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Apr 25, 2014

Running Thru Disneyland & What I Learned Along the Way

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One of the experiences I was most excited about when going to Disneyland for the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration was the two mile Fun Run being planned for some of the conference attendees by the RunDisney team. I had already been trying to get back into running, but seeing the opportunity to run through Disneyland and California Adventures gave me a renewed motivation to train harder.

Of course, this would happen to be the coldest, harshest winter we’ve had in a long time, meaning that the majority of my training was done indoors on my treadmill. I started back at week 1, day 1 for a couch-to-5K training program, finding even the first week difficult. I’d later realize that starting a running program when you have a bad cold, which then turns into sinus and ear infections, makes the path a little more rocky, but hey, I had a deadline to meet, as well as a time: they wanted us to average a 13 minute mile.

In the week before I left, I started to worry that I wasn’t ready. I had yet to get beyond week 3 of the training program, unable to run longer than three minutes without a break, and I couldn’t get my time to anywhere under a 14 minute mile. The weather had FINALLY turned nicer, though, and I decided to switch my running to the outdoors. I also ditched the couch-to-5K program and decided that I’d run until I just started to feel out of breath, then walk for a minute or two, then run again. The combination of finally running outdoors with more than the wall in front of me and running without a timed schedule worked: on my last run before I left for the conference, my two mile time was 25:42, just barely under 13 minutes per mile!

At registration in Anaheim, those of us who were running were asked to go to the end of the hallway, where we were fitted with new shoes, courtesy of New Balance, one of the sponsors. Their team of fit experts made me feel like Cinderella, only instead of a glass slipper they found the perfect running shoe for my foot. I also stopped to admire the limited edition Disney-themed running shoes they had on display. It’s only natural that Cinderella was one of the character-inspired designs.

New Balance Disney shoes Photo credit: Josh Hallett @hyku

With new shoes for my feet (thank you, New Balance!), I then visited the runDisney/ESPN table to talk a little more about the runDisney events. I had originally thought they only did marathons and half marathons, but learned last year that there are 5K and 10K events that often go with each of the larger events. (Kids races, too.) Each event looks like so much fun!

The run wasn’t until Sunday morning, which meant I had three days to wear out my feet with all of the walking around Disneyland. Luckily, I had spent a week walking around Walt Disney World not even two weeks prior, so my feet handled the stress without any problem. I was smart and stuck to sensible shoes, too.

We had to be up SUPER early on Sunday morning. Check-in was at 5:30am. I wondered how many people would show up in costume, or show up at all, at that early time. Part of my motivation was wearing something fun and Disney-themed to run in. I dressed as Anna from Frozen, with a little help from my soon-to-be favorite running skirts, SparkleSkirts:

Anna and Olaf Fun Run #DisneySMMoms And I found Olaf!

After a pep talk and warm ups, we all gathered at the starting line. They split us into two groups: the runners, and those who would follow a 30 second run/walk pattern. I could run longer than 30 seconds, but knew I couldn’t run all the way without a walk break. So I positioned myself somewhere in the middle, between the two groups. I’d try to stay with the runners as best I could.

Start of the Fun Run #DisneySMMomsI was starting my running music…the Frozen soundtrack, of course

It was amazing to run through the parks! For someone who loves Disney, having the chance to run down Main Street towards the castle, with the street quiet and empty, is simply surreal. As I ran (and walked), I kept thinking, “Is this really happening? Am I actually here, running through the castle, past the statue of Walt and Mickey?”

Fun Run thru the castle #DisneySMMomsa sideways shot running out of the castle

Disneyland itself was fairly quiet, but once we left the gates and crossed the lot into California Adventure, we were presented with a different atmosphere. More cast members were on hand, directing us which way to go and cheering us on. You could feel the energy in their smiles. I was tiring out by this point, taking more walk breaks, but it was their enthusiasm that kept me going.

Fun Run Final Turn #DisneySMMoms

After running around the Paradise Pier area, we made the final turn into Carsland. I could see the balloon arch for the Finish line up ahead, along with the families and the runners who had already finished. I was already breathing hard with a pain in my side, but nearing that crowd made me launch myself into a sprint for the finish. I made it!

