March-ing On Part 2

Jump in your time machines fellow travelers and let's go all the way back...to mid March! We'll all pretend I totally skipped almost two whole months of posts on purpose so I could do a few cute recap posts. Here we go...

We celebrated two years of marriage and almost seven years together (it'll be seven next month). We rang in this milestone in our usual super cool style...with board games! Cards against Humanity and such, chips and dips and some drinks. It was actually a lovely evening, not in the top ten most romantic nights of my life, but exactly what we were in the mood for. Here's to fifty or so more years!

Right on the heals of Isaac's character day Roo's school had fairy tale character day! It was conveniently the day after Epcot so she had just received her brand new Mulan dress (not that she has any shortage of options before that). I was thrilled that she wanted to be Mulan because I was sure the room would be full of Rapunzels and Belles, but she was bound to be the only Mulan. We found her a white flower from the garden for her hair, gave her some purple eye shadow and red lip gloss and even managed to find her "beads of jade". She looked perfect. Let's face it my kids kick butt at character days!

Scenes from Spring Break

I talked a lot about spring break an earlier post...But let's just sum up here as well. Children's Museum, library, movie nights, board games (Disney Sorry FTW), coloring, car sing-a-longs, play dates!, dress up, out to lunch, Easter decorating, playing "quietly", puzzles, books, running around in the backyard and making a pony at build-a-bear!

We snuck a date night into the mix right at the end our spring break. More board games and adult conversation for us. Good times.

The kids had their first and second night sleeping away from home about a week apart. Their grandparents took them out to dinner, to the Lego movie and then swimming the next morning. They gave them back happy and tired. The next weekend I asked Roo's Bestie's family to watch them so Mike and I could go out. She kindly volunteered to let them sleep over. It was very nice and super weird. It's odd, but when Mike and I are alone I always dream up all these fun things to do and then we end up happily doing nothing. I just always feel the full weight of being tired when I stop moving. It's why I don't stop moving too often if I can help it, so I can keep ignoring the tired. That being said I enjoyed my time off very much almost as much as I missed them.

Miss Roo and I took a stroll through one of the world's biggest Disney Stores and we found her the wig for her Halloween. It was late March and she just happened to demand her skeleton tights. My silly girl. She got compliments all day on them. Then we got home we tried on the whole ensemble. Amazing, right? Now we just have to wait seven months....

And now my friends you have been brought up to the present, hurray!

Epcot on Wheels (aka Disney Round 2)

As you know from my last post I was pretty satisfied with my first trip to Animal Kingdom. It was a fun day and I did it without having to drag my grumpy husband. I was super tired the next couple days, but the pain was tolerable (nowhere near what I expected for such a long day). When my Disney partner in crime asked if I was interested in hitting Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival a mere seven days after our Animal Kingdom trip I was super excited. A lot of stressful stuff went on in February this year that I'd rather not talk about, but the night before our Epcot trip more than one person remarked that my stress level was "scaring them". I almost backed out of the trip I was so overwhelmed, but the consensus was that getting away for the day was the best thing I could do.

Not to worry the wheelchair gloves made it into the bag this time. I also hit up a Disney store sale with a gift card I'd been saving from Christmas and scored Roo an awesome Mulan dress. I figured since we were going to Epcot I'd break it out. I didn't tell her anything ahead of time this trip. I put her to bed like any other night. When I woke her up she complained "Mom it's still dark out!" and I said "That's because I thought we'd go to Disney today." I gave her a Minnie shirt and a jean skirt to wear and then told her to come get breakfast. I'd hung the Mulan dress in the kitchen. She was thrilled!

As we were driving there she slept. All the sudden about 10min before the Welcome sign Roo woke up and started fretting. She must have had a nightmare because she kept insisting "Mom! Mom! I forgot to wear clothes! There's nothing under my Mulan dress!" She was beside herself and laughing at her only made it worse. Poor pumpkin. Eventually, she woke up enough for me to reassure her and we were there.

Our Epcot day started off great! It was a no plans kind of trip. We were there when the park opened, no ticket issues this time and we had an amazing encounter with the some of our favorite celebrities at exactly 9am.

