Here is where my reading and planning REALLY paid off. We did what everyone told me could NOT be done - we did The Magic Kingdom. In. One. Day. :o) One WDW veteran told me she sets aside 3 days to do TMK. I was pretty scared, especially when people told me I have no idea how big that park is. I did not think it was very convenient to maneuver around Animal Kingdom b/c of the way it was laid out. After we left AK, another guest told us that TMK is set up the same way but is 4x larger. I honestly did not feel like it was any bigger than Kings Dominion in Virginia, but maybe that is my perception b/c we did not hit everything.
I don't know if I can describe how I felt when we walked through the entrance and saw Cinderella's Castle. TMK is the most exciting place I have been as an adult. I don't think any 5 year old girl walking in there with her princess dress on and getting a hug from Belle herself could have been happier than me. The extra wrinkles/cracks I caused on my face from the ear-to-ear grinning that day was totally worth it. I am tearing up right now, just thinking about it. The memory of that feeling will always be with me and will be pulled out and relived on bad days and during discouraging moments.
I realized that I had taken the same detached attitude towards this trip as I did with my pregnancy. We had tried to get pregnant for 6 years. We had been to many specialists who tried to help, but couldn't and to some who flat out told us there was nothing that could be done and we should adopt. So when I finally got pregnant, although I seemed reservedly happy to others, I was unemotional about it on the inside. I stayed detached but went through most of the motions and did most of the right things you are supposed to do as a pregnant woman. But I would not get excited; I would not hope. I knew in my bones that this baby was not going to come out alive. I could not survive the loss if I had thrown myself whole heart and soul into that baby. A friend of mine had to register for me b/c I refused to do it. Paul kept pushing me to to the nursery and I refused. What was the point in picking things out and getting a room ready for a child that is not going to live there? Finally, 2 weeks before my due date, Paul pulled out the "Obey" and told me, "If you don't start on that nursery TODAY, I am going to tell your mom to do it and I don't think you'll like what she does!"
I've always wanted to take a vacation to WDW, but never thought I'd actually go. Whenever we've gotten a little set aside some car or medical or house emergency would come up. So, when the hubs told us in October that we were going in January, I was reservedly excited. He would not, and still hasn't, told me how he managed this trip. But I figured something would come up during those 3 months that would cancel out the trip. The hubs and I have been together for 16 years and have only take 3 weeks off in that time. We took the week after our wedding off, but never took a honeymoon. We visited people during that week. Then 4 years later, a family friend let us stay at her house on the Eastern shore for a week for our anniversary. The hubs had to go back to work halfway through the week. 10 years after that, this past September, we went back to that beach house for a week and we all stayed the week. So, I objectively did my research and planning without any heart in it, b/c I didn't think a "real" family vacation was in the cards for us.
Even though we had been in WDW for 3 days, it wasn't until I walked into TMK and saw Cinderella's Castle that I got that really-here-alive-and-breathing-my-own-baby-placed-in-my-arms feeling.
It was the perfect day to go. I did not think it was crowded. The Birmbaum book had said that Mondays and Saturdays are the busiest days in this park and I get that. So many people, like us, arrive in the beginning of the week and of course you want to go to TMK first! By Wednesday, when we went, I think a lot of people had moved on to the other parks. We got Fast Passes for every ride on my list that offered them and there were little to no lines for the rides that did not offer FPs. Ben got to ride lots of rides here, which made us both happy. Although he enjoyed the other 2 parks we had been to, he hadn't gotten on too many rides. It was cool in the morning, but our sweatshirts were enough, then warmed up beautifully. The evening, however, was cold, and I wished we had brought our coats. The temps did not, however, make us leave the park and miss the show at the end of the night. No one puts on a show like Disney!
Something occurred frequently in this park that we had not seen on the 3 previous days - meltdowns. There were a lot of those in TMK. Screaming, crying, kids throwing themselves down in the middle of the streets. Those poor kids. It can be overwhelming and exhausting for us adults, too.
We had been in the park about an hour and the hubs, my brother and I were waiting while B and my folks went on a ride in Tomorrowland. We were amazed at the number of birds in this park! There was one of those stroller parking lots outside this ride and we were marveling at the bold birds that were all over them and in them, eating the crumbs and crackers left by the children, when a bird pooped in my hair! That had never happened to me before, but it's alright - it was a Disney bird and I made Paul wipe it all out with pride! ;o)
My brother and I were the only ones brave enough to ride Space Mountain. B wanted to ride, but we said, "No", after what happened in AK. I'm glad I went on it so I have no regrets. I wish we had gone back and rode it again. Now that I know what to expect, I think I would enjoy it. The Hall of Presidents was amazing (I know I keep using that word, I'm sorry)! My mom and I cried. Ben wanted to argue with me for half an hour after we left the Hall that those were NOT robots, they HAD to be REAL people! Another iconic ride I'm glad we hit was the tea cups.
The 2nd shop in WDW in which you can make your own Mickey ears hats was in TMK and B made another one. He had $72 of his own to spend on this trip between Disney GCs he received from relatives at Christmas and his piggy bank money. He even came home with $6. This hat is navy blue with a red mohawk down the middle, 2 black ears covered with fireworks and the words, "Mickey Rocks" embroidered on the front.
The nighttime show at TMK was the best, in my opinion. Unbelievable how the colors change on the castle, how the bricks appear to fall off and over 200 pictures of us tourists taken by cast members throughout the day appeared on the front. Tinkerbell flying by and the fireworks coordinated with the music brought back the feeling of walking into the park that morning. Again, the best and most exciting place I have been as an adult.
Living on a prayer with love, laughter, faith and food.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Day Three at Disney - Park Break
A friend of mine who's been to Disney before shared all her knowledge and tips with me before we went. Thanks to her, I had the Birmbaum Guides to read and help me plan our week. I knew we would not be able to everything at every park. So, I made a list of the main things we wanted to see and it worked out great!
I planned Tuesday as a day of rest (especially for our feet!) from the parks. The original plan was to hang at the lodge - read, be lazy or swim, in Ben's case - in the morning and early afternoon then head to Downtown Disney for shopping and dinner. The weather, however, had other plans. A storm was due to start late afternoon and include heavy rain, hail, tornado warnings and 50+ MPH winds. So we changed our dinner reservations at Wolfgang Puck's to lunch reservations and headed out to Downtown Disney mid-morning.
