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Renting a stroller at Disney World

Posted on January 12, 2010 2:55 pm by TheAngelForever

Last year, at about this time, I was working on plans for our first family Disney World vacation in May. Having been to Disney World countless times in my life, I knew there was a LOT of walking involved each day. My youngest was going to turn two during our stay, so he would need a stroller to rest/nap in during the long days. What I wondered about was my oldest son. NHL was 5 during our trip. Walking at the mall for long periods of time often makes NHL tired thanks to low muscle tone. Even without the low muscle tone, Disney walking is like nothing else you will ever experience. I knew we had to figure something out.

At first, we were going to rent a double stroller for a week at Disney. If you paid out the week, it was slightly discounted. Thank goodness I turned to the DISBoards and stumbled onto an amazing post about stroller rentals. Everyone on the post said the same thing – go to Orlando Stroller Rentals. So I went to their website and looked at the city mini double stroller. It seemed perfect since it could hold up to 100 pounds of children within it. Several of the Moms on the DISBoards mentioned that they had 5-7 years old that fit into it without a problem. I made a phone call to Orlando Stroller Rentals and spoke with Shannon, the owner. She was fabulous and answered all of my questions.

Why did we go with Orlando Stroller Rentals? Here are a few of the reasons:

Strollers are delivered to your resort/location of choice. It was waiting for us at luggage at Pop Century when we checked in.
The cost is significantly lower than Disney rentals. Was happy to give support to a small local business.
Everyone talked about how uncomfortable and small the Disney double strollers were. I did not think my youngest would be able to rest – no less have room for my 5 year old son.
Picture after picture showed children asleep in these city mini double strollers at Disney World
We would be able to take the strollers from the resort to the park and back. Disney strollers must stay in the parks only – so we would not have them to travel around property or shop at Downtown Disney.
When we were finished with the stroller, we simply returned it where we had picked it up and Shannon would retrieve it.

Our Thoughts:

We loved the double stroller from Orlando Stroller Rentals. It made our trip even more magical. We had a place for both of the boys to rest comfortably. Much to our surprise, our 5 year old seemed to use it more than our 2 year old who wanted to walk with Daddy. The stroller was easy to push around the parks. We had plenty of room, even at Pop Century to fit it in our room at night. With a few tries, opening and closing to take on and off the Disney buses was simple. Both of the boys would sit under the shades to keep cool and relax as we walked from area to area. In addition to this, at night when the kids were exhausted from a day in the heat they could sleep as we wandered back to our resort. Another plus is the stroller was easy to pick out in the mass of strollers parked outside of attractions. They were not only bright orange, but Shannon also has a laminated name badge attached to the stroller.

Our experience was so wonderful that when we were planning this quick trip to Disney for the Social Media Moms Celebration, I immediately called Shannon to see availability of strollers. Lucky for us, we were able to get one for the time we will be there. This will be fabulous not only for our time together as a family, but also when TechyDad is flying solo with the boys.

Now I just need to walk up a storm and get my arms ready to push the boys in the stroller that we will be renting from Orlando Stroller Rentals.

Disclosure: This review of Orlando Stroller Rentals that was done on my own, I received no compensation. We paid in full for our trip in May and are doing so again in February. This post was written to let others know about this wonderful business and service they provide to families visiting Walt Disney World.

Categories:
customer service Disney jsl looking back nhl photos Product review travel vacation

Chocolatey goodness from Israel

Posted on January 11, 2010 8:52 pm by TheAngelForever

One of my friends from a Mommy group lives in Israel. Not too long ago, she asked if I wanted to do a goody swap. There were a few items that she longed for from the States. In exchange, she would send some items that are special in Israel for my family to enjoy.

Wednesday afternoon, as I pulled into the driveway I noticed there was a package on our front steps. As I got closer, I could tell what it was. Check out the cool box:

NHL assumed that the box was just for me. He gets grumpy when Mommy gets packages in the mail and he does not. I quickly told him that this was for the entire family. He asked what was inside. I told him he would have to wait. Once the boys had taken off their winter gear, they chased me into the kitchen to open the box. This is what was inside:

These were all new to me and looked really interesting. So what are they? In back (left to right): White & Milk Chocolate Coated Cookie Crisps, White & Milk Chocolate Coated Biscuit Snacks, Crunchy Stars with Whole Cereal Coated Milk Chocolate, and Nougat Filled Crunchy Cereals Coated with Milk Chocolate. In front are chocolate gelt/coins.

This evening, we decided to open everything up for the boys to try (and us to sample as well). Here are their reactions:

As you can see, the boys loved everything. We were nice and allowed them to try a few pieces from each of the varieties. Now, I am on a mission. I need to find the new bags of Tootie Rolls that are marked kosher (they were set to ship Dec 2 to stores). Have been to many stores and still not there, so perhaps they were not shipped to stores just yet. If anyone has seen them in the States, please let me know.

Thanks to my friend for everything. I promise I will hunt down the goodies for you or figure out something else that you would like.

Categories:
bloggy friends food glorious food friends fun jsl nhl photos yummy

Focus on Family Fiber (Review/Giveaway)

Posted on January 10, 2010 8:52 pm by TheAngelForever

Raise your hand if you have enough fiber in your diet. . . . do you?

I think TechyDad and I can safely say that we do really well with this. Thanks to previous weight loss regimens, we know how important fiber rich foods are daily. Not only are they good for your digestive system, but they also keep you feeling full long. Sadly, there are days that I know the boys do not get enough fiber. Sure we buy whole wheat/grain breads that have a lot of fiber in them, but that is just not enough for the kids.

