pif #21

another great example today of the kids making a concerted effort to pay it forward every day...

it was the christmas party day in porter's classroom....they got to watch the grinch, while munching on popcorn...and popcorn in the hands of 27 third graders can be a bit....messy.

porter and his friend used their "finger vacuuming" skills to help clean up!

pif #20

oooo - holiday season shopping at Target....need i say more?

once again, the girls and I were out shopping...finally finish making our selections and head to the backed up checkout area. it's not that our cart was full...but we were in target...right before Christmas...so, we had a few items, to say the least..and the kind woman behind us had 2 items...packaging tape and a roll of plain brown paper. my powers of deduction lead me to believe she is lovingly planning to mail a package to a loved one for the holidays.

so, in the spirit of the season and for a pay-it-forward, i told the cashier i would pay for her things, too. so the cashier reached to ring her things up with mine, and the woman behind me started to stop her...i remarked that i was paying for them....

I almost needed to pick the woman up off the floor! she thanked me profusely and asked me why...my response mostly was "why not?" and "merry christmas".

she thanked me again.

while I was completing my purchase, the cashier handed the woman her items, while the girls loaded our cart. I signed for everything and headed to the door ....only to see the woman waiting at the door to thank me again.

I probably spent less than $10 on her items...and in the scope of my purchase, it was negligible. but to her...it was clearly worth way more than that. and that's what pay it forward is about!

pif #19

when we listed our house for sale awhile back, we hired someone to come clean it on a regular basis, to help us stay "showing" ready. and the house came off the market, and we kept her cleaning, just not as frequently. always willing at the last minute, and regularly reminding me that it might be time for her to come again...she maintains my sanity through her cleaning. so, for our pay-it-forward today, i gave her a little bonus.

i think it's a nice gesture to remember to pay it forward to the people in your life, whom you depend on...and not take for granted.

pif #18

sometimes the easiest option for dinner is to grab and go....we often choose subway when the need arises, as it allows us to pick a "healthy" option, but also a cold one, for kids who aren't all home at the same time to eat.

I was picking up subs for the kidlets for dinner and there were a couple of ladies in line behind me....there were two college-aged girls together behind me, and a third woman behind them ...the younger girls were having a bit of debate about the sub specials and which subs were the $5 footlongs, and how much combo meals cost....well, I haven't had to worry about that sort of thing for awhile..so a pay it forward opportunity was clearly at hand...so I bought the subs of all three ladies in line behind me and went on my merry way.

pif #17

we tried to stress to the kids that lending a helping hand embraces the "pay it forward" concept...Molly said that she met our daily challenge by helping put away extra equipment after her gymnastics class!

pif #16

i took the older girls with me to kohls today....it is the holiday shopping season, so i'm sure the staff is a little worn down and tired of the bargain hunters and crazed shoppers...

so, to show a little bit of appreciation and support, the girls removed the hangers from all the clothing items we were purchasing...I even mentioned to the cashier that we were sorry there wasn't something more we could do to help, and she said was thrilled with the hanger help, saying it actually meant a lot to her that we thought to do that!

pif #15

today was the annual youth choir concert....there is nowhere else in this country (truly) where my 9 year old, 10 year old and 13 year old can sing the "halleluiah chorus", in classy uniforms, on a professionally decorated, lit, and micro-phoned stage, with an orchestra accompaniment and paid directors.  what an amazing opportunity we have here - not only to participate, but to sit in the audience.

i am grateful for the support the the program gets, not just from other parents, but those that choose to attend the concerts just for the benefit of attending. 

as our pay it forward today, i purchased 2 tickets for the next folks in the ticket line.  i hope they will continue to support the program and the midland center for the arts!

pif #14

lilly's school is having a "penny war" this week, to raise money for the salvation army. there are four teams - 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, and the staff.

the premise is that pennies count as positive points for the team, whereas other coins and bills are negative. lilly gave some cold hard cash to her dad, to have it traded in for pennies during the daily bank run, to help positively influence her team.

we liked her choice to donate, as well as to do it in a positive fashion (vs. putting a bill in her opponents' jars).

paying it forward 5,000 pennies at a time!

