We Are Driving!

It's official - we will be driving to Florida instead of flying. This time we won't be renting a vehicle, we're just going to take our comfy Honda Pilot. This got me thinking about insurance and such.

I pulled out our current policy to see just exactly what we have and then I filled out information on some sites to get a decent online auto insurance quote just to see if we do have the best rate.

I am just so happy we won't be getting on a plane!

This is Exciting!

The whole 'posting to my blog from my phone' was really easy and now I know I ca actually update my blog in real time when we're on vacation! There are so many col tings to see in Disney and last year I only used about 1/4 of the pictures we took when I blogged about our trip.

In fact, at Epcot there is a place called the Imagination Pavilion where Disney must have had hired a top notch exhibit company to handle all the exhibits inside because everything is set up beautifully and so much is interactive. The kids loved it and I was amazed.

Here's Dante and Olivia enjoying one of the interactive exhibits:

Doing Something Out of the Ordinary in Disney

Well, of course CJ and I have 'heard' about the beautiful Disney golf courses and we have actually been contemplating checking the out. Nothing s set in stone yet, we're not golfers or anything so I'm sure it would be a sight to see us try a game.

I am sure we'd get only the best golf equipment in Disney so that may help our game. Hahaha. Seriously though, I really want this vacation to be awesome. Looking back on our last vacation, yea, we did have some good times but the bad did out weigh the good, unfortunately.

I just made sure this time we have more of an itinerary planned and tat includes much more down time to relax!

Soon It Will Be Time to Shop!

I figure sometime in March I will start shopping for children's clothes - spring/summer fashion, so the kids have clothes for the Disney trip. CJ ad I will need some clothes too. I figure if I shop in March I should be able to get some good deals and that will give me enough time to go through older clothes. I know Wyatt will probably fit in some of Dante's old clothes but I still want Wyatt to have some new clothes too.

There is so much to do in the next 2 months! We paid off the Disney trip yesterday! Yay! Clothes shopping for us all, Olivia's birthday is coming up (March 27th), I still need to plan which rides/attractions we want to see at each park so we have some sort of itinerary this time. Oh, this is all so exciting!

Posting From MyPhone

Testing this feature - seems simple enough!
Should be easy to post updates while on vacation!
Wonder how pictures post?

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

I Don't Wanna Fly to Disney!

Well, WE, as in CJ and I, don't want to fly. I only booked the flight because at the time that we booked our trip, CJ didn't feel he'd have enough vacation time from work to allow for travel days if we drove - and there were some good airline deals when I booked (it was something like $180 RT per person and there are 5 of us going on this flight)
So basically, I did this because I felt I had to if I wanted to get to Disney.
Now I am presented with the fact that he knows now that he does have extra days to allow for travel. BUT...our airfare is non-refundable.

We would rather drive....really we would. I listed the Pros and Cons to driving on my Unbalanced Libra blog, check it out, give me your input.

I don't fly unless I have to and it's not really all the terrorism stuff - it's just, well, yes, I'll admit that flying is not my favorite thing to do.
It's funny because most people think traveling by car for 20 hours with kids would be more of a hassle than flying and I know it wouldn't. Yes, it would take longer but the ease of knowing we're in control of the trip, can pack what we want, can stop when/where we want seems so much nicer than having to stay at a hotel in Philadelphia the night before the trip - hang out in an airport with 3 kids for 2 hours, on a plane for 2 hours.

Then coming home, really stinks! Our flight doesn't leave Orlando until 3:40 pm!
That means that day we have to wait around to leave for the airport, hang at the airport, get to the Philly airport after 6pm, find our bags, find a shuttle, get our car, drive an hour and a half home *whew* That was the best fight I could get for the return though. If we drive, we can just leave early in the morning and take our time getting home.
Talk about STRESS! If we'd fly I'd have to find the best acne treatments I could because whenever I am stressed I break out and I hate it!

I guess the bottom line is yes - we already paid and I already checked and double checked, we won't get that money back. That is money spent - because I jumped the gun.

Soooo...here I am, pondering what many seem to think would not be questionable at all!

Outside in February!

It was close to 60 degrees on Wednesday of this week. It was insane. I was actually grumpy about it. Why? Gee, I don't know, because it's FEBRUARY! yea, the cold ass weather is on it's way back and those couple of warm days just teased us all.

The boys did take advantage of the weather though:

Online Shopping Tip

When we first moved in here, we had to get a new stove and a new dishwasher. I searched all over, going from store to store looking for deals. I finally decided to look online for the best deals on kitchen appliances since I wasn't finding anything good around here.

