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

[StefaniLyn]

Another package arrived in our mailbox this afternoon! I have learned now to check the mail immediately after school instead of waiting until the evening. I peeked out the window a moment after I head the mailman pull up this afternoon, but didn't see any packages go in. That sneaky guy, he must have put it in first because sure enough, when we took a look after school, there it was.

And what a BEAUTIFUL package it was I must add. Just look at this incredible artwork:

I showed the girls the package and their eyes grew larger as they contemplated what the package could contain. Of course, they wanted to open it immediately but i had other plans! Laundry needed to be sorted and put away. And it was . . . .breaking all previously set laundry-putting-away records on the books!

And it was perfect timing as well as Daddy returned from work just in time to watch the girls open their package.

This package was from the Vanderbilt Family from Michigan. Again, I'm not sure about the DIS name, so if anyone could enlighten me, I would truly appreciate it!

Here are the girls, just moments from tearing it open:

The girls opened the package and . . . . well, to be honest they were a little perplexed at first! They were not quite sure what these things were. But Bella didn't really care what they were, she called dibs on the pink and purple one right away

Kennedy recognized Tinkerbell colors and laid claim to that one!

And AJ, ah sweet big sister AJ. She decided that this one was the biggest and proclaimed it hers! Although I'm pretty sure they aer all the same size, just don't tell her!

After they all decided which one belonged to them, I clued the girls in to what their new treasures were for. I don't know the name (or if they even have an official name) but I think I have heard them called I-Spy pillows. AJ got it immediately and looked at the reference tag. I showed Bella and Kennedy their tags and told them that all of those little objects are hidden inside the tiny beads in their pillows! Then they feverishly began searching for the treasures! We played about 5 rounds of "Can you find _____?" I would pick an item from their pillow and they would race to see who could find theirs the fastest. It was a lot of fun!

Aren't these just beautiful? They will certainly keep the girls busy for hours on the airplane!

This is Kennedy's close up. She was especially excited to find a penny in hers!

Here is Bella's. Perfect for her with all of the princess items inside!

And AJ's. She was super thrilled when she read that hers has 2 *bonus* items!

The girls absolutely love their I-Spy pillows. They were, however, disappointed when I told them I would be saving them for the plane ride! But I did get them to pose for one last picture before taking packing them away!

Afterward, we found a letter which had slipped out while the girls were opening the box. It read: Dear Griggs Family, Hope these help you pass the time as you travel to Disney! Sincerely, The Vanderbilts

Thank you Vanderbilt Family! The I-Spy pillows are wonderful. They will bring us hours of enterainment on our Disney trip and for many years thereafter. Even I (mom) enjoy playing with them! They are actually kind of addictive - like popping bubble wrap! And thank you also to the budding artist who beautifully decorated the box with stickers and drawings! It was adorable and brightened up our day! We even cut out the decorated part of the box and hung it on our fridge!

 

[yinyanggirls]

Wow, that is so creative. What a totally fun game to play on the plane!

 

[PrincessLeighsDaddy]

Loved the pics of the girls in their bows and headbands. Keep an eye out on your ever flowing mailbox for something else matchy to go with it!

Those eye spy bags are great!

 

[pipersmom]

The eye-spy bags are very neat! Hooray for you having quiet time on the plane while they use them!

 

[teresajoy]

Those were from my sister's very good childhood (and adulthood!) friend. She grew up next door to us. We talked her into joining the Big Give. I don't think she has a Dis ID. (Hey, if you do, come out of lurkdome and say something!)

She did a fabulous job on the Eye Spy bags!!! (or pillows) I just love seeing the pictures of the girls with them!

And, if they ever leave one laying around, they are awfully fun for Mommies to play with too!!!

 

[Momofwishkid]

I love the I-spy bags, they are so much fun. Gavin's teacher made them for the kids when he was in pre school with the letters of their names and some fun school stuff.

 

[yinyanggirls]

Those were from my sister's very good childhood (and adulthood!) friend. She grew up next door to us. We talked her into joining the Big Give.

Glad you did! She is obviously talented.

And, if they ever leave one laying around, they are awfully fun for Mommies to play with too!!!

I was thinking the same exact thing!

 

[chrissid7]

The I spy bags were great our family got them too. They are addictive!! The girls looked so cute in their hairbows! I am looking forward to your trip!!!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Wow, that is so creative. What a totally fun game to play on the plane!

I am so thrilled to use these on the plane. Usually we bring along Nintendo DSs (each girl has one ) but inevitably a battery will die or everyone wants to play the same game. I think I will just leave the DSs at home this trip!

Loved the pics of the girls in their bows and headbands. Keep an eye out on your ever flowing mailbox for something else matchy to go with it!

Those eye spy bags are great!

Woo Hoo! I can't wait! Pretty soon we will all be tackling the poor mailman as soon as he turns onto our street!

