They want documentation, and then the decision is still up to the doctor. Many do not want to expose other patients in the waiting room to unvaxed children. And many parents of vaxed children do not want that either, and have started asking doctors about that issue.

I love leaving tips for the maids when we go to Disney World. We tip $5 per day, and to let our "Mousekeeper" know it's for her, we put the money in a cute envelope, and I make a towel animal and stick the whole thing in the bathroom sink. If you've ever been to Disney, you know towel animals are a big thing for the Mousekeeping staff to leave in your room. When we leave them one...we get several in return. Very creative ones! It's been a really fun thing for my kids to see what kind of towel origami the mousekeeper left for them each night. Here's one site with some Mousekeeping envelope templates for the rest of you mouse junkies out there. There are many others...just google "mousekeeping envelopes". http://wdwprepschool.com/printable-customizable-and-cute-mousekeeping-money-envelopes/

And here's an op/ed piece from a doctor who's even more vehement about the whole issue. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/13/thanks-anti-vaxxers-you-just-brought-back-measles-in-nyc.html http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/30/the-real-reason-pediatricians-want-you-to-vaccinate-your-kids.html

For those of you who choose not to vaccinate, please be aware that you may have difficulty finding a doctor who will see your child in the very near future. A movement among physicians to choose not to treat children who are not fully vaccinated is sweeping the country like wildfire. In the past six months (since outbreaks of measles and other vaccine preventable illnesses have occurred throughout the country) I've personally spoken with three pediatricians in my city who are dropping, or no longer accepting, unvaxed patients. Legally, they are not required to do so, and a great many of them are deciding they will not. A clinic that I used to work for sent out notices to all patients last week stating that if their children are not fully vaxed, they need to go elsewhere for their medical care. And our local hospital is now keeping your unvaxed child in a quarantined environment if you bring him or her into the ER for treatment. That will cost the parents big bucks. Here's a recent piece from a ped who has made this decision. http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2014/03/measles_outbreak_in_new_york_city_should_pediatricians_treat_unvaccinated.html

If you have any itchy throat after swallowing it....Stop! It could easily turn into anaphylaxsis the next time. It sounds like you have a plain old allergy to coconut oil. Don't ingest any of it until you've consulted a doctor. It has been linked to other tree nut allergies in the past.

I'm so sorry. That would have gotten my attention, because a child covered in bruises is not normal. One or two on the shins is expected, but not on every limb, and not multiple bruises on multiple limbs.

Sorry I wasn't more clear. I was trying to answer questions on a grammar lesson and type at the same time. :D

I have to follow the law. Each state is different. I have to ask how the child got the marks, and listen to her explanation. Depending on how the marks looked (you can usually get a fairly good idea if they're from an accident or not), and what she said, I would make my decision. I had a child once with a ugly bruise on his leg. Turns out his brother whacked him with one of those metal Tonka trucks. Four year old brother fully admitted that to me. I did not report the incident. Also, I am far less concerned with bruises on legs and arms. Bruising from abuse tends to be seen on the child's trunk and back, because the parents are trying to hide it. And small children usually have quite a few bruises from the knees down as a matter of course, so bruising on the legs would not get my attention unless the bruises looked like slap marks or they were welts.

What kind of dance is she doing? Ballerinas should not come home bruised. Modern dancers, yes, but it should be minimal.

I never played with my kids. That's what other children are for. They turned out fine. I read to them, we watched movies together, and we did projects on occasion. I also played board games when they were old enough to understand what they were doing...around age 9 or so. But I did not play "make believe" stuff with them. Don't feel guilty about it. You're their mom, not their friend.

As a mandated reporter, no I would not. It is not illegal in my state, and if I did not see any evidence of it, it's all hearsay. CPS wouldn't even bother to investigate. Now, if I saw marks on the child's body during an exam, and the mother admitted it, then I would have to at least make a phone call.

