Life after NaNoWriMo and oh yes, it's the holiday season

The NANoWriMo challenge.

As a crazy busy mom, I rarely have time to do things for myself. However in the last couple of months I’ve joined a writing collaborative and have started editing my book that I've been trying to get ready to publish for the last eight years. November is National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo. It's a challenge for writers – writ 50,000 words in 30 days. When the Collaborative talked about it, I was intrigued. Somehow it became a full blown commitment. I had no idea how I was going to pull this off. The website suggested 1,600 words a day.  I wondered how I was going to string two sentences together. Time didn't allow for my first, usual written draft, so I sat in front of a blank screen for a couple of minutes waiting for inspiration to strike. And it did – I found myself writing 2,000-3,000 words a day. Although the website suggested writing more on the weekend, I could not double my count as others could because, well, crazy busy. But I stayed committed and I managed to write over 51,300 in 20 days. 

Committing to something so time-consuming meant something had to be put on the back burner. The casualty was, unfortunately, my blog. I kept thinking that I needed to do that t and so many topics have come and gone, but there just was no time. And the time that I had, I was still trying to recharge. 

The Holidays and the Elves on the Shelf.

Immediately after winning the NaNoWriMo challenge, my family had to deal with Thanksgiving and my most favorite  Black Friday! My husband takes complete charge over the Thanksgiving meal – soup to nuts if you will – and he does an amazing job. The turkey was cooked to perfection and all the sides were done on time to accompany the meal.  My job is to set the table, put the leftovers away and help with the dishes. 

After the meal, my mother and I plan our strategy for Black Friday. In Massachusetts, stores are not allowed to open until Midnight Friday night. My mother and I cut a piece of pie and go over all the circulars that come in the newspaper (yes, I still get the weekend editions). We circle the things we want, put the circulars in order of the planned visit based on what time the stores open and tally up the estimated cost. Once that’s done, we head to bed to get some rest before we go out for the Midnight sales. You can get many of the same deals online nowadays, but to be honest, I like the adventure. I like being out with other like-minded crazies such as myself and I enjoy reveling in the great deals the I get. I like to touch things and see them before I buy.  It's something that my mother and I look forward to all year. This year we shopped for 10 straight hours. In that time I got most of the items on my list and a decent amount of my Christmas shopping done. All in all, another great success!

In my house, Black Friday also brings an event that my children look forward to all year – the Elves on the Shelf. This year our elf Max brought his sister Emily for my daughter, who wished for her own this year. I have to admit, after coming off the creative drain of NaNoWriMo, it was very difficult to find new and creative things for the elves to do this year. They were definitely not as mischievous as they had been in past years, but the job got done. When they finally leave (mine are here until New Year’s Eve), they leave the kids photo albums of their adventures over the past month. There is much debate and controversy about the elves. Some parents hate them, others believe that they bring a little extra Christmas magic into the house. I am one of the latter, although I do respect other parents’ decision to not do it. What makes me mad is when people judge or criticize those parents that do.  As I have said before, children do not come with owner’s manuals and we are all doing the best we can. 

The holidays pose a challenge for crazy busy parents such as myself. When you’re running around with the kids every night after working all day, when is there time to shop?  I had to get creative. I had to look at the sales circulars in advance and plot short shopping trips in between the commute home and picking up the kids from extended day. It wasn't easy and I was shopping right up until the day before Christmas Eve, but I got it done. And we managed to squeeze in a 75th birthday party for my father, two ice skating competitions and two performances of a middle school musical for my daughter. 

Losses at during the holidays.

Losing people any time of the year is tough. It is especially difficult during the holidays. I lost a friend who died of her injuries from a car accident on December 12. In addition, my aunt had a medical emergency and is currently on life support with a grim outlook. It is very hard not to crawl into bed and stay there for a few days. But crazy busy parents typically don't get that luxury. We try to put on a happy face for the kids, even though our hearts are breaking, and try to get through the grief as best we can. Sometimes when I need to cry, I'll lock myself in the bathroom for a couple of minutes so I can get it together. I think it's important to grieve, so I give myself that couple of minutes out of sight of the kids. 

New Year’s Resolutions.

Every year I make resolutions and every year I fail at achieving them. This year I resolved to:

Lose weight.

Pay debt.

Read more.

Write more.

Get healthy.

Do more with the new publishing company

Get at least one story copywritten this year.

