T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – Top Vacation Memories

I read an article recently that said family vacations have a long-lasting impact on kids’ happiness – and I couldn’t agree more. It can be a lot of planning and packing, and it’s not cheap to go away as a family – but it’s worth it in the long run. A chance to disconnect from work and the pressures of “adulting” is something we ALL need every now and then

For me, some of my best family memories are of the trips my parents and I took to Walt Disney World when I was a kid – those good times have stuck with me, and I hope my son can say the same when he grows up!

He talks about the trip still, and how much he loved the rides and characters – and how he can’t wait to go back:

Hopefully we can take him back soon – since I have science on my side, I think convincing my husband should be easy, right? Read more about the impact family vacations have on kids Here

TGIF!

T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – Meeting The Main Man Himself – MICKEY MOUSE!

It’s hard to believe that our Disney World trip is over – we came back last Saturday, and I personally am missing it SO MUCH – and so is my son! He has asked me almost daily if we can go back – “Mommy – after school, we can go to Disney World?” and today’s was “Mommy, we just have to get tickets, then we can go to Disney World” – well pal, I wish it was that simple – if it was, we would be there RIGHT NOW – but unfortunately, it’s a bit trickier than that…hopefully someday soon we can go back, but for now, all we can do is remember how amazing our week in WDW was – and if I had to narrow it down what was the best part, I would have a LOT of trouble, but for sure one thing that stands out in my mind is my son’s first encounters with Mickey – he was lucky enough to meet him THREE times on our trip, and he loved every one:

First time was at the Epcot Character Spot – where he was so thrilled he couldn’t stop smiling!

Then we had dinner at Chef Mickey’s – which was just as fun as I remember it being!

Final trip encounter with Mickey was at breakfast at Tusker House at Animal Kingdom – which I personally love, as I think their safari outfits are so cute!

I can’t wait to start planning our next WDW trip – and I know my son can’t wait, either!

TGIF!

T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – What I Miss The Most

I cannot WAIT to head to Walt Disney World in September – not only will it be my son’s first trip there, but it will be our first time going since Christmas 2013. Yeah – it will have been over FIVE YEARS since we have been to WDW – and there are SO MANY things I miss about it – but here are the things I miss the most:

The Characters – I don’t care how old you are, a hug from your favorite Disney character is always a great feeling!

The Shopping: Ears galore, shirts, bags, mugs, magnets – and about a million other awesome Disney themed souvenirs to browse and buy

The FOOD: Sweet, savory, and everything in between – Disney has the BEST FOOD EVER ON THE PLANET – I love it all – but I am particularly partial to the baked goods – cupcakes, cake pops, breakfast pastries, funnel cakes, churros – you name it, I miss it and can’t wait to eat one (or more!) of everything!

The MAGIC: It’s hard to put into words, but this is definitely the thing I miss most – that feeling you get when you walk down Main Street, or when you notice a hidden Mickey in the sidewalk stones – if you’re never experienced it, you should – it’s worth waiting for, and it’s worth every penny and hour spent planning and traveling. It’s worth it ALL and then some

TGIF!

T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – Gear Up For Halloween With These Awesome (Disney!) Costumes!

Halloween is JUST around the corner, and if your house is anything like mine, you’ve been decorating and getting ready to celebrate with candy, costumes, and fun! Speaking of costumes – it’s really the best part of Halloween isn’t it? Getting to dress up as literally anything else you want to dress up as for one whole day? It’s so fun to dress up, and as a parent it’s even more fun to see your kids choose a costume and act the part and really get into the Halloween Spirit!

If your kid is a big Disney/Marvel fan (like mine is!) Then the Disney Store has you covered – with a TON of costume options – Princesses, Superheroes, and everything in between!

Buzz Lightyear and Spiderman are just a few of the offerings for little boys – mine would LOVE to go dressed as either one for Halloween!

 

If you tend to be more of the procrastinating type, OR if your little one suddenly changes their mind LAST minute and you need to get something under a time crunch – don’t worry, you still have PLENTY of Disney-themed options available to you at stores like Target and Wal-Mart (like these adorable options!)

Happy Costume Hunting – and TGIF!

T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – Unique Autograph Ideas For Your Next WDW Trip

Collecting character autographs is just one of those “Must-Do” things at Walt Disney World – there’s nothing better than a book full of the memories of meeting and interacting with your favorite Disney characters (not to mention the bragging rights that accompany it, too!). When I was a kid – “back in the day” if you will – really all we had were autograph books:

This is like the one I used to have, and I carried it around in my neon pink fanny pack when I went to the Parks. I wish I still had it and could pass it on to my son (the fanny pack though – not so much. That can stay in the early 90’s where it belongs). Autograph books are great, but if you’re looking for a more unique way to collect signatures, check out these ideas:

Bring along a blank mat for a picture frame for signing, and then display it at home along with your favorite photo from the trip!

If you have multiple children (or adults!) who are collecting autographs, get each one the first letter of their name (wooden ones like this can be found at most craft stores). Then there’s no confusion on which letter belongs to which kid, too!

This idea would require special metallic or fabric markers – but in the end would make for a pretty cool keepsake

This might be my favorite idea of all – bringing along a stack of colored pieces of card stock/scrapbook paper (4×6 size would work perfectly), and having the characters each sign one, to later pair with a picture in a special photo album

This Disney Character Encyclopedia is what inspired me to look up new and inventive autograph ideas – as I was thinking about getting it for my son, and read some reviews that people used it for autographs – which is a great idea – each character has their own page already in the book, so why not have them sign it?

 

I haven’t decided what we will do for autographs when we bring my son for the first time next year to Walt Disney World – might just opt for a classic autograph book for him – but for me? One of these ideas would be perfect!

TGIF!

T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – My Top Disney Souvenir Picks

I don’t know about you, but I personally am a big fan of souvenir shopping. I love checking out what different shops have to offer, and then picking out the perfect item(s) to memorialize my trip with! Disney World has got to be one of the best places ever to shop for souvenirs – they have tons of shops that offer plenty of unique items for you to choose from. Over the years, I have developed a list of items that are the Perfect Disney Souvenirs:

Number one souvenir that I strive to get as many of as possible while at Disney is PHOTOS – what better way to remember your trip than with a ton of great pictures? Personally my faves are ones taken in front of the castle, or with characters – and I love displaying them once I get home, too – in frames and albums mostly, but there are plenty of unique ways to display Disney trip photos

I LOVE mugs (and personally think that a Disney Mug makes coffee taste better) – so I always try and find a funky new one to bring home with me from each trip.
**Side note for those who don’t use mugs – there are tons of great water bottles/drinkware available at the Parks too!

Ok, so – I know what you’re thinking – “ugh pins – I don’t collect those, that’s a stupid souvenir” – and I used to think that too! I started collecting a few years ago when I spotted an adorable Fozzy Bear wearing mickey ears pin on someones backpack – and of course that only came in a set with 7 other Muppet character pins – and so it began. I want to point out though – I am not really that into “pin trading” or getting the newest “limited edition” pins – I tend to just collect ones with a meaning/memory attached to them – like my Main Street Trolley pin that I bought after we had the chance to be the first people to ride it one morning. So, knock it if you want – but there are some pretty cool pins out there!

What About You – What are your “go to” Disney souvenirs?

TGIF!