A No Snooze Bar Christmas, Harry & Mickey are Waiting..it is done

[momabaarjo]

I can't believe your trip is winding down... I have really enjoyed reading your TR I haven't posted in a while because I got SOOO busy with school but have been able to keep up on your updates once a week or so. My planned upcoming trip got moved up by six months to January (instead of June) - HOORAY!! I found out that after I graduate in Dec it takes about a month before I can sit for my boards (for my NP license) so I can't start work as an NP till then sooo... we made the decision to go on vacation! My son will miss three days of school but he will be a senior and he has never missed school except for dire illness so I figure he deserves a few days off to do Disney when its not as crowded! Plus my hubby (my non-Disney hubby) is actually coming with us Those symbols were supposed to represent me being happy and freaked out at the same time~! Looking foward to a few more postings!

Yay for moving the trip up 6 months, I think the lower crowds will be well worth it...praying the weather is nice for you! Maybe non-Disney husband will be transformed, I never thought mine would...what is missing 3 days of school when you can do Disney!!!!

Great update and scrap book page! Yum! Icecream and dole whip for breakfast.

Seems like a recurring theme with my kids...

Space Mt can really be terrifying for a first ride since you can't sit together. I don't know how you managed that ride leaning forward holding hands the whole time. It sure does whip you around and jerk.

Trust me, I felt it in my back the rest of the day.

He had no pants when we were there either

I think they were undressing him as we walked by, but the kids sure got a kick out of him in a partial dress state....

 

[petals]

Love that your two boys got to go on stage with Captain Jack Sparrow so cool!

 

[vleeth]

Mean girls suck!

Glad you got to see that smile!

 

[Chelley00]

I have to again say, it really was nice to see her smile so much the last week after all the yuck we dealt with right before we left in regards to mean girls at school.

This makes me so sad. She's so adorable that I can't imagine anyone picking on her. Creeps!

 

[momabaarjo]

Here is today's layout...playing around with a misc. page that goes with the title of my TR...

 

[momabaarjo]

Love that your two boys got to go on stage with Captain Jack Sparrow so cool!

It was pretty cool and the banter between Boo and Capt. Jack was priceless!

Mean girls suck!

Glad you got to see that smile!

This makes me so sad. She's so adorable that I can't imagine anyone picking on her. Creeps!

It has been a rough couple of years for her and MEAN girls. She is very serious when it comes to school (or anything that she does) and would not play their silly girls games...She went to a VERY SMALL private school and was what the counselor referred to as a triple threat-smart, pretty, and talented so she was targeted. We had pleaded with the school for the last 4 years to do something and they would not...instead they sided with the mean girls and their parents more or less. It exploded right before Christmas to almost the point of no return...we went back after Christmas and it just got worse...so we are transferring schools this fall (where she has friends and the girls are more like her...serious about school and their futures). We should have made the change a year ago, but we trusted her previous school to take care of the situation! I am so ready for a drama free school year with her! Now we are working on her social skills when it comes to friend relationships, not an easy thing when you have shut people out for 4 years!

 

[Dream426]

So glad to hear she will be attending a new school. Sounds like it will be a lot better for her. Good luck to her.

 

[Chelley00]

That's so sad. Our DD10 got to experience the mean girls in second grade at her small private school. Most of her mean girls were teachers/daughters so we got nowhere with the school. When I pulled her out they asked why and I said "she can get picked on at public school for free". She did great the last 2 years at the new school. She switches now because of redistricting so we are starting over again. Sigh.

 

[Mom&RN]

It has been a rough couple of years for her and MEAN girls. She is very serious when it comes to school (or anything that she does) and would not play their silly girls games...She went to a VERY SMALL private school and was what the counselor referred to as a triple threat-smart, pretty, and talented so she was targeted. We had pleaded with the school for the last 4 years to do something and they would not...instead they sided with the mean girls and their parents more or less. It exploded right before Christmas to almost the point of no return...we went back after Christmas and it just got worse...so we are transferring schools this fall (where she has friends and the girls are more like her...serious about school and their futures). We should have made the change a year ago, but we trusted her previous school to take care of the situation! I am so ready for a drama free school year with her! Now we are working on her social skills when it comes to friend relationships, not an easy thing when you have shut people out for 4 years!

I'm so sorry! We lived through a similar problem when my son was younger. When he was in elementary school he had a big problem with being bullied - he was smart and awfully nerdy and wouldn't change to fit in with the crowd. We had a year and a half (all of 4th and half of 5th grade) of him being bullied terribly and finally pulled him out of school and were thankfully able to home school him for a couple of years to allow him to grow up a bit in a safer environment for him and he chose to go back to school in 8th grade and has done really well ever since - found a group nerdy kids to "hang" with starting in 8th grade and he and his friends have been inseparable ever since and he hasn't pain any attention to the mean kids (who still exist, unfortunately). I wish we had another school choice close enough to us to be a choice at the time but we did well with home schooling, my husband did most of it (I did math) and my son stayed in scouts and club sports and learned to play golf during those years so he continued to have lots of positive interaction with other kids - just not the negative bullying. It was a shame because although we also tried working really hard with the school we had countless people at the school tell us "we can't watch the kids all the time" - EXCUSE ME??? Here's to happier times for her and BOOOO!!! on mean kids!

