Trip Preparations!

I have been SUCH a bad blogger lately! It MIGHT have to do with the fact that we're in full-swing adoption mode and just completed our homestudy! YAY! To read more about our adoption journey, click here. Now that we have finished the homestudy, I can move on to the next big thing which is OUR TRIP! We are so excited to take Evy to Disney World for the first time. Here are some tidbits:

-I've been collecting little toys and knick knacks at the Dollar Store, Target, etc. to entertain Evy on the plane ride(s). I'm hoping that between these toys and the DVD player, we should be okay and survive. I think the biggest fear I have is being on this airplane with a bunch of people and not having a way out if I need it (with Evy, I mean). I've never been afraid to fly, but for some reason have my child on board with me is giving me the heebs. Oh well, I know it will be fine!

-We've been "practicing" with the DVD player and headphones. I knew that the airplane was NOT the time to introduce headphones to Evy, and we've had several successful trial runs at home. See?

-I've already mapped out our strategies, since it's totally different going with an almost 2-year-old! I'm excited for this new challenge and will give FULL reports once we're back. OH--and I have my new camera to document everything! Trust me, that camera is going to around my neck the ENTIRE TIME.

-We are so excited to see Kurt's whole family on the trip. What a fun time it will be!

Our Upcoming Trip!

I know it's been awhile since I've written, but I was really sad about losing my camera at Disney World a couple of months ago. I lost all of the pictures, and I needed to grieve---ha! Thankfully, due to my wonderful husband, my Christmas gift was a NEW Canon Rebel t2i camera!

I can't WAIT to capture all new memories when we go to Disney World in January. Since it will be my daughter's first trip, we are just so excited. My sweet, talented mother in law is making Evy two outfits (I'll be sure to post pictures!) and I ordered her a few things from Etsy:

Fleece hats from this shop. I measured Evy's head, and according to the measurements, she needs an Adult Small. That's what I ordered, so we'll see how it fits!

This adorable little pillowcase dress came from this shop. I'm going to pair it with leggings and a turtleneck. This shop on Etsy had the most reasonable prices on pillowcase dresses (as far as having a cute stylish product as well). I just love it!

I knew I wanted a shirt with a monogram in the Disney font, and I found one at this shop. It will be perfect with leggings, and she already has the perfect red and white polka dot bow!

I've also been reading this new book:

This has already been an awesome read, because it's concise, clear information about traveling with a toddler/preschooler. It actually includes a LOT of the tips I give people while going to Disney World. There's also a coordinating website that helps in planning. I've really enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it!

It's been fun preparing for this trip, even amidst the busyness of the holidays. I booked our Magical Express shuttle from the airport, all our dining reservations are confirmed. I'll be doing a post soon about how I plan to make airline travel easier with Evy (being almost 2 years old). If you have any tips, PLEASE leave a comment or email me! I'd love your advice on this!

Disney---here we come!

Touring the Parks with a Plan!

The one area where most families are not prepared when it comes to their vacation is park-touring. Most newcomers (and even people who make return trips) really do think that they can wing it and be just fine. And honestly, if you choose this approach, you WILL ride a few rides. However, most of your time will be spent 1) Wandering and 2) Waiting. You didn't pay big bucks to wander and wait! Make a plan!

Sit down at your computer and go to Disney's website. Click on "Parks." For another option, WDW Info has a great listing as well.

Go through each Theme Park and make a list of the attractions and rides that sound enjoyable to your family. List any that sound remotely interesting. Now, go through and highlight or circle ones that you think are absolute must-sees. These will be your priority rides, and you'll do these first in your day. The rest of the rides/attractions you listed will be after you've completed your priorities.

Now CLICK HERE to view detailed park maps (thanks to the Orlando Welcome Center's website), and zoom in to where you can see exactly what the layout of each park is. Your best best is to get to the parks before they open, and when the rope drops, make a beeline for your #1 Priority Ride. If a line has already formed, someone from your party can go to another priority ride (close by) and get Fastpasses. [Sidenote: Always make sure you have some sort of Fastpass in your hand that is ready to be used. It's a great system, and it's a shame to not utilize it!]

Looking at your map, plan out your priority rides in the order in which you plan to go. Trust me on this. It's so nice to get off of a ride and immediately know where you're headed next. It takes a load off your shoulders and everyone is on the same page.

Of course, I always recommend using The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. Their whole book is divine, but the touring plans alone make it worth the purchase. I use a blend of their plan and my priority list.

After you've mapped everything out, I recommend typing out your (flexible) schedule, and include your Advanced Dining Reservations (which I highly recommend having for sit-down meals). That way, your entire day is on paper, and you're not searching for miscellaneous papers and notes. Doing your homework ahead of time will save you so much stress during your time in the parks!

Here are my Priority Rides and Attractions for each park. Keep in mind that these are with MY specific tastes in mind. Your list could be completely different!

