family | The Angel Forever

Category Archives family

Goodbye to Summer

Posted on September 2, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It seems like only yesterday that the boys were finishing school. The last week of June came and suddenly we had an entire summer ahead of us. Now, I sit here in disbelief that the kids go back to school in a week. I wish we would have more time to go to the park to run in the spray ground that will be closing after Labor Day.

Our relatively care free days are going to be changing. Soon there will be days in school learning, nights with homework, after school activities, and less time for running and playing together. The items pictured below and more will be heading back with the boys to first and fifth grade.

While I wish I could rewind to spend more time with the boys enjoying the moments, I do look forward to seeing all that they will learn in the year ahead.

What will you miss most about the summer and what do your children miss most about school?

Categories:
family school summer

Weddings from a Distance

Posted on August 30, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Twelve years ago when TechyDad and I were married, we were blessed that almost all of our cousins from near and far were able to make it to our wedding. Looking back at the pictures, it is hard to believe how everyone has changed.

Now, we are all adults. Not only do TechyDad and I have two children, my brother is also married with two kids of his own. Two of my California cousins have also gotten married and have their own children. Then last year, the first cousin on my paternal side of the family was married and we were not able to make it to his wedding. Then news came that another cousin would be getting married and his wedding would be in Israel. It’s hard to admit that I knew immediately that we would not be able to go. Not only is the trip a long one, it is a very expensive one. In addition to this, the wedding will be right before the start of the school year. Right now I sit at home thinking about my family in Israel getting ready to celebrate with Cousin H.

Mazel Tov to Cousin H and your beautiful bride. May your wedding day be the start of many years of wonderful memories in your life together.

Categories:
family looking back

Special Moments with Your Children

Posted on August 29, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As the summer winds down, I am getting a little sentimental. My boys are growing up. I think it hit me last night when JSL woke up out of the blue early in the evening. He came over to the couch where I was sitting and getting some work done. The next thing I knew, he was curled up in my arms and fell fast asleep.

My heart melted at that moment. I immediately took a photo to capture this moment because you never know if a six year old will do something like this again. It left me wondering how many more moments like this I would be able to experience with my boys. They truly are growing up too quickly.

It has been a great summer. Each of the boys went to camp one week and loved their experience where I signed them up. While one went to camp, the other kiddo and I did special things together. JSL and I went to lunch, saw the new shows at the planetarium that we are members at, and kept cool in the crazy hot week by playing at Nana and Papa’s house. NHL and I went to Menchie’s to try it before everyone else in our family. We also were able to see Smurfs 2 and Turbo. I was able to get to know each of them a little better without the other being there. While our summer as a group has been nice, being able to give one child all of your attention and not worrying about the other was refreshing.

These moments made me think that while TechyDad and I need to have special moments with the boys together, I think we need to add another item. Perhaps we will set a time each month where we do something special with one of the boys alone. They could use this time and it would be interesting to see if we go for a hike, make a craft, read a book, or something else like that. We do not have to spend money, just make memories before the kids are grown up.

Do you ever have special “dates” with just one of your children at a time? I would love to know some of the things that you have done or what you would like to do if you tried something like this.

Categories:
family milestone parenting summer

Videos on the Go with the Nokia Lumia 928

Posted on August 26, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I hate to admit the number of times that I have forgotten to bring our small video camera with us to events. I am not good at remembering it. In a pinch, I usually have my point and shoot camera that will also record video. While it does a decent job outside in natural lighting, inside will typically look yellow and the audio is not very good. This can be frustrating, though it is better than having nothing. Of course, there have been times when I just attempt to use my smartphone to capture the moment in a longer video than Vine or Instagram. Enter my testing of the Nokia Lumia that I recently received as a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers.

While the boys and I were out the other day, we stopped by the Museum of Innovation and Science in Schenectady, NY. As members, we have been there a lot and I have documented our visits with my phone, Instagram video, and other resources. While the boys were reading some new items, I decided to record video of two of the dinosaur displays. I never told the kids what I was doing, so you will actually hear me whispering to them during the filming. My face was not near the phone, but it picked it up very clear. In addition to this, the museum lighting is very low. Even with this going against it, the Lumia 928 proved why people are always talking about the camera and video capabilities. I used Windows Live Movie Maker to put two pictures and two videos together into this for YouTube.

For a comparison, I thought I would use Patrick the cockatiel as a test subject. Patrick is now living with my parents after my aunt and uncle moved to Israel. I thought it would be nice to send a quick video to them to see how well he is adjusting. What you will notice is the clarity of the video and audio. Not only can you hear Patrick chatting to himself in the mirror (he’s in love with mirrors), you can hear the big mouth cockatoo in another room letting everyone know that she is jealous.

Once again, I did nothing with the video, I simply put it onto YouTube. Knowing the quality of the video from these examples and a few others, I know that if I was caught at school, or an event without something else that I could capture moments on the go.

Do you use your smartphones for longer video or stick to the shorter versions with apps to share on social media?

It's Me

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I receive different devices to check out in my life. There is no other compensation. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.

Categories:
family Technology video

Israel Bound and Making Aliyah

Posted on August 22, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

When I was little, I loved spending time with all of my aunts and uncles. I have a lot of memories of special times with each of my parent’s siblings. My mother’s brother showed me how to swim and dive at my Nana and Papa’s pool. My mother’s sister lives in California, so time with her was more about seeing my cousins and playing with them since they were older than us. My father is the oldest of his siblings, this meant that my brother and I were the only grandchildren for some time. This allowed us even more moments that I can remember before my younger cousins came into the world. My father’s sister introduced me to the VCR, concert watching, crafting, and a lot of other things. Dad’s brother and his wife would come to visit and take me out alone. When my little brother was little, I recall them taking me to a pizza place, teaching me to play Pac-Man, and introducing me to The Polk Street School books.

I remember seeing their wedding photos from England (Aunt A is British) and hearing stories about their times in what is now Russia. Even back then, everyone talked about them moving to Israel. It was never a question of if they would, more of a when it would happen. I remember when they moved back to the United States with their family and settled in Pennsylvania. We were able to see them a lot more and watch my cousins grow up. Then as I went into teaching, I would talk to Uncle J about things because he is an educator.

Years have passed and all of my cousins are grown up now and three of them are already living in Israel. In fact, one is getting married in under two weeks. About a year ago, Aunt A and Uncle J announced that they were indeed moving to Israel during the summer of 2013. This meant extra special family gatherings before they were on their way. Over Independence Day weekend, they came into town and we gathered at the lake. Just before they left for home, I got a picture of the boys with them. Though I know we will see them, it will not be as often and I wanted this photo for my kids.

NHL and JSL adore spending time with Aunt A and Uncle J. They have so much patience and understanding of children. Uncle J helped NHL in the pool over that weekend and he still talks about it to this day. JSL loved playing games on the floor with Aunt A.

I wanted to take this time to say Mazel Tov to them on making their dream a reality. This week, they flew to Israel and made Aliyah. Wishing the two of you the best as you get to know your new home. Please send our love to everyone and take lots of photos of H & M on their wedding day.