When Can We Go Back??

I've been trying to find some time to post about our family vacation last week ... and this is the first moment I've had.  I want to make sure I have ample time and energy to devote to the topic, seeing as how it was our first "real" vacation as a family.  I mean by "real vacation" that we had two adults and two kids who do not require naps (yay!!) and a nana.  And we were at the beach.  And we had this absolutely fabulous day at Disney planned.  Tim and I were excited beyond belief about sharing this experience with the kids, and we couldn't wait to get to Florida.  So we woke the kids last Satuday morning, ate some breakfast, and loaded up.  Poor Nana was squeezed in the back between two boosters (which beats two car seats), we were loaded up with movies (but no batteries for the headsets, which made for a cranky Daddy), but we were headed for fun.

And we were going to enjoy it, dammit.

The kids were AMAZING on the drive down.  No joke, they never complained about needing to pee (which I was worried about, seeing as this was our first trip without diapers) or being hungry.  OK, wait, there were complaints around 10 about being hungry ... but I think that was me ...

I think Kendall made Tanner (and Nana) watch Enchanted two or three times, but then they colored and played with their electronic gadgets.  Before we knew it, we were there.  And the week went off without a hitch!  Tim and I were able to sleep in (Thank you, Nana!!) every morning.  The kids didn't fight.  I got to eat and drink whatever I wanted.  We played in the pool every day.  It was perfect.



Wednesday was our day to visit the Mouse.  Of course, Tuesday night I was worried everyone (translation: kids) wouldn't sleep due to excitement.  But the kids had to be woken on Wednesday morning in order to head out.  The drive from Cocoa Beach to Orlando is about 1 hour and 10 minutes or so, but we made it in good time.  I was giddy in the car, counting signs on the way there.  Once we were in the parking lot, I think Tanner was just excited about riding the golf-cart tram to the monorail!!  Once off the monorail, we were full-speed ahead, trying to squeeze in as much as we could in our one day at the Magic Kingdom.  I had fun, and everyone else had fun, but I must say, it was NOT what I thought it would be.

Before going, I pictured characters walking through the streets, eager to meet my adoring children.  I pictured Kendall in an embrace with at least one princess ... not picky about which one.  I pictured Tim and myself, watching with big smiles as Tanner talked to Woody and Buzz, telling them how much he loves their movies.  Now, after the fact, I have to admit Disney was nothing like what I expected.

Don't get me wrong: we had fun.  And I'm pretty sure Tim and the kids loved every second (Well, except for the seconds sitting and waiting for the parade, in which old people kept trying to creep in on our space.).  But I was left feeling a little... disappointed.  I never got that embrace I pictured between Kendall and a princess.  Or even a fairy.  If you have a daughter, only you can understand the angst I felt when I left the park.  We didn't see one princess.  How is that possible??  OK, we saw Snow White when we first got there, but she was skipping away.  Then we caught Jasmine and Ariel just as they were closing up shop.  (Side note:  I wasn't aware that there were scheduled times for visiting with the characters.  Moms, you should have shared this with me!!)  And what a crappy job -- to be the one who has to turn the little girls (and their wishful moms) away.  Anyway, the kids were able to meet (and touch) Buzz Lightyear, which left Tanner with feelings of ecstasy, but I was still let down when we never found a princess to hug.

But ... the kids were happy.  They got to ride every ride (except Space Mountain, though they could've ridden it), and Splash Mountain was the favorite.  We ran into our neighbors, which was funny.  The kids got to eat french fries, like, 4 times that day.  They got to stay up late and watch fireworks and a parade.  And they got new toys -- Kendall wanted a parasol ("Its not an umbrella, Mommy.  It's a parasol to block the sun.") and Princess Minnie ears, and Tanner picked a pack of cars that looks like the rides we rode and some spinning cars with Woody, Buz, and Zerg on them ("I don't want any stupid ears, Mommy!  I want something with wheels!").  I'm glad we did it ... but I also do not understand how in the world people do this two or three times a year!

Hmmm ... what else ... Oh!!  Tanner learned how to swim!!  Seriously!!  So I now am the proud momma (and Tim, the proud Daddy) of two swimmers!

