Harry Potter Birthday Party

So Maggie turned 11. Not quite sure how we got here so quickly, but here we are. As we were talking about what she wanted to do for her birthday this year, she decided this would be the perfect year for a Harry Potter party, as she turned 11, just like Harry did in the first book. We looked through Pinterest for ideas and came up with:

The invitations: A letter from Minerva McGonagall inviting her friends to a preview session of Hogwarts where they would make wands, have a feast and watch a "documentary" about Hogwarts.

Wand Shopping: They made wands using yarn, hot glue, pony beads and their imaginations. We then painted them brown.

The feast included Butterbeer (the girls were not fans), Quiddich (shepherd's) pie and baskalisk bones (spaghetti) and pumpkin pasties. The cake was red velvet and decorated like Hagrid decorated Harry's first cake! After the feast, they watched Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone.

Overall, it was a successful party. Maggie & her friends had a great time and Maggie ranks it in her to 10 birthdays!

#21DayFix Day something ...

I haven't exactly kept up on this. I've been following the guidelines (kinda) and attempting to track, but football season is in full swing and you have to have Buffalo Wings during the first game of the season. The tracking app I use doesn't allow you to "skip" a day and pick up again; well, it does but not easily. You can restart, but I don't like a restart, I prefer to pick up where I left off.

I've got a couple of other areas to keep me accountable though. My "workout boss" (as Jessie calls her) Anjali got my into the BeachBody Health Bet: minimum of 3 workouts & 5 Shakes each week. Easy peasy. 

Rocky and I are also tracking our fruits & veggies for the wellness program thru SDSU.

Again, my goal here is to make better choices. So supper tonight had 2 veggie choices: peas and broccoli to go with shrimp and wild rice (Jessie's favorite). And a glass of wine.

#21DayFix Day 3

I think the hardest part of the 21 day fix is figuring out when to have my carbs. I only get 2 (TWO). And wine counts as a carb so if I want to have A glass (4 ounces), then that really limits what I can have. My ideal meal would be bread, cheese and wine. So I have to get creative.

This was tonight's supper: salmon, brown rice, broccoli, & a stuffed red pepper (spinach, cottage cheese, mozzarella, & bacon). This is 2 veggies, 1 carb, 1.5 protein, with 2 tbsp of oil. I'm still working on portion control -- the salmon filet is hard as it doesn't fit neatly into the red box! I did a little bit of guessing. I tend to be better on using the containers with lunch as it makes it easier to put it in my lunchbox!

This "diet" -- it's not really a diet but a life style choice, learning how to make better food choices and what a serving is. This is a good match for me because of its flexibility. Very little is off limits. If I wanted to have bread, cheese and wine, I could. Now an entire loaf, with 8 oz of cheese and 2 glasses of wine would be too much -- as it should! Again this is about portion control. A healthy diet includes a wide variety of food and lots of fruits & veggies. And that's something that my diet, my food choices typically lack. This has challenged me to look for more fruits, bringing more fresh and frozen fruits and veggies into the house -- we won't eat what isn't here!

I am enjoying the challenge and seeing my diet improve. I'm excited to see where this round takes me!

#21DayFix Round 2

I didn't quite make it through my first 21 day fix. The last week of the fix, we were in Minneapolis and, while I did attempt to stick to it, it is really hard to track your food when you are eating out. You can't control exactly what is put on the plate and forget about portion control (still have that "clean your plate" mentality sometimes and sometimes, man, it was too good to waste!) I stayed away from too many fried foods, but probably drank more pop in those few days than I did the rest of the summer! 

Even so, I would call my first venture a success: 11 inches and 5 pounds gone! It works -- who would have thought that adding more fruits & veggies into your diet and controlling carbs and fats would help you lose weight? Shocking I know. I definitely do not have a knowledge problem when it comes to weight loss: I have an execution problem!

When my coach (or my "workout boss" as Jessie calls her) invited me to participate in the BeachBody Health Bet, I knew this would be another great opportunity to try the 21 Day Fix. The Health Bet is focused on tracking Shakeology & workouts, but I decided I need to continue to challenge myself to execute my nutrition knowledge!

I'm going to blog about this as well to hold myself accountable and hopefully remind myself of the recipes I've enjoyed.

