How we Disney our way around Disneyland.

We decided last minute to surprise the kids with a trip to Disneyland since both Milo and Matilda had their surgeries and we wanted something happy for them, especially before Matilda’s next surgery.

We started the conversation at dinner with what we should do for this long weekend and ideas were thrown and my husband suggested going to Disneyland. The kids did not have much reaction so I said the same thing and the kids did not care much for it and went on suugesting local fun we could do. My husband and I gave each other glances of this is totally not what we expected and I had to say – “kids, we ARE going to Disneyland this weekend, really. We want to surprise you and that is what we are doing this weekend.” There was a pause and then Milo’s mouth was wide open and then I looked over at Matilda who had her head down and started whimpering and I said what is wrong? Does your ear hurt? She looked up and with tears coming down her face and in her crying voice, she said, “I am just so happy that is why I am crying.” I was so happy when I heard her say that! Milo’s reaction was screams of excitement; and Owen realizes what was really happening and started cheering. The kids had to ask us several more times to confirm that it is really happening and that we are going to Disneyland.

Matilda’s reaction is what you see on social media and I do not know how people capture those moments on their camera because if I had the phone pointing at her when we said it, I feel like it would ruin the real reaction. But her reaction was truly priceless and so social media on point.

Ever since we were told by Milo’s O&M (Orientation and Mobility) teacher to ask for the special disability pass for Milo, we have done so in each visit. The pass does not allow us to pass the general line, it’s more like a virtual line. We receive a return time for attractions based on the current wait time from one of the Disney crew. But with the DAS pass (Disney‘s Disability Access Service), we can enter the ride in the accessible entrance where it helps ease Milo’s anxiety since he does not have to worry about the crowd rushing to get on and off the ride in the dark and he has a wider space to maneuver with his cane. As he gets older, it also gives him a sense of independence where he can feel like he can do it on his own like everyone and not having us to hold him and rushing him through the crowds. We still have to give him verbal cue to find his way around and into the ride but it is with much more ease. But I have noticed that with each visit, Disney relation makes it a little more difficult for us to get the pass. Milo questions each time why I have to explain in such details as to why it helps him since in his eyes, he sees the need to use it especially when we are not trying to abuse it at all. I know it is one of those topic that is hard since there are people that do abuse it which makes Disney to be more suspicious each time. Tough call.

As the kids get older I realize it is harder and more challenging for them to work their way into everyday life because sometimes we all forget of the possibility of invisible condition that someone might have. For example, when we eat at the hotel it is always buffet style. We walk through with Milo on where everything is and what has peanut (he is highly allergic to peanut) and then we let him go and get his own meal. Many occasions I have seen adults (not aware that Milo is legally blind and has no peripheral vision) glare at him because Milo would be too close to him/her or Milo would turn in the direction where the other person might be going.

It is tougher to navigate across the park at night with his cane so Milo is usually with me or my husband and we would talk him through of what is coming up and telling him the fun things around us. If my husband is with Milo, then I would be pushing Owen in the stroller and have Matilda with me. It also gets tough with Matilda too since with with the crowd and being outdoor, it is hard for her to hear us (Matilda is hearing impaired). She gets distracted with all the visual appeal and she is not always holding my hand and we have to make sure she is close by otherwise it is difficult for her to hear us calling her. We make it work and we have this unsaid plan of what and where each person should be. But as the kids get older and want more independence, I worry about what they will do when they are out with their peers.

With each trip (we tend to go at least once a year), Milo is finally starting to enjoy Disneyland since he is finally getting used to what to expect in each ride and being less anxious since he knows what to expect. When we do visit, we try our best to go during low season (mid January) but it is getting harder to take time off from school since the kids are getting older. With the new Star Wars land opened, it’s probably much harder to find an off season.

WHAT I THINK YOU SHOULD (MUST) GET WHEN YOU HAVE A BABY.

Image

When I was pregnant with my first, I went overboard and got so (too) much stuff and way in advance too. We got this one book (I can’t remember what it was for the life of me, its probably something like The best of… or The most essential items that you will ever need… but I do remember that book being THE book/guide that everyone had) and had reviews and ratings on all essentials. I regret buying some big items in advance since some did not suited me (like the Baby Bjorn) and some did not fit in the lifestyle of our family. We were also the first among our friends to have kids so we did not get much tips.

With Matilda, we were somewhat pro and plus there were so many more recommendations and new items on the market and out on blogs that I read about in which I did not with Milo. Now, with Owen I have to say I got this whole baby essential thing down pretty good and I want to share it with you since I rely so much on tips from other moms/families and I want to do the same for others.

