The DDA Trouble Free Zone Part 31

[Pooh67_68]

Tomorrow (11-28) on the travel channel - Fans Guide to WDW at 3:00 pm EST.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Thanks for the update on Rees-how great that he is doing better!

Theresa-your house guest sounds like a real nice girl!

Aidan update:

November 26, 2007 at 10:53 PM CST
So today Aidan saw his cardiologist and got a clean bill of health. We will wean him off of his Heart Medication, visit him again in three months and then another appointment he believes a year later and that will be all.

Aidan continues to heal quite miraciously, but this has come to be expected from the support we have been receiving from all of y'all. Currently Aidan has learned that smiles and laughter are a good thing and they make family members crack up. His big toothless grin, can bring tears to one's eyes, when you think of how far he has come.
We got to stop by the TCU and NICU today and see some old friends. It was nice sharing with them what has come from their hard work over those seven months.

He begins therapy tomorrow and will have people working with him almost six times a week. He is starting to roll on his own and likes batting at toys. Currently he is working on sitting up and keeping his head straight with assistance.

It's late and I'm not sure what else to write, but wanted all to know he is doing quite well. Hope every one had a wonderfull Thanksgiving. Naomi and I had birthday's over the weekend. I got to celebrate turning 40 and I'm no suppose to share that Naomi is seven years younger. (We share the same birthdate.) It was quite but enjoyable. We will have other times to get crazy at parties. Hopefully Aidan's first will be a celebration two fold. Age and Trach Removal. We talk to the Doctor's about it come March.

Elin-thanks for the update! What wonderful news!!!

All you Tinker Bell fans.
I saw a car? on Sunday, it had Tinker Bell on the front quarter by the tire and pixiedust going from her wand all along the car to the rear tire.

Cool! Was it custome painted do you think?

Morning!!!

152,000
We are one talkative bunch.​

Congratulations!

So with the bounce back deal going on, I'm trying to plan ahead, and at least have another vacation in the planning stages. I'm thinking of booking a Fri and Sat. night in July or August, and then booking on DVC points Sun through Thurs around that. I hate using so many points for weekends, and with a 40% off, I should get a good deal. Anyway, has anyone heard any rumors about whether or not they will offer free dining again in August? Can I take advantage of that if I'm staying on points?

I'll vote for August too. I didn't see anything about bounce back when I was there in November and being so sick I completely forgot all about it. I thought free dining this year wasn't until something like 8/31.

Princess stole my Crocs. She is stumbling around the playroom saying "MY shoes! MY shoes!" Silly girl!

How cute!

I could use a little PD myself, nothing serious, I just find myself in a funk right now and don't know how to shake it. It is also unfairly bringing my family down as I am not the most pleasant person to be around right now.

Hope you can find a way to shake it soon!

I have a question about my signature, can you see "Season's Greetings" under the snow globe? I can see it on Firefox but not on IE.

I can see it with Safari on my Mac.

I do have an idea for a "joint" give for my inlaws. I thought I would get a basket, two champagne glasses, a bottle of sparkling cider (non drinkers), and put in gift cards for the movie theatre and Outback. You know, dinner and a movie, with a little romance after?

try it!

I guess the red "x" is part of the family now!

I can only see a blue question mark.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Elizabeth, good luck with the bidding.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Thanks, Heidi! I'm not sure why I am happy to know the date for the bid. If the bid doesn't go well then the whole thing is pointless!

 

[lovesdumbo]

DH just called and vacation bids are set for Thursday of next week. Which means we will know what his dates are before we leave for WDW. That's all fine and good, but now I can worry about what will happen if he doesn't get the dates we need. I told him he should just tell his supervisor that he already knows which week he needs to be off so he doesn't really need to participate in this whole bid thing. It's the LEAST they can do since they took his route away. They haven't distributed the seniority lists yet so he doesn't know how far down he is. Since he is bidding against a different group of guys this time we don't know what to expect.

The thing that MIGHT MIGHT MIGHT work in our favor is this:
The drivers have to use all of their vacation weeks within the calendar year - it doesn't accrue. They have to have enough slots available for all of the guys to use all of their weeks, and DH said a lot of these guys have high seniority (3 or 4 weeks of vacation). That could mean that any weeks that are not blacked out might have 3 or 4 guys out at one time, as opposed to only 1 or 2 guys in the group he used to bid against. Last year there were never more than 2 guys allowed to bid on any given week, and some weeks only allowed 1 guy to be out. If they have to have lots of weeks with multiple slots open to allow all of the drivers to use all of their time that could help us. If there are 3 or 4 guys allowed to be out the week of 8/10/08 instead of just one guy then theoretically we have a better shot at getting that week, even if a lot of guys bid in front of DH! And I really do not care what his second week is. It can be anything. It can be the week DS has state standardized testing. It makes no difference to me as long as we get one week in August.

Good luck!!!

 

[tinknme]

Debbie hope you are out of your funk soon

Elin thanks for the update on Adian, so happy to hear he is doing so well!

Denise I am happy to hear Ree's is improving as well!