My Shakeology today was Cafe Latte, almond milk, salted caramel syrup, pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice. We got some sugar pumpkins from Rocky's brother, so I roasted them and made some purée. (Later, Maggie & I are going to practice making pumpkin pasties). The shakeo was delicious but next time I'm definitely adding some graham crackers!

Still trying to decide what's for lunch today -- work days are much easier to stick to the plan than lazy stay home days!

#Bod4God Back for More #21DF

Since completing the Bod4God program, I've done pretty good keeping up on the exercise portion of what I learned. My choices have changed and I have really felt growth in Piyo, which is definitely my continued workout of choice. I love that I work up a sweat, my heart rate goes up yet I don't have the jarring affect that the high impact exercises have on my joints (jeez how old am I?). Piyo has made me stronger than I ever thought. Strong enough I felt confident to participate in the Brookings marathon relay with a group from work. I had a 3 mile leg and did it in a little over 11 minutes/mile.

I have not done as well with the nutrition side. I struggle with portion control, and of course, my beloved bread, cheese and wine! Anjali has been a great coach encouraging me to take a variety of challenges, designed not only to challenge me, but also teach me something. I did a 5 day Shakeology challenge and discovered that I really do like that stuff -- with almond milk & a coffee syrup (salted caramel & s'mores are my favorite). Also discovered the girls like them so it may become a regular rotation for their breakfast.

And now I'm on the 21 Day Fix which is all about portion control. The program comes with these handy-dandy containers to help you get the right portion for each type of food: vegetables, fruit, carbs, protein, healthy fat, nuts or dressing. The program also allows for some cookie "fats" or other flavoring a in teaspoon increments.  And of course, as much water as you can possible drink

This was my lunch the other day. It took me quite a while to finish it all!! I'm simply not used to eating so many fruits and veggies!! While I haven't really craved sweets, I do find myself wanting more cheese (healthy fats) as I'm only allotted one portion of healthy fats each day.

I just finished the first week. I haven't weighed myself or taken any new measurements but I've enjoyed the challenge. We ordered in pizza last night,so I had to find a way to get some fruits & veggies. Fortunately, I picked up a bunch of frozen fruits and had bought some fresh kale -- kale chips where have you been all my life?!?

I'm really not looking to lose weight or inches. I'm hoping to come away from this having become more mindful about what I eat.

History

I am a feminist. I believe in equal and equitable treatment for all people. So last night was HUGE. Really really huge.

My girls were/are SO excited. They are very big Hillary fans. And I encourage it. This election is bigger than who will be president of the United States. This is about that glass ceiling. No longer is the idea that a woman could be president theoretical. Much like the election in 2008 was about the idea that a black man could be president, this election is about that same thing. Love her or hate her, Hillary is finally that woman who broke through, brought the ceiling crashing down. 

We watched her speech outside on the big screen. Maggie was disinterested until Hillary began speaking (Sorry Chelsea), but once Hillary began, she watched with rapt attention. I could tell Maggie was really listening. She was commenting and got into the chanting -- raising her fist and saying "Hillary, Hillary, Hillary!" She understands how important this is. She knows it is important for us to actually SAY Girls are just as good as Boys and that it is ridiculous that we have to say it. Everyone deserves a seat at the table.

"Women's rights are human rights and human rights are women's rights." Hillary Clinton. 

And so last night, we set up the inflatable screen, the projector and sat out under the stars to watch Hillary Clinton become the first woman in the United States to accept a major party's nomination (and for all those who want to argue about other female candidates - yes, they were candidates, but they were not from a major party and let's not get into their actual chances). I am voting for Hillary, because a vote for Hillary is a vote for both of my daughters.

Through Jessie's Eyes

Jessie can't wait to grow up. She loves fashion and make up and is currently "married" to Rusty [the dog]. She became extremely upset the other morning when I told her there was no way she would get a phone for her 6th birthday. I love to listen to her talk and sing her made up songs that tell an epic tale.

Today, while we were trying to fly a kite, she grabbed my phone and took some pictures. Finally get to see the world through her eyes:

Palm Sunday

Riding into the city on an ass

And the people cried out.

Leaving the city carrying a cross

And the people cried out.

