Disney Trip Report: Part 1 (of far too many)

Well, we did it. After five years of planning, pleading with the husband, scheduling and un-scheduling our trip, more pleading with the husband(he isn't wasn't a fan of Disney), obsessing over reservations and restaurants, a giant move just before said trip, and lots of other chaos in between, we FINALLY made it to Disney World! Yes, folks, the trip that has taken over our lives for so many years absolutely happened! So, for the next few posts, BE WARNED, you are going to be completely immersed in the "The Disney Zone." There will be lots of photos, stories, and reflections about our time there. I still can't believe we took on Disney for ten days and survived!

I decided to break our trip up into categories because, well, I like making lists and categorizing everything. It makes me feel like I might actually be a little bit organized somewhere in my life! Besides that, Disney is huge and the activities are endless so it makes it a little easier to keep track of where we are on this magic carpet ride(Yes, you are also going to have to put up with my awful quotes and Disney flecked comments!) Okay, still with me? Here we go...


First Stop: The Land of Characters

Seriously, I expected that we would grab a few photos with some of our favorite characters. We made sure that Stitch(my son) was well stocked on Sharpies of every color and an overpriced autograph book purchased at one of the shops in Downtown Disney (TIP: Make sure you have fat sharpies for the costumed characters. They are much easier for them to handle.) What I didn't expect was that we would be running into a character every two steps. EVERY. TWO. STEPS! You couldn't round a corner or walk out of a shop without finding a character spot. Stitch was in autograph heaven and we ended up with some wonderful photos and memories.

 

The best part, for us, was that even though we had to spend a bit of time waiting in lines (Elsa and Anna's line was the WORST!) each family was given special attention and each child really felt like they had the characters' undivided attention. Stitch never walked away feeling like his time was wasted.

 

 

 We also made sure to book a couple of character meals so that there was no chance we would miss out on meeting some of our absolute favorites. The meals were fun and it was nice that we were guaranteed the character interactions, but all of us agreed that coming upon the characters naturally was more fun because it added just that little touch of surprise and magic. Of course, being in an air conditioned building, eating good food and guzzling beverages while the characters did all the work was definitely not something to complain about!

One of my absolute favorite pictures from the entire trip. That smile never left his face!



So, who would we say was our favorite
character of all? Well, for my son, the answer was simple... Stitch meeting Stitch was definitely the highlight of this trip!

 

 

 

 

Anna and Elsa were definitely a close second, though. I've never seen him speechless before!

So, what have we learned today, Class? Have plenty of space on your memory cards, have plenty of batteries( learned that the hard way) have your autograph book and markers in hand, and prepare to spend a LOT of time in lines. Be prepared for surprises and make sure you get in on the action as well. No one is too old for Disney!
                                       

School Days

It's that time of the year again. For most children, it's the worst time of the year! Their play time gets cut in half, bed times are mandatory, and that dreaded word, SCHOOL, is once again part of their daily vocabulary. Meanwhile, parents everywhere are counting down the days and celebrating that sweet moment when their child is whisked away for the next six hours, five days a week, and silence really is golden...and then, there is our house...

 

 

Being homeschoolers, we wake up when we want, study when we want( and more importantly, WHAT we want) and we enjoy the beginning of the "school year" as much as those who send their kids off to a brick and mortar school. A typical day for us might look like this:

 Roll out of bed around 8AM, grab some breakfast, watch a show on Discovery or Nat Geo. Stitch may also decide he wants to check out the websites for those channels OR he may beg to watch a couple Minecraft videos. Then, we might do some math lessons or work on cursive writing, mainly because I like to torture him early in the day. Then, it is off to the beach or a new park. A lot of times we just pick a direction and see where we end up! Come evening, we might decide it's the perfect time to start reading or catch up on those Greek Gods and all their crazy adventures. The next day, it's anyone's guess what might happen or where the day will lead.                                 
                                                          
                                                    

 

                                             

Holding the skin of a Whip Snake

Playing with a live clam on the beach

Overall, we have been pretty fortunate that our friends and family have supported our decision to stay home. We still get the occasional questions about grades, what his future holds, and the ever popular socialization question, though, from strangers or those who are just curious in general. None of these questions really bother us too much and, after five minutes with Stitch, no one gives the issue of socialization a second thought! Obviously, homeschooling isn't for everyone and we are still learning as we go, but what parent isn't?! For us, this works and we enjoy being together. If he ever decides he wants to go back to public school, we will be distraught supportive and do our best to help him transition. Until then, we will enjoy every second of our time together.                                   

Welcome

I admit it. I LOVE being a homemaker. I enjoy waking up early, grabbing my coffee, playing candy crush making a list of my to-dos for the day, and planning out my schedule, which also includes homeschooling and random side jobs for friends and neighbors. I get as excited over kitchen gadgets and new cleaning supplies as if it were Christmas morning! I look forward to lessons with my son and field trips to the grocery store(Science 101 in the Produce Aisle!) Most importantly, I am proud of my accomplishments at the end of the day. I am a very visual person and to see the before and after views of my work makes me feel like I have defeated the Evil Emperor Zurg!!!


I know what you are all thinking. "This chick is living the life. If only we could all be so glamorous, bedazzled in our leftover glitter and splattered chicken juice(another story for another day, er, post)" Honestly, though, it's not all glitz and dishpan hands. There are days that everything seems to go wrong, the child has lost his mind, Pinterest has failed me, and pretty much any day that I am not either at the beach or at Disney. These are the days you will find me crying into my oversized cup 'o caffeine. The good news is that I like to share my pain so all of you lucky folks will get to experience it, too. Ok, I promise I will share the happy days, too, but I promise they aren't nearly as interesting. Things you might hear me obsess about include, but are not limited to:


My crazy child

 

Life on the beach                     

Food

 

...And any other crazy thing that happens to me!