$4 Grab Bag Reveal

It's not the first time I've done one of these posts on Michael's Grab Bags. I placed a teaser on my Instagram account and obviously now I have to deliver.

I knew the grab bags were out, as this happens about 3-4 times each year and some of the bloggers I follow had been posting about them. Around June, they stuff all the "Class of 20xx" junk into a bag and label it with a grab bag amount (though usually it's $2! Hello inflated prices!). I've definitely been stuck with jumbo graduation ballpoint pens and other junk, but this time I set out to avoid that. There were 4 bags to choose from and two double sets of graduation frames.

Two bags were loaded with the "Class of 2017" junk, so those were out. The other two were similar. I knew they had comparable items. I narrowed it down to this one, now wondering if I should've gone with the other!

The whole enchilada.

I'm attempting to do most of my lesson planning through Google Calendar this year, but I still need a paper planner for the quick list info and to have something to grab quickly for meetings, if technology goes down, etc. I bought a cheapie planner at Target for $11 but was hoping this grab bag would give me a planner I could use for the simple notes. And I thought the 18-month (that I could see through the bag) would've done the job. I was hoping it was from January 2017-June 2018. I could've only been so lucky.

I wasn't. #wuhwuh

 

These, in fact, are the 2016-2017 versions, ending in December. Total bummer. With that said, I'm still thinking about using the large one and just changing the dates as we head into January. It might not be pretty, but I already own the darn thing and I will be saving paper and recycling! {Seriously though, where do all the leftover, already printed calendars go? Straight back to paper pulp?}

I mean, look at the cute heart and gold binding! It really is adorable. And the smaller one is also cute but has the same problem. I think I'll put that in my student VIP supplies as a "log" to sign in when you are VIP for the day. And again, we'll go to January (wrong year, but whatevs) to end the school year. Of course I had to check out all the other Happy Planners on Amazon and was jelly.

The rest of the loot was:

• One Heidi Swapp "Cinch Insta Album Kit" and I'm not entirely sure what that is, but it's going for $10 at Walmart (and more at a ton of other retailers, says my Google search).
• Two packs of 30 mini clothespins that I'll definitely use to hang student projects
• One Heidi Swapp Foil Rub Kit that I'm sure I can use to decorate something...

Anyone else pick up a grab bag? I love these things. It's my kind of gamble. :)

Write Blog Post

It was on the list for today. I'm barely squeaking by with this one, so I'm sure it's gonna be a real winner. Don't mind me... between dental appointments and enduring rigorous Nevada immunization updates for Benjamin (5! At once! And they were combined! Note: Nevada is cray and Illinois is lax, but that's the only time those two qualities are switched).

We're just a little busy around here.

After day 1 of terrible Pre-K, I cried. After day 2 of terrible Pre-K, Benjamin literally refused to go and I cried even more. Like, kicked and screamed and full-blown tantrumed on the exact day and time the movers were to be arriving at the house. So while the movers were there and Benjamin was condemned to his carseat (because I was pissed and to keep him out of the way while 2937 boxes and furniture pieces were being moved in), I was feverishly calling preschools to check for availability and setup tours to get him out of terrible Pre-K #1.

We visited one that was actually pretty fantastic. I had to drive past the fabulous "sorry, we're full" montessori school on the way, but this new place just felt RIGHT. They even have a sight word wall, which are things we're working on at home because this kid has an uncanny memory and is totally well on his way to reading success. He's obsessing over words lately, so we're running with it and making sight word flashcards based on words he already knows (so, go, I, no, ice cream, pizza, pink, the, they, yes, stop, bump, Reno, etc.). He's now getting sassy about the words and only wants to tell me words that are also on his school word wall, but anyway. He's learning. Just don't make him color in the lines. #rebelwithoutacause

Today was day 1 of new preschool and when I arrived for pickup, Benjamin was smiling and happy and told me, "This one is a good fit, Mom." Now, if only little sister wasn't totally jelly about him getting a new school because she wants all. the. same. things. In her defense, his preschool is pretty bomb and hers is kind of dismal. But she needs a routine-based program to prepare her for potential full-day preschool next year and Mama possibly going back to teaching. I toured a school I'm hoping she attends next year and it's super cool. So big. So many resources.

