So you have made the decision and commitment to do a Disney trip, what do you do next? Research would be the answer to that! Most trips you have to make need at least some basic level research before going. While Hubster is more about going with the flow, I am definitely a planner. My type A personality requires me to informed as much as I possible can, and I actually like travel research. The enjoyment and willingness to do this kind of level of research is definitely a benefit when doing Disney research. When you start with Disney research, you are probably going to be to be overwhelming, but have no fear. Below is the guide line that I have for what I have used and are currently using.
Where to start:
1. Disney : This is probably a duh place to start. The Disney World website will give you some basic ideas of what is available. I have found the resort page was best for getting some pricing information if the locations you are looking for are available. It also lets you see pictures of the room and lists some amenities. You can also sign-up for a My Disney Experience account which you will need to get. There is a chat bar available, but I have never found it very helpful because they do not really give you much as far as indepth answers. This because Disney isn't a fan of putting stuff in writing because writing means there is a chance they could be held to something they don't want to. You do have the availability to call old style which I found more beneficial. Once you have an account you can favorite things like resorts, restaurants, and rides. While the account did exist when we went on our honeymoon, a lot of the functionality like fastpass pluses and connecting everything was not available yet, so that is something that is new this time to us. I have read or heard several times that favoriting things will help with dining reservations and fastpasses. You can also sign-up for a planning DVD through this website as well.
2. Unofficial Guide: Walt Disney World: I vaguely remember someone referring to this book about Disney as the Bible for Disney trip planning, and I would have to say that they were pretty much right. This was my primary source the last time we went, and it is where I started this time. It is really thick for a reason because it is packed with lots of good info. This is where I found information about good discounts that saved use money on the trip. For example, I would have never known that two Disney Resorts offer a teacher/military discount that allowed us to stay on property or a great discount ticket location. They come out with a new one each year each August. I saw some changes between my 2009 edition vs my 2015 one, but I did not see much difference between 2015 vs 2016. So if you are starting to plan before the newest edition exist, then I do not see any reason you would need to purchase a second book unless some major changes have come to the park between the editions. They also run a website,Touring Plans, which has some updating to it. They have a membership level which I will talk about later. The only complaint I had was I wanted more info on restaurants than what they gave. Luckily, Zagat's had a guide that was recently published that I used in conjunction. Unfortunately, they have not updated that since we went, and there has been quite a few changes and additions since that so it is not a valid source anymore.
Got the Basics down and still seemed lost. What now?
You could probably plan most of your trip with the two sources above. We did 7 years ago, and it was a great trip. However, since we did have a few bumps here and there, I wanted more than what I was finding, and here are some of my go to guides.
1. WDW Prep is probably my favorite new source. I actually discovered this more as a podcast which I really got into earlier this year. I pretty much devoured all them within 2 1/2 months of listening. About halfway through the podcast, I figured out the creator, Shannon Albert, had so much more than just a podcast. She had a website with a wealth of knowledge along with using social media to give fast updates. I pretty much follow her on everything except snapchat and parascope because I don't subscribe to either. She recently started a membership program that you can sign-up for. It has three levels at varying cost. I picked the highest level because it gives you a chance to set-up a question and answer session about your trip. Mine is actually tomorrow, so I will update the post to include the information. The membership also has forums that are helpful for getting info asked of others in the planning or post-trip stage. Shannon has the best overall trip planning tips. She is very much in touch with the everyday person, and she gives tips that are logical and resourceful. She is definitely a go to if you are very budget conscious. Plus she is usually more on the upbeat side of Disney.
2. The Dis is another group I started out getting into through youtube. I happen to find their 7 in 7 series on WDW, and it was really helpful since they had walkthroughs of them to see what the hotel had to offer. From there, I started watching their weekly shows on youtube until I realized I could get them in podcast form as well. The shows on youtube are mostly talking, but they also include vidoes and pictures at times. This group is great for Disney news. They do get a bit negative at times, but overall, I have enjoyed listening to the show. If you follow their facebook account, then you can get daily reports about Orlando. They also do a series on Universal Studios if you are interested, and they also have forum for getting information on a variety of things.
3. WDW Radio- this is another podcast that I listen to. He is really descriptive, but I found that his food reviews are generally what I like best on his show.
4. I mentioned above that the people who do the Unofficial Guide also have a website called touring plans. They also have planning materials and a membership service. The membership service is good for looking at views so far. You can check out a map of different resort, and they have pictures for certain rooms. This is to help you when reserving your room or deciding if the different views are worth paying the extra money. They also have a crowd tracker and lines monitoring app. I did not get the membership last time, so I have not had a chance to check to see if these are worth the value. They have planning elements as well.
5. Pinterest and Youtube.com are both full of awesome Disney. I have mainly used Youtube for finding reviews on restaurants because that is the part I am working on planning at the moment. I have two different boards currently going. My All things Disney board is information for planning. I have not gone through all the stuff there, so I am not sure how useful some of the materials are. My Disney Outfits is more about outfit ideas for while we are in. Disney Bounding has made for lots of cool ideas.
