Happy New Year everyone! It is really hard to believe that 2011 begins today. This past year seems like a whirlwind of events that just blows me away. Here are just a few of the highlights from the year that was 2010.

January:

• JSL fell in love with Piggy Oink-Oink. A year later and he is still going near and far with us.
• Disney was on my brain a lot in January. A quick invite to Disney Social Media Moms Celebration required planning a Disney trip in just about a month and a half. As a Disney planner, this was fun and challenging. A lot of Disney posts followed with Dining plans, stroller rentals, and more!
• I realized that knitting and reading is possible. Thanks to audio books, I was able to knit and listen to books on my MP3 player.

February:

• TechyDad bought a new scanner to capture photos from his Grandma. While he was doing that he scanned a few from my childhood. A lot were from Disney in the 80’s.
• Lots to share from our Disney Social Media Moms Celebration trip. It truly was a magical experience and I can not wait to head there again for the 2011 event.
• My little brother and his wife welcomed their son into the world. He was sweet enough to wait until we were back from Disney so we could be there for his bris.
• I wrote about the importance of a formal Technology Education program in schools. With budget cuts in most schools, this seems to be something that was never there, or first to go.
• NHL learned the fine art of wearing your PJ’s inside-out to bed.

March:

• We traveled between winter storms at the end of February to be there for cousin BA’s bris. It was a fun time being with lots of family.
• My bloggy shell was really starting to crack and let me spread my wing. After DisneySMMoms, I realized that it was a necessary step.
• Once back from Disney, we decided it was time to push the envelope with JSL. He was almost 3 and had to ditch his binky. We finally said Bye-Bye to Binky and celebrated with some fun.
• Threats to close NHL’s school dominated a lot of time. The unknown, getting the word out, interviews, and rally’s filled much of the month.

April:

• Much to my horror, NHL became his own barber at six years old. The scissors are now kept where I have to get something to reach them.
• TechyDad and I finally managed to have my December birthday dinner. I really enjoyed going out and celebrating without having to worry about snow and ice.
• The weather was gorgeous one day and we went to get supplies to plant some fruits and veggies. Everyone was excited about the prospect, but in the end we know it was a bust.
• I wrote a post to bloggers to beware of content scrappers. This continues to be an issue and getting more and more difficult to stop and track.

May:

• A freak storm literally blew a section of our roof off. I never heard it happen and noticed it several hours later.
• More of my bloggy shell came off in May. Christina (from CutestKidEver) and I were interviewed by Elaine Houston for a local news segment. I wrote about Elaine coming here and then about the actual segment.
• Lots of time was focused on finding Winnie the Pooh items for JSL’s 3rd birthday. The weekend of his birthday was filled with family, fun, and a fire!

June:

• The boys love to see live shows. We won tickets and took them on an adventure to see Curious George Live and had a blast.
• If the roof flying off in May was not bad enough, our house tossed another one our way. I went down to start a load of laundry and was greeting with a river flowing in our basement. A burst water pipe changed our world for several days and beyond.
• We traveled to a family wedding and the boys had a blast. Both declared that they needed another wedding to go to since they had so much fun.
• Father’s Day weekend was filled with lots of fun memories, including a trip to bowl.

July:

• To celebrate the 4th of July we took the boys to see Toy Story 3. This was also JSL’s first time seeing a movie in the theater. We had a fantastic time.
• We went to see Uncle I, Aunt M, and cousins SG and BA for a fun filled family weekend. We went cherry picking and did a lot more during the time together.
• While our roof was finally getting fixed, we became potty training central. Thanks to NHL helping out – JSL was using the potty after a few days. Good bye diapers!
• I also wrote about how not all Amusement Park First Aids are created equally. To update this, nobody from The Great Escape (a Six Flags Park) has ever gotten back to me about my son’s injury, the safety of the ride, or their horrible response time. Numerous e-mails, phone calls, and Tweets were sent with no reply from the powers that be. Sick, sad, and not a good PR day for Six Flags.

August:

• Growing up I spent most summers with my neighborhood best friend J. After going way too long without getting together, we finally met for an afternoon of chatting.
• TechyDad and I went away without the boys for the first time to BlogHer 2010 in NYC. We had an amazing time learning, laughing, and meeting many people over the long weekend.
• Time refuses to stop, so NHL turned 7 in the middle of the month. No fires at his party, thank goodness. We had a fun weekend with family going to a fair and celebrating.

September:

• We spent Labor Day weekend at the lake with extended family celebrating Mimi’s Birthday. We had fun playing games, running outside in the rain, and driving the boat.
• Back to school was a lot different this year. NHL went off to second grade and JSL started nursery school three days a week.
• TechyDad and I went to open house for both of the boys. The one for NHL brought back a lot of memories.

October:

• The sun came out for a beautiful Fall day, so we had a Hexbug party with the neighbors outside. Fun was had by all – including the adults as the kids played for hours.
• The world of children’s book had a controversy. Some were saying that picture books were not needed. I weighed in on the subject for one of my Tuesday Tales.
• A new adventure began. The KidsFunPlaza NENY magazine was launched at the end of September. Such an amazing experience that just keeps getting better each month. Now available at Price Chopper stores across the Capital District, there were over 20,000 magazines published in November!
• With almost no time to go, we took the boys apple picking. The day was perfect as we managed to get 29.5 pounds of sweet fall goodness.
• The boys were healthy and had a fun filled Halloween. We went to the party at NHL’s school, walked around the mall, and did a few houses around the neighorhood. I think Luigi and Tigger enjoyed the Halloween weekend.

November:

• TechyDad and I went on a date early in the month. It made us realize the importance of getting out without the kids from time to time.
• The beginning of snow falling rekindled my need to knit. One project was frogged for a time, another picked up, and more started soon after.
• My brother and his family came into town to have Thanksgiving with us this year. It was so great seeing them and other extended family. We did an early Chanukah with them as well.
• After several months of keeping it quiet, TechyDad and I told our readers about some serious things going on behind the scenes. Cyber bullying is serious business and we are not going to back down.
• November 30 marked sweet angel Cora’s first birthday. I have written many times during the year about Cora and her parents and their mission to save lives.

December:

• Chanukah came early this year. We lit the candles each night and down played the present giving as much as possible. We also had a nice family dinner with Nana, Papa, Mimi, and Aunt T.
• With two digital cameras that were not working, TechyDad and I bought new ones. It had been so much fun having a camera that cooperates and takes gorgeous photos.
• My birthday came and went without a trip to the ER or snow storm. A new Vera Bradley bag, lunch out with Nana and JSL, dinner out with TechyDad, and cake with the boys made it a wonderful day.
• I won a Keurig machine and no longer had an excuse to leave the house to get coffee at my parent’s house. Thanks to a little caffeine each day my headaches have mostly gone away.
• We scored some tickets for Disney on Ice – Toy Story 3. It was a magical night for everyone. This was the first Disney show for JSL, so he was a bit overwhelmed with everything. Everyone loved the show and even watching the video I took.
• The end of 2010 was filled with sickes and snow. A massive blizzard hit the northeast and we got at least a foot of snow that trapped us in after being sick all the weekend before.



Of course, these are just some of the major events that took place here in my world. Thanks to my blog, I have many other moments captured for our family. Thank you to my family, friends (both IRL and online) who have supported me this year. Another thank you to the wonderful PR people and companies that I have worked with this year. Everyone’s interest has been crucial to helping TheAngelForever.com to be a success. I look forward to 2011 and beyond with all of you.

Happy New Year to all of you and your families.