The Angel Forever

Ever changing TOS on Facebook

Posted on February 17, 2009 9:59 am by TheAngelForever

How would you feel if you were a member of an online service and they changed the TOS (Terms of Service) without notifying you? This is exactly what Facebook pulled once again. We all know the controversy behind their view of photos of nursing mothers, but this will impact even more people.

In the past, when you signed up for Facebook, you basically gave them the rights to use your content. This relationship of sorts ended if you opted to delete your Facebook account, no questions asked. With a sneaky move, Facebook changed their TOS to now state that they can use your content even if you close/delete the account . The worst part, they note that they may even sublicence your content. So basically any blog posts, notes, and most importantly photo rights are lost the minute you put them onto Facebook (at least according to their jargon). If you are still unsure of what the ramifications mean, TechyDad wrote a great post about the latest with a link to an article on The Consumerist.

The fall out from this BIG change in TOS without notifying members was a hot topic on Twitter most of yesterday. Blog writers were scrambling to figure out what it means to them. Many bloggers have their RSS feeds put right into Facebook. So does this mean that Facebook now claims it as their work? Slippery slope if you ask me. Many bloggers were joining groups and writing to Facebook, as well as deleting their content from their pages. The fall out will once again be interesting to watch as Facebook meets the fury of the blogosphere.

What do you think about the latest Facebook controversy? If you are a blogger and use Facebook will you change how you post items there?

Categories:
customer service interesting real world news stupidity

Memories from THAT night in February

Posted on February 16, 2009 9:43 am by TheAngelForever

Yesterday came and went like any other Sunday. In the back of my minds for weeks, even months, I have been anxious about the day. Why February 15 you ask? On February 15, 2008 I nearly lost my son forever. JSL had a febrile seizure on that horrible night. We knew we would likely encounter one with him since NHL had one when 11 months old, I had several and so did JL. Typically febrile seizures are nothing to worry about and kids come out of them with no problem. That night things were very different.

We suspect that JSL had a virus that caused a lot of phlehm. We took him out of his crib because we heard his labored breathing and then noted he was feverish. For some reason I just knew things were not going to be good. I called my parents and they rushed over to our house. Thank goodness Nana was here because she saved my baby. While holding JSL he went into a transe like state and we all knew he was having a seizure. What I was not ready for was my baby’s body turning gray and going lifeless in my arms.

NHL had turned blue from the temporary stop in breathing when he had his febrile seizure, but within seconds (although it seems like hours at the time) he began breathing on his own. JSL did not do this. He was gray and lifeless and we could hear there was a blockage in his airway. My mother stepped in as I stood there paralized with fear. She gave him a big pat on the back and we heard the plug in his airway move. She then put him down onto the bed and gave him those oh so precious rescue breaths. He quickly started to breathe on his own and was losing some of the gray color by the time the paramedics arrived.

We were rushed to the hospital where JSL and I stayed for four long nights. To this day we still do not know exactly what caused the fever and the blockage in his airway. Prior to the febrile seizure he had been suffering from a rather intense battle with double pinkeye. The fever did not go down right away and eventually they found an ear infection that had been hidden behind a lot of fluid in his ears. Seeing a child in a hospital bed is the worst thing, but when it is your child it hits even worse.

I know that for many more years I will always worry whenever JSL’s temperature goes up. The fact that he had his febrile seizure at 102 degrees is alarming, but he has a lower than "normal" body temperature to begin with. I now cherish even more than before the little things. Watching the boys interact and seeing how they grow is amazing to me. Below is a photo of the reunion a little over a year ago. NHL never saw JSL in the hospital and had to make sure his baby brother was a-ok.

Categories:
jsl looking back photos sick kid

Manifest Your Magnificence

Posted on February 15, 2009 12:01 am by TheAngelForever

Growing up in the world today is tough thanks to the society we live in. As parents, we want to do everything to help our children to succeed. One of the most important items we need to assist our children with is their self-esteem. Simply telling your child that you love them, and teaching them academics is not enough. It is more important than ever to help children to believe in who they are and what they can be.

Once your child enters school, the safe cocoon that you have given them is forever exposed to the realities of life. Other children will often tell them they can not do things, or that they are doing something wrong. If a child hears this too often they will quickly believe it to be the truth. I learned this last year when my son went off to preschool, and even more so this year with kindergarten. Prior to kindergarten NHL rarely uttered the words "I can’t" and then they became a daily occurance.

I recently received a new product called Manifest Your Magnificence that was created by Susan T Howson. I selected the set of 64 affirmation cards that you can use to help strengthen your child’s self-esteem. Each of the cards has an "I am" statement on the front coupled with a gorgeous kid friendly illustration. On the back of the card is an example of what the statement may mean to an individual.

