Beast. The awesome PTR of awesomeness June 2012 last update: Universal Resort

[StitchIsOurHero]

Have fun at the zoo today! That sounds like a great day!!

 

[JayhawkFans]

Hope you had fun at the zoo. C has been requesting a trio to the zoo in Springfield. We didn't make it last year.

Just 3 weeks!! How exciting .......

 

[BrerMama]

Great update! You are soooo close!!

Mmmm.... Crystal Palace... I've eaten there twice before I knew about the stuffed French Toast in the kid's section... I don't think I'll ever eat anything else there now. LOL

D~

I'm remember the stuffed french toast for Ches. I'm a savory person for breakfast, but she loves the sweets... all the time. Brady's concerned about vegetarian options, so hopefully we'll all find something yummy.

Have fun at the zoo today! That sounds like a great day!!

The zoo was more fun that I anticipated. The lions were clearly in mating season (male and female) and they were more active than I've ever seen them. Wrestling and pouncing. It was amazing to watch them "play" and hear them growl at each other. Kind of made my knees shake a little bit, though. You start to realize that these are wild animals and that they're massive.

Hope you had fun at the zoo. C has been requesting a trio to the zoo in Springfield. We didn't make it last year.

Just 3 weeks!! How exciting .......

As zoo members here, we were not too impressed with the Springfield zoo when we visited, but I know my friend Rose -- who lives in Rockaway Beach -- likes to visit. Maybe we're just spoiled.

And yeah, 3 weeks. Had the "Three weeks from today it will be Father's Day and our Father's Day dinner is at 50s Prime Time" thought this morning.

We've got a big day ahead. We'll go do our daily walk soon, and then we're going to the first showing of Men In Black 3. We're picking up Papa Murphy's pizza on the way home. Yum!

Here's a quick one of my girls yesterday:


IMG_2658 by miss kim 09, on Flickr

It was when I took this -- and remembered that lion roaring at its mate -- that I started thinking about the glass separating him from the girls. And then my knees got a little weak.

 

[DMGeurts]

That is a gorgeous picture of your girls!

D~

 

[BrerMama]

That is a gorgeous picture of your girls!

D~

Oh, thank you. I think they're pretty, too.

So I woke up this morning with the worst heel pain. I am not one to complain about aches and pains or even when I've got a cold/allergies, but this is awful. Dan and I went for our usual two mile walk and I wore my OluKai Ohana sandals and the pain wasn't bad. Bearable as I stretched things out, even. Came home and took a shower and by the time I was done, I was in serious pain again. Just did some laundry and had to wear my Ohanas just to stand and fold. I'm currently icing it down. Wondering if I have plantar fascitis but if I do, it looks like the main solution is to wear good shoes. Mine are designed for plantar fascitis sufferers, so I'm thinking that must be why I feel OK when wearing them. I am a bit pigeon toed (I'm sure there's a scientific name for it) and my feet do tend to point inward when I walk.... wondering if that's contributing to my pain?

Anyway, we leave in 18 days and I'm following all the tips I can find to deal with heel pain. Hopefully something helps....

 

[BrerMama]

Chapter 30: Disney Photo Challenge

When we went to the zoo on Saturday, I gave Mykiah our small point and shoot camera and told her to use it until she felt comfortable with it. When we're in Florida, it's going to be her camera and I want her to take photos for her own memory keeping. I also bought her a fun little art journal she can use as a scrapbook for this trip.

So she took photos and got comfortable. However, I got to thinking that it would be nice for her to have some purpose when taking photos. I'm going to be taking hundreds, if not thousands of photos. She needs a little guidance to figure out what photos to take, which ones not to forget, which ones she doesn't have to take because I'll cover it.

I searched around the internet a little bit and found a bunch of WDW photo challenges and photo scavenger hunts. I know one site was mousescrappers.com and I can't remember the other, so forgive me for not giving appropriate credit. Anyway, I combined the lists and made my own. She's got a list of 30 must-take photos (and though it's Disney oriented, it will work at Universal as well). A shorter list of bonus pictures.

