by Sarah | Apr 7, 2020 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Home, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Blogging Life, Redefining Perfect
I honestly had no idea what day it was today.
Had a minor panic attack thinking I had to work tomorrow (I don’t), and that we were already on Wednesday and I’d done nothing. NOTHING.
I have finals in less than two weeks.
My adult child is living under our roof again (temporarily).
I haven’t been to Disney since February (and I’m officially going to miss my first ever Flower and Garden Festival that I’ve been so excited to see)
I work in health care…and my floor is the Covid floor.
Hubby’s job has been declared an “essential business”, but if they don’t make sales, then they may not stay open.
The girls are both succeeding, and failing, at the homeschool thing…it’s a total yo-yo day to day.
I have 2 kids in the “danger zone” due to their Cystic Fibrosis (atypical though their cases may be) – and I work on THE floor.
I can’t do normal grocery shopping because everyone else is panic shopping.
But it’s okay. We’re all okay.
Right now we are making it by just fine.
We’re all healthy.
My family back in Indiana is still healthy. My family in Buffalo is still healthy.
My eldest is reading a book (WHAT?).
Birthday gifts for our apocalypse birthday girls have been purchased.
I’m baking bread (this is a pre-apocalypse thing I haven’t done since Indiana), and desserts, and making soups.
I’m crafting. I’m writing.
We have food. We have water. We are safe.
The weather is beautiful.
We are okay.
We are in a weird wonderland where we are all mad here.
But we are okay.
The world is changing, I hope for the better. I hope when this is all done we see what can and should be done.
Right now we’re still working through the trauma, and we have been traumatized, all of us…but I hope we do better after this.
I hope we see the companies that did right by their people, and those that did wrong. That we see what we could be, trauma aside, what a world we can live in.
Until then, I hope we are all okay.
A little mad in wonderland….
But Okay.
How are you holding up out there? How are you coping? Have you tried something new? Or are you just trying to hold it together? Either way it’s fine, you take care of you. Please.
by Sarah | Jan 13, 2020 | All About Family, All About Me, All of Us, Florida Dreaming, Redefining Perfect
I’ve been in Florida now for just under 9 months. So what’s up with all of the dreams, goals, and everything involved in the move?
First and foremost: It has been HARD. I mean, really hard.
There’s been wonderful, great, amazing things–but it’s been HARD.
Moving across country, being separated from my family, the girls utter homesickness when they arrived (and some still lingering)…not to mention my job situation?
Hard.
Was it worth it?
Yes.
I truly love being here. I feel so at home. I am where I’m meant to be. I knew life would not be perfect (and said so many times), and I knew that life would encroach on the wonderful things I was looking forward to (and it has). I didn’t expect all of our problems to resolve the minute we crossed the state line. I mostly expected to be home, and some bonuses along the way.
I’ll get the bad out of the way super quick b/c I don’t want to focus on them. My job – it’s a nightmare, but a possible light at the end of the tunnel is coming. Finances – due to several situations (that nightmare job being one of them), it’s taken us longer to level out and get back on our feet than I’d hoped for. Homesickness – primary in the middle teen, she’s fighting tooth and nail.
The good? That’s better to focus on…
Our home: Though we’re paying more per month, it’s bigger, it’s sound, and though the yard needs a lot of work and we have to pay pest control monthly, I really love the house. The girls really love that they each have their own rooms.
Disney: Duh. Though I now haven’t been since November (I hope to rectify this quite soon) we went tons during food & wine, and even stayed on site. We’ve more than made up for the cost of passes, and it’s nice to know it’s right there. It’s a benefit we use often.
Nursing school: Not something I ever thought I’d do, I’m in it to win it. It’s right around the corner too. Considering we’re both putting many more miles on the vehicles, that’s a big benefit.
The Market: Big flea market about a quarter mile from our house. Way too much 45 shit on display, but if you avoid that and head straight for the fresh fruit & veggies on display all year long, it’s a huge benefit.
