Disney...An Overview of Our Trip

I still haven't looked through all the pictures, but I think I can at least take a few minutes now to sketch out the basic choices we made about our Disney trip.  Not sure if anyone cares...or will find it interesting...but I found the whole planning process to be pretty involved.  Perhaps some of my hindsight would help someone.  Or not.  Maybe you'd rather go watch a rerun of the Andy Griffith show like my kids are doing.  I'm fine with that.

Park Tickets:
We went with the basic 1 park per day tickets.  We found that 1 park was enough for each day, and we didn't miss having the Park Hopper feature.  If we had stayed less than a week, maybe I would feel differently.

Schedule:
We spent 2 full days in the Magic Kingdom, 2 full days in Epcot, 1 day in Hollywood Studios and 1 day in Animal Kingdom.  I thought this was the perfect amount of time per park.  By the end of the week we felt like we had seen everything we wanted to see in every park and we were ready to come home. We did make the mistake of going to the Magic Kingdom on Saturday night after our flight.  It was a Z.O.O., and we were very tired.  I wouldn't do that again.

Accomodations:
We stayed at Pop Century, which is a Value Resort.  Not sure where the Value part came in, but it was cheaper than most of the other Disney resorts.  We had two connecting rooms, which worked pretty well for us. We didn't actually spend much time in our rooms...we pretty much just crashed there every night...so I didn't miss the plush features of the nicer resorts.  But our kids are older and can go all day.  I can see how someone with younger kids might want a little more space, or a washer/dryer in the room.

Food:
We bought the dining plan that allowed 1 Table Service meal, 1 Quick Service meal, and 1 Snack per person per day.  I think it was probably worth it, but I would be more careful next time about where we used our Quick Service credits.  More on that and where we ate in a later post. We had some basic groceries delivered to our room so that we could eat breakfast before we headed out.  This kept us from wasting meal credits at breakfast...plus it saved time.

Miscellaneous:
1. Disney coffee stinks.  It is Nescafe.  It is Disgusting.  Go to AllEars.net to find places at Disney that sell real coffee.
2. Many people find the refillable mugs to be a great deal.  We found them to be a ripoff.  You can only use them in the hotel, we don't like Nescafe, the iced tea was also made from a powdered mix, and we don't drink much pop.  That didn't really leave much to fill our mugs with.  I'm pretty sure we didn't use $32 of teabags during the week.
3. We all (with the exception of J-Man) carried backpacks in the park every day.  I'll share more later about what everyone carried and how it worked out.  I'll say now that the most important item in everyone's bag was bottled water.  I did not once have to listen to anyone complain about thirst.  A minor miracle.

Congratulations...

I read a great blog post yesterday with realistic cards for new moms.  This one struck me as particularly funny in light of my current state of being.  Which, by the way, the doctor informed me this morning is pneumonia.  I'm too busy for pneumonia.  Pneumonia will have to respond to antibiotics while I'm running errands, teaching school and baking cookies for The Husband's work party tomorrow.  I thumb my nose at you, pneumonia.

If you'd like to read the rest of the cards, go to Jill Smokler's funny post at Scary Mommy. Beware, though, some of you may be offended by the crudeness and swear words on a couple of cards.

Disney...Coming Soon!

We are just back from a week at Disney World. The weather was mostly beautiful and things ran mostly smoothly. Except that I'm sick. So, I'm thinking I'll probably write several posts about our trip. But not until I feel better. Pictures too, once I find the energy to look through them.

Gather your personal belongings, take small children by the hand, and have a magical day!

Asking the Right Question

Many of you know that I've been seeing a pastor at our church for counseling for almost a year now. What I really needed (and still need ongoing help with) was an attitude adjustment. Now, I am certainly not all the way there yet, but I think I'm starting to ask the right questions.

When we started out, I was angry. My primary question was: "Why would God let all this this awful stuff happen to me?" Not at all a biblical attitude. But oh, so easy to fall into.

My question more and more these days is: "What is God trying to teach me through all this awful stuff?"

Maybe now we'll start to get somewhere.

Thankfulness

Yes, I know it's been awhile. I've been crazy busy with the start of a new school year and some new challenges that go along with it. But, I decided that instead of dwelling on the rough stuff, I need to take a few minutes to remind myself of the blessings.