Of course, me being me, I had to digitally scrapbook the list. This is how it turned out:


photolist1 by miss kim 09, on Flickr


photolist2 by miss kim 09, on Flickr

Printed, these are only 2x3 inches. Perfect for her to slip into a pocket in her bag. I did not laminate. First, it would be a pain to try to find somewhere to laminate. Second, I'm pretty sure that laminating these would put the needle clear over into "certifiably insane about Disney."


IMG_2679 by miss kim 09, on Flickr

So there ya go. Our Disney photo challenge 2012.

My heel is feeling better. I have been stretching it almost constantly since yesterday morning. Kiah and I already did a mile and a half walk this morning. I'm off to work again. Had a nice 4 day summer break there. Today and tomorrow are leadership retreat. Two long days in a room with no windows. So excited. Not really, and I'm sure I'll daydream about Disney, but it is slightly better than sitting at home with a bunch of time stretching in front of me. I like being busy.

Have a great week everyone!

 

[BrerMama]

Quick Wednesday update -- First, how did it get to be Wednesday? I swear time has been flying! Second, today Kiah starts the driving portion of driver's ed. I took her out yesterday just so she could get used to sitting in the driver's seat. We drove around a big, empty arena parking lot. It wasn't the most fun I've ever had in my life. In fact, it drove to freezer dive and find the frozen margarita I bought almost a year ago. She's a lot nervous for today and I have a renewed appreciation for how hard it is to learn to drive. After doing it for 25 years, it's become so ingrained that I forget how much you're constantly monitoring.

However, I did confirm that she will have her driving instruction done well before we leave for Disney. These next 16 days are just packed full of work and appointments and now driving. I'm not sure if I'm glad I shoved it all in before we leave so I can relax and enjoy July... or if I should have spaced it out. Guess I'll find out in July.

 

[tinkbell13]

Just caught up again! Love all the plans you have posted. We haven't done the waterparks because we always go in March. That will have to go on my "to do at Disney" list for the future. I absolutely love your Photo Challenge! What a great idea! I might just have to steal that idea for our next trip.

 

[smile5sunshine]

Printed, these are only 2x3 inches. Perfect for her to slip into a pocket in her bag. I did not laminate. First, it would be a pain to try to find somewhere to laminate. Second, I'm pretty sure that laminating these would put the needle clear over into "certifiably insane about Disney."


IMG_2679 by miss kim 09, on Flickr

So there ya go. Our Disney photo challenge 2012.

My heel is feeling better. I have been stretching it almost constantly since yesterday morning. Kiah and I already did a mile and a half walk this morning. I'm off to work again. Had a nice 4 day summer break there. Today and tomorrow are leadership retreat. Two long days in a room with no windows. So excited. Not really, and I'm sure I'll daydream about Disney, but it is slightly better than sitting at home with a bunch of time stretching in front of me. I like being busy.

Have a great week everyone!

Um, the photo challenge idea is AWESOME! I'm sure Kiah is going to have a great time hunting for all of those. And I LOOOOOVE how you made them so that they coordinate with all your other scrap-booking stuff.

Sorry that your foot is hurting so badly. I'm sure you are already doing this (since you've already read online all the tips/tricks to try) but when my DH's foot was bothering him, he used a FROZEN GOLF BALL to roll around on the heel of his foot. He said that felt really good. At any rate, I hope that it starts to feel better and doesn't cause you any trouble for your upcoming trip!

Quick Wednesday update -- First, how did it get to be Wednesday? I swear time has been flying! Second, today Kiah starts the driving portion of driver's ed. I took her out yesterday just so she could get used to sitting in the driver's seat. We drove around a big, empty arena parking lot. It wasn't the most fun I've ever had in my life. In fact, it drove to freezer dive and find the frozen margarita I bought almost a year ago. She's a lot nervous for today and I have a renewed appreciation for how hard it is to learn to drive. After doing it for 25 years, it's become so ingrained that I forget how much you're constantly monitoring.

