Those Precious Preschool Years

I have discovered why I do so well working with preschoolers.

Yes, I am a kid at heart...but recently, I got the the real "root" as to why I love working with 3-4-5 year olds.

I won't have the opportunity to raise my own preschooler ever again.

And this makes me sad.

In fact, I am tearing up as I type this out.

It has been in my head for awhile, but with the change of the school year, and watching those sweet, precious, new preschoolers come to school for the first time yesterday hit it home.

I have come to grips with the fact that I won't be a new Mommy again.  I am okay with that.  {my OB/GYN seems to hold onto hope, but I think he is crazy}

I don't regret how Little Man spent his preschool years.  I think we ALL learned a lot those three years.  Little Man was officially diagnosed with Asperger's during that time.  We worked hard on therapies for him, and educating ourselves.  I began talking to a therapist.  I worked on a lot personally.  I was diagnosed as bi-polar.

I still stand that I have done a lot on my own.  Not that Big Daddy isn't supportive.  Not that Big Daddy can even HELP it.  He works nights, I work days.  He would take Little Man to therapies and appointments {and still does} and I get got the temper tantrums, frustration and OCD rituals.

Little Man has come far. 

Time flies.  I wish I had cherished his preschool years a little more than I did.

Kids at this age are sweet, caring, curious, smart.  So very, very smart.  They are eager, friendly, creative, trusting, and above all...preschoolers are honest.  The list can go on and on and on.

I just love the excitement these kids have for life.  I love that they give everything their all.  I love that they have enthusiasm for everything.  That being said, by the time they are close to going on to kindergarten some of that *original* excitement and enthusiasm has worn off, but they still have some. 

There is nothing better than a genuine hug and smile from a preschool-aged kid.

Yes, I love the happiness that this age is.  The two years I spent working in preschool were truly amazing.  I hope to go back someday.  My job now, with a special needs kindergartener is incredible, and won't trade the experience for the world. 

I think I get a little sad knowing that I don't have a preschooler of my own, and I won't likely have one again.

I love my Little Man with all of my heart.

I just hope I did all right for him during HIS special years.

Love to All.

News and Notes, From the Wonderful World of Disney

This evening, I had a few minutes to peruse the Disney Parks InsidEARS page and the Disney Parks Blog.

Lately, this has been a pretty rare activity.

My "New Years" Resolution has changed this.

I read a little a lot about some new happenings going on at the Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland and Disney in general.

Not super-news-worthy to my Disney Nerd friends, since it has been plastered all over Facebook and Twitter over the past few days, but I thought I would share via yet another source in the event that you may have missed it.

Everyone is going crazy about the newest Annie Leibovitz "Disney Dream" portraits. 

Source: Disney Parks Blog

Source: Disney Parks Blog

These images are part of a series of photos that will be featured in fall issues of magazines such as GQ, People, People en Espanol, O, the Oprah Magazine, Vanity Fair, Real Simple, Essence and InStyle.  You can also see past images from the "Disney Dream" portrait series, and a behind the scenes look at the Hitchhiking Ghosts photo shoot at the Disney Parks Blog.  What do you think???  Do these images make you want to book your next trip to Walt Disney World???


One post at the Disney Parks Blog that really caught my attention was one about the tenth anniversary of the opening of the "Once Upon A Toy" store at Downtown Disney Marketplace.  I was working for Walt Disney World, at the time.  I had many friends who helped open the store.  The post is written by a former Walt Disney World Ambassador {oh, that was always my dream "job"} and has some neat perspective of how the store has changed, what has come and gone, and some neat photos!!!  It also touches on how "The Disney Bear" (I have one, he was a FLOP) eventually became the uber-popular "Duffy, The Disney Bear". 

