| # | Author | Message |
151
| Tinkerbell819
Tue 10/9/2007 8:11a | I missed you guys yesterday, I didn't get a chance to write. I see you carried on without me, but now I have too much to catch up on...Let's see, I'll begin with the question everyone wants to know the answer to, Have you heard from HER? and maybe, just maybe....fingers crossed...recieve a check, m.o. or cash???? MollysMom is right, with that dough you've got yourself another trip or two! (I know the good deals you get, so I'm thinking 2 and a 1/2!)
MM, is your trip this Thursday? That sounds so nice. I imagine you are already packed. Does DD know you are going somewhere, but just doesn't know where...or does she have no idea there is even a trip coming up? (I can't remember, I had such a crazy weekend! I should have had some mudslides with Villains.) I got to take one trip with only one kid a couple of years ago and it was really great. I won a trip to Atlantis in the Bahamas on the radio and the trip was less than a week after they called me. I couldn't get a babysitter for my 2 older kids, so I could bring DH, that would take years to find someone for that! lol (Truthfully, I think my bf would have done it, if I asked her, but I wouldn't want to put anyone that I love through such torture! Plus, her parents live with her and they probably both would have had heart attacks that weekend!) So, the rules said the travelers had to be 21 or older. I told the radio station mgr. my situation and asked if I could bring my 14 yr. old. They called the record co. that was sponsoring it and they agreed to let me bring him. We had a blast. There were all kinds of cool water slides, great beach, free movies, great aquarium. The peace and quiet was wonderful! We even enjoyed watching tv in the room without interuptions. (It's chaotic at home, the only way to watch tv is with closed captioning!) Ahhhh, I'd better stop daydreaming before I plan another trip! (I can never get through on the radio station anymore to get a free trip!)
Are you still having hot weather out west? It is really warm here. We're breaking records every day. Our pool is still open and we were swimming yesterday and Sun. It's the 1st time we've been in in October, ever. The only bad part is that I still have to clean it. :) Usually, we have it open one week after Labor Day, so I bought one bag of chlorine at the pool place instead of the monthly supply of stuff. I've been back every week for "one more bag" and every day I think it's the last day to get in. It looks like things might break on Thursday and get cooler. I'm hoping it will b/c I have no fall decorations out or anything. It's too hot to even get them out and set them up.
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152
| MOLLYSMOM
Tue 10/9/2007 9:23a | tink...we were wondering where you were yesterday.
Yes...we fly out thursday at 5:30. DD still thinks we're going to Seattle. I'm not sure when she'll figure it out, so this could be fun. If I had my way, she would be in the dark until we walk up to the front of the zoo and she reads the sign. I don't know if I can keep up the charade that long, but I'm gonna try.
I am hoping that we hear from villains this morning that her friend has answered her e-mail and is paying her back the money she owes her. This has been one interesting story to follow. It makes me so mad that her friend acted the way she did...I still shake my head over the whole deal.
You won a trip to the Bahamas??!?!? Get out...seriously? I NEVER win anything. They paid for everything? How great is that?! It sounds like it was such a fun trip for you and your son. I think the only time I ever won anything was $500 playing Bingo about 25 years ago. I'd say I was due for another big win.
No...we are NOT having nice weather like you all back east. Today is the exception...it's supposed to be 75, but the past few weeks it has only been in the 50-60 range. I had to turn on the heat in my house and I never do that before November. Word on the street is that we're due to have a snowy yucky winter this year. I really dislike the snow and cold. Christmas morning is fine...maybe even Thanksgiving, but otherwise, I hate the stuff. If I didn't have to drive around in it I wouldn't care so much. I pretty much spend the winter months bundled up like the Mitchelin Man and whining. DD and DH love the snow and go sledding or snowboarding in the front yard, or fire up the snowmobiles and go on morning rides. Good bonding time for them...I stay by the fire and make cocoa....and whine. We also make the peanut butter and jelly pizza from Goofy's....the ONLY good thing about winter.
Your weather lately isn't the norm for you, right? You guys are still havin' summer for gosh sake. Jealousy and envy here. Swimming in October...I wish. Your pool place has probably about run out of chlorine. They're not used to having pools open this time of year.
Ok...where's villains with our update? It's like waiting for our soap opera to start, right tink?
mater4...you here today? |
153
| Tinkerbell819
Tue 10/9/2007 10:20a | Are you leaving at 5:30 AM, MM? I wish you luck if you are. You have a lot of stamina, though, I can tell from your trip reports. Leaving at 5AM this past summer was really tough for me, that's why we are leaving at 5PM this next time around! :)
It is about 90 degrees here, it's really uncomfortable, very humid. I am looking forward to the break, but, like you, I don't want it to get too cold. Heating oil costs too much money and really cuts into my Disney $$$$.
What is the pb&j pizza from Goofy's? (I want some!)