However, I did confirm that she will have her driving instruction done well before we leave for Disney. These next 16 days are just packed full of work and appointments and now driving. I'm not sure if I'm glad I shoved it all in before we leave so I can relax and enjoy July... or if I should have spaced it out. Guess I'll find out in July.

hoping Kiah does great with learning the new skill of driving!

Sunshine

 

[lumpy08]

Great TR! I LOVE your PL cards. I can't wait to see how your scrapbook comes out. I am doing PL as well. We will be there at the same time. Maybe we will have to share photos . For the heel pain. My DH is a teacher and stands all day. He had the heel pain a few years back and it ended up being heel spurs. It was the bottom of his foot. He was told to take motrin. He did go for PT and they taught him all these stretching techniques. He also had to get orthodics. The orthodics made all the difference in the world. When he doesn't wear them the heel spurs flare up. Our last trip I had pain in the back of my ankle. It ended up being Achilles tendonitis. I had to do pretty much same as DH minus the orthothodics.

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

How did I miss the photo challenge pics?? LOVE them!!! Can't wait to see how that turns out!

I hope your leg/foot feels better! That's such yucky pain!

Not too much longer, and you're ready to go!!

 

[BrerMama]

Just caught up again! Love all the plans you have posted. We haven't done the waterparks because we always go in March. That will have to go on my "to do at Disney" list for the future. I absolutely love your Photo Challenge! What a great idea! I might just have to steal that idea for our next trip.

You know, I feel completely unprepared for the water parks despite what I've been writing here. Reading up on them is definitely on my list for this weekend. Or maybe I'll put Kiah on it.

Um, the photo challenge idea is AWESOME! I'm sure Kiah is going to have a great time hunting for all of those. And I LOOOOOVE how you made them so that they coordinate with all your other scrap-booking stuff.

Sorry that your foot is hurting so badly. I'm sure you are already doing this (since you've already read online all the tips/tricks to try) but when my DH's foot was bothering him, he used a FROZEN GOLF BALL to roll around on the heel of his foot. He said that felt really good. At any rate, I hope that it starts to feel better and doesn't cause you any trouble for your upcoming trip!



hoping Kiah does great with learning the new skill of driving!

Sunshine

I actually ordered a special ball for my foot. I used a tennis ball, but the one I ordered has little spiky things so we'll see what I think. It should arrive today. It's feeling much better. I googled stretches for heel pain and have been doing them almost constantly while sitting at meetings the last two days.

I'm pretty happy with the photo challenge idea. Last night Kiah found another journal I'd purchased for her, so she'll have her pick of how she wants to put the photos into an album. Fun stuff!

Great TR! I LOVE your PL cards. I can't wait to see how your scrapbook comes out. I am doing PL as well. We will be there at the same time. Maybe we will have to share photos . For the heel pain. My DH is a teacher and stands all day. He had the heel pain a few years back and it ended up being heel spurs. It was the bottom of his foot. He was told to take motrin. He did go for PT and they taught him all these stretching techniques. He also had to get orthodics. The orthodics made all the difference in the world. When he doesn't wear them the heel spurs flare up. Our last trip I had pain in the back of my ankle. It ended up being Achilles tendonitis. I had to do pretty much same as DH minus the orthothodics.

I am so in love with Project Life that I think I'll do it next year for a year long project. I'm doing a monthly "round-up" album this year and I almost dropped it in March, so I hate to take on a huge project like Project Life. I'm loving the idea of doing it for this trip, though. So I'll just have to see...

I'm also really hoping to avoid orthotics. Stretching like crazy. Wearing shoes constantly.

How did I miss the photo challenge pics?? LOVE them!!! Can't wait to see how that turns out!

I hope your leg/foot feels better! That's such yucky pain!

Not too much longer, and you're ready to go!!