Recent blog entries give an update on Splitsville, an upscale bowling alley (???).  The pictures on the blog are artist renderings, but it looks neat.  It is slated to open this fall {I haven't heard a concrete date as of yet} in the space at Downtown Disney West Side once occupied by Virgin Megastore!!!  I will be interested to see how they transformed that space!!!  It should be open in plenty of time for our December trip...perhaps I can talk Little Man and Big Daddy into some bowling {won't be too hard to convince either of them!!!}

A very popular post (based on what I have seen on FB and twitter) is the one featuring a photo of the bronze statue of Gaston that is going into Belle's Village as part of the Fantasyland Expansion (#newFantasyland) in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

Source: Disney Parks Blog

Source: Disney Parks Blog

I wish I could say that I was more excited about this. 

Yes, the whole Princessland Fantasyland Expansion should be complete by the time we are there in mid-December.

Please bear in mind that I am the mommy to an eight-year-old boy.  You can put a statue of Gaston up in the middle of Belle's Village, but it will still be Belle's Village. 

She is a princess.

You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig. {or something like that}

What I am trying to say, is you can "boy" it up all you want, but it is still going to be heavy on the princesses.

Heavy.

Storybook Circus is not much of a draw to us, either.

We'll check it out, but are not expecting much.

What we ARE excited for is Cars Land out in California at Disney's California Adventure. (#justgothappier)

We have no real plans to get out to California anytime soon.

But we are still excited.



That is about all I have to share for now.

Yes, I know it has been kind of a cop-out...just re-hashing what I have read about on another blog.

Maybe not, it still has taken an hour (!!!) for me to sit and type this.  I have given you my insightful opinion take on some of the stuff that has been going on in the Wonderful World of Disney.

I still have some Disney Dooney posts to catch up on.

Did I mention that my Disney Dooney collection was {at last count} up to 27 unique pieces?!?!?

Obsessed much??? 

{side note: I have been recently put back on meds...maybe to help me with my serious obsessions and highs and lows...I am certain if I had stayed on my meds, I would not own so many pieces of Disney Dooney}

I can share pics soon.

But tonight, I am too tired.

But I blogged.  About something that I love.  And that friends, makes me happy.

Love to All

Back to School Shopping

Nothing says "Happy Fourth of July" like doing a little back to school shopping.

Seriously.  We went shopping on July 7th.

If I was going to get Little Man the WWE backpack that he wanted, that is what we had to do.

I figured I was already in "school shopping" mode, so I may as well go with it.

This is what we were faced with...






Nothing too overwhelming.  I was a bit confused about the "NO TACKLEBOXES, PLEASE" disclaimer.  Really???  Tackleboxes???

This is what we ended up with...

Now, I know I could have bought everything pictured for like .01 with coupons and rebates.

I don't have time {or patience} for that.  I am committing to being better with coupons...but I have to draw the line somewhere.

I don't think I did too bad.  The most expensive item {except for the backpack/lunchbox) was the white {they HAD to be white (???)} erasers.  Everything else was super-cheap, and IN STOCK.

That is important to me.  I was able to take my time in Target and really look at the list and get what I needed...without cranky Mommies and loud kids in my way.

The backpack and lunchbox were even a pretty good deal.  We went to Toys R Us and bought the backpack for $14.99 and got the lunchbox for FREE.

I saw the backpack online at Toys R Us {after shop.wwe.com didn't have any BTS items yet} and called ahead.  It was a good thing I did, as I got their last one.  They had plenty of The Rock backpacks and lunchboxes, but this was the last WWE Superstars backpack.

Yeah, the cashier was a little peeved that I called ahead and had them hold the last one for me.  She said she had her eye on it, and wanted to wait for the free lunchbox promotion.  She said she was going to buy it before her shift and it was gone.  Yeah, it was mine.

The lunchbox is not my first choice, but it was free. It will hold his lunch and that is all that matters.

WWE online finally posted some BTS merchandise...later than usual, and a little more random than usual.  One backpack (The Rock) and one lunchbox.  I like their lunchbox better, but not enough to pay $11.99 for it.  The backpack is the same one that was offered at Toys R Us, but they are charging $19.99 {as opposed to $14.99} for it.

Mama has to save the pennies somewhere.

