Adventure In The Great Wide Somewhere

Here's one of my new favorite blog hops today: Three Things Thursday Tuesday!  (Be sure to link up on her blog ! I'd wait until Thursday, however...) Since I already have a blog (and three blogs preceding this one) what haven't I already shared? Once Upon a Time There Was a Mom Who was the Best Because... 1.) She Showed me the World As the oldest of four children, I'm sure it would have been easier for us to stay at home or vacation somewhere slightly mellower. Instead she launched us into a world where dreams, fantasy and reality mixed and melded into memories. Living in a world that is larger than life. As I grew up she made sure that I not only loved Walt Disney World and Disneyland, but the Painted Desert, Paris and all points in between. Realizing how very small we each are in the grand scheme of things is really inspiring. 2.) Always Encouraged me to Believe in My Dreams. Even those times I told my kindergarten teacher I wanted to grow ...

Sometimes Mommy just needs a little time to herself. No children allowed! Now when I say something like that, almost every mom around me heartily agrees. When I tell my friends and acquaintances that I'm finally taking a girls weekend with one of my best friends, they're all thrilled, happy for me and a little jealous. They eagerly ask whether we're doing Sonoma or the Texas hill country. They are super supportive and understanding that everyone needs a little time off from mommy duty. They ask how I talked Ben into it. (Ben is super awesome and supportive in all my endeavors and graciously agreed to let me vacation for myself this trip.) I say that I didn't really need to talk him into it. I'm not sure they really believe me. Despite that they seem super supportive in my girls weekend away. Until I say where I'm going. If you are one of my real friends (or read this blog) this will be no surprise; we're going to Walt Disney World! If y...

Here's one of my new favorite blog hops today: Three Things Thursday! (Be sure to link up on her blog !) Since I already have a blog (and three blogs preceding this one) what haven't I already shared? Once Upon a Time There Was a Princess Who... 1) Ate oatmeal almost everyday for breakfast. Honestly, it's super yummy, who wouldn't want to eat it everyday? I guess me and Goldilocks have a lock on the whole breakfast porridge thing. 2) Finally got sick of her own excuses. This whole feeling sorry for myself for myself and blaming different things for my difficulty losing weight stopped a while ago. Yes, I have reasons why it's extra hard. So does everyone, otherwise we'd all be super fit. Earlier this week I found out that Patty of My No Guilt Life needed a few brave souls to join her diet bet. 3) Started blogging again and did it every day! Honestly, it could happen.  I think I really swing between everyday shorter posts and every once in ...

Here's one of my new favorite blog hops today: Three Things Thursday!  (Be sure to link up on her blog !) Since I already have a blog (and three blogs preceding this one) what haven't I already shared? In the last month, quite a lot! I have been off the radar for a while because (as it sometimes does) life took a lot of time and I almost entirely ignored my blog aside from picking a new header and colors. So this week I'm going to share three other things that have been distractions priorities in my life this last month! Once Upon a Time There Was a Princess Who... 1.) Decided to reorganize her home office. Functional, kinds busy/crowded looking I mainly used the room to store my laptop and supplies when they weren't in use. The room has a single north facing window, and we never really decorated it or picked out furniture since we moved in three years ago. Since the office is off of our master bedroom, it's something I saw and promptly igno...

Although I've already blogged over a dozen tips and tricks to save a bundle on your cruise, what about ways to totally blow your budget unintentionally? I'm not talking about splurging on a cabana massage or swimming with the dolphins. I'm talking spending (way) more than you have to on things that are unnecessary and in a few instances spending some cash in order to give Murphy the boot (or just keep from missing an awesome experience!) Skip Trip Insurance What's the worst that could happen? It's not like we could possibly miss our travel window and the ship would sail without us. It's not like I'd ever break my leg and need to pay to be airlifted off of the ship. It's not like I could have a relative get sick and need to reschedule at the last minute. Besides, aren't we trying to save money? The truth is once you are within 15 dates of your sail date any cancellation will mean a total loss of the cost of the vacation. This falls under th...

Disney Cruise Line is all about the "All-Inclusive*" Disney vacation experience. What on earth does that exactly mean? What is included in "All-Inclusive*" vacations? Why do you keep using that asterisk? "All-Inclusive" means that you could theoretically get away without spending a single dime once you've paid the initial cost* and boarded the ship. *Plus any ground transfers, pre- or post-stay hotel reservations, port parking, airfare and trip insurance. Minimally, please budget for gratuities! The standard gratuity of $13.50 per passenger per night of cruise will be automatically added to your account. This tip will be divided among your dining room server, assistant server, head server, and your stateroom host. If you wish to add to this tip for exceptional service, either adjust the tips at the guest services desk anytime during your cruise or else add cash to the envelopes left in your stateroom. What is Included: 1.) All Food* Thi...

If last night were Christmas Eve , we're stuck in the "waiting for mom and dad to get out of bed" phase of things. Full of box shaking, commencing now! Meaning all of us DCL fans are congregating on message boards and Facebook groups looking at lists of best guesses (brought on by careful analysis of port calenders) and wild guesses (brought on by impatience and hopes). Personally (and entirely selfishly), I would LOVE DCL to bring a ship back to Texas. For now, though, the waiting.

