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Fun Classroom Themes

Posted on May 25, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

When I was teaching younger kids, one of the items that was fun was to pick a unit plan, theme, or other item to cover with the kids. In first grade, this would involve lesson planning across academic areas and lots of items for center activities. One of my favorites was for If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and also the Five Senses. Yes, there are days when I really miss that part of being in the classroom.

As the parent of a child in preschool, it has been fun to see what his teachers pick and choose each week to do with kids that are now 4 and 5 years old. Tuesday morning, we walked into the classroom and the theme was very clear.

The details in the classroom were amazing. There were dinosaurs romping all over the place. They were here:

Yes, there were even more dinosaurs over on the other side of the room. The best part: Laurie Berkner’s We are the Dinosaurs was playing as the kids explored the new dinoland.

When JSL went in the next day, I suggested wearing one of his dinosaur shirts. Little did we know that his shirt would be perfect inspiration for a project they were making. Check out their dino hats.

So my question to you week is inspired by my son’s creative teachers:

What theme in school was your favorite as a child? If you can not recall, how about a favorite your child has done or perhaps one you wish you had done.

It's Me

P.S. If you are in a dinosaur dancing mood, here’s a little Laurie Berkner video.

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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 #204

Categories:
Aloha Friday arts and crafts Educational fun interesting jsl me moments photos school

Disney Cast Member Magic

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

When you immerse yourself into the world of Walt Disney World, you quickly realize that part of the magic is thanks to the amazing Cast Members. Yes, I said Cast Members, not employees. As a member of the Disney production team, all individuals that work within the Disney umbrella are referred to as Cast Members (CMs in Disney lingo).

On our last visit to Walt Disney World, I wish I had gotten the name of several of the CMs that went far above and beyond what they needed to do. There was the CM in Mouse Keeping that arranged special friends and left us nightly surprises in our room.

Luckily, we did keep track of a few names to make sure to recognize them.

Kimmy from Garden Grove, CA was the CM at Beaches and Cream that had the entire place sing Happy Birthday to JSL. He was so surprised since he thought the flashing lights were to present another Kitchen Sink at a table.

Countless CMs were involved in helping us through an emergency and then they left some Pixie Dust one evening. It was completely uncalled for, but very much appreciated. After taking the photo below, Papa and I walked down to the front desk to thank them and get names of the CMs responsible for this sweet gesture.

What I wish is that I had taken more photos of these amazing individuals that as a team made our trip even better. I have many names and will be writing to Disney to praise these individuals. Still, photos would have been nice – a face to personally thank them here on my blog.

There were also CMs that made us laugh like Steve from Wallingford, CT. Steve was our fearless Captain on The Jungle Cruise. He was absolutely amazing, keeping the kids happy and tossing in some much needed adult humor.

Another person that made me smile while I was having a rough last night was Stephani from Centerpoint, AL. While I was stressing over last minute purchases and packing at the Yacht Club Resort store, she made me laugh and smile. Suddenly, the idea for this post came into my head. I knew that I had to get a photo of this woman who had made me forget about the stresses of packing my family up to leave Walt Disney World. She laughed, but I explained that I was a blogger and there was a reason for this. She recalled the conference earlier, posed, and told me to make sure to spell her name properly.

It is because of these CMs and countless others that my family will always remember this magical trip that we had together. I will never be able to thank them enough, but hopefully by writing this and letting others share in the wonder – it will be at least something.

Do you have a magical CM tale to share? I would love to know how someone at Disney helped to make your trip even more special or went above and beyond. Let me know what this person or people did and how you thanked them.

Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we were given an incredible deal from Disney. 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 and our extended stay.

Categories:
Conference Disney DisneySMMoms family food glorious food jsl looking back photos travel vacation yummy

Razor Scooter Surprise

Posted on May 20, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Everyone had been asking what JSL wanted for his fifth birthday. The reality is that he only asked for one item. We cringed at his one request, but figured that walkie talkies would be a lot of fun for the kids to use outside this summer.

We were left with no real ideas and relatives asking for suggestions. When my mother and I went shopping, something clicked while walking down an aisle. JSL has been asking for his kiddie scooter to ride. Unfortunately, it was not in the best of shape after two kids and he is just too big for it. Check out the birthday boy’s face when he opened up his gift Monday afternoon:

JSL was beyond excited to try out his new Razor Scooter. Thanks to rain most of the week, we never had a chance to do that. Yesterday, the weather was beautiful, so we packed up the box to take out and try with JSL’s new helmet.