Magic Kingdom

• The Haunted Mansion
• It's a Small World
• Mickey's Philarmagic
• Peter Pan's Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
  
• Space Mountain

Epcot

• SOARIN'
• Spaceship Earth
• The Seas with Nemo and Friends

Hollywood Studios

• Beauty and the Beast Stage Show
• The Great Movie Ride
• Toy Story Midway Mania
• Voyage of the Little Mermaid

Animal Kingdom

• Festival of the Lion King
• Finding Nemo : The Musical
• Expedition Everest
• Kali River Rapids

Break down your planning into small steps, and it won't seem as overwhelming. This is an overview of plan-making, so if you have any questions, please let me know!

Peter Pan and Mary Blair

I wrote this post for my regular blog, but it definitely applies to my love for Disney, so I wanted to share it here :)

It's time for my friend SD's weekly story time!


This week, I'm featuring:


This is one of the books that I had on Evy's Wishlist, and Kurt's grandmother, Momo, got it for her for her first birthday! The main reasons I love this book: 1) It's Disney, and 2) It's illustrated by Mary Blair.


Walt Disney personally loved Mary Blair's style. She was influential in designing the "Small World" ride at Disney World, and she contributed to other projects as well. I love the story of Peter Pan, and having Mary's illustrations added to it is just wonderful.

I love fairy tales, especially the way Disney retells them, and I love seeing how different illustrators interpret the stories.
Happy Wednesday!

Exciting News!

After featuring my favorite resource for planning a trip to Disney World, I received an email from Henry, who works for the Touring Plans website (which is the Unofficial Guide website). He kindly thanked me for mentioning the book. After several emails back and forth.......

I am thrilled to announce that Len Testa, one of the authors of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, will be answering some interview questions from me! This will be posted soon, and I am so excited to share it with you.

Thank you to Henry for making this happen, and thank you in advance for your expertise, Len!

My Favorite Resource

Maybe it's because I'm the first-born child in my family, or I'm severely Type-A, or I like organization.....

But I love a good plan.

And my number one tip for Disney World, hands down, is to have one. A plan.

There are several schools of thought on this. Some people think that if you over-analyze, it ruins the magic. To some degree, that's true. Then again, some people think that you can casually stroll through Disney World, aimlessly, and decide spur-of-the-moment, "Oh! Let's go on this cute little ride!" then discover that there's an hour wait.

If you want a great Disney trip, you have to be balanced.

The best book resource, in my opinion, is the Unofficial Guide (and no, I'm not being compensated to say that). The layout of the book, thoroughness, and content are all great. They include honest reviews and an easy to understand star system for each ride, attraction, hotel, and restaurant. If you're new to Disney World, it takes you step-by-step. If you're a veteran, the humor and reviews from other readers keep it interesting. It's easy to read, funny, and honest. And my favorite part? They give you a PLAN!

In the back of the book, there are several options for touring plans. You follow the steps. Kurt and I used a touring plan when we went to DW last October. We tailored it to what we wanted to do, but I had an agenda printed out, which included the times and confirmation numbers of our dining reservations. This made everything SO EASY. There was a point when we wanted to change our dining situation, and so I just pulled out the printed agenda, which included all of the restaurant info (including the phone number), and I sat down in Hall of Presidents and made the change. No stress.

Especially with children, you must steer your group in the order and direction you want to go. In other words, organize the magic. Because you, as the adult, have done your research and you know that PhilarMagic is an attraction that you can save for some downtime (because it holds large crowds and is air-conditioned), but if you want to ride Toy Story Midway Mania, you need to run, not walk, to get a chance to ride that thing.

See what I mean?

Here is the Unofficial Guide's website. But it's worth every penny to buy the book. I read it like a novel. But I'm weird. You might not (probably won't) be interested in getting THAT much information, but it's so important to map out your strategy weeks in advance, rather than praying you picked the right time to go on Space Mountain.

Now, I'm going to state the obvious: a plan is not a guarantee. It's a goal. Things WILL change. There will be a diaper explosion or a hungry-baby emergency. (Random tidbit while I'm thinking about it: the Hall of Presidents lobby is wonderful for regrouping, and diaper changes that don't require a massive overhaul. It's also air-conditioned with good seating. Oh, and it's a good spot for parade-watching.) Anyway, be prepared, but flexible.

Don't bother with the other books; this is the one you want to buy!

Coming soon: I'll give my own answers to my "Disney Series" questions!

Book Review

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World by Susan Veness is one of the newest Disney books on the shelf. This book shares secrets, little-known facts, and other interesting insights from Disney Imagineers.

I have really enjoyed the book so far. This would be a good book for those looking to get a little more meaning out of the parks. If you're new to Disney World, have small children, or just aren't a "details person," this wouldn't be quite as interesting. I already knew of some of the facts and secrets, but I'm learning lots of new things, too. The beauty of Disney is that you will always notice new details and have a different experience each time you visit.

This would be fun to read on the plane or car ride to Disney, to get in the Disney zone. It would also be a good tool to use to engage "I'm soooo too cool for this" teenagers.

Bottom Line: Interesting, fun, and light. Good read!