One of the reasons I love Epcot is because it absorbs crowds better than other parks. Which means I had no prolonged experiences where I was eye level with a sea of butts. No horrible back breaking inclines except the ramp into the building where The Land is. That thing is horrible! It was warm that day. I was over heated and tired by the time I tackled it. I will tell you halfway up that 409,879,239.2 mile beast someone stopped to give me push. Armed with my gloves getting around was much easier than my trip the week before though.

Now for some highlights:

Running into her best friend at Disney!

Riding the Nemo ride again, being eaten by a shark, talking to a turtle, visiting everyone's favorite small purple dragon, running into an old friend from our trip last summer, Disney magic and some treasure.

Visiting Mulan! She said "If I would have known you were going to wear my dress I would have worn one of yours." It was an adorable, amazing visit. Not just because Roo visited one of favorites in costume, but also because when we got to the line we were turned away and a teenage girl and her mother gave us their spot! Disney magic. Mulan even kissed her!

Roo also had a wonderful visit with Mommy's favorite.

One last highlight is actually a Disney milestone...Roo's first Mickey Bar! It's a huge deal because I am an all or nothing (usually nothing) person when it comes to theme park food. I always packs snacks and usually lunch too. My kids have only ever eaten one table service dinner inside a Disney park. Getting an ice cream bar was a big deal. How cute is this?

Animal Kingdom on Wheels

I am a life long Disney fan, of course. I haven't a clue exactly how many time I went from 3-21, but it has got to be a pretty decent number of times. When I was in college my boyfriend and I went every year between Christmas and New Years. We even debated getting annual passes so we could go every time I came home from collage. When I met Mike I hadn't been to Disney in a year or two. Between his issues with crowds, a poor economy and the fact that I was suddenly mom to a 5yr old I doubted if I'd ever get back there. It was a strange time and soon we had Riley.

Mike assured me that we'd go to Disney "someday". My hopes were not high. Then time passed and it seemed possible, but Mike insisted we wait until Riley was completely potty trained. I suspected he was stalling, but he had a point. Last summer we had an opportunity. I was stunned when he asked me to look into a Disney trip and blown away when he gave me the go ahead to plan it.

We had a great three day trip to Disney. We all enjoyed ourselves. Mike didn't enjoy some parts and I doubted if I'd ever get us back as a family. When I asked if he'd go back he reverted to his old answer of "someday". Again my hopes weren't high. I pressed on another seven months trying not to think about the "Happy-est Place on Earth."

It wasn't hard to be distracted from Disney dreams there was a lot to keep me busy. As 2014 started I decided we needed to plan another family vacation. When I looked into things I found a great Groupon for a theme park we'd been to before and liked (not Disney).

It was a wonderful way to celebrate Isaac's magnet middle school acceptance and academic achievements. We had a lovely day. I thought theme parks were behind me when I had the back surgery (Have I mentioned being wrong a lot?). It was so nice to have a theme park day with my family. I came away wanting more of them. In my mind theme park trips are one of the perks of your kids growing up. I worried that we just weren't a "theme park family" because Mike doesn't enjoy them as much as the kids and I.

When my best friend decided to grant her daughter's birthday candle wish of a trip to "princess land" aka Disney she asked me for tips. It really made me want to go back to Disney! I talked Disney with her, joined Disney Moms facebook groups and watched youtube videos of other people's Disney trips. That's when I decided to pitch Mike the idea of getting annual passes. He had some concerns and I pressed on offering varying ideas on the subject. In the end I agreed that Mike just wouldn't want to go that often. I was concerned whether I could handle taking the kids on my own. It boiled down to this: I could drive the kids to Disney and probably handle a day with them, but there's no way after all that I could get us home.

Ok, I give up. It's not realistic. There was no more to discuss. Then I found out about an amazing only-come-around-once-a-year deal. I could buy a 3 day ticket that equated to $43 a day! It didn't have to be used all at once either. I talked to Mike about it and we decided it would be ok for me to get Riley and I each a 3 day ticket. I would save one day to go with my sister, but I had two other trips to plan...

I was over the freaking moon to have such a problem. I called Mike's cousin's wife who has a pass and a 2yr old and she was planning a trip to Animal Kingdom that week! Hot Damn!! She was happy for the company and I was happy for the ride.

I definitely wouldn't have been able to do the round trip drive and all that Disney fun. I left my wheelchair gloves at home which made everything harder. Hello, friction burns. There was a particularly vicious hill I am not a fan of at all that is of course in a central area. It's hard enough to mount a steep incline on your own, but try it in a crowd with a 4yr old on your lap, Oye! Other than that I felt like I did better than I expected. Roo had an awesome day with her little cousin and Mommy got her Disney fix. Were there's will there's a way, right Mickey?"