Like I said in my last post, that place is amazing! We had much more time to go through lots of shops this day and took advantage of it. B made himself a Mickey ears hat - I didn't even know you could do that! I thought that they just sold the standard black hats with black ears and you had the option to add a name and/or Minnie's bow. He picked a bright blue hat with sparkles in it. He chose 2 different ears - one was silver with a raised impression of Mickey and the other was black with a "bejeweled" Mickey head outline in rhinestones and pink hexagon jewels for the face and ears. He added a patch to the front that shows the 5 main characters (MM, MM, DD, P & G) and says, "My 1st Trip to Walt Disney World" and had his name embroidered on the back in hot pink thread. He was SO PROUD of that hat! He had seen many other people walking around with ears on for the last 2 days and he finally had his own!
The hubs wanted me to get ears, too, but I did not want to spend the money. He begged me to at least try on a Minnie pair he liked b/c he said I'd look so cute in them. I tried them on for him and then he told me to look in the mirror, convinced I would want to buy them after I saw myself. I looked in the mirror and, you know what? I looked ADORABLE! ;o) It was hard to resist, but the practical gal in me did.
We must have spent an hour in the pin trading hut, looking at, buying and trading pins. That pin trading is such an awesome idea and the cast members seemed just as excited to trade as B was. We went into Goofy's Candy Co. and could not believe the homemade confections in there. I wish I had taken pictures of the large portions. After looking at the rice crispy treat cakes, Ben asked if I would make him one for his next birthday. Surprisingly, he did not ask me to buy one thing in that store. He did take the mint fudge sample a cast member offered us and it was good.
We had planned to do the Character In Flight tethered hot air balloon ride, but the winds had been getting stronger all day, so it was grounded. Bummer. That was the only way Paul would ever get me in a hot air balloon. But the lunch at Wolfgang Puck's made up for it - excellent food and service.
There is a life-sized Loch Ness Monster made out of LEGOS in the lake at DD! There is also a 6' tall Woody from Toy Story and a robot and T-Rex taller than the store, all made out of LEGOS. Paul and I went ga-ga over all the Disney-themed kitchen stuff you could buy. A co-worker had asked the hubs to get her a Disney shot glass and we bought B a tea mug with it's own spoon. So we did not have to carry it around, and so we could surprise B with it back at home, we had the items sent back to the lodge from the store. Isn't that a great service? Anything you buy, anywhere in WDW, can be sent back to your resort so you don't have to lug it around. And if you are not staying at a WDW resort, your purchases in the parks can be sent to the front of the park to pick up on your way out. All free of charge. I had heard that Disney's customer service was exceptional and, for the most part, they did NOT disappoint.
2 minutes after we boarded a bus back to the lodge, it started to rain. It stopped when we turned onto the lodge's property (I think even God was excited that we had finally made it to WDW ;o) ). But almost an hour later, the skies opened up and it poured. We got wind, but all the tornado activity stayed in other parts of the county from us. The lodge was full of people b/c everyone had abandoned the parks but there was plenty of entertainment and food to go around. We got to bed early and got another good night's sleep.
I planned Tuesday as a day of rest (especially for our feet!) from the parks. The original plan was to hang at the lodge - read, be lazy or swim, in Ben's case - in the morning and early afternoon then head to Downtown Disney for shopping and dinner. The weather, however, had other plans. A storm was due to start late afternoon and include heavy rain, hail, tornado warnings and 50+ MPH winds. So we changed our dinner reservations at Wolfgang Puck's to lunch reservations and headed out to Downtown Disney mid-morning.
Like I said in my last post, that place is amazing! We had much more time to go through lots of shops this day and took advantage of it. B made himself a Mickey ears hat - I didn't even know you could do that! I thought that they just sold the standard black hats with black ears and you had the option to add a name and/or Minnie's bow. He picked a bright blue hat with sparkles in it. He chose 2 different ears - one was silver with a raised impression of Mickey and the other was black with a "bejeweled" Mickey head outline in rhinestones and pink hexagon jewels for the face and ears. He added a patch to the front that shows the 5 main characters (MM, MM, DD, P & G) and says, "My 1st Trip to Walt Disney World" and had his name embroidered on the back in hot pink thread. He was SO PROUD of that hat! He had seen many other people walking around with ears on for the last 2 days and he finally had his own!
The hubs wanted me to get ears, too, but I did not want to spend the money. He begged me to at least try on a Minnie pair he liked b/c he said I'd look so cute in them. I tried them on for him and then he told me to look in the mirror, convinced I would want to buy them after I saw myself. I looked in the mirror and, you know what? I looked ADORABLE! ;o) It was hard to resist, but the practical gal in me did.
We must have spent an hour in the pin trading hut, looking at, buying and trading pins. That pin trading is such an awesome idea and the cast members seemed just as excited to trade as B was. We went into Goofy's Candy Co. and could not believe the homemade confections in there. I wish I had taken pictures of the large portions. After looking at the rice crispy treat cakes, Ben asked if I would make him one for his next birthday. Surprisingly, he did not ask me to buy one thing in that store. He did take the mint fudge sample a cast member offered us and it was good.
We had planned to do the Character In Flight tethered hot air balloon ride, but the winds had been getting stronger all day, so it was grounded. Bummer. That was the only way Paul would ever get me in a hot air balloon. But the lunch at Wolfgang Puck's made up for it - excellent food and service.
There is a life-sized Loch Ness Monster made out of LEGOS in the lake at DD! There is also a 6' tall Woody from Toy Story and a robot and T-Rex taller than the store, all made out of LEGOS. Paul and I went ga-ga over all the Disney-themed kitchen stuff you could buy. A co-worker had asked the hubs to get her a Disney shot glass and we bought B a tea mug with it's own spoon. So we did not have to carry it around, and so we could surprise B with it back at home, we had the items sent back to the lodge from the store. Isn't that a great service? Anything you buy, anywhere in WDW, can be sent back to your resort so you don't have to lug it around. And if you are not staying at a WDW resort, your purchases in the parks can be sent to the front of the park to pick up on your way out. All free of charge. I had heard that Disney's customer service was exceptional and, for the most part, they did NOT disappoint.
