Weekly Ramble 5/4/24

This felt like another vacation week. Not only was the weather absolutely beautiful, but the girls and I had a mini Disney vacation!

Life as Mom readers were a part of our very first Disneyland foray with kids. Bryan and I grew up going to DL, me more than he, but tackling it with kids seems to be a new adventure for every generation. So much has changed since the days of E-tickets!

Early on, y’all recommended The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland – which has always proven to be amazing with its great tips and touring plans. Since it had been six years since I’d gone, I was due for a refresh. Turns out I had a lot to learn about Genie+ and Lightning Lanes and what not.

As Providence would have it, I pulled a muscle cleaning out the pantry at the start of the week. (It wasn’t that strenuous, but because it’s in the crawlspace under the stairs, I must have been walking funny). Anyway, I wasn’t sure I could tackle miles of walking at Disneyland. I spent Tuesday alternating ice and heat and popping the Advil. Not fun. We had some major Disney game to play!

The plan was to leave before sunrise on Wednesday, park at our hotel, get situated in the park before rope drop and have my son and daughter-in-law meet up with us when they were ready. (They did Star Wars Night late on Tuesday.)

Wednesday morning both FishChick17 and I were feeling less than 100%. We weren’t sure if we should go, but we pushed through and we were so glad we did.

This was our first time staying overnight in Anaheim; we’ve always made it a day trip and driven home tired. But, since we had 3-day tickets (mine an early Mother’s Day gift from my married kids), we planned two back-to-back days, also a first.

Since we weren’t feeling 100, we made the decision to take things slow and not worry about doing all the things. That made the morning so much more relaxing. We still parked at the hotel early, just after 7, made it through security and into the park before the rope drop, but we didn’t feel anxious or hurried and I think that made a big difference to our experience.

I remembered my past self as a pushy go-go mom and repented. I didn’t spend a lot of time worrying about the past, but instead want to be thankful for learning a new way… allow time and pacing for a sense of wonder and cultivate that for the people around you.

We followed the Unofficial Touring Plan for adults and it was amazing how well it worked. Everyone else in the park rushed to the current E-ticket ride, Rise of the Resistance, while we ended up hitting Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Big Thunder, two potty stops, lockers, coffee, and beignets — all before 10 am!

After that, we caught up with the Younger FishFam and my daughter-in-law led the charge, treating us to Genie+. Wow! What an amazing upgrade. The guidebook said it would make a world of difference, and it did!

We ended up hitting 17 rides along with several snack and meal breaks and a 2-hour siesta back at the hotel. Needless to say it was a fantastic day, and I think the girls and I now have the Disney bug.

Of course, the app gave us the option to upgrade our 3-day tickets to Magic Key Season Passes, but the cost is just prohibitive this year, especially with my income being cut in half and our rent doubled. Instead, we’re going to enjoy our 3rd day in a few weeks, taking one of the FishBoys with us to round out our party.

And, then I’m budgeting to see if I can save enough for the kids and I to do 3-day SoCal passes next winter/spring. (Bryan isn’t a fan of DL, but he has agreed to do DL Tokyo when we take our next big trip overseas.)

It was amazing to have a hotel to go back to, so I’d want to factor that in as well as Genie+. Dang! But those things add up!

For the curious, here’s what it ended up costing us to do two days at Disneyland Resort:

• my tickets – a gift from my son and daughter-in-law
• 3-day tickets for the girls = $408
• hotel for one night = $268, included parking for both days
• food in the parks = $160, we packed snacks but weren’t as organized as I would have liked to be
• souvenir Starbies mug = $25

Total spent = $861, we each still have a ticket to use, so there’s a little “leftover” from that investment

Fun fact: The Matterhorn Macaroon in DL and the Japanese Cheesecake in DCA were both worth the splurge!

