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Preschool Shabbat Box Project

Posted on March 15, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Reality check time. My baby is going to be a kindergarten kid in a few months. Soon, JSL will no long be in preschool in the place that we know and love. He will venture off into an entire new world filled with learning and many more firsts. Before I rush us past this first year, I am going to cherish the time we still have in his nursery school.

On a day that we went for a meeting with the school district about JSL’s amazing speech progress, we had wonderful box of goodies sent home. These were items that JSL had made during the school year in his classroom. Each child presented their families with an amazing Shabbat Box.

As fantastic as it looks on the outside, it was even more impressive inside. Check out all of the items that were within the gorgeous Shabbat Box.

So what are all of the items you ask? Well, let’s take a tour to see all of the JSL made Shabbat items that his teachers helped to make.

This week, the kids spent time making challah dough, learning to braid them, and baking mini challahs to bring home. These were perfect to have along with the challah covers that they also designed.

Of course, when preparing for Shabbat there must be something to drink ~~wine~~ –er grape juice out of. This is the colorful kiddush cup that JSL created.

There was one item that was breakable in the Shabbat Box. The kids made beautiful sand art Shabbat candle stick holders. These are so pretty thanks to the different color sand varieties that they had to pick from.

The item that I think JSL will use a lot is the kippah that he made. I am sure he will be able to wear it to holidays and also use it for Shabbat. JSL told me that they painted them. Love the tie dye effect and how original his came out.

The last things included were some educational items. There was a pamphlet with Shabbat blessings for Friday night and ending on Saturday evening. JSL was especially excited about the Shabbat matching game that he insists we play soon.

Thanks to making these special items to use for Shabbat, they mean even more to JSL. I know that he will always remember his time in preschool thanks to the memories that his fantastic teachers have provided for him.

P.S. The kids also made another item that came home last week. More on the Tzedakah box coming soon!

Categories:
arts and crafts Educational fun holidays jsl milestone photos school

Purim Parties Galore

Posted on March 11, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Holidays come and holidays go. For some reason, Purim seems to stick around longer and longer each year. I love the holiday and the fun associated with it. However, getting kids dressed up so many times, heading to events, and everything else can get rough after a week.

Still, looking at the fun that the kids had makes it all well worth it.

Tomorrow, we will finally be able to put another Purim “season” behind us and move on. This bring me to the other reason Purim may have a sore spot with me. This fun holiday reminds me that Passover is just around the corner. We need to weed out our cabinets of non-Passover food and start thinking about our Seders. I think I am still in denial about all that goes with shopping and planning.

For now, I will remember the Purim celebration at JSL’s school that included a concert from Andy the Music Man. It was so much fun watching the kids parade around in costumes, sing, and dance with Andy. He was full of energy, funny, and so patient with the kids (and adults too). I know we will be looking to see where he will be performing in the weeks ahead to catch another show. Capital District readers, if you have a chance to see Andy – do not miss it!

I recorded a video of the Purim parade that was so adorable. I will share it with family members privately since I do not have permission from all of the parents to post it on YouTube.

Did you celebrate Purim? I would love to hear how you kept the fun times going with your family.

It's Me

Categories:
family food glorious food fun holidays laughs local event Music photos school yummy

Glasses Envy

Posted on March 10, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear NHL & JSL,

This was a big week for the two of you. As a family, we celebrated Purim several times.

NHL, last weekend you had your eyes checked and found out that you need to wear glasses all the time. They came in on Wednesday, so we picked them up just before going to the community Purim celebration. In an instant, you could not only see clearly, but you had grown up. You were so happy to have your new “Harry Potter” glasses and could not wait to show them to everyone.

JSL, what shocked me was your reaction to your brother’s glasses. You were so upset. You cried when we told you he needed them, you cried when he picked them out, and you had a tantrum when NHL picked them up to take home. I could not imagine what the problem was. When we asked you, you told us you were now the only one that did not wear glasses. So, after NHL got his glasses and a pair of clip-on sunglasses, we picked something special out for you.

