Category Archives: Holiday

Our amazing trip to Disney World + a few tips and hints for your next visit – Part 1

Holiday, New posts, Personal, , ,

As I mentioned in my last post, my 10 year old, 3 year old, sister, Dad, and step-mom went to Disney World last week. I had not been to Disney World during the holiday season and wasn’t sure what to expect, but going during the holidays was the point. We wanted to see the decorations and Christmas parades. We even rode a few rides!

My favorite Disney World rides:

“It’s a Small World”

– It’s a Small World is great for all ages, no scary or dark moments at all. Madelyn LOVED “It’s a Small World”. The wait was minimal, we kept moving until we boarded the ride.

“Carousel of Progress”

– Despite having been on the Carousel of Progress ride many many times over the years, it never gets old even though the changes are minimal every time I go. I loved for my 10 year old son to see the way people lived in the 19th century as well as potential living situations in te future. He actually wanted to go on the “Carousel of Progress” more than once.

“Mad Tea Party”

– Mad Tea Party is one that I don’t think I rode as a child because I was fearful of getting sick. I rode Mad Tea Party when we took my then 3 year old to Disney World and didn’t throw up so I did it again this time with my 3 year old daughter and she loved it!

“Dumbo The Flying Elephant”

– Dumbo The Flying Elephant was so fun! The wait was longer than I would have hoped but it was worth it. The ride is short, it seemed like about 3-4 minutes but that was probably just long enough for Madelyn. She enjoyed controlling how high we went and when. She got a kick out of that.

“Jungle Cruise”

– The Jungle Cruise is great for all ages. It is a boat ride with a humorous ‘tour guide’ during which you go through the jungle and see elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, and alligators.

My recommendations for your next or first trip to Disney World:

  • Bring lots of hand sanitizer. It seems impossible for kids if any age to keep their hands off if the rails and then out them in their nose or mouth (fun!).
  • Bring bottled water. You’ve got to keep hydrated!
  • Bring your own stroller. You can rent a stroller at Disney World for $13 a day (price when we went) but their stroller didn’t seem to have any storage room below the seat or any type of cushioning. They might have had cup holders for the adults but I’m not sure.
  • Bring snacks.

General “What to bring” tips:

  • Bring sunscreen even in the winter.
  • Bring bottled water.
  • Bring sun hats.
  • Bring ponchos.
  • Extra clothes or babies and toddlers. Put the extra clothes in a Ziploc bag and squeeze all of the air out of the bag to make the it really small for easy storage in your backpack.
  • Bring wipes to clean up sticky spills on clothes and hands.

Even though we arrived at Disney World at 9:30, we didn’t get to ride as many rides as we hoped.   I would like to be able to go for a couple of days next time we go to Disney World and staying in a Disney Resort would be convenient and appreciated by everyone in your family I’m sure.. so I recommend doing that if you can. 
Disney World is extremely busy during school breaks, even winter break.  The crowds were a bit overwhelming at times.  The perfect weather more than made up for the crowds though.   I would recommend that everyone go during the holidays at least once to see Disney World beautifully decorated with Christmas Trees, Nutcrackers, and Cinderella’s brightly lit castle.

Did I leave any tips out? Share them with our readers in the comments area below. Thanks!

Part 2 > Meal time at Disney World, ride tips, helpful official Disney World website links

Visit the Disney World Magic Kingdom website to learn more about the park, get prices, buy tickets, and more.

Alicia

I was not compensated in any way for this post.

I took a whole week off! Back to life now

Holiday, Personal, , ,

I realized a few minutes ago that it’s Saturday which means that I took a whole week off of work, a first in many years. Even while on vacation I usually have my laptop with me, answer emails, write posts on The Mommy Insider and my other site Atlanta Moms, and I have even been known to take phone calls while on vacation. It felt really good to not do any of the above while in Florida last week.

Exactly one week ago the kids and I and my sister drove to Orlando to visit and celebrate Christmas with my Dad and step-mom. We had an incredible time. Between ice skating and an amazing trip to Disney World we relaxed at their house which has a beautiful lake small enough that we swim in (no alligators) during our Spring and Summer visits.

Today I am going to extend my vacation a little bit by spending time cleaning out my car and I am going to go through the kids gifts so I can actually see what they got. Not to mention cleaning, laundry, etc.

