Disney’s One More Day

Posted on March 27, 2012 by therealdisneymom

From the practically perfect personality of Real Disney Mom Jewelz P!

Hey All!

Sorry it has been a while – been busy trying to keep the clients happyand the strollers clean and purty!
Disney’s One More Day was great! at least for the times we picked to
go. Being 45 miles away from the Happiest Place on Earth in Los
Angeles traffic is not an easy feat to just pop up and go..

We finally met up with our friend Amanda (The Disney Go To Girl/Disney
Mom’s Panel) and her little one and Ari Krell (Disney Mom’s Panel) at
Trader Sam’s for adult drinks – I wanted to have a little medicine in
me before the crowds and Excedrin was pulled from the shelves. This
was just as good.

So I just renewed our Annual Passes online and had to still get to the
ticket booth to issued a new passes. I found out that the “Stroller
Rental Deal” was not a deal at all. You could just pay for your days
needed all at once and just show your receipt at the pick-up area
instead of having to wait in line.. still $15.00 a day for the use of
a ratty over used stroller with no sun/rain/wind cover. I also saw
many kids who were way to big for these strollers. I wonder who
maintains them?

Any who – 2 o’clock and off we go to the entrance of Disneyland. Many
families were leaving for the mid afternoon rest. Not too crowded for
Main Street USA. Looking around at the shops just gives me bliss.
Though it is not Disneyworld – I still feel a calm even with kids
running into me and my head being bombarded by balloons. “Drink is
helping”..
We head on over to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle for our AP photos. Go over
the bridge and into Fantasyland we go. Peter Pan’s Flight had a 25 min
wait – not too bad but Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride was my first intentions!
This was Alexis’ actual first time to Disneyland – It took me a while
but WDW and DLR in her first three years was an accomplishment!

Now mind you the lines and railings were not made for us “Pooh size”
addicts so directing my port and starboard side while carrying a
little one was rough. The husband had the diaper bag and it started to
get a little crowded. Alexis’ anxiety started to rise. “Drink helping
here” So I put her on my shoulders so that she could the cars and
people ahead – little distraction. Yes! We got “Ratty” a white little
car with burgundy seats. works for me. I sat inside so Lexi could
steer the car. Once again Pooh Size not helping here. Alexis was just
getting her start of stimulation for the day. Left! Right! Switchback!
KaBOOM through the TNT doors! – Hmmm is this how she will drive in 14
years? Oh wait it is me at the helm..

Next we were search of our stroller – CMs moved them yet again. There
is the StoryBook Ride but no It’s a Small World is next – literally
walked on the boats. though the song is played over and over – but no
it did not stay in our heads. YEAH!!

As we exited – Mickey’s Soundsational Parade was just ending it’s
route right by us so that was great because we did not have to pick a
spot to watch – it went right by us! Lexi was trying to join the
march.

After a few more rides in Fantasyland we were off to Mickey’s ToonTown
– I loved the one in WDW but I am sorry to see it go. I hope to see
the expanded Fantasyland in Oct 2013.

New Orleans Square – Pirates had a 14 minute wait – and I could not
have been more happier! ah the smell of the chlorine and the Blue

Bayou food in the background as we waited for our perot (Pur Row).
Cajun for boat..
The scenes and some animatronics have changed through out the year but
the Wench in the Red Dress will never go way – Jack Sparrow popping up
here and there – And the flume drops – better than WDW’s. Time for a
little dinner. Hanging out in the square hoping to
see………………… but darkness is upon us and that means
LIGHTED toys for the little one. Some of the quick dining restaurants
had specials for the Disney One More day – We decided to try the
French Market – Good Food and with our AP discounts – even better!..

Haunted mansion was next in line – Walked right into the house and off
to the elevators we go… They changed some of the magic through here
too.. some things I even forgot – How could I do that? The Doombuggies
were tight as well.. POOH SIZE and the drinks are still helping! As we
exited the ride, You could hear the screams from Splash Mountain – To
cold and and dark to get wet at that time of the night.

Off to Tomorrowland – That’s where I drew the line – too many college
kids and the 70 minute wait for Star Tours! It was becoming VERY
crowded at 8PM. So we went to the baby center to change out Lexi’s
clothes for PJ’s and a needed a new bottle that she dropped at
Pirates. $2.00 for a new Gerber bottle not bad. The Baby Center has 4
breastfeeding rooms, 4 changing tables, two high chairs, microwave and
hot water. Very small environment that sees about @1000 kids a day in
the summer..

