PrincessV
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
- Messages
- 14,316
App of the Day – Checkers!
This turned out to be a great waiting device. I taught Leo how to play while we waited for our meals at lunch, and we played a few more times during other meals. For the record, I won more times than Leo.
Barely.
This turned out to be a great waiting device. I taught Leo how to play while we waited for our meals at lunch, and we played a few more times during other meals. For the record, I won more times than Leo.
Barely.
_________________________________________________________
August 3rd. I’d left that particular morning open in The Plan, allowing for extra sleep or changes of mind about park preferences. Since Leo and I had hit the deck early the previous night, we were ready for some rides and decided on the MK for our morning.
The Waldos were at EP. Where the heck were the Mominators that day?! I cannot seem to remember, but I know they weren’t with us. It was just me and my boy that morning.
And this was to be Leo Day. I pretty much let him call the shots since we’d already hit all of our must-do’s on our earlier MK day. This made for some interesting results…
First, it meant taking the bus to the MK. That’s right – given a choice, Leo will nearly always pick the bus. ~ sigh ~ Where did I go wrong?!
BUSSING it to the Magic. Ugh.
Next, Leo was clear that he wanted to watch the opening show. We wound up being so early, we were right in front of the train station for it.
No zoom here – just looking up from where we stood.
He was offered a handful of pixie dust… which he wisely declined. I took it and realized 10 minutes later, when I went to throw it in the air, that the humid air stuck the stupid bits to my palm. I threw my hand up to toss the confetti – and none of it moved. I spent the walk down Main St. picking each little bit off with a finger nail.
Sure, they look innocent now…
For his first ride, Leo chose Astro Orbiter. On which he spent the entire ride like this:
Space may be a vacuum, but Tomorrowland is not. Too loud.
Some other rides he chose: Peter Pan, POTC, and BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!
Oh, and this…
Yep, we braved BTMRR again! No shaking or teeth chattering this time; Leo was loving him some rollercoaster.
Following our mandatory trip down Denial River…
“Stay in school, or you too will grow up to be a Jungle Cruise Skipper.”
…we made it to the place Leo most wanted to visit. In fact, he’d been asking about it since the very first day of our trip. It was pretty much in the top spot for Things Leo Wanted to Do at WDW.
Mmm-hmm, the boy wanted to shoot stuff. Now, I talked about this in my PTR, but for the late-comers, I’ll admit two things here:
1. I’m about as anti-gun as it’s possible to get.
2. The Frotierland Shootin’ Arcade holds one of my favorite memories from my childhood visits to WDW.
Go figure. Anyway, despite my leanings, I was happy to let Leo give the Shootin’ Arcade a shot. So to speak.
The process seems simple enough – deposit money in the machine, take aim and fire.
The first two steps worked like a charm; the machine took my money and Leo took aim. Sadly, the last step did not unfold properly at all. No shots. Much like the cursed soda vending machine across the hall from my office, the Shootin’ Arcade took my money and failed to deliver.
Fortunately, I was prepared with more quarters and we selected a new rifle, one that had just successfully been used by another patron. All systems were go this time. I helped Leo balance his ginormous Winchester and he fired away at the red dots.
This gun weighs more than my 7 year old!
He only managed to hit one target, but he had a great time anyway. He was so excited by this little experience, we went right into the adjoining shop and bought a Frontierland tree ornament to commemorate the occasion.
To follow that heart-warming tale, please allow me to share our next, and rather opposing, experience.
We’d done all we cared to at the MK and were ready for some lunch. But I needed to stop at the restroom first. Now, Leo’s old enough that he’s not keen on going in the Ladies’ room to do his thing anymore, and I’ve been supportive of that development. I love WDW’s restrooms because the vast majority of them feature open entrances, i.e. no actual door. I’m able to wait outside while Leo uses the men’s room, knowing that if he yells for help I’ll be able to hear him.
But when I need to use the facilities, I’m not yet okay with leaving Leo out in the middle of the park. Again, WDW’s restrooms are ideal, as he can almost always stand just inside an entrance, where he’s far enough away from the “action” for everyone to feel modest, but isn’t mingling in the crowd either.
He’s good with the situation; I’m good with the situation.
But, apparently, the lady who walked into the Ladies’ Room behind me that day was not good with our situation. Because, after I left Leo at the entrance, saying “I’ll be right back; wait here,” this woman followed me INTO my stall of choice, pushing the door open, and said “Are you sure you want to leave him there like that?!”
We all wonder “what if” right? “What if someone tries to harm my child – how will my child react?”
Well, I happen to know what Leo would do if grabbed by a stranger, because I saw it. The “stranger” in question was actually a counselor at his summer camp, but one with whom Leo was not yet acquainted. This counselor, in jest, came up behind Leo and grabbed him around the waist (anyone with boys between 5 and 18 knows this is almost always a precursor to a raging game of chase or wrestling, right?). Leo, having NO idea who this person grabbing him might be, reacted quickly and on instinct – he screamed bloody murder and tore at the poor counselor’s arms with his finger nails. The guy had red welts all up and down his arms. But an important lesson was learned by three people:
Leo learned that he has power and control over his own destiny and can use it whenever he feels he needs to.
