Gardening Is Us

Today, we woke up and had breakfast.  The kids changed into comfortable clothes and we repotted the Dahlias we got for the front porch.

I realized we needed fertilizer for the plants for the deck so we went to Home Depot to get some sweet pepper carnival hybrid mix, that is what the package says. We also go some cherry tomato seeds.  We went home and had lunch.  Cleo, Sidney and I had pizza and broccoli.  For dessert Cleo and I had chocolate.  Sidney had one of my Weight Watchers peanut butter cup frozen ice cream desserts - they're my favorite and he always eats them up.  The dessert is made with real sugar and fat - we don't let the kids eat fake sugar or fake fat.

During the kids's naps, I went to Target to return the first snow cone maker we purchased yesterday. I also got Cleo some Disney Princess figures, they're around 4 inches tall.  She already had Tiana, Rapunzel and  a Barbie mermaid one.  I got her the other princesses.  She had a Target gift card she got for her birthday and I used it for the princess dolls. She loved the dolls.  After Target, I went to the gym and to Publix. I needed bananas - I eat a lot of them.

When I got home, Roger was getting Cleo up from her nap. I took a shower and got Sidney up from his nap.  Then we planted the tomato seeds, parsley seeds, and pepper seeds. We also planted the two little strawberry plants, the sweet basil plant and the Thai basil plant.

After planting, Cleo and Sidney donned bathing suits and we put on the sprinkler and Cleo ran through it. Sidney did not want to at first. Roger came out and made a sprinkler out of his finger and the hose and then Sidney tried it.  Cleo got soaking wet.

We came in and dried off then got ready for dinner. Roger made chicken and rice. I made zucchini and squash ribbons, which came out really good. We ate dinner. The kids and Roger had snow cones for dessert.  I had a chocolate and peanut butter teddy bear.  After dinner, the kids decided they were still hungry and Cleo ate 3 little plates of angel hair with butter and soy sauce. Sidney had three pieces of wheat toast with butter. I cannot recall them ever eating so much.

Then, we had baths and bed time.  Roger is watching Amazing Race and I am counting down the minutes to "The Good Wife" season finale.  Ex-cite-ment.

I am getting  my hair cut on Thursday. I am so excited. I got it cut at the end of January and I finally got a hair style that I really like. It's more layered than I usually get. I hope my stylist is able to replicate it.

Have a great week!

Flower Shopping

We had a really nice family day today.  We slept in until 7:30am.  Then, we had breakfast and got showered and dressed.


In April, Cleo's daycare had a fundraiser to raise funds for her graduation ceremony.  We had a lot of out of town family buy chocolate. We told them we were not going to mail it to them and instead we would donate it to a homeless shelter. This morning, we dropped off the chocolate at Nicholas House. Nicholas House is a transitional home for homeless families. It's in Grant Park, the area of Atlanta where Roger and I lived when we first moved down here.  Cleo and Sidney went into the house with me. There was only one person there, an administrative woman waiting for us.  When we go in December to drop off toys, there's usually kids and families around.  We "adopt" a family each year and get them gifts off of their wish lists.


Next, we drove to Target and got a snow cone maker and some other items. Then we went to Lowe's and selected flowers for the pots that we keep on our porch. We also got a sweet basil plant, a Thai basil plant, and two little strawberry plants.  I got some parsley seeds too.  I am also going to plant grape tomatoes and mint.  We got a plant/flower bed thing in which to put all of the herbs and fruit plants.  We are going to do the planting tomorrow. All of us have gardening gloves so we are super prepared.


We went home and had lunch. Cleo and I shared a Boca Bruschetta Burger sandwich (burger, mozzarella cheese, ketchup and wheat bread). Sidney had a train-shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  We put the kids down for their naps.


I headed to the gym and afterward did some food shopping. Birds Eye Steam fresh vegetables were 50% off at Publix so I loaded up.  We need to diversify the vegetables we give the kids: our default is always broccoli.  In addition to broccoli, I got some green peas and green beans. Roger is going to make squash and zucchini for dinner on Sunday.  They like asparagus but it's so pricey - even when it's in season. I love asparagus, that and Brussels sprouts are more favorite vegetables.


