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Aufruf Learning

Posted on November 26, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear NHL and JSL,

Although both of you have been to a Jewish wedding and remember it, an Aufruf is something new. NHL went to one for Uncle I, but you were younger than JSL is now and do not recall much. Of course, I have memories of when Daddy had his Aufruf. I remember going up to the bimah and dancing around with the rabbi and cantor. Then, we had to run for our lives as everyone started to hurl bags of fancy candy in our direction.

This weekend, we are celebrating Cousin A’s upcoming wedding. Today is his Aufruf. He will be called up for an aliyah. Once they sing a song and everyone says mazel tov, it will be our turn to throw candy at the soon-to-be bride and groom.

To get ready for this, Aunt S asked if the two of you wanted to help make the candy launchers, –er I mean candies to be used. Tuesday after school, Aunt S and Cousin An came over with candies and supplies to make the goodies for shul.

We had a lot of fun trying to figure out how to get the candies into the pretty package that we will send flying Saturday morning. These are the moments where we are so lucky to have family close to us to share these items with us. Looking forward to watching both of you chase down the candies that you helped to get ready.

Love,

Mommy

__________________

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Dear Kid Saturday family fun jsl nhl photos

Fruit on a Stick

Posted on November 21, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As I have mentioned in the past, JSL is a picky eater. He does not like to eat breakfast, but prefers to drink it. We also have issues getting fruits and vegetables into his system. The other day at nursery school, I overheard another mother ask if her child had eaten cantaloupe for a snack. This mention of fruit for a snack perked my interest, so I asked about JSL. Sure enough he had eaten some.

Of course, with JSL, you never know if he will eat something on Monday and touch it again two days later. It’s a guessing game that we have not figured out. TechyDad received an Edible Arrangements for a project that he worked on recently.

Saturday night, we pulled the fruit out of the refrigerator and wondered if the boys would walk away or want to try item. NHL immediately dug into the fruit and loved the fun.

Within seconds of everyone digging into the fruit, JSL saw something he recognized within the fruit bouquet. Yes, he saw some cantaloupe. Not only did he take it off, he ate several pieces.

There must be something special about eating fruit off a stick. Hmmm….perhaps we should try this with some vegetables. What do you think?

Disclosure: TechyDad received this Edible Arrangements for a non-blogging related work project. It was a gift and we wanted to share what fun the boys had chowing down on fruit.

Categories:
food glorious food fun interesting jsl my boys nhl photos TechyDad weekend yummy

Angry Birds Boo-Boos

Posted on November 14, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Saturday morning, I went out to get some errands done while the boys stayed home. First, I went to the craft store to get some yarn. After that, I wound up at another location to check out some Chanukah present ideas. While passing by the pharmacy area, something caught my eye. There were Angry Bird band-aids sitting on the shelf. I had never seen them before and thought the boys would adore them.

I have to admit, I have never played Angry Birds. Part of the reason is probably because the boys are so into it and I am not given any time. So, although I am quite familiar with this photo, I do not GET the game.

What I do get is that my boys, all three of them including TechyDad, love the game. They bond over it and have even gotten Papa into the act with his iPad.

Back to Saturday. When I got home, I told TechyDad that I bought something special for the boys. He saw the band-aids and took them out to show the boys. The boys were so excited and could not stop thanking me for buying them. Then, it got quiet as I put groceries away.

A few minutes later, a scream happened from the other room. It was one of the boys. Can you see where this is going? Yes, the boys were claiming left and right that they had injuries and boo-boos because they NEEDED an Angry Bird band-aid.

The boys eventually stopped “hurting” themselves to get one of the new prized items when we went out on some missions to explore a few new to us locations. Of course, it did not end there. Sunday morning, JSL screamed that he needed a band-aid because he had a boo-boo on his finger. We looked. Nothing there. A few moments later, he came back and declared it was killing him and he needed a band-aid now. The funny thing was that the finger location had changed. My theory is that he had a Mel Brooks inspired mole moment. If you watch his movies you will know what I am talking about.

