What Summer Break Looks Like Chez Nous

June 3, 2011 By

In mid-June we start the onslaught of art and sports camps, followed by two weeks of swim lessons and then we’ll be in Canada for most of July.

The next two weeks are gloriously devoid of commitments and we are taking full advantage of them. Thus far we have seen PJs still on at 5 p.m.

Mismatched clothes….

….and a mother who is pretending she does not care.

A fridge stocked with lemonade and glorious fresh fruits.

Slip ‘n slides….


Bike rides in Cheeseman Park,
Slack rope walking,
Father-son sports bonding,

Crawdad fishing at Lakecrest Park with a bunch of kids from church.
(Hadley was the only girl getting down and dirty with the boys. I told her to play nicely because they are her future dating pool.)

Lest you think everyone is in a celebratory mood, let our thoughts turn to a very depressed Fat Kitty who is no longer allowed outside after his walk on the wild side.

We may have to make an exception to circumvent just how pathetic he has become.

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

The (Fat Kitty) Party’s Over

June 1, 2011 By


That’s right, folks: Fat Kitty ate his own invitation. Evidently he was still bitter over his traumatic photography session.

Haddie’s Fat Kitty-themed birthday party went off without a hitch thanks to my right-hand woman, Tina. There were games like the cats (kids) balancing the mouse (hard-boiled eggs) with a few uncooked ones thrown in to keep it interesting.
And then there was the tour on the darkest, scariest part of the house: Fat Kitty’s kitty litter box.
I didn’t clean it for the entire week, just to add to the effect.


And mostly because I was just lazy. No worries, though. The children’s kitty litter scooping contest involved Tootsie Rolls instead of poop.

Next time they won’t be so lucky.
All in all, it was a fun, low-maintenance party.


But the biggest question of the day: did Fat Kitty make an appearance at his own party? Fleetingly.


He’s still recovering from the trauma.

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

The Makings of a Fat Kitty Birthday Party

May 23, 2011 By

Hadley’s 7th birthday is on Wednesday. You know those moms who go over-the-top by over-planning their social event of the season everyone will rave about for years to come?

That is not me.

Don’t get me wrong: I love parties and between doing it personally and professionally for many years, I do a pretty good job. It’s just when it comes to children’s birthday parties, less is more.

A few years ago, a dear friend hired a professional party planner for her daughter’s birthday. The company did a marvelous job but guess what: the kids were 3 years old and could not have cared less. In the end–though I think most of us have good intentions–it’s our own needs that often get in the way of how the kids really want to celebrate.

Every year, I let my kids plan their theme around what they love best. For Hadley, it is her beloved Fat Kitty. For months, she has been formulating her games that will include a meowing contest, clean the kitty litter box (blindfolded with cotton balls & Tootsie roll poop) and musical chairs cat beds with the fun twist that the winner will actually be the first person out.

Fat Kitty ain’t exactly fast.

Most people would be thrilled to have a party in their honor but not him. Hadley declared he needed to be featured on her invitation and so we staged a photo shoot with various locations and costume changes.

Disclaimer: No animals were harmed in the making of this birthday card.

The same cannot be said for soon-to-be 7-year-old girls.

Maybe I should look into hiring a professional after all.

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

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

May 3, 2011 By

“Home sweet home.”

That is what I referred to our stateroom aboard the Disney Wonder for seven blessed days. Only our home doesn’t have a balcony with ocean views (more than 70 percent of staterooms have them), a door adorned with Mickey, or James, our doting stateroom steward who kept our room meticulously clean.

I have yet to convince my own beloved husband James to follow his fine example.

Sleeping with my kids in the same room is not my top choice but with a curtain partition, bunk beds for the kids and a large comfy bed for Linda and I, it was pretty ideal. The split “bath-and-a-half” design provided us with the convenience of a sink and tub/shower in one room and a sink and toilet in a separate room.

Our stateroom had all makings for a good slumber but I’m a neurotic sleeper and need complete silence. Combine a snoring roommate (who shall remain anonymous) and the creaking of the ship (the only time it testified of its age), I awoke exhausted.

Which is why it made perfect sense to checkout the fitness center.

Disney Cruise Line Fitness Center

The adults-only workout facilities are a part of the Vista Spa & Salon and are open from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. The equipment is state-of-the-art with a complete range of cardiovascular and weight machines and classes. There is also an open-air track for walking and jogging, about 1/3 of a mile in length.

When I worked out the first day it sea, the facility was crowded. On the final day on the cruise, it was a ghost town. After a week of leisure and gluttony, I think my fellow devotees instead opted for the buffet.

