We’re all going on a Summer Holiday to the Disney Parks -WISH July Lifestyle/Challenge

[4Mickeys]

Happy July 4th my American friends

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Let’s keep it simple today - How are you celebrating?

I know many of you get the visit the parks regularly – do you still enjoy the fireworks or do you use that time for riding with lower crowds? Does is evoke any special memories for you?

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[4Mickeys]

Let’s keep it simple today - How are you celebrating?

We decided to have a far away celebration with you tonight - as well the USA is the home of our favourite holiday place Disneyland - and well we just really enjoyed our time there on holiday and the people we met - so cheers to you. For dinner tonight we are having a requested selection from the kids - corn on the cob, ribs and hot dogs! We are going to watch a movie at home together but we haven't decided what to watch yet. Oh and today is my great nephew's second birthday.

I know many of you get the visit the parks regularly – do you still enjoy the fireworks or do you use that time for riding with lower crowds? Does is evoke any special memories for you?

As we knew we had likely one chance to see it - we invested the time for it - we found our spot and sat at the front near the curb in front of the castle - I left the kids there and grabbed us some dinner and we settled happily in with some others waiting for the magic. For us that was worth it - we loved the fireworks and projected images on the castle - I even managed to get some half decent shots of the fireworks.

 

[4HOLIDAYS]

We are celebrating with tons of fireworks tonight. Our neighborhood goes crazy-an amazing job. We have our own enormous collecting of fireworks from firecrackers to cakes and mortars for at home but several neighbors actually do half hour long shows-think Disney type. We will have to grill out and have watermelon, corn on the cob, ice cream, all the good stuff.

I am actually sitting here deciding if we want to hang in the pool, do chores, go to a movie or the outlet mall or what for during the daytime. All the action is tonight!

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

Hey guys! I am back after a long weekend in NYC with DD5. We had a great time but the temptations proved to be too great and I caved on my no added sugar plan.

How are you celebrating?

We didn't really celebrate yesterday because we were flying, but we did see lots of fireworks from the plane.

I know many of you get the visit the parks regularly – do you still enjoy the fireworks or do you use that time for riding with lower crowds? Does is evoke any special memories for you?

I took the fireworks for granted for many years, I would always say I would see them one day and instead we would use that time for rides (our kids were also terrified of the noise). Then last year when the whole family had APs I decided I wanted to see the fireworks from the front of the castle so we could see Tinkerbell too. We made that happen once and while it was amazing to watch I will never do it again. The crowds are ridiculous and people are very rude.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

We didn't really celebrate yesterday because we were flying, but we did see lots of fireworks from the plane.

My DH and I were just talking about that last night. What's it like to see fireworks from an airplane??

 

[Lady Marie]

Hi All! I am back in for this month. It's been off to a nutty start. With my cousin's injury, I have a few new added responsibilities and it's just been crazy busy. Couple that with the holiday, and I am actually grateful to be back at work after the last 4 days off just to get back to my routine!

To top it all off, I just found out I am going on a work trip in two weeks. Las Vegas for a conference, but then I get 3 free days. DH and I are going to pop over to San Diego for those free days (staying in Vegas doesn't exactly interest me). I am crazy planner though, so I feel woefully under-prepared. Bought my zoo tickets, but now I have some research to do.

Last month was not a complete bust, but I didn't accomplish all I wanted since I am taking it easy on my foot while it heals... I'm back in sneakers finally so I think I will give the gym a shot this weekend (no running just the bike!). Between that and going on the trip, I am going to bring my goal down a bit. I am going to shoot for 8 classes this month. If things are going good, I may up that and go some mornings before work... but I don't know. I don't want to overkill my toe since I will need it to walk the zoo!

So a two part question - what is your go to shoe for the parks? Are you all about comfort/practicality or do you like to be stylish? What about your workout shoes - again are you all about the function or do love a good splash of colour/design on them?

