If You Take a Man to Napa

(in the spirit of Laura Numeroff's book, "If you give a Mouse a Cookie.")

If you take a man to Napa,
He's going to buy some wine.
When he gets home with the wine,
He'll want a eurocave to store it.
Waiting for the eurocave's arrival will require
four hours (and No Tennis!) waiting for the delivery men.
When the delivery men arrive, you'll have to text the man.
He'll rush home from his meeting to help set up the eurocave.
Setting up the eurocave will remind him
that he'd like to return to Napa.
And if he returns to Napa,
chances are... he's going to buy some wine.

Holiday buffet graze

This year I thought I'd try a twist on the traditional sit-down Christmas dinner: an easy-going, grazing Holiday buffet. My husband and mother-in-law were slightly shocked to say the least. They are conservative and prefer their traditions. The extra guests I'd invited thought that was a terrific spin.

Here's the menu with recipe links if applicable:

Deep-fried Cajun turkey

Cornbread Stuffing with sausage (oven-baked, not turkey stuffed).

Green Bean and Fingerling Potato salad
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Green-Bean-and-Fingerling-Potato-Salad-10194

Sweet potatoes with Cranberries, Pecans and Goat Cheese
http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/11/sweet-potatoes-with-pecans-and-goat-cheese/

Roasted vegetables (asparagus, red onion, acorn squash, button mushrooms seasoned with Good Seasons Italian dressing packet and olive oil)

Cheesy mashed potatoes

Pears with bananas, kiwis and pomegranate seeds

Green salad with cranberries, pomegranates

Numerous sugar cookies, petit fours, two caramel apple pies, one cherry pie, one peach pie and one home-made angel food cake.

And last but not least, the wines served were:

Highflyer Aviator, William Hill Chardonnay, Four Vines Naked Chardonnay and started all with an Italian Lambrusco.

And everybody still wound up sitting down at the tables for dinner. Oh Well! Can't change tradition, but you can shake it a bit.

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama (link to: http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?
Peace and love.

2. What is your Christmas morning / Hanukkah Nightly tradition?
One person, dressed in Santa hat, passes out the gifts from under the tree. We open gifts, open our stockings and have a leisurely breakfast.

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?
A custom-built cabinet/chest, with pull-out drawers, that would hold all my piano and violin sheet music.

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?
We'll get in the car and drive around town looking at the Holiday decorations while listening to Holiday music. We spend time together playing games and being with one another. This year, we'll Skype the family members we cannot be with.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?
My grandfather would buy the family one big game and we'd play it Christmas day/evening. We played a lot of games - anything with cards.

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?
One game every year. Since we always had large family gatherings and I do not always see my family on Christmas, I try to invite friends over to celebrate the day with us.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas/Hanukkah-away-from-home trip?
A ski trip.

8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?
Wii games: Epic Mickey, Just Dance 2 and Rock Band 3.

Wanderlust or Fernweh

I'm happy traveling. Journeying some place new gives me inner peace. Sometimes definined as Wanderlust, a German word which translates to a "strong desire for or impulse to wander," or in the modern definition, meaning "to travel and to explore the world." Wikipedia suggests a "more contemporary equivalent word" would be "Fernweh." It's literally translated as "an ache for the distance" or "far-sickness."

Many years ago, my father gave me a sweatshirt that had these words on it -

"Lured by the thrill of adventure,
modern day wanderers such as I are
driven by an inexplicable
force to roam. Restless at heart
and curious of mind,
we ramble about, forever
in search of new lands that open our eyes to
strange sights and our minds to the ways
of the world. Wanderlust as we know
it, is not meant to be understood
but to be experienced."

Kevin Pang dishes up Anthony Bourdain

Kevin Pang, Chicago Trib's dining reporter, has a delicious interview with Anthony Bourdain. I love Bourdain and his Travel Channel Show, "No Reservations." Bourdain is beyond cool. (Though I must admit I don't always agree with some of his personal views.)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-100420-anthony-bourdain-chicago-interview,0,2803455,full.story

Don't buy this in 2010 (link provided)

Interesting...

