Initially, we weren’t planning on making the voyage to Disney World for a few more years. We figured we would wait until our youngest child was around 2 or 3 years old, at least. But the more we talked about it, the more we realized that Nora is at a really great age for Disney World. She likes the movies. She’s pretty obsessed with the princesses. She loves the music. And she believes in the magic.
Vacations these days aren’t what they used to be. We can’t just jet-set off to new cities and places that Michael and I want to explore. We learned this firsthand when we took our last vacation in California with Nora in January 2013, when she was about 2.5 years old. It was really rough at times, because we continued to try to do (mostly) things that WE wanted to do. We worked in some kid-friendly stuff like the San Diego Zoo and the beach (x2!), of course, but by far the best day was the one that was the most kid-centric: Disneyland.
We realized during that trip that we’re at a stage in our lives when the trips—at least the family ones—really have to be for the kids. And kid destinations are somewhat limited: Beaches. Amusement parks. Pools. Play. Disney World is the culmination of children’s vacation dreams.
When we took Nora to Disneyland last year, I’m pretty sure it was the best day of her life. When we woke up the next morning, she was still on cloud nine. She cheerfully got dressed and insisted on wearing her new Minnie ears headband. We happily loaded up the car at our hotel in Anaheim and headed to Los Angeles for our next stop on our trip… and a little bit into the drive, we realized that Nora had thought we were going back to Disneyland. SO SAD.
Anyway, we are excited to take Nora to Disney World. Meanwhile, we’re a little nervous about Vivienne, who will be 15 months, but we figure that if we go into it with very low expectations as to what we will “accomplish” each day, we should be okay. We’re going for 6.5 days and 7 nights in November, with some planned “rest time” (meaning non-park time) built in so we hopefully won’t get overstimulated and burned out.
We’re staying at Coronado Springs Resort on Disney property, and were excited a few weeks ago when Disney released a free dining promotion for the fall—which included our dates! It saved us like $980 off the price of our trip and will cover most of the food we’ll need for the entire week, so it’s a pretty big deal.
With the help of some friends who have deep Disney experience, we’ve started booking our dining and planning our itinerary. There is so much to do at Disney. But hopefully all of the planning upfront means that we don’t have to do much other than enjoy it all once we get there!
So… who’s been to Disney? With kids (maybe kids around the same age as our kids)? How was it? What’d you love? What would you recommend (attractions, restaurants, shows, etc.)? Itineraries that worked best for you in terms of parks, rest, etc.? I’m asking a little late since a lot of our trip has already been determined, but I’m still open to adjustments as I am doing more research and talking to more people.
Kids, man. They change everything. :) We’re honestly super excited to go, just because it’ll be so fun to experience it all through Nora’s eyes. We’ll go back to getting away to our own destinations someday… We eventually want to go on a few long weekend trips without kids, but I want to be done nursing first so that I can completely enjoy it. 2015 will be the year of a child-free trip; it has to be!
Until then, we’re hanging out with Mickey and the gang.
I have been receiving a lot of comment spam on my blog.
I have always received spam comments, but for some reason, the frequency had really picked up in intensity the last few weeks. I have comment moderation turned on, so I was always able to mark them as spam—so they’d never appear on my actual blog—but it was seriously annoying to be receiving 15+ notification emails per day for comments that were nothing more than gibberish, links, and other spam.
Desperate for relief, I went to the WordPress plugin section and typed “spam” in the search box, and found a plugin that touts its spam-blocking capabilities. Sold. So, now it’s installed, and I have not received a single spam comment in two days. WOOT WOOT!
For those who are interested in the plugin for their own blogs, I’ll give a little PSA! The plugin is called WP-SpamShield. As long as it’s not blocking comments it shouldn’t? I’m loving it.
But I AM paranoid that it’s blocking comments it shouldn’t. I don’t want to beg for comments or anything, but hey, if a few of you wouldn’t mind testing it out for me? I’d really appreciate it. I just want to make sure your messages are getting through to me as they should. So… leave a comment and tell me something fun—a random fact about yourself. Maybe it’s the place you’d go in the world if you could go anywhere. Maybe it’s that you sucked your thumb until you were 5. Maybe it’s that your favorite food is tuna (um, eww). Maybe you wore purple socks today. WHATEVER your little heart desires, just tell me.