Besides, any money spent on WWE merchandise makes me {and Big Daddy} happy as we are WWE stockholders.

Seriously.  WWE.

I was able to relax knowing that I got our BTS shopping finished a whole month ahead of time.  Monday night is "Meet the Teacher" night, and I am going to be ready.  I just need to grab a box of Kleenex, a roll of paper towels, a box of Ziplocs and a box of Band-Aids from my "stash" and we will be good to go.

Of course, I have to sharpen 48 pencils.

THAT is my most dreaded Back-to-School chore!!!

We are ready to tackle second grade!!!  Here is hoping that it is better than first grade was!!!

Love to All.

New "Year", New Me...right?!?!?

 Today is August first.  The first day of my "new year" {even though school starts a week from now}.  How is the first day of my "resolution" gone???


...so, today has not been quite so successful...

I am sick.

I am not sure if it is just mental or physical exhaustion, but my body ached.  Hurt. 

I slept.  I slept until noon.  Then I woke up, ate some lunch and slept some more.

I am feeling more human now, I think the rest helped.  I still have a {small} pain in my side.  It gets worse when I cough.  Or when I breathe.

Big Daddy is afraid I have pneumonia.  That would be my luck.

I don't have time for this. 

Just gonna push myself though and see what happens. 

One day at a time, right???

Love to All.

New Years Resolutions...In July...

Oh my goodness.  It has been more than thirty days since I have sat and written anything.

Where has the time gone???

Lots of stuff has happened.  A lot of grown up stuff has happened.  A lot of stuff that I am not emotionally ready for.  I am okay, Little Man is okay, Big Daddy is okay.  Just life moving on.


Things are good, but they could be better.

I am taking on a few new endeavors.

You might say, I am going to spin a few more plates.

I have been asked to consider working for a travel agency, planning and booking trips to Walt Disney World.  This is something I can totally do.   I get to do it from my computer.  I am not committed 100% to this yet, but I am strongly considering it.

I am also becoming involved with Social Media Club - St. Charles.  It is still very much in it's infancy.  A lot of tweeting (which I am very good at) and staying active in all aspects of social media.  I am pretty good at that, too.  In fact, I waste a good deal of time on social media.  There is an event this week to introduce the club to the community.  I am not sure if I can attend, after all.  You know, because of my spinning plates.

I am also starting a very new, very exciting direct sales business.  I am still learning all of the ins-and-outs of it.  I just got my kit last week, and the box sits, unopened in my entry.  I know that mentioning the business in a blog, in tweets and on Facebook is kind of frowned upon, as not to put consultants at an unfair advantage.  I am not certain that I can't mention it, but I don't want to take any chances.  Just look at this picture carefully...what is it???  A paper bird of sorts.  How is the paper folded??? O_ig_m_  What type of bird is it???  An O_l.  Google those two words along with the word "jewelry" and you will get to the website that I am working with.  :)

There is just a lot going on, but nothing that I have really tackled.  This blog is something that I have neglected {along with my Disney InsidEARS page}.  That is why I am making some new "New Years Resolutions". 

But wait, it isn't January.

No, but it IS the beginning of a new school year, and this is where I make the change.

Little Man is starting second grade next week, and my Kindergarten Friend starts, well, kindergarten.  My hours at work are going to change.  I am going to have some "free" time to tackle things.

Things like...

~Doing the regular household chores that need to be done.  Each. And. Every. Day.

~Getting rid of junk in our house.

~Packing the house up to move next summer {don't ask us WHERE yet, but once again Big Daddy says we are moving}

~Working out on a regular basis.

~ Committing more time to the blog.  More posts, more pictures, more often.

~Working on my new Direct Sales Business (see photo above)

~Becoming an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.

~Working more with Social Media Club - St. Charles.

~Spending a little time each day on my Disney InsidEARS page.


This is just the tip of the iceberg, but I need to start somewhere. 

I CAN do this, and I WILL do this. 

It is a "new year"...time for a new start.

