Disney Wonder Day 7: Farewells & Our Favorite Moment

May 7, 2011 By

Our final day at sea aboard the Disney Wonder was overcast and chilly but no one complained. After six days of fun in the sun, we were more than happy to leisurely hang out in our PJs in our stateroom.

Though my kids’ shell-shocked expressions in this photo may testify otherwise.

It was probably because I had told them their endless gourmet food supply was soon coming to an end.

When we finally emerged to civilization, we played board games in the Promenade Lounge, leisurely enjoying ocean views out of the large porthole windows.

That afternoon, we attended the matinee of Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic, a live musical show at the Walt Disney Theatre. We loved the story of Anne Marie, a little girl who couldn’t find it in her heart to believe, with special appearances from the Blue Fairy, Peter Pan and many of our favorite Disney characters. Thousands of bubbles were blown into the audience and whimsical snow swirled around us in the perfect sendoff.

Magical Moments

But my favorite moment of the entire trip happened almost by accident. Later that evening, Linda and I had dinner reservations at Palo’s (memorable details here) while the kids partied away at the Oceaneer Club. Around 6 p.m., we tried to grab Haddie and Bode some dinner at Beach Blanket Buffet but it was closed.

We wandered out to Pluto’s Dog House, a quick-service grill, adjacent to Mickey’s Pool and ordered the kids some hot dogs and fries. With most people either at dinner or the show, along with the chilly temperatures, the area was a ghost town.

“We want to go swimming!” Hadley announced.
“Now? Isn’t it too cold?”
“There’s nobody here. Pleeeeease can we do it?”

The girl is half-Canadian so cold weather ain’t exactly a diversion.

And because I’m full-blooded Canadian, I grabbed their swim suits.

Hadley and Bode had the time of their lives in that pool all their own. They laughed, played, splashed and jumped the waves of the rocking boat.


Our entire family vacation was fun but those final moments were sheer magic.

Or rather, Wonderful. Because you wouldn’t expect anything less aboard The Disney Wonder.

=====

If you missed it:
*It’s a Wonder Cruising with Disney: A Day-by-day Guide
*Day 0.5: If Getting There is Half the Fun Then I’m in Trouble
*Day 1: Kids Club, Sail Away Party and Fat Kitty Stowaway
*Day 2: Stateroom, Oceaneer Club, Pools, Entertainment & Pyrotechnics, Oh My!
*Day 3: Our Slacker Character Breakfast, Oceaneer Lab’s Little Red Hen and the Magic of Animator’s Palate
*Day 4: Puerto Vallarta, Boogie Boarding and Not-nude Beaches
*Days 5 & 6: Cabo, Lands End, A Brush with Death and a Newfound Love

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Bode, Disney, Family travel, Hadley, Humor Tagged With:

It’s a Wonder Cruising With Disney: A day-by-day guide

May 1, 2011 By

For Spring Break, Bode, Hadley and I joined my mother-in-law Linda aboard the Disney Wonder to sail the Mexican Riviera and life has never been the same.

I mean, just look at this kid.

Since Disney Cruise Line’s inception back in 1995, I knew I wanted to take my children someday but I must confess, we were not huge Disney fans. Sure, we love most Disney films but we’ve never been to the theme parks and consider Mickey only to be a mouse (and not a god).

But after seven days aboard the 2,400-passenger Disney Wonder, we’re now bonafide mouseketeers. It wasn’t any one thing that made this our favorite vacation ever but rather the culmination of superb service from the 945 crew members, fantastic amenities interspersed throughout the 10 decks, delicious food at the nine restaurants, professional-quality shows, first-run movies like Mars Needs Moms and the simple magic that only Disney can provide.

I’ve been on cruises before that offer wonderful children’s programs but the difference with a Disney Cruise is everything is about the kids. Little girls wandered the halls wearing princess dresses and boys sported Mickey ears. Some families went all-out decorating their cabin doors. Our waitress even patterned our ketchup into Mickey ears.

The Disney Wonder launched in 1999 and many of the reviews I read on TripAdvisor were harsh (too old, not maintained, etc.) While there were times it definitely showed its age (particularly creaking most noticed at night), crews work around-the-clock cleaning and painting.

This old ship (me) should be so lucky to have that kind of TLC.

So, welcome aboard! As you’ll see from Day 0.5, our trip did not start well….

