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Les Misérables for Passover

Posted on March 21, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

For months now, people all over have been talking about Les Misérables taking over the big screen. While I have not had a chance to see it yet, I have watched the phenomenon take over. It isn’t new for Les Misérables to make a splash thanks to the success it has had on Broadway and traveling productions over the years. Even Shalom Sesame Street made a spoof a few years ago called Les Matzarables for Passover.

While this is a cute example of the long time popularity of the Les Misérables culture, there is now something new out for Passover. The Maccabeats just released a new Passover song that is inspired by Les Misérables. Once again, they show their amazing talent, sense of humor, and reach.

For those getting ready for Pesach, I thought you would enjoy a little break to get into the spirit of the holiday.

If you have other songs or family fun items for the holiday to share, I would love to hear about it in the comments below.

Categories:
holidays Music video

Disney Style Spring Fever

Posted on March 20, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Happy Spring to everyone! Today is the official calendar start to Spring, but looking at the snow that fell yesterday it is hard to believe that in Upstate New York. Thanks to the cold temperatures, my mind races back to memories of Spring adventures at Walt Disney World. The weather was beautiful, the sun’s warmth welcoming, and the scenes magical.

Be sure to stop by Focused on the Magic by clicking on the button above to join in the Disney magic this week.

Categories:
Disney travel vacation

Tuesday Tales – The Passover Lamb

Posted on March 19, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Spring time in Jewish households means that families are getting ready for Passover. This not only means ridding our homes of chametz, but also preparing for our Seders. Each year, our boys love to read about Pesach and get ready to sing songs and celebrate. Thanks to the PJ Library, JSL recently received a new book in the mail.

The Passover Lamb – Written by Linda Elovitz Marshall – Illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss – Random House Books for Young Readers – January 2013 – ISBN 9780307931771 – 32 pages – Ages 6-9

The boys and I had story time to share this new Passover tale together. Before we began, I pointed out the fact that the book says it is based on a true story. This intrigued all of us as we began to read. We meet Miriam as she is feeding chickens. She is singing the Four Questions in Hebrew as she does her work. The boys loved that a line of the song was included in the text. This seemed to spur them into thinking about some singing before our Seder.

As Miriam is moving through the barn, she notices that Snowball the sheep is missing. When she finds Snowball, she can see that the sheep is in trouble. Of course, the great mystery is solved when Snowball gives birth to two little lambs. When Miriam’s family heads to the barn, they notice something else on the other side.

Yes, another baby lamb was found and Snowball is not accepting this poor little one. Miriam is quite upset and does not want to leave the baby lamb. Unfortunately, if they stay they will not be able to go to the Seder with their grandparents and other extended family. Miriam comes up with a great solution.

The story of Miriam and her love and need to help baby lamb Moses by Linda Elovitz Marshall is beautiful. The illustrations by Tatjana Mai-Wyss capture the tale in an inviting way. We instantly are part of Miriam’s world and want to cheer her on as she helps the baby lamb. The book has lessons that are great to start family discussions and possibly extended projects. My boys really enjoyed the story and were eager to read the author’s explanation about the real life even with her family and their farm.

What Passover books do you like to share with your family? Please share what you have read recently. Be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Disclosure: My son received this book as a members of the PJ Library. Membership in our area is free and we are never expected to review/write about this, I simply wanted to share a new book with others. An Amazon Affiliate link is included in this post for the book mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the book through the links.

Categories:
books holidays

Big Wheel Riding

Posted on March 18, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Weather is unpredictable here in Upstate New York. If my five year old son sees the sun out, it means he wants to be outside. It may be thirty degrees and wind chills factoring in, but he wants to run and get energy out.

This weekend, he helped us to get some Passover shopping done, so we (well –er Techydad) put his new Big Wheels together. To document this experience, I pulled out my new RAZR HD phone that arrived as part of the Verizon Lifestyle Blogger program to capture some moments.

TechyDad and his little helper got most of the Big Wheel together without a problem. JSL really wanted to head outside after it was put together.

Of course, there was a little snaffu. The handle bar of the Big Wheel would not attach properly. TechyDad eventually had to stop for the evening. After Hebrew School, JSL and I went to see if Papa could help figure out another option. With some extra tools, we were able to fix the part and attach the handle bar securely.

That big smile on the kiddo made our day. It also meant it was time to go outside. While it was a gorgeous day, it was cold and windy. Keeping hands out to use my phone and camera was tricky. I snapped some photos and later made a collage to share with TechyDad, Nana, and Instagram.

A little over a year ago, I made the switch to being a Smartphone carrier, and I can’t imagine going back. Thanks to The RAZR HD, I was able to capture milestones, share them with family, and get some fun photos for blog posts.

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Blogger program, I am testing out different devices and sharing how I utilize them in my life. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own. We have been long time Verizon Wireless customers.

All of the photos were taken with my RAZR HD and I used the following apps during the day:

PicsArt for collages
Instagram (my Instagram) to share moments during the day on Facebook/Twitter

Categories:
me moments parenting Phone Apps Technology

Songs of Autism Acceptance

Posted on March 15, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Autism Ribbon Imagine a world where children were accepted by their peers no matter what. They didn’t have to worry about acting, looking, or speaking differently. Kids could be themselves and embrace who they are for life. No bullies would be around to remind them about their quirks and how it does not fit in with the societal norm. This is the world I wish my children and yours could live in, but we don’t. Instead, we need to remind our kids that they are unique individuals and we would not change them.

As a parent of a child with autism, I would never for a minute want to change my son. He is an Aspie. It is just part of who he is, but does not define him. NHL is smart, funny, serious, curious, loves math/science/geeky things, and amazes me each and every day. In almost ten years, he has had to deal with cruelty that I never experience in my 30+ years. It is heart breaking, but I know he will show the world what he can and will be.

Someone in our local autism group posted a link to something that caught my eye. When I clicked over, I was immediately in awe of an amazing man named Brady Rymer. He is a singer who started a project called Love Me For Who I Am. Rymer made an album of songs that was inspired by the children at a New Jersey school that have autism and other related items. Rather than write a summary, I think it is best to watch the video of the story. I know when they talked to a boy at about the 2:00 mark, I had tears in my eyes thanks to his words.

Yes, the words of that one young boy really hit me. He loved the fact that the song talked about not fixing children with autism and loving them for who they are.

When we listened to the songs, both of my boys got the message. My kindergartener even said he loved the words and doesn’t want his brother to change. This truly was music to my ears. Yes, we are buying the MP3s with all of these fantastic songs of acceptance. Here is a great video that they made with all of the kids.

The video shows the beauty of this project and how it can help to raise awareness and acceptance. I, too, hope more people will not try to fix and change my son, but love him for who he is.

Disclosure: The Autism Awareness ribbon icon above was created by Melesse and comes from Wikimedia Commons.