It is so hard to believe that it is now May. This is the month that my baby turns four. I am in denial, so I am going to flash back to April for a bit. April was National Poetry Month. Although I did not feature it much on my blog, I was writing about it quite a bit on The Disney Driven Life.
Over at DDL I used Disney to inspire poetry writing. Using Disney to write acrostic poetry, cinquain, and other forms of poems just seemed natural. To finish off the month, I wrote about being a reluctant poet as a child and how I had to overcome this as a teacher. I even wrote a 5W’s poem about the following picture:
Be sure to head on over to check out my latest Disney inspired poem. My other Education posts there can be found under NDM183 – that’s me!
I wrote about NHL, my seven year old, writing poems with me. What I never expected was my little guy to join in the fun. Yes, suddenly my almost four year old is rhyming and trying to be a poet. I would love to take the credit, but can not do this. I must bow to the amazing minds at none other than Disney – specifically Disney Junior. You see they have a relatively new segment called A Poem Is. During this segment they show children talking about poetry and then feature a Disney poem.
The boys know that I love Eeyore and shared this one with me the other day. I love how interactive the segments are. Thank you Disney Junior for helping to educate young and old alike.
Please stop by A Disney Driven Life to say hello to everyone else that writes there as well.
Every six months, you look forward to going to the dentist. The office that we go to is an amazing place for children. When you walk in, you would never know it was a dentists office. The only item that gives it away are only books about teeth on the shelf. After that, it is a playroom and video game wonderland.
This past week, I picked you up after school and we went to the dentist a bit early so you would have a little more time to play video games. You and JSL loved it.
When it was time to head back to the room for your teeth to be cleaned, the woman noticed that you now have your permanent top front teeth. This meant that it was time to do some more extensive x-rays. You are not a big fan of x-rays and these new things definitely scared you. We talked you through the entire time. When we moved to the room with the panoramic x-ray machine, the contraption really worried you. Still, you listened to us and made it.
When the dentist walked into the room after your teeth were sparkling, she talked with me. She said everything looked good on the x-rays and paused. Then she said she noticed something. It seems that the silly Tooth Fairy made a mistake and took one of your permanent teeth. It is missing and happens to people from time to time. The Tooth Fairy must have thought it was so special and took it on one of her visits. I wonder if she knows we caught her and will get you something special soon. I guess we will have to wait and see.
Hang in there sweetie, there is nothing to worry about. Your dentist told us a great place to go and we will take care of that missing tooth.
Love,
Mommy
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If you want to participate in Dear Kid Saturday, head on over to Cutest Kid Ever by clicking on the button below.
It’s that time of year again. In just a week, we will be sitting down to a Passover Seder with family to celebrate the start of Pesach. Nursery school already has their Passover display in the hall:
On Sunday, TechyDad and I decided it was time to tackle the Passover food shopping. We went to Price Chopper and had a goal. We wanted to keep things simple, make mostly fresh foods, and limit packaged items. We really cut way back last year and it worked out nicely. We were happy with quinoa like oatmeal for breakfast, a turkey burger with lots of veggies, eggs in many forms, cottage cheese, and other staples. Yes, we did buy a few already made frozen items, along with Passover cakes/cookies, but very few.
When we went shopping, I took my camera along to show you how far Passover food shopping has come. Welcome to Passover Land at our local Price Chopper.
Whether you celebrate Passover, Easter, or another spring holiday, I wish you luck with your preparations. What are you looking forward to most and/or least in the next upcoming weeks?
My oldest son has been fascinated with lions, tigers, and all big cats for years. The first time we went to Animal Kingdom on the Kilimanjaro Safari he got upset that we did not see the lion awake. The next time around, we saw the king sitting up on top of his rock.
Much to my son’s surprise, while walking around Epcot a few weeks ago, he came across some sand cats. Check it out:
Yes, these amazing sand sculptures were made to showcase the new Disney release coming to theaters on Earth Day. Here is a bit about the film from the Press Release:
An epic true story set against the backdrop of one of the wildest places on Earth, “African Cats” captures the real-life love, humor and determination of the majestic kings of the savanna. Narrated by Oscar®-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson, the story features Mara, an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom; Sita, a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a rival lion and his sons. Disneynature brings “The Lion King” to life on the big screen in this True Life Adventure directed by Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill (“Earth”). An awe-inspiring adventure blending family bonds with the power and cunning of the wild, “African Cats” leaps into theatres on Earth Day, April 22, 2011.For more information about the movie and the “See ‘African Cats,’ Save the Savanna” initiative, check out Disney.com/AfricanCats.
