The Big Reveal: We're Going to Disney World!

I had been looking forward to this day for months-finally telling Evelyn we were going to Disney World.  Actually, it had been years in the making and it was finally the big day!

That day we sent Evelyn to daycare as normal so we could take care of a few things-like packing.  Up until about three hours prior to our departure I hadn't packed a thing. As a family, we aren't heavy packers-in fact we almost  never check luggage and regardless of the length of the trip will fit it into a carry on.

Once Boyfriend and I had gotten everything ready to go we picked up Evelyn from daycare (Penny had stayed back with us since she had a doctor appointment that morning) and told her she was coming home early since her Papa was visiting.

Once home, we sat her down to finally tell her.  I knew I wanted to record her reaction but if she saw me bring out a camera to record she would immediately know something was up.  So I came up with the idea of making a One Day video customized to our trip.  It was a great idea in theory-unfortunately the last question, "Do you want to go to Disney World today" for some reason didn't save!  Luckily I thought ahead and asked Boyfriend to also record us just in case something went wrong.

I already knew she wouldn't have an "OMG WE ARE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!" reaction-that just isn't her.  Boyfriend and I anticipated that she would give us that shy smile (which she did) but I didn't expect that she flat out wouldn't believe us.  Immediately following the video we took her to the bedroom to show her our packed luggage and she became pretty upset-refusing to look at it.  It was as if she was so scared we were playing a trick on her she couldn't allow herself to get excited.

Even when my mom came over to pick us up, she still didn't believe us.  When my mom asked her where she was going she would say, "They said we are going to Disney World-but I don't believe it."  We finally stopped trying to convince her we weren't lying and just told her she can wait and see.

We finally arrived at the airport and said our goodbyes to my mom, and asked her to take a family photo.  Evelyn refused to smile-little did we know this would be the trend of the entire trip.

Penny on the other hand (another trend for nearly the entire trip) was just as happy as can be tagging along.

Once inside the airport, we started to see a little pep in her step.  I could tell she was actually starting to trust us and the excitement started to build.  We arrived to the airport two hours early (when you work for an airline-you become paranoid since you know about all the things that can go wrong and are overly cautious) so we stopped to eat first.  While eating, Evelyn was abnormally impatient and wanted to get to the gate right away.  I tried to explain to her that we would be there for quite some time but I think to her-being at the gate meant we were really going.  Once we started walking to our gate, the smiles started appearing.

Unfortunately, they didn't last long because our scheduled 5:02 pm departure had been rescheduled to 5:57 pm.  I was actually pretty impressed with both Evelyn and Penny-they managed to keep themselves entertained and not make too much of a raucous.  Of course having packed a few new activities in Evelyn's bag definitely helped.  

Around the original scheduled time for our departure, I noticed that I was having trouble breathing.  Initially I had Penny in the carrier on my chest so I thought maybe that was what was causing it so I took  her out and put her on the ground, which she was just as happy to chill and people watch.

Even with the literal weight of my chest, I still felt like I couldn't breath freely.  My chest felt so heavy and constricted and like I just couldn't get air in.  Boyfriend knowing that I am, to put it lightly, an anxious flyer suggested that maybe I was already feeling anxiety.  

Full disclosure-I do medicate when flying.  I have never been someone who is totally comfortable on planes but once I had kids, my body reacts in a way I just can't control.  I break out in sweats, every bump makes my heart explode and my mind races, convinced we are going to crash.  It is quite maddening to be honest because right along with all of those reactions-I still have my logical brain telling me that I am (literally) crazy and need to chill.  I just can't control it though-the only way I am able to stop the physical symptoms is to take a (doctor prescribed) anti-anxiety medicine.

I make every effort to make sure my kids do not recognize my anxiety, I know they will feed off my vibes.  I went ahead and took half of my regular small dosage, hoping it would help me.  Unfortunately, this was not the only episode of high anxiety during our trip-and it wasn't just me.  That said, within a half hour of taking the medicine, I started to feel so, so much better. 

