Come on Shake Your Body Baby Do the Tonga

It's still snowing.

Hubby was kind enough to stop on his way home from work for a few essentials.  The list included milk, eggs and a sled.   We legitimately needed the milk and eggs.  We were out of both. Still, I'm glad he went because I always feel like a lemming if I purchase milk, bread or eggs during or proceeding a snowstorm.  

If you live in a snowy climate you know what I mean. People flock to the supermarkets and convenience stores to raid the shelves of these items and I never understood why.  When was the last time you were trapped in your house and felt a dire urge to make french toast? Because in reality what else can you make with those three ingredients.

And since we are talking about french toast I shall now address a Disney favorite...of others.

Tonga Toast.

People love it.  They write about it on message boards.  They post photos of it.  They plan trips around it.  I'm not one of those people.  

Thick piece of carb-loaded bread: check

Deep fried: talk to me baby

Rolled in cinnamon and sugar: me likey me likey

Served with a mushy, yucky, warm banana in the middle: I'm OUT!

As a life-long banana-hater the concept nauseates me.  I'm saddened by the fact that someone could invent something so sinfully wonderful, drizzle it with syrup and serve it with a fine swine product and yet ruin it by stuffing it with potassium-rich nastiness.

Regardless of my personal tastes, I do recommend you try this.  It is served at Kona Cafe (table service) and Captain Cook's (counter service) in the Polynesian. Enough people go gaga for the stuff that it has to be good.  If you like bananas.

Oh What a Difference 1341.86 Miles Makes

Current Orlando weather:

Partly sunny and 72 degrees.

Current view out my kitchen window:

Why do I torture myself with checking the Florida weather reports when my trip is 3.5 months away?  Happy Snowy White New Year!

Oh, It's a Jolly Holiday With...

...this guy.

I'm not British so I technically shouldn't be allowed to say "holiday" and it was more lazy than jolly, but it was delightful all the same.

I think the boy and I are both getting a little too used to our life of leisure and wi

ll be in for a rude awakening when we return to our respective classrooms next week (me in front 3rd graders and him rocking the preschool scene).  Today we played an estimated 53 rounds of Guess Who, constructed an unidentifiable (but impressively large) Tinker Toy structure and  watched Mary Poppins...again.

We rented the movie a few weeks ago.  I was in search of some harmless entertainment, but wasn't sure how it would be received.  It had been at least 2 decades since I had seen it and I didn't know if it could compete with animated talking motor vehicles in search of a Piston Cup.  Much to my surprise it did.

He loved it and was devastated when the local video store called to tell us they wanted Mary (and the late fees that she accumulated) back.  Luckily, Grammy bought him his very own DVD for Christmas.  If you have young kiddos I highly recommend this one.  The music is great.  I forgot how many songs came from it.

Incidentally, I bought the hat in the photo above at Gymboree.  It was a complete impulse buy.  It was impractical and overpriced.  He hated it and refused to wear it.  That was of course until he realized that it made him look like a chimney sweep and now it 

is his accessory of choice.

Heigh-Ho Heigh-Ho It's Off to NOWHERE I Go

That's right.

You can just scratch the word "work" from the lyrics to that catchy little Snow White ditty.

I am officially on vacation.  The PC term in the public school business is "winter break."

Christmas break...winter break...poe-TAY-toes...poe-TAH-toes.  

Either way you slice it I am in my pajamas and slippers with nowhere to go an nothing to do.  The chaos of Christmas is behind us and the week of laziness may now commence.  Let's just hope that my favorite little dwarf sidekick is more like Happy than Grumpy this week.

Heigh-Ho Heigh Ho it's off to play with Santa toys, scrapbook, drink coffee, organize the house, read books and not brush my hair or put on makeup for 7 days I go.

Samantha Brown vs. Me

This is Samantha Brown.  She is the blond. I am not.  She is perky.  The closest I come to ever being described as perky is post-Starbucks venti beverage, but even then I would classify my persona more as wired than perky.  Still there are similarities.  She is from the Northeast and so am I.  She has things she loves about Disney and so do I.

After viewing her Travel Channel special which highlighted her favorite Disney things, I decided to compare and contrast them to my own.  Below are the categories selected for the show and the Samantha Brown vs. Me selections:

#1 Favorite Ride

Sam: Tower of Terror

Me: Tower of Terror

#2 Favorite Character Interaction

Sam: Turtle Talk with Crush

Me: Chef Mickey's

Let's be honest.  My choice not only has character interaction, but also waffles.  Clearly I am correct on this one.  Think about it.  There is an entire section devoted to desserts...at 7 a.m.  Sorry Crush, but that is totally awesome dude!

