Political clout

Hmmm did i spell clout correctly?

I like to believe that most people who run for office are doing so because they want to make positive changes in our government and to help people.

When I run I promote the fact that I am one of the people and I don't forget where I come from.  I don't make a lot of money for being a politician or holding in office.   And i am not a rich person to begin.

I am involved because I believe that one person can make a difference and I try to be that person.  I also believe that many people just  complain about what is going on around them but never take action.

I say stop complaining and run for an office where you want change or get involved with programs or governmental groups or the political party that you back and voice your opinions or support a person who does.

What does this all have to do with clout?  I believe many politicians go into the business for the right reasons but are often corrupted by their power or contacts or by gaining such influences.  There are definitely some positions where term limits should be instilled. 

I feel that as a libertyville township trustee we do not wield (sp?) that kind of power.  We are there to work with the supervisor, to positively represent our township and what we seek to accomplish.

What do you think?

Dreamgirls IL workshop

Today we went to the IL dreamgirls worshop at the marriott in Schaumburg.
we learned about the pageant, what it will cost and what events you need to enter to be eligible to win certain crowns. we also met the new IL director Marleena, she is also director of Ohio and IN.

they dont double crown.

for the basic fee $350 you can be a eligible for the division title. Plus you have to pay ad page fee of $100.

then you can pay for 3 optionals and then you are up for 3 supreme titles plus an overall high point title. the supremes with optional are $75 each. they are photogenic, fashion modeling and casual wear modeling.

then there are is one other optional, talent @ $75and then two other optional supreme titles, supreme beauty and supreme spokesmodel which are $50 each.

by attending the workshop today we received a $100 discount. a nice deal because this is an expensive state pageant, as far as i can tell. but if you win the basic fee for nationals is paid by the director to go to St. Louis.

the pageant is March 16-18, 2012, this year. should be fun. Sheridan will be a preteen for state, ages 10-12 based on birthday as of Jan. 1, 2012, but she will be a Jr. teen for nationals, age 11-12, based on birthday jan 1, 2012

ABP Halloween Spooktacular

Today was a great day for Sheridan competing.
She was fortunate to compete with her friends Sam and Alyia and our friend Amy was there for support as well as Sam and her friends mom Jen.

This was a fun day. Started at 8 for registration, scheduled to start at 9, started about 9-915

First was Beauty, Gown, 2nd was Casual outfit modeling, after that talent and last was modeling halloween costume. then we had a lunch break and a nice party that consisted of "mummy" wrapping, limbo and eating a "pie" of pudding with whipped cream and finding five gummy worms, of course no hands could be used and if you found other candy, not a worm, you had to eat it. it was messy, icky and pretty gross, lol.

then was crowning, Sheridan did amazing. She won the highest title on the natural side, you could do natural or glitz... we did natural... she won Natural Ultimate Supreme, Overall Talent, Overall Naturally Fab runway model, overall Natural Cover Model, overall natural portfolio, 1st runner up composite and 1st runner up natural halloween model (although she tied for this one b/c she had a perfect score) - not sure how the tie was broken.

Overall a great day and lots of fun and close to home at the doubletree mundelein, we like that, next door.
Our friends competed too and Sam won Sr. grand supreme, natural and Alyia won Jr. Grand supreme Natural. they wre great!!

sheridan came home with a nice plaque and a cool spider trophy.

community service and volunteering and pageants

many people ask what is so great about pageants, all they are are beauty contests... well that is not true.

many of the pageant programs are mentoring programs, younger girls have older ones to look up to, and learn from.

in the Miss America/Miss IL system the girls in the Miss and Teen division require a platform and the preteens have a community service or platform.
Also with the Miss IL system one of the main community programs for which they fundraise is the Children's Miracle Network. All Miss contestants are required to fundraise for that program.

Sheridan's platform this year was fundraising for the food pantry. We like to go to the local church every third Saturday of the month and sort the food and hand it out. this is an outside program/pantry and no matter the weather we are out there. we also donate to the LIbertyville Township pantry as well as the Beth Am synogogue pantry where we participate yearly in the Stamp Out Hunger event in the fall. we sponsor queens to join us with NISP every year for that one.

The nice thing about the pageant systems, weather the Miss IL system or feeder pageant systems or the NISP, Northern Illinois Scholarship Program, or American Coed, NAM or many others, the girls all give back by donating time to community service events. The need to help out is engrained with these girls at a young age and they do it generously and give back often and have fun while helping others.

