Solo day and family trip... two, two, two reports in ONE!

[bumbershoot]

Yeah the idea of working out before heading off to a day of endless walking and picking up a 42 pound weight every so often (DS) just hurts!

My brother, a marathon-runner, ALWAYS runs, even before a day of Disneyland, but I've seen him hurting when he does that! About halfway through the day he gets sore and starts regretting the run once he realizes how much walking is involved (since he only goes maybe one day a year he seems to forget). Silly boy.

If I enjoyed swimming I could see doing that at the end of a day, but swimming is hard for me b/c the chlorine messes with my lungs. That said, I have been informed that there WILL be swimming breaks, if the water is OK, on this brief trip!


Our countdown chain (light blue, dark blue, and yellow)is down to 20 links and hubby, while not feeling ill, is tremendously excited about this. Keeps thanking me for getting the trip together so fast.

Meanwhile I'm just trying to get this snapfish photobook together for my MIL! It's so slow!

 

[kaoden39]

My husband races bicycles. He would probably take his bike to ride if I let him take it along. Some people become addicted to the endorphines that they release when they exercise my husband is one of them.

 

[bumbershoot]

I guess I'm just not an addict at heart!



About the photobook, I feel sick now. I had tried to order it, but there was a problem with a picture. I fixed the problem, fixed something else, and went to order with my *free photobook* coupon code from the Oprah show the other day. But the code is GONE from my account! And it was 21 minutes after they closed for the day to call them, and there is NO indication that my emails are getting through!

I'm just sick about this. I spent DAYS getting this book together for MIL and felt so good about it, but I'm not sure I'll feel so good about it if I have to spent 40 bucks on it!

 

[Sherry E]

I guess I'm just not an addict at heart!



About the photobook, I feel sick now. I had tried to order it, but there was a problem with a picture. I fixed the problem, fixed something else, and went to order with my *free photobook* coupon code from the Oprah show the other day. But the code is GONE from my account! And it was 21 minutes after they closed for the day to call them, and there is NO indication that my emails are getting through!

I'm just sick about this. I spent DAYS getting this book together for MIL and felt so good about it, but I'm not sure I'll feel so good about it if I have to spent 40 bucks on it!

Oh dear! I would feel sick too! I saw that Oprah where she talked about the Snapfish book on the de-clutter episode, and I thought it was a great idea FOR FREE! If that FREE offer hadn't been for the limited time it was, I would have sorted through my thousands of photos and whipped some kind of book up for someone - even just for ME! I knew I wouldn't have enough time.

Spending $40 bucks may not seem like a lot to some people, but to me it is a lot. I can understand the feeling of dread over having to pay it when it was supposed to be free! And you have an upcoming DLR trip, so I am sure you have to set aside as much money as possible for that.

I hope you are able to get hold of someone on the phone who can sort it out for you!

 

[jennifur25]

I know it stinks because you already put the time into the book, but here is a free photobook offer from a different place if you don't get it figured out.

Here’s what you need to know/do:

* Got to http://inkubook.com/getaddresses/
before November 30, 2008
* Follow the instructions to sign up, start your book, and invite your friends (they’ll get a promotion code, too!)
* Create your photo book within 30 days of joining.
* Use code PBK266
* All you have to pay is shipping!
* The book is free! ENJOY

 

[bumbershoot]

Wow, thanks! I'll check that out! I've been slapping something together in shutterfly, since they are a known entity and codes have never mysteriously come out of my account there, but I'm halting all work and running over to check out that site.


Sherry, the biggest annoyance about the snapfish thing is that they ended up extending it twice! But you still had to have the code in your account inside only a couple days. Especially now that FIL is gone and MIL is on a very limited income (she was before, too, she just didn't know it and FIL never told her, which is a big reason for the $$ problems she has now) she does NOT want us to give her gifts, b/c she can't reciprocate. It makes her feel bad. So this would have been good...hubby could have told her truthfully that we didn't spend much on it, I would get kudos b/c not only did I make it FOR her, but I gave up a photo book that I might have used myself, AND she gets 4.5 years worth of pictures of her grandson! Serious brag-book for her, LOL.


OK now I'm off to that site.

 

[Sherry E]

Wow, thanks! I'll check that out! I've been slapping something together in shutterfly, since they are a known entity and codes have never mysteriously come out of my account there, but I'm halting all work and running over to check out that site.


Sherry, the biggest annoyance about the snapfish thing is that they ended up extending it twice! But you still had to have the code in your account inside only a couple days. Especially now that FIL is gone and MIL is on a very limited income (she was before, too, she just didn't know it and FIL never told her, which is a big reason for the $$ problems she has now) she does NOT want us to give her gifts, b/c she can't reciprocate. It makes her feel bad. So this would have been good...hubby could have told her truthfully that we didn't spend much on it, I would get kudos b/c not only did I make it FOR her, but I gave up a photo book that I might have used myself, AND she gets 4.5 years worth of pictures of her grandson! Serious brag-book for her, LOL.


OK now I'm off to that site.

