Heidi's Head

1 . . .

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Today’s the day . . . the last day on the 100 Days to Disney Countdown. I hope you’ve enjoyed counting down with me and my family.

Now, we are ready to head out for our actual trip to Disney. In just a few days, we’ll be seeing and doing all the things that we’ve shared about on our countdown over the past few months. This time, we’re leaving our dog and my parents at home to watch over things for us (next time, maybe we’ll shake things up a bit and bring them along – my parents, that is, not the dog!)

Anyway, here’s what I absolutely cannot wait to see – what makes me feel like I’ve returned home after that 18 hour drive . . .

Bring it on!

Reviews COMING SOON

2012-01-24T10:37:00.001-05:00

Here’s just a little sneak peek at some reviews that you’ll be seeing at Heidi’s Head AFTER my vacation.

Be sure to check back in a few weeks – because these are going to be fun reviews to share!

2 . . .

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I talked about the monorail – and, as much as I love it, I must say that I think I prefer the ferry when it comes to that first trip from the Transportation and Ticket Center to the Magic Kingdom. Usually, the lines for the ferry are shorter; so, while the ride itself is longer, if there is a crowd at the parks, it’s sometime the better option to take the ferry. We usually always do – at least on our first MK visit each trip.

I’ll be the first person to admit that sometimes we are set in our ways – but traditions are fun, right?

So, which do you prefer? Ferry or monorail?

Guess what’s coming to theaters on September 14th?!

2012-01-23T20:09:00.001-05:00

Academy Award^®-winning Best Animated Feature “Finding Nemo” returns to the big screen for the first time ever in thrilling Disney Digital 3D™. In this stunning underwater adventure, with memorable characters, humor and heartfelt emotion, “Finding Nemo” follows the comedic and momentous journey of an overly protective clownfish named Marlin (voice by Albert Brooks) and his son Nemo (voice by Alexander Gould)––who become separated in the Great Barrier Reef when Nemo is unexpectedly taken far from his ocean home and dumped into a fish tank in a dentist’s office. Buoyed by the companionship of Dory (voice by Ellen DeGeneres), a friendly-but-forgetful Pacific regal blue tang, Marlin embarks on a dangerous trek and finds himself the unlikely hero of an epic effort to rescue his son––who hatches a few daring plans of his own to return safely home.

Here are some interesting facts about Finding Nemo:

· “Finding Nemo” won the 2003 Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature.

· The film won a Golden Globe® Award for Best Motion Picture–Musical or Comedy.

· At the time of its release, “Finding Nemo” was the highest grossing G-rated movie of all time.

· Ellen DeGeneres won an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance.

· In 2008, The American Film Institute named “Finding Nemo” among the top 10 greatest animated films ever made.

Wanna see a sneak peek?

3 . . .

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

If the only thing to do at Walt Disney World was to ride the monorail, I have a little boy who would be just fine with that! Ian adores the monorail! It’s his all-time favorite thing at WDW – and he can’t wait to board it. And, the truth is, I’m pretty excited myself. Because, once you get on that monorail, you just kinda feel like you are home, you know?

Do you have a favorite monorail color?

4 . . .

2012-01-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

See the look on Ian’s face in the picture to the right?! LOL That’s what you look like when you’re really hot and tired, and waiting for the Walt Disney World Railroad to pull into the station so you can finally climb around and take a ride around the park.

You know what’s ironic, though? We finally boarded that thing, only to journey through Frontierland and catch a glimpse of Woody & Jessie greeting friends – and Ian declared that we had to get off so that we could meet them too.

I seriously don’t remember the last time we’ve made the entire trip around the park – if ever! So, I am bound and determined to change that status in just a few short days. I’m staying ON the train this year!

5 . . .

2012-01-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

# 5 on the countdown is my absolute favorite thrill ride at Walt Disney World. Man, if there wasn’t a line, I could ride this thing 10 times in a row, laughing the entire time! I love it. Yep, it’s the Tower of Terror.

While others in my family may not necessarily agree (namely: Gracie), I think it’s the top of the charts (and I’d pick it over Rock ‘n Roller Coaster any day of the week)!

So, yep, I’m anxious to get back on this thing for another elevator drop in just a few short days . . .

How about you?

6 . . .

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

The last snack on our must-try list and the last snack to make the 100 Days to Disney Countdown series here on my blog is the Butterfinger Cupcake. My friend Jackie posted a picture of this treat on her blog – go look, and I can almost guarantee that you’ll be adding it to your next Disney countdown list too!

7 . . .

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

So, I really don’t know what took us so long, but our family just finally caught onto the whole Pirates of the Caribbean craze this past year. We had ridden the ride various times throughout the years, but we’ve always avoided the movies. Not sure what changed in me – but one day, a few months back, I mentioned that I thought maybe we should give the movies a chance. We bought the first one – loved it – and went on to buy the rest (in quick succession!)

Really, I’m still kinda shaking my head in shock over the fact that we like them so much – I can’t explain it, as they really aren’t our normal style. But, alas, we do love them! So much so that . . . well, the rest is a story for another day.

But, we are anxious for another ride on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride – now that it has new meaning to us as a family!

A Mile in His Shoes

2012-01-18T09:32:00.001-05:00

We love movies! But, it’s not always easy to find movies that are family-friendly, is it? Sometimes I get a little frustrated that so many family-friendly movies seem to be about either an animal (horses and dogs seem to be big ones) or sports. Sports is so not my thing! But, so many of our favorite family movies seem to center around one sport or another.
Recently, I received the opportunity to review a new movie called A Mile in His Shoes. I have to admit that when I glanced at the cover, I thought to myself “oh no, not another baseball movie!”
Then, I read the description and knew this was a movie that my family would enjoy:

From the director of "Angels In the Outfield" comes an inspiring story about a special boy with an amazing gift, and the coach who believed. Dean Cain and Luke Schroder star in the gmc movie based on the book "The Legend of Mickey Tussler".

Yep, that’s it; but it was enough. You see, Mickey – the main character in this movie – has Aspergers Syndrome, which is a mild form of autism. One of my dearest friends has a son with this same condition. I’ve enjoyed watching from the sidelines as he has grown and overcome so much over the past few years. I knew this movie would be an inspiration as well.
And I was right! We really, really enjoyed A Mile in His Shoes – and I know it’ll be a movie we’ll reach for over and over again when we have family movie nights.

I have the opportunity to bless one of you with a copy of this movie as well! If you would like to add A Mile in His Shoes to your family movie collection, please read on and follow the rafflecopter directions to sign up for your chance to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NOTE: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Mulligans of Mt Jefferson by Don Reid

2012-01-18T08:32:00.001-05:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Mulligans of Mt Jefferson David C. Cook (January 1, 2012) by Don Reid

Cal, Harlan, and Buddy grow up together in a small Virginia town in the years before the second World War. United by age, proximity, and temperament, they get into—and out of—all the trouble that boys manage to find. They even earn a nickname from a local restaurateur who gives the boys their first jobs and plenty of friendly advice. “Uncle” Vic calls them the Mulligans, because they always seem to find a way through a thicket of trouble—family problems, girls, college, war—to success. Cal and Harlan and Buddy have been blessed with second chances.

Now it’s 1959, and police lieutenant Buddy receives an early-morning phone call: his friend Harlan, a store owner, has been shot in a break-in. Cal, now a preacher, meets Buddy at the hospital, and together, as professionals and as friends, they begin to unravel what might have happened to Harlan.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Mulligans of Mt Jefferson, go HERE.

Don is one of the original members of the STATLER BROTHERS, the most award-winning act in the history of country music. He and his brother and two friends began singing in their hometown of Staunton, Virginia when Don was only fourteen years old. Working all over their home and neighboring states as a part time group, they were discovered in 1964 by Johnny Cash and given their first record contract. By the time Don was 20 years old, the STATLERS had their first major, world-wide hit record with FLOWERS ON THE WALL, which started a string of hits that generated a career in the music industry that lasted for four decades. The STATLERS have been recipients of multiple industry awards.

It wasn’t until the STATLER BROTHERS decided to retire from traveling in 2002 that Don pursued his writing career to another level. Having songwriting and scriptwriting under his belt, the next obvious step was to write a book. And that book was the scripture based HEROES AND OUTLAWS OF THE BIBLE published in June of 2002 by New Leaf Press. He has since writeen two other non-fiction books; and, in 2008, saw another dream come true for Don when he released his first novel, O LITTLE TOWN. Novel number two came in the form of ONE LANE BRIDGE, and THE MULLIGANS OF MT. JEFFERSON, is a sequel to O LITTLE TOWN.

Don is the father of two sons. Debo and his wife, Julie, and daughters Sela Mae and Adra, live within a stone’s throw. You may have seen Debo’s name on many songs written with Don on albums over the years.

Heidi Says . . . I was raised on country music, and the Statler Brothers were always a popular record choice in our home. As a very little girl, I could be heard singing their songs throughout the house; and, to this day, I know many of those songs by heart (and especially enjoy singing the harmony parts). Some of my earliest favorites were Countin’ Flowers on the Wall and Bed of Roses.

In the 80’s, I remember watching their TV show. I have an aunt who used to visit Staunton yearly for the big Statler Brothers event that would take place there. Now, I have a cousin who lives in Staunton – I believe her father-in-law is actually one of the people mentioned in the song Class of ‘57. For my parents’ anniversary one year, I bought them tickets to see the Statlers in concert in Hershey, PA. (Don, if you’re reading this, I think I was the only person on my feet in the crowd! LOL) Yes, we’re a family who loves the Statler Brothers, so we were all sad when we heard they were retiring.

Last year, while searching YouTube, my daughter Ashley and I discovered Grandstaff. Grandstaff is a vocal duo made up of Wil and Langdon Reid, sons of Harold and Don Reid, of the original Statler Brothers. We quickly purchased their album, Live and Well, and really enjoy their music (especially their tributes to the Statlers!)

Through some videos of Grandstaff, we heard about a book that Harold and Don had co-written, called The Statler Brothers: Random Memories. I quickly ordered a copy for my mom for Christmas (but I confess – I read a good bit of it before gifting it to her!)

So, all this to say that a few months ago, when I was visiting Amazon in search of some books to add to my Kindle, I discovered O Little Town by Don Reid. Yes, I got excited! And, I really, really liked the book. I passed my Kindle on to my mom so she could read it too.

When the opportunity presented itself to review The Mulligans of Mt. Jefferson, how could I pass it up? Here was a chance to read a book that follows on the heals of O Little Town, is written by one of my childhood heroes, and gives me that Statler Brothers connection.

The Mulligans of Mt. Jefferson, along with its predecessor O Little Town, is a great book. It speaks so well of life in the 50’s in small town America. The characters are believable and real, they are far from perfect. You can get drawn into the stories and feel as though you actually know and live among these people. You cheer for them – and, sometimes, you get mad at them. I’m amazed at Don’s ability to write a book containing so many characters. Sometimes, books with lots of characters are hard to follow – not so with Don’s books, where each character is well thought-out and described, and easily remembered.

Yes, I’m a professed Statler Brothers fan – and I’d definitely recommend this book! I hope there will be more to come!

8 . . .

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

I’ve spoken a few times earlier in the countdown about the American Adventure Pavilion at Epcot. One of the things that I really enjoy watching here is the Fife & Drum Corps. Not only do I love their music, but I love the authenticity (like everything else at Walt Disney World). These guys really look like they stepped right out of the American Revolution!

If you’ve never seen/heard them, look them up on YouTube!

9 . . .

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

OK, we’re finally down to single digits in the countdown! Yahoo!!!

I have to confess that, as I get older, those rides that spin in circles really lose their appeal! I’ve been avoiding them at local amusements parks for some time now. But, you just can’t avoid them at Disney. And, I know that Gracie (especially) will be wanting to ride the Teacups.

On our last trip, she and I took a teacup spin, while Brian and Ian rode the Indy cars. This year, I think we’ll all partake in both rides. We’ll see . . .

Disney Snacks . . . YUM!

2012-01-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Orange. Enjoy the ride as we share with you our favorite Disney snacks.

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My family is counting the days to our next Disney trip (we’re talking single digits, people!) and we are excited to be participating in the Disney Dining Plan for the first time. We love the whole dining experience at Disney – everything from snacks to sit-down meals. We’re looking forward to trying some new things as well as enjoying some old favorites on this next trip.

One of the things that I’m particularly looking forward to about the DDP is the opportunity to try some different and new-to-us Disney snacks. I must say that my absolute favorite Disney snack is the Pineapple Dole Whip Float. And even though I’ve had them several times before, I couldn’t possibly even think about a trip to Disney without at least one.

In the past, my family has enjoyed the Mickey Ice Cream bars, Mickey Ice Cream sandwiches, and chocolate covered bananas. Yum!

On our last trip, we enjoyed some new indulgences – including one of my favorite all-time treats (a caramel apple) – and some pastries from the Norway pavilion.

So, what’s on our list of absolute must-try snacks? Here are a few of the things we’d like to try (but I’m sure our stomachs can’t possibly hold it all):

At Magic Kingdom:

Dole Whip Float *also serve Root Beer Float
Warm Cinnamon Rolls
Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich
Ice Cream Sundae or Fruit Smoothie

At Epcot:

Egg Rolls
Churros
Crepes
School Bread
Cloudberry Horn
Butterfinger Cheesecake
Baklava

At Hollywood Studios:

Butterfinger Cupcake
Tiramasu
Carrot Cake Cookie
Roasted Nuts

And at Animal Kingdom:

Paw Print Brownie
Pork Egg Rolls
Yummy cupcakes

Now, tell me about your favorite snacks at Disney. Is there something that I simply must add to my list? Do tell!

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Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Disney on Wheels.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Loop should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1^st Stop ~ Heidi’s Head (you are here!)

2^nd Stop ~ Disney on Wheels

3^rd Stop ~ A Glass Slipper Vacation

4^th Stop ~ Your Highway in the Sky

Final Stop ~ Focused on the Magic

10 . . .

2012-01-16T13:29:00.001-05:00

One of the meals that I am most looking forward to is probably ‘Ohana (at the Polynesian Resort). This is one that we’ve never done before, but have heard lots of good things about, so we’re very anxious to try it.

