family
« Previous EntriesPersonalize Father’s Day Cards with Treat – Giveaway
Thursday, May 24th, 2012June is just around the corner and with that thoughts of summer, time with family, and Father’s Day come into my mind. For Father’s Day, the day is all about the special men in our lives. Since the boys were born, the focus has moved to celebrating the day as a family for TechyDad.
In past years, we have gone mini-golfing, to see a movie, and the amusement park. I’m not too sure what TechyDad will want to do. Of course, we also make sure to spend time with Papa. He is such a special part of our lives as well.
I know I will be spending time with the boys before Father’s Day to create some special cards for the men in our lives. We are excited to try out the new partner site from Tiny Prints called Treat. Treat offers personalized greeting cards that are fun to design for Father’s Day. Just looking around I already see something referencing Elvis that will be perfect for Papa, and a bunch that the boys will love to add photos to for TechyDad. Our photos from Disney World will be perfect additions to many of the cards that we can have shipped right to them, Grandpa, and uncles that live a distance from us.
Did you know that you can try Treat Cards for free? You can and perhaps it could be for Father’s Day. Simply use the code FREETREAT at checkout and the card will be sent right to the recipient for the time that you specify. This day and age, we often forget how special it is to receive a card in the mail. Treat Cards now helps us to do this by allowing you to schedule cards up to a year in advance and ship them out in time for a Birthday, Anniversary, or holiday that you are celebrating.
For more information on Treat, you can follow them via Social media on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+. Now for some other fun thanks to Treat Cards.
Treat Cards would like to offer a giveaway to one of my readers for 10 free tokens to use for your own personalized card purchases. Think about how easy it will be to design them at home, have them sent, and the happiness you will provide to the person on the receiving end of the card.
Rules for Giveaway:
- MAIN RULE – Leave a comment letting me know what type of Father’s Day Card you prefer to send. Do you like silly, sentimental, or some sort of combination and why?
The following Bonus Entries may also be done. Please be sure to leave separate comments for each that you complete below to make sure you get the right number of entries.
- 1 Bonus Entry – If you win who will you be sending cards to with your tokens?
- 1 Bonus Entry – Tweet the following about the giveaway: Enter to #win 10 tokens from @TreatCards & @TheAngelForever so you can get creative when sending cards http://bit.ly/KNAicg. #giveaway. (May be done once a day – leave link to Tweet in comment below for new entry)
- 1 Bonus Entry – Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from the months of May/June. Leave a comment here to let me know which one. This Bonus entry may be done twice per day.
To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. The giveaway begins May 24, 2012 and ends June 3 , 2012 at 10:59 EST. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but you must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to US residents only – Treat Cards does not ship outside of the US at this time.
Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a Global Influence campaign. I will be receiving tokens to order cards to send to my family and friends in return for writing this post. As a customer of Tiny Prints, I look forward to trying out Treat soon.
Disney Cast Member Magic
Monday, May 21st, 2012When you immerse yourself into the world of Walt Disney World, you quickly realize that part of the magic is thanks to the amazing Cast Members. Yes, I said Cast Members, not employees. As a member of the Disney production team, all individuals that work within the Disney umbrella are referred to as Cast Members (CMs in Disney lingo).
On our last visit to Walt Disney World, I wish I had gotten the name of several of the CMs that went far above and beyond what they needed to do. There was the CM in Mouse Keeping that arranged special friends and left us nightly surprises in our room. 
Luckily, we did keep track of a few names to make sure to recognize them.
Kimmy from Garden Grove, CA was the CM at Beaches and Cream that had the entire place sing Happy Birthday to JSL. He was so surprised since he thought the flashing lights were to present another Kitchen Sink at a table.
Countless CMs were involved in helping us through an emergency and then they left some Pixie Dust one evening. It was completely uncalled for, but very much appreciated. After taking the photo below, Papa and I walked down to the front desk to thank them and get names of the CMs responsible for this sweet gesture.