This could be fun. :)
Update after only 5 minutes of “testing” WP-SpamShield: As I feared, it IS blocking EVERYONE from commenting on my blog. So, bye-bye WP-SpamShield. You were too good to be true. So fellow WordPress bloggers, I do NOT recommend WP-SpamShield. I’m now trying out the Akismet plugin instead. Keep your random facts coming, y’all. I’ll keep you posted on the results!
P.S. If you’ve tried commenting on my blog over the last two days and it told you “Hmmm, your comment seems a bit spammy. We’re not real big on spam around here. Please go back and try again.” I’M SORRY! That was not me, it was the plugin talking.
Ah, Mother’s Day. It was such a nice day all around.
Michael and the girls (OK, the effort was pretty much all Michael’s) did a few things that made the day a little more special than usual. First, Michael got up at the crack of dawn (literally) and went to Wegmans to get muffins and donuts. Yum. We enjoyed the treats for breakfast and then we all hung out together in the family room for a while.
I made a grocery list, and once Vivienne went down for her morning nap, Michael and Nora headed out to grocery shop while I lounged on the couch for a bit and then showered.
For my gift, Michael helped Nora start a Mother’s Day Journal for me. In lieu of cards, the kids draw pictures, paste photos, write notes/letters, etc. in the journal every year as they grow. That way, instead of having a pile of cards, I have a keepsake book from throughout the years. Love.
When they got back, Vivi was awake so we packed up a lunch for ourselves and drove over to my in-laws’ house to visit with my mother-in-law while we ate. We stayed for an hour or so and then went back home to put them down a nap. My mom came over, and the three of us tackled some work in the yard. Michael mowed, and my mom and I worked on pulling weeds, cleaning flower beds, planting some flowers, and laying mulch. It took a long time, and it was hard work at times, but it was so nice to just be outside and enjoying each other’s company. It was 75 and sunny—perfect weather. Sometimes, we get snow flurries on Mother’s Day, so we were definitely pleased with Mother Nature this year.
Nora woke up before we were finished outside, so she came out and joined us while Michael started getting things ready for dinner. She has little gardening gloves and tools that my mom bought her last year, so she was really cute “helping” my mom.
Once the gardening was done for the day, we went inside to find dinner in progress (thanks, Michael!). We had a nice family dinner—homemade sloppy joes, roasted potatoes, and roasted green beans and carrots—and then went out for a walk. THEN we got to indulge in dessert. I had picked up some of my mom’s favorite custard, and Michael and Nora had surprised me with a mini cookie cake she picked out at Wegmans. Delicious.
As with all holidays now that she’s three, Nora was really into Mother’s Day this year. Michael clued her in—in advance—of the plan, and she managed to keep it a secret from me for days. One morning last week, we were driving to Mary’s in the morning and there was a commercial of some sort on the radio that mentioned Mother’s Day.
“Mother’s Day? Why they talkin’ about Mother’s Day?” she asked.
“Because it’s a commercial for presents for moms. And Mother’s Day is this Sunday,” I explained.
“What does ‘this Sunday’ mean?”
“Sunday is one of the days on the weekend. And Mother’s Day is this weekend.”
“I’m so excited for Mother’s Day!” she exclaimed.
It was nice to have a day to recognize what I do as a mother, but it’s a job that I consider to be a privilege. How lucky I am to have these two beautiful girls. And how lucky I am to have such a great mom myself. For me, it’s a day that reminds me to be thankful for all that I have.
What’s everyone watching on TV these days?
I’ve talked before about how we’re not big serial television viewers. We don’t “follow” a lot of shows. But here’s what we’ve been into lately:
House of Cards.
We started binge watching this one on Netflix shortly after season 2 was released. We watched the entirety of seasons 1 and 2 over the course of a month or two. Great show. We weren’t quite as addicted to this as we were to Breaking Bad—we watched all five seasons in like four weeks!—but we were entertained, to say the least.
Frank Underwood is a compelling character, as are many of the others. And there were definitely a few plot twists and turns that kept us guessing and coming back for more. SO.MUCH.DRAMA. And EVIL! I’m curious to see how it continues on in season 3… which unfortunately won’t be available until 2015. Womp womp. It’s going to be a long wait.
The Voice.
