Treats for Pravan's class

So my cupcakes from last night did not turn out the way I want it to. I planned on decorating the cupcake. I frosted it with yellow frosting and tried to put a chocolate covered graham cracker on it. This was supposed to resemble a chalkboard. I iced it with 1+ 1 and added a white candy to look like chalk. I also added a red m & m with green icing for an apple. Well the graham crackers refused to stay in place. I finally gave up and this morning I decided to cut up water melon into little star shapes and placed them on a stick. This took a long time. I then put it in the freezer while I showered and got dressed to go to school.

Priyasha was thrilled to go to brother's class. She sat at a table and had a snack too. Pravan got to pass out the napkins and he looked so proud and happy to be doing that. At first some of the kids did not want the snack but when they tried it they came back for seconds. I was happy that they had a cool ( literally cool ) snack. It was a hot day and Pravan said "that was a great idea mom ". Priyasha and I stayed for a short while and then we headed of to lunch. I met a dear old friend Heleene and we had lunch together. It has been a long long time since we saw each other. I was surprised that she brought me a belated birthday present. My birthday was in April. It was so sweet of her. We had a good time and Priyasha got a balloon when we left and said to the hostess " Can I have one for buther ? " That was so sweet of her. It was nap time when we got home.

I had very little time to do the dishes and clean before Pravan got home. I was also tired from the busy morning. When Pravan got of the house I discovered that he left his lunch box in school. I was not happy but I guess he will have to learn to remember these little things as mom is no longer always there to nag him. This is a long weekend and I am looking forward to it. Have a happy and safe Labor day weekend.

Sewing Bee

Okay lately things have been crazy and seems as though everyday I want to be lazy but then something happens and I am spontaneously out the door within 20 min. This morning I saw Pravan out the door and onto the bus at 8:15. I then snuggled with Priyasha for a short while and got her dressed for the day. I then let her play with her baby dolls and clean her room up. I took some time to sew all the six inch squares I had perfectly laid in a pattern on the floor. Last night Pepper , my cat had a luxurious bed and messed up my fabric.

It was not long before the phone rang and it was an automated call from the library. They had a book for me to pick up. Since I was going there I went early and stayed for story time. I ordered more books from this book list I have for the kids and then headed to the supermarket. When we got home Priyasha and I had lunch and then she took her nap. I continued to sew my quilt and then Pravan came home. When he got of the bus he was sleepy and tired. Poor guy, this has been a hard week with a major change for him. He had a snack and then helped me bake some cupcakes. I am planning on taking it to school for the kids in Pravan's class. Priyasha also helped. Pravan's package for his birthday from grandma finally arrived. Yeahhhh !!!!!. She mailed it on Aug 04 and it took 24 days to get here from the east coast. That is insane. It should have taken 10 days. Pravan was thrilled and we called grandma to give her the good news. She asked Pravan to go ahead and spend the $20 anyway. It is like he is having a birthday all over again.

I am almost done with the African quilt for the toddler bed. It is looking good.I will show you pictures when the project is completely finished. I keep adding more things to do on the list so it may be another week or two. I also treated myself to this new Smirnoff cosmopolitan drink. I am not sure that I like it very much but hey it is a martini. I am off to drink that and relax.

Take care !

Raya visits all day

Today I finally had a chance to stay home. My dear friend Candice had to go to the hospital to have a procedure done. A sensitive one so I won't talk about it much. Her son Dylan is in first grade as well so she had Raya to worry about. Raya is six months older than Priyasha and they are best buddies. I offered to watch Raya for her today. She was dropped off at 9am and stayed until 4:30 pm.

The girls had a blast together. They played very well and there was no fighting. Raya even let me braid her hair. The girls loved playing kitchen and baby dolls. We went for a short walk outside but it was about 95 degrees. Both girls were asleep when Pravan got off the bus. I always wait outside for him. Today he got off the bus with his lunch box in his hands and a band aid on his hand as well. He fell at the playground today. It was a small cut but it breaks my heart that I will no longer be there when he is at school. I guess he is becoming more independent.

Dylan stopped by with his grandparents to pick Raya up. Pravan was sad that he could not stay and play. I promised him we will have another play date on a different day. After they left I cooked dinner and had Pravan practice some reading. I feel like the night is so rushed as it is dark earlier and the kids have to go to bed at 8pm. It has been a long day especially since I have to get up early.