We decided to leave and may way for home! I was happy – I had my
Disney One more Day Buttons in hand, met up with Amanda and Alexis got
her first visit to Disneyland!.
Very happy to have beaten the late night crowds – those leaving work
at 5 or 6pm to hang all night in Disney!

From what I overheard – 40 minute wait to get into the Mickey and
Friends parking lot, Stopped letting guests in for about and hour
around 10:15pm and the 5 freeway southbound was backed up to the
91(saw that when we drove home) All in All not major meltdowns and
good time had by all!

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes…

Posted on February 6, 2012 by therealdisneymom

From the magical mind of Real Disney Mom Janie GD…

Please be aware that you may find parts of this article uncomfortable to read, and maybe even harder to imagine.

As in any Disney tale, you will find heros, villains and triumph over adversity; and this true life account is no different.

In a land, not so very far away; there is a terrible place where the sun never shines, and found trapped in that dark place were six children named Cooper, Dustin, Matthew, William, Nathaniel & Zoe Renee until their little lives were flooded with light by their adoptive parents Eric & Stephanie McKinney. These innocent babes did not have the loving and cozy beginning that is usually lavished upon all new borns. Their birth parents had issues of their own, full of drug and substance misuse which lead to the horrors of child abuse; both physical and sexual. Tragically this has left scars both visible and invisible…

Using Stephanie’s own words to describe just how her children’s lives began –

Cooper – “He was found when he was three, abandoned in a trailer open to the elements…he was covered in body fluids and left to die in the elements. He had been physically abused, mentally/emotionally abused, and sexually abused in the most disgusting and heinous way.”

Dustin – “Dustin was three and in the hospital when we met him. He had been starved and abused in his FOSTER home.”

Matthew – “We got Matt and William at the same time, and Matt was two. They are biological brothers. They had already had three foster homes, because no wanted Matthew. He was ‘weird’. He has Autism.”

William – “He had been beaten so severely when he was 4 months old, that both sides of his skull had been fractured. His biological father had beaten him hard enough to crack his skull on both sides, with a plastic bottle. Everyone wanted to adopt William but not Matt. But William has since developed ADHD.”

Nathaniel – “He was 22 months when we got him, and he is currently 4. He came into care because both he and his sister (Zoe Renee) were removed together.”

Zoe Renee – “She was 5 months old when we got her, and is currently 3. She was a mess when I got her. She weighed only 6.5 lbs and had 12 fractures. Both her arms, and legs had been twisted broken…along with 8 of her ribs. Both biologicals deny any involvement.”

Tough reading I know; especially if your soul has been sheltered from the darker side of humanity.

The McKinney’s are honest to goodness working folk, wanting only to provide the best life and accommodation for their growing family’s disability needs. This year the project has been a more accessible downstairs bedroom for Cerebral Palsy sufferer Zoe, thus giving her more independence as walking and climbing the stairs is quite challenging. The expense of this build soon nibbled away at the savings carefully put aside for a Disney vacation. However, neighbor and self titled ‘Disney Nut’, David Mullican swooped in with the splendid idea of Eric and Stephanie entering their local Tennessee TV station’s competition for a deserving family to win the ‘Trip of a lifetime to Walt Disney World’…unfortunately, even with the help of all David’s fellow Mickey Moms Club members voting online until their fingers were sore; the McKinney’s luck wasn’t quite yet Pixie Dusted! But not winning wasn’t an option for former US Marine Mullican, he soon rallied the MMC troops into action once again…with the afore mentioned pixie dust arriving in the human form of Club member Heidi LaDuca! With Heidi’s generous donation of the free use of her stunning vacation home in Orlando, and the growing involvement of the Mickey Moms Club; gradually the dreams and wishes in the hearts of the McKinney family were coming true.

