Momof3littles
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Posts posted by Momof3littles
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See Dawn, I know nothing LOL. I should not be left to my own devices. I don't even know what Hollywood Studios offers, but the things you mentioned sounds like fun :)
We are pricing out a rental car plus a townhouse or a reg. house at Windsor Hills too. It seems like the price is close to about what it would cost at POR. As you said though, no privacy, no space (eeek). DH and I like the idea of some space :)
One thing I'm wondering. If you have younger kids and leave the park in the afternoon for some R&R time at home (naps, reading, downtime), is it a total pain to drive back later on for something like fireworks or a parade? I mean, that sounds like it could be a bad idea. Can you even leave and come back the same day anyway?
If you have young kids and stay off site, how do you handle that if you want to attend some evening events?
I guess I need to check what time the fireworks and parades are. I vividly remember those from the visit when I was just 4 yo :) My kids like both things a lot so I'd like to have them rest in the late afternoon possibly and then come back to the park later. Is that insane? Driving back and parking again?
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Gah. I keep going back and forth on WH vs. WBC vs. on site at POR or AoA. If I don't figure that out soon, it makes everything else trickier ;)
If we do the parks for say 5 days, what breakdown should I do with kids my children's ages? The two who will be almost 10 and newly 7 have historically declined roller coaster rides, etc. despite some gentle encouragement. DS2 will be almost 4.
3 Magic Kingdom and 2 at Epcot? I don't know that I'm super excited about much else, but maybe I should be? I haven't been to Disney in 30 years, LOL.
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I guess I should price out Port Orleans as well.
If you go at a less busy time of year, do you have a better chance of getting a requested building? I've heard some of the rooms at POR are a haul, so I was just wondering if we stayed there if we'd have a better shot at getting a more convenient building?
Is that two queens and then a trundle at POR? I think that would work for us since DD is super tiny and DS2 is only 3. So either of them would be fine on a trundle or can probably alternate so as to avoid a war.
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Looking at crowd calendars, Feb 1 and Feb 8th look pretty calm.
My DS1 would be turning 10 or almost 10 depending on when we go in Feb. My DD will be 7, and DS2 will be 3, almost 4. DS2 does not typically nap but may if we are out for fireworks some nights, and just from being on the go. He will still zonk out in the car on a busy day, so he may take stroller naps, etc.
I am wondering if we'd do better with character meals for like a later lunch? Do a quick breakfast, a snack, and then a later lunch at like 2pm? Time to unwind and sit down?
How long is the drive from Windsor Hills? My parents are considering hanging out in WH this year for an anniversary trip (non Disney). I gave my dad the info after seeing info here :) If we stay off site I can't decide between WH or WBC. Do you drive a rental car in from WH? How is parking if you arrive early during a not terribly busy crowd day? It sounds like WBC charges for the shuttle now. Dumb question-is that the daily shuttle to Disney (vs. shuttle to/from airport)?
I do think the space would be nice at a place like WBC or WH. I am an introvert, so having a MBR to retreat to is very nice LOL. Also helpful for separating kids if we need some or all to have some rest time in the late afternoon. We just got back from a trip to the Outer Banks of NC, and my kids had a few days where they had to hang out and rest or read for an hour late in the afternoon. It always, always helps their behavior, so I imagine we'll need some of that at Disney.
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I've never stayed at either. I didn't think any resorts were walkable to MK other than the Contemporary/BLT.
You are right, I was typing quickly and trying to be covert. Planning with the kids underfoot is not easy. DH and I were sneaking around making phone calls today while they were outside, but they kept popping in!
I meant the walk to transportation, like the buses.
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I don't mind mediocre food at the character breakfasts. I kind of assume that to be the case, and knowing my kids they'll be too preoccupied to really eat much ;)
DH is on the phone right now pricing Art of Animation suites/rooms for a family of 5. Is it a far walk to the parks (eta: meant buses/transportation)? I popped over to Disboards and some people were saying it was a bit of a walk. I seriously haven't pulled up good maps yet to compare, but how would it be at Wyndham Bonnet Creek to get into the park vs. AoA?