--

Little sister is zero percent potty trained. Like, we ask her daily and she says, "not yet. Tomorrow." We've had a WHOLE lot of tomorrows. Bootcamp coming soon. Stay tuned.

--

In other news, my kids don't sleep anymore. Like, Benjamin was awake at 2 a.m. last night telling me about some random ailment I can no longer remember that is clearly no longer an issue. And Claire was completely awake between 3-5 a.m. absolutely refusing to sleep in her room. She no longer crib sleeps and there are no locks on the doors. It's just really... unfortunate. And so after literally seeing the clock every single hour from 2-5 a.m., we relented and she slept on my side of the king bed and I happily headed to the guest bedroom for a catnap before my alarm chimed to get the kids off to school.

And because it was the only morning I had kid-free this week, I knocked out a 5.5 miler on like 4 broken hours of sleep and I'm practically falling asleep at the keyboard here. And since Claire is currently sleeping in the hallway and screams bloody murder if you dare wake to move her to bed, she will definitely be in our room tonight and I will find my way to the guest bedroom once again. I do not co-sleep. I can barely co-sleep with my husband in a king bed. I'm a light sleeper even with earplugs. Tomorrow pack'n'play whether the little tyrant likes it or not because #mamacannotdeal with this no sleep business anymore. Send coffee. And a nanny perhaps.

--

The house in IL is sold and that's at least a burden off our shoulders. We're officially Nevada license holders and visiting the mountains on weekends and currently planning a gondola ride, swim and skating at the top of the mountain in Squaw Valley this weekend. I'm joining the children's museum this week with the kids and we're looking forward to a huge hot air balloon festival next weekend and a couple date nights this weekend when my mom comes into town.

It's not all roses with all the tears about preschool and husband working long hours and #teamnosleep and ZERO people wanting to buy any of my stuff on Craigslist (seriously, people in Chicago would've been clawing down my door for a crib, mattress and AngelCare for $50), but we're definitely enjoying the mountain life with a side of mullet and huge side of leg tattoo that Reno proudly sports as a culture.

Just Monday Stuff

It's funny how weather really can affect your mood. The last three days have been nothing short of incredible here in the Midwest. The bugs are (mildy) suddenly back, but the kids are playing on the deck, in the dirt, at the parks. They are eating lunch outside (can I get a HECK YEAH for not having to sweep?) and exploring and painting rocks with cornstarch + water + food coloring paint.

Tomorrow will be cooler and rainy, but the last few days have been praiseworthy.

I'm kinda pulling a Tiger Mom approach to this whole handwriting situation. I typically spend about 20 minutes each day working with Benjamin solo on handwriting just after Claire goes down for her nap. He's required to write his name alone a couple times anywhere he chooses and we usually do another fine motor workbook page or something. He usually picks and in order to keep him cooperating, I let my Type-A slide when he wants to do 5% of each page and move on to other pages. But he's practicing writing and I have to let that go. He was eager to use sidewalk chalk yesterday and so I had him write his name. He is a whiz at the short name but the whole name is trickier. He can spell it, but the A and M have him a little perplexed. With a little help, he managed both his name and Claire's name.

-----

And how about a little talk of the littlest? She's fighting naptime. She dropped her morning nap at 9 months and never looked back. Now the afternoon nap? And really, she's totally unphased if she misses it and rallies to bedtime like a champ. It terrifies me! She's 27 months and I highly doubt she will be napping at 3. And yet, I know friends whose 4.5 or 5yo kids are napping. How come I am getting slighted here? She sat chatting in her crib the entire naptime today and I threw up the white flag.

Meanwhile, Benjamin is back on his obsessive kick with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory that he watches during naps and tells me regularly that he wants to go to the chocolate park with Aunt Mansa. You know, Hershey Park in Pennsylvania. Just a hop, skip and jump. He thinks it's equivalent to like a neighborhood park or something and it's just not getting through. I told him today it would be a lot of money for airfare and then admission, to which he told me he had a Disney card to pay for it all (of which he discovered in our mail pile as a fake paper credit card he quickly confiscated which was sent by the kind people at Disney to incentivize me to apply for a real one).

