Adventures in Disney

I still find it amazing that one can wake up in dreary, cold Chicago and by early afternoon doing this.

and then just a little bit later, doing this.

Things I learned (and a little advice) at Disney World

1. Always take bathroom breaks in between rides because inevitably it will go something like this.  You've survived a 45 minute wait, you can see the light, you are almost there you can taste it, and then a little voice says, "Mommy, I have to go potty.  NOW."  Or, it goes something like this.  You have just been securely buckled into a ride, you know there are a few drops, but your 5.5 yr old can handle right?  Sure.  And he can and did, but the only thing on him mind was how badly he had to pee and half-way between the first and second drops, he announces, "I'm going,"  Luckily, it was on Splash Mountain.
2. Pack that princess dress!  Luckily, one of my besties Lisa, gave me this lifesaving advice as not more than two hours into our walk at Magic Kingdom, a little voice asks, "Mommy, I want to be wearing my princess dress."  
3. Always pack back-up outfits for the kids (see #1).  Don't tell your husband because when you whip it out and have clearly saved the day, you turn into Super Mom, and you can cut back on some other mom  duties for the day as you can always remind him that you did indeed, save the day!
4. Sometimes lines are worth it.   As angry as I was to be fooled by a 15 minute wait sign to meet the princesses that actually turned into over an hour, it was worth it to see the pure joy on my daughter's face.  And a little too much joy on my husband's upon meeting Belle ;)  Well, she was the prettiest, I do admit.
5. You can never carry enough hand sanitizer.

And the very most important thing I learned at Disney is that we need to set aside more time for 100% focus on the family.  I realized that the kids were wearing ear to ear grins, not only because they were meeting Mickey Mouse and riding the ride, but because we were all focused on each other.  No distractions.  And that, my friends, is the biggest lesson, that a I had to learn from a little mouse.