For some, this may bit overwhelming, or your time may be limited. The best two things for that are either take your time planning or go through a travel agent. We are a year out, and I have been planning for a year already because I only have pockets to plan during breaks. If you do not want to wait two years to go, then the travel agent is your way to go. The Dis has its own company called Dreams Unlimited, and Shannon Albert backs Keys to the World. I have not ever used a travel agent, so I have no idea which is better. The good ones with specific Disney knowledge will have an authorized logo from Disney. After researching, you will be able to start making the fun choices like resort and eating. My third post will be about picking resorts, and I will be posting around the mid to late July after I have my phone planning and making our resort reservation.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Friday, July 1, 2016
Time to Get Fit with Fitgirl
I have never been one of the smallest girls in the world, but my weight more so lately has been an issue. In my mid-twenties, I started to steadily gain weight. I did not put on tons all at once; it was more like 10 pounds here and 10 pounds there. Pretty much it was in keeping with the how our bodies work as we get older. What I did not know during that time was that I had PCOS and Thyroid issues that were causing the problem. While both are controllable, you have to know about them. I was not diagnosed with PCOS until I was 30, and the thyroid diagnosis came about 4 years later. Anyway, the weight really started increasing after we got married due to a knee injury and less than great eating. Then we went through several rounds of fertility treatments which most definitely did not have. The Clomid was not too bad; it was the IUI treatment that really did me in. When I switched obgyn after all the failed fertility stuff, she put me on an appetite suppressant, and I lost 25 pounds in about two months. That may have been what triggered the ovulation that helped me get pregnant. I got lucky and only gained 29 pounds with Little Man-yah for quick metabolism via fetus. I lost 15 of the pounds fairly quickly after birth, but the last 10 more stubborn. I was slow losing it, but it was only about a 1 pound a month. I started weight watchers 6 months postpartum, and I lost the remaining 10 pounds plus another 20.
Well, eventually weight watchers stopped being effective. After stopping, I did keep the weight mostly off after a year. However, in the 2 years, I have essentially gained 17 pounds back despite my best effort. I have tired different exercise programs, and I have also tried Plexus as well. Plexus is a great program, but it unfortunately contains rice products which I am allergic to. Thus I have been searching for a new program to work. I have been following a group on instagram called Fitgirls, and the program seemed like a legitimate option to me. It is more of a lifestyle change hopefully! Every 28 days, they start a challenge, and I hoped on the bandwagon this time. I got the four book set which includes the first two exercise plans along with the cookbook and detox plan. The challenge started on Monday, and I have gotten through the first weeks work-outs so far. The plan is currently structured to be a full 7 days program-6 days of full workout with the 7th being a slower pace. My first major goal is to lose enough wait for my work clothes to fit more comfortably by the beginning of August! I am posting my before pictures below. I will post an update at the 2 week mark.
Well, eventually weight watchers stopped being effective. After stopping, I did keep the weight mostly off after a year. However, in the 2 years, I have essentially gained 17 pounds back despite my best effort. I have tired different exercise programs, and I have also tried Plexus as well. Plexus is a great program, but it unfortunately contains rice products which I am allergic to. Thus I have been searching for a new program to work. I have been following a group on instagram called Fitgirls, and the program seemed like a legitimate option to me. It is more of a lifestyle change hopefully! Every 28 days, they start a challenge, and I hoped on the bandwagon this time. I got the four book set which includes the first two exercise plans along with the cookbook and detox plan. The challenge started on Monday, and I have gotten through the first weeks work-outs so far. The plan is currently structured to be a full 7 days program-6 days of full workout with the 7th being a slower pace. My first major goal is to lose enough wait for my work clothes to fit more comfortably by the beginning of August! I am posting my before pictures below. I will post an update at the 2 week mark.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Birthday Trip at Great Wolf Lodge
This year we decided to focus on an experience as a family instead of doing another kid birthday party like we did for Little Man's third birthday. Since we are planning our Disney trip next summer, Hubster and I really wanted to get something as similar as possible to a Disney experience. There are a couple of resort like hotels in the DFW area, but there is really only one family specific location which is Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. This was actually perfect for us since it is only about 15 minutes away from home which is great in case of emergency situations.
We usually start batting around ideas for Little Man's birthday in March or April. This actually ends up being good in the case of Great Wolf Lodge because their discounted rates are higher the further out that you booked. We went for one of the themed rooms since we thought it would add to the fun. We sat down and showed Little Man the different styles, and he ended up picking the Wolf Den one because he liked that it was a cave. We also decided to get one of the packages they offered. The package, Pup Pass, for preschoolers is actually the lowest level, but we went with the second level called the Paw Pass because it seemed like more of what Little Man would be interested in. I researched some of the elements like MagicQuest before deciding just to make sure. There are two things to be aware of before booking. If you book online like we did, payment for the room is due upfront. I am not sure if this is also true when booking over the phone, but you may want to call and ask before you book completely. You pay for the packages the day you check-in. Second is that if you are celebrating like we were make sure to make note of it.
We booked one night on Little Man's actual birthday. For those who do not have knowledge of the location, Great Wolf is known for being a hotel and water park combination. From what I got, you can only get access to the water park if you are staying at the location. It may have been different in the past, but they were checking wristbands while we were there. One of the nice things is that they give you access to the water park starting at 1 the day of check-in whether your room is ready or not, and you have it through close the next day. We actually started our day a bit earlier at Grapevine Mills Mall by going to Sealife since they were having an Octonauts event. We were there about an hour, and then we made it Great Wolf a little before 1. This actually ended up being great. We got in line to start the check-in process not expecting for our room to be ready, and much to our surprise, the room was actually ready at that time. I am not sure if it was because we got there a bit early or that we checked in on a Friday vs Saturday, but based on the length of line about an hour or so after we checked in, arriving earlier rather than later was the best plan. We did like they suggested and had packed separate bags with swimming stuff just in case, but since the room was ready, Hubster went to the car to get the rest of the items while Little Man and I took care of getting his Wolf Pass. The check-in lady made a big deal out of it being Little Man's birthday which he loved, and he got special ears, wristband, and a token for free ice cream. We were offered ears as well, but we declined. The bands they use have RFDI chips in the parent ones, and you are able to open your room and attach a credit card much like you can with the magicbands at Disney.
