did it

I did it!  The tree, and all the ornament boxes, are in the attic.  I am still not sure exactly how I managed, but I do know I ended up really hot, pretty pissed off, and a little exhausted...I also cussed out everyone from the designer of my house, to Jiminy Cricket, and everyone who ever had anything to do with Christmas, or the making of a Christmas tree.  I'm glad the Pea was playing at the neighbors house...no child should see (or hear) her mother like that.

I actually feel a pretty big sense of accomplishment, which indicates a clear lack of noteworthy achievements as of late, but oh well.  I got the damn thing put away; I can now get my house back together; I am happy about it. 

I am also happy to report that The Pea is actually sleeping...not screaming from the top of the stairs.  It is a beautiful thing.  Since I don't have anything else to report though, I will just share...I hope at least one makes you laugh.

f*%k!ng sleep

Well I managed to get all the ornaments off the Christmas tree.  My living room is filled with boxes, the now bare tree taunts me, and I have no more energy to deal with it tonight.  I'm still not sure how I am going to get the damn thing out of here.  It is 9 feet tall, I am just over 5...it weighs almost as much as I do.  I have a flight of stairs and a rickety drop stair to maneuver if I want it in the attic, a muddy lawn and spiders if I try and put it under the house.  I am considering throwing some hearts and bows on it and calling it a Valentines tree. 

Other than the naked tree taunting me, the weekend has been pretty awesome.  The weather was fantastic...a nice change from last year, and I was able to get outside and enjoy it.  I played 27 holes of golf and then spent the night drinking laughing around the bonfire with the neighbors.  I didn't have any more melt downs (it helped no one asked me out) and I had some good snuggle time with the Pea when she came home from her dad's.

Right now she is being a shit and won't go to sleep, though, which makes me think of the book Go the F**k to Sleep.  You have heard of this book right?  If you are a parent, or about to be one, you need this book.  My sister gave me a copy, but if you don't have a sister, or one as cool as mine, I would suggest ordering one for yourself...like now...it is hilarious, and universal, and I am going to go read mine so I can laugh instead of scream at my kid.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Go-F-Sleep-Adam-Mansbach/dp/1617750255

"The eagles who soar through the sky are at rest
And the creatures who crawl, run and creep
I know you're not thirsty.  That's bullshit.  Stop lying.
Lie the f*ck down, my darling, and sleep."

...

"The flowers doze low in the meadows.
And high on the mountains so steep.
My life is a failure, I'm a shitty ass parent.
Stop f*cking with me, please, and sleep."



I just had to threaten her pillow pet with death because she is standing at the top of the stairs screaming that she NEEDS something ELSE...jeezus f*ck...hell, even is SHE isn't, I'M going to sleep.

sassy

Sassy single girl had a melt down today.

Going through yet another break-up with The Boy hasn't been easy, but I was convinced it was the best thing for both of us, and was determined to move on.  We gave it a second chance, we weren't good, we were awful to each other and didn't have fun anymore...life is too short for that mess.  I puffed up my chest, dried my tears, put on a happy face (and my skinny jeans, which thanks to the break-up diet I can fit into)...and then I got asked out.

You're thinking "awesome!" "you go girl!" "good for you!" right?  Yeah, I was too, and then I had a panic attack.  Full blown...crying in the car, freaking the f*%K out, pour a very large glass of wine upon arriving home, panic attack.  I then had to CALL the guy I had just agreed to go out with on Saturday night, and explain that I was crazy despite accepting his offer initially, I could not go out after all, because I was not ready to date.

Now there is ANOTHER man on the planet that thinks I am insane.  That makes, at least, a dozen.

Awesome.

I am  rockin' this single thing.

In a little nod to the old days, when I used to do "S%*t that doesn't suck" I thought I would share this little video...friend of mine says it reminds him of me.  Only in my OWN mind am I this cool (or sing this well), but since I needed a little pick me up I listened pretended I was and rocked out.  Enjoy.

singles pool

Well another week has flown by, as they seem to do these days, and I'm sitting here waiting for my little Peanut to decide to come home.  She had a sleepover last night, her second ever, and Mama is a little on edge.  I'm not worried, just on edge.

