Hubs and Tobes are out shopping. Princess is coloring (we just finished jewellery making with one of her kits from Christmas), and I'm sitting with my tea by the fire. It's a rare weekend "off" for us, and we're embracing it with great joy and excitement!
Disneyland was quickly followed by Christmas, then back to school (plus new extra-curriculars - Princess and Tobes each started gymnastics, as well as music classes). Work opportunities knocked at my door again, and so this almost-SAHM-mommy found herself working full-time last week (which was exciting and fun for me, but I felt the ramifications from Tobes this week!) We finally got our 2nd Christmas tree (and Mickey Tree) down last week, as well as the remnants of our Christmas decorations... I normally LOVE keeping my decorations up as long as possible, but this was still ridiculous!)
It's been a busy time for sure. If any of you are following, you've probably noticed my Operation Domestication Blog has unfortunately fallen by the wayside. I do have some updates to give today, but all-in-all, the house is just in a general state of post-Christmas disarray - something that I will need to make a priority in February.
I need to find a way to balance myself better. I look ahead and think 3 days of work in a row are "fine", without thinking about how it'll affect the kids who aren't used to it (and then forget about needing some low-key downtime after). I keep the same social schedule I had when I was on maternity leave (and before Princess was in kindergarten), and I've got a list of classes I want the kids to take (gymnastics, wee collage, music, and dance for now, swimming will have to wait until spring break) that need to fit-in somehow. I'm better now than I was even 3 months ago, but I need to learn to use my calendar better, and I need to learn how to say "no" or "no for now".
But for now, I just need to catch my breath! :)
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Disneyland - Day 6
Our final day. This was also the day I realized one big mistake I made in our otherwise perfectly planned trip. I underestimated the value in Ariel's Grotto. Hubs and I went 6 years ago. The food was ok (not fabulous), and the princesses were fun. But this time around we assumed we would see the princesses in the park. Big mistake. The lineups were incredible (obviously), and while they were really smart about how they did it (1 lineup for 3 princesses), it was just too much.
Hubs to the rescue!! We had 5 princesses left to see (including Rapunzel... We ended up not going to see her - she was in a separate area, and Princess opted to see Merida twice instead. Her choice, and she has no regrets!) and so Hubs was able to get us a last-minute reservation at the Grotto. We kept it a total surprise for Princess, and boy was she surprised!! AND the best part was the princesses who were there that day were the 4 other ones we had left to see!! Score!! The food was good, still not fabulous, but the memories were incredible.
We had another early entry day into California Adventure, which was a huge perk of staying in the park hotel! We opted to stay away from the Radiator Springs Racers Fastpass line this time (Princess liked the ride, but not enough to make it worth it. We had really good luck in the single-rider line) and went back to the furthest point again to go on the Toy Story ride, and the carousel again. After that we wandered over to Disneyland just in time for Mickey's ToonTown Madness (it's insane how many rides you can go on in an hour with early entry!) After a few hours in DL we headed back to California Adventure for our reservation (it was a later lunch around 1:30).
Other highlights of our last day in the park included Princess in her Tinkerbell dress (she made the comment that "everyone thinks [she's] Tinkerbell! Except [she's] a little too tall..."), and we got to watch a bit of the Candlelight Ceremony (as much as Princess and Tobes would let us. It was incredibly Christmas-y!!)
I also went to take a picture of the light in the firehouse on Main Street, only to realize it had been replaced with a Christmas tree!
We ended our trip in California Adventure. We went on a few last rides (including the gigantic ferris wheel... Hubs took the kids. I am TERRIFIED of it!! *lol*), and spent a few more hours just taking it all in.
We headed back home bright and early the next morning. We had such an amazing trip, and the memories Hubs and I were able to make with our children will last us a lifetime!! It won't be their last trip - we're hoping to return again when Tobes is 5 or so, but as far as "First Visits" go, I couldn't have asked for more!!
Hubs to the rescue!! We had 5 princesses left to see (including Rapunzel... We ended up not going to see her - she was in a separate area, and Princess opted to see Merida twice instead. Her choice, and she has no regrets!) and so Hubs was able to get us a last-minute reservation at the Grotto. We kept it a total surprise for Princess, and boy was she surprised!! AND the best part was the princesses who were there that day were the 4 other ones we had left to see!! Score!! The food was good, still not fabulous, but the memories were incredible.
