What a Rat Can Teach You

We let our boys choose one souvenir each while in Disney. Lucky for us, they weren't that into the gift shops, but when we did finally enter one in search of goodies, this is what Aidan picked:

It's so perfectly him (and so practical!). I'm sure we could get a copy at our local bookstore, but now every time we cook something from this book, he'll be reminded of our trip. 

Aside from being adorable, the book actually has some nice recipes that you won't mind making with your kids. (And c'mon, Thomas Keller wrote the introduction.) We had Remy's Macaroni and Cheese on Thursday night and it was easy and pretty good. (I recommend using half American and half cheddar cheese). Then yesterday we attempted Colette's Crepes. 

The recipe was straightforward. I measured everything and then let the kids dump it all in the blender. All was well until I went to lift the blender pitcher off its base, at which point the bottom stayed attached to the blade, leaving me holding nothing more than a glass tube as crepe batter tidal waved across my countertop, floor and me. (I assume the blender comes apart this way for easier cleaning, but after several similar incidents, usually involving margaritas, I have decided it's time for a new blender.)

So after quickly remaking the batter, it was time to make crepes. And they worked! We filled the first batch with strawberry preserves and cream cheese, as suggested by the cookbook. Then the next batch was chocolate chips and bananas. I made myself a peanut butter, banana and chocolate chip crepe. Delicious. 

So crepes are officially the new favorite in our house. Easy and yummy. Plus, they make you feel a little fancy when you eat them. 

The Star Has Been Wished Upon

I have returned from the land of magic and dreams and sunshine. Not that we don't have our own magic and dreams and occasional beams of sunshine here in Minnesota, but given that it's January, they seem a little fewer and far between. 

The trip was fantastic. The real magic of Disney is that they are able to create an entirely commercial environment, charge you to enter it, and simultaneously convince you to suspend your cynicism...to believe, if you will. 

I honestly don't care that they are profiting from children's happiness because the children are so happy. Even the adults are happy. I was happy to be there. It's just fun. 

I'll spare you a play-by-play of our entire vacation, but here are a few highlights:

• Breakfast with Mickey (Contemporary Resort) - Like most adults, I was not thrilled by the idea of having a meal surrounded by people dressed up as cartoon characters. However, my aunt (the Disney expert) insisted it was a must-do and she was right. The awe and joy that my boys experienced when Mickey Mouse himself came to our table to meet them was worth every minute of screaming babies and every bite of mediocre buffet food. 


• Being co-pilots on the monorail - Again, my aunt's expertise made this possible. The drivers ("pilots") of the monorails have seats inside the cockpit and if you ask nicely, they might just let you sit in them. It just so happened that we got to sit in the cockpit on my boys' very first ride on the monorail, taking us to their very first visit to the Magic Kingdom. Imagine a panoramic view of the horizon as you zip along the track. Now imagine seeing Cinderella's castle rise up before you on that horizon. "Magical" might be the best word for that experience.


• The Wishes fireworks (Magic Kingdom) - You know pretty much every commercial for Disney World, where you see the fireworks bursting perfectly over the castle while thousands of children's eye grow wide? That really happens. It's a bit like walking into a postcard. It sounds cheesy (hell, the whole park sounds cheesy) but it's amazing. And the gasps of wonder emanating from every child in the park makes it that much better. 


• Teppanyaki in Japan (Epcot) - I love the entire World Showcase. It's fun to be able to stroll through 10 countries (plus America, for some reason) in a matter of hours. But I'm singling out Japan here because we had dinner at Teppan Edo, the teppanyaki restaurant there, complete with Japanese chefs and servers. By far the best meal of the trip, made even better by the fact that our kids were enthralled by the cooking and therefore inspired to eat everything on their plates. And Owen is still bragging about trying (and liking) the hot mustard sauce.


• Toy Story Midway Mania (Hollywood Studios) - Thanks to the merging of Pixar and Disney, all your favorite Pixar characters are now part of the magic. The Buzz Lightyear ride and Monsters, Inc. show at Magic Kingdom are both great, but this new ride over at Hollywood Studios (which is otherwise not that great for small kids) suggests that the imagineers actually went inside my children's brains and set out to combine their obsession with carnival games and their love for Toy Story. You put on 3D glasses, get in a car and are spun around to various midway games where you must use a toy "gun" to shoot targets, knock over ducks, toss rings, etc. all to earn points. We wanted to ride again and again, but sadly the line was 30 minutes long. 

Those are just a few of the great moments we had. I'm sure my kids would also list the pool, the mini golf and the sugary cereal my aunt stocked in our hotel room as highlights of the trip. 

Here is where I could tell you that I wish we hadn't had to leave and how hard it's been to adjust back to the mundane, but the truth is that I'm kind of in an ideal little pocket of my life at the moment (excluding the self-esteem crushing job search) because I had a wonderful family vacation and just six days from now I get to leave for a long weekend getaway with a couple of my BFFs. More on that in a later post. 

