worth a thousand

Polynesian Resort, in DisneyWorld, Florida

I wish this was the only green I would see today...Happy St. Patrick's Day!

when you wish upon a star

 

With the marketing machine heavily geared towards princesses at Disney, I was a little worried that our son would find the experience a little boring (yes, I was worried that Disney would be boring!)....and other than the thrilling rides, he'd tire of the "themes" (he's a little too old for "The Cars" phenomenon).


Of course, my worries were unfounded as both he and his sister enjoyed these more  adventurous, slightly educational and science-based activities...still loads of fun, but not so "fairy tale" focused.

Safari's at Animal Kingdom

Pirates of the Caribbean

Toy Story Mania

Space Mountain and Mission: Earth 

 The Festival of the Lion King show at Animal Kingdom

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular

Star Tours (Star Wars) at Hollywood Studios

 Lights, Motor, Action Extreme Stunt Show

Simulated flying (the popular "Soarin'" ride) and spaceship flying at Epcot Centre

And of course, there's the plethora of fireworks and light shows.  

I think our son liked Epcot and Hollywood Studios the best, where they both had plenty of fast rides, and the best fireworks and light shows.  "Fantasmic" at Hollywood Studios was spectacular, and probably our favourite. Illuminations at Epcot was beautiful too.  

I think Disney World has so much to offer...and he was never bored (they even had a dragon in the Electric Water Parade, viewed from our hotel balcony!) ...the smiles on their faces were more than we can wish for.

Epcot's Nine Dragons Restaurant Honey Sesame Chicken

(recipe adapted from the book, Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs)

The recipe in the book asks to cut the chicken into strips (like chicken fingers), but I thought this would be nice as chicken breasts.  We're not the biggest fan of fried foods, so I oven-baked this chicken instead, using Panko crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs, found on the same shelf as bread crumbs), and added apricot jam to bring dimension to the sauce.  The soy sauce in the marinade with the sesame oil adds enough salt content, so you don’t need to add any additional salt in this recipe.  


Ingredients

4-6 chicken breasts.


Marinade

• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. chopped garlic.

Batter

• ¾ cup bread crumbs
• ¾ cup Panko crumbs

Honey Apricot Sauce

• 3 tbsp. honey
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tbsp. ketchup
• 1 tbsp. white vinegar
• 2 tbsp. apricot jam.
• Sesame seeds (optional)

Preparation

• Preheat the oven at 400degrees.
• Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, add chicken then toss to coat.  Let stand for 10 minutes.
• Mix the bread crumbs & Panko crumbs in a separate bowl, and when the chicken is done with the marinade, coat with the crumbs.
• Place on a baking sheet, and into the oven.
• Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• While the chicken is baking, mix the sauce and heat in a pan (I used a cast iron skillet), until mixture bubbles.
• Place cooked chicken gently into sauce, to coat.
• Serve immediately.

Enjoy this out of world experience!

bippity boppity boo

I know there’s been a lot of talk about how the next generation of girls are so Princess–obsessed, that there has been a lot of worry about how the media is influencing the self image of our generation of little girls.  Books and articles try to show how Disney has created spoiled little princesses (and yes, I don’t particularly like how tween Disney stars model a certain kind of disrespect to their TV parents, male or female).  And how Cinderella and Snow White enforce the helpless image of Princesses in distress needing a Prince to save the day.

Having both a son and a daughter, I can see how the media targets them very specifically.  And no other place appears to “define” gender more than Disney.  Pretty glittery princess gowns and sparkly castles for the girls. And fighting warriors to protect your nation as a jedi or pirate for the boys.

However, our little girl still loves Cinderella, so before her lunch (a coveted, 6 month reservation for seating at the Cinderella's Royal Table in the Magic Kingdom Castle)  we hesitantly booked the equally popular Bippity Boppity Boutique for a princess makeover for TheG (yes, this also must be pre-booked 6 months in advance). While she was being made over to look like Cinderella, TheB was made over to look like a knight.

I really was reluctant and almost cancelled this makeover, as I wasn’t sure if I wanted to reinforce the notion that being a princess would make you happy.  And as parents, leading up to Disney, we ensured that both children had similar exposures and experiences to the real world around us, and reminded them that Disney was just a fantasy world.

Well, we went forward with the makeover plans as I was told that this is apparently a once in a lifetime opportunity, so after dressing our daughter up in her princess costume, then being treated to having her nails painted, makeup applied (which was ghastly and was removed afterwards) and having her hair done in her choosing (with limited choices), the chair was finally spun around to surprise our daughter with her transformation in the mirror.  


She almost started to cry.

She said she "wanted to look normal".  She was okay with the dress, liked the nail polish (it was pale) and the lip gloss.  Although she enjoyed the attention (and thought it was neat that they paid just as much attention to her brother as with her)...at the end of the day, she felt the most beautiful when she was being herself. Not some tarted-up, whispery voiced "image" of what beautiful is.