-----

I bought a running watch. I think I mentioned that before, but Amazon took their sweet time sending it to me since I don't have Prime. Am I the only one in America? Maybe. For awhile, I never justified it because I was always spending $35+ anyway with the free shipping. And now they raised it to $50 which has me a little annoyed. It shipped from the warehouse 1 hour and 15 minutes away in Kenosha, Wisconsin and yet it took 7 whole days to arrive at my doorstep. I'm certain they delay shipping for non-prime simply to get more people on the subscription model. And oddly, it arrived on a Sunday. So naturally, while the husband was heating the kids up some chicken nuggets for dinner, I took the new watch out for a quick loop in our neighborhood to test it out. And then the husband took it for another few miles that evening for more fun. I'm totally geeking out over the numbers. It's fun, fun, fun. Kinda like how I can barely remember how we survived without smart phones, I doubt I'll ever be able to run outside again without a running watch.

-----

Our local grocery store is having this Monopoly promotion. When you buy certain products, you earn tickets, given to you at checkout. You open the tickets and put the stupid little pieces on a game board and cross your fingers hoping you win something. Four years back, we won $2. We play because we wouldn't be able to bear having the winning piece for something greater and not knowing, but it's annoying. They also have INSTANT WINNER tickets for random grocery products you can redeem and often, I get INSTANT WINNER tickets for... wait for it ... more tickets. I received my very first (maybe ever?) instant win today.

We don't have a dog. You know what would've been cooler to win? Anything else. #irony

Day in Pictures: Monday, April 11

6:00 Claire is up awfully early today, which is even worse when I couldn't get to sleep last night. Go in and tuck her again, hoping she's back to sleep soon.

6:45 She's up for good. Snuggle in bed, get gym clothes on and get Claire dressed for the day.

7:15 Benjamin's curtain is open, as I can see light under the door. Walk in, snuggles with him. Dress him while distracted with tickles because otherwise he would wear his Mickey superhero shirt or his creepy shirt and I would really like him to have a little variety so it looks like I actually buy him clothes.

7:25 Downstairs and Claire's crying over something. Get cinnamon toast started while B makes a "creation" out of the Hi-Ho-Cherry-O (butter + Vietnamese cinnamon I bought at a spice shop in Lincoln Park). Make smoothie (spinach, ice, apple, almond milk, banana). I hated the combo. Drank a cup despite hating it because I hate wasting food. Kids manage to eat at some point.

8:00 Teeth brushed, shoes on, jackets, on. Buckled in the car and off to the dropoff line at the Early Childhood Center B attends.

(I know about the jacket. It's SO rare, I promise. Not that it's an acceptable excuse, but we live .6 miles from school.)

8:15 Drive over to the YMCA and drop Claire in the kidcare. Run a quick treadmill 4 miles up tempo, practicing speedwork with inclines. Just bought a running watch to start running outside more since we're canceling our gym membership next month to save cash and because warmer weather means outdoor pool and outdoor running! Awkwardly avoid eye contact with one of Benjamin's former preschool classmate's mom as I walk by to grab the cleaner to wipe off my treadmill. She's nice, but she was running hard and I was in a hurry. And also, they go to different preschools now, so it's basically like the bloods and crips.

 9:15 Shower, blowdry my hair, apply makeup and make myself presentable. Listen to the senior women talk about how the maintenance workers aren't mopping properly and "sloshing" the lockers with the cleaner. They told the front desk people about the negligence, don't worry. I was worried.

Try to calm down about how much you love my gym "shower" shoes.

10:30 I was the Mystery Reader for B's class this morning. I brought 4 options and ended up reading In My Heart and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. B thinks that book is hilarious. Sister was stoked to come sit with brother in his class. The feeling was mutual.

Signing in (with official sticker with my face and labeled, "mystery reader" even.) You can tell she is thrilled.

She knows the way. It's the very last classroom in the school and she hasn't forgotten. #stoked

11:00 Finally leave B's school with two kids who wanted to sit and play in the lobby forever. Head to a store to buy something they were out of and let the kids walk through the toy aisle for a few minutes. Ended up buying a roll of washi tape and also lost my children for a solid three minutes. I guess at least they were together. Found them near the fresh flowers where there was a woman keeping them captive. (They would be in a cart but they fight over who gets to sit in the top part, so we had to walk.)

