Tag: Disney

Perseverance, unicorns and just a little pixie dust

decisionsformyfamilyLeave a comment

Life is messy, and hard and sometimes downright  mean.  I would like to be able to tell my kids that it is filled with unicorns and roses but that would be silly, untrue and would not prepare them for the reality of the future.  I would like to tell them that they can just shut the door until the hard stuff is over but that would just make them victims to the evils that would eventually consume them.  I would like to tell them that they could close their eyes and wish it all away but in my opinion that would ensure them a future of failure.

unicorn-11273No, I tell my girls the truth.  The cold, hard and often ugly truth.  Life is unfair, hard and dirty at times and often it will disappoint you.  With that truth comes the real lesson, a lesson of perseverance that those who keep their heads up, those who work hard, those who strap in for the rough ride will succeed in the end and be the stronger for it!  My girls have lived this lesson from early ages.  I am sure they feel that their lives have been often unfair to this point, Madison being witness to my miscarriage, major health scares for both of their parents and more hospital visits than any child should have to endure.  They have seen their father work non stop only to have his pay cut and eventually be laid off by the same company.   I am fully aware that our lives are a paradise when compared to others.  We all have our struggles, how you deal with them makes us who we are.

I try to teach the girls that when life gets tough to face it and never give up.  I hope that my husband and I have modeled this same lesson for them.  There is often an easier way but it does not make it right.  Never run and never bury your head in the sand. Do not be afraid to try, to  fail, but NEVER stop trying, learn and grow and always keep smiling.

29a8d7a59eec706135ac1eb9fe9e26d1As meaningful as those lesson are, it is also important, more important  to celebrate the wins, the glass is half full side of things.  The fact that my girls are healthy and smart, athletic and kind.  The fact that after a tough search my husband has found a wonderful new job. From time to time, it is nice to live in a world of unicorns and when life is on an upswing you grab on with both hands!  How do you best celebrate the positive turn in events?  With a trip to Disney World of course!  Very soon we will be off to see that amazing Mouse!  For our family Disney is that place where you get to close your eyes and wish it away, that world where fantasy is reality and pixie dust rules the land!  I can not wait….Mickey we will be there soon!

2013 Magic!
2013 Magic!

Infinity and a hike through the falls

decisionsformyfamilyLeave a comment

disney-infinityVideo games are not a super huge deal in our household.  We have had a Nintendo WII for several years which is used occasionally.  The girls prefer to play on my phone or iPad if given the chance.  When my youngest asked several weeks ago if we could get the Disney Infinity game I spent some time searching it on the internet.  It looked like a rather interesting game so I placed a pre-order to get the best deal.  The game arrived on Friday and I have to admit that the entire family is fully addicted.  We each have favorite characters already and it is the first thing the girls want to do when they wake up.  It has been very helpful in getting things done around the house.  The rule is no play until the chores are complete!

IMG_4789The weather over the weekend was just beautiful here.  I felt guilty that we all sat in the house on Saturday playing video games.  By Sunday Frank and I agreed that we needed to make up for that decision so the family took a road trip to Bushkill Falls.  It was a perfect day for a hike.  The girls loved it as did we.  It was a wonderful, peaceful family day out.  IMG_4739We arrived early and beat the crowds.  For most of our time out on the trails we were alone occasionally running into a couple here or there. We hiked the longest trail and had a wonderful day.  It was one of those days where everything slows down and helps you to remember what is really important in life.

IMG_4814After the falls we stopped at the store-bought some steaks, went home tossed them on the grill and had a great dinner.  After diner, well like I said, we are all a bit addicted so back to the Infinity we went.

I would say it was about as good a day as a family can get!

 

A money saver

decisionsformyfamily3 Comments
IMG_1013
I took this while in line with Megan for Rock ‘n Roller Coaster

 

Before we get too far away from the Disney trip, there are two things I learned  that I thought I would share.44805470006

First is the photo pass plus.  Thanks to a friend (thanks Vince!) I learned about this before our trip and took full advantage.  For $169.95 you can preorder the pass which will allow you to order a photo disc of all pictures taken inside the parks.  It also includes any photos taken while riding  Space Mountain; Splash Mountain; Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin; The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror; Rock ‘n Roller Coaster; Expedition Everest; and Dinosaur (you know those that they snap as you are about to drop from a loop or twist wildly. The one’s that they charge an arm and a leg for at the end of the ride).  If you have plans to attend character meals many of those pictures are included also, (1900 Park Fare; ‘Ohana (breakfast); Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show; Chef Mickey’s; Cinderella’s Royal Table; Tusker House (breakfast); Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue; and Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus) Royal Banquet).44805470015

44805470004

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I found interesting is the several conversations I had with different photographers at the parks who say that it has been in place for a year yet they are surprised that more people do not take advantage of the deal. I ordered our disc yesterday, it includes 272 pictures.  We have pics from every ride except Splash Mountain since it is closed for maintenance.  We also attended 4 meals and have great family photos to preserve those memories. We never would have bought the ride pictures without this but having them is very cool!  Best deal for the money around!

The other thing I learned is that I could never eat all of the food provided as part of the Deluxe Dinning Plan.  Three, three course meals a day is a ton of food! We tried early on in the week :-).  By mid-week we started canceling meals, we were all full!  Next time around we could definitely down size the meal plan!