Another new innings...

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 1/30/2013 4:30:00 AM

'...started for me this week. Having held the Illinois Teaching Certificate for almost a year and a half, applying in school districts and not hearing back from them, I finally got a break in the same school district as Nino and Chica's. Lesson learnt - knowing people in the system works as much here as anywhere else in the world! So even though the hiring right now has been as a paltry substitute teacher, its exciting nevertheless for a variety of reasons. Getting back into a profes(...)'

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I am thankful for Basque athlete Iván Fernández Anaya

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 1/18/2013 5:46:00 PM

'A few weeks back Nino read a book about Lance Armstrong and as is natural for a child his age, was so impressed by the feats he had achieved. He couldn't help marveling at the fact that a person could win the Tour de France seven times in a row. He was deeply moved by the fact that in spite of battling cancer, which he knew to be a deadly disease, he returned to cycling and by his will power and hard work went on to achieve all that he did. The book was obviously written before Febr(...)'

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Sesame Street Live Brings "Elmo Makes Music" to Chicago Area in May

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 1/17/2013 4:38:00 AM

'“Elmo Makes Music”Fun & Furry Musicians Arrive in Chicagoland on May 1! ROSEMONT, Ill.,  MERRILLVILLE, Ind. & JOLIET, Ill. – Mark your calendar for a musical event like no other—monsters making music!  Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Big Bird and all their Sesame Street friends are taking to the stage to share their love of music in Sesame Street Live “Elmo Makes Music” at Akoo Theatre from Wednesday, May 1 through Sunday, Ma(...)'

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A day of implementing ideas - linked to some great resources

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 1/15/2013 9:15:00 PM

'So it takes some effort, well a lot to get a 7 year old on task, especially if the said 7 yo happens to be a boy. Man, I never would have believed the difference between boy and girl personalities if I didn't experience them first hand at home! So while, I have to be on my toes to get resources for Chica as she finishes one worksheet/activity after another asking for more, the ones for Nino lie around untouched for months on end because well he is just content sitting on the couch a(...)'

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Time to retire? May be not!

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 1/8/2013 9:43:00 PM

'So we went on a rather sudden trip to India in November. Among the many other adventures, a couple of them were these two. While just doodling around one day which is Chica's favorite pastime, this is what she came up with. I think its time to retire from this parenting gig when your 5 year old has the circle of love and life this clear in her head.Or may be not because if your 7 year old comes up with this when asked to do his homework, retirement would have to wait some!'

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A round up of a couple of great events and activities

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 12/12/2012 4:54:00 AM

'...going on in Chicagoland currently!Holiday Magic Comes to Life November 23 - December 31 as Passengers Explore The Christkindlmaket, Zoo Lights,  The Magnificent Mile, and MoreChicago Trolley Co. celebrates the holiday season with their enchanting “Holiday Lights Tour,” bringing the magic of the city to life as passengers experience the thrilling lights and sights of Chicago. Running Friday - Sunday evenings Nov. 23 – Dec. 23, and daily Dec. 26 – 31, Chicago’s version of a ca(...)'

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A few Chica updates...

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 10/22/2012 5:41:00 PM

'...filling up our days the past few weeks.Chica is being this rather outspoken girl at home, in an entertaining way, with an amusing answer/opinion on almost anything that is being talked about :) So we were playing this word game while having dinner and she thought of a word and was giving clues to Niño for him to guess the word. Now Niño always likes to team up with his dad, just to make it easy for himself. After a couple of hints, the 'team' guessed the word and it hap(...)'

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Oct. 28: Halloween Magic 2 at the Akoo Theatre at Rosemont

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 10/10/2012 4:04:00 AM

'CELEBRATE THE HAUNTED HOLIDAY WITH “HALLOWEEN MAGIC 2” AT THE AKOO THEATRE AT ROSEMONT (Formerly Rosemont Theatre) OCTOBER 28Dr. Mark Kaschube brings tricks and treats to the Akoo Theatreto raise money for local veteransSpecial Appearance by “Quick Change” Artists David Mass and Dania KaseevaThe Magic Dentist, Dr. Mark Kaschube, is putting on a show full of spooky Halloween tricks along with his ensemble of mischievous tricksters when “Halloween Magic 2” comes to the Akoo Theatre (f(...)'

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Back to School ...Excitement Galore!

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 9/1/2012 3:36:00 AM

'So the siblings marched out the door, after having waited all these years, to go to the same school, finally! The younger one's excitement over the past few days had to be seen to be believed. Incidentally, we were also going camping the day after their schools re-opened and were to set up tent and sleep in sleeping bags and were to go with 7 more families, all the kids' friends from the complex that we stay in and with whom they literally spent almost every waking moment with (...)'

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Back to School Fun Photo Labels

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 8/14/2012 8:26:00 PM

'A quick picture post to share with you the first craft of the summer this year. Yeah we had a craftily lazy summer vacation this year :) But today the kids were extremely excited with this activity that took up our morning when we had originally intended to finish off all the labeling of school supplies. But I guess in the last few days of the kids home, one could give themselves and myself this much leeway :)Work in progress ...I took printouts of letters of the kids' names from th(...)'