We got the kids up from their naps. Sidney and I shared a blueberry Greek yogurt. I got some barbecue flavored soy crisps on sale at Publix and Cleo, Sidney and I had some. We got the kids dressed and headed to Bed Bath and Beyond because we had a coupon and could see in their latest ad that they had a better snow cone maker than the one we got at Target.


At Bed Bath and Beyond, we got a Jelly Belly brand snow cone maker and accessories, e.g., snow cone cups, pink cotton candy syrup, grape syrup, cherry syrup and blue raspberry syrup.  Then we went to Toys R Us and got Crayola colored bubbles, with a  gentle looking bubble gun.  We were shopping for a new wading pool because our current one has a jagged hole in it.  We didn't find the right pool.


We went to dinner at Figo. It's a reasonably priced Italian restaurant near where we were shopping.  We have gone there before. It is around the same price as eating at Golden Corral but it's a much nicer dining experience and has much nicer ambience.  We sat outside because Cleo really wanted to.  Roger and I had salads. Sidney and Cleo shared baked chicken and broccoli. Sidney also enjoyed our bruschetta appetizer.

He had most of the 3 slices of the appetizer.


We headed home and made awesome snow cones.  We watched "Hop" one of Cleo's and Sidney's current movie favorites. It was rather funny. Russell Brand voices the main bunny.  Hugh Laurie voices the daddy bunny.  Cleo and Sidney had seen the movie many times. Cleo had a ton of questions. She must watch it and not understand it and save up the questions for when we finally see the movie and she can ask us.  We tried our best to answer her questions.


We will be sure to take pictures of our gardening adventures tomorrow.

Day 5 - Return to Normal Life

On Sunday, April 22, 2012, we returned to Atlanta. We had breakfast at the resort cafeteria. Then, we went to the gift shop and Cleo selected an Ariel necklace with a pretty locket and an Ariel necklace and earring set.  We then drove to Walmart to get the souvenirs I listed in the Day 4 blog entry. 

Roger drove the whole way back – all 7 hours. He made great time even though we stopped 3 times. 

We unpacked, ate dinner, gave the kids baths and put them to bed. Cleo and I must have caught a bug because I was super nauseous and she threw up a few times.  Roger slept in her bed in order to monitor her.  I tried to make myself throw up on Monday morning, ick. I had to be up by 2am for my flight.  Roger kept the kids home with him on Monday. Cleo was doing much better during the day and both kids went to school Tuesday and today. 

I packed for my trip to Hilton Head, SC. I left on Monday, April 23 on a 5:40am flight to attend one of my company’s subsidiaries’ annual sales meeting. My boss and I spoke on Tuesday, it went well.  I caught a 5:40pm flight back to Atlanta. I arrived in Atlanta at 9:18pm. I had a one hour layover in Charlotte going and coming. 

It was so great to be home and back to normal life. 

In May we have a few things on our radar. One is picking up Cleo’s elementary school registration packet after May 1 and taking a tour of the school.  Then, my May 9-10 trip to Nashville, TN. It is an annual discovery symposium I started attending last year.  I hope to drag the kids and Roger to the Atlanta Zoo for Mother’s Day. I just love it there!  I cannot get enough of watching the pandas and seeing how big the little ones get from year to year.  And, on Mother’s Day, moms get in free to the zoo!  Cleo’s graduation is on May 24 at 6pm; the next day is her class' graduation luau and awards ceremony from 11-3pm. And then, on May 29, it’s Roger’s and my 7th wedding anniversary! 

Have a good week! 

Day 4 – Disney Hollywood Studios

On Saturday, April 21, we went to Disney Hollywood Studios when it opened at 9am.  We saw a Disney Junior live on stage show. 

After the show, Cleo and Sidney took pictures with Handy Manny. 

We also went to a Beauty & the Beast Stage show.  

