April, 2009 | The Angel Forever

Monthly Archives April 2009

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Story time at Chez Angel – Go! Go! Go!

Posted on April 25, 2009 4:31 pm by TheAngelForever

When growing up, I remember I adored books that had flaps. It was always exciting to go inside and explore all of the hidden wonders. My oldest son, NHL loves reading flap books as well. He is now able to explore them without damaging the books.

Recently, NHL and I read the book Go! Go! Go! by Roxie Munro. Right on the cover of the book, it states that there are "More than 70 flaps to uncover and discover!" Each and every page in this book is loaded with flaps and items to unwind and flip that help and tell the story.

NHL and I waited for a quiet time and stretched out on the floor to explore the book. As soon as we opened the book, NHL noticed that the information on the inside cover was even included in a flap. We immediately knew that this was going to be a fun experience. As you continue into the book, you are taken on a transportation adventure. Roxie Munro’s colorful illustrations, and interactive flaps quickly brought us into the world that she created.

Our first stop was a fire station where firefighters were getting ready. NHL liked lifting a flap to help some of them slide down the pole. Another flap made one of the people in the scene pick up a telephone. This allowed NHL and I to talk about things that go on in a fire house. He had a great time using his 5 year old imagination and playing out the scene sine there is no text on the page. As we continued on, the book a huge flap that allowed the fire truck to drive down the street, send out the ladder and put out a fire. NHL was in his glory because this one page required you to flip a section four times.

Next, Munro takes us to a Balloon Festival. Here you lift flaps to assist the people taking items out of their trucks and getting the balloons off the ground. Then you go to another page and the balloons all lift into the sky in a gorgeous display of artistic perspective.

Go! Go! Go! continues taking you to a horse race where you watch the horses getting ready and then they are off and racing. Next, there is a Deep-Sea Discovery Research Vessel that shows a diver exploring the ocean below. The last stop is a Pit Stop where members are assisting two cars in a race. The last page of the book opens up to reveal an amazing display of a raceway that is as wide as four pages. While exploring here you are able to make the cars race around the track.

NHL and I enjoyed this book. It was a great way for us to talk about different items that are on the "go" and discuss things that take place in these environments. Roxie Munro does an amazing job of capturing the details and allowing the reader to truly feel like they are in the scene while flipping and turning the flaps. I know that we will definitely be exploring more of the wonderful books by Roxie Munro in the future.

Categories:
books Product review Story time

Grilling Goodness – Take 14

Posted on April 24, 2009 9:58 am by TheAngelForever

1. When you were in school, did you study hard or cram the night before? – In High School I never studied too much. At pharmacy school I learned better ways, but it always seemed like cramming. While doing my Education studies there were not many tests honestly.

2. What can pull you out of a really funky mood? – A hug/kiss from my boys.

3. Do you keep the invoice after you’ve paid the bill?– Yes, you never know IF you may need it. Now I just need a better system of filing things.

4. Do you have yard sales? Shop at them? – Debating having one soon, but not sure if it is worth the effort. Have not shopped at one in a long time.

5. When was the last time you rode a roller coaster? – I believe I went on one last summer with my son at Six Flags. Hoping to go on the Rockin’ Roller Coaster at Disney Hollywood Studios soon :)

6. Spring cleaning…do you do such things as wash your windows? – No, have not done this in way too long. Something we should do, but other things always crop up that are more important.

7. How often do you clean out your refrigerator? – Weekly we go through the refrigerator and empty things out when it is garbage night. We also do a massive cleaning before Passover.

8. Have you ever been a victim of identity theft? – Yes, hubby’s identity was stolen a little over a year ago. It was a huge mess, but I think I caught things quickly since the thief was stupid and we were sent the credit card. Still it means a complete lock down for our protection and it complicates getting credit checks and everything. Really wish the government helped victims a little more than punishing us more.

Head over to Golden Goodness to play along!

Categories:
Grilling Goodness me moments web fun

Books for boys

Posted on April 23, 2009 11:03 pm by TheAngelForever

Growing up I remember reading several different book series. My Uncle J and Aunt A hooked me on the Polk Street School books by Patricia Reilly Giff. I recall going out with them to have pizza, playing Pacman at the arcade and going to the book store to get something to read.

There were other series that I read as a child. I quickly became a fan of the Ramona Quinby books by Beverly Clearly. In addition to this, I loved the Anastasia Krupnik books by Lois Lowry (author of Number the Stars) and adored reading about Peter and Fudge in the books by Judy Blume.

As a college student who was an education major, I read a lot of children’s literature. Some of these include Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling), Junie B Jones (Barbara Park), Cam Jansen Mystery books (David A. Adler), Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket) to name a few. As a teacher I read even more. While teaching Language Arts I read many of the books that my students were reading outside of class to keep up with their interests.

This past summer we decided that NHL was ready to start listening to chapter books with us. I had bought a copy of Dinosaurs Before Dark, the first book in the Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pop Osborne.

Originally I started reading the books with NHL, but soon JL took over and it became a nightly thing for them. Over the months the boys have been reading the books here and there. Last night NHL and JL finished book #40 in the series. Today I requested the newest book from the library.

So my question for youthis week:

What series of books did you read as a child, or did your children read, that you would recommend for a little boy? NHL is in kindergarten and loves to read so the more ideas the better.

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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 Mr. Linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #45

Categories:
Aloha Friday books looking back nhl

Up and down battles

Posted on April 23, 2009 9:09 am by TheAngelForever

My boys are pretty healthy (*knock on wood*). The problem, when they get sick they like to drag it out for a while. Nothing is ever simple with NHL and JSL. It seems to be a major uphill battle with them when we are fighting an illness. Just when we seem like we are at the top and all better.

BAM! Right back to where we started again with a climb back to the top.

As I mentioned Tuesday, JSL had been on an antibiotic for three days and spiked a 104 fever Monday night. Obviously we had to go back to the doctor to have his ear rechecked. After some hoopla at the doctor’s office, we were lucky enough to see the doctor we really like. She looked into his left ear and there was now fluid in it. That had not been the case Saturday at Urgent Care. The infected right ear was still horrible looking and red. We were put on a new antibiotic.

While there I voiced my concern about being sick so close to when we go to Disney World. I was floored when she not only suggested a prescription for antibiotics go with us on our trip, but we fill it and take it with us. So we have a refill on the antibiotic just in case we need it while visiting Mickey Mouse and friends. We head back for a recheck a little before our trip. The doctor is holding off on an ENT visit for now. Since we only have 3-4 confirmed ear infections during the 2008-2009 season he is on the line. IF we get one more infections before the fall we are off for a consult.

Thank goodness this antibiotic seems to be kicking JSL’s infection. We can now see signs of everything draining from his ear. The poor kid is coughing and sneezing, but at least it is breaking up. With any luck he will be feeling great and we can head to the park for some fun again. As you can see he truly does love it there.