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This is so timely for me! DH was just picking on me yesterday for how many shoes I have bought in the pasty 2 years. I have plantar fasciitis and so it's a been a real journey to find shoes that I can last in. My latest purchase (with the park in mind) were Vionic sneakers. They're designed for PF but thankfully look like normal sneakers. I may use them for the gym a little too when I won't be running-- they are a little heavy for that. Other park shoes I like are Nikes, Ahnus, and Sketchers Go Walks. I find I can keep my feet kinda happy by rotating them.

On my next trip I'm going to bring my beloved Chaco's as well as some actual supportive tennis shoes.

OMG! I just ordered my first pair of Chaco's for my upcoming Disney trip... I'm a little nervous that I won't like the fit but excited about them LOL I need to figure out how I am going to style them. I definitely like to be comfy but also a little cute since so many photos are taken!

Let’s keep it simple today - How are you celebrating?

I know many of you get the visit the parks regularly – do you still enjoy the fireworks or do you use that time for riding with lower crowds? Does is evoke any special memories for you?

Yesterday, we went to my in-laws. It was just them, DH and I, and my cousin and her two girls. Small but fun. We swam (although in south Florida, the pool is only a few degrees cooler than the air... not exactly refreshing LOL!), and cooked out. The neighbors and surrounding neighborhoods put on quite a show with the fireworks. We sat in the driveway and watched it all. It felt like at Disney when they do the 360 degree fireworks! Haha!

At the parks though, I always try to see the fireworks. I'm a sentimentalist and so I enjoy the story, projections, the music, etc.

 

[4Mickeys]

Soooo guess who fell asleep last night and forgot to post a QOTD! I just woke up and remembered one will be coming up soon.

 

[4Mickeys]

We are celebrating with tons of fireworks tonight. Our neighborhood goes crazy-an amazing job. We have our own enormous collecting of fireworks from firecrackers to cakes and mortars for at home but several neighbors actually do half hour long shows-think Disney type. We will have to grill out and have watermelon, corn on the cob, ice cream, all the good stuff.

We didn't really celebrate yesterday because we were flying, but we did see lots of fireworks from the plane.

Small but fun. We swam (although in south Florida, the pool is only a few degrees cooler than the air... not exactly refreshing LOL!), and cooked out. The neighbors and surrounding neighborhoods put on quite a show with the fireworks. We sat in the driveway and watched it all. It felt like at Disney when they do the 360 degree fireworks! Haha!

Sounds like you all had lots of fun - doing your own fireworks has been banned in most of Australia for a long long time now - I think in Darwin in the Northern Territory you can still do it. So we have to rely on fireworks put on for events. @MommaoffherRocker - seeing them from a plane sounds really cool.

 

[4Mickeys]

Time for a respite from the heat in a cool ride ....





I haven't seen the new Pirates movie yet - but my kids tell me that in the opening scenes Captain Jack Sparrow appears to have hit the rum bottle quite a lot and seems at his drunkest yet. I chose the pic above of when the 'real' Captain Jack surprised riders recently. So lets talk bout drinks ... of all kinds.

QOTD: How are you with your general water intake? Given that you have just had a celebration long weekend ... did you indulge in some cocktails with friends? Have you cut back purposefully on alcohol in an effort to cut calories or found new alternatives? Are there other drinks in there that aren't helping you e.g. soft drinks, sports drinks etc?

Bonus Question: New is Disney is changing the Auction scene to a more PC version .... what do you think of this change to a favourite ride?
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[4Mickeys]

QOTD: How are you with your general water intake? Given that you have just had a celebration long weekend ... did you indulge in some cocktails with friends? Have you cut back purposefully on alcohol in an effort to cut calories or found new alternatives? Are there other drinks in there that aren't helping you e.g. soft drinks, sports drinks etc?

I don't really drink much alcohol at all any more ... occasionally socially - but it is not a regular drink in my week. This phased out really more due to me being a solo parent and I felt that I needed to be able to respond to the kids if needed e.g. sick at night etc. in order to drive if needed. Also, I just didn't really feel it was the same to have a drink on my own at night rather than it be with a partner as a relaxation thing together if that makes sense. If I do have a drink it is mostly a wine (lately I like a moscato), or a beer (corona) - I do like a fancy cocktail sometimes if out with friends on a special occasion.