I went out, with the neighbors, last night, and I usually only do that when the Pea is with her dad.  We all wanted sushi, though and were in need of some grown up time, so we got a babysitter for the kiddos and ventured out.  We came back to the kids still awake and begging for a sleepover.

I consider myself very lucky in the neighbor department, I have never had more than a nod and wave relationship with any other ones, but for some reason this time it's different.  They are my friends.  I trust them with my house, my dog, and my kid.  There are four couples, four kids, five dogs, and me.  I have always felt like an outsider in my family, I don't fit in with the girls at work, and my near and dear besties all live far away.  Finding family in my neighbors was a blessing that I never expected. 

One of my resolutions this year (as it is most years) is to be more authentic, more honest.  I still try to adhere to the "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all rule" because saying "Yes, yes you do look fat in those pants" or "I wish I could punch you in the face right now" is frowned on (especially at work) and I don't go around telling store clerks "I'm on my period, pissed off as hell, and a little gassy" when they say "How are you doing today?" but with my real relationships, the ones that matter, I'm doing a better job of being real, and owning who I am and what I believe.

I find with the neighbors it's easy.  I have no problem being brutally honest, totally myself, acting like a dork, saying how I feel, and putting it all out there.  It's amazing how comforting that is...it's exhausting being false.  One of the reasons The Boy and I went our separate ways was because we had to try too hard with each other.  Being ourselves and being completely real and honest just led to arguments.  The arguments stopped for awhile, but it became obvious that so too did any real connection. 

I am back out there, back in the singles pool, and as much as the idea of dating and all that it entails terrifies me, I'm not ready to settle.  I'm ready to be with someone that I can be myself with...my real, loud, crazy, sassy, sarcastic, nerdy, dorky, clumsy, nervous, silly, adventurous, overplan everything, claim to be low maintenance but really high maintenance, one of the guys but really a girly girl, self.  Of course that's now, (I have BOB, it's only been a few weeks) we will see if I turn out to be a big fat liar come summer...when the pool gets really crowded, I get really horny, and the neighbors are tired of my crazy ass.


“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.”
― Dr. Seuss

mlk, jr. day

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

It's a holiday today and the Pea and I are being lazy.  Well, for now.  We have big plans to go see Beauty and the Beast and then go out for Mexican, but right now we are snuggled on the couch with the fire going.  I love holidays.  I love the extra time to spend with my Pea, the extra time to get things done, and every holiday brings a reminder to pay homage, reflect, celebrate, and be grateful. 

"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

dark side

Crappy picture cuz I took it with my phone.

That's what I had for breakfast (along with a pot of coffee)...they are my newest addiction.  Yumm-O!  If you happen to be in Disney World today can you pick some up for me?  I'm out, and can't get them here.  Looks like more withdrawal is in the works for me...damn.

On the bright side...I now have THREE, that's right THREE, trips in the works that I can think about, plan, and get excited about.  The Pea and I have our upcoming weekend trip to see the Flower and Garden Festival.  Our week long trip in September (that I am still thinking about moving to November) and NOW....it's official...drum roll please..............................................................
November of 2013: Smash and her family are joining us for our (what I have now decided to call) "Beantastic Birthday Trip"  All the kids (except MrMan) celebrate their birthdays in the fall and this will be Bean's first trip so there will be a lot of celebrations.  If it's like our last trip, we will also celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We are going to go with a 2 bedroom villa which will give us all plenty of room and the luxury of a kitchen and washer/dryer, and compared to our connecting queen rooms of last time, will be almost twice as much space.  I honestly didn't think Smash would EVER want to go back (especially with me and my spreadsheets) but she is ready, and getting excited too.  YAY!  She has agreed to let me go kookoo crazy planning and create as many spreadsheets and plans as I want, and I have agreed to abandon all the plans and spreadsheets when we get there.

