The Angel Forever

Time for Sukkot

Posted on October 8, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It’s hard to believe that Sukkot is already here. The holiday season continues with the start of Sukkot at sundown this evening. The kids have been talking about it at Hebrew School. JSL came home with an edible sukkah on Sunday.

Making one of these was something we talked about for a family celebration that I am helping to run. If you are interested in making them, it is very simple. You just need the following items:

Paper plates for building – to construct your sukkah on
Graham crackers – three squares make the sukkah walls
Frosting – holds the pieces together
Small pretzel rods – for the sukkah roof
Candy pieces – kosher candies like mini chocolate chips, marshmallows, gum drops, fruit shapes, and licorice

Kids can make their sukkah while listening to Sukkot stories like The Vanishing Gourds: A Sukkot Mystery which I shared on Tuesday Tales in the past.

Now I am off to finish preparations for three fun Sukkot related art projects that I will be helping to coordinate over the weekend. I leave you with a fun Sukkot Style spoof from The Maccabeats.

Additional Sukkot posts sharing great projects that my children have done over the years can be found here:

Happy holiday to all that celebrate and please feel free to share how you traditionally decorate your sukkah.

Categories:
arts and crafts holidays

Braces Be Gone

Posted on October 6, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Just over fifteen months have passed since the world of braces became a reality for our family. NHL has had wires on his top teeth since the end of June 2013.

While NHL has had some discomfort from time to time, we only had a few issues that were caused by pesky baby teeth trying to vacate his mouth. Over the months, we had to make two extra visits, and one emergency night trek to the orthodontists office. My kiddo was a trouper with what they did in his mouth and rarely complained. When he did in recent weeks, we knew something was up. A spring had sprung and was digging into his cheek. That resulted in his two front teeth shifting forward. For a few weeks, we were not sure if the braces would still come off as predicted.

The weekend before a scheduled recheck NHL had his first wire pop. Of course, it was after 8:00 on a Friday evening. We called the orthodontist and he tried to explain how to shift it back into place to try to wait until Saturday afternoon. When we tried to do this, the wire popped out even more and NHL could barely close his mouth. So we met the orthodontist at 9:30 that evening. Even at that hour, he was amazing. We were given good news that NHL’s teeth had gotten back into the right position and the braces would still come off on October 6 (TODAY). A stronger wire was put on and we were told that it could not and would not pop.

Care to guess what happened next?

Yes, Saturday morning NHL came running into our room. As he was trying to wiggle a loose tooth, the giant wire came out from the bracket. The message for the orthodontist was pretty classic and one he will likely remember for a while. Wire cutters were bought and never used from Home Depot. Then, after a few hours, NHL figure out how to prop the wire up where it would stay and did not hurt him. Score! We were able to wait until our regular appointment two days later.

Once again everyone in the office was amazing. The interesting part, nobody has a clue how the wire came out of place and did not break the bracket. Go figure!

Now we have made it the last two weeks without another incident and NHL is already planning what he is going to eat once the braces are removed. He has been amazing with following the instructions/rules set. We managed to avoid other more invasive techniques to expand NHL’s palette, fix cross bite issues, and work on the tooth crowding. Thank goodness the braces did their magic with the amazing work of our orthodontist. Now, NHL will be wearing a retainer until it is outgrown and then we will see if a Phase 2 of braces will be needed. A lot will depend on how some of the last teeth fall into place.

So I would love some advice from those who have had a retainer or had a child with one. What tips and tricks do you have to make sure they are taken care of properly at school, worn, and all that other fun and important stuff that I am unsure of?

P.S. If you are looking for a fantastic orthodontist in the Capital Region, just let me know. The office that we go to is amazing to work with and everyone is so understanding with children that have special needs.

Categories:
doctor milestone parenting

Middle School is Just What the Doctor Ordered

Posted on October 3, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

For years, I was preparing to send my oldest child to middle school. As a parent of a child on the autism spectrum, I felt like I had to advocate even more for this big milestone. One classroom and teacher in the elementary school would be a lot different than nine periods a day with just as many, if not more teachers. Middle schools are much larger, there are many more students, and it is a tough time developmentally for most if not all preteens.

Without going into too many specifics, we had an amazing IEP for the start of middle school. Everyone at school greeted us at orientation with smiles and showed us around. The day before school, we went back in drop items off to the locker and make sure the lock was mastered. Each time we went to visit, the individuals at school were amazing. They knew my son, welcomed him, and eased my fears.