2 minutes after we boarded a bus back to the lodge, it started to rain. It stopped when we turned onto the lodge's property (I think even God was excited that we had finally made it to WDW ;o) ). But almost an hour later, the skies opened up and it poured. We got wind, but all the tornado activity stayed in other parts of the county from us. The lodge was full of people b/c everyone had abandoned the parks but there was plenty of entertainment and food to go around. We got to bed early and got another good night's sleep.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Day Two at Disney - Animal Kingdom
Since the hubs and I were up the day before from 4am to 11pm, I planned for us to go to Animal Kingdom on Monday. The park closed at 5pm, forcing us go straight to our dinner reservations and, hopefully, call it an early night. Luckily, our breakfast waitress at the Lodge did not yell at us nor yell our business throughout the restaurant. Probably b/c we were there when they opened and there was hardly anyone else up that early. :o) B thought that the blankets on his bed were nailed to the floor b/c he was unable to loosen them at all during the night. hehehe They were just really tucked in well!
The Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom is a wonder to behold. We stopped and looked at it from several different angles and raced against each other to see who could find the 300+ different animals carved into it first. The Safari ride was awesome! To get that close to so many animals! I don't know how Disney got us that close without us seeing any barriers to keep the animals from the vehicle we were in. We rounded one corner and a black rhino was walking down the narrow road right at us, not 20 feet away! There was no room to go around him and I don't think that was a "planned" part of the ride.
I was bummed that I could not go on every ride b/c of my back problems, but my ride-phobic husband said he would rise to the occasion and gone on EVERYTHING with B that I could not. So, I sent my mom, my brother, the hubs and B off to Expedition Everest while my dad and I found a shady spot to rest in another section of the park. Unfortunately, no one got to ride that roller coaster. The hubs begged off at the entrance, leaving B, my mom and my bro to go on. After B and my bro were harnessed into their car, B FLIPPED OUT! It really affected my brother, seeing that kind of "episode" in his nephew (I'm used to it and no longer worry about what strangers around us think). The roller coaster did not bother B; he'd been on plenty before. However, the Yeti inside the mountain scared the crap out of him and B was unable to get past that fear. A cast member saw the scene and unlocked their harnesses. When my mom saw B and my brother getting out, she also asked to get out. B was evidently hysterical walking down that exit ramp. He felt so ashamed and I wish I could take that away from him! He flew into his daddy's arms at the end of the exit ramp and refused to show his face for at least 30 minutes after that. :o(
We had Fast Passes to the ride Dinosaur, and we ALL had doubts about Ben getting on that one after his reaction to Everest. He said he wanted to try, so all 6 of us headed in. We were watching the video of Phylicia Rashad explain the adventure were about to embark on, when B elbowed me. I leaned down and he whispered in my ear, "I changed my mind; I want to get out." My dad was only too happy to go out with him! LOL I'm glad B did not go through with that ride. It was dark, loud, things jumped out at us and it took every muscle in my body to keep from cracking heads with the family members on either side of me. There is no way I would have been able to hold and shield B during that ride and not crack something against another rider.
B got more autographs and pix in this park so it was another success from his perspective.
When the park closed, we headed to Downtown Disney for dinner reservations. That place is amazing! B and my brother could have spent all day in the LEGO store, alone. I did not realize that dinner was at a restaurant that did not take our Disney dining plan - Fulton's Crab House. Although the service was attentive, the food was not that good. The free crab dip appetizer was wonderful and, like everywhere we went, the drinks were great, but only 2 of us enjoyed our entrees. Not worth the high cost of the meal and long time it took for our entrees to arrive.
The Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom is a wonder to behold. We stopped and looked at it from several different angles and raced against each other to see who could find the 300+ different animals carved into it first. The Safari ride was awesome! To get that close to so many animals! I don't know how Disney got us that close without us seeing any barriers to keep the animals from the vehicle we were in. We rounded one corner and a black rhino was walking down the narrow road right at us, not 20 feet away! There was no room to go around him and I don't think that was a "planned" part of the ride.
I was bummed that I could not go on every ride b/c of my back problems, but my ride-phobic husband said he would rise to the occasion and gone on EVERYTHING with B that I could not. So, I sent my mom, my brother, the hubs and B off to Expedition Everest while my dad and I found a shady spot to rest in another section of the park. Unfortunately, no one got to ride that roller coaster. The hubs begged off at the entrance, leaving B, my mom and my bro to go on. After B and my bro were harnessed into their car, B FLIPPED OUT! It really affected my brother, seeing that kind of "episode" in his nephew (I'm used to it and no longer worry about what strangers around us think). The roller coaster did not bother B; he'd been on plenty before. However, the Yeti inside the mountain scared the crap out of him and B was unable to get past that fear. A cast member saw the scene and unlocked their harnesses. When my mom saw B and my brother getting out, she also asked to get out. B was evidently hysterical walking down that exit ramp. He felt so ashamed and I wish I could take that away from him! He flew into his daddy's arms at the end of the exit ramp and refused to show his face for at least 30 minutes after that. :o(
We had Fast Passes to the ride Dinosaur, and we ALL had doubts about Ben getting on that one after his reaction to Everest. He said he wanted to try, so all 6 of us headed in. We were watching the video of Phylicia Rashad explain the adventure were about to embark on, when B elbowed me. I leaned down and he whispered in my ear, "I changed my mind; I want to get out." My dad was only too happy to go out with him! LOL I'm glad B did not go through with that ride. It was dark, loud, things jumped out at us and it took every muscle in my body to keep from cracking heads with the family members on either side of me. There is no way I would have been able to hold and shield B during that ride and not crack something against another rider.
B got more autographs and pix in this park so it was another success from his perspective.
When the park closed, we headed to Downtown Disney for dinner reservations. That place is amazing! B and my brother could have spent all day in the LEGO store, alone. I did not realize that dinner was at a restaurant that did not take our Disney dining plan - Fulton's Crab House. Although the service was attentive, the food was not that good. The free crab dip appetizer was wonderful and, like everywhere we went, the drinks were great, but only 2 of us enjoyed our entrees. Not worth the high cost of the meal and long time it took for our entrees to arrive.