In the meantime, I really do need to get the rest of the UNpacking done from our last trip and once and for all get this house clean and organized.  I have exactly 10 hours till the game starts, which means plenty of time to do it, provided I get my ass off this computer and in gear, and then I can park it in front of the tv.

Wish me luck.

withdrawal

Is it bad that my Christmas tree is still up and I couldn't care less?  I think I'm gonna keep it up awhile; it's fake, it's not like it will disintegrate or shoot up in a ball of flames next time I light the fireplace, and it's pretty, so what the hell.  I am also leaving my collection of airplanes and flying Santas suspended over the kitchen.  They have been grounded all year, I think I should let them fly a bit longer.  Truth is, they make me happy, and right now I need a shot of happy.

I'm full on into Disney withdrawal.  Pixie dust and magic are way more addictive than booze, just as hard to wean yourself off of (don't laugh, I HAVE weaned myself off booze, I was pregnant once), and apparently just as destructive to relationships (more on that later).  There should be meetings.  I'm ridiculous, and planning my next trip isn't helping, as I'm getting a bit nervous about it.  We are going at the end of March, just for the weekend, before the Pea spends a week with her dad, and the crowd calendar is telling me it will be crazy crowded.  Panic attack inducing crowded.  As much as I want to go and see all that the Flower and Garden Festival has to offer, I'm a little scared I will end up passing out or curled up in a ball, rocking and drooling.

I planned the trip on a whim, because I had to take leave from work anyway with the Pea out of school and none of the camps or day out places operating, and I had a use it or lose it place to stay.  The annual passes I bought in December (knowing we would be back in either September or November) covered admission into the parks and I just so happened to have enough Southwest reward points, the day I checked, to book us both tickets.  THEN I checked the crowd calendar.  Ooopsie...oh well, a day at Disney is better than a day anywhere else so now on with the planning...which I can now do without any heartache or grief from The Boy.  He felt my Disney addiction was getting in the way of our relationship so we parted ways (it may have also had to do with the fact that we had nothing in common, brought out the worst in each other, and never really did get back on track after breaking up, but Disney, and my poor little cow computer, took the blame...poor little cow).

And now it's time to put this cow to bed, because the Pea needs dinner, after that is the sprint to lights out, and before I know it, tomorrow...and more planning...I haven't even started my spreadsheets!

and another thing

It's hard to see, but there are random pictures and movies being shown, along with the castle transformations.

The Magic, Memories, and You! show is really neat...I didn't get too many good pictures, but the way they transformed the castle was fantastic, and seeing pictures of real people was fun.  They showed a picture of the Pea in her Pirate garb (the photog that took it told us to be on the lookout, they must have a say in which ones get shown each day) but it was fast, so there was no chance of getting a picture, by the time I realized it was her, she was gone.

random musings

It's worth it to get up early.  Even if you aren't an early riser and don't want to have to hear an alarm clock on vacation, if you can make it to Rope Drop at Magic Kingdom, just once, DO IT.  Being able to explore, without a bunch of others, is WONDERFUL.

Akershus is one of my favorite meals.  Obviously it isn't for everyone, but if you want a character meal, AND good food, I highly recommend, it is a great value.

The Seas Pavilion is an awesome aquarium and hidden gem.  You could spend an entire day, just there...the fact that it is just a small portion of EPCOT amazes me.  If you can catch a dolphin show, or see the Manatees, you won't be disappointed.

Living With The Land was our sleeper ride.  We only rode it to kill some time because there was no wait, and ended up loving it.  We rode it a three or four times and each time spotted something new.

Never skip an opportunity to bang some drums...always fun, and there just so happen to be lots of opportunities, all over Animal Kingdom Lodge and Epcot.

If you go during the Holiday season, try and catch a few Epcot storytellers.  They do more than just tell the stories of holiday celebrations in their native countries, they put on a show...the Pea loved them.

Disney is pretty good at making waiting not terrible.  This is in the queue for Turtle Talk with Crush...touch screen video screens with quizzes.

It's a small world...classic...love it!

