The Angel Forever

Together Counts for Fall Activities

Posted on October 11, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

We live in a part of the country that is lucky enough to experience all four of the seasons. My favorite really is the fall. The weather is not too cold, hot, or humid like other times of the year. Typically, there is not a lot of snow, we do not need to wear heavy jackets, and usually we can do a lot outside. This year, the weather has not allowed us to get to our favorite family activity for the fall. We love to go apple picking. We are able to explore the orchards together. It is fun to watch the kids running around and picking apples that they proudly snack on. Then, when we get home TechyDad, the kids, and I think about items the make. One of our favorites is to get the apples ready for our own fresh applesauce. Eating it warm out of the crock makes it seem like a special treat.

Since the weather is not cooperating, we probably will skip the apple picking and possibly go to get a pumpkin at a local farm. Then we can bake up the pumpkin seeds to have a tasty snack. Until that time, the kids love to explore the blocks around the house on their scooters. They enjoy collecting colorful leaves, pine cones, and other items that nature has left on the ground. Just the other day, my youngest hopped off of his scooter to save a caterpillar that was in the middle of the sidewalk.

Together Counts is a program for all of us. Their goal is to inspire families to lead healthy and active lives. Energy Balance is key and the main principle with their pledge. This means that the calories that we eat are the ones that we burn. Together Counts brings together more than 200 retailers, food/beverage manufacturers, restaurants, sporting goods stores, insurance companies, non-governmental organizations, and professional sports organizations to get the message across. For additional information, head to the Together Counts website learn more and take their pledge on finding balance and moderation. Families need to get eating and active together while practicing moderation.

For more information and ideas, you can head to the Together Counts Facebook page, look for them on Twitter, and also on Pinterest.

Please be sure to join Together Counts for their Twitter party on 10/17 from 8-9 PM EST using hashtag #TogetherCounts. More information on Resourceful Mommy with details about the prizes.

So have you made the Together Counts pledge yet? If not, what are you waiting for?

It's Me

Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a compensated Global Influence campaign. As someone who strives to find balance, I love the principles behind Together Counts and am happy to share this with my readers.

Global Influence Network

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exercise family fun health awareness jsl photos PSA sponsored post

Disney Architecture

Posted on October 10, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Every time you head to Walt Disney World you notice new and different things. Subtle features catch your eyes, especially with the Disney style architecture. This week, the Disney Wordless Wednesday theme focuses on Disney Architecture. I could show different views of the castle, but I have some different items from around the parks and at different resorts.

Be sure to stop by Focused on the Magic by clicking on the button above to join in the Disney magic this week.

Categories:
Blog Hop Disney looking back photos Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Tales – Get Cooking! A Jewish American Family Cookbook

Posted on October 9, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Growing up in a very close Jewish family, many of my memories revolve around celebrations that were filled with amazing food. Every time we got together to celebrate Shabbat at my Mimi and Poppy’s house, we would have a chicken soup with matzah balls, chicken, and other items along with challah. Thanksgiving would be filled with extended family members and once again delicious specialties. I also remember baking and watching my family members and being involved. Now my boys are making memories of their own with our family. My parents have started a Chanukah tradition at their house with extended family that we have all grown to love.

When I recently heard that Mama Doni (AKA – Doni Zasloff Thomas) would be teaming up with Rachel Harkham (Recipe Rachel) to create a new family cookbook, I was excited. Then, I received a copy of the book to review and I could not stop planning possibilities to make, bake, and share with the kids.

Get Cooking: A Jewish American Family Cookbook – By Rachel Harkham and Doni Zasloff Thomas – Published by Behrman House Inc. – September 2012 – ISBN 9780874419481 – Hardcover 128 pages

As a big fan of Mama Doni, I loved that Get Cooking: A Jewish American Family Cookbook includes a CD with a collection of her songs to listen to during the holidays and beyond. The Get Cooking! A Rockin’ Mama Doni Celebration includes favorites like: “Challah Day” and “Chanukah Fever” on the 29 track CD. I love that “Mission Immaztzoble” is also included along with others for different holidays and celebrations.

The first item that you notice when opening the book is that Harkham and Thomas cover a wide range of Jewish holidays and general celebrations. They begin with Shabbat, move to Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Chanukah, Purim, Passover, and beyond. The recipes are all able to be made in kosher kitchen (which we have) and contain meat, fish, vegetarian, and sweet options.

As I write this post, we are in the middle of Sukkot. I am hoping to get the supplies to make some edible sukkahs with the boys. Check out how adorable they are.