Now can you imagine the joy that this trip to WDW will bring? It will bond and reinforce the commitment and love that runs right through the very core of the McKinney family. When Eric and Stephanie announced that they were going to Walt Disney World in May 2012 the children all produced smiles bigger than the Cheshire Cat, not to mention more noise and sheer exuberance than Illuminations; now wouldn’t you have loved to have witnessed that?! Amongst other conditions both Cooper and William suffer with ADHD, Matthew is Autistic and Zoe has problems with mobility, so the the careful planning of each stage of this amazing trip will be paramount due to each individuals special needs. Each child has their own personal Disney ‘to do’ list’ including visiting Epcot, watching fireworks, taking in some rides, checking out Star Tours and visiting with the Princesses, but topping the list is of course, a meeting with Mickey & Minnie Mouse!

This family are all heroes, the parents for their unconditional love, and the children for their ability to thrive against all the odds. Maybe this is your chance to be a hero, whether it’s giving complete acceptance of disability, or to just offer your love and support to the Marvellous McKinneys.

You can follow Eric & Stephanie, Cooper, Dustin, Matthew, William, Nathaniel & Zoe Renee McKinney on a Facebook page dedicated to their Disney dream vacation here – The MicKinney’s Magical Trip to Walt Disney World

http://about.me/janeglanvilleduckworth

Walt Disney World and Me

Posted on May 1, 2011 by therealdisneymom

I am so excited to be starting a Walt Disney World Vacation planning blog! I decided to start this blog to help not only you the reader, plan your perfect Walt Disney World vacation, but also to help myself keep all my planning in order! I am currently planning our family’s 3rd big Walt Disney World Resort vacation and I couldn’t be happier! Here’s a little background on myself and Walt Disney World. I first visited when I was 3 years old and I am pretty sure that’s when I fell in love! Despite being only 3, I remember this trip vividly. We went in October and stayed at the Caribbean Beach which is one of Disney World’s moderate resorts. My mother woke me up two years later in October again and asked me if I’d rather go to school or Disney World that day. Of course I said Disney World and I embarked on my second Walt Disney World adventure! We stayed at Dixie Landings that vacation which is now Port Orleans Riverside. I remember so fondly the amazing surprise I got that morning. Our oldest knows we are going this summer but he doesn’t realize when. I can’t wait to wake him up the morning of and tell him that we will be on our way that day! My parents, brother and I went again when I was 7, in October staying at the Caribbean Beach again. I compare myself to my mother because she couldn’t seem to keep herself away The World, much like myself! When I was 11 years old I got to go twice! I went once with school, in April and once with my parents, in October staying at our home away from home, the Caribbean Beach again. The last time my parents took me, I was 13, and we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge in April once again which started my love for that resort! After that vacation I took a 7 year hiatus from The World which is quite frankly tragic! I drifted away from the magic a bit in my teenage years but was wrapped back up in it when my husband and I honeymooned in Walt Disney World in August of 2006 which would be my last time there without children! We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge that time. When my oldest J was about 18 months old, we visited my father at his home in Florida in December, and brought J to the Magic Kingdom for the day. It was then that we realized that we had to bring him on a Walt Disney World Vacation! In August of 2009, after our son B was born, we took them on their first WDW trip, and we brought my mother along. We stayed at the Caribbean beach, in one of their pirate rooms because J loves pirates. He was 3, almost 4 years old and I believe this started the same love affair for him with WDW that started for me when I was just the same age. If you ask him now what he wants to be when he grows up he will answer proudly “an Imagineer“. I’m not so sure how many 4-year-olds even know this Disney term but he for sure does! If you ask him what an Imagineer does, he will tell you “well they are the ones who think up Disney’s magic of course”. We brought J and B to visit my father in Florida in April of 2010 and went to the Magic Kingdom for the day again. We again were bitten by the Disney bug, and decided to take them back for another big trip that August. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge again. (LOVE it there!) B was very aware of where he was this time, and now exclaims “It’s Disney World!” whenever he sees Cinderella Castle at the beginning of Disney movies, just as his older brother used to do! We now find it extremely hard to stay away from The World, and I am very pleased to say that we are going back this August! On August 5th we will be en route to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge again for little Miss M’s first time! I have a truly magical life and I am very lucky to be able to have Walt Disney World be such a big part of it! I consider it my duty to expose my children to this, the most magical place on earth! So join me as I embark on the journey of planning our family’s 3rd Walt Disney World Vacation. Stay tuned for Walt Disney World Vacation Planning 101!