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Our Flying Visit to Disneyland Paris

January 30, 2017 by Bel 2 Comments

Last weekend (20th-22nd Jan) we took a flying visit to Disneyland Paris. I have to admit that it didn’t turn out to be our best trip there, but considering it was raining the last two times and freezing cold the times before that, I suppose I shouldn’t have expected much. In all honesty, the trip itself was enjoyable for many reasons – one, that I got to spend time with the girls – two, that I finally got to stay in a Disney hotel and – three, my best friend Amy and her daughter were there at the same time as us. Aside from that though, there was a bit of an epiphany moment where I realised I had been trying to fill a hole that Florida had left, ever since we visited two years ago. I also realised that DLP is unfortunately not that replacement for us. Anyway I’ll save all that for another time and just fill you in briefly on our trip.

For the two nights we were away, we stayed in Hotel Santa Fe. It’s the cheapest of the Disney Hotels, having paid only £100 for 2 nights (no park passes included, but using discount from my annual pass) but actually it was pretty great. The whole hotel complex is themed around the movie Cars and we actually had our room in the row belonging to Lightning McQueen.

On our first day, the girls had decided to Disney Bound as Rapunzel and Flynn. Lily was Rapunzel and Megan was Flynn. This was actually my favourite of their two outfits for the weekend, but I definitely loved both. Lily’s “Best Day Ever” t-shirt was one she had already, so she only needed a pair of purple jeans and a new cardigan. Megan on the other hand needed all new bits, but I didn’t mind as I knew she’d get wear out of some of it. We did have a dilemma with the trousers though and ended up purchasing a boys pair from Tesco, the day before we left home.

On our first day in DLP, we spent the whole time in the main Disneyland park. We sorted out annual passes, went on loads of rides, bought Mickey shaped food (believe it or not, we’d never done that before), had our pictures taken in front of the castle (a firm tradition) and watched the parade. Of course we ate dinner, browsed shops and all the other things you’re supposed to do. Sadly, though we had intended to watch Dreams, it was definitely far too cold and we ended up heading back to the hotel early.

The next morning we got up and had breakfast in the hotel (this was included in the price). We also stashed a few croissants and pain au chocolat for a cheeky light lunch later. We got up early and headed into the park for EMH (Early Magic Hours) as this is something we have never been able to do before. It was amazing to be in the park while it was so quiet but I have to admit it may have been partly to blame for me not enjoying much of this day as I started out so cold and never really thawed!

During EMH we managed to meet both Stitch and Chip ‘n’ Dale. The girls were dressed as Mickey and Minnie for their Disney Bounding this day (which seemed to go down well with the character, plus Olivia was Daisy Duck which was so sweet) but sadly it was so cold that you never really got to see much of their outfits.

At 10am we headed over to the Studios as there were a few things we wanted to do there and this was our last day. We queued for Crusher Coaster for over an hour, only to end up feeling sick – and then got FPs for Ratatouille (our favourite ride by far) but not till 4pm that afternoon. We tried to meet Moana at 11.30am but her queue was already closed so we made an effort to waste time elsewhere. We went to the Armageddon special effects show, browsed the shops, ate lunch and saw the Art of Animation theatre show. After that it was time for a second wave of Moana queues so I joined the line while the girls played on the machines in the Animation building.

The queue for Moana seemed to take forever and even took a break right before it was our turn. However the girls seemed pleased to meet her as it was a character we hadn’t been able to meet before (being that she’s new and all). It was also the only time the girls actually got to show off their Mickey and Minnie Disney Bound so I was pleased to get a picture of that.

Finally it was time to ride Ratatouille so we headed over to that. The queue still took a while even on fastpass but it was worth it as always. After that we decided it was time to eat and ended up heading back to the other park and to Hakuna Matata as the girls had enjoyed it when we’d eaten there previously. We then did a little last minute shopping and headed back to the hotel.

As well as eating something Mickey shaped, drinking a Glowtini was also on my list of things I’d like to do, so with the girls in tow, Amy and I headed to the hotel bar and treated ourselves to a drink. It was actually really nice (I had red and Amy had blue) but it was expensive for what you get. The ice cube is funky though and at least you get to take it with you. After about an hour in the bar, we all headed back to our rooms and got an early night. I packed first as we were heading off early.