Love to All.

...so many Disney Dooneys...

Disclaimer right off the bat...

I don't wear fancy clothes {Old Navy, Lane Bryant or Target...always with coupons}...

I don't wear fancy shoes {always Converse or flip-flops.  Always}

In the grand scheme of things, my purses aren't that fancy.  They aren't even {all that} expensive.  There are bags out there that are pricier.

Of course, I could buy a bag from Target for $25. 

But that bag wouldn't be a Disney Dooney, now would it???

I have posted about them before. 

I have bought a few since that post.

I finally got my beloved Aulani tote.



photo: Google images...
and they are crediting it to robot celeb dot com ?!?!?

No, this isn't a photo of my tote.  The girl I am buying the tote from sent me pics, and I saved them to my laptop.  My laptop.  The one that is being repaired now.  Not really repaired, but maintained (???). 

I digress.

I have the pics on a memory card {is that what they're called?!?!?} and it is across the room.  I am so sore, I can hardly move...and I am not getting up to get it.

Anyway, I am getting a bag just like this, it should come this week...and I am going to love it.  {I also won an Aulani wristlet on evilBay at about 2am this morning}  I am so in love with this purse, but like so many of my Disney Dooneys, I am going to drool over it when I take it out of the package, but then it is going to hide in my closet for awhile, so Big Daddy doesn't notice right away. 

He thinks that I "trade" my Dooneys with a group on Facebook.

Sure, I "trade" them money via PayPal. 

photo: Disney Parks Blog

I have also acquired a WDW Princess 1/2 Marathon Tote {with Marathon Dangle...available only at the marathon expo during marathon weekend}

This is funny because I have not ran a 1/2 Marathon.  I have not ran anything.  Ever.  Well, maybe ran up a credit card bill.
My bag is the one in the lower right corner.  The big one.

Of course it is.






I also got the Minnie Bow Tote.  I had to get a bag to match my wristlet, before Disney goes and discontinues this print or something.

photo: Disney Store

I also won {from evilBay} a First Edition Sketch Wristlet...with awesome Walt Disney World placement.  It was like a dream.  The First Edition Sketch pattern had separate Walt Disney World, Disneyland and Dooney & Bourke banners.  The newer Sketch patterns have a combined WDW/DL banner and no D&B banner at all.  This having such a great WDW banner was meant to be mine. 

photo: eBay (this is the one I won!!!)

When this wristelt snaps shut the WDW banner will be prominent.  So will Mickey's shoes, but the banner is what I wanted most.  It makes it most special to me.  Hey, anything is better than two Dumbo butts {more on that later}.


I have many, many, many more Disney Dooneys on my wishlist.  Ones that I haven't even known that I wanted.  Some, have been pushed further back.  I have been saving my money {five dollar bills, to be exact} little by little...and have saved $125 in about six weeks, totally effortlessly {possible blog to follow???} ...not earth-shattering, BUT a good chunk of my Buttons tote...



photo: eBay (via Google images)

This currently retails $245.  Oh, I already have the wristlet in this pattern and I *love* it.  I also have a Disneyland Retro wristlet on my wishlist.  AND Disney just announced the release of the Walt Disney World Retro pattern. 

So mine.

So many Disney Dooneys, so little time (and so little money).

I sat down with every intention of writing about all of the new Disney Dooney items...that will come.  I just had to share some of my new finds!!!

Love to All.

What, Disney Stress Me Out?!?!?

So, we are going on a magical, 9-day Walt Disney World vacation.  This will be Little Man's fifth "real" trip there.  I don't even know how many times Big Daddy and I have been...between travelling there, living there and working there.  We are "seasoned" pros.  We have done it before, and we will do it again.

This time, I'm stressing out.

You see, I am not a planner.  Big Daddy and I go to Walt Disney World in a "Cast Member" frame of mind.  We take things leisurely.  We don't stress out over FastPasses, we don't worry about getting the best seat for Fantasmic! (or the Main Street Electrical Parade or Illuminations: Reflections of Earth...you get the picture).  We sleep in until we wake up...if a line is a little too long, we come back during a parade or show and hope it is shorter. 

