When you ask your child what they would like to decorate their birthday party with, you always hope for something easy. JSL’s birthday is this weekend. He decided that he wanted his 4th birthday to be with this theme:
The problem is that they have not marketed anything for Jake and the Neverland Pirates – yet. So, we had to improvise. We are doing a small family party with some pirate supplies for our little matey. We bought doubloons, pirate flags, gold sprinkles, and cupcake making items.
We still need to figure out the menu for the party and a few other items for the kids to do. So my question to you this week:
What is your favorite party theme that you have ever been to and why? It could have been your own birthday party, your child’s, or some other fun event.
Pssst – be sure to check out my Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides giveaway.
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.
Pssst – be sure to check out my Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides giveaway later on May 10, 2011.
Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World, we were given an incredible deal thanks to Disney. The sweet conference fee included 3 nights at the Grand Floridian, several meals for the entire family, 7 day park hoppers for everyone, conference/meals for me and some other items to take home. 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.
No need to adjust your eyes. You are reading correctly. It is February 14th and technically Valentine’s Day, but in our house it will now be called Disney Junior Day. For months now, my three year old son has been crying to see Disney Junior. He did not understand that he would have to wait until this day to see the newly revamped television programing for children by Disney. This is what we have been teased with for quite some time:
About Disney Junior:
Beginning on February 14, 2011, Disney Junior will be available every morning on Disney Channel! Disney Junior invites mom and dad to join their child in the Disney experience of magical, musical and heartfelt stories and characters, while incorporating specific learning and development themes designed for kids age 2-7. Disney Junior’s animated and live action series blend Disney’s unparalleled storytelling and characters kids love deeply with learning, including early math, language skills, healthy eating and lifestyles, and social skills.
In our house this Valentine’s Day, we will have a little chocolate, and wear red, but the most exciting part will be checking out Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Babar and the Adventures of Badou, Tinga Tinga Tales, and other Disney favorites.
Disclosure: As a big Disney fan, I felt the need to share this special day with my readers. After listening to my son cry for weeks to see Disney Junior, it seemed like a monumental event in our lives.
Weight loss, obesity, resolutions, exercise, and healthy living – all words that are in the minds of countless people this time of year. Although I am not one to make resolutions, I set goals. One of these goals is to get back on track with healthy eating and drop pounds that I put on after my 3 year old was born.
A few years ago, I was intrigued by The Biggest Loser on NBC. I watched to see how the contestants worked out non-stop, drop massive amounts of weight, and made alliances with each other. WHAT? That’s right, rather than focusing on doing what they needed to be healthy, they played the game. This turned me off and I stopped watching after a bit.
Recently, I was asked by Lifetime Moms to preview a new show on A&E called Heavy. I told TechyDad about the opportunity and we were both intrigued to see how this reality show would revolve around weight loss. Here is a preview of the show from A&E:
More about “Heavy” on A&E:
Twenty-two individuals facing extreme life-threatening health consequences as a result of their obesity experience real life change in the new original series “Heavy,” premiering Monday, January 17 at 10/9c. The eleven episode one-hour series follows two participants per episode documenting their incredible transformations during a six month treatment program.
Unlike other weight loss series, “Heavy” is not a competition or stunt, but is rooted in the incredible real life day-to-day journeys of the participants during a lengthy treatment program. In order to most accurately document these multiple weight loss journeys over the course of six months and present them individually in one hour, A&E sought out two different production companies to undertake the lengthy and ambitious filming process. The result is a never-before-seen look at the unique struggles faced by dangerously obese individuals who must learn to live healthier lifestyles and understand the root of their food addictions. Through their day-to-day struggle and the voices of their loved ones, viewers will see first hand the pain and self-doubt associated with a debilitating weight problem.