She understood the notion that we were together in a make-believe place, where princesses aren’t real (and she would often ask why all the princesses spoke "so funny", like Mickey Mouse).  She understood that while you're visiting this magical theme park, you can temporarily be transported into a story, like in the movies.  But just like the fairy tale, there is an end. 

So after having lunch in the Castle (she wanted remain in her dress and crown "costume" when she greeted Cinderella), she quickly took off the makeup, let her hair down, and picked up her wand...

...and bippity boppity boo, TheG was back to normal, and was the real, fun loving, strong girl again, in a real world, understanding the difference between reality…and fantasy.

And we couldn't be more proud of her choices.

Cheddar Breakfast Potatoes
(adapted from "Cooking with Mickey and the Chefs of Walt Disney World" cookbook)

Not for the faint of heart or for those watching their waistlines.  It was on the menu at the Cinderella castle and was something that would appeal to everyone...OTHER than dainty princesses. 

Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded potatoes
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp. parmesan
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper

Preparation

• Place shredded potatoes in mixing bowl.
• Add shredded cheese, heavy cream, sour cream, and salt and pepper.
• Mix until evenly mixed.
• Place in greased baking dish and bake for 350degrees for 35 minutes
• Top with remaining 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and return to oven for 10 minutes. or until cheese is melted and started to brown.

Makes 6-8 servings.


Enjoy with gusto!

the wonderful world of disney

                               

We’ve just come back from 8 wonderful days of amazing experiences at Disney World.  The kids couldn’t be happier, and my husband had the opportunity to witness first hand, the miracle of Disney’s well-oiled machine (it was his first visit).

For me, what I found amazing this time around (I’ve been here twice; once as a child and once as an adult on a pre-paid-planned business trip) was the ability to book almost everything in advance, so all you do is simply arrive at the airport, and all the administrative “work” is taken care of, so we can focus as a family to really enjoy every magical moment while we were in Disney.

We stayed at the relaxing, tropical inspired Polynesian Resort, which brought the South Pacific to us (one of the places we considered for our honeymoon).  From our room, we had views over the Seven Seas Lagoon...we could see the Magic Kingdom Castle and the famous Wishes Fireworks from our balcony!

When we were at our hotel at night, this was what we saw every time from our balcony...
Tahiti Room 3018 for those who want to book a similar room!

An invaluable resource was a website/blog, http://yourfirstvisit.net/. Written by a Disney expert, the site charted which weeks were busiest, most expensive, had the best forecasted weather, which rides would likely have the most crowds and which restaurants that have the most positive reviews...and charted schedules based on that information.  We booked ALL our restaurants and mapped out our daily attraction plans, about 6 months before we arrived. Since we booked our restaurants so far in advance, we had some of the best seats at the restaurants.  Most with window views to Magic Kingdom's Wishes Fireworks.  Two great restaurants with fabulous views were Ohana and Crystal Palace.

The book, "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney 2012" (thanks, Nellie for lending us your copy!), showed us which rides to take and which ones to avoid.  We were able to make strategic choices with which rides/shows to enjoy first, which ones to "Fastpass", and which ones to avoid.  This way we were able to make the best of our time, and went on every single major ride or attraction.  We were never in line for more than 15 minutes.  Especially for the most thrilling rides like Space Mountain, Rock N' Roller coaster, and The Tower of Terror.

A 13 story high ride that "drops" in the dark.
My thrill seeking kids loved it (even my little girl!)...my husband, well...not so much!

It has become an art to “do Disney”, and scheduling which parks, shows and restaurants you want to see in advance made it easy for us to see all the best that Disney had to offer (I think the last time I did so much planning was for our wedding!).   With the ability to preplan everything online, it was amazing to be able to enjoy our family vacation with relatively so much ease. 

This is the ferry boat that goes directly to the Magic Kingdom from the Polynesian/TTC centre.

And with everything running so smoothly, it really was the wonderful world of Disney.

Simple Ways to Plan for Disney World

Planning in advance made our life at Disney just a little easier.  Here’s some links and references for those planning a Disney World trip...

A great reference book...don't go to Disney without reading it first: "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, 2012"

A great website that had great charts for scheduling your days: http://yourfirstvisit.net/

Keep track of your hotel reservations, and check into your hotel 10 days prior to arrival for a fast check in once you arrive: Disney Plan

Make all your restaurant and show reservations: Disney Dining & Reservations

If you don't take a lot of photos (unlike me...I took about 2500 pics on this trip!), use their onsite photographers who will professionally capture moments, so you can enjoy at the end of your trip, all the photos on a CD: Disney PhotoPass


Enjoy!

worth a thousand

Brad Pitt's $13 Million Dollar Malibu residence. 

have a (march) break

Before having kids, March Break meant exactly that...a break.  But as a parent, that definition has changed...now it's either trying to find fun  (and less crowded) activities to do with the kids, or trying to get away for a break to a destination that will probably be equally chaotic with crowds.


For those who are parents, here's a few funny e-cards for you to smile at...consider it a two-minute "break" before the little ones are out of school.  

Grab a coffee, sit back...and enjoy the calm before the storm.

All the above e-cards, from someecards.com