Where would I be?

Which side would I be on?

When would I cry out?

Would I listen if even the rocks cried out?

What would it take?

Would I cry out Hallelujah?

Would I cry out crucify him?

Luke 19:40 He answered them "if they were silent, the stones would shout out."

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cheesecake Truffles

Girl Scout cookie sales have come to an end (almost) and here I sit with 2 CASES of Peanut Butter Sandwiches (or Do-Si-Dos). These are a classic Girl Scout cookie, around back when I sold cookies in the 80s. They have their own following, but are no where near the popularity of the Thin Mint, Caramel Delite (or Samoas) or Peanut Butter Patties (or Tagalongs).

Here in South Dakota, we do not do pre-sales (think the Girl Scout out with her sales form and then delivering cookies several weeks/a month later), we have cookies on hand. I really prefer this method. Neighbors are more likely to purchase from the girl with cookies in hand. The hard part is predicting what you might need. My girls like to do booth sales, so I have made it a habit to schedule 1-2 booths during the last weekend of sales and let my parents return cookies they aren't able to sell (by a deadline).

The number of girls tripled for me -- Maggie's troop doubled in size and Jessie is now a Girl Scout. We went from 5 girls selling last year to 16 girls! So lots of new girls selling. We had a fantastic year. Unfortunately, some of them over-estimated the popularity of some cookies, which is why I now have 24 boxes of Peanut Butter Sandwiches (and Shortbreads). We have one final booth coming up at SDSU right before Easter, so I am hoping we can find some creative ways to sell these not-as-popular cookies. 

In browsing around Pinterest, I found a recipe for Peanut Butter Cheesecake Truffles and decided to see if they would work with Peanut Butter Sandwiches in place of the peanut butter. And I'm happy to say they were a success! Just a few ingredients and we have another way to enjoy these cookies! I'm hoping to do the same with a couple of other cookies before the final sales.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cheesecake Truffle

1 box Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies (you will use 1.5 sleeves)

8 oz cream cheese, room temp

1/3 cup powdered sugar (more to taste)

8 oz chocolate chips + 1/2 cup if desired.

Finely crush 1.5 sleeves of Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies in a food processor. Whip with 8 oz of cream cheese and 1/3 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips (if desired). Chill mixture in refrigerator for 1 hour. Form into balls. [I used a small cookie scoop for the balls above. I think I want to find a smaller one so they are truly bite sized.] Freeze. [Due to time, I froze them overnight, which was more than enough. An hour should be fine.] Melt 8 oz of chocolate chips. Dip & cover balls in melted chocolate. Sprinkle with extra crushed cookies. Freeze minimum 1 hour. Enjoy!

Wild Generosity

Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money -- come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Isaiah 55:1)

Is there anyone among you who, if a child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for fish, will give a snake? (Matthew 7:9)

Two messages to cut me to the core

Of selfishness

When have I chosen the easy route of looking away

When have I chosen to wonder what's in it for me

Before I give

My time

My talents

My tithe

When have You been before me

A stranger, reaching out a hand for a bit of my tithe

A friend, asking for a bit of my talent

A child, wanting just a bit of time

Yet I selfishly turned away

What's in it for me

Selfishly, I cling to the world

I cling to my stuff

I cling to that which doesn't really matter

Wanting more for me

Remind me that there is plenty for all

There is more where that comes from

You will provide all that I need.

How often you have proved it over and over and over

Yet still I want more

More proof

When have You been before me asking me for something?

Let me see You and know

Let me hear You and give

Freely to whomever asks

Let me be wildly generous

Stillness

Where can I find quiet

Where can I hear the stillness

In this noisy world 

The giggle of my girls

The honking of the geese

Returning from the south

The crackle of a fire

The whine of the dog

Begging someone to just throw the ball

And then I realize

You are in all those noises

You are behind

You are the source

You are the reason 

I can find the beauty in each of those sounds 

Meaning

Joy

Thank you.

Bearing Fruit

Prompt from Luke 13:8-9

Waiting.

I've done that.

I've been there.

And it is now

Now I am seeing the fruit

Now I am seeing that you are faithful

And that everything happens in your time

Not mine.

We can continue to let the tree grow.

