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Time for UBP 2012

Posted on April 12, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It’s that time of year again. Welcome to all coming from the 5 Minutes For Mom Ultimate Blog Party to The Angel Forever. I have been participating in the UBP for many years now. I started to follow Janice and Susan when I was home with my then infant son. JSL is now about to turn five and head into kindergarten this fall. Time sure flies when you are blogging and having fun.

If you are new to the UBP, pull up a seat and start blog hopping (linky on 5M4M goes live at midnight on April 13). It’s a great way to get to know new people and hang out with long time friends from around the blogosphere. Earlier in the week, I wrote about my UBP memories.

Let me introduce you to my boys. TechyDad is my husband and also blogs. NHL is my third grade son and JSL is the little guy who wants to be known as Supper JSL Buzz Lightyear.

So who am I and where am I above? Typically, I am taking the photos and rarely seen in them. I am constantly wearing different hats. I am a teacher that is currently a work at home mother. I miss being in the classroom, but I wouldn’t trade the time with my boys and not having to worry about being there when they need me. If you look around my blog, I write about books, crafting (love to knit), travel, all things Disney, parenting, and beyond. Topics like religion are usually about how we celebrate holidays and politics is something I try to stay out of here.

Are you participating in the Ultimate Blog Party? If you are, please let me know your post link and I will be sure to stop by. If not, why not join the fun? Of course, before you go here is a cupcake to enjoy while looking around.

Hope to see familiar faces and get to know a lot of new people. If this is your first time here, welcome again and I hope to see you again soon.

It's Me

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Blog Hop bloggy friends family jsl me moments nhl photos TechyDad

Ultimate Blog Party Memories

Posted on April 9, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It’s that time of year again! Yes, on Friday bloggers from all over will participate in the Ultimate Blog Party 2012, or UBP12 for short.

The ladies at 5 Minutes For Mom are inviting everyone to participate and share memories from past UBPs. I know I have been participating in the Ultimate Blog Parties for quite some time. I think I found them five years ago when I was very pregnant with my youngest son. It was a fun way to get to know new bloggers. Of course, as social media increased over the years, so did the number of people participating.

In 2010, the party had extra special meaning to me. It was the year that I really got into the spirit. I wrote my Ultimate Blog Party 2010 post, did lots of blog hopping, participated in Twitter events, and more. I had taken the year before off because of so many things going on at once. It felt great getting back into the swing of things. I had a great time meeting new friends and even wrote about it for the After Party celebration.

Of course, I would be lying if I didn’t mention that the 2010 party also is special to me for another reason. You see, I am sitting here typing away my post on the Grand Prize from that event. YES – I was the winner! Of course, the way I found out was pretty funny. I had gone to sleep early that evening because I was not feeling too well. I knew that the party was ending that evening, but was too tired to follow along.

I fell asleep, but when TechyDad went to go to check on one of the boys, I heard a text message (used to get Tweets via SMS messages) come to my phone. By this time, it was very late. Then, before I knew it my phone kept beeping, beeping, and more beeping. The Tweets were coming in so quickly that I could not even stop to read any of them. I had TechyDad check on his computer to see what was going on. That is when I read everyone congratulating me.

The timing on this prize could not have been better as my old laptop was dying. It was so nice to have the new Toshiba. My laptop has now gone with me to BlogHer, Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, SheStreams, and beyond. So many memories and many more to come as I get ready for The Ultimate Blog Party 2012 – thank you 5 Minutes For Mom for another fun party starting later this week.

Will you be participating in the Ultimate Blog Party 2012? I hope to see you there! For more details, click on the button from 5M4M above.

Disclaimer: I wrote this post because it was a lot of fun to participate while getting ready for the Ultimate Blog Party 2012. In addition to this, there is a possible prize via Rafflecopter for sharing my UBP story.

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Some Favorite Disney Adventures

Posted on April 2, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Growing up at Disney world and then going there on my honeymoon with TechyDad means that I have a lot of memorable adventures. While in high school, we had the Food and Fun plan that included things like parasailing. Yes, I went parasailing at Walt Disney World. We got onto the boat at The Contemporary Resort and traveled around the Seven Seas Lagoon. While up in the seat next to my brother, we listened to music and could see The Magic Kingdom. I need to find these old photos one day soon.

On our honeymoon, TechyDad and I had another amazing plan that also included extras. We were able to do behind the scenes tours, boat, do a fireworks cruise, and more. This was also the trip that we had our first Cirque du Soleill adventure. La Nouba was new in Downtown Disney and we made sure to snag tickets to see the show.

Of course, last year while at Disney Social Media Moms I was able to go on an even bigger Disney inspired adventure. I signed up for the African Trek at The Animal Kingdom.

This tour takes you behind the scenes where you can see the animals even closer, cross over rope bridges, and eat at a beautiful Boma. Here is the group of bloggers that I went on the trek with.

Once we were set up with equipment, it was time to see some amazing animals, cross some bridges, face fears, and live out a magical dream.

One of the last items on the trek is time to sit, relax, have a meal, and watch the animals on the gorgeous Boma.

Of course, this also meant spending some time with some old friends and getting to know new ones.

Before we knew it, the time was up and we were heading back to get our things and go back to our families. Of course, we stopped for one last group photo.

What Disney adventure have you been on that was beyond magical? Please share below or share your link with me to read.

