Vacation | There's Just One Mommy

Thankful Thursday — January 17

By OneMommy on January 16, 2013

Happy Thursday!

If you have been a reader of my blog for long, or if you follow on Facebook, then you know I love Thankful Thursday posts. There is just something about looking at the positives from the week instead of all the negatives.

This week I am extremely thankful that my husband agreed to my wish to share the magic of Disney World with our kids this summer.

Going along with that, I am thankful that not only will my daughter’s princess dreams come true, but that as I was flipping through a magazine this week I came across and ad for a hotel in Disney that has all the Cars movie characters. That means not only will our daughter get to eat with the princesses on our Disney trip, but we can head on over to the hotel (we are already booked at a cheaper one) and our son can see all his favorite Disney characters — FREE. I can’t tell you how excited I was to discover that. (Originally I thought those characters would only be available at the Hollywood Studios park, and with just 2 days to visit the parks, we weren’t planning to go there.)

I am also thankful this week for the free yoga class at the library. (Libraries rock!) My husband saw the sign about it a month ago, and I was excited because unlike the classes at our YMCA, it was at a time I could get there and back before the kids’ bedtime.

I really didn’t think I was going to make it this week because of the amount of tears and drama that erupted 10 minutes before I needed to be out the door, but my husband assured me they’d all be fine, and I grabbed my shoes and seldom used yoga mat and headed out the door. It was nice to have that hour to myself, and I look forward to next week. (Hopefully there will be a lot less drama involved before hand.)

Now it’s my favorite part…

Take a moment to think of what you’re thankful for this week and share it in the comments!

Linked up at Black Tag Diaries, Lovely Little Whimsy, The Fontenot Four, Loved and Lovely

~OneMommy

Posted in Thankful Thursdays Tagged Disney, kids, thankful, vacation 14 Comments

Princess Dreams

By OneMommy on January 12, 2013

“Every little girl dreams of being a princess,” at least that’s what I’ve heard.

Me? I don’t ever remember wanting to be a princess. When I found out I was expecting a little girl, all those “princess” onesies and itty-bitty pink and purple outfits that said something about “princess” drove me nuts. I actually took a few back that I got at baby showers.

I did NOT want my daughter thinking she was some princess and everyone should do whatever she said.

I never imagined the world of Disney princesses and all the frilly stuff that goes along with it. I never expected my daughter would be into dress up, tiny little princess dolls, and all the things that go along with the world of princesses.

But here we are.

My daughter’s princess/fairy dresses ~

It’s taken me 5 years, but I think the princess thing is starting to win me over.

Yesterday morning I did something that put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

I made reservations for our summer vacation.

That in itself can be exciting, especially when we still have quite a bit of winter left to face. But that’s not why it brought such a silly grin to my face.

I’m talking Disney.

The most magical place on earth, or so they say.

We were fortunate enough to be able to spend a day in Disney when we went to Florida two years ago.

My daughter hasn’t stopped talking about it.

This time we are staying in the park for a few days.

Two years ago she was in awe when she saw the princesses dance on stage at the castle. This year I want to give her more.

Life is too short. Awful things happen when we don’t expect it. Or maybe I’ve just become soft in my old age. Whatever the reason, I want to watch her face light up when I pull out one of her princess dresses (which I plan to sneak into the suitcase) and tell her she gets to actually EAT with the princesses.

I want to see every smile, hear every giggle, and watch the magic through her eyes. Just thinking about it brings that stupid smile to my face again, and I admit it, even a tear or two come to my eyes.

Last time we went we didn’t have a lot of time, and we didn’t have a plan. If you’ve been to Disney lately, what suggestions/tips do you have to help make our trip magical?

~OneMommy

Posted in Mommy Moments Tagged daughter, family, vacation 4 Comments

Labor Day Weekend

By OneMommy on September 5, 2012

The best part of Labor Day weekend for me?

Getting to see my sister and her family at the halfway point between our houses in Peoria, Illinois.

I already told you about our travels on Friday.

Hurricane Issac brought plenty of rain on Saturday. There were a few breaks where we were able to get the little ones out of the hotel rooms to run around. Their favorite part of going outside? This huge puddle in the parking lot.

There was also plenty of time for water play in the hotel pool and hot tub, which our little ones used like their own personal kiddie pool (it wasn’t very hot).

My Monkey took the time to show off his reading skills with one of his favorite toys, his Tag Reader.

My sister also brought tons of kid crafts left over from VBS…And my daughter wanted me to take her picture with each one. (Yes, that’s a sure sign she is a blogger’s kid!)