Elizabeth for dh's vacation bid, I hope it all works out!

Robyn congratulations on getting another milestone

Can Disney dollar's be bought somewhere at Disney? I bought some before for the boys, but I think I got them at the Disney store My memory is quickly going

 

[tink2020]

I could use a little PD myself, nothing serious, I just find myself in a funk right now and don't know how to shake it. It is also unfairly bringing my family down as I am not the most pleasant person to be around right now.

I hope you are feeling great again soon!

 

[tink2020]

I have a question about my signature, can you see "Season's Greetings" under the snow globe? I can see it on Firefox but not on IE.

I can see it, but I'm on Firefox -- so probably no help!

 

[mommykds]

Elizabeth,
Good luck with DH's bid!

Debbie,


Janet,
Not sure where to buy Disney Dollar's at WDW.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Hmm. Before Thanksgiving DS mentioned that his school is doing a play of Peter Pan. They hadn't filled the role of the crocodile, and he wanted to try for the part. He said he didn't need to audition, he just needed to tell them he wanted to do it. DH just called and said TODAY is the first day of rehearsal and DS has to be there at 3:45. Of course DS's knickers were in a knot because he HAD to go to the auditorium RIGHT NOW and DH was all mad that they didn't give any advance notice. I am not surprised, because I had heard that about the middle school. There is NO communication with parents.

So I sent DH to go find out what all this entails. I want DS to participate because he doesn't do ANYTHING extracurricular, but we need to see what kind of commitment we are talking about.

OK. NOT going to be in the play. He was going to be in a dual role of Crocodile and Nana. Neither of those is a speaking part, no lines to memorize, and he would be on stage what? 5 minutes? They have to stay after for 2 hours, 4 days every week!!! NO WAY is he staying at school for 8 extra hours a week for a NON SPEAKING part! Even the theater where he used to take classes didn't require THAT rigorous of a practice schedule for performances! And I am talking about BIG performances where people pay to see them! The drawback to those is that some of the shows are during school hours so I never had him audition. I told him he is MORE than welcome to go back to theater anytime.

I was hoping this would work out for him, because I think drama might be a better fit for him than band in the future. On the other hand, nothing that requires an additional 8 hours each week is going to be a good fit because his academic work has to come first.

 

[Glynis]

Thank you Glynis.
Nothing more complicated then hot wings.

Here are some of my favorites:

Buffalo Chicken Dip

4 whole chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I use canned)
12 oz. hot sauce
2 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (16 oz) bottle ranch salad dressing
2 C. shredded Cheddar cheese

Mix hot sauce with shredded chicken. Melt cream cheese in a saucepan with ranch dressing. Add to chicken mixture. Add the shredded cheese. Put in oven proof pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips or celery sticks.

Barbecue Chicken Bites

1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
4 C. barbecue potato chips, crushed
1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
Barbecue sauce

In a shallow bowl, whisk egg and milk. Place potato chips in another shallow bowl. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then roll in chips. Place in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until juices run clear. Serve with barbecue sauce.

Sweet and Sour Smokies

2 pkg. miniature smoked sausage links
2 cans cherry pie filling
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
3 Tbsp. brown sugar

Place sausages in a slow cooker. In a bowl, compine the pie filling, pineapple and brown sugar; pour over the sausages. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.


Pizza Corn Dog Snacks

1 pkg. frozen corn dogs, thawed
1/2 C. pizza sauce
3 Tbsp. chopped ripe olives
1 jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1/4 C. shredded Mozzarella cheese

Remove stick from each corn dog; cut into 1-inch slices. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Spread with pizza sauce. Top with olives, mushrooms and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and corn dogs are heated through.


Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

1 large bag frozen meatballs (can also use Li'l Smokies)
1 1arge (32 oz) jar of grape jelly
2 jars Heinz chili sauce

Fill crockpot with meatballs. On stove, over medium heat in a saucepan, mix jelly with the chili sauce until they smooth together. Pour over the meatballs. Heat on high for 3 hours stirring every 30 minutes.


To Die For Fudge

4 1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cube margarine
1 can evaporated milk
7 oz. jar marshmallow creme
16 oz. Hershey bar broken into pieces
18 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp. vanilla

Combine sugar, salt, margarine and milk in a large saucepan. Over medium heat, bring contents to a boil and continue to boil for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in marshmallow creme. Then mix in chocolate and vanila. Turn into buttered 9 X 13 inch pan. Allow to set up and enjoy!


White Chocolate Party Cereal Mix

5 C. Cheerios
5 C. Corn Chex
2 (12 oz) bags white chocolate chips
5 Tbsp. oil
1 small bag mini pretzels
2 C. salted peanuts
1 (16 oz) M&M's

Line cookie sheet with wax paper. Melt chocolate chips and oil together in microwaveable bowl. In a big bowl, mix together other ingredients. Pour melted mixture over cereal mixture. Store in a ziplok baggie.


If I think of any more, I'll let you know. Let me know if you want any more savory or sweet things.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Debbie hope you are out of your funk soon

Elin thanks for the update on Adian, so happy to hear he is doing so well!