The school: While I’m not overly pleased w/ the middle school…the high school has been amazing and in a few months I won’t have to worry about any more kids in the middle. The education they’re getting is great, challenging, and the school has been amazing about the IEP. Biggest downsize is that we have to take them and pick them up every blasted day. Is it summer yet? Does Molly have her license yet? Please? Soon?
Erik’s job: Big positive over his last. BIG.
While Erik and I know we aren’t going to settle in this particular area permanently (I want to be closer to water and further south…north-central is meh)…it’s been a good place to land. We plan to stay until the kids are out of school and then cart ourselves further south & west. For now, we’re happy where we are despite the struggles.
It hasn’t been easy, not by a long shot. I feel like we are finally turning a bend, though. I’m trusting that this year is going to shake off some of those bad areas so we can focus even more on the good ones.
by Sarah | Jan 9, 2020 | All About Family, All of Us, Blogging Life, Disney, DisneyTips, Redefining Perfect, Universal
I haven’t been to Disney hundreds of times (yet. Give me a couple years), but I’ve been my fair share.
I’ve done it with crazy intensity, and in a casual jaunt.
I’ve done Disneyland (finally), and Disney World.
I’ve picked up a few tips along the way. And while there are blogs across the web, I wanted to hand out my own Disney advice I’ve learned along the way, and tips I’ll be learning as I begin to go more frequently.
This months tip is for EVERYONE. It comes along with the first thing I say when someone says they didn’t like Disney World…which is always “then you did it wrong.” The biggest mistake is they want so desperately to cram EVERYTHING in. I do mean everything.
Don’t Expect to do it All!
This tip is definitely A-Numero-Uno in my book. I’ve been to Disney World and it’s resorts probably 20 times at this point, and I’ve barely scratched the surface. I’ve heard stories of people that have been hundreds of times, or go practically every day, and still manage to get surprised.
Disney World is an entity all on its own. It’s constantly changing, growing, and adding little surprises to delight guests.
Not to mention the crowds that can quickly ruin your day whether you plan for them or not.
So whether you’re planning a one day visit (see my tip for that), or a long 2 week adventure, you canNOT do it all in that time. Don’t hope for it, don’t try to plan for it. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re there for 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 days – you can do a LOT…but you will never get it all done.
Don’t let FOMO ruin your trip. Or ONIMI* ruin the reflections of your trip.
I promise you, in all of my trips I’ve never looked back several years later and lamented it was a horrible trip because I missed whatever. I didn’t remember and didn’t care. I remembered the fun, laughter, and magic alone.
With that in mind, what CAN you do?
You can plan for Fun. Rides. Food (but not too much, explanation to come). Relaxation (yup, for real). Magic.
Fun: Duh. Disney can be so much fun. There are little side things you can do everywhere. There’s hidden Mickey’s. Or pin trading. Or just taking in some of the beautiful scenery Disney’s grounds crew works so hard on maintaining. They also have the Disney Play app that can add some excitement (though I like to be no-devices at Disney when I can). There’s also tons of Pokestops and Harry Potter inns & such everywhere if you’re so inclined (we allot for a little of this when we visit). Across every park there are fun and different things outside the norm you can do. From scavenger hunts to wilderness explorer adventures and Sorcerer’s at Magic Kingdom. There are endless things to do beyond the rides. I like to pick one or two per trip (I have yet to do the hidden Mickey’s. I need to get on that), like pin trading & admiring the small details to focus on. If you don’t know when you’ll be back, pick one, if it doesn’t suit you go forth and pick another.
