Monthly Archives July 2013

Disney Letter M

When you think of things that start with M from the magical world of Walt Disney, you automatically think of Mickey and Minnie. I wanted to go a bit more outside of the box, though I did include a retro photo of Minnie with me in the mid to late 80s. The phone from Pop Century Resort reminds me of the actual one that my parents had when I was growing up and the others were just really great memories and from our times at Walt Disney World.

Minnie and Me in the 1980s

Mr and Mrs Potato Head at Pop Century Resort

Magical adventure on the Wild Africa Trek

Mufasa at Art of Animation Resort

Mickey Phone at Pop Century Resort

Mater at Art of Animation Resort

Focused on the Magic

Be sure to stop by Focused on the Magic by clicking on the button above to join in the Disney magic this week.

It's Me

Share:
Share on Facebok
Share on Pinterest
Share on Google+



Tuesday Tales – Fun Writing Prompts for Kids

When I was teaching, one of the items I would do almost every morning with my elementary aged students was to put a creative writing prompt on the board. They would interpret it whatever way they wanted in their journal and they could draw a picture to go along with it. When I was teaching older students, I had journal prompt books that I would occasionally use and allow students to pick from a few choices for longer essay writing. As I mentioned earlier, my soon to be first grader adores writing. He has several journals that he uses. One is for writing poems, one is to write about things we have done this summer, and the other is just random. Summer Writing Time shared what my boys have been up to in addition to mandatory reading from me.

There are days when JSL says he does not know what to write about. If I suggest something, all bets are on him refusing that topic. So, when we were out at Target and saw some new Crayola Creative and Activity Books, I convinced him to let me buy one to try. I have a feeling the pig on the cover reminded him of Piggy at home and that’s why he wanted it.

Writing Prompt book for kids

When I looked inside I saw something that was perfect for a preschooler to first grader. Each page had a title/writing prompt that was easy to read. Under that was space for the child to draw or complete a picture. Then there were three lines of primer rule for the kids to write about the picture above

Using writing prompts for fun

This book has been a lot of fun for both of us. JSL goes to it when he is not able to come up with something to write in his other notebooks. I love that he is actively engaged, excited, and proud to share his creativity. What I may do next time is encourage him to expand on the writing in one of his other books. Perhaps he can make it into a poem, or something else that will add some more words. I know he has been upset with the limited space, so perhaps he would take this suggestion.

While the Crayola book was a great tool, do not limit yourself to this. Think of different topics and silly ideas that your child enjoys. Buy a composition notebook and write a prompt at the top of each one. Think outside of the box, especially if you have older children that are reluctant writers. The possibilities are endless and perhaps you can have them give you a fun prompt to do and then share afterward.

Have you ever used writing prompts with your children? I would love to know how you use them. As always, Tuesday Tales is all about sharing our love of books. Please let me know what you have read recently. Be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else.

It's Me

Share:
Share on Facebok
Share on Pinterest
Share on Google+



Time for Braces

As a child, I was spared from having to get braces. My teeth are not perfect, but the little bit of crowding on the bottom is just cosmetic. Of course, at one point I had to go to an orthodontists office. I remember being scared out of my mind. People that I did not know were making molds of my teeth giving my parents a plan that would take years to complete. Thank goodness my pediatric dentist thought there may be something he could do to fix most of my issues. With a small procedure to the skin between my two top front teeth, everything moved over beautifully and nothing was needed.

Going to the orthodontistFast forward to being a parent. The dentists always told me that NHL, almost ten, had lots of space in his mouth for his adult teeth. What nobody guarantees is that the powers that be will make said teeth drop into place in the right location. Several years ago, we were sent to an orthodontist for NHL because an x-ray noted that he was missing an adult tooth. This chance meeting began our relationship with an amazing orthodontics practice in our area. I refused to go back where I had been as a child and the kind orthodontist and his office staff made us know we were in the right place.

For two years we went back to check in, knowing that NHL would eventually need braces because of a cross-bite and teeth not coming in the right location. In November, we had to make a decision about our new dental insurance. The orthodontist scheduled a quick visit for us to check in early. He agreed that this would be the year that we should begin NHL’s braces. Over the last few months, NHL went in to have his mouth checked and the orthodontist scheduled me in to go over the plan and financing it (see items I learned below). We all agreed that it would be fine to wait until the school year was over to begin.

So the Tuesday after we got out of school, NHL went to have his braces put on the top teeth. He brought along the new Mike with his wires showing for support. In addition to the top wires, he had two turbos placed behind his front teeth (we call them fangs). When he came out he showed me the metal and the colors he asked for on the brackets.

NHL's Braces

Those first few days were a challenge. NHL’s mouth was sore, he was afraid to eat things, and he was a stickler for following their instructions. Friday evening one of the brackets flipped on his tooth, so we called the orthodontist. He was amazing and called back quickly. We were told to call back if something happened to the wire, but that it was probably not sealed properly given what he was eating. Monday morning I called the office and by the time we went in a few days later, three brackets had popped off. They were put back on and everything has been going really well. NHL has learned to care for his own teeth and did wonderfully when at camp.

