I have tried to be a good mom when it comes to feeding my family healthful food, but something always gets in the way. Either it is a time-crunch situation, so I order pizza; or, I compose everything beautifully, but the kids won't try it. Of course over at Grandma's house, they'll eat whatever she gives them. And their friends can get them to try new foods, too.

The times we've cooked together, my kids have been more likely to try at least a spoonful of their creation. With this in mind, I was extremely excited to learn about Disney family.com's Muppet Kitchen with Cat Cora. In specific, I was excited I was invited with my children to the Professional Culinary Institute to try out some recipes from the site. Free food and cooking instruction with my kids? Sign me up!

My younger son was particularly excited about this excursion because he adores reality-show-style cooking programs. He loves to get on his apron and expects to be a contestant when he is old enough. My older son, on the other hand, was skeptical, but I could tell he was a bit intrigued too: Muppets?

When I was preparing for the excellent adventure that was The Relay, I read an eat.blog.run post on the Moji Knee Brace with interest.

My right knee has been all "crinkly" ever since a car rear-ended me at a stoplight. (Instead of crashing into the car in front of me, I slammed on the brakes, thereby sacrificing my knee.) My HMO said it was just "sudden-onset arthritis" but I'm pretty sure something snapped in there. So it snaps, crackles, and pops. Sometimes it hurts, but mainly it just sounds funny. Still, after races, my knee is sore, so I often ice it.

Before learning of Moji, I used the traditional runner's bag-of-frozen-peas method. That is all well and good, but requires that I stay in one place, carefully balancing and repositioning the veggies as needed.

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My Ultimate Family Vacation would be part-private, part-people-watching. I'd want comfort, but then a little chaos. I'd want beautiful scenery, but also an opportunity to just sit in one place.

I'd love to have a luxurious pool all to myself and my family. The pool would have a swim-up bar, naturally. And of course it would need a waterfall and waterslide to entertain the kids. Yes, as much as it would be fun to have a "date vacation" with my hubby, I can't help but think my kids would adore time away from home as well. Perhaps the pool would have a little cave inside, but with a lifeguard carefully watching "just in case." Sure, we'd need a hot tub, although the regular pool temperature would already be warm. I'd love to have such an experience available to us at night. The pool would have plenty of tiny lights and other visual features.

Our hotel suite would include both sleeping quarters and a relaxation area. The reading nook would be far enough away from those asleep that lights or the sound of a computer beeping wouldn't be a distraction. In a truly "ultimate vacation" I'd be allowed to have a night (or five) without work; but knowing that such a thing is unlikely, I'd wish for reliable wireless internet that would enable me to get the deeds done as quickly as possible. No tiny circle table can contain the massive electronic needs of my family, so a booth-style long table or bar-type countertop easily accessible to an outlet (or power strip) would be a bonus. No uncomfortable chairs, please; we'd want cushions, preferably leather. (Mmm, I love the smell of leather...)

Are you hoping to go to Mickey and Minnie's Magical Adventure in Northern CA while they are in town? I've got a Disney on Ice discount for you!
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We got to see the Opening Night performance! My kids were pleased they were getting a mid-week treat. All their homework was done Tuesday night in anticipation of Wednesday's adventure. I was ready for a break, too. Both Monday and Tuesday had been pretty stressful, but Wednesday was productive in the morning and afternoon in anticipation of our evening outing.

The stars aligned, and traffic was light. I was relaxed. This was gooooood!

I had remembered to go to the ATM to have a twenty ready to hand over for parking. Except, it turned out parking had gone up to $25. Luckily I had more in my wallet. Whew!

The parking lot was nearly empty - we were early! - and I found a terrific spot. We walked towards the arena and my boys paid particular attention to the funny-looking porta-potties. That is, until they smelled them, yelped, and ran away. Diiii-sGUSTing!

They started making jokes as young boys do, but thankfully we reached the ticket office quickly. Even more thankfully, the lines were about nil, and will-call had my tickets right away. Excellent!

We ran into an interesting delay while trying to get food, but once we were seated, the excitement of the day resumed.

A few weeks ago I mentioned how McDonald's U.S. restaurants are donating proceeds from Happy Meal and Mighty Kids Meal sales to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC.) I also mentioned the online campaign, "Make Family Time Happy Time." Through this website, families can get ideas for how to spend time together, and for every minute pledged, McDonalds will donate a penny to RMHC, with the goal of reaching $10,000 to use towards family time activities for RMHC guests.

Well, in honor of Halloween, there is another reason to purchase Happy Meals: Halloween Pails!

Some of you may remember these pails from your youth. They were last sold in 2001, so many of our kids haven't seen them before. The version this year features Mr. Potato Head and comes with a handle that doubles as a skeleton or pumpkin mask.