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Okay, bumping this up if anyone would be kind enough to offer additional help.
We are still debating on site vs. off site. Dh is making calls to price out Art of Animation and other rooms or suites that can accommodate 5. I think we will pay OOP for food. For us, I am fairly sure it will be a better deal.
We are leaning towards mid Feb at this point, but I know that is really short notice. As a result we've also considered waiting a year til Dec. 2014 or Feb 2015. If someone can help us piece it together and hold my hand LOL, we can do Feb 2014.
Seriously, please tell me what to do. I want to do 1-2 character breakfasts I think. What is the best time of day to schedule that so we can get into the parks asap? Favorite character breakfasts? We have some limitations due to the fact we didn't schedule 180 days out, so perhaps not perfectly ideal. I quickly checked 1800 Park Fare.
My kids don't have any absolute favorite Disney characters, as we haven't done a lot of Disney movies. They are familiar with Cars, the Princesses (although DD isn't a huuuge princess addict like many girls, but she'd enjoy that anyway), Pooh, etc.
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Thanks all. I've not tested my blood sugar. I'm just noticing the carb + coma+sleepy in the last year...I mean, I'm just linking it...if I think back, it's happened for a few years.
PCOS is something I've often considered I have. I once got tested for it, about 5 years ago, and the Dr. said the blood tests were negative for PCOS. I didn't know all the numbers and questions to ask, but I didn't quite believe him. I have many of the signs for PCOS. I'd like to go to a PCOS "friendly" Dr, one who believes it is real and looks beyond the basic blood work. It's just a matter of finding time.
I'm going to do the high protein/low carb for four days, as recommended and pay close attention. I mean, I can do anything for FOUR days, right? Probably the way I should be eating anyway...would likely help with the weight issue too.
Have you ever been to soulcysters? It is incredibly helpful and they have info on pcos friendly docs. My diagnosis was also missed initially. Doctor did an incomplete panel of bloodwork, and some of my levels came back "high end of normal." But I was symptomatic, and those levels were not normal. I pushed and he said I didn't have PCOS because I "wasn't overweight." I started putting a few things together and self referred to a reproductive endo at a top university medical center, where I was diagnosed right away. Many docs still go by dated criteria or don't know that the diagnostic criteria have changed (and are sometimes still up for debate). As you probably know, pcos has health implications related to type 2 risk, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, endometrial cancer, etc. so it is important to get a proper diagnosis. If you haven't yet, check out soulcystes and see if you can find an endo in your area with PCOS expertise.
Do you still have your test results by any chance? For example, my first doc tested total testosterone (mine was higher end of normal), but the reproductive endo knew that free testosterone is a more sensitive test for PCOS. That one came back higher for me. My original ob/gyn tested androstenedione and DHEA-S, but missed a bunch of other tests he should have done as part of the original panel.
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You can have PCOS without cysts, fwiw. There's currently debate within the endo community about changing the entire name for PCOS partially due to that. IME, many doctors, especially regular OB/GYNs and GPs really aren't up to date on the diagnostic criteria.
It is good you are getting the 24 hour test.
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Could you do some kind of pureed red pepper type of base? Do the jarred roasted red peppers have a lot of acid? I think some might, so you would have to roast and then puree on your own I guess.
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I have PCOS and am therefore somewhat insulin resistant, even though I have never been overweight. That's how I react to carbs, including whole grains. Basically I get a quick blood sugar rise, and my body pumps out excess insulin to compensate. That then causes blood sugar to drop to hypoglycemic levels.