Those were from my sister's very good childhood (and adulthood!) friend. She grew up next door to us. We talked her into joining the Big Give. I don't think she has a Dis ID. (Hey, if you do, come out of lurkdome and say something!)

She did a fabulous job on the Eye Spy bags!!! (or pillows) I just love seeing the pictures of the girls with them!

And, if they ever leave one laying around, they are awfully fun for Mommies to play with too!!!

Are they bags? are they pillows? either way, please tell her Thank you and give her a great big hug from the Griggs girls and DH too! Such an incredibly creative idea!

I was thinking the same exact thing!

The I spy bags were great our family got them too. They are addictive!! The girls looked so cute in their hairbows! I am looking forward to your trip!!!

Me Too! Just a nice round dozen days until we leave!

The bows are adorable (and how thoughtful to include a "cooler" option for big sis). I love the personal touch of the Christmas colors.

The 'big sis' twist was very popular with AJ. She has been quite tolerant of my desire to matchy matchy her and her sisters, but I am certain that she feels she outgrew hairbows about 2 years ago! The headbands are perfect for Big Sis!

The eye-spy bags are very neat! Hooray for you having quiet time on the plane while they use them!

Yesssssssss! Quiet time! Remember, I don't plan on sleeping the evening before we leave so the plane may be the only rest I get!

I love the I-spy bags, they are so much fun. Gavin's teacher made them for the kids when he was in pre school with the letters of their names and some fun school stuff.

That is such a cute teacher gift idea! It would be kinda fun to have an entire alphabet worth of I-Spy Bags!

 

[StefaniLyn]

I'll bet you thought we forgot, didn't you? I know - it has been quite sometime since our last DFN. We have had a couple in the works only to be derailed by unexpected appointments or schedule changes. However, we are back on track and ready to cram a few more in before Bella's Wish Trip in just 12 days!!!

This evening's movie is The Little Mermaid! A favorite of every little princess in our house, myself included!

Bella works on her craft project for the evening. The girls made Mermaid beaded necklaces.

AJ shows off her cute mermaid necklace. It was a very simple project and they finished quickly

Our first appetizer - Ursula Dogs! These were made by slicing hot dogs in half and then lengthwise into quarters to about an inch from the end. Then they were put in boiling water and they come out looking like an octopus - minus half the legs!

Appetizer #2 - Crackers with Sebastian Spread (crab dip). I was hoping to find those giant goldfish crackers but was unable.

Entree for the evening - Cheezy Flounder Pinwheels with Seaweed Spinach Gratin. Both recipies I found online. The flounder is rolled up with mushrooms, mayonnaise, onion, parsley and cheese. The spinach is made with a mornay sauce that consists of milk, flour, butter, and parmesand and romano cheese.

Dessert - Princess Ariel's SandCastle Cake - I watch Ace of Cakes and Cake Boss enough that I was pretty sure this would be simple. Um, NO it was not! Seeing as I was trying to frost a cake and not use fondant, this was kind of a nighmare to make. I used 5 different shapes/sizes of cake, sugar cones, white frosting, jelly beans, orange slice candies (looked a little like seashells) and brown sugar for the 'sand'. Despite the diffiiculty, I think it turned out pretty good and the girls enjoyed it!

 

[thatkid]

the sandcastle cake is super cute!
your girls are adorable!

 

[Momofwishkid]

Awww! The Little Mermaid is my all time favorite and your menu looks great especially the cake. Maybe I could bribe my boys into watching the movie with the promise of cake after.

 

[maroo]

The eye spy bags are GREAT!

And you never cease to amaze me with your creativity on those movie nights! Just fantastic!

 

[chrissid7]

You really are creative and I think its awesome that your kids would eat the fish and spinach. My kiddos would look at me like I had 2 heads if I tried to feed them that, but I would gobble it up!!!

 

[StefaniLyn]

the sandcastle cake is super cute!
your girls are adorable!

Thanks! The girls literally 'oooooooooh'ed and 'aaaaaaaaaah'ed at the cake. Believe me when I say that does not happen often when mommy cooks in this house!

Awww! The Little Mermaid is my all time favorite and your menu looks great especially the cake. Maybe I could bribe my boys into watching the movie with the promise of cake after.

The cake would probably help a lot! Isn't Little Mermaid just the greatest movie? The songs are amazing. In fact, when I was MUCH younger, I used the "tour of the kingdom" music for my gymnastics floor routine in high school!

The eye spy bags are GREAT!

And you never cease to amaze me with your creativity on those movie nights! Just fantastic!

I honestly think everyone needs one of those I-Spy bags. They are better than stress balls!

Thank you! I can't take all the credit for the ideas though. There is a wonderful thread here on the DIS with many ideas plus google is my best friend these days. If you google (insert movie name here) party foods, you will find dozens of ideas for any movie night!

