Disney Class, Thy Name is Belle #DisneySMMoms

On Friday, while B attended Disney Social Media Moms sessions, I took the boys hunting: autograph hunting.  Specifically, we were after the Beast’s autograph.  NHL has been itching to get Beast to sign his autograph book for quite some time.  I did my research pre-Disney and found out that Beast hangs out in the France section of Epcot.  So off we went to hunt the Beast(‘s autograph).

When we got to France, we saw Belle, but no Beast.  Undaunted, NHL charged ahead to capture her autograph.  For some reason, though, JSL turned timid.  He refused to get out of the stroller and didn’t want Belle coming up to him.  She was very nice, took photos with just NHL, and signed his book.

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We went off to find other characters/autographs and eventually decided to head back.  We heard that Beast was coming soon and waited for him.  During the wait, JSL declared that he was brave and was going to say hi to the Beast.  Sure enough, when Beast arrived (and when it was our turn), JSL walked up and hugged Beast.

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At this point, Belle showed that she was a shining example of Disney class.  It was over 45 minutes after our first encounter, but Belle remembered my boys.  Not only that, but she remembered that JSL was afraid of her before (and noted to Beast how brave he seemed now).  Even more impressive, she remembered their names.  Now, I’m sure that Disney Characters see a lot of kids every hour.  For Belle to remember my kids names after that time is just one example of Disney’s commitment to class.

Disclaimer: We got Disney World accommodations and park tickets as part of our Disney Social Media Moms package.  This (or any other blog post) were not required as part of Disney Social Media Moms and are my own experiences and opinions.

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 9: Last Pre-Disney Weigh-In

This marks the last time I will weigh-in before we go to Disney World.  (At least, the last “official” weigh-in before Disney.  I might weigh myself just before we leave out of sheer curiosity.)  While at Disney, I’m putting the weight loss plan aside.  This doesn’t mean I’m going to pig out just for the sake of pigging out, but neither am I going to count points.  Let’s face it.  This is Disney World we’re talking about.  The food there is incredible and I’m not going to ruin our good time by trying to figure out which dishes are the lowest in points.  Besides, going to Disney World means a lot of walking.  (Last year, I only wound up gaining half a pound during my trip.)

Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 188
Goal Weight 185
Lost 17
Left Until Goal 3

All that said, I weighed in at 188 yesterday morning.  This puts me a mere three pounds from my goal.  Were Disney not a factor, I could probably reach my goal in the next two or three weeks.  I’d say I’m doing pretty well.  Now, I’m off to prepare to celebrate in Disney World!

#DisneySMMoms 2010 – Of Bus Delays and Bad Timing (Day 7)

We woke up on Saturday, February 13th to our last day of Disney World. Soon, we would be going on a plane and heading home. But first, we would go to Captain Cook’s, have a nice breakfast, and then head to Downtown Disney for some shopping.

Well, that was the plan anyway. Every parent knows that plans are meant to be broken.

JSL decided that our trip didn’t come with enough “fun” so he decided to throw up as we were getting ready. B stayed behind with him while NHL and I got breakfast from Captain Cook’s to go. Then, NHL and I caught a bus to downtown Disney with a list of items to find. We went from shop to shop, looking and occassionally buying some things. We even called B a few times to see what else she wanted.

Finally, full shopping bags in hand, we booked it back to the bus. At this point, I’d like to thank NHL. He will often complain that his feet hurt if pushed to walk for too fast, too long. He didn’t complain, though, and just soldiered on. Thanks, NHL!

Anyway, we got on the bus and it went off…. to the next stop (still at Downtown Disney). At this point, our bus driver looked back at us and informed us that his shift was over and we’d be getting a new driver. Ok, fine. We were cutting it close, but should still be fine. The minutes passed and our old driver was still sitting behind the wheel while we all waited. More minutes passed and I began getting upset. I asked what was taking so long and he finally radioed dispatch to get an update. A new driver was on the way, we were assured.

More minutes passed and *finally* someone arrived. This person wasn’t our new driver, though, but another off-his-shift driver who told our driver that he just had to wait a half hour for his replacement. Excuse me?!! I didn’t have time for this. I had to get back, get packed and get to the airport! I expressed my displeasure and we *finally* had a new driver. It might have only taken us 15 – 20 minutes, but I expect more of Disney. This was a rare slipup on their part, but it was an extremely frustrating way to end our vacation.

We got back to the hotel, got all our bags set and went to do some shopping. We still had some money left on a gift card we got from Disney (part of a deal they had when we booked our pre-DisneySMMoms portion of the trip) and needed to use it up. B went through the shops in the Polynesian and found some items she liked. Then it was on the bus and goodbye to Disney World.

At the airport, we ate lunch while killing time until our plane boarded. Of course, JSL took this moment to proclaim that he pooped. *sigh* Off I went to change him only to discover that he hadn’t done the deed. I took a second to answer nature’s call when I got another one from B. NHL had a potty emergency and B couldn’t take him because she was watching over our carry on luggage!

So I washed up and swapped kids. When NHL was done, another call. JSL was really going to need a change this time. I got out to see him hiding behind the bench. Apparently, he wanted privacy. He was going to be a few minutes, so B took her turn. Unfortunately, when she returned, she was running. Somehow, we had missed that they had called our plane. It was already boarding!

Now, silly us hadn’t eaten lunch by our terminal. No, we set up shop in the food court. Our terminal was at the end of a long hall. So B grabbed half of our bags and ran with NHL. I grabbed the other half and called at JSL to follow me.

Except JSL wasn’t.

He was behind the bench yelling “me pooped! me pooped!”

*sigh* Wonderful timing, huh?

So I scooped him up in my arms and half-ran/half-walked down to our terminal. I got to the end (out of breath) to meet up with B and NHL. We were allowed on the plane and took a seat at the back where B asked flight attendents about diaper changing. We opted to do the change on the plane’s seats despite some looks we were given to the other passengers. Sorry, everyone, but two year olds don’t always have the best timing!

Luckily, the rest of the flight wasn’t as exciting and we landed safely. Of course, while it was good to be home, we missed Disney World terribly. Until I land my dream job of being paid to take photos at Disney parks while riding the rides, eating the food and blogging about it all, we’ll just have to console ourselves with our memories, photos and planning when our next trip will be.

#DisneySMMoms 2010 – Mania, Toy Story Style (Day 6, Part 2)

After meeting up with B, it was time for our last dinner at Disney World. We arrived at the location early and waited while other bloggers began congregating. After some time chatting, it was time to go in. We got a seat right up front with Christina, Tom and TJ. We ate, enjoyed the music playing and NHL got to meet Mickey and Minnie one last time.

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I also got to catch up with DaddyDigest again and explained to him what had happened the previous night. We talked for a bit before NHL came over and told me that he wanted some dessert and it was almost time to go to the second part of the night. I went with NHL, got some ice cream bars and then returned to B and JSL so we could head to the "second part."

As you might have guessed from the title of this post, the second part was Toy Story Mania. They were opening the ride just for the Disney Social Media Moms and their families. We got on line and had a blast. I rode with JSL and B rode with NHL. After we got off, we went right back on line. Unfortunately, just as we were to board the ride, NHL declared that he needed to use the restroom. I left JSL and B to ride the ride while NHL and I sought out a bathroom.

When we got back, I decided that I couldn’t let NHL leave Disney World without riding Toy Story Mania one more time. So we waited on line, talked a bit with some folks and then played Toy Story Mania again. We got out, met back up with B and, seeing as how it was extremely late, we needed to leave the next day, and JSL was already passed out, got on the bus back to the hotel.

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