Disney: Most Important Lesson

There is a little tagline people like to use when talking about Walt Disney...

"It all started with a mouse."

And it did.  Oswald.  Mortimer (to become Mickey).

But at Hollywood Studios, we watched Walt Disney: One Man's Dream.  You walk through a museum, a timeline of the life and work of Walt Disney.  Then you watch a 15 minute movie about his life.

And that's where we learned the most important thing about Disney World.  And it has nothing to do with a mouse.

Walt Disney had all his time and money tied up in the company, in the movies, in the characters.  However, he gave every Saturday to his daughters - Daddy and Daughter Day.  They would go out and find fun things for the girls to do.  And Walt realized that he wanted to find a place where they could go and have fun together.

So he created that place - Disneyland.

A place where the family could go and have fun together.

In moments of exhaustion and heat and hunger and frustration... I kept going back to the reason Disneyland and Disney World were created.  To have a place where families could go and have fun together.

And for the most part, that's what we did!

Disney: Magic Moments

The really awesome thing about Disney is that magic sometimes just pops up at the exact moment that you need something to shift your day.  And cast members are all about making that magic happen.

It might come from an extra long hug from a favorite character - who then continues to reach for your hand even after you sit back down.

It might come from a bus driver who is training another bus driver and takes the time to entertain your kids.

Or you might get super lucky and have a big magical moment.  For us, it was the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.  We hadn't really had it on our list of things to do - figured it would be too much for Zach.  But we were exhuasted, had just had a great dinner, didn't know what to do next or again and decided to go check it out.  We figured we could sit near the back and just rest and compose ourselves, at least.

We approach the netrance and the cast member working the entrance pulls us aside and asks the kids if they would like a special job in the show.  Teagan eagerly says yes and Zach immediately says no.  After a LOT of coaching and a little bit of bribery, the kids got to be Junior Directors.  They opened the show and we got special reserved seating right near the front!  It put us on a high after a long and hot day!

Disney Food

We did the Disney Dining Plan.  That gave each of us a quick service meal and a table service meal and a snack each day.

With each meal, you get dessert.

The best tip we received before going on the trip was that the counter service meals and simply 4 meals but the table service meals are 2 adult meals, 2 kid meals.  So we would stare at the menu, Jeff would take the kids to sit down, I would order 4 adult meals (so that we got more food and got desserts for the kids, too), and then we didn't have to have a kid meal - which were really small portions.  There were days that a kids meal was exactly what Zach needed (an uncrustable, grapes, and apple slices with some chocolate milk was just what the doctor ordered).  But at Epcot - 4 adult meals and 4 servings of ice cream was perfect.

Anyway, I didn't take pics of all our food.  But I did take pics of some of our food.  The food at Disney isn't incredible and it is over priced.  But it was fun to eat stuff we might not normally try.  I understand there are restaurants at Disney that truly are 4 star dining experiences.

CORAL REEF

Coral Reef is a table service restaurant in EPCOT.  It's next to the Finding Nemo area - which was a favorite area of the park for us.  We loved the aquariums and Turtle Talk with Crush and the Nemo ride. 

Mahi mahi with a coconut lime sauce, scallops, shrimp, and cilantro.

Steak, cheesy mashed potatoes, asparagus and carrots (and Zach's broccoli).

My dessert - some type of mousse.  It had alochol in it - 2 kinds.  It was very yummy and very rich!

Jeff's dessert - molten chocolate raspberry cake, raspberry gelato with chocolate shavings.

MAGIC KINGDOM
We didn't do a table service meal at Magic Kingdom.  We did, however, discover one of the most awesome snack credit options - the ice cream shop on Main Street.  Teagan had a root beer float, Zach had 2 scoops of ice cream, and Jeff and I shared this tasty treat!

A snack credit - 2 chocolate chip cookies and 3 scoops of ice cream!  Perfect to share.  We chose cookie dough ice cream.  

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

A favorite snack - the Mickey pretzel!!