We put our stuff in the room and then headed downstairs to check things out. Majority of the activities are on the first floor. There is a gift shop, Starbucks, and one restaurant on the lobby level. We grabbed lunch at the pool area restaurant because it seemed like a quicker idea. We thought we would eat downstairs, but the humid in the pool area and lack of seating downstairs forced us to head back to the room. Afterward we switched into swimwear and headed to the water park. There are two section to it: indoor and outdoor. We solely used the indoor which was nice since no need to deal with Texas heat or sunscreen. Since Little Man is still young and not very learned in swimming, we pretty much stayed together, but a couple of times, one of us stayed while the other took a chance to check other elements out. We spent a couple of hours there and then headed back to clean-up to grab dinner and check other elements out. We played the round of Magic Quest and created his Creation Station animal. We headed to dinner a little early, and they got us right in. Little Man actually feel asleep during dinner and did not wake up until we had finished eating, so we got his food to go and went back to the room. After he was finished loading up with food, Little Man wanted to go back downstairs. We made it in time to do part of the dance party. We stayed some for the clock show, but the sound system wasn't great so Little Man got bored really quickly. We played in the arcade and then grabbed desert at the sweet shop. The Wiley Wolf Little man got from Creation Station had a scavenger hunt attached to it, so we finished that before heading to bed. The next morning we did breakfast in the lobby restaurant and then more water park before heading home. Overall, it was a great time since Little Man had a blast.
Below are other things I learned from the process:
We usually start batting around ideas for Little Man's birthday in March or April. This actually ends up being good in the case of Great Wolf Lodge because their discounted rates are higher the further out that you booked. We went for one of the themed rooms since we thought it would add to the fun. We sat down and showed Little Man the different styles, and he ended up picking the Wolf Den one because he liked that it was a cave. We also decided to get one of the packages they offered. The package, Pup Pass, for preschoolers is actually the lowest level, but we went with the second level called the Paw Pass because it seemed like more of what Little Man would be interested in. I researched some of the elements like MagicQuest before deciding just to make sure. There are two things to be aware of before booking. If you book online like we did, payment for the room is due upfront. I am not sure if this is also true when booking over the phone, but you may want to call and ask before you book completely. You pay for the packages the day you check-in. Second is that if you are celebrating like we were make sure to make note of it.
We booked one night on Little Man's actual birthday. For those who do not have knowledge of the location, Great Wolf is known for being a hotel and water park combination. From what I got, you can only get access to the water park if you are staying at the location. It may have been different in the past, but they were checking wristbands while we were there. One of the nice things is that they give you access to the water park starting at 1 the day of check-in whether your room is ready or not, and you have it through close the next day. We actually started our day a bit earlier at Grapevine Mills Mall by going to Sealife since they were having an Octonauts event. We were there about an hour, and then we made it Great Wolf a little before 1. This actually ended up being great. We got in line to start the check-in process not expecting for our room to be ready, and much to our surprise, the room was actually ready at that time. I am not sure if it was because we got there a bit early or that we checked in on a Friday vs Saturday, but based on the length of line about an hour or so after we checked in, arriving earlier rather than later was the best plan. We did like they suggested and had packed separate bags with swimming stuff just in case, but since the room was ready, Hubster went to the car to get the rest of the items while Little Man and I took care of getting his Wolf Pass. The check-in lady made a big deal out of it being Little Man's birthday which he loved, and he got special ears, wristband, and a token for free ice cream. We were offered ears as well, but we declined. The bands they use have RFDI chips in the parent ones, and you are able to open your room and attach a credit card much like you can with the magicbands at Disney.
We put our stuff in the room and then headed downstairs to check things out. Majority of the activities are on the first floor. There is a gift shop, Starbucks, and one restaurant on the lobby level. We grabbed lunch at the pool area restaurant because it seemed like a quicker idea. We thought we would eat downstairs, but the humid in the pool area and lack of seating downstairs forced us to head back to the room. Afterward we switched into swimwear and headed to the water park. There are two section to it: indoor and outdoor. We solely used the indoor which was nice since no need to deal with Texas heat or sunscreen. Since Little Man is still young and not very learned in swimming, we pretty much stayed together, but a couple of times, one of us stayed while the other took a chance to check other elements out. We spent a couple of hours there and then headed back to clean-up to grab dinner and check other elements out. We played the round of Magic Quest and created his Creation Station animal. We headed to dinner a little early, and they got us right in. Little Man actually feel asleep during dinner and did not wake up until we had finished eating, so we got his food to go and went back to the room. After he was finished loading up with food, Little Man wanted to go back downstairs. We made it in time to do part of the dance party. We stayed some for the clock show, but the sound system wasn't great so Little Man got bored really quickly. We played in the arcade and then grabbed desert at the sweet shop. The Wiley Wolf Little man got from Creation Station had a scavenger hunt attached to it, so we finished that before heading to bed. The next morning we did breakfast in the lobby restaurant and then more water park before heading home. Overall, it was a great time since Little Man had a blast.