Our trip to the Bahamas didn't inc. meals. Just one dinner. I read as much as I could about the resort online before I left and I knew the food was pricey. Mostly all buffets that were $50 pp. DS & I certainly wouldn't eat $100 worth of food at one sitting so, I packed a suitcase filled with cereal, granola bars, pb crackers, stuff like that. There was a crazy market where we were able to buy a 1/2 gal. of milk for about $4. I think I even bought a 12 pack of canned soda with us! lol We took a boat over to the "mainland" (what a dump!)one day and found a Subway. The other 2 days we had cheesebugers at a little stand by the pool that didn't require a $50 investment!
You are definitely due for another big win! You should do what I do and write stories for contests, you are such a good writer. (I've only won one big prize that way, but it was enough to keep trying!)
I hope I can check back today to see if Villains popped in, if not I'll be back around 11PM to see what happened.
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154
| MOLLYSMOM
Tue 10/9/2007 11:38a | Heck no...5:30 P.M. I'm picking her up at school when she gets out at 3:15 and we're headed to the airport then.
So...the Bahmas trip SOUNDED great, but had it's crummy moments, I see. Oh well, how often do we get the chance to go to the Bahamas? It always looks so incredible on the vacation commercials. Thank goodness you were smart enough to pack some eats...I can't see ANY buffet worth $50. DH went to Cabo with his 3 brothers a few years back, and he said that the resort towns were great, but outside of those places it was awful. He said the same thing about the food...horribly overpriced.
You have NEVER had the peanut butter and jelly pizza from Goofy's kitchen???? Seriously??? It's sooooo good. I had heard about it and thought it was a "kid" deal, but I tried it this last time. I actually passed up a second helping of prime rib for it. A slice of that with a mug of cocoa and I darn near die. It is the perfect winter time treat. Ok...here is the recipe...
1/4 oz quick rising yeast
1 1/2 tsp light brown sugar
2 cups bread flour, plus extra for kneading
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 to 2 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup grape jelly
clean squeeze bottle
In a large bowl combine the yeast, sugar and 1 cup of flour. Stir in 1 cup or warm water and let mixture stand for 10 minutes. Add the salt, oil and a second cup of flour. Stir until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead 5 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Divide into 3 balls. Place the balls on the floured surface, cover with a dishtowel, let rest 10 to 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Flatten each dough ball into an 8 to 10 inch round with a slight rim, formed by pinching the sides up. Place the rounds onto lightly oiled baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Remove pies from oven and cover each with peanut butter. Put the jelly and 2 tbsp of water into a clean squeeze bottle and shake until mixture is smooth. Start in the center of the pizza and move around and out toward the rim, squeezing the jelly over the peanut butter in a swirl pattern. Drag a toothpick from the middle of the pie to the edges to create a flared effect. Serve warm.
If you don't want to make the crust from scratch, you can buy a plain prepared pizza crust.
I warm up my peanut butter in the microwave for 30 seconds to make it spread easier.
You can use any kind of jelly.
DD loves making these when she has friends over. Each of the kids can make their own...we just make the crusts about 6 inches around.
Ok, now I'm hungry...where's villains with our update? |
155
| gottaluvdavillains
Tue 10/9/2007 11:58a | Good morning ladies -
Well no news from HER...I jsut sent another email "demanding the money" now. I put a reminder in there about the conversation from before we left when HER said HER would have about $500 for me the next week - which now is last week!! I also said if she didn't acknowledge the email I was going to copy it and mail it to the house...I think I will send it certified mail!!
MM - I an so excited for you and DD...I can't wait to here how the weekend was! Have you guys been to that zoo before? Ever done SeaWorld or the Driving safari thing down there? We liked the zoo okay - the animal exhibits were incredible but we found the people part a quite dirty - SeaWorld was nice and we did the lunch with Shamu which gave us reserved seats and food - that too was nice - again thought the animal stuff was wonderful just wished there was more of it!
Tink - I really feel for you and your youngest son - it must be really hard having 2 boys with autism...You must be a really strong person along with your hubby - I was just heard the statistics on divorce for couples with autistic children, Holly Robinson-Peete was on some show talking about it. I am in awe of you and your strength.
Gotta take DS18 to school be back later. |
156
| MOLLYSMOM
Tue 10/9/2007 1:40p | How about sending it certified to her DH instead? Mean, huh? I wonder if he even has a clue to what's going on. Didn't you say that they were split up but trying to get back together? I'm thinkin' that he'd better give that one a hole lotta thought.
No, we've never been to the zoo or to Balboa Park. We have been to Sea World, and had lunch with Shamu as you did. I was blown away by Sea World, and we plan to go back there while on our next Disney trip. I want to surprise DD with the "swim with the dolphins" deal. It's kinda spendy, but when else would she get the opportunity? I also want to do the dinner with Shamu this next time. We actually have decided to spend 2 days there.
The half wits went to the zoo this summer. I tried to talk them into going to Sea World instead. They've been to the Seattle zoo, and while I know that the San Diego zoo is purpoted to be markedly better...a tiger is a tiger, you know? Where else can you see ocean critters except for Sea World? Of course, being half wits, they didn't look at things that way. They didn't care for the zoo that much, and wound up going on and on about how they couldn't understand all the hype about it. But then, that was their "melt down" day, so who knows?
