Friday again

It seems like I only get to blog on Fridays.  It is our only day fully at home.  The day where we can get a bit caught up.  Thus time for blogging.  I desire to do better.  But in this season of life, I am raising kids.  Raising them to love their Lord, and be Godly functioning adults.  At least that is the goal.

This week we took spring break.  Yes, I know, we just took a week off for Disney World.  But, you know.  We have the flexibility to do so.  Everyone worked a bit harder last week and will work a bit harder next week but it is worth it.  Plus, everything else we normally do was cancelled, so it has been a nice reprieve. 

Now, today, is bringing it all back in to get ready for next week.  A few weeks ago I declared every other Friday cleaning day.  So far so good.  Trying to do a little each day wasn't working.  We are just in and out of the house too much to make that happen.  Each night we would go to bed without it done.  So we are trying this. 

And that means even on Spring Break we clean.  I mean, after all, we took a week trip to Disney and have had lots of play days this week.  It is time. 

Today's report:  Bathrooms and bedrooms all cleaned by 9:00.  Yay!   Because of the diligence, we are taking a short break before we conquer the next thing.  Yay!

Oh, one more thing we are doing this week.  David and I try to get time with each of the kids alone, like David and Jake go hunting, David and Sara Beth go hunting, Sara Beth and I go shopping, Katie and I go somewhere together.  But, this week, David and I, together, are taking each kid out.  It has been so nice for us and the one child.  They get our undivided attention, and we are able to listen to just one conversation.  It has proven to be a sweet blesssing.

Other things this week I am thankful for - my kiddos at home with me, a husband working hard for us, the great sunshine, windows open, clean house.  Oh, and one more:  only 8 weeks of school left!!

Toy Story

I am a huge fan of the Toy Story movies (and Pixar in general), but when I heard they had this great new ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios I wasn't overly flabbergasted.  Excited, but, ya' know, just excited.
 

Then we hear that it is hard to get on the ride because the lines are just so long.  I am thinking, new ride excitement, it'll die down in a few months.

Then we get there.  It was late one afternoon the first time we went to that park (after Animal Kingdom so we could do Fantasmic).  Anyway, "The Board" (which lists all the pertinent info for each ride/attraction, including wait times, etc) listed Toy Story as being a 70 min wait, with no fast passes left. We are thinking, "What? Whatever?"

So the next day, we hit the Studios again and managed to make it early in line with only about a 20 min wait.  And, of course, Disney doesn't dissappoint for your waits either.  The pictures are from the line flow area.  Way cool and fun!

So we get our 3-D glasses and get on the ride.  It is a carnival like ride, where you pull this ball and string and launch various ammunition at various Toy Story themed characters, etc.  It is like a big video game. 
And you are probably thinking, "So what.  A big video game."

That's what we thought.  Even after we got off.  We thought that was really fun and cool and we were glad we did it.

Of course, the kids (hee, hee) wanted to ride it again.  The big dilemma there is how.  With fastpasses going so quickly and lines so long we just didn't see how.  But we tried.  First thing Friday morning we were at Hollywood Studios before it opened.  With several hundred other people.  And ESPN weekend.  All lined up at the ropes to various parts of the park.  Like we were all about to run the race of our lives.

Ok, I exaggerate a bit.  But you know how some of those parents are, even the teens.  Once they let that rope down some of them were actually running towards Toy Story, dragging their children, with teenagers dashing (because they were free from the burden of little munchkins).  You get the picture.

I am happy to say, that without running, knocking anyone over, but with due persistance, we made it with only a few second wait at the loading dock.  We did have to walk through the queue area again, but with no wait. 

Success!!

In several ways.

It became addictive.  It was more fun the second time.  I did really good.  I bettered my score.  I was sitting with David, which made it all the more competitive.

I want to do it again!

To Infinity.....And Beyond!

The Goods and the Bads (or I am I just a Disney snob?)

How can you even say "bad" when it comes to Disney World?  Well, really, you can't.  Obviously there are a few things that, after all is said and done, were different.  But, it was so good, that who can really complain?