*It’s a Wonder Cruising with Disney: A Day-by-day Guide

*Day 0.5: If Getting There is Half the Fun Then I’m in Trouble

*Day 1: Kids Club, Sail Away Party and Fat Kitty Stowaway

*Day 2: Stateroom, Oceaneer Club, Pools, Entertainment & Pyrotechnics, Oh My!

*Day 3: Our Slacker Character Breakfast, Oceaneer Lab’s Little Red Hen and the Magic of Animator’s Palate

*Day 4: Puerto Vallarta, Boogie Boarding and Not-nude Beaches

*Days 5 & 6: Cabo, Lands End, A Brush with Death and a Newfound Love

*Day 7: Farewells & Our Favorite Moment of the Trip

But you’d better believe it ended much better.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Bode, Disney, Family travel, Hadley, Humor, travel Tagged With:

The Easter That Wasn’t

April 27, 2011 By

As for the belated Easter update, welp, I acquired a cold on Saturday, Jamie had a killer rheumatism attack and Haddie got the stomach flu.

It’s a wonder I’m even alive, much less updating this blog.

Oh, and for anyone keeping track of how many times I’ve been sick this year, don’t bother. I’ve stopped counting.

Our normal Easter celebrations were downsized. We had a simple egg hunt in the morning, smoked brisket for dinner and gorged on Haddie’s bunny cake for dessert (this was her first attempt at making and decorating it by herself). There was no church or cute Easter outfits, just moping around by the parents.



And chocolate. A whole lotta chocolate.

Fortunately we had already done a lot of revelries the week prior that included Easter cookie decorating.
Disclaimer: Don’t ask me how the kids convinced me dolphins should be included in the mix. But think of how much more interesting it would be if a marine mammal somehow delivered Easter spoils instead of a bunny.

We also decorated eggs with Aunt Lisa.

And The Great Pumpkin, of course, made an appearance.


We’ve already shown this is a year-round obsession.
Tune in tomorrow for additional evidence.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, holidays, Humor Tagged With:

The Hunt for the Golden Egg & A Mother’s Shame

April 25, 2011 By

My family has been attending our city’s Easter Egg Hunt since my children were toddlers. The Hunt has always been eventful. There was the year when Hadley thought the eggs were balls and launched them in the air.

Oh, and I can’t forget when the organizers setup the course around the playground and Haddie preferred to play on the slide.

Or the time they passed over the eggs and ran in circles.

And then there was last year’s communist society Easter Egg Hunt where each child was only allowed to retrieve five eggs.
But this was our year. There were no quotas, the eggs were scattered on an open field and at ages 6 and 4 respectively, Hadley and Bode are in their prime. My competitive husband Jamie coached them to the point they were getting so riled up that I chastised him to chill out.


We ran into our friend Andrew from church whose toddler was in possession of the elusive Golden Egg that contains a special prize. Every year, there is just one of them placed in The Hunt for each age group and I was curious as to how they scored it.

“We were on the far side of the field when we saw the Golden Egg,” Andrew divulged, “It was sitting next to a 10-year-old boy who looked like he was going to swipe it but we snagged it first.”

Good thing, too. Andrew is an attorney and that kid could have faced repercussions.

When Bode was up to bat with his fellow 4 and 5 year olds, our little thoroughbred was the first off the starting block and snagged an impressive haul of eggs.

Next, it was Haddie’s turn (and this is where it gets ugly).


She was with some older kids–up to age 8– but I knew she would do well. She’s competitive like her dad and most importantly, she’s fast. She lined up and waited for the good word.

Then a lady came up to me and I blame her for my demise. “Do you see it out there?” she hissed. “The Golden Egg is directly in front of you at the other end. If your little girl runs straight, she will grab it.”

The rest is a blur. I spotted the Golden Egg glimmering in the sun and I showed Jack…err Hadley how to navigate the beanstalk to get it. Somewhere in the mix, the signal was given and kids raced to the field. Frantic at missing the start, I gave her a gentle push in the direction of our family’s future.

Only it wasn’t so gentle. Much to my horror, it was a full-blown shove and Hadley landed face-first on the grass.

“That’s OK, that’s OK!” I picked her up and sent her off but by then it was too late. The Golden Egg was clutched from its rightful owners (us) and Haddie only had a half-full basket of eggs to show for her efforts.

And a killer glare aimed right at me.