Below are other things I learned from the process:
- While there are tons of main elevators, they are not very large and sometimes hard to catch. We were actually down at the end of a long hallway on the sixth floor that was far from the main elevators, but we were actually lucky to be near a secondary set. These were good for going down since no one really used them. The trick to going back up on the second level seemed to be hopping on one going down since it was just one floor and then going back up.
- The themed rooms are not worth the value for a one night stay or with a single young child. It was nice that Little Man had his own space, but it was not something that made the trip. If your child is old enough to experience sleeping on a top bunk which isn't everyday thing, then it might be worth it. It would have been more worth it if we had had other children with us who were old enough to use it or if our stay was longer to warrant Little Man needing some alone time (yes, my child even at 4 has need sometimes to just be by himself for a bit).
- Bring food with you especially if you are planning on staying longer than a night, or do research to see what else is available off property. We opted to stay on property for meals, and most of it was okay food for way more than it was worth especially the dinner we ate. We ordered a salad, pita bread and hummus, a hot dog, veggies, and a bottle of water to share for lunch, and it cost over $30 for all of it. While the food was okay, it was one we could have probably gotten for the same quality at 7-eleven for a fraction of the cost. The same was for the top level restaurant which is called the Lodge. Hubster ordered salamon, and I got a bake potato and spinach sides. Both were good, but I would not say stellar. Little Man got spaghetti with shrimp instead of meatballs. We did order two adult drinks, a cider on draft and Margarita, and the whole ticket was round $70 after tip for a Chili's worthy meal. Breakfast at the lobby restaurant was the best value. It was around $30 with tip which is more than an IHOP trip but normal cost of a family meal out lately, and the food was good quality that was worth the price. The sweet shop was also decently priced but selection seemed a bit limited. The boys said the rice crispy paw treat was a bit stale, but the brownie I had was great as was the ice cream we had on Saturday before we left. There is a lot of wasted space in the sweet shop that could make great sit-down area especially since there isn't a lot of areas to sit downstairs outside of the pool area.
- The Arcade is super expensive. Most of the games cost 4 credits which I figured out was about a $1. This is way more expensive than a normal arcade. Most of the games that are available for the younger crowd to play were ticket based game, and there did not seem to be any nonticket games appropriate for them. Many of the nonticket games contained violent things like shooting, zombies, or blowing up things which can be scary for younger kiddos, and some of them you do not know contain that until you have spent the credits on them. The only plus side I could see was that the games seemed to give more tickets than I have normally seen. Pricing for prizes was pretty much on par for what I have seen in other arcades as well.
- The dance party was really fun, but the clock show was not really that great. The sound system is really bad. We could hear the sounds, but they were not understandable for most of it. Plus the animatronics were a bit on creepy side with the way they moved and the poor lighting. Little Man is all for this type of thing normally. He really liked the ones at Chuckie Cheese the one time we went, so I would put it on those things as to why he didn't like it.
- If you get the package, it can be a great deal. Little Man really liked the wand which is half the cost of the package on its own and the stuffed animal which made it worth the cost since we saved about $50-70 not purchasing them separately. The wand is reusable for other visits, but I am not sure if the Creation Station scavenger hunt attached to the animals is as well. It would not be that fun at the same location since I doubt it gets changed often, but it might be cool at another location since it may be different. Chances are it probably is the same throughout the chain though.
- Do your homework about MagicQuest before going if you can. While the people in the shop were super friendly and nice, they kind of speed through explanations of what to do because it is a popular thing and gets crowded, and the training and booklet aren't helpful when just getting started. We were lucky to run into people who got us started on the first element, and we were good after that. Be ready to do lots of running around and going up and down stairs. With little ones, you may spend a lot of the first time showing them how to do it, but once they have the hang of it, they will be addicted. From what we could tell, each quest cost, so you may want to budget for extra rounds if you have time, but they have some elements that will interact without being on a quest like treasure chests and pictures. We did ours in the late afternoon hours which seemed a great time because most were at the water park, and I would definitely avoid late night unless you have older kids who can do it on their own because it seemed to be the busiest time-one of the main reasons we did not get a chance to do a second round. You may also want to do the scavenger hunt with the Creation Station animal with younger children first. It is a bit easier and a great warm-up.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Ushering in Year 4
Dear Little Man,
It has become time to once again to write you a letter on the eve of another year to come. Three has been an interesting year with lots of ups and downs with lots of changes for you.
You have grown to be such an independent child, and you definitely walk to the beat of your own drum. You are always on fast forward, and there does not seem to be much of break from one thing to the next. Your interests are so varied; you do not necessarily have a particular obsession except for your pirates. I am pretty sure of the ideas of pirates will be around for a long time. You also love knights, Legos, and music.
You have some new things for yourself. You have fallen in love with all things Disney princesses. First, it was Cinderella, and then there has always been Anna and Elsa. "Frozen" is definitely still your go to movie especially when you are sick. However, your newest favorite is Ariel. You even asked for a Little Mermaid birthday cake this year. You love to gallop around the house playing Prince Eric, and you call Dante Max instead. You have also broadened your viewing likes. Of course, Jake is also number one, but you have discovered Octonauts, Princess Sofia, Super Why, and Little Einstein. You are now interacting with the shows, too, which is always fun to watch.