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/108504/10-things-not-to-buy-in-2010

Wine Time

Hurray! The vino's arrived. I'll pick it up while the little one's playing tennis. Will try & update/correct the dinner review later.

Wine Space Review of Four Vines by Ron Anderson

Here's what Ron has to say about his 4 Vines tasting... (www.thewinespace.com)

4 Vines Tasting Room and Winery Visit…….Winery #6 Paso Robles


This was our final stop on our Paso Robles wine region trip that led us to none other than 4 Vines Winery right on Highway 46 in Templeton, Ca. We had experienced high end, family run, and commercial style wineries, so the laid back sort of cool atmosphere was a fun way to conclude our tasting tour…..

When we entered the parking area at 4 vines we noticed an adjacent vegetable garden in raised boxes. Apparently 4 vines will have a farmers market with organic produce grown on the site, in the near future………....Great idea!

When we entered the tasting room, we realized everything was under construction….Our loss, but a “curious” gain to those who are fortunate to visit once it’s completed. We could tell by the atmosphere, the classic rock playing in the background and the fun and wild names on the wines, that this tasting room was full of life! We were greeted by one of the tasting room staff members. Conversation was lively, fun and our pourer was pleasant, informative and began explaining the wines. With wine names like “Naked” Chardonnay, “Maverick” Zinfandel, “Sophisticate“, “Biker“, “Dusi“, “One tree hill block“, “Killer Canyon“, “Peasant GSM“, “Anarchy“, “Heretic“, “Loco“, And “Monarchy…….we knew we were in for a interesting time. Actually we know this winery will be a lot of fun when the construction is done, and a must stop at location to experience when driving through, while in or around Paso Robles wine region.

http://www.fourvines.com/

We were asked what glasses we would like to sample the wines from. They had a collection of wild named glasses to sample wine. These glasses match a lot of the wild names of all the wines,. Somehow KD was convinced by the staff that the Zinbitch glass was going home with her (That took some convincing). Ron picked Heretic and away our tasting began! We sampled Maverick, Sophisticate, One tree hill block, Killer Canyon, Anarchy and Heretic……and by the time we got to Heretic wine our palates were completely gone!!!!!

As our minds were somewhat clouded from the previous testing’s at the various winieries, (even though we did not “Drink” everything we were poured) we needed something bold that would stand out and give our systems a jolt. 4 Vines wines did just that. Their bold reds and their naked chardonnay were just what the crazy ass doctor had ordered! Our palates however were going into overtime and we quickly realized we needed to come back when we could start here first!

As a side note: We did feel like Right Said Fred was serving our wine “Sing with me” (I’m to sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my wine, to sexy oh yea!) all in a days good fun and a great way to have a unique wine experience thrown into your day of tasting. Then again maybe it was the wine talking……..

The only thing missing was a monkey on a grinder wearing a Harley jacket drinking a bottle of ANARCHY singing AC/ DC‘s Black in Black!!!!!!!!!!

The bottles that made it home with us from 4 Vines Winery were……….

4 Vines The Heretic Petite Sirah ‘07 Cost approx. $40.00

4 Vines Sophisticate Zinfandel ‘07 Cost approx. $25.00

4 Vines Syrah ‘07 Cost approx. $40.00

4 Vines Anarchy Rhone Blend ‘07 approx. $40.00



We will describe the wines wine more in depth as we pair them with an entrée in the future.

We rate the Wine (Good)

We rated our experience………… (Great)

Here are our Ratings: / Pass / Fair / Ok / Good / Great / Fantastic

Disclaimer: Just because we like or dislike a wine or winery does not mean that you will have the same experience. Of course it’s always worth a try………tell us what you think………..in other words post a comment!!

Aloha,

RON & KD


Four Vines Winery - Paso Robles, California
Source: www.fourvines.com

Wine Tasting Dinner & an Order

I attended a wine tasting last night at a local resturant. The owners are good friends. The back room was packed with xenophiles & foodies eagerly awaiting the tasty treats.