We have a "if we don't see it this time, there is always next time" attitude.

This time is a little different.  I can't put my finger on it.  I think it stems from dining reservations.

Yes.  Dining reservations are stressing me out.

We are going when {it is rumored} that the "Free Dining" promotion will be ending.  No, Disney has not officially released the dates...it is said that some Guests have been mailed those magical PIN Codes for free dining during the dates of our stay.  I *think* I have also heard that the dates have been released for Disney Visa cardholders {I could be confused, all of the rumors and whatnot spread like wildfire on the Internet}.  Whatever.  That being said, Disney Dining fills up, and fills up fast...especially if the word "free" is involved.

I knew our 180-day window for making our dining reservations was approaching.  I consulted disneyworld.com for park hours and special events during out 8-night stay.  I also had to take into considertaion that we have family and friends that we will want to see when we are there.  The whole point of booking this trip at the time we did {at Christmas} was for a Family Reunion with Big Daddy's family.  We have a 6-Day Park Hopper ticket to work with {I am secretly going to add a day to make it a 7-Day} so we can fit in friends and family on our "extra" days.  We are also going to attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom.  That is only running on certain nights of our stay, so I wanted to make sure no dining reservations conflicted with that.

I have never, ever "mapped out" our trip.  Yes, I have made dining reservations.  Yes, we have attended seperate, hard-ticket events such as MVMCP and Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.  Heck, I have even had to work around a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding and all that entailed.  We are "go with the flow" kind of people, yet this trip I find myself working with park hours, shows and travel time {relying SOLEY on Disney Transportation}.  I have not gotten to the point where I make a spreadsheet on Excel, but I have a legal pad and clipboard dedicated entirely to this trip.  We are staying at the new Art of Animation resort, in a Little Mermaid Standard room.  I have no idea how we will make it from there, to say the Polynesian Resort for breakfast with Mickey and friends.  It is not a straight shot.

{this is also the longest stay we have ever booked at a "Value" resort...we will see how that goes}

I set my alarm for 4:45 the morning that I could begin making our reservations.  My body woke me up at 4:00.  I fired up the laptop and began tapping away.  Staying at a Walt Disney World resort, I was able to book 180+10 days in advance {180 days from our check-in date, and up to 10 days after that for our length-of-stay}  Of course, so many choices were already booked...I didn't even try Le Cellier Steakhouse in Epcot.  Even Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort was tough to get a decent time.  What???  This was my 180th day, and things were being booked up waaayyy past that.  I was getting frustrated.

What is so magical about having to micro-manage my trip???  What is so magical about not getting a chance to eat someplace new???  I mean, we are a party of three, not twelve...we will even take a table in the corner, by the kitchen door, in the dark if we have to...just to experience something new.

I was able to get everything that I had "mapped out", but I went in knowing that places like Le Cellier and Chef Mickey's would be "bonus" if I could get in.  Pretty much, everything will work with our "schedule".  I was able to get some places we haven't been to, or haven't been to in a long time.  I was able to come up with two options on most days, figuring we have a little while to make our decision...and will definitely cancel in plenty of time, given Disney's Credit Card Guarantee policy.

Here is a quick rundown of the options we have for our trip...

Day 1 ~ (arrival time, unknown...no park that day) T-Rex at 9:30 pm (great time...and this is what I get booking on day 180?!?!?) or Rainforest Cafe' in Downtown Disney at 5:00 or 7:00.  We are leaning toward Rainforest Cafe', as that is what Little Man asked for.  I am not sure what time to keep, since we don't know what time we will be arriving.

