TheNeverEndingPTR! Sept2010...no, November...WAIT! January?Ugh. maybe September 2011!

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Oh WOW Ann! That's a Beta in there too, right? Will you have the fish as well in the centerpieces? So pretty!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Yes, it will be just about identical to this one with the dark blue betas. We are getting married on the beach at the ocean (bless the coast of Maine) so I thought this would be perfect. I just need to find friends around here to adopt the betas once I'm done. It will just be a small wedding of about 100, so I'm figuring on 13 tables so 13 betas.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Yes, it will be just about identical to this one with the dark blue betas. We are getting married on the beach at the ocean (bless the coast of Maine) so I thought this would be perfect. I just need to find friends around here to adopt the betas once I'm done. It will just be a small wedding of about 100, so I'm figuring on 13 tables so 13 betas.

Sigh...a beach wedding! Sounds beautiful! What will you do with 13 betas after the wedding?!?!?

 

[-Hope-]

I LOVE those Ann!! A wedding on the beach sounds heavenly.

You shouldn't have a lot of trouble finding people to take the betas- they are such cool fish and really easy to care for when paired with a plant. We had one a long time ago, when Jace was about 3. He couldn't understand why he couldn't put his hands in the bowl to pet it so the poor thing didn't last long. Come to think of it he's still kind of that way- he is constantly on the floor petting my mom's cats and gets his feelings hurt when they want to be left alone.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Sigh...a beach wedding! Sounds beautiful! What will you do with 13 betas after the wedding?!?!?

Oh, I was going to ship them off to you and Hope!!! hahahahahahahaah

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

 

[Charlefours]

Hello again I am caught up with your PTR--whew you are hopping . Sorry to hear about the suspension--at least it is almost over. Are you still doing your Give a Day, Get a Day volunteer opportunity?

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Hello again I am caught up with your PTR--whew you are hopping . Sorry to hear about the suspension--at least it is almost over. Are you still doing your Give a Day, Get a Day volunteer opportunity?

I know, it's hard to keep up with me b/c I just keep going and going!

We are headed to volunteer on Monday!! We're pretty excited about it!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Walked with Hope again yesterday and really enjoyed it. It's nice to have someone to talk to, it changes the whole experience of exercising!

I made a decision on the renting a car issue! I decided that we probably wouldn't want to use it the whole time and it would just cost too much since there are 6 of us. Instead, I'm going to budget about 100-125$, which should cover 4-5 cabs during our trip. I have an idea of when we will need them (later at night after Ohana/Wishes, for example) but this way I won't be spending as much money will won't feel completely at the mercy of Disney transport. If we are late for something we can hop in a cab, etc.

We have a pretty quiet weekend and then we are headed to O'fallon, 95 miles from here, to volunteer for King Day! I'm really looking forward to it and just need to make sure I budget my gas money wisely this weekend, things are tight since we are coming to the end of Rey's suspension. He leaves out Friday! WAH! I thought I would be happy but I've gotten used to him being here, it will be an ajustment all over again.

Oh and in case you think I'm rambling more than usual, I had coffee at mom's night out last night and couldn't sleep. I think I'm STILL wired and it's 7am and I'm ready for my morning coffee!

 

[-Hope-]

I agree that exercising is completely different when you have someone to talk to- especially since we spend so much time talking about Disney!!

I like the idea of budgeting for cabs 'just in case'. Contingency plans are alway good.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

We did GAD today! I didn't realize it, but today was the perfect day to give to others and volunteer. I really think we should do this every year and more often.

We did our volunteer work in O'fallon, Missouri, which is about 95 miles from where we live. My mom lives in St. Louis though, so we went in early and had a nice lunch with her. Lunch with my mom was wonderful. She told stories about her father and her grandfather to us, something she has never done, and I really loved that time spent with her. Before we knew it, lunch was over and we headed to O'fallon.

Rey was teasing me (uh, nothing new) so he didn't read that we were supposed to be at the municipal building, but just the address, which I couldn't find. After driving in a small circle, we found the building. Dylan got nervous when he saw all the families headed into the building and although later he said it was just b/c he was wanting to use his phone, I think he WAS nervous about volunteering.

Hope arrived and we all headed in. It was GREAT to see all the people voluneering! We stood in a short line and they checked off our names and had Rey & I sign as the adults present and then we went in and chose what we would do. There were card tables and flower tables and also a table where they were putting together identification packets for something (that didn't seem to relate to the residential facilies) We chose flowers!