Clean my office

I didn't lose weight, but I joined a karate class and see a nutritionist. I made payments to my credit card, but did not pay it off. I did not read more. I definitely wrote more. I didn't do as much with my new publishing company, but I have been going to entrepreneurs’ meetings, set up my own website and linked to this blog. I did not get any of my stories copy written this year. I did clean my office, but messed it up again.  So, overall not a success, but not a complete failure either. I am going to keep the same goals and try again. 

I wish my readers the very happiest of holidays and a Happy New Year!

The birthday party

It used to be when my kids were younger, I would just call the popular birthday party venue in town and set up a time. For the past two years my daughter has been wanting sleepovers for her birthday. While it costs much less than the venue parties, it requires a lot more time and planning. It didn't help that this year I didn't realize that I hadn't planned anything two weeks before her big day. It's not that I completely forgot -- I've been buying my daughter this and that to put in her birthday bag for weeks – but planning for the party just completely slipped my mind. Initially I stressed a little—how was I going to do this on such short notice?  What was I going to do with the girls all afternoon and evening?  The answers came pretty quickly once I remembered that I was going to have to have a family party as well. 

I looked up what movies were playing that weekend and found one that was just opening that none of the girls would have seen yet. I told my daughter to name five friends she wanted over for the evening(last year she had 10 and my mother and I barely survived). Once we had the list, we decided on a Halloween party theme. To be honest, this was a little lazy on my part. We had a Halloween themed party last year, but the clock was ticking, my daughter would always be an October baby and the kids were still at an age where they still liked to dress up.  She also wanted a piñata, which was fine. So the plan was in place – the big family party would be at the house with the relatives and sleepover friends,  then after the family left, my husband and I would take the girls and my son to see Hotel Transylvania 2. 

Now what to do at the party?  Pumpkin decorating made sense and my local Stop and Shop had the mini pumpkins on sale for $1 each. I bought some black pipe cleaners, foam stickers and markers to decorate them. I decided that the kids could also decorate wood picture frames with most of the same materials.  I had a 20% off coupon at Michael’s, and at $1 before the discount I had another decently priced craft. I decided  I would take their pictures with a  spooky background, then  I would run upstairs during the party and print them out. The kids would put their pictures in their frames and that would not only make a fun memory of the evening, it would be a time killing craft AND part of their goodie bag. I went to my local BJ’s warehouse and bought one of the big bag of candies that I had a coupon for and used that candy to not only stuff the piñata, but also to stuff the goodie bags. I went to the local Dollar Store and picked up all the haunted house decorations and all the paper and plastic goods I would need for the party. I also got lip gloss for the girls’ goodie bags and glowing swords for the boys. Never underestimate the worth of your local Dollar Store!

I ordered the cake at my local Stop and Shop as well as a cold cut platter. They have done our cakes before and I knew if I told them that I wanted a Halloween-themed cake they would do a great job. If I had more time, I would have just ordered some meat and put it all together myself, because it was so expensive, but I knew I wouldn't be able to with all the other stuff that was going on. More on that later. 

The invitations went out, everyone RSPVP’d without me having to chase them down (a birthday miracle!) and we were good to go. 

Just when I thought I had everything under control, my husband informed me that he and my son had a Bot Scout commitment the morning of the party. I thought, “okay, no problem. We have our normal stuff in the morning. It will be tight, but we can make it work.”  And then the other birthday invitation came from my son’s best friend. His party was on the same day as my daughter’s but earlier in the day. This is where things began to get crazy – my son had to go to his best friend’s party. His best friend didn't have many friends invited  and If my son didn't go his day would be ruined. My husband and I came up with a plan that included the other party thanks to the flexibility of the mom. 

The big day came and we were off early to do all the normal Saturday things. My son had an early soccer game and then my daughter and I left his game for dance her dance lessons. After dance, we picked up the cake and cold cut platter. When we got home, the kids did a quick change out of their uniforms. My son went to his friend’s party for a while and my daughter went to her skating lesson. After that, it was a mad dash to get the rest of the food ready. I had decorated the day before as much as I could and finished the rest that afternoon. I put out crackers and (pre sliced) cheese, salsa and chips, cauliflower and carrots, salad (Dole’s Very Veggie salad bag with some cut up peppers), Strawberries and grapes and bowls of chips, corn curls and popcorn. My husband picked my son up from his friend’s party to rush to the Boy Scout event. By the time the first guest arrived for my daughters party, the house was ready, my husband and kids were in place and I was ready for a nap. 

