I have absolutely no idea where it came from but The Prince started talking about going to Sea World about a month ago. It was a daily conversation.
The Prince: "I can't wait to go to Sea World"
Me: "Honey, we're not going to Sea World"
The Prince: *Pouty Face* "But I'd realllly like to go to Sea World."
And then it turned into "I can't wait to go to Sea World next week"
He even had his teachers at school convinced we were going.
Well once The King heard this talk his first reaction was to look into it. Whatever The Prince wants, The Prince gets!
I started doing some research and found that we could take a 6 night, 5 day trip for a pretty decent price. Flight, Hotel, Car Rental, Tickets to attractions, etc. We went back and forth before deciding we'd go ahead and use our small tax refund towards a trip.
It's official. As of Friday, we booked our trip to Orlando, Florida. We are not doing the Disney thing just yet. We talked about it and decided we'd wait until The Prince is a little older and we can save up some money and go again.
This will be the first real trip I've taken with The King and our first family vacation.We've tried explaining to The Prince what was happening but he doesn't seem to get it. I think it'll take arriving at the airport before he understands.
We will be taking off from our hometown (which means no traveling an hour to the next closest airport) on a Wednesday evening, arriving around 10PM in Orlando. We will spend the next few days enjoying Sea World, Legoland, a Detroit Tigers spring training game (which was a selling point for The King), and meeting up with a very old friend for dinner. We may do two days at Sea World, depending on how the first goes, and if not we may venture to Gatorland, as The Prince has recently been enjoying the shows on TV which focus on gators. We will then return to the local airport Monday evening.
Yes, I'm excited for the time away with my family.
Yes, I'm excited to go to Florida.
Yes, I'm excited for some warm weather (I hope).
Yes, I'm excited to see all the attractions.
But I'm most excited to see my little (and big) guy's face when he's flying on an airplane, seeing Shamu, and enjoying the sites of Florida.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Privacy
I've had to make some changes lately.
It was brought to my attention that my father (who I have no relationship with) and his family (who I also have no relationship with) had been able to see pictures of my son. I can only assume Facebook was the avenue they were using, as no matter how private your account is, anyone can see your profile picture and cover photo. The more and more I thought about this, the more upset it made me. Finally, I decided that I would close my account and start a new one, only allowing my close friends and family to be my "friend". I'm no longer tagging pictures of anyone and am asking that people not post pictures of my son on their accounts. It really is a huge PITA, but I am not at all comfortable with that family seeing or knowing anything about my son or my life. They haven't been involved in YEARS and even though I know if someone tries hard enough they will get info/pictures (via other family members), I am going to do all that I can to make sure things are not readily available via my accounts.
This is another example of how things have changed along the years. When I was young, we didn't have computers, internet, or even cell phones. It really scares me to know that my son will grow up not having the "privacy" I had growing up. I understand that you can choose to not put things on the internet, and I'm choosing to keep my life as private as possible, but you don't know what other people are going to do. Can I really ask people not to post my son's pictures on their accounts? Would people even listen? It is all about respecting my family's privacy.
This was boring and I apologize for that. Carry on.
It was brought to my attention that my father (who I have no relationship with) and his family (who I also have no relationship with) had been able to see pictures of my son. I can only assume Facebook was the avenue they were using, as no matter how private your account is, anyone can see your profile picture and cover photo. The more and more I thought about this, the more upset it made me. Finally, I decided that I would close my account and start a new one, only allowing my close friends and family to be my "friend". I'm no longer tagging pictures of anyone and am asking that people not post pictures of my son on their accounts. It really is a huge PITA, but I am not at all comfortable with that family seeing or knowing anything about my son or my life. They haven't been involved in YEARS and even though I know if someone tries hard enough they will get info/pictures (via other family members), I am going to do all that I can to make sure things are not readily available via my accounts.
This is another example of how things have changed along the years. When I was young, we didn't have computers, internet, or even cell phones. It really scares me to know that my son will grow up not having the "privacy" I had growing up. I understand that you can choose to not put things on the internet, and I'm choosing to keep my life as private as possible, but you don't know what other people are going to do. Can I really ask people not to post my son's pictures on their accounts? Would people even listen? It is all about respecting my family's privacy.
This was boring and I apologize for that. Carry on.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Yep...I'm THAT Mom
I overdo EVERYTHING. It's just how I am. I get so much satisfaction from doing crafts and making treats. The King makes fun of me, he tells me I always do way too much.
