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Fun Classroom Themes

Posted on May 25, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

When I was teaching younger kids, one of the items that was fun was to pick a unit plan, theme, or other item to cover with the kids. In first grade, this would involve lesson planning across academic areas and lots of items for center activities. One of my favorites was for If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and also the Five Senses. Yes, there are days when I really miss that part of being in the classroom.

As the parent of a child in preschool, it has been fun to see what his teachers pick and choose each week to do with kids that are now 4 and 5 years old. Tuesday morning, we walked into the classroom and the theme was very clear.

The details in the classroom were amazing. There were dinosaurs romping all over the place. They were here:

Yes, there were even more dinosaurs over on the other side of the room. The best part: Laurie Berkner’s We are the Dinosaurs was playing as the kids explored the new dinoland.

When JSL went in the next day, I suggested wearing one of his dinosaur shirts. Little did we know that his shirt would be perfect inspiration for a project they were making. Check out their dino hats.

So my question to you week is inspired by my son’s creative teachers:

What theme in school was your favorite as a child? If you can not recall, how about a favorite your child has done or perhaps one you wish you had done.

It's Me

P.S. If you are in a dinosaur dancing mood, here’s a little Laurie Berkner video.

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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 #204

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Tuesday Tales – Another Library Card

Posted on May 22, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I love books. Perhaps it is the teacher in me, but it is the truth. We own a lot of books. The boys have a bookshelf that is bursting at the seems, we have one that is packed, and I have boxes of books that were bought for my classroom. I enjoy keeping up on multiple genres of literature. Unfortunately, the reality is I can not afford to buy every single book that we want to read in our house. It isn’t just about money though, it is also lack of space to keep the collection of books growing. These days I am much more selective.

As a home owner, I take full advantage of our local library. The boys and I went to a lot of events last summer, we take DVDs out, books are borrowed, and most recently I get audio and Kindle books. A while back, I wrote about looking to see if your library has eBook lending. Our library has a nice selection, but I was getting frustrated with lack of availability and strange search ability.

A friend of mine mentioned that she uses The New York Public Library to take out audio and Kindle books. I was intrigued and finally went to search how to get my own card (thank you J). If you are a resident of New York State, you can sign up to get your own card. Last Tuesday, I went to their website and filled out the simple online form. Yesterday, this arrived in the mail:

Once I opened the envelope, took a photo, and thanked my friend – I went right to the eBook loan page. On this page, you can borrow eBooks, Audio Books, Music, and Video. What I liked was the search seemed to work better than my local library’s page. Of course, since the NYPL is larger, they had tons more copies of many of the books that I was interested in. A book that I had been waiting for for quite some time had 3 copies available and 25 in the system for Kindle. I am in heaven!

So now I have a new book to read on the go with my Kindle App or Kimberly Kindle – and can sit back at home to read my latest traditional book:

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.

Update: Please be sure to read over the Terms and Conditions for the NYPL Card. The card that you apply for online will only be temporary. The one that I just received is only good until September. You must validate your card to have it extended for the typical three years. For those outside of the NYC area the instructions are simple (copied from their website):

Cardholders from areas of NY State outside of the Metro NY area as defined above may e-mail scans or copies of the required forms of identification listed to circ@nypl.org. Alternatively, this information may be faxed to (212) 621-0278.

New library card applicants from these areas who applied for their card online and elected to receive it in the mail must first e-mail the above-mentioned form(s) of identification after receiving their card to validate it before full cardholder privileges can be extended. Both the library card number and required identification must be included with any renewal/validation request. Incomplete and/or unreadable information will not be accepted and will delay the continued use of your card.

Categories:
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Razor Scooter Surprise

Posted on May 20, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Everyone had been asking what JSL wanted for his fifth birthday. The reality is that he only asked for one item. We cringed at his one request, but figured that walkie talkies would be a lot of fun for the kids to use outside this summer.

We were left with no real ideas and relatives asking for suggestions. When my mother and I went shopping, something clicked while walking down an aisle. JSL has been asking for his kiddie scooter to ride. Unfortunately, it was not in the best of shape after two kids and he is just too big for it. Check out the birthday boy’s face when he opened up his gift Monday afternoon:

JSL was beyond excited to try out his new Razor Scooter. Thanks to rain most of the week, we never had a chance to do that. Yesterday, the weather was beautiful, so we packed up the box to take out and try with JSL’s new helmet.

It truly was priceless watching JSL try to figure out where he wanted the handles, how to place his foot, and whether or not he was going too quickly. I do think he will be doing tricks before I know it since the kiddo has no fear and likes to try things other children are doing.

I guess I should enjoy this stage, especially thanks to the big smiles JSL provided from sheer happiness.

Yes, seeing my little guy smile made my entire day!

It's Me

Categories:
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A Whoopee Cushion Parenting Moment

Posted on May 18, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Alright everyone, it’s time to fess up on something. Do you often cringe when your child has the opportunity to pick something from a prize box? It may be a prize after having a shot at the doctor, doing something well at school, or trading tickets in at an arcade. Let’s be real here – none of the prizes are usually meant to last forever and can often be annoying to those around them after they come home.

Case in point: This is a prize that my son picked our after an appointment the other day.

No, I am not kidding you. This came home with us and I cringed. I did not want to be THAT parent that said no, so I allowed it. Soon after we arrived at home, the fart jokes, loud blasts, and laughing began. It was cute at first, but then it got old quickly. This lead to me sending out a Tweet. The Tweet was replied to by Janice Person. As I was Tweeting, the boys were trying to figure out how to make a bigger, louder, and more impressive fart noise from said Whoopee Cushion.

Almost immediately after I sent that last Tweet out, I heard a giant BOOM from where the two boys were playing. I knew it was not a good sign, well not for the Whoopee Cushion at least. Tears, screams, and more Tweets followed.

After the kids calmed down, and I gathered my composure back up I eventually took this photographic proof:

So my question to you this week:

What is the most annoying prize that that your child has ever won or received and why?

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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 #203

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Brave Mother’s Day Wishes

Posted on May 13, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Five years ago today, I was very pregnant with my second son. JSL had not gotten the memo that he had been given eviction orders. He decided that it was not in my best interest to come Mother’s Day weekend when my favorite doctor was on call. Instead, I spent Mother’s Day 2007 hot, uncomfortable, and wishing I was holding my baby boy.

Of course, the joke was on me when I realized that I had been in labor all during Mother’s Day and just blocked out a lot with sleeping in front of the AC unit.

Now, I am the mother of two beautiful and amazing boys. NHL and JSL keep me on my toes, make me laugh, and treat me like the princess in our house ….most of the time. It only seemed fitting to jump into a photo with Cinderella and my two little princes.

Now, I will leave you with a special Mother’s Day message from Disney Pixar and the characters from Brave.

Happy Mother’s Day to my mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, aunts, sister-in-laws, cousins, other family members, friends, and all women. May your day be filled with many wonderful memories.

It's Me

Disclosure: Disney PR notified me of the Mother’s Day Brave featurette. I was not compensated for this and simply wanted to share since I adore all things Disney. You know we will be going to see Brave when it is released June 22, 2012.