pif #13

i was overwhelmed by the support i received after launching the "baker cakery" this week... i received my first order within hours - from a dear friend that had an aching back, but needed three dozen cookies for a cookie exchange...given her circumstances, and for being my first customer, her delicious filled butter cookies were complimentary.

what a yummy way to pay it forward!

pif #12

our after school routine is often madness and chaos...especially when a *new* activity pops up...which is what happened this week, when i had about three different places to be at the same time...

but, one part of the kids' participation in the youth choir that they like the most, is the trip to the nursing home to sing.  they don't always get to go, for a variety of reasons (some on our end, some on choir planning end...) and this week was one of the days when a trip was scheduled, but it looked like the schedule wasn't going to permit it.

well, with a little poke and prod from the director :) and a re-arranging of transportation, porter did our pay-it-forward today by joining his choir at a local nursing home to sing.

(on a funny side note, he asked why, when they were singing right before dinner, was it so early in the afternoon...)

pif #11

i have a dear friend that is unable to drive, and needs transportation for her and her children on a regular basis. she has a great entourage of folks from her church that usually cover this need...but today, she presented our family with a "pay-it-forward" opportunity...

she needed a ride to and from the middle school band concert (her daughter plays in the same band, even the same instrument as lilly) baker family on duty! i provided the ride there, as Jason was able to drive them home!

pif #10

a simple gesture, but one that pays it forward...

the kids have chores, of course...sometimes done without complaint...sometimes not.

today, maya paid it forward to lilly by doing her "dog chores" for her!

miss matched

so i pretty much wear miss matched socks every day.  every. day.

and they are the 'little miss matched' brand socks...so i really have no two that are the same...so i couldn't match if i wanted to...

and one would presume that if you're 'free-spirited' enough to wear miss-matching socks, you wouldn't give much care to what they actually are.  except, you see....i'm a first-born, STRONG type-A personality with some degree of OCD....

so i coordinate my miss-matching.  i like to miss match - and the socks make me happy - but i'm only so crazy and have to have the two socks coordinate with each other, and with my outfit.

and, not only that....but, you see....i always pick one sock that makes me happier than the other.   and i put it on my right foot.  you know...cause i'm right-handed.  that only makes sense, right?  (who thinks like this??  do i need therapy!??!?!)

well...i'm working on my own level of therapy.  (much like my aversion to the use of paper towels and ziploc bags, which i now use freely, without fear....)

i picked two coordinating socks.  one 'happy' and one 'happier' - and i put the happier one on my left foot.

 

 

take that, polka dots.

pif #9

the girls and i were out and about at a few stores today, and found an opportunity while we were in the checkout at meijers.

i remember awhile back, another mom and her young sons were in the self-checkout behind me, and the mom asked if the boys could help bag my groceries - she said they're experienced and love to help.

who am i to turn that down (despite my ocd-nature with how everything is done, including how my groceries are bagged....when it's my own kids, they get a lesson...when it's someone else's, they get a THANKS!)

SO - i'm in the self-checkout with the girls...very experienced baggers...and i say "hey!  here's a pay-it-forward' opportunity!  ask the gentleman in front of us if he would like help bagging his groceries!"

(i like this idea for several reasons - one - doesn't cost money.  two - the kids remembering that they are a part of this project!)

the girls step forward a bit and politely ask him if he would like assistance (a man, by himself, i'd say roughly 30 years old...)  "no thanks, i'm all set..." 

doh.  failure.

the girls were kinda taken aback.  i remind them that some folks are very particular (aka - their mother) and it's okay...we'll just keep asking til we get a taker!  (then, of course, all i could think was that guy thought i was impatient and just wanted to make him go faster so that i could get out of their faster...which SO was not the case...perhaps if we'd had a quick 'pay-it-forward' explanation, he would have taken us up on it...but that kinda ruins the spontaneity for me, i think...)

so...we turn behind us...a 20-something woman, by herself.  the girls politely ask if she would like assistance.  a loud "sure!" and they got to work.

i headed out to our car to unload our cart of groceries, while the girls bagged for this kind lady.  they were quite efficient, and even loaded the bagged groceries back into the cart before joining me outside - regaling stories of how the woman commented about how great they were.

pif mission #9: accomplished.

pif #8

we lost our beloved dog max in october, after he had been a member of our family for over 11 years (hard to believe a bouvier can live that long - especially knowing that we got him when he was 2!)