Story time and recovering for seperation anxiety

Today seemed like I was doing better. Yesterday the kids got an unexpected package in the mail. It was from their great grandmother. She was shopping and got Pravan a transformer shirt. He was thrilled as it glowed in the dark. It was a size 8 and huge on the kid but he insisted on wearing it to school today. Priyasha got a cute purple shirt with a heart on it. That was very thoughtful of great grandma.Thank you grandma. The kids love it.

Since today is the first day Pravan will ride the bus to and from school I had to capture the moment. It was hard to say goodbye but I know he is having a good time in school. I then cleaned up and took Priyash to the library. I would have stayed home if Candice did not invite me. Some how I do not know how to have a quiet lazy day. Priyasha loves story time and I could not deny her this privilege. She had a great time. I was feeling drained from yesterday's emotional roller coaster. After story time I came right home and Priyasha and I had a picnic lunch in the backyard. Pravan also came home with the bus. I had Priyasha nap around 2pm so she would be asleep when he came home. He was happy when he got off the bus.

I was glad to see him. He told me all about his day at school and we had a snack together. He seemed tired today. I love it when he is home. Now that he is gone all day I seem to love him even more and I miss him tons.

Pravan got this shirt in the mail yesterday. It is from great grandma for no reason. She loves him, that is a good reason. She saw this and thought of him. It was a surprise to get a package and as you can tell he loves it. He insisted on wearing it to school although it was too big.

He is excited to ride on the bus again.

He is listening to me say " I Love You "

Here he is coming home clutching the glass jar he took to school. Inside this jar is a dead dragon fly and he took it to school to show the class. He was happy about that as it was the highlight for the kids. They just love bugs. I only care for the ladybug.

First Day of first Grade

It is finally here. I was kind of sad and anxious and nervous. Pravan seemed a little excited. I felt like my heart was heavy and sad. We had a wonderful pancake breakfast and got ready for the school bus to show up at 8:15 am. Pravan usually does not ride the bus on the first day but we always greet the bus driver and let her know. This year we had the same traditions. I gave Pravan the red hearts I always give him. They are little red patch hearts for sewing. he has to keep it in his pocket and if he missed me , he can pull it out and remember that I love him. We also do the kissing hand. He kisses my hand and I kiss his. He also does this with his sister. This tradition is from the book " The kissing hand " It is something we learned on the first day of kindergarten. There are some pictures of Todd walking him into the school and also of him kissing his sister goodbye. They have a whole routine of their own. It is so cute. Pravan waited for the bus this morning but he did not ride the bus to school. He said good morning to Ms Charleene and told her that he would ride the bus tomorrow. I took some pictures of him and the bus though. He is a typical kid and had concerns about leaving his toys behind. He also learned that Priyasha was supposed to have a friend over. He decided to barricade his room with everything he could find including his sister. He used her toys though. He said that she could play with her toys as long as she put the stuff where he placed it. He did say that she was allowed to move from her chair , luck her ahh! You can see the pictures to get a better idea. I respected his wishes and we did not move anything out from the front of his room door. His toys were protected. Pravan always make a poster saying "' First Day of ... " This he made one and I took lots and lots of pictures. I am so proud of him. I was very emotional today. I cried for most of the day. I left the school after we met the teacher but went back to help him at recess. I was there early so I stayed and helped a little. I had a hard time leaving the school. It was almost 1pm when I got home. I also planned on picking Pravan up at the school so in total I was at the school at four different times. I really missed the kid all day. I think Pravan had a great first day. His biggest accomplishment was doing the monkey bars at recess. He has never been able to do it but now as he watched the other kids he decided to give it a try. Todd and I watched his determination. The bell rang and it was time to go back to the class but he stayed behind and finished the monkey bars. I asked him what made him finally do it and he said " I did not want to be embarrassed for not being able to do it " We were proud of him. I guess peer pressure can sometimes be a good thing. I can see Pravan really growing this year, not just physically but emotionally and other ways as well. He will learn what he wants to when he is ready. I may not like it but it is what it is. Pravan had a banana dog for lunch today. It is a hotdog bun with peanut butter and you then add a banana instead of a hotdog. He really liked it. Even though he has none of the kindergarten kids in his class he immediately made friends with a little boy John Chaney. He lives in our neighborhood and they had met briefly at several get togethers. I guess this will be his first grade buddy and I am glad he can make friends so easily. At recess he did get to see his buddies from last year. He also saw his girlfriend Jaisyn and gave her a huge hug. I was there to capture the moment. I cannot believe how long Pravan is away from me. I felt like a part of me was missing when he was gone. I wanted to kill the kid all summer but now I can't hold back these tears. What's wrong with me. I am sure I will get used to it and enjoy my time with Priyasha. Well it was a long draining day for me and I am exhausted. My not so little boy is in First Grade now. Tomorrow should be a better day.

