Guilt and the Guilty Pleasure – A Single Mom’s April 2011 PTR for a Surprise Birthday

[tinkerbells mum]

Hi Erin, still loving your PTR but i'm starting to get a bit panicky as i haven't made any lists yet (we arrive at POFQ the same day as you) and you seem to have lists for everything!!! i must start one this weekend!!

glad you liked Tangled, it's not out over here until 28th Jan can't wait to see it

happy planning xx

 

[micandminforever]

Your winter break sounds like it was fun filled. You can count me as a Prep & Landing fan also. Plus I have heard so many good thing about Tangled I can't wait to see it.

You will love POFQ and hopefully be able to sleep in a renovated room with a queen size bed.

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

We just love Prep and Landing at our house! I wish they would release it on DVD! Those cookies look delicious!

I decided I’m keeping Prep and Landing on my DVR until it does come out on DVD. It has to come out at some time, right? Thanks about the cookies! They were so yummy!

My two wanted to see Yogi Bear as well, but I persuaded them it was a wait and rent it kind of movie. I was never a Yogi Bear fan either. We did, however, see Harry Potter. It was pretty intense, but my two are older, and we enjoyed it.

Lucky you for getting out of seeing Yogi Bear

I can't wait to see Tangled!

I hope you like it! I really think it was a fantastic movie!

Hiya Erin. It sounds as though you and the kids have really been enjoying the winter season so far. I must admit I have been either sick, my back hurting, or just plain lazy so that we haven't done too much. We did see the new Narnia which we liked.; You must be so excited to be leaving so soon!!! It's coming right up!!!

Aww, I’m sorry you haven’t been feeling well, Ann. I hope you feel better. Narnia! It totally slipped my mind that was out! Hopefully, I’ll get to take the kids one of these weekends before the trip. There aren’t many left!

Hi Erin, still loving your PTR but i'm starting to get a bit panicky as i haven't made any lists yet (we arrive at POFQ the same day as you) and you seem to have lists for everything!!! i must start one this weekend!!

Oh no! I hope my obsessive list making didn’t cause your panic! I am the type of person who needs a list for everything or I will forget something After I post more about our Winter Break, I’m going to post ANOTHER list I made

glad you liked Tangled, it's not out over here until 28th Jan can't wait to see it

I hope you like Tangled!

Your winter break sounds like it was fun filled. You can count me as a Prep & Landing fan also. Plus I have heard so many good thing about Tangled I can't wait to see it.

The kids and I had a lot of fun over Winter Break. Prep and Landing is one of my favorite Christmas specials! Tangled really is a wonderful movie. I hope you get to see it soon!

You will love POFQ and hopefully be able to sleep in a renovated room with a queen size bed.

I’m really hoping for a renovated room

 

[wlake]

I'm all caught up! I would love to be a professional list maker too -- I use them all the time! That being said, my packing list still has things like bibs and diapers on it, and my boys are 5 and 8 -- time to update!

If you ever see Prep & Landing on DVD, please let us know! We almost missed it this year, so I'm leaving it on our DVR too. My boys watch almost no TV, but this one they like. Did you see the little short they played during the Charlie Brown special? It wasn't half as good, but I did DVR it to show the boys.

Those weekends fill up quickly, don't they?

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

I'm all caught up! I would love to be a professional list maker too -- I use them all the time! That being said, my packing list still has things like bibs and diapers on it, and my boys are 5 and 8 -- time to update!

I LOVE making lists! I could make a list about all of the things I love about list making! Updating an old packing list is fun too, because it makes me remember the days when my kids needed diapers and pull-ups and baby food – and how things are easier now because I can delete those things from the list! Of course, that means adding NEW things...

If you ever see Prep & Landing on DVD, please let us know! We almost missed it this year, so I'm leaving it on our DVR too. My boys watch almost no TV, but this one they like. Did you see the little short they played during the Charlie Brown special? It wasn't half as good, but I did DVR it to show the boys.

Oh, I’ll be so happy when I find it on DVD that you’ll hear me screaming about it – no need to post it But no, I didn’t see the Charlie Brown special this year and I am so ashamed because it is a classic that shouldn’t be missed! What kind of short was on there?

