Friday Photo

If things are going according to schedule, today is our last day in the parks. :( It's also the opening evening for the "Night of Joy" celebration! There's a great lineup this year, but we won't actually be attending. Our kids are a little "young and restless" for such events at this point. Maybe in a few years...

In the mean time, enjoy this Friday Photo!



I call it, "Goodbye, Disney!" This was Reagan after an exhausting day at the Magic Kingdom.  We were on the boat back to the TTC. A sweet, older gentleman Cast Member had just given Reagan a Snow White pin--her first ever trading pin!

Thursday's Tip

Here's a dilemma we've faced: we come to an attraction we're just not quite sure about. Either we've never experienced it, or it has been several years BC--"before children." Knowing the sometimes squeamish nature of our children, we hem and haw about whether or not they should ride. Today's tip: let one parent preview the attraction alone first. Yes, it will take a bit of extra time from your schedule, but it will be worth avoiding the meltdown later. If there's a single rider line, the wait will go much faster. Or, grab a FastPass and hit it later. The parent not checking out the ride can take the kiddos for yet another spin on Dumbo, It's a Small World, or one of those kid-approved rides.

Even better, if you have an opportunity before your trip, do a quick YouTube search to see if you can find video of the attraction and preview it before you go! Nobody wants a terrified toddler on their hands. Planning ahead can save you some grief.

How I Pack: Mou$elaneous Tips

Today we arrive at our final "How I Pack" post. This one is exactly as the title implies: a bit of this and that. But they are all things that have worked well for us, so I hope you'll find a tip or two you can use here! Let's dig right in:

• We drive to Disney from Tennessee, which usually means an overnight stop on the way. Fortunately, we have family along the path, so we save $ by not paying for a hotel. Rather than unpack our entire vehicle to get our enormous suitcase that is, inevitably, in the back and at the bottom of everything else, we've learned to pack a separate overnight case for our personal items (toothpaste, shampoo, etc.) and a change of clothes for each member of the family. Such a timesaver  when packing back up the next morning!


• I roll some clothing, rather than folding it. I don't believe in unused space, so I fill every corner and crevice of our suitcase by rolling small items such as socks and underwear.


• Again with the theme of no unused space, I pack items within items. For example, I don't just toss in the empty clear backpack or fanny packs--I fill them with items first. Right now, our soft-sided cooler/lunchbox that we'll take into the parks is full of plastic silverwear and disposable bowls. My small purse I take into the parks is holding various sample sized items.


• Speaking of samples, I save up every shampoo, floss, cereal, or medication sample I get throughout the year and take them all to Disney World. I love having a variety of items in miniature. It lets me take "the kitchen sink" with little commitment.


• When we arrive at our WDW resort, we unpack the aforementioned enormous suitcase into the ample drawers that Disney resort rooms offer. Since I detest the thought of packing up on our final day, I try to make it go as quickly as possible. One way we accomplish this is by turning our empty suitcase up on its side in the closet area, leaving only about a 6-inch opening at the zipper, and using it as a dirty clothes hamper all week. You can easily cram worn clothing through the slot, and at the end of your trip your suitcase is already packed (more or less).


• I know some of you will balk at this, but we drive from our resort to the parks. (It really is a packing tip...wait for it.) Yes, Disney transportation is reliable. And yes, it's efficient (most of the time). But there are advantages to having your own vehicle. First and foremost, we don't have to wait in the never-ending bus line at park closing. Also, you have the ability to leave and eat off-property if you wish. (We've done this when meeting up with friends from the area who didn't have park tickets.) And here's the packing tip: we keep a small cooler of beverages in our car where we can stop and reload our "lunch box" as we park hop. It's a refreshing break and an opportunity to load/unload anything else we might need.


• We make our kids carry their own snacks. Yep, I'm the "mean mommy." But seriously, each girl has her own little fanny pack. Inside she has 2 snacks--usually one that's somewhat healthy and one that's more of a treat. This offers them easy access, and gives them the responsibility to make them last between meals.


• We have saved a couple of tubes from miniature M&Ms. These make great holders for quarters and shiny pennies for the pressed penny machines around the property. Film canisters work too (but who uses film anymore?).

That about wraps up our series. If you have some favorite packing tips, feel free to share them in the comments section.

How I Pack: The Disney Tub

If everything is going according to plan, we are probably in Epcot today. Since we're homeschoolers now, we'll be excited to experience all the learning opportunities that park has to offer!

Now, on to the subject at hand: the Disney Tub.



OK, so I admit it...it's not every family that goes to Disney every year (or, sometimes, multiple times per year). But if you're one of those lucky folks...or even if you just go every couple of years...you might want to invest in your own Disney Tub. Sure, it's just a clear plastic tub with some Disney stickers on it, but this inexpensive item has saved me time and money over the years. This is the place where I store those truly Disney-specific items that you need for each and every trip. Here's an example of items I keep in my Disney tub (many of them mentioned in the "What to Bring" post):

• Extra cheap rain ponchos


• Glow bracelets for the kids


• Pin layards and autograph books


• Plastic utencils, paper plates, plastic bowls, and paper towels


• A can of Lysol (yep, I'm a bit of a germaphobe)


• The kids' fanny packs


• Sample sizes of just about anything (including laundry detergent, fabric softener, and stain sticks)


• Wipes: baby, Clorox, and Purel


• Soft-sided Disney-themed lunchbox (for taking snacks into the parks)

That's mostly it. You could keep items such as your clear backpack in here too (but my husband also uses ours when he goes to the races). The point is, why buy it more than once when you know you'll need it again?