Rides: Schedule some fast passes, but space them out a little. There is a LOT of walking in a day, and so many sights to see. You don’t want to schedule your day away and miss the opportunity for the above mentioned fun. The rides are fun, and lines can be long so plan to downloading “Head’s Up”-which has a special Disney game you can download for free once you’re on property. There are people that choose to take on the crazy task of riding ALL THE RIDES (in one day! at all 4 parks!), which I would find too stressful myself, but you do you, I say. If all you want to do is ride rides, then go for it. Get a game strategy on, know that some rides always have LONG lines (hello Peter Pan & Seven Dwarves), and a few don’t do fast passes, or the fast passes go in a flash. Do your research on what you think your kids will like (or if you’re going alone, ROCK ON. That’s so fun). I always find rides my tough one, but my oldest has a fine-tuned strategy that gets him some of the best & most difficult to get fast passes (P.S. He lives super close and goes ALL.THE.TIME.). I like to take my time, and I’m lucky enough to live close enough that if I don’t get a ride, I know I’ll be back soon. If this is your once in a lifetime trip and you have to get that ride, do your research and get online for your fastpasses as soon as they come available. Good luck to you, rides are awesome.
Food: Food is both wonderful and awful and everywhere in between at Disney. There are days I go and never touch a thing, and others I eat everything in sight (Epcot is my kryptonite…I want to sample it all…every time…Food & Wine as well as the upcoming Arts Festival drain my wallet every time.). I offer the same advice here as I did for rides…don’t overschedule. I was so focused on getting reservations for our 2015 trip that I didn’t think about how the one lunch reservation would interrupt our day. I was so worried about making our scheduled times that I barely enjoyed our morning rides. Then the princess breakfast was a flop – the food was great, the princesses beautiful, but neither of my girls would speak a word to any of them – so it was an expensive disappointment. Know going in that just because you’re at Disney and the food costs a fortune (most, there are some sweet low-cost deals that will astound you-that’s another post), doesn’t mean it’s always really good, or even more than dull and tasteless. If you think I’m kidding, I’ll remind you of the story of the best worst meal we ever had. Opinions will differ, but do your research. Keep your budget in mind, and your dining plan, and maybe schedule a couple of meals, but don’t schedule your life away. And remember, you could always order some groceries for your room (or bring them if you’re car-tripping) so you can make your own breakfast or snacks in the room. Our last trip (first on-site stay) we took snacks and soda which really took the load off at the end of the day. Oh, but I DO recommend you take the time to actually eat at least one meal a day. One last tip, get adult meals and share. The heat can make you not as hungry, and in many cases, the portions are big enough to share.
Relaxation: Whether you’re staying at a resort or off-site, make sure you make time to relax away from the crowds (or still in them). This is supposed to be a vacation, after all. Make sure you spend time at the pool, or if you have/are renting a car, take a day to go to the beach. Disney is a HUGE over-stimulation-factory. It’s wonderful and magical, but oy do you need a break now and then, and so do the kids. Make sure to schedule at least one non-park day into your vacation if you can. For one, you’ll save $$, and for another, you’ll get a break from the constant barrage of ALL.THE.THINGS.ALL.THE.PEOPLE. It’s a sanity savor. Inside the parks, find a quiet alcove (they have them, and they’re wonderful when you slip into a low-trafficed spot). It’s a breath of fresh air in a day of everything. Epcot and Animal Kingdom are the winners of quiet alcoves, but if you’re aware enough, you’ll find them at the others, even one right on Main Street, USA. Outside the parks, if you aren’t a beach person, there’s so much to do in the area that it’s easy to take a break and stay close without quite the blast to your senses. Vacations are meant for relaxation and time together. They don’t all have to be done at the happiest place on earth.
Last, but certainly not least…
MAGIC.
This is one I can’t overload you with tips on. The key to finding the magic is to remember what I told you above – you aren’t going to get it all done. So absorb the moment. If you take a look around, you’ll see little moments of magic everywhere. On our last trip I saw two proposals and a wedding…and that was in one afternoon/evening. Cast members, guests, and so many little moments will hold magic if you remember to look for it.
Have you got any other tips to add to mine? Let me know in the comments! I’m always happy to hear more tips!
*ONIMI – my freshly coined acronym for “Oh No I Missed It”
by Sarah | Oct 8, 2019 | All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Blogging Life, Pour Your Heart Out, Redefining Perfect
Raising kids today is hard.
Not saying that raising us was any easier. Every generation had their own woes, I suppose…but I am digressing.
Raising kids today is hard.