Michael does not watch this. I feel like I should put that disclaimer right up front, because not only does Michael not watch it, but he HATES it. He makes fun of me for watching it… but whatever. For me, The Voice is “filler” TV. I don’t even really care for it THAT much, to be honest. I could take it or leave it, but I take it because there’s not a whole lot else that I watch. I sort of float in and out of paying attention to it when it’s on.
I think what bothers me about it most is that for the most part, it’s easy to tell from VERY early on in the process who is going to make it to the end. This is my third season watching, and both previous times, I’ve been able to accurately predict the winner (I mean, can’t everybody?) way before the finale. I was never an American Idol fan, so maybe predictability is typical of these singing/talent shows? I don’t know. But I do sometimes get annoyed with how many rounds there are.
I like the banter between coaches (sometimes), and there have been some impressive performances as well. I’m curious to see what it’ll be like next season with Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams. It’s good to switch it up. At this point, I think that little YouTube sensation is going to win… Christina, right? I mean, she has 2 million subscribers on YouTube. It’s a built-in fan base. Not fair, if you ask me!
Oh, and I never vote. So there’s that. :)
Grey’s Anatomy.
Lord help me, I’m still hanging on to Grey’s Anatomy. I’ve been watching since the very first episode all those years ago, and because of that, I just can’t give it up. I can’t quit you, Grey’s! But with this being Cristina’s final season—they’re sure milking that for everything it’s worth, huh? So many promos!—I feel like this one is probably drawing to a close. I think Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo are both only signed on for one more year, and if they both leave? I think the show will officially go down the tubes (even more so than it already has). I kind of wish the creator/writers would wrap it all up in a nice little bow and let it go out gracefully. Every once in a while, there’s an episode I enjoy, but for the most part… it’s so blah. Kind of disappointing for a long-time fan who knows how good it used to be! (Oh, and no, Michael does not watch this one, either.)
Fargo.
We just picked this up. We were channel surfing on Saturday night and just so happened to catch a rerun of the pilot episode, just as it was starting. We have the other two episodes on our DVR as well, so we’ll have to catch up and then watch the new ones as they air.
Regarding the pilot… yikes. They sure know how to rope you in, huh? Really disturbing stuff, but I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything different since its inspiration was the movie of the same name. It’s not like Fargo was a romantic comedy! Anyway, we’re going to give it a shot and see how it plays out.
Modern Family.
I’m adding this as sort of an afterthought because this is one that has definitely dropped off of our radar. I actually still have it set to record via our DVR, but all of the episodes have just been racking up without being watched.
Is it just me, or did this one get old and lose its luster? I absolutely LOVED Modern Family during the first few seasons, but then it got to a point where it seemed like it was the same every week. I stopped laughing. Kind of sucks since there used to be times when I laughed so hard I cried!
If you don’t already think I’ve gone off the deep end, you’ll probably think so now. Or maybe you’ll be intrigued and jump into the water right beside me. Either way, I’ll respect it. :)
I first started hearing about essential oils from a friend, Chelsey. She’s a very “natural living” type of mama—she buys very few (if any) processed foods and sticks pretty strictly to organic fruits and vegetables, grass-fed beef, free range chickens, natural cleaning products, etc. For me, she’s a go-to resource as far as this stuff is concerned. I trust her judgement on A LOT of things because she researches the hell out of everything and is very knowledgeable about the things she’s passionate about—and natural living is one of those things. I admire her commitment to it all.
So anyway, when she first started talking essential oils, I thought it sounded kind of crazy, to be honest. I paid attention and filed info in the back of my mind, but I was nowhere near ready to jump on board. Then, when we were in the middle of our major struggles with Vivienne’s reflux, Chelsey contacted me offering to send me a sample of an essential oil (doTERRA’s DigestZen) that she thought could help. She sent it, and I used it a couple of times on Vivienne. But it was right when we were in the middle of putting her on meds, adjusting her meds, cutting dairy out of my diet, etc. and it was all just too much to deal with. What was working, what wasn’t? Hell if I knew, especially when trying all of these remedies all at once. Plus, I’ll admit… I was an essential oil skeptic. Then we got the reflux under control with meds and I left the DigestZen sample in the drawer.
Fast-forward several months, and I kept hearing more and more about essential oils. I started following Chelsey’s Essentials Everyday blog, and I was pretty blown away by all of the different ways to use essential oils. I emailed Chelsey several times with questions. We had conversations about the oils and she was incredibly patient with me as I tried to figure out the best way for me to dip my toe in the water.