Those weekends fill up quickly, don't they?

Yes! The weekends I have without my kids are jam packed with things to do and the weekends I have with my kids are flying by. It’s terrifying and invigorating at the same time! I’m seriously going to need a vacation when this vacation gets here

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

At this pace, I’m not going to wrap up telling you about the rest of our Winter Break until NEXT Winter! So let me tell you about the things we did other than watching TV and movies! LOL

One night, we went to the Smithsonian National Zoo in DC and saw Zoolights. I didn’t take very many pictures this year because the exhibit was very similar to the one we saw in Winter of 2008, so here are some pictures from that trip:









Eww, Naked Mole Rats!!!:







It was a pretty warm night that night we visited in 2008 as well as the night on this past visit (about mid 50’s each time - warm for December) but I still wished we were in Florida each time I saw this display:



OK, I have to get in some pictures of my kids from 2 years ago! You know me! Here I am with Chip in a choke hold! Haha!



Here I am with Minnie, back when she was still little enough for me to pick her up:



Look at Chip’s little baby face!



Minnie was having a sugar rush from the gingerbread and the hot cocoa



OK, fast forward to this past visit to the zoo and you can see how much the kids have grown! It always amazes me to look at their pictures year after year and see how much they have grown up!



No hot cocoa or gingerbread men this year. We got our sugar fix from funnel cakes!



I loved the lights they had on the habitats and on the ground. Very reminiscent of Cinderella Castle and the walkways of EPCOT:















So that was our evening at The Smithsonian National Zoo. We saw amazing light displays, a few nocturnal animals and we even visited the Small Mammal House – a favorite of the kids. As I said, it happened to be a beautiful night, perfect for a nice long walk. It made me look forward to Spring so that I can take the kids back to the zoo during the day. I used to take the kids to the zoo so often that they got sick of it! So I was happy that after this visit to Zoolights, they actually asked to go back again to see the animals during the day!

Up next: A Not-So-Beautiful Night!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

So why was it a Not-So-Beautiful Night? Two reasons – temperature and attitude!

The day that we were going to go see Tron, we ended up doing something else instead. We went to the National Harbor. That’s right, folks. The place where they plan on building a Disney hotel!



I took that picture on a day the kids and I visited this past Summer. There is actually a lot of stuff to do at the National Harbor, so I think that will be a great place to have a Disney Resort. I’m also guessing that it will tie in somehow with Adventures by Disney since there is a trip ABD has up here in the DC area. Anyway, on one of our trips there this Summer, the kids and I went shopping. There are tons of shops and restaurants at the National Harbor! The shop where I dropped the most cash was at the Peeps store. Yes, you read that right. There is a whole store dedicated to Peeps! Remember when Peeps were just for Easter? Well, there are lots of peeps varieties there and also other candies like Hot Tamales and Mike and Ike’s. Which brings me to the next two pictures. The Peeps store made a whole Christmas tree out of Peeps!





So why did we visit the harbor that day? To see the Grinch, of course! There was an exhibit of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas made entirely of Ice!



We picked up our tickets and entered a pre-show of the work of Theodor Seuss Geisel aka Dr. Seuss.



The kids and I were very excited about seeing the Ice exhibit, but Chip and I were also interested in seeing the artwork. The line was set up very much like a Disney queue. We snaked back and forth between walls covered in drawings, paintings and sculptures and it really served its purpose for distracting people from the length of the line. I heard that the line was an hour or more just to get into Ice on some nights! It just so happened that the night that we went, there wasn’t any wait at all. This was where the attitude part of the Not-So-Beautiful night came in. Understandably, Minnie wanted to get into Ice, but Chip and I wanted to take our time so we could look at everything. There was a lot to take in and a lot to learn. This is called “Cat from the Wrong Side of the Tracks”:



You’ll recognize this from “The Cat in the Hat”:



From the unenthusiastic look on Chip’s face, I’m assuming he doesn’t like green eggs and ham!