I Can't Believe We Actualy Went to Disney! - Day One
We went to Walt Disney World last week, 1/23 - 1/28. Back in October, when the hubs surprised B and me with the Disney trip as a combo anniversary present for us/birthday present for B, I ignorantly told everyone that the reason I was so excited is that none of us had ever been. That's right - a 43 YO man, 38 YO woman and 8 YO boy had never been to WDW. But I was mistaken. See, I thought "Walt Disney World" was a PARK. I now know that what I thought was WDW was actually The Magic Kingdom, just 1 of 4 WDW parks. So, I apologize for telling a lie. When I was a sophomore in high school, my school chorus went to Orlando for a national competition. While there, we had approx 6 hours in which we could go to "Disney World" (The Magic Kingdom) or Epcot. Since I had been to neither one, I relied on my friends to make the decision. They said that "Disney World" was for little kids and I should go to Epcot with them. So, I did. I had enough time to buy myself a hat in China and have a meal in Morocco, at which I tried calamari for the 1st time. That's it.
So, now that I have that off my chest, here is our 1st day in WDW...
Our very good friends picked us up at 5am on the 23rd to take us to the airport. While we were checking our bags at the counter, I realized that I had left our Magical Express stuff at the house! Magical Express is the Disney transportation from the Orlando airport to our Disney resort. It included bag tags that would automatically send our bags from the plane to our resort and our tickets to get on the Disney bus at the airport. The airline ticket agent took our bags and told us we would just have to collect our own bags at baggage claim in Orlando and carry them to the Disney bus ourselves. OK, but I still had no way to get ON the Disney bus! I called our friends, in tears, and the wife had to calmly talk me out of my tree before she could figure out what the heck I was upset about. We keep each others' house keys, so they went back to the house for us, collected our Magical Express envelope and brought it back to the airport for us. Just the 1st of many blessings our wonderful friends would bestow upon us during this trip...
We got to see the sunrise from the air in our plane; it was so cool! I have never flown into Orlando before, but they must have some HUGE spread down there because, I kid you not, we taxied for at least 10 minutes back to a terminal. At one point B asked, "Is the plane driving us all the way to our resort, Mama?" LOL We finally got to the terminal, collected our bags and got on a Disney Express bus to the Wilderness Lodge. My parents and brother had taken the 2 previous days to drive down to Orlando and were waiting for us in the Lodge's lobby. After checking in, getting our room/park/meal plan cards and stowing our luggage, we got some lunch at the Lodge and then hopped a bus to our 1st park - Disney's Hollywood Studios.
By the time we arrived, it was almost 1pm. All the Fast Passes were gone for rides and Jedi Training Academy was full. But I'm a smart mom, and never told B about those things. :o) So he does not know what he missed out on. What we did get to do and see, B was TOTALLY excited and happy about and that's all that matters. We saw the Indiana Jones stunt show and B got autographs from and pix with Indy's and Miriam's stunt doubles. That was a great show! The only objective B went down there with for Hollywood Studios was getting into the Playhouse Disney LIVE! show, and we did. He got to holler and dance with the best of them! No matter that he was the oldest kid there by at least 3 years; his dance moves impressed and entertained all the other parents.
Santa had given B an autograph book for Christmas and our travel agent had given him a lanyard and his 1st trading pin. His biggest excitement was walking underneath "the hat" in this park - the wizard hat Mickey wore in Fantasia. The pin selling and trading hub of the park was located there. He bought some pins, with his own saved money and GCs received at Christmas, and made his 1st trade with a fabulously friendly cast member. We got pix and autographs from Disney characters and B got to dance in the Disney ROCKS! teen show. It was 4:52pm and I was filming B in the Disney ROCKS! show when reality FINALLY sunk in - I'm. Actually. In. Walt. Disney. World. I could NOT believe it!
We stayed for the 6:30pm Fantasmic! evening laser/fireworks/story show. To tell you the truth, we could have done without it, but we only know that b/c we stayed. If we chose to skip it, we'd always wonder and regret. Lessons learned. We got back to the hotel and the 4:30am rising had taken its toll on B. My mom put him to bed and stayed with him while the hubs, me, my dad and my brother went down for dinner. The Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge is quite an experience. They throw things at you, yell at you, yell your business to everyone else in the dining room and talk to you as if you were family. However, every Disney restaurant impressed me b/c the chefs came out to our tables to discuss our food allergies and bent over backwards to try to accommodate. B's peanut allergy was no problem; my olive oil allergy was another story. Everything on Disney properties is cooked in an olive oil/canola oil mix. Bummer for me. I was SO looking forward to experiencing world-class dining but, due to my olive oil allergy, my food had to be cooked in a pan w/o oil and seasonings and could only be accompanied by steamed veggies. Oh, well. B got to eat WHATEVER he wanted and that made me so happy!
Our travel agent secured us the best rooms at the Lodge and we were so pleased. We all got a great night's sleep.
So, now that I have that off my chest, here is our 1st day in WDW...
Our very good friends picked us up at 5am on the 23rd to take us to the airport. While we were checking our bags at the counter, I realized that I had left our Magical Express stuff at the house! Magical Express is the Disney transportation from the Orlando airport to our Disney resort. It included bag tags that would automatically send our bags from the plane to our resort and our tickets to get on the Disney bus at the airport. The airline ticket agent took our bags and told us we would just have to collect our own bags at baggage claim in Orlando and carry them to the Disney bus ourselves. OK, but I still had no way to get ON the Disney bus! I called our friends, in tears, and the wife had to calmly talk me out of my tree before she could figure out what the heck I was upset about. We keep each others' house keys, so they went back to the house for us, collected our Magical Express envelope and brought it back to the airport for us. Just the 1st of many blessings our wonderful friends would bestow upon us during this trip...
