Sunday August 24, 2008
So it is 45 minutes until our reservation at le cellier Restaurant in Epcot and we are all in our bathing suits in our hotel room.
My brain goes “ECK” and my body goes into full motion.
I pull out outfits, shout orders, comb hair, pack park bags, which means I double check I have our keys to the world and the ADR number, put in rain ponchos and long sleeved shirts just incase all the while encouraging everyone to “hurry, hurry!”
Miracles of all miracles we made it to the Canadian pavilion by 5:35 pm. I could have run ahead and made it on time but my head was starting to pound again, and don’t forget I also had that blister. So I walked with the group. A little faster than Nanny would have liked but she wasn’t here to complain so I took advantage.
Dh and I ate here last year. We had a great meal. The kids and Poppa were looking forward to coming here as they heard all about it last year. Perhaps that is why no one minded walking fast. They had red meat on the brain.
Cindy is more of a fruit and veggies girl than meat but she has been known to pack away a lot of expensive cuts of meats in her time. She was more excited to see where Mommy and Daddy went on their date night last year. Eeoyre is a true meat lover. Pork, Beef, Chicken or fish the boy loves it all. Of course it has to be served plain, as I have already covered his aversion to spices and sauces. So he was going for the meat and not to check out the ambience.
Free Dinning (for us north Americans anyhow) officially started today. That was one of the reasons I chose to stay out of the parks most of the day. Sure enough it was plenty busy while we hightailed it to Canada.
When I checked in the hostess mentioned that they were overbooked. I guess she was hoping I would say “Oh well, then I won’t bother you” and turn away and leave. Please… I had a coveted actual dinnertime ADR for 6 people. I wasn’t giving that away. Couldn’t she see my lime green Mickey head on my Hey’s travel bag. Didn’t she realize I was hard core?
No I did not walk away. While my family explored the pavilion I stuck like glue to the entrance and listened to every conversation she had. She tried many times to turn other people with ADR’s like me away. She laughed in the faces of people who tried to just “pop-in” to see if they had any openings. Okay we all laughed at those people. By all I mean the other hard core Disney lovers who hung around the entrance to make sure they got called.
Here are the shots we took while we were waiting. They are the only pictures we took that night. So sorry to disapoint but there are not food porn pictures.
I like this next one of Cindy. It reminds me of what she looked like as a toddler. All pudgy faced and cute.
Eventually we did make it in. I think it was almost 6 pm. We had a seat in a far corner and our waiter was from the Holland Marsh, which is in between Barrie and Toronto. As my Dh grew up in Barrie they conversed about some local events.
I had really been looking forward to the cheese soup they have here. I was even willing to pay OOPs for it and fight it out with Dh over paying OOPs. But it turned out that they were offering a special to the dinning plan people that included an appetizer if you choose from three main dishes. I jumped at it. I briefly glanced at the menu and noticed that one of the main dishes was salmon. Okay I would have that I said. Oh if only I had actually read the fine print. I hated my meal.
I have already mentioned the Eeoyre is quite the picky eater. The boy gets it honestly. I confess that I am also a picky eater. I like plain simple dishes and while there are a few sauces that I like they are few and far between. Unfortunately the salmon was covered with sauce. It looked like regurgitated peas had been spread all over it. I never did read to find out what it was. I moved some around the plate and nothing ever touched my lips. However with the yummy soup, the delightful bread and the crème brule for desert I was by no means hungry.
Due to the overwhelming demand that free dinning had placed on this restaurant our meal was not speedy. We were in the restaurant for almost two hours. Now let’s see if you can do this simple math. 3 kids, One mother with a pounding headache, One father who is determined to make his kids eat their weight in vegetables and two hours. Poor Poppa probably wished he were sitting with another family.
I had to separate Dh and Eeoyre. They were at each other’s throats. I left as soon as dessert was finished (and let Dh settle the bill) and took Eeoyre with me to pick up Cindy’s pearl in Japan. Cindy was upset that I wasn’t taking her and Eeoyre was upset that he had to “do” something and taken from his safety cocoon which is Poppa. I think he though I might push him to do something he didn’t want to.
“It’s not a ride is it?” he asked me.
“No. But we can find one if you’d like.” I answered.
Jedi didn’t mind that we were leaving because he had fallen asleep at the table before dinner was served. He filled up on a milkshake and bread and had passed out. It was a good thing we were sitting against a wall on a bench. All that fighting with Mom in the morning, pirate activities and fun in the sun had plum tuckered him out. He didn’t wake up until the next morning.
