How to plan a trip to Disneyland... (Newsletter 7/16/19)
Happy Monday Happy Mom!
I hope you had a wonderful weekend and started your week off with the right momentum. I'm in my last week of teaching Summer School and begin final exams tomorrow. I'm beyond excited to share with you that my family will be taking a trip to California at the end of the week. Friday can't come soon enough.
My younger two kids have never been to Disneyland. My older two girls were lucky enough to go to Tokyo Disneyland with their elementary school children's chorus group. And they've both been to Disneyland while in college. My older son went to Disneyland a few years ago with his Robotics Team. Going to Disneyland will be amazing, but just going anywhere as a family is so much fun for us.
So, how did we plan a Disney trip for a family of 7? Well, it really helps to have two adult daughters who have recently visited Disneyland! I have done absolutely nothing to plan this trip. It's been all my two older girls and my husband. My only job is to grade my final exams on Friday and set up my mom's care for the week. The first thing they did was book our flight to LAX through google flights. Next, the rental van through Sixt Rent A Car. Then, they booked a hotel for half the time and an Airbnb for the remaining days. Unfortunately, the Airbnb owner canceled our reservation 38 days before our stay. So, just today, the hubby booked the Embassy Suites, which I am so happy about. Embassy Suites has an awesome free breakfast buffet. I know because I've stayed at the Honolulu location and the St. Louis location too. Next step, Disneyland tickets. No wait, actually, I think the girls booked the Universal Studios tickets first, then the 3-day Disney park hopper tickets. Everyone says getting the Disneyland tickets through Costco is the cheapest, but my daughter said it's cheaper through the Disneyland website. Costco used to sell discounted Disneyland tickets but now only offers vacation packages. I am excited, but I'm even more excited to see my kids' happiness.
We don't travel too much since a one-week trip for a family of 7 can run anywhere from $5K to $15K. Flights from Hawaii are costly. And as mentioned before, we do care for my mom, who is not able to travel. Oh, and also four us have jobs. So going on this trip is a big deal for us. One of my daughters will still have work and homework on the trip. Not me! It's my only week off between Summer School and the regular school year.
It's great that I've been on the keto diet for 4 weeks now and I don't crave junk food or sugar anymore. So hopefully I will resist the Mickey Mouse shaped cotton candy, french fries, and fried chicken. It's been such a big help having my two daughters on this keto journey with me. Well, one of them has been diligent! I did eat pad thai recently and I felt disgustingly full. Not eating carbs has been really good for my body. And eating carbs once in a great while makes me realize how much I don't need carbs and how much I overate when I was eating carbs and sugar. Today I received my Amazon order of Ketone Box, consisting of 15 Keto Snacks. I ate a bag of Shrewd Food Protein Crisps- pretty tasty! As a bonus, I've now lost 10 pounds. However, I do feel odd going from a plant-based diet goal to full-on meat eater. But it's so exonerating not being a slave to sugar anymore. What diets have you tried? Which one brought the most success? Like I've said before, any diet can work with consistency. I hope you treat yourself good, take care of yourself, and love yourself.
Please share what you chose to do for YOU on the Happy Moms Facebook page. I hope you all have the best week ever. Put priority on yourself. Make time! Get Happy! You are worth it!!!
Ice Skating with Kiki (with Titan in the background)
Me & my 21-year-old
What's on the Menu this week?
MONDAY: Zoodles with Low-Carb Marinara (from Amazon)
TUESDAY: Hamburger Patties with Over-Easy Egg
WEDNESDAY: Shoyu Chicken
THURSDAY: Tacos
FRIDAY: Beef Stroganoff
SATURDAY: Baked Salmon, Asparagus
SUNDAY: Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes
What's happening at Happy Moms?
Join me for my LIVE Mommy Chat on Friday 6:30 pm Hawaii time at fb.me/happymomhappyfamilycom
What's happening in my home?
It's the last week of summer school for Kiera and me. We are over the moon excited for our trip to Disneyland. Tune in for live updates on our trip on the Happy Mom Instagram to see how a big family travels.
Have a Happy week! Please let me know if I can be of help in any way with making time for yourself. If you need a pep talk to realize your worth, feel free to email me at mahele@happymomhappyfamily.com and please post comments or suggestions on my Happy Moms Facebook page.
Happily Yours,
Mahele
