by Sarah | Jul 3, 2015 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Cystic Fibrosis, Disney, Make-A-Wish, Redefining Perfect, Special Needs
Our whole trip to Disney and Universal was a magical experience. There wasn’t one minute the whole week that we weren’t in awe, happier than ever, and closer than ever.
We have so many tales of the fabulous magic that occurred that week. From our first day, and first stop, at Ollivander’s wand shop. There Kennedy (and her sister) were both chosen by Ollivander himself and received wands selected just for them.
Kennedy wanted to ride every ride, and proved herself a little daredevil. We covered a lot of Universal that day, and rode everything in sight. Kennedy and her sister got pictures with all of their favorite superheros.
Of course, at the Magic Kingdom there was even more magic to be had. We stopped for every photo opportunity, and the manipulations the Disney photographers manage was stellar. We started our day at the Magic Kingdom with Space Mountain and the rest of the day was just as exciting.
There are so many moments we could talk about. So many ways the trip was made magical for us. There were so many things everyone did, from Make-A-Wish, to Give Kids the World, to Universal, and Disney, that have us still talking about our trip. Moments that brought all of us so much joy.
There is one story in our week of magic that stands out above the rest. One twenty minute span of time that will be held up as the most magical and endearing of them all.
When we went to Epcot we mistakenly didn’t expect to see any princesses. Call us naïve on the behavior of all the characters that roam all of the parks. Halfway through our day we stumbled upon the beautiful Aurora. While the girls were meeting with her, the photographer let us know about all the other princesses and when they’d show up.
The photographer clued us in on an unscheduled appearance of Belle in her town clothes right outside of France. We killed some time, got some delicious French pastries (that our teen is still asking for to this day), and headed toward where Belle was said to appear.
Before Belle arrived, her photographer did. The kind lady spoke to our girls for a while, and suggested that Kennedy ask a few questions of Belle. Namely: a) What is your favorite dessert? And b) What is your favorite book?
Moments later Belle emerged from behind a building.
The beautiful princess made a beeline for my princesses. In a gesture we hadn’t seen even through all the magic of our days, she took Kennedy by the hand and kept her close as they chatted. When Kennedy asked Belle’s favorite book, Belle leaned in and whispered in her ear.
To this day, we still don’t know the answer ourselves—that is a secret held just between Kennedy and her new favorite Disney princess.
After that, Belle continued holding Kennedy’s hand, and the stories became more animated. As she dove into Kennedy’s question about her favorite snack, Belle talked about a trick Mrs. Potts once played on Lumiere, all the while still holding Kennedy’s hand.
For a good solid twenty minutes (give or take five minutes), Belle spoke with my girls. Her attention never wavering, and her hugs nice and tight.
Somehow she even got our picture shy teenager in as their very own “Beast” for a few photographs.
We saw many princesses, and some comic book heroes, but no other moment in time has stood out as much as this one. A moment in time that lingers with us, and most importantly, with Kennedy.
by Sarah | Jul 2, 2015 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Redefining Perfect
In our house the debate started years ago.
When Denver was young as we neared Christmas, Erik suggested getting him a Nintendo DS.
My first reaction? An immediate, resounding, “NO.”
After much debate, discussion, and a little cajoling, I gave in. The first child device entered our home.
From there it expanded. A Playstation, an iPod, a Wii, a tablet.
We thought our established rules were enough.
No accounts I did not know about.
NO accounts I did not know about.
I am to have access to ALL passwords, all accounts, all the time.
The devices did not stay in the bedroom.
I could take the devices and nose around at any time.
Did I mention – no accounts I didn’t know about?
I tried parental controls, but they were minimal on the early devices.
I tried communication (*side note: have you ever tried talking to a brick wall? It’s beyond fun, I promise. No, really. Come talk to my teen, you’ll love it. </end sarcasm>)
I tried prying and sneaking. Once it was known I was looking, sneak accounts were made. When I discovered the sneak accounts, more were made.
