Fairy GodMAW Grants Princess Bella's WISH! Update 12/2 - One more sleep til Disney!

[Dreamer & Wisher]

I do "want" the castle! And I will keep trying, but I will not let not getting (sorry for the double negative) CRT ressies rain on my parade!

What is that a picture of? Strawebrry soup? OMGosh, at first I thought it was squid!!!!

That is Squid! The strawberry soup looks much prettier than that. It is so yummy the soup, not the squid *my apologies to those who enjoy squid*. I had some of the soup on our trip in January, I wish I had taken a picture. If you can do both I would try to go to both. Eating in the castle is really neat. The food really isn't a big draw. . .
1900 Park Fare has a different atmosphere. It is so much fun and Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters are so funny. The food there is better also.

I hope you get a CRT reservation are you trying for a breakfast time. Have you contacted Maroo? I bet she could help you get in.

 

[maroo]

OK, I WILL call you Maroo, promise! Once things calm down a little bit for you, and for me too. I just know how sick and busy you are right now and don't want to inconvenience you.

I'm still hanging in there with the feeding stuff, it just gets frustrating meal after meal (5Xs each day), day after day. The worst part is seeing Bella miserable because of the same food that gives most of us such joy. My fear is that Bella will be so miserable during her meals (and for about an hour afterwards as her blood sugar recovers) that she won't be able to enjoy her Wish Trip.

Thank you for your prayers!

As far as unplanned plans go, I just need to find time to sit down and give it all some thought. On Thursday, I'm going on a 4 day scrapbooking retreat with some friends. One of my goals this weekend is to take a couple of hours to figure out some of the details of our Disney trip.

I will send you a PM early next week when things are (hopefully) back to normal for both of us.

Just tell me this much...while I am stuck here at home (word is I may not be able to go back to work this week - at all! Because I will still be contagious for days...something about the new CDC recommendations for healthcare workers???)...

So...

You wanna just PM me the date(s) that would be good for the CRT breakfast...and the # of people and ages of children. And I can work on that.

I am so sorry you have so much on your plate.

Is there anyone that is able to help you feed her? Anyone else that can take some shifts from you? Day in and day out, that must be exhausting.

That is Squid! The strawberry soup looks much prettier than that. It is so yummy the soup, not the squid *my apologies to those who enjoy squid*. I had some of the soup on our trip in January, I wish I had taken a picture. If you can do both I would try to go to both. Eating in the castle is really neat. The food really isn't a big draw. . .
1900 Park Fare has a different atmosphere. It is so much fun and Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters are so funny. The food there is better also.

I hope you get a CRT reservation are you trying for a breakfast time. Have you contacted Maroo? I bet she could help you get in.

Oh...I can't do squid!!!!!!

Yeah...I am going to have to get some info about this CRT ressie. I bet we can get it!

 

[Sandy321]

aack - I SO APOLOGIZE

That is a salad with baby octopus - dh loved it very much - we watched an Iron Chef on Food Network that did octopus and Alton Brown said baby Octopus is very delicate in flavor!

I'll never know!!

Dh LOVED it!!

I do "want" the castle! And I will keep trying, but I will not let not getting (sorry for the double negative) CRT ressies rain on my parade!

What is that a picture of? Strawebrry soup? OMGosh, at first I thought it was squid!!!!

Go to CRT for Lunch - Dinner is so rushed - and can be late

That is Squid! The strawberry soup looks much prettier than that. It is so yummy the soup, not the squid *my apologies to those who enjoy squid*. I had some of the soup on our trip in January, I wish I had taken a picture. If you can do both I would try to go to both. Eating in the castle is really neat. The food really isn't a big draw. . .
1900 Park Fare has a different atmosphere. It is so much fun and Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters are so funny. The food there is better also.

I hope you get a CRT reservation are you trying for a breakfast time. Have you contacted Maroo? I bet she could help you get in.

Thanks for stepping in - the strawberry soup is dessert!! Its a creamy pink cold bowl of good sweetness!! Fresh strawberries, cream... YUM!!


brb - dh is calling in a training schedule for me to do today

 

[StefaniLyn]

Unfortunately, I think your first guess is right---- squids or calimari. Both of which are actually pretty tasty, if you can get past the thought.

will post more later...