12:00 Home for lunch. They had PB/cream cheese sandwiches and for dessert, Lucky Charms marshmallow treat we made yesterday (because leftover cereal from St. Patty's and surplus of marshmallows).

The moment you realize your husband stole the last of the takeout pizza from last night.

"Mom, it's warm outside. Let's go lay out there and eat our lunch."

1

2:50 Brush Claire's teeth and upstairs to sing "How I Wonder What You Are" and kisses before nap. Kids kiss through railing. 

1:00 Claire is yelling about being cold because she intentionally removes her blankets so I have to come in there and cover her back up. Sly. Cover her back up and head downstairs where B is yelling my name because there's a big mess Claire created that he doesn't want to clean up. He writes his name twice on the whiteboard easel for me entirely unassisted (requirement) and then selects The Cat in the Hat old school DVD from the library to watch. We love us some Dr. Seuss.

1:15 I do the dishes, remove stinking gym clothes from bag and realize I left my makeup bag at the YMCA. Call YMCA and have them hold at the front desk for me. Also, jot down a quick meal plan for the week on a piece of mail form the Art Institute. Because not a gym day, tomorrow's look for storytime: hobo.

2:45 Hear Claire kicking the crib rails, signaling all free time is up and nap is officially over. She woke cranky. Super. I set up some puzzles for them to run and grab mixed pieces and place. It worked well until Benjamin started shoving. And then tears. Eventually the puzzles were completed.

3:30 Outside to pull some weeds, tend to a smidge of yard work and chalk art with the kiddos. Still in jackets and not quite park all afternoon sort of weather at upper 40s.

She reaches the pedals fully now. When did that happen? 

 5:00 Back inside and reading Highlights High Five Magazines and then time to think about dinner because Claire has already grabbed a string cheese and opened it at this point. Kids have PB & cream cheese sandwiches (same as lunch, their choice) and string cheese. B finishes quick (rare) and chooses an ice cream bar for dessert (I bought for myself and hate. Anyone else love pawning off crappy treats on their kids instead?). Claire never finishes but manages to eat some of my dinner later.

5:30 Call my mom while prepping dinner and kids are eating. Used mandoline to make french fries and whipped up a quick chili on the stove. Chili fries for dinner.

7:00 Upstairs for bath. B flips out because he has a real fear now that all his bath toys will get sucked down the drain. His face is almost in tears every night as we try to explain that the plug prevents them from going down, and that they are all too big anyway. Still emotional.

7:30 Pajamas on and requesting rocketships from Dad and then a book in B's bed.

7:45 Prayers and kisses and bedtime for Benjamin as Claire hops in my bed. I close/lock his door first and then take Claire in her bed, as they both insist Mom does the final goodnight. Bedtime for the littlest immediately follows and finally... rest.

$2 Grab Bag Revealed

In an effort to maintain some frugality, I didn't get crazy when I saw the bin of 25 or so grab bags at Michael's during a $.79 acrylic paint run this morning (in sub zero temps). That Claire is a trooper.

The acrylic paint is to spruce up and repurpose a mistake of a purchase in the As-Is section at IKEA. A little acrylic paint, some painters tape and kiddo help should keep that undesirable and regretful purchase from ending up on the curb for Tuesday's trash pickup.

My method is fairly simple when choosing a grab bag. Simply, peek and prod and try to use my Sherlock Holmes senses to find at least $2 worth of goods I actually would use to justify the purchase. It was mostly of the Christmas variety (makes sense) and there were lots of rolls of mesh fabric to create Christmas wreaths and coffee mugs which will forever and always get a big, huge heck no attached. Seriously, does anyone actually need more coffee mugs?

The one thing I knew was in this bag that I definitely use as a consumer product were a load of muffin liners. I made banana bread muffins for the kiddos for breakfast and then freeze them for easy mornings. I usually pay about $.50-$1 a pop for a 50-count, so getting 4 would make my money back. Obviously I'm blabbing way too much about a $2 investment, but this sort of thing totally geeks me out; stretching two single dollars as far as I can, but then blowing a bunch of cash on a totally overpriced shirt at Anthropologie.

