Class Act Honoree

A week ago I received a phone call from the school Principal letting me know that Pravan was invited to the school district board meeting with the board of trustees and the superintendent. Pravan was thrilled and so was I. All of this took place yesterday after school.

As soon as Bill Chronister the school principal at Westergard Elementary school sat with Pravan , his little sister yelled out from the back of the room " HI " You can see the principal laugh and wave to her.

You can see her taking his spot and pushing him out of the way.

Priyasha is usually shy and will just cling to me and that was what I was expecting. However she stole the lime light away from her brother. It was a little comedy show and Pravan did not get a chance to talk very much. "Do you want to introduce your mom and sister ? " the board members asked. " NO " was Pravan's response. The crowd laughed.

Priyasha grabbed the microphone and told everybody her name and then told them my name. She loved the attention and amused everybody. At the end of the recognition they asked Pravan to step aside to take a picture and she said " I can't believe it " She is already loud so with the microphone you could hear her a block away. I laughed too, it was so funny and now I feel embarrassed and mortified. Not once did I remember to thank the board or remind Pravan to do so. I did loose some sleep over this as I want to teach the kids the right things. I was flustered and distracted by the class act of a three year old. To fix this I call the superintendent this morning and we will have a chance to stand in front of the board at the next meeting and thank them publicly for honoring Pravan.

Just an update on "Pravan and Priyasha's mission to feed the hungry".

I have 3000 sheets of paper sponsored by a local paper company in Reno " JC Paper " Keystone printing has offered to print me 10 000 fliers with a message that will go home with the kids so they can bring canned food to the school.I have another company that will be printing us 11 x 14 posters to attach to the food barrels. This is what the poster will look like.

The goal has now been changed to 10 barrels of food. Each will hold 250 pounds of food. We hope to collect almost 1000 pounds of food.I have selected six elementary schools in the area that will host a barrel each.

I am talking with some local business's to help out and we have the egg hunt planned for April 5Th which will bring in one barrel or two.

I have been busy running this campaign for a six and three year old. This is nuts, what will they do next ? Run for president. I am thrilled that I have taken words of out my kids mouths and escalated it to the next level. We all need to believe that the kids even though they are little , they can make a huge difference. Todd and I are very proud of the kids and hope this will encourage others out there in this tough economy to step up and help out no matter how small the gesture is. I am hoping the video will be on the school website soon so you too can laugh at the kids the way I did and all those people that cared enough to attend a meeting like this out of pure concern for the future of the kids. Note this is a public meeting and all is welcome.The people you see in the background are strangers to me.

This is Barbara Clark. She is the president of the Board of Trustees.

Below is a picture of the resolution Pravan received from the district. This is a huge honor for a six year old and we are proud. I will keep you posted on how the food drive is going. Wish the kids luck.

Thanks for stopping by.

Free Spirit !!!

St Patty's Day part two

We went to cub scouts tonight and it was a lot of fun. We sat in a circle and the first person whispered a sentence in the next person's ear.We kept doing it and the last person has to say it out loud. Almost every time the sentence was different. This was a lesson for them to understand that when a story is repeated it changes from person to person. All was well until we were leaving. Pravan was at the door and his friend was running toward him. Pravan decided to run toward his friend but his friend tried to turn around and run away.The timing was bad and the other kid's nose smashed into Pravan's head. He cried so loud and I was scared. There was a lot of blood and his mom came running. I felt so awful and helped to stop the bleeding. Pravan immediately apologised to me and ran away to hide in fear of being in trouble. Priyasha stood there and cried as well as the other kid was crying. The mom was nice and told me that boys will be boys. Pravan apologised to his friend and when we got home he called him and made sure he was okay. We sat down to a nice corn beef and cabbage dinner. My night is almost winding down and I am enjoying a glass of wine. Happy St Patty's Day !!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Free Spirit !!!