We got to see the sunrise from the air in our plane; it was so cool! I have never flown into Orlando before, but they must have some HUGE spread down there because, I kid you not, we taxied for at least 10 minutes back to a terminal. At one point B asked, "Is the plane driving us all the way to our resort, Mama?" LOL We finally got to the terminal, collected our bags and got on a Disney Express bus to the Wilderness Lodge. My parents and brother had taken the 2 previous days to drive down to Orlando and were waiting for us in the Lodge's lobby. After checking in, getting our room/park/meal plan cards and stowing our luggage, we got some lunch at the Lodge and then hopped a bus to our 1st park - Disney's Hollywood Studios.
By the time we arrived, it was almost 1pm. All the Fast Passes were gone for rides and Jedi Training Academy was full. But I'm a smart mom, and never told B about those things. :o) So he does not know what he missed out on. What we did get to do and see, B was TOTALLY excited and happy about and that's all that matters. We saw the Indiana Jones stunt show and B got autographs from and pix with Indy's and Miriam's stunt doubles. That was a great show! The only objective B went down there with for Hollywood Studios was getting into the Playhouse Disney LIVE! show, and we did. He got to holler and dance with the best of them! No matter that he was the oldest kid there by at least 3 years; his dance moves impressed and entertained all the other parents.
Santa had given B an autograph book for Christmas and our travel agent had given him a lanyard and his 1st trading pin. His biggest excitement was walking underneath "the hat" in this park - the wizard hat Mickey wore in Fantasia. The pin selling and trading hub of the park was located there. He bought some pins, with his own saved money and GCs received at Christmas, and made his 1st trade with a fabulously friendly cast member. We got pix and autographs from Disney characters and B got to dance in the Disney ROCKS! teen show. It was 4:52pm and I was filming B in the Disney ROCKS! show when reality FINALLY sunk in - I'm. Actually. In. Walt. Disney. World. I could NOT believe it!
We stayed for the 6:30pm Fantasmic! evening laser/fireworks/story show. To tell you the truth, we could have done without it, but we only know that b/c we stayed. If we chose to skip it, we'd always wonder and regret. Lessons learned. We got back to the hotel and the 4:30am rising had taken its toll on B. My mom put him to bed and stayed with him while the hubs, me, my dad and my brother went down for dinner. The Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge is quite an experience. They throw things at you, yell at you, yell your business to everyone else in the dining room and talk to you as if you were family. However, every Disney restaurant impressed me b/c the chefs came out to our tables to discuss our food allergies and bent over backwards to try to accommodate. B's peanut allergy was no problem; my olive oil allergy was another story. Everything on Disney properties is cooked in an olive oil/canola oil mix. Bummer for me. I was SO looking forward to experiencing world-class dining but, due to my olive oil allergy, my food had to be cooked in a pan w/o oil and seasonings and could only be accompanied by steamed veggies. Oh, well. B got to eat WHATEVER he wanted and that made me so happy!
Our travel agent secured us the best rooms at the Lodge and we were so pleased. We all got a great night's sleep.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
January 18th - Ice Day
The public schools were closed yesterday due to ice. Well, technically it was 2 days ago, but since I have not been to bed yet, it still counts as yesterday. I felt rather lazy after reading on Facebook what all my friends did on their "ice day". I did not break up and shovel the ice on my driveway and sidewalk. They had called for a high of 41 later in the day so I felt there was no need. (I was right - it all melted on its own! Hehe!) I didn't bake anything. I didn't prep for dinner. I didn't do any laundry. I didn't even taken a shower until after I put B to bed!
But we did have school. B was given topics to draw pictures, then he had to write stories about the pictures. He has gotten SO much better at spelling new words by sounding them out thanks to that spelling bee DS game!
I am trying to learn to play Scrabble by myself. I tried playing online but opponents were so far above me and, I'm sure, frustrated they had such a stupid opponent. Plus, I had to wait on my opponent's schedule to play their turn and sometimes it was several hours or the next day. So my mom gave me her old Scrabble board and I have it on the coffee table. I am playing all 4 stands. Don't worry; I can't possibly cheat. My memory is so bad that when I move onto the next stand to play, I have no recollection of what letters are on the other 3 stands. :o)
Evidence I have become my mother #68 - I used a Barnes & Noble GC from my MIL to order myself an Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary. *blushes* On a positive note, B is learning while I play, as well. He likes forming words with the letters on each of the 3 stands I am not playing from at any given time. Plus, I make him add up my new score in his head after each turn I take and he is doing very well.
Speaking of finding the teaching moments in everyday life (like that transition?), I have to tell you a story from this afternoon. I stopped at a local drug store on the way home from work this afternoon to buy almonds. While in the store, the hubs called to ask me to pick him up a 2L of soda. Now, we were just in the grocery store on Saturday and I asked him if wanted some more soda b/c he only had 3 aluminum cans left of his kind. "No," he said, "I'll be fine. I can always drink some of your kind." *eye roll* So, I go to the soda aisle of the drugstore and the kind he likes is $2.19 for a 2L! As much as it KILLED me to pay that price, I told myself he wants it, I love him, and I am not running to another store to get it cheaper, so I take my 2L and almonds up the the register.
Behind the register is a teenage boy and a teenage girl. He scans the 2L and, instead of the price showing on the monitor, it asks him to enter the price. He turned to the girl and said in a surfer dude voice, "How much IS this?" She picked up the sales ad in front of her, looked at it and then asked me in a valley girl voice, with a grimace on her face, "Is that a PEPSI product?" I answered, "Yes." She looked back at the ad and said, "Well, they're 4 for 5 dollars so..........(her mouth is still formed in the shape of the "o" at the end of "so" and her eyes went up and to the right as she did the math in her head)....99 cents!" she exclaimed proudly.
Now, 3 years ago, I would have corrected her and said, "No, that's $1.25," without even thinking. However, over the last 2 years I have tried REALLY HARD to think before I speak to avoid putting my foot in my mouth or hurting someone's feelings. So the new me kept absolutely silent. I am so proud of me for being so mature! ;o) BTW, as I walked out with my 2L and almonds, the teacher in me did not feel guilty AT ALL for not taking advantage of THAT teachable moment. :o)
But we did have school. B was given topics to draw pictures, then he had to write stories about the pictures. He has gotten SO much better at spelling new words by sounding them out thanks to that spelling bee DS game!