I, on the other hand, am a card carrying zoo junkie, and could spend hours at a time watching a lion do nothing more than sleep. I know I'll love the zoo. It has been #1 on my list of "places to see before I'm too old to enjoy them" since I was 4. Even if it doesn't live up to all these years of expectations, I know that I will be enthralled with it still.
I figure that with such a short trip, seeing the zoo on friday will be the perfect thing to do. A leisurely stroll through Balboa Park and maybe checking out a few museums will be the perfect way to spend our saturday before we come home.
Ya, tink, villains is right about how much inner strength you must have to be able to cope with 2 autistic children.
When I was in high school, part of our grade in our Current Events class was based upon doing volunteer work within the community. My best friend and I worked at what is called the Guild School here in town. The children there have issues ranging from a simple physical disability to extreme mental retardation. For whatever their reasons, they cannot handle attending public schools, so they attend the Guild School. At first, I was scared of these kids...I was uninformed and uneducated regarding their disabilities. I was afraid of what I did not understand. Later, I was heartbroken for them and their families...I would come home crying because I felt sorry for them. Finally, I really took a close look at the kids and their parents and realized that they didn't feel pity for themselves, they accepted and loved their kids, and relished each and every accomplishment that they were blessed with. I loved working there, and if I came home crying, it was because some little kid finally learned to write his name or to tie his shoe. I never felt so humbled or so honored by a group of people before or since.
We had quite a few autistic kids there...some more affected than others. It's tough, and it's exhausting...my hat's off to you and your DH. |
157
| mater4
Tue 10/9/2007 1:58p | Mollysmom i'm here finally. Like Tink I have been busy this morning. My daughter is in cheer and I had to do stuff related to that. It seems like whatever she is doing I get involved somehow. In this case team manager. I hope your trip is loads of fun this week.
Tink you blew my dream island vacation as I have always wanted to go to Atlantis.LOL! The commercials seem wonderful then there is reality. What type of autism do your boys have? My nephew in Colorado has aspergers. (spelling?) My SIL is busy staying on top of things since he goes to a public school. As for the weather in Nevada it is freezing. It has snowed here twice but melts by afternoon. My daughter cheered last saturday in 30 degree weather.
Villians you just keep bugging that "friend" of yours. I can't imagine borrowing money from a friend let alone not paying money that is owed to someone. |
158
| MOLLYSMOM
Tue 10/9/2007 2:18p | You know mater4...we'll worry about you if we don't hear from you at least once every 24 hours. You hooked up with us on this thread...we adopted you...have some consideration and check in. :) We only let each other off the hook on the weekends, or during Disney trips.
Cold in Nevada? I thought Nevada was supposed to be nice and warm...Vegas and all. Enough talk about the cold...we need to go back to tink's post about the 90 degree day and the humidity....aaaahhhh, heat. |
159
| gottaluvdavillains
Tue 10/9/2007 3:38p | Hey I live in the SF bay area and it's only in the mid 70's today - time to bundle up!! AND it is suppose to rain!! :) We have rented a house for the week of Thanksgiving in Tahoe so I am hoping the weather keeps dropping and maybe there will be snow - this house has hills for sledding and such so it should be fun and for the first part of the week it will be just me and my kids then my sis and hers will join us along with my mom and DH... My dad and grandfather will be staying near by - too many kids for them>>>
My DN is autistic also although I only think it is the aspergers, I haven't asked my BIL what the actual type he has but he is highly functional and goes to public school - My SIL would never admit he has anything she just says it's just Fred being Fred(not really a Fred)...But his school has him in all kinds of special programs - luckily he's in a really good school for kids with his abilities!!
okay MM <Where else can you see ocean critters except for Sea World?> You know I live in the bay area so I have Wild Kingdom (formally marine world) with the whales, dolphines, sharks, walrus', penguins, plus elephants, tigers and others - it's like a zoo, aquarium, plus it has a bunch of big roller coasters too... THis is only about 40 min from my house - plus we have the monterey bay aquarium not quite 90min away(just a beautiful place - would be a great choice for next years mother daughter trip) and in SF less than an hour away we have another aquarium and we have 3 zoo's within 45 min. Oh yeah we also have tons of beaches - I know we are spoiled living her!! You really should check out Monterey for a trip it is absolutely beatiful especially in the fall and early winter!
Anyone here from Mickey lately? |
160
| mater4
Tue 10/9/2007 4:06p | Mollysmom checking in again. HeHeHe! Thanks for adopting me. Actually I live in northern NV. Reno to be exact. We moved here from Truckee,Ca 2 years ago. No more shoveling 6 ft. of snow for us.
I highly recommend Monterey as a future trip as Villians mentioned. We are frequent visitors when DL is not in the cards. Last trip was middle of Sept.
Villians my DH works along the north shore of Tahoe. Which side are you visiting? |