#4 Parade

Sam: Parade of Dreams

Me: Trick question because I don't like parades.

I suppose if I had to pick a favorite parade I would go with the Christmas parade which is televised on ABC.  I don't have to stand shoulder to shoulder in the hot sun knowing that my time would be better spent enjoying shorter ride lines.  Instead I can enjoy the fun little floats from the comfort of my oversized sofa and through the magic of Tivo fast forward right through Regis Philbin.

#5 Favorite Way to Beat the Lines

Sam: The Single Rider Line

Me: Early Morning ADRs in the park

Sam suggests you get into the singe rider line.  This guarantees you a shorter wait, however you must then ride with a stranger.  I'm funny about this.  I won't go to the movies by myself.   My tip is to make an early ADR for before the park opens.  You can get some great pictures and be well ahead of the crowds at rope drop.  So perhaps you may not want to dine with the princesses and perhaps you are not sure how to pronounce Akershaus when calling for a reservation, but it sure does beat waiting in lines.

#6 Character Tip

#7 Adult Drink

Sam: Grand Marnier Slush from the France Pavilion in EPCOT

Me: Yes please.

Sam is not traveling with children.  She has the ability to take a leisurely stroll through the World Showcase, wait in a line and pay $8.00 for a lovely frozen beverage.  I fall into the camp of people who spent the day waiting in 45 minute intervals for action packed rides on Dumbo and Peter Pan.  Any adult beverage is welcome.

Aw Shucks!

Typically I am bummed to find an attraction is "closed for my future enjoyment."  Let's see...during our stay at Port Orleans Riverside the food court was closed (for my future enjoyment).  Last spring the pool, hottub and kiddie pool (did I mention I have a 3 year old) was closed (for my future enjoyment).   We had a very close call last December when the Tea Cups closed for refurbishment, but luckily it was on the day we were flying home and the 3 year old had already rotated to his heart's content.

So far there is only one attraction listed as being closed during our next trip.

The Hall of Presidents.

or as I like to call it "The Torture Chamber."  I coined that name back in the late 80s around the same time I trudged through EPCOT chanting "BOOOORRRIIINNNGGG!" (If you ever want to hear just "how damn much a trip to Disney costs" then I highly suggest doing that in front of your father for several consecutive days in the hot Florida sun).

Anyhow, The Hall of Presidents is closed and I am delighted.  My husband LOVES these types of things and I am running out of excuses to avoid them.  

Disney can revamp a tired old foodcourt in a week and transform a pool into a Pirate Ship in a relatively short amount of time.  I'm not sure why it will take the better portion of a year to create an animatronic Obama, but far be it from me to complain.

Move Over Grand Floridian

There are some new gingerbread houses in town.

OK so our little village is actually constructed out of milk cartons and graham crackers.  And perhaps they are the size of one shingle from the Grand Floridian version, but they are charming in their own way.  

Truth be told I was not as impressed with the GF house as I thought I would be.  I'm assuming it was because of the fact that I had seen so many photos of it online.  I think Samantha Brown even spent some time in it during one of the Travel Channel documentaries.  It is beautiful and it is fairly amazing that a structure made of flour and sugar could house a sales clerk peddling gingerbread products to tourists.  Still, I think sometimes my obsession with Disney message boards and fan sites can cause some letdown because I don't get that "ooohhh look at that" moment. I would think this would be jaw-dropping if you didn't know about it ahead of time.

Oh well.  I can ooh and ahh over the little village created by my family.  Incidentally, my construction is the one on the left (and yes, I am humble enough to realize that alone means I should marvel at the Grand Floridian masterpiece because I obviously cannot do better).  It's small.  It's kooky.  But, it was made on a snowy New England evening by my little family and I am impressed that my 3 year old thought to add a gumdrop doorknob and a fruit loop wreath!

Tow Truck Profanity

I live with a Cars addict.  We played the DVD to the point of needing to replace said DVD with a new one.  Amazingly, it took 9 months and an estimated 5,903,527 viewings for my son to start inserting the phrase, "HOLY SHOOT!" into the appropriate situations.

We open the door to reveal a foot of snow: "Holy Shoot!"

He slips on the ice: "Holy Shoot!"

Did I mention he is 3 and therefore lacks perfect articulation?  One not familiar with the Pixar film would assume that he is saying the alternate phrase.

Thanks Mater!