Happy St Patty's Day

Wow it is finally here.Happy green day. Everybody was so green day. We went to story time and all the kids and moms wore green. At Pravan's school this morning almost everyone wore green and there was so much excitement as the kids came into the classroom to discover what the leprechaun brought and if anyone caught him. Pravan was very excited as he lifted up his trap but there was no leprechaun. He did get a gold coin though. Here are pictures I took this morning. I am planning on taking a few more of the kids together when Pravan gets home soon. Then it is dinner time and off to a cub scout meeting. Thankfully Priyasha is taking a nap. She had a friend come over and play all morning and is tired and so am I. Well Happy St Patty's day to you all. Enjoy corn beef and cabbage and hope for lots of green to come your way. I know I will.

Updates and coming attractions !!!!

Life has been a whirlwind and I am running on pure adrenalin. Wow !!!! Where do I begin. Okay I keep adding more to my schedule and I am not willing to knock anything off. Blogging has taken a back seat but that has not stopped me from visiting other blogs. Okay there is a lot of good things going on. Priyasha turned three and her b-day spa party with about 14 girls was a blast. Pics and details to follow soon. Pravan recently received an invitation by the board of trustees and the school district to attend their board meeting this month. This is so he is recognized for his good deeds and getting the award. Before we found out about that he set a goal of collecting 25 barrels of food. Ia m told that each will hold about 250 pounds will be total over one ton with just ten. More details to follow on this mission we are calling "Pravan and Priyasha's mission to feed the hungry." The postcard mission is still on and has been successful. It is ongoing and we have reached six continents. We still need some from South America. If you want to send the kids some please refer to the link above for details. Also see the links at SCS. The ladies there have been wonderful and have helped a lot. I appreciate their time and generosity in sending the kids cards as well as spreading the word via e-mail and by posting on their blogs as well. Your help is welcomed. http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13417354#post13417354 http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13417354#post13417354 My B-day night out with the ladies on April 1 is in the works. Yes I am a April fools baby. NO JOKE !! The Easter egg hunt and food bank cause is scheduled for April 5Th. Pravan is very busy with cub scouts and that keeps me busy too. He will cross over from a tiger to wolf in May. Details to follow We were successful in building a tricky leprechaun trap and it was a delight to see Pravan so excited and creative. Pic's and details tomorrow. I am babysitting for three families now and I got a job on Fr, Sat and Sun at a restaurant a mile away from home. I work 10 hours a day and kissed my weekends goodbye. Just what I need to do for now but it has been a hard transition. I love being outside the home and this has been a wonderful thing for me and a much needed break from all the kids. Met a wonderful new neighbor and he gave me wonderful backgrounds to take pics with and I am so thrilled. I am exchanging baby sitting for these and I cannot wait to get my dream camera the D300 and get more serious about photography. I should be getting lights from this neighbor as well. I am more than thrilled. Pics will be up soon. Okay there is so much more to tell you about but you will have to check back. Got to run. Have a sponsor for 10 000 fliers to send to the kids at the schools so we can get more barrels filled. SSHHHHHHH!!!!! I am exhausted and need to schedule time to chill out. I feel like a real secretary as I have been talking to the media, the paper and the schools etc to get as much guidance and help to make this food drive successful for the kids. Check back soon and I look forward to any suggestions and feedback for the food drive. Free Spirit !!!

Proud, Protective and passed out

Hello friends. I have been absent for a while but I have been following a lot of your blogs. There is a lot going on in my life right now. All good things but a few minor adjustments. I have taken on more tasks and as a result my blogging has taken a back seat. I have so much to share with you. So stay posted as I have lots of good things to show you. Priyasha will be three years old or as she used to say " I am two going on twenty " Now she has changed that to " I am three going on twenty three " OH so cute. I am planning her party and it is going to be a blast. I cannot wait to show you all she and I have been working on. For now I uploaded loads of pics and wanted to share these that go back to Pravan's fame. That day it aired on TV I had several unexpected guests but it was a pleasant surprise. A few of Pravan's friends showed up and were able to watch him on TV. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy. Thanks for stopping by and as always I appreciate your thoughts and comments.

When Pravan saw himself on TV he was so embarrassed and shy. He is in blue, can you tell ?

We had his friend Dylan and his sister Raya who is Priyasha's BFF. They are holding each other. They we have Joshua and Bethany who are siblings and both are Pravan and Priyasha's friends.