But, there are a couple of things that I would have changed.  But Disney didn't ask me so I guess I will have to live with it.  The first would be the crowds.  It was more crowded than what we are used to.  We usually go around Thanksgiving, when the crowds are lower.  There have been many times when we have ridden Space Mountain or Splash Mountain without even having to get off.  Continual.  So, considering that is what we have gotten spoiled to, 30 minute waits seemed long to us.  Yeah, pitiful isn't it?  But those waits were fine and we enjoyed the visiting while waiting.

My other beef is directed at Disney.  I remember the days when Characters would just walk around the park, wave, take a few pictures, etc.   Now, there are very few, if any wandering around and if you want to see them you have to stand in line.  A long line.  If you were lucky and timed it right, it was only a short wait.  But sometimes....goodness.  Katie and I found a line to see Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen.  We went to the end of the line where there were approximately 30 people or so (maybe around 5-7 families).  Not terrible.  So I asked the person in charge when Princess Tiana would be making her appearance.  Are you ready?  Not for another hour!!  I looked at Katie and she said, "No, I am tired of lines."    I think what added to the lines was so few appearances for each character.  It's not like, "We'll catch them at Epcot." or "We'll try again later."  That was it, unless that was your main priority.  It wasn't ours.  But, we did get some face time with some of the characters and I'll post those later.

Now, the fun part.  There will be lots of details on this later, but bullet points on our favorite things!!

We had a deal on our room, which included a discount and the quick service dining plan for free.  We had never done the dining plan before, because we just don't eat that much and we split alot, so paying up front for all of those meals seemed like a waste.  But it came with the week, so who is to complain about free, right??  Our plan included two quick service meals (walk up and order) and two snacks per person/per day.  That leaves one meal for us to take care of each day.  The plan lets you use them however you want to, so the best deal is to use them until you use them all up.  You wouldn't want any free food left unsed, right?

So, how did we do with our meals?  I am pleasantly surprised to tell you that we used up our last snacks about 15 before we left for the airport.  And aside from our one nice meal, we didn't pay for a single meal while we were there.  Granted, for lunch one day, it was nothing but snacks (ice cream and pretzels) but hey, you are at Disney World!  We even ate at Wolfgang Pucks Express...for free...salmon, pizza, gourmet soups, and the best cheesecake...ev-er. 

Would I pay for the dining plan?  I can't tell you that yet.  I'll have to go back and see the costs but I know that we ate more than we would have otherwise, threw away some food (just too much to eat), and enjoyed some down time eating snacks that we wouldn't have done otherwise.   And we wouldn't have gotten this-

Other goods ----- Weather was phenomenal!!   Sunshine, great temps, only a little rain.   Fantasmic.  Toy Story ride (deserves its own post!).  Great family time.  Great kids with great attitudes, despite being so very tired.  No one got sick- before or during. 

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing, protections, and glorious time!!

We got 'em good!

This is the beginning of many posts about our trip, but I have to start here.

We got 'em so good!  They were clueless.

Saturday morning David and I got up and started getting ready and finish our packing.  At this point, I had not packed any of Sara Beth's stuff, but Jake and Katie were good to go except for toiletries.  So, at 5:15 we headed up to Sara Beth's room to wake her up first (since she had more to do).  She was "supposed" to be going to a youth group service day, so we woke her up telling her it was time to go to that.  All we heard were groans, etc.  Then we said, "You aren't going after all.  Do you remember that trip that we said we might surprise you with?  Well, it's now!  Get up!"  She immediately quit groaning, sat up in bed, and said "Are you serious?".  It was so funny.  I gave her a list of what she needed to pack then to bring to my room (without entering).  She had 30 minutes.  At this point we weren't telling where yet.

We then went to wake up Jake and Katie.  Both of them gave us many groans but snapped out of it pretty quick.  I already had their clothes ready, so I handed it to them, and said get dressed and brush your teeth.  You have 15 minutes.

At 5:45, my parents and brother had arrived but were still outside.  David called the kids to the couch and sat them down side by side.  He said "I am going to give you three clues as to where we are going.  When I tell you to, open your eyes."  We brought my family into the living room and told the kids to open their eyes.  They were so excited that Grandma, Batz and Digger (yes, those names deserve a separate post, don't they) were going with us.  Then all of a sudden, Jake goes, "We're going to Disney World, aren't we?"  They all were flabbergasted!  They were a subdued excitement because they were in shock.  It was open mouths, hands on faces, and "Are you serious?  Are you serious?".