*Blogger's note: Alas, I didn't have the foresight to bring a notepad with me. I wrote my notes on the order form. Since I ordered 2.5 cases, my notes went with the order. I've reconstructed all this from memory. I'll try & add to this post when the wine arrives later this week (by Friday, it is hope).

Porter Zana (?) Lambrusco served with Polenta cake topped with a hearty bolonaise sauce. A dry Lambrusco - can you believe it?! Fruit forward and full bodied. A nice apertif to start the evening.

Four Vines Naked Chardonnay served with a creamy Cesar salad. Wow! At last a California Chardonnay that tastes like something other than oak or butter. I have friends who absolutely rave about Toasted Head Chardonnay. While it is a great wine for a small price, I think it has a heavy, melted butter flavor. I want to eat butter, not drink it. (Of course, when I was in high school, one of my friends suggested rubbing butter on herself for sunbathing, but, ewww, that's just gross.)

My friend, Ron Anderson, actually visited the Four Vines Paso Robles vineyard earlier this week. He & his wife came home from that tasting trip to a crashed server. Ron's been scrambling to repost all the blogs. (I'll include his Four Vines blog in a later post.) Here's his blog anyway: www.thewinespace.com

The next course featured Sicilia Nero d'Avola served with a wild mushroom risotto. This is an Italian grape varietal that's becoming more popular. It had a nice bite to it.

Cantele Salice Salentino served with a beef stew, potatoes & steamed broccoli. A heavier wine almost similar to a cab, but without the mouthful of red. One of my fellow foodies thought my husband would like it. "It's a good wine for those who like beer," he said.

Dessert was tiramisu with a tawny port. (Obviously I wasn't impressed with the port. And I love, love, love port.)

All these wines are inexpensive and ready to cork and drink now. It was a delightful evening. I promise to remember my notes for the next wine adventure.

How Preschoolers Play Hide & Go Seek

Once they agree to play. Ian bossily tells Joe, "You will count first while I hide. But you must count to 83."

Joe is confused. He's never counted that high. Instead, Joe counts to 8.

"Ready or not, I'm coming to get you!" he shouts.

Ian, who has "hidden" himself in the soccer goal's netting, waits until he sees Joe crashing through the flower bed. Ian then runs around the yard at full speed while Joe chases him.

Then, by some miracle, they decide Joe will hide. Ian announces he will count to five.

Ian counts backwards from five while Joe scrambles to hide under the picnic table. When Ian finishes counting, he shouts, "I counted in reverse from five."

Joe shouts back, "well, it's time to find me."

Ian says, "Not now, I just counted in reverse from five." Ian then proceeds to count to five. Joe asks Ian if he's coming to find him yet. Again, Ian insists he again needs to count in reverse.

"Are you ready yet?" Joe impatiently asks.

At last, Ian is ready. He runs to find Joe.

Joe sees him coming and runs to his mother.

A safe place. No more tag. And no more hide and go seek.

G-Force - 3D-style

My kids & I have become 3D movie junkies. This is different from when I was younger. Now you wear sunglasses that turn the screen into the 3D world. No longer do you have to fight with cardboard glasses and colored film lenses.

To date we've seen Up! (Me: great story/message for all ages. Kids: Too slow)
Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Me: yawn. Too many intestinal odor-related jokes. Kids: 4-yo took off glasses and buried his face in my shoulder. 7-yo loved the jokes I didn't like).

We eagerly awaited G-Force. Jerry Bruckheimer is a great director and I loved his suspenseful, clever films. The kids told me they loved the fast-pace. My husband thought it was finally a "real 3D movie," that things actually appeared to fly off the screen toward you.The animation was good.

I was bored. I thought it would be funnier & the plot dragged.