Tomorrow will be the final "How I Pack" installment. Let's just call it, "Mou$elaneous Tips" for fun!

How I Pack: Packing the Kids' Clothes

Let's face it, packing for the children usually falls to Mom. I mean, they're helpless, right? Well, yes and no. Certainly, I would never entrust the job of packing their own clothing for a vacation to my daughters, ages 4 and 7. But I do let my oldest have input (telling me her favorite outfits, which she'd prefer to wear at which parks, etc.). And although I know I'll be the one doing most of the work, I pack in such a way as to save myself work when we arrive at Walt Disney World. How? By using the Ziplock bag system. Intrigued? Read on.

This bag has an outfit for Reagan to wear into the park, plus an extra shirt.

First, I figure out how many days of clothing each child needs (adding one or two extra, depending on how messy and/or how well potty trained the child is). Then I organize complete outfits: shirt, shorts, underwear, socks, and even hair accessories. Next I put each complete outfit into a gallon-sized Ziplock bag. Finally, I label them with the child's name and classification of the outfit (travel, park, extra, etc.). I have gone so far as to label them with the actual days that the child will wear them, especially if it's a special outfit that I want them to wear, say, when we have a character meal.



Each child has her own duffel bag with all her smaller bags inside. When we arrive at our resort, I simply assign each girl a drawer. They unload their own duffel bags. Then, each morning, they can pick out an appropriate bag (OK, so the 4-yr-old can't read yet...but her big sister can help!) and get themselves dressed. Easy-peasey-mac-n-cheesey!

Next up: The Disney Tub. (Arent' you excited?) See ya, tomorrow!

Friday Photo

I really wanted today's Friday Photo to be a pic of our packed car. It is a thing of beauty, if I do say so myself. (Have I mentioned that I scored very high in "Spacial Relations" on my achievement tests in school? As far as I can tell, the only time this "gift" comes in handy is when packing the car for vacation.) For technical reasons, it simply isn't possible for me to provide you with this particular shot (have packed my chords, etc., that are necessary for uploading pics to my computer), so you'll have to settle for this instead:



I call it "Disney in September." Yes, this trip was also in September. It was my oldest daughter's first visit. And my husband and I hadn't been to Disney for about 5 years either. It was a very special trip for us, seeing Disney through little eyes as never before. So excited to be heading that way again today!

I'll be back in earnest with a trip report on Monday, September 13, but I have scheduled several posts in my absence. Can't wait to tell you all about our latest trip when we return!

How I Pack: What to Bring

In place of our regular "Thursday's Tip," please enjoy this first in a series of "How I Pack" posts.

Packing is a very personal process. Most people like to do it their way. And I am no different. But when beginning the process, I decided that rather than re-invent the wheel, I would begin with someone else's packing list and edit it to suit my needs. You can find several of these online. The one I typically use has more items than I would personally take, but because of these "extra" items I'm forced to think outside the box as to what my Disney packing needs may be. Sure, everyone needs clothes, shoes, and personal hygiene items. But perhaps you didn't think to pack "small electronic toys" for your kids or even a "lanyard and pins" for trading. Well, my packing list is just that detailed. Unfortunately, mine isn't exactly high-tech, so I can't share it here with you. (I go "old school"--crossing out and adding items manually on the page...maybe someday I'll get it together and do my own electronic list.) Instead, I'll point you to a few items that are Disney-specific and let you decide for yourself what personal items you'll need. Here are some of my family's must-have items for Disney:

• Child-size fanny packs for each kiddo. (We found cute Disney-themed ones in one of the character outlets.) Keeps Mom and Dad from playing the part of the pack mule.


• Hand-held mister fans, small enough to fit into aforementioned fanny packs.


• Glow bracelets. These cost about $1 for a whole pack. Take them to the night parade and share them with the kids around you! Keeps you from spending $15 on the light-up toys the vendors sell just before the parade.


• Snacks, cereal, and water. We take a large box full, saving both time (waiting in line for an afternoon pretzel) and money (paying nearly $5 for said pretzel). The kids each carry their own snacks in their fanny packs and can eat while waiting in line.


• Cheap rain ponchos. At a cost of about $1 and the size of a deck of cards, these can be invaluable when the little pop-up storms hit Central Florida. And you don't feel bad about tossing them when the shower is over, since the investment is low. Or, you can pay upwards of $5 for the same flimsy plastic at any WDW gift shop. (We carry our heavy, plastic ponchos on days where the forecast calls for lots of rain.)


• Two pairs of comfortable shoes for everyone, so that you can alternate pairs if you get caught in one of those FL showers. (We're athletic shoe people, although I know some folks swear by Crocs or even--heaven forbid!--flip-flops. Most important, stick to what your feet like and don't try out new shoes on a WDW vacation!)


• A clear backpack. First, Disney security will love you and wave you through the line with a quick glance. And when you find yourself smack dab in the middle of a Polaroid moment, you won't have to fumble through your bag searching for a camera...because you can see exactly where it is! Despite the possible drawback (it's all laid out there for everyone to see, for example), we still swear by this item.


• Ziplock bags. For everything. More on that later.

I could go on and on...but then I would have duplicated my regular packing list here. Instead, we'll call it a day. Tomorrow will be our regularly-scheduled "Friday Photo." Check back Monday for "Packing the Kids' Clothes."