I know! Woke up this morning and told DH, "15 days!" and he said, "2 weeks from today we leave for the airport!" I am so excited to get into the single digits soon, but knowing that 2 weeks from today we'll be leaving our house is just crazy!

 

[BrerMama]

Chapter 31: Back to Hollywood Studios

Our triumphant return to Hollywood Studios.

Nah, I'm just being silly. We didn't leave a whole lot to be conquered the other day, did we?

I'm guessing we'll go the TSMM/TofT/RNRC marathon.


tumblr_lv1hayq22P1qhi766o1_500 by miss kim 09, on Flickr

Those were our priorities the other day. There are a lot of other things I'd like to do at Hollywood Studios.

Star Tours: A must do for Dan and the kids. I usually skip it because of my motion sickness. I don't know if I'll ride. Last time I got to babysit my niece, who was napping. Maybe I can borrow a baby this trip. Hey, I'm a certified teacher... surely someone could use a babysitter so they can ride Star Tours, right?

Lights, Motors, Action: Dan and Brady did this last trip while the girls and I watched the parade. I wouldn't mind seeing it, but I'm not willing to wait in heat and humidity just to watch a show that takes place in the heat and humidity. It's a maybe for me. See also Beauty & the Beast, Indiana Jones, and Pixar Pals parade.

MuppetVision: Must do. Actually, it's kind of old and dated, but love the Muppets. Yes we do. We even all have Muppet shirts to wear on one of our DHS days.


tumblr_lv54zbTc9I1qhi766o1_500 by miss kim 09, on Flickr

Voyage of the Little Mermaid: Hey, it's air conditioned and not awful. The last time we were here, Ariel must have been new because I swear I caught her looking at a cheat sheet for the lyrics. Let's hope this time she knows her lines. If not, I bet I could do it in a pinch.

Great Movie Ride: I don't mind this one. I don't consider it a jewel of Disney magic, but it's fun.


tumblr_lt6aebddVD1qhi766o1_500 by miss kim 09, on Flickr

Animation thing: I don't know what it's called. The thing where you learn to draw Disney characters. I can't draw at all, which is why I use a computer for everything. Brady enjoys drawing and art and I think this would be right up his alley. So we'll go. If not on our first day, definitely on this second trip.

We do have an ADR today for Sci Fi for an early lunch. This has long been Brady's favorite Disney dining, and now that they have a real vegetarian burger, it could definitely get some big thumbs up from us. I'm not sure we'll keep it, but we've got it just in case.


tumblr_lngy4vk1zD1qhi766o1_r2_500 by miss kim 09, on Flickr

Oh, and before we leave, I definitely have to check out the Tower of Terror gift shop. I just read that they sell LOST merchandise. I love LOST -- still -- and would love to grab a t-shirt.

This is our last day at Hollywood Studios. I imagine we'll take some time to make sure we've accomplished all that we want to do before leaving. Judging from experience, it may be five years before we get back.

On a non-Disney note, I'm happy to report that Kiah loved every minute of her driving instruction. The teacher is the father of one of her classmates (but also not only a professional driving instructor but also a sped teacher in my district). He was very calm and positive and everything I was not. Apparently. She feels so much more confident and I'm so glad I went ahead and got her private lessons. Wish I'd done it for Tater, to tell the truth.

With that, I'm off for my first day of summer testing. Bunches of 2 year olds coming in to see if they qualify for special education... and if they do, we'll need to decide where they'll be served. I'm just so excited to see kids!

 

[DMGeurts]

Sorry about your heel pain... I have Plantar Fascitis, and it is sometimes very horrible. When it acts up, I have to stay off my feet as much as possible - elevate the problem foot, while I am icing it (icing is the key, keeps the inflamation down)... when I am not elevating it, I freeze a water bottle and roll that around on the bottom of my foot. My Orthaheel flip flops are a Godsend, I wear them everywhere - just not to work, but they go on the minute I get home! I've had them for almost 3 years, and I really need to order a new pair - I get so much use out of these. I sure hope you are able to get this figured out before Disney.

