and we're back. [Walt, Wizards, and....Woolungasaurus?]

[kaoden39]

In a small way I am glad I don't have to call DVC. But there is this other monster that would love to own the DVC.

And you are right it would be a great band name.

 

[bumbershoot]

Yeah, calling them is not fun for me. I wish we could do it online. And that might happen someday. Right now the way you make reservations online is you fill out the form and a few days later someone gets the email and helps you! Yeah, NOT very helpful! I mean, more helpful than just deleting the email, but still, one wants immediacy.

 

[kaoden39]

Yeah, calling them is not fun for me. I wish we could do it online. And that might happen someday. Right now the way you make reservations online is you fill out the form and a few days later someone gets the email and helps you! Yeah, NOT very helpful! I mean, more helpful than just deleting the email, but still, one wants immediacy.

I much prefer doing everything online myself. And I do so as much as I can. Hopefully they will come into the here and now with it soon.

 

[bumbershoot]

Ack, what time does member services open? On a Sunday? Ack!


Busy busy busy all day tomorrow...Lowes and Home Depot for free kids build-it clinics, then to the zoo with a friend each for E and me. Then home to clean the heck outta the house for Mr Neat Freak (aka Robert, not really a freak about it at all, but he does get a little stressy with clutter) b/c he'll be home Sunday around noon! Woo!

 

[kaoden39]

Woo hoo for Robert coming home. I hope you have fun at the zoo.

 

[bumbershoot]

The zoo was really fun for E and his friend. But both of them acted completely differently than they do on their own, so the friend's mom and I were a bit stressy, since we're not used to having our own children playing tag in the walkways.

E said he wants a piñata for his b'day. Said, exactly "piñatas are my LIFE". At first I thought "omg nooooo". And I just thought that a moment ago, too. But I just remembered that I have a thing on how to make cutesie ones from an old Martha Stewart magazine! And if my binder-based organizing spree from a few months ago worked, I know exactly where that is, too. So I could totally take that to SD with me, study it and research where to get everything, and have myself ready to make it just in time for his big day! The question is...where to have the party?


I should be in bed, as I have to be up early to call! Whimper.

editing to add...it will be SO nice once I have that all set, so I can really start making some plans!

 

[kaoden39]

Hmm, Molly what about having the party at the Y? I had a little snicker at "Pinatas are my life", how dramatic. Do you have a budding thespian on your hands.

Running and playing tags? Sounds like normal kid behavior, my oldest daughetr Kacy was always a very reserved child until you got her into the right circumstances and she would let her hair down. It was a joy for me to see.

 

[bumbershoot]

It is normal, but it's not the usual behavior for E at the zoo. Of course neither of the boys usually has anyone with them at the zoo.

The other issue is that the other boy is 9, and can therefore do quite a lot more (though he is very small, not that much bigger than E) b/c of dexterity and just 4 more years of experience, than E can, so my rules were much more strict (as I have little interest in visiting an ER)...

This b'day is a Big Deal b/c he now has this friend, and it wasn't until he realized he had made a friend that he wanted a party. Friend's mom planned friend's party at the last minute but made it really nice, despite having some extreme turmoil (or perhaps because of that) at home, so now I've got THAT to somehow live up to without going overboard, and without copying exactly what she did (even though that's what E wants).

I much preferred Disneyland for a b'day...let me tell you!

And I can't even invite the other kids he's just started to make friends with, because we'll be gone the weekend before, his b'day is a Wednesday and the other kids (besides the 9 year old, who is from homeschool PE) are still in school, and of course the following weekend is Mem Day. AND b/c I might not even see them until after, because this Y session just ended and we'll miss the first two weeks of the next session.

He just had to go and make FIVE different friends nearly all at once, didn't he?



OH CRUD. I totally spaced on signing E up for next session!!!!!! AUGH. Basically 39 minutes too late. Dagnabit.


Gotta go to bed, no obsessing over completely messing up with the Y sessions...we won't even be here for late registration.

 

[bumbershoot]

I need to be smacked, b/c all that's available is Old Key West (aka the resort I actually really seriously wanted all this time BUT I felt like the Family would want something more "oomphy"), and I'm feeling disappointed (b/c of the oomphy factor).

So b/c there's nothing else, I got that for the big group. And then b/c it's a split stay, found out I can only book (right now) for Bay Lake for the other 3 nights of this 7 days, LOL. Duh! I should have realized that, but DVC is complicated to figure out on a "real life" basis. I just don't have it all committed to memory AND how it applies to me.

Well, OK, 4 nights are done!

 

[kaoden39]

Molly, they had some cute cakes on this link. http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/gm/birthdayparties/. There is a Lego one that is adorable, I thought you might be interested.

I am glad we don't have DVC now. It sounds like it is a hassle.

 

[bumbershoot]

Thanks for that link!


The problem was that, well, it goes back to March '09.

Robert decided he wanted to buy in. I OK'd it. He wanted to buy at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Our guide, who is great in all other ways, really pushed Bay Lake, because the maintenance fees are lower (big concrete building easier to care for than lodge with animals and trees and whatnot). So Robert caved, which meant neither of us was 100% happy with location.

Next problem is that the "home resort advantage" lets you book yourself at your *home* resort 11 months before your trip. Everyone else has to wait until 7 months out.