Oh my! I did think that was a funny looking strawberry soup! I'm not a big fan of any food with tentacles!

That is Squid! The strawberry soup looks much prettier than that. It is so yummy the soup, not the squid *my apologies to those who enjoy squid*. I had some of the soup on our trip in January, I wish I had taken a picture. If you can do both I would try to go to both. Eating in the castle is really neat. The food really isn't a big draw. . .
1900 Park Fare has a different atmosphere. It is so much fun and Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters are so funny. The food there is better also.

I hope you get a CRT reservation are you trying for a breakfast time. Have you contacted Maroo? I bet she could help you get in.

The strawberry soup sounds delicious - I'll definitely have to try it at 1900PF. I think Cinderella will be on of the last movies we see for DFN before our trip - that way the stepsisters and Lady Tremaine will be fresh in our minds when we go to CRT. Hmmmm. . . . maybe we should put strawberry soup on the menu that evening!

I called twice over the past week about CRT and no luck so far. I'm going to keep trying. And I believe Maroo is going to get in on the action too!

Just tell me this much...while I am stuck here at home (word is I may not be able to go back to work this week - at all! Because I will still be contagious for days...something about the new CDC recommendations for healthcare workers???)...

So...

You wanna just PM me the date(s) that would be good for the CRT breakfast...and the # of people and ages of children. And I can work on that.

I am so sorry you have so much on your plate.

Is there anyone that is able to help you feed her? Anyone else that can take some shifts from you? Day in and day out, that must be exhausting.





Oh...I can't do squid!!!!!!

Yeah...I am going to have to get some info about this CRT ressie. I bet we can get it!

No Way, a whole week?!?! Bummer. I really hope this doesn't eat up your vacation days for December - I was REALLY looking forward to meeting up with you.

So you've twisted my arm (kidding! - it didn't take much). We are trying to get ressies for CRT either breakfast or lunch on December 9th (Wednesday). Our table can be for 5 or 6 (G-ma is okay either way) with 3 children - DD10, DD8, and DD5. DD5 has celiac disease and will not be eating Disney food but she will be dining with us. We will carry in her food to ensure proper texture and safety from gluten contamination.

I am not going to be around the DIS boards much again until Sunday. I am leaving on a scrapbooking retreat with some girlfriends tomorrow afternoon, right after Bella's appointment to get her new, purple hearing aids.

DH helps with the feedings and GMa has flown up for the weekend so I can go scrapbooking. Other than that, nobody is trained in protocol except for the teachers I am training now. This week has been a little better, but we've still had a couple bumps in the road. It is at times a lot to handle, but it's all worth it when I get my Bella Bear hugs and kisses. She really is the sweetest thing you've ever met!

Squid = not my cup o'tea eaither

Thanks for looking into the CRT ressie for me. I greatly appreciate your help!

aack - I SO APOLOGIZE

That is a salad with baby octopus - dh loved it very much - we watched an Iron Chef on Food Network that did octopus and Alton Brown said baby Octopus is very delicate in flavor!

I'll never know!!

Dh LOVED it!!



Go to CRT for Lunch - Dinner is so rushed - and can be late




Thanks for stepping in - the strawberry soup is dessert!! Its a creamy pink cold bowl of good sweetness!! Fresh strawberries, cream... YUM!!


brb - dh is calling in a training schedule for me to do today

Oops! I'm just glad that wasn't the strawberry soup because it sounds delicious and I WANT to try it but if it looked like that no offense, but I'd have to pass!

A soup for desert?!?! Yummy!

 

[jenb1023]

Just joining in on your PTR! Love the Disney Family Movie Nights!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Just joining in on your PTR! Love the Disney Family Movie Nights!

Welcome, and thanks for joining in! Sorry it's been so dead around here for the past week or so, it's a busy time for me personally. After this week, things should slow down a bit and I'm hoping to start making some real plans for our trip and post them here!

 

[StefaniLyn]

DGma was in town last week so we decided to pick a movie for Disney Family Night that would elicit some creative and delicious foods as Grandma is a great cook. So our movie of choice was ALADDIN!

