When it rains it pours

No it is not raining in Reno. Well mother nature got a tap on her shoulder and was reminded that she skipped fall and it did not please too many of us. These last few days have been beautiful. We finally have fall colors. The trees along my street have lovely reds, yellows and brown. This is nothing close to the east coast display of colors but mother nature sure can out on one spectacular show of colors.

We walked about half a mile to the new playground that was just built in the golf community where we live. I pulled the wagon with Priyasha and Pravan rode his scooter. Hubby had the morning off to watch football. I in return got the afternoon off and escaped to the scrapbook stores to work on some layouts. Anyway for about a week now my washer has given up and decided not to work. This has happened before and I google the FL error message on my Calypso and gave my hubby directions on how to fix it. We had to tip the washer and look under it and then drain he pipes. As we did that the previous time we discovered that the under wire form on of my bras was stuck in there and created the flood issue. Well we removed that along with some little socks. So yes the washer does really eat socks. If you have some missing then look in the pipe in the washer. Well this time we tried that and we literally had water all over the laundry room. It took three hours to drain the pipes and the water tank. We had to unscrew the hose drain a little , screw it back on and then empty out the pail and repeat. It was back breaking work that sweet hubby took on. We then thought it would be okay and ran the washer again. Well we have the same error message. Now hubby is pissed and exhausted. Luckily for us we have another washer in the garage. We need to drain the washer tonight and make the switch. As if that was not enough today I discovered that the garbage disposal in no longer functioning. Last night I knew I heard a weird sound as I did the dishes. Well I realized there was a plastic fork down the drain and the crunching sound I heard was that fork breaking. Now I will have two issues to fix in order to have a working household again.

Also the gifted and talented group at the school district called and they are going to test Pravan in the spring. If he passes at 98% he will be a part of this intelligent group of kids. I am not sure if I should be excited but I am extremely nervous. I am so nervous about his success in school and life it drives me insane. I feel so consumed with the kids. Well I am so happy when they are happy and when they are successful. I also teach them that mistakes are okay because without them we can never grow or learn.

I did get my workout in this morning as well as hiked on a small mountain close to my house. It has been a busy day. I cooked Indian food for dinner tonight and will make some roti to go with it. All in a day's work. This will be a busy week so I will post more as I find time. Thanks for reading.

Terrible, terrible, horrible, no good day very bad day !

If there was a day in my entire motherhood that I was ever completely crushed by my child it would be today. If this is how I get myself to be lazy and sip on a cup of tea then I no longer want a mellow morning. It has been my goal for the entire year to sit on the couch and do nothing after Pravan gets on the bus and every lazy day was an incredibly busy one. My friends all laugh as I seriously cannot relax and slow down.

This morning Pravan and I argued about everything. I was talking to him about making choices and picking the right one. He still can;t seem to get the naked images out of his head and I am scared. I am worried about him being disturbed. I am so freaked out and have no idea how to deal with this. On top of that he says that he cannot get things out of his mind. He can't stop saying bad words. So as I was talking to him he said I can't stop saying bad words in my mind. " Like what ? " He replied. " I can't stop saying shut up mommy !, stupid mommy, what the hell mommy ! "

I was completely devastated. My heart sank so low that I could not even look at him. He walked out the front door and headed for the driveway. I sunk into my chair and tears rolled down my cheek. I had to process all of this. I then got up open the front door and called for him. As he ran toward me he had tears rolling down his cheek and I could tell he was sad and bothered. I asked him why he was crying and here was his response. "Mommy I did not mean those things I was thinking, I just can't stop the mean thoughts and I know it was wrong, just make it go away. I am so sorry for hurting your feelings " I have always told Pravan that it was worse to disappoint me than it was to make me mad and finally he undestood what that meant. He melted my heart because he is a great kid and now has some issues after being exposed to a few rotten apples. Well it is a cruel world and I cannot protect him and keep him in a bubble.

He got on the bus and I just layed on the couch and let Priyasha watch cartoons. It was her lucky day. Finally she asked me " mommy why are you sad ? " I said don't worry about it. " Did brother hurt your feelings ? " she questioned. I gave her a hug and then we played for a little. That was so sweet and she is so in tune with everything going on. I could not stop feeling hurt and sad. I made an appointment with Dr Colombo and pulled Pravan out of school. Some may think I am over reacting and maybe I was but my friend Suzanne said " You are in shock as you have perfect kids " That was a powerful statement and I had to think about that. That was an incredibly wonderful compliment and she was right. She was so sweet and watched Priyasha so I could focus at the doctor's office.

