Aloha Friday | The Angel Forever

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Thinking Pink October 2011

Posted on October 7, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As October rolls around, brands, bloggers, news shows, and most of the world start to point their attention to the color pink. October is breast cancer awareness month, so it only makes sense.

Cancer in general has hit so many people that I know and love. Breast cancer has done the same. As I wrote in the past, my Aunt S is a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed just over eight years ago, just before NHL was born.

This coming year, I will likely have my first mammogram. When I left my annual visit with my gynecologist in the spring, she gave me homework. She wanted to know exactly when my great-grandmother was diagnosed with her cancer. I knew she was very young when she passed away, but when I found out how young, the realization hit hard. My Mimi’s mother was diagnosed when she was 32 and passed away by the age I am going to turn in December. With this information in hand, I am sure I will be getting more screenings this year.

Am I scared about having a mammogram? No, I know it may not be comfortable – but the amniocentesis and labor that I have experienced are likely worse. Two years ago, Robyn vlogged about her experience with a first mammogram. I love that she did this and shared her feelings along the way. If you have never watched this, I highly recommend it. Thanks to Robyn, I hope to document some of my experiences in the coming months.

My friend Debra, A Frugal Friend, lost her mother to breast cancer six years ago. For the third year in a row, she will be having a breast cancer awareness event on her blog in honor of her beautiful mother’s memory. Debra shares breast cancer news, personal stories, and some giveaways from companies that support breast cancer research.

So my question to you this week:

How do you help causes like breast cancer awareness and others that are important to your family?

To all those who are survivors, have lost a friend or loved one to breast cancer - hugs to you. Remember, early detection saves lives, so please remind both men and women to do monthly exams. Yes, men also get breast cancer.

P.S. Do not forget to stop by my two current giveaways running right now. You can find them here and here.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #172

Categories:
Aloha Friday bloggy friends family health awareness PSA

Making Time For You

Posted on September 30, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

A week ago, I was heading to SheStreams in NYC for the adventure of my life.

SheStreams 2011

I am still digesting all of the information that I learned during the two days in New York City. Maria Bailey and her team packed in an amazing weekend. Thanks to the amazing keynote speakers and panel members, my brain is still moving a mile a minute.

SheStreams was also the first time I have been away for a night without one of the boys since NHL was born eight years ago. Yes, I missed TechyDad, NHL, and JSL – but it was nice only to worry about ME and put ME first. The wise words of Rene Syler (aka Good Enough Mother) came flooding back to me Saturday morning when she reminded us that it is ok to move yourself to the top of your to-do list.

Late nights in NYC chatting, networking, and laughing with new and old friends reminds me of the importance of ME time.

On the flip side, I also know that TechyDad needs time away to do things he likes, and we need couple time as well. Mom and Dad need to keep their identities to be their best for the kids. As we begin 5772 this Rosh Hashanah – I hope that our family can work on this aspect of life.

So my question to you this week:

How do you make sure to get time for YOU and what do you like to do with these special moments?

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #171

Categories:
Aloha Friday Blogging Conference bloggy friends Conference decisions friends fun interesting looking back me moments photos TechyDad

SheStreams and NYC Bound

Posted on September 23, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Yes, you read that right. I am heading to SheStreams today. I have always wanted to go since they announced the conference, but things came up and other factors were there.

Then, out of the blue Wednesday with less than two days before I would have to go, things started to line up. TechyDad gave me the green light, Nana and Papa can help with the kids after school Friday, and a ticket was purchased from a friend that could no longer go. It just worked out amazingly.

I am excited and scared at the same time. I have been to BlogHer (NYC 2010) and the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, but those were always traveling with TechyDad and other friends. This will be me going by train for the first time into Penn Station. Of course, once I get to NYC I will meet up with Shannan, Kelby, Amy, Rene, and countless other amazing women. The opportunities for learning, networking, and getting away with the girls is huge.

Did I mention I am a Type A person? To say that I am running around the last few hours trying to think of what I will forget is an understatement. So my question to you this week:

What stresses you out about travel? Is it the planning (or lack of), packing, or something else and why?

If you are at SheStreams, I hope to meet up with you. You can find me on Twitter @TheAngelForever.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #170

Categories:
Aloha Friday Blogging Conference bloggy friends Conference friends me moments social media

Off Limit Topics

Posted on September 16, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Blogging is often something that I consider to be therapeutic. When TechyDad and I had to cancel our trip to Walt Disney World a few weeks ago because of Hurricane Irene, writing helped me to deal with my feelings. On the flip side, I also wrote about the need for couples time when we started to plan our trip. It was calling me out on the fact that even though I am a parent, spending time with my husband alone is not something I should feel guilty about.