Then, while visiting TechyDad’s parents, we sat at their table eating birthday cake. Suddenly, NHL grabbed his mouth. Why yes, another bracket had turned on a different tooth. To make a long story short, this was nothing that NHL could have avoided. You see, his new pre-molar pushed the bracket off as it started to secretly come down. So now, NHL has a mission to get that baby tooth out so we can help the new tooth down. During this month with the braces and the months leading up to them, I have learned a lot and thought I would share a few of them.

Things that I have learned about braces as a parent:

  • Going with your gut when picking an orthodontics practice is huge.
  • Brushing and flossing are much more “interesting” when a lawyer of metal surround the teeth.
  • Helping an older child to brush their teeth is not an easy task.
  • If brackets fall off in less than a week, there was probably an issue with the bonding process.
  • Read the fine print on orthodontics coverage with dental insurance if you have it. Most likely there is a lifetime max that is ridiculously low and will cover almost nothing anyway.
  • Dental insurance with orthodontics is pretty much costing us more than the braces.
  • I joke often about a trip to Disney World being placed into my son’s mouth.
  • Baby teeth can be pesky when doing what may be phase one of braces in a younger child. If you do not have the x-rays in front of you, it may just surprise you.

Our journey with braces is just beginning. Have you or your child had braces? I would love to know your experience and if you have any tips on getting a stubborn loose tooth out when braces are also in the way.

It's Me

Share:
Share on Facebok
Share on Pinterest
Share on Google+



Historic Nunley’s Carousel in Long Island

While visiting Long Island to see TechyDad’s parents, we had a few places that we hoped to visit. One of those locations was the Long Island Children’s Museum in Garden City. Thanks to our science museum membership, we were able to go in for free. We had a wonderful time exploring everything within the museum (more on that coming soon). When we were finished, we decided to walk toward the outdoor display at the Long Island Air and Space Museum. It was getting late and we wanted to beat the traffic heading back toward home. As we started walking, I noticed a pathway that lead to a beautiful carousel. Inside the building was Nunley’s Carousel.

Historic Nunley's Carousel

Since we were not going to have time to go to another location, we allowed the boys to go for one ride. NHL, JSL, and TechyDad enjoyed their ride. While they were on the horses, I was in charge of the camera and loved watching the details on this historic carousel as it kept going around and around.

Details on the Historic Nunley's Carousel

So my question to you this week is inspired by the carousel that we saw:

If you could make your dream carousel, what would it look like? I’m always curious to know what you could have for people to ride on, what features it would include, and music that would play while riders enjoyed their time on board.

It's Me


Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this Friday fun. These days, Pamela at A Renaissance Woman is reviving the fun Friday Meme. Head over there to link up and join in the fun.

Aloha Friday by Kailani at An Island Life

Aloha #248

Share:
Share on Facebok
Share on Pinterest
Share on Google+



A First Look At The BlackBerry Q10

Hi all.  TechyDad here, guest posting on my wife’s site.  A couple of weeks ago, I was given a Blackberry Q10 as part of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers program. Even as I just began to use it, I could see some major improvements that it had over my previous BlackBerry Bold.
BlackBerry Bold vs Q10

The first thing that I noticed was the outward appearance changes. The phone is a bit bigger. This is partly to accommodate a larger touch screen. In addition, while the Bold relied on a series of selection buttons and a touchpad “mouse”, the Q10 has eliminated both. Instead, the touch screen does all of the work. Swiping in various directions performs actions previously regulated to physical buttons. (More on this later.)

Next, I noticed that the Q10’s main screen resembles the screen on an Android or iOS smartphone. Apps are listed in a 3×4 grid with large icons on top and small (but still very readable) text beneath. The Bold would just show small icons. Yes, it wound up showing more per screen (18 to the Q10’s 12), but the drawback of an icon-only view is that it requires the user to know what each icon represents. At times, two apps can have icons that are confusingly similar. The text below really aids in figuring out which app you want to launch.

main-screen

Third, the Bold wasn’t very intuitive as to how you needed to switch applications or close them when you were done. Eventually, I found out that I pressed the menu button from the home screen and chose Switch Application. I never did figure out how to close them, though. The Q10, by contrast, showed me how to app switch and close as part of its start up routine. From any screen, you simply swipe up. All of the running apps will be shown on the resulting screen as small screenshots with the app’s name and a close icon below. To close an app, you just tap the “close” icon and the app will be shut down.

app-switching

Where swiping up gets you the running apps, swiping down gets you the settings screen. This gives you easy access to any setting on the Q10 that you might want to modify.

Taking screenshots are an additional improvement to the Bold. Previously, you needed to download a third party application. Now, however, you just press the volume up and down buttons at the same time and a photo of the screen will be taken immediately.

Finally, the BlackBerry Bold only had a rear facing camera. This meant that I could take photos of anything except myself. (Unless, of course, I turned the camera around and hoped that I was angling it properly.) The Q10, on the other hand, has both a front and rear facing camera. This means that video conferencing applications, such as Skype, are possible on the Q10. For a business phone, this can be invaluable as a simple conference call can be enhanced with video capabilities.

With all of these new features, the Q10 has left me itching to dive deep and see just what this phone can do. More is definitely to come.

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I recently received a BlackBerry Q10 to test out and share ways that I use my cell phone to make life easier. There was no other compensation. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.

Share:
Share on Facebok
Share on Pinterest
Share on Google+