The paediatrician talked with Pravan and told him that if he spoke his bad thoughts then no body would like him and that it would hurt peoples feelings as well. He also told him that body parts are private and we need to respect that and what he witnessed was a wrong thing and he was right in reporting it tot he teacher and to me. He also told him that he was not in trouble and that privacy is an important thing and we all have the same parts. It meant a lot coming from Dr. Colombo as Pravan looks up to him. I do not think I could have explained all this as well as the doctor did nor would it have carried as much weight coming from me. I knew seeing the doctor was the right thing to do.

Yesterday when we were int he grocery store Pravan commented loudly about a few ladies that were within hearing distance about the size of their butts. Another time I wanted to dig a hole and die. luckily the woman did not respond. They shot me dagger eyes though. I grabbed the kids and ran the other way. As we left the store there was a police car in the parking lot. I had a genius idea. If I scare my kid then he will stop this non sense. I walked over and as soon as I did I wished I had not . " What can I do for you mam ? " He asked in gruff voice. He was a big guy and was so stern. I quivered with fear and felt like a tiny marshmallow. " I have a problem with my son and if I tole you what it was can you talk to him ? " I asked with a shaky voice. " How old is your son ? " " Six " I said. " No mam, that is not a police issue, it is a parenting issue " All I could hear him say was " You are a bad mother , you need to deal with whatever the issue is . Well I did not know at that time but knew that if someone with authority could talk to him it would get better. Well the next person in line was hi doctor and I think it helped Pravan understand his feelings better.

The doctor also told me that he can see the fear and concern in my face and that I needed to relax. Any ideas on how I can . I swear i am going to get a heart attack as I worry more than I need to. He also told me to walk away with the positive from this and that was the fact that my six year old is so mature. He is mature enough to control his thoughts. We all have bad thoughts and he is normal, observant and growing. The doctor is right. Pravan is still a perfect wonderful child and he is normal. I feel better too. I will distract him when he talks about stuff he is thinking and when he talks about butts etc. It could be worse he could be yelling those nasty tings to me and mean them but he is not. Well it has been a long, trying emotional day. I treated Pravan to a fruit smoothie after the doctor and I re-assured him that I love him and appreciate his honesty. I feel blessed that I have a child that is so open and tells me everything. If this continues I will have to embrace myself as he will tell me things I may not want to know. Thank you for following my trial and error in motherhood. Please suggest ways for me to relax...

Album I created

Here is a sample of the album I made for Alexandra. I whipped it up on Wednesday morning. It was a lot of fun to create. I used several Technique Tuesday stamps, stickles, flowers, ribbons and a paper pack with great colors. Alexandra has two boys so I wanted it to look a little masculine for her to add pictures of the favorite men in her life.

Ladies night out

I had such a wonderful time with the ladies last night. There were 11 of us to celebrate Alexandra's (Sasha's ) birthday. We all live in the same neighborhood and not all of them are my friends. I guess we all had Sasha as a mutual friend. These are woman I have some workout classes with. Speaking of which I was awful this week. I never made it to the gym not a single day. I guess it was a crazy kid filled priority week. I will get back on the band wagon this weekend.

Alexandra is my Russian friend with a lovely accent and then Aurelie is from France and both these woman live a few doors away from me. We don't hang out together very often as we are all very busy moms. Alexandra has two boys and they are buddies with Pravan so we see each other more often. The rest of the woman were woman I know and talk but we just workout together. We laughed and talked and had a wonderful time. It looked like we were such lushes as there were so many glasses. They had a special called a flight... it was a sample of 4 wine glasses and a plate of cheese and meet. Several of the woman tried this. A few did not even drink. I was the one that was different. I had my favorite the Cosmopolitan. Alexandra got a complimentary bottle of champagne and the guy divided it up very well with 11 glasses. We toasted and did cake and then Alexandra smuggled in another bottle of champagne. Aurelie shared a violet liquor with us. It was purple and you add it to the champagne. It was so fun and tasted delicious.

We talked about the funny things our kids say and also talked about the different issues we face as mothers. It was very good to hear that so many woman feel the same way and are going through things just like I do. We have to embrace it, cherish the moment, take the positive and learn from today. Here are some picture from last night. Alexandra thank you for inviting me to celebrate your special day with your friends. We should go out again soon. I had a great time.