They have so much to deal with that we didn’t. I mean, sure they’ve got opportunities and things that we never did, but they have a lot to deal with…including a big scary world that isn’t as understanding of all of the changes in the world and people around us.
You see it everywhere these days. Not to get political, but the climate is HOSTILE. I can get panic attacks just going on Facebook some days.
My biggest thing in raising my kids is I want to be their safe place to land.
I want them to be happy.
If they want to tell me they decided they don’t want to go to college, okay fine. Or they do want to go to college. Great.
My big thing has always been – I want them happy. They can chase that dream wherever they want to let it take them.
I’ve expressed this to them over and over.
But as they get older the situations get more complex.
More grown up.
Less, “Okay, if you don’t like Clawdeen any longer, that’s fine. She’s still my favorite character.”
More, “I don’t care what your sexual orientation or gender, I will love and support you.”
It’s been a weird switch for me, as my ‘talk’ was a very uncomfortable and embarrassing affair. I don’t want to repeat that with my kids.
So, when one of them came to me and said, “Hey mom, Kendra* said she’s pansexual. She’s kind of afraid to tell her parents.” I didn’t even have to school my reaction, but I did have to ask, “Do you know what that means?”
Which led to a big discussion over Pan/Trans/Bi/etc. A discussion that I didn’t mind having, and had actually very recently had at work because we had a non-binary patient and the nurse “didn’t get it.”
My girls and I had a long talk that day, very casual and comfortable about all of the terms, what they meant, what they comfortably understood. I had to tell my girls that I totally understood why Kendra didn’t want to tell her parents yet – I knew them and I knew it would be a struggle for them to understand and accept. That she could let her know she was always welcome at our home, and that I knew who in her family would also be accepting in the worst case scenario.
Out of all of it I hope that they understood that I truly only want them to be happy, comfortable, and safe.
I hope that they know I will always be a safe place to land. That I never want them to have to feel the need to keep anything like that from me.
We’re working on having an open, comfortable communication on the subject. They’re still teenagers, they still have their pushback…but in the end, as long as they know we’re good no matter what the challenge, then I feel better.
Raising kids is hard.
Raising smart, intelligent, kind adults is the right thing to do. That’s my goal here. To see them happy, and comfortable in this ever changing world.
*Name changed to protect the child, who has still not come out to her parents. It’s a big step and I wish her the best.
by Sarah | Jul 25, 2019 | All About Denver, All About Family, All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Disney, Disney Mom, Make-A-Wish, Redefining Perfect, Universal Studios Mom
Once upon a time, Denver was an adorable tot.
No, seriously, look at that face…how adorable??
Okay, okay, that’s a baby pic, but don’t you wanna smoosh those cheeks?
ANYHOOZLES.
Way off topic here.
He was cute. He was the only child, grandchild, he was spoiled…
Which meant for approximately 3 years when he fell in love with the movie Mary Poppins I watched that damn thing, at least in part, EVERY DAY.
Let me clarify this for you…
Every day. For at least 3 years. At least 1095 days. I watched at least 20 minutes of Mary Poppins.
I grew to hate that snobby bitch.
I mean, sure she’s great on the first watch. Maybe even the second. Then you begin to realize her ‘practically perfect in every way’ rhetoric is just SO ANNOYING.
(For the record, I have since watched the 2nd and I do love the fun Emily has with the role. No offense to Dame Julie Andrews, whom I adore, but it’s a LOT of Mary Poppins).
Fast forward to 2014. We are at Disney for Kennedy’s Wish…and innocently wandering through Epcot…
When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a beautiful Mary Poppins standing innocently in midst of the UK. Not surrounded by millions of people or a handler, just…there.
You KNOW what I did.
I mean, how could I not?
THREE YEARS, people.
You bet your butt I forced Denver to get a picture with her.
You can see his extreme joy at being forced not just into a picture, but one with Mary Poppins herself.
A mother’s memory is long…and revenge truly is a dish best served cold.
by Sarah | Jul 15, 2019 | All About Family, All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Florida Dreaming, Redefining Perfect
Oh, Florida. I’ve talked about it for years, dreamed about moving for as long, talked about moving for a year, and finally made the move in May…
and promptly all but disappeared off social media.