we've almost always been a two-dog family...and it just felt like kennedy was a little bummed without another friend in the house (and, of course, i was, too...) as regular donators to the humane society here, i kinda keep track of who's coming and going (or more importantly, who is NOT going) and have been trying to find a suitable family member....

after a couple of failed attempts this week (our humane society is so popular, they literally announced today that they are out of adoptable dogs!)  i expanded our search to mt. pleasant and bay city, and found a couple of contenders at the bay county animal control....so saturday morning, we all piled into the van to see if we could meet a new friend!

we visited with a big black lab - he was a little too big, and really not interested in us at all.  then we visited with a 6-month old black lab mix...she was too little, and WAY too interested in us!  and then....we found one that was just right....she is a 3 year old german shepherd mix, who appears to be pretty well trained, interested in us, but not hyper.

we have named her Magee...after the 'head' elf in Disney's "prep and landing" christmas specials (if you haven't seen them, you are missing out!)

we definitely paid-it-forward for her (she was NOT in a no-kill shelter) and she is paying it forward to us!

pif #7

well, this one was kinda easy and fun...

we like to decorate for the holidays, especially Christmas....inside and out. and when my grandparents passed away, I 'inherited' a box of 'vintage' Christmas crafties....and so I opted to use some of them to decorate a wreath as a surprise enhancement to a friend's house (and, I actually used some others to decorate one of our small trees, and have plans for another wreath, but I digress....)

jason purchased the wreath (we opted for one that could be used again, as opposed to fresh...) and I went to work...

and then we told the kids the plan....we piled into the van, in the dark, of course, to make the secret delivery...

we drove across town, enjoying light displays along the way, and pulled into the driveway (curtains were drawn - SCORE!) i hopped out of the van to sneak to the front door - holy smokes, I don't know who built this house, but I suddenly realize I might be a little short for this mission....I struggle trying to get the wreath hanger over the door and its banging like crazy and I'm CERTAIN someone inside is going to hear me and catch us in the act...

finally, SUCCESS - and I race back to the car, I hop in and DANGER, WILL ROBINSON - we've been spotted! the kids and Jason and screaming "go, go, GO!!" and we sped away thru the streets....

good times.

pif #6

I had a meeting that kept me away from the house until after Lilly got home from school... usually when that happens I give her call to let her know where I am and how soon I'll be back....

so - I call - and as part of the conversation, I say "do you need anything?"

and she replies with "um, like what?"

and I said "I don't know, a vanilla shake from McDonald's?"

and she says "chocolate"...

well, now it's so late in the day that the other kids are going to be home from school by the time i get there...

and so...aside from paying for the car behind me...i also paid it forward to my own kids, with an after-school snack they won't soon forget!

pif #5

i'm very excited to be a part of a new endeavor...

as our pay-it-forward for today, I had a lunch meeting with the very inspirational Katie (who happened to be the person behind me in the food line...so I bought her lunch....) and Mary...and as a continual pif, I'm going to be putting some time into an important ministry....

please read about it here

and then perhaps you might pay it forward this way, too :)

pif #4

Working hard to come up with some ideas that are not always buying a meal, etc....and we are still drowning in toys...I told the kids that there are many parents who buy "garage sale" toys for their kids, because it makes it easier for them to buy toys for their kids, because it's not so expensive. especially at this time if year...

I asked the kids to sort out some toys I could "garage sale", and so far they have given up some littlest pet shops, dinosaurs, a doctor kit, their play kitchen, some puzzles and more! It's a step in the right direction!

pif #3

while driving to dance class in bay city, I asked the kids if any of them has done any acts of kindness today -

porter - my friend, Caden, slipped - well, he kinda tripped himself - while we were playing basketball, and he hit his knee and it really hurt, so I helped him up. (we discussed that he probably would have done this anyway!)

molly - there was a kindergartner that was climbing down the ladder, and she kinda fell and hurt her knee and it was bleeding. so I took her to her teacher so she could get a band-aid! me - is this something you already would have done? molly - NO! I've never seen anyone get hurt before! :)

lilly - i tried to hold the door for someone, but the kid who was coming to the door swerved and went into the other door....i was like ...oookkkaaayyyy.....