Look into reactive hypoglycemia and insulin resistance. I'd request a 2 or 3 hour glucose tolerance test with insulin levels (edited to add: even that isn't a great test, but one of the more practical options. The gold standard is a euglycemic clamp test, which is rarely done outside of a research setting). A GTT alone won't give you enough information, you need to see how your insulin levels respond to a glucose load. I once had a lab screw that up despite the reproductive endocrinologist writing GTT with insulin levels on the script, and had to do it all over again. So make sure they get it right. Fasting insulin levels won't give much info, ditto fasting blood sugar. None of those #s are ever out of range for me.
Until I got my diagnosis it never made sense to me why I could eat a bagel or bowl of cereal and be positively ravenous an hour later. I would always end up far hungrier than if I had never eaten in the first place. That was 10+ years ago, and I was fortunate to get my diagnosis in my early 20s. If PCOS gave me one gift, it was piecing together the insulin issues with metabolic syndrome (family history of those issues made sense once I got my diagnosis) and so forth so I could better manage my health as an adult.
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I don't think you need to delete anything. I think most would agree with you, including me.
I would suggest you mention to your mom how awful it would be if she had a heart attack or something while babysitting babies who can't call for help or anything. :o
I had to tell my dad that. He has an aortic valve waiting to burst and has decided to forgo the replacement surgery. (He is old and the recovery would likely be half of any extra time it would buy him.) So no, I'm not leaving him in charge of my little people. Good grief he has to have a nap after putting his boots on, then walk to the truck, doze a bit there, then back out the driveway to check the mailbox. Then he comes back up and falls asleep reading his mail. I've told him multiple times I'm not sure how we will work it out, but I'm certain we can have him here anytime for as long as needed. But no, he wants to stay where he is. Fine, but no, I'm not sending my kids to stay there.
Really. Talk to her. It has nothing to do with how healthy or not she is "for her age". She is still her age. It's make me very nervous to leave a person over 70 caring for three little kids. Even in very good health, they can be so fragile once they reach a certain age, yk? It'd be just horrible if she fell while holding a little baby or something. :(
We've talked to her. She just truly feels BIL and SIL have "no choice" although I will say they've made plenty of choices that involve spending tens of thousands of dollars on things that aren't necessary. That sounds awful and judgmental, but I can't help but feel that way while watching MIL suffer. Their family does not do direct well at all, and this has been a longstanding dynamic with BIL and MIL. She will insist they have no other options, yet time and time again they prove that they do have options, but just make choices that don't take MIL into account. She also has severe osteoporosis (does injectable Boniva quarterly to try to manage it, along with megadoses of D), and is there lifting kids all day, which is one of the worst things possible for spinal fractures :(
FIL died suddenly this spring with absolutely no warning. He didn't even have time to use the cell that was in his pocket. No one expected it, as he always seemed the healthier of the two parents. It has made me scared for the kids as well, because they are very rural, few neighbors, long way from a hospital, etc. And MIL has multiple health conditions. Yet they are probably going to proceed with #3 and expect her to be on the hook to help, while they buy solar panels to the tune of 30K for their house while crying they don't have $$ for daycare :( . My apologies for the misplaced rants in the thread. I just happen to be surrounded by situations where the grandparent's needs aren't being looked after adequately. So many of the grandparents providing childcare that we know are overwhelmed yet feel they don't have a real choice.
Sorry for my misplaced venting.
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We were there for a few days this spring and did the Carnegie Science Museum, lots of just general walking around downtown. We couldn't catch a baseball game while we were there, but that would have been fun. The Warhol Museum was closed when we were there but I would have liked to check that out.
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Saw this briefly on the local news. Beyond awful :(
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Well of course there is a difference of helping and being taken advantage of. Joanne mentioned someone helping out one day a week. For most able bodied old folks, one day is not going to shave years off their life and run them down. I wouldn't want to do full time care of multiple grandchildren either and I wouldn't unless their situation was dire and temporary.