We stayed at the Park Vue Inn (secretly owned by Ramada) which is one of the best locations you could find. The room rate included parking for both days, which is currently $35/day so I feel like it’s a great bang for the buck. It’s just 500 steps from the front gates, perfectly situated for an overnight stay at DL.

Speaking of steps…

This is my new step record! And that’s with a sore leg. lol.

Suffice it to say, Disneyland was the highlight of the week. I can honestly say that I love it as much if not more than when I was a kid. I think the fact that I’ve been there as a child, a mom with young kids, a mom with older kids, and now a mother-in-law, being there fills my mind with soooo many memories and experiences.

I’m really looking forward to going back in a few weeks with this guy for his 20th birthday.

We came home pretty exhausted so it was nice to roll right into the weekend… except that FishChick15 witnessed a rat (a mouse?) come through the laundry room door. Yikes! Mickey followed us home. Ugh. I do not do well with mice, so I’m not thrilled by this development.

Bryan is on the job with traps and we’re cleaning up a storm this weekend. Ugh. ugh. ugh. This is what happens when your garage (right off the laundry room) serves as Grand Central Station. He caught one mouse last night so we’ll see how Mouseaggedon goes down.

5 Favorite Things This Week

Here are some of the other things I’m digging this week:

A clean pantry

It was pretty bad. The kids and I had been guilty of just chucking things in Harry’s room (the cupboard under the stairs). One of my goals this month is to tackle the school room and closets where I’ve chucked things, so the pantry was the first since it’s a public space. I love seeing how neat and tidy the shelves are!

I’m glad I did it last weekend, before the mouse/rat problem. I know that it/they are recent visitor(s). Ugh. ugh. ugh.

I know food what we have, too. And I am on a stealth pantry challenge to dwindle the supply. On Sunday I made stuffing, not a typical May menu item, but the kids were thrilled! I had gotten 7 boxes on clearance for like a quarter, but 7 is too many to save until the holidays (the boxes are dated 2025.) Like I said, the boys were thrilled and the girls learned that they actually liked stuffing.

I made gluten-free lasagna on Monday with some of the gf noodles I found from when I stocked up on a closeout when one of the boys was eating gf. And Tuesday we had an enchilada casserole with a random can of Las Palmas.

My travel kettle

I bought this collapsible travel kettle for the trip to Kauai, where we saved about $60 not getting coffee and tea out. I’ve been using it in my bedroom since we got back and, of course, took it to Disneyland with us.

It collapses very small, gets water piping hot, and was very affordable. It shuts off once boiling but will restart if the water cools, so be sure to unplug it when unattended.

I love being to brew tea in the morning without showing my face and perhaps getting asked questions before I’m quite ready to give answers.

My new Starbucks mugs

I am a sucker for mugs. I have a collection of Starbucks mugs from places we’ve traveled. I “thought” I was done, but in the last month, I added two new ones to the curation: Hawaii and Disneyland. These are part of the new design for 2024, called the Discovery series.

We also have mugs from the Been There series and the Global City series. Total nerd, I know.

But, I’m consistent. There are now Starbucks in both Disneyland Resort Parks. When I disappeared for coffee on Thursday, my son said, “I bet she walked all the way to the Starbucks.” Oh yes, I did. If I’m gonna spend the money on a coffee, I’m getting the stars. lol

I did not like California Adventure enough to get a mug, though. Ha!

My sunhat

I’m trying to protect my skin more as I get older and wiser. Last year I bought this sunhat and it’s perfect. It’s foldable, packable, rollable, stompable, virtually indestructible. I have a big head and this hat fits it!

My new Kauai/Disney T-shirt

When we were in Kauai, I looked at every t-shirt on the island and didn’t find a comfortable one that I liked. So as the girls and I were prepping for Disneyland, we each bought a t-shirt. I found one that combined both my spring vacations into one: a Kauai t-shirt that also features Stitch. It’s subtle, but it works.

Alrighty then, that was the week. I’m busy chasing mice now. How was your week?