You really are creative and I think its awesome that your kids would eat the fish and spinach. My kiddos would look at me like I had 2 heads if I tried to feed them that, but I would gobble it up!!!

My kids probably think I am off my rocker these days between my random planning panic attacks and their flounder pinwheels and spinach! But I believe I have previously mentioned our "must try it" rule for DFNs. Everyone must try at least one bite of every food or they cannot watch the movie. We have not yet had anyone unable to watch a movie because of refusal! It's great for Bella also to see her sisters try foods that they do not necessarily like. And the girls are even discovering new foods that they do enjoy!

 

[yinyanggirls]

Very cute! I was so impressed when I read first read about your DFNs but I have concluded that it would not go over at our house. Phoebe doesn't have the patience for an entire Disney movie and Tessa is verrrry bossy about which ones she will watch. Sometimes I will put a new one on when she is out side playing or something so that it will already be going when she walks in and she'll get sucked into it. Her current fave is Wall-E and that's how I got her to watch that one. She is also a very picky eater and all that creative culinary time would go to waste. Bummer. Love watching your kids experiment though!

 

[A Crystal Garden]

I think it is a little too big because today's package fit in as well. I know better now however and I am checking the mail after it comes instead of waiting until evening. More matchy? I can't wait! Do you happen to know Kelly's DIS name?

Hi!

Thanks so much for posting the pictures! What fun it was to see your girls open the package and I am so glad they liked the bows and headbands. A friend from high school let me know about the Dis Big Give board and knew it would be the kind of thing that I would just love to be a part of. A boy was she right!

I got a sneak peek at the matchy outfits and oooohhh. Ok that's all I'm gonna say.

Kelly

 

[pipersmom]

Yummy sandcastle cake..so cute! Only a week and 5 days left..we're so jealous! I'm lucky that Piper is a good eater, looking forward to doing our DFNs too

 

[chrissid7]

I actually did beg the kids try the asparaGus and Artichoke for last weeks dinner and they vowed never to eat it again, but Alyssa said the Asparagus wasnt bad it just wasnt good either lol. Alyssa was braved than my teens. I should have enforced the no movie rule too, but my oldest usually cant see the movie antway because we usually watch it during her youth group at church. She gets a lil bummed but it is the only time during the week we can do it.

I think I will do it though lol!!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Very cute! I was so impressed when I read first read about your DFNs but I have concluded that it would not go over at our house. Phoebe doesn't have the patience for an entire Disney movie and Tessa is verrrry bossy about which ones she will watch. Sometimes I will put a new one on when she is out side playing or something so that it will already be going when she walks in and she'll get sucked into it. Her current fave is Wall-E and that's how I got her to watch that one. She is also a very picky eater and all that creative culinary time would go to waste. Bummer. Love watching your kids experiment though!

The greatest part about DFN is that it can be completely customized to your family. It doesn't even need to include watching the movie, it could just be activities and food based around a movie, theme, or even a single character! I have found that 'dressing up' food is a good way for our girls to try new things, but you could 'dress up' foods that your family regularly eat as well. Another option would be to have the kids assist in making the food. For me, that would be kind of annoying but it could work for other families. Even if it's just an activity once a week, DFNs can be lots of fun and a great excuse for quality family time.

I think it is a little too big because today's package fit in as well. I know better now however and I am checking the mail after it comes instead of waiting until evening. More matchy? I can't wait! Do you happen to know Kelly's DIS name?

Hi!

Thanks so much for posting the pictures! What fun it was to see your girls open the package and I am so glad they liked the bows and headbands. A friend from high school let me know about the Dis Big Give board and knew it would be the kind of thing that I would just love to be a part of. A boy was she right!

I got a sneak peek at the matchy outfits and oooohhh. Ok that's all I'm gonna say.

Kelly

KELLY!!!!!!! You are here! And from your post count it looks like you just found the DIS! I'm so glad your friend let you know about Big Give because we LOVE LOVE LOVE our hair accessories! They are amazing and you are soooooo talented! Thank you so much! I hope to eventually find my way over to the other side of the Big Give and join you!

Yummy sandcastle cake..so cute! Only a week and 5 days left..we're so jealous! I'm lucky that Piper is a good eater, looking forward to doing our DFNs too

It was yummy! I can't wait to read all about Piper's DFNs!

I actually did beg the kids try the asparaGus and Artichoke for last weeks dinner and they vowed never to eat it again, but Alyssa said the Asparagus wasnt bad it just wasnt good either lol. Alyssa was braved than my teens. I should have enforced the no movie rule too, but my oldest usually cant see the movie antway because we usually watch it during her youth group at church. She gets a lil bummed but it is the only time during the week we can do it.

I think I will do it though lol!!

Hey, at least they tried it, right? And Alyssa didn't hate it! I call that progress! How about a no desert rule if they don't at least taste each dish? Just a thought!