It looked intimidating at first b/c there were just piles of different colored tissue paper and pipe cleaners. HOW could we make flowers from that??? Hope's family sat with us, so we had a table all to ourselves! Don't worry, we only talked about you a little!

The room filled up, which was great to see, and they explained what we would be doing and showed us how to make the flowers. It's a learning process! I feel bad for the people who get those first few flowers before we figured out exactly what we were doing!

My camera was giving me a LOT of trouble, the colors seem messed up, at first everything was washed out and too bright and then when I adjusted, everything turned REALLY pink/red! I don't know if the colors from the tissue paper were reflecting or if the vivid setting on my camera with those florescent lights did it, but I didn't have many keepers. You'll see them below.

Anyway, we had a wonderful time, Dylan did finally come in and help and I really think that Disney has done something wonderful here. Yes, I know they are a company that wants to get people to come to WDW, but I think they also knew that when you get people to volunteer and see how wonderful it is for the community, they will want to do it again. I know that I do! The kids enjoyed it more than they thought they would and it was such great familiy time! I can't say enough about it.

Here are some of the (crappy) pics...
This is part of the room we were in. I would guess there were 70+ people there

Savannah was NOT being cooperative and if she isn't and the camera isn't...then it's just not a good picture day for me!

Dallas made pretty good flowers after he stopped telling himself that he couldn't!

Hope never lets me take her picture, but I got a shot of her camera!

Finally got a smile when she wanted me to take a picture of her flower!

Hope, check out Jace in the background! I think he was taking a rest from flowers! (he liked doing the cards better, I think!)

After the break, the kids all wanted to switch and make cards, but I wasn't going to! I was having fun with the flowers! So, the kids went by themselves over to the card table and they let them make cards! Savannah really loved this.

Ohhh, that face! Do you think she is sick of Mom's camera???

At about 3:30 they announced that although we were supposed to stay from 1-5pm, we had all done so well that we had exceeded the 500 cards and 500 flowers that they had wanted to make! That was a great feeling as well and we ended up leaving around 3:45.

I wish that they had more opportunities to volunteer in our area. I've done the animal shelters, but there aren't things like this in this area, or at least none I have seen. I was even thinking that it might be an optiong to ORGANIZE something like this and get our own community involved. Regardless of where we did the volunteering, it was so worth the gas and time to drive in. I am looking forward to doing it again!

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Great job volunteering! Very nice! It always makes ya feel so good

And Ann, so you are going to get married! Good for you! We are thinking about using betas in our centerpieces as well !

 

[-Hope-]

LOL! I can't believe you posted a pic of my camera! Well, really the table with my camera on it but still!

I think Jace was upset with himself when he had his head down because he tried to do something creative with a flower that didn't work out... such a perfectionist. The pics when they moved over to make cards are funny! Kya and Savannah both look like they'd like to strangle you with your camera strap!

We had a really fun day as well and I agree that I think this was about more than drumming up business- I'm sure that they know that volunteerism is infectious and that many people will be inspired to do more- I know I was!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

A Bugs Life!

If you have already read Hope's PTR it's repeat day for you!

We started off the day meeting at the park to walk! Yes, we've hit our January thaw and it was about 50 yesterday so we decided to take advantage of it. I know it won't stay that way for long! Grph.

After walking at the park and sitting while the girls played a rousing game of hide/spy on Mom, we headed to my house! The girls put bug stickers all over their faces and then tricked us by going to the bathroom to fix them and then deciding we would just take more pictures so removing almost all of them before coming out.

I have like 16 pictures, I couldn't reduce it more than I already did. You'll just have to humor me!

This is a Mom-you-are-annoying-me face:

Kya is so photogenic, I LOVE taking pictures of her! Now she doesn't just have her mom taking her pic all the time but me too. Poor girl.

The girls made antenna headbands with pipe cleaners and golf balls, they had a great time and it was pretty cute! I would have never thought of this.

My little bug...

Did they eat or paint their bugs after that???? Maybe I should go over and read Hope's PTR again to find out! I'll just have to guess, for the life of me I can't rememeber! I have short term memory issues, I like to joke about it but it probably won't be funny as I get older. It's ok though b/c I doubt I'll REMEMBER!

So, they painted egg cartons to make catipillars. I remember doing this in school! I think they liked mixing the paint the most.

Then they ate (I think!) See, if I weren't TALKING the whole time with Hope, I might have paid more attention, but once you get me started, I just go and go...maybe that's why I can't remember anything, I'm too busy listening to myself!