Though the girls love Princess Jasmine, none of them had seen this movie so I was excited for them to watch. But, I was even more excited about the menu! As you know, Aladdin takes place in the fictional city of Agrabah. It is supposedly located in the real-life country of India. Our food selection was a combination of items from the middle east and south asia.

Craft Project: Jasmine Jewelry. We used a jewelry making kit to create bracelets and necklaces that were worthy of being worn by Princess Jasmine herself.

Our food selection for the evening included many arabian and middle eastern food selections.

Chicken Kabobs - marinated chicken breasts skewered and then grilled. These were delicious!

Naan bread - a delicious leavened flatbread that is often baked. We made ours on a skillet and it turned out awesome. Kennedy helped butter the naan after it was made.

Lentils with Spinach - not my favorite dish, but DH and DGma enjoyed it!

Baba Ghannouj - an eggplant appetizer had an interesting taste to it

Falafel ball (on top) - a fried ball made from chickpeas and spices.

Basmati rice stuffed cabbage leaves - basmati rice combined with pine nuts, raisins, cumin, garlic, cinnamon, tomato paste, parsley, carrots, and chicken bullion then wrapped in a cabbage leaf and baked. Mmmmmmmmm. This was my favorite dish of the evening!

Because cooking the food took a very long time this evening, we decided to let the kids eat in front of the television while we watched the movie. Bella enjoyed her gluten free version of our meal. The only thing she couldn't eat was the falafel ball

Deserts, yes, that is plural folks. We couldn't decide on just one for tonight!

First, in the bowl to the left, we have

Chocolate Mohallabiah - a type of rice pudding made with rice flour, topped with shaved chocolate

and on the right is

Baklava - is a type of pastry traditionally made with phyllo dough, honey, nuts, and orange essence. It was incredibly tasty. The kids especially enjoyed hearing Genie sing "How 'bout a little more BAKLAVA?" in his song "Never had a Friend Like Me"

The food was delicious! This was by far my favorite DFN for food! Mmmmmmmmm. . . . my mouth waters just thinking about it!

The girls really enjoyed the movie, of course! Bella and Kennedy even convinced DH to get up and slow dance with them as Aladdin whisked Jasmine through the arabian nights on the magic carpet ride into "A Whole New World".

 

[that's nice]

WOW that is some meal you had! Everything looks really good. I can say I never had 1/2 the food you made. Do you take your cooking on the road?

How has Bella's eating been going at school? Hopefully somewhat better.

How did you make out with all your ADR's?

 

[StefaniLyn]

WOW that is some meal you had! Everything looks really good. I can say I never had 1/2 the food you made. Do you take your cooking on the road?

How has Bella's eating been going at school? Hopefully somewhat better.

How did you make out with all your ADR's?

It was reeeeeeeealllllly good food! Most of these dishes were first timers for me as well!

I'd be happy to take my cooking on the road, just send me a plane ticket, lol!

Thanks for your concern for Bella. Her eating at school is, well, um, let's call it stable. She still resists the first few bites and drinks. However, her teachers have done a great job with her protocol and are able to get her to eat her food within a reasonable amount of time. For the past week, I have been able to allow the teachers to feed Bella without me present.

Unfortunately, Bella is still having issues with blood glucose spikes after meals. Her GI team has tried dietary changes but it hasn't helped. Changes that should have helped actually made it worse (she spiked to over 330 on Friday) so GI has now referred us to endocrinology. Our new endocrinologist will attempt to treat her as an outpatient but we were warned that there is a possibility he may want to admit her to better monitor her food intake and get lab values for blood glucose level. Please keep Bella in your prayers - she really does not want to be hospitalized and get poked for blood a dozen times a day!

As for ADRs, we got CandleLight Processional package, 1900 Park Fare, and BBB. We will keep trying for CRT, but it's not the end of the world if we don't get it.

 

[All7OfUs]

Now that's a meal I can live with!! YUMMO!! So tasty!

I just harvested one of my last eggplants, so I can do the baba! I have to go buy the tahini, though. Does your recipe call for tahini in it?

Glad there weren't any (reported) snafus with the movie this week, and so glad that everyone liked the movie. But it sounds like the star of the night was Mama and her cooking!

Happy to hear that Bella is cooperating with her eating a little more. I really do hope they can keep with the outpatient protocol!

