Staycation Vacation Part 2

Let's keep the staycation going!

The second day of our vacation started with breakfast at Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The kiddos and I have loved this buffet since we went with Tay Tay and Lorren over marathon weekend. Jillian is a huge fan of their jungle juice and I am huge fan of their breakfast potatoes. Aaron is a fan of the whole thing.

After a super filling breakfast we headed over to EPCOT. Our plan was to do the behind the seeds tour at the Land and then the Easter egg hunt through World Showcase.

We managed to score the noon tour and there was only one other family with us. The tour before us and directly behind us had several more people.

The first part of the tour our guide taught us about how they control pests in the greenhouses. The kiddos were then given a vial with lady bugs to hold on to for later in the tour. We went through the different greenhouses and learned about all of the growing techniques they use and how they keep everything growing all year round.

At the end of the tour the kiddos were able to release their lady bugs on to a plant of their choosing. If you ever have a chance, definitely stop by the desk and sign up for the tour. It's really interesting and the kids loved it.

After the tour we picked up our map for the Easter egg hunt and then headed to lunch at Nine Dragons. The kids LOVED everything they ate and I think this will become a place that we continue to frequent.

With lunch done, it was time to focus on the Easter egg hunt. We have never participated in this before and had no idea what we were even looking for. Thankfully, a cast member gave us a clue on what we had to do.

Each country around the World Showcase had an egg decorated like a character hidden somewhere outside. You had to locate the egg and then put the coordinating sticker on the location on the map they give you. I have to say, some eggs were pretty easy to find and then some...well...let's just say we looked all sorts of special walking around with our maps and heads turning every which way.

The kiddos really got into the hunt and were beyond thrilled when they found their final egg in Canada. We headed to the Ports of Call shop and they picked out their rewards. Each person that completed the hunt was able to get an egg of their own. Jillian naturally picked Tinker Bell and Aaron snagged Pluto.

With the hunt over, we headed back into the countries to hang out and go on some rides. We took the kiddos on Test Track for the first time and we may or may not have had to bribe Jillian with ice cream. They were both a little nervous, but the fact that they were able to design their own cars definitely put them at ease. Once we were on the ride there was a lot of giggling and "woo-hoo!" going on. The kids loved the ride and I think we may be going on it often.

After the ride we headed over to France for some ice cream and I had the most delicious ice cream sandwich. They take a brioche, add a scoop of ice cream and chocolate sauce. Seriously. So delicious.

The final plan of attack was to locate a spot to watch Illuminations. Scott thought we should head to Mexico and nosh on some nachos, therefore scoring us a seat on the water. Sadly, we were not the first people to think of this. So we still grabbed the nachos (and maybe a margarita) and sat outside of Mexico on the water.

It was actually pretty chilling that night, so the kiddos and I snuggled under a blanket. This was also their first time watching Illuminations, normally we leave the park before it starts to beat the crowds. I think the kids were most excited about staying up way past bedtime.

The kiddos were out before the bus pulled out of the parking lot. Our second day of staycation was a total blast and I know we were not ready for the day to end.

One more day of the staycation to go. Check back for the conclusion!

Staycation Vacation Part 1

Last year we were lucky enough to sneak away to the Smokey Mountain for a great Spring Break vacation. This year our schedules just didn't allow us to take an entire week off, so we decided to do a staycation at Disney.

We decided to stay at All Star Movies, mainly because Scott was able to score a pretty sweet deal on the room. We stayed in the Toy Story section and the kiddos loved it. We were right by the main entrance, so it made everything a breeze. The food court there is actually pretty good as well, which surprised me. When we stayed at Pop Century for Princess weekend our biggest complaint was the food court and lack of healthy options. However, All Star was kind of the opposite. I was able to nosh on some delicious chicken sausage, oatmeal and if I wanted, I could have had an egg white omelette. Booyah!