I think it would have been a perfect gift for MIL. It is taking photos you already had - so it's not like you are going and buying her something from Tiffany's - and maybe even photos she has already seen in the past (maybe not) and putting them into one nice book that can slip easily into a bookshelf, and isn't as cumbersome as a photo album per se. Plus, it has your comments and things on each page.

I used to be an avid shutterbug - I was always the one known as the budding photographer in our group of friends years ago. (That is, until all of my cameras slowly died and I ran out of money to buy more.) Wherever we went or whatever we did - even if we just went to Denny's - I was taking pictures! (Sometimes people wanted to kill me for this, but I did it anyway! Tee hee. Later, they thanked me for it.) I used to make gifts for people or HAVE them made from my photos - I even had some cool wrist watches made one Christmas. I was always making collage frames and memory books, jigsaw puzzles and mugs and all sorts of things that I am forgetting. One time I even had a rubber stamp made with my friend's likeness on it!!! That was unique! So a book like the one on Snapfish or the other photo storage sites would have been right up my alley, and I know I probably would have had 50 of them made for people!!! Heck, I would like to make some for myself now with some random 'loose' photos that are taking up space in boxes and things.

For some reason, no matter how many times people have seen certain pictures you have, when you put them on something like a watch or a puzzle, or make a nice book out of them like the Snapfish one, the pictures never get old! You can always give great presents from the heart when you have photos to use! And in this day and age when financial times are so tough, that is the sort of thing that more people will probably start doing if they don't have much money to run out and buy all new presents!!!

 

[bumbershoot]

All your cameras died, how sad! I wish you so much luck in getting a job SOON so you can replace the cameras.


Oh this is so frustrating. I felt that the book was very perfect, and now re-doing it in inkubook is making me really doubt the book.

MIL is very critical and picky, and has never asked for pictures (though she does display the ones we have given her back when we were doing official photos). She doesn't see DS very often even though she lives closeby, and is just really distant in all ways that count, while acting close in superficial ways. I also had to decrease the text I would normally use b/c she doesn't read much English, and also carefully choose the pictures b/c I know it'll be shown to her friends who DO read English and are also very very snooty. (you can see why I don't talk to her and have never done anything like this before for her)

****************


Disneyland....E wants to meet Tinkerbell. When does that line start?

 

[davidsprincess]

Hey Molly, great trip report! We were there on the 5th as well. It was soooo quiet. Everything was walk on. The whole 6 days we were there, I saw everyone and their dog with Dream ears and fast passes, but not once did we get dreamed! I m glad that you had such a nice time. The weather was awesome and crowds were great!

 

[bumbershoot]

That's cool that you were there the same day. If only we had met up, though I don't remember knowing that you were going.



Snapfish has restored themselves in my eyes...I did their live chat thing and before I even finished my story, they put the credit back into my account.

So the inkubook book, if I did it right and if my friend who joined did it right, will be Pretty Pictures Taken By Molly.



I still have to check out disneyshopping for "souvenirs" for our trip! I also have to buy NINE "AG13" batteries for the 3 light saber keychains that we've previously purchased on trips.

 

[bumbershoot]

WOW.

We have our flights split between airlines; one going to LA, a different one coming home, b/c the flight times were better that way.

A couple days after making the reservations, both airlines had a sale. Virgin America didn't budge, but Alaska will give you credit for the difference, if the ticket was booked under 3 months before the change in fare.

So I called and asked for the $5 credit for each of us, and they said OK. Yay!

Today I got the emailed discount codes, and had to call them to ask why they were for $25 each????!!!!!! I was told that their brand new way of doing things is that they *round up*. So those codes are right and good and policy, and are mine to keep! Woohoo!!!!!


Offshoot from that...for those of you like me who call when there is an error made in your favor, how do you respond when the Customer Service person says things like "wow, I wouldn't have called"?

I just said "yeah, I'm just like that", since I didn't want to get into a big "I believe in karma, and there are reactions to my actions, and I don't want to steal from someone lest I be stolen from" etc etc. How would YOU respond, if you are the sort to call in such a situation?

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

Disneyland....E wants to meet Tinkerbell. When does that line start?

From what I read the line for PH gets long fast! About an hour or more... I've read the best bet is getting there right after rope drop and the fairies come out about 10 or 20 minutes after rope drop.

 

[bumbershoot]

Thanks for the info!!!

 

[bumbershoot]

Last year, we bought the cookie to decorate in Woody's RoundUp.

It was very cute.

And DS flipped out.

Why?

Kid can't have anything related to corn syrup. I didn't realize there were ingredients on the bottom of the box until it was waaaaay too late. Sigh.



The cookie itself was OK. I assume they'll use the same recipe this year.

But the other stuff was NOT OK.


So I've started to figure out how I can make up some sort of frosting/icing in the room, and we bought some Sunspire natural chocolate m&m type candies to decorate. That way we can get the cookie (assuming the ingredients are OK) and he can decorate to some extent.

This is likely going to involve a grocery delivery order, with confectioner's sugar, a dollop of milk, and maybe some butter. And a bowl and whisk-type thing (I could probably do it with a fork).

