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The Help – Coming August 10 (Giveaway)

Posted on August 1, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Back in the October, I read a book that really left a mark on me. It was called The Help by Kathryn Stockett. When I finished listening to The Help I had to wait to read another book for a while. The messages within the book were beyond powerful. The amazing women depicted in it blew me away and I did not want it to end.

Soon after this, I started to hear that the book was being made into a movie and would be out this coming summer. I will admit, I was excited and nervous. You see, as a teacher, I’m often skeptical about books being turned into movies.

On August 10, 2011, The Help will burst into the movies for all to see. I was lucky enough to see it last Thursday during a screening. I am not allowed to say anything now, but I can share a preview with you:

My suggestion: if you have not read The Help, please do so. Read it with a group of friends, talk about it, and then make a girls night out to see the movie. There is even a free book club kit to use while enjoying the book. It has fun facts about the book, along with some recipes to test out. You can also keep up to date on the movie release with The Help Movie page on Facebook.

Giveaway:

While waiting for the official release date of The Help, the PR agency at Dream Works would like to add a bit of fun for you. One of you has a chance to win the following prize pack which includes:

The Help t-shirt in adult femal sizes S, M, L, or XL
The Help pocket jotter & pen
The Help fan
The Help nail file/mirror

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – If you have read The Help, which character are you most excited to see come alive on the big screen? If you have not read the book, why are you hoping to see the movie?

2 Bonus Entries – Follow me, TheAngelForever, on Twitter and let me know you Twitter ID.
1 Bonus Entry – Tweet the following about the giveaway (May be done up to three times a day): Change begins with a whisper – #TheHelpMovie comes out on Aug 10. #Giveaway on @TheAngelForever for a prize pack http://bit.ly/qVf3I5
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Follow Help Movie on Twitter and leave your Twitter ID in a comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from the month of July or August. Leave a comment here to let me know which one. This Bonus entry may be done up to three times.
3 Bonus Entries – Add my blog button to your website and/or add me to your blogroll. Be sure to leave a link with the location.

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today August 1, 2011 and ends at 10:59 EST on August 15 , 2011. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but 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 U.S. and Canadian residents only.

As always to keep up to speed on giveaways and other items, Like The Angel Forever on Facebook.

Disclosure: PR from DreamWorks sent me media information about The Help and asked me to conduct a giveaway for my readers. As a fan of the book, I wanted to offer this opportunity to all of you. No compensation was given, and all opinions are mine.

Categories:
books fun giveaway looking back me moments Movies

Tuesday Tales – Goodbye Borders

Posted on July 26, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Tuesday Tales

As a teacher, I received a lot of gift cards to the local book stores. The most popular, for a while, was Borders. I was able to go and shop for myself, my classroom, and my family. With my free Borders reward card and teacher discount, it was a nice place to go and play.

When NHL was little, we used to go to Borders and spend a lot of time there. He would wander around the store, practice walking, or nap in his stroller while I would gawk at books to use in my classroom. When we would go to our local mall, we would always park by Borders. The kids always begged for a new book. Sad to say that TechyDad and I often caved at the bargain book section – especially before a trip away.

When we heard that Borders was going to close and start to liquidate their inventory, we figured we would head over there to see what was going on. The first day of the sale was during the heat wave, so it was the perfect location to spend time walking up and down the aisles.

Something caught me off guard. NHL, almost 8, asked me why Borders was going to close. I told him that sometimes businesses are not able to stay open, so they are going to be closing all of their stores. He was visibly upset and told me that he was sad. He stood there in the store recalling times that we had gone there together. He remembered books that we had bought, events we had participated in there, and on and on.

We walked around looking for something to get the boys. I was intrigued with some math/reading books for NHL, but passed. Instead, we got him a new Sudoku book for the summer and beyond. Then, I noticed the Geronimo Stilton books from Scholastic. My eyes noticed the one on Niagara Falls. NHL eventually agreed that he wanted to try that chapter book since it looked interesting and very different. Then, it was time to find something for JSL. He fell in love with a Winnie the Pooh book about the new movie. I agreed and he is in love with the Read-Along CD. He has never used one of these before and loves the character voices telling him the story for independent reading.

I also picked up a non-book item for TechyDad. They had Envirosax. They happened to sell the Sesame Street variety there. I was in luck, they had one of the Grover bags left, so grabbed it.

While paying, it was sad to realize that this was the last time I will use a gift card at Borders. It may be the last time we buy something at Borders. Of course, the memories of the times spent there, and the books we will continue to read that we bought there will live on.

What memories do you have of Borders? Did you go to their Harry Potter or Twilight Parties? Will you be going to their sale to see about getting some books to put away?

What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your Book Posts, and/or leave a comment 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 jsl looking back nhl photos shopping TechyDad Tuesday Tales

When Art Meets the Library

Posted on July 21, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

This summer, the boys and I have been trying to get to some of the free or less expensive events around the Capital District. The library that I went to as a child still has some amazing programs and we love spending time there.

Most of the events for children have materials already included and you do not have to sign up. One exception to that rule was earlier this week. The library had a “Make a Story Tower with Tang Museum” where kids would construct a 3-D tower that tells a story. NHL and I were intrigued and we got him into one of the last spots. The teacher in me loved the connection of art and literature.

