Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Disney Do's and Don'ts- Accommodations

Over the next few days, I plan to share some Do's and Don'ts for Walt Disney World. Little nuggets of knowledge we uncovered along the way. I'll start with accommodations.

DO stay at Disney's Art of Animation Resort. It is Disney's newest hotel so it is crisp and shiny. The hotel is divided into four sections, three of those sections are suites decorated with Cars, The Lion King, or Finding Little Nemo. The fourth section, The Little Mermaid is basic double bed rooms.



DO choose the suite if traveling with children. It is just a few dollars more and well worth it to tuck the kids in the murphy bed and sofa bed, then retreat to your own private bedroom to keep the lights on planning the following day or enjoy a late night show together.



DO spend time walking around the resort. Each section is lovingly decorated. There's even a Cozy Cone Motel; the large cones are shaded seating around a half circle pool. The Little Mermaid section also has a small pool but The Lion King area doesn't have a little pool. Not to worry, the Nemo pool is the largest resort pool in all of Walt Disney World. And, it comes complete with spray and playground too.



Now for the DON'Ts...

DON'T stay in Cars Building 1 facing the parking lot. Every night around ten o'clock, huge trucks unload large metal bins with wheels. IT. IS. LOUD. We assume the staff wheel in food for the restaurant or perhaps, laundering services for the hotel. Either way, it lasts for a couple hours and you might as well have your window open. Request not to stay in Building 1 and you should be okay.



DON'T take the elevator. Check to see how close you are to the end of a building. It may be more convenient to walk down the stairwell at the end of the building rather than walk to the center of the building just to ride on the elevator. We actually saved time and footsteps by taking the stairs when we didn't have luggage.



DON'T stress! The entire staff was incredibly helpful from the moment of check-in, to making reservations, as well as meeting additional requests, and the housekeeping was wonderful. You have an entire fleet at your fingertips making sure your vacation is as magical as possible. Also, make sure to tell the staff upon check-in if it is your first visit. You'll receive a "First Visit" button to wear, bringing you special attention through the parks during your stay.

And as always, Smile :) donnamusing


Saturday, October 12, 2013

Of Broken Vases...

My son is an early riser, to say the least... Imagine how enjoyable that is for grandparents. Well, a few months ago, my son spent the night with his Oma. Oma told him that he could get up at 7:00am and either play with his toys in the guest room quietly or go watch T.V. without any toys until she got up.

Now, I'm sure you realize that when parents and grandparents give direction, it is for good reason. Maybe this realization hasn't dawned on my son, yet, or maybe, he is just sneaky.

At 7:00am, Alec chose his own option, to play in the living room WITH his toys.

When Oma awoke, everything was fine until she noticed some silk flowers on the floor that belonged in her yellow vase. Once she bent down to pick them up, she became aware of something far more peculiar. Her vase was broken.

In a very sad attempt, he tried to hide the broken pieces in the vase and put it back on the coffee table.

What hurts me most about this story is the deception. But when I think about it, I recognize myself. Haven't we all chosen our own path at times, when God has clearly given us a direction. And our own way has brought us destruction. Then, we try to hide it, as if God can't see through our facade.

I wanted to teach my son a lesson in restoration and so we went "vase hunting" with his money. We could not find another yellow vase but found a ceramic vase, similar in size, so we purchased it and some yellow paint from Lowe's. With some teamwork, we were able to create a comparable replacement.

He had already said I'm sorry to his Oma, but I believe that actions speak louder than words. He could never replace the vase that he destroyed... It will never be the same. But he could sacrifice something that belonged to him, in this case- time and money. And takes those steps toward restoration.

Oma graciously accepted his gift, placed her silk flowers in the new vase, and set it on the coffee table. (His apology note remains hidden in the bottom of the vase.)

As a parent, I can only hope that this lesson will stick with him. The point is, whether the vase cost $5 or $50, he broke it because of disobedience and then lied with his actions. But, he took steps to restore not only the vase but also his relationship with his Oma.


Smile :) donnamusing

Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

A Week in Social Media

Have you ever taken a little break from Social Media and wondered what you missed?
Well, just in case you do ever take a break and feel left out, just read this blog entry and you'll be fully informed in no time.

Monday:

Politics, Game Requests, and Babies, Oh my! 
My job sucks. My car sucks. My life sucks.
#Meatless Monday
#Meme Monday (Yeah, I went there... but they really don't just show up on Monday) 




Tuesday:
Cute puppies. Grumpy Cat.
I'm in debt up to my eyeballs but check out my new car!
Nothing ever goes right for me... 4 days 'til vacation!
If you read my statuses, write where we first met. (crickets) If you don't write on this post, you'll be deleted... (still, crickets)
Is it Friday, yet?




Wednesday:
Hey Mike! Mike! Guess what day it is?!
(every other post is a camel)
#Happy Hump Day

#Wordless Wednesday = Flood of Photos




Thursday: 
Poster: Today is my Friday! Yay!
10 Friends: I hate you!
#TBT = Newsfeed is swamped with big hair, short shorts, poofy dresses, moms posting their grown-children's bathtub photos, booger pickers... We should just call it "Embarass Ourselves Thursday"




Friday:
Longest. Week. Ever. 
Hello FRIDAY! 
What are you doing this weekend?
Here we go with the crazy neighbors again, don't they know we have kids trying to sleep? I'll open all our doors and you drown 'em out with the surround sound.
#Finally Friday #Party YOLO 




Saturday:
I'm bored. What's everyone doing today?
Words with friends, anyone?
I just ran a full marathon... twice! 
Look what I'm having for dinner!
Pins Galore: Organize your closet is 572 easy steps! Perfect pie crust every time. 1,000 things to do on a rainy day. Make your own laundry detergent- really, it smells great!
#Selfie Saturday

#Date Night
#First tooth lost





Sunday:
#Getting my church on! verses and songs beat out memes! (Until tomorrow)
I'm not doing nothing all day, except check facebook, of course...
Darn that tooth fairy. I can't believe she forgot your tooth. Don't worry sweetie, tomorrow she'll bring $20 and a new playstation.

Weekend is fading. Monday in sight. Commence whining.




Did I miss anything? Feel free to share.

Smile :) donnamusing