Both kids rode the slide at the condo (which is WEAK after riding Splash Mountain).

I have recovered from the nasty stomach issue I was dealing with ... unfortunately, I recovered so well that I gained 5 lbs. on vaca.

I still think my mom is the best ever.  She went out of her way to make sure Tim and I had time to ourselves and to rest while in Florida.  We are blessed.

Tim got to rest; and for the first time, it didn't take him 3 days to get used to doing nothing!  I think he was just so over-worked before we left that he couldn't wait to relax.

And now we're back to the grind.

But vacation was fun.  And we got to see some snakes and spiders.

Even if there weren't any princesses ... ;0)

Favorite Photo Friday

In honor or October 1st, I present to you my favorite photo for this Friday!

October 31, 2009

It is amazing to me how much these two little super-urchins have changed in just one year.  Tim and I, not so much.  I love this time of year.  Fall is quickly becoming my favorite season, with the changing of the leaves and the cool mornings.  We can finally get outside and play again after the scorching days of summer.  Blue Moon has started putting it's Harvest Moon flavor back on the shelves.  Starbucks is making Pumpkin Spice Lattes again.  I bought my first bag of Indian Corn today.  The kids have started discussing what they are going to be for Halloween.  College football is back in gear (though the games have been dismal, to this point).  And after I pick Kendall up from school, I am planning on digging out the pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns.  Yes, I love fall.

Routine Maintenance -- for the girls only!

**I am prefacing this post with a disclaimer -- IF YOU ARE A MAN/BOY/FATHER/HUSBAND/BOYFRIEND or otherwise STRAIGHT MALE OF ANY KIND, you probably don't want to continue reading this.**

I did a "check in" at Three-13 this morning for routine maintenance.  OK, actually, nothing about this visit was routine.  Though I must say now, after the fact, it probably should be.  Anyway, I decided a few weeks ago that I was going to have a bikini wax before our beach trip.  The idea of shaving down there always takes me to an unhappy place, and the aftermath is fairly painful.  So I decided I was going to take care of this before out trip so I wouldn't have to worry about aforementioned "aftermath" while we were at the beach or walking around Disney World.  (Yeah, ouch.  If you need more explanation, email me.)

Actually, let's take it back a few months -- I had intentions of getting this done at the beginning of summer.  Think of all the pain I could have saved myself had I had it done then?  But the kids are impatient, our first pool day was upon us, and, well, let's just say I didn't have time to make it to the salon.

So last night I was terribly nervous about this bikini wax thing.  I've never had it done before (Yes, I'm 32 and I've never had a bikini wax.), and several people had told me how painful it can be.  So I was somewhat prepared for the pain.  I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, so I really didn't think it would be that bad.  I mean this tough girl made it to 8 cm with no epidural, right?  So I walk into Three-13 trying to look as if this SAHM belongs there.  The super cute girl, Kat, takes me back to the "Quiet Room," and tells me to disrobe from the waist down and put those on.

What are those, you ask?

Well you may not ask since most of you have probably endured this before.

Those are disposable panties.  Awesome.  While a tad bit uncomfortable, I must say they are more attractive than the disposable ones I had to wear after giving birth in the hospital.

So then Kat comes back in and just starts talking to me like we're old friends.  (It's a distraction technique, I'm sure.)  As she's asking me how long I've been married and how many kids I have, she proceeded to take me to that terrible place from which I thought I'd never return!!

Holy crap!!

Seriously??  People do this on a regular basis?  And don't tell me that you get used to it ... there's no way.

OK, I'll be honest.  With my high tolerance for pain, only about 10 percent of it really hurt.  And I mean HURT.  Like, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being labor pains, those few seconds were like 8.5.  (Which, on a side note, has made me reconsider the pain I've been in with my stomach for the last few weeks!)  Of course, as Kat ripped the life out of me, I tried to act like it was nothing and I had done this so many times before.  She then asked if I wanted a full Brazilian (Again, if you need an explanation, email me.), at which point I squeaked, "Please don't take anymore."

Stop laughing at me.  It's not nice.

