Aaron's funny night

This was the scene at our house last night. Aaron has been addicted to watching our home video of our recent trip to Walt Disney World - especially the part that shows the opening ceremony for the Magic Kingdom. He has memorized all the words, as well as the songs and dances. He had on his daddy's boots because he was pretending to be "Magnet Man." Whoever that is.... enjoy! This is hilarious!

random tired thoughts

Braves are doing well, just have to fight hard to catch up with Mets or win Wild Card. Still way to soon to call.

New job is going well. Family is adjusting well. I'm tired but happy.

New cars are too expensive.

Dying to get to Disney World - looks like a quick weekend trip will be all we can squeeze in for the next few months.

Child is still awaks at 10:30 p.m. Typical Saturday night.

God, please get us through Sunday!

Good change, Bad change

Our lives are about to change in a big way. And I still can't believe it's really happening.

I am going back to work. Full time.

I never ever thought I would be going back, especially this soon. It's only been two and a half years since I left my job to have my son. But when God opens the door and says "Walk through - Trust Me" I try to be obedient. And that's pretty much how it has happened.

So what's bad about it? Of course, it will mean leaving my son in someone else's care while I am at work five days a week. It will also mean waking up early, which is something I really don't like. I see a new coffeepot in my future. Wear and tear on the car, and increased gas prices are also things I'm not looking forward to dealing with. (How's that for an incomplete prepositional phrase?)

Here's the good news: I will be making a lot of money. Enough to pay off my credit card debt in a short period of time. And my son will be spending his days at my best friend's house, playing with his best friend. Plus, I will have challenging work that stimulates my brain. I've missed that - somehow 5 minutes every other day of crosswords and sudoku puzzles just isn't doing it for me. New clothes - I can't wait to go shopping! And of course a great boss, and good co-workers for the most part.

So, God knows what He is doing... come Monday, I guess He'll let me in on the secret!

Finally, a Disney post

I love Disney. There, now that's out in the open. Anyone who knows me knows that I really enjoy most anything to do with Disney - theme parks, music, movies, clothes, forums, rumors, trivia. So, here's what's going on in the Disney part of my life right now.

I got my blue maingate pass in the mail last week!!! I am so excited!!! This means that I can get myself and 3 other people into the theme parks on 6 days between now and Dec. 31. So our admission for the family September trip to WDW is taken care of. That's a relief, since the budget would have been extremely tight if we had to buy tickets for my husband. Now I can move forward with our itinerary planning... my favorite part of the anticipation!

So I am deciding which park to visit on which day, and where to eat. Disney World is about so much more than just riding Pirates of the Caribbean and Test Track. There are so many great places to eat, wonderfully entertaining shows to see, and marvelous details to stop and appreciate. I do know that we'll be at Epcot on October 1, which will be Epcot's 25th birthday! We'll be meeting up with some of my friends from MagicalMountain.com. I'm really looking forward to meeting them face to face, and riding Soarin' with them! Not to mention cheering Nathan on, as he dares to do the impossible and drink 50 shots of Beverly at Club Cool. I'm sure after spending time with these fellow Disney-aholics, I will be even more determined to attend MouseFest in December! Actually, I really want to go, because I miss seeing Disney World during the holidays.

Sometime next week, I'll post more details about the planning, including some big decisions I need to make SOON! Right now, I'm off to do some Disney planning! Yippee! (turning on MouseWorldRadio to get me more in the mood...)

10 tips for vacationing with a 2 year old

1. Be prepared to watch the same DVD over, and over, and over, and over again. And that's just to get there.
2. Be prepared to tell lots of bed-time stories - at any time of day - based on the DVD you watched over, and over, and over again on the way to your destination.
3. Be prepared to execute creative tactics to keep the child from falling off the mountain while he throws rocks off the mountain.
4. Be prepared to deal with the aftermath of interrupted in-transit vehicle naps.
5. Be prepared to discipline the child as called for, even in front of horrified distant relatives.
6. Be prepared to hear new words, phrases, stories, and songs as the child discovers the new and exciting things around him.
7. Be prepared to be his comforting presence as he is confronted with the new and unfamiliar things around him.
8. Be prepared to snap pictures at any time, to catch that magical moment when the child sees that huge elephant on his first trip to the zoo.
9. Be prepared to say bye-bye to everything - animal, vegetable, mineral - as you depart your vacation spot.
10. Be prepared to save your memories through pictures, written word, and stories shared with loved ones when you return.

cleaning house

Today I'm cleaning the house. Actually I'm attempting to put the kitchen back together after we had it painted - 3 weeks ago. Yeah, I know, I'm slow. Actually really busy is more like it. So of course before I can get my kitchen back in order, I have to do something with the clutter that has accumulated in the past few weeks.

