If all else fails, make a movie

I don’t know about you, but I have a not-small collection of photos of my children making messes.  I’ve captured Annie as an infant, happily splashing away in the dogs’ water bowl and gleefully spreading flour all over the kitchen tile.  I have hundreds of pictures of Catie and Lilly covered in food.  I have pictures of colored-on legs and arms – and sofas, and walls…

Perhaps one of the biggest baby mess pictures was captured about 2-and-a-half years ago, when Lilly was newly crawling.  I thought I was safe to leave the girls in the kitchen while I went to the bathroom.  Including hand-washing that’s what, 60 seconds? 90?  Not long.

But thinking gets you in trouble, my friends.  Especially when you are mother to a very ornery child like my Catiebug.  And besides being ornery, she’s also unlucky.  Things just happen to Catie.  Her cups spill, her plates break, she falls out of chairs.  Sometimes I fear she has a little black cloud following her around.

So yes, as an experienced mother, I certainly should have known better.  But alas, I did not.

What I saw when I exited the bathroom was nothing short of shocking.  The kind of shocking that rocks you so deeply you can’t even be angry because you’re just too stunned.

Fortunately I had the presence of mind to take pictures.

I also immediately sat down and emailed my husband.

He’s a neat freak.  Case in point, he couldn’t sleep last night.  You know that saying, ‘If mama’s cold, everyone puts on a sweater’?  Well if Daddy wants to clean, everyone has to clean.  So at about 1 am, he woke me up to clean.

And I have no more polite words to say about that, so I’ll move on.

So being a neat freak, he is constantly upset by the condition of our home.  I truly believe he has a mental image of me sitting on the couch all day, watching daytime TV, playing solitaire online, and maybe even munching on bon-bons while the children run wild.

He has no understanding or appreciation of the fact that I actually spend all day working, picking up right behind them, and this is still as good as it gets.  Suzy Homemaker I am not.

I’ll cook rings around 90% of wives, guaranteed.  But when it comes to housework, I fall miserably, pathetically short.  I readily admit this.  But it’s not like I do nothing, I just can’t figure out what to do with all of the ‘stuff’.  I can organize a room no problem, but when it comes to the daily mail, school papers, missing pieces from toys sets, broken jewelry, and-and-and, I’m at a loss.  As a result, our house isn’t dirty, but it’s perpetually cluttered.  One of us has learned to accept this, one of us has not.

So back to the day in question – I finally felt I had good tangible evidence that I do indeed clean up messes before he gets home.  My email was this:

Chris,

I was thinking about you today.  Thinking about how different our jobs are.  Thinking about what you  might be doing at that moment.

In my mind, you decided to go to the bathroom.  You have the luxury of doing that whenever you want, you know, and you get to do it all by yourself.  I don’t think you fully appreciate that simple luxury.  So I imagined you taking a leisurely stroll though the office, maybe stopping for a cup of coffee on the way back to your desk, maybe pausing to chat about last night’s game.  Chatting with a grown up, chatting without interruption, without a small child tugging on your leg.  And I imagine that when you make it back to your office, your desk probably looks pretty much the same as it did when you left it.

I don’t work from a desk – my office travels with me.  I don’t have co-workers to engage in adult conversation.  I rarely get to go to the bathroom alone and I never get a hot cup of coffee.  And I can’t leave the room unless I’ve properly occupied my subordinates, which I failed to do today.

Which is why, when I returned from approximately 90 seconds of solitude, I was greeted by this:

Don’t worry – it’s already cleaned up.  Just enjoy your day.  And when you get home, try not to give me any grief.  Believe it or not, I’ve had a day too.

My point was made nicely, and lasted for about 3 days.  Typical.

However, the picture is the crowning jewel in my kid mess photo collection.  And this week it got even more mileage, in the form of a YouTube video.  Amanda Tinney of Disney Every Day set a song to photos, and I’m happy to have contributed the perfect match for my line.  See for yourself.

So while my evidence might not have swayed my husband, at least it’s entertaining the masses on YouTube.  I’ll consider that a day’s work done.  And now back to the TV.

Bye y’all!

I’m gone! I really need to get back to what is near and dear to my heart.

It’s been way too long.

The castle is beckoning me to the Magic Kingdom:

The Tree of Life is calling me in for a show:

Spaceship Earth is waiting to be explored:

The Sorcerer’s Hat is full of magic:

The Flower and Garden Festival is in full swing:

And none of us can wait to hear “Por favor mantangese alejardo de las puertas”

First we’ll go by plane:

And then we’ll go by bus:

First we’ll visit our home-away-from-home:

and then we’ll hop over to the convenience of a monorail resort:

We’ll likely enjoy the pools:

and probably the water parks too:

There’s sure to be lots of good food:

and maybe some special desserts:

We’ll have lots of good times:

and see some old friends:

and definitely enjoy some ice cream:

Good times are waiting to be had. Now I just need to finish packing.

