To be a mother of two is a tiring job to say the least. back breaking, head banging, hair tearing and maddening too. I know you will say its a beautiful feeling, to which I wholeheartedly agree...but being a mom of two, 24X7...trust me at times its just way too much to handle. Add to that the unbearable heat and humidity in Kolkata (40-42C) and a 'never there when you need' house help.

I often find myself telling others that raising the second kid is way more difficult than the first one. Its not only the works are double but Making the elder one comfortable around the kid without making him feeling neglected is a real task. not to say doing everything while taking care of a baby who constantly needs your attention. 

I have this peculiar habit of altering recipes every time. I love to cook but not the usual recipes every day. To keep the fun part I like to experiment and when that is not possible I try to give the everyday dishes a twist. Now a days even the husband and the kid are aware of it. so the days when the dish comes out very good the husband brings my recipe book and ask me to write it down.

I try to blog as much as I can, stealing time from my very busy schedule yet at least 50 more folders are there with recipes and pictures, waiting for their time in the blog's space. 

The recipe I am sharing today is a spicy pickle recipe. Remember my gur aam or sweet and spicy mango pickle with jaggery. I make it every summer as my whole family is fond of sweet and spicy pickles. Tart- salty pickles are just not our thing.

This year there is a severe decline in mango production and the prices following that are really high. We decided not make much of pickle this year, only little bit for the family.

'Bengali girls have beautiful eyes' he told me with an intense look.

My heart threatened to leap out through my mouth and started beating so fast that I could hear it even in a food court full of hungry diners. This was our so called first official date after few casual outings and long chats over phone. and the totally smitten me wanted to impress him badly.

The light headed, visibly elated me wanted to stay composed so I quickly gathered myself and gave him the most angelic yet classy 'there, yet not too there' smile. while all the time my heart kept on humming 'he thinks you have beautiful eyes'.

As the bus approached the stop I started rising from my seat. Its a hot Summer afternoon and the bus is almost empty compared to  'almost filled to the brim', other weekdays. 'Saturdays are such a relief, I thought to myself while trying to maintain my balance in the running bus. from my past experience I knew the bus will come to a sudden halt with a loud screech  The drivers, particularly this one never tries to slow down before any stop, making all the passengers dis-balanced.  I with my 5' something (plus 3" heel) petite frame find it extra difficult to stand still so I moved fast to reach for the door handle.

If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine.

Oh!!! Its Sensational!

That's all I could manage to mumble, in between glugging my very first glass of this delightful drink. It's chilled, Its sweet, Its rich, its creamy and has that heady aroma of filter coffee. With a nod from Hubby, I licked my lips and ordered one more. 

Are you thankful for having another normal day? Yes. A normal, uneventful day, when you dont even go out for a cup of coffee or do something that calls for a celebration. A day when you just carry on with your normal routine as an well oiled machine? Do you value that?