You can see the full menu here at AllEars.net. I’m anxious to get my hands on some of that pineapple-coconut bread (pina-colada bread?! seriously?! this stuff has to be good!) and the mixed greens with mango-poppy seed dressing. Knowing me, I’ll be full by the time the main course arrives at the table. We better plan to eat slow! LOL

Have you enjoyed this meal experience yet? If so, do share!

11…

2012-01-15T11:09:00.000-05:00

The Epcot Fountains is something that we always enjoy watching! The way that the fountains always spring up so high is so beautiful and enthralling to watch! We also enjoy watching them at night because the lights are so pretty!

~Ashley

photo courtesy of passporter.com

12…

2012-01-14T11:06:00.000-05:00

Something that the WHOLE family enjoys is Toy Story Mania in Disney’s Hollywood Studios! We absolutely cannot get enough of this ride, and we always enjoy it!
The only problem is that the line is always so long, so we have to get a fast-pass, and can only ride it once! Since we’re having a full-fledged vacation this time, though, I’m hoping that we’ll have time to ride it twice during our trip!

~Ashley

13…

2012-01-13T11:04:00.000-05:00

Next up on the countdown is Living With the Land in the Land Pavilion in Epcot. I, personally, think this ride is really boring. But it IS nice if you need to sit down for a while and relax. Mom loves this ride, and Gracie enjoys it too!

It’s been an interesting week

2012-01-13T08:28:00.001-05:00

It’s hard to believe it’s Friday already. Last week, at this time, I was getting ready to go for my first mammogram (I never got a chance to report on how that went – but it really wasn’t as bad as I had expected – and everything was fine, so that’s a praise!) Last Friday evening, I took my first Disney test for my travel agent position. Looking back now, I realize that I took that test in a bit of a “blur” state. I think the TGA was already starting to set it.

I was given strict orders for this week – take it easy! no work! That’s kinda difficult for someone who was glued to my calendar and always meeting some sort of deadline. Needless to say, I’ve been feeling a bit stir-crazy this week. Last night somebody told me (and I quote) “If this is resting, may I say you are really a big fat failure at it!” Yep, that’s me.

And, as much as I just want things to get back to “normal” around here, when Brian announced last night that he’d be home early and would take Gracie, Ian, and me out for supper and for groceries, I cringed. I mean, sure, the supper part sounds like fun; but the groceries?! Am I the only one who hates going to the grocery store? It’s not so much the experience of the store itself, it’s preparing for it. We try to make a menu, so we only have to buy the things we need. I don’t mind it so much when it’s a family-affair; but when it’s all my responsibility . . . ugh!

That being said, I recently received The Works from Christi the Coupon Coach. I’ve read through over half the book, and I’m slightly confused. I’m going to attribute it to my recent memory loss – and hope that I can eventually figure the whole thing out because it looks really cool (and fun!)

If you’ve got a handle on saving tons of money on groceries, please leave me a comment and tell me how you do it! We recently started shopping at Aldi’s and have been saving lots of money there. Tonight we’ll go there, and to BJ’s.

Later this morning, I have an appointment to get my hair done. This was the second “before Florida” appointment that I made for myself – and definitely the one I was most looking forward to! I’m not sure exactly what I’ll have done – I was originally thinking of getting colored, but I’m not sure I want to have to maintain that (both with time and money!), so I’m leaning toward highlights and a trim. We’ll see.

What are your weekend plans?

My blog’s name has a whole new meaning

2012-01-12T12:56:00.001-05:00

You may have noticed that my daughter Ashley has taken over posting our 100 Days to Disney countdown posts. What you maybe didn’t know is WHY.

On Saturday, I experienced a major loss of memory, which resulted in a trip to the hospital. The other week, I posted about some of the changes in my life. Apparently, all the changes have been a lot more stressful than I was allowing myself to believe. I went to bed Friday night praying for some sort of relief – and that relief came in the form of amnesia.

Yesterday, I had a visit with a neurologist who diagnosed me with exactly what we already suspected – Transient Global Amnesia. Here is some of what the Mayo Clinic has to say about this condition:

Transient global amnesia is a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss . . .

During an episode of transient global amnesia, your recall of recent events simply vanishes, so you can't remember where you are or how you got there. You may also draw a blank when asked to remember things that happened a day, a month or even a year ago. With transient global amnesia, you do remember who you are, and recognize the people you know well, but that doesn't make your memory loss less disturbing.
Fortunately, transient global amnesia is rare, seemingly harmless and unlikely to happen again. Episodes are usually short-lived, and afterward your memory is fine.
A common feature of transient global amnesia includes repetitive questioning, usually of the same question — for example, "What am I doing here?" or "How did we get here?" (mine were “Did I quit my job?”, “When?”, and “Is that a good thing”. I also asked about my friend Sue repeatedly.)
The underlying cause of transient global amnesia is unknown. There appears to be a link between transient global amnesia and a history of migraines, though the underlying factors that contribute to both conditions aren't fully understood. (I do suffer from migraines.)
A commonly reported event that may trigger transient global amnesia is acute emotional distress, as might be provoked by bad news, conflict or overwork. (Oh, yeah – I have some stories I could tell about this – maybe in another post.)

Anyway, that’s probably more than you cared to know - but it’s where I’ve been. I have no memory of Saturday, beyond what I’m told. Today is the first day that I’m finally starting to feel like ME again.

Now you know what’s really going on – or not going on – in Heidi’s Head. Continued prayers are appreciated, as I need to learn to keep myself from getting to a point of severe stress like I was in last week.

14…

2012-01-12T10:58:00.000-05:00

Walking into Disney’s Magic Kingdom, the thing that makes it feel the most like Disney is Main Street USA. You can walk down Main Street, and see the castle in front of you, and you know that you’re at Disney World! The shops are great, and we love to walk through them, and see everything that Disney has!
We also enjoy getting our picture taken on Main Street, in front of the castle. The last time that I was there, we took two of my friends along, and we met some of Main Street’s “residents”. It was so cool! :)
I can’t wait to walk down Main Street USA in just two weeks!

~Ashley

17, 16 & 15…

2012-01-11T10:50:00.001-05:00

17 - Next up on our countdown is the Flame Tree Barbeque in Animal Kingdom. We have never eaten there before, but we are definitely looking forward to eating there in a few weeks. :)

16 – One of mine ( and Gracie’s ) favorite rides is the Rockin’ Roller Coaster in Disney’s Hollywood Studios! I love the “launch”, and that it’s in the dark! I haven’t been on it in a few years – because I’ve been riding on the Tower of Terror, but this year, I can’t wait to get back to riding it again!

15 – Because she’s never been on it – this trip, Gracie wants to ride on the Primeval Whirl. I rode this when I was 11, and I remember enjoying it – so I’ll probably be the one to ride it with her. Especially since I’m also the only one who is okay with spinning & going backwards on rides!

~Ashley

18….

2012-01-08T10:12:00.001-05:00

Last year, for the first time – Gracie decided to try out Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! She & Ian really enjoyed it, so it’s definitely on our list of things to do on this trip!

Last May was actually the first time in all long time that I had ridden on it! I loved it, and I can’t wait to do it again this year!

~Ashley

19….

2012-01-07T10:05:00.000-05:00

This is Ashley, filling in for Mom for the next week or so, while she is recuperating from an illness that she has has for the last couple of days. Thanks for everyone who is currently praying, prayers are much appreciated.

Today on the countdown is Disney’s Electrical Parade. This is something that my family & I definitely enjoy watching after a long day of walking around the Magic Kingdom, seeing attractions.

We didn’t watch this show last year, so it’s definitely on our list for this one!

20 . . .

2012-01-06T07:30:00.000-05:00

Ian really enjoyed Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin last May. When we were making our must-do list for our next trip, this was one of the things he was quick to remind us to add to the list.

I hadn’t written it for many years, so I have to admit that I really liked it too. We’ll be anxious to compete again in a few weeks!

21 . . .

2012-01-05T07:30:00.000-05:00

Something that I’ve seen others bragging about and we’re anxious to try using our DDP snack credits on our next trip are the pastries in the France pavilion at Epcot. They look so yummy!

Have you enjoyed snacks in France? If so, please share your favorite and why you think we should try it.

Do you wear glasses?

2012-01-04T09:58:00.001-05:00

I do. And so do both of my girls. In fact, we just got new glasses yesterday. My husband wears contacts. Because the majority of our family relies on some sort of corrective lenses in order to be able to see, I think it’s important to be informed about our vision, our eye doctor visits, and our glasses purchases.

Recently, I was introduced to Zeiss. Their website is very important and I think that the Zeiss educational tools are something worth sharing with my blog readers. These tools were created to enable eyeglass wearers to better understand their vision correction needs, ensure they get the most out of their next eye exam, and receive the best lenses to regain sharp vision.

When visiting the website, you’ll find the educational tools divided into 4 main sections:

Facts to Know about Vision and Lenses
Here you will find the differences between an Optometrist, an Opthalmologist, and an Optician. You’ll also find out when your child should have his/her first eye exam and how often both children and adults should visit the eye doctor. In addition, you’ll learn about various options for selecting prescription lenses.
Tips for Selecting an Eye Doctor
It’s very important to choose an eye care professional that you can trust (I have personally been visiting the same eye doctor for the past 30 years now.) Here you will learn how to make an educated decision in selecting your eye doctor, based on various factors including your health insurance plan.
Questions to Ask at Your Next Eye Appointment
This section of the website is filled with important questions that you should know the answers to! Don’t be afraid to ask questions – that’s how you learn.
Facts to Know about Age-Related Vision Changes
I turned 40 a few years ago, and I have noticed many changes in my body since that time. It’s certainly not a “magic number” but it is an age when you should be prepared to start seeing some changes – and one of those is in your vision. I found this portion of the website very informative as it made me feel a bit more normal and less worried about the changes I’ve been experiencing, as well as what to expect in the future.

If you visit the website, I hope that you will find it informative and that you’ll be able to take these tools and use them to make educated decisions concerning your vision and possible future lens purchases.

I found this quote particularly insightful and would like to end my post by sharing it with you:

Every eye is just as unique as a fingerprint.
More than any other sensory organ,
our eyes allow us to experience and perceive our environment.

Please take that into consideration and be serious about your (and your family’s) eye care needs.

22 . . .

2012-01-04T07:30:00.000-05:00

Last year, while someone was outside the American Adventure Pavilion stealing our stroller and my camera bag/equipment, we were inside listening to the Voices of Liberty. If you’ve never heard them, look them up on YouTube. You’ll be pleased! I’m anxious to hear them again.

I shared about them on my blog a few weeks ago when we were working through the alphabet – Disney style. You can see that post – complete with video – here.

The Rose of Winslow Street by Elizabeth Camden

2012-01-04T06:33:00.000-05:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Rose of Winslow Street Bethany House (January 1, 2012)
by Elizabeth Camden

The last thing Libby Sawyer and her father expected upon their return from their summer home was to find strangers inhabiting a house that had been in their family for decades. Widower Michael Dobrescu brought his family from Romania to the town of Colden, Massachusetts with a singular purpose: to claim the house willed to him long ago. Since neither party has any intention of giving up their claim, a fierce legal battle ensues between the two families.

When important documents go missing from the house, Libby suspects Michael is the culprit. Determined to discover the truth behind the stolen papers, Libby investigates, only to find more layers of mystery surrounding Michael and his family. Despite their rivalry, Libby finds herself developing feelings for this man with the mysterious past.

As a decision about the house looms in the courts, Libby must weigh the risks of choosing to remain loyal to her family or give her heart to a man whose intentions and affections are less than certain.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Rose of Winslow Street, go HERE.

A research librarian and associate professor, Elizabeth Camden has a master’s in history from the University of Virginia and a master’s in library science from Indiana University. She has published several articles for academic publications and is the author of four nonfiction history books. Her ongoing fascination with history and love of literature have led her to write inspirational fiction. Elizabeth lives with her husband in central Florida.

Roxie’s Review . . . Having previously read Ms. Camden’s book, The Lady of Bolton Hill, I was anxious to read this one as well. It took me until the end of chapter 3 to really get into it; but after that, I really enjoyed this book.

It was good to have the significance of family ties and family history stressed along with Christian values and a budding romance. As is true with many people “in real life”, the characters in this book have secrets and memories from the past that weaken them and affect their present life in strange ways.

Elizabeth Camden’s characters triumphed over these odds and that sends a heartwarming message to the reader.

Kids & Chores

2012-01-03T12:31:00.001-05:00

Currently, my kids are saving money for an upcoming Disney trip, so it’s easy to get them to do their chores. (I posted about our Disney chore charts earlier this year.) However, I must say that I have been putting a lot of thought into how I am going to keep them doing their chores when we return from our vacation. Ideally, it would be nice to always have some big upcoming event to “bribe” them with; but that’s not always possible.

I’ve been looking for an alternative method of encouraging my kids to do chores; so when I came across an online Chore Chart, I got nothing short of excited. My kids absolutely love being online! And while, as a parent, I try to limit the time they spend on the computer, I knew having a chore chart like that would totally appeal to them.

I immediately set out to create a chore chart for Ian (5). You are given the opportunity name your chart, and set it up for e-mail reminders (if desired). There is a nice selection of background images to choose from, so you can really customize the charts to suit your child’s personality. Once you’ve decided on the theme, you are then further able to customize the chart by adding in the responsibilities. These fall into categories – Chores & Responsibilities, Behavior Goals, Healthy Habits, and even an area where you can create a custom addition.

After you’ve done that, you have an online chore chart that your kids can see, access, and add “stickers” to as they complete their required tasks. These, too, have lots of options – so there’s definitely something your child will love!

So, what do I love about this? Well, first of all, it’s FREE. Secondly, it’s online and interactive, which means I don’t have to print out a chore chart each week (wasting paper and computer ink) and make sure I always have stickers on hand. Also, the homeschool mom in me likes the fact that a system like this could help teach kids, tweens & teens many important lessons, including:

Responsibility; A Chore Chart is an ideal way to help your kids feel like they are making a contribution to their family by doing their part around the house.
Understanding right from wrong; Setting behavior goals is an important way to help children strengthen their character and judgment.
Healthy Habits; Teaching good habits involving nutrition and physical activity are the cornerstone of prevent obesity in children and adolescents.
Money Matters; The optional point system teaches children three important lessons for managing money; earning, spending and saving.