One thing I have learned having 3 kids in 7 years is that there are constantly so much cool gadgets coming out and to be honest, I constantly want to try them all.

Let’s start with strollers:

bugaboo_paul_frank500

1. We have the Bugaboo Cameleon since Milo and is still going strong. We purchased the kickboard (now they have it with a little seat)when we had Matilda. If I have to do it again and knowing I will have 3 kids, I will still get the Bugaboo but of course I would go with the newest Bugaboo donkey series. I really was tempted to switch it up when it came out, but I could not rationalize spending the money when I already have one.

2. We got a Maclaren XT Techno stroller when Milo was 4.5 months while we were traveling in Asia and it works great except that we rarely used it since we always chose the Bugaboo over the Maclaren due to the kickboard feature so that Milo can ride on it. But if the Bugaboo is too big and bulky, I would recommend the Maclaren for sure.

3. We got a BOB double stroller after Matilda and it works great for both kids (even now) when we go for an outing to the zoo, parks and camp grounds. For the size of it, it’s pretty easy to fold up.

In the past few years, there have been an increase amount of new brand and models coming out for strollers and it makes it even harder to decide what is best for your family. I would invest in a good one especially if you plan to have more than one child. Then, think about the size of your stroller and if your car or whatever means of transportation you have can accommodate that. When we were traveling in Asia, the Maclaren was convenient but at times it was a pain because there were stairs everywhere and we have to take Milo out and fold up the darn thing all the time. If I have a do over starting with Milo, I would just get the Bugaboo and then invest in baby carrier.

 

Baby carriers:

 

1. Ergo. That is all. It is the best thing. I love it. We had a baby bjorn and that thing hurt my back so much (I have a back problem) that I could not use it for more than 20minutes. I discovered Ergo and my first thought was, why did you not come into my life sooner. I used it with both Milo and Matilda until they were 2.5 years old. It is perfect for traveling. Some people prefer carrier where the baby faces forward  but I prefer the face to face with my baby because I like to communicate with them (and it’s not like they can’t see what I see). With Milo it was great because of his visual impairment, I can talk with him and tell him everything I see. With Matilda’s hearing impairment, I can sign and she can read my lips if needed and I could talk into her good ear. You can throw the Ergo in the wash and it maintains its shape. I got the infant insert, the teething pads, the winter weather cover, and recently we got the rain cover (for our recent Disneyland trip and it kept Owen completely dried).

2. Solly wrap. I discovered this with Owen and so wish I had it with the other two. I have seen bunch of wraps since Milo days but was never really a believer or gave it much thought. But Solly wrap attracted me and so I got it and I love it. It took me some time to get the hang of it and I have used it more than the Ergo since it’s super easy to stuff it in my bag and it’s nice and soft against my clothes so I don’t have to worry about rubbing against my clothes and causing pilling action (Ergo does that, depending what kind of clothing I am wearing). When traveling or shopping, I use the Ergo since it has pockets and I can stuff my wallet in the pockets. The only thing that gets me about the Solly wrap is that it’s super long and when I am putting it on (outside my home) I have to make sure I am in a somewhat clean place since it touches the ground when I am wrapping, but still, I love it. And the owner, Elle is pretty awsum.

Bath time:

Primo EuroBath. We got this for all three kids and we love it. The only down side is that it’s pretty large but if you have the room (we put it in our shower), it is worth it. We use it from when they are 1 month until they are 3 years old. It’s great.

High chair:

With Milo and Matilda we did the Fisher Price rainforest high chair. It worked and the kids sat in it but I was never too fond of the bulkiness and the size. With Owen we got the Stokke Tripp Trapp in green and we have liked it so far. It took a little time to put it together but we like the size of the chair and it fits around our dining table well. And this is a great chair to invest in since it grows with the kid.

Other supplies:

1. You should invest in a nice bath towel since you will be bathing your child daily (I hope). We were gifted a DwellStudio hooded bath towel when Milo was born and we are still loving it and using it. The size is prefect and it washes very well in the washing machine.

2. Good size swaddling blankets. We use nothing but aden+anais (I think everyone is) for bibs, burp cloths, and blankets.

 

 

 

3. Boppy. I love it. I want one in every room and I highly suggest taking it with you when traveling especially for the plane ride. It can save your back and your baby can sleep on it on the plane.

4. Diaper bags. We had Skip Hop diaper bag for the first two and we mostly used it to hang off the stroller but with my third, my husband got me PacaPod (I got the Hastings-driftwood backpack) and I LOVE it!!! It’s amazing and that little thing can hold a lot of stuff and it’s super light. I would switch up my bags sometimes and for the exact same amount of items, my other bags would be super heavy but for the PacaPod, its so light. It can be easily attach to any stroller. It’s definitely worth the investment. Go get one.