So, today I am thankful that:

God loves me and has a perfect plan for my life.
My husband has a job.
J-Man is back in school.
The furnace worked yet again this year.
My husband is handy and we rarely need a repairman.
We have a parking spot for the truck and camper this winter.
I am part of a community of moms who love and support each other.
Our health insurance is unexpectedly reimbursing some claims.
We have enough extra money to contemplate a family vacation.
We were able to buy a washer and dryer made in this century.
I finally have time to get physical therapy for my ankle.
The dog is walking on 4 legs again.
The kids are healthy.
God created cocoa beans.
God created coffee beans.

I Did a Stupid Thing

I ate pizza. Yes, I know. Wheat and dairy. Oh, believe me, I know. It sounded so good. So greasy. So cheesy. So not worth the two days of extreme discomfort I endured afterward. I doubt if I will ever touch a piece of regular pizza again.

This all got me to thinking about a handful of people I've encountered lately. The ones who roll their eyes or look all offended when I say that I'm allergic to wheat and dairy. You know what, I don't really care how inconvenienced they might feel, or how offended they are that I'm not willing to try their cheese-encrusted whatever. I'm starting to feel a little offended that someone would want me to spend a couple of days doubled over in pain. Or that my long-term health matters less than their birthday cake. And some of them are people that you would think would care about such things.

So, to those people who think that this is just a fun new hobby I'm trying out, you can think again. I cannot begin to express how difficult this journey with my health has been, what a relief it is to feel a little better, and how much I don't care that your cheese and cracker platter didn't get eaten. Feed it to the dogs.

Why We Don't Have Pictures Taken Very Often

I finally got my act together and took the kids for some real live studio pictures. This picture demonstrates why I hate this activity.

I have 29 similarly unusable poses. See, here's another one.

This one of J-Man is a beauty.

Big K looked lovely and was very cooperative. I'm trying to give credit where credit is due.

Trouble Brewing

J-Man has hit a new stage of development. I don't know quite what to call it. It's not listed in any mainstream parenting book. Maybe we could call it the "foster care wannabe" stage.

I'm sure I've mentioned J-Man's lying before. Of course, nobody but his immediate family and his therapists would characterize him as a liar. Because he's good. Stinkin' good. So stinkin' good that you don't know you've been had. Last night at the dinner table the girls were having a small tattling session regarding something that had happened during the day. And J-Man, with all the venom he could muster, busted out with: "Mom told me to shut up today". Now, I can assure you that I did not. We do not say "shut up" at our house. I'm sure I said some other stuff that wouldn't win me a mother-of-the-year award, but I did not say "shut up". It was apparently the most heinous accusation that J-Man could come up with. Fortunately he made this accusation in front of his family, who know the real deal. What happens when he makes a false accusation about me to his teachers? Who will they believe?

Anytime lately that we've been in the presence of another adult, J-Man will take the opportunity to air grievances. Both real and imagined. With gusto. He will be angry and offended, or he will sob, depending on what he thinks will win him the most points. He recently didn't get to go on a camping trip with his Dad and sisters. (Because he would have ruined it for everyone.) He made sure to complain loudly to everyone he met for the next week. He did not, however, share that he got to pick out movies and go out to dinner every night, or that his room was being painted while the camping trip was going on. He is a master manipulator.

J-Man has also developed a fun new trick over the summer where he pretends that I'm hurting him. Here's how it started: When we are in stores, he will walk about 5 feet directly behind me so that I have to keep looking back to make sure that he's still there. Because he will wander off if given half a chance. I tried holding his hand, but then he just drags me backward. So what I've taken to doing is walking with one hand on his back or shoulder so that I can keep him alongside me. He doesn't like this. So he started yelling that I was hurting him every time I put my hand on him. Fun. Couple that with his overactive startle response and I might as well call the social worker myself.

So here's the upshot. I have a cute little manipulative liar trying to present himself as a deprived, neglected, abused child. And he's been a deprived, neglected, abused child, so he knows how to play the role convincingly. How long will it be before the wrong person sees and misinterprets something? How long will it be before social services shows up at my door? How long will it be before not only J-Man, but also my girls, end up in foster care?