The other new thing is dance. This past Tuesday Daddy and I finally let you begin taking lessons. You had been asking for almost a year to take them, and we finally took it as sign that you were serious. The pure glow on your face while you were taking that first lesson was amazing. It was so nice to find love in an activity again after everything that has gone on this year. You were so excited about the new lessons that the next morning when we were watching "So You Can Think You Can Dance" you excited went and put on your tap shoes when you saw another tap dancer. You left them on all morning! I had to bribe you to take them off in the end.
Much of the change this year has come from things that happened at your old school/day care. Daddy and I are not sure yet what fully happened, but we know something did because you started to change. You stopped loving things you used to do like coloring and going to school. You were always the teacher/caregiver's favorite, but suddenly you got in trouble a lot more. You would pretend not to want to go, and you seemed scared and worried all the time. Yet, you couldn't express to us what was wrong. We searched out another place for you to go where you could feel comfortable and nurtured enough to return some to your old self. We finally found that in the school you are at now. You love your teachers and class, and you are much happier all the time. You seem to be your full adventurous self again who has no fear in a good way and wants to explore to feed your curiosity. You love school again and are so excited to go. You get to take music and have library time which you hold so dear with only having done them for two months. Daddy and I only wish we had moved you sooner. You started play therapy to make sure we help you fix any lasting affects.
Another change is you are trying to give up your nap. Some days are okay, and then others you still crash and burn. It seems like the crash and burn days are when we make you slow down just a bit, and then the next thing we know you are out cold. You want to push your bedtime as well, and we had to move it back to 9 in order to get you into bed. You are definitely your mommy's child when it comes to sleep and bed. A night owl in the works says your Daddy.
Tomorrow, we will start off year 4 with a new experience. Instead of a party, we are taking you to Great Wolf Lodge; this will be the first time you have ever gone to a hotel to stay. Then we will spend time with family on Sunday to celebrate your party. You are so excited to have an ice cream cake. I am sure we will have more adventures to come this year. I can't wait until this time next year for our upcoming Disney trip and looking into kindergarten. For now, I will give a simple sweet kiss on your head, and I will see you in the morning.
Love,
Mommy
It has become time to once again to write you a letter on the eve of another year to come. Three has been an interesting year with lots of ups and downs with lots of changes for you.
You have grown to be such an independent child, and you definitely walk to the beat of your own drum. You are always on fast forward, and there does not seem to be much of break from one thing to the next. Your interests are so varied; you do not necessarily have a particular obsession except for your pirates. I am pretty sure of the ideas of pirates will be around for a long time. You also love knights, Legos, and music.
You have some new things for yourself. You have fallen in love with all things Disney princesses. First, it was Cinderella, and then there has always been Anna and Elsa. "Frozen" is definitely still your go to movie especially when you are sick. However, your newest favorite is Ariel. You even asked for a Little Mermaid birthday cake this year. You love to gallop around the house playing Prince Eric, and you call Dante Max instead. You have also broadened your viewing likes. Of course, Jake is also number one, but you have discovered Octonauts, Princess Sofia, Super Why, and Little Einstein. You are now interacting with the shows, too, which is always fun to watch.
The other new thing is dance. This past Tuesday Daddy and I finally let you begin taking lessons. You had been asking for almost a year to take them, and we finally took it as sign that you were serious. The pure glow on your face while you were taking that first lesson was amazing. It was so nice to find love in an activity again after everything that has gone on this year. You were so excited about the new lessons that the next morning when we were watching "So You Can Think You Can Dance" you excited went and put on your tap shoes when you saw another tap dancer. You left them on all morning! I had to bribe you to take them off in the end.
Much of the change this year has come from things that happened at your old school/day care. Daddy and I are not sure yet what fully happened, but we know something did because you started to change. You stopped loving things you used to do like coloring and going to school. You were always the teacher/caregiver's favorite, but suddenly you got in trouble a lot more. You would pretend not to want to go, and you seemed scared and worried all the time. Yet, you couldn't express to us what was wrong. We searched out another place for you to go where you could feel comfortable and nurtured enough to return some to your old self. We finally found that in the school you are at now. You love your teachers and class, and you are much happier all the time. You seem to be your full adventurous self again who has no fear in a good way and wants to explore to feed your curiosity. You love school again and are so excited to go. You get to take music and have library time which you hold so dear with only having done them for two months. Daddy and I only wish we had moved you sooner. You started play therapy to make sure we help you fix any lasting affects.
Another change is you are trying to give up your nap. Some days are okay, and then others you still crash and burn. It seems like the crash and burn days are when we make you slow down just a bit, and then the next thing we know you are out cold. You want to push your bedtime as well, and we had to move it back to 9 in order to get you into bed. You are definitely your mommy's child when it comes to sleep and bed. A night owl in the works says your Daddy.
Tomorrow, we will start off year 4 with a new experience. Instead of a party, we are taking you to Great Wolf Lodge; this will be the first time you have ever gone to a hotel to stay. Then we will spend time with family on Sunday to celebrate your party. You are so excited to have an ice cream cake. I am sure we will have more adventures to come this year. I can't wait until this time next year for our upcoming Disney trip and looking into kindergarten. For now, I will give a simple sweet kiss on your head, and I will see you in the morning.
Love,
Mommy
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Disney Vacation 1-Where does it all begin?