Minnie faked a smile:



…but this was how she was really feeling:



She had a MAJOR attitude! I tried to explain to her that we were interested in looking at the art and that Ice would be there whenever we got there. I tried to get her engaged in looking at the drawings from books she knew. She dropped the ‘tude briefly while looking at certain items…



…but mostly, she was just being really impatient and trying to do her diva thing. I had to make her stand in the corner several times while Chip and I continued to look at the artwork! He really liked this sculpture called “The Turtle-Necked Sea-Turtle”:



I found this interesting – “The Economic Situation Clarified”:



Ooh! A scene that we were about to see recreated in ice from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas:



I loved the colors in this one. It’s called “Lion Stroll”:



There were many, many more pictures and sculptures, but I could fill 2 more posts with just those pictures!

It was then time to see Ice!!! As you can see in the following picture, Minnie’s attitude took a 180 and she was back to being my sweet little child. This was also the part where the temperature aspect of the Not-So-Beautiful Night happened. It was going to be a whopping 9 degrees in the exhibit! 9 DEGREES!!! Honestly, when I read that on the website, I almost didn’t buy the tickets to go to Ice, but 9 degrees actually wasn’t that bad with the HUGE BLUE COATS they had us wear ON TOP OF OUR COATS! LOL!!! I was shocked that we were supposed to wear the coat on top of our other coats, but I was glad for it when we were in the exhibit! I should also mention that night I ran into a high school friend that I hadn’t seen in ages! She was with her adorable 5 year old son and her mom. My friend was the one that took this picture of me and my kids before we entered Ice:



On the way in, we spotted this warning sign and laughed:



I mean, who in the world would wear heels in a place covered in ice? Granted, the floor was carpeted, so there wasn’t any chance of slipping there, but to go on one of the slides made of ice in heels? Insane! At first I thought it was a really stupid warning, but then I remembered something said to me once – if there is a rule about something, it is because someone tried to do it before!

So, what you have all been waiting for…pictures of Ice: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

















Sorry about the quality of the pics. I am still using my cell as a camera, but this time it wasn’t the lighting, it was the battery! When I started taking pictures in the art exhibit, I still had an almost fully charged battery. When I got into Ice, the extremely low temperature caused the battery to quickly be depleted! I have seen temperature warnings on batteries before but I never believed them! It’s true! My battery was dead and my phone shut off as we were almost at the end of Ice. Needless to say, I felt totally vulnerable not having a working phone! I am completely addicted to my phone and I am the kind of person who will turn around and go home to get it if I leave it at the house. I feel naked without it! So now that you know my weakness, I’ll move on with the story LOL Luckily, I had gotten most of the pictures I wanted. The only ones I couldn’t get were of me and the kids going down the ice slides. I was going to take a video of me going down and videos and pictures of the kids too. Well, it is a good thing I couldn’t document myself because I screamed the whole way down the slide! Haha! It was so fast that I felt like I was going 100MPH, but time also seemed to stand still because I was scared silly! It was sooooooo much fun! I know I embarrassed my kids with my screaming! They loved the slide too and zipped down so quickly that I wouldn’t have gotten decent pictures anyway. Chip didn’t want to go again, but Minnie went again with my friend and her son. Then my friend’s son wanted to go again and again, so my kids and I went through the end of the exhibit. When I talked to my friend a few days later, she said she spent about another 30 minutes in there with her kid! I couldn’t have done that! I couldn’t feel my fingers! At least the rest of me was warm because of that humongous coat! So I learned two lessons that night – don’t forget your gloves in the car and bring a real camera with you and not a cell phone!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

The Zoolights looked beautiful! The closest zoo to us is about 2 hours away down in York, ME. I don't even think they are open this time of year, so you are lucky. Although, some people think that my house with its 1 dog, 3 cats, 6 rabbits, 2 guinea pigs, and 3 hamsters is a zoo itself. Would you believe someone actually asked Victoria if her mother was an animal hoarder. Um, no people. I am not.....oh, I could be, but I know my limits. I have just enough animals that I can take care of them and love them all right now. Any more and I do think it would start getting hard. Oh, my little bunny DJ has now learned how to unlatch his cage. The dog had him corralled in the kitchen last night, but I have since had to put a caliber clip on his door. OMG!!! Animals are so creative sometimes!!!