 

[jenb1023]

Wow! What an ambitious meal! I'm impressed! I am glad to hear they are getting her to eat at school. I hope you can find the cause of the blood glucose spikes.

 

[pipersmom]

I've really enjoyed reading your pre-trip thus far, even with the small bumps in the movie nights We're just beginning our MAW journey and you're giving me some great ideas. Bella and other dd's are so sweet..Piper and I are are looking forward to keeping up with your thread ! I'll keep my fingers crossed you guys can get some resolution with outpatient treatment and not an admittance.

 

[chrissid7]

OMG! I have loved reading your trip report. Your Bella and My Alyssa actually have a bit in common. Alyssa (10) does have cystic fibrosis, but she also has epilepsy (absense or petit mal seizures) They are hard to control because they are triggered by artificial colors, dyes and flavors. She also has either a strong wheat intollerance or Celiac. We started the diet before we did the endoscopy so the only DX we have is the proof of a new child (she had an amazing recovery). I also figured out during the process that Ive been reacting for years and now feel 100% better since going gluten free. NO MIGRAINE IN ALMOST 3 YEARS! She has had major lung issues and is at 40% lung capacity and just this summer she got the G-tube (the MIC_KEY button) We love calling it MICKEY instead of feeding tube, it just sounds better huh? She also had the Nissen surgery at that time. She is also pancreatic insuffecient and she takes pancrease MT 16 but we will most likely switch back to ultrase now that she has had the surgery and it corrected her reflux.

We are awaiting dates for GKTW but we asked for December so fingers are crossed. It would be Awesome if we were there on the same week.

I will be starting my PTR ( kinda just did a lil one lol) very soon.

And Liam ( I realize its a different tr) but omg how adorable. Again so much in common. Im so happy that i found this board! I have read so much this week that my eyeballs are about to fall out f my head!!

 

[StefaniLyn]

I've really enjoyed reading your pre-trip thus far, even with the small bumps in the movie nights We're just beginning our MAW journey and you're giving me some great ideas. Bella and other dd's are so sweet..Piper and I are are looking forward to keeping up with your thread ! I'll keep my fingers crossed you guys can get some resolution with outpatient treatment and not an admittance.

I'm glad you're enjoying our movie nights. One of these days, I'll actually get around to some trip planning too, lol. Piper is such a sweetheart too! I can't wait to hear all about your planning! We will be going to see Bella's GI doctor on Monday. Hopefully they can figure something else out - she's just miserable after every meal lately!

OMG! I have loved reading your trip report. Your Bella and My Alyssa actually have a bit in common. Alyssa (10) does have cystic fibrosis, but she also has epilepsy (absense or petit mal seizures) They are hard to control because they are triggered by artificial colors, dyes and flavors. She also has either a strong wheat intollerance or Celiac. We started the diet before we did the endoscopy so the only DX we have is the proof of a new child (she had an amazing recovery). I also figured out during the process that Ive been reacting for years and now feel 100% better since going gluten free. NO MIGRAINE IN ALMOST 3 YEARS! She has had major lung issues and is at 40% lung capacity and just this summer she got the G-tube (the MIC_KEY button) We love calling it MICKEY instead of feeding tube, it just sounds better huh? She also had the Nissen surgery at that time. She is also pancreatic insuffecient and she takes pancrease MT 16 but we will most likely switch back to ultrase now that she has had the surgery and it corrected her reflux.

We are awaiting dates for GKTW but we asked for December so fingers are crossed. It would be Awesome if we were there on the same week.

I will be starting my PTR ( kinda just did a lil one lol) very soon.

And Liam ( I realize its a different tr) but omg how adorable. Again so much in common. Im so happy that i found this board! I have read so much this week that my eyeballs are about to fall out f my head!!

Oh awesome! How great would it be to meet up with another MAW family at GKTW! Please keep me updated about your planning progress! I truly think we picked the best time to go to WDW. Not during the peak times like TGiving and Christmas Day, but we still get to enjoy the Disney Magic holiday style AND, best of all, we will get to see Steven Curtis Chapman as the guest narrator for the Candlelight Processional!!!