Without further adieu... the moment you've all been waiting for (I'm sure). The reveal of Grab Bag 2016.

Come on... who is excited? Oh, just me? Hah!

The loot!

13 bags of cupcake liners (50ct!), 36 holiday party picks and some sticky holiday flowers

112 wine bottle tags (that's a lot of pinot!), 6 small burlap drawstring bags and 117 gift tags (closeup middle).

650 muffin liners should have me set for awhile. 

Verdict: My detective skills didn't even sniff out scoring THIRTEEN packs of those muffin liners! Those alone definitely made the grab worth it, as it values them at just under $.16 each. I definitely spend more near the buck range on these when I need them, so yup. Pretty thrilled.

Anyone else hit up Michael's for a Grab Bag recently? I think it might actually make me more crafty with these little gambles. I also posted about my 2014 grab when ironically, I went to buy two bottles of the same brand of acrylic paint (different colors, different project slated to tackle) and was suckered in to buying FOUR of those babies. And when Benjamin requested to work on "an activity" this morning, I broke into those miscellaneous supplies of crafty ...ehm... crap and pulled out the perfect mosaic activity for Benjamin and Claire to work on while I prepared the lunch they didn't want. As moms do, right? Oh, just me? Yeah, probably that too. ::insert side-eyed emoji with smirk here::

Microblog: Popsicle Days

Benjamin's favorite flavor is "brown", which is a shame because rootbeer is my favorite. This has resulted in him eating all the best and leaving the crappy bubble gum flavored ones.

I feel like as parents, it's our duty to convince our (young) children that the rejects flavors are where it's at so we can indulge a few years longer before they really learn the truth.

At least I still have hope with Claire.

Let the popsicle days live on (hopefully well into October this year). 

Benjamin Babble III

Scene: B staring at a behavior chart we created for him to earn a book he wanted.

B: "Did you write a sad face on there?"

Me: "Yes, because you were behaving poorly yesterday."

B: "Take it off. Take it off with a sponge."

---

Scene: B puts a DVD in the player and it doesn't work.

B: "Are you kidding me right now? I put the CD in there and it doesn't work."

---

Scene: B pointing to a picture of himself as a baby.

B: "That was me (when) I was a little age."

---

Scene: Playing with an iPad counting game that involves tomatoes.

B: "I don't like to eat tomatoes."

Me: "You don't?" (spoiler alert: he hates food)

B: "No. I take it out of my mouth."

---

Scene: B is on the deck picnic table eating lunch. Claire is sitting in the Cozy Coupe, also on the deck.

B: "Claire, it's starting to rain. Don't go in the car. Go in the house. Claire, IN THE HOUSE! PLEASE!"

C: Beep, beep! (ignore)

---

Scene: B trying to negotiate watching a DVD that is not for his age group.

B: "I do that when I was an older kid?"

Me: "Yes, when you're an older kid."

B: "Can I be an older kid soon?"

---

Scene: B playing with kinetic sand.

B: (hands me a cup full of sand) "I bring this for you."

Me: "Mmmmm. So delicious."

B: "It's pretend. It's only pretend. You don't eat the sand. Only babies like Claire eat sand."

---

Scene: Me peeing Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. -- you're welcome. tmi.

B: (bursting into the bathroom... what's new?) "Can you drink a beert (beer) right now?"

Me: (confused) "What?!?"

B: "You want to drink a beert right now?"

Me: "Not right now, thank you." (clearly lying)

The Happiest Place on Earth

I grew up going to Disneyland throughout my entire childhood and into adulthood. I probably went more in high school and college than I did in my entire growing up even. I know the layout of the park quite well and even went on casual group dates to Disneyland. Most of my friends in Los Angeles have season passes and even go after work on Friday nights. We went on our first wedding anniversary with good friends just before we left California for our month long road trip to Illinois (then to Germany two weeks later). Here's a throwback blog post of that Disney trip. We even drove right by Disney Paris while living in Germany and on our road trip to Paris with my parents, but didn't go or even really have the desire. I might have had a different outlook if it wasn't winter in Paris when we visited.

