Ten Things I Learned On Vacation

Our family of four plus my mom and sister went into NYC on a Saturday and boarded a giant cruise ship. We spent a few days at sea before arriving at a beautiful private island in the Bahamas. The next day was spent at Disney World and then we cruised back up the East Coast before arriving back in dreary, cold New York.

I know, it's not Tuesday and these points are mostly not about books (gasp!). But I wanted to share a bit about our recent trip, so here you go!


1. The wind out at sea is no joke.

                  

2. You will find that you permanently have something in your eye when your toddler squeals with joy and runs into the arms of every character you encounter. When she waves to the princesses as they take their bows at the end of a show, you may find yourself having a sudden allergy attack.

3. Even the "too cool" big kids turn back into excited little ones when Mickey Mouse is involved.

4. If you have a boy who eats you out of house and home like I do, it may be the only time in your life that you encourage your kids to please eat more food. After all, you've already paid for it.


5. I love New Jersey beaches. But the water in the Bahamas is blue from far away and clear up close, people. You can see through to the sand and see shells and fish!

       

6. Formal dinner on a cruise ship seems so silly, but it's a lot of fun.

7. Cruise ship architects/designers are brilliant. There was so much room for all of our stuff in our cabin. Also, BG slept on a bed that pulled out of the sofa and D's bed came out of the ceiling!


8. Princess Leia does not like posing for pictures, even if she gets to trick or treat two whole weeks early.

9. Vacations with kids are both fun and stressful. We had so much fun with our kids, but we also really appreciated a quiet dinner with fancy food and wine for the two of us.


10. There are much worse places to read than a lounge chair on the deck of a cruise ship sailing into the Bahamas. (See? It always comes back around to reading.)

Ok, fellow Disney fans, it's time to out yourselves. Who loves Disney? Who has been on a Disney cruise?

Wednesdays with David: Frozen

Frozen: The Essential Guide

By Barbara Bazaldua

DK 2013

63 pages

From the library

The story: Do you know a child between the ages of birth and twelve? Then I know that you know this story. But for those of you who have just returned from a long space mission or deep undercover, let me tell you the basics.

Anna and Elsa are sisters and princesses of the kingdom of Arendelle. When their parents die, Elsa is next in line to take the throne. The small problem is that she has the magical ability to control ice and snow, but she can't predict when the powers will begin or stop them once they do. When her powers go haywire at her coronation, she flees the kingdom. Anna goes after her with new friend Kristoff and his reindeer Sven. Can she convince Elsa to come back home and undo the eternal winter that has taken over their kingdom?

Mama opines: So Frozen is everywhere. I prayed extra hard for my son's bus driver after David told me that they had daily singalongs of Let It Go on the bus. You really can't escape it.

As far as books go, though, this one is pretty cool. It breaks down the plot of the movie for small readers and then adds in lots of extra tidbits for fun. Here's a page from the book:

Thoughts from David: This book is all about Frozen. That movie was made just one year ago. The characters I like are #1 Elsa, #2 Anna, #3 Olaf, #4 Kristoff, and last of all, #5 Sven. Wasn't that winter wonderland awesome? I can't believe that Elsa's magic struck Anna in the heart. Wasn't it funny when Olaf sang that song about summer and then Kristoff said that he was going to tell him at the end of the song and Anna said, "don't you dare!" I can't believe that the duke tried to get the upper hand but fell back onto the lower hand. Marshmallow was the scariest character, wasn't he?

The movie has so many cool things. Well, the book does the opposite and tells you about the movie. Once you read this book, you will want to get the movie! And well..I don't know. I guess I should just say one more thing. I can't believe it. The one thing I really like about the book is that it kind of reminds me of the songs  Let It Go and Do You Want to Build a Snowman? 

Happy Reading!