Hope made the cutest snacks! Apple ladybugs with chocolate plus spiders and beetles(were those beetles?) with peanut butter, crackers, apples, & pretzels. They were cute and the girls ate them ALL!

Savannah thought it was amusing to eat bugs made of other stuff, I think partially b/c she identifies herself as a vegetarian and partially b/c she usually won't eat pb & crackers...apparently if they look like bugs, she will!

Kya is off in lala land in this pic, I wonder what she was thinking about???

After eating the girls didn't want to watch the movie?!?!?! What? So, I had printed out a little activity book and they did that for a while and then played a little in Savannah's room

Eventually they came around and watched! I got about halfway through and was getting tired of it, so Hope & I sat in the kitchen and talked while they finished watching it. We had a fun, buggy day! Looking forward to next week, we'll be doing it on Mondays from here on out. No clue what movie Hope is choosing!

 

[-Hope-]

Great shots! Most of mine with them making the headbands came out blurry! Lots of my shots of Savannah came out blurry yesterday. Jace wasn't there so she was taking on the role of 'child in constant motion'.

It's funny that you say that about taking Kya's picture because I do the same thing with Savannah- I get home and look at my pics and notice I have more pictures of her than my own kid!

I don't know what I'm choosing next week either! I have to look at my list of ideas ands see what I can pull off!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Make it something that involves me spending no money. We are B-R-O-K-E!

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Oh, your bugs life day was very cute. I love the peanut butter, cracker and apple bugs. I may have to use that! My girls love bugs too!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Yay!!!!! I think?!?!?!?

So yesterday I sit down to check my email and see there is one for our other email that used to be my sons. I registered on the WDW site with 3 different emails trying to get on their PIN code list and it worked. I had previously gotten a 20% off code. So, I opened the email and BAM! I see it says: Get FREE* Dining! in big letters and I skim and see the dates are for fall and started yelling across the house! I think Rey thought something bad had happened!

THEN I read the fine print. It's free QUICK SERVICE dining. This is during the normal free dining dates they usually have (mid august to beginning of Oct) and my heart dropped.

Don't get me wrong, free dining of any sort is great, but we can't utilize quick service well b/c I can't eat at most of the CS places. We will HAVE to upgrade to the ddp for it to be worth it. It's $420 to do that, which is STILL great to get all your food for 6 people, but just a little disappointing.

What's worse is that I believe that other people on the code board got REGULAR ddp b/c they were staying or showed interest in moderates & deluxes, so this makes me think that even when they do release to the public, it will be Quick Service for values and ddp for moderates/deluxes.

I've run the numbers and we're better off enjoying ASMU than trying to do a moderate for the free ddp. If there were 4 or 5 of us, it would work out to do moderate, but once you hit 6 there are really limited places or you need 2 rooms. Fort Wilderness was a brief thought, but to be honest, I LIVE in the wilderness, I don't need to vacation there too! Besides, for the kids I think it will be more fun to be in a value with the theme.

I did go back on the WDW site and price some moderates and save them in hopes that I will get the ddp code, but it's a longshot. My email did NOT say that I was being offered quick service just b/c I was at a value, it said at select resorts. Hopefully they will release in March that there will be free ddp for all, but it seems silly to send out pin codes to a select few for quick service just to release ddp for free to the public. Everyone would just call up and switch???

So anyway, I did call up and change my reservation and it was nice to hear that number drop dramatically! We will be saving a great deal of money and since Rey and I agree that this will probably be the only time we stay onsite for a long time and "try out" a lot of the TS places, then free dining is the way to go! Then we'll know our favorites (already have some!) and we can stay offsite in a house. Staying onsite is something imperative right now though with the teens not driving, etc.

Ok, I'm rambling now!

So, I got KINDA Free dining!!! I figure kinda-free dining is better than NO free dining!

I'm hoping Hope (teehee) doesn't hate me for dragging her into this free dining mess. We knew it might not be offered or altered in some way but I think we thought that we would get free ddp. Now we'll have to wait until the end of March to see what they release I guess!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Yes, Karen!!! A pin code!!!! Way to go and even though you are a little disapointed, it is a savings!!! I'm sooooo happy for you!

 

[-Hope-]

Hate you? Are you kidding? I got to go back to revisit the menus on allears and come up with alternate plans. I think I might like my new plans better than my old ones by the time I'm finished! (Well at least just as much!)