But I am far from on track with fluid consumption - I have a really bad habit of hardly drinking any water when I am at home and when thirsty always reach for a soft drink. I don't do this at work - I have water . I don't drink coffee, only have tea occasionally and typically only in winter - I can't drink a hot drink in warm weather! I occasionally enjoy a chocolate milkshake or iced chocolate.

Bonus Question: New is Disney is changing the Auction scene to a more PC version .... what do you think of this change to a favourite ride?

I wonder if they have had complaints or if they have just felt the need to change this scene.

 

[4HOLIDAYS]

QOTD- I drink mostly water. Never any alcohol, I was never that much of a drinker. I stopped even the occasional drink when I developed migraines/vertigo. I just never went back. Also switched to all decaf-that was tougher. now only decaf. One of my new favorites is decaf ice coffee with 1/2 a chocolate premier protein in it. Love it.
PoC-Hate the change. I don't believe in trying to be PC on everything. You will always offend someone.

 

[piglet1979]

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How do you try to keep the fun in your activities for motivation – when was the last time you joined in a fun game that might be thought of as a childhood favourite?


Bonus Question: Have any of the kids your families gotten to play musical chairs with the Mad Hatter?
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I have been playing Pokemon lately.

I never knew that this game went on. I will have to look for it the next time.

QOTD: How are you with your general water intake? Given that you have just had a celebration long weekend ... did you indulge in some cocktails with friends? Have you cut back purposefully on alcohol in an effort to cut calories or found new alternatives? Are there other drinks in there that aren't helping you e.g. soft drinks, sports drinks etc?

I do not drink a lot of water. I drink more pop. This month though I am drinking 20 oz of water a day. so far I have been good and only missed 1 day.

Bonus Question: New is Disney is changing the Auction scene to a more PC version .... what do you think of this change to a favourite ride?

I do not think it will seem right. I think they need to leave it alone.

 

[4Mickeys]

Good morning all

Today it is a meet and greet with one of my favourite characters ....



Yes - that is us meeting my favourite racer on our 2014 trip.

So one of the things Lightning McQueen is known for is his self-talk. Self-talk is so important for all of us on our journey and in every day life really. Let's take a an example from Lightning this month and make sure our self-talk is positive and focused.

"Okay, here we go. Focus. Speed. I am speed. One winner, forty-two losers. I eat losers for breakfast. Breakfast? Maybe I should have had breakfast? Brekkie could be good for me. No, no, no, focus. Speed. Faster than fast, quicker than quick. I am Lightning."

QOTD: Is your self talk helping you focus and believe in yourself like Lightning's .... or is it making you fall behind and lose the race?

Bonus Question: Have you ridden Radiator Springs Racers?

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[4Mickeys]

QOTD: Is your self talk helping you focus and believe in yourself like Lightning's .... or is it making you fall behind and lose the race?

My self-talk is horrible - I am really hard on myself! I really need to work on this.

Bonus Question: Have you ridden Radiator Springs Racers?

Yes, yes, yes - we rode this multiple times when we were there - so much fun. When we were watching Cars 3 at the movies the other day I got such a kick our of when they were in Radiator Springs again as it just took me back to 'being in' Radiator Springs at DL. - Gosh I am such a kid sometimes lol.
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We went to the movies again today .... we say Spiderman - Homecoming - DS16 is massive Spidey fan - he liked it but not as much as the last ones with Andrew Garfield - however the rest of us really enjoyed it more than those ones. They have done a good job of bringing more into the feel of high school and it gives you a good laugh as well. Up until know I have been on the Toby Maguire Spiderman team - but this new one is good in a different direction - which is good otherwise it just gets repetitive. Tomorrow we are off to see a Marvel Universe art exhibition - hope its as good as the promo looks.

 

[piglet1979]

Good morning all

Today it is a meet and greet with one of my favourite characters ....

View attachment 249125

Yes - that is us meeting my favourite racer on our 2014 trip.

So one of the things Lightning McQueen is known for is his self-talk. Self-talk is so important for all of us on our journey and in every day life really. Let's take a an example from Lightning this month and make sure our self-talk is positive and focused.