We are planted in the right spot.

I was impatient but you have shown

You have proven to me again

And again

I do not need to be afraid.

I will continue to trust you.

Grace

I say to the LORD, "You are my God; I have no good apart from you." (Psalm 16:2)

Confess in prayer today that God is the goodness of our days, our breath, our life.

Apart from you, I am a shell.

Apart from you, I am weak.

Apart from you, I am unacceptable.

Apart from you, I am poor.

Apart from you, I am ordinary.

Apart from you, I am evil.

With you, I am filled.

With you, I am strong.

With you, I am accepted.

With you, I am rich.

With you, I am extraordinary.

With you, I am good. 

I have good. 

Lent Prayer 1

Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. (Joel 2:12)

We are not alone here.

We are all connected. 

We must all return to the Lord.

There is no punishment for all because of one.

We are called to love.

I mourn the lack of love.

I mourn the lack of grace.

We are all on this journey together.

We need to give more grace to one another.

We need to give more love to one another.

Show me where grace is needed.

Show me where love is needed.

Remind me to give. Freely.

Without reservation.

Love Freely

The love that comes from faith does not ask, "Who will get into heaven?" or "Who will go to hell?" No, the love that comes from faith says, "Christ is near to you, as close as a whisper and within your heart." (Romans 10:6-8a, adapted)

This Valentine's Day, Lord, let me be your love, your light that shows others you. Guide me, put into my path those that need that love. Remind me so show love when I am impatient, frustrated, angry. I am not ready for the responsibilities that come with judging others. I want to love, give grace to those that I don't think deserve it. Love is not something to be earned but to be freely given. 

This is something I need to do.

This is something I want to do.

This is what is required, because you have freely loved me.

2016 Resolutions

1. 1000 Gifts: get to 1000 gifts by Dec 2016.

2. Track food -- know what's going in

3. 4-5 work outs each week

4. Anjali's clean eating challenge. Participate in at least 6 this year.

5. Menu planning. Plan out at least 1 week in advance.

6. One on one time with Maggie

7. A new church home

First day of school

Kindergarten and Fourth grade! 2 Girl Scouts, 2 dance students. A fashionista and an artist. A future doctor and a future zoologist.

As I continuously pray for them to grow into beautiful women, I also pray God will show me how to be the mother they need. They are so alike and so different. I am also praying the Lord puts godly women into their lives. I miss the women we had in our life in Billings and look for women like that here.

I pray for their dad, to be the dad they need and the example of a man to look for when they grow up. That our marriage can be one they want for themselves.

Kindergarten according to Jessie: at free choice is when we play with the toys. And I like making Legos with my friend Dixon. He knows the Lego Movie. At school at my table we moved spots. Some of my friends go to a different color table. I stayed at the green table in a different spot. I don't know who's at my table. With the swing, people push you. Some kids call them baby swings. 

Both girls had a couple of great weeks to kick off the school year. I look forward to a blessed year with them!

Another Stitch Fix

I am LOVING Stitch Fix. No shopping. No deciding. Okay, well there is some deciding. But it's limited.

In my last box, I only kept one item due to the other selections not fitting (and in my awesome laundry skills, shrunk it after our Disney trip! Added more wash & wear items to my next request). This time I kept 3:

Madame Knit Tank (Papermoon). Very comfy, flowy. I can see myself wearing this top all year round as it looks great under a denim jacket. I've worn it a couple of times with a black maxi skirt, but it would also be great with jeans or black slacks. This top was $38.

Bernadette Lace Overlay Raglan Top (Market & Spruce). Soft jersey t-shirt, almost a baseball style. The lace makes it feminine without being too much. The sleeves are heather gray and the lace is off-white. This is another year-round top. I wore it to work with a pencil black skirt, but I think it would be great for a casual night out too. This top was $58, which is more than I usually spend on a single item, but I think I'll get my money's worth from it.

Garland Geo Print Maxi Skirt (Papermoon). Super soft fabric. My stylist recommended I wear it with the top I kept from my last box (which alas I shrunk), so I paired it with a simple black t. This is from their petite collection -- the one I got in my last box was WAY too big. This one fit great -- it works with my dressy sandals and my Tevas. The skirt was $58, which again is more than I usually spend, but let's face it, I WAS doing most of my clothing shopping at Wal-Mart & Target.