Wow! What an ambitious meal! I'm impressed! I am glad to hear they are getting her to eat at school. I hope you can find the cause of the blood glucose spikes.

Thanks! I couldn't have done it without DGma! She's a great cook!
Meals continue to go fairly well for Bella at school but they've actually called in reinforcements to feed her now I warned the staff before school started that feeding her was truly a one on one job. However, for the past few weeks Bella's feeder at school has tried to juggle Bella and another special needs child during lunchtime. Fortunately, the teacher recognized that it wasn't working and now another paraprofessional will be feeding Bella her lunch every day. And a bonus to this is that Bella will now receive additional speech and occupational therapy at school because meals used to count as therapy time!

Now that's a meal I can live with!! YUMMO!! So tasty!

I just harvested one of my last eggplants, so I can do the baba! I have to go buy the tahini, though. Does your recipe call for tahini in it?

Glad there weren't any (reported) snafus with the movie this week, and so glad that everyone liked the movie. But it sounds like the star of the night was Mama and her cooking!

Happy to hear that Bella is cooperating with her eating a little more. I really do hope they can keep with the outpatient protocol!

I thought of you while preparing for this meal Leisa. I knew it'd be right up your alley.

No Snafus except the length of time it took to prepare the meal. Woo Hoo!

The baba we made did not have tahini in it. Unfortunately, I can't find the recipe anymore. Sorry.

 

[StefaniLyn]

So, I'm doing a little catching up tonight now that I have a moment. As much as I love watching my kiddos do sports, the combination of volleyball, soccer x3, gymnastics X3, girl scouts X2, PTO and volunteering has me running myself ragged. Just a few more weeks of this until things settle down and I can catch up on pretrip reports, trip reports, and start planning the day to day stuff for our Wish Trip.

Anyway, this Disney Family Night is from just over a week ago. So without further ado, I present - Disney Family Night #8 - Finding Nemo!

Fish are Friends, NOT FOOD! Well, tonight, they were food! Finding Nemo is one of my favorite Disney movies and we couldn't miss seeing it before Bella's Wish trip as there is an fun Nemo ride in Epcot and an incredible Finding Nemo musical show in Animal Kingdom!

Kennedy, AJ (with friend Jordan) and Bella work on this evening's craft project, tissue fish. I cut out large fish shaped paper and the girls adhered tissue paper squares to them with a glue and water mixture. It was an easy, minimal mess project that kept the girls busy while Ben and I prepared dinner.

Appetizer #1 - Seafood Nachos - tortillia chips topped with imitation crabmeat, cheese, and a sprinkle of paprika, then baked until the cheese melts

Appetizer #2 - Australian Shrimp on the Barbie - similar to the ones served at Outback Steakhouse, these shrimp are skewered, seasoned, and then bbq'ed. Scrumptious and very easy to make!

Even Bella enjoyed the shrimp!

Our main dish for the evening -

Fish Sticks - AJ has been begging for Nemo night for a long time because she loves fish sticks!

Seashells and Cheese - velveeta style

Coral Reef Cauliflower - this was my favorite dish, not because it was great tasting (it is still a vegetable) but because it's so cute! It was actually Ben's idea. We cut the cauliflower into 4 sections and cooked each portion in a different color of water mixed with food coloring.

A close up of the Coral Reef Cauliflower

Bella enjoys her gluten free version - baked haddock instead of fish sticks.

The family enjoying our Finding Nemo Disney Family Night. These evenings are a great excuse for our family to slow down and take time to eat and enjoy an evening together. We'll likely continue these even after Bella's Wish Trip to Disney world

 

[StefaniLyn]

So folks, you're getting a 2 for the price of 1 this evening if you're reading along. . . .

One might think with all this time on my hands now that the kids are in school I would have our DFN's planned well in advance. Alas, such is not the case and we scrambled again at the last minute to throw this together.

Actually, this week I originally had this great plan to take the kids to Stonefire Pizza (kinda like a Chuck E Cheese) and pretend it was Pizza Planet, and then go see the Toy Story double feature in theatres. Sounds like fun, hey?