In the morning, we went for breakfast and then met up with Amy and Olivia to head to the park. We did a little more last minute shopping (for pins) and then said our goodbyes as they had one more day and we were heading home. Everything went perfectly to plan – catching the train, checking in for the plane, the flight etc. We were making great time for getting home — until I hit a barrier in the airport car park and completely broke my car. After a very long wait, a slow journey home and arriving back about 5 hours later than planned, we finally made it home. Sadly the last part put very much a dampener on the weekend for me and definitely made me think hard about whether or not our trips to DLP were worth it or not!

Overall though, it was a good weekend away, if not a little rushed. I truly wish it hadn’t been so cold as I know we all would have enjoyed it so much more.

Hello 2017

January 3, 2017 by Bel 1 Comment

On New Year’s Eve I wrote a post reflecting on 2016 and so today I want to look forward to 2017. As it’s already 3rd January I’m sure it’s probably clear that a whole “new me” is not on the horizon. I think I’ve learned from previous years, that that’s not the best route for me. Instead little changes, positive attitude and a hope for better things, is the direction I would like to go.

This Year I will:

Get a better grip on my finances. As I’ve mentioned on my blog before, I have a lot of debt – largely from my time as a single mum (I mean, I’m technically still a single mum but I have a very supportive partner now). For a few years, I just buried my head and the debt got worse but then two years ago it all hit me and I had to stop avoiding it. 2016 was the year I finally started to get that debt down and while I definitely managed to stop adding to it and clear one particular lump of debt, I still have a fair way to go. I have a specific target in mind by the end of the year and that will hopefully lessen my debt by about a third.
Work hard on my business, Closet Geek. It would be a lie to say I don’t work hard on it already as to be honest its my main focus, after the kids. I have thoroughly enjoyed working from home this last year and despite how crazy busy it has gotten at times, I wouldn’t change a thing. This year I am aiming to add at least 6 more product ranges (don’t ask me what, I have no idea yet) and hopefully more variations of the products I already sell. That said, I must remember to take time out and relax (which is hard because I often get into a flow).

Weight Loss is something I want to focus on this year. I haven’t jumped into any kind of diet yet as there is still a lot of bad food kicking around the house. However I am trying to regulate myself and not eat too my rubbish and when routine starts over again and I start cooking evening meals from scratch, I aim to make healthy dishes and avoid any junk. Last year I felt uncomfortable in my skin and it stopped me from dressing up, cosplaying and even feeling like I wanted to make any sort of effort. Its amazing what a knock on effect feeling overweight can have to all areas of life. I also want to try walking more often, especially as life isn’t so hectic that I need to save every minute of time by hopping in the car.
Last year was a wonderful change to family life, working from home instead of feeling stressed in the job I had previously (I actually can’t believe I walked out on that job 2 years ago – I’ve honestly never regretted it). I managed to attend so many of the kids events at school and I’m sure I will be doing so again this year. That said I want to make time outside of those events, to do things as a family. The kids love to play board games (we had a day doing that during holiday), go swimming and play computer games (Lily and I have played Lego Harry Potter for most days of the holidays) so I want to make more time for fun, not just scheduled events. I also want to make more time for Chris as he often gets neglected, just because he “understands more”. On evenings when he’s not at work, I need to step away from my sewing or even my computer and just be with him – doing whatever it is we feel like doing.

This year I would like to:

Moving house is definitely top of the list for things I’d like to do in 2017. Sadly not a huge amount of that decision is in our hands, but we need to try wherever possible. From the house going on the market last April, till now, we’ve only had two viewings. I think there has been many reasons to that but largely the price recommended by the agents is too high. We do have another viewing tomorrow so we will see how that goes but at some point this year we will have to make some firmer decisions – perhaps to change agents, sell at a loss, or whatever other options there might be.
During January I have a weekend away booked with the girls, to Disneyland Paris. However as much as I’m looking forward to it, I’d really like a nice week away somewhere abroad. Top choice for this year would definitely be Italy and ideally during the warm weather. Chris booking holidays at work can be a pain though as he can often only get out of school holiday time. With Megan now at secondary school I am loathed to take them out of school for a holiday, so it’s definitely going to be a juggling act – and of course available money. If we can’t get away this year, I would definitely love to book something bigger for next year – maybe a two week holiday somewhere further afield like the US.

This Year I will try:

Yesterday I was in a position (as I often am) where one of the girls asked if we could do something (something they had been asking for a while and have been saying “soon” to) and my immediate answer was “yes, tomorrow”. Now although that might seen immediate to you, it’s really only because it was that day or tomorrow that we needed to do it, before it was too late. But my reaction was still the latter, not the actual immediate. However after I walked away, I thought “actually, why can’t we just do it now?” and so that’s what we did. Basically I really want to stop putting things off till tomorrow and just get on with them. Because tomorrow never really comes and before you realise it, you’ve been putting everything off and never getting anything done.