In need of a flying fix and Dumbo has an hour long wait?  Head to Adventureland and the Magic Carpets...

...it's essentially the same, except you aren't flying over Fantasyland.

Every corner was decorated for the holidays.  It is a wonderful time of year to visit, if you can tolerate the crowds (which I struggled with on a few occasions...but I have panic attacks in Walmart if I have to go on a Saturday, so perhaps my tolerance is low).

All the trees are huge, wicked huge, and are decorated with some really cool ornaments, themed for the park they are in.

Fireworks are tough to photograph, but fun to watch.

Get a Disney Visa if you plan on going on a regular basis or love Disney stuff.  You get a discount on merchandise, you get the opportunity to visit this special character spot and get a free photo, and if you get one of the incentive offers to sign up, you can't beat it.  I was able to get a $200 gift card, just by signing up, and only use it for the perks.

Villa accommodations are WONDERFUL.  They are bigger than the standard hotel rooms...

...just as nice...

...and have a kitchenette.  You have to buy or rent DVC points in order to stay in a villa, but I would recommend it.

Photopass service is wonderful.  It isn't perfect and you have to take advantage by stopping at the photogs, but for the most part you get good quality pictures.  It doesn't cost anything to get pictures taken, but if you want any of them you have to either buy the individual photos or a photo cd.  I went with the photo cd and got about 300 pictures that I now have the rights to do with as I please (personally, can't sell or anything).  I use Walgreens, but Walmart, Snapfish, CVS, and others can all make prints, photobooks, gifts, etc. from the pictures.

We actually did a few character meets in the park this time, last year we only met characters at meals.  I think you get more interaction and since there is a photopass photog you also get more pictures.  I don't think I would wait in an hour long line for any of them though...we caught Daisy as she was walking to her post in the morning and were the first in line.

The Pirates League...

...and Bippity Boppity Boutique are wonderful experiences.  I wouldn't say they are a MUST do, but we enjoyed them and I think they are a good value if you bring a costume from home.

The detail, costuming, singing and dancing, at the shows, are all top notch.  I am a big fan...it is also a good time during the day to chill out and have a snack.

Nemo show...worth repeating, EXCELLENT.

Ditto for the Lion King.

Every time I saw this warning on a ride I thought to myself "holding hands is acceptable, spontaneous dancing, not so much."

Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is fun, both the Pea and I loved it and we rode as often as we could (as with ANY ride however, not worth an hour wait, which we saw most of the time we were there...FASTPASS IT!)

My henna tat after the paste fell off...it looked nice about a week.  This was one of those things I did on a whim, and was pleased with.  Fun, but not a must do.

day 8

Whew...for a holiday week it sure has been long.  Getting back into the swing of things has been a little bit of a challenge, I think I had forgotten how busy our days are.  I am looking forward to just chilling out today and maybe, maybe, maybe, getting the Christmas stuff taken down and put away.  Maybe.

So back to my trip report and our final day in Disney World.  We had enough time to go to a park but decided to just relax at the resort instead.  We took our time packing up and checking out and headed to Boma for a late breakfast.  Boma is ok, some people love it and rave about it, but for me it was just convenient, we had a credit to use, and I knew we would both get full.  I was disappointed in the service and the cleanliness.  I asked to be moved because there was syrup all over our table and seats, and a bunch of food on the floor, and they scoffed.  Really?  I finally got a manager and she happily obliged, but then the server acted as if everything was a bother.  Very un-disney like and kind of sad for our last meal.  After our meal we hung out in the waiting area a bit, listening to the drummers, and then went to the gift shop.  I had a few snack credits to use and a little left on one of my gift cards, and wanted to bring some things home for my neighbors, since they were watching the dog.  This was the one time I let the Pea wander as long as she wanted and actually buy something.  I think we were in there for a good hour.  Fun for her, not so much for me.

The "rope bridge in the lobby, we had to cross it to get to our room.