The party went off well. The biggest hit was the piñata. Give a child a stick and tell them to destroy something and they will get candy for it and they’ll be all over it.  After killing the piñata, they decorated their pumpkins without throwing them at each other. After the sugar started kicking in, they were more than happy to decorate their frames and pose for pictures. The girls and my family screamed Happy Birthday to the delight of my daughter and the family left after cake and presents. 

It was off to the movies with two carloads of kids. We got them the big bucket of popcorn and took our seats.  I originally had planned for the girls to sit a row ahead of us so that they could enjoy the movie sans parents, but they wanted to sit with us so we took a row for ourselves.

 A quick word about “Hotel Transylvania 2” -- Go see it. I don't usually laugh at movies and I belly-laughed during parts of it. After the movie the girls were still hungry and raided the cabinets and fridge for whatever would satisfy the appetites of four tween girls. We also rolled out every blanket we had to go with the sleeping bags to ensure a comfortable night in the living room. After locking every door and window and setting the alarm to stay, my husband, son and I left the girls to entertain themselves. 

I counted heads in the morning before making breakfast. Some were up while a couple of others to include my daughter were still in dreamland. The smell of bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes and cinnamon buns got them up and running to the breakfast table. The parents came on time to pick up their daughters and I was back in the in bed by 9:30 am. Another successful party in very little time and on a decent budget!

When the school “Lost” my child (one of the scariest times in my life)

I took the day off to prepare for my daughter's birthday party on Oct. 2  Her regular bus driver did not pick her up that day.  He told the kids in advance that someone else was going to come to get them. So when the other driver arrived 30 minutes late, I didn't think much of it. My husband called me at 9:30 am saying that the school called him with an automatic message saying that My daughter  was not in school -- more than an hour and a half since I put her on the bus myself.  Naturally I was concerned so I called the school to find out where my daughter was and left a message because God forbid anyone pick up a phone. Ten minutes later I received an auto email telling me that my daughter was not in school. No one called me to tell me she was safe. That's when I began to panic. As I started driving to the school, I called the Superintendent's office and left a message over there letting them know that I thought my daughter was missing and that no one from Her school was getting back to me.  So by the time I get to The school  I'm in a full fledge freak out. If I got to the school and my daughter wasn't there, I was going to call the police and then my family and organize a manhunt for the bus driver and my daughter. 

When I got to the office, there was the secretary just sitting there. I explained to her what was going on and she said, "oh yes. She's here."  When I demanded to know why no one called me back, she responded "well, there were sixty kids involved. I don't have time to contact 60 families."  

I was too angry for words. It took me a moment to be able to even speak in a civil tone. I told her to have the principal call me. I thought my head was going to explode I was so pissed. So bottom line:  the school mistakenly told me my daughter was missing and no one had the professional courtesy to call me to tell me it was a mistake. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. With all the bus accidents and all the kidnappings  that are going on it is inexcusable and irresponsible of them to do what they did. The system, in my opinion is broken and they need to fix it.

Hours later, the principal called me to apologize to me and explained that it wasn't a perfect system. No kidding – now stop using that as an excuse and fix it the problem. In addition, the Superintendent’s office never called me back. 

Crazy Busy Mom's Ham and Bow Tie Pasta

This is a one pot, oh so simple dish my family loves.   This is all you need:

Two ham steaks diced

One box of bow tie pasta

Half a small bag of frozen peas

One jar of Alfredo sauce

In a large pot, boil water. Add salt and a little bit of olive oil to the water. 

Add bow tie pasta and cook until nearly tender. Add peas and ham to the water before the pasta is done. 

Drain mixture and return to pot. 

Add Alfredo sauce. Mix well and heat through. 

Serves 4

Crazy Busy Mom's Beef Stew

You can either make this in an hour with a pressure cooker or let it go all day in a slow cooker. Preparation is quick and easy. Here's what you need:

At least one pound of stew beef

4 large potatoes cut up into small pieces

Half a bag of baby carrots

2 stalks of celery

3 cloves of garlic (to save even more time, get a jar of chopped garlic and add 2-3 teaspoons)

1 onion chopped

Two large cartons of beef broth

Cut the stew beef into small pieces and put them into the pot. Add all the other ingredients. Seasonings are not necessary as the broth will be salty enough. 