Fun Run Finish #DisneySMMoms 2014Photo credit: Josh Hallett – @hyku

I was tired at the end, but I also felt exhilaration for what I had just done. Two miles isn’t a lot to many people, but two miles in under 26 minutes was a great accomplishment for me. And there are few experiences that compare to running through the Disney parks in the quiet of the morning!

With Lightning McQueen #DisneySMMomsLightning McQueen is holding me up at this point.

Reflecting on the experience, I picked up a few valuable lessons from this run:

1. “That’s what friends are for. They help you to be more of who you are.” Christopher Robin’s words reinforce the idea that a good community is invaluable. Some of the runners had formed a Facebook group to encourage and support each other as we trained for this event. Some were new to running, others experienced runners, and a lot fell in-between. Just when I felt like giving up before we even arrived, there were community members there to remind me that I could do it, I wanted to do it, and I wasn’t alone.

I wouldn’t have felt as prepared if it hadn’t been for the advice and encouragement I received from that group. It’s hard to do anything alone, but it’s so much easier when you have friends to remind you to keep going and not give up. It was wonderful to see each of them cross the finish line, too!

2. “Just keep swimming.” I’ve used Dory’s phrase many times since I first saw Finding Nemo, in many different situations. When you’re running, and your lungs are burning as you huff and puff for air, the finish line can seem awfully far away. I remember coming around a corner and seeing Paradise Pier, and then realizing I still had to run alllllll the way around it. But I wasn’t going to quit, right? No way! I had to keep going, reminding myself that I could get through it if I just kept swimming, swimming, just keep swimming…

3. “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” Mary Poppins was right – find the fun in any task, and it’s far easier to accomplish. Why did I put together a running costume? Because when you’re running through Disney, it feels more fun to run as a character! For that time, I was Anna, running through the magical world of Disney with the Frozen soundtrack in my head. Running is hard, but that two miles was probably the most fun I’ve ever had while running, which only makes me want to do it again.

This was a big revelation for me: if I want to find more success with running (and anything else in life), I have to find ways to make it more fun for me.

4. “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” Walt Disney’s quote is popular for a reason: there’s some solid truth in there. If you told me ten years ago that I could run two miles, I’d have laughed until I cried. I’ve always admired runners, but I was never a runner. Well, now I’m willing to challenge that idea. I want to be a runner, and I’m willing to pursue it. I feel that, with the right motivation, I can keep training and push myself further. I can apply this philosophy to anything I want to pursue in life as well.

It was a magical experience, and I’m so glad I decided to do it and didn’t give up.

Neither Aaron or I have done a runDisney event yet (other than this unofficial one for me), but the announcement of the new Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon at Disneyland was enough inspiration for Aaron – he’s vowed that he will run in that event for his 40th birthday in three years. I’d be happy just to train for and run in the Princess 10K at Walt Disney World – a half-marathon seems far too out of reach for me, but if it’s a runDisney event to motivate me, I think I could be ready to attempt my first-ever 10K by next year.

#DisneySMMoms 2014 Fun RunPhoto credit: Josh Hallett – @hyku

Disclosure: Thank you to runDisney and New Balance for sponsoring the Fun Run and our breakfast afterward!

Filed Under: Disney, running ·


Apr 21, 2014

Highlights from Disney Social Media Moms Celebration 2014

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Holy smokes, I don’t even know where to begin in telling you all about the past few weeks!

It’s hard to believe it’s been a week since I was in California for the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. I’ve been to Walt Disney World several times, but had never been to Disneyland before this. I knew it was smaller, and the original – 1955 – but other than knowing a few rides that both locations have in common, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

DisneylandThe Man and the Mouse that started it all.

This was also the first time the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration was held at Disneyland instead of Walt Disney World, so it worked out well that this was my first invite to the conference. It was ALL new to me!

The question I heard the most from friends and family when I told them I had been invited was, “What is it?” Well, it’s technically a conference. But it’s a called a “celebration” instead of a “conference” partially because the purpose is to celebrate all things Disney and to inform and inspire the attendees in the process.