so given that we didn't have an overwhelming opportunity today...we stopped at subway for dinner...

while 3 of the kids and I were in line, a lovely lady who worked at the Great Clips a few doors down, came in for dinner...it was obvious that she is in there with some frequency, and was very much looking forward to having her sandwich tonight - Steak & Cheese (this girl needs some meat, she exclaimed!) she coached the Sandwich Artist into making it the same way she'd had it before...took some joy in some dance moves porter was busting out in line, and was overall very delightful.

so we bought her sandwich. the person ringing us up said "oh, this happens all the time - that's very nice of you!"

we tried to scurry out before she made it to the cash register (but one doesn't scurry very well with 3 kids in tow)...as we were headed out the door, she shouted out "thank you!" and I gave a quick wave and we were off!

pif #2

We met my parents at a restaurant halfway between their house and ours, to retrieve porter who had been visiting them for the weekend...

our family ordered dinner at the counter... and then I told our cashier that I would like to pay for the next car in the drive-thru... she looked at me a bit confused, but then said okay and headed over to the drive-thru cash register... she came back a moment later and said that she wanted to double-check that she had the right car... I told her it didn't matter - that i just wanted to pay for the next order in drive-thru.... she got very excited and said "really???" - I indicated "yes" and she walked back to the drive thru window... the next car had already pulled up, so she opened the window and told her that her order had been paid for... the woman in the car also said "really???" and the cashier said "yes, there is someone inside who is paying for your order." the driver asked our cashier to tell us thank you and was very happy. upon returning my credit card, the cashier said - "you guys are awesome!"

if awesomeness only costs $9.42, i'll take it!

and what's neat is - we not only paid it forward for the person in the car, but for that cashier, too :)

pif #1

like her sister before her, Lilly opted to collect donations for the local Humane Society instead of receiving gifts at her recent birthday party...

she had a little bit of cash to spend as well, so while at the store, we bought a few extra things to bulk up our donation, and made our delivery!

paying it forward

so, as usual my blog posting goes in spurts.... and often times, it's when I have very strong motivation to share important things that I start blogging again - if only for a short time...

and it just so happens that now is one of those times...

last week, a local boy, just six weeks younger than Porter, lost his long battle with brain cancer... i have been following his journey, along with that of one of Lilly's classmates, who is also battling leukemia....

i shared this as my facebook status this weekend - "I am a very vivid, active dreamer - I find it safe to say that 90% of my nightmares involve great peril, injury or possible death of my children. it is every parent's worst nightmare."

Jayden's parent are taking that journey right now. i've never met them, or their son. or anyone who has, actually. but my heart aches beyond belief...such is the nature of being a mom, i think. i have relatives and friends who have come out the other side of having lost a child - I don't know how they did it...but they have.

Jayden's parents are sharing their strategy for trying to move forward... and it's by paying it forward... and they have asked others to do the same...

and so, to quote Maya, who was describing the plan to Porter last night (he was gone for the weekend ...) "mom has issued a challenge to us..."

one act of kindness every day til Christmas... it must be something that we do not ordinarily do (safety patrol doesn't count!). some days we can plan ahead...other days, opportunities just might present themselves...

i'll tell you about our experiences here (Jayden's parents asked to hear...) and if you're so motivated, help pay it forward this holiday season, too :)

opening and closing

with the Olympics coming to a close tomorrow, i figured it was time to offer up my recap and review of the opening ceremonies, before we see the closing ones....

first, let's tackle 'the worst' of the opening ceremonies....