I am trying to learn to play Scrabble by myself. I tried playing online but opponents were so far above me and, I'm sure, frustrated they had such a stupid opponent. Plus, I had to wait on my opponent's schedule to play their turn and sometimes it was several hours or the next day. So my mom gave me her old Scrabble board and I have it on the coffee table. I am playing all 4 stands. Don't worry; I can't possibly cheat. My memory is so bad that when I move onto the next stand to play, I have no recollection of what letters are on the other 3 stands. :o)
Evidence I have become my mother #68 - I used a Barnes & Noble GC from my MIL to order myself an Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary. *blushes* On a positive note, B is learning while I play, as well. He likes forming words with the letters on each of the 3 stands I am not playing from at any given time. Plus, I make him add up my new score in his head after each turn I take and he is doing very well.
Speaking of finding the teaching moments in everyday life (like that transition?), I have to tell you a story from this afternoon. I stopped at a local drug store on the way home from work this afternoon to buy almonds. While in the store, the hubs called to ask me to pick him up a 2L of soda. Now, we were just in the grocery store on Saturday and I asked him if wanted some more soda b/c he only had 3 aluminum cans left of his kind. "No," he said, "I'll be fine. I can always drink some of your kind." *eye roll* So, I go to the soda aisle of the drugstore and the kind he likes is $2.19 for a 2L! As much as it KILLED me to pay that price, I told myself he wants it, I love him, and I am not running to another store to get it cheaper, so I take my 2L and almonds up the the register.
Behind the register is a teenage boy and a teenage girl. He scans the 2L and, instead of the price showing on the monitor, it asks him to enter the price. He turned to the girl and said in a surfer dude voice, "How much IS this?" She picked up the sales ad in front of her, looked at it and then asked me in a valley girl voice, with a grimace on her face, "Is that a PEPSI product?" I answered, "Yes." She looked back at the ad and said, "Well, they're 4 for 5 dollars so..........(her mouth is still formed in the shape of the "o" at the end of "so" and her eyes went up and to the right as she did the math in her head)....99 cents!" she exclaimed proudly.
Now, 3 years ago, I would have corrected her and said, "No, that's $1.25," without even thinking. However, over the last 2 years I have tried REALLY HARD to think before I speak to avoid putting my foot in my mouth or hurting someone's feelings. So the new me kept absolutely silent. I am so proud of me for being so mature! ;o) BTW, as I walked out with my 2L and almonds, the teacher in me did not feel guilty AT ALL for not taking advantage of THAT teachable moment. :o)
Thursday, January 13, 2011
My Left Ear
I had 2 doctors appointments today closer to the "big city". One was at 9:15am and the other at 12:15pm. To avoid having to leave my house at o'dark:thirty to get through rush hour traffic to the 1st appointment on time, B and I spent the night at my parents' house last night. They live closer to "big city" than we do. B and I did not mind; we both love spending time with my folks. My dad was actually out of town, spending time with his mom in New England for her birthday and keeping an eye on her since she just got out of the hospital. BTW, yesterday was her 94th birthday. :o) So B and I hung with my mom. She is B's Nana and lives up to the name completely! As difficult as it is for me to sit on my hands and keep my mouth shut about what he gets away with and does in her house, I do it. Every child deserves a Nana and Papa, and Ben understands that their rules are their rules in their house and my rules are my rules in my house, and never the twain shall meet! But usually, I drop him off and have no idea what goes on in their house. Since I stayed, too, I could not BELIEVE what goes on in that house! Where were these people when they were MY parents?!
Mom put B to bed last night while I took a bath in her MAMMOTH tub. I had not taken a bath in YEARS!!! I actually took with me a wine glass full of ice water and....A BOOK! The grandmother clock that chimes every 15 minutes told me that I was in there for at least 45 minutes. Ahhhh. I really needed that bath. I visit my parents frequently, but it's usually for a meal and visit as a family or to drop B off so the hubs and I can get some alone time. I need to start stopping by my parents' for some "me" pampering! After my bath, it was so nice to sit up and talk to mom.
So, onto the reason for my doctors appointments - my left ear. From June 2009 - December 2009 I had my 1st "ear infection". The "infection" was just like me - go big or go home. That's why it lasted 7 months long, was immune to the 1st 2 rounds of antibiotics and cost me 70% of the hearing in the left ear. When the Spring of 2010 came around and we saw warmer weather, the pain and bleeding stopped, and I slowly gained back 30% of the hearing in that ear.
When the weather started to turn colder in October 2010, my left ear started to bother me again. After 6 weeks, the bother became pain and started to bleed. By mid-December, I decided to go back to the doctor, was diagnosed with another "ear infection" and put on a pretty strong antibiotic for 10 days. On day 8 of the antibiotics, December 22nd, I called mt doctor back b/c neither the pain nor the bleeding had subsided at all. He referred me to an ENT and made me an appointment the next day.
When the ENT looked into my ear, he said he needed to suck out all the "puss and blood" in my ear in order to see what was going on. So he inserted a microscope and a vacuum. The amount of LOUD NOISE caused by the vacuum in my ear actually made me feel better - if something sounds loud in that ear, maybe my hearing isn't that bad! After several minutes of suction, the ENT says, "Hmmm. That's...interesting." Seriously?! Did his Mama never teach him that if does not have anything nice (or in this case, positive/constructive) to say, don't say anything at all?! He finishes up and settles in for a talk. He tells me that what he thought was puss and blood in my ear canal was actually skin, he thinks. For some reason, extra skin/cells/growth/a tumor is growing in the tube that goes off of the outer ear tube up to the bones in the middle ear. In addition to that, I have a hole in my ear drum, which is causing negative pressure in my outer ear canal. This negative pressure is causing this extra "skin", as well as part of my ear drum, to be sucked up into this tube. That was all that the ENT could see through the microscope in my outer ear canal. So, he told me to pop my ears at least 20 times/day and schedule a hearing test and CT scan to get a better look at that tube. He needs to know what is actually up there, how big it is and what is causing the hearing loss - either there is something blocking sounds from getting through or the growth is actually destroying the bones in my inner ear, causing permanent hearing loss.
