15 Things I STILL Haven't Done at Disney World

Our family is exactly fifteen days away from our next Walt Disney World vacation.  Although we’ve gone at least once a year for the past twelve years, there are still a few things that I haven’t experienced that I’d like to try and squeeze in this year.  In no particular order…

Country Bear Jamboree
Honestly, I hated the movie, but something about knowing that Walt Disney himself was pleased with the original sketches has me thinking that I’d like to see this…at least once.

Voyage of the Little Mermaid
My husband swears we've seen this, but I don’t remember it.

Water Parks
Hubby doesn't like water parks, so we've never been to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon.  It is doubtful that we’ll get to them this trip, but it’s still nice to have on my list of things to do.

School Bread
At Epcot, over in Norway, I hear tales of a marvelous treat known as “school bread.”  There are very few delicacies that I have yet to try and somehow feel that I’m not a true park fan until I eat this and the next item….

Tonga Toast
Famed banana stuffed French toast breakfast served at Ohana’s at the Polynesian.  I don’t like French toast or bananas, so truthfully I've just avoided Tonga Toast. 

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
At nearly $70 per ticket, this had better be one awesome Halloween party.  CJ is super excited about this one.  She painstakingly mulled over the merits of each costume option at the store before choosing Belle.  Ava’s going as Tinkerbell.  We may have a problem with the wings sticking out of our Moby wrap.

Food & Wine Festival
I cannot believe I haven’t gone to Epcot during this festival.  Outside of Disney vacations, there’s almost nothing I speak more of than food and wine.  I am so ashamed.

Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure
We loved Kim Possible’s World Showcase Adventure and hear that Agent P’s is better.  I may be much too full from the Food & Wine Festival to get through all of this, but we are sure going to try.

Tom Sawyer Island
The last few trips we've tried to do this, but I swear, we can’t find it.  I can’t find my way out of a paper bag without GPS.  I’m hoping a couple of the new Android apps I’ve downloaded will help guide us there.

Liberty Square Riverboat
I’ve seen this, taken lots of photos, but have never actually climbed on board.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom
Never even heard of this before today, but I forwarded a description to my husband and he’s excited about it. 

Myuki’s Candy Art
I have seen many pictures and heard tales told of Myuki, located in Japan at Epcot. I don’t even think I’d be able to eat it if I was lucky enough to behold her magical creations.

Karamell-Kuche
While eating my way around Epcot, I've made myself a note to stop in Germany to taste the Karamell-Kuche.  At $4 for one piece of candy, I've got high hopes.  I also hope that I don’t end up craving this weeks after I've gone home.

Resort Pools
Swimsuits are always packed, but for some reason, probably for the same reason we haven’t done water parks, we never make it to our resort’s pool.  I hear the one at Port Orleans Riverside is not to be missed, since that’s where we’ll be, I’m getting in…even if that means I do it alone.

Afternoon naps
We just can’t do it. No matter how hard we try, we are always too excited to be at Disney World to even dream of taking naps during the day.  We end up watching the programs on television, chronicling all the stuff at the parks we are missing while we relax in our resort room, then we pack up and leave again.

How many of these are you missing?  Have you done any and have tips for me?  I'd love to hear from you!

Epcot's 30!

The first time I stepped into Epcot, I didn’t know what to expect; this was a time before you could find out everything you wanted to know about anything online.  What is this giant sphere going to hold that’s so entertaining was my thought.  Many visits later, Epcot is my favorite Disney park.  Everything about it appeals to me.  It’s more than just Spaceship Earth.  I love food; Epcot is well known for having awesome restaurants.    I love to travel; where else can you span the globe in a matter of minutes?  I love learning about technology and innovative ways to save the planet.  I love a good thrill ride.  While I will not be at Epcot on its thirtieth anniversary, I will be there thirty days from now.  In no particular order, here is a list of thirty reasons why Epcot is my favorite park.

