Princess of Taylor

Why I'd love to forget 9/11, but I doubt I ever will

2016-09-11T14:58:00.000-04:00

Okay so here's the thing: I know today is September 11. Believe me - I know. It's a date that's been staring back at me from the calendar ever since I tore off August two weeks ago. When my husband scheduled a football trip with this weekend, I quietly cringed and lamented that he'd be away and I'd be alone.

But I convinced myself that I would be fine. That I was fine. That I wasn't going to allow my memories from 15 years ago to drown me in grief and anxiety and panic. That I wasn't going to repeat 2008 and get bogged down in the fact that it's an election year and there is so SO much at stake. That I was going to have a nice night out on Saturday with a girlfriend I rarely get to see, enjoy a kid-free Sunday morning (thanks to my sister-in-law agreeing to a double sleepover with the kiddos) by sleeping in (well until 8am, at least) and then go to my weekly yoga class.

And then I made the mistake of going online and was immediately hit with a barrage of images: pictures of the Twin Towers pre-9/11, illuminated tributes of where the Towers previously stood from cities across the world, countless takes on crosses and American flags cobbled together into religious/patriotic imagery, and, undoubtedly, photographs of the Towers as plumes of fire and smoke poured into the sky. These images are always punctuated with the reminder to "Never Forget."

Almost immediately, I'm 20 years old again. Standing in Washington Square Park. Talking with the man how walked down from his office in the Empire State Building after watching the second plane fly past his window. Wondering if I was an idiot for standing in such a large crowd so soon after something so inexplicably horrible had happened. Listening to reports that came in from other bystanders about the attack on the Pentagon. And cursing my bad luck for cancelling my cell phone plan the previous day (not that it would have worked at that point) and worrying how I was going to get in touch with my mother who was understandably in a panic (particularly since my last communication with her was through Instant Messenger: "I'm going outside." Incidentally, she printed out the subsequent conversations we had and included them in a scrapbook she made of my NYU years. She used a binder clip to secure those pages so I wouldn't have to see them if I didn't want to. I've never looked at them.)

364 days of the year, September 11, 2001 is an enigma to me: simultaneously it feels like just yesterday, but also like ten lifetimes ago. There are times when all I want to do is talk about it and there are times where the mere mention brings me to tears. I have vivid memories of specific random details (the complete emptiness of Broadway until the people who worked on Wall Street appeared, walking and holding paper masks to their mouths and the inky chemical smell that lingered in the air for weeks), but I have no recollection of my emotions. It's like I'm remembering things that happened to someone else, but not even because I don't even feel empathy for that person. It's a sterile, clinical account of my movements and conversations - like I'm reading a police report. Just the facts, ma'am. I must have been terrified; of course, I was terrified. But I don't remember.

And then for 14 days out of the last 5,475, it's everywhere. Everywhere. Something about today - the anniversary - always hits me harder than other days. Maybe because this is the day that everyone else wants to talk about it - to remember - that makes it the one day that I want most to suppress my memories because they're too real. They're too raw and because I was practically still a child I didn't (and still don't) know how to process them. So this year I'm going to try something different. This year I'm going to talk - well, write - about my experience on September 11, 2001. Maybe it'll help. Maybe it won't but obviously what I've been doing the last 15 years isn't working so it's time for a new approach.

September 11, 2001:

It was a Tuesday. I'll never forget that because it meant that I wasn't on my way to class. On Tuesdays, my first class was at 2pm (Political Theory, Professor Manin) so I'd typically wake up around 8am, watch the Golden Girls on Lifetime while I ate breakfast and then go to the gym. That morning as I was mid-routine, my phone rang. It was my then-boyfriend Dan. He told me to put on the news. That he was walking to class and something had happened to the World Trade Center building. It was smoking. I quickly switched from Lifetime to NBC just as Dan started to panic. He shouted that a plane was flying overhead and he watched at it crashed into the second tower. I watched in horror simultaneously on the Today Show. He was understandably upset at that point so I told him I'd come meet him. That's when I sent the IM to my mom. Paraphrased, I said: "A plane just hit the World Trade Center. Dan said he saw fighter jets flying down 5th Avenue. I'm going outside."

(There was never any mention of fighter jets that morning in any subsequent news report or account that I ever read. I wasn't outside that morning and didn't see them myself but was merely reporting what Dan had told me.)

I rushed outside with no idea where Dan might be other than a general idea of which route he took to class. I found him standing near a big Hummer-style vehicle that was parked on 8th Street. The owner had the engine running so everyone nearby could listen to his radio. At some point we decided to go to Washington Square Park.

(This is an example of things I don't remember: I have no recollection of movement that day. Everything that took place is like a series of vignettes (now we're in the Park, now we're on Broadway): I could have floated there for all I know, but I simply don't recall.)

The Park was crowded, but surprisingly unchaotic. Everyone was standing, facing South, watching in disbelief. There were occasional conversations (the aforementioned man from the Empire State Building and folks with cell phones reporting on the Pentagon) and more than once we speculated if we should be out in the open like this. Then as we watched the Towers smoking, something looked different. "It looks like it's falling," I commented to a few people standing nearby. They shook their heads no but then seconds later, we all realized that, yes, in fact, the Tower was falling. I'll never forget what it looked like: the smoke was nearly completely white and for a split-second it held the shape of the building and then it just got shorter and shorter. It was gone.

At this point Dan lost it. Completely lost it. If you had asked me that morning which one of us would have been the strong one in an emergency situation, I would have said him, but, in fact, I was the one who had to pull him up off the ground. The first thing he said (which is something that hadn't even occurred to me) was, "Do you realize how many people we just watched die?" In the weeks that followed, he mentioned that same sentiment at one point, claiming he had just realized it. I told him that he had actually said that right away. He didn't remember.

Dan's dad worked at NYU. He had an office on Broadway and at that point I decided that the best thing to do was to find him there. I figured at the very least being with an adult was a good idea. Once we got to his office, we got news that the second Tower had fallen. We thought we were getting old news at first. "Yes," we told the woman, "We just watched it fall."

"No," she explained, "the other one fell too. They're both down."

Dan and his father spoke and decided that Dan would stay in the City for now. Not that he had much choice, all the bridges and tunnels were closed at that point. Because the phone lines were down and I needed to contact my parents, we left and headed to the Cantor Film Center on 8th Street, where our good friend Ryan worked. He had IM installed on his work computer and graciously allowed me to sign in and give my mother an update. Not that I had much information to provide, but at least I was able to report my safety and that I was with Dan and Ryan.

We ventured outside again. The streets were completely devoid of cars. We walked down the middle of an empty Broadway, wondering what to do next, and then we saw them. Hundreds of people, walking, in their suits and dress shoes, covered in dust and dirt and holding paper masks to their faces. We spotted a friend of Dan's who had an internship downtown. He questioned whether the paper mask was doing any good but since someone had been handing them out, he took one. He hadn't been in one of the buildings, but he hadn't been far away.

The sky was a hazy grey at that point and the air was thick and smelled pungent and strong. It burned if you breathed too much in. We speculated it was due to printer ink and toner that had been in the building combined with all the debris that was settling. Both the haze and the smell lasted weeks.

Ridiculously, NYU wanted to hold classes the following day, but Mayor Giuliani interceded and closed Lower Manhattan (14th Street and below) - this included NYU. Armed guards patrolled the crosswalks and in order to get downtown you had to present identification that you lived there. Dan went uptown a few times but I was too nervous to go. Planes patrolled overhead as well - we stood near Dan's dorm just below 14th Street and watched several go by. And then we sat in my dorm room that evening deciding what to do. Bridges and tunnels were reopening but Penn Station was evacuated, which didn't instill confidence for anyone thinking of leaving. Ryan's dad decided to drive from Pennsylvania to pick him up and offered to take me along. After discussing with my parents, we decided that I'd stay in New York. I honestly felt better staying put than I did about traveling anywhere.

A few evenings before September 11, Dan, Ryan, Phil (another friend) and I had ordered takeout and sat in my dorm room eating it. We discussed how our generation didn't have that one event - like when John F. Kennedy was assassinated - that everyone knew exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard. The Challenger explosion may have been mentioned but as children of the early 1980s we were a bit too young to have been impacted greatly and, while unspeakably tragic, it didn't offer the same level of life-shattering, world-changing impact that Kennedy's assassination did. What cruel irony that it was only days later that such an event occurred and we had to live through it firsthand.

A few years later, I met a man who told me that he ran towards the buildings that morning. He wasn't a fireman or trained in anyway to assist but he did know that water would be scarce so he brought down as many gallon jugs as he could carry. And then made several additional trips to bring more.

Now everyone has a story of that day. And every year when the anniversary rolls around, people mark it in different ways. After my yoga class this morning, I felt infinitely better: the difficult poses and breathing helped cleared my mind tremendously. Then as I drove out of the gym parking lot, I noticed the flag was at half-mast and I got choked up again. Tomorrow it wouldn't bother me, but today - today - it's just too much. As I read stories to Big Boy O before quiet time, my voice became scratchy as I held back tears. He told me to clear my throat and asked if I was sad. He's only four so I told him no, but someday he'll know. Someday we'll have to tell him.

And I imagine him, 20 years old, in New York City. And I wonder how my mom resisted to urge to start walking from Virginia to New York to get to me. To find me and to protect me. And then she tells me how she carries so much emotion from the day with her. And how in her memories, she feels like she was there and when she sees images from the day in her mind's eye, they aren't framed by the television because she's seeing them how I saw them. And I suspect she feels that way because she's lessening my burden too: because if she was there then I wasn't alone and I didn't need to feel afraid because I was with my mom.

And then tomorrow I'll wake up and it'll all be back to normal. And if someone asks about it, I'll talk about it because I don't mind talking about it. But today I don't want to think about it. I don't want to talk about it. And I especially don't want to look at it. And luckily I'll have 364 days to prepare myself for next year.

On How I Decorated Toddler O's "Big Boy" Room Using Pottery Barn Kids (And Then Vowed to Never Shop There Again)

2014-12-13T09:51:00.002-05:00

To say I loved Pottery Barn would be a tremendous understatement. I'm essentially the anti-Phoebe (from Friends) in that if given the option to live in a Pottery Barn catalog, I'd happily begin packing. I spent my college and law school years perusing their catalog and website, dreaming of the day when my house would look so impeccable. Once Husband and I moved into our house, I slowly began furnishing and decorating using primarily Pottery Barn purchases.

Our living room alone contains two armless chairs in a unique red/white pattern, an entertainment center designed to accommodate our Playstation video game console, a rug that I tracked down in a New Jersey store, two iron lamps with coordinating shades, and four panels of brown blackout drapes. Throughout the rest of the house are countless Wood Gallery Frames, milk glass lamps and shades, a fully stocked desk with architect lamp, and, in our bedroom, the most gorgeous (though admittedly potentially tacky and old lady-ish) drapes I've ever seen.

When Toddler O was born, my love of Pottery Barn extended to the Pottery Barn Kids store: changing pads and covers, more Wood Gallery Frames, a personalized "Anywhere Chair" (of course) slowly increased his collection of Pottery Barn wares. This fall I began to focus on his "big boy" (aka crib free) bedroom. He'll be moving out of the nursery to make room for Baby Girl so I wanted to start decorating before I got too miserable.

I spent hours on the Pottery Barn Kids website considering bed options (bunk beds, trundle?), playing with room layouts and reviewing sheet choices. I made purchased of sheets, shams and lamps as budget and free shipping promo allowed. I even contacted Design Services for help in selecting the perfect bedroom furniture for a boy of almost three.

So reading through all this makes it sound like I've spent a small fortune at Pottery Barn and yes, the truth is I've probably spent a lot. But I'm also clever about my spending. I buy Wood Gallery Frames on sale using the $25 off $50 promotions I receive a few times a year. Our living room drapes were virtually free thanks to the Rewards Certificate I earned after buying the living room furniture. And that rug I tracked down in New Jersey? It was marked down to under $200 from over $800.

This all brings us to my current situation. My final bedding purchase for Toddler O's room was the duvet cover. It cost $14 to ship so I had been patiently waiting for a free shipping day. With Black Friday right around the corner I knew it was only a matter of time. On November 26, I got an email for free shipping and immediately began sorting out my order: the duvet cover, of course, and, because I was so pleased, a lunch box for Toddler O to use at preschool in the new year. The lunch box was full price but I reasoned that should it go on sale I'd just call for a price adjustment.

Little did I know that on November 24, 2014 Pottery Barn Kids ceased doing price adjustments. On anything. Ever. I get 2-3 emails a day from Pottery Barn Kids and not one mentioned this. No word of the change in their website either. So when less than two weeks later I saw the price of the lunch box drop $9+, I called Customer Service. A rude representative informed me that they no longer did price adjustments and then refused to transfer me to a manager. She claimed a manager would call me back if I left my information. That was on Tuesday. As of Saturday I've received no return call.

In the meantime I emailed Customer Service for clarification. I pointed out that since lunch boxes ship free I could just return and reorder to get the sale price so wouldn't it just be easier to just price adjust. Nope, they replied. It's more fun to just alienate and anger customers over a fraction of their sales totals.

At this point I'm enraged. It's not the money; it's the principle. I've never heard of a major company not price adjusting and standing behind their customers. Perhaps I'm spoiled by retailers such as Nordstrom, LL Bean and Anthropologie and their extremely liberal return and price adjustment policies, but Pottery Barn Kids had previously been among these stores...until two days before I placed my order! The Pottery Barn Kids' Facebook page is filled with angry customers who experienced the same frustration as me, down to representatives refusing to transfer them to a manager! Clearly I'm not the only unhappy camper regarding this issue.

Still being a lawyer at heart, I wrote a lengthy letter detailing my plight to the President of Pottery Barn. Since I already had reordered the lunch box and plan on returning the $22.50 version next week, I wasn't asking for anything. I just wanted her to know that as a longtime customer I was unhappy with the policy change and would be reconsidering future purchases.

Here's where it gets ridiculous. As I said previously, the Pottery Barn Kids' Facebook page was filled with complaints similar to mine. The other roughly 50% of comments regarded the quality of items received and/or frustration over delayed or cancelled orders. Those comments were all responded to with a generic customer service message asking for additional details at an email address. The price adjustment comments? Simply ignored. As if they weren't even there.

So being the helpful little thing that I am, I posted the address to which I had mailed my complaint and encouraged others to do the same. Within an hour, my post had disappeared! This went on a few times before finally I realized I could no longer comment on the page. I'D BEEN BLOCKED! For posting an address where customers could send feedback that might actually be acknowledged. As a test Husband came out of Facebook semi-retirement and tried posting the same information and his post vanished too. I messaged Pottery Barn's Facebook account (because I can't even message Pottery Barn Kids anymore) to ask the issue. I've yet to receive a response and don't expect to as the same trigger happy minion probably oversees both accounts.

This is just outrageous to me! Change a policy of you want: it's your company. But to ban customers who are simply posting an address for feedback is ridiculous. (FYI: the address is searchable online but you have to remember that Williams Sonoma is the parent company of Pottery Barn.) I hope in the 3 or so hours that my and Husband's posts were visible some people jotted the address down and will follow through with a letter. It's the only way there's a chance to give this company feedback. Their social media representatives are clearly not interested in reading it.

Direct any complaints about the Pottery Barn family of stores to the following address:

Sandra Stangl

President - Pottery Barn

Williams Sonoma, Inc.

3250 Van Ness Avenue

San Francisco CA 94109

Right now just looking around my house makes me ill. To know I've spent so many thousands of dollars at a store that treats their customers with this level of disregard, particularly around the holidays, is sickening to me. Granted I understand that Pottery Barn Kids is in the market of making money - they aren't a charity - but what's the outcome here? I won't buy Toddler O's furniture at Pottery Barn Kids. Heck, if they had been willing to price adjust over the phone, I would have ordered a matching backpack on the spot. But now how many sales have they lost (both from me and from the countless other unhappy customers) because they weren't willing to budge over $9 on an order placed two days after a policy change? It's not like there aren't plenty of other stores that cater to borderline ridiculous children's décor and gifts. I'll find somewhere else to shop. My recommendation is that others do the same.

Stitch Fix #6

2014-11-07T14:32:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week, my sixth Stitch Fix delivery arrived. This might confuse some readers because the last Stitch Fix review I posted was way back in May and titled "Stitch Fix #3". The truth is that in the interim I received two boxes, decided to return everything and was, in fact, so uninspired by my stylist's selections that I couldn't even be bothered to take pictures of the pieces.

I'll briefly sum up Fixes #4 and #5 before moving onto my current Fix.

Fix #4:

This Fix was scheduled to arrive a few days before my Queen + Adam Lambert concert. I took advantage of the timing and specifically asked for an "edgy" piece that I could wear to the event. The top that arrived was so completely "not edgy", I became convinced my stylist didn't know the definition of the word: it was paisley and made of silk. AND it didn't even fit. In all my fixes, I've had issues with style but never with fit so I was very confused. The other four items baffled me even more: they had finally heeded my "no polyester" plea, but instead had sent all silk items. Was I not clear that I have a two-year old? That I stay at home with him? There seemed to be a whole field of cotton (ha!) clothing that Stitch Fix was deliberately ignoring.

I actually sent an email after this Fix explaining my unhappiness. They replied promptly and refunded my $20 styling credit, which was nice, but honestly I would have preferred if they had just gotten their act together!

Fix #5:

Sadly, that was not the case for my fifth Fix. I noticed that the Style Profile had been slightly updated so I went into amend some of my choices. One question asked "Are you pregnant?" Well, I am (yay!) so I checked the box "Yes" and included my due date (April). Note this Fix was scheduled for September, meaning I was approximately 15 minutes pregnant at this point. So my box arrives and - guess what? - Stitch Fix does maternity clothes now. You'd think I'd be excited but I wasn't for two reasons: first, I'm 5'9" so I barely start showing before 20 weeks so I really wasn't ready for maternity clothes back in September and second, they were seriously the most boring, ugly, expensive maternity clothes I've ever seen. A grey t-shirt with side ruching that I could find for $10 at Old Navy and a burgundy wrap front dress that barely covered my essentials when I didn't have a big old bump hanging off the front of me. Additionally, they committed what I consider to be a cardinal sin of styling: they sent me the exact same top that I had already completely and utterly rejected once before. Did they think I'd forgotten? Or that I'd like the way it clung to my new pregnancy lumps and bumps? To their credit (I guess) nothing was silk.

I didn't email again because I figured they'd just tell me to take a hike rather than reimbursing a second styling fee (luckily this is all pretend money due to referral credits), but I did completely revamp my style profile. I basically made it clear that I wanted my feedback reviewed and used to pick items and that I didn't feel like this was happening. I specifically asked for longer items that I can wear with leggings and specified that I only wanted tops. No more dresses or skirts.

So Fix #6 shipped and I decided to peek at its contents in order to manage my expectations. I was very pleased, dare I say excited, to see some of the selections so I was very anxious for my package to arrive.

My stylist for this Fix was Staci. Her note said:

Hi Kathleen! I was so excited to style you for this Fix! I reviewed your blog post, your Pinterest board, and what kinds of pieces you would like to avoid. I have been specializing in putting together Fixes for our wonderful pregnant clients, and it seems like you are not interested in receiving only maternity pieces, so I sent some regular pieces that can accommodate your growing baby bump. The Skies are Blue mixed print blouse is so cute with your favorite pair of jeans, and the rayon fabric can be washed (we recommend hang dry). The Evolution by Cyrus sweater has fun colors, and is super cozy. Both the Eight Sixty and the Tart pink top will grow with you. The colors are fantastic! The RD Style sweater is a fantastic layering piece to keep you cozy. Please let us know your thoughts! Best, Staci

Let me just say upfront: Staci hit this one out of the park. Every piece she selected was totally my style and something I could see myself wearing. Ultimately I'm only keeping one - maybe two if I'm feeling saucy - pieces, but I liked each and every one and haven't had such a hard time making a selection since my first Fix!

Evolution by Cyrus Shelby Heathered Colorblock Sweater, size Medium ($68)

Initially I thought this sweater might be too short and I imagined having to wear it over a chambray shirt I just snagged on super sale at Gap, but the length here is fine. There is even some stretchiness in the sweater so I could grow out a bit before the length started to creep up on me. But that also essentially means ruining the sweater so I couldn't wear it post-maternity. It was soft but not terribly warm and I worried that the knit might be a bit delicate for Toddler O. If I was keeping the whole box, this baby would definitely be coming along for the ride, but alas it was not meant to be.

Verdict: Return

Skies are Blue Haddie Mixed Print Tie-Neck Top, size Medium ($54)

Staci definitely took a chance sending this top since it has "tie-neck" in the item description (and I specifically said that I'm not a fan of ties), but these ties are subtle enough and the rest of the shirt is cute enough that I was willing to forgive her! What I can't look past is the fact that I'm 18 weeks along and this shirt was already very snug across my tummy. I haven't even really "popped" yet so I'm guessing I'd only have a few weeks with this little pretty before it became unwearable until next fall.

Verdict: Return

Tart Maternity Darya Empire Waist Maternity Knit Top, size Medium ($108)

I saw the price tag on this top and thought, "Hahaha. Nice try, Stitch Fix. There's no way I'm keeping this one." Then I asked Husband to take my photos and put this one on first. He immediately loved it! Once I saw the pictures, I really do too. Yikes! It's a super soft buttery fabric (Modal/Cotton blend - yummy!) and is nice and stretchy. I can totally see wearing this for the next 4.5 months and then some (because doesn't the top look just perfect for nursing?) Unfortunately it'll be April when I deliver so how after a few weeks I'll have to put this away until fall and then there's no telling what condition it will be in. I'm also slightly *ahem* fuller in the chestial region right now than I normally am so I might not have enough to hold this shirt up down the road! If it was $50, $60, probably even $70 I'd absolutely keep it, but even with my referral credits, at $108 it's a huge purchase.

Verdict: Sadly, return

Eight Sixty Maria Maternity Scoop Neck Eyelet Trim Knit Top, size Medium ($88)

I was most excited about seeing this shirt in my Fix because I'm all about lace/eyelet. The color is a super dark eggplant color (it actually looked black on my style card and I was sad for a minute that I didn't receive the pretty purple I'd seen online). The sleeves are eyelet without a lining, which I can live with, but won't exactly keep me warm once feet of snow starts falling! The material is super stretchy and I'll have to take Staci's word for it that it would have grown with my bump because it already seemed a little snug with nary a bump to speak of. As you can see, there is definitely lightness across the chest where the fabric is pulling significantly so basically by the time I deliver, the whole front of the top would be white and see through? I was imagining this as more of a tunic that I could wear with leggings but this would definitely need pants underneath. As pretty as it is, I'm not convinced it fits me properly and don't want to find out in February that I've made a $88 mistake.

Verdict: Return

RD Style Arleen Colorblocked Open Cardigan, size Medium ($74)

Ah what pregnant lady doesn't want to look like a grandpa? I know this one does! This sweater is super cozy, nice and long, and NOT maternity. So I can wear it with leggings now and then again forever and ever without it stretching out! The color on my style card is more grey and I wish I had gotten that version because this taupe reminds me just a bit of this cutie that I splurged on a few months ago. However, I have been wearing the heck out of the Cabi sweater so I figure another super cozy sweater is a good thing. I'm probably not going to invest in a winter maternity coat (because I won't be that big and I'm cheap) so lately I've just been laying up as much as I can: t-shirt, button down, big fuzzy sweater. Perfection! And this sweater has pockets so score!