We had a blast on the way telling them all the many things that we did to keep it a secret and how we fooled them.  And for at least two days they couldn't believe they were there.  It was so much fun!

Can't wait to do it again sometime!

SURPRISE, Kids...We're going.....

.....to Disney World!!

Now...Right Now!!

Those are the words we will telling our three great kiddos around 5:45 tomorrow morning!  I am writing about it now because I know it won't happen then.

A little over three years ago with surprised them with a trip to Disney.  It has been all they have talked about and have said numerous times that if we were ever to do it again they wanted to be surprised.  Really for any vacation, but we just haven't had a chance until now.  And it has been fun.

Of course, we have had to say no to some things and we have worked to keep them mostly at home so they wouldn't get sick.  But alas, that is another blog post for another time.

I digress and I must get to the point because I am pretty tired.  We are all packed, with the exception of Sara Beth's clothes (she was my challenge to do it sneakily.  we just decided to wait until morning to throw everything in.), and toiletries.   So we are pretty good to go.

You must be wondering if they suspect anything.  David and I both agree that Jake and Katie do not have a clue.  He thinks Sara Beth is clueless, I think she is very suspicious.   We'll see in the morning who wins that one.

It's off to bed for me, but I have to post a couple of pics from our last trip, Nov of '07.

My boys and my books

The boys, meaning David and Jake, know, along with the rest of the family, that I love books.  All kinds.  I love fiction as my escape; I love books that teach me how to grow in Christ; I love books that give me tips on being a better wife and mother; I like books about books. 

Over the last few years, I have developed a good habit of not buying too many books.  We just haven't had the space.  The bad habit I have developed is stacks of library books.  And basically stacks of books that I have bought or been given or needed for school, etc.   Really, it hasn't been all that bad

Well, finally bookshelves made it near the top of "the list".  You know the one that you make of things you want/need and prioritize it, etc.  We found some that we liked at Target and guess what...they went on sale a couple of weeks ago.  (You know my frugality and how much I really like this!)  So for Valentines, (or just for whatever), David went and picked me up two, count them -two, bookshelves!!  Yay!  He's a good man!

That brings me to the other boy.  This boy, Jake, loves to put things together.  He has been able to do several building projects for school lately and that is right up his alley.  Loves it.  So, imagine his eyes when he sees two big boxes of bookshelves needing to be assembled.  Heaven. 

This Wednesday night, while we girls were at church, they set out to at least take care of one set.  David was the overseer, Jake the workman.  By the time we came home, one beautiful bookshelf, assembled by Jake, was proudly sitting in our living room. 

But that still left one bookshelf unassembled.  Talk about a motivator to get schoolwork done.  In record time on Thursday, Jake got all of his schoolwork done, then he got to work.  He finished the entire thing by himself.  Well, almost.  You will see in the pictures that he did have a helper. :)  And, being the nice big brother, has allowed her to take some of the credit.  Which she most willing took and is diligent to make sure no one forgets that she actually helped.

I am proud of my boys!!  Now, I have a place to be proud of my books!!  After a bit of shifting some things around, the bookshelves will be adorned with books. 

With extra space.  For more books. 

My heart is giddy!

 

A Big Day Around Here

Ambiance.

There aren't too many ways to describe a scene like this one.

 

One of our favorite family traditions is moving the kitchen table to the living room in front of the fireplace when there is a fire going.  We can eat there, play games there, and even do some school work there.  It changes the atmosphere to cozy and inviting.  It is even better when the Christmas tree is there. 

Ooh, what winter fun.

See here is another one.  Just so inviting and enjoyable.

There is something about these pictures that you must know.

It may not be terribly obvious to the untrained eye.  Can you tell what is missing?

Look carefully at the tree.  And the mantle.

Do you see it yet?  Okay, I'll go ahead and tell you. 

No decorations.   

Empty.

The reason:  These pictures were taken Wednesday.

Yes, this past Wednesday, when we had yet another snow for the season.  It called for coziness and warmth.  And having the Christmas tree still up made it all the more fun.

Yes, on February 9, our Christmas tree was still up.  So we decided to make the most of it and use it this week. :)  Added a nice touch, don't ya' think?

Well, here it is, Saturday and the big day has arrived.  As of right now this is what my living room looks like:

A sure sign that Spring is on its way. 

A big day for sure!