Being that it's Valentine's Day tomorrow, I've had my work cut out for me. Let's start with The Prince. He has a school party tomorrow afternoon. I had already planned to make him a Valentine's Day Box and of course I resorted to Pinterest to find an idea. We made these boxes, with The Prince's best buddy.
The King thought we needed to add some "boy" stuff, so he got some Transformer's and Lego City stickers for the boys to add. We had these done Friday Feb 3rd. (The kids didn't need to bring them in until the 13/14th).
I also resorted to Pinterest for the treats I made for The Prince's classmates.
The tags I used say "Everyday I Like You S'More". They are Hershey Kisses, Graham Cracker sticks, and heart shaped marshmallows.
Last week, the sign up sheets for the Valentine's party were put up in each classroom. I let The Prince choose what he wanted to bring. He chose cheese and crackers. Easy enough. I had made mention that I was going to cut the cheese into heart shapes, and The King told me I was ridiculous. We'll see what I decide to do once I get home this evening and get everything else done.
Finally, I made heart shaped cutout cookies. I haven't decided exactly how I'm going to decorate them, but I had wanted to put each child's first initial on their cookie. Once again, this will depend on how smoothly my evening plans go.
The Prince chose Spiderman and Batman Valentines, that we've had for about a month. It was definitely a struggle to get him to sign and address each Valentine, but with daddy's help, we got that task completed last night. You can barely read most of them, but I made sure to write the correct names small in the corner of each Valentine.
I fully intend to get The Prince a little gift basket/bag to open when we get home tomorrow as well.
Now onto The King. He hates this holiday, as I'm sure most men do. I think it's silly as well, but I sure do enjoy celebrating it. Last year I was treated to Chicken Parmigiana and Vodka Penne Pasta along with homemade cheesecake. We have decided that this will be our yearly tradition.
Gifts are another story. Getting a gift for a man on Valentine's Day is almost impossible. I do have to say, I came through this year. Two local bloggers held a Boudoir photo shoot this past weekend. I must say I was getting extremely nervous as it led up to Saturday, but once we got there and got into it, I had a blast. The ladies were fabulous and very professional. A friend of mine came along as well to get her photos done for her husband. I received the pictures this morning and I must say my husband is going to be thrilled. They are very classy but sexy. I am not at all confident about my body, but these made me feel great about myself and I'm SO glad I went through with it!
I am awful at keeping secrets and I couldn't wait to tell The King about it, so when I got home Saturday I shared with him where I had been. I am making him wait until tomorrow night to get the actual gift tho! I am creating a photo book with the pictures. Here's hoping it's a woman working at the photo center! EEK!
I also did a "ABC's of you and me" booklet, another Pinterest idea.
On each page I wrote a little note. Some were things about him that I love. Some were things I enjoy doing with him (trips to the park, weekend getaways, etc) I'm not sure how much he'll like it, but I thought it was cute and sentimental and inexpensive!
I'm making him a treat as well, since he doesn't like cheesecake and makes it just for me :) You'll be extremely shocked to hear that I found this idea on...Pinterest!
I get excited like this over almost any holiday. It's something that I always looked forward to having children for. I am totally that mom. I attend any event I am capable of attending. I go above and beyond. I absolutely love it!
Side Note: After spell checking this post, I have to wonder when Pinterest is going to be added to dictionaries ;-)
Being that it's Valentine's Day tomorrow, I've had my work cut out for me. Let's start with The Prince. He has a school party tomorrow afternoon. I had already planned to make him a Valentine's Day Box and of course I resorted to Pinterest to find an idea. We made these boxes, with The Prince's best buddy.
I also resorted to Pinterest for the treats I made for The Prince's classmates.
The tags I used say "Everyday I Like You S'More". They are Hershey Kisses, Graham Cracker sticks, and heart shaped marshmallows.
Last week, the sign up sheets for the Valentine's party were put up in each classroom. I let The Prince choose what he wanted to bring. He chose cheese and crackers. Easy enough. I had made mention that I was going to cut the cheese into heart shapes, and The King told me I was ridiculous. We'll see what I decide to do once I get home this evening and get everything else done.
Finally, I made heart shaped cutout cookies. I haven't decided exactly how I'm going to decorate them, but I had wanted to put each child's first initial on their cookie. Once again, this will depend on how smoothly my evening plans go.
The Prince chose Spiderman and Batman Valentines, that we've had for about a month. It was definitely a struggle to get him to sign and address each Valentine, but with daddy's help, we got that task completed last night. You can barely read most of them, but I made sure to write the correct names small in the corner of each Valentine.