We had lunch at a pizza place (Toy Story themed).  Pizza was fine.  But the desserts stole the show! 

Espresso cupcake

Darth Vader chocolate peanut butter cupcake - so good!

DOWNTOWN DISNEY

We had lunch at an Italian place - Portobello.  It was very good.  

This used to be olive oil and roasted garlic.  As the only one in my family who really loves garlic, I had it all to myself!

Black fettucine with asparagus and shrimp

white chocolate custard - basically a really thick creme brulee

Obviously we ate food that I didn't take pictures of.

One of the best values in the food court at our resort was the make your own pasta.  Choose a sauce, choose a pasta, choose chicken or shrimp, and then load on the veggies.  One night, I had penne with pesto, spinach, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and garlic.  Another night, I had penne with alfredo, spinach, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, peas.  I couldn't ever finish the dish!!

We had several Mickey rice krispy treats and liked them but none of us loved them.

We ate at Cosmic Ray's at Magic Kingdom.  That was good - the kids loved Sonny Eclipse (entertainment).  The food was fine - burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, etc.  The toppings bar is pretty epic - sauteed mushrooms, sauteed onions, and then all the typical fresh stuff.

We had a snack at Seasons in EPCOT - I had a baked good with a guava cheese filling that was very good.

I didn't get to snack or eat my way around EPCOT the way I wanted to do.  Must go back in October someday for the Food & Wine Festival.  Must.  We had lunch in the China Pavilion.  Jeff and the kids had orange chicken and I had a curry dish that was tasty but not spicy.

One of my favorite meals had to be Tusker House.  We had a reservation time that allowed us to have both breakfast and lunch as we were there for changeover.  The food is African and Middle Eastern but plenty of non-ethnic food as well (buffet).  I got to eat all kinds of "weird" flavors and dishes while Jeff and the kids could stick with normal foods (but get in an adventurous bite if they wanted to!!).

I also love the breakfast buffet at 1900 Park Fare.  Lobster benedict.  Mickey waffles.  Cheesy scrambled eggs.  Cheese blintzes.  Crepes.  Omeletes made to order.  Good stuff!

At the end of the trip, after being very well fed for each day we were there, we had 12 snack credits left!  So we hit the general store in our resort and stocked up on jelly beans, gummies, crackers, and cookies and came home with yummy reminders of our vacation!

Mary Poppins

I've always been a fan of the movie and the music.  I can sing every song.

I loved seeing the musical with Teagan a few years ago.

But meeting Mary Poppins with Teagan was an experience not to be forgotten.

Prior to our trip, we watched Mary Poppins.  As we watched, Teagan took notes.  Knowing she would be meeting Mary Poppins, she had questions and wanted answers.  We made sure to pack her notes and also talked about having a "top 3" questions in case Mary Poppins couldn't spend a lot of time with us.

At our breakfast, Mary Poppins was the 3rd character to come to our table.

We got a picture.

Teagan asked her main question - what was Mary's favorite part of her movie?  Mary's answer - Jane and Michael's family becoming a happy family that loved each other and wanted to be together.  I then explained that the last time we watched her movie, Teagan had taken notes and I held up the note cards...

Mary looked... intrigued.  Flattered.  And then she knelt beside Teagan and read and answered every single question.  Every one.

And ended it all with a very sweet and genuine hug for my girl.

Mary Poppins now holds a special place in our hearts!!

Quick Disney Tips

I have so much I need to write in order to best preserve the memories... but I wanted to share the top tips I came away with first!