I think this is a good start. I can write more later about clothing for both babies and nursing moms or any other good finds. Please feel to comment and tell me what is or was your favorite/must have items.

 

Dear Mr. Westin Verasa Napa: No thank you.

Westin_Napa_Exterior

For our wedding anniversary, we decided to do a quick getaway trip with the family. Our criteria were – nice fancy hotel, pool access, good foods and of course kid friendly. After research we came down to Ritz Carlton in HMB or The Westin Verasa in Napa. We went with the latter. They are both similar in pricing but the room size at The Westin was more than double the size of Ritz.

Day One: We were able to check into our 2 bedroom suite early that day so it was a bonus. The room was pretty impressive in terms of size (2 bedroom king suites + 2 bathrooms + full size kitchen + dining room + family room + balcony / porch) and it was up to my level of cleanliness. I am huge on a place that’s clean especially when I have little ones that likes to run and crawl around everywhere. We poked around town that day and went swimming at the pool and then grabbed dinner at Oxbow Market (5 min walk).

IMG_3405

Day Two: We woke up the next morning and our coffee maker did not work and was able to get it replaced after talking to the front desk several times (I think she needed coffee too since she was not very focus on what I was saying). We headed out to town to get some early lunch and I called the front desk asking if they could do housekeeping since we will be out for a few hours and would like to have the room all clean so I can come back and get the kids settle and put the baby down for a nap. I was told it was not a problem. We went to Grace’s Table for lunch and it was super yummy. I highly recommend the pork belly and the corn bread. We then stopped in at Target to get some supplies. We returned to the hotel and was surprised that our room has not been cleaned as promised. We had originally planned to put the baby down for a nap and the older ones can go play in the pool. As we were rethinking our plans for the day, our hotel room opened and 2 maintenance guy came in and said they need to fix our fridge and it would only take 5 minutes. They came out of nowhere and they seem to be used to just walking into hotel room unannounced. Then one of the guy asked what is wrong because we had these confused and frustrated expression on our face. I told them about the housekeeping that I’ve specifically asked for this morning and was told that it would be taken care of and how they just came into our room out of no where. He then proceeded to tell us that housekeeping has their own schedule and the front desk does not know what they are talking about so when I was told yes, it really does not mean anything. As we were talking, the housekeeping cart rolled up and she asked me if she can come in. We let her in so she can do her thing. We did not want to go out and sit somewhere for 40 minutes since it was crazy hot out that day (100 plus degrees) and the baby was very tired. We just moved from room to room so she can clean. I asked the housekeeper to please vacuumed since I got kids and baby rolling all over the floor and somehow she thought I said I will help her vacuum so she gave me the vacuum. It’s weird but at that moment, I did not care since I wanted the place to be clean and I knew she was in a rush and probably would not do it if we were not there watching her. To top it off, while we are waiting around, we’ve noticed the courtyard outside our room was setting up a bunch of tables for what seem to be a party. As the set up progress, we’ve noticed that they were setting up the bar right up against our balcony/porch area which is also an access for us to go in/out. My husband went and asked them what is going on and he was told that there will be a private party starting at 7pm and yes, they will be right up against our balcony/porch. I was pretty annoyed and upset because all these things happened back to back. I talked with a staff walking down the hall about all of this and he said we should have been told of the party when we checked in since parties are booked in advance. I told them that it’s more annoying the fact that it’s literally outside our balcony where we would like to sit and hang out after the kids go to bed. But with the party, we are not going to be able to enjoy our own space since the party is all around us. The staff called the front desk and explained to the manager about our frustration and I was put on the phone and I told him it’s pretty upsetting since we are paying a pretty good price for our room but we pretty much got a suckie day and can’t use our balcony at night. Long story short, he gave me a late check out of 1pm instead of 12pm and a $100 off. The party was somewhat quiet and it ended around 9:30pm and what was loud was when the staff came and cleaned up all the furniture.

IMG_3406

Day Three:  Our plan was to hang out in the pool all morning to make up for our lost afternoon the day before and then take our time to get ready to check out. But in the morning we saw a note along with our check out bill that the pool will be closed for routine maintenance until 11:30am. What the what!? We were pretty pissed since I would think I would be told of this when I spoke with the manager the day before that I would like a late check out because we wanted to enjoy the pool in the morning with the kids when its open at 8am.  Again, we had to change our plan.