Instead of going to the zoo like we originally planned, we opted to stay dry at a Chuck-E-Cheese nearby, where even my teenage nephew and 21 year-old niece were able to “be a kid.”Yes, I could have included a pic of my nephew and niece having a blast at Chuck-E’s house, but I thought they’d prefer this pic instead…On the left is Legoman, whom I’ve mentioned before in the post The Power of Prayer. Do you think he’s checking out my blog on that laptop? (Hey, an aunt can dream, right?) The next one is my sister, followed by her daughter and daughter’s boyfriend.

After watching the kids having fun together, and just being able to hang out with my sister, I’m hoping we get to do it again sometime soon!

2 of the 3 Musketeers

How was your Labor Day weekend?

~OneMommy

Posted in Wordless Wednesdays Tagged family, summer, vacation 8 Comments

Hello from Peoria!

By OneMommy on September 1, 2012

We made it!

Hello, all the way from Peoria, Illinois, where our family has met up with my sister’s family — at the half-way point between our homes.

An hour and half into our trip, when we stopped at our first rest area with the kids, I wasn’t real sure we would all make it. OneDaddy and I saw a Fed-X truck and were REAL tempted to ship the kids back home…

But a quick chat with our oldest about how many hours the trip was going to take, and how, “Are we there yet?” wasn’t getting us there any faster, and then letting the kids run off some energy, helped.

We also ate lunch there and watched this big buck out in the field — he stayed there the entire time we were at the rest area.

I’m happy to say things got A LOT better when we got back in the car!

Crayons, stickers (definitely stickers!) and paper were a huge hit, so were the water pen books I had packed. Those 2 items alone kept them busy for an hour. (Want some other ways to keep kids busy while traveling, check out this previous post.)

We were going to stop after a couple more hours of travel, but the rest area we were going to stop in was closed. Turns out it was a blessing — the next one had an awesome playground at it!

The kids got to play, and so did Mommy and Daddy. Yes, that’s my husband, climbing on the playground equipment with his little girl. Just another reason I love my husband!

At that point we were supposed to only be an hour from our destination…. I won’t go into details, but I will say we drove up and down the street the hotel is on at least 4 times before we stopped and called for directions. It’s one of those crazy streets where the numbers go down and then they go back up… So we thought we had driven past it, but actually hadn’t gotten there yet.

Make any sense? Nope, not to me, either, but the hotel staff gave us great directions and we did finally make it.

My sister has been keeping the kids busy with crafts this morning (bless her!)… But I think we will be hitting the pool soon.

Have a terrific Saturday!

~OneMommy

Posted in Random Thoughts Tagged family, traveling with kids, vacation 5 Comments

Traveling Tips at Lemon Drop Pie

By OneMommy on June 11, 2012

Are you planning a vacation this summer? Looking for ways to keep your kids entertained in the car while you travel?

Well, you’re in luck!

Today I am guest posting over at the awesome Ginny Marie’s Lemon Drop PIe - and the topic? A list of sure-fire ways to keep the kids entertained without having them turn into video-zombies while traveling.

So hop on over to Lemon Drop Pie, get a few ideas, and leave a comment. After all, it’s the dollop of whip cream that gives extra sweetness to the pie!

And for other traveling with kids ideas, check out my previous post of ideas that really kept the toddler busy.

~OneMommy

Posted in Blogging Business, Crafts and Games Tagged guest post, traveling with kids, vacation Leave a Comment

COSI and the USAFM

By OneMommy on May 19, 2012

Last year we went to Florida. And while we may not be taking such an involved trip this summer, we do have a few places we’d like to take the kids to. This weekend we hit two spots not far from home in a “mini-vacation.”

Our first destination was C.O.S.I. (Center of Science and Industry) in Columbus, Ohio. We had lots of fun exploring the area designed for children up through kindergarten-age. Of course, the first thing my little guy found was the train table…

I love the mural on the wall behind it!

And I just had to take a picture of the BEST vending machine I have ever seen…right there in the little kid area…Yes, those are diapers, pacifiers, sippy cups, baby meds, and even a toy rattle… All the things you might have forgotten, lost, or for some reason need when out with a little one.

Tired from our C.O.S.I. adventures, we went to our hotel.

The only other time the kids had been in a hotel was on our way to and from Florida last year.

Let’s just say it was a hit.Not only did the kids have fun playing in “their corner” of the room, but I also braved taking them swimming when the husband ran across the street to Gander Mountain. (There is no Gander Mountain store where we live; it called to him…)