I'm pretty sure she's going to think you're trying to kill her. :D

Oooh, you can do Disney countdown fun!! Make a countdown calendar (Pinterest has lots). I have so much fun with those!! I always have a special themed Disney dinner every Sunday night before our trip for months ahead of time. I choose a Disney movie, and then theme the food to go with it. Spaghetti and meatballs and the works for "Lady and the Tramp". Pizza Planet for "Toy Story". A French dinner for "Beauty and the Beast". All kinds of fun themes. Disboards has lots of ideas for this. Under the "family board", I think. Anyway, it's a blast, and it helped my kids refresh their memories on the movies and characters we were going to meet. Now we just do it for nostalgia's sake. And because I love it. :D

THIS is why I love Disney. Those pixie dust moments. Amazing.

So, so, many!! One of the most meaningful for our family actually happened on 9/11/2001. Yes, *that* day. We were on our way to Disneyland (actually spending the night in Vegas), when the terrorists struck back east. We didn't know what to do. My dh and I decided that we were going to go to California anyway. When we were driving through the desert, we heard over the radio that Wally World...er...Disneyland was closed. I finally managed to get hold of someone at Disney Dining reservations, who said to just come, and everything would work out. We were staying at the Disneyland Hotel (my favorite!), and when we stepped into the lobby, we were surrounded by characters. My kids were 10, 7, and 9 months at the time, and we were trying to shelter them from the awful events of the day. Disney really came through. Buzz and Woody immediately started playing with my son. They were having a "Space Ranger shootout" through the lobby. And Snow White and Cinderella came up to see my dd. She was star struck. They sat and talked with her, and her eyes were as big as saucers. Pluto was playing peek-a-boo with my baby, who loved squishing his nose. The hotel was practically empty, because all flights had been grounded, so no new guests were arriving, and other guests who were scheduled to leave had made other hotel and travel arrangements. It was so odd to see it that way. Snow White came up and asked if she could take my older kids to the conference room down the hall where they were showing Disney movies and serving cookies and lemonade to the kids. There were other characters there who were watching the movies with the kids. Let me tell you, that was my dd's dream come true! They also had other conference rooms set up for parents with banks of TVs showing the news, and more cookies and lemonade. After we'd checked in, we headed to our dinner reservations at Goofy's Kitchen. The place was practically empty, and it was like the staff and characters were there just for us. They were amazing. It was such a hard day, and I felt worn out trying to be happy for my kids while I wanted to break down and cry over what happened in NYC, D.C., and Pennsylvania. Goofy saw me standing by the buffet, and just walked over and hugged me. It was so sweet. A lot of hugs were given that day between characters and adults. And even as a grown-up, when you feel awful, hugging a giant Eeyore does help. The park was closed for the rest of the day, but the pool was open, and the kids had a great time swimming. All of the games in the arcade were free, and ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney (the only place open...and only for hotel guests) had free sodas for everyone, and all of their games were free as well. The next morning Disneyland reopened, and we were part of the handful of people in the park (no new people were arriving, locals were home...glued to the TV, and people who were stuck there were out of money, so they weren't in the park). Mickey came up to greet us, took my oldest kids by the hand, and skipped with them down Main Street. It was amazing. We have wonderful photos in front of the castle with literally not another soul around. When we rode the rides, the CMs just let us stay in the vehicles for as many times as we wanted. The next day, or maybe the day after, Disney started having a moment of silence during the day, where everyone in the park stopped what they were doing, and we all stood and sang "God Bless America". It was really an amazing moment. There were many people visiting Disneyland from overseas, and after the ceremony was over, several of them came up to us and asked if we were American. When we told them we were, they all hugged us and said they just wanted to let an American know how sorry they were for what had happened, and that they support us and were praying for us. We were all crying. And it still brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it. So it was a very bittersweet and emotional time at Disney for us. We wanted to be happy for our kids, and most importantly, not frighten them, but we also wanted to do nothing but watch the news 24/7. I was so impressed at how kind and sweet every single cast member was during the week we were there. Especially the characters. They were very attentive and engaging, and sought out my children at every opportunity. I think we all wanted to feel better and find some hope in the world during such a bleak time, and nothing helped more than hearing children's laughter. Disney made my children laugh that week...and they gave me hope.

Oooh, Grand Floridian Club Level?? I'm jealous!!