When we went swimming, the girls and I, I was reminded of how much I enjoy it and, that despite not going very often, I’m still pretty good at it. While I don’t always want to go when they suggest it, I did realise I could take them and just watch (they’re both old enough now), but also I could go when they’re at school and just swim lengths. It would be a great way to make time for me, get fitter and even find time to shower! I don’t want to set myself a frequency but I would like to swim more.
As I mentioned last year, our friendship group is a little bit fractured now and so in the past 12 months I haven’t thrown any large group events. I think its probably easiest to just see each group of working friendships, by themselves, whenever there is time, rather than force everyone to get together. Last year we did enjoy a meal out as a group of friends, a cinema trip as a double date and a few times having friends around for dinner. I would like to continue that this year, making more of an effort but hopefully making time for everyone.
Finally I should probably give my blog a mention. At this time of year it’s always easy to say “I’ll post more”, or “I’ll post frequently” but the truth is when life gets busy, my blog takes a backseat. I also often find that I lose inspiration for what to write at times and it can become just one big life update that people probably aren’t that interested in. I’m ditching Project 52 (as I did towards the end of last year) as I always forget to take pictures weekly). Instead I might do something monthly, as I did with my round-ups (which definitely suits me better so I will be sticking to those). I’d like to keep updating about books I read (which maybe should have been another bulletpoint as I really should read more) and movies we see at the cinema but past that I’m uncertain of the direction my blog will take. I am considering various options though so watch this space!

May Round-up

June 6, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

Watching: Once Upon a Time (still watching with Lily and Megan, but also finished Season 5), Suits (5), Jane the Virgin (1-2), GAME OF THRONES (we watch it ASAP on Monday morning since it records at 2am), the usual weekly episodes of Arrow, Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, The 100 etc etc. Walt Before Mickey, Maleficent, Star Trek Into Darkness, Super 8,
Reading: Six Lies, Kingdom Keepers: Disney at Dawn, A Whole New World: A Twisted Tale, Fated, Wait for Me.
Sewing & Making (for Closet Geek): Ears!! It’s been all about the Ears this month after being featured on Sarah’s instagram. I’ve also made two Rapunzel dresses, a Pinocchio dress, an Alice in Wonderland dress and apron, a Briar Rose dress, a Wendy dress, a Woody dress, plus loads of bows and Tangled bunting. There was also an adult Briar Rose dress, a Beauty and the Beast skirt (again for Sarah) and made alterations to Lottie’s Dumbo skirt (and made her some ears too).

And in other news…
– Amy came to visit for the first weekend in May and it was SO nice because I hadn’t seen her since the beginning of March!
– Megan took her SATs (and got ill during them) but fingers crossed she still did well.
– Got the girls into several more food options including homemade turkey burgers.
– Chris bought me 221B Baker Street board game and we played and it was very reminiscent of my youth!
– We went to Paris for the weekend as a family, with my mum and sister too. We weren’t there long but I got to go up the Eiffel Tower which is something I’ve always wanted to do AND we went to DLP. You can read about it in my Travel Diary.
– It was my birthday. I turned 37! It wasn’t too bad though as I got some nice gifts and spent the day with family and friends.
– Disney Lego figures were released at the beginning of the month and I managed to collect them all. There were a few swaps involved and I did buy the last two I needed of Ebay!
– Tried to be healthy, failed. Tried to be healthy, failed. Tried to be healthy, failed…
– Bought a laser cutting machine but didn’t get it set up :(

Looking forward to in June:
– Going to Paris again. I have my regrets about booking it (it turned out so expensive and it’s 4 days away from Chris and the kids) but overall I’m looking forward to it.
– Sadly, nothing else. Hopefully some free time for myself. Maybe set my laser cutting machine up. Hopefully crack screen printing. Nice weather maybe?

Travel Diary – 22nd May 16 – Paris Day Three

June 3, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

We spent our third and last day at Disney so this post is fairly picture heavy. Despite it not being the day I had hoped, we still made the best of a bad situation and there were definitely even some positives thrown in there too. Sadly it was mostly a bust though!

