Fellow Panelist Marc Lorenzo is an amazingly talented photographer. He has a gift for capturing the Disney magic and his photos always speak a thousand words.
My Steve turned 38 today. The day was crazy busy, as always. When we finally made it home after Shawn’s baseball game, we sat down for dinner together to celebrate the incredible man that makes our lives complete.
We enjoyed his favorite cake…
Double layer yellow cake with chocolate icing and Reese’s peanut butter cups…
He made his wish…
…took a deep breath…
…and blew all his candles out.
Here’s hoping all his dreams come true and that the upcoming year brings nothing but happiness.
Happy, Happy Birthday Steve! May you always feel surrounded by love…
Thank you for your patience, strength, dedication and loyalty. Thanks for being such an incredible Dad to all 5 of our kids, for always putting your family first, for being my rock, for working so hard everyday and for the countless times you’ve made me smile. Most of all, thank you for loving me. I’m so very blessed to be your wife. ♥
Fellow Panelist Marc Lorenzo is an amazingly talented photographer. He has a gift for capturing the Disney magic and his photos always speak a thousand words.
Sharing simple motivational quotes that have touched me in some way.
“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”
~Elizabeth Stone
Fellow Panelist Marc Lorenzo is an amazingly talented photographer. He has a gift for capturing the Disney magic and his photos always speak a thousand words.
The 5th Grade students were all asked to write a poem for an Arbor Day Contest. Shawn’s was selected by the committee as one of the top entries, and he has been invited to take part in the Arbor Day Celebration tomorrow. I’m very excited to attend this with him and watch as he recites his poem. I’ll update this post tomorrow with photos of the event.
Here is his poem about trees:
Arbor Day
I see
The kids climbing the tree
The new leaves blossoming
And the birds building nests
I feel
The rough bark of an oak
I touch the sap on a pine
And the texture of each branch I climb
I smell
The flowers on trees
The burnt wood in a fire
And the smell of a Christmas tree
I hear
The birds chirping
The crack of a falling tree
And the wind swaying trees
I taste
The exotic syrup
The oranges and apples
And the bananas and coconuts
Sharing weekly tips that will save you time, money or simply make life easier on your upcoming Walt Disney World vacation.
Money Saving Tip: Bring Your Own Water & Snacks
Let’s face it, vacations are expensive. As a Mom of 5, I’m always looking for ways to save money on our Disney World vacations. One way we do this is by bringing our own bottled water and snacks into the Parks with us on every trip. In addition, we eat a light, simple breakfast in our Resort room on most mornings.
photo credit: Disney Parks
When you take into consideration that you can purchase a case of 24 water bottles for around $9.00 and one bottle currently sells for $2.50 in the Parks, you can see how quickly the savings can add up. It’s extremely important to stay hydrated in the Florida sun.
With all of the walking at Disney, my kids work up their appetites and often want snacks in between meals. Offering them goldfish crackers or a granola bar instead of paying approximately $4.00 per snack in the parks saves a significant amount of money over the course of a week. If you pack some small Ziploc baggies and buy a box of crackers you can easily re-stock your backpack each morning.
You can bring a cooler into the Parks as long as it is not larger than 24″ (61 cm) long x 15″ (38 cm) wide x 18″ (46 cm) high. I recommend a soft sided cooler. These are great because you can collapse it when you’re done, making it much easier to store this way. Otherwise, you’ll be lugging around a cooler all day, or paying to rent a locker to store it.
If you prefer not to bring a cooler, and just want to put some water bottles in your backpack you can request an empty cup with ice at the Quick Service restaurants. Then you can just pour your bottled water into the cup and you’ll have a refreshing chilled drink in no time.
I highly recommend a local grocery delivery service in Florida called Garden Grocer . Their prices are comparable to the stores in my home town. You should place your order at least 5-7 days in advance of your arrival, because delivery times can fill up quickly. You can order both beer and wine from Garden Grocer as well (they just don’t list it online). What you will do first is place your order for your regular items. Then, when you get to the 3rd Step in the process (Check-Out), you will see a “Order Info: Special Instructions” section. You’ll include a note about the additional items that you are interested in. For example, “How much is a 12-pack of beer”? The more specific the better, so include brands of beer and wine that you would like. Be sure to leave them with a phone number and email address so that they can contact you. An employee will be in touch with you soon (generally within a few days of placing your order in my experience). They will go over pricing with you at that time and will add your choices to your order. If you aren’t in the room when your delivery arrives, Bell Services will store your order for you (they’ll be sure to refrigerate the perishables). Since most airlines have luggage weight restrictions and a per bag fee, this service is super convenient. We buy cases of water, granola bars, breakfast muffins, sunscreen and more.