Yes, a simple pair of Buzz Lightyear flip sunglasses saved the day. Now, we just need to keep helping NHL to adjust to the new clear world.

Love,

Mommy

Categories:
brothers Dear Kid Saturday health awareness holidays jsl milestone nhl photos

Time for an Eye Exam

Posted on March 9, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Eye health is very important to me. Growing up, I always knew that I would one day need glasses because both of my parents and everyone in my family had them. Mom and Dad each got their first pair of classes when they were freshman. At the start of 9th grade, I noticed that I was not seeing the overhead projectors in biology. I told my mother and we set up an appointment to get my eyes checked. Sure enough, I was on my way to my first pair of glasses.

When TechyDad and I started our family, we knew that our boys would one day get glasses. I asked him when he got his first pair, and knew it was when he was in second grade. With our oldest now in third grade, I knew things could change for his vision at any time.

Over winter break, NHL continued to complain about headaches. Nana asked me one day if we had checked his eyes recently. We had in September when he had his physical, but nothing since. NHL never complained that he could not see in school, but then again he probably did not know the difference. Little things noticed by NHL’s gym teacher, his headaches, and our suspicions made us want to check this out.

After break was over, I called the school nurse to see if she could do a quick check. I knew that something was going on because he was not seeing quite right. Nana was definitely onto something and I felt horrible for not putting the pieces together before that. We were lucky that they were screening the entire school for sight and hearing that week. The screener said she would call me immediately since I was concerned about things. The next afternoon, I received a call. NHL’s vision was definitely off according to their quick exam. I quickly called and made an appointment for the early morning weekend day to check when NHL’s eyes were fresh and less likely to be strained.

NHL did an amazing job and the place we took him to was fantastic with children. In the end, we found out that he does in fact need glasses and hope this will help to make all of the recent headaches vanish. Tune in tomorrow for a letter to NHL where I share a photo of his new glasses (Harry Potter watch out) and show how a jealous little brother reacts.

So my question to you this week:

If you or your children needed glasses, how old were you when you first got them?

It's Me

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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 #194

Categories:
Aloha Friday health awareness looking back milestone nhl photos TechyDad

Tuesday Tales – It’s a Big World, Little Pig!

Posted on March 6, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

When we first got our Kindle, we wanted to try a picture book on it. That is when we met Poppy the Pig in Dream Big, Little Pig! The book was an adorable tale written by figure skating gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi. In it, Poppy wants to be a star and learns that she has to work hard, be persistent, and believe in herself. When I was contacted by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky to let me know that Poppy was back, we immediately wanted to read about her new adventure.

It’s a Big World, Little Pig! is available in stores today. Poppy returns in this book following her dreams of going to a special competition in Paris. The heroine gets nervous about traveling from New York City all the way to Paris. She is especially worried about not making new friends in this far off location. Tim Bowers illustrations whisk us away from Poppy’s home in New York City to the competition village in Paris.

Through the book, Poppy meets and makes friends with competitors from different countries. She waits on line to register and meets a panda from China named Li. They talk, look at a map of the village, and share some of their own language with each other. This learning adventure continues as Poppy meets more friends and they help each other to be less nervous along the way.

As a parent, I love this book and how Kristi Yamaguchi helps to show that fears are normal when you do something new and different. She also shows that by being brave and meeting new people, you can help each other with these situations. We may not all look the same, or speak the same language, but kindness and smiles are understood by everyone. In addition to this, I adore how supportive Poppy’s parents are and how they continue to encourage her to reach her goals and then travel to view things in Paris with her after the event.

The educator in me adores how this book could convert to many teachable moments with older children. Not only can you talk about the concept of following your dreams, but you learn about new cultures, new places, and new languages with Poppy’s new friends. A lot of fun activities with passports. There are even activity kits that you can download for free from the first book that would be fun for children to try.

Another great perk about purchasing the book is that Kristi Yamaguchi is donating 100% of her profits from the book to early childhood literacy programs supported by her Always Dream Foundation.

What have you read recently? Please 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.

Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sourcebooks in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. Two Amazon Affiliate links are included in this post for the two books mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the book through that link.