When his friends left he wanted to watch it again and since I had it recorded Pravan and his sister watched it one more time.

After dinner Pravan got to dig into his cookie basket and gobble up cookies.These cookies were from a gourmet cookie shop and were presented to him with the award.They were yummy !!!!!

Pravan is very protective of his award. He asks me to shine the glass with glass cleaner almost everyday and this is a pic of him the night he was on TV and he took the award to bed with him.

Passed Out, Protective and Proud !!!!

Thanks for reading our proud parent story.

Free Spirit !!!

In the Spotlight

Here is the video that is posted online. I have more pics to post of Pravan celebrating with his friends. This has been a whirlwind of a week and I have been spinning my wheels. It's all good just no breaks in my day. I will upload sometime soon. I am off to take Pravan to his cub scout banquet dinner. Thanks for stopping by.

http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9869833&nav=menu113_4_1

Pravan's first television interview

Today was a very special day. Pravan was awarded a good class act award by the channel 4 news people. This was a huge surprise for him and he was unaware of it until a short while before the class was visited by the news team. Pravan is actively involved in helping people. For the past five years I have hosted an annual Easter Egg Hunt all on my own with a little help from other moms. It started out with about 9 woman in my backyard in 2004. The following year I was talked into doing it again and so I did except it was much bigger. I hosted it at the playground. Each year after that it was expected and I willingly hosted. Last year we had over 50 families join us and as long as I am in Reno I will continue to host it and help others along the way. This year it will be much bigger as Pravan is a cub scout and the cub scout group will help me with more activities and it will be a blast.

In 2006 I delivered a beautiful little baby girl on March 07 and still after a C-section I hosted the hunt a month later.In 2008 Pravan and I decided to help out an organization and we picked the food bank. I learned that the food bank had a backpack program that stuffed the less fortunate kids backpack with food and none of the other kids were aware. This way no child would go hungry. They also help a lot of other people in need.

We asked people to bring three items of food to get a ticket for a chance to win something. I walked the stores and got sponsorships for this and we were able to get a barrel full of food. This year we will do the food drive again. Pravan has also given away lots of stuffed animals to the fire department to help the kids whose houses are on fire and who may have lost everything. He also donated a tom of stuff to Big Brother's , Big Sisters club. Pravan also came up with the idea to use both sides of the paper to save trees, which would save the environment and not to mention energy conservation and money.

Who said a small child could not make a difference. Every little bit helps one small gesture at a time. Thank you to Shelby Sheehan the News 4 reporter for interviewing Pravan and recognizing his efforts to help at such a young age. Below are lots of pics of how the interview unfolded and some of the egg hunt last year.

Pravan with his contribution last year.

Priyasha following in her brother's footsteps.

They are so close and can conquer the world together or alone.

This was what Pravan received as his recognition for his good deeds. This is an amazing achievement for him.

Shelby Sheehan introduces herself as the kids listen attentively and Mr Chronister the school Principle watches proudly with the other ladies from the news room.

Pravan was called up and Shelby shakes his hand.

Her first conversation with Pravan.

Shelby hands him the good class act award. He is clearly mesmerized.

Proud Pravan posing for the news camera.

In the spotlight and loving it. He was so confident and excited.

The real interview begins.

I was amazed at how he carried himself and how well he answered her questions.As you can see I videoed it as well as took many pictures to share with the world.

He is so proud and so am I and Todd.

Pravan talked about all his good deeds.

Final statement. He said " This is my first time on the news and first time meeting a news lady " It was so adorable. She said " it was a pleasure to meet such a handsome young man in his buttoned down short and

slacks "

It was such an honor to meet Shelby Sheehan in person.

Mrs Ferguson with us. She is a wonderful teacher and Pravan is excelling in her class and is loving all the extra work she gives him as he is so advanced. She tries to keep him challenged and he is doing third and fourth grade level math. He is a math whiz for sure.

All smiles !!!!! It was clearly a day Pravan will always remember and will keep doing good in the years to come.We are very proud parents and now the world too can see. This will be on the local news channel tomorrow Feb 18 on channel 4 at 5pm. For all my cyber friends I will post a link to the news website as you will be able to view the video as well. I will update with that tomorrow. Thank you for stopping by and reading about his achievements.