The past couple of years have been a nightmare that dissolved into all devices (including the school issued iPad) were taken away. The teen is now device-less save for a cell phone that is a flip phone–as dumb as they come.
So when the time came earlier this year to figure out a birthday present for the girls, you can imagine my immense trepidation when the husband yet again suggested, “What about tablets?”
Again the debate raged.
“Look what happened when we started down this road last time.”
“But we learned so much. We know now what not to do.”
“I know – but look what happened when we started down this road last time.”
“They won’t have internet access. We’ll have parental controls.”
“But…I won’t lose them to the devices like I did him.”
“We learned a lot.”
In the end, yes…we got tablets for the girls for their birthdays.
I made sure, despite the girls age of 9 & 10, that they had the best kid-friendly devices. I downloaded acceptable apps, I blocked internet access and everything BUT the acceptable apps (thanks to a kid-zone sort of app). So they can’t play with settings, or shop for more apps, they can’t see anything but the apps I chose for them.
They aren’t allowed to play on it EVERY day, and they aren’t allowed to play for them for hours on end. Plus, their time on the device is tracked (I can set limits, but have not yet).
I have learned from my mistakes, and while I’m still not entirely comfortable with the girls having devices, I’m much more comfortable with how we’re handling things this time.
Trust is earned, not freely given.
My noose might be tighter this time around, but experience taught me some painful lessons these past few years.
What about you? Do your kids have devices? What sort of restrictions do you place on them?
by Sarah | Jul 1, 2015 | All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All of Us, I'm A Reader, Redefining Perfect, Wordy Wednesday
In case you missed the flashing neon news flash, we went to Disney World last year. The trip included two days at Universal.
The absolute best part about that addition?
My youngest, Kennedy, had just discovered the Harry Potter movies and absolutely LOVED them. So around the time she made her wish it wasn’t just about Disney, it was about “seeing Harry Potter,” too.
Her excitement was palpable the whole few months leading up to the trip. She could hardly contain herself.
To help pass the time, I made a crazy suggestion.
Why not read the books?
And so the journey started.
Together.
We’ve had some spurts where we don’t read, but usually it’s Kennedy and me, snuggled together, getting lost in the world of Hogwarts.
It’s certainly not my usual rapid pace for reading.
It’s definitely different reading aloud.
But I wouldn’t give it up for anything.
Seeing the excitement in my baby girls eyes whenever I take out one of the books.
For Christmas she got my old Harry Potter complete set (as it was already worn and some spine breaking was all right), while I got a new set (isn’t it pretty?).
She pores over them when I’m not around (she thinks I don’t know), looking for her favorite parts.
Ron is her book boyfriend.
Hermione is her hero.
And there is nothing I love better than sharing my love of Harry Potter with her.
Everything is wrapped in the pure joy, excitement, and hope that there is a world of magic out there that she could take part in, even through the page of a book.
by Sarah | Feb 11, 2015 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Cystic Fibrosis, Disney, Make-A-Wish, Redefining Perfect, Special Needs
I can’t predict how many posts this is going to take over the next few months, so I’m not even going to try. Instead, I’m just going to let our story unfold. Some posts will be on one moment in time, a brief ten or twenty moments in time that impacted us too deeply to be buried with the other notes of our story.
The story of how we ended up where we did was both long and then very short. Short of it is after not being approved two years ago we were contacted by Make-A-Wish in April, saying that Kennedy and Denver could both qualify now and to call them. After that it was a heartbeat later that the Wish volunteers were sitting in our living room getting the kids wishes.
Kennedy wished for Disney/Universal.
I don’t think any of us was prepared for the amazing that followed.
The first step toward our trip involved a party. We got to invite some friends and met at a local restaurant.
All three of the kids were treated to Disney delights. No child was left out in the preparations, and they all got gifts.
The biggest one of all was, of course, for Kennedy. That big giant package was an elaborate Princess Anna costume for Kennedy (pictures to come in another post).