The cards are meant for children that are 6-12 years old. I used them with my five year old son. He loved looking through the cheerful cards to see what they had to say. We would sit down and read them together. Some days we would go back and forth thinking of items that related to the affirmation in front of us. Other days it was a perfect chance to let him practice writing. He would simply write a few words and draw a picture to make his own creation to go along with that card. NHL wants to make his own "book" with the writings that he made using the cards as inspiration. He knows that he can be an author and is not using "can’t" as often these days. The possibilities with the Manifest Your Magnificence cards are truly endless. Howson suggests using them to write, talk, draw, sing, act, dance, or to carry around to remind them of who they really are.

As an educator, I know that I could have used these in many ways within my classroom. I would have loved them as pre-writing prompts for my students to do as they came into my room. I would have had them waiting on their desks to work on while I went around checking in assignments. Not only would the cards get them writing, but it would make them think about who they are and what they can be. With later elementary and early middle school students, finding their identity can be tricky and this would definitely assist them in their journey. Thanks to the sturdy stock that the cards are made on, I know that they would hold up well within an academic setting. The convenient gift box that they come in would store nicely right in or on my desk.

The set of 64 affirmation cards may be purchased directly from Magnificent Creations Limitee. The cost of the set is $25.95 + shipping from their company in Canada.

Thank you to Susan T Howson and the Family Review Network for this wonderful review opportunity.

Categories:
interesting nhl Product review

Grilling Goodness – Take 5

Posted on February 14, 2009 12:05 am by TheAngelForever

1. How long has your longest friendship been? – I have known several of my friends since I was born thanks to being neighbors or our families being friends before we were born. The longest friendship from school is my friend M that I met in kindergarten. We are still in touch and see each more that she moved back here.

2. What made you happy this week? – Sunday I was thrilled to be pretty much done making dining reservations for Disney World. We basically got into all of the places we wanted. I am also happy that we seem to be making ground on on getting NHL’s allergies under control.

3. Are you planning any kind of event right now? – I suppose you could call traveling with kids on an airplane for the first time an event. All of the plans, packing and such for Disney World will likely be an event. Plus we will be celebrating a 2nd birthday among other things. Oh, I suppose I need to find a time to do his 2nd birthday party here for family before or after the trip as well.

4. Do you wear your wedding ring? What is it made of? – I usually wear my ring all of the time (except to sleep). My engagement ring is platinum and my band is white gold.

5. Do you shave your legs in the winter? – Yes, but not nearly as often as in the summer. Without shorts the need is not quite there.

6. What time do your kids go to bed? – NHL (5) goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 most nights. JSL (21 month old today) usually goes to sleep between 7:30 – 8:30.

7. Right this minute, is your laundry caught up? – No, I usually do some on the weekend so there is a little there now.

8. Do you want flowers for Valentine’s Day? – Hubby knows that I do not like to receive flowers. Like my mother, I do not like to watch them die. It makes me sad to see them, plus I think about all of the money wasted on them for such a short amount of time.

Head over to Golden Goodness to play along!

Categories:
Grilling Goodness me moments web fun

Pricey week

Posted on February 13, 2009 12:02 am by TheAngelForever

When we bought our house almost five years ago, we remodeled the entire kitchen. This is why it was needed.

A wall was moved, pass through was put in, new stove/vent/dishwasher were bought. Only one item remained from the original kitchen. That item was the refrigerator.

Over the years the refrigerator has given us a lot of trouble. Not staying cool enough in the summer, forming ice on produce, and the latest water sitting on the bottom and forming chunks of ice that was not in the freezer. The sad part, the refrigerator was manufactured in 2001. Not too old, but not worth spending a lot to fix since it is not an Energy Star appliance.

Over the weekend, we started to look for a replacement. Things went into rapid mode Thursday while I was sitting with JSL and feeding him. I heard water dripping in the kitchen. I followed the noise into the refrigerator. To my horror there was a huge waterfall inside. I moved things around and followed the flow of water. It was coming from on top and everything was soaked. By the time I moved everything and put a container inside to catch the water, it was starting to slow down.

I called JL at work and told him our time was up. We had to make a decision and get a new refrigerator before this one completely died on us. The little guy and I went to two additional stores this morning. After JL got home from work, we brought the boys to Nana and Papa’s house and went to buy a new refrigerator.

I am happy to report that we are the proud new owners of an Amana that has the freezer drawer on the bottom. Now we just hope that the "old" refrigerator keeps plugging before our new one arrives Thursday (they were already booked for Monday delivery).

So my question to you this week:

What is the most expensive item that you bought this week and why did you purchase it?

_____________________________________________________________________________

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 Mr. Linky there if you are participating.