fun | The Angel Forever

Category Archives fun

Purim Carnival with the Nokia Lumia Icon #VZWBuzz

Posted on March 18, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Sunday was a big day in the Jewish community as we celebrated Purim. I have so many memories of this holiday as a child and now as a parent. This is the holiday when people dress up and celebrate, make noise with groggers at the mention of Haman, and eat delicious hamantaschen. It truly is a great time when you see kids of all ages parading around in their creative costumes (see the photo below). I thought that Purim would be the perfect time to test out the new camera on my Nokia Lumia Icon smartphone because while working at the carnival I would not have time to use a regular camera. I received this phone last week as part of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers program.

When we dropped the boys off at Hebrew School Sunday morning, TechyDad and I went to help with the setup of the Purim Carnival. Of course, the moment TechyDad walked in, fellow Whovians knew exactly who he was and started geeking out with him. By the time we arrived, most of the games were already set up.

The Prize Table where I was going to be working during the carnival had not been started, so we went over to sort things out and get it ready for all of the kids.

I took the photo of TechyDad just before the Purim Carnival started. I took one with the Icon and then decided to snap another one with a recent Android smartphone I have received from Verizon. The lighting in the room was tricky and in hindsight I should have asked TechyDad to move. This would have helped with the light that was odd over his head in the background and the entire wall of windows scattering light. Again these were quick on the fly photos like I would take with the kids while out and about. I do believe that one of the photos was more true to the colors in the room, much more crisp, and handled the lighting better. The answer will be below, so make sure to look at the original from above again.

I kept busy with another member of our synagogue at the prize table the entire time. I really never saw the boys unless I happened to catch Harry Potter, Hiccup, or Doctor Who in the distance. Thank goodness the boys came to get some prizes from time to time.

I had hoped to test out the video of the band playing during the festivities, but I never had a chance to get over. I think it really would have been a great test with all of the background noise from kids playing games. No doubt there will be another opportunity. Over all, I am beyond impressed with the camera on the Lumia Icon. Next, I hope to learn how to use the manual settings because I have never seen a smartphone with so many advanced options and I truly want to explore it more when I have time.

So did you take a guess at which photo from the original at the top of this post came from the icon? Well, here’s the answer now:

Did you guess the right one? More photos coming again soon along with others ways I am exploring with the new smartphone in my life.

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I received the Nokia Lumia Icon to test out and share ways that I use it in my life. There was no other compensation. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.

Categories:
fun holidays local event Technology

Making Math Fun

Posted on January 10, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Growing up, I remember spending hours playing on calculators and adding up catalogues for fun. Not really fun for most people, but it kept my interest in technology and numbers working together. My love of math, science, and technology continued as I followed my dreams to become a teacher. As a parent, my boys likely have no idea when I sneak some math fun into our routines. I mean does this look like the makings for a math activity?

$Math fun at home$

Yes, that really is something for math and more about it will be coming soon.

Thanks to being one of the parent bloggers on the Bedtime Math blog, I have a new location to find exciting activities to try with the boys. Here are some of the latest that will be perfect for these cold winter days:

Supersized Dice = Supersized Fun – Angela Six shares why giant dice make play even more fun with unique ways to use them.
Cool Winter Fun with Ice Spheres – Candace Lindemann explains how to take advantage of the cold weather and make ice orbs.
Snow Time Like Now for Ice Cream – My latest post shares how to make snow ice cream and enjoy a party while in the process.

There were also posts for the holidays that were items I saved on Pinterest to look back at for next year. I know I am looking forward to seeing what comes next from the other talented people on Bedtime Math parent blog team. I hope you will join us over there and if you have a great math activity that you have done with your kids, I would love to hear about it. I am always looking for new options to try with my boys.

Categories:
Educational fun My Other Projects

Always a Time to Celebrate at Disney

Posted on December 26, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Whether you are visiting a Disney park for a birthday, honeymoon, anniversary, or no real reason at all – there is always a reason to celebrate. During our last visit to Walt Disney World, we were there to celebrate the opening of New Fantasyland. We would also be leaving hours before my birthday. As we went into the parks for a few last hours, we happened to get there just in time to experience most of the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party at The Magic Kingdom. The fun atmosphere seemed to take away the sadness about going home soon and the photos seem perfect for the “Celebrate” theme this week.

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

Disclosure: TechyDad was invited to the New Fantasyland media event December 5-7. Disney paid for his travel, our park tickets, room, along with some extra surprises. I was his guest and invited to special events, but paid for my travel and an extra night at the resort.