Boyfriend and I were tracking a storm that was coming in-it was scheduled to hit almost exactly the time as our new departure time.  Our airline was actually making updates almost every ten minutes advising us of where our plane was currently and trying to expedite boarding in hopes that we could depart prior to the storm hitting.  They let us know at this time it was highly likely we would not be able to make our connections (we were flying DFW-FLL-MCO) so I went ahead and made a car rental reservation just in case.  Spoiler alert-we had to use it.

Once on the plane, Air Traffic Control denied our right to depart.  So we just sat there on the runway, watching the storm roll in.

The storm was absolutely terrifying, and at some point I got a pop up on my phone warning us of a tornado watch.  Our plane was literally rocking from side to side, it felt as though we were going to tip over.  The kids were totally clueless though, Evelyn played with her new coloring books and Penny ate some snacks.

Eventually the storm passed and we were cleared for take off, once we went back to the gate for more fuel (delaying us even further). We were on the plane for nearly three hours before we departed, making us a total of four hours delayed.  We finally arrived in Ft. Lauderdale around 12:30 am and headed straight to the rental car counter.

This was the first time that I have ever rented a car and had to utilize the car company's car seats-since we were using the Magical Express Disney offers, we didn't have to bring along our car seats.  I was pleasantly surprised at the quality.  Mostly though, I was just relieved to be finally off the plane and on our way (officially) to Disney World.

I tried, really, to stay awake and entertain Boyfriend during the three or so hour drive, but fell asleep rather quickly.  I was just so mentally drained.  I think I slept the first two hours, waking for the last leg of the journey.  Both kids slept the entire trip, another spoiler alert-this is all they slept that night.

Once we finally made it to Orlando Airport, we dropped off the car and wandered around MCO for some time attempting to find Magical Express.  All of the instructions I could find were for when you are getting off a plane-not dropping off a rental car.  Eventually we stumbled upon it and even though it was a little after four in the morning I was SO stoked. Also, since we were arriving at such an odd time-we had a totally private chartered bus all to ourselves.

I started to tear up as we left the airport on the Magical Express because it meant that, even though it didn't occur as how we thought it would, we were finally at Disney World!

The 1,564th Time is the Charm

As someone who is often in a state of nostalgia, I absolutely love Timehop.  I frequently go back and read old blog posts, check in on old Facebook photos, peruse my handwritten journals dating back to my high school years.  I find it especially entertaining for me to see exactly what was happening X years ago. You know what isn't fun?  Seeing a Timehop from five years ago which was exactly six weeks after having your first baby and seeing that you were in better shape at that point then you are now nearly eleven months after your second.

I started off weighing exactly the same for each pregnancy, I managed to lose my baby weight both times-but with my first I lost a considerable bit more but it all came back over the four years between my first and second.  I don't really care how much I weigh-but I do wish that I had more clothing options and people didn't continue to ask when I was due because of my roundish belly.

I've signed up for a bootcamp at work-twice a week I will be working out with my coworkers.  I'm hoping that since I have to be at work and it is literally outside my office doors I won't use the same excuses I normally use.  It starts at the end of this month-my only goal is to not skip one workout.

Boyfriend and I are on a mission to be healthier.  We aren't naturally healthy individuals-we enjoy the "bad" foods way too often, I'm not incredibly active (Boyfriend is) and if given the choice I will lounge on the couch vs going for a walk almost any day.  While none of these things are bad in moderation, moderation is not the example we are setting for Evelyn and Penny.  

I've declared that I want to make healthier changes 1,563 times so even I don't believe myself when I say this time is different.  All I can do is trust myself and my ability to make the changes I want to see myself make and stick to it.  So here goes!

Back To Life...Back To Reality

We are back home from our Disney trip and I'm officially experiencing the post vacation blues.  I will have a full trip recap coming up, which will be split up into a million different blog posts-essentially I'm using my blog as a travel journal.  I knew going in that my trip could be much different than I had envisioned, but honestly-I wasn't prepared for the manner in which it was different.   We had a wonderful trip, don't get me wrong.  That said, I did have expectations that it would be so special and fun that I would have a hard time accepting that we wouldn't be able to return until Penny is five or six. Instead I found myself during the trip saying to myself multiple times, "The only other time we will do Disney with the kids is Penny's trip."  At one point it was so rough I was just ready to call it quits and go home (which may or may not have been thought out of absolute exhaustion).   Now that we are on the other side, and our vacation is finally over I'm sad.  I really did have an amazing eight days with my little family and I wish we were back in the land of magic.  