We were able to sit and relax with friends, while the kids played with the bevy of toys they were given. The volunteers went over many things that my head couldn’t wrap around, and as I’ve said several times, we had no idea what we were in store for.
The party went on for several hours, and then we all went home. Kennedy was an ecstatic mess, and even though we still had a couple of weeks before we left, the impatience for the trip was mounting.
Of course, the kids were bouncing off the walls, and so was I, but I was also packing and planning and stressing (Oh but I didn’t need to…). Oh, and planning and packing and stressing a little more. Talking to other people I knew that had done Disney through Make-A-Wish who had glowing reports just like I do now after the fact.
And so…we prepared to go. Left the dog with my parents, my hard drive w/ a neighbor for protection, got the fridge emptied and the laundry done.
We were ready to take off!
(Part 2 soon!)
by Sarah | Feb 9, 2015 | All About Me, I'm A Reader, Redefining Perfect
Last year I struggled to make my goal on Goodreads. I had set it at 35 early on in the year and really had trouble for a good part of the year, but then for a couple of months really hauled tail until I boosted it to 50 and hit the goal right at the end of the year.
This year I’m trying to do better and I’ve gotten off to a good start. I’m going to keep my widget in the sidebar, and we’ll see if I up my goal at some point like I did last year. I thought I’d share a little of what I’m reading now.
Ladle Rat Rotten Hut. This is part of a box set, it’s one of the Grimm Diaries Prequels (Number 4). They’re all short little reads, and I’ve enjoyed the way different take on traditional fairy tales in this series. I read 1-3 really fast, but this one got brushed aside as other books came into play. I look forward to diving in, though. This one is clearly a spin on Little Red Riding Hood…while the first three were Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty/Peter Pan (what a mix!!). I’ll admit it…I’m already hooked. Excuse me while I go ignore my other obligations and read this now.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Definitely not my first time at this rodeo. It’s actually my third time through reading the series now. But, I think it’s my favorite time. This time I’m reading them with my youngest. It’s slow going, we’re only doing a chapter or two at a time, but I love sharing these books with her. We went to Universal this summer and her love of Harry Potter from the movies blossomed along with her brand new hand-picked by Ollivander wand. She’s gaining a deeper appreciation now that we’re reading it and she’s seeing more depth to the story than she did before.
Ashes. I’ve seen This one here and there. I saw some pretty good reviews for it. I’m not usually a “sheep” when it comes to books (I actually usually don’t like super popular books…it took me a 2nd time through HP to truly appreciate them)…but I’m happy to say that so far I’m enjoying this one. My only complaint at the moment is the chapter size. It’s…weird. I guess it’s to portray some sort of speed/urgency to the text, but some of the chapters hardly even seem like a complete scene. Still, the premise is fascinating & I’m really enjoying where it’s going so far. 1/3 through and ready for more.
Wickedly Dangerous. This is a sort of interrupted read for me. I’m picking it up now and then in between the others. I actually really like the story, but as a paperback it keeps getting filed back into my bookcase and lost among the other hundreds of pages there.
I’m really enjoying it a lot, though. There’s a great humor in the story and I love the uniqueness of a Baba Yaga story. I’ve never seen another one.
The Undead: Playing for Keeps. Reading this one for review (Yes, I received a free copy from the wonderful publisher, Curiosity Quills). Not super far in, but it’s a fast read and I’m liking the characters. I’m really curious where it’s going to go, and hope it doesn’t take the obvious route that I could see happening.
A Grim Reaper…and a Grimm family (which own a funeral home??)….is it cliche? You’d think, but it’s not playing off that way as of yet.
This is Where I Leave You. I held off on this one for a long time. A LONG time. All of my friends read it, I kept seeing reviews. As I said above, this makes me usually avoid books because I don’t always really like them (I could give you five examples, but I’d be flogged and hanged for admitting I didn’t like them). Hubby and I watched the movie, though, and enjoyed it. So, I thought I’d give it a try finally. I haven’t started yet, but it’s next on my list.