For now, I'm still basking in the magical glow that Disney has cast on my family. I'm hoping not all the pixie dust washes off. 

Maybe I Just Need a Little Pixie Dust

I had a job interview yesterday. I am going to Disney World tomorrow. That makes today seem somewhat uneventful.

The last time I went to Disney World was nine years ago. The day before I left on that trip, I quit my job in an uncharacteristically dramatic fashion.  I was an editor at a local alternative weekly. I was in charge of all the music and film coverage. The paper was run by a crazy old hippie who fancied himself a writer and apparently had enough cash to keep the paper going. 

The working conditions were something that only a recent college grad would tolerate. Our office was in the top half of a duplex in a not-so-nice part of Minneapolis. Our desks were probably salvaged from street corners. Our computer equipment was cobbled together just barely well enough to actually get a paper out every week (all reboots, all the time). Still, I worked hard because I didn't know any better and because getting paid (even if it was next to nothing) to write about bands and movies was awesome. 

But on that day - the day before I left for Disney World with my then-boyfriend and his then-eight-year-old son (he was so sweet then) - the owner, Mr. Peace & Love, called me into his office to inform me that I was no longer to write about any bands playing at venues that wouldn't advertise in the paper. Specifically, First Avenue...you know, the Minneapolis landmark? The place that all bands come to play? Mr. Peace & Love felt that us giving them press was like giving them free advertising. 

Those who work in journalism know that advertising and editorial don't mix. Otherwise, you're just delivering PR material and not news. 

So, in a passionate rage that only my idealistic younger self could have mustered, I yelled about his lack of journalistic ethics and I stormed out (which I recommend doing once in your career). 

And then I went to Disney World. Incidentally, when I got back from Disney World, I found out Mr. Peace & Love had stopped payment on my last paycheck, but that's another story. 

In what would be a fantastical reversal of Disney-related fortune, I'm hoping that perhaps with this trip, I will come home to a job offer. I'll wish on a star and everything. Fingers crossed. 

Look Out, Mickey

The countdown is on. Three days from now, we will be on a plane headed to Disney World. My kids are overjoyed. I share their enthusiasm, though more than being excited about visiting The Happiest Place on Earth, I am excited about having my husband with us for five days straight. (He is currently away on his third business trip of the month.)

Amid all the Disney excitement, my boys have started debating whether the Magic Kingdom is, indeed, magic. Owen is on board with the fantasy, exclaiming "Everything there is magic!" 

Aidan is more skeptical. While peering into the refrigerator yesterday, he suddenly turned to me and said, "I don't really think everything there is magic." And then he began muttering about how, logically, it just wouldn't be possible...sometimes, I'm afraid, he's a little bit too much like me. 

He's right, of course, maybe it isn't all magic. Except at his age, maybe it should be. "Why don't you wait until you get there to decide?" I suggested. "Maybe it really is magic." 

To that, he just shrugged. 

When You Wish Upon a Star...

You might think by looking that we don't really like Halloween. We are that house on the block that turns all its lights out so you will not approach. Except rather than hiding inside and cursing all the loud children begging for candy, we're actually out with our kids trick-or-treating, so I think we have a valid excuse. 

Anyway, since I can only remember one year that we've ever been home long enough to hand out any candy, I stopped buying it, which means all I have to gorge myself on is the boys' loot. Except they counted it, which means I have to gain approval before taking any fun-size Snickers bars. Sneaking would throw their counts off, no doubt setting off a downward spiral that they will be telling their therapists about for years to come. 

I guess this is all to say that I haven't really been eating any candy, which is just as well since I've started my mental quest to lose 10 pounds. I feel confident that the physical quest will begin any day now...as soon as I overcome my disdain for exercise and my love for carbs...and butter...and sugar. Yep, any day now.

In other news, we're going to Disney World!!!!!!!!!!! We've actually known for a little while now, but we just told the boys, so we can finally go public. My beloved and crazy aunt Linda (we all have a crazy aunt, right?) has an obsession with Disney World and therefore visits The Happiest Place on Earth on an annual basis. (For the record, this means I can officially call my Las Vegas obsession genetic.) This year, she wants the boys to experience the magic. Score.

And so, the 12-week countdown has begun. Aidan and I made a list of all the Disney movies we need to watch in preparation for this trip. The boys are already well-versed in all the Pixar flicks, as well as The Little Mermaid and Dumbo (trauma!), but they've never seen Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin or even The Lion King, so we've got some studying to do. You know, because I want them to have a deeper appreciation for the variously-themed mechanisms with which Disney will fly them through the air. 

Fun and planning. Fun and planning. I wouldn't want it any other way.