What do you do to keep your kids active with their chores? Would you consider an online program like this? If so, what appeals to you about it?

23 . . .

2012-01-03T07:30:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things to see at Animal Kingdom are these guys:

Yes, the gorillas! I could stand and watch them for hours. There’s just something about their personalities that just draws me in. We haven’t seen them on our past few trips; so we’ll definitely take the time for a visit next time!

Celebrate the Journey with Apologia Live!

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Last July, I shared about a luncheon that I attended in Baltimore with the ladies from the Apologia Live Retreats. It was a great time of fellowship with other homeschool moms (who are in the trenches just like me) and refreshment (for me, personally). At that time, I mentioned that I would be giving away a ticket to an upcoming Apologia Live event. And guess what? Now is the time!

This year’s Apologia Live theme is Celebrate the Journey - - -

Celebrate the Journey of homeschooling, wifehood, and being a mom during the good times, the bad times and yes, even the ugly times. Join us as we look at the scriptures and seek encouragement from veteran homeschool moms on how to Celebrate the Journey!

Apologia Live invites you to a retreat designed to encourage and support homeschool moms.

Meetings will be held this spring in Baltimore, MD (March 9 – 10) and Atlanta, GA (March 23 – 24).

I have one regular ticket to give away to one of my readers! This ticket is valued at $115 and includes the Live Event only (6 General Sessions and 2 Prayer Sessions on Friday afternoon and evening, starting at 3:30 pm and running through Saturday at 4:15 pm. The Retreat price also includes lunch on Saturday.) Hotel reservations and the additional Nuts & Bolts pre-Live session will be the winner’s responsibility. Winner will have their choice of attending either the Baltimore or Atlanta event.

If you are looking for refreshment, encouragement, and fellowship, I’d highly encourage attending Apologia Live! I have never attended before – but I’ve spent time with some of the speakers and know them personally and I’ve been listening to past Live events on cd.

If you’d like to register on your own, you are more than welcome to do so. They are offering a great Buy 2, Get 1 Free Special.

FYI: I plan to attend the event in Baltimore and would love to meet you!

Now, on to the giveaway . . .

I want to keep this simple so we’ll just have one mandatory entry – simply leave a comment to this post telling me why you would like to win this ticket to Apologia Live and which location you will be attending if you win.

If you’d like more opportunities to win, you can choose from the following list (please leave a separate comment for each on that you do do):

Visit the Apologia Live Blog and look around. Come back here and tell me one thing that you learned about the Apologia Live conferences.
Like Apologia on FB to learn more about the Live events.
Follow Apologia Live on Twitter.

I will leave this contest open for 2 weeks and will select a winner on Monday, January 16th.

NOTE: The ticket for this giveaway is being provided by Apologia Live. I will also be attending the event for free as a gift to me in exchange for helping to promote the event. I do not promote anything on my blog that I don’t personally believe in.

24 . . .

2012-01-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

As the countdown numbers get smaller, our excitement gets bigger! Today, we are looking forward to an old favorite – a classic at the Magic Kingdom – but one that, no matter how many times we ride, we still smile and laugh every time. Any guesses? It’s the Jungle Cruise!

I can’t help it – I just love those crazy jokes that the guides tell as they take you on a journey through the jungle. The effects are so much less than Disney is capable of creating nowadays – but there’s just something about this attraction that makes me feel at home when I’m visiting.

We love the signs along the queue too:

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen

2012-01-02T00:52:00.000-05:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Maid of Fairbourne Hall Bethany House (January 1, 2012) by Julie Klassen

Pampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt--and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall?

Observing both brothers as an "invisible" servant, Margaret learns she may have misjudged Nathaniel. Is it too late to rekindle his admiration? And when one of the family is nearly killed, Margaret alone discovers who was responsible. Should she come forward, even at the risk of her reputation and perhaps her life? And can she avoid an obvious trap meant to force her from hiding?

On her journey from wellborn lady to servant to uncertain future, Margaret must learn to look past appearances and find the true meaning of "serve one another in love."

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, go HERE.

Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years (first in advertising, then as a fiction editor) and now writes full time. Two of her books, The Girl in the Gatehouse and The Silent Governess won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Girl in the Gatehousealso won a Midwest Book Award and The Silent Governess was a finalist in Romance Writers of America's RITA awards.
She graduated from the University of Illinois and enjoys travel, research, BBC period dramas, long hikes, short naps, and coffee with friends. Julie and her husband have two sons and live near St. Paul, Minnesota.

Heidi Says . . . It’s been a busy few weeks since receiving this book in the mail and I haven’t had time to read it yet. I’ve loved past books of Julie’s though – and expect to feel the same about this one. I’ll come back and add my personal thoughts later.

The Disney Moms are giving away a Disney Dooney & Bourke Handbag!!!

2012-01-01T18:00:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to win a 40th Anniversary Dooney & Bourke Handbag! Prior to that time, I would have thought it was wasteful to spend that kind of money on a purse. But, since winning the bag and using it, it’s become clear to me that not only is this a bag that is going to last FOREVER (we’re talking great quality here, people), but it’s also a bag that I love to carry (it generates all kinds of responses and comments!)

So, I’m thrilled to announce that The Disney Moms have a Disney Dooney & Bourke Handbag to give away this month. You can learn more about The Disney Moms here or by visiting our website. We’ve been having so much fun sharing our passion for Disney with our readers – and now we want to give something back!

I know you want to know which bag we are giving away, right? It’s the Denim Disney Erica Bag (in the turquoise color pictured at the far right). This bag retails for $145! I think it’s absolutely adorable and wish I could win it. But, alas, because I am a Disney Mom, I am ineligible. :(

I’d love to see one of my readers win it though! We are hosting our giveaway via Rafflecopter. There are TONS of ways to enter – some of which are mandatory (and require following various members of The Disney Moms via blogs, FB, Twitter, etc.), others are optional. In order to have the best chance to win, I’d encourage entering in as many ways as you possibly can. Trust me when I say that you will ADORE this bag!

The contest will run throughout the month of January, ending on the 27th.
You can enter below, or on another Disney Mom’s blog, or on The Disney Mom’s FB fan page. You only need enter at one place and your entries are recorded everywhere. Entry is quick and simple.

Please be sure to share this contest with all your friends!
Good luck!

Click on the "read more" button below to enter . . .

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NOTE: This contest is open to US residents only. The product being given away is being provided by the members of The Disney Moms.

Catching up with the countdown (28 – 25)

2012-01-01T10:20:00.001-05:00

Life has been so busy lately – lots of changes coming in 2012 – and I’ve fallen behind in my 100 Days to Disney countdown posts. Here’s the catch-up:

#28 ~ I’ll be the first person to admit that I’m not a very patient person, so standing in long lines really isn’t my thing. I’m anxious for the Fantasyland expansion, as I think the addition of the 2nd Dumbo ride will help that line to move faster. I’m rarely willing to wait. So, a great alternative to that ride – for us – has been the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. It’s the same sort of ride, and the lines are always considerably shorter. Plus, the spitting camel lends itself to excitement!

#27 ~ One of my all-time favorite classic attractions at Hollywood Studios is the Great Movie Ride. I love the whole Chinese Theater thing on the outside – even if you have to wait for this ride, there is so much to see outside with the handprints on the sidewalk, etc. Once inside the building, the queue is filled with neat things also. While the ride itself could possibly use a bit of an update, I still really enjoy it and can’t imagine a trip to the Studios without it.

#26 ~ Something that we NEVER take the time to do is visit Tom Sawyer’s Island in the Magic Kingdom. I’m not sure why – I guess because we’re always on the go and it hasn’t ever held much appeal. But, I’m determined on this next trip to jaunt over there and spend some time exploring. Who knows? Maybe we’ll even find that infamous hidden paintbrush!

#25 ~ On our last trip to the World in May of 2011, we spent some time resort-hopping with friends. They introduced us to the Wilderness Lodge. Wow – I could sit in that lobby for hours – seriously! They also told us that dinner at the Whispering Canyon Cafe is, in their opinion, one of the most entertaining dining experiences on Disney property. So, when we decided to return and found out that we’d be enjoying the DDP on this next trip, that was one of the first meals that we scheduled. The food sounds great – but the interaction with the Cast Members sounds even more fun. We’re all looking forward to this one!

What about you? Are any of these favorites of yours? Or things you’re maybe looking forward to trying?

Out with 2011 ~ In with 2012

2012-01-01T09:55:00.001-05:00

There’s an awful lot going on in Heidi’s Head, but little time to sit down and share it. 2012 is bringing lots of changes – new opportunities, things to look forward to, etc. I wanted to take a minute to check in and share . . .

Early last week, I resigned from my job. It was a decision that I did not make lightly. I absolutely loved my job – especially the position that I was in with the Homeschool Crew. The Crew has been a source of blessings on so many different levels over the past 4 years of my life. Lessons were learned, friendships were formed. But, I felt God’s leading to step back from that position, and move on to new things in my life. It was a very time-consuming job – and, right now, my family needs to have a bit more of my attention. I don’t want to be looking back 20 years from now with regrets and feeling like I missed out because I was too busy, you know?

At the beginning of December, I took on a second (very) part-time, work-at-home job with Miaplaza, Inc. – the company behind Always Icecream and Clever Dragons. So, you’ll most likely see and hear me bragging on these great websites for kids. I’m excited about this job because it’s a company that is on the move – and it will be fun to see where it goes over the next few years.

Toward the end of last week, I got some exciting news that I’m not yet at liberty to share here on my blog (but if you’re a FB friend, you can look there for a “hint” of what’s to come). I think I can probably safely share that it’s another new job opportunity that I feel will be the perfect fit for me.

My family is still counting down the days to our upcoming Disney trip – despite the fact that I’ve been lax in posting those. I plan on writing a catch-up post today; so all is not lost! With all that’s been going on around here, a vacation is exactly what we all need!

Be sure to watch my blog tomorrow --- I will be introducing not one, but TWO big contests that you’ll definitely want to be a part of.

I am looking forward to the new year. I hope you’ll stick around here at Heidi’s Head – I love receiving all your comments and e-mails and look forward to getting to know you better in 2012!

Disney WW ~ 2012 Calendar

2011-12-28T09:02:00.001-05:00

Our theme for this week’s Wordless Wednesday is
Calendar Shots We’ve actually been creating our own personalized calendars for the past several years now. We love them! While our cover does not contain a Disney picture . . . . . . our January does . . . (sorry for the glare) The family picture was taken at Epcot.
The picture of the kids was taken at Port Orleans Riverside.

Do you create personalized calendars using your pictures? Our 2012 calendar has lots of Disney pictures sprinkled throughout the months. It’s a fun way to bring a bit of Disney home with us to enjoy throughout the year. I’m sure we’ll be taking many pictures on our next trip – that will most likely make it onto our calendar for 2013!

You can see more calendar shots and Wordless Wednesday posts at Focused on the Magic.

29 . . .

2011-12-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

OK, this is really becoming real now. Less than 30 days to go!

#29 on the countdown is something that I’ve seen in passing, but have never really stopped to pay attention to or appreciate. I’ve seen pictures of the Streetsmosphere performers (also known as “Citizens of Hollywood”) on my friend Deb’s blog and I’m really wanting to take some time to check them out on this next trip.

Have you taken the time to enjoy them? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If not, you can learn more about them at AllEars.Net.

Star Light, Star Bright . . .

2011-12-27T20:20:00.001-05:00

. . . First Star I See Tonight.
Wish I May, Wish I Might,
Have This Wish I Wish Tonight.

It’s been a rainy, ugly day here in PA (or at least in the part in which I live). I don’t even see any stars in the sky tonight; but a girl can wish anyway, right?

If I were to wish upon a star tonight, I think I’d wish one of two things:

(1) To rewind this day back to yesterday and start all over; hoping, of course, that it turns out differently than this day did, or

(2) Fast forward to tomorrow, in the hopes that I’ll wake up in the morning and discover that today was just a dream.

Or possibly a third wish would be even better:

(3) To just skip over the next 30 days and find myself in Walt Disney World. While this option certainly sounds the best, I don’t want to wish away the next 30 days of planning and dreaming and counting down (because that stuff is half the fun of the whole Disney experience for me).

Anyway, today just didn’t turn out the way I would have planned if I were in charge of things. But, we all have those days sometimes, don’t we?

What do you do when you have a bad day? I tried soaking in a warm bath, while reading a good book, drinking a yummy coffee, and smelling a cherry candle. I followed it up with some prayer.

30 . . .

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Man, only 30 days to go! It seems like just yesterday that we started this 100 Days to Disney countdown – the time has been flying by! Hard to believe that there are only 30 days left ‘til we leave for our next Disney vacation!

One of my favorite things to do at the Animal Kingdom (and we made a special trip to this park in May JUST for this attraction) is Kilamanjaro Safaris. We love going out in the “wild” and seeing all of the animals. It’s amazing how close to actually are to some of them! Disney has gone an excellent job of making this attraction very true to life and we find it amazing each and every time that we ride it. It’s a definitely DO NOT MISS at Animal Kingdom! And, it’s worth the long wait in line!

Holiday Learning Tips

2011-12-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

I received the following tips from Commonwealth Connections Academy. These are some great ideas for keeping your kids’ bodies and minds active during the school break (these are applicable to both homeschoolers and those with your kids in a traditional school setting). I hope you’ll read them and let me know if you decide to use any of them.

No Holiday Homework:
But it’s Important to Keep Learning Alive During Winter Break
Commonwealth Connections Academy Virtual School
Offers Tips for Families

The winter break from school usually means no homework, but families can keep learning alive with some fun and educational tips from Commonwealth Connections Academy. There are a variety of low-cost opportunities for parents to use to keep their children’s minds sharp while they’re not in school. The educators at Commonwealth Connections Academy have come up with a great list of suggestions for activities and teachable moments. With each idea listed below it may be helpful to assess your child’s comprehension level and take breaks to answer questions.