Because that first month?
SUCKED.
Holy crap. I mean, massive sucktitude of the highest magnitude.
Like the only thing keeping me from driving back to Indiana was the sunshine…because it was pretty much all that was working out for me.
How bad?
Well, one of the first things I saw in Florida as I pulled off to gas up, on my way back onto the highway was a cat that had been hit by a car, and had not yet passed on.
Talk about traumatic.
Then my AirBNB that I was so crazy excited for, had no wifi or internet because my host according to AirBNB had up and left the man she’d been living with for years…and then turned off the cable. My actual AirBNB host was a relatively pleasant Brit…that blissfully left town for 10 days (okay, so that went good for me, too)…but then expected me to chauffer him around…never mind the fact I was working nights. Um…
I could not find a house. Like legit, could not.
I couldn’t find a realtor to help me find a house. All they would say is “I don’t have anything like that” and that was it. No offers to help, nothing.
I would find something online, call the realtor only to have them tell me it wasn’t actually available yet and they weren’t showing yet (happened with where we are now…) and that was WEEKS out. Weeks! They all refused to show with tenants still inside.
If that wasn’t the case, the home was already rented…in one case I scheduled an appointment to show it in three days, which was when it was opening for showings…but then I got a call that it was already rented – before they were even showing!!
My job was good, but instead of training me on my regular schedule, they decided to do 5 day weeks the first two weeks – which totally messed with my plans to you know, look for a home!
Because of that job schedule, and the inconveniently timed vacation of the only person in HR that could confirm my employment, I almost missed the cutoff for the girls school admission.
I had no less than five panic attacks – most of which centered around finding a home.
I never made it to the beach. (Heck, I didn’t make it there until last week)
After the host made it back from the UK he finally managed to get wifi back about 4 days before I was due to checkout…but I couldn’t access it, the password wouldn’t work (but he could, so no worries for him).
Yeah, I may have suffered from some internet withdrawals.
I missed my family crazy-bad. They missed me as much.
Erik had so many struggles getting things ready. We had a simultaneous panic attack on a phone call when it came to finding a home.
I gotta say, I knew it would be tough separated from them, but not THAT tough. Oy.
But that’s enough complaining…because the month is over. It sucked. It was TOUGH…but it’s passed.
Here’s some nice things about the first month…
I did have beautiful sun, and pleasantly not-crazily-humid days for all but one day that first month, and that was one of the first days I was there. It was a crazy-storm. In the best way.
I got to spend some nice one-on-one time with my son where he didn’t annoy the crap out of me (he aspires for that).
I actually got a little tipsy on one of our day trips…we went to the Banana Cabana at the Caribbean and there was some delicious alcohol consumed.
We went on a nature walk and I got some great photos and saw some alligators.
I did, finally, find a couple of realtors that were eager to help and we got approved for our new home the day after hubby and the kids arrived.
All the driving around looking for places helped familiarize me with the general layout of the area.
I had my first ever Pub Sub – and it was all everyone said it would be.
I got into my new job and really felt welcomed and at home right away. I miss my old work-home, but my new work-home is equally as lovely and the hours are amazeballs.
I LOVE working nights.
I’m in Florida.
I am home.
*~*~*
You know, I know that nothing worth it is ever easy…and I didn’t expect smooth sailing when I got down here, but the first month almost broke me in turns. There were days that I would say “I just need ONE THING to go right. Just ONE.”
And then it would.
It was tough finding moments of joy some days…impossible on others…but they emerged eventually.
Once my family got here, things evened out. Not everything is fully settled as I’m writing this. We are still waiting on our couch (will be here tomorrow). Erik is still looking for a job (he has an interview tomorrow). The girls are BORED and totally freaking out about not being able to make friends when school starts in a month…
But we are together. We are home.
WE ARE HOME.
And that is the best feeling in the world. Even if I had to go through hell to get here..
I honestly had no idea what day it was today.