The down-side to 3D movies are the ridiculous charges - $8 for a matinee! And that's without popcorn. But there is a bin for recycling your glasses (which you still have to pay for new pair every time you attend). Maybe next time we'll just hold onto the glasses & see if we can opt out of the charge.

Now I'm looking forward to "X-Games 3D the Movie"(limited release on Aug. 21). The kids want to see "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs."

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Quest

Dined at Todd English's Olives last week in Vegas. Had a strawberry-rhubarb crumble that was simply out of this world. It's led to a new obsession. I've found a new-to-me cooking web-site I'd like to share: http://smittenkitchen.com. I'm off to find some fresh strawberries.

The Notebook

Caught the last 45 minutes of the movie, "The Notebook," tonight. Schmaltzy story line aside, it had some rather poignant thoughts.

Should she choose between her fiance or her first true love? Someone who will take care of her, whose personality she knows or someone who is a wild card but passionate and meets her mind on ideals?

Of course in the movie, she promptly "finds herself" and knows her needs. It's not so simple in real life. There are responsibilities: community, family, children, etc. A person gets used to shoving his/her needs aside while going through the daily motions. Then a wake-up call arrives. You find yourself wondering, now what? It's more than just two people. And it impacts many varied things.

You need to take time to think, figure out your needs, weigh options. Not involve the other person because it's simply wrong (though on some level it seems right).

Then your're also left wondering, I hope I didn't lose a dear friend.

April's Full Moon

For whatever reason, I wound up sleeping in the guest room the other night (ok, snoring once again after a late guy's night out). It took a while to fall asleep, but it was nice listening to the rain on the eaves. I woke later because of a bright light. Lightning struck our area, taking out the computer modem and our weather radio.

The modem took a number of hours to fix. I swear I am still turning on and off the computer, plugging in and unplugging the chords. I found an extra adapter that was still installed in the power strip, yet not attached to anything. It was left from the last modem we replaced - 3 years ago.

Now we have a smaller modem, with easier instructions.

And after being up until 2 am most of this week, I bid you adieu.

Stop Reminding Me About The Reality

I still don't understand how people can still take trips and sip cocktails at the Ritz-Carlton. I've stopped watching NBC's "Today" show. The anchors are so negative that it's depressing me. Yes, I know it stinks right now. I don't need them to tell me. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just the two of us. When you have children, it changes everything. I'm holding off buying new shoes, but their feet grow so fast. I've always been rather frugal when it comes to buying their clothes: we shop at discount stores, second-hand stores and watch for sales. In the past it was just because they are so hard on their clothing. It's not worth it to pay a lot of money for shirts and pants that will come home from school with paint or marker stains or a hole in them. Luckily, they have stopped asking to eat at McDonald's. Why don't these morning shows talk about what we can do to save some money here or there? Please start my day with some happy news instead of reminding me of the depressing reality. Of course, these shows might be running these stories. I just don't know because I'm not watching anymore.

Remember your library

I recently rediscovered an oft-forgotten perk of public library membership: you can check out music CD's and movie DVD's.

The boys are really into Indiana Jones as well as anything Star Wars right now. This week we checked out "The Spielberg/Williams Collaboration" (John Williams with the Boston Pops Orchestra) CD. We also checked out "Raiders of the Lost Ark" on DVD. We will have it for two weeks and it cost nothing. Free! Plus we won't get any phone calls from Blockbuster's home office stating we've not returned the movie (even when you drop it off in your pajamas in order to meet the return deadline). I refuse to say more about my Blockbuster feelings.

I checked out the "Wall-E" movie soundtrack. I enjoyed the movie, so it's been fun to listen to the "space opera" soundtrack. It's not something I would purchase, but I'm enjoying listening. We are on a waiting list for a CD of film favorites from Steven Spielberg.

"Travels" by Michael Crichton

I am a huge fan of author Michael Crichton. Unfortunately, he died Dec 2008. He was a Harvard medical school graduate, who turned author/moviemaker. Among his novels/movies are: Jurassic Park, The Great Train Robbery, The Andromeda Strain, etc.