Oh, I agree. Perhaps it is just a hot topic for me right now. I am literally surrounded by people being affected by this situation: MIL, neighbors, parents' friends (several). In some cases the grandparent was agreeable to the scenario initially, but then more days get added to the schedule, or their health declines, or life changes, and suddenly they feel they can't back away or reduce their hours. I know of several scenarios were people purchased their home under the assumption they'd be receiving no-cost childcare, and then grandparents feel like they have to continue to babysit even as circumstances change, because they feel their kids don't have an alternative.
In one case, my friend basically called her mom while she was pregnant and said you have to move back to the area, I just can't put the baby in daycare. Retired grandmother moved back and cared for the child for 2 years, and then moved (far) out of state again. I think based on my observations and some discussion with her, she was burned out and felt it was her only way "out" so to speak, otherwise she'd be providing childcare for years and years (friend was then pg with baby #2, etc.).
I've just become very tuned into it in my larger circle after seeing things with MIL and my neighbors up close. In some cases they are being taken advantage of, and in others I think there's just a sort of creep that happens (more and more days requested, more children, grandparent situation changes and children are not proactively checking with their parent to see if the arrangement is still working well.) It seems like people just get trapped in the daily grind and kind of stop communicating, based on my experience.
Sorry to be a downer. Maybe I should just delete my post as perhaps it doesn't fit well in this thread. I unfortunately have just seen too many cases lately where the grandparents have been taken advantage of and don't feel there is a good way out.
eta: obviously this all gets to the fact that it is tough to swing decent childcare for many 2 income families. So many families need or want the 2nd income, yet if paying OOP for childcare, can barely put any money in their pockets. I look at the people in my life affected by these scnarios and feel for all sides. It has just made me really think about the importance of clear communication, and what I've witnessed is that either the grandparent doesn't feel like they can be totally honest about their feelings, or the children do a poor job of really checking in with their parent in a meaningful way to make sure the arrangement is still working.
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Earlier I tried calling my parents, who have an area code that starts with 91X. I misdialed, and ended up accidentally calling 911 and hanging up without realizing it (must have hit the 1 2x without realizing it, just knew i misdialed. 911 beeped in and asked if we were okay. I was totally confused as I had no idea how I dialed 911, and I knew the kids did not. It was only after I told DH what had happened that i connected the area code for my parents to what probably had occurred. Yikes!!! And then of course, they had to dispatch a cop, who came to my door to check on us and get my info. Yay. I'm sure the neighbors had a field day with that one!!! :/ I was so flustered I probably sounded like a criminal!!! I haven't ever gotten a parking ticket, am a total introvert, and just was all shaky trying to talk to the police officer.
Time for some wine I think!! Bad. day.
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My MIL has provided childcare to BIL and SIL for 3.5 years now. She is almost 70, starting to have increasing health and mobility issues, and at one point told BIL and SIL she couldn't handle caring for a 2nd child. THey of course added a second child to their family anyway, then sort of said, "Oh, but you can handle it, right?" MIL now feels like BIL and SIL can't afford 2 kids in daycare, but is physically being worn down by caring for them. She has told us that she absolutely cannot handle them having a third, and just recently BIL and SIL revealed that they wanted to keep the cloth diapers we loaned them for when they have a third (eeek!). Clearly both parties had better start communicating, and quickly. However, in the past, MIL's communication efforts were ignored anyway. She does not advocate well for herself, made worse now as she was recently widowed. FIL somewhat played that role for her in the past, but only minimally. For her to have said anything about them having #2 was a huge step for her, but she was steamrolled more or less :(
My neighbors next door care for their grandkids. The husband is in his late 50s but in poor health with back issues that caused him to go out on disability. He is caring for 3 kids under 3 1-2 days a week without his wife, and then she's there to help the other days. Both have repeatedly told us how worn down they are, but that their kids basically can't afford daycare under current circumstances.