Planning A Trip to Disney World-What the Heck is a Touring Plan?

Long gone are the days of picking out a week on the calendar a month or two in advance, loading up the family van and heading to Disney World for a fabulous vacation.  Now dining reservations are made out 180 days in advance, FastPass+ (FP+) reservations (this allows you to essentially skip the line) are made 60 days out for resort guests or 30 for nonresort, and any special extras like Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique also need 180 day advance notice.  It is difficult enough if you plan six months out-but if you are like us and only four months out-well it can get quite complicated!
I love planning and logistics so honestly, cultivating the details of our trip was really fun-almost as fun as the trip itself!  Researching, deciding on where we would eat, and the rush of getting a hard to come by Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR) was worth the extra headaches.
So where to start?  For me, since I was already within the 180 days, I started with my ADRs.  I googled meal reviews, stalked various forums and instagram for food pictures and narrowed it down to 7 different table service (TS) restaurants that I wanted to eat at.  I will go much more into the dining plan, but just know that I had 7 TS meal credits that were included which in most cases, would be an equal amount of ADRs.
The next thing I had to decide to do was figure out which parks would be best to visit on which days.  There are a multitude of websites that will give you crowd calendars, suggested parks, etc-the one I have found to have the best interface, the friendliest people and great results was Touring Plans (TP).
TP is a community that utilizes software that basically tells you when and where to go once inside the parks.  They have, as they put it, eerily accurate crowd calendars that suggest which parks will be the busiest vs slowest during your stay.  I utilized this information to rank which park I wanted to go to each day and then cross compared which restaurants/resorts my preferred dining locations were.
My method to my madness was to get an ADR for the restaurants I really wanted, even if it wasn't a preferred time.  Since I wasn't planning 180 days out-it took a lot of stalking Disney's reservation site and luck to get slots at each place.  Eventually I managed to get an ADR at every place I wanted, even it wasn't the perfect timing (for example, a 9:25 pm dinner the night before we are leaving).
The next step, which was probably the most stressful/satisfying was obtaining our FP+.  There were only a few things through all of the Disney Parks that are absolute must dos and luckily, we could arrange for a FP+ for those and know we won't have to wait three hours in line for something (ahem, Frozen sisters).
I did plan 60 days out and since I was a resort guest I was furiously searching for my FP+ at midnight hoping to grab all my desired passes.  About an hour later I had everything set up and knew that even if we only completed our FP+, Evelyn was going to be able to do the best of the best.
So at this point, I have my ADRs and my FP+ but you still can't just show up-what if your FP+ is at 10:00 am but all the rides have a 90 minute wait and its already 9 am.  Do you just have to sit around and do nothing?  Sound confusing?  Well it can be!  I started to get overwhelmed with everything so I started a spreadsheet to help me understand where I was going to be at what time.  Of course the one below has been tweaked tremendously, but it gives you an idea of how scheduled you are at Disney.

From here is where the sheer brilliance of what TP does for you-it creates an actual touring plan.  You put in your FP+ and ADR times, any breaks you may want to take, what hours you imagine you will be at the park and all the other rides and shows you want to see while at the park and it spits out a (hopefully) pretty little document that tells you not only when to go where, but approximately how long each line will be.

The best part of all of this-not once are any of my lines listed to be longer than 20 minutes!  Granted, it does have us walking in not the most sequential order of the parks so we will be getting in extra steps but it is worth it knowing we can maximize our touring time and not spend hours throughout the day waiting in a line.

Boyfriend and I have used TP before-on our trip in June 2009.  It was so successful that we managed to tour all of Hollywood Studios and be done by 1 pm that day.  It was actually one of our favorite days that trip because we went back "home" to swim and nap.  After that we went back to the park to hit up some our favorites from earlier in the day.  That year we didn't have Park Hopper passes, but had we upgraded-we would have just visited another park.  That experience was a prime motivator in us upgrading our tickets this trip.