We always swore that if we had kids, we wouldn't consider taking them to Disney World (hello expensive!) before they were about third grade because we wanted our expense and effort to pay off in memories they'd actually keep. But, when your husband has a work conference for five days in Orlando on the Disney property with a free shuttle to all the Disney parks and a hotel room all paid?

You buy two tickets to Disney World and make some of your own memories with kids who won't remember their first trip to the Happiest Place on Earth at all. Both kids were free and I know you might not believe it, but Benjamin lasted the entire 10 hours of the park exploring without tantrums or naps and totally rallied to the end. I swear they sprinkle magic fairy dust all over that joint.

It was my first trip to DW and while I definitely enjoyed it, I missed some obvious favorites that are part of DL. Though, I've never been to Epcot, Disney Studios or Animal Kingdom either, and I do believe some of those differences are evened out by visiting all of the parks... if you have that kind of time and money, of course.

Taking kids was a whole other experience. Even though it was technically a new park to me, they are very similar in layout and have the same overall rides or something equivalent to the Disney park I'm used to. It didn't feel like a very new experience. It was crazy passing by Space Mountain with less than a 10 minute wait in favor of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh instead. We went on none (except Pirates) of the rides we would normally hit up and favored the rides we would never go on before. It was actually quite fantastic seeing the park through the eyes of a small child, unlike the teenager and adult-without-child I had last been when visiting a Disney park.

We worked the Fastpass system to our full advantage while there and even used the child swap system a number of times that granted Benjamin back-to-back rides with each of us while the other hung out with Claire (which was perfect when the toddler immediately requested "again, again" after every ride... was nice to actually say, OKAY sometimes!). We used all three fastpasses early and continued to add another on immediately after, allowing us to wait no longer than about 5-10 minutes to get on any ride. When Elliot left to head back to the hotel for a the conference kickoff dinner, I stayed the final two hours with the kids and used both fastpasses (his and mine) to get on two rides immediately. I highly recommend selecting your first three fastpasses strategically and as early as you can to get rid of them so you can use more and more of them throughout the day. Plan this at home before you get there. I also recommend keeping all of the fastpasses separate so you have more flexibility to take different kids on different rides at different times. Being connected means all people 3yo+ are forced to be on the same schedule when Child 1 might want to go on Splash Mountain and Child 2 might prefer Big Thunder Mountain. If you play your cards on the fastpasses properly, you can get a lot more rides in with very little wait time.

We arrived at the park at 9:08 a.m. and left around 6:45 p.m. (open 9a-7p that day). We breaked shortly for lunch, but the rest of the time was spent walking about, riding rides and meeting characters. The entire first hour was basically devoted to meeting Mickey Mouse and making our way to the first fastpass ride. The character lines were the longest lines all day we waited for, thanks to the fastpasses and off-season!

We experienced the following rides/attractions/shows/character meetings:

Meeting Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater (a must-do! Mickey talks to you personally!) - longest line of 35min.
Barnstormer (x2) "A little bit scary, SO fun"
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (fastpass #1)
Meeting Buzz Lightyear
Dumbo the Flying Elephant (x2)
It's a Small World (x2) - more info below, but such a crazy thing happened!
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (fastpass #2)
Meeting Winnie the Pooh and Tigger - second longest line of about 25min.
Mickey's PhilharMagic - Benjamin's first interactive 3D show. It's great!
Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor - super funny!
Peter Pan's Flight (x2) (fastpass #3)
Pirate's of the Caribbean - only has one drop at DW and two drops at DL! Better at DL and significantly longer.
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
Swiss Family Treehouse
Tomorrowland Speedway
Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover - "more escalators!"
Under the Sea, Journey of the Little Mermaid

The only rides Claire was not allowed on that we took Benjamin on were the Barnstormer and Tomorrowland Speedway. She was even allowed to ride in the Ergo on some of the rides and handled the drop on Pirates of the Caribbean just fine.

Now for the photos:

On our way to Orlando! The kids were basically perfect the first leg and the way back, decent. Just before I took that #familyselfie, Benjamin was saying, "I coming Mickey Mouse!" Benjamin caught in the act of hitting his sister on the hotel room bed. Sunset boat cruise at Downtown Disney.