What I wish is that I had taken more photos of these amazing individuals that as a team made our trip even better. I have many names and will be writing to Disney to praise these individuals. Still, photos would have been nice – a face to personally thank them here on my blog.
There were also CMs that made us laugh like Steve from Wallingford, CT. Steve was our fearless Captain on The Jungle Cruise. He was absolutely amazing, keeping the kids happy and tossing in some much needed adult humor.
Another person that made me smile while I was having a rough last night was Stephani from Centerpoint, AL. While I was stressing over last minute purchases and packing at the Yacht Club Resort store, she made me laugh and smile. Suddenly, the idea for this post came into my head. I knew that I had to get a photo of this woman who had made me forget about the stresses of packing my family up to leave Walt Disney World. She laughed, but I explained that I was a blogger and there was a reason for this. She recalled the conference earlier, posed, and told me to make sure to spell her name properly.
It is because of these CMs and countless others that my family will always remember this magical trip that we had together. I will never be able to thank them enough, but hopefully by writing this and letting others share in the wonder – it will be at least something.
Do you have a magical CM tale to share? I would love to know how someone at Disney helped to make your trip even more special or went above and beyond. Let me know what this person or people did and how you thanked them.
Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we were given an incredible deal from Disney. 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 and our extended stay.
Razor Scooter Surprise
Sunday, May 20th, 2012Everyone had been asking what JSL wanted for his fifth birthday. The reality is that he only asked for one item. We cringed at his one request, but figured that walkie talkies would be a lot of fun for the kids to use outside this summer.
We were left with no real ideas and relatives asking for suggestions. When my mother and I went shopping, something clicked while walking down an aisle. JSL has been asking for his kiddie scooter to ride. Unfortunately, it was not in the best of shape after two kids and he is just too big for it. Check out the birthday boy’s face when he opened up his gift Monday afternoon:
JSL was beyond excited to try out his new Razor Scooter. Thanks to rain most of the week, we never had a chance to do that. Yesterday, the weather was beautiful, so we packed up the box to take out and try with JSL’s new helmet.
It truly was priceless watching JSL try to figure out where he wanted the handles, how to place his foot, and whether or not he was going too quickly. I do think he will be doing tricks before I know it since the kiddo has no fear and likes to try things other children are doing.
I guess I should enjoy this stage, especially thanks to the big smiles JSL provided from sheer happiness.
Yes, seeing my little guy smile made my entire day!
Disney Junior Swashbuckler Soiree
Thursday, May 17th, 2012From the minute we received the more detailed schedule for events of Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, something caught the attention of my children. Yes, NHL and JSL immediately noted the Swashbucker Soiree, especially after I read them this:
Ahoy matey! Aye – now this is a family dinner you won’t want to miss! Brought to you by Disney Junior, join us for a buccaneer-themed evening along the beach with live music, a treasure hunt and plenty of fun for everyone.
The boys literally jumped up and down. They guessed that Jake from Jake and the Never Land Pirates would be there and possibly others. The boys, well, they are good at guessing.
After the Cocktail Reception – Passport to the World welcome, we went out to the beach by the Beach Club Resort to meet up with our families. With one quick look, you could see we were in for an amazing pirate party!
Disney Junior handed out pirate bandanas and pirates greeted us as we walked onto the beach where a pirate band was playing music for all of us to enjoy. Then, it was time not to walk the plank because there was an amazing buffet of pirate inspired goodies for all to devour.
While the boys and Nana and Papa were eating, TechyDad and I were able to chat with some of our friends on the beach. We also caught up with head GEM (Good Enough Mother) Rene Syler and stopped for a photo. TechyDad helped the kids eat while we gabbed and gabbed with Rene and every other person I bumped into.
Of course, my little mateys had a hard time staying by their seats soon after this. You see, once they saw someone enter the area, they did not want to stay at the table. Check out who joined the party below.
Yes, that is Jake from Disney Junior’s Jake and the Never Land Pirates. When Jake came out onto the Swashbuckler Soiree scene, many of the kids (including mine) were off to participate in the fun and games. Once NHL and JSL had their photo taken with Jake and the pirate slide behind them…
They had to beware of other pirates. This colorful crew of pirate misfits were teaching the kids how to perfect their pirate pose for the camera.