If you are using a pressure cooker, seal it up and let the stew run for about an hour. 

If you are using a slow cooker, cover it up and set on high for at least 6 hours. Serve with crusty bread or in a bread bowl. 

Serves 6

Crazy Busy Mom's Simple Calzones

My calzones consist of cold cuts and cheese, but really you can put in any filling you want. Here's what you need to make mine:

Pizza dough from the grocery store 

Turkey

Salami

Ham

Corned beef

Cheddar or American cheese

Provolone cheese

Swiss cheese

Either melted butter or a beaten egg

Heat the oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or aluminum foil. Spray the foil with Pam so the calzones don't stick. 

Generously sprinkle flour on a cutting board and a rolling pin to keep the dough from sticking. 

Cut the pizza dough into fours. Take one and set the other three aside. 

Roll out the dough so you get a reasonably large surface to put you meat on. 

Take one slice of you meat, then place a piece of cheese on top. Keep alternating your meat and cheesed until you've used one of each. 

Roll up the dough, tucking in the sides as you go.  Place the end in the bottom of the calzone and put on the baking sheet. Do this for the other three pieces. 

Take a little bit of melted butter and brush the calzones so they have a light coating. You can also spray them with a little Psm or neat an egg and brush that on top. Use whatever you have. 

Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes or until golden brown. Serves four. 

If you are going to substitute the cold cuts for say meatballs or something that has a sauce, you're going to need to work fast as the dough will get soggy and unmanageable quickly and may not get crispy on the outside. 

Back to School – a blessing for some, not so much for me

Many a parent pop the corks of champaign bottles when the kids go back to school. I’d be right there with them if it didn't signal the beginning of my super crazy season. My daughter just started Middle School and for the first time she’s taking the bus with all the neighborhood kids. She’s thrilled as she gets to connect with some of the kids that she’s been in classes with in the past, but not this year. They don't have before care in middle school, so the bus picks her up only a half hour later than we would have left for before care. Boy does that half hour count!  And we still run out the door with my son who is now in school across town from my daughter. So picking them both up on time from extended day after an hour and a half/two hour commute is a race against time. Still trying to get comfortable with that routine. 

Fall also brings on the full battery of activities that the kids are in.  I was THAT parent that swore the kids would only have one activity each. That proclamation died when they were old enough to have activities. My son is a Cub Scout (my husband is the Den leader), does karate and plays soccer twice a week . My daughter is a Girl Scout (I’m the leader), she skates twice a week, dances and does karate. AND she just sign up for running club and interactive writing right after school. Sunday is the only day I get to lay my head on my pillow for any significant amount of time. The lack of sleep and any personal time are a small sacrifice compared to the incredible people they are becoming. Programming everything into my smartphone is a complete must. I'm pretty confident that if Siri asked me for a raise I would give it to her. 

It seems that Fall also represents the barrage of fundraisers that have to be done at my house – my son has to sell trinkets for school and popcorn for Scouts.  My daughter needs to sell nuts and magazines for Girl Scouts. All come at the same time and many end at the same time. This is a little disconcerting for me as I need t go through everything and figure out what I want, then remember to fill out the slips and put them in the correct place. 

With the resumption of our crazy, busy schedule, I need to figure out and make dinners for the week. To save myself time and mental energy I may not have when it comes time to make supper, I plan my meals for the week and get all the ingredients at once so that everything is in the house when I need it. The dishes are typically not fancy, but they are quick. I will share them in separate posts so you can try them if you want to. 

Until next time, stay sane!

Review - Mythos Restaurant in the Islands of Adventure at Universal

 

This is a beautifully themed restaurant in Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. It looks as though you are eating in a brightly lit cavern. The tables and chairs were extremely elegant and piano music added to the atmosphere. You are definitely transported out of the park and into a fine restaurant.

Our server Gilley was friendly and prompt. When he bought our drinks, he also brought warm, crusty bread. We ordered the Asian Chicken off the salad menu to start things off. The salad, which is usually ordered as a meal served four of us as an appetizer. I loved the taste of the sesame dressing and the cashews gave the meal a nice crunch. It was a nice, light start to our lunch.