I fully intend to get The Prince a little gift basket/bag to open when we get home tomorrow as well.
Now onto The King. He hates this holiday, as I'm sure most men do. I think it's silly as well, but I sure do enjoy celebrating it. Last year I was treated to Chicken Parmigiana and Vodka Penne Pasta along with homemade cheesecake. We have decided that this will be our yearly tradition.
Gifts are another story. Getting a gift for a man on Valentine's Day is almost impossible. I do have to say, I came through this year. Two local bloggers held a Boudoir photo shoot this past weekend. I must say I was getting extremely nervous as it led up to Saturday, but once we got there and got into it, I had a blast. The ladies were fabulous and very professional. A friend of mine came along as well to get her photos done for her husband. I received the pictures this morning and I must say my husband is going to be thrilled. They are very classy but sexy. I am not at all confident about my body, but these made me feel great about myself and I'm SO glad I went through with it!
I am awful at keeping secrets and I couldn't wait to tell The King about it, so when I got home Saturday I shared with him where I had been. I am making him wait until tomorrow night to get the actual gift tho! I am creating a photo book with the pictures. Here's hoping it's a woman working at the photo center! EEK!
I also did a "ABC's of you and me" booklet, another Pinterest idea.
On each page I wrote a little note. Some were things about him that I love. Some were things I enjoy doing with him (trips to the park, weekend getaways, etc) I'm not sure how much he'll like it, but I thought it was cute and sentimental and inexpensive!
I'm making him a treat as well, since he doesn't like cheesecake and makes it just for me :) You'll be extremely shocked to hear that I found this idea on...Pinterest!
I get excited like this over almost any holiday. It's something that I always looked forward to having children for. I am totally that mom. I attend any event I am capable of attending. I go above and beyond. I absolutely love it!
Side Note: After spell checking this post, I have to wonder when Pinterest is going to be added to dictionaries ;-)
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Oh How Things Change!
It really is amazing how things change when we get older. I mean I'm only 27 but my lifestyle now is so much different than it was a few years ago, pre-child.
Flashback 5-6 years. The girls and I went out EVERY weekend. We'd spend hours getting ready and "pregaming" before picking up the others and heading to the bar. We'd do shots, drink beers, and try and discover something new, like BLUE drinks ;-), We were all single at the time so of course we had our eyes on the guys at the bar. We tried to impress, but mostly we just had fun dancing, closing down the bar, heading out to some 24 hour joint for some food afterwards, and then heading home (alone) to sleep/recover in our own beds. I was never the "pick a guy up at the bar" kind of girl, and neither were most of my friends. We all just had a great time together, but of course we didn't mind if one of us caught the eye of a cute guy every now and then.
Flash forward to the present. We've all grown up and matured. Some got married, some had kids, got real adult jobs. Going out isn't as common as it used to be. Hell, my bedtime is just before ten! I recently discovered that going out these days is so much more fun and relaxing though! I no longer have to spend hours getting ready, making sure I look good, etc. I can go out and have a couple drinks, not get completely wasted, and still have a great time with my girlfriends. No more closing down the bar or even drunk midnight snacks. At the end of the night I just want to go home and snuggle with my husband.
I used to be such a busy person. Going out every weekend, sometimes every night. These days I'm still busy but I don't mind just staying at home, relaxing, being a bum! I don't enjoy hangovers and just because I drank too much the night before, The Prince and King still need me to be up and around the next day, so I don't get to lay in bed until the afternoon like I could back in the day! My busy days now involve playing Batman, trips to the zoo, playdates, and building forts! And I wouldn't trade it for anything!
Flashback 5-6 years. The girls and I went out EVERY weekend. We'd spend hours getting ready and "pregaming" before picking up the others and heading to the bar. We'd do shots, drink beers, and try and discover something new, like BLUE drinks ;-), We were all single at the time so of course we had our eyes on the guys at the bar. We tried to impress, but mostly we just had fun dancing, closing down the bar, heading out to some 24 hour joint for some food afterwards, and then heading home (alone) to sleep/recover in our own beds. I was never the "pick a guy up at the bar" kind of girl, and neither were most of my friends. We all just had a great time together, but of course we didn't mind if one of us caught the eye of a cute guy every now and then.