We met Buzz Lightyear after our first ride (the Buzz Lightyear ride). Second longest line of the day: Meeting Pooh & Tigger. They took two "breaks" while we were in line. There was an awesome Make-a-Wish family in front of us in line and that was so wonderful. One thing is for sure: Disney does an incredible job making each child feel so special by not rushing families along and even using our cameras to take pictures with the characters.

A bit of a reverse order here, but our very first thing we did in the park was head to the Town Square Theater where we waited 35 minutes (longest line all day!) to meet Mickey Mouse. He talks, you guys! I didn't know this and Benjamin was thoroughly thrilled to meet his idol. Well worth the wait as we watched Mickey walk Benjamin around the room doing an elephant stomping dance, telling him he'd been waiting for him all day and that it was so nice getting to see him. A kid's dream! Minnie Mouse and Goofy were in Times Square as we left to the rides, also taking photos. That's a standard schedule for them.

Best family Mickey photo we managed & a washed-out photo of us on Main Street.

The first ride (Benjamin's game face!) & the only spotting of Benjamin wearing his Mickey hat. Basically ever. 

Benjamin went on the Barnstormer 2x in a row, thanks to child swap. He went on with Dad first and was apparently drinking a chocolate milk (!) when he took the photo of them going up on the roller coaster. Apparently he took the milk away right after. It was a pretty fast roller coaster and he was tall enough (35" required; he's 36ish). He did think it was a bit scary, but wanted to go on a second time. And yes, he totally has his hands up as Dad encouraged him to do! Also, Tomorrowland Speedway, which I'm pretty sure is called Autopia at Disneyland.

We all went on Dumbo twice. Once Claire was sleeping in the Ergo and they were in front of me, and a second time as a family in one elephant. Benjamin was a fan of the flying elephant. Shortly after, we had a Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwich. Of course!

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh tends to have long waits (in addition to Peter Pan & Buzz Lightyear, hence the first three fastpasses), so we hit that up with our fastpass. Dad took him on the first time and then I took him on with my fastpass the second time. All children under 3 (free) tag along with the fastpass holder on the rides. They themselves don't count. We also managed some ridiculously delicious mac'n'cheese in Fantasyland and were approached by some random (?) characters. Benjamin absolutely loved It's a Small World and that's his cheesy little grin when on the first time with Dad and his fastpass. The second time, I managed both kids by myself (fastpass use #2 so B could go twice!). In line, the woman in front of me told me she thinks she recognizes me and asked if I had a friend named Laura ____. Um, yes I do! Turns out they are friends and both live in Toronto. She remembered my face from an Instagram post of Laura's from TWO YEARS AGO! We chatted and rode the long It's a Small World ride ... how's that for irony ... and said our goodbyes. And now we're Instagram friends. More Canadian friends, check!

We caught the tail end of a few parades, but didn't manage to sit through a full one ourselves. We did see fireworks, some favorite characters and lots of dancing.

Elliot had to head back to the hotel and start his work dinners and conference, so I stuck back with the kids for the two remaining hours of the park and hit up three more things in addition to treating ourselves to a Dole Whip. We went on Ariel's Under the Sea ride, saw Mickey's PhilharMagic, went on the Carrousel & eventually headed back on the boat (instead of Monorail this time) to our shuttle bus. Benjamin loved the 3D show and kept putting his hands out to grab things. He even grabbed my leg at one point and Claire was content playing on the floor. We felt the water spray and wind, but didn't smell whatever we were expected to smell? It's not nearly as cool as the Soarin' experiences, but it's 2003 technology and was still quite fun. It made me so excited to eventually take Benjamin to a 3D movie.

A few things to look at here from the boat ride back: The boat's captain waving and the progression of Benjamin's faces. Claire is overall unamused and rightfully exhausted.

Other things that happened: We rode the Monorail just for fun one of the days because my kid loves transportation (and elevators and escalators, but not seatbelts), one of the two double stroller naps because these kids don't nap in hotels, a sleeping Benjamin at the LEGO store in Downtown Disney, and a very cute little girl hanging out with Mama near the pool.