Although I write on my blog about certain topics, there are definitely others that I would LOVE to write about, but I hold back. Being an adult and doing the responsible thing can stink at times, especially when you want to vent, yell, scream, and or/or even gloat.

Last year, the H-E Double Hockey Sticks that was the school we pulled our son out of because he was assaulted (and then some) was one of those items. I wrote a vague post here and there, but I did not go into details. You see, certain things are our business and I did not want something on my blog being tossed back in my face (people at school read my blog). Another item that stopped me is I had not blogged leading up to the incident. It probably seemed more drastic if you didn’t have all of the points to connect in the story.

School related items are not the only things that I avoid. I never blog anything negative about family members (duh), keep to positive experiences because who wants to dwell on the negatives, I never blogged about my classroom when I was teaching, and try not to debate politics and/or religion. There is enough drama in the world and I just do not need that in my life.

So my question to you this week:

What topics and or items do you avoid on your blog and why?

The beautiful thing about blogging is that there is no right or wrong way to do it. So long as you stay true to yourself, you can continue to morph and spread your wings over time.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #169

Categories:
Aloha Friday looking back me moments

Enough With the Weather

Posted on September 9, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Weather – not exactly the topic of choice for a blog post, yet it is one that is on my mind. You see, in my part of NY, we expect weather issues in the winter. Ice and snow often keep us home, make driving treacherous, and cause damage to our home. This is not usually true in the spring, summer, and fall. These seasons are relatively quiet most years.

Mother Nature apparently decided that she was going to get our attention this summer. Over the last two and a half weeks, it has been wild, wacky, and down right deadly in certain locations.

Tuesday, August 23 – The boys and I just got into our car that had been serviced. As I turned the key, the car started to buck violently. The boys did not seem to notice. I got out of the car. This is when I felt dizzy and like my knees were going to go out from underneath me. This should have been my clue, but I was tired and getting ready for a romantic 10th Anniversary getaway with TechyDad. Thanks to Twitter, I quickly learned that what I had felt was not my car – it was an earthquake. Yes, in NY we were experiencing the quake that started in Virginia. Linda Carmical wrote about the social media connection and how word spread.

Sunday, August 28 – Hurricane Irene, came up the east coast and left a major impression on regions that were a lot further inland than ever expected. Thanks to this monster storm, we had to cancel said trip to Disney World. Roads were flooded throughout NY, bridges closed, and rivers running into homes that are gone. We were so lucky, but so many others were not.

For a few days, the weather was quiet. The sun came out. People started to clean up, repair homes, and move back into areas that had been evacuated by the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. Then it changed.

Sunday, September 4 – While at a birthday party, my father called us. He wanted to let us know that there were tornado warnings throughout the area. Sure enough, when we looked outside the wind was wild and the sky rather black. The party was over and we knew that closer to our house was getting better. As we left Chuck E Cheese, a clap of thunder shook the entire parking lot. A car alarm went off, and the sky was lit up with bolts of lightning. As we drove you could see the ominous sky fading behind us. By the time we reached our home the news of a tornado in Amsterdam had been confirmed. Here is a video that was filmed of the Tornado crossing the NY State Thruway (at about 5:48 in the video):

This seemed to open the rain up to the area again.

Monday to Thursday, September 5-8 – Yes, Mother Nature decided to dump more water on the area already inundated with flooding after Hurricane Irene. Welcome the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee. Pieces were not picked up and inches of water were back all this week. Back to school has been gray, rain filled, and nasty. The Mohawk and Hudson Rivers, along with countless other creeks and waterways are over their banks. Watching the reports out of Binghamton, NY and other areas just breaks my heart. At midnight on Wednesday, areas in Schenectady County that had been evacuated during Irene were once again in chaos. People were told to leave immediately as water started to spill into the streets.

My heart goes out to all of those who have been dealing with this horrible weather and damage. We will be working on a project to help locals with items that are needed. Of course, I so wish we could bring some of the water to those in Texas. Thanks to the drought that area could really use it to help stop the raging wildfires.

So my question to you this week:

Do you recall many natural disasters from your childhood? If you do what were they and how did they change your life? Dare I ask . . . how is the weather by you?

I hardly recall any other hurricanes in our area. I remember them going to Long Island and places south of us, but no flooding in our region like this. This week, we are expecting the sun to return, which is much needed. Of course, this flooding will be an on going issue with any additional rain for months.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #168