decisions | The Angel Forever

Category Archives decisions

Let a sleeping child rest

Posted on February 1, 2010 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Something I have learned as a mother is never to question the way a child sleeps. If they appear comfortable and are sleeping without trouble just leave them alone. This rule works not only when they are in their beds, but also napping in the car, asleep in a stroller or any other odd location that could occur with children.

Case in point: The other day, TechyDad went in to check on the boys while we were still up. He told me to stop by and look. Check out NHL and how nicely he was sleeping. Please ignore Diego who appears to still be awake in this shot.

NHL was definitely a peacefully sleeping six year old. He really was quite happy. Yet, at the same time I questioned whether or not to move him some. Here is a little further out to understand why:

Now you can see that Diego is actually on the side of his bed near the rail. NHL does not have his head on his Mickey Mouse pillow and well check below to see where the rest of his body is:

Yikes! While not the most unusual position that NHL has ever slept in, this was up there. In the end, I opted to leave him alone. I was afraid to wake or bother him. Thank goodness since NHL really needed the sleep. A few hours later, he woke up complaining of a sore throat. He got some water and went back to sleep. He was up again for good at 5:30. The poor kiddo was really stuffed up. Looking back at the photos, it is obvious that he was breathing through his mouth.

Thanks to these photos, I learned a few lessons. #1 Leave a child alone to sleep no matter how you think that would make your body ache. Kids are great and spring back until they hit their 30’s like us and realize they are no longer children. #2 Taking lots of photos helps being a parent investigator. These pictures made me realize that NHL was definitely mouth breathing from whatever his body is fighting off.

Now let us just hope that JSL, who shares a room keeps sleeping peacefully and does not join the sick club.

So do you follow the rule of letting a child sleep? Just wondering what other people do.

Categories:
decisions jsl nhl photos sick kid sleep

Knitting while I read

Posted on January 29, 2010 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Call it the teacher in me, but I really like to read. In recent years, I have fallen behind on reading books that are for me. When I was teaching, it was materials for the classroom. I read a lot of chapter books to keep up with Children’s Literature. Then, it was reading to my boys. I could tell you all about the latest adventure of Jack and Annie in the Magic Treehouse books, but I could not keep up with books on the NY Times Best Sellers list.

I would sit and read my friend Nancy’s blog about all of the books that has read and wish I had read more of them. Yes, I could have read if I really wanted to. After all, I read all of the Harry Potter books, Twilight Series and others since I had my boys. The dilemma that I had over the last two and a half years since having JSL is I found another past time that I love. That passion is for knitting. Hearing the clicking and clacking of my needles as I work on a project is therapeutic. I love making things for my family, friends and others.

A solution was to find books on CD and listen to them while knitting. I even used an audio book in my classroom once and the kids loved this different strategy to literature (great for listening comprehension skills). I tried listening to books on CD, but did not like them while knitting. Hauling my computer was a pain and I still heard everything else in the background.

The other day it dawned on me. There are MP3’s of books that I can get from our library. Duh, I have an MP3 player and can put them onto it. Sunday, I put The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs onto my MP3 player. I sat there and heard chapter after chapter as I knitted away on my soon to be born nephew’s blanket. As I type this, I only have a few chapters left to listen to and the blanket is onto the third skein. I already have my next MP3 book waiting to "read" while I multitask.

Since I am so behind on must-read books for adults, my question for this week is:

What book(s) do you recommend for me to try to get on MP3 to "read" while knitting? Thanks in advance for any suggestions, I really appreciate it.

_____________________________________________________________________________

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 MckLinky there if you are participating.

Aloha #84

Categories:
Aloha Friday books decisions knitting me moments

A Magical 2nd Birthday at Disney World

Posted on January 18, 2010 8:53 pm by TheAngelForever

When we planned our first ever full family trip to Disney World in May 2009, we realized that we would be there for JSL’s actual second birthday. I immediately asked TechyDad where he thought we should celebrate the little guy’s big day for dinner that evening. I called Disney Advanced Dining Reservations and made an ADR for Chef Mickey for the four of us. Within a short amount of time, we were going to be a party of six. I called Chef Mickey and at that point they only had very late reservations for our party of six. That was not going to work for us. I booked our first dinner at Disney there and figured we would try for something different on JSL’s birthday.

When the 90 day mark hit for our ADRs (now 180 days), I called in early that morning and after securing a time for Le Cellier, I asked about The Crystal Palace. We had eaten there on our honeymoon and had a wonderful breakfast. We figured we would try eating dinner there. The best part, we would be able to see Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and, my favorite, Eeyore. I told them that day that it was JSL’s actual second birthday and they said it would be on our reservation.

Fast forward to May. JSL got up that morning and received presents from Nana and Papa, as well as us. He fell in love with his Pup-Pup (aka Pluto) hat and Stitch backpack.

We figured we would take it easy that day. We decided to head to Downtown Disney to do some shopping. The boys had a blast picking out stuffed animals and playing at the LEGO store.

After that, we went back to Pop Century for lunch, exploring the grounds and some swimming.

Then, as we made our way to the Magic Kingdom, the sky turned an awful shade of gray and the rain came down in buckets.

We eventually made our way to The Crystal Palace and dried off inside. When we sat down, we knew that NHL was finally good with the characters and hoped to get some decent photos. As the week went on, he warmed up to this process.

Unfortunately, the birthday boy was not so thrilled. He cringed every time he saw Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore or Piglet coming around. After a while, he let Pooh Bear come close to the table. With Papa’s help, he touched Pooh’s nose. Soon after, Tigger came around and, without asking, JSL went to Tigger’s nose. We had a breakthough moment.

Several times during our meal, we told our server that it was JSL’s birthday. We saw several other tables celebrating birthdays while seated. NHL asked why they were not singing Happy Birthday to his little brother. Again, I said something to the server and she did nothing. As we left The Crystal Palace, I was asked how everything was. I decided I had to say something. I told them that I had made this reservation over 90 days prior for my son’s actual 2nd birthday. I told them that my older son was quite upset that his little brother was ignored. I was not as much upset, but wanted to know what I had done wrong. They went to our reservation. Sure enough, it was noted with the date we called. In addition to this, there was Mickey glitter on the table to signify to the server that there was a celebration. We won’t even go into the obvious of JSL wearing his birthday button:

The manager came over and told us that they were very sorry, it should not have happened. To make up for it (which we never asked for) they gave us a coupon for JSL to pick out any Tigger stuffed animal of his choice. So, instead of a cupcake and getting a Happy Birthday song, he got this:

Yes, Tigger was almost as big as JSL. The best part was trying to get this big orange critter back home on the airplane. Luckily, we had extra carry on bags that worked just for this occasion. Here is JSL with Tigger now:

Oh, and if you ever come over and hear us tell JSL to go and get Cupcake, that is just our pet name for this giant Tigger stuffed animal. Kuddos to Disney for fixing an "Oops" and making the little guy’s birthday even more magical.

Categories:
birthday customer service decisions Disney fun jsl looking back photos vacation

Dining in Disney World

Posted on January 14, 2010 2:58 pm by TheAngelForever

It may be sad to admit, but some of my favorite memories at Walt Disney World involve eating. Of course, if you have been to Disney World, you may understand why this is possible. Whether it is dining with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and company at a character meal, eating a Mickey Mouse Ice Cream or rice crispy treat while watching a parade, or getting a Dole Whip to share with your hubby on your honeymoon, each are special in their own way.

During one of our visits growing up, my parents decided to get the "Food & Fun" package. To say that we ate really well would be an understatement. Thanks to that plan, my brother, father and I not only got to go parasailing twice, but my brother had his first lobster dinner. Things have changed over the years with the plans. On our honeymoon, TechyDad and I did a dining plan as well. We had 2 meals a day that included appetizer, entree, dessert and beverage/shake/smoothie. We tried amazing items that we never would have and probably never will have again. We kept track of what our bills would have been and know we saved hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.

In May when we went to Disney with the boys, we opted to get the Disney Dining Plan again. In 2009, the daily cost was $40 per adult and about $11 for a child 3-11 (I think it was 11). For each night that we stayed at the resort we received the following:

1 snack – could include a soda, ice cream treat, slice of Tie-Dye cheesecake or a number of other items. –> We used these for bagels and cream cheese or other breakfast items most days.
1 Quick Service (QS) meal that includes a meal, dessert and beverage. –> We used these for lunches and most of our meals rang up for $30-40 for 2 adults and a child. Our 2 year old ate from all of us since there was plenty to go around.
1 Table Service (TS) meal that included an entree, dessert and beverage (could also be smoothie/milk shake if available) –> This is where the money savings racked up for us. The two buffets that we went to were priced at $35 for each adult and $15 for our 5 year old son. That alone made our son’s breakfast and lunch bonus for what we had paid.

When we went in May, we planned out what restaurants we wanted for our TS meals. At the 90 day mark, I got up extra early and called the reservation line at Disney Dining (now 180 day and can be done online). I knew to start with the toughest reservation and was lucky to get the one and only slot left to Le Cellier during our stay. These are the restaurants we ate at in May:

Chef Mickey – Character meal at Contemporary Resort
50’s Prime Time Cafe – Fun restaurant at Disney Hollywood Studios
Boma – Buffet featuring African cuisine at Animal Kingdom Lodge
The Wave – Newer restaurant at Contemporary Resort
The Crystal Palace – Character meal in the Magic Kingdom that we had our son’s 2nd Birthday dinner at
Le Cellier – Restaurant in Canada at EPCOT. Happens to be one of the hardest reservations to score
Coral Reef – Restaurant at EPCOT where you dine "under the sea" looking at the aquarium from the Nemo ride

This time around, we had just about a month to plan things out. We knew that we wanted the Disney Dining plan for the extended part of our Social Media Moms Celebration. I was a little worried that we would not be able to get an Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs). Much to my surprise, we were able to get some that were not too shabby. This time around we are going to try some breakfast character meals, the dinner ones were all booked by the time we were planning. Here are the places this time around:

Boma – Going back since we loved this last time. So friendly for vegetarians like my hubby
Donald Safari – Animal Kingdom character breakfast
Kona Cafe – Restaurant at Polynesian Resort where we had the infamous Tonga Toast on our honeymoon. This time we are trying dinner there
Tony’s – Lady & The Tramp themed Italian restaurant at the Magic Kingdom. We ate here on our honeymoon and thought it would be fun for the kids
Cape May Cafe – Character breakfast at the Beach Club Resort. Hubby and I had breakfast here on our honeymoon where Goofy was hilarious.

These should keep us filled and busy during our time. We like being able to sit down at least once a day while at Disney to regroup, relax and get ready to walk many more miles.

If you have been to Disney World, what is your favorite place to eat? Where would you love to try?

Remember to bring an appetite to Disney, eat things you have never tried before and remember it is vacation – so live a little. I ate really well last time, did not turn down cheesecake and other goodies and still lost 5 pounds thanks to all of the walking.

Some great Disney restaurant/dining resources are The Disney Food Blog (we will be taking photos for AJ while there this time) and Disney Every Day (love Amanda’s Boma breakfast tour that she did recently).

For more on Disney click on my Disney category. I have written about some of our meals, along with other items about our trip planning and Magical Disney World vacation.

Categories:
bloggy friends decisions Disney food glorious food looking back photos TechyDad travel vacation yummy

Put on your yarmulke it’s time to celebrate Chanukah

Posted on December 14, 2009 12:41 pm by TheAngelForever

Friday night was the first night of Chanukah. We lit our menorah at home, gave the boys their gifts from Bubbe and Grandpa and allowed them to play while dinner was in the oven. For the longest time, we had no clue what JL’s parents could get the boys for Chanukah. We thought about asking for money toward season passes to Six Flags, but knew that they would likely prefer something else.

One day, it suddenly dawned on me, so I called JL to tell him my thought. NHL had a difficult time using the Nintendo DS, perhaps we should look into the Leap Frog Didj or Leapster. We opted for the Didj because it was more age/grade level appropriate. Then, it was time to find something for the little guy. For some reason, we had never seen the Leap Frog ClickStart until this year. It has been around a while and is a first computer for toddlers. This seemed like the perfect early learning tool for him. It was compact and looked easy to set up.

We got an amazing holiday deal on the systems (package deals) and a few extra games. The boxes arrived minutes before we were going to light the menorah. The boys kept clawing (literally) at the boxes trying to get inside. NHL was even more eager when he saw that they were from Leap Frog – kids that can read take the fun out of things! Here they are just after they finally opened the boxes.

We set the little guy up and he just "played" by clicking and pressing on keys. He really liked the Tree game because he could connect that by pressing on the keyboard it made the computer talk and the puppy move to catch the fruit. At first, NHL was really frustrated with the Didj. The machine kept turning off as it was getting set up. He was not happy about trying, learning and practicing something new. This quickly changed. By Saturday, there were huge spans of time that we would find his nose at the Didj playing away. Even the adults had fun testing out the Star Wars and racing game. Of course, we also took the ClickStart and JSL was able to show that to everyone.

After dinner on Friday, we went over to Nana and Papa’s house. We lit the candles with them (see above menorah photo) and the boys got another present. NHL received Rush Hour Jr and loved it. He enjoys puzzles and this was a fun challenge for him.

We allowed the boys to play with their toys for a little while. Then, we decided to have my birthday cake that was postponed thanks to all of the events from Wednesday. Since I knew a storm was coming, I asked for an ice cream cake since it would not go bad if we did not have it that day. These were not the typical Carvel cakes, they were specialty ones. One was Strawberry Shortcake and the other Cinnabon. Both were quite delicious.

Soon after the cake, we packed the boys up and went home. The little guy wanted to play his "Pup Pup Puter" before bed. We let him try it while big brother got ready for sleeping. Then, they both went to bed. They had to rest up for fun with Cousin S who was coming in for our family Chanukah party the next day.

Disclosure: All items were purchased by us or relatives and are linked up to our Amazon affiliate to share with other people who may be interested in the items.