Dinner was delicious

I raced to cub scouts and was there 30 minutes early to help them set up. Pravan had a great time doing leaf rubbings. Priyasha stood in line with the cub scouts and did the cub scouts signs. It was so cute. I had to leave a few minutes early so I could eat my dinner that has been cooking for several hours. Hubby removed it from the oven when he got home so i was able to leave the oven on when I left. I had a quick bite to eat and then went out to ladies night.

Here is a pic of how dinner looked after it was cooked. The onions were so good. I only wish I added six like the recipe suggested. Next time I will. Well it has been a busy day and now for the night fun to begin.That will be in my next post.

Dinner smells divine

It was a crazy morning. I thought the post office was playing a trick on me today. I had to keep the box around 4lbs so it would cost $25 to mail to Africa. I removed some things and got it under 4 pounds. I then stepped aside to fill out the customs form and wrap up my box. It was a hard cider box and they said unless it was covered I could not use it. Okay Dahhh! I was planning on covering it up.

I spent a lot of time wrapping and sealing this box. The lady behind the counter reminded me that it needed to be taped extra good. GGGRRRRRR!!!!!!! I used about half a roll of tape and finally waited in line again. I needed a sharpie to write the address with and then tape over the writing in case it got wet. Okay she asked me to step aside. I could feel my brown cheeks turn red. AAHHHHH!!!

I step aside and write on it and wait very patiently in line. This whole time I have Priyasha clingy to my pant leg. i was only hoping that she did not pull my pants down. I am wearing a yoga toye pants. Boy that would traumatise all the others in line. The lady then weighs my box again and what do you know.... I am 4 ounces over. Okay I say fine and she says it will cost be $52 or $65 just for a few days faster. Well if I was at $4 it would cost $25. That did not make any sense. It was because I wrapped it and all the tape weighed 4 ounces. I also had to buy another roll of tape. She charged me for the tape as I decided to go to the UPS office and buy a box that i would not have to cover. She suggested I use one from the post office and skip the drive to the other place. I took another 10 min to rip the wrapping and tape of that took me 25 min to put on. GGGRRRRR!!!!I was pulling out my hairs by this point. Priyasha drank all her water and ate all her snack. Luckiliy for me she was hunting for a sticker she lost somewhere and was occupied.

I used a smaller box and finally needed to tape over the address. The tape did not peel right and I was getting small slivers out at a time. I handed her my credit card as I tried desperately to rip the tape. The line grew longer and I got stares from people that waited in line for what 5 min. Okay poeple I have been here for an hour already and I did not see why I needed to feel pressure to scoot along. I took a deep breath and relaxed. Another checker came out to help which was good. The box was now under $4. It was more than double for 4 more ounces. Insane I tell you. If not I would have let it go. I then spent the rest of the morning at a friends house. That was a nice break. On my way home I stopped at the school to talk about what happened with the boys yesterday. That is another story.

Here are pics that I promised on the dinner. Here is what it looks like when you stick it on the oven. I decided to add carrots and potatoes.

Priyasha has always been afraid of the blender ever since was a baby. I explained to her what I was doing and asked her to cover her ears. She was doing good but then she got scared again. I only had another few seconds to go so I snapped a few shots. I then gave her a treat and a hug.

Delicious Dinner today

Okay it is not even 9am and I have dinner prepared for tonight. I got Pravan onto the bus and then went on tape hunt. I was looking for clear tape to seal a box I am sending to my mom in South Africa. Before she left she recorded her voice saying goodnight to the kids. This recorder was stuffed into a build a bear from the build a bear workshop. Priyasha's no longer works as she over used it. It is only good for 1000 pushes. I wish it had batteries. Now I have to mail two new ones to my mom so she can send it back to me.I will then record her voice from one recorder onto another and use the duplicate in the bears. I will store the original in a keepsake box.Next trip is to the post office. So for dinner I bought a beef brisket a day or two ago. I made a rub and the meat will marinate for six hours. I have never tried this recipe but will keep you posted on how it tastes. 2 Tbsp minced garlic 1 cup red wine 2 tbsp paprika ( I used chipolte rub ) 2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/4 cup brown sugar 4 large onions sliced in a bowl mix 1/2 cup wine, paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper. Rub onto brisket and put in a ziplock bag for 6 hours Preheat oven to 325 F ( i60 degrees Celsius ) for my buds on the other side of the ocean. Grease roast pan and place meat on there. Add onions, wine and cover with foil. Bake for 3 hours undisturbed. uncover and continue to bake for another hour basting occasionally. Wallla ! You are done. Not much work. Delicious !!!! I will serve with mash potatoes for hubby and for kids I will serve steamed veggies and bread. They do not like mash. Well I will take pictures later today and add to this post. I am off to the post office now. I have a cub scouts meeting tonight from 5:30 - 7:00 pm and then I am off to wine tasting to celebrate a friends birthday. That is at 7pm so I will be late. The kids will be dropped off at home with hubby and I am not sure when I will eat dinner. It is a busy day.