I also got some straight leg jeans and a small gold necklace. I liked the jeans, but they just didn't fit me right -- too loose in the waist and too tight in my legs. I am still hopeful they will be able to find jeans that will fit properly and as my next fix is scheduled for October, that's the perfect time to get a great pair of jeans. The necklace was okay. It didn't stand out as a *must have* so I sent it back.

As I stated before, this is a great service for me because I really don't like shopping. So when I go, I tend to go for the basics. This is helping find things I wouldn't normally select, or let's face it, FIND in small town SD.

This is not a sponsored post. I pay for all items on my own. However, this post does provide referral links for new sign ups which gives me a little credit to go towards my next box.

Disney Lessons #DaileyDisneyAdventure

We've been home for almost a month. Pictures are downloaded (working on what to print & a photo book). Starting to think about what vacation to take next, though it won't be even half as big as this one was. I learned a lot planning this trip, some lessons that are definitely transferable!

1. Plan, plan, plan. Then plan a little more. Disney World is HUGE. You cannot see it all so plan what you MUST see and/or do so you can be sure those get done. And plan those for times when everyone is fresh & fed & happy! Be sure to make those reservations as soon as possible. The week of our trip, Fast Passes for Dwarfs Mine Train, Toy Story Midway Mania and to meet Anna & Elsa were non-existent!

1.a. Use the MyDisneyExperience App. You can see & make/change/cancel reservations from this app. You can see & make/change your FastPasses. You can get directions to your next ride/event. You can find out how long the wait is at every attraction (and if no wait time is listed, the attraction is not running). You can see what or who (character meets!) is near by. I also had a print out of the Excel sheet schedule I had made, which was good for looking at the next day, but day off the MyDisneyExperince app was my bible -- especially by our last day when I really understood it. The map piece with GPS - I really wish I had understood this one long before the 2nd to last day. I also carried a paper map which was good for all of us to look at together to figure out our next stop.

2. Don't be afraid to veer from your schedule. Life happens, you get hungry at odd times or someone gets crabby & just needs out of the heat/sun. Will you miss something? Yes. But again, you can't do everything anyway. As long as it wasn't one of your MUST dos, be okay with it. We never did stay at any park for fireworks. We were all tired & done long before. (Of course we could see fireworks from our hotel so we didn't really miss them). Honestly, I wish we had taken more mid-day breaks, but at the time, it always felt like the hotel was just so far away and by the time we got back to the hotel, we were DONE and didn't want to leave.

3. Eat breakfast every day. Even if you don't normally. I can pin point 2 days that would have gone much smoother if we had gotten up 30 minutes earlier and eaten a hot breakfast. The protein bars just weren't enough.

3.a. Plan all your meals in advance. The days I thought it would be okay to "play it by ear" ended up being our most challenging days. Make reservations at any sit down restaurant you think you might want to try. If you need to make changes, you can always cancel the reservation on your app [just be aware that some restaurants require some advance notice, but you can check that on the app as well].

4. Bring water & snacks in with you. I carried in 4 bottles of water & granola bars & fruit snacks. We still got in park snacks but it was nice to not spend $3 for water or have something to hold us over until we found a place to grab a snack. Maggie & I loved the Mickey ice cream bars & Jessie loved the strawberry bars. And any quick service restaurant or vendor with ice will give you a cup of ice or ice water for free.

4.a. I should have had Rocky or Maggie carry a small bag. I used a small messenger bag I got at the SHRM conference last year and I wouldn't carry anything bigger (it got quite heavy). If one of them had a small string backpack to carry the water it would have made my bag much lighter and would have been nice for all when we split up.

4.b. What else did I carry? Park map, lip balm, first aid stuff (band aids, ibuprofen, Tums, anti-nausea meds), autograph stuff, small bottle of sun block, ponchos (the $0.96 from Walmart kind), a print out of our schedule, park maps, external phone charger. And anything else the girls didn't want to carry. Though we did insist they carry any souvenir they wanted to purchase before the end of the day.