1. Universe of Energy
2. Test Track
3. Cheddar Cheese Soup
4. Food and Wine Festival
5. “Mine!  Mine!  Mine!”
6. Twinkling sidewalks
7. Butterfly garden
8. Insisting Disney newbies have a taste of Beverly at Club Cool
9. Perry the Platypus
10. Japanese Candy Artist
11. Illuminations
12. The smell of the orange trees in “Soarin’”
13. President Barack Obama
14. Water Fountains
15. Flower and Garden Festival
16. Spaceship Earth
17. Mission SPACE
18. Turtle Talk with Crush
19. Vegetables that “earn their ears”
20. Seeing the monorail glide through the park
21. Captain EO
22. Grand Mariner Slush
23. Figment
24. Innoventions
25. Maelstrom
26. Model Railway Village
27. O Canada
28. Princess Storybook Breakfast
29. Drinking around the world
30. Taiko drummers

What did I miss? Let me know what some of your favorites are, and I’ll be certain to check them out (if I haven’t already) in thirty days!

Newborn Cloth Diapering, Part #2

Since our little one is four weeks old, I thought it would be a good time to post part two of my review on our newborn cloth diaper stash.  I’ve got a feeling that the naps won’t last very long, so it’s a good thing I type fast!

Our newest addition was born at 8 lbs. 9 oz and 20.5 inches long.  Most of our newborn stash didn’t fit past the first three weeks, some of them were on eBay sooner.  Read on for more on what worked and didn’t.  Feel free to review part one if you want to know my thoughts prior to baby’s arrival.

Lil Joey's, Kissa's, Grovia, Fuzzibunz, Itti Bitti

Fuzzibunz X-Small
While we have some Fuzzibunz Elites that could be sized down to fit our big girl, the sized x-small diaper was great from birth.  The Applix/Velcro tabs curled after the first few washes, but it was easy to put on and was quite absorbent.  Stuffing the pockets was not fun.  While it fit well, it is just too narrow to get a whole hand inside to stuff it easily.  We waited to use this one after her cord came off.  Honestly, I wished we had a few more of these.  They were a breeze to wash and dry; other than the curled tabs, they still look brand new and still fit our baby.

Grovia AIO
Yes, these are super cute, but I absolutely hated this diaper.  We used these because we had to; these were some of the few that actually had a snap down rise to accommodate for the cord.  Aside from the ridiculously long drying time in the dryer and outside on the line, they were not very absorbent.  When dried outside, they became very stiff.  They were so stiff that I had to rewash them before putting them on the baby because they felt like they would hurt.  Have you ever found an old pack of gum under the seat of your car, opened a piece, bit down and the gum crumbled in your mouth and hands?  That’s what these felt like after line drying outside.  The only thing I liked about these was how they fit under her clothes; the trimmest diaper in the lot.  Most of these have already been sold because they were too small after two weeks.

Kissa’s by Kissaluvs
I was initially disappointed because the diaper appeared pilly after the prep washes and because it was expensive, but this was by far my favorite diaper.  Umbilical cord snap down was perfectly positioned, it washed well, dried fast, and got softer with each wash.  If I had to do things all over again, my entire newborn stash would be made of these.  This diaper was a bit larger than the others, so it still fits great.  This one is a lot trimmer than the others, and contained breastfed poop pretty awesomely.

Bitti Tutto – One Size
Meh.  I wasn't impressed with this diaper, even after hearing all the hype it received.  This did not fit her well at birth.  The fit is better as she gets older, but isn’t that the case with all one-sized diapers?  Because there are so many options for the snap in inserts, this has been our go to diaper overnight.  She isn’t a super soaker yet, so I don’t think we’ll be using this specifically at night very long.  It’s really bulky at this stage. It did not fit under any of her clothes.  This diaper washed and dried easily, and is very absorbent.  I'd put 'em on eBay, but I'm not sure anyone would buy it, since these aren't as popular in the US as they are in other countries.

Lil’ Joey’s by Rumparooz
This would be my favorite if it wasn’t so bulky.  It does fit under her clothes, unlike the previous diaper, but the bulk made drying time extra long.  Forget drying these outside; even in 90 degree weather, outside all day, we still had to put these in the dryer. They look super cute on, in fact, this is the diaper she’s wearing (Lux design) on her birth announcements.  The double gussets do hold in poop well.  These were used from the beginning because of the cord snap down, and we’re still using them for the moment because many of the one size diapers we have just don’t fit well yet, but they are on their way out.  I don’t see these making it past the 12 lbs. mark.

Recap

Has my favorite newborn diaper changed? Yes. It was the Lil’ Joey, but it’s now the Kissa’s by Kissaluvs.