Verdict: Keeping (unless I'm convinced to keep the Tart top in which case this lovely will be returned!)

So all in all, my 6th Fix was successful! I'm definitely requesting Staci again and I'm excited to finally have found a stylist that "gets" me.

*Disclaimer* I was not compensated for this post. However, if you sign up for Stitch Fix using my referral link then I get a $25 credit. Then you get your own link and can get credits for signing up your friends. How awesome is that?

Queen + Adam Lambert: In Concert!

2014-07-25T15:55:00.002-04:00

I wrote on my personal Facebook page a few weeks back that every four years in July, Brian May and I get together to celebrate his birthday. Obviously this post wasn't entirely true: alas Dr. May has no idea about the interesting timing of our two encounters but that doesn't change the fact that on July 19, 2014 (Dr. May's 67th birthday and nearly four years to the day from the time I had the amazing opportunity to meet him), I saw Brian May and Roger Taylor performing as Queen in concert!

Rumors of this current North American tour began to circulate ages ago. You may recall that as early as 2010, Foo Fighter and massive Queen fan, Taylor Hawkins started talking about a tour. Unfortunately that particular matchup didn't come to pass but the whispering continued. I caught wind of them early on and vowed right then and there that if they scheduled a date anywhere near me, I was going. I missed out in 2005 when I was on my "but it's not Queen without Freddie" high horse and then their 2008 tour didn't even include a visit to the States. Honestly, Brian and Roger could have announced that they were touring with a bunch of singing rattlesnakes and I'd have made it my business to be there. (Although blech - maybe not rattlesnakes!)

As it turns out Brian and Roger decided to connect with American Idol veteran Adam Lambert for a North American tour, which began earlier this summer. Reception to this news on the major Queen fan front was - to put it mildly - mixed. Many felt that touring with anyone besides Freddie (and, of course, reclusive bassist John Deacon) was blasphemy. Others felt that a tour was fine but just not with someone whom they considered the very embodiment of a "C-lebrity", a song from the Queen + Paul Rodgers album released a few years back. Then there was the contingency of which I was a part: generally younger fans who sadly had no opportunity to see Queen in their heyday and realize that with both Brian and Roger firmly into their 60s, the reality of a tour is rapidly decreasing by the day.

When they released the dates, I was ecstatic: Madison Square Garden in NYC, TD Garden in Boston, and - ohmygosh, in my very own backyard - Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut! I dug out my rarely used American Express card to qualify for presale tickets and tasked ever-humoring Husband to purchase three tickets to the show. Presale, unfortunately, did not go smoothly. Tickets had been released in groups of 2 so a request for 3 was downright impossible: the system kept saying "none available"! Eek! Finally Husband snagged 2 tickets for me and a fellow fanatic friend and set out to find a single ticket for himself. The whole process was ridiculously nerve-wracking and made worse by the fact that tons of VIP tickets were available for several hundred dollars a pop. If it had just been me and Husband I probably would have paid the premium to get floor seats but I wasn't sure how high my friend was willing to go so we stuck with the regular seats. Finally, Husband got a ticket for himself and all systems were a go.

Of course literally the next day they announced a second date in Connecticut to account for the unexpected demand: that show is next Friday and tickets are still available. Argggg!

We booked a babysitter and made reservations to eat at Bar Americain (Bobby Flay's restaurant) before the show. To say I was nervous on Saturday was a bit of an understatement! I knew for sure that this concert was a once in a lifetime experience and I hoped everything went off without a hitch. Thankfully, it did! Dinner was delicious and just the right amount of food. I even treated myself to a frosty beverage to hopefully take the edge off a bit! We explored the casinos a while and I found my favorites: penny slots! I'm just about the cheapest person in the world and the idea of plopping down money that I'm just going to lose in five seconds makes me ill. With penny slots, I played the same $20 all evening before I lost it!

When it was time to go to the arena, there was a huge crowd gathered. Security was kind of a mess: they had male officers frisking male attendees and female officers further up the line frisking the ladies and checking bags. Seems like it might have made more sense to split up men and women or at least have some sort of signage indicating that was the procedure. While we waited, I checked out the makeup of the crowd which was very interesting. There were lots of older folks, but not older in the sense that "Brian and Roger are in their 60s and still awesome older"; it was more like "I'm going to hit the buffet at the golf club before nap older". I also spotted a fair number of families: parents in their 40s-50s with teenage-ish kids. The older generation definitely had the biggest showing though.

My shirt, which I will rarely wear lest it get worn!

The admission line basically lead straight into the merchandise line, which was fine because I knew I wanted a shirt. I'd scoped them out online earlier in the week and had narrowed it down to a particular style. My friend liked another style better (and I actually did too), but it didn't have the concert dates on the back and I really wanted that feature on the shirt. Otherwise it's just a Queen shirt that I could have bought anywhere! I also wanted to snag a program for a friend in Canada who visited the Montreal show but the programs were sold out.

So we waited...and waited...and waited.

Oh my gosh we were in this line forever! The shirts were all numbered and displayed on the wall so all you had to say was, "Number 3, size Medium" and then pay, but people were taking forever! One lady in front of us would say, "Number 12, size XL", the lady would get the shirt and then the first lady would say, "Number 30, size XL." You seriously couldn't order all the styles at once?!?!! Another two ladies stood there for ten minutes holding shirts up to their backs to figure out sizing as if they had never purchased t-shirts before. And I can't even count the number of people who asked, "What's on the back of Number [whichever]?" If the back isn't displayed on the wall, it's blank, people! Geesh!

We made our way to the front and at that point had decided to combine our orders to save time. My friend dealt with the lady for literally 45 seconds and 30 of those seconds were the lady fetching our two shirts. Everyone is seriously lucky that the show didn't start in the meantime or else I think we would have totally freaked out!

View from our seats. There were two giant television
displays and then a Q in the center with a video screen.
Unfortunately, our view of the Q video was blocked by
a piece of sound equipment.

Afterwards we found our seats. I've been in this particular arena before, but I was pleasantly surprised at how small it seemed. Suddenly our seats in the middle of nowhere didn't seem to terribly far from the stage. And even better, there was a catwalk and second smaller stage well within our view!

At this point it was past 8pm and I was ready for the show to start! I was definitely a little nervous and was bouncing around in my seat trying to contain my excitement. We did use the time to take a selfie photograph since Husband wasn't sitting with us to be official photographer of the night! We also chatted up the folks next to us: the couple to our left claimed to be big fans, but didn't know it was Dr. May's birthday so we weren't sure what to make of that and then man to our right said his brother was a big fan but he didn't do much squealing so who knows! (Obviously I'm being silly with both those statements: I don't go around judging whether someone's Queen fandom is adequate...or do I?)

The show itself was, in a word, amazing. Completely and utterly amazing. The set list was perfect: a combination of tried and true classics (Another One Bites the Dust, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, and Killer Queen) and more obscure tracks that separated out the real from the casual fans (Seven Seas of Rhye, In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited, and Now I'm Here). And more importantly, the boys sounded great. Dr. May and his Red Special were in rare form and good ole Roger thundered through the songs like a drummer half his age! He did have some assistance in the form of his youngest son, Rufus, who has been performing with the band as a percussionist for the past few years. Rog definitely held his own though and it was only during one song (Tie Your Mother Down, which came very late in the set list) that he completely handed over the drumming reigns to Rufus.

I'd made a very conscious decision that I didn't want to see any video of Adam Lambert performing with the band prior to the concert. You have to understand that this meant restraining myself for ages as Adam has been performing in one-off shows with Brian and Roger for several years now. For me, I felt very strongly that I needed to make my own opinion about the collaboration and I hoped that someday I'd be able to form that opinion after watching them perform together live. That said, I thought Adam did a fine job. He very clearly understood and made it clear to the audience that he understood that the show wasn't about him. I read a review that questioned why the boys didn't throw Adam's fans a bone in the form of one of his solo songs, but I think the answer is obvious: this wasn't Queen AND Adam Lambert. This was Queen + Adam Lambert. Of all the merchandise for sale outside the arena, there was ONE Adam Lambert shirt. Out of nearly 30 different Queen variations, including several that featured Freddie Mercury. Yes, Adam Lambert's fans may have come to the show to hear him sing, but there was no question that he was there to sing Queen songs and rather proud and honored to be doing so.

Adam's certainly got a flamboyant personality, that's part of the reason why many felt he would be a good fit for a band once fronted by Freddie Mercury, one of the most outrageously flamboyant frontman ever. He was cheeky and wore some wild costumes, but remained respectful of his stagemates the entire evening. At one point, Dr May asked the crowd how we liked the "new guy" and his bashfulness at our polite applause seemed rather genuine.

Speaking of bashfulness, however, I'd be lying if I didn't say that my favorite part of the show was the middle section where Adam took a lengthy break. It began with Adam announcing that it was Dr. May's birthday and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to him. I'm including Husband's videos because he had a slightly better position in the crowd and has a better camera on his phone (and if you listen closely to the second video below, you can hear him singing along!!) Oh my gosh I seriously could not love this man more! As we sang, he made his way down the catwalk to the smaller stage and I knew immediately that some wonderful things were about to happen!

I was not disappointed. The next song was one that I've always wanted to see performed live because of its sing-along component: Love of My Life. The history behind this song is that Queen embarked on a world tour in 1980-1981. When they arrived in South America, this song (though released several years prior on the Night at the Opera album) was a huge hit and audiences demanded that the band play it. They complied and the crowd would sing along, often drowning out Freddie himself. When the band returned to North America (to film their iconic Queen: Rock Montreal concert), they included it in the set list, not realizing it wasn't quite the hit up north. This led to a very sweet exchange between Freddie and Brian about one verse into the song where Freddie says, "they don't know it!" From that point on, however, the song became fan favorite all over the world and has been a staple in the band's set list for decades. Now, of course, Dr. May both sings and plays guitar on this song and the emotion in his voice is evident. He asked us to sing along and promised us a "treat" at the end if we performed well. I'm not ashamed to admit that I definitely shed a tear while singing along to this one and I was horrified to see how many people made a beeline to the restrooms during this song! I think we should have locked them out! How could you walk out on this beautiful moment?

Although it was rather predictable, the "treat" at the end was a video of Freddie singing the final portion of the song. Yup, the tears were definitely flowing at that point!

The mini-set ended with Roger joining Dr. May for another one of my favorites: '39! Oh how I love this song and I greatly enjoyed singing along to this one as well. It really is a perfect example of what a dork Dr. May is though: he went into this whole elaborate explanation about how the song is a folk song set in outer space and then said we were going on a mission into space. Oh my gosh - talk about adorkable! Then they headed back to the main stage where Roger sang his signature contribution: Days of Our Lives, another one that tugs on the heartstrings of those fans who remember and loved Freddie so much.

Overall, I was very pleased with the concert. I was thrilled when later (on the closer stage, no less) they played Under Pressure. I didn't recall that one being on the set lists and as you may recall it holds a special place in my heart for being the song that showcases what an amazing musician Roger is. He sang his part as strong as ever and I swear for a minute it sounded like David Bowie had shown up! I was a little sad that Rog didn't get to sing lead on Radio GaGa, but I greatly enjoyed his dueling drum solo with Rufus! That was definitely not on the set list!

The one song I really did wish they had played was It's Late, my absolute favorite Queen song. They only ever played it live a few times in the 1970s so I knew this one was a long shot but I think it would have been amazing to hear. Maybe next time, eh boys?

I don't regret for a minute going to the show and several times just closed my eyes and enjoyed the fact that I was in the same room with Dr. May and Roger Taylor listening to them play music. It was completely surreal. And, again, I shed another tear during the encore as they played We are the Champions and I realized that this was the last song I'd likely ever hear them play live. (Unless I go back for tonight's show, which I totally might skip town and do!) It was truly a magical evening with two of my favorite musicians!

**NOTE** I've linked to my previous posts for each song on the set list that I featured as a Queen Song of the Week. I highly recommend that you go back and listen to the original recordings and live versions of those songs as they really are masterpieces that showcase the talents of four of the most iconic and diverse musicians of the 20th century!

Tons of fun at Dutch Wonderland!

2014-07-11T13:51:00.000-04:00

Every year since Toddler O was born he and I have made the 10 hour journey to my hometown to visit my parents and sister. Because the drive is so long I am constantly trying to figure out ways to break up the trip or, even better, find a driving companion. The first year, Toddler O was a wee babe and just slept and nursed alternately for the entire trip. We stopped in my parents' hometown, where some relatives still lived, and then my parents drove to the Virginia boarder to see us the final three hours.

The second summer was even more awesome. We drove to Philadelphia with Husband who was there for work. Then we drove three hours alone before again meeting my parents at the Virginia boarder. Then my whole family drove with us to New Jersey for a wedding where we met Husband who drove with us the final few hours the following day.

This year we specifically planned the trip at a time when Husband had to be in D.C. and North Carolina for work. We drove to the Virginia boarder to meet my parents, but then Husband drove from D.C. to my parents' house to spend a few days. Then we all drove home together.

It's nice having company on the road and completely awesome when I don't have to drive. Toddler O was a rough driving companion this year because he talks constantly and doesn't stop talking until you figure out what he's saying and acknowledge it.

This is a typical conversation with Toddler O right now:

Toddler O: "Horses! I see horses."

Me: Looking around for horses and seeing none.

Toddler O: "Do you see horses, mommy?"

Me: "Where?"

Toddler O: "In the barn. Horses in the barn: do you see it?"

Me: "Ah yes. I see them." (realizing that in his mind barn = horse)

Toddler O: "Good."

And so on with each and every thing he laid eyes on for the entire trip. Oi!

Husband initially suggested breaking up the trip home by stopping at Sesame Place outside Philadelphia. I did a little research and decided that (1) it was ridiculously expensive: for the three of us to just walk in the gate it would have been $150+! and (2) it wasn't really something Toddler O would be into since it's mostly waterpark. I thought he might be a bit young. I poked around online a little more and came across Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Randomly a girlfriend from high school lives in the Lancaster area so I emailed her to ask if she'd been to Dutch Wonderland and if her two year old liked it there. She emailed back right away that they love this particular park so that was enough for me. We decided right then and there to drive five hours to Lancaster, visit Dutch Wonderland and then drive the remaining five hours home the following day.

Dutch Wonderland was, in a word, adorable. I'd read online that it wasn't your typical amusement park: for example, there's a big ole cornfield at the edge of the park! And most of the rides are geared toward the 8 and under crowd. Perfect!

Outside the castle gates on Friday evening.

One comment that Husband made as we were driving down the main road toward Dutch Wonderland is that he understands now why Disney purchased every acre of land they could get their hands on outside of Disney World. It was very weird to be driving past restaurants, outlet malls, and Amish touristy stops and then *boom* amusement park. One of the first rides we went on was a little boat that basically rode along side the road for a bit!

Anyway, one of the super cool things about Dutch Wonderland is the cost. We paid about $70 for two daily tickets (you can get them for cheaper if you buy in advance on their website): Toddler O was free, but then they offer a "free preview evening!" So for the three hours before the park closes, you can use your daily admission ticket to get into the park and then use your admission ticket again for a full day of park fun! So basically you are buying a 1.5 day ticket, which is awesome!

We got to the park at 5pm on a Friday evening and it was pretty dead. Any ride Toddler O saw, we got right on. In fact, some rides he had to sit for 5 minutes in the airplane (or whatever) while other kids wandered over to get on. No line waiting at all!

As I said, the rides are all relatively tame, but there are still some minimal height and parental supervision requirements. Toddler O ended up being an "Emerald" which meant that he could go on most rides, but needed an adult with him on most. The ride workers all had these cute little color coded measuring sticks that they'd swing around to quickly categorize a kid. Another cool thing is that some rides actually had height maximums so Toddler O had to ride alone. He felt like a pretty cool dude on those rides!

Toddler O turned out to be a bit of a daredevil like Husband. His favorite two rides would have given me fits at age 3 (or even at age 33!). The first was called the Frog Hopper. This was had spots for six kids and then one adult could fit in the middle. The dad in front of us in line decided to go and I didn't want to risk Toddler O freaking out by having to wait any longer
so I just put him on by himself. He shrieked with delight the entire time and then wanted to go on again when we passed it later! I think it helped that there was an announcement that they kids should "ribbit" like frogs so he was screaming "ribbit" the whole time too! Very cute!

The other ride Toddler O loved I had spotted while we rode the Sky Ride across the park on the first evening: the Kite Flight. I knew I had no intention of going near it but I thought Husband and Toddler O might have fun. We visited it first thing the next morning and I was right: Toddler O screamed the whole time, "I'm flying!"

This year there is a whole new section at Dutch Wonderland called Exploration Island. It had animatronic dinosaurs and Toddler O's favorite, a sandbox. He was a bit nervous about the dinosaurs on the first night but the next day he specifically asked to see them again. He still didn't want to stand alone near them though which is how I ended up in this picture with his favorite dinosaur species: triceratops (which he calls "tops").

Dutch Wonderland also has a whole water park area called Duke's Lagoon but it was randomly 60 degrees the day we visited so it was a bit too chilly to try the water park. We did decide to be brave and went on the Double Splash Fume which got us more than enough wet for the day!

One thing that I wasn't crazy about at Dutch Wonderland is that there is a decidedly carnival feel once you get through the gates. In my mind, I paid my admission so once I'm in I should get to enjoy everything for free. Not so. They had pony rides for $6/ride (luckily I was more into Toddler O riding a pony than he actually was so we skipped it); face painting for $10 and up (!!!?!?), and lots of carnival games. As we passed one game, Toddler O saw a little girl choosing a rubber duck out of a pond. He started screaming: he wanted to choose a duck too. He didn't even care about the prize or know it was a game: he just wanted to pick up a stupid duck. $2 later he had chosen a duck and won this stupid little stuffed animal (it was one of those "everybody wins" games) that promptly went into my diaper bag and he hasn't mentioned since. Ugh - at least it was only $2!

As we left, I just had to hit up the gift shop. I'm such a sucker for gift shops, especially when Toddler O is at his current age of actually starting to remember things. I figure having a souvenir or two to jog his memory is a good thing. I found him a cute Duke the Dragon shirt, a magnet (which we always get when we visit someone), and this adorable Dutch Wonderland board game modeled after Candy Land. All told, I spent about $35 which I didn't think was too pricey.

We also splurged on one last treat before we went home: Dole Whips!

"What?" you might say, "I thought Dole Whips were only at Disney World!"

Apparently Disney World and Dutch Wonderland both appreciate the glory of a Dole Whip. Although I goofed again while ordering and got the orange swirl flavor instead of the pineapple swirl flavor (you may recall that while at Disney I first ordered the Dole Whip sans swirl which, while delicious, is not as glorious as the Dole Whip swirl). The orange flavor was still tasty though and Toddler O was just happy to have a big ole cone of ice cream. We've decided that from now on Dutch Wonderland will be a midpoint stop in our trip to Virginia so maybe by our 7th or 8th visit, I'll finally order the Dole Whip that I actually want to eat!

So if you ever find yourself passing through the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area and you have kids, definitely stop by Dutch Wonderland. It's a really sweet place and Toddler O is still talking about it!

Pinterest Inspired Father's Day Gifts

2014-06-09T19:42:00.002-04:00

Okay, Husband, obviously by the title this post is about gifts for you so since I'm posting it before Father's Day, you need to curb any nosiness and stop reading right now!

I'll be the first to admit that I came ridiculously late to the Pinterest bandwagon. For years I did not understand what all the fuss was about. Then last October I started planning Toddler O's 2nd birthday party. I knew we wanted a Thomas & Friends theme so I started poking around on Google for party ideas. All of a sudden Pinterest made sense: instead of bookmarking a thousand different sites with one idea each or trying to remember which recipes I wanted to recreate, I could have it all in one place. I could even compare a few different ideas right next to each other and decide which one I liked better! I was a convert overnight and I created my first Pinterest board full of Thomas & Friends party ideas.

Since then I've created a few other boards too (although I still don't understand some boards that people create! I'm sure I'll eventually get it - I'm just a slow learner, I guess!). I have a bunch for recipes and a fashion board that I created for my Stitch Fix stylist. It occurred to me a few weeks ago though that I could create a board for Father's Day because there was no chance that Husband would be poking around on Pinterest and have all his gifts spoiled!

I knew what big gift I wanted to get Husband for a while now. Back when I was pregnant he got a bike for his birthday and he has literally been talking for the last 3.5 years about getting a trailer to take Toddler O out for a spin. We finally invested in a tricycle (and helmet) for Toddler O and Husband, of course, has his bike and helmet so all we needed was a trailer and he'd be good to go. I will admit that I had extreme reservation in purchasing the trailer for two reasons: (1) I'm not the greatest bicyclist and the idea of riding with such precious cargo makes me very nervous! and (2) Husband has accidentally lost 30 pounds the past year by inadvertently being on Weight Watchers (since I was doing the program and the cooking). There is definitely more than a little bit of me that will be enraged if he starts actually exercising again and loses more weight! Ugh men!

Several of my girlfriends have (and use) bike trailers though so I've been assured of their safety. I checked different brands and styles for a while but couldn't find one that fit my requirements of being not crazy expensive (i.e. a Baby Jogger pod which looks awesome but - holy guacamole - $450???) and fitting a child as big as Toddler O is (more than 3 feet tall and 33 pounds). I didn't want something that he'd grow out of by the end of this summer. Finally, I randomly got an email from Amazon that they had marked down some trailers. The first one on the list was a brand one of my girlfriend's had and liked (Schwinn) and carried up to 50 pounds! For $100! The reviews were all very good so I bit the bullet and snagged it. We're actually out of town for the next week without Husband so I told him he could open the package when it arrives a full week before Father's Day. I mean it's not like he can use it without us (unless he goes out and rents another toddler!) Now he'll have an extra reason to be excited about us coming home!

So the big gift was out of the way but Husband is meeting us out of town (we're at my mom's house) next week. I wanted to do something small to celebrate Father's Day here so enter Pinterest!

First, I made this beer caddy. Adorable, right? I sewed it all by myself (this is actually prototype 2.0 as the first one was too small to actually fit a beer bottle. Ooops - live and learn, right?) I followed this tutorial from Pinterest, which looks a lot more complicated than it actually is. The hardest part was finding all the specialty fabric at Joann's! And I had to make my own stencil since I never did find an iron-on stencil that wasn't glittery! After I made it, I made my brother-in-law model it for us, complete with a beer bottle. It looks so cute! I figure Husband can wear it for cookouts, golfing, even mowing the lawn! I have tons of fabric leftover so I made just start a side business making these silly things now that I'm such a pro!

Here's the back. I actually sewed a little belt loop that you can put around your belt! So cute! If you do decide to try it yourself, I went rogue and sewed the ripstop nylon liner first by pinning it around an actual beer bottle. Then when it came time to create the outer layer (of canvas and fusible fleece), I knew exactly how big it needed to be to still fit the bottle. Just a little tip so your first version doesn't end up in the garbage like mine did!

My second project was actually more complicated and time consuming than the beer caddy was! I had seen a cute print-out on etsy (via Pinterest) of a tree with hand prints in place of leaves. Very cute. Toddler O has never really been big into crafting but after 8 weeks of "school" where he "painted" every week, I thought maybe he'd be ready for it. The PDF from etsy was $10 and since I am ridiculously cheap, I refused to pay that and figured I could recreate the look on my own. Initially I had construction paper, a mat and a frame but then I realized that a canvas could actually be nicer (and cheaper!) so I bought that instead. I also invested in some tempera paint in six primary colors, figuring I could mix a wide variety of shades for the project. First, I got to work on my own while Toddler O was sleeping. I painted the tree trunk and ground line. Then I stenciled "Happy Father's Day 2014" in a purple ombre color scheme. The stenciling alone took forever because I had to wait for each individual letter to dry before I could do another one!