Writing Family and Friends – Build on your student’s writing abilities and penmanship by having them personalize holiday greeting cards and letters to relatives. Expand their knowledge of geography by exploring where the card recipient lives and have them find that town on a map. Hand-written thank you notes promote social skills. Encourage your child to trace their family tree; asking older relatives about their stories. This will also improve writing and research skills.

Cooking up Skills – There are a number of learning opportunities in the kitchen which incorporate science, math, reading, writing and vocabulary skills. Children can look up ingredients for a recipe the dictionary, calculate the costs for each item in the grocery store, then help measure, pour, bake, boil and use other cooking techniques. Check out this link to see science experiments specially designed for the kitchen.

Arts and Crafts – Gift wrapping is a great way to help kids enhance their math skills by using a tape measure or ruler to figure out the correct size of wrapping paper to use. They can also get creative and make their own wrapping paper out of newspaper and grocery bags, ribbons and other materials you have around the house. Or perhaps you have an amateur photographer in your family who might enjoy taking holiday pictures for a scrap book.

Travel or “Stay-cation” – A holiday road trip can give students a chance to show their knowledge of geography and you can take along questions from Commonwealth Connections Academy’s Quiz Bowl trivia game. You can also stick closer to home and have a “stay-cation” to a local museum or other educational sites.

Reading is Key – Show your children that reading can be fun with a trip to the local library to pick out a new book for them to read over the holidays. If you read to your students every day you’ll teach them a good habit they can carry into adulthood.

Physical Fitness – Help burn off all the calories from holiday treats with plenty of physical activity, indoors and out. If winter weather produces snow in your areas have the kids make snowmen and snow angels, go sledding or launch an old fashion snow ball fight.

Commonwealth Connections Academy is a tuition-free online public charter school in the state serving nearly 5,000 students in grades K-12. The school provides an individualized approach to learning with state certified teachers, a state standards aligned curriculum, state of the art technology and community experiences to create academic and emotional success for students.

32 & 31 . . .

2011-12-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

As promised yesterday (hope you had a Merry Christmas!), here are yesterday’s and today’s countdown items . . .

After a breakfast with the princesses in Akershus in the Norway Pavilion, we’re looking forward to taking a spin on the Maelstrom. We rode it on our last trip, but that had been the first time for awhile, so we want to take another trip through Norway via boat – seeing the trolls and all the other things legends are made of!

Something that we’ve been hearing lots about and I know that Ashley (and probably Brian) will want to try are the Cinnamon Rolls at the Main Street Bakery in the Magic Kingdom. I’ll probably take a little taste too – just to say that I did (despite the fact that I’ve developed a sensitivity to cinnamon).

Taking a break from the countdown to say . . .

2011-12-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

I’m taking today off from the countdown in honor of the holiday, but I’ll be back tomorrow with TWO items on the countdown - #32 and #31. Hope you’ll join me!

33 . . .

2011-12-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

It’s Christmas Eve! When I think of Christmas Eve, I think of spending the evening, surrounded by my family, enjoying each other’s company, and making special memories. Those same thoughts come to mind when I think of visiting Walt Disney World, and specifically hanging around to enjoy Wishes at the Magic Kingdom. This has got to be the ABSOLUTE BEST fireworks show in the entire world! And, there’s something about watching it that just makes me happy!

What about you?

Fun with Flowers

2011-12-23T09:01:00.001-05:00

We’ve been watching reruns of Clean House on Netflix. It might be safe to say that Ashley and I are addicted to that show. LOL In any case, we love the big flamboyant flowers that Niecy Nash always wears in her hair – they’re always so colorful and fun.

We want to be colorful and fun too! But, have you priced these flower hairclips in the stores? We had found one on a headband this past spring (on clearance at Target) – and it looked so cute in Ashley’s hair for conventions. At Disney, we added a cute little Disney pin to it to spice it up a bit.

We have a family wedding coming up next week, and both Ashley and I are wearing shades of black and gray (traditional funeral colors, right?!) I thought it might be fun to brighten up with a flower for my hair, so we stopped in Claire’s at the mall last Sunday to look for some flowers. I wanted red, but Ashley talked me into a black one (which really defeated the purpose anyway!) It cost a whopping $6.50 for a fake flower on a hairclip! That’s highway robbery, people!

I did buy it; but afterwards I got to thinking that we need to figure out how to make these things. So, after a trip to the Dollar Tree and Wal-mart yesterday, we turned out 10 hairclips in about an hour. And guess what? It cost less to create all 10 of them than it did to buy one! Seriously!

I spent $3 for 3 bunches of flowers at the Dollar Tree – a poinsettia bunch, a daisy bunch, and I’m not sure what the other ones are (but there were 2 purple, 2 gold, and 2 green flowers on the bunch). Then, at Wal-mart, I found the hairclips – 6 in a pack for $1.47. The only other supplies we used were felt (a whole sheet of felt is only 20 cents and we didn’t even use 1/2 the sheet for all these clips), scissors, and a hot glue gun.

We made 2 “duds” before we really got the hang of it. And, by the end, I was pulling flowers apart and combining colors, adding leaves, etc. It was a fun project and yielded decent results. Here’s what they look like in (my) hair:

Not sure why my hair looks so dark in that first picture. But, anyway, you get the idea. Cute, huh? Both the daisy and the poinsettia are 2 flowers, combined/layered into one to make them fuller and to lay nicer. The gold flower is exactly as it appeared on the bunch, but I added the leaves to it. The purple/green flower is a combination of two flowers (we also made one of each color, as shown in the picture above). Now, Ashley wants to get some brighter-colored flowers and make some more!

Which one is your favorite?

DD ~ The Letter Z

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

It’s the last week of our Disney alphabet series! Wow – that went fast, didn’t it? I think that, for next week, we’ll do a PARTY theme. You should be able to get pretty creative with that one! Now, on to the final letter . . .

Welcome to Destination Disney!
I’m so glad to have you here!

As we move through the alphabet on our Destination Disney journey, we’re ready for the Letter Z this week.

Use the Letter Z as your inspiration. Do you need a few ideas to get you started? How about this – Zazu. LOL – that’s all I can think of! What others can you think of?

So go, get busy! Post those Letter Z things on your blog (with pictures, if you can) – then come back here and link up! I’ll link up my post too!

FYI: Check out our past weeks’ letters:

Letter A posts
Letter B posts
Letter C posts
Letter D posts
Letter E posts
Letter F posts
Letter G posts
Letter H posts
Letter I posts
Letter J posts
Letter K posts
Letter L posts
Letter M posts
Letter N posts
Letter O posts
Letter P posts
Letter Q posts
Letter R posts
Letter S posts
Letter T posts
Letter U posts
Letter V posts
Letter W posts
Letter X posts
Letter Y posts (still time to link up!)

34 . . .

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

We took Ashley for her first trip to Walt Disney World when she was 5 years old. I’m thinking Test Track must have been brand new that trip (or else “coming soon”) because we met Lumpy the Crash Dummy – and Ashley was not impressed (and that’s putting it mildly!)

On our next trip, my parents were with us, and took the girls back to our room when it started to rain. Brian and I, though, wanted to stick it out at Epcot for Illuminations. We had some time to kill, so jumped into the single rider line at Test Track to see what all the excitement was about. Yep, pretty fun!

We haven’t ridden since. Either the lines are way too long, or the ride is closed when we’re there. But, the kids all want to take a spin around the track next time, so it made the list!

Thankful Thursday–December 22

2011-12-22T17:53:00.001-05:00

I’ve got lots of things to be thankful for today. Let’s see . . . where to begin . . .

I woke up with a headache around 5am. I got up, grabbed a few Excedrin Migraine, and crawled back in bed, saying a prayer that it would go away. It did!

I walked to the post office this morning and had 3 packages to pick up. Two were full of books, but the third was a Christmas package from one of my assistants at work (TOS). I’ll be posting some pics of the cute gifts I’ve been receiving in a future post – so stay tuned. For now, though, suffice it to say that I’m thankful for these special people who have entered my life through the Homeschool Crew. Life wouldn’t be the same without them!

I went with Brian to his follow-up doctor appointment, to get the results of his sleep study. Turns out I was right (no surprise there!) – he has sleep apnea. He goes back tonight for a 2nd sleep study – this time wearing the c-pap mask. I’m thankful that (hopefully) my nights of being distracted by his snoring will soon be coming to an end!

And, I’ve saved the best for last . . . the FedEx man delivered the iPad2 that I won from Smiley360! Yeah! I’ll just say that God is definitely in the small things - - - I actually said a prayer that I might win this particular contest. I work from home, and my laptop has been acting up for months now. I don’t want to drag it away when we travel, so I was wishing for some sort of tablet (something smaller, but a way to check e-mail, etc.). God answered my prayer through Smiley360! If you signed up through my link, then you played a part in that too – so I’m thankful for YOU! Don’t be afraid to share those little, seemingly insignificant things with God. :)

What are you thankful for today?

35 . . .

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

Something I don’t think I’ve done since maybe our first or second trip to Walt Disney World (so we’re talking late 80’s, early 90’s here) is the Enchanted Tiki Room. I don’t know why, but we always just seem to walk right past this one, without even giving a second thought to going inside. The fact that it’s recently been transformed (yet again) and is back to closer to its original state makes me want to give it another chance. So, it’s on the list. . .

What are your thoughts on this attraction?

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

2011-12-21T07:16:00.001-05:00

³⁴ Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. ³⁵ One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” ~Matthew 22

I have neighbors on the brain. Yesterday, as I was leaving the post office, I ran into the lady who lives in the house across the street from me. She and her hubby moved in at least 10 years ago, yet we never really got to know them. That’s sad, isn’t it?

She asked me if I was the author of the “wonderful poem she saw in the paper”. When I confessed that I had, indeed, written that poem, she said she hated to ask me but she’d love to somehow get a copy to send to a friend in GA. So, I offered to go home, print her out a copy, and walk it over to her.

When I went over, I also took a Christmas card for her. Such a small thing (and we had plenty of extras), yet she was so touched. I ended up staying and visiting with her for awhile – showing an interest in her and getting to know a bit more about her.

Now, when we first moved to our neighborhood, 20 years ago now, we knew everyone on our block. We sent them all Christmas cards and even got together with some of them to visit in their homes. Over the years, some have moved away, some have passed away, and new neighbors have moved in to replace the old.

And I’m questioning myself – why is it that people aren’t as friendly with their neighbors these days? And, is it just me? Or is this just “the way things are” nowadays?

In any case, I find it sad. And I’m going to try to make a better effort to get to know my neighbors. It might occasionally mean going out of my way to do things for them, but I think it’s what God would want, don’t you? I mean, how many times in the Scriptures does he exhort us to “love our neighbors”? And I honestly don’t think we can love our neighbors from inside our own homes. I think it might require getting out of our own house – our comfort zone, as the case may be – and doing.

When I left my neighbor lady’s house yesterday, she said “Heidi, stay sweet.” Walking across the street toward home, I felt convicted. I was sweet to her once in 10 years. That’s sad. Where was I when her husband was killed on our road several years ago? And where have I been as she has sat over there in her house, lonely and scared for the past several years?

How are you doing at being neighborly? Dictionary.com defines the term neighborly as “having or showing qualities befitting a neighbor, friendly”. And one definition of neighbor - “a person who shows kindliness or helpfulness toward his or her fellow humans”. I’d like to be described that way. Wouldn’t you?

I’d like to encourage you today --- show some attention and love to a neighbor. I promise, you will be the one who ends up feeling blessed!

36 . . .

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

For years, I was the only person in my family who liked Chinese food. I used to go out for Chinese with my mom or my friend Sue. After Sue passed away, I pretty much forced Ashley to go with me for Chinese – and she actually liked it! But, one thing she hasn’t developed a taste for is egg rolls. I like them, and find them a fun, quick snack to grab when we’re strolling through the China Pavilion at Epcot.

Gummy Bear Ear Buds ?!

2011-12-20T20:10:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, we received something rather unique in the mailbox - - - Gummy Bear Ear Buds.

These are made by Sakar. They are sold at novelty stores – such as Hot Topic – and I’ve seen them online ranging in price from $9.99 to $18, and up.

They look amazing like real gummy bears. And, if the looks aren’t enough, they’re scented as well! I’m not exactly sure who would want a scented gummy bear in their ears; but there is something cute about it, right?

We got the green gummy bear ear buds to check out. Now, I must confess – I am NOT an ear bud fan in the least little bit. I’m a product of the 80’s, when giant head phones were in style (and I think it’s absolutely hilarious that they’re coming back around – I mean, seriously, a little iPod with HUGE earphones makes SUCH a unique statement). But, anyway, back to our regularly scheduled blog post . . .

I passed the ear buds on to Gracie because ear buds just don’t stay put in my ears and I knew she’d get a huge kick out of them. She’s 11 – what 11 year old wouldn’t love these things?!

I’m assuming that the green buds should smell like lime or green apple. I’m rather sensitive to smells and I don’t pick up much of a scent on these at all. Gracie doesn’t smell it either. So, if you’re after them for scent alone, I may recommend another color/flavor choice.

While she’s been using them faithfully for a week or so now, she has mentioned that she has trouble keeping them in her ears, and that the sound isn’t what she would consider to be “the best”, but she wouldn’t necessarily discourage someone else from buying them. I mean, there’s always the fun factor!

So, what do you think? Have you seen these? Would you consider them a fun gift idea for someone on your gift list this year?

37 . . .

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Just last week, I talked about how I wouldn’t be upset if Disney would upgrade this ride just a teeny tiny bit. However, it still ranks up there near the very top of my “favorite attractions” list. Yep, it’s the Carousel of Progress – and I don’t make a trip to the World without visiting it at least once. Love it. Love the song. Love the idea behind this ride.

38 . . .

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

OK, I’m just going to come right out and say it . . . the parades really aren’t my favorite thing at Walt Disney World. While I like them, I can generally take them or leave them. Usually, I prefer to use the time while everyone else is at the parade to do some of those things that are hard to get to otherwise.

