What I Learned at Disney

We had a great time at Disney World, but then, who doesn't? Right? It was awesome and magical and all that stuff you think of. Blah, we've all heard it before.

But here are a few things I learned in Disney World that one might not expect.

• Timeshares are truly awesome. Hotels are not. We are so lucky that we were incredibly stupid years ago and bought a time share. That meant that instead of a hotel room, we had a 1200 square foot condo to stay in. We had a full kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and 3 televisions. (At home, we only have one bathroom and one television - this was so cool!) We *heart* timeshares!
• The lines at Disney aren't really as long as they say. At least in January... We had several lines that said 20 minutes, but we never waited that long - and that was a good thing. And that was more or less the longest wait time we had for anything that didn't have a fastpass.
• Leggings are NOT ATTRACTIVE! Unless you're a size 2, don't wear them. And please, for the love of God, please don't bend over. Not only do I not want to see the out line of your panties, I also don't want to know the color and pattern on them. We can see right through those leggings!
• Children are old as 10 can comfortably ride in a stroller and still fall asleep. Seriously. I was shocked, too.
• Soft-sided coolers are the best invention ever. We took our lunch, snacks and drinks every day with us into the park because we're cheap thrifty on a budget. Sure we bought some ice creams, but otherwise, nada! It was a lifesaver (those lines were longer than the ride ones!).
• You can eat like a horse and still lose weight! I think our entire group would agree. We ate - very well - between the packed lunches, snacks, ice cream and homemade meals every night complete with cookies. But with all the walking around, we managed to come out on top. My mother-in-law lost 2 pounds last week!
• When your child is scared of characters with giant heads, be grateful they even get into the picture in the first place. SB is scared to death of characters with fake heads (as I've said before) and this was no exception. She was a little wary of all the characters. Mac - no fear. Ever!    

• Portable DVD players are the bomb. When you're in the car for 12 hours, you need entertainment. Our old DVD player broke a while back, but we were able to borrow a friend's and it was amazing. Wall-E, Shrek and Peanuts kept the kids entertained for HOURS! 
• My kids really are growing up. SB rode her first full-sized roller coasters this week. I can't believe it! Her words after her first one, "That was awesome. Let's do it again!"  

• There really is magic in Disney World. It was amazing watching my kids' faces light up like they did. It literally brought tears to my eyes seeing how things affected them. *sigh* It was grand!

I'll be the Judge of That

In case you missed it before on my blog, I'm a Christian. (If you missed it - there you go)
And I hope I have adequately conveyed here that I am not a perfect person. I make mistakes - big and small.
So there you have it - imperfect Christian.
Something else I try not to do - judge people based on outward appearance, life choices or anything else. But I know I do, at times, judge people because we're all imperfect humans and that's what we do. Don't deny it, you know you do too.

But I also like to think that I don't base my reactions to people on any prejudice I have on my part. If you live with your non-married partner, if you've had an abortion, if you have any number of non-ear parts pierced, if you home school - I don't care. It will not affect how I feel about YOU as a person or if I choose to add you into my inner circle of friends. I will love you regardless. (and for the record, I don't necessarily find any of those things listed as "bad" in any way, they just aren't my choice, as getting tattoos or vaccinating children might not be yours)
That is how Jesus instructed us to live.

So when someone openly and blatantly judges others I have a hard time with that. And when someone makes those judgements public in front of my children, you better bet I will make my opinion of your actions known. Yes, that means I will judge the judger and I don't want to do that! And if you can't amend your way in front of me and my children, they we may have to excuse ourselves from your presence.

So please, especially if you claim to be a Christian, please do not openly judge people and air your opinions. Especially in front of me and my children. And especially if you know you're passing judgement on me.

It is only up to my God to judge me - don't we have enough issues already without judging one another?

Top 10: Things I'm Excited to Do in Disney World

I can't believe it! It's almost Disney time! I am so psyched. More than the kids I think.

Here's my TOP 10 things I'm excited about doing.

1. Seeing my children's faces light up when they get there.
2. Meeting the Princesses (especially our friend Belle!).
3. Watching Mac when he sees Lightning McQueen.
4. Finding hidden Mickey's.
5. Getting a Christmas tree ornament.
6. Helping the kids pick out a souvenir. 
7. Seeing Mickey & Minnie.
8. Going on a Disney date with my fab hubby.
9. Rides!
10. Getting home after a wonderful week of memory making!

It's almost Disney time! Yay!

The Power of Prayer

I am a firm believer in prayer. I hope you are too.

I truly believe that if someone prays with an honest heart, God will answer their prayer. Now, I'll be honest here and mention that God's answer might just be "no." But the Bible says, "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7)

We spent many years asking God to allow us to be parents it took two years of prayer before we got SB and then 21 months of prayer before we could adopt Mac. There were times we thought we would be denied. And certainly God did not answer in OUR timing, but in HIS.

We have been praying for nearly 4 years for Marshall's business to take off in incredible ways...and we're still praying that. They're still afloat, but it would be so nice to know that we would be getting a regular paycheck. We continue to pray for that and I know that one day God will answer.

I had a dear friend go through a fight with cancer two years ago. It was scary but she had so many people praying for her. Today she's healthy and thriving. Sadly, I had another friend many years ago also fight cancer and she lost her battle. Were prayers unanswered? No. She received ultimate healing, which sadly took her from this life. But she is whole and healthy and that's what counts.

Prayer is so powerful. If you have a need this week, pray for it. Ask someone else to pray for you. I find that when we humble ourselves and ask for prayer God is more apt to listen. First because more people are praying for a situation and secondly because we were brave enough to share our needs.

God bless you this week and in the weeks to come!

Decapitated Characters

My daughter has a fear of costumed people. Particularly if they have a costume head.

I think she's scared they will be decapitated. I don't know. She knows it's just a person in a costume, like Halloween. She knows they won't hurt her and Mommy/Daddy are right there. But still, since she was a baby, she had not liked characters with heads.
I can relate since I have a terrible fear of clowns.

It's a long-standing tradition for little Clemson fans to have their picture taken with the Clemson Tiger, and I was thrilled when we encountered him at a parade when SB and Mac were little. Sadly, SB was not thrilled. I don't know if you can see it, but the look on her face says, "Don't get any closer, dude."

Then one of her little friends had a birthday party at a local themed bouncy house place. And they had they monkey mascot dancing around. All the other kids danced around too. Except for Red, who went running, in tears, in the other direction.

So now that we're in the final stages of Disney prep, I keep reminding SB that many of the characters are costumed people - with heads.
I don't know what her reaction will be, and she has been assured many times over that she does not have to approach the headed characters if she does not want to. I think she will allow her picture to be taken if Daddy or I are with her, but I'm not sure.

I think she keep seeing those big floppy heads just popping right off the people. Who can blame her? They are kinda creepy.