Karthik and Subraction

I started teaching Karthik Subtraction. Yesterday was the fourth class of subtraction, and I was amazed that Karthik could do all the sums. To make it more interesting and give him more practise I found a game website which has games for subtraction. And Karthik did 20 sums all correct!!. Just wow!!. Well, I felt just proud and happy that I did a good job, happier than a personal achievement.
 But, I do know people around me will say, what is the hurry, why am I burning him out. But, they dont realise that, it is a two way process Karthik should be willing to learn and I should be ready to teach. Only when that happens, we can see results.

Karthik's drawing classes

I was able to start drawing classes in my apartment for Karthik's sake. It made me super happy.

Karthik loves drawing and he has been asking me for a drawing class for almost six months. No classes close by and I didn't want drive for this class too. I am already driving kids for shloka and dance classes, so driving again in this traffic and bad roads was not an option for me or them.

So, my only option was to start a drawing class in my apartment. Knowing my apartment folks attitude towards such extra classes and money, I knew it will be tough. I asked my apartment secretary if she will let me use the common puja room for classes. She agreed!  

Next task was to find a good drawing teacher. In Vaibhav's school there is a good drawing teacher, Soni but I didn't have her number. Called Leela the head of Vaibhav's school maybe about ten times before she gave me the number. I had by then googled and found some ten teachers and spoken to about five of them. No one was convincing. Glad that Soni got convinced agreed to come. Now I needed to get at least five kids. In a building of forty kids one might think it is easy. But it was hard. Most didn't care about drawing class, for some felt it expensive and for some time didn't work out. I just had four kids for the class. I went house to house asking if they will send their kids and believe me people gave pathetic response as if I had gone to ask donations. Finally I got five kids and drawing class started.  i

I was so so very very happy, my Karthik could go to drawing.

Fun doing it together.

It is so much fun to take my boys around on my bike to shloka classes or dance classes and participate with them. In shloka class I sing along with them, while riding back, we continue to sing together. Everyday night we recite all the sholkas and bhajans before going to sleep, that is amazing.
I go to dance class, it is great to see Karthik dance, I put the video back at home for them to practise while I either watch or dance along with them.

Karthik could read three letter words

I have been working with Karthik to read three letter words, since he has become conversant in phonics. Today was the best day since, I started this effort. he could read many three letter words and many he asked me to make for him. He could read bat / cat / rat / mat / sat / pat and fat. When I asked him what fat meant he said "appa is fat" and gestured the same :-). He then asked me to put letters for "Bun", which I did. To make it funny I then put "BuM". He laughed and laughed and laughed at the word. I then continued with can / fan / man / ran and so on. But he could read most of the three letter words. Good Going. 

Proud moments.

It was moment of joy and triumph when Vaibhav could recite all the shlokas he learnt at the shloka class, and when Karthik could dance wonderfully from day one in the dance class.
I have no words to describe but it was just an amazing feeling to see Karthik dance so well and enjoy it. Same, when Vaibhav recites the shlokas. It feels worth every hard work I have put in. It took me a year of googling to find a shloka class and a dance class for them. It is quiet a effort to drive them on roads with one feet deep potholes and heavy traffic, most often I am exhausted by the time I get home. But, when I see them enjoy and perform, it feels worth every effort. 

uuhhhh!! Well!!

During June 2015 I didnt send karthik to school for three days since he has swollen eyes.
Vaibhav finished his breakfast and came to me asking for my phone. "Amma phone alli phonics song haaku"[Amma, put phonics song on the mobile.]. Karthik was sitting there and having breakfast, he immediatly told "Vaibhav, phonics nood beda amma, ninage school innu illa. Mobile alli games aadu."[Vaibhav, don't see phonice song since your school hasn't yet started, instead play games on the mobile].

Fever!! Fever!!

Vaibhav suddenly went down with 104 fever one night at 10 pm. He just then lied down and started to shiver. I administred quickly a dose of Meftal (syrup for high fever) and started cold pack for his forehead. When, even after 30 minutes not a 0.1 of the fever reduced, I panicked a bit and ran down to meet the doctor who lives downstairs. She asked me to administer calpal (syrup for fever) too and wipe his body with cold towel and she told it would take about an hour before fever subsides. It was very tough to wipe him with cold towel, since he would feel really cold and he would cry out loud. But, I had no choice so I got my maid hold his hands while I wiped him. At about 11 pm his fever came down to 103, which itself was a big relief for me. At about 11:30 it came down to 100. At that time the doctor called me back to check. She then asked me to stop the cold bath and put him to sleep. She asked me to administer medicine again at 3 am. I waited till 12 am till his fever reached 99 and then put alarm for 3 am and went off to sleep.

The alarm rang at 3 am, I remember touching him to see if he had fever and then I have just fallen back to sleep. At 6 am, Vaibhav started to wriggle in the bed and it made me wake up to realise that he was again running 104. I rushed and administered medicine and began cold treatment again. This time he responded faster and his temperature came down soon.

This continued whole day and night since I was reluctant to administer antibiotics. But when same pattern of high fever I began antibiotics and it worked. It took three sleepless nights for me before he slept peacefully.

The night he slept peacefully, Karthik caught fever. Thankfully, his fever didn't shoot to 104 like Vaibhav's but it was around 101+. Still, administered syrup for high fever and put a cold kerchief on his forehead and stayed up till it was about 11:30 or so. Morning when I woke up he had fever again, so same process repeated and didn't send him to school. Didn't want to give him antibiotics immediately but till night, I saw the same pattern of fever of 100+.

Well, it has been one week since I slept. When I told my boys, looks like I am getting fever, they immediately got hold of the thermometer and a kerchief to start my treatment. :-) 

Buy light colour dresses.

Today, I was browsing for some stiched salwar suits online. I opened a grey colour salwar suit and was looking at it. Karthik came by and told me, don't buy this it won't look good on you, you buy light colour dresses!!