I was so nervous to turn the project over to Toddler O! Obviously he was going to be supervised, but it was up to him to not completely destroy my beautiful branches and stenciling! He was very excited to have paint on his hands and right away knew that he had to press his hand onto the canvas. It certainly didn't hurt that the previous day we had been to a craft program at the history museum which just so happened to involve making hand print cows! He did great for the first four hand prints. The fifth one got a little crazy: he changed the position of his hand at the last minute and then wiggled his fingers a bit. I consulted with my artist adviser (i.e. my sister) who recommended doing a sixth hand print to try to cover up some of the damage. That helped significantly and I had to remind myself a few times that he's only a boy of two and his art projects shouldn't be too perfect! I did manage to sneak in two extra hand prints for a second present for Pops (my dad)!

Finally, I spotted a super cute mason jar filled with Reese's Pieces. Husband is a big fan of peanut butter and always puts Reese's Pieces on his Sweet Frog creations so this seemed like an appropriate candy treat to give him. The mason jar is decorated with a tie, which he doesn't actually wear to work anymore but it was cute so I did it anyway. Because I had my new collection of tempera paints, I painted the tie rather than coloring it or creating it with construction paper. On the top I stenciled "love you to pieces" (ha!).

So there you have it: even a big Pinterest newbie like me can find and actually replicate some pretty adorable ideas! Ultimately I changed the name of my board from "Husband" to "Gift Ideas" and now I'm going to use it year round to keep track of all sorts of cute possibilities for friends, teacher gifts and family. Husband has already received his trailer and seemed excited by it so I hope he's super surprised when he gets into town and has more gifts to open! It was fun making them, particularly the tree which got Toddler O involved. I think we might have to do some more crafty things now that he understands not to eat paint or smear it all over the place! Guess I'll have to use Pinterest to get some ideas for that too!

Stitch Fix #3

2014-05-13T20:46:00.000-04:00

I went ahead and signed up for my third Stitch Fix fix as soon as I checked out last month. Since there was a May date available, I snagged it. In retrospect, I think monthly fixes might be too frequent for me. This whole month I was reluctant to look at or buy anything because I didn't know if something similar would be coming in my fix. I've heard that there is an automatic every other month option that was recently introduced so I think that timing might be perfect. Luckily the one thing I bought this month (a navy/green striped maxi skirt from Target) is unlike anything in this fix!

My Stitch Fix shipment arrived a day early again which is always such a treat! Though I hadn't specifically mentioned it, I have a big function for a group that I belong to tomorrow night and in the back of my mind I thought maybe I would get something to wear to that. Now I have an extra day to decide! Yay!

Initial impressions: I have a new stylist - again. I wonder if you have to request the same one or maybe they just give you a different stylist until you buy all five items? This month my stylist was Mia and she right away pleased me by referencing my blog reviews and my Pinterest board. So at least she's reading my past feedback. I also feel like it's probably a good thing for them to actually see a picture of me. Sure, they have all my sizing and I was totally honest about my short waist and big thighs, but having a visual can only improve the situation, right?

Here's the note she wrote me:

Hello from Stitch Fix Kathleen! I loved seeing your Stitch Fix review on your blog! It really makes styling you that much better. All of the feedback you give us is always so helpful. The Pomelo maxi dress is one of my favorite spring styles and will look great with a denim jacket and flats. I saw that you pinned the 41Hawthorn tank and thought you would like it in the yellow for spring to pair with your Just Black jeans [from Stitch Fix 1]. The 41Hawthorn top is a great spring color and can easily be dressed up for date night or paired with something casual to take the kids to school. Have fun trying everything on! I look forward to seeing your blog post. Xo, Mia

Right off the bat, I liked everything on the style card. No accessories, bags or jewelry (yay!) and a lot more color (which I had specifically requested). Already we're off to a good start. I had mentioned in my notes that even though I had started a Pinterest board, and actually pinned a few Stitch Fix items, I didn't necessarily want those items or those colors. I was just pinning styles I was drawn too: I didn't want them to think I was just making a wish list. So one thing that I pinned, Mia sent but in a different color. Everything else is a more subtle reflection of the styles I liked.

Lexis Chevron Print Henley Tank by Papermoon ($48)

Initial Impressions: Hm, more chevron. Until last month's fix, I didn't have any chevron in my closest and I can't say I felt it was a gaping hole. I also don't own any Henley tops: not that I don't like the style, it's just not something I'm drawn to so this will be the first one I've even tried on! I did really like the two ways that this top was styled and could see myself wearing it both ways. I also was much more attracted to the print and color of this top once I pulled it out of the box: the colors pop much more vibrantly than they do on the styling card. The material felt soft so I'm eager to try this one on.

After trying on: Husband's comment was that I looked like I belonged on "That 70s Show". Point taken. The top felt a bit on the short side to me. The pattern has a ton of colors in it and would go with a lot, but I'm not sure the Henley portion is sitting properly on my chest: it felt super baggy. My bra straps were also poking out in the back because there is the ever-so-slightest razorback. Turns out my initial reaction was right on this one.

Status: Returned

Carmina Heathered Knit Dolman Sleeve Top by Oxmo ($48)

Initial Impressions: Stitch Fix seems to love sending me dolman tops: this is my third one. I did end up buying one in my first fix (and liked the second, but I already had one). I guess after a month of no dolman, they are trying again. On the style card, this top looks more grey but in person: "Holy 1980s, Batman!" There are neon blue, pink and yellow streaks throughout. Yikes. Another issue? It's long sleeves. It was 85 degrees here yesterday! I'm not sure I can get away with long sleeves all that often in the summertime. Again, the styling card showed two very "Kathleen friendly" options (i.e. light jean crops/sandals and black jeans/heels), but I'm not sure that's going to be enough to convince me on this one.

After trying on: Okay, yes this top is long sleeved, but it's also thin. I guess that's supposed to make it wearable in the summer but all it did for me was point out the waistband of both pairs of pants (which I HATE!) The top is also not sitting great in the second picture (that's Husband's fault for not giving me any wardrobe instructions before snapping away). The neons are a lot more muted once the top is on, but I'm still not a fan of this one. Enough with the dolman tops, Stitch Fix!

Status: Returned

Fiona Embroidery Detail Striped Maxi Dress by Pomelo ($78)

Initial Impressions: I must be some sort of maxi dress psychic, because just like last month, I literally just read a review that included this dress! This dress has lace detail at the top which I did think was cute (although means I have to bust out the strapless bra - meh). I actually pinned a lace sleeved sweatshirt so I wonder if this was Mia's summer version of that. It's navy and cream which is still neutral, but comes across as much prettier than the grey/black dress I got last month. I held it up to myself and it seems like it might be long enough. That'll be the real test, I think!

After trying on: Now we're into murkier waters. As you can see, I only styled this dress one way. I was convinced that it was showing every lump and bump and I figured trying to fix it would be a lost cause, but the picture actually came out kind of nice so now I'm torn. It's definitely long enough and, even better news, I can wear my regular bra with it as long as it's a nude color. I didn't take a sideways picture so it's possibly a disaster from that direction. Help!

Status: ???

Alessandra Striped & Colorblocked Blouse by 41 Hawthorn ($54)

Initial Impressions: This is the top that I had pinned in a bright blue color. Mia sent me the yellow version. It's a really cute top but the material felt weird. I checked the fabric content and - yup - 100% polyester. On my style profile I asked to avoid polyester and they have up until this point. Granted I did pin this top, but obviously I can't tell the fabric content when I see a random item online. I kind of wish Mia had overruled me on this. And the price point is higher than the three non-poly options! I'll still try it on and it might be cute but it just seems like it will be really hot for summer.

After trying on: Well geesh I knew there was a reason I pinned this top: it's freakin' adorable! I liked it as a casual everyday outfit and then also as a going out outfit (not that I ever do, but a girl likes to have options!) I really really wish this was the nice soft material that the chevron top was. Husband liked this top the best (aside from the dress) and I really did too! Ugh but polyester? What's a girl to do?

Status: ???

Selfridge Cowl Neck Long Sleeve Top by 41 Hawthorn ($48)

Initial Impressions: Another long sleeved top? The weather must be much more mild wherever these fixes are coming from. In Connecticut we seriously go from snow to 80 degrees in the span of two weeks. There just isn't a big window for lightweight long sleeved tops to get much use. The color on this one is very pretty, but both of the styling options are pretty dressy (albeit cute). This is a top I'd be much more excited about if I were still working but unless I put it on and look like a supermodel, I'm predicting I'll pass!

After trying on: I'm not quite sure why the Stitch Fix stylists keep trying to swarth my upper body in fabrics. Between the dolman tops, the oversized V-neck from my last fix, and now this cowl neck, I'm starting to wonder! I definitely chose that I prefer tops fitted to my body and straight options on the bottom, but it seems like I keep getting the reverse. I said to Husband as I stepped outside to take this photo, "This is a nightmare of fabric," and it is: lovely, soft fabric, but way too much of it. It's another thin long sleeved top but again that leads to a game of jean peek-a-boo. I didn't even bother styling this one the second way since it was so much dressier than I'm ever going to be (and I don't currently own a skirt! Ha!)

Status: Returned

So right now it's between the Alessandra Striped & Colorblocked Blouse and the Fiona Embroidery Detail Striped Maxi Dress. I'm not entirely sure I love either but the thought of losing my $20 (even though it was referral credits) is a tough choice to make. I feel like so many of these were close but then didn't work out. I loved all the color in the box (except maybe the neons - I don't need that much color!) and they definitely listened to my feedback about the dress length so we're making progress.

What should I do?

** Disclaimer ** I wasn't compensated for this review by Stitch Fix, but if you use my referral link to sign up, I get a $25 credit when you receive your first fix. Then you get your own code to distribute and potentially receive $25 in credit when your friends sign up. Neat, huh?

Stitch Fix #2 Review

2014-04-16T13:16:00.001-04:00

I had originally scheduled my second Stitch Fix shipment for mid-May (after receiving my first in mid-January), but then I kept pushing the date further and further up until it was finally in mid-April. I really hoped to get some nice summer clothes and since temperatures here tend to hop from 45 to 75 overnight, I figured the early the better for receiving some new options!

So for any newcomers, the gist of Stich Fix is this:

1) You register for Stitch Fix and fill out an extensive fashion and style profile.
2) When you are ready to receive a shipment, pay a $20 styling fee.
3) When your box arrives, try on the five items they send, decide which to keep and send any rejected items back in the prepaid shipping envelope.
4) Check-out online to pay for your purchases (the $20 styling fee goes towards any items you purchase. If you choose to keep nothing, you forfeit the $20). If you keep all five of your items, you save 25%!

Neat, right? Especially for someone like me who basically needs a whole new wardrobe thanks to both post-baby weight loss and lifestyle change (as a stay-at-home mom).

This shipment was originally scheduled to arrive on Thursday, but tracking info suggested it would arrive on Wednesday. Then I went out to get the mail on Tuesday and it was sitting on my front porch. Definitely a nice surprise for it to arrive early, but be warned since you only have three days to return unwanted items! Don't schedule your Fix to arrive around a time you are planning on being away or too busy to try things on! Luckily my schedule was wide open this week so I had all the time in the world to pour over the contents of my box.

The first thing I noticed about my second Fix was that I had a new stylist. I was a little disappointed about that: I feel like Megumi really got my style the first time and while ultimately I only kept two things, I really did like all five things included in my box. See my first review here. I had left really detailed feedback (about the delicate nature of the applique cardigan and that I didn't need two tops so similar in the same Fix) and had hoped to see where Megumi would go while preparing my next Fix.

Alas, I got a new stylist, Anna, who for the most part sent me things that I liked, but weren't really practical. I'd wager a guess that most of these stylist aren't yet moms (just because Stitch Fix stylist seems like a trendy just out of college job), but just by looking at the style cards I felt like Megumi had really nailed the easy yet put together style I was looking for whereas Anna maybe struggled a bit more. Despite these initial misgivings, I eagerly unpackaged my Fix and started inspecting the offerings.

Leya Thermal Knit Short Sleeve Top by Tart ($54)

First impressions: This top was the item that most caught my eye when I opened the box. I love a striped top and red is not a color I tend to wear a lot so I own no summer clothes like this. I had specifically asked for no white, but I was willing to give Anna a pass on this because it's technically not all white and I love striped tops so much! When I lifted the top out of the box, I was immediately struck by two things. One, which was good, was that there is a neat keyhole opening in the back which makes this top a lot more interesting than just a plain basic tee. Second, which was bad, is that this top seems very delicate. It's called "thermal knit" but the fabric seemed to stretch far more than any thermal I've ever encountered and seemed prone to snags. Obviously not a good thing when I've constantly got a two year old pawing at me!

I'm an idiot: ignore the price tags peeking out of the adorable keyhole! In my defense, it was 33 degrees outside when I took these pictures! 33 degrees! On April 16th! That is ridiculous! I'm wearing sandals here, people! All so I can write about my Stitch Fix experience! For you! You're welcome!

After trying on: Meh, this top completely underwhelmed me once I got it on. The knit just clung to my (smaller but still) post-baby tummy and the scoop on the hem did absolutely nothing for me. I liked the keyhole back, but really nothing else about this top. If it had just been a plain cotton t-shirt with the keyhole back, I would have kept it in a heartbeat! Such a disappointment.

Verdict: RETURNED

Wrenn V-Neck Jersey Top by Pomelo ($44)

First impressions: This top has been making the Stitch Fix blog review's circuit for a few months now in a variety of colors. My mom even received a Stitch Fix a few months back and this was included in a teal shade. Although it's just jersey, the style of this top seems overly dressy for a stay-at-home mom. Even the two outfits on the style card appear to be a work outfit and a going out outfit. No casual option to be seen! The one thing about this top that did peak my interest is that it's a lovely shade of royal purple, but even that strikes me as more of a fall/winter color. We'll see how it looks on, I suppose.

The only thing I changed about these two looks were the jeans.
Jeans: Just Black (from my last Stitch Fix)
Capris: Old Navy

After trying on: This is not a very forgiving top: I can see the tops of both of the jeans I'm wearing above and I hate when that happens. I also had to take about ten pictures to hide all the lumps and bumps and if I'm being completely honest - I'm probably sucking in a bit in both these shots. The neckline just feels so formal to me. If I were still working I'd probably keep this one in a heartbeat, but for just hanging out on the playground it's a pass.

Verdict: RETURNED

Erie Mini Reversible Crossbody Tote by Street Level ($48)

First impressions: Oh crap, did I not check off "No handbags" on the style profile? I immediately ran to the computer to check only to discover that there is no "No handbags" option so I just have to remember to type that 100 times in my comments from now on. Now I'm fully aware that this is going to come off as snotty, but if I'm going to invest in a handbag, I want to invest in a handbag. I learned my lesson several years back when I purchased a cheap handbag from Macy's and just months later, it was a mess: strings everywhere, stains, no shape. A disaster. One of my Coach bags, on the other hand, lasted 6 years as my everyday work bag. It lugged enormous files, water bottles, and everything in between and yet looks like I just bought it yesterday. So strike one against this bag is that it's $48 and obviously not real leather. Sorry, but if I'm buying a handbag, I'm investing in one that's going to last me more than a few months. Strike two is that I think handbags are really personal: some people like big pockets, some don't, others like crossbody, others don't. It's just too much of a gamble and the style profile asks ZERO questions about handbags. Strike three is that this bag is labeled "mini" and it totally is: it's like a little Barbie handbag. I could barely fit my wallet and phone in here, let alone diapers, wipes, snacks, water, Band-Aids and the other 300 things I must bring when we leave the house. Big fail on this one.

After trying on: I didn't even bother trying to figure out how to attach the strap.

Verdict: RETURNED

Ben Mixed Stripe Jersey Maxi Dress by Mystree ($78)

First impressions: I'd hoped that they'd send a maxi dress, but didn't want to specifically ask for a maxi dress because I didn't want them to send four. I figured for a summer time Fix, it was a given that they'd send at least one dress. I'd actually seen a review that included this dress earlier in the week so I'd seen it before. I'm least excited about the color palate of this dress: Anna wrote that the dark colors will "hide any dirt" I encounter, but a bright color in a washable fabric would have worked too! There are so many gorgeous corals and mints and radiant orchids out there right now, I would have loved some of that. And I'm pretty sure I included in my style profile that I'm pear shaped so I'm not sure why extra ribbons of fabric crisscrossing my already wide lower half is a good thing. Maybe Stitch Fix should consider not publishing reviews until items are out of circulation. It might just be me, but even if I love this dress on, I'd still be a little sad that it wasn't a total surprise when I opened the box.

Ugh ignore my beastly arms: I haven't been to boot camp in a month due to a pinched nerve in my back!

After trying on: One thing I hate about maxi skirts/dresses is I never know what the length is supposed to be. Short people whine about maxi dresses touching the floor, but then tall people complain when they don't. Which is it, people? Am I going to look like a freak wearing this thing out when I've got a good 6-8 inch clearance between the dress and the floor? I specifically said that I have long legs so I'm sad Anna didn't select a dress that had a longer length (like my beloved Megumi did with my black jeans from last time around). I'm also not sure the neckline is doing me any favors. It just seems very dumpy and frumpy and the dress itself is hugging every single curve I've got. Yikes. I can find a much better maxi dress out there!

Verdict: RETURNED

Lila Chevron Panel Knit Tank by Loveappella ($54)

First impressions: I liked that it was chevron without being chevron all over. That's a trend that may be on its way out the door, but this tank I feel like I could get away with when it's long gone. The blue and teal were nice colors and I liked how, despite having a razorback, it also had regular straps so it can be worn with a regular bra. It did look rather enormous though. This is another sizing issue: when something runs so big, how do you know when it's the style and when it's too big? This is a Medium, which is my true size, but maybe I need a Small when something is so big like this. I don't want to look like I'm wearing a sack! Granted, it would be a pretty teal chevron sack, but nonetheless a sack!

Styled for summer and fall.
Shorts: Old Navy
Jacket: Athleta
Pants: Just Black (from my last Stitch Fix)

Pretty back but no special bra needed! Yay!

After trying on: I like this top. It doesn't look like anything else I currently own, but goes with the type of "easy but stylish" vibe I'm trying to give off this summer. The style card suggests white pants and a denim jacket or an A-line knit skirt. I'm more likely to go with the former look just because I think with a wide hemmed shirt like this, I need a thinner bottom to balance out my lower half. I think it would look nice with shorts too.

Overall, this Stitch Fix was a bit of a disappointment. I felt like Megumi really got my style, my figure, and my lifestyle last time around and with Anna, not so much. The fact that my mom and I got even one item in common is a joke: I'm a 5'9" stay-at-home mom who asked for easy summer outfits and she's a 5' retiree who wanted nicer items to wear on her South Pacific cruise. The bag, in particular, was a big disappointment. That's a whole extra article of clothing that I didn't even get to try. Granted I didn't specifically say "no bags" but I had said no to all other accessories so I feel like it maybe should have been inferred. Bummer.

I've got some referral credits so essentially I'll get the chevron tank as well as my next Fix free so I'm definitely trying again. I also started a Pinterest board which I'll pin too next time around to give them a better idea of my specific style. And, of course, detailed feedback is a must. While I'm a tad disappointed, it does seem like your first few Fixes can be hits or misses while they try to figure you out. Perhaps because my first Fix was so spot on, this Fix seems to be more of a miss than it actually was. If I received this Fix first, I might be more excited about everything, but short of a time machine there's no way of ever knowing!

If you do want to sign up (and you still totally should because it's still fun to get a box full of unknown goodies on your doorstep every month!), please use my referral code. I'll get $25 to use towards my next Fix and once you sign up, you'll get your own referral code to share with friends.

Stitch Fix referral code: https://stitchfix.com/referral/3142615

Disney Dining with an (Almost) Toddler

2014-04-06T20:07:00.001-04:00

Prior to our recent Disney adventure, I'd heard mixed advice about how to eat at Disney World. Some folks swear by the meal plan and others say, "No way!" The complaints of the latter group seemed to completely vary too: "the meal plan isn't enough food!" "the meal plan is too much food!" "it's too expensive!" "the options for children are limited!" Everyone has an opinion and good luck convincing them otherwise!

So upfront I'm going to say it: we got a Disney Dining Plan and, for the most part, our group was very happy with it.

Disney Dining Plan is available to guests staying at Disney Resorts. To take advantage of the Dining Plan, you must purchase your tickets as part of a Magic Your Way Package. That basically means you are paying for your hotel, food, park tickets, and some small extras (i.e. a refillable drink mug) in advance. The thing about these packages is that you get meals for each night you are staying at a resort, not for each day you are visiting a park. So we were staying seven nights (Thursday-Thursday) so we got seven day's worth of dining (even though we only purchased five days worth of park tickets). I note this because you will need to arrange your meals within the parks accordingly: you can't schedule six meals at park restaurants if you only have a five day park pass so you'll need to check out some of the restaurants at the Disney Resorts.

We ultimately decided on a Dining Plan because we knew we wanted to do character meals and we knew that they were pricey! One character brunch alone can set you back close to $40/person and we did three! For us, even if we didn't eat all the allotted snacks, we made our money back with the table service choices we made.

The menfolk at a buffet breakfast -
this was a table service credit.

So what does "table service" mean? Well, it turns out there are several different types of Disney Dining Plans and that all the restaurants on the Disney property are categorized into three separate types of restaurants: table service, quick service, and snack. Table service restaurants are just what they sound like: you walk in, are seated, and order food which is brought directly to your table. Buffets are also included in table service restaurants. Quick service restaurants are like "fast food" restaurants: you order at a counter and then take food to your seat. Snacks can be found on the menu at certain quick service restaurants or at separate snack stands in the park.

The meal plans vary in the variety of each type of restaurant which is included. For example, there is one plan that is two quick service meals each day and one snack. You may notice that Disney offers "free" Dining Plans occasionally throughout the year: nine times out of ten, this is the Dining Plan that they are offering. The downside of this Dining Plan is that it does not include any table service credits which means no character dining. Another Dining Plan includes three table service meals each day! I guess some people like fine dining, but sitting around waiting to eat for 3+ hours every single day was not our idea of a good time...and I doubt our stomachs could have handled that much food either (especially before Splash Mountain!) Ultimately our Dining Plan was called the Magic Your Way Package Dining Service Plus and included one table service meal, one quick service meal, and one snack per person per day.

Children under three do not need a Dining Plan. Disney advertises that they can eat "free" but that requires some clarification. If we went to a buffet, Baby O was "free" to eat whatever he wanted off my plate, but if we were at a table service or counter service restaurant, we had to pay for a kid's meal. By the end of our vacation, however, we realized that my dad and grandmother were subsisting on merely our table service meal so we started using quick service meals for Baby O's lunch.

Disney Dining Tip: There is no distinction between children's quick service meals and adult quick service meals. If you have 49 quick service meals available (as we did at the start of our trip), you can use those credits to purchase meals for any member of your party. So if a member wants to eat light and chooses a kids' meal: no problem. Or if you want to use a credit so you don't have to pay for a kids' meal with cash: do it. Obviously this only works at quick service restaurants because one person is at the counter ordering. A waiter might give you a hard time if you were sitting in a restaurant trying to order filet mignon for a 5 year old using his meal plan!