5. It is HOT. Unfortunately I didn't know how much the heat bothered Jessie. We brought some spray bottles but ended up also buying a mister there (the strap does make carrying it easier). Jessie had insisted on packing her umbrella and we should have taken that as a sign & let her take it to the parks. We took a lot of breaks. [Jessie recently said "Disney World is the funnest place in the world. And it is hot. It is the funnest place in the world and the hottest place in the world."]

6. Character autographs. Everything I read said the park autograph books weren't worth the price so I made some for the girls using plastic photo books, scrapbook paper and mini- clipboards. The girls used stickers to decorate the clipboards. I bought a variety pack of Sharpies. We would have been fine with black. These weren't a lot of work and the girls were/are happy with them, but after looking at the books in the park, I didn't really save that much money doing it myself. The photo/autograph books in the park came with pens and were really nice.

7. Money. Disney is expensive. I didn't think the souvenirs were overpriced, but the food, definitely. We decided ahead of time to not worry about money and we had saved and planned accordingly. The girls also had their own spending money (not that we didn't help them out from time to time). We rarely said no [though I did refuse to purchase the $30 "princess hat" and talked Jessie into some different princess accessories]. You could easily drive yourself crazy worrying about how much money you are spending while you are there. Disney makes it easy to purchase whatever you want by putting the ability to charge to your room on your MagicBand. I'm sure you could do Disney on a tight budget -- you are allowed to bring food and small coolers into the park or if you rented a car, you could go off site to eat. Though, taking the expense of parking and car rental into consideration, paying a little extra for food on site was a small price to pay for us.

8. PhotoPass. This is a free service offered by Disney. They have photographers EVERY WHERE. They will snap a couple of pictures and then scan your magic band and within a couple of hours, you can see your photos through the Disney website. You can also give them your camera/phone and they will snap a couple of pictures with your camera or step out of the way for you to take the same shot. If you pay in advance, you can get the MemoryMaker (you can also purchase while you are there, but pay a little more). We did not purchase the MemoryMaker, but you still get to see everything as they upload it all. Rocky was able to add the ride photos from Splash Mountain and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train with his magic band. There was also a short video of the mine train ride with video from their ride. The only photo that didn't show up was the one from Maggie's pirate makeover. I'm glad I had thought to have her recreate it while we were in line for the Little Mermaid. You have 30 days to make any purchases from the PhotoPass -- including downloads or actual prints. I downloaded my favorites and will upload to Shutterfly to make photo books and calendars later.

9. Disney's Magical Express. One benefit to staying at a Disney resort was the free transportation, especially to and from the airport! We booked our tickets about 6 weeks out and sent that information to our travel agent who got us all set up. About a week later, we received our confirmation for the Magical Express, which included luggage tags so we could check luggage without having to pick it up at the airport [we still had to pay the airline baggage fee]. When we arrived in Orlando, we followed the signs to Ground Transportation and were able to get right on the bus. Our bus made 2 stops ahead of us, but we were to our hotel about an hour after we landed. A Disney Cast Member came out to greet us and get us checked in so we didn't need to go to the front desk. Our return was just as easy. We were automatically checked in for our flights & the boarding passes were hanging on our door on check out day. We were able to check our luggage and we're done with it until Sioux Falls. We were also able to go through the TSA pre-check line which meant we didn't have to remove our shoes, take anything out of our carry-one or go through the full-body scan machines.

10. Use a Disney Travel Agent. There are a lot of them out there and I know a few [after we booked, discovered a Facebook friend is one!] Our agent did almost everything for us. We talked about our MUST DOs and she got our dinner reservations and Jessie's Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boutique scheduled once the window opened (180 days in advance). I made the reservation for Maggie's Pirates League makeover and I was left with a great appreciation for what the travel agent does, especially as the Disney Cast Member was trying to get Maggie scheduled for the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boutique! The Disney travel agents are free for the travelers and are paid by Disney. Really the only thing she couldn't do was set our FastPasses for us.

11. Remember, it is just a vacation and you are there to have fun! When you are crabby, or the kids are crabby, just take a break. Getting a family photo isn't as important as getting your overheated daughter out of the sun [and I am speaking to myself here and am thankful my husband reminded me that I really didn't want a family photo with Jessie screaming "I'm hot."] Don't sacrifice your sanity in an effort to do "everything."