I ended up ordering doTERRA’s Family Physician Kit, which is a collection of their 10 most popular essential oils that can be used for a lot of things in your household. Since then, I have been experimenting. I’m still in the beginning of this journey, but I’ve already learned a lot and have definitely seen some benefits to the oils already. Here, I’ll share a few of them. Now, it’s important to note that each of these oils can be used for COUNTLESS other things beyond what I’m sharing here. I’m just outlining what I’ve used them for in the few weeks that I’ve had them. Also? There are a few oils in the Family Physician Kit that I haven’t even really utilized yet, so you won’t see them ALL featured here—at least not yet, not in this beginner post!
Lemon is probably my favorite essential oil thus far. It’s definitely been the most used. For starters, it’s great for cleaning. I’ve mixed up an all-purpose cleanser (more on that a little later), homemade hand sanitizer, and have even used it as a natural—and extremely effective—alternative to “Goo Gone.” I had a very stubborn price sticker stuck on the bottom of my new water bottle, and with one drop of lemon oil, I had it scraped off in seconds.
I’ve also begun adding lemon oil to my drinking water, which gives it a nice flavor. Note that if you do this, you’re supposed to drink out of a glass container (hence my new water bottle). Lemon is an antioxidant and is good for your overall health, so it’s beneficial for more than just taste. And if you just want stuff to smell good? Lemon is your answer. I just like to take the top off and smell it sometimes. So fresh and clean!
This concoction—peppermint + frankincense + melaleuca—is responsible for the most “miraculous” results I’ve had with essential oils thus far. The same day my oils first came in the mail, I had a really bad headache. One drop of each of these rubbed into my forehead and on the back of my neck and I felt significantly better less than 10 minutes later. No joke. I had been suffering with the headache for a few hours, and then just like that, it was better. If there’s one way to make a skeptic a believer, it was this!
I’ve learned through purchasing essential oils that I’m not that big a fan of the scent of lavender. Go figure. There are so many people who love it that I wonder if there’s something wrong with my sense of smell. :) Even so, we’ve been diffusing this in our bedroom at night and as I’m lying there in bed for the few short minutes before I fall asleep, it does seem to help me relax. A sense of calm comes over all of my muscles and I drift off. I’ve also added a drop to my laundry (in the soap dispenser), and the whole load comes out with a faint lavender smell. Pretty cool, since we use natural, unscented laundry detergent—this gives it that little extra “something.”
Speaking of diffusing… diffusing is made possible by a diffuser, which mixes a couple drops of your oils with water and turns it into mist and disburses it around the room. It’s a wonderful alternative to overpowering scented candles and other air fresheners. Not only are you getting the scent of the oils, but you’re also gaining the health benefits by “taking in” the oils aromatically. And diffusing is even shown to disinfect surfaces around the room if you use an oil with disinfectant properties (such as OnGuard, Lemon, Wild Orange, Purify, etc.). Pretty cool, huh?
While we’re talking disinfectants, there are a few mixtures I’ve made so far, specifically for that purpose. I’ve used lemon + melaleuca + water + vinegar to make a simple all-purpose cleaner. I’ve used it to clean parts of the interior of my car (including my all-season floor mats!), as well as surfaces around the house. It smells pretty good—I’m still getting used to the strong vinegar component in natural/homemade cleaners, but the lemon and melaleuca certainly help counteract it—and it works, too. I feel better about spraying this around my house than I do a lot of other things, that’s for sure. It’s harmless (even beneficial) for me and my family to be around, which is comforting. Chelsey has the “recipe” here.
We’re not complete germ freaks, but we’ve always been pretty good about using hand sanitizers after we’ve left stores (at least since we’ve had kids). The shopping carts, credit card machines, money, etc.—everything you touch can be covered in germs. But regular hand sanitizer is FULL of alcohol and lord knows what else. I was happy to learn that essential oils can be used to kill germs. I can’t wait to put OnGuard to a full test during the next cold and flu season! But until then, I’ll keep using it as a preventative in the form of this hand sanitizer spray. Also? I’ve used this to spray down the entire seat/steering wheel area of the car carts at Wegmans that my girls love to sit in, so it’s good for more than just hands. Chelsey has the recipe here.
