Disney on my mind

So, I've been working hard to scrapbook our last trip to Disney. I'm still totally in love with digital scrapbooking. I'm learning so much and stepping way beyond my typical comfort zone with decorating pages. It's so much fun! Here are a few of my recent faves.

This has been getting me anxious for another Disney trip. Then, almost nightly, Kevin and I watch some Dinsey Park documentaries on Netflix instant. I'm itchin to go! So, tonight, while I was blog reading, a blog friend (whose hubby I went to elementary school with), is planning their first trip to Disney and asked for tips. I knew my response would take up too much of the comment box. If nothing else, it will help me plan some things before our next trip (that I honestly wish we were going on next week)

I'm sure I'll think of a thousand things, but this is a good start:

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  Rubber bracelets for the kids (I put them on their ankles) with my cel number written inside, just in case.


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  It will probably rain. I've been 3 times, and it rained at least one day every trip. We got a toddler poncho at Target for Jacob since the Disney ponchos are big (and pricey).


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  Don't try to do it all. It's impossible.


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  If your child has a fear of auto-flush potties, post it notes are fabulous to cover up the sensor!


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  at Epcot- We really like to get the Passports from the gift shop for the kids. At each country, we stop to add the stickers to the passport for that country and have it signed at the Kidcot Spot. We also find something from that country to have a picture with (last time was hats, next time Beth wants to do flags). I'd love to have them learn a word (the same word all day) in each native language. I love that Disney hires people from the actual country to work at the Epcot version.


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  also at Epcot- the Kim Possible adventures are another fun way to keep entertained while learning at the same time. Disney totally rocks this thing! We plan to do more than one next trip!


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  Epcot is easily becoming my favorite park because of all the interactive things available. The KidCot stations in the countries and in the Land area are pretty cool. The Innoventions areas have some fun things to do- make paper, fire safety, storm safety, etc.


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  at Animal Kingdom, talk to the cast members (employees) around the animal exhibits. They're a great wealth of information about the animals!


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  A lot of questions about "how'd they do that?" or fear about the ride/character/show could be calmed and explained away by saying "It's just part of Disney magic"


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  Having a small present (wrapped in Dinsey paper, of course) to open everyday added to the magic. I picked up things in the $1 section at Target or $Tree for a while- things like water bottle, something to do on the plane, small Dinsey figure toy, etc. Dinsey Florist can also set up a neat gift package that the resort can deliver to your room (hopefully while you slip away to do something).


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  at Hollywood Studios- get the fast pass for Toy Story Mania the very first thing when you get in the park, then get in line. It's worth riding more than once!


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  at Magic Kingdom- we always get an icecream on Main Street. A bowl is best for the kids. Poor Beth learned that the hard way and still talks about it.


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  Don't discount having down time. The hotel pool or arcade provide less stimulation for some relaxing fun. Great play areas (like Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom) or quiet sitting areas (like the lake at Hollywood Studios) are awesome!


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  Eating breakfast while we got ready in the hotel room was a great time saver. I'd packed easy things like pop tarts, granola bars. I also packed snacky things to take daily to the parks. We like stopping for a drink (usually shared) and a quick snack.


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  You never know unless you try it. There were plenty of things I didn't think Jacob would go for, but he loved it in the end. Beth is getting braver too. Some new things they tried last trip are what they're really looking forward to next time.


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  Eating half a meal means you get to eat dessert. It's balanced out with all the walking. Pizza was tastier to me than the burgers for a quick meal. The sit down meals were fabulous.


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  Oh, Pizza Planet at Hollywood isn't worth it. Not what we'd hoped for based on the movie, not as clean as we'd like (birds flying inside), and most of the expensive arcade games didn't work.


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  Soak in the details. Disney puts in so much effort to making EVERYTHING flow and go together. It's incredible!


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  The Disney resorts have bedrails available. All you have to do is ask, and they come install them.


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  To me, the dining plan is worth it. No thinking about whipping out the card to pay for a meal. We make reservations at our major top choices for sit down meals, especially one character meal geared toward each kiddo. Cinderella Castle for Beth (though Jacob was pretty impressed too, especially with his sword), one of the Epcot-Mexico choices for Kevin, a character meal with Mickey for Jacob (not that he talks to Mickey...), and pizza night in the hotel is my favorite.


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  Medicine of every possible need- allergy stuff, tylenol, immodium, tums, emitrol, miralax, benedryl, etc. You never know what you'll need, and it's super expensive to buy at the gift shop. Oh, the trip I got food poisoning was rough, but the gift shop had what I needed to leave the hotel room for the day.