I recently read "Travels," which is his self-discovery journal. He thought the best way to discover himiself was to travel to obscure, remote areas. He was a mountain climber, hiker and scuba diver. What follows are a few things I learned. In some places I've quoted directly. I've cited the pages where I got the information. Please read the full book to get the whole story. You very well could take away different things through his journeys.

Page 60 - We cause our diseases. We are directly responsible for any illness that happens to us...it is helathier to assume responsibility for our lives and for everything that happens to us. When we take responsibility for a situation, we also take control of it. We are less frightened and more practical. We are better able to focus on what we can do now to ameliorate the illness and heal. Doctors are not miracle workers who can "magically" save us, but rather, expert advisers who can help us with our own recovery. We are better off when we keep that distinction clear.

Page 129 - Keep an objective record of a subjective mood. Put a mark at the page edge of an unmarked diary page. The top of the page is the best mood and the bottom is the worst mood. After a few weeks, review. Read Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography.

Page 148 - We all can work ourselves into hysterical panic over possibilities that we won't look at. What if I am faced with some terrible thing that I don't know how to deal with? That hysteria always goes away the instant we are willing to hear the answer. Even if the answer is what we feared all along. Then the question becomes, What are you going to do about it? Subsequent emotions may not be pleasant, but the hysteria stops. Hysteria accompanies an unwillingness to look at what is really going on; it promotes an unwillingness to look. We feel we are afraid to look, when actually it is not looking that makes us afraid. The minute we look, we cease being afraid.

Page 146 - Institute of Mentalphysics in Lucerne Valley. The science of mentalphysics ("The Faultless Philosophy of Life") was founded by Edwin J. Dingle, who had been to Tibet in the 1920s. Brugh Joy was Crichton's teacher.

Page 261 - People who get angry and complain are bores. It is ultimately reassuring to see all the diferent things that upset people. It makes you less harsh with yourself. We are all in this togther. Nothing is better or worse. They are just exmamples of getting stuck, making yourself miserable by your opinions and beliefs. As if protecting your opinions is more important than having a fresh experience and rolling with the punches.

Page 261-262 - If you stand beside a person who lies on his back, and move the palm of your hand slowly down the midline of his body about a foot above the skin, you will feel some distinct warm spots. These are the chakras. Sometimes the chakras don't feel warm, but tingly and breezy instead - as if the body had little fans that blew breezes up against your hand. You need to be relaxed to feel the chakras, but it isn't a special or spiritual kind of relaxation. You need to calm down for a few second before you begin. It requires about as much calming as you would need to thread a needle. Most people discover that one hand is more sensitive to energy than the other. After a while, some peple can't feel anything in their hand any more. Your subject shouldn't wear belts or jewelry. The energy looks like streaks of yellow mist extending beyond your fingertips. The mist is strongest close to the fingertips. It looks like yellow fuzz around your fingers. You should be relaxed to see the energy. Once you know what to look for, you'll see it.

Page 263 - People get rigid when they assigned fixed values to things.

Page 352 - Sometimes it's better just to sit and watch. There are plenty of people to help on inner explorations. Keep looking until you get what you want. Watch out for anyone who implies they have the answer. Nobody has the answer for you except you. Personal development is only temporarily associated wtih any particular group. Watch out for those interested in your money. Expect results, but not overnight. Don't be afraid to experiment. Trust your instincts.

25 Random Things

Someone tagged me on Facebook. So I thought this would be fun to post here.

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.