At first, I did not want to pop my ears b/c it hurt! But the more I did it, the less it hurt and the more I could hear. I figured that had to be a good sign that no permanent damage has been done to my ear. The hearing test this morning showed great improvements to my hearing since the last test at the end of 2009. The main things I have problems hearing are the pitches of vowels and men's voices. I have been upset with the hubs for several weeks, accusing him of whispering to me frequently just to annoy me since he KNEW I had hearing loss! Turns out he was speaking normally and I just could not hear his pitches. (I called him after that appointment and apologized.)
My 2nd appointment was at 12:15pm, the CT scan. I had to be at work in a different county at 1:30pm, but I had confidence that a company who scheduled an appointment during the normal lunch hour actually had employees who WORKED through the lunch hour and I'd be out of there in a timely manner. I should have known my expectations were set WAY too high when I had to hold the door for the Domino's Pizza delivery guy walking in behind me with a stack of 7 pizzas and a bag of 4 two liters of soda. I arrived 15 minutes before my appointment time. After filling out the requisite paperwork, I was immediately whisked back to the next level of waiting room, where I sat and read my book for a half an hour. Then I was moved to level 3 of waiting and read for another 45 minutes. Finally, at 1:17pm, a man smelling suspiciously of pepperoni and mozzarella called me into the CT Scan room. He was friendly, efficient, explained everything that was to happen and managed to get scans with me on my stomach and my back and have me in my car, backing out of my parking space, by 1:27pm!
I am NOT a speeder. I make a rule of going a maximum of 0-5 miles over the speed limit. But I FLEW the 30 miles to work and arrived 30 minutes late, hungry and having to pee. I run threw the door and find ALL of my co-workers standing around and chatting. "Why are y'all still here?" I asked. I thought they would have picked up there assignments and headed out long before I arrived. "Oh, we're in no rush," one said. :o/ I should have stopped at a drive-thru for lunch after all, I thought, as I headed for the bathroom. When I came out of the bathroom, everyone else was gone, I grabbed my assignment, the keys to my designated car and headed out to pick up my kids.
Now begins the waiting game. The pepperoni/mozzarella-smelling technician told me that my ENT would have all results within 24-36 hours. Unfortunately, the ENT's next available appointment to discuss said results, and what needs to be done next, was not available until 1/31. So, we shall see...
Mom put B to bed last night while I took a bath in her MAMMOTH tub. I had not taken a bath in YEARS!!! I actually took with me a wine glass full of ice water and....A BOOK! The grandmother clock that chimes every 15 minutes told me that I was in there for at least 45 minutes. Ahhhh. I really needed that bath. I visit my parents frequently, but it's usually for a meal and visit as a family or to drop B off so the hubs and I can get some alone time. I need to start stopping by my parents' for some "me" pampering! After my bath, it was so nice to sit up and talk to mom.
So, onto the reason for my doctors appointments - my left ear. From June 2009 - December 2009 I had my 1st "ear infection". The "infection" was just like me - go big or go home. That's why it lasted 7 months long, was immune to the 1st 2 rounds of antibiotics and cost me 70% of the hearing in the left ear. When the Spring of 2010 came around and we saw warmer weather, the pain and bleeding stopped, and I slowly gained back 30% of the hearing in that ear.
When the weather started to turn colder in October 2010, my left ear started to bother me again. After 6 weeks, the bother became pain and started to bleed. By mid-December, I decided to go back to the doctor, was diagnosed with another "ear infection" and put on a pretty strong antibiotic for 10 days. On day 8 of the antibiotics, December 22nd, I called mt doctor back b/c neither the pain nor the bleeding had subsided at all. He referred me to an ENT and made me an appointment the next day.
When the ENT looked into my ear, he said he needed to suck out all the "puss and blood" in my ear in order to see what was going on. So he inserted a microscope and a vacuum. The amount of LOUD NOISE caused by the vacuum in my ear actually made me feel better - if something sounds loud in that ear, maybe my hearing isn't that bad! After several minutes of suction, the ENT says, "Hmmm. That's...interesting." Seriously?! Did his Mama never teach him that if does not have anything nice (or in this case, positive/constructive) to say, don't say anything at all?! He finishes up and settles in for a talk. He tells me that what he thought was puss and blood in my ear canal was actually skin, he thinks. For some reason, extra skin/cells/growth/a tumor is growing in the tube that goes off of the outer ear tube up to the bones in the middle ear. In addition to that, I have a hole in my ear drum, which is causing negative pressure in my outer ear canal. This negative pressure is causing this extra "skin", as well as part of my ear drum, to be sucked up into this tube. That was all that the ENT could see through the microscope in my outer ear canal. So, he told me to pop my ears at least 20 times/day and schedule a hearing test and CT scan to get a better look at that tube. He needs to know what is actually up there, how big it is and what is causing the hearing loss - either there is something blocking sounds from getting through or the growth is actually destroying the bones in my inner ear, causing permanent hearing loss.
At first, I did not want to pop my ears b/c it hurt! But the more I did it, the less it hurt and the more I could hear. I figured that had to be a good sign that no permanent damage has been done to my ear. The hearing test this morning showed great improvements to my hearing since the last test at the end of 2009. The main things I have problems hearing are the pitches of vowels and men's voices. I have been upset with the hubs for several weeks, accusing him of whispering to me frequently just to annoy me since he KNEW I had hearing loss! Turns out he was speaking normally and I just could not hear his pitches. (I called him after that appointment and apologized.)
My 2nd appointment was at 12:15pm, the CT scan. I had to be at work in a different county at 1:30pm, but I had confidence that a company who scheduled an appointment during the normal lunch hour actually had employees who WORKED through the lunch hour and I'd be out of there in a timely manner. I should have known my expectations were set WAY too high when I had to hold the door for the Domino's Pizza delivery guy walking in behind me with a stack of 7 pizzas and a bag of 4 two liters of soda. I arrived 15 minutes before my appointment time. After filling out the requisite paperwork, I was immediately whisked back to the next level of waiting room, where I sat and read my book for a half an hour. Then I was moved to level 3 of waiting and read for another 45 minutes. Finally, at 1:17pm, a man smelling suspiciously of pepperoni and mozzarella called me into the CT Scan room. He was friendly, efficient, explained everything that was to happen and managed to get scans with me on my stomach and my back and have me in my car, backing out of my parking space, by 1:27pm!
