mamachallenge | Real Solutions for Real Parents | Dallas Blog
Real Solutions for Real Parents by Autumn Rose Reo
To-Do Thursday:
 |
| Photo courtesy of 1001fonts.com. |
Is it just me or does it seem like your list keeps getting longer and you aren’t taking anything off? I know mine does. So I took a big look at my calendar and saw what was on my “must-do” list for this weekend:
Go to Michael’s on Saturday for “Kids Craft, You Shop” Event for $2!
Very cool event for kids to do a special themed craft at your local Michaels, learn more here.
Get Ready for “Day Out with Thomas” at Grapevine (next weekend)!
Don’t have your ticket yet? Then get your discount code here!
Prepare for a trip to Disney?!?
WHAT? Yep, you got that right! My son’s wish was granted from a Wish with Wings to go to Disney World and we go in less than 90 days! Considering some good moms plan this magical trip for months and sometimes years, it’s difficult to think I haven’t planned anything yet! #uhohspaghettios
 |
| Photo courtesy of the a Wish with Wings Facebook page |
So to get things rolling, I decided to ask my fellow mom experts who have thought of EVERYTHING from how to surprise their kids they are going, how to dress them, itineraries – you name it.
Wow. Man, did I learn one thing…there is SO much to learn about going to Disney World!
So while I’m doing my homework to attempt to live up to my four-year-old’s dream vacation (did I mention it’s his FIRST vacation, too?), here’s a look at some of my favorite posts and sites to help us plan our trip to Disney World?
Milk and Cuddles: Dining at Disney World 1 and More Dining at Disney
There’s so much to say here, she had to do two posts! Did you know you SHOULD make reservations for some of your Disney dining choices at 180 days out BEFORE your trip? Yep, it’s true and there are so many places to eat, snack and treat. And considering eating is one of our favorite past times, dining is at the top of our Disney to-do list. Shannon, gives you the lowdown on what you need to know to get your grub down on Big D (Disney that is!)
Ramblings of a Frugal Mom: Disney World Tips, Tricks and Ideas!
Dawn’s family heads to Disney each time she finds out she’s pregnant (sounds like a reason to keep having kids, right?) This DFW-based online expert knows how to do things awesome and inexpensively. She shares all her memorable tricks to make your trip memorable for years to come.
Suitcases to Sippy Cups: What Happens When You Lose a Child at Disney
This mama knows how to travel AND with her family in tow, too. She’s done a little bit of everything from RVing, skiing, and of course, Disney. While I don’t anticipate losing my child, it is a relief that it’s happened before AND there’s a way to locate your kid. (Consider it like algebra, you don’t need it daily, but there will be a time.)
My Crazy Savings: Looking for a Stroller Rental at Disney World?
With two kids under 5 at Disney, I’m sure there will be more time on wheels than there will be on feet. And since we will also be on a plane to get there, I’m not going to try to tote the “good stroller” to Disney or use the “cheap” one and have it die out on my on Day 1.
Alpha Mom: 65 Things to Do & See at Disney World?
While we won’t be doing all of these things, it was a great checklist to begin our jouney of “what to do, what to do.”
Free Disney Font Download: without having to download a free toolbar to create some of the coolest stuff for the kids like shirts, special messages and more.
WDW Prep School: “How to Plan a Trip to Disney World in 6 Steps, this is my one-place-for-everything from packing lists, templates and more. (She’s got things there I wouldn’t even think to think about.)
So now I ask: do you have a recommendation of must-dos for two toddlers at Disney World? If so, please let me know. Really, I need all the help I can get. And if you are a blogger, than share your link here and I’d love to add it to this “best of” Disney blog posts!
If you look at past posts, I’m all about talking about my kiddos – but I don’t always talk about my husband. I guess I feel that part of my life is personal, so while I blog about some pretty embarrassing things on mamachallenge.com, stories about our relationship has been off-limits…until now.
I have planned some pretty awesome events at some really cool places like AT&T Pebble Beach, The Academy Awards and the Miss USA Pageant. So when it came to planning my own wedding, I either wanted to go royal wedding or very intimate. Money helped me make the choice, so seven of our family/friends flew to Puerto Vallarta for a vacation/wedding.
It was the perfect choice for us. We did everything we ever wanted to do for our family; from massages on the beach, golf by the ocean (with the alligators), tequila tour and of course, our very no-nonsense wedding ceremony (at least it was supposed to be.)
Taking place around sunset on the beach, facing the ocean, barefoot in the sand and sunglasses on the face. With our wedding party standing behind us, the preacher started the vows to becoming man and wife. It was the incredible moment where you look at each other and realize the intensity of what you are about to do and how your life will change in just a few minutes.
About 10 minutes into the ceremony…somewhere between “Will You…Yes,” I saw my betrowed (and the rest of our family) all turn their heads to something on the beach behind the preacher.
Humor is what made me fall in love with my husband, so this little moment was only fitting. While there are MANY days I’m not laughing, it’s moments like these that remind me that laughing is the best medicine to dealing with the hard challenges we face everyday (especially if it’s paired with bubbly!)
On this Valentine’s Day, I hope you have great stories to remember and make your smile. I’d love to hear them if you want to share!
Well, this trip was one for the books! If you haven’t been following – Mama took on a real challenge this week and extended her Food Fridays, Sharing Saturdays, Mom Mondays and took a little rehab Tuesday for a four-day trip to Napa.
In a word. Amazing.
For a woman obsessed with food, wine and beautiful scenery, it was a dream come true. That and a friend with a hotel discount to share plus a free airline ticket from years of accumulated miles.