For more on my Wild African Trek adventure, check out these posts:

P.S. A huge thank you to Mariana from The Domestic Buzz for creating this magical Blog Hop! The link will be within this post the day after it is published.

Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World, we were given an incredible deal thanks to Disney. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan, it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event.

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Family Views on Walt Disney World Attractions

Posted on February 27, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

My children have been lucky enough to go to Walt Disney World several times now. Thanks to this, they have developed some opinions about rides.

An 8 year old’s view:

When asked what ride is his favorite, NHL did not even pause to think about it. He quickly screamed one and only one ride that you will see below.

Yes, Big Thunder Mountain was the ride that immediately came to his mind. I don’t have the heart to tell him that the ride will likely be closed for continued refurbishments when we head there this spring. Of course, he has other rides that are also favorites. Those mentioned include Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Of course, I think this has something to do with the fact that last time he was on it he scored 999,999 within a few minutes of starting the ride. He also loves Soarin’, Test Track, and many others!

One ride that NHL is not a big fan of is:

NHL went on Tower of Terror during his first trip to Walt Disney World in May 2009. I don’t think it was the actual ride that scared him, but more of the special effects since he was just in kindergarten.

A 4 year old’s view:

JSL had a more difficult time coming up with his favorite. He took a bit of time, then mentioned a few favorites.

Yes, the little fan of Buzz Lightyear and Tigger mentioned these two rides along with Journey into Imagination with Figment. His favorites may change up after the next trip. Since he is over 40 inches tall, there will be a lot of new rides that he can go on. These include Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Test Track, Soarin’, Tower of Terror, Star Tours, and several other big rides.

Over the years, we have figured out that JSL is not a fan of 3D. Each time he tries to watch something in 3D he will scream to leave. Thanks to this, his least favorite attractions at Disney World would be Muppets 3D and Mickey’s PhilharMagic.

The Mom View:

I could easily pick a ride at each park that I love and for very different reasons. Still there are two that happen to be in the same spot that are so unique that I do think they are close to the top of my list.

Yes, the Aerosmith Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster is the best coaster that I have ever experienced. In the dark, amazing light effects, and smooth as butter. Going on with my father for the first time in 2009 was like the old days of riding with my father and brother. Toy Story Midway Mania is a fan favorite for me because it is an interactive game/ride for the entire family. Some amazing memories there with Nana, Papa, the boys, and also at an event.

I also hope to get a chance to ride Primeval Whirl. Almost every time we have gone to Animal Kingdom it was too long a wait, closed for multiple reasons, or nobody would/could ride it with me. That will hopefully change this trip.

As for least favorite, I am NOT a fan of:

While Mission Space is a beautiful building, the ride itself makes me want to turn green – and that’s on the easy setting. I do not think it’s the motion, more of the confined space in the simulator that bothers me. So I now officially skip that one when possible.

What is your favorite and/or least favorite attraction at Walt Disney World? I would love to know in the comments below.

P.S. A huge thank you to Mariana from The Domestic Buzz for creating this magical Blog Hop! The link will be within this post the day after it is published.

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Blog Hop decisions Disney fun jsl looking back me moments nhl photos travel vacation

Falling in Love with Disney

Posted on February 13, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

My first real memory of a trip to Walt Disney World was when I was in kindergarten. Of course, I had actually been there several times before that. My parents have a cool 1970’s style photo album that they turned into a scrapbook of my adventures there. There are photos of me running around the Contemporary Resort kiddie pool, taking a big sister only trip with my parents, and more. Still, my memories are of a family trip with another family. I remember going to Chef Mickey in what would eventually become Downtown Disney.

Epcot had just opened and I fell madly in love with Dreamfinder and a cute purple dragon named Figment.

My love for Figment held on during that trip when it was time to pick something special out. The figment I am holding below was the special friend I picked out from a bribe my father made with me for going on Space Mountain.

Growing up at Walt Disney World, I watched as it went from one park to four over the years. The Contemporary Resort and Polynesian Resort soon had more and more resorts cropping up throughout the sprawling land that Walt Disney had purchased in Florida. Going to Orlando and spending time at Walt Disney World with my mother, father, and brother was priceless. It was a place where we were carefree, all kids at heart, and my father and mother laughed, smiled, and were relaxed. Memories of my father leaving his lens cap on during the Hoop-De-Do Review always make us laugh. Then there was soaring high over the Seven Seas Lagoon with my brother as we went parasailing for the first time. Classic times that were even more magical at Disney.

It’s no wonder that TechyDad and I picked Walt Disney World as our honeymoon destination. He had never been and I wanted to share my passion for this special place. I do not think it took a day and he was hooked. We even had a special tenth anniversary trip planned there in September. Unfortunately, that trip was canceled thanks to Hurricane Irene.

Now we both have watched as our two boys have caught the Disney bug. We have watched NHL and JSL meet characters, grow big enough to try out new rides, and many other items with us.

There are other places that we could go on family vacations, but each time is unique and provides us with special moments. Disney World is like a home away from home where we can forget about our troubles and enjoy time together.

So now it is your turn. What made you fall in love with Disney? Feel free to share a story, link up to a funny memory, or anything else in the comments.

P.S. A huge thank you to Mariana from The Domestic Buzz for creating this magical Blog Hop!