D~

 

[smile5sunshine]

Chapter 31: Back to Hollywood Studios...


MuppetVision: Must do. Actually, it's kind of old and dated, but love the Muppets. Yes we do. We even all have Muppet shirts to wear on one of our DHS days.


Animation thing: I don't know what it's called. The thing where you learn to draw Disney characters. I can't draw at all, which is why I use a computer for everything. Brady enjoys drawing and art and I think this would be right up his alley. So we'll go. If not on our first day, definitely on this second trip.

We do have an ADR today for Sci Fi for an early lunch. This has long been Brady's favorite Disney dining, and now that they have a real vegetarian burger, it could definitely get some big thumbs up from us. I'm not sure we'll keep it, but we've got it just in case.



On a non-Disney note, I'm happy to report that Kiah loved every minute of her driving instruction. The teacher is the father of one of her classmates (but also not only a professional driving instructor but also a sped teacher in my district). He was very calm and positive and everything I was not. Apparently. She feels so much more confident and I'm so glad I went ahead and got her private lessons. Wish I'd done it for Tater, to tell the truth.

With that, I'm off for my first day of summer testing. Bunches of 2 year olds coming in to see if they qualify for special education... and if they do, we'll need to decide where they'll be served. I'm just so excited to see kids!

WE LOVE THE MUPPETS!!! So glad this show is still going strong!

My 19 month old draws better than I do, so I feel you there!

My whole family is vegetarian, and from what research I've done ANY quick service location that serves burgers can substitute a veggie patty on request. I actually spent an entire day combing through all the QS menus in each park to make a list of the vegetarian options available to us. If you are interested in my list, PM me and I can email or message it to you.

YAY for Kiah having a good first driving class. I bet she picks it up in no time.

**, hope all that testing goes well!

*edit* ROFL, I'm not sure why that was bleeped out cause it's nothing bad (or at least I don't THINK it is...off to google!)
*edit2* yup, even Urban dictionary says it's clean (and if it was even remotely offensive you'd bet your buttons it'd be posted on that site!) For what it's worth, the boards edited out the word O i .....okay I'm done talking to myself now!

Sunshine

 

[momabaarjo]

Love the picture of the girls at the Zoo! And I REALLY love the photo challenge cards...I need to do that with Ab. I bought her a camera a couple of years ago and she barely uses it (after wanting one so bad). I really wish my family would take pictures so that I could see their point of view!

 

[BrerMama]

Love the picture of the girls at the Zoo! And I REALLY love the photo challenge cards...I need to do that with Ab. I bought her a camera a couple of years ago and she barely uses it (after wanting one so bad). I really wish my family would take pictures so that I could see their point of view!

I was afraid that Kiah would not take many photos thinking that I was taking them all, so I wanted to give her some guidance. I'd really like for her to start making a journal of our trips because I think those would be amazing to have as an adult.

WE LOVE THE MUPPETS!!! So glad this show is still going strong!

My 19 month old draws better than I do, so I feel you there!

My whole family is vegetarian, and from what research I've done ANY quick service location that serves burgers can substitute a veggie patty on request. I actually spent an entire day combing through all the QS menus in each park to make a list of the vegetarian options available to us. If you are interested in my list, PM me and I can email or message it to you.

YAY for Kiah having a good first driving class. I bet she picks it up in no time.

**, hope all that testing goes well!

*edit* ROFL, I'm not sure why that was bleeped out cause it's nothing bad (or at least I don't THINK it is...off to google!)
*edit2* yup, even Urban dictionary says it's clean (and if it was even remotely offensive you'd bet your buttons it'd be posted on that site!) For what it's worth, the boards edited out the word O i .....okay I'm done talking to myself now!

Sunshine

I may have to get that vegetarian list from you. So far I think our biggest challenge is going to be the water parks. All we could find was cheese pizza. Tater's thrilled.