Not only is TP a great tool to make your plans but the community is fantastic.  You can interact with individuals on their website, chat feature on your phone application or through a Facebook group.  I have come to them with serious questions (Will I get sued by Disney for using their font on my t-shirts?) to fun ones (What extra special things did you bring to make your kid's trip more magical).  I feel like I am learning something new every day and by being a part of their community I truly have made our trip extra special.

One last note about Touring Plans-this is a subscription based service.  I think I paid around $12 for a years worth of access and it was money well spent!  Even though I know realistically there is no way we are sticking to our TP exactly (nor do I want to be so rigid, we are on vacation afterall) my TP gives me a great base of where I could be at what time and what kind of lines I can expect. 
We are officially T minus 24 hours before our trip starts and I couldn't be more excited! I keep getting a lump in my throat thinking about all my magical moments to be, especially over revealing to Evelyn that we are finally going!  The blog will be quiet over the next week or so but please feel free to follow me over at Instagram-I promise I will be an over poster!

I'm Not a Fruit

The other day a friend and I doing what women do-chat about their bodies.  We were talking about how women's bodies are compared to fruits and I honestly couldn't think of a fruit to compare my body to.  

All of a sudden an image of a popsicle came to mind.  From the hips down I'm pretty stick straight, like a popsicle stick.  I have a flat butt and solid legs-nothing to really speak of.  But from hips up--out of nowhere I have this one continuous shape all the way up to my head.  

While it is hardly my favorite shape to be I suppose I don't mind.  I've always been this way-I remember someone referred to me as a beach ball on toothpicks when I was around ten.  

Well, maybe I care a bit.  I can't control my boob size but I could reduce the amount of overflow that occurs at my waistline.  First I just have to stop eating all those delicious popsicles.  I guess you really are what you eat.

Planning A Trip to Walt Disney World-Should I Use A Travel Agent?

  Once we had the dates of our trip-it was time to officially start planning out the details of our journey to the House of Mouse.   As I mentioned, this wasn't our first trip to WDW but our first with kids-not just one, but two.  I knew putting in the legwork planning up front would be well worth it once we got there.  There are many things that have changed since our last trip, and we are taking advantage of some things we haven't before (Disney Dining Plan is one big example) so I really wasn't sure where to start.   After reading a ton of blogs online, I found a highly recommended travel agency (TA).  With it being of no cost to us and what seemed like some additional perks-I thought why not?  I will go into the details as to why a bit later but at this point (pre-trip) I will say that for someone who is a natural planner and doesn't mind doing the work upfront, I personally don't think I will utilize a TA in the future.   Some perks of utilizing a TA-first the obvious:they will actual create your reservations, make payments and advise you on particular aspects of your trip.  My TA did assist me on what week to decide on since my original dates weren't kosher with my work schedule. Additionally I found my TA to be a wealth of knowledge and someone I could ask targeted questions and know that I will get a prompt response.   Another TA perk is the additional discounts that Disney provides for planning with a Disney approved vendor.  The offers/discounts that I received at the time of my January 2015 booking were:  

Disney Quest - Guests will receive two vouchers, each valid for a 1-Day admission ticket to DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park located in Downtown Disney® West Side (vouchers must be exchanged for tickets at DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park ticket window; valid for two tickets per package; restrictions apply).

Planet Hollywood - Receive a $10 voucher valid for food and non-alcoholic beverages and a souvenir merchandise keepsake at Planet Hollywood, Downtown Disney West Side. VIP Preferred Seating is available from 11:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. Not valid with any other offers or discounts. (One per package).

Miniature Golf - Guests will receive two vouchers, each valid for one round of miniature golf prior to 4:00 p.m. on one day at either Disney's Fantasia Gardens or Disney's Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Courses (valid for two rounds of golf per package).

Spa Discount – 15% off most 50 minute or greater services at select Disney Resort hotels. (Hand and foot treatments are excluded. Age restrictions apply. One per package).

Walt Disney World Marina Discounts – 15% off the non-discounted price of any boat rental at participating Walt Disney World marina location. (One per package).