Looking back on it, I wonder if they were really just trying to help and protect the kids. Soon after this, two scallywags that you may recognize showed up to join the party.
Of course, when you party like a pirate, it is important to stop to enjoy a cool ice cream treat.
This break also means that it is the perfect time for the Pirate mother to send out an Instagram or two to share photos from the fun. And for those that finish their Mickey Ice Cream sandwich early, it’s always interesting to hide your feet in the sand!
Of course, little pirates that have been up since the wee hours of the morning get tired when the sun sets. We knew that we had many more adventures ahead on Friday and beyond. While others remained to dance in the dark, we went back to our room in the Yacht Club Resort to settle the boys in for some sweet pirate dreams.
More to share and lessons learned from our time at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration coming soon.
Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we were given an incredible deal from Disney. 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.
Today my Baby is Five
Monday, May 14th, 2012Dear JSL,
Five years ago yesterday, I had no idea that my world would forever change again. It was Mother’s Day and I was very pregnant with you. I slept a lot of the day because I was so exhausted. When I woke up Monday morning, you made it quite clear that today would be your birthday.
Now I look at your sweet little face and the baby, toddler, preschooler is slipping away. You are getting to be so big and will be heading to kindergarten in September. I can not believe that my baby is going to be a kindergarten kid. Your sweet personality makes you so easy to get along with. You are one smart cookie who has a great sense of humor, loves to perform plays for everyone, and help others. Here is a look at your fourth year.
To celebrate turning four, we had a lot of pirate celebrations. Jake and the Never Land Pirates had made a huge impact on your life and everything seemed to be pirates. It was also the first time that you rode solo on the Merry-go-Round at Hoffman’s. (May 2011)
June started off with a major scare when you had a febrile seizure at school. Thank goodness you were in great hands that day. The rest of the month was a lot less eventful. You finished your first year of preschool and we spent time together before NHL was finished with second grade. (June 2011)
We had a busy summer together. NHL, you, and I went to a lot of events at the library and Michaels for their craft program. You loved making items and sharing them with everyone. The summer was also very warm and you liked heading into our little pool to play and the spray ground at the park. (July 2011)
The end of the summer was filled with preparations for NHL’s 8th birthday, going to the movies, more trips to Hoffman’s, and keeping cool. Mommy and Daddy were supposed to go away and you were so excited about possible presents from Disney. Hurricane Irene had other plans and you worked to help us prepare the house for her arrival. (August 2011)
School started back and you were going five days a week for most of the day. Although I missed our extra time together, I knew playing with your friends and learning was important. Each day I would look forward to see all the books, drawings, and creations that you would make. We also went apple picking on your first fieldtrip of the year. (September 2011)
The Fall brought an extreme interest in learning to write. You were constantly writing new books at the start of each day in nursery school. Then, at home, you were using the new LeapFrog goodies we received to try reading on your own. Of course, we ended the month with snow in October just in time for Jedi Tigger to go out for some treats. (October 2011)
We had a relatively quiet month in November. You declared that you liked fruit on a stick, constantly played your guitar, and kept using your favorite markers each morning at school. (November 2011)
Muppets, Snowflake the Bear, Chanukah, and more pirates filled the month of December. You loved playing dress up, especially with your Jake and the Never Land Pirates shirt on. I have a feeling that was your super costume for the Super JSL Buzz Lightyear show that you liked to do all the time. (December 2011)
Thanks to you sleeping in our bed, Daddy and I finally agreed that it was time to get you a big boy bed. The two of you still wanted to share a room, so we bought bunk beds that were delivered on New Years Eve. Much of January was spent getting used to the new sleeping arrangements and wondering why you would not play in the missing snow. (January 2012)
February brought an illness that kept you home from school for a while. Thankfully, we kept febrile seizures away. During break from school, we kept warm inside the house making crafts and also went to the library to explore and see friends. You continued to love going to school to see all of your friends, teachers, and of course your speech therapist C. It was becoming clear to all of us that you were growing up so much and ready to be a kindergarten kid soon. (February 2012)
Lots going on in March. My favorite little pirate came out to play for Purim. Pirate JSL also liked to add more to his costume when playing at home. We had fun at Platypus day looking for Perry. Finally, snow arrived that allowed you to head outside to play. (March 2012)
The month began with Passover preparations. That kept us busy as we were also getting set for another trip to Walt Disney World at the end of the month. You also fell in love with making pottery at a friend’s birthday party. (April 2012) 
Please excuse me if I cry a little today. It is hard for me to believe that my baby has gone from this:
to this in five short years:
As much as I am sad to see you get older, I am excited. I can not wait to see more of who you are becoming. I look forward to watching you learn to read, write, and develop into more of the character and sweet young boy that you already are.