DigestZen is the oil Chelsey first sent me all those months ago, to potentially help with Vivienne. Now, I’ve used this several times on Vivienne (rubbed on the bottoms of her feet) and I’ll say that she did seem to spit up less when we used it regularly. I’ve since discontinued using it on her because I want to wait until I can dilute it—and I’m waiting on my carrier oil to arrive! Since Viv’s still so little and this is something that I’m applying often, I feel better about diluting it instead of using it full strength, even though it’s supposed to be safe to use either way. Vivienne never had any ill effects from it, but it’s just a personal preference.
On myself, I’ve applied DigestZen to my stomach to help calm indigestion. It does seem to help, and this is one of the results that seems too good to be true, too. Rub a couple drops on the outside of my belly and it helps on the inside? Weird, weird, weird. :) I’ve actually heard that this is even more effective when taken internally—particularly when fighting a stomach bug—so I’d be interested to try that some day. But I’ll also be perfectly happy to never have to! STAY AWAY, BUG.
Deep Blue is like Icy Hot, but in a natural form. I used it on a banged up knee with good results (never bothered me again, actually!) and Michael also felt relief after using it on sore quadriceps. This stuff is apparently pretty popular among runners and other athletes, and I can see why! I’ll definitely be putting Deep Blue to the test whenever aches and pains call.
So far, I’ve used Wild Orange mostly for diffusing because it just smells DELICIOUS. This actually doesn’t come as part of the Family Physician Kit, but I recommend it if you like citrus scents, and/or want another good option for flavoring your water (while gaining other benefits!). When we diffuse it, I notice that I seem to feel more alert and awake. Wild Orange can also be used in homemade cleaners, so if you prefer the smell of orange over lemon, this one’s your guy.
That’s all I’ve got for now, as far as personal experiences go. But again, I’ve only been at this for a few weeks! I still have so much to learn and try. I’m already planning on adding a few more oils to my collection this month. There is seemingly so much that oils can offer. I’ve seen and heard about positive experiences with oils helping relieve migraines, allergies, skin conditions (acne, eczema, psoriasis, etc.), depression and reflux. There are even oils that can help increase breast milk supply or prepare the body for labor and birth. Have an ailment? I’m pretty damn sure there is an oil or mix of oils that you can try that can help.
Through my experience, I’ve become a doTERRA Wellness Advocate, which basically means that I can help hook you up with oils, should you be interested in trying any of them. Believe me, I’m not in the business to pressure anyone into buying anything. I have not been compensated in any way for writing about doTERRA. I just like the oils myself (so far), and plan to continue sharing knowledge about and experiences with them as time goes on, just like I’ve done with other things in my life.
But if you are interested in browsing—or even buying something from—the doTERRA store, I would definitely appreciate the use of my link: Heather Drive at doTERRA. And if you have questions about oils, please feel free to email me at heatherdriveblog@yahoo.com. I’ll help you in any way I can. And if you know you are interested in trying oils, I can also get you discounted prices—I’ll be happy to talk that through with you as well. doTERRA is an international company, so even if you’re one of my friends to the north or across one of the ponds… you can email me, too!
Completely overwhelmed by all of this? Don’t worry—I was, too. In fact, for a long time, I was kind of paralyzed by it because it was just so much to take in. I’ve found that it’s actually easier once you make the leap and start trying stuff. I’ve learned more in the past few weeks than I could have imagined. Or, if you have a specific problem you want help with? Start there. But if it seems like a lot, I totally get it. I’ve been where you are. :)
If you’ve used essential oils, do you have any favorite uses or success stories to share? What are your favorite oils and why? If you’ve never heard of or used essential oils before, are there any particular oils you are curious about? Any ailments that you’d be interested in potentially treating?
About
I'm Heather. I'm 33 and have been married to Michael for seven years. Together, we have two beautiful little girls we love more than anything, and a miniature dachshund who drives us crazy. I'm a full-time working mom who has very little time for my own "stuff" these days, like home improvement, cooking/baking, cake decorating, and photography. Despite the team not making the playoffs since 1999, I'm STILL a Buffalo Bills fan, which I think speaks to my loyalty AND sense of humor. I can't wait to pick up the pace with travel again some day... you know, when we're done being ruled by tiny fists. Welcome to my blog.