Interestingly, I kept seeing the same deals on all kinds of sites, from store specific sites to those sites that supposedly list all stores. I quickly came to find that those sites were only listing the stores that actually paid to be listed, so that meant there were other stores that may have better deals, I just wasn't finding them. That was very frustrating.

I stumbled upon a site called ShopWiki and there they were - different stores. Not only different stores but different deals. This expanded my choices and I was able to find the perfect kitchen appliances at a sweet price. The first section I looked at was the refrigerators section since we needed a new one badly. I was pleasantly surprised to find a well written article there giving advice and details regarding the different styles and then there was a list of manufacturers on the page as well. I found what I needed in the Maytag section.

So, just a head's up. Don't be afraid to research the online stores you may buy from and definitely check out ShopWiki.com

I'm Not Yours?

Angus is still in disbelief that he is 'adopted' and he is demanding a paternity test to see for himself, LOL

CJ always refers to me as 'mommy' when he's talking to Angus and it's so annoying to me, I am not Angus' mom.

I find it creepy when people refer to themselves as their pets' mommy or daddy. Just weird.

Talking One Minute, Asleep the Next

Seriously, ya think this kid needs a special sleep number bed - I'd say NOPE!

Olivia was blabbing to me about her day one minute and the next minute, zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I mean, within a minute! Guess the school day sure wears her out!
She's so funny, she even drools when sleeps. I'm not sure who she gets that from! LOL

Come On Spring!

This past weekend Wyatt develop croup, Dante got a stuffy nose and was sneezing a lot and I had been fighting a sore throat! ICK!

On Sunday the weather warmed up to the 50 degree mark so I opened one window in each room of the house. My goal was to get those nasty germies out of here and some fresh air in! I hate how the house feels so stuffy in the Winter.

Usually I burn scented candles, makes me feel better. WoodWick Green candles are the best scented candles I have found yet. They're made from 100% veggie wax - so they burn clean, are environmentally friendly and smell great! It's a shame I found out about them now, I burn more candles in the Fall/Winter than I do in the Spring/Summer.

Are You Tweeting on Twitter?

I've been using Twitter for a while now and I do like how it's easy for me to keep up with friends I also see how many opportunists are out there. Also, marketing and networking is huge.

There are so many 'tweets' about different types of small business opportunities which is great if you're looking for them but me, I just want to chat back and forth with friends. I really want my friends to join Twitter and tweet with me!

If you have an account, let's connect!

Sick of Winter

I don't know about you, but I am so sick of Winter already! The weather we've had this Winter wasn't even good 'Winter weather' - we'd get some snow and then immediately get rain/ice on top of the snow.

The boys did get to play outside a few times but it was so cold, they weren't out for very long.


I am so ready to pack up the Zero Halliburton luggage and start our Disney Vacation - NOW!

Hitting a Brick Wall

The Disney planning has seemed to slow down. The anticipation of making the dining reservations took over and that was all I could think about. Now that I've made those reservations I'm kind of in this weird state of blah.

Actually, I feel blah in general. I feel bitchy too and I'm not sure why. I'm sitting here typing this and the boys are on the sofa with me and they're crawling all over me, which is annoying me. It's hard to type on a laptop with someone crawling on you, yanno?

I remember the days of working outside the home. I loved my job at the plasma center but I hated wearing the lab coats because they made me look so frumpy! At least now they make stylish women's lab coats that actually fit properly!

I wouldn't change being home though. I like working from home - just not today.

Beautiful Handmade Scarves

My good friend, Diane, has begun selling handmade scarves (and face cloths) and they are lovely!

I can definitely say, without a doubt, that should you decide to purchase an item from her, you will NOT be disappointed!

Back in December, she made a blanket for Dante and he absolutely loves it! The quality of the blanket is excellent and the shipping time/method was perfect!

Check out her site, Made From Cotton and Wool - place your order by 2/10 to ensure delivery by 2/14 if you'd like to give someone a beautiful scarf for Valentine's Day!

New York City Condos

When I think of New York City, I immediately think of Broadway shows. My mom and I used to go into the city on a regular basis, usually on a bus trip, to see all sorts of shows Now that I'm older and have a family of my own, things have gotten so busy and we haven't had a chance to go.

I always wanted to live in a spacious NYC Condo and I really thought about going to school in the city. Art school, Culinary school, something fun and interesting like that! I still think about moving there some day. I love the hustle and bustle of city life. I was just looking around at what there is available in NYC these days and Tribeca Coops are so very trendy! It's such a cool area! There are absolutely perfect Tribeca Coops for sale, check it out

If I was young and ambitious and just starting my life, that is where I would be!