Sorry about your heel pain... I have Plantar Fascitis, and it is sometimes very horrible. When it acts up, I have to stay off my feet as much as possible - elevate the problem foot, while I am icing it (icing is the key, keeps the inflamation down)... when I am not elevating it, I freeze a water bottle and roll that around on the bottom of my foot. My Orthaheel flip flops are a Godsend, I wear them everywhere - just not to work, but they go on the minute I get home! I've had them for almost 3 years, and I really need to order a new pair - I get so much use out of these. I sure hope you are able to get this figured out before Disney.

D~

I bought some foot ball thing to run my foot over. That seemed to help. The whole never-going-barefoot thing seems to be the most help. My kids think it's strange because they never see me in shoes and now I wear them all the time. They keep asking me where I'm going. Right now, it's barely there. I notice it, but not like I did on Sunday when I could barely walk.

My bigger problem today is my sore shoulder. I had a child yesterday throw a fit and not want to come in off the playground, so I just picked him up and carried him in. I carry students all the time during the school year, but it's been a couple of weeks since I needed to do that, so today I'm paying for it.

As soon as I'm done today we're off to my parents' house for the weekend. My kids have been asking to go and we need to get the dog to my parents anyway, so we're off. My little Hayden will be spending the entire month of June with my parents. I feel a little sad about that, but I know that my dad will enjoy having the company (he's retired) and that Hayden would much rather be with my parents than in a kennel. He's getting so old and he's a Chihuahua mix and the anxiety caused by being in a kennel is just too much for him.

We'll be back Sunday. Today we got our last paycheck before we leave, so there's a whole list of stuff we need to buy this weekend for our trip. Hopefully we'll get it all (Kiah even printed up a color coded shopping list) and then next weekend can be all about packing.

Holy cow! This is really going to happen!!

 

[JayhawkFans]

Holy cow! This is really going to happen!!

So excited for you. Hope you have a great weekend with your parents. Won't be long now and you'll be in the single digits!!!

 

[BrerMama]

So excited for you. Hope you have a great weekend with your parents. Won't be long now and you'll be in the single digits!!!

Thank you! I have a plan for the single digit days... just have to get the rest of the family on board...

 

[BrerMama]

Chapter 32

Our two week update

Except, you know, that I missed our two week date, so it's more like 12 day update.

This morning we will be off to Walmart to pick up the remaining things we need to buy for our trip. I was hoping to do a nice long walk around the park before we went to Walmart, but a storm went through last night and it still looks like it might be a lot wet out there.

My foot is much, much better. In fact, I can barely tell there was ever any pain. However, my shoulder and neck are now my big problem. I picked up one of the little guys we were testing on Thursday because he wouldn't leave to go to the playground and he was just a little bitty thing. Seemed faster just to pick him up and get him out there. I normally wait out a fit, but when you've got 90 minutes with a child... Anyway, felt it Friday. Been stretching it and taking Advil all weekend. Still sore today.

Had a fun Saturday with my family. Yesterday we went to an orchard where the blackberries were just turning black.


IMG_2715 by miss kim 09, on Flickr

We picked and picked and picked.


IMG_2718 by miss kim 09, on Flickr

My mom divided them into 3 sections, taking the smallest portion for herself. We came home late last night and immediately washed them and prepared them for flash freezing. At Walmart, I'll pick up some freezer bags and our freezer will be well stocked with blackberries. Kiah loves to throw them into her morning oatmeal and frozen berries are perfect for that. With the fresh berries, I'm going to make some triple berry cobbler for dessert tonight (I also have raspberries and blueberries). Going to be totally yummy.

The bigger problem is the enormous zucchini my mom bought Brady. He wants to make zucchini burgers. I don't know how to do that, let alone freeze them for future use. Not sure if it's better to make them as burgers now, then freeze... or freeze shredded zucchini and then let him make the burgers when he's ready to eat them.

Anyway.... we're getting close. I'll finish up my daily plans this week hopefully. Just made some exciting changes for the Universal portion. I'm stupid excited.