Disney succeeded on all counts.

I’ve been a Disney fan for a long, long time. The first film I saw in the theater was a Disney film. (Lady and the Tramp) My mom saved up and took me to Walt Disney World when I was nine. Our Christmas tree has always had a strong Disney theme to it. And while we couldn’t have a Disney wedding, Aaron and I did visit the Magic Kingdom on our honeymoon. We had dinner that night in the castle, too, vowing to come back on our tenth anniversary with our kids, which we did last year.

WDW honeymoonAt WDW for our honeymoon (with Bride & Groom ears), March, 2003

The only downside of this trip to California was that I wasn’t able to arrange to bring Aaron or the kids with me. When I received the invite, we had already paid for our non-refundable tickets for Walt Disney World, and I couldn’t justify the flights or more time out of school for the kids.

I’ve promised them that if I get the chance again, they’ll be with me for certain. However, I didn’t go alone. My brother-in-law and his wife were happy to join me for the trip, which resulted in plenty of fun photo opportunities.

Radiator Springs RacersEspecially once you know where the cameras are!

Disneyland was fantastic, and I came back with a notebook full of stories and quotes and my heart filled with magic, creativity, and accomplishment. Beyond experiencing the parks, I heard about new additions to Disney Parks, new movies coming soon, inspiring speeches on tapping into and finding your creativity, examples of those who found their success and how they did it, and new initiatives to promote healthy living, literacy, and conservation.

Disney’s legendary guest services were on display and proved why other companies come to them for lessons on how to make customers for life. I made new blog friends, saw old friends, and ended my stay with a two mile run through Disneyland and California Adventures that was exhilarating and gave me the feeling that anything is possible.

Fun Run finish line

There’s SO MUCH more I have to share about what I learned while at Disneyland. But it’s too much for a single post. You’ll see more from me soon on Disney Junior’s new Give a Book, Get a Book program with First Book and Reading Rainbow, more on why I’m beyond excited for the new movie Maleficent, and more about the lessons I learned from the inspirational speakers who took the time to share their lessons and stories. Plus more about Disneyland and how it compares to Walt Disney World, too.

In the meantime, I used iMovie for the first time to put together a photo slideshow of some of the highlights of the trip. Enjoy!

“Always, as you travel, assimilate the sounds and sights of your world.” – Walt Disney

Disclosure: I was invited to attend the #DisneySMMoms Celebration. I paid my own conference and travel fees and received gifts during the conference from conference sponsors. All opinions, experiences and thoughts are my own.

Filed Under: Sponsored-AF, travel ·


Apr 18, 2014

Magic at Play Outfits From Kohl’s and Disney (Giveaway!)

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Last weekend, I left Ohio behind for another trip – this time to Disneyland for the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. Yes, that’s two conferences in two Disney locations within two weeks! I’d like to say I’m on the Disney tour, but no one has invited me to a conference on a Disney cruise…yet. You’ll be hearing more about both trips and what I learned in the weeks ahead!

This recent trip, though, was without the kids and Aaron. I was gone for five days, and by the time I got home, both Cordy and Mira looked taller. Mira, in particular, was definitely taller. Since when did she have a gap between the bottom of the pants and the top of her shoes? Did I accidentally dry them on high?

The truth is, both girls have been growing steadily over the past few months, but it took me this long to really notice. Which means that new clothes are inevitable. Mira often inherits some of Cordy’s clothing, but this kid has her own sense of style and often begs me to buy her a few new pieces of her own. It has to be a bummer to wear mostly hand-me-downs, so I often give in and buy her some new pieces that fit her personal style.

Mira’s favorite shopping spot is Kohl’s. OK, it’s one of my favorites, too. I’ll often give her a spending limit, and with my coupons and the store sales she usually has quite the haul when she’s done. And when the Jumping Beans line is on sale, she’ll go wild picking out new tops and skorts! She used to love anything pink, but her tastes have changed and she now likes bold colors.

At the start of this month, Kohl’s and Disney launched the “Magic at Play” clothing line, featuring Mickey and Minnie on a series of mix and match outfits and dresses.

