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Tuesday Tales – Using Goodreads

Posted on February 12, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

If you are into reading, then you may already know about Goodreads. If you have never heard of Goodreads, then I hope you check out this fun resource for readers that is free. Goodreads is a website that allows you to keep track of books that you have read, are currently reading, or want to read. You can sign up for free and then hook up with family or friends. A lot of authors are even on there. It’s always fun to see what others are reading or have thought about a particular book.

I will admit that I often read books and then later forget if I have read them. Goodreads allows me to keep these items in lists that I make. I can categorize things by the year, type of literature, or any other topic that I make up.

In addition to this, when I am ready to figure out what to read next I can check out my to-read list where I often add books that I see other people mention in their Goodreads activity, on Facebook, or beyond. There is also a Recommendation section on Goodreads. When you click on this area, you may select a shelf that they will automate books that you may find interesting from. When I pushed on my Fiction Books for Adults shelf, the books below were a few of the titles that came up.

From here, I can select a book, read the synopsis, and check out reviews from other readers. Goodreads also gives you some other books that have been listed with that title for other options that you may be interested in.

One other “fun” tool is the ability to track your progress reading the book.

I can update where I am within a book that I am currently reading. This is the page for Life After Life by Kate Atkinson that I am previewing right now.

Are you a member on Goodreads or do you use another resource similar to this? I would love to hear about them and possibly catch you there. My profile on Goodreads can be seen here. As always, please share what you have read recently. Be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Categories:
books me moments Tuesday Tales

Hello Six Year Blogging Anniversary

Posted on February 11, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

During the winter of 2007, I was pregnant with my second kiddo and teaching full time. Spare moments were few and far between, but I was looking for something else to do. My cousin and several friends had started blogging and it caught my attention. On February 4, 2007, I started my own blog.

At the time, it was simply a place to write thoughts from my brain that was going a mile a minute and to document life of a family of three moving to four. I could write about triumphs and vent some about items that confused or upset me. One of my first posts was about heading to a show with NHL. That started my love for sharing photos.

Days later, I wrote about a storm that left us with 19 inches of snow (more than we got the other day in our region).

In a lot of ways, I have grown up along with my blog. I went from the mother of one little boy to two. I shared being wife to TechyDad and our adventures as a couple and parents. We have traveled to Disney and beyond while posting about our many destinations and the items we learned from them. Of course, I have also been able to look back at my posts to see when we first suspected we would become Autism advocates.

It really has been amazing to watch not only my blog grow over the last six year, but the boys with it. Just yesterday, they were sitting together like this:

Now it often looks a little more like this:

I look forward to many more adventures in learning and growing here on The Angel Forever with my family and all that read in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.

It's Me

Categories:
family looking back me moments

Sharing #ProgressOh! Moments (#Giveaway)

Posted on February 1, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Can you look back and think about a moment when you felt and even looked your best. You were genuinely happy. For me, it was months after my oldest son was born. TechyDad and I made a choice to change our eating habits and we worked out together. We both lost a lot of weight and had a lot of energy. Then. as many people can understand, things happened. I went back to work, we started years of searching for answers to questions about our kiddo, our second child was born, and suddenly we are here.

I know that I am the one in control of my destiny and ready to work on this again. My running shoes, apps, FitBit Zip, and other items are set to be tools for my goals. Exercise is a great way to get rid of stress, and I love eating fruits and vegetables. My body really does crave them. While the winter months are not friendly for some of these items, I look for other items. Progresso® soups are a favorite of mine. I like that there are 40 flavors available that have 100 calories of less per serving. These soups make me say Oh! because I feel like I am indulging in a comfort food that makes me happy.

Thanks to MyBlogSpark, I also learned that Progresso is having a contest for the ultimate ProgressOh! Make-Oh-ver experience in Hollywood.

