Downtown Disney

I think that Disney started to feel a little guilty about the absolutely ridiculous cost of admission to their theme parks so they created a little shopping/restaurant area near the parks called Downtown Disney.  We ventured there on two different nights during our stay.  There is lots to do and see--all for relatively cheap, or better yet, free!

After spending what felt like hours in the World of Disney store that honestly had everything Disney you could dream of (including one of the two Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutiques which is a sight all its own), we decided to check out the highly recommended Lego Imagination Center, which was really incredible.

As you walk up, they have huge sculptures made from LEGO pieces and cannot help but stop and stare!  This little fellow greeted us from the water!

Outside of the store, they had numerous large bins set up filled with LEGO pieces so kids could create whatever they wanted.  Amelia dove right in!

There were several more impressive displays inside (none of which apparently made it onto mine or Jason's camera) and this crazy wall of various LEGO parts that you could sift through and purchase if you were so inclined.

Amelia couldn't resist getting some pictures with two of her favorite Disney princesses.  Little did she know that the very next day she would meet both of these ladies in real life!!

The first evening we went to Downtown Disney, we walked around aimlessly looking for a place to grab a bite to eat.  The choices were overwhelming--Planet Hollywood, Rainforest Cafe, and some crazy T-Rex Restaurant to name a few.  Amelia was wearing down after a long day of swimming and shopping, so Jason and grandma grabbed some fish and chips to go while GG, Amelia, and I did some people watching.  When Jason and his mom arrived with our food, Amelia immediately took one of the plastic forks and started to "brush" her hair with it. She said, "Look, I'm Ariel!  This is my dinglehopper".  (I apologize if you don't understand the humor in this, my advice would be to rent "The Little Mermaid" for the night).

After filling our tummies, we walked around a little more and came across the most fabulous toy store I have ever seen called Once Upon A Toy Store. I believe we could have spent many days wondering around inside.  They had a great selection of Mr. Potato Head gear to buy, including special Disney pieces like Mickey Mouse ears and glass slippers.  Amelia wasted no time building her Disney-inspired spud.  

At this point, I can only assume I put the camera away to chase my wild two-year old around the most incredible toy store ever!  I have no other pictures, but it was definitely a fun stop and we got out of their without spending a dime (however for the grandmas, that was a different story)!

The night before we came home, we returned to Downtown Disney to walk around some more and it was packed!  Our main purpose for returning was to treat ourselves to ice cream at the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate shop.  So, we did that and then got the heck out of there!

Sea World

We decided it was probably not best to dive right into Disney World the day after our crazy early departure from St. Louis (Did I mention we got up at 3:30 AM for our 6 AM flight?!?!).  Instead we decided to tackle Sea World.  The tickets were free (thanks Dad!) and it was super close to our hotel, so we decided to take our chances.  If things went south, we were close to the hotel and there was no money lost. 

 We got there right when they opened and the place was empty!  After watching the tiny dolphins swim around in the Dolphin Nursery, we went to check out the sea lions.  It just so happened that we came right at feeding time.  Amelia loved listening to the sea lions bark for their food and scramble to catch the flying fish!

We checked out the penguins before going to a sea lion show!

There was a kids area that was especially popular with the little one!  We started with endless carousel rides (there were no lines!).  The first time around she decided to sit on a bench, but after that it became very hard to get her off the sea creatures! 

There was also a little water play area that Miss Amelia couldn't resist.  At first, I thought she was going to just dabble in the water a bit, but as time went on, she got more brave.  Luckily, I brought an extra change of clothes with me!

After a quick change of clothes, it was back to the carousel!

A day at Sea World would not be complete without whale-shaped ice cream!

Or a manatee shaped bush!

Or a Clydesdale named Kelly.

Or a band on stilts with snazzy outfits!

And you can't go to Sea World without seeing the Shamu show, right?  I still cannot believe the size of the stadium where the show took place!  

I am pretty sure that every single person in the park was at the show and it still wasn't full.  The size of the whales themselves (and the tank where they are kept) was pretty amazing.  Interestingly enough, the trainers had decided to socialize two groups of whales 48 hours before the show and because of this they were having problems getting one of the whales to do what it was supposed to do.  They had to stop the show and explain to the audience the situation.  It was actually really interesting to see and hear how they use positive reinforcement to get the whales to do what they want them to do. 

Eventually the whale pulled it together and the show continued!  For Amelia, the best part was when they splashed the audience.  Luckily we were out of the "splash zone", but those people were soaked from head to toe!  We picked up a stuffed Shamu for Amelia (which she calls "shampoo") and she loves to make it "splash" anyone in sight!

After the show, Amelia even got to take a little ride on baby Shamu!

Amelia really got a kick out of petting some stingrays that were swimming around in a big pool. Don't worry, I grilled the Sea World employee before I let Amelia touch one.  She reassured me that the barbs are clipped every 3-6 months, leaving them completely harmless.  (Hey, I am no dummy, I haven't forgotten about the untimely death of Steve Irwin!).  Every time they would pass, they would raise one of their flaps  (I'm pretty sure this is NOT the correct word) like they were trying to pet her which, of course, caused many giggling fits!

Even though everyone was getting really tired, we decided to stick around until the next dolphin feeding.  I am glad we did because it was probably my favorite part of Sea World.  I didn't really get a good picture though because it was too much to handle the camera and fish while following their detailed instructions for the best "dolphin encounter".  I was also trying to make sure my tired, squirmy toddler sitting on the edge of the pool and eyeing the dolphins didn't join them for a swim.  They have professional photographers capturing the moment and we ended up buying a copy of their shot.  Unfortunately, I don't have a scanner or I would share it with you!

