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Pushing Past The Dark Side of Stress

Posted on March 12, 2014 1:40 pm by TheAngelForever

Have you ever had a time where you swear you are living in slow motion and yet it still seems like a blur to you? This is my reality right now. So much on my mind, work to get done, and the feeling of stress building up. Then, add fighting off some sort of virus that is causing an autoimmune response that is extremely painful. I know to help that, stressors need to go. Of course, let’s be real if it was that easy nobody would ever be stressed. And being a parent often means that we put our needs at the end of the line.

The boys are really into Star Wars right now, so Darth got me thinking. Basically life right now is me trying to use all of The Force that I can find to escape from the trenches of stress (or The Dark Side). Some days it seems like Storm Troopers are just going to burst through the door and carry me off. Other days I feel like Yoda is whispering in my ear and giving me Yoda-isms that will keep me going.

I know things will get better and these stresses will eventually make me laugh, but that is hard to see in the here and now. The reality is my youngest, JSL, needs triple surgery and we are still waiting to hear back to schedule that. I know it will help him in the end, but general anesthesia and my first child to have surgery is hard to handle. We haven’t told the boys yet, so if you know them, please do not say anything to them. I know this is something that will help JSL and we have tried everything over the last two years to avoid it. The sleepless nights recently are a quick way for me to recall why this has to be taken care of soon.

Then, I have to worry about the big kiddo’s response. NHL is so afraid of surgery, blood, and all things medical. I don’t want him to panic and ruin the successes we have made in school right now because he is so concerned about his little brother. As an Aspie he will worry about JSL and I never know how it will show up. He would internalize it with concerns about his life at the same time, panic, or shut everything out of his mind.

Speaking of school, my mind is constantly on hyper speed with worries and concerns about middle school for NHL. Middle school is rough no matter what state you live in, district your child is in, or any other factors. It is a rough age group and kids are cruel. NHL has no idea what going to middle school means and I worry how this drastic change could shut him down. While Common Core has really put a dent in his love of learning, this massive life change could be the final nail in the coffin.

So if things are a bit scarce around here, I apologize. While I love blogging and it is therapeutic, sometimes you have to push it to the side to take care of those around you, including yourself. That last part is the one that I am having the hardest time with and I bet many others do as well.

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me moments

Capture A Day and Instagram Photography Fun

Posted on February 24, 2014 1:40 pm by TheAngelForever

It is hard to believe that at one time I did not have a smartphone. Now, as a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I have been able to try several different phones over the last year and share how they work in my life. In October, I was sent the Droid Mini to use and wrote about the lack of screen glare, how it helped with parent advocacy on the go, saving with the Isis Mobile Wallet, and more. I have to admit, I was planning on going back to another phone for a larger screen, but the smaller size in the winter months has been nice. The bone chilling cold means not being able use my phone while outside of school waiting for the boys, or in other locations. Still, if I want to take it out of my pocket I can snap a quick picture to use later.

Minnie, yes I named her, has been a wonderful asset when keeping up with social media channels like Instagram. I love to see what other people in my Instagram feed are doing. It really is a great community where you can get to know people and see how friends and family are doing. One items that I adore participating in is the #CaptureADay Instagram Photo Challenge from A Frugal Friend and Simple Sojourns. Just before the start of the month, Debra, Cathi, and David post the photo prompts. This was the one for February.

Some days are more difficult, but it is fun to think outside of the box. The boys have also joined in and often ask me what the word is and try to help me to coordinate the photo. Here are a few example of my February #CapureADay photos.

Having fun with mini figures and ‘outfit’ options. Feb 11 #CaptureADay #PhotoChallenge
Not in ‘love’ with this mess. Feb 14 #CaptureADay #PhotoChallenge
Trying to ‘pack’ some fun into the last day of winter break. Feb 23 #CaptureADay #PhotoChallenge
It really is a lot of fun and thanks to Minnie, I can use my smartphone camera, apps to make collages, apps to watermark, and Instagram to share within that community, Twitter, and Facebook. So do you particpate in any online photo challenges? I would love to hear about them and please consider joining in the fun from my blogging friends.

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I received the Motorola Droid Mini to test out and share ways that I use it in my life. There was no other compensation. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.

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bloggy friends me moments social media Technology

My Disney History

Posted on February 19, 2014 10:19 am by TheAngelForever

As a child, I remember going to Walt Disney World and staying at the Contemporary Resort. Those were the early days when there were only two resorts to stay at.River Country was the big water park, and Figment was making his debut in Epcot. I feel that the history of the parks in Orlando are part of my childhood and beyond. My family stayed at many of the new resorts as they were opened, and then TechyDad and I stayed at others on our honeymoon and with our own family.

Be sure to stop by Focused on the Magic by clicking on the button above to join in the Disney magic this week.

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Disney family looking back me moments travel vacation

Frozen #DisneySide on a Saturday Night

Posted on February 3, 2014 9:39 am by TheAngelForever

In our house, you never have to worry where our Disney Side has hidden. When you least expect it, it will show up in full force. It may be me wearing my Minnie Sparkle Ears to a meeting at school, or it could be crafting with the kids. Of course, it could also be on Twitter while Tweeting to my husband on a Saturday night. Let me set the scene. TechyDad and I were both sitting at the dining room table working on some freelance work. I decided to put some music on. It prompted the following from Techydad, which of course needed a reply.

This continued back and forth for about an hour. We may not have gotten a lot of work done during that time, but oh my goodness did we laugh. It truly is magical to see how something silly that had a touch of Disney got us smiling and refocused on our work. You can see more of our Tweets back and forth with the Frozen theme on TechyDad’s post What Happens When Frozen and Exhaustion Meet on Twitter.

Has your Disney Side every shown up in an unusual manner? I would love to hear all about it.

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Disney me moments

The No Resolution Zone

Posted on January 31, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Almost a month of 2014 has come and gone and I have not broken a single New Years resolution. Of course, I should probably mention that I do not make resolutions. Back in 2009, I actually wrote about the Anti-Resolution Craze. To me resolutions set a lot of people up to fail. Personally, I tend to do better with goals. Making smaller goals that work toward a bigger ones help me to be successful and keep these items in check. This holds true for work items, as well as health and wellness. Last year as part of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I received a Jawbone UP. At the time, the UP helped me to realize that I needed some new sleep goals.

Moving forward, I want to use my UP as an even more powerful resource. I know it can track my steps and help me to get toward the 10,000 steps that I would love to meet each and every day. Of course, writing and crafting a lot means that I am often sitting for long periods of time. My new goal is to make sure I am not inactive at home for more than 45 minutes to an hour. I am able to set the UP to alert me with a buzz of my wrist so I can get myself moving. It could mean taking a quick walk outside (if it isn’t too cold), walking in place while watching the news, or popping in a workout DVD. I know I need to get more active and I am hoping my UP will help me to track this more.

I now have set up one of the Alarms on my UP. Thanks to the UP Idle Alert it will now let me know if I have been sitting still for more than 45 minutes from 8 in the morning until 7 at night. So, we will see how this goes. I figure this is one step toward the process of healthier living. Then, I will work on adding the MyFitnessPal integration in. I know TechyDad loves that app and it can work with my UP, so I should try it out.

So what technology tools and apps do you use to work toward health and fitness goals in your life?

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I received an UP by Jawbone (link to information page). The UP allows me to track my activity, sleep, and other items with the app that go along with the device. In addition to this, I receive other devices from Verizon to use in my life. There was no other compensation. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.