Click below to place your order!
Hope this helps you save some hard earned money on your next Walt Disney World vacation!
Guest Post
Many things get easier with age, unfortunately getting insured is not one of those things. For obvious reasons, the older you are, especially once you have reached retirement age, the harder and more expensive it is to find coverage. This does not just mean health insurance either, many different types of insurance, including travel become much more complicated and expensive past the age of 65. Of course the chances of needing medical assistance rises in the 65 and up population, but there are also plenty of people in their 60′s who are perfectly healthy and do not deserve to be penalized simply because of their age! Travel insurance over 65 is actually of great concern because, when you think about it, this is the perfect time to really start traveling a good deal. Many people are recently retired and looking for ways to spend their new found free time. After retirement, people are also much more likely to spend longer periods of time abroad, making insurance even more important to have. I know that I personally am counting down the days (years) until I can retire so that I can do just that, travel! I can think of no better time to finally get out and see all the places I have been yearning to visit then when I can finally really relax and say I deserve it. With a little bit of research, it is possible to navigate the tricky world of insurance policies and figure out the cheapest, best plan to to fit your needs. If you plan on going abroad more than once in the year, there are multi-trip policies which usually end up being cheaper than taking out individual policies for each place that you holiday. You should always get multiple quotes to make sure you are getting the best deal possible. Of course, in the end, the piece of mind and protection that come with being insured are always worth the money (even though the real hope is that you never actually have to use it!).
Straight from my heart – A glimpse into what makes my fellow Panelists so very precious to me.
Wes and Angelo are the two awesome, super sweet Dads who joined the Moms Panel family in 2011. Along with an obvious love for Disney, they both brought incredible energy, enthusiasm and hilarious senses of humor with them.
I first met Angelo in the lobby of the Yacht Club in December of 2010 for his Training Trip. Here he is with Lynn, one of our 2011 Canadian Panelists.
Angelo and Lynn - 12/10
Angelo speaks Spanish and is originally from Puerto Rico. He lives in South Carolina now with his two beautiful children. In addition to raising his kids, Angelo works at an engineering firm and is a very talented actor. He absolutely loves being on stage. In fact, he most recently could be seen performing in “Bye Bye Birdie”…
We were only able to spend a few moments together at Bongo’s during his Training weekend, but we had a blast…
From left: Marisol, Suzannah, Joel, Maria, Angelo, Emma and I - 12/10
Two awesome Disney Dads – Joel and Angelo at Bongo’s…
Joel and Angelo at Bongo's - 12/10
The next day, a group of us rode Pirates of the Caribbean together, then we posed for a fun photo at the end…
From left: Suzannah, Marisol, Chris, Deborah, Jonas, me, Ritzy, Joel, Marc, Leslie and Angelo
Angelo, Bernie and Joel pausing in front of Cinderella Castle…
3 Disney Dads - 12/10
I didn’t have the chance to see Angelo again until Moms Panel Reunion in September of 2011. I was really excited to have the opportunity to get to know him better.
A big group of us kicked off Reunion with dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe…
Whispering Canyon Gang - 9/11
Not surprisingly, the evening was full of laughter and fun.
Whispering Canyon - 9/11
The next morning, we visited Give Kids the World Village to make our donation of $12,020 together. We were slightly excited, as you can see in this photo…
From left: Angelo, Deborah, Kathie, Emma, Wes, Tron, me, Marisol, Allison, Jill, Marc & Ritzy
That evening, we all went to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party together. I turned around at one point and saw Angelo playing hop-scotch!
Angelo - MNSSHP - 9/11
A group of us went to Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor together. Marisol’s beautiful, sweet sister was with us and we all had a blast. I’m so glad that I captured this moment. I had turned to snap their photo and Angelo said, ”this is Latin heat”. 
I can still hear Marisol’s laugh.