Of course, the timing of this cookbook is fantastic. I plan on talking with my mother to utilize some of the items for our annual Chanukah celebration at the beginning of December. I think the kids will adore the Judah Mac’n’cheese Squares and Chocomallow Dreidels. The Jelly Donut Muffins also look amazing.

If you celebrate Jewish holidays or know someone that does, this book is a great find. The recipes from Harkham truly are family friendly and inspire you to celebrate and make your own memories together. I also know friends that want to share other celebrations with their family. This is a great cookbook for them as well. Thomas is a Jewish educator and shares lots of items in the book and songs.

What are some of your favorite cookbooks? As always, please share what you have read recently. 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: My family received a complimentary copy of this book from Behrman House Inc. in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed are my own and my love for the creativity of Mama Doni continues to grow with each of her new projects. An Amazon Affiliate link is included in this post for the book mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the book through that link.

Categories:
books food glorious food holidays Music Product review Tuesday Tales yummy

Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2012

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

Breast cancer is something that has hit close to home for me. I have watched friends and family members fight this disease. In addition to this, I have watched as a friend has turned the loss of her mother from breast cancer into a crusade to teach others about the importance of early detection.

This year, I experienced my first mammogram. Although I am “only” 35, my doctor felt that with a family history it was a good time to get a baseline to use for the future. I wrote The Importance of a First Mammogram to share my experience with others. To remind people that the temporary discomfort (if you have any) is well worth it.

If you are not familiar one of the first lines of defense (beside self breast exams), this is the machine that people often talk about. It seems a lot less daunting than I expected. It really is hard to believe that that has saved so many women and men (they have breasts and can get cancer there too).

I am less into buying pink products that promise to give money to foundation to help breast cancer. I prefer to donate to the American Cancer Society which helps breast cancer and other cancers that friends and members of my family have been faced with. Since it is breast cancer awareness month, I wanted to share their campaign for their Making Strides Walk.

Please take this time to think about yourself. Remember to do breast self exams. Schedule it on your calendar or in your smart phone. Talk to your doctor if something is not right. Go for your baseline or routine mammogram and stop making excuses. Early detection is key not only with breast cancer, but all cancer so be selfish and take care of YOU.

It's Me

Categories:
health awareness looking back me moments PSA real world news

My Viking Family Experience – #DragonsLive

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

Right now my brain is whirling around and I feel like I am flying. Flying with dragons, of course, so it is a good thing. Thanks to just getting back from an amazing time at the DreamWorks How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular at the Times Union Center. TechyDad was contacted by PR from the show and he shared some of the specifics about it recently. After watching the movie with the boys the other day, I was excited to see what the VIP Hero’s Welcome would be all about. As JSL (5) says, it was stupendous!

A huge thank you to the amazing VIP tour gentleman who was stationed outside. He was fantastic chatting with us and answering questions from our boys. He told us about previous cities and more about the upcoming shows throughout North America. After this, we were whisked away into the arena before they opened for the show. We received our Hero’s Welcome badges, bags, and posters. Then, we were taken to an area to get dressed like Vikings for a family photo.

The crew helping to dress our Viking family was fantastic. We never told Papa about this part and he played along and had fun. Before long, the five of us were sporting chic Viking styles for our photo shoot.

We were not able to get a photo with our camera dressed up, but we took a quick picture of the one they gave us. Yes, I present you with my Viking family in their finest attire and all of their weapons and shields.

Although it took some time to get this done, it was a worthwhile experience. Seeing the smiles on the kids faces and knowing that memories were being made was priceless. After we returned our Viking items to the bins, it was time to wait for the official Hero’s Welcome. We went a small area with seats to wait and meet Hiccup and Astrid who are some of the stars from the show.

This was just the start of an amazing adventure with the Vikings and Dragons. More coming soon about the show and the Dragons 101 session after the performance. The session after was a geeks dream come true and the VIP team member from this part was also super (wish I could recall his name from the 11:00 am show). If you are in the Capital District and have a chance to see the show before it leaves town, I highly recommend it. It will also be touring to many other cities in the United States and Canada in the months ahead.

If you are interested in attending a show, you can find tour dates and tickets by going to http://www.dreamworksdragonslive.com/tickets.php. You can also save 25% off the cost of select seats by using the promo code "MOM". Oh and do not forget to think about the VIP packages that you can add on for your family. All of the items seen above were thanks to that.

Disclaimer: TechyDad received tickets and the VIP package to the How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular for our family. No other compensation was given and all of the enthusiastic Tweets, Instagrams, and posts that follow are 100% my own opinion of the show.