Which is the most trim? Grovia AIO

Which had the longest drying time? Lil’ Joey’s and the Grovia AIO

Which had the shortest drying time? Kissa’s by Kissaluvs

What order did she grow out of the diapers? Grovia AIO, Lil’ Joey’s, Kissa’s, Fuzzibunz X-Small, Itti Bitti

Which is my husband’s favorite? Lil Joey’s

Which diaper went with us to the hospital? None. We used disposables at the hospital and for the first day at home.  I wasn’t ready to wash diapers for the first few days.

What's she wearing right now? Goodmama ONE.  I was not planning to fall for these diapers because they are so freakin' expensive, but I like them...a whole lot.

Why I Love Doc McStuffins

When I was growing up, I wanted to be a veterinarian. Even though my family are true blue, University of Michigan Wolverine fans, I was afforded the opportunity to visit one of the best veterinary schools in the country at our rival campus, Michigan State.  After discovering the mass quantities of math and science classes that I would have to ingest to make my dream a reality, my dream changed.  I just didn't believe that was something that I could do, partially because I was not exposed to women of color who had completed a doctoral career path.  Although I am happy with my life now, I often wonder what it would have been like had I chose a career in veterinary medicine.


Since my childhood, I have been a big Disney fan, even though, there were not images on the screen that looked like my family.  There is something about Disney that magically pulls you in and never lets go.  After becoming a teenager, I would drive my little brother and I an hour away to the best movie theater around to see the new Disney movie on opening night, then months later race to the local store to buy it on VHS tape just to hurry home to see the previews for upcoming movies.  In the back of my mind, I always hoped that the main character would one day look like us.  

Now, with one adorable little black girl in tow, and one on the way, I am always looking for different things to expose my children to so they understand that the sky is the limit for them.  When my husband and I learned that the title character in "The Princess and the Frog" would be black, our excitement could hardly be contained.  The movie was released when our daughter was just over three months old.  We were there opening night to make sure it was the very first movie we took her to see.  Even though she will never remember it, we will, and there are ticket stubs in her baby book to prove it.  Besides race, I share Tiana's attitude of hard work, determination and love of cooking.  Couple this with the fact that her best friend and I share the name Lottie, (I know her name was really "Charlotte" but they called her "Lottie" most of the movie, so her name is "Lottie!") makes this one of my favorite movies of all time.

While watching Disney Junior with our daughter, we saw a preview for Doc McStuffins and my eyes lit up.  Could it be? Knowing our children would be able to identify with a main character, on regular television, at an early age, was overwhelmingly good news.  Not only are Doc and her purple stethoscope impossibly cute, but she wants to be a doctor when she grows up and lives her dream now by healing sick toys in her very own backyard clinic.  Doc lives with her brother and both of her parents, one of which (her mother) is a doctor.  A few episodes into the series, the mother is finally seen on camera, and my daughter asks, "What's wrong Mommom?" while I'm pregnant, jumping up and down and screaming excitedly at the TV screen.  Disney Junior has a character on a TV show who has a professional career and hair isn't overly processed, permed and weaved; she's flaunting her natural curls, just like us.  I want our daughters to love themselves, inside and out, and I am teaching them that this love includes their hair, which many black women torture themselves to change. Creator, Chris Nee, is my new hero.  


Even if you somehow can't understand my tears of joy, hop on over to Disney Jr., and check out this show.  It's refreshing life lessons, positive imagery, encouragement of imagination usage, and cute story lines, make it a treat for all who watch.  With the show been renewed for a second season and toys being released later this year, character interactions at the parks can't be far behind.  If we see Doc during the Disney Junior character meal at Disney's Hollywood Studios this fall, I think I'll scream and faint like a Justin Beiber fan.  For now, I'll be content with cracking a little smile every time I hear our daughter sing a song from the show.  I'll even hum a couple bars myself..."I feel better, so much better..." thanks to Chris Nee, Disney Junior, and Brown Bag Films.


Stay crunchy, friends!