During the film’s opening week (April 22-28), a portion of the proceeds from that week’s ticket sales will be donated to the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund to ensure the future of lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, giraffes and a host of other animals in the vibrant African savanna. The AWF will be working to protect the Amboseli Wildlife Corridor, a passage between the Amboseli, Tsavo West and Chyulu National Parks that is frequently used by a variety of wildlife.
Fans pledge to see “African Cats” opening week by logging onto http://eventful.com/africancats. Participants can watch how honoring that pledge can effectively save the savanna. A real-time counter will show how many people have participated, and there will also be a graphical map representing the number of acres across the savanna that are being conserved based upon the number of pledges received. Upon arriving at the theater, fans can check in via their mobile device to win special prizes.
The teacher in me can not wait to see this for the educational experience. The mom, can not wait to take her son for a special treat to watch all of these magnificent creatures on the big screen.
What is your favorite African Cat that you can not wait to see in the movie?
BTW, if you are interested in some fun activity sheets, an educational activity guide, and a 135-page expanded educator’s guide that would be great for teachers or homeschoolers – you can get them and additional items from the African Cats media page.
Disclosure: Information was sent to me from Disney PR and no compensation was received. As a life long Disney fan, I love to share this information with my readers.
The 2011 DisneySMMoms event began with the Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons Platinum Soiree. I already wrote about how we were greeted. Now, it’s time to share the event that was held inside the Grand Floridian Wedding Pavilion. We all walked down the aisle and took our seats. Imagine being a bride and having this view before your eyes:
The first speaker was Michael Shettell from Alfred Angelo. He came to talk about the new line of Disney Princess inspired dresses. We had seen some on our way into the pavilion.
Shettell shared how he came up with the designs. Here is a video that Alfred Angelo made about the new line.
We were then in for a surprise. Everyone at the event was going to be the first to view the Cinderella Gown. To say that this dress could take your breath away would be an understatement. Here are a few photos courtesy of DisneySMMoms:
Next, we were told about the new options for people from Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings and/or Honeymoons. The new Disney Ever After Blog has a wealth of information, stories, memories, and more. They recently wrote about the trend in candy buffets at weddings – like the one they had for us at the soiree.
We were also introduced to a couple that had been married at Disney World two years ago. That is about the time that I knew we were going to see a wedding take place before our eyes. Suddenly, Kristen and Greg were whisked away and an energetic Carley Roney from The Knot and The Bump talked to us. She told us about the start of The Knot and how it grew from the original days on AOL to where it is now. She reminded all of us that in order to be successful, we have to find a way to engage our audience and ignite their passion. She showed us just how they used this in their online community to grow, expand, and mature.
Next up was David Tutera. I have to admit something here. I had heard of him, but never seen My Fair Wedding before.
Tutera was so personable, even hugging one of the fans within the crowd. Then he told us about an upcoming episode where he goes to Topeka, Kansas to do a wedding that is part of a Make a Wish Foundation wish. I know I want to see this episode now that I know the background behind it and the passion to making a magical wedding that Tutera has.
Next thing we knew, we were thrust into a party – a wedding was taking place before our eyes. Yes, Kristen and Greg were renewing their vows during the DisneySMMoms event. There were dancers, amazing gowns, Cinderella coach, fireworks, champagne toast and more.
Then it was time to head over to the beach front at the Grand Floridian Resort where our families were waiting for a fun filled evening that included a delicious dinner.
Lots more from the 2011 DisneySMMoms coming soon.
Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World, we were given an incredible deal thanks to Disney. The sweet conference fee included 3 nights at the Grand Floridian, several meals for the entire family, 7 day park hoppers for everyone, conference/meals for me and some other items to take home. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event. All photos used before the final collage were taken by Disney Fine Art Photography & Video.