It just begins with a conversation of interest and a jump to commit to the trip. Once you decide you are Disney bounding it, the fun has only just began. This will actually be my third trip to the wonderful land of the Mouse, but each time I have gone it has been a different trip each time so hopefully the information in my Disney trip blogs will be useful for all. Obviously, my prior trips will definitely color my opinions and thoughts of how we will do Disney.
Trip 1 (1998)
My first trip was one to compete for high school band. I did not plan anything, and our itineraries were pretty set by my band directors. I was super excited because I had wanted to go as far as I could remember, but it was not your typical family vacation since there were 100 plus teens going that didn't quite see it the same as me. However, I gained two important lessons from the trip. The first was if I can keep from driving to Orlando in any form or fashion I will because it sucks to drive. 18-20 hours straight on a bus with minimal stops will do that to you, and flying means spending less time traveling and more for the actual trip. The second is that groups can be fun, but it is hard to please everyone. Sometimes splitting up is a great idea. I actually had more fun when the group was a smaller 4-6 people group than the bigger ones we sometimes went in. It is also nicer if you have the same agendas or likes.
Trip 2 (2009)
My second trip was very different. Hubster and I spent I think 10 days in 2009 for our honeymoon. I actually started planning in end of February/beginning of March which was about 4ish months out from our early June trip. We had actually decided to go to Disney after our plans for Italy fell through due to me having knee surgery. This is when I learned that the biggest component of a successful trip is research. Through research, I was able to get us a fairly sweet deal on a room that allowed us to stay on property in the Epcot area. While it was not an official Disney resort, we still had access to some of the major Disney elements like transportation to the parks and extended hours, and it was not overly Disneyfied which was nice for Hubster since he isn't a Disney fanatic like me. We had a packed trip with lots of bucket items for me crossed off, but while we had a good time, there were definitely areas I could improved things. That would have come with more time to plan and research. We were lucky that we had the reminder of Hubster's stock program money to use as a base, and we didn't deal with budget at all. We also discovered that we really liked staying on property, and it is on the top of our list of wants in a trip. Hubster wasn't sold on trip before him, but Disney definitely won him over. For those wondering if it is worthy enough of a honeymoon, it is because there is a whole adult side to Disney to discover.
Trip 3 (in the works for 2017)
Now onto the most recent trip. The major change for this trip is the addition of Little Man. I got lucky to have essentially have gotten my perfect trip mate since he is a big Disney kiddo. This is probably because he has essentially been raised on mostly Disney as we only have Hulu and Netflix rather than regular cable, and some of the first TV we let him watch were old Disney cartoons. He has seen as many of the animated movies that we can get hold of plus Disney Junior has some good stuff that is regular in our house.
We knew that this trip would happen some day, but talk of it actually came into fruition in November of 2014. Hubster and I took our first sans child trip with another couple who have identical twins 8 days younger than Gray to a Renaissance festival in Houston, and we all enjoyed the trip so much we started talking about taking other trips together. Of course, Disney came up as an option when the boys were going to be 5 which was in 2017. The three boys have summer birthdays, so a birthday trip made since I am a teacher and are limited when I can go. Please our friends would be back in Texas from their last station through the Army.
Fast forward to last March! We made the official decision that we were real going, and the research fun began. I started a facebook group to keep track of our group planning. Starting to plan a Disney trip can be overwhelming because there is so much out there, but once you have found your resources, then stick with them. Pinterest is a great place to start. It ended up leading me to several other resources, and I also returned to my original sources from our honeymoon.
Next time, I talk about researching and our first steps.
Trip 1 (1998)
My first trip was one to compete for high school band. I did not plan anything, and our itineraries were pretty set by my band directors. I was super excited because I had wanted to go as far as I could remember, but it was not your typical family vacation since there were 100 plus teens going that didn't quite see it the same as me. However, I gained two important lessons from the trip. The first was if I can keep from driving to Orlando in any form or fashion I will because it sucks to drive. 18-20 hours straight on a bus with minimal stops will do that to you, and flying means spending less time traveling and more for the actual trip. The second is that groups can be fun, but it is hard to please everyone. Sometimes splitting up is a great idea. I actually had more fun when the group was a smaller 4-6 people group than the bigger ones we sometimes went in. It is also nicer if you have the same agendas or likes.
Trip 2 (2009)
My second trip was very different. Hubster and I spent I think 10 days in 2009 for our honeymoon. I actually started planning in end of February/beginning of March which was about 4ish months out from our early June trip. We had actually decided to go to Disney after our plans for Italy fell through due to me having knee surgery. This is when I learned that the biggest component of a successful trip is research. Through research, I was able to get us a fairly sweet deal on a room that allowed us to stay on property in the Epcot area. While it was not an official Disney resort, we still had access to some of the major Disney elements like transportation to the parks and extended hours, and it was not overly Disneyfied which was nice for Hubster since he isn't a Disney fanatic like me. We had a packed trip with lots of bucket items for me crossed off, but while we had a good time, there were definitely areas I could improved things. That would have come with more time to plan and research. We were lucky that we had the reminder of Hubster's stock program money to use as a base, and we didn't deal with budget at all. We also discovered that we really liked staying on property, and it is on the top of our list of wants in a trip. Hubster wasn't sold on trip before him, but Disney definitely won him over. For those wondering if it is worthy enough of a honeymoon, it is because there is a whole adult side to Disney to discover.