In summary – the kids had fun because they love the space in the hotel room and the fact that they shared a room with a king size bed. Aside from all the mishaps, we had a nice little time but we would not come back to this place especially for the price we paid for the room. We could stay at the Solage Calistoga for almost the same price.

Pro – the size of the 2 bedroom suites is great | the crib is nice and clean | I got a high chair for my whole stay AND they have hand held shower which is something I always asked for because it is great when you have little ones when it comes to bath time.

Con – service is not great | unhelpful staff | it takes a long time for someone to answer calls | unknowledgeable staff |

We want to do more little trip around the area before the summer ends with the kids. Some of the places we are thinking about are:

Solage Calistoga | Ritz Carlton HMB | Dream Inn | Cavallo Point |

I welcome any suggestions please, even rentals with a pool and/or right by the beach. A place like Kid & Coe is on our choices too.

Happy Summer.

WE’VE ADJUSTED OUR FAMILY MATH.

family equationNew math: 4+1=5. We are now a family of 5. We welcomed baby Owen in this December and we are truly over the moon over this little guy. He is a super happy baby and knowing that he is our last, it makes me want to hold on to him a little more or if I could slow-mo his growth. He has already been on many adventures since he is always tagging along with his brother and sister. He goes where I go because he is a strictly boobie baby and just like the other two, he only takes milk directly from the source and no pumping is required.

Owen does not any of the medical condition that Milo and Matilda have but we are keeping an eye on his eyes since he could get what Milo has. But otherwise, he is a baby with no special needs and as a family joke, he is the weirdo in our family.

I will write another post about being a mother of three and what has changed and what new products have come in handy for our Owen.

 

 

 

 

 

THAT MOUSE SURELY LIVES IN THE HAPPIEST PLACE.

1.2.3.
4.5.
6.7.
8.9.10.
11.12.
13.14.
We took the kids to Disneyland in mid January for 3 nights and 4 days and it was a blast. Our feet were horribly painful everyday but it was so worth it. We specifically picked this time to go we wanted to avoid a crowd. 
For those of you with kids that has special needs/disabilities, I highly recommended you going to the guest service (Disneyland City Hall) before you start your day to ask for special pass depending on the needs of your child. We went and talked with them and got a pass for Milo to have front row seats due to his vision impairment. The only ride we used for that was Star Tours. And they also gave us a wheelchair access pass since lots of the lines are contained in a dark and narrow line and that was super helpful since Milo wanted to wait in line and do everything himself and having the wheelchair access, he was able to do all that without any obstacles. *of course, in some cases, we didn’t have to wait as long on certain rides.* 
We rented strollers for both our kids and that was very helpful but it’s not so great when you cannot take it out to the on site hotel we stayed at (we were at the Disneyland Hotel). It’s a pretty long walk especially when you have to go back to the stroller rental to return them and then walked all the way back to the hotel when on occasion we could have taken the monorail back to our hotel. You would think they would have something where if you stay on site, you can take the stroller with you as an extra benefit. (We did not bring our double stroller because it would take up all our trunk space.)
Here are some tips we found on taking your kids to Disneyland:
1. Hotels. If you stay on site, stay at the Disneyland Grand California Hotel because that is the closet one to the main entry and also there’s a direct access into California Adventures. If you go during a busy season, it’s worth asking to stay on the first floor so you don’t have to wait for the elevators. When we were at the Disneyland Hotel, the elevators were insanely slow and we had to wait for a long time. And if you need accessible rooms, make sure you make that request.
2. Eating. All the food within the park is pretty much the same. Our kids are pretty picky so as long as we find french fries and grilled cheese they are fine. We packed lots and lots of snacks for the kids so they can snack all day long. We went to Goofy’s Kitchen twice and even though it is a bit on the priceier side, we thought that was a great choice compare to the places in the park. The kids like having the characters walking around. You get to sit down in a nice air condition place and the kids picked their food from the buffet. We wanted to try the Chip n’ Dale breakfast at the Disneyland Grand California Hotel, but did not get a chance but we heard the food is way better. *The food at Goofy’s Kitchen was not great, sorry Goofy! But we knew we were not there to eat yummy-let’s make a great impression-on-us food (since we were really paying to have the characters walking around us), but we thought for the price we were paying, it would be better.* Again, I have heard that Disneyland Grand California Hotel’s restaurants are super yummy. 
3. Strollers. If you can bring your own strollers, I would highly recommend it. We couldn’t fit ours because we have the double jogging stroller and since we are driving our trunk space is limited. But if you have have more than one child and you are driving, I suggest taking one stroller at least and renting another one at the park. We will be taking our Bugaboo stroller with a skateboard attachment so at least we can stroller both kids back to the hotel after dropping off the rental stroller at the park.
4. Sunblock. It was super warm in the last 2 days we were there and my advice, pack a sunblock in your day bag so you can apply it on your child throughout the day. 
5. Addictive. We did not even consider the annual pass because we did not think we would be back for at least another year or so. But after you see how happy your kids are, the chances of you going back within the year is high, so, an annual pass is a much better deal. We wished we did that because we are heading back this May for Milo’s birthday. We gave him a choice of having a birthday party with his school friends (which he has been asking us for for a long time) or going to Disneyland. He picked Disneyland. Oh! How I wish we got the annual pass. 
I think that is all for now. I hope this helps for those who are planning a trip to the happiest place on planet Earth.