The weeks leading up to our 11 months out, I was bugging Robert AND my cousin, to see if they wanted to stay at Bay Lake. Cousin was vague "it's your trip, anything you want is fine". Robert had similar feelings.

Then Robert went to the UK with a coworkers who vagued him to distraction...having ideas, not sharing, letting Robert choose, then being unhappy with it b/c he didn't get to do what he wanted to do.

So Robert came home and said "I want to stay at Bay Lake with the Family!"

But we were 2 months or so behind all the other Bay Lake owners.

Adding to the problem...early December is a slower time at the *parks*, and it's a low "cost" season in terms of DVC points, but that combo makes it wildly popular with DVC owners! So every last little thing was full except for SSR and OKW.

You can book 7 nights out. But not if it's a split stay. If we wanted a week in the 2 bedroom at OKW I could have booked that. But since they'll be going home on Monday, and we're starting our "just the 3 of us" vacation, we want to switch rooms, and that restarts the travel clock, so I gotta call back on the 6th

It wouldn't be this much of a pain if my husband had been up front with what he wanted for this trip when I was asking about Bay Lake, to get our home resort advantage, or if, going back in time, we'd bought at Animal Kingdom Villas like Robert wanted (and since AKV is where I wanted to stay with the Family we would have used our home resort advantage even if R hadn't spoken up).

 

[kaoden39]

Oh you're welcome. I somehow think that maybe DVC is more work than it is worth. I know it would frustrate me.

 

[Brady's Mom]

Still following along - just don't have anything really pertinent to add.

Just wanted to say that birthday parties can be a little stressful! We've had pinatas before and were able to fill them with mom-approved candy and I liked that - my kid's don't get colored stuff - so we ended up with toys from the party store and uncolored stuff. My boys really like the little ninjas that you can get in a package for around $1.50 and those fill up a pinata really well. They have other little doo-dad stuff at the party store that boys would like, and I like to browse. That way you can avoid any ingredient issues that E might have.

Okay, maybe I did have something to add after all!

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm just sorry I'm so boring right now.


Yep, one of the reasons I thought of experimenting with making my own is b/c I would need to fill it with safer foods and toys.

Speaking of ingredients, someone on the Dis made mention that Einstein bagels is *considering* NOT using HFCS in their bagels. I went looking, and every single one of their bagels uses it.

And I thought...oh THAT explains it...because we like having their bagels when we are visiting my brother, and he's had mysterious reactions that started making me doubt myself...but now I see there was indeed a reason.

HFCS in bagels? And I guess, per their facebook page, they have some nonsensical reasoning (small, hard, pale bagels would result from not using it) that makes NO sense as bagels have been around long long long before HFCS...


Between that and the discovery of gelatin in the cream cheese tubs at the other, closer, bagel place near my brother...I think we're going to have to go with Thomas's bagels, since they, at least, do not have HFCS in them!



Thought bagels were pretty simple, no HFCS needed...

 

[kaoden39]

You're not so boring. My DH and I were discussing bagels recently about the size they are now. It seems that they were not nearly as big.

 

[bumbershoot]

Have you seen the new Thomas' THIN bagels?

E was eating two huge bagels a day. I said "enough!". I mean, that's not really good for anyone, but especially not a kid with the blood sugar history on his dad's side!

So then I found the thin bagels. He still sometimes has two a day, but it's much much better, relative to the huge bagels.

And yes, the bagels in the 80s weren't as enormous as they are now.

 

[kaoden39]

I know I was looking at those at Costco and I thought they looked good. I am thinking about getting them next time I shop. I love the new thin buns by Orowheat I think it is. They are wonderful. My kids love bagels and since they tend towards over eating when they really like something.

 

[bumbershoot]

I can't find paper and pen...or rather, can't find a place to use paper and pen where I wouldn't lose said paper...

Things to do today.


Start on laundry so we all have clothes for the trip. STARTED

Get fun stuff packed up for trip. THOUGHT ABOUT

Pay rent. Pay MIL's rent. Luckily, landlady and MIL's apt are in the same city. CHECK AND CHECK

Get guac and sour cream for food tonight. DONE

Consider a haircut. FORGOT TO CONSIDER

Order things you need...order the free pix from shutterfly you got from creating a Share Site...look at jcpenney with coupon (I love the Rosetti purses they sell and am getting quite a collection of fun, non-leather, CHEAP purses). DIDN'T DO EITHER

OK>>>> go!

 

[Brady's Mom]

I can't find paper and pen...or rather, can't find a place to use paper and pen where I wouldn't lose said paper...

Things to do today.


Start on laundry so we all have clothes for the trip.

Get fun stuff packed up for trip.

Pay rent. Pay MIL's rent. Luckily, landlady and MIL's apt are in the same city.

Get guac and sour cream for food tonight.

Consider a haircut.

Order things you need...order the free pix from shutterfly you got from creating a Share Site...look at jcpenney with coupon (I love the Rosetti purses they sell and am getting quite a collection of fun, non-leather, CHEAP purses).

OK>>>> go!

At least you found a place to write them down and you won't lose the list!!

 

[kaoden39]

At least you found a place to write them down and you won't lose the list!!

At least I hope she doesn't.