Okay so we have our Dining Plan and we're ready to just start showing up at restaurants, right?

Oh my gosh, no!

Disney Dining Tip: Reservations to table service restaurants can be made up to 180 days in advance. Get out a calendar and count back 180 days from the start of your trip. On this morning at 7am EST, you must be either on the phone or at your computer if you have any hope of eating at some of the most popular Disney restaurants.

Disney will let you book meals for your entire vacation that morning (i.e. you don't have to call back every day all week), but some things are going to be booked already so have several workable plans in mind and try to be as flexible as possible. Remember, while you are hemming and hawing over whether you'll take a 5:15 reservation instead of a 5:30 reservation at Be Our Guest, the last reservations for the day at Cinderella's Royal Table were just snatched up. Here is a link with some of the most popular Disney restaurants (and alternatives if they are already full).

Disney Dining Tip: Use the Disney Food Blog website to figure out where you want to eat. The bloggers have been to Disney an enviable amount of times and have dined nearly everywhere and tried nearly everything! This website was a great help in figuring out which table service restaurants were worth visiting!

So my mom called and got reservations at our preferred restaurants at almost our preferred times. The restaurants we chose to eat at during our stay were: Mickey's Backyard BBQ (Fort Wilderness Resort), Coral Reef Restaurant (Epcot), Crystal Palace Character Lunch/Dinner with Winnie the Pooh and Friends (Magic Kingdom), 'Ohana Restaurant (Polynesian Resort), Chef Mickey's Character Breakfast with Mickey and Friends (Contemporary Resort), and Be Our Guest (Magic Kingdom). Phew!

Character Dining:

Mickey's Backyard BBQ at Fort Wilderness Resort:

The "gang" does their musical number.

We went to this dinner on our first night at Disney. We hadn't even gone to a park yet, but we made a very conscious effort to schedule this dinner first. Why? Because it was a character "experience" and show. What's the difference between a character "experience" (my totally made up word, not Disney's) and a character meal? In an "experience" characters don't come around from table to table. They are there at the meal, in this case out on the dance floor dancing and posing for pictures in predetermined spots, but they don't just show up behind you unexpectedly. We booked this meal first to gauge how Baby O was going to react to the characters. If this experience had gone poorly, we would have cancelled our other two character meals.

If you haven't ever been to Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort, it's worth visiting for a meal at least once if only to confirm that you will never ever ever stay there. We arrived at the resort via car only to find out that we had to load onto a bus that would take us deep into the woods where the BBQ was taking place. As we drove, the accomodations became more and more frightening: first, there were "cabins" (i.e. actual built structures), then we saw trailers and I swear by the time we were pulling into our stop (literally 25 minutes later - be sure to build that extra travel time into your schedule), there were just folks pitching tents. A little too woodsy for my blood!

Now because this was a show and a meal, it costs two table service credits. In real money that's equal to anywhere from $36 to $59.99/person. Zoinks! However, as Husband pointed out NUMEROUS times, unlimited beer and wine was included in that price. And the show. And a buffet. And, most importantly, a chance to determine if an almost two year old was terrified by Mickey Mouse.

Now the show itself is cute. It's a little rodeo with a band and two hosts. There is a cowboy who does rope tricks (with an audience participant). And the characters come out to do a little performance before joining the crowd to dance. Baby O was not really into being on the ground yet with the characters (who could blame him, it was very crowded), but he seemed to have fun as I carried him and bounced him around. At one point we spotted Minnie dancing in the corner with a smaller crowd and he was willing to dance near her. Finally, we saw Mickey and Minnie doing a photo opp right behind our table so we lined up. I held him, he smiled and said, "Hi," , we got a photo and he didn't scream or cry hysterically. All told, I'd call it a win.

Mickey bars were a hit.

The food here is barbeque food. I've seen reviews complaining that it was too "backyard" but it's not like Disney is hiding the ball here: it's called Mickey's Backyard Barbeque. There were ribs, chicken, burgers, and sides like macaroni and cheese, coleslaw and cornbread. Dessert was a Mickey bar. Don't show up expecting it to be a five star dining experience and you won't be disappointed. Was it the greatest food I've ever had in my life? No. Was it the greatest food I had during our Disney trip? Not even close. Was it the perfect way to start our vacation and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Absolutely!

Crystal Palace Lunch/Dinner with Winnie the Pooh and Friends

I call this a lunch/dinner because we had reservations at 2:45 and were seated around 3pm. This was also intentional on our part: there's a 3pm parade that runs past the Crystal Palace every afternoon. We lucked out and got a window table with a decent view, but unfortunately it started drizzling so everyone came up onto the covered patio portion of the Crystal Palace and blocked our view. No worries though - we got an amazing view of the parade on our last day (read about that here). It was also lunch/dinner literally: we went through the buffet the first time and then our waitress told us that they had switched over to the dinner options if we wanted to go through again (we did!)

Piglet took time to come see Pops.

This was our first character meal of the trip and not surprisingly, Disney runs these things like clockwork. I couldn't figure out how the Cast Members could keep straight which character had visited which table, but lo and behold somehow despite our ten person group taking numerous trips to the buffet and the restroom, the characters taking breaks, and new people arriving to be seated, not only did all the characters come to our table, but they brought them over in order of a child's likely interest (i.e. Eeyore first, Piglet, Tigger then Pooh). The characters were delightful. Seriously. They interacted not only with Baby O but with other people in our group too and, of course, were completely in character the whole time: Piglet was sweet and wanted to acknowledge everyone, Tigger was full of energy, and Pooh was very kind and gentle to Baby O, who was thrilled with the whole experience!

Food-wise, buffets really are a great value on the Dining Plan. This was also retails between $36-$59.99 and while the food was good, I would have had a heart attack if I'd gone to a restaurant and gotten that bill (especially since there were ten of us at that point!) Baby O ate free which meant that my first trip to the buffet was to fill a plate with anything that looked appealing and possibly not unhealthy. Then my second trip was for my own plate. Because he's an almost toddler, Baby O was much more interested in my plate than his (even though it contained some of the same things!) The Crystal Palace also does a character buffet breakfast, which is also very popular.

Overall, this was a good meal. We got to meet Pooh and Friends, which Baby O loved and it was a nice midday meal. We split some quick service meals that evening for dinner and were all satisfied. The location is prime: right off Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. This one is popular so be sure to make your reservations ahead of time: there's no walking in off the street for this restaurant!

Chef Mickey's at Contemporary Resort

We ate here on our gloriously perfect last day at the Magic Kingdom. That being said, I don't know if we were biased at all, but everyone agreed that this was an amazing character meal. There is both a breakfast and a dinner option. We chose breakfast and got 10:30am reservations. That actually worked out perfect because we arrived at the Magic Kingdom just as it opened (accidentally catching the morning show outside the park!), rode a few rides at Tomorrowland, met Buzz Lightyear and then hopped on the Monorail for the 5 minute ride to the Contemporary Resort.

As we waited for our table, the Cast Members lined us up for a photo opp with a Mickey statue. Later they come around to your table and give you the option to buy the photo. It's about $30 for a 8x10 and two 4x6. Overpriced? Yeah, probably, but it was our last day and it was a rare full group shot so we splurged. We got a big table against the back corner of the restaurant. Our waitress came right over, took our drink orders and sent us away to the buffet.

Oh my goodness, this buffet. My dad (Pops) is a huge breakfast fan and he definitely looked like he was in heaven. The options were endless: savory (breakfast pizzas, sausages, omelets), sweet (pancakes, Mickey waffles, about 300 types of Danishes), and healthy (fruit platters, granola, yogurt). I filled about four plates and still hadn't gotten one of everything! Baby O was a fan of the Mickey waffles and Danishes, but we managed to get a banana in him as well. I was just tasting everything and it was all delicious!

Baby O joined in the napkin twirling fun.

After we had our plates filled, the fun started. The vibe in this restaurant is straight-up Mickey nostalgia. As a child I had this little record player and a Disney 45 record that I played nonstop. Those were the songs playing at this restaurant! Songs like Digital Duck and Mickey, She's Got a Crush on You. I was like a kid again, squealing each time I recognized a song from my past! The whole restaurant would start twirling their napkins in the air to the music and then the characters would appear! No messing around here, Chef Mickey's brings out the big guns: Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Pluto all dressed in chef garb. Once again the characters seamlessly made their way from table to table, spending just enough time with everyone.

We've been "Goofy bombed!"

We did have a funny incident where Donald and Goofy arrived at our table at the same time from
different directions! The Cast Members quickly stepped in to swoop Goofy away but not before he "Goofy bombed" our photo with Donald! We all got a big laugh out of that! It even inspired a page in my Disney scrapbook with all types of different "Goofy" shots of us during the trip! An event bigger treat? The characters came around twice! So we were able to retake some pictures that hadn't quite come out the first time.

We momentarily panicked when we realized that Mickey had been detoured right as we were getting ready to leave so we mentioned to our waitress that he hadn't been back a second time. A few minutes later, Mickey's "handler" came over and told us that when we were ready to leave, she'd meet us in a little alcove by the kitchen. I was so thrilled because I really wanted to try to get a Baby O picture with Mickey by himself and ultimately I did! I thought it was so wonderful of them to accommodate us when there were like 200 other families that obviously wanted Mickey time too!

Once we got our Mickey picture, we hopped back on the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom. As far as character meals go, this one ranks up there in popularity with Cinderella's Royal Table. The execution is flawless and the food is delicious. We used one table credit for the meal which generally runs between $30-$59.99. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who has kiddos who want to meet the big five Disney characters. It was definitely a highlight of our trip.

Non-Character Dining:

Okay, before I dive into the other three restaurants we ate at, I want to say upfront that I had a hard time figuring out what to label this section. It's not "regular" dining because some of these restaurants are anything but so I settled on non-character dining which simply means that the characters do not come around to your table or interact freely with guests.

Coral Reef Restaurant at Epcot:

One memory my family had of our last trip to Disney (circa 1991) was eating at this restaurant and being stunned, literally stunned, when we were seated next to the giant fish tank wall. Since Baby O is a huge fish fan and we were in a Finding Nemo room, we figured this would be a nice place at Epcot to eat. Despite having "Advance Reservations", we waited a long time before we were seated.

Disney Dining Tip: Advance Reservations aren't exactly reservations so plan accordingly. Even if you've been told by Disney to arrive at a certain time, all that really means is that when you show up, you'll be seating before people who walk in off the street are. It doesn't mean that they are holding a table for you. We waited particularly long at Coral Reef because we were a big group (10, at that point) who asked to be front and center of the aquarium. Luckily we had snacks for Baby O and kept him occupied while we waited.

Once we were seated, we ordered our food. The food here is fine, probably on par with a Red Lobster, but if you are looking for amazing seafood creations, this is not the place to get it. We all enjoyed our dinners and it was neat to watch Baby O's reaction when the team of sea divers popped up in the aquarium, but had I been out looking for a "nice" dinner, I might have been disappointed. I think we all agreed that of the restaurants we ate at, we could have skipped this one and not minded.

The first of many "happys"!

Baby O, however, had a blast. It was at Coral Reef that we realized that he had started calling cupcakes "happy" presumably because you sing "Happy Birthday" and then get a cupcake! So we thought it was all kinds of adorable for the rest of the trip to reward him with a "happy" every time he asked! We also thought it wasn't fair that girls get all the fun of dressing up at Disney so we (okay, fine) I dressed him in his Nemo Halloween costume, which EVERYONE thought was adorable!

'Ohana Restaurant at the Polynesian Resort

Any disappointment we might have experienced with the food at Coral Reef was immediately rectified the following evening at 'Ohana. This was our last meal as a big group (Mimi and Poppi left the next day) and it was just perfect. A note: the Polynesian Resort is on the Monorail line and as a result isn't exactly driver-friendly. Husband and I would literally drive right up to the Magic Kingdom parking lot and then you had to take a quick turn or you missed the resort. Once we finally got on site, someone we ended up in a bus only lane! If you have park tickets, I'd just take the Monorail and leave the car at your own resort!

'Ohana does character meals but we just made reservations for the family-style dinner. Family-style dining is amazing: it's like a buffet that comes to you! They'd bring an entire platter of the most amazing little wontons I've ever had in my life, I'd eat them all, and they'd bring another platter! Glorious! There were delicious wings as well - both were appetizers and I seriously could have made a meal of those two choices! The main course is a thousands types of meat brought to the table: fish, beef, chicken, shrimp in unlimited amounts! As we entered the restaurant, several people stopped us to say, "Leave room for the bread pudding."

Oh my goodness, the bread pudding! Now I'm a chocolate dessert girl myself: if there's no chocolate, my interest lessens significantly. But this bread pudding was just ridiculous. They served us an enormous platter of it and I wanted more! So good!

I swear he's taunting me! "Look, Mommy - it's 8pm and I
have a cookie!"

Our waiter was also amazing. With big groups Disney automatically adds in a gratuity which you pay in cash, but we were so impressed with our waiter at this restaurant, we added in a bit extra for him. Baby O was particularly a fan. Why was that? Because at one point during the meal, he was refusing to eat the chicken (or whatever) that we had put on his plate and said, "Cookie!" Apparently the waiter heard him and brought him out a cookie. On the house! Then when the bread pudding came out, he presented Sir O with a dish of ice cream in case his delicate palate wasn't interested in the bread pudding. If it hadn't been almost 9pm at this point, I might have been more pleased. "Yes, thank you for loading my child up with sugar two hours after his bedtime!" Luckily Baby O slept well that night!

If you've seen Lilo and Stitch, you know that 'Ohana means family and that's obviously the theme of this restaurant. Between the family-style dining and the dinner entertainment, the emphasis on family was pretty clear. The entertainer is a ukulele wielding singer who first invited children onto the dance floor to dance the hula. Then he asked if anyone was celebrating anniversaries. As it so happens, Lolli and Pops were celebrating their 37th Anniversary so they went up and got leis. Then the singer sang a special song for them. Really sweet!

The group consensus is that this was our favorite food experience while at Disney. It just narrowly missed being our overall favorite dining experience, however. That honor goes to...

Be Our Guest:

What can I say? This restaurant is gorgeous! It's brand new, situated in New Fantasyland and they just capture every little detail about Beauty & the Beast so perfectly. Even from outside, the castle looks like it's far out in the midst (when in fact the entrance is right there) - how did Disney do that? This was actually the most difficult reservation for us to get. We wanted an early dinner (which to us meant 6ish), but the only thing available (and remember we called 180 days out) was 4:15! It turns out Baby O was having a rough after-nap transition and we were late to our reservations. Lolli masterfully told the Cast Member we were changing his diaper and somehow managed to carry on that charade for 20 minutes while we raced from the parking lot!

Once we finally arrived, they were ready but only if we wanted to sit in the West Wing.

The answer to that question is always, "Yes!"

So they led us in. Security here at dinner time is seriously tight: they won't even let you in the restaurant during dinner unless you have a reservation. There is a lunch option available which is counter service dining, but supposedly it's still very crowded and frankly turning this gorgeous restaurant into a "cafeteria" ruins the ambiance a bit in my mind.

There are three distinct dining areas at Be Our Guest: the Ballroom, the Rose Gallery, and the aforementioned West Wing. The Ballroom is the main dining area in the center of the restaurant. It's the largest (and claims online to be two-stories, but I didn't notice that). This room has the least amount of "character": it's a large room and diners are packed in very close to each other. Additionally, every single diner is going to walk past your table as they head to theirs. We had originally asked for Ballroom seating on the advice of one of our guidebooks, but in the end we were thrilled that there were no seats available.

The Rose Gallery is the "overflow" room. There is an enormous music box featuring Belle and the Beast in the center of the room. It's very pretty but if you end up in this room, you might be dining alone (or with very few other guests). It was nearly empty when we poked our heads in to take photographs.

The West Wing, on the other hand, is a masterpiece. If you've seen the movie, you know the West Wing is where Beast keeps the Enchanted Rose, which is featured prominently in the room. The reason we originally did not want to eat in this room is because it is very dark and every 10 minutes or so, there are flashes of thunder and lightening. We weren't sure Baby O could handle it, but since we were already late for our reservation, we figured we'd take whatever table they offered us. After the first lightening strike ended, Baby O freaked out and we weren't sure why because the noise was over. Then the second strike ended and he did it again. He started whining something, "Beeeeees!!!" No idea. So I picked him up and carried him around. He kept saying it and I noticed it seemed to be when I passed by a portrait hanging in the room. The portrait is straight out of the movie and magnificent: it starts off as a portrait of Prince Adam (the Beast's apparent name) and then for a few seconds after each lightening/thunder episode flashes to a portrait of the Beast, which is what Baby O was saying: "Beeeeees!" He wanted to sit so he could see the portrait for the entire meal! We moved him to the other side of the table and funk be gone! He was a happy baby once more!

I'd read online that they were testing having the Beast join diners during their meal. I asked our waitress if the Beast was in and she responded that he wasn't feeling well so she wasn't sure. Well apparently that was just a ruse because after we placed our order, the Beast entered the West Wing! They announced him with fanfare and invited guests to meet him in his Library after they ate. Baby O was seriously about to lose his mind from excitement! I misheard the announcement and thought we could go while we waited so I gathered up Baby O and headed over to the Library. As it turns out, they want you to meet Beast right before you leave the restaurant so even though there was no one in line, they wouldn't even let us stand there and watch him. Luckily we spotted the music box in the Rose Gallery at that point, which satisfied Baby O's Beast craving for a while!

While the castle itself is the true star of this particular restaurant, the food is nothing to snuff at either! Several of us got a seafood pot pie which was just the right size to leave room for our dessert and not feel too full. The dessert comes over on a tray and was very tasty. If you are celebrating an event, ask for the "grey stuff" and they'll bring some on the house. Or you can select a brownie topped with "grey stuff" for dessert. Lolli got some for a celebration and then ordered the brownie too: she said the "grey stuff" was delicious! I'm told the dishes agree but I didn't ask them! :) Entrees run approximately $15 to $29.99 for adults and a meal costs 1 table credit on the Dining Plan.

On the way out, it was finally time to meet Beast. He doesn't do autographs because his paws are too big but they had a Disney Photo Pass photographer set-up and he was happy to take photos with a personal camera also. There was a short line once we arrived at the Library but they both moved people through quickly but allowed ample time with the Beast. It was finally Baby O's turn and he just about lunged out of my sister's arms into the Beast's!

Okay, all I can tell you is that the Beast is huge! It's one thing for kiddos to meet Mickey or Ariel, but Beast is a whole different ballgame. My dad is 6'4" and you can see in the picture how much taller Beast is: easily 7 feet. There's an option to just leave the restaurant and not meet Beast so you can peek in the Library and see how your child reacts. Or gauge them when the Beast is announced and enters your dining hall.

You really might be surprised though: never in a million years would I think that Baby O would love Beast as much as he does. We found him a special Beast plush (only available in the gift shop near Gaston's Tavern in New Fantasyland) which he carries everywhere and for Christmas he received the Beauty and the Beast DVD. We've watched "Belle Beast" at least 450 times since then!

So clearly Baby O's reaction to Beast gives us an additional sentimental component to why we so enjoyed this restaurant. It's tough to get reservations but well worth it in the end. I definitely recommend you try to check this one out!

Conclusions:

Overall, we ate a lot of really delicious meals at some really gorgeous restaurants at Disney World. I was happy with all of our choices, particularly since none of the restaurants are considered "fine" Disney Dining. They worked out just fine for us! Ha! Since the odds are not in our favor that we're going back any time soon, I'd probably want to try some different restaurants if we were to go back, but I'd also really want to visit 'Ohana and Be Our Guest a second time. They both really are that outstanding! I'm not really a big breakfast person, but even so Chef Mickey's would be tempting as well!

Baby O found appealing options at all the restaurants, but the buffets were a big hit due to both the variety and the fact that he could eat off our plates. I didn't find that any of the kid's meals at the sit-down restaurants were outrageously expensive but note that you will be changed a gratuity that is not covered by the Dining Plan if you have a large party.

I hope my wrap-up helps! Enjoy!

Magic Kingdom with a (Almost) Toddler

2014-03-29T20:56:00.002-04:00

Okay we made it! I did all the other Disney parks first because I knew that the Magic Kingdom post was going to be a beast. The Magic Kingdom is the reason why most parents bring their kids to Disney World and it's the park that families spend the most time at once they actually arrive. We were no different: all told we probably spent about 2.5 days at Magic Kingdom.

Before I completely overwhelm you with every single ride/attraction in the Magic Kingdom, here are a few tips that will hopefully help you relax a bit!

Don't panic! Seriously! You are more than likely going to spend at least two days at the Magic Kingdom so if you don't see or ride everything the first time, you have at least another day. The night before the last day of our trip we sat down with the map and circled everything we hadn't done (and wanted to) and everything we wanted to do again. Guess what? We did all those things and more and never once felt rushed!

There are several apps for your phone that can help you plan your day. One is the Wait Time app which allows you to search by your current location or just in general for rides with short wait times. Plenty of times, Husband would say, "Let's go over to Aladdin - it's down to 5 minutes!" and when we got there, he was right! Very handy indeed!

There are a ton of character meet and greet opportunities at the Magic Kingdom. Personally, we skipped them. The lines were always long and while you could use a Fast Pass, do you really want to waste one to meet one character? If meeting characters interests you, I highly recommend doing a character meal. We did three and it was the perfect level of interaction for Baby O: he liked seeing the characters (and honking their noses! Ha!), but wasn't terribly into getting too close. Other older kids at the meals, however, got to interact with characters, take pictures, and have lots of fun too. Characters come around to every table, aren't rushed, and sometimes even make the rounds a second time. I'd definitely recommend that option (and will talk more about the character meals we did do in a future post). If you do decide to wait on line at the parks, check out the My Disney Experience app which has schedules and locations for all characters.

Meeting Jafar during the parade.

Fast Pass Tip: Get a Fast Pass Plus for a parade. We got them for the Celebrate a Dream afternoon parade (3pm) and it was amazing. People line up on the streets hours before parades begin in order to get good seats. We, on the other hand, rode Pirates of the Caribbean one last time, walked up to the Fast Pass line right in front of Cinderella's Castle at 2:50pm, and got front-curb seats with plenty of space for us all to spread out and sit down. Baby O loved being so close and many characters came over to interact with us.

Okay so now let's get down to the real business! The easiest thing to do is divide everything up by land and then discuss both the rides and dining options together (since the land you find yourself in is going to directly and significantly impact where you end up eating) - although I think many adults will be surprised to find that the Magic Kingdom is not as big as it seems when you are a child.

Adventureland

When you first enter the Magic Kingdom, Adventureland is on your left. My family has always gone to Adventureland first, but there are sites online that suggest most people go to Tomorrowland first. I don't know where they get their data, but if you want to take advantage of a tiny possibility that you'll run into less crowds, do what we always do and turn left.

Attractions:

Jungle Cruise: This is a ride for the whole family. You hop on a boat that takes you on a cruise past animatronic animals. When we went in November, they had renamed it the "Jingle" Cruise. The guide is going to tell the corniest jokes you've ever heard, but some are so bad that they are funny. We had a Fast Pass for this one though I'm not sure it was completely necessary: the boats do come to a complete stop though for loading/unloading which slows down the line tremendously (the best rides for short lines are the continuous movement rides).

Riding The Magic Carpets of Aladdin for the third(?) time
with Daddy, Mimi and Poppi.

