Mommin' It Up!

August 28, 2012August 28, 2012

We’re going to Disney World and I’m trying not to be a control freak.

By the time you read this, we’ll be well into our final hurrah of the summer – our trip to Disney World.

For those of you who have been around for a while, you know that I have a bit of a Disney, um, problem. Let me tell you, it is just the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it) vacation destination for a type-A OCD-er like me!

In case you’ve missed them, here are my Disney posts of old (and if you’re looking for tips, make sure to read the comments readers have left!):
Call Me Crazy
The Happiest Place on Earth
I’m Baaa-ack!
Disney Trip, Part Two
Top Ten Tuesday – Disney Tips!
We’re Home!
Top Ten Disney Tips (Lessons Learned the Hard Way Edition)
A 10-Month-Long April Fool’s Day Joke (this one is only tangentially related to Disney, but it’s a classic that I link to whenever possible.)
I’m going to Disney World (and I’m going to eat. A lot.)

Which brings us to today – when we are actually at Disney World.

Believe it or not, I’ve done some things different this time around. The last two times we’ve gone, our kids were really young (Kate was 3 the first time, and then she was 5 and Sam was 1 the next time we went) and I ~~had more time on my hands~~ got a little obsessed with planning. This time, with older kids (aka no one in diapers) and some experience under our belt, I’ve done a lot less planning.

I know. I can’t believe it either.

Of course, I’ve done some… you will not see me leave Ohio without Advanced Dining Reservations complete (let’s be honest – I made them 180 days ahead of time) – so I have an answer to the most important question – where are you going to eat? I’m so glad you asked! We’re hitting…
— Mama Melrose (with the Fantasmic package, which means we’ll have reserve seating for the end-of-the-night presentation at Hollywood Studios. That’s the only fireworks show we haven’t seen before, and I am excited about it!)
— San Angel Inn. This is located in the Mexico portion of Epcot. We ate there the day after we ran that stupid half marathon, and I have been dreaming of the steak tacos ever since.
— The Plaza Restaurant. This is a table-service restaurant that is new to us, but from what I’ve read, it is a hidden gem!
— Disney Junior Play ‘n’ Dine at Hollywood and Vine. Sam is super excited about having breakfast with Jake the Neverland pirate and his friends Handy Manny and Special Agent Oso.
— Tusker House. Our other character meal is going to be breakfast with Mickey, Donald and the crew at the Animal Kingdom.
— Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show at Ohana. This family-style luau at The Polynesian Resort is new to us as well.

I must admit, deciding where to eat is one of my favorite parts of planning the trip!

Anyway, like I said, I’ve been taking things ~~less OCD~~ easier on the planning, and I intend to keep that attitude while we’re there. (Someone remind me of that, would ya?) We are going at a time that’s supposed to be less crowded than when we’ve been before (1s, 2s, and 3s out of 10 on the TouringPlans.com crowd predictor site, as opposed to 8s and 9s before) and I’m hoping that will mean I am less drill sergeant and more nice mom, since we theoretically won’t need a strict plan of attack to get everything in. (When Kate was three, we followed the “Dumbo Do or Die” touring plan. No, I am not kidding.) We’ll see how it goes.

The other thing I’ve done differently this year is to plan a few little extras. For one thing, the kids are going on a two-hour Pirate Adventure, where they’ll take a boat ride and search for hidden treasures with other kids and the Disney crew. In the meantime, Andy and I have reservations for a leisurely breakfast at the Grand Floridian Cafe. Don’t worry – they have breakfast cocktails. I checked.

I’ve also made reservations for the kids at the Pirates League experience, where they’ll be dressed up as pirates for the day. It’s basically Bippity Boppity Boutique without the tulle. I haven’t told the kids about it yet, but I think they’ll be excited.

I do have one other secret I’m keeping from the whole family. We are taking a Fireworks Cruise – basically we’ll have our own pontoon boat and driver, and we’ll cruise around Epcot and end with an up-close view of Illuminations, Epcots end-of-day fireworks show, which is one of my very favorite things. I am so excited to surprise the kids and Andy with this!

Finally, the other major difference in this trip and those before is… my trusty iPhone. Having it in my pocket will be so handy – I’ll have all our reservation numbers, schedules, etc at all times. I won’t even need the picture album containing excel spreadsheets and miniature maps that I’ve carried around in the past! I’ve got our schedule on iCal, and the WDW Lines app ready to go so we can see current wait times at any moment. I’ve also got the official Disney Parks app, which has just about anything you’d need to know about the parks – maps, wait times, restaurant information, hours of operation, and even where to find the characters at any time! I think it’ll be game-changing to have all that stuff at our fingertips.

So… that’s my plan for a non-OCD (relatively speaking) Disney vacation. Any last minute words of wisdom?

August 23, 2012

People. We are getting old.

Each fall, I enjoy checking out The Mindset List from Beloit College – you know, the thing that makes you realize just how freaking old you are by telling you all the things college freshman consider ancient history? Yeah, that. So now that I think about it, “enjoy” may not be an appropriate word. Regardless, it is pretty interesting. And frightening.

Let’s start with this little fact – this year’s entering college freshman were born in 1994. Had MTV been less Pedro/Puck and more Farrah/Janelle at the time and I had been striving to be on 16 & Pregnant, I could theoretically be their mom.

Frankly, that’s enough for me. I don’t need to read the rest of the list.

But… let me throw a couple more things out there.