Remy I am Not

Hubby has been working late all week so the boy and I have enjoyed dinner for 2 each night. The boy had been requesting crepes for dinner. This was a great idea for two reasons: 1. They are cheap. 2. They can be cooked on TOP of the stove and since our stove suffered an ill fate on Thanksgiving I've had to do some creative cooking.
The problem was that this is hubby's specialty and I have never before attempted to make crepes. Also, I can't even flip a pancake with minimal success.
The boy scurried around the kitchen gathering ingredients. It seemed he had store the recipe inside his 3 year old brain. This was a good thing because hubby's recipe (handwritten by my MIL) appeared to lack some details. What it did include was words like "dash" and a "sprinkle."

So with the coaching of the boy ("That's not the bowl daddy uses"..."That's not the pan daddy uses.") I did the best I could.

Mmmm...tell me this shouldn't be offered at Chefs de France:

I must say that my last attempt was an actual thing of beauty.

Well, if you insist...

As I mentioned in my "No Room at the Inn" post, reservations at any Disney resort are hard to come by for the week we must travel. We had been offered the Honeymoon Suite at the Wilderness Lodge. Had to pass.

I called back hoping that the Caribbean Beach Resort was available. We stayed there last April and loved it. The problem being that the main pool was closed for a major makeover. I wanted to reap the benefits of said makeover and was looking forward to a return stay this year. Nope.

Booked.

Entirely.

Not a room, villa, suite or janitor's closet with a sleeping bag to be had.

I tried later that night. Alas, there was one vacancy...at the Beach Club.

It was more than I wanted to spend, but not all that much more than I would have been paying for the Caribbean Beach had the 4/3 promo not been offered. Don't you just love how I justify the expense.

I've toured the Beach Club. We once had breakfast at the Cape May Cafe and the pool (aka Stormalong Bay) looks way too fun. I also love the location. We are early birds who love to get up and stroll with a coffee. The location for that is ideal.

When I initially booked it I figured I would just secure a room and call back in hopes of a moderate opening up. However, I'm excited about trying a new resort and so me thinks that I will stop obsessing.

Love Rollercoasters - Love Aerosmith - HEL-LO

You know her.

You either love her (me) or you hate her (my husband).

She's Stacey.

She's the overly-caffeinated chick who counts down the top 7 Must See (because Disney strategically selected something from every bus destination so that you'll be sure to spend as much money as possible) Attractions. There is something about it that makes me happy.

Upon check-in at our resort I immediately check-in with Stacey. My husband tolerates it at that moment. However, by the 5th time around he's over it and makes his feelings clear. This is the same man who can watch the continuous Sports Center loop over and over without blinking, but Stacey has a limit.

I can hardly wait to tell him she's available on youtube and we can watch from home...on a continuous loop

No Room At the Inn

I just called the familiar 407-W-Disney number to book our room.

We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort a few months ago and really enjoyed it. We had planned to return there in April.

I was told they were sold out.

In fact, I was told the entire property was sold out with the exception of the Honeymoon Suite at the Wilderness Lodge. As lovely as that sounded, I had to pass. I'm sure something will open up, but wow!

Is Disney immune from the threats of the economy?

Just for reference:

All-Star Movies Resort 1920
All-Star Music Resort 1728
All-Star Sports Resort 1920
Pop Century Classic Years Resort 2880

Total Value Resort Rooms 8448

Caribbean Beach Resort 2112
Coronado Springs Resort 1921
Port Orleans French Quarter Resort 1008
Port Orleans Riverside Resort 2048

Total Moderate Resort Rooms 7089

Beach Club Villas 280
Boardwalk Villas 520
Old Key West Resort 761
Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa 552
Villas at Wilderness Lodge 181

Total Vacation Club Villas 2294
(lock-off villas counted as separate rooms)

Animal Kingdom Lodge 1293
Beach Club Resort 576
Boardwalk Inn 372
Contemporary Resort 1008
Grand Floridian Resort & Spa 867
Polynesian Resort 847
Wilderness Lodge 727
Yacht Club Resort 621

Total Deluxe Resort Rooms 6311

Fort Wilderness Resort 1191
( 784 Campsites, 407 Cabins )

Total Disney Owned Guest Accommodations 25,333

If the Slipper Fits...

It was Friday afternoon. My desire to primp before work had waned somewhere around Hump Day and nobody has to tell me twice that the dress code at school on Friday is casual. So dressed in jeans and my black shirt du jour, sporting a deflated ponytail, bags under my eyes and the frazzled look of an elementary school teacher who had just survived a day in the trenches, I went to pick up my son at preschool.

As I was putting him in the car he looked at me and said, "Mommy, your hair looks beautiful. You look like a princess." Not sure where he had aquired the adjective or the noun in that phrase, I simply accepted the compliment.