Free Spirit !!!!

I heart you !!!!!

Today was a busy day for me , yet a very productive one. I watched two other kids and was very successful in getting all three girls to nap at the same time. While they napped I baked some cookies with the sugar cookie dough I made earlier in the day. I also am very proud of myself as I did not eat any cookies as I worked out today. I did my favorite body sculpting class and then 45 min of cardio on the elliptical machine.

Tomorrow is early release and I will be helping in the classroom. I baked these heart shaped cookies and Pravan dusted it with cocoa and drizzled it with chocolate. He is a great helper in the kitchen. He unwrapped all the Hershey kisses, counted the cookies and then helped all the way. He is a little boy after all and his favorite part was licking the spoon when we were all done. He said " mommy we should do chocolate licking photo shoots more often " I paid for all this sugar he inhaled. I had to let him run around in the backyard for a while to work it all off. The kid must have ran at least 20 times the length of the backyard and still had so much energy to spare. If only we could borrow some then I would never need to sleep and be able to do so much more in a day.

Pravan is excited for his valentine party as his teacher is serving heart shaped pizza and I will take in these delicious cookies. He wrote on each of the transformer cards and did a great job. He also told me that the I am the kids favorite class mom as I always have a treat when I go into the class. That warmed my heart and it is true I have a treat every time I go in and that is at least once a week. They work hard and deserve it although it is not always sweets. I very often bring fruits on a stick but I make it fun. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Valentines Day !!! Hug your loved ones and remember that you can never say " I LOVE YOU " often enough.

Free Spirit !!!!

My absence

Hello I am thrilled that I now have 11 followers and I love that I can see the count from the different countries. I love you ladies and appreciate you all stopping you. I have not been blogging for a while now and I have my reasons. Everything is fine, so do not worry. I just need to get back on the horse and start blogging more. I am trying to figure out how to upload 12x12 layouts as I do not have a big scanner. If you already do this please let me know how to do it so it looks like it is upright rather than laying flat. I have been very busy re-organizing the house and cleaning from inside out. I find that I feel more peaceful and relaxed yet not much has changed as far as my schedule. I have been following the flylady on http://www.flylady.org/ I have been reading her e-mails and we now have the house fairy that visits. You can find her here :http://www.housefairy.org/ The kids love it as they view her videos and truly believe. I also believe that the kids want more quality time with me so they get rewarded with something I type up on the PC. For eg. tea party with mommy or a game of candy land. You get the idea. My kids finally understand that we all work as a team in this family and if they do their share then I have less to do and that frees me up to play with them. Don't get me wrong, my kids are not perfect by any means and I still use bribery and threats but positive discipline is key. No good deed go unrewarded and it does not always have to be a toy or candy. Getting back to what is most important like quality time together is what the point and focus is and my kids value that more than candy or a toy and for that I feel blessed. The last month or so has been all about being organized and I have a long way to go but a little everyday. In 15 min you can do a lot and this way I am no longer overwhelmed and feel like there is so much to do. Check out the sites and you to will be a lot more relaxed and most importantly be caught up with the house work. I have forgotten how much I like to blog and I will get back to it now. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you all are well. Hugs and kisses to you all. MWAH !!!!! Free Spirit !!!

I've been tagged

I have been tagged and I feel so loved. This is maybe my third award.Thank you so much Nat. Nat is very creative and also has a website with lots of challenges. http://nat9248.blogspot.com/ http://www.readysetscrap.com.au/ Now the rules are: Link to those who award it; Post the award; list 5 other nominees deserving of the award. So here are my 5 deserving bloggers Shirley http://cardartetc.blogspot.com/ Connie http://connieemeraldeyez.blogspot.com/ Tracey http://tj-runningwithscissors.blogspot.com/ Jami http://westamphappy.blogspot.com/ Melissa http://dezinegirl-melissa.blogspot.com/ Please check out these blogs. I love these woman and they all inspire me. Thanks for stopping by. Free Spirit !