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin: Dumbo but on Magic Carpets instead of Elephants. There's a reason why there are at least four different versions of the same ride at the Disney parks in Florida: kids love it. Baby O was no exception. We went on this one a few times and he was a big fan. Watch out for the camel in front of the ride: he moves his head in different directions and spits water!

Pirates of the Caribbean: We debated taking Baby O on this one. Ultimately we went on with him first (I mean he was supervised. We didn't just all get on the ride and leave him sitting in stroller parking) and then decided that he could probably handle it. There is one super tiny drop where Husband and I held onto Baby O for dear life and luckily no one went overboard. Ultimately Baby O was completely oblivious to the pirates singing and the cannons booming: he spent the entire ride pointing out all the animatronic animals he saw (and there are surprisingly a ton of them!) The boats stop for loading/unloading but we never found the line to be that long (less than 10 minutes each time).

Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room: This is more of a show than a ride. You sit in a round theater and the animatronic birds drop down from the ceiling and sing. The first song is the familiar "In the tiki tiki tiki tiki tiki room" and then they get into the real deep cuts. The adults were all checking their watches, ready to escape but Baby O sat quietly so he must have enjoyed it. Despite the show format there is rarely a line for this beyond waiting for the next show to end: hop on line when the sign outside says "Next Show in 5 Minutes [or less]"

Other attractions in Adventureland that we skipped were: Swiss Family Treehouse, Tinker Bell's Magical Nook (a spot to meet Tinker Bell and get autographs), and Pirates Adventure ((for older kids - a treasurehunt through the park).

Food:

Run, do not walk, to Aloha Isle and get a Dole Whip Swirl. It's like a pineapple flavored creamsicle and it is just divine! I messed up the first time and didn't get the swirl so I basically had pineapple soft serve. While that was tasty, it was nothing compared to the second time we went. My Brother-in-Law, who is a pineapple connoisseur, ordered a pineapple wedge and said it was the best pineapple he'd ever eaten. This treat is not to be missed!

Frontierland

If you continue walking counterclockwise around the park from Adventureland, you end up in Frontierland. Honestly, these two lands blended together both in my mind and in practure. I kept confusing which attractions were in which land because the themes are so similar (I mean if you are on a frontier, aren't you also on an adventure?) Maybe that's just me.

Attractions:

Getting ready for the first show.

Country Bear Jamboree: This is the only ride in Frontierland that Baby O went on, but he liked it so much we did it twice. This was actually the last ride he rode before it was time to leave the park for bedtime. The set-up is a big theater and the animatronic bears appear behind curtains (or suspended from the ceilings) to sing a variety of country and blue grass themed songs. There are also enormous moose heads on the wall that sing and join in the fun. Baby O particularly liked the moose head and screamed, "MOOSE," as we were walking in. This ride isn't as tedious as the Tiki Room is but the kiddos are definitely going to enjoy it more than the adults do!

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: The adults in our group rode this one a few times. The height requirement is only 40 inches so even at under 2 years old, Baby O was only a few inches off. It's a pretty tame ride with no huge drops and no loops, but it's fun nonetheless. Even if we go back soon and Baby O is tall enough we'll probably hold off on this ride though: my family still tells the story of my tiny 8 year old sister riding with my uncle and nearly falling out when the ride dipped down and she stayed up! My uncle had to grab her shirt to pull her back into the car! Zoinks! This is another ride that will probably need Fast Passes, but if your whole crew isn't riding you can split your Fast Passes and the group can meet back up later (i.e. half get a Fast Pass for this and half do a different "kiddie" ride).

Splash Mountain: I missed out on this one but Lolli, Aunt Suzanne, Uncle Brad, and Husband rode it. The line on this one can get long (especially on a hot/nice day) so get a Fast Pass!

Walt Disney World Railroad: This was the first thing we rode on when we arrived at the Magic Kingdom on the first morning. We got straight onto the railroad and went to the heart of the park. There are stops on Main Street, Frontierland, and Fantasyland. Note that the benches on the railroad are tight. Poor Husband was stuck in a row all to himself with our enormous BOB jogging stroller (which has to be folded on the train). The full loop lasts about 20 minutes and trains arrive at each station anywhere from every 4 to 10 minutes (I think we waited closer to 10 minutes).

Also try to arrive right as the Magic Kingdom opens in the morning to watch a really fun show that features all the characters arriving on the first train of the morning! We caught the show on our last morning (completely by accident - we didn't even realize they did it!) and it was such a sweet way to begin our last day at Disney!

Cast Member and his "magic broom" that stood up on its
own. Baby O was mesmerized!

Other attractions in Frontierland are: Frontierland Shootin' Arcade (for older kids) and Tom Sawyer Island. We also waited on line forever to meet Jessie and Woody from Toy Story in the Splash Mountain exit area. They were supposed to arrive at 2:45 but we waited until after 3pm and they never came out. We stuck around because part of our crew was on Splash Mountain but as soon as they finished the ride, we left. Luckily Baby O was entertained by the absolute sweetest Cast Member who showed off his "magic broom" and made Baby O a gorgeous birthday button with his name on it (he told us to wear it in the park for freebies, but we felt bad. We put it away until Baby O's actual birthday a few months later!)
Food:

I had noted two counter service restaurants in Frontierland but we didn't end up eating at either.
Pecos Bill Café serves taco salad as well as burgers. There is a "toppings bar" so patrons can put whatever extras on their food that they like. Supposedly the onion rings are good. If there is no seating on the Frontierland side, go back to the Adventureland side of the restaurant which is usually empty. Our other option was a seasonal stand which turned out to be closed while we were there: Golden Oak Outpost. This spot serves chicken sandwiches and nuggets. There is only outdoor seating available but if you want to eat inside, feel free to take your food into the nearby Pecos Bill or Tortuga Tavern.

Fantasyland: perhaps not surprisingly, we spent the bulk of our time at the Magic Kingdom with Baby O in Fantasyland

Attractions:

Under the Sea: The Journey of the Little Mermaid: This was actually our first "ride" of our Disney trip (if you don't count the railroad). We had booked Fast Pass Plus appointments for later in the day but when we walked by, the line was very short so we went in. You ride in clamshells and go through a retelling of the movie. Oliver enjoyed it but if your kid is scared of Ursula or the eels, be warned that they are featured in this ride. I'd probably reserve a Fast Pass Plus and then change it if you catch this one during a slow period.

The Barnstormer: This is Goofy's rollercoaster and it's perfect for a first time roller coaster ride (or for a 32 year old lady who still gets a little nervous before her first roller coaster of the vacation!) The height requirement is only 35 inches (so Baby O actually could have joined us on this one!) We rode this one evening after he had gone back to the hotel for bed: note that for two adults in a car, it might be a tight squeeze! Husband and Brother-in-Law barely fit into their car (they wanted to be in the front car so we made them ride together!)

Casey Jr., Splash 'N' Soak Station: Basically a circus themed splash pad area. Move quickly if you don't want to have to change your child's clothes. Dumbo is just up a slight hill so distract them by heading there!

Dumbo the Flying Elephant: This is one of the rides about which you've likely heard waiting on line horror stories: it's insanely popular, only about 40 people can ride at a time (assuming 20 elephants with 2 passengers each), and there is significant loading/unloading time between rides. Ah but this is the case no more: Disney has listened to the prayers of parents and built a second Dumbo ride! The two rides are right next to each other but the same line feeds into both. You walk through a short section of line and then a Cast Member directs you to the side which is loading first. Not only did we never need to get a Fast Pass for Dumbo but one time Baby O got off and wanted to ride again. We got back on line and hopped on the opposite side without ever having to stop moving! Glorious! Baby O was a huge Dumbo fan and we rode this one a ton. During busier times you might still need a Fast Pass, but even then with the two sides going, I can't imagine the wait would ever be horrible!

My little thumb-sucker rides (the first time) with Poppi.

It's a Small World: Ugh, my grandma loves this one but sorry as if the singing and borderline racism isn't enough, we had an awful time with the line situation on this ride. I don't think it ever gets too crowded despite the boats coming to a complete stop for loading and unloading. Our first time through, we got on very quickly. The second time, they must have had a new Cast Member on the loading dock because boats were backing up at the end of the ride INTO the ride. We were in the wheelchair entrance at that point because my grandma had rented a wheelchair for the day. The Cast Member was apparently under the impression that wheelchair folks could only ride in what I can seriously only describe as a "throne" boat. There was this enormous seat in the middle of the boat and then like two other seats. So she'd load a wheelchair person on, send them through the ride and then 8 minutes later the "throne" would return and she'd let the next group on. This would be fine and dandy if we were on line for, say, Big Thunder Mountain, but this was It's a Small World: it's AARP central! Finally, after the throne went by for the sixth time, I got a little upset. People were literally walking in off the street, riding, going back around to the line and riding again while we were still standing there. When we finally did get in a boat (I told the Cast Member that we didn't need the "throne"), the back-up in the ride was two rooms deep! We literally sat in the ride's grand finale Small World multicultural room for ten minutes.

Now all that being said, Baby O liked this ride a lot. He actually didn't even mind waiting on line for nearly thirty minutes (!!!!) because there was a giant coo coo clock that chimed several times while we waited. He now has coo coo clock radar and can spot one from thirty paces!

Mad Tea Party: When we first decided to go to Disney, Pops (my dad), who hates most rides in general, shocked us all by volunteering to go on the Mad Tea Party with Baby O! He figured no one would want to go on it (and leading up to our trip, he was right!). Once we got to Disney, we all got a bit brave and in the end Pops got to sit this one out. If you just sit in the cup, the spinning isn't so bad. Our first time on, Husband, Baby O, and I sat with Poppi who spun our cup furiously for the entire ride! Thankfully Baby O turns out to be a bit of a daredevil so he didn't mind all the spinning. The second time we rode was with my grandma so there was a lot less spinning and it was much more enjoyable (for me at least!) The line can get long for this one because only 40 or so can ride at a time. We never ran into terribly long lines though and at most only had to wait 10 minutes (the ride itself is pretty short).

Loaded into their honey pot.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: This is the ride for which Fast Pass was created. Every child under the age of 8 wants to ride the Winnie the Pooh ride so the line is ridiculously long. The line is also a bit deceiving and when you get at the end, you don't realize all the looping and winding that is about to take place. You can actually see the honey pot cars from the street, but it's going to take you up to two hours to actually get close to them. The current Fast Pass station is next to Mickey's PhilharMagic. We managed to get on twice and predictably Baby O loved it. I would have not been happy if we had waited on line for an hour though because the ride itself is very short and nothing all that exciting happens (basically a retelling of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh movie from the 1970s). The ride does exit into the gift shop so be prepared with distractions if you don't want to shop.

Peter Pan's Flight: This is the other must have Fast Pass ride. The issue here ist he same as the ride above: you can see the cars loading from the street so the line doesn't seem so long and the cars stop completely for unloading. This one we rode once. It's neat in that at one point the car lifts off the track into the air and you "fly" through the rest of the ride. Again, the ride itself is pretty short and likely not worth the potential meltdowns that waiting on line for up to two hours might create: just do a Fast Pass.

Mickey's PhilharMagic: This is a 3D show that actually stars Donald, not Mickey. Obviously for 3D, glasses are required which Baby O wasn't thrilled about, but he did like the music. With the room key Fast Passes, often the machine spits out a "bonus" Fast Pass for a slightly less popular ride. We got Fast Passes for this while we were waiting for our Peter Pan's Flight appointment. It allowed us to get into the very next show, but we likely would have anyway since the line wasn't long at all.

How can you say, "no," to this sweet face?

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel: We have a carrousel at our local mall. It is literally five miles down the road from our house and we take Baby O a few times a month to "ride the horseys". So it shouldn't have surprised me that of all the amazing things at Disney, this was his favorite ride. The carrousel is stationed right in the middle of Fantasyland and every time we walked past it, we had to ride. It plays Disney music and it really is lovely. You shouldn't need a Fast Pass as there are a ton of horses to choose from and since it's right in the middle of the action, you can keep checking the line until it looks relatively short.

Fantasyland is also home to several spots for character meet and greets: Cinderella's Castle, Ariel's Grotto, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Merida at Fairytale Garden, Pete's Silly Sideshow, and the Thoughtful Spot with Pooh. We only waited on line to see characters who had short lines so we skipped all the princesses. A few tips though: we met the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland right outside the Mad Tea Party and Gaston from Beauty and the Beast stands between his tavern and the Beauty and the Beast specialty gift shop in New Fantasyland. He was one of my favorites to meet because he was in character the whole time and his character is so ridiculous (he said, "I'm sure you are very pleased to meet me!" Ha!)

Baby O kept yelling "Beast!" Gaston was not amused!

Tomorrowland: we did Tomorrowland with Baby O in just over an hour. No joke.

Attractions:

Barely squeezing into the Astro Orbiter!

Astro Orbiter: This is Tomorrowland's answer to Dumbo, except you ride in rockets, not elephants. Be warned though: you ride behind rather than beside your fellow passenger and the rockets are tight. Husband had no hope of getting in behind me and Baby O and Brother-in-Law managed to squeeze himself in behind Aunt Suzanne, but then worried that he had permanently lost feeling in his legs! This is definitely a ride to go on with a small child or alone! It also does get a little speedy at the end right before you land so beware of any residual Mission: Space Orange PTSD!

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin: This is very reminiscent of Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios (i.e. carnival style interactive game); however, it does not appear to have generated anywhere near the same amount of hype so it's a good substitute. We rode without Baby O one evening and the ride stopped momentarily (not sure why, but it must have been electrical since it cleared all our scores! Arg!) It's still fun though.

Space Mountain: You might want to get a Fast Pass for this one as the line can be long; however, if the wait time is 20 minutes or less, honestly that's just a description of how long it is going to take you to walk to the ride entrance. This is one loopy line! I panicked momentarily during this ride that I might get decapitated: in my defense, you ride in total darkness and I'm a lot taller than people were back in the 1970s! Luckily I completed the ride head intact, but wasn't confident enough to ride a second time! The height minimum is 44 inches.

Tomorrowland Speedway: The wait time for this one is always really long so on our final morning, we got Fast Pass Plus appointments and UGH the line was still really long. The problem here is 100% the loading/unloading area. Four cars pull up, unload, load and then drive (slowly) away. So best case scenario 8 people are getting on the ride every 5 minutes. Ridiculous. The Cast Member looked at Baby O and asked if he was driving (supposedly height minimum for driving is 40 inches) so Husband said, "Okay!" I rode by myself and may have broken 6mph at one point. If your kid really wants to go on this one, get an Fast Pass but otherwise I'd avoid it!

Passing Space Mountain on the PeopleMover.

Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover: This ride, on the other hand, is a glorious continuous movement ride. The cars never stop moving and you just hop onto the closest one. I never saw the line get too long because all this ride really does is take you through the other rides in Tomorrowland. Baby O enjoyed it though (Pops did too!) so
we rode this one a few times!

We skipped Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, Stitch's Great Escape! and Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress. Baby O didn't know who any of those characters were and I've heard the Carousel of Progress hasn't aged well so we decided to just live with our memories from past trips!

Food:

We ate a late lunch one afternoon at Cosmic Ray's. We sat on the main floor where a animatronic alien puts on a floor show that kept Baby O occupied. The food was relatively good: another toppings bar to create whatever type of burger or sandwich appealed to you. One difficult thing is ordering: there are three "bays" of food (chicken, burgers, and soup/sandwiches) so if you are ordering from more than one category, you have to stand on line again. We made it easy and all got burgers so I can't speak to anything else on the menu, but the menu is so big that everyone can find something to enjoy! The portions were big and we ended up going family style with another treat that I brought in from Liberty Square!

Liberty Square:

We made it! The final section of the Magic Kingdom is Liberty Square. It's the smallest section and the only one that hasn't had a major renovation since the park opened in 1971.

Attractions:

Haunted Mansion: Yikes, out of the mere three attractions in Liberty Square, this is the only one we rode and we didn't bring Baby O. We probably could have since he's not really at an age yet where he understands scary things but our trip had been going so well I don't think anyone wanted to push it! I will say that the line portion of this ride has been totally redone and is kind of cool: there are interactive "tombstones" that the line winds around so you can play with at least twice. At night the line gets a bit longer (and the ride gets a bit spookier!), but unless you go during a peak time you probably won't need a Fast Pass due to the glorious thing that is constantly moving cars. It's wonderful: the cars keep moving, you hop onto a moving platform and climb in. There is literally no delay for loading and unloading (unless the ride has to be stopped completely to load/unload someone who is in a wheelchair). Nothing is too scary but the atmosphere is a bit creepy (and some of the old photographs on the wall gave me the willies when I really got a look at them!) Use your best judgment on whether the kiddos should ride or skip this one.

We skipped the Liberty Square Riverboat because we were just never close by when it was loading (and we had taken the ferry the first morning so Baby O had his "Disney boat" experience). Honestly, I don't even remember anyone mentioning the Hall of Presidents. Does that mean we're bad Americans? Eeek! I hope not!

Food:

Columbia Harbour House was listed in a few of our guidebooks as a promising lunch spot for kiddos; however, we ended up at Cosmic Ray's on the day we were in the Magic Kingdom for lunch. There are large portions to split, if needed, and even better a whole extra upstairs level of seating that no one seems to know about! Favorite entrees included: Anchors Away Tuna Sandwich, Lighthouse Veggie Sandwich, Lobster Roll, Fish and Chips and Grilled Salmon.

Sleepy Hollow: Do NOT leave the Magic Kingdom without hitting up this tiny little snack shack. I
had this place circled and starred ten times in my guidebook so I definitely knew we would be eating here at some point. It turns out that I ran across the park while the rest of the group placed their orders at Cosmic Ray's. My menu choice? A Nutella and fruit waffle. OMG is all I can say: a warm crispy, freshly made waffle topped with an unnatural amount of Nutella and then strawberries, blueberries and bananas. It was enormous and it was heaven. We all took bites and then I went all Golem on the rest and gobbled it up. My mom was so inspired that she created her own version at home a few weeks later. I'd try it too, but I've not had good luck with keeping Nutella in my house for more than fifteen minutes.

Okay, folks, we did it! Everything you need to know about the Magic Kingdom with a (almost) toddler. I'll be back hopefully soon with a post about what to pack, where to eat, and also where to explore at Downtown Disney!

Animal Kingdom with a (Almost) Toddler

2014-03-01T15:21:00.002-05:00

Baby O is a huge animal fan so we suspected that we might end up spending a full day at Animal Kingdom. We arrived right as the park opened (Extra Magic Hours again, thank you very much!), toured around, grabbed lunch, Husband and I took Baby O to the hotel for nap while the rest of the group explored, and then we met back up with them later in the afternoon. A note about Animal Kingdom's hours: the park often closes earlier than the other Disney parks because the animals need their rest so be sure to confirm park hours before you show up too late in the afternoon! Even if the park itself is open, some of the animal-themed rides may be shut down for the day so just plan ahead!

Can you spot the lion? Our tour guide did - he is snoozing
on top of the center rock!

The highlight of Animal Kingdom is the Kilimanjaro Safari. This is a ride in a real off-road vehicle that travels though various animal habitats. It is a bumpy ride, so hold onto any children you may bring. In fact, I think they actually asked that small children not sit on the outside of the vehicle! Because Disney tried to build habitats, rather than just a zoo, you might not get to see all the animals, but the tour guides are really great at spotting partially camouflaged animals and pointing them out. Ours was also good at speeding around the corner if she spotted something out in the open!

Not surprisingly, this is a really popular ride and will most likely warrant a Fast Pass unless you want to wait a while. Even with our Fast Passes, we stood around for a few minutes waiting for them to load and unload the vehicles. It's totally worth it though and a must see for visiting Animal Kingdom.

While we waited for our Fast Pass appointment, we checked out Rafiki's Planet Watch, which is in the back of the park. The entrance is right near the entrance to Africa where Kilimanjaro Safari is so we didn't have to venture too far which was nice. The train takes you out to a nature trail area with a path to a conservatory and petting zoo!

Baby O is a big fan of looking at animals but we learned here that he really wasn't a fan of touching them. He wasn't doing a ton of talking during our Disney trip (only 22 months), but he very clearly shrieked "no goats!" when we tried to get him to stand in the same hemisphere as a goat! Luckily a very sweet and helpful Cast Member was on hand to warm him up to the animals a bit and by the end he even managed to gently pet a few!

"Okay, maybe goats"

The petting zoo also had some pigs and larger animals which were kept in pens (only the goats and pigs were wandering around). Inside the conservatory were a few other animal as well as exhibits that would interest older kids. In the summer, it's a nice place to cool off and use the bathroom. The train ride was a big hit, although the Cast Members were a little grumpy about letting us take a picture (they didn't like that we were standing to reposition ourselves. I guess they are concerned about people falling off the train and getting eaten by the animals next door at Kilimanjaro Safari?)

We bypassed Camp Mickey and Minnie and Discovery Island and made our way to Dinoland U.S.A. Baby O immediately spotted the Triceratops Twirl and it peaked his interest. This ride is basically Dumbo but in Triceratops form. Husband and Brother-in-Law rode the Primeval Whirl (height requirement of 48 inches) and both agreed that it was painful. Apparently it was very herky jerky and the seats had no padding.

Dinoland also turned out to be a great place to meet some characters. I had made an autograph book for Baby O and had the idea that we'd take pictures of him watching the characters sign autographs and put the pictures in the book as a souvenir. Baby O kind of didn't care about the autographs but he had fun being near the characters (not too close, and certainly not by himself, but near). Well right outside the Triceratops Twirl exit, we spotted Santa Goofy and Pluto! The line weaves a bit so it can look deceivingly shorter than it actually is, but Husband and I waited while Baby O was entertained by his entourage out of the line. Then when it was close to our turn, they passed him over to us.

After meeting Santa Goofy, it was time to eat. The restaurant that I had circled and double-starred in my guidebook was Flame Tree BBQ, which is at Discovery Island. Obviously the draw here is the barbeque ribs and pulled pork sandwiches. There is additional seating if you follow the jungle paths so you can feel as if you are really eating out in the wild! Seriously every single resource I found said how great this restaurant was.

Sadly, I got outvoted and we went to my number two choice: Restaurant-a-saurus. This is not to say that Restaurant-a-saurus wasn't tasty, but it just wasn't the recommending dining option at Animal Kingdom. The appeal of Restaurant-a-saurus is the toppings bar. You order your burger or chicken sandwich and then go to a huge toppings bar to select any number of toppings: standards like lettuce and tomato to more gourmet choices like sautéed mushrooms. The kids meal came in a cute plastic bucket, which sadly did not make the cut when we were packing at the end of the trip. The inside of the restaurant has a bit of an elaborate backstory going on (something about a group of students who went off exploring), but the jokes were a bit over Baby O's head and it was a nice day outside so we sat at a picnic table outside. There is a big camper attached to the building which is also seating, but people don't realize it so you might be able to snag an indoor seat on a hot, crowded day.

Disney Dining Plan Tip: One thing to note about the Disney Dining Plan: there is no distinction between a child dining credit and an adult dining credit. Our meal plan gave each person one snack, one counter service meal (entrée, dessert, and drink), and one table service meal (at a sit down restaurant) per day. Children under 3 years old do not need a dining plan. So at Restaurant-a-saurus, we used one of our counter service meals to buy Baby O's lunch (rather than shelling out $7). Also, Brother-in-Law wanted a light lunch so he ordered a kids' meal and used one of his own counter service credits. Alternatively, if you have a 5 year old who is a big eater, order an adult meal for them, rather than something off the kids menu. Disney has no way of distinguishing who is ordering or eating which meal: they are all coded the same way.