Guided Fishing Excursions Discount – 15% off the non-discounted price of a 2 hour Guided Bass Fishing Excursion or a Bass Nitro Fishing Excursion at select Walt Disney World marinas. Excursions include fishing equipment, rod, reel, shiners, artificial bait, non-alcoholic beverages and a 1 year membership to B.A.S.S. (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society. One per package).

Sammy Duvall's Watersports Discount – 10% off the non-discounted price of all activities including parasailing, water skiing, wakeboarding, and tubing trips at Sammy Duvall’s Watersports Centre located at Disney's Contemporary Resort. (Subject to availability; restrictions apply. One per package).

Children Activity Centers – 15% off the non-discounted hourly rates at the Children Activity Center located at select Disney Resort Hotels. Minimum charge of two (2) hours per child. Services available for children age 3-12. (One per package).

Arcade Game Card - 100 points game play in arcades located in Disney Resorts. (One card per package; available only with Magic Your Way Packages).

Downtown Disney® Area Shopping and Dining

*  Planet Hollywood® - Receive a $15.00 voucher valid for food and nonalcoholic beverages and one souvenir merchandise keepsake. Not valid with any other offers or discounts. (One per package).

*  10% to 20% off at the following locations – some exclusions apply:  Arribas Brothers, Basin,Bongos Cuban Café, Curl® by Sammy Duvall, Fulton's Crab House, House of Blues,Hoypoloi Gallery , Little MissMatched, Paradisio 37,Pop Gallery, Portobello Country Italian Trattoria, Something Silver,Splitsville Luxury Lanes,Wolfgang Puck Café

While those things are a great perk, so far they just haven't weighed far enough on the plus side to warrant me feeling like I need someone to assist me next time.  I am an obsessive researcher so while I wouldn't have a direct contact-there are a copious amounts of blogs and forums of Disney obsessed invidiuals who could assist me in whatever I needed to find out.   Another disadvantage is that you can't make changes yourself.  For example, we initally planned and scheduled arrival on one day and then later on decided to add an extra night at the start of our trip.  We are traveling during a promotional period and when we first decided to make the change, I was able to secure a room that was included in the promotion and just add onto the trip.  But due to the fact that I had worked with a TA, by the time she had gotten around to secure the room for us, less than 12 hours later, she was only able to reserve a room only at the rack rate (without a discount).   Now I am saying this all before our trip.  I will be sure to update how I feel once I have taken it, my mind may change.  Hopefully everything goes smoothly as far as my reservations go, but if not I do have an advocate to assist me.  Also, at this point I don't anticipate utilizing any of the discounts/offers but if I do that could greatly sway me towards using a TA in the future.   Only a few more weeks to go, I will be sure to update this post with my experienced thoughts!

Five

One. Two. Three. Four. FIVE.  Apparently I didn't write a blog post to commemorate Evelyn turning  two.  Whoops.    

Last year I wrote about how Evelyn was very adamant she is no longer a baby, but a big girl.  In the last year she has gone from a big girl to a kid.  A real live kid with her own thoughts, ideas and opinions.  Oh the opinions this girl has.  Ask her about her about the smell of her daddy's food and she will let you know exactly what she thinks of it-much to her father's displeasure.  

Four was as much of a struggle as it was awe inspiring.  Watching her evolve into the best big sister ever was awe inspiring.  My heart aches sometimes at when I think of how much courage she has displayed in taking on the role, and how much she loves her sister.  

Every parent seems to have a particular year that challenged them the most.  I have a feeling I am going to look back at her early childhood and say year four was our most difficult year (until she becomes a pre-teen).  While I still very lucky that her bad days are better than many kids good days, the hard days were hard.
I'm not so blind to see though that the more demanding days were directly related to one of her more endearing or impressive qualities.  When I found myself getting frustrated because she was just being a pill around the house-if I stimulated her mind, she instantly became a new kid.  I know every parent thinks their kids are brilliant-mine really is and sometime it flat out scares me.
When I am struggling with the fact that she is holding a grudge against me for saying the wrong thing, I know it is because she is just wonderfully sensitive and in turn has the ability to show her sweet heart and compassion towards others.    

  Five is another year of changes, but I am so excited for her.  I can't wait to see what is in store for our future because I know this girl can handle anything.