Just thinkin'...

The Brain is a-goin'...

I am so not ready to start working again.

I don't have a book to read right now...and that totally stresses me out.

My mom was right about just getting books from the library.

How am I going to decorate my classroom? I need floorlamps...crates...posters...

We spent a sh*tload of money in July.

Luau.

I love that the people I had over Wednesday told me I had a great house. I don't hear that much.

Spending $3.00 in quarters and 15 minutes was so worth it to use the cool vacuum at the car wash place.

I should be writing a to-do list, not a blog.

I miss my brother who lives overseas.

I'm excited to rock it to Farmington next weekend...I totally dig my in-laws (and it wasn't always like that!)

I saw a baby born a little over a week ago, and as always, it made my heart stop a little with the magnificence of being witness to new life.

One of the reasons I never had a fourth child is because I didn't want to hear, 'Again?' again.

Disneyland has forever ruined my expectations for theme parks. Curse the raised bar!

I want to buy a cabin in the mountains. I hate tent camping.

I love that the title of 'best friend' is still a big deal in my life.

My nine year old daughter made a friend at the pool today, and I overheard them talking about a rude boy. I smiled for about ten minutes.

Lisa 'Random' C

Internet Goodies

I1. have found MySpace for geeks like me. It is called Shelfari, check it out at http://www.shelfari.com/ . Above is my shelf...I'm working on adding more tags and reviews, etcetera. If you see something I haven't rated and you're curious, shoot me a message and I'll let you know what I thought of the book. You can join (for free) and create your own shelf.

2. There is a dude who tied helium balloons to his lawn chair and flew 13,000 feet in the air for almost two hundred miles. Don't believe me? Check it out here: http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3365726

3. I thought most people knew about it, but apparently not. Check out Post Secret--people mail their secrets on post cards to this guy and he posts them online. (He's collected thousands and thousands--there are Post Secret books.) There are new posts every Sunday: http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

That's it for today...

Lisa "www dot" C

Punching Sully and Other Fun Tales out of Uncle Walt's House

We returned from Disneyland safe and sound. The drive was cake, and the kids were great. The following is a list of my favorite memories from our trip...

1. Favorite Sights:
Sitting outside on a bench in Disneyland, a nun in full habit.

An 80+ year old woman being pushed in her wheelchair by what appeared to be her grandson--she was wearing a Goofy hat, complete with a bill that made up Goofy's snout and two big black ears hanging down. She made the boy stop at every baby she passed so she could pinch cheeks and coo.

A cross-dressing man in a short black dress and pigtails. He was spotted again later in shorts and a t-shirt--perhaps Walt and Crew took offense?

The fireworks show is amazing. They have Tinkerbell flying around (an actual person on a cable system) above the castle waving her wand to set off the show. Connor said, 'Tinkerbell can really fly?!' That made a believer out of adults too...

2. Favorite happenings:
When Sully (from Monsters Inc.) approached us, my cousin gave him a playful little jab to the side and then hugged him. The lady escorting Sully said, 'Oh, no! We don't punch Sully! He's a nice Monster!' in a tone that implied Kristina should have known better. Seriously. I'm pretty sure Kristina would have punched that lady if there hadn't been kids present.

The Indiana Jones ride was a blast, but Connor almost revolted when we tried to go on it again. He was crying and throwing a fit, until, grasping for straws, I said that the big boulder that rolls toward the jeep is plastic and there's nothing in it. His eyes opened wide and he said, "It's fake?" We got him to go on everything by simply explaining the mechanics behind it. Maybe we sucked some magic out of it, but you try to find a five year old who's ridden Space Mountain and The Tower of Terror three times each!

While boarding the Monsters Inc. ride (and no, Kristina didn't box anything on this ride), the ride operators noticed Madison was wearing a birthday hat. When our little cars got to the end of the ride, our cars stopped and an animatronic Monster sang 'Happy Birthday' to her. It was such a wonderful experience for Ms. Maddy.

We spotted Mickey on the California Adventure side of the park--he was in his safari gear. We happened to see him just as he came around the corner so we got behind a couple people and scored a great picture.

3. Comments on Traveling to Disneyland:
Unless you're someone who intends to take your kids their multiple times in their young lives, why you would take a child under the age of five is beyond me. I watched many an exhausted, bleary eyed parent struggle with toddlers and babies who didn't want to wait in line for the Dumbo ride they would never remember. Everyone has their own agenda, I guess.

Disneyland is great for keeping parties together, and every ride operator has their own lingo (i.e. at The Tower of Terror, it's 'Enjoy your stay' when you board the ride, at Space Mountain, it's 'Welcome back Space Explorers). Disneyland is not good for meeting the characters--watch the parade if you really have to see them, but if you want to actually meet most of the princesses, etc. you're talking half and hour plus waiting in line. No thanks.

Fast Pass it. You can get a Fast Pass that will give you a window of time to return to the ride, and when you return, you go to the front. Not every ride offers it, but most of the big ones do. Plot out your plan of attack to make sure you get to go on the rides you like best.

Get there early, and then take a break. We got there first thing both days, and then left around the hottest time of the day; we returned to our hotel room and took naps. It was the way to do it, I tell ya. Also, pay attention to the restrictions on your tickets--certain tickets allow an 'Early Admission' day, where you can get in an hour early (it's only offered on certain days of the week, so check that too!). We got there an hour early, and when we got up front, discovered the Two-Day Park Hopper ticket doesn't allow Early Admission. Big, big sad faces.

The prices and lines are not completely ridiculous. Prepare for the worst, and expect the best.


Lisa 'I heart Disneyland' Cillessen