So I took a few days off the blog to get up close with the one and only Napa Valley…And while it was hard to eat at some of the most delicious restaurants in the region and sample the area’s biggest cash crop (that would be vino, people), I took one for the team so I can report my lessons to you. (I know it’s hard, but someone has to do it, right?)
Understand – I had no reservations for anything before we went to Napa other than a plane ticket. So we totally winged it. Completely. And we did it pretty cheap. (Well as cheap as Napa can be.)
I will tell you that while every restaurant I wanted to eat at in Napa Valley said it was full and no reservations, I did manage to eat at 10 different restaurants in three days. (Again, another reason for everything in January to be focused on being healthy!) But since the food and the wine was the only thing anyone cares about, I’ll give you the list of my rundown. However, to answer the most asked question, I did not eat at The French Laundry. (But lucky for you I did take a photo of it to share with you and did a little Facebook “Check-in” for fun.)
As for wineries visited, we didn’t do as many of these, but we had a great time where we did and what we did. With a limited budget, no reservations and a short weekend, we had to be smart. That’s why Tasting Rooms within most of the towns we visit we the right idea for this trip. And most of these, we ate there, too!
What did I learn from my fantastic trip? That it was possible to go many places just on a whim. Almost everywhere we went, we called prior to coming and told “we’re fully committed tonight.” Then we showed up and almost without any wait AT ALL, we got a table. Now it may have not be the best table in the house (sometimes we were seated at the bar, but at LaSalette the bar is the best place in the house since you can watch the chef staff create food masterpieces.)
Also, what did I learn? That there’s lots of amazing food to be enjoyed in Napa Valley and it doesn’t have to be a $250 nine-course, three-hour tasting. (Unfortunately, my curiosity is still peaked and I still would like someone to sponsor my trip to The French Laundry to dispel all my thoughts about it…) It’s small, simple and enjoyable if you like food and wine. IF you are looking for other activities, seek refuge in San Francisco. The only “kid” thing I found in Napa Valley was Sonoma’s TrainTown and I bet it was way more than my tastings.
As my learning lesson comes to a close, I’ll share my advice. The next trip I would probably have a few ideas of what I wanted to and perhaps spend a little more time in Northern Napa Valley (Calistoga, St. Helena and Yountville) and skip Napa and Sonoma all together. And I totally would love to enjoy more sparkling wine experiences that I didn’t have time to visit this go around like my cousin’s favorite, Shramsberg, Mumm and Domaine Chandon. And certainly a trip to the recently awarded Michelin star in Calistoga, Solbar.
So, I conquered this field trip…But what’s next for another food adventure? HOLIDAY!
Instead of taking a look at a must-read book, this week I’m sharing my trip to Napa & Sonoma. Today’s look is up a very tall hill overlooking the Hanzell Vineyard.
I’ve included 10 facts about the winery and some amazing views. And of course, delicious wine.
Food Fridays:
All I have is food on the brain and the taste buds this morning as we head to Napa Valley!
You can follow my travels as well as my wining and choices on my Facebook at Facebook.com/mamachallenge, Twitter @challengememama and Instagram (arredmon).
If you like good food porn, then you’re in for a treat!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of The Simple Joys of Grandparenting for purposes of this review, however, the views expressed here are all my own. Additionally, affiliate links have been included.
After two decades of waiting, I’m only a week out from embarking on my dream vacation to Italy. Two glorious weeks in Rome, Sorrrento, Florence, Pisa and Venice with my husband – and totally kid free. While that sounds pretty amazing, I know that two weeks is going to be HARD without my kiddos. Luckily both my amazing mother and my selfless mother-in-law are sharing the load of taking care of the kids while we’re away at their homes. And for that to be successful for everyone, it takes planning and paperwork to make sure the children and our moms are properly prepared with every detail from what foods the kids eat – to the pediatrician’s number in case an emergency happens (oh, please I hope that doesn’t happen…)
Each of the grandmas got a special kit with everything I could think of that they needed in addition to clothes, toys, games and of course, bottles and formula. With a little help of Google, I found many free downloadables that I could use to fill out and print.
The Grandma Kit included:
1. Temporary Guardianship:
Allows my parents and my husband’s parents to have temporary guardianship of my kids in our absence. (There’s both a start and an end time on this.)
2. Medical Power of Attorney:
This form allows the listed person to order medical services if necessary. For instance, if you child broke their arm, this would be the form needed to ensure grandma could take him to the emergency room and take care of any needed medical services in your absence.
3. Medical Information:
Provides basics like social security numbers, insurance info, allergies, prescriptions, and medical phone numbers like their pediatrician.
4. Kids Info Sheet:
Gives the basics on your kiddo like favorite foods, routines, etc.
5. Copy of Itinerary:
While I’m providing a link to a helpful template, I just use my own Excel worksheet. This is just a spreadsheet covering my daily activities which is useful if they needed to reach us or explain to the kids what we are doing.
7. The Simple Joys of Grandparenting:
This was a last-minute find and was the icing on the cake for my “grandma kit.” Grandmas never run out of hugs or cookies – but now there’s no way they’ll even run out of stories, nursery rhymes, games, crafts and even recipe ideas! The Simple Joys of Grandparenting by Abigail R. Gehring created a great collection of a little bit of everything that makes grandmas great like mac n cheese, homemade hot chocolate with marshmallows, sock puppets and even tea parties!
Growing up, trips to my grandma meant the world to me (and still do), so just reading this book gave me the warm and fuzzies just remembering the fun I used to have. Beautifully illustrated, it’s a perfect gift for new grandparents as well as like this when you might be traveling or they have the kids for an extended period of time.
While I have no tip or downloadable about how not to feel guilty or keep from missing your kiddos while you are away, hopefully this kit can make the experience a little more bearable for everyone!