Oh, Look at the Time

I'm not exactly sure how nearly a month managed to slip by since I last posted. I'll just skip over most of the month and give a brief update on the state of things around here.

Duke is maybe recovering? Maybe not? We don't really know yet. He has been back and forth to the vet trying to figure out where things have gone wrong. We'll be back tomorrow for another visit. We have added ear infection and eye infection to his list of ongoing maladies. Why was he abandoned, you ask? Hmmm...let me think about that one...

We have passed the 20 session milestone with J-Man's neurofeedback. We haven't seen much progress yet, but hopefully we'll get there soon. We did have some good news about supplemental funding for his sessions, which is a huge blessing.

We are down to under three weeks to go until school starts. Can I hear a hallelujah? Summer break. It's not for wimps. The kids have been to summer camp, been camping with Dad, gone to swimming lessons, had rooms painted, attended a variety of VBS's, gone to the cabin, visited cousins, etc. We have been purposefully busy this year. Unstructured free time is evil. Now we are on to school preparations. Clothing needs to be tried on, school supplies need to be purchased, and I need to figure out if J-Man will really ride the school bus for an hour in the morning. I'm torn on that one.

Back soon with some venting I need to do.

Humiliation, Thy Name is Duke

My boy had surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his knee. Here he is wearing the Cone of Shame. (Anyone know the movie reference?)


Here you can see his baldness better. He is considering joining the Fur Club for Dogs.

It's been a rough week for the Duke and his Mommy. His girls will be home tomorrow to shower him with love and sympathy, which should make life better for all of us.

And They're Off!

Both K's boarded the camp van this morning and headed off to the northern regions of the state for a week of summer camp. I'm used to Big K doing this kind of thing, but I'm feeling kind of sad that Little K is old enough now. It will certainly be quiet around here for the next few days.

J-Man is signed up for a week of Vacation Bible School, so that leaves me to my own devices for a couple of hours every day. What shall I do, what shall I do? How about grocery shopping and errands! Oh yes, the freedom almost makes me giddy.

Home Sweet Home

We've just returned from our annual Cabin Trip. This year we opted to rent a cabin on the lake instead of hauling our camper to the far ends of civilization. While the rented cabin was an improvement over the camper, the plan still needs a little fine tuning before next year rolls around. I could share several pictures of our deluxe accommodations, but I think these two will adequately tell the story.

The upstairs had a separate entry from the downstairs, and was obviously added on much later with little oversight from anyone with architectural experience. Or common sense. Here is the "bathroom".


Yes, that is a toilet tucked into a nook in the wall and partially shielded by a folding screen. I don't see anything weird about that, do you? The "kitchen" is just a few feet away on the other side of the room. Let's not dwell on that point, but rather move on to the view from below.


Now we're in the original part of the cabin, decorated in a charming country motif circa 1987. You can see there the refrigerator. That pipe coming out of the ceiling looks odd, you say? Hmmm...what could it be? F-f-f-lush! Oh, dear.

It's good to be home. Where all the bathrooms have doors and the plumbing is where it should be.

A Message to my MIL...

...uninteresting to all others.

Hi!

Don't know how much of this got passed on to you...so...

We are planning to stay longer than usual. How long depends on the weather. But we don't expect you to provide food for our pack of vultures for the duration of our stay. We'll take stock of our facilities and probably make a grocery run on Tuesday. I could handle the dinners from that point forward, if you would like me to.

If you're agreeable to a girls' outing, I'd like to hit the glass place. We could also visit the used book store?

Fat City Books Coupon Code

This online used bookstore is about as close to perfect as they come. In the course of three years and hundreds of books ordered, I've only received a couple that were in slightly rough condition. Plus, most of the books on their site (or at least the ones I'm interested in) run $1.99. To make it even better, they offer free shipping for orders over $25.00. To make it even better than that, when you place an order they send you a coupon for 20% off any additional orders until the end of the next calendar month. And they encourage you to share the code. So here you go...just punch this code in during checkout: 6ACJ11 It doesn't expire until July 31st, so you have plenty of time to shop. And it's good for as many orders as you care to place until then. Happy shopping!