Several years ago, we watched the Mulan parade at Hollywood Studios – I remember really enjoying that one because it was so colorful and different.

This year, I’ve added Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade at Animal Kingdom to our list of things to do. We’ve never actually sat and watched this one, though we did see a good bit of it a few years ago while Ashley was getting a hair wrap. Anyway, this parade looks like a really colorful and interesting one – I think we’ll like it.

Have you seen it? What are your thoughts?

Do You Redbox?

2011-12-18T20:31:00.001-05:00

Thanks to smiley360 and Redbox, my family had an entertaining weekend! We were so well-entertained, in fact, that I realize now – after the weekend has almost come to a close – that I totally forgot to take out my camera and take pictures. I think part of that was because we were doing what we love best – hanging out as a family, watching movies, and playing games. It’s what we do best – and we don’t think to immortalize it in photos.

Anyway, have you rented movies from Redbox yet? We find Redbox quite intriguing and handy. Intriguing because we’re trying to figure out how that not-so-large box contains plenty of each movie – and how you can return your movies to ANY Redbox location – so what keeps them from running out of certain titles? Handy because we don’t have cable tv (which, where we live, basically means we don’t have tv), so we depend on Netflix for our entertainment. But, Redbox supplies those just-released movies that we’re anxious to see.

So, what did we pick to entertain us this weekend?

When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world and into ours - in fact, smack dab in the middle of Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down. (Rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for some mild rude humor and action.)

Our thoughts . . . we loved it so much that, when we returned our movies to the Redbox at Walmar today, we bought our own copy of this movie! Adorable. As a person who was not a huge fan of any Saturday morning cartoons (though I did occasionally watch the Smurfs), I must say these little creatures are much more adorable in this movie!

This summer, Judy Moody is planning the most super-duper, double-rare summer vacation ever with best friends Rocky and Amy. Except that it turns out Rocky is going to circus camp to learn to tame lions, Amy is headed off to Borneo with her mom to save a lost tribe and Judy is stuck home with her pesky little brother Stink and second-best friend Frank Pearl. Just when she thinks things are as rotten as they can be, her parents announce that they will be going to California and Judy will have to stay behind with her Aunt Opal, who she's never even met! It looks like Judy's best summer ever has just become her way worst summer ever. But feisty, fearless Judy Moody never gives up. With help from some unexpected sources, she's headed for a summer full of surprises. (Rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for mild rude humor and language.)

Our thoughts . . . Glad I rented this one, rather than buying it. It was ok, but not the kind of movie I’d want to watch over and over again. Gracie, who has read the books, said lots of it was taken directly from one book or another – which made the movie much more interesting for her.

In this 19th Century-set story, Jane Eyre suddenly flees Thornfield Hall, the vast and isolated estate where she works as a governess for Adèle Varens, a child under the custody of Thornfield's brooding master, Edward Rochester. The imposing residence - and Rochester's own imposing nature - have sorely tested her resilience. With nowhere else to go, she is extended a helping hand by clergyman St. John Rivers and his family. As she recuperates in the Rivers' Moor House and looks back upon the tumultuous events that led to her escape, Jane wonders if the past is ever truly past. (Rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for some thematic elements including a nude image and brief violent content.)

Our thoughts . . . This one was a disappointment. I was anxious for a new adaptation of the book (which Ashley and I read together last year for school). This one just didn’t do it for me. I realize it’s a long book and there’s a lot to squeeze into a 2-hour movie; but they just missed so much. I think that, had we not read the book and seen another adaptation previously, we wouldn’t have even really “got” the movie.

Oh, and get this --- did you know that, in addition to movies, you can also rent video games from Redbox? We got to try out Go Vacation for the Wii.

Take a trip to Kawawii Island, a virtual resort for the entire family with dozens of co-operative and competitive activities and events to meet the needs of each and every family member. There's something for everyone from extreme activities like sky diving, surfing and white water rafting to sports like beach volleyball, skiing and tennis. Want to explore the island? There's horseback riding, scuba diving, snowmobiles and many different vehicles for travel around the expansive locales. Take some time to relax and play some miniature golf, have a snowball fight, shoot water guns or play some carnival games. Go Vacation encourages parents and kids to participate together in group activities featuring simple gameplay, multiple challenges, hours of play and fun for the whole family! There's never a dull moment when you Go Vacation! (Rated E10+ by the ESRB for Cartoon Violence.)

Our thoughts . . . Well, let’s just say that Brian, Ashley, and I haven’t had a chance to try this one because Gracie and Ian have been quite the little game hogs. The first words out of Ian’s mouth the past few mornings are “Can I play Go Vacation now?” Seriously. I can say this – it’s cute to watch! You can choose a generic Mii character, or use the one you’ve already got set up on the Wii. The outfits on these Miis and the settings on the games are really realistic and cute. It looks a bit confusing for me; but the kids picked it right up, with no problems. I think it’s a keeper!

So, here’s the rundown . . . Redbox Rocks! I’d love to hear about your experiences with Redbox. Any good movies to recommend? Do tell!

Oh, and here’s some fun information for you - - - Redbox is also hosting a cool contest that your readers might want to know about. The Redbox 12 Days of Deals & Prizes offers daily prizes from December 13 thru December 24. Text FUN to 727272 for instant savings of 25 cents - $1 off of your movie and game rentals, as well as a chance to be entered to win a daily prize from Redbox. Each day, a random drawing will select a winner with top prizes from Sony, Wii, Barnes & Noble, Activision and more.

And the coolest part is the disclaimer - - - I got all this (5 free Redbox rentals and a Wii game that we get to keep and enjoy) from smiley360 – just for trying it out and writing about it on my blog. Simple enough, right? You could too – just click on the smiley360 link and sign up TODAY!

39 . . .

2011-12-18T15:41:00.001-05:00

Wow! Is it just me, or did you also happen to notice that we’re now less than 40 days away from our trip?!

Something that we haven’t seen for YEARS is the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show at Hollywood Studios. Every time we walk past, the lines seem to be so long! Since it’s been there for awhile, I guess that’s a good sign that this show has staying power, huh? Anyway, I’m willing to wait in line a bit to see it on this next trip.

If you’ve never seen the show – and would like to – you can view it on YouTube.

Kids 7-12? Great last-minute gift idea (& giveaway!)

2011-12-17T12:51:00.001-05:00

A few months ago, I had opportunity to share a review for an online social media site for girls, called Always Icecream. Since the writing of that review, the founders of the website have released a new site for boys called Clever Dragons.

=> Both sites are geared toward children ages 7 – 12.

=> They both providing various opportunities for playing and learning. The learning portions include various subjects, such as language arts, math (both basic and advanced), geography, science, music, art, history, computer skills, foreign language, and Bible.

=> Kids love playing the games because they can earn fun rewards like medals (for achievement), virtual pets, and ice cream $coops (Always Icecream) or gold coins (Clever Dragons). These things can be used to access other fun content on the websites.

=> Parents love the sites because they can control the fun. Each week, parents receive e-mail reports with updates on their child’s learning progress. Parents receive a complimentary account, alongside their child’s account, and can use this to enable or disable the “community features” (which enable children to communicate with other members). Parents are also able to customize educational content and reward additional $coops and/or coins for things kids to “in real life” (such as chores and music practice, etc.)

=> Unlike some other social media websites, Always Icecream and Clever Dragons are safe for kids. All content on the websites goes through a moderation process, contains no advertising, and is blocked to search engines.

=> While a large percentage of the children using these websites are homeschooled, homeschooling is not a requirement for membership. The founders are homeschool parents, however, and the educational content on both sites has originated from that personal experience.

Here’s a quick run-down of the features you can expect to find at Always Icecream and Clever Dragons:

Learning Games and Rewards
Educational Videos
Shops and Games to Spend Rewards
Weekly Progress Report to Parents
Friends and Profiles
Comments and Messages
Entertaining Games and Videos as Rewards
Social Games like Pet Sitting and Arts Shop
Moderation prior to being visible to other members

And best of all --- Always Icecream and Clever Dragons guarantee your satisfaction. Your child will have fun and learn relevant skills – or you get your money back!!