 

[annmarieda]

yay for making it to RD!!!!

AO is VERY high. I hate heights... and it about kills me. Just fyi for your "secret" know this isn't the case in other parks. AO is up high in WDW..but not in ....

How cool that Ab had such a neat m&g with tink!!! However, I think it looks as if the boys had an even better time with Captain Jack!

BTW, love the colors in both those scrapbook pages!

 

[momabaarjo]

Slipping in a Few More Attractions Before Lunch​

After becoming a pirate it was the perfect time to take another spin on POTC

and then for a little fun in the Tiki Room.

I have to admit, I was not a huge fan of the new version and I am really not a fan of the new-old version. The kids although loved the humor and all the singing. I found a spot for us along the back, where I sent out a couple of texts to some DIS friends…but the whole time I felt like I was being watched.

When we finished in the Tiki Room, I tried to get the family to reride BTMRR or at least go see the Country Bears, but no one seemed interested so instead we opted for the Haunted Mansion and this time we did the graveyard line, which should not be missed…we (Jeff and I included) loved all the interactive activities the line has to offer!

After the HM it was time to head towards Fantasyland for the midafternoon lunch I had planned for us, but first we had to take a stop on

As the family takes a few turns around the circle, I go to check us in

only to find it taken over by a LARGE tour group that does not really understand the process of the seating assignments and wants to argue with the CM at the desk.When I say a large group has taken over the check in station at Cinderella’s Royal Table, I mean about 30 of them and they will not back away and give the pour CM any room and let one person talk for the group. Thankfully I am on the opposite side of the podium where another CM quickly checks us in and gives me instructions to wait near the door until our name is called to enter, which should not be too long…I look at her and try to figure how on earth we are going to get anywhere near close to the door with this mob of heated Brazilians upset about not being able to get a few more people on their reservations for lunch.

 

[momabaarjo]

So glad to hear she will be attending a new school. Sounds like it will be a lot better for her. Good luck to her.

It was really hard, and it is going to cripple my budget...making the belt tighten a little more, but I know it is the best in the end! She will be around people that are more like her and she knows a lot of the kids anyway from elementary school. Two other girls from her class that were bullied by the group of 5 mean girls are also transferring...so her class at her old school only has the 5 mean girls left and 2 other girls who did not leave due to the situation. I feel for those other 2 girls...but they have also turned into mean girls over the summer to the 3 that left the school...I HATE GIRL DRAMA!

That's so sad. Our DD10 got to experience the mean girls in second grade at her small private school. Most of her mean girls were teachers/daughters so we got nowhere with the school. When I pulled her out they asked why and I said "she can get picked on at public school for free". She did great the last 2 years at the new school. She switches now because of redistricting so we are starting over again. Sigh.

I'm so sorry! We lived through a similar problem when my son was younger. When he was in elementary school he had a big problem with being bullied - he was smart and awfully nerdy and wouldn't change to fit in with the crowd. We had a year and a half (all of 4th and half of 5th grade) of him being bullied terribly and finally pulled him out of school and were thankfully able to home school him for a couple of years to allow him to grow up a bit in a safer environment for him and he chose to go back to school in 8th grade and has done really well ever since - found a group nerdy kids to "hang" with starting in 8th grade and he and his friends have been inseparable ever since and he hasn't pain any attention to the mean kids (who still exist, unfortunately). I wish we had another school choice close enough to us to be a choice at the time but we did well with home schooling, my husband did most of it (I did math) and my son stayed in scouts and club sports and learned to play golf during those years so he continued to have lots of positive interaction with other kids - just not the negative bullying. It was a shame because although we also tried working really hard with the school we had countless people at the school tell us "we can't watch the kids all the time" - EXCUSE ME??? Here's to happier times for her and BOOOO!!! on mean kids!

Thank you for sharing your stories! I honestly do not know how to deal with the mean/bully other than to confront it head on, which her school did not want to do...they wanted to pretend it was not happening or blame the victims!

yay for making it to RD!!!!

Did you have your doubts?

AO is VERY high. I hate heights... and it about kills me. Just fyi for your "secret" know this isn't the case in other parks. AO is up high in WDW..but not in ....

I think not being up so high would really make it pretty boring and like an amusment park ride...

How cool that Ab had such a neat m&g with tink!!! However, I think it looks as if the boys had an even better time with Captain Jack!

Captain Jack was so COOL!!!!

BTW, love the colors in both those scrapbook pages!

Thanks...I am slowly getting it done...maybe by Christmas? That is my goal anyway, but lets see how this year plays out at school...already looking like a mess again even with a new prinicpal....

