise. So we did a bit of exercise. Then he wanted to watch some Pocoyo. So we watched Pocoyo.... then some jungle junction...
Today was one of those days where nothing I do seemed to please him.

I was just randomly clicking on youtube videos to try to pacify him when i came across this:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbafsHcYdFA

I am Boo the little tiger, and I'm still kinda young.
My mama says I'm clumsy, but I think it's so fun.
I like to hide in bushes, and catch a butterfly.
Sometimes I trip over, but I don't really mind.

Heee-llo, baya dum pam
Heee-llo, baya dum pam
Heee-llo, baya dum pam

I am the Tiger Boo...

Such a cute song!! It's a German cartoon it seems...

He wanted to play this on repeat the whole day... the last video he wanted on repeat wasn't something soo appealing to me or Hafizka ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf1DRVu1EzQ ) . At least I was used to all this from Ayaan but Hafizka was like, "Why do we have this on repeat?!" But ofcourse, we had to bow to the wishes of the Head of the house... :D

This Tiger Boo is tooo cute!!! I think I can bare the million times i will have to listen to this on repeat... :)

Ayaan's Pocoyo...

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The women existed, but the mother never. A mother is something absolutely new. "  

- Rajneesh

When I was pregnant everyone used to tell me, "try to enjoy this moment as much as possible coz after the baby is born ur not gona get any time for yourself"... I knew that I would be busy, what with the housework and a baby to look after, but I never knew I would be this busy... It's not just about being busy but the fact that I can't do anything at the time I want to do them. Ayaan sets the schedules. He rules.

I remember the times when my baths used to be just before midnight. That was fun! :D Ayaan and Hafizka would be asleep and I would be soaking in a nice warm bath.. ahh... What to do... Baths in the day time would be such a rush that it would have been better not to have bothered with it in the first place, coz either I would be worrying that Ayaan would hurt himself somehow or else he would be screaming his heart out when he noticed me missing :-|
So the night time baths were a luxury.. :D

Cooking and cleaning were another problem... he wouldn't let me do it. He would always want me to play with him. People used to tell me to get him some new toys or put some cartoons to keep him occupied for the time being.... but ayaan wanted me with him always no matter what he is doing. I enjoy being with him but then when my work kept getting piled up, I had to do something about it...

I tried Tom&Jerry with him.... he didnt like... Girly cartoons were a total no-no... even Mickey Mouse club house...
As a matter of fact he didnt like watching anything. After a minute or 2 he gets off his chair and pulls me towards his toys to go play with him...

That's when my elder sister introduced us to Pocoyo... :) a blessing and a curse(at times :))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVpXF8ipXu4&list=ELgmgAeHydPSk&index=0

I dont know what's so special about these episodes but my son looooves them! He says, "Hi!" when pocoyo says hi.. :) He even wakes up saying, "Cocoyy"

I'm trying to get him to watch other stuff too but he's partial to this one...

There's another one which has also got his attention: Jungle Junction. Both are educational in their own ways but pocoyo is much better suited for a toddler...

And so, I was able to get a bit more time for everything else at home. And for myself...
It's not that I am annoyed with him or that I dont like being with him... a little time for oneself is a must or else you'll go crazy...  :)

Ayaan also likes listening to the gummy bear song :)

I'm also kinda addicted to pocoyo now :D

Time has pass by so fast... he's growing up so fast.... :(

I've learnt to just go with the flow... keeping a schedule is no use with a baby... learn to accept the unexpected :D

My baby is going to turn 2 in a month and few days... big boy...

I miss that little teeny baby but at the same time I love this energetic bundle of laughter :)