Happy 5th birthday sweetie and here is to many more happy and wonderful memories ahead.
Love,
Mommy
Past B-day posts to JSL:
Brave Mother’s Day Wishes
Sunday, May 13th, 2012Five years ago today, I was very pregnant with my second son. JSL had not gotten the memo that he had been given eviction orders. He decided that it was not in my best interest to come Mother’s Day weekend when my favorite doctor was on call. Instead, I spent Mother’s Day 2007 hot, uncomfortable, and wishing I was holding my baby boy.
Of course, the joke was on me when I realized that I had been in labor all during Mother’s Day and just blocked out a lot with sleeping in front of the AC unit.
Now, I am the mother of two beautiful and amazing boys. NHL and JSL keep me on my toes, make me laugh, and treat me like the princess in our house ….most of the time. It only seemed fitting to jump into a photo with Cinderella and my two little princes.
Now, I will leave you with a special Mother’s Day message from Disney Pixar and the characters from Brave.
Happy Mother’s Day to my mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, aunts, sister-in-laws, cousins, other family members, friends, and all women. May your day be filled with many wonderful memories.
Disclosure: Disney PR notified me of the Mother’s Day Brave featurette. I was not compensated for this and simply wanted to share since I adore all things Disney. You know we will be going to see Brave when it is released June 22, 2012.
A Preschool Mother’s Day Celebration
Saturday, May 12th, 2012Dear JSL,
This week, I have been really sentimental. I think the fact that you turn five in a few days has hit me. My baby is not really a baby anymore. When I keep asking you not to get older, you always remind me that you have no control of this. Thanks to all of this, I am trying to cherish our special time together more before you head to kindergarten. Yesterday, I arrived at school early to cheer you on during the fundraiser and parade. When you saw Mimi there with me, you were so happy and waved to her.
Then, it was time to head up into the classroom for the Mother’s Day celebration. The room was set up for all of the special guests to sit down near your table to watch a performance.
I managed to get a video of your class singing a special song, but I am not going to share that here. Thank goodness you were willing to do an extra performance of the song at home for me to record.
What I realize on the video is we really need to get you to an allergist since that nasal thing that is still pestering you. Oh well, I will work on that next week.
Once the song was over, each of you went to get a present to give to the mothers. You were so cute and came over to me. You were not sure if I should open it up there, but I did.
You handed me a homemade crown. The crown was wrapped around a treasure box that you had painted and decorated.
As beautiful as it was on the outside, my heart melted when I looked inside. This is what you and your fantastic teachers had come up with to surprise us on Mother’s Day:
We had our photo taken together, but my eyes were closed on the one that was taken with my camera. Once you were finished giving me the present, you wanted to show it to Mimi. Later on, I made sure to get a photo of the two of you together. I think you were the only child that had a great-grandparent there.
I am so glad that Mimi and I were both there with you. It was a wonderful afternoon that we all shared together. Thank you for being such a sweet, loving, and special little boy.