Fat City Books

And Then There Were Two

A couple of months ago, The Husband paid a visit to the same doctor I started seeing last fall to discuss his hypothyroidism. (Is that a word?) So after a bunch of blood work, it turns out that he has Hashimoto's Disease, which is essentially an autoimmune disorder wherein the body attacks its own thyroid gland. Apparently it's a fairly common affliction. As part of the treatment, he has to avoid gluten. The labwork also showed that he's allergic to dairy.

So here's the important part (because this is my blog and not his): What does this mean for me? It means that my life just got easier. Here's why:

Instead of cooking one dinner for him and another for me, I'm free to experiment with new gluten and dairy free recipes for the entire family to eat. I have to say, things are going fairly well. It's been nearly two weeks since I've served a dinner containing gluten or dairy and everyone (including the kids) is doing just fine.

I can start eliminating those tempting gluten and dairy containing snack items from the house. No more cookies, cupcakes, crackers, muffins, etc.

I have extra motivation to do something about a workable gluten free flour mix. I can't eat commercially produced gluten free baked goods because of my tapioca allergy, so I really have to come up with a flour mix. I've just been dragging my feet because it didn't affect anyone but me.

No one looks at me funny anymore when I bring home strange sounding grocery items, like lentil curls. In fact, sometimes I get thanked.

I have someone to commiserate with at church potlucks. Have you ever gone to a potluck and tried to find an item that didn't have gluten and dairy in it. Or just one or the other? Good stinkin' luck.

See, things have really improved here. The Husband might not agree. But I'm feeling much more comfortable with my dietary restrictions these days.

Oink, Oink

Yes, that's right. We have the swine flu at our house. How did we get it this late in the season, you ask? Beats the snot out of me. (Ha! A joke!) The doctor also seemed perplexed. I'd blame it on the public schools, but J-Man doesn't have it. At least, he doesn't act sick. But then, he didn't act sick two weeks ago when he had a raging strep infection. Either way, he got on the bus this morning.

In the meantime, since I don't have it either, I've been able to catch up on some housework. I'm starting to feel less like I live in a sty. (Look at that...another joke! My brain must be firing this morning!)

Birthday Tribute

Our sweet Little K had a birthday a couple of days ago. In honor of the event, I dug out this series of photos from 2006-7. In every picture except the last one, the head of the bed is to the left. In all of them she is sound asleep, which defies logic. But then, so does she.

Tuesdays

One of the reasons I've been so quiet lately is that I've been really, really busy. One of the busy things has been a short term project cooking dinners on Tuesdays (and one Saturday luncheon) for a class at our church. Between 20 and 25 people attended every week. Yesterday was the last one. It was a fun challenge, but it will be good to have a break, too. I had a budget of $100 per meal, for a total of $1,100. I think I came in at around $950. Here's how the menu played out. Everything was homemade unless otherwise noted.

Week 1
Lasagna, Tossed Salad, Bread (purchased), Lemon Bars

Week 2
Beef Stroganoff with Egg Noodles, Vegetable Tray, Fruit Tray, Brownies

Week 3
Honey Mustard Chicken, Green Beans with Mushrooms and Almonds, Rice Pilaf (from a mix), Fruit Tray, Mocha Pudding Cups

Week 4
Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Cole Slaw, Baked Beans, Potato Chips, Watermelon Wedges, Rice Krispie Treats

Week 5
Black Bean Soup, Corn Bread, Tossed Salad, Fruit Tray, Assorted Cookies & Pastries (from Panera)

Week 6
Build your own Baked Potato Bar, Tossed Salad, Melon Salad, Chocolate Ice Cream in Baked Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Cups

Week 7
Spaghetti and Meatballs, Garlic Bread (frozen), Tossed Salad, Fruit Tray, Cookies (from Panera)

Week 8
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup; Bread (from Panera); Mixed Lettuce Salad with Cranberries, Almonds, Gorgonzola and Raspberry Vinaigrette; Fruit Tray; Strawberry Trifle

Week 9
Ham, Cranberry Relish, Macaroni and Cheese, Spinach Salad, Fruit Tray, Assorted Cheesecake (from Trader Joe)

Week 10
Build your own Taco Bar, Corn/Tomato/Avocado/Black Bean Salad, Spanish Rice (from a mix), Fruit Tray, Devil Dogs

Saturday Luncheon
Turkey Wraps, Pasta Salad, Assorted Chips, Pickle/Olive Tray, Fruit Tray, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ode to Coffee

I'm going to die. I'm sure of it. OK, I might be exaggerating. But not by much.