1.  Don't let Disney be your child's first amusement park experience.  Rides and 3D movies can be overwhelming.  If your child has experienced things at the State Fair, Holiday World, King's Island, etc - they will be better prepared for what Disney World has to offer.  We knew the kids wouldn't be doing big rides like roller coasters but had hoped they'd enjoy 3D experiences.  Instead, we learned that anything with a boat was a winner and we enjoyed shows like Finding Nemo: The Musical and the Indiana Jones stunt show.  However, a 3D experience was out for Zach.  Anything that was dark was scary for him.  It was very hard to adjust our hopes for the trip to what Zach needed the trip to be.  We were able to divide and ride for some things - Jeff took Teagan on Haunted Mansion, Jeff and I took turns on Star Tours.  Zach did great on things like the Buzz Lightyear ride and Toy Story Mania.  But he mostly did best with show type experiences - Monsters Inc Laugh Floor was a big hit for him.  He also liked little rides like Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan and he loved It's A Small World and the Country Bear Jamboree.  Magic Kingdom was definitely the best park for him.  At Epcot, his best ride was the one in the Mexico pavilion in World Showcase.  We rode it twice.  But if my kids were the kind of kids who were eager to go to amusement parks - Disney would have been a chance to kick it up a notch instead of a place full of overwhelming experiences.

2.  Tip your housekeeper daily (you could have a different person each day).  We tipped Mousekeeping each day ($5 per day) - and left little notes.  In one note, we just said thank you.  In another, we told them we were coming up on our last day and that we've enjoyed they're hard work in our room.  In another, we told them that the kids thought it was really Fairy Mousekeeping because they had worked magic in our room!  We also left a picture of ourselves out one day (from the arcade photo booth) so our housekeeper could "see" us.  Our housekeepers made our room fun to return to each day - and also left us extra bottles of shampoo and conditioner and extra bars of soap!

Here are some of the treats left behind by Mousekeeping:

3.  Keep your room organized.  I can't say enough about having a shoe organizer and a pop up hamper.  We were very glad to utilize the laundry room at our resort.  Having a set place for dirty clothes to go at the end of a hot and sweaty day was great.  And the shoe organizer was fantastic - the kids could wake up and grab a bite to eat without any issue.

4. Be friendly with all cast members.  I can't tell you how many times our day was saved by a friendly cast member!!  Especially when we were tired, hot, sweaty, cranky... a little eye contact and friendly smile was often the cue for a cast member to go above and beyond.  Not in big ways - just little things to make the day better.  For example, at Epcot, Zach was overwhelmed by all of it and it came to a head when we stopped for a snack and a fly landed nearby.  He freaked out about the fly.  Crying and scared and my normally happy dude was overcome with tears.  A cast member was nearby, cleaning tables.  She saw how upset our boy was and came over to find out what was wrong.  She sat and talked with him and brought him colring pages and crayons.  And she stayed with him until she knew he was happy.  Another night, after a long and fun and tiring day, we got picked up by a bus with a driver in training.  His trainer, Bob, let my kids sit in the seat right behind the driver and then kept them happy and entertained all the way to our resort.  He made faces and joked with them and gave them each a "Safety Tip" card.  Teagan is still doing his routine of pushing her nose to make her tongue pop out and then pulilng an ear to move her tongue to the side... As we were leaving Magic Kingdom - again, tired and hungry - we were greeted by a cast member in the Emporium and she squatted down and talked with our kids for a good 5 minutes about their day and the rides and the characters and when we left that store (we didn't buy anything), the kids were bubbling over with excitement.

5.  Character meals are the best way to meet characters!!  If you want autographs or pictures with characters, the single best way to make it happen is with character meals.  We started out at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary and got to meet the big guys right away - Pluto, Goofy, Donald, Mickey and Minnie.  We met some of the main crew again at Tusker House at Animal Kingdom - Donald, Daisy, Mickey, Goofy.  My favorite character meal was breakfast at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian - Pooh Bear, Tigger, Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, and the Mad Hatter.  There are other character meals - I think you can find one for just about any favorite character.

6.  Dollar store glow sticks are awesome.  We didn't have to buy any glow sticks for night things.  We weren't even tempted.  And we discovered that having a little glow stick or bracelet meant that Zach had a little candle to hold on to for darker rides - it was his bravery shield for Pirates of the Carribean.  Plus, we were able to share some Disney magic with other families by handing out glow sticks and bracelets to others!!