1. I have two sisters and one brother. My mother has no granddaughters.
2. I went to three different junior high schools in two different states and three different towns.
3. My mother would punish me by taking away my books for the rest of the afternoon.
4. I love my husband. He makes me laugh. I'd be lost without him.
5. My first job was working in a Jewish bakery. I would visit with the Holocaust survivors when they came in for their morning bread.
6. My favorite phone question when I worked at the (Omaha) St Cecilia's Cathedral rectory was: "What time is midnight Mass?"
7. Our first child was born the day before our 10-year wedding anniversary.
8. I miss my grandparents who kept us together emotionally after my parents' divorce.
9. I love to travel and wish I could do it more.
10. I was the non-athletic one in the family. Now I can play tennis (somewhat).
11. I love Broadway shows, especially musicals.
12. "Les Miserables" is better than "Phantom of the Opera."
13. I have too many hobbies and not enough time.
14. I like reconnecting with old friends on Facebook. I also like meeting new friends.
15. I thoroughly enjoy being a member of Friends in Council, the oldest continuing women's literary society in the USA.
16. Remind me of #15 when it gets closer to writing and presenting my paper.
17. I played violin for 8 years and piano for 10 years. Now I have a hard time reading the bass cleft notes.
18. I need to say "No" more often; slow down and enjoy the moment more.
19. I worked in the district office of a state rep and state senator when they were the only downstate legislators in Illinois Leadership.
20. I think Belgian dark chocolate is the best vice. It used to be Diet Coke.
21. I often wonder what happened to my grade school friends from Lincoln Elementary in Fremont, Nebraska.
22. I was grounded from driving the car for a silly late curfew incident. The punishment started on my 16th birthday and lasted one month.
23. College taught me to show up, not procrastinate and meet the deadline. Then go enjoy a good party. That stated, I admit I detest meetings.
24. I love talking with my children and exploring the world through their eyes.
25. I definitely think life is too short to drink bad wine.

Lazy weekend

We've had a lazy weekend. It started when my son came home early from school Friday with a low-grade fever. He's a little better now, but still not eating very much.

Anyway, tonight is a big deal night for Full Moons. Here's why: tonight's full moon will be the biggest one during 2009. According to Space.com, "Saturday night (Jan. 10) the moon will be at perigee, the closest point to us on this orbit."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090109/sc_space/saturdaynightspecialbiggestfullmoonof2009

Sailing with the Mouse

We were not the pristine Disney family (as you will see), but I'd still recommend going on a cruise. We had a good time irregardless.

Our dining room servers, Deneval and Jonathan, were fantastic. They have worked together for a long time and complement each other well. They also brought us our dinner to our stateroom the nights we left early. We tried a lunch seafood buffet in Parrot Cay. Oh my gosh - the sushi & sashimi were fantastic.

We dined at Palo one night for dinner as the brunch and tea reservations were already filled by the time we could book on-line. The sun sets early, so it was dark by our dinner's 6:30 pm reservation. The food was good. The server (Cecilia from Argentina) was terrific.

My DS(7) was horribly seasick. Christian (who I later found was Asst Cruise Director) was a huge help showing us where the Health Center was, handing us the free Meclazine (please note our first visit was after hours). He quickly got us an elevator and sent ginger ale from room service after DS(7) vomited in the hall. Tim, the Health Center's nurse, was a big reassurance and instructor about meclazine doses as well as sea-sickness. He also opened 15 minutes early upon our second visit. I also think our stateroom hostess (Rosa) went above and beyond the call of duty due to DS(7)'s seasickness. She was gracious every time. I know if I was her, I would have been happy to see us jump ship.

Key West was ok. It was the first time we've been there. DS(7) enjoyed the maritime museum. DS(3) arrived later in the day as I made him take some "chill time" in our room. We (DS-3 & myself) were victims of a typical Key West joke. When I asked some natives where the museum was (so we could meet the rest of our group), they sent us back to the Pier and around the ocean side (later it turned out we were less than one block south of it when we originally asked these people directions). It made for one tired little boy later. DS(7) enjoyed reading some of the signs to us. We also picked up some extras we'd left at home at the Key West CVS.

The DCL officials were really good about dealing with bad weather in Grand Cayman. Many excursions were cancelled and the ship had to dock on another side of the island because of the ocean currents. People who didn't have excursions were told to meet in the Buena Vista theater. It took some time for the tenders to go back and forth from ship to shore; thus the tender wait was a little long (note the tenders held about 80 people). One passenger in particular was rather nasty about it. The rest of us were like, what kind of example are you showing your child?

