holidays | The Angel Forever

Category Archives holidays

Getting ready for Halloween 2010

Posted on October 30, 2010 9:05 pm by TheAngelForever

Dear NHL and JSL,

The two of you are so excited about Halloween this year. Since you were both sick a year ago, we did not have a lot of celebrating to do. Last night, we went to the school Halloween party. The two of you got dressed in your costumes and were ready to go in minutes.

When we got there, you both ran to the doors of the gym. Once inside, you were in love with all of the fun games to play. Of course, the prizes in the end were also a nice perk.

Then, after some pizza and a radioactive looking drink, you both decorated a pumpkin. JSL was so proud of his work.

Today, we decided to carve our pumpkin. When it was time to do it, only JSL was really excited. Of course, that changed you were asked to touch the pumpkin guts. This was the first pumpking that we have carved (more about that soon).

Lots more fun coming tomorrow. I can not wait to watch the two of you trick-or-treating together, the way it always should be.

Love,

Mommy

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Categories:
brothers Dear Kid Saturday family holidays jsl nhl photos school weekend

Favorite Halloween treats

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

Last year, Halloween was quite the bust. NHL was home sick that week with H1N1. Then, just the day before, JSL had another febrile seizure. By Halloween day, NHL was feeling much better. He braved the rainy weather and went out to a few houses in his Luigi costume. Poor JSL was still not doing too well. He stayed inside with me handing out candy to trick-or-treaters.

This year, the boys are both hoping to go out. The little guy is very excited since he does not remember much from two years ago.

So with Halloween in mind I have two question for you:

What are you giving out to Trick-or-Treaters this Halloween? What was your favorite candy to receive as a child?

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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 linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #123

Categories:
fun holidays looking back nhl photos sick kid TechyDad

Tuesday Tales – Fall Holiday Books

Posted on October 19, 2010 7:38 pm by TheAngelForever

It is no secret that we have a lot of books in our house. The truth is that we hardly buy the boys toys. A lot of the time, TechyDad and I buy NHL and JSL books for a holiday gift. This includes Halloween and Thanksgiving in the Fall.

On my frist outing while both boys were in school, I actually purchased a few books for the boys. Shhh….don’t tell them, but these are the new ones they will get on Halloween in lieu of candy and "stuff" that do not need.

Of course, when the Scholastic Book order form came home with JSL, I was also tempted and bought two other books for the Fall. These are the two books that the boys have already received.

I ordered these because I love books that are parodies of sorts to well known songs. The familiar sing-song repetiton with new words is great for kids of all ages (and adults too). JSL just started speech therapy and loves to sing. I am hoping that these will encourage him to work on articulation with a fun twist. We have several of the "There was an Old Lady…" books. We have a Halloween one, a winter one, and now the fall themed one. I love the drawings and how well you can sing along to the original favorite tune. NHL and JSL have read both of these books several times. I have also heard NHL going around the house spontaneously singing the songs. OK, OK….I admit it, I was also caught doing the same thing.

I love being able to capture the holidays using new and exciting books with my children. Do you use books when celebrating the holidays with your children? If you do, please share any titles that you love, especially if they are for the autumn season. My friend, Debra (A Frugal Friend), recently wrote a post with her Favorite Fall Children’s Books. Please be sure to look at her fabulous list, and check out all of the suggestions in her comments as well. I have already gotten a few of them for my boys to read.

So what have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your Tuesday Tales 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: All of the books pictured were purchased with my own hard earned moolah.

Categories:
books holidays Tuesday Tales

Knitting bloggy break

Posted on September 18, 2010 10:17 pm by TheAngelForever

Yom Kippur is officially over and I am just too tired to blog at this moment. Instead, I am off to "read" a book while knitting more cloths mindlessly. Here is my cloth collection that I have made right now.

Earlier in the week, JSL helped me to take out my wash cloth collection that I have been making this summer. There are 31 completely finished, 5 more that need final touches and another one on my needles right now. Slowly getting enough for gift giving and then, once the weather is coole,r I will move back to working on my big blanket. The boys were jealous of the super soft blanket that I made Cousin BA. Here is the little guy in it back in March before his bris.

Soon after he was born, I started making them one, but have been on hiatus thanks to the warmer summer months. Now that the fall is nearly here, it will be time to get cracking on the big stripped, soft blanket that is currently waiting for me on my circular needles. For now, I am working on more cloths that can almost be done with my eyes closed.

Categories:
holidays knitting looking back me moments photos

Happy New Year 2010/5771

Posted on September 10, 2010 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

This is a scheduled post because I am really a figment of your imagination right now. Today, I will be celebrating the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana with my family. No doubt, at one point today, we will be eating some round challah with raisins and dippng apples into honey for a sweet New Year. This is a photo of NHL from last year as we celebrated with my parents.

Along with these traditions, we also hope to have some pomegranate. Here is an explanation from Ariela Pelaia’s About.com guide of Rosh HaShanah Food Customs – Symbolic Foods of the Jewish New Year:

New Fruit

On the second night of Rosh Hashanah, we eat a "new fruit" – meaning, a fruit that has recently come into season but that we have not yet had the opportunity to eat. When we eat this new fruit, we say the shehechiyanu blessing thanking God for keeping us alive and bringing us to this season. This ritual reminds us to appreciate the fruits of the earth and being alive to enjoy them.

A pomegranate is often used as this new fruit. In the Bible, the Land of Israel is praised for its pomegranates. It is also said that this fruit contains 613 seeds just as there are 613 mitzvot. Another reason given for blessing and eating pomegranate on Rosh HaShanah is that we wish that our good deeds in the ensuing year will be as plentiful as the seeds of the pomegranate.

Ariela’s also writes on her blog called Baking and Books which is on hiatus right now. Always love her holiday inspired recipes.

So my questions to you this week is inspired by Rosh Hashanah:

If you were to pick a "new fruit" to try, which would you select? Have you ever tried pomegranates and did you like them?

To all of those celebrating Rosh Hashanah I wish you and your family a Happy and Sweet New Year.

Be sure to enter for a chance to win with my two giveaways –> the What Are the Odds? kids music CD (ends 9/12) and Seventh Generation Back to School Kit (ends 9/16).

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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 linky there if you are participating.