So, if you’re looking for a last-minute gift idea for that special child in your life, I’d love to recommend a membership to one of these websites. The regular one-year membership price of $29.99 will currently get you an extra 6 months of membership for free (that’s 18 months for the price of 12). You can sign up to join Always Icecream here, or Clever Dragons here. Payment can be made using credit card, debit card, or PayPal.

~~~~~~~~

Guess what? I’m giving away 4 FREE MEMBERSHIPS!
I have one (1) LIFETIME membership to give away,
and three (3) ONE-YEAR (18 month) memberships.

If you’d like to win one of these memberships for that special child in your life,
simply fill out the form information below.

I’ll leave this contest open until
Thursday, December 22nd, at noon (est).
I’ll contact the winners right away, via e-mail,
so we have plenty of time to get those memberships set up before Christmas!

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40 . . .

2011-12-17T06:30:00.000-05:00

I’m looking forward to meeting up with Randy from Your Highway in the Sky. Randy’s been working at the Haunted Mansion for the past several months – as part of the Disney College Program. He’ll be done with that by the time we get down there – but I’m hoping to hook up with him and hear some good stories of his times in the mansion (I know he’s got lots of them to tell!)

I was honored when Randy invited me to write for his website, as the “parenting expert” (LOL!) It’s been fun getting to know him and the other great writers on the site. Maybe I’ll get to meet some of them too!

DD ~ The Letter Y

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Some quick “business” before we get on with this week’s topic - - - since we’ll finish up the alphabet next week, I’m leaning toward taking a bit of a break from Destination Disney – maybe through January – and then starting up again in February (probably the 10th). I got some great ideas for some new topics (from Beth at A Disney Mom’s Thoughts) that I think we’ll incorporate. If you have ideas, I’d love to hear them (shoot me an e-mail!) Now, on to this week’s letter - - -

Welcome to Destination Disney!
I’m so glad to have you here!

As we move through the alphabet on our Destination Disney journey, we’re ready for the Letter Y this week.

Use the Letter Y as your inspiration. Do you need a few ideas to get you started? How about these – Yacht Club Resort, Young Feng Shangdian (think “shopping” in China!), Yakatori House (quick dining in Japan), and Yachtsman Steakhouse. What others can you think of?

So go, get busy! Post those Letter Y things on your blog (with pictures, if you can) – then come back here and link up! I’ll link up my post too!

FYI: Check out our past weeks’ letters:

Letter A posts
Letter B posts
Letter C posts
Letter D posts
Letter E posts
Letter F posts
Letter G posts
Letter H posts
Letter I posts
Letter J posts
Letter K posts
Letter L posts
Letter M posts
Letter N posts
Letter O posts
Letter P posts
Letter Q posts
Letter R posts
Letter S posts
Letter T posts
Letter U posts
Letter V posts
Letter W posts
Letter X posts (still time to link up!)

It’s One of My Favorites, but . . .

2011-12-16T07:13:00.001-05:00

Welcome to those of you joining me from Growing Up Disney
and those of you just hopping aboard.
I am the 2nd stop on our Magical Blogorail.

Since my own ORANGE loop is talking about Christmas Disney-Style this month, and I already discussed that when I joined the PEACH loop last month, Disney Donna Kay has been kind enough to swap loops with me. Isn’t that sweet?

So, I’m taking a trip on Magical Blogorail RED instead – and our topic is “the attraction you would like to see Disney Parks update next”.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

When considering what I might write about for this particular topic, I polled my kids. Ashley immediately said “Carousel of Progress”. At first, I wanted to argue with her; but, after some discussion, I had to admit that she was right. As much as we both adore this attraction, it could use some serious updating in the last scene.

I realize that this was one of the attractions that Walt had a big part in creating, and that it was originally designed for the New York World’s Fair. All that is great – and I’m so glad that it still has a place in the Magic Kingdom. We don’t make a trip without visiting the Carousel. We love the ride, and we all enjoy singing along with the catchy tune (which reminds me – I’m glad for previous updates to this attraction and for the switch back to the original tune).

If the ride had never experienced updates and changes, then I’d be the first to say “let it alone”. But, since it’s experienced a few changes over the years anyway, then I say let’s update that last scene just a bit. I mean, seriously, that scene is supposed to depict the future, right? And what is it? The late 80’s/early 90’s? I don’t know – but it’s NOT the future!

The “past scenes” are all so authentic:

It seems to me like it might make more sense to just continue with the progression of things and make the last scene depict the 80’s or 90’s, but without the idea that it’s supposed to be the future.

Anyway, I love it – and I love the idea behind it – and I won’t make a trip without it. But, an update would be welcome!

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is My Dreams of Disney.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1^st Stop ~ Growing Up Disney
2^nd Stop ~ Heidi's Head (you are here!)
3rd Stop ~ My Dreams of Disney
Final Stop ~ A World View

41 . . .

2011-12-16T06:30:00.000-05:00

Something that we didn’t get to ride on our last trip (due to long lines and impatience) was Peter Pan’s Flight. So, we’re looking forward to riding it again on our next trip. This ride is a classic, and a must-do for a full-blown Disney vacation.

Thankful Thursday-December 15

2011-12-15T21:06:00.001-05:00

Man, it’s been a busy day and I’m super late at getting my thankful post up. But, I do have much to be thankful for; so I wanted to take a moment to post . . .

I’m thankful for the special time that the kids and I got to spend with my youngest brother and his family today. We tagged along to visit with my mom. On the way home, we stopped at one of our favorite places, the Disney Store! While I was thankful for the little bit of Disney, Brian is particularly thankful that I didn’t find anything to spend money on today!

I’m also thankful that I have another job that is helping to bring in some much-needed extra income for our family. I’ll share more on that later . . .

Remembering You – A Holiday Meme with Tricia Goyer

2011-12-15T07:04:00.001-05:00

I love books and Tricia Goyer is one of my favorite authors! She’s hosting a holiday meme (with a focus on remembering those loved ones who are no longer with us), and I thought it would be fun to play along. There are prizes involved, so YOU might want to join in.

Here are the “rules” (via Tricia’s blog):

Post and answer the below questions on your blog or Facebook. Then either tag specific people or tag your readers/friends (so they will answer share and answer the questions too). Then come back here and fill out the linky (below - under the photo where it says CLICK HERE TO ENTER). Easy.

Tricia will choose 10 winners to receive a 4 book Tricia Goyer prize pack***!

1. What's your favorite holiday song?

This is a tough one for me. I grew up listening to lots of Christmas music – and my mom is still listening to those old Christmas records today! Now, I have my own collection of Christmas cd’s that we all enjoy. Traditionally, I’d probably choose O Holy Night – but not just anyone can sing this song (it takes some talent). Josh Groban can sing it quite well:

If I were to pick a newer/more contemporary Christmas song, it would probably be Not That Far From Bethlehem by Point of Grace. I have fond memories of singing this song with my friend Sue at church (man, I miss her!)

2. What's your favorite holiday tradition?

My family all gathers together at my parents’ house on Christmas Eve. My dad always goes out and gets stuff for us to do “make your own” subs. There’s always lots of other goodies as well. We exchange our gifts to each other at that time. We started this so many years ago that I can’t remember not doing it. Over the years, my mom has occasionally suggested doing something differently, but we’re resistant! Why mess with a good thing, right?

A more recent family tradition is for my parents to come to our house for lunch on Christmas day. We started this back when my mom was still nursing and was often away on Christmas day, so we’d have my dad over for lunch. We always have a non-traditional meal of Stromboli. We love it!

3. If you could travel one place with an elderly family member where would you go?

You’re all expecting me to say Walt Disney World, right? Actually, I don’t know. I rather wish time travel were possible, as I think it would be so cool to go back in time to when my grandparents were young, and experience what life must have been like for them.

4. What questions would you ask?

All the questions that I didn’t ask when they were living. Man, you think of so much that you wish you would have thought to ask – after it’s too late.

5. What is a non-tangible gift have you received from an elderly relative?

Time. My paternal grandparents lived close to us when I was growing up and I spent a great deal of time with them. I have such precious memories of the simplest things – playing rummy and Chinese checkers with my Nanny and sitting on my Pap’s lap and just talking. Some of the simplest things are the ones that make for the best memories, aren’t they?

6. What is the best/worst/strangest gift you've received from an elderly relative?

Probably the best gift I received was my Chrissy doll (who remains in my keepsake box to this day). My grandparents got her for me when I was 3 years old. I dearly loved that doll (you can tell, too!)

42 . . .

2011-12-15T06:30:00.000-05:00

Gracie and I absolutely adore the Animation Studio at Hollywood Studios. So much so, that we could seriously just keep going back through the line over and over again all day. Brian and Ashley are not big fans of it, as neither of them really enjoy drawing. I’m no artist; but I feel like I am in there! Gracie loves drawing, so it’s right up her alley. She actually has a lot of the learn-to-draw Disney books, and she always enjoys learning from the animators. So, while we do the class(es), Brian and Ashley usually take Ian to meet some characters.

Here’s Gracie with her Jiminy Cricket drawing, in 2009

Both of our Tigger drawings from 2010

Disney WW ~ from the personal Disney vault!

2011-12-14T08:58:00.001-05:00

Since Debs is leaving this week’s Wordless Wednesday theme up to us,
I’ve decided to pull some of my favorite pictures from
my personal Disney vault. These two pictures are of my younger brothers
on our first trip to Walt Disney World in 1988.
I love these outfits on Mickey and Minnie!

43 . . .

2011-12-14T06:30:00.000-05:00

I can’t say that I, personally, am looking forward to this attraction, but I know that (at least) Gracie is. She rode it a few times in 2010 and really enjoyed it. It’s Mission:Space. What about you? Have you ridden this one? Do you do the mild or intense version? I think I’ll just wait this one out – maybe do some shopping at Mouse Gears or something. Good idea, right?

X marks the spot!

2011-12-13T13:09:00.001-05:00

Goodness, these last few letters of the alphabet may prove to be tough! I mean, seriously, what even starts with X? Xylophone does – but I don’t recall seeing any of them at Disney World (or is there, by any chance, a larger than life one in the Toy Story Mania attraction?) Xavier does (as in the guy whose name is on the butt of every Cabbage Patch kid). But, seriously, at Disney WHAT starts with X? Hmmm . . .

Here’s a picture of me and Ashley, taken in 2009,
with Expedition Everest in the background.
(Already she was taller than me, and rubbing it in!)

My friend Deb from Focused on the Magic gave me the idea
to share this picture of the Tomb Warriors,
modeled after the ones from Xi’an China.
Good to know!

What about you? Were you able to think of any good X words this week? If so, be sure to post on your blog and come back here and link up.

W is for WALT!

2011-12-13T11:43:00.001-05:00

I’m so behind lately! It’s such a busy time of year, isn’t it? Anyway, I’m just now getting around to posting my W’s from last week’s Destination Disney.

One of our all-time favorite attractions at the Disney parks is Walt Disney – One Man’s Dream at Hollywood Studios. And now, with the recent news of the Walt Disney Company deciding to drop Walt’s first name, it seems even more important and special to take the time to journey through this neat “museum”. We never miss it!

I’m devoting all my W pictures to this attraction this week . . .

If you’re late on your W post, that’s fine – there’s still time to link up!

44 . . .

2011-12-13T10:08:00.001-05:00

Today on the countdown is Mickey’s Philharmagic. Though 3-D is not generally my favorite, I always get a kick out of this show. We just saw it on our trip this past May, but are looking forward to seeing it again.

If you’ve never seen this attraction, I’d encourage you to check it out on YouTube – there are several great videos of it there. :) ENJOY!

Fall Fiction Fling ~ The Dangerous Journey of Sherman the Sheep

2011-12-13T08:48:00.001-05:00

This is the last week that I’ll be introducing you to some new books via the Fall Fiction Fling. After all, it’s nearly winter (and nearly Christmas!) This week’s book is a bit different from the rest, in that it’s target audience is kids or young adults. It’s also recommended as a great family read-aloud.

When Sherman, a carefree lamb in the Good Shepherd's flock, grows into a young ram, he longs for adventure and acceptance by his peers. So, against his father's warnings, he climbs "Pleasure Mountain." There he encounters strange new enticements and dangers which at first seem exciting, but finally prove more than a young ram can handle on his own. Sherman finally admits his father was right when he called it "Sin Mountain," but how will he escape and get back to the fold? And what great adventure has the Shepherd prepared for him?

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dean Davis earned a degree in philosophy from U.C. Santa Cruz. After several unsatisfying years on Sin Mountain, the Good Shepherd rescued him, and eventually Dean became a pastor and Bible teacher in Santa Rosa, California, where he currently resides.

Dean has often worked with children and youth, and enjoys story telling. He is currently director of Come Let Us Reason, a Bible teaching ministry specializing in the study of apologetics and the biblical worldview.

Dean and his wife, Linda, are the parents of two sons and three daughters, all of whom have flown the family nest. In addition to The Dangerous Journey of Sherman the Sheep, Dean has authored nonfiction books including In Search of the Beginning and The Test: A Seeker's Journey to the Meaning of Life (Pleasant Word).

Watch Dean Davis reading a short, 4-minute section of The Dangerous Journey of Sherman the Sheep:

This book normally retails for $9.99, but is on a special Christmas sale right now for only $5.49. You can purchase it directly from the publisher. This book is also now available as an e-book and can be purchased from Amazon.com. The e-book version also includes a Discussion/Activity Guide. (If you purchase the print version of the book, you can download the Discussion/Activity Guide here.)

Rockin’ the 70’s with ABBA!

2011-12-12T10:06:00.001-05:00

I lived through the 70’s (all but the first 2 1/2 months of them, to be exact)! While I would definitely choose 80’s music over 70’s, there are definitely a few 70’s bands that I’m loyal too – one of which is ABBA. So, when the opportunity to try the ABBA You Can Dance Wii game came my way, I jumped at the chance. I knew my kids would love the game itself, and I would love the music – a win-win situation, right?

We decided that in order to properly “break in” this game, we should have a dance party at our house. Turns out, that we (a) picked the wrong night, and (b) don’t have many crazy friends. But, thankfully, we do have one crazy friend who was actually able to come to the party on the scheduled date – so we went ahead with it. As is often the case, it only takes a few crazy people in a room to have a TON of fun – and that’s exactly what we did.

To get started, we made way too much food! A couple types of dips, crackers, beer bread, cocktail weinies (which were a party staple in the 70’s), punch, and chocolate-covered pretzel rods were on the party menu. I think the weinies were the collective favorite – I actually just chopped up regular hotdogs and threw them in the crockpot with a mixture of ketchup, brown sugar, and (the secret ingredient) some grape soda (that just so happened to be sitting on the counter when I was mixing up the sauce!) Yum!

After eating, we were ready for dancing. I went up against Brian, Ashley challenged me, Gracie challenged Ashley, Ian challenged Gracie, and we all took a round with our guest – another Brian. Needless to say, there was a whole lot of laughing going on!

We tried to be as authentic 70’s as possible, so we added a disco ball to our living room, and broke out our old lava lamp.

For the sake of the 70’s, I even parted my hair down the middle and tried to make it flat (no success there). We saw the lovely ladies of ABBA sporting big flowers in their hair (which just so happen to be back in style), so Ashley and I added a flower to our hair as well. Ashley broke out one of our new tie-dye Mickey shirts, while Gracie pulled out one of her favorite retro tees for the event.

Now, enough about us! Here’s a bit about ABBA You Can Dance:

From the creators of the award-winning Just Dance® franchise comes ABBA You Can Dance. Featuring 26 timeless songs, including “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” “Fernando,” “Waterloo,” and “Take A Chance On Me,” ABBA You Can Dance invites you to unleash your inner dancing queen and hit the dance floor with one of world’s biggest music sensations. Dance with up to four players or join in on vocals; ABBA You Can Dance is unforgettable fun for friends and family of every generation.

KEY FEATURES

*The Timeless Music of ABBA
Enjoy all the hits – 26 in all – from ABBA’s rich catalog of classic songs, now digitally remastered for Wii™ and your home entertainment system.

*You Can Dance
Unleash your inner dancing queen and play for fun or to set a new top score to challenge yourself and others. Play any way you want with up to four friends.

*Mini-Musical