The first day of school came and went with only parental nerves on edge. NHL was excited for a fresh start. He was thrilled to already have his schedule memorized. He could not stop talking about having Social Studies and Science every day. He came out of school with a smile on his face and I was able to breathe.

What TechyDad and I experienced the next morning shocked us. NHL hopped out of bed and ran into our room telling is to get moving because he wanted to get to school. There was no hesitation, just energy and excitement to go and learn more from his teachers. This continued the following week. Each day, my son was more excited to go to middle school.

After I sent my son to school for the second full week, I did something that was important to me. I stopped to write a note to every member of my son’s team to let them know I was thankful. The middle school transition could have been a disaster. The reality was that because of everyone involved, NHL was off to a great start.

As I pushed the send button, I was a bit nervous. After so many years of fighting for supports and struggles, I did not want to jinx anything. Still, it was the right time to cheer everyone up and let them know. As a middle school teacher, I know you do not often hear positive feedback. So I sent the email to the principals, several people in the Special Education department, and the guidance counselor. At the last second, I decided to add one more person. Yes, my note praising the team at the middle school for helping my son transition also went to the superintendent of our district.

The responses from various people made me know that I did the right thing. It made me feel wonderful to know that I had made them smile and lifted their spirits.

So why am I writing this post?

My hope is that someone may read it and it will help them as their child is transitioning from elementary to middle school. While I know they are likely as worried as I was waiting for middle school to start, I want to reassure them that it may be just what the doctor ordered for your child. The structure of the day, the fresh beginning for each class period, and the mixture of different students helped my son. My Aspie adores knowing his schedule and not having to worry about changes within a single classroom. The structure of middle school allows that and so far he is doing very well. Sure there will be bumps in the road, but with the support of his team and open communication this experience could open up the world for my child.

Categories:
milestone school Special Needs

When Listening to Audio Books is a Must

Posted on September 29, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Being able to listen to an audiobook has become an important part of my life. Sometimes picking up a paper book or reading an eBook is just not possible. There are times that my hands and eyes are working on something, but I am able to listen. Rather than have music, television, or other background noise on, audiobooks are a great solution that allow me to multitask.

The smartphones in my life have allowed me to keep whatever audiobook I am currently enjoying on them for access on the go. Of course, not all smartphones are created equally when it comes to their speakers. A problem I have had in the past is not being able to hear the narrator of a book if I forget my ear buds. The placement of speakers, the limited volume, and other audio inconsistencies mean that I can not always use OverDrive to listen to my audiobooks without my BOSE Soundlink Mini Bluetooth Speaker.

I can not tote my speaker with me to all locations, so one of the first features I check out on a new device is the ability to listen to an audiobook without additional accessories. When I received an HTC One Remix, one of the first things I did was to put my reading apps on it. Then, I connected up to the book that I was currently listening to. When I pushed the button to play and had it resting on my bed and face up, I was able to hear it perfectly. The narrator was clear, the volume did not have to go all the way up, and it self adjusted so I did not have to toggle settings as I was listening. I was pleasantly surprised and wanted to know more because it was very different from other phones I have used.

The HTC BoomSound™ technology is something that I witnessed. The dual front facing speakers allow you to project music, book, or other sounds right to you. Other smartphones have speakers built into the back so if you want to listen to something and multitask, the audio goes away from you. The phone also has built-in amps that boost volume so that even my kids in another room came to close my door because they did not want to hear my book. In addition to this, there is bass-to-treble balancing software that makes the sound more crisp and clear.

With this phone, I am able to listen to books while driving near and far to shuttle my kids from school to other afterschool commitments. In addition to this, if I put a book that everyone is listening to together, I can place it in the front of my van and everyone else will be able to follow along without any difficulty hearing. Yes, this is a great device to take on road trips, to a meeting to share audio, or anything else that may come up for a busy person that is on the go and relies on audio that can perform solo.

How do you utilize audio on your smartphone and has there ever been a time where you wish it could do more?

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I receive devices like the HTC One Remix to test out and share ways that I use it in my life. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.

Categories:
books Technology

Sweet New Year Wishes 5775

Posted on September 24, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

At sundown this evening, my family will begin to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. The Jewish New Year is a time to look at the year that has gone by and reflect on things that have happened in our lives. It is also a time where we wish others a Sweet New Year with apples, honey, honey cake, and other special items.

Not only do we have the sweet items from a Rosh Hashanah basket above, JSL made some fantastic crafts in Hebrew School.

Now I leave you with a fun new Rosh Hashanah song that I found while on YouTube. Matthew Rissien made All About That Rosh-Hashanah (All About that Bass Parody – One Man Jewish Acapella) that seemed perfect to share.