Oh, I guess I interpreted the article differently. More like, parents who have children who should be doing age appropriate things (like a ten year old climbing a tree or riding a bike with friends in his neighborhood), but are not letting that child have that experience due to their "blown way out of proportion" fears. Obviously, a four year old climbing a tree unsupervised would not be safe, and shouldn't be allowed. But that same four year old should be able to play in the backyard without mommy hovering over him the entire time. And I know parents who won't allow their preschoolers to play alone, or with their siblings, in their fenced-in backyard in suburbia. I felt that the point the author was trying to make is that children today aren't reaching those milestones of independence that children growing up in the 70s and before did. And that in the long run, the negative effect of that will be far worse than risking a small chance of injury. My youngest had to have four stitches in his shin two summers ago because he was climbing over a chain link fence by the canal and took a wedge out of his leg from the crossed wire at the top of the fence. Last summer he got 8 stitches in his knee because he slipped on the neighbor's wet patio near the pool and gauged it. There were plenty of adults around (not me, I was at home), but accidents happen. Then, the DAY he got the stitches out, he went back there to swim, slipped on the diving board, and opened the cut again. No stitches that time, because he had road rash all around it. The doctor laughed at him, and said, 4 hours without stitches before needing them again was a record. Can something serious happen? Of course. We can't eliminate all risk from our children's lives. I think the author is saying that the problem with parents today is that they want to. But that's just my interpretation and where I'm coming from. Obviously other people see it differently.

I think we might be scaring the OP. :lol: OP, the one thing to remember, as you can see, is there are MANY ways to do Disney. And none of them is the "right" way. Some people love the dining plan, some hate it. Some people HAVE to bring their car, others never see their car until the day they get home. Some people need to be at the parks by "rope drop", others don't consider it a vacation if they have to get up early. Some folks stay in the parks from open to close, others choose to spend several days just relaxing at their resort pool. Some people go all out, staying in deluxe hotels, eating all table service, buying $$$$ of souvenirs. Others stay off-site, cook every meal in their hotel/condo, bring food into the park, and allow each kid $10 for a souvenir. And that's the GREAT thing about Disney. It's a vacation that you can truly customize to suit your needs and the needs of your family. You just need to find your own personal "Disney style". The problem is that you'll actually have to go there once in order to figure that out. But after your first trip, you will definitely know what you liked, what you didn't, and what you would do differently the next time. The first trip is the hardest to plan...after that, they're a piece of cake. And dare I say it...,FUN to plan. :hurray: So just hang in there, ask for advice, and then pick what you think suits your family best. It won't be wrong, and you will have a great time. After all, you'll be in Disney World!!!! :D

Amen!! This article is right on the money. We don't have a playground like this around here, instead we have "outside". And my kids played freely in it, without any supervision. We have fields, treehouses (homemade and up high), vacant lots with giant mounds of dirt from an unfinished housing development, a creek, kid-built forts, etc. Fortunately, the kids in my neighborhood still play outside in a horde like they did when I grew up. There are no such thing as arranged playdates. If you want to play with another kid, go to their house and knock on the door. And I can honestly say, most of the time, I didn't know where my kids were other than "out in the neighborhood somewhere". My youngest is being raised the same way. They were "outside" yesterday with my Ipad, making action movies. I didn't see him from 3 PM to sometime after 8 PM. They eat dinner at the closest home (and once or twice a week, that's my house), or they wait until they're hungry and come home. Our neighborhood is a cross between Huck Finn and Leave It to Beaver. And our kids are thriving because of it. This is the part of the article that I'm really seeing to be true. Especially among some of my adult children's friends: "But sometimes it seems as if children don’t get the space to grow up at all; they just become adept at mimicking the habits of adulthood. As Hart’s research shows, children used to gradually take on responsibilities, year by year. They crossed the road, went to the store; eventually some of them got small neighborhood jobs. Their pride was wrapped up in competence and independence, which grew as they tried and mastered activities they hadn’t known how to do the previous year. But these days, middle-class children, at least, skip these milestones. They spend a lot of time in the company of adults, so they can talk and think like them, but they never build up the confidence to be truly independent and self-reliant." I cannot believe the number of children who have NEVER been left alone or away from their parents at ages where it is beyond ridiculous. Your twelve year old has never spent a night away from home? Your 17 year old has never held a part time job? Your 10 year old has never gone to someone else's house to play without you there? Seriously? Your 9 year old can't play outside IN YOUR OWN YARD without you being right there? Shame on you! You are not helping your children grow up. You are destroying their self-confidence, crushing their desire to be independent, and raising a child who will struggle with making mature, independent, adult decisions in the real world. You are raising a child who will be chewed up and spit out by the real world, and who will have a hard time adjusting to life without mommy around to do everything. You are making it very difficult for them to be successful in life, and to feel confident in who they are, and what they can accomplish.