Day 2 ~ this one is up-in-the-air...we have breakfast reservations at Tusker House at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  The last couple of times we have been to WDW, we haven't even set foot in DAK.  I haven't been to Tusker House in years.  I don't even know if Big Daddy has ever been.  Little Man has never been.  This would be good, since it is a character dining experience AND a buffet.  We could finish breakfast then bang out the few things we would want to see at DAK then have the rest of the day to do whatever.  We also have 5:40 dinner reservations to Chef Mickey's.  The dinner there is tried-and-true for us.  We are usually pleased with the offerings {I am a HUGE fan of the chicken tenders and Mickey-Roni-and-Cheese...on the kid's buffet} and we get to see the Fab 5.  No brainer, it is popular.  The advantage to this reservation is that Epcot is open until 12:30 am...after dinner, we could just hop the Monorail over and spend time over there.  {did I mention, we are night owls and love, love, LOVE the  late-night Extra Magic Hours}

Day 3 ~ I made a 8:00 breakfast reservation to 1900 Park Fare at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.  This is one for me.  Mary Poppins and Alice in Wonderland.  Sign me up.  I haven't been there for this breakfast in years.  Years. {probably 15-ish years}  I have had dinner there a few times since, but not breakfast.  This is one of my favorites.  We also have ressies at Mama Melrose's at Disney-MGM 's Hollywood Studios.  This was an "add-on" in the event that the boys put their foot down to having breakfast with Mary and Alice.

Not gonna happen.

Day 4 ~ I pretty much decided {in my head} that this was going to be our Disney-MGM 's Hollywood Studios Day.  With my luck, everyone else in Central Florida will probably decide that as well.  DHS is open until 11pm {again, LOVE those late-night EMH} so that means time for Fantasmic! {which I can still recite from my Cast Member days} AND the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.  I have made dinner reservations at both 50's Prime Time Cafe' (5:45) and Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater (7:05).  Little Man is leaning toward Sci-Fi.  He heard "movies" and "eat in a car" and was pretty much sold.  We have to check the times for Fantasmic! and see what will work best.

Day 5 ~ Apparently I decided this would be a good day for Epcot, because I made reservations for Via Napoli for both lunch (2pm) and dinner (4:30pm).  I *think* my reasoning was that the Magic Kingdom would be open until 1am.  We could play in Epcot, eat, then head over to MK for some EMH magic. 

Day 6 ~ This is the evening we are going to MVMCP at the MK...so I made just one reservation to Liberty Tree Tavern.  I loved this restaurant when it was Character Dining.  I understand the menu is pretty much the same, just sans characters.

Day 7 ~ I was kind of stumped on this one.  I booked 'Ohana Best Friends Character Breakfast for 7:30 and the buffet in Germany at the Biergarten at 5:50 that evening.  We have been to 'Ohana for breakfast {and dinner} and we really, REALLY liked it.  As far as the Biergarten goes, Big Daddy has never been, I haven't been in YEARS, but Little Man went when my parents took him to WDW when he was five.  It was apparently his favorite meal the whole time.

Day 8 ~ I actually have three reservations this day.  Crystal Palace for breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and his friends.  I actually loathe Pooh.  The food is supposed to be some of the best breakfast food on property.  This is a buffet, so Big Daddy will be happy.  Little Man loved dinner here when my parents took him.  This is one that I could give or take.  I have also made a reservation to La Hacienda de San Angel for dinner at 4:15.  I really just want a margarita.  I love Mexican, and want to try this sit-down option {last time, we breezed through the pick-up window...and I got a margarita}.  I have also made a dinner reservation to Whispering Canyon Cafe' at the Wilderness Lodge resort.  I think Big Daddy will like this one.

Day 9 ~ this is kind of our "bonus" day...if we have any sit-down credits left, we can use them at either Whispering Canyon Cafe' for breakfast {provided we don't have dinner there the night before} or lunch at Olivia's at Old Key West, which is our family favorite.  I think it would be a nice way to "wind down" before we go home.

See what I mean about stressing out?!?!?  I haven't even BOOKED our Candlelight Dinner Package yet.

I am just going to let it roll...whatever happens will happen, and this is going to be a wonderful trip.

I hope.

Love to All.