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Part 1 of Summer 2012 - Teh London Olympics

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 8/10/2012 4:25:00 AM

'...on what we have been upto this summer. 'Soon enough' after that philosophical note :) Niño has been dreaming big and imagining even bigger. My only regret is I am no longer as prompt with the camera as I was last year. But the Olympics have been playing big on his heart and mind as he watched the opening ceremony with wide eyed awe and wonder. And then went on to make Michael Phelps his hero and Gabby Douglas his heroine ;)So he planned an opening ceremony with all the props(...)'

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Soon enough...

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 8/8/2012 10:15:00 PM

'You know what, after months of being away from the blog, except blogging about the events or the places we have enjoyed, currently I am in a frame of mind where I want to savor my kids wholeheartedly and completely and delight in the joy they bring to my life. Because now is the time with the new school year beginning, children of relatives and friends who are ready to fly the proverbial nest, to pursue their studies away from home, often cross country now, the things their parents (...)'

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Kids drive the Action in "Improv Extravaganza Explosion!"

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 7/24/2012 12:51:00 PM

'We caught Second City Theatricals' "Imrov Extravaganza Explosion!" at UP Comedy Club in Chicago city this past Saturday. High energy and hilarious, the show, featuring The Second City's performers, is an hour of interactive, family-friendly improvisation and sketch comedy pulled from ideas straight from the audience, and made up on the spot. So while a part of the audience said their favorite movie to watch was let's say Cars and favorite thing to do was listen to Justin Bieber, the(...)'

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Have you been to the Cirque Shanghai yet?

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 7/20/2012 12:02:00 PM

'..If not, next Wednesday, July 25th may be the day you would want to hit the Navy Pier. Not only is the Cirque Shanghai absolutely stunning this year, in addition Navy Pier will be hosting a wonderful firework display that is dedicated and inspired by Cirque Shanghai: Year of the Dragon. This will take place during Navy Pier’s regularly scheduled fireworks Wednesday, July 25 at 9:30 p.m. The fireworks will be set to the Cirque Shanghai: Year of the Dragon music and incorporate (...)'

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Be ready to gape for an hour...

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 6/19/2012 4:32:00 AM

'...at the Cirque Shanghai this year. That's what I did this time, mouth wide open is how Chica saw the entire show and gasps of disbelief is what one heard several times among the audience as the Cirque Shanghai crew continued to amaze and live upto expectations they set last year and in fact go beyond as they defied all gravity and twisted and turned and flew and tumbled and juggled. I mean just look at the picture below and tell me how can one possibly balance all those chair(...)'

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Chagall for Children Opening at Kohl with Cirque Shanghai

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 6/16/2012 12:37:00 PM

'On Tuesday June 19, cast members from Cirque Shanghai: Year of the Dragon will be attending the Kohl Children’s Museum opening of “Chagall for Children” for a special performance celebrating Marc Chagall’s famous painting “At The Circus”I had written about Kohl Children's Museum's one of the most popular exhibits in history - Chagall for Children starting June 18. Seems like a fabulous, very hands on exhibit for children already interested in art and even better to get them more int(...)'

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NOW is the time to vote to end Female Foeticide!

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 6/7/2012 10:08:00 PM

'Friends, please take a minute and vote for an extremely noble cause! To empower the girl child! To educate them! To empower women to earn a living and their dignity! To raise award money for a dear friend's NGO which does all this and more! Spare a minute for a noble cause!The Beginning to an End to female foeticideImpact Award 2012Help support this entry, The Beginning to an End to female foeticide, in Impact Award 2012.'

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Chagall for Children at the Kohl Children's Museum

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 5/24/2012 9:24:00 PM

'Kohl Children’s Museum is bringing back one of the most popular exhibits in its history when “Chagall For Children,” a multi-sensory, hands-on exploration of one of the best-known and best-loved artists of the 20th century, Marc Chagall, returns June  18 – September 2.“Chagall for Children,” is a world-class exhibit that showcases 14 multi-sensory exploration stations, each incorporating a high-quality reproduction of one of Marc Chagall’s works.  Developed by Kohl Childre(...)'

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Recycle all those crayons lying around ...

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 5/11/2012 3:47:00 AM

'... and make these beautiful pieces that can be used to be worn as necklaces, bracelets or whatever you can imagine them to be.Super easy steps :1. Peel the crayons' wrappers.2. Break them into small pieces and fill muffin trays (fill the molds about halfway) - You can make multicolored or combine a dark and a light color for great effects.3. Bake at about 200 degrees F for about 10 minutes. Take out the muffin tray and let cool. After cooling for a few minutes at room temperature, (...)'

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Science in Everyday Conversations

Author : Neera      Blog : Our life, a Jigsaw      Date : 5/1/2012 4:46:00 AM

'The amount of water Niño drinks during the course of the day has been a cause of concern for me for a while. The Delhi summer took care of the problem itself when the scorching heat even inside the house or his school made sure he drank bottles full but here with the majority of the time being the cold season, he barely drinks any if left to himself. During this past weekend, I made it a point to literally thrust those 270 ml bottles in him every 2 hours. He was delighted to be(...)'

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