Another dining option I had written down was Kusafiri Coffee Shop (near the Kilimanjaro Safari). The draw here is that they brew "real" gourmet coffee. On the meal plan, they take a snack credit but the portions are huge. Some of the highlights are: Elephant Ears, White Chocolate Elephant Cupcake, and Paw Print Brownies. The downsides are that there is limited seating and no shade. I included it as an option in case we were on the other side of the park and Baby O needed food immediately!

Our group did most of its Asia exploring while Baby O was napping. The grandparents took in Finding Nemo: The Musical which they thought was great. We met up with them at the Flights of Wonder bird show. If your child likes birds, this is neat to watch as the birds fly and swoop through the audience. The banter between the show "host" and a tour guide that shows up is funny and kept the adults chuckling. The line at Expedition Everest was also short enough for our group to ride a few times. After Mission: Space Orange at Epcot, I was a bit wary of thrill rides, but Brother-in-Law assured me that this one was not too wild. The best way to describe it is as comparable to Big Thunder Railroad at the Magic Kingdom, but at one point you briefly travel backwards and while in the darkness a yeti appears. I admit that I squealed at this point! The height requirement is 44 inches.

This is the day that we had our biggest issue with Disney transportation and it is worth mentioning. Husband said he'd take Baby O back for nap but then wasn't sure he could handle the stroller and all Baby O's accessories on his own. I said I'd go back with him and suggested we take the car. No, Husband thought the bus made more sense so off we went to the bus stop. We managed to just miss a bus pulling away and had to wait nearly twenty minutes for another one. Once we got on the bus, it first pulled into Blizzard Beach! Apparently due to low traffic, the Animal Kingdom bus was not a direct one back to the Art of Animation Resort! What should have been a ten minute trip turned into nearly thirty minutes! Unfortunately at that point we were back at the hotel without the car so when it was time to return, we had to go through the same rigmarole and stop at Blizzard Beach a second time. This was definitely a day I wish we had just taken the car!

We left late in the afternoon to rest up a bit before our dinner reservations that evening. Older kids might find more to do here to warrant a second trip, but our one day spent at Animal Kingdom was just enough for Baby O. We got to see some animals and he got to ride on some rides too. Next time, we're definitely eating at Flame Tree BBQ though!

Hollywood Studios Tips with an (Almost) Toddler

2014-02-26T19:53:00.002-05:00

I knew I wanted to follow up my Epcot post with Hollywood Studios because in my mind I felt about Hollywood Studios going into our trip the way many people feel about Epcot (i.e. they don't really consider it a place to go with younger kids). Even after pouring through several guidebooks, we couldn't find many things we thought Baby O would be interested in so we purposefully only scheduled a half day there. Granted, if we had been wrong, we were more than willing to change our plans to spend more time there, but ultimately we weren't wrong.

Not that Hollywood Studios isn't a fun park for an older group. The Aerosmith Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror both receive high marks on the thrill factor, but (1) based on our toddler-centric research, we only had one "must ride" attraction and (2) none of the restaurants are all that great so we wanted to get back to the hotel by lunchtime.

Our morning at Hollywood Studios began at 8am due to the Early Magic Hours. The original plan was for Husband to run ahead right at 8am and get Fast Passes for as early as possible for the whole group for Toy Story Mania and then we'd just wander around until our reservation time. Unfortunately, the plan didn't work out exactly how we envisioned.

Perhaps I should take a minute to explain Fast Passes.

The basic idea is very simple: you approach the ride you want to ride and there are two options (1) get on the line to ride or (2) scan your room card/Magic Band and get a reservation for an exact time to come back to ride. There are several advantages to getting a Fast Pass. First, you don't have to wait on ridiculously long lines (for what's honestly a mediocre ride) with a toddler. Second, you can plan your day a bit better. If you know you have Fast Passes to Toy Story Mania at 10:45am then you can plan to be in that area of the park around that time checking out other less popular rides, instead of just darting from one side of the park to the other looking for short lines.

Some things to note about Fast Passes:

Magic Band color options Photo credit

You can only get one Fast Pass at a time with your room card. We visited Disney during the room card/Magic Band transition period so we had both room cards and Magic Bands. This was awesome because we had room cards which allowed us to send Husband ahead to get popular Fast Passes for the whole group, but then we also had the Magic Bands which allowed us to reserve three Fast Past Plus rides per day.
Fast Pass Plus is the same thing as Fast Pass, but you can reserve it in advance. There is an app that you can download on your phone (or you can just sign in on the Disney website) which allows you to schedule Fast Pass Plus rides weeks in advance of your trip! You can change it up until the reservation is set to begin so you are never boxed into anything (unless a ride "sells out" of Fast Pass Plus opportunities).
Fast Passes do sell out. There are some rides that are just really popular. If you are planning on riding one of those, go get your Fast Pass as soon as you enter the park. There is nothing more upsetting than showing up at a ride at 2pm and seeing that the Fast Passes are sold out for the day and your only option is to wait two hours! With Fast Pass Plus, a ride will no longer appear as an option on your mobile device: that means it is sold out.
Totally random tip: if you have multiple people in your party with smart phones, have them all download the Fast Pass Plus application. Then you can connect your Disney profiles to indicate you are on the same trip. My mom and I did this and were trying to set up our Fast Passes one night for the following day. My Disney profile was only connected to my mom, Grandma, and Husband. My mom's was connected to everyone as she was the "lead" account. I managed to secure very in demand Fast Passes for my group of four while my mom's account told her that the ride was sold out for a group of eight. However, once I had my group of four signed up, she was able to go in as the "lead" account and piggyback the rest of the group into my reservation! So don't be afraid to play around a little bit to try to get what you want!
Not all rides have Fast Pass or Fast Pass Plus options. And to make things slightly more confusing, some rides have Fast Pass kiosks other than at the ride's entrance (this is due to space issues). If you are looking for a Fast Pass kiosk and can't find it, ask a Cast Member (park employee) and they'll be happy to help out!
Fast Pass does not open until the park's general admission opening time.

This last bullet is the one that got us: even though the park was open at 8am, Fast Passes didn't start getting distributed until 9am. So while Husband was there, ready to go at 8am, he didn't actually get a Fast Pass until after 9:30am. I suppose he could have just stood there for an hour waiting, but what's the fun there? So he walked back to meet us and figured he'd go back. Unfortunately, when he did 500 of his closest friends were already on line ahead of him!

So that snafu hampered our plans slightly. The other not so great aspect of the day: it was POURING! Luckily I had packed three disposable ponchos in our Disney survival kit (post forthcoming) so we were able to cover Baby O's stroller and stay moderately dry. I don't think the rain sweetened any of our enjoyment of the park though!

While we waited to go on Toy Story Mania, we took in the Muppets 3D show. I love the Muppets so this was a fun one for me. Again, as evidenced in the photo, Baby O was not thrilled with the 3D glasses but he managed to sit and watch without creating a major disturbance so that was appreciated.

We also ducked into The Legend of Jack Sparrow to get out of the rain. This is really a 8 minute show with a hologram Jack Sparrow. One kid from the audience gets to participate, but the rest of the group just stands there. The hologram technology is pretty cool: it actually felt like Johnny Depp was in the room with us!

The other attraction we saw was the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, which is a live action/puppet stage show retelling of the Little Mermaid. Baby O enjoyed this one because he liked all the singing and glow-in-the-dark fish. Ursula is HUGE and could be scary for some kids.

Husband and Baby O on Toy Story Mania.

Finally, it was time for Toy Story Mania. This ride is all kinds of awesome. I felt bad because ultimately by the time Husband got Fast Passes for this one, he only had five room cards so Pops and Brother-in-Law volunteered to sit this one out. Had Baby O not been with us, I would have volunteered to wait on line with them so I could ride a second time: the ride is seriously that fun. If you do end up waiting on line, the line area is FREEZING. I have been on this line twice, five years apart and was a Kathleen-popsicle both times. Bring a sweater to toss over your shoulders! Also, the line area is kind of fun. I felt a little bad that we were missing some of the stuff that the people waiting got to see (not so bad that I would have subjected Baby O to a two hour line, but a little bad!)

Basically the ride itself is an interactive 3D carnival. You ride with one other person and you move from game to game. You pull the string of your "cannon" to shoot at targets on the screen to get points. At the end, the game tells you who won in your car. It's really such a neat concept and the popularity of the Toy Story movies certainly doesn't hurt!

Lolli and Baby O (and random purple poncho lady) wait to
get into the Legend of Jack Sparrow theater.

By the time we had done those four things (and shopped for a Mr. Potato Head doll for Baby O and a Slinky Dog for Aunt Suzanne), it was just about lunch time. Our hotel had a pretty nice food court (Landscape of Flavors at the Art of Animation) so we decided to head back there rather than try out the supposedly questionable food at Hollywood Studios.

The one restaurant that I had on my "emergency" list was Studio Catering Company; however, the appeal there was the outdoor seating (it was raining) and the proximity to the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground (which was closed, we think, for the season, which was stupid because it was 70-80 degrees while we were there!)

Ultimately, I'm glad we spent a rainy morning at Hollywood Studios. We weren't expecting to get much out of that particular park anyway so the rain didn't exactly dampen the atmosphere. I would have been more sad if it had rained the one day we spent at Animal Kingdom.

Epcot Tips with a (Almost) Toddler

2014-02-22T18:30:00.001-05:00

Epcot, I think, has a bum rap among parents taking their children to Disney. I hear a lot of friends saying how they don't expect to spend much time there or that they intend to skip Epcot altogether. While initially I thought I felt the same way (don't we all just think of Epcot as someplace to go and "drink around the world"?), after visiting Epcot with Baby O, I realize how completely wrong I was! Not only did we have a great time at Epcot, but we spent nearly two full days there (not counting the one evening we went back sans Baby O).

While the "countries area" (real name: World Showcase) is what people think of when they hear Epcot, there is actually a whole separate park section (named Future World) that exists before you even enter the World Showcase. In fact, most days the two sections open at completely different times (be sure to check the schedule for each specific day).

On this trip our first Epcot experience was without Baby O so we were able to check it out and get a feel for what he might like before we returned the following day. My Brother-in-Law happens to love Epcot so when on our first night, the park had extra magic hours until 11pm, he eagerly suggested that the young'uns' (i.e. me, Husband, sister-in-law, and himself) head over to check it out.

Future World is divided up into two sides: on the left is Test Track, Mission: Space, and Universe of Energy* and on the right is the Land, the Sea and Imagination!.

Future World: Left

Test Track: I didn't go on this one, but Husband, Brother-in-Law and Father-in-Law (Poppi) did. Basically you design a race car and then get to drive it to see how it performs in real race conditions. This ride is super popular so unless you want to wait for more than an hour, get a Fast Pass (go there first thing when the park opens/you arrive as the Fast Passes can sell out!). Basically the general consensus was that this ride was fun, but the fellows were disappointed that they didn't each get to design their own cars. After their design performed poorly, they spent the rest of the day accusing each other of being the chief designer! There is a height requirement of 40 inches so most, if not all, toddlers are going to be sized out.

We sent this picture to Disney in case they wanted to use
it for upcoming promotional materials. We have surprisingly
yet to receive a response!

Mission: Space: This seriously shouldn't even call itself a ride. It should be called a "thrill miserable horrible experience". I could seriously talk for days about how horrible Mission Space: Orange is but I might end up with PTSD for recalling the experience. There is a tamer "Green" level option that Gary Sinise (America's professional "not an astronaut but plays one on TV" astronaut) seriously spends 15 minutes while you are online trying to convince you to go on instead. We laughed the video off, thinking, "How bad can this ride be? The line is only 15 minutes long and we're at Epcot!" Turns out the line was only 15 minutes long because the fireworks were about to start and everyone was lined up for the show. Oh if we had known.

Not even a joke picture.
This was us after the ride.

Ultimately you get into a pod that is about the size of a midsize car. The pod then folds in half so your "controls" are closer to you. Each "astronaut" is assigned a job (i.e. engineer, pilot, captain, something else random that I've blocked out). I should have suspected something awful was about to happen when I saw that the pod was equipped with genuine barf bags. The ride then simulates being launched into outer space and flying to Mars where you almost fall off a cliff. My Brother-in-Law, who normally thoroughly enjoys thrill rides, said that he was fine until we almost went off the cliff. At that point, he was ready to lose it while I was ready to just live on Mars because I was having a horrible thought that they might make us fly back to Earth! (They don't!)

It was, without a doubt, complete and utter misery. Although the four year old who got off the ride immediately after us (and was kind enough to stop and talk to us on the benches that we laid down on!) loved it so maybe this is a perfect ride to take your toddler on. There is a height restriction of 44 inches for the Orange side.

Universe of Energy: Ellen's Energy Adventure: Many folks around my age may recall visiting Epcot as kids and going on the "dinosaur" ride. Well that ride is gone and has been replaced with this movie/interactive ride featuring Ellen DeGeneres. The entire experience is about 45 minutes long and includes a preshow featuring Ellen falling asleep and dreaming about Bill Nye the Science Guy offering to take her on a journey to understand energy. Once you enter the theater, Ellen's "dream" continues and ultimately the theater seats themselves start moving around in a big block. The dinosaurs are still included in the show, but their presence seemed a little forced. Baby O didn't care though: he is all about dinosaurs, even big, scary, fighting dinosaurs like these were!

Spaceship Earth

Baby O really liked Spaceship Earth. The cars are continuously moving so the line never gets very long (I'll have some examples of non-continuously moving cars when I discuss the Magic Kingdom and seriously just the unloading/loading process holds the line up a good 10-20 minutes!). You wind your way up to the top of Spaceship Earth while a voiceover in your car talks about advances in technology since the beginning of man. There are animatronic people along the way, which could be scary (particularly some scenes with fire), but Baby O really liked it. His favorite part was on the way back down: the car tilts backwards and there is a touch screen. You pick a few of your likes/interests on the screen and then watch a funny video of your "Future" based on your responses. Cute stuff.

Future World: Right

Imagination!: This pavilion contains two separate rides: Captain EO, which is back after a 16 year absence, and Journey Into Imagination with Figment. Captain EO is about 20 minutes long and is total cheese. It was fun to watch, but Baby O wasn't too impressed. He didn't like the 3D glasses, but luckily the screen doesn't look too crazy when you aren't wearing (I checked about forty times to make sure I wasn't destroying his young eyes!)

He preferred Journey Into Imagination with Figment, which has been revamped a bit since I remember riding it as a kid. It now features Eric Idle as a scientist who sends the rider on a journey into imagination which ends up being interrupted by Figment, a pesky little dragon. Toward the end of the ride, there was a loud POP that startled Baby O a bit, but the pop was just leading to the big singing finale so he didn't mind it too much. When you exit the ride, you enter ImageWorks, the third area of the Imagination! pavilion which is basically hands-on experiments for kids to play with (a bit over Baby O's abilities, although he did really enjoy a piano which is on the wall).

The Land: Of all the components of Future World, The Land is probably the most dull. The big thrill ride is Soarin' which simulates a hang glider touring above parts of California. There is a 40 inch height restriction, which is on the low side, so that should give you some insight into the ride's craziness. Husband, Brother-in-Law, Poppi and Mimi (Poppi's wife) went on this one and none came back terribly impressed. In fact, I think some were jealous that we had used their time away to meet Chip and Dale!

The second ride is Living with the Land, which tours a greenhouse. For some ridiculous reason all our guidebooks told us to get Fast Passes for this ride. I can seriously only think that this was some sort of elaborate joke because the ride was totally dead. It is a stop and go boat ride (i.e. not continuous like Spaceship Earth) and when we got to the front of the line, there were five empty boats just sitting there. Once we loaded into ours they sent it off barely 25% full. It was neat at the end to see some of the wacky fruit/vegetable hybrids they are growing (ten pound lemons!), but don't go out of your way to ride this one.

The Seas with Nemo & Friends: This was a super popular pavilion for Baby O while we were at Epcot. Here visitors can find: the ride of the same name and Turtle Talk with Crush. Both are really popular so get Fast Passes or head there first thing in the morning. The ride basically retells the story of Finding Nemo as you ride around in shells. Turtle Talk is ridiculously cool for anyone, regardless of age. You file into a room (kids can sit on the floor in front) and Crush from Finding Nemo appears on screen. He talks for a bit and then takes questions from the audience! Kids can raise their hands and Crush will call on them by describing them. Then he answers their questions with specific answers! The technology is really amazing and supposedly they are using the same technology to have "costumed" characters (i.e. Mickey, Donald, Goofy) finally be able to speak with park guests! The show is about 15 minutes and runs continuously, but without a Fast Pass you might be waiting a while!

World Showcase:

Lest you think we never ventured into the World Showcase portion of Epcot: we did! With Baby O, we were there for lunch and then quickly ushered him back to the hotel for nap. With our adult group, we stumbled around post-Mission: Space Orange, trying to regain our bearings and end our misery!

There are actually a few rides in the World Showcase, but we only went on one: Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros in Mexico. It is in the back of the market building on the left-hand side. It is along the same vein of It's a Small World, but is themed after the Three Caballeros movie featuring Donald Duck. Another ride that we considered riding but it looked closed (it wasn't) was Maelstrom in Norway. It's a boat ride too but has a slight drop (28 feet). There's no height restriction and the drop is obviously no Splash Mountain, but it might be a bit much for the younger crowd.

For lunch with Baby O, we ate at the Tangierine Café in Morocco. My family is part-Lebanese and this type of food is very similar. While the chairs were iron and not exactly ideal for an almost-two year old, he managed. The portions were really big and we totally could have split entrees if we had wanted. Personally I found the falafel to be a bit on the dry side, but the lamb was super delicious! The baklava was a nice different type of dessert from what we had been getting at other quick-service restaurants. We were on the dining plan and for one quick-service credit, we got an entrée that included rice or fries, a dessert, and a drink. Baby O had chicken fingers which he enjoyed. These actually had just a touch of seasoning on them so they were a little something different for him too!

The other place we ate was at the Kringla Bakeri in Norway. I had read online so try the School Bread so after Mission: Space Orange, we did. Ohmygosh it was delicious! It was seriously the only thing that made me feel even slightly better when my head was spinning post-Mission: Space Orange. My sister and I split a piece the first night and then another day we went back and got THREE more! We also talked Mimi into getting some! School Bread is a slightly sweet bread filled with custard and sprinkled with coconut. It's not very rich and the only negative reviews I've seen are from people who were expecting more of a cinnamon bun flavor. That is not what School Bread is: it's really more like a honey flavored dinner roll with custard inside. In any event, it is ridiculously delicious! As we waited to place our second order, I started singing about how tasty School Bread is and I'm not kidding when I say that a few people in front of us changed their orders! And as we were leaving the park (still singing!), everyone kept asking what we were carrying because it looked so yummy! I'm convinced we changed some lives that day! On the dining plan, School Bread is one snack credit, but even sans dining plan it was less than $3/roll!

Here are some of the other possible dining options that I had chosen:

Sunshine Seasons (The Land) - This is a food court style restaurant with stations (grill, soup & salad, Asian noodles, sandwiches, bakery & breakfast). Everything here is cooked to order and personalization (due to allergies, etc.) is honored without issue. There is a ton of seating but it can get crowded (it wasn't really when we were there) and can be difficult to maneuver with a stroller. The Strawberry Shortcake and Beet Salad are supposed to be particularly good.

Les Halles Bakery (France) - This bakery opens at 9am and is one of the few attractions in World Showcase that opens before 11am. There is ample seating (both indoor and outdoor) and a large service area. There are savory options that could be a nice lunch for a meal plan snack credit (standouts are said to be quiche, bisque, and sandwiches). If they offer to toast something, say yes!

We did do a table service meal at Epcot too, but I decided I am going to do those meals separately since there is a ton I can say about each of them.

All in all, we had a great time at Epcot (Mission: Space Orange notwithstanding) which surprised us. Baby O really enjoyed it there too. We weren't ever there late enough to see any of the fireworks shows, but I've seen one before and it's pretty amazing (this from someone who hates fireworks!) They light up the whole World Showcase Lagoon and set all kinds of things on fire and then ultimately turn the Spaceship Earth into a big projection screen. Pretty awesome, but way past Baby O's bedtime (and the one time we were there for the show, we were Mission: Space Orange incapacitated!) I'd definitely advise folks to at least consider visiting Epcot for at least a half day. With a park hopper ticket, you can always go to a different park after lunch, but I think you may be surprised, just like we were, at how fun Epcot, even with an almost toddler can be!

* The "Wonders of Life" pavilion is still present at Epcot but isn't currently in operation for any ride or attraction. It is on the left-hand side of Future World between Mission: Space and the Universe of Energy

Tips for Disney with a (Almost) Toddler

2014-02-16T14:49:00.001-05:00

In November we took then Baby O to Disney World. (In my mind the transition to official Toddler didn't happen until his second birthday last month so since he was only 22 months old for our Disney trip, he was still a baby!) A lot of folks thought maybe we were taking him too soon but we went anyway because:

1) It was a fun opportunity to get the whole family together. And by whole family I mean me, Husband, Baby O, Mimi and Poppi (the in-laws), Lolli and Pops (my parents), Great Grandma, Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Brad (my sister and her hubby). The ratio of adults to child for our Disney trip was, at times, 9:1. Pretty awesome!

2) I really like Disney World and wanted to go back. You may recall that the Princess in my blog title is from my running the inaugural Disney Princess Half Marathon back in 2009. I hadn't been since then and thought it would be fun to take Baby O.

Husband was initially in the "he's too young" camp. He wanted to wait until Baby O was old enough to remember the trip, but honestly I'd previously been to Disney World three times and the only time I had actual memories of was the time when I was 27! I have vague memories of being there as a 5 and 9 year old but nothing specific or concrete. So if we were waiting for Baby O to retain actual memories, it was going to be a long time!

Finally, Lolli said that she'd go with us whether Husband came or not. Because he didn't want to be a party pooper, Husband agreed and we started planning.

Disney World with a (almost) toddler is not a trip you can plan on a short time table. The fact is that you need to do research before you go: where to stay, where to eat, and even what rides to go on. Because Baby O has such a defined schedule, it was really important that we not ever be stranded an hour away from the hotel at naptime. Or if he wanted to eat, we needed to have a list of acceptable restaurant options all around the park so food was never more than five minutes away!

Luckily both my mom and I like planning vacations so we each got to work, came together to compare our decisions, and made a final list.

Our first decision was when to go. Summer was out: it is ridiculously hot in Florida during the summer and Disney World is crowded because of school vacations. Same goes for weeks in February, April and October when schools are on break. Holidays are super popular too: Halloween, Thanksgiving and, of course, Christmas and New Years. There are a few formerly slow weeks that Disney now hosts various running events so we avoided those as well.

In the end we settled on the week of November 14-21. In 2013, this was a Thursday-Thursday and our trip ended one week before Thanksgiving. This week turned out to be perfect because the weather was pleasant (we were able to wear shorts and enjoy the pool, but it was never unbearably hot), the lines were short (we joked that the longest line we stood in was when my sister wanted Starbucks one evening!), and, best of all, some of the Christmas decorations were up! By visiting during this particular week, we managed to get the whole Disney Christmas experience with crowds significantly smaller than would be there for the next six weeks! Perfection!

Our next big decision: where to stay. Our options were a bit limited in this department because we needed a suite for our group. Lolli, Pops and Great Grandma were staying with me, Husband and Baby O so we could tag team nighttime babysitting. Surprisingly, Disney doesn't have a lot of rooms available for groups this large, but the suites that were available were cheaper than asking for adjacent double rooms. Ultimately we zeroed in on the Art of Animation Resort.