Now that it's done, I'm glad I did it.  And I'm sure I will be much happier with the outcome of this versus the outcome of shaving while I'm at the beach amidst the sand and sunscreen or while I'm sweating and walking around Disney.  Those two are just razor burn waiting to happen.

So there you have it.  For those of you who commented on my "check in" with "Lucky girl," and "You deserve it," I hope you retract your statements now!  LOL  It certainly wasn't fun.

Of course, now I do feel a bit liberated ... maybe this will be a routine thing ... ;0)

The 10 Commandments of Facebook

While sitting in carpool last week, I couldn't help but laugh when they were talking about this on the Bert Show. Tanner kept asking, "Mommy, what's so funny?" But I couldn't tell him that I was laughing because I'm sooo guilty of a few of these.

So here is the list. The 10 Commandments of Facebook. If you "facebook," (yes, it's a verb), make sure you follow the rules.  Do as I say, not as I do. ;0)


1. Thou shall not post or tag friends in incriminating or embarrassing photos.
A few people I know are guilty of this.  (OK, so I got a phone call from a highly irritated sorority sister a while back, letting me have it for putting her drunk glory days on Facebook ...)  Apparently, some people who Facebook have people as "friends" who are not really friends -- they are more co-workers, bosses, or students.  And said people would prefer not to have their panties showing to those "friends" in those drunk pictures.  Or whatever.  If you have a question about the tag, don't do it.

2. Thou shall not post photo or video updates of thy children’s potty training.
I find this hard to believe, but everyone doesn't want to know about my child's bowel movements. Whatever. But you have to admit, the diaper cream and baby powder pictures were pretty good.

3. Thou shall not use Facebook to converse with thine own significant other.
This one drives me NUTS.  I simply cannot stand it when people talk to their bf's and gf's (and especially their spouses) via Wall or Status Update.  Seriously, we know your life is awesome.  You don't need to prove it.  There is a way to set your account so that alllllllll of your friends cannot see what you write on others' walls.  Fix it so we can't see your business, please.

4. Thou shall not endlessly self-promote.
Never did this one.  I swear.  Ok, maybe a few months back when we were drinking MonaVie ... maybe then ... but here's a clue.  If you are doing this, you are making people want to hide your posts.  Or de-friend you. Like I said, I am guilty of this as well.

5. Thou shall not propose, ask someone out, or dump anyone via wall messages or status updates.
I have not done this, nor can I imagine doing this.  If you do this, you are a very sad person.  (But I have checked other people's statuses and relationship statuses to see what's up with them!)

6. Thou shall not IM anyone you haven’t spoken to in over a decade.
This one is just weird.  For a while, I accepted every friend request that came my way if they went to HS with me, looked even remotely familiar, or claimed to know my brother.  But then, when some of said "friends" began hitting me up on IM and wanting to know how I was and how my mom is and how my brother is and how my husband is, I got a little freaked out.  If I don't talk to you on the phone or see you at least once a year or on holidays, you probably shouldn't IM me.

7. Thou shall not stalk exes and/or ex’s new loves.
We shouldn't do it, but we do.  Enough said.

8. Thou shall not use Facebook as a diet and workout diary.
I had to snicker at this one.  I am 100% guilty of this one.  And Bert said that it is bragging, but I disagree.  I more so posted things like that to get feedback from others.  I wanted to know how others were doing with the same workout.  Or I wanted to share something that I thought was amazing.  Anyway, I'm not sure I agree with this one.

9. Thou shall not “spoil” TV shows in one’s status update.
Shame on you if you do this.  There is nothing worse than finding out how Grey's ends or who won the Bachelor through status update.  We live in the age of TIVO and DVR's; hardly anyone actually watches a show at it's scheduled time anymore.  So stop spoiling.

10. Thou shall post clear, updated photos of thyself.
Funny one.  But I also want to add to this one -- post some old school stuff too.  Nothing is worse than getting a friend request from someone and having no idea who it is.  When you find out he went to school with you, but you still don't recognize him.  A HS pic would be helpful every once in a while!

**  This list is not an original from my brain.  I stole it from Wendy Atterbery's article on The Frisky.