I sooooooooooooooo know what you mean about Minnie having an attitude. Sometimes I just want to smack the attitude right out of Victoria but I've never laid a hand on her yet and am not about to start. It drives me crazy at times, though. At 12 she thinks she knows EVERYTHING!!! One day she'll be grown and realize she didn't have a clue!

Wow...the Grinch out of ice. What a cool (oh goodness, I just made a funny!) idea!!! Your pictures are wonderful for being from a cell phone. My cell phone pics are horrible!!! Ok, fine.....I'm still using a Razor.....I'm going to hang onto that phone until it dies!!!

Loving your PTR!!!!

YOU ONLY HAVE 2 MONTHS TO GO, ERIN!!! OMG!!!!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

The Zoolights looked beautiful! The closest zoo to us is about 2 hours away down in York, ME. I don't even think they are open this time of year, so you are lucky.

I love our zoo so much. It is open every day except for Christmas day. When Chip was a toddler and I was a stay-at-home mom, he and I used to go to the zoo just about every other week. I even donated a small amount to the zoo each year just so I could get free parking! My favorite time to visit was late Fall to early Spring because even though it was cold most of the time, the animals were fairly active and it didn’t stink there nearly as much as it did in the Summer!

Although, some people think that my house with its 1 dog, 3 cats, 6 rabbits, 2 guinea pigs, and 3 hamsters is a zoo itself. Would you believe someone actually asked Victoria if her mother was an animal hoarder. Um, no people. I am not.....oh, I could be, but I know my limits. I have just enough animals that I can take care of them and love them all right now. Any more and I do think it would start getting hard. Oh, my little bunny DJ has now learned how to unlatch his cage. The dog had him corralled in the kitchen last night, but I have since had to put a caliber clip on his door. OMG!!! Animals are so creative sometimes!!!

The nerve of some people! You are right, as long as you are able to take care of them, you can have as many as you want! I love animals, but I don’t have enough time for any pets right now. I really want a dog and a cat. I have never had a cat, and I haven’t had a dog in about 13 or 14 years. Ideally, I’d like to have 2 dogs and a cat. I’m hoping to get a pet for the kids this Summer when we should all have more time for one. I got the kids a hamster about 5 years ago for Christmas. They were great with it, but it turned out that I was allergic to its dander! Of all things! I’m not allergic to any other animal or anything else for that matter, but a little tiny hamster took me out! I had one eye that was so swollen that it looked like I was punched – only it wasn’t black and blue! I felt so bad that my kids couldn’t keep their hamster

I sooooooooooooooo know what you mean about Minnie having an attitude. Sometimes I just want to smack the attitude right out of Victoria but I've never laid a hand on her yet and am not about to start. It drives me crazy at times, though. At 12 she thinks she knows EVERYTHING!!! One day she'll be grown and realize she didn't have a clue!

Oh yeah, it worries me that Minnie can get such a bad attitude at only 7, because what is it going to be like when she is a teenager??? I know she is a good kid at heart, but moments like that at Ice drive me nuts! It’ll be funny when these kids grow up and realize that they didn’t know it all and that acting like a drama queen solves nothing

Wow...the Grinch out of ice. What a cool (oh goodness, I just made a funny!) idea!!!

Your pictures are wonderful for being from a cell phone. My cell phone pics are horrible!!! Ok, fine.....I'm still using a Razor.....I'm going to hang onto that phone until it dies!!!

Thanks! I have an HTC Evo that I absolutely adore! I have recently become a tech junkie, so I had to have this phone for many reasons – but I was super hyped about the 8 megapixel camera. In the right light it works great – but only if the subject is PERFECTLY STILL. If there is any movement, it doesn’t take pictures worth a darn! Other than that, I am happy with my phone. The Razor is actually a really cool phone, so I don’t blame you for not giving it up! I have a co-worker who loves his phone so much that he has had it for like 8 years!