My six year old will eat veggies that get him a little bit closer to the correct amount of fiber on some days. JSL is a very stubborn two year old. If it is green, or looks like a vegetable, chances are he will not touch it or let it pass his lips. It is a constant battle that has caused us to get creative with meals. TechyDad has done a series on his blog about some of the items we have tried (Cooking with TechyDad Sneaky Weeky).

The little guy definitely suffers at times from the lack of fiber in his diet. Let’s just say he can get plugged up and he is not a happy camper when this happens. About a year ago, my mother saw a product in a magazine and asked me if I should look for it to help JSL. It was Pedia-Lax Fiber Gummies. I searched and finally found them at our local Target. We bought them and when I knew JSL needed them he would get a penguin and they would work their magic on what ailed him.

We also packed them with us when we went to Disney World in May. We have noticed that JSL does not like to do his "business" of sorts when we travel. Going away for a week, we knew he would be a miserable mess after a few days. We packed our Pedia-Lax Fiber Gummies and they kept JSL regular and smiling the entire trip.

Recently, I was contacted by one of my PR contacts and asked if I would have my boys try the Fiber Gummies. I told her that we already used them and had been meaning to blog about how they helped our family. I was sent a complimentary bottle of them and told I could also run a giveaway for my readers.

Pedia-Lax Fiber Gummies facts:

Introduced in 2009, Pedia-Lax® Fiber Gummies, are a daily fiber supplement made for kids by Fleet. These days, many kids lack the proper amount of fiber in their diets. Today’s guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends 25 grams of fiber per day for four year old children. Pedia-Lax Fiber Gummies are a daily supplement to help kids ages 2-11 maintain better digestive health and stay regular. The penguin-shaped Pedia-Lax Fiber Gummies are sugar-free, calorie free, gluten-free and made with natural fruit flavors. A recommended serving is three gummies every day. The following chart shows what this supplement would be equivalent to:

Suggested retail price is $7.99 for a bottle of 60 gummies; available at Target and Walgreens, also online and other supermarkets and retailers nationwide.

Our thoughts:

Both of the boys love the Fiber Gummies. My 6 year old is actually jealous that his little brother gets them more often. JSL has learned to ask for them if he has a difficult time doing his business. As stated above, we have been using them for almost a year already and have had great success using them to help little digestive system.

As a parent, I love that the Fiber Gummies are sugar free and approved by dentists. I know that while broccoli and other fiber rich foods are best, that I have a safe alternative to help my boys get the needed fiber in their diets.

Giveaway:

Thanks to Fleet, one lucky reader will be able to win a bottle of their own Pedia-Lax Fiber Gummies. This is perfect time for this giveaway since January is National Fiber Focus Month.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Answer the following questions: What fiber rich food does your child like? What fiber rich food is a no-go with your child?
1 Bonus Entry – Head over to the Pedia-Lax website and tell me something that you learned/liked while visiting.
1 Bonus Entry – Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include @TheAngelForever and Pedia-Lax Fiber Gummies Giveaway in the Tweet. Please leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment for each daily entry. Example Tweet (feel free to use): Focus on Family Fiber in January and get a chance to win a bottle of Pedia-Lax Fiber Gummies from @TheAngelForever http://bit.ly/6dP35b
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from the month of December/January. Be sure to leave a comment here to let me know which one. This Bonus entry may be done only twice per person.
3 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the Pedia-Lax Fiber Gummies giveaway. Be sure to leave 3 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today, January 10th, and ends at 10:59 EST on January 18, 2010. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. residents only.

Disclosure: I received a package of Pedia-Lax Fiber Gummies complimentary of Fleet to facilitate this review. As previously mentioned, we had already purchased many on our own prior to this review. No other compensations was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own feelings about the product that our family tried/uses.

Categories:
health awareness jsl looking back nhl Product review

Winter warmth

Posted on January 6, 2010 9:44 am by TheAngelForever

Stay warm . . . where ever you are!

Categories:
brothers jsl nhl sarcasm winter Wordless Wednesday

Meet Piggy Oink-Oink

Posted on January 5, 2010 9:43 pm by TheAngelForever

I would like you to meet Piggy. Or, as JSL calls her "Piggy Oink-Oink" using snorting noises on the hyphenated part of her name. This is Piggy taking a moment to text message her friends on Twitter.

Way back in October/November, when we were bribing NHL to go to swim lessons, he asked for the Mouse from Kohls Cares for Kids. The deal was to go in the pool with no issues two weeks in a row and we would buy him the Mouse.

Of course, when you buy NHL a Mouse, chances are JSL will want something too.

Rather than pick the Moose, JSL quickly demanded the Pig. I figured that Piggy would become like every other stuffed friend in our house – a dust magnet. Seriously, neither of the boys had ever snuggled a stuffed animal. We would buy them for special events, like at Disney World, but they would rest on their beds with perfect fur.

There must have been something different with Piggy. Since she came into the family, Piggy has been all over. As we noticed how attached JSL was with Piggy, we realized we should probably buy a Piggy Part Deux, just in case something should happen to the original Piggy Oink-Oink. The day before Thanksgiving JSL and I went to Kohls and picked up a back up Piggy.

Piggy goes near and far, to the couch and in the car. He is often on the floor and is a favorite pillow or wrestling buddy. After a month or so, we noticed how loved Piggy has become, she is the first stuffed friend that has matted fur in our house. JSL loves her so much that he even allowed Piggy to try on his new scarf that I made for him. Here is Piggy modeling the scarf.

His love for Piggy makes me wonder. Perhaps there is more to this love for Piggy Oink-Oink. This may be my little guy following in my footsteps. After all, I had several Miss Piggy (a la Muppets fame) dolls that went all over with me and collected pigs growing up. Must locate photos of myself with Miss Piggy from years ago at Nana & Papa’s house to compare to photos of JSL.