After having all the gift shop I could take I left the Pea to drumming inside and went just outside to the Photo-pass desk so I could scroll through my pictures.  I kind of had it in the back of my mind I needed to make sure we had all the shots I wanted before leaving, but looking back I'm not sure I would have actually gone anywhere to rectify the situation, had we not.  In any case, I was fairly pleased with the pictures and the photog offered to do a few in front of the tree so we took him up on that, and then we just wandered around.

The pool area...it had a nice mix of shade and sun.

We hung out by the pool for a bit, the Pea got in on some of the kids activities, and we tried hard to not get sad. 

One of the kids activities, doing rubbings of the floor.

I scheduled a later flight, thinking we may want to go to a park in the morning, but all I could think of was not getting back in time for the bus to the airport, how we wouldn't have time to do much, and at that point, knowing it was inevitable, just wanted to get home.  I won't schedule that late a flight next time.  Wandering the resort, just waiting, was a bummer.  I liked having time to leisurely pack and check out and then grab a bite to eat, but after that just wanted to go.  Oh well, now I know.  For our next trip we will get an afternoon flight rather than an evening flight.

The worst ride at Disney, also the quietest...ME TO the airport.

As was the case on our flight down, we (and our bags) arrived home early, and safely...seriously love Southwest...and we headed home to wait for Santa, the next day being Christmas.

I have more pictures I want to share, and more thoughts about the trip overall, I will try and piece it all together into a coherent post this weekend.  Right now, however, I am need of more coffee and the Pea wants waffles (which makes me want Mickey waffles, even though I don't even really like them) so I am off.  Happy Saturday!

pure magic

Originally day 7 was a chill day.  We were going to enjoy the new room, hang out at the resort, then head to Magic Kingdom for the evening, and our "finale".  Well, when the Pea got sick I ended up making it a day out instead and booked a late breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, which had the Mad Hatter and Mary Poppins, and planned an entire day at Magic Kingdom, with a quick hop to Epcot if we felt like it, and THEN the evening festivities.  We ended up reverting back to the original plan.  After waking up, and trying to hustle to get ready the Pea said "Mom, can we skip breakfast and just sit here and watch the animals?" Thank you, God.  "Yes, baby, whatever you want."

*the hallelujah chorus singing in my head*

She had a Mickey rice crispy treat, I had cold medicine and coffee, and we chilled out on the balcony, watching the animals.  We stayed in the room for most of the day and it was heavenly.

Standing on the balcony.

I think she enjoyed people watching more than animal watching.

She had an appointment at the Bippity Bopppity Boutique at 6pm and we had dinner in the Castle planned for 8pm.  This was our final night...our last hurrah...and while we wanted it to be great, it was also supposed to be the busiest that we would see the Magic Kingdom, so we didn't plan on any rides.

Chip & Dale!

We ventured out about 4, assuming the bus stop would be mobbed, and it would take us forever to get to the park and from the front of the park to the castle.  We were pleasantly surprised to not only get on a bus fairly quick, but to get into the park quickly as well.  We had plenty of time to stop and see Chip & Dale, and get a few photos on the stroll down Main Street.

When we got to Fantasyland we grabbed a fastpass for Pooh, because I figured we could squeeze it in at some point, and if not, could pass it on to someone else, and since we still had a few minutes to kill, headed into Philharmagic since there was no wait.  After the show we got in line for the Carousel.  I don't remember exactly what happened, but at some point the Pea sassed me, said something ugly, which garnered a warning, then more sassing, which garnered me pulling her out of the line.  Then instantly the line got humongous so we no longer had time to get back in it, and then there was a breakdown, so we headed for the bathroom.  For a good 10 minutes she stomped, cried, pouted, and screamed while I wrestled her into her Cinderella dress...there was then another breakdown because she said the dress was terrible and didn't want to wear it (which crushed me because it was my Christmas present to her and I was sure it was the most beautiful princess dress ever). 

At exactly 6pm (which is late for me as I am always 10 minutes early for everything) we raced into the Bippity Boppity Boutique, both red faced and teary.  At that point I thought for sure the night was gonna be a bust.  She wanted to leave, I wanted to give up, and the place was mobbed and running late.  There were flustered mommies, pissed off daddies, and cranky princesses all around.  We fit right in, but this was not how I pictured our last night, and the one that was supposed to be the most magical.

