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Counting Down the Days to Disney

To tell the kids or not to tell the kids? That is often the question that many families contemplate as they plan a Walt Disney World vacation. I will admit, as we finalized our plans to go to the 2012 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, I was not sure what to do.

 The last day at Disney 2011

I wondered how I would be able to keep this BIG secret from my boys. I always watch the videos of people surprising their children the day of and wonder how they do it. TechyDad and I just did not think it would work for several reasons.

  • Our house is not large enough to have a secret packing area. Packing for a big trip is stressful enough in a smaller house. I could not even imagine trying to do it while in stealth mode.
  • How does one talk to teachers and others at school about missed days, but not tell their child? My eight year old would know something was up as I went into school and came out with a load of work.
  • I am WAY too excited and can’t stop thinking about everything. I wanted to be able to share the magical planning and joy in my heart with the kids now. Winter can be depressing enough, so having something to look forward to as a family seemed like a great idea.

There were other items on my mind, but those were the biggest things. To date, we have never been able to keep a Disney trip a secret from the boys for long and I think it has been the right decision for our family. When we told the boys that we were going to Disney World, their faces lit up. Then, they wanted to know when and how many days away it was. Chatter about rides to visit, places to explore, and Hidden Mickeys to find have dominated things in recent days. The boys sit together and read planning guides and think about how they will notice a new Hidden Mickey in their adventures.

Researching Disney trip

Each day, they recite how many days are left until we head to see our favorite destination. Excitement is definitely in the air. At eight, NHL gets that we have just under three months until we go to Disney. JSL is only four and does not quite get it. I have thought about making a Mickey Ears paper chain to help us count down the days. This will help him to see as we get closer to the day of our trip.

Have you ever kept a Disney trip or something else a secret to surprise your children on the day of your trip? I would love to know how it went and if you have any other count down traditions that you do with your family.

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It's Me

P.S. A huge thank you to Mariana from The Domestic Buzz for creating this magical Blog Hop!

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The Power of a Hidden Mouse

Dear JSL,

This has been a rough week for you. First, a fever in the middle of the night. Then, you had nap/night terrors that scared us out of our mind. When we went to the doctor, your throat was swabbed and ear blasted with a new contraption to clean it out. In the end, it looks like you have a virus. The fever went away, but suddenly a horrible cough and leaky nose appeared.

 Something Hidden

While I sat by you and you slept away the fever, I pulled out some old school knitting of mine. I wanted to make something special to help you smile. It brought me back to when I was knitting next to your hospital bed in February 2008. Of course, this time you knew I was making something for you and were so excited when you saw what was hidden within the cloth. The minute it came off the knitting needles you declared it was yours and a blanket for your little monkey. Of course, you were too tired to get your monkey, so you went to rest with it on your puppy pillow.

Resting with the mouse

When NHL saw the hidden Mickey in the cloth, he asked me to make a blanket for his little lion. With your help, we made sure this was made quickly.

Another Mickey

Of course, now you are asking me to knit you a Mickey Mouse blanket. Hmmmm……I will have to figure that one out. Now, to work on getting rid of the cough and making you feel better.

Love,

Mommy

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Under the Weather on Groundhog Day

While everyone else is watching to see what Phil the groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania sees this morning, I will be busy. First, I will be taking one kid to school and trying to make an appointment for the little guy to see the doctor. Much of Wednesday was spent trying to get the sick little guy to do this

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He was so exhausted after waking up during the night with a fever. There are no other symptoms, aside from a cough when he gets upset. He did get sick all over me, but it was not illness related. JSL is NOT a fan of medicine. Unfortunately, with his febrile seizure history, we do not wait around with fevers. We have to act quickly to get his temperature down. While he has gone eight months without one, we never know if today could bring another seizure.

We did not go to the doctor Wednesday because it may just be viral. If he is miserable during the night, we will likely head to the doctor to have his ears and throat checked to make sure. JSL never complains about his ears bothering him and often they are the cause of fevers.

While we rest, I do hope to read some Groundhog Day books, like the one I reviewed last year.

Source: theangelforever.com via TheAngelForever on Pinterest

 

 

If you are looking for other Groundhog Day ideas, I found some and pinned on my Groundhog Day board. There are pancakes, fruit snack, predictions craft, cupcake push pops and more. Stop by because the photos are amazing and they link to the items shown.

Do you have any special plans this Groundhog Day? What do you think about the little rodent’s prediction given the relatively mild winter in a lot of the country?

It's Me

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Tuesday Tales – Reading Multiple Books

Books, books, and more books. As an educator our house is filled with books of all kinds. We have picture books, board books, drawing book, Newbery books, library books, Kindle books, travel books, and many more. Most of the time, I never know what I am going to read next.

P1070341The other day, I finally caught up with Ridley Pearson’s Kingdom Keeper books. The fourth book, Kingdom Keepers IV: Power Play, was released at about the time we were visiting Disney World last year. I just happened to bump into the series and took a photo to check out when we got home. The rest is history. Now I can not wait until the next book is released on April 3. Kingdom Keepers V: Shell Game sets up a new type of adventure for the Kingdom Keepers. Fans are even treated to a special sneak peek of Chapter 1 on Ridley Pearson’s website.

Of course, these are not the only books I am reading. The person that once thought it was impossible to have more than one book being read at a time does. I have a book in my Kindle for when I am on the go and am always reading with the boys. So what would I read next?

I recalled a book that I had been hoping to read. It would take me back to the good old days. You know, when I was a carefree kid who lived to see the next episode of Little House on the Prairie with her best friend.  After I finished reading Prairie Tale: A Memoir, I heard that Alison Arngrim was coming out with her own book. Yes, this is the book that I am reading right now:

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I am about a third of the way done with the book and am in love with Arngrim’s style of writing. I can almost hear Nellie Olsen reading the book. She tells us about her life growing up before Little House and then gives us her thoughts on the people she worked with for years. More details to come as I continue to read. If you are a fan of Little House and Nellie – I highly recommend Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated.

Do you read more than one book at a time? I would love to know your thoughts on this. What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

It's Me

Disclosure: Four Amazon Affiliate links are included in this post with the four book titles mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the books through that link.

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