The night before First Grade

Last year I had a friend but Pravan a book called the night before Kindergarten. This year I could not find that book locally. My last resort was to request a copy at the library. It came several days ago. We layed out his clothes and shoes. The backpack was hanging at the front door and his lunchbox was on the kitchen counter waiting to be stuffed in the morning with goodies. I secretly printed out some lunch notes to hide in there for him to try to read. In anticipation of his first day we curled up and read a few books. This is a new tradition I have adopted. I read to him the book called " The night before First Grade " and " First Grade takes a test " I wanted to prepare him on what to expect. We set out the clothes he picked out and his brand new sketcher's he chose. I also gave him $3 and a wallet to keep in his backpack incase he forgot his lunch. He could purchase hot lunch for $2.50. I do not care for what is on the menu but incase he forgets his lunch he will not go hungry.

I was excited for Pravan. I know he was excited too but he seemed unsure of what would happen. Well life as he knows it is about to change yet again. This is an exciting time. I can still remember my first day of pre-school. Hopefully he will remember one of his first days. How can he not with all the pictures I take ? I feel a little sad too as he is growing up so fast. My style of parenting is also changing to accommodate his changes. Well I think we are bought ready for a change, a new day, a new chapter and a new beginning and another of many first's. Tomorrow being the first day of First Grade !

Donner Lake

Today is the last day before school and we have spent the day at the Lake. Donner Lake is so beautiful. I never made it up to Lake Tahoe this summer at all. It is about an hour away from Reno. Apart from Todd driving to Truckee everyday and the rising price in gas I have been incredibly busy. That is going to be my new years resolution. I need to slow down.

Today was the picnic for the Town of Truckee employees. The kids were happy to get another chance to play in the sand. The water was cold but they did not seem to mind. Todd even took a dip. It scared Priyasha and she ran toward the water in an attempt to rescue her daddy. That is the picture of her holding his hand walking in the water. She was bringing her dad back to shore. It was very adorable to listen to her panic stricken little voice. Pravan had a great time building sand castles. The kids also played at the playground while we waited for dinner to be ready.I off course enjoyed it all through my lens. It was a hot day and it was a hot day and we had a good time. Pravan also had a good time playing the sling shot type of game with golf balls on a string. It was scary to watch as the kids were just aiming blindly and it was a bad idea if the path was not clear. It was a long day and we were all tired.

mellow day at home and school shopping

Today I spent most of the day cleaning up and catching up on laundry. I have got to learn to have a quiet during the day so I do not fall behind. I just feel like the kids need some fun activity to do and that is the real point of me staying home right ? The fun stuff makes them tired and ready for a nap. Every year before school Pravan and I go on a date and we pick out school supplies. This year he had to help me buy snacks and food for his lunches. He is in school all day now and I will pack him lunch and lunch notes. I am going to miss that kid all day. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy. We are now ready for the first day of school. This slide show is kind of cool. If you move your mouse over the picture it will magnify that part of the photo.

See post below

Scroll down to see pics at the doctor's office.

Sparks water fountain

Today I was so tired and really wanted to just clean the house. I knew I had a busy weekend so I planned on being lazy. Well I was consumed with guilt and took the kids out to a fun place. It is in the next town over and they have a water fountain where the kids can run around and get wet. It was the last Friday at home before school and I felt the need to make it fun. It was about 95 degrees and the perfect day to get wet. I have been busy all summer and did not get a chance to to this so today we did. The kids had a blast . Candice met me there with here kids Dylan and Raya. They all play so well together. Dylan ended up coming home with us and he and Pravan continued playing. The highlight for Priyasha at this place was all the planes going by. It is in the flight path of Reno airport and there were frequent planes going by. Priyasha always ran to me and said " look mama , a plane, it a huge one " She is so dramatic and so expressive. You have got to hear her say it. It was an exhausting day and I still have much cleaning to do. Have a good night.