It truly was priceless watching JSL try to figure out where he wanted the handles, how to place his foot, and whether or not he was going too quickly. I do think he will be doing tricks before I know it since the kiddo has no fear and likes to try things other children are doing.

I guess I should enjoy this stage, especially thanks to the big smiles JSL provided from sheer happiness.

Yes, seeing my little guy smile made my entire day!

It's Me

Categories:
birthday decisions family fun jsl me moments milestone photos shopping summer weekend

A Whoopee Cushion Parenting Moment

Posted on May 18, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Alright everyone, it’s time to fess up on something. Do you often cringe when your child has the opportunity to pick something from a prize box? It may be a prize after having a shot at the doctor, doing something well at school, or trading tickets in at an arcade. Let’s be real here – none of the prizes are usually meant to last forever and can often be annoying to those around them after they come home.

Case in point: This is a prize that my son picked our after an appointment the other day.

No, I am not kidding you. This came home with us and I cringed. I did not want to be THAT parent that said no, so I allowed it. Soon after we arrived at home, the fart jokes, loud blasts, and laughing began. It was cute at first, but then it got old quickly. This lead to me sending out a Tweet. The Tweet was replied to by Janice Person. As I was Tweeting, the boys were trying to figure out how to make a bigger, louder, and more impressive fart noise from said Whoopee Cushion.

Almost immediately after I sent that last Tweet out, I heard a giant BOOM from where the two boys were playing. I knew it was not a good sign, well not for the Whoopee Cushion at least. Tears, screams, and more Tweets followed.

After the kids calmed down, and I gathered my composure back up I eventually took this photographic proof:

So my question to you this week:

What is the most annoying prize that that your child has ever won or received and why?

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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 #203

Categories:
Aloha Friday doctor jsl laughs me moments nhl photos social media twitter

Disney Junior Swashbuckler Soiree

Posted on May 17, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

From the minute we received the more detailed schedule for events of Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, something caught the attention of my children. Yes, NHL and JSL immediately noted the Swashbucker Soiree, especially after I read them this:

Ahoy matey! Aye – now this is a family dinner you won’t want to miss! Brought to you by Disney Junior, join us for a buccaneer-themed evening along the beach with live music, a treasure hunt and plenty of fun for everyone.

The boys literally jumped up and down. They guessed that Jake from Jake and the Never Land Pirates would be there and possibly others. The boys, well, they are good at guessing.

After the Cocktail Reception – Passport to the World welcome, we went out to the beach by the Beach Club Resort to meet up with our families. With one quick look, you could see we were in for an amazing pirate party!

Disney Junior handed out pirate bandanas and pirates greeted us as we walked onto the beach where a pirate band was playing music for all of us to enjoy. Then, it was time not to walk the plank because there was an amazing buffet of pirate inspired goodies for all to devour.

While the boys and Nana and Papa were eating, TechyDad and I were able to chat with some of our friends on the beach. We also caught up with head GEM (Good Enough Mother) Rene Syler and stopped for a photo. TechyDad helped the kids eat while we gabbed and gabbed with Rene and every other person I bumped into.

Of course, my little mateys had a hard time staying by their seats soon after this. You see, once they saw someone enter the area, they did not want to stay at the table. Check out who joined the party below.

Yes, that is Jake from Disney Junior’s Jake and the Never Land Pirates. When Jake came out onto the Swashbuckler Soiree scene, many of the kids (including mine) were off to participate in the fun and games. Once NHL and JSL had their photo taken with Jake and the pirate slide behind them…

They had to beware of other pirates. This colorful crew of pirate misfits were teaching the kids how to perfect their pirate pose for the camera.

Looking back on it, I wonder if they were really just trying to help and protect the kids. Soon after this, two scallywags that you may recognize showed up to join the party.

Of course, when you party like a pirate, it is important to stop to enjoy a cool ice cream treat.

This break also means that it is the perfect time for the Pirate mother to send out an Instagram or two to share photos from the fun. And for those that finish their Mickey Ice Cream sandwich early, it’s always interesting to hide your feet in the sand!

Of course, little pirates that have been up since the wee hours of the morning get tired when the sun sets. We knew that we had many more adventures ahead on Friday and beyond. While others remained to dance in the dark, we went back to our room in the Yacht Club Resort to settle the boys in for some sweet pirate dreams.

More to share and lessons learned from our time at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration coming soon.