Categories:
Disney fun looking back travel vacation

Halloween and Hurricane Sandy

Posted on October 29, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

For weeks, the boys have been preparing for Halloween. This was the first year that JSL picked out his own costume and did not wear something that he inherited from his big brother. NHL knew just what he wanted to wear and JSL had to go with a slightly different choice (they don’t make Buzz Lightyear costumes past a certain toddler size). We have had everything ready, just sitting there and waiting.

I knew that the weather was not looking too great for a while. The other day, I picked up some cookies to bake for the boys just in case we could not go out in the rain. The only reason I did this is because I did not buy candy to give out to kids trick-or-treating this year. Of course, then the power outage scares made me get some other items (a toy) just in case we can’t make the kids those special Mickey Mouse cookies.

The weekend was dry, so it dawned on me that it was time to break out the costumes and get photos of the boys just in case we can not do it on Wednesday. So, we pulled all of the pieces together and got the boys dressed and went outside. It was Harry Potter versus Captain America.

The boys were SO happy to be outside, run around, and show off their costumes to some of the neighbors. It also let us capture the moment and get some fun photos. No, Hurricane Sandy will not ruin Halloween for us, it will just be different.

The reality is that the boys could care less about going out to get candy, they wanted to play in their costumes. It was run to watch Harry Potter chasing around after Captain America putting spells onto him. Of course, the little guy had no clue that they were ones that a good wizard should not be making. Oy!

Safe Halloween wishes to everyone, especially those in the path of Hurricane Sandy.

Categories:
fun jsl nhl photos weather

Disney’s Limited Time Magic Unveiled

Posted on October 21, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Just stepping into a Disney park is a magical experience, now imagine special events that will unfold each and every week with even more fun coming around the next week. On October 17, 2012, Disney Parks announce their new Limited Time Magic for the next 52 weeks. The news was unveiled in Times Square where a giant ice castle was on display in the middle of New York City.

In case you were curious, the ice castle was 25 feet tall, 9 feet deep, and 15 feet wide. It was made with 45,000 pounds of ice. Here is a video from Disney Parks all it featuring Jennifer Mason, Ambassador – Walt Disney World.

If Disney can create this magic memory in the middle of New York City, imagine the items that will be on the agenda this year during the Limited Time Magic. Here are a few of the items that Disney has already mentioned for the Limited Time Magic:

True Love: Celebrate romance and enchantment throughout Valentine’s Week with special moments and entertainment geared to lovebirds. Guests can celebrate their Valentine as Magic Kingdom and Disneyland turn up the romance, complete with their iconic castles bathed in hues of red and pink. Disney Princes join their Princesses to meet park guests in special settings, prix fixe menus turn up at select restaurants and Valentine collectibles will be offered for the week.
Independence Week: It’s red, white and blue as Disney Parks salutes America with a 4^th of July Fireworks Party — for an entire week, with patriotic lighting bathing the Disney castles on both coasts. Mickey Mouse appears in his patriotic finest and guests will find special USA shirts, Ear Hats and other limited-edition souvenirs.
During “Long Lost Friends Week,” lesser-known Disney characters will move from the shadows to the spotlight with meet-and-greets on both coasts. Photo opps with characters that could include Flik, Clarabelle Cow, Remy, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum will surprise and delight guests. And Disney guests will even have the chance to vote online for which characters they want to see.
Pirate Week: Why talk like a pirate one day when you could celebrate these scalawags all week long? The adventures of Jack Sparrow come to life like never before during a bicoastal buccaneer bash in which Disneyland and Walt Disney World become pirate-palooza: pirate bands, pirate meet-and-greets and more.
Dapper Dans Sing Boy Bands: Dapper Dans, the iconic quartet from Main Street, U.S.A., will add a special finale to their show, claiming the title of the “Original Boy Band” and delivering a medley of hits from One Direction, *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.
Unleash the Villains: A Friday the 13th in 2013 is a special day, so Disneyland and Disney Hollywood Studios are staying open until the 13th Hour (1 a.m.). Maleficent, Capt. Hook, Jafar and other Disney villains host a dance party, complete with limited-edition collectibles and nighttime mischief on Sept. 13.
Golden Horseshoe Revue: The fabled Frontierland show returns to Disneyland for one month only, bringing back the corny jokes and enduring songs that were often enjoyed by Walt Disney himself.

www.disneyparks.com

So will you be heading to Disney in the next year to experience Limited Time Magic? I would love to know all of the details as a life long Disney Parks fan.

Disclosure: I was invited to the event in NYC, but was unable to make it. As a lifelong Disney fan, I wanted to share this information with all of you.