Chiari at Disneyland

I'll be honest, I was a little worried before we left.  I've been feeling pretty good but I was worried that with the fast pace that we usually it the park with that I would wear down quickly.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I actually felt pretty good at the park.  Being active makes me feel pretty good.  One of the key things is to have a great pillow to support my neck and the hotel had a great one.  I think I might actually call them and ask what kind of pillows they are.

One of my doctors is worried that at one point I will pass out.  And while I do have some typical Chiari  symptoms, I have never experienced passing out.  But now that she has mentioned it, it's now a fear stuck in the back of my head.  Whenever I go somewhere or do anything I have a constant fear that I will wake up on the floor.  I was really worried that I would pass out and ruin the trip I had spent so much time planning for.  I'm very glad that things went great and I felt pretty good.  The drive wore me out and gave me a headache but other than that I felt pretty good.

There were some things I wasn't able to do.  Roller coasters were definitely off the list, so no California Screamin for me.  Looking up at menus at restaurants was a bit difficult because I'm not supposed to look straight up but I figured out that if I stand back it puts less strain on my neck.

Taking lots of breaks was key.  Whenever I felt off I told myself that it was in my best interest to sit.  We actually hit up some great places to get our snack on while were were there and taking a break.  Every now and then I have to remind myself that there is other stuff to do other than the usual fun stuff we hit up when we are there.  Clover's favorite ride this time around seemed to be the Jungle Cruise.  She also said that she was a big fan of Space Mountain although she kept her head down during the entire ride.  In one of the pictures you can't even tell she is on the ride.  That was also a ride where I waited for them at the exit.

I was a little bummed at first that there were so many rides that I couldn't get on but there were so many new experiences and cute things that happened on the trip that made up for that.  Lots of cute stories to come but for now I need another cup of coffee.

I've Got Everything I Need, Right In Front of Me

Taking some down time this morning to process the last week and relax.  We threw a birthday party for my darling Clover and then spent some time at Disneyland.  It was a crazy fun week.  We took our time and took lots of breaks.  The slow pace was weird at first but very enjoyable.  Right now I am soaking in the down time with my favorite things.  My Clover, The Muppet's new movie and a box of Caramel Delites.  How could this not be the most perfect Sunday?  Hubby is in the office because he said that seeing this movie more than three times is enough.  I think he is wrong but we are agreeing to disagree.  Good thing he is cute because I think that may be divorce material.

More Than Meets The Eye

Our pretty-pretty-princess-dress-wearing daughter is all about keeping things in balance.  She has bright pink toes and ringlets bouncing on the bottom of red hair.  If you cross her you will see the dark side.  Especially if you fast forward during her Transformers movie!

For a couple of months now her interest in the robots has increased.  Lately, her night time routine has included snuggling up with her Daddy and watching the cartoon.  She knows most of the Transformers and her Daddy couldn't be more proud.  She loves Arcee and Ratchet from the cartoon and Optimus and  Bumble Bee from the movie.  

She has always been into grown up movies.  For an entire year all she could talk about was the live action Alice in Wonderland.  So when she expressed interest in Transformers 3, I didn't think much of it.  Today I tried to start the first live action Transformers movie and it wasn't appreciated.

"Mom!  Can we watch Transformers?"

Go to start the movie...

"NooooooOOOoooooOOOoo!  Not THAT one!"

So I start Transormers 3

"I want the one with the boy and the girl!"

"Sam and Carlie?"

"Yeah!"

I figured that she wanted to watch the robots and proceeded to fast forward and felt the fury.

"MoooOOOooooOOOm!  I want to watch the BOY and the GIRL!"

Then she proceeded to steal my remote and hide it.  I guess she didn't like me messing with her movie.  I have to say it's probably one of the cutest things ever.  Watching my daughter in her very pink dress express how much she loves car changing robots!      