Day Three

Having always planned to spent Sunday in Disney, we didn’t have a lot of choice, even when we woke up and it was throwing it down with rain. This was our last day of the trip and if we didn’t go that day, we wouldn’t go at all – but it made me sad that we hadn’t just gone the day before and enjoyed the glorious sunshine! Despite all that, the girls were sure they wanted to dress up and I figured I may as well Disney Bound, even though what I’d wanted to wear had ended up a bit messed up.

So we set off and it was raining, so we all got soaked. It rained all the way there and at one point I actually wondered about turning around and going back. However by the time we arrived, it was just spitting so we joined the queue for getting in.

After getting into the park, we headed straight for the Studios. I wanted a FP for Ratatouille and I knew it was best to get that first. After grabbing our FP (to come back at 1pm), Chris and Megan went on the Studio Tram Tour while Lily and I went on Hollywood Tower Hotel. After we were done, we met back up and made our way over to the Disneyland park. Here we wandered around, taking pictures of the Spring features and also the obligatory “in front of the castle” picture.

We rode several rides that we hadn’t done in DLP before, including Pirates of the Caribbean. We also did Phantom Manor as Chris had only done Haunted Mansion in Florida. It wasn’t long before we had to head back to the Studios though and ride Ratatouille, after which we stayed in the park for Megan to look around Art of Disney Animation.

After heading back over to the other park, the rain finally came back again. Until now, it hadn’t been too bad and actually it had made looking around enjoyable as all queues were 5-10 minutes. However the rain was fairly heavy so we headed for Buzz Lightyear and then Space Mountain (which sadly Lily was too small for) and finally It’s a Small World. Since the rain was still heavy after that, we headed to the Annual Pass office and I upgraded my pass.

We ducked in to see Maleficent and keep out of the rain but luckily it eased a little again and we took a visit to the Sword in the Stone. However by this point my feet were soaked and so were Lily’s, so we decided to head back to the car, via a shop to buy wellies for Lily and I we could all get changed and be more comfortable. Lily swapped to her wellies and I put on my trainers and also changed my jeans. We sat for a while to warm up and then headed back to the park in time to catch Disney Magic on Parade.

I realised while watching the Parade, this was probably one of my favourite things about visiting a Disney Park. Thought we had caught Goofy’s Garden Party and Minnie’s Spring Train, the full parades are definitely the best. The highlight by far was when Rapunzel realised Megan was wearing a Rapunzel style dress and totally freaked out. I know it was also one of Megan’s favourite parts too.

After the parade was finished (around 6pm), we had arranged to meet my mum and sister, in order to go to Planet Hollywood for dinner. We had purchased set meals in advance so it made the whole process really simple and it was nice to get warm and just relax. Dinner was really great and everyone was so nice to the girls and especially complimenting the dresses they were wearing. By the time we were done though, none of us were really in the mood for more. It was still raining and according to the forecast it was set to rain the rest of the day. The fireworks weren’t until 10pm ish and by now it was only about 7.30pm. We didn’t really know whether to stay or go and although I love the final show, I just knew I would be making everyone miserable to wait around.

My mum and Pippa headed back to the car and said they would stay there if we decided to stay, so Chris, the girls and I went and did some shopping. Afterwards we decided that we really didn’t have the energy to stay and so Chris and Lily headed back to the car while Megan and I just popped to one more shop to grab some earrings she wanted. By about 8pm we were back at the car and heading back to the accommodation.

For the most part the day had felt like a let down and despite getting an annual pass out of the day and also the queues being short, I had felt miserable with wet shoes, we’d had yet another visit where we couldn’t take our coats off and we hadn’t made it to the fireworks at the end!

Save

21/52

May 22, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

I have two very beautiful girls. Taken DLP.

Our post-Christmas break – Disneyland Paris

January 28, 2016 by Bel 2 Comments

It occurred to me today that it’s been a month since we went to Disneyland Paris and I still haven’t posted about it! As such, I’m putting that right – starting now.

On Christmas Day I surprised the girls by announcing we would be heading off to Disneyland Paris the following day! As neither of them had much on a wishlist for Christmas, this was my gift to them (any myself) even though it would be a very brief visit! On Boxing Day we drove down to Birmingham and parked at the train station there. We caught a coach at 6pm, that would head for Dover and catch a ferry over to France.