Perform a story through the music of ABBA! Experience the magic as you play a role in a mini-musical of ABBA’s songs.

*Karaoke Mode
Up to two additional friends can join in on vocals. Simply follow along with the on-screen lyrics.*

*A Must-Have for Fans
Get immersed in the amazing world of ABBA with authentic content including their music videos, live concert footage, and classic photos!

*Wii-compatible microphone required, sold separately.

And here are our thoughts on it:

“I think that ABBA You Can Dance is a great game for multi-generational playing! After all, we had people from 5 – 45 playing the game, and everyone was laughing, singing, dancing, and having a blast! My favorite song to dance to (and I’m pretty good at it, if I do say so myself) is Knowing Me, Knowing You. My only issue with this game is that the karaoke portion of the game is not scored – it’s really ‘just for fun’. I’d much prefer the scoring on the singing, as that’s more my area of expertise! Anyway, all in all, I’d definitely recommend this game – especially if you were/are an ABBA fan, and you like to have fun!” ~Heidi

“I think this game is cool. It’s fun for all ages. My favorite song to dance to is Fernando (I currently have the high score for this song!) I also like Does Your Mother Know. As for the karaoke portion of the game, Mama Mia is probably my favorite. We already had the ABBA GOLD cd, so I knew a lot of the songs; but some of them were knew to us. I think we’ll have lots more fun playing this game in the future.” ~Ashley, age 18

“I like ABBA You Can Dance. We already had a Grease game that you could sing and dance along with, but I think I like this new ABBA game better. My favorite song to dance to? Really any one that I can beat Ashley on (I’m the competitive one!) I would recommend this game to anyone who likes the 70’s!” ~Gracie, age 11

“The ABBA game and the ABBA party were fun. I wish I could beat Gracie and Ash at the games. And mom. I need to practice more. I think people should buy this game because it’s fun and it makes me laugh.” ~Ian, age 5

If you’d like to add ABBA You Can Dance to your Wii game collection (so that you can have as much fun as we have), you can do so by purchasing the game at Amazon.com or Toys ‘R Us. Both these sites sell the game for $39.99.

NOTE: Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

45 . . .

2011-12-12T08:07:00.001-05:00

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted any of our scheduled DDP meals. I think Day 76 was the last. Next on the line-up is one that we’ve never done before, so we’re looking forward to trying - - - it’s Donald’s Safari Breakfast at Tusker House in the Animal Kingdom. I’m not normally much of a breakfast person, but we have found the breakfast meals at Walt Disney World to be top-notch. There is always so much of a variety, including traditional breakfast items, pastries, and fresh fruit. I’m hoping we’ll be pleased with the food at this meal – and with the character interactions.

This is the second breakfast on our meal plan, as earlier in the countdown I discussed our planned return to Akershus for breakfast with the princesses.

I’m really anxious to see how we like the Disney Dining Plan and being tied down to reservations. I think that, because we’re becoming more seasoned travelers, and not always in such a rush to “see and do it all” like we used to be, that it’ll actually be a nice change of pace to have to get to certain places for our meals. We’ll see . . .

46 . . .

2011-12-11T18:16:00.001-05:00

I’m so late in posting today, but couldn’t let the day go by without putting up our countdown post. One of the rides I remember from my first trip in 1988, but I’m not sure I’ve ridden since (though Brian and the kids have) is the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. I think it’s about time for another trip around the track, don’t you?

(Oh, and yes, that’s me – looking at the camera and saying “look! no hands!” while my brother David drives us around the speedway.)

47 . . .

2011-12-10T13:06:00.001-05:00

As previously stated in the countdown, one of my favorite areas in all of the Walt Disney World complex is World Showcase at Epcot. However, the kids aren’t always as thrilled with it as I am. So, we always enjoy the Kidcot Fun Stops. These give the kids something to look forward to as we’re visiting all the countries.

In the past, we’ve done the masks (which have more recently been replaced with the “Duffy on a stick” that you see Ian coloring ab0ve) and the passports (love these!) While I have a handmade passport created on my computer, I don’t think we’ll use them for this next trip. I found – and somewhat updated – a World Showcase Scavenger Hunt – and we’ll plan to use that on our next trip. It involved hunting for hidden Mickeys, taking certain photos in each country, and other things. I think it’ll be fun and help keep the kids interested and involved.

48 . . .

2011-12-09T08:59:00.001-05:00

Next up on the countdown is a ride that we’ve only recently learned to love. While I’ve been on this ride many times over the years, I never really thought to take my kids on it. Now, they’ve all ridden it and they all seem to enjoy it (well, we do cover Ian’s eyes for parts of it that I know will scare him). Anyway, it’s the Haunted Mansion. And we find the effects a lot of fun. And the queue – hilarious!

DD ~ The Letter X

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Destination Disney!
I’m so glad to have you here!

As we move through the alphabet on our Destination Disney journey, we’re ready for the Letter X this week. Only 2 more weeks/letters to go!

Use the Letter X as your inspiration. OK, since I’m totally at a loss for ideas to get you started this week, here’s what I’m thinking – If you can’t think of words that actually start with X, try to think of works that X represents (such as crossing, or Christmas) and go from there.

So go, get busy! Post those Letter X things on your blog (with pictures, if you can) – then come back here and link up! I’ll link up my post too!

FYI: Check out our past weeks’ letters:

Letter A posts
Letter B posts
Letter C posts
Letter D posts
Letter E posts
Letter F posts
Letter G posts
Letter H posts
Letter I posts
Letter J posts
Letter K posts
Letter L posts
Letter M posts
Letter N posts
Letter O posts
Letter P posts
Letter Q posts
Letter R posts
Letter S posts
Letter T posts
Letter U posts
Letter V posts
Letter W posts (still time to link up!)

Exclusive NLT Giveaway

2011-12-08T14:20:00.001-05:00

I just received an e-mail about this great contest, being hosted by Tyndale Publishing, and thought I’d pass it along to you . . .

Starting on November 29^th until December 24^th at the New Living Translation Facebook page we're giving away lots of great prizes and something free for you just for singing up.

By visiting the giveaway entry page (located on the NLT Facebook page, the link is under the profile picture) and entering your name and e-mail address you'll be entered to win the following prizes:

One random person each day will win a Life Application Study Bible Family Pack (Guys Life Application Study Bible hc, Girls Life Application Study Bible hc, Student's Life Application Study Bible hc, Life Application Study Bible hc, Life Application Study Bible Large Print hc).
One Random person each week will win an Apple iPad 2!

Everyone that signs up gets a free download copy of the Life Application Bible Study – Book of Luke!

Thankful Thursday ~ December 8

2011-12-08T09:14:00.001-05:00

Today, I’m thankful for several things . . .

I’m thankful that the weatherman was wrong and that we didn’t get snow. I know I live in PA, and should resign myself to the fact that it’s winter and snow is pretty much inevitable. But, I’ve been enjoying the unseasonably warm weather and I’d prefer some snow-less cold to at least break me in before the white stuff comes to stay.
I’m thankful that I have a Disney vacation planned right in the heart of the winter months, so that I can escape just a bit of the cold and snow that will surely be here by then.
I’m thankful for Christmas cards. I’ve always been a big fan of snail mail (I was one of those kids with pen-pals, and I always loved rushing to the post office to check the mail. I’m still like that!) But, with the internet and e-mail, so much of that has been lost over the years – so I really appreciate the people who still do Christmas cards – and, especially, the ones who send them to me! It’s just so exciting to see envelopes in the box, addressed to us in someone’s one hand. Love that!
I’m thankful that we have local doctors that we know and trust. Both Brian and Gracie have doctors appointments today – his is a consult at the Sleep Center (yeah! If they can get his snoring under control, that would be THE BEST Christmas gift EVER!) and Gracie’s is at the family doctor (for a rash that she gets around her hairline). Hopefully I’ll have good updates later on.
And, last but certainly not least, I’m thankful that Brenda has decided to extend that thankful meme. We all have so much to be thankful for, don’t we?

49 . . .

2011-12-08T08:45:00.001-05:00

I can’t believe we reached the 1/2 way point in our countdown yesterday! I knew time would fly by – especially at this time of year, with all the busy-ness of the holidays. The next thing on our list is something that I’m not particularly looking forward to, but the kids want to see again – the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Hollywood Studios. Honestly, I remember seeing this show on our first trip to Hollywood Studios (back when it was Disney-MGM Studios) in 1990 – not long after the park opened. I remember lots of the shows from that time – but this is the only one that I think is still running. And, honestly, it’s changed very little in all those years, if at all. I like the show; but, if it were just me, I’d probably walk right past and not go in and watch. LOL

50 . . . (1/2 way!)

2011-12-07T12:45:00.001-05:00

Today marks the 1/2 way point in our 100 Days to Disney Countdown! Wow – time is flying – and we’re so glad!

Something that wasn’t originally on our 100 Days list is having tea at the Garden View Tea Room at the Grand Floridian. I first read about this experience on a fellow Disney lover’s blog. It sounded like such fun; yet not really something that my whole family would enjoy.

So, while Brian takes Gracie and Ian to another thing we’ve been wanting to do for a long time – Disney Quest – Ashley and I are going to be joined by some friends of ours and do the tea. We’re going to consider it a special graduation celebration for her. We can’t wait!

Have you done this tea? If so, I’d very much love to hear your thoughts on it.

Disney WW ~ Holidays

2011-12-07T08:11:00.001-05:00

This week’s theme:

THE HOLIDAYS: IN THE PARKS OR AT HOME

Since I’ve already shared pictures of my Disney ornaments,
this week I’ll just share a a few pictures of the new tree skirt I bought this year:

Here’s what it looks like when used as a cape
(homeschooled kids are so imaginative, aren’t they?!)
Under the tree – it’s real home – before the decorations were added.
And complete with decorations!
Now, we’re officially ready for Christmas.
Oh, and this is what it looks like with a dog on it.
This look isn’t my favorite.
I see a dog bed in Lizzie’s future.
Wonder if they sell Disney-themed ones?

51 . . .

2011-12-06T07:30:00.000-05:00

I’ve shared my review of Steven Barrett’s Hidden Mickey Guide before. Gracie adores this book! She will definitely be taking the time to search for Hidden Mickeys on our next trip. I’m sure she’ll either be armed with the book or a detailed list of the places she wants to look (or both – she is her mother’s daughter, after all!)

The other day, I got some neat information regarding the Hidden Mickey book series. They are now available as e-books! So, if you have an e-reader, tablet, or Kindle app for your iPhone, you can take these books with you wherever you go (without having to tote along another thing!) Check this out:

The Search for Hidden Mickeys Goes Digital
Best selling guidebook now available in a variety of ebook formats
(ORLANDO, FL) — Visitors to Walt Disney World can now search for hidden Mickeys using their Kindles, iPads, or smart phones.
The publisher of Steven M. Barrett’s book, Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide To Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets, has made the fifth edition of the best-selling guide available in a variety of digital formats. The book recently made its debut on Amazon’s list of Top Ten Florida ebooks.
For the uninitiated, hidden Mickeys are partial or complete images of Mickey Mouse concealed throughout the parks’ attractions, restaurants, shops, and resorts. What began as an inside joke by Disney’s Imagineers and designers has become a major activity of visitors to “the Happiest Place on Earth” and a passion for more than a few of them.
Barrett’s book provides clues to Mickey’s hiding places and families and friends team up to search them out, competing for points in the process. There is also a section of hints for those who need extra help in their search.
The ebook version takes full advantage of the electronic format, providing hyperlinks from the clues to the hints and back again. And because ereaders allow users to search for any ride or attraction, there’s no need for an index.
The newest edition of Hidden Mickeys documents more than 1,000 hidden Mickeys. Author Barrett has spent more than 10 years exploring the parks in search of the elusive mouse. To his loyal fans, he’s known as The Hidden Mickey Guy and he has made it his mission to personally search out and document each and every hidden Mickey. Barrett maintains updated information on everything related to the mouse hunt at HiddenMickeyGuy.com.
Both the paperback and ebook versions of Hidden Mickeys are published by The Intrepid Traveler, a publisher of travel books located in Branford, Conn. Information on their other titles can be found at www.intrepidtraveler.com/store.
Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide To Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets is available in ebook format from the following vendors:

Amazon (www.amazon.com): $7.19

Apple iBooks Store (accessed via the iPad): $8.99

Barnes and Noble (www.bn.com): $7.37

Sony Reader (ebookstore.sony.com): 7.19

Kobo (www.kobo.com): $7.39

Ebooks, Ltd (www.ebooks.com): $8.99

Fall Fiction Fling ~ Love Rekindled

2011-12-05T21:49:00.000-05:00

When a wayward husband comes back into the lives of his wife and sons after years of separation, will they believe he has changed ... and can they forgive him? As a medical crisis forces the family members to face their fears, hurts and true desires, and the conflict develops toward a surprise resolution, the reader will feel the ebb and flow of subtle emotional tensions. Here's a relationship story with a twist - told from the man's point of view.

Candi enjoys writing romance and contemporary novels. Candi has a bachelor's degree in Business and Applied Management from Azusa Pacific University, where she works as executive assistant in the office of the provost. Candi and her husband, Dave, enjoy their four sons and their families. The Adermatts reside in Southern California.

Review Quotes:

"Candy Adermatt's style of writing is captivating." ~ Charlene West, The Quiet Hour
"A wonderful story of redemption, forgiveness, and reconciliation... Beautifully addresses issues such as suffering, meaning, spiritual commitment, and the truth that people can change. Adermatt's ability to develop characters and express the complexity of their relationships is evident." ~ Dr. Holli Eaton
"The style of writing that keeps me interested and wanting more -- flowing and not excessively wordy. Not only is the story in itself riveting, but through it Candi also conveys the values of hope, forgiveness, and family relationships. I plan to give everyone I know a copy of this book!" ~ Stephanie Miyake

Click here to read the first chapter of Love Rekindled.

52 . . .

2011-12-05T07:30:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the “stolen stroller incident”, I was unable to really enjoy Illuminations at Epcot this past May. My camera batteries were dying (and the replacement battery was in the “never to be recovered camera bag”. (Disheartening, to say the least).

I did try to snap a few pictures (using up what little battery power was remaining in my camera), but my heart just wasn’t in it.

The year before we had missed the show all together, as Ian had a little “accident” that required a trip back to our room in a hurry!

So, on our next trip, we’re all looking forward to hanging in all the parks ‘til closing time and seeing all the things we’ve either missed or not been able to concentrate on. Illuminations is one of those things for me. I love this show, and can’t wait to really watch it again!

53 . . .

2011-12-04T07:30:00.000-05:00

By the time we travel, my kids will have each earned a nice-sized Disney gift card to use for souvenir purchases. (To see how they are earning their gift cards, visit this post.) They all have specific things on their Disney shopping lists. I know that one of the stores that is a MUST for Ian is the Lego Store at Downtown Disney. He could literally spend a full day in that store alone! Every day, he seems to change his mind about what he might want to buy there . . . will it be something Pirates of the Caribbean? Maybe Toy Story? or Cars? We don’t know – but we’re sure to find out!

Up on the Housetop

2011-12-03T09:32:00.001-05:00

Gracie’s violin ensemble group performed last night for a Tree Fest. I tried taping a few of the songs, but most of them had too much background noise (people were walking around looking at the trees while they performed). This one came through the best, so I thought I’d share:

How A Little Can Change a Lot

2011-12-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

The following article was originally posted by Jessica at Inspire the Fire (I have included author information at the bottom of this post). Orphans are very near and dear to my heart – and to God’s. I feel this post is worthy of being shared. May it touch you . . .

“We have much to be judged on when he comes, slums and battlefields and insane asylums, but these are the symptoms of our illness and the result of our failures in love.” -- Madeleine L'Engle

When my brother traveled to the Sudan he had an encounter that changed his life—and as it ends up, mine too.

He stood in Darfur at an orphanage filled with children leftover from the genocide. There were over 800 children, and during the night wild dogs were dragging them off and killing them.

My brother already felt shell-shocked from the travesties he'd witnessed in Uganda.