 

[vleeth]

The interactive stuff on HM looks cool. But how does that work? Is it two different lines or do you have to merge and have people think you are cutting?

Glad to hear you won't have as much drama to deal with this school year.

 

[momabaarjo]

It was my dream to take the family to see the castle lighted up, but the real bonus was it lighted up and lite with the Christmas lights...

 

[momabaarjo]

I was thinking ahead and it looks like I have less than 10 more updates to go to finish this TR...wow, that makes me really sad to think about! I thought I was going to be relieved but now I am starting to feel that empty feeling I got when I returned from the trip...how crazy is that?

 

[joleen76]

I am loving the updates!

Thanks for sharing your trip.

Hope that Ab has a great school year this year. Girls can be so mean. Just wait till she grows up and becomes their boss!

 

[momabaarjo]

The interactive stuff on HM looks cool. But how does that work? Is it two different lines or do you have to merge and have people think you are cutting?

The entrance line separates into a Y about the time you enter the gate. Then there are 2 lines (separated by a wall)...one goes directly to the entrance and the other goes to the graveyard...right about the time you hit the tombstone area the lines merge back into 1 line and then you enter into the manision itself. I dont remember feeling like you are cutting, it is a lot like the massive confusion when you head to the line when you exit the stretching room to be loaded onto the buggies...which I hate! Both sides of the line are the same length and take roughly the same time when the line is full...the graveyard side is a lot more fun and keeps you entertained!

Glad to hear you won't have as much drama to deal with this school year.

I am sure holding my breath!

 

[lovethattink]

Great update! Love the scrapbook page. Didn't see the hidden Mickey's on the picture on facebook, but I do on this one! Very cool! Wish Ab the best. I hope the new school is a perfect fit for her.

Guess you'll need to go right into a PTR to beat that feeling. Is Carsland still on the plate for next Disney trip?

 

[momabaarjo]

Treated Like Royalty​

As I gather up my family, and try to avoid the entire mess in front of the podium (and entry way) I hear the tension mount and a very matronly CM appears to take charge of the chaos about the same time we are announced to enter.

I am so relieved that we got in before this group, the CM does her best to welcome us, but I can see everyone’s patience is growing thin. She gives us directions and we get in line to be greeted by the princess herself (I will look for the family picture that comes with the meal and scan it in later).

She is more than enchanting and quickly draws us into the fantasy of dining in her castle…that is until the mob scene appears inside and of course has not followed directions and protocol about what happens when you enter the receiving room. The group, apparently from a South American country has overtaken the entire room and pushing their way through the line. We are instructed to wait until we are called to be seated upstairs after our picture, but apparently they did not hear those directions either and more than half of them race up the stairs a few minutes before our family is called and we meet them coming back down the stairs with a CM chewing them out for not following directions. It was pretty comical watching this scene and I prayed the entire time we walked up the staircase that they would be seated across the room from during our late afternoon lunch. Finally at the top of the stairs we are greeted by another frazzled CM who does her best to apologize and takes us to our table, close enough to the windows so we can see Fantasyland.

Once seated, the fantasy begins again as we are greeted by Dominic, our server who does his best to make us feel like royalty as he takes our orders and instead of plain tap water, brings Abigail a bottle of sparkling water because she is a princess and should be treated as such.

For the appetizer we had the Chefs Tasting Plate (mozzarella, tomatoes, greens, humus/toast and procisto)

and then for dinner we all ordered the fried chicken (although I am not sure how it gets the fried label because it looks more like roasted chicken to me).

During our main course we were greeted by many princesses…

and then the dessert course where we sampled off of each other’s choices of chocolate mousse, cheesecake, and sorbet.

As the dessert course came to an end it was time for wishing stars, wands, and the dreaded swords

(which of course the boys loved and by the time we left the park later in the evening Goo had broken his). After a nice meal and feeling like royalty (I think everyone should eat in the castle at least once...pricey but such a treat), we left the castle…passing by the party that caused so much commotion and was stilling doing so across the room from us! I have one more special treat coming up this evening, but until then where do we go?

 

[momabaarjo]

I am loving the updates!

Thanks for sharing your trip.

Thank you for coming along, I am still surprised that anyone would want to read this...let along stick it out for 8 months!

Hope that Ab has a great school year this year. Girls can be so mean. Just wait till she grows up and becomes their boss!

Thank you...girls are awful at times, and I have run into too many adult mean girls!

Great update! Love the scrapbook page. Didn't see the hidden Mickey's on the picture on facebook, but I do on this one! Very cool! Wish Ab the best. I hope the new school is a perfect fit for her.

I am trying to put hidden Mickey's in all my WDW pages...

Guess you'll need to go right into a PTR to beat that feeling. Is Carsland still on the plate for next Disney trip?

I think it is a go, I cant really book until after all the school expenses get paid! I am trying to narrow down some dates and such! Which is really hard because I have no idea what anything looks like in terms of the kids dance group and their summer season next year...let alone figure out what I am doing school wise next July!