Trip 3 (in the works for 2017)
Now onto the most recent trip. The major change for this trip is the addition of Little Man. I got lucky to have essentially have gotten my perfect trip mate since he is a big Disney kiddo. This is probably because he has essentially been raised on mostly Disney as we only have Hulu and Netflix rather than regular cable, and some of the first TV we let him watch were old Disney cartoons. He has seen as many of the animated movies that we can get hold of plus Disney Junior has some good stuff that is regular in our house.
We knew that this trip would happen some day, but talk of it actually came into fruition in November of 2014. Hubster and I took our first sans child trip with another couple who have identical twins 8 days younger than Gray to a Renaissance festival in Houston, and we all enjoyed the trip so much we started talking about taking other trips together. Of course, Disney came up as an option when the boys were going to be 5 which was in 2017. The three boys have summer birthdays, so a birthday trip made since I am a teacher and are limited when I can go. Please our friends would be back in Texas from their last station through the Army.
Fast forward to last March! We made the official decision that we were real going, and the research fun began. I started a facebook group to keep track of our group planning. Starting to plan a Disney trip can be overwhelming because there is so much out there, but once you have found your resources, then stick with them. Pinterest is a great place to start. It ended up leading me to several other resources, and I also returned to my original sources from our honeymoon.
Next time, I talk about researching and our first steps.
Monday, June 6, 2016
Yet Another Summer....
When I started this blog, I was really good at getting in one post every couple of weeks. Now it seems like it is more once a year. I try to make the goal to write more, but I never seem to get around to it. Life is just so crazy and busy that I can't seem to get the minutes I need. However, I know deep down I need to find the time to do this for myself.
I have often been told writing is a gift I have. I have a short passage that I use for STAAR (the state assessment in Texas), and students are always surprised that I wrote the actual passage when we read it. One of my most missed things from schooling is actually writing analytical papers as I don't really get to do much of that style anymore; I have definitely fine tuned my professional expository over the years that is for sure! Once upon a time, it used to be my way to let go of things that I was having a hard time with. While I have always been known to be fairly open-booked, I am not necessarily the best with speaking on sensitive elements of my own life; this has been apparent with my dealings with my mother's death and resurgence of our infertility problems. I need a way to express myself, and I think getting back to writing is a way to do this.
One of my long time dreams has been to be a somewhat successful writer. Teaching is my profession, and after 11 years of doing it, it will probably be my forever profession so I am not looking to make money off writing. My idea of being a successful writer isn't necessarily about being published; it is more about being read and conveying useful materials. Basically, I want people to read what I write and get something that benefits their life whether it be a party planning idea, teaching help, or just knowing someone is going through the same thing. This along with wanting to keep a record of my son's life are the reasons I started this blog.
Now-How do I get what I need without being driven crazy? Cloning perhaps-I need like 5 of extra me at least: a full time mom, a lesson planner, a grader, an actual teacher, house cleaner, and wife. I might have more time to do the fun things I want to like travel, write, photography, and craft, but such is life, right? Being a teacher, everything in my life runs more on an August to August year than a January to January, and the first day of summer break is really more like my new year than Jan 1 is. I also come up with ideas and new starts for the life in general during this time since teaching takes up so much time, and it is way too difficult to get into new person mode when the busiest time of your professional life starts essentially in January (thanks standardized testing). So while everyone is a bit on the slower end in January, I am usually on full speed bust my butt mode in order to get everything squared away for my late March state testing. Despite what people think, teaching does not exactly stop for many teachers when the doors hit the students in the butt at the end of May and June; it really just slows down. All the analysis business and everyone else does in January to get ready for the rest of the year happens for use during this time. Since I am pretty much in my part-time SAHM mode, it is my planning time, so guess what I am going to do now? Plan! And then hope my ideas flesh out into something that results in a better home-life-work balance like I do every year. I am hoping that chronicling it will help me stay more on track; I can dream right (said every hardworking teacher who spends way too much time on classroom stuff)
Summer Goals:
1. Have a more organized and clean house year round rather than just when I have time off. I live in a loathsome cycle of work and break times. I like clean house but not a fan of cleaning and organizing. Thus I suck at keeping up, and my poor husband is exhausted and beside himself with it. I am too overwhelmed at the sight don't know where to start. I spend pretty much every break cleaning, organizing, and trying to get things back before I go back that I don't get a chance to relax and enjoy my break or get caught up with other things so I am not overwhelmed during the year.
2. Making more time for Little Man and the Hubster both together and separately. Hubster and I have been working through somethings, and we have found that we need a happier mix of both. While it is nice for us to do things together, we also need to have couple time, and each of us needs to spend time with Little Man to develop our separate relationships with him.
3. Work on my health. I have to find time to make myself healthier. I have gained 17 pounds since getting my job at my currently school which puts me back to weight I was at when I got pregnant with Little Man and counting. Plus exercising and eating right helps makes me a happier person.
4. Being a more confident teacher. I won teacher of the year, and I still do not believe I am that good. Plus I need to find a way to keep from from getting burnt out which I feel a little bit after this year. I need to find a way to put in a balanced level of time to keep on target.
5. Find more time for me to have outlets. I want to develop both my photography and learn more crafting things like knitting, sewing, and needlepoint.
6. Get most of the plans fleshed out for our Disney World Trip next year-next blog will have more details of my process so far.