LinkPerfect Palo

Speaking of food, it doesn’t get any better than Palo, Disney Wonder’s signature adult-only Northern Italian restaurant. After dropping the kids off at Oceaneer Club, Linda and I indulged in the Champagne brunch. The options included made-to-order entrées, seafood, a selection of international cheeses, fresh breads and pastries, desserts, Champagne and mimosas. Favorites were the Eggs Benedict and strawberry-mint soup.

In addition to brunch, Palo also offers elegant dinners. On our final night, we began with antipasti selections and the choice of six different kinds of pizzas. We moved on to fresh pastas and then came seafoods and meats (my classic beef tenderloin with Gorgonzola sauce redefined tender) and our evening was topped off by chocolate souffle dessert.
Our beloved and adorable Italian waiter Daniel summed up our culinary journey by this statement: “It’s a moment you never want to end.”

He was correct but fortunately for my waistline, it eventually did.

Reservations are required for Palo and there is an additional $20 charge for dinner and brunch.

An Expert Opinion of Disney’s Oceaneer Club

When Linda and I retrieved 6-year-old Hadley from Oceaneer Club, she reported: “I made a friend and we pretended we were Captain Hook on the ship.”

She was referring to Captain Hook’s pirate ship straight from Never Land with a treasure chest-themed television set, lamps that resemble barrels, hanging ropes, wooden planks and a glistening fiber-optic night sky.

“Oh, and Bode? All he did was play Mario Kart and just watch TV,” she snitched.

The Club has a computer lab with child-friendly computers, video games and multiple televisions. In 4-year-old Bode’s own defense, “I had the most fun ever.”

To each his own.

Oceaneer Club is open from 9 a.m. to midnight daily for children ages 3 to 10, no reservations are necessary. Bode preferred The Club (which is more geared to younger kids) and Hadley liked the Oceaneer Lab (stay tuned for that review tomorrow).

Water Play

There are three pools on-board the Disney Wonder: Quiet Cove Pool (an adult-only oasis), Goofy’s Pool and Mickey’s Pool a.k.a. my descent into hell.

Let me explain: My kids are finally getting old enough that they can be relatively independent in shallow waters. Goofy’s Pool had an ideal location with a state-of-the-art, jumbo 24-by-14-foot LED screen that played Disney animated or live-action movies poolside. Unfortunately, at a depth of 4 feet, it is too deep for my kids.

That left Mickey’s Pool. In theory, this is a fantastic pool that features Mickey Mouse’s famous smiling face, a maximum depth of 2 feet and a twisting, one-deck-high yellow slide suspended from an over-sized Mickey Mouse hand.

The problem is 85 percent of the ship’s children think this mouse is the cat’s meow. By afternoon, Mickey’s Pool was absolute bedlam every day and my dreams of relaxing poolside in a chaise with a Pina Colada smoothie were replaced by having to keep a vigilant watch they didn’t get trampled.

The kids still loved it, though. Haddie tore up the slide, we grabbed burgers and fries from Pluto’s Dog House (healthier options were at nearby Goofy’s Galley) and topped it off with soft-serve ice cream. Basically, it was every kid’s dream and every parent’s nightmare.

To each their own, Part II.

Tip: To avoid the crowds, skip swimming in the afternoon and go after breakfast or during the first dining hour (around 6 p.m.) Stay tuned for our favorite moment aboard the Disney Wonder, which happened on our final night in Mickey’s Pool.

On-board Entertainment

Upon returning home from our cruise, I was asked, “Did your kids ever get bored?”

A Disney Cruise is the very antithesis of boredom. Between song-and-dance shows starring our favorite Disney Characters in the Disney Theatre daily to first-run movies like Tangled and Gnomeo and Juliet in the Buena Vista Theatre, magic shows, karaoke, dancing and games, we were never, ever bored.

One of our favorite performances was the Golden Mickey’s, a Disney-esque version of the Academy Awards. We arrived with fanfare: Paparrazi snapping pictures, red carpet and even a “celebrity” reporter who interviewed the little ones. The show combined live-action theatre from talented performances with our favorite clips from Disney films, an emotional tribute to Walt Disney and pyrotechnics.

It doesn’t get much better than that for kids.

====

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

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

Fat Kitty’s Great Escape & Why He Ain’t no Huck Finn

March 15, 2011 By

Yesterday, I wrote about the skit Hadley performed for Destination ImagiNation “Big Bug’s Bad Day.”

Now, I’m here to tell you about Fat Kitty’s Bad Day.