Loving your PTR!!!!

YOU ONLY HAVE 2 MONTHS TO GO, ERIN!!! OMG!!!!

Yeah, I had a freak out moment earlier today when I saw that my ticker said 2 months, 2 weeks and 3 days but I can't wait!

 

[Charleston Princess]

The Zoolights sound like a really fun way to spend the evening! I wish our zoo did something like that, and I am always ready to have a funnel cake!

Sorry to hear Minnie had an attitude the night you went to National Harbor -- Chelsea has been known to pull that diva act before, too!

Nine degrees??? My goodness, that is cold, but worth it to see that amazing set-up! How fun!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

The Zoolights sound like a really fun way to spend the evening! I wish our zoo did something like that, and I am always ready to have a funnel cake!

Zoolights was fantastic! There is a lot to do in the DC Metro area during the holidays. Since you all haven’t been to this area in a while, maybe you should come up to DC one year for Christmas. I want to stay at the Disney Resort at the National Harbor – and I live less than an hour away!

Sorry to hear Minnie had an attitude the night you went to National Harbor -- Chelsea has been known to pull that diva act before, too!

Luckily Minnie’s tantrums are few and far between, but when they happen – watch out! She was a nightmare for most of that night, but I was glad to see a smile on her face when we finally got into Ice

Nine degrees??? My goodness, that is cold, but worth it to see that amazing set-up! How fun!

I don’t think I have ever been that cold in my life! It would have been better if I was wearing a hat and gloves like the kids, but the scarf helped They do something like that at the Gaylord Hotel every year, so I might take the kids again this year because it was definitely worth braving the cold for that display!

 

[tinkerbells mum]

the ice sculpters are amazing, we don't get anything like over here. i still haven't started on my lists (might just have to copy from yours!!!) don't know where the time has gone but the trip can't come round soon enough xx

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

the ice sculpters are amazing, we don't get anything like over here. i still haven't started on my lists (might just have to copy from yours!!!) don't know where the time has gone but the trip can't come round soon enough xx

Ice was truly spectacular. I read that it took a full month for a team of ice sculptors to create that. One thing I am curious about is how it gets taken down. I keep having visions of people going around in the facility, melting the ice with hair dryers!

Today our tickers say “2 months, 2 weeks and 2 days…” Wow! Borrow away from anything on my PTR! I actually downloaded a comprehensive packing list from mousesavers.com It has any and everything you can imagine on that list, so it was easy for me to check my list against it and to add things on my list that I hadn’t thought of.

It is so exciting that our trips are so close!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Zoolights was fantastic! There is a lot to do in the DC Metro area during the holidays. Since you all haven’t been to this area in a while, maybe you should come up to DC one year for Christmas. I want to stay at the Disney Resort at the National Harbor – and I live less than an hour away!

I keep waiting for Disney to get a move on and build that hotel! I think that is going to be the clincher for us! Who could resist a Disney hotel right there near DC? Not me!

It's interesting that you mentioned coming up to DC for Christmas -- when I was researching prices on hotels, I was surprised to find the absolute best deals were in December.

Luckily Minnie’s tantrums are few and far between, but when they happen – watch out! She was a nightmare for most of that night, but I was glad to see a smile on her face when we finally got into Ice

That describes Connor as well. He got mad at me today because I wouldn't let him eat ramen noodles in my bedroom and watch tv. Do you know he is still not speaking to me?

 

[lawblond7]

Erin that sounds wounderful I am also a single mom in Northern Virgina (Mt. Vernon area of Alexandria). My kids are a bit older BUT we love Disney too and yes I so understand the guilt.

