12/09/06 Cruise Continued ~ Pirating Bananas DIS Geekorama Part 2 Part 2

[lbgraves]

Vanessa, with the stockings we can just make a run and drop everything off at everyone's doors.

 

[MommyMinnie]

So on top of the party, I'm kinda hosting some ESP (extra special parents) who deserve lots of TLC. Guess that's why I'm going out of my way and stressing more than normal. I don't get to see them very often...and they haven't been able to travel in years. So this truly is a special weekend!

That's a critical piece of extra information. It sounds like you have things well in hand.

P. S. Angie is awesome.

 

[MommyMinnie]

DISNEY STORE ALERT

If you live near a Disney store now is a great time to stock up!!! They are having major sales! I got mickey tote bags for $4.00. Men's, children's and women's t-shirts for $2.50. Pooh bear picture frame for $2.50. Pajama pants for $3.00, boy's dress shirts for $6.00, buzz hoodie for $4.00, and jeans for $5.00!!! They had all kinds of stuff! All redticket items are half off!

Did you make this stop solo with the kids too? Way to go girl!

 

[klineyqueen]

Yes, it was just the kids and I! Then we went for lunch (I was only brave enough to do the food court!) I even had to make 2 bathroom trips for my son.

 

[pjpoohbear]

Evening everyone, wow lots going on today.
I will not put names (because I will get them wrong,) but.....

Good luck on the family gathering this weekend and booze is great for getting others to miss the dirt

Congrats on the tag, but tag fairy leave me alone, last time you were buzzing around me you took my signature away

I still have to figure out my stocking stuffer, but we have like 6+ months to go

Congrats on the field trip with the little ones.

Have a wonderful trip to Vero and bring back pictures

......finally caught up

Penny

 

[Jhalkias]

Klineyqueen,

Yes, it really stinks for kids that cannot afford it. Every year I donate my salary as a Board member back to the district - not much, we only get paid $80 per meeting for 12 meetings, but I told our Supt. this year I want to donate to kids on free and reduced lunch who cannot pay to participate.

I was hopping mad after the election, and fired off an email to all my state Representatives, and the Newspaper. The editorial below was in our local paper today:

Columbus had better get the message
Thursday, May 4, 2006

John Halkias is mad as hell, and he’s not going to take it anymore. We will be surprised if he doesn’t have a lot of company before the November election. Are you listening, Columbus?

Wednesday morning, Halkias fired off a barn burner of an e-mail to Stark County’s representatives in the Ohio House and Senate. He was writing as a longtime member of the Plain Local Board of Education. He also was writing as a dad whose daughter is about to take “her last field trip ever until we can afford it again in Plain,” he told legislators.

Plain was one of the Stark County districts whose operating levy went down in flames Tuesday. Halkias is fed up with the Legislature’s inaction in the face of four Ohio Supreme Court orders to reduce the burden of school funding on local property tax owners. He is fed up with seeing so much state money sent to private and charter schools. He is fed up with the burden that the Legislature’s lack of interest is placing on school districts and their residents.

His own district “will be changing in ways that I never thought possible” as a result of the levy defeat, “and I am angry,” he wrote. “The blame lands squarely on the shoulders of an unresponsive state government of which you are an integral part.”

Later in the long e-mail, he tells the legislators, “School Board Members from across this county will be meeting soon to decide how we will try to influence you in the future. As our situation becomes more desperate, we will all begin to ... speak more loudly that a change needs to be made, and the first place to make that change will be in Columbus.” If school board members in Ohio’s other 87 counties are smart, they will tell their state legislators what Halkias has told his legislators, and they will ask the tax-paying public to help.

This is fair warning. More than fair. Listen up, Columbus.

John

 

[MrsMork]

Yes, it was just the kids and I! Then we went for lunch (I was only brave enough to do the food court!) I even had to make 2 bathroom trips for my son.

IMPRESSIVE!!!

 

[MrsMork]

You go, John!! We have the same problems with funding from our State Legislature here. Some things are universal, I guess.

 

[MrsMork]

Successful shopping at Disney Store today!! Not too much left in the size I needed for Aaron, but I did get 3 t-shirts and 2 collared polo shirts (dinner shirts) for him for the cruise. I also got another set of matching t-shirts for DrHug and me! These were Donald ones. (There was a thread on the main board some time back talking about us silly people that dress alike. ) My total bill for all seven shirts was $22.43!!


Thanks again for that tip!!

 

[GoofyFD]

Wow! You guys are chatty today! Big SHANE is gone.... I think Terry is going to win it all!

 

[MrsMork]

Howdy, Mark! I was wondering.....

 

[MrsMork]

V- I was reading your Bad Girl trip and got booted right off the internet!! Do you think one had anything to do with the other??

 

[klineyqueen]

John - Impressive! At least you and some others are trying to change the financial situation at your school. I hope things start to make a turn for the better!

 

[klineyqueen]

Mrs. Mork - my parents are always matching at Disney! You are in good company! I got matching sailor suits for the kids for the crusie and matching Disney christmas suit/dress for the kids. I am thinking about buying the whole matching hawaiian set that was in the Disney catalog. Then we could all match! We don't care if we look dorky--we are the ones running around as happy as anything!

 

[lbgraves]

We have two of the matching tropical Mickey sets for the four of us. You will see LOTs of people wearing them on the ship all week long.

John, that is terrible. I did so many things in high school. There is no way that I could have done any of it if we had to pay 250 per team. I hope that you are able to get the schools some help.

Mark, I think that Terry is going to make it to the final 2 but wont have the votes he needs from the other team to win. What really irked me last night is that the first thing Cheri did when Terry got back to the camp was hug & thank him. They NEVER showed Shane say thank you. Arie just lost ALL of my respect last night. I didn't know that he was only 24. What a brat!!!

 

[pjpoohbear]

John, way to go, keep pushing. It is citizens like you that will give the kids a better education and brighter futures. Not all learning happens inside the walls of a classroom.

Congrats on all the great DS shopping, we have had the change over up here in TO and I can't stand the stores anymore, they are white and red now. You can tell Disney is not in charge anymore. Although we have Sasha, the Croatian, from the Magic entertainment staff up here at my local store now. He is cool. (You can see pic of him up on Barb's site.)

Penny

 

[MrsMork]

We have had to pay participation fees at our schools for a couple of years. Not that high yet. $50 for sports, I think, and $15 for band. I think there is a break if the kid is in more than one sport or if there are multiple kids from the same family.

 

[MrsMork]

DrHug just walked in the room and I got hot and sweaty. He thinks it's his presence, I think it is a hot flash! Whew! It's hot in here!

 

[MrsMork]

Penny, our Disney Store is not owned by Disney anymore either. I don't like it as much now either, but it is still good for a Disney fix when we live so far from the real thing! I would love to have an ex-DCL cm here so I could go in and reminisce.

 

[MrsMork]

We have the two tropical Disney outfits too, but mine has SHRUNK!!