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Our Summer To Do List

Now that school is officially out, I asked the kids what were some things they wanted to do this summer and they had some similar responses. Stella kept adding to her list so I condensed it a bit. Ted was pretty generic and getting Maizie to tell me was like pulling teeth.

Here are their lists: 

Stella

Go on a picnic

Go in everyone’s pool (she listed everyone she knew that had a pool)

Go to the beach

Go to a water park

Play with the hose

Play with the sprinkler

Go to the zoo

Go to the ice cream store

Use the Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine

Stella pretty much wants to go everywhere that she sees on TV. She also listed every little thing she would do during the day (make lemonade, play Barbies, etc); I wanted specifics not your daily itinerary.

Teddy

Go to the beach

Go in the pool

Go to a gym

Go to the zoo

See fireworks

Get some ice cream

Go to the grocery store

Have sleepovers

Go to different playgrounds

Teddy was very general with the exception of the gym; he really wants to work out. I asked why he wanted to go to the grocery store, he said “Why not?”

Maizie

Go to the zoo

Swim in the pool

Go to the beach

See fireworks

Go on a picnic

Maizie doesn’t like to contribute much. She kept asking Stella what she should tell me.

My List

The beach is a given, I’m doing that anyway

Different zoos (besides Roger Williams)

Picking fruit (I really want to go blueberry picking)

Go to Boston Museum of Science (I haven’t been there in almost 20 years)

Take a family trip (we’ve never been on an overnight trip)

Go to the drive in

Go to the Yankee Candle factory

See fireworks

Take the kids to a baseball game

Go to Mystic Village

Go to many other day trip places that we probably won’t get to.

Every year I have big plans (in my head) for the summer, but we usually end up just going to the beach. Lets’ see if things can change this year.

Let the sunning begin!

On The Road Disney Social Media Moms

A couple of weeks ago, I was given an amazing opportunity.  I didn’t believe it when I first got the email, I had to close it and walk away. Did I really just get invited? Little ole me?

It was true; I was invited to attend Disney Social Media Moms Celebration “On The Road”, my heart stopped for a second. For me this was an “I made it moment”; I’m legit.

Then all the questions; Who was going? How was I going to get there? Do the trains even run that early? (it started at 7:30 AM). Then I decided I didn’t care, I was going.

At a very early 4AM, I hit the road with fellow blogger Sarah at Sweet Lil' You. We hit ZERO traffic and were actually the first two to arrive at the Doubletree in Manhattan.

We mingled outside in anticipation of the doors opening.

This makes it "real"

We made it!

Once inside, we were served a terrific breakfast (I was expecting a table with bagels and pastries) and everyone had a Mickey shaped rice crispy treat.

Delicious breakfast

I was very happy to see this

One with the show, I could hardly sit still. There were several speakers. Maria Bailey, of BSM Media was the host. She emphasized the importance of women and marketing. Gary Buchanan (Disney's PR and blog guru) told us some exciting happenings in the Disney parks. There was even media training by Michelle Stepney, the dos and don’ts of dealing with the media and "Getting ready for your close up." 

Maria welcoming everyone

Gary telling the exciting things about the "Monstrous Summer"

The speaker that had the most influence on me was Jennifer Labit, the founder of CottonBabies. She started her company out of necessity and on $100. I can relate to her story on several different levels. Her drive and determination truly inspired me. If I could have one percent of her success, I'd be happy.

There was also a panel of momprenuers, Lauren Levy, Susanne Bodofsky and Robin Spritzer, Bonnie Marcus and Sandra Frawley.  I was very interested in hearing how they got their start. I learned quite a bit from them as well.

Inspirational panel of momprenuers

I have had a couple of ideas for a while now and wasn’t sure what to do with them, how to get them off the ground. After hearing the honest advice and stories from these wonderful women, I am now in the process of getting my plan together, making a prototype and producing my product.

I am very grateful to have had this opportunity and who knows, maybe in a few years I’ll be up there.

My Strange Day

Yesterday was a strange day. It started out normal, but that all flew right out the window once I hit the Laundromat.

Last week the washing machine shit the bed (if it finally did is yet to be determined because it has happened before).  Since I have three kids, two of them girls that like to play dress up with regular clothes, one of the girls can easily wear three to four outfits a day and a boy who uses his shirts as napkins, I have lots of laundry every week (every day). I put it off for as long as I could, but I had to get some clothes washed. So off I go with three huge baskets full.

I get there and put all my stuff in the washers, and then I sit and wait. A guy came in, sat down and started talking to me. Whatever, we’re both sitting there. Then he starts telling me how his life completely fell apart. He drifted off into the land of TMI, and I just sat and listened; I didn’t want to be rude. (As his story went on, I felt like my friend Mimi, she talks to these kinds of people ALL THE TIME. She’s like a magnet.) As it turned out, he was a convicted felon, a mentally ill felon to boot.  Then my washer was done and I went home to dry my clothes in my own dryer.

Ted had gotten Teddy and Stella hot chocolate Coolatas while Maizie was at school, and they immediately informed her of this, hell hath no fury like Maizie jipped. So I walked with Maizie to Dunkin Donuts.

When we walk, it’s all side streets; we never go on the main road. So we’re at the corner of my block and this OLD guy with a handicap placard hanging for his mirror was at the stop sign. Didn’t think much of it, there are hundreds of people who stop at that sign every day. As we turned the corner and he drove by, he yelled out the window to me. He yelled, “Hello, hot stuff!” as he drove by. I almost fell on the sidewalk from shock and laughter.

We get to Dunkin Donuts and of course Maizie wants a donut, I did too (so much for all the walking I did). We get them and then have a seat. Then I couldn’t believe my ears or eyes.

A woman who was well into her 80s was flirting (quite overtly) with the 60ish men in DD.  One of the men got up to go to the bathroom and she said he had a nice body and then she started an inquisition. How old was he and does he date?

OMG, I’m sitting there trying not to choke on my donut. She then proceeded to tell the men he had great legs and she did too. I wish I could have taken a video, but it would have been so obvious. You go get ‘em lady!

Onto my trip to Walgreen’s; I almost hit a coyote. The sucker ran right across the street (in front of my car) and into the woods next to the miniature golf course. I will not be heading there anytime soon, nor will I be going to the playground in the area the wild beast came from, there’s plenty of playgrounds around, don’t need to visit wild kingdom.

For the rest of the night, everything else was relatively normal.