We had another early entry day into California Adventure, which was a huge perk of staying in the park hotel! We opted to stay away from the Radiator Springs Racers Fastpass line this time (Princess liked the ride, but not enough to make it worth it. We had really good luck in the single-rider line) and went back to the furthest point again to go on the Toy Story ride, and the carousel again. After that we wandered over to Disneyland just in time for Mickey's ToonTown Madness (it's insane how many rides you can go on in an hour with early entry!) After a few hours in DL we headed back to California Adventure for our reservation (it was a later lunch around 1:30).
Other highlights of our last day in the park included Princess in her Tinkerbell dress (she made the comment that "everyone thinks [she's] Tinkerbell! Except [she's] a little too tall..."), and we got to watch a bit of the Candlelight Ceremony (as much as Princess and Tobes would let us. It was incredibly Christmas-y!!)
I also went to take a picture of the light in the firehouse on Main Street, only to realize it had been replaced with a Christmas tree!
We ended our trip in California Adventure. We went on a few last rides (including the gigantic ferris wheel... Hubs took the kids. I am TERRIFIED of it!! *lol*), and spent a few more hours just taking it all in.
We headed back home bright and early the next morning. We had such an amazing trip, and the memories Hubs and I were able to make with our children will last us a lifetime!! It won't be their last trip - we're hoping to return again when Tobes is 5 or so, but as far as "First Visits" go, I couldn't have asked for more!!
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Disneyland - Day 5
Today we did early entry into Disneyland with the intent that we'd get as many autographs as we could. Princess got to see Tinkerbell, which was awesome! And Hubs and Tobes got to ride the monorail... Again! We also went up to ToonTown to see Mickey and Minnie, and rode the train around the park.
We then headed over to California Adventure for our reservation at Wine Country Trattoria. The food there was spectacular, but our biggest reason for going was for the coveted World of Color tickets! I totally didn't take any pictures - was too busy enjoying the sunshine and the yummy food! Before naps, we wandered around for a bit, and caught a few impromptu shows!
We also took an opportunity after naps to use the pool at the hotel. We didn't have time to otherwise! I brought both my cameras with me on the trip - my Canon Eos 3ti, and my Panasonic lumix, which is waterproof, so I brought it down to the pool with me too.
After a dip in the pool, we headed back to California Adventure. As we were killing time before World of Color, Hubs took Princess on a few rides, and Tobes and I caught the Disney Pixar Play Parade
Back to Carsland for supper at Flo's V8 (soooo yummy!!) and then it was time to find our spots for World of Color!! I didn't take pictures - too busy watching in awe. Tobes was pretty tired by the end of the day too, so he came up on my back in a carrier. The show was made that much more perfect by the sound of him whispering "wow" in my ear. The spot was perfect. Our tickets put us one level above the boardwalk, and I got there early enough that we were right up against the fence - unobstructed view. It was an awesome way to end the day!
We then headed over to California Adventure for our reservation at Wine Country Trattoria. The food there was spectacular, but our biggest reason for going was for the coveted World of Color tickets! I totally didn't take any pictures - was too busy enjoying the sunshine and the yummy food! Before naps, we wandered around for a bit, and caught a few impromptu shows!
We also took an opportunity after naps to use the pool at the hotel. We didn't have time to otherwise! I brought both my cameras with me on the trip - my Canon Eos 3ti, and my Panasonic lumix, which is waterproof, so I brought it down to the pool with me too.
After a dip in the pool, we headed back to California Adventure. As we were killing time before World of Color, Hubs took Princess on a few rides, and Tobes and I caught the Disney Pixar Play Parade
Back to Carsland for supper at Flo's V8 (soooo yummy!!) and then it was time to find our spots for World of Color!! I didn't take pictures - too busy watching in awe. Tobes was pretty tired by the end of the day too, so he came up on my back in a carrier. The show was made that much more perfect by the sound of him whispering "wow" in my ear. The spot was perfect. Our tickets put us one level above the boardwalk, and I got there early enough that we were right up against the fence - unobstructed view. It was an awesome way to end the day!
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