Tag Archives: Holiday

Our Disney World holiday visit and tips for parent & kids visiting Disney World > Part 2

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This is a continuation of Part 1: “Our amazing trip to Disney World and a few tips and hints for your next visit – Part 1” post published December 26th, 2009.

Meal Time at Disney World

It was difficult for the 5 of us to agree on a time and place in the Disney World park to eat a meal so I’m glad I brought a large bag of snacks and granola bars (choose some healthy high calorie snacks) to keep their energy up. I think that helped keep my 10 and 3 year old from getting cranky and tired as so many other kids clearly and unfortunately were.

Plan your day at Disney World

  • Take 5-10 minutes when you arrive at Disney World to sit down on a bench with your family and plan out the rides that everyone wants to go in and if there are rides that both of yor kids can’t go on due to height restrictions then plan which parent or adult will go with with child (or kids) on each ride . That way there is no confusion once you reach a ride that you find all of your kids can’t go on.
  • Get Fast Passes. Fast Passes are free, but not all rides offer Fast Passes. “Its a Small World” doesn’t offer Fast Passes so be ready to wait in line.  If there is a parade Scheduled for the day you are visiting Disney World. During the parades at Disney World, lines for popular rides like “Space Mountain” are shorter because a lot of people are watching the parade.
  • Be prepared for moments of crankiness.  Expect your kids to get cranky. Being around so many people can be overwhelming I say the least. Kids can’t reason and accept the fact that they have to wait in line so be prepared to keep calm yourself. Download a couple of exciting new iPhone games (if you have one) that your kids can play while in line to help pass the time quicker.
  • Expect to buy each child one toy. Explain that it’s best to but toys at the end of your day at Disney World so THEY (your kids) don’t have to carry their toy around the while time.
  • Adults may want to wear a backpack not a handbag.  Your shoulders will be very strained with a few hours of walking and standing and you can expect to get sore.

General ride tip:

  • Whenever my 3 year old looked or acted line she was getting frightened on a ride (Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin for example) during dark moments I would point out how I thought the ride was so fun. When we went through outer space during Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin I told her in a very cheery voice that we got to go in space. She was OK then.
  • When she looked like she was getting overwhelmed/green on the Tea Cup ride I slowed our Tea Cup down and had her look down. This only lasted for a moment then she was ready to spin again.

Even though we arrived at Disney World at 9:30, we didn’t get to ride as many rides as we hoped.   Disney World is extremely busy during school breaks, even winter break.  The crowds can be a bit overwhelming especially for kids.  Read my tips on what to bring which will help during these overwhelming 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 1 > Read Part 1 of my ‘Disney World holiday trip’ series here

Helpful Disney World official website links:

These links open in a new window or tab in your browser

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

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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!

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

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..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.

RedPlum’s Cheap & Chic Holiday Gift Guide – 30 Great Gifts Under $30

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Last week I attended RedPlum’s “My Frugalicious Holiday” party here in Atlanta along with lots of other local Atlanta bloggers including Living as Mom, ATL Deal Finder, and The Divine Miss Mommy. Who knew these great bloggers were so close to me?!

RedPlum holiday gift guide

RedPlum strives to provide consumers with access to great deals and resources that enable us to save money without sacrificing quality.  A gift guide featuring 30 items under $30 is just another way RedPlum satisfies consumers needs to find affordable yet unique gifts for family and friends.
A few of my favorite items in RedPlum’s Cheap & Chic Holiday Gift Guide include:

  • Brugo Travel Mug – I use it almost every day!
  • BusyBodyBook – I use it everyday!
  • Days Ago Timer
  • Lindsay Wreath

The RedPlum holiday gift guide really can be a one-stop source for gifts for everyone (mostly of the female variety.. sorry boys) on your list.  Filling a stocking with fun, non-candy items for Mom has never been easier with a couple of products on RedPlum’s gift guide like the Polish Pens just $7 and a Demeter Fragrance purse spray that’s just $6.  View the RedPlum Cheap & Chic Holiday Gift Guide here.

More about RedPlum:
RedPlum™ is a new brand that signifies the “ultimate source of value”. Anytime you see the RedPlum™ name or logo on promotional materials you receive in your mailbox, on your doorstep, with your newspaper, online or in local stores, you can be assured that they carry relevant offers, savings and deals that can help you save money on products you need, so that you can splurge on the extras you want to sweeten your life!

A summer party with Playtex and a giveaway!

Cleaning & Cleaners, Holiday, New posts, Past Giveaways, , , , ,

I recently had a great summer party at my house despite the fact that the thought of organizing and having a party makes my brain hurt.  That’s the ADHD. I can’t process the thoughts required to put together a party which includes decorating, food preparation, and then clean up.. just thinking about it makes my brain hurt.

My summer party actually turned out really good. I didn’t get stressed before or during the party which was exciting in itself.  I made a few appetizers including Sweet Potato Chips that were pretty delicious once I finally got the timing right.

Playtex sent me a few pairs of gloves to try out before, during, and after my party and I’m telling you, they were pretty awesome. First, I used the GreatLengths™ Gloves to clean my glass patio table and chairs one of which had bird poop on it (see photos below.. not of the bird poop!).  Before having the gloves I would have just used a few paper towels to clean it off and would have been totally grossed out but the gloves took out the gross factor which was really nice.  I also used these gloves when cutting flowers from the garden.  I was lazy and didn’t want to go to the shed to get my regular gloves out but these worked really well.

GreatLengths™ Gloves

  • Test them out when prepping your grill and/or wiping down your patio furniture for the party; these gloves are ideal for the extra messy clean-up jobs (like getting bird poop off of patio chairs)

CleanCuisine™ Gloves

  • Use them while preparing spicy recipes like salsa or try them out when preparing meat or fish for the grill so you are sure to keep clean and germ-free
  • Try using them while chopping garlic or onions which often stings hands and/or leave a lingering odor

Living® Gloves

  • A twist on the classic Playtex® Living® gloves, this new version is ideal for clean-up tasks like washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen
Here are a couple of super-easy, quick appetizers (great for moms!) to try out at your next party:

Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob – courtesy of FoodNetwork.com
Ingredients:
4 ears fresh corn
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place corn husks directly on the oven rack and roast for 30 minutes or until corn is soft. Peel down the husks and use as a handle when eating.  My whoops.. Out of habit, I took the corn husks off before roasting the corn the first time with not such tasty results.

Sweet Potato Chips
Ingredients: 2 sweet potatoes
Directions: Slice two sweet potatoes very thin.  Lay as many slices as will fit without overlapping directly on your clean microwave turn table then spray the slices lightly with olive oil cooking spray (salt optional).  Microwave them in increments of a few minutes checking for desired crispness.

Playtex Gloves

Learn more about Playtex Gloves at the Playtex website here and buy Playtex gloves at your local grocery store or drugstore.

GIVEAWAY!
Playtex is giving 1 lucky reader 3 Glove samples AND a $50 gift certificate to the grocery store of their choice to buy food/drinks for their own Patio Party.
This is the perfect time of year for a nice patio party!  Leave a comment below telling me why you want to win and if you have something fun or funny to tell me about a previous party you held, you’ll get two entries!
Entries accepted until August 18th.