The dolphins' snack: $7 per tray!!  But, it does make for a very happy dolphin!

So, despite it being a very long napless day, Amelia hung in there and did great!  Be on the lookout for more Florida updates soon!

Our Florida Home

While getting ready for bed our first night in Florida, Amelia seemed shocked  when I told her it was time to get to bed.  She said, "I'm going to sleep in this place??".  From then on, we referred to our hotel as our "Florida home" anytime we needed for her to understand which home we were talking about.  Our St. Louis home was the home with Truman (our dog) and her big girl bed.  

Our "Florida home" was great!  The resort was called FLORIDAYS and at 1300 sq. feet, it was the size of our first home.  With 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (one with a corner Jacuzzi tub), a full kitchen complete with granite counter tops, flat screen plasma TV, washer/dryer, a tiny patio, and a lush pool area, it was perfect (and quite a bit nicer than our first home)!  The price was right and the reviews were great, but I was still skeptical that maybe it wouldn't live up to the hype.  

The location was only 5 minutes from Sea World, 10 minutes from Downtown Disney, and about 15 minutes to the Disney theme parks.  Within walking distance of the hotel, there were numerous restaurants, a Walgreens, grocery store, and a pretty nice outlet mall that we frequented twice during our stay.  Needless to say, I was VERY happy!

Luckily, the weather cooperated and we were able to enjoy the pool several days during our visit.  Amelia was pretty pumped as you can imagine.  The pool was beautifully landscaped and they had a zero depth entry for the kiddies complete with various fountains and sprinklers.  Personally, I was most impressed with my pool side margarita--not because it was especially delicious, but because it was exactly what I needed!

On the plane ride back to St. Louis while talking to the person next to her on the plane, Amelia referred to our hotel room as our "Florida home".  I wish we were so lucky!  

Fair Shares: Week Ten

from 1/21

Claverach Pea Shoots

Ozark Forest Mushroom Mix:  after allowing these mushrooms to spoil in two separate instances, I got smart and traded them for more Dogtown pizza.  Can you tell I love that stuff?

Kimker Hill Pizza Dough Mix: eager to try this, but haven't had the chance yet

River Hills Poultry Alliance Eggs

Prairie Grass Farms ground lamb:  something about eating lamb turns my stomach--luckily, Jason doesn't feel the same way.

Hilty Pickled Beets:  I hear toddlers love beets, guess we'll be testing that theory!

Black Bear Bakery Pestalozzi Baguette

Gorse Maple Syrup

Lee Farm Sweet Potatoes:  check out this yummy SWEET POTATO SOUFFLE recipe below that allowed me to finally use some of my huge stockpile of sweet potatoes.

The Sunshine State!

We've been counting down to our Florida trip for quite some time now and its hard to believe that the trip is already over and we are back to reality!  

But, let me start by saying that we had an incredible time and I can't think of much that would have made the trip any better.  I have lots to say about the trip and countless pictures.  I am in the process of gathering pictures from all 4 cameras that captured the moments from our vacation.  Be on the lookout for some upcoming posts!

Fair Shares: Week Nine

I have fallen behind a bit with the Fair Shares updates, but I am determined to catch back up!  Even if many of you find the updates boring, it helps me to keep track of things!

From 1/14

Blue Heron Orchard Apple Cider

Claverach Sunflower Sprouts

Mangia Beef Radiattori

Ropp Swiss Cheese

Sunny Ridge Blackberries (frozen): we will be using some of these for smoothies tomorrow morning

Troutdale Farms Trout Fillets: traded for pizza--yum!

Companion Multi Grain Rolls

Bellews Creek Black Beans:  I like having these in the cabinet, but the work required to prepare them is a bit overwhelming for me as I am used to just buying them in a can.

Lee/Hilty Roma Tomatoes:  these paired with the pasta we have been receiving and some other veggies have made for some pretty delicious dinners

Saving Some Dough

In these hard economic times, it seems more important than ever to take steps to save some dough.  Luckily, I came across this play "dough" recipe in the "TODDLER BUSY BOOK" and this dough saves for 6 whole months--can't ask for much more saving than that!

I especially like this recipe because the stirring doesn't need to be done while the mixture is still on the stove like the recipe we've used in the past.  This is good because Amelia can be a more active participant in the process.  The BOOK has numerous recipes using peanut butter, oatmeal, kool-aid, and a variety of other ingredients that I hope to try in the near future.

We originally planned to whip up a batch for a friend of Amelia's as part of a little Valentine's Day gift and we decided to throw in a little glitter to give it some added bling.  After making her friend's pink batch, Amelia decided she wanted a sparkly blue batch for herself.  It REALLY doesn't get much easier than this!  (Well, unless you buy it at the store of course).

Colored Playdough:

1 cup water

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup salt

1 tablespoon cream of tartar

food coloring

saucepan

1 cup flour

glitter (optional)

Combine water, oil, salt, cream of tartar, and food coloring in a saucepan and heat until warm.  Remove from heat and add flour.  Stir, then knead until smooth.  Add glitter if desired.  The cream of tartar makes this dough last 6 months or longer, so resist the temptation to omit this ingredient if you don't have it on hand.  Store this dough in an airtight container or Ziploc freezer bag.

And with a new batch of play doh in our hands, we decided to put it to good use.  Amelia especially loves playing with the play-doh ice cream shoppe--a Christmas gift from her cousins!

Almost looks good enough to eat, does it not??

This is Amelia's worm family!  It is difficult to tell at this angle, but they are gathering under the Christmas tree she is holding.  All her doing, of course!

Amelia's version of spaghetti and meatballs--yum!