I ordered the salmon and asked for it well done and it came to the table perfectly cooked. The portion was smaller than I expected, but it was delicious. My daughter got the beef medallions. She said that her meal was tasty and cleaned her plate. My husband got Pad Thai. He said that although the flavored were different than he was used to, it was very good. My son had the standard chicken nugget fare. The prices of chicken were a good size and he finished them without complaint.

We don't usually get dessert, but we did today. I got the chocolate banana gooey cake, my daughter got the kids' banana split and my husband got the Creme brûlée. All the desserts were delicious and made a great ending to a great meal.

This establishment is a little pricy, but if you're able to splurge while you are on vacation I would recommend giving this a try.

Review - Lombard's Restaurant at Universal Studios

Lombard's is a nice fish Restaurant located in the Universal Studios Park. This is a spacious, clean, sit down place to eat. Alicia was our waitress. She was super nice and very professional. The menu had a variety of seafood, burgers and salads. The only sugar free item to drink is the unsweetened iced tea. Warm rolls and butter were served when we received our drinks. They were warm and delicious.  My husband got the shrimp cocktail and enjoyed it.  I got the salmon Cesar salad. The onion rings on top gave it a great crunch. The salmon was perfectly cooked. In short it was a great salad. My husband who got the chicken version agreed. My daughter got their Chinatown Noodle Bowl and it was absolutely delicious. The broth is full of flavor and had a good amount of noodles and veggies. My son got the kids chicken fingers and ate them up the portions are a good size. So much better than the typical amusement park fair. Highly recommended not only from me, but the entire family.

Review - T Rex Restaurant at Downtown Disney

 

Super fun place to go for a meal!  I can't even tell you how much we love this place. The decor is prehistoric Earth and the dinosaurs are all animated. Every 20 minutes or so there is a meteor shower.

Our waitress Dani was super friendly and got our drinks quickly. The food is pricy for adults -- most run $16 and up. The kids menu at the time of this review were $8.99. The adult drinks are good and strong.

I got the bronto burger, my daughter got the pasta, my son got the Mac and cheese and my husband got the pasta. The nachos we got as an appetizer were delicious. Although my husband said his pasta dish was too salty, the kids and I enjoyed our meals.

A couple of words or warning 1). Little children might be scared of the moving Dino's and/or the meteor shower, so keep that in mind. 2). This place is insanely popular. If you don't have a reservation, there is a really, really good chance that you will not get in. Plan as far in advance as you can. You will be really glad you did.

Review - Nine Dragons Restraurant

We came here for dinner at Epcot. This little place serves traditional Chinese Food. I got the shrimp fried rice and it was very bland. The pot stickers were good as was the spring roll. My husband and daughter enjoyed their Orange chicken so hit or miss I guess. The food is reasonably priced. Not much else to say.

Review - Flame Tree Grill at Disney's Animal Kingdom

We come to this restaurant every time we visit Animal Kingdom. They have a limited menu, mostly barbecue fare, but the sauce is flavorful and worth trying. We get the pulled pork sandwiches every time -- they're that good. Outdoor seating makes for a cool atmosphere. There is no table service, you order your food and carry it to an available table.

Review - Food at Splitsville in Downtown Disney

This is a little restaurant attached to the Splitsville Bowling Alley. There is both indoor and outdoor seating. We chose to eat outside. There is music that plays. It was a little loud for my taste, but the songs were good. Soon after we arrived they switched over to live music, which was very good. The waitress Kacie was super friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. We got our drinks quickly. Our calamari appetizer took a little while to come out. The calamari was crunchy and had a really flavorful sauce. I would order it again.

My daughter and I ordered the California Roll sushi. It was fresh and tasted good. I was surprised that a place like this had sushi, but the truth is they have a very large and varied menu. My husband got the pulled pork and my son got a cheese pizza. My son said he liked his pizza. There was nothing left of the pulled pork on my husband's plate.

Review - Dessert in France (well not really, but in Epoct anything is possible!)

For dessert we stopped into Boulangerie Patisserie at the French Pavilion  at Epcot's World Showcase.  In short, they have the best pastry  I've ever had. Most are around $4.50. The place is a good size sit here's lots of seating. I recommend getting your dessert here!  They also have mimosas if you feel inclined ( I was and it was delicious!).