Nilda, Marisol and Angelo - MNSSHP - 9/11
I mentioned Angelo’s sense of humor earlier. He seriously is a riot. He is so quick witted and he’s always coming up with hilarious comments. As the night wore on, one by one the Panelists decided they were ready to head back to the Resort to get some sleep. Angelo and I felt compelled to close the park down (which is a habit of mine). This gave me the perfect opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with him. We rode Thunder and Splash Mountains together, as well as Pirates of the Caribbean. We got soaked on Splash, my hair got curly…but we had a blast 
I clearly recall riding in the front of the log and chatting about life and relationships. It was one of my favorite hours that weekend, as quality time to talk openly is hard to come by sometimes during the whirlwind of Reunion. We were completely exhausted near midnight and we paused for a few photos together including this one in front of Cinderella Castle…
Frizzy wet hair and having a blast - MNSSHP - 9/11
At about 12:15 am, I was going on about 1 hour of sleep out of the last 48. I’m not sure how my eyes were even open at that point. We rode the ferry boat back to the Wilderness Lodge and Angelo started “talking in his sleep while riding a ferry”. I still laugh about that one whenever I think about it.
The next day was the Moms Panel Meet & Greet in Epcot…
2011 Moms Panel Meet & Greet in the Odyssey - 9/11
One of the attendees was Amanda F, who is now our Disneyland Mom on the Panel this year!
Angelo, Amanda F and Cassie
We had an awesome dinner at Les Chefs de France and walked around the World Showcase together for a bit…
Deborah, Cassie, Allison and Angelo - 9/11
Then we headed to Mexico for an IllumiNations Party hosted by Laura.
I love this photo of four of my Moms Panel brothers…
Marc, Wes, Jonas and Angelo
Three of my buds…
Wes, Jonas, Angelo and I
Marc and Emma join the photo…
Marc, Emma, Wes, Jonas, me and Angelo
After IllumiNations, Kathie, Amanda A, Maria, Angelo and I ended the evening with great conversation and a cocktail back at our Resort…
Maria, Angelo, Kathie & Amanda A - WL - 9/11
Angelo is on hiatus from the Panel right now. Since Reunion last year, I have enjoyed keeping in touch with him. He has such a huge heart and I’m blessed to call him my friend. I will always cherish the memories of closing down the Magic Kingdom together during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and the memories we made.
Last year, Angelo wrote an amazing post for my Disney Movie Lines – Cinema Sunday series. I hope you’ll take a moment to read it and be inspired:
“When Did You Last Let Your Heart Decide?”
You can follow Angelo on Twitter: @angeloco15
Want to get to know some more Walt Disney World Moms Panel Moms & Dads? I share a different Panelist with you each Monday! Here’s the link to all of them so far: http://www.memorymakermom.com/category/disney-moms-panel-monday/
Love ya, Angelo!
I’ve heard it said that, “vacation used to be a luxury, but in today’s world it has become a necessity.” With the economy the way it is, planning a family vacation can seem nearly impossible for many people. Camping makes it possible.
If you’re looking for some quality uninterrupted time with your loved ones, there simply is nothing quite like a camping trip. I’ve taken all 5 of my children camping since they were babies and I have countless memories of those evenings together under the stars. Whether spending the night under the California redwoods, soaking in the beauty of the Oregon coast, or pitching a camping tent a few steps from the beach on a remote island off of Cape Cod…the memories of our time together is what I the cherish the most.
In today’s technological world filled with activities and commitments, it is so important to unplug and get away from it all. Nearly every summer for the past 10+ years, we have enjoyed an annual camping trip with some dear friends of ours. We go to a campground that is located on a National Estuarine Research Reserve, and we bring everything including our fresh water with us. Imagine waking up to sea breezes in the morning, and falling asleep under the stars while listening to the ocean crashing on the shore. This little piece of paradise is located just a few miles from our home.
There’s no TV, video games, computers or cell phones. Instead we venture off together for a few priceless days of searching for pine cones and seashells, sitting around the campfire, sharing stories and simply enjoying nature and each other.
Whether the time is spent relaxing in a hammock, searching for buried treasure…
or making ‘smores around a campfire, planning a family camping trip is a wonderful way to make some lasting memories.
If you’ve never been camping, now is the perfect time to plan a trip! The most important piece of equipment that you will need is a tent for camping. I recommend that you look no further than the Camping Gear Outlet. They carry top-tier gear at affordable prices. In addition, they offer super-fast shipping and a 100% money back-guarantee. You can purchase from them with total confidence and you can find everything you need in one convenient location. Once you have your gear, with a quick Internet search, you’ll find that many National and State Parks have affordable camping sites for rent. Don’t forget your sunblock, bug spray and sense of humor!
Wishing you a wonderful camping trip with your loved ones!
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