March-ing On Part 1

I thought I'd continue catching up by showing you the cuteness that is my dog. Look at that. This picture was taken when I was having a rough day pain-wise and she snuggled up with me. Having her for company really keeps my pain based anxiety in check. Everyone with orthopedic issues should have a lovable furry friend.

Isaac was notified early in the month that he won the Pride award for Science. Here are the award requirements: "The Program to Recognize Initiative and Distinction in Education awards recognize fifth-grade students who excel in math, science, social studies and writing. Fifth-graders must achieve an “A” average in their subject area to be eligible and demonstrate a positive attitude while scoring highest on a subject-area test. Each student winner receives a medallion and a trophy to recognize their academic achievement." Isaac's Pride award will be for Science." Pretty exciting stuff. In April there will be a big fancy county-wide award ceremony at a performing arts center. Yay!!

He got Honor Roll on his report card and also participated in the county's science meet. He was one of 6 students (2 three person teams) from his school. They were given a written test and then an experiment to perform. There were 86 schools represented (2 teams each) and only first, second and third place awards were given. His team did not place, but he had a great day!

Later in the month his gifted class participated in a math meet. I wasn't invited to witness any part of that one (Boo!), but I'm told there were individual awards and team awards. He told me he almost got third place and his team almost won third place. It was a big month for academic achievement.

I made my first Esty sale! I put up the store a little late last spring so I never had an order. I'm up to eight orders since March 4th! It's amazing to have your craftiness and creativity recognized.

Mint Oreo donuts at Dunkin Donuts!!!!!

Leeloo turned two!

This conversation happened:
Me to Mike: Which Disney couple are we?
Mike: hmmm
Me: Belle and beast? (laughing) Rapunzel and Flynn?,
Mike: Anna and Kristoff. For sure, yeah.
Me: Awww!
(I love it when he talks Disney to me)

Isaac as Will Burrows from the Tunnels book series for character day.

February Recap

I was debating which post to publish next and feeling completely unsettled about there only being one post in February. This morning I woke up with a painful swollen ankle. It's been bothering me off and on, but I'm starting to think it's tendinitis. Anyway, it seemed like my cue to stay in bed and write a recap!

I got this pedicure at the end of January, but I wanted it to be the first image. A little bit of pretty to start me off (Never mind my spastic toes). I went to a boring but necessary appointment and then before I went home I decided to have a pedicure. It felt so self-indulgent. They were having a 20% off all services special so I got a great price and they had amazing new message chairs. These were the first massage chairs I've ever encountered that slide forward. Short people there's hope! You can put your feet in the water and your back against the rollers! I had to get used to having my feet touched without jumping, but before I moved in with my husband I had pedicures twice a month. Since we're been together (almost 7yrs) I think I've had six pedicures. I treasure them a lot more now. Mike even joked about my "yearly pedicure." I love pretty toes.

Nerding it up! My kids are booth big readers and we have always made regular visits to the library. I always made regular visits as a kid and when I was single. I will never forget how grown up I felt when I got my very own library card. It was Isaac's turn! He was so proud.

Valentines day festivities! Riley signed all of her valentines this year!

Parties & Dress-up

Housework interrupted by cuteness

I had a birthday. It wasn't a huge significant birthday. I had a good time celebrating, but birthdays aren't as fun as they used to be. I'm not worried about aging in the typical "never ask a woman her age" way. I've always looked (and acted) younger than my age. It's about my body in a different way. Most people are born young and healthy and their bodies gradually react to wear and tear as they get older, but not me.

I started out tight, spastic and limited by my body from the moment I was born. It was always something I dealt with. I can't remember (aside from being hit by the bus) ever being laid up or having to skip something in my 20's. Since having baby I feel broken down more often. I hate that I'm sitting in bed right now because I woke up with a messed up ankle. This never would have happened five years ago. It's frustrating because I'm broken down and bemoaning the cleaning I can't do. When I was twenty I walked large cities and worked jobs on my feet for 8hrs and still managed to wash the dishes at the end of the day. Now, I take care of the kids and the house and then I break down. I'm not saying it's not a physically demanding job I just think when I was having adventures that would have been worth a day in bed I didn't need them.