Have a great 10 days – I know I will!

I’m back!

Exhausted, half deaf, crazy busy, and somewhat more scatterbrained than usual, but back nonetheless. It was a great long weekend in Disney, and I so enjoyed meeting the members of the 2009 WDW Moms Panel. They are a really great group and I know that the panel will be in good hands.

Pictures will be coming soon…this weekend I hope. I am busy playing catch up on all those Christmas presents I decided to make. (Someone please remind me of this next year, or else I’ll do it all again) Nella, if you are reading this I send out my sincerest apologies. I had something finished for Niilo weeks ago, but I am STILL not done with yours. Looks like you’ll be getting a belated gift this year. Which of course, to anyone who knows me, this comes as no surprise.

Eardrum rupture did close so no surgery required – woo-hoo! Tons of fluid in both ears though, which is why I can’t hear. I am on round 3 of steroids and round 4 of antibiotics right now, and still a prescription decongestant, so hopefully one day soon I will be hearing again! Voice is almost back as well. I think the hearing thing is annoying sometimes, mainly when I have to leave the house, but at home I find it rather handy to not be able to hear the children at all times. Is that terrible to admit?

Ok, enough of my mini-update – I’m back to sewing now. Oh and before I forget, Allison from A Slice of Heaven is my CARES winner. Congratulations Allison! It will be mailed out shortly.

Enjoy your weekend!

A very Disney halloween

For the first time ever we used these really cute Disney jack-o-lantern patterns. They are cute, and surprisingly easy. Nest year I’ll buy a battery powered cutter rather than doing it all by hand though.

The last one was after trunk-or-treating. Yes, I know, I still haven’t posted pictures. Behind as usual!

Deja Vu all over again

Last year at this time I was anxiously awaiting an email from Disney, and crossing my fingers that it would bring good news and carry me into the third round. Fast forward a year, and I’m on the other side of that fence. It did indeed bring good news, and now I am watching the next round of applicants await their emails.

They began to get the good news yesterday (a day earlier than we did last year, though their interviews are Tuesday and Wednesday instead of Monday and Tuesday like they were for us). It’s been so exciting to wait with them…and nerve-wracking all over again! I don’t know why, but I still feel it vicariously. I’m so excited for next year’s panel that I haven’t had time to feel sad about our tenure coming to an end, which is great. Because it really is sad!

Laura used her Moms Panel position as a stepping stone for a whole new life – new town, new job. Have I mentioned she’s now a cast member? WOW! So exciting. Chris could transfer with his company to Tampa, but I don’t think that would be a workable commute for me! lol

So for those who don’t already know, round 3 is here, and I suspect that the 2009 Moms Panelists might be announced late next week. I hope so, for their sake. It would be pure torture to wait all weekend for the results!

Good luck everyone. Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust!

Just one more reason to love the mouse

The Disney Moms Panel opportunity has been wonderful for me in many ways. Sure, there’s the obvious honor of it all, the good fortune to be chosen, the excitement over our rewards, the many ways Disney has ‘plussed up’ my life, the magical memories, the daily pleasure of helping others plan their first Disney vacations…not to mention the micro-celebrity status. So yeah, of course that’s fabulous. And all in all, it’s more than I ever imagined. Certainly more than I dreamed would happen to me!

But beyond all of those things is the biggest gift I’ve gotten from Disney, and I am so thankful. I have made a wonderful friend named Darcie. I’ve bragged about her fabulousness here before (if anyone was paying attention), but today I need to do it again. Today dear wonderful Darcie sent me a present.

Not only was she thoughtful enough to remember my birthday, she was generous enough to send me a very lovely, very pampering present. And as if we had a telepathic connection, she knew exactly what to buy. You’d think she had flown over and peeked in my window about 2am. Because I am so desperately in need.

Now really, my ugly point-and-shoot picture aside, are those not the cutest jammies ever? I currently sport gym shorts and my husband’s old tee shirts, so this is a huge step up. And I am ever so grateful. For the cute PJs for sure (they are so going in my suitcase tomorrow too!), but more importantly for the gift that is Darcie in my life.

Thank you so much. Thank you for being so sweet and so thoughtful. Thank you for being such an awesome, inspirational person. Thank you for always knowing the right thing to say, and for saying what you really believe no matter what. Thank you for injecting a little pixie dust into my life. Thank you for being my friend.

She’s amazing y’all, seriously she is. I’m thinking of starting a fan club. You should hop on board now – membership slots are filling quickly.

Happy Mother’s Day

I’m oh so behind in my blogging, but lookie what Disney sent to this Mom for Mother’s Day:

It came last Friday and was such a wonderful surprise. They really do treat us like royalty, and once again I am so incredibly grateful for this amazing opportunity.