Moments later we were home. I had bought some Cinderella stickers for a custom layout I am making for a client and as I was taking them out of the bag Camden took notice. He looked at the stickers, at me, back at the stickers and then back at me. He then said with great conviction, "Mommy you look like Cinderella." She's blond. I'm not. She has blue eyes. I have brown. Although I often act like there is a tiara on my head there isn't.

As I was pondering his attempted flattery he moved onto the next topic. He asked, "Can I have some M&Ms." Hmmmm. He just turned 3. Coincidence or advanced sweet-talking skills? Either way I'll take it!

Zippity Doo Dah...Zippity Ay...My Oh My It's...

STOP THE MUSIC!!!

Today is the polar opposite of a Zippity Do Dah Day.

Today is the first of many days of darkness. Today the heat is on. Today I sit in my flannel PJs and fuzzy slippers looking down the barrel of the gun known as "Winter in New England!"

We moved the clocks back last night. I personally want to slap anyone who claims to be happy about "having an extra hour of sleep."

a. 5 months of darkness is a big price to pay for 5 months of it getting dark at 4:30 in the afternoon
b. children do not realize that the clock has been adjusted and thus do not adjust their little bodies to sleep in

And so begins my months of hibernating in my studio and living vicariously through my scrapbook creations.

School Vacation Week...REALLY?

I love my job.

I honest to goodness, pinky promise it's true, absolutely, positively do love my job.

I am a teacher. I play and laugh and watch kids grow. It's fantastic.

There are many perks including July, and August. Do you want to travel to an uber-crowded theme park that is relatively close to the equator during the hottest time of the year? I don't.

I also get a few weeks off during the academic year. While I realize I have a schedule that any gainfully employed individual would be green with envy over, I can't help but wish that I had a wee bit of flexibility in when said vacation weeks occur. Like cattle, my family and I will follow the herd of teachers and families with school-aged children to the airport and through the gates of Walt Disney World during the prescribed school vacation week in April.

Airfare: $399.00 each way. Ding? There is no Ding that week! I imagine the airline executives ring their fingers together, twirl their villian moustaches and cackle with glee as they mark off backout periods for vacation week.

Hotels: Booked!

ADRs: How does dinner with a 3 year old at 10:40 p.m. sound?

Still, whining aside, we are blowing this popsicle stand (literally, it's a balmy 34 degrees as I type) and spending a week in the sun. I'll gladly take overpriced and crowded if it means I can do so in capris and flip flops!

Alas 180 Days Means Nothing

Looks like we need to start warming up to the idea of calling a turkey leg and a Dole Whip dinner nightly.

180 days

That is the unit of measure that marks the deadline by which hungry vacationers must decide in advance when they will eat, where they will eat and with whom they will eat. It is 5:23 a.m. and I have no idea what I'll be serving for breakfast today, yet I can tell you exactly what I'll be eating for breakfast at 7:05 a.m. 168 days from now.

That is because we have an ADR (reservation) for Chef Mickey's. Incidently, that is the only ADR we have at the moment. Ironically, this is the first time I had it together enough to call at the 180 day mark with a plan. The Disney folk are "updating the reservation system." They are only taking reservations through March 22nd and at some point will open the window to include several months at once. Surely, that will make for a nightmare.

While I personally don't like having our vacation days revolving around a reservation made 6 months in advance, I am left assuming that I'll be feeding my 3 year old a turkey leg and a Dole whip and calling it dinner!

Are You Really Going to Disney AGAIN?

Ummmm...yes we are.

This was in response to my sister's question. I should clarify. We aren't "Disney People," but rather "Disney World People." You may argue that there is no difference. I say there is.

I define a Disney person as one who changes out of their Mornings Make me "Grumpy" nightshirt and starts the day with coffee in a Winnie the Pooh mug. After checking the time on their Mickey Mouse watch they scurry off to work in a vehicle that sports both a Disney World bumper sticker and one of those antenna toppers shaped like Mickey. A true Disney person rotates said antenna topper throughout the year with seasonal Mickeys.

We are not those people. We are Disney World people.

Nothing about our home, clothing or vehicle would lead you to believe we are even fond of Disney, yet we vacation there all...the...time! To me it is an easy, guaranteed good time. I know what to expect. I know my way around. It is warm. It is happy (save for the sun-burned families with screaming childrean littered throughout the parks) and bright and cheery. I have tricks up my sleeve to maximize the trip. I have a kiddo who loves characters and is slowly learning that after riding Dumbo once you must wait in line for another 40 minutes before you can actually "go one more time" and a husband who is always willing to go along for the ride.

Perhaps someday we will head west of the Mississippi. Heck, we might even travel to Mexico, Morocco or countries in Europe. But for now the mini versions in Epcot are all that are on our agenda.