Saturdays

We have found that going to a mall on Saturdays meets most of our needs that we miss during the week---Ice Cream, Italian Food, Gourmet Food Store, etc--and we do not have to deal with bargains, the pollution and dirt, and traffic. The mall is clean and easy to manage and has a play area for kids. The funny thing is that in the States, we never go to malls. James and Ashram will have visited more malls in India then they have ever visited in the States. I think they may have only been to a mall once or twice in their lifetime.

The past 2 Saturdays have been spent at malls so we can get stuff for the house and for the kids and for us. It takes between 45-60 minutes to get to the mall. We leave our house around 11am and arrive back at our place around 5pm. We get something to eat and shop and then come home. Here is our journey today.

1. We found this incredible Italian restaurant that had real Italian food. We were more than satisfied and indulged a bit. Everyone was more than happy with their meal and that is all that matters.

Pizza for the boys and I had shrimp, risotto,
and a salad and John had pork chops and polenta. JJ and Ash tried the Indian Lime Soda with sugar and salt. I thought for sure they were going to love it, but I was wrong. I remember drinking this when I was kid visiting family. It is so good on a hot day.  At least John and I enjoyed the lime soda.

2. Then John and I did some shopping and the boys were dropped off at the play area. I found the Indian version of Ann Taylor Loft and John found Bata, the best shoe place (I think in the world). These will be the only 2 places where we shop. You know me, once I find a place, I stick to it.  John still needs to find a place that he loves in terms of clothes. Or not.

 Yes. There is a kid train in the mall!

3. This Saturday, we decided we would see how costly it would be to rent or buy bicycles for the boys. Everyone in our neighbourhood has them and they are always biking around. Our place is basically a gated community so it is super safe. The only cars are of those that live in neighbourhood. We could only buy them and when we broke it down it came to about $20 a month for both bikes so we did and got them delivered via auto rickshaw. We told the boys that we would donate them before we leave. They were super excited about that, especially JJ. When we got home they were delivered about 10 minutes after we reached home. They rode their bikes the whole afternoon:-)

4. Our last stop was a nursery, and the least expensive. We thought that having some plants in the house would make it feel more warm and inviting. We were 100% correct. We really felt like we were "staging" a home to be sold. The plants are beautiful and only cost $25. We got 1-2 plants per room. We are so proud of our purchases and what a huge difference it makes in our home. We even found these terra cotta stands outside the house and we cleaned them off and are now using them as stands. We also found a scarf that we used to cover a stool and put a plant on it in the common area. I am definitely feeling the whole gardening thing. It was so cathartic.

Now the boys are asleep and John and I are going to enjoy a glass of wine on our third floor terrace and just look at the stars and be content. Good night.