Magic at Play at Kohl's

Mira loves Minnie, and immediately wanted the entire line when she saw the red, white and blue outfits.

Magic at Play clothing

Aren’t these adorable? They’re made by Jumping Beans, so we knew it was quality clothing we could trust for reliable sizing and durability. I’m especially thrilled at the ability to mix-and-match so many of the pieces.

Mira's Minnie outfits

Mira can wear the same shirt with a skirt or with pants, depending on the weather or her mood. And the dress we purchased is perfect for Memorial Day and Fourth of July celebrations!

Mira's Minnie dress

The only downside? These adorable outfits only go up to size 7, which means Cordy can’t join in on all of the Minnie Mouse fun. But perhaps if this new line is successful, they’ll expand it to larger sizes as well? I’ll be honest…I’d like my own Minnie shirt, too.

Mira LOVES her new outfits and hopes the warmer weather sticks around this weekend so she can wear them. The fabric and stitching are sturdy, so I feel confident that these clothing pieces will stand up to the playground.

Giveaway!

Want to check out the Disney “Magic at Play” clothing line for yourself? Kohl’s is providing a $50 Kohl’s gift card to one (1) lucky reader! To enter, just follow the directions in the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, and a big thanks to Kohl’s, Disney Living, and the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration for this giveaway and opportunity!

Disclosure: I was provided with a Kohl’s gift card for the purposes of this post (but used my own Kohl’s coupons to save even more). All opinions expressed here are my own…and Mira’s.

Filed Under: reviews, sponsored ·


Apr 13, 2014

Changes to the Gifted Changes

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So some good news: after a lot of outrage by parents of gifted children in our school district, the district has announced it will postpone any changes to the gifted services programs.

Well, sort of. Last week, the district administration met after a parent meeting earlier in the day, where they got an earful from parents who were not happy with having the changes dropped on them with no notice and no input. I spent a good deal of time speaking with the superintendent and gifted services coordinator, explaining why I was opposed and how the new plan would be harmful to Cordy, as well as others.

So after the administration met, their spokesman released a statement saying that next year would instead be a transition year. When asked by the media if that meant the changes were all on hold, he said yes, and NBC4 and the Dispatch quickly got the news out. We cheered and celebrated.

Then, less than an hour later, the spokesman issued another statement, saying that the first message was incorrect: they WOULD still go forward with the changes, along with a few modifications to help ease the transition. Hopes were crushed, parents were angry, and we were all confused as to how they could have screwed up the message so badly.

But THEN, about 30 minutes later, another reversal happened. Parents had already heard the first news, sending letters to the superintendent thanking him for postponing the changes. No one seemed to know what the correct story was. So, realizing how hard it would be to backtrack on the first release, they moved forward with postponing the changes for one year.

Crazy, right? While I have to wonder at the failure to double check your message before you release it, I’m still thrilled for the one-year reprieve. It’s a win on a technicality, but it still counts as a win.

Letters came home this weekend with the applications for the gifted ed ECLIPSE classrooms. Our school is keeping their class for now, and a handful of schools are still moving forward with a 3rd grade ECLIPSE class, too.

I’m really hoping the school district will take this year to engage parents on what works and what needs changed with our gifted services program, and will allow parents to take an active role in helping to shape any changes.

Filed Under: school ·


Apr 7, 2014

I Leave for a Week, and Everything Goes to Hell

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Forgive me, Internet, for I have sinned. It’s been over a week since my last post, but in my defense, I have a really good excuse:

 Mira at the WDW Castle

We spent the week at Walt Disney World, partially for me to attend the Type-A WDW Workshop, and partially to have a vacation with my family. There were some amazing moments, and some amazingly good (and bad) timing to certain events, but we’re home again and settled back into real life.

I wanted to tell more about our trip to Disney, but then something else got in the way that demands attention first. The day after we returned from our trip, I was summoned to a community meeting regarding changes to the gifted education services offered by our school district. Cordy is identified as gifted and receives gifted services, so naturally this concerned me.