Facts from the show:
22 individuals participated in the program
Men and women ranged in ages from 20-59
Starting weights were between 240 and 630 pounds
Collectively the 22 members lost more than 2,440 pounds
Half of the participants shed over 30% of their weight during the time
My Thoughts:
After the kids went to bed, TechyDad and I decided to watch “Heavy” together. Neither of us knew too much about the show, so we were very open minded. The first thing that I noticed was how the show really shows you the lives the the participants before they start. We watched as Tom, a 37 year old who started at 5’9” and 638 pounds was barely able to walk a few steps. “Heavy” took us into his home, we saw the enablers in his life, the items he would binge on at a drive-through window, and the bed he would eat everything on. We also saw Jodi, a 37 year old wife and mother who started at 5’6” and 363 pounds. The show took us inside her house where her verbally abusive mother became what she called a “cancer” in her life and pushed her further from her husband and marriage.
What I really liked was the realistic feel of the show. Not only did we see Tom and Jodi struggle before, but we saw how their demons showed up when they went for the first month at a weight loss intervention facility. The program that they were involved in not only shows the participants how to incorporate safe movement into their previously sedentary lives, but worked with them in other areas. Medical doctors carefully watched over them. Therapists met with them to discuss what was making food an addiction and other factors that were causing stresses in their home lives. Finally, a dietician went with both of them to a grocery store to show them what food items to purchase for healthy eating.
I think “Heavy” does what no other weight loss reality show has done, it puts a human spin on the battle that obese and overweight individuals struggle with daily. Watching Tom and Jodi go from barely mobile to working out regularly and having success, could be motivation for individuals that watch and may have given up.
I know that I plan on watching the more to see the other members it this series. In fact, I plan on watching while walking in my living room with weights in my hands. I wonder how many steps I can put on my pedometer while I witness their weight loss journeys.
Disclosure: I am a Lifetime Mom affiliate. As a part of this, I was offered a screener DVD of "Heavy" to view. No compensation was given and the opinions expressed in the review are my own.
I still remember the moment like it was just yesteday. My first day in a classroom, my own classroom. Nerves would be an understatement. I felt like I knew nothing and was not sure how to break the ice with my new students. There is no doubt that I was awkward those first few days and probably even weeks, but I was learning. Teachers learn in the classroom that they teach in, and even veteran teachers will tell you that they constantly are taking in things with the new classroom dynamics that they face each year.
That first year was a tough one. My students challenged me and I had to learn the politics within a school (politics are rampant in all schools – don’t kid yourself). I pushed myself to create innovative hands on learning experiences to actively engage my kids. Yes, as the days went on, my students were my kids. I thought about them inside the classroom and outside. When I was at home, I was constantly thinking about ways to connect my subjects their lives. At the same time, I had to earn the respect of parents. As a young teacher, many questioned my experience. Sure, I had been a substitute teacher for a while, but this was an entirely new world. Now, it was my responsibilty to communicate to parents. My anecdotal record book kept track of phone calls home to families about concerns, and also praise about things that I saw. My e-mail and websites were other ways that parents could keep in touch. Of course, the most important part of my first year were the mentors in my world. The other teachers in the building took me under their wings and helped me through this year. I learned from mistakes and fine tuned lessons to use from that point on as I would never again be a first year teacher.
Enter Tony Danza. Yes, THE Tony Danza from "Taxi" and "Who’s The Boss" fame. Tony went to college to become a teacher long before his Hollywood success. His life path changed and the entertainment world became his career. At 60 years old, he is looking at how to make a difference in the world and wanted to head into the classroom to teach for the first time. Teach: Tony Danza premiers this Friday on A&E 10/9C.
About Teach: Tony Danza on A&E
Long before his iconic acting career, which includes roles in “Taxi” and “Who’s The Boss,” Tony Danza received a degree in History Education. During the 2009-2010 school year, he took on his most challenging and rewarding role yet as he stepped into the classroom as a full-time teacher at Philadelphia’s Northeast High School. “Teach: Tony Danza” follows the first year-teacher as he instructs a 10th-grade English class with 26 students in back-to-back 45-minute periods.