Well, here comes that good old snafu again! Turns out AJ has a Girl Scout Field trip tonight (had I checked my schedule I would have known this). I considered for a moment letting her skip the field trip, however, it wasn't just ANY field trip. Tonight, AJ and her Girl Scout Troop went to the Madison Ronald McDonald House. Of course, given our history (we have stayed at Ronald McDonald Houses over 100 days over the past 5 years), I felt AJ really should go with her troop. And she did go, and she had a great time! I hope the families at RMH in Madison enjoyed her cookies!

Soooooo . . . . yesterday evening I realized I was in need of a plan B. Of course, I waited until this evening to figure out what plan B was. I'm quickly discovering that we don't have nearly as many Disney DVD's as I thought and even worse, the girls have free access to the DVDs we do own and do not take very good care of them. But thanks to my dear friend and neighbor Michelle and her willingness to lend us her her DVD, tonight's Disney Family Night was The Lion King!

Bella shows off our Disney Family Night movie of the week - the Lion King! Darn printer wasn't working either so I couldn't print a picture of the movie poster

Our craft for the evening: Painting Lion and Monkey suncatchers. AJ's friend Kierra helped a little too!

Bring on the food!

Our appetizers for the evening -

Animal Crackers - chocolate and regular ones
Pumbaa's Pigs in a Blanket - a half hotdog and slice of cheese wrapped into a crescent roll and baked. Always a favorite in our house!
and . . . .
Elephant Ears - these tasty pastries are a mixture of flour, sugar, shortening, salt, and baking powder, rolled flat and then deep fried and sprinkled with a sugar & cinnamon mixture. Y-U-M-M-Y!!!!!

The girls enjoying their appetizers. Unfortunately, Bella wasn't able to eat any of them so we cut her up a plan hot dog to enjoy.

This evening's meal!
Rafiki's Trees of Life with cheese sauce - broccoli with cheese sauce
Wildebeast Wild Rice - gotta love Uncle Ben!
Pride Rock Lemon Pepper Chicken - I think the chicken resembled the shape of Pride Rock - hey, I was desperate for ideas, remember? We seasoned the boneless skinless chicken breasts with Mrs. Dash 30 minute Lemon Pepper marinade. Then baked. Super easy and delicious.

I should have taken a picture of Bella's versioin but I forgot. She wasn't able to eat the wild rice as it contained wheat flour. However, she enjoyed small bites of both the broccoli and the chicken. After she nibbled a bit, I pureed some for her and it was her dinner for the evening. She loved it, but it caused her blood sugar to spike to 248! Nonetheless, I pureed some leftovers for her to eat later.

and Desert - Timon's Grubs in Dirt. Pudding cups with "grub" gummy worms and crushed oreo topping. Ya, I know - very similar to Peter Pan's buried treasure. But it was a hit again!

I also bought Zebra Cakes, but it was so late by the time we finished the movie that the kids were all ready for bed (and they all have soccer in the morning too!) so we skipped the double dose of sugar!

 

[kdzbear]

Your dinners are so creative. I love the Nemo and the Lion King one. I do not know where you find the time to do this. The girls look so cute in the photos!

 

[pipersmom]

You're braver than I am making elephant ears! Everything looked yummy! We might have to start doing these sooner rather than later

 

[StefaniLyn]

Your dinners are so creative. I love the Nemo and the Lion King one. I do not know where you find the time to do this. The girls look so cute in the photos!

Thanks so much! Lion King and Nemo were both a lot of fun! Unfortunately, I usually find time to prep the menu and movie about an hour before movie night starts, Next week I'm setting a goal to have everything set by Monday. Wish me luck!

You're braver than I am making elephant ears! Everything looked yummy! We might have to start doing these sooner rather than later

The elephant ears were actually surprisingly easy to make! And Kennedy loved them so we may make them more often. I don't normally fry things but since I had the oil the the pan already, we even had homemade donuts this morning too! Yummers!

 

[chrissid7]

That all looks so good! I asked alyssa if she would like to do something like it and she was very excited so I hope you dont mind if I steal some Ideas from your thread (probably several threads). I will be so happy when we get some dates. I already have some calanders printed with each park, their special events times and operating hours and a blank one to fill in as we pick each park. And of course the events at GKTW so that we can be sure to get back for the events there. I cannot wait to start the actual planning. I finished with preplanning. I will start my PTR tonight.