Sheridan has done a Lyme diseas walk, many cancer walks, whether walking around and having gathered/raised money, or volunteering handing out Gatorade for a marathon or handing out food at a pantry.

So therefore, another reason to be in pageants is to learn the community service part of volunteering.

Princesses are Almost Perfect Event with Miss IL and Preteen Miss Chicago

Today Sheridan was lucky enough to spend an hour with Miss IL Hannah Smith at an event hosted by the Glenview Public Library at the Book Mart located in The Glen, in Glenview, IL



A number of girls, about 20, 3-6 year olds signed up for this event through the library. Hannah, Miss IL and Sheridan, Miss Chicago Outstanding Preteen, each read a book to the little girls. Before reading the girls all got to decorate a crown to wear, a nice art project. After reading they could ask questions and both Hannah and Sheridan spoke to the girls.


Next they moved to a table for signature cards, gave autographs and took photos with the girls both before and after.

The girls were very cute, many dressed up in princess costumes or outfits, lots of pink.



Miss IL Hannah and Cara Kokenes, our Miss Chicago Director

Cara the Miss Chicago Director brought flyers about the program and Hannah made sure to speak about the program, the Miss Chicago event and about the princess program, hoping some girls would consider signing up for it in the future and looking for a great mentoring program.

Children's Miracle Network Fundraising with Miss IL Hannah Smith

Miss Huntley director and teen queen and Hannah and her friends and BF and Sheridan

Sheridan was fortunate enough to be invited to join our new Miss IL, Hannah Smith to help at a fundraiser at Culvers in Carpentersville, IL last weekend, Saturday the 27th of August.

Sheridan knows Hannah Smith Miss IL 2011 because Hannah was one of the Miss Queens from the Miss Chicago/Windy City pageant where Sheridan holds the title of Miss Chicago Outstanding Preteen 2010. Hannah was the Windy City queen until she won at Miss IL competition at the end of June beginning of July 2011.

Then Hannah was kind enough to send us a note saying Sheridna will alway be her preteen.

Hannah and Sheridan

they had a great night together signing autograph cards and raising money for CMN
Miss IL is great system promoting community service and charity, scholarship, and mentoring.

Hannah and Sheridan

Sparkling Beauties Luau Pageant

Last weekend was the Sparkling Beauties Luau Pageant.
the Director is Melissa, she is great, i think very fair

this pageant consisted of beauty and outfit of choice OOC and then an optional of talent and two photogenic optionals, once glitz and one natural. Pictures are submitted a certain date before the pageant to be judged.

there were 19 girls competing. The higher titles to win are Grand Supreme; Mini Supreme; Talent Supreme; Most Beautiful; Best photo natural and Best photo glitz and then each division has a division queen and if you win none of that you are a princess. everyone leaves with a crown, only queens and higher titles get sashes as well. If you participate in optionals you can be double or multiple crowned, or at least multiple sashes and trophies.

there are also mini optionals at the door, best eyes, best smile, personality, and two others.
Sparkling Beauty pageants are semi glitz,so you can wear make up, not sure if you can wear flippers and hair pieces, but her rules tell you. She has a pageant every month or two.

This one was held at the DoubleTree hotel in Mundelein, a hop, skip, and jump from where I live.

On pageant day last weekend Sam rolled Sheridan's hair at home and I went and checked in and then i went to pick up our friends whose daughter was crowning, from the Libertyville Train station.

We got to spend time with our friend Alison who is 9 and was competing (she is in NISP with Sheridan) and her mom Jodi, and then our friend Mia was crowning and so was our friend Kassie P.

Sheridan was amazing. But it was a tough competition. Her division was originally 11-14 but because there were 8 girls in this division they split it to 11-12 and 13-14. Our friend Francine was competing, she is 13 and amazing. She can dance ballet, pointe so amazingly and i dont even like ballet, but when she dances it, you cant help to enjoy. Her mom makes her costumes and does a fabulous job.

Last time Sheridan and Francine competed was a Sparkling Beauties Snow Pageant and Sheridan won Talent in that one and won Mini Supreme and Frances won Supreme.


Frannie and Sheridan in Outfit of Choice

In this pageant, Frances again won Grand Supreme and Sheridan won Mini Supreme, but sheridan also won Talent, (she and Frances were tied and they broke the tie with the facial beauty score and sheridan won). Sheridan also won best Natural photo and then in her division one personality and smile.


Sheridan with all her awards and crown

Very Exciting and fun day.
after the pageant they all came and hung out at the house before Sheridan had to go to a fund raising event and I had a family party to attend.