So fess up, are you a fan of Angry Birds? Would love to know how these little critters have changed your lives since they became so popular.

Categories:
family fun jsl kid talk laughs my boys nhl photos TechyDad

Tuesday Tales – Learning to Read

Posted on November 8, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It is no secret that I am a certified reading teacher. I may not be in the classroom right now, but I am always thinking about my own children and others. My oldest son craved to learn to read. When asked on the first day of kindergarten what his goal was, he said it was to read alone. In a short amount of time, he did this.

Fast forward to my youngest. JSL is suddenly beyond interested in learning to read and write. When we received a bounty of items to host a Leap Frog – “Learn, Create, & Share” Party, I knew there was something special here. We had a lot of Leap Frog items in the past, but everything in our package was new to us. Since our party, JSL has been focused on writing letters and trying to read on his own. At almost four and a half, I want to run with this literacy development.

There are so many ways to help children to read. The best early literacy learning comes from reading a lot and having others that model this behavior. JSL is lucky and has that with his big brother, TechyDad, and me. We all read a lot of different items and enjoy reading to him. Thanks to the LeapFrog Tag, JSL is now able to read alone.

With the Tag, kids are able to sound out words on the pages of the special books that are for use with the Tag. We were sent the LeapFrog Tag Learn to Read Phonics Book Series Short Vowels. I was very impressed with the content in them. They kept JSL’s interest and he was able to follow along, repeat what was said, and figure out what to do with little assistance. In this video, you will see how JSL can utilize the different features. Let’s ignore the fact that I distracted him, he skipped a page, and liked to repeat words.

In addition to being easy to transport and use, I love the variety of books offered for the LeapFrog Tag. There are a lot of picture book classics, Disney titles, books about super heroes, and more. In addition to this, there are items like the LeapFrog Tag Maps: World. This works with the tag pen and helps children to learn about the world map, cultures, and other items. There are even games to race around the world while homing in on your geography skills.

The Tag Reading system is very versatile and can grow with a child as they learn to read and practice increasing their fluency and comprehension. Not only are these wonderful gift items for a young child, but a set would be a fantastic teacher/classroom gift as well. Imagine the faces of children using these in a kindergarten or preschool classroom to gain confidence and self-esteem while learning to read.

Do you have a Tag Reader? If you do, I would love to know what books you recommend since Chanukah is coming and we will probably be getting some titles for JSL to enjoy.

What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your Book Posts, and/or leave a comment below. Include something you read on your own, with a child or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Disclosure: As a long time LeapFrog supporter, I applied and was selected by Mom Select and LeapFrog to host a “Learn, Create, & Share” party. They provided me with all of the items shown above. The opinions are all mine and no other compensation was received. More coming soon about the LeapPad and helping kids to learn to write.

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books Educational fun gift ideas jsl milestone nhl photos Product review Tuesday Tales

Phineas and Ferb Halloween Surprise

Posted on November 5, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear NHL and JSL,

The two of you love Phineas and Ferb. It seems to be something that both of you can agree on. While shopping with Papa one day, we spotted Phineas and Ferb Halloween Shirts. They were too funny and bought immediately since they had your sizes.

When both of you were home from school, I wanted to take a photo of you wearing the shirts. Of course, this ended up in a comedy of errors. Here are some of the photos that I used in another post.

Photo Out Takes

When the shirts were bought, it reminded me that I had put away a special Halloween card for the two of you to share. Yes, since it was unique and fun – you were both to share this card. After I tried to take the photos above, I turned on the video and captured the two of you figuring out what was inside the envelope.

Capturing this moment for Daddy to see was fun. NHL, I caught the start of you singing along. Soon after, both of you were singing and dancing with the Busted song as we got your costumes ready to head out for some trick-or-treating.

The two of you showed me once again, it’s the little things that make you happy.

Love,

Mommy

__________________

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