7.  No matter how tired you are, take notes!  At the end of the day, take notes.  Jot down the things that made the day special and the things you want to do differently going forward.  Otherwise, there is no way to remember it all!

That's it for now - if you're headed to Disney anytime soon, those would be the top things on my list.  Shoe organizer, tips for house keeping, hamper, glow sticks, journal, reservations for character meals.  Any favorite tips from your own experiences?

Portkeys in Today's World

Harry: "Why are we all standing round some manky old boot?"

Fred: "Not just any manky old boot, mate, it's a Portkey!"

Harry: "What's a Portkey?"

— Fred Weasley and Harry Potter

A Portkey is an object enchanted to instantly bring anyone touching it to a specific location. Most of the time, a Portkey is an everyday object that would not draw the attention of a Muggle. Travelling by Portkey is said to feel like having a hook "somewhere behind the navel" pulling the traveller to their location.

An old boot, a blankie, a stuffed animal, a picture, a shirt, a ring, really any object of sentimental value can all be portkeys in today’s world.

When I need to escape in a book for a few minutes but don’t want to read a book that I’ll be engaged in for hours I usually pull out an old Harry Potter book. I am currently rereading The Order of the Phoenix for more than the 5th time and connected a scene in it to my personal life this week. Nearing Christmas break Harry sees in a vision Arthur Weasely being attacked by Nagina, Voldemort’s giant snake. After sounding the alarm Dumbledore gathered the Weasley children and Harry in his office in order to get them out of Hogwarts and to the safety of Grimmauld Place before Delores Umbridge could interfere. To do this he activated a portey to transport them somewhere else, but in order to be transported they needed to touch it.

When I was younger I had a stuffed monkey named Jo Jo. He was my best friend and we had the best of times. I luckily have a few pictures of us playing together. Jo Jo was also a huge source of comfort to me when things were scary: thunderstorms at night, when my parents were fighting, when things that I was too young to understand were going on in my life. Jo Jo will always hold a part of me whether I’m in possession of him or not.

We all have Jo Jo’s of some sort in our lives. A solid object, even if it’s just a picture, something that represents an important part of our life or played an important part in our life. It may be an article of clothing from someone we have lost, a collar off our dog who has died, a picture of a childhood best friend, a stuffed animal, your blankie, that you carried around everywhere. Like in the definition of a Portkey, they are everyday objects that would not draw the attention of anyone in particular.

There is so much power in touch, we crave it, we need it. Thinking about being hugged and being hugged are two totally different things. As my mind was trying to process the connection it was making between a portkey and today’s world I was just struck in a way I hadn’t been before as to why we save things that are deeply important to us. It’s because we need them at times to keep our past alive. Time is not linear, it’s past, present and future. I believe those objects in a sense “hold” time for us. I have a particular picture of Jo Jo and me playing in the back yard. It was still cold out as I was wearing a red coat, but I was taking Jo Jo on a bike ride. A bike I couldn’t even ride yet. I can look at that picture on facebook and think about that day, but when I hold that picture in my hands and look at it something changes. In some ways it seems as if I am physically transported back to that day, back to that memory. “A Portkey is an object enchanted to instantly bring anyone touching it to a specific location.”

For my daughter Amanda’s bridal shower I put together a box of her childhood mementos that I had been saving and as I placed each item in the box for a moment I was transported back to that time in a way that can’t happen if we just “think” about that time. Holding the outfit we brought her home from the hospital in took me straight back to that day 23 years ago. I had to sort through many boxes separating her childhood things from the others. I found letters the kids had written, baby clothes, tiny shoes, pinewood derby cars, camp shirts, crafts and each time I slowed down and looked at each object…bam…I was transported to another place.