Flash forward to the present. We've all grown up and matured. Some got married, some had kids, got real adult jobs. Going out isn't as common as it used to be. Hell, my bedtime is just before ten! I recently discovered that going out these days is so much more fun and relaxing though! I no longer have to spend hours getting ready, making sure I look good, etc. I can go out and have a couple drinks, not get completely wasted, and still have a great time with my girlfriends. No more closing down the bar or even drunk midnight snacks. At the end of the night I just want to go home and snuggle with my husband.
I used to be such a busy person. Going out every weekend, sometimes every night. These days I'm still busy but I don't mind just staying at home, relaxing, being a bum! I don't enjoy hangovers and just because I drank too much the night before, The Prince and King still need me to be up and around the next day, so I don't get to lay in bed until the afternoon like I could back in the day! My busy days now involve playing Batman, trips to the zoo, playdates, and building forts! And I wouldn't trade it for anything!
Monday, January 30, 2012
A Weekend Getaway
It very rarely happens that The King and I get away, just the two of us, for a weekend. This past weekend we made that happen. The Prince stayed with my mom for the weekend, which they both loved. The King and I traveled 2 hours to the area where I went to college and made several very good friends.
Now, I'm on a diet. I joined Weight Watchers, but was not happy with it, the fact I was seeing no results and that they were going to try and rip me off when I tried switching plans with them. We won't get into that here, remember positivity! So going away for a weekend, eating out, etc was going to be a challenge. I feel like I lived up to that challenged. We went out Friday night to Quaker Steak and Lube, one of my all time favorite places. Instead of ordering the fattening wings, fries, pretzels, etc, I ordered grilled chicken and broccoli! Yay for me. (The drinks I had at the bar later don't count, right?)
Saturday we went to lunch at Cheesecake Factory with an old friend from high school and her family. Her 2 year old son made me miss The Prince something terrible, but I made myself enjoy the time with my husband. For lunch, I ordered a salad. It was DELICIOUS! Yes, I got cheesecake, but I got it to go and ate a third of it and the remaining 2/3's are still in my fridge! Saturday night wasn't as good, as we went to a Japanese Steakhouse where I ordered the Hibachi New York Strip, fried rice, etc. This is by far my favorite meal so I felt it was alright to splurge a little. We left with more than half of my meal in a takeout box, so I held back a little bit!
I was getting a bit concerned with the fact that I have changed my diet and have been working out and I hadn't lost ANY weight, not one ounce. However, I am proud to report that I am down 5 lbs! I am sticking to my diet, aka eating healthier and with smaller portions. I also am very proud that I have stopped drinking pop at work. I used to bring 3-4 cans a day and I'd finish them before 4PM. Then I'd go home and have a couple more while at home. Now, I am drinking water at work, with True Lemon mix in, and when I get home I rarely finish an entire can of pop. I've always drank Diet pop and I continue to do that, but I know how they say water is sooo much better for you, so I'm giving it a shot. I absolutely hate water. I hate it. But I'm doing what I have to do to make myself drink it. The True Lemon is awesome because it's a little bit of sweet with the natural lemon flavor and it has practically nothing in it. No carbs, no calories, no salt, etc.
I'm working on a better me. Mind, body, and soul. I'm in no way trying to make this a "let's track what I've eaten or how I'm doing" blog, that just happened to be what's on my mind today.
Stay tuned to hear about my thoughts on going out drinking when you're 27 and married. It sure does change things!
Now, I'm on a diet. I joined Weight Watchers, but was not happy with it, the fact I was seeing no results and that they were going to try and rip me off when I tried switching plans with them. We won't get into that here, remember positivity! So going away for a weekend, eating out, etc was going to be a challenge. I feel like I lived up to that challenged. We went out Friday night to Quaker Steak and Lube, one of my all time favorite places. Instead of ordering the fattening wings, fries, pretzels, etc, I ordered grilled chicken and broccoli! Yay for me. (The drinks I had at the bar later don't count, right?)
Saturday we went to lunch at Cheesecake Factory with an old friend from high school and her family. Her 2 year old son made me miss The Prince something terrible, but I made myself enjoy the time with my husband. For lunch, I ordered a salad. It was DELICIOUS! Yes, I got cheesecake, but I got it to go and ate a third of it and the remaining 2/3's are still in my fridge! Saturday night wasn't as good, as we went to a Japanese Steakhouse where I ordered the Hibachi New York Strip, fried rice, etc. This is by far my favorite meal so I felt it was alright to splurge a little. We left with more than half of my meal in a takeout box, so I held back a little bit!