Turned out to be a good thing they were running a little behind because by the time they called her back (at 6:45) the tides had turned, she was happy and excited and loved her dress, and things were back on track.

Bippity, Boppity, Boo!

She did the middle package (it was around $60) which included hair, crown, make-up, and nails (and they get to keep the make-up and nail polish).  The full package includes the princess dress and accessories but is up around $250, I was able to bring a dress that I found on clearance for $25 earlier in the year and accessories that she already had, and she was perfectly happy.  She got a ton of compliments on her dress, and I didn't see any other little princesses with that particular one, so I'm glad we went that route.

Your highness...

 She also got to do a photo-shoot, which she thoroughly enjoyed, and while I didn't buy any of the shots, they were all put on my photopass account, and since I bought the CD, I now have.  After her photo-shoot we checked in for dinner and were taken upstairs.  Normally you are greeted by Cinderella and have a few photos taken BEFORE you go upstairs to eat but Cindy was "having tea" when we arrived, so we went upstairs right away, and then were taken downstairs after ordering, for the Cinderella meet.  It was all very rushed and chaotic and really kind of pissed me off, because I wanted a nice dining experience, and like to settle in once I am seated...BUT, it was either that, or not see Cindy at all, so we went with it.

The dining room.

 

Not sure what she was pointing at.

Aurora



And finally!  Cinderella

Overall, the dinner was fine, despite feeling very rushed in the beginning...our server was a little too attentive at first, constantly asking how we were, but no where to be found when we had finished our meal, and were just sitting waiting to check out.  The Akershus dinner had better character interaction, and felt much more leisurely, it was also a much better value at 1 dining credit, versus the 2 credits we paid for dinner in the Castle.  For the Pea though, eating INSIDE the castle was magical and amazing, and she beamed with joy the entire time.  Snow White, Belle (in her blue dress), Ariel, and Aurora all came to our table.



Ariel was sassy

Belle was sweet

The food was surprisingly good (I had read many bad reviews), about the same quality as the meal we had had the night before (unfortunately, with that same sauce that tasted like it came from a dry package mix).  I liked the asparagus, and the meat was very tender.  The Pea had chicken tenders, which were chicken tenders, and was most happy with the Mickey plate and the corn.  The dessert trio was fine, looked better than it tasted, and the Pea was overjoyed with her make your own sundae, even though after making it, didn't eat a bite.

Cheese plate

Our Meals

The Make Your Own Sundae that never got eaten.

One happy girl.

We walked out at 9pm and since Fantasyland was deserted (with everyone watching the nighttime parade) we took full advantage.  We rode the Carousel a few times, Walked on Pooh (which was great because she finally got to go through the interactive queue and touch the honey wall) then used our fastpasses to ride again, then headed to It's a Small World and rode that twice.  About this time I remembered a post on Lines Chat that mentioned riding Dumbo during the fireworks and we got in line for Dumbo.  There was about a 15 minute wait (which for Dumbo is good because most of the time we saw 45 and avoided it) and the fireworks started while we were in the queue.  We boarded our elephant about halfway through and were up in the air during the finale.  It was very cool.  I never would have thought to do that if not for reading that post. 

She was amazed that her dress "glowed" in the Pooh ride.

She RAN to IASW and all the way down to the boat

I asked the Pea if there was anything else she wanted to do, since this was her last chance, and she said cotton candy and the parade.  We grabbed a bag of cotton candy and took our time wandering to the hub.  There were far less people than I expected and we grabbed a primo spot.  Before we knew it the parade was on it's way.  Watching it from the hub, with the Castle all lit up in the background, and my little Pea happy and smiling, was glorious.
 

Got this shot right as they dimmed the lights for the parade

We took our time leaving, after the parade passed us by, and as we were walking out it started snowing on Main Street...magic, pure Disney magic.