I had to give up coffee a week ago in yet another health related incident at the doctor's office. I always come out of those appointments feeling like I've been sucker punched. Did I mention that I think I'm going to die?

Oh coffee, what do I love about you? I love feeling alert. I love the lack of headaches. I love that The Husband has my cup all ready when I wake up in the morning. I love my afternoon coffee break when I actually (get this) sit down for 10 minutes. For some reason I just don't do that with a cup of tea. I could go on all day...

I've been drinking coffee since college (we won't talk about how many years ago that was) so this has been quite a shock to the system. I have to say that my severely restricted diet even takes a backseat to the lack of coffee in my life. I'd be willing to give up a couple more items if only I could have coffee back. Sigh.

I accept the nomination...

...for worst mother of the year.

So at least a month ago The Husband took all three kids sledding on a Saturday afternoon. When they got back, Big K was complaining loudly about whacking her hand and the pain. Oh, the pain. I told her it was probably just a bruise and that it would heal up in a week or so. (I may have rolled my eyes. Not sure about this, but it seems likely.) So she complained on and off about the pain. Oh, the pain. Eventually she wore me down, and I took her to the doctor, who sent us for an x-ray, and then sent us to the orthopedic hand guy, who put a cast on her this morning. Something about a chipped bone and some torn tendons. Oops.

Now, let me just state for the record that the kid is kind of a...hmmm...how shall I say this? Drama Queen. With a capital D and a capital Q. And my general policy of telling the kids to "take an aspirin and call me in the morning" has avoided many unnecessary trips to the doctor over the years. But in this case, it appears I was in error. Motherhood should really come with a manual. And an x-ray machine.


I think the thumbs up means that she's forgiven me. Ahh, it's a butterfly kisses moment.

Low

That's how I described myself lately to someone who was kind enough to ask how I was feeling. I'm working through it, but there is still a long road ahead. And sometimes I get weary. I find when I feel this way, that I don't much feel like talking. And that includes blogging. Hence the long silence.

We've had setbacks in the last couple of months, both with my health and J-Man's behavior. There are, once again, appointments coming out of my ears with more on the horizon. Perhaps more on that later when I feel more "share-y".

So lest you think that I've fallen off the face of the earth, I am indeed still here. I've just crawled back under my imaginary rock. I'm sure I'll emerge eventually and return to being my usual sarcastic self.

Timez Attack

My mom gave Little K this math game for Christmas. We've been struggling with memorizing her multiplication tables for months, but she is loving this game. Sure beats flash cards. Yes, I'm posting about it because I get a discount if I give the company some free advertising. But I wouldn't do it if it wasn't actually a worthwhile product. You can go to the website and download the basic version for free so your kids can try it out.
Big Brainz Timez Attack

Sometimes Life IS Fair

You know how I was wondering who made the decision not to plow the roads on Monday? Or Tuesday? Or even Wednesday? Well, I got my answer. Quoting from WDIV.com:

"Mike Rogers, director of Wayne County’s Roads Division, was fired Thursday. Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano said Rogers was fired due to his response to this past weekend's snowfall."

I'm enjoying this moment of justice in the world. Too bad the guy doesn't have to pay all the tow truck fees and repair bills incurred due to his incompetence.

A Tale of Two Counties

As you may or may not know, the heavens opened up again last night and dumped a boatload of snow on us. It was (fortunately) a scheduled day off school for J-Man anyway, so there was no Caught-Off-Guard-Without-A-Clue-As-To-How-I'm-Going-To-Get-Through-This-Day kind of moment. Whew. However, since it was a scheduled day off, I had it filled up with appointments for the little dude. Because I wouldn't want him to miss out on the opportunity to go to school because of an appointment. (It's not a lie if your audience knows that you're not telling the truth, right?)

So I pulled the 4x4 out of temporary storage and headed out into the arctic tundra this morning. Here's what got my attention as I was driving northward.

I took this picture at 9:15, north of 8 Mile, after I crossed over into Oakland County.


I took this picture on my way home, south of 8 Mile, in Wayne County (home to the City of Detroit) at about 11:00. Nearly 2 hours later. Do you see what I see?