While this isn't a trip you take every year, we are starting to talk about when to go back, which tells me we all had a great time.

Magic Kingdom #DaileyDisneyAdventure

The Magic Kingdom. The park most people think about when they think about Disney World. Cinderella's Castle, Main Street, Mickey Mouse.we had a day and a half here, our last day and a half. And I'm really happy this was the last; like a big finale, the build up, the big pay off. There's something for everyone here.

We began our 2nd to last day with some relaxation. We slept in, had a good breakfast at the hotel, played in the pool. We were the first ones at the pool and had it to ourselves for a while. It was nice to not have any place to be for a while and not be surrounded by a lot of people. We headed to the park for lunch. The girls loved taking the boat to the park [though I don't think we were took it back to the hotel].

We checked out Monster's Laugh Floor, which used the same technology as Turtle Talk with Crush. As we waited in line, we could text jokes in to be used in the show. They picked on people in the audience and each show is different, even different topics. We went twice.

We caught parts of a coupe of parades, but the girls just weren't interested in standing, in the sun. We rode the tea cups, It's a Small World, the Carousel and Stitch's Great Escape -- I'm pretty sure this was the Alien ride when I was last there. There was a short wait, so we decided to try it. I had read some bad reviews, but none mentioned that it was boring. I knew it would get dark and thought that might be enough to scare the girls. But even Jessie thought it was boring. As Maggie put it, nothing happened.

We met Merida, Tinker Bell and Ariel as a mermaid. We kept trying to talk Jessie into Splash Mountain, but she kept saying she didn't want to be splashed. I was able to use the app to get a Fast Pass for Rocky & Maggie after dinner. We ate at Be Our Guest. This was definitely for me! I really really wanted to try the "grey stuff" and it was delicious! We got to meet Beast after the meal. We also discovered that the thunder we assumed was part of the restaurant was actually part of a rain storm. And of course, for some reason I only brought 2 ponchos. So Maggie got one and Jessie & I shared one. We rode Its a Small World hoping the rain would let up before the fast pass time for Splash Mountain. The rain did not so we decided to head back to the hotel and try the ride the next day.

We got an early start on our last day as we had a 9 am appointment for Jessie at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. It was nice to be able to walk down Main Street without all the crowds. We were able to get family pictures with the Castle in the background. Then we split up and Jessie & I headed to the salon while Rocky & Maggie headed to Splash Mountain [and got on the very first car].

Jessie's time at the salon didn't take long and we met up with Rocky & Maggie at the Carousel where we saw the Evil Step Mother & Step Sisters. After, Maggie got her first real roller coaster ride on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (which she said was awesome) and Jessie wanted to see Its A Small World again. Then it was time for Maggie's pirate make over. We tried to do Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean, but ran out of time. Jessie got Rocky to do the Teacups again.

Lunch was at Cinderella's Castle and then we split up again! Maggie decided she didn't want to meet Anna & Elsa so I suggested the Haunted Mansion for them [she wasn't a fan]. They then headed back to the hotel for a break. Jessie & I checked out Mickey's PhilharMagic 3-D show while we waited for our Anna & Elsa FastPass time. Then we headed back to the hotel for a break.

The break was perfect. Time to cool off & sit for awhile. We started with riding the train to tomorrowland. The girls decided they didn't want to meet any more characters, though a glimpse of Woody & Jessie from the train almost changed their minds. We headed to find something to eat and by the time we had eaten, it was raining again. This time I had brought ponchos for everyone! Maggie wanted to try Splash Mountain again, but it wasn't running. Monsters Laugh Floor was having technical difficulties, so we headed for Mickey's PhilharMagic and started looking for other inside attractions. After the 3D show ended, the Laugh Floor was back up so we decided to go there one last time and then do a little shopping on Main Street. Because of the rain, the shops were crazy crowded, but Maggie was able to spend a little more of her money. And Jessie finally got some cotton candy.

They were getting Main Street set up for a parade, but again, the girls weren't interested so we headed back to the hotel. A short bus ride back and we enjoyed hanging around the hotel the rest of the evening. We checked out the gift shop and arcade. Did some packing. Jessie was completely fast asleep by 9. It was a good day.