Let me back-up a bit and explain why we wanted to stay at a Disney resort. There were a few reasons actually. First, staying at a resort means that you can take advantage of "Extra Magic" hours. Each day one of the four main Disney parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom) opens early or stays open late in the evenings. While the evening options turned out to be nice, we were really interested in the early morning options. Baby O is habitually a painfully early riser in the morning. Rather than hanging out for hours in the hotel waiting for the park to open at 9am, we were able to be up and out for a 8am park arrival. That extra hour was key, especially when naptime can strike anywhere from 11am-noon!

Second, we considered renting cars for transportation, but ultimately utilizing Disney transportation made more sense. My parents drove to Florida and we had a car seat for Baby O, but we knew that there was a possibility that we would not all be arriving/leaving the parks at the same time. By staying on the Disney property, we had constant access to buses that could take us to the parks (or to the other resorts) whenever we wanted. This way, Husband could take Baby O to the hotel in the car and put him to bed then when the rest of the crew was ready to leave the park, we'd hop on the bus and be back in less than 15 minutes.

Photo credit

Third, staying at a resort is part of the Disney experience in my mind. One thing I do remember from
a childhood trip to Disney is the Caribbean Beach Resort and it's awesome pools. There is just something that makes the experience all the more magical when it follows you back to the hotel! That said, our room was a really great theme: Finding Nemo (other options at Art of Animation are The Little Mermaid (no suite option), the Lion King, and Cars). I've actually never seen the Lion King (*gasp*) and wasn't particularly moved by Cars so Finding Nemo was a perfect choice. Even more so because after we made the reservations, a girlfriend let me borrow her son's Nemo costume so Baby O was able to dress as Nemo for Halloween! We also got him the Finding Nemo blu ray so he could watch the movie ahead of time and get familiar with the characters!

Our room was small (one bedroom, a pull out couch and a Murphy bed that folded into the wall and became a table), but there was two bathrooms and honestly the point of the vacation wasn't to hang out in the room so it was perfect for us. Baby O was thrilled with the Nemo theme, which carried over into the awesome pool and splash pad that was right outside our door! The resort dining hall (Landscape of Flavors) and the gift shop were close too (if you stay at the Lion King or Little Mermaid themed rooms, both are a serious hike!)

From Top Left: (1) Signage outside the property, (2) Enormous Finding Nemo themed splash pad next to the main pool at the resort, and (3) Mickey fun on the Murphy bed (which revealed this sweet picture of Nemo and Marlin cuddling! Awwww!

As much as we liked the Art of Animation Resort, it was not without some issues. One of the reasons it's classified as a "value resort" is it's distance from the Disney parks. Granted, it's not that far away, but we did spend a decent chunk of our day traveling (particularly since we were coming back for nap each day). Husband and Brother-in-Law both decided that next time around, they wouldn't mind paying a bit more and potentially staying a few less days in order to cut down on our travel. I'm not sure I'm in 100% agreement because the only way to significantly reduce our travel time is to stay on the monorail line and those resorts are super pricey! They also really only save you time when traveling to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot since those are the only two parks on the monorail line.

We tried traveling both ways to the parks (via car and via Disney buses) and we got burned both ways at least once. Husband and I waited nearly 30 minutes with a super exhausted Baby O before an Art of Animation bus arrived at Animal Kingdom and then once it finally did come, it stopped at Blizzard Beach before heading to our hotel! What would have been a 10 minute drive turned into an hour-plus voyage. Arg!

For the Magic Kingdom, however, buses are the way to go as they bring you right up to the park entrance. The parking lot is on the other side of the water, meaning once you park you still have to either take the ferry or the monorail to the main entrance. The monorails come pretty regularly but weren't running the first morning we were there so we ended up on the ferry. Luckily we were the last group that got on the boat before it left, but poor Aunt Suzanne, who arrived five minutes later, had to wait 30 minutes for the ferry to turn back around! Add to that traveling time the fact that you might have to take a tram to the monorail station from the parking lot and you are looking at a pretty long journey (particularly if you have to fold and unfold a stroller four times!) My parents, who took the bus on the other hand, waltzed up to the front gate within 10-15 minutes of leaving the hotel!

So basically my advice would be take the bus to the Magic Kingdom and, if you have the option, drive to the other four parks.

I think that's enough for today's tips. I have a ton of tips and advice specific to each park that I'll post separately. I hope this is helpful to someone. There are so many choices when it comes to a Disney vacation and I so appreciated reading lots of different reviews and experiences that I wanted to put our vacation experience out there! I also want to make sure to document it somewhere so next time we go back I'm not having to reinvent the wheel!

Stay tuned for my tips on each of the four Disney parks - Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios - with a (almost) toddler!

Toddler O pictures!!

2014-02-14T21:17:00.002-05:00

So after posting all about Stitch Fix, it occurred to me that I didn't even post a picture of Toddler O! What a horrible mother I am!

Here is a shot of us from Disney World in November. I had found a similar pose online and really wanted to capture this shot for Christmas cards so I insisted that we try about four different times. My brother-in-law finally captured this beauty on the last night (ignore the folks behind us - they were obviously edited out for the card)!

And here is one of me with my sweet little boy at his second birthday party. Can you believe Toddler O is 2 already?

Okay now I can get my "mom card" back!

Stitch Fix aka My Triumphant Return to Blogging

2014-02-11T17:30:00.000-05:00

So...life, eh?

Being a stay-at-home mom has been wonderful and really treating me well these past 18 months since I made it official, but I'm sad to report that as much as ~~Baby~~ Toddler O and I may be thriving internally, fashion-wise I'm merely a shell of my former stylish self.

Case in point: Husband has been asking me for years to throw away three sweatshirts which I've owned since high school. I really don't understand his problem with them since I only ever wear them around the house when it gets chilly but whatever: it bugs him and I'm a nice wifey. I found two sweatshirts for $5 each at Old Navy and promptly threw out the high school sweatshirts. But now I have been wearing the new sweatshirts out in public, several times a week! So now I've gone from wearing old sweatshirts, but only at home to wearing new sweatshirts every single day as my outfit. Is it progress because they are new or regression? I'm not sure.

I can report that I have only worn yoga pants out of the house once and while it was a glorious and freeing experience, I've decided that it might be a bit too dangerous to have that much stretchy-comfortableness available to me, particularly since Husband and I have counted at least a dozen frozen yogurt/ice cream shops within ten miles of our house!

Which brings us to another situation: my closet is empty.

Not figuratively empty as in there are 3000 things in there and I'm whining to Husband, "I have nothing to wear!", but literally empty as in I have maybe 15 things hanging in my closet right now and a good 10 of them are sleeveless or short sleeved t-shirts, thus completely inappropriate to wear given the foot of snow in our front yard.

"What happened?" you ask.

Well a few things: first, I finally got down to business and decided it was time to lose the baby weight. I gained nearly 20 pounds trying to get pregnant and then another 30 actually being pregnant so I had a big task ahead of me. I started around this time last year: counting calories, getting back into running and attending boot camp-style weight training classes taught by a friend of mine.

The good news is that my hard work paid off: I lost the baby weight plus an additional 15 pounds.

The bad news is that now none of my old pre-pregnancy clothes fit anymore: they are all too big! I kept some of them around for a while before finally realizing that not only was I saving these clothes for a world when I had to go back to work (yuck) but for a world where I had also gained 20 pounds (double yuck!). I listed most on roxy's Effortless Anthropologie Trade Market Facebook group and sent the rest off to Goodwill.

Second, I panicked and decided my house was trying to suffocate me. A little backstory: we bought our house in 2007 right at the height of the real estate bubble. The minute the ink was dry on the paper our house was worth significantly less than what we paid for it so what initially was supposed to be our "starter home" where we'd have one baby and then move has turned into our "stuck here indefinitely home". So Husband and I started talking about Baby 2 and I'm thinking I'm all ready to start trying sometime this year and then I wake up that night at 2am in a panic: where are we going to put this baby? We have three bedrooms: ours, Toddler O's, and a guest room that we use a ton because my parents visit several times a year and stay for a few weeks each time. We are so packed into our current house, there isn't even floor space to blow up an aero mattress! I definitely freaked out and came to the New Years Resolution that we need to make better use of our space.

This led to a complete home purge. I went through every box and bin and trashed a ton. We made countless runs to Goodwill and several dumpster drop-offs at my sister-in-law's condo complex. Ultimately we turned out laundry room into an office, will turn our downstairs den into a guest bedroom/workout room, and Toddler O will move into the guest bedroom at some point down the road. Granted we aren't even close to getting pregnant again but just having all this done now makes me feel so much better since it won't be weighing down on me when I'm as big as a house and eating instant mashed potatoes and grilled cheese sandwiches like it's my job!

So all my beloved Anthropologie clothes have been sold or are on the market and most of the rest of my wardrobe got donated. What's a girl to do?

Start shopping, of course!

Now back in his infant days, Toddler O was a great shopping companion. I'd pop him in the stroller, he'd conk out and I'd run all my errands. Perfection. Not so much these days. First of all, good luck getting Toddler O to sit in his stroller. Sometimes snacks help lure him in but other times he arches his back or goes boneless or just thrashes so much I can't even grab hold of a limb to strap in. When I do get him in, I've got to keep him moving or else he gets bored. I can occasionally find a mirror to entertain him (vain little boy loves looking at himself) or he'll spot another person to flirt with, but otherwise I'm dealing in minutes not hours. And if he decides he wants to walk that day? Forget it. It takes all my energy to stop him from pulling every cardigan off the shelf that I can't even be bothered to stop and consider if the cardigan now lying on the floor is cute.

Enter Stich Fix. I first read about Stitch Fix on one of my new favorite food blogs: Ambitious Kitchen. The idea intrigued me and I did a ton of research before finally asking for a Stitch Fix gift card for Christmas.

Stitch Fix is a personal styling service. You fill out an extensive questionnaire about your style, size, and budget preferences, and they send you a package of stylish goodies to try on at home. Each "Fix" is unique and hand-picked! After filling out your profile, you schedule your "Fix" date. There is a $20 styling fee but that cost is a credit towards any of the items you decide to purchase. You have three days to decide what you want to purchase and if you buy all five items in your "Fix", you get a 25% discount! Anything you don't like goes into the enclosed postage-paid envelope and shipped back. So I can do my shopping at naptime! So easy!

I specifically asked for no accessories or jewelry because of my desperate need for actual clothes. I also requested no dresses just because wearing a dress in the winter with a toddler is just not realistic. You can also add special requests if you have an event coming up (my mom scheduled a "Fix" and asked for items to wear on her upcoming South Pacific cruise!)

Ever the planner, I read about 2000 Stitch Fix reviews before finally taking the plunge (and even then it wasn't even my money I was spending!). The waitlist was about a month (I think lots of people got holiday gift cards!) and I was seriously counting down the days until my "Fix" arrived.

A note of warning: once you get notification that your "Fix" has shipped, if you want your items to be a complete surprise, avoid visiting the website. I accidentally learned that the page will default to "Checkout" where all your items will be listed out. No biggie as there were no accompanying pictures, but I did find out that I had four tops and a pair of pants on the way.

The package arrived during naptime (perfect timing as we usually get packages later in the day!) and I immediately brought it inside.

Here's my box - it was stuffed to the brim with goodies and I couldn't wait to tear into it! Look how pretty it was all packaged! Seriously, like Christmas!

One of the coolest things is that Stitch Fix doesn't just leave you to your own devices to style all your new clothes (because honestly those of us that are enlisting the help of a personal stylist clearly have no ability to handle such a large task). With each item, they send this adorable card that shows various ways to style your five items.

I was super excited when I looked at my style cards: I loved every single outfit and, not only that, could totally see myself wearing these outfits with Toddler O in tow!

On to the fashion show! Please forgive the location of our pictures: it was dark by the time Husband got home and Toddler O's playroom has the best light in the house. Just ignore the ABC play mat and train table in the background!

I confess that I cheated a bit and Googled the name of this top before it arrived. There were a few different colorways, including a tan/beige one which I was really hoping I didn't get. The burgundy was really pretty and the fit was well (this was a medium). The price was reasonable ($48). The thing that stopped me from keeping this shirt? I literally had just sold this shirt on roxy's Trade Market and it just seemed too similar. If I was fine with parting with the old version, there was no reason to replace it with a new version!

Um, how cute is this cardigan? It was only $28 and doesn't it totally look like something "Adorable Lawyer Kathleen" would have worn to court? Unfortunately the appliques seemed just a little too delicate for toddler paws and I was worried about the sweater getting ruined. It fit fine buttoned (another Medium), but gapped way too much when open. My stylist suggested I wear this over another top she sent but there was no way that was going to happen: this thing barely cleared my side when unbuttoned. I returned it.

This entire outfit was seriously love at first sight. I pulled the jeans out of the box and thought, "Yowsers, there is no way these are going to fit." They are size 30 but they have stretch (and good stretch - not "super tight, can't even think about eating dinner stretch". I was shocked that they were long enough too. I had specifically mentioned having a hard time finding pants with the correct inseam so my stylist totally came through on this one! I can't believe that I've literally tried on 200 pairs of pants, trying to find the right fit and my stylist sent me one pair and they fit perfectly! At $78 the price seemed reasonable but it really was the fit that sold me! I don't have any black pants so these will transition nicely from casual (worn with one of the aforementioned Old Navy sweatshirts to a Super Bowl party) to dressy (perhaps dinner out with Husband?)

The top is a similar dolman style as the burgundy top above. I was a little disappointed that I got two tops so similar, but it worked out since I didn't keep the burgundy one. This top is actually a similar color to a pregnancy top that I really loved so I liked it right away! It was $48 and the fit was very nice: I liked how it was drapey on top but then came in at my hips. I kept this whole outfit!

This is the sadest item in my box. I loved it on the style card. I loved it in person. Then I put it on me and, "Ugh." It is a bit too baggy in the hip area to work on me (although the sleeves fit fine so I think that is just the style). I so wanted this one to work but alas it wasn't meant to be. It was $38 which seemed like a steal.

So ultimately I kept two items and have already worn them a few times! When you check out, they ask for feedback about your "Fix" so I was able to say things about so many dolman items and the cardigan being too big and the applique cardigan being a bit too delicate. The stylist takes all that into consideration when preparing your next "Fix" (mine is coming right before my 33rd birthday - oy!)

So if you are on the fence, I definitely recommend trying Stitch Fix out. Here is a link to sign up. Full disclosure: this isn't a sponsored post. I paid for my "Fix" with my own money (well, with my own Stitch Fix gift card purchased by my sister); however, if you sign up using my link, I get a $25 credit. How cool is that? So use my link, sign up and then tell your friends to use your referral link!

Now that I'm actually getting dressed again in the morning, I'm hoping to maybe pop back in now and again, but I was so excited about Stitch Fix that I just had to come out of my semi-retirement and tell everyone about it!

Baby O's First Fourth

2012-07-05T10:49:00.001-04:00

A post seems appropriate this morning because I'm sure many of you are wondering whether Baby O and I survived his first Fourth of July. Well we did and I'm very pleased that it isn't occurring again for another year.

You may recall that I am not the biggest fan of the Fourth of July due to my extreme fear of fireworks which I have discussed before (see here and here).

This year beside my TOTALLY RATIONAL AND NOT AT ALL CHILDISH fear of fireworks, we had another variable in the equation: Baby O.

Here's the math:

Baby O's bedtime = 7:00pm
When it gets dark outside = 9:00pm
Whether our neighbor's slacker twenty-something year old son would show up with his friends to drink beer and light fireworks literally just outside Baby O's window = x

Solve for x.

I was a nervous wreck all evening. Luckily the noise and concern that our house was going to burn down only bothered me. Baby O slept right through it. For added piece of mind, Husband downloaded a white noise app on his iPad and put it in Baby O's bedroom. Then we cranked up our huge in-wall air conditioner and crossed our fingers that he didn't wake up.

I swear if he had, I would have marched outside and demanded that those hoodlums come in and put him back to sleep!

The rest of the day was uneventful: some shopping and hanging out at home. It was too hot to be outside too long so no cookout for us!

I dressed everyone in red, white and blue outfits and tried to take a family photo. It took about fifteen minutes before we got one with everyone looking at the camera and no one trying to swat away Izzy, who kept leaping onto the couch for the photo. Per usual, Husband made me crop him out so the tiny sliver of blue you see is his shirt.

Me: Burnout Dot Tank, Anthropologie (on sale here) - my first Anthro purchase in a while but I needed a nice white tank for summer and this was on super sale so it fit the bill

Cardigan, Loft

Baby O: Fourth of July shirt, Carters

Shorts, JCPenney

Can you believe Baby O will be six months old in two weeks? Time absolutely flies! I officially quit my job and am looking forward to spending my days with him and watching him grow!

Happy Thursday!

Happy Easter: Baby O meets the Easter Bunny!

2012-04-08T12:56:00.001-04:00

Yeah it was crazy-expensive and it's not like he's actually going to remember that it happened, but what did you expect? I'm ridiculous.

Happy Easter!

Love,

Kathleen, Husband, and Baby O

The Story of Baby O's Life

2012-02-13T10:22:00.000-05:00

Husband and I welcomed Baby O into the world at 6:22 a.m. on January 18, 2012. He's an absolute doll (even when he's refusing to go to sleep at 2:30 in the morning) and we couldn't be happier!

Not surprisingly, Baby O made a memorable entrance into the world. Nothing about my getting pregnant or being pregnant had been easy, so I was expecting some sort of excitement at the hospital. I was not disappointed.

Because the doctors were convinced that Baby O was big and because of my gestational diabetes diagnosis, we scheduled an induction for January 17, 2012. When we woke up that morning, there was a dusting of snow on the ground and it was sleeting outside. Lovely. As instructed I called the hospital to ask if we should still arrive at 7:00 a.m. They told us to come in at 7:30 a.m. instead because they were anticipating some of the morning shift to have commuting issues.

We arrived at the hospital and got checked in by 8:00 a.m. Then I had a few different examinations by the nurse and resident, who reported to my doctor how far along I was. We had two options for medications to begin the induction: cervidil and pitocin. I had mixed feelings about which one I preferred: I'd heard that with pitocin, the contractions can come on like a ton of bricks, giving your body no time to prepare for the pain, but the cervidil had to work for twelve hours, which meant we'd have to wait until late Tuesday evening before there was even a possibility of anything happening.

Ultimately my doctor decided to do a round of cervidil, which she administered at 10 a.m. Then we just sat around all day. I was only allowed to eat clear foods so Husband kept running to the unit refrigerator to get me orange Jell-O, popsicles and ginger ale. I had an IV and two fetal monitors on so getting out of bed to even use the bathroom was a total pain. Husband was helpful when I needed to get unplugged and our first nurse Kelly was very nice as well.

At about lunchtime, the contractions started. Initially they were a good ten minutes apart and were very light. Husband would watch the monitor and ask, "Are you having one?" and I'd have to think a minute before a twinge of pain would hit me.

Around the same time, the nurses changed shifts, which I was not happy about. The new nurse Kathy was just annoying from the beginning: she came in and asked why I wasn't walking around the unit. I told her that no one had connected me to the portable unit so if I left the room, they wouldn't be able to monitor the baby's heartrate. So then she went on about how I simply had to walk around and then said something about the doctor doing a second round of cervidil which would tack another twelve hours minimum onto the delivery. I was like, "Oh heck no!" I told Husband that I was not a fan of this new nurse and that I thought she was only working until 7:30 p.m. I hoped that was true and that I hadn't just made it up and thankfully it turned out I was right!
After promising me more orange Jell-O like four times (only green was left in the refrigerator) and taking nearly an hour to get batteries for the portable unit, Kathy finally unhooked all my wires and Husband and I ventured into the hallway to take a walk. Two minutes later a nurse came chasing after us because we had ventured out of the range of the portable fetal monitor. So basically all Kathy's fussing was that she wanted me to be walking a twenty foot length of hallway.

Though as annoyed as I am to admit it, when the contractions were just "uncomfortable", the walking did help take my mind off them.
By the time the new nurse Audra arrived, the contractions were getting more intense and really close together: less than three minutes. It felt better to move around or to lie on my side so I spent most of my time over the next few hours trying to manage the pain. Audra helped me breathe through the contractions which also helped a lot. She then said something that made me like her even more than I already did: that at 10 p.m. I could probably take a shower and have some dinner!

The doctor came in just after 10 p.m. and I was slightly more dialated. It didn't sound like much to me but the doctor seemed pleased and was ready to start the pitocin. I asked about eating and she said that I could have dinner so Husband went downstairs to pick me up a sandwich.

While he was gone, Audra started setting up the supplies for delivery. She explained that she prefers to have everything ready to go in case things start happening fast. After spreading a blue sheet on a steel table, she started arranging all the tools and surgical supplies for the doctor. It was at this moment that Husband walked back into the room with my sandwich.

Husband: Whoa, it just got real in here!

Apparently up until that point, Husband had felt like we were just hanging out in some type of weird hotel room, but seeing all the tools laid out on the table made him realize that eventually there would be a baby arriving!

At 11 p.m. we finally started the pitocin. I was still really nervous about it because while the cervidil contractions weren't terribly painful, they were already really close together. My concern was that if the piticin amped up the intensity of the contractions, I'd basically be having constant painful contractions until the little guy arrived. We started on the lowest dose and Audra said she'd increase it from there depending on how I was doing.

Throughout this whole process, I'd been really unsure about getting an epidural. I have a decently high tolerance for pain and because I tend to get anxious, the idea of not being able to feel my lower body really freaked me out. Earlier in the day the anesthesiologist came in to do a consult with me and she had assured me that my legs wouldn't be totally numb. I'd also spoken with a good friend who had just been induced at the same hospital last year. She said that getting the epidural actually helped her relax and she ended up dialating really quickly afterwards (apparently fighting the contraction pain was taking so much energy that her body forgot to actually get ready for labor!) Armed with all this information, I figured I'd just play the whole thing by ear and see how I felt.

Almost immediately after we started the pitocin, the contractions began to get much more intense and as the night went on, they got progressively closer together too (remember they were already three minutes apart with the cervidil!). Husband tried to get some sleep and I did too, but by 1 a.m., I was in too much pain to just breathe through the contractions. Audra suggested we get in the shower. While the warm water definitely felt nice, I felt really unstable on the chair she set up (just a rolling stool with some pillows around it). I was afraid that I was going to fall when the contractions really got going so I told her I wanted to get out. At this point, they were coming about a minute or so apart and lasting nearly a minute. In the span of my getting out of bed and going to the bathroom, I was having four or five contractions.

At 2:15 a.m., I said to Audra, "I think I'm dying." She smiled and laughed a bit (after having been her only patient for nearly seven hours at that point, she had learned that I tend to be prone to hyperbole). I looked her in the eye and said, "I'm not kidding." I was really miserable at that point as evidenced by the fact that I promptly threw up all my dinner. Awesome.

Me: How do you stand being a nurse? I'm disgusted with myself right now and I'm me!

She gave me some sort of explanation about how everyone is good at different things that made me feel better (partially because I was too miserable to care about how gross I was!). I asked if it made sense to check how dialated I was and she asked, "Well if we do that and you are farther along, what's the plan?"

Without even thinking, I responded, "Epidural."