Doctor Pravan

One of Pravan's strengths and interests in science and his fascination with the human body. For his birthday he received a lot of science stuff and I had to create a science corner. Well one of the things he has is a brain and I could not figure out where these blood vessels fit. The directions were not the most detailed and I was frustrated. Mr. Pravan's solution was to have Dr. Colombo his paediatrician help him. Luckily for him he had his appointment today and he brought his brain ( toy one and real one to the office. He marched in there with his own stethoscope as well. Since there was a long wait Pravan played with Lego's. He build what a another parent called the " Leaning tower of Sierra " The doctor's office is Sierra Paediatrics so It was funny. Dr. Colombo in my opinion is the best child's doctor ever. He is smart, patient and very informative. He returns my phone calls personally and arms me with all the info I need to any concern I may have. He always take his time with his patients and he is not a doctor with one foot out the door as you are asking a question. Today I had my doubts that he would help Pravan with the brain. After all his job was not to play puzzles with a six year old. His office was a zoo and it was super busy. I was blown away by his response to Pravan's request to help him. I tried to talk Pravan out of asking since they were so busy. I said well "Maybe Dr. Colombo will not know how to do it " He said " well he wouldn't have graduated from doctor school if he did not know. " The kid is just too smart for his own good. Dr. Colombo told him the names of all the parts and helped him connect it. He also let Pravan listen to his heart. If you live in Reno you have got to have him as a doctor. No , he did not pay me to say that. I just love him and his staff. He gives me peace of mind as a mom

Pravan also had to do an eye test , got measured and weighed.

He was not not thrilled when the doctor told him he will get a shot.Pravan got another chicken Pox vaccine today and as you can tell he was not happy. Priyasha was very comforting to Pravan but his misery did not last very long. He was actually quiet brave. It was more the anticipation of being poked that scared him than the actual shot. Who can blame him ? Even I am afraid of needles.

We then went to the toy store and Pravan got to use his birthday money and buy something called a Didj. I can now sync his school work into this hand held game and help him learn in a fun way. I cold not but the toy as it could not be released until Saturday. I was not happy as it was on the shelf. I called toys r us headquarters and complained. I was extremely angry with the store. The manager called the store and asked them to hold the item for me and they were to give me a 10% discount. It pays to complain but I was just mad that I would have to drive back there again as it is 20 min away.

We then headed back home. Priyasha fell asleep on the way home but today she did not sty asleep. I took the chance to leave the house again. We went to Pravan's school to meet his first grade teacher. Her name is Mrs Ferguson and we are happy with her and look forward to an exciting year.

Hope you had a much calmer day than I did. Take care !

motivation strikes ....

Today I dragged out of bed and had no real plans for the day. I was exhausted just thinking how busy I have been and will be. It has been crazy. I made the kids waffles for breakfast and then I decided to clean. This was not just vacuuming the house. I re-arranged things and did white glove cleaning. I am not done but did a ton of work. Lately Priyasha has been hanging out of bed at night as she has a little toddler bed. It is adorable and most kids can stay in it for a while but she is restless and I decided to change things. I have a daybed in the scrapbooking room and we decided we would make that her bed. The frame is green so we will spray paint it white on Saturday and then redo her room. She loves strawberry shortcake and Dora. I already have Dora window treatments so I will get strawberry shortcake fabric and sew her a comforter. Yes more sewing projects for me. I disassembled the day bed and moved it across the house to her room. I may return the toddler bed to the mom I got it from if she wants it or I may pass it on. I then cleaned the dining room and moved stuff from there to the scrap room. That room is a disaster so that is another project waiting to be done. I finally finished painting a shelf I had started a while ago and hung it up in the kitchen. I am hanging little pails on it with pencils , crayons etc. The nook of the kitchen is the art center for the kids

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I cleaned some more but still have a lot more projects to do. I also cleaned the hall counter tops and made that the science centre for the kids. Pravan got so many science kind of stuff for his birthday and he is going to have a blast playing and learning.

Oh yes I forgot we went to the pool for a few hours after lunch. We had a great time. Priyasha just got this new doll that can swim and we tried it out. This doll really swims on her own. She had another one that we left behind at the pool. I called that same t same day and they told me that they found it. When I went to pick it up they could no longer find it. I was not happy and neither was Priyasha. The manager said that she would pay for another doll . I could not find the exact same doll so we got this swimming doll. They paid me about $40 for it. I am happy about that. I could not justify $40 on this doll but now I can. It really is worth while. It is hilarious as it really swims and moves it head from side to side. The pictures do not justify it. It was a magnet not only to other kids but to other moms as well. I was quiet amused. Here are some shots.

Well it was a very productive day for us at the Landry household and tomorrow is going to be another crazy day.