Drama Drama

Pravan got home from school on time. As soon as he got off the bus he told me that he wanted a snack. He asked to eat an apple.He also told me that he was hungry as he did not eat his cookie at lunch or drink his chocolate milk. I try my best to give my kids treats as they are usually deprived. Really I almost never give them junk. The one day time I do he did not eat it. I was surprised and asked why he did not eat it. He told me that the raspberries I packed him were smooshed. " I did not want to make you mad so I did not eat my treats. Now I want an apple so I can have my treats after I eat healthy " My heart just melted and I was saddened. that must have taken a lot of will power not to eat the cookie. He could have thrown my berries away and eaten his treats. He made a healthy choice and I was so proud of him. He really believed me when I said " I always know what you are doing at school so don;t ever lie to me " I am really enjoying the power I have over him as I know it won't last for too many more years.

Then my heart sank as he told me that when he was in the bathroom one of the boys asked him friend to pull down his pants. Teh poor kid did as he wwas told and stood in the bathroom in all hi glory. I feel awful for the kids that are bullied.My child is already weird about this naked thing and now this. He did report it to his teacher but forgot to tell her that one boy made the other boy do that. I called the school and talked to them.I also called the mom of the boy who had to pull his pants down. I am friends with that mom and thought she should know what happened. I am glad that Pravan chats like a woman as I always know what is going on and he knows most of the time what is right and what is wrong.Okay we got to finish up homework now.

Picture day at school

This morning I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I totally spaced that I needed to pay for the school pictures online. I took care of that and then got Priyasha dressed to go to a friends house. Liz has a daughter Jaisyn and she and Pravan were in the same kindergarten class. They are in different classes this year. She is one of Pravan's many girlfriends. He was thrilled that she was going to ride with us to school. I dropped Priyasha off and picked up Jaisyn. It was so cute to listen them talk in the backseat. Last night after I made arrangements with Liz Pravan asked to talk with Jaisyn and finally I had to have him hang up. When he hung up he said " I love you " to Jaisyn. It was so sweet but boy this is starting so early. I am sure he said it as he says it to grandma and grandpa on the phone.

Anyway I had to tell the bus driver to leave without Pravan as he was riding with me and promised her he will ride tomorrow. I showed up with a comb, water bottle and hairspray and took care of the kids that had messy hair. They all looked so adorable. I purchased a big package and the cd as well. I like to save the cd's in my fire proof safe for safe keeping. In spite of buying the largest package I took a picture with my camera. The photographer was so sweet and allowed me to do so. It is not the best shot as they were not really in front of a background. She super imposed their picture on the background we chose. Here is the picture I got. Pravan is such a natural in front of the camera. His first shot with the photographer was the one I loved. He understands the importance of pictures and does a wonderful job.

Photochallenge # 20 Colors of nature

http://www.photochallengeblog.blogspot.com/

Okay as you know I complained about the cold. Mother nature finally got a note from all of us whining and the weather will warm up this week. We skipped fall and went to winter. Since it was so cold we drove about 2.5 hours away to Davis California and it was 70 degrees there. Is till did not see much color change until we drove back home and drove through another town Auburn. Davis took us back to summer and I still seem to have missed fall. To all you ladies that got those awesome colors I am jealous. I lived on the east coast and it was the place that attracted all the leaf peepers and now I have become one. Enjoy the display of colors while you can. For this contest I will still enter my snow covered bush but here a few others I did get.My husband promised to install the extra 1gb of ram I got to splurge on yesterday.Later tonight after my laptop is no longer on the operating table I will add pictures from the pumpkin patch. Thanks for looking.