Three winners on the Progresso®Facebook page entry will receive:

Round-trip airfare for you and a guest to Los Angeles, California
4 day/ 3 night hotel accommodations
A head-to-toe makeover, including hair, makeup and a blue dress to get you ready for your own ProgressOh! moment in Hollywood
Two tickets to this season’s live finale of The Biggest Loser
$2,000 spending money

To enter you must:

Visit Facebook.com/Progresso
Complete an official entry form on the Progresso Facebook page
Share a photo
Tell Progresso why you love their soup
Tell them why you deserve a ProgressOh! makeover
Ends February 11, 2013

This contest is not associated with The Angel Forever, but my readers do have a chance to win something over here.

Giveaway:

MyBlogSpark sent me the following prize pack and one lucky winner will be selected randomly to receive the same package. 2 can of Progresso® soup (Light Creamy Potato with Bacon & Cheese and Light Chicken Pot Pie Style), Cosmetic bag, and compact mirror with brush.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Share what your ProgressOh! moment would be.

The following Bonus Entries may also be done. Please be sure to leave separate comments for each that you complete below to make sure you get the right number of entries.

1 Bonus Entry – Follow TheAngelForever on Twitter
1 Bonus Entry – Tweet the following about the giveaway (May be done three times a day): Enter to #win a #ProgressOh! prize pack from @TheAngelForever and #MyBlogSpark http://bit.ly/XccHTo #Giveaway
2 Bonus Entries – Like The Angel Forever on Facebook. Let me know you have done so here.
2 Bonus Entry – Like Progresso on Facebook and let me know you have done this in the comments.
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from the month of January/February. Leave a comment here to let me know which one. This Bonus entry may be done twice per day.
3 Bonus Entries – Add my blog button to your website and/or add me to your blogroll. Be sure to leave a link with the location.
1 Bonus Entry – Head over to TechyDad’s blog and say hello to him. Let me know where you posted a comment. May be done once a day.

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Giveaway begins February 1, 2013 and ends at 10:59 EST on February 15, 2013. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. residents only.

Disclosure: I wrote this review as part of a MyBlogSpark campaign for Progresso®. My family received the complimentary prize pack and another will be provided to a winner of the giveaway. All opinions are my own and no other compensation has been given.

Categories:
giveaway looking back me moments

Numbness

Posted on January 24, 2013 9:55 am by TheAngelForever

Numbness is a feeling that seems a little too close to home and has nothing to do with the bone chilling temperatures outside. I rarely, if ever, vent on my blog. This hardly means that life is perfect. No, it means that I am focusing on the good things and trying to keep on swimming. Today, something has to give and I need to get at least a little of this off my mind.

Numbness is feeling like no matter what you do, your every action is judged and considered wrong.

Numbness is trying to be part of a team to work together to help a cause, only to find out that your assistance is considered stepping on toes.

Numbness is the feeling you get when something isn’t what is was scheduled to be and you did not see it coming at you like a freight train.

Numbness is having something that was out of your control tossed into your face.

Numbness is trying to plan for the future, but being told it’s only going to get worse.

Numbness is trying to keep a smile on your face and not scare others, but inside you are crushed.

Numbness is not being able to figure out the hoops of a secretly political system that is constantly changing the protocol.

Numbness is being told to do one thing by some sources, but knowing the fallout from doing the right thing will be far worse than just sitting back.

Numbness is not being able to scream when you are frustrated because nobody can truly understand.

Numbness is feeling oh so alone on a journey with no map, rules, or proper checks and balances.

Numbness is NOT a good feeling and makes you see things very differently.

Categories:
me moments vent

Stress Relief Angry Birds Style

Posted on January 18, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Almost everyone was talking about Angry Birds for the longest time. I constantly heard the music playing in my house as the boys (including TechyDad) played the game. I was perfectly content spending my time using my Kindle App and reading instead of playing. Then, one day, I went to the “dark side” of things. I tried Angry Birds on my iPad. Before I knew it, I was hooked. It was a great stress reliever.

On days when I may have wanted to scream because of something, just hurling a bird and pretending that the pigs were my problems seemed to help at least a bit.

So my question to you this week is inspired by Angry Birds:

Pick a stressful item in your life right now that you could make a target of a pig a la Angry Birds. What would it be and why? Let’s vent and get it out there.

Right now, my items would involve frustrations with politics within the world of parenting on multiple levels.

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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.