Then, we went to a Voyage of the Little Mermaid live and cartoon show.  When were seated and before the Little Mermaid show started, Sidney told Cleo not to be scared.  During the show when a huge Ursula comes out on stage, Sidney started whimpering saying that he did not to be scared and wanted to go to his home.  We didn’t leave but I thought we were going to have to.


After the shows, we walked around.  There were some model NY streets and a fake subway entrance.

Cleo with one of the soldiers from Toy Story:

After strolling a bit, we got lunch.  Cleo eating her ribs:

I had to wait a long time in line for my veggie burger. Cleo and Kaelin entertained themselves after they were done eating and while I ate:

After lunch, we went back to the resort for naps. After naps, we went to Magic Kingdom. We got there around 7:00pm.  

We waited on line to take a picture with Rapanzul and have her sign Cleo and Sidney’s autograph books.  

Then, we walked over to Liberty Square to wait to take pictures with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen (her husband from the movie).  Cleo and Sidney took pictures with them.   

Then, we found a great spot to watch the electric light parade that started around 9:15pm.  The parade was great. Sidney does not like steam for some reason. There was a big dragon that spouted steam during the parade which made Sidney cry.  After the parade, we went to the gift shop and Cleo selected a small Rapunzel doll to buy with a $20 Visa card that she got for her birthday. The doll comes with 2 heads with different hair styles and lots of different dresses, shoes and other accessories.   


As far as souvenirs, Sidney got a Stitch doll and Cleo got a girl version (it's lavender), which she named Sally.  Cleo got princess Mickey ears and Sidney got Simba Mickey ears.  We got them t-shirts from Walmart.  Sidney insisted on getting a purple t-shirt, luckily there was one in the boy section.  I got a mug at the Pop Century gift shop. Roger got a t-shirt at Walmart. From Walmart, I got a Minnie Mouse mug, a Minnie mouse plastic water cup with a straw a Mickey Mouse t-shirt and a Minnie Mouse keychain. As you can see, I secretly really like Minnie Mouse.   The mug I got from the resort gift shop features many Disney characters. I drank my morning coffee from it this morning and the kids were super distracted while eating their breakfast because they kept identifying various Disney characters. 



Sidney loved taking the tram and monorail.  Cleo kept asking when we were going back to the pool. We just were not able to fit it in again during the trip. Now we know to just plan a family vacation at a nicer hotel with a nice pool, preferable one with a kiddie pool.  There is no need to spend money on theme park tickets.   But, the kids had a great time and it was worth every penny. I am ready to go in 3-4 years when they’re a bit older. 

Day 3 - Animal Kingdom

On Friday, April 20, we got to Animal Kingdom when it opened at 9am.  We went on the Kilimanjaro Safari and took the Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch (Rafiki is the baboon in “The Lion King”).  The kids and me "oohing and aching" over the animals.

We all sorts of awesome animals during the safari, e.g., rhinos, hippos, elephants, crocodiles, giraffes.  The tigers and lions were napping so we could see a paw poking out of a rock or a flat looking tiger between two trees. 

At the Planet Watch spot, Cleo got her face painted as a peacock and Sidney got his face painted as a cheetah.  We were shocked because normally he never wants his face painted.  He kept growling for effect.  Kaelin got her face painted as a tiger. 

Then we had lunch at the Rainforest Café. I had an awesome garbanzo bean veggie burger and roasted vegetables. Sidney ate his chicken nuggets. Cleo ate her pizza.  Below are pictures of us wearing Cleo's princess Mickey ears and Sidney's Simba Mickey ears.

After lunch, we went to see the Festival of the Lion King. It was a great show.  The kids really enjoyed it. I suspect it was a briefer version of what it must be like on Broadway. 

After the Lion King show, it looked like it was going to rain so we headed back to the resort to rest and nap. 

Around 8pm (and after taking off the kids’ face paint), we went to dinner at the resort cafeteria.  I had avocado sushi, which was really good. Cleo had pizza. Sidney had chicken nuggets. Roger had a roast beef sandwich that he said was not so great.  After dinner we went to our rooms. 