Denise I am happy to hear Ree's is improving as well!

Elizabeth for dh's vacation bid, I hope it all works out!

Robyn congratulations on getting another milestone

Can Disney dollar's be bought somewhere at Disney? I bought some before for the boys, but I think I got them at the Disney store My memory is quickly going

Janet, you can buy Disney Dollars at City Hall at MK. You can get them with PIRATES on them! I almost bought some, but since I don't scrapbook I didn't get any. No sense in getting money I wouldn't be willing to spend. I would imagine you can buy them at other Guest Relations places in the other parks and DTD.

 

[my3princes]

I have a question about my signature, can you see "Season's Greetings" under the snow globe? I can see it on Firefox but not on IE.

It is there for me

Hmm. Before Thanksgiving DS mentioned that his school is doing a play of Peter Pan. They hadn't filled the role of the crocodile, and he wanted to try for the part. He said he didn't need to audition, he just needed to tell them he wanted to do it. DH just called and said TODAY is the first day of rehearsal and DS has to be there at 3:45. Of course DS's knickers were in a knot because he HAD to go to the auditorium RIGHT NOW and DH was all mad that they didn't give any advance notice. I am not surprised, because I had heard that about the middle school. There is NO communication with parents.

So I sent DH to go find out what all this entails. I want DS to participate because he doesn't do ANYTHING extracurricular, but we need to see what kind of commitment we are talking about.

OK. NOT going to be in the play. He was going to be in a dual role of Crocodile and Nana. Neither of those is a speaking part, no lines to memorize, and he would be on stage what? 5 minutes? They have to stay after for 2 hours, 4 days every week!!! NO WAY is he staying at school for 8 extra hours a week for a NON SPEAKING part! Even the theater where he used to take classes didn't require THAT rigorous of a practice schedule for performances! And I am talking about BIG performances where people pay to see them! The drawback to those is that some of the shows are during school hours so I never had him audition. I told him he is MORE than welcome to go back to theater anytime.

I was hoping this would work out for him, because I think drama might be a better fit for him than band in the future. On the other hand, nothing that requires an additional 8 hours each week is going to be a good fit because his academic work has to come first.

I understand your concerns since he already spends a lot of time on homework, but 2 hours after school 4 days a week is pretty standard. Even though he doesn't have a speaking part his character will interact with the other characters and he will need to learn where to stand, when to react etc. I'm sure the other kids will have to spend lots of time at home learning the lines.

Nick plans to do the tech crew for their middle school play. I haven't heard the time requirements yet, but is suspect that it will be quite a lot.

You know what he can and can't fit into his schedule and together you can make a decision.

Good luck

 

[tinknme]

Thank you Elizabeth! I was thinking these would be nice stocking stuffers

Janet, you can buy Disney Dollars at City Hall at MK. You can get them with PIRATES on them! I almost bought some, but since I don't scrapbook I didn't get any. No sense in getting money I wouldn't be willing to spend. I would imagine you can buy them at other Guest Relations places in the other parks and DTD.

 

[tink2020]

Elizabeth, good luck with finding a good fit for DS in the available extracurriculars! I agree that, whether you view it as bad or good , that time commitment seems about right -- but you certainly have to look at his situation and determine whether it would be something he can balance at all, and also if it's something you guys are willing to invest that much time in (if it's worth it to you). I hope you all are happy with the decision, and he can find something he loves to do that works well for him overall!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Deb - DS was actually the one who said it was too much of a time commitment. DH and I were willing to let him try it but he didn't want to. DS is kind of lazy. Well, not lazy exactly, but he likes to have time to himself. He likes to come home, strip off his uniform, do his homework, and then have the rest of the evening for whatever pursuits he chooses. He HATES to be hounded to do things or finish things. If he wasn't getting home until after 6 PM Monday - Thursday his week would be brutal. It would also really screw up his med schedule. He can take a "booster" pill at 3:45 PM and by the time he goes to bed at 8:30 it has pretty much worn off. Taking the pill at 6 PM would create a whole new crop of problems, and starting homework at 6 PM without meds would be a disaster. I think he made a good choice.

My cousin's DD is a little older and they just had a play. She wasn't getting any sleep. By the time she had play practice, dinner, homework, and a shower sometimes it was nearly 11 PM. And she has to be up again by 6 AM. My cousin was saying they had it structured that way so the kids who are in sports could do sports and the play. DS still has pretty serious sleep requirements, so that would never work for him.

 

[Tammi67]

I think you have to book a minimum of 3 nights for dining.

Double rats. You people just keep raining on my parade.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Tomorrow (11-28) on the travel channel
Fans Guide to WDW at 3:00 pm EST.

Disneyland Resort: Behind the Scenes at 4:00 pm EST
Disney's Animal Kindgom at 5:00 pm EST

 

[Tammi67]

Debbie - I hope you are feeling up to your old self very soon!

 

[Pooh67_68]

Not sure.

Cool! Was it custom painted do you think?