What you have planned sounds wonderful.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Great update and such awesome pictures! You and your kiddos do so many fun things!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

We got a nasty little ice storm yesterday and my whole neighborhood was covered in a thick sheet of ice! I can deal with snow but ice is an entirely different situation. I had to work very late last night and had to drive home in it. I was terrified! I had to blast the radio in my car and sing oldies to keep myself from having a panic attack! THAT is how much I hate driving in icy conditions! Anyway, the kids were off school today and I debated staying home with them, but decided to have my mom watch them so I wouldn't have to miss a whole day of work. I didn't get here until 12:40 and I am already done with all of my tasks for the day! I should've stayed home! Oh well, at least I can sneak on the DISboards and chat with you guys until 5 o'clock

I keep waiting for Disney to get a move on and build that hotel! I think that is going to be the clincher for us! Who could resist a Disney hotel right there near DC? Not me!

It's interesting that you mentioned coming up to DC for Christmas -- when I was researching prices on hotels, I was surprised to find the absolute best deals were in December.



That describes Connor as well. He got mad at me today because I wouldn't let him eat ramen noodles in my bedroom and watch tv. Do you know he is still not speaking to me?

Yes, they need to hurry up with that hotel! It's going to be in a great location and the plans look beautiful!

DC in December is so much fun! There is always something to do.

I hope Connor started speaking to you again I ate so much ramen in my 20's that I really can't stand it now LOL but now my kids do something weird with ramen, so I wonder if Connor does the same thing. My kids don't cook it, but they squash it up in the bag, pour the seasoning packet over it and eat it dry! Apparently, this snack is all the rage at their elementary school! but I would think it would be so salty! At the same time, I am willing to try anything once, so I might have to try some the next time they make that for a snack. So does Connor eat it like that too, or are my kids just strange?

Erin that sounds wounderful I am also a single mom in Northern Virgina (Mt. Vernon area of Alexandria). My kids are a bit older BUT we love Disney too and yes I so understand the guilt.

What you have planned sounds wonderful.

Oh, I just love the Mt Vernon area! It's great to have another local on board I peeked at your PTR and saw you are leaving for WDW very soon! You and your boys must be so excited! Especially since it's a good 30 degrees warmer in Orlando right now! I'll comment more on your PTR later, but I had to say I LOLed when I read your oldest wanted a date with the princesses because they are "hot"

Great update and such awesome pictures! You and your kiddos do so many fun things!

Thank you! We try to stay busy or we get a little stir crazy I have to head back over to your TR because I wanted to see how it was to take 3 kids to Disney without another adult! That must have been challenging! But I bet it was a lot of fun too If this rain we're getting tonight turns into ice again, I'll be smart and stay home and catch up on these TRs and PTRs!

 

[Charleston Princess]

We got a nasty little ice storm yesterday and my whole neighborhood was covered in a thick sheet of ice! I can deal with snow but ice is an entirely different situation. I had to work very late last night and had to drive home in it. I was terrified! I had to blast the radio in my car and sing oldies to keep myself from having a panic attack! THAT is how much I hate driving in icy conditions! Anyway, the kids were off school today and I debated staying home with them, but decided to have my mom watch them so I wouldn't have to miss a whole day of work. I didn't get here until 12:40 and I am already done with all of my tasks for the day! I should've stayed home! Oh well, at least I can sneak on the DISboards and chat with you guys until 5 o'clock

Yikes! I am glad you made it home okay. Ice freaks me out, too. Snow I can drive in, but ice is just dangerous.

I hope Connor started speaking to you again I ate so much ramen in my 20's that I really can't stand it now LOL but now my kids do something weird with ramen, so I wonder if Connor does the same thing. My kids don't cook it, but they squash it up in the bag, pour the seasoning packet over it and eat it dry! Apparently, this snack is all the rage at their elementary school! but I would think it would be so salty! At the same time, I am willing to try anything once, so I might have to try some the next time they make that for a snack. So does Connor eat it like that too, or are my kids just strange?

That trend has not made it to Georgia yet, and I don't think I will be telling my two about it. They would be all about it. LOL! Connor finally talked to me yesterday morning.

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

That trend has not made it to Georgia yet, and I don't think I will be telling my two about it. They would be all about it. LOL!

Sure you should tell them! Then they could be the trendsetters at their schools and spread the word about that strange snack! Kidding! Kidding!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Sure you should tell them! Then they could be the trendsetters at their schools and spread the word about that strange snack! Kidding! Kidding!