Scott still had to work the morning of our first day, so the kiddos and I headed out to the Studios on our own. We made it there for park opening which meant we were actually able to ride Toy Story Mania! We also went to the Little Mermaid show, which is Jillian's favorite, and then headed over to Indiana Jones (which is their favorite show). Jillian picked out our seats, which were one row from the stage.

We still had some time to kill before Scott arrived, so we headed over to the Animation Courtyard and jumped in line to meet Baymax and Hiro from Big Hero 6. It was the one thing Aaron really wanted to do, so I was perfectly fine with standing in line.

By the time we finished at Animation Courtyard, Scott arrived and we headed to lunch. This was one of the things we really wanted to treat ourselves to on this staycation. We wanted to eat at the restaurants and really play the part of the tourist. The kiddos have been asking to go back to Sci Fi since the summer when we went with my family, so it was easy to decide which restaurant we would visit. I think the main appeal of Sci Fi for the kiddos is the fact that they get to watch a movie while sitting in a car. I think if it was actual tables they wouldn't be as excited.

By the time we finished lunch we could tell the storms were brewing. The wind picked up significantly and the sky was starting to turn black, not gray, black. So we decided to head out and go back to the

hotel until the storm blew over.

The storm never really blew over, it just slowed down a little, so instead of a downpour, it was more of a constant misting. We decided to tough it out and head to Downtown. The kiddos had some allowance money they were itching to spend.

After some shopping, we sat down at watched on of the choral groups perform. The group that was performing actually had a contestant from American Idol in their group. Please don't ask me her name, but I think they said she was in season 13. I will say the girl was phenomenal and I'm glad we stopped to watch the group.

That's it for day one. I'll post more in the next couple of days. I hope you all are enjoying (or enjoyed!) your Spring Break!

Visits with the Family

My nephew and his girlfriend have been in town for the past few days and the kiddos have been able to hang out with them.

The kids have been attached to both Alex and Jenna. This was one of the rare photos where Jill was not attached to Jenna's hip, so I had to snag it.

Random story... Aaron thought Jenna's name was Janice and kept calling her that the entire walk into the park. I had to keep correcting him and almost called her Janice myself. Sigh...

Anyway....

Short trips like this just remind me how much I love living in a tourist destination because we can have little visits with family members that we wouldn't normally see on a regular basis.

Monsters University Review

I was able to attend an advanced screening of Monsters University with Scott and the kiddos this week. The previews have been playing, almost on loop, on Disney Channel, so the kiddos were pumped to say the least! Here's a little background on the movie, just in case you have not watched the preview a hundred or so times....

Ever since college-bound Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) was a little monster, he has dreamed of becoming a Scarer—and he knows better than anyone that the best Scarers come from Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike’s plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer. The pair’s out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. To make matters worse, they realize they will have to work together, along with an odd bunch of misfit monsters, if they ever hope to make things right.


Before I even get into my review, I want to point something out that bothered me. The movie has Mike and Sulley meeting in college, however, in the original Monsters Inc. Mike mentions that he has known Sulley since the 4th grade. Oops. I was hoping they would explain that, but alas, they did not.

The movie itself is adorable and reminded me of Old School quite a few times. I think I would have died if a character was named Blue (You're my boy, Blue!), I really would have. We were able to view the film in 3D and while the kids may not have worn their glasses the whole time, I thought it was fantastic. I love watching the animated films in 3D, it just seems to add something magical to them.

The bigger picture message of working together and friendship definitely rang true throughout the film. All in all the kids thought Monsters University was "funny" and "silly".  Scott and I also really enjoyed it, especially the bonus scene after the credits!



For more on Monsters University you can:

• “Like” MONSTERS UNIVERSITY on Facebook: http://facebook.com/PixarMonstersUniversity 
• "Follow" Disney/Pixar on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DisneyPixar 
• Visit the website: http://www.Disney.com/MonstersU

Let me know if you go on June 21st to see Monsters University! I'd love to hear what you thought!