Why this all seems to be new revelation to me, I’m not sure. I guess it’s a deeper understanding as to why we save things, or at least why I save things. Why when we need to draw comfort from a loved one that is no longer here we pull out a sweatshirt we saved of theirs and put it on. When we are missing our grown children we pull out the Mother’s Day cards they drew us when they were young and touch them and hold them and are drawn back to that place. When we are thinking about our own childhood we pull out a stuffed animal and are drawn back in to time. It’s pretty amazing how an inanimate object can suddenly be enchanted with life when it is touched.

There is nothing new to what I say, just a new awareness for me. As you read this, do you think about a portkey in your life? Go and touch it, be transported for a time.

***

Kim is a woman I met about a year ago - in a very special way that is hard to put into words.  As I've gotten to know her more and more, I love seeing how her mind works and that willingly shares her inner thoughts and feelings.

I chose this post to be the final guest post.  Mostly because of this line:

It’s pretty amazing how an inanimate object can suddenly be enchanted with life when it is touched.

I think to the stories shared by Dee, Angelic, Secrena, Lindsey and the people in those stories who caused pain, who were hurting, who experienced devastation... and my prayer is that they have their own portkey that transports them to their own happy places.  That may be in cherishing that final moment with a dying mom, remembering a goofy grin on a sweet little face, or embracing the memory of the hug of a friend in a time of terrible tragedy.

I think that stories and story telling is a type of portkey, too.  Because it connects us back to our story, back to that moment in time and we relive it when we tell it.  

A Baby's Wake

There isn't much I can say beyond what Lindsey will say below in her introduction.  Lindsey is someone I love dearly and I hope you will be moved by her post.

***

I am going to a baby's wake.

It's my first guest post here at Lizdom, and I should be chipper and reflective and be trying to entice you to come read my blog. I should be entertaining you while Liz is finally at Disney with her two kids, having the time of her life (I hope!). I should be introducing you to myself (Lindsey, almost 30, married almost 3 years, mom to 3 kids, one of whom has autism, and that's what I write about on my blog). Liz and I "met" online 9 (WOW) years ago, when we were pregnant with our daughters. Liz became a big sister/motherly figure to me and an integrel part of my single Mommy support system for Ava's first few years. Liz and I were delighted to meet in person, several times now, in Indiana and in Connecticut (where I live). We are very very good at understanding each other, and our parenting styles. We lift each other up.

But I'm going to a baby's wake tomorrow, and I am not sure what else I could really write about tonight.

He was born early, but not super early - 30 weeks. But for whatever reason, he simply never woke up, and has needed to be on life support since the day he was born. MRIs, EEGs, CT scans, 2nd, 3rd, 4th opinions: The baby would never wake up. And for a month he didn't, and then the family had to make the really tough decision to let his body join his spirit, and be released. And they did.

They have two more little boys at home, 2 and 4, who I'm sure can't comprehend a whole lot of this.

The mother is a friend of mine, not a terribly close friend, but a friend. I'm not sure how wide her net of support is, and I do not want to be intrusive or anything. But I really want to hug her, and I look forward to hugging her tomorrow, and telling her a lot of things, with my hug:

I may not exactly know your pain, in fact I'm sure I don't, but my experience with our son having autism has taught me this:
How it feels to lose every dream you had for your son.
How it feels to lose every dream you had for your family.
How it feels to blame yourself for everything that went wrong.
How it feels to relive every moment in your head, every minute of every day.
How it feels to not be able to hug the baby boy you loved.
How it feels to grieve for all of these things, and have no one understand the pain.

I want her to know that although my son is here and walking and talking and beautiful, I know the difference in our pain is immense, so immense, it's unmeasurable.

But I am grieving, too. Though I am being delivered, daily, from my grief in ways she can't be. I will hold her hand as we walk down this road.

Prayers lifted up to heaven for this family, and for their very special angel, Max.

I don't know why these things happen, to sweet baby boys.

But I know that some day, we will all find a life after our grief, and there will be some peace. That is what I wish for her. I wish her peace, a speedy delivery of peace.