Most stupid thing I did while there? Spent $20 on an inflatable gator at the Hilton pool. You see how big that thing is resting on top of my Double BOB stroller? So big and underused that I insisted on bringing it home to get more use out of it. He did find a friend to play with at one point and enjoyed the alligator back in the hotel room. Seriously, you guys. I thought it was a good idea to buy this to go through the lazy river (that shoots water, so baby hated it), but it turns out it's impossible to be 5'3" and manage getting off an alligator in fast moving water with a toddler who cannot swim and a small baby without capsizing the stupid reptile. I had a complete stranger help get Benjamin off and pulled a muscle getting Claire and myself off that stupid thing. Scarred for life. In that last photo, Benjamin's reciting something we say at storytime and I just thought it was too cute that I needed to share. 

And there you have it, folks. Benjamin's second major theme park (Cedar Park first) and flight # we've lost count by now. Claire's first amusement park and fourth flight, ironically, both to/from Florida. Her next flight? Whistler, baby!

Active October

We're busy bees over here!

In a nutshell, the last two weeks included the following:

• California grandparents arrived for a few days.
• New pumpkin patch exploring.
• Visited the beautiful Cantigny Park.
• Grandparents watched the kids so we could have a rare date night at our very favorite restaurant! Complete with cocktails! And no kids sitting on our laps!
• Benjamin attended preschool a few times.
• Claire had her first trip to the ER for a quick spike of 104.6 fever which yielded nothing... until a few days later when she developed the Roseola rash. She had a catheter and urine test and it was ruled viral and the rash confirmed it.
• Claire turned 9 months on that very same high fever day.
• She also sprouted her fourth tooth. 
• I got one of the best massages of my life... Mother's Day gift finally used from my parents!
• We flew to Orlando (and stayed 5 days) with two pretty good flights (round trip).
• I was a sucker and paid $20 for a ridiculous inflatable alligator that was hardly used. #facepalm
• 3/4 of us had our first trip to Disney World.
• Benjamin was perfect and without a single tantrum during the entire 10 hours of Disney fun without a nap. That place is MAGIC!
• Benjamin's WORLD was made when he met Mickey Mouse and Buzz Lightyear (and Pooh & Tigger).
• I successfully failed at getting the kids to sleep through the night or nap in the hotel room that was too small for my liking but successfully managed two double stroller naps!
• We arrived home completely exhausted, with many loads of laundry and a couple cranky kids.

I'll post pictures and commentary from the Disney trip in another blog post, but until then...

Pictures!

Left photo taken October 12. Right photo taken 48 hours later at the ER during her temperature spike. Doesn't even look like the same girl!

Gawbee arrived (same day and time of Claire's fever hike. OF COURSE). Though, it proved rather convenient because she handled Benjamin at home while we both whisked Claire off to the doctor. Thank you, paid deductible because of the NICU cost in January. She took Benjamin to storytime, we had bagels in the local downtown and hit up some fun places and shops.

Dinner date with my hunky husband, some alone time with my beautiful daughter & a FABULOUS massage (and for those who remember my phone debacle, my parents came to my rescue with a phone for my birthday! New cover in use!)

That fever baby was back to normal and was delightful at her 9mo appointment. Clocking in at 18lb4oz, we're just about in size 3 diapers over here. She and Benjamin might be in the same size diaper soon if he doesn't get his butt in gear and potty train! My dad arrived and they took the kids to a local indoor bounce place and out to dinner while we had our date night.

Donuts for breakfast and off to explore beautiful Cantigny Park!

 We heart Cantigny.

We hit up a local pumpkin patch that was just okay... we'll be back to the far place next year. I seriously think experiences are often dependent on weather and the weather that day was drizzly and cool, hence our mediocre experience. We still managed bounce houses, train rides, a hayride, pony ride, animal feedings, cider and cider donuts, holding baby chickens and cute pumpkin pictures... so I'd say it was a success.

 Um, how cute are they? I seriously can't believe they are our kids.

 Benjamin is fearless. I love it.

 Family.

Pumpkin carving (Benjamin INSISTED he handle the knife for portions!).