I get it every time. It makes it easier if you want to eat in a different park than you've been hanging out in all day. Plus, sometimes we'll go to a park in the morning, hang out at the hotel pool in the afternoon, then want to have dinner and spend the evening in another park. Since we always have 10 day tickets, paying an extra $55 or so to add the park hopper isn't a big deal. If you're not sure you want it, you can always wait until you're there, then add it if you need it. Oh, and monorail resorts are: Contemporary/Bay Lake Tower, Grand Floridian, and the Polynesian.

That's why I love living only 10 hours in the car from Disneyland. It's great for spur of the moment Disney trips when I just *have* to be there! I also want to buy DVC this year so we have big family vacations in the future with grand kids. I can't think of anything more fun!

I know. I totally cried, too. The end just melted me. Watch their other videos. Equally as precious...and funny. This family GETS IT! And the ones with the grandparents along are so sweet. I want to be just like that with my grand kids!

Oh, and this family makes the cutest, most fun, Disney family vacation videos. This is their most recent one, but watch them all. It'll give you a sense of what it's like. More freaking fun than you can handle!! LOL Sorry, no video. Violates the rule for posting copyright content.

Oh, and we went all the time when my youngest was a baby. We put him in the baby backpack carrier and took him everywhere. We baby switched at the major rides, and it worked fine. There are also baby centers in every park (the one in Magic Kingdom is especially lovely), with a room for nursing moms, high chairs, changing tables, etc. I visited multiple times a day.

End of May is a little better....as long as you avoid Memorial Day weekend. The beginning of May is our favorite time to go. Our preferred times to visit in order are: 1st Week of May, early March (before Spring Break), October, early December (before Christmas break), and February (not President's Day weekend). There is a price differential between the more crowded times (summer and holidays), and the rest of the year. Notice how I NEVER go in summer. Free dining is not worth the crowds and humidity to me. If you stretch out your vacation to five days in the parks, you can have a somewhat leisurely time, and enjoy it. Three days is too short...you'll be trying to cram everything in and it won't be fun. My absolute minimum time for a vacation at WDW is 8 days. We usually go for 12-14 though. That allows us to relax and make it a real vacation. Oh, and we still can't see or do everything in that amount of time. We pick and choose, and save some things for later. Since this is your first time, I would suggest staying at Port Orleans. It's my favorite "moderately priced" resort. Beautiful setting, great pools, comfortable rooms, and a lovely theme. Here's a website solely dedicated to this resort. They also have special princess themed rooms that your dd will love (for a little extra $) http://www.portorleans.org/ You'll need to decide if you're interested in the dining plan. We always get it for convenience sake. We get the plan that allows 1 table service, 1 counter service, and 1 snack per day. That is more than enough food. I also bring things like granola bars, instant oatmeal, cold cereal, and poptarts (hey, it's vacation time, lol), etc. for us to eat in our room if we want to eat a quick breakfast and get to the parks by rope drop (which I also highly recommend). For restaurant and food information check out http://www.allears.net/ and http://www.disneydining.com/ Both excellent resources with menus for each restaurant, as well as reviews. You will need to make your dining reservations 180 days in advance if you want to guarantee you'll get the choices you want. We can help you with that when you're ready. As far as tickets go, I always get Park Hoppers. I like the flexibility, and it only adds around $55 per ticket for the length of your stay. I also add the Waterparks and More option. If you think you'll want to spend the day at one of the water parks, it's great. And they're a blast! Go to https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ and browse through the different hotel options and price them out. Of course, the deluxe hotels are the best, but they are pricey. Totally worth every penny, though. Moderates are great, and we've never had a problem with certain value resorts either. It's all up to you. Also forgot to add that at 10, your dd is a Disney "adult", so be sure to figure in adult prices for tickets and meal plans for her, not the child's price.