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Hobbies that are Different

Posted on June 8, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Yesterday, I wrote about a word that really bothered me. In Strange is as Strange Does, I mentioned how one simple word got under my skin. Since that day, I am embracing the word, but still believe that it should be cautiously used.

We are each unique individuals. The items that make us who we are and may seem “strange” to one person, is likely what attracts us to our friends. Over twenty-five years ago, I learned this hobby:

Let me tell you, knitting as an elementary school child was not and likely is not popular. It was probably considered strange by some. Still, each summer my friend J and I would sit outside after playing and knit. I would also knit with my Aunt T and Nana. It was nice to have a hobby that others I knew had. Knitting would be something that I would pick up from time to time. That was until JSL was born and it really stuck with me. For five years now, I have made countless washcloths, scarves, blankets, and more. Yes, even Clumsy and Snowflake have been recipients of my knitting.

Although knitting is more accepted these days, people still look at you a bit when you pull out a bag and work on something in public. It just is not as socially acceptable as, say, reading a book while in a waiting room, standing outside of school, or at the library. The reality is I do not care. I knit when I want to, what I want to, and because I want to. That’s the beauty of who we are, we do things that have meaning to us and make us happy inside and out.

So my question to you this week:

What hobby do you have that others may look at and consider a bit different or perhaps strange, but it makes you happy?

It's Me

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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 linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #206

Categories:
Aloha Friday knitting me moments photos vent

Strange is as Strange Does

Posted on June 7, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It usually takes a lot to get me upset about little things. This was not the case the other day when I wrote this post on a piece of paper.

Yes, it was old school time. I was sitting in a room and only had a notebook and paper. My mind was racing and I had to get my thoughts down. It was therapeutic and felt good to get these items out there. Of course, I never published them immediately. The items were raw and still gnawing at me.

It all started one night when TechyDad and I were working on some papers. We knew that the phrases in front of us were loaded and too easy to read into. That would have been one thing, but the word choice in one part was over the top.

Always a teacher at heart

As a teacher, I was taught to be careful with my word choices. Some say it’s being politically correct, but to me it is more. While many would argue that political correctness means hiding the truth from parents, I think it is far from that. When writing progress reports and report cards, I learned how to write positives first. Then, it was especially important to phrase items in a way that would help the parents and students to work on tasks. Kids need to learn and grow with constructive criticism. Older children can read report cards and will be able to take advice if worded in a way that they can understand.

So what would I do if I had a child that was constantly talking out of turn and needed to work on raising their hand more? I would say that the child is full of energy and has a wealth of information to share. Then, I would mention working in the future on places to harness this within the day. Giving examples and ways to do this would be helpful to the student and parents to talk about. This is just one general example.

Are we sugar coating things in the world of education? No, I do not think so. What we are doing is showing children how to kindly express strengths and weaknesses in themselves. You certainly need to do this in a way that will help to support fragile self esteems in kids.

The word that hit a nerve

So what word was bothering me? It was a single word and it was:

This form was not from school, it was actually a one that is used on a larger scale than that. It really annoyed me. How do you define strange? Isn’t the word a bit subjective just sitting there all by itself?

As a crafting, geek, that enjoys different things than many of my peers I say own being strange! When I recently heard Peter Shankman speak at a conference, he talked about being a weed to stand out. Let us all unite and parade around declaring that we are proud to be weeds, we want to stand out and be “strange” and accept it. This so-called strange is likely why people like you anyway. Your strange is what makes you you.

I tried to ignore the item with the word, but in the end I embraced it. It inspired this post, gave me some comic relief during a stressful time, and the real truth:

Being boring is really strange!

I would love to hear your thoughts on certain words that bother you or hit a nerve? What do you think about the general use of the word strange?

It's Me

P.S. TechyDad also wrote about his feelings on the subject after I had my paper post written.

Categories:
Conference me moments photos PSA TechyDad vent

A Different Point of View

Posted on June 3, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

There are days when you have to tilt your head a little differently. You know what I mean. Some scenarios require you to put on a “new hat” and tilt your head to observe something in a different way. Let’s be honest, what you observe one moment may not look the same a short while later.

Like I said, you may just need to look a little more closely at the item or situation at hand. If you allow yourself to do this, you never know what you may find around the corner or right in front of your face. It is at this point that the magic may appear before your eyes.

This is a reminder to be flexible. Remember, it is okay to think outside of the box. Sometimes leaving your comfort zone will reveal a new and rewarding opportunity for you.

It's Me

Categories:
Disney interesting me moments photos

My Disney Dooney Confession

Posted on June 1, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Let’s be honest, we all have something in the back of our mind that we really, really, really want. I’m not talking a new car, house, or vacation. I’m talking something more in our immediate reach. I suppose you could put a tablet/iPad into this category. Even that is often something that many of us would use for professional needs, not just a desire.

Disney fans will likely be familiar with the Dooney & Bourke collection that are made for the parks.

Originally, they were only available at Disney parks and cruises, but now some can be ordered from The Disney Store. I once wrote about saving Pluto thanks to a Dooney. Alas, I did not win, but it was fun trying. While at Walt Disney World, I would stop and swoon over the bags. I could have, maybe should have gotten one, but I was being practical. Of course, I kept taking photos and sharing with my friends on Twitter that often talk about their Disney Dooney & Bourke purchases.