'Twas the night before cruise schedule release and all through the net Not a castaway was booking for summer 2015 yet. The rumors were flung through the forums with glee,  In hopes that DCL soon would port near me.  I am SOOOO ready to find out about our big family reunion next fall and tomorrow is the day!

Dr. Dolittle, I presume. #SilentSunday

Welcome Blog Hoppers to The Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere "Shorts Saturday" Blog Hop for the week of March 22. Every week, I host this link up blog hop to share a short and sweet version of our Disney love as we answer Disney related questions. I'd love for you to grab the button and link up your post! We all love comments, so half the fun is visiting each other's blogs and commenting on their thoughts. Our short and sweets prompt this week is "5 Favorite Ways to Goof Off" 5. Marathon of Once Upon A Time ! Best. Television. EVER! 4. Train for a marathon. Just for kicks, without actually entering a marathon. I'm a little strange that way. Besides, marathons are expensive and I could use that money on other things, like, say, Disney vacations. 3. Research. I told you I'm strange. In a previous life (read, before children) I was a research assistant for neurology and ophthalmology, so yeah. Now I'm researching fun things, like ...

Welcome Wordless Wednesday Blog Hoppers! Does this count as a garden? Thank you to Focused on the Magic for hosting!   

  Welcome Tiggerific Tuesday Trivia blog hoppers. Thanks again to Jodi from  +Magical Mouse Schoolhouse , Heidi from  +Heidi's Head , Jenn from Disney Babies Blog  and  +Mike Ellis  for co-hosting! Did You Know... The Buena Vista Theatre on the Disney cruise ships takes traditional 3D movies and decides to bump them up a notch. Well before the Frozen Sing Along premiered on the main land or was even announced, it tested the waters on DCL. Unlike it's land bound premiere, those lucky cruisers sang along to this 3D spectacular complete with the addition of snow in the theatre. Ready for some 4D! Which movie would you make 4D if you could pick any film? get the InLinkz code

Since apparently 10 Things To Know Before Your First Cruise and 10 MORE Things To Know Before Your First Cruise didn't quite touch on everything...   here are another top ten things to know before your first Disney Cruise Line experience. Pin Trading Although not quite as popular as it is in the parks, pin trading is alive and well on the high seas. Servers greeting outside the restaurants often sport pin lanyards. Pins exclusive to DCL are available in the shops (ask and they may even pull out the pin book for trading). Keep an eye on your navigator for officer pin trading events.  Ready with her pins! Lanyards for everyone! (Who is old enough to carry a room card.) Yes there are lovely lanyards sold in the shops on the ship if you forget. Your dollar store probably also carries some lovely lanyards and Disneystore.com carries quite a rotating selection. There isn't really a reason to carry a purse, as your key to the world card will be accepted everywh...

#SilentSunday

Welcome Blog Hoppers to The Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere "Shorts Saturday" Blog Hop for the week of March 15. Every week, I host this link up blog hop to share a short and sweet version of our Disney love as we answer Disney related questions. I'd love for you to grab the button and link up your post! We all love comments, so half the fun is visiting each other's blogs and commenting on their thoughts. Our short and sweets prompt this week is Incredible Kid Day. Write your kid(s) a letter (current, future, imaginary...) To my princess and my darling boy, Everyday you surprise me. The ways you find to be so kind, the little moments of insight when I look at you and realize that as much as I remember you like this: Awesome hat, little dude. That just isn't you anymore. Sometime between learning to talk and learning to tie your shoes you've grown up quite a bit. Chris there are times when you stop and help or explain things and I a...

Here's one of my new favorite blog hops today: Three Things Thursday!  (Be sure to link up on her blog !) Since I already have a blog (and three blogs preceding this one) what haven't I already shared? Once Upon a Time There Was a Princess Who... 1.) Didn't drink coffee. I've tried. I just cannot get past the taste, even when it's covered in chocolate and cream and sugar. Mmmmm Cocoa. At this point I accept the fact that water, cocoa and tea are more my cup of, well, tea. 2.) Didn't like staying up late. It's currently 9:30 PM as I write this and I'm having serious problems nodding off as I type. I definitely am an 7 hours of sleep a night person. (EXCEPTION: Disney World and Cruising do not count!) 3.) Didn't mind being unapologetically cheerful in the early morning. In college I voluntarily signed up for 8 AM classes every single semester five days a week. Often, I was known to get dressed while playing show tunes on ...

Hello FastPass to History Blog Hoppers! Thank you, again,  Frontierland Station for hosting this blog hop. Thirteen months ago, a dear friend and I set out on a series of conversations that led to this blog! So in honor of thirteen months of slowly joining the incredible world of Disney bloggers, I would like to post a list of thirteen of my favorite Disney blogs and podcasts! Back in the day... 1.) Focused on the Magic by Deb Deb first introduced me to the regular blog hop. I loved meeting up with her on facebook and getting to know the lady behind the camera. She inspired me to take another look at photography and slowly move from terrible but enthusiastic to okay. By next year I aspire to be pretty passable and eventually good! (After all, it's a step in the right direction!) 2.) Magical Mouse Schoolhouse by Jodi Jodi introduced me to the notion that fun school could be a family affair. I'd known several homeschoolers over the years, but she is the most rece...

Welcome Wordless Wednesday Blog Hoppers!  #DisneyMP #2015Hopefuls Thank you to Focused on the Magic for hosting!