The first thing we noticed when we exited the restaurant was the most beautiful rainbow. It rained while we eating (only lightly) and produced this magnificent bright arch. Perhaps it was all the grey skies we had been looking at lately but it was truly a sight to be seen. It even took a little edge off Eeoyre who still had his back up from arguing with his father over his dinner consumption.
After admiring the view, Eeoyre and I headed to Japan.
“We’re just picking up this pearl thingy and leaving right Mom?”
It was going to be getting dark soon and Eeoyre was freaked out about the fireworks. He hates them. Too loud. Excessive use of fire. Possibility of fire landing on his head. I believe are his reasons for hating them. Oh yes, and crowds. He’s not fond of crowds unless he is on a stage and they are there to watch him. It’s a shame he’s too young for the American idol event. He can really belt out a tune.
I appease his firework fears and point out to him the globe and how it is not ready to go off yet.
We passed France. I noticed a lull at the crepe hut.
“Want a crepe?”
“Um… No, it’s okay.”
“Honey, the fireworks don’t start for almost two hours. We have time to get a crepe. Do you want to check out the French bakery back there and see if there is something else you would like?”
“There’s a bakery?” He says as his eyes light up. We check it out but ultimately he decides he would rather have a crepe. Of course now there is a line up.
I keep checking to see if the photopass people are in front of the Eiffel tower again so I can get a picture with Eeoyre too but no such luck. They must have been hanging out somewhere else.
We notice the kidcot station and Eeoyre starts another mask. We back track and get manage to get all the countries for him except China and Mexico, which he has on his first mask. He is thrilled with the Kidcot thing. While he finishes his mask I make a few purchases. In England I buy a book on Knights of the Round Table for Jedi and in France I buy a book about a girl learning about the impressionists painters for Cindy.
He is not thrilled with his chocolate crepe. It tastes like plastic. Truly. I had a bite.
We pick up Cindy’s pearl and finish off the entire world just in time for illuminations to begin.
Eeoyre is having such a great time that I manage to get him to stand in future world and look back at the fireworks for a minute or two. A milestone for him.
While I’m watching him in the glow of the fireworks (with his hands over his ears) I am reminded of Poppa’s observations earlier at the restaurant.
Poppa noticed that whenever we stray from the norm as a family that Eeoyre asks a million questions about it. Cindy gives the situation the silent treatment and refuses to even listen about it and Jedi loudly proclaims his hate for it and lists the reasons why.
I thought that was very astute of my father. I also thought it was very sad that my children are so encased with fear at the thought of new things that they run for safety in these ways. Change and new things don’t have to be feared. How can I help my children learn to accept change and embrace new things? Screaming at them like I did earlier today doesn’t seem to help.
Eeoyre is slowly but surely learning to handle all his anxieties. Yes, he still has his hands covering his ears but his eyes are open and he is watching the explosions. I try to gleam some joy out of this small triumph.
I motion for him that we better get going. As we walk towards the buses he grabs my hand. It’s not something he does very often anymore. I try to relish this moment too. He finishes me off by telling me his loves me and thanks me for taking him to finish his mask. I blubber. Just a bit. Remember I’m tired, I’ve got a sinus headache, a blister on my heel and I’ve been feeling really low about my parenting skills all day. He’s lucky I only cried a bit.
We notice a bus pull up at our stop. I have to run through my tears. We are loading the bus just as illuminations is ending. So we managed to beat the crowd.
As I head towards the back of the bus I notice a familiar face. It’s DisneyJo with her family again. Apparently hard-core Disney fans think alike. We exchange pleasantries as the bus takes us back to POR.
Yes, we got rained on a little bit but I notice that I am mostly damp from my own sweat as we are starting to get the normal floridian summer weather. I dare Eeoyre to jump into the pool in all of his clothes. Of course he declines. So I go ahead and jump into the pool fully dressed.
Eeoyre is shocked for a few seconds but finally gives in to the moment and joins me in the pool. We paddle around to cool down for a bit before heading back to the room dripping wet. Suddenly we are not so hot anymore.
We get back to the room to find that Dh has the other kids asleep. I’m glad they are sleeping since I know they are tired but I wish I had of taken the time to prep them for tomorrow. Since tomorrow we were going someplace totally new for all of us. We were going to… Click here to find out
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30395340&postcount=618
I'm glad you all had a great day in the end 
Oh, your not-so-magical mommy moment made me nod my head in agreement with your words - no worries, we all have a patience limit! 
If I was writing a musical about my trip I would have had everyone at the pool singing and singing in syncro in an ode to the sun.
I'm so pleased the kids did go on the cruise and that they enjoyed it, us parents do know best don't we 