Yes, I even asked Ellen stop in the hall at the Yacht Club to model her cute new bag. It goes so well with her ears don’t you think?

So my question to you is inspired by Disney Dooney & Bourke:

If you were able to splurge on an item you really want, but may not be practical, what is it and why? Remember no house, car, vacation, or item that would be for professional gain.

It's Me

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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 linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #205

Categories:
Aloha Friday bloggy friends decisions Disney friends fun me moments photos shopping

Welcome Home to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

Posted on May 28, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I have been going to Walt Disney World since the late 1970’s. I can remember before a lot of the resorts were built. On the flip-side, I can also recall the wonder of visiting many of them for the first time. What I had never done before the 2012 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration was tour a resort before it opened.

Yes, on the last evening of the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, our families were whisked away by buses to an amazing new world. The Art of Animation Resort does not officially open until May 31. When you pull onto the grounds, it is hard not to feel the magic that you are about to live. No, it is well beyond an experience.

The minds behind Disney’s Art of Animation Resort truly have thought of everything. The resort brings you into the world of Disney Animation and will put you into four movie worlds. Yes, by the end of the year you will be able to spend time with these amazing Disney classics.

On May 31, Finding Nemo will officially open up to the public. Cars will open June 18, Lion King August 10, and The Little Mermaid wing will finalize the resort September 15. The Art of Animation Resort is a value property consisting of mostly family suites. The initial three phases will contain the suites. The Little Mermaid area will be themed, but with rooms like Pop Century which is adjacent to the new resort. Rates for the 1,120 family suites will begin at $248 per night. These rooms can sleep up to six and include two bathrooms, a kitchenette, and three sleeping areas. The 864 standard rooms will sleep up to four and will be as low as $95 a night.

The story telling begins the moment you walk into the door of the lobby – Animation Hall. When you go in, be sure to look up at the amazing chandelier that is made up of animation storyboards.

As you continue walking, you will see pencil sketches that begin telling stories of Nemo, Lightning McQueen, Simba, and Ariel. Their worlds come alive as the drawings are fine tuned and begin to have color added to them throughout the hall.

Once it is time to check into the resort, you go to smaller individual greeting desks. Here cast members will assist you in making your magical vacation begin.

After checking in, it is finally time to head out to find your room. When doing this, you will likely walk outside and get your initial view of the “Big Blue” pool area. Get ready to be wowed. Seeing it in photos is not going to be the same as watching the world of Finding Nemo appear before your eyes. This Nemo world includes the largest resort swimming pool in all of Walt Disney World. It measures 11,859 square feet.

Just looking at the pool makes you want to “Keep on Swimming” like Dory would say. As you wander around the pool area, you will see colorful reefs, Nemo, Marlin, Mr. Ray, Crush, and other friends from under the sea.

Behind the main pool area is a children’s splash area. Imagine an afternoon here letting the kids run, play, and cool off after a morning at the parks

Of course, if you prefer a place for the kids to stay dry while running and playing, head over to Squirt. Yes, the little dude is watching over the Righteous Reef which is a children’s play area.

If you are staying in the Finding Nemo rooms, be sure to pay attention to the details along the route. Even the plants make it seem like you are swimming along with Nemo and friends. In addition to this, the side of the buildings have fish that are your friends, along with sharks, adding to the beautiful theming. Oh and don’t forget to look up as well. You may recognize some of ~~MINE~~ my friends there.

We were allowed to tour the Finding Nemo suites and it was beyond gorgeous inside the rooms. While I love the theming at each of the previous Disney resorts that I have stayed at, I do believe this may be my favorite. There is just something extra special about sleeping in a world from one of your favorite Disney films. When you walk into the room you will be greeted with a table and chairs. When ready for a nap or to sleep for the night, this area transforms into a double bed. The murphy bed has a Nemo scene above it for sweet dreams.

The rest of this room includes a kitchenette area, along with a couch that transforms into a sofa bed, and television. Note the fine details from the art on the wall, the coral lamps, and beyond.

The two bathrooms are amazing and I would love either/both of them in my own home. Of course, even the mirror reminds you of some very important words from Finding Nemo.

The separate bedroom area has a queen size bed, television, dresser, and full bathroom within the space. Once again, you will see that you are under the sea in every way possible.

My father was actually able to snag some photos of the Cars area that will be opening in mid-June. The paved road in this area will lead you to the Cozy Cone Motel that will also have a Cozy Cone pool and cone-shaped cabanas.

Just from these views of the resort, I can only imagine how stupendous (my son’s favorite word) the Lion King area will be with the elephant graveyard for kids to play and Ariel’s grotto with treasures from The Little Mermaids human world collection. My boys can not wait to stay in this resort. My little kiddo did not understand why we could not go back to Nemo Land after this night. Yes, he truly thought it was a destination in itself.

One other area that we saw a small sneak peek into was the food court area. This dining location is called The Landscape of Flavors and will feature items that include fresh smoothies, hand-scooped gelato, and Mongolian barbecue. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be served, along with snacks here, the poolside snack bar, and pizza delivery.

There is so much more to be found and explored within the Art of Animation Resort, but you will have to capture those memories with your friends and family. I know that we hope to stay here one day soon.

So if you were to go to the Art of Animation right now, what would be your first must see item?

Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we were given an incredible deal from Disney. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan, it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event.