Day 2 - Magic Kindgom

On Thursday, April 19, we went to breakfast at 9am at the resort cafeteria. The food options were pretty good. I had raisin bran and breakfast potatoes for breakfast. The potatoes were awesome.  Cleo had Fruit Loops and bacon. Sidney had chocolate pancakes and bacon.  Roger had pancakes with berry sauce and bacon.   

We got to Magic Kingdom around 12:00pm.  It took so long because there are multiple steps involved prior to actually gaining entrance to the theme park.  First, we drove to the parking lot for Magic Kingdom. Then we took a tram to the park. Then we got on a monorail to get to the actual entrance to the park.  Then we had to go through security and then gain entrance to the park. For adults, they link up your fingerprint to your ticket each time you enter a park.  It’s a process.  We had a stroller for every child – we had lightweight strollers for Cleo and Sidney.   

Robin, Roger and I had created a list of kid-friendly rides that were appropriate for our kids’ ages.  We spent most of our time in Fantasyland.  

We went on Dumbo the Flying Elephant, the big merry-go-round, It’s a Small World, Mad Tea Party (spinning tea cup ride), and Peter Pan’s Flight.  We waited on line for 20-40 minutes for each ride.  After waiting on the line for Peter Pan’s Flight the longest, e.g., 40 minutes, Cleo decided right when we were about to get on that the ride looked “too dark” and refused to get on. She and I got off the line and scouted out a nearby gift shop.  We didn’t try to reason with her because there wasn’t time and there was no reason to force her to go on a ride if she did not want to.  Roger gets motion sickness and before we got on the tea cup ride I made fun of him.  Then, when we were actually on the ride, I felt sick and he was fine.  Man, that thing spins a lot even if you don’t spin it a lot. 

In Tomorrowland, we went on the Tomorrowland Speedway.  Then we had a snack at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland.  It started to rain really bad while we were eating. Once it let up a bit, we made our way to Cleo and Kaelin’s 4pm appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbido Boo Boutique for their princess make-overs.  The boutique was in Cinderella’s castle.  Around 4:10pm, Robin, Cleo, Kaelin and I were taken to a back room to change them into their princess outfits. Cleo dressed as Rapunzel from “Tangled” and Kaelin dressed as Princess Tiana from “The Princess and the Frog.”  Sidney fell asleep on our walk over to the boutique and slept in Roger’s arms during the entire salon appointment.  Marisol, Cleo’s stylist, was from San Salvador, El Salvador and was so incredibly nice.  Every Disney World worker’s name pin identifies where they were. The security fellow checking our bags when we went through security was from the Bronx and I said I was from Brooklyn and he gave my bag a very cursory inspection and said he trusted me because I was from NY. 

Sidney napping and Roger just closing his eyes - he's not asleep.

Cleo getting pixie dust sprinkled on her hair while she holds up a plastic face guard.

After the girls were beautified, we went across the walkway to the restaurant where we had a 5:25 reservation for dinner with the princesses.  During dinner, Cleo met Belle from Beauty & the Beast, Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, and Aurora from Sleeping Beauty.  Cleo took pictures with each princess and they signed Cleo’s autograph book.  The princesses also signed Sidney and Kaelin’s autograph books but they did not take pictures with the princesses. 

Sidney took a picture with Belle and Ariel.  We are not sure why he selected those two princesses to be photographed with. 

My dinner was awesome. I had an arugula salad, vegetable cassoulet (garbanzo beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, topped with bread crumbs), chef’s sampling of 3 desserts (almond cheesecake, chocolate mouse, fruit tart).  Cleo’s pizza was really good. Sidney did not eat his dinner but did eat some of Kaelin’s chicken nuggets.  Sidney ate a little of his decorate-your-own cupcake. 

After dinner, we strolled around a little and headed back home to the resort. We got back to the resort around 9:30pm. 





I apologize for the font issues.  More on the rest of our trip soon.