Everyone worships that big, lovable, gentle slug. As much as the dude loves to cuddle, he adores being in the backyard even more. The house rules (that I instituted) are that someone needs to be back there monitoring him at all times.

Yesterday, I broke my own rule. He was meowing incessantly to go outside and Bode was doing the same for some lunch. I thought I solved both of the problems: I let Remy go outside with the mental note to keep an eye on him while I prepared Bode’s lunch.

And then I forgot.

A half-hour later, Bode just happened to be looking out the window and saw Fat Kitty (somehow) jump onto our generator and hop over to the other side of the fence. I raced out there like a banshee, screaming at him to come back. Frightened, he gazed up at me and tried to jump back up to our side but his claw-less paws slid down the fence.

Between our property and the hobby farm behind us is an easement that snakes through the area. It is overgrown with weeds and trees, rendering it nearly impossible to navigate. I recruited a couple of guys working at our neighbor’s to corral him but extremely stranger-shy, he took off. By the time Jamie was able to help, traumatized Remy high-tailed it through a hole in our neighbors Steve and Angella’s fence and he was M.I.A. the rest of the afternoon.

The neighborhood was canvased, tears were shed, prayers were uttered and there was a pending doom about breaking the news to Hadley. An overreaction? Not really. With a coyote den in the nearby Open Space and a Rottweiler for a neighbor, outdoor cats don’t survive in our neighborhood. A fat, claw-less cat would make for a tasty meal.

OK, meals.

Then came the golden phone call from Steve: He had spotted Fat Kitty trying to hop his fence. When Steve tried to approach him, he ducked under the deck into an inaccessible cement hideout.

That is when the circus began. Haddie, Bode, his buddy Noah, Jamie and I tore down the street to confront our now-terrified cat cowered down in the hole. For a half-hour, we begged, bribed him with treats and tried to poke him with a long stick. Nothing worked. I attempted to offer Steve’s 1-year-old Dylan up as sacrifice to go in after him. Though Dylan was willing, mom Angella wasn’t.

Gotta love overprotective parents.

But in the end, it was Angella who came through when she had the idea to spray him out with water (which he absolutely abhors). We positioned ourselves strategically around the porch as five preschoolers blocked the brunt of the yard (a strategic move on my part because if there’s anything Remy hates worse than water, it’s mauling toddlers.)

Steve set up the hose….

…and Jamie started spraying. I’m told that Remy’s initial reaction was shock but then he gave Haddie and Jamie the look: “Has it really come to this?”

It was the same look my mother gave me the entire duration of my teen-age years.

Fat Kitty was covered in dirt and the water formed a mucky coat. He streaked outta there and tried to hop the fence before I mud wrestled him to the ground. His paw was bloody and he voiced the Meow of Death, which was duplicated when I unceremoniously bathed him.

After recovering from the trauma of a *real* bath (he spent about three hours licking himself), he camped out by the back door. In a decidedly Huckleberry Finn move, he longingly gazed outside, no doubt reminiscing about his big escape to the Last Frontier where, if only for a short time, he was free from civilization’s traps.

Too bad he didn’t get farther than three houses away.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Favorite Posts, Humor Tagged With:

What can Brown do for you?

December 7, 2010 By

Bode was the last holdout for getting the plague and exactly one week from from its introduction into our home, he waved the white flag.

Or an awful lot of Brown (with emphasis on awful).

In the middle of the night, Jamie heard a crash and figured one of the kids had fallen out of bed. A moment letter, Bode appeared in our bedroom. Turns out, the poor little dude had been wandering around in the dark in a (too-late) race to the bathroom and had run into the wall.

Talk about adding insult to injury.

This is the first time the little man has had an incident with Brown since he has been potty trained and believe me, I was wishing for those diapers last night. I’ll leave it at that. Those without children don’t want details and those with children don’t care to relive them.

I obviously kept him home from preschool today. Even though he has not napped in over a year, I insisted we lie down to take one. I recruited Fat Kitty, always a willing snooze buddy. Fat Kitty and Bode have a complicated relationship. Bode loves him to death and though Fat Kitty is a snuggler, he doesn’t appreciate being mauled.

A bit of a killjoy, if you ask me.

For this reason, Fat Kitty just kind of tolerates Bode but is indifferent toward him at best. But not today. Our fat cat strolled on over to Bode and curled himself up on the nape of his neck.

This was better than Christmas for sweet Bode. He cooed over and over about how much he loved him as he reached up to pet Fat Kitty and then me.

I do have irresistibly soft hair.

And the hope that we will finally be rid of this plague once and for all.

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