#4 – Michael Jackson’s family, not the Kennedys, constitutes “American Royalty.” Now, I am not old enough to remember the Kennedy dynasty (just the tragic deaths of the subsequent generations) but the Jacksons? For real?

#8 – Bill Clinton is a senior statesman of whose presidency they have little knowledge. Just imagine the comedy they’ve missed!

#20 – Exposed bra straps have always been a fashion statement, not a wardrobe malfunction to be corrected quietly by well-meaning friends. #20.5 – the term “wardrobe malfunction” is not new-fangled.

#25 – They have lived in an era of instant stardom and self-proclaimed celebrities, famous for being famous. See also: The Real World and Teen Mom references above.

#34 – Billy Graham is as familiar to them as Otto Graham was to their parents. Otto who?

#71 – Despite being preferred urban gathering places, two-thirds of the independent bookstores in the United States have closed for good during their lifetimes. Oh, my heart.

But, there are some good things, too.

#12 – For most of their lives, maintaining relations between the U.S. and the rest of the world has been a woman’s job in the State Department.

#23 – Women have always piloted war planes and space shuttles.

#24 – White House security has never felt it necessary to wear rubber gloves when gay groups have visited.

Maybe the last 18 years haven’t been in vain after all.

I wonder what the Beloit list will look like when Kate and Joshua enter college. That’ll be the 2026 List.

Surely – surely – we’ll have flying cars by then.

August 21, 2012

Back to School with Lands’ End

Jenny’s kids are headed back to school today (in their adorable Lands’ End uniforms), and even though mine have another couple weeks at home (or rather, at Disney World), we are it total back-to-school mode at our house, and Lands’ End helped us out with a few outfits to get them ready.

Kate’s going into third grade, and she’s been dying for a more “grown up” messenger-style book bag. She’s thrilled with her new ClassMate bag!

This bag is the same outstanding quality I’d expect from a Lands’ End backpack, and I’m confident it will last Kate for years. I love the durability and practical design (a water-repellent finish, for example), and she loves the colors and the look.

She’s also got a new lunch box – the Kids’ Large Check MadBox 2-piece lunch box.

This lunch box is different than the ones she’s had in the past, in that it’s got an adjustable ice pack that divides the stuff that needs to stay cold from what doesn’t. It’s tested to keep lunches cold for 5 hours. I’m hopeful that this year Kate won’t come home and tell me about the warm turkey sandwich she had for lunch that day! It’s got plenty of room for her sandwich box, water bottle, and anything else she needs. Well, except for a mom who is good at packing school lunches. Not sure where she’s going to find that.

Of course, back to school is not complete without new clothes! Kate is all set for her first day with this cute outfit.

She’s wearing the Girls’ Denim Patchwork Skirt, the Girls’ Long Sleeve Knit Pintuck Henley Shirt, and the Girls’ Crochet Beret.

Kate is suuuuuuper picky about clothes – both about the way they look AND the way they feel. I must admit that when she picked out the denim skirt, I was a little nervous because she doesn’t like anything that’s tight or constricting, and sometimes denim can be both. However, this denim is really soft, and the adjustable waistband makes it comfortable for her. She loves it (in case you couldn’t tell by her cheesin’ in that picture!). The Knit Pintuck Henley is a hit as well. It’s Cotton Modal, just like my very favorite shirts in the world, which means it’s silky-soft. This is a great shirt for Kate to wear at school, too, because it’s long-sleeved but fairly light weight, which will be nice in the winter because her school building gets really hot. The cute Crochet Beret is the perfect way to make the outfit just a little more “Kate.”

Kate also tried out the Long Sleeve Eyelet Trim Friendship Graphic T-Shirt and the classic Lands’ End Sweat Pants.

I think I’m going to get Kate four more shirts and four more pairs of sweat pants just like this and call her wardrobe complete. They’re both so soft and comfortable, yet well-made and detailed so she looks put together. Andy and I have both decided we need a pair of those sweat pants too!

Ok, Kate’s all set for third grade – now let’s move on to Sam! He’s getting ready for his final year of Pre-K. He’s had the summer off with his dad, but he is excited to go back to school and see all his friends again. I am excited to dress him up in his new school clothes!

Just as an aside, I hear people say all the time that boys’ clothes aren’t any fun to pick out, girls’ clothes are so much cuter, etc. I must say – I could not disagree more! Maybe it’s because I’m not into ruffles and glitter, but I absolutely love picking out clothes for Sam.

Seriously – what could be cuter than this?

Sam’s wearing the Boys’ Long Sleeve Painted Stripe Rugby, the Classic Fit Iron Knee Jeans, and the Boys’ Alpine Trekker Boots. He is so cute I just want to eat him up. I love a good rugby, and this one is fantastic. It’s almost indestructible, as it’s made of heavyweight 100% cotton jersey, and has reinforced shoulder seams, a finished neck seam and rubber buttons. Perfect for a crazy boy like mine!

The Iron Knee Pants are awesome – Sam also has the Cadet Pants. The best part about these is that the reinforced knee is invisible – the patch is on the inside. Check them out:

Sam also needed a new back pack, so after looking at the sizing information on the Lands’ End website, I decided to go with the My First Gadgets Print Backpack.

Yes, it comes with an Ugly Doll! This back pack will be perfect for toting the things he needs for preschool this year, and because it’s made to the same exact standards as the other Lands’ End back packs, I know it’ll still be going strong for kindergarten next year.

Shew! Now all we need is for school to start!

How are your back-to-school preparations going? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!