I am NOT a speeder. I make a rule of going a maximum of 0-5 miles over the speed limit. But I FLEW the 30 miles to work and arrived 30 minutes late, hungry and having to pee. I run threw the door and find ALL of my co-workers standing around and chatting. "Why are y'all still here?" I asked. I thought they would have picked up there assignments and headed out long before I arrived. "Oh, we're in no rush," one said. :o/ I should have stopped at a drive-thru for lunch after all, I thought, as I headed for the bathroom. When I came out of the bathroom, everyone else was gone, I grabbed my assignment, the keys to my designated car and headed out to pick up my kids.
Now begins the waiting game. The pepperoni/mozzarella-smelling technician told me that my ENT would have all results within 24-36 hours. Unfortunately, the ENT's next available appointment to discuss said results, and what needs to be done next, was not available until 1/31. So, we shall see...
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
"Shouldn't you be in school?"
It boggles my mind that at least one person asks B that every time we are in public on a weekday. And 9 out of 10 times, it is the cashier or check-out person that asks. I may be curious about the situations of strangers when I see them out in public, but I certainly would not go up to them and ask them personal questions. Maybe the asker is just protecting his or her immune systems and wants to know if I am dragging my sick child out in public. Perhaps some people feel they have a right to know everything about everybody due to so many reality TV shows and a media that does not respects any boundaries. But there are plenty of school-aged kids roaming about and if someone will ask my son, they are probably asking other people's children, as well. So, if you got the same answer from a few people, wouldn't you get the idea that there is a good number of homeschoolers in the area and then not need to ask any other kids? Or maybe at least phrase it differently, like, "Are you homeschooled?" That would be better than the accusatory tone used when they ask B, "Shouldn't you be in school?" Maybe there is a rampant truancy problem in our county so the school system has deputized volunteer truancy offers in every store. ;o) Who knows.
The first 4 months of homeschooling were filled with discovery and trial-and-error. I didn't want to invest tons of money in curriculum that did not work for us, but I felt I needed a little more than what I had on hand. One of my new homeschooling friends, T, is a "veteran". She's been HSing for at least 5 years and her style is classical. So she is very curriculum-based and teaches her children several subjects each day. She recommended a great book to me: 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy. The book helps you define your teaching style and figure out your child's learning style. Once you do that, you can match them with her top 100 picks of curriculum.
I picked out one that looked interesting, was not expensive and said it covered Art, Science, Math and Social Studies. It's called Five In A Row. When it arrived, it was not as challenging for B as I had hoped. But it is something we can do together, everyday, while snuggling on the couch, and that is very important to B's well being. :o) It only cost $35 so it is not a huge loss.
I chose a math curriculum that was more expensive, Math-U-See. Although I was eager to get started with it, I decided to put it on my Christmas list and my parents got it for us. Ben really likes Math-U-See! In addition to the workbook, it is hands-on with blocks similar to LEGOS. The other book I bought that has worked out well is the Handwriting Without Tears. B's handwriting has really improved with that.
Also for Christmas, my parents bought B a DSi XL. My brother gave him 2 games - LEGO Harry Potter and the Scripps Spelling Bee. A friend of mine gave B a Math game, as well. When he opened the Harry Potter game, he played it for 3 days straight; however, he has not gone back to it since. He just LOVES the spelling bee and math games! We've had difficulty with B's laziness when it comes to reading. He does not want to take the time to sound out new words. He'll glace at a new word, see a couple of letters in it that belong to another word he already knows and just say the known word and move on. But then he has no idea what he is reading! I make him go back and sound out the new word. He would just prefer that someone read to him instead of him reading it. However, once you read a book to him once, he can then go back and read it to himself b/c he has heard all the correct words. But I want him to figure new words out on his own. Well, this Scripps Spelling Bee game has done the trick! He is learning how to spell and read so many new words and having fun at the same time. And I know he will get great pleasure out of all the levels in the math DS game, too, as we progress through our Math-U-See lessons.
The first 4 months of homeschooling were filled with discovery and trial-and-error. I didn't want to invest tons of money in curriculum that did not work for us, but I felt I needed a little more than what I had on hand. One of my new homeschooling friends, T, is a "veteran". She's been HSing for at least 5 years and her style is classical. So she is very curriculum-based and teaches her children several subjects each day. She recommended a great book to me: 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy. The book helps you define your teaching style and figure out your child's learning style. Once you do that, you can match them with her top 100 picks of curriculum.
I picked out one that looked interesting, was not expensive and said it covered Art, Science, Math and Social Studies. It's called Five In A Row. When it arrived, it was not as challenging for B as I had hoped. But it is something we can do together, everyday, while snuggling on the couch, and that is very important to B's well being. :o) It only cost $35 so it is not a huge loss.
I chose a math curriculum that was more expensive, Math-U-See. Although I was eager to get started with it, I decided to put it on my Christmas list and my parents got it for us. Ben really likes Math-U-See! In addition to the workbook, it is hands-on with blocks similar to LEGOS. The other book I bought that has worked out well is the Handwriting Without Tears. B's handwriting has really improved with that.
Also for Christmas, my parents bought B a DSi XL. My brother gave him 2 games - LEGO Harry Potter and the Scripps Spelling Bee. A friend of mine gave B a Math game, as well. When he opened the Harry Potter game, he played it for 3 days straight; however, he has not gone back to it since. He just LOVES the spelling bee and math games! We've had difficulty with B's laziness when it comes to reading. He does not want to take the time to sound out new words. He'll glace at a new word, see a couple of letters in it that belong to another word he already knows and just say the known word and move on. But then he has no idea what he is reading! I make him go back and sound out the new word. He would just prefer that someone read to him instead of him reading it. However, once you read a book to him once, he can then go back and read it to himself b/c he has heard all the correct words. But I want him to figure new words out on his own. Well, this Scripps Spelling Bee game has done the trick! He is learning how to spell and read so many new words and having fun at the same time. And I know he will get great pleasure out of all the levels in the math DS game, too, as we progress through our Math-U-See lessons.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)