Review of the Katsura Grille (Japanese) at the Epcot World Showcase

We ate at Katsura Grill in the World Showcase. This is a little place in The Japanese pavilion a Epcot. The staff inside is very friendly and helpful.They serve fresh sushi, tasty udon noodle soup and chicken teriyaki. Most dishes are under $10 each. The place is small, but very clean and they also have outdoor seating. They have a beautiful Koi Pond that you can enjoy while you are there.  For entertainment, there are drummers that perform for about a half hour every hour.  They are excellent and it is a lot of fun to watch.  If you like Japanese food, this is a good place to stop.  If you don't want to eat in Japan, you can still enjoy the koi pond and the drummers.

Review of the SciFi Diner at Disney's Hollywood Studios

 

This is a very fun themed restaurant. It mimics a drive-in theater. You  sit in seats styled in 1950's cars.  There is a movie screen that plays old horror movie trailers.  Definitely one of the best themed places to eat in Disney. The menu is limited, but they do offer some healthy options. This place is really fun, but it's not cheap. A "build your own" burger is $17.99, so be prepared to pay. The wait staff are dressed in 50's costumes and are friendly and attentive. The food is flavorful and fresh.

If you have the extra cash to splurge, I'd go ahead and do it. It's a fun experience.

Review of Cosmic Ray's Restaurant at the Magic Kingdom

This is a very cute place to eat. The main attraction is Cosmic Ray, an Alien Lounge Singer that serenade s you during you meal. He also tells jokes.  Much of he food is typical Disney fare, but they also have options for adults such as the rotisserie chicken and pulled pork sandwiches. You can also find soups. The food is reasonably priced, with many of the options either under or slightly over $10.
I didn't take any pictures as I was still recovering from my illness, but if you go online and Google it, I'm sure there are tons of pictures to look at.

Sidelined by illness during the Disney Trip

 

 

I was hoping to give a play-by-play of my entire Disney trip, but unfortunately I was sidelined by an infection and had to go to a medical facility on the third day.  For those who stay on Disney property (and quite possibly anyone who stays in the Orlando area, but I don't know), there is a medical facility called Centra Care (407-934-2273) that will come and pick you up from your resort (great news for those of us who do not rent a car), take you to the facility to get treatment and then bring you back. 

We were originally supposed to go to Hollywood Studios on the day I got sick, so my husband took the kids to Blizzard Beach instead.  It was a blessing -- I'm not a fan of water parks.  Walking around all day in a wet bathing suit is definitely NOT my thing.  That and the fact that I'm completely "unplugged" when I'm there.

We went to Hollywood Studios the following day.  We got up early so that we get in line and sign my son up for the Jedi Training Academy.  It's always a treat for this geeky mom to watch her son "fight" Darth Vader.  When we got there, there were already hundreds of people there.  Here's the scam -- if you go to the park extra early for a character breakfast, you can get in way ahead of the crowds and get the best times for the academy.  This is a wildly popular event with kids and slots fill up early.  I was nervous that we wouldn't get him in, but we were lucky to get an afternoon appointment.  I have tons of pictures and video to commemorate the event.  :-)  While we waiting for his Jedi debut, we occupied ourselves with the ever awesome Star Tours ride, the Great Movie Ride, Toy Story Ride, and most of the others.  My husband is a fan of the Rock n Rollercoaster and the Tower of Terror so he went on those.  I'm a total chicken and stayed on the tamer rides.  We also got the opportunity to eat at the SciFi Diner.  I'll do separate reviews for the restaurants that we ate at in case anyone wants to give them a try.

One of our favorite night-time places to visit is Downtown Disney.  We usually went there at night to head to the arcade DisneyQuest.  This place is filled with tons of arcade and video games.  It also affords an opportunity for budding artists to learn how to draw classic Disney characters such as Mickey, Goofy, Minnie, etc.  Unfortunately, this will be our last visit to DisneyQuest as it is slated to close next year. I think that it a great shame as it is the only fun place to take kids.

Our next adventure was at Animal Kingdom.  I enjoy this park, not only because of the animals, but it also has several of my favorite rides -- the safari, the Kali River Rapids and most of all the Dinosaur ride.  With fast passes, we finished this park after lunch time.  There is plenty to do that would fill up the day, but this is not my husband's favorite park so he wanted to get all the good rides in and move on.