The day was hot. The sun beat down upon him. His camera had nearly been ruined from all the dust. He'd barely slept. His gear was heavy. Yet his conscience was seared by the numbness he felt, so he turned and confessed to a Sudanese pastor.

"We shall pray right now that your heart will be opened," he was told.

Not long after that prayer three young children approached Joshua and started to follow him. After a bit, his father nature kicked in and he stopped and sang Father Abraham. It didn't take long before the four of them were dancing and going through the motions.

When they finished, he asked the children to tell him how they came to be there.

The oldest, a girl, answered. "The soldiers came and shot my mother and father, so I came here."

The two other children nodded in agreement. "Me, too."

He was grief struck, but it was what transpired next that tore my heart. "Do you have a Mommy?" The little girl asked my brother.

"Yes," he answered.

"And a Daddy?"

Again, his answer was yes.

"Oh," she said, her voice hinting at a strange intermingling of numbness and grief.

Her question stirs me still. For I believe it came from her soul and revealed the thoughts of her heart. She didn't want to know what his country was like, what kind of food he ate, or what he did for a living. She had her own bullet holes leftover from the genocide. Her world consisted of this single question: Who still had parents and who didn't?

In her questions I heard her worry and fear. Imagine being trapped in a war-torn country, a land of famine, drought and disease. Imagine trying to survive it as an orphan with death threatening you every hour. No matter how much she's endured, at the end of the day, she's still just a little girl. And all she really wants is her Mom and Dad.

I imagined my daughter living as an orphan in the Sudan. If I were shot and dying, it would be my hope that my brothers and sisters would care for her. But what if her aunts and uncles were killed too? What was it then, that her parents hoped?

As members of the body of Christ these children are not alone. They have aunts and uncles. Multitudes and multitudes and multitudes of them. Talk about staggering! These kids are our nieces and nephews! Mine. Yours.

So who, I wondered, within the church has the responsibility to step in?

I didn't like the answer that came. Earlier that week I was shocked to learn that globally I was one of the richest people in the world—even though as an American, I'm pretty poor.

Like it or not I was the rich aunt. I had knowledge of the situation. That made me accountable.

I wasn't comfortable with the knowledge then, and I'm not comfortable with the knowledge now. But I am determined to do something. Anything.

That day Joshua had in his possession a picture book that someone had asked him to give to someone in the Sudan. It was a children's book with a story about how we have a Heavenly Father who always loves and cares for us. Joshua read the book and gave it to them.

An American woman took it upon herself to raise the money to build shelter. Every person who donated, even a dollar, helped to create a place where the little girl now sleeps safe from wild dogs.

When Joshua told me he's going to start a branch of Watermelon Ministries called Media Change, a non-profit encouraging Americans to give up a portion of the money spent on entertainment to serve those fighting world hunger and thirst, I wanted to support it.

For seven years he's helped non-profits raise money that serves the "least of these." He's seen the impact a small investment can have. This is a brand new initiative. He's not quite ready to launch, but you can sign up and be kept updated at www.mediachange.org. His first goal is garner the support of 10,000 people who are willing to give $10 a month. I'm number #3.

This is only a blog post, but who knows what one blog post can do.

What if the task of helping others isn't as overwhelming as we make it?

Jessica Dotta, Sr. Editor of Inspire a Fire, has earned the right to wear the title of: Social Media Specialist, Consultant, Publicist, Brand Manager, Editor, Writer, Social Activist, and Business Manager. But the only titles that matter to her are: Called – Redeemed – Beloved – Known by the Father – Daughter – Accepted. . . and Mom. Her life has recently undergone a shaking—one that uprooted nearly every trace of her former life. You’ll have forgive her unconventional posts, as she’s still trying to work out her perspective. She knows one thing though. The most humble and worthy person she ever encountered lived in near obscurity—but sent ripples of change into the world. All because he took the time to care about each hurting person he met. He wasn’t Jesus, but he followed the Great Shepherd and left a legacy. She wants to follow that path.

54 . . .

2011-12-03T07:30:00.000-05:00

Another thing we haven’t taken the time for on our last few trips is a visit to Camp Minnie-Mickey at Animal Kingdom. This is unfortunate because some of the best character meet & greets can be had here! I love seeing the characters in their safari outfits; and we’ve had some surprise encounters with characters here too.

(The above pictures were all taken on our January ‘09 trip)

Family Movie Night TONIGHT on NBC

2011-12-02T12:08:00.001-05:00

In the past, I’ve had opportunity to introduce you to several of the Family Movie Night movies. Now, it’s time to tell you about another one – airing TONIGHT at 8pm (est) on NBC . . .

When industrious high school gamer Zach Taylor lands a prized scholarship to the prestigious Digital Institute of Game Design (DIGD), his future breaks wide open. The opportunity to study under gaming legend Marcus Bentton and alongside the country’s most creative minds will certainly propel him into a successful career as a video game designer. That is, if he can pass the infamous freshman project that eliminates more than half of the class within the first three months.
Paired with brilliant yet socially awkward teammates Phillip and Donald, the trio persuades Sara Ramirez – a determined and striking team leader with whom Zach has a history (and possibly a future) – to join their team. Working off-campus in the teched-out Lincoln Alley loft, the four set out to involve the entire campus in a quirky new social interactive game. But as the group becomes entrenched in the project, Zach learns that his father Billy, a widower, is facing growing financial woes at home. To help out, Zach accepts an opportunity to work directly with Marcus Bentton on a secretive side project that seems too good to be true. The effort requires nearly all of Zach’s time and energy, which he should be devoting to the project. Struggling to keep it together, Zach is torn between his responsibility to his team, his admiration for Bentton and a chance to help his father.
Everything comes to a breaking point when Zach’s team threatens to remove him from the group and the deceptive truth behind Bentton’s project comes to light. With the guidance of Professor Abbie Lambert, Zach must make a decision that not only affects his future, but the lives and livelihoods of the people around him as well. It’s a revealing story that recognizes the magnitude behind the choices we make and the importance loyalty plays in making good decisions.

Ashley and I had opportunity to preview this movie last night. While it certainly wasn’t my favorite of the Family Movie Night offerings, it’s definitely a good family movie with some great themes – honesty and integrity being the main ones.

If you’d like to learn more about Game of Your Life, or any of the previous Family Movie Night movies (which are all available for purchase at Wal-mart), please visit the following websites:

Website: http://www.familymovienight.com/game-of-your-life/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/familymovienight
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/fmnib
Trailer: http://vimeo.com/31917601

If you watch the movie tonight, I’d love to have you come back here and share your thoughts on it.

DD ~ The Letter W

2011-12-02T07:44:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Destination Disney!
I’m so glad to have you here!

As we move through the alphabet on our Destination Disney journey, we’re ready for the Letter W this week. Only 3 more weeks/letters to go!

Use the Letter W as your inspiration. Here are some ideas to get you started – Water (there is LOTS of water, in various forms, at Disney), World Showcase (a favorite of mine), World of Disney store (another favorite!), Whispering Canyon Cafe (can’t wait to try this on our next trip), Wilderness Lodge . . . I can think of a ton more! . . . but we cannot forget the most important W of all --- WALT himself! – can you think of any others?! I know you can!

So go, get busy! Post those Letter W things on your blog (with pictures, if you can) – then come back here and link up! I’ll link up my post too!

FYI: Check out our past weeks’ letters:

Letter A posts
Letter B posts
Letter C posts
Letter D posts
Letter E posts
Letter F posts
Letter G posts
Letter H posts
Letter I posts
Letter J posts
Letter K posts
Letter L posts
Letter M posts
Letter N posts
Letter O posts
Letter P posts
Letter Q posts
Letter R posts
Letter S posts
Letter T posts
Letter U posts
Letter V posts (still time to link up!)

55 . . .

2011-12-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

Since our last 2 trips were “quick trips”, we didn’t have a lot of time to spend at each park and really take the time to do EVERYTHING on our lists. One thing that got put aside on the last few trips was Turtle Talk with Crush. We’ve gone into The Seas pavilion, but haven’t taken the time to stop and enjoy this show. I think that Ian will especially enjoy this show on our next trip – last time we saw it he was only 2, so I doubt if he even remembers it.

V is for . . .

2011-12-01T09:29:00.001-05:00

The year is winding down – and I can tell – as we’ve had fewer participants in the Destination Disney meme these past few weeks. I know everyone is busy – and some of these last letters of the alphabet can be a bit tricky. But, let’s stick this out ‘til the end, ok?

I’m really not sure what we’ll do with Destination Disney in 2012. Any ideas? I think we’ll, at least, take a brief break for January, and maybe February too. I’ll be traveling during that time and have some other things going on that will be taking up a lot of my time. Plus, my creativity is shot --- so any ideas or help are more than welcome! Leave a comment or e-mail me.

One of my favorite V’s at Walt Disney World is the Voices of Liberty, who perform in the American Adventure Pavilion at Epcot.

56 . . .

2011-12-01T08:08:00.001-05:00

One of the things that I love about Disney trips is the Disney Photopass. There have been a few times when we didn’t take advantage of Photopass, only to come home and realize that we didn’t have a single picture with all 5 of us on it! Depressing! Photopass has been a great way to get family pictures that we can use on our Christmas cards, in frames around the house, etc. While I could easily snap pics of the kids with the characters, etc., it’s not as easy to get family pictures. We did set up the automatic timer last year and got a few family shots on our own – but that’s really not convenient at a crowded place.

One of my favorite things about Photopass is not only the fact that we have a lot of great pictures to look at, choose from, and add to our albums, but there is also the ability to enhance the pictures with special borders and character autographs. We love that! Here are a few examples from our last trip:

So, we enjoy taking advantage of the Photopass. What about you?

Thankful Thursday-December 1

2011-12-01T07:57:00.001-05:00

My friend, Brenda, who hosted the Gratitude Challenge throughout the month of November, has started up a Thankful Thursday meme – because, truly, aren’t we supposed to be thankful year-round? If you’d like to participate, you can link up each Thursday.

Today, I am thankful that it’s December. Yes, it came fast! But, my kids are counting down to days to both CHRISTMAS and our DISNEY VACATION; and the fact that it’s December 1st means that we’re getting closer to both of these events.

While I’m not thankful about the economic downturn right now, I am thankful for the required cutback of hours for the month of December. It will be nice to have more time each day to focus on my family and the things that are important. I’m also thankful for the new opportunities that have come along that may end up being a means to add some extra income (which we could really use right now).

Oh, and I’m also thankful that, when we got home from Ian’s dentist appointment yesterday, we had 3 more boxes of Christmas cards awaiting us! Now, we have all our cards and can start addressing them and getting them ready to mail!

What are you thankful for today?

The Disney Moms

2011-12-01T07:10:00.000-05:00

The Disney Moms is a group of Disney-loving moms (plus a dad and an aunt!), who have teamed up to bring you a new website packed full of all kinds of Disney information! Whether you’re planning your first trip or your fifteenth, whether you’re traveling with a toddler or a teen, we’ve got tips for you! We’ll share about traveling with kids, traveling and dining with special needs, and even fashion tips! You won’t want to miss it!

Each contributor has his/her own area of expertise, and will be writing on a specified day of the month. However, look for boundaries to be crossed as we share all the great tips we’ve got rolling around in our heads! You can get to know each of us at our personal blogs, or by checking us out at The Disney Moms!

Day	Name	Area of Expertise	Personal Blog
2	Shiela	Gluten Free	http://www.cookingunderwriter.com/
4	Melissa	Special Needs	http://www.disneyonwheelsblog.com/
6	Mary	Kids Age 0-4 & Kids Age 13 - 18	http://www.capturingmagicalmemories.com
8	Tricia	Food	http://www.returntodisney.com/
10	Lisa	Kids Age 0 - 4	https://www.beyondtheattractions.com
12	Janine	International Travels with Kids	http://meetthemagic.com/janine-pipe/
14	Jodi	Homeschooling	http://www.magicalmouseschoolhouse.com/
16	Heidi	Kids Age 13 - 18	http://heidi-strawser.com/
18	Beth	Kids Age 5 - 12	http://www.adisneymomsthoughts.com
20	Natalie	Kids Age 5 - 12	http://meetthemagic.com
22	Mike	Kids Age 5-12	http://www.mydreamsofdisney.com/
24	Jennifer	Kids Age 0 - 4	http://www.disneybabiesblog.com
26	Jackie	Beauty Tips	http://www.delightfullydisney.com/

FYI: You can also follow The Disney Moms by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.

2011 Gratitude Challenge-November 30

2011-11-30T13:02:00.001-05:00

It’s hard to believe that today is the last day in November, and that means it’s also the last day of this year’s Gratitude Challenge! This month went by so quickly, didn’t it? I’m so thankful for this challenge – there were days when I really had to think, and other days where it was quite obvious what I had to be thankful for – but I kept up with the challenge all month (I think I doubled up two times), and I’m glad I did.

Today I’m thankful that we were able to get Ian’s dental work done. Last time we were there, we were told he had some cavities and got an estimate over $1,000. We don’t have dental insurance, and we don’t have any extra $1,000 laying around right now. So, I stewed and worried about it for awhile; and finally I called and asked for a specific dentist to look over his records and see if it would be possible to just fix the 2 permanent teeth at this time. The receptionist said they never work on 2 sides of the mouth at once – yet, they did today! And our bill was less than 1/2 the original estimate.

57 . . .

2011-11-30T07:30:00.000-05:00

One of the things that we enjoy doing in Future World at Epcot is Club Cool. It’s especially fun on a hot summer day, but we like it in the winter months as well. So, #57 on the countdown is a stop at Club Cool to sample sodas from around the world. I wouldn’t recommend Beverly (from Italy) but the fruity Mexican variety is pretty yummy.

What’s your favorite flavor?

Fall Fiction Fling – Face to Face

2011-11-30T07:11:00.000-05:00

Set in the tumultuous world during Jesus' earthly life, here is a timeless story of suffering, longing, and healing. Conflicts arise between a young woman's devotion to God and the demon that holds her captive; between her attempts to free herself and the judgment and condemnation of others; between the rabbi named Jesus and the legalistic religious leaders; between the daily reality of Roman oppression and the Jewish hopes of a Deliverer-Messiah.

A vivid imagining of the account in Luke 13:10-17, where Jesus calls the bent-over woman to himself.

Catherine Lawton was born in Colorado and grew up as a pastor's daughter in seven towns up and down the state of California. She has loved to write since she was a child, having her first poem published in a national periodical at the age of twelve, and since then her byline has appeared in numerous periodicals and book compilations. She has a BA degree in English from Pasadena College. She served as a church musician for many years, as a private piano teacher, a public school substitute teacher and English reader, and freelance writer and editor. Cathy and her husband, Larry, have participated in and led volunteer short-term mission teams to Mexico, South Africa, Venezuela, Sicily & Rome, and Peru.

After living in Santa Rosa, California, for thirty years the Lawtons moved to Colorado, returning to Cathy's roots. Besides the publishing business, Cathy enjoys gardening and hiking in the Rocky Mountains. The Lawtons love spending time with their two grown children and their spouses, and their five beautiful grandchildren.

You can read the first chapter of Face to Face here.

2011 Gratitude Challenge-November 29

2011-11-29T14:57:00.001-05:00

Today I am thankful for Brenda – and her willingness to host this challenge for the month of November. Some days, it has been a challenge – but it’s always good to find things to be thankful for (even when there are days when it seems like nothing is going our way). I’m thankful that Brenda is my friend – as well as being my co-worker – and that we can talk to each other about anything, and bounce ideas off of each other.

I’m also thankful that she has decided to continue on with the challenge – going to a weekly Thankful Thursday meme – starting on December 1st. If we can’t find something to be thankful for just once a week, there’s something wrong!

Also, despite some hard times lately, there have been some opportunities that have presented themselves to me that I am very thankful for. I have the saying in mind - “When God closes a door, he opens a window” – and I think I’ve recently had some opened-window moments. I pray that God will grant me the wisdom to know where He is leading me!