• when the show opened, i sat in awe at the incredible 'shire' (ala lord of the rings) that had been created in the stadium.....it was magnificent....and then, my thoughts turned to - how the heck are they going to change the scene in any kind of timely fashion - the answer?  they're not.  that transition from the shire to industry was painfully slow and lost a ton of momentum from the previous scene to the next incredible industrial one (see 'the best' for more on that!)
• the kids and the beds and the nightmares....well, i liked the nood to great british literature....however, i never felt like this scene resolved itself in a positive way...sure, mary poppins fly in (all dressed in black....no 'spoonful of sugar' bright happiness there....) and so it just seemed kinda scary and weird.
• the queen - everything she did after she arrived at the games.  you've seen her.  you've heard her.  'nuff said.
• the entire 'digital age' montage with frankie and june and the rapper and then dance montage thing or whatever....it was not impressive.  i did not enjoy it (perhaps because i don't give a lick about frankie and june?!)  the dance stuff was okay, and their formations were neat...but not given their 'size' in the scope of the entire stadium.  a couple dozen dancers...okay.  hundreds of dancers would have been spectacular... alas, it was not.
• i'm gonna say it - Mohammed Ali.  i'm not entirely sure why he was there.  to me, it was just an exercise in the incredible damage that Parkinson's Disease causes.  it was painful to watch - i'm not sure he knew where he was or why.  he could not do whatever it was he was supposed to (ceremoniously touch the flag?!).  it was a honor given to a worthy athlete - i just don't think it served its purpose.
• and my final 'worst of the opening ceremonies' - paul mccartney.  i get the 'ode to england' nature of the opening ceremonies.  i certainly believe that the beatles and paul mccartney deserve their place - but 'hey jude'??  just because the entire crowd could sing the lyrics, doesn't make it appropriate for the opening ceremonies, let alone as the 'grand finale'.  to me, it was a very anticlimactic ending.

and now, for the best of the opening ceremonies - lest you think i didn't enjoy them, because i DID! and here's why:

• i enjoyed the 'shire' scene and the little path to the tree and the flags...cool.

•  um...david beckham.  on a boat.  smirking.  yes, it's superficial, but come on, it's david beckham.

• the entire industrial scene - oh, how i loved the contrast from the first scene...the smoke stacks...and the forging of the rings - BRILLIANT.  awe inspiring.  verklempt.  awesome in every way.  (in fact, this was probably my single most favorite part!)

 

•  the queen and 007.  there is nearly no greater thing than the queen proving she is a person with a sense of humor.  the entire montage and her 'arrival' were incredible - i cannot think of any better way for her to make her debut at the opening ceremonies.  sadly, the rest of her 'performance' sucked. (see 'the worst')

• ode to british literature - loved scenes from the classics new and old.  i take great enjoyment in the harry potter series, and i enjoyed it's representation with both voldemort and j.k. i'm not sure i enjoyed the nightmare-ish nature of it, since i don't feel like the marys really fully resolved it...but it was pretty cool to have them come flying in to save the day...i just wish the tone would have turned to a 'i love to laugh' type of tune...

• my side-splitting, wiping tears from my eyes moment came with rowan attkinson - classic british humor by one of the best.  i will never hear 'chariots of fire' the same way again...

• and finally - as true olympic moment - the lighting of the torches.  the incredibly ingenious plan to give each country a portion of the flame....to have them light each other...to make one olympic torch - genius.  and each country getting to return with their caldron...to keep that olympic spirit alive for the next 4 years....love it.  it was slow to light, but powerful...

 i have high hopes for the closing ceremonies tomorrow...rumors of elton john (would be a good choice), spice girls (eh....) and adele (well, okay....)...i don't know that an entire recap of british music phenoms is the route they should take...england is so much more than its music...i'm sure that the passing of the torch to Rio will be a highlight.  the rest...well, we'll see!

food clubs and more!

time for a quick Tastefully Simple business update!

it's time to get our Triple D Club rolling again!  Read below for details and let me know if you're in!

So, if you watch the Food Network, you might be familiar with the show Triple D, "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" starring Guy Fieri....well, I've got all ALL NEW Triple D that will be just as delicious, starring YOU!

DRINKS, DIPS AND DESSERTS!

This will be a monthly Social & Food Club, designed primarily for those of you that are familiar with Tastefully Simple products, or just really want food and socialization! Here's how it's going to work:

I'm looking for a minimum of 9 club members - and the club will run from September - May, likely on the 2nd Sunday night of the month (though there is a month or two where it might need to be the 3rd Sunday).

EACH MONTH one club member will host a Triple D get together.  The host/hostess will pick a drink, dip and dessert from my selection and prepare it (food will be provided by me).  Hosts should also consider other beverages to serve, but that's about it!

Hosts will also pick the social activity for the party - be it "Just Dance" or karaoke on the Wii, card or jewelry making, Bunco, whatever!  It could be nothing, or something extravagant, but it's totally up to the host!