She checked me out and I was up to four centimeters so she immediately put out a page for the anesthesiologist. He arrived almost too quickly because I hadn't gotten up my strength to make one last trip to the bathroom! Luckily he was willing to wait and soon I was perched on the edge of the bed. At that point, Audra had turned off the pitocin, which has a really short half life so it didn't take long to get out of my system. Unfortunately the half life was just long enough to last as I got the epidural and so every minute or so the anesthesiologist was kind enough to stop working and let me deal with the contraction. Somehow I managed to breathe through the one portion where he couldn't stop and I had to stay perfectly still and I got to lie down in bed as my lower body gradually got more numb.

I think I ended up with the perfect epidural. I could still feel my legs, but they just felt heavy and any pain just felt like pressure. A few times Audra asked me to reposition my legs and with her help, I was able to do so. I definitely didn't feel like my legs were gone forever, which had been my biggest fear. At one point I was feeling pain on my left side so the anesthesiologist topped me off with a second dose and the pain was gone after ten minutes or so.

The anesthesiologist left my room at about 3:15 a.m. and I tried to get some sleep. Then about an hour later, it felt like a water balloon popped between my legs. I called Audra and told her I thought my water had broken. She came in and confirmed that it had.

At that point I was worried that I wouldn't deliver by 7am. Both my doctor and nurse were scheduled to change shifts at 7am and I really didn't want to have to deal with two new people halfway through the actual giving birth process. Audra told me that if I was really close, she didn't intend to just walk out so I was glad to know that at least I'd have one familiar face in the room with me!

She left me alone to try to get some more sleep. Then at about 5:15am I started feeling some pressure. I speculated that it was labor-related because it seemed to occur every few minutes which lined up with when the contractions were happening. Audra came in again to check me and confirmed that I was fully dialated and the pressure was Baby O's head ready to come out!

It turned out to be really smart of Audra to prepare the delivery supplies in advance because everything happened crazy fast at that point! My doctor poked her head in (no doubt thinking that she was going to get to finish up her 24 hour shift without delivering one last baby!) and Audra told her that I was fully dialated.

Doctor: What? Really?

They told me that I'd start to push at about 6am and left the room to make last minute preparations. I woke up Husband and told him that we were getting ready to have a baby and he woke up really fast! I'd been worried about how Husband would deal with labor since he tends to get a little woozy when we're going through medical procedures. Audra suggested that he go get some cranberry juice to increase his sugar so he left the room.

Once he was gone, Audra suggested that I start pushing. I asked when the doctor would come in and she said that once he was crowning, she'd call in the doctor. Until then it would just be me, her and Husband. So we went ahead and pushed once and as Husband was coming back into the room, Audra grabbed the intercom and paged the doctor! He was crowning already!

Our doctor came in and I pushed two more times. Then I heard one of the nurses say, "Triple nuchal," and the doctor told me to stop pushing for a second. It seems that in all the excitement, our little guy had gotten his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck three times! Our doctor was totally calm and just snipped the cord off and Baby O was fine. Then I pushed another time and he was out!

Ultimately I ended up pushing for about 20 minutes (even less if you consider that the 20 minutes included the few minutes that the doctor was dealing with the umbilical cord situation). The nurses immediately put him onto my chest and my first thought was, "This is a tiny baby! There is no way he's 8 pounds!"

They weighed him and I was right: he was 6 pounds, 14 ounces and 20 inches long. Everyone was shocked and still can't figure out how they misestimated his size so much.

Luckily we'd received quite a few Newborn size clothes and diapers at my shower and from a girlfriend whose son was born in August. I was so convicned that we'd be bringing an enormous baby home that I only bought clothing 3 Months and bigger! As it turns out, the Newborn outfit that I brought for Baby O to wear home was absolutely swimming on him! Even now with his one month birthday right around the corner, he's still exclusively wearing Newborn sizes!

Thank you so much for all your well wishes and I hope I haven't kept everyone in too much suspense waiting for a birth story! As you can probably imagine, having a new baby is pretty exhausting and as I type this, I know I'm on borrowed time since he's waking up from a short-lived nap! Husband and I couldn't be happier though or more in love.

Happy New Year: Bump Photo & Finished Nursery Pictures!

2012-01-01T11:08:00.002-05:00

There wasn't much doubt but now it's absolutely certain that our little guy will be a 2012 baby. I had jokingly told Husband that he'd agreed to come last night because he was officially full term (37 weeks) and we'd be covered by our 2011 insurance, but the evening turned out to be completely uneventful on the baby front.

The last few months have flown by! A few hours after my last post, we got a freak October snowstorm and lost power for more than a week! We ended up evacuating to my grandmother's house a few hours away where we managed to keep warm, get some work done, and, most importantly, find a generator for next time (thus ensuring that we'll never lose power in our house again!)

I returned home just in time to receive notice that one of my cases was ready to start the appeal process. That meant 40 straight days of frantic reading, researching and brief-writing which took me straight through Thanksgiving and Christmas.

36 Weeks: Christmas Eve

My brief was sent off in the mail on Wednesday of last week and I have to say my motivation to go back to work decreased pretty significantly at that point. I know this sounds crazy, but I've loved being pregnant even though I've been completely miserable about 80% of the time. My doctor offered to write me a note for bed rest a few weeks ago, but honestly it's not comfortable being at home either so I told her I might as well go into work and be productive. I'm reconsidering that decision right now because at least while sitting at home, I can be in jammies!

The biggest issue has been a nagging pain in my upper right abdomen. It started off as sporadic and only after I did a lot of moving or standing. Then it progressed to every afternoon, regardless of my activity level. And now it's pretty much constant, with a pain that radiates around to my back included for good measure. It's next to impossible to get comfortable anywhere and most nights I end up in tears because I can't relax to get to sleep. Husband has been so helpful around the house though: cooking, cleaning, and last night he rubbed my back until I fell asleep. I'm so lucky to have him around to take care of me!

Speaking of Husband, his hard work in the nursery finally paid off a few weeks ago when our furniture arrived! We rearranged it a few times before settling on a floor plan and then Husband got to work installing shelves in the changing nook. I'm so happy with the finished product and now all we need to make the room complete is our little guy!

Crib, Munire Essex Collection (purchased at USA Baby)

Leachco Teether Guard (Amazon)

Best Chairs Storytime Series, Rena (purchased as USA Baby)

Kids Line Jungle 1-2-3 Lamp (Amazon)

iPod dock (Brookstone Outlet)

Table (Christmas Tree Shop)

Blanket handmade by friend

Glow Worm (in crib) (gift from my sister)

Monkey (in crib) (gift from Husband's sister)

Kids Line Jungle 1-2-3 Hamper (Amazon)

Munchkin Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail (Amazon - Christmas gift from Husband)

Closetmaid 3 Shelf Organizer (Target)

Koala bins (Babies R Us)

Little Boutique Night Light - Monkey (Babies R Us)

Changing Pad (Pottery Barn Kids)

Carter's Changing Pad Cover (Babies R Us)

Crane Humidifier (Amazon)

J.J. Cole Diaper & Wipes Caddy (Babies R Us)

Dresser, Munire Essex Collection (purchased at USA Baby)

Hutch, Munire Essex Collection (purchased at USA Baby)

Assorted books from Wishing Well at Baby Shower

Rabbit figurine from when Husband was young

Sherling Sheep Blanket (Costco)

Willow Tree "Home" Figurine (gift from sister)

Kids Line Jungle 1-2-3 Switch Plate Cover (Amazon)

Obviously we haven't used any of these things yet so I have no idea whether they are useful or practical or helpful or anything, but I think the room looks pretty darn snazzy and I have high hopes for most of the items as they were highly recommended by Baby Bargains, an absolutely amazing pregnancy shopping book that I picked up months ago!

Although my due date isn't until January 21, we have an induction scheduled for January 17. Our little guy is already very big (6.7 pounds at the 35 week ultrasound) and I happened to develop gestational diabetes so they don't want me to go beyond my due date. It's very exciting to think that in just a few weeks, our little guy will be here!

Happy New Year everyone! I have a feeling 2012 is going to be awesome!

In My Room: Nursery Progress and a Bump Photo!

2011-10-29T13:23:00.000-04:00

Today officially marks the beginning of my third trimester! Yay!

In celebration, I thought I'd share some progress photographs of the work that Husband has done in our nursery.

To be clear, Husband is not a handy person. He'd be the first to admit that. I had my heart set on wainscoting and after checking a few books out of the library and speaking with an associate at our local home repair store, Husband seemed pretty convinced that he could install it himself.

And to my total delight, he did an amazing job!

Here's a shot of what the room looked like beforehand: all bland and wainscoting-less. Terrible!

But after Husband putting in a weekend of work wainscoting and Sister-in-Law coming over the following weekend to assist with painting, look at the lovely after photo!

I'm so pleased with the way it turned out. There are a few bald spots that Husband needs to touch up with paint, but otherwise the room is ready for furniture (which unfortunately is not going to show up until around Thanksgiving, even though we ordered it over Labor Day weekend. Good thing we're major planners and ordered so early!)

Because I couldn't wait to get my decorating on, I asked Husband to install the Roman Shades and valances I had purchased so the room would feel more "homey". Even though window covering-installation has been the bane of our existence in this house, he did a great job and even hung up/fluffed out the valances for me!

Obviously we're going to have to get something to wrap the long cords around, but the window came out exactly how I imagined it! I can't wait for the room to start filling up with more stuff!

And because in my last post, I was complaining about not having a baby bump yet, I thought I'd share a photo (from two weeks ago) because I have seriously "popped". Overnight I went from, "Hm she must have had a big lunch," to "Holy moly, she's having a baby!" Clearly I'm very pleased because now I can eat a big lunch and people don't think I'm a piggy, they are well aware that I'm eating for two! Sadly, I wasn't feeling my greatest when this photo was taken, I'd been hunched over all evening in an uncomfortable chair and was experiencing wicked round ligament pain! Ouchers!

And if anyone is interested, the leggings are from Old Navy (available here) and the tunic is from JCPenney (available in stores only) (their respective maternity collections).

I'll try to post again with more nursery updates and bump photos, but I have to be honest, this pregnancy business is wearing me out. I go to work, get home and then almost immediately get into bed! I guess I should enjoy my sleep now before this little guy arrives in January!

Speaking of January, it's snowing outside right now so stay warm everyone!

Happy Saturday! And Happy Third Trimester to me!!!!

These Are the Days of Our Lives: An Announcement

2011-09-21T16:01:00.000-04:00

I'm a little late to the table regarding the "scandal" that's recently been a hot topic in the world of Anthropologie-blogging. Click here for JG's ridiculously thorough summary of said scandal.

I've decided to refrain from commenting on the actual goings-on because (1) it's a week later and there's no need to beat a dead horse and (2) I don't actually consider myself an "Anthro-blogger" more of a "talks about all sorts of random ass stuff which frequently includes Anthropologie blogger" so I don't know that my opinion would be appropriate.

However, the whole incident has led to a fair amount of self-reflection on my part which I do feel the need to address.

When I started my blog back in January 2010, I was running like a mad woman and in need of new (and smaller) clothes. I was restocking my closet and it sounded like a lot of fun to bring all you lovely readers along for the ride. I also thought writing a blog would be a fun way to bring some attention to some of my more random interests.

That anyone started reading my blog continues to shock me and I'm grateful for every single one of you.

However, in the last 21 months, my priorities have drastically changed. Many of you followed my struggles with infertility this past year and again I saw blogging as an opportunity to get some information out there. I don't want to be ashamed or embarrassed to talk about IVF (in vitro fertilization) and putting my journey out there for the world to read helped give me confidence to speak about it in real life.

I don't shop for clothing as much as I used to and reading through many of the comments over at GOMI made me realize why: there are other things much more important to me. That dress I'm so in love with today will be back in another colorway next month or it will go on sale. Or it won't and I'll never own it and shockingly the world will continue to exist.

That isn't to say, however, that I have stopped shopping. In fact, Husband and I made a rather large purchase over Labor Day weekend.

That's right, readers, I'm pregnant. Husband and I are expecting a little baby boy in January and predictably we are both over the moon excited. I've been putting off making an official blogging announcement in the hopes that I'd soon have a cute little baby bump to show off, but unfortunately I'm so tall, even at 22 weeks, I've still got nothing!

That said, I'm going to try to keep up the blog to the extent that I'm able, but from a decidedly different viewpoint. In Princess of Taylor-world, maternity pants are "in" and Pilcro cords are "out". As soon as my bump is a little more noticeable, I'm looking forward to running posts reviewing maternity clothes and even giving advice about combining your non-maternity closet with your maternity closet.

For anyone wondering, my pregnancy is progressing beautifully. The doctors have said on more than one occasion that things look "perfect" and I'm beyond thrilled every time I hear that. Husband and I have been on this journey for such a long time, to hear that we can finally relax and just enjoy preparing for this little guy brings us such happiness!

I have been experiencing some wicked pregnancy symptoms, most notably heartburn and exhaustion. But thanks to my Leachco Pregnancy Pillow and twice-a-week yoga classes, I'm finally starting to feel a bit better. I've also been very excited in the past few weeks to feel our little guy moving and as I type this he's happily kicking away.

I want to thank each and every one of you that's commented or emailed as I've chronicled our journey. And those of you that sent us positive thoughts and well wishes as well.

It is when someone opens their life to the point of sharing happy news like this that it becomes clear that, like in any relationship which has ups and downs, we truly are a community. And one that I'm very happy to be a part of.

Burning Down the House

2011-08-16T20:30:00.000-04:00

I can't remember if I've used this post title before, but even if I have, I don't care. It's too perfect to not use right now so forgive me if it happens to be recycled.

On Saturday night, Husband turned on the stupid whole house fan just as I was stepping into the shower.

The whole house fan is a huge point of contention between Husband and I. I hate it. He loves it and is convinced that when it's 3000 degrees outside, all he has to do is open the windows and turn on the whole house fan and suddenly the house temperature becomes bearable.

Wrong.

So in any event, he wisely decided to turn on the fan when I was in the shower and couldn't complain about it.

Unfortunately, this also meant that the fan went into its whole house sucking glory right as the furnace was cranking up to give me some hot water.

The result: the pilot light burned out.

Husband didn't realize that the pilot light had burned out until I walked into the living room twenty minutes later and asked what the unusual smell was. After initially claiming that it was coming from outside, Husband did some investigation and realized that without the pilot light functioning, gas was just flooding into the house.

We immediately panicked, which turned out to be appropriate when a few minutes later the carbon monoxide detector went off. At that point, Husband practically shoved me and our Boston Terrier Abbie into the car and told me to pull out of the garage and into the street. Ten minutes later, he came skittering out of the house, holding Izzy, who had snuck under our bed (I can only imagine this involved continued Festivus-style Feats of Strength because our bed is freakin' heavy!).

We sat in the car for a bit, waiting for Husband's beloved whole house fan to suck the carbon monoxide out of the house. Then Husband decided that he didn't trust our silly little detector so he called the fire department.

Which was awesome. They showed up with a full fire truck and three other vehicles. Our neighbors were freaking out, coming outside to ask what was going on.

The good news is that the carbon monoxide was gone. The bad news was that the firemen couldn't get the pilot light started again.

Our hot water heater is more than forty years old so we knew going into buying the house that we'd need to replace it eventually. I'm just glad that (1) the heating company I like had an appointment to install the new one this afternoon and (2) this didn't happen in January because even with 80+ degree temperatures, a totally cold shower is pretty ridiculously miserable. This morning Husband heated up water for us to bathe "Little House on the Prairie"-style. It was pretty awful.

The hot water heater is just one of a few things that have been breaking down recently (our cars seem to be tag-teaming being in the shop: we pick up one and the other has an issue), which partially explains my absence here. I've been spending all my free time shopping online for new cars and hot water heaters! Arg!

Such is the downside of home-ownership, I guess!

Happy Tuesday!

Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II (No Spoilers)

2011-07-18T13:29:00.001-04:00

I got cheated out of seeing the final Harry Potter movie on premiere night because Husband and I totally misestimated when tickets would go on sale. We thought two weeks prior was ample time, but they apparently were on sale earlier than that because by two weeks ago, both the 7pm and 9pm shows on Friday night were sold out.

I briefly flirted with the idea of going to the midnight show but ultimately decided that I wouldn't truly enjoy the film if I was on the verge of turning into a sleep-deprived zombie!

In the end we decided to see the 4pm IMAX show on Sunday afternoon. It was crowded but the nice thing about our IMAX theater is that seats are assigned so we just rolled in at 3:50 and got our awesome aisle seats that we selected weeks ago.

(Of course, this system doesn't work when you have annoying people who show up at 4:15 and OF COURSE have seats in our aisle so they are crawling across us while I'm sitting there sniveling over the shot of Dobby's grave. Jerks!)

First off, there were a TON of previews. I don't know why that surprised me, but it did. In my mind, the lights would dim, they'd show a premiere for The Dark Knight Rises (wahoo!) which is being released next summer and then it'd be Harry-time.

Wrong.

We sat through premieres for Real Steel (which seriously looks like the dumbest movie ever made); Puss in Boots (which made me laugh, but not sure if that character can carry a whole movie); The Adventures of Tintin (which, according to Husband, has nothing to do with Rin Tin Tin); The Dark Knight Rises (okay, that one I was excited for but the preview was a little skimpy on the Christian Bale front. What's up with that?); Happy Feet Two (are you freakin' kidding me? They couldn't even put together one movie that made sense and now they're doing a second one?); and probably more that were so memorable that I can't even remember them a day later.

I took the opportunity during the previews to go to the ladies room...twice.

On my second visit, I overheard an amusing conversation: a girl, about 12 or 13 was standing with her mom and said, "We should have gone to see Harry Potter," to which the mother snapped back, "No we shouldn't have." "Why not?" the girl asked? "Because it would be filled with all kinds of naked people and insinuations about that."

Um, okay...

Back to the movie, which finally started: they did a nice little two minute recap of where the last film picked off, which was nice. Husband and I had actually watched Part I that morning because he knew he'd be totally confused otherwise, but I appreciated director David Yates acknowledging that the last films was released far enough back that we all might not remember that Dobby had just died and Voldemort had gotten the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's tomb.

The criticism of Part I was a lack of action. This movie picks up at the portion in the book where the non-stop action starts so the movie itself goes by really quickly (especially since at only 130 minutes, it's the shortest of all the Harry Potter movies).

As a Snape fan I was really only interested in two scenes of this film. Generally I've been disappointed with how the films have reduced the character of Snape to nothing more than a menacing set furnishing. There is so much detail that's been lost in the translation of book to films and on more than one occasion I've remarked that I can't believe that J.K. Rowling signed off on some of this stuff!

Snape is the reason why I got into the Harry Potter series. I saw the first movie with my grandma way back in 2001 and loved it. Actually, I loved the character of Snape and was excited to find out that the great Alan Rickman was behind that dark hair and billowing cloak. That's the reason why I picked up the books in the first place because I knew from the start that this was a brilliant character.

I can't even really describe how disappointed I was at the end of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, not that Snape had killed Dumbledore, but that so many readers were incapable of seeing that there had to be more to the story than initially met the eye. I knew it and I hoped that when the final book was released, both Snape and I would be vindicated (I won't say whether we were or not!)

Regarding Snape's two scenes in the final film (and if you've read the book, you know what they are), I'll say two things:

First, I appreciate the fact that whoever wrote the screenplay for this movie appears to have at some point (possibly even recently) read the seven books and realized the importance of much of the information that may have initially seemed trivial (say to the screenwriter of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire who seemed uninterested in anything that didn't involve fourteen year old love or the TriWizard Tournament).

And second, that someone else finally realized that they had the amazing Alan Rickman who was capable of pulling off more meaty acting than the occasional scowl or sneer.

I thought the two scenes were very well done. And I wasn't the only one in the theater waiting for them. As soon as Harry left Dumbledore's office, about thirty people exited the theater to rush to the bathrooms!

The rest of the battle was well done. They moved around the order and location of some of the events and I'm not entirely sure why, but it didn't really change much. Neville got his big scene, which I'd heard had led to applause in other theaters. I think if it had occurred at its proper place, it might have generated more excitement.

The final confrontation was really confusing to poor Husband who had not read the books so I had to explain what actually happened as we drove home. He also got some crazy idea about Snape and Harry being related which I had to address as well!

As expected, the epilogue was ridiculous. I don't know what it served to accomplish in the book and felt the same way about the film (a well placed appearance of Snape when Harry turns the Resurrection Stone would have conveyed the same message), but since this movie was actually following the book, they included it. In my theater, it got a few laughs, but that's about it.

I will say though, that the final image of the film was a powerful one and if we had to see the silly epilogue to get there, then I suppose it was worth it. I do wish Rowling had come up with a more suitable way to end such an epic tale.

I liked it. Husband liked it. Right now there are reviews floating around that it's the best film of the series and I'll reserve judgment on that one. I'll need to see it at least a few more times before I'm comfortable making that kind of declaration (although as I told Husband, it's not like any of the other movies are exactly It's a Wonderful Life as far as I'm concerned).

We paid the extra few dollars to watch it in 3D and I can't say that added much to the film. Other than the occasional snake or fireball shooting out, the 3D portions were rather subtle. If you're looking to save a few dollars, I'd say just watch the regular version (especially since wearing 3D glasses makes it very difficult to dab your eyes when you're sobbing away for the second half of the film!)

I don't know that it makes sense to recommend seeing it: I expect if you've seen the other seven films, at some point you'll see this one. If you haven't seen the others, don't go out and see this one expecting to have any earthly idea what's going on. But if anybody cares, those are my thoughts on the film! What did everyone else think?

Happy Monday!

**DISCLAIMER** While my post does not contain any spoilers, I cannot guarantee the same of the comments. Read at your own risk. (And also if you are still getting Harry Potter spoilers at this point, you really should do yourself a favor and just read the books. Even without Alan Rickman, they are so much better than the movies!)

Nights on Broadway: Exciting News for Fall

2011-06-29T14:28:00.000-04:00

This morning while eating my Honey Nut Cheerios and watching Morning Joe, I let out a loud squeal.

Husband, unsure as to what on Morning Joe could cause such delight or alternatively such horror, rushed into the room and asked if anything was wrong.

Me: No! It just scrolled across the screen that Alan Rickman is coming back to Broadway this fall!

Husband: In what play?

Me: ...Does it really matter? We're obviously going.

During my car ride to work, I considered the possibilities.

I knew that Rickman had originated the role of Le Vicomte de Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liasons) way back in 1985, but wasn't considered famous enough to reprise his role in the film version. Then a few years back, he stared in Noel Coward's play Private Lives (which annoyingly I did not know about until the weekend that it closed).

Surely he'd be tackling something different as opposed to doing one of those roles a second time. And as glorious as it would to hear him sing on stage, I suspected that it would be a play, not a musical.

I confirmed both of these things once in the office. The play in which Rickman will star is Seminar, a new play by Theresa Rebeck, which is about four awe struck students taking a course taught by a famous writer (Rickman, of course). Click here for the full story.

I'm totally hoping that they cast some super famous Hollywood types as the students so when I go see the play and stand by the stage door afterwards, everyone will be there to see those actors and I'll have Alan all to myself!

Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

So if you're anywhere near New York this fall, check out this play. Rickman rarely turns in a less than stellar performance and maybe you'll even catch a glimpse of me as I'm being hauled away from him by the police!

(And in the meantime, you can catch Mr. Rickman as Severus Snape in the final installment of the Harry Potter movies on Friday July 15. I've got seriously high hopes for the amount of Snape in this final movie so they'd better not disappoint!)

Happy Wednesday!