I would love to be able to help my kids in some way as they get older, but I don't think at this point in time I want them to rely on me for FT childcare. I've seen my MIL defer her own health concerns because she's always caring for everyone else. Her own 90 year old mother is currently living with her, and she recently lost her husband. She needs ankle surgery but it is a 5 wk recovery, and BIL and SIL refuse to put into place any backup plan. They get annoyed when we ask her to take vacation with us. Clearly in our family, a large part of it is that MIL has a tough time being direct at all, so instead is quietly suffering and perhaps getting a bit resentful. Yet she won't say anything. BIL and SIL are not in tune with making sure she's okay, which is a huge issue, IMO. My husband and I see it, as does my other sister in law. It is difficult to watch. They also have no long term plan in place and likely can't afford full time childcare for 2 (or 3!), yet MIL's health can fail at anytime. And who knows what will happen as MIL's 90 year old mother needs more care. Her mom is currently in pretty good condition with decent mobility for a 90 year old, but obviously that can only continue so long. Something will have to give before long.
I think it is wonderful when it truly works for both parties. In my social circle I've seen several instances where the grandparents agreed to it, circumstances changed, and then they felt kind of trapped, TBH. More kids,health issues, loss of a spouse, need to pick up a paying job, etc. can change, and hopefully both parties can be open and honest about their needs and what is realistic. In the case of my neighbors, they feel trapped as their kids purchased their homes based on not having to pay for childcare. If they had to shell out for daycare, they literally would not be able to afford their current homes. It is really complicated, IMO.
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Watching as well. I suspect my DS1 may have this. He gets itchy from almonds and peaches, which I've read are common culprits in OAS. No hives, nothing anywhere else on his body, just itchy around his mouth I think. Of all my kids he also seems to be the most sensitive to pollen, which I've read is intertwined with OAS?
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Are you taking provera ? I took progesterone while undergoing infertility treatment related to pcos. Provera turned me into a total witch. I had more of an issue with it than any of the actual fertility meds. I switched to prometrium, which is peanut derived and more expensive. Much better and well worth it. I used it in one of my pregnancies from ovulation til testing, and opted to take it vaginally even though it was RXd as oral.
It generally makes me a big sleepier before bed. I don't need it to induce periods like I used to so it has been a while. You may want to explore the option of prometrium vs provera if you aren't peanut allergic. Frankly, provera made me feel practically homicidal. I don't have that reaction to prometrium.
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Well, they are still with normal insurance companies. The subsidy kicks in based off of % of federal poverty level.
My state isn't operating an exchange so our state will be part of the fed exchange.
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I do think mastery of the bar diagram is very helpful. It took me a while to get that down, but once I did, I wondered why I wasn't taught that way. I think it is a nice cross check of sorts even once they move to variables, kwim?
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Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
My kids and I read that last year and they still talk about it. Great book.
We're currently reading Swallows and Amazons, and I'm not completely ready to give up summer, apparently. We were also just on vacation at the beach, so it was a nice leadup to that.
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In public restrooms I just dump it, wipe it out, and reinsert. Sometimes I do that at home, too.For those that use a cup, do you have more than one? I cannot figure out how one can dump and clean one while sitting on the toilet.
Really, not a big deal. Just be sure to dump it out carefully when you are out in public...no drips, etc. on your clothes, etc. I have had a few close calls while rushing, but crisis was generally averted, thankfully.
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I have used it for years and am very happy with it. I sometimes need a pantyliner as backup, but it is only just a very, very small amount.
There's definitely a learning curve, so give it a few cycles before you rule it in or out. Different folds work better for some people, and you have to find a balance in terms of inserting (some people insert too far or too low and have leakage or comfort issues, for example). It got easier as time went on. Within a cycle or two I had it down pretty well though.
I much prefer it to tampons. I haven't tried any of the other cups.
Note there are two sizes. One is specifically for women who have given birth.
Disney planning help?
in The Chat Board
Posted
Okay, now complicating matters is that there is a discount running for Dec.
Someone ran #s for me and said for 12/12-12/18 you can get the Contemporary, 7days, 6 nights with discounted rate and 7 day base tickets to the parks: $4237.79.
That puts a twist on things I think.