"Okay, here we go. Focus. Speed. I am speed. One winner, forty-two losers. I eat losers for breakfast. Breakfast? Maybe I should have had breakfast? Brekkie could be good for me. No, no, no, focus. Speed. Faster than fast, quicker than quick. I am Lightning."

QOTD: Is your self talk helping you focus and believe in yourself like Lightning's .... or is it making you fall behind and lose the race?

Bonus Question: Have you ridden Radiator Springs Racers?

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It depends. Some days my self talk is awesome and I get hyped up to work out. Other days it is a fight. The couch looks so much nicer then a work out.

I have never been to Disneyland before but I want to go and this will be a must do.

 

[piglet1979]

So today I am back at work. We treated these last few days as our vacation this year. We took the kids swimming on Saturday, the zoo with my mom on Sunday, the Cleveland Orchestra with fireworks on Monday, my moms and then fireworks on Tuesday and we saw Cars 3 yesterday. We all loved this time but sadly it had to end. The kids are at my in-laws until tomorrow so my husband and I are kid free. This time we are making better choices. I made my husband go for a walk with me last night and dinner was from outback. I ate a lean steak with broccoli and a salad. Tonight I am not sure what we will eat but we will make a good choice and then we will go for a walk again.

Yesterday was Woohoo Wednesday so my woohoo is that I get a small break from the kids. I love my kids and love being with them but it is good to have a break every once in awhile.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

QOTD: How are you with your general water intake? Given that you have just had a celebration long weekend ... did you indulge in some cocktails with friends? Have you cut back purposefully on alcohol in an effort to cut calories or found new alternatives? Are there other drinks in there that aren't helping you e.g. soft drinks, sports drinks etc?

Bonus Question: New is Disney is changing the Auction scene to a more PC version .... what do you think of this change to a favourite ride?​

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I'm usually pretty good with water intake. I drink about 50-60 oz straight and I eat plenty of fruits and vegetables which also have a higher water content.

I stopped drinking a few months ago for multiple reasons (not that I was ever a huge drinker- once a month maybe). It's nice not to have to worry about those calories anymore, though! Before I started WW I drank a few Dr Peppers each week but when I got on WW I switched to diet (hellloooo 0 points!). It has no nutritional benefit but I have to give myself something to keep from going crazy

QOTD: Is your self talk helping you focus and believe in yourself like Lightning's .... or is it making you fall behind and lose the race?

Bonus Question: Have you ridden Radiator Springs Racers?

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I don't do a lot of intentional affirmations. I have some friends who say their affirmations every morning and it helps them but I usually just like to charge right into the day without any. My self-talk is probably a mix, I'm a fairly positive person so I don't get down on myself too much but I do have times where I feel overwhelmed and unqualified and those are the times where my self talk may turn downward. But it usually doesn't last very long.

I love RSR! I went to Disneyland for the first time last fall and I was by myself. I finally get to go with my DH in November and that's probably what I'm most excited about- riding RSR with him because I know he will love it too I have two little brothers who are 11 and 13 years younger than I am so I would babysit them a LOT. They were really into Cars when it came out so I've probably seen it like 50 times. I thought I wouldn't enjoy Cars land because my life was so Cars-saturated but it was actually amazing.

 

[Oneanne]

Catch up time:

Celebrations: I went to the Zoo with my Sister and Niece. I thought it was going to be crazy busy, but there weren't too many people there and the weather was perfect. We enjoyed a slow pace and really stopping and watching the different animals who were all pretty active. At the Brown Bear enclosure one of the Bears swam across to us and came nose-to-nose with my sister, but we were so surprised we forgot to take pictures. Then we had dinner at a restaurant right on the water, which was beautiful. For the first time in a while I was able to slow down and be where I was without worrying about what was coming next and how much time has passed. I had intended to watch the city fireworks on the TV but got engrossed in the CNN show series on the 1980's and didn't flip the channel. All in all it was a lovely holiday.

