Aloha Friday | The Angel Forever

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Unique Gifts from Sweet Lil’ You Boutique

Posted on October 11, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

While I love making gifts for family and friends, I also adore finding unique items and helping out artists on Etsy. I met Sarah Bouvier of sweet lil’ you years ago at a hockey rink. She and her friend had season tickets for the Albany River Rats near by my season tickets. We would often chat before and after games. Years went by and suddenly I “bumped” back into Sarah online thanks to Twitter. I saw the amazing wedding that she planned via Facebook and was blown away with her creativity. Then, I watched as she started blogging about becoming a first time mother and being adopted. Her way with words in posts about her daughter, heading to Disney, and crafting always impress me. Still, there is more to Sarah.

While staying at home with her beautiful daughter Avery, Sarah has started an Etsy store called sweet lil’ you boutique featuring several different items that she makes. The first time I saw her personalized wood block pieces I feel in love. If you are not sure what I mean by these, check out some of her beautiful creations below.

Wedding gifts, gifts for a new home, or something special for a teacher. Sarah’s boutique has something for everyone, or she will work with you on whatever you are looking for. Here are some items that she has for the upcoming holiday season:

I have seen Sarah’s work in person. While she was brainstorming on possible items for a store, she sent us one of her examples that has already been gifted. I loved how the blocks were just the right size, able to be stacked differently, and were made to fit the personality of the people needed. Seriously, just look at this photo of one Sarah made for her own family. I think you may be able to figure out one of her favorite sporting teams.

So my question to you this week:

What would you love to have Sarah of sweet lil’ you boutique create for you and why? Yes, we are calling this pre-holiday brainstorming.

Disclosure: None – Sarah is a friend and I asked to feature her beautiful work on my blog. Friends support and toot the horn for other friends.

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 #257

Categories:
Aloha Friday friends gift ideas

Bedtime Math Parent Blog Writer

Posted on October 4, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

For a few weeks, I have been holding back on announcing some fantastic news. I was recently asked to write posts for the Bedtime Math Parent blog. Now that all of the paper work is signed and my first post is live, I thought I would share some information with my readers. It is no secret that math and science are a huge part of our world thanks to my love and TechyDad’s. Our kids have been naturally curious about numbers, math concepts, and like to play with math games when given the choice. My oldest son, NHL, has always incorporated math problems into his art work.

$Bedtime Math Android App Screenshot$

As a parent, I love why Laura Bilodeau Overdeck created Bedtime Math for families. The mission is to make math a fun part of kids’ everyday lives. Math is a part of our world, so why not find it within the fun that families do each and every day? That is exactly what the book, website, and app are working to do. This video shares a bit more about the book by Overdeck.

So my question this week is inspired by my new project:

What fun ways have you incorporated math into your family and lives outside of the school setting?

Disclosure: My writing for Bedtime Math is compensated, but I was never asked to share this on my blog. I believe in adding enriching activities into the lives of our children, and Bedtime Math does this, so I wanted to share.

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 #256

Categories:
Aloha Friday Educational My Other Projects

Lunch and Recess Time at School

Posted on September 20, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Schools are stressed for time. Every minute of every day is strategically used in one way or another. Of course, in my mind too much of the focus is spent on testing and more specifically teaching to the tests. I will not even get into that right now because it is too much of a hot topic with the Common Core State Standards being pushed into almost every classroom throughout the country. In New York State, my children are in the second year of this transition. It is not only rough on them, but also on the teachers and parents. Rather than focus on the negative (I could go on and on), I want to check in with parents from throughout New York and other states. What is the topic?

At a recent PTA meeting, an interesting topic came up and got me thinking. A parent asked about the lunch and recess time at our school. Our children have 30 minutes for a combined lunch and recess. Of course, young kids rush or do not bother to eat to get outside into the fresh air to run, play, and get energy out. Who can blame them really? The question came up as to whether there is a standard amount of time for lunch and recess in elementary schools. I honestly can not recall the time at our last school. When I was teaching, I believe our students (PreK-8) had 30 minutes for lunch and then recess after that.

So my question of the week is inspired by the PTA meeting:

How much time do your children have for lunch and/or recess at school? I would love to know grade levels and if you are comfortable what state you live in.

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 #254

Categories:
Aloha Friday school

Summer Themes

Posted on August 23, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

While many children across the United States have gone back to school, my kids do not head back until the week after Labor Day. We typically go the week of Labor Day, but the holidays made that week hectic enough that they pushed it back. Thanks to this, we are still filling the days with summer fun. It made me wonder if there was a theme to our 2013 summer. Last year, Harry Potter and Magic Tree House books claimed a lot of our attention, along with LEGO fun. So what would I say our theme was this year? Most likely it would be Doctor, more LEGO fun, and a major dose of dinosaurs and general science fun.

Several of these silly photos were set up my the boys, others done while participating in the #SummerADay Instagram fun that A Frugal Friend and Simple Sojourns have been running all summer. Either way, I have had fun documenting the fun while on the go with my phone and sharing it with family and friends.

Why yes, our theme would probably have a lot to do with dinosaurs and science thanks to out miSci membership. Of course, even Doctor Who has had his run-ins with these topics and more.

So my question to you this week: If you had to come up with a theme to describe your 2013 summer at this point, what would it be and why?

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 #251

Categories:
Aloha Friday summer

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 for Children

Posted on August 2, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Recently, TechyDad and I realized that both of the boys had a lot of gift card money that they had never used from birthdays and Chanukah. While our oldest quickly declared that he wanted a Nintendo 3DS, our little guy did not. Rather than get more toys that he did not need to clutter the house, we started to investigate tablets. We quickly came to the conclusion that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 would be perfect.

While we were doing our research about the device, Verizon Wireless reached out to me about sharing our experience with the device. As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, we were sent a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 that has 4G capabilities on the Verizon network.

So you may be asking why a tablet and more specifically why the Galaxy Tab 2? Well, for starters, JSL likes to use the apps on my phone more than he likes traditional gaming devices. The tablet also offers him the ability to use items from our family of mostly Android devices. As an Android user, I already know a lot of educational apps that are good for my little guy. In addition to this, we can load the tablet with the Kindle app for book reading and OverDrive Media app for book listening. When TechyDad and I started to do research on Android tablets, the reviews for the Galaxy Tab 2 were amazing. When we went to visit with them in stores, the beautiful screen clarity and easy motions made us know that it would be kid friendly. Another big factor is the price point of the Samsung. It is available in two different sizes (7 and 10 inch) and you can also purchase a non-4G version with Wi-Fi only.

When the Galaxy Tab 2 arrived, TechyDad spent a lot of time getting it ready for JSL. More about that process coming soon. Once it was ready and charged, JSL quickly learned to show us how everything should be used. (He also named it: Stupendous.) He loves the time he is allowed to use it and because of the size it packs up easily for long car rides (see the photo below)

In the upcoming weeks, I plan to share more of the ways we use the Galaxy Tab 2 for educational purposes and more. Oh and in case you were wondering, NHL no longer wants the Nintendo 3DS. With his birthday coming up later this month, he wants to get another Galaxy Tab 2. I believe we have a family of tech geeks in training.

So my question to you this week:

Do your children use a Tablet and what do they typically use it for? If you happen to have an Android tablet, I would love more suggestions on apps that we may want to add to our device.

It's Me

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I received a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 to test out and share ways that I use this in my life. There was no other compensation. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.

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 #249