Then when things settle down later in the afternoon (am I kidding myself?), I am going to transfer all of my files and programs from my MacBook White to my new MacBook Pro that I haven’t use since I got it from my Dad Tuesday! Talk about torture! It’s so pretty and shiny and I am a total geek so not using a brand new super duper laptop is extremely difficult for me.

Have a great weekend and I’m going to put some photographs of our Orlando vacation up soon so subscribe to my (almost) daily RSS feed or weekly newsletter to be notified when I update the site.

Alicia

Puppy Training Guide – a website review just in time for those Christmas puppies!

Holiday, New posts, Pets, , , ,

Getting a puppy is a huge decision and one to not be taken lightly.  This is the time of year when a lot of parents decide to get a puppy and a site to visit pre and post puppy purchase/adoption is Puppy Training Guide.  This site covers all types of puppy training topics including socializing and housebreaking a new puppy. If you are going to get a puppy, especially if you have kids, it is extremely important to understand the ins and outs of owning and caring for a puppy. 

Here is a snippet from the “An Introduction to Training Your Puppy” article on Puppy Training Guide:

When you first get a new puppy, aside from the excitement of taking home a cute and loveable new friend, one of the things that you must consider is how you are going to deal with puppy training. There are a lot of different ways that you can approach puppy training, and whichever one you decide to use, it’s important to remember that training your puppy is one of the most valuable and rewarding things that you can do to build the greatest possible relationship with your new best friend.

Puppy training isn’t just about teaching your dog to go outside to go to the toilet. It’s also about teaching your dog about acceptable behaviors, and how to respond to you as its master. This means that when you are training your puppy you will be teaching it to learn some basic commands, such as sit and stay, and also having fun by learning how to walk on a leash and play fetch with a favorite toy.

As far as puppy training website’s go Puppy Training Guide is definetely one of the best and is one to bookmark.  I’m sure the author will keep adding new, useful articles often.
Puppy Training Guide is an information packed website great for new and experienced puppy owners.  The site’s uncluttered design, great puppy training articles, and the author’s personable writing style make it easy to navigate and to remember.. you’ll remember what website to go to for advice the next time your puppy has an accident!  I recommend turning to Puppy Training Guide for information both pre and post puppy purchase/adoption so you familiarize yourself with the reality of owning a puppy.

If you have an older child, age 10+, and are considering getting a puppy it would be great to print a few of the articles and have your child read them so you are sure he/she has is aware of the time and responsibility involved in owning a puppy, whether theirs or yours.  Puppy Training Guide will provide both you and your kids with knowledge and confidence when it comes to your new puppy!

Vincent Shoes – 9 days ’til Christmas 50% off

Holiday, New posts, Sales & Events, Shoes, , , ,

This is Day 8 of Vincent Shoes’ 9 Days ‘til Christmas where they celebrate the holiday season by offering a different selection of Vincent favorites at 50% off on VincentShoeStore.us every weekday through Friday, December 18!

Today’s styles at half off are the always-popular toddler and preschooler Vincent “classics” JIMMY, JESSICA, STAN and BETTY.
My kids have worn Vincent Shoes shoes for years and love them!

  • My May 2007 Vincent Shoes review of Madelyn’s MARTIN shoes and Sebastian’s OSKAR shoes
  • My 2009 Vincent Shoes review of Madelyn’s SUSAN boots
  • My January 2007 review of 3 styles (no photographs..from my old site)

What I’m getting at is that you will LOVE Vincent Shoes shoes. They are durable and stylish and their prices are impressive and to get 50% off of their already good prices, is unbeatable!

Here’s a photograph of one of Sebastian’s favorite pairs of Vincent Shoes:Vincent Shoes review

And the winner of the Corner Bakery Cafe bloger challenge is..

Holiday, New posts, ,
..Hip Mama’s Place! I am thrilled that our photograph came in 3rd place.. thanks to our readers!
Congratulations to Hip Mama’s Place for having the winning photograph and a beautiful photograph it is.


You can learn more about the Corner Bakery Cafe blogger challenge I participated in along with 11 other bloggers in the country on the Corner Bakery Cafe Facebook page, here.  You can also see all 12 blogger’s contest photographs on that page.

Thanks to our awesome readers, TheMommyInsider.com’s photograph came in 3rd place.
To thank our loyal readers, we are giving one lucky reader who lives near in a city where there is a Corner Bakery Cafe, a $25 gift card!  Sign up for our newsletter and RSS to be notified when the contest starts.