When we arrived, the two women from Tang greeted the children and sat them down for a group circle. The kids were introduced to this:

This is a replica of a piece that is currently at the Tang Museum at Skidmore College in Saratoga called Tower of Babel by Josh Dorman. Dorman’s art, done in 2008, is made out of ink, acrylic, oil, antique paper on 32 adjoined panels which make it 96×48”. Thanks to the artist’s gallery online, I was able to check out more about him and his other amazing work that is also on display at the Tang Museum until August 16

The kids were fascinated by the art in front of their eyes. I do not think they understood when Leah told them the “real” piece is actually in Saratoga and so much larger. They really were way too mesmerized with the poster in front of them. The kids were brainstorming what Dorman may have been depicting with his art. To help them out, they had blown up sections of the Tower of Babel to look at.

When you look at this work up close, it has so many hidden details that tell story after story. That is exactly what this was about. Letting the kids brainstorm and make a tower of their own to tell a story. To do this, tables were set up with lots of supplies.

Barbara and Leah from the museum really interacted with the kids. They listened to them, helped them to find what they needed for their masterpieces, and even let my 4 year old participate since they had an extra space for him. Check out my kiddos making their towers:

When they were finished, the boys had their two story towers.

The kids met back in a circle at the end and NHL was the first to share his story. He was inspired to make a tower about Disney’s Animal Kingdom and some things that happened with the animals on the safari. He started with his Tree of Life and then moved onto savannah and other animal habitats.

Yes, this is why I love going to the library and keeping up on programs that are taking place. I also adore that museums like the Tang at Skidmore College are working with kids to integrate art into the world of learning (teacher geek talk for you). I know I am quite intrigued with their Family Saturday program. Check it out because they are running the same one that we participated in on August 5.

Disclosure: I was not asked to write this post about our experience. It was free to sign up, we loved it, and I wanted to toot the horn for all involved.

Categories:
arts and crafts books Disney Educational fun interesting jsl local event nhl photos summer

Tuesday Tales – eReader Envy

Posted on July 19, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Tuesday Tales

This may surprise you, but I am not the owner of an eReader. Do not get me wrong, I would love to have one. The reality is there are other items that I would like more – you know like a getaway with hubby. For months, my friends with iPhones have been raving about the free Kindle App that is available. May I introduce you to Pod:

Yes, I inherited an iPod that my parents were no longer using. It gets a lot of use with different educational applications and such. The other day, I added something for me on Pod – check it out:

Since that time, Pod has been getting a bit more use. I am trying to see what I think of reading using the Kindle App. Wait, am I talking about my iPod like that – why yes I am! Thanks to great resources out there like Mandy at Mommy Cracked, you can often find free and cheap books to download for your Kindle or other eReader. Mandy just published as I was working on a post, so I thought it was perfect to share.

For my test reading, I went to the Amazon Kindle Store. Once there, I searched for free books. I noticed one that seemed interesting to me. So I quickly downloaded One True Love by Barbara Freethy and a few classics like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

It was simple to download and within seconds I had my book to read:

I have to admit, I was not sure how I would feel about reading in this tiny format, or without a book in my hand. I started just a short time ago and am already done with a good chunk of the book. I have no complaints about the size of the Kindle app and can alter the font size to what works best for me. Here’s a view of the pages and tracking how far you have read:

I do not think this will completely replace my book reading until I get a “real” eReader (Kindle, Nook, or other would be fantastic to review on Tuesday Tales – no?!). For now, I like the portability of Pod with the Kindle app and I think it is great to take on the go, so long as the kids allow me to use it.

Do you have an eReader or Kindle App? I would love to know what you think and could use any book suggestions that you have loved in this format.

Categories:
books me moments photos Tuesday Tales

Tuesday Tales – Harry Potter Edition

Posted on July 12, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

When the Harry Potter books first came onto the scene, I was in college (September 1997). By the time I had switched from a pharmacy major to education, they were a hit in the United States. I started reading the books around the time that I met TechyDad. When I used to go and visit him in Long Island, they would allow me to have an office with internet and desk to use. Since it was the summer, and I had no “school work”, I caught up on children’s literature.

Harry Potter books were on the menu and I managed to read several of them that summer and caught up to where J.K. Rowling was writing. When I started to teach, I was able to keep up with my middle school student that were into the Harry Potter craze. I still remember the day one of my homeroom kids came in and told me the amazing news. They had just announced a park in Orlando, FL was going to house a land with rides, shops, and more to visit. She had her trip planned and I secretly wished I could go. Hopefully, one day, I will.

Eventually, I’ll read the books with the boys. NHL has even expressed interest in them since the books, ads, and movies are all over the place now. Good thing I won the complete set not too long ago.

For now, I have amazing memories of reading/watching Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the group grow up and fight HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED. Of course, I have never seen any of the Harry Potter movies in the theater yet. Something always comes up. This past Friday, TechyDad and I finally caught up with the first part of Deathly Hallows. Since that day, I have been having odd dreams that include Voldemort in a different form.

Are you a fan of the Harry Potter books and movies? Which in the series is your favorite and why?

This weekend, I may head out to see the final Harry Potter movie, but there is a small issue. We promised our boys that we would also take them to see another famous character in a movie being released. Here are two fun teasers about that that you have to check out and will make you smile.