Every club member agrees to place an order of $25 or more in Tastefully Simple goodies at each month's get together (whether you can attend that particular get together or not).  This guarantees that each hostess will earn the minimum amount of free product for hosting a Tastefully Simple party!

When it is your turn to host, you may also invite non-club members and collect outside orders to help boost your party sales and benefits.  If you get any bookings for a traditional taste-testing party, then you receive the benefits from that as well (a 1/2 off item for each booking!)

So if you're ready to commit to our Triple D club, please reply ASAP (aka - send me a note on facebook and i'll add you to the Triple D group page...)  and I'll get you on our schedule!  Invite your friends to join the club, too - or, if you have enough friends that you think you can assemble 9 in a group on your own, I'll facilitate more than one club!

ALSO - NEW THIS YEAR - FREEZER MEAL WORKSHOPS!

Stay tuned for workshops in September, November, January, March and May!

Every other month you will have the opportunity to create 10 meals in a social setting for $15-$20 per meal (and each meal will feed 4 - 6 adults!)  For smaller families, that means even more meals...for larger families, supplement with an additional side, veggie and/or salad and you'll still have enough for your whole family!

Our first menus will be released soon - and registration will be required before the event.

Want to host your own workshop for you and your friends?  You can do that, too!  Earn host rewards AND fill your freezer at the same time!  Book your party today!  Back to school is a busy time, so get your meals planned well in advance and the prep and cooking done all at once!

email me at carascreations*at*charter.net or contact me on facebook!

whatta bunch of characters

we've been to many a disney park....we've seen many a character...in shows, in parades....and also with LONG, LONG lines for autographs and pictures throughout the parks...

it is a rare occasion that we wait in a line for a photo - we tell the kids to wave, but park days race by, and we don't want to spend our time in a line for a character...

but on the disney cruise...just, you know, walking here or there - holy smokes, it's cinderella!  oh, wait, ariel!  stitch!  donald!   let alone the couple of 'meet and greets' the kids went to, they also ran into characters here, there and everywhere - and it totally made up for any time that they really wanted to see someone and we said 'no'...

here's a sampling :)

and, the 'best' part as a parent - again, i've mentioned the 'interactions' - so much more than you can get in the fast-paced environment of the parks - but, guess what - every time you saw cindy, it was the same cindy...or tiana....or ariel...and while the girls 'know' that they are just people in costumes...when they talk like a princess, and act like a princess, and it's the same princess every time you see them...it starts to feel more real and that much more magical...

stingrays, snorkeling, slides and see ya' real soon

 our second day at Castaway Cay, we DID have relatively early morning plans, so we ate and headed on our way...this time, rather than walk the boardwalk to the beach, we opted for one of disney's famous trams :)
 

 

 

 we proceeded to Castaway Ray's Stingray Adventure (the same structure we took cover in during the short storm the last time we were here...)  we got some great introduction and education from one of the ray's caretakers (who lives full time on this little island)...

you see the backs (l to r) of lilly, porter, maya and celia

 after our intro, we made our way to the stingray lagoon, where we met with our small group and a trainer (there were 9 of us...6 bakers and my brother and his 2 kids...i love that we could experience this with just the family!)

 

our trainer has a floating stingray buffet...the stingrays are 'trained' to come up the right side, swim thru and exit the left side...when they come across a mickey head silhouette, they know that is their 'plate' and they stop to slurp up whatever is being offered there from the hand of the unsuspecting tourist (except, we weren't totally unsuspecting, as jason, andy and i have all done stringray adventures/feedings on other cruise ship excursions...) but the children were (insert slightly maniacal laugh here...)

so we practice putting our hands on the flat surface, as the trainer instructs you to put food in-between your fingers and hold your hand flat on the mickey head...the ray will swim over your hand and suck up the food...

and then we all take turns feeding the rays, either a shrimp, squid, or 'stingray jello' - a greenish/brown concoction of vitamins and nutrients.. we each got 3 or 4 opportunities to feed them, which was great!

lilly feeds the ray

 

 

you can see molly laughing here...she pulled her hand away :)

jason makes his menu selection while jared feeds

andy's turn...and you can see a piece of stringray jello in jared's hand

maya feeds another girl...

i love my face here...it think it says it all!