Next year, I’ll leave The Easter Egg Hunt coaching up to Jamie.

(Originally published at MILEHIGHMAMAS.COM.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Hadley, holidays, Humor, Jamie Tagged With:

Easy Ways to Help Your Family Become More Eco-friendly (and drive you husband nuts)

April 18, 2011 By

I am not what one would call an environmentalist but this past year, I have a new passion for recycling. When I was a missionary in Switzerland in 1993, I was amazed that every home had multiple recycling bins. Though I joked about needing a PhD in Recycling to live there, I admired how they had adapted it as their way of life.

I had lived with the guilt of not recycling for years but last summer I decided I would make more of an effort. I called my HOA to find out the recycling retrieval rates and found out I’d already been paying for it as a part of our fee.

Whoops.

A year later, I am proud to say my recycling bin has more items than my garbage can and it has required very little extra effort. My reluctant husband, on the other hand, can’t be bothered. He remained indifferent when 6-year-old Hadley and I recently staged an intervention after she read Where Does The Garbage Go?

Though I can’t teach that old dog new tricks, I have been educating my kids. When Haddie and I were departing from a restaurant last week, I pointed out the tall garbage can full of pop cans whose home would inevitably be a landfill.

“I know, Mommy,” Haddie exclaimed. “After school next week, let’s go to lots of different restaurants with garbage cans and see CLICK TO READ ON AT MILEHIGHMAMAS.COM.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Hadley, Jamie

The End of an Era

April 12, 2011 By

Part of my household purge has been getting rid of furniture and toys the children no longer use. I sold Haddie’s Fisher Price princess trunk and bookshelf on Craiglist and hope to save up some money to buy her a more grown-up desk and hutch for her birthday.

Grandparents, take note. :)

One item I was sad to part with was our Thomas the Trainset. We have a long history with Thomas. When Hadley was 2 years old, she drew blood at Toys R Us over her refusal to leave Thomas behind. It got so bad that she had to be personally escorted out of the store by the manager. Jamie wrote about it on the blog he created to counter my “lies”: Crazy Canuck: The Truth Set Free.

That’s another phase I’m glad has come and gone.

Though I can’t say his pumpkin blog, Denver Pumpkins, is much better.

(On a related note, be sure to “like” him on his newly-created Facebook page The Pumpkin Man for updates on the pumpkin’s growth and the air date of a certain network show we’ll be on.)

But back to Thomas. We ended up buying the current train track off of Craiglist and surprised her with it for Christmas. One of my fondest memories was watching her chubby little legs race over to it for the first time. Both she and Bode spent hours playing with dear Thomas until he went into early retirement last year.

I posted the train track on Craiglist and we sold it on Monday. After the sale, with the fondness of a mother far-removed from the trauma, I told Hadley about when she made her blood pact with Thomas at Toys R Us. I don’t know what I expected: Horror or embarrassment about her reaction, perhaps? But certainly not this:

“Well, didn’t you buy it for me?”

How far she has come.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Hadley, Humor, Jamie

A Great Inheritance

March 31, 2011 By

Jamie and I reattempted the steep hike that was the catalyst for his heart surgery last month.

He did marvelously.

It was so wonderful to be on a date together doing what we love most. We talked about work projects as well as brainstormed ideas for future collaborations.

We also talked about the kids. I saw the Garfield movie on an endcap at Target for $5 and bought it for Haddie’s birthday. She has been harassing me about it for weeks, citing the last time she saw Garfield was years ago. She is able to recount the most freakishly specific details about what she was doing when she saw it.

Then, we talked about Bode. I continue to be impressed with how even-keeled he is. I can count on one hand how many temper tantrums he has had (whereas Haddie lived in timeout when she was 2 and 3). When I have his friends over, I am reminded of just how easy-going, agreeeable and mature he is.

Jamie acknowledged both.

“That Haddie, she has an amazingly keen memory like me,” Jamie boasted.

I agreed.

“And Bode,” he continued, “He inherited his dad’s wisdom and depth.”

I didn’t discount any of it but I wanted in.

“So, what did they inherit from me?” I queried, preparing myself for an outpouring of my good graces.

Long pause.

“They inherited your round head.”

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, hiking, Humor, Jamie

Signs of the [sickly & crippled] times

March 22, 2011 By

Fortunately, the Johnson Clan has turned the corner (though we’re still not 100%). I’ve detailed our many ailments of 2011 of this blog that include perpetual illness, heart surgery and knee traumas.