A Strange Thing...

No, the title does not refer to either of my children. It was spring break this past week. I decided since we're not doing summer programs this year to treat Spring Break like the dress rehearsal. I got some Groupon deals and had a loose list of things we could do, but didn't commit to specific times for anything. It seemed like a completely reasonable plan, right?

We had a busy end of the week the week prior so I was a little run down, but still confident. We hit the children's museum and the library, had movie nights, played board games, went out to lunch, had play dates and even hit Build-A-Bear to make a My Little Pony. I'm not saying I failed at Spring Break. I think we pretty much crushed it especially considering the dreary, rainy, chilly weather. I guess as usual I just wished I could do more.

I was laying in bed after one of these play dates. Roo was snoozing in her bed, Isaac was working on science homework at the table and rain was falling outside. I thought I'd have a nice rest and then get up and decorate the house for Easter with the kids. I also thought we'd go swimming this week, so that's how much I know. After nap I expressed feeling "not right." I instructed Isaac to put a movie on for Riley and himself.

When the movie ended they were playing quietly (probably making a huge mess) and I was in agony. I had a massive migraine. When Mike was done working he had to cook dinner. I felt awful in every way a person can feel awful. It was a horrible migraine, but the guilt was worse. I'd be proactive in keeping myself hydrated and hadn't been in the sun too much. I couldn't explain why I had the migraine or why none of my usual methods were having any effect. In fact it seemed to just keep getting worse!

As I was laying in the dark in pain I started to cry. I kept thinking about how much there was to do. I kept thinking how I was letting down my kids. I must have cried for a while because it got very dark. That's when I felt it. I could hear Mike and the kids in the living room and the wind was blowing hard enough to cause the rose outside my window to scrap against the glass. It wasn't a sound. It was a strong feeling. I felt her there, my grandmother. My grandmother passed away when I was younger then Roo is now. She sends me rainbows whenever something significant happens in my life. I've felt that she's with me before, but this was something else.

She was sitting beside me in the bed and she took my hand I felt it. I've never spoken to her out loud before. I said "Grandma?" and I felt her squeeze my hand. I asked "Why, can't I be stronger?" and then I cried until the bed shook under me. I felt her hug me and then she was gone. I think she just needed me to know she's still watching over me. I don't think she wanted me to beat myself up anymore. When I relayed the story to my husband he delicately suggested that I was "tripping on headache medicine."

Perhaps, I got the message from some other part of my brain that recognized the frustration as un-productive. Maybe the whole thing was some kind of dream, but I gathered myself up after that. No more guilt. I showered and ate dinner and the migraine FINALLY passed.

I wonder if it wasn't hormonal as I'm still working on a naturally obtained balance and detoxing from the pill. So far the cysts have been present, but (knock on wood) not bursting. I know I'm more emotional and less focused than usual.

This morning when I dropped Roo off for her first day back to school and I saw all the cool art projects the kids who had attended over the break made and I felt horrible! I should have let her make art with her friends all week. As I walked to the car I reminded myself of all the fun stuff and quality time with Mom and Big Brother she had instead.

It's hard to know if your making the right decisions for your kids, but I'd like to think my loved ones who have passed are looking down with approval. Even if no one on earth believes me I'd like to think that heaven knows I'm doing my best.

Where Have You Been?!?

Hey there blog fans! The crazy-est thing happened! My domain name that I have had set to an automatic payment for years, expired! Because the payment didn't go through disabled mom expired in January! I never received notification of an issue and because I re-direct from Blogger I never saw the interim screen warning me that my page was expiring.

Go Daddy sold my domain name a few days after the last time I had visited the page in March. When I logged into to do some edits my page was gone. I had to contact the new owner and strike a deal for buying it back. If he hadn't agreed I would have lost my domain name. It was very stressful.

A few days after we sorted it out and everything was working my kids got a week off from school so I was super busy. Than a few nights ago my husband dumped a full cup of water on my laptop. After drying it out for a day or two and some attempts to get it going he announced he was going to Best Buy. He returned with a new laptop.

It turns out the back up service we subscribed to stopped working a few weeks before this incident. We tried everything we could think of, but I wasn't able to get any of my data after July 2013. We've contacted a recovery service, but hopes aren't high. I'm sorry for not writing but I'm back now. It was just a crazy set of circumstances.