We took the boys into the town and stopped at a little shop to purchase something we missed 17 years ago on our honeymoon. The shop was still there. Since it was windy and we obviously weren't going to have 7-mile Beach time, we returned to the ship. Frankly, we would have liked more days at sea. There are so many things to do on ship. Don't make yourself crazy doing all of them.

The kids loved the Mickey pool with its slide. Speaking of which, someone told me you have to be age 4 to go down the slide. I am only aware of height requirement, which is shown on the bottom stair leading up to the slide. My DS(3) met the minimum height requirement by a few inches. He's also used to swimming pool water slides and swims (with proper supervision).

In Cozumel our group took two taxis to Chukanaab ($15). It was really nice. There was a protected beach area for the kids next to a playset and a restaurant. We go to Mexico fairly regularly. The restaurant's prices were tourist-oriented (steep for Mexico), but the food was fine. The cerviche had too much lime, but the guacamole was fantastic. We also walked around the little park later on. From our beach area, we could watch the dolphins jumping as well as see all the groups going to swim with them.

We missed our Pirate Dinner because DS(7) threw up in the dining room. Yes, we shocked everyone around us. I quickly left with him. HazMat arrived quickly to clean and quizzed the rest of our party about his behavior. I realize they have to look out for everyone in case of that nasty flu virus, so I don't blame them. I learned the next day from Nurse Tim that Meclazine, once it is given, should be given on a continuous basis until you're off the ship. Our servers brought us our dinner in our stateroom that night.

My SIL was disappointed that by the time we were able to see the movie, "Morning Light," it was scheduled at the same time as the book signing by Roy Disney and the other two producers. It was a very inspiring movie. It would have been nice to visit with them about the film.

We figured out that DS(7), once on a scheduled Meclazine dose, seemed to do well going to early dinner with Kids Camp (Oceaneer Lab). Its mid-ship location didn't bother his sea-sickness. They also reassured me they gather all the kids for group activities instead of letting them play computer games the whole time. DS(3) was another story. I will preface by stating he is not an angel, but his behavior rather upset me. By the end of the week, one person (I think it was Donna, who seemed to be in charge) told me they were having problems with him hitting other children. When they were at Castaway Cay, she told me he got together with another little boy whom they had problems with all week and both little boys were hitting each other. When we dropped him off before dinner on the last night, I told them to page me should there be any problems. He had dinner at 5:30 with the club, then the staff paged us at 8 pm. We brought him down for dinner with us and he ate everything rather ravenously. I wish they had paged me earlier in the week. I also am going to check to see if he's hypoglycemic at his 4-year medical check-up. Speaking of paging, I saw one woman on the ship early in the week telling a DCL employee she was tired of her children paging her because they were bored. Just remember to be flexible for the kids camps: it might work for some children and it might not work for other children. I was actually sorry to see the kids picking Oceaneer's Club over spending time with us, but it worked out just fine.

One of our favorite spots on ship was the Sessions bar. It's a quiet spot for a pre-dinner drink. The piano player is really good and has a great voice. Ylena, the bartender (who also bartends in the Cove pool), has a great sarcastic wit.

Castaway Cay was fabulous. Disney sprinkled some pixie dust that day: the sun shined and it was the warmest day. What a beautiful island. After playing with us on the beach and in the water, the boys asked to go to lunch and stay in kids camp for the rest of their island time. Oceaneer's Lab sends a page notifying you they will close by 3 pm on Castaway Cay.

Right now other details escape me. It's your family memories that stay with you. DS(7) sang his first karaoake. "It's easy mom. They had a tv with the words on it." DS(3) patiently waited in line to see Peter Pan & Wendy. One of our kids' favorite things (especially since we spent time in our stateroom) was to get in pajamas, climb into bed (alternating who slept in the top bunk) and watch classic Disney cartoons. DS(7) saw "Pinocchio" and "Mulan" for the first time.