I also need to head to the health food store, to see if they have natural food coloring, rather than the Red Dye #666 and all that....those might be an issue with DS too, but since you rarely see those things in the more natural foods he can eat, we don't really know.


Think I'll make a post about the cookies on the main board now!

 

[Brady's Mom]

Molly,
I have looked for the natural food dyes at the health food stores in my area for years. But any research I have done indicates that they are not "stable" and so aren't produced for the masses. It's too bad, too. We love sugar cookies and frosting and such, I am just not willing to have flipped out, depressed kids because of the food color!!!

If you find any natural dyes, could you post it. I haven't looked in the last year or so, just gave up because I couldn't find what I needed. Thanks

 

[bumbershoot]

Drat!

But I'll look anyway.

 

[trodrigue]

WOW.

We have our flights split between airlines; one going to LA, a different one coming home, b/c the flight times were better that way.

A couple days after making the reservations, both airlines had a sale. Virgin America didn't budge, but Alaska will give you credit for the difference, if the ticket was booked under 3 months before the change in fare.

So I called and asked for the $5 credit for each of us, and they said OK. Yay!

Today I got the emailed discount codes, and had to call them to ask why they were for $25 each????!!!!!! I was told that their brand new way of doing things is that they *round up*. So those codes are right and good and policy, and are mine to keep! Woohoo!!!!!


Offshoot from that...for those of you like me who call when there is an error made in your favor, how do you respond when the Customer Service person says things like "wow, I wouldn't have called"?

I just said "yeah, I'm just like that", since I didn't want to get into a big "I believe in karma, and there are reactions to my actions, and I don't want to steal from someone lest I be stolen from" etc etc. How would YOU respond, if you are the sort to call in such a situation?

Oh, at first I thought you meant, she wouldn't have called to save $5.00. I would probably have responded, "a penny saved is a penny earned" or something along those lines. But on second read, I see you meant that she wouldn't have called because the credit was more than you expected. I think I would have responded just as you did, or perhaps flippantly, "Inquiring Minds Want to Know".

Anyhow, really enjoyed your trip report and very happy for you all, getting another jaunt for a weekend in December. I am hoping for a long, off season weekend next holiday season myself.

 

[Sherry E]

...Sort of like if the cashier at the grocery store gives you $20 too much in change, most folks would pocket the extra $20 and run, and the cashier might get in trouble at the end of the night because his/her receipts didn't match with what was in the register or whatever. But the folks who are all about good karma would bring back the $20!!! I will be the first one to grab a ten dollar bill if I see one on the ground, but I will always look around first to make sure its original owner isn't within eyesight before I pocket it! Just the other day, I ordered a delivery from Vons - with whom I have had constant, annoying trouble for years because of their endless mistakes. I noticed that they seemed to charge me too little for what my order should cost. Now, I was tempted to not bring it up because of all the grief they have caused me over the years, but I brought it to their attention and they figured out what the issue was.

When you do things like that, promoting good karma, the universe will sometimes reward you in small ways when you least expect it. One time I needed exactly 4 postage stamps (the Forever kind which you can use even after rates change). My back was really bugging me, it was hard to walk and it was raining heavily or something and I didn't want to schlep all the way to the nearest Post Office, and I was trying to figure out how to get these 4 pieces of mail sent to their destinations within the next couple of days without having to go all the way to the Post Office and get them (I am on foot - no car). I didn't really want to leave the hosue when I was in pain. I needed to rest. The next day I went outside of my building to, onto the sidewalk, for some reason which I cannot remember, and looked down at the ground to see a familiar design. It couldn't possibly be.... I stooped down with some difficulty to pick up a small, white sheet of paper, and flipped it over to find the remaining stamps from what must have been a full sheet that fell out of someone's belongings. There were EXACTLY 4 stamps - and they were EXACTLY the ones I wanted (the Forever kind)!!!! And I had told no one about my need for these four stamps! Who would care? But someone was listening, apparently, and I got exactly what I needed!

 

[bumbershoot]

That is so wild about the stamps, Sherry!

trodrigue, sorry I was confusing! Sometimes I forget that I don't write everything here...I was sort of continuing a story from the main forum from last week, when it was mentioned that Alaska had a sale. From that sale I found the $5 decrease, and I decided to call b/c my Alaska fare had decreased the last time, but I didn't think they participated in a "program" (as Virgin America put it) to give credit. So it felt like I "deserved" it, LOL.

They just said I'd get the $5 each credits in an email, and then there were a few days without an email! I was getting worried, then boom an email showed up with codes for $25 each. So it was the second call when the rep said she wouldn't have called (I was surprised the first one didn't).



You've figured all that out on your own, of course, but I thought I'd make it easier on those who follow.




DS pulled another link on our countdown chain today, making it a whopping 15 days until our trip! (not including today) Wow!

 

[kaoden39]

Wow, it's so soon. I envy you your trip. I wish we were going. I am still hoping for a trip after the first of the year.