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Under the Weather on Groundhog Day

Posted on February 2, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

While everyone else is watching to see what Phil the groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania sees this morning, I will be busy. First, I will be taking one kid to school and trying to make an appointment for the little guy to see the doctor. Much of Wednesday was spent trying to get the sick little guy to do this

He was so exhausted after waking up during the night with a fever. There are no other symptoms, aside from a cough when he gets upset. He did get sick all over me, but it was not illness related. JSL is NOT a fan of medicine. Unfortunately, with his febrile seizure history, we do not wait around with fevers. We have to act quickly to get his temperature down. While he has gone eight months without one, we never know if today could bring another seizure.

We did not go to the doctor Wednesday because it may just be viral. If he is miserable during the night, we will likely head to the doctor to have his ears and throat checked to make sure. JSL never complains about his ears bothering him and often they are the cause of fevers.

While we rest, I do hope to read some Groundhog Day books, like the one I reviewed last year.

Source: theangelforever.com via TheAngelForever on Pinterest

If you are looking for other Groundhog Day ideas, I found some and pinned on my Groundhog Day board. There are pancakes, fruit snack, predictions craft, cupcake push pops and more. Stop by because the photos are amazing and they link to the items shown.

Do you have any special plans this Groundhog Day? What do you think about the little rodent’s prediction given the relatively mild winter in a lot of the country?

Categories:
books holidays photos Pinterest sick kid sickness

Tuesday Tales – Reading Multiple Books

Posted on January 31, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Books, books, and more books. As an educator our house is filled with books of all kinds. We have picture books, board books, drawing book, Newbery books, library books, Kindle books, travel books, and many more. Most of the time, I never know what I am going to read next.

The other day, I finally caught up with Ridley Pearson’s Kingdom Keeper books. The fourth book, Kingdom Keepers IV: Power Play, was released at about the time we were visiting Disney World last year. I just happened to bump into the series and took a photo to check out when we got home. The rest is history. Now I can not wait until the next book is released on April 3. Kingdom Keepers V: Shell Game sets up a new type of adventure for the Kingdom Keepers. Fans are even treated to a special sneak peek of Chapter 1 on Ridley Pearson’s website.

Of course, these are not the only books I am reading. The person that once thought it was impossible to have more than one book being read at a time does. I have a book in my Kindle for when I am on the go and am always reading with the boys. So what would I read next?

I recalled a book that I had been hoping to read. It would take me back to the good old days. You know, when I was a carefree kid who lived to see the next episode of Little House on the Prairie with her best friend. After I finished reading Prairie Tale: A Memoir, I heard that Alison Arngrim was coming out with her own book. Yes, this is the book that I am reading right now:

I am about a third of the way done with the book and am in love with Arngrim’s style of writing. I can almost hear Nellie Olsen reading the book. She tells us about her life growing up before Little House and then gives us her thoughts on the people she worked with for years. More details to come as I continue to read. If you are a fan of Little House and Nellie – I highly recommend Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated.

Do you read more than one book at a time? I would love to know your thoughts on this. What have you read recently? Please 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. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Disclosure: Four Amazon Affiliate links are included in this post with the four book titles mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the books through that link.

Categories:
books Disney looking back me moments photos television Tuesday Tales

My Preschool Star

Posted on January 29, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear JSL,

This past week was your turn to be the Star of the Week in your class. You were only the third child and first boy, so we were making things up as we went along. Last weekend, we had the sheet home from school with what we needed to send in. First, we had to fill out the All About Me page

Name – JSL
Favorite color – blue
Favorite book – If You Give a Pig a Party
Favorite toy – Bumblebee Transformer
Favorite food – Mac and Cheese
Members in my family – JL, B, and NHL

Then, you had a bag to put a few items for the week in. You needed something that God made and we picked a feather from Whiskers. Your favorite book which I went in to read to the class on Wednesday, and three toys. The toys had to stay for the week, so this was a tough decision. In the end, you picked Bumblebee, a Buzz Lightyear on his ship, and Pirate Stitch. The last item was to include 12 photos for the bulletin board (featured on Wordless Wednesday). The two of us went through a bunch of photos and made a folder. Then we worked on narrowing it down to the 12. You finally picked these out to share with everyone.

On Tuesday, you shared your photos and feather with the kids in your class. Wednesday, I went in to read your favorite story, and on Friday you shared the rest of your special toys. It was a fun and busy week. I was so proud of how much you helped to work on this project and heard that you did a great job sharing. You are growing up so quickly and I am so proud of you.

Love,

Mommy

Categories:
books Dear Kid Saturday Disney fun jsl looking back photos school

Tuesday Tales – Newbery Books

Posted on January 24, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

On Monday, the American Library Association announced the 2012 Youth Media Award Winners. Some of the awards given out were the Newbery Medal, Caldecott Medal, Coretta Scott King Award, Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, and many others. To see the full list of 2012 award winning books, the ALA has the press release with all of the titles, authors, illustrators, and other important information on their website.

As a parent who has an older child that is now reading chapter books, I like to keep up to date on these new award winning books . Of course, during my days in the classroom I read a lot of them as well.

I previously wrote about some of the Newbery titles that I have read over the years. I not only read these because I adored seeing all of the children’s literature that are out there, but also to see what to use within my classroom. I will not lie, I often selected titles that were Newbery Medal or Honor winners. They were not the only titles, but most years I would select 1-2 Newbery trade books to read as a literature unit.

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

The four books above have something in common. They are all Newbery Medal or Newbery Honor books. They are also four books that I taught during Language Arts units in my own classroom. Each of them is unique in their own way. They connect with other subject areas and are fantastic books.

I know that I hope to check out the new Newbery winners for 2012 soon.

Have you read any of the 2012 award books? I would love to hear about them. What have you read recently? Please 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. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Categories:
books Educational me moments school Tuesday Tales

The Sleeping Blanket

Posted on January 23, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

There is nothing better during the cold months than to curl up under a cozy blanket and read a book. It doesn’t matter whether the book has pages to flip, or is found within my Kindle – it is just as relaxing. All that I need are my newly knitted blanket and current book.

I am about half way finished reading Kingdom Keepers IV – Power Play by Ridley Pearson. I love these books and have written about them before. Although they are not specifically written for adults, I enjoy them because the story puts me into the magical world of Disney. There is something special about favorite characters battling the evil Disney Villains like Maleficent and Cruella De Ville.

Sunday afternoon, the boys were busy playing Nintendo and it seemed like the perfect time to catch some more of the Kingdom Keepers adventures throughout Walt Disney World. I read for quiet a bit and then I felt like I was being put under a spell. Of course, the Evil Queen was not in my house. I felt the need to close my book and eyes.

After I woke up from my nap, I joked to TechyDad. I think there is something to this blanket. Several nights this week, I would curl up on the couch to sit and watch television or read, only to fall fast asleep under the blanket.

Does this cozy, soft, warm blanket have special powers to make those who curl under it forget their mission to read or get work done?

Hmmmm. . . could it be?

After TechyDad and I came up with this theory we asked the boys to test it out, but for some reason they refuse to try it. Of course, I still am going to test it with them one of these days – insert evil laugh here!

Do you own a special blanket, pillow, or something else that just seems to make you fall asleep? Makes me wonder if the baby blankets like this do the same for those that have received them?