*
These six books barely scratch the surface of the hundreds I have waiting on my TBR pile…but shockingly I’m still looking for more to add. What book suggestions do you have for me? I’m not big on non-fic or memoirs, but if they are AMAZING I might try (I do have Wild sitting on my shelf, after all).
by Sarah | Sep 11, 2014 | All About Me, Personal, Redefining Perfect, Story of Me
I posted this last year and the year before at this time. I’m re-posting it. I will always repost it every year at this time…
I know what today is. I know what it means to our country. I remember every detail of 2001 in vivid detail…but since before 2001, this date has been difficult for me, for my family…in 1996 my family’s core was lost, the heart of us…my grandfather…so my post on 9/11 is for him. Oh, and at surface glance I hate this picture of me, but then I see the pure joy on my face dancing with my grandfather and aesthetics be damned, it’s my favorite picture.
It was his birthday.
I was about four years old, and a very short kid…and he was TALL.
I remember standing by as he put our coats in the closet. I leaned my head way back to stare up, up, up at him and asked, “How tall are you?” With his sparkling eyes and laugh he informed me that he was over 6′. My eyes grew wide, and all I could say was, “But you’re so close to the ceiling! If you have ANY more birthdays you’ll go right through!”
His chair sat by the front door and the minute he sat the race was on – who would get the privilege of sitting on his lap, carrying on as deep a conversation as a child was capable of? Who would get to play with his round pot belly, and listen to his laughter?
He worked for GM and he was proud of it, and so were we.
When I close my eyes I can still smell his pipe and see the pipe carousel on his dresser. I can smell the cigarettes that he and grandma smoked.
I remember that after he retired he would watch soap operas during lunch.
And I remember the weddings – when my cousin and I would trade off and share him for the dance. “Grampa” by the Judds.
I remember his smile.
I remember his belly.
I remember the strength that he always carried in his soul and body.
I remember the pain that shot through my heart at the word…”cancer”. Once it was uttered it was less than a year. 10 months.
I remember the first time I saw him in the hospital-and how I had to run from the room because it made me physically ill to see my big strong grandfather lying in a bed weak and hooked up to tubes.
I remember his fight.
I remember when it was acknowledged in our hearts that the time to fight was over.
I remember how he held on – hours past when we thought we would lose him – because he would not let go until he’d gotten to hear the good-bye of all of his grandchildren, and my brother had been in surgery for a shattered wrist around the world in Japan. Half an hour after the final phone call, Grampa was gone.
I remember the sound of the tennis balls scattering across the hallway when my professor’s assistant walked up asking if she knew where I was…and all I could do was run to my car to get home as soon as I could.
From there it’s a blur…a long car ride from NC to NY. The arrangements. The funeral home. The droves of people I didn’t know, but who all knew him, overflowing the room.
The pain has lessened, resorted to a memory. For the most part I remember the love, the good things, the joy. But on this day every year the pain comes back to the forefront.
The pain seems so much stronger now that Grandma has gone to join him.
Refreshed and renewed now, they are together forever, but they will always be here in our hearts.
We love you still, and will always love you, Grampa.
Our whole trip to Disney and Universal was a magical experience. There wasn’t one minute the whole week that we weren’t in awe, happier than ever, and closer than ever.
There are so many moments we could talk about. So many ways the trip was made magical for us. There were so many things everyone did, from Make-A-Wish, to Give Kids the World, to Universal, and Disney, that have us still talking about our trip. Moments that brought all of us so much joy.
The beautiful princess made a beeline for my princesses. In a gesture we hadn’t seen even through all the magic of our days, she took Kennedy by the hand and kept her close as they chatted. When Kennedy asked Belle’s favorite book, Belle leaned in and whispered in her ear.
For a good solid twenty minutes (give or take five minutes), Belle spoke with my girls. Her attention never wavering, and her hugs nice and tight.
