CELEBRATE!

The 1st parade we got to see was the short CELEBRATE parade.

What a great intro to the park and a great way to put you in a a celebrating mood!

 Look, prime seating and no waiting.

Another good thing about the quick morning parade.

 Joey can wave ALL PARADE LONG. She is so ready.

COURTESY FLUSH

I taught Joey to do a courtesy flush.
When sharing this story with a friend, I was surprised to find they didn't know what I was talking about. So, I will explain, for those not in the know.


A courtesy flush is when you flush, after the first drop, but before you are finished pooping.
Usually done in emergency situations, liking the rare case of pooping in a public restroom. It is to minimize the smell, out of courtesy to those around you or who might be next.


In our house, it is mandatory anytime Mark goes at all. 
And, as Joey is her father's daughter, it seems she might have to follow the same rules. 
Otherwise, Mommy is going to lose her sense of smell.

SAY CHEESE!

I know, I know.

I take too many pictures.

Trust me, I was told... several times, by the people with the lying smiling faces that I subjected to all of these pictures.

But I find that you usually have to take 10 pictures to get a 1 keeper.

Also, most of the really picturesque spots are in the beginning. So get them over with, and then don't worry about perfect group photos for the rest of the day!

Besides, how many times are you going to go to Disney? (Unless you're me.)

You're going to want the perfect picture for the memories to last.

All the neat photo editing touches are thanks to my cousin Amy, who took the time and money to buy the DISNEY PHOTO PASS. I'm torn on whether to recommend it. It is quite expensive. But if you have a large group, and you all use the same pass and take enough photos to make it worth while, then maybe. 

And this is the point where Grandma flat out refused to be in any more pictures for the rest of the day.

(And you don't know how many pictures from this group I DIDN'T post.

:)

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC BREAKFAST

Saturday morning, before going into the Magic Kingdom, we had breakfast reservations at our hotel, THE GRAND FLORIDIAN. But not just ANY breakfast, but the SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC breakfast buffet! While you eat, Mary Poppins, Alice and the Mad Hatter, and Whiney the Poo and Tigger come around to your tables to sign autographs, take pictures and meet and greet with the young and old alike!

Now, I had raised my daughter to dislike Whiney the Poo and his crew. They are archtypal characters of all the wrong behaviors a child or person can have.

Whiney is a glutton.

Tigger needs Ridilin and Eoore needs Prozac (or vice versa, I get my psychiatric medications mixed up.)

Piglet is debilitatingly shy and Rabbit has OCD. 

Not a one character I would want her to emulate or, quite frankly, even be friends with.

Well, out comes Whiney the Poo and Joey's face drains in color. I had to explain to her that he had to be nice, he was in Disney and everyone has to be nice while they are in Disney. 

You can see, from the first picture, she didn't buy it easily. But she came around after seeing all the other kids like him and hug him.

Now my daughter seems to take delight in announcing that she DOES like Whiney and Tigger and Mommy doesn't but she does!

I can not recommend the character breakfasts enough. You can wait 20 minutes a piece, easy, per character, when you are in the parks. But when you do the character breakfasts, you get to eat a fabulous buffet, and the characters come to your table while you eat. No waiting, no lines, no wasted time, and more personal attention for your littlin'. 

Up close and personal with Alice in Wonderland.

The Mad Hatter was the best portrayed character we met all day. (I am including the Princesses from Cinderella's Royal Table in that assessment.) His voice was spot on, his mannerisms, his crossed eyes... he was spot on.

Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way.

DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE

Top of the mornin' to ya!
With St. Patrick's day coming up, and Joey having her Irish heritage to learn about, I took out my copy of Darby O'Gill and the Little People. 


What is better then watching a Disney movie with Joey on a Sunday afternoon?
Watching one that has a pre-Bond Sean Connery singing "My pretty Irish Girl" in it.


Joey now knows that the Irish talk funny, spend a lot of time in the pub, play with Leprechauns and play the fiddle and dance a lot. 


I've explained to her that St. Patrick's day is a day to celebrate being Irish. You wear green, kiss people who are Irish, and grown ups drink lots of beer. She is asked if she could drink a lot, and I told her she could drink a lot of ginger ale. (Though not actually green, since it's in a green bottle, we pretend.)


Did I miss anything?

DISNEY CHRISTMAS, PART 1

We arrived at DISNEY'S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT on Friday afternoon.

We took the afternoon to explore the hotel grounds and had dinner at CHARLEY'S, which I have listed as my hypothetical last meal on earth.