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  Most days, my basic camera lens was just fine. The only day I wished I'd had my big lens was Animal Kingdom on the super cool Kilamanjaro Safaris. Oh, and make sure that battery is charged. Mine died our first day, and I could have kicked myself for missing out on Jacob's first Rain Forest Cafe experience.


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  My favorite Dinsey treasure is each of us picking a Christmas ornament at Downtown Disney's Christmas store to represent the trip.


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  Try to find shade for the parades. It gets hot on the concrete. And, get your spot early. For the Magic Kingdom SpectraMagic parade, which is so worth staying late for, find the spot before the fireworks, and then don't move until after the parade is over.


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  The shows are awesome- Nemo and Lion King at Animal Kingdom, Beauty and the Beast and Disney Jr at Hollywood.


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  Suck it up and wear the ugly athletic tennis shoes. No matter how hot it is, your feet will appreciate it.

That's all I can think of tonight. I found most of this (and so much more) through research, though some was learned the hard way. Allears.net is a great website. The Unofficial Guide is a great book (take the reviews with a grain of salt). Beyond the basics, The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World has been my favorite book. For our next trip, I've bought a book to find Hidden Mickeys (Mickey Mouse heads hidden in the basic decoration around Disney).

I know of the few people who read my blog, at least 2 have been to Disney. Any tips you can offer?

PoeFam- I hope you have a magical trip!

I've been busy working on digital scrapbooking our last Disney World trip. I found this great group online- Mousescrappers. I get lots of ideas, complete challenges to earn more digital scrapbooking goodies, and generally find people like me who love Disney AND scrapbooking. If you've wondered about digital scrapbooking, take a moment to check it out tomorrow!

Click the pic to link to the website!

Computer Time

I have been a traditional scrapbooker for about 15 years. Geez, that makes me sound really old. I recently discovered a love for digital scrapbooking. Oh my goodness, it's so much fun! I can sit on the comfy couch, with my laptop and notes from our Disney trip (what I'm scrapbooking). I don't need to make a big mess. I can resize my pictures, getting more on a page than traditionally. For the decorations, I just find various things for free or purchase online to complete my pages. Let me tell you, the internet has SOOOOOOO much stuff, and I'm only getting started on what's out there. I've also found an online community with TONS of ideas and other Disney addicts, who also love scrapbooking. I'm learning so much about my photo software. It's so much fun! The online community also hosts challenges periodically, that really challenge me to learn new things in my program. Here are a few of my favorites:

I'm debating between having pages printed then put in a regular scrapbook or just having a book printed. Either way, I think I'm in trouble- I've got more pictures and fun than either book type will hold.

So, if you wonder why I haven't blogged lately, I've probably spent my computer time scrapbooking. I'll post again when something is exciting. For now, we're staying inside as much as possible and keeping ourselves busy.

The most magical place on earth

I was "encouraged" by a friend to update my blog, so I guess I best get to it.

I have recovered from vacation. That laundry is all caught up (though that stuff keeps coming back, you know) and almost all the souveniers have found a place to belong. I downloaded the 1000 pictures, deleted a handful and poured over them, relishing each wonderful day and memory. We treasured the time as a family, away from news and internet, just enjoying the magic Disney had to offer us every day, all day, for a week.

This was Jacob's first trip. Seeing it through his little boy eyes, the recognition of his favorite characters and movies played out in grand Disney World style- gosh, it couldn't be beat. His first plane ride, which he loved. Sleeping at "Cinderella's house" was pretty exciting, too. His absolute favorite ride was Finding Nemo at Epcot. His least favorite ride was "the fast slide" (Malestrom in Norway) at Epcot. He surprised us by being such a trooper, never having a meltdown, falling asleep when he needed to, going on rides he wasn't sure about only to say "that was fun" at the end. He wasn't going for the characters though. No way. The big fuzzy ones he would just watch but not talk to or get near. The human characters, he eventually would take his autograph book to but didn't want to stay for a picture. The only way to get Jacob to be still and quiet was to have him watch a parade or big show. I can only imagine what his brain was processing watching it all.

Beth still remembers her first trip last year and looked forward to doing some of the same things again this trip. There were plenty of firsts on this trip. Beth is tall enough and getting braver every day. She got to ride some bigger rides with Kevin- a thrill for both of them. She had no problem meeting all kinds of characters, though she sometimes didn't want to slow down to stand in line and would rather just skip it to go to a ride. She turned into a *more* beautiful princess, enjoying every minute of pampering (and was quite thankful to return to comfy clothes and shoes after lunch at the castle). I had done some research about special treasure hidden within the normal realm of the park, things easily overlooked. Beth enjoyed finding these- like the special horse on the carousel, Cinderella's horse. Despite the big firsts, she acted like a pro, telling Jacob about something we were going to do or explaining "Disney magic" along the way.