The series will look at the challenges Danza faced and the rewards he experienced as a first-year high school teacher. Under the watchful eye of Northeast Principal Linda Carroll and in-classroom teaching coach David Cohn, Danza applied incredible creativity and ceaseless dedication in his day-to-day tasks of planning lessons and executing them in the classroom, administering quizzes and exams, grading homework, eng aging in small learning communities with other faculty, and meeting with parents. Beyond the real-life duties of teaching, Danza took on quite a few additional roles outside the classroom including helping the football team, the band, and the debate team, and organizing a successful fundraiser for the school. And he became a true member of the Philadelphia community, partaking in events with the mayor, singing the national anthem at a Phillies game and lending his support to a variety of charity and fundraising events.
“BACK TO SCHOOL” – Friday, October 1 at 10/9C
Mr. Danza arrives at Northeast High School in Philadelphia and meets most of the faculty, including his teaching advisor, David Cohn, and ball-busting principal, Linda Carroll, who warns Mr. Danza that if he screws up, he’s out. On the first day of school, he meets his diverse class of students, but soon learns that teaching is harder than he realized when one student questions whether or not Mr. Danza is qualified to be teaching anything. And, in an attempt to bond with two of his students on the football team, he becomes an assistant coach. He then realizes he knows far less about coaching football than teaching English and questions whether or not he made a mistake becoming a teacher.`
“TESTED” – Friday, October 8 at 10/9C
After half the class fails their first quiz on “Of Mice and Men,” Mr. Danza fears that most of his students aren’t doing their work. As a result, he risks legal repercussions when he denies three of his “special needs” students the use of the resource room because he thinks they’re being lazy. And to make matters worse, Mr. Danza’s brightest student wants to drop out of his English class because he isn’t being challenged enough. Pushed to the limit, Tony breaks down in tears.
Here is a preview of the show:
What I thought:
As an educator, I was intrigued with this this show. I was curious how Tony Danza would interact in the classroom and what problems he would be faced with. The reality is that, even as a celebrity teaching 10th grade English, Danza was hit with many items that other new teachers have. While in front of students, he showed his nerves. He saw how difficult it is to manage time within a class period and he learned how easy it can be to talk too much. Within the first episode Danza also realized, with the assistance of his mentor David Cohn, that sometimes you need to step back. The awkward silence in a room may be tough to take, but feeding students answers does not help them to learn. Finding the balance within a classroom to keep the attention of students, while also providing an authentic learning experience can be difficult.
Tony Danza sees in the first week that teaching is tough. He is touched by the parents that reach out to him at a football game. It seemed like he was not expecting this to happen and it hits him hard. He seems genuinely concerned about whether or not he can do this. I think most teachers question this at one point or another. This would probably be why so many educators leave the profession within their first five years. Wise words from principal Carroll remind Danza that you are not born a teacher, you evolve into one. AMEN!
I know that my DVR is set to continue to watch "Teach: Tony Danza." I want to see how he focuses on the task at hand, reaching his students and making them the best that they can be. I also want to see how vital his mentors are in making him settle. From this short glimpse, I think the show will be an eye opener to Americans about the real world of teaching and the hurdles that educators must face within the day with their children. I also believe that the timing of this show is nice given the enormous need for Educational reform.
Disclosure: I am a Lifetime Mom affiliate. As a part of this, I was offered a screener DVD of "Teach: Tony Danza" to view. No compensation was given and the opinions expressed in the review are my own.
Danza applied incredible creativity and ceaseless dedication in his day-to-day tasks of planning lessons and executing them in the classroom, administering quizzes and exams, grading homework, eng aging in small learning communities with other faculty, and meeting with parents. Beyond the real-life duties of teaching, Danza took on quite a few additional roles outside the classroom including helping the football team, the band, and the debate team, and organizing a successful fundraiser for the school. And he became a true member of the Philadelphia community, partaking in events with the mayor, singing the national anthem at a Phillies game and lending his support to a variety of charity and fundraising events.
