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Snow Exploration

Posted on January 30, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As an adult living in the northeast, snow is something that we have to deal with during the winter months. This winter has been mild, but it does not typically last forever. Although I am not a fan of the beautiful white that falls to the ground now, I was as a child. There are so many memories of building snow forts and snowmen with my friends and family.

These days, my best snow memories have been watching my boys explore and learn about snow play. When JSL went out to play in the snow for the first time as a walker, my camera was there to capture the moment. The best part, I caught his first few steps on video when he learned that snow is slippery. That first winter as a toddler was rough for JSL. He wanted to play and wander in the snow like his big brother, but he could not keep up. Eventually, he got to the point that standing out in the cold did not interest him.

That changed when JSL turned two. As a fast moving and grooving two year old, he was able to safely maneuver in the snow. A year seemed to help him to figure out how to move around within the confinements of his snow pants. He also learned where to put his fingers inside mittens to be able to use items while building in the snow. Yes, experience and time to become familiar with this environment made a drastic difference.

JSL also learned how important it is to stay warm. He would not fight us when putting on boots, a hat, mittens, scarf, snow pants, and his winter coat. Since being a helper is important to toddlers, we bought him a little shovel. The proud look on his face as he went to help clear off the snow was priceless. Of course, I think his favorite part was building a snowman with my husband and older son, and chanting “faster” and “more” while riding in a sleigh.

The best advice I have is to have fun and be a kid again. Take some time away from shoveling to make snow angels, build a snowman, and play in the snow with your toddlers. These magical moments will not last forever and are fun to look back on.

I would also suggest finding some mittens that little fingers can move in, a small kid shovel, sled, and a scarf to protect faces (hard to find for little ones – I knit them for my kids). In addition to this, bring a camera and snap away or take videos to show your children later on.

What types of things do your younger children like to do when they brave the cold weather to play in the snow?

Disclosure: This post was previously published on a project I worked on. The text is mostly the same, but I placed additional photos and the question at the end for my blog.

Categories:
fun jsl laughs looking back photos winter

My Preschool Star

Posted on January 29, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear JSL,

This past week was your turn to be the Star of the Week in your class. You were only the third child and first boy, so we were making things up as we went along. Last weekend, we had the sheet home from school with what we needed to send in. First, we had to fill out the All About Me page

Name – JSL
Favorite color – blue
Favorite book – If You Give a Pig a Party
Favorite toy – Bumblebee Transformer
Favorite food – Mac and Cheese
Members in my family – JL, B, and NHL

Then, you had a bag to put a few items for the week in. You needed something that God made and we picked a feather from Whiskers. Your favorite book which I went in to read to the class on Wednesday, and three toys. The toys had to stay for the week, so this was a tough decision. In the end, you picked Bumblebee, a Buzz Lightyear on his ship, and Pirate Stitch. The last item was to include 12 photos for the bulletin board (featured on Wordless Wednesday). The two of us went through a bunch of photos and made a folder. Then we worked on narrowing it down to the 12. You finally picked these out to share with everyone.

On Tuesday, you shared your photos and feather with the kids in your class. Wednesday, I went in to read your favorite story, and on Friday you shared the rest of your special toys. It was a fun and busy week. I was so proud of how much you helped to work on this project and heard that you did a great job sharing. You are growing up so quickly and I am so proud of you.

Love,

Mommy

Categories:
books Dear Kid Saturday Disney fun jsl looking back photos school

Collection Time

Posted on January 27, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Growing up, we would usually take at least one family vacation a year. It would be to Disney World, Ocean City Maryland, Virginia, or various other places along the east coast. Along the way, my brother and I started to collect buttons/pins from the places that we would go to. This collection continued as I would get pins from locations I visited when I was in college and even beyond.

Over the summer, the boys and I found my giant box of goodies from growing up.

The boys were mesmerized with everything inside. They loved seeing all of the ones from different Disney attractions and locations. Some of these sadly are long gone. NHL spent quite a lot of time reading all of them and asking me questions about the different pins and when I received them.

My question to you this week is inspired by my old collection:

What items have you and/or your children decided to collect and why?

It's Me

___________________________________________________________________________

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 #188

Categories:
Aloha Friday Disney fun looking back me moments nhl photos vacation

Thankful for Speech Therapy

Posted on January 26, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It is no secret that, as a parent, I have become quite familiar with special services for my children. Thanks to NHL’s low muscle tone, he received Occupational and Physical Therapy to work on his fine and gross motor skills. With the hard work of everyone involved, you would hardly know that he once was a two year old that was unable to walk.

About two years ago I started to battle to get JSL some Early Intervention. His speech was not very clear, but he would “talk” a lot. Sad to say, the system failed us at the start, but has certainly made up for it since that time. In late September 2010, JSL started getting speech two days a week. By this time, he was frustrated, we were flustered, and everyone wanted our little boy to be understood.

We still have no idea why JSL dropped sounds in almost every word. His hearing was fine and other items checked out. It was not simply beginnings, certain letters, or endings – it was all over the place. The little guy’s speech patters were a mystery. Luckily, his preschool knew that he had qualified for services and suggested a therapist to work with JSL. We are so very lucky to have CT in our life. JSL adores CT and we saw improvements quickly. At the end of last year, JSL qualified for summer services and continued sessions this academic year. I do believe that CT is a miracle.

With this burst in speech, JSL has come out of his shell a lot more. He’s so much more outgoing once he gets to know you, and loves to perform song/dance routines. Here is the little guy after his music enrichment class where he made a new instrument. He is singing Shalom Chaverim – the Goodbye song in his classroom.

With recent budget cuts, I do not know how much more time JSL has with CT. More about those cuts and implications for children in New York and beyond coming soon.

Today, I wanted to thank all of the therapists, like CT, out there that work with kids to catch them up to speed before they head off to Kindergarten and beyond. As a parent and teacher, I truly get all of the hard work that they do both on and off the clock for our children. If your child receives therapy, remember to stop and thank their provider for all that they do.

Categories:
jsl looking back nhl photos school video

The Sleeping Blanket

Posted on January 23, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

There is nothing better during the cold months than to curl up under a cozy blanket and read a book. It doesn’t matter whether the book has pages to flip, or is found within my Kindle – it is just as relaxing. All that I need are my newly knitted blanket and current book.

I am about half way finished reading Kingdom Keepers IV – Power Play by Ridley Pearson. I love these books and have written about them before. Although they are not specifically written for adults, I enjoy them because the story puts me into the magical world of Disney. There is something special about favorite characters battling the evil Disney Villains like Maleficent and Cruella De Ville.

Sunday afternoon, the boys were busy playing Nintendo and it seemed like the perfect time to catch some more of the Kingdom Keepers adventures throughout Walt Disney World. I read for quiet a bit and then I felt like I was being put under a spell. Of course, the Evil Queen was not in my house. I felt the need to close my book and eyes.

After I woke up from my nap, I joked to TechyDad. I think there is something to this blanket. Several nights this week, I would curl up on the couch to sit and watch television or read, only to fall fast asleep under the blanket.

Does this cozy, soft, warm blanket have special powers to make those who curl under it forget their mission to read or get work done?

Hmmmm. . . could it be?

After TechyDad and I came up with this theory we asked the boys to test it out, but for some reason they refuse to try it. Of course, I still am going to test it with them one of these days – insert evil laugh here!

Do you own a special blanket, pillow, or something else that just seems to make you fall asleep? Makes me wonder if the baby blankets like this do the same for those that have received them?