 

 after the feeding session we got to snorkel in the ray lagoon for half an hour or so...there are 58 rays in the lagoon, only 1 male, and as you can see from the gratuitous pictures i have included here, they are EVERYWHERE.

molly and jason headed out for a snorkel

lilly

  

  

andy, jared and maya...with, you know, just our little cruise ship in the background...paradise?  probably...

porter

  

i was thankful, particularly for the children and their swimming abilities and endurance, that the entire lagoon is shallow, so when you need to, you simply put your feet down and stand.  you do, however, always have to be on the lookout for a ray that is attempting to go incognito...

can you see the ray?

 after our incredible stingray adventure, the littles wanted to head to the kids club on the island, so jason checked them in, while i took lilly, maya and celia snorkeling...but before we separated, i found a photographer on the beach. in the photo gallery on the ship i had seen several pictures of families on the beach, and since we'd basically already committed ourselves to purchasing a rather large photo package after the previous night's escapades on the grand staircase, i figured we should take advantage of their photo services whenever available.  so i flag the photographer down, and have jason gather the kids...while jason is gathering everyone, the photographer turns to me and says "what happened to that beautiful bun you had in your hair last night?"  

WWWHHHAAAA???? 

(go back to the previous post and see how my hair was done...)

rather than expound on my incredible hair-styling ability, i'm going to remark, rather, on the incredible disney cast member that can remember one of 4,000+ guests and how they had their hair the night before (when i'm in completely different context)

 

and in addition to her unbelievable memory and great taste in hair, she took this great pict of us with the kids! 

so then we get to the snorkeling...castaway cay has a snorkeling lagoon as well, with 'sunken treasures' marked by floating buoys, so you know where to head to see the action...again, not near as much action and old, established reefs that i've snorkeled in other areas, but a great starter for the girls...
 

maya and a sunken boat

 

 

not wanting to have another castaway cay lunch, and being worn out from stingray and snorkeling adventures, we headed back to the ship for the rest of the day for lunch, and to take advantage of some of the ship's offerings that we hadn't done yet!

another great lunch at cabanas...where the kids had figured out how to make their own drink mix of mango juice and sprite

the view of castaway cay from cabanas

 our afternoon activities finally involved taking in the aquaduck - the famous slide that caught the girls' attention in the disney cruise line commercials.  with so many folks off the boat at castaway cay, the line was reasonable, so we headed aboard!  our first trip through we all went...and, like i had read might happen (because apparently it happens with some regularity!) someone got stuck during the ride (they don't quite weigh enough to keep their float moving...) and the ride shut down for about 15 minutes...other than that delay, our wait wasn't long (i had read stories of REALLY long waits, etc, so we were glad we had really no trouble at all!)  everyone else went for a second trip, while i snapped some pictures from below...

 the very beginning of the ride starts in the funnel and then shoots out over the edge of the ship and that turns back around and down a hill that keeps you going on your loop around the deck...it certainly was not as face-paced and thrilling as the rides at atlantis, but it's not designed to be...it's a waterslide on the top of a cruise ship....that, in itself, is enough.

lilly and jared

jason and molly

maya and celia

porter...i rode with him the first time, and he went solo the second!

then came some other pool deck dance party, and the girls got up on stage and danced around...i found it amusing, and they were having a blast...

 before dinner there was another character meet-n-greet, so jason took the kids, once again, for photos in the main lobby...again, not just photos, but great interactions were had by all...

by now, it seemed like nearly every girl and many women on the ship had had their hair braided (there were braiders on the ship....for those that didn't have a 'certified hair braider' do their hair in bahamas..."mama, you get the girls hair done??  my name is beverly...beverly hills...you remember me..."...um, no thanks, "beverly"....) the girls were interested, so before dinner, we sent them up to get braids...and here they are with braids and smiling faces...

 after molly saw the other girls' braids, she decided she'd like a few, too...so during dinner, jason ran her up to the pool deck, and the braider was so fast, that molly was back before the crew left for 'dine and play'....dinner was back in the royal palace, but another 'common' menu for each restaurant...mickey mouse doesn't say 'good-bye' - he says "see ya' real soon" - so that was the theme of the last dinner...

 

sesame seared tuna for my appetizer...

 

and our final turndown service....a now infamous, towel elephant....