MY KIDS HEART EVERY REASON TO DRESS UP. THANK YOU HALLOWEEN FOR BEING YOU.

1     
1)  Raincoat: Hatley  
2) Matilda: Top: MiniBoden | Pants: Hanna Anderson | Shoes: Milo’s || Milo: Top: JCrew | Shorts: Target | Shoes:NewBalance
3) Top: MUJI | Pants: Hanna Anderson
4  5   6 
4) Milo as Robot 
5) Matilda wearing her last year’s bee costume. Milo wearing Matilda’s this year’s Foofa costume.        
6) This all happened after trick-or-treating when they were giving out candies to the trick-or-treaters. Milo as Chewbacca and Matilda just gave up on wearing pants.
7  8   9 
7) Milo as Captain America and Matilda as a garden gnome for a Halloween parade in town.
8) On the actual Halloween night, Milo decided to be Batman Wolverine and Matilda decided to be Foofa. 9) We were on the way from our house to trick-or-treat.
10  11 12
10) Milo as Batman when I took him to walk around on the day of Halloween.
11) Milo with his Halloween crafty hat the week before Halloween.
12) Matilda sporting her mustache.

Halloween stayed and finally went bye-bye. We pretty much got excited about Halloween a month or so before the actual day and we made the mistake of asking Milo what he wanted to be for Halloween. It switched in a daily basis and when we took him shopping 3 weeks before the actual day, he decided he wanted to be Plex from YoGabbaGabba. Unfortunately the largest size they had was 3-4 years old. So, Milo picked Batman. For the next week or so, he bounced from Batman to Antman to Hawkeye and all the other superheroes. We told him that he needed to make up his mind and Captain America was his final decision. (We kept the Batman costume since Milo dresses up pretty often.) Matilda didn’t really care who she was going to be and being only 20months old, we got to decide for her. We chose Foofa from YoGabbaGabba. We would put Matilda in her costume several times a week to get her used to it but she really didnt care for it that much, so, I got her a garden gnome costume since its just a dress and she would be better about wearing it.

Both kids’s school had a Halloween party and we took the kids to town for the annual Halloween parade follow by trick-or-treating. We went to a pumpkin patch and did all the bouncy houses, haunted houses, pony riding and the train ride.

A week before Halloween, we practiced walking around our neighborhood with the kids when it was light out and when it was dark out. We wanted Milo to know what to expect, from getting used to walking in the dark and having decorations lighting around people’s houses. I highly suggest doing this with kids, especially with VI kids because it really helps to minimize his/her’s anxiety and the unknown especially the blinking/flashing decoration lights.

We ended up trick-or-treating at 7 houses! We are SO very proud of Milo and he was great about it. We were only going to go to 1 house but we did 7 instead. And he picked the house with very minimal decorations and no flashing lights of any kinds. Matilda did all of those and was very good! We came back to our place and Milo loved passing out candies to everyone and seeing all their costume.

We had a great Halloween and I am so proud of my superheroes. Milo decided to be BatmanWolverine and Matilda insisted on being Foofa on the night of Halloween. But for their school party, Milo was Captain America and Matilda was a garden gnome. Then again, it’s like Halloween at our home everyday because they love to dress up.

YOU.

“YOU” in braille is what the word bubble said.

I do a special post on this very day to someone close to our heart. It has been two years and I still think of her each day, sometimes through my husband, sometimes through my children and the other time is just because I think of her. She was a strong woman and an amazing mother and everyday I want/wish I can tell her that. Whether or not I am a believer in ghost,after-life or guardian angel, I believe she is always with my husband and my children because I see her in all of them.

Milo has a love for cats and so did she. (I know she would be so darn proud.) I truly believe it is her doing and it’s a nice thing to believe in because I want Milo to have a little part of her. I am waiting to see what part of her will Matilda have.

We miss you dearly and you are never forgotten, not even a day.

XOXO
me