Yeah, I May Be Procrastinating

Sometimes I wonder if procrastination is my middle name.  I tend to wait to the last moment and work well under pressure.  Although I have learned that if I don't get things done lately, they just don't get done.  I have a tendency to put a lot on my plate.  Right now the list is small while I wait.  The more closer I get to Clover's birthday party the more things will get added onto the list.  But for now the list is small and includes things like "company" cleaning the bathroom.  Fun times right?

Probably put some Kylie on while I get scrubbing.

I would recommend picking up the album Aphrodite.  It's pretty awesome.   Lastest álbum vía Grooveshark.

The Great Purse Clean-Out of 2012

I would say that we are in Spring Cleaning mode.  But that would be a lie.  We are in "Company is Coming" cleaning mode.  Usually I don't care because people who know me know that I'm not obsessive about my house.  Sometimes it a little embarrassing and sometimes there are too many things going on to care.  Since we are having Clover's birthday party here, I'm tidying up more than usual.  The entry way hallway got cleaned out on Friday.  Apparently thats where all of the belts and purses go to die.  I have a bad habit of taking out my wallet and just leaving the purse.  The final count was ten hanging in the hallway.  All filled with old receipts and junk.  There were tons of snacks, about 28 crayons, four pairs of clean undies for Clover for those "just in case" moments, lotion, neosporin, boogie wipes and three bottles of nail polish.

Yeah, this was only half way through.

So after cleaning out ten bags I figured out that even though I forget to put it on, I have a lot of lip treatments.  Clover was hunting around the counter for treasures.  She managed to find $1.38 in change and stole one of my chap sticks.  So she scored.  After I cleaned out and sorted I washed most of them and hung them to dry.  Once they were dry I stored them back in the closet.  It's nice to have a clean entry way.    Hopefully it's a metephor for 2012.  The clean entry way, not the pile of junk I pulled out of my purse!  

That Time Of Year Again

 I'm going to get a little sappy on you.  My not so little Clover's birthday is coming up.  Her party planning started in January.  We started by picking a theme and brainstorming.  She is old enough now to have some major input on what she wants.  She even helped me make the invitations.  Even though I said we were doing a small party we ended up making 16 invites.

Im keeping myself busy with tiny details of party planning and vacation checklists.  Little bits to keep my mind distracted.  All that effort to stop myself from focusing on how my little baby is no longer a little baby.  She hasn't been a baby for while and mentally I know that but still...she's going to be 4 years old!  I know all you veteran parents out there are probably rolling your eyes and telling me to get over it.  Kind of how I giggle at new parents when I realize that I was once like that.

She will tell you that she is absolutely not a little baby anymore.  We've had many conversations about not to be rude when informing people that she is indeed a big girl.  There has been lots of "I"M NOT A BABY" moments.  She loves to correct waitresses and checkers at the grocery store.  One guy commented that she was being such a good girl and her first thought was "Mom, at least that guy didn't call me little!"

Since I can remember she has always had an opinion.  And even though we have our battles every now and then I really do love how independent she is.

Even her face looks like it's changing to me.  Every year I notice how much older she looks.  This year she is a preschooler.  That is so much older than I think I am ready for.  I was good with the infant/toddler years.  I had plenty of experience with that age group after having my own classroom for many many years.  After she outgrew that stage I have been winging it.

I can't help but get a little teary eyed when I think about how far we have come and how big she is getting.  They are absolutely happy tears.  I'm not sure why it seems to hit me so much right around her birthday.  I guess it's just that time of year again.

Wacky Fun

Yesterday was awesome.  We had a ton of Seussical fun to celebrate the author's birthday along with Read Across America day.  We played with Ooobleck and had lots of yummy treats!  I thought about writing a post but I already did a Sesuss quote page.

We also found this little gem on Netflix.  It's the Cat in the Hat play done by the Royal National Theatre.  There is a preview on YouTube.  I guess you can rent it on YouTube but you can also watch it on Netflix.  Clover has fallen in love with the play and follows along with her book.  The scenes are so much like the illustrations that it's so easy to find where she is in the book.

We had so much fun that I forgot to take pictures.  Bad me.