Disney Day 2: Animal Kingdom

Every morning we were up and out by 8:30 am. My wonderful brother, our Grand Pooba of ceremonies, did plenty of research and had our week mapped out to a T. Here is B's and my car load of celebrants on our first day of Disney park excitement. Off to the Animal Kingdom.

We went directly to Expedition Everest and hopped right on. These four yahoos and the one behind the camera, yours truly, rode first. It was awesome! Broken tracks, flying backward in the pitch black and a giant yeti with glowing red eyes, what more could we ask for?

In our exhilaration, we insisted that Jack ride Everest next. He really didn't want to but here he is after. He needed a little help standing up as his knees wouldn't stop shaking.

I have a terribly embarrassing confession to make. Total lapse in parental judgement. We put Sam, our 5 year old, on Expedition Everest. It was his first Disney ride. I won't go into detail except to say that it took a good 2+ days before he was able to get on a ride, even the likes of Small World, without screaming and cowering in my lap. Horrible! Please don't call family services on me...though I considered calling them on myself.

We encountered our first character, Mr. Baloo. The girls are still commenting on how soft and squishy he was. We got a great family photo, all 12 of us, but not on my camera. You may have to pop over to my lovely sister in law's site to catch that one. 

Yes, I put all of my 4 kiddos on Kali River Rapids. Sam screamed the whole time but he and I stayed relatively dry, thank goodness. Grace and Daddy, on the other hand, were not so lucky. A tidal wave of water completely soaked my baby but after a second of horror, she thought it was pretty cool. Grace ended up getting the all time trooper award this trip. She is tough as nails!

The entertainment at Disney was mind blowing. The fact that we could walk into the Lion King show and see incredible talent on a whim was amazing. The only snafu here was that poor Sammy has extremely sensitive ears. The show was painfully loud for him. I had to hold him and plug his ears just so he could sit through the show. We got smart a couple days later and invested in ear plugs. Life changing for my poor guy, but that's a story for another day. 

We headed home for naps around 2 pm. The kids were totally exhausted. After a good nap followed by a swim, here is where we ended up, snuggled up under a cozy blanket. Not too bad for day 1!

Disney Day 1

**I am going to warn you in advance that I plan to drag this vacation documentation out...perhaps painfully. I want to remember the details and be able to see all of the photos in the future.

Day one was a last minute packing and travel day. We rode in a car, a train, a plane, a train and a minivan all in one day. It was blissful!

Kids on the train in Orlando.

We rented a home that was about 2 miles from all of the Disney parks. It was perfection and I would absolutely rent a home again. We cooked our breakfasts and dinners, packed lunches and snacks, slept comfortably and play, play played!

The house had a private pool and game room. We weren't home all that much but when we were, everyone was entertained. These pool pictures were taken the night we arrived. Needless to say it wasn't long after walking in the door that the kiddos were clamoring for their bathing suits.

And the males in the house HAD to have a couple video game tourneys. I must admit that I partook of a little Golden Tee. Gotta do it.


Stay tuned (I know you are on the edge of your seat) tomorrow we head to Animal Kingdom.

Time to Pay the Piper

*Please excuse this Disney trip interruption...I just have something to say.*

Did I really think it was possible to become a mother at 18 and never suffer any personal, emotional consequences? I think I did. I guess I was wrong.

Some issues, tears, introspection, fears have bubbled up lately. Not sure why this has taken 13 years to show its ugly face but it is what it is. I am in mourning. I am feeling the loss of my young adulthood. I missed out on the time in life that it is not only acceptable to make mistakes, it's sort of expected. I am feeling the continual pressure of perfection. The pressure is self inflicted but present none the less.

I was a melancholy teenager who suffered with some depression, social anxiety and other negative emotional issues. Probably pretty run of the mill teen stuff. I skipped the step of total self involvement when I got pregnant. I didn't ever indulge my selfish desires or experience what it feels like to worry about myself above all others. It was a strange relief to focus on something/someone other than myself at the time. I felt a higher calling. I pushed myself to excel and achieve, more for my child than myself, but it felt good. I remember being grateful for the direction and sense of responsibility.

Its not that I'm questioning any of those feelings. I have never felt more powerful as I did in my early 20s. While everyone else was out making their mistakes and having a darn good time doing it, I was busting my butt at school, working and raising a child.