After doing the Disney Parks for seven days, we headed over to Universal Studios to experience the Harry Potter phenomenon.  Diagon Alley and all the other Harry Potter areas were amazing.  I highly recommend doing it.  There are other incredibly fun rides to go on other than the Harry Potter rides.  Spiderman, Transformers, Men in Black and the Minion rides were all favorites.  My husband and kids went on the Jurassic Park and other rides and roller coasters that I just sit and wait for them to finish.  We did that for two days before heading home.  It was a fun and exhausting time.  I am glad to be back because now I need to catch up at work and set the Fall Schedule for the family.

One thing that I didn't get to do while I was on vacation was edit my book.  However, I was able to write a flash fiction story on the plane on the way home.  :-)

Disney Day 2 - our Epcot Excursion

We love Epcot. There are tons of educational things to do with the kids here -- many of which are inside and air conditioned. One of our favorites is the World of Energy Show. It's a little loud in some parts for smaller kids (get ready to block kid's ears during the Big Bang theory part at the beginning) but it's a slow, 45-minutes of air conditioned goodness. Oh, and the kids learn all about energy. 

Another great educational ride that is dark and air conditioned is Spaceship Earth. It's a timeline of how communication began. That ride is about 20 minutes. If you need a little one to take a quick nap, this is for you. 

For lunch we ate at Katsura Grill in the World Showcase. This is a little place in The Japanese pavilion a Epcot. They serve fresh sushi, tasty udon noodle soup and chicken teriyaki. Most dishes are under $10 each. The place is small, but very clean and they also have outdoor seating. The staff inside is very friendly and helpful. If you like Japanese food, this is a good place to stop. 

For dessert, we stopped at the French pastry shoppe in the France Pavilion in Epcot. In short, they have the best pastry  I've ever had. Most are around $4.50. The place is a good size sit here's lots of seating. I recommend getting your dessert here!

After Epcot we went to Downtown Disney. We always go to Downtown Disney when we are visiting Florida. There's something for everyone down there. We especially love going to Disney Quest with the kids. It's five floors of arcade and virtual reality fun. Unfortunately if you want to go there, go quickly as Disney is going to tear it down for some stupid restaurant/bar. There's all kinds of shopping and restaurants to go to as well. I highly recommend going. Especially before DisneyQuest closes!

Day 1 - Magic Kingdom

As I suspected, we got up later than My husband wanted, so we had to skip breakfast to make it to the park on time. We went to the Magic Kingdom. The first ride we went on was the Seven Dwarves Mine Train Ride. Hubby and the kids were very disappointed, but it was thrill enough for me. The weather is hot and soupy. I brought little fans and a water sprayer to keep the kids cool while we waited in the long lines. 

After the mine train, we went nostalgic and went on the Winnie the Pooh ride. It's still a gem!  After that Hubby and the kids went on Splash Mountain while I caught the Bear Jamboree act. It's about 10 minutes and it is adorable. It's also very comfortable in the theatre. So much so that I started falling asleep!

From there we got lunch. The Crystal palace is a clean, superbly themed Disney World restaurant in the Magic Kingdom. The service is extremely friendly and attentive. This has some of the best, healthiest food in the Magic Kingdom. There are salads and non fried meats and fish. Lots of vegetables and fruits to make good choices. There's junky stuff here too if that's what you want. The bonus is the characters that come around to the tables to sign autographs and take pictures. This can be a buffet breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's pricy, but worth it for the entertainment and the healthier food. Reservations are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

After lunch hubby and my daughter went on Space Mountain while my son and o went on the people move. This is an awesome ride to relax and unwind on. Another good attraction to get out of the heat is the carousel of progress, which we all went on next. Then it was on to Big Thunder Mountain and back to the hotel. After getting some adult beverages for Hubby and myself, we went to the pool until the thunder and lightning squashed that. 

For dinner we stayed on the resort and went to the Garden restaurant. This is a spacious, beautiful buffet restaurant. The facility is immaculate and has seating for many, many people. The servers are incredibly friendly and are quick to get drinks and clear dishes. The food is an excellent quality with a large variety to meet all tastes and needs. I enjoy eating here when we are at this resort. I highly recommend it. 

We're exhausted, so we stayed in. So far, the vacation has picked up. 

The hellish journey to Disney

An email from my boss on the morning of our trip to Disney should have tipped me off to the kind of day this was going to be. 