Normally the coach would have made stops all along the way, picking up other people. However by some miracle everyone got on at Birmingham, so there were no set stops to be taken. Instead the coach driver called at several services along the way and we eventually reached Dover by about midnight. Sadly when we got there, we realised the ferry over to France wasn’t till about 2am so this was a bit of a pain. The girls and I hadn’t slept at all by this point so we headed into Costa to grab some coffee and waste some time, before waiting patiently again on the coach. By the time we got on the ferry (and it was rammed) we were so tired and there was no way to sit. In the end we lay our coats on the floor and just slept there for an hour or so while the ferry crossed over.

When we finally arrived in France it was back on the coach and this time a real attempt to sleep. Megan ended up sleeping in the footwell of hers and Lily’s seats, while Lily spread out over both seats. Luckily for me, I can sleep upright so I just slept in my seat, glad for my ear plugs!

We arrived just outside of Disneyland Paris at about 9am. We stopped at services to freshen up and get some breakfast before finally heading to the park. We seemed to have caught enough sleep not to feel to rough, though a whole day in the park was bound to take its toll. Wrapped up warm we headed in, to enjoy our 12 hours of Disney magic!

The first thing we did was head into Disney Studios. We knew we would ultimately want to spend less time here so it was best to get it out of the way before heading into the main Disney Park. We had a wander around but Megan wasn’t keen to go on much – we did manage the Studio Tram Tour (as it was closed last time we came), the Slinky Dog ride and of course we grabbed FPs for the new Ratatouille ride (but not till 7pm that night!).

After that we headed to Disney Park, where everything was beautifully decorated for Christmas. It was lovely to have gone so close to Christmas and actually feel that bit more festive because we were there. After not long arriving in the park, there was a parade, so we decided to wait and catch this first. Being Christmas it was one we hadn’t seen before and of course it’s also been a few years since we went to DLP anyway. Next up came a trip to the castle and of course obligatory pictures. It was pretty sunny and it was in our eyes, so sadly the pictures weren’t great! After that I was determined to visit Maleficent in dragon form as on previous visits I hadn’t known she was there. I think both the girls were a bit nervous as we headed into the dark but it was really funny when the dragon moved and made everyone jump.

Next we took a wander, looking for somewhere to eat. We bumped into both Jafar and the Genie and we got some pretty great pictures. We stopped for lunch at Restaurant Hakuna Matata. Each of us had something different and luckily we enjoyed it all. Though the price was fairly expensive, we actually didn’t even manage it all so I won’t grumble about the cost. We tucked away drinks for later and then set off around the park again. We headed for rides that had low queue times (30 minutes or less) and also rides we hadn’t done before. We started with Snow White and then Pinocchio, before heading to Phantom Manor (and seeing Jack Skellington as Sandy Claws on the way).

By the time we came out, it was going dark. It was almost time for the next parade and so we found a spot for that and waited. During this time it became properly night time and also cold! After the parade we headed back to the Studios and used our fastpass for Ratatouille. The ride was fantastic and it was definitely worth going back for.

With nothing else to do at the Studios we crossed back over to the Disney Park and to be honest the tired and cold was beginning to wear on us. We stocked up on popcorn, crepes and coffee before heading off to It’s a Small World and finally riding that. With nothing else we wanted to do and with the fireworks an hour away, we wandered in a few shops before we settled down with our coats tightly wrapped around us and waited. To be honest it was a little boring but our feet ached and we were tired, plus we wanted a good view for the ending show. Finally the time came and we thoroughly enjoyed Dreams, followed by the Fireworks. We headed straight back to the coach at this point though, as our journey home would begin.

Once everyone was on the coach, we headed off. I settled the girls in their usual places and we all attempted to sleep. Luckily the girls managed plenty, right up until the ferry. Here I had to wake them for passport control checks but then we were almost straight on to the ferry and it wasn’t so bad. While we were tired still, we didn’t think we’d sleep so we headed for the dining area, getting food and drink. We spent most of the time chatting but at points we did just close our eyes and enjoy the peace, before finally heading back to the coach as the ferry docked.

It was still dark outside and so the girls were encouraged to go back to sleep. I managed a little more sleep too, until it got lighter and I gave up. Instead of stopping several times on the way this time, the coach driver just headed straight back to Birmingham – another advantage to having no one else to drop off. We got back to Birmingham massively ahead of schedule, even with one stop for toilet and breakfast. I had worked out we would be back around 1pm and instead it was about 9am. This was fantastic for us as we headed straight home and were back well before midday. The kids coped extremely well with the tiredness and managed all day without a problem. We did treat ourselves to take away and an early night though but it was such a fun few days that I would definitely consider doing it again!