I learned that my seven-year-old is a lot tougher and smarter than I thought.
The counselor learned that, even amongst the testosterone-laden set, introductions first can prevent injury later.
So when I tell Leo “I’m leaving you here; please wait for me,” I do so with confidence in his ability to protect himself and my ability to trust in his instincts. Whether you, kindly-intentioned stranger, think me right or wrong, stay out of my parenting. Please.
I took a step closer to the woman – who was in MY space! – and explained that yes, I was sure and that no, I did not need to be questioned about it.
With that little bit of excitement out of the way, we went to lunch. At a new place for us, The Plaza.
People, can I just say it? Get yourselves some reservations at The Plaza! That lunch ranked one of our best WDW meals ever. EVER!!!
We were seated quickly and had this gorgeous view while we ate:
It was relatively quiet in there, which we always like, and our server was wonderfully efficient, yet never made us feel rushed. I had their Club sandwich and it was delish. Leo proclaimed his cheeseburger the “best in Disney!” Being The Plaza, we had to follow up with some ice cream…
“Can I pleeeease stop smiling and EAT this thing already!”
Dudes. That’s the KIDS’ sundae. It was huge! Leo was so nice – he offered to share and we both enjoyed that yummy treat. What a great way to end a MK day; I’m pretty much booking The Plaza for lunch every time we go to the MK now!
I have to admit here that I have NO idea what happened after we went back to SSR! Pool-Thirty seems like a safe bet, but I’m not sure on that. And where were the Mominators?! We’ll all need to go read T’s and LL’s updates (ahem) to figure out this mystery.
I do know where we spent our evening, though… Epcot!
This was a completely Plan-less evening, too. Leo wanted to ride M:S again, and there was a very short wait, so we did that first. And it rained a little – naturally, since it was dinner time.
We were mostly there to eat and then stalk the Waldos, so we headed over to Tangierine Café and scored some yummy vittles. Good golly, but I love that place! Where else can you find the second-best cheeseburger in all of Disney, a falafel wrap the size of Detroit, and a staff composed almost entirely of cute Moroccans?!
During dinner, I’d sent a text to T letting her know our plan: to eat dinner and then lie in wait outside Tutto Italia (where the Waldos were dining). So Leo and I wandered over to Italy, enjoying the stroll and people watching. The Waldos weren't out yet, so I popped into the wine shop in the Italy pavilion for a little after-dinner drink. I’d never been in there – it’s so cute! And, despite being half Italian, I’ve never been a big fan of Italian wines. But the one I tried that night was very tasty. Sipping it on the steps, in the company of my favorite guy, made it that much better.
Geez, I could use a little eye makeup!
When the Waldos came out, we all headed over to Norway… because we had a mission! A Kim Possible mission, that is. Apparently, they’d grabbed a mission FP earlier and it was time to dive in.
I’d read briefly about the missions, and had asked Leo if he wanted to try it out, but he’d declined. Neither of us had any idea how involved and FUN they’d be! We never would have tried it if it weren’t for T, so thanks so much for including us that night!
Our mission took place in China. And I’m not going to give anything away, because it’s really that fun. There are so many clues and they really require the power of a few minds to figure out, so we all got to be involved. The clues are interactive, too, adding to the fun.
“Gong? Are you sure? I’ve never seen a gong in here…”
It happened to be sunset while we were working our mission, and it was gorgeous, so I took some pics along the way…
We completed our mission, saving all humanity, natch, and may or may not have done the Mexico ride. I really don’t remember. I think the last thing I remember doing was waiting for the bus! I don’t even remember getting ready for bed that night – we must have been tired.
But it was another lovely day, of that I’m certain. I’ve already said it, and I’m sure I’ll continue to do so… what a joy it was to not feel like every minute of the day was to be accounted for. The liberating feeling of being able to say “Hey, let’s go stalk our friends outside their dinner location!” cannot be over overstated.
According to Commando Touring rules, we did practically nothing at EP that night. But trust me – being in the company of friends is anything but “nothing.” 
Next: Flat Kate Goes to Hollywood
According to JImmy the place that has the BEST PB & J sandwich EVER! They put it on real bread..not those uncrustable carp things they usually have!
It really is - I stopped in for a pre-dinner beverage prior to Wienerfest. 
I could have wandered around for ages.
Maybe I should take Mitch there or actually I want to go.
And the companion restrooms are just one big room.
It's a sparkling red wine & really tastes great.
See, this is absolutely why I love my DIS-friends. I wouldn't know half of what I know about WDW without you 
I'm waiting for that one next - Gramma plays. 
I may or may not have actually said it!
Thanks for joining in.
And racked up some nice scores, too:
Theres a fun story among the Waldos from TOT, but Ill let T tell that one. Im sure shell post an update real soon. 