Love,
Mommy
Destination Disney Social Media Moms Celebration 2012
Monday, May 7th, 2012Thursday, April 26th was a busy day in our house. We woke up before the sun was shining and packed the boys and suitcases into the car. By 7:30, this was the view from our Southwest Airline plane taking us away to Orlando, Florida for the 2012 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration.
At noon, the Magical Express taking us from the airport pulled up at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. The excitement was in the air as we were Tweeting with a few other bloggers while on the bus. After we checked into our rooms and dropped things off, it was time to head down to find the Disney Social Media Moms check in for our park tickets and schedules. On the way down, I noticed some familiar faces. I saw Suzannah, Amanda, Jackie, and Leigh. I ran down to say hello, give hugs, and then went with TechyDad, the boys, and my parents to the convention center area.
NHL was so excited to see the sign and ran ahead to show us the way to get our items. We bumped into Mary and Amy from BSM Media and Maura from Disney. Then it was time to toss things back into our room, get park tickets, and head over to Epcot for lunch. Since you can walk to Epcot via the International Gateway, TechyDad and I suggested going to France for a quick lunch. On the walk over, we saw the beach getting set up for our Pirate Soiree that evening, watched the palm trees blowing in the breeze, and saw beautiful topiaries set up for the Epcot Flower and Garden Show.
Lunch was perfect to hold us over until later on and gave us some energy to tackle some more of Epcot. The boys asked to stop in Great Britain to play in the maze there after checking out the Winnie the Pooh topiary. Then we continued to walk around World Showcase and noticed that Duffy was outside for photos. We missed him on our last trip, so it was perfect timing with a short line.
Next, we decided to go to Mexico to do one ride before heading back to the Yacht Club. It was time to sing and ride in the boat while chasing Donald Duck around.
By this time JSL was really tired and we hoped to get him to rest before the party on the beach. NHL wanted to roam more of Epcot. I said that I would walk around with him to see Figment. We wandered to Journey into Imagination.
Since we still had more time, we walked by The Land and over to The Seas with Nemo & Friends.
We walked a lot in a short amount of time and decided to take the boat back to the Yacht Club. When I got back, TechyDad and I had about an hour to get ready to make it to the Cocktail Welcome.
So much more to share coming soon. Next up, the Welcome Cocktail party and Swashbucklers Soiree.
Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we were given an incredible deal from Disney. 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.
Our Disney World Family Tradition
Saturday, May 5th, 2012Dear NHL and JSL,
Coming back home from a magical week at Disney World has been a tough transition for all of us. Now, we can sit down and look at all of the moments that we captured from this latest adventure to Orlando. There was the pirate party, dancing in DinoLand late at night, and checking out the Art of Animation Resort. Once the conference was over, we had some extra days to roam the four parks together.
Even a simple moment like the two of you sitting together on a Disney bus while going to a new destination melted my heart. Just three years ago, you were so little when we took you to Disney World for your first visit. Now, the two of you could lead us around the parks and tell us where you wanted to go.
What I loved was the two of you humored us to keep a tradition alive. On our last day at Disney World, we have always worn matching shirts. Both of you agreed to do this again. The best part was wearing them while two special friends before our trip was over:
Sure the heat may have gotten to all of us from time to time, but the amazing moments together is something we will always remember. For now, we will look back at these and hope to start planning another trip back one day soon.
Love,
Mommy
Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we were given an incredible deal from Disney. 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.
Saying Goodbye to the Magic
Thursday, May 3rd, 2012Each trip to Walt Disney World is filled with moments we will never forget. This trip has been no different. We all saw
Fantasmic for the first time together. We stayed out late another night to see the Main Street Electric Parade.
Just hearing the music brought me back to my childhood. The smiles on the boys faces as the lights and characters went by was priceless.
My father and I took TechyDad and NHL on the Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster. This was their first time on a coaster that has a loop.
They skipped it a second time while Papa and I ran back on for another spin.
It really is hard to say goodbye to the magical memories at the end of a Disney vacation.
Thank goodness we have a lot of photos to remember all of the details. So much more to share soon.
Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we were given an incredible deal from Disney. 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.
« Previous Entries