So, I am actually on week 2 of my 8 week break already. Where am I so far? In the first weekend (Memorial Day weekend) Hubster and I finally bought a new bed along with a bed frame which was an almost 2 years process. We also had a great family day at Scarborough Faire on Memorial Day which has become a bit of a tradition. Speaking of 2 years ago, I had a tooth crack, and I finally had it removed. Thus I spent most of week one of my vacation hanging out on the couch to recovering. I did get some Disney research done, but more of that next blog. I managed to review all of the materials I had for last summer read, but I still need do some updating to make it golden. Then I need to order the books for the first semester I plan to use and work on revamping Unit 1 for the year. Last Friday, Hubster and I did a cool Dallas date night with the Dallas Museum of Art and Fairmonte Hotel; guess that is material for the third blog out. We spent the rest of the weekend cleaning up the bedroom for the new bedroom furniture. Lastly, I got my first blog in almost a year done with this one. I guess that is a wrap for super long post for now. Disney for you next time.
I have often been told writing is a gift I have. I have a short passage that I use for STAAR (the state assessment in Texas), and students are always surprised that I wrote the actual passage when we read it. One of my most missed things from schooling is actually writing analytical papers as I don't really get to do much of that style anymore; I have definitely fine tuned my professional expository over the years that is for sure! Once upon a time, it used to be my way to let go of things that I was having a hard time with. While I have always been known to be fairly open-booked, I am not necessarily the best with speaking on sensitive elements of my own life; this has been apparent with my dealings with my mother's death and resurgence of our infertility problems. I need a way to express myself, and I think getting back to writing is a way to do this.
One of my long time dreams has been to be a somewhat successful writer. Teaching is my profession, and after 11 years of doing it, it will probably be my forever profession so I am not looking to make money off writing. My idea of being a successful writer isn't necessarily about being published; it is more about being read and conveying useful materials. Basically, I want people to read what I write and get something that benefits their life whether it be a party planning idea, teaching help, or just knowing someone is going through the same thing. This along with wanting to keep a record of my son's life are the reasons I started this blog.
Now-How do I get what I need without being driven crazy? Cloning perhaps-I need like 5 of extra me at least: a full time mom, a lesson planner, a grader, an actual teacher, house cleaner, and wife. I might have more time to do the fun things I want to like travel, write, photography, and craft, but such is life, right? Being a teacher, everything in my life runs more on an August to August year than a January to January, and the first day of summer break is really more like my new year than Jan 1 is. I also come up with ideas and new starts for the life in general during this time since teaching takes up so much time, and it is way too difficult to get into new person mode when the busiest time of your professional life starts essentially in January (thanks standardized testing). So while everyone is a bit on the slower end in January, I am usually on full speed bust my butt mode in order to get everything squared away for my late March state testing. Despite what people think, teaching does not exactly stop for many teachers when the doors hit the students in the butt at the end of May and June; it really just slows down. All the analysis business and everyone else does in January to get ready for the rest of the year happens for use during this time. Since I am pretty much in my part-time SAHM mode, it is my planning time, so guess what I am going to do now? Plan! And then hope my ideas flesh out into something that results in a better home-life-work balance like I do every year. I am hoping that chronicling it will help me stay more on track; I can dream right (said every hardworking teacher who spends way too much time on classroom stuff)
Summer Goals:
1. Have a more organized and clean house year round rather than just when I have time off. I live in a loathsome cycle of work and break times. I like clean house but not a fan of cleaning and organizing. Thus I suck at keeping up, and my poor husband is exhausted and beside himself with it. I am too overwhelmed at the sight don't know where to start. I spend pretty much every break cleaning, organizing, and trying to get things back before I go back that I don't get a chance to relax and enjoy my break or get caught up with other things so I am not overwhelmed during the year.
2. Making more time for Little Man and the Hubster both together and separately. Hubster and I have been working through somethings, and we have found that we need a happier mix of both. While it is nice for us to do things together, we also need to have couple time, and each of us needs to spend time with Little Man to develop our separate relationships with him.
3. Work on my health. I have to find time to make myself healthier. I have gained 17 pounds since getting my job at my currently school which puts me back to weight I was at when I got pregnant with Little Man and counting. Plus exercising and eating right helps makes me a happier person.
4. Being a more confident teacher. I won teacher of the year, and I still do not believe I am that good. Plus I need to find a way to keep from from getting burnt out which I feel a little bit after this year. I need to find a way to put in a balanced level of time to keep on target.
5. Find more time for me to have outlets. I want to develop both my photography and learn more crafting things like knitting, sewing, and needlepoint.
6. Get most of the plans fleshed out for our Disney World Trip next year-next blog will have more details of my process so far.
So, I am actually on week 2 of my 8 week break already. Where am I so far? In the first weekend (Memorial Day weekend) Hubster and I finally bought a new bed along with a bed frame which was an almost 2 years process. We also had a great family day at Scarborough Faire on Memorial Day which has become a bit of a tradition. Speaking of 2 years ago, I had a tooth crack, and I finally had it removed. Thus I spent most of week one of my vacation hanging out on the couch to recovering. I did get some Disney research done, but more of that next blog. I managed to review all of the materials I had for last summer read, but I still need do some updating to make it golden. Then I need to order the books for the first semester I plan to use and work on revamping Unit 1 for the year. Last Friday, Hubster and I did a cool Dallas date night with the Dallas Museum of Art and Fairmonte Hotel; guess that is material for the third blog out. We spent the rest of the weekend cleaning up the bedroom for the new bedroom furniture. Lastly, I got my first blog in almost a year done with this one. I guess that is a wrap for super long post for now. Disney for you next time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)