It was an incredible week together. I truly treasured the moments of joy we shared with the kids. Disney is fun, even more so through their eyes. My favorite moments were the ones away from the parks, honestly. Waking up to the sounds of whispers and giggles from the other bed and hearing a sweet little voice wonder if I had "anymore presents today" (I gave them a small present each morning, Disney themed of course). Our now traditional room service pizza picnic is another favorite, just recapping the day we ended early, knowing it's okay not to go from sun-up to sun-down.

We're already dreaming about another trip. It seems that no matter how long you go, you still can't manage to see it all. Until then, I relish the magical memories we created as a family.

Disney- Day 6, Animal Kingdom

Boy did that front blow through! It was cold and rainy. Luckily, Kevin and I both had jeans packed. We had to buy some sweatpants for Beth. She hates jeans, so I didn't pack them. After all, the weather forecast never mentioned cold front. Note for future travel- take both warm and cold weather clothes and pack panchos (despite reliving many a band practice in them).

The last park, Animal Kingdom. Kevin and I decided to buy panchos for ourselves as soon as we got there. I'm so glad we did since the rain just kept coming. Plus, they provided a bit of warmth from the nasty cold rain. Beth still didn't want to wear hers, but us having them too made it a little better.

I wanted to make sure we saw the Nemo stage show (the first thing we did) and the Lion King stage show (the last thing we did). Both great choices and especially nice to be dry and warm inside. Nemo was great! All the characters and songs! It was amazing to see the people use these huge puppet things for characters. I just can't get into words what it was like. Definitely my favorite show of the trip.

Lion King was great! With Disney, it's not just a show, it's a full on production. I've got to get this movie- Beth hasn't seen it yet. I think that would have helped it make more sense for her. All the other shows we saw are movies she's watched. Still, she enjoyed herself. Our section was the lions, and she roared with the best of them. At one point, volunteers were picked from the audience, and she asked why she didn't get picked. Not like she would have gone! Geez!

Animal Kingdom is like a zoo on Disney magic steroids. The animal habitats are works of art in themselves, so that each area looks just like that continent. Gorgeous! One of the walk through areas in Asia had beautiful tigers, though they were napping. For the animal area and then the bird area, there were "field guides" to learn info and help identify the birds. Beth thought it was great to be in charge of this information!

There are cast members all over the park, happy to give information about the animals, if you just stop long enough to listen. It's worth it, especially for Beth, who just soaks up information and asks as many questions as someone is willing to answer. If you walk around long enough, you'll find all kinds of places with animals to see and learn about. We really enjoyed our stop in Africa for lunch. YUM!

We rode a train over to Rafiki's Planet Watch and Conservation Station. They have this great area set up where we listened to sounds of the rain forest in the dark- that didn't go over well. There was a vet area where we actually saw them finishing up some testing procedures on one of the animals in the park. While waiting for Pocahantas (the last specifically requested person Beth wanted to meet), Beth colored and got to listen to a couple animal presentations. Fun stuff, even though it is educational. Kevin found a way to keep himself occupied while waiting- looking for ways to make funny pictures. Only, with a 4 year old, it doesn't quite work out as planned.

The Kilimanjaro Safari ride was amazing! We got to see so many African animals in a created environment where they were free to roam. Kevin was a bit worried that there wasn't anything between us and the animals, but I saw the carefully disguised fences :). I was really wishing I'd packed by big zoom lens for this day!

We stopped to watch the parade. We'd settled in to wait for a while, then everyone got in our way. It took a few tries, but finally a family scooched over so Beth could see. Great costumes and rides celebrating all the animals. However, when characters neared, Beth turned to hide. Maybe next trip....

This park closes early in the day, which was fine with us. We had our last Disney dinner at the resort restaurant, finished up the shopping in the resort gift shop and packed up to head home the next day. When we got to the room, instead of an animal surprise, Beth's dolls were busy playing a game of tic-tac-toe. Beth thought that was the best yet!

Saturday- Time to go home.

We were sad to leave Disney. But, I was ready to see Jacob. Besides, all the laundry we'd created through the week- one whole packed giant suitcase worth- I needed to wash!

Last Disney photo op at the airport! Then, we had some McDonalds before boarding the plane. That was weird, a whole week without McD, and I didn't miss it until I saw the sign. Gee, we eat there too much!

And, yes, we're already trying to figure out when we'll go again. Originally we said when Jacob turns 4, but we don't think we can wait that long.

PS- Mom, this took an hour to type and add pics. No more whining from you!