Visiting the Mouse outside of the House.

Anyone who knows our family probably considers us “the Disney people”. I know that I myself am most people’s example of a Disney adult. I wear Mickey on my clothes, have him on my coach bag and wallet, in my kitchen, in my bathroom and I love most everything about Disney. 

I went once or twice as a child. One day trips from Cocoa Beach. I don’t remember anything about 

I had always thought it would be fun having toddlers who loved Disney jr, but it wasn’t until we planned a trip to Chicago for our son’s adoption that we made the Disney leap. Chicago is expensive. 15 years ago as I crunched numbers I thought, we can go to Disney for this price…. And thus our journey began! 

Over the years we have stayed at numerous resorts. We have been annual Passholders and became Disney Vacation Club Members. Our kids have been blessed to grow up Disney, even from Ohio. The reason for this post is to share about our trips where we don’t go to the parks. Sometimes the weather or the funding just doesn’t add up to make a park trip make sense. We still like our Disney fix and over the years we have come up with ways to feel the Disney Magic without stepping foot in the parks! 

Here are a few tips - 

1. Stay on property. We have our favorite resort, Old Key West, that has very little Mickey in your face. 

But, if you want lots of photo ops head to Art of Animation or a value resort. They do Disney BIG and it makes you feel like you are really in the movies. 

  

Lookout for  characters stopping by resorts! My girls saw a few friends at the Boardwalk  this trip. We saw Smee and Captain Hook at The Contemporary once too! 

 

Being on property is unparalleled and just an amazing feeling. If you are needing your Mickey shaped snack- they have them available at all of the resorts. It also gives you the benefit of Disney transportation. Monorail, Bus, boat and skyliner. 

2. There are more than 30 resorts on Disney World property. Even if you don’t stay on property you can still Take advantage of the fun meal opportunities that help you see new resorts. One of our favorite options is Cape May Cafe Breakfast Buffett at The Beach Club villas. You can spend time with Daisy, Minnie, Donald and Goofy. After breakfast you can walk or take a boat over to The Boardwalk. There are games, stores and food choices. You could also walk to the swan and dolphin and explore their grounds. 

 

3. Another fun option is Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary. Mickey and Friends host a buffet you will never get your money’s worth at, but it is THE Mouse! So totally worth it:) too! 

  This one comes with a lot of potential perks. Once you are at the Contemporary you have access to the monorail. You can take a ride around and even stop at Grand Floridian or Polynesian for a dole whip. If you are there in the evening there is a beautiful firework watching area and if you are DVC the Villains Lair

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4. Breakfast at Port Orleans French Quarter- one of our every trip favorites is to head over to Port orleans for some delicious hot man cakes -aka Beignets. Mickey shaped and delicious. There are a few shops, a playground and super cute phot ops there as well. 

5. Footgolf at Disney’s Old Oak Trail golf course. There are many golf options on Disney property, but this one is fun for the whole family! 

6. Take the Disney Vacation Club tour at one of the DVC resorts. We originally took ours at Saratoga springs and we got to see some amazing rooms and we got snacks and ice cream at the end. From time to time they even offer gift cards to listen. Most recently we did a tour at Riviera and Poly’s new tower. Being able to explore the resorts and see what’s new is a fun and free way to spend time in the A/C! 

 

7. Putt putt- I know a typical vacation thing, but Fantasia has a great course and within walking distance to Boardwalk if you want to explore there after!

Winter/Summerland is fun with a lot of cute photo opps too! 

8. Disney Springs- the way this place has grown over the last few years is crazy! We usually stick to our favorite spots on the “older side” with once upon a toy, world of Disney and the Disney themed stores. We make sure to keep those traditions up posing with Pooh 

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9. Fort Wilderness Tri Circle-D Ranch is home to 90 horses on Disney property. The cabins are an incredible place to stay and even if you stay somewhere else you can visit the ranch. They have horseback riding, carriage rides and other opportunities. This is also home to the Hoopty Dee Doo Review dinner show and a campfire sing along with Chip and Dale. 

10. Spend an evening at The Boardwalk. This is one of our favorite resorts and it is so much fun in the evenings. You can rent a little bike cart, shop the stores, visit the busy cake shop or get margaritas and watch a street performer! There is a pizza window with a great quick food option too. 

11. If you happen to be at Disney World near the holidays make sure you check out the resorts and Disney Springs !

So many beautiful displays you can entertain yourselves for hours! A few of our favorite memories.

After our most recent trip being only a few days and record breaking heat we were happy with these fun options to keep mom’s Mickey loving heart full!! 