I was getting a bit concerned with the fact that I have changed my diet and have been working out and I hadn't lost ANY weight, not one ounce. However, I am proud to report that I am down 5 lbs! I am sticking to my diet, aka eating healthier and with smaller portions. I also am very proud that I have stopped drinking pop at work. I used to bring 3-4 cans a day and I'd finish them before 4PM. Then I'd go home and have a couple more while at home. Now, I am drinking water at work, with True Lemon mix in, and when I get home I rarely finish an entire can of pop. I've always drank Diet pop and I continue to do that, but I know how they say water is sooo much better for you, so I'm giving it a shot. I absolutely hate water. I hate it. But I'm doing what I have to do to make myself drink it. The True Lemon is awesome because it's a little bit of sweet with the natural lemon flavor and it has practically nothing in it. No carbs, no calories, no salt, etc.
I'm working on a better me. Mind, body, and soul. I'm in no way trying to make this a "let's track what I've eaten or how I'm doing" blog, that just happened to be what's on my mind today.
Stay tuned to hear about my thoughts on going out drinking when you're 27 and married. It sure does change things!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Here we go again...
I've started and stopped this blog so many times I can hardly keep count, but here we go again.
This time I'm making an effort to be positive. That's this year's New Year's Resolution. Yeah, I want to lose weight, but you can only do that if you're positive, right? So I'm making 2012 a year of positivity!
I definitely started the year out that way. I have been surrounded by family and GREAT friends each weekend so far. I have had more fun the past four weeks than I've had in years. I am learning to be able to let loose and enjoy myself.
I am also making it a point to be healthy! I want to lose weight, actually a lot of weight, but I am going about it a healthy way. I am making myself exercise, which I've been horrible at in the past. I am eating healthier foods (fruits and veggies instead of chips and chocolate). I also have been drinking a TON of water. I have always been a pop drinker, and even though it's been diet pop it's still not that great for you. So I'm taking the steps in the right direction. I have seen ZERO weight loss yet, but I'm determined to keep up the healthy habits.
I'm also focusing on strengthening the relationships I have with people in my life. Lately I have been slacking on communicating and there have been days when I really just don't want to talk to anyone. I am making an effort to keep in touch with those I love and make sure they know I appreciate them. That is one thing I wish more people would do. It never hurts to let someone know how much you appreciate them!
I can't blog without providing an update on The Prince. He's doing great. We switched his school back in November and that has been the BEST decision we ever made. He is doing so good at his new school and was Student of the Month for January. He had an assessment this month and to quote his teacher "he is phenomenal". A score of 71 is good for a child his age, he scored a 92! Yes, I'm bragging. I'm so proud of that little turkey!!
Here's my vow to my loyal readers, all 2-3 of you ;-) I will blog at least once a week. I may not always have something funny or interesting to talk about, but I'll share in the adventures of the week and hopefully pass along some of the positivity!!!
This time I'm making an effort to be positive. That's this year's New Year's Resolution. Yeah, I want to lose weight, but you can only do that if you're positive, right? So I'm making 2012 a year of positivity!
I definitely started the year out that way. I have been surrounded by family and GREAT friends each weekend so far. I have had more fun the past four weeks than I've had in years. I am learning to be able to let loose and enjoy myself.
I am also making it a point to be healthy! I want to lose weight, actually a lot of weight, but I am going about it a healthy way. I am making myself exercise, which I've been horrible at in the past. I am eating healthier foods (fruits and veggies instead of chips and chocolate). I also have been drinking a TON of water. I have always been a pop drinker, and even though it's been diet pop it's still not that great for you. So I'm taking the steps in the right direction. I have seen ZERO weight loss yet, but I'm determined to keep up the healthy habits.
I'm also focusing on strengthening the relationships I have with people in my life. Lately I have been slacking on communicating and there have been days when I really just don't want to talk to anyone. I am making an effort to keep in touch with those I love and make sure they know I appreciate them. That is one thing I wish more people would do. It never hurts to let someone know how much you appreciate them!
I can't blog without providing an update on The Prince. He's doing great. We switched his school back in November and that has been the BEST decision we ever made. He is doing so good at his new school and was Student of the Month for January. He had an assessment this month and to quote his teacher "he is phenomenal". A score of 71 is good for a child his age, he scored a 92! Yes, I'm bragging. I'm so proud of that little turkey!!
Here's my vow to my loyal readers, all 2-3 of you ;-) I will blog at least once a week. I may not always have something funny or interesting to talk about, but I'll share in the adventures of the week and hopefully pass along some of the positivity!!!
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