I WANT A HOUSEKEEPER! (other than myself!)

I also want: a massage, a visit to the spa, a new car (working on that one), a long relaxing vacation without the boy, some really yummy chocolates, some trees for my yard, a million dollar check from Ed McMahon, a beach house, an instant weight loss pill, time to read a book all the way through in one day, all my friends and family to receive eternal life through a personal relationship with Jesus, my personal study room/home office, to go on a mission trip, a lifetime supply of chocolate chip cookies (the soft chewy kind), and of course world peace.

Okay, now I have to end the procrastination and go clean. Bye.

Oh, be careful little ears what you hear...

Being the mother of a 2-year-old sure has taught me some lessons. Like don't take your eyes off of him in the bathroom unless you want the toilet paper unrolled onto the floor. And don't leave the wipes container where he can get to it, or else your kitchen floor will be slippery for days. (Of course he was only trying to "he'p c'ean fo, Mommy.")

Lately I've been reminded that he truly is a sponge, and I have to be mindful of what I say around him so that I'm not quoted at an inappropriate time. Now, let me be clear - I don't use foul language at all, so that's not what I'm afraid of. But I do have some habitual phrases that I already hear out of his sweet little mouth. There's nothing like a little boy saying "Yep" 27 times a day to make me more aware of what I'm saying... Yep.

So, okay, I didn't realize how often I say "Yep" and "Allright" until I heard these words constantly coming out of my precious son. Do I want him to repeat my bad habits? Of course not, especially at his tender young age. So how do I change my language when I'm not even conscious of what I'm saying? Therein lies the rub.

Motherhood is so many things - fabulous events like the first smile and first word, and mundane things like changing diapers eight times a day or searching frantically under the couch for the lost "baby moo." But one thing I didn't count on was the full-length mirror that would be in front of me day and night, forcing me to examine my habits, my motives, even my beliefs. Whether I like it or not, my child is a reflection of me. The good and the bad, even some of the ugly from which I try desperately to shield him. All I can do is try my best to change the bad habits he reveals in me, pray to the good Lord for help, and count myself very blessed if the worst he gets from me is the tendency to say "Yep" a little too often.

Did I mention I like the Braves?

So, I like the Braves. Actually, baseball is my favorite sport - I'll watch it live, on TV, and listen on the radio every chance I get. Of course the Atlanta Braves are my favorite team because 1) I'm from Georgia and 2) my grandfather is a long-time Braves fan who can quote any former or current Braves player's stats off the top of his head. Plus I think they're the best-looking team in all of baseball. They don't get scruffy and fat like some other teams. They are the all-American, apple pie, boy-next-door team. And I love to cheer them on!

So, here's what I think about the season thus far: better than expected after last year, but definitely room for improvement. Braves have won most of their series played so far, but they've only swept one. To compete for the NL East title, they'll have to kick it up a notch. I don't like to criticize individual players, because I know they have at least some talent to make it to the majors. So you won't read any player-bashing here. I respect them too much for that. But I will give credit where credit is due... Smoltz. Renteria. Francouer. Jones, C. Harris. Diaz. McCann. Wickman. Villareal. Hudson. And of course, the skipper who pulls it all together year after year. Bobby Cox is THE MAN.

Go Braves!

Obligatory introductory post

I decided to join the masses of people who have blogs... mostly because I just like the idea of my random thoughts being available for all to see. Perhaps they'll have some entertainment value for someone.

Why the title? Because this blog will mostly be a light, "easy listening" type of read; only occasionally will I discuss serious and heavy subjects. Mostly it's a blog about my life, my thoughts about my life, and my thoughts about Disney.

I feel I must warn you that there will be times when an entry ends abruptly - there's a reason for that. It's called a 2-year-old. I hope to keep those interruptions to a minimum, but there again you have a picture of my life! Currently he's hanging off of me, begging for a cookie. If I were a better mom, I probably wouldn't consider it. But because I'm a frazzled, going-in-200-directions type of mom, I'll probably say "plain or chocolate?"