What you can't see are all the cars I saw stuck in the snow, the accidents, and the nearly impassable right lane. I know I got a tax bill. I know I paid it. Where exactly did all that money go? Better yet, who made the decision not to use it for plows and salt? Inexcusable.

I should have noted, for the purposes of clarity:
1. This is the same 5-lane road, just different sides of a county line.
2. It had stopped snowing at about 4:00 am.

Annual Robin Sighting

Little K spotted the first robin of the year this morning. Almost 3 weeks earlier than last year. I hope that means spring will be 3 weeks earlier, too! Maybe Punxsutawney Phil was right.

This is what happens...

...when a big, tough doggie lives with an 8-year-old girl.


Poor boy. It's a good thing he's colorblind in the red spectrum.

Success!

I have successfully made chocolate chip cookies!! Oh happy day!!! I feel the need to use a lot of exclamation marks!!!!


I used the recipe for chocolate chunk cookies in Silvana Nardone's book Cooking for Isaiah (a beautiful book that I highly recommend) but I substituted coconut oil for the shortening. They need a little more work to get the texture right, but the girls didn't want to stop eating them. So I count that as a success.

By the way, regular chocolate chips are not always dairy free. (And did you know that MILK chocolate has dairy in it? Who knew?!?) But fortunately I found this really tasty product: Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

I love that this company's products are free of the 8 common allergens, 4 of which we're trying to avoid in our household. So far I've only tried their candy bars and chocolate chips, but I believe I'll be introducing myself to the rest of their product line soon.

Who Says I'm Not an Optimist

I made my first foray into experimental gluten- and dairy-free baking last night. Sure, I've followed some recipes and made some passable stuff. But this was my first venture into uncharted territory. Let's just say it involved a hankerin' for some chocolate chip cookies. And the realization that lard is a gluten- and dairy-free item. I know, I know, I can hear you groaning. But it was just one of those ideas you get in your head and it won't go away until you try it. And I did discover a couple of things. Like this: There isn't enough vanilla and cocoa powder in the world to cover up the taste of lard. See, did any of us really know that for a fact before? And this: There's a really good reason that I've never seen a recipe like the one I made up last night in a cookbook.

Ah well, back to the drawing board. I will not be denied a chocolate chip cookie for long!

This is what happens...

...when the University of Michigan grad in the family takes a young boy to have casts put on his legs. If the University of Minnesota grad had been present, I'm sure this never would have happened. Maybe a lesson has been learned here? Yeah, I didn't think so, either.


He looks really bothered by the whole thing, doesn't he?


This is J-Man's third and final set of casts. In about 2 weeks, we'll downgrade to braces. You know what I'm really looking forward to? Throwing the kid in the bathtub.

Meehan Hope Fund

Over to the right of my screen you'll see a link to donate to the Meehan Hope Fund. If you've never read the Because I Said So blog written by Dawn Damalas Meehan, you're missing out on some good giggles. She's going through a really rough patch in her life right now. But you know what, she isn't a huge whiner...like I am. :) Over the last year, when I sometimes haven't had much to laugh at, her blog has been a light moment in my day. And I felt that I could do something easy to help her out, like take 2 seconds to post a donation link on my blog. If you're interested in finding out more about her, just click on over to her blog at Because I Said So from the Blogs I Read list over to the right of the screen.

For more ideas about how to help, including prayer requests and an address to send cards, see this post:
I'm Hijacking This Blog

Diet

So it turns out that I am indeed allergic to gluten and casein. Farewell cheese, I hardly knew ya. Not the whole picture, though. I'm also suspicious of eggs. I'll see the doctor next Monday to try to hash that out. On the upside, every piece of the puzzle that falls into place is one step closer to me being "cured".

Here's my current list of dietary no-no's:
gluten (wheat, barley, rye)
casein (dairy products)
soy
peanuts
vegetable oil

Have you ever tried to go to the store and buy products without any of those ingredients? It seems that I'll be spending a lot more time in my kitchen.

Happy Birthday to Me!

When Big K asked me why the mall was closing early last night, I told her that everyone needed to head home early and bake me gluten-free birthday cakes. I haven't seen any of those show up yet. Hmmm....