Pregnancy Rant

I am beyond irritated.  Maybe it's because I can't paint my toenails, comfortably get out of bed, have a margarita, pick up my daughter or drive a car.  Maybe it's because I'm constantly awake, perpetually hungry, and always looking for the nearest bathroom.  Whatever it is that's causing me to be so totally and completely irritated in the final days of this pregnancy led me to blog about the things that have me walking around with blue flames shooting from my scalp.  I am certain that there are readers who will sympathize.  Since I like lists, this is another one.  Enjoy!

1. If one more person asks me when my due date is, especially if they see me on a regular basis, I think I'll just make up something totally random, like June 32.  When people realize that my due date is near a very important day in their life and ask me to wait until that day to give birth, are they expecting that I will hide myself in the forest with three fairies that will take care of my every need and then emerge triumphantly, with child in arms, after slaying the dragon of child birth, on a date that I somehow chose?
2. Being pregnant somehow allows people to say all sorts of random comments to me.  What is it about being around a pregnant woman that makes normally smart people lose their minds?  Do people really think that it's OK to share with me the details of their child's birth or random parenting stories in the produce section of the local grocery store?  As far as I know, you could be telling me to comb my hair with a fork.  We know the anatomy behind our impending event and have already researched and planned accordingly.  
3. I stopped to get some gas and the attendant nearly jumped over the counter and began to rub my belly. How is it possible that my growing belly is community property? Would he have touched me otherwise? Will The Genie pop out and grant him three wishes because he rubbed my growing belly?  If that were the case, my husband would have tried to wish for more wishes months ago.  Don't touch me.  I understand the appeal, but if you must touch, please ask first.
4. Don't scowl at me or act surprised when learning of our parenting choices. When will people understand that natural isn't archaic and artificial is not necessarily better?  We will cloth diaper our daughter until she is toilet trained.  I will breastfeed her past the first year of her life.  I will wear her like Chicha wore Yupi in "The Emperor's New Groove." Chicken nugget kid's meals from prominent fast food chains will not be a part of her diet.  This is a lifestyle we've chosen, not a passing fad.  Please don't tell us how soon we'll give up in favor of convenience.  Even better, we are not continuing this parenting style because you say we can't.  We believe this is what is best for our family.
5. Commenting on how small or large my belly is, or telling me that I'm still high or the baby has dropped does not make me feel better.  Every pregnancy is different. Every woman is different.  Every pregnant woman is beautiful.   Just tell me I'm "the fairest of them all" and I won't ask the hunter to follow you into the woods and bring back your heart.
6. Contrary to popular belief, I really do like being pregnant.  Feeling her move around inside me is probably one of the things I will miss most.  I will also miss the ability to unbashfully eat as much as I want, whenever I want.  (Put the ice cream on the table and walk away slowly!)  Please don't criticize me because I want this to end.  I understand that there are women who try desperately to conceive a child and would gladly be in my shoes, but give them 38+ weeks of this and they, too will feel as I do.  We want to meet our daughter.  We want to see who she looks like.  We can't wait feed her, change her, and take her to Disney World. 
7. Yes, we are taking her to Disney World.  If she decides to be born on her due date, she will be just over three months old on a trip we planned after finding out that we were expecting.  Our family loves the parks and we go every year, sometimes more than once.  I am an obsessive trip planner, and we know what to expect, so this trip will be easy.  Yes, I worry about germs, but we'll take the same precautions on protecting her as we would visiting church on Sunday and the shopping mall on Saturday.  Call the Mythbusters team; I'll wager that they find Disney World to be cleaner than most places people take their children on a regular basis.
8. "Text me/call me when you go into labor!" Um, no.  We aren't telling anyone when we are headed to the hospital.  Birth is a very private time, and we don't want people in the delivery or waiting rooms, playing Statler and Waldorf (the balcony gents on "The Muppets") while we bring a new life into the world.  We will let you know when she is born.
9. Telling us that we must have a third child because the first two are girls, before I've given birth to the second girl is not cool.  Girls are awesome.  If we decide that we aren't Pongo and Perdita, and two children are enough for us, that is our decision.  Don't look at us like sympathetically because we aren't having a son this time.  We are fine with two happy, healthy girls.

I'm sure this isn't the post you expected, but I'm 9+ months pregnant, irritable, hungry and tired.  "Beautiful, kind and gentle, and loving and softness and sweetness, and candy and gum" type posts will return after our baby arrives and I have had the chance to get a little bit of rest.  Until then...

Stay Crunchy, Friends!