Unfortunately, my kids have lived it.

Jamie and I have downplayed the gravity of much that has taken place but kids are perceptive. They kinda notice when their mom (a.k.a. the one who normally drags them all over tarnation) is bedridden so they played together a lot.

Hands down, their favorite toys are their abundance of stuffed animals. During healthier times, the animals would go on make-believe hiking adventures, ski down double-black diamond runs and race at the Olympics.

This week, the animals are sick. Bode professes his husky Lolly has a lengthy recovery ahead of him with back surgery and his beloved Tabby is having head surgery.

Let’s hope a nursing home is not in their (our) future.

==============

In related news, here’s a recent conversation I had with my beloved James.

Jamie: “I’ve been going over our financials. I have figured out what we owe for taxes, the heart surgery and the new refrigerator.”

Amber: “So pretty much that means I won’t have knee surgery until 2014?”

Jamie: “Actually, I think that’s a little soon.”

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Bode, Family, Hadley, Health, Humor

Parent-Teacher Conferences: Love ‘em or Hate ‘em?

March 21, 2011 By

Parent-teacher conference is this week. My children could not be more different and I’m learning to adapt and recognize the talents each child has.

At our last conference, I learned 6-year-old Hadley’s talent is not listening and 4-year-old Bode’s does not involve his fine motor skills.

I admittedly braced myself when I met with Haddie’s first-grade teacher. She excels in the arts and natural sciences but when it comes to reading, she has just finally caught up to her peers who were in full-day kindergarten. My husband Jamie isn’t exactly a stellar example. In his own words:

“I don’t have anything against books. I just don’t like reading them.”

But Haddie’s teacher wasn’t concerned about reading or the fact she is math-illiterate (she is allegedly on track with both). When it comes to multi-step instructions, my dear daughter gets a failing grade. In other words: listening.

Bode’s teachers love the little guy and who can blame them? He’s sweet, a great listener, well-behaved, is starting to read and beloved by his classmates. He is off-the-chart with math and while his peers are still learning to recognize single digits, he’s into double-digits and is constantly drilling me in my addition skills.

Confession: I count with my fingers behind my back.

I’m screwed when he graduates to multiplication tables.

The other night, their differences were on display as Haddie did her homework.

“I need to write the number 11. Hey, Bode. How do you write that number?”

“1 and 1,” he replied.

I looked over at her, dumbfounded. Had her preschooler brother really just helped her with her homework?

“Hey Mommy,” she continued. “I need to learn how to do things. You know, like a job to make money. All Bode and I know how to do is play.”

“I’m well aware of that, Hadley.”

“Yes, so we can learn how to do things like drive…and grow enormous pumpkins like Daddy.”

Something tells me I’ll never be an empty-nester.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AT MILEHIGHMAMAS.COM

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, Humor, pumpkins

The Making of a Monarch

March 17, 2011 By

As I posted on Monday, Haddie recently competed in a Destination Imagination tournament. Two days before the competition, the DI groups at her school convened to perform for each other. Parents were invited but Hadley told me to hold off until the tournament because she wanted to fine-tune her acting.

And so the parental rejection begins.

When I picked her up from the rehearsal, I noticed that many of her peers had over-the-top costumes whereas Haddie’s monarch butterfly was straightforward with simple black wings. DI is completely kid-driven and parents are not supposed to be involved but the competitive side of me kicked in. Knowing Haddie had a central role in her skit, I wanted her to shine so posted this picture on Facebook asking for advice.

The overriding consensus? Bling the wings. I’m not exactly a bling kinda gal so I turned to my neighbor Meredith, whom I call the craft goddess. Not only is she extraordinarily talented in all things crafty and creative but she has an entire room that is wall-to-wall with thousands of craft supplies. Hadley thought she’d died and gone to heaven.



I was in crafting hell.

However, it was all worth it. Meredith had some fabulous advice and more glitter glue than Michaels. Cute bows down the spine and on her dress completed the outfit and Haddie was thrilled.

With all the effort that was put into the wings, I suggested to Haddie that she should be a monarch butterfly for Halloween as well.

“I was actually thinking I want to go a ghost,” she said.

Now, that’s a costume I can get behind.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Hadley, Humor
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