The files that I sent to my printer did not come through, which meant if I didn't go in, there were going to be major complication  with my magazine. This is the first time this has ever happened, so I went in to fix the problem. I didn't mind -- I've stated before I love my job -- but I should have known that this would only be the beginning of a disastrous day. 

I cleaned the house and we all prepared for our journey to the happiest place on Earth. The kids were super excited. I was glad to be going, but to be honest I'm not a fan of hotels and knew I would miss my comfy bed. 

We hired a van service to pick us up. It's less hassle than driving into Boston and cheaper and safer than parking at the airport. When I say safer, I mean safer for the car. We have never had an issue with parking there, but friends have come back to damage. We shared the van with a woman who kept taking off her sneakers and talking about her political stances. Neither were particularly pleasant to me.   There was a lot of traffic on the way to Logan, typical for that time of day, but Brian worried that we would be cutting our flight close. When we got out of the van, we rushed to Jet Blue and  got our boarding passes, got through security and grabbed lunch at Johhny Rockets in the terminal.  

Like all the airport restaurants, this place is small and crowded. It is also a little pricy. But the food was pretty good and it came quickly. The burgers were really good and the onion rings were crunchy and had good flavor. If you get stuck at the Jet Blue Terminal at Logan International Airport and your hungry, this is a decent option. 

It was then that we discovered the first plane delay. It was an hour so we didn't think too much of it. We slowed our dinner and headed to gate. Brian called the transportation service to let them know we would be late. 

I walked over to departures and saw the second delay --we wouldn't be leaving until 10:30 pm!  Brian called the transportation service again and got the rudest person. They refused to pick us up because we were getting in too late. In addition, they did not offer us any names or contacts to us to find a service that we could contact. This company stranded us at the airport with two children in a strange city with no way of getting to our hotel. I STRONGLY recommend that you NEVER use this service. 

We arrived in Orlando at 2:30 am and at our hotel at 3:30 pm after  a $70 cab bill.  Brian plans on getting to the Magic Kingdom by 9 am. We'll see!

The Pool Party

I've been promising my daughter for weeks that she could have a pool party with her elementary school friends before they made the transition to middle school. After putting it off and putting it off I finally sent the invites out last Wednesday.  I'm supposed to be doing laundry, buying back to school supplies and packing for our trip to Disney this coming week. But I didn't do any of that. Instead, I got up, cleaned the house, set up the outside and prepared food for my dayghter's guests. I often enlist my daughter to help, but I have a system and I just wanted to get it done, so I did it myself. Yes I know -- a teaching moment lost. But she helps me with other events we have at the house and she was so excited about her friends coming over it was best done by just me. 

The guests arrived, the food went out, Kids Bop music was blaring from outdoor speakers and a good time was had by all. Well, all of the girls had fun. I was exhausted at the end of it. My efforts were not in vain; the girls had a lot of fun and in the end it's all about the kids. My son joined in at the end, so he also had a great time. 

It's such a funny thing to get up early to clean a house that's going to get destroyed with dishes in the sink from food preparation and post-party revelry. It happened nonetheless.  

After the guests left, I filled up the gas tank for the next day, started laundry, did some back to school shopping and started packing. All in all, a very busy and a very good day. 

My first post - an Introduction

Hi!

I'm a crazy, busy mom.  Yeah, I know -- what mom isn't? I wanted to chronicle the craziness that is my life just for fun.

A little about me:  I work full-time and I am a mom to a 10-year-old daughter and  an 8-year-old son.  I do internal communications for a government agency.  I've been doing it for 30 years and I absolutely love it.  I've also been writing action/adventure stories in a space setting since I was nine years old.  I've had six of my short stories published and I'm hoping to get a collection of short stories published by the end of this year.  I've won many awards for the writing that I've done for work, and one award for my personal work.  In addition to working full-time, I am also a Girl Scout leader, Scout mom, soccer mom, dance mom, skating mom and karate mom.  Up until this year, I was also a Religious Education teacher on top of the rest.  Hence the title of my blog.  :-)

I love my kids, I love my job and I love my crazy busy life.  However, sometimes it can get a little overwhelming and I get super stressed.

My writing on this blog will reflect my own personal opinions.  I understand that my way of thinking may not be that of someone reading my blog.  Let's just agree to disagree right up front.  :-)

Things you can expect to see on this blog:  Random thoughts of course! Also reviews of places I've been, rants about things that frustrate me, some of my writing, etc.

Thanks for reading