Here I am today, wife and mother of 4 wondering what it would feel like to be free. Not free of my family. I could not live one day without them. They are my heart and my life. Just free. Free to make mistakes, free to learn about who I am, free to find out what makes me tick. Free to run free. Free to fly.

Fact of the matter is....I would fly right back home. This is what I always wanted and where I belong. But I think I would appreciate it a whole lot more and that is what I really want. I want to be here with a free and open heart. That would be perfection. Now to figure out how to make that happen....

We're Baa-aaack

And I am overjoyed to report that our week at Disney was more than I could have imagined. Magic is the only word to describe it. For me, it held as much magic as it did 20 years ago...maybe a little more because I got to see through the eyes of my children. There is so much to share but first I have to unpack our suitcases and get a little sleep. I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Man, She's Singin' My Song

Excerpt from an interview with Uma Thurman in today's Chicago Tribune:

She says for the past six years she has refused to work on movies shot away from New York City, where she lives, though she's looking to become more flexible.

"To totally put it as far to the side as I have ... has started to have a slightly corrosive effect on me, and, like this character, I need to make sure I do have the balance. 

"I'm allowed to work. I'm allowed to. I can forgive myself for working, because it's important for who I am."

She's also working on appreciating what she's accomplished.

"I remember watching 'Pulp Fiction' again with Quentin before we did 'Kill Bill,' and I thought, 'God, I was good in that,' " she recalls. "I never had a moment of self-esteem from that Oscar nomination. Some mean person wrote, 'Oh, more the part than the player,' ... and that's all I took from it."

So one snarky comment ruined her entire Oscar nominee experience?

"One snarky comment, and that was it," she says. "I was actually embarrassed at the Academy Awards. I just felt like 'more the part than the player,' I'm just here because they liked the movie, I'm not really any good. My negative mantra is so strong. Seeing it again and going, 'Wow, I was good' -- it's too bad that I couldn't take any pride in that."

She laughs.

So she feels valid now?

"I do. I started to feel more valid. Yeah," she says. "I mean, I don't really dwell on it. I think I'm just self-punishing. I don't need to go out of the way to knock my own teeth out. They've been knocked out enough. "There's something nice about a long, hard walk. You feel like you've really earned it. You know what I mean? Not that you did anything so perfect, but you made it."

Goodness... stepping out of the "game" feels corrosive, trying to find the balance, deciding that nurturing ones own spirit and aspirations is ok and self-punishment. The part about the snarky comment certainly struck a nerve. Is it just me or is this the song of mothers everywhere? I have been thinking on this subject a lot lately and this article summed it up better than I could.  Even an accomplished actress feels the same way I do. We can be more than we ever imagined if we can just move beyond our own insecurities. It is a process and a journey but it feels good to know that I am not alone.

Halloween Came Early

And we are so happy it did! We will be on an airplane to Disney on Halloween this year, not that we're complaining, but we are glad we got the chance to dress up and trick-or-treat with our friends.

Miss Minnie. Appropriate I thought.

And please meet Cinderella, otherwise known around the house as Cindy (or Lewis, but that's a story for another day). Miss Cindy couldn't be bothered with a photo so I had to catch her on the fly.

And here we have the very handsome and powerful Clone Trooper. May look slightly familiar as this is a repeat of last year. Easy and cheap, I'll take it! Mr. Trooper is seen posing with his very good buddy Darth (aka Maddox).

There were over 40 kids.



The party was at a forest preserve park. The trick or treating took place down a path through the woods. It was gorgeous and really fun! Check that box and now back to planning for the big trip. Happy early Halloween!

My Little Martial Artist

One of the perks of putting the girlies in morning class is that I get to spend some quality time with my little guy. I love that he and I get to hang together without interruption and I think he does too.

One of the things we just started doing is Tae Kwon Do. Well, he participates and I get to be the goofy mom watching on the sidelines, beaming at every accomplishment.

This sport is right up his alley being that it is very disciplined and goal oriented and let's be honest, if it involves kicking, punching and general pugilism, he's in!

In other news, we are taking a little family vaca. We leave halloween day and get to stay for a whole week. My brother and sister in law and their 2 kids and my mom are joining us. Here is a picture of our countdown calendars. 

Can you guess where we're going??