Her school offers an ECLIPSE class, which is a self-contained class for 4th and 5th grade gifted students. The class provides enrichment beyond the standard curriculum and encourages more out-of-the-box thinking – the perfect environment for our creative thinker who can’t always explain how she found her answer because it just appeared in her head. We (meaning her parents and the staff of the school) had been planning for her to join this ECLIPSE class for years, and at her IEP meeting earlier this year, we agreed that in April of this year we’d have her start spending a small amount of time in the class to help transition her into it.

That same day, I also received a letter in the mail from the district, telling me that the entire elementary gifted education program was being restructured, condensing all of the highly gifted children into five schools instead of the sixteen neighborhoods where the ECLIPSE classrooms are currently found. It also informed me that Cordy was being reassigned to an entirely different school in order to attend an ECLIPSE class.

Wait…WHAT?

The school district is, in fact, getting rid of ANY gifted education services at her current school, which has nearly a quarter of the student population identified as gifted. They intended to send her to a school where only 4% of the student population is identified as gifted. How is this equitable?

But wait… it gets worse. Beyond giving parents no choice at all as to where their children are to go in the Columbus City Schools district for gifted services, they also gave us only seven (7!) days to respond to the letter. Never in my life would I have considered the school they want to send Cordy to as an appropriate placement for her. I certainly wouldn’t have toured the school. Where she is now is where everyone believes she is best served. Everyone, that is, other than the district administration.

There’s even MORE bad news, though. Should a parent decide they don’t want their child to attend a failing school in order to get gifted services, there’s a line on the form we’re to return where we’re asked to sign to decline services. However, included in that is a statement that says we accept that our child will not receive gifted services if we decline the district’s placement option.

So parents, who had no advance knowledge of these changes and were not given any chance to provide input, are being told that our gifted children will either go to the failing school demanded by the district, or they will have their right to gifted services removed.

I don’t respond well to threats, especially where my children are concerned. I attended the meeting that night to learn more about the reasoning behind these decisions, only to find their reasoning was all based on lies. The Gifted Task Force recommendations that the district claims helped drive the changes have no recommendations for altering ECLIPSE. The state standards that they also referenced have no bearing on the current ECLIPSE classes, either.

Where does all of this leave Cordy? In a lose-lose situation. If she transferred to the failing school for gifted ed, she would suffer emotional trauma at being sent to a strange location, with kids she’s unfamiliar with and a staff she doesn’t know. Her anxiety would skyrocket and negative behaviors would likely increase, making it impossible for her to learn. If she remains at her current school, she’ll have the comforts of “home” but stagnate without gifted services to keep her mind active. Should her mind not be sufficiently challenged, her anxiety takes hold again, she becomes trouble in the classroom, and she shuts down and doesn’t have interest in school. Her team at school agrees with these assessments.

It breaks my heart to know she’s being placed in this situation by a careless administration who are likely pleased with the outcome, considering that her mom fought them and won during the school levy battle. But they’re placing hundreds of other children in a bad situation, too, ripping them away from friends and schools they know so they can be placed in failing schools to boost the building’s test scores.

I’m not sad, though. I’m angry. We’ve put enormous amounts of work into getting Cordy to where she is now, and we’re not about to let a tone-deaf, pigheaded administration undo those efforts. Other parents are angry, too, and we’re organizing to resist these changes. Should the district refuse to postpone these changes until parent input can be given to better shape any update to the gifted education program, we will choose to refuse to allow our children to take the OAAs or any other state standardized tests. Our kids are more than a test score, but if Columbus City Schools will only value them as test scores, we’ll take that away from them.

We have no plans to change Cordy’s school. She will remain at her school, and she will continue to receive gifted education services, despite the district’s claims otherwise. If it involves legal action, we’ll do it. She’s a twice exceptional child, and her special needs restrict her from changing schools for gifted services. She was placed in this school by district staff because of the gifted services and the special needs services available, and the district will honor that commitment to her until she is finished with fifth grade, at which time we may choose to leave this train wreck of a school system.

Sigh…it would be so much easier on the school district if they’d stop picking fights.

Parents of CCS children – find out more on how you can make your voice heard at this site. Parents of CCS gifted students are also encouraged to join this Facebook group.

Disney post coming soon, promise!

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Filed Under: Cordy, school ·