Fireworks: In the parks I'm pretty so-so about the fire works. I usually see Illuminations once a trip. When I was there during Christmas season 2015 I attended the All Ears dinner which included a dessert viewing of Illuminations and the extra Christmas add-on portion of the show actually brought me to tears. I don't see the MK shows very often at all, but one of my favorite trip memories is of accidentally being back behind the castle when the fireworks started and feeling like they were going off right over my head. Later I learned they are launched from behind the park and they were actually going off right over my head.

Liquids: I drink water throughout the day, but it could be more. I've never been a pop drinker, but do enjoy a root-beer every once in a while, particularly in float form. I enjoy a cocktail about once a week, something that is fairly new to me. I've really been enjoying experimenting and trying different things... at 4th of July dinner I had a tropical sangria that was wonderful.

We wants the Redhead: I remember when they switched the vignette of the pirates chasing the women and thought they came up with a clever solution, so I'm confident that what they come up with here will be fine.

Self-talk: It seems like I am constantly being reminded how harsh and negative my self talk is - the revelation of hearing my doctor say "you are tired" is a prefect example, as I was beating myself up about not doing stuff and taking so many naps. I keep thinking I've got a grip on it and then nope, I discover I've been picking on myself again. One of the most powerful things I took away from the crafting retreat was positiveness... everyone was so supportive and kind and vocal about it, and I'm really trying to hang on to this and apply it to myself. I'm also finding that a lot of my dark moods and anger flashes where actually related to my thyroid, and things are much smoother and lighter now that I've got it back under control

Had a very good and interesting first meeting with the nutritionist. She is not putting me thru the standard 21 day anti-inflammatory cleanse period because she thinks it will be too tough on my body. Instead my starting goals are much more modest - stop having breakfast at Starbucks, start cooking for myself and reduce as much sugar, gluten and dairy as possible. We came up with a meal plan and shopping list. Sunday's will be shopping and prep - her recommendation is to do the prep as you are putting away the groceries, so veggies are cut up before you even put them in the fridge. I have the next three days to finish strip-mining the kitchen in preparation, although I did stop at the grocery store after my appointment and pick up a few things. This morning I am having over-night oats with fruit and tea... she also recommended not going caffeine free, since I still need the boost. I'm actually looking forward to cooking: we chose salmon, which I know how to cook, and flank steak, which will be new to me but I've seen beef cooked enough on Food Channel that I understand what to do. My Niece recommended a cookbook she loves, 'Clean Slate' by the editors at Martha Stewart Living... I got a copy yesterday and started going thru it and it does look really good, simpler meals with common ingredients you would have in the pantry. So I'll be picking something out of it as well.

 

[4HOLIDAYS]

QOTD- My self talk is pretty good. I try and keep it positive. I get daily emails with positive affirmations from a sight called simple reminders, a daily email from Joel Osteen as well. Both help me keep my head on straight.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Had a very good and interesting first meeting with the nutritionist. She is not putting me thru the standard 21 day anti-inflammatory cleanse period because she thinks it will be too tough on my body. Instead my starting goals are much more modest - stop having breakfast at Starbucks, start cooking for myself and reduce as much sugar, gluten and dairy as possible. We came up with a meal plan and shopping list. Sunday's will be shopping and prep - her recommendation is to do the prep as you are putting away the groceries, so veggies are cut up before you even put them in the fridge. I have the next three days to finish strip-mining the kitchen in preparation, although I did stop at the grocery store after my appointment and pick up a few things. This morning I am having over-night oats with fruit and tea... she also recommended not going caffeine free, since I still need the boost. I'm actually looking forward to cooking: we chose salmon, which I know how to cook, and flank steak, which will be new to me but I've seen beef cooked enough on Food Channel that I understand what to do. My Niece recommended a cookbook she loves, 'Clean Slate' by the editors at Martha Stewart Living... I got a copy yesterday and started going thru it and it does look really good, simpler meals with common ingredients you would have in the pantry. So I'll be picking something out of it as well.

That sounds like a great plan- especially chopping veggies right after you buy them. I may have to start doing that! Best of luck on your meal prep. Let us know how it goes! Particularly the flank steak. I've been wanting to try to cook some but I'm nervous around steak for some reason.