It has been a frustrating week for the three boys. Jerry dropped iPad in his toe and had blood clot. I had mouth ulcer and pain in left hand. Piyo developed severe cough again (we suspect it might be because of pizza we had on Friday).

As I type this all of us better. But it leaves us drained and tired.

The past week has been horrible with regards to sleep. As Piyo is suffering from cough, we wake up multiple times throughout the night to give him medication (nebulization) or warm water. One night I had to carry him and put him to sleep on my shoulders because he couldn't sleep lying down. He recovered in a day.

But then on Monday, we had to administer regular vaccination to Jerry. With the vaccination he couldn't move his leg and also he was suffering from fever for two days. So again we couldn't sleep yesterday too.

I have an option of sleeping in a different room. I do that only when absolutely needed. Otherwise all of us prefer to sleep together.

For long, I never bothered about how I looked or even about being healthy. There was a time I tasted every food and drank almost all kinds of drinks and thus, had a waist size of 42. I was, then, growing every day. Pants I bought six months bak wouldn't fit me.

Then in 2007, I took it as a challenge to reduce weight. I bought a treadmill and I was on it for an hour everyday running 8 kms/hr. Some days I would be on it both morning & evening. In about six months, I lost lot of weight and got a 32 waist.

Once I got weight under control, running in treadmill wasn't so much of a challenge. So I learnt swimming (at the age of 34) and I swam almost everyday.

I did it not so much for keeping fit, but to challenge myself physically.

In Delhi, my commute time is hour and a half and in the early days I was working long hours (not long compared to my life in IT orgs). So I didn't exercise and that started showing. I put on lot of weight.

In August, I stumbled upon an article and an accompanying video about an scientific exercise routine. The routine is only 10 minutes (though it's called 7 min workout) and you can do it at home. There is no need for any fitness equipments; the routine needs just a chair. I started doing it and I felt good. In the initial days my body was painting a lot unlike the days of running on treadmill.

Last week, I got a wacky idea of trying out skipping. I never skipped in my life. Once I tried earlier and I failed. I watched few YouTube videos and practiced step by step. Now I skip around 300-350 daily. Boy, it's so much fun to challenge your mental block and overcome it.

With skipping and 7-min exercise, I feel great. Throughout the day, there is pain in the body – in one part or the other. But it feels good.

Am I loosing weight? I have been working out only for a month. So I can't say with any data. Results matter, but right now I am enjoying the path.

நாளை பியோவின் பிறந்தநாள். ஆனால் கடந்த இரண்டு நாட்களாக அவன் இருமலில் சங்கடப்படுகிறான். நேற்று இரவு முழுதும் அவனும் நானும் தூங்க வில்லை. இன்று அவனை குழந்தை மருத்துவரிடம் அழைத்துச் சென்றேன்.

இரண்டு நாட்களுக்கு மருந்து கொடுத்துள்ளார். அதற்குள் குறையவில்லை என்றால் திரும்பவும் போக வேண்டும்.

அவன் சிரம்மப்படுவதை பார்க்கவே கணமாக இறுக்கிறது.

Come this Monday, Piyo is four. Time flies unbelievably fast.

Piyo is growing up well though we have concerns about his food habits and health. He doesn't eat all that well as much as we would like him to eat. He eats less than Jerry most of the time.

He also falls sick quite often. He has been sick for the past two months of cough. I have shown him to two docs. Both say that he has allergic bronchitis. He has to be administered with nebulization before going to bed. Today I noticed a bump near his right ear.

But he is excellent in his studies. He gets A+ on all pages of his notebook. I met his madam twice and she informs me that he is studious at school too but he is asocial.

I was asocial when I grew up and remain one now. But I am concerned that he doesn't talk to even the people he knows, like the aunty from upstairs.

But he is active, always. I have not seen him sit down tired (though he does sometimes, mimicking me).

Also he sleeps well.

So that's his report card. I am excited that Appa is coming tomorrow. I didn't have the privilege of growing up under the care of grandpa, but all the kids in our family have. That's a great blessing for all of us.

It has become an annual ritual, though I have missed it few years. Joy has been continuing it unbroken for more than a decade. This year there is golden chariot festivity too. So that makes it special. On our way to Tuti, we have stopped by Chennai. Last year & this year we are staying in Trident. It is a wonderful experience to stay in such a hotel as a family. Last time Piyo & I went for swimming. This time we may not do that. I am excited to spend time with the family, however small time it is.

Yesterday when we started from Gaya, I had light back pain. We didn’t take pain killers or ointment, so I took a chance and took four hours road trip to Patna.

Ironically, I felt better after the road trip. We took the flight too. When I reached home, I did feel little better.

But today morning I couldn’t move a bit. There was excruciating pain. I took day off.

I took combiflam tablet and applied lots of anti-inflammatory ointment. Right now I feel lot better than in the morning. Hope I am alright by morning.

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A colleague of mine is getting married in Patna. Rarely I go for marriage parties. In fact after my marriage, I have not attended any marriages.

But this time I thought we should go. May be I was too much influenced by our recent Kasauli trip.

So tomorrow, we leave to Patna and coming back on Sunday.

Probably this year will be full of trips.

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We are going to Kasauli today for a three day trip. Though we’ve been here in Delhi for four years, we have not undertaken any trip in north India so far (we did go to Jaipur & Agra. But they were different because Agra was a day trip & we went to Jaipur before kids changed our lives forever).

We are all excited, but Piyo is more excited than everyone else.

We are now in Kalkha Shatbdi. We’ll be in kalkha by 11.45. From there we’ve to take a cab to go to Kasauli. I have booked a cottage for the stay. Will have to see how it would be.

Train is a chair car and so it is comfortable. Though cleanliness is far better than regular trains, their food serving should improve.

The weekend we were informed that RumiKids was closing, we drove around to find him a new school. I wasn’t keen in getting admission in any big school that would force him with uniform and so on. I don’t want him to get into the rat race of life so early. The primary reason I want him to go to school is to be social. If we were in Tamilnadu, where we would have families & friends mingling, I wouldn’t have put him in school so early. Because if the lack of our social life, he is timid and doesn’t move freely with others. I feel going to school will make him mingle with others.

So we went around looking for a school where he will learn to interact with others but not get into a rat-race. Luckily there was one. We spoke to the principal and we liked what we saw & discussed. So from he has been going to school for the past two weeks and he is enjoying it.