Holiday Greetings, everyone!
I’m Antoniette Saunders, Dusty recently invited me to blog for you from the Mommy perspective. I’ll share a little about myself now, but you can really get to know me better through my journal entries. Daniel, my husband of 18 years, calls me “the beautifier” because I love to create pretty things and I very much appreciate attention to detail. When I recently asked my facebook friends to describe me in three words, the 2 most used words were “loving” and “creative.” Third words were all over the place … I love Disneyland, love MiceChat, love people and love writing (ahh … I see where the term “loving” made its way into the mix!) My goal as your MOMS blog host is pretty much spelled out in the title: “Making Ordinary Moments Sparkle” … I’m here to help you create the best possible experience in the parks for you and your family, and hopefully beyond the park gates as well. Please know, you do not have to be a mommy to enjoy this blog! Many of us have moms, know a mom, can’t stand some moms or plain just could use a mom at times … so please, consider yourself always welcome here!
I came across MiceChat back in 2006 when I was searching for a piece of artwork by Dave Avanzino, one of my favorite Disney artists. At the time, I was collecting his Shadowbox “Lands” and all I was missing was “Tomorrowland” so I began searching the internet and stumbled upon MiceChat. I’ve been an annual passholder since 1999 but had never heard of any of the fan sites at that time. I joined MC specifically to find my piece of art and planned to leave the community immediately afterwards, but once I began reading the articles, I was drawn to all the shared knowledge and great sense of community on the site and stayed on. I met Dusty at MiceChat’s first anniversary meetup. I had so much fun scurrying around the park and having like-minded folks to chat with in the lines, I wore my commemorative pin, enjoyed meeting Rick and Lu, and learning about this whole new world. (yes – there will be cheesy Disney double entendres when I write – feel free to chuckle or just shake your head and roll your eyes at my expense!)
Shortly after my husband and I were married, we were told we could never have children, and we resigned ourselves to the fact that we would be adopting a child if we ever were to become parents. For my 43rd birthday I created a resort-wide scavanger hunt and along with about 25 of my good friends, we spread out and enjoyed celebrating my birthday with contests, meetups at meal times and prizes dished out around midnight. I was beyond exhausted by the end of the night ~ a weird exhaustion I had never felt. I don’t know what led me to take a pregnancy test that night, since I never had reason to take one before. I’ve never even had a false alarm. That night, I found out I was pregnant for the very first (and last) time with our daughter, Sonora.
She is now 8 years old and also enjoys Disney. In fact, last weekend, we were honored to be able to dance together in Dick Van Dyke’s 90th birthday flash mob!
Three years after Sonora’s birth, in 2010, our second daughter, Sabine, was born and joined our family via adoption.
If you have ever been in line at the parks and had your leg hugged by a spunky little stranger (who does NOT get embarrassed and let go when she realizes you aren’t me or her dad) it’s very possible it was Sabine! She is not one to shy away from people and seems to love everyone!
So here I am, at 51, the mom of an 8 year old and a 5 year old! I have spent most of my adult years without children, and just these recent years as a mom. I feel that becoming a parent this “late” in life gives me a perspective that can bring some positive insights and unique gifts to our table.
I feel most vital when I am sharing truths and giving messages of hope to people. I want to be known as a woman of integrity, kindness and love. I’m great at motivating people to be their absolute best, which means that I’m an encourager. I’m currently a stay at home mom who has worked hard for many years, so I “get it.” I have been a camp counselor, a cheer coach, a Sunday School teacher, a room mom. I know (and love) kids. I’m a Jr High youth advisor at my church in Orange County whose motto is “Loving God, Loving People” I prefer to choose compassion over judging others. I believe that if we respectfully circle together, we can accomplish so very much during our time together on this amazing planet.
Something I have learned the hard way that I love to share about is being content where you are and not placing your hopes and dreams on the “if onlys” of life. I really believe that the fear of missing out steals a lot of very present and very real joy from parents and kids visiting the parks and that there is so much more fun to be had in the ordinary moments than the rushed, forced, crammed-into-every-last-second moments.
Together, we can explore ways to save money at the parks (and at home), make fun crafts (like the giant Minnie wreath below!), manage time, create wonderful experiences for our kids, learn about some amazing people and events related to the parks and other local attractions, hopefully do some philanthropic giving back to the community and pretty much just enjoy our time with each other, in person, or online. I even have a few surprise giveaways planned for YOU!
Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read this and get to know me a little bit! I can’t wait to get to know YOU!
Merry Christmas, happy holidays and I’ll see you again soon!
With love, Antoniette~*
Please join us in welcoming the amazing Antoniette Saunders to MiceChat. She has a lot of great things planned for us! – Dusty
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