The Angel Forever

Counting Down the Days to Disney

Posted on February 6, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

To tell the kids or not to tell the kids? That is often the question that many families contemplate as they plan a Walt Disney World vacation. I will admit, as we finalized our plans to go to the 2012 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, I was not sure what to do.

I wondered how I would be able to keep this BIG secret from my boys. I always watch the videos of people surprising their children the day of and wonder how they do it. TechyDad and I just did not think it would work for several reasons.

Our house is not large enough to have a secret packing area. Packing for a big trip is stressful enough in a smaller house. I could not even imagine trying to do it while in stealth mode.
How does one talk to teachers and others at school about missed days, but not tell their child? My eight year old would know something was up as I went into school and came out with a load of work.
I am WAY too excited and can’t stop thinking about everything. I wanted to be able to share the magical planning and joy in my heart with the kids now. Winter can be depressing enough, so having something to look forward to as a family seemed like a great idea.

There were other items on my mind, but those were the biggest things. To date, we have never been able to keep a Disney trip a secret from the boys for long and I think it has been the right decision for our family. When we told the boys that we were going to Disney World, their faces lit up. Then, they wanted to know when and how many days away it was. Chatter about rides to visit, places to explore, and Hidden Mickeys to find have dominated things in recent days. The boys sit together and read planning guides and think about how they will notice a new Hidden Mickey in their adventures.

Each day, they recite how many days are left until we head to see our favorite destination. Excitement is definitely in the air. At eight, NHL gets that we have just under three months until we go to Disney. JSL is only four and does not quite get it. I have thought about making a Mickey Ears paper chain to help us count down the days. This will help him to see as we get closer to the day of our trip.

Have you ever kept a Disney trip or something else a secret to surprise your children on the day of your trip? I would love to know how it went and if you have any other count down traditions that you do with your family.

LINKY

P.S. A huge thank you to Mariana from The Domestic Buzz for creating this magical Blog Hop!

Categories:
Blog Hop decisions Disney DisneySMMoms fun jsl looking back nhl photos TechyDad travel

To Super Bowl Watch or Not

Posted on February 5, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

The Super Bowl is a day that most people probably love, but I am not really one of those people. For some reason, I never really got into football. Living in the land of the Giants and not far from the Patriots, I watch as everyone goes Super Bowl crazy. Growing up, my father was a San Francisco 49ers fan. While my brother learned to like the game, I preferred to watch commercials on this big day. Classic commercials like the ones with Michael Jordan and Larry Bird for McDonalds still bring me back to the good old days of Super Bowl ads.

Over the last few years, I could hit or miss watching the Super Bowl. The ads in recent years have gotten mostly cheesy and leave me forgetting what they are really about. This year, advertisers have also leaked out a lot of the bigger ads before the big day. I will admit, this one from Honda made me smile.

Yes, bringing back Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in a spoof was brilliant for the new CRV. It made me smile and remember the good old days.

So today, while everyone gathers around watching the Giant and Patriots battle, I will be spending time with my boys and when it is time for the half time show, I will be rocking it out with them and of course Madonna.

So how will you be spending Super Bowl Sunday?

It's Me

Categories:
laughs looking back me moments television weekend

The Power of a Hidden Mouse

Posted on February 4, 2012 9:02 am by TheAngelForever

Dear JSL,

This has been a rough week for you. First, a fever in the middle of the night. Then, you had nap/night terrors that scared us out of our mind. When we went to the doctor, your throat was swabbed and ear blasted with a new contraption to clean it out. In the end, it looks like you have a virus. The fever went away, but suddenly a horrible cough and leaky nose appeared.

While I sat by you and you slept away the fever, I pulled out some old school knitting of mine. I wanted to make something special to help you smile. It brought me back to when I was knitting next to your hospital bed in February 2008. Of course, this time you knew I was making something for you and were so excited when you saw what was hidden within the cloth. The minute it came off the knitting needles you declared it was yours and a blanket for your little monkey. Of course, you were too tired to get your monkey, so you went to rest with it on your puppy pillow.

When NHL saw the hidden Mickey in the cloth, he asked me to make a blanket for his little lion. With your help, we made sure this was made quickly.

Of course, now you are asking me to knit you a Mickey Mouse blanket. Hmmmm……I will have to figure that one out. Now, to work on getting rid of the cough and making you feel better.

Love,

Mommy

Categories:
Dear Kid Saturday jsl knitting looking back nhl photos sick kid sickness

The Big Think Pink Stink

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

Awareness about a cause is not found with a Facebook status message, nor placing a colored ribbon on your car, or even buying products that support them. Awareness is knowing someone that has battled something, realizing how it changes their life, and trying to help them. A post by my friend Ellen, Confessions of an IT Girl, titled On Awareness hit a nerve with me. Prior to this, Ellen also wrote about the recent coverage on the Susan G. Komen Foundation discontinuing their support to Planned Parenthood.

As I have been trying to take everything in, TechyDad sent me a link to he video below. It is about the new documentary called Pink Ribbons, Inc. that will be released in Canada today.

Over the years, I have supported the Think Pink movement, especially when my amazing friend A Frugal Friend has her month long event in honor of her mother. I have watched my aunt bravely battle cancer. She has been a survivor for almost nine years now. As others have noted, I have also seen the focus of the moment stray from helping people who are fighting for their life against breast cancer to a more commercial message. I am not a fan of this. I must say, I think it’s a bit odd that funding was cut this week, perhaps to take focus away from this new documentary that would also paint a not so pretty picture. Conspiracy theorist I am not, but it just is odd.

This makes me more focused to see what I can do to help others. Ellen’s post made me realize that I can call local oncology groups to see if they need knitted items for patients. Perhaps a lap blanket while sitting and receiving chemo, a pretty hat to make them less upset about their hair loss, or some cloths to help them pamper themselves. I also hope to see the film and work more with my family and community to make a difference. If anyone has seen a preview, I would also love to know your thoughts.

So my question to you this week is to help me brainstorm:

What would you do to help an organization or cause? Think of a way to bring awareness to the real people involved.

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 #189

Categories:
Aloha Friday health awareness me moments PSA

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?