Blessings of a Retired Navy Wife

Everyone that knows that  I'm Disney crazy.  Yes! I love the Mouse and EVERY DISNEY movie.
One of my favorites is Mulan.  I love the music and the story.  A young woman, in the beginning, was unsure of herself but by the end of the movie, she realizes her worth.  Mulan saved China and herself. As I write this blog post-Mulan is on Disney Junior. 
Movies like this and the joy of Disney is why I became a Disney Travel Specialist.  I get joy from creating the most memorable family vacations for my clients.  It's no secret I'm always saving for my next Disney adventure.  I also get asked for tips for planning a trip to Disney World.  The easiest way is to let me plan it for you.  Yet, if you want to book it yourself here are a few tips:
1. Think about what Disney theme park your family will visit the most.  Disney World is HUGE. There are close to 26 resorts on property and 4 theme parks and 1 water park.  I usually stay at the resort closest to the theme I will visit the most…

YES! My uncle has become a kitchen gadget guy since he moved in with us three years ago. Vegetable slicers, baking pans, copper frying pans, can openers, we got it. His latest purchase was the XL Air Fryer.  He got it after watching the infomercial for the 100th time. We love to try out products and if they do not work like the commercial says we sent it back.


This whole chicken cooked in an hour.  Breast down for (30) minutes then breast up for (30) minutes. The skin was crunchy and the meat was juicy.  No more over cook dry chicken in this house.  Clean up is a breeze a  bit of soap and water and rinse out the pan.
I love making this chicken because I use the leftovers in casseroles, soup or salad. And I freeze the bones until I'm ready to make stock.  We need to try other recipes. 

During a parent/teacher night at the daycare, the staff brought some concerns they were having with our son.

-His speech wasn't clear
-His temperament was causing disruption in the class.  He's quick to anger and is frustrated quite often.

They suggested we have him evaluated by the county.

This caused me distress and tears.  No parent wants to hear that their kid is different.  Even though as his mother I knew what they had brought to our attention.  As a former teacher, I knew his speech was a bit delayed.  I experienced his frustration daily.  None of these issues was a surprise.  The surprise was they wanted him to be evaluated.  I just believed he was a bit immature.  I keep hearing boys develop slower them girls.  I was upset and feared to have him evaluated for the simple fact I didn't want him to be labeled, put in a box and forgotten.  He's only (2) years old.  Again as a former teacher, I knew most special ed classes were filled mainly with boys and these bo…

Most Sundays during fall I make a casserole with left overs from the week, Last night  was no different. Yet this week I made (2) casseroles and gave one to my neighbor another busy working mom of a teenager.

We cooked a box of Penne pasta (I use whatever I have in the pantry)
I had Arthur-Ray help chop mushrooms with a butter knife. Yes, get those 2 year-olds working.  I find if he helps he will eat dinner.

In a large bowl I added:

-chop mushrooms they were sliced all ready but I had my sous chef cut them in half
-a half of a bag of frozen broccoli bits
-2 can 10oz. of canned chicken
-1 bag of shredded cheese (I had a 6 cheese Italian blend on hand)
3 cans of cream of mushroom soup

Mixed it together.

Cook the pasta to al dente reserve one cup of the starchy pasta water.
Drain the rest off
Pour the mixture from the bowl into the pot.
Add a bit of pasta water to thin out the mixture.

Spray a casserole dish with pam spray we use olive oil.
I divided the mixture in two casserole dishes.
…

This was a moving audition.  I couldn't image my child going missing.

There is much division in America these days. Many people are forgetting we are a land of immigrants. Last week in daycare the kids had to bring in items representing their heritage.

I loved reading the groups newsletter last week:

Child  A)  is from Minnesota and Nebraska and he brought two towels with beautiful designs on them and a book of each state and what makes them so interesting.
Child B) is from China, she brought a Chinese horse and a colorful book in Chinese. She also taught us how to say hello in Chinese.
Child C) brought a giant panda bear to talk about his Chinese heritage, and we learned about how special pandas are in China,
Child D) shared with everybody his dominos with the Cuban flag on them, and some pasta to represent his heritage from Italy!
Child E) brought a special interactive poster that helps him learn his alphabet in Amharic, Ethiopia’s language.
Child F) family is from Uganda. She brought a special and beautiful container to keep the milk fresh for the ba…

If Americans love this flag and are angry with NFL players.
Why isn't this flag in a museum?

And this flag Even ALLOW in America?

If Americans REALLY cared about our flag the other two SHOULD NEVER BE FLOWN AGAIN.
THERE IS ONLY ONE AMERICAN FLAG THE RED WHITE AND BLUE 

that is how many days it took before my mom called to tell us they survived #Hurricanemaria.
Emotions bubble to the surface unexpectedly all the time. we are going about living and I burst into tears at my doctor appointment, in the shoe store buying new shoes for my toddler, and it was waterworks at the supermarket. 
I think of my family, my cousins there are many, aunts, uncles and my parents, who are going without these simple luxuries we take for granted.

It's week (3) of the aftermath:
My cousin posted on FB this is 74-year-old mother called and said that she celebrated today because she got enough water to wash up a bit. My cousin posted on FB that they are bathing in the river, waiting in line for gasoline, she is trying to find food for herself and her elderly neighbors. Then this video shows up on my FB feed regarding the Western side of the island where my family is: Video of the Western Side of Puerto RicoThe tears flow again.  I didn't see my town's post office as …

MY PARENTS ARE FOUND This past weekend my cousin spotted my dad in town but he was preoccupied looking for necessities and she didn't speak to him. We keep it to ourselves until we got more information. Since my mum was not with him. We were afraid of the worst because pop would not leave mum alone in this environment. Mum called my sister and spoke with her briefly yesterday evening. Mum said they were ok. They were getting water from a Spigotat one of the grocery stores about (7) miles from the farm. She said her ulcer in her leg burst open and she and pop were scared because she bled for a while until it stopped. Today made 12 days since I spoke to my mum. While working on some Disney bookings for clients. My cell rang it was mum. I began to shake because her photo and number were blinking on my cell. It was a quick 5 minutes emotional call with tears and fast-talking. We were afraid of the call dropping. She told me she loved me. Yet, the farm is gone only the house is…