Yes, that is a real gingerbread house behind us. 

Disney does them in all their hotels and a couple of other choice places (American pavilion in EPCOT).

CATCH UP TIME

I am MONTHS behind on pictures and videos. I had trouble covering from PC to MAC. 
But I'm up and running again.


We went to Disney for a weekend in December with Uncle Tom, Teta Vesna, Amy, Kevin & Vaughn.
(We is Mark, Joey, me, Grandma, Grandpa & Chris.)

HOW TO START A SUNDAY

Wake up to the realization that you slept in till 8 AM. (Dude, that is really late for me!)
Warmly bundled up from the newly arrived cold front.
Daddy and daughter quietly watching LION KING in the other room so as not to disturb you.
The oven now filling the house with the smell of cinnamon rolls.


Nanny Nanny Boo Boo!

SOUTH FLORIDA RIDE FOR KIDS 2012

This year’s RIDE FOR KIDS event will be at Quiet Waters Park on Sunday, April 15 2012.

Registration begins at 8:00 AM. Address: 401 South Powerline Rd, Deerfield Beach, 33442.

The Ride For Kids event raises money for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, a nonprofit 

organization that funds the research that will someday cure our children of brain cancer.

The Craven & Meyer’s family goal this year is $10,000!

Don’t be shy about a $10 donation, every dollar counts!

If you would like to make your donation by credit card on a secure site, you may do so online at:  http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/michelle-craven/2012-south-florida

If you, or someone you know, is interested in riding at this year’s event or volunteering, please comment.

            

If you are interested in joining a ride in your part of the USA, click on the following link: 2012 Ride Events to find a ride closest to you and it’s scheduled date.

Thank you for your support, your donation, and above all, for caring about kids like Jimmy.

The Craven & Meyers Family

THIS SUCKS!

Joey sucks her two middle fingers.
She only does it when she's going to sleep, so it's not a huge deal. But, she is 3, and we thought we might as well nip it in the bud now. 


So we bought this finger guard, to keep her from sucking her fingers.
So of course she switched hands.
We bought a second one, for her other hand.
So of course she switched to her thumb.
We then pulled out a pair of soft gloves from her sock drawer and put them on for her to sleep in.
Works like a charm.
I could think of that money I spent as wasted, or I could think of it as a valuable lesson.

"A LINE AND A HOOK!"

Joey can now write her name!
Well, Jo-Jo anyways.
She's made J's before but with varying success.
She can now write Jo-Jo, consistently... just in time to sign her Valentine's cards!

POOR SPORT

Joey is a poor sport.


She loves to race. She loves to beat you. She loves winning. 
She cannot stand to lose. 


It is more then just running; we're Cravens, we can turn ANYTHING into a competition.
We race to see who can finish their bath/shower first.
Who can finish dinner first.
(Of course in the car.)


But us Cravens don't have to win to have fun. (I very rarely win a trivia game against Mark, but playing is still fun.) The fun lies in the game itself, in trying your best, in the thrill of the competition. (Mark is a Craven in this conversation, because he doesn't come from a game playing or competitive family. But he still beats me at swimming and once, literally, ran circles around me, in flip flops, while drinking a beer and running around the lake with me. He's got it in him and can totally bring it!)


So Mark and I are trying to teach Joey how to be a good sport, and this is one of the hardest lessons yet.
She totally has a meltdown if Mommy beats her to the front door when we race back from the park. 
And Joey doesn't have meltdowns, she is such a good girl, so it was a total shock to us the first time.


So she is learning to say "Good job Daddy!" and give a high five, if Daddy beats her at something.
I'm being very careful NOT to say anything about being fair, or someone else's turn. 
I am NOT a trophy-for-every-kid kinda person. 
A kid or team that comes in first deserves to be treated special, they are first. You as a parent, need to teach your kid that came in second or third about good sportsmanship. You can also always find something they excel in; we're all not good at the same things.
The truth is, sometimes someone is faster then you, no matter how much you try.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, just keep trying.

CHANGING UNDERWEAR

Yesterday, Joey wore a cute dress to school.
When I got home, I asked her if she wanted to walk the dogs to the park and, of course, she said yes.
I put out a play outfit for her and asked her to change. (She likes to do things ALL BY HERSELF, so I left the room.) 
When passing her door a minute later, I saw her starting to take off her underwear. 


Mommy: "Joey, you don't need to change your underwear, leave those on."
Joey: "Yes I do! They are dirty. They have farts in them!"