Drop the sword

“ The fight-or-flight response is an automatic physiological reaction to perceived threats, preparing the body to either confront (fight) or escape (flight) danger. This response is a survival mechanism, but when constantly activated due to chronic stress, it can negatively impact both mental and physical health”

I speak Too loud

I talk Too much

I expect too much 

I share too much

I am too much

Sword held high

Always on guard 

I No longer

Know what flight is

Fight 

Flight

Fight 

Flight was buried 

With my two dead babies 

Flight was packed in a trash bag

With my foster sons belongings 

Flight sat silently 

When infection took over my son

Flight saw my daughter struggle 

Knowing I felt her pain

Flight drifted out during surgery 

When I had cancer

Flight didn’t help me

When the worst days came

Flight sided with the pediatrician 

Who didn’t believe my child was sick

Flight was in the doorway 

When the ambulances drove away 

Flight was at the top of the cliff 

As I watched my son climb up

Flight has seen me cry

Flight has watched me lose 

Flight seems to laugh

Every time I fight

Fight is all I know 

The sword is always drawn

fighting 

For peace

For normalcy

For mundane 

For simplicity

For fairness 

I’m so tired of the fight

Ready to drop the sword 

Way past time for a PANDAS update

 Somehow more than 6 months have gone by without an update on how Sam has been doing. I was going to update after her Rheumatologist appointment in February, but I was afraid. Then again in May, but I was afraid to somehow jinx our girl. 

My last update was in October. Since then Sam has had some ups and downs, but has mostly been doing well! She has been playing, growing, going to school and playing sports again. 

We spent the week before Christmas at our favorite place and enjoyed the holidays at home with family. 

She had a Rheumatologist appointment in February. Saw her doctor and had imaging done. So excited she showed no evidence of JIA and was officially in remission from active arthritis disease!  

With her doing so well the decision was made to take her off of her maintenance medicine she had been on for 9 months. It can affect your kidneys and we knew they needed a little time off too. We tapered her off and held our breath. She was so excited to not have to take it, but also scared of what may happen. That made two of us! She did really well without any issues. She continued with school, daily activities and being an active 10 year old.

I was going to post about it, but again, I was afraid as soon as I said she was fine, she wouldn’t be. So silly the mind of a person with OCD. 

Meanwhile, she fell and broke her arm. Then she had an abscess form on her leg that had to be drained, followed by a terrible rash from the antibiotics she was on for the abscess. Poor thing! She was a trooper through it all. She even started her softball season in her cast! 

 

In May we had another follow up with Rheumatology. Dr. Schulert was again amazed with Sam’s progress. We told him how great she has been going off of her meds and that she has been playing softball and volleyball. Doing well in school and her happy self. 

The next day Sam woke up and was off. Not a lot, just a little more irritated and moving a little slower. The following day she was not wanting to go to school. Saturday she struck out at her game because she was afraid to run, then cried and left the game. We talked that night and she broke down so scared it was all happening again. I assured her we were not going to let that happen. We had Dr. Schulert and medicine to help. Sunday she woke up with a fever and it all made sense. She was coming down with something and her immune system just went haywire. PANDAS is sneaky like that. We started her on her meds again and Monday she stayed home to rest. Tuesday she was back to school, but nervous to leave and about the stairs. It was like dejavu. Wednesday she woke up excited for school. Thursday she was dancing and back to herself. Friday she was on the softball field. PRAISE THE LORD the naproxen had worked! It worked fast. Within the week she was back to herself. We took Dr. Shulert’s advice and had her stay on it for 10 days. We now know when she is sick this may happen. 

This is part of Autoimmune disorders in general and PANDAS doesn’t mess around. We know she may have a flare again and now we know the signs and what to do. 

I hate that she has to deal with all of these things, but I am so proud of her grit and desire to get better. She used to fight medicine, this time she knew it would help and she asked for it.

 

When she was in the flare she said- this sucks and isn’t fair. I’m a kid. I told her I would take away all of the issues in a second if I could, but she has to deal with it. It is a lot to deal with, but she is more than her diagnosis. She is more than the flare. JIA and PANDAS are not who she is, they are just a part of her life. She is so much more. Even through the trials and medical issues she is taller, stronger, sassier and all around a better human! Almost 5’2 at her last appointment at 10 years old. 

The difference from the last day of 3rd and 4th grade 

There are parts of life we don’t want to have to deal with, but we will be proactive and positive and make sure we are always advocating. We will continue to see Rheumatology every few months and need to schedule and eye appointment this summer. Stay off the meds, unless we need them. We are enjoying every minute of the sunshine, exploring the city we live in and looking forward to a great summer. 

Here is to all of the activities and fun we can fit into our days! 

Prayers for a summer of health, happiness and lots of sunshine.